[The scene changes to show Star-Lord holding a Walkman, headphones on, listening to his music. It feels like it might be the last time.]
[Gamora stood in the middle of the crowd, explaining the stakes to the assembled Ravagers.]
["The stone reacts to anything organic. The bigger the target, the more powerful its destructive wave!"]
[Star-Lord added, "All Ronan has to do is touch the stone to the planet's surface. Every living thing—the plants, the animals, the Nova Corps…"]
["Everything will die."]
["So we can't let Ronan reach the ground."]
[The scene changes to Rocket checking his custom-built rifle.]
["Rocket's team will blow a hole in the starboard hull of the Dark Aster."]
["Then our ships and Yondu's men can enter through the breach."]
[Kraglin looked skeptical. "The Dark Aster is crawling with hundreds of Sakaaran soldiers!"]
[Drax said calmly, "I consider the Sakaarans to be paper people."]
[Hearing this, Kraglin gave Drax a friendly bump on the arm with his fist. Drax, thinking it was an attack, immediately tensed up, his eyes widening as he glared at the confused Ravager.]
[Gamora continued, "Once Ronan knows we're aboard, he'll lock himself behind a fortified security door. It can't be forced, but I can disable its power supply to get it open."]
[Star-Lord then said, "That gets us to the flight deck. And then I use this—the Hadron Enforcer—to kill Ronan."]
["As soon as you confirm Ronan is dead, you retrieve the stone. Use this container. Do not let your skin touch it, or you will die."]
[A Ravager came over with a tray of small, spherical explosives, and the other Ravagers each took one.]
["I'll contact the Nova Corps officer who arrested us. Let's hope he believes we're here to help."]
[Rhomann Dey was watering his desk plant when his console lit up with an incoming call from Peter Quill.]
[Rocket stood in the crowd and shouted, "There's one more thing we need to complete the plan! That guy's eye!"]
[He pointed at a Ravager with a prominent cybernetic eye, who immediately looked bewildered.]
[Having been through this joke before, Star-Lord immediately shut it down. "No! No, we don't! We do not need that guy's eye!"]
["I'm serious! That thing is important!" Rocket whined, disappointed that his prank had failed again.]
"So that's it? You're just going to try and fight Ronan head-on?" Steve asked, turning to look at Quill.
Peter shrugged, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, more or less. That's the plan you just saw. Twelve percent, remember?"
"But the Hadron Enforcer," Natasha began, "Rocket was so confident in it before. Is it really powerful enough to destroy a ship like that?"
"No," Quill said with a grim chuckle. "I seriously doubt that thing could even scratch the Dark Aster's hull now."
Gamora offered a small, knowing smile. "Ronan took a direct hit from it back on Knowhere. It barely even slowed him down. Rocket couldn't believe it; he couldn't understand why his masterpiece failed." This incident had driven Rocket mad, making him question his own genius. Now, having seen Ronan withstand the raw power of the Infinity Stone, it finally made a terrible sort of sense.
"Or maybe the little raccoon's tech just isn't all it's cracked up to be," Tony commented offhandedly, sipping his drink.
That was all it took.
"Hey!" Rocket shrieked, leaping onto the back of his chair. "I'm a genius on any planet, you tin can! Don't you forget it!"
"Oh, really?" Tony said, an eyebrow raised in amusement.
"You wanna go? Let's go! We'll have a build-off! I'll show you that your clunky Earth metal is nothing but scrap!" Rocket was practically vibrating with indignation.
Natasha's eyes narrowed slightly, a ghost of a smile playing on her lips. Tony had wanted to get a measure of Rocket's technical abilities, to see just how far Earth's technology lagged behind the galactic standard. And the raccoon, goaded by his own pride, had taken the bait hook, line, and sinker.
[Soon, the Ravager fleet, led by the Blood Eagle, arrived in the skies of Xandar.]
["Ronan's fleet has been spotted. The two fleets are expected to engage in fifteen minutes!"]
[Inside the ship, Yondu clapped Star-Lord on the shoulder. "Remember, boy. When this is all over, that orb is mine. You try and pull a fast one on me again, and I will kill you. For real this time."]
[Star-Lord nodded silently.]
[The scene changes. Star-Lord walks with purpose, Gamora at his side. Drax the Destroyer follows, and Rocket stomps past with his massive gun, with the towering Groot bringing up the rear.]
[Yondu took his command seat. On the console beside him was a row of his collected toys, including the little frog-like creature from the broker's shop.]
["Tear them to pieces, boys!"]
[With Yondu's order, the Blood Eagle's main hangar door opened, and a swarm of smaller Ravager ships poured out, streaking toward the heart of Xandar.]
[Gamora sat in the Milano's co-pilot seat and complained, "I can't believe this is the plan."]
["Hey! You're the one who said you wanted to die among friends!"]
[The camera switches to Rhomann Dey walking hurriedly through Nova Corps headquarters, pulling on his uniform jacket as he goes. It's clear he rushed here the moment he got the call.]
[In the command center, officers tracked the Ravager fleet descending on their planet.]
["Nova Prime! I just received a message from a Ravager! He says Ronan has stolen something called an Infinity Stone and is on his way to Xandar!"]
[Nova Prime's eyes widened. "Oh, my gods."]
[But Corpsman Saal, standing beside her, immediately objected. "This has to be a trick! That man is a known criminal!"]
[Nova Prime looked from the screen to Dey. "And why should we believe him now?"]
["He says they just broke out of the Kyln. He wouldn't be coming back to Xandar if he wasn't serious about helping."]
[Dey paused, then added, "'Otherwise he'd be, in his own words, an idiot.' And I'm just repeating what he said, ma'am… 'an idiot beyond redemption.'"]
[Nova Prime nodded slightly. "And do you believe him?"]
["I'm not sure 'idiot beyond redemption' is an exaggeration, ma'am."]
[Nova Prime raised her head and repeated patiently, "I mean, do you believe he's here to help?"]
[Rhomann Dey licked his lips, hesitating for only a moment before his expression firmed with conviction. "Yeah. I do."]