The Spider Queen

(Earth Federation- Alpha Star System)

(Planet Gaia- Peterlor Estate)

Sophie continued to chat with her father as they walked towards a small wooden shack that was roughly the size of a one-bedroom apartment.

Duke Peterlor had easily shattered the translucent dome in his haste to reunite with his daughter so now the camouflage was broken.

The other side of the barrier was not an empty field but rather a lush fertile garden that was filled with flowers and green leafy trees that stretched towards the heavens.

Small insect-like creatures filled the air with soft buzzing noises as they hopped from flower to flower in order to taste the sweet nectar hidden inside.

Sophie reached for a delicate red flower and plucked the petals off with smooth movements. She turned around and placed these small petals in Lily's hand.

Lily's eyes widened and a happy smile flashed across her face. Sophie ran a few steps backwards and picked up the little girl in her arms.

Lily was clearly feeling a bit nervous around Duke Peterlor since the small child had only spoken a few sentences since the duke arrived.

Sophie stroked Lily's hair and wandered through the garden with a look of admiration on her face.

This place made me feel a deep sense of tranquility.

Sophie could feel her worries and anxiety fade away to nothingness as she smelled the fresh scent of nature.

"You always did love to play here. Especially when you were a little girl, I used to have to drag you away from here when it was dinner time," Duke Peterlor chuckled loudly.

Warm memories flooded back into Sophie's mind as she recalled the happy afternoons spent playing in the garden without a care in the world.

In fact, it was in this same garden where she had spent many a playdate with Leona during the time when the two were still best friends.

Leona… hmm…

Their relationship had somewhat mended by the time the Imperial Banquet had occurred but that was a few months ago or rather what felt like a lifetime.

Actually, there were a lot of people that Sophie had yet to contact or at least message when she gave the matter some more thought.

But she wasn't going to rush.

There were piles upon piles of messages in her inbox, but Sophie planned on only establishing contact with her closest friends for now.

She needed to take a solid week or maybe more to rest and recuperate after her ordeals in the Unovan Syndicate.

Sophie walked in a daze until she finally arrived in front of the wooden shack that stood out like a sore thumb in the middle of the carefully constructed garden paradise.

The shack's outer appearance was rather unassuming and seemed to be made from plain wooden planks that were arranged in the style of a simple hut.

Duke Peterlor entered through the doorway with confidence followed by Sophie who took a few large strides and easily caught up.

A robotic voice was then heard coming from a hidden speaker as a green light was emitted from a device on the ceiling.

["Confirming the number of lifeforms… three… scanning three biological lifeforms…"]

["Recognised… Rokan Peterlor… alpha level personnel… highest authority level"]

["Recognised… Sophie Peterlor… alpha level personnel"]

["Error… failure to recognise…"]

The green light swept Lily's body multiple times to detect any hidden threats or weapons and soon a harsh wailing noise erupted from the speaker.

Duke Peterlor lazily made a series of hand gestures, and the automatic alarm system was deactivated instantly.

["Transport to inner level… Granted!"]

"Hold on to me tight Lily," Sophie quietly whispered as she tightened her grip on the little girl's soft body.

The room inside the hut began to shake violently from side to side as though an earthquake was happening.

Sophie used her bladed appendages to stab into the wooden floor in order to stabilize her posture.

Duke Peterlor stood as firm as a rock since to him this violent trembling was nothing more than a calming breeze.

With a loud hissing noise, three identical holes opened up in the floor. Sophie stepped into the nearest one after winking cheerfully at her dad.

"See you soon!" Sophie called out happily. She made sure that Lily was still securely held in her arms before flinging the rest of her body inside.

Whoosh!

Sophie closed her eyes and heard the sounds of Lily screaming in fear as the pair travelled through the underground slide.

There were twists, turns and unexpected drops that made Sophie's stomach churn. She had no idea why her father would design the only entrance to the underground like this.

With a dull thump, Sophie's feet landed on solid ground, and she opened her eyes to see the familiar sight of home.

A magnificent sprawling mechanical city where hundreds of small hovercars zipping through the air above the tall skyscrapers that rose up from the ground.

Hundreds of robot androids and mechanical drones kept the city fully operational and maintained a defense system capable of withstanding multiple orbital strikes.

Even in the event that planet Gaia came under direct attack, there were enough resources such as multiple escape spacecrafts, barrier devices and food replicators to last for a lifetime.

This was the fortress of House Peterlor. But… it was also home. Sophie felt a firm hand land on her shoulder and knew that it belonged to her father.

How he was able to easily evade her enhanced senses was a mystery that would have to be solved another day.

"Dad… I…" Sophie tried to speak but couldn't get the words out. Maybe it was finally seeing the city that caused her emotions to once again spiral out of control.

Standing in front of the Peterlor Estate with her father standing right beside her. Sophie choked up as tears ran down the sides of her cheeks.

"Big sister are you okay?" Lily asked worriedly. Sophie did her best to smile lightly at the small child, but her attempts just made her facial expressions look even worse.

Whoever said that girls look beautiful when they cry was completely full of shit. Sophie sniffed loudly and knelt down to the ground.

She gently released Lily from her embrace and then placed her face in her palms. Sophie's entire body shuddered as she sobbed furiously.

This was supposed to be a happy occasion and she was ruining it. Sophie didn't want her father to see the snot and ugly tears that were streaked across her face.

But what she didn't expect was the fact that her father couldn't care less about his daughter's less than ideal appearance.

"There… there… just let it all out…" Duke Peterlor whispered hoarsely as he knelt down to take his daughter into his arms.

He stroked her back lovingly and waited for the tears and emotions to finally be released. He was prepared to wait as long as it took.

Minutes passed slowly as the duke continued to comfort his daughter and whisper that everything was going to be alright.

It was impossible to guarantee that his daughter would live a worry-free life, but the duke swore to himself to never lose her again.

"Here you go," Duke Peterlor smiled and handed Sophie a handkerchief that he pulled out from his storage ring.

Sophie muttered her thanks softly and used the fabric to wipe her face thoroughly until all traces of her breakdown had disappeared.

An embarrassed flush spread across Sophie's face when she realised that the right shoulder of her dad's uniform was now completely soaked.

"Come on…" Duke Peterlor pretended not to see the embarrassed look on his daughter's face and reached his hand out.

Sophie placed in her palm in her father's calloused hand and felt a surge of warmth in her heart when his fingers tightened.

"I know my little princess is um… quite the foodie so I hired the famous caterers from The Emerald Sky's Restaurant to prepare a two hundred-course fest," Duke Peterlor excitedly spoke.

Sophie's stomach grumbled loudly at the mention of food which brought a weary smile to the duke's face.

Duke Peterlor's precious daughter was absolutely perfect in his eyes but even he had to admit…

His baby girl would probably eat away the fortunes of a lesser noble family!