"Brunnhilde, why are you remaining on Sakaar?" Ben asked with obvious surprise as they walked through the renovated corridors of the Totem Tower.
In the past, it had typically been Caiera who maintained residence on Sakaar most of the time. As someone originally born on this planet, she was deeply invested in her homeworld's reconstruction and development, sometimes displaying almost maternal protectiveness toward the various building projects.
"Considering that Malekith had invaded here previously, Caiera decided I should remain as a permanent guardian," Brunnhilde explained while taking a long drink from an ornate horn filled with what appeared to be fermented alien fruit beverage.
"Besides, I'm needed here to train new Plumber recruits," she added with a slight slur that suggested this wasn't her first drink of the day.
Brunnhilde didn't possess extensive administrative capabilities, but as a former Valkyrie warrior, she brought tremendous experience in leading troops through combat situations. She and Beta Ray Bill had always been responsible for Plumber military training, though Bill's methods tended toward more rigid, traditional military discipline.
"Who handles the governmental affairs?" Ben inquired with obvious concern.
He didn't believe that Brunnhilde, despite her many combat virtues, possessed any significant political acumen or bureaucratic skills.
"Don't worry about that," she replied with a dismissive wave. "The major policy decisions have already been established, and day-to-day administrative matters are handled by the artificial intelligence Azmuth and Nebula."
As she spoke, Brunnhilde's eyes narrowed slightly as she studied the individuals who had accompanied Ben back to Sakaar.
It wasn't that she was jealous or concerned about potential romantic competition, she wasn't even officially a concubine, so she had no standing to object to Ben's personal relationships.
Rather, Faora and the other two Kryptonians radiated extremely powerful energy signatures that made her feel genuinely threatened from a military perspective.
She honestly didn't know where Ben had discovered three such formidable warriors. The oppressive aura they projected exceeded that of all current Plumber security officers combined. Even the Mother of Storms entity that had once beaten both her and Caiera into submission hadn't felt this intimidating.
As for Mera... she appeared to be undergoing some kind of behavioral transformation.
Brunnhilde's assessment of the Atlantean princess wasn't entirely unfair. Ever since leaving her underwater kingdom, Mera had been evolving in increasingly eccentric directions. She had started by playing enthusiastically in Earth's snow, but now she was lying on the ground with her posterior elevated, sniffing at alien grass with the intensity of someone conducting scientific research.
Brunnhilde felt a mixture of sympathy and disgust. She pulled Ben aside, pointed discretely at her head, and asked in a conspiratorial whisper: "Where exactly did you find this... individual? Is there some kind of mental problem involved?"
As she spoke, she glanced at Ben again with obvious disdain in her expression.
Ben, Ben, she thought with exasperation, you're really not picky at all. You actually brought home someone this unstable. Do you have any standards left? Look at me! I'm not that terrible, am I?
She straightened her posture and thrust out her chest, causing the polished silver breastplate to reflect light directly into Ben's eyes with blinding intensity.
"There's nothing wrong with her brain, she's just an aquatic person adjusting to new environments," Ben replied with diplomatic patience, proceeding to introduce Faora and the other Kryptonians before leading everyone into the main tower complex.
Nebula had detected his arrival and approached to offer greetings, though she was clearly overwhelmed with responsibilities.
She no longer resembled the cold-blooded assassin she had once been. After her cybernetic body had been fully restored and upgraded, she had grown natural hair and now looked exactly like a blue-skinned version of a human actress, complete with the slightly frazzled expression of someone drowning in paperwork.
She rushed toward them carrying an enormous stack of documents and data tablets.
After brief inquiries, Ben discovered that the materials consisted of reconstruction applications for various locations throughout Sakaar, registration information for new Plumber recruits, and numerous other administrative minutiae that required executive approval.
Nebula was so busy that she barely had time for proper conversation, but she did manage to request Ben's assistance with resolving Gamora's situation. If her sister could be freed from Thanos's spiritual influence, she could help manage the overwhelming bureaucratic workload, and then both sisters might finally have some relief from their respective burdens.
Ben agreed immediately, then assigned her an additional task.
"First, help me identify several planets and stellar objects that would be suitable for terraforming projects," he instructed.
After handling that matter, Ben turned his attention back to Brunnhilde and asked with renewed curiosity: "Are the Incurseans really so powerful that all the other officers had to be deployed against them?"
Ben's impression of the Incursean Empire was that they were stunted, narcissistic amphibians with relatively low individual combat effectiveness. He hadn't considered them particularly threatening, so it was surprising that they had managed to destroy the Shi'ar Empire so rapidly and tie down such significant Plumber military resources.
"Their weapons and warships are exceptionally powerful," Brunnhilde confirmed with a serious nod. "According to current intelligence reports, their ultimate weapon systems are more destructive than the Kree Empire's World Destroyer-class dreadnoughts."
The firepower of a World Destroyer-class vessel was equivalent to a supernova explosion four times larger than Sol, but even that paled in comparison to the Incursean death ray cannons.
"As for why they're tying down so much of our forces," she continued, "it's because they launched indiscriminate attacks across multiple sectors, causing vast regions of space to become active war zones. The Plumbers are needed to provide disaster relief and humanitarian assistance throughout the affected areas, and we simply don't have sufficient personnel."
"Where is the Incursean Empire acquiring so many troops?" Ben asked with growing confusion.
"Many civilizations have joined their cause," Brunnhilde explained grimly. "Especially after the fall of the Shi'ar Empire, numerous secondary civilizations concluded that this represents another new galactic power rising to prominence, so they chose to submit to Incursean authority. And..." she paused meaningfully, "Loki suspects that both the Kree Empire and the Skrull Empire are intentionally creating chaos behind the scenes. It's even possible that the reason the Shi'ar Empire collapsed so quickly was because they were secretly providing assistance to the Incurseans."
Four major empires are too many for the current balance, Ben reflected. Since they can't shake the Sakaar Empire directly, they decided to help eliminate one of the others.
However, the Kree and Skrulls had probably not anticipated the current situation. The rise of the Incursean Empire was proceeding faster than anyone had imagined. They had originally expected to watch a wolf devour a tiger, but hadn't realized that the Incurseans were the truly ferocious predators.
When the death ray cannons had been deployed at full power, both the Kree and Skrulls had been left stunned by the devastation.
Ben understood the political dynamics now.
"No wonder the Incurseans, despite their limited individual capabilities, were able to dominate their original universe," he mused. "Even the Highbreed Empire was slightly inferior to them in terms of raw destructive potential. However, now that the Kree and Skrulls understand the true strength of the Incursean Empire, I suspect they'll no longer provide assistance."
What they had wanted was a return to the original three-way balance of power, not to perform a charitable service by eliminating the Shi'ar Empire only to help the Incurseans achieve galactic dominance.
"Currently, all forces qualified to participate are dividing up former Shi'ar territories, and we're genuinely short-staffed throughout the operation," Brunnhilde concluded.
Ben nodded and decided not to pursue additional questions about the Incursean expansion.
In any case, he didn't particularly care how aggressively the amphibians were expanding throughout the galaxy, as long as they didn't directly challenge the Plumbers' authority or threaten his personal interests.
"I think Emperor Milleous understands that we're not easy to antagonize after learning about the Plumbers' reputation," he said with confident dismissal.
He asked Brunnhilde to arrange accommodations for Mera and the others, then turned toward Sakaar's high-security detention facilities.
Brunnhilde's eyes gleamed with anticipation, and she immediately dragged Faora away for what was clearly going to be an impromptu combat evaluation.
The prison complex on Sakaar was divided into several security levels. Ben naturally wasn't concerned with ordinary holding cells, his destination was the special containment area where the most dangerous criminals in known space were imprisoned. If any of these individuals escaped, the result would inevitably be catastrophic for entire civilizations.
Under normal circumstances, for such enemies, Ben's preference was to eliminate them immediately rather than risk future complications.
But the universe was vast, and there were always some individuals who couldn't be killed or were extremely difficult to destroy permanently, beings like the immortal Thanos or Odin's problematic offspring.
The containment space was dimensionally warped, existing almost independently in a pocket reality separate from normal space-time.
This represented a cage formed by the power of the Space Stone, making escape virtually impossible even for space-level entities.
Ben passed the containment units holding Hela and Hodr, both of whom seemed to be living quite comfortably in their respective cells. Hela in particular looked significantly healthier, the dark circles under her eyes had faded considerably, and her cheeks appeared fuller and more robust.
To be honest, although they were technically imprisoned, the treatment Ben provided was dramatically superior to the conditions Odin had subjected Hela to during her original banishment. The improvement was so marked that when she saw Ben approaching, she couldn't even muster genuine hatred toward him.
"Gamora, how are you feeling lately?" Ben asked as he approached her cell. "Any signs of Thanos's soul attempting to reassert control?"
"No, he's probably given up and has been remarkably well-behaved recently," she replied from where she was lounging on her bed watching entertainment programs.
When she noticed Ben's arrival, she slowly rose and stretched with the languid movements of someone who had been living in complete comfort.
Gamora hadn't been a criminal originally, her imprisonment was solely due to Thanos's spiritual contamination, so her treatment was actually quite generous. During this period of luxury, her previously slender waist had developed considerable padding, and when she sat down, multiple rolls of soft tissue became immediately visible. Even Thanos sighed with dismay inside her consciousness.
But Gamora had concluded that this lifestyle was actually quite pleasant. She had food, shelter, entertainment, and complete security. Nebula regularly sent her new devices to help pass the time, and occasionally arranged for screenings of new films produced on Sakaar. The only drawback was the lack of social interaction, since Nebula had been increasingly busy with her administrative responsibilities.
So she had turned her attention to her fellow prisoners, and surprisingly, all three had bonded over shared complaints about their respective fathers. They had reached the universal conclusion that no father was entirely worry-free.
"He sealed me away for three thousand years!" Hela still became furious whenever Odin was mentioned.
"My adoptive father committed genocide, then attempted to steal my body for his own use," Gamora added with a heavy sigh. "Now his soul is still rattling around in my brain like an unwanted tenant."
The topic of paternal disappointment had opened communication channels between them, and gradually Gamora had decided that this place was genuinely wonderful. So much so that when Ben came to resolve her situation, she felt reluctant to leave.
"Actually, there's no need to trouble yourself too much," she said with obvious hesitation. "It's perfectly fine to keep me confined here. Everyone in this facility is talented and speaks intelligently. I genuinely enjoy it here!"
"What are you thinking?" Ben rolled his eyes with exasperation. "The Plumbers isn't a luxury resort where we let people freeload indefinitely. Get moving and deal with Thanos's presence. Your sister is waiting for you to help with her workload."
"What?" Gamora's eyes widened in horror.
"Are you some kind of demon?"
She understood perfectly well how overwhelmed Nebula had been recently. Her sister barely had time for basic biological functions. A few days ago, the guards on routine patrol had been commenting: "Commander Nebula is truly amazing, she only visits the restroom once every several days."
"No, absolutely not! It's impossible to make me work!" she declared with the determination of someone defending a fundamental principle.
Ben hadn't even needed to intervene. Thanos couldn't tolerate this level of sloth from his formerly exemplary daughter. Before Ben could take action, the Mad Titan's spirit emerged from Gamora's soul with an expression of profound distress.
"Remove me immediately and find her some form of employment," he pleaded desperately. "This child is genuinely going to waste away completely!"
His frustration was entirely understandable.
Consider how much effort he had invested in training Gamora into a qualified and exceptional warrior. She had been his favorite child, though he had never spoiled her, and Gamora had almost never disappointed his expectations.
But now, she had been transformed into something approaching a useless person.
"You're being absolutely vicious!" Gamora accused Thanos angrily.
"Silence!" Thanos roared in response, his paternal authority finally asserting itself. "Look at yourself! If you lower your head, can you even see your own feet anymore?"
"My body is perfectly fine! I have an impressive chest!"
"Those aren't breasts, that's accumulated abdominal fat!"
Ben glanced over and observed that Gamora's midsection had indeed developed considerable soft tissue, making her resemble the decadent middle-aged Peter Parker from certain parallel universes.
"You really should consider an exercise regimen," he observed diplomatically.
With her current physical condition, even Star-Lord might not find her attractive.
Thanos proved remarkably cooperative throughout the separation process.
He had already accepted that achieving his space ambitions was no longer possible. After abandoning those goals, all that remained was his genuine paternal love for his adopted children.
Using the Soul Stone's power to separate their two consciousness, Ben created distinct spiritual entities while Gamora watched with obvious hesitation.
Like Nebula, she harbored extremely complicated feelings toward Thanos. She hoped for terrible things to happen to him, but simultaneously wanted him to continue existing.
Ben recognized her internal conflict and took the initiative to explain: "Thanos is extraordinarily difficult to kill permanently. Unless you can break the curse placed by Death, destroying him repeatedly will accomplish nothing."
Hela, who was observing from a nearby cell, raised her hand and interjected: "I have never cursed this purple megalomaniac."
"I wasn't referring to you," Ben clarified with a shake of his head.
Hela wasn't worthy of being mentioned in the same context as the abstract space entity Death.
If it had actually been Hela's curse, his Anodite powers could easily break such magic.
"I will imprison Thanos in the Null Void Realm and ensure that he never appears again," Ben announced.
The Null Void Realm.
Ben had wanted to construct this maximum security prison for quite some time, but due to numerous competing priorities, the project had never been implemented. Selecting an appropriate location had proven challenging.
But now he was Lord of the Nine Realms, and several worlds within that dimensional cluster could be repurposed for this project.
He had discussed this concept with the Ancient One previously and had already chosen the location, the original abyss that existed at the center of the Nine Realms' dimensional structure. He would then drag Muspelheim, Helheim, Jotunheim, and the ruins of Old Asgard into that void, creating the ultimate containment facility.
Combined with the existing Heaven realm, the Null Void Realm would gather five extreme negative space forces, curse, fire, absolute cold, darkness, and death, which would serve as both containment and continuous punishment for imprisoned entities.
"This presents a perfect opportunity to have the Kryptonians serve as guardians of the Null Void Realm," Ben thought to himself with growing satisfaction.
Although the Space Stone reinforced the abyss's barriers to make accidents virtually impossible, having actual jailers would make the facility function more like a traditional prison.
He had originally planned to establish New Krypton within his Genesis dimension, but the Null Void Realm now seemed like an equally viable option.
Ben was someone who acted immediately upon making decisions. He summoned both the Space Stone and Reality Stone, then contacted the Ancient One and Odin with Thanos's extracted soul.
These two retired space authorities had nothing but time on their hands and weren't interested in recreational activities, so they were happy to provide free labor for interesting projects.
All three individuals were action-oriented and immediately began relocating the required dimensional territories. Odin now appeared stronger than ever, without a single white hair visible in either his hair or beard. He raised his hand and knocked Old Asgard into the void with casual authority, while the Rainbow Bridge flashed and carried Helheim along with it.
The Ancient One released complex teleportation magic, opening passages between multiple realities and sending the frozen, broken world of Jotunheim into the void.
Ben transformed into Gravattack and, with a gesture of tremendous force, caused Muspelheim to shake throughout its dimensional space before falling directly into the abyss.
"Reinforce the spatial barriers immediately!" the Ancient One called out urgently as the various worlds settled into the void.
Ben instantly activated the Space Stone to seal off the Null Void Realm, then drove Thanos's extracted soul into the newly created prison dimension.
The Null Void Realm was operational.
"The next step is rebuilding Krypton, but it would be rather monotonous if the Kryptonians were the only guardians," Ben mused thoughtfully, rubbing his chin as he considered additional possibilities.
He remembered that the original null void realm had contained a species of ferocious beasts that should belong to the same classification as space predator entities.
"Void Guardian," he concluded with satisfaction. "It appears that it's time for some of their species to reappear in this universe."
The prison that would contain the most dangerous entities in known space was finally complete, and it would be staffed by some of the most powerful guardians Ben could provide.
The Null Void Realm would ensure that beings like Thanos could never again threaten innocent life throughout the cosmos.
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