Morag was about five thousand light-years from Earth. The Planeswalker had made more than four hundred consecutive jumps, and the passage of time had become almost impossible to feel. Maybe they had spent decades in transit. Maybe it had only been two minutes.
Compared with sailing at sea, staring for endless hours at a vast, lonely expanse of water, space travel through warp jumps felt more like riding the subway. Stay in an enclosed space for a little while, and you could arrive at the opposite end of the galaxy. It lacked the unbearable solitude people imagined, but the crushing pressure of repeated spatial jumps really did make every second feel like a year.
After resting on the ship for a bit and letting the physical discomfort fade, the group disembarked and wandered across Morag's surface together. The atmosphere was similar to Earth's, with no toxic gases, so they could breathe normally. Gravity was slightly lower than back home, which made every step feel a little lighter than it should.
Before long, Tony spotted a triangular-winged ship parked on the rocky plain about a mile ahead and quickly called out to Skyl, who was off nearby studying alien wildlife.
"Let's go take a look. A planet this desolate usually doesn't get visitors. We might've run into someone in the same business."
Skyl tossed aside the little alien critter in his hand, and Jormungand immediately lunged, bit into it, chewed twice, and swallowed. Her tail started wagging happily at once.
This miniature-tyrannosaur-looking creature was called an Orloni. Its tracks could be found all across the galaxy. It was harmless, had decent meat, and could be cooked in plenty of ways, or at least Jormungand had already given it her enthusiastic approval.
By the time they reached the other ship's landing site, its pilot had already started his treasure hunt. He was wearing a Walkman, dancing with total abandon to the music in his headphones.
Skyl and the others silently watched the man spin, hop, and strut around, even grabbing an Orloni and using it like a microphone while he sang his heart out, very badly.
"Come and get your love~"
Lady Moonshadow narrowed her eyes. "That boy doesn't seem ordinary."
Tony snorted. "Yeah, extraordinarily stupid. If anybody ever danced with him, I'd laugh at that person for the rest of their life."
Gali had sharp eyes. Even from a distance, she could tell the Walkman was made on Earth, and it even had the Sony logo on it. The man's appearance did not look any different from that of an ordinary white human either, which left her baffled. "He looks like he's from Earth."
"Good Lord. So we weren't the first Earthlings to make it into interstellar travel after all. What, did Magellan's ship actually sail into the galaxy?" Tony sounded genuinely offended. "Why is the first intelligent life-form we meet on an alien planet a guy from Earth? That is unbelievably depressing."
"He probably counts as half an alien. Come on, let's go say hello." Skyl raised a hand and drew a portal, which opened right beside the awkward dancer.
With sparks flying on the other side of the portal, Peter Quill stopped dancing. He stared blankly at the four Earth travelers stepping through.
"Uh... who the hell are you people?"
"Treasure hunters, same as you. Earthlings too, same as you." Skyl gave him a polite nod.
"Earthlings? Who are you working for? The Kree? The Nova Empire?" Quill showed no joy at meeting fellow Earthlings. The second he realized they were同行 in the same trade, he became wary.
"Relax, dance boy," Tony said sharply. "Nobody cares about the junk you've got on you. Now take your hand out from behind your back and put it where we can see it. Yeah, that's better. Good boy."
Before he had even finished speaking, Quill fired up his jet pack and shot out of the encirclement like a bottle rocket.
Tony's face soured. "I hate people who don't know how to appreciate good manners."
"Hey, Stark, don't say lines that make you sound like the villain," Skyl reminded him. "As long as he isn't planning to steal from us, let him do whatever he wants."
"Your call, Captain."
Quill landed on a broken stone wall nearby and shouted down at them, "What are you here for on Morag?"
The travelers from Earth did not answer. They simply kept walking toward the ancient temple where the Power Stone was hidden.
The moment Quill saw that their destination was the same as his, he silently cursed his luck.
He had taken this job from a broker, a commission to track down the lost Orb. After a mountain of legwork, he had finally uncovered its location. Now the treasure was right in front of him, only for someone else to show up and try to beat him to it. Of course he was annoyed.
"Guys, come on, fellow Earthlings, I'm from Earth too. We're friends. I'm even speaking English. Missouri, U.S.A., Earth still has that country, right?" Quill hurried over in quick little steps and blocked Skyl's path.
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
"Uh, I'm saying this place is dangerous, okay? Look around at these ruins. An ancient interstellar empire collapsed here. Their sacred site is buried on this world, so the place is definitely full of traps. And judging by you people, you don't even have proper gear. You clearly aren't professionals."
Quill plastered on a grin. "So how about letting a legendary outlaw known across the galaxy help you out?"
Gali immediately looked impressed. "Wow, you're famous? What's your name?"
"Peter Quill. Though of course, you can also call me by my nickname, Star-Lord."
Gali clapped. "That sounds amazing."
Quill puffed up with pride, completely carried away by Gali's reaction. Still trying to cozy up to them, he followed the Earth travelers all the way to the ancient temple.
The temple doors were tightly shut. Star-Lord Quill visibly perked up and stepped forward on his own. "Watch closely. A lock like this is child's play for yours truly. All it takes is..."
Before he could finish, Skyl pointed at the keyhole and softly said, "[Alohomora]."
The great doors swung open at once.
Quill had only just pulled his lockpicks out of his pouch. He froze, stared, then jumped into the air in excitement. "Buddy! Do you even realize what you just did? That was incredible! Can you teach me that? What are your tuition rates? Would ten thousand credits cover the whole course?"
The others filed inside without paying any attention to the idiot.
The temple interior was completely empty. Murals covered the walls, telling the history of the vanished civilization. Their ancestors had obtained the Power Stone and tried to make use of it, but the tidal surge of energy unleashed by the Stone had wiped out their civilization outright. The survivors sealed it inside the Orb and hid it within the temple, guarding the secret until their deaths so later generations would not suffer the same fate.
Quill finally saw the object of his trip. The Orb floated above a stone pedestal, protected by an ancient laser shield.
He asked haltingly, "Uh... you're here for this too? What a coincidence, huh? Hey, there's enough to go around, right? Why don't we sell it together and split the reward?"
Skyl did not bother answering. He raised the Infinity Scepter and said, "Orb, come here."
Whoosh.
The Orb broke through the shield and dropped into Skyl's hand.
For the second time that day, Star-Lord got a small but devastating taste of magic, and his eyes nearly popped out of his skull.
At that moment, a squad of Kree soldiers appeared at the temple entrance. Their leader raised his weapon and aimed it at the group, shouting harshly, "Drop it!"
Tony turned and lit up with delight. "Well, would you look at that, actual aliens at last. Hello there, Smurfs."
Most Kree had blue skin, though in build and facial features they were not very different from humans on Earth.
The Kree officer kept advancing, his weapon already heating up.
Star-Lord immediately threw both hands in the air. "Whoa, whoa, easy, guys. Relax. I'm not with them. If you start shooting, please don't hit me."
Skyl ignored the Kree who had barged in. With a spell, he opened the Orb and revealed the deep violet Power Stone inside.
The Kree officer screamed, "Kill them!"
The energy rifles opened fire.
Star-Lord instantly drew his guns and fired back.
Tony tapped the arc reactor in his chest, and magical armor formed across his body. The red-and-gold colors were as dazzling as ever, and the leaking magical radiance made him look like a miniature sun. Then he shot into the air and unleashed a barrage from his repulsors, blasting Kree soldiers off their feet.
These aliens were tough, built like steel and iron, and their protective suits were highly advanced. Even after taking hits, they still had enough left in them to return fire.
Lady Moonshadow and Gali stood off to the side like they were watching a show. Their attention was fixed entirely on Skyl. Clearly, even a firefight like this was nothing more than a minor scuffle. The true upheaval was happening there, in the moment a Stone was set into the Scepter.
Skyl had obtained his fourth Infinity Stone, the Power Stone, the one that represented the laws of force and contained limitless energy. As he embedded it in the Scepter, the other three Stones seemed to stir awake, each giving off a faint pulse.
The Kree were defeated by Tony and Quill working together. Some were dead, others wounded, and the officer leading them was taken alive.
Skyl walked over to him. The four Stones on the staff shone with a soul-shaking light, and the Kree officer trembled as he looked at the young wizard.
"You work for Ronan the Accuser."
"Y-yes."
"Can you contact Thanos?"
"Yes."
"Then I need you to do me a favor. Pass a message to Lord Thanos for me. Tell him someone has acquired four Infinity Stones. If he wants them, he should bring the Mind Stone in his possession and meet me on Vormir."
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