POV Rio
"We've cleaned up the wreckage and confirmed there are no survivors," Tony reports.
"Hmm, did we identify anyone?" I ask.
"Beyond what the scanners picked up, there really wasn't much to use for identification due to how thorough you were with destroying them," Tony responds with a smirk.
"Very well, thanks for the help," I reply.
"No problem, it's not like I had anything else to do," Tony comments with a shrug.
"Still grounded?" I say with a smirk.
Tony scowls at that.
"Yeah, Pepper is still quite mad at me and won't let me in the lab unless I am with her. But she asks so many questions that it's hard to get into the flow. And after you published the video of the battle, things have just gotten worse, as she suspects I might have helped you build the Harmony," Tony complains.
"I mean, technically you did," I say with a cheeky smirk.
Tony glares at me.
"Not helping!" Tony says with an annoyed tone.
I shrug.
"Not my fault you didn't leave the lab, even when everyone warned you. Even Banner has taken time to be a normal human between his lab visits," I point out.
"Sigh. I know. I know. Speaking of the green guy, how is he?" Tony asks.
"Hulk? He's doing fine. We've been letting him watch TV and teaching him a few things. Even though he is separated from Banner, he's still inherited some of that genius, so Hulk's been learning pretty quickly. He doesn't even use the smashing room out of anger. He does so when he wants to have some fun, as I added all sorts of stuff for him in there," I explain.
"I thought you used up all the Vibranium to make the Harmony," Tony points out.
"I did. I substituted the Vibranium with Promethium in the Smashing Room. It may not absorb like Vibranium, but it works just as well. That said, and no offence to Hulk, but unless he gets really, really, really angry, he can't break out of that room even if it was bare metal," I reply calmly.
Tony looks at me skeptically.
"That room was meant to handle Demi-Gods and Kryptonians sparring. And they are far beyond anything base-level Hulk can fight. In almost every simulated battle, Hulk loses. Badly," I explain calmly.
Tony seems to consider it for a bit.
"Can I study the room?" Tony asks with an interested look.
"As long as Pepper agrees," I reply with a smile.
Tony pauses for a moment and then nods.
"I think I can manage that," Tony replies.
Tony leaves to go find Pepper, and I refocus on the affairs of Earth.
A few massive changes came from the battle. I recorded the entire battle and made it public for everyone to see. I did so for several reasons; the first was to show my citizens that I can protect them and to showcase the RSS Harmony and the sheer power it has. I also wanted to show how many enemies came for Earth. And I made it clear they were there for Earth, not Mars. I explained to them what those mercs and pirates planned to do on Earth had I not been there. Needless to say, it caused a lot of people to have to ask themselves difficult questions. I made it clear that if I had to choose between protecting Mars and Earth, I would choose Mars, as that is where my citizens are.
I didn't want to force them to make a decision, but I also needed to give them a push to decide. Talks of greater integration had been ongoing, but it was taking time, and that was time they may not have. I wouldn't always be here to keep everyone safe for free. I have my own people to worry about, and expecting me to help them forever is unrealistic. At the very least, I expect them to pull their own weight. I don't mind if they want to do things like an alliance, but that means they have to be ready to fight for their home independent of me.
And I was right to do so, as various nations decided upon an agreement. The first was a Free Migration Treaty allowing people to move to and from our nations freely. The second was a worldwide referendum. Everyone was given a vote in that matter, where they would decide if their nation would integrate with the Kingdom of Gaia. And overwhelmingly, many chose integration. The main thing stopping people before was that they didn't want to leave their homes, even if it meant a better life. And this referendum solved that.
Of course, there were still those who refused to join, but that was where the next part of the agreements came in. China and Korea still saw a decent portion of people refusing, partially because even though the regimes had been changed, they still held some strong bigoted views and refused to join. China was the worst, as the people had been indoctrinated for decades to believe that China was supreme and that all others were unenlightened fools, or to talk about the Glory of Mount Tai. I didn't really blame them; they were literally brainwashed into thinking that way, and that kind of extremist thought would take a while to change. Korea was a bit different; many of the older generations really didn't like outsiders and wanted to keep doing things the same way they had always done.
So an agreement was made partially because those left behind didn't have a choice, as they needed the people or were under immense pressure from all the other countries. They would take in those who refused to join the Kingdom, and they would be settled at the Kingdom's expense. China also lost some territory as Tibet was taken from them and returned to its rightful owners, who then joined the Kingdom. There was some tension, but with enough money pouring in, people were willing to deal with it.
Now I was busy checking those who joined and adapting their societies to work within the Kingdom. It wasn't that bad, as I generally didn't interfere with how people lived their lives, as long as they weren't hurting anyone; they were free to do what they wanted. Worship who you want, believe what you want; just don't force your way of life on others. Why should I care what you do in the privacy of your own home if you are all consenting adults? Though all religions were not tax-exempt and had to pay their fair share, this was mostly done to greatly temper corruption and prevent mega churches or cults from popping up everywhere.
My way of doing things was what caused the least and most issues. Many feared I would be more strict and were pleasantly surprised when I was more cosmopolitan. Others were upset that I allowed certain things that they don't believe are moral. The complaints were mostly from the kind of people who have issues with others living their lives without following some made-up rules that they live by. But that was easy enough to solve; they have to go to mandatory education where they learn that the rules you set for yourself are not anyone else's problem. Just cause one person is doing something that another person wouldn't do doesn't mean it's bad. And if, after all that, they still couldn't be changed, they were given the boot. If they want to enforce their way of life on others, they can go live in China and Korea.
I ran things fairly hands-off in some regards, as people were free to do what they wanted as long as they weren't hurting themselves or others. Better to regulate than outlaw. Of course, with some exceptions. I was a firm opponent of any kind of addictive substance; as such, I personally saw to it that the many natural narcotics and their derivatives were eradicated. Illegal production of narcotics or other illicit substances can carry punishment up to the death penalty. I didn't mess around with that stuff; it can easily ruin lives, and even the greatest empires can collapse thanks to such substances.
Now, for those who were left behind in China and Korea, they also had some responsibilities. They were required to send a certain number of people to the newly created Sol System Defence Force. They would serve for a few years before being sent back home. It was basically a garrison or patrol force meant to help defend the Solar System in case of an alien invasion. Nothing too crazy, just a way to make people pull their own weight.
When all was said and done, I had basically annexed most of Earth peacefully and was now far more ready for any additional challenges. Which I was certain were likely to come soon enough. The Nine Realms, or I suppose the Six Realms, as three of them have been destroyed comepletely was in shambles, and even if Asgard survived relatively fine, news would soon reach the various vultures and sharks looking for an easy target.
The fact was that most Xenomorphs had quite possibly been wiped out in the universe, and that was the main factor keeping people out of the Milky Way Galaxy. The other reasons were Asgard, Odin, Thanos, and Captain Marvel. Of those, only Asgard still stands, but it is arguably quite weak without Odin. Thanos is basically a non-factor, as he has run away with his tail between his legs and lost all of his allies. Captain Marvel hasn't been seen for a while, and my Compass indicates she either doesn't exist or is in another universe.
Right now, we are on the precipice of a possible scramble for the Milky Way. And I am looking like Ethiopia facing the various world powers. Sure, I might have some advantage, but right now I can only really protect the Sol System, as I don't have enough ships to do much else. Each ship might be really strong, possibly even vastly superior technologically, but the fact is I only have 5 capital ships, mostly operated by robots and a very limited number of starfighters that can only be deployed from two of those ships reliably. And Asgard is pretty backwards when it comes to galactic warfare, so they can't be relied upon that strongly. At least not for now.
'I need to make a movement or statement that scares everyone away, even if it is a bluff. Or craft some unseen threat that scares them away.'
The unknown was the scariest thing to any sentient being.
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Author's Note:
Bonus chapter, as we have now officially crossed the last 10-chapter mark, so only 8 more to go.