I was in Jon's chamber as I thought about how shocked Jon had been when he saw my red hair and the crimson crown marking on my forehead. The moment he laid eyes on me, his composure completely shattered.
He immediately knelt, his military bearing giving way to something approaching religious awe. Every soldier I met on my way to Jon's chamber had done the same - dropping to one knee the instant they saw the physical manifestation of the prophecies.
Word was spreading through the ship faster than I had anticipated.
I could hear everything on the ship, the whispers, the hushed conversations, the looks of wonder and reverence - all of it was going exactly as I had hoped it would.
Jon had recovered his composure by the time we began our briefing, but I could still see the lingering shock in his eyes. He was struggling to reconcile the young lord he had served with the prophetic figure now standing before him.
"Your Majesty," Jon said, his voice carrying new depths of respect, "the planet's technology is far behind Krypton's capabilities, but they still maintain a presence outside their planetary atmosphere."
He activated the holographic display, showing me orbital installations around Earth.
"There is a military base they have orbiting their planet. It's operated by an organization named SWORD, which is a sister organization of SHIELD. SHIELD appears to be another organization responsible for the planet's security from supernatural and extraterrestrial threats."
I knew about them, though I let no sign of recognition show on my face.
"Their detection capabilities?" I asked.
"Primitive by our standards, Your Majesty. They still have not been able to detect our ship, even with our minimal stealth protocols active."
I nodded approvingly. "What about the species on this planet?"
Jon sighed deeply and said, "That is where it becomes complicated. This planet is full of various species, not just the dominant humans."
He gestured to the display, which began showing different population distributions across Earth's surface.
"Apart from humans, they have Eternals and Deviants - the same species that once tried to establish a foothold on our planet but were driven away by our forces millennia ago."
That was interesting. The Eternals and Deviants had actually attempted to colonize Krypton at some point in our history. It explained why our military databases had information about them.
"Then there are mutants, Inhumans, and numerous other species with various levels of integration into human society."
"Integration levels vary significantly?" I asked.
"Drastically, Your Majesty. Some species live openly among humans, others remain completely hidden. There are even mentions of Gods - various pantheons that apparently maintain some level of presence on this world."
Hmm... just like I know, this planet is a giant Pandora's box, containing all sorts of beings in it.
"What year is it in terms of this planet's calendar system?" I asked.
"It is 2009 in their terms, Your Majesty."
I filed that information away. According to Alex's memories, this was still early in the age of public superheroes. Many major events had not yet occurred. However, I'm not entirely sure, as there were hundreds of comics, and the timelines and backgrounds varied in most of them.
"What about the humans specifically? Are the other species known to them, or are they kept hidden?"
"No, Your Majesty. Though there have been many appearances of other races, and there are groups of people with enhanced abilities by human standards, they still seem to be largely suppressed or hidden by organizations like SHIELD."
I nodded thoughtfully. So the masquerade was still largely intact. Most humans remained unaware of the forces in their world.
"Has this planet been invaded before?"
"I did not find records of any major planetary invasions in their recent history, but there have been many infiltration attempts by the Kree and the Skrulls on this planet."
Both species were known to us from our own galactic conflicts. The Kree Empire and the shapeshifting Skrulls had been locked in their own eternal war for centuries, with Earth apparently serving as one of their proxy battlegrounds.
"The infiltrations are ongoing?"
"The data suggests sporadic activity rather than sustained occupation, Your Majesty. Both species seem to use Earth for experimental purposes rather than conquest."
I hummed at this information. It fit with what Alex's memories suggested about Earth's role as a testing ground for various forces.
Jon then said, "Though there are some locations I found specifically interesting."
The display screen projected a location in Africa, and Jon continued his briefing.
"My lord, this is a kingdom named Wakanda. They have not been active in world affairs and are presumed by most nations to be a backward, impoverished nation. But our scans reveal they actually possess a very advanced level of technology, probably the most advanced on this planet."
The irony was not lost on me. A hidden technological civilization pretending to be primitive to avoid outside interference. Well, we Kryptonians were the same at one point, so I am no one to judge.
"The foundation of their technology is based on a metal named Vibranium. I have already sent detailed analysis data to Lord Jor-El, and he has expressed a strong interest in experimenting with it. He wants to compare its properties with our own Supernanium."
Vibranium was indeed one of the materials I had hoped to acquire. Its unique properties made it invaluable for both defensive and offensive applications.
"Any other locations of interest?"
Jon nodded and said, "There are several locations that our scanners could not completely pierce through."
Multiple locations appeared on the global display. Two were near the Himalayas, one in Hong Kong, one in New York, one in the middle of an ocean, another in a different oceanic region, and one in the Middle East.
I studied the map carefully. The locations near the Himalayas, Hong Kong, and New York were definitely the Sanctums of Earth's sorcerers - the magical strongholds that protected the planet from mystical threats. The oceanic location was likely Themyscira, home of the Amazons.
As for the others, I was not entirely certain, though they were probably additional supernatural or extraterrestrial installations.
"These locations show shielding beyond our current scanning capabilities?" I asked.
"Correct, Your Majesty. Whatever is protecting them operates on principles our sensors cannot penetrate."
"Leave those locations alone for now. Do not attempt to send probes or conduct closer scans. We will address them when we have a better understanding of their nature."
"Understood, Your Majesty."
I turned to address both Jon and Faora, who had remained silent during most of the briefing.
"Good work on the intelligence gathering, Jon. Now I need you to organize a team of twenty soldiers and begin training them in advanced breathing and meditation techniques."
Jon looked confused at the apparent change of subject. "It will be done, Your Majesty."
I smiled slightly. "You have a question, do you not?"
Jon nodded. "Why do we need to practice meditation techniques, Your Majesty? It seems removed from our usual military training."
"When a Kryptonian comes into contact with yellow sun radiation, all of our senses are amplified many times over," I explained. "To the point where you can hear the breathing of a person who is extremely far from you. Without proper mental discipline, this sensory overload will be completely overwhelming."
Understanding dawned in Jon's eyes. "The meditation will help us control the enhanced senses."
"Exactly. Mental discipline is crucial for managing abilities that surpass normal Kryptonian parameters."
I turned to Faora. "You and Kon, along with your squadron of troops, are also to undergo the same training regimen."
"Understood, Your Majesty," she replied immediately.
"Once we have our training grounds established and our people properly prepared, then I will expose them to yellow sunlight. We cannot conduct this process aboard the ship - the uncontrolled release of abilities would likely destroy our vessel."
Jon nodded, the logic becoming clear to him. "That makes complete sense, Your Majesty. Structural damage from untrained individuals with enhanced strength could be catastrophic."
Jon looked and nodded at Faora. She nodded in return, acknowledging their need to coordinate the effort.
Jon then added, "Your Majesty, we have also discovered artificial infrastructure on this planet's moon."
I knew immediately who that belonged to - the Watcher, one of the cosmic observers who monitored significant events throughout the universe.
The Watchers were extremely powerful beings who generally maintained strict neutrality, but the powers they possess can reshape galaxies if they will it.
"Do not send any probes to investigate that installation," I commanded firmly. "Leave it completely alone."
"Your Majesty?" Jon asked, clearly curious about my reasoning.
"There are forces in this universe that are best left undisturbed until we have significantly greater power. The being who lives in that installation falls into that category."
Jon accepted this explanation without further question, though I could see him filing the information away for future consideration.
I stood from my chair, my decision made about our next course of action.
.....
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