The Spider Queen

(Hydra Star System- Planet Eleron)

(Zrudread University- Training Field #452)

Cleo sat quietly and observed the hundreds of attack drones floating silently in the air.

She was currently sitting down at the edge of a wide-open training arena that was around the size of three football fields.

Every single one of the attack drones was equipped with a regenerative shield and multiple plasma rifles capable of firing twenty rounds per second.

It was an impossible task to defeat them.

Even a cultivator in the qi tide stage would be instantly blown to pieces if they dared to step into the line of fire.

Cleo took a deep breath and steadied her thoughts. Today was the final day of the mech controller exam.

It involved practical training.

Despite the strict standards already required to pilot a mech, Zrudread University expected more from their students.

It was not enough to merely have the ability to pilot a mech. Each student should be able to fight as if the metalloid exoskeletons were an extension of their own limbs.

"How are you feeling?" a cheerful voice came from the Mendolesa girl standing by a nearby tree.

Her furry tail wagged furiously as she stared at the floating attack drones with a hungry look in her eyes.

"Tired… I can't wait for this exam season to be finally over," Cleo replied lazily as she stretched her arms.

"Elenora if you have time for small talk… then you have the time to prepare. We all know that you failed the theory portion of the class already," Drew exclaimed sarcastically.

Cleo shot an unpleasant look at the Quafes boy who was currently smirking at the two of them with an arrogant look on his face.

"Worry about yourself. Remember our bet? The person with the lowest mark will have to pay for a month's worth of food," Cleo replied coldly.

Elenora walked over to Drew and begun to argue while Cleo closed her eyes and ignored the two quarreling students.

Unfortunately, there were only three students in the mech course, so she was very familiar with the two of them.

Drew was a bit of an ass but his skills in piloting mechs in the light armor class could not be underestimated.

Elenora on the other hand preferred mechs with heavier firepower so she specialized in mechs built in the Ravager series.

Cleo was leaning towards beast-like mechs but planned on trying out different types until she found a model that clicked with her fighting style.

The sounds of Elenora and Drew arguing faded away to the background as Cleo thoughts began to wander.

God… I miss my Sophie.

Cleo let out a light sight as her thoughts turned towards her beautiful girlfriend. Finding out that Sophie had returned alive and was now safe at home still felt like a dream sometimes.

And now…

Cleo absentmindedly opened up her communicator and checked her inbox for any missed messages or calls.

There was nothing.

Sophie had not returned any of her messages or video chat requests.

What was going on with her?

Cleo was definitely feeling a little bit worried. The only thing keeping her from going into full panic mode was the message that she had received from Sophie's father.

He didn't say what was going on but told her that his daughter was okay. Cleo tried to press for more details, but the duke refused to say.

He simply said that his daughter would tell her once she was ready and that it wasn't his place to say.

It was so frustrating!

The princess placed her communicator into her storage ring and then turned her attention back to the exam.

She would get the answer one way or the other.

This was her last exam and Cleo planned on taking the first spaceflight back to the Alpha Star System as soon as it finished.

No hesitation. She wasn't even going to bother to wait for the results since she missed her girlfriend desperately.

And somehow, she just knew that Sophie needed her now more than ever. It was a subtle feeling, but Cleo was convinced that it was true.

Cleo got up from the ground and walked over to Elenora and Drew.

Over thirty minutes passed uneventfully while the three students waited for their instructor to arrive at the exam site.

It was annoying since the exam was supposed to start over an hour ago, but Instructor Barrett was not a man known for punctuality.

"Sorry for running late class!" a frail elderly voice shouted. A mechanical pod zoomed over to the training field with an old man sitting in the cockpit.

He stopped the large mechanical pod a mere hundred feet away from his students and then leapt confidently out of the vehicle.

Instructor Barrett was an old man with grey hair that was mixed with dark soot. It poked out in all directions as if he had just gotten an electric shock.

He wore the standard mechanical overalls of the Imperial Army and matched the dull grey colours of the uniform with bright neon-green sneakers that clashed horribly with his outfit.

He smelled of engine oil, smoke and ash. Not a particularly pleasant combination of scents but Cleo was used to it.

"Well, I have already begun to mark the theory exams and I must say… I am very disappointed in one of you," Instructor Barrett scolded fiercely.

"Clearly someone did not study properly because I remember taking about the steampunk era and the pioneers that designed early mechs and yet that individual claimed that…"

"Sir! Can we just begin the exam?" Drew hurriedly interrupted before the professor lost himself in a tangent.

Instructor Barrett stroked his beard and muttered thoughtfully, "Wha... what? Oh yeah… the exam."

The elderly man ran back to the mechanical pod with swiftness that seemed impossible given his frail appearance.

He returned five minutes later to the group with three large black crates that were around the size of two-story houses.

Instructor Barrett used his mental force to levitate the crates several feet in the air and with expert precision placed the boxes in front of each student.

"Just place your hand against the scanner and then I will explain the exam once everyone is suited up," Instructor Barrett spoke with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Cleo stepped up to the nearest black crate and had to step on tiptoes to place her right palm against the scanner that was located way too high up.

Drew was able to use his fluid body to stretch his arm and tap the scanner without a problem while Elenora had no issue placing her claw against the scanner.

With a dull hissing noise, a door-shaped hole opened up in the surface of each crate that revealed a large space inside.

Cleo stepped inside confidently and entered a world filled with mechanical machinery, androids and messy wires.

In the center of the crate was a mech but it was not just any mech.

It was the latest Xperion model from the Trident Series.

One could tell as much from the deep navy blue colour of the exterior and the custom trident symbol that was embedded in the chest plate.

Cleo's breath hitched as she stared at the sleek lightweight design with multiple thrustors and a laser sword.

It was beautiful. Mechs truly were a marvel of scientific engineering.

"I have to read the specs!" Cleo muttered softly. She ran over to the mech eagerly and took a tablet from the robot standing next to it.

Suddenly there was a loud bleeping noise and a holographic projection appeared above a console in the corner of the room.

Cleo glanced over and saw lines of text appear in the air.

[Welcome Mech Controller!]

[You have thirty minutes to modify the mech in front of you… that includes weapon systems, shields, flight thrustors, aerial navigators and more…]

[The Final Exam will begin once the modification process is completed]

The holographic projection changed to a picture of the internal view of the Trident mech as well as a list of materials available in the room.

Cleo frowned when she finished reading the instructions.

The base model should be sufficient for most situations, but it looked like Instructor Barrett wanted his students to add additional pieces of gear.

This was going to be tricky. The most important part of mech construction was making sure that the various pieces fit together.

If you simply placed the strongest plasma cannons and shields on a mech without care for the aerodynamic shape of the model, then it would lead to a total disaster.

Overheating… lack of proper flight capability…. so many issues could arise from one careless design choice.

Instructor Barrett was clearly testing them on all the knowledge that he had taught during the course of the semester in the lectures.

Cleo cracked her knuckles and prepared to get down to work. She tapped the picture of the internal view and zoomed in on certain sections.

It was time to ace this.