章節 81: Chapter 81
When I woke up, all I heard was the sound of the heart rate monitor gently beeping away. I opened my eyes and looked around, I was in my lab, in the vibranium healing chamber. I could feel the healing radiation increase my body's regenerative properties. It felt...good, not pain, no the opposite of pain. Like the thing that was broken inside of me was slowly being fixed.
I looked down, but in moving I felt my spine ache in pain. My lower spine felt like it was split in half...I guess it kind of was.
"Sexy," I spoke out, my voice hoarse as I felt my jaw pain from just moving.
"I'm here Peter, how are you feeling?" the AI asked.
"Better now that I'm starting to move again," I replied, coughing between every other word, "what's the damage?"
"Your entire abdomen has been destroyed, several ribs broken or bruised, your spinal cord has been shattered and snapped in three seperate locations and your lungs have been bruised badly."
"Fuck...how long until I recover?" I asked.
"You have been in this vibranium healing chamber for over 2 hours, so far the minor injuries have recovered, your spine has been aligned properly but will take time to heal. Your ribs are coming along well but the muscles in your solar plex are...well, they are torn to shreds."
"ETA to a full recovery?"
"Ten hours."
I cursed, "fuck me...anything we can do to speed things up?"
"I'm sorry, but no. As of right now your body is in a very delicate stage...but for some reason my calculations of your recovery time is being proven false several times over."
I blinked, "explain."
"When you were first brought it I estimate it would take over twenty four hours before you would wake up. Since then that time has been reduced by half over and over again. I cannot discern why as I've already accounted every single ability you currently possess in your DNA make up."
"I see...what about Thor's blood?" I asked, "Asgaurdians do have this regenerative property."
"...I was not made aware of this. Is this the case?"
I nodded, "from what I can tell, yes. Odin often goes on long periods of rest to recover energy he used up. Thor often times came back from the brink of death just because he activated his powers via Mjǫllnir or...other weapons. I suspect it's their blood doing this to me."
"I will put this into account sir….ETA on full recovery is now estimated at around six hours."
"Great...where are we now?"
"The Liberty is currently on route to the Marvel System. We are taking several different paths to avoid being followed by the Shi'ar Empire. It will take us four hours to reach the system."
"Good...don't tell anyone I'm awake just yet Sexy," I sighed, closing my eyes.
"Why sir?"
"Because I need some time...alone...to think,"
I closed my eyes, my head hitting my pillow. Defeat, that felt...well, not new, it's certainly an old feeling, just not a welcome one. Ever since I decided to stop holding back myself when it comes to acquiring more power I didn't think I would ever lose a fight.
I know I'm not someone who can deadlift planets or beat down Galactus single handedly, but I thought ...well, the galaxy certainly is bigger than what I know. Gladiator...damn that thing. Forcing me to use my last ace in the hole, I wanted it to be a surprise, something not even the Phoenix would know about but now an enemy system that is actively hunting Jean knows I have such a skill.
Damn it all, in saving myself I put Jean in even more danger. I can't just sit here, I need to work, I need to do something.
I opened my eyes again, "Sexy, which planet will be arriving on?"
"Arachno, the planet third from Star Lee, it is twice the size of Earth."
I sighed, nodding, "okay, that's fine...and you're sure we aren't being followed?"
"No Peter, we aren't. I made sure I purged myself from their systems before destroying their inbuilt system. There is no possible way for them to track us."
I sighed in relief, thank Stan Lee for small miracles. I tried rolling my neck again only for pain to run up my spine, I would need more time to recover.
The door went wide open as suddenly Scott and Wanda came rushing in, "Peter!" Wanda cried as she rushed out my side looking me over, "how are you feeling? Are you running a fever? Sexy, what's his blood pressure?"
"He doesn't have a fever and his blood pressure is completely normal."
"How are you feeling?" Scott asked just as quickly.
I grunted, "a little numb, but I'm healing."
"You stupid bastard!" Wanda hissed as she leaned over, tears running down her side, "I thought you were dead Peter!"
"Can't get rid of me that easily Wanda," I smirked, flinching as a rush of pain struck my back, "how did you know I was up?"
"I felt you," she whispered, placing a hand on my chest, it felt warm and caring, I smelt the auroma around her, grief and relief mixed as one, "I thought we lost you...T-Tandy did what she could to keep you from flatlining."
"How long before you're fully healed?" Scott asked.
"Around six hours Mr. Summers."
"We'll reach Arachno is four," Scott clicked his teeth, "damn it."
"What's wrong?" I asked, trying and failing to pull myself up.
"Stay down, don't even think about moving!" Wanda cried, summoning a metal beam from my bed side and bent it around my body, pinning me down, "or I swear to God Peter I will make this painful."
"Promises," I chuckled, flinching again in pain. I turned to Scott, "what happened after I passed out? Sexy said we made a clean getaway."
"We did, from what we could tell we left with around 17 ships from Sintheos, all heading to Arachno, it's just we have no idea what to do after we arrive."
I groaned, I didn't realise how much they relied on me. This was not good, if something did happen to me then someone would have to step up...and if I'm being honest, Scott and Carol were tied for that role, Scott beating her out due to how familiar the rest of the crew was with him over her.
"Scott," I called out to him, he turned around, "I'm in no position to issue orders... until I get back on my feet your in charge."
Scott looked visibly shocked, "I-I am?"
"Yes, you are. You're a capable leader and have a good head on your shoulders. So, you tell me. What do you think we should do?"
Scott looked at me for a while before speaking, "we need to establish a base of operations, find a place on the planet with fresh water and a defensible position. We need a place with food as well so we can have the ship scan for life forms on the ground we can hunt. Food and shelter are important, with the ships taking care of shelter that only leaves food."
I nodded, "yes, also have Sue scan the food we gather, fruit or meat, we can't afford anyone to get sick right now."
"Yeah...forgot about that...get better soon Pete," he said, quickly walking off, the door sliding shut behind him.
I turned to Wanda and sighed, "okay, let me have it."
Wanda turned to me, "how did you lose? Who-what were those guys?"
"Omega level mutants," I replied, "I think...Gladiator has enough strength to blast through a planet, I wasn't fast enough to avoid him and my body isn't like Thor's...at least not yet. He...he got the drop on me. I can't always be ahead of my enemy."
"And the other one...Vulcan…. Scott's brother?"
My eyes went wide as I turned to her, "how did you know that?"
Wanda's eyes narrowed, "I felt your mind as you were slipping away. I wanted to make sure you weren't going to die from a blood hemorrhage or...Peter, how did you know?"
I took a deep breath, my body contracting in pain as I felt a rib snap into place. I grumbled, "I...I saw it...in one of the other worlds out there, possible worlds with different but similar people, one world Scott had three brothers, Alex and Gabrielle. Alex is dead, I think, honestly at this point I wouldn't be surprised if he was alive, and Gabrielle is Vulcan...I honestly thought he was dead too but now..."
"Fuck," Wanda whispered, biting her thumb, "are you going to tell him?"
"Do you think I shouldn't?" I asked.
"I think if you do you'll risk destroying what little mental stability he has left," Wanda hissed.
"And if I don't his faith and trust in us will shatter beyond redemption...his father left him, his whole life was a lie Wanda...I don't think...I don't think lying to him is what he needs right now."
"And you know what everyone needs don't you Spider?" she spat.
"He needs us...his friends and loved ones, he needs us to help him get through this...I'm not saying Vulcan or however that person was is redeemable, I'm not even saying he's like Darth Vader, with even a shred of light inside him, but I am saying it's the right thing to do...and you know it."
Wanda turned away, she muttered words in a language I didn't recognize, probably her native tongue, and then turned to me, "fine...but we don't tell Corsair."
"You don't trust the man?"
"I think he's a father desperate to get his family back and in doing so will have problem betraying us to the enemy if it meant he and his would be safe. He is a pirate after all."
"Yes, he is...maybe you're right. We'll tell Scott and advise him to keep it to himself but if he wants to tell Corsair we can't stop him."
Wanda crossed her arms, clearly annoyed, "fine...six hours in your bed...must be killing you being unable to move about."
"Clearly you enjoy seeing my squirm," I chuckled, wincing in pain.
"Yes...I thought you had the powers of a Thunder God, how did he manage to do this to you?" Wanda asked as she reached out, her fingers touching my slowly forming abdomen.
"Gladiator is...strong...and my body hasn't adapted to Thor's powers yet...hell he himself has not adapted to his powers."
"What do you mean?" Wanda asked, curious.
"Thor's hammer, it isn't the source of his power but a conduit," I explained, "he doesn't know it yet, but the power? That thunder and power he gives off? That's all him, the hammer is just a conduit, only he doesn't realise it just yet."
"I see...then maybe you need to do the same?" Wanda said, looking down at my body, "then next time you won't end up looking like a sac of flesh on two legs."
I turned to her and opened my mouth to argue, only I found myself unable to speak against her idea. I snapped my mouth shut and began to think, "a conduit...I see...if Thor loses his hammer and his powers he becomes human...it will have to be a real conduit, unlike the mental one I use to activate my powers..."
"What?"
"But the conduit will need to be incredibly powerful, not much can handle the power of a god…."
"Maybe you could use that sword of yours," Wanda cut into my train of thoughts. She raised an eyebrow, the question didn't need to be said.
I sighed, "I was going to tell you all...but it was meant to be my Ace in the hole against the Phoenix Force. I had no choice..."
"I see..." the glare didn't go, "and no one else knows?"
"No...no one...did anyone see?"
"Other than the guy you stabbed? No, no one saw it other than me."
"I see...Wanda could you not tell the others?" she raised a very dangerous eyebrow, I quickly explained, "I don't want people finding out about this. I need every advantage against the Phoenix and surprise is one of them."
Wanda glared for a few seconds before sighing, "I understand Peter...I would have done the same...I'll get you something to eat."
"I don't think my stomach is fully up to solid food just yet," I chuckled, flinching again in pain.
Wanda smiled, "juice cleanse it is."
BANG!
The door was thrown open as Tandy rushed in, "Peter Parker! Why are you talking about?!" I gulped, say what you will, but seeing a healer pissed off was never a good thing, you never piss off your white mage.
Four hours later:
"We've reached?" I asked as Wanda wheeled into the lab with a makeshift hover chair that I had helped her make.
"Yes, Scott and the others are already outside helping organise everyone," Wanda replied as she lifted me into the air gently and placed me onto the hoverchair. I winced as my body weight settled down, Wanda looked concerned, "are you sure you're up for this?"
I nodded, "everything's back, they just need some time to strengthen," I sighed, "thanks for helping me, I hate feeling so.."
"Disabled?"
"Not the word I would use, but yeah," I smiled, reached out and squeezing her hand in mine, "now, let's see what Arachno looks like shall we?"
Wanda shook her head, "your naming sense still sucks."
I used the remote on the hoverchair and glided to the elevator. Stepping out Wanda and I quickly moved to the exit hatch. I looked outside and gasped in awe.
The planet was something that resembled the lavender fields of France. Large expansions of land covered with beautiful flowers and other small hills all over the place. There was a forest far away with several mountains situated on the horizon and slowly coming over them was a star, star Lee, bathing the land in the light of a fresh day.
It was...amazing. A planet that I owned, me...woah I think this feeling I have is what people call greed. Damn this was worth a hundred million units.
Wanda and I came down the ship's ramp and looked around. Scott had done an amazing job so far, he had all the 17 that has escaped Synths parked around what looked like a pond that was at least half the size of Lake Michigan.
Already tubes were being connected form the pond to each individual ship for storing water, plus the onboard water filter would make sure it was safe to drink.
From what I could see a platform of sorts was placed on before the lake and Scott and the others were on it, surrounding them were the prisoners we had released from the Shi'ar empire. Nearly two hundred per ship, bringing the fleet up to a thousand four hundred prisoners now gathered on the planet's surface.
"Can I have everyone's attention please?" Scott cried out. The crowd were slow to do so, chatting amongst themselves. Scott was patient for a second before it became too much for him. I activate this visor and fired a blast into the air, "pay attention!"
That brought everyone to halt, all eyes were on him, and to Scott's credit he didn't flinch away. He stood tall and spoke in a clear voice, "we are the Avengers. This planet is our base and for the time being we all need to hide here until the Shi'ar Empire stops trying to find us. We have plenty of water and shelter. Does anyone have any experience hunting wild game or gathering?"
The people looked at each other before a majority of them raised their hands. Scott nodded, "good, then we aren't lost yet. In the woods over there," he pointed to a densely packed forest to the north of the lake, "is plenty of game and fruits, the scanners on our ships say enough for us all. We need to split into groups and gather as much as we can before nightfall, which on this planet will be in twenty eight hours. Bring the food back here and we'll test it for edibility. Don't eat anything until we are sure it's safe. Are there any questions?"
A few seemed to have, the issue of a lack of weapons to hunt with was brought up. Scott recommended using the guns onboard the ships, they were originally meant for the Shi'ar security guards to hunt different kinds of prey.
Within the hour the people were split into groups and were out into the woods hunting for food. While they did that my crew and Corsair gathered before the Liberty, Felicia was by my side the moment she could be.
She looked worried, the first thing she said was, "how?"
"I was careless and cocky," I replied, "I didn't prepare myself for a bigger fish who was faster than me...pride I suppose...anyway, other than that incident how did everyone else fair?"
Each of them reported nothing extraordinary, except for running Vulcan and Gladiator, who left as soon as they realised Corsair wasn't with their group.
"It was a trap," Quill said bluntly, turning to Corsair, "they intended to catch you."
"They must finally be treating me like a threat," Corsair snorted, "didn't bother before...guess Vulcan just grew tired of waiting… which means if we're here you all are in danger."
Scott looked at his father with a stare that could have frozen hell, "so you're leaving?"
"Scott I...I have to. Gladiator and Vulcan are the Shi'ar best and strongest, us staying here will just put you, your friends and everyone else at risk. But if we draw them away, maybe throw a couple of parties down at Knowhere, then they might focus on us instead of hunting for you."
"And I tried to kill the Prince of the Empire, I'm pretty sure we're on their shit list too," I replied promptly.
"But you're still an unknown to them, they won't move against you until they know everything about you," Corsair argued, "and even then, if you stay out of their way…..look, I wish there was another way but there isn't...but this doesn't have to be the end Scott...come with us."
Scott flinched, "what?"
"Come with us," Corsair repeated, "come with us, as a Starjammer," he grinned, "there is so much I have to say, so much we have to do to catch up I...I don't want to waste this second chance..."
We all turned to Scott, waiting for his reply. Rogue walked up and placed her hand on his shoulder, giving him a gentle squeeze. He looked at Corsair, "thank you...but no. This is where I belong, if you have to go, go. I understand, you're doing the right thing."
"Scott I-"
"-save it," Scott snapped, "just make sure you come back soon...I...I wouldn't mind trying to get to know you as well...Corsair."
The pirate grinned, "still not up to dad huh?"
"No," Scott replied, though a small smile did form on his face.
Corsair then turned to me and the others, "I have to say, what you people suggested was insane, I didn't think it was possible but you proved me wrong. Over a thousand freed prisoners, I don't think D'Ken will ever recover from this insult any time soon...that being said you all really should do something about your name?"
We chuckled, a ripple of laughter rushed through us. Rocket grumbled, "we should just call ourselves The Avengers and get it over with."
"Oh shucks guys, that's sweet," Carol chukled, flicking her hair back, puffing out her chest.
We all turned to her, confused. "What do you mean?" Felicia asked.
Carol looked confused, "you know...Avenger? That's my name."
"Excuse me?" I blinked, I think Gladiator bruised my mind as well because I thought I was hearing things.
"Back on Earth that was my nickname, Carol 'Avenger' Danvers," Carol explained, shurgging.
"...That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard," Johnny broke the silence.
"You're telling me, Fury named the Avengers Initiative after you?" I looked at her, my eyes wide in confusion. Was this Marvel canon in the Cinematic Universe? What the hell happened to the MCU after I left?!
Carol shrugged, "I mean, I guess it is odd."
"...Johnny's right, that is the stupidest thing I have ever heard," Jessica snorted.
"Hey! Watch it Spider-Chick, or I'll toss you into space!"
"What exactly were you avenging anyway?" Logan asked, "they don't just give out tags like that."
"Well, I kind of...my brother," Carol rubbed her neck, "he died on a mission...I joined the airforce to live up to his name...to honour him."
"...Then you aren't avenging shit, you're a legacy, they should call you Legacy!" Johnny cried out, throwing his hands up in annoyance.
"I swear to God, one of these days you are going to tell us what exactly happened between you and Fury on Earth," I sighed, rubbing my forehead, "but...I suppose Avengers is just a nice name as any. So yeah, until further notice, or unless Carol decides to sue us for using her totally deserving name-"
"-Hey!"
"We're the Avengers," I smiled at Corsair, "Galactic division. We help anyone who asks and won't ever stop fighting for what's right."
Corsair nodded, "well then god-speed Avengers, until we meet again," he extended his hand and we shook, a gesture he shared with Logan and a few others he grew to respect.
"It was nice fighting with you Kitty cat," Hepzibah told Felicia as she flicked her tail back and forth, "though I suggest you stop being a soft, it could get you and those you love for hurt," she ended, looking at me.
"Thanks for the advice, now go cough up a hairball," Felicia rolled her eyes, though you could tell it was more in jest than in anger. Hepzibah seemed to understand as she chuckled, waving goodbye.
"I still think they should be called the Justice League," Ch'od said as he and the other Starjammers walked to their ships.
"Ch'od!" Corsair hissed.
"What?! He said it himself, they fight for what's right! Justice! Justice League! Is this just me? Does no one else see this? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!"
Wanda turned to me and connected telepathically, "you aren't going to tell them?"
"About Gabrille?" I asked, she nodded, "no...not right now. Scott's emotions are all over the place. Give it a few hours and once he's stable enough emotionally I'll tell him."
"You realise when you do he's going to blast you in the face for keeping it from him for so long right?"
"I know, but right now...I'm sure losing a father is hard enough. Knowing your own brother is out ot get you would be...hard for anyone.'
Corsair laughed as we watched them boarding their ship and taking off, exiting the atmosphere in seconds, leaving us alone.
"What do we do about those guys?" Felicia asked first, "this was always meant to be a one stop before out next move. So, what's next move?"
I shrugged, "it depends on them honestly if they want to stay or leave. And if they do stay," I groaned, reaching up and scratching the stubble growing across my face, "well, we could set up a base of operations on this planet, but it's going to need a lot of resources, resources we don't have...or maybe…."
"I know that tone," Logan grumbled, "you're about to say somthing stupid."
"We could build a city here."
"Yup, knew it."
"But would they even want to stay?" Wanda suddenly asked. We turned to her and she continued, "we can't make them stay, obviously. Some if not all would want to go back home."
I nodded, "I suppose...but what about those that don't? I've been thinking...we pissed off an Empire that controls thousands of systems and has virtually unlimited resources. If we intend to fight them, and knowing they are also after Jean a fight if definitely going to happen, then we need more than just...well us."
"Are you proposing we turn the people we just freed into soldiers?" Logan asked, an edge to his tone, his eyes narrowed, "that doesn't sound very much like you Parker."
"I'm not going to force them Logan," I quickly replied, "but if anyone of them wishes to fight then having them on our side would be better than having them go on their own...imagine if they operated very much like the Starjammers do? Units working in tandem to bring down or at least opposed the Shi'ar Empire."
"You're talking about forming a terrorist cell," Sue spoke up.
"No, I'm talking about forming a Rebellion," I replied, "a rebellion of people against an evil empire ...oh my god this is so like Star Wars."
"Okay, ignoring your obsession with creating a real live version of Star Wars, why do we even have to fight?" Quill spoke up, "I mean, yeah, they do some bad things, but why is that our responsibility?"
"Because Quill, with great power comes-"
"-Great responsibility," chanted my allies from Earth with a role of their eyes.
Quill and the others blinked, confused. He said, "I don't' think I understand what that means..."
I smirked, "it means if you have the ability to combat a great evil and you chose not to, then every vile act the do after will be on your head. The Shi'ar Empire won't fall to us, I understand that, but at the very least we could set up someone, something to stop them from going too far."
"That would take time and resources," Jessica spoke up, "right now all we have are the 17 ships they arrived on and The Liberty. We don't have a stable system of food production for the 'Rebellion'," she inflicted the tone of voice, "nor do we have the weapons or anything worth while."
"Yes...but we do have and entire solar system of resources to draw from," I pulled out an SA from my lab and typed on it, "Sexy, can the scanners on the ships we stole from the Shi'ar track and locate mineral deposits?"
"Yes Peter, the systems are strong enough to do such a feat."
"Then we can have them scan the planet for any resources we can use," I turned to the others, "it doesn't have to be a big base, a small one will suffice, just a place for people to stay. They can't always live in a ship."
Jessica froaned, "tt would take years for us to extract the resources, build facilities to use them and then get into production, the labour alone-"
"-I got a solution for that," I smiled proudly.
Jessica rolled her eyes, "of course you do. Well? What is it?"
I tapped on my SA and pulled up the theoretical project I had been working on in private after leaving Xandar. It got displayed before us and Sue, being the smartest one of the group, recognized it and understood the purpose immediately.
"Peter this is insane!" Sue cried out in horror, "what if something like this got out of hand?!"
I shrugged, "it won't, we'll have fail safes installed to prevent such a thing."
"I'm sorry, but am I the only one who doesn't understand why you look so conflicted?" Carina asked, as everyone else shared her belief.
"It's an idea I had since I bought the Marvel system," I explained, "I always intended to create a sort of settlement here, I figured if Earth is fucked then humanity could always get a second chance here, a fresh start. But the thing is the issue of resources came into question again and how we were going to use every single molecule of the system effectively without wasting even a single grain of sand or shard of metal. We're losing our planet due to pollution and poor planning, I didn't want that happening again. So….I can kind had this in mind."
"From what I can tell it's a system of nanobots that would work in tandem with the users commands to work together to break apart and repurpose resources," Sue explained, "it would require thousands of them working together, but if they are able to do that then-"
"They would become our workforce," I said with a smile, "one that doesn't require rest and can build complex intricate structures with ease. And if we can ensure every product they can be broken down and reused then we can use them to break down old buildings to make something new and better. No wastage and no time wasted. And I call them microbots, not nanobots."
"Dude...that's some next level sci-fi shit," Johnny replied, "I mean, do we even have the technology to make something like this?"
"I do," I nodded, "it's the same basic concept as my own nanobot suit, only on a much larger and more complicated scale. I had something similar when I was working with the dwarves, I used a system to scan the place I worked. I finished the programming needed to make such a system all that's left to is, well, make said system." It was a memory I had one night that inspired this actually. A dream of back when I was...well, me. I remembered watching a movie and this idea came from this. Who knew the answer to all my problems would be found in a movie called 'Big Hero 6'?
"This...could work," Jessica replied as she scratched her chin, "and since we'll be using robots you could use them to dig resources out of dangerous places, like maybe even the other planets in the solar system. Heck, if we work this just right then we don't have to use any of the natural resources on this and the other life sustaining planets at all."
"But even if we can build a settlement, It's not a good idea being tied down," Logan grunted, "especially with half a galaxy looking for us."
"But moving all the time will be a difficult act," Beta-Ray Bill explained, "I should know...Peter, inside my systems are several thousand methods to build up a society from scratch. It was designed for my people but I would not mind helping set a place for the people we freed."
"That...would actually help a lot," I replied, groaning in thought putting away my plans for the nanobots, "do you have something in mind?"
Bill groaned before nodding, taking my SA before taking a USB cable from the system into a port on the underside of his arm. It's sometimes easy to forget he is after all a cyborg, no matter how life-like his outer appearance was.
A holographic image of a city plan came up before us, and we were all in awe. It was a marvel to behold. Hehe, pun.
It was a city built on top of a giant platform, the buildings rested on a disc shaped casing, inside of which several buildings come skyscrapers were situated with air tunnels built in and around the city.
"That's going to take a while," Johnny whispered, "I mean...damn man, it's going to take years to make this happen."
"Weeks if we use Peter's microbots idea," Sue replied, "but without a way of even making said microbots well..."
"I….I suppose," Bill admitted nervously, "it was after all designed to be built by a hundred thousand people working together in tandem. According to my calculations it would have taken my people a week to make this..."
"How?" I asked, "wouldn't they lack the resources?"
"Yes, but our ships would have served as the raw material," Bill explained, "they were specially designed to be taken apart and built back into the shape before you, it's an interesting concept I proposed for the least amount of resources wasted in the mass exodus of our planet."
"Well we can't afford to scrap the ships we have on hand," I scratched my head, "this is an interesting idea…. But like Sue said we need the microbots first before we can even begin making a city… I guess for now we just focus on getting these people feed and warm. Sue, you and I will be scanning the food."
"We could use some help," Sue turned out the others.
"We would be glad to," Gamora nodded, though Rocket and Logan didn't particularly like that suggestions.
That night:
It took a while, but we managed to step up a makeshift tent of sorts where all the former prisoners came to check the ediblity of the food they had brought. We worked through the evening and by the time the Star Lee set though we had enough food to feed everyone for the week.
We ate by the lakeside, nearby trees were chopped down and their trunks were used as benches to sit down. We ate in relative silence, I could already see a division in the people, they had grouped together by the sector they came from, while my crew and I did our best to interact with them all, they were still hostile.
I glided to the people I helped free from sector R, there were fewer than the rest, mostly because Vulcan and Gladiator killed a third before they could escape. They noticed me and stopped, some whispering, all cautious.
Except one it would seem as the youngest one there stepped forward with not a trace of fear in her eyes. She was short with a bald head, scars running down her body and red lines around her eyes, similar to the kind Drax himself had.
She glared, "are you the one in charge?"
I smiled, "Yes, I am."
"Why is someone so weak in charge?" she spat, her eyes glaring at my hoverchair, "how did you come to lead such great warriors?"
"Well...I'm not really sure," I shrugged, "most of them are my friends, some I think just follow me because we share common goals and ideas and the rest...well they don't have anywhere else to go and so they just stick around doing their best."
"But why do you?" she repeated herself, "a man in a stroller shouldn't be leading. Only the strong should lead."
"And who would you think should lead instead?" I asked curiously.
She looked around before pointing to Scott, "he should. His abilities are powerful."
"You know there are more ways to be stronger than destroying things, don't you?" I asked with a chuckle.
"You cannot beat him, no need to make excuses," she crossed her arms, "you cannot even walk." By this point we had gathered a small crowd as everyone had stopped what they were doing and instead turned to look at us.
"Hm...tell me little one, what's your name?"
"Why should I tell you my name? Crippled one?" she said mockingly. I have to admit, I know she's insulting me, but damned if I can't appreciate the sass.
"My name is Peter Parker, and yours?"
She narrowed her eyes, "my name is none of your business Peter of the family Parker."
I shrugged, "that's a little rude, but I understand...you are right, only the strong should lead. There is no question about that, but what you think is strength is not what makes a leader."
"Then what is it cripple Peter?"
"It is strength of character," I replied simply, "the will to do what must be done, to not compromise your values and ideals in the effort of leading your team. I may be right, but as far as I can see a good leader isn't always the strongest, but always the one who inpsires their people though their own actions. Like you I suppose."
She tilted her, confused, "I am no leader."
"And yet the people in your sector follows your lead do they not?" I motioned to the people behind her who were looking at her with respect, "they may not listen to you on matter of knowledge, but when it comes to making choices well, your character carries weight."
She looked surprised as a few nodded, but turned to me with an annoyed look, "it still doesn't mean you would make a good leader."
"Yeah! Why should we support you?!" someone else cried out, "we should just get on the ships we took and make a run for it!"
I hummed, "and why would you do that? There is food and water here. Give a few days and we could build something for a home here as well."
"Staying here will only give the Shi'ar a better chance to find us!"
"And going out into space with their stolen ships will make you shine like an exploding star," Bill spoke up, coming to my defence, "right now, staying together is the best way for us to survive, the only way to survive."
"Bullshit!"
"Liar!"
"We should kill them and take their ship!"
"ENOUGH!" I felt my anger spike as without warning I felt Thor's powers reach out from my body without being called. The mental image of mjolner was raised several inches off the ground as my core radiated lightning.
KAKOOM!
A bolt of lightning came shooting out of my body into the sky, startling everyone and silencing them all. The brave girl from before looked horrified at the display of power, however, I knew I had to move, I needed to set the rules for this shell of a group.
So I flexed my muscles and pulling myself forward stood up from the hover chair, my body paining, but my wounds were healed enough so that it caused no permanent damage.
"You have a choice," I told the silent grove of survivors, "you always have a choice...the first is what some of you might want. To run away to your homes and families and pray the Shi'ar Empire doesn't find you. The others...well I'm sure hiding is the last thing on your mind."
"Revenge," the girl spoke.
I looked at her and shook my head, "no. Revenge will serve no greater purpose. It will not bring back who you lost or anyone who the Shi'ar killed...but to avenge, that is a sweeter victory."
"What is the difference between revenge and avenge?" the girl asked.
"Avenge means the achievement of justice, revenge means retaliation. You can fight for yourselves, but if you fight for others, to ensure the Shi'ar Empire never gets a chance to do to others what they do to you, then you would be more than just the prisoners they made you to be, you would be a symbol of rebellion...of hope.
"I know most of you have homes, families," I looked at them all, "if you wish to return to them then please be my guest. Take one of the ships and get to your home and family. But if you want to justice, then stay, become more than just prisoners, become someone who the Shi'ar Empire will learn to fear. Corsair and his team can't change the universe on their own, they will need help...they will need us."
"Who are you people?" someone in the crowd asked.
"We're the Avengers," I replied as I felt my team come around me, standing tall and proud, "we came to the greater galaxy to save someone precious to us but along the way we learnt of the wrongs of this universe. So we offer now a chance...a chance at fighting back, to rebel against those who have wronged you...so who's with me?"
The girl was the first to stand, "I am."
"So are we!" another called out along with the men and women behind him.
"Will you really let us go home?" another asked. I turned to them, they were a smaller alien species with red skin and a balding head.
I nodded, "Yes, if that is what you want...but consider this, they found you once, how long until they attack again and you are back in chains? If you think you can run and hide forever then do so, we'll even help you if the need arises...but I think your skills will be better suited serving not as a victim, but as a fighter...as an Avenger."
There was silence again, before a large beast of a man stood up. The alien looked like what the lore of Earth would call a werewolf, big and hair with a canine body, he spoke with a rough almost growling voice, "I've spent my life being the victim...if I go back to my home I would only endanger them...I accept your offer Leader of the Avengers...but if you ever put our mission aside for your own goals know that I will be the first to aim for your throat."
I nodded, "that is fine...you all have the night to decide what to do, I will not hold it against you if you leave...in the morning, if you stay and the light of the Star Lee hits you, consider yourself an Avenger."
That night in the Danger Room:
Scott looked around, confused and patient, "so, what exactly are we doing here Peter? You should be resting, that little stunt must have pulled a lot out of you Pete."
"No Scott, I'm fine. I just need...I just need to rest is all," I sighed, grabbing the arm rest of my chair as Wanda stood behind me. She placed a gentle hand on my arm and nodded, I smiled, glad she was here to help.
"So...what's this about?" Scott asked.
"Scott...do you know how I knew about Jean?" I asked the man.
Scott groaned, "know what? About the Phoenix?"
I nodded, "yes...you see Scott, I have this...ability, to see other worlds, other realities of what can be or will not be. It's a gift and a curse..."
"Why are you telling me this?" Scott asked.
"Because Scott, one of the things I saw was...was a world where there was not two Summer brothers, but three."
Scott gasped, "w-what?"
"Your brother, the one D'Ken ripped from your mother's womb...he lived...he grew up-"
"-No."
"-And he became Vulcan of the Shi'ar Empire," I ended quickly, "that was why your powers were so evenly matched Scott, why he couldn't absorb the energy you put out, because-"
"-he's my brother?"
"In one future, in one universe yes...and I think, seeing what we saw he can do, in this universe as well," I sighed, "I meant to tell you sooner but...you had just lost you father again and I didn't want to push you too much so quickly..."
"...In one of those other worlds did he...did he and I ever become a family?"
"It doesn't work like that Scott," I couldn't tell him that I simply didn't know, "but I do know that it doesn't matter. What matters is what you do now that you know...how you think Gabrille will react is what you should be worried, not about a world that might never be."
"Gabriell? That's his name?"
I nodded, "yes...that's his name. Gabrille Summers...we'll leave you alone Scott, try not to blow up the Danger Room."
Wanda rolled me out into the elevator, the last thing we saw as the doors shut was Scott blasting away at many flying targets that was coming for him, already deep in his 'thinking' process.
"Thank you for coming with me," I replied.
"You afraid he was actually going to blow your face off?" Wanda asked with a smirk.
"No….yes," I shrugged, "doesn't matter...I can't even imagine what he's going through the poor guy."
"I'm sure he would want to try and reach out to him...maybe try and change his mind."
"So...if we're keeping with the Star Wars theme going on here Scott is Luke Skywalker and Gabrielle is Darth Vader?"
"That punk is Vader? Please, I've seen underwear scarier than him," Wanda snorted as she wheeled me in to the crew sleeping quarters, "you're not going to sleep are you?"
"No...my powers are acting up again...I need to figure out why and how."
Wanda nodded, "I get it," she bent down and planted a gentle kiss on the edge of my lips, "don't stay up too late. And don't do anything crazy."
She walked into her room and shut the door behind her. I blinked, what the hell was that?!
I went into my lab and shut the door, trying and failing to understand just why Wanda would feel this way. The woman always had a soft spot for me, and ever since she found out our possible future together...it's not important...right now, what's important is getting stronger, strong enough to beat Gladiator next time we meet, everything else...it came second.
Something happened tonight, Thor's powers it felt….off. It came to me faster than before, stronger than before. I closed my eyes and immediately found myself in my mental landscape.
Mjǫllnir, the one in my head at least, was a piece of work. I could sense the power within, all that energy just bursting, ready to be released, but my body wasn't ready for it, it was too weak to handle all that energy by itself.
I then turned to Franklin's own powers, a forest of lightning bolts running down towards the Dark Tower of my mind. Flying around like a leaf in the wind was a red ball that represented my psionic energy.
If I improved my mind and became a stronger magician and sorcerer I can become strong enough to use Franklin Richards powers, the same for Thor's, expect I need a physically stronger body to channel that energy.
Would learning more magic unlock more of Franklin Richards powers? Would becoming a weight lifter help me unlock Thors? No, that didn't make sense. I've been training my body physically every day since this journey began and yet I've not come any closer to obtaining a body strong enough to chanel Thor's energy than before, not to mention my mastery of special magic hasn't unlocked any special power of Franklin's.
Right now...I needed a plan, a training guide. I have too much power inside of me for it to just go to waste. The problem was I didn't understand what power I had within me, it was...well, literally beyond me.
I'm stuck in a rut and I don't know how to climb out… or do I?
Power is power...a body is a circuit, the mind for Franklin and my muscles for Thor. How do restructure my body? How do I…..ah...of course.
I opened my eyes, "Sexy, my body's genetic make up, when my cells work on replacing every single damaged part of my body, what's the genetic template it's using? Analyse it please."
"One moment," the AI replied as it began to work, quickly the result were displayed holographically over my head. I read it and quickly understood what was happening.
When a body regenerates cells, it replaces them according to the genetic plans within itself. Problem is, I'm a genetic chimera. The DNA of the cells for my body is human with trace amounts of DNA from the other people I've stolen powers from, but my new cells, the ones replacing my damaged body...these were completely different from before.
These new cells were tougher and more durable. They were literally infused with the DNA of a god after all. The new cells in my body were more powerful than the rest of my body and frankly that was an imbalance I had to fix.
"Sexy, I want you to activate sonic disruptors we used to break down vibranium and use it the parts of my body that still contain cells that haven't been replaced completely by Thor's DNA. Begin and keep going until my body has been fully replaced by new cells."
"Peter, this would cause you an incredible amount of pain."
"Not if I escape into my mindscape and block the pain from there," I replied, "do it, I'll be fine. Lock the doors and tell anyone who asks that it's a risky procedure that I'm doing on myself to help improve my recovery rate."
"I...I understand, beginning the deconstructive procedure...good luck Peter," the AI replied as I closed my eyes and once again escaped into my landscape.
I felt the beginning of the sonic disruptors target the tips of my toes, immediately I put a mental block between that and my conscious mind. Replacing my normal cells with ones with Thor's blood in it should help...theoretically. But I have no doubt that's just the beginning.
But it was a start and ...well, it's the best I have at the moment. I felt myself slowly slip away to a state of blissful meditation, bringing up my connection to Franklin Richards powers to try and figure out what exactly it would require to strengthen my mind.
I began playing with the rain of thunder around the Dark Tower. It was energy, pure untapped energy that frankly dwarfed Thor's in certain ways. I keep playing over and over with it, trying to figure out the puzzle that was this power.
Six hours later:
My mind came back to my body a few seconds after the pain stopped. I opened my eyes and moved my neck, my body felt raw...painful but not as much as before. It felt like I had just stepped out of a sauna.
"Sexy? Update."
"I've done as you've asked Peter and right now every cell in your body has been replaced with a fresh one that contains the altered DNA of the Asgaurdian DNA."
"Any physical changes I should be aware off?" I grumbled as I pulled myself up and felt..well, the same.
"There has been no major physical change to your body type sir. You have gained a slightly larger muscle mass, but other than that you are the same."
"Mirror," I called out and a holographic mirror of my body was presented to me as I climbed out of the vibranium healing chamber.
Sexy was right, the changes weren't too bad, I was a little taller and I looked a little buffer but nothing else major.I grabbed the spare set of clothes I leave here in case of a lab accident and put them on.
"Sexy, what's the status of ships? Have anyone of them left," I asked.
"Out of the seventeen ships, three have left."
"Not bad...that means we have what, a thousand or so of them left?"
"Yes."
I nodded, walking to my terminal I pulled up my plans for the microbots I had plans as well as the plans Bill had presented. Sue was right, using enough microbots we could build the city plans Bill suggested, but the problem was that we didn't have the resources to build said microbots. My lab certainly couldn't do it with the tools I had and it would take too much time to build one that could. My best bet was a lab out there which knew what it was doing...for that I needed a contact.
Luckily, I knew just the guy.
The next day:
It was barley morning when I stepped outside the Liberty with Scott and Wanda, we were surprised to find a majority of the prisoners we had freed was still here...awaiting our orders.
I stepped forward and eyed them all, I smelled fear, true, but passion and drive far more than that. Every single person here believed in the goal of freeing the enslaved. I was silent, they slowly grew nervous and then I spoke just as the morning sun came over the horizon bathing them all in light.
"Today, you're all Avengers," I spoke freely, "our first mission will be to build a settlement here, on this planet. But first, food, go, eat your fill, when you return I'll have more order."
They nodded and walked away, but as the masses left, the little girl from Drax's species stayed, she looked at me and stared. I raised an eyebrow and she simply said, "My name is Li Anna."
I nodded, "It is nice to finally meet you on proper terms Li. Go, I'm sure you're hungry."
She nodded and quickly walked away, I turned to Scott and Wanda and had them bring everyone outside, it was time to tell them my plan.
Five minutes later:
"Are you insane?!" Felicia cried, "did you forget the part where they held us at gunpoint and demanded we leave?!"
I flinched, "well, yeah, but Nova Prime did say we were welcome to visit anytime so..."
"So?! You think they won't push you away again?!" Felicia hissed.
I sighed, looking to Wanda and Sue for help, they however shrugged and shook their heads, clearly siding with Felicia.
"Look, Brooker is probably the only one with connections far enough to find what we need in a short period of time," I explained, "I cannot produce the microbots in the amount we need on this planet with the tools I have, none of them are designed for such a project. We need his help."
"And Xandar hates us, or did you forget the part where they wanted to blow our brains?" Quill threw his hands up in annoyance.
I sighed, shaking my head, "do you know a place with enough resources and is advanced enough to support us right now?" Sue looked thoughtful and I quickly added, "which is not Earth, which is over a week away from our current location. Logan, I could use your connection with Kortta to make sure the Brooker doesn't screw us over."
Logan grunted, "I don't like it, but fine."
"I'm also coming with you then," Sue called out, "you'll need my help with the tech."
"I-"
"-No arguing," she hissed, "I know I specialize in biology but my skills in programming isn't something to scoff at either."
"I'm coming with you," Felicia said, "if you need to sneak in someplace, which let's admit there's like a fifty percent chance you do, then you need me."
"And me," Wanda spoke.
"No," I told her flat out, "the three of us is frankly more than enough. You and the rest need to stay here, keep things moving smoothly and if the Shi'ar Empire happened to find us you need to be here. You're a heavy hitter, they will need your help."
Wanda looked annoyed, but nodded in agreement. Rocket sighed, "they I guess you can use me and Groot a backup as well. We're useless here and I can help you with the tech."
I nodded, "fine...but that's it, the rest of you stay here and keep things running smoothly. If anything happens I'll contact Quill since he's the only one with a galactic address."
"Right o' captain...wait, are you the captain?" Quill asked, "I mean, if you mean to make a small army, we should probably make a hierarchy. Dibs on treasurer!"
"Dude! Come on!" Johnny cried out.
I chuckled, "I'll leave that to you guys...anyway, it's time we split, anything else we need to address?" they didn't have anything to say. The others took all their important items from the ship, like Johnny's hair gel and Carol's old suit, and put it on the Milano.
After a few moments to say goodbye we left, making our way to Xandar as quickly as we could.
A few hours later:
Sue pulled on the straps around my arms, "the sensors in the straps should be strong enough to stand the electric discharge you let out," she explained, checking on the ones around my shins as well, "though I suggest you don't put too much strain on them."
I smiled, rotating my arms to stretch myself out, "don't work Sue, it's just a test run to see if there are some visible improvements since my cells changed. Sexy gave you the data?"
Sue moved to the terminal in the Danger room and pulled up the final readings my nanobots suit was able to give me before it was fired, incomplete but a very detailed analysis of the lightning I was giving out, "I have it. You're good."
I nodded and walked into the Danger room wearing a UMF suit and had Sexy turn the shields up to their very limit. I took a deep breath and let it out, reaching into my mind I picked up the mental image of Thor's hammer and activated his powers.
Krakoom!
Lightning started to spew out randomly, I felt its power coursed through my veins. I opened my eyes and looked down at myself. A cloak of lightning formed around my body, a protection of sorts from my very core to my skin.
"I'm getting your readings Peter," Sue called out from behind the shields, "the lightning you are somehow producing is ten times more powerful than naturally occurring lightning storm. How are you feeling?"
"I feel...good," I moved my body a little, feeling it moved faster and weighed a little lighter. It was...amazing. It was like before I was being held down by invisible chains but now those chains were cut. I could finally move.
So I jumped, clearing the hundred foot height inside the room, almost hitting the ceiling. I came down quickly, my hands were spinning around out of control until I landed, feeling almost no push back from the change in momentum.
"Peter, that was...how did you even do that?" Sue's voice came out in shock.
"I think my body goes through some changes when I'm in...God mode," I dubbed the new name, "honestly it feels amazing, like there isn't a limit I can't break...Sue, the readings from before, how do they compare?"
Sue took a moment before replying, "your guess seems to be accurate Peter. So far it seems due to your body fully regrowing cells with Thor's DNA present in them, they are able to adapt much more easily to the strain his powers have on you."
"I see...and how much more do you think this new body can handle?" I asked.
"I….I don't know."
"Sexy, increase the gravity to ten times that of Earth's gravity," there was a beep to indicate my command was accepted and my body felt a little heavier all of a sudden. I began moving, going through a khata that I vaguely remembered Colon teaching me.
I sighed, moving my arms in a circular motion before kicking twice into the air. I flowed through the katas, the familiar feeling almost nostalgic to me. I wondered how Collen was, whether Danny had saved her from the Hand's influence. I always regretted not helping the woman I once called master, but she had issues I couldn't solve and was backed by an enemy I couldn't afford to piss off back then.
Soon I grew accustomed to the weight and had Sexy double the gravity. I repeated the kata, moving slower now than before, but I could move nonetheless. My body however was now sweating, but it was still moving.
I increased the gravity again, this time I felt a little more restrained but my body grew accustomed to it, it almost felt...stronger?
"Peter, your body, the cells in your body are behaving in an odd manner," Sue's voice came out loud and clear, yet I didn't stop to focus on it, "it looks like...like it's adapting faster than ever before."
"I-I'm going to keep going," I replied, "Sexy, double it." It felt like moving through jelly, I managed to get twenty minutes in before I called it, settling it back to normal and walking out, sweat dripping down my body.
I turned to Sue, "How was it?"
"This doesn't make sense!" Sue cried out, smashing her hand on the terminal's sides, "the lightning doesn't behave like plasma at all!"
"How does it behave?" I asked.
"Like fucking magic! Which I guess it," she threw her hands up in annoyance, "everytime your body is facing some sort of resistance the lightning seems to...empower your body. It's like fuel of sorts, only I can't understand or detect how this change is happening!"
I groaned, looking at the readings on Sue's screen. From what I could see, she was right. The lightning was acting as an external source of energy for my body, powering it to surpass the limits it once had...kind of like.
"Chi?" I found myself asking.
Sue looked over, "excuse me?"
"It's kind of like chi," I explained, "the Chinness concept of energy...drawn in from around the body into oneself to energise and allow one to perform feats a normal person generally won't be able to do..."
"But...I mean, that's a human concept. Would that even apply here?" Sue asked.
I shrugged, "honestly? I….I don't know ..."
A few hours later:
Xandar came into view quicker than before. All this time spent traveling really made these trips seem shorter and shorter than they were.
I brought us down into a nearby port Quill had ties with, and after a heavy bribe, we found our way to the Brooker's office once again.
I knocked on the door and after a moment it opened up. We walked in, the place was just the same as I had last saw it with Yondu, only much cleaner. The Brooker smiled in greeting, "Sir Parker, it is good to see you again. Please, how can I help?"
"Straight to business I see," I smiled.
"I'm aware of your...trainful relationship with the Nova Corps, I don't wish to prolong your stay and increase the chances of them finding out about you," he explained, "now please, how can I help?"
"I need a lab, someplace with equipment specially designed for creating robots and sophisticated enough to have the size of said robot be nearly an inch. Also it should have raw resources, enough to complete a large enough order in a few days time."
The Brooker groaned, "that is...a difficult ask, allow me a moment to consult my contacts?"
I nodded, "please, take your time," the man bowed and stepped into his back room, and as soon as he left, his assistant Kortta came out and flashed a smile upon seeing Logan.
"Well my savage man, I see you couldn't stay too long from me could you?" she said with a teasing smile, flipping her hair over her shoulder in a prideful manner.
"Don't flatter yourself," Logan grunted before smiling, "but it is good seeing you again...how have you been?"
"Fine, all things considering," she huffed, "since you left masters business has increased twofold, many people wanting things they don't need to protect themselves, many more getting scared of the slightest shadow and feeling the need to arm themselves."
"I didn't realise he was an arms dealer as well," Felica said as she eyes the jewels the Brooker had on display, already forming a plan in her head to steal them I'm sure.
"He trades in everything, as long as the client has the money," she huffed, "information, planets, weapons, you name it...by the way, I've heard a rumor lately and I was wondering if you could answer me a simple question."
"What's the rumor?" Logan asked.
"That someone," she inflated her tone, "chose to pick a fight with the Shi'ar Empire, freed all their 'guests' and then kicked their crown prince's ass."
"Technically he got his ass handed to him by his own man," I supplied, not that Kortta looked very much impressed.
"And if this rumor was true?" Logan asked, ignoring me.
"Then you all have gotten yourselves in more trouble than before," Kortta sighed, "please, be careful."
I groaned, "Kortta...did the Empire ask Brooker where we were?"
Kortta forze, "I-I-"
"-Don't bother lying love," Logan quickly added.
Kortta sighed, "right...your hearing..damn it all, yes, they did. And they gave Master a week to give them something they could use."
"A week from today?" I asked, to which she nodded. The others turned to me, clearly worried, I quickly thought up a plan, "tell me, the planet system I bought, can the Shi'ar Empire track it?"
Kortta shook her head, "no, once a system is bought and paid for all records of it is scrapped, except the deed which you possess and a secure data black box stored in the heart of the biggest bank in the galaxy. Even the Shi'ar Empire would not mess with them. Is that where you're hiding now?"
I didn't reply, instead remain silent. I began to think, we had a problem, they knew our connection to the Brooker and sacrificing him and his contacts wouldn't be wise. They were searching for us...so maybe they could find us?
The Brooker came back just then with a data pad held up, "I found a company which provides exactly what you are asking for Sir Parker. It isn't very far from Xandar and they are very discreet. But they are expensive so I suggest you keep your time short while renting their lab out."
"Brooker, the Shi'ar Empire have contacted you, yes?" I asked. Immediately he sent a look to Kortta that promised pain, I quickly snapped, "don't look at her like that, she did the right thing. We are allies are we not Brooker?"
He looked at me and sighed, "yes sir Parker, we are...which is exactly why I did not immediately tell them about that system you recently bought."
"I heard those records were destroyed?" I asked.
"Nothing is truly destroyed, and no bank is every truly loyal to only their clients," the Brooker hissed.
"I see…..Brooker, I propose a plan. One that will save you from the Shi'ar Empie's constant demands and also dissuade the Empire from pursuing us any further."
Looking intrigued the man asked, "what do you have in mind?"
"It's simple, you tell them where we are," I smiled at his confusion, "or rather, where we are going to be."
Three day later:
Prevor- 2344
Coming out of warp were seven Shi'ar war ships, each one large enough to destroy a planet with their ballistic missiles. At the helm of the armada was the STREPLOS, the flagship of Fifth Armada of the Shi'ar Empire.
Standing on the top deck of the STREPOLS was Minster Dorik, a close personal friend to the Emperor and the only one foolish enough to accept this mission. He looked out into the vast expanse of the galaxy, at the ruined planet before him and sighed, turning the general on board the ship, "are you sure this source is reliable?"
The Shi'ar general nodded, "yes minister. The Broker is highly regarded as an accurate informante. If he's provided this information that means he's sure they are here."
"Tell me general, which fool would choose to hide in the debris field of a destroyed planet that's been touched by the Phoenix?" Minster Dorik asked with a snort, "it's almost as if they are inviting death upon them."
"I believe they are gambling on the stupidity of their plan to be so bold that no sane person would think they would ever do such a thing," the general shrugged, "I have ordered all fighter ships to deploy and search the planet's ruined surface and broken core for all signs of life, hopefully we will find them soon enough."
"Yes, one would hope so," Minster Dorik growled.
This was not a good week for the Empire. Not only had the crown Prince suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of an enemy, but Gladiator, the Empire's greatest warrior , was imprisoned and being treated for a form of mind control.
"What was his name again?" Minster Dorik asked offhandedly to the general. The man looked confused, "the one leading this team, these… Avengers."
"Oh, yes, I believe it is a woman, the legendary Kree renegade Verse of StarForce," the general replied.
Minster Dorik shook his head, "no, not that woman. I meant the man, the one in red and black in the form of that giant lizard I saw in the security videos on Sector R."
"Forgive me minster, but why do you believe he is their leader and not the more obvious candidate?"
"A feeling," Minster Dorik hissed, seeing the eyes of a leader in that man. After all, he who spent his life serving leaders learnt to recognize that look at an early stage, "what's the status of the search?"
The general looked at his monitor, "we've only just begun, I doubt-" he stopped himself, Minster Dorik looked over and saw the man smile, "it seems we hit a stroke of luck Minster Dorik. We managed to find three of the seventeen ships stolen from Sinthoes. The slaves inside are hailing us, asking to be allowed to be taken back."
Minster Dorik raised an eyebrow, "really?"
"Yes, really...though I can't imagine why someone would willingly become slaves," the general asked, clearly confused.
"Because some people are born to be enslaved while others are born to lead," Minster Dorik spat the Emperor's mantra, "bring them aboard the STREPOLS and confine them. Have guards stationed around their cells and make sure none of them are armed."
"We are detecting nearly seven hundred people inside that one ship sir," the general explained, "that would be too much, even for our cells."
"Fine, put a hundred in each ship and capture the stolen ships with a tractor beam," Minster Dorik snapped, "and as soon as you're done, tell me. I wish to find out what happened to their 'Liberators'."
The cells onboard the STREPLOS:
Minster Dorik stood before the prisoners and scoffed in disgust. There they were, the rotten and broken underbelly of the Empire. Gained their freedom, but they still refused to run away.
They were dressed in the uniforms given to them on Sinthoes, their serial number stitched across their chest. Ugly and disgusting, a hundred of them shoved into a space smaller than his personal bathroom. Vulcan couldn't stand the sight of them and planned to make this short.
"Where are the Avengers?" he asked.
"W-who?" an old man who stood at the front of the group asked. He was hunched over and leaned on a cane to walk, "who is that sir?"
"It's my lord old man, learn some etiquette when you speak to your superior," Minster Dorik snapped in rage.
The old man shook and bowed, "a-a thousand apologise my lord, forgive this old man. I only meant respect."
"That's better," Minster Dorik sneered, "now, the people who freed you, where are they?"
"T-the Starjammers?" the old man asked.
"No, the ones with them," Minster Dorik clarefied, his patience quickly dwindling. He wondered if he should just eject them all into space and get this over with. Pin up their bodies as a warning of what would happen if you cross the Empire and be done with this all.
"They left," the old man replied, "after freeing us they sent up coordinates to this planet and left us to starve. Food and water ran out three days ago. We-we understand the folly of our ways my lord, please, let us return."
"Hm… so you come crawling back," Minster Dorik snorted, smiling in amusement.
"Minster Dorik!" the general called out as he came running in a hurry.
"A moment general," Minster Dorik silenced him with a hand before turning to the old man, "I will consider your request old man-"
"-A thousand thanks Minster Dorik! A thousand thanks!" the old man cried, dropping to his knees and crying tears of joy.
"But, under one condition," Dorik smiled.
"Anything ,my lord!"
"Cut your throat," Minster Dorik replied, taking out a small dagger he carried for his self protection and tossed it through the barrier holding the prisoners. It feel before the old man who looked up at him in horror, "kill yourslef, and I'll save the lives of the other prisoners behind you...fail to do so and...well...I cannot promise you what happens next. After all, examples have to be made."
"My lord!" the general cried again, "it's urgent!"
"What is it general?" Minster Dorik snapped, turning around to face the man, "can't you see I'm busy?"
"The other ships! The prisoners! They are revolting! They already managed to capture four of the seven ships they were taken into and escaped through warp speed before we could notice!"
Minster Dorik's eyes went wide, "what?! How?!" But before he could say another word there was a loud and terrifying screech as an artificial voice rang out in the speakers.
"Obtained control over the STREPLOS, activating warp jump now," went the voice has suddenly everything turned dark.
"What the hell is going on?!" Minster Dorik cried out.
"Have you ever heard of a Trojan Horse?" spoke the old man suddenly. Minster Dorik turned to him and found the man standing straight with shoulders pulled back. There was a flash and suddenly the barrier holding the prisoners back vanished.
The old man stepped forward as a shin of golden light came over him, vanishing the form of an old wrinkle covered man, to that of a young, tall and muscular warrior. His eyes sparked blue and Minster Dorik immediately knew who he was.
"Oh no," Minster Dorik cried, he knew then and there, he fucked up.
With Peter:
Scott came forward as his own magical disguise fell, revealing his true form. With a single touch he blasted the general behind Minster Dorik and sent him flying into a wall.
The prisoners behind me moved, their clothes transformed from the prisoner's rags they had into a suit of blue and red.
I had designed it to look like a blend of Captain America's Age of Ultron suit with my own designs put in. Instead of a white star they had the Avenger's 'A' placed proudly on their chest. The red and white stripes on their abs and the red highlights were replaced with black.
"Avengers! Take them out and take them down!" I roared as they charged, a hundred strong. The soldiers had their weapons, their guns and photon shields, but my army had something better, weapons built into their UMF suits.
In a flash, the newly updated and designed suits emitted a shield that copied the barrier tech the Shi'ar used in their prison doors. I stole the idea from the cells on the ships we had stolen. The army charged and pummeled through the dozen or so soldiers, capturing everyone of them easily, bringing them with their own cuffs.
Minster Dorik dropped to his knees, looking up at Scott and me, "please...have mercy."
"Fine," I replied, tossing his own dagger to him, "cut your throat, and I'll spare yoru men."
"After all, examples have to be made," Scott spat out.
Minster Dorik looked at knife in horror, his body shaking, "no, please no! Anything but that! I swear, I'll tell you anything you want! Please! Just don't kill me!" he was reduced to tears, sobbing as he tried to shrink away from our sight.
I ordered all the captured guards to be stuffed into the cells along with the till unconcious general and Minister Dorik. It took us an hour to clear out the rest of the ship, the others put up a good fight, but we literally had the ship on our side as Sexy sealed up rooms cut off the oxygen supply wherever she could, cutting down the opposition by more than half.
I didn't want them dead, no that would be a bad image to have. They were just knocked unconscious.
Scott and I stood on the captured brig, watching as the ship warped through space. "I thought Vulcan...Gabrille would be here."
I sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder and squeezing, "we'll find him...I promise you will talk to your brother again Scott."
Scott nodded, "yeah...what are we going to do with the prisoners?"
"The soldiers I suppose we'll send back," I clicked my teeth, "if we kill them all then they will become martyrs for their cause. But bey sending them back we make them know that if they stay out of their way we won't act like monsters...but the higher rank members, we're keeping them as bargaining chips."
Scott raised an eyebrow, "When did you become an expert in war?"
"Last night," I smirked, "Sexy had records of all essential classics in her systems. I've been brushing up on great historical leaders and their many conquests throughout the land...I can't help but think I've started something bigger than I ever could have realised Scott."
"You have," Scott replied, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder, "and I think that's probably for the best."
In the end we flew the seven fully captured warships back to the Marvel system, back home. This was our first mission, unofficially, it took three days to prepare, making the clothes alone took my printing machine two days of working tirelessly to produce.
But in the end...it was worth it. We had prisoners, he had bargaining chips. This was only easy because they weren't prepared for us, next time I'm sure it won't be as simple...but until then, I'm sure would serve as a warning to everyone, the Avengers were here.
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