Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 126: Student Officer

Chapter 126: Student Officer

Once communications were restored, Snakehead wasted no time calling to check on Lyra. After confirming they were alright, he exhaled in relief. Soon, the conversation drifted towards something juicier: Raphael’s life.

Raphael’s story began with his mother, an actress from the Empire, who got involved with someone, leading to his birth. But instead of raising him, she sent him off to a lab.

Years later, for reasons still unclear, the lab returned Raphael to her.

Snakehead, "Back then, I heard Raphael couldn’t control his snake powers and always turned snake-like. His mom couldn’t handle it, so she ditched him again," Snakehead said, grinning as he leaned into the gossip. "And when he became a space pirate, he killed her. Ruthless."

It was tragic, sure, but Lyra seemed entirely unfazed.

"That’s cold," Snakehead chuckled, flashing his teeth. Shifting topics to something Lyra cared about, he continued, "Todd said Raphael robbed all the caravans. Where’d you hide everything when you blew up the ship?"

Lyra finally looked up. "It’s all mine."

Snakehead blinked, caught off guard. "All of it? Aren’t we supposed to be partners?"

Lyra shrugged, speaking as if it was no big deal. "Caesara helped with Raphael. Your people sat back. Besides, the other caravans won’t make any moves for a while. Instead of worrying about my stash, maybe get your crew to do some real work."

Snakehead was so furious he nearly fell over, but what could he do? They’d been targeted by other caravans before, with Caesara and Todd trying to snatch the ship’s launch codes.

Snakehead had backed them in secret. But Lyra? She took advantage of the chaos, using the space pirates to take out the competition.

And if anyone tried to take the ship from her again? She’d blow it up and strand them all on Wyrmtrace. Her crew? They’d just hitch a ride with the military.

"You’re the real ruthless one," Snakehead muttered, ending the call.

As Lyra slouched in her chair, trying to unwind, a knock came at the door.

"Boss, Rear Admiral Whyte and Lieutenant Commander Whyte are here to see you."

Rear Admiral Whyte, Cohen’s uncle, was just over fifty but had a laid-back vibe that made him seem younger. With a constant mischievous grin, he looked more like Cohen’s playful brother.

"Well, well, you must be Lyra. Cohen never stops talking about you," Chuck Whyte said with a friendly grin, leaning back in his chair. "You’re as cute as I imagined—definitely my type!"

Lyra rolled her eyes. Acting like an elder while flirting with his nephew’s friend, right in front of him? Classy.

Cohen, clearly done with his uncle’s antics, flicked a pen at him. Chuck caught it without turning around.

The Whyte family had a knack for manipulating gravity, and it seemed that talent ran strong.

Lyra chose to ignore their silent showdown and gave a sharp salute.

"Wow, so serious!" Chuck teased, still grinning. "You should join my fleet after graduation. Be my personal secretary."

Cohen had enough. "Rear Admiral Whyte, show some respect!" He stormed over, yanking his uncle away. "Not only were you late to help, but now you’re flirting with students? I’m reporting this!"

They’d already counted their losses, and Chuck only showed up afterward. Cohen was about ready to lose his mind.

Chuck sat back down, the slightest hint of guilt in his expression. He adjusted his white cloak and cleared his throat, locking eyes with Lyra. "Ahem, so, here’s the deal. Since you took down a bad-ass pirate and wiped out their whole crew, the brass wants to reward you."

He paused for a moment, letting that sink in. "You’re not officially in a squad yet, so they’re giving you the title of ’student officer.’ Once you graduate and get assigned, you’ll get a formal rank. Oh, and there’s a medal, too. They’ll send it straight to your academy."

Military rank was no joke. Most people entering through mandatory service started at the bottom as privates, working their way up to corporal before they could even think about joining a squad.

Graduates from the military academy, though? They skipped the line, starting right out of the gate as sergeants. And if they made a name for themselves during internships or events, they could climb even higher. Like Cohen, who had walked out of the academy with an Ensign rank.

Chuck smirked, his serious demeanor fading fast. "Honestly, they could’ve gone higher, but the bigwigs thought it’d be ’too flashy.’ So, Student Officer it is. Not bad, right?"

Lyra didn’t seem fazed, simply offering a quick thanks. Then she pulled a small black box from her Space Button. "By the way, I’ve got something for you two."

Chuck’s eyes widened. "Is that what I think it is? That thing from the Seething Fires?"

"Yep."

Cohen shot up from his seat, just as stunned. "We’ve been searching everywhere for that! Lieutenant Commander Shedd is still out there looking. How on earth did you get it?"

Lyra shrugged casually. "I grabbed it on purpose." She cut him off before he could start complaining. "I am only giving it to you because Erin Shedd isn’t here now."

Whyte raised a brow at that; her implication was obvious.

Cohen didn’t waste time. "Are you saying Erin led the pirates here?"

"You’ll figure that out once you go through it," Lyra replied, her voice heavy with sarcasm. "Or do you really think it’s just a coincidence the pirates found us the second they touched down?"

It was clear something wasn’t adding up.

Cohen’s face tightened as he took the black box and headed straight to the tech department, determined to get to the bottom of things.

...

When Erin found out Cohen had the black box, she panicked. You’d think the world had ended from the way she scrambled to gather her tech team.

Meanwhile, back at the base, Lyra made her way to the special training team’s grounds. The team had left the day before but ran into some stray pirates, sparking a battle. No deaths, but a few members got hurt.

"Lyra! You’re alright!" Elsie looked relieved, her worry clear.

Andre was still recovering in the med bay, leaving Anton and Webber to run the training.

Lyra nodded toward the instructors before asking Elsie, "Who was driving yesterday?"

Elsie shot a glance toward Milo, who was standing off to the side, smirking. "That piece of junk, over there."

Milo didn’t even try to hide it. "Yeah, that was me. And so what?" His smirk deepened. "If I hadn’t gotten us captured, you wouldn’t have had the chance to show off and snatch all that glory. Bet that pirate was a real thrill for you, huh?"

Everyone knew the state Lyra had been in when she returned yesterday.

Before anyone could blink, Lyra slapped him across the face. Hard.

Milo staggered, stunned, as he spit out a tooth. "You... hit me?"

SMACK!

His anger exploded, and horns sprouted from his head as he activated his powers. But Lyra was faster. She grabbed him and slammed him into the ground with ease. Despite his powers, he was getting wrecked.

The sound of fists connecting filled the air, each blow making the onlookers wince.

Webber moved to break it up, but Anton stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Nope. He had it coming."

Webber groaned, rubbing his temples. "But we’re their instructors."

Anton shrugged. "Wouldn’t matter. And, she’d beat us, too."

"..."

After all, Lyra had single-handedly brought down a pirate base. If anyone tried to step in, they’d probably end up on the ground just like Milo.