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Jean suggested asking Charles to come with them. "When it comes to telepaths, Charles could be a big help. There's also Father Garnoff, too and Xian at least, although I don't know if Garnoff would be willing to join us. He's a staunch pacifist these days, and after single-handedly running the Mutant Railroad in Russia, I can't blame him."
"We'd have to make certain they are protected at all times, but will come along if we ask, although it might take some convincing to get Charles to come along," Scott agreed.
Sage spoke up now, her voice tart as she interrupted the conversation. "I realize what I'm about to say won't be popular with you spandex-lovers, but why in the world are you all talking like it's a foregone conclusion we will stick our collective noses into this? From what you explained, there's only a small chance that even in the event of the Asgardians losing and this restart happening that it would affect Hela or even this Amora woman."
Sighing, Dennis nodded while Steve and Scott both looked angry at the very idea that the Custodes wouldn't become involved. "I agree with Sage. As much as I feel for the Asgardians and their plight, we cannot just go haring off on this latest quest, like Cervantes and his windmills. You, Lord Potter, are an Emperor now, with a quickly growing empire to run."
Reluctantly, John Proudstar raised his hand in agreement. "You all got away with it with Galactus and the Shi'ar since both represented threats that had to be investigated. This time, there's no such threat since the Shadows can't reach Earth. While a part of me wants to jump into this just as much as the rest of you, I feel the question must be asked, what's in it for us? For the Earth?"
Sage nodded his way, then looked at Harry and the people sitting around him. "You're not just a single citizen fighting the good fight anymore, Harry. You can't continue to think like one."
Harry stared back at her, while Steve began to argue that doing the right thing was its own reward and Ororo and Jean spoke up in favor of helping just because of the slim chance of a threat to Hela, who was glaring at the table in front of her, unwilling to speak up given her obvious bias. Emma reluctantly came in on the other side of the argument, citing their lack of information, the size of the challenge, and the fact that Harry and the other magicals would be the only ones to really be able to fight the Shadows rather than their pawns, which would leave them vulnerable.
Yet Harry heard none of it. No, as he stared back at Sage's cool, calculating expression, all he heard was his daughter's voice, Melody telling him about how his song was still that of a hero. Whatever else, that wouldn't change. Harry wouldn't let it change.
"No, I am not just a hero anymore, but that doesn't mean that I can't make this decision as one. Even if no one else wanted to go, I would want to. As Steve said, it's the right thing to do, and that part of my motivation will never change, no matter how inconvenient it might be for my empire building," Harry announced, his calm voice cutting through the tumult. "That doesn't mean I won't take advantage of the opportunity later to bring the Asgardians into an alliance with Earth, but even without that, I'd still get involved here. I won't demand any of you follow me into this though."
While Sage and the other nay-sayers subsided now that Harry had spoken, his words also won a round of supportive negatives and mutterings that highlighted that the majority of his officers were just as infected by the People Saving Thing disease as he was. And really, Harry wouldn't have had it any other way.
Eventually, the questions ended, and after a few last remarks about what a Fire Jotun's response to being frozen would be or the need to figure out what their various gun designs would do against them, Harry left, returning with the aspect in tow. Standing in front of the room, Wander-Odin began without any preamble. Gone was his previous attitude, replaced by a more business-like mein that put Dani in mind of the old man she met at the Althing.
"As Lord Potter has told you all, I am here to ask for aid. Ages past, we Asgardians came under the control of the Shadows. How that happened is a tale in itself, but is not one that should take our time now. Since then, we have been used, manipulated, made to act out the various plays they wished to see us partake in. All the while our powers, emotions, even our very souls fed them. Only my original knew, and even then, so complete is that control that my original self could not consciously acknowledge their manipulations."
"However, since Jarl Potter's first interactions with Hela and Thor, my greater-self started to free himself. Not entirely, not even for any significant length of time, but my will is such that even a small shift of attention was enough to let me act," Wander-Odin announced, his tone both grim and proud. "And at every moment, I plotted against them. When you fought to free Hela I was able to act at last. That was the moment Odin freed the Wanderer aspect of myself to move in his stead on Midgard in order to eventually get into contact with , Jarl Potter."
"That was an extremely confusing summary and explained almost nothing," John Proudstar murmured, causing both his brother and Cyclopes to nod in agreement.
"One of the strategies I set into motion sent Thor and several of his companions to seek out and kill one of the other tethers connecting the Shadows to our realms, the dread Níðhöggr. They succeeded, further weakening the hold the Shadows have over my people. As slight as the extra freedom may be, my full self was able to reach out to me and update my orders so to speak. Since then, I have no doubt that the Shadows will have pressed even harder to keep my greater-self docile while also releasing the legions of Surtur. The time is ripe to free us; to destroy the remaining tethers and cut my people off from the Shadows. But, it is also a time of great danger for all of Asgard as they seek to wipe the board clear, to remove your influence among my folk."
"That is easier said than done. We know that at least one of the other tethers will be Jörmungandr and if the Ragnarök is really their reset button, then it stands to reason Surtur will be their tool also. Neither are simple targets, to say the least. Which is to say nothing about my father, who might be another given how he has supposedly been so greatly twisted by them. Worse, he has seemingly disappeared to who knows where since falling off the Bifrost!" Hela answered tartly.
Stephen Strange shook his head. "Actually, from what I have studied of divinity, its agreements, and the impact to the divine in question concerning interfering influences, destroying the majority of the tethers should allow us to cut off the majority of the power the Shadows have been syphoning. That would, in turn, cause them to be susceptible to direct assault."
"Or rather, indirect assault, considering we still wouldn't be able to touch them with physical-type spellwork," Clea demurred from where she sat next to the Sorcerer Supreme. The couple had been called in for advice on this score and thanks to her background, Clea had proven an invaluable addition to their magical corps. She had even already agreed to come along with the expedition, although like Amara and Dani, she hadn't spoken up much prior to this point.
"Based on our past encounters, that could well be enough. But again, I'm not going in blind. I need to know everything you can tell me about the Shadows, their abilities, and most importantly, can they really be killed? Will they just reform from even a single tether? If that's the case, this whole Ragnarök concept might be a trap."
Storm nodded, agreeing with Harry's points before adding, "And exactly what aid do you require of us beyond combating the Shadows? Odin is supposed to be powerful, wise, and clever. The Asgardians are a powerful people. What aid would you require of us to fight the Jotun and the other enemies you assume to be part of the Ragnarök? For I believe there are two different campaigns being planned out here, if not three."
Hela and Harry glanced at Ororo, who shrugged and raised a finger for each point. "The Shadows themselves, their tethers, and the jotun, although I would prefer to deal with the jotun first."
"Don't forget a hunt, Lady Ororo," Dani answered from where she sat on the ground, leaning against Garm where he lay next to Hela. There were more than enough chairs for her to have one, but Dani preferred to sit this way, even if it somewhat hid her from many of the other people in the room. "From what I remember, Tyr was supposed to lose his hand to Fenrir, and then Fenrir would eat Odin during Ragnarök, right? So we need to hunt him down and free him of whatever control the Shadows might have over him."
Hela winced at that. While she had no love for Jörmangandr, she did hold some sisterly affection towards Fenrir. "That would be most helpful indeed. If the Shadows are perchance constrained to act within the limits of their own chosen scenario, then naught but my younger brother will be able, or perhaps the more apt term should be allowed, to harm Lord Odin."
"Indeed, there are three campaigns to be fought. But even more importantly than severing the remaining tethers, we must stop the invasion from Muspellheim. If we do not, my people will continue to suffer and die, and even if we can then drive off the Shadows, it will not bring them back. Who knows how many hundreds of my people have already died, waiting for aid to arrive. That facet will be further exasperated by the night elves. They might not be willing pawns of the Shadows like Surtur, but they certainly hate my people and will no doubt join in the war."
Wander-Odin spread his arms wide, a bright, eager grin appearing through his beard. "Next to that is the task of slaying the tethers on hand, Jörmangandr and the one assumed to be set into Surtur. And we must take the fight to the Shadows themselves however we may. Truly, it is a feat worthy of the gods!"
Rolling his eyes at this dramatic display, Harry crossed his arms, staring at Wander-Odin. "That's all well and good, but I'm not going to agree to help you or put any of my people in danger without fully understanding Those Who Watch Above in Shadow and their abilities. Not even if it makes you uncomfortable."
Wincing as that shot hit home, Wander-Odin reluctantly agreed. Truly, the initial agreement with Those Who Watch Above in Shadow did not paint Odin in a good light. He had been practically duped in the end, despite his brother Loki speaking out against the agreement. Even his own attempt to protect himself against betrayal hadn't worked at all until recently.
In contrast, Loki's own attempts to free his wife had worked… for a given value. While the woman's soul, and thus the key to freeing Loki, remained missing, Wander-Odin knew that her body had been recovered by Jarl Potter and his coterie. He could even sense Sigyn's physical form somewhere in this very castle. In stasis but protected instead of hidden.
In actually, Sigyn's soul had also been found, hiding within Danielle's bloodline. However, freeing it and returning it to its body was an entirely different matter. And since Wander-Odin aspect was not a part of Odin's personality that had much to do with magical theory, no one had considered talking to him about it.
"Furthermore, and not to put a damper on this heroic nonsense, but how are we even going to get into Asgard? The last time, Harry used his connection to Yggdrasil and that trinket that you dropped off for him to cross the dimensional divide. But since then, the Shadows have cut off all access to Asgard and its surrounding pocket dimensions," Emma drawled.
Wander-Odin scowled, not appreciating the pocket dimension crack and unwilling to admit that Asgard, and indeed all aspects of Yggdrasil, were but a side dimension to the 'real' realm where Earth resided. Even so, he still had an answer for her question. "The girl I brought with me, Blink. Her ability can practically ignore most magical defenses, at least the magic of this dimension. She might not have been able to teleport herself to this place, or up to your asteroid fortress, despite the existence of both being public knowledge, but I know she will be able to help us cross the divide and get past the defenses the Shadows have raised."
While Harry had informed the world about Camelot, Babylon, and High Note, he had only explained what they were, not where they were. Thus the Fidelius continued to keep information about their specific locations hidden to those he hadn't personally told.
Harry frowned, thinking. "In conjunction with the teleportation array that we created to do the jobs before, that's certainly possible. Then he sighed, shaking his head at Wander-Odin. "But noow for the tale of the Shadows, their abilities, and everything else you can tell me about them and the remaining anchors."
The debrief took some time, and unfortunately when it came to the abilities of the Shadows, didn't tell Harry anything that he, Emma, and Hela hadn't already deduced from their initial run-in with them. The Shadows worked best through the mind, through illusion and trickery. They also had a few spells to attack the soul; to siphon energy off of them and to change a person's personality if the individual's soul was weakened. Oddly, if a person didn't have magic, they couldn't actually use that method, as it was the individual's own magic that was used to power the spell. They also had powers over teleportation that made Blink or Nightcrawler appear limited by comparison, but only within the realms under their purview.
And they had power over the cycle that they had stuck the Asgardians in, hence why Wander-Odin was concerned that his people's time might soon come to an end. If that happened, the power the Shadows took from the Asgardian's cyclical deaths would be enough to recreate their tethers and return all the Asgardians, mentally, to a time of their own choosing. "This would include Hela and Amora, even if they both remain here on Earth. How they would be recalled, so to speak I know not as even my greater-self does not have any idea, but it is certain"
Worse than even that horrible thought was the fact that thanks to Surtur having willingly become their tool, the Shadows could use aspects of the never-ending cycle of rebirth and Ragnarök to maintain the numbers of the Fire Jotun at a set total. That ability would make the war against them extremely difficult, even if it would take time for them to recreate the jotun's numbers. The fact the other jotun races would no doubt join in for the hell of it was also quite annoying.
"We might need to consider asking for volunteers among the orbital drop troopers. Battles as large as the ones that could be occurring even now in Asgard could be too spread out for just the Custodes and the X-Men alone to deal with," Ororo murmured mentally, to Harry's rueful agreement.
However, the knowledge that Wander-Odin aspect had been given in what amounted to the infodump that had set him into action was much more welcome. Harry was pleased to hear that Thor had found his gauntlets and Níðhöggr was dead…until the Shadows won and the current cycle ended anyway. Still, this both removed a target from the board and added to the Asgardian's potential strength. Wander-Odin also knew of Jörmungandr's strength and abilities, and had a very good idea of Surtur's
But the tale about the death of Níðhöggr raised another question that Clea voiced. "Why in the world did the Shadows allow that kind of conflict to even occur? Their strength is in illusions, in mind games. Surely Thor and his band would've been extremely susceptible to such?"
"They would have been yes, if not for the Faith from the Asatru reaching Thor and Skadi. Obviously, I do not know the full tale, but I know that when empowered by the Faith of those Asatru who ask for their aid, my people become far stronger mentally and physically. If empowered thusly, one such as Skadi would not be fooled by any manner of illusions. Not forever, at any rate," Wander-Odin answered, giving only a vague answer, although harry and the other magic-savvy listeners knew that was not his fault. This aspect of the Sky Father did not have much to do with magic and so ultimately lacked Odin's mastery of its mysteries and its impact on divinity in general.
While Dani blinked, wondering if her own prayers to Skadi had helped the goddess in some fashion, Hela unabashedly stared, her lower face showing incredulity below her half-mask. "How does that connection still exist!? Helheim and I are completely cut off from the other realms of Yggdrasil, but I know full well I have gained power from the Asatru of Earth and over the dead as well, even those who died in battle. But as Helheim and I are cut off, so too should the power of belief not be able to pass the interdiction between Midgard and Asgard."
"I can answer that, I think," Gaea said, suddenly appearing in the cleared zone at the head of the room.
Harry and the others all stood respectfully greeting the goddess, with Ororo, Dani and Hela both bowing while Harry and the rest simply nodded their heads, which she took with a smile. For his part, Wander-Odin smiled under his beard. "Lady Gaea, you still are as gorgeous as ever."
"And you are both older and yet still a shameless flirt. I would have thoguth ages of wedded bliss would have cured you of that," Gaea answered with a droll eyeroll, shaking her head before turning away from the aspect and back to the gathering. "The connection remaining between Earth and Asgard is due to Thor and myself. You see, Thor is my son. Long ago, Odin and I came to an agreement that we needed to create a stronger God who would hopefully be able to aid him and the other Sky Fathers from the various pantheons in protecting Earth against the Celestials."
Hearing how clinical Gaea spoke in regards to basically breeding a child for the express purpose of becoming a weapon Ororo and several others winced, although given what they knew of Celestials none of them said anything. Meanwhile, Harry ground his teeth at the same mention. Even now, he could all too clearly remember his run-in with one in the Negative Zone. That run-in had culminated in Harry using one of his Bloody Insane spells, fleeing the scene, and then hoping he'd killed the creature that at the time he'd had no name for.
Harry also grimly remembered how the Celestials had been behind the creation of the Dementors in this universe, and subsequently the deaths of all wizard-kind. The Celestials had named wizard-kind a failed experiment and had moved to liquidate them without mercy or recourse. It had actually been discovering that horror which had told Harry there was a whole race of the bastards.
"This connection, for obvious reasons, creates a permanent link between Earth and Thor. Due to that, the power of belief was still able to flow into his direct vicinity," Gaea went on, acknowledging the looks shock in her audience before locking gazes with Hela. "That power became stronger when Hela initially tore Helheim away from the rest of the Asgardian pocket dimensions for some reason. Much of the power of belief is… for want of a better word, still splashing around the hole made in the barrier, but some of it still gets through."
She smiled over at Dani. "In this case, I believe the Faith of Skadi's worshippers was what made the difference."
While that made some sense to the others, Hela's shock stemmed from far more than just how Gaea was being so detached about the process of having a child or the discovery that Thor and those around him could still be so empowered. "Does Queen Freya know of the affair? If not… well, it honestly might not matter overmuch now, but in the future, it could matter a great deal in Asgard. Their marriage is what ended the war between the Vanir and the Aesir, and since then, their oaths were supposed to make certain they were faithful to one another."
Wander-Odin looked a little shifty, but Gaea answered in the affirmative with no prevarication, causing him to stare at her in shock. "Yes, Freya does know, although she was called Frigga at the time, and their marriage was newly formed and without issue. She and I even met to discuss the possibility. I knew Freya would know the instant her husband betrayed her, much like Hera did when that philanderer was still active. But unlike Hera, Freya would react by ending their marriage entire, which would have indeed resulted in the resumption of war between the Aesir and Vanir."
Gaea sighed, remembering that meeting from ages past as she shook her head. "Freya is an extremely sharp woman, do not make the mistake of underestimating her because she is known as a goddess of love as well as war. Once I made it clear I was not interested in usurping her position among the Aesir and Vanir, Freya was quite understanding of the need... so long as I agreed that she could rear the child without interference on my part, which at the time was a bitter decision. And that her own child would become the next King. But given what we were asking, to allow her husband to step outside of their vows, it seemed a fair trade."
She looked over at the wide-eyed Wander-Odin, sneering a little. Normally she wouldn't have shown her distaste like this, but of all the facets of Odin's personality, Wander-Odin, was the one Gaea disliked the most. Not only was it the one used to foment challenges (wars) among Jarls, but it was also the aspect he used to sleep with goddesses and greater jotun both. "I see you're shocked, but you should not be. You were a good king, an excellent leader, and a fine warrior. But as a man, as a husband, you did not think of your wife as often as you should have when making plans for the future."
While many of the women in the room were somewhat amused by that minor dressing down, Harry tapped the table, grabbing everyone's attention. "I think there are still some parts of this we need to discuss. For example, while a piece of me is more than willing to throw myself into this, and I'm certain that many of my Custodes feel the same, I'm not willing to lead regular soldiers into something like this without a payoff in the future. Are you able to make agreements that will be binding to your greater self?"
"No." Wander-Odin groused, looking a little put-out at Gaea's words, but answering readily enough. "I can only request for help. You will have to make any agreements or treaties with my greater self."
That caused many of Harry's 'non-hero type' advisors to narrow their eyes, but Harry only looked around, seeing that a majority of those gathered were still in favor of intervening. Steve and Piotr, in particular, looked determined, and Harry exchanged nods with the two men before turning back to Wander-Odin.
"Very well. We will put a pin in that for later the future, but for now, more information about what we might find on the ground, so to speak. What can you tell us about the numbers of the Fire Jotun, the other jotun races, the night elves and their abilities? Have you had time to study modern weaponry? If so, can you tell us what can and won't work on them? I've fought the fire jotun, so I know their capabilities to a certain degree. But what about the others? What can you tell us about the terrain? And what do you think we will find when we transport in, in terms of your greater self's response to the Shadows assault?"
Wander-Odin nodded in respect at the breadth of the young Jarl's request for information. While he was not the Warlord, Wander-Odin still had enough knowledge of tactics and terrain to understand the importance of what Harry was asking. So he simply nodded and then began to speak, asking politely if someone would be able to enchant a map to match his words. Then the real planning session began.
Much like his refusal to go into the forthcoming campaign blind, Harry refused to go into it without prior preparation. Given the size of the disaster that Wander-Odin had hinted they might be facing, an all-out war that could be scattered across a realm of an unknown size, such precautions were only common sense.
While Steve and Scott were moving through the interactive map Wander-Odin and the Asgardian ladies had put together, asking all manner of strategic and combat-related questions, Harry began to prepare another side of the mission by asking Ororo, Kitty, and Clea to work on the transportation aspect with Blink. Since they would be working on a pre-existing array that had worked previously, that gave them a good foundation to work with, freeing Harry and Steven to work on other tasks.
"While I would dare not gainsay any aspect of Odin when it comes to guileful plans, young Blink's powers are a relative unknown, something we need to see to," Hela announced, standing from her seat. "Between myself, Amora, you, and Wander-Odin, we should be able to create the anchor we need, but we are placing the use of that anchor on Clare's thin shoulders. I would rather like to make certain we know what we are doing there."
"Agreed. Scott, could you call in Kurt?" Harry called, getting the X-men field commander's attention, causing him to look up from where he had been pointing out something to Steve on the map. "We might need his expertise."
Scott nodded, then stated, "I'm fully behind getting involved in this conflict Harry, but I still want to leave a small team under either John or someone else we can trust just in case of trouble with the anti-mutant terrorists in America." His slightly chapped lips curled under his red-tinted glasses as he shook his head. "Or the opposite. We're still seeing a lot of recruitment for pro-mutant groups, smaller and less organized than the opposition, but we don't want either extreme able to cause trouble, so it's best to have a team ready to act at all times."
Harry thought about that for a moment, then nodded. "Good idea. You've trained up Bobby, Warren, Jubilee, and the one code-named Boom-Boom, right?" When Scott nodded, Harry went on. "In that case, ask Laynia to work with the team while we're gone, she'll add more firepower and another flyer. And we'll have James step up to a full leadership position."
Not only would Warpath add a strongman to the team, but just like his older brother, James had some decent leadership abilities. Although he hadn't previously been given any dependent command like Thunderbird had in Genosha, this would be a good opportunity to see how well he did, and he would have Sage and Pinoptes to call on if need be.
"Good thinking," Piotr agreed, not at all annoyed to be passed over for the leadership role while James and John blinked, both surprised and pleased the younger brother would have a chance to shine. For Piotr, this meant he would be involved in the real action this time, not left behind as he had for the mission to fight Galactus. Then he gestured to the map. "I also think, even with both teams aboard for this, we might be looking at being spread too thin. If we're going to be fighting these Fire Jotun as Wander-Odin believes, it is far too much ground to cover."
"Your young friend is right, I am afraid. If Jörmungandr, the night elves, the stone jotun or some combination thereof join in, and they will if the Shadows have launched Ragnarök, then you will be faced with multiple enemies spread out across a wide area," Wander Odin warned.
Gesturing down to the small laptop he had been using to take notes during the discussion with the being so named, Harry responded, "I already made an appointment to talk with the Falcon. I'm going to be asking for volunteers among his cadre of Orbital Drop Marines."
For a moment, Wander-Odin looked askance at the term Orbital Drop, possibly not understanding the nomenclature, but he still nodded in approval. "Marines, those are troops trained for ship boarding action, yes? Very brave and strong?"
"Originally. Since then, the term marine has been used to generally indicate troops trained for point defense and assault. They don't have the staying power of the army, but they do have a bigger individual punch which is magnified by the ODMs' training and gear," Harry explained.
"I'll be sure to mention that you don't think marines have staying power to any of them that I meet," Scott said dryly, causing Steve to snort and Harry to roll his eyes. But then he stood up and moved to the map, frowning as he knelt next to it, gazing at the terrain and joining the discussion there.
That discussion took the better part of that night, and Harry had to schedule his discussion with Sam for the next afternoon, after a morning spent meeting with Dr. Richards and the Fantastic Four. More firepower was always a good thing, after all.
But Reed had no interest in joining this operation and said so, interrupting Harry's explanation by shaking his head firmly. "I need to spend time with my wife and son, Harry. In fact, with your permission, we'll probably be moving into your castle sometime rather soon. Franklin's powers are beginning to manifest more often, and Madame Harkness is starting to have trouble coping, even with that magnificent house-elf you asked to work with her helping."
Susan nodded, looking a little harried. "Without that little lass, we'd have all been run ragged by now. Franklin somehow seems to know he can do things beyond the norm but hasn't learned enough to realize when he shouldn't do so or what the term 'no' means in relation to him."
"I'm certain the house elves will love to have a toddler around the place. And I did agree to train Franklin in his powers at Camelot when it became time to do so," Harry agreed, belatedly remembering that he hadn't actually read any of the Fantastic Four into the secrets of Camelot. They could come and go through the runic doorways if someone else opened the far end, or have someone else teleport them, but they had no more idea where Camelot really was than what the environment outside the castle's battlements and windows could tell them.
"Bah, just because Stretcho wants to have some family time don't mean we won't join you, Harry," Benjamin said, speaking up from where he'd been leaning against a wall watching the discussion between leaders. Johnny and Thundra nodded in firm agreement.
The young woman sitting next to Johnny, however, had been a surprise when he'd first arrived. After a moment, Harry had vaguely recognized her as one of the Inhumans. Indeed, she was the one he, Scott, Jean and the FF had rescued from some kind of demon summoner going on a little under a year ago. She appeared young, with honey-colored hair tied up with wide ribbons, wearing a yellow and black striped outfit. "And you, Miss? I'm sorry, but I'm pants with names at the best of times, although I know we've met a few times before and that you're an Inhuman. Something that begins with C, yes?"
"Er, yes, Mr.—er, that is, Lord Potter, my name is Crystal," Crystal stammered, wondering how to address the young man barely a few years older than herself and Johnny but who had become such an important leader of both heroes and men. "U-um, I… I would have to ask, but as my King, Lord Blackbolt, has finally agreed to open discussions with you at last, I think I might be allowed? At the moment, my lord and his advisors are still debating on what we will ask for and would be willing to trade in return. But we've all come to agree that eventually, the dimensional wall protecting us from the outside world will need to come down, and we will need to interact with the universe at large."
While internally doing backflips in delight at having yet another group to ally with, Harry outwardly kept calm, responding to this sudden bombshell with only a slight tilt of the head. "If you all wish to keep your nation's location a secret, that's fine. I won't pry into your internal matters. What I really want is to make an agreement with the Inhumans, a mutual defense treaty, as well as a trade and research agreement."
Crystal nodded but stated that she didn't have any authority to agree to any of that. However, Crystal did promise she would put Harry's words in her report after her current mission was over.
Harry's meeting with the Falcon went slightly better, except when they spoke about material needs. "I'm more than happy to let you ask for volunteers Harry, but if you want us to be our most effective, we're gonna need more suits, boots, and guns. I've got four companies of Orbital Drop Marines training pretty well at this point, with three more regiments of volunteers or transferees, whatever the term ya want to use, starting training soon. But not enough gear yet to kit them all out at once."
Watching Sam wave one hand almost manically in emphasis of that point, Harry looked around the man's office, smirking slightly at the amount of paperwork scattered around the place. I'll have to remember to get him a secretary. "The ones waiting are the Russian Naval Infantry, French Foreign Legion, and so forth. But on top of the gear shortage we don't have enough materials or a large enough training zone on Fortress Mars to get them up to snuff right now."
"I'll sit down with General Murphy and devote some of the construction droids to mining out a larger area. Sorry, I didn't realize that you were running into that issue. Did you pass on a report about it?" Sam's silence was telling, and Harry chuckled. "Yes, you definitely need a secretary. For now, I'll order Forge 2 to start building up your munitions and gear. But first, let me make my appeal for volunteers, yeah?"
Sam rolled his eyes but agreed. As if any of this lot will ever say no if Potter asks them to do something. Harry really doesn't know how popular he is among the common troopers, does he? Regardless of his personal feelings on the subject though, Sam still sent out an order for his ODM troopers to report to the atrium for an announcement.
About twenty minutes later, Harry stared out across the crowd that was now scattered around the atrium. This was the same atrium that Harry had shown the delegates from Earth several months ago, and while it wasn't at capacity by any means, it was still fuller than it had been then when only one of the atrium's many platforms had been in use. But we created it for a reason, and the acoustics plus a little magic should mean that everyone hears me well enough. Whether or not they like what I say, that's up to them.
"Gentlemen and ladies," Harry said, drawing the attention of the crowd of would-be Orbital Drop Marines to him. Not all of them were male, a distinguishing fact for the nascent military force. At present there were a few dozen women among the crowd, and that number was only projected to grow.
"Good afternoon. For those of you who haven't met me personally, I'm Harry Potter." There was a chorus of laughter from the crowd, even the Russians, and Harry smiled wanly. He didn't let himself think about it often, but he knew that he was possibly the most famous person in the world right now and was only happy that it was because of Magical Minds and what the Custodes had done, rather than, as it had been in his home dimension, something his parents had done which he had gotten the undeserved accolades for.
"Yes, I know that's a sad way of starting this conversation, but for an icebreaker, it works," Harry drawled, causing another small chuckle to riplple around the atrium. "However, it's time to be a little serious. When I signed off on this unit, I mandated in its charter that the Oh Damns would not be used to settle terrestrial conflicts, only to fight extraterrestrial threats that made their way to Earth. That is still the case. However, a crisis has arisen on a… different battlefield, so to speak. Let me tell you about the Asgardians."
He waited for a tic, letting the murmurs settle before he went on. "You might have seen Hela around or remember Thor and Balder from months back. Or you might have heard of the Gods of the Vikings. Or perhaps, you might even know someone who follows the Asatru faith. But regardless of if you have heard of them before, the Asgardian gods are real. And they are under attack."
From there, Harry outlined once again what they knew about Those Who Watch Above in Shadow and what Wander-Odin had passed on about what might be occurring in his homeland: the start of Ragnarök, the invasion of the Fire Jotun, and the planned destruction of Asgard. Of the thousands of people reborn there in an endless cycle, facing death once more along with their leaders.
"That's why I'm going." Harry flashed a wry smile. "I'm a hero. I have a people-saving thing. It's sort of par for the course. However, given the size of this war, the Custodes will need help. So I'm asking for volunteers. Volunteers to help me take the fight to the jotun and the Shadows' other tools. That is why I am here today. But hark, I hear you ask, what's in it for Earth? Why should we get involved? Well, for that, I have to turn to my lovely assistant Polaris."
Lorna, in her Polaris uniform, waved at the crowd from nearby, holding up a gleaming sword in her other hand. "She'll be going from one platform to another. Anyone who wants to test out that sword is welcome to on the granite and metal blocks you'll find prepared for you. But suffice it to say that the Asgardians have some interesting metallurgical abilities, and we had a trade agreement with them before the Shadows forced a shut down of our shared dimensional borders. That kind of thing could be very interesting to add to your battle rattle, wouldn't it?" Harry quipped. "To say nothing of what that kind of metal could mean for everything else."
He fell silent as dozens of men and a few women did take up the challenge. Harry heard the interest rise as the challengers tried out the sword against the prepared targets one after another. Watching it punch through concrete or granite and slice into Kree battle steel was impressive, to say the least.
When those gathered settled down once more, Harry continued. "Make no mistake, I am not ordering you into this battle. I am asking for volunteers. If you want no part in this, there will be no onus on you. There will be no recrimination. Not officially, and not unofficially. I will come down like the hammer of doom on anyone who tries to push someone else into this fight when they don't believe it's in their own best interest or the interest of Earth. Volunteers, I said, and willing ones. But we need to start tooling up for this, so I will need a list by the end of the day. Talk it over amongst yourselves. If you have them call your wives… ah, your wives or your husbands," he corrected, glancing towards a few of the women who rolled their eyes. "Think it through. Don't make a hasty decision, one way or the other. Thank you for listening. And as always, thank you for your service."
"And speaking of service," Harry said a moment later as he exited the atrium, already having heard the sounds of loud discussions within from the various platforms, "Are you sure you want to come along? It's been a while since you've seen actual combat, Lorna."
"I'll be training with Shiang Chi in Camelot for as long as I can until we leave, but yeah, I want to join this mission. I like Hela, and the idea that if the Asgardians lose, something could happen to her even if she's here on Earth just because she's one of them? It's a little horrifying. I don't understand the whole mystical magic mumbo-jumbo, but I understand that it least."
Lorna continued talking quietly to Harry for a few moments before several people came out of the atrium. Harry recognized them as unit commanders. He even recognized a few from before they'd become Orbital Drop Marines, Including Sean. Each of them held out a data slate to Harry, and as he read off the names, Harry's eyes widened in surprise.
And that surprise was completely genuine, Lorna thought to herself with a bit of amused exasperation. Harry really hadn't thought that many people would sign up. He honestly didn't understand how popular he was personally among the troops or among military men in general.
After a moment, Harry shook his head wryly and thanked Sean and the others before doing something on the slates and handing them back. "I just authorized a wage hike to five times the normal amount for the duration of this operation. You all just volunteered to be heroes instead of soldiers, and I think you should be paid like them."
"Why didn't you mention that before?!" Sean squawked in shock. While money wasn't really important to him, he knew that his men had been very pleased with the wages they'd already received during their training. But this? The amount he was reading on the data slate this second? It would make them all very rich indeed.
"If I had to buy your service, you wouldn't be worth the price. The pay is necessary, but it can't be your motivation. Not in this," Harry answered, slapping Sean on the shoulder before turning away.
From there, Harry moved to talk to General Murphy. He spoke about the need for more training zones for the ODMs and then spoke about the campaign to come, asking for advice. The General's opinion came quickly and vociferously.
"You haven't allowed for enough logistics!" Murphy barked, banging on his desk crossly. "We're getting well ahead of the curve here on Fortress Mars, but the ODMs are still new and just don't have enough material built up. You'll need more rounds, more guns, more parts, more everything. You're envisioning this as what, a single, sharp battle?"
"We have no idea," Harry said with a shrug. "Wander-Odin thinks we'll be arriving in the middle a long campaign, but how long it lasts after we arrive will be up to how many jotun they can field at any one time and how effective our forces are against them. Only myself, Hela, Garm, and Emma have even fought jotun before. They're tough to kill, magically resistant, massively strong, and immensely durable. But they can be killed."
In fact, Harry knew at that very minute Jean was running tests in the Room of Requirement on what weapons worked best against the Fire Jotun. Garm was helping her, and it was hoped the duo would have some results in the next few days.
"Did you tell the men what they're getting into?" Murphy questioned, frowning. "I heard the trainees were called into the atrium for something."
Harry nodded. "I have. The majority volunteered."
"Good. You've got perhaps the best reputation among fighting men that any government leader has ever had Harry, even if we go back to ancient times. Don't waste it. Now, let's see what we can do to fix your fucked up logistics train. First, we need to turn over more of our construction droids to prepare these weapons. And could we use those weird time enhancement chambers? That could really help speed things up, pun intended."