The Spider Queen

(Alpha Star System- Planet Gaia)

(Peterlor Estate- Hidden Entrance)

Duke Peterlor had repaired the illusion barrier that concealed the entrance to the underground city so now any passing starships would see nothing but a barren scenery.

Sophie stood silently in the wide-open field and tried her best not to constantly look down at her wrist communicator to check the time.

A gentle wind blew a few loose strands of hair across her face and the full blue sun shone brightly down on the hybrid girl.

She resisted for one more minute before once again powering on her device and checking to see what time it was.

Sophie let out a light sigh and then turned on the camera function in order to see what the current state of her appearance was.

She nervously straightened out a few creases on the bottom of her casual white dress and adjusted the star-shaped amulet on her neck.

What if she hadn't dressed properly? I mean…

Was a simple white dress with flower patterns and just her usual necklace enough?

Cleo was a princess for god's sake! What if she thought that her girlfriend's plain attire was a sign that she no longer cared?!

Sophie gripped the sides of her dress tightly as her brain went into overdrive mode.

Questions and dark thoughts surfaced in her mind as her image on the camera feed suddenly appeared unsightly and hideous.

No… no… there was no need to panic… no need to panic….

Take deep breaths…. relax… relax…. relax…

It was impossible not to feel anxious and truthfully Sophie's emotions were all over the place.

Most of her feelings were of excitement and anticipation at the thought of seeing Cleo again after months of being apart.

But there was a not insignificant part of her that felt nothing but anxiety and dread at the prospect of seeing her girlfriend again.

She had changed and it was nerve-wracking to imagine the possibility that Cleo may not love her anymore.

Sophie knelt down and slowly rubbed her temples. She took in a few deep breaths and then gently exhaled.

Using a technique that Doctor Reynolds had suggested, Sophie began to count the blades of grass at her feet.

"One blade… two blades… three blades…" Sophie muttered quietly.

The hybrid girl kept counting and gradually felt her turbulent mood slowly calm down.

A warm hand was placed on her shoulder and Sophie turned around to see her father staring down at her with a concerned look on his face.

"Honey… why did you decide to come here so early?" Duke Peterlor gently spoke.

"I heard from Butler Gerald that you have been out here for around two hours now. Cleo isn't coming until quite a bit later…"

"Dad… am I looking okay? Should I change? I should change right? I mean…." Sophie stammered as she blurted out the true thoughts in her mind.

Duke Peterlor frowned and immediately reached out his hand to pull his daughter up from the ground.

He pulled out a box of tissues from his storage ring and handed one to Sophie.

The hybrid girl wiped the tears that were beginning to form along the corners of her eyes and listened carefully as her father begun to talk.

"Sweetie… when I was around your age… and the time when I met your mother. I also used to get nervous," Duke Peterlor chuckled as he spoke.

"We all want to present the best version of ourselves and especially towards the people that we feel that we need to impress."

"But the reality is… you can't. Being with someone means that they have to like your appearance even when you are not impeccably dressed or covered in makeup."

"This might just be the words of your old man but you truly are a beautiful girl. There is no need to worry about your appearance."

"You're my dad… you have to say that," Sophie retorted with a small smile.

"Trust me… you basically won the genetic lottery! I have you know that your old man was voted the most eligible bachelor for five years in a row," Duke Peterlor boasted proudly.

"And I have yet to see a beauty that came even close to matching your mother."

There was a trace of nostalgia and longing in the duke's eyes as he mentioned princess Thai'lle that Sophie thoughtfully did not mention.

Duke Peterlor laughed and pulled out two chairs from his storage ring. He placed the two chairs side by side and gestured towards Sophie for her to sit down.

The father and daughter pair relaxed in the wide-open field as the sun shone brightly in the middle of the sky.

Sophie would still occasionally check the time on her wrist communicator but the tiny ball of anxiety that made her stomach feel sick slowly faded away.

The rest of the afternoon passed by peacefully as Duke Peterlor told his daughter about stories during his time in the Imperial Army.

Sophie stared in disbelief as her father mentioned encountering a strange alien race whose bodies were mainly composed of sucrose and other sugar bio-molecules.

Apparently this species was a war-like race from a planet in the outer regions. Which was surprising considering that their bodies would break under the slightest blow.

During his time in the Imperial Army, the duke had been assigned to various scouting missions to explore new areas and search for resources.

There were new sights, cultures, civilisations, and alien races that opened the duke's mind to what lay out there beyond the reaches of the Federation.

It was hard to really comprehend the vast scale of the universe.

The radius of the observable universe was around 46,508 billion light years but scientists theorised that the actual size was much larger.

Even the mighty Earth Federation whose territories and influence stretched across multiple galaxies was nothing more than a speck of dust.

"If there is one lesson that I have learnt during my time in the army, it is that no matter how good you think you are… there is always someone better," Duke Peterlor solemnly spoke.

"Never assume that you are all powerful or invincible. For example, the biggest threat currently to the Earth Federation is the Insectoid Empire but…

"I have no doubt that there are other powerful factions lurking among the stars."