Marvel: What If Thanos Adopted A Saiyan?-Chapter 209 - 210: Ronan, Now an Orphan Twice Over
Kree Empire, Planet Hala, the Kree Homeworld.
The supreme leader of the Kree Empire, the cosmic artificial intelligence deity known across the galaxy as Supreme Intelligence, resided on Hala. As expected, the headquarters of the Supreme Accuser Tribunal, the elite governing echelon of the Kree Empire, was also established on this world.
Under the Supreme Intelligence’s directive, this elite body governed the vast reaches of the Kree Empire.
They were the true power behind this massive interstellar dominion.
Every Kree who earned a place within the Supreme Accuser Tribunal was one in a million, a genius molded by rigorous selection. The Tribunal’s harsh entry criteria ensured that its members remained few in number, preserving its exclusivity.
Which was precisely why, when a Supreme Accuser died, it was no small matter.
It was serious enough to warrant immediate high-level deliberation.
The last time such a meeting occurred, according to Kree chronology, was two years ago.
Two years prior, Hala received word that two Supreme Accusers, led by Robb, had perished. And just seven minutes ago, headquarters received another death transmission, sent moments before another member’s death.
"What happened?"
"Rocco... how did he die?!"
A Supreme Accuser, once a close ally of Rocco, stared at the report in disbelief.
The planet Xandar was, by all current intel, in a period of relative peace. So how had this happened out of nowhere?
...
Citizens of the Empire. If you’re seeing this message, I am already dead.
I fell to Lothar, the son of my father’s killer—Thanos.
I underestimated my enemy... and overestimated myself.
This battle... I lost.
...
This message, recorded in anticipation of death, featured a grave-faced Kree commander stationed at the Empire’s frontier, his brows locked in a frown heavy with regret.
His barely restrained thirst for vengeance had led to the ultimate price—his life. And with him, five entire battle legions had been lost to the void.
"Lothar... the son of Thanos..."
As Rocco’s voice faded and the screen went dark, silence fell over the vast war room, cold, deep, and funereal.
In every mind present, a single thought echoed in eerie unison:
Why is it him again?
The first time this name surfaced, they had lost two Supreme Accusers and their legions.
And now, the second time...
They had not only lost Rocco, a commander vital to frontier stability, but five elite legions alongside him.
These were not expendable troops. They were handpicked and armed through enormous investment. Yet Lothar had obliterated them like dry twigs beneath a storm, his overwhelming strength reducing Kree pride to mere stardust.
"Wait for word from the Supreme Intelligence."
The man seated at the head of the round table offered no emotion as he shut off the video. His figure vanished into thin air a moment later.
An upheaval of this scale would not, could not, go unanswered by the Supreme Intelligence.
Once is an incident. Twice... a pattern.
And this was no longer an issue Thanos could simply smooth over.
Whatever the origins of this chaos, one truth stood irrefutable: the Empire had suffered grievous losses.
The dignity of the Empire could not afford to feign ignorance any longer.
When the lice are many, the itching fades. When the debts pile high, you stop fearing creditors.
If it came to war, with the Skrulls, the Xandarians, and Thanos himself, so be it.
For the Kree Empire, now a galactic superpower, such a triple-front war was not unthinkable.
After all, neither the Skrulls nor the Xandarians had anyone to rival Thanos’ might. Even within the Black Quadrant, the only being the Kree considered a real threat was Thanos himself.
That was part of the reason the Kree had tolerated Lothar’s first slaughter of Tribunal members, they still viewed him as a child.
Vengeance can wait.
No need to shed blood needlessly.
To quote Thanos:
"Lothar is still young. He doesn’t understand the weight of his actions."
But now... the "young" Lothar had again trampled their honor.
And this time, no one could abide it.
What do you do when a misbehaving child acts out again?
You beat him.
But Cross, a Supreme Accuser, didn’t merely want to teach Lothar a lesson.
He wanted him dead.
Because Rocco wasn’t just a colleague.
He was a lifelong friend.
"Lothar..."
Dressed in formal attire, the middle-aged cross stood silently by the floor-length windows of the war room, gazing down at the glowing cityscapes of Hala.
Lost in thought, he hesitated.
Should he tell Gina that Rocco was dead?
It would break her.
And Rocco’s newborn son...
Sigh...
The long exhale echoed through the room.
Cross had made up his mind. He would tell Rocco’s family the truth.
Poor Rocco’s household... Not long ago, they had buried Robb, the patriarch. And now Rocco, their pillar of strength, had joined him in death.
...
"What... what did you just say?"
"Rocco... he...?"
Back at Rocco’s home.
Just as Cross expected, Gina froze mid-play, cradling her infant. The joy drained from her face as the weight of the words sank in.
"Aahhh... yaa yaa!"
The child giggled, gripping his mother’s finger, oblivious to the storm around him.
Laughing. Innocent.
"Who was it?" Gina asked, her voice trembling with grief and fury.
"Still him," Cross replied softly.
"Lothar, the son of Thanos."
With a sigh, Kross stepped forward and gently lifted the baby from her arms.
This was the last living bloodline of his fallen friend.
"Have you chosen a name yet?" he asked.
"Ronan," she answered firmly, raising her chin despite the tears brimming in her eyes.
"You’re really going with Ronan?" Cross smiled sadly as he stroked the boy’s cheek. The baby opened wide and bit down, playfully, on his right index finger.
"Once he grows up a bit, I’ll train him myself," Cross said, eyes narrowing with quiet resolve.
"If his potential meets my expectations, I’ll tell him everything."
"But if he doesn’t..."
Cross left the sentence unfinished, but Gina understood.
"I understand."
"If he lacks the strength to face Lothar, then he has no need for the truth."
"Yaa-yaa!"
Little Ronan reached toward his mother, asking to be held again, unaware of the burden already placed on his tiny shoulders.
"Good," Cross nodded. He handed Ronan back to Gina and turned to leave.
"If nothing unexpected happens," he said, pausing at the doorway,
"The conflict between the Empire and Xandar should begin de-escalating soon."
"If Ronan one day asks how his father and grandfather died... tell him it was Xandar."
"Let him hate them instead."
After all, Xandar was an enemy that could still be defeated.
But the son of Thanos...
"Yaa... yaa..."
Little Ronan curled his fists and blinked his wide eyes, staring curiously at the uncle fading into shadow.
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