At this moment, Xandar was a planet on edge.
The once-thriving trade hub, filled with merchants and interstellar tourists, had transformed into a battleground of hidden agendas. The streets, once filled with citizens of various alien races, were now crawling with bounty hunters, spies from different galactic factions, and mercenaries waiting for an opportunity.
The Orb of Morag, containing the Power Stone, was now in Xandar's possession.
The Nova Corps had completed a deal with Peter Quill, a.k.a. Star-Lord, in exchange for an enormous sum of credits. When the Xandarian Consul first heard that Quill had come to him directly to sell the Orb, he had been elated. But the moment he realized that Star-Lord had publicly announced the deal, he felt nothing but fury and dread.
Originally, the plan had been simple: Xandar would acquire the Orb in complete secrecy, securing a weapon of unfathomable power. But Quill had outmaneuvered them all, ensuring that if anything happened to him, the entire galaxy would know who had the Power Stone.
The Consul was forced to accept the new reality. Instead of silencing Star-Lord, he begrudgingly paid him even more money to disappear.
Yet, despite his cleverness, Quill now found himself in a perilous position. The galaxy was now hunting for him.
The Marauders—led by his adoptive father, Yondu Udonta—were tracking his every move. They had been betrayed when Quill fled with the Orb, and now Yondu wanted compensation.
Even worse, the bounty on Quill's head had skyrocketed. A normal bounty for an elite outlaw was in the tens of thousands of credits. But the price on Quill's head? Two billion credits.
It was a sum so vast that even mercenaries who feared the Holy Heavenly Palace were considering taking the risk.
Inside the Cosmic Mercenary Union, one of the few true neutral zones in the galaxy, Star-Lord sat at a dimly lit bar, drinking and muttering curses under his breath.
"Damn it, if I'd known this thing was so hot, I never would've taken it!"
His eyes scanned the room. Bounty hunters, mercenaries, and former Marauders subtly encircled him, their hands resting on blasters, waiting for an opportunity.
The Cosmic Mercenary Union was bound by its own laws, and no one would dare attack him inside. But the moment he stepped out? He wasn't so sure.
He had already tried to hire the Nova Corps for protection, offering them a massive fee.
They refused.
The Nova Corps was preparing for war.
Quill had outmaneuvered Xandar, but the real consequences of his actions were unfolding in real time.
The entire galaxy was descending upon Xandar.
The Siege of Xandar Begins
In the vastness of space, a shadow loomed over Xandar.
It was Ronan the Accuser's flagship, the Dark Aster.
The undead Kree fleet hovered outside Xandar's orbit. These ships, once piloted by warriors of the Kree Empire, were now under the command of Ronan—a radical who refused to accept the peace treaty between Xandar and the Kree.
Ronan was supposed to be under orders from Thanos to retrieve the Power Stone. But now that he understood the stone's potential, he had no intention of serving Thanos or the Kree Supreme Intelligence.
If he could claim the Power Stone, he would become more powerful than the Kree Empire itself.
Standing on the command deck of the Dark Aster, Ronan's voice echoed across the battlefield.
"Hand over the Orb. If you comply, I will recognize your treaty with the Kree Empire. If you refuse…"
His eyes darkened.
"Xandar will burn."
Below, the Nova Corps scrambled into action.
Their Commander-in-Chief swiftly issued orders to evacuate civilians while activating the Nova Barrier.
Unlike standard energy shields, the Nova Barrier was a construct of pure Nova Force, capable of absorbing and redirecting energy attacks. As powerful as the Dark Aster was, breaking through the barrier was impossible without the Power Stone.
Xandar had fought wars before. They would not fall so easily.
Yet, what worried the Nova Corps the most was not Ronan.
It was the rest of the galaxy.
The Shi'ar Empire, the Kree, and the Sovereign had all entered secret negotiations.
For the first time in history, the four most powerful factions in the galaxy were considering an alliance—not out of unity, but out of mutual fear of Ragna and the Holy Heavenly Palace.
Despite the agreement between Xandar and the Kree, many militant factions within the Kree Empire saw it as a sign of weakness. They believed the Kree could easily crush Xandar, and Ronan's open rebellion was just the beginning of a larger movement within the Empire.
Unlike the Holy Heavenly Palace, these factions were fractured.
The Shi'ar noble class resisted the royal family.
The Kree military opposed their own Supreme Intelligence.
The Sovereign High Priestess faced political infighting.
And the Nova Corps had its own internal struggles.
The Consul of Xandar knew that their survival depended on holding onto the Power Stone long enough to unlock its secrets.
Thus, Xandar scientists began experimenting with the Power Stone.
Countless Nova Corps members perished in the process.
Xandar's people were strong in technology but weak in individual combat.
If they couldn't use the Power Stone directly, perhaps they could infuse its energy into the Nova Corps' Centurion Armor.
If they succeeded, the Nova Force could harness the stone's limitless power.
But time was running out.
The Battle for Xandar Begins
As the Dark Aster descended toward Xandar, Ronan's undead fleet launched its assault.
The sky became a battleground as Nova Corps Starfighters engaged the Necronic Fleet.
The battle was evenly matched, but Ronan had an unexpected ally.
Yondu's Marauder Fleet suddenly appeared from hyperspace.
The Nova Corps had assumed that Yondu would hunt for Quill.
Instead, Yondu saw an even bigger opportunity.
With two billion credits on Quill's head and the Power Stone worth four billion, Yondu made a calculated decision:
For six billion credits, he was willing to betray anyone.
His Marauder fleet joined Ronan's forces, attacking Nova Corps fighters.
If the Nova Barrier fell, the battle would turn into a ground war.
And once the battle was on the surface, it was anyone's game.
The Struggle for Power
As the galactic empires' leaders continued negotiations, Xandar refused to surrender the Power Stone.
The other factions demanded joint access, but the Xandarians were stalling—risking everything to unlock its secrets before anyone else could intervene.
If Xandar's scientists could succeed, the Nova Corps would rise as the most powerful force in the universe.
But if they failed, Ronan would claim the stone.
And if Ronan succeeded…
The entire galaxy would kneel before him.
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