𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐀𝐑 was enormous, and like just about everything else in the Kree capital of Hala, covered in gold. The green and black uniform worn by the members of the Starforce team somehow clashed and matched with the colors around them as they boarded the ship that awaited their departure.

A hum of excitement vibrated at the back of Vers's throat, but it was mask by the soft sound of the engine. To keep her hands moving and her thoughts preoccupied, she began to check the equipment stored on board while eavesdropping on the conversation between the older members of the team.

"This can't be good." Att-Lass noted aloud, but muttered under his breath.

"Certainly another Skrull attack," Korath agreed with a nod of his head, adding to a conversation that wasn't really meant to be started.

"Whatever it is," Bron-Char voiced his own opinion, "it's big."

Arilyn Tivan, one of the few members of Starforce not strictly Kree, shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose with a breath of composure as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Perhaps, we should stop speculating and take care of the issue."

"That's just like you." Her cousin, Ekon Gast, another non-Kree, rolled his eyes. "Jump straight to business, why don't we?"

"Has a Skrull ever simmed you?" Minn-Erva asked Korath, changing the topic of conversation ever-so-slightly to avoid an argument between Tivan and Gast.

"Once." He unsheathed and sheathed his weapon as if practicing. He didn't add much explanation to his answer. "It was deeply disturbing."

"Why?" Vers asked, finally speaking up while glancing over her shoulder.

"Because I stared into the face of my mortal enemy and the face staring back was my own," Korath replied bluntly.

"Well maybe if you were more attractive then it would be less disturbing." Vers grinned as she spoke, turning to give the conversation her full attention.

Ekon chuckled and pointed toward Vers as if she had a point.

"You think you're funny, but I'm not laughing." Korath's expression remained in a slack dead-pan.

"Well, I am," Ekon contradicted with a chuckle and again pointed toward Vers, "I thought that was a good one, Vers."

"Besides," Att-Lass noted, also amused, "You never laugh."

"But the fool always does," Korath retorted coldly. "I laugh on the inside. I'm not doing it now."

Ekon nodded his head in agreement, still smiling until he realized the insult that had slapped him across the face. He frowned and crossed his arms with offense. "Hey!"

Bron-Char interrupted Ekon's cry of indignation. "It's funny 'cause objectively speaking, you're quite handsome."

"Well thank you." Korath nodded.

"Listen up team!" Yon-Rogg called for their attention before pointing at Vers. "Knock it off."

She raised an eyebrow, shrugging as she didn't understand; however, he saw through the innocent act and only warned her once more before walking to the center of the craft. With the flip of a switch, the holographic table blinked to life and the presentation of their mission began to play while accompanied by Yon-Rogg's explantion.

"Alright, prepare for a search and rescue of our spy, Soh-Larr. The Skrulls have invaded yet another border planet, this time Torfa. Soh-Larr sent a warning signal, which we've intercepted, that his cover's blown. The Skrull General Talos has sent kill units to find him. Should they reach him before we do, the intelligence he has acquired over three years is as good as theirs. The accusors will bomb a Skrull stronghold here in the south. We slip in, we locate Soh-Larr and we get out, leaving them none the wiser. The Torfa populace; we are not to interfere with them nor them with us. Nothing compromises the security of our mission. Proceed with caution. Follow protocol before extracting him." The holograph disappeared, leaving the team standing in a circle. "This is a dangerous mission, we must all be ready to join the collective if that is our fate today. For the good of all Kree!"

"For the good of all Kree!" The team chanted in unison.

However, Vers's eyes caught sight of something interesting just before the hologram shut off. A small article about Soh-Larr's partner had been highlighted, but she hadn't had enough time to read anything other than a name and take a mental image of a face. Ze-Los. Another unfortunate casualty in a war that looked like it wasn't ever going to end.

As the ship rose from the ground and flew out of the hangar, most of the crew took their seats. Arilyn buckled up beside Vers while shooting her cousin a strong look of disapproval. "Sit down before you hurt yourself."

Ekon rolled his eyes and mimed her speech with his hand, acting like a child, a common personality trait exhibited whenever given the opportunity. Ten seconds of peace passed then they leapt through the jump point and the white-haired warrior was thrown to the back of the ship. Vers stifled her laughter while Arilyn rolled her eyes, still smug that she'd been proven correct.

"So you're Yon-Rogg's protégé?"

Vers turned her head, silently asking for the question to be repeated while her mind processed what had been asked.

"The mysterious warrior he's been training," Arilyn repeated herself.

"A Kree glowstick," Ekon added as he strapped himself into the other seat beside Vers. His face had considerably paled from the turbulence, which was saying something since he already had little color to his skin.

"What's a glowstick?" Vers asked in confusion.

"A Terran thing." Ekon nonchalantly waved the question away. "You start mixing terms when you've been around as long as I have."

Vers raised an eyebrow both unconvinced and confused by the statement as the other warrior looked not much older than herself, if she could even remember how old she was relative to the others. Arilyn sighed. "Just ignore him... it's what I do."

"Let's not forget who summoned whom," Ekon retorted vaguely. It was like he was either implying something or inserting an inside joke of sorts into the conversation, but Vers didn't understand and Arilyn had no intention of reacting to the statement other than the scowl painted on her face whenever she looked in his direction.

Ekon rolled his eyes as if bored with the conversation and lack of response, standing from his seat when it was declared safe then approaching someone else to irritate, most likely Korath.

It was difficult to decipher whether she was anxious with excitement or the prospect of failing, but it was a new feeling altogether. She once prided herself on having everything composed, but it looked as if she was starting to lose that control if she ever had it in the first place. Yon-Rogg had already pointed out in their sparring match earlier that she was impatient and rash which would lead to mistakes. If she didn't focus—

"Hey." Arilyn's voice broke the deafening silence and the screaming voices inside Vers's head. "It's alright to be a bit nervous on your first mission with the team, but I've heard great things. You'll do fine."

"I know." The line might have been cocky if said any other time, but there was a genuine appreciation in her eyes that hadn't been conveyed in her tone. However, Arilyn understood enough from the multitude of interactions she'd shared with her cousin who's personality wasn't all that different at times.

The rest of the flight was silent, but it was a comfortable silence that didn't have the need for interruption. The sun's rays rose, adding warmth onto their faces as the ship was piloted down on the planet's surface. However, their light was quickly accompanied by the missiles fired from the Accuser's ship toward the supposed Skrull stronghold below. The Starforce vessel quickly followed after the machinery, diving into the sea to conceal their location.

Emerging from the ship wearing masks that permitted them to breathe beneath the surface, Ekon offered Vers a quick thumbs up accompanied by a wink as if he'd taken her on as his own protege. Arilyn rolled her eyes at his disillusionment and signaled for Vers to ignore him as the marched up to the surface. Once above the waters, they removed their masks and took a breath of the natural air of the planet's atmosphere.

"Welcome to Torfa." Ekon's grin fell as he looked around, entirely unimpressed. "Not much of a view."

"Quiet,"Arilyn hissed between her gritted teeth. "This won't be a rescue mission much longer if you give our position away with your big mouth."

Ekon opened his mouth to object, but Yon-Rogg interrupted before an argument could erupt, "Vers, track Soh-Larr's beacon. Att-Lass and Minn-Eva find elevation."

Att-Lass and Minn-Erva offered a quick nod of their heads, running ahead to sneak through the stronghold amongst the pillars of rocks and mountain. A moment later, the comms crackled with life, but Minn-Erva's voice was distorted. "Locals... periphery... dozen."

As her voice warbled, Ekon glanced over his shoulder toward his cousin. "Jammed?"

Arilyn offered a subtle shrug as Yon-Rogg requested her to repeat herself, waiting for a response other than static. "Minn-Erva?"

"Possibly an atmospheric disruption," Arilyn muttered, finally answering her cousin's question. She then made an attempt for herself to contact their teammates. "Minn-Erva, do you read me? Att-Lass? Anybody copy?"

"Repeat," Yon-Rogg tried again, but only received static.

Vers's wrist lit up, displaying the coordinates of Soh-Larr. She quickly gestured to the device, calling for her mentor's attention. "His beacon's coming from the temple. Let's move."

"No." Vers stopped in her tracks as Yon-Rogg discouraged her action. "This is the perfect spot for an ambush. "Only one way in, only one way out."

"We can get past the locals," Bron-Char proposed, eager to face some action.

"We don't know if they are locals," Yon-Rogg contradicted. "Too risky."

"You don't have to go with me," Vers suggested, starting to move out from her cover, "I'll go alone."

"No, you won't!" Yon-Rogg immediately shut her plan down, shaking his head. Once he was certain she'd stay put, he slowly turned to assess their surroundings. "Right. Keep a close radius, we lose comms we meet back at the Helion. Come on."

The group began to disperse as the fog rolled in along the ground. Whether they realized it or not, they were suddenly in pairs: Minn-Erva with Att-Lass, Yon-Rogg with Korath, Ekon with Bron-Char, and Arilyn with Vers.

The fog grew thicker and if one wasn't paying close attention, their eyes would begin to play tricks. If careless, the shadows might just distort and move on their own. The hairs on the back of Arilyn's neck slowly rose and she suddenly had an awful gut-feeling that prevented her from moving forward.

Korath's voice echoed somewhere off to her left. "Get back!"

"Commander!" Bron-Char called out from her right.

"Stay close, V—" Arilyn's voice caught in her throat as she turned and noticed she was alone in the fog. Her voice continued to wander as her feet led her between another pair of pillars. "Vers?"

"Get back," Korath now called from the right, "Back!"

She followed the sound of his voice, along with the shuffling of feet and blaster fire that signaled the Starforce crew was indeed surrounded by hostiles. She reached up and pulled out the electro-staff she kept condensed against her back. With a quick twist of her wrist, the staff was extended to its full length, sparking with white electricity at the tip. A determined expression crossed her face as she drove the spear end into the chest of one of the locals that had drawn out a weapon.

The local immediately collapsed, transforming back into the sickly green creature that she had been trained to view as the enemy. Yon-Rogg's eyes widened as the creature crumpled before his feet. He shouted to alert the others that had regrouped. "Skrulls!"

Ekon jumped, drawing her attention as he drew the pair of blasters holstered at his hip, twirling them in his hands like a warrior from one of those Terran pictures they'd seen ages ago: cowboys, if she recalled the term properly.

She released a tired sigh before lifting her staff to stand back-to-back with her cousin, prepared to defend their group to the very end. Realizing their cover was blown, the Skrulls gave up their false appearances and charged, adding to the sudden fire-fight.

"Where is Vers?" Yon-Rogg questioned Arilyn between blows.

"She's not with you?" Arilyn practically shouted, not in rage, but out-of-breath as she blocked a blow with her staff. "She wandered away sometime in the confusion."

"Anybody check the beacon lately?" Ekon called out. The whole team froze, practically ending their lives in that moment, startled by the not-awful idea presented by the member considered "the village idiot." Ekon blinked. "What?"

The battle continued mercilessly, but Korath provided enough cover that Arilyn could look down at the wrist and check the beacon's signal. The blinking light was sporadic, jumping in and out of existence as the Skrulls continued to jam their communications. "She's somewhere beyond the stronghold."

Yon-Rogg desperately reached for his comm to shout a warning, "Vers? Skrulls! It's an ambush, Vers!"

"Incoming!" Bron-Char hollered.

"We're outnumbered!" Ekon had returned to noting the obvious as a grenade exploded only a few feet away. His eyes widened for once in his life with a glimpse of actual fear. His head whipped around, searching for guidance from the team's leader.

Yon-Rogg's eyes glanced back and forth, analyzing the best way out of the situation, only coming up with one solution. He shouted instructions without room for an argument, "Back to the Helion!"

"But—" Bron-Char tried to protest, but Arilyn shot him a look that demanded he go silent. He complied and followed the others back to the ship, following the orders that few of them were pleased with. They were warriors with a spirit to match, not many of them had ever experienced a retreat, nor were they willing to give up their pride either; however, even they were beginning to see that the odds of winning the fight were slim.

"What about Vers?" Arilyn asked, prepared to turn back, abiding by her personal rule that none were to be left behind.

"She'll meet us there," Yon-Rogg insisted as if he'd heard from her himself; however, as the doors to the Helion closed, she could hear Yon-Rogg shouting into his comms. "Vers? Do you copy? Back to the Helion! Vers?"

"Somebody get him on this ship!" Minn-Eva demanded as she took the controls of the ship. "I can't do everything myself."

"I've got him," Bron-Char volunteered as he briefly left the vessel to drag their leader aboard. As the Kree warrior fought, trying to buy himself time despite commanding that the ship take off, Arilyn realized he was too worked up. She took a single step forward, pressing her thumb against his temple, then muttered a gentle word under her breath in a language long-dead. Yon-Rogg's eyes rolled back in his head as he slumped unconscious in Bron-Char's arms.

The larger Kree warrior's eyes widened, almost in horror. "What did you do?"

"Nothing harmful," Arilyn replied, feeling the fatigue claim her muscles. "I just naturally sedated him before he hurt himself. Get us out of here, Minn-Erva."

"Don't have to tell me twice," Minn-Erva muttered under her breath.

It was off-putting to see how eager she was to leave Vers behind, but Arilyn shrugged the feeling away interpreting Minn-Erva's actions as a means of preserving the rest of the team.

Once Yon-Rogg was properly taken care of, Arilyn returned to her seat beside Ekon. He looks over at her unamused. "That was the last of it... wasn't it?"

"The Elder magic?" Arilyn clarified for specifics. "Yes... it was."

"That was foolish—"

"It was necessary," Arilyn interrupted and contradicted at once. "The Elders said they would lift the block once—"

"—we prove ourselves worthy," Ekon took a turn, interrupting as he rolled his eyes. "Could they hurry up? I'm irked with this feeling of powerlessness."

"Patience," Arilyn insisted. "Perhaps you'd spend your time better concerned with this team's well-being instead of your own. Vers—"

"—is quite capable on her own," Ekon shrugged aside her concern. "I'm sure she's well on her way and will contact us sometime in the near future. That one's strong, I've seen it."

"Now who's wasting their power?" Arilyn asked, a bit too smug for Ekon's liking.

He huffed, blowing a tuft of white hair from his eyes. "I had to see for myself."

"And?"

"I'm not sure," Ekon admitted, "but I do know she's the answer to this war. She's going to find the bridge to victory."