"Can you tell us more about what's happening in the universe? And how did you get there?" Steve Rogers didn't mind Star-Lord's slip of the tongue, as he had been through similar situations countless times. After all, he wasn't frozen all this time, and the number of fans he had encountered was innumerable.
Star-Lord, hearing Steve's question, felt a bit embarrassed. His status as a Ravager was essentially that of a space pirate and bounty hunter. In the cosmos, Star-Lord didn't see his identity as a big deal, but after returning to Earth, he found it difficult to explain his profession. It felt like being asked by relatives what his job was during a holiday gathering, but not having a good answer.
"I don't know much about the universe; I'm not particularly important. If I had to compare, my job is a lot like being a pirate here on Earth..." In the end, Star-Lord began to explain, realizing that despite Earth's relatively low technological level, it had many powerful individuals. He needed to stay on their good side and grab hold of every opportunity.
"As for how I left Earth, it was because a Ravager named Yondu arrived in a spaceship and forcibly took me away. Otherwise, I'd probably be married with kids by now."
There was genuine regret in Star-Lord's voice as he spoke. If he hadn't gone to space, while he wouldn't have seen the vibrant civilizations of the universe, he would have lived a completely different life on Earth.
Of course, what Star-Lord regretted most was leaving Earth at such a young age, without ever having a chance to date an Earth girl. Though he had met many women from various species in the universe and had his fair share of relationships, none of them could compare to the allure of the unattainable. The idea of being with an Earth girl lingered in his mind.
"Huh? You were forcibly taken?" Tony Stark, who had been listening quietly, suddenly perked up and looked sharply at the Martian Manhunter.
Tony hadn't forgotten that the Martian Manhunter had once mentioned his parents hadn't died but had chased another spaceship from Earth. Now it seemed like this situation might be related.
"It seems so..." Even without reading Tony's mind, the Martian Manhunter could guess his thoughts. He nodded and looked at Star-Lord, saying, "His appearance is somewhat similar to that boy from back then—the hair color and skin tone match. The alien who took him was a blue-skinned being with a red technological device on his head..."
"What? You know Yondu?" Star-Lord exclaimed, looking at the Martian Manhunter in surprise. Then, realizing the Martian Manhunter was an alien, he asked, "Well, I suppose it makes sense that you'd know him. What planet are you from? I've never seen an alien like you in the universe. Did you meet me back then?"
"I'm from Mars. Our civilization was wiped out, so it's normal that you haven't seen my kind in the universe..." the Martian Manhunter replied, shaking his head sadly.
"Mars? A civilization so close to Earth? That's news to me..." Star-Lord said, wide-eyed with surprise, but Tony Stark cut him off before he could continue.
"Do you remember anything about being taken? Or did Yondu ever mention a spaceship following you? Do you know what happened to that ship?" Tony Stark's excitement was palpable as he grabbed Star-Lord's shoulders, bombarding him with questions.
"Hey, man, calm down!" Star-Lord felt the pressure from Tony's suit and began to struggle, warning, "If you keep this up, I won't be so polite!"
"Tony! Calm down! Let's take it slow," the Martian Manhunter and Steve quickly stepped in, pulling Tony back. The Martian Manhunter apologized to Star-Lord, "Sorry, Tony's parents were on that ship. He hasn't seen them in decades, so he's a bit emotional. Please forgive him."
"Oh, that's understandable then," Star-Lord said, his expression softening immediately. Although he hadn't experienced much fatherly love, his mother's love had been profound. He had returned to Earth partly out of concern for his mother's memory, so he could empathize with Tony's feelings.
Tony Stark's expression softened, and in a rare moment, he apologized to Star-Lord. "Sorry, I got too excited..."
"It's okay, I get it. Now that you mention it, I do remember something..." Star-Lord stroked his chin, thinking back. After a while, his eyes lit up as he recalled something.
"I remember now! The first time I piloted a spaceship, Yondu warned me about an incident where another spaceship followed his into a wormhole. Without proper coordinates or navigation, that ship didn't make it out of the wormhole and disappeared..."
"He told me to always be cautious when dealing with unknown wormholes and to avoid entering them if they're not marked on a star chart. Now that I think about it, he did mention that the ship was from my home planet..."
"Wormhole? Disappeared? What does that mean?" Tony Stark, a genius on Earth, knew little about the complexities of the universe. He understood the concept of a wormhole to some extent, but the details of what might have happened were beyond his comprehension.
"It means they could have gotten lost in the vastness of space. If they were lucky, they might have ended up somewhere in the universe. If not, they could have..." Star-Lord hesitated to finish, knowing how hard it was to accept the loss of a loved one. He couldn't bring himself to say it, especially since Tony likely didn't want to hear the worst-case scenario.
"There's still hope. They might have just lost their way in the vastness of space and couldn't find their way home, which is why they haven't returned in all these years..." The Martian Manhunter, sensing Tony's distress, quickly reassured him.
Tony Stark slowly came back to his senses, forcing a weak smile. He looked at Steve and said, "Steve, I'll have JARVIS help you with the cleanup. I'm a bit tired; I'm going to rest for a bit..."
"Sure thing, Tony. I'll take care of everything here," Steve Rogers patted Tony's shoulder. He, too, felt for his old friend. Although there were no casualties among the Avengers this time, Tony's situation cast a somber shadow over the aftermath of the event.
"I hope he recovers soon," Peter Parker sighed as he watched Tony leave, echoing the sentiments of the other Avengers. While the Avengers hadn't suffered any losses in this battle, Tony's experience left a lingering sadness.
"Hmm? What's going on? Where's Tony?" Not long after, Robert appeared, carrying the bodies of Black Dwarf and Ebony Maw, and noticed the Avengers' somber mood. He frowned and asked, "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing major. We just found out some news about Tony's parents from Star-Lord..." Kara flew over to Robert and briefly explained what had happened.
"What a coincidence. I hope they're okay..." Robert shook his head helplessly and then turned to the Martian Manhunter. "Martian Manhunter, do you know where the Space Stone was kept before?"
"Space Stone before? You mean with S.H.I.E.L.D.? Yes, I do..." The Martian Manhunter nodded, looking at Robert curiously. "You didn't find the Space Stone? Who are these two?"
It wasn't surprising that the Martian Manhunter didn't recognize Ebony Maw and Black Dwarf. Even Kara didn't know them. The Avengers had been dealing with different threats, and only Kara had encountered Supergiant, who managed to escape through a space portal, avoiding capture by Robert.
"This Earth invasion involved two parts: the Kryptonian invasion and the portal opened by the Space Stone..." Robert pointed to the two battle sites as he spoke.
"I forgot to mention earlier, but I believe the two invasions were coordinated. These two are underlings of a powerful being named Thanos. They were ordered to open the portal to steal the Space Stone and the Time Stone..."
"The Time Stone wasn't taken, and according to the information I got from them, the Space Stone wasn't either. It was stolen by some mechanical device..."
"Stolen? By whom?" Steve's eyes narrowed as he asked, his tone serious.
Although Steve had encountered the Space Stone several times, he had never really grasped its terrifying potential. At least, it hadn't seemed that formidable to him.
But after witnessing the devastation in New York, Steve realized the Space Stone was a powerful weapon. The portal it opened was the perfect invasion tool, capable of launching large-scale attacks or covert infiltrations, posing a significant threat to Earth.
Moreover, Robert had said that he couldn't close the portal or destroy the Space Stone, which underscored just how powerful it was.
"I don't know. By the time I got there, the Space Stone was already gone. But since it was taken by a mechanical device, it's possible it was one of the official organizations or someone else..." Robert shook his head, looking frustrated. "Mechanical devices don't have auras, so I couldn't track it."
"An official organization, huh? I'll look into it," Steve nodded, narrowing his eyes.
"Martian Manhunter, take these two back to the Avengers' base and lock them up. This Ebony Maw has telekinesis, which makes him hard to interrogate directly, so I've already questioned him. As for this Black Dwarf, try to extract as much information from his mind as possible!" Robert said seriously to the Martian Manhunter.
"As for the rest of you, clean up the battlefield. Once everyone's gathered, I have some important news to share. Martian Manhunter, you'll likely learn about it during your interrogation. Compared to this news, the Kryptonian invasion and the Chitauri army were just appetizers..."
"I understand!" The Martian Manhunter didn't fully grasp the situation, but he knew it was serious. He quickly took Black Dwarf and Ebony Maw back to the Avengers' base, preparing to probe Black Dwarf's memories.
"Is Clark hesitating? Why is he keeping Zod alive?" After the Martian Manhunter left, Robert looked up at the sky, a thought crossing his mind. Then, he shot into the sky.
At that moment, Clark still hadn't killed General Zod, even though the Martian Manhunter had already dealt with the other Kryptonians. The fact that the stronger Clark hadn't yet killed his enemy left Robert puzzled, wondering why Clark would hesitate.
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