After finishing the analysis of the spaceships, we began constructing them in Nowhere. We planned to incorporate the Dark Elf starship stealth technology, hyperdrive-based evasion maneuvers from the Void ship, anti-gravity devices, nano-tech auto-repair, energy shields, engines utilizing special arc reactors and coronatite, and by analyzing and applying the 'kyber crystal' from the Jedi weapon 'lightsaber' with [Naked Eye], we aimed to equip powerful armaments.
However, while other aspects weren't problematic, the weapon utilizing kyber crystal was troublesome. It required a massive amount of high energy and emitted tremendous heat after each use. That's why even the 'Death Star' seemed to have no choice but to build large exhaust ports. On the other hand, its power alone was incredible. We tested a firing in an area with no nearby civilization, and it destroyed an asteroid the size of the moon in one shot. If scaled up, it could likely obliterate planets with ease.
"This should be used as a one-shot weapon."
Still, with Nano's help, we managed to make it usable about once every 30 minutes. So we had no choice but to add secondary armaments: powerful lasers, plasma cannons like those on Jandar's starship, and for emergencies, small smart-guided missiles. The interior was designed to be luxurious enough for five people to live comfortably.
"As for the name... Nano, what do you think?"
[I recommend Nemesis, Asterion, or Lumina.]
I'm terrible at naming things, so I relied on Nano's help again this time.
"Hmm... let's go with Lumina."
With the design completed, we started building the spaceship. We also planned to create a mobile production base to facilitate easy manufacturing and nano-material supply in other creative works. Especially since we had a history of struggling a lot with this in One Piece, we decided to make it in advance this time. We named it 'Arcadia'. This spaceship also had Dark Elf stealth technology, energy shields, and defensive plasma cannons as standard equipment.
Of course, to avoid easy detection in Nowhere, we dug out the top of our house, that is, the crown of the dead Celestial, and started production inside. Once 'Lumina' was complete, I thought it would become the ultimate spaceship, unmatched in any creative work set in space.
After spending a few days in Nowhere, we returned to Earth.
Earth seemed to have no particular incidents yet. Even though it was 2015, with no news from the shadow soldier Ronan, it seemed like Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 still had time left.
So here, I passed the time by producing drones and upgrading the Odyssey Mk2. The Odyssey Mk2 was an upgraded version of the original Odyssey, with nano-tech auto-repair, energy shields, and space navigation technology added. I wanted to add more, but due to the technological gap with the original work, it wasn't possible.
Time passed, and spring arrived with cherry blossoms in full bloom. So I took Natasha and Cosmo to Roosevelt Island, a small island between Manhattan and Queens, packed a lunchbox, and went sightseeing with bodyguards. Some Americans came to see the flowers too, but it wasn't as crowded as in that country or locally, so it wasn't too busy.
Natasha and Cosmo enjoyed looking around the trees in full bloom.
"Wow, the flower scent is nice. It's romantic, isn't it?"
"Right? Since it's only once a year, I thought it would be good to relax and enjoy the flower viewing like this."
We found a spot under a tree, spread out a cloth, and ate the lunchbox. Since I put effort into making it from morning, Natasha and the bodyguards ate it very deliciously. Of course, I prepared Cosmo's meal too.
"So tasty. Cassian, you seem to be really good at cooking."
"Yeah, it's delicious. It's on a whole different level from store-bought food."
Natasha and Cosmo kept exclaiming and praising my cooking skills as they ate. Seeing them enjoy it so much made me proud.
"Phew... I ate too much. I wonder if I'll gain weight again."
"Women must have it tough. Can't you eat a bit on a day like this?"
"Well, that's true, but if I get fat, you'll be the first to dislike it, right?"
It seemed like my influence was part of why Natasha always guarded against gaining weight.
"I wouldn't mind if you gained a little weight..."
"You say that, but you'd hate it if it actually happened. Men are all the same."
"Is that so? I don't know..."
Then Cosmo spoke up.
"So, do I need to diet too?"
"No, you're fine, but if you gain so much weight that it's hard to move, you'll have to diet too."
"I see."
Since Cosmo is female, she probably asked out of concern. After finishing the meal, we sat and rested when people requested autographs, so I signed for them. Cosmo also gave paw prints nearby. Then a boy asked me.
"When is the next Gundam coming out?"
"Well... it's stored on Gundam Island. No powerful enemies have appeared yet."
"I see! I want to see it in action soon!"
"Yeah, sure..."
Anyway, after signing and taking some photos together, we walked through the park again to digest and enjoy the flower viewing. The park was well-maintained with many scenic spots, so we strolled with Natasha and Cosmo, taking photos.
Suddenly, we got a call from Fury. Natasha frowned upon seeing it. She didn't seem too pleased about getting a call during downtime.
"How inconsiderate to call at a time like this."
"Yeah, tell me about it."
I felt similarly, but I answered since Fury doesn't call for trivial reasons.
"What's up?"
"A HYDRA base has been discovered in Sokovia. It's quite large. We need Avengers support."
"I see. Got it. I'll let the team know."
"This time, I'll go in person to explain. Things are a bit complicated."
"Do that."
Listening to Fury, it seemed like Avengers: Age of Ultron was about to start.
"What's going on?"
Natasha asked curiously about the call content.
"A large HYDRA base was found in Sokovia, so they requested support."
"Really? Cap will like that. If we're lucky, we might get info on the Winter Soldier too."
"Yeah, probably."
We headed home first, then moved to Avengers HQ in the Thalia camping car. Fury had also arrived in a Thalia. Fury briefed everyone on the HYDRA base. Hawkeye was full of enthusiasm.
"After dealing with small fry, it's been a while since we had a big job."
"But this one won't be easy. According to our investigation, Sokovia hasn't been long since the civil war ended, politics are unstable, and the economy isn't good, so they have deep ties with HYDRA. They'll be quite uncooperative."
When Fury explained Sokovia's state, Wanda and Pietro's expressions weren't too good, likely because it was their hometown. I tried to resolve it with money first.
"Then, is it possible to operate in exchange for material support?"
"Hmm... not sure. I'll look into it."
After the meeting ended, Fury contacted politicians to try and resolve the issue. Meanwhile, we checked our equipment. Lately, with no major incidents, as Hawkeye said, we'd been handling small fry, so we needed to inspect unused gear. Tony loaded the Iron Legions onto the Odyssey. He seemed intent on using them actively again.
I had nothing specific to prepare, so I helped other members. Then Fury finished his calls and came to tell us the result.
"They asked for food support and factories to be built. The parliament approved too. The official stance will come out in a few days."
"Good news."
I immediately ordered large quantities of flour, bread to distribute, preserved foods, etc. The factory issue was to be handled later after the mission.
A few days passed, and when the first batch of ordered food arrived, we loaded it onto the Odyssey and prepared to depart. This time, Fury decided to come along too.
While preparing, Wanda and Pietro came to ask me a favor.
"We'll sit out this fight. Instead, we want to help distribute the food."
The Maximoff siblings seemed psychologically burdened about fighting in their hometown where they had protested against war.
"Got it. Let's do that."
This time, we also took some HQ staff along, as distributing food would require many hands. The operation was planned as a diversion. On one side, staff and the Maximoff siblings, with help from Iron Legions, would control the crowd and distribute food in a safe area, while the rest would raid the HYDRA base. Unified command was to be handled by Fury from the Odyssey after landing.
While planning, we soon arrived over Sokovia. Many citizens were gathered in the square, having heard about the food distribution. We checked for any individuals hiding weapons, but perhaps HYDRA was lying low knowing the Avengers were here, as no such people were visible.
"Then, let's start the operation. The Maximoff siblings and staff will distribute food and guide citizens to safe areas, and we'll raid the HYDRA base on timing."
"Got it." "Okay."
The Odyssey landed at a distance from the HYDRA base, and with media cooperation, gathered the citizens. In that gap, we circled around and raided the HYDRA base. But from the entrance, the defense was thorough. Besides modern weapons, plasma turrets used by the Chitauri were installed here and there.
"Whoa, seems like a pretty big base? Defensive bunkers are set up everywhere. What are they trying to hide?"
Tony seemed quite surprised by the base's defense scale.
"Tell me about it. And energy weapons too..."
Then we got an urgent communication from Jesse.
"Gah! Everyone, be careful. There are tons of Super Soldiers!"
It seemed like they shifted direction to Super Soldier production since they didn't have the Chitauri Scepter.
"What the fuck! Looks like they were trying to build a Super Soldier army here!"
"Tony, watch your language."
Fighting confirmed there were indeed many Super Soldiers.
"If they'd left it longer, it could've been a disaster."
"Yeah, tell me about it. To think they were doing this behind our backs. Where did the funding even come from..."
Fury answered Natasha's question.
"Sorry about that. SHIELD, after the last incident, we thoroughly investigated and found funds leaking. Probably from that."
"Damn... manage it better."
Tony seemed more bothered by Cap's earlier 'watch your language' comment.
"Wait, is no one going to address that Cap just said 'watch your language'?"
Then Cap responded.
"I know... it just slipped out."
Then, we saw Vulture trying to enter the HYDRA headquarters from above but colliding with an energy shield.
Thud!
"Ugh! Shit!"
"Vulture, watch your language! Listen to Cap."
Tony didn't miss the timing to joke about language with Vulture. Given Tony's personality, this would probably last a year.
"Alright, fine, watch my language. Anyway, there's some kind of energy defense shield on the base."
Hearing Vulture, Cap asked JARVIS.
"JARVIS, check the HYDRA base."
"The central building is protected by a sort of energy shield. This base has superior technology compared to previous HYDRA bases we've captured."
'Oh, Loki. This means I can use shield technology openly now.'
HYDRA was somewhat helpful after all.
Anyway, there were more HYDRA and Super Soldiers than expected, so it took time to break through. Fortunately, Thor and Hulkbuster Mk2 were putting in good work on the ground.
"Speaking of which, Thor! Your brother said he misses you. You should visit him sometime."
"Well, that... I'd like to go, but I need the time. With Jane and all..."
Listening to his tone, as Loki said, he probably completely forgot. Poor Loki. I'll have to bring him food more often.
Fortunately, the Super Soldiers weren't too strong, likely due to lack of training, so Natasha, Hawkeye, and Cap handled them without much trouble. I didn't stay idle either and started catching Super Soldiers actively. But to gain abilities, I finished them off with the wand-sword for sure kills.
However, [Super Soldier Serum] S didn't improve further. It seemed like the ability's limit grade.
[(S) Super Soldier Serum] Strength, stamina, and agility increase by 100 each.
'So there are abilities with limit grades. Well, it would be weird if Super Soldier Serum boosted more.'
From my perspective, it was a bit disappointing. So, since it came to this, I turned off the [Kill and Steal] ability for now and decided to capture all enhanced soldiers separately and turn them into shadow soldiers. They were mixed between elite and regular, the lower ranks of shadow soldiers. It seemed like some responded well to the serum and others didn't.
'I wonder if I can teach them swordsmanship or martial arts.'
Since shadow soldiers have levels, it might be possible. I decided to experiment later and started catching them again diligently.
As we pushed forward and hunted, it seemed like we had almost cleared the enemies outside the HYDRA base. Tony, who went inside first, reported the interior situation.
"There's a Super Soldier serum and weapon production factory here. Looks like our guess was right."
Hearing that, Cap signaled for us to go in too. Vulture and Hulkbuster, with equipment too large to enter easily, stayed outside to cover, and we all entered the base.
Inside, we saw beds with various IV fluids and equipment production facilities. Going further in, there was a room with piles of naked corpses, and with an incinerator set up nearby, it seemed like a place to burn those who failed the experiments.
"Ugh! Damn! These fucking bastards!!"
Jesse covered his mouth, retched, and cursed upon seeing it. As a civilian, Jesse found it hard to see such things. So Natasha patted him and sent him outside. Tony also didn't look too good, seeing this for the first time. Seeing the mood wasn't great, Cap spoke to the members.
"Sigh... let's get out first. It doesn't seem good for mental health."
So everyone went outside, breathing fresh air to calm down. After resting a bit, Cap sighed and said.
"I thought this kind of thing disappeared after World War II... still the same."
"Yeah, tell me about it."
Cap and I went back in and collected various materials, Super Soldier serums, weapons, and energy shield devices. Since there seemed to be Sokovian citizens among the corpses, I brought body bags from the Odyssey and arranged them one by one in a wide open area outside the base, with help from the Iron Legion. Other members collected the weapons outside. The rest would probably be handled by the Sokovian military.
"Sigh... this should make it easier for families to find them, right?"
"Yeah, probably."
While cleaning up, it got dark, so after informing the military, we boarded the Odyssey and returned to HQ. Since everyone's expressions weren't great, I suggested drinks.
"Don't be like this. Let's all have some simple food and drinks at HQ. You guys don't look like you can eat a meal."
Tony agreed and said.
"Let's do that. Honestly, I still feel sick. Need some disinfection."
Arriving at HQ, we left cleanup to the drones and each went to our rooms to shower and come out. No one was injured this time, but with psychological impact, I carefully prepared simple dishes and served the members.
"Ooh, tasty. This should be enough as a meal substitute."
Natasha praised my cooking as she ate. But Jesse and Tony still couldn't touch the food and only drank a little alcohol. Then Banner spoke.
"I don't know what you saw, but it's a good thing I didn't go inside the base."
Jesse responded to that.
"Yeah, it was awful to see. Seems like there are really trashy people in the world."
Hawkeye agreed with Jesse.
"That's why people like us exist. By the way, Cap, Jesse said a bad word!"
Tony also joked along.
"Right! Jesse, didn't you hear Cap? Good language!"
"Got it."
Hahaha~
Fortunately, after everyone had a drink, their moods seemed to lighten a bit.