POV Rio
I arrive at the meeting and take a seat as it starts. It is a Current Intelligence Brief. Several major events have happened in the last few days.
Yularen: "Let us begin this meeting with the situation in space."
Rio: "Ah, you mean Ego's death."
Yularen: "Yes, Ego has perished, and it seems like all his seeds died with him. But the Synthetic Queen's fleet was nearly annihilated in the process."
Thrawn: "If our estimates are accurate, then it will take her several weeks or even months to rebuild her fleets."
Rio: "Hmm, that is good for us. Any more time we can get is good for us. Has the Federation purchased the Katana Fleet?"
Trench smiles, and I see the many teeth in his mouth.
Trench: "Yes, they bought it. They have also put in an order for more ships. And as you requested, they are paying in materials and not credits. They are buying the ships with Uru and Epidurium for now, but they gave me a sample of another metal. It's called Nanominium, and if what they said is right, there is only one mine in the entire known universe."
I take the files that contain the analysis of the metals.
Rio: "Epidurium is also quite rare. They only have 2 mines, and only 3 are known to exist. Besides Uru, they are not that useful, but we will accept them. Technically, Dreadnought-class heavy cruisers are useless to us, and they cost almost nothing to produce. But see if you can get as much out of them as possible. Any materials can be useful at this point."
Trench: "Understood. Other than that, the Federation doesn't purchase much from the BCA. Sakaar has also been reduced to a population of 1326. Most are employees of the BCA, but a small section is gang members, and the rest are bounty hunters. Due to the massive decrease in population, our B2s are less needed."
Rio: "Are you suggesting that we replace them with other droid models?"
Trench: "Not for now. I am just saying that we could reduce the B2s on Sakaar with no detriment to our presence there."
Rio: "I see, thanks for letting us know."
Yularen: "The Federation is planning an operation to retake Jotunheim. Or at least that is what we have gathered."
Rio: "I can see why they may be interested in doing so, but strategically it is a poor choice."
Thrawn: "Indeed, the planet is inhospitable to most species in the Federation, and the Synthetic Queen has fortified the planet extensively. While the fleets could be dealt with easily, it wouldn't change much. Moreover, Muspelheim is the perfect choke point. If they had to attack, going East or North would be more optimal."
Rio: "Perhaps their newly purchased fleet makes them more confident, and they want to retake lost territory. Odin might also be putting pressure to attack as he is not getting any younger. Speaking of which, have there been any changes with Hela's seal?"
Sendak: "None yet. She has been awake for some time, but she hasn't moved. My guess is that she is trying to think about how to use the info you gave her. And even if she tried using that method right now, she would only escape after another 9-12 months."
Rio: "Hmm, I am not sure if that is good or not. If Asgard is truly in danger, I have no doubt Odin would call back the energy he is using on the seal to defend Asgard better. When that happens, he would likely perish soon afterwards, which would break the seal anyway."
Yularen: "We will keep an eye on the situation. Now on to Earthly matters. First is Hydra's movements in the US. Their most recent offensive has failed catastrophically. They lost 87% of their mechanized infantry, tanks, and vehicles. Rhino was also killed, and his body was never recovered."
Rio: "He was the only successful test subject from Stryker's experiments, right?"
Orochimaru: "Yes, his primitive attempts at making a super soldier have been failing badly. And after thorough analysis, I can say that Rhino was a purely lucky creation. His brain was so damaged that he had at most another 3 months to live before brain hemorrhages killed him. Not to mention the numerous genetic flaws and anomalies, he stood no chance. As for the increase in strength, it was far below the Super Soldier Serum made by Dr. Erskine."
Rio: "In your opinion, do you think this project will go anywhere that Team Galactic needs to get involved?"
Orochimaru: "He is at best 5 years away from making a barely stable and passable result. He is smart, but it is clear that he won't be a threat to us in the next decade or more. The exploding creatures that they have been releasing in the US lately are a more accurate example of what we can expect from his research."
Jiraiya: "Yeah, I remember seeing some videos of that. Hydra knows that they can't live long, so they release them to cause as much damage before they expire, and then a deadman switch is activated. They feel no pain, never tire, and even losing limbs won't stop them. But if you destroy the head, they die."
Rio: "Disgusting but expected from Hydra. Do you believe that Hydra will be forced out of the US anytime soon?"
Yularen: "Unlikely, the Enclave is doing great in holding the line, but the US Army is struggling to stay afloat. And the US Navy has transferred most of its members to the Army. And the ships they have are too scared to attack Hydra. With President Ellis losing his entire cabinet and Hydra causing devastating damage to the government they are crippled and now rely on the Enclave to do anything. We might be able to force Eden into the Presidency sooner than expected."
Rio: "Let's hope so. Claiming the entire American landmass would improve our sitation and cripple Hydra."
Yularen: "The next thing I wish to bring up is Europe. The first item is that Spain has annexed Portugal and Andorra. Italy has integrated the Vatican City and Monaco. And the two countries are now in talks about Partitioning France. So far, the consensus is that Italy gets the Southeast third. Spain gets the Southwest third."
Rio: "Boy, that escalated quickly."
Yularen: "Hydra has been mass producing Chemical Weapons and selling them to Spain and Italy. Switzerland has sold the last batch of weapons just recently, making it an unarmed nation. At least on paper. They now rely on the Techno Union's robot legions to defend their borders. France is aware of the plans of Spain and Italy and is preparing for war."
Rio: "So it will turn into a bloodbath. Do you think France will survive?"
Tex: "Unlikely. As soon as the war is declared, there is a 34% chance that the northern regions will join the Imperium. The remaining regions would not last more than 4 months before total collapse."
Rio: "If that happens, we can cause Spain and Italy to rip each other apart. They are both Fascist Dictatorships that wish to expand and rule Europe. All they need is a little push... in the wrong direction. Also, what happened to the Portuguese? Did they just accept being annexed?"
Yularen: "84% of the population fled Portugal. Most fled to the Imperium, but those who couldn't get in or chose not to try fled to France. They chose not to fight because the central government didn't want the devastation of war. And they gave up their weapons before the annexation even began. So they couldn't resist."
Rio: "Fair enough. What's next?"
Yularen: "Robin has gone rogue in a sense."
Rio: "What do you mean gone rogue?"
Yularen: "He has left the Titans for the time being to settle family business with the Joker. He refused any help and insisted that the Joker was Bat-Family business. They have unsettled business likely tied to Jason Todd's murder."
Rio: "Sigh. I can't blame him, but I don't think he is ready to fight the Joker alone. The Joker is insane, but he is Batman's arch-nemesis for a reason. That man is beyond crafty. Keep an eye on Robin and pull him out before he gets himself killed, but otherwise let him do what he thinks is needed. Who is leading the Titans in the meantime?"
Yularen: "Understood. The current leader is Raven. Spider-Man has been assisting them when he can, but he is mostly retired at this point and is focused on his family and personal life."
Rio: "Raven should lead them fine for the time being. And Spider-Man has done enough if he wants to retire, let him."
Yularen: "The next piece of news is about Tony Stark."
Rio: "What did he do now?"
Yularen: "He has locked himself in his lab and hasn't left in over a week. It is highly likely due to the death of his close friend James Rhodes. It could also be due to PTSD from his fighting against the Ten Rings. The point is he has become mentally unstable, and we believe he is a threat to himself and others. I suggest we stop supplying him with materials for the time being and get him to undergo therapy."
Rio: "I agree that he shouldn't throw himself into work. I will reach out to Pepper and see if she can get through to him. In the meantime, keep an eye on him and give him any support he needs to feel better."
Yularen: "Yes, sir. The last piece of info is Thanos' actions in the other Universe."
Rio: "I don't recall him doing anything noteworthy."
Yularen: "Technically, he hasn't done much of anything different than usual. He has been fighting a war against one of that Universe's space nations and is winning at least for now. But we have discovered why he is doing so. He is collecting more of those gems."
Rio: "I knew he was gathering them, but I thought we already concluded that they are not nearly as strong as the Infinity Stones and therefore a minimal threat."
Sendak: "And that is still true, but from our observations, the gems get stronger the more that are collected. We also believe that said gems are corrupting Thanos. Lastly, we discovered the other wielders. One is the King of the star nation that Thanos is attacking. The other is Jean Grey, the last Avatar of the Phoenix Force."
I narrow my eyes as that is a bit odd.
Rio: "I will reinforce the barrier of our Universe, and we should send a message to Jean Grey so they can prepare for Thanos. If all goes well, they will kill each other, and we can swoop in and destroy or sell those gems. Anything else?"
Yularen: "That was all, sir."
We end the meeting, and I go to reinforce the barrier to ensure that Thanos can't return, just in case.
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Authors Note:
Another chapter that gives info on what is happening. I thought that Robin would go lone wolf when it came to dealing with the Joker. As the Joker had killed Jason Todd and broken Tim Drake. Until next time, Ciao.