Chapter 41: Ben Gets Scouted, The "Blind" Galactic Volunteers
"Galactic Enforcers! Move out!"
Three figures suddenly materialized in a flash of light, striking a pose that was simultaneously heroic and comically overwrought. To them, it was the peak of dynamic entry; to everyone else, it looked painfully awkward.
The leader, a caped alien in a suit reminiscent of Superman, puffed out his chest. "By the public authority vested in me by the Galactic Enforcers' Code, I command you to surr—" He paused, his booming voice trailing off as he finally took in the scene. "Hmm? Where did they go?"
He turned to gesture dramatically at the massive crater where Sunder and Kraab had been moments before, only to find it empty. The two villains had seized the opportunity, using the Enforcers' grandstanding entrance as the perfect cover for their escape.
The Galactic Enforcers froze, the realization dawning on them that their arrival had inadvertently let the culprits slip away.
"They ran away," Gwen stated flatly, her deadpan delivery twisting the knife of their embarrassment.
The leader coughed, his bravado deflating. "Ahem. Greetings, everyone. I am Ultimos, and these are my partners, Synaptak and Tini."
Ultimos swiftly changed the subject, turning his attention to the group of Earthlings. Grandpa Max stepped forward, ready to speak, but the alien leader clearly had little interest in what he perceived as an "ordinary civilian." His gaze swept past Max and Gwen, landing squarely on Lodestar.
However, Lodestar offered him no courtesy, ignoring him completely.
While Ultimos was left stewing in awkward silence, Tini, a lithe, four-armed female alien, had a different approach. She sauntered directly over to Four Arms, casually draping one of her arms over his massive shoulder.
"How did a strong man like you end up on such a remote planet?" she purred, her voice smooth and suggestive. "I saw your fight just now. You're really mighty! Don't you think we'd make a good match?" She finished with a playful wink.
Four Arms stiffened, his four eyes blinking rapidly. He shifted his immense weight, a cold sweat breaking out on his crimson skin. Just as he was fumbling for a response, a sound he normally dreaded—the beeping of the Omnitrix—filled the air. 'Awesome!'Ben thought, a wave of relief washing over him.'That sound just saved me!'
A flash of red light enveloped him, and the towering Tetramand shrank back down into the familiar form of Ben Tennyson.
"Hey! How did you get smaller!" Tini exclaimed, looking down at him in surprise.
"Uh," Ben stammered, backing away slowly. Tini's enthusiasm was a little too much for him. "I'm just an ordinary Earth kid. It's just that, you know, sometimes I grow two extra arms or something."
"So it's true," Synaptak, the floating, brain-like alien, mused, his gaze analytical. "The legendary Omnitrix really did fall into the hands of a child. I'd heard your mental capacity wasn't... optimal." He trailed off, seeing the displeased look on Ben's face. "No offense," he added quickly.
Watching this unfold, an idea sparked in Klein's mind. With a flicker of deep blue light, Lodestar's metallic form dissolved, revealing Klein standing in his place.
The three Galactic Enforcers stared, their jaws collectively dropping. Klein found their shocked expressions immensely amusing.
Ben, however, paid little mind to Synaptak's backhanded comment. His eyes were wide with excitement. "Uniforms, superpowers... you guys are so cool! I can finally have superhero friends to chat with!" In Ben's mind, Klein was a hero, sure, but not the kind you read about in comic books; these guys were the real deal.
Sensing the shift in attention, Ultimos saw a chance to recover from his earlier embarrassment. Seeing Ben's friendly demeanor, he puffed out his chest once more. "I am now formally requesting permission for airspace entry into your planet."
'It seems that in the eyes of the Galactic Enforcers, any random kid can represent an entire planet,' Klein complained internally, rolling his eyes.
"Uh, okay," Ben replied, not quite grasping the formal jargon.
"Regarding the fugitives, Sunder and Kraab, we must hold a meeting to discuss the matter," Ultimos announced to Klein and the others.
He then tapped a shield-shaped emblem on his belt. Instantly, circles of blue light materialized under everyone's feet. The light intensified, enveloping them in shimmering cocoons before shooting them straight into the sky.
...
In the silent void of outer space, a colossal, silver-white battleship hovered above the Earth.
With a gentle hum, the group materialized inside the vessel's command center.
"Cool!" Ben yelled, his head whipping around as he took in the sleek, futuristic interior. Klein and Gwen were also looking around with keen interest, impressed by the advanced technology.
Grandpa Max, however, remained perfectly composed. He'd piloted more alien spacecraft than everyone else here had ever seen combined.
"Uh, what are your names?" Ultimos asked, realizing with a fresh wave of awkwardness that he still hadn't properly introduced himself to this group of powerful individuals.
"My name is Ben Tennyson!" Ben answered eagerly.
Klein shot his cousin a speechless look. 'Some stranger of unknown origin says he's a hero, and that's all it takes? My dweeb cousin is going to get himself sold off one of these days.'
"I've never heard of the Galactic Enforcers," Klein stated coolly, his tone laced with skepticism. "I've only heard of the Plumbers."
Ultimos noted Klein's lingering unfriendliness. The kid was clearly annoyed that he and his team had ignored his grandfather and cousin earlier. What Klein didn't realize was that it wasn't malice; the three Enforcers were just so rigidly bound by their code that they often lacked basic social graces. Still, Ultimos decided not to push the issue and simply invited Klein to attend the meeting.
As Grandpa Max and Gwen moved to follow, Ultimos held up a hand, stopping them. "According to Article Thirty-Something, Section Whatever of the Galactic Enforcers' Code, ordinary civilians without superpowers are not permitted to participate in the meeting."
Gwen's expression soured instantly. Without a word, a brilliant pink aura flared to life around her, and she transformed into her glowing Anodite form, her hair flowing like pure energy.
Ultimos flinched. "...Alright, you can go in." He gestured for Gwen to pass, but his arm shot out again to block Grandpa Max. "But you still can't."
Seeing this, Klein stepped forward. "Max Tennyson," he said, his voice calm but firm. "Have you heard of him?"
"Of course," Ultimos replied automatically. "The legendary Plumber's reputation has spread throughout the universe... You mean!" His voice hitched as the realization struck him. He stared at the unassuming old man in the Hawaiian shirt, his eyes wide with shock.
Klein simply nodded. "That's right. He is."
"Magister Max Tennyson! I've heard so much about you!"
The sudden, one-hundred-and-eighty-degree shift in Ultimos's attitude, from dismissive to deeply respectful, made Grandpa Max a little uncomfortable, but he still offered a polite nod in return.
With the matter of credentials settled, everyone finally entered the conference room.
Inside, Ultimos began a detailed briefing on Sunder and Kraab, using a holographic projector to display their profiles. Everyone listened intently—everyone except Klein, who was already lost in thought, completely uninterested in the backstory.
His attention snapped back when Ultimos brought up the villains' objective: Sunder had stolen a substance called Element X and had come to Earth in search of Baisinion Alloy to create a bomb of immense destructive power.
Gwen leaned forward, studying the holographic projection of the alloy's elemental structure. "This... looks a bit familiar."
Hearing the word "familiar," Klein glanced at the screen. He studied the complex diagram for a moment before deadpanning, "Isn't this stuff just iron?"
He found it amusing how aliens gave such grandiose names to common materials. The others, however, were focused on a different aspect of his comment; they had a clue.
Ultimos tapped twice on the control panel. On the main viewscreen, they saw the huge silver-white battleship launch a fleet of drone-sized detectors toward the planet's surface.
"If the detectors find anything, they will notify us immediately," Ultimos explained.
He had barely finished his sentence when an alert chimed through the room. The detectors had already found something.
'Their technology really is impressive,'Klein mused, though he didn't bother looking at the data streaming in from the detectors.'After all, if I knew everything beforehand, where would the fun be?'
[Akarin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/AkarinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/AkarinTL
🔗 All My Links: linktr[.]ee/AkarinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]