CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

A GREATER PURPOSE

THE SHIPS came out of the jump near Mars and moved steadily toward Earth. Captain Marvel entered the observatory where Captain America was waiting and nodded to Thor as she walked past him. He nodded back and remained where he was—a silent sentinel who, for the moment, seemed content to stare at the stars.

The view was spectacular. A Skrull battle cruiser drifted past on the left, and above them another Shi’ar ship glistened in the reflected light from the red planet. The place where so much of this had begun.

Carol stepped up and gave Captain America a quick report. “Jump’s completed. We’re on our final approach now. A forerunner has confirmed what the Shi’ar long-range scans told us. We’re basically going to be crashing a blockade.”

“As expected. Our numbers?”

“The council spared what ships they could in the hope we would overwhelm the pirates, send them running when they saw what was coming, but their numbers are equal to ours.”

“They’re also fresher than we are,” Manifold said. “Rested. Not beaten. They’ll hunt us like animals after wounded prey.” His face showed clearly how defeated he felt.

“You okay, Eden?” Captain America responded.

“I’m tired,” he said, wiping his brow with his palm. “I can’t believe what I just lived through, and now I have to do it again. And this time with the lives of my family and people at stake. It seems futile and unending. How do you keep going, Captain? How do you make sense of it? Faith? Fate?”

Captain Marvel answered. “Don’t over-mythologize it, kid. Believe whatever you want—just make sure you hit the other guy before he hits you, and that you knock his ass out.” She understood the grief and the stress better than most. She had been a soldier for years, and had been fighting against alien invaders for much of that time.

Captain America stepped close to Eden. He was almost a head taller, and his expression was grim, but somehow his eyes were reassuring.

“Listen to Carol, Eden,” he said, his voice calm but firm. “I’m not a believer in heroic quests undertaken by men and women of fate. There is no hero’s journey.” Captain Marvel watched Steve Rogers speak and again felt that odd sense of inspiration.

She was a seasoned veteran, and she was a power to be reckoned with, but this man was something more. He had a balance to him that defied the very words he was speaking. Captain America was a man of fate—or he seemed that way to her, at least. She could give orders, and they would be followed. But when Captain America gave orders, it was different. He inspired passion. She couldn’t explain it better than that.

“There’s just life and how we choose to live it.” Cap put his hand on his teammate’s shoulder. Eden straightened, squared his shoulders, and nodded. “So you know what you’re supposed to do, Eden?”

“Yes,” Manifold replied. “Wait until we’re engaged, and then jump a team behind their lines. Open the door when no one’s looking.”

“That’s right. Do your job, because we’re all depending on you. That’s all anyone can ask of you. Your best.”

He turned. “Carol, we need to go check on the crash shuttle.”

“It’s in hangar seven.”

“Out of what? Seven hundred? Want to show me where, Captain?” He smiled as he said it. Then he looked back at Eden one more time. “You okay?”

“Yeah.”

“Hang in there. We’re almost home.”

* * *

EDEN MANAGED a weak smile. He was still tired, but he felt steadier than he’d been before. Captain America and Captain Marvel walked away together. He watched them go, then turned to peer out the viewport of the Lilandra.

He studied the ships moving around them, swarming above the curve of the planetscape below. The closest was a Skrull vessel. They were miracles of technology, and he was both thrilled to admire them and horrified by what they had done. The ships—all of them, it seemed—showed signs of the battles they’d fought and survived.

Manifold wondered whether he looked as scarred.

Suddenly Thor’s reflection appeared next to his in the glass, and Eden jumped a little. It spoke volumes about how much his life had changed in the last month that he had forgotten a god was in the room.

“Steve Rogers and Carol Danvers are great warriors.” Thor spoke softly, but with conviction. “I am honored to call them my friends,” he said, his voice deep and resonant. “But they could not be more wrong.” He pointed with his chin to the stars and the spaces between them. “Out there are gods and men and all creatures in between. They were all born, and they will die—but each one with a purpose.” The Skrull vessel began to move, accelerating at a frightening pace. The Shi’ar war cruiser above them followed suit. More and more ships appeared, until they were a swarm moving through the vacuum.

“Surely I tell you the universe has conspired to put the world

in our very hands,” Thor continued. “It is a test for titans.” He turned his head to the left so he was focused on his companion. “Only we can save the world, Eden Fesi. That is your destiny. Your entire life has led to this day. You were born for this.” Thor lifted his hammer as if it were his child. “As was I.”

Around them the stars seemed to blur slightly as the floor beneath them vibrated with the now familiar feeling of the massive engines reaching full power. Thor smiled and pointed toward the distant shape of Earth, growing larger as they moved.

“Will you join me in teaching the oldest lesson of them all, Eden?”

How could he refuse a god?

* * *

“FLEET VECTOR linear,” Ronan the Accuser announced. “We hide ourselves behind your moon.”

“Why hide?” Warlord Kl’rt responded, sounding impatient. “They know we’re coming.”

“No one wants to get there faster than we do, Kl’rt,” Captain America said.

“This has to be timed just right,” Captain Marvel explained. “Otherwise it’ll be a bloodbath.”

“In what way, Captain?” Gladiator asked.

“While it might look peaceful, the Peak has enough firepower to take out this ship—and a lot more,” Captain America replied grimly. “If we destroy the station from a distance, however, a lot of innocent personnel will die—and that’s something I won’t allow.” As he watched, the Lilandra’s pilots ran their hands over glowing holographic displays. “Prepare the advance team,” he said to Carol, then he turned to Gladiator. “Activate the fleet—get us into position just outside of the kill zone. The timing has to be perfect, or they’ll know what we’re doing.”

The heavens lit up as the thrust engines moved their vessels away from the dark side of the moon.

* * *

EDEN FESI stood by with the Black Widow and Shang-Chi, and he waited. Whatever fear he had, whatever exhaustion pulled at him, it no longer mattered.

“Go,” Carol Danvers said over the comm.

“Okay,” he replied. A thrill ran through him. “Hold on tight.” His abilities flared—

—and a moment later they were aboard the Peak. “Contact,” the Widow said. “Manifold jump successful.”

* * *

ON THE Peak, Black Dwarf waited as patiently as he could. He was rewarded with a series of warning signals and his new captain calling out in alarm.

“General! The proximity alarms! We have multiple signals… coming at us from behind the moon! We are under attack!” The new captain’s ability to state the obvious was as egregious as his predecessor’s, but so far there had been no insults, so he got to live and keep his command.

“Good,” Black Dwarf responded, raising his mace in front of him. “We have waited long enough.” He moved closer to one of the defense stations. “Are weapons batteries ready, Gunner?”

“They are fully charged, General.”

“Then you have my leave. Open fire as soon as they are in range, and burn them from the heavens.”

The Peak looked like a dagger poised inside a large ring. The ring itself had a dozen different batteries that could be used against incoming vessels. As the approaching fleet drew closer, they blossomed open in preparation. All around the station, the pirate ships of Thanos moved into position, as well, prepared to destroy whatever might come their way—even a ship as large as the Lilandra.

“Send them early to the hell we all crave.”

The barrage of firepower that erupted was enough to shame the sun.

* * *

ABOARD THE Lilandra, klaxons sounded, and the ship rocked from the sheer number of explosions in close proximity. From her position at the communications array, Oracle called out.

“Majestor! We’ve lost the Pinnacle and Kyrin’s Pride.”

“The station’s kill zone stretches farther than we thought,” Gladiator growled. “Emergency actions! Deploy the Imperial Guard.”

Captain America added his own instructions.

“Avengers assemble!”

External feeds revealed the forces released from the Lilandra’s bay door. They wielded a terrifying level of firepower. Spearing through space, they destroyed a number of pirate vessels. Then they approached the Peak and a collection of weapons capable of destroying full-size battleships.

Before they could reach their target, one of the Imperial Guard was killed by a blast that cut him in half.

“We’ve lost Superguardian Titan,” his teammate Manta announced over the comm. “The fire’s too heavy to break through without significant losses. We await your orders.”

“Heavier losses than expected, Majestor,” Mentor said.

“Should we pull them back?” Oracle asked.

“No, Oracle, tell them to press forward,” Gladiator said. “Move the Lilandra betw—”

“Hold on, Gladiator,” Captain America said. “Anything, Carol?”

“They’re in!”

“Acknowledged,” he replied. Then to Gladiator, “Tell the guard to pull back just outside the kill zone. We’ll have that station down soon, one way or the other.”

* * *

WITH BLACK Widow in the lead they moved rapidly and quietly, the Widow leading, Shang-Chi a moment behind her. Manifold followed and kept his eyes alert. He had family on the Earth, and Australia had already surrendered to Thanos. He would see all of the aliens dead before he would allow his family to be hurt.

Ultimately it came down to a simple decision.

His family mattered more.

He kept telling himself that as they proceeded.

“We should be able to use any of the access panels on the command level,” Natasha said. “So, kiddo, what level is this?”

“I’m pretty sure Eden put us right where we need to be, Widow,” Shang-Chi answered. “But I—look out!”

A concussive explosion sent the Widow slamming into a wall.

* * *

“THEY’LL GET the job done—Natasha knows what’s at stake,” Captain America said. “All the pieces are on the board except us; we need to get out there.” He squared his shoulders and started toward the door. “Tell Hyperion to spin up the engines, Carol. We’re on our way down.” He paused and then said, “I’ll be right behind you.”

She nodded and then moved on. Steve Rogers looked back at the men standing in the command center. Gladiator, Ronan, Kl’rt, and Annihilus.

“You didn’t have to…” Words were failing him. “What I mean is, I want to thank you all for this.”

“Thank us when we’ve earned it, human.” Kl’rt smiled at him. It wasn’t an expression he’d ever seen before on the warlord. “What good is effort if we fail? Do best efforts soak up the blood and bury the fallen?”

Kl’rt spread his arms and gestured toward the battle being waged just outside. There were warriors from all of their races fighting together, against a single enemy. There had been times when none of them would have thought it possible.

“If beaten, who remembers the conquered, Captain America? Not I. So save your thanks until we stand over the broken bodies of our enemies. Save them until we’ve won.”

* * *

BLACK DWARF heard the voices outside his command center. They were spoken softly, but his hearing was sharp.

“We should be able to use any of the access panels on the command level.” The voice seemed to be female. “So, kiddo, what level is this?”

Whoever responded was male. “I’m pretty sure Eden put us right where we need to be, Widow.”

Moving quickly for his size, Black Dwarf threw open the command center’s door and saw three humans. A pale woman with red hair, a darker male with wild hair, and a male who looked directly at him as he moved into the hall.

“Look out!” the male said. Black Dwarf swatted the woman aside. She tried to dodge but was caught off guard. The blow sent her crashing into the wall.

He loomed over the remaining two and sneered. “As I expected… like thieves in the night. Like cowards afraid of your own shadows.” The female was already back on her feet. He was suitably impressed—he had not pulled his punch. Anyone slower would have been paste along the wall.

“You sneak in here to shame me once again,” he continued. His hatred for the humans was a growing thing. The loss of his honor was a cancer, and one he intended to cut out. “You’ll find the Black Dwarf hardier than that. More than enough for you to choke on.” With that, he launched himself against the intruders.

“Manifold!” the woman cried out. “Get back to the ship. Tell them we’re not going to get the field down in time.” As she spoke she fired four projectile rounds into the warriors standing closest to him, and they died on the spot. She then tested her firearm against Black Dwarf ’s hide, and he smiled as the bullets bounced back.

“Bring backup!”

The one with the wild mane of hair disappeared. Black Dwarf scowled and swung at her, but she dodged successfully.

“Bring your reinforcements! I will kill all of them, too!”

* * *

EDEN FESI reappeared where he had last seen Captain America. Instead of the leader of the Avengers, he stared at the commanders of four empires.

“Critical harm to the Benevolence. Pulling the carrier back.” That one was Ronan the Accuser. He spoke to the leader of the Shi’ar.

“Heavy losses on the right flank. I’m sending in three heavy frigates.” That was the Super-Skrull.

“Should have let me bring drones.” The nightmare with the vast demonic wings and the green head was Annihilus. He spoke and his voice sounded like the angry buzz of hornets. “They’re good for fighting. Good for dying. Good for blockades and for sacrifices.”

“Hold.” Gladiator spoke, and for a brief moment Manifold allowed himself to be stunned by them. They were legends, and he was just Eden Fesi. “The humans will succeed in bringing down the station. It’s their world they’re fighting for. They have to win.”

“No,” Eden said, and the commanders turned, suddenly aware of his presence. “Have they already left? They have, haven’t they?”

“They have.” Ronan stepped closer. “Why are you here, and not on the station?”

“Uhhh… little problem.” He bit back the part of his voice that wanted to laugh. It wasn’t humor, it was hysteria, and he knew the difference. “One of Thanos’ generals is there. We’re not going to be able to gain control of the Peak quickly enough. They’ll all get hammered going through the kill zone.

“What should we do?”

* * *

“WHY DO you keep standing, little one?” He stared at the male. The female was still up, as well, but she was wounded. He had hit her enough times to kill, but like the male she moved and brushed aside the worst of his attacks.

Black Dwarf did not duck or avoid blows. He thought he might have to examine their methods more carefully, later. For now he just wanted them dead.

“Does a tree fall from a slight breeze?” The insult was obvious. The male looked at him and shook away his apparent fatigue.

“You die well, human, but dead is dead, isn’t it?” Black Dwarf said. “Farewell.” He swept the mace around and positioned himself for the killing blow.

Sssshfamm!

Before he could bring the mace around he was knocked backward. Twin lines of fire burned into his chest. The pain was rare. Very little caused him harm. Even Thanos’ beating was the first exception in many months, but this was a line of fire through his torso that seemed to peel back the layers of his dense hide. He let out a scream as he fell, still clutching his weapon. Painfully he raised his head.

Behind the two humans stood five more shapes. The wild-haired human had returned and brought support. Worse, he recognized them. They were among the most feared warriors in the galaxy.

The Majestor’s eyes still burned. That was how Black Dwarf knew exactly who and what had hit him.

“Get your companions, human,” the Shi’ar said. “Do your job. We will handle this.”

Black Dwarf sneered, wiping blood from his mouth. “A Strontian prince. A Kree judge. A relic from a broken empire, and a dead thing from another time and place.” He had fought alongside Thanos and knew the difference between a threat and a group of failures. He stood up and grinned a feral grin. “This is all you have? This is your best? What gods have you offended to die in such poor company?”

He held his mace out in front of him, and energies crackled from all of its spikes. The Shi’ar came for him first and he blocked his opponent’s blow. The weapon was designed to shatter the hulls of ships. It would be more than enough to handle the likes of a Strontian.

Gladiator’s bare-fisted strike shattered the head of the mace. Disgusted, Black Dwarf hurled the shaft, sending it soaring across the room. It was only a weapon, he told himself. He was better off with his bare hands.

“The day is almost done, villain.” The Gladiator came for him again, and Black Dwarf hit him as hard as he could, sending him hurtling across the hallway. The Skrull caught his comrade before he could tear through the hull.

He also left himself open for a retaliatory strike.

“Villain?” With a backhand swipe he drove his fist into the Skrull’s head, and felt the flesh yield to the unexpected force of his attack. “Villain?” he roared as he lashed out again. Another creature would have lost its head, but the flesh was malleable even at its hardest, and no bones were broken.

The shape-changer started to rise, and he hit it again.

“You are imperials,” he growled, “enabling or even ruling hundreds—thousands—of worlds. And you speak as arbiters of… what? Justice?” He struck out at the insectoid from another dimension, Annihilus. “Fairness? Honor?” The creature struck back, and its hands were powerful indeed—but Black Dwarf was stronger. He smashed the creature backward and it squawked. Its wings fluttered as it tried to right itself, and he grabbed for it again.

“Good and evil?” he bellowed. The vile thing belched fire into his face. He was forced to let it go and close his eyes lest they be burned out of his head. Just the same he delivered a kick across its chest and sent it sprawling.

Abruptly he was staggered by a blow. The hand that hit him was rough and rocky, not at all like the hand of any of his enemies. The Skrull struck again. It was said that one of his race possessed the powers of several human heroes—this had to be him. The Skrull moved around him, wrapped him in pliable limbs, and pinned his arms. He pulled one arm free even as the Skrull’s hide burst into flame.

Damn the shape-changer…

He bit back the pain that stung him, and with his free hand he hit the Gladiator again. The blow was solid and the man fell to the ground. Black Dwarf smiled grimly and used the same hand to grip part of the burning arm that held him. It stretched and he pulled harder, trying to tear the limb away. The Skrull let out a cry of his own.

Black Dwarf would not die this day. He would kill the enemies of Thanos and redeem himself in his master’s eyes.

“Right and wrong?” he shouted into the faces of his opponents. Annihilus breathed fire down his back, and he grimaced. “What sort of person with real power speaks of such things? Who believes any of it?”

Then Ronan the Accuser was there. The Kree killer looked down upon him as Annihilus tried to destroy him from behind and the Skrull struggled to keep him pinned. Still he was winning— he knew he could kill all of them with ease, given enough time. Had he not already faced the wrath of Thanos?

“I do, Black Dwarf,” the Accuser replied. “I speak of such things, and I believe them. You have been judged.”

Ronan lifted his hammer up and brought it down with all of his considerable might. The weapon looked like a hammer, true, but legend claimed it also drew on the Power Cosmic—the very life force of the universe. When it struck, the hammer struck with the power to level buildings.

The Black Dwarf’s head shattered.

He was dying and he knew it. His neck had broken in the impact, too, and he could not move. But he could hear them as they spoke.

“That was more entertaining than I anticipated,” the Skrull said. “Now what?” The creature sounded shaken by the blows he’d been dealt, but Black Dwarf would have felt better about dying if he’d at least taken one of the bastards with him.

“We still have the pirate fleet to send running,” Gladiator replied. He, too, sounded worse for his injuries. “So that is what we will do—while the Avengers fight for the Earth and battle to vanquish the tyrant who holds their world.”

Black Dwarf wished he could be there. Wished he could help Thanos, and prove his worth. He died with that wish unfulfilled.