Chapter 247

Chapter 247:

“Curse you, vile women! Return control of my vessel to me. You interfere with my destiny! Under my leadership, the Kree shall dominate the cosmos and slaughter all who oppose us!” Ronan the Accuser spat out angrily.

“Yeah, you're definitely not getting your ship back after saying all that.” I told him.

Ronan thrashed and howled at me. He was tied up in the corner of his own warship's bridge room. The black metal shackles on all of his limbs ensured us he wasn't going anywhere. Even if he did, it wouldn't exactly be hard to capture him a second time.

The Giant warship that showed up at the prison belonged to him. Ronan had come to the Kyln trying to track down the Power Stone.

It was unfortunate timing for him that Jean and I were also there. We had just finished putting down the prison riot when his voice blared over the intercoms and demanded we hand over the Power Stone. We could have told him it was already gone, but he wouldn't have listened.

His army of fanatic Kree soldiers stormed the prison expecting an easy fight. That's not what they got. Jean and I took them all down easily before we stormed out into space towards his ship.

Ronan was on the bridge stewing in fury at the defeat of his soldiers when we took the ship. Nebula, the daughter of this universe’s Thanos, was standing by his side armed to the teeth. The two of them tried their best to fight us, but it was a futile resistance. I easily smacked aside Ronan’s warhammer and Jean ripped away Nebula's guns with her telekinesis. The two of them were then shackled and left on the bridge with us.

Since getting captured, Nebula had been oddly quiet. She kept sneaking glances at me when she thought I wasn’t looking. I think she was well aware of the video currently making its way around the Galaxy. When the alternate Thanos attacked Earth last year, his Nebula had been fighting by his side proudly. She was loyal to a fault.

I didn’t think this Nebula was the same. She wasn’t looking at me with any true hatred.

“Wow, I can't believe the infamous Ronan the Accuser was taken down so easily! He’s been a pain in the ass for so long. On behalf of the Nova Empire, I thank you.” Corpsman Dey said to me and Jean.

“It was no problem. I'm honestly surprised an alien warlord was so easy to defeat.” Jean remarked while grinning at Ronan.

Ronan started uttering some derogatory curses at us from the corner.

Corpsman Dey walked around the bridge and started inspecting everything. “This ship is wicked dangerous. Even for a Kree Warship, I've never seen a single vessel with this much firepower. If he attacked Xandar with this, we would have been in serious trouble! Anti-starship plasma cannons, homing photon.torpedos, ionic pulse emitters, incendiary ballistic machine gun turrets… Damn, this puppy came equipped with everything.” Dey said with a whistle of appreciation as he went over all the weapons.

“Of course it did, you Nova trash! With this ship, I will conquer your sniveling empire and prove the Kree Empire is the greatest force in the Universe!” Ronan declared while thrashing against his shackles.

[This is one badass warship.]

I nodded my head in silent agreement. I decided to call out the first word that came to me in this situation. “Dibs!” I declared loudly while raising my hand.

“What?” “What?” The two men in the room asked at the same time.

“I call dibs. This ship is mine now…I called it.” I said smugly.

This was the alien warship that pretty much slapped around the entire Nova fleet in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie. There was no way I was letting such a prize go!

Jean looked at me gobsmacked before she started snickering in disbelief. “You can't just call dibs on an alien Warship…can you?” She pondered out loud.

“I just did.” I said while crossing my arms smugly.

It took a few seconds for my declaration to register with Ronan. When it sank in, he scowled at me furiously. “Over my dead body! I'll kill you for even daring to have those thoughts!” He thrashed around harder and pulled against the black chains holding him down with everything he had. “You will not be taking MY ship from me! I will not have it!” He bellowed furiously.

“I already did take it from you. This is just me saying it out loud.” I said smugly to him. I turned to Corpsman Dey next. “Will the Nova Empire have a problem with me taking the ship?” I asked him. Regardless of his answer, I was still taking the ship though.

Dey scratched his cheek and thought about it. “Hm…not really. At the end of the day, it's a Kree vessel. You and Miss Grey took its crew down by yourselves. The ship is rightfully yours. The Kree Empire might throw a fit if they find out though.” He warned me. “Although Ronan has supposedly gone rogue from the Kree Empire. Although, we all know that's a load of crap.” Dey explained.

The Kree Empire treated Ronan the Accuser like Earth governments treat their black ops teams in spy movies. Anytime they get caught doing something they shouldn't be politically, the government just rights them off as having gone rogue.

“How dare you! Our glorious empire will come to Terra and glass your entire planet with endless–”

“That's enough out of you!” Jean harrumphed. She waved her hand and a telekinetic blast smacked Ronan in the head, knocking him unconscious.

With Ronan finally shut up, I decided it was time we were on our way. We were still hours behind the Guardians after all. Thankfully, this warship should be able to catch up with them.

It was lucky that we were already at a prison of all places. It was easy enough to simply unload all of his crew members and dump them directly into prison cells. The only two Kree she kept onboard were Ronan and

“Ok then, time to set off. Let's take this ship to Knowhere. We need to catch up.” I said as I plopped myself down in the Captain’s chair shamelessly.

“I've never piloted a Warship before, but I should be able to figure it out.” Dey said.

“I can help you. I have a pretty good idea on how to fly this thing. I read the minds of some of the Kree on the bridge just in case they set the ship to self-destruct or something.” Jean said as she stepped up behind an alien console. She started pressing some buttons and the ship started to pull away from the Kyln.

…

As my new warship was traveling through the void of space faster than the speed of light, I gazed outwards at the view. It really was amazing. Sometimes, I’d forget just how far I had come in such a relatively short amount of time. I was a literal Goddess now with my own space traveling warship!

[You still have a ways to go though. Your list of enemies has shrunk, but there’s still quite a few names on it]

‘You’re right. I can’t get complacent.’ I replied. I wasn’t going to stop my grind until I reached the top of this Universe. I would start by acquiring the Powerstone. Ronan obviously wasn’t going to get it anymore now that he was my prisoner, but I definitely wasn’t going to let the Collector have it either.

[That’s a good mindset. What are your thoughts on the Collector?]

‘Hm…’ I leaned back in the chair and placed my hands behind my head. ‘The Collector is a tricky figure. On one hand, he captures beings and enslaves them for his amusement. On the other hand, I’m pretty sure that he’s a mortal enemy of Galactus and a few of the nastier Celestials. Like the Grandmaster, he’s supposed to be a being that’s been around almost since the dawn of this Universe.’

[Maybe not someone you want to tango with right now then. Especially since you’re currently hunting a Celestial.]

I definitely wanted to get rid of all the Elders at one point in the future, but I decided to hold back on attacking the Collector once we reached Knowhere. Unless he attacked me first, then all bets would be off…

[Obviously. If he goes after you, make sure to show him his place!]

Jean walked over towards me. She had been studying everything on the bridge fervently. “I think I might have picked the wrong major.” She said with a hop in her step. “I was planning on studying medicine, but this spaceship is so fascinating!”

“You were planning on studying medicine?” I asked her with a raised brow. “Why?”

“So I could heal people and maybe find out more about what being a mutant entails.” She replied.

“You’re the Phoenix Avatar. You pretty much represent life itself at this point. You can heal anyone you want with just a slight touch if you want to.” I told her. It would be utterly pointless for Jean to study Medicine. It would take centuries, or maybe Eons, for human medicine to come close to her abilities. Compared to my niece and Ororo, Jean was wasting her time in my opinion. Akeno was in University studying fashion because she loved cosplaying and Ororo already had a masters Degree in Anthropology.

“Is that so…” Jean asked in surprise. Once again, she wasn’t aware of the full extent of her new powers. “I didn’t really think of that.” She admitted and said that she would probably be changing her Major when we returned from our adventure. “I want to go take a look at the engines.” She said while exiting the bridge.

When she left, I glanced over towards where Corpsman Dey was sitting. He leaned back in his chair snoring, completely passed out. The flight was automated at this point so there was nothing for us to do until we arrived.

“S-She is the Phoenix Avatar?” Nebula asked from nearby. She was still sitting on the floor tied up. She had been a model captive and had not made any attempts at escape. I think she was aware of how pointless it would have been. Nebula sounded nervous when she asked about Jean.

“Yep. That’s Jean Grey. The girlfriend of my niece and the current Avatar of the Phoenix Force.” I told the blue alien cyborg.

Nebula was shocked to hear that. “Father was not aware that the Phoenix had chosen a new Avatar…that changes things. His plans are bound to fail now!” She said in realization.

“So I was right?” I said out loud to myself. “I didn’t think the mighty Thanos was the type of villain to hide away. He’s out there right now, plotting my downfall?” I asked her.

“Maybe…” Nebula said while looking to the side and not meeting my eye. There was another minute of silence before she spoke again. “What did it feel like?” She asked me out of the blue.

“What did what feel like?” I replied.

“Ripping off Fathers–no Thanos’s head. What did it feel like?” She asked me.

I smirked at her. “I was pretty worked up at the time, but I remember that I felt powerful and vindicated. One of the most feared beings in the multiverse tried to hunt me down across universes. He came to my homeworld preparing to destroy me and everyone I know. Instead, all he found was failure and death.” I explained to Nebula.

Nebula squirmed in place slightly. She had a look of intrigue and contemplation on her half mechanical face. “I wish to make a deal with you.”

I couldn't help but be intrigued. “A deal?”

“I will tell you the plan’s of my father. In return you will help me kill him when the time comes.” More than anything, Nebula wanted Thanos dead for what he did to her.

I didn't have a problem with her suggestion. It would be good to know what Thanos was up to right now. We had no other way to find out. Jean couldn't actually read Nebula’s mind because half of it was mechanical.

Although…

I could offer to heal Nebula's body for her as well. Her mind would become organic again and Jean could read it just to double check.

“Do you hate what Thanos turned you into?” I started to ask her. “Do you detest being ugly cyborg?”

Nebula scowled venomously. “I hate it! He turned me into a monster! Years ago, I was his most beautiful daughter! Now, people struggle to even look at me!”

She was his most beautiful daughter? I couldn't exactly picture what she would look like without all the machine parts. Would she be hot? Like a sexy Twi’lek but with hair instead?

[And your mind immediately goes to the gutter…]

I couldn't help but be intrigued. “Nebula? How would you like to be restored to your proper self..?”

…

–The Guardians?–

“Ok people, welcome to Knowhere!” Peter Quill said as he flew his personal spaceship towards the giant alien-god skull. He was blown away by the sheer size of it. He could hardly comprehend how any creature that big actually existed. Peter hoped he’d never come across a living Celestial in his lifetime.

“What do you mean? We’re not nowhere. We're on your ship.” Drax told Peter while shaking his head. “Foolish human doesn’t even know where he is…”

“No, Drax. This place is called Knowhere.” Gamora informed the tattooed alien.

“That's a stupid name. They should simply call this place Giant Skull in Space Land.” Drax said while nodding his head.

“I am Groot!”

“No Groot, that's not a better name! Knowhere is a fine name for this place. It's supposed to be ironic!” Rocket replied while strapping multiple guns and explosives to his body. They were about to sell the object in their possession for billions of credits and he didn't want to get ripped off.

“I am Grooooot!”

“No, Severed Skull Station 3000 is not a better name!”

“I am Groot.”

“We can agree to disagree.” Rocket told his best friend before turning to the human they’d been stuck with. “Alright, Quill or whatever your dumb name is. Who are we selling this Orb to? Who in this god forsaken place even has billions of credits to spend!?”

“The Collector, that’s who. I don’t know much about the guy, but I’ve heard from plenty of Ravager’s that he’s loaded.” Peter told them as they exited his ship.

Rocket and Gamora both knew more about the Collector than the others. Both of them were nervous that they were selling to such an infamous man.

“Damn, I don’t like this. The Collector is known to abduct any being who is rare or exotic.” Rocket said as the group made their way through the giant space station.

“So what?” Drax asked.

“I am Groot.”

Rocket nodded nervously. “What Groot said! His species hardly ever leaves their home planet, and I’ve never even met another member of my own race. We’re incredibly rare.” Rocket said. “We’re just the type of beings the sicko would love to get his hands on.”

Peter scoffed. “You’re not rare. I grew up in the South and your asshole cousins used to get into our garbage cans all the time. Racoons are anything but endangered or rare…”

“I’m not a raccoon and I don’t eat garbage!” Rocket scowled at the annoying human.

“I am Groot.”

“Dammit Groot, that was one time! One time I ate garbage!”

“Called it. I knew he was a trash Panda.” Peter said smugly and Rocket’s tiny fingers went for his gun.

“I don’t know what a trash Panda is, but it makes me want to put a couple holes in you!”

“He already has a couple holes in him. How do you think he goes to the bathroom?” Drax said before pausing. “Wait, do humans poop?”

“Maybe I should give him a couple more just to be sure.” Rocket suggested.

“Enough!” Gamora said as she stood in between everyone to stop them from shooting each other. “We don’t have to like each other. We just have to sell this Orb to the Collector so we can get our money and go our separate ways.”

The ragtag group made it to their destination unhindered.

“Welcome, everyone!” The Collector greeted them enthusiastically after they entered his home/museum. “I sensed what you brought me the moment you stepped foot onto Knowhere. It’s an amazing find. I haven't seen the like in… a long long time.” His eyes were locked on the Orb in Peter’s hand.

“Whatever, old man. Do you have our money?” Peter said while handing over the Orb. He had no idea what was inside, nor did he really care.

The Collector took it carefully from Peter’s hands. “Oh, yes. I have your payment… However…” He trailed off while looking into the distance. A large smile broke out onto his face as he sensed a prize unlike any other drawing near!

“However, what?” Rocket asked in annoyance. “What do you want now?”

“Don’t think about not paying us. I will stab you.” Drax threatened while reaching for his daggers.

“I am Groot!”

The Collector waved them and their concerns off. “I promised 3 billion credits for the Orb, and I am a man of my word. However, someone draws near to this station. Two someone’s actually! I will gladly pay 100 billion credits for each of them!”

“T-Two hundred!?” Peter almost choked on that number. That was enough money for a person to buy their own space station and live a life of luxury for a thousand years! ‘Who the hell did the collector want them to capture!?’ He thought in shock.

“Who do we have to kill!?” Rocket asked immediately. Greed was very evident in his rodent eyes.

“I am Groot!” Groot nodded his head enthusiastically up and down.

“I tend to care not for money…but even I shall agree to assist for that much.” Drax added as well.

Gamor bit her lip in indecision. Eventually, she agreed as well. She had done worse things in her life than capture two random people and sell them into slavery. She figured she could put the money to good use against her father and make up for it. What was two lives compared to trillions?

The only one who didn’t agree was Peter Quill. The money was incredibly tempting, but he wasn’t going to betray his morals. His dead mother would be incredibly disappointed in him if he did. “Thanks but no thanks. I’m not a slaver, and I'm not interested. I’ll just take my money and go.”

The others looked at him in disappointment but didn’t say anything after. In another life, maybe they would have all chosen a different path, one where they would have stuck together and become heroes of the galaxy. Unfortunately, it didn’t look like that was meant to be in this one.

“Of course. I’ve got your money right this way.” The Collector led Peter to a nearby exchange terminal.

Peter pulled out his credit chip and approached the terminal. He sent one last look over to everyone else. “Sorry guys, but I just can't–What the hell!?” He exclaimed in shock. Four glass windows emerged from the floor and surrounded him on all sides! “Fuck!” Peter cursed when he realized he had been tricked. He was trapped in a glass cage!

He drew one of his pistols and started blasting the glass. His plasma shots splashed against it harmlessly.

The Collector laughed at Peter’s futile struggles. “Don’t bother. Much more powerful beings have tried to escape from me before, and none ever have. You’re quite the interesting specimen Peter Quill. Welcome to my collection.” He had never had a Half-Celestial among his collection before. Peter Quill was a rare prize indeed.

“Fuck you!” Peter spat out and banged on the glass cage. “Guys, help me! Get me out of here!”

“Why should we help you? You were just calling me a dumb trash panda earlier after all.” Rocket spoke up with a sneer. “If you’re trapped in there, that means we get a bigger cut of the money. Also, you have a pretty nice ship. I think I’ll take it once we're done here.” The others looked momentarily hesitant, but none made a move to save him.

Peter slumped down in his cage in disappointment. Tears formed in the corners of his eyes. They hadn’t been together long, but he still couldn't believe they would betray him.

“Come along now, everyone. I will tell you about your targets. They are some very special women. Very powerful too. Thankfully, I happen to have collected some unique objects over the millenia that will help you in your task.” The Collector said slyly while still clutching the Orb in his hand. If all else failed, he would use the Power Stone himself to collect his two prizes.

XXX