MICAH - TWO WEEKS LATER
A smile that could’ve spanned all three of Stellaria’s moons stretched across my face as we watched Ziggy tear around the dune racing track on the vehicleIhad built for him.
With my very impressive powers, of course.
I’d started with a classic tube-frame dune buggy design, then added a sheet metal body to mimic my man’s armor—more for the aesthetics than him actually needing any protection. A pair of modded Torrid Blasters served as the dual exhaust-style propulsion system, with a bucket full of loose Iota Bombs placed on the roof, specifically to distract the competition.
Hey, we play to win around here!
Pedro squealed in excitement when their favorite space dad took the turn closest to us, spraying cinnamon-colored dirt into the air before rocketing away.
“Sorry I’m late!”Honnor abruptly materialized next to Bron.“Krunk wanted to discuss our talking points again before tomorrow’s press conference.”
“I’m still amazed these prideful lizards are willing to admit they were wrong on the intergalactic newsfeed…”Bron mused with clear amusement in their disembodied voice.
I couldn’t help rolling my eyes as I handed a squirming Trol off to their favorite space grandpa. “Aren’t the Stellarians owning up to their past mistakes too? Isn’t the entire point of this broadcast to show two former enemies admitting they were wrong abouteach other?”
Bron snickered, although their starry gaze was on Honnor tossing a joyful Pedro into the air. “Of course. But we True Stellarians already knew Astrum Force’s narrative was deceptive, so it was less of a shock to our systems.”
Fair.
The piece of starry core lodged inside me pulsed encouragingly as Ziggy sent comfort while aggressively leaving his fellow racers in the dust. My man knew not being a ‘real’ Stellarian was a sore subject, so he liked to remind me how connected we were—how, despite our biological differences, I was still his fated mate-slash-one true love.
He even uses his words sometimes!
I knew my genetic makeup was a silly thing to be upset about. It was luck of the draw—no different than being born either a supe or a normie back on Earth, or which superpowers you manifested.
Versus which ones you acquire from your mate.
Unlike with the Earthsideinventusbond between supes, Ziggy couldn’t wield my powers as if they were his own. The only reason I was able to mimic his powers, like star hopping, was because ofhimexisting inside me.
Being stellar collisions was still a fun connection to experiment with. We’d recently discovered I could produce tendrils—realtendrils, as opposed to my mechanical ones—but, again, it was actually Ziggy doing the heavy lifting.
Even if I’m the one behind the wheel.
There was another Stellarian trick I’d been practicing on the sly, but I was waiting until we handed off Pedro for their sleepover at Honnor and Bron’s tonight to try it out with Ziggy.
Breathe, Micah…
I was so nervous about my date night plan, I refocused on the conversation just to distract myself.
“So…” I awkwardly cleared my throat. “What talking points did you decide on for the Big Karnilian Debunking Campaign?”
Honnor chuckled before covering Pedro’s ears, just like I’d taught them. “That we unanimously agree the Hydrassians are full of shit.”
Amen to that!
We knew it would be a hard sell to convince countless planets this trusted source had been playing them all along, but we were confident it would resonate.
For lack of a better word.
The Stellarian-Lacertusrivalry being so well known added an almost indisputable weight to the announcement, because no one would expect these notorious hotheads to agree onanything.
It’s a new era for both planets.
As promised, Ziggy had helped facilitate truce talks between Honnor and Krunk soon after we returned to Stellaria, and it was during this initial meeting that the two leaders decided to publicly throw the Hydrassians under the bus.
It’s the least they deserve.
