As Mar-Vell predicted, Josh and the others were amazed by the beautiful views of different star systems when they first entered space. However, after spending a few days in the vast universe, they quickly grew tired of the scenery.
Fortunately, the spaceship had plenty of entertainment options, and with their loved ones by their sides, they weren't too bored.
After flying for about a week and making eight space jumps, the ship finally reached the core area of the Kree Empire.
That's right—it wasn't the capital planet Hala yet, just the central region of the empire. This showed just how vast the Kree Empire really was.
By now, they had also left the Milky Way galaxy. The Kree Empire's core and its capital, Hala, were never in the Milky Way but in a satellite galaxy called the Large Magellanic Cloud, located about 160,000 light-years from Earth.
Once they arrived, Mar-Vell didn't continue flying straight ahead. Instead, she steered the ship toward a planet in the star system they were currently in.
"This is Badoon Star, one of the Kree's vassal civilizations. Because the Badoons are strong and skilled fighters, they're considered elite among our vassals. Badoon Star is also the busiest planet in the fourth quadrant of the empire, but honestly, I don't like them," Mar-Vell said as the ship approached the spaceport.
"Oh? Why?" Peggy Carter asked curiously.
Josh, on the other hand, looked thoughtful.
Badoons... he felt like he had heard of them before. Where had he heard of them?
"Because they love war too much. They attack weaker civilizations, kill the elderly and children, and sell young adults as slaves. They're real war profiteers," Mar-Vell said with a frown.
"What? That's so barbaric," Peggy Carter said with a frown of her own.
Hmm… hearing Carter say that, Josh really wanted to mention how the British Empire wasn't any better a few hundred years ago. The only difference was the scale.
But just then, Josh remembered where he had heard of the Badoons.
If he was right, in Guardians of the Galaxy, Star-Lord's adoptive father, Yondu, belonged to a race wiped out by the Badoons. Yondu himself was sold to the Kree as a slave soldier.
"There's nothing we can do. Many of the Badoons' biggest clients are top Kree leaders, and most of the slave soldiers in our army are supplied by them," Mar-Vell sighed. This system was created by high-ranking officials in the empire and was not something a warrior like her could change.
"Slave soldiers? What's that?" Carter asked, frowning. She had already guessed the meaning but still found it hard to accept.
After all, slavery had been gone from Earth for over a hundred years… and now she was seeing a spacefaring civilization that still used it?
"They're basically military slaves. They have control devices installed on them. During peacetime, they perform hard labor. During war, they're the first ones sent to fight—and die," Mar-Vell replied, shattering Carter's last bit of hope.
"If the Badoon civilization finds out about Earth…" Carter swallowed hard.
"If nothing unexpected happens, then yes, the worst-case scenario you're thinking of will likely come true. So, while you're in Kree territory, you must keep your origins a secret. Don't go out on your own without telling me, and even if you do go out, don't say anything if you get into trouble—at least not until I arrive!" Mar-Vell said seriously. "I know you all are powerful, but you must understand—what you're facing now is one of the most powerful civilizations in the known universe. Personal strength is useless against them!"
The three of them nodded quickly at her warning.
But what they were thinking was very different.
Carter was truly shaken.
Josh, however, didn't care at all.
"Personal strength means nothing against powerful civilizations?" That's only because she hadn't encountered someone with the power to destroy a planet alone.
Besides, there was no way she could have guessed that he was carrying an entire fleet with him—not just one fleet, but several from different civilizations.
Thinking of that, Josh suddenly remembered the Power Stone.
What was the name of the planet where it was hidden? Morag?
"Oh right, I almost forgot. Here, these are universal translators. I've already programmed English into them. They contain all the languages of the races in Kree territory. With these, you'll be able to move freely through the core regions of the empire. They also work as communication tools and payment devices. I've loaded 10,000 coins onto each one—enough to cover your expenses," Mar-Vell said, handing each of them a set of translators that looked like a combination of an earpiece and a wristwatch.
"Get ready—we'll leave the ship in half an hour," she added as the ship docked in the port.
The three of them went back to their rooms to prepare.
"Frenzy, check if there's any data on the planet Morag in the ship's system," Josh ordered as soon as he entered his room.
"Understood, Master. Searching for keyword: Morag… Found it. Planet Morag: ancient ruins located in the Andromeda galaxy on the border between the Nova and Kree empires. Distance from current location: two million light-years. Requires 24 jump points. At our current ship speed, the travel time is one month," Frenzy quickly reported.
Over a thousand years ago, during the Kree expansion, a space tunnel leading to the Andromeda Galaxy was discovered, and an invasion was launched.
On the other side of the tunnel was the Nova Empire's territory.
This led to a war between the two empires that lasted over a thousand years, building up deep hatred.
Morag is located in the conflict zone on the edge of the Andromeda Galaxy—one of the most chaotic areas in the known universe, overrun by raiders.
That's why, in the movie, Star-Lord appeared there.
As for the war between the Kree and the Nova Empire...
In terms of raw power, the Nova Empire is much weaker than the Kree.
But the Nova Empire has a strong ally—the Shi'ar Empire.
And because the Kree are aggressive and constantly fighting on multiple fronts—especially with the Skrulls as their main enemy—they haven't been able to beat the Shi'ar yet.
Recently, however, the conflict between the two sides has begun to calm down, and there has been a chance for peace talks.
After all, a war that lasted over a thousand years would wear down even the strongest civilization.
With the information he needed, Josh quickly made up his mind. After packing up, he and Margaret changed into the Kree military uniforms that Mar-Vell had prepared for them and left the cabin.
By the time they arrived on the bridge, Mar-Vell and Carter—also wearing Kree uniforms—were already waiting.
Though they were all in Kree uniforms, there was a big difference between what Josh and the others wore and what Mar-Vell wore as a real Kree soldier. Theirs were simpler and had no insignia at all.
This meant they were unofficial military personnel—people affiliated with the army, but not officially enlisted.
These outfits were originally designed for military family members, so it wasn't against regulations for Mar-Vell to let them wear them.
Once everything was ready, the group followed Mar-Vell into the starport.
As the most prosperous planet in the Kree Empire's Fourth Quadrant, the starport was unexpectedly lively.
Aliens of all shapes and colors filled the place, providing Josh and the others with an eye-opening experience.
As a militaristic dictatorship, the Kree Empire gave extremely generous benefits to its soldiers. As an elite warrior, Mar-Vell had special privileges across most of the empire.
Thanks to this, the group only underwent a simple check and disinfection process via a special lane, bypassing the long lines filled with oddly shaped aliens. Despite being an interstellar civilization, the customs process—aside from the more advanced equipment—was surprisingly similar to those on Earth.
This surprised Josh and the others at first, but it made sense.
Aliens are still biological beings and, like all living things, can be affected by microbes and diseases. Quarantine and health checks were completely normal.
During this process, Josh and the others finally saw the Badoon people Mar-Vell had mentioned.
At that moment, they realized that Mar-Vell's dislike of the Badoons might not be solely because they were violent.
A bigger reason might be that they were just too ugly.
Why "they"? Because these Badoons were over two meters tall with arms and legs nearly as long. Their bodies were hairless and covered in sickly green skin. They looked like long-limbed, hairless lizards without tails—absolutely hideous.
Despite the ugliness of the Badoon people, their home planet was unexpectedly beautiful.
Unlike Earth, which is 70% ocean, the Badoon planet had an even split between land and sea. As a spacefaring civilization, their planet wasn't covered in steel and skyscrapers like Earth. Instead, most of it remained lush and green, with only a few cities scattered here and there.
"Didn't expect the Badoons to be so eco-friendly," Josh joked, sitting in the shuttle heading toward the surface and looking at the scenery below while flipping through a guidebook he had picked up at the port.
"Heh, if Earth had looted a few hundred civilizations, it could afford to be this eco-friendly too," Mar-Vell scoffed.
But her words immediately struck a chord with Josh.
Why were Western countries on Earth able to preach about environmental protection in the 21st century? Wasn't it because they had spent the past few hundred years looting the rest of the world and feeding themselves full first?
"But precisely because this planet has such a good environment, it's not only the most prosperous in this quadrant, but also a famous tourist destination. That's why I chose it as our first stop. Honestly, even though I've been to Badoon many times, it was always for missions. I came and left in a hurry. I've never really had the chance to enjoy it. This time, I can finally look around properly with you all," Mar-Vell said with a smile.
Just as she said, over the next few days, the four of them spent their time wandering around Badoon, sightseeing, and feasting.
Thanks to the Badoons having plundered hundreds of civilizations and keeping large numbers of slaves, they were able to enjoy a rich variety of exotic cultures and delicacies during their two-week stay. They had a great time.
Then, one day, as they were having lunch at the most luxurious hotel in Badoon's capital—after having more or less toured the entire planet—it was almost time to leave. The next day, they were set to head to Hala.
But at that moment, Josh happened to glance up at the sky and saw that the spaceport had suddenly become very busy, with a massive number of ships pouring in.
The buildings on Badoon were exceptionally tall, with many towering over a thousand meters. The hotel they were in now was over 3,000 meters high, so on a clear day, it was easy to see the spaceport with the naked eye.
Especially since Josh and the others all had exceptionally sharp vision.
"What's going on up there?" Josh asked, curiously.
"I'll check." Mar-Vell raised her wrist, tapped her watch, and used her military access to pull up the latest information. Soon, she had the answer.
"Got it. The Badoons just destroyed another civilization—massive victory. All of those ships are transporting the spoils of war," she explained.
Josh and the others fell silent.
The competition between interstellar civilizations was truly brutal. While they were enjoying their vacation, an entire civilization had been wiped out.
"I wonder what kind of civilization it was this time?" Josh asked after a moment of silence.
"It was called Centauri. They were relatively primitive—even more backward than Earth," Mar-Vell replied after checking again.
"Centauri? The one near the solar system?" Josh frowned instinctively.
Wait... Centauri? Don't tell me it's that one?
"Oh, don't worry, this Centauri has nothing to do with the one you know on Earth. After all, your planet's names don't mean much beyond your system. The Centauri that was destroyed was a planet, while the one you're thinking of is a star. Completely different things," Mar-Vell quickly explained with a laugh, recalling that Earth had named one of the nearby stars Centauri too.
--
Join patreon to read ahead!