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Chapter 199: Captain Carter and Mar-Vell (1)
🕑 Added 2025-02-01 15:49:51 +0000 UTC"Thank you for your purchase, that will be two dollars!" The street fruit vendor handed Mar-Vell a bag of fresh cashews as he told her the price.
These cashews were not the dried nuts commonly found in supermarkets or grocery stores. Those are actually the seeds that grow on top of real cashew fruits.
Here, however, the cashews were fresh and whole, resembling wax apples in appearance. The flesh was juicy and smooth, with a flavor somewhat similar to pineapple—sweet and refreshing.
Because fresh cashews spoil quickly, they are mostly found in tropical regions where they grow. In most places, people can only eat the dried nut version.
In the U.S., fresh cashews are rarely seen except in some southern states like New Mexico.
After tasting one, Mar-Vell took an instant liking to the fruit.
However, she apparently had no U.S. dollars.
Of course, with her skills, it would be easy to get some money. But as a proud warrior of the Kree Starforce, the idea of stealing was beneath her. Instead, she handed the vendor a small metal ingot.
It was a unit of universal galactic currency—a Star Credit.
That small piece alone was worth 1,000 Star Credits.
Although Earth had never engaged in trade with extraterrestrial civilizations, it was possible to estimate its value using staple goods as a reference.
Roughly speaking, 1,000 Star Credits could be equivalent to about 10,000 U.S. dollars in this era—possibly even more, considering how much a small spaceship could be bought for with just a few hundred thousand credits.
For comparison, a Mirage III fighter jet cost several million dollars in 1970, and the U.S. dollar had even more purchasing power at this time.
However, Mar-Vell overlooked one important detail—Earth had not yet integrated with the wider galactic economy. No one here had ever seen a star credit, nor did they recognize its value, even if it was made of rare and precious metals.
So the merchant was completely baffled.
"What is this?" he asked, shaking the small piece of metal in his hand.
"It's money! That's a thousand dollars - enough to buy your entire stall!" Mar-Vell replied, munching on her juicy cashew fruit.
"Oh, honey, that's not funny. Judging by your outfit, you must be a foreigner. If you don't have any dollars, I'll take pounds, francs, liras, pesetas, or even escudos. But don't try to trick me with a piece of junk," the vendor said helplessly.
"This is not junk, this is a Star Credit!" Mar-Vell insisted.
"Hey, girl, are you messing with me?" The vendor's patience snapped, and he rolled up his sleeves in obvious anger.
Two dollars was no small sum for a small businessman like him.
Seeing this, Mar-Vell became annoyed as well. One thousand Star Credits was a full day's salary for her—enough to enjoy a luxurious meal at the finest restaurant in Hala, the Kree Empire’s capital.
As a high-ranking member of the StarForce, Mar-Vell earned one of the highest salaries in the Empire.
Were it not for the fact that Starforce covered all of her living expenses, she would not have casually handed over 1,000 credits for a piece of fruit.
However, having spent most of her life in the military, she was somewhat lacking in social awareness, which led to this awkward situation.
And now a native of this primitive planet dared to roll up his sleeves at her? Mar-Vell was furious and ready to teach him a lesson.
But just as tensions were about to escalate, a firm female voice cut through the air.
At the same time, a large, elegant hand placed a five-dollar bill in front of the vendor.
"I'll pay for it. Keep the change as a tip," the newcomer said.
Mar-Vell was surprised.
When did this person get so close to me?
She turned to look--
Tall. Strong.
That was her first impression.
Although the technology of the Kree Empire was far more advanced than Earth's, the physical differences between ordinary humans weren't that great.
Kree males averaged between 1.8 to 2.0 meters in height—slightly taller than Earthlings.
Kree females were similar, with an average height of about 1.7 meters.
As a member of the Starforce, Mar-Vell stood at 5'8", a fairly standard height.
But the Earth woman standing before her was over six feet tall and looked even more robust than she was. Beneath her seemingly ordinary outfit—a women's suit—was a body packed with explosive strength.
Mar-Vell, trained as a warrior, could see that at a glance.
And the woman's broad chest made Mar-Vell, despite being an alien, feel a slight sense of inferiority—after all, Kree culture also admired larger physiques.
Fortunately, as a Starforce soldier, Mar-Vell had a strong mind and quickly regained her composure.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Peggy Carter. You can just call me Peggy," the woman introduced herself, extending her hand.
Indeed, the newcomer was none other than Peggy Carter, who had been sent to Roswell by Josh to investigate the UFO crash.
After arriving with her CIA team, Carter's investigation of the crash site yielded results similar to the military’s—charred bodies and scattered metal fragments.
Aside from confirming to the government the existence of aliens, there wasn't much else of value.
Well, not completely worthless. The structure and composition of those metal fragments were of some scientific interest. While vibranium was shared among the world's nations, its limited supply meant that conventional metal research was still of great value.
Unlike the military investigators, who focused solely on the crash site and surrounding areas, Carter worked with the FBI and local police to expand the search to the surrounding towns and cities.
It wasn't long before Mar-Vell's unusual clothing caught their attention.
And so, this confrontation unfolded.
As for why a Kree Starforce warrior like Mar-Vell wasn't more cautious and didn't realize she was being followed, it was simple.
It wasn't that she lacked vigilance. From the moment she entered the city, she was the center of attention.
Being alert or not made little difference.
Besides, she didn't believe that this relatively primitive civilization could pose a threat to her.
At least not until Peggy Carter showed up.
