Chapter 908: When False Turns True, True Also Becomes False (Part I)

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In the corridors of S.H.I.E.L.D., Schiller held a medical record and made his way towards the medical office. Nick Fury, with a stern expression, approached him. Schiller nodded in acknowledgment, but Nick did not respond at all.

Though his dark complexion made it challenging to discern changes in his mood, the way he fiercely turned down the corners of his mouth and the tension in his forehead revealed his recent outburst, and he remained visibly angry.

As Nick Fury and Schiller brushed past each other, Schiller shook his head and proceeded towards his destination. The room's door hadn't closed completely, indicating that Nick had just emerged from there.

Inside the room, there were two sickbeds. On one of them, Captain America lay with his arm bandaged, apparently taking a brief rest. However, his trembling eyelashes indicated that he wasn't asleep, and his mind was clearly troubled.

Schiller turned his head and noticed a fallen cup on the floor, with water stains on the shoe soles, leaving a trail of footprints leading outside. It was evident that a heated argument had taken place in the room moments before Schiller's arrival, but now, all that remained was the heavy breathing of Captain America.

Schiller sat down by the bedside, placing the medical record aside. He looked at Captain America and asked, "What happened? Did you have an argument with the director? Why?"

Captain America raised his arm to shield his eyes, seemingly reluctant to make eye contact with Schiller. He said, "Schiller... no, Doctor Manel. After serving as a military doctor in the Polar Star fleet for so long, don't you understand our commanding officer?"

Schiller lowered his head, let out a gentle sigh, and replied, "It's precisely because I understand him that I came here to persuade you, Barack. You've served in the fleet for so many years. You should know better than I do that when he led the Polar Star fleet away from there, his only ideal was to revive the Skrull Empire."

"But the Skrull Empire doesn't need revival!" Captain America looked at Schiller and continued, "They still exist in the depths of space, with vast territories and a formidable fleet. And we... why did we end up here? He knows it better than anyone."

Schiller took a deep breath and said, "Let's not dwell on the past. Now, both you and I are under his command, and the previous plan was going smoothly. It made him even more determined to revive the Skrull Empire on Earth."

"Recently, the plan has hit some obstacles. He's bound to be angry. Barack, at the very least, you should consider that he holds the last flagship of the Polar Star fleet."

"Yes, after that disaster, that monster consumed our homeworld and nearly ninety percent of our defense fleet. The remaining fleet split into several groups to rescue the surviving Skrulls."

"Since then, we embarked on a long journey of wandering. Originally, we were supposed to gather all our strength to find a new home and redevelop our own civilization."

"But he, a fallen general ostracized due to political differences, claimed that we were destined to wander aimlessly, with no homeland left. He led the most powerful flagship fleet away from our people."

A complex expression crossed Captain America's handsome face – anger, guilt, and sadness. His voice started to tremble as he continued, "Back then, Talos came to Earth with us, but he chose a different path for a reason."

"Our general took away the Skrull Empire's most formidable fleet at the time, leaving the people we had sworn to protect adrift in space."

"Revive the Skrull Empire? No, the reason he's so urgently executing his plan is that humans have begun to venture into space, and they're listening to the news from there."

"At first, ordinary people heard about the Nine Realms and Asgard, and soon enough, rumors about the three major empires in space spread. To the disappointment of this general, the Skrull Empire remains one of the three major empires and possibly the most powerful."

"When Talos and I heard this news, we were overjoyed. Our homeland still exists, our people are doing well, and we still have a place to call home."

"Do you know what expression he had on his face?" Captain America wore an absurd expression as he said, "He felt anger, jealousy, and disbelief..."

"He believed that the group of small-minded individuals who disagreed with him couldn't possibly rebuild the great Skrull Empire. He thought he was the only one who was right, and he had believed this for the past few years."

"He thought he had deceived Odin's eyes, fooled everyone in Asgard, sneaked into Space's greenhouse, and was about to infiltrate and undermine this weak civilization from within."

Captain America shook his head and said, "Every inch of land in the Nine Realms cannot escape Odin's watch. The only reason he let us in here is because we are too weak, even lower than humans."

"What do we have left? A mad general, a group of stray dogs unable to return home, a spaceship hidden away and too afraid to reveal itself. The Skrull Empire remains great, but it has no connection with this sorry excuse for a leader."

Schiller sighed and said, "Do you remember our ideals when the Skrull Empire was founded?"

"Later on, we realized that all the races in Space, when they set forth into Space, only aimed to magnify their own civilizations. But the Skrulls were different. When we achieved such greatness, we wanted to make the entire Space more vibrant."

"We traveled continuously, finding civilizations worth assisting, helping them overcome the difficulties in their development, and enabling them to build their own star systems. We wanted to be the gardeners of Space, the fathers of all interstellar civilizations..."

Captain America closed his eyes and shook his head, saying, "I've almost forgotten all of that."

"We all know how that disaster happened. After traveling in Space for so long, we found very few civilizations with potential. That day, our fleet found two civilizations, the Kree and the Kortati..."

"We wanted to choose the one with more potential for nurturing. We didn't choose the Kree because they wanted to gain everything by their own strength. So, they initiated the Carnage Kortati and even harmed our ambassadors."

"They stole a lot of science and technology, developed their own weapons and fleet, and waged war against us. Later, it was the Kreespy on Andromeda Galaxy homeworld who attracted that planet-eating monster. Of course, it was them. Besides them, no one else could penetrate our Empire..."

"Making Space vibrant, enabling all races to thrive, perhaps it was just our fantasy." Captain America shook his head and said, "Interstellar society is not a picnic table; it's an arena. Every civilization here evolves sharp talons only for the destruction of others. There's no room for sentiment between civilizations."

"These ideals were actually just unrealistic dreams that weak creatures made when they were grounded on a planet's surface. In Space, there's only one reason Eternity remains unchanged, and that is... survival of the fittest."

"Is that what you think, Barack?" Schiller looked into Captain America's eyes and said, "At the time, you were the commander of another escort ship, not working on the main ship, so you didn't know why Gana General diverged from the others."

Captain America furrowed his brow, looking at Schiller. Schiller poured him a glass of water and then began to speak slowly.

"After that disaster happened years ago, the Skrull Empire wandered for hundreds of years. We were all born during the era of wandering."

"Gana General represented the Newborn Faction, and in the eyes of the Newborn Faction, it was incredible to think that the Skrull Empire would continue to wander like this."

"We had the Infinity energy core, a reasonably equipped fleet, and scientific and technological capabilities surpassing the Majority civilizations. So, why didn't we just plunder the star sectors of those civilizations?"

"As long as we pointed our cannons at their heads, no one would refuse our demands. The Newborn Faction wanted to do this, but the commander at the time refused, which left Gana General very dissatisfied."
"Only Old Man remains true to the ideals of our past, while the newcomers seek to become nothing more than thieves," Schiller shook his head and said, "In truth, I don't agree with the newcomers' philosophy. They only see immediate self-interest."

"Directly plundering resources might indeed be the most effective way to survive difficult times, but if the new generation fails to learn how to build a home from scratch, believing that pillage and destruction are shortcuts to their self-interest and that conquest will bring greatness, then one day, they will pay the price."

"The wise among the Skrulls, like Talos, foresaw this early on. He didn't want us to march towards inevitable destruction, and thus, he refused to change his course."

"However, the New Generation, led by General Gana, viewed this as nothing but old-fashioned rigidity. They believed they deserved more."

"As a result, a schism war erupted, but our General, he didn't even have the qualifications to participate. He was merely a newcomer."

"Unfortunately, this war consumed our last reserves of strength and left everyone exhausted and disappointed. In such a dire situation, Gana used his charismatic speeches and resorted to some violent methods to seize, or rather, steal a fleet."

"He claimed he would lead a group to find the Promised Land, where the Skrull Empire could be revived. Those who followed him believed he could truly deliver on his promises."

Captain America smirked and said, "Promised Land? Prophecies of revival? It's all just a bluff he came up with!"

"Talos saw through him long ago and chose to break ties, seeking a peaceful life, no longer entangled in his madness."

Captain America took a deep breath and continued, "Perhaps, Talos had long been disappointed. Maybe he no longer held any hope for reviving our nation, no longer saw himself as a Skrull. Perhaps he even wished to become a true human..."

"But you're different, aren't you?" Schiller looked into Captain America's eyes and saw a Soul that was different from Captain America Steve's but shared some similarities. Different races, different experiences, yet equally weathered, and still shining bright.

"I was born on a spaceship, lived a nomadic life with the fleet. The first time I set foot on Earth, I was amazed by the beauty of the legendary Space Greenhouse."

"But I have always been a Skrull, a Skrull soldier, protecting my country, my race, my civilization - that is my unwavering duty."

"So, I won't be like Talos, abandoning my identity, my past, and rooting myself in the greenhouse to become one of its saplings; it's not my soil."

"But I also do not condone what Gana is doing now. He's not reviving the Skrull Empire; he's leading everyone towards doom."

Captain America shook his head, gripping the bedrails tightly. "So many unforeseen circumstances, yet he fails to understand that humans are fundamentally unpredictable!"

"They've occupied this beautiful planet for so many years, not due to luck, but because of their chaos and madness!"

"The feeling that things are progressing smoothly is just a self-delusion. He said if this minor injury makes me retreat, then I deserve to die on the battlefield."

"But what would make me retreat is not this minor injury. Even if I were to die on the battlefield, I will never follow his orders and die in an invasion war that is neither honorable nor hopeful."

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 909: When False Becomes True and True Becomes False (Part 1)