Chapter Summaries

Arthur assembled a team and fleet to collect the remaining Infinity Stones and prepare to confront Thanos. The group chose Planet Morag as their first destination and prepared to open a portal to its star system.

• Thor left the Star Killer with Jane, while Sif agreed to help Arthur obtain the Infinity Stones.
• Arthur asked Cortana to bring the Blood Ravens Fleet and two Dreadnought Warships, and he invited Carl and Mylon to join the mission.
• John and Kolax stayed behind to guard the Star Killer as the fleet rendezvoused in low orbit around Earth.
• Arthur and his companions boarded the Observer Aircraft Carrier and selected Planet Morag as their first destination.
• Sif entered the coordinates for Morag's star system, and Arthur asked Cortana to open a portal there.

Arthur's fleet arrived at Morag and discovered that Star-Lord had already taken the Power Stone. Arthur ordered his forces to capture two Kree craft and prepare to interrogate their crews before proceeding to Xandar.

• The Blood Ravens Fleet passed through a portal near Earth and traveled to the Morag system.
• Cortana detected a gamma radiation source moving at super speed, and Arthur saw Star-Lord's craft escape Morag with the Power Stone.
• Arthur asked Sif to enter Xandar's coordinates and told Cortana to prepare a concealed teleportation jump.
• Arthur ordered Macha to capture two Kree craft, and an MS formation seized them and escorted them toward the Observer's hangar.
• Arthur directed Macha to prepare agents to interrogate the captives, then asked Heros if he wanted to hold the Power Stone.

Arthur planned to have Heros handle the Power Stone and went to the hangar, where agents were interrogating Ronan’s followers for information about Ronan and Thanos. Pietro and Wanda were also there, still hostile toward Stark, and Kolas began to break under interrogation.

• Arthur told Macha to keep the fleet on standby and alert him when another force appeared in the star system.
• Arthur assured Sif that Heros could hold the Power Stone, then joked that his nephew needed someone to watch over his temper and judgment.
• Cortana told Arthur that an agent was in the hangar helping technicians interrogate the prisoners.
• Arthur, Heros, Sif, and Cortana arrived at the hangar, where agents and technicians were torturing Kolas and several strange prisoners for intelligence.
• Arthur saw Pietro and Wanda among the onlookers and reflected that the siblings remained hostile toward Stark, whose weapons had killed their parents.
• Kolas convulsed and screamed as the interrogation pushed him toward breaking.

Arthur’s forces interrogated Kolas and used his intelligence to search for Ronan’s flagship while Arthur welcomed Wanda and Pietro into Umbrella’s service. As the Blood Raven Battle Group prepared for the approaching Coloniser fleet, Heros asked Arthur how powerful the siblings were.

• Kolas confessed to the agents, and Arthur asked Cortana to use his intelligence to track Ronan and the Dark Aster.
• Arthur teased Pietro about owing Umbrella money for his expenses and adult-channel subscriptions, prompting Pietro to flee in embarrassment.
• Wanda thanked Arthur for helping her and Pietro, and promised that they would assist him and Umbrella.
• Cortana began tracking Ronan, Kolas and his soldiers were taken away as test subjects, and the Blood Raven forces returned to their duties.
• Arthur waited with Heros for Yondo Udonta’s approaching Coloniser fleet, and Heros asked how strong Wanda and Pietro were.

Arthur explained Wanda and Pietro’s abilities to Heros before Cortana announced that the Colonisers fleet had arrived. Yondo offered to help recover the Cosmic Orb, and Arthur assured him that the fleet only wanted the Power Stone and was open to cooperation.

• Arthur told Heros that Wanda’s powers resembled Sia’s, while Pietro could accelerate himself like their family.
• Cortana announced that the Colonisers fleet had entered The Observer’s field of vision.
• The Blood Ravens Fleet confronted Yondo’s two-ship fleet near Morag.
• Yondo asked who the Blood Ravens were and offered to hunt down Quill if he had angered them.
• Arthur told Yondo that Quill had taken the Cosmic Orb, reassured him that they meant Quill no harm, and suggested discussing cooperation after recovering it.

Arthur brought the Blood Ravens Fleet to the outskirts of the Xandar System and concealed it in the Asteroid Belt while preparing to gather intelligence and reach Quill before Yondo and Ronan. As Arthur and Heros headed out, Pietro and Wanda appeared and asked to leave the ship, prompting Arthur to ask if they wanted to go to Xandar.

• Arthur learned Ronan's flagship had entered faster-than-light travel and ordered Cortana to open a portal to the Xandar System.
• The Blood Ravens Fleet entered the Xandar System and hid in its Asteroid Belt using Cortana's counter-surveillance measures.
• Arthur sent the intelligence lieutenant's agents to Xandar to gather information and assigned the others to remain aboard The Observer.
• Arthur told Heros he would accompany him to Xandar, then left with him to find the intelligence lieutenant.
• Pietro and Wanda appeared in the corridor and asked Arthur to take them off the ship, and Arthur asked if they wanted to visit Xandar.

Arthur agreed to let Wanda and Pietro leave The Observer to see an alien planet, while Heros and Wanda talked about his family and age. Pietro hurried Wanda ahead, and Arthur teased Heros about being attracted to her, leaving Heros quietly aware that he wanted to protect her.

• Wanda asked Arthur to let her and Pietro visit an alien planet, and Arthur agreed.
• Heros told Wanda he was nearly sixteen and explained his family’s immortality and history.
• Pietro warned Heros not to get any funny ideas about Wanda, then used his speed to take her ahead.
• Arthur teased Heros about falling for Wanda, and Heros denied it while privately recognizing his urge to protect her.

Arthur and his group arrived at Sanda Star under the false identity of the Blue Mercenary Group, while the agents began building an intelligence network. Arthur then set out with Heros, Piet, and Wanda for Sanda City to observe Nova Imperium and enjoy the planet.

• Arthur's Rodger Yang-class Frigate arrived near Sanda Star and gained clearance to land at its ocean starport.
• Cortana's fabricated identity and bounty mission allowed the Blue Mercenary Group to enter without further obstacles.
• The agent lieutenant told Arthur that the agents would establish an intelligence network across Sanda Star in two days.
• The agents split into four groups and departed in Pelicans for the planet's major cities.
• Arthur led Heros, Piet, and Wanda aboard a small flying craft bound for Sanda City.

Arthur, Heros, Wanda, and Pietro arrived in Sanda City, the capital of Nova Imperium, and explored its crowded Spaceport. The chapter left them in the first-floor lobby, where the many races of Nova Imperium lived together peacefully.

• Wanda and Pietro excitedly watched the scenery as the Flying Boat carried them to Sanda City.
• Arthur and the others docked on the Spaceport's seventh floor and joined the crowd heading toward the lobby.
• The group encountered aliens of many forms, while Wanda and Pietro eagerly admired the unfamiliar races.
• Pink-skinned women flirted with Arthur and Heros in the elevator, but Arthur refused their invitations and Heros frightened them away.
• Pietro lamented that the women had not paid attention to him, and Arthur teased him about it.
• Heros observed the bustling lobby and its peaceful mix of races, merchants, travelers, and armed mercenaries.

Arthur, Heros, Pietro, and Wanda registered for temporary residence permits in Sanda City and explored its streets before stopping at a restaurant. They sampled the local food, leaving Arthur uncertain about whether to try the city's unusual dishes.

• Arthur and the others registered for temporary residence permits and received one hundred thousand Units each through Cortana's forged mercenary bounty.
• As they explored Sanda City, Heros and Arthur judged it less impressive than Hafa, while Arthur teased Pietro and Wanda.
• The four entered a busy restaurant, where Heros drank the glowing green juice and Pietro followed after learning it tasted good.
• Arthur read a menu featuring Fried Sanda Worms, Stewed Rat, and Live Lettuce Salad, then ordered Stewed Rat along with more familiar-looking foods.

Arthur and his companions explored Sanda City while he considered how Umbrella Technology could gain influence over the Nova Imperium. After they settled into a hotel, Arthur revealed his plan and asked Heros whether he could defeat Ronan while Ronan wielded the Power Stone.

• Heros praised the strange food, and Arthur discussed the Nova Imperium’s security and possible cooperation or annexation with Pietro and Wanda.
• Arthur proposed that the Blood Ravens Fleet rescue Xandar during a catastrophic crisis to win the Nova Imperium’s favor and demonstrate Earth’s strength.
• Arthur, Heros, Pietro, and Wanda spent several hours shopping, then took an airship to a hotel in central Sanda City and booked adjoining suites.
• Arthur activated his phone’s anti-surveillance function and asked Heros if he could defeat Ronan while Ronan possessed the Power Stone.

Arthur explained how Umbrella would use Ronan’s attack on Xandar to capture Nebula and learn Thanos’s whereabouts, then assigned Wanda to face Ebony Maw in a future battle. He brought Prus, Pietro, and Wanda to a nightclub in Sanda City, where Prus questioned his reasons for going.

• Arthur said Ronan would obtain the Power Stone and attack Xandar, allowing Umbrella to support the Nova Corps, capture Nebula, and pursue Thanos.
• Arthur explained an alternate scenario involving Quill and Yondo that would also lead Ronan to attack Xandar.
• Arthur assigned Pietro and Wanda to the operation and asked Wanda to prepare to fight Ebony Maw, but Prus offered to kill him instead.
• Wanda chose to face Ebony Maw, and Arthur told the group to wait for Ronan while enjoying the city.
• Arthur, Prus, Pietro, and Wanda went to the hotel’s rooftop nightclub in Sanda City.
• Prus questioned Arthur about visiting the nightclub when he already had Carl, and Arthur denied intending to betray his partner.

Arthur took Pietro to a nightclub to drink and meet women, leaving Heros and Wanda alone in a private booth. After reassuring Wanda that Umbrella and Heros would protect her from Ebony Maw, Heros decided it was time to return and rest.

• Arthur persuaded Heros not to tell Carl why they had come to the nightclub, and the group followed a waitress to a private glass room.
• Arthur, Heros, and Pietro drank heavily while Wanda struggled to finish her drink.
• Arthur took a drunken Pietro to the dance floor, leaving Heros alone with Wanda.
• Wanda spoke about her difficult childhood and Hydra's experiments, and Heros accidentally crushed his glass while reacting to her distress.
• Heros reassured Wanda that Umbrella would protect her and said Ebony Maw would not be able to hurt her.
• Heros noticed Pietro was drunk and stood up to take everyone back to rest.

Arthur withdrew the Blood Ravens Fleet from Xandar’s orbit after learning that Ronan was approaching with the Power Stone, intending to wait until Ronan fought the Colonisers and Nova Corps before intervening. As the battle began, the Blood Ravens Fleet arrived and turned the tide against the Dark Aster.

• Arthur learned from local news that Gamora, Rocket, Groot, and Quill had been captured and sent to Kyln Prison.
• Cortana informed Arthur that Yondo had captured Quill and the others but had failed to obtain the Cosmic Orb, and that they were pursuing Ronan’s Dark Aster.
• Arthur returned to the Rodger Yang-class and ordered it to reunite with the Blood Ravens Fleet, then moved with his group to The Observer to wait for Ronan’s attack.
• Ronan brought the Dark Aster into Xandar’s atmosphere as Yondo’s Coloniser fleet followed, with Quill, Gamora, Drax, and Groot among them.
• The Colonisers and Nova Corps fought Ronan’s forces at a disadvantage until the Blood Ravens Fleet arrived and swept away the balance of the battle.

The Blood Ravens Fleet emerged over Sanda and overwhelmed the Dark Aster’s fighters, turning the battle in the Colonisers’ and Nova Corps’ favor. After The Observer’s shield neutralized Ronan’s Power Stone beam, Umbrella’s forces boarded the exposed Dark Aster.

• Quill, Gamora, Drax, and Groot watched the Dark Aster descend while Quill failed to find an opening for his boarding attack.
• The Observer led the Blood Ravens Fleet through a portal into Sanda’s atmosphere, shocking Quill and Gamora with the size of its warships.
• The Blood Ravens Fleet and its fighters destroyed the Dark Aster’s fighter swarm in seconds, clearing the airspace alongside the Colonisers and Nova Corps.
• Ronan fired a Power Stone beam at The Observer, but its Energy Shield neutralized the attack.
• Twenty Falcon ships, escorted by an MS formation, flew from The Observer and boarded the Dark Aster.

Arthur led the Blood Ravens and Elites through a boarding assault on the Dark Aster, while giving Wanda a chance to use her powers in combat. The group reached the Security Door outside Ronan’s bridge, while Pietro searched the ship for a blue-skinned, half-human, half-machine woman.

• Twenty Meltagun Beams pierced the Dark Aster’s hull, and Blood Raven Astartes and Elites stormed aboard and routed Ronan’s soldiers.
• Arthur asked Pietro to search the ship for a blue-skinned, half-human, half-machine woman, and Pietro sped off to find her.
• Arthur asked Wanda to destroy a Ronan artillery emplacement, and she used a red shield to deflect its energy shells back into the weapon without hitting the soldiers.
• The Astartes and Elites wiped out the remaining Ronan soldiers, and the group reached the Security Door outside the bridge.

Arthur and his allies reached Ronan aboard the Dark Aster and confronted him for the Power Stone. Heros entered the bridge to fight Ronan, declaring that he would kill him.

• Pietro captured Nebula, but she broke free and struck him before Heros knocked her down with a Divine Power-infused punch.
• Mylon carried Nebula back to the group, and she warned them that Ronan wielded the Infinity Stones and that they could not open the Security Door.
• Mylon forced open the Security Door, and the group defeated the Ronan soldiers firing from the bridge.
• Arthur sent Heros to face Ronan, who stood with the Power Stone in his hammer and threatened to destroy Sanda.
• Heros summoned Athena's Golden War Spear and Golden War Shield, then told Ronan he was the one who would kill him.

Heros defeated Ronan and took the Power Stone, adapting to its energy without harm. As he stored the stone and approached the others, Wanda blushed when Arthur teased her for worrying about him.

• Heros cut Ronan's neck and provoked him into attacking with the Power Stone-enhanced Great Hammer.
• Heros blocked Ronan's hammer strike with the Golden War Shield and knocked him back.
• Heros killed the stunned Ronan with his spear, and the Great Hammer began corroding the deck.
• Heros picked up the Great Hammer, adapted to the Power Stone's energy, removed the stone, and stored it in his personal space.
• Wanda tried to rush to Heros, but Carl held her back while Arthur reassured her that Heros was unharmed.
• Arthur teased Wanda about worrying over Heros, and Carl set Wanda down and changed the subject.

Arthur arranged for Cortana to surrender the Dark Aster to the Nova government, while Nebula offered cooperation in exchange for help killing Thanos. After the Blood Ravens Fleet eased tensions with the Nova Imperium, Arthur and the others prepared to meet Supreme Rael and the Guardians in Sanda City.

• Arthur told Cortana to lower the captured Dark Aster near Sanda City so the Nova government could have it.
• Nebula offered to share Gamora’s knowledge of the Soul Stone in exchange for help killing Thanos, and Arthur agreed to discuss cooperation after meeting Gamora.
• Heros returned after defeating Ronan and handling the Power Stone, while Wanda worried about him and Arthur urged everyone to leave the wrecked ship.
• Cortana remotely piloted the Dark Aster and the Blood Ravens Fleet to hover over the sea south of Sanda City, prompting Supreme Rael to monitor them and consider evacuating the city.
• Arthur reassured Rael and the others through public communications and accepted a meeting, easing the city’s fears.
• As evening approached, Rael, Yondo, Gamora, Quill, and the others gathered on the Nova government building’s landing platform to meet Arthur.

Arthur Russell arrived at the platform with his forces, Nebula, and Ronan’s corpse, then proposed peaceful talks with Supreme Rael. After Heros knocked Drax unconscious with one punch, Rael led Arthur, Yondo, Quill, and the others into the government building to discuss the future.

• Arthur and his forces landed at the platform, where he introduced himself to Rael as the fleet’s acting commander and presented Ronan’s corpse.
• Drax interrupted Arthur and demanded to know who had killed Ronan, prompting the Blood Ravens and Nova Imperium soldiers to raise their weapons.
• Rael ordered her soldiers to lower their weapons, and Arthur calmed the Blood Ravens before Heros claimed responsibility for killing Ronan.
• Drax challenged Heros to fight, and Heros punched him unconscious and sent him flying across the platform.
• Arthur suggested they continue their discussion indoors, and Rael led him, Yondo, Quill, and the others into the government building.