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The spaceship was speeding forward, and everyone aboard was harmoniously waiting for their destination to arrive…
'Well, let's just pretend that's true.'
As long as you ignored Rocket's explosive temper, Yondu's constant meddling, and the strange way T'Challa and Groot communicated, things could kind of be considered harmonious.
When Rocket realized that he couldn't win against Arthur with words, he immediately turned his sharp gaze to T'Challa: "Hey, pal, I bet you're from Kepisi Star. Their skin looks like it's been scorched by fire!"
"I'm from Earth," T'Challa replied. "A pure Earthling."
The reason he added that little clarification was because of the subtle psychological shadow Ego had left. After all, by every measure, Star-Lord was also a pure Earthling, yet who could have guessed his genes were so powerful that they came from an entire planet?
"I thought Earth only had scoundrels like Star-Lord…" Rocket glanced at T'Challa in surprise, then at Arthur: "Or disgusting bastards like him."
T'Challa raised an eyebrow before replying. "I think you're showing a certain degree of disrespect toward our boss."
Rocket burst out laughing: "Damn right! How do you want me to reward you for that?"
The raccoon once again flared up in anger, leaving T'Challa stunned. He turned to Arthur and asked: "How does he manage to erupt with such fury from such a tiny body?"
"It's probably some kind of bizarre complex structure inside his body," Arthur answered without even looking back.
"I am---"
Rocket, realizing the fight had shifted back toward Arthur, immediately rolled up his sleeves, ready to really let loose. The last bout didn't count; he hadn't gone all out. This time he would.
But before he could unleash himself, Yondu cut him off: "Isn't our speed a little too slow?"
Though he hadn't said much, that single line revealed the impatience burning inside him.
Arthur chuckled. "The speed doesn't matter. For now, the fact that we haven't received any communication requests is already the best news possible."
The moment the words left his mouth, the communicator blared to life.
Arthur slapped his own lips, then quickly answered. Gamora's voice came through, panicked and urgent: "Where are you? I need backup!!!"
A holographic projection of Gamora appeared before everyone. The entire building behind her had collapsed, the ground was cracking apart, and the air was filled with gunfire and furious roars.
Arthur even caught sight of Star-Lord, already suited up in his battle armor, firing at tentacle-like monstrosities while yelling into his own communicator: "Arthur! You owe me a explanation!!!"
Arthur shook his head, saying: "Hold on, and look up!"
With that, he cut off the connection, and in less than a second linked directly to Tony's channel.
This time Tony's giant face filled the screen again, startling Yondu.
"What the hell is that?"
"Probably… a nostril."
Arthur wasn't entirely sure either, but quickly said: "The coordinates have already been sent to your communicators. All combat personnel, prepare to land. Natasha and Sharon will stay on the ship to provide support. This planet… is about to wake up."
Time was short. Arthur had no chance to joke around and explain from the beginning.
Tony didn't waste even a single second: "Understood!"
The next moment, the communication ended, and Arthur's spaceship fell into complete silence.
For about two seconds, everyone just looked at each other, exchanging glances in that awkward stillness, until Rocket suddenly leapt up and rushed to the co-pilot's seat.
"Let me do it!"
"All auxiliary thrusters, full power!"
Arthur's hands flew across the console with blinding speed, executing the commands before transferring control over to Rocket in the co-pilot's chair.
"This ship's core engine can handle whatever madness you throw at it. Go!"
"Got it!"
Rocket gave a sharp reply, and in the very next instant an overwhelming force slammed into everyone. Yondu, caught completely off guard, was flung across the cabin on the spot. Groot's branches shot out from his hands, growing at lightning speed and instantly yanking Yondu back.
T'Challa felt utterly powerless, there was nothing he could do except cling to his seat and endure the crushing pressure.
The flashing lights all around made him feel like he was about to vomit.
"Awoooooooo!!!!"
No one knew what was wrong with him, but the raccoon at the controls even started howling as if to show off his inhuman singing voice while piloting.
Time blurred and raced by in this chaos. Each jump across different nodes pressed Arthur's mind closer and closer to collapse.
Wormhole. Wormhole… wormhole!
Different flashes, different distortions, an overwhelming dizziness drove them all nearly insane.
Without realizing it, Arthur suddenly felt as though he had passed through some strange membrane and entered an entirely new world. Brilliant colors filled the heavens. Stars shimmered across the cosmos. An endless, breathtaking vista unfolded before his eyes.
It was as if the entire galaxy, the entire universe itself, had been laid bare before him without the slightest concealment.
"What is this place?"
The instant the thought formed, an enormous flood of information suddenly poured into his mind in a way Arthur couldn't begin to comprehend.
For the first 0.1 seconds, it felt almost pleasant. But the very next moment, after that fraction of a second had passed, a wave of excruciating pain consumed his entire body.
The agony was overwhelming, sudden, and unbearable.
Even Arthur couldn't help but scream, raw, hysterical cries tearing from his throat.
And just as if the information itself could sense Arthur's suffering, the infinite torrent abruptly retreated, abandoning his mind without hesitation.
What remained was only an empty Arthur, dazed, shaken, but with one thing standing out in sharp clarity.
A name.
Just a single name.
Yet when he tried to speak it aloud, he found he couldn't. No matter what he did, he couldn't force it past his lips. Even worse, the name itself was already fading, dissolving from his mind as if it had never existed.
…
…
Arthur's eyes snapped open. He gasped like a drowning man breaking the surface, sucking in every fragment of air with frantic greed.
The violent urge to vomit gripped every nerve in his body, but no matter how long he tried, nothing came up.
At some point, the spaceship had stopped moving. Arthur unbuckled his harness, looked around, and saw that everyone else looked exactly the same as him, drained, shaken, struggling.
Floating before them was a planet. And faintly, from its very surface, a face could be seen.
"We're here…" Arthur murmured, dazed. Yet even as he spoke, he couldn't shake the feeling that… he had forgotten something.