u/SWORDbeatsSHIELD

Brand looks out into the cosmos and sighs. She’s out of the loop with the Annihilators, her team is growing tired of the repetitiveness of space, and she was exhausted. Combine that with the uncertainty of Frost… they’re not feeling too good. She checks her intergalactic calendar and sees that stupid holiday America celebrates, and it gives her an idea. Maybe Sersi’s in her head, maybe she’s truly lost her marbles, but it’s worth a shot. She clicks on her radio and calls out to the ruby-eyed man.

Summers. Bring your team to the bridge. I have a surprise.

She clicks the receiver off before she can hear a response and calls out to the recent strays she’s collected. Time for the teams to get acquainted with each other.

OOC: A “party” for the X-Men and others aboard Brand’s ship. Interactable if you’re here.

Emma Frost was very useful. When they first met and she introduced the plan to Brand, she handed her a small beacon, not too dissimilar to what Brand gave Captain Marvel. Now, after what Carol had told her about the impending speed of the war, it was time to get more leverage.

Don't make me wait, big guy.

She clicks the beacon and gazes out into the stars as she waits for him to meet her once again.

The Tyrfing, resting outside of an asteroid field. Brand stands and stares out into the darkness, waiting for her mole. Perhaps it is disingenuous to call Captain Marvel a spy, but she is a key asset in the Brood-Skrull war and one of two links she has into the Annihilators. They’re not going to play nice, and she needs every advantage she can to have them working for her. In her mind, their reckless abandon will destroy all intergalactic and interplanetary relations, another war in its own right. Only Brand could coordinate them, keep them in line. Otherwise? There’s no point to even trying.

So she stands at the ready and waits for Danvers, arms crossed behind her back and sunglasses hiding her exhausted eyes.

Brand stood there, still in tired awe. A new ship. She had so many ships. The Tyrfing would provide everything The Falchion did, but it still hurt. Stupid Gladiator with his stupid male pride. The fate of the universe was at stake, and all he cared about was Deathbird. And Hyperion was just a sledgehammer, just destroyed the ship more.

Whatever. He’ll pay for it, one way or another.

You are killing me, Mark. Hyperion. Whatever.

Slowly, her crew loads everything onto the new ship, a laborious process only exasperated by Sylvain’s blathering and Linhardt’s whining. It’s a shame they were so useful, because god, they are infuriating. As they finish, the Tyrfing latches onto the Falchion with six robotic arms and tears it apart, sucking up its shattered hull and dumping all of the scraps into the lowest level of the “new” ship. Materials are not to be wasted. As the Falchion is finally put to rest, Brand touches her ear and opens the line to the X-Men, calling all at once. l

Finished, Summers? I’m not getting any reading of further life signs. Got some news you might want to know too.

How was she going to tell him…

The Falchion, hovering above a planet once filled with a peaceful people. Its name is unimportant, as it is one of many worlds to be destroyed by a Brood infestation. It will be forgotten in due time but maybe, just maybe, Brand can stop the monsters on this planet from killing another.

Alright, X-Men, time for that briefing you've been begging for. To put it simply, the Brood are back, and they're partnering up with the Skrulls. I have some others on that, and we may even have some allies besides just us, but we're going alone right now. Your target is this spot right here:

Brand points at a holo-map of the planet, highlighting a natural fortress in a valley of steep mountains.

They've set up at the heart of this natural formation right here, surrounded by geographical walls. Only way in's from above, unfortunately. I can get you down into the atmosphere, but this planet is known for its acid storms, so we can't get too close. I've got jump packs ready, but just in case, Rogue and Storm should be able to keep you safe during your descent. I'll provide support from up here, with Deathbird's company and protection just in case of a secondary attack, but unless there's any questions...

Go kill some giant bugs.

The Moon. For some godforsaken reason, the X-Men seemed to enjoy this barren sphere of rock. Honestly? Brand thought it was idiotic. But maybe she didn’t even realize how beautiful the Earth was anymore. The Falchion hovers over a crater before touching down with a soft thud.

Alright kids, we’re here. Let’s go ruin a honeymoon, shall we?

She leads the X-Men down the ramp and takes the first step onto the giant ball of cheese in the sky. Pragmatist she may be, she did always enjoy that little superstition.

Soon after one Blackbird leaves, another enters, carrying five of mutantkind’s finest: Scott Summers, Ororo Munroe, Katherine Pryde, Angelica Jones, and Laura Kinney. Brand watches them disembark with her trademark scowl, her hand on her hip and her collar flared. Okay, Brand, let’s save the world.

Hello, X-Men. It’s been a while. Ready to save the galaxy?

The Falchion, hovering in orbit above the North Atlantic, opens its hangar doors as the Blackbird soars in. It only holds one passenger today, but it is one Brand cannot afford to ignore. When Emma Frost calls, you answer. Brand couldn't even stand the thought of the stubborn, pompous, and downright rude woman, but she was a far scarier enemy than she was an annoying ally.

Emma Frost. Your call sounded rather urgent.

She leads her to a conference room just outside the bridge, harsh white lights making her skin appear vampiric. Ironic, considering the recent ordeal she went through. Brand had been tracking the entire battle from above. Emma was ruthless.

Let's talk.

She couldn’t explain why, but the solar winds of a life in space made her yearn for the smell of rain. Maybe it was the simplicity of astral weather, maybe it wax the absence of true change in the black skies around her, maybe it was an error in her brain. Whatever it was, she knew she liked to watch it, and it made her feel like home.

Alright, Lin, what can you tell me about this?

She dumps the remains of the Brood Queen’s head on the sleepy scientist’s table. He looks up at her with tired eyes and groans.

“It’s a Brood Queen’s head, looks like it was blown to smithereens by beams of light. Captain Marvel?”

Yup. But no, look at this.

She pulls out a small spec of brown hair and places it down.

This isn’t hers. I found it floating, like it fell off of her during the fight.

“I see…”

He takes the hair over to a microscope and puts it on a petri dish before sliding it under the lens.

“Oh,” he mutters. “Oh! This is horse hair!”

I knew it. This is all connected.

She accesses the ships holograms and displays multiple recent events, including a couple with Beta Ray Bill.

Gladiator, Captain Marvel, Nova, and Beta Ray Bill have all been spotted fighting the Brood. It seems even that they have visited Earth and the X-Men, based on a phone call I got.

She steps into the photos and drags her hands across the screen.

Combined with the recent sightings of the Silver Surfer, maybe… yeah. Shi’ar, check, Asgard, check, Earth, check, Nova Corps, check. Just missing the Kree, the Skrulls, and the Brood. Considering that the latter two have been fighting against these heroes, they’re probably not included. Maybe Danvers is their Kree representative too? Or someone like Ronan or Korath? Not sure, but my money’s on Ronan.

She lines their heads up and takes a look at it.

A council of nations, people, planet…

The Annihilators are back.

Brand looks out from the deck of the Falchion and scoffs, taking a long drag on a truly electronic cigarette. It’s beautiful. It’s painful.

Earth. Nothing but trouble. Not like the rest of the universe is any better.

She presses a switch on her computer and begins transmitting a message to those who need a reminder of who’s in charge.

To those receiving this message, know that the time for chaos ends now. S.W.O.R.D. is watching, and we will cut anyone who poses a threat to the universe in two. And if you get back up? We’ll make the world forget you existed.

Welcome to S.W.O.R.D., everyone. Hope you survive the experience.

OOC: Open to interaction if you’d feasibly receive the message or can fly to the Falchion yourself.