"Do these sorcerers have a purpose then? To be so secretive that even we know so little?"
"They do," Maverick replied, looking at Maxime. "Think of them as the world's last line of defense. Their ultimate duty is," he paused, "to protect the world from any and all extra-terrestrial threats. And I'm not talking about aliens."
A sarcastic-sounding chuckle echoed after Maverick finished, before someone asked, "What…? Ghosts and demons?"
"Yes, Mr. Fury. Ghosts, demons, djinns, monsters, even the boogeyman," Maverick said matter-of-factly, a smirk tugging at his lips as he looked at the man.
A moment of silence hung in the air, broken only by the flickering of the fire, before Fury finally found his voice, stripped of all sarcasm. "You… gotta be kidding, right?"
"Agent, look around you. There are literally witches and wizards sitting to your left and right. What's so hard to believe about ghosts and demons? Even Hogwarts is full of ghosts. I wouldn't mind giving you a tour even… if the Headmaster doesn't mind, of course."
"Not at all. Mr. Agent Fury is welcome at our great school for a tour, provided Professor Caesar accompanies him," Dumbledore said, shrugging lightly and raising his bottle with a smile.
Though some topics got tense, the atmosphere remained harmonious, the quiet calm under the stars and the bonfire easing the mood.
Time passed unknowingly, and about an hour later, Maverick separated from the group to a quiet spot under a tree. Following him were Danvers and Talos, clearly to discuss something they couldn't in front of everyone else, and Maverick already had a good idea why.
"Just a sec," he said, making a few gestures in the air. A moment later, he added, "Alright, you can speak freely now. No one will hear us."
"Mr. Caesar," Talos began, hesitantly meeting his eyes, "I was wondering if you might have a Kree spaceship stored somewhere… one I could borrow."
"Oh… why? Planning to take your people and leave already?"
"This isn't their world, wizard," Danvers said, crossing her arms as she watched him tease the poor alien. Who would have thought that just days ago, she had been hunting them across the galaxy, and now she was speaking up for them, even ready to fight for their well-being. "This isn't their home. This planet can't, won't accept them, and I plan to help find them one."
Raising a brow, Maverick asked, "I understand them wanting to leave… but why you?"
"Like I said, I want to help them find a home," she repeated, "and to finish what Mar-Vell started."
"I see…" Maverick didn't answer immediately, his eyes darting between them for a moment. "I can only give you each a single space pod. I don't have a ship big enough to carry all of his people."
"Come on, wizard." Danvers tilted her head slightly, a half-smile playing on her lips, carrying a subtle hint of challenge. "They might not have noticed what you did in the middle of that chaos, but I did. I saw Ronan's ship disappear the moment you sent him flying. You hid it, didn't you?"
"And what if I did?" Maverick replied, matching her smirk. "I'm still not handing over that ship." He then raised a hand just as Danvers was about to retort. "Instead, how about you both hear my proposal first?"
"Go on…" she said, eyes furrwing.
"It's actually very simple," Maverick said, turning to Talos. "I can shelter your people, help build them a home, even take care of their identities… make things official an all."
"Really?" Danvers asked before Talos could respond. "You would let a group of alien species live here, settle among you? Do you even have the authority to make that decision?"
"First of all, woman, 'you' includes you as well. Or do you no longer consider yourself human just because you spent a few years with the Kree?" He didn't give her a chance to cut in. "And second, yes, I would. As for your last question, it's just as simple. Other than me, no one else needs to know, right?"
"They'd find out eventually…" Danvers argued. "Now you're just being careless." She paused, studying him for a moment, then asked again, "Tell me, what do you really want from sheltering them?"
"Can't I just want them to have a home?" Maverick shrugged, smiling, but Danvers smirked back, clearly unconvinced.
"Okay, fine," he said, then turned to Talos again. "Remember what I told you when we first met? That we'd have much to discuss once all this was over?"
"I do," Talos said.
"I really mean it. I want your people to have a home here, but at the same time, it's not on Earth…"
Maverick then revealed his plan to terraform Mars, explaining that he intended to build a new home there for magical beings. By the end, their jaws were halfway dropped, and Danvers was even staring at him like he had completely lost his mind.
"You do realize the absurdity of what you're saying. I spent six years with the Kree, and even then, I've never heard of something like that ever happening anywhere in the galaxy."
"That may be so," Maverick replied, "but that may also be because you never thought to find out." He turned to Talos. "What about you? In all your time roaming the galaxy, have you ever heard of planets being terraformed… or if it's even possible?"
"I'm… afraid not. But… like you said, that may be because we never thought to look. However…" He glanced sideways at Danvers for a moment before adding, "I don't think what you envision is absurd at all. Since that planet is in the habitable zone, and with advanced technology combined with the power of your world's magic, it really doesn't sound impossible."
"You're kidding?" Danvers asked, now glancing at Talos as if he were an idiot.
"What? The universe is so big. The possibilities are endless."
"Exactly, Talos. I'm starting to like you a lot better," Maverick said, smiling. "Tell you what: you leave your people here with me, and I'll make sure they're safe. I'll find them a place to live peacefully, even help them blend into our society. Meanwhile, the two of you can focus on finding the other Skrulls scattered across the galaxy, and also help me scour the universe for examples of terraforming. I'm sure, like you said, the universe is so vast it must have been done somewhere."
Danvers and Talos glanced at each other, seemingly in thought, before turning back to Maverick.
"Can you really not hand over the Imperial Cruiser?" Danvers tried one last time. "We'll only borrow it. Once we find the rest of his people, I promise we'll return it."
"I'm sorry," Maverick said straightforwardly. "My answer is no." There was no way he was handing over the Kree spaceship before studying the technology inside out, which would take not just a few days or even months.
"Alright then. I agree," Talos said, seemingly having made the decision at last, though the sigh that escaped his mouth revealed his disappointment. "Until we return, for taking care of my people, I promise to search for the technology to terraform planets as best as I can."
Danvers let out a sigh and nodded as well.
"Wonderful. And again, even if you can't find a second home for your people, I welcome them to the new home I'm building for my people."
"…If you're actually able to create this… home you speak of."
"I will, Danvers," Maverick said with firm conviction. "I have no doubt in my mind that I will succeed."
Sigh. "Fine." Danvers let out a long exhale. "I guess you have a lot of explaining to do for your people," she said, looking at Talos.
"When do you plan to leave?"
"In a couple of days. I want to spend some time with Maria and Monica first. In the meantime, you can follow him and help take care of settling your people. I also have some things to handle with Fury."
The evening passed just like that, relaxing, sharing stories, and forging bonds between different groups. The X-Men, too, had achieved their objective. The world could not deny that they had helped prevent a catastrophe that could have otherwise destroyed the planet, and their reputation, at least in front of the upper hierarchy, magical or muggle, was greatly improved by their involvement.
And while time passed quietly here, the rest of the world was far from calm. On the Muggle side, governments, particularly those of the superpowers, spent long, sleepless days trying to bury what had happened over the skies of the desert in China. At the same time, in the magical world, perspectives had shifted dramatically after witnessing the events firsthand. Perhaps this was the beginning of the great, rapid change that was about to sweep across the world.
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Author's Note:
Hey everyone, that's it for this arc. Wow. Before Avengers Assemble, I don't think I'll attempt writing something in multiple perspectives again… it ended up making the arc way longer than I expected. I did my best to cover as many plot holes as I could, but hey, I'm not perfect.
I hope you enjoyed this arc. Honestly, I'd probably rate it around a seven, ish, out of ten myself.
One more chapter later, and then we're back at Hogwarts. There won't be much happening for the rest of the semester, and I plan to end the year with a time skip, just highlighting key events. Also, reactions for all that happened won't come all at once, they'll be revealed gradually as the chapters progress.
Anyway, please leave your feedback. It really helps me a lot. Thank you, as always, for your continued support.
Peace.
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