Centauri, known as the planet Obsidian 6, is one of the planets in the Alpha-12 binary star system and is the most famous interstellar pirate den in the cosmos. The notorious ’Ravagers’ have their lair on this planet.
"Yondu! Yondu!!!" A figure barged into the Ravagers’ base, kicking open the wooden gate with his foot, and shouted inside, "I’ve got a big business deal for you!!"
Yondu, who was still groggy from drinking the previous night, staggered out and squinted towards the door. When he saw who it was, he hesitated for a mont but quickly raised the weapon in his hand.
"Hey! Hey! It’s !" The newcor raised both hands quickly and said, "Don’t you recognize ? I’m Star-Lord!"
"Star-Lord?" Yondu snorted coldly, whistled, and the whistle sword flew over and hovered in the air. He kicked open the door, walked out, and said, "Star-Lord went back to Earth long ago and he warned that if soone ca looking for around this ti, they must be an impostor."
"Oh, alright. But, I’m not really an impostor, just Star-Lord from another universe. And I’m here to talk business with you, are you interested in listening?"
"What kind of business could you possibly have?" Yondu sneered but still gestured for him to co in. Star-Lord followed him into the room.
"You know there’s a war going on in the Triangulum Galaxy, right?" Star-Lord did not beat around the bush and said directly, "We were caught by Batman before, but I ca up with a way to escape. You could say I’m the person who knows Apocalypse Star the best."
"So what? Do you want to deal with that planet?"
"Of course not. The guy in charge of Apocalypse Star looks like a tough opponent. But precisely for this reason, the superheroes on our side can’t get any advantage over them."
Yondu sat down broadly, placing his hands on the armrests, squinting at Star-Lord and saying, "What do you an?"
"Batman has found a lot of helpers in the cosmos, like the Kree Empire and Skrull Empire, also Thanos. They haven’t approached you, maybe because they don’t know you well or they don’t want to associate with interstellar pirates. But The Avengers have no such concerns, so why not cooperate with them?"
"Do you think war is child’s play?" Yondu took a bottle of wine from the side, poured it into his mouth, and then said, "We’re just a bunch of pirates, robbing and pilfering in peaceti, throwing ourselves into a cosmic war is like asking for trouble, isn’t it?"
"Direct involvent is definitely not okay, your crew can’t withstand the losses. However, you could do so other work. Tell , after taking a heavy loss, wouldn’t our heroes be eager to enhance their power?"
"Are you suggesting..."
"If I rember correctly, the Infinity Gems in this universe should still be scattered across the cosmos, right? If we can find the Infinity Gems and craft the Infinity Gauntlet, that’s power enough to turn the tide of war. Heroes from any world would want that. If you can get your hands on a gem, it would be a huge fortune."
Yondu didn’t reply imdiately; he was just thinking about what Star-Lord said. With such big commotion in the Triangulum Galaxy, it’s impossible for these well-inford interstellar pirates not to have heard. His foster son, Peter Quill from the Central Universe, had also told him so things about the war.
However, the Star-Lord from the Central Universe did not want them to get involved because interstellar pirates, although rampant in the cosmos, are actually not truly taken seriously by anyone.
Under Yondu’s leadership, the Ravagers have a code of conduct, basically not doing anything unethical. Most of the ti they’re robbing cargo ships, and they never push things too far, grabbing so goods and then leaving. Occasionally, they even cooperate with those interstellar civilizations, helping them with so unsavory smuggling tasks, building good relationships with various star systems, and living comfortably.
But with just their small numbers, involving themselves in a cosmic war, calling them cannon fodder would even be flattering. Cannon fodder at least has a certain scale, and they only have a few ships and a few hundred people, with many of them spread across various star systems keeping lookout. Such an arrangent is completely negligible in any battlefield.
But to say that Yondu is not tempted is impossible. He’s accustod to profiteering and naturally knows how much profit is in such matters. Even just running errands or selling information would definitely earn a lot. Those superheroes are filthy rich and won’t be stingy with this little money.
However, out of the blue, he doesn’t have any connections with both sides. If he went to Marvel’s heroes for cooperation, his foster son would surely find out, and by then, the cooperation wouldn’t succeed, and Yondu might not even be able to argue with him, not worth it to provoke such trouble.
Since selling information to both sides is not an option, the only way seems to be trading for so valuable items. Even though the warring parties are not short on mineral resources, there are so extrely rare treasures that they cannot obtain.
But Yondu is different. Although he usually only does robbery, because he’s been in the cosmos for so long, he knows where the good stuff is. Even for the infinitely powerful Infinity Gems, he has so leads. If he could really get hold of one, the price could be set by him.
Although it’s his foster son’s acquaintance, it would be inappropriate to ask for too much, but considering it’s warti and urgent, an expedited delivery fee isn’t excessive, right?
Moreover, Yondu has so simple cosmic feelings, he doesn’t want those outsiders to win. If he could help The Avengers find an Infinity Gem, not only could he earn a big sum, but he could also help defeat those outsiders, letting them know that this universe is not to be trifled with. Wouldn’t that be a win-win?
As he thought more, Yondu beca tempted. He looked at Star-Lord and said, "Are you sure Infinity Gems are useful?"
"That depends on your understanding of the Infinity Gems." Star-Lord crossed his arms and tapped his foot on the ground, then said, "If they are as powerful as the legends say, both sides will definitely fight over them; if it’s exaggerated, then you might end up at a loss."
Yondu stood up supporting his knees and began to pace around the room. He said, "Most of the legends about the Infinity Gem are just hot air. For a while, the legend of the Lord of the Universe was popular, saying whoever collected all the Infinity Gems could beco the master of the universe. It’s pure bullshit."
"But there’s definitely sothing fishy about them. They appeared even before the first sentient beings in the cosmos and have been fought over by countless races for billions of years. Every civilization with a na in the universe has so history related to these gemstones. I’ve also heard that those mysterious entities in the universe are wary of these gems, to the point that they personally arrange their whereabouts."
"It seems you’re confident in getting hold of one or two?"
"To be honest, I do have so clues," Yondu said while shaking his head. Then he looked up at Star Lord and continued, "Did you co to looking for a partnership?"
"That’s right. I know there aren’t many permanent mbers at the Ravagers’ headquarters, and most hold significant responsibilities, making it hard for them to leave. And as the captain, you have to stay stationed at the headquarters and can’t leave easily. But the Guardians of the Galaxy can co and go as they please. You provide the clues, I provide the manpower, and when we get the money, we split it fifty-fifty."
Yondu sneered, "You’re not from this universe. Why shouldn’t I keep it within the family and find my own son?"
"Since he’s not with you, it proves he doesn’t support you getting involved in the war. If you find him, he’ll surely report you first, wouldn’t he?"
"I don’t necessarily have to find you either. After all, people from various universes have shown up, and there are other Guardians of the Galaxy. I don’t have to choose the Guardians of the Galaxy. There are many who are stronger than you."
"Co on, if they’d wanted to work with a group of pirates, they would’ve approached you already. Batman has turned the entire universe against us, and he probably didn’t even give you guys a glance, did he?"
"That’s because he’s blind!" Yondu was sowhat exasperated, unable to tolerate anyone badmouthing the Ravagers.
"Alright, alright," Star Lord waved his hand, "I know, you’re worried I’d run off with the clues. By the way, my spaceship was seized by Batman, and I don’t even know where it is now. If you provide us with a spaceship, the Ravagers’ ships have restriction agreents, so without one, we can’t run anywhere. How about it?"
"The plan sounds good. The only problem is..." Yondu suddenly stopped in his tracks, turned towards Star Lord, and with a gentle whistle, a sharp sword blade was on Star Lord’s neck.
"Such a good plan, how could soone as stupid as you think it up? Tell , who sent you?"
Star Lord swallowed, a flicker of panic flashed in his eyes, but he quickly steadied himself and said, "Don’t underestimate too much."
"If you were really that capable, you wouldn’t have been caught by Batman." Yondu stared at his face, seemingly weighing sothing. After a mont, he put away the sword and said, "Alright, with soone formidable backing you up, the plan might go smoother. No matter how you intend to use , I have no objections as long as I’m reasonably compensated."
"So, do we have a deal?"
"Don’t rush. The clues about the Infinity Gem aren’t that simple. Many know where they are, but no one has succeeded in getting them because the current owners of the gemstones aren’t easy to ss with. We need to plan carefully."
Half an hour later, Star Lord walked out of the Ravagers’ base with the spaceship keys, looked around, and quietly said in a secluded shadow, "I’ve done everything I promised you, so we’re even."
"Not so fast." A shadow with long horns stretched further across the dry sand, "You haven’t finished your task yet."
Star Lord felt his mouth go dry. He gritted his teeth and said, "Don’t tell you really want to find the Infinity Gem. I can’t fight those people!"
The demonic whisper echoed in his ears, "Now, with The Avengers taking heavy losses, if you go back, you’ll just walk right into their sights. They’ll only bla you for being so careless to get caught by Batman, and they might even suspect you leaked intel in prison, leading to their terrible defeat."
"The Avengers aren’t like that," Star Lord said.
"When they’re rational, of course, they behave magnanimously. Yet this loss was beyond what they could accept. Watching their closest comrades die in front of them, how many are willing to accept it as their fault? If they don’t accept it, who else can they bla?"
Star Lord pressed his lips tightly together and said, "Even if I don’t go back, I don’t have to work for you. I could just find a place to hide."
"Oh, really? Can you really swallow the humiliation of getting caught by Batman? If you remain idle, the universe’s impression of you will always be ’the Guardians of the Galaxy mber who was captured at the start of a fight.’ Are you willing to accept such a title?"
"Think of your teammates, Peter. Though they’re not Earthlings, they carry prestige in the universe. Can they really accept being unilaterally oppressed, turning the other cheek?"
Star Lord took a deep breath and said, "Even if I wanted to try, I can’t deal with the current owners of the Infinity Gem."
"That’s where I co in. I’ll help you."
User Comments
0 comments from readers