The Spider Queen

(Hydra Star System- Outer Regions)

(Hidden Location – Secret Laboratory)

The young Serpentinea curled up in a fetal position as he winced in pain. The burns and blisters on his skin were now throbbing painfully.

Dr. Valenna had an emotionless mask on her face, so it was impossible to tell what she felt as she gazed at the alien who was suffering.

"Why don't we do something different today?" Dr. Valenna's cold voice echoed through the containment room.

"Tell me about the other higher lifeform Insectoid races. I wish to learn more about your culture and your people."

"Never… why… why… would I… betray…" the Serpentinea gritted his teeth as he spoke. He raised up his head and stared at the scientist with nothing but hatred in his gaze.

This disgusting two-legged creature… he wanted to kill her.

He would kill her and all of her kind for this humiliation. These humans… they were monsters… beasts…

Dr. Valenna absentmindedly tapped the side of the glass, and she did not seem to be fazed by her prisoner's lack of communication.

This alien… he lacked the ability to resist heavy torture, but she would prefer for the situation to not reach that point.

However, she was always willing to do what was necessary for results even though there was always a chance that torture could damage the merchandise.

Dr. Valenna did not see the Serpentinea as an intelligent lifeform… she saw him merely as a test subject.

The equivalent of a lab rat.

Being the lead scientist on a project such as this meant that Dr. Valenna had no use for so- called 'compassion' or 'morality'.

What her investors wanted were results.

She would give them results no matter the cost because otherwise… her fate would not be pleasant.

"Are you sure that you wish to not answer my question?" Dr. Valenna whispered softly in a tone that was almost sweet.

The Serpentinea felt chills run down his spine as he saw the scientist smile at him with a friendly expression as if she was talking to an old friend.

He did not know what she had in mind but clearly it was nothing good.

For a moment the Serpentinea was tempted to talk but he curled up his appendages into a fist and remained silent.

Dr. Valenna walked up to the wall next to the containment cell and pressed a large button. The alien cried out in agony as thick green gas rose up from the floor.

Blisters and burns appeared on his rubbery skin, but this time Dr. Valenna did not stop the process.

First degree burns… then second-degree burns… third degree burns…

This torture only lasted for around five minutes before the alien was on his knees begging and crying out for mercy.

Dr. Valenna narrowed her eyes and allowed the gas to linger in the cell for a minute longer before pressing another button.

A vent opened up in the ceiling of the containment cell and all the thick green gas was sucked into the hole.

"Why… what… did… please… let… me… go…" the alien pleaded desperately as one could see yellowish blood flowing out of his open wounds.

"Are you going to answer my question now?" Dr. Valenna nonchalantly replied as she reached into her storage bag for a simple pen and notepad.

The Serpentinea hesitated for a moment as he was caught between the desire to remain loyal to the Insectoid Empire and the desire to never experience that kind of pain again.

He closed his multiple pink eyes and muttered a prayer of forgiveness to his ancestors for what he was about to do.

"I'm waiting…" Dr. Valenna's cold voice cut the alien's prayers short. He opened his eyes and looked away from his captor.

He didn't want to see the look of victory and satisfaction in her eyes as he obeyed her bidding without question.

"There are four higher order races… Naslitsers, Serpentinea, Fayera and the Arachnais…" the alien spoke in a voice no louder than a whisper.

"Each race generally keeps to their own sector of the empire…  I have only seen a Naslitsers before…"

Dr. Valenna wrote down a few notes on her notepad and hummed softly as she listened to the prisoner talk.

Naslitsers, Serpentinea, Fayera and Arachnais…

The information that she had just received could be sold on the dark net for a significant sum of money if she so desired.

The Earth Federation had only encountered lower-level Insectoid lifeforms and relatively intelligent commanders during the border skirmishes.

"And what are some of the characteristics of these Naslitsers?" Dr. Valenna asked curiously as she held up a pen in her slender fingers.

"They… they look ugly… beast-like creatures with narrow mouths and long noses. They always have an angry expression on their faces," the prisoner spoke quietly.

"They have no limbs and slither on the ground…"

The Serpentinea bowed his head in shame as he continued to sell out his people to the disgusting human that he hated.

If word of this got back to the elders of his race, then he would immediately be executed on the spot if he was lucky.

"So, you have no idea what the Fayera and Arachnais look like?" Dr. Valenna questioned harshly as she stepped closer to the containment cell.

"No… I was too young… I never stepped foot in their territories…" the alien hesitantly replied as he rubbed his fingers together nervously.

"Pity…" Dr. Valenna muttered quietly under her breath as she wrote down some more notes on the notepad.

There was a tense moment of silence as the lead scientist gazed at the badly injured Serpentinea with callous indifference.

She eventually turned around to walk out of the room when a weak voice came from behind her which caught her attention.

"The Insectoid Empire… will… never fall to such a low-class lifeform…" the Serpentinea gathered up his courage and spat out a sentence.

Dr. Valenna's sides trembled as her laughter filled the room. She approached the shivering alien and a sadistic smile flashed across her face.

"Kreyano, Leviantusus, the Federineas, A.Q.R syndicate…" Dr. Valenna muttered a series of names that meant nothing to the prisoner in the cell.

"What?" the alien asked in confusion.

A brief smile flashed across the lead scientist's face as she leaned in closer and whispered in a dangerous tone,

"Those are some of the names of the intergalactic civilisations that thought the same as you… that we human are too short, too delicate, too stupid, and too weak to be a threat."

"They are right of course. Humans may possess strong cultivation talents, but we are not the strongest, smartest, or even the fastest."

"And yet… each of those civilisations are now nothing more than lines of text on our history books."

"We have yet to meet an alien race who can match us on perhaps the most important trait to become conquerors…"

"Cruelty."