In the pitch-black universe, the flames of a ship's exhaust trail shone with exceptional brilliance. Before the wreckage of shattered planets, a small reconnaissance vessel bearing the Nova Corps insignia sped past.
A furry paw pressed a button on the control panel, and the shutter over the porthole slowly rose. Star-Lord Quill stood before the window, gazing at the scene in space as he spoke.
"Another destroyed star system. It must have been Queen of Annihilation's forces passing through here. They devoured all the star's energy."
Rocket Raccoon operated the ship's equipment as he said, "Thank their boundless urge to destroy. It let us follow their trail here. I refuse to believe they can hide the Hive Superbrain without leaving a single crack."
Star-Lord put his hands on his hips and drew a deep breath, puffing out his chest. Then, as he let out a long exhale, he bent over against the ship's side wall and said, "We've really gotten ourselves tangled up in some Big Trouble."
"There'll be plenty more of this in the future." Rocket Raccoon hopped around on the console, then pointed at a lever on the wall for Groot, who was crouching by it. Groot extended a Vine from his arm and yanked the lever down hard.
The ship gave a slight shake, and Quill stumbled back several steps. Rocket Raccoon lowered his head over the controls and said, "Hold on. I'm accelerating. We need to catch the tail of this flanking force before it vanishes completely into space, then figure out how to get the Hive Superbrain's coordinates."
Quill shook his head groggily, preparing himself for the dizziness brought on by the sudden acceleration of this less-than-advanced little ship. But just as the engine's energy trail burst forth again, Quill saw pairs upon pairs of