[center][img]https://i.pinimg.com/736x/a4/37/11/a43711e2c7d0ce218a65df2d5a217fb2.jpg[/img][/center] Issue #2: Navigator of the stars Location: Orgo cargoship The Nova Corps takeover has just begun. An alarm blared off across the halls as dozens of their foot soldiers seized the lifeless ship, deploying their clone-like infantry in every nook and cranny of the vessel, each proudly wearing their signature chrome-like helmet and mask, emblazoned with the insignia of the peacekeepers of Xandar on their blue uniforms. You can hear their synchronized footsteps marching. Their military presence is in full effect. Their mission is to secure the crime scene and ensure that no specimen enters or leaves this spacecraft without their knowledge. For Peter and his crew, things look grim, and escaping the law seems nearly impossible. The Nova Corps has flooded every entrance and exit with their huge numbers. Their freedom is barely holding on. If caught, the ravagers could face a lifetime in a penal mining colony on a harsh desert planet, especially since Star-Lord is known for breaking out of prison many times. The corps is determined to lock him up for good. But that’s not how space pirates do things. They would not let themselves be captured that easily. No, a true star traveler makes his own path and turns the impossible into possible. With the genius Moongirl supporting him from afar, Star-Lord has a plan. Quill takes a dangerous chance, using himself as bait and a distraction so the others can get away. It’s a high-stakes gamble—time to roll the dice and trust luck to do the rest. [center]-[/center] [color=ed1c24]“Good day,’ Mateys, What? No welcoming committee?” [/color]A pressurized sliding door opens as Star-Lord boldly shows up, announcing his presence to the numerous Nova Corpsmen without a glint of fear in his eyes. The cosmic fugitive strides towards them with an exaggerated swagger, his red trench coat flapping with every step, his boots clanking like some western cowboy’s spur, and centers himself in the middle of their pack like he owns the place. The space peacekeepers exchange looks and point their hi-tech rifles at Quill. One of the officers steps forward and presses a bunch of buttons on his wrist as a huge projection screen pops out of the air, broadcasting their fearless Kree captain, Ko-rel, via hologram. “Peter. Jason. Quill,” Ko-rel's voice boomed through the ship, each word punched like a gavel falling. “Did you think you could slip by unnoticed, Star-Lord? I knew you’re bound to show up; you couldn’t just resist trouble, could you?” Ko-rel continued. [color=ed1c24] "Hey, Ko-rel, miss me? Is Xandar still in one piece, or did the paperwork bore everyone to death? How’s that peace treaty?"[/color] Star-Lord fired back, grin sharp and irreverent. “You really are the most oblivious fugitive I have ever known.” Ko-rel sighed. [color=ed1c24]“But you’ve heard of me, right?”[/color] Peter interrupted with a cocky grin. “Your ignorance truly offends me. Do you know what ship you boarded?” [color=ed1c24]“Uhh…” [/color]Peter stammered, lost for words. "This ship belongs to the high evolutionary. Any specimen on this ship is considered dangerous and illegally obtained. Aiding or smuggling its goods is considered treason and a high offense to the Worldmind," Ko-rel declared. [color=ed1c24]“Yeah, I knew that—”[/color] “Your greed has blinded you to the point that you cannot comprehend what you stumble upon; your little heist might cost us the upcoming war. There’s an experimental Terran child here who can control and communicate with the alien race known as a Xenomorph. A bridge between two races. These primitive beasts are highly dangerous and can infest a planet if they fall into the wrong hands.” Ko-rel raises her tone. Peter swallows hard behind his visor, painfully aware that he’s already met this child—and is helping her escape, with Gamora and Dex-starr running interference on the far side of the ship. “The galaxy is on the verge of an intergalactic war as we speak. Two galactic warlords, Thanos and Vilgax, are set on a collision course with each other, and there’s a kid out there wielding the most powerful device in the universe on his wrist. To them, you’re just a nuisance with a bad ’80s haircut, a blip in the list of the galaxy’s most wanted figures.” [color=ed1c24]"First, rude. Second, I have no clue what you’re talking about. I’m just here salvaging junk and trying to make some units."[/color] Peter shrugged, feigning innocence while he kept chatting. As the exchange dragged on, his comm buzzed with Milano's message: Gamora, Wendy, and Dex-starr were out on this ship. It’s on him now. "Last chance. How about you save us the trouble and turn yourself in, and tell us what you saw, space pirate—" Ko-rel adjusted her jaw and was getting impatient. [color=ed1c24]“Whoa, whoa, I know being a Nova captain is a stressful job, how about we forget all about this and just take the rest of the ship, and forget I was even here standing on your business?”[/color] Peter bargained. “Answers. Now!” [color=ed1c24]“Anytime now, Lunella,”[/color] Peter muttered into his comm, feeling the Nova Corps closing in as he edged backward. He put his trust in his fourth-grade engineer, waiting for Moongirl to make her move. Just as tension peaked, a violent symphony of barrages rocked the vessel from the outside. Almost immediately, an EMP surged through the ship, further crippling its systems. Suddenly, the lights began to fluctuate, and everyone floated aimlessly, the ship’s anti-gravity system clearly sabotaged. ‘Alright, got it, I’ve remotely hacked into their operating system and should temporarily disable its functions, you’ve got a 20-second window to get out of there,’ Moongirl replied. [color=ed1c24]‘Thanks, Moongirl. You really are my Q to my 007—’[/color] ‘007? Who’s that?’ [color=ed1c24]‘007. You know: James Bond. Errr. never mind, what are you kids watching these days?’[/color] Peter flashes a cocky smirk, locking eyes with the ring of space cops who have him in their sights. Star-Lord quickly draws his dual blasters. As he takes aim, the blasters shimmer and shift in his hands—sleek metal plating slides apart and colored energy pulses along their surface. The barrel cracks and reforms, swirling with translucent blue as the weapon morphs from plasma to ice mode, frost condensing along the muzzle and spiraling outward in intricate patterns. Each transition hums with a low alien whine, as if the blaster itself is alive and hungry for action. His mask flickers to life, eyes blazing red as the visor’s tech scans the room, tagging every Nova Corpsman with glowing crosshairs. The novas tried to shoot first, but their plasma rifles seemed jammed. Peter smirked, spun around, and began blasting the floating novas with ice particles from his gun, freezing and encapsulating them before they could even react. With his enemies immobilized, Star-lord starts moving and blasting his way through as the space outlaw taps his jetboots and glides through them like he was skating on ice. He gives chase to them, weaving and dodging as he propels himself into the air. He sprang and flew even higher as he made his daring escape. He leaps from cargo to cargo and soon lands on the far side of the hangar. [color=ed1c24]“Moongirl, Now!”[/color] [center][img]https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/tokinowa/images/5/50/Arcadia_Endless_Odyssey_Tranchoir.jpg[/img][/center] [b]CRASH!!![/b] A pirate ship slams into the hull like a battering ram, ripping a gaping wound through the satellite and splitting it apart. Quill is suddenly cut off from his pursuers, the Nova Corps forced to abandon the chase as debris, and the lingering EMP leaves them stranded. [color=ed1c24]"Well, that was a blast. But my ride’s here, let’s do this again soon!"[/color] Star-Lord called, tossing a salute before diving for the exit and hurtling into his ship. [color=00a651]"This was your plan, nosediving and crashing your ship into theirs? Sometimes I question your sanity, Quill,"[/color] Gamora exclaimed, extending her hand to Peter to help him board their vessel. [color=ed1c24]"It worked, didn’t it?"[/color] Peter shot back, cocky as ever. The pirate ship Milano flees the Novas and sails towards the next planet. The ravagers live another day of not being captured. “Captain, the fugitive has escaped. Orders,” A nova cadet said, stating the obvious. Ko-rel frowned at the botched attempt to capture Peter and his crew, momentarily speechless as she sized up the situation. She had underestimated Star-Lord’s grit. Now she realized the reckless pirate was backed by a genius hacker who could outwit the Worldmind, even if only for a moment. With Thanos’ adopted daughter, a housecat wielding the ring of rage, and a human who could communicate with deadly aliens on his side, this ragtag crew might just be the most dangerous in the galaxy. Ko-rel sighed, bracing herself for what came next. “Let him, the fool will bound to show up whenever there's a treasure involved. Put a bounty on him on all sectors of the galaxy, dead or alive.”