N52 Planet

"Vanas, I need an explanation."

Watching the small battleship escape, Accuser Dudek directly opened a channel to fellow Accuser Vanas.

"There's nothing to explain. You share responsibility for failing to destroy that battleship." As the only female Kree in the Accuser Corps with white rather than blue skin, Vanas's achievements for the Kree Empire gave her the confidence to remain neither servile nor overbearing before Dudek, a noble.

Beneath her golden wavy hair, her azure eyes were filled with contempt.

She looked down on Accuser Corps members like Dudek and Rob. Their noble origins had granted them resources beyond the reach of ordinary people, yet every last one of them was useless.

Rob in particular had somehow died before they had even arrived.

"Also, watch your tone, Dudek. The person standing before you is a recipient of the Imperial Medal." The curve of Vanas's lips instantly darkened Dudek's expression. When he saw her cut off the communication directly, his face turned black as the bottom of a pot.

"General Dudek, please don't be angry. General Vanas is simply too arrogant—"

Slap!

The adjutant who had tried to step forward and say a few words was slapped by Dudek before he could finish. The crisp sound left him frozen on the spot.

"Vanas is a member of the Kree Supreme Accuser Corps. And who are you?"

He was merely an outsider who had pledged allegiance to the Kree Empire. Dudek had no idea what gave him the courage to criticize one Accuser Corps member in front of another.

This was a rule ingrained into the bones of every Kree Empire soldier. Dudek did not understand why his usually clever outsider adjutant had made such a mistake.

His square face was filled with a noble's pride. With his hands behind his back, Dudek ordered the fleet to retrieve Rob. As fellow nobles of the Kree Empire, he could not bear to see his old friend's corpse reduced to space junk.

Dudek, I'm telling you, I've already picked out a name for my future grandson.

Your son isn't even born yet, and you've already picked a name for your future grandson?

Of course.

I'm planning to name my future grandson, whenever he's born, Ronan. What do you think? Not a bad name, right?

The scene of chatting merrily with his old friend on Xandar's battlefield resurfaced before Dudek's eyes. He sighed and looked up at the magnificent, glittering universe.

"Target detected disappearing near N52 Planet, General Vanas."

While Accuser Dudek's fleet was busy recovering Rob, Accuser Vanas was not idle either.

"Pull up the information on N52 Planet. Now."

"Yes, General Vanas."

"According to the records..."

"According to the records, N52 Planet was originally a beautiful world rich in resources. Peaceful and tranquil. But after war broke out between the Kree Empire and the Skrull Empire, everything changed."

"Due to its location, N52 Planet was caught up in the war. Its former peace and tranquility were destroyed by the flames of battle. Having lost its leaders, N52 Planet quickly became a paradise for space pirates, and the planet fell into extreme chaos."

"After large numbers of vicious pirates and wanted criminals occupied the planet, seven relatively renowned powerhouses emerged there."

"After these seven established their own forces through their exceptional strength, they decided that continuing to fight alone was not a solution. They temporarily set aside their prejudices against one another and founded an alliance for mutual watchfulness and aid. Only then did the chaotic situation on N52 Star improve somewhat."

"They called this alliance the Justice League because they believed they had maintained the planet's basic order and performed an act of justice."

"Later, the man among the seven known as Hunter was defeated by a mechanical lifeform. After defeating Hunter, the mechanical lifeform absorbed Hunter's former subordinates, expelled him from the Justice League, and took his place, creating the current situation."

"That is the detailed situation on N52 Planet, His Highness Beckett."

Inside the small battleship that had landed somewhere on N52 Planet, Beckett looked at the desolate city ruins outside the window while listening to the information Woz had retrieved from the database.

"Justice League?" Beckett sneered, folding his arms across his chest. He looked at the barren ruins outside and at the seven projected profiles before him, his eyes filled with disdain.

"Actually, they have a more fitting name." Astra, now freed from his restraints, gulped down liquor. Seeing the seven figures displayed on the screen, he wiped the alcohol from the corner of his mouth.

"The Injustice League."

"That's what we Kree call them in private."

After all, whether from the Kree perspective or the Skrull perspective, the deeds of these seven could not be called just. Every one of them was a blood-soaked fiend.

The Other, holding his scepter, did not care about the Justice League or the Injustice League. He only wanted to know when they could return.

He had seen plenty of chaotic planets like this. Who knew when the Kree Empire and Skrull Empire might join forces and blast it to pieces, reducing it to cosmic dust without a trace.

If he wanted to live long, he needed to find someone powerful to cling to in advance, just like himself. The Other had plans for the future.

"You needn't worry, Lord The Other. Woz has already scanned the city. It does contain the materials required to repair the body, and there is a considerable amount of them."

Woz promptly displayed a map, putting The Other's mind at ease.

"According to Woz's calculations, the Kree Empire fleet should arrive at N52 Planet in ten minutes. His Highness Beckett, Woz recommends hiding the battleship first to avoid detection."

"Who is in charge of this place?"

Beckett tapped his left arm with the index finger of his right hand and asked gravely.

"A woman named Diana." The seven projections before Beckett instantly vanished, leaving only the sole woman among them reflected in his pupils.

"Woz, install a self-destruct program in the battleship. Erase the classified data. Set it to manual activation. Cloak it, but leave behind faint traces of the cloaking."

A dangerous curve lifted at Beckett's lips. He had a bolder idea.

If he killed every last one of those Kree, wouldn't he be able to safely bring Astra back to the Dark Order?

Before carrying out that plan, however, he needed a brand-new battleship.

Thanks to JG Panjiang for the tip~

The blueprints needed reworking tonight, so I had to work through the night. Only one update today (◣д◢)

Tomorrow's updates will remain at the usual time: one at 7:30 and one at 9:30 |ω)