Sorry about the wait guys! I've been taking summer courses, so I've had a bit of trouble finding time to write. Hopefully the length of the chapter makes up for it. For those asking about the period between the time jump & Ben's training, I promise I haven't forgotten about it! I plan to use different stories and moments from those years when it fits thematically with the story. If you guys have seen Arrow, it'll kind of be like that, but I also want to keep a bit of mystery in Ben's past, making him more of a nuanced character over time. Thanks once again for reading, hope you like it!
Knowhere, The Rip at the edge of the galaxy
The concept of Knowhere was odd, even to Ben; a mining and harvesting economy established in the decapitated skull of a long-dead Celestial wasn't exactly a prime vacation destination. In fact, the rather large colony seems to be a hotspot for shady dealings or debauchery by the seedier parts of the galaxy. Every now and then, Ben had to step in when things got a little too out of hand, but he tended to see the nuance in things, and tended to let people be as long as it didn't hurt anybody. It made him much more respected and popular than the Nova Corps as a 'peacekeeper', but he still had enough of a reputation that people tended to give him a wide berth when they were up to no good.
As the Rustbucket began its entry into Knowhere, Ben walked back into the cockpit after changing out of his armor. They were only here for a quick resupply and refueling for the next week sorting out the jobs he still had pending, and the armor tended to be a dead giveaway, so without it, he was just another Terran. He slipped on his jacket before taking his seat and prepping for landing.
"Callsign Z-1010, what's yer business on Knowhere?" The voice coming from the transmission had an odd speech impediment, having difficulty pronouncing certain letters.
The voice sounded familiar, when he remembered it from a particularly large Ravager smuggling bust. "Lipless? How the hell you doin' man? What psycho put you in charge of security on Knowhere?" He activated the visual of the transmission, seeing the grotesquely mutilated alien. His name was accurate, seeing as his lips were completely cut off and burned, making him look like he's baring his teeth.
"Benji? Son of a bitch! It's good to hear from you again! Yeah, only got this job because I faked my creds, claimed I used to work as a prison guard in the Kyln, hehe." The small-time criminal and smuggler laughed along with Ben. "I'll wave you in on dock three. You just here for a refuel?"
"That and I need a few supplies for the next few jobs I have. Do you know if Pakmar still has that munitions store? Or did he turn it back into a liquor shop?"
"Neither, it's actually a pet store believe it or not. Yep he's got Flerkens, a couple Panuncians, a few beasts from Seknarf 9. Heard rumors he was even able to get a Kaosseffexx Ultimasauria hidden under the shop." Lipless leaned in conspiratorially to whisper it to the transmission.
Ben scoffed. "Pakmar knows better, I'd get him permanently shut down if he pulled a stunt like that. Appreciate the help Lipless, I'll buy you a drink at Mantlo's next time I see you."
Lipless seemed to like that idea. "Yeah! Storm Riders for life!"
*Sigh* "Dude, we've gone over this, that was some other Terran, I never sung any Storm Riders song with you." Gluto laughed in his burbling language as he eased the Rustbucket into their assigned landing zone. "Listen, I'll hit you up later, just stay out of trouble." He ended the transmission and stood up to leave the ship.
"Gluto, buddy, you mind going to Seer's Square? I need you to get everything on this list." He pulled up the list on his Omnitrix, and sent it over to Gluto's datapad that was linked to the containment armor that helped him to move. "I need to see someone while we're here, and I won't have time to do both."
The Protost seemed unhappy with his given errands, grumbling and grunting in annoyance.
"C'mon man, I'll do the ship diagnostic for you as soon as I get back. And I'll put a good word in with that A'askavariian girl you were eying on Pantophage, sound good?" Gluto was silent for a moment before huffing and swiftly moving towards the ship's exit. "That's why you're the best co-pilot, way better than Rad!"
He turned towards his alien canine companion and kneeled to scratch behind her ears. "Nobody should be able to get past the doors, but I need you on watch just in case, alright girl? See you in a bit." She responded with a bark and walked away to where several of her chew toys sat. He tended to spoil her a bit, but after the abuse she suffered with her previous owner, she deserves a bit of spoiling.
. . . . .
The streets of Knowhere tended to be extremely lively, with everything from markets and bars to gambling and lottery machines. Most of the people here were scammers looking to make a quick buck, so fights and sometimes even riots would spontaneously break out.
One such fight broke out right in front of Ben, and though he normally wouldn't back off from a good brawl, he didn't have time to waste. A Roclite and an Appoplexian, he'd have to make this quick. He quickly activated the Omnitrix and quickly navigated to his 'chemical playlist'.
Years ago, as Ben began unlocking more and more DNA samples, he organized many of them into 'playlists' for ease of use. He had completely memorized all of his main playlists and the aliens that resided in them.
The alien he selected should be able to quickly put down any resistance the Appoplexian in particular would have. It was robotic in appearance, with a purple exterior covered by a green jumpsuit, with an apparatus attached to its gut, seeming to contain different chemicals being mixed together. There were nozzles leading up his arms and ending on his shoulders, with another couple on his head. There was no mouth or nose on his face, the Omnitrix symbol in its place.
"Yeah, Gutrot should be enough ta handle these schmucks." Strangely enough, the alien had a heavy Bostonian accent. He cracked his knuckles, alerting the two brawling aliens. "Go ta sleep boys, maybe you'll be less grumpy when ya wake up." The chemicals in his stomach apparatus turned purple and he released all of it in a direct stream through the nozzle. Usually, he only used a light gas sedative, but these two hotheads needed something stronger. Even with the increased potency, the Appoplexian needed one last kick to knock him out.
He pressed the dial near his face, turning him back to human, and he ignored the wide awes and awed whispers of the gathering crowd. "Is that–?" "No way, I thought he was still on Termia-4." "Did he just knock out Vexx in one hit?"
"If you're gonna fight, keep it in the Melee Pit! I better not see another street fight while I'm down here!" He stalked off, looking for the real reason he wanted to stop on Knowhere.
. . . . .
Argit chuckled to himself, closing and locking the door to the shabby garage that acted as his small business. There was loose tech all over the place, pieces of armor, weapons, bombs, basically anything that was illegal with a high demand was what he specialized in. He was talking to somebody on a small device in his ear. "Listen, Plugg, I just got an amazing deal offa those Vreedle morons for those guns we stole from Sakaar–alright yeah whatever, you stole–but I need you to give them the location of the tracker I installed on 'em, then get the bounty. With any luck, the new clones'll be back for more guns after those–" A crackling sound suddenly cut off the transmission. "Ehh, worthless piece of junk."
"Keep treating your customers like that, it'll catch up to ya." Argit jumped at the sound coming from the corner of his garage. He was so engrossed in his call that he never noticed the person rummaging through his fridge. "Damn, all you got is cheap Gourmand rum. How does this crap not make you sick." The Terran teen shook his head in slight disgust.
"T-Tennyson, what brings you here, today of all days?" Argit nervously chittered, his quills slightly trembling. "L-looking for any good rifles perchance?"
Ben shut the mutated animal hybrid's fridge and faced him with a smirk. "Nah, I've got a really good one right here." He patted the muzzle of his Proto-Tool that was slung across his back. "Something really interesting happened earlier. Somehow, a Shi'ar spy was able to infiltrate Galvan Prime, despite the Galvan having one of the most advanced monitoring systems in the known universe. I respected the skill needed for that and came prepared for a tough fight, only to be disappointed when I pummeled her all the way back to Chandilar."
Argit loudly gulped, now starting to realize why Ben would show up here after that. "Turns out I gave her way too much credit." He pulled a small disk-shaped device from his jacket pocket and tossed it to Argit, who caught the device with a small squeak. "Apparently, that device creates a dead-zone field all around it, making anybody using it invisible to satellites, thermal scanners, motion triggers; basically any piece of technology."
His metal magnetized boots clanked against the stone floor as Ben slowly approached the small con artist, the smirk slowly dropping from his face. "Might've also given you too much credit, never thought I'd see the day where you got sloppy and left your signature on a piece of tech. Ego get the better of ya?" Argit was backing up as Ben got closer, eventually hitting a wall.
"N-no, of course not, I've obviously been framed Benny-boy–" Ben slammed one of his hands on the wall next to Argit's head. "–Ben! Ben! My bad!"
"We've got two options here: First option is I beat the hell out of you, then take you to Galvan Prime. Second option is you doing what you do best and snitch on your manufacturer to save your own ass. Your choice." The smile he gave now was cruel compared to the playful smirk he had earlier.
"Am I… uh, that predictable?" He laughed a bit sheepishly. "Alright man! Just ease up. I got the tech from a Rigellian, said it was some other dimension stuff. I didn't ask too many questions, just wanted the tech!" Ben raised an eyebrow at the confession.
"Since when do the Rigellians have tech like that?" He asked himself while rubbing his chin. Argit seemed to think it wasn't a rhetorical question.
"You want my opinion? I don't think those guys are the bosses, barely knew anything about it other than what it did. My bet is they were middle men, like me." Argit nodded, apparently trying to be helpful.
Ben knew better. "Dude, quit it with the ass-kissing, I'm not shutting your place down today. But if I find any other tech like this out there, I'll bring a whole raiding party down on your ass, you hear me?" Ben started to walk out, but stopped when he noticed a couple thermal detonators sitting on a shelf. "Gluto's been looking for some of these, I get the best friends discount don't I? Thanks."
Argit suddenly let out a huge breath, feeling safe that Ben was now gone. "At least he didn't find the Techadon robot..."
. . . . .
The rest of the visit went without a hitch, Gluto got all the supplies Ben had asked for, and by the time Ben got back to the ship, it was completely refueled and ready for takeoff.
Xarta was a few star systems away from Knowhere, but the Stealth-Hawks were designed by the Skrulls to handle more jump points than a normal ship. Taking the most direct and quickest flight path would be pushing its capabilities, but Ben's taken it through worse conditions, plus they really had no time to waste if they wanted to decrease risk of a slaughter on Xarta.
It was long ago that the Xartan Deviants were created, but from what Azmuth was able to determine, they were all genetically unstable, but much more powerful than the baseline Xartans. A war had been raging between the two factions for decades now, with the Deviants' imperialistic nature driving them to exterminate the normal Xartans. Many other empires and even the Nova Corps had resolved to passively let the war play out, but Ben had made it his personal mission to protect the vulnerable, and compared to the shapeshifting powerhouses they were battling, the Xartans truly were vulnerable.
He found that the Deviants' genetics could be repaired through the use of the Omnitrix, but the sheer amount of them along with how much it drained the Omnitrix's energy made it infeasible as a solution. He'd fight them into submission if need be, but he'd still try everything he could to allow both species to peacefully coexist.
Gluto signaled him from his navigation computer, telling him that they were approaching Xartan airspace. He pressed a few buttons to put ZENNITH in control of his station and left to put his armor on. The Proto-Tech was a design by Azmuth a year after he had officially met Ben, along with the Proto-Tool that was currently leaning against the wall. The semi-fluid metal was able to conform to his growing body as the years went by, and they allowed for easy modification. It seemed to take to Infinitum metal especially, creating a mixed alloy that was tougher and lighter, truly greater than the sum of its parts. Wearing it always filled Ben with a burst of confidence, something that he always needed before any big fight.
He looked into a mirror, staring at his reflection. There were times that he could see glimpses of that little 10-year-old who only had to worry about making it as starter for the Bellwood little league, but as soon that armor went back on, he ceased to exist. There were times that he wanted to leave this life behind and try to find that joy of youth again, but he couldn't. Eunice taught him better, Azmuth taught him better, Tetrax–.
It'd be better to not hop on that guilt train before a battle with the super strong, super durable, shape-shifting soldiers.
Ben took a deep breath and stepped out to the hangar. "Alright Gluto, what're you seein' down there?"
Gluto responded, telling him about the immediate conflict, with the Deviants raiding the Baselines' nearby camp and slaughtering the Xartan's by the dozens. There were still a few trying to retreat, but they'd soon be overwhelmed
"Damn it, I took way too long on Knowhere. Drop me off at the front lines and I'll get the survivors out of there." He berated himself in his head, he left these people to die because he was obsessed with his own investigation.
A red light flashed in the hangar and Ben tensed up. "3…2…1…" Deep breath in. Deep breath out.
The platform Ben was standing on suddenly dropped open, sending Ben plummeting down to the planet Xarta below. He controlled his fall and looked around at his surroundings. Most of the surrounding terrain was open deserts and mountainous regions, with small cities built with rather primitive technology. Xarta was barely a level-3 tech planet, but the way they've used their limited technology was ingenious, garnering respect from even the Intergalactic Council.
He could see the smoldering wreckage of the Xartan camp, and the few survivors were holding out on a nearby plateau. Both groups looked vaguely humanoid, with their pointed ears, and box-shaped heads. The differences between the two groups were primarily in their skin color and attire, with the Deviants' orange skin and sparse clothing compared to the Xartans' bright yellow skin and stone & metal composite armor. Their rifles didn't do too much damage to the near-bulletproof mutants, but they were useful in knocking them off from where the Deviants were crawling up.
Ben was getting closer to the ground so he activated the Omnitrix, switching the dial over to one of his favorite flyers, one he knew could outpace anything on the ground.
. . . . .
The Xartan survivors held out as well as they could, considering most of their munitions were destroyed at first contact. Vornax was a captain of the standing army, only promoted to the commanding officer after their lieutenant was killed. The mid-caliber rifles were good for buying them time, but the support they called in had not responded, and he began to suspect they were thought of as a lost cause. He didn't want to let his men know, but he wasn't about to cut and run either; he was ready to stand his ground until the end.
Good thing was, he didn't have to. Support arrived, just not in the way he, or any of his comrades, expected. A bright green flash lit up the surrounding area, grabbing attention even in the burning light of Xarta's twin suns. They couldn't see anything more than a red blur, but they could hear the shocked cries of the Deviants and explosions to accompany them. Beams as green as the flash of light seared through the air.
Down below the top of the plateau, Ben was flying around as a red flying manta ray, with yellow covering the undersides of its wings. Two yellow horns raised up into a crest and sharp claws were at the end of three-digit hands and toes. He fondly called this transformation 'Jetray', and always felt a rush using the DNA of one of the fastest flying species in the galaxy. His offensive capabilities were powerful too, being able to fire neuroshock beams from his eyes and a port in his tail.
He flew around the rock at near mach-1, blasting the Deviants with great precision. He yelped as a couple jumped at him with a snarl, and a couple of them grew small wings that let them glide at him from the jump. It felt like there was an unending flood of the Deviants, and as soon as one jumped onto his back, a few more began to pile on. One leapt and punched him straight in the face, disorienting him from his flight path. The moment he began to slow down, it became a massive dog-pile. He felt a couple put him in a chokehold, several grabbing his arms and legs, trying to tear his wings.
With a snarl, Jetray's eyes and tail lit up. He fired his neuroshocks in an area around him, blasting forward at the same time, leaving a sonic boom in his wake. When he felt all of the Deviants drop from his body, he hovered in place and looked at all the unconscious enemies. Several of them seemed to have severe burns and broken bones, but there seemed to only be a few casualties. Satisfied he looked back to the plateau only to see that his neuroshock beams cut right through the base of the rock.
He groaned at the misfortune. "Aww man!" He shot right back to the rock and held up the damaged area with his strength. He controlled the intensity of his beams and used it as a makeshift welding tool, slowly fixing the rock back into place. It wouldn't hold very long at all, but it would be enough to get the Xartans to safety.
Vornax and his crew stood apprehensive near the middle of their platform, hearing the sounds of battle quickly cease. But were shocked back into action when the rock they stood on began to tremble and crumble down, before suddenly stopping. "Woah, my bad! I cut through the foundation by mistake, but it's all good now."
They were shocked to see one of the normally anti-social Aerophibians coming to their rescue. They were able to easily fly throughout the galaxy on their own power, but rarely stayed anywhere for too long.
"An Aerophibian? I've never seen one of those guys in my life." One was scratching their head in confusion.
"Look at his chest! That's Ben Tennyson!" Another pointed at the hourglass symbol sitting on the middle of his chest. "I thought he was a myth!"
Vornax kept his gaze leveled at the transforming peacekeeper. "Well clearly he's not. Are you here to help?"
He floated down to land on the rock. "Promise I am. I mean you can wait here if you want, but those guys down there might wake up, not to mention this rock probably won't hold for longer than another 10 minutes." A few of the survivors peered over the edge of the plateau, seeing many of the battered and beaten Xartans, and a couple looked warily at the apparently unstable rock they stood on.
Jetray held his hand out to Vornax, noticing the commanding role he seemed to take. "I fought for the lives of your men, I wouldn't betray you now. Plus… you kinda have no other choice."
Vornax looked down at the offered hand and seemed to take a few moments to consider it, before taking the Aerophibian's hand in a shake. "Do you have a plan to get us out of here?"
Jetray seemed almost offended. "Course I do. What d'you think I am, a greenie?" Vornax couldn't help but chuckle, not really from the joke, but more from the sheer gratefulness of still being alive. "But first, I gotta get you guys off this rock before it all crumbles."
Ben turned to the rest of the gathered group, only about 11 in total. "Alright guys, I can carry about 4 of you at once. I'll get you off this rock and away from those KO'd Deviants so we can get you all back home." The gathered soldiers all cheered, raising their rifles in the air. Even the normally stoic Vornax had to join in the celebrations, but he made sure he'd be the last one taken off that rock.
. . . . .
When Ben ferried all the surviving soldiers a suitable distance away from the area, he moved aside to speak with Vornax.
"So where does your plan go from here?" He was beginning to warm up to Ben, but it was his job to be more paranoid than most.
"Just need to know the coords for where you wanna go. Simple as that." Ben shrugged his shoulders. He tapped the symbol on his chest in a certain button pattern, projecting a hologram with a numpad in front of Vornax. "Type it all in there."
Vornax put it in then stepped back. "I don't understand, how will this–"
Jetray twisted the symbol on his chest and tapped it, transforming in another flash of green into a gelatinous looking creature. His head and his back were solid black, with green circuitry lines, while his chest down the front of his body was white. The Omnitrix button sat on his chest and a green ring formed on the face.
He crossed his arms. "Trust me, Upgrade's gonna get you outta here real quick" He stepped away from the gathered group, looking at him in wonder. "I've been working on this recently."
He grunted and bent over as his body began morphing and expanding. Limbs melded together and spread into a long, rectangular shape, with wheels and treads. There wasn't any top on the platform, but walls raised up to make a transport vehicle. The back wall lowered down to make a ramp, allowing the Xartans to enter the vehicle.
Vornax just stared with a mix of confusion and a bit of disgust. "Is this contraption made of your body? And you want us to step into you? I didn't know Galvanic Mechamorphs were so comfortable with that."
Ben's voice came out rather strained. "T-that's really all you got from this? Hurry up and get in if you wanna get back, this is kinda starting to hurt."
The few soldiers still hadn't really budged, but were spurred into action by their Captain. "Well? What are you flerken bums waitin' for? Get on the Mechamorph!"
It was smooth sailing to the coordinates Vornax had programmed into the Omnitrix, and as many of the soldiers rested where they could, the Xartan Captain moved towards the front of the vehicle, near where Upgrade's 'face' was located.
"I've seen Mechamorphs on the Extranet. They can create grander contraptions as easily as we breathe, so why is it causing you pain?" Vornax had wondered this since the teen had mentioned it.
Upgrade took a moment to answer. "My regular Terran body doesn't mesh well with the Mechamorph DNA, so I'm technically 'incomplete'. Makes it hard to do more than upgrade pre-existing tech. Get the name now?"
Vornax had a look of contemplation, seeming distressed about something. "This is unnatural for you? You suffer this pain for us? You risk death fighting those savages for us?"
"Y-yeah, that's kinda what I do."
Vornax had only met a few beings that showed him this same level of honor, willing to put his body on the line for soldiers abandoned by their own people. There was a fortitude in his voice, despite the nonchalance of his tone. Vornax knew that he owed Ben Tennyson more than he could ever comprehend, not only his life, but the lives of the men under his watch.
They had reached the coordinates in record time, and only when they began to approach did Ben notice it was a military compound. There were many Xartans, men and women, roaming about in various military garb and armor, and many of them stopped and stared down the squad of survivors nearing the base. The base itself was a hodge-podge of stone and metal buildings, mostly occupied by the stockpiles of weapons, military vehicles, and tanks. There were tents set up with measly cots and bedrolls, clearly displaying where all the money for the base went.
"Captain Vornax? We had gotten intel that your whole camp was a casualty! What happened?!" One of the perimeter guards noticed the commanding officer once Upgrade had come to a stop.
Upgrade lowered the front wall of the transport he made, allowing Vornax to lead the soldiers to the base. "That's what I'd like to know. We called for support, but not only did nothing arrive, we didn't even get a response!"
The guard seemed confused and a bit taken aback. "I… we never heard of any call for support. We need to take you to see General Noltar–aah!" He yelped and raised his weapon as soon as the transport they were just on seemed to collapse into a walking blob.
Upgrade raised his arms. "Woah! Friendly fire!"
"Stand down soldier! This man saved us. There would be no survivors if it weren't for him." Vornax stepped in front of the startled guard's view to defend their rescuer.
"It's the lack of a face, huh? Here, maybe this'll help." He touched the hourglass on his chest, and with a flash, turned back into the shorter human form of Ben Tennyson. It didn't seem to put the agitated soldier less on-edge, in fact, it made him more tense as he recognized who it was.
"You-you're the wielder of the Omnitrix!" He was about to go on before Vornax cut him off.
"There's no time for this, where's the general? I need to debrief the situation." The perimeter guard pointed towards the intel tent. "Thank you. Dismissed." He then turned towards the still diligently gathered soldiers. They all had a look about them that wasn't seen around the base, a look that shows they've been through hell and back and still have the strength to carry on. "You've all done well. You've brought honor not only to your families, but to your people. Your bravery will go down in history, and I thank you all for lending me your strength. All who are injured, stop at the medical tent, those who are not have earned rest. Dismissed." The soldiers saluted, with a fist over their heart before dispersing. "Ben Tennyson, you have already done much, but I have only one more request of you."
Ben smiled and nodded from his place near the still-awestruck perimeter guard. "No problem, and just call me Ben, man."
Vornax nodded. "Alright Ben Man, I ask that you join myself and General Noltar for the debrief."
Ben sighed, but shook his head. "It's just– you know what, forget it. I'm with you, just show me the way."
. . . . .
The Xartan's main intelligence center wasn't much more impressive than the rest of their base, just a few more monitors and data pads than normal. Their general didn't seem all that impressive either, a man in a suit that didn't exude leadership or confidence, but he knew from experience that looks could be deceiving. His yellow skin was more pale than the rest in the room, and he had a mustache that was long and unkempt, in stark contrast to his short buzz cut.
Vornax abruptly stopped, before giving the same salute he had received earlier. "General Noltar, Captain Vornax present for debrief. Accompanied by an unaffiliated third party."
The general's mustache twitched. "What happened to Lieutenant Holdrac? And who gave you the permission to bring a guest into an active military intelligence center?"
For the first time since Ben's known him, Vornax seemed to falter in his confidence. "Sir, Lieutenant Holdrac, along with most of our platoon are casualties of a Deviant raiding party. The few survivors were saved by this man. General, this is-"
"Yes I know who Ben Tennyson is Captain, I'm asking why you thought bringing a gallivanting, unaffiliated mercenary into my base would be a good idea?" Noltar's voice alone was something that just irritated Ben.
"Mercenary? I've seen real war, fought real fights. I dunno how getting rank of general works on this planet, but everywhere else, it means they actually know how to lead men into battle. If I, the so-called mercenary, had to save your men because you didn't even bother to send any support, then that rank must be like a participation trophy." Ben took a step forward, but stopped when Vornax's arm shot out to stop him. It didn't stop the general from backing up a step and turning a shade of orange in anger.
"Just go back outside. I thought he'd be lenient, but I can handle this." Vornax whispered, arm still holding him back. Ben just huffed and turned away, leaving a piercing glare as a parting gift.
He couldn't not listen in though, he can't exactly help being a curious person by nature.
"General… Why wasn't there any reply to our distress call?" Vornax tentatively followed up.
"Direct orders from Emperor Zotarn that all air and ground assets were to be pulled back to the capitol city. Condolences to your men." Noltar only added the last part as a formality, voice not portraying any actual sympathy.
"Pull back? General, without any troops on the aggressive front, the Deviants will build strength. A direct attack on the capitol will be inevitable. You can't be-"
"Court martial! Any more back talk and I will make sure you get a dishonorable discharge! Dismissed!" The general roared back at the captain's protests.
"Yes sir." Vornax said with grit teeth.
Ben quickly moved away, pretending as if he hadn't been listening in to the entire conversation.
"Ben Man, I have a suspicion that something is truly wrong. Please tell me what you think." Ben acted as if he had no clue what he was talking about. "Do not insult my intelligence, I know you were eavesdropping."
Ben shrugged. "Fair enough. That general of yours gives me a really bad feeling, and I know by now to trust my instincts. Not to mention, pulling a full scale retreat on a fairly equally-matched war is asinine."
Vornax sighed. "I had hoped I'd been overly paranoid, but I agree. Something is going on here Ben Man, and I'd appreciate an ally by my side." He held out a hand.
Ben shook it without hesitation. "You got one, 100%. What do you need me to do?"
Vornax shook his head. "Nothing for now, General Noltar looked familiar with you. If he gets even a hint that you're involved, it could cause a mess for both of us. I will message you when I've found a lead Ben Man. I thank you for your loyalty." He began to lead Ben to the perimeter of the base. "Will you require transport? A ship perhaps?"
Ben smirked. "You did see me flying earlier right?" He fiddled with the watch on his wrist, landing on a winged silhouette. "I'm good, I'll be ready for your next message." A familiar green flash covered Vornax's vision, presenting the red figure of Jet Ray that had appeared earlier in the battle. "I saw your fighting earlier and trust me, your talents are being wasted following that dork's orders. You ever need anything, I got your back." And with that, he shot out of the base, creating a massive shockwave from the sonic boom and blowing a few soldiers to the ground.
Vornax stared at the retreating figure, the corners of his lips slightly turning up. "And I have got yours, Ben Man."
. . . . .
"I'm getting sick of these bratty generals and emperors that get all fussy when you clean up their messes! Seriously Gluto, I just might snap one of these days." Ben kicked back in his seat, nudging his boots off.
Gluto mumbling, sarcastically mocking his BO. "Hey, I never talk shit about the protoplasm you leave in the sink. That stuff smells worse than a Lepidopterran." It didn't help his case that even Zed started whining and covering her nose. "Anyway, I'll catch a shower on the way to Kymellia. Plot the course ZENNITH!" He spun on his chair, about to do exactly that when the small hologram appeared on the control panel.
"My apologies Benjamin, but it seems as though Technocrat, the appointed ruler of the Kymellians, has just amended their earlier distress beacon. He has pulled away any investigators, stating that the insurgents were no longer a threat to Kymellia."
Ben turned back to the little hologram. "So the insurgents were captured? What happened to the anti-matter experimentation?"
ZENNITH paused for a moment, appearing as if the hologram was staring off into space. "No information has been released on the status of the insurgents, nor the anti-matter experimentation."
Now Ben seemed more confused. "Anti-matter and all associated crimes were extremely well-detailed in the Galactic Code of Conduct. It may be stupid, but that book is law. The details of this case should be open to the galaxy. Get us to Kymellia, I need to talk to the Technocrat."
Gluto nervously burbled, knowing how a dangerous anti-matter explosive devastated the Protost home world, an event that brought the laws against it into motion.
"I'm sorry Benjamin, but the Technocrat has set up a blockade. Only essential spacecrafts and merchants are permitted in Kymellian airspace. Forcefully breaking this blockade will be seen as an act of aggression. I suggest moving on in the job list before any drastic actions are taken." Ben's left eye twitched at the statements from the AI. He was about to argue before Gluto spoke up, telling Ben to get a shower think about his next move before doing anything else.
Ben sighed. "Fine. Gluto, pull up another job and get us there. I trust your judgment on this… just get us moving." He stalked away, later washing the stress and frustration away in the shower, though the suspicion never left his thoughts as he deliberated on the events of the day.
. . . . .
Khoros, capital of the Tetramand Empire
Ben had been on very good terms with the Tetremand Empire for years now, having personally saved their planet in the past, along with fighting by their emperor, Gar Red Wind's, side. Gar was a giant, even by Tetramand standards, but Ben surprised and intrigued him when the much younger and physically smaller form of Fourarms was able to match the mighty emperor in strength and toughness. Since their first battle together, Gar and Ben trusted each other, sharing information and lending each other their might in battle.
This trust afforded Ben certain privileges, such as a royal escort directly to the palace as soon as they left the Jump Point in Khoros airspace.
Ben and Gluto both walked down the lowering ramp when they arrived at the landing pad near the grand palace of the Tetramand emperor. Ben had exchanged his armor for a white and green hoodie and loose brown pants, walking with the same confidence and swagger. Gar stood at the end of the landing pad, two upper arms held out in greeting. He did not have the look of royalty, clad in gladiator-styled armor and a long fur cape. His helmet had four jagged horns, one of them being broken, seeming to match with his single missing arm.
"Ha! Ben Tennyson! It is great to have such a famed warrior grace our halls once more!" Ben approached for a greeting, but Gar beat him to the punch, swiftly lifting him up into a spine-crushing hug. Gluto yelped in surprise, not expecting the sudden action. "And his trusted companion, Gluto, the swiftest pilot in the galaxy. I'm honored to have you here once more." Gluto's surprise turned to smugness, making Ben roll his eyes.
Ben laughed despite his quickly dwindling oxygen. "Good to see you too, Gar. I'd come back to see Khoros even if you didn't have news for me." The huge Tetramand set him down.
"Yes, concerning the message, I must speak with you privately. It's more confusing to me than anything, but I wanted to get your opinion in person." Gar began leading them inside, when he heard Gluto alarmed burbles. He turned around to see him running over to the Tetramand engineers docking their ship, apparently annoyed they were doing it incorrectly. He started yelling at them, but most of them couldn't understand the peculiar language of the Protosts.
"You gonna stay out here Gluto?" Ben called back to his co-pilot. Gluto stretched a limb out of his back to shoo him off while snapping at Ben. "Yeesh, all you had to say was yes! You didn't even know half of those words a month ago."
The walk through the halls was rather boring, mostly because he's done this walk dozens of times now. The two filled the time in the walk asking about each other since they had last seen one another, Gar telling Ben about the day-to-day job ruling the planet, and Ben returning the favor, telling Gar about his battles and adventures throughout the galaxy. Instead of going to the throne room, the two made their way to Gar's personal workshop, filled with different designs of engines and batteries. Behind the love for battle and hunting, Gar was a bit of a gearhead, having an obsession with cars and terrestrial transport.
Gar went to the console in the center of the workshop, and activated it, displaying a message sent to Gar but meant for Ben. "Here's the transmission. Normally I would just consider it a mistake and forward the message to you, but the nature of the transmission had me feeling a bit apprehensive. I figured that you could-" They were cut off by the workshop door being harshly thrown open.
"Father! I can't believe you-!" The person who threw open the door was a female Tetramand, only a bit older than Ben himself, and much slimmer and smaller than most other female Tetramands her age. Looma Red Wind, princess of the Tetramands and one of the greatest gladiator fighters of Khoros, froze after seeing Ben standing right by her father. "Ben Tennyson! W-what are-" Her red face darkened to a wine red color in a blush before she quickly backed out the door she roughly opened just a moment prior.
Gar raised an eyebrow and looked down to Ben, who just shrugged. "I'll leave you to look through this, I'll be back in a moment Ben."
Ben turned back to the console. "Yeah, no problem. Let me know if Looma's doing alright, she looked a bit sick there for a moment."
Gar chuckled, starting to catch on. "Yes, I'm sure she's fine." He walked out to see Looma sitting on the floor of the hallway, two of her hands covering her face. Clearly, she's not really fine. "Are you alright, my little warrior?"
She started shaking her head, hands not leaving her face. "How could you not tell me Ben was here, father! I completely made a fool of myself in front of him."
Gar stroked his long beard while he answered. "Yes, that was a rather embarrassing display." He then got a mischievous smile. "Especially when your goal is to impress him."
Looma blushed, but still looked at her father with a glare. "I do not-!" She took a deep breath. "I wish for him to respect me as a warrior. There are few that Ben Tennyson chooses to fight beside, and I only wish that my prowess in battle would one day count me among those few."
Gar looked down at his daughter, one eyebrow raising and smirk still on his face.
Looma looked away, apparently shy once again. "He is rather…interesting for a Terran, though."
The emperor's smirk turned into an understanding smile. The Red Winds have all felt and strongly expressed their emotions, he remembered his own romance with his dearly departed wife. When the Red Winds fall for someone, they fall for them hard. "I can bet that it isn't as bad as you think. He may not have fought by your side yet, but I guarantee that he respects your strength. Now, quit moping and act like the Warrior Princess that you are." He playfully pushed her head, with her slapping his hand away, and walked back towards where he left Ben in the workshop.
He found Ben finishing the last of the transmission. He spoke up when he noticed Gar walk back in. "Who's Richard Rider? The transmission's a distress call, apparently this Rider guy's in trouble, but why would he contact me?"
Gar responded. "I was curious about that too. My contacts have told me that he's a Nova Corps Centurian. Unconfirmed intel also says that he might have been one of the Supernovas."
Ben looked up in surprise. "A Supernova? I thought those guys disappeared?"
"Most of them did, but there are rumors of them all over the galaxy."
Ben shook his head, looking back at the transmission. "Regardless, I might have to speak with Nova Prime. Find out why he requested me instead of backup from the Corps." He sighed, rubbing his face. "Things just keep getting weirder. First the Rigellians smuggled completely new tech on the black market, then the Xartans practically gave up the war on the Deviants, then the Kymellians enforced a global blockade, now this? It seems like all I'm dealing with is leads that go nowhere."
Gar had an alarmed expression on his face. "All of the leads you mentioned are species that have only minor seats on the Intergalactic Council, but none have a true empire of their own. The fact that 3 minor planets in the same star system have all had strange occurrences in such a short amount of time is worrying to me. Call me paranoid, but once is an incident, twice is a coincidence, three times…"
Ben seemed to catch on. "Is a pattern. I think you're onto something there Gar. I need to get to Xandar quickly, hopefully put another puzzle piece in place before this lead falls apart too."
Gar had a fleeting thought appear in his head. "You know, there may be danger out there, and there's nobody I trust more in a fight than Looma. You should bring her– it'd give you the extra muscle, while also giving her real experience in the galaxy before she comes of age for her trials into ruling." He walked back to the door and nudged it open, with Looma falling to the floor, clearly having been leaning on the door to listen in. She quickly got back to her feet and straightened out her armor, trying to maintain her dignity.
Ben looked a bit awkwardly for a moment before nodding his head. "For sure, it would be cool to fight with you. If you're anything like your dad, you'll be a lot of help." He smiled kindly towards the princess.
Looma blushed, but held her composure. "It would be a great honor to draw first blood by your side, Ben Tennyson."
Ben just put two thumbs up. "Okay. Pretty intense, but yeah, total honor."
Gar laughed, putting a hand on both of their shoulders. "Great! It is settled then." He moved towards the door, sending a wink Looma's way, clearly showing that he had an ulterior motive with the idea to partner the two of them up. "I can't wait to hear the tales of your battles. I bet they will be extraordinary!" He turned the corner, leaving the two teens in the workshop.
Ben walked forward, turning back to Looma as he walked. Meet us at the landing pad once you've gotten everything you need. I'll introduce you to the rest of the crew and show you around the ship. Trust me Looma, you fly with us, there's always an adventure! Usually followed by near-death experiences, but I figure that just gets you more excited. See you there!" He turned the opposite corner, heading towards the exit.
Looma stood there after Ben left. She grasped two of her hands above her heart, with her other two fidgeting. "I'm really going on an adventure with Ben Tennyson!" Her eyes suddenly widened. "But what armor am I going to wear? What weapons should I bring? By the creator, why'd you have to do this to me, father?!" She hurriedly left to her quarters, nervous, but still bursting with anticipation at the adventure to come.
And now Looma's joined the party. The presence of a battle-hungry warrior princess will probably shake up Ben's monotony. Let's just hope this Ben is better at picking up signals than his canon counterpart. You comic fans probably recognize a character that hasn't been introduced in the MCU yet. I hope I do his character justice, and if you guys have any tips on how to better write certain characters, I'd love to hear it!