Disclaimer: I do not own Captain America or any other series I might use for inspiration.
Dangerous Encounter
"High Priestess, I have returned safely from my mission, and I return with good news. Everything went according to plan. The inhumans were liberated and have been returned to planet earth. New Attilan has been rebuilt and their military defenses have been set up. They have also agreed to all of your terms and wish to express their eternal gratitude to you." Steve reported to the Priestess Ayesha.
"Well done, my captain. You have done well, as expected." Ayesha said, putting special emphasis on the word my, something that did not go unnoticed by neither Steve's subordinates nor Ayesha's elite guard.
"Thank you, High Priestess. You do me great honor, your great benevolence." Steve replied with a kind smile.
"So tell me, my captain, why did you bring these people here, and why did you bring your little blue slut here? She is supposed to be dead." Ayesha said venomously, Sinara doing well to hold her tongue, thanks in part to Steve, who had prepared her beforehand for an angry outburst such as this from the Priestess.
"Killing her would have been a waste, why waste such a precious asset. Sinara The Executioner is one of the Top Five strongest Kree warriors. Not only would killing her have been difficult but as I said before, it would have been a total waste. Kassius did not value her, and did not utilize her talents to their full potential, but I value her and will have great use of her powers. So with that said, she has agreed to become my trusted general." Steve explained.
" Your general? Have you fallen on your head, Steve? You are mine, you do not own anything, you and everything that is yours, is mine!" Ayesha gritted out angrily.
"Then Sinara The Executioner is yours too now, Great Priestess. She will become a freedom fighter for the cause, helping to indebt many nations to you and your benevolence." Steve replied with a mischievous smirk, completely catching Ayesha off guard, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to find some sort of counter to Steve's declaration but could find none.
"Nevertheless, allow me to introduce you to the rest of my team. This is Auran the Immortal, my third in command. She is formerly a Royal Guard of King Blackbolt, but has agreed to join The Protectors of the Universe. She is, as you might have surmised, an inhuman." Steve said, Auran taking a step forward before greeting the Priestess.
"It is an honor to meet your acquaintance, great Priestess of the Sovereign. I look forward to repaying the debt that Attilan owes to you by serving alongside Captain Rogers in the Protectors of The Universe." Auran said diplomatically.
"I am pleased to meet you too, Auran." Ayesha said with a deep frown on her facial features, confused and caught off guard by everything that was happening, mainly because she hadn't agreed to any of this Protectors of the Universe nonsense, unable to believe that Steve had the audacity to ambush her like this in front of everyone.
What was even worse was the fact that Sinara was not only alive but was part of this whole charade, a general working directly besides Steve. It was quite obvious to her what had happened, that fool Steve had gone and fallen in love with his target despite her warnings. It was a betrayal of the highest level, and yet her hands were tied, she couldn't act on it or risk revealing to her subjects that she had fornicated and was in fact in love, and not even with a fellow Sovereign but with what amounts to an abomination in the eyes of the Sovereign people.
Steve no doubt knew this, and was probably in fact counting on that to stop her from interfering in his and Sinara's business. Ayesha didn't know whether to be infuriated or impressed by how cunning and devious Steve was turning out to be. She didn't know whether to hate him or to love him because of it, or whether she was angry or turned on by him right now, probably a bit of both.
"And the two terran males, who are they?" Ayesha asked curiously.
"Sam Wilson, uh…Priestess. I am also known as The Falcon." Sam said as he too stepped forward and bowed.
"And I am James Barnes, aka The Winter Soldier. The honor is mine." Bucky said as he too bowed to the Priestess.
"An inhuman, a kree, and two humans. Interesting team." Ayesha said plainly.
"It is the best team, Priestess, as you shall find out as time goes by." Steve replied.
"Okay, I will permit this little experiment of yours…for now." Ayesha said gravely.
"Thank you, Priestess." Steve replied with genuine gratitude, even though he didn't give her much of a choice.
"It is my pleasure, my captain. Akeisha, show our guests to their resting quarters, but leave Sinara and Captain Rogers behind." Ayesha ordered.
"Yes, Priestess." Akeisha said before quickly beckoning the others to go with her.
"It is okay, Sam, Bucky, Auran. We will be fine." Steve said when he saw the hesitation from his friends, the three of them nodding in the affirmative before following behind Akeisha.
"Guards, and noble council, leave us! I would have private words with my captain and his general!" Ayesha ordered with a no nonsense tone, a tone that promised pain and suffering for anyone who disobeyed her, everyone reluctantly but obediently doing as instructed by the Priestess.
"Her highness, what troubles you?" Steve asked when he was sure that they were indeed alone.
"What troubles me you say? Are you intentionally trying to insult me?" Ayesha asked with a calm tone, even though the fury and rage bubbling beneath the surface of it was unmistakable.
"Priestess Ayesha, if you will allow this lowly Kree, far beneath your excellence, to speak freely, then I believe I can not only clarify the situation for you but even enlighten you to the positives of the situation we have found ourselves in." Sinara said as she stepped forward, Ayesha initially looking like she was going to kill Sinara on the spot but spotting a look of intrigue and curiosity by the end of Sinara's monologue.
"What, prey tell, could be so positive about this situation?" Ayesha asked incredulously.
"My relationship with Captain Rogers, and it is a relationship, is the perfect cover to hide your own nefarious relations with the Captain. If Captain Rogers and I are seen and are known to be deeply in love and in a committed relationship, then neither the Sovereign council or any of your subjects will ever have any suspicions about you having any romantic or especially sexual relations with Captain Rogers. So you see, you have to let me have him in order for you to in turn safely have him." Sinara deadpanned, as if merely talking about the weather forecast.
"What in Sovereign's heavens makes you think I would ever, for any reason at all, allow you to have my captain as a mate?" Ayesha asked furiously.
"I'm afraid I don't understand the nature of your question, or even the sheer surprise and incredulity that it is asked with. Didn't you in fact order him to seduce and bed me for the sake of his mission to free the enslaved inhumans? If you could allow him to do that for a mission, then surely you can allow him to continue to do that for your own sake, the sake of your people, and the sake of your relationship with him." Sinara retorted, trapping the priestess in a corner from which she could see no way of escape.
"……"
"F-fine! I can think of no other solutions, in fact, your idea is actually a stroke of genius. Doesn't mean I like it though!" Ayesha said angrily.
"I sentiment I do share with you, Priestess. But we have to do what we have to do, at the very least you can trust that the Captain will be in good hands. He is as important to me as he is to you, in every way imaginable." Sinara said sincerely, too sincere to be a taunt or provocation of some kind Ayesha thought.
"Very well. We have an accord. However you will stay at the Sovereign for the next seven days. My captain and I have a lot of catching up to do. I'm sure you understand." Ayesha said condescendingly.
"Of course, Priestess." Sinara replied, Steve looking between the two like a dear caught in headlights, never ever having imagined that he would someday end up caught in a situation like this.
10 Days Later:
"So cap, where exactly are we?" Sam asked curiously.
He was fully geared up, wearing his Falcon combat gear, as was everyone else, everyone else being Sinara The Executioner, James Barnes The Winter Soldier, Auran the Immortal, and Steve Rogers aka Captain Universe.
"We are on the planet Kryloria. We are looking for a Pluvian guy known as Martinex. He is a Ravager captain who has stolen annulex batteries from the Sovereign. Our job is to retrieve the annulex batteries and return them to the Sovereign" Steve replied.
"We have arrived at our destination. If Martinex isn't here, then someone in here knows where he is. This is where beings of the underworld from all across the galaxy go to unwind." Sinara explained.
"So we just go in and start asking everyone about Martinex? Just like that?" Bucky asked incredulously.
"My suggestion is that we go in separately. It will be easier to mingle that way as opposed to if we were to go in as a group." Auran suggested.
"She's got a point cap." Bucky retorted.
"Alright. I'll go in last, Auran will go in first, then Sam, Sinara, Bucky and me, in that order." Steve ordered.
20 minutes later:
To say Cap was surprised by the number of famous people from the underworld who were here would be a massive understatement, never in his life having expected to see Starkar Ogord and Ronan in the same room, or The High Evolutionary for that matter, amongst many other notorious mercenaries and cutthroats. To say this was a dangerous place would be an understatement.
Probably the most surprising thing however was the fact that Ronan was with the daughters of Thanos, Gamora and Nebula. When had this alliance happened? How come Steve hadn't known about it until now? Was his information really so outdated?
Nevertheless, he was grateful for Sinara, for it was she who had suggested that they begin their search for Martinex here. Still, they had to be really careful, because there were many ravagers in this place. They couldn't risk them finding out that they were searching for one of their own generals, with the intention to either capture or kill him, or both.
"Are you going to order anything or are you just going to stand there and look pretty?" The Bartender asked, a middle aged Krylolian who actually looked quite handsome himself, clearly being a person who takes good care of his pink skin as there wasn't even a blemish on his skin.
"Forgive me. I'll have a….uh…."
"He'll have a galaxy deluxe, compliments of Nebula, daughter of Thanos." Came an obviously feminine but also strong voice from right behind Steve, Steve turning around and doing extremely well to conceal all traces of his surprise, not having expected the daughter of Thanos herself to buy him a drink.
'Bald, black pupil less eyes, blue skin with purple pigmentation, cybernatic enhancements. Yep, I'm not seeing things that aren't there, its definitely her.' Steve thought warily.
"Ah…thank you, Lady Nebula. It is a great honor to meet you, and an even greater one to be bought a drink by you." Steve said awkwardly, even though the smile on his face managed to reach his eyes as it was a genuinely warm one, much to Nebula's surprise because usually in these situations the only thing she could detect from her targets was absolute, unadulterated fear, sometimes because they feared her, sometimes because they feared her father, and sometimes because of both.
"Good. Then you will be even more honored to know that I have booked a room at the Orion Hotel. Be there at 21 micro cycles on the dot. Don't drink too much, I need you in good condition. Its going to be a long night." Nebula said with authority.
"Wait, that actually works? You just buy a guy a drink, no conversation, just tell him to be at your hotel suite and that's that? You don't even know if I have a girlfriend or a wife, or whether I'm interested or not. Maybe I'm not even into girls." Steve asked, completely perplexed by the interaction he was having with the daughter of Thanos.
"Are you saying that I'm ugly? I'm not good enough for you am I?" Nebula asked with a dangerous tone, pulling out one of her batons and activating the weapon, the baton producing a very strong electric charge.
"You are indeed a very attractive woman, your beauty is in fact astounding. However, I do have a significant other, who mind you is inside this very same building, probably watching us. We are committed to each other, so I very much doubt she would be pleased if I was not strong enough to resist your charms. That is the only reason that I am declining your offer, otherwise I would already be on my way to the Orion Hotel." Steve said diplomatically, his hands in the air in a pacifying gesture.
"So…you're saying if your girlfriend did not exist then you would succumb to my charms? Show me where she is so that I can eliminate her and relieve you of your burden." Nebula said, staring deep into Steve's eyes with her somehow very expressive eyes despite being an infinitely black abyss.
'Wow, she is…unusual.' Steve thought warily.
"Wait, have you done this before?" Steve asked as realization suddenly dawned on him.
"I've courted men before, and I've never been rejected. I have a vast experience and knowledge in the ways of pleasure. Thanos made sure that all of his children had every fundamental skill required to be an assassin." Nebula replied, Steve deciding then and there that he did not want to know how exactly Thanos made sure of that, too afraid of the potential to be traumatized by the answer to that question.
"But how then do you know your own worth? If people are too afraid of you or your father to reject you, then how would you know if there isn't someone who could be with you because they want to be with you as opposed to because they were deathly afraid of you? How would you know if there isn't someone who would love you and be willing to commit the rest of their existence to you?" Steve asked calmly, Nebula giving him a strange look, one that spoke volumes of her intrigue and of course, confusion.
"Love? Are you insane? You think the daughter of Thanos is interested in something as meaningless and petty as love? Are you trying to make fun of me?" Nebula asked dangerously.
'This is not going according to plan at all, at this rate, I'll either have to fight and possibly kill her, or go ahead and sleep with her.' Steve thought.
To be honest, he probably would have had no problem with that if he was single because it was pretty clear he would only be making an enemy of her by rejecting her. Now that wasn't exactly fair on him but at the same time he didn't want to start a war with her, Ronan, and Thanos any time soon.
As far as he could tell, Nebula didn't even realize what she was actually doing, that her actions were treading on the borderline of rape. In the past she probably didn't have to think about it because most men would either feel honored to have the privilege of bedding a daughter of Thanos or they would be too terrified of the consequences of saying no.
Steve was sure that even the wives and girlfriends of those men would completely understand as soon as they realized who their significant other cheated with, in fact, they might even thank their husbands for doing all they could to not incur the wrath of a daughter of Thanos for their family.
The problem was that neither of his significant others would thank him for that. He was certain that Sinara was probably sharpening her blade as they spoke, or rather fiddling with her Sonic Spheres. She probably felt confident that she could take on Nebula if it came down to a fight, that he could take on Ronan, and that the rest of the protectors could take on Korath and Gamora.
As for Priestess Ayesha, well, she would probably rain down hell on the Dark Aster and kill everyone associated to that space craft indiscriminately. That would of course cause a war between the Sovereign and the Mad Titan, and all hell would break loose.
Probably even someone as seemingly deranged as Nebula would understand the potential consequences of her actions if he explained to her what would happen. However, Steve was not permitted to utter a word about his affair with the Priestess, to anyone. Not even to his own team, even though the jig was probably up by now as far as his team was concerned.
Meanwhile: Other side of the Establishment
"Why are you trying to sneak up on me! Speak now or forever hold your tongue!" Sinara said venomously, holding the suspect by the throat as she had quickly turned around at the last moment, grabbed her stalker around the neck, and lifted them up high in the air, with one hand alone, her Sonic Spheres circling around the stalker as Sinara was just a mental command away from killing the hooded figure.
"S-Sinara! P-put me down so we can t-talk. I-is t-this how you greet an o-old f-friend?" The hooded figure, now easily identifiable as a woman due to the softness of her voice, managed to somehow push out the words from the vice grip around her throat.
"Who are you?" Sinara asked as she coiled her arm slightly in order to bring the stalker's face closer to her, almost immediately taking note of the signature blue skin of the Kree before realizing exactly who she was about to kill.
"Minn-Erva? Impossible! You're supposed to have died over a decade ago!" Sinara said, shocked, however, instead of an explanation, receiving only choking sounds from the the woman now identified as Minn-Erva.
"Oh, yes, sorry." Sinara apologized as she finally released her grip around the stalker, her tone completely void of sincerity, or any emotion for that matter.
"It's u-understandable. I-I tried to s-sneak up on you. It w-was the appropriate response." Minn-Erva replied as she tried repeatedly to clear her throat after almost dying by her best friend's hand no less.
"Well, I'm glad you're alive, even though you let me believe you were dead for well over a decade." Sinara said venomously.
"What was I supposed to do? You were a high ranking general, The Grand Executioner no less, and I was a fugitive. I didn't want to put you in that position." Minn-Erva replied.
"And the others? Bron-Char and Att-Lass?" Sinara asked curiously, not that she cared about them but she guessed that Minn-Erva probably did so that was enough for her to ask.
"Alive and well. Come with me, I have a more private setting. There are too many eyes on us, especially after that violent interaction we just had." Minn-Erva said, Sinara hesitating as she looked behind her to see what Steve was doing with Nebula.
"Your boyfriend? I saw you distracted by him, your eyes have been fixated on him since he arrived. Its why I thought I could discreetly approach you, but your skills of detection are as sharp as ever, even when you are distracted by a man. Is he the reason you betrayed Kassius and defected?" Minn-Erva asked curiously.
"He is." Sinara replied plainly, surprised by how accurate Minn-Erva's deduction abilities were, but not showing even a glimpse of just how surprised she was, keeping her cool and composed mask tightly fixed onto her facial features.
"You might have to give him a pass just this once then. Nobody rejects a daughter of Thanos, nobody wants or needs that kind of heat on them." Minn-Erva retorted.
"I could just kill her." Sinara retorted.
"You probably could, after all, you were just one promotion away from becoming an accuser, and the only reason you weren't promoted already was because you didn't come from a noble house. However, it wouldn't be as easy as you think, and I won't even mention the consequences of killing that person's daughter." Minn Erva argued, trying to dissuade her friend from making the dumbest decision of her life.
"You're right, of course, about the consequences. I'll just have to let Steve handle it however he deems fit…just this once." Sinara said as if merely talking about the weather forecast, although if one paid enough attention, they would be able to see her knuckles almost turn white from how tight her grip around her sonic spheres had become.
"Follow me." Minn-Erva said as she lead her old friend to a much more secluded and quieter area of the establishment, an area where Minn-Erva's other comrades, also covering their heads with hoods, were seated.
"Att-Lass, Bron-Char, meet my old friend, Sinara." Minn-Erva said excitedly.
"I didn't even know you had friends." Att-Lass, the leaner and younger of the two hooded men, replied, unable to hide his surprise.
"And here I thought you two idiots were my friends. Guess I was wrong about you." Minn-Erva retorted.
"That's not what I….I'm sorry." Att-Lass said dejectedly.
"Don't worry about it. Come my friend, sit down, we have much to discuss." Minn Erva said, waiting for Sinara to get comfortable before seating herself down too.
"No offense to your friend, but I thought we came here because we wanted to offer our services to Ronan, not have a tea party with old friends." Bron-Char said irritably, the tall, buff, long bearded warrior not looking pleased at all with their designated leader.
"That was before I ran into Sinara of course. It would be wiser to consider all of our options before making a final decision no?" Minn-Erva said rhetorically.
"I thought we were only joining Ronan because even the Kree Empire fears him. That is after all why they haven't so much as lifted a hand against him even after he went rogue. Sinara's reputation is known and respected, but it is nothing compared to Ronan. She cannot offer us the protection that he can." Att-Lass retorted.
"……"
"What?" Sinara asked when she saw that Minn-Erva was looking at her expectantly.
"Aren't you going to make them a compelling offer? You know I want to join you right? That's not even in question. But I'm your best friend, and they aren't. You need to convince them." Minn-Erva insisted.
"I don't recall saying anything about looking for new comrades." Sinara retorted.
"So you don't want me? Is that what you are saying?" Minn-Erva said with a hurt expression, an expression that pulled deep and hard at Sinara's heart strings.
'Damn her!' Sinara thought as she decided to explain the whole situation to her friend and her goons.
Its not that she trusted them, or even liked them, with the exception of Minn-Erva that is, however, these were former members of the Starforce. She would much rather they work for her and Steve than for Ronan, better they be her allies than her enemies given their strength and set of skills. Besides, given her current occupation as a protector of the universe, Sinara knew that it was only a matter of time before they clashed with Ronan, and if Minn-Erva was on Ronan's side, it would make things unnecessarily complicated for her.
"Wait just a moment. You expect us to bow down to one of the failed experiments from the war against the Skrulls? To serve beneath the feet of an abomination?" Bron-Char said with disgust.
"You ignorant fool. The c53 experiment was not a failure, rather, it was too much of a success. The inhumans were too powerful to be controlled, and the Supreme Intelligence feared that they would make slaves of us instead of them our slaves as intended. That is the real and only reason the experiments were aborted." Minn-Erva chastised her comrade.
"….."
"Still, the inhumans retained the life spans of normal terrans. They grow old and die just like any other terrans. When he gets old, weakens, and dies, we'll have to find another leader. Assuming he is as strong as you say he is, Sinara, who would replace him in about fifty annual cycles when he is too old to even take care of himself?" Att-Lass argued intelligently, free from personal bias and bigotry unlike his comrade and friend Bron-Char.
"Captain Rogers will live for thousands of years, just like us. He is no ordinary human, nor an ordinary inhuman. The Sovereign made sure of that." Sinara replied.
"Okay, assuming he is as powerful as you say and as skilled as you claim, what good is that without a name? Thanos, Ronan, Stakor Ogord, Yondu, Ego, Phyla Vell, and so on and so forth. Those are names that are known and feared throughout the universe. Evoking any of those names alone opens doors and causes fear and submission from enemies and rivals. Evoking the Captain Universe moniker means nothing, because nobody knows or fears him. He has no feats or achievements!" Bron Char whispered harshly.
"……"
"What?" Sinara asked, confused.
"What do you mean what? Convince this anus that joining you is the right move. Say something to refute his argument!" Minn-Erva said incredulously, just now remembering how insufferable Sinara's cool and uncaring attitude could be, ignorant of the fact that many have thought exactly the same about her own cool and uncaring attitude.
"I'm afraid I do not care enough to convince your friends to join us, I'm not even sure of what benefit such a weak willed person could be to the team. You on the other I know very well, I know your strength, your skill, your courage, and your intelligence as the former supreme scientist of the Kree Empire. We could use someone like you in our team." Sinara said words of praise for her best friend.
"The two of you on the other hand seem like deadweight, not for lack of talent or skill, after all, the only way to make it in the Elite Starforce is by merit and merit alone. However, I feel that whatever happened on C53 has caused you to lose something important, it is as though whoever defeated you took your courage and your will as a warrior with them, essentially emasculating you. There is no place for you in the Protectors, we are looking for brave warriors who would go to the pits of hell itself for the sake of all that is good and righteous. The two of you were once exactly that, but those days appear to be long gone." Sinara gave her brutally honest assessment.
"….."
"Your words are harsh, Executioner, but true." Att-Lass said much to the surprise of Bron-Char, who was staring at him like he had just grown a second head on his shoulders.
"The person you speak of is a former member of the Starforce, Vers, who goes by the moniker of Captain Marvel now. We have kept an extremely low profile for well over a decade in order to hide from her. We had hoped she would think us dead but without corpses as proof of our demise it seems as though to this day she still searches for us. We have recently had some close calls, she is hot on our tails. It is only a matter of time before she finds us, which is why we had hoped to join Ronan in the hopes that she would back off or if she didn't, then the Grand Accuser would defeat her for us." Att-Lass explained the situation that nobody really wanted to talk about out loud.
"It seemed plausible however that she wouldn't attack us if we joined Ronan as she hasn't so much as lifted a hand against Korath, who is also, as you know, a former member of the Starforce, and currently one of Ronan's generals. All in all, it would appear as though we have spent so much time hiding and running that we have lost ourselves in that way of life and forgotten our true selves. Thank you, Grand Executioner Sinara, for re-awakening the courage and spirit of a warrior that has slumbered for so long." Att-Lass said with sincere gratitude.
"So what will you do now that you have found yourself again? Will you go to battle with this Captain Marvel?" Sinara asked, for the first time showing interest in her new acquaintances.
"No, I will not seek her out, it is pointless to seek out a battle in which the result is already guaranteed, however, I will cower no longer at the mere mention of her name. The Starforce was originally supposed to be a team of heroes, dedicated to serve righteousness and all that is good in the world. If that is what you say the Protectors stand for, then I would be honored to fight alongside you if you will have me. If Vers should find me and kill me, then so be it. I will not live on my knees any longer, better I die on my feet." Att-Lass said passionately.
"I can detect no lies from you. You have indeed truly rediscovered your warrior spirit. May you never lose it again, or I will kill you myself." Sinara said with a small, sinister smirk.
"Does that mean you will have him then?" Minn-Erva asked with hope.
"Indeed. How can I turn down such a worthy warrior." Sinara said contently.
"….."
"W-what…?" Bron Char asked stubbornly, having tried and failed to ignore the stares that Minn-Erva and Att-Lass were giving to him.
"Fine! Whatever! We die on our feet then! Besides, who is going to watch your backs if you go without me!" Bron-Char said irritably, internally questioning however whether falling so low as to serve beneath a terran could really count as being on your feet.
"Softy." Minn-Erva deadpanned, Bron Char spotting a weird look that seemed like a hybrid between surprise and anger, wide eyed as he tried but failed to mount a credible retort.
"It is good to have you with us, my friend. Together, let us write a legend that will be sung across all the galaxies of the universe." Att-Lass said as he patted Bron Char on the back with his left hand, somehow managing to snuffle out the chuckles that were begging to escape his throat.
"This calls for a celebration." Minn-Erva said contently.
"Not yet. Since you are now provisional members of the team, it is time to prove your worth. We are looking for Martinex. He is a ravager captain who has stolen annulex batteries from the Sovereign. Our goal is to capture or kill him and of course, to retrieve all of the annulex batteries. In the wrong hands, those batteries can be used to create a most devastating weapon, or weapons."
"Martinex huh? Yes, we do know of his whereabouts, or rather his destination. You missed him by few mini cycles, he is travelling to Sakaar in order to sell the batteries to someone known as the Grand Master." Minn-Erva replied.
"Excellent. Then we must leave immediately. Follow me. We'll head to the Black Dragon immediately." Sinara replied.
"The black dragon, is that your ship?" Att-Lass asked curiously.
"It is. Now come, let us…." Sinara trailed off as the doors to the establishment exploded inwards, someone kicking the doors so hard that they were sent flying inside, a lot of people scrambling away to try and avoid getting squashed by the heavy steel doors.
The person that came in was a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, and she seemed to be glowing in a gold flashy color all over her body, cosmic energy radiating in waves off of her. She was wearing some kind of space uniform reminiscent of the uniforms that used to be worn by the Starforce of the Kree empire but in a completely different color scheme.
"C-Captain Marvel! She's here! How did she find us…?" Bron-Char thought out loud, his voice cracking slightly as he couldn't completely mask the fact that he was about to wet his pants.
"So those are the cosmic powers she absorbed from the space stone? She's strong, I'll give you that." Sinara thought analytically.
"That is an understatement. More importantly, what are we going to do. If she catches us here, we're as good as dead." Att-Lass replied.
"We're going to walk out the front door and head to the ship." Sinara said as she noted that a lot of people had already starting running out the door and that this Captain Marvel wasn't even paying them much attention, in fact, it kind of looked like she was headed straight for her Captain.
Meanwhile: With Captain Universe
"I'm looking for these three people. Have you seen them anywhere?" The mysterious woman, now identified as Captain Marvel, asked as she showed Steve three 3D projections of the people she was looking for, using the digital controller on her right arm to show him exactly who she was looking for.
"Hey, bitch! Who do you think you are? Can you not see this male is taken?" Nebula said furiously.
"You can have him when I'm done with him…if I feel like it." Captain Marvel said arrogantly.
"You bitch!" Nebula exclaimed, her left arm shooting up rapidly as she grabbed Captain Marvel and hoisted her in the air with a single arm, showing the incredible strength that she possessed as a weapon forged by Thanos himself, however, she soon found herself flying through the counter, through the shelves behind the counter, and into the steel wall as she was blasted away by a photon blast released from Captain Marvel's right fist, immediately knocking her unconscious.
"What was that? What are you?" Steve asked, shocked, although said shock wasn't enough to distract him completely as he immediately whooped out his shield and blocked a sword stab that would have ended Captain Marvel's life, Gamora, allegedly the most dangerous woman in the world having sneaked up from behind Captain Marvel and attempted to run her through, only to be met by an impossibly resistant force as Steve managed to get behind Captain Marvel with speed that was impossible to follow.
"You really aught to be more careful. Even with all that power, you can be killed if you do not watch your surroundings." Steve said, finding himself in an awkward situation as he had to watch out for Gamora, whilst staying alert in case it turned out this mysterious woman was a threat to him, and also looking out for Ronan in case he too decided to join the potential battle.
At the same time he also had to decipher the discreet signals that Sinara was sending his way while trying to figure out why she was leaving the establishment with three unidentified strangers. Finally, he had to find Auran, Sam, and Bucky and send discreet signals to them to so that they can stand by and not engage….yet, all of this happening in a matter of a few seconds.
"Why did you stop me? Is this how you treat the women who court you, watch them get attacked and then protect the person who attacked them instead of protecting the woman who showed a genuine interest in you?" Gamora asked, incensed.
"I know that she is your sister but I do not think getting into a potentially fatal brawl is the best way for you to help her. This woman, whoever she is, seems to only be interested in me. She only attacked your sister because your sister attacked first. I believe the best course of action is for you to check on your sister, see if she is okay, and then leave this establishment and get her medical attention. In the meantime I will handle this mysterious woman." Steve replied.
"She just tried to run me through from the back. She is criminal scum. Let me kill her." Captain Marvel said angrily.
"If you want my co-operation with whatever it is you want from me, then you will let her go." Steve retorted.
"…."
"Fine, but if she even looks at me funny, the deal is off." Captain Marvel, also known as Vers, replied.
"It sounds like a fair deal." Captain Rogers said, giving Gamora a meaningful look as he tried to communicate with her through his mind.
"Why should I trust you?" Gamora asked suspiciously.
"Because despite her….unusualness, I actually kind of like your sister, and you don't seem too bad yourself. I respect the fact that you immediately jumped to her protection despite the obvious danger. You are an honorable warrior. You have earned my respect." Steve replied sincerely.
"You…are not too bad yourself. I see now why Nebula was…drawn to you." Gamora replied.
"Thank you." Steve said with a genuine smile, causing Gamora to blush slightly, thankful to her green skin that it didn't show.
"I shall take my leave then." Gamora replied, quickly sheathing her sword as she ran to her sister's side, checking on her quickly to make sure she was still alive before hoisting her over her shoulder and making her way over to Ronan and Korath, who were now standing as they prepared to make their way out of the establishment.
"Ronan!" Captain Marvel called out loudly, taking the establishment by the scruff of the neck as everyone knew how powerful, dangerous, and volatile Ronan was, and also knowing that a fight between him and this mysterious woman would likely end with the entire establishment destroyed and everyone dead.
Meanwhile, Ronan didn't say a word, merely turning around and staring at the aforementioned woman with a death glare straight out of the pits of hell, the insanity dancing beneath the surface of his eyes clear and visible for everyone to see.
"Don't think that I will turn a blind eye to you forever. The only reason I haven't come after you yet is because you might be instrumental in taking down the Kree Empire. Remember that. You are only alive or not in jail at my whim." Captain Marvel said confidently, or arrogantly, depending on how one wants to look at it.
"All those years ago, I retreated from you and it has made you arrogant and conceited, because you are misinformed."
"There is no misinformation. You retreated with your tail between your legs." Captain Marvel retorted.
"Humiliation. Is that your goal? It only works when you use the truth, not with lies." Ronan retorted.
"Lies! You just admitted that you retreated!" Captain Marvel said incredulously.
"We were in air space and you had just destroyed a number of ships with moderate effort. Unlike you, I did not possess a breathing apparatus to allow me to breathe in the void, nor can I fly in the way that you can. It was merely a strategic retreat. We are however on land now, and there is sufficient breathable air. This establishment is sacred, but I am certain there are many places on this planet where we can have our battle and prove once and for all who the superior warrior is between the two of us, not that there is even any real question about it except only in your imagination." Ronan retorted, Captain Marvel visibly turning red with anger and embarrassment as Ronan was throwing metaphorical bombs at her.
"That will not be necessary! There has been enough violence for today. Whatever rivalry the two of you have, you can always settle it another time. Besides, you wanted to ask me something didn't you?" Steve asked, hoping to avoid any more unnecessary conflict, Captain Marvel looking between Ronan and Captain Universe for what felt like a long time before finally deciding which one to prioritize.
"Fine! Whatever! Bartender, get me the Kyrylorian Express!" The mysterious warrior shouted in frustration, the bartender scrambling quickly in order to get the drink ready as he did not want to piss off someone who was able to make short work of a daughter of Thanos and had even managed to allegedly make Ronan the Accuser himself retreat in battle.
Meanwhile, Ronan left the establishment with Gamora and Korath in tow, seething with anger but his discipline and training not allowing him to show much of it. It was only after Ronan was far enough away that Captain Marvel finally released her binary form, the golden cosmic energy surround her form dissipating altogether.
"You didn't have to intercede on my behalf you know, no mere sword can penetrate me when I'm in my binary form." Captain Marvel replied.
"I could not have known that, besides, that is no mere sword. That is the Godslayer, it is given that name for a reason. It is a sword that can slay even cosmic beings." Steve retorted.
"I did not know that. Such weapons actually exist?" Captain Marvel asked incredulously.
"Ronan's weapon is known as the Cosmi Rod, it is also known as the Universal Weapon. That hammer can kill you too. So yes, such weapons do exist. My only guess is that you have had such an easy time so far that you have grown a little conceited. You might want to pay a little more attention to the people you antagonize." Steve warned.
"Noted." Captain Marvel replied after searching Steve's eyes for quite a long time.
"So anyway, I'm kind of busy. You said you had something to ask me?" Steve said with a serious tone.
"Busy? That crazy cyborg or whatever was all over you. You weren't busy, you were flirting." Captain Marvel retorted.
"She is…very forward, and insistent. Lets just say I was in a tight spot. Its not easy to reject the advances of a daughter of Thanos, believe me." Steve replied sheepishly.
"Thanos? Who is that? Let me guess, some kind of evil warlord?" Captain Marvel said obliviously.
"Arguably thee most powerful and evil warlord of the universe. To give you some context, think of Ronan as the baby version of Thanos." Steve retorted, the blonde haired mystery woman widening her eyes involuntarily as she realized the implications of what Steve was saying.
"So….is he very attached to his daughters?" Captain Marvel asked sheepishly.
"I don't know. But I bet he is attached to his reputation. He might think that an attack on his daughters is a slight on him. But you can never really know how these evil warlords think." Steve said with a casual shrug of the shoulders, causing Captain Marvel to laugh heartily, unable to remember the last time she even had such a genuine laugh before.
"You're a very interesting man uh…"
"Steve Rogers, and you?" Steve asked as he extended his hand out for a handshake, Captain Marvel shaking his hand with as tough and as hard a grip as she could master, surprised when Steve didn't even flinch at all nor did his bones show any signs of being under distress from the pressure she was putting on them.
'He's very strong. Even a super soldier shouldn't be this strong. He also moved at an unnatural speed when he stopped that green lady, far beyond what one would expect from a mere super soldier. Fury was right, something is fishy about this guy claiming to be the real Captain America.' Captain Marvel thought warily.
Sure, she could put a much greater force on his bones if she were in her binary form, but even without her binary form she should have at least, at the very least, been able to get him to flinch. That he seemed not to even register her attempt spoke volumes about this guy's strength and durability.
"Steve Rogers? That sounds awfully like a popular terran name, like the name of Captain Steve Rogers, also known as Captain America." Captain Marvel said inquisitively.
"Yes, well, I go by a different moniker nowadays. They call me Captain Universe now. I've decided not to fight strictly for America anymore but for all of sentient and even non-sentient kind." Steve replied passionately.
"An honorable objective, and I say that as one with exactly the same aspirations as you." Captain Marvel retorted.
"I'm glad to hear that. Maybe we should keep in touch then, you probably have never needed back-up before, but there is a first time for everything." Steve offered.
"Hmmm….you know what, that doesn't sound like such a bad idea. I think I might just accept your offer." Captain Marvel replied, slightly disappointed by Steve's offer as she had been hoping he would actually invite her to join his team so that she can accurately gather more intel on him.
"Great! It might be more helpful if I knew your name though, its going to be weird if I have to call you dangerous super sexy glowing blonde lady every time we speak." Steve said jokingly, Captain Marvel bursting out with uncontrollable laughter as she couldn't believe just how ridiculous this guy was.
"Okay okay, I give up. I would have liked to keep the mystery going a little longer but oh well." The dangerous super sexy blonde lady said.
"My name is Carol Danvers, and yes, it's a terran name, yes, I am originally from planet Tera, or earth is we call it. I was in the US airforce, and due to certain events involving the kree, the skrulls, and the infinity stone known as the space stone, I was able to get these powers. I'm also part kree because I had a blood transfusion done to me in order to turn me into a kree weapon. I had my memory wiped but I was able to regain my memories when a mission to hunt down the skrulls took me back to earth. My alias is Captain Marvel, but I don't think you have heard of me otherwise you would know who I was already without needing to ask." The mysterious woman, now identified as Carol Danvers, replied.
"Interesting. Well, its nice to meet you, Carol Danvers. It seems we have a lot more in common than just our goal to keep the innocent people of the Universe safe from war crimes and oppression. Let us hope this is the beginning of a great friendship." Steve said humbly.
"I'll drink to that." Carol said as she took a huge swig of the pint in front of her.
"Don't you want anything to drink? I'll buy." Carol offered.
"No thanks. And no, I have never seen the people that you are looking for, nor have I heard of them. However, I will be keeping an ear and an eye out." Steve said sincerely, not realizing just how soon he was going to be meeting those people, nor realizing that as a result of the circumstances of that near future encounter, the promise he was making right now was actually a lie.
'Damn it! What should I do? I can't ask him to let me join his team, he already thinks that I'm not the type to need backup, and if I'm not the type to need backup then I'm not the type to need to join a team. If I make the wrong move I will blow my cover.' Carol thought, frustrated by her lack of foresight from the moment she entered this establishment.
"Are you okay?" Steve asked with concern.
"Yes, sorry. I was just thinking about something personal." Carol lied.
"Okay, well, anyway I have to go. I'm sure my crew is getting worried about me. Here, take this, use it to contact me if you need anything." Steve said as he handed to her a communication device.
"Thank you, army." Carol said with a warm smile.
"My pleasure, air force." Steve retorted as he got up to leave, only to have Captain Danvers grab his arm with an iron grip.
"I'm thinking about spending the night here in Kryloria, but this is an unfamiliar territory for me. It might be better if I had some company until I'm ready to leave tomorrow morning, or afternoon, depending on the mood." Carol said with a smile that was both cheeky and seductive in nature.
"That would be a most enjoyable and amazing night I'm sure, but unfortunately, as I tried to tell Nebula earlier, my girlfriend would not approve. I am very attached to my testicles Captain Danvers, I have no intention of losing them any time soon." Steve said apologetically.
"I understand. She is a lucky woman. Speaking of which, what species is she if you do not mind me asking? There can't be that many terrans running around in space, or rather flying around." Carol said, causing Steve to laugh involuntarily at the running around in space comment.
"She is a kree woman. Her name is Sinara." Steve replied.
"Sinara? The Grand Executioner? How did someone like you end up with someone like her?" Carol asked in utter shock, wondering if Fury's suspicions were right after all about this being either an imposter or a corrupted Captain America.
"I was on an undercover mission. I was to seduce her and eliminate her when the time came. She took me in as her sex slave and one thing lead to another." Steve summarized lamely.
"W-what?" Captain Marvel said incredulously, unable to believe how utterly bizarre and ridiculous Steve's story was.
"She was my mark for a mission, I was her sex slave. We fell in love and she no longer saw me as a sex slave, nor did I see her as my mark any longer. I managed to convince her to join my cause and she helped me dispose if Kassius and save the other slaves, and yes, she, like you and Ronan, has defected from the Kree Empire." Steve explained.
"I see. I actually thought we were the same but your story is far more bizarre than I could have fathomed. Sinara the Executioner? I sure hope you know what you're doing. That is by far the most sinister and malevolent woman I have ever met, even more than my target, Minn-Erva." Carol said, staring Steve directly in the eye to see if there would be any flash of recognition at the mention of that name, but to her relief there was non whatsoever.
"Minn-Erva? The female on the 3D image you showed me?" Steve asked curiously.
"Yes, that one." Carol retorted.
"Its always the beautiful ones unfortunately." Steve said jokingly.
"Shut up!" Carol said as she punched Steve on the shoulder playfully, the two captains having fun at each other's expense.
"See you around, Captain Marvel." Steve said as he walked towards the door.
"See you around, Captain Universe." Carol said with a genuine smile.
'I couldn't even seduce any information out of him because he is loyal to his girlfriend. Well, being loyal to boot to the ones you love sounds like a Captain America kind of thing, although the person he is loyal to being Sinara The Executioner poses a contradiction somehow. Fury is gonna be pissed when I come back with basically nothing on this guy.' Carol thought with a shake of the head.
'Sorry Fury but you're going to have to accept that this is going to be a long term mission.' Carol thought as she ordered another drink, unable to believe how good this Krylorian Express was. Who knew Kryloria had such wonderful delicacies? Maybe she should come by this side of the universe more often, even when he her mission to uncover the truths behind Captain Universe is officially over.
20 minutes later: At The Black Dragon
"Say something…" Sinara pleaded, even though to anyone else but Steve it sounded more like a demand.
"Forgive me, my love. I did not mean to put you at unease. I understand why you want these people to join us, it is the same reason I wanted Bucky to join us despite his less than stellar reputation as the Winter Soldier, because he was my best friend, just like Minn-Erva is yours. I cannot fault you for that, not especially when I am just as guilty." Steve replied.
"Then why are you delaying your approval? What is the matter? Do you not trust my judgement? Or is it me you do not trust?" Sinara asked interrogatively.
"I trust you wholeheartedly, that shouldn't even be a question, and of course I trust your judgement. Its just that, well, you see the woman who kind of unintentionally saved me from Nebula, was looking for these three people. She wants to capture them and take them to the Kiln for the crimes they have allegedly committed, or alternatively, to kill them."
"We are not criminals. Fugitives, deserters, yes, unfortunately, but not criminals. We make an honest living by doing security work and bounty hunting." Minn-Erva said, affronted by the very idea of being labelled as a common criminal.
"Okay, so why does Captain Marvel believe that you guys are dangerous criminals?" Steve asked curiously.
"We are dangerous, but we aren't criminals. Vers holds a grudge against us because of what the Kree Empire did to her. We were a part of it yes, but we were just following orders and trying to bring a long running war to its conclusion." Minn-Erva retorted.
"What were you doing at that place? That's where the criminals of the underworld gather. A peculiar place for a not criminal to be found isn't it?" Sam asked suspiciously.
"Yeah, what was a non criminal and her crew doing there?" Bucky asked suspiciously.
"Did you idiots forget that you were there too, and so was the Captain?" Auran asked incredulously.
"Hey! Whose side are you on anyway?" Sam protested.
"Normally it would be a really stupid question, but in this case it happens to be a question of great significance. We are not criminals, but we were about to become criminals. We were planning to offer our fealty to Ronan the Grand Accuser. I'm sure you all saw how he stood up to her? Korath, the dark skinned Kree that was with him, was also a member of the Starforce, but he has also remained unharmed by Vers. We figured that serving under Ronan would gives us protection from her." Minn-Erva explained.
"And you knew this?" Auran asked, directing her question at Sinara.
"She did, I told her the truth, as I am telling you now. When I saw her, I quickly changed my mind. I would rather fight alongside my best friend than under Ronan. I also figured that whoever she betrayed Kassius for must have been either very strong or very influential, or both." Minn-Erva explained.
"I don't know Cap. I don't think we can trust these people." Sam said, unconvinced.
"That is not your decision to make, it is the Captain's decision." Sinara replied, looking at Steve intently.
"Well, what does the captain say?" Bucky asked curiously.
"A good leader listens to the council of his generals. Sam doesn't approve, but Sinara clearly does. What about you, Bucky? What say you?" Cap asked curiously.
"Me? Well, I think I'm in no position to judge. You accepted me and Auran despite our checkered pasts, you accepted Sinara too. Clearly, someone's past is not a yardstick by which you seem to measure the value of people. I think you should trust your instincts, and I also think that I trust your instincts too." Bucky retorted.
"I agree with James. I was the worst kind of traitor to my own King and you still gave me a second chance. It would be hypocritical of me to judge these people because or their past. I will accept whatever decision you make, Captain." Auran replied.
"Then we are all on the same boat. The majority of humankind see me as a traitor who has allied himself with aliens. In a way, we are all deserters, traitors, and fugitives. I also happen to trust Sinara and her judgement wholeheartedly. So with that said, welcome to the Protectors of the Universe, Minn-Erva, Att-Lass, and Bron-Char." Captain Rogers said with a warm smile, moving towards the trio in order to shake each of their hands, none of them failing to note the sheer strength and power of the man when they felt his handshake.
"Thank you, Captain Rogers. We will serve with diligence and honor, and most of all, with loyalty. You have my word." Minn-Erva said with certainty and conviction.
"I believe you, and I am glad to have you by my side, all of you." Steve said as he gave each one of the new recruits a sincere and meaningful look.
"Sinara, it falls on you to get our new comrades settled in. Show them to their quarters and make sure they are up to speed by tomorrow morning. It will take us three days to get to Sakaar. I will spend tommorrow training and sparring with our new recruits, and then you and I will help them to choose new armor and weaponry from our armory." Steve ordered authoratively.
"Consider it done." Sinara said, signaling the new recruits to follow her as she began giving them a tour of the ship.
"Sakaar huh? I've only heard terrible things about that place. We'll have to be on guard at all times." Auran said with a warning undertone.
"Aren't we always?" Bucky asked rhetorically.
"Just making sure you don't drag the Captain down with you, Winter Soldier." Auran countered.
"Your warning has been noted Auran, thank you. Now get some rest, all of you. We'll need all of our strength when we get to Sakaar." Steve ordered, getting affirmatives from his subordinates as they all headed to their own respective resting places.
Four Days Later: Sakaar
"Captain Rogers speaking. Corridor B has been cleared. I have reached the rendezvous point. Starforce, what is your status?" Steve asked, speaking through the shared frequency of the communicators that each member of his team had.
"Minn-Erva speaking. Almost done, will rendezvous in five terran minutes." Minn-Erva replied as she blasted the Sakaaran soldiers in front of her with a powerful wave of vibrational frequencies, her left palm facing forward as the specially designed gloves that she wore released a single, powerful wave that put all eleven soldiers that tried to stop her out of commission. The gloves were a gift from Captain Rogers, in fact, they were not really gloves but an extension of the promethium weave suit that she was wearing.
It was a project Steve had been working on before he was sent to save the inhumans, a project he had abandoned once he got his inhuman powers. However, with the Starforce joining his team, and with them having Captain Marvel hunting them down, Steve had decided to go ahead and finish up the project in the time that it took them to get to Sakaar. He had almost been done anyway, so it wasn't difficult for him to complete it in the short time that it took them to get to Sakaar.
The suit was a replica of the Starforce uniform that Minn-Erva and her friends were wearing when they joined the team, and Steve had designed it so that it had every single feature that their original suits had. However, the difference was that these suits were made of promethium weave nano technology, which meant that they were nigh indestructible, the suit as a result proving to be a significant boost in terms of both defensive and offensive power.
Minn-Erva's suit was especially unique because of the special features it had, giving her the ability to shoot sound and vibrational waves from her chest, her palms, and her feet. This served as a great long, mid, and short range method of attack for her and it also gave her the ability to fly.
Needless to say, Minn-Erva was not only grateful but for the first time in a long time, actually felt safe for once, like she didn't have to run and hide from Captain Marvel anymore, like she actually had a chance at defeating her arch nemesis, all thanks to her Captain. As a result, she had sworn to do everything in her power to serve and protect him, no matter who she had to kill, maim, or betray. She owed him everything, and she was more than willing to pay with her life if it came down to it.
"Corridor A clear. Making my way to the rendezvous point." Minn-Erva said as she updated both her superior and her comrades.
" Great work, Minn-Erva. Att-Lass, Bron-Char. What is your status?" Steve asked, slightly concerned that the other two had not reported yet.
"Att-Lass speaking. Corridor C is almost cleared. Will Rendezvous in four minutes." Att-Lass reported as he released a powerful energy blast of energy from his right palm that immediately incinerated all nine Sakaaran soldiers that tried to kill or capture him.
His suit was similar to Minn-Erva's suit, except that his didn't produce vibrations but rather his produced powerful quantum energy blasts. The soles of his boots also had gyroscopic technology which allowed him to levitate and fly, and because of the promethium weave nano tech, his suit acted as both an offensive and defensive booster.
If Vers ever found them again, Att-Lass was confident that she would have a much tougher time than she ever had before, in fact, she would be in for a rude awakening because they wouldn't go down so easily this time and they certainly had no reason to run and hide from her anymore.
" Bron-Char reporting in. Rendezvous in appromixately eight minutes. Corrido D almost cleared." Bron-Char responded as he literally disintegrated his enemies.
His suit was similar to Att-Lass's in that, apart from the standard features of all the suits, it had the ability to gather and fire a crazy amount of quantum energy, however that was where the similarities ended.
His suit was special in that its nano technology was far more advanced than the others, as his suit could take practically any form that he wanted. As of right now, the suit had transformed to form two large energy canons on each of his shoulders, and one on his chest, and he was firing all three cannons with a simple mental command and tearing through everything on sight.
The suit also had the ability to transform into jet boosters under his feet on his back in order for him to fly, or it could even enhance physical attacks significantly by adding a jet boost to his punches and kicks. Needless to say, he was feeling really good about himself and couldn't believe how foolish he was to ever question Minn-Erva decision join Captain Rogers. Abomination or not, the man had his respect, admiration, appreciation, and most of all, his loyalty.
Eight Minutes Later: Rendezvous point
"We have taken care of every obstacle, Captain." Minn-Erva reported in to her captain, Steve, although not losing any of his focus, unable to help but take note of the fact the Starforce had redesigned their costumes to somewhat resemble his, and even had stars on their chest for good measure.
'Well I suppose they are the Star Force after all. That could be the reason for the star.' Steve thought, though ultimately deciding that it didn't matter in the grand scheme of things.
"Well done, all of you. You carry on performing at this level and your first mission will be completed in no time at all." Steve said words with praise for his new recruits.
"Thank you, Captain. But what are we to do now? Our presence has no doubt already been discovered. The enemy could have fled already if there is a secret escape port in the base, alternatively, we could be walking into an ambush." Minn-Erva asked warily.
"They won't escape. That's why we have the Galaxy Force patrolling the entire station. To make sure no one escapes." Steve replied.
The Galaxy Force was the team that Sinara the Executioner was leading, consisting of The Winter Soldier, Auran the Immortal, and Falcon. Falcon was the one who came up with the name, and Steve suspected that the name was meant as a slight on the Star Force, because obviously, a galaxy is much bigger than any single star.
"What of this Grandmaster sir? His minions were no match for us but I do not believe he will be as easy as they were to take down." Bron-Char asked warily.
"Do not worry. I have witnessed your collective and individual strength in training, you will not fall so easily. Whatever happens, we will retrieve those anulex batteries." Steve replied confidently.
"What do you think this Grandmaster wants with the batteries sir?" Att-Lass asked curiously.
"Let us find out." Steve replied as he extended his right palm towards the heavy security steel doors in front of him, releasing an immensely powerful repelling force that blew the doors off their hinges.
"Aaww if it isn't…uh…who are you again?" A surprisingly humanoid man said when Steve and his crew walked…or rather broke into his sanctuary, having waited patiently, and though he would never admit it, warily for the intruders to reach this place.
The aforementioned man has the appearance of a human man in his fifties, spotting short grey hair and wearing red, blue and gold robes that appear to be befitting of royalty. He seems to be sitting on somewhat of a throne and has what Steve could only theorize to be a weapon of some sort, although it just looked like a stick with a big ball at the end of it. He also had what to Steve appeared to be a marking on his chin made from blue paint.
Next to the man was an ebony woman with light skin and hair that was styled in a pony tail. She appears to have a white paint of some sort on her forehead and below the eyes and is dressed in an all black combat outfit, making it quite obvious that she was a warrior of some kind, especially with the sword on her hip and the way she was standing around the man as if to protect him.
On the other side of the man is a big boned Caucasian looking woman, also with brunet hair in pony tail. She on also has white markings on her facial features, hut hers run from the middle of her head to just above the eyes, and then she has two other markings, one on the outside of each eye. She is also wearing a combat uniform, except hers was black and gold in colour.
There were others in the room too, twelve others to be exact, all wearing ravager uniforms. One of them was Martinex, a being who looked like his entire body was made of blue and purple crystals, the man who was the target of this mission.
"Am I to assume you are this Grandmaster that is about to make a sales deal with this ravager captain?" Steve asked politely.
"Yes, I am Grandmaster, and the beautiful women on my left and right hand side are Scrapper 142 and Topaz respectively. Tell me, how can I help you….uh?" Grandmaster asked in an even more polite manner than Captain Universe.
"Forgive me for my rudeness, Grandmaster, my name is Steve Rogers, I am also more commonly known as Captain Universe. The beautiful women on my left is Minn-Erva, and the two men are Att-Lass and Bron-Char. We are members of the Protectors of the Universe, and this particular team is codenamed Starforce." Steve introduced himself and his allies, reciprocating the Grandmaster's apparent appreciation for formalities.
"I am honored to meet your acquaintance, Captain Rogers, or at least I would be if you hadn't just invaded my palace and killed all of the men on my payroll. Would you be so kind as to enlighten me as to the reason for this affront?" Grandmaster asked curiously.
"We came here to stop the sale of stolen annulex batteries, to apprehend or kill the thieves, and to retrieve and return the stolen batteries, by order of Priestess Ayesha of the Sovereign." Captain Rogers deadpanned.
"I see. Well, I am sorry but I cannot allow that to happen. I am in need of those batteries to power a weapon that I am developing." Grandmaster replied.
"And that is precisely why we were sent to retrieve the batteries, because of their potential to be used in the development of devastating weaponry, weaponry that might potentially be used against the very developers of the batteries." Steve retorted.
"It appears then that we have found ourselves at an impasse." Grandmaster retorted.
"I do not believe so. I came here fully prepared to maim and kill anyone who would stop me from retrieving the batteries. Negotiation is the preferable option, but that can change at a moment's notice." Steve said with a grave undertone.
"I…I don't think he is joking, he looks like he really means what he is saying. What do you think we should do?" Grandmaster asked as he looked at his two generals for advice.
"Turn all the males into goo with the melt stick, but not a moment before making them watch as you rape the female for hours on end!" Topaz said spitefully, much to the utter shock and disbelief of Grandmaster.
"Just when I think I couldn't be anymore surprised by the sheer depth of your sadism. Topaz! I'm appalled. We are not savages!" Grandmaster said, shaking his head in dismay.
"What about you, Scrapper 142? What do you think we should do?" Grandmaster asked curiously.
"We do not have to do anything, the sale has not been concluded yet, therefore, ownership of the batteries has not passed yet. If we do nothing, the ravagers might win and defeat them, in which case, we could simply carry on with the sales negotiations after the fact. If the ravagers lose, maybe they might have taken down one or two of them, which would make our chances of beating them that much higher. We could then finish them off and just take the batteries." Scrapper 142 replied.
"That….is actually a very inspired plan. You never cease to amaze me, Scrapper 142." Grandmaster said with genuine appreciation.
"Her plan is garbage! What if the ravagers lose easily, what if they neither take out any of these so called protectors or even wound them? What then?" Topaz argued, envious of the praise that scrapper 142 was getting from Grandmaster, although she also did in fact make a compelling argument.
"There is a good chance that the Protectors are honorable people. My analysis and judgement suggests that if put to them, the protectors might be willing to compensate us for our losses. They did after all break into our castle and kill dozens of our men. They would have to compensate us handsomely for our suffering at their hands, perhaps enough to fund an even greater army. If we cannot get our weapon, then at least let us get an army." Scrapper 142 retorted.
"And if they aren't honorable? If they try to kill us?" Topaz asked irritably.
"Then we fight to the death. At the very least we will have gathered some significant data on their fighting style to maybe come up with a winning strategy, and we still have the advantage that they do not know our abilities." Scrapper retorted.
"Hmmm…..interesting. I must say it doesn't seem like we have any control over this situation, but you are right. We have no choice but to recuse ourselves for now." Grandmaster said with a thinking pose.
"Okay, it has been decided. We will wait for you and the Ravagers to sort out this mess between the two of you. We will neither hinder nor help you." Grandmaster announced.
"A most wise decision." Steve said with a dangerous undertone.
"Haaah! Hahahaha! You think its going to be that easy to take these batteries from us…" Martinex trailed off in shock as his entire ravager clan was taken out in a matter of seconds, Steve not giving Martinex a chance to even finish talking as he threw his shield, not with all of his strength, but with enough that it was moving at a ridiculous speed, the shield breaking skulls and chest cavities as it bounced around on walls, people's heads and people's chests.
That wasn't even the extent of it as when it wasn't bouncing on walls, the shield was disappearing into portals and suddenly appearing behind people's heads or in front of their chest cavities, causing havoc and devastation in its path. Before he could even blink, Martinex found himself all alone in the world, the shield eventually making its way back to its master as Steve caught it again and put it on his back.
"This is when you surrender, unless you want to join your clan in the afterlife that is to say, or unless you think you actually stand a chance against the most powerful being in the universe." Minn-Erva said dangerously.
"I….I surrender. You can have the batteries." Martinex said with both his hands in the air, going down on his knees, putting his head on the floor, and putting his hands behind his back, adopting a position of complete submission and surrender.
"Bummer! And I was actually hoping that he would fight back. I heard these Pluvians are extremely durable, and they allegedly have the ability to shoot heat and ice from their hands. It would have been interesting to see how he faired against the Captain no?" Bron-Char said with disappointment.
"He would not have faired at all. At least he was smart enough to realize that. Clearly he did not attain his position in the Ravager Empire because of his brawn alone. He has some measure of intellect." Att-Lass retorted.
"Hurry up and cuff him. We will drop him off at the Kyln on our way back." Steve ordered, Bron-Char doing as ordered as he took out specially designed cuffs, cuffs that were designed to detect extreme levels of heat or cold and would therefore electrocute and paralyze or kill the prisoner if he tried to use his powers.
"Att-Lass, check the container. Make sure all twelve of the stolen batteries are in there." Steve ordered.
"Sir!" Att-Lass saluted as he quickly went over and checked the container, confirming that all the batteries were in there.
"Thank you for your co-operation, Grandmaster. Please share your communication link with us. When we return home, we will contact you, by which time we hope you will have tallied the total cost of your co-operation. The Priestess will ensure that you are handsomely compensated for your help in retrieving the batteries." Steve said sincerely.
"See, I told you they were honorable people." Scrapper 142 said triumphantly.
"Yes, yes you did." Grandmaster said with a thinking pose.
"Might I suggest an alternative form of payment? Perhaps if you could fulfil the purpose I had for the army I was gathering and the weapon that required the annulex batteries, then there wouldn't be any need for financial compensation." Grandmaster counter offered after thinking over it for quite a while.
"And what purpose would that be?" The big, muscular, bearded member of the Starforce, Bron-Char, asked suspiciously.
"You see, the Red King, who is the young man who rules Sakaar is an oppressive dictator. He has enslaved the entire population and rules with an iron fist. My purpose is to dethrone him and bring a prosperous and peaceful life for all Sakaarians. You have derailed those plans however, so maybe you can help me to dethrone the Red King in order to make it up to me." Grandmaster explained, mostly telling the truth but not in its entirety Steve suspected.
"Alright, sounds like a reasonable deal. We are the protectors of the Universe after all. Tell me more about the situation in Sakaar, leave no detail out…."
Four Hours Later: Back at the Black Dragon
"You can't seriously tell me that you believe that scumbag, Captain? He is obviously lying. He sounds just like Maximus to me." Auran said skeptically.
"I told you him that too, but he is adamant about helping that shady old man." Minn-Erva retorted.
"Hey! You're a newby, you have not earned the right to question Cap yet, if there even is such a right." Sam retorted.
"Must you always be so insufferable? How have you tolerated this man for this long, Sinara?" Minn-Erva asked with exasperation.
"It hasn't been that long." Sinara shrugged uncaringly.
"Steve is not as naïve is you all believe him to be, in fact, he is the most discerning and perceptive man that I know. I'm sure he has something up his sleeve." Bucky said his own piece.
"Obviously." Sinara deadpanned.
"What is the plan, Captain? What do you have in mind for Sakaar?" Att-Lass asked curiously, always eager to learn from his superiors in order to improve himself.
"Simple. I agreed to help to dethrone the Red King only, and only if the information Grandmaster provided checked out. Furthermore, I agreed to dethrone the Red King, but I do not recall agreeing to put Grandmaster in charge after I do so, for I too do not trust Grandmaster's intentions." Steve retorted.
"Then who would you leave in…wait a minute, do you intend to put yourself in charge?" Minn-Erva asked, eyes wide as realization dawned on her.
"Only as a last resort, it would be much more preferable however if the people chose their own leader. If there is someone whom the people believe in and put their faith in, and that person is worthy of that faith, then I will find him or her and help them to rise to the throne. If not, then I will have to become that person." Steve replied.
"And how exactly do you intend to find this person in a planet with billions of people?" Sam asked incredulously.
"Why at the gladiatorial games of course. Think about it, the best warriors in the planet can be found there, and if the Red King is as corrupt and evil as the Grandmaster says he is, then most likely most of the warriors that have been enslaved are the good guys. If the person I am looking for cannot be found there, then certainly the person who knows who this person is will be found there." Cap replied with a mischievous smirk.
"You believe you can find this person by simply watching a bunch of death matches?" Bucky asked skeptically.
"Idiot. He has no intention of watching the games. He means to join the games as a competitor." Sinara deadpanned, able to accurately discern the thoughts and intentions of her man without him needing to tell her, such was the strength of their bond.
"That has the potential to go horribly wrong in so many ways, but…it also has the potential to be a stroke of genius. Given your power and skill, you should be able to rise and become the champion in relatively short time, and people love their champions. People from both sides will covert your allegiance, you will have them all eating at the palm of your hand. At that point you will have one of two choices, to join the resistance, assuming there is one, or to join the Red King as a double agent, or both." Att-Lass deduced.
"My thoughts exactly. Meanwhile the rest of you are to return the batteries to the Sovereign and report to Priestess Ayesha. I will leave Sinara in charge. You are all to treat her with the same respect and dignity as you would me, and all the power and authority vested in me is now vested in her. I will contact you when it is time to take down the Red King." Steve ordered.
"You can't honestly expect us to leave you alone in a planet full of enemies. We just found you, we have no intention of losing you so soon…or ever." Minn-Erva said distressfully, for her at least, Att-Lass, Sinara, and Bron-Char the only ones taking note of the uncharacteristic nature of her behavior towards the Captain.
"And yet you must, not only because it is an order, but because I need you to continue the mission while I am away. There are many people in the universe who are in need of our help, not just the Sakaarians. You must continue to fight the good fight until we are reunited again." Steve said compassionately, putting his right hand on Minn-Erva's shoulder as a comforting gesture as he spoke, giving her a warm and reassuring smile in order to put her at ease.
"You better not die then," Minn-Erva said, schooling her features and steeling her resolve for what was to come.
"He won't die. He has a great destiny ahead of him. Besides, if he dares to die on me, I'll kill him." Sinara deadpanned, everyone looking at her like she has just grown another head on her shoulders, wondering if Sinara even realized the impossibility of her words.
"I'll never get used to how sadistic your girlfriend is man, despite my own homicidal history." Bucky said in dismay.
"If the meeting is adjourned, then meet me in our quarters. There is much to…discuss between the two of us before we leave you in this cesspool of a planet." Sinara said as she turned and walked towards the direction of the quarters that she shared with Steve, Cap unable to take his eyes off of her as he was mesmerized by Sinara's sex appeal, unable to help but take note of the noticeable sway of her hips as she walked away seductively.
"If there aren't anymore questions or objections, then the meeting is adjourned." Steve said in a trance-like state, everyone rolling their eyes at just how whooped their captain was, also at the fact that it was obvious to everyone that there wasn't going to be any discussing of anything in those sleeping quarters.
"Well, that's that. Lets just hope that there is no one worthy of leading the Sakaarians." Auran said out loud.
"What? Why would you wish for that?" Sam asked incredulously.
"She means for the Captain to become the Supreme Ruler of Sakaar, idiot. It would expand his Empire, he would then be Ruler of not just Vrellnexia, but also Sakaar. Besides, his are the best hands to turn around that place into an Utopia, everyone knows that except you and him apparently." Bron-Char retorted.
"Hey man that's not what I signed up for. I didn't sign up to help cap become some kind of world conqueror, I signed up because I thought we were going to be saving lives and helping people." Sam argued.
"Then you are an idiot. The only way for the captain to save those mongrels is for him to take the Red King's throne. Besides, its not conquest if the people choose you by their own free will to lead them. The Vrellnexians chose him, and I have no doubt that so too will the Sakaarians." Auran retorted, leaving Sam speechless as he couldn't mount any coherent argument to Auran's logic.
End Chapter