The meeting chamber of the Galactic Federation was a vast, circular space, its design both grand and intimidating. The floor sloped downward like a massive cone toward the center, where the ornate tables and chairs for the three great empires were situated. Tiered rings of seating radiated outward from this central pit, occupied by the other members of the Federation—some were representatives of entire planetary civilizations, others were leaders of powerful interstellar organizations.
Nick Fury and Captain Marvel were among them. Although Fury's wife was a Skrull, he held no official position within their empire. Carol's situation was even more complicated; her conflict with the Kree Empire decades ago, while not entirely irreconcilable, had left her with no desire to ever work for them again.
Fury subconsciously started to lead Ben toward his own seat in the outer rings, only to stop as Ben, flanked by Beta Ray Bill, strode confidently toward the center of the venue. It was only then that Fury remembered: Ben was a Plumber. He didn't belong on the fringes with the observers.
To be honest, Nick Fury was only able to attend this summit at all thanks to the influence of his wife and Carol. Otherwise, in a place of such cosmic importance, a disgraced spymaster from a backwater world wouldn't even qualify to be a spectator.
The man whose heart was darker than his face simply shook his head, unbothered by his own status. Instead, his eye was fixed on Ben's back, a hint of concern in his voice. "The delegates from the three empires have been waiting a long time, and the King of Sakaar still hasn't shown up. If they feel they've been stood up, I'm afraid they won't let it go."
Pride was a universal trait, and every race was fiercely protective of its image. This was especially true for civilizations as ancient and renowned as the three great empires. If all of them were to be simultaneously looked down upon and made fools of by the Plumbers, none would be able to accept it. Such a slight could easily escalate into a massive interstellar conflict.
Thinking of this, Fury couldn't help but worry for the Plumbers. Although they had defeated Thanos, the three empires were an entirely different beast. The fact that they had endured for hundreds of thousands of years was a testament to the advancement and sheer power of their civilizations. If they chose to unite against the Plumbers, the fledgling organization would likely be crushed.
Hearing his assessment, Carol nodded in grim agreement. She also watched Ben's departing back, but her thoughts were on a different track.
"Fury, does Mr. Parker hold a high position within the Plumbers?" she asked curiously, noticing that Ben walked perfectly side-by-side with the towering Beta Ray Bill, at times even half a step ahead.
"I thought he was just the senior officer for the Earth branch." Nick Fury admitted, not finding it particularly strange. The fact that Ben was even participating in the Galactic Conference was enough to prove he held a significant rank. It was common knowledge that the Plumbers were broadly divided into tiers: Magister, Field commander, and Agent. The Magisters, like Beta Ray Bill and Caiera who had appeared at the Federation before, held immense authority.
Carol shook her head. Two Magisters alone were not enough to command a room like this, especially when one of them, Ben, had never been seen here before. She and Fury both concluded that if the King of Sakaar was a no-show, Beta Ray Bill would be the only one present who could possibly take charge. The Korbinite—once of the planet Korbin, now of Sakaar—had a ferocious visage and a towering stature, and as the guardian of Sakaar's flagship, his voice carried some weight. But only some.
The truth of the universe was brutally simple: the one with the biggest fist had the right to speak.
Unfortunately, Bill's fist wasn't big enough. In the presence of the leaders of the three great empires, he would still be forced to bow his head.
As Ben and Bill approached the center, while the other Plumber agents remained on standby at a respectful distance, the brow of Praetor Kallark of the Shi'ar Empire furrowed even deeper. The Skrull Empress and the Kree Supreme Intelligence representative, Tar-Rell, also wore expressions of displeasure. Defeating Thanos was one thing, but this level of arrogance was another. Was this new power planning to declare war on all three empires at once? More than one person in the room had the same thought.
Kallark was the first to act. The Shi'ar leader rose from his seat, his powerful frame turning toward Bill, his eyes blazing with anger.
"Beta Ray Bill. What gives you the right to attend this council?"
His gaze was as heavy as a mountain, carrying an immense pressure that seemed to bend the very air and force lesser beings to their knees. Kallark's focus was entirely on Bill; he paid no mind to the relatively small human beside him. He's probably just a follower, Kallark thought dismissively. He carries no presence. Why should I care?
"Praetor of the Shi'ar Empire, what is the meaning of this?" Bill stopped in his tracks, his own powerful aura erupting to meet Kallark's, causing the red cloak on his back to whip about as if caught in a gale. Even if this was the leader of one of the three great empires, Bill would never allow him to act so insolently in front of the King of Sakaar. In an instant, the atmosphere in the chamber grew thick with the threat of war. The representatives from smaller planets trembled, sweating profusely and lowering their heads, terrified of being caught in the crossfire and bringing ruin to their homeworlds.
Tar-Rell of the Kree was not among them. His personal martial skill was average, but the technological might of the Kree Empire was second to none. He feared no one. He propped his feet up on the conference table, not even bothering to look at Bill, as if the Plumber was a gnat not worth his attention.
"The meaning," the Kree said with a frivolous drawl, "is that you are not qualified to sit and negotiate with us, you Korbinite stray."
Not only had they come for the King of Sakaar, but even among the Plumbers' Magisters, there was a known hierarchy. Tar-Rell had long since learned that among all the senior Plumbers, the one with the most influence was Caiera. She was reliable and a gifted administrator, while the others were… less so. Bill's knowledge was rudimentary, his vision limited. Brunnhilde was a drunkard. Looma was intelligent but too lazy for politics. Loki was an incorrigible hedonist. Only Caiera was studious and honest.
And Tar-Rell's insult was not without basis. The Korbinites' homeworld had been destroyed, and before finding refuge on Sakaar, they had indeed wandered the cosmos like lost dogs. In his eyes, they had simply been adopted by Sakaar to serve as watchdogs.
Bill himself didn't care about the contempt, but Ben's brow furrowed. He was starting to get angry.
To curse one of my people right in front of me? You've got courage.
"So it's a Kree blue-skin," Ben sneered coldly, his voice cutting through the tension. "And your mouth stinks just as much as I imagined."
The remark immediately ignited the fury of both Tar-Rell and Kallark. The Kree could no longer remain seated. He shot to his feet, his eyes locked on Ben, burning with a desire to swallow him whole. The entire hall fell deathly silent.
Everyone stared at Ben in disbelief, stunned that he would utter such a thing.
"I knew it!" Nick Fury muttered from the cheap seats, wiping a hand over his face.
Carol's eyelids twitched. "Has he always been this… brave?" she asked. "Blue-skin" was a common, deeply derogatory slur used for many cerulean-hued species in the galaxy. It was a blanket term of contempt. Tar-Rell was livid, but Kallark, who also possessed blue skin, was visibly annoyed as well.
"He's always been like this," Fury sighed, recalling a tense negotiation back at Primus Tower. Of course, he knew Ben wasn't truly prejudiced. The kid didn't target people, he targeted actions. He was only retaliating because Tar-Rell had provoked him first.
"If a fight really breaks out, Carol…" Fury began.
Carol nodded, clenching her fists as golden energy began to crackle around them. She was ready to intervene at a moment's notice.
"You want to die, you little beast!" Tar-Rell trembled with rage. He had never dreamed he would be humiliated like this. As a Kree, he was immensely proud of his skin, his bloodline. In comparison, humans like Ben were considered lower-class filth in his empire.
Kallark was also furious, but he didn't direct his anger at Ben. Instead, he bellowed at Bill. "Keep a leash on your subordinate, Beta Ray Bill! If he dares to speak so rudely again, don't blame me for being discourteous!"
Clearly, Kallark recognized Bill's strength as worthy of respect, and since Ben's insult was aimed at the Kree, he opted to issue a warning rather than take direct action.
But he had made one critical mistake.
"My subordinate?" Bill's expression was a mask of strained disbelief. Since when did the King become my subordinate? If Looma heard this, that woman would peel his hide off and lay it on the floor of Ben's chambers as a rug. He shuddered and quickly corrected the Shi'ar. "This is the High Commander of the Plumbers! The King of Sakaar you have been waiting for!"
Kallark froze. ???
Before anyone could react, Bill glared at the Kree monarch and roared, "Your Majesty Tar-Rell, you can insult me all you wish, but if you dare to disrespect the King of Sakaar, then do not blame me for being rude to you!"
"What? He is the King of Sakaar?" the Skrull Empress, who had been watching the drama unfold with amusement, finally spoke, her voice laced with surprise. Not just her—everyone looked utterly confused, suspecting Bill was lying.
"Such a weak-looking boy, and you say he is the King of Sakaar?" Kallark asked doubtfully. He felt that he could snap Ben's body like a twig with minimal effort. "There must be a limit to your nonsense!"
The leaders of the three empires all assumed the Plumbers were playing some kind of trick, putting forward an insignificant underling as a proxy. But Ben didn't care. With a faint sneer, he walked to the empty chair at the head of the fourth table and sat down.
In the gallery, the other representatives began whispering amongst themselves, debating the truth of the matter.
"Fury, what's going on? Didn't you say he was just an officer for the Earth branch?" Carol asked, thoroughly confused.
"Who am I supposed to ask?" Fury shot back, completely stunned himself. No, seriously, buddy? Aren't you Peter Parker's cousin? A high school student? When did you become the damn King of Sakaar? The former spymaster racked his brain but couldn't make any sense of it. Yet, he knew the Plumbers wouldn't lie about something so fundamental. It had to be true.
But Tar-Rell and Kallark refused to believe it. Everyone knew that the King of Sakaar had defeated Thanos and possessed immense power. Even Kallark wasn't confident he could defeat the Mad Titan. How could such a mighty warrior be this frail-looking human?
A flash of resentment gleamed in Tar-Rell's eyes. He smiled coldly at Kallark and the Skrull Empress. "It seems the Plumbers truly have no respect for our three empires. They found this… child to play games with us."
"You don't believe it?" Ben glanced at him, leaning back in his chair. "In that case, let Ronan rot in prison. Keeping him alive is a waste of our food."
"You—!" Tar-Rell's eyes narrowed, and he was so choked with rage he couldn't speak. He was the one who needed Sakaar's favor the most, as he was the only one asking for the release of a prisoner. But Ronan's life was not as important as the reputation of the Kree Empire.
"We all know the King of Sakaar is a warrior who can defeat Thanos," Tar-Rell shot back. "Are you trying to tell us that you killed Thanos? A creature like you would be lucky to defeat a single Chitauri soldier."
A ripple of quiet laughter spread through the hall. Ben truly didn't look like much. He didn't radiate the colossal energy of Captain Marvel. To the aliens in the room, he seemed weak. Who would believe he was the one who had killed Thanos? The three empires simply felt they were being mocked.
"Emissary from Sakaar, you have indeed gone too far," the Skrull Empress finally spoke, her tone gentle but firm. "It would have been one thing if you never told us the King would come. But to release this news only to make a mockery of us… do you think the three empires are a joke?" She ignored Ben completely, directing her words to Bill.
Seeing the Skrulls were also siding against them, Tar-Rell let a smug curl touch his lips before quickly smoothing it away.
Bill was about to speak, but Ben raised a hand, signaling him to stand down. The Korbinite immediately bowed his head and took half a step back. The submissive gesture only made the onlookers doubt Ben's identity even more.
Ben stood up slowly. He was tall for an Earthling, but among the towering aliens, he looked almost underwhelming.
Yet, his presence was immense.
"You don't believe I am the King of Sakaar," he stated, his voice calm and carrying to every corner of the silent hall. "You just think I am not strong enough. In that case…"
Ben's gaze fell first upon Tar-Rell. The Kree King wanted to retort, but in that instant, a chilling premonition of death washed over him, and he dared not move.
Then, his eyes swept over the Skrull Empress.
Ben was very satisfied with their performance. He had come here today to establish his authority.
Finally, he looked at Kallark, the mightiest warrior among the three empires.
"Why don't you come and find out for yourself?" Ben challenged, a dangerous smile playing on his lips. "Or are you afraid?"