Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 190: It’s Been A Minute

Chapter 190: It’s Been A Minute

Because of Erin’s status, she was set to stand before a military tribunal—an institution known for being quick to judge. They wasted no time, scheduling the trial for just a week later.

At first, Erin thought Ansel would step in and save her. She sent multiple requests to meet her family, clinging to the hope that someone would come to her rescue. But all she got was Greg’s troubled look.

"He can’t make it right now," he muttered quietly.

In that moment, the truth hit Erin like a ton of bricks. Her grandpa had abandoned her.

"If Freon could clear my name, it would really help reduce my sentence!" she pleaded, gripping Greg’s hand so tightly that it trembled. "Uncle Greg, you can’t just stand by and watch my life get ruined! Please, you have to help me!"

Greg winced, feeling the icy grip of her trembling hands. He wanted to say it—’You should’ve seen this coming. Why did you act so recklessly?’

She had zero experience in running a business, yet insisted on taking over that shop. Now it was obvious—Lyra had set her up, and Erin had walked right into it.

"Miss Erin, please hang in there," Greg replied hesitantly.

Without direct orders from Ansel, no one from the Shedd family dared to get involved.

Meanwhile, Erin’s father, Teagan, was doing everything he could. He had already pleaded with his own father, Ansel, "Dad, for all Erin has done for the family, we have to save her!"

Ansel’s gaze rested on his eldest son, who had filled out quite a bit over the years, but his expression was stone-cold.

"And who’s going to save the Shedd family?" Ansel retorted sharply. "It took me years to rebuild what we lost, and now she’s gone and ruined it in a flash."

Teagan fell silent, the weight of his father’s words pulling him down. He couldn’t forget how hard things had been after his brother’s death—how the Shedd family had become a target of ridicule and attacks from every angle.

He didn’t have his father’s sharp foresight, nor his brother’s tactical genius. Heck, he wasn’t even as talented as his sister, whose powers set her apart. Half his life had passed, and all he’d managed was a Commander rank in the Legion Skywalkers.

Though he was strict with Erin, she was still his only child. The thought of her life being ruined was too much to bear.

"Erin’s been framed by Lyra, I’m sure of it."

"Even if she has, it’s still her own fault!" Ansel snapped, his frustration bubbling to the surface. "I raised her, taught her everything I know, and she’s still this naive. Teagan, this is no simple matter. Stay out of it."

Enemies were lurking all around the Shedd family, waiting for them to slip. The only play left was to ride out the storm and hope for a reduced sentence down the road.

Teagan’s heart sank, the cold realization settling in. Tears threatened to spill as he begged, "But she’s my only daughter, Dad."

Ansel’s response was a withering glance. "Children can always be replaced."

Teagan left the room feeling utterly crushed, his face pale as a ghost.

At home, his wife had already cried herself hoarse. "Did your father agree to help?" she asked, a fragile hope flickering in her voice.

Teagan’s silence was answer enough. She snapped, grabbing the front of his uniform and shaking him, her voice trembling with fury. "How can you Shedd men be so heartless? Erin has trained under your father her whole life, and now that she’s not useful, he’s throwing her away like garbage?"

Pushing her aside, Teagan collapsed onto the sofa. "Dad’s doing this for the family."

"For the family?" she spat bitterly, tears streaming down her face. "First, he sacrificed his own son and daughter-in-law. Then, he forced out his grandkids. And now he’s abandoning Erin too! Soon enough, it’ll just be him, standing in the ashes of what’s left!"

"Enough!" Teagan bellowed, his voice echoing through the small room.

His wife collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. "If Erin ends up in prison, I swear to you, I’ll end it. You and your psyco father can watch the Shedd family crumble after that!"

Teagan’s expression darkened, the weight of it all crushing him. After a long, tense pause, he sighed heavily. "I’ll go back... I’ll ask Frenna to help."

His sister, a powerful Spellbinder, had connections—enough to get those space pirates to change their story. If anyone could help Erin now, it was her.

...

Meanwhile...

Lyra stood confidently in the company lab, her eyes locked on an impressive piece of machinery.

The hulking device, nearly two meters across, looked like a giant spotlight, its surface gleaming with mechanical precision.

Purple gemstones dotted the exterior, giving it an otherworldly appearance.

"According to the reports from Koros and Sean, this small-scale space teleportation station needs 500,000 megajoules of energy for each activation," Morrison said, sounding utterly defeated. "That’s the energy equivalent of a level-seven energy stone mine the size of a fist."

Just saying it made Morrison wince. The energy cost was absurd, far more than the fuel needed for a fully-loaded commercial spacecraft to travel between star systems.

"We’ve only built one pair of platforms," Morrison continued. "That means two teleportation stations. At most, they can transfer five people at a time. Should I set the destination to Planet Nagano?"

Lyra’s eyes flashed with something unreadable as she picked up the Space Button, the control for the second teleportation array. "No, I’ve got a different plan," she replied cryptically.

Without another word, she boarded her ship and set course for a nearby planet, determined to test it herself.

...

Meanwhile, a hidden informant sent a quick report to Teagan: "Lyra has left Elden Prime. Her flight logs show she’s headed to Clarra Star."

"Perfect!" Teagan burst into a grin as he rushed to find his sister. "Frenna, Lyra’s out of the picture! You can finally make your move now, right?"

"Are you sure about this?" Frenna asked, her voice laced with uncertainty.

"Why would I lie?" Teagan couldn’t fathom why Frenna, who was nearly at level-nine, hesitated to take on Lyra, a much younger woman.

Frenna bit her lip, torn. "But if Dad finds out..." She didn’t need to finish the sentence. The repercussions would be severe if they were caught acting without their father’s blessing.

"All you have to do is control Freon. It’s not that big of a deal," Teagan pressed, his tone impatient.

Frenna weighed her options. He had a point—this wasn’t a huge risk. Folding her arms, her face hardened as she locked eyes with her brother. "What about the payment you promised?"

Teagan sighed dramatically. "Why are you so obsessed with compensation? You’re Erin’s aunt, for crying out loud!" He waved her off dismissively. "Half of our hotel’s shares. That’s what we agreed on, right? Does that make you happy?"

...

The day of the trial finally arrived.

Freon, who had been kept under tight surveillance, was led into the courtroom. His appearance was nearly unrecognizable—he’d even shaved his eyebrows, making him look bizarre under the harsh, clinical lights.

Frenna sat in the audience, quietly preparing her psychokinetic powers. As a Spellbinder, proximity was crucial for her to control Freon. She was mere moments from launching her mental assault when a familiar voice, icy and unmistakable, whispered in her ear:

"Aunt Frenna, it’s been a minute."

Her heart skipped a beat. Slowly, she turned, and the breath caught in her throat.

The young woman in front of her pulled off her mask, revealing a face that sent shivers down Frenna’s spine.

It was Lyra.

In that split second of shock, Lyra didn’t hesitate. She activated a spell seed she’d previously implanted in Frenna’s mind, slipping into her thoughts with ease.

For all of Frenna’s psychokinetic abilities, she was no match for Lyra’s premeditated cunning.

The judge stood, towering over the courtroom as he began the proceedings. Behind him, high-ranking military officers sat in silent observation, ready to weigh in on the trial’s outcome.

"We will now begin," the judge declared solemnly. "Freon, do you admit to the following charge: that you robbed Rocco Robotics Development Group near Snowfall, resulting in the death of a security guard?"

Freon, eerily calm, nodded his head. "I admit it."

"And did you sell the stolen goods through Erin Shedd?"

Erin sat rigid in the confession chair, her knuckles white from how tightly she gripped the armrests. Her eyes darted to her father in the audience, who gave her a hopeful, reassuring look.

But before she could even catch her breath, Freon’s next words destroyed everything.

"I admit it."

The words landed like a bomb. Erin froze in disbelief, and her father sat paralyzed, eyes wide with shock.

Both of them instinctively turned toward Frenna, who sat in the audience, her face blank, eyes vacant—completely under Lyra’s control.

From that moment on, Erin couldn’t hear anything else. The judge’s voice became muffled as her mind spiraled. All she could picture were the horrors of prison life. Her face paled with every passing second, terror gripping her heart.

Once the military officers had reviewed the evidence, they wasted no time reaching a decision. The final judgment came swift and merciless.

"The military court hereby declares: Erin Shedd, stripped of all rank and sentenced to forty-seven years of imprisonment. Freon, sentenced to death by lethal injection."