"Who?" Korath frowned as he processed the name Star-Lord. After a brief pause, he tilted his head mockingly at Star-Lord, clearly not impressed. It wasn't a curious question but more of a dismissive remark, as Korath was sure he had never heard of that name.
Star-Lord's face soured at Korath's reaction. He had gained some reputation among the Ravagers, but now being treated with such disdain was a blow to his ego. He was just thankful the Avengers weren't here in space to see his lies about his grand exploits unravel so embarrassingly.
Korath, seeing Star-Lord's expression, sneered even more and turned to leave. Seizing the opportunity, Star-Lord flicked an energy grenade behind him. The grenade rolled toward the Kree soldiers and detonated, reducing them to piles of ash in a flash of heat.
Kree soldiers, for all their advanced equipment, weren't physically much stronger than human soldiers. Their individual combat ability paled compared to someone like Star-Lord, and they didn't even have time to react to his sneak attack.
"Huh?!" Hearing the commotion, Korath whipped around, but his reaction speed couldn't match Star-Lord's surprise attack. Like a quick-draw cowboy, Star-Lord whipped out his dual pistols and fired two energy blasts, sending Korath flying backward.
Seeing Korath's body flung through the air, Star-Lord smirked, pleased with himself. He holstered his guns and dusted off his coat, not even glancing back at Korath as he bent down to pick up the Orb.
"Ugh! Damn it!" To Star-Lord's surprise, he heard a groan and cursing. Before he could react, Korath had struggled back to his feet. With a grunt, Korath raised a much larger energy weapon and fired a deadly beam at Star-Lord.
"Shit!" Star-Lord thought, his instincts kicking in. He had no time to dodge properly, so he dropped to the ground, narrowly avoiding the blast.
Behind him, the wall exploded as the energy beam obliterated it, exposing the vast expanse beyond. But Star-Lord's relief was short-lived—Korath had already fired a second blast, his rage fueling his aim.
This time, Star-Lord was ready. Activating his rocket boots, he launched himself across the ground, narrowly escaping through the hole in the wall left by the first blast. The second shot missed, smashing into the ruins behind him.
"Get that damn thief!" Korath roared into his communicator. His soldiers, who had been stationed outside while Korath searched for the Orb, raised their weapons and began firing at Star-Lord as he sped away.
Even though the Kree soldiers' weapons weren't as powerful as Korath's, Star-Lord knew better than to underestimate them. He wasn't invincible like Korath, who had survived two energy blasts. Star-Lord's experience in space had taught him how to handle sticky situations like this.
Pulling a few gravity grenades from his belt, Star-Lord tossed them into the crowd of soldiers. The devices activated, pulling the Kree soldiers into a tight cluster. But rather than attack them further, Star-Lord ignored them. He wasn't a one-man army, and now that he had the Orb, there was no need to stick around and fight.
Why waste time when he could sell the Orb and enjoy a nice payday?
Using his rocket boots to dodge and weave, Star-Lord made a beeline for his ship. He noticed some Kree soldiers racing toward their own ships, but he was confident in his piloting skills. After all, he was one of the best pilots in the galaxy.
"Stop him! Don't let the thief escape!" Korath's voice crackled over the soldiers' comms. He was furious, watching Star-Lord slip further away. While Korath had incredible resilience and strength, he lacked the speed to catch up, especially with Star-Lord's rocket boots giving him a head start.
What frustrated Korath even more was that Star-Lord's boots had been upgraded by Tony Stark. Stark had designed a secondary propulsion system, knowing that replenishing arc reactor fuel in space could be difficult. This upgrade made it nearly impossible for Korath to catch up.
Korath's chest tightened in anger. Losing the Orb to a petty thief like Star-Lord was unbearable, but there was little he could do as he watched the thief jump into his spaceship. The Kree soldiers hadn't been able to stop him, and now their chances were even slimmer.
As Star-Lord's ship took off, its engines roared to life, leaving the Kree ships far behind. Even though the Kree pursued, Star-Lord's superior piloting skills allowed him to outmaneuver them effortlessly. Soon, the Kree ships were nowhere in sight.
"Damn it! Star-Lord! You damn thief!" Korath roared in frustration, shaking his fist as Star-Lord's ship disappeared into the distance. He had dismissed the name earlier, but now Korath would remember Star-Lord. Next time they crossed paths, Korath vowed to make sure Star-Lord didn't walk away so easily.
"Heh, Kree soldiers? Ronan? Please, you're no match for Star-Lord!" Star-Lord grinned smugly as he activated autopilot, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He leaned back and chuckled, satisfied with his narrow escape.
"Though I have to admit, that guy was tough. He took two of my shots without going down. If he were on Earth, he'd be stronger than Cap…" Star-Lord mused, his thoughts drifting.
"Ronan must be even more powerful. I wonder how he compares to the likes of Iron Man in his new suits… or maybe he's not even at Saiyan-level strength."
Just as Star-Lord was pondering his next move, his ship's communication system lit up. The screen flickered to life, revealing Yondu's blue face. Yondu, Star-Lord's adoptive father, had been a key figure in Star-Lord's survival and upbringing.
"Star-Lord, where's the Orb?" Yondu demanded without preamble. The Orb had been a mission assigned to the Ravagers, and even if one person found it, the Orb was supposed to be shared among the group. The Ravagers had provided support, information, and resources for the mission, and now Yondu expected the Orb to be handed over.
But Star-Lord had other plans. From the moment he took the job, he had intended to keep the Orb for himself. He'd been raised by the Ravagers, true, but his loyalty to the crew wasn't absolute. Other than Yondu, he didn't feel much attachment to the group. Why split the reward with a bunch of space pirates?
Ignoring Yondu's demand, Star-Lord abruptly cut the transmission and blocked further calls. He had already lined up a buyer for the Orb and wasn't about to walk into a trap by returning to the Ravagers empty-handed.
"That bastard!" Yondu growled, furious as the call was cut off. Star-Lord's blatant attempt to steal the Orb for himself was infuriating, especially in front of the other Ravagers. If Yondu didn't take action, he wouldn't be able to maintain authority over the crew.
"Post a bounty! I want that boy hunted down! Let him know what happens when you betray the Ravagers!" Yondu ordered one of his men. "And make sure to bring Star-Lord in alive. We need everything on him, including the Orb. But don't mention the Orb in the bounty—too many people are after it already."
"Understood, boss!" One of the Ravagers nodded. They knew Yondu didn't want to kill Star-Lord, but this was the minimum punishment he could mete out. As long as the crew saw he was taking action, they wouldn't question his authority.
While Yondu planned his next steps, Korath noticed the Ravagers' bounty on Star-Lord. Connecting the dots, Korath realized Star-Lord was part of the Ravagers, and that he had likely tried to steal the Orb for himself, angering his own crew.
"Ravagers put a bounty on him? That confirms it—Star-Lord is one of them. He must be trying to sell the Orb on his own. And he probably won't go to the Collector, knowing the Ravagers could ambush him at Knowhere," Korath mused, piecing together the situation.
"If he's not going to Knowhere, where would he go? He won't trust any low-level civilizations. It'll have to be a high-level one, like one of the major empires or the Nova Empire. I'll focus my search there…"
Korath had already reported the theft of the Orb to Ronan, but Ronan hadn't punished him. Instead, Ronan had left Korath to handle it however he saw fit. With Ronan's current bloodlust, he was more focused on his crusade of planetary slaughter than retrieving the Orb.
Korath, meanwhile, was determined to get the Orb back. Even though the Kree Empire's leadership opposed Ronan, he still held military power, allowing Korath to command troops in Ronan's name. That would be crucial in capturing the slippery Star-Lord.
Unbeknownst to Korath, he wasn't the only one tracking Star-Lord. Gamora, who had been gathering intelligence on the Orb, had also zeroed in on Star-Lord's location. She had already traveled to Xandar, the capital of the Nova Empire, and was lying in wait.
In Gamora's mind, Star-Lord wouldn't risk selling the Orb
in one of the major empires, which might double-cross him. Xandar, with its strict laws prohibiting violence and its reputation for fairness, was the most likely place for Star-Lord to make his move.
And Gamora was right. Star-Lord had planned to sell the Orb on Xandar, where he had a contact who regularly helped him offload stolen goods. The two had already made arrangements for the sale.
But the moment Star-Lord arrived on Xandar, he found himself being watched. The bounty placed on him by the Ravagers had attracted plenty of attention, and even on a planet like Xandar, where law and order were upheld, many opportunists were willing to take the risk to capture him…
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