He pointed to the damage on the cabin wall and the sparking thrusters: "Please grant us a little more time. I swear, we will never cause any more trouble for Midgard and Asgard."
She remained silent for a few seconds. During those seconds, all the Skrulls in the cabin held their breath, waiting for the verdict.
Finally, Mavuika nodded.
"Thank you for your forgiveness, Your Highness!" Talos felt as if he had been granted a great amnesty and bowed deeply again.
The other Skrulls also bowed one after another, then quickly dispersed to begin the emergency repairs.
Just then, Carol walked over. She had deactivated her energy state, and her eyes returned to their normal blue, but her entire aura had become completely different.
More confident, more steady, with a kind of clarity that comes from being tempered by fire.
The two women looked at each other. One had long golden-red hair, amber eyes, and a faint glow of the Eternal Flame surrounding her; the other had blonde hair and blue eyes, with Photonic Energy flowing through her body and golden veins beneath her skin that hadn't fully faded.
"A very powerful force," Mavuika spoke first, her eyes filled with sincere admiration.
"It seems you have broken your shackles."
Carol shook her head: "I should be the one saying that. Just now, while I was fighting, I sensed... an energy eruption from the direction of the Moon. That scale, that intensity..."
Even with her power now fully unleashed, Carol still felt that Mavuika was unfathomable.
If she was a newly erupted Supernova, hot and dazzling, then Mavuika was a Star that had been Burning for billions of years—stable, majestic, and containing nearly infinite energy.
"Since the Asgard of myth truly exists, and you possess such great power as the legends say..." Carol asked suddenly, her tone carrying a hint of questioning.
"Why don't you choose to protect more beings in need? Like the Skrulls, like the countless weak civilizations in the Universe being bullied. With your ability, you could totally..."
"The Universe is very vast, Carol," Mavuika interrupted her, her voice calm, not displeased by the questioning.
"There are countless inhabited Planets, and suffering is everywhere. Although Asgard is powerful, it is impossible to look after every life in the Universe, let alone intervene in the conflicts of every civilization."
She paused, looking out at the vast starry sky through the porthole, her tone carrying a bit more depth.
"And, have you considered a question? Would a unilateral intervention from Asgard be called help, or would it be seen as another form of conquest?"
Carol was stunned.
Mavuika continued: "If we intervene in the fate of a civilization just because they are 'weak,' driving away their enemies and deciding their future for them... then what is the fundamental difference between that and the Kree Empire using force to compel others to obey? Is it just that the methods are gentler and the motives 'kinder'?"
"But the Skrulls are being hunted! They need help!" Carol retorted.
"So they came to the Nine Realms, and I gave them time to repair their ship and leave safely," Mavuika said.
"I didn't hand them over to the Kree, nor did I punish them for trespassing."
Her gaze turned to the Skrulls busy with repairs: "If they requested formal political asylum and were willing to accept the conditions of becoming an Asgardian vassal, that would be another matter. But they haven't. They just want to find a home of their own. So, I am allowing them to fix their ship and then leave to find that home in the Universe."
Carol fell silent. She had to admit that Mavuika had a point.
Where is the boundary of help? When does aid become interference? When does protection become control? The complexity of these questions was far more than just 'owning power means you should help the weak.'
"Sorry..." she finally said, her tone softening. "I was thinking too simply."
Mavuika smiled, her smile softening slightly: "It's alright. You have just awakened your power and have good intentions; there is nothing wrong with that."
"I've decided. Once the Skrulls' ship is repaired, I will leave Earth with them and head into the Universe." Carol looked at Mavuika, her tone firm and her eyes shining with light.
"The Kree Empire lied to me and manipulated me. The score between us isn't settled yet. Besides, I spent six years in the Kree Empire; I'm more familiar with the Universe outside the Nine Realms than you all are. There are many others in the Universe like the Skrulls who need help, and many wars that need to be stopped."
She also looked toward the starry sky, her eyes flashing with determination.
"Since Earth has a Guardian like Asgard, other places in the Universe will need me more. I want to do my best to make the Universe have fewer wars and more justice. It might sound naive, but... someone has to do it."
Mavuika watched this young Earth woman quietly. In Carol, she saw something familiar.
Just then, the airlock of the cabin slid open again, and Nick Fury walked in carrying that Orange Cat.
He was wearing the standard S.H.I.E.L.D. combat suit but no helmet. He scanned the room, his eyes finally landing on Mavuika. A familiar smile appeared on his face, though it seemed somewhat out of place in the current environment.
"Hi, we meet again, Miss Mavuika," Fury spoke, his voice as relaxed as if he had run into an acquaintance on the streets of New York.
"Our last meeting was too rushed; I didn't even have time to introduce myself."
He adjusted his hold on the cat. The Omnivore Beast named Goose yawned lazily in his arms, revealing a mouth full of what looked like ordinary cat teeth.
"I am Agent Nick Fury of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division," Fury continued, saying the name long and in full, as if reciting some ritual incantation.
"May I have the honor of buying you a cup of tea? I know a place nearby... well, maybe there aren't any tea houses nearby, but we should have instant coffee on our ship."
"Seriously..." Mavuika began, her voice tinged with clear teasing: "The name of your agency is really too long. I've told Howard several times as well. Haven't you thought about changing it to something simpler?"
Fury immediately nodded in agreement, his expression sincere: "Miss Mavuika is right! I've felt the same way for a long time! Every time I fill out a report, writing the full name takes an extra few minutes. When I get back this time, I will definitely make a strong suggestion to the Officer!"
He paused, then brought the topic back: "So, about the tea..."
Mavuika shook her head, her smile gentle but her attitude clear: "Thank you for the invitation, Agent Fury, but no thank you. I know what you want to ask—about Asgard, about the Nine Realms."
Her gaze was extremely piercing, as if she could see directly into Fury's internal calculations and schemes: "Since you already know my identity, there's a simpler way: just go and look up the myths."}],