18 First time on a starship

"I don't mind showing you guys… because I doubt that this matter is going to remain a secret for long," Sophie thoughtfully spoke.

It would be foolish to think that she could hide forever and there was no way to go to noble events dressed like a thug covered in a hood.

Besides there was bound to be one maidservant in the castle who would leak the matter to the outside world.

"But please wait till we get back to the mansion"

Jack looked like he wanted to say something more, but Katarina looped her arms around his shoulders and gave him a pointed look.

The words died in his throat as he could detect a trace of killing intent in her gaze.

"As you wish my lady. Let us depart to meet your father immediately," Katarina turned around to face her young miss with her face showing no sign of the previous threat.

Sophie heard a small whistling sound and an enormous spaceship landed in front of them. It was the latest model in the Braveheart series designed by Leona's family and was custom designed as a private military vehicle.

The cool exterior was unlike anything she had seen before with golden painted stars lining the back that shone in the light.

The ship was designed like a semi-circular blade with powerful thrusters attached to its sides. It was light blue in colour and the crest of the Peterlor house was placed front and center on the hull.

The crest of her house was a raven holding a sword within its beak with the family motto of...

'Strength, Will, Ruthlessness.'

In addition to the giant spaceship were two smaller vehicles that followed behind with smooth landings on the ground.

They resembled pod racers and could fit one to two people at once, these vehicles were built purely for speed and did not have any heavy weaponry attached.

"After you my lady," Katarina said with a smile.

The walkway on the big spaceship swung down and Sophie hesitantly took small steps then walked inside.

She was closely followed behind by Jack and Katarina while the twins entered the smaller vehicles at the side of them.

This was the standard safety formation the black guard had devised to protect the young duchess.

The twins would guard against external threats while Jack and Katarina would stay close to make sure no danger befell their miss.

As the sole heir of a powerful noble household, there was an enormous temptation to kidnap or eliminate Sophie from the countless enemies the duke had made during his rise to power. It was no secret that the duke doted on this hybrid daughter of his, so she made quite the tempting target.

Inside the spaceship was like another world and Sophie could not help but to gawk in amazement, the interior of the spaceship was large and spacious like an open hall.

Strange buttons and machines lined the walls and a soft white light illuminated the surroundings.

There were several rooms attached to the main room that lead to a small kitchen, dining room, restrooms and bedrooms. It was almost like a four-star hotel packaged in one area but yet the space did not seem cramped.

Jack confidently took a seat and pulled out his wristband which he then inputted a steady stream of commands faster than Sophie could see.

His fingers danced and blurred across the virtual stream almost like an art performance.

"Location has been set," a mechanical voice sounded out.

"Estimated arrival time is twenty-five minutes"

The spaceship began to shake from side to side and Sophie had to hold on to a guardrail to prevent herself from falling.

There was a loud boom from the thrusters outside and the ship started to move upwards to exit the atmosphere.

Gaia was six times larger than planet Earth which was part of the reason why it was chosen as the central hub of humanity.

With planets of this size, there were of course areas that could not be sustainable to house lifeforms but with the technological advancements of terraforming it was possible to live on any location on Gaia.

Katarina found one of the side rooms with a chair and gestured for Sophie to sit on it which she gratefully accepted. She then left to monitor the data sensors to make sure no one was following them.

Sophie leaned back on the chair with a grin.

It was so damn comfortable!

She was unsure of what material the chair was made from, but it reminded her of the memory foam mattress in her room.

The chair shifted slightly to mold itself to her body figure and it felt like sitting down on puffy clouds.

She fought to control her eyes from closing, but the temptation became overwhelming and she surrendered to the sweet release.

(Meanwhile at the front of the spaceship)

"Hey, you don't think that our lady has woken up her alien heritage, right?" Jack whispered in a soft tone

He glanced carefully at the Sophie but she was fast asleep so she could not hear the conversation taking place.

"I'm not sure… it does not seem so, but she has been wearing that big cloak this whole time," Katarina replied.

"Do you know what race her mother was?" Jack asked.

"No, I have no idea… but for your sake do not mention that question in front of the duke," she spoke in a firm tone.

The hidden race of the duke Peterlor's daughter was a popular gossip among the high ladies of the capitol.

The duke was handsome and charming with gentle looks, so he was very popular with the unmarried noblewomen…. even some of the married ones as well.

The duke in his youth did have a reputation of being an icy block of wood and during his time as the Imperial Commander there was a steady stream of potential suitors hoping to capture his heart but none could succeed.

When he returned as a middle-aged man after he had gone missing all those years ago, he was still handsome enough to make others think that the position of duchess would be available for the apparently single father.

This never happened.

Ever since the duke returned with his daughter, there was not even a rumor of him interacting with those of the opposite sex. He retired from the army and lived quietly in his mansion while enjoying a generous pension.

Many thought he had degraded into trash were it not for a minor noble house that decided to try to kidnap his little girl.

The entirety of the house, the servants and the family of the man were razed to the ground almost overnight.

After this incident no one dared to cross the man most likely to become the next Ascension stage cultivator.