Xandar — the capital of the Nova Empire.
The Nova Empire stood as one of the most advanced civilizations in the galaxy.
In the original timeline, there weren't many scenes that truly showed the strength of the Nova Empire.
The biggest battle came when they stopped Ronan's Dark Aster from ramming into Xandar's surface — thousands of Nova Corps pilots linked their ships into a massive energy net that physically blocked the mothership.
If Ronan hadn't possessed the Power Stone at the time, if he hadn't wielded its power directly, he probably wouldn't have even made it through Xandar's planetary defenses.
You could see the strength of the Nova Empire from that alone.
This was a civilization that once fought a full-scale war with the Kree Empire — and ended with a peace treaty on their terms.
Judging from the prosperity of Xandar today, it was clear the Nova Empire hadn't been on the losing end of that war.
The Kree Empire — Ronan's people — ruled countless star systems. They were warlike by nature, domineering, and utterly merciless.
When Carol Danvers had her memory erased, she was taken to Hala, the Kree capital, and trained as one of them.
Later, they sent her to hunt down the Skrulls — a mission that would have ended in genocide if not for Captain Marvel awakening her true self.
And yet this same Kree civilization, so arrogant and violent, had to bow and sign a peace treaty with Xandar.
In the original Guardians plot, Nova Prime herself contacted the Kree Supreme Intelligence and accused them of allowing Ronan to break the peace.
That kind of diplomatic stance alone showed how confident Xandar was.
The Nova Empire's power wasn't inferior to the Kree — if anything, it was slightly superior.
Civilizations this advanced naturally came into contact with divine races. They knew how to classify and measure gods.
Gamora knew the criteria — and Xandar certainly knew it too.
And while Xandar wasn't afraid of most individual gods, gods were never just individuals.
Loki might not have been able to beat Iron Man one-on-one, but he represented Asgard — and no galactic power could ignore Asgard.
So when Xandar received the report about what had happened in the Kyln — about Lock stepping out into space unharmed, walking through solid walls, and taking the Orb — they treated it with extreme caution.
At first, the report only went to Xandar's central intelligence.
But someone else got hold of it.
Ronan.
Ronan the Accuser, the radical zealot of the Kree.
He had never accepted the peace treaty with Xandar.
In his view, every civilization standing in the Kree's way should be crushed and erased.
That was why he broke from the Kree Empire entirely, choosing to ally with Thanos to gain the power to destroy Xandar once and for all.
His philosophy lined up perfectly with Thanos' — and Thanos had gladly sent Nebula and Gamora to aid him.
Xandar was Ronan's first target.
He already had spies and agents planted on the planet, gathering information.
Now, this report — about a mysterious being casually taking the Orb and surviving space like a god — immediately drew both Xandar's and Ronan's attention.
Xandar dispatched a strike team from Nova Corps to investigate the Kyln breakout.
And somewhere in the depths of the galaxy, aboard the Dark Aster, Ronan read the same report and smiled coldly.
Far away, on the Milano, Lock had no idea his casual show of power had triggered such a chain reaction.
The ship felt crowded now with six passengers.
Especially with Lock there — his presence had a kind of oppressive weight.
Not intentional — just the natural pressure of a being who had transcended ordinary life.
Gamora broke the silence first. "Quill, why don't you play that song again? What was it called?"
Star-Lord opened his mouth to answer, but Lock beat him to it. "Where I'm from, we call it the Fool's Happy Song."
Drax threw his head back and laughed. "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! What a ridiculous name!"
Star-Lord winced. "You haven't even heard it. What are you laughing at?"
"Ha-ha-ha-ha! Just hearing the name makes me happy! It must be a great song!"
Gamora nodded seriously. "The melody did sound fitting for the title. No wonder you like it so much."
Star-Lord felt like he'd just been hit with a critical hit — too angry to even correct them. He turned to Rocket instead. "Just set the course already."
Rocket glanced back. "And where exactly are we going?"
"To Knowhere."
Gamora frowned. "Why? You already have the Orb."
Rocket's fur bristled. "I knew it! You're planning to sell it to the Collector and cut us out!"
He spun on Groot. "Great! There go your ten billion units — straight into somebody else's pocket!"
"I am Groot," the tree said calmly, ignoring Rocket's outrage and continuing to fiddle with his game.
Gamora pushed Rocket back gently. "Watch your words. You're speaking in front of a god."
Lock didn't take offense. He had long since accepted that none of the Guardians were normal — arguing with them would just drive him insane.
"I have my reasons for going to Knowhere," Lock said simply. "If you have nothing else to do, you can follow me there."
In the original story, Gamora brought them to the Collector to trade the Orb.
Now the Orb was already in Lock's hand — no trade necessary.
But Lock still needed to see the Collector.
First, to confirm whether Tivan really had the complete method of controlling the Aether.
The dark elves' own ritual was incomplete — it worked, but at the cost of Malekith's life. Lock wasn't satisfied with a suicide move.
If he could learn to wield the Aether's full power without sacrificing himself, it would give him one more card to play against cosmic threats.
And besides… Lock wanted to see the head of a Celestial up close.
The movie never explained whose head Knowhere actually was.
In the comics, the Celestials once hunted Knull, god of the symbiotes — and Knull struck one of them down.
Maybe this universe followed that story, maybe not.
Either way, Lock figured it was worth a visit.
Star-Lord suddenly called out, "Everyone, hold on! We're entering the meteor field — it's gonna get rough!"
Rocket gripped the controls and the Milano lurched, weaving through the chaotic swarm of rocks.
Gamora and the others tensed up.
This wasn't some amusement park ride — a single bad hit could crack the hull and throw them into space.
And unlike Lock, they wouldn't survive for even a minute out there.
In the original plot, Gamora had been tossed into space here — her skin turning pale, ice crystals forming — and only survived because Quill gave her his emergency helmet.
Lock said calmly, "No need to dodge. Fly straight through."
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