The Spider Queen

(Unova Syndicate- Sector Delta)

(Planet Garmaran- Old Fergnar's Tavern)

This planet served as a temporary housing base for the mercenary teams fighting for the Unovan forces.

There was always profit to be made in war and the arrival of numerous warriors from across the universe represented an opportunity to acquire vast riches.

Mercenaries were generous spenders since no one knew what fight would be their last.

Pleasure brothels, taverns, marketplaces and even slavery dens soon sprung up at uncountable locations.

Three days had passed since the spatial battle at Planet Xercpolisis and Sophie's crew had not been given another assignment yet.

This was honestly good news since she had already been able to send out a message so her objective was complete.

However, Sophie was not foolish and knew not to only rely on a rescue team that may not arrive in time.

She continued to actively search for methods to bypass the Unovan military's blockage and enter Federation controlled territory.

Smugglers could be a possible option but she had yet to meet one.

Right now, the next step of her plan was to gather information using infiltration methods.

"Bring me another!" a boisterous roar echoed through the tavern as a humanoid figure with four blade-like appendages slammed an empty glass against the nearest table.

Laughter and loud jeers could be heard as the warrior staggered to her feet and walked towards the bartender.

Sophie casually grabbed a few more drinks and then returned to the gambling table that was located in the center of the tavern.

Mercenaries of all different races and species stared intensely at two rat-sized creatures that were locked in miniature cages.

The creatures resembled furry little hamsters with soft orange fur and tiny beady eyes that seemed to glow under the light.

Their limbs were elongated and there were several sharp claws attached to the ends of their feet.

Razor sharp fangs could be seen as the creatures occasionally yawned in boredom.

"I'll place five hundred dollars on the right one!" Sophie spoke confidently as she passed the drinks to her new acquaintances.

No one noticed that her golden eyes briefly turned into a pale milky-white colour as she took a quick peek into the future.

A scaly alien with purplish-grey skin slithered over to Sophie's location and offered some advice,

"Don't be stupid…. I…I heard from Lu'kesn that the game is…rigged…"

The language that the mercenary spoke was the standard Unovan tongue but Sophie could also hear a strong accent.

Sophie politely thanked the helpful warrior for her advice but still passed Unovan credits to the tavern bookie.

The scaly alien shook her head twice to express her disapproval and then slithered away to another location.

Sophie took a quick glance at the greenish-yellow liquid inside the glass flask before downing the contents into her mouth with one gulp.

There was no other word to describe the beverages served in this tavern other than bitter.

Sophie grimaced as the nasty liquid left an unpleasant aftertaste that she could still experience.

Unfortunately, an unwelcome side effect of being a half Arachnais was that all poisons and toxins were instantly broken down once they entered her body.

So, it was impossible for her to get drunk.

Sophie was forced to act intoxicated so that she could fit in with the raucous atmosphere created by the other mercenaries.

The tavern bookie politely walked around the crowd for a final time and took more bets until the empty container in the palm of his webbed hand was filled to the brim.

He pressed a button on the device that was wrapped around his neck and soon a slender robot emerged from the back of the tavern.

It rolled towards the gambling table and stood at attention quietly. The other mercenaries briefly quieted down as the metalloid robot pulled two steel pins out of its socket.

It then proceeded to stab the sharpened ends into the creatures' backsides.

Sophie could spot thin droplets of a mysterious substance that covered the edges of the pins.

Rarghhhh! Rarghhhh!

Rarghhhh! Rarghhhh!

A series of thunderous roars erupted from the throats of the two creatures that were so loud that the room vibrated.

With a deafening bang, both metalloid cages burst into pieces as the creatures emerged from their prisons.

No trace of the adorable furry creatures remained as they were now nothing more than savage beasts yearning to kill.

The liquid that had been injected into their bodies had clearly infected their minds as well since a strong madness could be seen in their eyes.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" the crowd began to chant.

The two creatures clearly didn't need the encouragement since they immediately lowered their heads and charged.

Sophie placed her arm around the closest mercenary and whispered in his ear, "So, who did you bet on?"

"The left one," the warrior briefly replied and then turned his attention back to the fight happening on the table.

Sophie was undeterred by the short response and continued to mix and mingle with the other mercenaries.

Those who fought on the losing side of a war were either desperate or mad and Sophie had met plenty of both.

Some mercenary teams were in crippling debt to underworld clans and needed the money offered by the Unovan military.

Others were exiled from their organizations and given this one last chance to prove themselves on the battlefield.

There were even a few that were fighting lunatics and relished the chance to face an enemy as powerful as the Imperial Army.

Whatever their reason, Sophie discovered that most were fairly easy to talk to.

For the ones that were hostile, she would just casually leak out a thin trace of killing intent and that was enough to deter any would-be aggressors.

Twenty minutes passed by uneventfully as Sophie continued to walk around the tavern looking for new mercenaries to chat with.

"NO! FUCK ME I WASTED ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS!" a ferocious shout caught Sophie's attention as she turned away from the armoured knight that she was currently talking to.

On the gambling table was the broken and bloodied corpse of the creature that was kept in the left cage.

The surviving creature also succumbed to his wounds but not before his foe had taken his last breath first.

A joyful grin spread across Sophie's face as she walked towards the bookie to collect her earnings.

The sounds of celebration mixed with bitter cursing filled the air as members of the gambling crowd experienced different emotions towards the results.

"I guess… you were… right," the scaly warrior pressed a cold palm against Sophie's shoulder as the hybrid girl held the bag with her winnings.

"How about a drink on me?" Sophie smiled gently as signalled to the bartender to bring over another round.

"Thanks… my name… is Perspherene," the mercenary introduced herself with a bloodthirsty grin.

Perspherene wore a set of armour that was a deep navy-blue colour and clearly designed to mimic the appearance of standard military gear.

Four identical short swords were attached to her hips and the hilt of a plasma pistol could be seen poking out of one of her pockets.

The scales that covered her exposed flesh were a purplish-grey colour and her facial features were similar to that of a lizard.

Instead of humanoid legs, Perspherene had a long slender tail that wriggled slightly as she swayed unevenly from side to side.

Sophie soon found herself deeply engrossed in conversation with this mercenary as they both exchanged stories.

The best lies contained truth mixed within so Sophie mentioned that her crew was sponsored by the religious organization known as the Sun's Glory.

Perspherene confessed that she was part of an independent crew whose captain had decided that the high fees paid by the Unovan military was worth the risk.

A bitter smile flashed across Perspherene's face and some unknown emotions were hidden in her gaze when she talked about her greedy captain.

Time soon flew by as Sophie bid farewell to her new friend and continued to converse with the other warriors in the tavern.

She kept a note of any rumors and speculations about the state of the war and where the next battles would most likely take place.

Unfortunately, when she casually brought up the topic of smugglers, the responses were not great.

Most had no idea where to even find one.

Sophie sighed heavily and prepared to leave the tavern for another entertainment building when a voice called out to her.

"I heard whispers that you require the services of a smuggler?"