A Second Chance

There had never been a doubt in my mind that I would conquer Sakaar. Hulk had succeeded and I was much smarter than he was, far more experienced in leading armies. I understood people and how they think, it was made even easier with my knowledge of comics. While everyone else had to slowly understand and figure out what made other people who they were, the events of their pasts that defined them.

I already knew it all.

Certainly, the world wasn't entirely the same as it was in comics. The shared universe I found myself in meant that there would be definite differences in how characters acted and the history of their races. But who the characters were and the origins they came from, that didn't change at all.

Knowing all this, I was able to understand who to ally myself with and who to get rid of. Grand Regent Thragg was a man that many may have attempted to recruit as an ally, but that would only be those who didn't truly understand the type of man Thragg was. He was a power-hungry and ambitious man, much like myself. That's why getting rid of him far outweighed the short term gains I would get with him as my ally.

After all, he was the main antagonist of the Invincible comic series. Whatever one might say about the scaling of power within the Invincible Universe in comparison to other comic book franchises like Marvel and DC, becoming the main big bad is no small feat. It required a certain type of personality to distinguish yourself as the main antagonist of the comic book universe, something that no villain in DC or Marvel has managed to achieve.

It was because of the understanding that I would be able to achieve great things. Especially with the people around me, Caiera the Oldstrong, Beta Ray Bill and Korg. Those three especially were the most useful of those around me, the allies that would help me progress through this world.

The question now though, was what to do?

Sakaar was secured, reconstruction was underway, the planet was mine. All the slaves upon the planet had been freed, provided homes and jobs, many choosing to take up arms. I was, by many accounts, worshipped by the former slaves as their saviour.

Just as I had intended and imagined would be the case.

"The question remains now, however, what do we do from here?" I proposed, looking around at my council of advisors. Most were comprised of my Warbound, namely Miek, Korg and Hiroim, but there was also Caiera and a few governors that still lived.

"What do you mean?" One of the governors asked.

I smiled. "I mean, do we send out ships to search the stars for mine and Beta Ray Bill's people? Do we open communications with the Kronans, gaining an alliance? Or do we deal with the enemies that yet await us out there?"

"I was not aware that we had enemies?" It was Caiera that spoke up this time, a frown upon her face.

Miek nodded his head. "We don't." Here he turned to me and I saw the smirk upon his face. "But Tah does and I think the answer is obvious. Any enemy of Tah is an enemy of mine. We shall deal with them first."

"I believe we should open communications with the Kronans first," Hiroim spoke, but he too nodded his head. "But Miek is right. We would not be here now if it was not for Tah, any enemy of his will be our enemy and should be dealt with before they can hurt us."

"Agreed," Korg said.

I could see the wariness on the faces of the governors, but none dare refuse, each repeating what I wanted them to say. There was honestly no need for me to be here, I could simply lean back and relax until such a time we depart. However, my eyes were upon Caiera, not only was she beautiful, but she was against our next course of action.

That much was very clear.

"Leave me." My order was clear and concise, the governors the first to scurry from the room as quickly as possible. Keeping them around, for now, was necessary until such a point I could find more trustworthy people to govern Sakaar. Until such a time though, they would suffice, all of them far too scared of my power to take any steps to supplant me. Not to mention that Sakaar would be ruled by Miek, so any problems on here would be his concern.

As the bug in question, along with Korg, Hiorim and Caiera rose to their feet, intending to leave, I turned to the latter. "Would you remain behind?" A question and one that Caiera conceded to.

We both waited in silence until the three left the room and it was just the two of us left behind. Then I rose to my feet, making my way towards the balcony overlooking the city below. I could feel Caiera's eyes on my back as I moved, but she made no move to follow.

"Do you know why I have enemies still out there?" I asked, not expecting a response. "It was because I was drunk upon my power. I had just defeated a powerful foe who I had heard only about in stories. One so terrifying as to be called Doomsday, one who was said to destroy a living God. I survived and then I sought revenge against the aliens who had attacked my planet for centuries. I crushed them all, never suffering a defeat."

I turned, leaning against the barrier as I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Every day that passed my powers grew. With every victory I gained, so did my arrogance." I smiled amusedly. "I will not lie, after being betrayed by my people, I lived purely for myself. The ambition of gaining an empire was purely to satisfy my own personal greed and in a way, that has not changed. I want to see how far I can go, I want to grasp everything that I so desire, but how I go about that is purely up to who I am."

"And what about you now?" Caiera asked, frowning.

"I no longer bear that same arrogance. And while my ambition stays the same, it is not purely the driving point behind my actions." I answered honestly. "I liberated Sakaar initially because I wanted an army loyal to me. This planet provided me one in the millions of slaves that inhabit it. However, I made allies along the way, those who I wish to keep by my side. I've been betrayed once, I do not wish to be betrayed again."

Caiera paused before rising to her feet. "Who are your enemies out there?" She eventually asked, coming to a stop beside me on the balcony, looking out over the city below. It was still damaged from the invasion but was well underway of rebuilding. "And what about Sakaar? What about the Spikes? What about your people and the Beta Ray Bills? Where do they all fit within your ambition?"

"My enemies are the Vrangs, the ancient enemy of the Kryptonians who was at war with us for centuries. Also the Viltrumites and the unofficially Green Lantern of the Vega System, Tyranny'r the Mighty. That is all." Would there be more in the future, most definitely but at this point in time, that was the extent of my list of enemies.

Not all that large and to be entirely honest, a little underwhelming. However, I suppose that's also a good thing, having too many enemies was never wise. No leader would want to fight a war on multiple fronts, and I didn't want to either. One enemy at a time was the smart way to go about living in this world.

"As for where you all fit into this world? Well, that's simple." I waved my hand across the city, indicating to the planet as a whole. "Sakaar will flourish and grow, populating thousands of more worlds. The Spikes? Provided their own planet, one in which food shall be provided to them. Ensuring that they never feed upon innocents again. Kryptonians and the Korbinites, a secure and safe home to live in. That's where they fit in my ambition. Not death and annihilation, but growth and prosperity."

What defined a King was not how large his army was, or his wealth, or the size of his kingdom. It was the prosperity of his nation. The more prosperous a nation was, the more prosperous the King was in turn.

I had ambitions, a vast number of them.

Ultimately though, how I went about them was up to me. I would grasp and achieve everything I ever wanted, but I would do it my way.