Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 263: New Assistant

Chapter 263: New Assistant

Outside, the enemy’s cannon fire relentlessly pounded against the Aegis Shield, but inside, Koros was in his element—deep in his work.

The air around him hummed with the energy of creation as he focused on a massive mecha arm laid out on the workbench.

It was a complex piece of machinery, demanding all his attention.

Just as he was getting lost in the intricate details, the door to his workshop flew open with a deafening crash.

Koros was taken off guard but managed to stay cool. His hands didn’t falter; in a practiced motion, he powered down the device, cutting off its energy source.

He whipped around, ready to shout in frustration. "No. 1, didn’t I teach you to knock?!"

A robotic voice answered, oddly human and tinged with fear. "Master, help me!"

Koros turned to find Lyra standing in the doorway, her face as cold and impassive as ever.

Without missing a beat, she asked, "Really? THAT SELFISH WOMAN?" Her words cut through the air like a razor.

Koros’ eyes widened in alarm. His voice wavered as he stammered, "W-what do you mean?"

Lyra strode in, holding the head of Assisbot No. 1 by its metal hair. She didn’t even glance at the bot as she fixed Koros with a piercing stare. "The base is full of rare materials. Wouldn’t it be fine to make a few inventions with them?"

Koros averted his gaze, unable to meet her eyes. He muttered defensively, "The budget’s plenty. And there’s so many materials lying around... maybe I just... I just like to experiment a bit?"

"Is that so?" Lyra’s voice dripped with sarcasm. "So, you just go buy whatever you want from the black market with all the extra funds?"

At this, Assisbot No. 1, ever the chatterbox, squirmed in Lyra’s grip, loudly protesting, "Ma’am, slow down! Do you know how much it cost to make me? Two hundred million! Big money, huh? Then let me go—don’t break me!"

Koros stood frozen, his mouth agape as he processed the insanity of the moment. He finally snapped to action, stepping forward and awkwardly grabbing the bot by its neck.

With a nervous chuckle, Koros said, "This one... It’s helpful, but always can’t keep its mouth shut."

He couldn’t quite believe what was happening. The pragmatic, no-nonsense engineer had become the reluctant target of his own creations.

In his heart, he silently prayed to the heavens for Lyra’s mercy.

"Two hundred million, you say?" Lyra’s smile was all sharp edges, her tone not betraying a hint of humor. "I’ve given you too much for funds, really."

"Not too much!" Koros quickly cut in, panic in his voice. He tossed Assisbot No. 1 aside like a ragdoll, then, in a burst of energy, clung to her leg, practically whining, "Boss, you don’t get it. The bot doesn’t understand! It only sees the money, but every penny, every dime, was earned through hard work. In R&D, you need funding everywhere, huh?"

He sounded like a wronged spouse airing grievances about their partner’s stinginess.

Lyra’s gaze turned cold as steel, her eyes narrowing with intent. "One condition."

Koros jumped up, nodding eagerly. "Anything! Just say it!"

"Give me control of Assisbot No. 1," she said with chilling simplicity.

Koros froze, his body stiffening. "W-why would you want to control a robot?"

Lyra raised an eyebrow, her voice casual but lethal. "To keep an eye on you."

Koros’ eyes widened further, panic rising in his chest, but he had no choice. "Fine, you can have it."

He begrudgingly resigned himself to his fate. With a grimace, he accessed Assisbot No. 1’s control settings, transferring the master authentication and disabling the shutdown protocols.

He could only watch as the bot powered back on, its circuits buzzing with life once again.

Lyra circled the now-reactivated robot, arms crossed, studying it like a hawk. "Did Koros tamper with your core system?" she asked No. 1.

Koros stared at her, wide-eyed in disbelief. "You don’t trust me?"

But Assisbot No. 1 didn’t hesitate to spill the beans. "Yes, he did! He kept the data modification rights for himself! He’s been planning to mess with my logs behind your back!"

The robot pointed an accusing finger at Koros, then struck a pose with its hands on its hips as if it were proud of its own revelations. "See? She has no choice but to keep me around! I’m so precious!"

Koros buried his face in his hands, his mind racing. "I forgot... I forgot it could talk about everything!"

Before he could react, Lyra’s fist came down with swift justice, landing squarely on his face.

And so, Koros found himself forced to relinquish not just control of the bot, but also the precious Space Button he had been hiding.

His face drained of color as he finally handed over complete control of Assisbot No. 1’s system. To make matters worse, Lyra slapped a psychokinesis imprint on the robot, ensuring he couldn’t escape her watchful gaze.

Now, instead of sneaking around and cutting corners to fund his secret side projects, Koros was stuck with a bot that would be keeping him on a very short leash.

In a twisted way, he had successfully preserved the funding—only to lose his chance for any creative freedom.

As Koros sat, brooding and feeling the weight of his decisions, a new shock awaited him.

Ten massive mechas were dumped onto the floor in front of him, landing with a resounding crash.

Koros’ eyes practically sparkled as he lunged forward, his hands trembling with excitement as they caressed the sleek mechas before him. "This... this isn’t the Alliance model, is it?"

His fingers ran over the smooth, polished surface, his breath catching in awe at the flawless craftsmanship. "This has to be the Empire’s work! From the materials alone, this has to be at least level-seven, right?"

Lyra gave a simple nod, her face as emotionless as ever. "Fix them up. Do what you want with them."

Koros could barely contain the excitement bubbling inside him. "Yes, Yes! Thank you, boss! You’re too generous!"

Forget about the budget, forget about the restrictions—this was a goldmine. Lately, Koros had been hitting a research bottleneck, but with the Empire’s mechas at his disposal, he felt like a breakthrough was just around the corner.

As Koros eagerly turned to get to work, Lyra checked her watch and then glanced toward the airfield.

The Empire’s original plan had been to target the airfield’s infrastructure, ideally crippling the entire operation. But even if they couldn’t succeed in that, causing chaos was still a win.

Thanks to Kogar and his troops, who had fought tooth and nail to hold the position, they’d managed to keep the enemy at bay until Lyra’s reinforcements arrived.

Now, Lyra was boarding a warship, ready to head to the front lines.

Once aboard, she swiftly changed into her white military uniform, the crisp fabric a sharp contrast to the chaos around her.

"Here I come..."

*****

Meanwhile, aboard the Empire’s flagship, Skylight had just stepped out of the healing pod. The lingering image of Lyra’s cold, oppressive face still haunted him—he couldn’t shake the feeling it left behind.

"How are you feeling?" Ian, who had been waiting nearby, offered Skylight a cup of water.

"It’s not a serious injury," Skylight muttered as he took the water, but his mind was elsewhere.

Something gnawed at him, and he quickly asked, "What about the other soldiers? Did we recover them?"

Ian shrugged nonchalantly, his expression showing little care. "They’re all dead."

"What?!" Skylight’s hands shook in disbelief, spilling water from the cup. "But those soldiers were only supposed to destroy infrastructure! They should’ve retreated when the job was done!"

Ian yawned lazily. "Well, they decided to massacre civilians instead. Lyra took care of them all."

Skylight’s face twisted in confusion. "Why massacre civilians?"

Ian leaned back, hands behind his head, a carefree grin plastered across his face. "War, Skylight. It’s all the same. Soldiers, civilians—just two sides of the same coin. You humans kill each other no matter what side you’re on."

Skylight fell silent, his stomach knotting in discomfort. After a long pause, he muttered, "But you still have human genes."

Ian waved his hands dismissively, a childlike innocence in his smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. "Don’t drag me into this. I’m not like Lyra. I’m a Stellar Devourer."

The words hit Skylight like a punch to the gut. He stared at Ian, speechless, his mind struggling to process what he’d just heard.

"Stellar Devourer?" he murmured, almost to himself. His trembling hands gripped the cup tighter.

"Yeah, that’s what I am," Ian said, his tone almost mocking, but with a sinister edge. "And you know what? Lyra’s been using you all along. The star map... that’s what she’s after. She wants the war to keep going. It’s her way of clawing her way back into the power structure."

Skylight’s heart sank. He’d suspected as much, but hearing it from Ian made it all the more real. He wanted to reject it, but the truth was staring him in the face.

The cold, calculating cruelty of it all left a bitter taste in his mouth.

*****

Lyra’s arrival at the Alliance’s flagship was met with swift efficiency. She was immediately assigned to Cohen’s command.

Zarek, who had accompanied her throughout the mission, handed her a small device with a knowing smile. "I think this will suit you better than the official mechas. Don’t refuse it—it’s a token of my gratitude."

Lyra looked at him with mild curiosity but didn’t question his gift. She took the device from his hand, revealing a sleek, lightweight mecha.

It was unlike any typical model—it lacked heavy armor or offensive weapons, but it was built for speed and agility, making it perfect for someone like her.

The oxygen equipment was external, which made it more vulnerable, but it was more than sufficient for space missions.

Zarek nodded approvingly as she examined the mecha. "I know the oxygen equipment’s exposed, but for you, it should be perfect."

"Thank you," Lyra said, her voice devoid of any emotion.

Zarek grinned. "It’s fine. Just make sure to take down more Stellar Devourers. I’d be glad to see that."