Quasar #10
Kree For All
Quasar is continuing his investigation of aliens on Earth, to see if any of them are the threat to the cosmos that Eon had selected him to stop. In the deserts of New Mexico, Quasar finds the alien being named Half-Life who has the ability to halve the life forces of anyone she touches. Since her powers also work against the energy constructs created by his Quantum Bands, Quasar removes her boots and uses them to bind her hands since her clothing appears to be immune to her own powers. With this threat neutralized, Quasar then turns Half-Life off to the Vault for containment. As he heads home, Quasar is unaware that he is being observed from afar by two alien beings who are very interested in obtaining his Quantum Bands.
The following morning, Wendell Vaughn arrives at his security firm’s office at the Four Freedoms Plaza. There his newest employee, Ken Tanaka, is settling in and flirting with Wendell’s secretary, Kayla Ballentine. The boss excuses himself, and once again wonders how he can manage juggling his secret identity. Once in his private office, he checks in on Eon, who has been hiding out in a pocket dimension hidden behind Wendell’s bookshelf. He explains his latest alien encounter and says he’ll be searching the sea for aquatic aliens after work that evening.
That evening, Wendell leaves the office as Quasar and begins investigating the alien creatures that exist in the ocean. However, since 71% of the world is ocean, this is a herculean task for Quasar to undertake and he returns home after a fruitless search.[1] Too exhausted to change out of his costume, Wendell collapses on the bed and falls fast asleep. Moments later, the two aliens who have been observing him — Kree operatives Doctor Minerva and Captain Atlas — break into Quasar’s room. Drugging the hero, the two then abscond with him back to their ship. Captain Atlas is looking forward to finally leave Earth, since its super-human population is unpredictable.
Leaving Earth orbit in their ship, Doctor Minerva begins trying to remove Quasar’s Quantum Bands. However, she discovers that they are firmly attached to his hands. With no conventional way to remove them, she then prepares some lasers to amputate Wendell’s hands at the wrist.
As this is happening, Vaughn is having a dream where he is at the beach with his friends Ken Tanaka and Kayla Ballentine. The pair bury Wendell in sand so he can’t move and he suddenly feels a stabbing pain in his arms — caused by the lasers about to cut off his limbs in the waking world. Luckily, Eon appears in his dream — disguised as a crab — and warns Wendell that he is in danger and implores him to wake up. Reacting instinctively, Quasar unleashes a barrage of energy blasts from his Quantum Bands, which knock out Doctor Minerva and destroy her machines. Hearing the commotion, Captain Atlas rushes from the back to see what has happened.
As Quasar restrains Minerva and demands answers, the Kree ship suddenly slips into hyperspace. She tells him he’ll be stranded in space forever unless he surrenders, but Quasar isn’t convinced. After restraining the doctor with energy constructs, he goes looking for Captain Atlas. In the ensuing battle, a hole is blasted through the hull of he ship and Atlas is sucked out into Hyperspace. Sealing the hole with his Quantum Bands, Quasar goes back to Doctor Minerva and demands to know why she kidnapped him. She explains that the Kree race had reached a genetic dead-end and that she wanted to jump start their evolution. To this end, Doctor Minerva sough to make the Kree traitor Captain Marvel — the guardian of the universe that predated Quasar — in order to mate with him and produce viable offspring.[2] Her scheme ultimately failed and she ended up stranded on Earth where she eventually learned of Captain Marvel’s death.[3] Devastated, she eventually found a long abandoned Psyche-Magnatron and used it to give herself super-human abilties as well as unlock her genetic potential.[4] Eventually, the Kree sent Captain Atlas to rescue her from Earth and she soon discovered that he was her eugenically ideal mate.
Quasar doesn’t understand what any of this has to do with trying to steal his Quantum Bands. Minerva explains that the weapons resemble the Power-Bands of Rinn once worn by Captain Marvel, and she wanted them to try and gain popular support of her eugenics program, and admits that she was responsible for hiring AIM for the earlier attempt to steal the from him.[5] When she asks what happened to Atlas, Quasar explains how he was sucked out of the ship during their earlier battle and then agrees to rescue him since he’s the only one who can safely get them out of hyperspace. Using his Quantum Bands to create protective shields against the void, Quasar and Doctor Minerva head out and find Captain Atlas and rescue him. Once back aboard the alien ship, Quasar convinces the pair to let him go and has them promise never to come back to Earth again.
Once back in normal space, Quasar lets the Kree go before hyper-jumping back to Earth. Changing back to his civilian clothes and heading into work, Wendell learns from Ken and Kalya that a woman had come by earlier looking to work for the company.[6] Thinking nothing of it, he then reports back to Eon and asks if there is a way to create some means of protecting his Quantum Bands should anyone attempt to tamper with them. Eon says it’s possible, leaving Wendell to wonder why Eon hadn’t come up with something like this earlier.
Recurring Characters
Quasar, Doctor Minerva, Captain Atlas, Ken Tanaka, Kayla Ballentine, Eon, Halflife, Guardsman
Continuity Notes
The aliens that Quasar is seeking out in Earth’s oceans are not outright stated here. It’s possible that he is looking for the children of Marrina Smallwood, a member of the Plodex race who gave birth before her death in Avengers #291-293. These elusive creatures won’t be found until Namor the Sub-Mariner Annual #4. Another possibility is Tamara Rhan, a surviving member of the Banari race that has lived in Earth’s oceans since Sub-Mariner #58.
Doctor Minerva tried to get down with Mar-Vell in Captain Marvel #50-55.
Mar-Vell died of cancer in Marvel Graphic Novel #1.
Readers are reminded that this is the same Psyche-Magnetron seen in Captain Marvel #17. It was the device that gave Carol Danvers, aka Ms. Marvel and later the current Captain Marvel, her super-human abilities.
AIM has tried to steal Quasar’s Quantum Bands twice. Once in Quasar #1, and a second time last issue on behalf of Minerva and Atlas. They failed both times.
This woman reveals herself to be H.D. Steckley next issue. She is actually Heather Douglas, aka Moondragon. The pseudonym is based on the initials of her real name, and her mother’s maiden name. She is posing as Steckley as she had decided that Quasar would be her ideal mate. This is all revealed in Quasar #21-25.
