Beckett Was Still on His Way

At the edge of the Kree Empire, on Tofa Star, a secret research institute.

"Where is Astra? Where is Astra?"

Early that morning, when Christine, captain of the institute's security team, saw that Astra's bedroom—where he should have been asleep—was empty, his expression darkened instantly.

"Who was responsible for protecting Astra last night?"

"Captain, they're here!"

When Christine saw the unconscious guards the security team had found in the wardrobe and bathroom, his expression worsened further.

The Kree military force assigned to escort Astra back to Hala, their homeworld, was still on its way. Yet the person they were supposed to escort had already vanished.

"Everyone, find Dr. Astra at all costs!"

"Don't be so anxious, Christine. When you can't find me, why not ask the magical liquor bottle where I might be?"

"Burp~"

The burly man belched, gave his waist a shake, reached down to adjust his little brother in his pants, rubbed his nose, and took another swig of Tofa's signature hard liquor, looking thoroughly satisfied.

"Astra, I should have told you that this is a special period. What you should be doing isn't going out drinking, but staying in the institute, in your bedroom, and waiting for our military to escort you home safely!"

When Astra appeared with two bottles of liquor in his arms, Christine was clearly relieved. Then he began berating the "scientist" for his recklessness.

"If I don't drink, how am I supposed to find inspiration?"

"Without inspiration, how am I supposed to keep refining the formula?"

"You people are making a mountain out of a molehill."

"Glug, glug, glug..." After taking several huge gulps, Astra wiped the liquor from the corner of his mouth and leaned against the doorframe, utterly self-righteous.

"I'm telling you, Christine, this stuff is really good. Want to have a couple of sips?" As though he had thought of something amusing, Astra touched the cross-shaped scar on his smooth bald head with his left hand and raised the bottle toward the stern-faced security captain.

"Come on, don't be so serious. Have a couple of sips, just like we did on Planet L77 one hundred and thirty years ago."

"Astra, I hope you understand that I'm not joking with you. One hundred and thirty years ago was one hundred and thirty years ago. Now is now." Christine snatched away the bottle Astra had failed to hold onto properly and tossed it into the wardrobe.

The shattered bottle and spilled liquor splashed over the unconscious guards, waking them.

"Honestly, I think putting these greenhorns in charge of protecting me is the biggest joke of all." Astra did not care that his bottle was gone. Instead, he slung an arm around Christine's shoulders and pointed at the security personnel before them. "Look, they couldn't even stop me from going out for a drink. What do you think they can protect me from?"

"My corpse?"

"Or would they shoot me dead before the enemy managed to carry me off completely?"

"You're drunk, Dr. Astra." Squinting at the burly man with his arm around his shoulders, Christine waved, signaling for all his subordinates to leave.

"Am I? I don't think I'm drunk. I could even drink another two bottles. Oh, right, there are still two bottles of Blue Dream in my room. That stuff's pretty strong. Want to try some?" Astra slapped his forehead and strode over to the storage cabinet in the room, bending down to search for his stash.

"I believe I told you that I don't drink. And I'll repeat myself: this is a special time. Theoretically, I wouldn't recommend that you drink either."

"I'm telling you, the stuff I had in my hands was seriously potent. Strange, I clearly remember putting it here. How did it disappear? Did I get up in my sleep last night and drink it?"

Clearly, Astra had not taken Christine's warning to heart.

Christine, having been utterly ignored, took a deep breath. "Since you think they're weak, I'll protect you personally from today onward."

"Oh? Are you sure you're better than those useless bastards?"

Astra froze, then seemed to finally find what he was looking for. He turned around with a heavy assault cannon on his shoulder, its muzzle aimed at the stunned Christine before him. A black, fragmented snack stick hung from his mouth, smoke curling from it.

"A perfect imitation. But the one who drank with you on Planet L77 one hundred and thirty years ago was my brother, not me."

"Now die, Skrull scum!"

A dazzling tongue of flame erupted, instantly swallowing the Christine before Astra...

"Pah, disgusting energy barrier."

The energy cannon did not produce an earth-shattering blast. Watching a green figure emerge from the raging flames, Astra took several gulps of liquor and threw away the old companion that had been with him for years.

"Have you given up struggling? Compared to your brother, you seem far inferior."

The Skrull, restored to his original appearance, looked at the burly man who seemed to have abandoned resistance, his eyes full of mockery.

"My brother? You've met my brother?"

Astra, having discarded his weapon, flexed his thick arms. Upon hearing that, he frowned at the Skrull before him.

"Of course. Your brother left a deep impression on me. Before I left, he even kindly wanted to invite me to stay on Planet L77 and watch a massive explosion. Unfortunately, I let him down." Shrugging, the Skrull raised his hands. His black Battle Suit extended two spikes from his arms, their sharp cold gleam reflecting in Astra's eyes.

"Magma?!"

The fragments of information stored in his memory flooded into Astra's mind: his brother's acquaintance, the destruction of Planet L77, and the spikes jutting from his arms. The only one who knew all that and possessed such traits was Magma, the Skrull who had joined the campaign on Planet L77 all those years ago.

"You actually know my name. It seems you've done quite a bit of research into the war that happened on Planet L77." Magma raised an eyebrow in surprise, but his hands did not hesitate as he thrust directly at the towering Astra.

"Ah, of course. I think about your name almost every night."

Clang!

The sound of metal striking metal rang through the enormous bedroom as Magma, who had lunged at Astra, was sent flying out the door at tremendous speed.

The commotion Astra had finally caused triggered the institute's alarm. The large security force instantly sealed off every passage through the institute while dispatching some personnel toward the source of the alarm.

This is bad!

Astra's gaze sharpened. He had just begun to move forward when Magma sprayed him with fire from his weapon.

"Take a guess. Do you think those people can find me?"

Retracting the spikes from his arms, Magma smiled, flashed into a nearby corridor, and vanished completely from Astra's sight, leaving Astra standing alone with a grim expression.

"Go protect Dr. Astra!"

"Hurry!"

Christine, dressed in a Kree security uniform, calmly issued orders to every team member he encountered along the way, while his figure moved farther and farther away from the institute.

And at this moment,

Beckett was still on his way...

"The twentieth space jump will begin in five seconds. Soldiers who have finished resting, please fasten your seatbelts."

"Five, four, three, two, one. Space jump, begin."

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