Page 28 of Interstellar Love Song (Villains in Space #3)

MICAH

Besides the undeniably heavy presence, it was the absence of light more than anything—the awareness of what I couldn’t see—that told me something had crept up on me.

Attempted to creep, that is.

Gotcha, asshole.

I could admit, the main reason I’d insisted Ziggy stay behind on the Lodger was because my protective instincts had been at level eleven since we left Rildrea.

However, I would have been lying if I said I hadn’t also wondered if our big bad Planet Eater might come out of hiding if they thought they could catch me alone.

Catch these hands, more like it.

While waiting for my trap to spring, I’d focused on collecting surface samples, which is when I spotted Tarkare’s singular moon still drifting through space, as if trying to maintain its orbit even after losing its gravitational anchor.

An object in motion stays in motion .

Unless acted upon by an unbalanced force…

The moon should have taken off into space after Tarkare was destroyed, yet here it remained. Weirder still, its wonky trajectory seemed to not only be spiral-shaped but increasing in speed, which also did not follow Sir Isaac Newton’s first law of inertia, thank you very much.

I was working on a hypothesis when a subtle tug on my shields had me refocusing on my surroundings.

There you are.

Once I confirmed I was being slowly pulled away from the Lodger, I glanced over my shoulder to see if anyone else had noticed. All I found were the remaining Star Unit soldiers deeply invested in whatever message had just come through on their glowing cubes.

Juicy Stellarian gossip is more important than guarding me, apparently.

Not that I need their help.

I’m goddamn Exo-Tech!

The moon caught my attention again as it began to elongate, stretching toward a point directly in front of me that I couldn’t see with the naked eye.

Which doesn’t mean it’s not there.

Tarkare’s spiraling, spaghettified moon had just given the game away. The Planet Eater hadn't star hopped away when confronted by Astrum Force earlier—it had simply faded from sight.

So where did the 172 Star Unit soldiers go ?

I’d already suspected this creature was essentially a sentient black hole, but now it had all but confirmed its ability to create a vortex.

I wonder what’s on the other side ? —

“MICAH! GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE!”

I grimaced as Zig shouted at me through our stellar collision connection, realizing I probably should have shared my admittedly loose and extremely risky plan with him before leaving him on the ship.

He never would have let me go if I had, though.

“I’ve got this, Space Daddy. Please stay there where it’s safe.”

It was tempting to create a temporary shield around the Lodger so my stellar collision wouldn’t try to join me out here, but after the vision Zig had experienced, I knew I couldn’t deja vu his trauma like that.

“Please, sunshine. I can’t lose ? —”

*YOU WERE WARNED ABOUT ENCOURAGING COALESCENCE AMONG MY OFFSPRING, GAIAN*

Oh, calm your tits.

I had no clue what the oversized drama queen was ranting about, but this was my chance to get some intel straight from the source.

And maybe make ‘em mad while I’m at it .

For science!

“Why are you so opposed to stellar collisions?”

“MICAH!”

Better be quick.

“Is it because your offspring might become more powerful than you?”

The Planet Eater laughed, meaning I’d guessed wrong, but that was fine. A good scientist learned through trial and error, and my display of inferiority had just set the stage for a good villain monologue.

*FOOL!*

Here it comes.

*I WANT MY STRONGEST OFFSPRING AS POWERFUL AS POSSIBLE*

*THAT IS WHY I REMOVE THE WEAK AND UNWORTHY CAELESTIS FROM YOUR WORLD*

Shit.

It had not occurred to me to cross-reference the Caelestis family tree with the planets that had been destroyed—or the ones on the watch list.

But why take out the weakest of your own kind ?

“Micah, if you don’t get out of there, I’m coming to get you.”

“Just another minute, Zig…”

I was so close to a breakthrough I could taste it, but if Ziggy put himself in danger, I might try to kill this Planet Eater myself.

And I’m not sure I can…

All at once, I realized the tug I’d felt earlier was most likely just their species-specific gravitational pull—that I would have known it if this traveling black hole had consciously tried to suck me.

So why haven’t they tried to?

Well… Dr. Micah says communication is key!

“So I guess I’m just too powerful for you to mess with, hmm?”

“Or are you worried I’ll leave a bad taste in your mouth.”

The Planet Eater silently loomed as I covertly checked the tether I’d created to anchor myself to the ship. Then I felt its heavy attention shift—like a change in the air pressure from beyond my shields.

Oh, no…

*YOU HAVE CAUSED ENOUGH TROUBLE HERE, GAIAN, BUT YOUR COUNTERPART IS NOT NEARLY AS POWERFUL AS YOU ARE*

Counterpart?

*PERHAPS I WILL SIMPLY SWAP OUT YOUR BONDED STELLARIAN FOR THE OTHER ONE…*

What other one ? —?

It all happened so fast. First, the spaghettified moon snapped back to a sphere like a rubber band, then Ziggy appeared beside me.

Nononono…

“I won’t let you die without me!”

Before I could mind-shout that nobody said anything about dying, an armored body came hurtling out of the Planet Eater’s depths.

Aimed right at me.

My shield softened the impact, but we—me and this random Star Unit soldier—were flung so far back, we nearly bounced off the Lodger.

ZIG!!!

My stellar collision was now hovering alone in front of the massive Planet Eater, and I had never been more terrified in my entire life.

We need to get the fuck out of here.

“Micah! I can’t… I can’t star hop!”

“I’ve got you, Space Daddy. ”

Before the black hole baddie could disappear with my man, I covered Zig with a shield and tethered him to mine. Then I did the same to the Star Unit soldiers—including our new addition— and the Lodger with Honnor inside, and star hopped everyone and everything the fuck out of there.

Smell ya later, suckah!

I face-planted in a pile of snow hard enough that the wind was knocked out of me, but I assumed my armor-covered crew would come out unscathed.

Please don’t let me have wrecked the ship though…

Cracking open an eye, I recognized the endless white landscape of Ekistron’s surface, realizing I’d picked the first place that came to mind when I thought of home.

Gingerly sitting up, I breathed a sigh of relief to find the Lodger—and my lightsaber—still intact, but froze when I noticed an incredibly angry Ziggy marching toward me.

Hubs is so mad, he forgot he could star hop.

Wait a min.

I’M MAD TOO!

Awkwardly scrambling to my feet, I began stomping through the snow to meet him, already saying my piece to get the first word in.

What?

I’m one of eight siblings!

“I told you to stay on the goddamn ship, Zig! You would have been sucked into that planet-eating black hole if I hadn’t tethered you in time. ”

Everyone froze.

“B-black hole?” our rescued Stellarian gasped before slumping into the arms of their fellow soldiers.

I need to talk to that one when I get the chance ? —

“What about you, Micah?!” Ziggy shouted, and I could immediately tell he was more freaked out than angry. “How do you think I felt, watching my vision of you getting sucked into a black hole come to life before my eyes?”

Ah, fuck.

When I’d snuck into his vision using Sedo’s staff, I’d only seen it from my point of view, witnessing the panic firsthand on Stellaria as I struggled to maintain the shield separating us from looming death.

Ziggy had been forced to watch from the ship, however—trapped by a shield I’d created—witnessing my strength give out, knowing I was about to be pulled past the point of no return.

Although… Apparently, it’s a revolving door…

Focus, Micah.

I shut down all distractions, because I’d hurt the man I loved and I needed to make things right, stat.

“I’m so sorry, Zig,” I pulled him in for a squeezer hug. “I was so focused on luring the Planet Eater to me so I could antagonize a confession out of?—”

Ziggy jerked out of my arms. “You planned to confront them—to put yourself in danger like that? What happened to us being a team? I would have gladly faced them by your side. ”

My gaze dropped to his abdomen and I wondered if this was the time to share the news with my man.

Who’s gonna tell him?

Fate intervened when Ziggy fainted, but luckily, I caught him in my tendrils before he could hit the snowy ground. Even better was that Leeloo chose that moment to appear and go into full auntie mode.

“Zig-ee! You should not be overextending yourself in your condition.”

“I’m not ill, Leeloo!” he growled, trying—and failing—to wiggle out of my iron-clad grasp. “I’m a Stellarian!”

“A Stellarian who has been impregnated by an Eki,” Auntie mic-dropped and everyone turned to stare.

Surprise!

It’s a… nonbinary galaxy?

“Excuse me? What…” Ziggy sputtered. “What makes you think I’m pregnant?”

Because I was about to fight a black hole for you, dude.

“Can you not hear their resonance?” Leeloo asked, their tone softening.

Ziggy froze before looking down at his belly. “No, I-I can’t…”

“Allow me, my child.” Honnor gently said, moving closer and positioning their body to shield Ziggy from the rubbernecking soldiers. “I know today has been stressful, so perhaps that is affecting your abilities.”

“That must be it.” My stellar collision nodded, peeking up at their maker. “Can you hear anything?”

We all held our breath as Honnor began to softly resonate, causing the piece of Zig’s core lodged inside me to vibrate in response.

My man’s face was pure constipated concentration, and it took me a minute to realize he was holding back his own resonance to better hear the smaller one inside him.

C’mon little nova…

I was just making a mental note to ask Leeloo what baby Eki were called when the sweetest tone I’d ever heard answered Honnor with a harmony of their own.

Eeeeee!!!

“There you are,” Ziggy whispered, grinning wide. “Micah, can you hear it?”

“I can, Space Daddy,” I replied, using every bad bitch aura point I’d ever farmed to not cry in front of everyone. “I would recognize what’s ours anywhere.”

Zig’s euphoric expression turned half-horrified as he turned to Leeloo. “W-what am I supposed to do with another creature living inside me?”

Oh, the irony…

The Eki laughed. “That is why you are here, Zig-ee. Your mate suspected you might need my guidance, so we have already prepared for your arrival.”

My man glanced at me. “Well, now I understand why you were so adamant about me staying on the ship… ”

“E-excuse me!” One of the Stellarian soldiers called out, raising their armored hand. “Are we all to become pregnant when we find our stellar collisions?”

Huh?

“Only if you get creative…” I muttered before squinting at Honnor accusingly and lowering my voice. “How do they know about stellar collisions?”

I could feel our Head Commander grimace, but the sharp-eared soldier piped in again. “We just learned of stellar collisions in an all-points bulletin sent to our Celestial Cubes by Astrum Force Command. And… congratulations on your wed-ding.”

They sounded so adorably earnest, I couldn’t stay mad—plus, it filled in the gaps of missing intel.

I sighed. “Well, now I know why the Planet Eater showed up, ranting at me about removing the weak from our world before threatening to swallow Ziggy.”

Leeloo turned to face me, horror movie slow. “You faced a Planet Eater, My-kuh… and survived?”

Honnor scoffed and crossed their arms before beaming at me proudly. “Micah freed Ziggy from their gravitational pull and star hopped all of us—including the ship—all the way from the Salus-Fides galaxy.”

My mentor gave me an appraising once-over from within their sparkly hood. “I see. It sounds like we have much to discuss. I will get Zig-ee set up in the infirmary and meet the rest of you in my office. The hatch is open for you to fly the ship into the city.”

Aye-aye, Sensei!

Leeloo star hopped away with both my babies—to the sound of Ziggy insisting he was “not infirm.” Honnor and I quickly herded everyone else inside the Lodger, which luckily seemed no worse for wear.

As I landed the ship on our usual lava-ringed helipad, one of the soldiers murmured to the others, “I hope to find my stellar collision one day. It seems… nice.”

My heart!

Suddenly, I no longer cared that Honnor had spilled the tea. Stellarians deserved to know what their true purpose was—to seek the other half that would make them whole.

And if the Planet Eater has a problem with that, they can go eat a Galactus-sized dick.