The Spider Queen

[No Network In Range]

[No Network In Range]

[No Network In Range]

"Fuck!" Sophie cursed loudly before smashing her right fist against the side of the chair in frustration.

She didn't manage to control her strength properly and a large dent formed on the metalloid exterior.

The situation was getting worse with every passing minute.

This was the first time that Sophie had taken part in a spatial battle and she was struck by a feeling of powerlessness.

Her strength was useless.

Only warriors with cultivation above the void stage would be able to survive in space without oxygen for extended periods of time.

And their bodies were capable of withstanding rounds of heavy plasma fire directly.

There was nothing Sophie could do except have faith in the two pilots to navigate the battlefield safely and keep everyone alive.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Nearby starships exploded one after the other and the shockwaves produced by the blasts constantly impacted Sophie's spacecraft.

The Imperial Army was not here to force them to surrender since the main objective appeared to be elimination.

Stray shots would occasionally hit the lush forestry on planet Xercpolisis and soon terrible wildfires began to consume the planet's surface.

Sophie took a few deep breaths to calm herself down and then gestured to one of her clones in the room.

Her mirror copy walked over swiftly and then stood at attention while Sophie pressed a button on the side of her communicator.

The metalloid device fell off her wrist and Sophie then handed it to her mirror copy.

"Keep trying to connect to the network and at the same time I want you to write up a draft message containing a brief summary of the current situation and our location," Sophie ordered.

"Address the message to every important contact on my communicator and immediately let me know when the message gets sent out so we can leave this dangerous battlefield."

"I will keep an eye on the situation here."

Sophie's initial plan was to wait for a steady network signal and then make a videocall to the Peterlor mansion but it seems that the risk was far too great.

The Imperial Army was slicing through the mercenary forces like a hot knife through butter and it was only a matter of time before the order to retreat was issued.

Sophie's mirror copy nodded her head and then retreated to the back of the room where she began to type out the message.

The clones created by the Rsychosis technique would inherit both the user's memories and personality so the message being typed out would be identical to what Sophie had in mind.

The hybrid girl's golden eyes darkened as she stared at the holographic projection that displayed the state of the battlefield outside.

"Reroute all available power to the ship's defenses and move behind the carrier vessel several kilometers ahead," Sophie yelled.

Penshese and Lt. Shirren obeyed the order instantly and the starship flew behind an enormous vessel for cover.

Boom! Boom!

Seconds later, several heavy rounds of plasma fire shot towards their previous location and blew up five starships.

It was rare for Sophie to feel flustered but she channeled her fear and anxiety into determination.

The decisions that she had to make in the next thirty minutes would decide whether the crew would live or die.

There was a faint crimson-red hue that spread across Sophie's golden eyes as her vision shifted to a world of yellowish orange.

Everything seemed to slow down to a crawl as the familiar feeling of bloodlust surged in Sophie's mind.

And yet… something was different.

The heavy urge to kill still rang out in the back of her mind but the voice held a much softer tone than before.

This was the first time that Sophie had used the goddess' abilities properly after the fight with Captain Dawn.

She had clearly gained some benefits after completing her first hunt.

"Fly the starship five kilometers starboard and then drop down to hide behind the nearest squadron," Sophie urgently shouted.

The two pilots were now moving automatically and immediately followed Sophie's orders.

The game of cat and mouse had now officially begun.

One wrong move and it would be over.

The starship that Sophie was currently flying on was mainly designed as a long-range escape vessel.

The weapons systems were incredibly simple and none of the plasma cannons were capable of breaching a standard military barrier device.

Plus, there were no one onboard who could operate those weapons in the first place since the two pilots were fully occupied with navigating the spacecraft.

On the battlefield, time no longer appeared to flow properly.

Minutes somehow turned to hours as Sophie's heightened state of awareness made her lose track of how long it had been since the Imperial Army had arrived.

Sophie's enhanced vision could spot tiny details on the starships of the Imperial Army.

Plasma cannons would briefly light up as their cores were charged.

It sounded simple to look for glowing cannons and then change the position of the starship but in reality it was an almost impossible task.

There were over one thousand starships in the Imperial Army's fleet and Sophie had to keep a constant eye on every single one that she detected as a threat.

It was at this moment that her danger sense kicked into overdrive.

The hairs on Sophie's arms would tremble slightly and she would get a feeling to glance in a certain direction.

The quiet tense atmosphere on the starship's command deck was broken by the sound of a firm voice barking out a series of orders at regular intervals.

"Move the starship forty kilometers portside and then cling closely to the rear of the carrier vessel currently engaging with the enemy."

"The starship ahead of us to the starboard side is about to engage with several enemy vessels. It will serve as a distraction while we move towards the aft."

"Penshese don't get nervous. As long as you continue to follow my commands then I promise that everyone here will survive this battle. Now fly the starship to this direction…."

There was a small part of Sophie that was actually relieved that she no longer felt sick when looking at corpses.

Because there were a lot of them.

Metalloid rubble and pieces from the destroyed starships floated aimlessly in space accompanied by the dead bodies of the crew that once flew inside them.

The fates of the crew were mixed as some bodies had mangled and crushed limbs, others were severely burnt and the fortunate few simply died of suffocation.

This was war but it felt more akin to a massacre.

The Unovan forces that consisted mainly of private mercenary organizations never stood a chance.

Sophie continued to direct and point out potential sources of danger to the two pilots but noticed something out of the corner of her eye.

The Unovan military vessels that were mixed in with the ordinary mercenary starships were stealthily turning around.

Fleeing? But the order to retreat had not been sent out….

Wait…

Sophie's eyes widened as she realised a horrific possibility.

Why did she assume that the Unovan military would issue a withdrawal order to their ally forces?!

It would be a ruthless decision but it made sense to have the mercenary teams engage the enemy for as long as possible.

"Reroute sixty percent of the engine power to the warp core and then prepare on my command to jump to hyperspace," Sophie spoke in a low tone.

Lt. Shirren paused her movements but the firm glint in Sophie's eyes forced the questions down her throat.

Most of the starships that were part of the Unovan forces had yet to notice the military's betrayal but Sophie did spot a few towards the back of the fleet that were also igniting their warp cores.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

More starships exploded but this time Sophie's attention was more focused on escaping than hiding behind another vessel.

Sophie leaned back against the captain's chair and let out a quiet sigh. It would be too dangerous to stick around for any longer.

She couldn't even close her eyes to take a few moments to adjust her mood since the battle was still ongoing.

"I DID IT!" an excited yell snapped Sophie out of her bad mood.

She took a quick glance towards the back of the room and saw her mirror copy raising her fist victoriously in the air.

"The communicator managed to briefly connect to the virtual net when we passed by that squadron a few minutes ago!" Sophie's clone happily exclaimed.

"There was enough time to send out the message!"

Sophie couldn't stop a ridiculously happy smile from spreading across her face as the heavy feeling in her heart finally disappeared.

"We are leaving now! Set the coordinate destination as the military outpost where we received our assignment zone," Sophie commanded.

Penshese adjusted a few buttons on her monitor and then shouted, "Preparing the jump to hyperspace…. Three…. Two… One…"

Shortly after Sophie's spaceship had left the battlefield, the military spacecrafts mixed in with the other Unovan forces also departed callously.

By the time the other mercenary organisations had realised that the military spacecrafts had vanished and abandoned them to their fates…

It was already far too late.