The Guardians exchanged uneasy glances, clearly rattled.
Soren's presence was already unsettling, but the way the Collector treated him, with that much deference?
"Wait a second." Rocket narrowed his eyes, pointing a clawed finger at Soren.
"You want to buy the Orb off us? Sure. Got no problem with that." He jabbed a thumb toward the Collector.
"White-haired fancy-pants here offered four billion Galactic Credits. If you can match that, it's yours."
Soren gave a small, amused smile. "Unfortunately, I don't have that kind of currency on me."
"Then what are we talking about?" Rocket threw up his paws, clearly annoyed.
"You think we're running a charity?"
"No." Soren said evenly. "But I do have something worth far more."
Rocket snorted and stepped forward, snatching the Orb from Quill's hands with a frown. "No money and still wants to deal?"
"What exactly are you offering, sentimental value?"
Soren tilted his head and exhaled lightly. "Tell me, have any of you heard of Celestial spinal fluid?"
The room went dead silent.
Quill blinked. "Wait—what? From the heads of the Celestials?"
Gamora's voice dropped. "The refined organic matter extracted from Knowhere's mines… that stuff is ultra-rare."
Even Rocket stared, jaw slightly open. The momentary doubt in his eyes was replaced with something else… something close to awe.
"You're joking." His voice was quieter now.
"That stuff's practically a myth."
"I assure you." Soren said, reaching into a dimensional pocket hidden within his coat.
"It's very real."
He produced a slender, crystalline vial glowing with an eerie green light. The liquid inside pulsed softly, as if it had a heartbeat of its own.
The Collector inhaled sharply.
"You'd actually trade that?" Gamora asked, incredulous.
"Do you know what a single drop of this has sold for on the black market?"
Soren nodded. "I do. That's why I'm offering it. A fair exchange."
"Fair?" the Collector muttered under his breath, lips twitching in frustration.
He watched that vial like a starving man eyeing a feast. "This isn't fair. This is lunacy."
Rocket circled the vial slowly, almost hypnotized. "A single test tube could buy a fleet. Weapons. A moon. Hell, maybe your own planet if you talked to the right scumbag."
Quill gave a low whistle. "Well… that's definitely more interesting than credits."
"How much?" Gamora asked, her voice more cautious than excited.
"How much spinal fluid are you offering us?"
Without a word, Soren uncorked the vial and began filling a transparent test tube from it, the green fluid swirling like liquid emerald.
The Guardians were completely still, eyes locked on every drop.
Soren sealed the test tube and held it out.
"This."
"Should be enough for the Orb."
Every member of the Guardians stood frozen, faces flushed with excitement or disbelief. Even the Collector's usually controlled expression twisted with frustration, bordering on rage.
A single test tube of Celestial spinal fluid…
It shimmered in Soren's hand like liquified emerald fire. The value wasn't just monetary, it was historical, mythical.
Four billion Galactic Credits? That wouldn't buy a whiff of this stuff. Even ten billion might not.
You could purchase a habitable planet with that kind of currency.
And yet here it was, being casually offered up in a trade.
Collector gritted his teeth. His jaw twitched as he muttered under his breath,
"Madness. Absolute madness…"
He wanted to scream.
This priceless specimen, stolen from his own vault, was now being gifted in front of him.
And worse, it was being traded for the Orb, something he would have sold his own collection to obtain.
Quill and the Guardians couldn't contain their excitement.
Rocket's eyes sparkled like a kid in a weapons depot. He practically leapt forward, thrusting the Orb into Soren's hands.
"Enough! Enough! Deal's done! Take it!" He barked, terrified that Soren might change his mind.
"Before someone says something stupid!"
Soren caught the Orb with ease, a calm smile tugging at his lips.
"Rocket." He said, tilting his head, "Didn't you just say I couldn't afford it?"
Rocket stiffened.
He scratched the back of his furry neck and looked away, ears drooping a little.
"Yeah, well... I've been wrong before." He mumbled.
"Once. Maybe twice."
Soren chuckled and didn't press it. He liked Rocket, rough around the edges, sure, but the kind of guy who came through when it counted.
"Forget it." Handing the test tube carefully to Quill. "Consider it a token of goodwill. I always liked your movie."
Quill blinked. "What?"
"Nothing." Soren gave a wink, tucking the Orb securely away.
He could feel the Power Stone humming inside. It joined the others he already carried, four Infinity Stones now. He was edging closer to fulfilling the system's mysterious world mission.
Whatever came next… would be monumental.
Before Quill or anyone else could speak, the entire chamber shook violently beneath their feet. A muffled boom echoed from outside.
The tremor rippled through the structure, knocking over delicate artifacts.
"What the hell?!" Rocket yelled, catching himself against a table.
The Collector turned pale. "Something's wrong."
"This facility isn't supposed to move."
A guard stumbled in, face grim. "My lord Collector! Emergency report!"
"Spit it out!"
The guard hesitated only a second. "The Dark Aster Ronan the Accuser's warship has broken through our outer defenses."
"It's descending into Knowhere as we speak!"
Shock cracked through the group like lightning.
"Ronan?!" Quill echoed, color draining from his face. He turned to Gamora, who already had her sword drawn.
Rocket cursed. "How the hell did he find us?!"
"He's after the Orb." Gamora said grimly. "He must've been tracking it the whole time."
Drax, on the other hand, suddenly grinned, broad and dangerous.
His fingers curled tightly around the hilts of his twin blades. The light in his eyes shifted, cold and violent.
"Finally."
Then louder, bellowing:
"Finally he comes! Ronan the Accuser, destroyer of my family I will face him with steel and end his wretched existence!"
He spun the blades in his hands, the sharp hum of metal slicing air filling the room.
"Let him come. I have waited long enough!"