In a shop on Xandar, Star-Lord met with the intermediary he had been in contact with. The intermediary was well aware that Star-Lord had a bounty placed on him by Yondu, but he didn't seem to care. After all, the bounty was only forty thousand, while the Orb was being offered for forty billion.
If he could get the Orb from Star-Lord and sell it, even just collecting a commission would be far more valuable than the bounty.
As for why he didn't simply capture Star-Lord and keep both the Orb and the bounty? It wasn't because the intermediary had any principles, but because he knew how skilled Star-Lord was. He wasn't confident he could capture such a crafty opponent, and if Star-Lord escaped, it would all backfire.
Moreover, as an intermediary, the most important thing was to earn what was due and not take unnecessary risks. Otherwise, it would be difficult for his business to survive in the long run.
"So, how's it going? Got the goods?" the intermediary asked as he looked at Star-Lord.
"Right here." Star-Lord trusted the intermediary enough and pulled out the Orb, a smug look on his face as he began recounting his story. "Let me tell you, it wasn't easy getting my hands on this thing. Even Ronan sent his underling, Korath, to grab it, but I tricked him…"
"Wait, what?! Who sent who?" The intermediary, just about to take the Orb, froze. His face turned serious as he stared at Star-Lord.
"Ronan! What's the big deal?" Star-Lord wasn't just bragging; he was trying to show how tough it had been for him, hoping it might bump up the price of the Orb. However, he hadn't even finished speaking before being interrupted, leaving him looking puzzled.
"Get out! Leave now!" Hearing Ronan's name, the intermediary's hand, which had been reaching for the Orb, suddenly redirected to push Star-Lord toward the door.
The intermediary had survived this long by being cautious. Now that the Orb had ties to Ronan, no matter how bold or connected he was, he wasn't willing to get involved. He feared Ronan would come to Xandar and wipe out both him and the entire planet.
"It's just Ronan, why are you so scared?" Star-Lord, still being shoved backward, was confused. He had no idea that Ronan's reputation in the galaxy was so fearsome it would terrify the intermediary like this.
"Ronan is a maniac from the Kree Empire. The Kree and the Nova Empire were supposed to sign a peace treaty, but Ronan slaughtered countless beings to prevent that from happening. He's caused chaos across the galaxy, his infamy rivaling that of the Mad Titan himself…" The intermediary shook his head, fear written all over his face.
"So, I suggest you leave Xandar immediately. Don't stay near the Nova Empire. I wouldn't be surprised if that lunatic Ronan sent troops here once he hears you're on Xandar. He's been wanting to strike here for a while."
"A warmonger has you this scared?" Star-Lord frowned, looking at the Orb in his hand. If the intermediary wouldn't help him sell it, he wasn't sure how else he could fetch a good price.
"Yes, and for the sake of our long partnership, don't bring war to Xandar. This place is one of the few peaceful spots left in the galaxy," the intermediary advised, "Plus, you've already been exposed. You should keep a low profile before Ronan gets wind of your presence…"
"What do you mean, I've been exposed? Did you betray me?" Star-Lord's hand moved to his energy blaster, and his expression turned serious.
"If I were selling you out, would I be telling you to leave Xandar?" the intermediary replied, exasperated. "It's your Ravager crew that's put a bounty on you. They didn't mention the Orb, but those following the Orb's trail will easily link it to you. And news spreads fast on Xandar…"
"Damn it! Yondu actually put a bounty on me?" Star-Lord cursed. His actions in keeping the Orb for himself were certainly a breach of loyalty to the Ravagers, so he couldn't entirely blame them.
Besides, there weren't many true good guys in the Ravager crew. With enough money on the line, they'd betray anyone, especially when the Orb was worth so much.
Star-Lord now realized that Xandar wasn't a safe place to stay. Without the intermediary's help, this wasn't the right time to sell the Orb either. He decided it would be best to leave and wait for things to cool down.
"Thanks for the intel. We'll work together again if we get the chance!" Star-Lord nodded and quickly left the shop.
"Hope you make it out alive… and hope Ronan doesn't come after you, or this planet's in real trouble…" the intermediary muttered, watching Star-Lord leave. "Shame about the Orb. I could've made a nice profit off that deal."
Just as Star-Lord turned the corner a short distance away, the Orb was snatched right out of his bag.
The sudden theft caught Star-Lord off guard. He couldn't believe someone would dare rob him in broad daylight—especially on Xandar!
Before he could react, he was kicked to the ground with a heavy thud.
The attackers were none other than Gamora and her sister Nebula. Gamora didn't want Nebula tagging along but had no reason to send her away. So, under Thanos' orders, Nebula had to follow Gamora, at least until they could sell the Orb. After that, Gamora would figure out how to ditch her.
"Pathetic!" Nebula sneered after kicking Star-Lord but didn't waste time doing anything else. They were on Xandar, where fighting was against the Nova Empire's laws. There wasn't any time to waste.
Nebula ran to catch up with Gamora, not noticing a tracking device that had stuck to the bottom of her shoe.
"You stole from me. You're gonna pay!" Star-Lord growled as he got up and activated the tracking device, quickly locating Nebula.
"There's a shortcut!" His eyes lit up as he zoomed in on the map and took off running. However, he hadn't noticed that a raccoon and a towering tree were watching him—Rocket Raccoon and Groot, the bounty hunters.
"I am Groot?" Groot asked, looking at Rocket.
"Not yet. Let's wait until they're in a quieter spot. Too many people around here…" Rocket scratched his head, staring at Star-Lord. "I still don't get why they didn't just take him with them. Isn't the four-grand bounty worth something?"
"I am Groot," Groot mimicked Rocket's head-scratch, his expression as blank as ever.
"Ugh, forget it. Just be ready when it's time to move." Rocket sighed and signaled Groot to follow.
Meanwhile, Star-Lord reached the street corner, a grin spreading across his face as he readied his energy blaster. He couldn't kill anyone on Xandar, so he switched it to an energy net, planning to trap Gamora and Nebula.
"Zzzt!"
The nets flew out just as Gamora and Nebula turned the corner, wrapping them up and slamming them to the ground.
"Heh, didn't expect two beauties to try and steal from me. Guess you haven't felt the hard hand of the streets yet," Star-Lord sneered as he retrieved the Orb from Gamora.
"You think you've won?" Gamora's eyes gleamed with a dangerous light as she stared at him.
"Of course, I—huh?!" Before Star-Lord could finish, he felt a shadow loom over him. Before he could react, he was stuffed into a sack.
"Who the hell dares to kidnap the great Star-Lord?!" He thrashed inside, but Groot, an expert at bagging people, had him completely immobilized. No matter how much Star-Lord struggled, there was no escaping.
"Great Star-Lord? Rocket's the one who caught you!" Rocket spat, his face full of pride. "Let's go, Groot. Time to collect our reward…"
"I am Groot?" Groot hesitated, looking at Gamora and Nebula, still on the ground.
"We only got one sack, and they're not our targets. Who cares about them?" Rocket rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed.
Just then, Gamora broke free from the energy net and lunged at Groot. She didn't care about Star-Lord, but the Orb was her ticket to freedom from Thanos.
"Damn it! Don't underestimate me!" Nebula, seeing Gamora free, also broke out of the net, quickly fixing her dislocated arms and charging at Rocket.
Rocket responded by firing off a few rounds, but the shots barely fazed Nebula, who kept coming.
Meanwhile, Groot tried to fend off Gamora with his elongated arm, but her sword kept slicing through it.
"I am Groot?" Groot, unsure what to do, looked to Rocket for help.
"You think you can trap me in a sack? Who do you think you are?!" Star-Lord, now free, shouted as he reached for his blaster.
But just then, beams of yellow light enveloped them, lifting them all into the air.
It was a Nova Corps tractor beam, the same technology used in Thanos' fleet, designed to restrain enemies. Star-Lord and the others, despite their powers, couldn't break free.
Yes, the Nova Corps had arrived to arrest them.
After all, anyone who dared cause trouble on Xandar had no respect for the law. And Xandar had strict rules against fighting.
After arresting Star-Lord and the others, the Nova Corps were shocked. No wonder these people had caused trouble—they were all notorious criminals!
Gamora and Nebula were Thanos' adopted daughters, Rocket was an illegal bio-engineered creature, Groot was Rocket's muscle, and Star-Lord was Yondu's adopted son, with rap sheets a mile long.
After seeing their records, the Nova Corps didn't even bother interrogating them. Clearly, they weren't just stirring up trouble over some petty squabble. Rather than waste time, the Nova Corps decided to send them all to prison to pay for their crimes.
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