Wait, what?
We spent forever dealing with just one squad, and you—the guy who stayed behind on the ship—you took out their entire base?
It wasn't just Steve. Everyone froze for a second.
It was like a soccer team's forwards spending the whole match tangled up with the enemy defense, finally breaking through the line, only to have the ball stolen anyway. They come back completely dejected, only to find out their own goalkeeper kicked it clear across the entire field and scored.
Way to make the rest of us look like total idiots.
"How did you pull that off?" Felicia asked.
Still, Steve's first concern was for his safety. "Are you alright, Bucky?"
"I'm fi— wait, what are you doing?"
Before the Winter Soldier could finish his sentence, something seemed to happen on his end. But before Steve could even start to worry, a slightly shrill voice cut through the comms.
"Hey hey hey, Rocket here!"
"Taking down this ship was mostly my work—" Rocket declared.
At the same time, Steve and the others could hear a deep, muffled voice in the background. Rocket answered it, sounding irritated:
"I know you took out the most guys, Groot, but shut it for now!"
Then Rocket switched to a wheeler-dealer tone and said, "I know you're with the Celestial Union. I'm not getting the Orb. So, you buying this ship or what?"
As one of the three great empires of the universe, Kree tech was top-tier.
Ronan's Accuser Corps was the most powerful military force in the Kree Empire. In other words, the tech packed into this ship was just about the most advanced the Kree Empire had to offer.
Peter and the others didn't have the authority to make that call, but Benatar had been listening in on the comms too.
He answered immediately. "One price: two billion."
Rocket wasn't happy about that. "Two billion? I'd get more than two billion just stripping it and selling it for scrap!"
Calling it scrap was an exaggeration, but if you actually broke a Kree fleet ship down and sold the parts on the black market, the advanced tech alone would cause a sensation. Selling the whole ship for tens of billions would be easy.
Since Rocket had no idea what the Orb actually was, he really didn't think some stupid ball could be more valuable than a Kree warship.
Boom.
By this time, Benatar had crossed thousands of kilometers and landed back aboard the Sakaarian courier ship.
And before entering, he dropped his transformation.
After all, T'Challa and Steve didn't know his secret about being able to transform into an alien yet.
Even though Benatar didn't really care about hiding it anymore, he still did it out of habit.
Felicia opened the hatch and let him in.
"You might have a point, Rocket. But the credit for capturing a Kree ship isn't yours alone. Barnes is a member of the Celestial Union, so I can only give you half the price."
Hearing that, Rocket didn't argue for long before agreeing.
Sure, a Kree warship was valuable, but finding someone willing to buy it openly was another story.
A ship this huge? Not being able to offload it and getting stuck with zero credits was one thing. Having the Kree come knocking for payback was a whole different level of trouble.
The three of them had only managed to take the ship because the corridors inside were narrow, limiting how many enemies they had to face at once. Groot basically just lifted a finger and wiped them all out.
And since they were already on the ship, the enemy couldn't use their really heavy firepower.
"Twenty billion, deal!" Rocket rubbed his hands together. "Cash, or...?"
"Cash." Benatar fired up the courier ship, and the small vessel shot into space in an instant.
"Follow me to Sakaar to get paid."
Inside the ship, Star-Lord overheard that the guy called Rocket had just landed twenty billion from the Celestial Union, and his eyes practically turned green with envy.
Let's not forget, he'd been busting his ass this whole time and had absolutely nothing to show for it.
Not only that, but when Ronan had ripped the temple straight out of the seabed, his ship had been destroyed. He'd lost his ride and his payday in one go.
So he immediately started rubbing his hands together and shuffled over to Benatar with this cringeworthy, simpering little pose.
"Uh... about getting the Orb... I helped too, you know..."
Before Benatar could even react, Peter, already furious beyond belief, pounced and started wailing on Star-Lord on the floor.
"You've got some nerve! If it weren't for you, I would've had the Orb ages ago!"
If Star-Lord deserved any credit, it was credit for helping Ronan!
"Stop, stop! Not the face!"
Star-Lord immediately begged for mercy.
But by now, after hearing Peter's words, everyone on the ship had their opinion of Star-Lord plummet to absolute zero.
The Power Stone was their one and only objective on this trip. This guy had interfered and let Ronan get his hands on it. No one was going to give Star-Lord a warm welcome.
"So, the Power Stone still ended up with the Kree?" T'Challa frowned.
They didn't fully grasp the tangled web of cosmic power struggles. All they knew was that Thanos and Ronan were in league with each other, and the enemies they'd faced today were mixed squads of the Black Order and the Accusers.
If the Stone fell into Ronan's hands, it was practically the same as Thanos having it.
And Thanos's intentions...
"Benatar?" Steve looked over, a hint of worry in his eyes.
"Don't worry."
Benatar held out his hand. The black sphere opened, nanites dissolving away to reveal the Power Stone within.
Felicia leaned in, the purple glow reflecting in her silvery eyes.
She instinctively reached out to touch the Stone, but Benatar, with quick reflexes, stopped her.
Not just anyone could touch the Stone.
Even the thin layer of her suit probably wouldn't hold up.
"Wait, so that's the Power Stone? Then what's that one?"
Peter had his face pressed against the ship's window, looking down.
Everyone followed his gaze. Down on Morag, a brilliant purple light was erupting, the massive energy readings not dropping one bit.
By now, Ronan had fully freed himself from the icy sea. That fake Power Stone was still embedded in his warhammer, blazing with intense light!
"That's also the Power Stone." Benatar smiled faintly.
No one fully understood what he meant, and he didn't explain further. He just said quietly, "Let's head back to Sakaar first."
So the courier ship took the lead, and the Kree warship commandeered by the Winter Soldier and Rocket followed suit. Under the bewildered gazes of the other fleet ships, it turned on its own, vanishing in the blink of an eye from Morag.
Planet Sakaar.
After several space jumps, Benatar and the others finally passed through the Sanctum Gate and arrived at the outer perimeter of Sakaar.
By now, the entire planet was completely encased in a massive energy shield.
The power of the Space Stone was on full display across the planet.
This shield couldn't be broken by brute force alone. Though it looked paper-thin, it had actually shifted Sakaar into another dimension entirely.
Seeing such an enormous Kree warship appear out of nowhere, Kayera and the others who had remained on Sakaar were genuinely startled—so much so that they nearly initiated a counterattack.
Fortunately, Benatar contacted them just in time, deactivating Sakaar's defense systems and opening a passage.
"So this is Sakaar..." Peter stared down in amazement.
Sakaar had transformed from a barren, rust-red planet into a verdant, life-filled world.
Back when Benatar had defeated the Red King, the entire planet had resonated with him. Once the fire of Sakaar was ignited, the planet began radiating life from its core outward.
"Feels like it'd be a nice place to retire," Steve said with a smile.
Seeing Sakaar so full of green life put everyone in a calmer state of mind.
Peter found it hard to imagine that a place like this had once been a war-torn world covered in oppression.
At that moment, Kayera was already approaching with the Royal Guard to greet them.
Rows of courier ships fanned out before them like a flock of geese, each one bearing the insignia of the Celestial Union at its front.
Benatar and the others landed in the open fields. Normally, he could have flown the courier ship directly to the Celestial Union's headquarters tower, but now there was a ridiculously massive Kree warship trailing behind them.
Once everyone disembarked, Kayera hurried forward to meet them. And it wasn't just her—Loki and Brunnhilde were there too.
"Kayera, take this Kree warship to Bill. Have him strip the parts and install them on the giant battleship."
Benatar gave the order.
"Yes, sir!"
Kayera nodded obediently.
For Sakaarians, who had spent centuries salvaging scrap, this was right up their alley.
Kayera immediately ordered her warriors to start analyzing the Kree warship.
At that moment, the Winter Soldier, Rocket, and Groot also descended from the warship.
Rocket quickly called out, "Don't forget my money!"
"Give this raccoon four billion." Benatar said it casually, even doubling the price he'd originally quoted.
Back on Earth, maybe he was just an unassuming business owner with wealth rivaling a nation. But on Sakaar, two billion, four billion, even four hundred billion—it was all pocket change.
"Heh heh!" Half of Rocket's face lit up with glee, but the other half was furious. "You can throw all the money at me you want, but don't call me a raccoon!"
"I'm not a f—ing raccoon!"
Benatar didn't argue. Without even looking back, he tossed his phone to Rocket.
Rocket caught it deftly and gave it a confused glance. "What's this?"
But a second later, he went completely still, his black eyes flying wide open.
"Damn... I really am a raccoon..."
He ran his fingers over the phone screen. Displayed on it were several pictures Benatar had found of raccoons.
This kind of creature, one he'd never encountered anywhere in the universe, instantly had Rocket mesmerized.
Benatar didn't pay any attention to Rocket's reaction. Once he set foot on Sakaar, even his entire demeanor seemed to shift.
In that little home in Queens, he was just Benatar Parker. But in Playmouth Tower, he was a Marshal of the Celestial Union. And here, his identity was the King of Sakaar.
"How is Luma's condition?"
"The Red Wind Queen is still recuperating," Kayera answered. "Her soul suffered minor damage. It will take some time for a full recovery."
Benatar knew all about that.
Corvus Glaive had bound his own soul to his blade, which gave the weapon the power to wound souls to a certain extent.
Luma had been ambushed by him, so naturally her condition wasn't great.
Fortunately, it wasn't too serious.
"Let her rest and heal properly. We won't be bringing her along for the coming war." Benatar's tone left no room for argument.
Kayera nodded.
The group headed back to the royal capital together.
Along the way, everything on Sakaar drew everyone's eyes.
Many cities had already sprung up. Based on Sakaar's own pre-existing technology and the knowledge brought by different species from across the universe, Sakaar's infrastructure was progressing at an astonishing pace.
The original capital had this extreme cyberpunk feel to it, with an utterly massive economic divide. But now, it was completely different.
The capital today was a city of the future.
Like something out of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse—that Nueva York from 2077 vibe. Except the buildings weren't actually that tall. There was absolutely no need for tons of high-rises given Sakaar's population.
So aside from the landmark Totem Tower, most structures were fairly low.
But looking out, the entire city was steeped in that futuristic style. Hover cars, not yet widespread on Earth, were already everywhere here.
Peter could almost see the future of New York in this place.
Today, Totem Tower was as lively as a festival.
Countless Sakaarians had gathered there, cheering with unrestrained joy.
"What's all this?"
"Fighting matches," Kayera answered with a smile.
"That Totem Tower serves as the royal palace, the Celestial Union headquarters, and also a massive arena. The cruel tyrant who once ruled Sakaar forced slaves to fight to the death here for his amusement. Only by becoming the champion could one earn honor and praise. The totems in the Tower represent all the champions throughout history. Now, of course, the arena has evolved into a place to select members for the Celestial Union."
"It's never been this lively before, has it?" Benatar found it a little odd too.
Last time he was here, there were fights in the arena, sure, but nothing like this level of excitement.
"Because of the coming war. The Celestial Union is expanding its ranks. Everyone wants to join," Kayera explained. "Plus, the addition of the Korbinites has stirred up everyone's competitive spirit."
The Korbinite cyborg warriors were no pushovers. And unlike other alien races, they had numbers. Neither the red Sakaarians nor the blue Sakaarians wanted to lose easily to the Korbinites.
Of course, they weren't exactly excluding outsiders.
After all, even their King of Sakaar couldn't really be considered a pure Sakaarian local.
Hearing this, Benatar nodded.
It was a good thing the warriors had fighting spirit, whether their next enemy was the Kree, the Black Order, or whoever else.
In the Marvel Universe, world-ending crises were a dime a dozen. Without enough power, you'd just be the appetizer.
Peter seemed fascinated by the arena. He really wanted to see how alien warriors actually fought, and if they all had different superpowers like the alien heroes Benatar transformed into.
"Go if you want. We'll meet up later."
Benatar said.
So Loki volunteered to guide the others around Sakaar for a tour.
/-\
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