Arrogant people were everywhere in the galaxy, and Peter had seen plenty of them. People who weren't afraid of trouble were never rare.
But he had never seen anyone as arrogant as Thor.
Or maybe "derelict" was more accurate.
Still, Peter's first instinct was simple.
This guy was unbelievably arrogant.
Thor was supposed to be inspecting the Nine Realms. Yet here he was, dragging friends to Xandar. Not only that-he'd casually spent a billion cosmic credits to hire him.
A billion.
Thor's father was Odin. Odin was the overlord of the universe. And Thor dared to lie to him, then brazenly fly around in a ship with Asgardian markings?
Wasn't that arrogance?
Peter was convinced there wasn't a second person in the galaxy that bold.
Of course, he only complained in his head. Saying it out loud would definitely cause trouble. So he obediently piloted the ship, deciding to just do his job and keep his mouth shut.
He really didn't want any extra problems.
-
But as Peter occasionally glanced at Noah and Wong, something felt off.
He couldn't understand it.
Why was Thor-Prince of Asgard-so polite to these two?
Peter's intelligence fluctuated wildly. When it was high, he could come up with clever plans and solve problems cleanly. When it wasn't, he acted without thinking.
His most famous mistake hadn't happened yet.
Punching Thanos awake.
That single act would turn everything into a one-in-thirty-million gamble.
Which was why, when ranking superheroes, dumping Peter straight into the "waste" category wasn't entirely unfair.
Of course, none of that had happened yet.
Peter didn't know what kind of disasters he'd cause in the future.
-
After hesitating for a while, Peter turned toward Noah, who was sitting there in a daze.
"By the way," he asked, "what planet are you from? Are you also from Asgard?"
"Asgard?" Noah snapped out of it and shook his head. "Yes and no. More accurately, I'm from Earth."
"Earth?"
Peter's hand trembled on the controls. He turned around and stared at Noah and Wong again. Then, uncharacteristically, he fell silent.
Noah noticed and guessed what he was thinking.
Peter's mother.
Noah knew Star-Lord's background. But they weren't close yet. This wasn't the time for personal topics. Right now, they were employer and employee, keeping a comfortable distance.
Still, Noah didn't mind chatting.
"How long have you been a Ravager?" he asked.
"Since Yondu rescued me," Peter replied after a pause. "My adoptive father. I've been doing this ever since."
He hesitated, then added, "And yeah... I'm wanted in a lot of places."
-
"Ravagers are basically interstellar bandits," Thor said bluntly. "I haven't interacted with them much-they don't dare approach Asgard-but I've heard the rumors. Desperadoes and villains."
"You're unlucky," he concluded.
"Very unlucky," Peter nodded. "That's why I've been trying to get out of this line of work."
Ravagers had a terrible reputation. At best, they were mercenaries. At worst, criminals and robbers. If you blew up a Ravager ship, odds were there wouldn't be a single innocent onboard.
"Good luck," Wong said.
Peter smiled faintly but didn't reply.
If not for the fact that two of them were from Earth, he probably wouldn't have said this much.
At least, these people didn't seem hostile.
-
"So," Peter asked after a pause, "why are you interested in that Cosmic Orb?"
A proper mercenary wouldn't ask that.
But Peter wasn't one.
He was a Ravager.
And even though he was close to retiring, old habits died hard. If the value was high enough and the employer was easy to deal with, betrayal was always an option.
Of course, this time, he was just curious.
With Thor present, betrayal was suicide.
Better to take the money and disappear.
Still, there was no rule against asking.
-
"That thing has a special connection to me," Noah said after thinking briefly. "To put it simply-it's very likely an Infinity Stone."
Infinity Stone?
Peter blinked.
He had no idea what that was.
But Thor's expression changed. So did Wong's. Peter even noticed Wong subtly preparing to act.
"Relax," Noah said calmly. "He wouldn't dare say anything."
Peter noticed it. Noah noticed it faster.
"Don't worry," Noah added. "He won't mess around."
"Fine," Wong shrugged. The tension drained from his body, and the magic he'd been holding back dissipated.
Peter wiped cold sweat from his forehead.
"Do these things really have to be that scary?" he complained. "Gems aren't rare, okay? I went through all this trouble, even prepared to fall out with my adoptive father's gang, all for a gem."
"I think I'm the one who lost the most here."
Gold and gems weren't special in the universe. Planets were countless. Common minerals were cheap.
Only irreplaceable things were valuable.
Peter wasn't stupid. He was testing the waters.
Whatever an Infinity Stone was, it clearly wasn't just a "gem."
-
"You'll understand what an Infinity Stone is later," Noah said. "All you need to know is that countless people covet them."
"And every one of those people could kill you without you knowing how."
"Then why do you still want it?" Peter asked, frustrated.
"Because I don't want certain people to get it," Noah replied calmly.
Thor understood immediately.
He knew who Noah was talking about.
Thanos.
Thor had suspected it ever since Loki was tricked into stealing the Tesseract. Odin had warned him before as well.
Thor didn't know what that madman truly wanted. He only knew that if Thanos gathered the Infinity Stones, Asgard-and the Nine Realms-would face catastrophe.
But there was a contradiction.
Noah already held two Stones.
Asgard held one.
Odin had once said that Infinity Stones should never be brought together.
So what now?
Then a thought hit Thor.
"You're not planning to find it and throw it into a parallel universe, are you?"
"Cough-"
Noah glared at him. "Don't shout like that. And no, I'm not."
Throwing it into another universe was an option. But Noah had never planned to.
Earth had the Ancient One.
Asgard had Odin.
Would Thanos really dare to act recklessly?
With that kind of backing, fleeing would be humiliating.
Besides, Noah already had a plan.
-
"Honestly," Noah said, "it's better if these Stones stay in our hands."
Thor and Wong frowned.
"Don't forget," Thor said, "they bring disaster."
"Then we deal with the disasters," Noah shrugged. "There are six Stones. Time and Space are already with me. I can use them. Why can't you?"
"You mean-"
They understood instantly.
"But you have a special constitution-"
"You're Asgardians," Noah interrupted. "That's special too. I'm not saying you absorb them like I do. Embed them in weapons. Use them as mediums."
"If you can't do it, can the dwarves?"
Silence.
Thor froze.
He'd thought about it before, but Odin's warnings had always restrained him. Fear of attracting trouble had stopped him.
But Noah was holding two Stones right now.
And nothing had happened.
And even if trouble came-
They'd deal with it.
Using Infinity Stones to fight those who coveted them.
Using Infinity Stones against Thanos.
Wasn't that also a solution?
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