(Starship Model X-987)

(Unova Syndicate- Sector Delta)

A minor- class spacecraft was shuttling through hyper space at a breakneck pace towards an unknown destination.

This spacecraft had the familiar design of vessels built in the Unovan Syndicate such as a sleek, narrow design and a heavy plasma cannon mounted on its side.

Symbols and writings that praised the Sun God had been etched onto the outer surface of its metalloid exterior.

An educated observer would be able to tell that this particular model belonged to the mercenary group known as the Sun's Glory.

"Keep a steady eye on the surroundings and be prepared to intercept any transmissions that target us," Sophie ordered.

"Yes ma'am," Lt. Shirren replied as she pressed a series of buttons on the monitor in front of her.

"I'm I'm I'mpaying attention captain," there was a slight tremor in Penshese's voice as she responded as well.

Sophie leaned back against the chair in the middle of the command deck and quietly contemplated about the next course of action.

Right now, one of her clones was entertaining Lily in the passenger level while two other clones were currently on the command deck with her.

The mirror copies that had survived the fight with Captain Dawn had recently died since the Rsychosis technique expired.

Fortunately, it was an easy problem to fix since Sophie could just split herself into three additional copies.

It had been around six days since boarding the escape spacecraft and now the journey to the frontier region was nearly over.

Maybe Sophie had gotten lucky recently but the trip so far had been quite uneventful.

No encounters with any enemy vessels or raiders and the two survivors onboard the spacecraft had been very cooperative.

Well, that was to be expected since they believed that the metalloid wirings wrapped around their necks were connected to an explosive device.

But the true dangers would come soon.

They were approaching an active warzone. The Imperial Army had been advancing deep into the territory of the Unova Syndicate.

It was really only a matter of time before the border zone fell but at the moment, the fighting spirit of the Unovan army was still going strong.

Sophie pulled out her communicator and tried to connect to the Earth Federation network. It had become a habit since the starship got close and closer to the battlefield.

Unfortunately, the words [No Network In Range] appeared once more on the screen of her communicator.

"Fuck" Sophie cursed as she placed the communicator back into the storage bag with some frustration in her heart.

She pulled several nutrient vials out of her pocket and started to drink one after the other in order to calm down her mood.

It was easy to get angry on an empty stomach.

Normal Qi tide cultivators should be able to survive without food or drink for several weeks at a time.

Sophie on the other hand could not go two days without a nutrient vial otherwise the familiar feeling of bloodlust would return.

She swallowed the tasteless liquid and the faint pangs of hunger slowly disappeared.

Sophie placed the empty vials back in her storage bag and took a casual glance at the scenery outside the windows.

Perhaps the worst part of long journeys through space was the utter boredom and silence.

The universe was a vast empty zone with small flickers of civilisation scattered across nothingness.

It was breathtaking to see numerous planets, star clusters and black holes for the first time but after days on end

Sophie was getting sick of it.

The hybrid girl closed her eyes and entered the space inside her star-shaped amulet.

The stone tablet floating in the middle of the space remained unchanged but there were now additional lines of text etched onto its outer surface.

These writings were slightly blurred so Sophie was unable to figure out what meaning they conveyed or their importance.

She floated carelessly while taking occasional glances at the void.

It had been several months since her last encounter with her aunt inside the space.

Sophie couldn't figure out why her Insectoid relative had been unable to visit her and a small part of her was worried that something bad had happened.

Aunt Rai'lle was Sophie's only connection to her mother.

Sophie could have never found out that she was related to the Arachnais royal family on her own.

Sophie fruitlessly spent the next few hours inside the space trying to interpret the new writings that appeared on the stone tablet.

No matter how hard she tried, Sophie could not get rid of the blurry fog that was covering the words.

She withdrew her consciousness from the necklace and leaned back against the chair in a low mood.

Sophie remained on the chair for an unknown period of time until a voice on the command deck broke the calm atmosphere.

"Ma'am a signal is being directed towards our vessel," Lt. Shirren loudly stated.

"Put it up on the screen and allow me to do the talking or else there will be serious consequences," Sophie growled.

Just in case, she let out a small trace of killing intent that caused both pilots to freeze under the immense pressure.

This was the first communication that would determine the next steps of her plan to finally return home.

She could not risk something going wrong.

Sophie nodded at Penshese who quickly inputted a series of commands on her console and soon a holographic window was projected in the front of the room.

A massive alien with stone-like skin appeared in the middle of the projection wearing a purple military uniform.

There were four arms attached to the sides of his chest and each palm held a different weapon.

"State your name and purpose for approaching," the alien commanded in a firm tone.

Sophie stood up from the chair and walked towards the holographic projection with slow purposeful steps.

Now was the time for acting.

It was important to maintain a calm, confident attitude when dealing with military types.

"We are a mercenary crew associated with the Sun's Glory. The government has promised significant cash incentives so we figured that it was a good idea to join the Unovan forces," Sophie answered.

A greedy smile flashed across her face as though the only thought in her mind was the riches that she would soon posses.

The military officer remained silent for a moment but inwardly he felt great disdain towards the creature on the starship.

If the rich and powerful crime bosses had sent out their own private armies to join the Unovan forces then they would not need to rely on such trash!

This would not be the first nor would it be the last mercenary crew joining the battlefield only because of money.

However, he had to admit that it was an effective strategy since these greedy mercenaries would serve a purpose as cannon fodder.

"There will be a transmission sent to your ship with the coordinates of the nearest military outpost," the officer spoke impatiently.

"You will need to meet with the individual in charge of personnel in order to get your assigned position."

"Thank you for your contribution to protecting the safety of the motherland."