ALL
GOD’S CHILDREN
the
thirty-fifth tale
EMBERS OF HALA
written by Mark Bousquet
NECROPOLIS
Throne Room of Thanos
EARTH STANDARD YEAR
2201 / January
Thanos, the Mad Titan, allowed himself the pleasure of a smile.
At long last, the end
of the Eternal War was about to begin.
ASGARD
The Residence of
Kovar the Accuser, Kree Ambassador to the Council
Kovar held a
palm-sized communication device in his hand, starting at the words that had
come to him nearly eight hours past. He
couldn’t believe what he was reading, but couldn’t dare disbelieve the words,
either.
THE
DAY OF CHANGE HAS ARRIVED. WHO’S SIDE
ARE YOU ON?
HALA
Garbage
Management Facility
In-than
inhaled deeply on the cigarette in his mouth, then dropped it to the ground,
crushing it beneath his boot, “Gotta get moving.”
He
talked to himself, as he always did, as he always had, a strange boy unfit for
the military academy, no home to return to, no hope to look forward to. There weren’t many occupations one could
hold on Hala that weren’t tied into the military, but even the Kree realized
that there were those who would serve no purpose inside the armed services and
made certain that there were things those few could do that would serve the
empire’s needs.
Taking
out the garbage happened to be one of them.
Not that the military couldn’t do it; not that the military didn’t still
do it when they had enough privates that needed punishment, but as the Eternal
War raged ever longer, the military had become stretched further and further
across the Everything, allowing for “unranked” – the Kree slang for those not
involved in the military – to have more to do on homeworld.
In-than
didn’t mind. He could care less about
the Kree military and their desperate need to come up with newer and better
ways to kill people. He liked to think
of himself as an artist; even though he knew he wasn’t very good, there were so
few artists of any kind wanted by the empire that he could claim himself as
such without upsetting anyone.
Helped
with the academy women, too, who were looking for something other than a
jarhead, ego-driven private to spend a night with every now and then.
Pulling
on his thick work gloves, the pink-skinned young man moved across an open area
towards the latest garbage drop when a sight above him caught his attention.
The
sun was bright that morning, unusually bright for this time of year, and
In-than had to shield his eyes to make out the objects that soared across his
vision.
“What
the hell?” he asked himself as the general alarm was sounded, his eyes
straining to make sense of what he saw, then shuddered as his world was draped
in darkness. Tilting his head as far
back as he could, he saw a vision that turned his blood to ice.
A
Kree Interstellar Warship, the pride of the Kree’s Cosmosian Navy, had done
something In-than thought it could never do, and certainly something it was
never intended to do.
It
had entered planetary atmosphere.
It
was heading for the capital city.
It
was firing.
ASGARD
THOR
ODINSON HALL OF PEACE
Captain
America, the Cosmic Protector, stood alone in the Communications Wing, watching
images from the Allied Worlds play across screens. The words of Nick Fury came back to him, haunting him as much
today as they had the day his old friend had spoke them: “We lead lives of
violence in a desperate search for peace.”
The
Eternal War.
Nearly
two entire centuries gone in the struggle to end Thanos’ Crusade to end all
life.
And
why? To goad Captain Mar-Vell to rise
from the dead and face him in final conflict.
Steve
Rogers had long ago stopped worrying about why madmen caused the damage they
did, concentrating instead on finding ways to stop them. A heavy sigh escaped from his body; there
were times when he felt like the very old man that he was. He didn’t care if his body was as healthy
today as it had been back in the 20th century, his psyche aged with
every passing second.
Dani
wasn’t helping. Her scheme, plotted out
with Balder, to draw Bruunhilde out into the open to face her in one-on-one
combat angered Steve, in part because Dani had almost died and in part because
he was kept out of the loop.
“You’re
thinking of me,” a soft voice came from behind him.
“I
am,” Steve replied, not turning around.
“You should be in bed resting.
The doctors-“
“The
doctors have treated me,” Dani replied gently, walking silently across the
floor to place a hand on her lovers’ back.
“What troubles you, Steve?”
“Everything.”
“Me?”
“Your
ill-conceived plan.”
Dani
rolled her eyes, “Am I going to get a lecture from the good Captain?”
“No,”
Steve answered softly, shaking his head.
“But … nothing. Never mind.”
Dani’s
voice was barely a whisper, “I know you’re upset with me about Bruunhilde, but
you were away and the opportunity was there.
I couldn’t risk sending out a transmission-“
“I
know, I know,” Steve waved his hand, stepping away from Dani’s touch to move
directly in front of a blank set of screens.
“Do you know the Kree haven’t reported anything all day? Their government run news agency signed off
last night and then never came back this morning.”
“It
happens,” Dani answered, knowing that it was useless to force Steve to talk
about anything he didn’t want to discuss.
“They do it at least a few times every half-Standard year. Usually means there’s something going on
there they don’t want anyone to know about.”
“But
even then there’s something that goes out through one of the channels,” the
Cosmic Protector answered, moving to a keypad to punch up a set of data. “These are the public logs from Supremor
Base and Shipyards 1 to 10. No entries
after Standard Time 20 Hours, 56 Minutes.
No ships coming in, none going out.”
“You
think something is going on?” Dani
asked, her curiosity piqued. “Hala is a
strange place, Steve. We’ve seen things
like this before why you were away for those two years. Of all the Allied Worlds, Hala is the most
political and most likely to stay to themselves. They do things all the time to keep us suspicious of them; it’s
their way of showing they care.”
Captain
America said nothing, wondering if Dani and Balder’s plot was making him see
conspiracies everywhere.
Captain
Ven-Soon stared, along with the rest of his crew, at the sight before him. “By the devils!” he cried, the words
escaping his mouth of their own volition.
He stood on the bridge of Shipyard-9, a Kree military post near in short
range from Hala, one of ten such defense stations placed strategically around
the Kree homeworld.
A
Warship, the KE-RETRIBUTION, for some unknown and unimaginable reason,
was dropping into Hala’s atmosphere.
“Shipyard-9,
this is Shipyard-7, what the hell is going on?”
The words slapped Ven-Soon hard. Panic was setting in. The Shipyards, including the crews that helmed them, were defensive units that had gone too long without seeing battle. Thanos had never attempted to launch an assault on Hala – indeed, had stayed away from direct assaults on all the Council’s homeworlds – and Ven-Soon had been one of many senior officiers who had been pressing the Kree Parliament to rotate troops out into the depths of space so that these crews had battle experience. They had always been rebuffed. Cost effectiveness was sited as tha main reason, though Ven-Soon didn’t see any budgetary concerns in the homes of Parliament members.
Now,
with the panicked crews watching helplessly, it became clear to Ven-Soon that
he had been correct.
Angrily,
he snapped on the com-link at his station, “All Shipyards, this is Captain
Ven-Soon of Shipyard-9! Cease your
weakening pleas for help! You are
Kree! Shipyard-3, Retribution
was docked with you for repairs. What
is the meaning of the Retribution’s actions?”
Silence.
“Shipyard-3! This is Captain Ven-Soon! Report!”
Silence.
“Captain Ven-Soon, this is Captain Un-Yar of Shipyard-2. From your position on the opposite side of Hala, you cannot see what we, here, closer to homeworld, can. Shipyard-3 does not respond because … it has been destroyed.”
“An
entire Shipyard?” Ven-Soon asked, keeping his voice calm.
“Yes.”
“How?”
“The
Retribution fired on it, Captain.
We have been searching for signs of life since the attack.”
Ven-Soon
could feel the men around him stare at him with wider eyes. “A Kree Interstellar Warship has fired upon
one its own? Why weren’t the other
Shipyards informed of this blasphemy?”
“The
Retribution has been jamming all signals in the area, Captain. We even have reports, unconfirmed at this
time, that they’ve been jammind deep-space transmissions for the past twelve to
fifteen standard hours. Only when it
entered the atmosphere of Hala did the jamming cease.”
Ven-Soon
had to ask the question, “But … why?
Why would the Retribution attack the Kree, her own people?”
The
voice cracked over the com-link, “We … don’t know. By the makers, we don’t know.
It just- no … by the makers, no!”
“What?”
Ven-Soon snapped. “Shrabnit,
Captain! What is it?”
“Gods
help us, Ven-Soon. They’re firing … on
the capital.”
Outside Hala’s Orbit
“It is the waiting, I dislike
most,” Ikaris announced to the Eternals before him. “The waiting for the kill, the waiting for the Chaos that comes
when blade strikes blade, each searching for the rich vein of blood.”
“For once, Ikaris, you and I are
in complete agreement,” Bruunhilde, leader of the Angelux, announced from the
opposite end of a platform inside their spacecraft’s main hangar. A thousand Eternal warriors and Angelux
war-maidens stood in military rows before them, awaiting the command to
attack. Ikaris and Bruunhilde stood on
a platform at the front, addressing the troops that they would soon lead into
battle.
“For decades now,” Ikaris
continued, loving the feel of the leather armament that clothed him, “we have
waited patiently for Thanos to place his pieces in proper alignment, striking
on occasion, in small raiding parties, but kept from the glory of a battalion
strike. Today, that all changes!”
“Today,” Bruunhilde grinned, her
red, ionic eyes blaring intensely, “we launch an assault on Hala!”
The warriors beneath them roared
in approval.
“And when we are finished,” Ikaris
pounded his fist onto the railing, “millions of Kree will be dead, and Hala
itself will be unrecognizable from a burning pit of Hell!”
Democracy was still new to Hala, and it had not taken long for people to see that a democracy was not the proper way to run the Kree Empire. The Kree were military people, conditioned to look to a stable authority figure, but in the disappearance of the Supreme Intelligence back at the start of the Eternal War, chaos had reigned for many years, with assassinations and coups continually upsetting the balance of power as anyone near the throne with dreams of rule plotting to take illegally what they could not achieve otherwise.
Democracy,
at least, provided some stability to an empire in desperate need of stability.
But
as time wore on, as those in power became more and more entrenched, as the
democracy began to take on the appearance of the military, the plotting had
begun again.
The
supreme ruler came from the Parliament – the public did not vote for their
Emperor. It was deemed to important a
position to be left to the mass population.
General
Ochken was the Emperor, at the moment, and he could feel his empire crumbling
around him.
Looking
out the window of his palace, he could see the Retribution on the horizon, a
massive display of Kree engineering and military might that was not made for
atmospheric travel. What it wanted, no
one knew. Who was in charge, no one
knew. Why it was doing what it was
doing, no one knew.
It was as if an entire crew of a Kree Interstellar Warship had suddenly gone rogue.
“Why
aren’t we firing at the ship?” Ochken demanded. “Entering the atmosphere of Hala is to be considered an act of
war.”
“There’s
nothing we can hit it with that will cause any damage, short of nuclear
strikes,” an aide replied, fear blazing across his voice. “And if we use nuclear strikes, we will be
damning ourselves anyway! The military
feels it is best to not attack until we have to! Until they give us reason!”
Ochken
turned, glaring at the aide. “Oh, is
that what the military thinks? Why am I
not surprised?”
“Sir?”
the aide asked, but Ochken had turned back to the window to watch the Retribution
approach.
Just
in time to see the Warship open fire.
THOR
ODINSON HALL OF PEACE
“What the devil is the meaning of
this?” Kovar the Accuser asked as he stormed into the Council’s assembly
room. “Who called this meeting?”
“I did,” Captain America
announced, standing by his chair. “I
thank you for joining us, Kovar. We did
not want to start until you arrived, since this meeting is about the Kree.”
Kovar took a deep breath as he
stomped angrily to his seat.
“Politics,” he mumbled, taking his place at the wooden table next to
Ash’lin, the Shi’ar Ambassador. He glanced angrily around the room, noting the
presence of Balder, Captain America, Moonstar and Ash’lin. “I see that Skrull 4
is still missing, even though we all know now he isn’t the traitor.” Kovar shot a look to Dani and Balder. “Any word from the Skrull Ambassador?”
“No, and I am afraid that we
cannot wait for him,” the Cosmic Protector said, trying to keep Kovar calm.
“What of the cyborg, Beta Ray
Bill?” Kovar demanded.
Steve shot Balder a look, but the
Asgardian King didn’t return the gaze.
Instead, he calmly answered Kovar’s question, knowing that the Accuser
was attempting to side-step the question that hadn’t yet been asked by Captain
America. “You know that Ben-Vell and
Eshir discovered the Olympian village inside Jotunheim, correct?” * Kovar nodded. “Beta Ray Bill is investigating the
discovery.”
*AGC 30: JONAS
“Alone?”
“He’s a big boy, Kovar,” Moonstar
interjected, growing impatient.
“And the Earther? Empire?” Kovar asked, ignoring the
Valkyrie’s unspoken complaint.
“On a mission,” Balder announced,
his voice staying calm. “With the
Orphans, investigating the Realms of Franklin.
We did not-”
“Well, then?” the Accuser asked,
interrupting the King as he threw his palms up. “What is it you wanted to see me about, America? What Kree business do you need explained?”
Steve Rogers placed his palms on
the table, as an image of a blank screen was holographed into the air between
them. “We would like to know why Hala
has not transmitted anything since late last night.”
Kovar’s face twitched, “I don’t
know what you’re talking about.”
“This,” Captain America said
flatly, pointing at the image of the blank screen, “is the Alliance Channel
feed, the communication link between Asgard and Hala that is always supposed to
be open and clear for official use of the highest order. It’s not working. Why?”
“I told you,” Kovar grit his
teeth, “that I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Ooh,” Ash’lin interjected,
playing up her emotions to grate on Kovar.
“Isn’t this exciting? The Kree
are playing hide-and-seek with the Council and Kovar refuses to even
acknowledge anything is going on. For
someone who claims to dislike politics, Ambassador, you sure do like to play
the game.”
“Silence, woman,” Kovar snapped,
his eyes locked onto Captain America’s.
“It is a deeply sacred, and private, religious ceremony taking place at
Parliament,” he explained, trying not to rush through the explanation, his
voice low and hard. “A blackout has
been placed into effect in order to-“
Ash’lin coughed, smiled, “He
doesn’t know, either.”
“I said, Silence!” Kovar boomed,
rising to his feet.
“Enough, Kovar,” King Balder said
quietly. “If there is a problem on
Hala, it must be raised here. The Kree
are an important member of the Council, and we have a vested interest in-“
“I said it was a religious
ceremony!” the Accuser thundered, slamming his fist onto the table.
Tensions across the room rose
swiftly, but the vocalizations of their thoughts were held in their throat as
the image of the Alliance Channel feed burst to life.
“No … he’s dead … dead … ” Kovar’s
voice trailed off as the Council looked in disbelief at the image before them.
The Supreme Intelligence.
“I broadcast this to all
intelligent worlds,” the Supreme Intelligence announced, its bulbous head
grinning. “But especially to those on
Hala. Your one true ruler, the Supreme
Intelligence, has returned.
“And he is not happy.
“In my absence, you have
constructed this effrontery to our very existence as Kree, a democracy! I sit aboard the KE-Retribution, surrounded
by its crew, a crew that Parliament will no doubt brand as traitors, but I, and
all true Kree, will call heroes!
“Captain, on my command … open
fire.”
The image of the Supreme
Intelligence was replaced by an image of the Retribution inside Hala’s
atmosphere, its monstrous size thundering slowly toward a shimmering city.
The Retribution opened fire. The
Attack on Hala had begun.
embers
of hala to be continued …
“The Day of Change Has Arrived. Who’s Side Are You On?”
comments
to northern022@hotmail.com
After the two-issue plunge into
the Realms of Franklin, we’re back on solid, good ol’ cosmic opera footing for
this arc, as Thanos’ troops lead an assault on the Kree homeworld of Hala. Two of the characters of this series that
haven’t gotten the page-time they deserve have been Ash’lin and Kovar, and this
arc should provide an insight into the Kree Ambassador’s mind. Changes are coming for the Kree, and Kovar
will be forced to decide just where it is he stands with the Empire.
Mark,
As ever, I enjoyed AGC #33-34. It's always interesting to see writers play with the format of stories, especially in a genre that's usually so straightforward. While some of your rhymes in #34 were real groaners ("Esh, I'm confused/And I look awfully funny/For you here's some news/There's a bright green bunny"), most were really very clever and good. They were a hell of a lot better than I ever could have done in any case, and they fit the Seuss/Silverstein tone of the issue well.#33 was a hoot as well, of course. Doom's idea of torture for the girls was hilarious. There really is nothing so frustrating as a cool toy without any batteries, is there? Genius.
Would have liked to have some better idea of (a) how the kids got into the Realms of Franklin, and (b) what exactly happened when the Tribunal "closed them off". I got the feeling you left this info out intentionally, either because you felt it needed to be left up to the reader's interpretation or you wanted to explain it at a later date, but it felt like a simple lack of description.
Anyway, looking forward to things getting serious next issue. I love that title for the next issue.
Russ Anderson
Thanks for the letter, Russ. Glad you liked the change-up in style for
those issues; it was an interesting experiment to attempt. With the poetry, I honestly just tried to
sit back and let them rip, so I’m glad you thought there weren’t as many
groaners as I did. ;-)
In 33, I liked the idea of Doom’s
torture being a “boy” thing, given that this was Franklin’s personal idea of
torture, with Toomi being completely unimpressed. At some point, in the distant future, if Marvel can keep their
“grown up” line going, I think some writer is going to come along and write an
incredibly mind-blowing series based around Franklin Richards’ power and the
effects that has on reality.
As for the scenes with the
Tribunal, I can understand your complaint, but yes, I did leave it out
intentionally. I thought those scenes
didn’t add anything to the issues and I liked the idea of the reader being put
into the same position as the characters inside the story, where the Tribunal
wouldn’t spend time explaining himself to them any more than he wanted to, and
the characters wouldn’t know exactly what and why the Tribunal did what he did.
Hope you liked the return to the
serious stuff. This should be a fun arc
to write.
NEXT ISSUE: AGC 36: EMBERS OF HALA, PART TWO
-- Mark Bousquet …
20
October 2001
Northern
Bear Productions