Earth-717: Ms. Marvel Vol 1
Chapter 2: Universal Weapon
In the far reaches of space, a large spaceship approached a purple planet. The ship was a Kree warship, and one of the finest vessels in the service. It was three hundred metres in length, and was designed in a way to evoke the regal and imperialistic culture of its creators. This ship was the Helion, the flagship of the Kree Navy, and one of the oldest serving ships in the Empire's service, having weathered countless battles over hundreds of years.
On the Helion's bridge, a rectangular viewing window that stretched across the frontal section allowed the ship's crew a visual of what was outside. The purple planet came into visual range, but the man in the captain's chair could not get a good look because of an imposing figure who was standing right in front of the window.
The figure was three metres tall, far larger than any of his compatriots. Like all Kree, his skin was deep blue, but his height and extremely muscular build made him stand out from all the others on the bridge. His garb was a black and dark-green ceremonial dress, complete with a hood piece and armour that cemented his regal status. He also had black make-up on and around his eyes that was customary of scientific dignitaries and imperial officers.
This man was Ronan the Accuser, and he was the personal lieutenant to the Supreme Intelligence, master of all Kree. Thus, he was the highest ranking official in the Empire.
And his clenched fists and glaring eyes indicated that he was not happy.
"Interstellar co-ordinates confirmed," said one of the technicians. "We have arrived at Protaris, per your orders, Grand Accuser."
Ronan sneered as he looked over the planet in front of them. The technician waited to be spoken to. She was then surprised by what Ronan said.
"What is your name?"
The technician raised an eyebrow as Ronan turned his head to look at her.
"Officer Ko-Rel, my Accuser."
Ronan narrowed his eyes before speaking again.
"And you yourself confirmed these co-ordinates?"
Ko-Rel gulped as she felt her heart beating faster. She quickly shifted her eyes to look at the Captain, but he was watching Ronan with relative disinterest. She then put her hands together in front of her before answering Ronan's question.
"I did, my Accuser. This is Protaris."
"Then I suppose you can explain why a planet under the protection of the Nova Corps has barely any fleet activity?"
Ko-Rel hurriedly brushed the hair over her right ear with her hand.
"I can, sir. According to all Kree military intelligence and reports, this region of Nova space is currently experiencing resource and deployment strains due to increased instability along the borders of Skrull territory. Many of Nova's defensive fleets have been reallocated to reinforce planetary targets deemed most at risk of Skrull attack, as well as bolstering the patrol fleets that secure the defense nodes around Xandar. As far as the Nova Corps is concerned, a planet like Protaris is of low priority."
Ronan turned to look at the Captain, who nodded in approval. He then turned back to Ko-Rel.
"Your report is accurate, Officer," said Ronan. "Well done."
Ko-Rel sighed with relief before giving a respectful bow of her head.
"Thank you, my Accuser."
"Status of the stealth drive," said the Captain.
"Stealth drive at one hundred percent efficiency, Captain," said another technician. "They can't see a damn thing."
"Hold here," said the Captain. "Maintain stealth profile and lower power output of auxiliary systems to thirty percent. We won't be needing them. Ronan?"
Ronan turned around, taking another minute of silence. Everyone on the bridge waited with bated breath for him to speak.
"Give me your finest combat unit, Captain. A full deployment. I will not tolerate any mistakes."
The Captain nodded. Ronan then walked past the command chair and off of the bridge. The Captain then pressed a button on the holographic command console that appeared in front of him.
"This is Captain Yon-Rogg, transmitting to all levels of the Helion. We have arrived in the Protaris system, and are currently holding a stealth position in orbit. The Nova Corps does not know that we are here, nor do they have a suitable defense because they're too busy dealing with everyone's favourite nutcase, Veranke."
Yon-Rogg paused and smiled for a moment as many of the Kree on the bridge laughed.
"So . . . . the Grand Accuser will be leading a combat party to the planet's surface. We already have confirmed landing co-ordinates for the Nova base. This is going to be a quick one-and-done operation, and if all goes well, the Nova Corps won't even have the chance to retaliate. Stick to your assigned tasks and we'll be back on Hala in no time. Captain out."
Covered by the darkness of night, the deployment shuttle soared over a rocky canyon as a rainstorm settled over the entire region. The shuttle was shaped like a three-dimensional parallelogram, with sleek, silver armour plating and two manueverability engines, one affixed to each of the lateral sides. Inside the shuttle stood Ronan, thirty Kree soldiers and two combat mechs, which were about a metre taller than Ronan himself.
"Twenty seconds to the target," said the pilot.
The shuttle hovered close to the ground as it flew over a descending cliff face that led to a valley. In the centre of the valley was a Nova Corps installation, with numerous guard towers around the perimeter of the circular central pyramid. The guard towers were connected by a yellow laser field, which acted as a defensive shield that protected the compound. The main building had the Nova Corps logo emblazoned on one side, and several small drone craft were patrolling the area.
Furrowing his brow upon seeing the defensive grid through the window, Commander Sar-Torr turned around and faced Ronan.
"Looks like they're expecting trouble," said Sar-Torr. "This might get messy, sir."
"Their defenses are lighter than usual," replied Ronan. "And they'll have more than enough trouble to deal with any moment now."
"Sir?"
At that moment, a loud explosion was heard. Sar-Torr quickly looked over his shoulder, seeing that two of the guard towers along the defensive perimeter were crumbling apart. Alarms sounded across the installation as the yellow laser grid powered down, and the various defense drones started scattering towards the destroyed towers.
"What the . . . ."
"Pilot!" said Ronan. "Forward missiles!"
The shuttle launched a set of twin missiles from the frontal cannons, which struck the central pyramid. Large chunks of the armour plating were reduced to slag, with thousands of shards being blasted all over the compound. The explosion also consumed another guard tower.
"Deploy!"
The shuttle spun around, with the cargo door now facing the compound. The back door opened, ejecting a ramp that landed on the rocky ground. The deployment of soldiers rushed down the ramp and opened fire with their blaster rifles, shooting several defense drones out of the sky. The mechs deployed next, walking outside before launching a barrage of cluster missiles.
A string of explosions rocked the entire compound as over a dozen missiles smashed into various structures. A squad of Nova troopers exited the front door, firing gold lasers from their wrist gauntlets, but they were quickly cut down by the superior numbers of the Kree force. The two surviving troopers retreated, closing the door behind them.
Ronan marched out of the back of the shuttle as one of the mechs shot down the last defense drone. Looking to the right, he saw a single Nova trooper fleeing in the distance, before deactivating the cloak on a parked stealth fighter. The fighter looked nothing like any Nova ship. The trooper went inside the fighter and took off, flying into the atmosphere.
Sar-Torr looked over as the ship escaped.
"Sir! Shall we pursue?"
"No need," said Ronan. "One Nova pilot is of no consequence. Secure the interior, Commander."
"Aye, sir."
One of the Kree troopers held up a rocket launcher as Ronan and Sar-Torr joined the battalion. Firing a rocket, the trooper destroyed the front door to the facility. The troopers swarmed inside, methodically capturing point after point as they pushed the Nova troopers back. Ronan confidently marched inside, not even bothering to pay attention to how the battle was proceeding.
The main chamber of the facility was a circular room with several control consoles around the perimeter. Four hallways led into the chamber, with Nova troopers setting up defensive positions at each entry point. Automatic turrets deployed from the ceiling, taking aim at the incoming Kree soldiers. A lone Nova sergeant standing on the central podium looked at the object in the centre with dismay.
It was a large hammer, with ceremonial markings carved into it. It was glowing with purple energy, and was forged of an alloy of incredibly durable and rich metals. The hammer was hovering within a gravity field, and was slowly rotating. This was the Universal Weapon, the prize of the Kree Empire, only bestowed on the one who holds the title of Grand Accuser.
Three months ago, the Nova Corps had stolen it from Ronan, hoping to find a way to reverse-engineer its cosmic power. Now, the sergeant was wishing that Nova Command had never even bothered.
As the Nova defenders fought back against the incoming Kree, the sergeant activated the communications link on her left wrist.
"Mayday, mayday! This is Sergeant Samaya, of Protaris Station! We're under attack! I repeat, we are under attack! Defense grid compromised . . . ."
Samaya was knocked to the ground by an overhead explosion. Groaning as she pushed herself off the ground, she held her wrist to her mouth again.
". . . . internal systems sabotaged! It's Ronan! He's after the Universal Weapon! Send reinforcements!"
A buzzing noise was heard from the communication link.
"I repeat, send reinforcements! Nova Command! Hello? Hello?! Can anyone hear me?!"
Samaya turned her head as another explosion rocked the central chamber, destroying the rest of the automatic turrets and killing several of the Nova troopers. The last handful of defenders killed two of the Kree soldiers before being gunned down by the overwhelming enemy firepower. Breathing heavily, Samaya crawled up the central podium and reached out for the Universal Weapon, desperately grabbing it with both hands.
She shrieked in pain as the hammer shocked her with electricity upon touching it. She let go and slumped to the ground, exhausted. Ronan casually strolled into the room, heartily laughing at her with a mocking tone as she bled from her mouth.
"Fool! You think yourself worthy of the Universal Weapon?"
Samaya groaned again as she vindictively glared at Ronan.
"'Tis a regal artifact. It does not recognize the pitiful. Only the truly powerful may wield it . . . . only the Grand Accuser of the Kree Empire!"
Reaching out with his left hand, Ronan seized the Universal Weapon by its handle, easily tearing it out of the gravity field. The hammer glowed with violet light that poured into Ronan's skin, indicating that the weapon recognized its master. Ronan chuckled as he gripped the handle, before lowering the hammer towards Samaya's face.
"In the absence of anyone else to stand trial, I hereby accuse you with the crime of stealing the Universal Weapon. Do you have anything to say about the charge before I render my judgement?"
Samaya spat on Ronan's feet. Ronan scoffed at her.
"Objection noted."
With a bellowing roar, Ronan held the Universal Weapon high into the air with both arms before bringing it down on Samaya's head. Her skull imploded, blowing chunks of bone, flesh and brain matter all over the floor. Some of the Kree soldiers cringed and looked away from the gory sight. Taking several deep breaths, Ronan basked in his victory for a few moments before turning to Sar-Torr.
"We're done here."
Sar-Torr turned to his soldiers.
"You heard the Accuser. Move out!"
After returning to the Helion, Ronan went to his private quarters on the ship. Locking the door behind him, he then placed the Universal Weapon on the nearby wall. Sitting down at his desk, he then activated his holographic display interface. Setting up an encrypted transmission, he sent out a call.
Within seconds, the call was answered. The display screen showed the face of a Skrull.
"Ronan."
"Commander Kl'rt," said Ronan. "I have retrieved the Universal Weapon."
Kl'rt folded his hands in front of him.
"I trust that my infiltrator assisted you as requested."
"He did. You upheld your end of the bargain."
"Of course I did. I do have some honour, Accuser. I have to thank you for being willing to strike this deal. My newfound abilities are quite the prize."
Both of Kl'rt's hands transformed into a rock-like organic substance, while also catching fire. He grinned for a couple seconds before reverting his hands to their normal state.
"Don't forget that you needed my science to acquire them, Commander. I doubt your fellow Skrulls will be able to replicate the feat in others."
"And don't forget that you needed my help to recapture your weapon from the Nova Corps. We all have our strengths, Ronan, and we play to them."
"To that, I can agree."
Ronan paused, taking in a breath.
"Do not attempt to contact me on this frequency again," he said. "I will have it disabled shortly. This exchange is over."
"Understood. Farewell."
The display screen went dark. Ronan sat back in his chair before looking out the window, which showed the far reaches of the galaxy.