“And so then we shipped the whole lot off to Venus. Most of the enslaved aliens were repatriated to their homeworlds, or allowed to remain as they wished. Most of the Sakaarans were seconded to the Korliguan colony, who they resemble greatly, and are similar enough to interbreed with.

“It turns out the Oldstrong power of the Shadow people is a form of refined cosmic power derived from the remnants of Celestial energies. We’ve been having the Shadow People regather it into their people from the worlds they seeded it into across the local galactic clusters.

“The power is heady stuff to Galactus, like taking in fine wine, and He’s almost addicted to the stuff. He’ll take out any world with the stuff, so the Oldstrong Power is going to doom the biosphere of any world that it is in, which was decent motivation for them to start withdrawing it from those worlds.

“The native insectile tribes of Sakaar opted to remain behind now that all the other species were leaving. Their fate is their own now, at least for a short time.”

Sama shook her head and poured me something used in lubricating mech gears in subzero weather, I was sure. “Hey, trillions of things gonna die, no need for normal asshattery to stop happening!”

“Amen.” I clunked with her and drained it. Blargh! “They still volunteered a contingent to serve on D’bari. Dr. Banner is going there. His wife intends to join him within the month, as soon as their son is born. She’s one of the Oldstrong, and a formidable combatant herself.”

“Well, that’s one way to get the big green galoot to finally have a kid the right way.” Sama frowned for a second. “Wait, how long was she pregnant?”

“Shadow Tribe women only carry the kids for a month. The kids age to young adulthood within a year with enough food and exposure to the Oldstrong power.”

“That is extremely unfair,” Sama noted, and I had to agree. “I had to carry my boys for three whole months!”

I just rolled my eyes. “And your girls?”

She just grinned more. “Half that. Of course, they didn’t get to young adulthood, but you know, we’re all born fully aware because of the Rantha Curse. Childhood is pretty annoying to all of us, especially babyhood.”

“I imagine.” Telepathy could at least allow them to contribute on the mental level. “How many kids do you have?”

“By blood? Nine. Four by Briggs, the others by various fathers, some alive, some not. Adopted, I’ve had over twenty more. Marks help tons.” She grinned again. “Yourself?” she inquired shrewdly, knowing it was an awkward question.

“Me personally, none. None of the Duplicates have started families yet, either, and Kwannon’s daughter is inherited, as it were.

“If you’re talking my Prime, Aelryinth had four children, and two adopted ones.”

Sama frowned. “Had four? Did he lose them?”

“He lost one of his daughters to a dragon attacking at his home as a toddler.” I closed my eyes as the utter rage at that memory welled up, slowly let it fall back down. “She couldn’t be brought back. He and Diana went bloody off on dragons all over the world for years. You see his Heartscale Cloak, you’ll have a good idea of how he feels about dragons.

“They have Titles in Draconic, given to them by the Dragons. Any Dragon who sees them will instantly recognize them. He is the glaus nûrg mönt, the White Death King. She is the sûg vosk nömt, the Black Water Queen.”

“Titled by the Wyrms. That is a significant recognition, which they doubtless consider an honor.” Sama’s eyes were sharp. “I’ve killed a few of them, and the rest generally give me some healthy respect. They are generally just hoping something else kills me so I quit suppressing them.”

“You don’t ride around on Fin Fang Foom?” I asked archly, half-laughing.

“He would totally resent it and grovel to be honored with such a request.” Sama glanced away, a small smile tugging at exquisite lips. “Well, that explains Fedora and Kwannon killing the Moon Dragon. Didn’t give it a single chance to explain itself, work off the debt, or barter when it tried going after Heather. They straight up butchered it and burned its immortal soul off to create that Dragon’s Eye Amulet.”

“Yeah. That made Fedora a Courtier of Death. Death likes her,” I agreed. Fedora loved tracking down immortal killers, and Death enjoyed taking them. “The Moon Dragon was an avatar or minion of Oblivion, so no harm, no foul. Heather loves the Amulet, too, so there’s that.” Terra’s Moondragon adored being able to fly around in dragon form, especially among the stars. Bringing Cassandra and Kwannon along was a bonus.

“Have your estimations changed?” Sama finally sighed.

“No. Two months, give or take a day. They’ve already started calling in the lesser races who’ll populate the advance waves.”

The lesser races would take the brunt of the initial surge. Also, if they seized any worlds, the races following could attack the weaker races and force them off the planets if they were so inclined. It was cruel and brutal, and totally in line with the biggest fist-swinging prevalent in the Negative Zone.

Sama took a deep breath. “That day is going to be one of the bloodiest in this universe’s history.”

I took a glance down towards Death Events in the universe’s past, and nodded slowly. “As far as wars go, yes. As far as rampant stupidity, no.” She lifted an eyebrow at me. “There’s been galactic-class Extinction Events by doofuses in the past. The universe is big and doesn’t lack for idiots, especially when cosmically-powered arseholes start flexing egos...”

“Or things from Outside get to investigating mortal yummies.”

“Dormammu and Shuma-Gorath shouldn’t be issues, right?” I inquired of her.

“Not any more, no. Although the latter isn’t dead, it left a lot of itself behind when I kicked it out and welded the way back shut.” She frowned hard. “There are naturally things that are going to think this is one Hell of an opportunity...”

“You’re on the mystical side, sure. I’m sure they are just going to enjoy the wars and feasts and won’t interfere because they don’t want the Negative Zone to eat them. There’s things in the voids and scattered around the galaxies looking at this disruption as a great opportunity.” I slapped my forehead and shook my head.

Sama just chortled. “And you’re going to ruin them.”

“Yes.” I didn’t spend all my time popping planets in the Negative Zone, after all.

“Oh, dish on at least a couple. I know you’ve been keeping busy about such things...”

“The Phalanx are already massing along the edges of Kree space, figuring they’ll be able to prey on the Negative Zoners who don’t know anything about them. I might have leaked their rough location to the Ligithionites from the Zone.”

There were a lot of species there. I knew, I’d been the one to categorize most of them. “Those are... the tech-eater swarms?” Sama recalled, and then clapped her hands. “Oh, my words. How sinfully appropriate. They will consider the Phalanx the greatest of delicacies and hound them across space. What else?”

I finally spilled about Uncle Ben’s ‘Anvils of Generosity’, and she laughed and laughed...

--------

-Dynamo, we’ve got a major problem.-

Fedora didn’t usually call me, as she was usually too focused on catching her next killer to get involved in normal events. Hells, Death sent her cases, and she’d been offered status as a Spirit of Vengeance more than once, given how effective she was. Didn’t accept, of course. Can’t wear a fedora properly with a flaming skull for a head.

I drew in a deep breath. A month to go, a month to go... -Hit me.-

-The Shi’ar Elder Council just wiped out the whole Grey family. Every blood relative for three generations.-

Wow. Didn’t that require some stone-hard, ice-cold balls to pull off. Right while we were helping them defend their empire and evacuate whole worlds to safety, they went and pulled this, gambling that we couldn’t possibly back out now, as the Milky Way Galaxy was on the brink, too.

And the Phoenix wouldn’t dare to manifest to stop them.

-How bad is it?-

-Molecular-level disintegration. There’s nothing we can do short of rewinding time.-

Which was a no-go because of Sama and Briggs.

Those unmitigated arrogant bastards. Their fear and loathing of the Phoenix was so high that they’d elected to do this now, when the Phoenix would take no action, instead of in normal times. The fact that the Avatar of the Phoenix was fighting in the Negative Zone and was a member of Terra’s High Guard was basically irrelevant in this matter.

I knew there was a bloodline among the Shi’ar that they didn’t dare to eliminate, one that inherited the spark of the Phoenix’s power with every generation. They did, however, kill off the woman who bore the next generation, and only allowed one child to be born, who was kept enslaved and captive for their entire life, fit only to be expended against enemies of the Empire.

I closed my eyes, and began to think rather nasty things. -Primus, the previous Phoenix... do they have any surviving close relatives?- I /asked him, in a heavy /voice that indicated that this was not a time for privacy issues.

-None. The few who Sasha had all died within ten years of becoming the Phoenix by one means or another...- he /trailed off at his own ominous words. -We investigated, and found no signs of wrong-doing...-

-Jean Grey’s entire extended family was just slain by a Shi’ar commando team,- Fedora /informed him coolly. -Did the Shi’ar know of Sasha’s birth identity?-

-I cannot say no, especially if they were interested in pursuing it,- he /answered grimly. -This...- I could hear his jaw cracking from solar systems away.

-I’m going to confirm they were not related. Give me times and locations of death, and the places of burial,- Fedora /said in her no-nonsense way of expecting some really bad news.

-Sama, Briggs,- I /brought them in as Primus reeled off the times and places. -Fedora confirmed a Shi’ar commando team just wiped all of Jean Grey’s extended family to erase any chance the Phoenix would use them as a Bloodline. I am requesting an immediate change to the strategic and tactical plans for the defense of Chandilar.-

Briggs’ exhalations filled the Markspace like the coldest grip of winter, drawing a lot of attention. The Great Bear was very, very angry at something. -Granted, just tell us what you are going to do.-

-I’m going to wipe out their entire home system, including the entire Shi’ar Council of Elders. And if we don’t handle it right this way, they’ll just have to watch as multiple Shi’ar worlds are destroyed in addition.-

-If they don’t thank you for it with the most bitter expressions on their faces, I’m going to be disappointed in you!- Sama /agreed emphatically, trickles of killing intent running through Markspace and making people shiver.

-Yeah, well, you ain’t the one who has to tell Jean that the Shi’ar murdered her entire family because they figured she wouldn’t dare do anything about it right now, and later on is irrelevant.-

-Always hate that job,- Briggs /murmured, and the echoes of a lot of shots of vodka and somber music from the Great Bear of Russia flew hauntingly about him.