"Vanas, I need an explanation."
Watching the small battleship that had managed to escape, Accuser Dudek immediately opened a direct communication channel with another Accuser, Vanas.
"There's nothing to explain. You also bear responsibility for failing to destroy that battleship."
As the only non-blue-skinned Kree within the Accuser ranks—her complexion stark white—Vanas had achieved enough merit for the Kree Empire that she could stand her ground against the noble-born Dudek without a hint of subservience.
Golden waves of hair cascaded down her back, and her azure eyes were filled with disdain.
She looked down on Dudek, Robb, and the rest of the Accuser squad. Born into nobility, they had been granted resources beyond an ordinary Kree's reach, yet they were nothing but useless disappointments.
Especially Robb—before they had even arrived, he was already dead.
"And another thing—watch your tone, Dudek. You're speaking to a recipient of the Imperial Medal."
Vanas' smirk deepened, and Dudek's face instantly darkened. His expression turned even stormier when she abruptly ended the transmission.
"General Dudek, please don't be angry. General Vanas is simply too arrogant—"
Slap!
The adjutant, who had stepped forward to smooth things over, hadn't even finished his sentence before Dudek struck him across the face. The crisp sound of the slap left the adjutant frozen in place.
"Vanas is a member of the Supreme Accuser Tribunal. And you—who do you think you are?"
Dudek could hardly believe the audacity of this outsider, a mere foreigner who had pledged allegiance to the Kree Empire, daring to criticize one Accuser in front of another.
Every Kree soldier had this law engraved in their bones—yet somehow, Dudek's usually shrewd adjutant had made such a foolish mistake.
His aristocratic features twisted in frustration as he clasped his hands behind his back and issued an order to retrieve Robb's remains.
As a fellow noble of the Kree Empire, Dudek could not bear the thought of his old friend's corpse becoming mere space debris.
"Dudek, listen—I've already decided on my future grandson's name."
"Your son isn't even born yet, and you're already thinking about your grandson's name?"
"Of course."
"I'm going to name him Ronan. What do you think? Not bad, right?"
The memory of that conversation played in Dudek's mind—an old friend, a battlefield on Xandar, laughter shared in the midst of war. He exhaled a long sigh, his gaze lifting toward the brilliant expanse of the universe.
...
"Target detected near Planet N52, General Vanas."
While Dudek's fleet busied itself retrieving Robb's body, Vanas had not been idle.
"Pull up all available data on Planet N52. Now."
"Yes, General Vanas."
"According to the records..."
...
"According to the records, planet N52 was once a lush and resource-rich world—peaceful, prosperous. But when war broke out between the Kree Empire and the Skrull Empire, everything changed.
"Due to its strategic location, N52 was drawn into the conflict. The war ravaged its lands, shattering its tranquility. Leaderless, the planet quickly became a haven for space raiders, plunging it into utter chaos.
"As hordes of ruthless bandits and fugitives seized control, seven particularly notorious individuals rose to prominence.
"Possessing extraordinary power, these seven established their own factions. Realizing that constant infighting would be counterproductive, they temporarily set aside their differences and formed an alliance—one that managed to stabilize N52's chaotic state, if only slightly.
"They named their coalition the Justice League, believing they had restored a semblance of order to the planet—a righteous act, in their view.
"Later, however, the man codenamed 'Hunter' was defeated by a mechanical lifeform. After vanquishing Hunter, the machine gathered his former subordinates, expelled him from the league, and took control—leading to the current status quo."
"This is the situation on Planet N52, Lord Lothar."
Aboard the small battleship now docked on N52, Lothar gazed out at the desolate ruins of a city. Woz's voice echoed in his ears as he relayed the extracted data.
"Justice League?" Lothar scoffed, crossing his arms as he surveyed the barren wasteland. His sharp eyes locked onto the holographic profiles of the seven so-called leaders, filled with nothing but disdain.
"In truth, they have a more fitting name," Astra remarked, downing a gulp of alcohol. Freed from his restraints, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as he eyed the seven figures projected on the screen.
"The Injustice League."
"That's what we Kree call them behind closed doors."
After all, from both the Kree and Skrull perspectives, these seven were anything but just. Every single one of them had committed untold atrocities, their hands stained with the blood of countless victims.
"Prince Lothar, that city over there is practically in ruins. Will we find the materials we need?"
The Other, staff in hand, had little interest in the politics of 'Justice' or 'Injustice.' His only concern was leaving this wretched place as soon as possible.
He had seen enough lawless planets like this to know they were ticking time bombs. One wrong move and the Kree and Skrull empires might decide to wipe it off the map entirely, erasing it—and anyone on it—from existence.
If you wanted to survive in a universe like this, you needed to find the right backer. And The Other had a plan for his future.
"You needn't worry, Lord The Other," Woz interjected. "I've already scanned the city. It contains ample supplies for repairing the ship—more than enough, in fact."
A holographic map materialized before them, a reassurance for The Other.
"According to Woz's calculations, the Kree fleet will arrive at Planet N52 in ten minutes. Lord Lothar, Woz suggests we conceal the battleship to avoid detection."
"Who leads this place?"
Lothar tapped his index finger against his arm as he asked.
"A woman named Diana," Woz replied. Six of the seven holograms vanished, leaving only the image of the lone female leader reflected in Lothar's eyes.
"Woz, install a self-destruct protocol on the ship and wipe all classified data. Set the activation to manual. Engage stealth mode—but leave just enough of a signature to be noticed."
A dangerous smile crept onto Lothar's lips.
He had a bolder plan.
If he wiped out the Kree forces here, he could safely return Astra to the Black Quadrant.
But before executing that plan…
He needed a new battleship.
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