EMBERS OF HALA

Part Four

the thirty-eighth tale

written by Mark Bousquet

2201 / January

OUTSIDE HALA / TITAN WAR CRUISER / QUARTERS OF BRUUNHILDE

"For all that is holy, go away!" Bruunhilde called from underneath her covers, to whoever it was that was trying to enter her quarters.

"With all due respect, milady," Makkari called to her from outside, "I cannot. Direct orders from Thanos." Makkari held his ground, hearing no response from within the Angelux leader’s quarters. The Eternal speedster was about to ring again, when the door slid open and a naked, sweating Bruunhilde stood silhouetted in the frame.

"Speak, Makkari," Bruunhilde commanded, her lips barely moving.

"This is for you," he answered, handing her a data crystal. "A direct transmission," he said slowly.

Bruunhilde took the cube, nodding, "None but you, Thanos and I know of the contents?"

Makkari corrected her, "None but you, Thanos and I know of its existence. None but you and Thanos will know of its contents. I am simply a messenger."

Bruunhilde let a small smile spread across her face, "Ever the fate of speedsters, eh Makkari? You have done well, Eternal. It is a shame you do not find my kind attractive. Now go, before Ikaris suspects anything."

ASGARD / THOR ODINSON HALL OF PEACE

"I think we need to discuss the possibility that Thanos has allies we are not taking into account," Captain America, the Cosmic Protector, spoke to the assembled members of the Council: Kovar, Ash'lin, Moonstar and King Balder. Miss Almond sat in for Empire, the Earth Ambassador. Steve's voice was as grave as the mood at the table; with the return of the Supreme Intelligence and the outbreak of Civil War on Hala, tension filled the Council as it hadn't since True Ragnarok.

"If you're insinuating that he has an ally in the Supreme Intelligence," Kovar warned, "I suggest you hold your tongue until you have the facts behind you. That is why we have sent the diplomatic envoy, Protector."

"I am not passing judgment before I hold the facts, Kovar," Steve answered from his side of the table. "But I am thinking of Thanos' earlier visit to this very room, when he mentioned a 'we' in regards to his side of the War."

"So?" Ash'lin asked. "What does that mean? Thanos has billions that fight for him, as do we."

"And when have you known Thanos to share in the credit of anything?" Steve asked.

"Point," the Shi'ar Ambassador nodded. "But who do you have in mind?"

Steve shook his head, "I do not know. But my guess is that it’s someone powerful enough for Thanos to think of him or her as an equal. Someone," Steve turned to Kovar, "more powerful than the Supreme Intelligence."

"Who, then?" Kovar asked, his mind trying to delay a decision on which side of the Civil War raging back on homeworld he would support.

Steve turned to look at Balder, "I don’t know, but I suggest we work up a list of candidates and investigate. With Hala already weakened, we cannot be caught unaware again."

Balder nodded, "Check your sources, Captain, and keep us informed." He turned to Ash’lin, "I will need to speak to the Majestrix. I shall not leave Hala watched over only by a fleet of Titan cruisers."

HALA / KE-RETRIBUTION

"Welcome to Hala," General Van’Rogg announced as the Alliance’s diplomatic envoy arrived on the Retribution, still hovering within Hala’s atmosphere. Stepping out of a transport pod, Skrull 4, Empire, John Francis Saint, Glimmer Girl, and Grennan, now dressed in a business suit, greeted the Kree General. "It is unfortunate," Van’Rogg continued, "that it is not under more pleasant circumstances."

"Perhaps when times are better," Empire replied, shaking the General’s hand.

Saint wondered when that would happen. They had a good long look on their flight in from the Supreme Unintelligence and what they saw shocked them. The degree of devastation leveled against the Kree homeworld by the Kree themselves was shocking, even for a war veteran like Saint, who’d spent several years learning of the depravity of mankind while a prisoner in one of Thanos’ concentration camps. There were few buildings left standing in their entirety, with most reduced to smoldering piles of rubble.

General Van’Rogg led them through the corridors of the Retribution, giving the appearance that this was simply another day in the Eternal War, and not the third day of bombing their own world. He turned to Skrull 4, "We have arranged for you to visit the Skrull refugee camp while you are here, Ambassador. I can assure you that our strikes against Hala, while effectively destructive, have left the Skrull settlement, located out away from the main city, untouched."

Skrull 4 nodded, saying weakly, "You have the thanks of the Skrull people, General."

"Kovar’s reports speak highly of you, Empire," Van’Rogg nodded to the Earth Ambassador, "though we understand you have not spent much time with the Council."

"No," Empire answered, thinking of the Orphans of War left at the Fantastic Colonies, "I have been busy tying to see what I can of the Eternal War. Earth has stayed on the sidelines too long, I am afraid."

They were led down through multiple levels of the Retribution, and brought before the Supreme Intelligence. "I greet you well, visitors of off-world," the Supremor acknowledged, it’s large green tentacles waving easily within its containment cylinder. "Let it be known that I welcome you, offering you access to any and all information you need to file your report with King Balder. You will find that Thanos is not here, nor, it is my hope, will he become a part of this." He paused, eyeing the envoy, "But that is up to you."

"We thank you," Empire said to the Supremor. "Our initial request is to hear an official status assessment of the conflict, and then discern the condition of General Ochken."

Van’Rogg cut in, "Ochken is being held in the prisoner cells in the front of the ship. He is unharmed, though, of course, we shall show you this in the flesh."

"Thank you," Empire kept his eyes on the Supreme Intelligence. "We shall send Glimmer Girl to talk with General Ochken. You understand, Supremor, that Asgard and the Council still recognize Ochken as the leader of the Kree. You have not won this Civil War, yet."

The Supreme Intelligence rippled, it’s bulbous head seeming to grimace and smile at the same time, "And when shall Asgard recognize my leadership? Or do they never intend to except fact?"

Empire answered, "Asgard will recognize your leadership when you have won this Civil War, Supremor. When General Ochken hands over the reigns of power officially, the Council will acknowledge that a change of power has taken place. Unless, of course, we find evidence you are being aided by Thanos. Then we shall never recognize your rule."

"And how long will you stay here searching for your answer?"

"Until we’re satisfied."

"You have a week."

"If that’s enough," Empire countered, not backing down. He’d been doing some reading on the Supreme Intelligence from the old Avengers files on the way in, and thought the best way to handle the Supremor was to stay strong and calm.

The Supreme Intelligence cast his dark eyes down at Empire, "Humans and Asgardians are a damned lot, but you shall have all the proof you need that Thanos has no place in my halls." He floated in silence for a moment, "What shall you seek first?"

"As stated, Glimmer Girl will visit General Ochken to discern his state of well-being. Skrull 4 would like to visit the Skrull refugee camp, and Grennan will visit with your economic advisors to check through the Kree's current financial situation," Empire explained. "John Saint will head to the surface of Hala for general reconnaissance, and I shall stay with General Van’Rogg for a full briefing of the military situation. I trust the bombing missions are done? There does not seem to be much left to the surface."

General Van’Rogg answered for the Supremor, "Bombing raids are done. For now. Your people will be safe on the surface."

"Right, then," Saint interjected, "Let’s get started. All this standing around makes my ass itch."

THE SURFACE OF HALA

John Francis Saint felt the warmth envelop him the moment he stepped off the transport pod and onto Hala’s surface. The smell was unmistakable.

War.

Death, blood, and fire all mixed together. Everything was burning or smoldering. Buildings lay crumpled in distorted heaps of twisting metal, the sky choked with grey, billowing smoke. Bodies lay wounded or dying. Saint was an old soldier, born on one of Earth’s deep-space stations. He’d never even seen Earth, except once from space while passing near the planet aboard a Shi’ar transport craft. He was one of the billions of humans who’d never set foot on their homeworld, and yet still played a role in the Eternal War.

He traveled light, moving out into a main walkway. Wearing his security uniform from the Fantastic Colonies, Saint strapped a gun to his thigh, a knife to his black boots and two more plasma guns at his waist. His light jacket was unneeded due to the intense heat, but he had no place to store it, so he kept it on. The fabric would keep him well protected, at any cost, if someone here decided to take a shot at him.

Neither the Supreme Intelligence or General Van’Rogg had required Saint to have an escort on the surface, and he didn’t ask. He wanted to be alone, free to move where he chose. He checked his watch, again, making sure it was correct, knowing he had to return to the drop zone in eight hours.

He had been equipped with a gas mask, but he didn’t want that, either. He needed to smell the acrid air, to let the aroma of this conflict seep into his lungs and blood. It had been a long time now since he’d been confronted with war like this; at the FC they dealt with the War every day in some manner, but not like this. He was used to having a piece of the war come to him, not being the piece dropped into the middle of a war zone. It felt good, in a way that disturbed him, to once again smell stench and violence. The air at the FC, all was recycled, sterile. Distanced from reality.

Entering a section of downtown called Mar-Vell’s Square, Saint barely recognized the location due to the devastation. It was the part of the city always included in the travel brochures, but the damage was so severe that a tourist would pass through it and never know if for what it once was. Hala, like all the homeworlds, had enjoyed a boom in tourism in the past century. While Earth had done everything it could to keep visitors away - strictly regulating the number of tourists - Hala and Chandilar found they liked having the visitors visit their worlds, if only because of the large amount of capital it added to the planetary coffers. War was not a cheap endeavor.

Saint reached into his jacket, removing a digital camera, and began to snap pictures of the destruction. Moving to the middle of the square, he found the statue of Mar-Vell laying amongst the rubble on the ground. He shook his head, "The glories of the past, indeed …"

As Saint dropped the camera to his side, he found himself face-to-face with three Kree soldiers, each with a gun.

Each pointed at Saint.

"You the welcomin’ committee on this shit-hole?" Saint asked, raising his hands in mock-surrender.

"You’re from off-world," the soldier in the middle remarked. "How did you get through the Shipyards?"

"Shipyards?" Saint spit casually. "Hell, son, the entire Shi’ar Armada could move through the Shipyards right now without being noticed. Bit of a fight goin’ on, up there," he said as an aside to the soldier on his left. He turned his head back to the center soldier, "But if you must know, I’m here as part of a diplomatic envoy, sent by Asgard, approved by the Floating Green Head, to determine if Thanos is helping aid the fall of the Republic. And generally take a look around."

"Diplomatic envoy?" the center soldier asked, dropping his rifle in surprise. "No troops?"

Saint shook his head, keeping his hands up.

The center soldier looked to the other two, then back to Saint, "Let’s go. There’s someone you need to see."

Saint stood his ground, "And if I refuse?"

The soldier was in no mood for games. "Don’t."

KE-RETRIBUTION / PRISON CELLS

"Lady, I don’t know what you want, but I can give you everything you’ve ever dreamed of having."

Glimmer Girl looked up at the tall Kree guard and shot him a half-smile, "That a fact?"

The guard grinned, "Oh yeah. Been a while since I had me a Shi’ar woman, but I think I can remember where everything goes."

"I’ll keep that in mind," Glimmer Girl let her eyes wash over the tall man’s frame, "but I doubt you could keep up with me."

"Ha!" the guard grinned. "I like you already."

Glimmer smiled, rolling her eyes, wondering why every soldier from every race thought women were just waiting to hear their cheap pick-up lines and false braggadocio, "Here’s my papers. I’m hear to see-"

"General Ochken," the guard nodded, not bothering to look at the paperwork. "Who else would an off-worlder wanna chat with?" The guard unlocked the gate leading to the prisoner cells and Glimmer Girl followed him down the hallway. The cells were small and empty.

"Where are all the prisoners?" Glimmer Girl asked.

"What prisoners?" the guard asked without turning. "Don’t know what you’ve heard – though since you’re Shi’ar you’ve probably heard damn lies – but there have been few prisoners. Most Kree have chosen our side."

"That so?" the Imperial Guardsman asked. "Sure you just haven’t managed to lose the dissenters?"

The guard turned around, angry, "Watch your tongue, Shi’ar. We are not the dogs you make us out to be."

"Tell that to the people who’ve had the bombs dropped on them," Glimmer Girl shot back without backing down.

The guard laughed, "You have no idea what’s going on here, do you?"

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

"Ask Ochken," the guard grinned, shooting a look to the cell behind her before walking away. "Oh, one more thing," he said, turning around. "I don’t know if that glitter stuff all over your purple skin is natural or not, but it’s damn hot. Be careful where you go on this ship."

Glimmer ignored the guard and moved to the cell, where she saw a bloodied, but not critically injured man, "General Ochken?"

"I am," the man answered, his voice raspy and tired.

"My name is Glimmer Girl," she explained. "A member of the Shi’ar Imperial Guard. I am here as part of a diplomatic envoy, sent by King Balder and the Council, to determine the facts behind this Civil War. How are you being treated?"

Ochken looked at the girl hard, his eyes worn and reddened, "You are young to be a Guardsman."

"I manage."

Ochken nodded, rubbing dirty hands on a dirty face. "I am being treated as well as can be expected. I have received no medical attention for my leg, but I do not think it is broken. Balder will send no troops to help us, of course."

"That is not in my realm of knowledge," Glimmer Girl admitted. "But as I understand the Alliance Treaty, they are barred from sending troops or offering aid so long as this is an internal matter. That is what we are here to discover."

Ochken half-smiled, "The Council fears the Supreme Intelligence has allied himself with Thanos, do they?"

Glimmer nodded, "That is what we are here to determine."

Ochken shook his head, "Silly girl. Silly stupid girl. When has the Supreme Intelligence ever allied himself with anyone?"

Glimmer turned up her nose, "Hey, cut the ‘tude, old man, we’re just here to help."

Ochken laughed, "The Supreme Intelligence would not court the trouble an alliance with Thanos would bring unless Asgard put him there. If anything, he has undergone this entire Civil War nonsense just to get his revenge on Thanos for the incident at Titan." He coughed, looking at Glimmer Girl with tired, beaten eyes, "Now, go away and leave this tired Republican to his dying dreams."

SKRULL REFUGEE CAMP

As Skrull 4 approached the refugee camp, his heart beat just a little bit faster. Skrulls had always, it seemed, been at the mercy of the Kree and Shi’ar. They had no homeworld for centuries, losing it to the planet eater, Galactus, and were a scattered empire, tossed to the cosmic winds and dependent on the Council for assistance. Skrull 4 had heard reports that both Kree and Shi’ar were using Skrulls as a slave-labor force, but without proof, there was nothing that could be done.

As he approached the tall wooden walls, behind which held 100,000 Skrull refugees, he hoped for some evidence of this, some weapon he could use at the Council Table against Kovar and Ash’lin. Not that he wished ill treatment on his people, but if they were being taken advantage of, Skrull 4 wanted to know it.

Without knowledge, he could not act.

The two Kree guards at the gate watched him approach, smiling. Skrull 4 said nothing, did nothing, to provoke them, handing over the papers Van’Rogg had given him. Without looking at the official document, the guards opened the large wooden door, and Skrull 4 stepped inside.

What he saw turned his stomach.

The Skrulls were having a party.

HALA / ECONOMIC COUNCIL MEETING

Grennan itched all over, his body rejecting the business suit he wore as part of his disguise. He sat, listening to one economy advisor after another explain to him what the damage to the Kree economy was going to be as a result of the Civil War.

"The short-term damage to the economy is staggering," a banker monotoned, pointing to a colorful graph behind him, "but with proper aid from the Council we can ensure a long-term recovery of the Kree economic system."

"Where’s the Supreme Intelligence getting his funds?" Grennan asked, trying to keep his mind focused on the meeting.

"We are using the funds of the Kree people," one of the Supremor’s economic advisors interrupted, "in the way Parliament has approved. It is important to remember that while Parliament has final say over the mass distribution of funds, the military has final say over how that budget is spent in particularity within its own system. The military funds have been given for the protection of the Kree people, and that is what we are doing. Protecting the long term interests of the Kree."

"By bombing us back to darker days?" a Republic banker asked, dumbfounded. "How is that for the good of the people?"

"Sometimes we must take a step back to take two ahead."

Grennan sighed, muttering to himself the ways he would make Captain America pay for this, "Week’s vacation aboard the Bliss would be nice …"

KE-RETRIBUTION / WAR ROOM

Van’Rogg and Empire looked at a schematic of the overall Civil War situation, including visual models of the Shipyards battles, the surface battles and the Kree’s deep-space-stations.

"As you can see," Van-Rogg announced without emotion, "we are winning on every front."

Empire studied the board, nodding, "You hold nine of the ten Shipyards, sixty-, perhaps seventy-percent of the deep-space settlements, and the surface has been badly damaged. Already the smoke billowing up from the surface is making it difficult for standard satellite imagery to see anything but smoke."

Van’Rogg flipped several switches, changing the layout of the massive screen to show the same image without the signs of struggle, "Hala, an hour before the first attack. Here is the Retribution, moving into position-"

"How many Kree were killed when it attacked Parliament?" Empire asked.

"None who were smart enough to heed our warnings," Van’Rogg replied crisply. "The signs were made clear, to those in positions of power within Parliament - including, I might add, the Kree Ambassador in Asgard - about what was coming. If they chose not to inform members of their own staff, that is hardly the fault of the Supremor."

Empire looked at the General coolly, "Are you not concerned for the deaths caused?"

Van'Rogg nodded, "Of course I am. But the Kree Empire has grown weak, as stagnant in action now as our genetics have been for centuries. We will not go quietly into Thanos' everlasting night; even if we have to make noise at home before we can make noise abroad."

Empire nodded, turning his attention back to the charts, "Why was the Supreme Intelligence so eager for Asgard to send this diplomatic envoy? Especially, according to King Balder, after he threatened to ally with Thanos if we interfered. It might seem to some that you desire us to act out, in some way, in order to bring the full fury of Thanos' support to bear on the Republic."

"Perhaps," Van'Rogg shrugged. "But that is a matter for the Supremor to decided. The rest of the Kree will follow his orders, and trust in his judgment." Pause. "It might be said that it is both our blessing and our curse, but you cannot imagine the joy of seeing a legend come back to life, in a time of great crisis. So many were in despair over the prolongement of the War, the hardships put on our people … it is not easy for the Kree to treat others as equals, Earther," Van'Rogg admitted. "To not lead the attack on our enemies. We feel, as do humans, as do most races, that we were born for greatness."

Empire shook his head, "But can you not see why the Council has its doubts? With the history of the Kree while under the rule of the Supreme Intelligence makes them uneasy?"

"Of course," Van'Rogg agreed, pushing a button on his console, causing a door behind him to slide open, "but why do you think, given the betrayal of the Supremor by Thanos, that his side is any less assured of the Supreme Intelligence's intent?"

Empire's eyes caught the movement of the door opening, and felt his throat tighten as a tall blonde warrioress entered the room, followed by what looked like a Catholic nun.

"Hello, Empire," Bruunhilde greeted, sending Empire a smile that sent ice through his veins.

EMBERS OF HALA to be continued …

The smell was unmistakable. War.

Y G G D R A S I L

Comments c/o northern022@hotmail.com

Greetings, folks. Hope you're enjoying the latest extended story-arc. As I've stated previously, I wanted to turn the attention more closely to the Eternal War itself, and this arc accomplishes this. EMBERS was originally planned to be a four issue arc, but as you can see, four issues in barely scratches the surface of what I wanted to tell.

Couple letters this month, both from Tom Lynch. Here's his first, on AGC 34, one of the Realms of Franklin issues:

My head hurts...

***
Tom

Ah, if only I could be that concise, you'd see new issues a lot sooner. :) Next is a letter from Tom about the beginnings of the EMBERS OF HALA storyline:

Now that's the Supreme Intelligence I remember, scheming bastard that he is! I'm a little surprised that Ikaris didn't notice the manipulation when he learned that the agreement only aligned Kree with Thanos if the Council attacked, but hey - he's getting old now, perhaps senility is creeping in. At least not all the bad guys are so ignorant - it just wouldn't be right if they were.

***
Tom

Thanks, Tom. One of the things about the SI that's so great is that he's one of the few characters who can cause problems just by showing up. He's so manipulative and so dangerous that when he sneezes people stop and talk about what the sneeze meant. He's great fun to write.

See you next issue. Thanks for reading, everyone.

-- Mark Bousquet …

6 January 2002

Northern Bear Productions