Loki's dire pronouncement hung in the air, but Korg was far too dense to understand the threat, and Felicia, surprisingly, wasn't bothered by it. She leaned back in her seat, a thoughtful expression on her face. There was already a Mary Jane back on Earth; what was one more potential rival in the form of a four-armed alien warrior queen? In her experience, aliens had different customs anyway. Who knew what the future held?
For now, her feelings toward Looma were driven by pure curiosity, not jealousy. She made a mental note to get to know the Tetramand warrior, once she had recovered from her injuries.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a final, thunderous roar from the arena below. The match was over. Peter and T'Challa stood victorious amidst a field of dozens of fallen Sakaaran warriors, their triumph met with a deafening cheer from the crowd. Korg was convinced they were destined to become high-ranking Plumbers, completely unaware that Peter was already a core member of the organization.
Steve and Bucky, meanwhile, had eschewed the boisterous energy of the arena. They had spent the time walking through the imperial capital, observing the world Ben was building. Steve found that Sakaar, while still showing the scars of its past and the signs of ongoing development, possessed a palpable sense of happiness that was often absent from the gleaming, wealthy streets of New York. The people here, though they had less, seemed to have more. He saw in their hopeful faces the beautiful future he had always longed for, the very ideal he had fought and bled for.
A few hours later, the team reassembled at the pinnacle of the Totem Tower. Rocket was there, practically vibrating with excitement. He had just received the enormous payment Ben had promised, and he was so overcome with gratitude that he looked ready to swear a blood oath on the spot.
"From this day forward, the Plumbers' business is my business!" he declared, slapping his furry chest. "Anything you need, as long as Rocket can do it, it's as good as done!" He leaned in conspiratorially, his voice dropping to a loud whisper. "Of course… the pay has to be right!"
He was already seeing the long-term potential. A client as rich and powerful as the Plumbers was a golden ticket. If he could build a good relationship now, maybe even become their exclusive contractor, he'd be set for life. No, for multiple lifetimes! He rubbed his paws together, lost in a fantasy of galactic enterprise.
Ben cut through his daydream. "What a coincidence. We happen to have a mission for you."
Rocket's head shot up, his eyes practically turning into glowing currency symbols. He leaped onto the central command table, striking a heroic pose. "Name it! You want me to blow up the Chitauri mothership? I'll do it!"
"Excellent," Ben replied with a nod. "Then go blow up the Chitauri mothership."
Rocket froze. "…What?"
The confident swagger vanished, replaced by sheer panic. "What did you just say?"
Ben gave him an odd look. "Blow up the Chitauri mothership," he repeated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You just agreed."
"That was a metaphor! You know, an exaggeration for effect!" Rocket shrieked, his fur standing on end. "Who knew you guys were actually planning to blow up their mothership?!"
He was all talk, a master of bravado and bluster. But when it came to suicidal missions, he knew where to draw the line. Everyone knew that destroying the Chitauri mothership was the key to defeating them, but the number of people in the galaxy capable of pulling off such a feat could be counted on one hand.
"I advise you to calm down and think this through," Rocket said, trying to regain some composure. "The Chitauri aren't just some pushovers. If the mothership of those space locusts was so easy to destroy, they wouldn't be the most feared plague in the universe." He decided to play his trump card. "Not to mention, Thanos is backing them."
He delivered the name with gravitas, certain it would shock them into silence. Unlike Star-Lord, Rocket was well-informed. He knew exactly what a terrifying force Thanos represented. Surely, these Plumbers only seemed so confident because they were ignorant of who they were truly up against.
"We are fighting Thanos," Felicia stated calmly, her arms crossed.
Rocket stared at her, then at the others, who all nodded in confirmation. He was convinced they had all lost their minds.
"He's going to kill you," Rocket said, shaking his head in pity. "What a shame. I thought I'd finally found a long-term business partner, and you're all about to get yourselves vaporized." He sighed dramatically. "Come on, Groot."
He waved to the towering Flora Colossus, who was carefully cradling their new fortune. As they started to leave, Rocket turned back. "Don't worry," he said with a mournful expression. "We'll always remember you." He paused. "By the way, if you were to, say, wire me another ten or twenty billion, I could probably be convinced to risk Thanos's wrath and come pay my respects at your memorial service every year."
Groot nodded seriously.
"Can I just punch them?" Peter asked, clenching his fists.
"Calm down, Peter," Ben said, placing a hand on his cousin's shoulder before turning back to the departing mercenary. "You know, they're already on Thanos's hit list."
"How do you figure that?" Rocket scoffed, grinning insolently. "I ain't got nothing to do with that purple prune."
"Really?" Ben replied smoothly. "Then I suppose the Kree warship you sold us just materialized out of thin air?"
"What's the Kree warship got to do with Tha—" Rocket stopped mid-sentence, his face falling as the implication hit him like a physical blow. "Wait… you're telling me the Kree have thrown in with Thanos?"
His world crumbled. Had one of the three great empires really become so spineless? He thought he'd finally made a clean score, and now he realized the money was so hot it could incinerate him. Of course, giving it back was out of the question. Once money was in his paws, it stayed there.
"After the job is done," Ben said, letting the threat hang in the air, "I'll give you another four billion. How does that sound?"
Rocket's resolve solidified instantly. He spun around, waving his little fist in the air. "Dammit, I'm in! A bunch of brainless blue locusts? I'll blow 'em all to kingdom come!" He jabbed a finger at Ben. "But let's be clear! The second things go south, I'm evacuating! He might be paying me a lot, but no amount of money is worth dying for."
Groot grumbled a deep, questioning sound, as if trying to talk some sense into his friend.
"Retirement fund?" Rocket squawked. "It's four billion units! Who needs a retirement fund?! I'll be working hard even when I'm ninety!"
And so, Rocket and Groot were officially assigned to the Chitauri mothership assault team. Of course, Ben wasn't foolish enough to entrust the mission to them alone.
"This is the most straightforward part of the operation," Ben explained, turning to his team. "Felicia, Peter, T'Challa—you're with them."
"What about us?" Steve asked, stepping forward with Bucky.
"Thanos is on his way to Xandar," Ben said. "He intends to make its people the first sacrifice to his new power. You and Caiera will go there. The Dark Order and the Accuser Corps are still a formidable army, even without the Chitauri. If you can secure an alliance with the Nova Corps, it will significantly reduce the pressure on our other fronts."
The unstated part of the mission was that, if an alliance wasn't possible, they were to conquer the Nova Corps instead. Xandar was facing extinction; they were in no position to refuse help, nor the price that came with it.
Steve and Bucky nodded, their faces grim but resolute. They left immediately to prepare.
With the teams deployed, only Ben and Loki remained. Brunnhilde was already light-years away in the Andromeda galaxy, seeking out the symbiotes. Bill was still working feverishly on the flagship. Every single high-ranking Plumber was now committed to the war against Thanos.
"Do you want me to go to Asgard and rally support?" Loki asked.
Ben chuckled. "What, you're not afraid of your father tanning your hide when you get home?"
Loki just waved a dismissive hand.
"Not for now," Ben said. "This war is about more than just defeating Thanos. It's about establishing the Plumbers as a galactic power. Too much help from Asgard would diminish our victory. Our numbers are sufficient. The real enemy isn't the army; it's Thanos himself."
Loki nodded, accepting the logic. "About the stones," he said, his curiosity piqued. "Steve mentioned something. You brought back the Power Stone, yet Thanos has one. Has another appeared?"
"Ah," Ben said, a sly grin spreading across his face. "The stone in Thanos's possession is a fake. A very convincing one, but it's only a temporary vessel for the law of power. In a short time, it will be nothing more than a worthless rock."
"Is that so?" Loki's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed in amusement. "I imagine his expression will be quite entertaining when he finds out."
A wave of relief washed over him. He had thought they were facing a Titan empowered by an Infinity Stone. Now, knowing the truth, the odds felt much more favorable. No matter how powerful Thanos was, how could he stand against their might? Ben was his equal in raw power, and with generals like Caiera, Brunnhilde, and Beta Ray Bill at his command—not to mention Looma and Loki himself. The Mad Titan, alone and overconfident, didn't stand a chance.
With his strategic planning complete, Ben headed for the holding cells. It wasn't truly a prison, but three individuals were currently its unwilling occupants: Nebula, Gamora, and Star-Lord.
His target was Star-Lord. More specifically, his genes.