Training and Starforce
Dreams. One of the most complex and unknown parts of all life in the galaxy. They can show all kinds of things. Deepest desires, greatest fears or even something so random that it would leave someone confused.
But there are those that never leave you, haunting you with visions and imagery that leave you with more questions than answers.
One such dream involves an explosion, fire and waves of blue energy. A man in his mid 30's and short blonde hair was lying on the ground, opening his brown eyes. He was bleeding blue blood from his nose. He was breathing heavily as he looked around to see smoke and rubble all around him. He sat up and looked at his right hand to see blue blood staining it.
He then looked up to see an older woman with light hair and green eyes with a gun in her hand, looking down at him. He then looked elsewhere, noticing a figure walking through some smoke. The figure then stopped and aimed a weapon at him.
The man woke up from this dream, gasping and shooting, drenched in sweat.
"What is going on with me?" He asked himself as he sat over the edge of the bed in his white nightwear. The man named Rold then rubbed his left hand on his neck, feeling a small device attached as he looked down at his right hand which he clenched. It glowed dimly in blue and orange energy until he stopped clenching and the energy dissipated.
The window in front of Rold then opened up, sunlight beaming into his room as he stood up and walked up to it, looking over Hala, the capitol of an alien race called the Kree. The city skyline normally calmed his nerves but he was currently so on edge that he couldn't rely on the tranquil sight.
"*sighs* I need to let it all out." He muttered to himself before he took off his nightwear and changed into some clothes and then left his room and knocked on a door down the hallway. It opened up to a Kree with white skin, brown hair and yellow eyes, clearly having been woken up.
"*sighs* Do you know what time it is?" He asked Rold.
"I can't sleep." He answered blankly.
"There are tabs for that." The Kree pointed out.
"Maybe, but I'd still have that dream again." Rold argued.
"Right." He said, shaking his head slightly before looking at Rold again. He knew of these dreams ever since he told him about them. The two then stared at each other for several seconds in silence.
"I need to fight." Rold then requested.
The two made their way to the training room, changed into some training attire and started sparring. The Kree, Yon-Rogg managed to swipe Rold off of his feet and onto his back. He snarled and hit the floor with his fist in frustration.
"I slipped." He said as he got back up on his feet.
"Right, you slipped as a result of me punching you in the face." Yon-Rogg retorted.
"I was already slipping right when you punched me in the face. Both unrelated." Rold fired back, the two walking up to each other. Yon-Rogg looked amused by Rold's argument.
"Tell me about this dream." He asked him before Rold threw a punch that Yon dodged and then some more until Yon grabbed onto his right arm and neck.
"Anything new?" He asked.
"No." Rold answered as he got out of Yon's hold by twisting his arms off and then made a spin kick, which Yon ducked down to avoid and then Rold made another kick, which was dodged again. Rold then swung a few punches before Yon grabbed him and twisted his arm up and lowered him down, incapacitating him for the moment.
"You have to let go of the past." He advised him.
"How can I when I don't remember my past?" Rold questioned him, panting slightly.
"It's causing you doubt, and doubt makes you vulnerable." Yon explained before throwing Rold over his shoulder and then threw him onto the ground in front of him, making him fall on his knees. Rold looked up, glaring up at Yon and instinctually pulled his left fist up, which started glowing from the cosmic energy flaring within him.
"Control it." Yon warned him and that snapped Rold out of it and the energy dissipated. He then looked away in shame.
"Lose control again, and you'll have to commune with the Supreme Intelligence. There's nothing more dangerous to a warrior than emotion." Yon explained as he pulled Rold up on his feet. Rold then jumped back as Yon tried to attack him and Rold got on the defensive and then started going on the offensive until Yon spun him and trapped his right arm.
"Your anger. It only serves the enemy." He told him, making Rold grunt as he got out of the grip before Yon punched him right in the face, making him fall on his back. Here, his instincts took over and shot out a blast of cosmic energy out of his hand at Yon, throwing the Kree in the air and further back in the other end of the room. Yon groaned, looking up at Rold, whose nose was bleeding and looked guilty
With training over, the two changed into their uniforms and got on a transport that was like a train and they both stood as all the seats were all filled up with other Kree, both blue skinned and Terran looking, whether they're civilians or military personnel. Both Yon-Rogg and Rold were on their way to the Supreme Intelligence, the A.I. leader of the Kree.
"Does anyone have an idea what the Supreme Intelligence really looks like?" Rold asked.
"No one can look upon the Supreme Intelligence in its true form. You know that. Our subconscious chooses the way they appear to us. So it's sacred. It's personal. No Kree divulges it, ever." Yon explained to him, arms crossed.
"Do you see someone in your family or someone else you know personally?" Rold asked a question broad enough that he wouldn't divulge that much.
"The latter." Yon answered.
"Then I won't push any further. Just curious." Rond said, putting his hands up.
"And also, what's the point of having these powers if you don't want me to use them at all?" He then asked, putting his hands out in front of him.
"I want you to use them. The Supreme Intelligence gave me a responsibility of showing you how to use them." Yon answered.
"But I do know how to use them." Rold pointed out.
"Yeah, if that were true, you'd be able to knock me down without them." Yon reminded him, which made Rold look away from him with a frown out the window. He's always self conscious about himself and his powers, always trying his hardest to use his brains instead of his brawns. Whenever he didn't do that, he'd always scold himself, feeling like he's letting people down.
"Rold, I just want you to be the best version of yourself." Yon then said, clearly seeing the self conscious look on his face.
They eventually made it to the building where the Supreme Intelligence is held and Rold entered into a chamber and stood on top of a platform where biomechanical tendrils attach onto his body. He closes his eyes and opens them again to find himself in a different environment. One where the floor was grey and spread out as far as the eye could see with shafts of light beaming down. In front of him, the floor shimmered and moved like waves as a being formed in front of him. It walked up to him in the form of the woman he saw in his dream but in a black and green suit.
"Rold." The being greeted with a smile.
"Supreme Intelligence." Rold greeted calmly.
"Your commander insists that you're fit to serve." The Intelligence brought up.
"Yes." He replied, looking down slightly. Whenever he saw this woman in his dreams, he always felt a deep connection with her, but he never understood why.
"You seem to struggle with your emotions… and your past, that fuels them." The Intelligence then said before the two looked over at a hologram of Earth and various other planets that had a purple colour spread all over them.
"You are just one victim of the Skrull expansion that has threatened our civilization for centuries. Imposters who silently infiltrate then take over our planets." The Intelligence then explained right before the hologram showed what was part of Rold's oldest memory that he remembers. A being with green skin and pointed ears aiming a weapon. A Skrull.
"Horrors that you remember and so much that you do not." It then continued before the hologram stopped. Rold felt so empty upon hearing and seeing all this.
"But I'm blank. You're supposed to take the form of someone I admire, but I don't remember anything about this person and what they mean to me." He questioned, even more confused about who this woman was and her connection with him.
"Perhaps it's a form of mercy to spare you from a deep pain. To free you to do what any and all Kree must, put your people's needs before your own. You were given a great gift. To fight for all Kree." The Intelligence stated, making Rold touch the device on his neck and clench his fist, glowing with energy.
"I need to serve." He proclaimed.
"Then master yourself. What is given can be taken away." The Intelligence reminded him, the device on his neck flashing and the energy seemed to act like it was being shut off.
"I won't let you down." He then promised, not just to the Intelligence but also to himself.
"We'll know soon enough. You have a mission. Serve well, and with honour." It then told him before Rold woke up to reality and the biomechanical substance slithered off of him. He then had a look of determination, ready to partake in the mission.
He then made his way to a tower that acted like a centre of the city and joined up with members of a group called Starforce and changed into their uniforms before they all walked out to a troop transport that was docked.
They all wore green and black suits with a silver star on the chest that were standard issue for the Kree military. Three of the Starforce members were blue skinned Kree and one had dark brown skin. The only female of the group was holding a sniper.
"This can't be good." The male Kree with blue skin and a black buzzcut named Att-Lass said as they all entered the ship.
"Must be another Skrull attack." The dark skinned Kree said.
"Whatever it is, it's big." A blue skinned, long light haired male Kree named Bron-Char then pointed out as Rold leaned against a wall.
"Has a Skrull ever simmed you?" The blue skinned, long dark haired, female Kree named Minn-Erva asked the dark skinned Kree named Korath.
"Once. It was deeply disturbing." He answered her as he grabbed a couple of swords and put them in scabbards on his back.
"And why is that?" Rold asked.
"Because I stared into the face of my mortal enemy and the face staring back was my own." Korath answered him, taking a few steps towards him.
"If you looked more attractive, it would've been less disturbing." Rold said in a deadpan manner.
"You think you're funny, but I'm not laughing." Korath glared at him.
"You never laugh." Att-Lass pointed out.
"I laugh on the inside. I'm not doing that now." Korath asked. Rold believed it's because the Kree has no sense of humour in the slightest.
"It's funny 'cause, objectively speaking, you're quite handsome." Bron-Char explained as he sat on a seat.
"Well, thank you." Korath told him.
"Listen up, team. Knock it off." Yon-Rogg said, pointing at Rold. He rolled his eyes as they all gathered around.
"Alright. Prepare for… a search and rescue of our spy, Soh-Larr." He then said, projecting a hologram of their spy.
"The Skrulls have invaded yet another border planet. This time, Torfa. Soh-Larr sent us a warning. The signal was intercepted, and his cover's blown." Yon then explained as the hologram showed the planet and where the signal came from on the planet. He then changed the hologram showing two Skrulls, one male and one female.
"Both the Skrull general, Talos, and his sister, Xarill, have sent kill units to find him. Should they reach him before we do, the intelligence he's acquired over three years is as good as theirs." Yon told them all. Now Rold had a secret he never told anyone. He has always found himself drawn to Xarill. She had a look of affection and kindness that touched him on a deep level. He never told anyone in fear of being called a traitor for having feelings for a Skrull.
The hologram then shifted back to the planet and three ships flying in formation, which Yon-Rogg walked through.
"The Accusers will bomb a Skrull stronghold here in the south. We slip in, we locate Soh-Larr… and we get out, leaving them none the wiser." Yon then stated before changing the hologram once more to show a standard Torfan.
"The Torfan populace. We are not to interfere with them, nor them with us. Nothing compromises the security of our mission. Proceed with caution. Follow protocol before extracting him." He then said, looking at Rold before shutting the hologram off.
"This is a dangerous mission. We must all be ready to join the Collective if that is our fate today." Hearing this made Rold close his eyes, silently praying and hoping to make it through this fine.
"For the good of all Kree." Yon-Rogg then proclaimed before walking up to the pilot seat.
"For the good of all Kree!" Everyone except for Rold repeated before Yon piloted the ship out into the sky and made a jump to Torfa with three Kree warships following them. They all approached the planet in front of them and the three warships started bombing where the stronghold was located as Starforce descended into the planet's atmosphere and the ship dived into a large body of water.
Once the ship even itself out, everyone shot out of the ship like they're torpedoes with helmets on to ensure they breathed underwater and swam until they reached the shore, where they all got out of the water and their masks deactivated, which allowed them to breathe underwater.
"Rold, track Soh-Larr's beacon. Att-Lass, Minn-Erva, find elevation." Yon-Rogg ordered and Rold activated his tracker on his gauntlet as everyone wielded their weapons and all charged head first into a foggy terrain where there are ruins present.
Att-Lass and Minn-Erva both found an elevated position and got on their knees and pulled out their weapons, aiming them down below, keeping an eye out. Minn-Erva looked through the scope of her rifle and as she scanned the area, she found a bunch of beings around a fire.
"Locals on the periphery. Maybe a dozen." She informed through her comms.
Back on the ground, all Yon-Rogg got was static feedback.
"Do you read me? Does anybody copy?" Minn asked, still not getting through.
"Repeat." Yon said, but still got static, making him sigh in frustration before pulling out a handgun and moving forward.
Rold went ahead and stopped by a bridge that was over a chasm. He looked at the tracker and saw that the beacon was ahead at the temple on the other side of the bridge. The others joined up with him.
"The beacon's coming from the temple. Now what?" He asked Yon-Rogg.
"This is a perfect spot for an ambush. Only one way in, only one way out." Yon said, considering a huge possibility.
"We can get past the locals." Bron-Char suggested.
"We don't know if they are locals. Too risky." Yon said.
"You don't have to go with me. I'll go alone." Rold said.
"No, you won't." Yon sternly talked him down. Rold narrowed his eyes at him, making his mentor sigh and look at the others.
"Right. We keep a close radius. We lose comms, we meet back at the Helion. Come on." He ordered and they all slowly and cautiously made their way across the bridge, under the watchful eye of Minn-Erva and her rifle. She then looked around with the scope and saw that some locals were coming up from behind them.
"Att-Lass, you getting this?" She asked through the comms.
"Copy. I see them." He replied, running down to ground level and ran as fast as he could to elsewhere.
Everyone else reached the other end of the bridge and slowly made their way into the temple and they all saw a bunch of Torfans surrounding fires and then walked up to them, though keeping some distance as the Kree all had their weapons pointed at them.
"Get back!" Yon-Rogg warned them.
"Commander!" Korath called out as Rold wandered off and saw two people on the ground, watching him, one of them pointing in a direction.
"Get back! Back!" Korath warned the locals, who all started shouting.
"Minn-Erva? Do you have eyes on this?" Yon asked as he, Korath and Bron activated their weapons that use energy.
"Keep them back. Minn-Erva?" Yon asked through the comms again, still being static.
"Does anybody copy?" Minn asked, hearing the static. Rold still continued deeper into the temple, looking for Soh-Larr.
A Torfan barked right at Yon-Rogg, who was starting to get on edge.
"I don't wanna hurt you." He warned.
Minn-Erva looked through her scope and picked up on something.
"Get back!" Yon warned once more. Minn placed her finger on the trigger as more of the locals started to become more hostile. She was about to pull the trigger but Att-Lass pushed her rifle down to stop her from shooting.
"They're locals. I found two dead. No green. They're just starving." He said. She then looked back through the scope and to her shock, she saw Att-Lass with the others, aiming his guns at the locals. The one next to her is a Skrull. With this revelation, the imposter pulled out a gun but she disarmed him and hit him with the rifle and shot him right through the chest. Then the body shifted back to its Skrull form.
Rold still continued further into the temple with his tracker on and in the corner of his eye, he spotted movement and looked in the direction it came from and saw that the tracker said he's where the beacon is coming from.
"HGX-78." He said aloud to whoever was there.
"TRT79-VVX6." The figure replied, stepping out of the shadows, Rold glimpsing his blue skinned face, meaning that this must be Soh-Larr.
Back with the others, the locals were still hostile.
"Get back." Yon spat before one of them pulled out a weapon that was glowing purple lights, charging up. But before he made a shot, he got killed with a shot by Minn-Erva, who then made a shot that tracked onto four others and killed them instantly, all turning back into Skrulls.
"SKRULLS!" Yon-Rogg shouted and all of the 'locals' all bellowed out and snarled as they shifted back to their natural forms, ready to fight. The Starforce members then formed a shield as the Skrull charged at them, firing their weapons. As they got closer, Yon used his weapon to lift some of them up in the air and throw them into some ruins before forming the shield again.
"ROLD!" He then called through his comms.
Rold was keeping Soh-Larr company when his comms came on.
"Rold? Skrulls. It's an ambush." Yon's voice came through, surprising him but before he could act, 'Soh-Larr' shocked him, incapacitating him.
With the others, they all used their skills and weapons to face off against the Skrulls until a ship came in and destroyed the bridge.
"Back to the Helion." Yon told everyone.
"Rold? Do you copy? Back to the Helion. Come in. Rold." He then called out to Rold, who was still incapacitated as he watched 'Soh-Larr' shift into the Skrull general, Talos.
"How'd you get the code?" Rold hissed, feeling pain from the shock.
"You look a lot like your mother." Talos said with fondness, ignoring the question.
"What?" Rold asked, confused by his words.
"You don't remember your mother at all?" Talos questioned, taken aback.
"I don't remember anything." Rold answered him.
"Those Kree have done enough damage already. I'm sorry." He apologized with sympathy before shocking him again, blacking out.
I decided to bring in an OC Skrull that will have a certain role in the story, trust me, it's something I've wanted done upon deciding to do this story. She'll be introduced in the next chapter.