"An idiot beyond redemption… That's actually a pretty convincing argument," Rhodey said, shaking his head with a laugh. He turned to the man of the hour. "How'd you come up with that one, Quill?"
"Oh, you know…" Peter gave him a conspiratorial wink. "A moment of inspiration."
"Right," Rhodey chuckled. No sane person would willingly fly back to the planet where they were a wanted fugitive unless they were telling the truth. Well, no sane person except maybe Drax.
"How touching," Rocket grumbled from his seat. "A bunch of losers leading a pack of criminals to save the galaxy. We're all so noble it makes me sick."
Peter rolled his eyes. "Hey, you're standing in the circle too, pal. You calling yourself noble?"
Rocket just cursed under his breath.
[While Rhomann Dey was pleading his case to Nova Prime, the Dark Aster had already arrived in the skies over Xandar, a dark omen hanging in the atmosphere.]
[Ronan sat on his throne as Nebula rushed toward him. "A fleet is approaching! Ravagers!"]
[Dozens of Ravager fighters swarmed toward the massive Kree warship. Aboard the lead vessel, Yondu gave the order. "Fire!"]
[The two heaviest ships in the Ravager vanguard unleashed their main cannons. Two blindingly powerful beams of energy slammed into the Dark Aster's forward shields, failing to break through but creating a massive, expanding corona of light that completely obscured the Kree ship's view.]
["Deploy the screen! Go!"]
[Using the brilliant flare as cover, Star-Lord and Rocket immediately dove their ships underneath the energy torrent, bypassing the main shield to approach the Dark Aster's vulnerable underside.]
[Looking up at the colossal ship blotting out the sky, Star-Lord yelled, "Rocket, go!"]
[As the energy from the Ravager attack dissipated, Nebula realized the main fleet in front of her had vanished, leaving only a few ships behind. She instantly understood the tactic and slammed her hand to her comms. "All pilots, descend! They're underneath us!"]
[But it was too late. Rocket and his wingmen were already at the Dark Aster's starboard hull, firing everything they had at the unshielded section.]
[The Sakaarans, hearing Nebula's order, scrambled to their Necrocraft and poured out of the launch bays.]
[In the ground command center, Nova Prime saw the Dark Aster looming on the main display and gave a decisive order. "Evacuate the city! Our first priority is to get our people out of the line of fire!"]
[Swarms of Necrocraft dove toward Star-Lord's position, unleashing a storm of laser fire.]
[Inside the Dark Aster, Nebula urged the helmsman, "Get us down there! Now!"]
[The massive warship began its descent as Rocket's team continued to hammer its hull.]
[Kraglin gritted his teeth, holding down the trigger. "Come on, come on!"]
[Their sustained fire finally paid off, tearing a jagged breach in the Dark Aster's hull.]
["Quill! Yondu! It's open! Now!"]
[Star-Lord immediately accelerated toward the breach, but a horde of Necrocraft was hot on his tail.]
[Even with Quill's masterful piloting, there were simply too many of them to shake off. He weaved through their fire, but his shields were failing fast.]
[Yondu was right behind him, providing cover fire, but a stray Necrocraft slammed into his ship, crippling a wing. The Ravager vessel lost power and began to fall.]
["Agh! Dammit! I'm hit!" Yondu's voice crackled over the comm. "Quill! Don't you dare go getting yourself killed, you hear me, boy? I'll find you after this is done!"]
[Quill didn't answer, his focus entirely on destroying the ships in front of him while desperately dodging the onslaught from behind. Still, his ship took another hit.]
[Gamora yelled, "There are too many! Rocket, we can't get in!"]
[Just as they were about to be overwhelmed, a new fleet joined the battle. Golden Nova Corps starships streaked past them, intercepting the Necrocraft and clearing a path.]
["Peter Quill, this is Corpsman Saal. For the record, I do not believe in you. But I'm here. Now prove me wrong."]
[Star-Lord's face broke into a grin. "They got my message!"]
[With the Nova Corps running interference, their path was clear. Quill pushed the Milano to its limit, rocketing toward the breach in the Dark Aster and plunging inside.]
["YES! HAHAHA!" Drax roared with triumphant laughter.]
[Gamora and Star-Lord exchanged a confused glance, unsure what he found so amusing.]
[Their attention was immediately drawn back to the threat ahead. A platoon of Sakaaran soldiers inside the hangar bay was firing on them. Star-Lord yanked the flight stick, spinning the Milano sideways and opening up with the ship's cannons. A torrent of high-caliber rounds tore through the Sakaaran ranks, turning them to pulp. A single shot could blast a hole the size of a dinner plate through one of the soldiers; those caught in the direct line of fire were simply ripped apart.]
[By the time the Milano skidded to a stop, the hangar was silent.]
[Drax roared with laughter again. "YES! AHAHAHA!"]
[Gamora turned her head and looked at Star-Lord. "So, this is what it's like? Being as heroic as… Kevin Bacon?"]
"Kevin Bacon," Tony said, taking a slow sip of wine. "The man is famous across the entire galaxy." He let out a short, humorless laugh. "It's a damn shame there's probably no one left on Earth who can watch his movies anymore."
A heavy silence fell over their corner of the room. The casual mention of Earth's pop culture was a stark reminder of their own reality. The catastrophic elemental convergence had crippled the planet. Major cities were still without power, caught in a desperate struggle against famine, riots, and the unending chaos. Wildfires, ignited in the aftermath, still raged across California, turning the sky orange. The entertainment industry, along with so much else, had simply ceased to exist.
In this context, Peter Quill's reverence for a movie star felt like a message from a different, happier world. Kevin Bacon was a legend in the cosmos, but back on his home planet, his name was likely being forgotten, lost in the smoke and the struggle for survival.
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