I collected asteroids near the prison satellite and watched. Knowing that the events would happen at lunchti, I waited. Sure enough, around lunchti (Xandar ti), the prison erupted in chaos.
Boom! Crash!
Finally, they're escaping.
I took the Milano out of my inventory and loitered near the prison. Because of the commotion, no one bothered . After so ti, the Guardians saw the Milano and waved from the property storage area. I flew over, docked, and opened the hatch.
One by one, I helped the Guardians board the ship.
"Wow~ buddy, great timing!"
"I saw you get arrested."
"First, let's get out of here."
"Got it."
I flew the Milano and hid it among the asteroids. Even though I knew them, it was our first eting, so I asked Quill about the others.
"Who are these people?"
"Ah, I haven't introduced you yet. This is Gamora, Groot, Drax, and Rocket. And this handso young man... what was your na again?"
I realized I hadn't told Quill my na.
"I'm Jin. Nice to et you all."
We exchanged simple greetings and had a al. I had prepared plenty of food. As we ate, I asked about the plan.
"So, what's the plan now?"
"We're going to Knowhere. Gamora knows a buyer. We'll sell the Orb there. It's a bit complicated, but 4 billion Units, even split, will get us a lot."
I pretended to be surprised.
"Wow... 4 billion? That's amazing!"
"Haha! Right? Let's head to Knowhere."
We set course for Knowhere. On the way, I struggled to resist the urge to pet Rocket. He had a strong personality; it wouldn't end well. I had a reason for going to Knowhere. I was curious how the Collector would react to the Orb not containing an Infinity Stone, and I needed to see how things would play out differently from the original.
Well, if he buys it, we get money. Good.
Gamora kept looking at intently. I wondered why.
"You seem familiar. Have we t?"
She might have seen videos of the Avengers' battles while with Thanos. I played dumb. Knowing would only complicate things.
"Wow~ is this a new pickup line? I've never seen you before."
"No, that's not it..."
Suddenly, Quill inserted himself between us.
"We're at Knowhere."
That bastard. He was clearly interested in Gamora.
"I must have been mistaken."
Fortunately, Gamora dropped it.
We landed on Knowhere and followed Gamora. She led us to a large gambling hall. Quill asked,
"Your client is in there?"
"No. His servant will et us here."
Just then, we saw a drunkard being roughly thrown out. Drax frowned.
"This doesn't seem like a nice place."
We entered and found a table. Bored, Rocket, Groot, and Drax started betting on a fight between small alien creatures. I played cards. The rules were the sa as when I played with Quill, so no problem.
Gamora talked to soone, then went to a railing and looked out, sipping a drink. Quill went to talk to her. Probably about her past, like in the original.
In the past, Thanos invaded Gamora's ho planet, Zehoberei, killed her parents in front of her, adopted her, and trained her as an assassin. He trained his adopted children with thods bordering on torture, replacing body parts with machinery if they couldn't endure. Nebula was a pri example.
Anyway, I won so much at cards that no one wanted to play with . I was about to get up when a commotion broke out. Rocket and Drax were fighting. I quickly stepped in.
"Hey, guys! Stop it!"
Gamora and Quill also ca to break it up. Drax angrily said,
"This bug is running its mouth!"
Rocket retorted,
"It's true!"
"Have so manners!"
"That's also true!"
I cald them down and asked what happened. Rocket spoke first.
"He called a bug!"
Then he pointed at Gamora.
"And she called a rodent! I can't take it!"
"Whoa, easy. One more night and we get 4 billion. We'll be rich. So calm down!"
Rocket took a breath and settled down.
"Sigh... fine. But I make no promises I won't kill you after this."
Quill looked incredulously at Rocket and Drax.
"This is why you have no friends! You want to kill each other five seconds after eting!"
Then Drax said,
"We've co this far, and Ronan is still alive."
He turned and walked away, a bit drunk.
"Drax!"
Quill called, but it was no use.
Ronan was a Kree and an enemy of Xandar. To destroy Xandar, he allied with Thanos and commanded Gamora and her sister Nebula. He was an extremist and a fanatic, feared as a madman by the people of Xandar.
Drax had lost his family to Ronan and followed the team to get his revenge. He believed Ronan wouldn't let Gamora's betrayal go unpunished.
The commotion quieted the gambling hall. Just then, the entrance opened, and a pink-skinned woman entered. She was Carina, the Collector's slave.
"Master summons you."
Gamora gestured for us to follow. We followed Carina. Quill asked,
"Where are we going?"
"The Collector. He's a wealthy collector of rare items and creatures. He's the buyer."
As Gamora explained, we arrived at a large, round building like an observatory. Inside were various artifacts and creatures. In the center, a white-haired man wearing strange glasses examined objects. He was the Collector.
He removed his glasses, looked us over, and slowly approached.
"Dear Gamora."
"I brought the promised item."
"Let's see what you have."
Quill nervously handed the Orb to the Collector, almost dropping it. The Collector glared at him, then placed the Orb in a strange machine, which began to solve its puzzle.
"Before creation, there were six singularities. Then the universe exploded into existence, and the remnants of these singularities were forged into ingots. Called 'Infinity Stones'!"
As the machine worked, the Collector explained the Infinity Stones, showing a hologram of a Celestial using the Power Stone to destroy a planet.
"Only beings of extraordinary power can wield the stones. Those who possess one can easily destroy entire civilizations."
Quill, watching a planet destroyed, said,
"I think I just peed a little."
The machine finished solving the puzzle, and the Orb slowly opened, revealing the glowing energy orb I had created. The Collector, puzzled, brought a device to analyze it.
"This... contains great power, but it's not an Infinity Stone. A new mineral... So the Orb didn't contain an Infinity Stone..."
Gamora, surprised, asked,
"Are you saying the Orb isn't an Infinity Stone?"
"According to my analysis. But it's still valuable."
Rocket urged the Collector.
"We brought the Orb like you asked. Just pay us."
"Hmm... it's not what I wanted, but the Orb was the contracted item. I'll pay you. A loss, but for the sake of trust, I have no choice."
Whether because of his na or his reputation as a rchant, the Collector kept his word. He was so wealthy he probably didn't care about the expense. He went to his desk and gave us the Units.
Unlike the original, Carina didn't grab the Power Stone, causing an explosion, because it wasn't a Power Stone. She wasn't desperate enough to sacrifice herself.
"A sha, but I hope to do business again."
"Sure."
We took the Units and left. Rocket said,
"Let's split it now."
Quill hesitated, then divided the Units. We each took 66 million. The rest would be exchanged later. Gamora, deep in thought, seed troubled. The Orb not being an Infinity Stone had likely disrupted her plans.
Quill hesitated, then proposed we work together.
"Let's not split up. Let's work as a team... huh?"
Suddenly, nurous ships appeared. Drax had likely used the Orb and Gamora as bait to lure Ronan. As if on cue, Drax erged.
"Finally!!! I can destroy my enemy!!"
Beside him, ard n appeared—Yondu's crew.
"Quill!! Don't move!!"
In the chaos, everyone ran for their ships. I decided to hide and watch. No one knew , so no one would pay attention.
I climbed onto a roof to watch Drax fight Ronan. Ronan and Nebula landed and tried to chase Gamora, but Drax blocked Ronan.
"Ronan the Accuser!! You killed my wife! And my daughter!"
Drax charged with two daggers. Ronan easily blocked and punched him in the stomach, sending him flying. But Drax got up and attacked again. Ronan dodged easily, clearly superior in strength and skill.
A small ship flew overhead. Quill, Gamora, Rocket, and Groot couldn't reach the Milano and were using an escape pod. Nebula saw them.
"Ronan! Gamora is escaping!"
"Nebula, bring her back!"
Nebula pursued Gamora's ship.
Nebula wouldn't just kill Gamora, even knowing she didn't have the Orb... This is insane.
Given Nebula's grudge against Gamora, it was possible. I teleported to the Milano and followed. They weaved through Knowhere. I followed slowly, waiting for them to reach an open area to minimize casualties.
-Nebula! We sold the Orb. I don't have it. And it wasn't an Infinity Stone. We confird it!
-I don't care! I won't forgive you for betraying us!
They were using open channels, so I could hear. When they finally reached an open area, I attacked.
Rat-tat-tat!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Several ships exploded, and the others scattered. I perford Cobra maneuvers, taking them out one by one. My reflexes and body could withstand high G-forces; they couldn't keep up.
Soon, only Nebula's ship remained. She fled. I didn't follow. Quill and Rocket, watching, praised my piloting.
-Wow~ great flying. I didn't know the Milano could move like that.
-Tell about it. Amazing! I've never seen piloting like that.
We approached Gamora's crippled ship. We brought Gamora aboard.
"Thanks. You saved my life."
"Don't ntion it. Let's go back. Drax is fighting Ronan alone."
Gamora said,
"Drax is probably dead. Ronan is cruel and strong."
"Still, we should check."
We returned to where Drax and Ronan had fought. They were gone. Smoke rose from the area. We found Drax in a tank of yellow liquid. Groot pulled him out. He coughed up the liquid and regained consciousness.
"Cough, cough!"
"Good. He's awake."
"Tell about it. He's tough."
Drax apologized.
"I was a fool..."
I had to check on the Collector. I left Drax with the others.
"Guys, sorry, I have to check sothing. I'll be right back. Watch Drax."
"Okay."
I ran to the Collector's building. It was destroyed. The slaves were gone. Inside, the Collector lay dead, his neck broken. Probably Ronan.
Damn... in the original, he lived to be killed by Thanos...
I quickly scanned the Collector's body with [Eyes] and took his certificates, ledgers, and Units. He kept his Units in a vault. I hacked it open. The amount was enormous. I took everything and left.
I'll put it to good use.
When I returned, Gamora asked,
"The Orb is gone, and the Collector is dead."
"Huh? How did you know?"
Gamora pointed behind . A golden retriever in a spacesuit was looking at .
Cosmo?
Cosmo walked up to and spoke through a collar-mounted speaker.
"Take . Then I'll keep quiet."
This innocent-looking dog was threatening . He must have seen rob the Collector's vault.
"Sigh... fine."
"And feed treats every day."
"You little..."
Gamora asked again,
"So, the Collector?"
"You were right. He's dead, and the Orb is gone."
Gamora sighed.
"Sigh... Xandar will be destroyed. Thanos will give Ronan troops to attack Xandar."
"Why?"
"Thanos promised Ronan Xandar's destruction in exchange for the Orb. He might be cruel, but he keeps his promises."
"I see."
Rocket said,
"Forget it. It's none of our business. We've got our money. Let's go enjoy our lives."
Quill looked at Rocket.
"We should warn them. Are you just going to let innocent people die?"
"You think the proud Nova Corps will believe us?"
Drax stood up and grabbed his knives.
"I'm going. This may be my last chance to avenge my family."
"Alone? To get beaten again? You can't do anything."
Groot spoke.
"I am Groot."
"You want to help? How? There are only six of us!"
Gamora and Quill also spoke.
"I'll help too. I can't let Xandar be destroyed."
"Yeah, right!"
Rocket shook his head.
"Idiots! All of you are idiots!! Sigh... Damn! Fine, let's do this."
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