The reconnaissance vessel Aquarius completed its repairs on Xandar.
After securing the required living supplies and technological components, the crew wasted no time preparing for departure. One by one, the purchased materials were loaded into the ship's storage systems, and every necessary check was carried out with efficiency.
Faora, standing at the center of the command deck, watched the process with calm precision. She had no intention of lingering on Xandar longer than necessary.
To her, caution was a battlefield instinct.
"Prepare for immediate departure," she ordered once the final shipment was confirmed. "We leave now."
The icy beauty was far from reckless. Though famous for her combat strength, she was not simply a warrior who relied on brute force. Years of military experience had shaped her into a capable officer who understood timing, strategy, and the importance of seizing opportunities.
Even without knowing that the Kree fleet had been secretly observing them, Faora remained naturally vigilant.
Before the Aquarius even exited the protective range of Xandar's territory, she issued a second command.
"Set course for the designated wormhole corridor."
In the vast universe, wormholes functioned as the ultimate high-speed transit network. These artificial spatial tunnels connected distant regions of space, allowing ships to travel across enormous distances almost instantly.
Point to point.
Light-years reduced to moments.
The Aquarius accelerated toward the wormhole channel and disappeared into the gateway of distorted space.
Yet even as the ship vanished from the star field, hostile eyes were already watching.
Hidden forces tracked every move.
"Those clever little women…"
Far away, Ronan the Accuser muttered the words with visible irritation. His jaw tightened as he stared at the tactical display showing the ship's path.
"They're being careful."
He exhaled slowly before giving the order.
"Keep observing them."
If the Kree Empire had not signed a peace treaty with Xandar, Ronan would have already unleashed his fleet and torn the Kryptonian reconnaissance vessel apart.
For now, he had no choice but to wait.
A faint vibration echoed through space.
The Aquarius shot through the wormhole corridor, its hull surrounded by rippling distortions of spacetime. In the blink of an eye, the vessel emerged in a completely different star field several light-years away.
The transition was smooth and precise.
However, that wasn't the only jump.
Since leaving Xandar, the Aquarius had already traveled through multiple wormholes, changing its route again and again.
Inside the cockpit, a Kryptonian engineer studied the sensor readings before speaking.
"Commander, unidentified vessels have been detected in the surrounding star systems."
Faora turned her head slightly.
"Can you identify them?"
The engineer shook his head.
"Negative. Their models aren't registered in the system. Most appear to be civilian merchant vessels. They could simply be passing traders."
"Merchant ships?"
Faora's brows knitted together.
Her expression remained composed, but a subtle tension crept into her features. Something about the situation felt wrong.
Before departing Xandar, Lilith had personally warned her about the Kree Empire's fleet.
That warning lingered in her mind now.
In the endless darkness of the universe, every advanced civilization understood one absolute rule:
Never reveal the coordinates of your home world.
This principle was known across the galaxy as the Dark Forest Law.
Any civilization that exposed its location risked annihilation.
After several moments of silence, Faora finally spoke again.
"Change our route."
The crew immediately responded to the command.
"And open communication with His Majesty."
Time passed.
A full week slipped by.
Ronan the Accuser sat inside his flagship, his mood growing darker with every passing day.
The strategy of casting a long line to catch a big fish was undeniably effective. If the plan succeeded, they would uncover the Kryptonians' hidden base and eliminate the last remnants of their civilization in a single decisive strike.
But patience was not Ronan's greatest virtue.
The warlord's temper was notorious throughout the Kree Empire. Waiting quietly while stalking an enemy had tested the limits of his restraint.
More than once, he had nearly ordered an immediate attack.
Only the repeated advice of his subordinates had convinced him to hold back.
Finally, the long pursuit reached its conclusion.
"Report!" Ronan demanded.
A technician quickly stepped forward.
"Good news, sir. The enemy reconnaissance ship has begun landing procedures. They're approaching a planet that does not appear in any recorded star charts."
Ronan's eyes lit with excitement.
"So that's where they've been hiding."
Another officer spoke cautiously.
"General Ronan, should we wait until we confirm life signatures on the planet before launching the assault?"
"Wait?" Ronan snapped.
He slammed his fist onto the command console.
"Still waiting?"
The Accuser had endured more than enough patience.
"Prepare the fleet," he roared. "We're taking this planet now!"
The moment the order left his mouth, the quiet star field erupted into motion.
Ripples spread across space as a cloaked warship dropped its holographic stealth systems. The long, narrow hull of a Kree battleship appeared suddenly in the void.
But that was only the beginning.
Across distant regions of the star field, more disturbances formed.
One after another.
Like stones thrown into a still lake, the once-silent cosmos began to ripple with violent activity.
Dozens of Kree warships initiated space jumps, emerging from different directions as they converged toward the same target.
At the same time, the Aquarius was descending toward the planet below.
The ship pierced the upper atmosphere, its engines glowing brightly as it began the landing sequence.
Suddenly—
"Warning!"
A sharp alarm erupted inside the vessel.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The emergency alert system activated without warning, filling the ship with piercing signals.
On every screen, new reports flooded in.
Unknown fleets detected.
Multiple warships emerging from space.
Hostile forces approaching rapidly.
The truth was obvious.
The enemy had abandoned their stealth.
Commander Faora rose from her seat instantly.
"So they finally revealed themselves."
Her pale face hardened, and her eyes turned cold as ice. Through the observation window she could see the narrow silhouettes of enemy warships appearing across the surrounding space.
A ruthless glint flashed in her gaze.
"Commander," a technician reported urgently, "we've initiated emergency evasive maneuvers. One of the distant warships has already begun firing."
Outside, the star field exploded with activity.
Warships jumped into existence again and again, surrounding the planet like falling stones.
In an instant, the Aquarius—still descending toward the surface—was trapped inside a tightening net.
Escape seemed impossible.
Yet strangely, Faora's lips curved upward.
A faint smile appeared on her otherwise expressionless face.
"Commander… I have to admit your intuition was impressive," one technician said nervously. "But even though we lured them here, we've also put ourselves in serious danger."
Outside the ship waited the overwhelming force of the Kree fleet.
Their numbers were enough to terrify anyone.
But Faora remained completely calm.
"This is His Majesty's plan," she said confidently. "I believe His Majesty would never allow us to die."
Why was she so certain?
Because everything unfolding now had been part of the strategy.
The planet beneath the Aquarius was not Neptune.
It wasn't even a Kryptonian settlement.
A week earlier, after sensing that something was wrong, Faora had deliberately redirected the ship toward a barren world several light-years away.
A dead planet.
And on that lifeless world, someone had already been waiting.
Because one week earlier, the Emperor of Krypton had quietly departed Neptune as well.
"He's here," Faora whispered softly.
Her eyes gleamed with anticipation.
"His Majesty is here… I can already feel it."
As if answering her words—
Whoosh!
A deafening sound tore through the atmosphere.
From the surface of the planet below, a terrifying column of blazing light suddenly erupted upward.
The massive beam surged into space with unstoppable force, shooting toward the Kree fleet like a divine arrow.
....
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