The Returning Aliens

In 1997, in Bristol, United Kingdom, a group of people who had left returned to Earth.

To avoid S.H.I.E.L.D..'s surveillance, Nick Fury chose to meet his "old friends" on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. This made the eye that had been gouged out by the Flerken itch itch again.

They gathered in an abandoned building that had once been a blues bar. The leader of the Skrulls, General Ross, met with Nick Fury, disguised as Agent Kohler, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D..'s Los Angeles office.

Two old comrades, with a love-hate relationship, shook hands and greeted each other. "Talos." "Nick Fury."

"You finally called me by the right name." Hennick Nick Fury grinned.

"Your friends all call you Nick Fury, don't they?" Talos laughed, having learned his lesson.

After releasing their hands, Nick Fury asked first, "Are all your men here?"

"Yes, according to our scientists' calculations, all the Skrulls exceeding the cruiser's life support capacity are here. Including my wife and daughter." General Ross said to the Skrull mother and daughter behind him, "Come, say hello to Nick Fury."

Nick Fury greeted them first, "Soren, G'iah."

As a mother, she certainly cannot hide behind adults like her daughter.

So Soren stepped forward, warmly grasped Nick Fury's hand, and said, "When our scientists say that because the gene pool we brought from our home planet has been lost, food production will gradually decline."

"We can only use the old-fashioned method of seed preservation to grow food. But when the food production is insufficient to sustain everyone on board, I believe you have no idea how desperate we were."

"Fortunately, you accepted Carol Danvers's proposal to take in some of the people, which allowed the people on the ship to live healthily and had more time to find a new home. I hope you understand how important this is to us."

Nick Fury said with a smile, "It's what I should do out of humanitarianism and goodwill. But I also hope you understand that Earth isn't ready to accept extraterrestrials. So we can't accept too many people; this is just a temporary measure."

Talos chimed in, "Of course I know, until we find a new home. I certainly agree with that, after all, Earth isn't our home."

"Since you can agree to this, I don't think you'll disagree with the other condition either," Nick Fury said casually.

General Ross was not so easily persuaded this time, and said, "I have indeed specifically selected people who are aware of this matter to become temporary residents."

"But you must understand that a leader's ability to command subordinates depends not on their status, but on their capabilities and what they want to do—that is, their vision. Your second condition is that you must convince everyone yourself."

Nick Fury feigned surprise and said, "Wow, I had no idea you guys even have democracy in the military."

"Do you want soldiers? Are you here to lead us in battle?"

"Okay. That's definitely not what I wanted to achieve."

Talos pointed to the Skrulls were gathered in twos and threes inside the house, now appearing in their original green skin. "So you have to convince them yourself."

Nick Fury looked at the green-skinned alien in the room and said, "I can understand that G'iah wants to stay with her parents. But there are other children here? Fara, is this your...?"

Beside a Skrulls of similar age, who was in his adolescence, was an elderly Skrulls Fara. She spoke on behalf of the child beside her, saying, "Gravik is a very good child."

His parents were killed by the Kree, and he escaped alone in his spaceship. He had a burning rage that needed to be released.

"So he's not suited to stay on the cruiser, helping everyone find a new home. And you, Nick Fury? Do you have the ability to control this anger and make it your own power?"

Upon learning of the young Skrulls's situation, Nick Fury no longer treated him with contempt. He said earnestly, "Son, I can understand your suffering. I regret that you have witnessed the cruelty of war at such a young age."

"I understand your desire for revenge, but unfortunately, there are no Kree here, nor are there any of your enemies. I will not throw someone like you onto a battlefield that doesn't belong to you. That would be wrong, and it's not something we adults should do."

"I'm not trying to control you or order you around. But I believe you won't resist training. Accept becoming a skilled hunter, a warrior, someone who can control their anger and knows what they're doing."

"I don't think you need someone to pour a bucket of cold water on your heart. But I think it's acceptable to preserve that flame, letting it ignite into a raging inferno when the time is right, rather than hurting those around you at the wrong time."

The young man's eyes revealed a hint of determination. Nick Fury used a gesture of closeness common to the Skrulls.

Judging from Gravik's non-resistant attitude, this experienced Old Black, skilled at winning people's hearts, knew that he had passed the first hurdle.

He didn't strike while the iron was hot and address all the Skrulls, because everyone's needs are different.

The same approach might work on Gravik, a child consumed by anger, but it might not work on other adults. So Nick Fury was waiting, waiting for General Ross's hint.

Of course, this Skrulls leader also needs to introduce Nick Fury. Cooperation between the two is inevitable, but how to take the first step will lead to different results.

General Ross gathered the remaining Skrulls together and said, "My fellow citizens, we all know why we have come. We are scattered throughout the universe, seeking only a place to settle."

"But all we faced was Kree violence. We lost so much, not just a safe home, but our families, and everything else, leaving us all alone."

"Fortunately, amidst our despair, we encountered a glimmer of hope. Our mutual friend, Carol Danvers, gave us a promise. But because of the crisis of survival, and because of this benefactor's request, we returned to this land."

"But we all know that everything comes at a price. The difference lies in who pays the price and whether the person who pays it is willing to do so. My first friend on Earth, Nick Fury, took us in."

"You all should know that for the sake of my family and for you, my fellow countrymen, I dare not easily trust a stranger. But he is special, and I feel I can trust him, and I hope you can give him the same trust."

"At least we still have the respect to listen to what he has to say. Don't feel wronged or coerced; we still have the right to choose."

"But remember, what comes at the cost of this power. There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world, but the Skrulls are not coerced souls either."

"The Kree cannot do this, no one can do this. Our decision comes solely from our noble souls, under the virtue of justice."