In time, when we have captured all the existing fragments of the gem, we will reunite them-- and with all their power ours to command-- the entire universe will bow down before the might of the Black Fleet! 
- —A Black Fleet crewbeing[1]
History
In antediluvian ages, the then-plentiful biomechanic species in the universe made up the Turgentine Technenium empire and warred against the organic species only to be defeated.[2] Biomechanic survivors then created the would-be conquering Black Fleet,[2][10] a roving[11] thousand-starship armada[3] of plunderers and pirates[12] who advanced through the galaxies attacking organic species -but recruiting renegade organics for help-[2] and devastating civilizations[13] in their quest to take over the universe.[10][1]
The Black Fleet knew of the Bio-Gem,[1] an inorganic evil entity that had been, long ago, defeated by an unknown species and shattered in many individual thinking pieces. The aliens had scattered the fragments through the universe, leaving a self-destructive Natter Energy-Egg to watch over each of them.[1][10] Whenever a Gem tried to escape, the Egg exploded, destroying itself and the Gem. However, the Black Fleet had discovered a way to disable the Eggs and then capture the Gem fragments with a bio-harness to enslave the Gem's power. The Fleet believed that, once they could reunite all the Gem pieces, they would be powerful enough to nullify free will in the universe and then destroy all organic life. The Gem's pieces were understandably unwilling to be destroyed, but they could not escape the Eggs guarding them, and when the Fleet reached a world with a Gem, the Fleet destroyed the civilization before reaching the egg and easily captured the Gem.[1]
One planet in the Black Fleet's roadmap was Scadam,[6][14][10][13][11] where a Bio-Gem fragment was retained by its Egg in a closed, forbidden museum, without the local Scadamites knowing about it.[7] The far less discreet Black Fleet was easily detected, however, the terrified Scadamites saw their warship clearly approaching Scadam.[6][14][13][11] Although the Ruling Council of Scadam detected the Fleet,[6] Scadamite pacifist culture prevented them from presenting any opposition.[6] Council member Durgan the Philosopher proposed to, exceptionally,[13] look for a way to confront the Fleet,[6][10][14][13] and was expelled from the Council for his schimastic opinion.[6][1][10][14] Durgan nonetheless dediced to act on his own, looking for a way to fight the Fleet.[13] He decided to build[15] an agent,[7] the Chief Examiner, and send it to the planet Earth, where he would analyze superpowerful beings to replicate their abilities;[7][13] Durgan aimed to later implant the superpowers into a champion who would fight the Black Fleet at Scadam.[5]
The Examiner successfully analyzed Hulk[6] and Spider-Man while the Fleet attacked another world, assimiliting the Gem and approaching Scadam, and the Ruling Council still rejected Durgan's ways. Durgan's former pupil Tuskar defied the Council to look for his missing master[1] and, when he found Durgan, was convinced of the later's strategy against the Fleet and recruited by him as an ally.[7]
Durgan then sent the Chief Examiner to assimilate the Fantastic Four but, once the Human Torch and the Thing had been examined,[7] the Bio-Gem took control of the Chief Examiner, locked Durgan's mind up in the Examiner's mnemonic system and went after purported supervillain Magneto, whom it wanted as an ally. Magneto however proved unpredictable for the Bio-Gem, and instead listened to Durgan's plight, then helped Durgan recover control over the Chief Examiner. Although Magneto agreed to be analyzed by the Examiner, he reprimanded Durgan's and the Chief Examiner's cryptic methods, trying to force superpowered beings to do what they wanted for a supposed greater good instead of offering them a chance to act as they wished - and Magneto even compared Durgan with the Black Fleet on moral grounds.[13]
Final battle
The Black Fleet reached Scadam some time later, just after the Chief Examiner was destroyed when trying to absorbe the Star Brand power source from Earthling Kayla Ballantine.[10][16] The Fleet's raid burned Ballantine[16] to a charred, smoked skeleton[12] but she regenerated thanks to her powers.[12][5] The Black Fleet also attacked Scadamite cities, causing a flow of refugees.[12]
The unconventional community known as the Mourners, hearing the debacle at Scadam, went there in their starship Mourning Star, along with their Earth-born superpowered allies Her -an artificial being- and Makkari -an Eternal. Seeing the battle, Her insisted in defending the unprotected locals and flew to destroy the first Black Fleet ship[12] with her cosmic bolts.[5] Her failed to stop the battle, but attracted the Fleet's attention, diverting it temporarily from helpless targets. The Fleet shot Her, exhausting her energy and forcing her to start a healing routine that left her outside the battle for the time being.[17]
After one week of siege,[8] Durgan was ready to release his agent, the Chief Exterminator[10][8][5] - a huge[5][10] piloted[8] robot[8] with the power of more than twelve superbeings from Earth[8] including the Human Torch, Hulk, Sub-Mariner, the Thing, Wolverine,[11] Spider-Man[1] and Magneto.[13] With Durgan at the helm,[8] the Chief Exterminator confronted[10] at least thirteen ships from the Black Fleet at once,[5] destroying many of them with simultaneous death-rays from its hands and helmet. One Black Fleet ship withstood a bolt, which bounced and almost impacted Ballantine, but she dodged.[17]
However, the Black Fleet destroyed the Chief Exterminator[10][17][8] with eighteen constant laser bursts, making it explode.[17] The Exterminator could only have defeated the Black Fleet if it had also the Star Brand power.[10] Ballantine found Durgan dying in the debris[8] and, believing to have lost her last chance to return to Earth, she unleashed the power of the Star Brand[10][8] in a huge power sphere that covered the whole planet Scadam and expanded, engulfing the whole Black Fleet and destroying it to the last ship.[10][8][18] The only known survivor was a being called Skeletron, who would later continue activities of evil intent.[2] The Scadamite population had been decimated.[18] There is no information about Scadam's Bio-Gem's fate.
Her -rechristened Kismet- and Ballantine returned to Earth, each by her own means, and reunited there -they already knew each other, albeit their relationship was not good. Discovering that Ballantine had destroyed the Black Fleet, Kismet was impressed - Kismet didn't even knew that Ballantine was at Scadam or she'd have tried to rescue her.[19]Paraphernalia
Equipment
Weapons
Transportation
See Also
- 7 appearance(s) of Black Fleet (Earth-616)
- 1 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Black Fleet (Earth-616)
- 2 image(s) of Black Fleet (Earth-616)
Links and References
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Questprobe #2
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Starblast #4
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Quasar #43
- ↑ Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Master Edition #29 ; Chief Examiner's entry
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Quasar #40
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.9 Questprobe #1
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Questprobe #3
- ↑ 8.00 8.01 8.02 8.03 8.04 8.05 8.06 8.07 8.08 8.09 8.10 Quasar #42
- ↑ 10.00 10.01 10.02 10.03 10.04 10.05 10.06 10.07 10.08 10.09 10.10 10.11 10.12 10.13 Secret Wars: Official Guide to the Marvel Multiverse #1 ; Chief Examiner's entry
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Quasar #37
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 Quasar #39
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 13.7 13.8 Marvel Fanfare #33
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (Vol. 2) #2 ; Chief Examiner's entry
- ↑ Marvel Encyclopedia #Spider-Man ; Chief Examiner's entry
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Quasar #38
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 Quasar #41
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Quasar #45
- ↑ Quasar #49