Exploring the cosmos was never a safe profession.
Every star chart, every navigational route, every newly discovered world came at a price.
The distress signal received by Emperor Skrull VII originated from an expedition vessel that had ventured into the Orion Arm of the Milky Way more than twenty years earlier.
Its crew had not been refugees.
They had been explorers.
Scientists.
Cartographers.
The people responsible for mapping the unknown reaches of space for the Skrull Empire.
Much like the navigators of Earth's Age of Sail, they were among the empire's most valuable assets.
They charted routes through dangerous regions of the galaxy.
They searched for habitable worlds.
They identified resource-rich planets suitable for colonization.
Without them, the Skrull Empire would have been blind.
Even the most powerful fleet became helpless when confronted by the true dangers of deep space.
A battleship caught in a gravitational tide stood about as much chance of survival as a sandcastle facing a tsunami.
Which meant one thing.
Nick Fury and Carol Danvers had been deceived from the very beginning.
Those Skrulls were never refugees.
They were explorers and scientists assigned to survey the Milky Way's Orion Arm.
And now they were trapped on Earth.
Or dead.
When Yudar explained that a force of assault ships could reach Earth within three years, Emperor Skrull VII began weighing the cost.
A full-scale invasion fleet wasn't practical.
Not yet.
But this wasn't merely about punishing humanity.
His nephew was involved.
Prince Yurian of the Skrull Empire had been aboard that expedition vessel.
A member of the royal family.
A prince who had ventured into the unknown for the sake of his civilization.
And now he was being hunted.
If several centuries passed before a rescue operation arrived, there would be nothing left to save.
Emperor Skrull VII could not tolerate that outcome.
He tapped his fingers lightly against the armrest of his throne.
"Would one hundred assault ships be enough to destroy Earth?"
The room grew quiet.
"The reports indicate humanity is beginning its transition into an interstellar civilization."
"They've already developed thermonuclear weapons."
"Primitive by our standards, but still capable of damaging light assault craft."
Yudar remained expressionless.
"If our objective is a rescue mission and punitive action, then yes."
He paused.
"If the goal is complete extermination of the species, then no."
The tactical display shifted above the table.
"A light assault fleet cannot carry large-scale planet-killing weaponry."
"Laser batteries and electromagnetic weapons alone are insufficient to destroy a world."
"Particularly when atmospheric interference significantly reduces laser efficiency."
Yudar folded his hands behind his back.
"More importantly, Your Majesty..."
He chose his next words carefully.
"Marching into the Milky Way and annihilating a civilization under the Nova Corps' protection may provoke a larger conflict."
"Even if Earth is only a young spacefaring civilization."
"Is it worth the risk?"
The warning was diplomatic.
But the meaning was obvious.
The Nova Corps would not appreciate someone destroying planets in their backyard.
Emperor Skrull VII didn't even look at him.
He simply rotated the jeweled scepter in his hand.
His voice became dangerously cold.
"My nephew was aboard that vessel."
The room fell silent.
"Prince Yurian risked his life exploring the unknown so our civilization could continue to grow."
"Now he is being hunted."
The Emperor finally raised his eyes.
"Tell me, Supreme Commander of the Outer Defense Fleet..."
"What exactly do you think should be done?"
Yudar immediately stopped speaking.
No further argument was necessary.
Everyone in the chamber understood.
Earth had already been sentenced.
Whether Prince Yurian was alive or dead no longer mattered.
The mere possibility that a Skrull prince had perished on Earth was enough.
In the eyes of many present, the destruction of an emerging civilization was a reasonable response.
Some commanders even considered it insufficient.
A few quietly believed the Nova Corps should also be held responsible for failing to protect a member of Skrull royalty.
Regardless, a practical problem remained.
How exactly were they supposed to destroy Earth?
Sending fleets across intergalactic distances would take too long.
Building permanent Stargates would take even longer.
Every year spent preparing gave humanity more time to develop.
More time to grow stronger.
More time to become a threat.
If revenge was coming, it needed to come quickly.
And decisively.
The discussion continued for some time before another voice finally spoke.
Seated three positions to the Emperor's right was the commander of the Imperial Guard.
He leaned forward.
"Why must we send our own soldiers?"
Several heads turned.
The commander continued.
"Why waste the lives of our warriors on a primitive civilization?"
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I know of a group operating near the fringes of the Milky Way."
"They are scavengers."
"Pirates."
"Murderers."
"They survive by plundering weaker civilizations and stealing their resources."
The chamber grew interested.
"We could simply hire them."
"Let them do the work for us."
Emperor Skrull VII slowly nodded.
"What are they called?"
The Imperial Guard commander bowed his head.
"The Chitauri."
To most advanced civilizations, humanity was an anomaly.
One detail in particular stood out.
Population.
When the assembled Skrull officials reviewed Earth's data, many of them were visibly shocked.
"Seven billion?"
One elderly general nearly dropped his tablet.
"Seven billion individuals living on a single planet?"
The disbelief in his voice was genuine.
Another official, responsible for internal development and resource management, looked equally unimpressed.
"And the world itself is practically barren."
He flicked through the planetary survey.
"No significant concentrations of high-energy isotopes."
"No exceptional deposits of advanced metallic resources."
"Aside from abundant water, the planet is remarkably poor."
His lip curled slightly.
"An overcrowded species crammed together on a resource-starved world."
To him, humanity looked absurd.
A civilization struggling to extract value from a planet other advanced species would barely consider worth settling.
The official continued reviewing the report.
"Individual capability is extremely low."
"Educational systems remain primitive."
"Knowledge transfer methods are inefficient."
"No exceptional champions."
"No meaningful high-end military assets."
"No significant combat power on either an individual or collective scale."
After reaching the final page, he set the report aside.
His verdict was blunt.
"Humans are insects."
The room remained quiet.
"They can be crushed without difficulty."
He pointed toward the proposal concerning the Chitauri.
"Use the pirates."
"Send a handful of elite Skrull operatives to oversee the operation."
"That will be more than enough."
Several officials nodded in agreement.
Deploying an actual Skrull military force required enormous resources.
Hiring the Chitauri was far cheaper.
A few independent resource worlds situated between Andromeda and the Milky Way would be sufficient payment.
Compared to the cost of mobilizing fleets, it was practically nothing.
From a purely economic perspective, the decision was obvious.
And none of them had the slightest idea what kind of world they were actually preparing to invade.