Centaurus Galaxy, Knowhere.
A chaotic planet where drifters, scavengers, and raiders from all corners gathered. Braving the wind and snow, Star-Lord arrived in town and sat in a small tavern at its edge. At the table beside him, two Centaurans with blue skin like Yondu's were drunkenly chatting.
One of them wore a mysterious expression and lowered his voice as he nudged the person across from him with his elbow.
"Hey, heard the news? Something huge happened recently. Asgard was destroyed!"
"Of course I heard. How could anyone not know about something that big?" His companion shot him a disdainful glance.
"I also heard Thanos did it. He attacked Asgard while Odin was away."
"Huh? Wasn't it Loki? They even put out a bounty on him."
"You've only seen the first layer!" His companion crossed his arms, brimming with confidence.
"Don't forget, when the Chitauri attacked Azure Star last time, Loki was their vanguard. The two of them had connections long ago, and it's the same this time."
"Otherwise, with All-Father Odin's strength, do you think Loki alone could have pulled it off?"
"Damn, does that mean that butcher Thanos is finally going to make a move on the Nine Realms?"
"That, I don't know." His companion shrugged.
"The Nine Realms are too far from here. We'd probably have to get a few more galaxies closer before we could find out."
He took a sip of wine as he spoke. "Besides, I don't think discussing Thanos here is a wise decision."
The man froze for a moment, then looked around.
All kinds of alien drifters from various galaxies in the tavern were staring at him with complicated expressions, making him shudder.
Thanos had visited countless civilizations for his "family planning," and innumerable civilizations had been wiped out for resisting. Most