In the vast, silent expanse of the universe, a sleek spaceship streaked through the void, leaving a shimmering trail in its wake like a fleeting comet. Even with the advanced Tetramand engines—the fastest in the known universe—and sophisticated space-jump technology, the journey to the desolate planet of Morag would take several days.
While hurtling through the cosmos, Ben didn't neglect his duties on Earth. He remained in constant contact with Norman Osborn, coordinating the next phase of their planetary defense strategy. First, as soon as their ship cleared the atmosphere, Norman was to launch the new constellation of satellites, rebuilding the planetary protection network. This time, to create a more resilient shield, the number of satellites had been tripled, ensuring that even if several nodes went offline, the network could still provide full, uninterrupted coverage of the planet.
Following Dr. Octavius's recommendation, the new shield would no longer draw power from an Infinity Stone. Instead, each satellite would be powered by its own independent Zanium-core reactor. By removing the immense power draw of the stones, the material requirements for the satellites were significantly reduced. This allowed H.A.M.M.E.R. to modify and repurpose a large number of their original satellites, creating a more robust and sustainable defense grid.
In tandem, the Plumbers' orbital space station was being constructed at a steady pace. The production lines at Primus first churned out an army of Iron Guard drones. Then, under Eunice's precise control, those drones began the painstaking work of forging the vibranium alloy components. The Death-Fire Cannon, the orbital weapon Ben had salvaged from the Red King on Sakaar, had been brought to Earth and repurposed as a high-intensity furnace, its focused energy perfect for melting and shaping the rare metal. Once the Plumbers' space station was complete, Earth would finally have the permanent, proactive ability to counter threats from the universe.
But no amount of planning for Earth could help them now. All that mattered was retrieving the Power Stone.
At their current velocity, it wouldn't be long before they reached Morag. Ben gathered the team in the ship's briefing room to review the mission parameters one last time.
"Intel from Plumbers' headquarters has confirmed it," he began, his tone serious. "Ronan the Accuser has officially entered into an alliance with Thanos. The location of the Orb is no longer a secret to them. We should expect to fight the Kree army for it."
T'Challa frowned slightly. "The Kree. How do they compare to the Chitauri?"
The Chitauri were the only alien military they had ever faced head-on. Even as just an advance force, they had plunged Earth into a desperate battle. T'Challa needed a baseline for comparison.
"Let me put it this way," Ben said, choosing his words carefully. He decided to borrow a line from a certain loud-mouthed raccoon he had yet to meet. "The Chitauri are famous throughout the universe for being easy to deal with. You blow up their mothership, and the whole army drops dead." He shrugged. "As for the Kree…"
In the movies, the true power of the Kree was never fully shown, and Ronan was reduced to a fanatical caricature. The reality was far different. The Kree Empire, alongside the Shi'ar and the Skrulls, was one of the three great empires of the universe. Their technology was highly advanced, and their military strength was enough to terrify most galactic civilizations. Setting aside cosmic entities and elder gods, few interstellar powers dared to provoke the Kree.
"The Kree military is a legitimate threat," Ben stated plainly. "The prestige of the three great empires wasn't handed to them. Compared to the Kree, the Chitauri are nothing but glorified thugs. And according to our intelligence, Ronan's personal power is enough to rank him as the third strongest warrior in the entire Kree Empire."
Hearing this, the expressions in the room grew more solemn.
At that very moment, in another corner of the universe, an army was on the march. A fleet of menacing, angular warships cut through space, their destination the same as Ben's: the abandoned planet of Morag. It was a Kree fleet, and in the command room of the flagship, Ronan the Accuser stood in a tense triangle with Thanos's two daughters.
Thanos had ordered Nebula to deliver his offer: Ronan's allegiance in exchange for the destruction of Xandar. To ensure Nebula didn't stray, Gamora was sent to accompany her. Their mission was simple: travel to Morag, find the Orb, and do it fast. Because of this urgency, Ronan had dispatched his forces immediately, not willing to wait four years for the planet's oceans to recede. He was even leading the expedition himself. Gamora, worried that Ronan might betray them after obtaining the stone, followed closely.
Morag was not far now.
But they were not the only other players in the game.
"Ooh-oo child, things are gonna get easier…"
Inside the cockpit of another, much smaller ship, the classic tune blared from the speakers, causing the man in the red leather jacket to twist his body to the rhythm, completely immersed in the music.
"Four billion units for one little ball," Star-Lord muttered to himself, shaking his head in disbelief as he pictured mountains of credits. "Someone's crazy."
Having long since left Yondu's Ravagers to strike out on his own, he had carved out a decent reputation for himself, with a surprisingly high mission completion rate. In his mind, that four billion was as good as his. No need to share it with a bunch of interstellar scoundrels. After this job, he was set for life.
"After we finish this job, we can enjoy retirement in the next life!" Rocket Raccoon shouted, waving his paws vigorously from the co-pilot seat, his bushy tail twitching with excitement.
Groot, the tree-like being beside him, scratched an itch on his bark. "I am Groot."
"You want the rare soil from Tagora? Forget it!" Rocket rolled his eyes. "I'm risking my life for this four billion, not so you can buy fancy dirt!" he roared, his words laced with his usual cocktail of profanity.
Groot pounded a woody fist on the console.
"You need money, too? My god, you're a tree! What do you need money for?" Rocket screeched. "Okay, okay, fine!" he finally conceded. "Strap in, I'm kicking it into high gear!"
A blazing flame erupted from the ship's tail, and in an instant, it dove into the hexagonal wormhole of a jump point.
Like a flying fish breaking the surface, Ben's ship breached Morag's atmosphere. Felicia rested her hands on the main console, leaning forward to look down at the world below.
"This is Morag," she said, her voice filled with a quiet awe. "A little different from what I imagined."
The planet, though covered by ocean, was not blue. It was a deep, dark, almost black color, like the opaque depths of the seabed thousands of meters down.
"Looks like the Kree fleet hasn't arrived yet," Steve observed, scanning the horizon. "We need to move fast. How do we find the temple?"
The planet was massive. Knowing the Orb was in a temple was like looking for a needle in a planet-sized haystack. The thought alone was frustrating.
But Ben wasn't about to conduct a blind, carpet search. He pressed a button on the console. The bottom of the spacecraft opened, and a swarm of small, bee-like machines flew out. They were based on the scanner drones Azmuth had invented to catalog the DNA of intelligent species across the universe. Ben had copied the design, and now they would serve as his eyes. They spread out across the skies of Morag, scanning the planet in sections, creating a detailed topographical map to pinpoint the temple's location.
"Let's go. Eunice will transfer the data to our comms when it's ready," Ben said, tapping the device on his wrist. He had equipped each member of the team with one. Though small, each was a miniature supercomputer, loaded with a variety of functions and even equipped with several obedience disks as emergency weapons.
The ship descended, switching to underwater mode as it plunged into the deep. As the scout drones fanned out, they quickly mapped most of the planet's surface. It wasn't long before Eunice had scanned the locations of dozens of temples. After a quick process of elimination, she narrowed it down to three likely candidates, all located at equidistant points along Morag's equator.
"If we want to check them one by one, it'll take too much time," Steve said, immediately making a decision. "Given that the Kree are on their way, we should split up."
It was the safest bet. Ben agreed. "In that case, Captain, you're with T'Challa. Peter, you're with Venom. Felicia and I will take the third. Barnes, you stay here and guard the ship."
Considering Bucky's still-recovering mental state, Ben decided it was best to keep him out of the initial engagement. The teams dispersed, each boarding a small submersible and heading off in different directions.
In the cramped cabin of their vehicle, Ben and Felicia were huddled close. Knowing the space was limited, Felicia had shifted into her more… endowed Black Cat form, pressing herself tightly against him.
"It's so crowded in here!" she complained, though the mischievous glint in her eyes betrayed her.
"Yeah, it's strange," Ben replied, playing along, not about to refuse this particular fringe benefit. "It's really, really crowded."
It didn't take long for them to find their target.
At that exact moment, Ronan the Accuser's fleet finally arrived in orbit. He leaned over his own console, a holographic image of the planet appearing before him. He smiled, a cold, cruel expression. He looked over at Gamora.
"There are three potential temple locations," he announced. "It seems we will have to split up as well."