Walking to Briefing Room
The Mad Titan, Talos thought as he followed Nick Fury down the corridor. His reputation really isn't great across the cosmos. Demon, butcher, madman—he has many titles, many names whispered in fear across a thousand worlds.
But 'liar' is not one of them. That's the crucial point.
Thanos is specifically known throughout the universe for keeping his word, for honoring his bargains no matter how terrible they are. When he makes a promise, it's as binding as a cosmic contract. He may be a genocidal monster, but he's an honest genocidal monster.
So when he promised them a planet with a fully industrialized ecosystem already in place, complete infrastructure ready for habitation, AND his personal protection for 500 years against Kree retaliation...
Talos's expression remained neutral, but internally he continued his justification.
There's nothing to say. It's a genuine offer.
On one side, we have Nick—who promised to help us find an empty planet suitable for colonization. A good promise, made with good intentions.
On the other side, we have Thanos, promising not just a planet but ensuring our race can rise again, can rebuild, can survive.
One side has still not done anything concrete to fulfill that promise after all this time. Just empty words, however well-meaning. There's no guarantee it can even be fulfilled given Earth's current technological limitations.
Heck, even Nick's empty promise has less actual content, less tangible benefit, than Thanos's promise which is guaranteed to succeed. He has the resources, the power, the reach to make it happen.
There was no need to think hard about what to choose.
Briefing Room
They entered the secure briefing room, and Talos began his carefully prepared explanation.
"So anyway, let me explain what we know about Asgard," Talos said, activating the holographic display. "They're essentially a humanoid race, very similar to humans in appearance and basic biology."
"Although they're quite an old civilization—we're talking tens of thousands of years of continuous culture—their technology development tree hasn't progressed as much as you'd expect," Talos explained, bringing up images of Asgardian warriors. "Because their individual lifespans are so long, averaging around 5,000 years, their rate of innovation is actually quite slow compared to shorter-lived species."
"Even most of their military still fights using traditional swords and spears in close combat," Talos said with slight disdain. "Very medieval aesthetic."
Although most of those warriors can directly penetrate a tank's armor using just a spear throw, thanks to their enhanced strength, Talos thought carefully. But that naturally doesn't need to be mentioned to Nick or the strike teams.
He babbled on about Asgardian military tactics and cultural practices, but Nick Fury's attention had clearly snagged on something else entirely.
"Is the Asgardian king's name Odin?" Nick suddenly interrupted, his voice sharp.
Hearing Nick's sudden interjection, Talos's face subtly changed, micro-expressions of concern flickering across his features before he controlled them.
Does Nick already know about Asgard? How? Talos's mind raced in panic. But he really didn't find any files in SHIELD's database regarding Asgard. He searched everything—classified, top secret, even Fury's personal files. Because of this absence of information, I've been able to stand here and spout my bullshit so effortlessly.
His mind started moving faster, running through possibilities. Did Asgard already make contact with Earth? Some back channel I don't know about?
No, that shouldn't be possible, he reasoned. If that were the case, the World Security Council members definitely wouldn't have agreed to my proposal to attack an Asgardian vessel. They might be greedy and short-sighted, but they're not suicidal.
Definitely not. No sane spacefaring race in the universe would dare to directly antagonize Asgard without extreme cause. Once upon a time, Asgard was on a path to conquering the entire fucking universe. The Nine Realms were just the beginning—they had the power, the armies, the will to expand infinitely.
But at some point, they just... lost interest. Pulled back. Otherwise, today's entire cosmic political map would be completely different. Asgard would rule everything, and species like there would be their subjects rather than independent refugees.
"Here, look at this," Nick said, turning his computer screen toward Talos.
Displayed on the monitor was ancient Norse mythology—stories of Odin, Thor, Loki, and the other Asgardian gods from Earth's historical records. Cave paintings, medieval manuscripts, Viking sagas.
Looking at the screen, Talos finally breathed an internal sigh of relief. Just mythology. Ancient legends. He doesn't actually know anything concrete about current Asgard.
"Nick, don't think too much about ancient Earth legends," Talos said dismissively, waving a hand. "Asgardians just visited Earth in ancient times, back when humans were primitive. So with their advanced technology and long lifespans, they would naturally be viewed as gods by the locals. It's not uncommon—this same pattern has happened on many primitive planets across the galaxy."
Standard first contact scenario, Talos thought. Happens all the time. Advanced civilization visits primitive world, gets worshipped, eventually leaves. Nothing special about it.
"Besides," Talos added aloud, "we're not fighting them, remember? This is really a great opportunity for Earth, if you look at it correctly."
"You know, Nick, even if Asgardian technology isn't very advanced by cosmic standards in some areas, establishing a diplomatic relationship with them would still help Earth very much," he continued smoothly. "They're a respected major power. Having their recognition would elevate Earth's status considerably."
Nick reclined in his chair, studying Talos with his single penetrating eye. "Okay, I understand everything you've explained. But here's what I don't get:"
He leaned forward slightly. "What does it have to do with you Skrulls whether Earth establishes a relationship with Asgard or not? Why do you care about Earth's diplomatic standing?"
This was the most suspicious point for Fury. The logic didn't quite track. Talos was acting too invested in Earth's cosmic political position for someone who was supposedly just passing through.
After a meaningful pause, Talos started what could only be described as masterful acting, his expression shifting to something earnest and vulnerable.
"Nick, you have to understand—we can't stay hidden on Earth forever, right?" His voice carried genuine emotion, or at least an excellent simulation of it. "Although I know you've promised to help us, and I believe you mean it... you know many of our younger generation are getting restless. Frustrated with hiding."
Hearing this, Nick Fury's face suddenly turned dark with understanding and anger.
"Why are you going all the way around about this?" he said aloud, his voice tight with controlled fury. "Just say directly that you've become too impatient and started to move on your own without consulting me."
Although he was cursing this green-skinned manipulator in his heart, his voice became littile gental.
"Talos, you know how difficult the situation is," he said aloud.
"Yeah, Nick, I know your difficulties, and I appreciate everything you've tried to do," Talos said, his tone shifting to sympathetic understanding. "Without Earth having the ability to travel faster-than-light, without having established cosmic trade routes or diplomatic channels, it's genuinely very difficult for you to do anything meaningful for us."
"And even if you somehow found us a planet suitable for habitation and helped transport us there," Talos continued, "you know we're refugees being actively hunted by the Kree Empire. So if they discover our location, if they track us down, we'll be exterminated directly. Genocided down to the last child."
"So this operation, this situation with Asgard—it's actually the best chance for both of us," Talos argued passionately. "Taking this opportunity, Earth's technology can advance in leaps and bounds from Asgardian examples and captured technology."
"You know, Nick, the human race is honestly the fastest-developing species in technological growth I've personally ever seen or even heard of in all my travels," Talos said, and for once this actually seemed genuine rather than flattery. "And that's not a lie or exaggeration."
"Although humans have received some outside technology from time to time—Kree artifacts, random crashed ships—there rate of independent innovation is just ridiculous," he continued with what might have been actual admiration. "From horse-drawn carriages to flying to your moon—that developmental gap was only about 50 years of focused effort."
"For comparison, my own race took 2,100 years to accomplish that exact same technological leap," Talos said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Twenty-one centuries to go from basic animal transportation to spaceflight. You did it in half a human lifetime."
"With Asgardian technology samples to study, plus Carol Danvers's continued protection and cosmic connections, you guys could quickly grow into a genuine cosmic force to be reckoned with," Talos argued. "And then you'd actually be capable of providing us Skrulls with real, meaningful protection against the Kree."
"So you see, this really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Talos concluded, his face now filled with an expression of complete honest sincerity. "Please, Nick. Trust me this one time."
Nick Fury sat in silence for a long moment, his mind running through scenarios and probabilities, calculating risks and potential outcomes.
Everything Talos says makes logical sense on the surface, Nick thought. The benefits are real. The opportunity is genuine.
"Okay," Nick finally said, the word tasting bitter. "Let's prepare for our guests' arrival."
Nick Fury sighed deeply.
I just hope I'm not about to start an interstellar war, he thought grimly.
Though knowing my luck, that's exactly might happen.
You guys can check out my patreon with some extra chapter, and want to support this story.
patreon.com/LMStar666