Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 123: Eating A Snake?

Chapter 123: Eating A Snake?

Lyra slipped into a black Lolita dress with deep red accents, adding a matching lace headband to complete the look.

Doll shoes on her feet and dark makeup gave her an eerie, lifeless appearance. As she stood quietly by the window, she seemed more like a doll than a person.

Across the room, the leader of the pirates, Raphael, was holding a scalpel. He was fixated on the Galestone cub like a curious child with a puzzle.

When he finally noticed Lyra in her new dress, the scalpel clattered from his grip.

Awe filled his eyes as he approached her, almost like a performer stepping into the spotlight.

"It’s perfect. It suits you... so PERFECTLY!" he breathed.

With a soft kiss on Lyra’s forehead, his gaze darkened, hunger simmering just beneath the surface. "I can’t wait anymore. I want you, now."

His strong scent surrounded Lyra as she tilted her head up, eyes calm. "Do you know how many mines are on Wyrmtrace?"

His smile faltered, a hint of annoyance flickering across his face. "Sweetheart, don’t ruin this moment. I’ve already ordered the men to decorate our new home."

"I know where all the major mines are," she continued smoothly. "Including a level-eight energy mine."

The affectionate warmth in his face vanished. A sinister grin spread across his lips, sharp like a predator about to strike. "Tell me where."

At that moment, the snake coiled around his arm bit into his neck, sensing the shift in mood.

Without a flicker of pain, he calmly peeled it off and tossed it aside. "Turn it into snake soup with truffle cream," he ordered his men.

Then he scooped Lyra into his arms, cradling her as if she were nothing but a fragile doll. "Come now, guide me while you sit with me."

Lyra didn’t resist. She settled sideways in his hold, her expression cold and distant.

Lyra quietly gave him a set of coordinates.

Raphael licked his lips, his voice dripping with anticipation. "You all heard her. Move, now!"

Unlike other space pirates who dabbled in trafficking or weapons, he had a taste for stealing planetary resources, especially those ripe for the taking from underdeveloped worlds.

...

Meanwhile, Sholok had been feeling relaxed until the alarming news arrived: his caravan was under attack.

"Their weapons are unreal! They destroyed everything—our equipment, the men... it’s a massacre!" The messenger’s voice trembled, hiding between rocks while the massive ship loomed above, casting a shadow over the mining site.

The ship hovered ominously, extending a huge mechanical claw that ripped into the earth, tearing through layers of rock to pull out the richest ores. It worked swiftly and with precision, following the path Lyra had mapped out for them.

Raphael gently squeezed Lyra’s thigh. "My love, are you using me?"

Lyra cupped his face, her voice soft but charged. "And if I am?"

Her tone was flat, robotic, but there was something seductive in the way she spoke. Raphael felt lost in her gaze, falling into the dark, mysterious depths of her eyes.

"Gladly," he murmured, utterly captivated.

Just then, his men returned with a fresh pet for him—another snake, this one green—and the snake soup he’d requested earlier.

Raphael wrapped the new snake around his arm while holding the bowl of steaming soup in his other hand. "Let me feed you."

Lyra wasn’t keen on it; the smell was off-putting. But he pressed the spoon to her lips, leaving her little choice.

With a slight frown, she swallowed the strange-tasting soup, her eyes never leaving his.

The Seething Fires tore through the caravans with unsettling precision, as if a detailed map guided their every move.

No caravan was safe; those that didn’t flee fast enough were swiftly plundered, and even those who managed to escape were soon blasted out of the sky by laser cannons.

These caravans had set out to develop new stars before, but never had they faced a threat this intense. The advance teams had cleared all potential dangers, confirming no pirate activity in the region before the bidding even opened. And yet, here they were—facing a nightmare scenario no one could’ve predicted.

Cohen’s brow furrowed so deeply it looked like it might break. Furious, he vowed to eliminate the Seething Fires and summoned several caravan leaders into his office.

"Didn’t I tell you to pull everyone back right away? Now look at this! I’ve got death reports piling up like junk mail!"

A nervous, pudgy man wiped sweat from his forehead, stammering, "W-We thought we could at least save the critical equipment, but... those pirates moved faster than we expected..."

Before he could finish, Cohen’s fist slammed down, turning his desk into a cloud of dust. A wave of psychokinetic energy rippled through the room, silencing everyone.

Fear gripped their throats.

Sholok, standing stiffly under the pressure, shot a glare at Cohen. "We’re businessmen, Lieutenant Commander. We have more to consider than you do. Instead of pointing fingers, why don’t you focus on driving the space pirates away? We’ve got level-seven experts among us. If we join forces, we stand a chance."

"Yeah," another leader chimed in, nodding. "At least long enough to hold out until reinforcements get here."

Despite their fear, their true concern wasn’t the dead workers. They were worried about losing the valuable minerals buried under Wyrmtrace. All they wanted was for the military to swoop in and save their investments.

Cohen’s eyes turned cold as ice. "You sacrificed your workers, and now you expect us to sacrifice ourselves for your treasure? Get real!"

He had been ready to pull everyone off the planet immediately, but they had hesitated. And now, they expected him to clean up their mess.

"Lieutenant Commander Whyte!" Bernard’s voice rang out, angry and accusing. "It’s your duty to protect us! Our people are dead, our equipment destroyed, and you want us to just hand over all these resources? Are you insane?"

Erin, who had been standing quietly by the wall, had heard enough. She stepped forward, her eyes blazing with fury. "Stop it! Do you even realize how much blood is on our hands because of this? If you want to die over a few rocks, go ahead and do it yourself!"

Tensions boiled over, and the caravan leaders’ patience snapped.

"Blaming us? Why didn’t we hear a warning until the pirates were practically on top of us?" Sholok shot back, his voice laced with bitterness. His glare pierced through the officers. "And tell me—how did the pirates even know about this planet in the first place? Care to explain that?"

Erin faltered, unsure how to answer. But Cohen’s gaze remained steely as he replied, "We’ll investigate that later. Right now, survival’s all that matters."

Their job was to protect these people, and it was already spiraling into a disaster. The only thing left was to try to salvage what they could. But The Seething Fires wasn’t about to give them that chance.

A voice crackled through the comms: "Sir! Enemy ship spotted 200 kilometers out! At their current speed, they’ll be here in ten minutes!"

Panic swept through the room. The enemy ship was moving too fast, and escape wasn’t an option anymore.

Faced with certain doom, even those who had been driven by greed now began to realize the severity of the situation. Their lives were at stake, and it was becoming painfully clear there might not be a way out.

Cohen made a sharp motion with his hand. "Activate the Aegis Shield and prepare for battle!"

He cast a stern look at the once-confident caravan leaders, now visibly shaken. "For everyone’s safety, gather all the level-seven Peculiars. We need to face this head-on."

The leaders, who had been full of bluster moments ago, exchanged anxious glances. They knew there was no other option and scrambled to follow his command.

"We’re finished... We’re absolutely finished," one of them muttered under his breath. "Wyrmtrace is huge, and these pirates are hitting every spot like they’ve got a damn map!"

Meanwhile, aboard the pirate ship, Lyra sat perched on Raphael’s lap. His booming laughter echoed through the cabin as he admired their recent haul.

"My dear, you are TRULY my treasure!" he declared as he pressed a rough kiss against her lips, his satisfaction practically radiating off him.

But Lyra remained detached, her gaze fixed on her open palms.

With a quiet, steady voice, she asked, "I have a question. How did you find Wyrmtrace?"

Her words cut through his triumphant mood, causing him to pause for a moment.