"What are they going to do?"
"I have no idea."
"But judging from the look on their faces, whatever it is—it's big."
Rocket and Quill exchanged uneasy glances.
Lisa, Salina, and Basang had already reached an unspoken agreement. Waiting for Thanos—the mastermind behind the chaos—to appear on his own was a waste of time. If they wanted results, they would have to take the initiative.
Gamora, Rocket, and Quill didn't understand what was happening. Before they could even ask, the three Gold Saints vanished—leaving not so much as a shimmer of starlight behind.
"They… left?" Rocket asked cautiously, glancing around the barren landscape. His usual sarcasm was gone; even the raccoon was trembling slightly.
Who wouldn't be afraid? Standing before those golden-clad warriors, he hadn't even dared to breathe loudly—let alone move.
"I think I know where they're going," Quill said grimly, looking up toward the distant stars.
Gamora's expression tightened. She knew too. The Saints were going after Nebula. If everything followed Thanos's plan, Nebula would currently be aboard Ronan's flagship—the Dark Aster.
"Nebula…" Gamora whispered, her voice tinged with worry.
On the Dark Aster, Ronan stood before the panoramic window of his command deck. He gripped his warhammer tightly, the gem-studded scepter in his other hand tapping restlessly. His expression was dark and unsettled.
Behind him stood Nebula and his adjutant. The air was thick with tension.
Ronan had been waiting—waiting for the Skrull and Shi'ar commanders to contact him. But patience had never been his virtue. Old blood feuds and rivalries ran too deep for true communication.
Still, if he wanted to keep control of the situation, someone had to speak first.
Ronan frowned and turned slightly to order his adjutant—when suddenly, his instincts screamed.
He spun around, warhammer raised.
Three figures had appeared silently behind him, as if stepping out of the light itself. Their golden armor gleamed with divine radiance, every inch exuding majesty and power. The starlight reflected from their forms made even the mighty Kree Accuser feel small.
His adjutant and Nebula were frozen in place—literally unable to move. Only their wide eyes showed their shock.
The strangers had done nothing, yet their very presence pressed down like crushing gravity. Ronan's chest tightened under the weight of it, and he struggled even to breathe.
Only by gripping his warhammer and the cosmic scepter could he remain standing.
Then he saw it—one of the women was holding the Power Stone.
Ronan's pupils contracted violently.Impossible!
He had never let the gem out of his sight. The three galactic factions had been monitoring Quill's every move since the incident on the planet's surface. Even the battle where Quill's group barely escaped had been recorded by their surveillance drones.
There had been no chance—none—for anyone to take the gem unseen.
Yet here it was, gleaming in the hand of a stranger cloaked in gold.
Who are these people? When did they appear in the galaxy?
Ronan's confusion deepened with every passing second.
Lisa stepped forward, her golden boots echoing softly against the deck as she approached. The sound alone seemed to cut through the air.
Her gaze fell upon Nebula. A faint frown crossed her face."A semi-mechanical lifeform. Eighty-five percent of your body has been replaced with cybernetics." She tilted her head, her tone both analytical and pitying. "Such intricate workmanship… and yet so cruel."
She clicked her tongue lightly. "Truly ruthless."
Even Lisa, who had seen the cruelty of countless worlds, was taken aback by the extent of Nebula's modifications. Every organ, bone, and nerve had been fused with machinery. Her very consciousness had been partially rewritten.
To the scientists of Earth, this would have been the pinnacle of bioengineering—a perfect example of mechanical ascension.But to Lisa, it was nothing more than a monument to agony.
As she lightly brushed Nebula's mind with her seventh-sense awareness, Lisa glimpsed fragments of memory—the endless torment, the rivalry with Gamora, the yearning for approval. It was all there, buried under cold circuits and metal.
"Alright, girl," Lisa said softly. "You're going to help me with something."
A faint golden light flashed through her eyes.
Nebula's expression went blank for an instant. She raised her mechanical hand and tapped her wrist console. A hidden frequency pulsed out into the void—an encrypted signal meant only for one recipient.
Lisa caught it immediately. Her mind followed the signal through the cosmic network, tracing it across countless light-years… until it suddenly vanished, the trail severed by a dimensional jump.
She frowned slightly but didn't look disappointed.
Moments later, a holographic projection shimmered into existence in front of Nebula—massive, purple-skinned, and wreathed in power.
Thanos.
"Father," Nebula said respectfully, bowing slightly.
Thanos's deep voice rumbled from the projection. "Nebula. Why are you contacting me now?"
From his perspective, only Nebula appeared in the hall. Ronan, his adjutant—and the three golden figures—were invisible to his senses.
"Father," Nebula said evenly, "Ronan intends to contact the Skrull and Shi'ar fleets. He wants to decide the ownership of the Power Stone through negotiation. He's about to send his two lieutenants to their motherships."
Her lie was flawless, blending seamlessly with the truth.
"Oh?" Thanos's expression darkened slightly. "Ronan, negotiating? It seems he's beginning to suspect something."
"Father, should I take the Power Stone first—before they act?"
Thanos gave a low chuckle, cold and confident. "No need. Let them negotiate. I will make them fight. The war will not end."
"But Father," Nebula pressed, her tone perfectly rehearsed, "if the three empires go to war, the other Infinity Stones might be endangered—"
"There is no need to worry, my daughter," Thanos interrupted, his eyes glinting. "In the end, all the stones will belong to me."
Nebula lowered her gaze. "Yes, Father. But Ronan suspects me. I think… he plans to kill me."
Thanos's lips curved into a faint, cruel smile. "Ronan… He's no fool. But he's impatient. Leave the Dark Aster and return to Sanctuary II. I'll assign you a new task."
As he spoke, a stream of coordinates appeared in the hologram—Nebula's recall point.
Lisa and Salina's eyes met. Both women's expressions hardened. The coordinates were all the proof they needed.
They now knew where Thanos was.
End of Chapter)
────────────────────────────────────
"If you want early access to nearly 60+ chapters, join my patreon:- patreon.com/BaDwYGaMeR"