Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 308: Karma Is a Witch

Chapter 308: Karma Is a Witch

Before Lyra’s departure, Voidstar No. 1 had been pristine—so immaculate that even the green leaves lining the streets seemed to shimmer with newness.

Now, a chilling transformation was taking hold.

The rhythmic *drip-drip* of liquid echoed, resembling raindrops, but it wasn’t rain.

Soon, the once-vibrant green leaves were soaked in blood. Fresh bricks, now baptized in crimson, bore grim testimony to the horror.

Agonized screams and frenzied shouts filled the largest city on Voidstar.

"Hey! Over there! A bunch of ’em! I saw ’em first!"

Space pirates, dressed in white prison uniforms, prowled the streets, hunting soldiers clad in spotless white military attire.

High above, atop one of the tallest buildings, Gino held a bottle of liquor.

Without hesitation, he hurled a military officer off the roof. As the body plummeted, he took a long swig, guzzling the burning liquid.

Nearby, Markle crouched over a naked female officer, dragging a blade across her skin in slow, cruel patterns.

From a distance, a white bird descended, shifting mid-air into Broken Blade, a towering figure. Her prison attire, stretched taut, tore apart.

She picked up the discarded clothing of a mutilated female officer and draped it over himself.

"Where’s that old bastard Conners?" Gino asked, wiping liquor from the corner of his mouth.

"No sign of him," Broken Blade replied, shaking her head. "I staked out the spaceport for hours. Everyone else retreated, but that slippery bastard’s nowhere to be seen."

Markle, dissatisfied with his bloody artwork, snapped the woman’s neck without hesitation.

Cleaning his hands, he frowned deeply. "If we don’t kill that fat old pig, you think THAT witch will let us live?"

"Even if we didn’t get him, she’s probably already gotten what she wanted." Gino stared blankly at the carnage below.

The high-ranking officers of the three pirate factions hunted the military personnel like wolves feasting on helpless prey.

Corpses littered the city—on the ground, in the trees—turning the once-pristine streets into a grotesque morgue before they had a chance to welcome their first residents.

"That witch sure knows how to play dirty," Markle muttered, swallowing nervously.

Gino snorted. "That’s because the military’s filth pushed her too far."

"Oh? Sounds like you know those old geezers pretty well," Markle teased.

"Too well," Gino growled, downing another gulp from his bottle. He pulled out the deceased woman’s opticomputer, dialed a lone contact, and spoke casually:

"Mission accomplished. Wanna see it for yourself?"

Without waiting for a response, he activated a live feed.

On the other side of the screen, Lyra’s eyes narrowed slightly as she observed the crimson-streaked scene.

"And Conners?" she asked.

Gino shook his head. "No idea. We chased him as far as we could, but he disappeared. Probably used some high-grade spatial transportation tech. The old fox wouldn’t come here without a backup plan."

Lyra drummed her fingers lightly against her desk. Conners’ urgency in stationing troops on Voidstar No. 1 had seemed uncharacteristic—unusual for someone who thrived on scheming from the shadows.

Before she could respond, Mandy entered and saluted. "The Alliance Military Council has summoned you."

Lyra ended the call without hesitation and left immediately for the council chambers.

...

When she arrived, she was greeted by familiar faces, though the atmosphere was strikingly different.

Gone were the polite smiles and hollow compliments. Every gaze carried the weight of accusation. The tension in the room was suffocating.

At the center of it all was a 3D projection of Conners, his furious visage distorted by the hologram’s light.

Lyra was momentarily taken aback; she hadn’t expected him to retreat to the main fleet so quickly.

The moment their eyes met, Conners erupted, his anger blazing hot enough to scorch the air.

"Lyra! Do you even realize the gravity of your crimes?!" he roared, his voice reverberating through the solemn chamber.

Lyra remained unfazed, her expression calm as still water. "I don’t get what you mean, Admiral Conners," she replied evenly.

Conners slammed his hand against the table and rose with a roar. "Don’t play coy with me! Why did you violate Alliance military law? You didn’t use superpower suppressors on the key prisoners! They’ve escaped! Do you have any idea how many Alliance soldiers have died because of this?"

The mounting death toll silenced the room. Even Raphel and Dessel, who were often at odds with Conners, now shared his grim expression.

"I didn’t use superpower suppressors?" Lyra countered coolly. "Wasn’t one installed on the gate? You opened it yourself. Surely, you didn’t miss it."

The simplicity of her statement left Conners momentarily speechless.

Indeed, regulations mandated suppressors for dangerous prisoners—but they didn’t specify where the suppressors had to be installed.

Lyra had placed hers on the gate.

Before Conners could recover, Lyra twisted the dagger. "So, by that logic, the escape of those prisoners falls under your direct responsibility, Admiral Conners."

She had exploited the loophole in the regulations with surgical precision.

"You... you did this on purpose!" Conners fumed, his chest heaving with rage. "You deliberately withheld control of their powers, created this ticking time bomb, and didn’t even warn me!"

"Admiral Conners, you overestimate me," Lyra replied, her voice steady as ice. "I assumed you took control of Voidstar No. 1 in such haste because you had a well-thought-out plan. After all, those prisoners posed no threat to me. Their escape reflects on your incompetence, not mine."

Her lips curled into a cold smirk. "It’s like I bought you dinner for free, yet you are here blaming me for not spoon-feeding you, then crying when you drop the bowl yourself."

"Enough!" A sudden shout rang out, cutting through the tension like a blade. Frederick’s sharp gaze pinned Lyra in place. "Rear Admiral Shedd, tens of thousands of Alliance soldiers have died. Do you truly feel no remorse?"

Frederick’s accusation hung heavily in the air. It was clear to everyone—Lyra had done this intentionally.

Conners had stolen the fruits of her victory, rushing to claim credit after she subdued the pirates. This was her revenge.

"Why should I feel remorse?" Lyra’s face grew colder, her voice even frostier. "Subduing the space pirates? That was my accomplishment. Their escape? That’s your failure. Let’s not forget, I withdrew under orders. Shouldn’t the guilt fall on those who issued the withdrawal in the first place?"

Her words struck like lightning. Everyone froze, knowing full well that the retreat had been a collective decision—one they had all voted on.

Valeria, crushing her cigarette into an ashtray, stared at the young woman who now seemed utterly fearless in the face of her superiors. For the first time, she began to understand Frederick’s concern.

At that moment, the previously silent Supreme Peculiar, Ronin, finally raised her head.

Framed by fiery red hair, her wrinkled face carried an air of sharp authority. "Young lady, I suggest you learn to restrain yourself. We old relics aren’t dead yet."

The warning, sharp and commanding, might have cowed another officer. But Lyra wasn’t just anyone.

"Admiral Conners should have anticipated this from the moment he deployed troops to Voidstar No. 1," Lyra replied smoothly. "Even if these space pirates hadn’t escaped, others were bound to return. So why am I the one being blamed?"

As if on cue, a transmission came through from Voidstar No. 1. The escaping space pirates had regrouped and launched a full-scale assault, seizing control of every major city.

The screen displayed their triumphant gestures, mocking the surveillance satellites with raised flags and open challenges.

This stark image lent weight to Lyra’s words. The pirates had returned, stronger than anyone expected.

The council had presumed that Lyra’s earlier pacification of the system was the end of the conflict, but reality had proved them dangerously wrong.

The council debated the fallout of Lyra’s actions, with Conners desperate to see her punished.

Yet, as much as he fanned the flames of indignation, the room’s collective gaze lingered on Lyra with a mix of frustration and grudging acceptance.

The harsh reality was clear: without her, Voidstar No. 1 would remain a ticking time bomb no one else could defuse.

The still-ignored Ronin suddenly volunteered.

"Sir, I’ll personally take a trip to Voidstar No. 1 and wipe out those space pirates for good," she declared, her fiery tone aimed squarely at undercutting Lyra’s authority.

Ronin wasn’t about to let a young upstart run unchecked.

Conners’ eyes lit up. "Yes, let her join me in securing Voidstar No. 1. Together, we’ll ensure stability."

But Frederick quickly intervened, his voice steady and final. "That’s impossible. The Empire’s Supreme Peculiars hasn’t shown themselves yet. If Ronin relocates to the border, she risks drawing an enemy counterattack. Losing Voidstar No. 1 is one thing—losing a Supreme Peculiar would be catastrophic."

He fixed his gaze on Lyra, the young officer whose calm demeanor had become the center of the storm.

After a tense moment of silence, Frederick issued his decision. "Lyra and Conners will jointly command the garrison at Voidstar No. 1."