Page 21 of Interstellar Love Song (Villains in Space #3)

MICAH

We remained in the archives long after the others left, with Ziggy choosing bottles at random to stare into to summon the woo. Unfortunately, hours later, we were still no closer to tracking down our culprit.

It didn’t help that every time he dipped into the collective well, the Planet Eater was lurking, sometimes silently, sometimes not.

I tried to determine if there was a pattern—if their aggression was related to how close we were to identifying them—but then Ziggy pointed out it seemed to be my presence pissing them off the most.

The feeling is mutual, asshole.

Eventually, it was time for Pedro to be put down for the night, and I was the obvious choice for dad duties. Leaving Zig behind to continue his search, I first stopped at the underground bazaar to feed us both before bringing our alien baby back to the Lodger for their bedtime routine.

Which is a mission in itself …

After Pedro finally settled down in their kimono nest—contentedly gnawing on their favorite metallic rattle—I tiptoed to the cockpit for a routine upgrade of the ship’s operating systems.

Because there’s always room for improvement!

My other reason was to keep myself out of Ziggy’s hair. While it had been beyond amazing to join him for a front-row seat to the birth of several galaxies, it was my big mouth that had angered the lurking Planet Eater.

What can I say?

I’m a sassy yapper.

I sent periodic bursts of encouragement as we both worked, but otherwise left my man alone to concentrate, trusting he’d reach out if he needed anything.

He’d better.

I was just finishing up a test module for miniaturizing cargo to save on storage space—since Zig’s weapon collection needed to make way for a baby eventually—when the Lodger’s communicator flashed with an incoming call.

“Hey, Honnor…” I distractedly answered the call before realizing I probably should have let it go to space voicemail.

“Why are you in the Lodger, Micah?” They peered at me through the hologram. “And why is Ziggy not answering his Celestial Cube?"

Eek!

Instead of saying something stupid—like confessing we’d snuck to Apotelesma and angered an ancient celestial entity— I called upon my mad half-truth-telling skills as the child of an extremely volatile parent.

“We decided to take Pedro into orbit as a treat,” I breezily replied. “It was Ziggy’s idea, actually.”

Nothing to see here…

Honnor sighed. “Why do I get the impression our new Interstellar Ambassador does not care for his prestigious title or high-rise accommodations?”

I chose my words carefully. “It’s just… Zig likes to do his own thing, ya know?”

This time, his maker hummed affectionately. “Indeed he does. I was disappointed at first that Ziggy rejected this Head Commander position, but I am proud of the path he has chosen. Between you and me, he is a natural born leader, no matter his role with Astrum Force.”

“Yeah, he still manages to inspire others as a mercenary-turned-Ambassador, despite his best efforts,” I laughed. “But I think he’s starting to realize he does have hero vibes after all.”

Good thing.

Because I was about to spank it into him.

Honnor chuckled with me before holding up a finger.

“That reminds me… Bron mentioned how passionate Ziggy became while arguing that Stellarians deserve to know the truth about stellar collisions. So we had an emergency meeting with the Astrum Force publicity director tonight and will be rolling out an awareness campaign to educate ? —”

ABORT MISSION !

“NO!” I yelped before realizing how suspicious it looked. “I mean… hold that thought. Zig and I decided maybe we should, you know, get married first, before unveiling the truth…”

Dang, my half-truths are rusty as hell.

Astrum Force’s Head Commander stared at me for a long moment while I tried not to visibly sweat.

“Yes, that would be the perfect precursor to such a revelation.” They nodded thoughtfully before holding up their armored hands as if framing a billboard.

“Stellaria’s heroic couple discovers their connection goes deeper after public wedding ? —”

“P-public?!” I stammered, snapping the well-meaning space dad from their publicity planning.

It wasn’t that I had a problem with saying my vows in front of an audience, but Zig would hate every minute of it.

Even though I know he’s so excited to get space married.

“Ah, that does not quite work, does it?” Honnor huffed a laugh. “Not for our antisocial Ambassador.”

I smiled, thankful that Ziggy was finally surrounded by a loving family who understood him—who accepted him for who he was.

“Maybe a small, private ceremony that can be broadcasted to the masses once we’ve disappeared for the honeymoon?” I suggested.

And by honeymoon I mean our next mission:

Making space babies .

“That can easily be arranged.” Honnor nodded decisively. “One of the gem stall vendors—an Idik—said they are certified to perform binding ceremonies in any Stellarian-allied galaxy.”

Intergalactic marriage license, here we come!

“What about Earthling ceremonies, Micah?” they continued. “Does your family have any customs you would like incorporated?”

My soon-to-be space father-in-law sounded so earnest, I didn’t have the heart to tell them most supes only cared about marrying their most powerful counterpart, so they could produce the deadliest murder machine offspring to kill their collective enemies.

“Well…” I wracked my brain for anything to offer. “When my sister Rose got married, she and her husband had everyone write their well wishes on some rocks…”

“Why?” Honnor asked, as confused as Ziggy had been.

I sighed. “It’s just a way to involve the guests. Zig seemed interested if curses on our enemies could be included.”

Honnor nodded sagely. “Yes, that makes more sense.”

“Another thing Rose was big on was using the family’s fancy silver,” I laughed, already knowing this would be a completely foreign concept to a species that used bones as money. “So when they cut the cake, they used an 8th generation cake knife or something.”

Honnor harrumphed. “Why would you use a knife when you have tendrils? Or task the droid with slicing the cake.”

Poor SWOL-E has suffered enough.

I glanced around the cockpit, grinning when my gaze landed on the perfect alternative.

“What about us cutting the cake with a lightsaber?!” I triumphantly brandished my engagement present for Honnor to see.

The space dad squinted. “Where did you acquire that? I have not seen a Photon Lance in many moons.”

What the hell is a Photon Lance?

“I found it in my skinsuit closet,” Ziggy replied, nearly startling me out of my skin as he abruptly appeared beside me. “It must have come with one of my disguises.”

Like a little Ken doll accessory.

Honnor nodded and tapped away on their cube, apparently taking wedding planning notes on official Astrum Force weaponry. “Very good. Bron insisted on handling food, drink, and entertainment, so acquiring a cake of sorts should be simple.”

A cake “of sorts…”

I probably don’t want to know.

My soon-to-be space-dad-in-law continued, “I understand you do not want an extravagant event, Ziggy, so we will keep the ceremony itself as simple and private as possible. While I do need to include my top commanders from Astrum Force—as a professional courtesy—otherwise, I will invite Leeloo and Theo, along with his stellar collisions. After the Idik performs the binding ritual, you may cut the cake with the lightsaber. Then, we celebrate! ”

Ziggy proudly beamed. “I’m glad I found that lightsaber, sunshine—it looks exactly like the one on your Pinterest board.”

I love this big idiot the most.

“It’s perfect, Space Daddy,” I replied, pulling him down for a kiss. “Since you missed out on the wedding planning while you were putting Pedro to bed, how about you get to decide on the honeymoon location?”

It wasn’t like I expected Zig to come up with ideas on the spot, but I also didn’t expect him to instantly blush beneath his murder freckles.

“I… may already have a location in mind,” he mumbled shyly.

Oh?

“And where is that, son?” Honnor gently asked.

“Rildrea,” Zig replied, blushing harder.

“Well…” Honnor sounded like they were trying not to laugh. “Rildrea is a popular mate bonding location.”

Ohhh?

Battle-tested soldier that they were, Honnor knew when to retreat. “I must be getting myself to bed. Perhaps you will consider returning Pedro early in the day tomorrow? I could arrange for a ceremonial dress fitting with one of Astrum Force’s tailors for an evening wedding.”

Okay, then.

Astrum Force kept tailors on the payroll to whip up species-accurate clothing for missions, from loincloths to full-on military garb.

While this offer could be seen as a misuse of taxpayer’s money—if Stellaria even worked that way, which it didn’t—I wasn’t about to turn down a chance to commission some Star Wars inspired drip.

Queen Amidala is about to be dethroned.

“That would be awesome, thank you!” I grinned wide, appreciating how involved the space dads were with planning, even though their culture didn’t have weddings at all.

Maybe lightsaber cake cutting will start trending after this…

As soon as we said our goodbyes, I turned in my captain’s chair to face Zig. “I told Honnor we’d taken Pedro into orbit for funsies, and I scrambled the Lodger’s tracking before we left.”

Ziggy slumped into his chair with a tired sigh. “Thank you, sunshine. I don’t believe Honnor would be angry if they knew we’d come here, just… disappointed.”

Oh, Zig.

“Disappointed in not being invited along for the ride!” I cackled before grabbing his hand. “Remember, the space dads were part of this rebellion for hundreds of years before taking their corporate jobs—and it’s pretty obvious Honnor only became Head Commander to let you off the hook.”

Ziggy grimaced. “Do you think they hate the position?”

I canted my head from side to side. “I mean… Any promotion comes with extra responsibilities and stress. Look at my brother becoming clan leader! He was born for the role, yeah, but I’m sure there are days he wishes he could just play Deathball again without a care in the world.

Not an exact comparison, but you feel me? ”

Ziggy nodded, although he still looked unsure. “Bron once told me Honnor felt taking the position was the least they could do after abandoning me. I assume it’s also why they were fine with becoming Pedro’s full-time guardians.”

“Pshhh…” I waved a hand. “You don’t think those two are in their element with Pedro?

Not only do they now have their very own furry ball of chaos, but it’s grandparent rules that the grandkids get treated better than the kids were.

Even my parents were slightly nicer to my nieces and nephews.

” I paused to think about one niece in particular.

“Unless you were a powerless half-supe—then you were chopped liver.”

Kind of like being a supe with powers no one thought mattered…

Holy fucking airball!

My stellar collision stared down at our hands. “I met with my fellow bonded Stellarians to discuss next steps before star hopping here. I also specifically asked if they disapproved of Honnor heading Astrum Force.”

I was sat for this tea. “What did they say?”

Ziggy snorted, immediately clocking my thirst. “They acknowledged Honnor as being a solid choice based on their history and experience—and their connection to me.” He turned grim.

“Honnor has never completed a stellar collision bond, and my bond is… unconventional. Therefore, neither of us are considered a threat.”

A threat to whom?

Oh .

“Well, that explains why Ondor and Valla didn’t step up as Head Commander,” I muttered. “They were probably warned against it by the Planet Eater.”

Ziggy nodded solemnly. “I would imagine so. Every bonded Stellarian on this base has received multiple warnings through the collective well to not step out of line… or else.”

Or else what?

I released Ziggy’s hand and stood before pacing the cockpit. Something wasn’t adding up here, which was the usual for our missions—but it was especially annoying this time.

“What I don’t understand is why the Planet Eater doesn’t just swallow down Apotelesma,” I muttered. “It would get rid of the bonded stellar collisions and Stellaria’s history in one hit. Hell, they could swallow Stellaria and no longer need to worry about the truth coming to light at all?—”

I froze as Ziggy hissed in a breath, immediately realizing my mistake.

“Fuck, I’m sorry Zig.” I hustled over and straddled his lap, cuddling close. “I was mostly thinking out loud, but that was an incredibly insensitive thing to say after the warning you got in your vision.”

“It wasn’t a warning,” he murmured and I raised my head to look at him. “What Ondor and the others received were clear warnings, and you were directly threatened after saying you wanted to tell others what we’d discovered…”

Meh.

I can take ‘em .

“However,” Ziggy continued. “Even in my vision—where I lost everyone and everything I cared about— I was spared.” My man met my gaze. “Why do you think that is?”

A stray yet incredibly exciting thought occurred to me. “Maybe for the same reason you were allowed to live by that first Planet Eater you encountered.”

His brow furrowed. “But I have no idea why or how I passed their test…”

I shrugged, undeterred. “If we could find them, we could ask them.”

My stellar collision froze. “You… want to seek out a Planet Eater?”

I grinned. “Not just any Planet Eater. That one.”

Ziggy sighed heavily and dropped his head against my chest. “What am I going to do with you, Micah?”

“Be the best Space Daddy to my babygirl until the end?” I sweetly kissed the top of his cute little head. “Stop pretending to be mad. We just identified our next mission!”

My man’s head snapped up, almost taking me out. “After getting space married, right?”

I nodded, smiling like a fool. “Yeah. Let’s go get space married first.”