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"Hah! So that's what those shape-shifting freaks told you—that Krypton offended every civilization in the universe and got hunted down by everyone?"
Yon-Rogg holstered his weapon and laughed loudly, then began telling a rather different story.
In the war between the Kree and Skrull empires—one that had dragged on for hundreds of thousands of years—the borders of both sides had actually changed very little. Each side consisted of a dominant core civilization ruling over numerous subordinate ones. The goal was never merely territorial expansion, but the annihilation of the other core civilization and the amplification of one's own influence.
If one were to compare it to Earth's history, it resembled the European colonial era more than anything else.
They conquered territories for markets, resources, and manpower—not like America's westward expansion, where indigenous peoples were wiped out so settlers could claim the land and multiply.
Only by ruling many civilizations with a single dominant one could an empire of such scale be sustained.
To ensure stable rule, the military capabilities of subject civilizations were strictly limited. Thus, the great wars between the Kree and Skrulls were nothing like the Mongol invasions, where vast numbers of auxiliary troops followed a central army in a cold-weapons "world war."
Instead, the core civilizations themselves clashed directly on the battlefield. The subject civilizations merely supplied resources—endlessly producing weapons and materiel—slowly bleeding themselves dry to fuel the war.
The Solar System lay on the fringe of this inter-imperial conflict. The Kree Empire was the first to establish an outpost on one of Uranus's moons, using it as a watchtower against the Skrull Empire.
As for what the Kree had been doing on Earth, Yon-Rogg skipped over it. It had little to do with the question at hand, and Black Super didn't press him on it.
Krypton, Yon-Rogg explained, was located in the Vega system, about fifty light-years from Earth. The Skrulls originated in the Andromeda Galaxy and had come to occupy most of the Milky Way—including the Vega system.
In other words, a newly spacefaring civilization had emerged inside Skrull territory.
By Skrull imperial doctrine, if a planetary civilization was divided internally, they would evaluate which faction was worth supporting, then help it eliminate the others.
If the civilization was already unified, they would use their shapeshifting abilities to infiltrate and overthrow its government, installing a pro-Skrull regime and completing their conquest.
But Krypton's unique DNA-based technological path made those tactics ineffective.
For civilizations like that, the Skrull Empire's standard solution was simple: eradication, just as they had done to countless others.
Krypton resisted.
The Skrull Empire, having underestimated them, was briefly shattered by this newly spacefaring world. Naturally, such a civilization became an attractive ally to the Kree.
That alliance ended with the Battle of the Barrington System, where the Skrulls annihilated the Kryptonian fleet. Krypton then used an unknown technology to deploy the Phantom Zone around the Rao system, sealing off further Skrull incursions—and effectively isolating itself.
All of this had happened roughly ten thousand years ago.
"So what you're saying," Black Super summarized, "is that Krypton's real enemy was only the Skrulls, who conveniently claimed to represent the entire universe—and that the Kree were useless allies who didn't actually help at all?"
He couldn't hide his skepticism at the clear bias in Yon-Rogg's account.
"You don't seriously think I'd fabricate something this elaborate, something that couldn't stand up to scrutiny, just to recruit you—do you?" Yon-Rogg replied. "I'm a warrior, not a silver-tongued diplomat."
Black Super chose not to dwell on interstellar politics.
"I've heard enough about Krypton's feud with the Skrull Empire. What about Krypton itself? How much do you know about its internal structure?"
What he didn't say was that, judging from how desperately the Skrulls had tried to frame or kill him the moment they encountered him, the hatred between them ran far deeper than words alone suggested.
Yon-Rogg answered without evasion.
"The Kree Empire did send covert envoys during Krypton's most active period, offering assistance. So we do have a certain level of understanding. More detailed records are preserved by the Supreme Intelligence.
"But I'm a soldier. What I know best is war history. As for internal matters, what I know is largely the same as what the Skrulls told you."
"The Supreme Intelligence…" Black Super repeated, then asked, "Who—or what—is that?"
He did have pre-incarnation knowledge, but this wasn't something he should already know in-world, and he wasn't certain whether reality matched his memories. So he asked.
Yon-Rogg explained:
"The Supreme Intelligence is a living computer. It contains the brains of the greatest politicians, philosophers, scientists, and thinkers in Kree history—merged into a single collective consciousness.
"Every five years, the people of the Kree Empire elect a representative. Upon death, that individual's brain is specially processed and added to the Supreme Intelligence's gestalt. It is constantly evolving, never stagnant.
"Approximately—using C53's orbital period—nine hundred thousand years ago, the Supreme Intelligence was chosen as the Empire's absolute ruler. It is our leader, our sage, our elder."
That matched Black Super's expectations.
Within the Kree Empire, the Supreme Intelligence wasn't some distant, untouchable figure that ordinary people might never encounter.
As a biological computer, it could communicate with anyone through terminals or receivers, allocating a negligible portion of its processing power.
It could be a kind older sister—or a wise life coach.
This accessibility, combined with an impressive record of sound decisions, was why the Kree people accepted its long-term rule.
As Black Super pondered this, Yon-Rogg extended an offer.
"Kryptonian—if you wish to know more, I can take you to Hala to meet the Supreme Intelligence.
"I know it was you whom Bron-Char encountered aboard the cruiser. I'm willing to overlook his defeat and the losses you caused. But first, I need your assistance."
Assistance?
Black Super's attention flicked skyward. Captain Marvel—now having just obliterated a Kree warship and sent Ronan's remaining fleet fleeing—was descending back to the surface.
Yon-Rogg raised his weapon again, aiming at the traitor of the Kree Starforce.
She was no longer glowing, apparently having exited Binary mode. That didn't make her weak—far from it. She was the kind of person you killed only if you wanted to, never because you could.
"Who are you?" Carol Danvers demanded sharply. "The man in black."
There was no chance Black Super would foolishly leave a yellow-sun system and wander into deep space.
Now he knew: Kryptonians were a species utterly dependent on terrain. Go to the wrong place, and they didn't even need enemies to kill themselves.
How desperate did one have to be to leave Earth?
Joining the Kree? Don't be ridiculous.
He glanced at the furious Carol Danvers and said calmly, "I'm just passing through. Looks like you've got a score to settle—don't mind me."
Then he turned to Yon-Rogg.
"This isn't my war. Your offer means nothing to me. Take care of yourself, Kree."
Carol wasn't satisfied.
She turned to Yon-Rogg. "Who is he?"
"I don't know," Yon-Rogg replied. The two exchanged bewildered looks—
—and then realized the man was gone.
The disappearance was so sudden it was as if his suit came with a max-level stealth skill. Two elite Starforce veterans couldn't even tell how he vanished.
The confrontation, however, continued uninterrupted.
Yon-Rogg holstered his weapon again, beginning with the words, "I'm so proud of you," trying to rekindle the Kree warrior pride that Vers had spent six years chasing under his command.
He didn't get far.
A photon blast sent him flying.
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