The Spider Queen

(Earth Federation- Artificial Planet X-837)

(Temporary Military Outpost- Main Hangar)

There was a strict procedure to be followed during wartime.

Any starship that participated in a battle that was located in enemy territory must be carefully screened and checked upon re-entering Federation controlled space.

This was a cumbersome procedure but a necessary one.

There were numerous cases in the past of alien races infiltrating Imperial Army starships or even planting dangerous toxin bombs or explosives onboard the vessels.

Sophie quietly stood with the rest of the demon knights as their starship landed safely in the middle of the hangar.

Outside the window she could observe the tiny ant-like figures of Imperial Army troopers moving from starship to starship.

It was a continuous flow.

Every few minutes a beam of green light would be emitted from the metalloid devices suspended high above on the ceiling.

This beam of light would sweep the entire length of a grounded spacecraft several times before moving on to the next one.

Sophie didn't panic since she had been told by Katarina a few hours earlier that this scan only checked for forbidden weaponry or suspicious lifeforms.

Duke Peterlor was familiar with the technology level of the Imperial Army and had sent his death guard with countermeasures.

"Alright it should be a few more minutes and then we can disembark," a loud voice shouted. It came from the officer sitting comfortably in the captain's chair.

The memory modification process had been a complete success. None of the officers in the command room had any idea that they had spent the last few days in an unconscious state.

Instead, their minds would recall scenes of flying around the outskirts of the battlefield and engaging already damaged fighter spacecrafts.

The rogue AI unit that Katarina had infected the starship's intelligence system with would collaborate their memories by modifying the flight records.

Sophie assumed that there was not a hint of nervousness on the faces of her father's death guards or the members of the Nephilim Church.

Although to be fair, it was hard to tell if this was true since the demon knights had their faces concealed by oversized helmets and her father's death guards wore large, baggy hoods.

The only members of the church whose faces were openly displayed were Bishop Walsh and Rachel.

Rachel was not confident that she would be able to maintain the act so she confided in Sophie that she planned to freeze her face in a deadpan expression for the rest of the inspection.

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Truthfully Sophie was a bit jealous of her friend's ability to shapeshift. It was quite the convenient ability.

"Ouch… this hurts like a mothafuc…" Sophie hissed softly as she felt another jolt of pain hit her lower back.

In absence of the ability to shapeshift, the hybrid girl was forced to rely on Katarina's so-called 'excellent idea'.

Basically, she was forced to wear a bio-mechanical exoskeleton that contorted and snapped her bladed appendages in certain places to create the illusion of a normal muscular humanoid figure.

It was exactly as painful as it sounded.

Imagine having your arm forcefully twisted to reach the middle of your back and that was a similar sensation to what Sophie was currently experiencing.

She was convinced half-way through the disguising process that Katarina was going to rip off her appendages by force.

Not to mention that the armoured uniforms that the demonic knights wore smelled like brimstone and sulphur so that really wasn't fantastic news either.

Lily on the other hand had a much better time since all she had to wear was a specially modified electromagnetic cloak that concealed her from the probing ray.

The little girl was currently attached to a metalloid harness on Katarina's body.

Fortunately, Lily's short stature and slender physique meant that she was easily concealed under the robe that Katarina wore.

Sophie bit her lip and tried her best not to let out a small groan of pain as she took a tentative step forward.

A harsh robotic voice blared out from the speakers overhead and echoed through the room.

[Scan Imminent! Please Do Not Conceal Any Contraband!]

Bleep! Bleep!

It was the moment of truth.

Sophie frowned slightly as the beam of green light came closer and closer to her position.

Katarina had assured her that the bio-mechanical exoskeleton would display real flesh and skin when exposed to the scan.

Three… two… one…

Sophie held her breath as the beam of green light swept up and down her body before moving on to the demon knight next to her.

Thank goodness.

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A relieved smile flashed across Sophie's face that was concealed by the bulky helmet. Everything was proceeding according to plan.

The next couple of minutes passed relatively uneventfully as the scanner could not find anything illegal.

"The Nephilim Church offers our sincerest gratitude for guiding us through this dangerous voyage," Bishop Walsh hoarsely whispered.

He placed a firm hand on the shoulder of one of the pilots who tried his best to wince as drops of blood from the wound on the bishop's palm stained his shirt.

Simultaneously the demon knights in the room knelt down and placed their right palm against their chest.

Sophie followed along and also copied the movements of the church members closest to her.

The hooded members of the church clasped their hands together and prayed fervently in a language that Sophie recognises as ancient Latin.

Surprisingly it was Katarina who led the prayer as Sophie recognised her clear distinct voice filled with religious zeal and passion.

Rachel stood silently but the holy aura surrounding her body seemed to respond to the worship by increasing the spiritual pressure.

Bishop Walsh made a series of hand gestures and the ritual immediately stopped.

The demon knights and Sophie got into two neat lines with the hooded church members sandwiched between them.

Rachel walked with slow purposeful steps towards the front of the formation and then followed Bishop Walsh who left the room.

Sophie marched uniformly with the demon knights with every step causing a jolt of pain to hit her upper and lower back.

The hybrid girl simply gritted her teeth and carried on as if she felt nothing. This was the final stretch to freedom.

The end was in sight. She just needed to bear with the pain for a few more hours…

Bishop Walsh led the church members through a labyrinth of side-passageways and corridors until they finally arrived at the exit room.

The old clergyman pressed a finger on the scanner and metalloid door swung open to reveal a white open space.

Bleep! Bleep!

In the center of the room was a circular pit that gradually opened to reveal a metalloid stairway that led to the ground below.

Bishop Walsh held out his arm and respectfully escorted Rachel down the stairs.

Sophie witnessed firsthand just how important her friend was to Bishop Walsh and it was a sight that warmed her heart.

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The rest of the procession waited until the saintess and the bishop reached the end of the stairway.

The hooded members of the church walked first with the demon knights following closely behind.

Sophie absentmindedly touched the hilt of the broadsword that was attached to her hip as she walked down.

The main hangar was an enormous open space that could fit thousands of starships laying side by side.

Temperature regulating systems meant that there was a constant source of cool breeze that brushed against one's face as they walked through.

Sophie was fascinated by the sight of so many different models of fighter spacecrafts.

Some had long sleek designs and were clearly meant for light skirmishes while others were more heavily armoured with bulky barrier devices located on their undersides.

A floating hovercar approached the procession that was piloted by a sunny looking girl who appeared to be in her early twenties.

She wore the standard Imperial Army uniform and had pale white skin that was covered in brown freckles.

She smiled politely and then gestured for them to board the hovercar. Bishop Walsh led the way and offered the first seat to Rachel who sat down with an expressionless look.

The enormous space inside the main hangar meant that it was quite impractical to walk from end to end.

Sophie shifted uncomfortably as she sat down and since her bladed appendages were squished even closer together.

"Will we be visiting the commander again?" Bishop Walsh questioned in a gruff tone.

"No sir! Commander Stewart is quite busy at the moment so I have been assigned to take you to a private room for additional scanning and then escort you to your vessel," the cheery officer replied.

"That is quite curious. I was under the impression that usually only one scan of the starship is mandated," Bishop Walsh spoke slowly.

"Yes sir you are correct! But Headquarters have sent out an order that all individuals that participated in the ongoing battle must submit to additional screening," the officer explained respectfully.

Sophie's eyes narrowed as the young girl finished speaking. Her disguise should hold up thanks to the bio-mechanical exoskeleton wrapped around her body… but what about Lily?

Would a simple electromagnetic cloak be enough?

Now it would be impossible secretly send a message to Katarina since there were cameras everywhere inside the military base.

Sophie tilted her head a few centimeters and observed Katarina who was resting against the side of the hovercar.

It was impossible to see her expression since the large hood blocked most of her features but her body language displayed no feelings of anxiety or worry.

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