Page 18 of Interstellar Love Song (Villains in Space #3)

ZIGGY

At least he didn’t also say “hero…”

That dreaded word had been associated with my name far more than necessary during early press conferences held by the new Astrum Force Command, and I’d brushed it off every time.

What I’d done hadn’t felt heroic. I’d simply taken my revenge on those in power, after learning they’d lied to me my entire life.

Lied to… all of us…

Sigh.

“I’m honestly unsure how the True Stellarians will receive a visit from me, sunshine,” I muttered as I piloted the Lodger toward Apotelesma. “They’d already been fighting against Astrum Force for eons before I came along.”

We’d decided to take my ship instead of star hopping, partly so the moon’s inhabitants could see us coming and not feel caught off guard, and partly because Pedro sometimes became ill after a hop.

And I do not need to clean Trol vomit off my armor again.

Unlike the last time we’d traveled to the rebel stronghold—when Micah had asked that we “come in peace”—I was currently dressed neck to toe in my Stellarian armor.

Thanks to the new Astrum Force’s focus on humanitarian efforts, the uniform was no longer seen as an intimidation tactic of a conquering planet.

It was now the symbol of hope for a better future.

At least, I hope it is…

“Are you kidding?” Micah scoffed, adjusting Pedro in his lap while feeding them a bowl of hatini before we landed. “You’re like a celebrity to your fellow shit-stirrers, so hush.”

Ugh.

I tamped down my aversion to being perceived, begrudgingly accepting he was probably correct.

Fine.

I’ll play the hero.

Regardless of how these freedom fighters saw me, I agreed with Micah that the historical archives might be a sore subject.

As he’d suggested, the True Stellarians possibly saw themselves as the rightful keepers of Stellaria’s history, and therefore might not take too kindly to moving the collection back to the planet they’d rebelled against.

If that were true, I couldn’t help wondering if one of the reasons Honnor hadn’t broached the subject yet was because they also anticipated the resulting power play and simply didn’t want to deal with it on top of their newfound responsibilities.

Understandable.

Not for the first time, I was incredibly grateful that a Stellarian as respected as my creator had stepped up to take my place when the public asked me to be Head Commander.

The public on Stellaria, specifically…

“I wonder if the True Stellarians took issue with Honnor heading Astrum Force,” I mused, using a tendril to catch the spoon in mid-air when Pedro threw it. “If they might have considered that title disloyal to all they stood for…”

A slow smile spread over Micah’s face. “So maybe it isn’t a bad thing that we’re taking a sneaky side-quest, huh?”

Indeed.

An incoming message appeared on the Lodger’s communicator screen, distracting me from the conversation.

:Stellarians detected. State your ship name, life forms, and business on Apotelesma:

Micah gasped, although he looked more excited than apprehensive. Before I could fully absorb the fact I’d been perceived from afar , he’d hooked Pedro under one arm and reached over me with the other to type in a reply.

- Two adults. One Stellarian. One Gaian from 03-Via Lactea.

- One child, Trol.

- Ziggy Andromeda and company, arriving via the Lodger 79, on unofficial business.

I rolled my eyes. “You have a name too, sunshine.”

And you’re not just an Earthling.

“Yeah, but they don’t care about me,” he laughed. “I’ll just play your fine as hell bodyguard today.”

A jolt of lust shot through me at the memory of Micah cutting through Stellarians with his mechanical tendrils as bodyguard of the twin kings of Kaalanesea.

I bet he could do worse with his real tendrils…

Fuck, I’d love to see that.

Distracting thoughts of murder aside, I was curious how any of the True Stellarians were able to detect my presence from the ground, much less at all.

I’m certain Micah could do it…

Since he can do anything.

Granted, not many besides Stellarians knew anyone was living on our moons, and it had been an accidental discovery at that.

An accidental, life-altering discovery…

:We are honored to host such a celebrated champion:

“Seeeeee…” Micah cooed to a wiggling Pedro. “Your space daddy is celebrated!”

Stellaria, give me strength.

:Please land the famed Lodger 79 in the shadows of the northeast valley and await your escort :

“Lodger mentioned!” Micah sang as I focused all my attention on maneuvering my ship between two jagged mountain ranges and bringing it in to land.

This is ridiculous.

There was no need for the Lodger 79 to be a recognizable name. It was a key part of my disguise when blending in as just another space traveler—nothing more. I’d slowly outfitted it over the years to suit my needs, but it hadn’t felt like home until my mate joined me behind the wheel.

And in my sleeping pod.

I grumbled under my breath as Pedro climbed onto my shoulder for the short walk to the landing bay of my ship. The same ship that was apparently also associated with my hallowed name, and with this unnecessary mystique others had bestowed upon me.

“Welcome, Ziggy Andromeda,” A voice called out in the trade language as the ramp deployed, followed by a jumbled chorus of cheers. “Liberator of enslaved Stellarians—our Morning Light!”

I immediately wished I could simply evaporate into nothingness, but Micah gripped my forearm with his superhuman strength, no doubt preparing to drag me back through the ether if I tried to star hop away.

Traitor!

“Morning Light, yusss…” My mate clenched his free hand into a fist and subtly pumped it into the air.

This embarrassing title was given to me by particularly overzealous Stellarians—the same ones who now sold unofficial merchandise with my likeness at the bazaars.

Which Micah revels in pointing out whenever he spots it.

The reason I’d earned this unwanted nickname was because I’d supposedly led my kind from the dark into a new day.

Of course, I’d immediately hated everything about it.

Then Micah informed me Earthlings referred to their fallen angel Satan as the “morning star,” so I decided I hated it slightly less.

However, it was one thing to brush off bootleg attention in passing, but quite another to be officially announced for an audience as you exited your ship in front of a rebel stronghold.

Why does there even need to be an audience?

I do not wish to be perceived!

The Lodger’s ramp hit the lunar surface with a cloud of dust that cleared to reveal a variety of alien species waiting for us.

Some were obviously Stellarians wearing the armor of their old Star Units, but it was difficult to know with the rest, since True Stellarians had gathered support from planets throughout the galaxies.

Regardless of what species they were, they were all staring at me.

“Ooh, I can see which ones are Stellarians…”

Micah shared this intel through our connection, reminding me that, thanks to his Eki DNA, he was able to see auras indicating when a Stellarian was inhabiting a vessel .

Scanning the crowd, I searched for evidence of an “awakened” ability to sense my kind, but my attention kept catching on the fully-armored Stellarians, so I telepathically asked my mate instead.

“Can you tell if any are inside their stellar collisions?”

Inside versus in control.

Micah squinted at the crowd, but before he could reply, the original announcer—who I now saw was one of the armored Stellarians—gestured toward my mate.

“I presume this is Ziggy Andromeda’s stellar collision, Micah Salah—a sorcerer from the Via Lactea Galaxy!”

Micah screeched so loudly in my head, I almost lost my footing off the ramp, but I quickly remembered I was a “bad bitch” well versed in hiding my reactions from others.

From anyone other than him.

“Thank you for the warm welcome,” I replied with a half bow, calling upon my intense Ambassador media training to appear genuinely grateful for this horrific experience. “Please forgive the unannounced visit. It was a spontaneous decision between my stellar collision and I.”

The Stellarian approached until they were standing directly in front of me before cocking their head. “Unofficial business?”

If they’re speaking in the trade language, they must be inside a vessel beneath their armor…

There was no reason for me to be fixating on this detail, so I chalked it up to overwhelm at the situation.

Blessedly, Micah piped in to reply, “Oh, definitely. We have absolutely no official business being here.”

A tense silence fell over the gathered crowd and, for a moment, I worried we’d made the wrong choice by defying Astrum Force Command.

Honnor will be so disappointed in me…

Our interrogator began to laugh, and the others present followed suit, until it became clear the spirit of rebellion was alive and well on Apotelesma.

Definitely not the wrong choice.

“This is why you are our champion, Ziggy.” The Stellarian slapped me on the shoulder before gesturing toward a barely perceptible opening in the rock face.

“My name is Valla, and I am the closest thing to a Head Commander you will find on this floating rock… However, we are far too communal to assign such lofty roles.”

The welcome party followed us into the mountain cave system, but once we reached a fork in the tunnels, everyone except our escort headed toward what I recognized as the bazaar from our first visit.

Valla paused. “Do you or your Trol need sustenance before we speak?”

When we declined, they nodded once and continued leading us in a different direction. I mentally tracked the various twists and turns, in case we needed to escape on foot, but it wasn’t long before we reached a covered amphitheater jutting out of the mountainside.

It featured an open air, panoramic view of the galaxy that contained Stellaria and her three moons—the galaxy I called home, despite never feeling like I belonged— Invenio-Astralis.

Genius related to the stars.

I lowered Pedro to the floor so they could chase the firebugs that apparently also existed up here.

“So, tell me…” Valla leaned against the half-wall and crossed their arms, their formerly friendly tone taking on a biting edge. “What unofficial business brings the celebrated offspring of the new Head Commander to our doorstep?”

There it is.

The instinct to defend my maker arose, but I swallowed it down in the name of diplomacy.

I should get a gold star for this Interstellar Ambassador nonsense…

“Stellar collisions,” Micah interrupted, staring down our opponent with that predatory focus he got when Commander Babygirl took over.

Hot.

Valla tensed but tried to cover up the reaction by stretching and then resting their arms across the windowsill. “Interesting. Are you here to share how a planet-raised Stellarian in the service of Astrum Force figured out that stellar collisions were more than just a myth?”

My hackles rose once again, but Micah blasted me with calm.

He’s got this .

“Oh, that was thanks to my dogged persistence.” My mate sauntered across the space to gaze out over the landscape. “It helped that we have a similar connection back on Gaia, only we call it an inventus bond and it involves power sharing.”

He punctuated his statement by unleashing his gorgeous starry tendrils, causing the other Stellarian to stumble backward and clutch their chest.

“How is that possible?” they hissed, and I couldn’t help remembering Micah’s horrid mother saying the same once she finally witnessed the awesomeness of her son’s powers.

Because he can do anything, you twit.

“Sorcery,” Micah deadpanned, tucking away his tendrils as if it were simply a party trick and not a miracle. “And since we’ve heard the True Stellarians are the guardians of vast historical archives, we’re hoping to see what you might have on stellar collisions.”

Among other things.

Valla scoffed. “What are you hoping to gain here? Clearly, you’ve already completed your connection with little difficulty.”

“Not yet we haven’t!” I hurriedly cut in. “Yes, we have connected, both physically and mentally, but we would like to also bond… symbolically.”

“Symbolically?” the Stellarian muttered, clearly thrown off guard by my honesty.

Micah took a step toward them. “Like a binding ceremony, but unique to the connection between a Stellarian and their match. Would you know anything about that…? ”

I straightened, realizing my mate had caught the scent of something and was essentially cornering his prey.

Get. ‘Em.

“W-why would I know anything about stellar collision bonds?” Valla sniffed. “Your connection has been touted as the ‘first of its kind’ in millennia… At least, the first since Astrum Force rose to power?—”

“That’s not true,” Micah murmured, gaze flickering to the space above their head as he adjusted a setting on his high-tech glasses. “Everyone wearing armor here has a different color aura than the Stellarians in empty vessels, including you.”

Gotcha.

Valla sharply inhaled, although they didn’t deny the accusation. “Is aura-hounding something all Gaians can do?”

Micah chuckled and took a step back, giving our escort space again. “Nah, just me—because I’m not just a Gaian, or an Earthling, as we call it. I’m also part Stellarian, part Lacertus, and a whole bunch of Eki.”

“That explains it,” Valla muttered, which piqued my interest.

“You know about the Eki?” I asked, glancing at Micah. “About how we’re… related?”

The Stellarian huffed in amusement. “Of course we do. Our historical records are quite extensive.” They sighed and began slowly removing their helmet. “I suppose I should be equally honest about my origins.”

Micah and I gaped when Valla’s face was revealed—a face that looked like …

Us.

Many aliens were bipedal and some even resembled Earthlings, except for noticeable differences like pointed ears or sharp teeth, brightly colored skin tones, and inhuman appendages.

Valla’s ears were rounded, brown eyes lidded and almond-shaped, and their skin was a bronze that reminded me of the older siblings in the villainous Suarez clan.

Of course, we couldn’t see anything from the neck down, but even my insatiably curious mate wouldn’t ask that.

At least, I don’t think he will…

“Are you…” Micah stammered, his eyes lit up with the promise of scientific discovery. “A Gaian?”

“Not a Gaian nor an Earthling.” Valla grinned wide, displaying a single row of perfectly blunt teeth. “But, like you, I am a human.”