The Spider Queen

" Sophie leaned back against her chair as she heard the hushed whispers echoing through the room. The recent attack by the Insectoid Empire was all that everyone could talk about and for good reason. This was the first time in nearly a decade that the Insectoid Empire had managed to penetrate so far into Federation controlled space.

 One would have to be a fool not to be alarmed. Honestly... Sophie felt a little bit conflicted as she read through the reports. Without a doubt seeing those sickening images of humans being massacred by the Insectoid races made her stomach churn but.. she was half Insectoid. No one knew except for Cleo and her dad but if that fact were to come out... what would happen to her? Her heritage was a ticking time bomb that was waiting to explode. Sophie knew that she had been lucky so far that no member of the Arachnais race had been present in the skirmishes between the Federation and the Empire. But all it would take was the image of one to leak on the virtual Net and then it would all be over. Her blade-like appendages may be slightly different from those belonging to a pure blooded Arachnais but... Anyone with eyes would be able to see that there was a connection. Sophie let out a heavy sigh as she placed her head down on the desk and waited for Professor Macabre to arrive. There was nothing she could do except cross that bridge when it happened.

At least she would be under the protection of her father.

 Sophie closed her eyes and felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her body. She had spent most of the night studying in the library and only returned home around five o\' clock in the morning. Cleo wasn\'t happy so the hybrid girl made up with her girlfriend with some early morning sex before class. Sophie yawned sleepily as she raised up her head from the desk and reached into her storage bag to pull out a textbook \'The Deadly Effects Of Neurotoxins\' was a fascinating read and it covered how neurotoxins affect the brain by blocking the electric signal flowing through the dendrites. It was amazing how tiny bursts of electricity were responsible for making your body function. If something interfered with them... the entire body would be affected. "I heard a strange rumor..." a low hoarse voice attracted Sophie\'s attention and her pointed ears swung in the direction of the sound. She turned around and saw two boys in the back of the class discussing the recent news in hushed

tones.

"What rumor?" one of the boys asked his companion with curiosity clearly evident in his gaze.

"Well, my uncle in a dean and he told me that the university has received an offer to join the counterattack operation," a skinny boy replied with an excited grin.

"Apparently the Imperial Army is going to employ ten of thousands of mercenaries and also wants to give us students a chance to gain some combat experience."

"Bro... I don\'t want to fight in a warzone..." his friend replied in a hesitant tone. "Don\'t be such a coward! Apparently, all the students who participate in the operation will receive military merit!" the excited boy spoke up.

"That merit will go a long way... I heard that it\'s the only way that commoner students like us have a chance to be officers!"

Sophie\'s fingers gently tapped the side of her desk as she thought about what she had just heard.

Of course, there was a high likelihood that rumor was complete bullshit but just in case... what would she do?

No... she couldn\'t afford to get distracted.

She still had that mission to complete for the hunter goddess and there wasn\'t much time left.

She only had until the end of month to kill whatever creature lurked in the sewers where a pet had gone missing.

There was no open space in her calendar to participate in a war. Besides... Sophie was beginning to feel a bit conflicted about the Imperial Army.

She did not like the stories that she had been hearing so far and had not forgotten having to sneak her way into the Federation from the Syndicate.

The Imperial Army was a necessary evil in order to protect the Federation from a hostile universe, but it was becoming rotten to the core.

Nepotism, corruption, and private interests were splitting the army up into different factions and that was just what was on the surface.

The very fact that noble students were automatically promoted to officers while commoners had to earn military merit was a shameful reality.

Any commoner student who graduated from one of the top four universities would be on par or even greater than a noble of their age.

Sophie did not want to become an officer due to the status of her birth but rather through her deeds and actions.

The doors to the classroom swung open with a heavy thump which interrupted Sophie\'s train of thought.

Professor Macabre strode into the room wearing a long white lab coat that covered her body all the way to her ankles.

"Good afternoon class," Professor Macabre softly whispered as she raised up her right hand.

Immediately all the conversations in the classroom ceased as the students sat up and paid attention.

"I\'m sure that everyone has seen the news on the virtual Net but please do not forget that you still have work to do," the professor calmly spoke.

"We will be covering new types of poison this semester as well as cultivation techniques that focus on spreading toxins."

"There are different methods, but each accomplish the same goal. Remember that not all poisons have to be deadly..."

"It can be just as effective to weaken an opponent or to cause them to experience horrifying illusions."

Sophie pulled out her notebook and pencil from her storage bag and begun to take notes as the professor continued her lecture.

Bright warm rays of sunlight entered the classroom through an open window in the back of the classroom.

The hybrid girl took in a few deep breaths and ignored the thoughts that were running through her mind.

All of those issues did not have to be addressed now.

She would not join the Imperial Army until she graduated and that was at least two to three years away..