On the Commander ship.
A guard walked into the throne room and knelt on one knee.
"Master, Ronan's fleet has been decimated by the Nova Corps, but the Dark Aster is shielded by an impenetrable barrier. The Nova Empire's fleet has just been wiped out."
"Don't worry. That ship remains standing only because of the Power Stone. I have my own ways of dealing with it," Jason said from his throne, his tone indifferent.
"However, I am curious—Ronan has only possessed the Stone for a short time. I wonder just how much of its true potential he can actually tap into."
Hearing this, Peter volunteered, "Master, Yondu and I can lead our crews in to test his limits."
"Hmm, a sound idea. The fleet will cover your approach. But do not forget—rescue Valkyrie first. With her help, your odds of survival will be much higher."
"Understood!"
The Commander's ventral hangar opened.
Hundreds of Sakaaran fighters swarmed out, heading for the Dark Aster, with Yondu's Ravager ships following close behind.
Aboard the Dark Aster, Nebula stormed into the hall.
"Master, those two fleets are launching a massive assault!"
Her tone was calm, lacking the usual tension. She was almost a different person. After witnessing the power of the Infinity Stone, Nebula's worldview had been shattered and reconstructed.
The existence of such overwhelming power made her realize her own insignificance. At the same time, her awe of Ronan grew; even her way of addressing him had changed. In her eyes, Ronan—with the Power Stone—was undoubtedly the strongest being in the universe, even stronger than her father, Thanos.
She believed that by staying in Ronan's good graces, she could finally kill Thanos for revenge and then follow Ronan to conquer the universe.
"Don't worry. These inferiors' ships can't possibly breach the Dark Aster. Our target is grounding on Xandar; everything else is trivial. If these fools want to seek death, I don't mind sending them on their way," Ronan gripped his hammer, brimming with confidence.
"I understand. And Gamora and the others..."
"Rest assured. Once Xandar is destroyed, my deal with that woman will be complete. Gamora will be yours to do with as you please—dead or alive," Ronan said dismissively.
"Thank you!" Nebula bowed her head, excited.
Boom!
As soon as she finished speaking, the Dark Aster was struck by missiles. But under the protection of the Power Stone, the ship didn't suffer a scratch.
In open space, the hundreds of Sakaaran fighters hammered away at the barrier to no effect.
However, the guards didn't seem to care. They kept their fingers glued to the triggers, filling the space around the Dark Aster with a wall of fire and explosions. Their goal wasn't to destroy the flagship, but to create a smokescreen to cover Peter and Yondu's movements.
"Alright, let's see if this junk actually works."
Peter piloted the Milano beneath the belly of the Dark Aster, with Yondu and the Ravagers right on his tail.
Thump!
Peter hit the launch button. Two missiles streaked out, targeting the ventral hangar bay.
KABOOM!
A deafening explosion rocked the ship. The barrier of the Power Stone shattered instantly, and a massive hole was torn into the belly of the Dark Aster.
"Yeah! It worked!" Peter pumped his fist.
"Quit celebrating, kid! Move it!" Yondu barked over the comms.
"I'm on it!"
The group piloted their ships through the breach and entered the interior of the Dark Aster.
"Shit! The ventral hangar has been breached! Someone's inside!" Nebula stared at the 3D schematic of the ship, her face full of shock. "Ronan, what is happening!?"
Ronan had just bragged that no inferior ship could ever breach his barrier. The reality had slapped him across the face before the words were even cold. Ronan's eyes went wide. He had no answer for Nebula because he didn't understand it either.
But in this critical moment, as a ruler, he had to maintain the appearance of being in control. If the leadership panicked, the ranks would crumble.
"Don't worry. A minor oversight. Take your men and capture the intruders immediately."
"Alive?"
"Yes!"
He needed them alive to find out how they managed to bypass the Power Stone's barrier. In reality, the trick was simple—like a magic show that seems impossible until you know the secret.
Jason had simply imbued Milano's arsenal with a trace of the Mind stone energy. While the Mind stone energy couldn't physically "upgrade" a missile, the power of Infinity Stones could neutralize one another. The enchanted missiles simply ignored the Power Stone's barrier and hit the hull directly.
As the Milano and the Ravager ships pushed into the ship, soldiers on the catwalks opened fire.
Unfortunately for them, standard laser rifles couldn't penetrate the ships' armor. The beams just bounced off the hulls without leaving a mark.
"Light 'em up!" The two leaders ordered simultaneously.
Dozens of ships opened fire. Lasers and missiles tore through the corridors. Everywhere they went, Ronan's soldiers were decimated, their screams echoing through the metal halls.
With the overwhelming firepower of their ships, they cleared the perimeter of the Dark Aster in minutes, leaving the floor littered with bodies. The crews jumped out of their ships, weapons in hand, and gathered together.
Yondu checked a map of the ship. "Let's move. The core sector is this way."
This 3D map was something he had bought from a "friend" on the black market. As the saying goes, rats have their own tunnels—as long as your wallet is fat enough, the black market rarely disappoints.
Under Yondu's lead, they navigated the ship like they lived there. One of the Ravagers, a tech specialist, pulled out a device and began hacking the core sector doors.
"Got it!"
Clack!
Seconds later, the heavy doors slid open. Peter and Yondu were about to charge in when they ran straight into a squad of soldiers.
The man leading them was Korath the Pursuer—the same man Peter had a run-in with on Morag.
"Star-Lord!" Korath shouted in surprise.
Peter grinned. "Hey! You finally remembered!"
Back on Morag, the bastard had acted like he'd never heard of the legendary Star-Lord. But after Peter stole the Orb and caused him a mountain of trouble, it seemed the name would be burned into his memory forever.
"Arrgh! Die!"
Revenge was a powerful motivator. Korath grabbed Peter with one hand, hoisted him over his head, and prepared to slam him into the bulkhead. The man's strength was incredible; Peter's skull was about to be turned into paste.
In this life-or-death moment, even Peter found a spark of inspiration. He activated his boot jets, cranking the power to max. The twin plumes of fire cushioned the impact. Peter hit the wall but stood up unscathed.
In that heartbeat, the two sides began exchanging fire.
Yondu shouted, "Kid, I'll handle things here! Go find the others!"
"Are you sure you're good?" Peter asked, worried.
"Worry about yourself!"
Yondu pulled back his leather coat, revealing the peculiar metal arrow on his belt.
"Guess we're good to go."
Seeing that Jason had returned the Yaka Arrow to Yondu, Peter felt a wave of relief. He turned and sprinted toward the Dark Aster's prison sector.
Inside the hollow silence of the prison, several high-value prisoners were being held.
Though they were few, the group was chatting quite loudly. The guards were being driven to the brink of insanity by these chatterboxes.
"Ronan's fleet is about to erase Xandar! Why hasn't your 'Master' come to save us? Did he hear Ronan's name and piss himself?" Rocket Raccoon paced back and forth in his cell, his nerves shot.
"That is impossible!" Valkyrie said with absolute certainty. "Jason's strength is enough to crush Ronan. He wouldn't run!"
"Maybe that was true before, but now? Ronan has that Stone! He's stronger than ever. Are you sure your Master can beat him?" Rocket pressed.
"God, I've said it a thousand times, and I'm not saying it again." Valkyrie was beyond annoyed with the raccoon.
Gamora suddenly asked, "Valkyrie, if... and I mean if..."
Valkyrie gave a cold laugh. "I know what you're asking. If Jason doesn't show, do I really have enough info on the Stones to trade with Ronan? I see you're still afraid of death."
"Relax. What I said was true. Even if Jason doesn't show for some reason, I have a way to keep us alive," Valkyrie said firmly.
If Jason really didn't show, she would just give Ronan the intel on the Mind Stone. He would go off searching for Jason, and then...
Drax suddenly piped up. "Have you considered another possibility?"
"What?"
"Peter betrayed us! Valkyrie left the message, but Peter is a coward. He was too afraid to find Jason on Morul, and even more afraid to cross Ronan."
The room went silent. At the end of the day, Peter was a thief. Could you really expect a thief to keep his word? Their partnership was built on nothing but money, which is the flimsiest foundation of all. It wasn't even a partnership; it was a desperate alliance of convenience. Once they escaped the Kyln, the alliance was effectively dead. It was entirely possible Peter had just vanished.
Drax, seeing their silence, realized he might have said the wrong thing and tried to fix it. "Actually, I like Peter. Maybe he didn't betray us. Maybe he just got held up by something else. If we just wait a few more days..."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Just then, a volley of gunfire erupted outside the prison.
The group scrambled to their feet, pressing their faces against the bars. The gunfire stopped quickly, followed by the sound of footsteps in the quiet hall.
"This is truly heartbreaking! After I got the message, I practically broke my neck getting to Morul. I didn't waste a second. I know prison life is rough, but this really was as fast as I could go."
Peter stepped out of the shadows, twin blasters in hand. Seeing his familiar face, everyone broke into grins.
"My God, you actually came!"
"Haha! I knew it! You're a real pal!"
Valkyrie let out a breath she'd been holding. "Peter, is Jason here?"
Peter nodded. "Of course. You think I could break into Ronan's flagship by myself?"
He snatched the keys off a dead guard's belt and tossed them into the cells. "Get out of there. Find your gear. We've still got a hell of a fight ahead of us."
After rescuing the group, Gamora led them toward Ronan's throne room.
"Hey! You're still alive, kid!"
They met Yondu at the hall entrance, who was standing over a pile of dead soldiers with the Ravagers behind him.
"Relax, Yondu. I'm not dying before you do," Peter quipped.
Valkyrie didn't waste time with the banter. She drew her Dragonfang sword and swung it with all her might at the iron doors. To her shock, her legendary blade—a weapon meant to be indestructible—only left two shallow scratches on the metal.
Seeing this, Gamora explained, "These doors are made of a rare alloy. The hall behind them is the most secure place on the Dark Aster. Ronan has stayed inside the entire time."
Valkyrie asked, "You spent enough time with him. You know how to open it, right?"
Gamora nodded and moved toward a corner. Moments later, she found the emergency override.
Rumble... rumble...
The heavy, solid doors began to slide open with a low groan.
"Eyes sharp, everyone!"
The group raised their weapons, their faces grim. Ronan's infamy was known across the stars. His Necrocraft had burned and pillaged countless worlds; the mere mention of his name made planets tremble. Now that he had the Power Stone, he was an enigma of terror. Even with their numbers, their chances of victory were slim. If it weren't for their Master's mission, they wouldn't have dared to execute a decapitation strike on Ronan.
Clang!
The doors opened fully. Nebula stood there, twin blades in hand, glaring at the group.
"I knew it. Your surrender was a lie. You were just stalling for a rescue!"
Rocket Raccoon leveled his Quantum Rocket Launcher and grinned. "So what if you knew? You think you call the shots for Ronan?"
He had a knack for drawing aggro; Nebula's face twisted in rage.
"Wait!"
As the group prepared to strike, Gamora stepped forward, drawing her longsword.
"Go find Ronan. I'll handle her!"
"Wait, we have to fight Ronan while you pick the easy target?" Rocket questioned. If Valkyrie hadn't forced it, he and Groot would have been halfway to the next star system by now. Seeing Gamora trying to back out of the main fight didn't sit right with him.
Gamora shot him a look. "She's my sister. Is that reason enough for you?"
"..."
Rocket became angry at the insult, but Valkyrie gave him a sharp slap on the back of his head.
"Focus! Whether this plan works depends on your little 'Quantum Firecracker'!"
"It's a ROCKET LAUNCHER!"
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