Disclaimer: I do not own any movies set up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or Star Wars movies, cartoons, games, books, or comics. They belong to their respective copyright owners. This story is not created with a commercial aim. It is not for sale or rent.
Phase 4: Changing world II
=IS=
Part 3
=IS=
The Triskelion
Theodore Roosevelt Island, US
Fury sat at the head of a horseshoe-shaped table and checked his note for the damn meeting. He was too busy trying to figure out which power block in his organization tried to fuck everyone by murdering Stark. Fury had other issues to deal with instead of today's political bullshit. However, he had no choice but to be here. One way or another, this meeting would change the world, not necessarily for the better.
In front of the table, dozens of people sat, chatting quietly. When they deigned to arrive, the table was reserved for the full SHIELD Oversight Council. The people already present were high-ranked government officials from NATO and US allies, alongside military advisors in the know.
The Council finally deigned to enter, bringing the conversations to a sudden stop. Fury sighed and stood up. He schooled his expression into a mask of indifference. At least one of the bastards calmly strutting towards the table had their fingers all over the Director's current troubles. He knew it for a fact. Tracking down which clique was responsible was proving fiendishly hard, and that was something Fury loathed.
Hawley and Rockwell walked beside each other, chatting like old friends. Pamela was unlikely to be the one who tried to off Stark. From what Fury could gather, her group approached Stark first. By all accounts, Stark quickly struck a good working relationship with them. Rockwell was probably the straightest arrow on the Council right now. On the face of it, that bunch had no reason to kill the former playboy.
Alexander and Malik came next. As far as Fury knew, they were gleeful at Stark's performance as of late, even before he changed in Afghanistan. The Jericho missiles were something SHIELD contracted for in large numbers. After Afghanistan, the only reason they would have Stark killed is if they believed him to be compromised. Neither man would tolerate such a high-profile threat to the US or the world at large. Sadly, this didn't exactly remove them from the suspect list. Fury harbored such worries, and if it came down to it, he would act on them if he had even a shred of proof.
Chao Yen and Ben Goldstein were next. As of late, Israel and China have pursued closer ties. Israel provided certain advanced technologies in exchange for better trade deals. Notably, the Chinese went out of the way to ensure everything going to Israel was of high quality. Then again, at least some of what one could see on the news about Chinese production defects and low-quality products was overblown. If anyone took it at face value, China's coasts would constantly be on fire due to incompetent idiots continuously fucking up in their industry.
The truth was simple – due to capitalism with Chinese characteristics in action, some of China's manufacturers happily cut corners to make more money and damn the consequences. They were far from unique on that front.
Israel was the only country in the region that could buy Stark weapons. Fury was pretty sure that China got some samples that way. From what he could gather, the Chinese were more than content to get Stark's weapons that way for the foreseeable future. Knowing that much of their saber-rattling was to help pad up the military budgets of rivals in response helped in that regard. That was especially true when those stunts directly increased SHIELD's funding. For now, at least, China was going for economic dominance. That was the only angle that might give them a motive to go after Stark. However, SI would have been the better and more logical target. Despite being the majority shareholder, Stark didn't run his own company. He had never done it.
On the face of it, Israel had no such motive.
This, of course, meant they were less likely to use their factions within SHIELD. And Fury knew that someone in SHIELD was involved because three of the commandos Romanoff and company took out were SHIELD Agents.
Fury's primary issue was that, as far as he knew, they were loyal and not part of any of the factions he was aware of. SHIELD was a vast organization, and besides national ties, most of its agents were loyal to its ideals.
Most but not all. Never all. Fury knew better than ever to think that was possible!
Jakuna Sign and Douglas Brand walked next, letting a bit of a gap between them and the previous two Councilors. That was a pointed reminder of the latest clash between China and India over that useless piece of the Himalayans they had as a border. It wasn't like anyone could sustain an invasion through that corridor.
As the representative of Australia and New Zealand, Brand did his best to at least in public distance himself from their Chinese colleague.
Neither country nor their factions had any reason to go after Stark.
Gabriel Monet from France and Aurora Stefano from Italy were the next couple. The reason there had nothing to do with politics. Monet has been trying to get into Stefano's pants for as long as those two were on the Council. Italy and France had a profitable relationship with SI and wanted more business with Stark. The only angle there was local companies aiming at SI through Stark to protect their market shares.
Sadly, people got killed over less. Because of that, if nothing else, Fury couldn't exclude those two from his list of suspects.
The last three Councilors entered together. Daphne von Holstein, the German representative, did her best to keep the peace between John Hei from South Korea and their Japanese colleague – Hinata Akira. One of Japan's ministers managed to put his foot in his mouth not a week ago. That once again mucked up the sore topic of the Imperial Japanese Army rampages in Korea.
Those two had to be seen at each other's throats for appearance's sake, if nothing else. Of course, solving that issue couldn't be as simple as the Japanese properly apologizing. Every such attempt so far practically required a member of the Japanese government to publicly fuck it up. That has been ongoing for decades now. If Fury didn't know better, he would be investigating a conspiracy.
The reason was simpler—good old-fashioned dumb pride and nationalism.
Both countries bought a lot of Stark weapons and wanted more, especially Korea.
Then there was Germany. The country was one of the largest weapon exporters in Europe, and some of its companies were in direct competition with Stark Industries. While unlikely, there was always the possibility someone had persuaded von Holstein to do something stupid. She was a new face on the Council. While she was extensively vetted, Fury wasn't sure about her character and the full extent of her connection with Germany's business circles.
The last Councilors sat down, and agents sealed the conference room. The lights subtly shifted, indicating that all available counter-measures were now in effect.
"Good, now we're all here." Fury leaned forward and put his hands on the table. "Most of you should have received at least an outline of the situation in the briefing that brought you here today. I will nevertheless summarize the important points to ensure we're all on the same page," The Director took charge of the meeting. "Little over four months ago, Anthony Stark got himself abducted by a Ten Ring's terrorist cell in Afghanistan. While in captivity, he encountered an alien artifact, and the US military later recovered. Stark claims the artifact contained a memory engram of an alien soldier and officer. Examination of the device confirms its alien origin. Our best scientists aren't sure about its purpose. However, the device does contain a crystal matrix, which might have been a crystal-based computer and data storage device. This gives credence to Stark's claims."
Fury struggled not to roll his eyes at the surprised, excited murmurs that engulfed the room.
"Investigations, interviews, and analysis conducted after Stark's escape from captivity offer a few plausible explanations. First, and currently deemed unlikely, exposure to the device sent Stark over the edge. That would be a simple explanation." Fury carefully smiled. "We are unlikely to be that lucky or unlucky as that might be the case. Option two is that the device overwrote Stark's mind. We're instead dealing with an alien entity that wears his body as a sock-puppet. While possible and something to keep in mind, our best psychologists and analysts agree that this is unlikely to be the case."
The murmurs increased in volume and got progressively louder. The odd exclamation by some witless bastards who likely didn't bother going through their briefings was particularly lould. It was fucking sloppy.
"We shouldn't necessarily apply human motivations to alien intelligence. However, actions and interactions with Stark point out that if he tries to be an alien infiltrator, he is terrible at the job. There were multiple incidents when not revealing anything about his changed status would have been the pragmatic thing to do. This leads us to the third option, which is in line with and closest to what Stark claims. The device imprinted the memories of an alien soldier and general into Stark's brain. Analysis of his interactions after escaping captivity suggests we're looking at a new personality for Stark. It is a melt between the alien entity and Stark's memories, shaped by both their experiences. Needless to say, if true, that's the best option for us. It's a game changer and too good to be true." Fury glowered. "I don't trust such good luck. However, various analytics made good points. Because of all available evidence and the best information we have, I recommend we proceed with cautious optimism." The Director bit off.
"For those who haven't had enough time to think through our situation and its implications, I'll state it bluntly and clearly." Alexander took over. "We know for a fact that advanced alien civilizations exist in our galaxy. We know they're aware of us and have hostile intentions. In the mid-nineties, SHIELD managed to prevent a subversion operation executed by the alien species known as the Skrull. They're reptilian shapeshifters, which makes them an extreme subversive threat. We know they're at war with imperial alien power, the Kree Empire. In nineteen eighty-nine, a Kree covert operation attempted to retrieve a critical asset on US soil, proving them hostile."
"Don't mince words, not now, Alexander." Fury scoffed. "Let me spell it to you all. Hostile aliens are real, and we're hilariously outgunned and outmatched. Until now, the most optimistic scenario in case of an invasion was grim. We would expend Earth's combined military forces in a desperate bid to earn conditional surrender if at all possible. The odds of doing so against an enemy holding the orbitals would be low and only if they felt nice enough not to conduct indiscriminate bombardment."
"I wouldn't put it in those precise words, but that was and is the case. SHIELD's primary purpose is to combat alien subversion attempts and covert operations. We lack the technology and industry to resist a dedicated invasion attempt." Pierce grimaced at the admission.
"Tony Stark, or whoever he really is now, just changed the paradigm," Hawley announced. "You can open your sealed folders. They briefly summarize what Stark claims he can offer Earth."
The commotion that followed ensured there would be a brief recess. Fury leaned back into his chair and spent the next few minutes examining the Councilors, wondering whose head he needed on a silver platter.
The noise level kept increasing as people began to get the implications of Stark's latest stunt. Fury gave them a few more minutes to get it out of their system and slammed his palms on the table.
"That's enough!" His exclamation earned him more than a few long-suffered looks from the Council and a knowing smirk from Alexander. "We have decisions to make. Do we accept what Stark offers us? If so, how do we go about…." Fury paused briefly, "uplifting Earth to better resist alien incursions. Please make no mistake, we are looking at a potential game-changer! If Stark can deliver, and if we can buy enough time, we're looking at the best shot we have at ensuring humanity's independence and future! Is this a good plan? No. It is still the only viable option we have." It pained Fury to admit that openly, but he did his God-damned job anyway.
The following discussion was heated. If they were to do this right, it would require fast-paced changes that would make the incredible advantaces of the past century and change pale in comparison. The world order as they knew it was also about to change irrevocably. No one with two brain cells to rub together had any illusions about the consequences. There would be upheavals. Countries might shatter in the process. Others might go to war while still having a theoretical chance to win. It was going to be a mess of unfathomable proportions.
There was a simple truth that was above all of that. SHIELD's very existence was proof of that.
The alternative was simply worse. Otherwise, no one would have allowed an organization with the reach and power of SHIELD to exist, even if it was an imperfect, divided compromise.
Slowly but surely, the discussion shifted from trusting Stark to live up to his lofty promises. Then it stalled on the question if pursuing an uplift strategy was worth it. Finally, people focused on figuring out how to better guide and implement such an effort.
Fury wasn't surprised that, beyond everything else, most people focused on the distribution and production of advanced military technology. They agreed that Stark was right in one regard, if nothing else. Access to plentiful cheap energy would be the vital foundation for everything else. The details would have to be ironed out over the coming months. At least in principle, there was no disagreement about backing the rapid-pace spread of commercial fusion the moment it became viable.
"Training cadres and quick reaction forces first!" Fury snapped at the bickering. Somehow, he kept a sneer from his face. "We won't have the industry to rearm our armies worldwide in short order with advanced weaponry. Focus on building training cadres to figure out how to best utilize the new equipment and train people with it first. Second, equip and train quick reaction forces to better deal with small-scale alien incursions and enhanced threats. Third, Special Forces. Then gradual distribution among regular combat forces. This goes for everything – from infantry-scale equipment to tanks, fighters, and bombers. We should focus first on global reach and have Stark and other scientists and engineers work on fast-armed transport aircraft. Such vehicles will allow us to deliver strike teams with the best equipment available to hotspots worldwide as fast as possible."
It was never as easy as giving a sensible option and people accepting it. An endless back and forth followed until everyone got a sullen agreement that SHIELD would get the best toys first. That way, SHIELD could protect all its supporting members better. Through SHIELD, everyone would get access to the new technologies, if not the ability to put them into production immediately.
Of course, no one said aloud what one of the bigger stumbling blocks would be – soon, all the people present would have to break the news to their governments and get them on board. Meanwhile, Fury would have to figure out a good way to keep an eye on Stark and get counter-measures in place if he ever turned hostile. Perhaps find a way to bind him to Earth better as well.
=IS=
Part 4
=IS=
Tony Stark was cleared of suspicion in illegal weapons sales and espionage! Obadiah Stane was confirmed as the mastermind of the conspiracy to murder Tony Stark and was the man behind subverting parts of Stark Industries over the past two decades!
Washington Post
Pentagon sources confirm the US military is negotiating with Stark Industries to develop new weapons and armor systems!
USA Today
Rumors that Tony Stark is working on practical fusion technology affect oil prices worldwide!Financial TimesTony Stark files patents related to fusion technology and the creation of new alloys! A day later, he published a paper on practical fusion technology, which is undergoing peer review. The preliminary analysis points to a possible way to finally achieve a viable commercial fusion reaction!
Science Magazine
US Army signed a contract with Stark Industries to develop new types of hard body armor.US Army MagazineGeneral Dynamics and Toshiba are negotiating with Stark Industries to form a consortium to explore fusion energy!
Forbes Magazine
Oil and natural gas prices are in sharp decline!
Financial Times
European Commission brought a proposition in front of the European Parliament for the EU to explore and invest in green fusion technology.
Euronews
EDF Energy, the consortium running the remaining UK and French nuclear reactors, opens negotiations with SI to explore the development of fusion power in the EU!
BBC News
Russian officials warn against over-reliance on unproven experimental technologies!
Euronews
OPEC foreign ministers to meet in Dubai next week.
BBC News
=SI=
Stark mansion
New York, US
Hannah jumped in excitement on a dragon-shaped bed secluded in the corner of my lab. She was busy watching the first Harry Potter movie and loving the hell out of the damned thing.
By the end of the movie, she would be nagging me again to make her a flying broom. Did I mention how much I loathed Harry Potter these days? I was sure I could easily make a passable impression of Snape whenever someone mentioned Potter.
Fucking Wizards. I shook my head, and my gaze drifted over Hannah's new minder. That was one Joanna O'Reilly – a US army veteran with Ranger credentials until she fucked her back and had to accept a medical discharge. Working for me, she, at most, would have to carry Hannah alongside a light weapon and armor, so her injury wasn't a pressing issue for the time being.
My security detail wisely stayed out of the lab. Was it like they thought me a crazy scientist or something?
"Process five seems to work, sir." Jarvis brought me back to my current work.
I already had permex patented and created in laboratory conditions. It was an important building material that, back in the day, was famous for its ease of production. The ease of production assumed worlds were more advanced than Earth. It was still a low-hanging fruit to focus on after "inventing" synthcrete. That was a cheap crap that was still easy to produce and durable enough to build primitive spaceports with.
We could produce it with lightly modified existing processes. However, it was as expensive as it was superior to what we had available on Earth as equivalents. For example, you would need bunker busters to fuck up a military airfield built with synthcrete. Then, if the airfield support personnel had the equipment and material at hand could repair the field within a few hours.
Permex was much better in all regards. It was made of mineral-infused plastic. The issue was recreating high-quality, durable plastic to serve as the base for the building material because even the best and toughest plastics made on Earth weren't solid enough.
Recreating the process to build proper cast-plast might have taken me years, even without sourcing much of the work to SI's R&D Department. Fortunately, this was one of the occasions when running a few worlds back when I served the Sith Empire came in useful. Unfucking the economy after murdering the previous ruling and corporate elite for sheer incompetence was a pain in the ass. Certain bastards made a last stand in a complex that built cast-plast as a foundation for permex. The production lines didn't survive taking the place by force, and when I took over, I had to improvise. I spent weeks reviewing options to rebuild the modern production lines, which was prohibitively expensive if I wanted it done in a reasonable amount of time. My advisers eventually suggested we explore older and less efficient methods of making cast-plast.
Cast-plast was also one of the primary components in plastoid. Getting even basic versions of that produced might take years, however, once we had it, it would be of great use. Cheap thin plates made the standard Clone Phase I and II armors. Much thicker composite armor based on the same material featured heavily in the next generation proper combat armor Republic R&D developed in the middle of the Clone Wars. If we ever got anything in that vein mass-produced, it would be a game changer.
Fortunately, with some meditation and the right techniques, I could clearly recall the needed memories, as long as I acquired them after awakening in the Corcusca galaxy. My previous memories might have faded, but those earned while having access to the Force were mine to keep.
It took me a few days of meditation to recall what I needed. After that, it was a matter of figuring out how to make it happen with the tech I had available. The first four attempts produced all kinds of crap.
The fifth time was the charm.
I returned to a sealed portion of the lab and looked into the containment chamber. Spectral analysis and microscope images both agreed. I had the necessary building materials.
"Jarvis, call Dr. Shaw and send her the results. She knows what to do."
It would be up to one of SI's research teams to refine the chemistry process needed to create the right building blocks for heavy polymers. Then we would have to see if existing machinery could get us a passable imitation of cast-plast or if we would have to design something new.
Another use for cast-plast was alloying it with metals, which produced plasteel. While not useful for personal armor, it scaled well when the volume was less of an issue. It could practically armor wet navy ships or be a part of the composite armor of starships. A thick layer could be added to defend large reinforced installations. In combination with Permex variants, it could make for structures sturdy enough to survive light orbital strikes.
I sensed a familiar signature approach and looked at the lab entrance. Rhodey was here, and he looked exasperated in his parade uniform.
"Tony, I've got news."
"It's nice to see you too, James." I looked pointedly at him.
"I'm not in the mood, Tony. We both know you finally grew up, so please act like it. It's good for what's left of my nerves." Rhodey grumbled.
"That bad?" I waved him to crash into a nearby chair.
Rhodey did so and sat, then glanced at Hannah.
"Potter again? What happened with Star Wars?"
"According to her therapist, it's too violent." I made air quotes with my fingers.
"And Potter isn't?"
"Don't look at me. I'm not a fan, but I won't be mentioning that aloud anytime soon."
"People thought you were joking about cold fusion, Tones. Isn't that a myth? Everyone wants to know why we aren't going to build that instead."
"First, we need materials and components that we can only develop when we have a mature orbital industry. I'm sure I put that in the memo outlining the future development of commercial and military fusion reactors. The processes I'm theoretically aware of getting there and miniaturizing standard fusion reactors require a tremendous amount of energy to create certain alloys. Which in turn means we need fusion reactors to make that feasible. Does no one read the whole memos and skip to the cliff notes?" It was my turn to be exasperated. Why did I bother to dictate whole novels worth of ideas and explanations to Jarvis, so he could compile them in readable files and then print them as necessary?
"Most people aren't interested in the science details, Tones. The regular mortals around you need to know what's possible and what we need to do to make it happen. The details are usually only relevant to the science and engineering types." Rhodey had to be reasonable again.
"You didn't come here just to complain, did you?"
"Among other things, yes. People run me ragged these days, I don't get to fly, and it's all because of you."
"One day, I'll make you an X-Wing as an apology." I offered.
"That thing, as much as I love it, has nothing on a Raptor."
"Wanna bet?"
Rhodey rolled his eyes and sprawled bonelessly in my chair.
"The DOD had DARPA contractors look over your theoretical designs and new patents. They believe it's all viable. The Joint Chiefs will meet tonight and draw a memorandum to send to the President and select Senate committees. Stark Industries should be in a position to make priority requests for anything you need in a few days, Tony. As long as any part of our military-industrial complex or a company contracted with the government produces it anyway. You'll soon have access to classified DARPA research, ongoing projects, and human resources. In exchange, the Pentagon requires you to accept further liaisons and work closely with a newly established task force. Its purpose will be to procure and field test advanced technologies for the US military."
"Which means it will be working directly with me. Then we can finally begin."
Rhodey opened his eyes and stared at me.
"I was expecting a temper tantrum about people breathing down your neck." He admitted.
"Didn't you just tell me to act as a grown-up now that I grew up?"
Rhodey groaned and put his cap over his eyes.
=SI=
If you want to support my writing or discuss this story, google the following places:
Pat re on: Delkatar's writing corner
the space battles forums - this is where most discussion over my stories takes place
the sufficient velocity forums
archive of our own
the alternative history forums