Marvel: Empire of Power-Chapter 105: First Contact, a Fiery Prelude, and the Gauntlet Thrown

The ninety-day countdown to the Kree scout fleet's arrival in Earth's vicinity passed in a blur of frenetic, clandestine preparation for Elias Thorne and his global network. While the overt world remained oblivious, locked in its Cold War anxieties and regional conflicts, Elias orchestrated a planetary defense initiative that dwarfed anything previously conceived, drawing on every resource, every empowered asset, every scrap of System knowledge he possessed.

Blackwood Skunkworks & Project Starshield: O'Malley and Dr. Finch, working in tandem with Elias's direct System input, transformed Blackwood Skunkworks into a veritable arsenal of anachronistic defensive technology. They prioritized:

Global Sensor Network: Leveraging Elias's existing communication satellites (ostensibly for Blackwood Conglomerated's global operations, but secretly equipped with System-enhanced sensors), augmented by Namor's deep-sea hydro-acoustic relays and even Finch's esoteric "necrotic resonance detectors" (which could pick up unusual life-form signatures or dimensional disturbances), they created a rudimentary early warning system for Kree approaches.Element X Power Cores: Finch's research into stabilizing Element X accelerated exponentially. They managed to create compact, incredibly potent Element X power cores, capable of fueling advanced weaponry and shielding – though the risk of radioactive contamination from damaged cores was a constant concern.Orbital Defense Platforms (Prototype): Elias authorized the covert construction of three small, heavily shielded, unmanned orbital platforms, disguised as defunct weather satellites. Each was armed with a single, powerful, Element X-powered directed energy cannon (based on a fusion of Kree salvage, Hydra research, and System blueprints) capable of delivering a significant blow to an unshielded Kree scout ship. They were a desperate, last-ditch defense, their range and firing rate limited.Personal Energy Shields & Weaponry: O'Malley's team began equipping Elias's True Legionnaires and even key non-empowered Thorne's Guard units with personal energy shields derived from refined Legionnaire [Directed Energy Deflection] principles, and compact, high-yield plasma carbines powered by miniature Element X cells. Logan and Miller received adamantium-laced armor upgrades and specialized anti-energy field grenades.

Prime Conduit Mobilization:

Logan (Wolverine) & Miller Argent (Legionnaire Quintus): Were stationed aboard the Sea Serpent (now refitted with advanced sensors, O'Malley's prototype cloaking tech, and several Element X plasma cannons, making it a formidable, if unconventional, warship) in the North Pacific, a likely Kree approach vector. Their mission: act as a rapid-response interception force if any Kree landers or smaller ships breached the outer defenses.Namor, the Sub-Mariner: Assumed command of Earth's oceanic defenses, his Atlantean Royal Guard now equipped with Thorne-supplied sonic disruptors and energy lances effective against Kree submersibles (intel suggested the Kree utilized aquatic drones). He patrolled the deepest trenches, his hydrokinetic senses scanning for any signs of submerged Kree activity. His loyalty was now a formidable [82% (Planetary Defender – Shared Existential Threat Supersedes All Other Concerns; Host as Earth's Unexpected Champion)]. The [Oceanic Mastery (Apex)] was now fully unlocked for Elias, granting him a profound, almost symbiotic connection to Earth's oceans, allowing him to sense disturbances and even subtly influence currents and marine life across global distances.Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel): Anya's subtle manipulation within S.H.I.E.L.D. had borne strange fruit. Danvers, fueled by the Kree data "leaked" by "Miss Sharma" and her growing distrust of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attempts to control her, had staged a dramatic, unsanctioned "departure" from Project Pegasus. She hadn't defected to Elias directly (her independent streak was too strong), but she was now operating as a powerful, unpredictable wildcard, aware of an impending Kree threat (which S.H.I.E.L.D. was still desperately trying to suppress and understand) and determined to uncover her own past. Elias, through Anya, maintained a fragile, deniable line of communication, subtly feeding her intel that guided her towards Kree scout activities, hoping to use her immense power as an independent deterrent. Her status was [PRIME CONDUIT (DANVERS) – ROGUE (HIGHLY UNSTABLE). ALLIANCE POTENTIAL: LOW BUT SIGNIFICANT IF KREE THREAT IS CONFIRMED BY HER INDEPENDENTLY.]James "Bucky" Barnes ("Wraith"): His "Project White Wolf" deprogramming had reached a critical juncture. The Winter Soldier's core programming was shattered, his memories as Bucky Barnes largely restored, though an ocean of guilt and trauma remained. His loyalty to Elias was a complex [85% (Liberator/Anchor – Host Offers Redemption/Purpose; Lingering Psychic Scars Require Constant System Stabilization)]. Elias deemed him ready for his first true field test: Barnes would work alongside Anya in Washington and Geneva, using his infiltration and espionage skills to monitor S.H.I.E.L.D., Soviet, and other terrestrial responses to the Kree crisis, ensuring no Earthly power tried to exploit the situation for their own narrow gain against Elias's interests.

The Legion's Vigil: Elias's eight [True Legionnaires (Tier 3 Prime)], led by Marcus Primus, were his ultimate terrestrial defense. They were strategically deployed to key global locations – Blackwood Conglomerated research facilities, major communication hubs, and Elias's most secure command bunkers – ready for rapid deployment to any Kree landing site or terrestrial conflict arising from the alien incursion. Their loyalty was [100% (PRAETORIAN ALPHA – Unbreakable)]. Thomas MacIntyre, his Barbarian core now augmented with advanced tactical command interfaces designed by O'Malley, coordinated their global readiness from Elias's Montreal Sanctum.

Then, the day came. Finch, his Arch-Necromancer senses now so attuned to cosmic disturbances that he could almost "smell" the Kree ships rending the fabric of spacetime, gave the alert from his Montreal observatory. "They are here, Mr. Thorne. Not a scout fleet. A vanguard. Three Kree light cruisers and a dozen escort frigates. Entering lunar orbit. Masking their approach vector towards... North America."

The System flared: [KREE VANGUARD FLEET DETECTED. ORBITAL INSERTION COMPLETE. PRIMARY TARGET VECTOR: NORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT (SPECIFIC TARGET UNCONFIRMED – LIKELY MAJOR POPULATION/TECHNOLOGICAL CENTERS OR PROJECT PEGASUS SITE). OBJECTIVE: PROBE DEFENSES, ESTABLISH BRIDGEHEAD, SECURE KREE ASSETS/TECHNOLOGY.]

Elias Thorne felt a cold, familiar certainty settle within him. This was it. First contact. And it was unequivocally hostile.

"All assets to full alert," Elias broadcast across his global, encrypted network. "Project Starshield online. Orbital platforms, acquire targets. Adamantium Guard, scramble to designated fallbacks. Namor, monitor oceanic approaches. Logan, Miller, prepare for deep space salvage or orbital defense if they deploy drop pods. Anya, Wraith, monitor S.H.I.E.L.D. and Soviet responses – ensure they do not interfere or exacerbate. Finch, coordinate global sensor data. O'Malley, stand by for emergency tech deployment."

His voice, calm and resonant, was the eye of a gathering storm.

The Kree didn't waste time with niceties. Two of their frigates detached, descending rapidly through the atmosphere, their energy shields flaring as they hit atmospheric resistance. Their targets: Washington D.C. and, chillingly, Elias's primary Montreal command compound – clearly, their intelligence was better than anticipated, or they were simply targeting major power signatures.

"They know where some of us are," Thomas MacIntyre growled from the Montreal Sanctum's command deck.

"Or they're simply eliminating perceived threats," Elias countered, his mind racing. "Orbital Platforms Alpha and Beta – engage Kree frigates entering atmosphere. Target primary drive systems. Full power."

High above Earth, two of Elias's hidden orbital cannons, powered by their unstable Element X cores, swiveled and fired. Twin beams of incandescent energy lanced through space, striking the descending Kree frigates. One frigate's shields flared and buckled, its engine nacelle exploding in a shower of alien metal before it tumbled out of control, burning up in a spectacular display over the Atlantic. The second frigate, though damaged and veering off course from its Washington D.C. target, managed to stabilize, its shields holding but significantly weakened. It was heading inland, towards the Appalachian mountain range.

[KREE FRIGATE "STALWART SPEAR" – NEUTRALIZED BY ORBITAL PLATFORM ALPHA. KREE FRIGATE "RESOLUTE HAMMER" – DAMAGED, OFF COURSE, SHIELDS AT 35%.]

Elias allowed himself a grim smile. First blood to Earth.

But the Kree light cruisers in orbit responded instantly. They fired a volley of plasma torpedoes at the now-exposed orbital platforms. Alpha platform was vaporized. Beta platform, though damaged, managed to fire one more desperate shot, grazing a light cruiser's shield generator before it too was annihilated.

[ORBITAL PLATFORMS ALPHA/BETA – DESTROYED. ORBITAL PLATFORM GAMMA (RESERVE) – STILL CLOAKED/OPERATIONAL. KREE LIGHT CRUISER "VENGEFUL SUN" – SHIELDS AT 80%.]

The cost was high, but he had proven Earth could fight back, even in space. Now, the battle would come to the ground. The damaged Kree frigate "Resolute Hammer" was limping towards a crash landing in the remote wilderness of the Adirondack Mountains, not far from Xavier's school, but also dangerously close to several populated areas. The remaining Kree forces in orbit were clearly preparing for a more concerted, planetary assault.

And then Anya Petrova's urgent voice crackled through Elias's private comm. "Mr. Thorne! Project Pegasus is under direct Kree assault! A cloaked Kree dropship bypassed orbital defenses! Carol Danvers... Captain Marvel... she's engaged them! The energy readings are... off the scale! She's... she's fighting a Kree Accuser!"

Elias's blood ran cold. An Accuser. One of the Kree Empire's elite, genetically engineered, judiciary super-soldiers, wielding a Universal Weapon. Danvers was powerful, but against an Accuser?

The real war had just begun. A Kree Accuser on Earth. Captain Marvel in her first true cosmic battle. And a damaged Kree frigate about to crash-land, its desperate, dangerous crew ready to unleash unknown alien horrors upon an unsuspecting world. Elias Thorne's carefully laid plans were already being tested by the fiery prelude of a galactic invasion. His response would determine Earth's fate.