The conference hall of the Galactic Federation was a vast circular space.
Its center dipped slightly like the hollow of a cone, and at the very bottom sat the tables and chairs reserved for the Three Empires. Ringed around them were the other members of the Galactic Federation—some representatives of planetary civilizations, others leaders of large organizations.
Fury and Captain Marvel sat among them. Fury's wife was Skrull, but he didn't work for the Skrull Empire any longer—and Captain Marvel even less so. Carol had clashed with the Kree Empire decades ago. While 'irreconcilable' might be too strong a word, she certainly had no desire to fight for them again.
Fury instinctively started leading Banner toward his own seat, but then Banner was already striding with Bill toward the center of the hall. That's when it hit him—Banner was a member of the Guard, not someone who had to sit on the fringes like him.
Honestly, Nick Fury could only attend this meeting thanks to his wife and Carol. Otherwise, in a place like the Galactic Federation, he wouldn't even qualify as a spectator.
The man whose heart was darker than his face shook his head, unconcerned—but his gaze stayed fixed on Banner's back, a hint of worry creeping in.
"The Three Empires have been waiting a long time. The King of Sakaar still hasn't shown up. If they've been stood up, I doubt they'll take it lying down."
Any race cared about saving face.
Especially the Three Empires, cosmic civilizations whose reputations were known far and wide.
If they were all slighted and mocked by the Guard at the same time, no one would accept that. It could easily trigger a major conflict.
Even Fury couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat for the Guard.
Yes, the Guard had defeated Thanos—but the Three Empires were no pushovers either. Surviving for hundreds of thousands of years in the universe was proof enough of their advanced and powerful civilizations.
If they all turned on the Guard at once, even the Guard might struggle to withstand it.
Carol nodded in agreement.
She, too, watched Banner walk away—but her mind was elsewhere.
"Fury, is Mr. Parker highly ranked within the Guard?" Carol asked, puzzled, seeing Banner walking side by side with Bill—even half a step ahead.
"Seems he's a Security Officer for the Earth branch."
Nick Fury didn't find it strange.
The fact that Banner could attend the Galactic Council was proof enough of his high rank within the Guard.
By now, outsiders generally knew that the Guard had two tiers—Security Officers and ordinary Plumbers, with the latter having further subdivisions. But Security Officers clearly held a high position.
Bill and Kaela, who had appeared before the Galactic Federation, were both Security Officers.
"Security Officer, huh…"
Carol shook her head. Two Security Officers wouldn't be enough to command the room.
Especially since Banner had never appeared here before.
Both Carol and Fury felt that if the King of Sakaar wasn't showing up, Bill was probably the only one who could take charge.
The Korbanite—originally a Korban, now a Sakaaran Korbanite—had a fearsome face, a massive frame, and enough strength to back it up. He was the guardian of Sakaar's colossal warships, and here, he could at least hold his own in conversation.
That was the simple truth of the universe. Whoever had the bigger fist had the louder voice.
Unfortunately, Bill's fist wasn't big enough!
Before the leaders of the Three Empires, he still came up short.
As Bill and Banner approached, with the other unremarkable Plumbers standing by at a distance, Gladiator Kalrka's frown deepened.
The Skrull Queen and the Kree Emperor, Doker VIII, also looked displeased.
Defeating Thanos was one thing—but was this really the right attitude?
Were they planning to go to war with all Three Empires at once?
More than one person thought the same.
Kalrka struck first. He rose from his seat, towering frame turning to face Bill, eyes blazing with anger.
"Beta Ray Bill, why are you the one attending this council?"
His gaze was heavy as a mountain. Just the weight of it seemed to press down on you, making you want to bend the knee.
Kalrka saw only Bill—the comparatively smaller figure beside him, Banner, he completely ignored.
Probably just some aide, he thought. He didn't look imposing at all—why bother?
"Chancellor of the Shi'ar Empire, what do you mean by that?"
Bill felt the pressure emanating from Kalrka and stopped dead in his tracks. An equally formidable aura burst from his own body, making the red cape on his back ripple and snap in an unfelt wind.
Even before the leader of one of the Three Empires, Bill would not allow anyone to disrespect the King of Sakaar!
Suddenly, the entire Galactic Federation hall bristled with tension, as if war could break out at any moment.
Delegates from other planets trembled, drenched in sweat, heads bowed low, terrified of being dragged into the conflict and bringing ruin to their homes.
Doker VIII, of course, was unfazed. His personal combat ability was average, but the Kree Empire's technology was formidable—they feared no one. And now, they had a hidden ally.
He propped his feet up on the conference table, not even deigning to look at Bill, as if such a minor figure wasn't worth his attention. With a flippant air, he spoke: "It means you're not qualified to sit and negotiate with us, you Korbanite mongrel."
They had come specifically for the King of Sakaar, and even among Security Officers, ranks differed.
Doker VIII already knew that among the Security Officers who had appeared publicly, the one with the most influence was actually Kaela.
Not because she was more favored by Banner, but because she was the most reliable of the lot—someone who could actually manage an organization. The others were all a bit… flaky.
Bill, for instance, had an intelligence rating of only 2—barely average. He was no visionary. Brunhilde was a drunkard. Lumah was brilliant, but too lazy to bother with trivial matters. And Loki was a slacker who preferred to laze about and enjoy himself.
By contrast, only Kaela was both studious and dependable.
And Doker VIII's insult—calling Bill a mongrel—wasn't entirely baseless.
The Korbanites' homeworld had been destroyed. Before joining Sakaar, they did indeed wander the cosmos like stray dogs. Even now, in his eyes, they were merely strays taken in by Sakaar, serving as watchdogs!
Bill himself didn't care about the insult—but Banner frowned, irritated.
Insulting my people right in front of me?
You've got some nerve.
Want Ronan back?
Dream on!
"Kree locusts, your mouth really does stink," he sneered coldly, instantly enraging Doker VIII and Kalrka.
The Kree Emperor could no longer remain seated. He shot to his feet, glaring at Banner as if he wanted to swallow him alive!
In an instant, the entire hall fell dead silent.
Everyone stared at Banner in disbelief, stunned that he would dare utter such words.
"I knew it!"
Off in the distance, Nick Fury rubbed his face in exasperation, nearly pulling his own skin off.
Carol's eye twitched. "Is he always this bold?"
She knew that "locust" was a universal slur directed at blue-skinned races—roughly equivalent to dropping the N-word back on Earth. So it wasn't just Doker VIII who was furious—Kalrka, with his blue skin, was equally enraged.
Even though Banner had specifically called out "Kree locusts," among a sea of black folks, did it really matter which shade of black you were?
"He's always been like this…"
Fury sighed, recalling his own experiences with Banner's "racial discrimination" back on Primus, and let out a resigned sigh.
Of course, he knew Banner wasn't genuinely prejudiced—the kid took issue with the deed, not the person. He was only retaliating because Doker VIII had provoked him first.
"If a fight really breaks out, Carol…"
Carol nodded, clenching her fists, storing up energy—ready at any moment to swoop in and pull Banner out of the melee.
"You want to die, you beast?!" Doker VIII's body trembled with rage. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined being humiliated like this!
As a Kree, he was fiercely proud of his skin and bloodline. Someone like Banner, by comparison, would be nothing but low-class trash back in the Kree Empire!
Kalrka was also seething, though he didn't direct his fury at Banner. Instead, he snapped at Bill: "Control your subordinate, Beta Ray Bill! If he dares speak out of turn again, don't blame me for being rude!"
Clearly, Kalrka was showing some respect for Bill's strength and the fact that Banner's insults were aimed specifically at the Kree—so he didn't strike immediately, only issuing a warning.
But he'd gotten one thing wrong…
"My subordinate?" Bill's expression grew awkward.
When did the Security Officer General become my subordinate?
If Lumah ever caught wind of this, that woman would skin him alive and turn his hide into a rug in front of Banner's door.
He shuddered and quickly corrected: "This is the Security Officer General of the Guard, and the King of Sakaar you've all been waiting for!"
Kalrka: ???
Before anyone else could react, Bill glared at Doker VIII and snarled, "Emperor Doker VIII, insult me all you want—but if you dare disrespect the King of Sakaar, don't blame me for getting rough!"
"What—he's the King of Sakaar?" The Skrull Queen, who had been watching from the sidelines, was stunned.
Not just her—everyone looked baffled, half-suspecting Bill was spouting nonsense.
"This puny thing, you say he's the King of Sakaar?" Kalrka was skeptical. He even felt that with just a little effort, he could snap Banner's body like a twig.
"Enough with this nonsense!"
The leaders of the Three Empires were all convinced the Guard was mocking them, sending out some nobody.
But Banner didn't care. He smiled coldly and sat down in the vacant chair.
Outside the circle, delegates from other planets whispered among themselves, debating the truth of the matter.
"Fury, what's going on? Didn't you say he was a Security Officer from Earth branch?" Carol asked, puzzled.
"You're asking me? I'm asking who?" Fury was utterly lost.
Hold on, buddy?
Aren't you Peter Parker's brother, the kid from Midtown High?
When exactly did you become the number one on Sakaar?
The black egghead racked his brains but couldn't figure it out—how in the world had Banner Parker ended up as the founder of the Guard and the King of Sakaar?
But honestly, he didn't think the Guard would lie about this.
It was probably true.
Doker VIII and Kalrka didn't see it that way.
Everyone knew the King of Sakaar was the one who had defeated Thanos—a warrior of immense power. Even Kalrka wasn't confident he could take Thanos.
How could such a mighty warrior be this scrawny Banner Parker?
Doker VIII's eyes flashed with spite. He put on a cold, ingratiating smile toward Kalrka and the Skrull Queen, fanning the flames: "It seems the Guard truly holds the Three Empires in contempt, sending this—this creature to mock us…"
"You don't believe me?" Banner glanced at him, leaning back lazily. "Fine, then let Ronan rot in prison. No point wasting our food on him."
"You—!" Doker VIII's eyes shot open, his anger choking him speechless.
Honestly, he was the last person who should be antagonizing Sakaar—because of the Three Empires, only he had something to gain from them, namely Ronan's release.
But one man's life was hardly worth more than the Kree Empire's honor.
"We all know the King of Sakaar is the warrior who defeated Thanos. Are you saying you killed him?" Doker VIII shot back. "Someone like you—could you even defeat a single Chitauri grunt?"
Laughter rippled through the hall.
Banner certainly didn't look like a fighter. Unlike Captain Marvel, whose body radiated vast, detectable energy, to these aliens, he seemed genuinely weak.
Who would believe he had killed Thanos?!
The Three Empires only felt insulted.
"Envoys of Sakaar, you've gone too far," the Skrull Queen finally spoke after the laughter subsided. "If you'd never claimed the King of Sakaar would attend, that would be one thing. But to spread that news and then mock us—do you take the Three Empires for fools?"
Her tone was still fairly measured, but she ignored Banner entirely, addressing Bill instead.
Seeing the Skrulls join in, Doker VIII smirked to himself, quickly smoothing it over.
Bill was about to respond, but Banner raised a hand, telling him to stay silent. So Bill bowed his head and took half a step back—his obedience actually starting to make people wonder whether Banner really was the King of Sakaar.
Then Banner slowly rose.
He was fairly tall by Earth standards—but next to this motley crew of aliens, he was indeed short, barely cutting an imposing figure.
But his presence loomed large.
"You don't believe I'm the King of Sakaar because you think I lack the strength. So why not test it yourselves?"
Banner's gaze first fell on Doker VIII. The Kree Emperor was about to retort—but suddenly, as if gripped by the terror of death itself, he froze, not daring to move a muscle.
Then the Skrull Queen…
Banner was satisfied with their reactions. Today, he was here to establish his authority!
Finally, he turned to the most powerful warrior of the Three Empires—Kalrka.
"Or are you too scared?"
/-\
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