Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 127: Elden Prime

Chapter 127: Elden Prime

No one saw it coming, but when the dust settled after the space pirates were gone, it was Lyra who came out on top.

The caravans, still reeling from their huge losses, could only watch as Morrison’s crew rolled back with trucks full of precious minerals.

The envy in their eyes was almost dripping. They knew those resources had been stolen from them by the pirates. But with most of their crew wiped out and still tangled up in negotiations with the military for answers, they were in no position to fight back. They couldn’t do much, except keep their heads down to avoid Lyra’s cold, piercing stare.

"I swear that girl brought those pirates here just to wreck our equipment!" Bernard grumbled, looking rough from days of no sleep, his face dark with suspicion.

But not everyone was buying it.

"If she could control space pirates like that, do you really think we could’ve pushed her around before?"

"Then who the hell triggered the pirates? I’m not letting them off that easy!"

As Zorion passed by the grumbling crowd, he slowed down for a moment, then quietly turned and walked away.

Later that day, at the regular military debrief, Erin took her usual spot.

The moment she sat down, Cohen leaned over. "Where’s Zorion?"

She gave a calm smile. "He’s tied up with something. He’ll be here soon."

Before they could continue, the blare of an alarm shattered the room’s calm.

Erin was on her feet in seconds, her face tense. "What’s going on?"

Cohen, oddly calm, replied, "It seems someone broke into the secure room where the black box is kept." He had Kogar pull up the feed on the screen.

Inside the secure vault, the black box from the Seething Fires sat behind reinforced glass, hooked up to a supercomputer for analysis.

Beneath it, Zorion was frantically working at the console.

The camera zoomed in, showing him wiping data from the system.

He looked like a trapped animal, totally unaware that every move was being watched.

"Lieutenant Commander Shedd, care to explain?" Cohen’s voice cut through the silence.

Erin looked stunned. "Why would Zorion do this?"

Cohen studied her face, looking for signs of something deeper, but all he saw was surprise and disappointment in her colleague.

Zorion had been caught, hands in the cookie jar. Turns out, he was the one who sent the signal that bypassed the military jamming systems, leading the pirates straight to them.

He was dragged to the interrogation room, hands shackled with cuffs designed to suppress his powers.

Chuck grilled him, but Zorion kept repeating that when he sent the message, the signal was blocked. He had no clue how it had gotten out.

"Then why did you send coordinates to the pirates again?" Chuck, who was hanging back, shot the question with a smirk.

Chuck had been keeping an ear to the ground since arriving on Wyrmtrace, and he had picked up on the drama between Erin and Lyra. He’d also pieced together Lyra’s true identity. From where he stood, the Shedd family had played themselves.

Zorion finally cracked. "Lieutenant Commander Shedd ordered me to do it."

He knew he couldn’t take the fall alone. If he did, his future was as good as over.

"Funny, because she denies all of it. She said, and I quote, ’I would never breach military principles over a petty feud.’" Chuck eyed Zorion, whose face had gone pale. "We also scanned all the devices on base. The coordinates came from your computer. And we caught you deleting the black box data."

"Erin made me do it!"

Zorion realized then that he’d been set up as the fall guy, plain and simple.

"Any proof?"

His shoulders slumped as he whispered, "No..."

Erin had been smart enough to give her orders verbally, with no witnesses. And now, he was left holding the bag.

Chuck pointed to the evidence in front of him. "Your crimes are obvious," he said, his voice cold and direct. "You exposed a secret location, and instead of correcting your mistake, you sent the coordinates again out of personal spite. Your actions led the enemy right to us."

Zorion, still clinging to his defense, protested, "I swear I blocked the signal. I think someone deliberately intercepted my transmission. We need to re-examine..."

BANG! Chuck slammed his fist on the table, his expression hardening. "Excuses? Do you realize how many lives were lost because of you? And you still have the nerve to lie here!" He took a deep breath, trying to rein in his anger.

Then, without saying another word, Chuck stormed out, leaving Zorion to face the reality of his downfall.

Zorion knew it was over. But he did done what was needed. He HAD blocked the signal and immediately informed Erin.

They should’ve worked with Cohen to plan a retreat from the pirates, but the timing was off; their reinforcements were only hours away—That was when Erin hatched a risky plan: lure the pirates to Lyra’s location.

The logic was simple—brutal space pirates meant Lyra was as good as dead.

Yet things didn’t go as expected. The reinforcements were delayed, The Seething Fires acted too fast, and Lyra, against all odds, survived.

Zorion, on the other hand, was left to take the blame.

He reached out to Ansel for help, but all he got was a grim piece of advice: "Forget about walking free. Focus on avoiding the death penalty—life in prison is the best you can hope for."

But the caravans that had lost so much weren’t going to let him off lightly.

Many had powerful connections within the military, and they were determined to push for his execution. Worse still, their anger might spill over to the entire Shedd family.

If it weren’t for them making the mess, they wouldn’t have been dragged into it and suffered such a big loss.

Once Chuck finished his investigation, he left Wyrmtrace with the prisoners and his findings in tow.

Along with them, the Skywalkers were recalled. Erin, having failed to prevent the disaster, couldn’t continue the mission. She was punished too—barred from military evaluations for seven years, effectively ending her chances of promotion during that time.

Before everyone departed, they gathered to see Chuck off. Lyra stood among them.

"Lyra, you did well," Erin told her, a sharpness in her voice. "I’ll see you on Elden Prime."

Nagano, the Whyte family’s stronghold, was off-limits to the Shedds. But Elden Prime? That was a different game entirely. It was a dangerous place where mysterious deaths weren’t unusual.

With the gloves now off, Lyra gave Erin a steady nod. "Can’t wait."

As the warship vanished into the sky, Lyra’s expression hardened.

When the caravans sent new teams to Wyrmtrace, no one dared mess with Lyra anymore. Thanks to the queen bee’s help, her team had already secured a massive haul of rich minerals, leaving the other caravans green with jealousy.

The officer replacing Erin was someone familiar—Zarek. He was quick to arrive, as the Rymes family fleet was closest. Officially, Zarek kept his distance from Lyra, but he secretly provided her with quiet assistance.

As the special training came to a close, Lyra’s team prepared for their next destination: Elden Prime, to compete in the annual AMAT tournament.

After two long weeks navigating wormholes, Elden Prime came into view. The bustling planet was surrounded by a ring of artificial satellites and slowly rotating moons, creating a strikingly beautiful scene.

The moment had finally arrived.