Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 118: Order On Wyrmtrace

Chapter 118: Order On Wyrmtrace

News about the Channing family caravan hitting trouble spread fast.

A lot of caravans, which had been planning to swoop in and take advantage of the situation, decided to pause and see how things played out.

Every now and then, the caravan leaders were required to check back in at the base for briefings with the military. They’d report anything out of the ordinary and share their progress updates.

Coincidentally, the second day of Lyra’s orientation lined up with one of these meetings. Being the one in charge, she had to show up.

Morrison, Koros, and Todd flanked her as they entered the room, with a bunch of curious stares already waiting for them.

Most of those stares carried surprise. People had heard the caravan was run by a young woman, but no one expected THIS young.

Without paying any mind to the looks, Lyra strode in confidently and took her seat.

Not long after, Cohen and Erin arrived as well.

"Let’s keep this quick and get right to it," said Kogar, the meeting’s host, as he turned on a 3D map. "Here’s the data from each caravan’s progress. Take a look and tell me if anything’s missing. If it’s all good, I’ll archive it."

The meeting was all business, no fluff, and wrapped up in about thirty minutes.

As usual, Kogar threw out his closing line: "Anyone with suggestions, feel free to share."

"I have one," came a calm, direct voice that instantly captured the room’s attention.

"Miss Lyra, go ahead," Kogar said, though his smile made it clear he wasn’t thrilled about hearing it.

"I want to know the military’s stance on caravans fighting over territory," Lyra said, making it clear she wasn’t in the mood for sidestepping the issue. "Everyone here saw Lieutenant Commander Shedd’s reaction yesterday."

Lyra gestured toward Sean, who replayed Erin’s recording, forcing her to relive the embarrassment of being publicly called out.

Erin’s face turned red with fury. "Lyra, what exactly are you implying?" she shot back.

"I meant exactly what I said," Lyra replied coolly, her gaze sweeping across the room full of leaders. "Before I arrived, a lot of you gave my caravan some... ’special treatment.’ Now that I’m here, I want to ask: does Wyrmtrace have any rules or not? If not, I’ll stick to Voidstar’s."

’Whoa. She’s not holding back!’ Bernard, watching from across the table, quietly smirked. The Channing caravan was relatively small, about 300 people.

But not everyone was playing the same game.

An old lady let out a disdainful snort. She wore a formal outfit in blue. "Bold words from someone so young," she said.

Then, with a sharp edge to her voice, she added, "This planet’s massive, filled with resources. Naturally, those who are strong will take what they want."

In other words, ’if we can take it, we will.’

Several others gave Lyra mocking smiles and nodded, clearly agreeing with the sentiment.

"Mrs. Sholok, don’t be so harsh. The girl’s here under the Mendez family’s banner," another voice chimed in. "She’s young, sure, but let’s not scare her off."

"Voidstar runs things rough, but this isn’t Voidstar," someone else added.

Cohen, sitting at the head of the table, frowned slightly but stayed silent.

Alon, also present, quietly scanned his papers, though it was obvious his attention was locked on Lyra. ’What now? No cards in your hand this time.’

But Lyra didn’t flinch. She flashed a confident smile. "If it’s about ability, then let’s make it about that."

Cohen’s face tightened, and he slammed his hand down on the table. "Let me be clear," he said, voice calm but sharp. "While each caravan decides how they extract resources, there will NOT be any more violent conflicts like yesterday. If anyone breaks this rule, everyone involved will be sent back, no exceptions. And no new personnel will be allowed to join."

This shift in tone was rare for Cohen, who usually kept things light. But no one in the room forgot that he was the son of an admiral and a rising star in the military. When his face darkened, the weight of his authority settled over everyone, making the point without him needing to shout.

Even Sholok, who had been acting smug moments earlier, dialed back his attitude. "Of course, we’ll follow the rules," she muttered.

Others around the table quickly nodded in agreement, not willing to push their luck.

Cohen then turned his attention to Lyra.

She gave him a small nod. "Fine," she said, though her tone hinted at disappointment. It was subtle, but enough to make Cohen’s jaw tighten. He knew she was up to something.

The new rule didn’t exactly work in Lyra’s favor. Her team was small, and if the other caravans wanted to, they could easily provoke her group into a conflict.

Just send a few people to start trouble, and boom—her entire caravan would be forced out.

But there was a catch: getting the caravans to gang against Lyra would be no easy task. They all had their own interests, and no one was going to stop mining or gathering resources just to mess with Lyra.

Even the Sholok family, with their large numbers, wouldn’t throw away their progress on petty feuds. It’d be like handing over their gains to others.

Morrison knew this too, so he wasn’t too worried. But Lyra wasn’t about to leave things to chance.

Back at base, she pulled Morrison aside. "Keep an eye on Erin," she said, her voice low. "Watch if she starts talking to the other caravan leaders."

Morrison nodded. Sure, it wasn’t likely for the caravans to team up, but it wouldn’t take much for someone to stir the pot.

Later that night, Morrison’s suspicions were confirmed.

Through Koros’ surveillance feeds, he spotted movement near Erin’s camp. Several caravan leaders were sneaking over to meet her.

He reported it to Lyra immediately. "Just like you thought," he said. "They’re all meeting with Erin."

"I see," Lyra replied, cutting the connection.

She wasted no time and contacted Cohen, her voice hard with frustration. "This is on you, Cohen. Erin’s teamed up with the other caravans to target us."

Cohen, who was in the middle of a quick meal in the cafeteria, paused mid-bite. He put down his fork, already anticipating what was coming.

"How is that my fault?" he asked, not even trying to hide his irritation. "You brought up this issue today just to give yourself a reason to go after them, like you did yesterday."

He wasn’t wrong, and both of them knew it. The rule had its flaws, but Cohen wasn’t about to budge on it.

Lyra went quiet, but Cohen could tell he had hit a nerve.

"Lyra, those caravans aren’t Voidstar bandits," Cohen said, his voice firm but calm. "They’re regular citizens. I won’t stand by and let you hurt them."

The caravans may have thought their numbers made them strong, but Cohen knew better. Lyra’s crew was better trained, better equipped. If it came to a real fight, the caravans wouldn’t stand a chance. He wasn’t about to let that happen on his watch.

"I’m just going to rough them up a bit, no one’s going to die," Lyra said, pausing for a beat before adding with a casual shrug, "Worst case, I’ll heal them afterward."

Cohen felt his patience slipping. Every conversation with Lyra seemed to shave years off his life.

"No way! Those caravans are just stealing supplies. They haven’t physically harmed anyone. Can’t you just avoid them?"

"It’s too time-consuming and exhausting. So, no," Lyra shot back, clearly not interested in taking the peaceful route. She tossed his earlier words right back at him. "How about this—find an excuse and have your people tag along with my caravan."

Cohen blinked, stunned by her bold suggestion. "Do you even realize what you’re asking? How could I justify getting involved in your disputes?"

Lyra didn’t miss a beat. "If Erin can stoop to working with them, why are you hesitating? Besides," she added with a smirk, "you’ve lost quite a few people on Wyrmtrace lately, haven’t you? Are you sure you’ve paid out enough death benefits?"

There was a moment of silence. Cohen took a deep breath, trying to keep his cool. "This isn’t a long-term fix."

"I just need enough time until my special training is done," she said, pushing the matter.

A few days later, Cohen ordered an on-site data collection, confusing the other caravans. It wasn’t until his soldiers began shadowing Lyra’s caravan that the pieces fell into place—Lieutenant Commander Whyte was PROTECTING her.

"What’s Whyte playing at?" Bernard asked, dumbfounded. He had been gearing up to act against Lyra, but this threw him off. "Has he taken a liking to that Lyra?"

Mrs. Sholok, ever the cynic, sniffed in disdain. "Mr. Whyte is a man of principle. He’d never side with a mere merchant."

A broad-shouldered man grunted in agreement. "He probably saw this coming when he made that rule. He’s just making sure the small caravans aren’t pushed around unfairly."

"We were all ready to drag them down," Bernard muttered, "but it looks like Whyte won’t tolerate any shady business."

Reluctantly, they agreed to hold back and see how things played out.

If Lyra had overheard their conversation, she probably would’ve laughed.

But at that moment, she was deep into special training, listening to Andre’s latest briefing.

Improving their physical strength or honing superpowers wasn’t realistic in such a short time, Andre had explained. Instead, the goal of this training was to sharpen teamwork and coordination. That’s where they’d see the fastest improvement.

"There won’t be a designated leader during this training," Andre’s gaze swept over the group. "At the end, we’ll announce the team leader. You’ll need to figure things out as you go." His eyes narrowed. "We’ll be watching the entire time, so don’t try anything sneaky."

Then he dropped the mission: capture a young Galestone beast.

The announcement sent a ripple of shock through the group.

"Sir, did you say a Galestone cub?" one student asked in disbelief.

Andre’s frown deepened. "Are your ears clogged?"

No one dared question him again.

Among the group, only Elsie and Nicholas stayed calm.

As third-years, they had experienced special training before, so they knew to expect tough missions. But even they couldn’t hide the tension creeping in—this task was on another level.

A Galestone was a level-6 beast. And the real kicker? They were fiercely protected by both their parents. If necessary, the team would have to face two of these level-6 creatures at once!