Leander Hayes watched the thermal signatures on the rear monitors. The yellow-skinned pilots in the pursuing craft weren't just following; they were hunting. Their energy shields flickered with an aggressive, jagged pulse—the hallmark of overcharged civilian hardware.
"Looks like my shopping trip left a bad aftertaste," Leander said, leaning over Jason's shoulder. "Can we shake these guys, or do I need to start throwing things?"
Jason's hands were a blur across the haptic controls, his face illuminated by the cool blue glow of the navigation deck. "Seriously? We were on the ground for less than an hour and you've already managed to piss off a local syndicate? Impressive, kid. Truly impressive. My mother told me never to fly with 'charismatic' strangers, and here I am, being chased by Xandarian bottom-feeders because of you."
"Can the ship handle it?" Leander asked, ignoring the sarcasm.
"You don't know the Ghost," Jason grunted, a flicker of pride cutting through his annoyance. "I've poured every credit, every scrap of high-grade alloy, and every hour of sleep I've ever had into this bird. She's not just a ship; she's my retirement plan."
He slammed a final sequence into the console. "Strap in. We're going full burn."
The sensation of weight vanished for a terrifying half-second as they cleared the gravity well, replaced instantly by the hum of the internal anti-gravity plates. Then, the main thrusters kicked in. A massive surge of G-force slammed Leander back into his seat as the Ghost Shadow ignited its sub-light drives. A silver line of kinetic energy carved a path through the dark, leaving the Xandarian station behind in a blur of motion.
"They won't fire, right?" Leander asked, watching the icons of the pursuing ships dwindle on the long-range scan. "Not this close to the Nova Corps. I thought Xandar was the 'safe' zone."
"In theory, yeah," Jason said, flipping a series of toggles to stabilize their trajectory. "The Nova Corps is everywhere, and starting a dogfight in a high-traffic lane is a one-way ticket to a Kyln prison cell. But out here, in the fringe lanes? Scavengers get desperate. If they can disable us and tow us into a dead sector before a patrol arrives, they'll do it."
Jason tapped a holographic map into existence between them. "Alright, Einstein. You said you got the digits. Give 'em to me."
"Sot N483.80 SS," Leander recited. He didn't need to look at a note; the coordinates were etched into his mind like a brand. "What does that string actually translate to in terms of travel time?"
Jason's fingers paused over the input. He'd already done his own digging back in the city, and the numbers matched the intelligence he'd 'acquired.' But seeing the certainty in Leander's eyes made it real. According to the reports Jason had seen, Earth was a 'Level 0' civilization—a primitive rock full of frail, soft-bodied bipeds who couldn't even manage a basic jump-gate. There was absolutely no mention of anyone with the ability to eat Kree batteries or manifest golden armor.
"It means we're in for a long haul," Jason said, his voice dropping. "At maximum sub-light, we're looking at eight months of staring at each other's ugly faces. We can cut that down with jump points, but the Ghost isn't a military cruiser. Stringing together ten or fifteen jumps in a row puts a massive strain on the hull and even more on our nervous systems. It feels like being turned inside out and then put back together with the wrong glue."
He looked at Leander sideways. "The sector you were found in isn't actually that far from Earth in galactic terms. A dozen days at standard cruise. But there aren't many established jump gates out that way. It's a dead zone."
Leander frowned. "No jump points? I'm almost certain there's a shortcut near Earth. A waypoint, or at least a stable rift."
Jason let out a sharp, mocking bark of a laugh. "Listen to you. You didn't even know the address an hour ago, and now you're a master of galactic cartography? Unless your planet has been hiding a secret wormhole, there's nothing out there but empty space and rocks."
In the Pursuing Triangular Ship
"Target is accelerating! They're pulling away, Boss!" the pilot yelled, his yellow hands shaking on the stick. "At this rate, they'll hit the jump-gate before we can lock on!"
Yumi stared at the screen, her face twisted in a mask of pure greed. She had seen the test results from Hatton's shop. That metal wasn't just 'good'; it was a potential revolution in ship-plating technology. If they captured the boy, they could own the source.
"Don't let them reach the gate," Yumi hissed. "Prime the micro-singularity projector. Pull them back."
"Boss! That's a fifty-thousand-credit shot!" the gunner protested. "We've only got one in the chamber!"
"Burn it!" Yumi screamed. "If we get that kid and his stash, fifty thousand will be the change we leave for a tip at the bar. If we find where that metal comes from, we're talking millions. Do it now!"
The gunner didn't argue further. He flipped a heavy safety cover and pressed a glowing crimson button.
Aboard the Ghost Shadow
"Wait," Leander said, his brow furrowed as he tried to reconcile the MCU timeline in his head. "I know there was a jump. Decades ago, a Kree commander—Ronan, the guy with the massive hammer—he brought a fleet right to Earth's doorstep. He didn't fly for eight months to get there."
The mention of the Accuser made Jason's entire body go rigid. He stood up from the pilot's chair so fast it swiveled wildly. "Ronan? You're telling me the Accuser went to your backwater rock? Why? What did he do to your people?!"
The fury in Jason's voice was like a physical heat. He looked ready to tear the ship apart just to get the answer.
"Calm down," Leander said, stepping back. "He didn't destroy anything. Someone stopped him. A woman... a hero. She destroyed his warheads and sent him running back to the Kree Empire with his tail between his legs. Why are you so worked up?"
Jason stared at him, his chest heaving. The red hue of his skin seemed to deepen. "Someone stopped him?" he whispered, the anger fading into a dazed, hopeful confusion. "A superhero... she just... scared him away?"
"Yeah. She's out there somewhere, keeping the peace," Leander said. He didn't know the details of Jason's past, but he could guess. Ronan didn't leave many survivors when he visited a planet.
Jason slumped back into his seat, staring out at the stars with a hollow expression. "How much... how much would it cost to hire someone like that? To get her to help with... something?"
"I don't think she takes commissions, Jason," Leander said quietly. "She's busy dealing with bigger threats."
Jason let out a long, ragged sigh. "Right. Of course. Just my luck." He rubbed his face, trying to refocus. "Look, I don't have any data on a 'secret Kree jump point.' My star-maps cost me forty thousand lira, and they're the best a civilian can buy. If a point isn't on the map, it's either a classified military gate or it doesn't exist. We have to do this the hard way."
"So how long until—"
Leander was cut off as the ship suddenly groaned. The stars outside didn't just blur; they seemed to warp and stretch toward a single point behind the ship. The engine's hum turned into a frantic, high-pitched scream.
"What's happening? Why are we slowing down?" Leander demanded, grabbing a support rail.
"Gravity spike!" Jason yelled, his fingers flying across the controls. "They fired a micro-singularity! They're tethering us!"
Leander looked at the rear view. A tiny, swirling ball of violet darkness had appeared behind their engines, sucking the kinetic energy out of the Ghost Shadow. The triangular ship was closing the gap with terrifying speed, its weapons hot.
"Damn it! They're going to tear the hull open!" Jason panicked. "This is a dead sector. If we lose the engines here, we're just oxygen-filled coffins!"
Leander's expression went cold. The golden light in his eyes flared, reflecting off the cockpit glass. He wasn't scared; he was annoyed. He was so close to going home, and these pests were trying to clip his wings.
"Don't worry about the ship, Jason," Leander said, his voice vibrating with power. "Let's see what they want. Open a channel, or wait for them to pull alongside. I'll handle the 'negotiations.'"
The gravity ball dissipated as its power cell died, leaving the Ghost Shadow drifting. The triangular ship swerved, pulling parallel to them, its dark-colored cannon barrels emerging from its hull like teeth.
"Leo, this isn't a ground fight!" Jason hissed, his hand hovering over the 'Fire' button for his own machine guns. "If they hit a fuel line, we're done. In space, there is no second place!"
Leander didn't respond. He stood up and walked toward the airlock,