"Your spaceships don't have any life-support systems, barely any safety defense measures, no disaster warnings. Everything is designed for offense because Gods don't need these. You only need to operate the ship, fire your weapons, and then teleport. Other species cannot do that."
"You wouldn't be able to find a new line of technology based on such fragile physical foundations, neither do you have the time nor the need because you know you are the anomaly in the cosmos. Besides, there exist a plethora of technologies suitable for weaker species."
"But you also know that it can be one of your few weaknesses which, once discovered by militant states like the Kree Empire and the Skrull Empire, would lead to a technological embargo against you. This is why you came here in disguise, hoping to send us a signal and instigate cooperation…"
The Queen looked at Loki, whose expression looked quite unnerving, as if her secretive plans were exposed.
The Queen felt somewhat triumphant. She squinted slightly, thinking that Thanos indeed lived up to his nickname, having calculated everything so accurately.
However, shortly after, Loki regained her composure, sighed, and said, "I'm truly awed by Your Majesty's wisdom. Let's not beat around the bush. It indeed is the case."
"Unfortunately, the predicament of the Shi'ar Empire may not be as easily resolved. Your system dictates that you don't have the mobilization speed or efficiency of a military state. Your technology isn't geared towards warfare, yet you are the wealthiest among the three great empires."
"The Kree Empire and the Skrull Empire have always used force to oppress and plunder resources from the Shi'ar Empire. Their favored method is to spread panic, incite ethnic and regional conflicts, causing social-economic instability, and forcing industries into exile. This situation has recurred repeatedly over centuries."
"Considering this, let's be frank: the Shi'ar Empire and Asgard should indeed collaborate. You have wealth, status, and commercial trade routes, we have the military force, weapons, and deterrence."
"More importantly, you have always been a commercial empire, never instigating wars. We wouldn't have to worry about you becoming an external aggressor after resolving internal crises. Moreover, our sparse population makes interstellar colonization almost impossible. You wouldn't have to worry about our re-entry into the economic society, outgrowing into the fourth major empire, taking your place."
"With that in mind, our cooperation will be a match made in heaven. The interstellar society should switch to a different equilibrium."
The Queen stopped, turned and looked at Loki. In the eyes of the young prince, she saw an unspeakable ambition. The Queen closed her eyes gently, sighed, and asked: "What do you want?"
"Your technology of dimensional cutting and transportation, as a deposit, and as a guarantee when I report back to the Divine King."
The Queen frowned, Loki's answer caught her off guard. At first, a hint of surprise flashed across her face, yet she hesitated. Eventually, she spoke earnestly:
"Since we have been honest with each other, I don't want to do anything sneaky on this matter that would compromise our cooperation. I must tell you that I can offer this technology, but it might fall short of your expectations."
"I am aware that cutting dimensions, not space, even sounds intimidating to the interstellar science community. After all, one could argue a dimension is an independent world. If one possesses an independent dimension, it can block out all civilizations that do not have the ability to leap through dimensions."
"Yet, because of this, the difficulty of this technology exceeds anyone's imagination. The Shi'ar Empire, with all our resources, studied this for hundreds of years, and the end results we got were merely empty shells."
"What does that mean?"
The Queen had an awkward look on her face, seemingly embarrassed to admit this to outsiders. But in the end, she confessed: "The goal of dimension cutting is far far away. We are still far from reaching it…"
"As of now, we can only cut a tiny chunk of the dimension, incapable of transporting the entire dimension. The area we cut is only slightly bigger than the commonly seen shattered dimensions at the edge of the cosmos. Moreover, due to structural absence, the cut-out dimension fragments collapse quickly, as they can't support themselves…"
Loki blinked, understanding the Queen's point. If the technology can only achieve this much, it is indeed nothing more than a hollow shell.
Perhaps many people might think that a tiny area is already quite impressive, but in reality, many such shattered dimensions exist on the dark edges of the cosmos, the remnants of collapsed dimensions. These fragments are utterly useless because of their fragility and incompleteness.
No civilization would move their home into such a dimension because it is structurally unstable and could collapse at any moment. By the time that happens, being able to escape alive would already be considered fortunate, let alone rescuing the property.
"So, what about the transportation technology? Can the objects within the cut-out dimension fragments be transported synchronously?" Loki asked again.
"That is possible, but the objects can only be maintained for a very short period," the Queen replied. "Moreover, if the objects are not removed before the dimension collapses, they will disappear along with the shattered pieces."
"Then, have you tried restoring the cut-out dimensions?" Loki asked another question.
The Queen nodded and said: "We have tried everything for this technology. However, to restore it, the conditions are extremely stringent. The fragment can only be placed back to the original position, not to fill other voids. No external forces can interfere when it is placed, and the cosmic parameters have to be identical. Otherwise, damage might occur…"
Loki nodded and said: "Okay, then we want this technology."
The Queen raised her eyebrows in surprise. Loki shook her head and explained, "We don't need it for its practical purposes, but for its diplomatic significance. As a considerable accomplishment, all it needs is a glorious name."
The Queen caught on quickly. Indeed, if the purpose was to stabilize the public sentiment, it's better to kick things off with technology that sounds impressive.
As for the tech that can be put to practical use, isn't there the subsequent cooperation for that?
The Queen nodded her head, and then she and Loki started discussing the details of the cooperation.
Soon, Loki left the Throne Hall. As she crossed paths with Thanos, who was just entering the hall, they exchanged a glance full of calmness, yet filled with undercurrents.
The curtain of the interstellar stage rose, and the cunning dance between the two wolves, one hidden and the other manifest, had just begun with its first beat.