The Spider Queen

(Alpha Star System- Planet Gaia)

(Peterlor Estate- Hologram Suite #04)

"This proposal is completely ridiculous! Diverting the central river will lead to the destruction of protected wildlife reserves!"

"And how do you want to solve our water crisis? The population in Neuraon city keeps expanding and the water synthesis machines cannot keep up with the increased demands…"

"Look both of you are missing the point… the water should be given to the industrial sector to improve our economic output!"

Sophie was sitting down on a chair in the middle of what appeared to be a large open hall with massive stone pillars jutting up from the ground.

Several elderly men and women were arguing fiercely in the room and they each brought up points that made sense.

Sophie glanced at her dad who was leaning casually against one of the pillars without saying a single word.

This was the first day of her territory management training and her father had thrown her into the deep end within the first hour.

They were currently in a hologram suite and running a simulation of a conflict between varying factions on the local council.

The objective that Sophie had to accomplish was to reach some kind of agreement and decide what should be done with the water from the river.

The hybrid girl furrowed her brows and continued to listen as the arguing voices in the room got louder and louder.

The simulation was shockingly realistic as it displayed the petty grudges and disputes among the council members in the hall.

One elderly man got so worked up in a frenzy that he cocked back his fist and prepared to drive it in the face of the man standing in front of him.

"Enough," Sophie coldly spoke as she raised up one hand. Her golden eyes briefly flashed crimson and a terrifying pressure descended on the hall.

There was a tense moment of silence as the voices ceased immediately. Sophie impatiently tapped her fingers against the side of her chair as she thought about what to do next.

Her father hadn't given her any hints about how to solve this problem, so she was on her own.

At least this was just a simulation so she could always restart and try again if things went south in the meeting.

"I would like a representative from each faction to present their case on if the central river should be diverted and where the extra water should go to," Sophie commanded in a firm tone.

There were a few hushed whispers and then finally three people stepped forward and bowed deeply towards Sophie.

The group consisted of an old woman with long grey hair and heavy wrinkles across her face, a balding man with a sly grin and a frail elderly man whose hands trembled slightly.

"State your name and then present your case," Sophie demanded sternly as she powered on her wrist communicator to jot down some notes.

"My liege… my name is Aurora Carter. I have been serving as an environmental consultant for over twenty years at your company," the old woman spoke respectfully.

"The central river feeds into several lakes in the national park which falls into the protected zone."

"By diverting the river, there is a strong possibility that the park will suffer from ecological damage and thousands of unique animal species may be affected."

"I see…" Sophie muttered thoughtfully as she wrote down a few notes and then gestured for the next person to present their case.

The balding man with a sly grin on his face stepped forward and rubbed his palms. He shot a dismissive glance at the old woman and then turned to face Sophie.

The man opened his mouth and began to heap endless praises on the hybrid girl sitting on the chair,

"My ladyship, my name is Victor Hall, and I must say that you look absolutely stunning today! Truly your power and beauty have left me in both shock and awe!"

"You are indeed the daughter of the youngest god stage cultivator in the Federation and with your talent and I believe that you will eventually surpass him!"

"You…"

"Can you get to the point please," Sophie rudely cut off the balding man who had been speaking for over three minutes without saying anything useful.

"Yes of course my lady," Victor immediately spoke as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a thin sheet of paper.

"Currently the net profits from the industrial sector are around one hundred million Enas per year which is quite good, but it could be improved."

"I have run some numbers with the accounting department and by diverting the river we should be able to set up at least twenty more large scale factories."

"This will directly lead to an increase in profits by roughly forty five percent."

The sly smile on Victor's face never left as he tried his best to convince the young ruler of the planet to follow his grand ambitions.

Profit. Profit. Profit.

As the head of the financial sector, Victor's responsibility was to grow the local economy of the planet as much as he could.

"Thank you for your time," Sophie finally spoke as she looked at the last person who had yet to speak.

The frail elderly man stepped forward and had to use a cane to steady his body. His hands trembled uncontrollably, and he seemed as though he was on the verge of collapse.

"My name is Noah Pearce… I have been a member of the Neuraon city governing body for over fifty years now…" the elderly man whispered softly.

"Lady Peterlor, the population of our capitol city continues to expand at a rate that is much higher than what we initially predicted."

"The river water must be diverted in order to meet the needs of the residents in our communities or else there will be enormous socio-economic repercussions."

"Thousands of people in the lower class will not have access to safe drinking water and we may see some form of uprising or protest."

Sophie nodded thoughtfully and typed out the key points of Noah's speech.

She gently massaged her temples and was about to read over her notes when a voice interrupted her thoughts.

"My lady, please do not listen to that old fool's nonsense! If the population rebels, then all we have to do is send in the security forces and any uprising will be quelled!" Victor loudly spoke.

"The water synthesis machines can produce more than enough drinking water… do not listen to that alarmist!"

"Nonsense! The data clearly shows that the population needs more water!" Noah yelled angrily as he lost his temper.

"The river should not be diverted in the first place! The wildlife reserve has been protected for decades!" Aurora chimed in with a heavy scowl on her face.

The loud arguing resumed once more, and Sophie could not help but feel as though she had a massive headache coming on.

Was dealing with territory matters always so difficult?

Sophie looked at her father who continued to quietly stand in the background as if he was a mere bystander.

The hybrid girl let out a light sigh and then raised up her palm. The room instantly quieted as everyone waited to see what decision the young noblewoman had made.