Operation: Galatic Storm Part 12 - Assassination

This story continues from Wonder Man (vol. 2) #8…

Unaware that their every move is being tracked by the Supreme Intelligence, a group of Avengers — Captain America, the Black Knight, Hercules, Sersi, and Crystal — make their way to the Capital Citidel of the Kree Empire on the alien world of Hala. They hope to petition the Kree government to stop using the star gate between Earth’s solar system in their war with the Shi’ar as it threatens to destabilize the sun. Captain America is concerned about how things are going, particularly since Iron Man and Goliath have separated from the group on a mission of their own.[1]

Having just given Kroath the Pursuer the slip, Sersi uses her powers of levitation to carry the rest of the group across the city.[2][3]

Inside the Sacred Hall stands the current Kree rulers: Ael-Dan and Dar-Benn.[4] They are presiding over Ronan the Accuser to learn how he failed to prevent the heroes from Earth from escaping their custody. Ronan grovels at the feet of his masters, little suspecting that the Avengers were allowed to escape thanks to the secret intervention of the Supreme Intelligence.

Meanwhile, a Kree smuggler named K’Qill Vor Don smuggles Deathbird onto the planet Hala. Once she has set foot on Hala, she murders K’Qill and retreats into the shadow to carry out her mission to assassinate the rulers of the Kree Empire.

With all the pieces coming together, the Supreme Intelligence summons his Starforce, a group consisting of superpowered Kree that includes Doctor Minerva, Shatterax, Supremor, Captain Atlas, Korath the Pursuer, and Ultimus. The Intelligence commends Minerva and Atlas for their escape from Shi’ar captivity. However, Captain Atlas blames himself for allowing the Omni-Wave Projector to fall into enemy hands. This leads to some bickering with Shatterax who boasts how Atlas only escaped Shi’ar custody thanks to his intervention.[5] Supremor gets his minions in line and tells them that the Avengers have come to Hala to assassinate Ael-Dan and Dar-Benn and orders Starforce to protect them at all costs. Unaware that the Supreme Intelligence has alterior motives, they all agree to do as he commands.

By the time Starforce reaches the Avengers and start engaging them, they are right outside the palace walls. Each Kree pairs off against their relative equal within the Avengers with Ultiumus attacking Hercules,[6] Captain Atlas and Doctor Minerva fighting Captain America,[7] while Shatterax faces off against Crystal, and Supremor against Sersi. During the fight, the Black Knight suggests setting his neural sword to its kill setting, but this idea is vetoed by Captain America, as that is not the Avengers way.

Inside, the guards inform Ael-Dan and Dar-Benn that the Avengers are fighting Starforce outside and they decide to witness the battle themselves. Little do they know that Deathbird has managed to sneak inside the palace and is waiting for the right opportunity to strike. When the two Kree Emperors go outside, their appearance prompts Starforce to cease fighting. The two rulers demand an explanation. Although they are pleased to hear Starforce had come to prevent their assassination at the hands of the Avengers, they don’t fully trust the group as one of their members — Supremor — has patterned his appearance after the Supreme Intelligence. Starforce and the Avengers are both sealed in a forcefield as Ael-Dan and Dar-Benn have decreed that they are all to be executed.

However, before they can all act, Deathbird leaps from above and slaughters both Kree rulers and flees the scene. Moments later, the Supreme Intelligence’s face appears on all of the screens across Hala. He frees Starforce and the Avengers and then announces to the Kree people that he is resuming control of the empire following the assassination of the former rulers, using this position to pivot the Kree people into fully supporting the destruction of the Shi’ar Empire. The Avengers are shocked by how quickly the Supreme Intelligence seized control of things. What nobody knows is that this coup was all part of a larger scheme that will see the destruction of the empire itself.[8]

…This story continues in Iron Man #279.

Recurring Characters

Avengers (Black Knight, Captain America, Crystal, Hercules, Sersi), Supreme Intelligence, Deathbird, Starforce (Captain Atlas, Supremor, Doctor Minerva, Ultimus, Shatterax, Korath the Pursuer), Ronan the Accuser

Continuity Notes

1. Here, Captain America refers to Goliath specifically as Hawkeye. This is probably because Hawkeye just switched back to his Goliath identity last issue and Cap’s still getting used to the change. Hawkeye previously held the Goliath identity from Avengers #63 to 98.

2. Here, the Supreme Intelligence finds it easier to probe Crystal’s mind and wonders if it has to do with the Kree’s involvement with the creation of the Inhumans. As detailed in Thor #146-147, the Kree were directly involved in genetically engineering the Inhumans.

3. This team of Avengers fought Korath the Pursuer in Captain America #399.

4. Prior this story, the Supreme Intelligence lost its position as ruler of the Kree Empire after getting its brains scrambled by one of the Soul Gems back in Silver Surfer (vol. 3) #8. Since then, a number of successors had taken over the throne in that time. The Intelligence was revealed to have regained its mind in Captain America #399.

5. The Shi’ar are attempting to build a Nega-Bomb using stolen pieces of Kree technology. They succeded in stealing the Psyche-Magnatron (Avengers West Coast #80), Captain Marvel’s Nega-Bands (Wonder Man (vol. 2) #7). Possession of the Nega-Bands allows for the creation of an Omni-Wave Projector, as detailed in Avengers #89-97.

6. Ultimus mentions here that he just recently recovered his lost memories of his Kree heritage. Ultimus was stranded on Earth in stasis for centuries, only recently being revived on Earth a few times as the Demon Druid in Thor #209 and Excalibur #20. He ultimately recovered his memories thanks to the Supreme Intelligence in Wonder Man (vol. 2) #7.

7. Captain America is surprised to see Captain Atlas as he believed he was still a prisoner on Earth. Atlas was made a prisoner of the Avengers in Wonder Man (vol. 2) #7. He was later captured by the Shi’ar Imperial Guard in Avengers West Coast #81, but ultimately freed by Quasar in Quasar #33.

8. As we’ll learn next issue, the Supreme Intelligence is stoking the flames of war in order to force the Shi’ar to unleash the Nega-Bomb on the Kree Empire. Although this will claim many lives, it will also jump-start the Kree’s stagnant evolution.

Operation: Galactic Storm Reading Order

Captain America #398, Avengers West Coast #80, Quasar #32, Wonder Man (vol. 2) #7, Avengers #345, Iron Man #278, Thor #445, Captain America #399, Avengers West Coast #81, Quasar #33, Wonder Man (vol. 2) #8, Avengers #346, Iron Man #279, Thor #446, Captain America #400, Avengers West Coast #82, Quasar #34, Wonder Man (vol. 2) #9, Avengers #347, Captain America #401, Quasar #35