Ego's ship possessed a level of technology that was utterly alien to both the Sovereign and the forces of Thanos. In a matter of moments, his shimmering blue energy constructs tore through their fleets. Warships that had endured the heat of battle were turned into silent, blooming fireworks in the cold vacuum of space.
The sudden, overwhelming attack threw Ayesha into a panic. A third party had intervened, and her forces were being annihilated.
Fortunately for her, the mysterious ship's rampage was brief. After a quick scan of the wreckage confirmed that Peter Quill was not among the survivors, Ego departed as quickly as he had arrived, leaving the tattered remnants of the two fleets behind. This mercy, however unintentional, allowed Ayesha to survive.
By the time she managed to rally what was left of her fleet, the damage was catastrophic. Over eighty percent of her ships were gone. Thanos's task force had been wiped out completely.
The mission was an abject failure. She no longer had the strength to pursue the Guardians. For the eternally proud Ayesha, the humiliation was a fate worse than death. Seething with rage, she saved the energy signature of Ego's ship, vowing to make him pay for this insult.
But that was a problem for another day. No matter how unwilling she was to admit defeat, she had no choice but to retreat in disgrace. She had failed the task given to her by her creator, a thought that filled her with a cold dread. She knew the Sovereign's continued existence depended on proving their value to the High Evolutionary. Thankfully, she had one last trump card. She would return at once and use it to secure her people's future—and her own.
[Aboard the Dark Aster, Star-Lord and his team rounded a corner and ran straight into a squad of soldiers led by Korath the Pursuer.]
[Korath's eyes locked onto him, his face a mask of murderous rage. "Star-Lord!"]
[Peter offered a weak smile. "Finally, someone remembers."]
[With a roar, Korath lunged, grabbing Peter by his jacket and hurling him backward. Drax drew his twin blades and kicked an advancing soldier away.]
[As Star-Lord hit the deck, he slapped the button behind his ear, his helmet materializing around his face just as Korath grabbed his legs and swung him into a wall.]
[Drax, now fully in his element, stabbed a Sakaaran soldier through the gut with both blades, then used the body as a shield before tossing it aside.]
[Groot, meanwhile, simply swatted a soldier to the ground with one powerful arm.]
[Korath stalked toward the downed Star-Lord. "You pathetic scavenger!"]
[He raised his fist to strike, but a shout from Drax drew his attention. A blade flew through the air, forcing Korath to duck. The knife embedded itself in the chest of the soldier behind him.]
[Drax threw his second knife. Korath dodged again, and another unlucky soldier fell.]
[Now unarmed, Drax charged forward with a bellow, throwing two heavy punches. Korath leaned back, dodging the first blow and blocking the second. He twisted Drax's arm, throwing him off-balance before kicking him to the floor.]
[Korath looked down at him with a sneer. "You will never reach Ronan!"]
[Outside, Rocket hovered in his Ravager ship just meters above the city streets.]
["We gotta take 'em out before they can land!" he yelled into his comms.]
[He angled the ship's nose toward the sky and opened fire, intercepting the swooping Necrocraft. A dense spray of bullets shredded several of the Kree ships, but more kept coming. Fortunately, the rest of the Ravager ships soon arrived to join the defense, filling the sky with a protective canopy of fire. For the moment, the Necrocraft were being held at bay, unable to get near the ground.]
[In the power room, the duel between sisters raged on. Gamora had drawn her sword, holding her ground against Nebula's crackling electro-staff. Each time their weapons clashed, sparks flew.]
[Nebula's attacks were wide, powerful swings, while Gamora relied on her speed and agility, parrying and dodging. After forcing Nebula back with a sweeping block, Gamora spun, landing a powerful kick to her sister's head that sent her stumbling.]
[Back in the corridor, Groot tossed one Sakaaran aside like a rag doll, then grabbed another who was trying to sneak past him. He slammed the soldier into the ground with enough force to send a shockwave that knocked over several others.]
[Korath swung a punch so hard it dented the metal wall when Drax ducked under it. Drax retaliated with his own punch, but Korath blocked it, grabbed Drax by the head with his other hand, and slammed him against the wall.]
[Getting to his feet, Star-Lord activated his boot jets, flying forward. He fired his pulse guns, taking down an enemy, then used his momentum to kick two more soldiers out of his way before tumbling to the ground. The jets continued to propel him along the floor, and he used the low angle to blast the remaining enemies on both sides.]
[Just as Star-Lord stood up, a Sakaaran swung a blade at his head. He ducked, and two pulse rounds from Gamora's direction took the soldier down. Star-Lord returned the favor, shooting another soldier who was charging his sister.]
[Drax, recovering his strength, drove Korath back against the wall, then dropped him with a brutal elbow strike. He hauled the dazed Kree to his feet, pinning him.]
["Finger to the throat…" Drax growled, grabbing the cybernetic implant on the side of Korath's head. "…means death!"]
[With a powerful twist, Drax ripped the device free. Korath's head sparked violently, and he collapsed to the floor, lifeless.]
[Star-Lord walked up to him as Drax laughed. "Metaphor!"]
[Peter tilted his head. "Sort of."]
[He was about to move on when a new wave of Sakaaran soldiers rushed out from the corridor ahead. "Oh, come on!"]
[Before anyone could react, Groot's arm suddenly shot forward, elongating into a sharp wooden spike that pierced through the chests of five soldiers at once.]
[The remaining soldiers, having never witnessed such a thing, froze in terror.]
[Groot gave no quarter. With a mighty roar, he lifted the impaled soldiers and used their bodies as a gruesome club, sweeping them left and right and brutally smashing the rest of the squad into submission.]
[Star-Lord stared at the mighty Flora Colossus, then turned to look at Drax.]
[Drax just smiled at him and nodded.]
[Once Groot was sure the soldiers were dead, he retracted his arm. He then turned back to Star-Lord and, with perfect innocence, gave him a shy, gentle smile.]