A young woman stood in the bleak, metallic confines of her cell, the cold glow of artificial lighting casting long, sterile shadows on the walls. The low hum of the ship's systems reverberated through the tight, oppressive space.

Semiramis returned to Les’Gordon Station, one of the largest naval docking yards in Terra’s orbit. The colossal structure, along with the planet’s orbital defenses, was the pride of the Union of Great Terran Republics. It housed hundreds of thousands of the most advanced warships under Naval Command.

But today, her return wasn’t in triumph.

The battle had been costly. Her fleet, once a force to be reckoned with, was now reduced to wreckage scattered across the vastness of space. The mission had been clear—capture or eliminate the unnamed pirate who had humiliated the UGTR and to compound the matters, the pirate they’d pursued, remained at large. Instead, Semiramis had returned with nothing but loss.

Her body bristling with fresh cybernetic replacements where her lost limbs had once been, glanced down at her mechanical fingers. She flexed them, the movements still unfamiliar. They had replaced her humanity piece by piece, and now, she was a living testament to her failures. What remained of her fleet limped behind her new temporary flagship, and as the ship docked, she knew the welcoming committee wasn’t there to celebrate.

As she disembarked, she was met by the Internal Security Bureau, the UGTR’s military police. Their black uniforms bore the insignia of the Terran eagle, their faces hidden behind emotionless visors. Without a word, they placed restraints on her wrists and led her away while she asked no questions. Her crew never made a fuss either. She had known that this was coming. There had been no trial, no explanation. Only confinement in a windowless cell.

The silence weighed heavily on her, broken only by the hum of machinery and the clanking of her cybernetic limbs against the steel floor as she killed some time before she was summoned to a trial.

Days passed in confinement, each one identical to the last. The cell was small, barely larger than a closet. White, clean, and dull to the point of maddening. The faint hum of the ventilation system was her only company, and she spent days replaying the battle in her mind, analyzing every decision, every misstep. At the same time, she was trying to create simulations of what could have been done against Blitzkrieg. But all of her simulated battles had resulted in one thing, inevitable defeat due to incomplete information about her enemy.

Then came the summons. Two ISB officers flanked her as they led her to the court martial chamber. The atmosphere inside was suffocating. The room was filled with the highest echelons of the UGTR, along with several representatives from the powerful Terran High Families. Some of the captains that she had lost and willingly sacrificed had been the scions of these powerful families, and their loss had ignited a firestorm of political outrage.

But she doesn’t care. Even if she wanted to be punished, this trial had already ended before she even returned to Terra. Top family members from the Natu Family were there in the seats, and sitting in the front row was her grandfather, his face an emotionless mask. Behind him were her father and uncles, their expressions unreadable.

On one side, the finest defense lawyers, hired by the Natu family, sat with steely expressions. Her grandfather sat among them, his gaze sharp, unflinching.

On the other side, high-ranking officers and representatives of the Terran High Families, each one a towering figure in the UGTR’s power structure, sat in judgment.

However, despite this display, she could see through the façade. This wasn’t a trial, it was a puppetry performance, and she could smell it from a mile away.

As the proceedings began, the charges were laid bare: gross negligence, failure to uphold the defense of Terran's interests, and the catastrophic loss of naval assets. Her lawyers presented a strong defense, emphasizing the impossible odds she had faced, the skill with which she had fought, and the fact that the pirate had evaded capture multiple times before. But it didn’t matter. She knew already the ending.

The sentence came swiftly. Semiramis was to be demoted back to the rank of captain and exiled to the Istvan System, a desolate corner of UGTR space plagued by renegade tribal reavers. It was an assignment meant for death, a punishment masked as duty. The humiliation stung, but Semiramis kept her face impassive as the verdict was read. The court-martial adjourned, and she was led back to her cell, a hollow feeling gnawing at her insides.

Her cell became her world once more.

Days later, confined in a military cell to serve out the remainder of her 12-day sentence, her family came to visit. Her grandfather led the way, flanked by her father and uncles. There was no warmth in the reunion, only the cold formality that defined the Natu Family.

"Congratulations, Semiramis. Your demotion was the best outcome we could have hoped for than a bullet to the head."

Semiramis raised an eyebrow, her cybernetic limbs clinking softly as she shifted in her seat.

"Best outcome? I’ve been exiled to the Istvan System. You call that a victory?"

Her father, a man whose face bore the same hard lines of discipline and duty as her own, stepped forward, his eyes cold.

"Exile is better than execution. The High Families wanted you dead. We made sure you’re still breathing." Her uncles stood silently, their presence imposing. They, too, had worked behind the scenes, pulling strings to ensure she was spared the death sentence. Semiramis eyed them carefully, knowing there was more to this than just family loyalty and the sentence that she had just given. She could smell her grandfather’s influence and puppetry over the tribunal.

"You manipulated the naval command to give me the Sol assignment, didn’t you? You took me from the Upper Rena System, where I was doing well, just to bring me closer to Terra."

Her grandfather’s expression didn’t change, but his father’s and uncle’s silence confirmed her suspicion.

"I already know that this is your doing, including the previous reassignment. You influenced the Naval Command to give me the Fleet Admiral post here in Sol." Semiramis tilted her head, the faintest hint of amusement curling at the edge of her lips.

Her grandfather's expression didn’t waver.

"We believed it to be a safer position. You were too valuable to be thrown into the Upper Rena System fighting in some backwater rebellion. We could keep an eye on you." Her grandfather finally confirmed. “Sol is Terra itself.”

Semiramis narrowed her eyes, her voice cold.

"And what about Vebenson? He was reassigned as well. You made sure he sought glory by hunting pirates in Sol, knowing full well he’d seek validation from you. And now he’s dead because of it."

At the mention of her brother, her grandfather’s silence was telling. Her father and uncles shifted uncomfortably, avoiding her gaze. She already knew the answer. Her brother, always the rebel, had sought glory by taking on pirates in the Sol system, driven by a need to prove himself in the shadow of their family’s influence. It had cost him his life. They had set Vebenson up to fail, to die.

Although she never felt love nor care for her brother. In her childhood, she had considered Vebenson to have the potential to be a great patriarch of the Natu Family. While not a genius, he had been capable, and driven, and their competition had pushed him to excel in things that those in his same situation would not be capable of achieving. But being sidelined by their family had eroded his potential, leaving him to rot in obscurity.

"You left him out to wither. And now he's dead." She took a deep breath, her voice steady. "And I never even wanted to be his replacement."

Her grandfather’s eyes softened for a moment, just long enough for him to reveal the true reason for their visit. He shrugged, dismissing the gravity of her words.

"His death served a purpose. With him gone, we can now make you the official heir of the Natu Family. You will be the next patriarch."

Semiramis stared at him, her cold, calculating mind racing. She was a woman, and the Natu family, like many of the First Five Hundred which were Terran High Families, practiced strict patriarchy. Her ascension to the position of patriarch was impossible.

"That’s not how the Natu family works. You know that. If I break tradition, there will be reputational and societal consequences to our family."

Her grandfather waved a hand dismissively, a slight grin crossing his lips.

"Traditions can be... adjusted. We can give you a new body, a man’s body. You will leave your current form behind and ascend to the position you deserve. No one will question it."

The casual way he spoke of stripping her of her identity, of replacing her body as though it were nothing more than a suit to be changed, made Semiramis feel cold. She almost forgot that just recently, the High Families in Terra had finally mastered the technology of body transfers, and for the powerful families, such transitions were now almost a routine. But for her? The idea of abandoning her body for the sake of her family legacy felt hollow.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"I need time to think. I’ve never wanted to be the heir, much less a patriarch." She sighed, her voice quieter now. And she also realized that the sentence that she was just handed was also a cover. Semiramis as a woman would be recorded to have died in her new assignment while in reality, she would be given a new body of a man—her grandfather’s real plan.

"I’ve always envisioned a different future—one where I choose my partner, where I give birth to the next Natu heir myself if Vebenson didn’t become the patriarch." She sighed, her eyes staring at the cold floor beneath her feet. Her father tensed, and her uncles exchanged glances. But her grandfather’s face remained impassive, a cold calculation lingering in his eyes.

"You have twelve days left in confinement. Consider our offer carefully. We only want what’s best for the family—and for you." Her grandfather’s eyes narrowed, but he said nothing, turning on his heel to leave. Her father and uncles followed, casting sidelong glances at her as they walked out of the cell.

As the door closed behind them, Semiramis was left alone with her thoughts, the weight of her family’s expectations pressing down on her like a suffocating mantle. The future seemed darker now, not because of her exile, but because of the path her family had set before her.

A path she wasn’t sure she wanted to follow.

Semiramis sat in the cold, sterile confines of her cell, her thoughts a tempest. The endless scheming between her family members and other families, the backstabbing, and jockeying for power within the High Families disgusted her. It was a world she had never wanted to be part of. It disgusted her how easily people debased themselves for scraps of influence. Even her own family were still pawns in a larger political game. She saw the incessant infighting and unhealthy rivalries among the High Families as a grotesque mockery of what leadership should be, filled with arrogance and corruption.

Her gaze fixed on the ceiling. That’s why she had wanted to cultivate her brother, Vebenson. He had the potential to be a strong leader, someone capable of steering the Natu Family on the right path and freeing herself from the burden of it all. That was why she had sent him a message asking for a meeting, meant to heal their rift and announce her official support for him to become the next patriarch. But instead of the thoughtful discussion she had hoped for, it had ignited something in him. Driven by a need to prove himself, he had gone on a reckless campaign. Vebenson’s desire to prove himself had led him straight to his demise at the hands of a pirate. A twist of fate she hadn’t foreseen.

As she sat brooding over these thoughts, the door to her cell slid open, drawing her from her thoughts. A woman entered—one Semiramis immediately recognized after she looked up. She dropped to her knees, pressing her forehead to the cold floor. The woman was no ordinary visitor.

The woman standing before her was garbed in the ancient attire of a shrine maiden. Her flowing robes, decorated with intricate patterns, seemed to shimmer in the sterile light of the cell. Semiramis had only seen such garments in old records, remnants of a civilization that had sunk beneath the waves on Terra during the forgotten age, millennia before the rise of the UGTR. To see this figure in person filled her with awe and fear.

“Rise,” the shrine maiden said, her voice soft yet commanding, echoing like a whisper carried through time. The air around her seemed to hum with reverence as if reality itself bent slightly in her presence.

Semiramis lifted her head, her heart pounding in her chest.

“What—wha-how can I serve?” she stammered.

The shrine maiden gazed at her with eyes that seemed to peer into her very soul.

“You are to accompany me to Luna. Your sentence has been altered. You are now under the jurisdiction of the Lunar Palace.”

"L-Luna?" Semiramis lifted her head, her eyes blinked in confusion, her mind struggling to comprehend what she had just heard. Lunar Palace? That was an entity far above even the UGTR or even the High Families. Few Terrans even knew of its existence, and fewer still had ever interacted with it. Her sentence had been to serve in the Istvan System, a forgotten backwater. Now, the Shrine Maiden was telling her that she would be placed in their service.

The Shrine Maiden offered no explanation, simply turned and walked toward the door. Semiramis hurriedly stood and kept her head slightly bowed in deference as she followed the shrine maiden out of her confinement silently. As they walked through the corridors of the station, every soldier, every officer—even the high-ranking members of the UGTR—dropped to their knees, prostrating themselves before the Shrine Maiden. Even her grandfather and the Natu Family members, lurking in the shadows of the station, dropped to the ground as they passed.

Semiramis’ heart pounded in her chest as the scene unfolded.

She couldn’t help but notice the reverence—and fear—in their eyes. These were the most powerful people on Terra. These were people who wouldn’t blink at sentencing someone to death, yet here they were, kneeling, trembling even, in the presence of this divine figure. They bowed as if they were nothing more than common peasants before this woman.

They arrived at a massive battleship docked in the bay. It was unlike anything Semiramis had ever seen. Its exterior hull was adorned with intricate engravings and meticulously crafted patterns that made it look more like a sacred temple than a war vessel. It was glowing faintly with symbols she didn’t recognize. The sheer grandeur of the ship dwarfed anything Semiramis had seen before. Even the High Families’ fleets paled in comparison to the vessel’s magnificence.

Inside, the shrine maiden led her to a civilian seating area, while she took a seat in the center, quietly pulling out knitting supplies. Semiramis was bewildered. A shrine maiden knitting? She opened her mouth to ask but quickly thought better of it. Her curiosity was insignificant in the presence of such a divine figure. The shrine maiden seemingly ignored Semiramis's presence as her hands moved gracefully in patterns that Semiramis couldn’t comprehend. The simplicity of the act in such a grand, intimidating vessel was jarring.

Semiramis swallowed, feeling the weight of her curiosity tug at her. She wanted to ask, but even her curiosity felt like a sacrilege in the Shrine Maiden’s presence. Before she could silence the urge, the Shrine Maiden spoke, her eyes never leaving her work.

“I am knitting for someone important to me.”

Semiramis’s eyes widened. Had she just read her mind? She wanted to ask more about who the important person was, but before she could, a notification flashed across the screens—they had already arrived on Luna.

That was quick! She quietly exclaimed in her thoughts. She hadn’t even felt the ship move, let alone realized they had crossed the vast distance from Terra to Luna in mere moments. The power of this vessel was incomprehensible.

---

As they descended from the ship, they were met by another mysterious figure who awaited their arrival. This one was dressed in a maid’s uniform, though it was unlike any maid’s attire Semiramis had seen. The outfit was scandalously revealing, tailored to highlight the woman’s well-built and almost unnatural physique. Yet, instead of a lewd or erotic atmosphere, she radiated an aura of power, her very presence unnerving.

The shrine maiden turned to Semiramis and gestured toward the maid, her voice as calm as ever.

“She will be your superior for the duration of your new assignment. She will brief you on what and why you were taken from your insignificant and dull fate. And you are not going to seek help from any terran authority. You shall not worry as you will be flying the colors of Luna so you can assure yourself that no one would dare impede you.”

Semiramis blinked in confusion. This maid was her superior? She had expected a military officer, or perhaps another bureaucrat from the UGTR. But this... this was something different. She quickly lowered her head in respect, her mind racing.

“Apologies, but may I inquire about my combat strength? Will I be provided with additional forces? If the UGTR forces will not be involved, may I hire mercenaries?” She asked in a humble tone.

She heard no answer, only silence. Semiramis hesitated before she dared to raise her eyes. Only to see the Shrine Maiden walking away, her back turned, already heading toward the Lunar Palace in the distance. Semiramis opened her mouth to call after her and she unconsciously took a step as she stood.

However, before she could even make that step, the maid appeared before her in an instant, moving faster than Semiramis could comprehend. The maid's hand hovered near her face, a sharp nail just poised a millimeter from Semiramis’s eye.

“You are not permitted to step foot on Luna. Ever.” Her voice was cold, detached, as though Semiramis was nothing more than an insect beneath her heel. “Know your place.”

She was not even going to touch the very soil of Luna even if she took that step as she was still inside the ship. Yet, Semiramis could feel that she was not welcome here. She swallowed hard and quickly knelt once more as her heart raced.

“I—I apologize!” she said, her voice quivering. “I merely sought clarification on my assignment.” The maid’s eyes bore into her and glinted coldly as she stepped past her,

“You do not need clarification. Follow orders, now come.”

With that, the maid turned and walked deeper into the ship, without a second glance, her steps graceful yet terrifying in their precision. Semiramis’s hands trembled as she followed. As they re-entered the vessel, the maid tapped the floor, and the ship lifted into the sky, hovering silently back into space, leaving the barren landscape of Luna.

“This ship, the Svyatlana, will be your new flagship.” Her voice, however, cut through the silence like a blade. “Take your position on the bridge.”

Semiramis complied, making her way to the bridge.

As the doors opened, she was greeted with sharp salutes from the crew—a mix of men and women who radiated competence and discipline. She could feel their silent appraisal, but more importantly, she could feel their fear. They knew who the real power on this ship was. At the center of the bridge was a 3D spherical feed, displaying a vast armada of ships in formation before her new vessel. Her heart raced. This fleet was immense, larger than anything she had ever commanded, larger than anything she had imagined. She turned to the maid, who stood beside her, watching her with dispassionate eyes.

Hesitantly, Semiramis turned to the maid, her voice respectful.

“May I ask... your position in this command?”

The maid didn’t even glance her way.

“I will not interfere with your command unless your decisions interfere with my objectives... or are idiotic.”

Semiramis swallowed hard as she felt a chill run down her spine. She could feel it—the maid didn’t regard her as an equal, or even as a human being. She was nothing more than a tool, a means to an end.

“If you show incompetence, I will end you.” The maid continued, her voice ice-cold.

Semiramis quickly dropped to one knee, bowing her head.

“I swear to serve to the best of my abilities.”

The maid paused, then added.

“And do not concern yourself with the lives of your fleet. They are here to die on your orders.”

“I will not disappoint the Lunar Palace.” Semiramis straightened, her voice firm. The maid’s eyes flicked over her, cold and indifferent, before she turned and left the bridge, her footsteps echoing ominously through the silent corridors.

As she took her seat on the bridge, surrounded by the vast armada, a chill ran down her spine. She had been cast into a world beyond the UGTR, beyond politics and bureaucracy, into something much darker and more profound as this was something she knew that she wanted.

Her fate now lay in the hands of beings far beyond her understanding.