Post by Drake on Apr 30, 2016 22:30:58 GMT -5
#19:Infinity - The Kree-Spartoi War Part 4
Finis Solis
By Drake
Xandar
Ten Minutes from Now
Rocket struggled to speak. Korvac floated closer to him. The golden man-god’s hand extended toward the raccoon, who nearly reached out to touch it. They were just inches away, and then—
BLAM!
A Badoon troop shot a Nova Corpsman in the chest. The battle exploded back into existence. Korvac swiveled around, waved his hand, and suddenly nearly everyone froze. The man-god, Rocket, and Groot were the only ones who retained the ability to move.
“Would you like me to kill them all?” Korvac asked. His bottomless eyes blinked as he recognized some of the others. “Wait…Drax, Nova, Gamora…these are your friends, your comrades…or am I too soon?”
Rocket eyed Korvac, lost, “Um…what the fuck?”
The man-god sighed, his breath echoing over the room. “Yes, too soon.”
He turned back to Rocket and repeated, “Would you like me to kill the Badoon?”
Rocket pondered his options for a moment, still too flustered to quickly decide. These freaks were the henchman of the man who had ordered Halfworld destroyed. They deserved to die…right? What would Quill do?
“No…just lock ‘em up,” Rocket forced himself to say.
Korvac nodded, and suddenly the Badoon troops and Nebula found themselves locked in chains. The case carrying the Space Stone clattered to the ground.
“All the green people, Korvac,” Rocket added, noticing Gamora and Drax remained chainless, albeit still frozen.
Korvac smiled back at the raccoon. “I don’t think so. You’ll thank me later.”
Rocket merely cocked his head in confusion. Korvac scratched behind his ears, drawing the raccoon’s ire, particularly as it activated a tick in his leg, causing it to uncontrollably bounce up and down. Rocket growled back at him, as Groot looked between the two, coming to a conclusion.
“I am Groot,” he said.
“What? Groot, that doesn’t even make sense,” Rocket began. “How could he be from the future?”
“What’s this? …The Space Stone?” Korvac noticed the blue stone, and began to float toward it, as if in a trance.
As he neared it, a fog came over his eyes. He lost concentration and with it control. Everyone unfroze, leaving the trapped villains to realize their predicament.
“What…? Destroyer, free me!” Nebula cried.
“Shit! Korvac, freeze ‘em!” Rocket demanded, as Drax tightened his grip on his knives.
“I…what…?” The Destroyer stammered as he looked down at himself. “What the hell happened to me? Why am I green?”
“Dad?” Heather muttered, noticing the change in her father.
Meanwhile, Korvac floated to the ground beside the Space Stone. He began to reach out for it, as Nebula stared up at him, fear in her eyes.
Drax collapsed to the ground, vomiting. Heather flew to her father and threw her helmet to the side.
“Dad!” she cried out. Badoon began to scream around her. The Novas’ cries became more erratic.
“What did I do?! What did I do?! What did I do?!” Drax screamed, shivering. He collapsed onto his own vomit.
“Korvac!” Rocket shouted at the man-god.
“Dad!” Heather begged, resting his head on her lap. She glared up at Korvac. “What did you do to him?!”
“What did I do?!?!” Drax cried, tears slipping down his cheeks.
“THE PRIME!” The Corpsmen sobbed.
“I am Groot!”
“What the hell is going on…?” Gamora wondered, looking around at the chaos.
“What are you?” Nebula whispered to Korvac as his hand inched toward the Space Stone.
“I am infinite,” he stated softly, as if dreaming.
Contact.
Suddenly, azure light flashed over the room, leaving nothing untouched.
…
Kaya
The cavalry had arrived. Milago and a dozen other rebel ships burst out of hyper speed and joined the battle raging above the blue planet.
“Cosmo’s missing out. Ain’t been a battle like this for two hundred plus years,” Peter sarcastically said, as he blasted away a Kree ship. “Booyah!”
“You high, Pete? This is just like Daltos V,” Kill blurted over the comms. as he maneuvered the stolen Kree fighter through the chaos. He took a deep breath. Quips weren’t his thing, not anymore. Where had that come from?
“Was Daltos V the one with the space shark?” Peter asked.
“That’s the one,” Kill agreed.
“I can see it,” Peter admitted, as he shot a Kree fighter out of the sky.
Out back, two Skrull ships caught fire and exploded. Phyla Vell smirked at her handiwork. Noticing the explosion out of the rearview mirror, Peter glanced at his co-pilot.
“Phy, you okay back there?” Peter yelled back at the Kree warrior, who’d taken to manning the rear blasters.
She feigned her best smile, although Peter couldn’t see it. “I’m fine, Peter. I promise.”
As if on cue, her hand flickered, causing her to miss a shot. She sighed out of frustration, and managed to blast another Kree bird to smithereens.
“Peter? Peter, can you hear me?” suddenly came the voice of one J-Son, king of Spartax, and father of Milago’s pilot.
“Don’t start—” Peter began.
“Please, son, I want to apologize. I know I…I lost my temper on Knowhere, but when I came to find you, I swear it was with the noblest of intentions,” J-Son said regretfully. “Why else would I have sought you out?”
“Oh, I don’t know. How about because you’re outmanned and outgunned and could use whatever help you can get,” Peter spat.
“Son…”
“Don’t call me that!”
“Peter…you know that’s not true,” J-Son pushed.
Peter grit his teeth and unleashed his anger upon a Kree fighter, sending its pilot to the afterlife. No, he didn’t buy his father’s excuse, but it did make a hell of a lot more sense than his own theory. J-Son had the Infinity Gauntlet. He hadn’t needed ‘back up,’ let alone from a ragtag rebellion like the Guardians’.
“So, what? I’m supposed to forgive you? You killed Yondu; you killed Yinuet!” Peter roared, maneuvering between laserfire.
“…I deeply regret both of their deaths—”
“Stop lying!” Peter demanded. “Be honest—JUST ONE TIME!”
“You are my son, and I will not stop fighting for you,” J-Son passionately stated.
Peter was left speechless. When they’d met, his father’s words had seemed rehearsed, forced. Now…
“I can’t promise I’ll ever forgive you, but I’ll give you a chance if you stop this battle, if you surrender to my team afterwards,” Peter said.
“Peter, the Kree—”
“Stop the battle.”
J-Son hesitated, but despite his doubt he knew his answer before he said it, “Agreed, but you must speak with the Kree, and force them to see reason. I cannot allow billions of my people to die for a crime they did not commit.”
“I understand,” Peter agreed, “Quill out.”
He hung up, and then spoke through the Knowhere channels, “Kill, you heard that?”
“Loud and clear. I’ve already reached out to the Crownstreak,” Kill explained. His stolen Kree ship was the only one in the fleet with a connection to the mothership.
“K’rell One, what’s your status?” came one of the Crownstreak’s communicators.
“Crownstreak, this is Beta Ray Kill of the Knowhere Rebellion. I request a direct line to your captain,” Kill said.
“Request denied,” the communicator immediately replied. “The Supreme Intelligence is dead. There will be no ceasefire.”
“But, Crownstreak, the Spartoi didn’t kill—“ The line went dead. Kill sighed. “—Son of a bitch!”
“Um…Peter, things just went from bad to worse,” Phyla shouted over the commotion.
“Fantastic…” Peter grumbled. “What is it?”
Phyla looked out at the Kree mothership, specifically at a soft green glow emerging from slits in its hull. “Look at the Crownstreak. That glow…it’s not good.”
“Shit. Shit!” Peter cursed. “They’re loading a fragging Planetkiller!”
Peter reopened the Knowhere comms network, “Kill, try again!”
“I am! They won’t respond!”
“The Kree are planning to fire a Planetkiller at Kaya,” Peter said.
“What? Oh, Celestials, no…” Kill muttered, noticing the glow.
“We have to stop them!” Peter declared.
“We hear you, Guardian One, and we’re in pursuit,” came a rebel ship.
“Together now,” Kill ordered, as a dozen rebels formed in around him.
Milago flew in back, as the ships began to arc toward the Crownstreak. However, they didn’t get far. Most of the Kree fighters had received their orders, and were encircling their mothership. Half the rebels didn’t come close. The rest had to scatter.
“There’s too few of us,” Kill growled. “It’s over.”
“Perhaps, but the Spartoi Empire will not be the one to fall today!” J-Son suddenly declared over their comms.
“J-Son…” Peter muttered disbelievingly.
Out front, he could see the whole Skrull fleet had begun to match the Kree’s flight pattern, only around the Godship. The enormous spaceship flew toward the Crownstreak, its backup blasting away any Kree fighters that came near.
“Sorry, but I hacked your communications system the minute you exited hyper speed. I know what the Kree are planning,” J-Son explained.
“Who cares? My God, J-Son, you can do it! Hit ‘em with all you’ve got!” Peter excitedly cheered, hints of optimism creeping into his mind.
Yes, the rebels couldn’t reach the Crownstreak, but maybe the enormous Godship could, fleet and all.
Suddenly, a hole opened in the Crownstreak, and a glowing orb dropped out. The Kree fighters immediately formed around it, creating an impenetrable wall. Peter’s heart sunk.
“No…” he whispered. “NO!”
“Redirect course,” Peter heard J-Son order.
The Godship arced around, managing to outpace the Planetkiller. However, the shell of ships was too thick around it. They couldn’t stop it. Unless…
“J-Son, no, you can’t…” Peter said into the comms.
“It’s the only way, son. Otherwise, billions of innocent people—my people—will die,” J-Son calmly stated.
Meanwhile, Kill remained back, his gaze foggy. J-Son had the only ship capable of breaking through the Kree fleet. However, its success would be at the cost of the ship and the life of everyone on it. He certainly had never expected such a selfless move from such a selfish man.
“Peter, it’s his choice,” Phyla said.
“Frag that! J-Son, please…use an escape pod—”
“It won’t get away in time,” J-Son admitted, as the Godship began to blast its way through the Kree wall. “Leave now, Peter, before the bomb swallows you, too. But, please…leave the line open…”
Peter shivered, acceptance dawning on him. “Of course…”
The line remained silent for a moment, as J-Son composed himself.
“Peter, I want you to know, I loved your mother. I loved her with all my heart. My greatest regret is not being there for you, and I’m sorry for everything I’ve done. I have taken so much from you…”
“…”
“Peter, we have to go!” Phyla warned, eyeing the Godship as it broke through the Kree wall. Explosions soared through space. Soon, one big enough to swallow a world would surge toward them.
“Quill, get out of there!” Kill demanded.
Peter couldn’t move.
“Quill…” Kill begged, his voice cracking.
“Peter, we must leave now or risk our termination,” Milago said.
“You don’t have to forgive me. Just…just know…” J-Son continued.
A tear slipped out of each of Peter’s eyes. He placed his shaking hand over the autopilot switch, and flipped it. Milago immediately swerved around to the rest of the rebel pack, picking up speed.
“Dad…” Peter whispered.
J-Son’s tone seemed to grow lighter, “I love my Empire. I love my home. But, Peter, son, no matter what I’ve said or done, or what you’ve said or done, I am your father. I will always love—”
BOOM!
Peter tightened his hands into fists to stop the tremors, his nails drawing blood, but he did not sob, nor did he scream. Milago soared away, but the Planetkiller would not be so easily outpaced. Part of the surface of Kaya was scorched. The Kree Crownstreak had been unable to escape in time, and found itself devoured by its own weapon. The remains of the Spartoi and Skrull fleets suffered no better fate. Only a few Kree escaped.
The rebels were not so lucky. Nearly no one made it in the clear. No one except Kill reached hyper speed in time. As the explosion overcame Milago, a bright blue light encompassed the ship, and it disappeared, its fate as of yet unknown…