Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 120: The Seething Fires

Chapter 120: The Seething Fires

To keep the panic at bay, the Alliance decided not to spread the word about space pirates showing up near Wyrmtrace.

Koros, though, wasn’t so easily fooled. He just loved hacking military’s intel system. When the news reached him, he froze for just a beat before quickly passing it along to Morrison.

Morrison, too, stayed cool. He’d had his fair share of run-ins with space pirates back in the day, just like Sorren.

With his chin resting in his hand, Morrison studied the image before him. "This looks familiar."

Right then, Todd showed up with his crew. As he glanced at the screen, his brow furrowed. "Morrison, isn’t that the Seething Fires? Their leader is a level-eight Peculiar of Aerokinesis and Firekinesis."

They had done business at Voidstar No. 2, and the Seething Fires were old clients.

"Now that you mention it," Morrison nodded, "I remember them. They’ve been circling Wyrmtrace."

Todd’s expression stiffened. "Sir, this is no time for jokes."

Morrison snapped his fingers. "Military reports. We need to notify our boss. And Todd, you might want to inform yours as well. If these pirates land and start causing trouble, your boss’s reputation might come in handy."

Now, communication devices were strictly off-limits during special training, but Lyra had her ways. Sneaking one in was hardly a challenge for her.

As she kept watch, the small device behind her ear buzzed. With a light touch of her finger, a soft voice reached her ear through bone conduction.

"Boss, the Seething Fires have been spotted near Wyrmtrace. They’re circling."

Morrison and Koros had kept it together when they talked, but Morrison’s voice tightened as he updated Lyra.

’The Seething Fires?’ Lyra sat by the flickering campfire, its light casting dancing shadows across her face.

It was a heavy thought—there were eight level-seven Peculiars on Wyrmtrace, but the Seething Fires had a level-eight leader, two level-sevens, and a small army of level-sixes.

The odds were not in their favor.

"Has the military called for backup?" she asked.

Morrison answered quickly, "Lieutenant Commander Whyte has sent out a distress signal to the nearest stations."

Each station had a portal for safe wormhole jumps, but the closest one was still forty hours away. In that time, the pirates could easily track them down.

With a frown, Lyra made the call. "Stop all excavation work, gather the resources we’ve collected, and send them back."

"Got it," Morrison replied.

As the call ended, he sighed in relief. At least Lyra wasn’t going to have them die over a pile of rocks.

Meanwhile, Koros got orders from his side as well.

"Keep an eye on the Skywalkers’ signals," Snakehead instructed.

"Understood," Koros replied. He hesitated for a second, then added, "Should we block radar signals from the special training team? What if the pirates track them down first?"

The training team only used an internal radar system. As long as they didn’t broadcast signals or give away their location, there was no real danger.

"No need," Snakehead decided.

A soft night breeze carried the scent of this strange, new world.

Lyra tossed another log onto the fire.

When Elsie arrived to take her shift, she headed inside, ready for a few hours of sleep.

The military always kept tabs on the progress of their missions. Typically, this had little to do with the Skywalkers, but that day, Erin came to Kogar with a question.

"That special training group of kids—they should be wrapping up their mission soon, right?"

Kogar’s suspicions were immediately triggered. Ever since discovering Lyra’s real identity, he had grown wary whenever these two sisters inquired about one another. ’What is she plotting this time?’

"I don’t think that should be your concern," Kogar replied, trying to keep things neutral. "I can’t answer that."

Still, the conversation left him feeling uneasy. So later, he brought it up with Cohen.

"Do you think Erin might..."

"No," Cohen interrupted without hesitation. "Even if Erin were reckless, she wouldn’t go that far."

Sure, Erin might want to eliminate Lyra, but she wouldn’t resort to something that would harm herself in the process. There were smarter ways to take someone down.

"Yeah, you’re right."

Time dragged on painfully. They hadn’t intercepted any signals from the Seething Fires, and thankfully, the pirates hadn’t located them either.

Meanwhile, the special training team had stumbled upon what they were after—signs of the elusive Galestones. Even better, they had cubs with them.

The region they were in was rugged, full of jagged cliffs and scattered shrubs. Tiny herbivores had dug burrows all around, squeaking and diving underground at the sight of the team’s vehicles.

Instead of approaching directly, they sent out mini-drones to scope out the area.

After some careful scouting, they spotted the Galestones’ nest tucked between the rocks.

The beast itself was an impressive sight—gray-white with layers of diamond-shaped scales. Its six-meter-long body was sleek and snake-like.

Its front limbs, short but sharp, were perfect for digging. With just a few powerful swipes, it could carve a hole in the rocks big enough to disappear into within seconds.

Its hind legs were muscular, and its tail—nearly twice as long as its body—had fins along the spine, which gave it incredible agility when flying.

"Only the female is in the nest," someone pointed out. "The male must be out hunting."

This was the break they needed—no need to worry about fighting two adult beasts at once.

Elsie nodded, determined. "Let’s not waste time. We’ll intercept the male now!"

Nicholas hesitated, wanting to play it safe, but he knew this was a chance they couldn’t afford to miss. So, he stayed quiet.

After the three left and sent word that they had located the male and were preparing to engage, the others sprang into action.

"Lyra, grab the cub and head straight for the armored Lev. When you’re far enough out, let us know."

"Roger that," Lyra confirmed.

With the plan set, Nicholas, Milo, and Kolan charged toward the female Galestone, making as much noise as possible.

By now, the creature had grown wary of humans. The moment she spotted them, she recognized the threat.

Letting out a series of sharp cries, the cub darted into a narrow hole for cover.

The female’s fins spread wide, shimmering silver with a fiery red base. She whipped through the air like a bolt of silver lightning.

Milo was the first to charge in but got swatted to the ground with one powerful swipe.

Not stopping there, the Galestone ripped up rocks with her claws and hurled them at Kolan, who barely managed to raise a shield of vines in time.

Kolan’s back was drenched in sweat. A dual-superpower beast like this was no joke.

"Think you can take me down?" Milo growled, wiping blood from his mouth. Shifting into his half-beast form, he lunged at the Galestone, his claws digging deep into her side.

Sparks flew as his claws scraped against the beast’s thick scales.

Meanwhile, Nicholas was on the attack too, launching fireballs one after another. They exploded with booming force right in front of the Galestone, each one lighting up the night sky.