Pursuit of the Accused

Part Two

Two men strode alongside one another down the corridor. Though hardly friends, these two were not enemies. They were soldiers. More than that, they were Kree soldiers. Duty came before all else.

The duty of these two soldiers was to serve together as part of an elite military unit. Both of them possessed meta-physical abilities, a trait which made them uniquely suited to defending the Kree Empire in its period of recovery. It was for the purpose of identifying and eliminating threats that this military unit was formed.

In pursuing one such threat, one of the unit’s own and gone missing. It was this that the two soldiers were discussing.

"I told you he shouldn’t have gone alone," one said. This soldier’s uniform was green on white, with a large circle on his chest representing the Kree home world of Pama.

"None of us are alone, Captain At-Las," replied the other man. His uniform was blue on white, with a golden sun on his chest. This marked him as a colonel, the captain’s commanding officer. "There are thousands of ways we can each be identified. At any given second, the location of any one of us can be pin-pointed anywhere in the known universe. Reinforcements could be teleported to any such coordinates instantaneously. In this case, it was teleported instantaneously."

The captain nodded agreement. "We have Gondar’s head to prove it," he declared. The title of Accuser had been omitted. No traitor to the Empire deserved it. "What does he tell you, Colonel?"

Colonel Grieve’s ability was to experience of the memories of any and all Kree that had died since the Nega Bomb. This included over half-a-billion individuals.

In response to the captain’s question, Colonel Grieve shook his head. "His memory was wiped at the moment of death. A spell." The last word came harsh from his mouth, a vile curse. "There is not a soul dead who knows the location of Kovar, nor the Cult of Ki-Ree."

Created in the days following the Kree Civil War, the Cult of Ki-Ree was made up of sorcerers, practitioners of an art that had not existed among the Kree for millennia. They had committed treason in freeing an imprisoned enemy of the Empire, and of having attempted to overthrow Emperor Mas-Kedd. Several within the Council of Ancients had died in the attempted coup. Having failed, the Cult of Ki-Ree went into hiding, hunted by the Empire in the months since.

"Pursuer Kovar had been the only one to get this close," Colonel Grieve continued. Dozens of trackers had been scouring the Empire, with not luck. "They wanted to be found by him. They took him for some purpose."

Captain At-Las frowned in disagreement. "No, most likely they were simply removing a threat. He was the last of the Pursuers, and the one most likely to find them. Even Ultimus has had no success."

Ultimus was the most powerful of the Kree, capable of channeling cosmic energies. That even he was unable to find a trace of the Cult of Ki-Ree was disturbing.

"Then why abduct Pursuer Kovar?" Colonel Grieve asked. "They could have simply killed him."

"He would have lived on in you," Captain At-Las replied. He gave a faint smile, pleased that he’d been prepared for the question.

Colonel Grieve did not smile, but he did nod approvingly. "That could very well be what the Cult of Ki-Ree intended. But if so, it was a wasted effort. Two Pursuers survived the purge only to die from the Nega Bomb."

At the end of the long corridor was a metal door that slid aside at the approach of the two Kree. The stepped into the nerve center of the unit’s base, the room that contained all the technology Colonel Grieve had alluded to.

On the walls were countless monitors that showed images, figures, binary coding of everything that was received from the multitude of sources throughout the Empire. The walls themselves were thick, themselves massive computer memory banks. Only one thing was actually in the room, connected by wires to connection ports in the walls.

The person, if it could be called that, sat cross-legged in the center of the room, it’s eyes closed. It’s skin was blue, but not that vibrant color of pure-blood Kree. It’s skin was the dull, silvery blue of a machine. The best way to describe it was to call it a living machine, a bizarre combination of life and technology that could only have been created by the Supreme Intelligence. It had been created for the sole purpose of transporting whole armies across galaxies. It was known as a living Stargate, and upon awareness of visitors it opened it’s eyes.

"What do you require?" It asked.

Colonel Grieve gave his command. The living computer closed it’s eyes, and thought. Synapses from it’s brain traveled through the wires, into the computers that were connected to it. Immediately the room hummed with life, and the projectors activated.

Colonel Grieve, Captain Atlas, and the living Stargate no long appeared to be in that small room. Instead they were in the center of the vast universe itself. Stars shined around them, planets brushed by their ears. Off in the distance, a small space station exploded.

"That is where Kovar had found them," Colonel Grieve remarked to Captain Atlas. To the computer he commanded, "Closer."

Immediately the debris of the space station was only a few thousand miles away. Colonel Grieve glanced up at the remains, as though searching for something, but then he sighed. "Normally, we would have salvage crews searching the debris for records of arrivals and departures. We would exhaust every conceivable lead until we uncovered what we needed to know. Unfortunately, the Cult of Ki-Ree are capable of teleporting across vast distances, as well as communicating through thought. They do this all with energies we cannot detect, so we must explore other avenues. There. Pause."

Immediately, the rotating universe halted, freezing all bodies in place.

"Spectrum analysis on all wavelengths," Colonel Grieve ordered. "Can you see the-" His voice halted, and his breathing quickened. His eyes opened wider, as though frantically searching. Finally, they flared in anger.

"No!" He cried out. "I almost had it. The memories, the idea, they all just slipped away! It could take days for me to grasp the thought again."

"I have an idea of what you were thinking," Captain At-Las replied. He was staring out at all the different spectrums of energy that made up the universe. "We can detect the energies of the Cult because they are undetectable. We search for areas that give off nothing at all. Like that." He pointed at a thin line of nothingness in the hologram, where you could see a small piece of the real room itself. "Could that be where they teleported?"

"Yes, yes that’s it." Colonel Grieve spoke frantically, as though afraid the sudden memory surge would fade again. "All we need to do is find the second blank spot, the moment where they reappeared. Search," he yelled out.

The hologram shunted outwards, displaying the whole of the known and recorded universe before Colonel Grieve and Captain At-Las. Numerous specks peppered the display, each one marking a blank spot where the Cult of Ki-Ree’s magical energies had been used.

"By Hala, we had been so close!" cursed Captain At-Las. "It would take months to search all of them!"

"Then we shall start with two," Colonel Grieve stated. He pointed at two clusters of specks. "It makes sense that the magic would be practiced where the Cult is gathered. Open a channel to Ultimus," he ordered the living computer.

________________________________________________________________________

With a low groan of pain, Pursuer Kovar opened his eyes. The rocky ceiling of a cave loomed over him, barely visible to his eyes through the swallowing darkness. An attempted to turn his head was greeted with a sharp wave of pain, and Pursuer Kovar cried out. His entire back seemed afire.

"Oh, now you’re afraid to move," a slithering voice murmured. "I can feel the fear washing over me, empowering me. Give into your fear, little coward."

Instead of experiencing fear, Pursuer Kovar felt awash with anger. He had been abducted, severely tortured, and now his captors were mocking him! Had he his Beta-Batons, Kovar would-

"Oh, but you don’t, and without them you feel helpless," the voice uttered. It sounded ravenous, and a little to Kovar’s right. "Not quite fear, but close. Only a little nudge. Open yourself to the possibilities of what they might do to your helpless little self, and quiver with the fear of it. I beg of you, please."

Whoever it was, it spoke of the Cult as though it were not part of it. That final phrase, it sounded desperate. Whatever sat beside him, Pursuer Kovar did not feel threatened by it.

"But you must be afraid!" The voice was higher, more pleading. "You were afraid for so long, running from certain death. With each name heard of the executed, your fear grew, and I feasted on it! What the Cult plans for you - what she plans for you! - is much worse. You must believe me of this, and feed me with your fear!"

"Why should I fear the words of a beggar?" Pursuer Kovar asked pointedly.

The voice sighed, deflated. "Once I was so much more. When the Kree were cowed by the Shi’ar, I grew fat and content on their collective fear. Even as you fought, there was such delectable despair. You knew that you would lose, yet you were all so much afraid of victory. I was of a higher plane, then, beyond the frailties of the fearful. But then I was trapped, and made corporeal. So fear them, Pursuer, for they are able to bind the higher beings!"

During the rant, Pursuer Kovar’s eyes adjusted to the darkness. Huddled on the ground next to him was an outline, a shadow. It wasn’t so much a person as it was a concept given form. Strangely, Pursuer Kovar did not quiver in fear at this realization.

"I’ve heard worse stories. I even saw one with my own eyes," Kovar closed his eyes and, grimacing past the pain, sat up. "Whatever you are, you fell to Kree. Traitors, yes, but they are still Kree, and I am not surprised that you fell against them."

"He is the Frightener."

Anger welling up inside of him, Pursuer Kovar whipped his head around to glare at the woman who spoke. Su-Ree, the traitorous witch who killed a comrade-in-arms and freed the Supreme Intelligence. She stood at the opening of the cave, beyond which could not be viewed past the long and voluptuous robes that draped her lithe body.

A light shimmered over her head, and Pursuer Kovar could make out Su-Ree’s features. She was attractive, but Kovar knew that her beauty contained the black heard of a traitor to the Kree Empire. She wore precious metals, among these gold and skril and borx, revealing that her true loyalties were to vanity. Was that why she killed Skreel, the Kree-Skrull hybrid? Because with his metamorphic abilities he could become more beautiful than she?

Snarling, Pursuer Kovar leapt to his feet and rushed at her, his hands outstretched to grasp her thin neck and snap it. But he was halted mere feet from her, having slammed into an invisible barrier

"I knew you wouldn’t get to her," the concept-made-real muttered. "She wasn’t afraid." It’s voice pitched slightly in glee. "There is fear in her heart, but it’s not towards you. Tell me your fear, little girl."

"Silence shadow," Su-Ree commanded. The abstract being recoiled at the words, curling up into a ball at the far end of the cave. She turned her gaze to Kovar, and smiled. "Has The Frightener, been keeping you company? I placed you with him to show an example of our power. Kee-Ree has blessed his chosen ones by placing such a lowly leech at our feet. No longer can it reach into children’s dreams and feed off their nightmares. Haven’t we done a good thing, saving the Kree Empire from such a parasite?"

Taking a brief glance at the cowering shadow behind him, Kovar turned back to Su-Ree. "That pathetic wretch was no more a threat to the Empire than the Brood were. If he were dropped at the Emperor’s feet, the most he would do is laugh. Then he would laugh more as he severed your heads from your bodies."

"He would have to find us first." Su-Ree gave a coy smile. "Only you could do that, Pursuer. And now we have you, to do with as we please."

"All I will do is fight you until my hearts stop beating in my chest," Kovar swore.

"Don’t turn us down before we’ve made the offer," Su-Ree ran her eyes over the Pursuer and smiled. "We are willing to compensate you most….adequately, for your services. You simply need to find someone. Somebody whom the Emperor will accept as a sign that we are loyal Kree."

Pursuer Kovar met Su-Ree’s eyes with an icy stare. "Even if you gave him the Supremor’s head, the Emperor would never trust you. I would not even help you hunt the Supremor."

"No, but I know who you would hunt." A knowing smile on her lips, Su-Ree brought her hand up palm up. Rising up from her palm as a soft glow, and in the center of this was an image. A large man in green armor, wielding a massive mace. Pursuer Kovar gazed down at the image of Ronan the Accuser.

"I sense fear," the Frightener whispered with glee. "Sweet, succulent fear."

________________________________________________________________________

They met the doctor in the white room. She did not wear the white gown of Earth doctors. Like all Kree, she was a soldier, and so her garb was a military uniform. White and green, for she had the standing of a Captain. But rather than the green circle on her chest there were five thick swiggly. The tentacles of the Supreme Intelligence, symbolizing science. Though the Emperor did not prefer it, all agreed that it was the most suitable among the Kree.

Clad in her military uniform, the doctor stood over a table. On it was the body of what seemed to be a giant cockroach. Its middle had been sliced open by the doctor, displaying it’s innards for her inspection.

As the door closed behind them, Doctor Minerva looked up. "Colonel, At-Las. Please, do not come closer. My scans show that this Dire Wraith’s blood contains several fatal toxins."

She had referred to that particular corpse because, in general, the blood of a Dire Wraith is not toxic. Sensing her uneasiness, Captain At-Las kept his distance, as did Colonel Grieve.

"This one was among the settlement Ultimus attacked," Colonel Grieve said. One of the two clusters of magical energy had marked a settlement of Dire Wraiths, among whom only the females are capable of magic. Having wiped them out entirely, Ultimus had set off for the second cluster. However, several of the Dire Wraiths had struck him as odd, and he had had one of the bodies teleported to Doctor Minerva for study.

"Yes, I had to reference the database for comparison with a true Dire Wraith," Doctor Minerva replied. "There are some remarkable variations in this specimen."

"Dire Wraiths are shape shifters." It did not surprise Colonel Grieve in the least that Captain At-Las would state the obvious. "Clearly this one had been in the middle of a change, in preparation for an attack when Ultimus killed it." He knew as he was speaking that Doctor Minerva didn’t agree with him.

Like Colonel Grieve and Captain At-Las, Doctor Minerva had meta-physical abilities. Diseases and toxins had not affect on her body’s processes, and she could sense the emotions of others. Perhaps because of their relationship, Doctor Minerva and Captain At-Las shared a unique empathic rapport, so that he could also feel her emotions.

Removing her hands from within the Dire Wraith’s chest, Doctor Minerva held them both out. In each hand was a heart. "No attack would require this thing to have two hearts. It did need two, however, because it’s cellular structure is extremely dense. There are also high levels of nitrogen in the blood, which I suspect helped contribute to the toxicity. Dire Wraiths do not generally breathe nitrogen."

The truth was clear to Colonel Grieve, but Captain At-Las continued to reach for another explanation. "So it was attempting to disguise itself as a Kree, to pass itself off as a hostage." He raised his head high. "Fortunately, Ultimus was not so easily fooled."

"The flaw in your theory is that Dire Wraith’s always revert to their natural form when killed," Doctor Minerva explained. "They are similar to the Skrulls in that fashion. Further, a Dire Wraith would not be able to alter itself on a genetic level, as my scans show that this one had been."

"It is a hybrid." Even with the truth so glaringly obvious, for Colonel Grieve to voice it aloud brought a deep silence over the white room. He continued on. "We know that the Emperor made a deal with the Dire Wraiths - do not look as though you were unaware! - that we would allow them to leave in peace if they left behind a small number for our scientists to experiment on. Their DNA became spliced with Kree embryos."

"I won’t hear any more of your lies!" Captain At-Las yelled. But Doctor Minerva could feel it deep inside of him. He knew it was true. It is hard to deny genetic modification when you yourself were the result of similar experiments. "If this was the case, we would have brought about the destruction of an Imperial project! We would be guilty of treason!"

"That would be true if Ultimus had destroyed a research facility littered with these hybrids," Doctor Minerva agreed. The feeling of her own calm seemed to settle Captain At-Las. "However, that is not the case. I had ordered several long range scans done of that settlement, and all the bodies belonged to pure Dire Wraiths. Ultimus brought us this one because it was the only hybrid. For all we know, it could be a natural aberration, the result of…of…." Her mouth curled up in disgust. She could not bring herself to suggest that a Kree and a Dire Wraith would couple.

"Without one of our own test tube hybrids, a comparison of the genetic modification would be impossible." It was unlikely the Emperor would allow such a thing. When Colonel Grieve had first uncovered the experiments, he had been imprisoned and sentenced to die. "Whatever the case, it was with a group of Dire Wraiths that were living in Kree territory. They were all in violation, and so we are justified in killing them."

Captain At-Las nodded in agreement. "Yes, sir, you are perfectly correct. And if not, as commanding officer you would be the one liable for the transgression." The veiled threat hung in the air and dropped, ignored by both Colonel Grieve and Doctor Minerva, who added something.

"Another thing worth noting, Colonel, is that there was not a single female Dire Wraith in the settlement."

"That cannot be!" Captain At-Las let out, aghast. "The blank spots, where there was not detectable energy, had to have been magic. It was my logical assumption."

"I do not dispute this, my love. Your marvelous idea was brilliant and correct. I am simply stating that the magic was not cast by the Dire Wraiths."

"The Cult of Kee-Ree must have done it," Colonel Grieve concluded. The traitors had previously assaulted a research facility where splicing experiments had been going on. Clearly they were aware of such experiments, and opposed to them. "The settlement was a red herring to draw our attention to. It was closest to the space station, and where we would search first. No doubt they had alarm spells placed, so that they would know when we struck. They would have all the time in the world to move on, with us distracted."

A soft hum filled the inside of Colonel Grieve’s helmet, the signal that a transmission was being sent. The pitch and tone told him that it was coming from Ultimus. "Yes, you’ve reached the second source?"

Only Colonel Grieve could hear the voice of Ultimus, but he informed the other two in the white room. "Ultimus says the area had been inhabited only recently. He will search the surrounding systems, but he has doubts of success."

"Then we should go back to search for blank spots," Captain At-Las said. "Whatever new ones have appeared, that will be where the Cult of Kee-Ree fled."

"They knew we would eventually find them using that method. They’ll have other means to mask themselves, I’m sure. Doctor Minerva, continue your examination." It was too much of a coincidence that a hybrid Dire Wraith, Colonel Grieve supposed it was a Kree Wraith or Dire Kree, would be in that settlement. The Cult of Kee-Ree must have been behind it somehow, for some purpose.

"I will inform you of all my findings. Colonel, At-Las," she said as the two turned to leave the white room. For the second time, Colonel Grieve took note of her words.

________________________________________________________________________

Most uninhabited planets are not named. It is often the system, the star, that is named, and the planets are only numbered. This is even the case with inhabited planets, if they are considered by the greater universe to be of minor importance. Aphecks 4 was one such planet, the fourth in the Aphecks system.

On the outer fringe of the galaxy known as the Greater Magellenic Cloud, all of which is claimed by the Kree Empire, Aphecks is a minor system with virtually nothing of value. Natural resources are scarce on all of the planets, of which only Aphecks 4 was deemed suitable for habitation. This was by Kree standards, so of course it was likely that no other species could survive on the desolate and relatively unstable world. Tremors and eruptions were common, the air was so rich with nitrogen and methane that occasionally whole sections of the atmosphere would be aflame. On the whole, Aphecks 4 was judged to be the single worst assignment in all the Kree military.

It was only for military purposes that the Kree had even bothered to engineer Aphecks 4 for habitation. Being near the end of the great spiral of the galaxy, it had been determined that the system could serve a defensive purpose. Mainly it had been a listening post, alert for impending signs of invasion. The disaster of the Nega Bomb had shown that Aphecks 4 hadn’t even been useful for that purpose.

Thus, with the Kree Empire a fraction of what it had once been, and virtually the whole of its remaining populace collected on Hala, the settlement on Aphecks 4 stood forgotten and almost deserted. Nearly two hundred Kree soldiers still called the hellish world their home. The only survivors of the Nega Bomb, they remained at their post only because they had neither space-worthy vehicles nor long-range transmitters. Those soldiers, many of whom were horribly scarred and disfigured as a result of the Nega Bomb, were trapped.

Left to fend for themselves, those Kree soldiers had done their best to survive on the desolate world. Though water was scarce, their technology allowed the soldiers to recycle water from their own wastes. A hydroponics plant was also functional, which enabled the production of foods with basic nutritional value. Occasionally a soldier would die, and his body was processed to supplement what was already served. It was likely that, if left to themselves for much longer, the soldiers would have all acquired a taste for one another, and they all would have been killed.

It was fortunate indeed that an Accuser had arrived to restore order to Aphecks 4.

Few of the soldiers remember just how long the newcomer had arrived, though most will agree that it had been nearly a year or so. At first they had seen the Accuser as a symbol of hope, as the harbinger of their rescue from that hellish world. Those hopes were gone, dashed by the Accuser shortly after his arrival. His ship had been damaged, he’d claimed, and so he was just as stranded as the rest of them.

But, though the Accuser appeared to be equal with the soldiers in his plight, he never acted as anything less than an Accuser. The processing of the dead had stopped by his command, and as a result the number of dead every month had increased two-fold. Several soldiers, led by their sole-surviving Captain, had attempted to rebel against the Accuser. Their baked corpses decorated the inner wall of the base. Clearly, the Accuser’s armor and weapon had not been damaged.

In the months since his arrival, Ronan the Accuser had worked tirelessly for his return to Kree-Lar. When he had put a stop to the processing and consumption of deceased Kree, he had declared it a law enacted by the newly formed government. This, of course, was untrue. Dead meat was dead meat, after all. But immediately the seeds were sowing, the exiled soldiers of Aphecks 4 were harboring no great love for the government that was ruling their lives from a distant world yet would not rescue them.

As this discontent grew, Ronan slowly gained the trust of the soldiers. As the dead mounted, he eventually relented that "The Emperor’s" laws were wrong, and promised pardons to those who disobeyed. Parts from his own crashed ship were quickly salvaged, and makeshift attempts to repair the single convoy vessel was underway, as well as work on what remained of the sub-space transmitter. Slowly, Ronan was leading the soldiers to believe that they were convincing him to turn against the Empire.

Did Ronan the Accuser truly believe that he could fashion a rebellion from a small force of malnourished and sickly soldiers? Perhaps not, for none have ever denied that Ronan was an intelligent and sly individual. But whatever his plans may have been, they were doomed to fail before ever coming to fruition.

It happened just as dusk was settling on Aphrecks 4. Ronan the Accuser was in his private quarters, and entire building on the base. Though not the largest, it was the most comfortable, and outfitted with the equipment Ronan required to plan and prepare. That day much progress had been made in the repairs, and Ronan had predicted that short, cautious tests could soon be made in determining whether the convoy ship was ready for flight.

It had been while Ronan was hunched over the holographic design of the vessel that it happened. The large doors into the room crashed inward and, propelled into action by the sudden noise, Ronan took grip of his Cosmi-Rod, which was always close at hand. The armor itself Ronan never removed. Dressed and armed for battle, Ronan whirled about to face that threat that had dared to strike so directly at him.

Striding through the jagged and smoking doorway was Korath the Pursuer, his Beta-Batons clasped in hands that hung loosely on either side. A warm red glow was given off at the ends of each Beta-Baton, which would be seen most spectacularly through the effect of billowing smoke. The Pursuer was clad in the armor that marked his status, and it could be seen through the eye holes of his helmet the determined and hungry stare of a predator that had caught up with his prey.

Rising to his feet, Ronan the Accuser hefted the massive Cosmi-Rod easily with one hand. With his other, Ronan pointed at the Pursuer with an incredulous expression on his face.

"I do not know how you found me, Korath, but daring to face me alone will be your final mistake!"

As he advanced on Ronan, Korath the Pursuer said nothing. When he was perhaps five feet away from Ronan, the Pursuer’s boot jets flared, and with this sudden burst of speed Korath leapt forward. The Beta-Batons were held out straight at his sides, glowing furiously with beta-particles.

Ronan was prepared for the assault, and brought his Cosmi-Rod swinging upwards to strike the Pursuer full in the face. "Simpleton, a true Kree would never leave himself so open!" Korath blocked this strike with a beta-baton, however, and the momentum spun him sideways through the air. Korath landed easily on his feet, his two weapons held out sideways in front of him, the two ends nearly touching.

Aiming the mammoth head of the Cosmi-Rod at the Pursuer, Ronan flexed his hand around the grip. "Feel the true power of an Accuser!" This action pressed and released a series of pressure points, and a bolt of electrical energy shot out of the Cosmi-Rod and streaked towards Kovar. However, Kovar lightly pressed his two beta-batons together and then swiftly pulled them apart, creating an arc of beta-energy in front of him. The electricity struck his arc violent, and the two energies harmlessly dissipated each other.

Once again, Korath’s boot jets flared to life, and the Pursuer flew up nearly fifteen feet in the air, just inches short of the high ceiling. One of the beta-batons he hurled at the Accuser. Laughing, Ronan took the weapon full in the chest, where it ricocheted off the invulnerable armor. "Your paltry weapons are less than a velk’s sting to me! Come down and let me show you how it is done!"

Down Korath came, directly behind the glowing projectile and feet first into the screaming face of Ronan. The boot jets, still hot though inactive, caused the Accuser to bellow with enraged pain. With his free hand, Ronan slapped the Pursuer away, and he fell harmlessly on the other side of Ronan’s large bed.

"I will make you pay for that!" roared the Accuser. Bringing his Cosmi-Rod crashing down, Ronan smashed the bed in half, and advanced on Korath the Pursuer.

Lying on his side, Korath lifted his head and stretched out his right hand. The beta-baton he had thrown soared back into his grasp. Wielding both beta-batons again, Korath the Pursuer pushed up and propelled himself spinning into the air. He vaulted over Ronan, and the massive Cosmi-Rod that slammed against the ground where he had lain. Landing on his feet behind Ronan, Korath struck out with his beta-batons.

Again and again they struck, smashing against the armor. At Ronan’s shoulder, beneath his ribs, against the small of his back, the slope of the helmet that protected his neck, the blows rained down.

"Gnat!"

Swinging his Cosmi-Rod around with both hands, Ronan moved as though to swat the Pursuer. Korath ducked the swing, and drove one beta-baton into the underside of each of Ronan’s shoulders. Leaping into the air, in the wide space between Ronan’s arms, Korath somersaulted over the Accuser again. As he did so, Korath jabbed the beta-batons into the sides of Ronan’s head, just underneath the jaw bone. It hurt.

As Ronan gasped and struggled to stay on his feet, Korath landed behind him and crouched down. Spinning the beta-baton’s in his hands, Korath plunged them downward into the back of Ronan’s knees. Korath then spun on his heels, swiftly moving out of the way as Ronan crashed down to land flat on his back. The Cosmi-Rod fell from the Accuser’s grip and clattered to the ground.

In an instant, Korath was on Ronan, the beta-batons crossed and pressed against Ronan’s neck. Breathing into Ronan’s face, Korath said the only words that mattered.

"I arrest you for the accusation of treason."

In that moment, Ronan knew that all his words of bravado earlier had been meaningless. He remembered that a true Kree always spoke with his actions. It was then that Ronan the Accuser quivered with fear.

________________________________________________________________________

There was a faint hissing sound, that reminiscent of the intake of breath. "Mmmmm, despair. It tastes like truffles, all sour and sweets at the same time."

Standing next the abstract concept as it ate in the feeling of despair, Korath the Pursuer said nothing. He just looked at the great Ronan the Accuser, huddled on the floor with his arms wrapped around his knees, sobbing. All right, maybe Korath was also indulging himself by eating in the sight. For years he had dreamed of that moment, and to experience it made him feel…

"Eww," The Frightener croaked. "Happiness and pride, too bitter for my taste. Now, the empty and lost feelings that come with great accomplishment, those are yummy. Come on, please doubt that this will be as good as it gets. The fear of never living up to the past, it leaves me with such a warm and fuzzy feeling inside."

"Why should I feel accomplished?" Korath said. "You did all the work. I only found him, and it wasn’t too hard."

"There it is! Dissatisfaction. You doubt you could have beaten him by yourself, like I showed him. Would you like me to free his mind, so you can try? There’s the fear I wanted!"

"Shut up," Korath barked. It was hard to contain his emotions when that thing was constantly poking and probing at his mind. "Keep your mind on Ronan, he’s the feast you want. The sudden realization that he was inferior, the dashing of all his dreams and feelings of superiority. You should be able to stuff yourself."

"Ohohoho!" Exclaimed the Frightener. "But I am, I am!"

It had been a grueling week for the Korath. Not because of the pursuit of Ronan, that had been a simple matter. Had the Cult of Kee-Ree not been a priority, Korath would have uncovered the traitorous Accuser months ago. No, it had been putting up with the manipulative and treacherous entity that was the Frightener. Su-Ree had insisted, had even cast a binding spell to keep the two close to one another.

Other than his abstract companion, Korath had been allowed to maintain his pursuit with no constraints. None of the Cultists had accompanied them, having left Korath with a surprising amount of freedom. But the Pursuer was not a fool, and suspicions of being monitored in some way had kept him from contacting his superiors.

There was no question that Korath would be unable to simply present Ronan to the Emperor himself. Despite what Su-Ree said, that couldn’t have been what the Cult really wanted. Most likely they would ambush Korath en route, kill him, and take their captive. Whatever would come, Korath was confident that he would face it like a true Kree.

"Bleh, confidence." If the Frightener had a face, Korath was certain it would be curled in disgust. "But there’s still some uncertainty and doubt. It’s like a bag of mixed nuts, I can pick what I want and discard and yucky bits."

"Then do it quietly," Korath state. Pressing a stud on his gauntlet, Korath activated the anti-gravity net he’d placed over Ronan. The Accuser lifted into the air, and would follow Korath at a specific distance. "Now that I have what I want, we can leave this hell hole."

"But what about them?" The concept asked. Korath had noticed them, but up until that point had chosen to ignore them. The soldiers were clustered around the two Kree and the abstract, in the central square of the base. Also encircled was the ship that Korath had flown.

"There’s a reason we were given a big ship," Korath decided. "We’re taking them with us."

"Yeah! So much fear and hopelessness to bloat my belly with. I might just pop, and darken the whole galaxy with a thousand years of despair. Wouldn’t it just be marvelous?"

"Yeah," muttered Korath. "Great."

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Next Issue: The Emperor is presented with his gift, and hears the pleas of Su-Ree. Plus, the truth behind Ronan’s attempt to destroy Hala!