WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Cable #7 by Gerry Duggan, Phil Noto & VC's Joe Sabino, on sale now
The X-Men have been dealing with a radically changed place in the world since the formation of Krakoa, with the mutant heroes having to juggle political issues alongside their normal responsibilities. Now, a young hero from the island has exposed the mutant nation to a question they inevitably had to deal with.
While working with a pair of Philadelphia police officers to find a batch of kidnapped mutant children, Cable inadvertently raises a very important question for Krakoa going forward -- what happens when the mutants work with local authorities and something goes wrong?
Shortly before the events of X of Swords drew the attention of all the Krakoan heroes, Cable had been on the trail of the Order of X -- a cult that deifies mutants. They've been behind the kidnapping of numerous mutant babies, and Cable was trying to work with reluctant police detectives DiStefano and Molina. Returning to the case with his sister Rachel Summers in tow, the four eventually track down the house where the Order of X have been operating. Using her powers, Rachel is able to show DiStefano and Molina telepathically that the infants are indeed in the house. But while the officers offer their assistance and promise to bring warrants against the house within a few hours -- keeping within their legal limits -- Cable and Rachel use their diplomatic immunity to storm the building.
DiStefano and Molina are only able to enter the building once the shooting has started, and arrive in time to watch the two mutants save the babies from their captors. While the detectives are thankful for the assist, it also does raise some thorny potential ramifications for the mutants of Krakoa. Since the formation of the mutant nation, mutants have been afforded a certain amount of autonomy from the governments of the world. This has allowed them to carry out their missions despite the wishes of hostile forces. But this also opens up the possibility for an international incident if any of the mutants make an error in judgment, bringing negative attention to the entirety of Krakoa -- which is exactly the kind of international incident Cable and Rachel were risking.
The detectives working with Cable and Rachel note that if their investigation against the Order of the X goes sideways, the least of their troubles will be suspensions. If the battle had gone poorly and a child was hurt or killed, it's possible that Cable would have to face the consequences -- creating additional drama on an international scale. Any mistake made by a mutant can result in tensions between Krakoa and another country, especially if they're interfering in another nation's investigations or mission. This has already been seen in Wolverine, with X-Force being tasked to investigate the mutant Maverick for his actions on American soil.
Meanwhile, X-Factor's investigations have required them to work with human police forces -- which Daken openly detests. Daken even terrifies a police officer, with one officer openly insulting the team and almost setting off a fight with them. How far does mutant authority carry when dealing with other nations' police or militaries? And when will the mutants know they've taken things too far? The choices made by mutants have set entire nations at odds with Krakoa, with Britain and Wakanda both currently having strained relationships with their potential mutant allies as a result of actions taken by mutants like Captain Britain and Storm. Nations like Russia and Carnelia have made it clear that they stand opposed to Krakoa, and the continued expansion of mutant interests might turn more nations against them.
Many of the mutants currently working with the various arms of the Krakoan government are heroes with amazing abilities and short tempers, and a single poor decision from a representative of the island could cause even more damage for Krakoa's standing in the world -- something the usually trigger-happy Cable should remember as he continues his investigation into Stryfe going forward. Cable's run-in with the police may have worked out, but if it were to have gone poorly -- or even taken a deadly turn -- then things might get very complicated for all of Krakoa, very quickly. It's something Cable should keep in mind going forward -- as should the rest of Krakoa.