The Benatar completed its final jump, emerging from the shimmering spacetime corridor to hover in a bizarre, chaotic stretch of space.
Ahead lay their first destination-Knowhere.
Even after hearing Star-Lord and Gamora describe it, Lin Ye still felt a flicker of awe when he saw it himself.
It was not a planet, but the enormous, hollowed-out head of an Ancient Celestial! It rivaled a small planet in size! The severed neck was jagged, with massive fossilized bones and blood vessels exposed to the vacuum, a sight of chilling desolation and deathly stillness. Inside the skull, however, an immense, raucous spaceport and black-market city had taken shape!
Countless ships of every shape and size swarmed like locusts through the skull's eye sockets, nostrils, and ear canals, using them as natural harbors, their navigation lights flashing in chaotic patterns. Within the city, bizarre buildings clung to the inner walls of the skull, stacked in brightly lit layers, awash with cheap holographic advertisements, blaring music, and incomprehensible street cries. External sensors detected a pungent mix of engine exhaust, rotting food, low-grade fuel, and the body odors of countless alien species hanging in the air.
There was no law here, no order, only rules hidden in the shadows and naked self-interest. It was a haven for fugitives, a hotbed of information, and a place where figures like the Collector, Taneleer Tivan, often visited or planted informants.
"Welcome to the universe's spittoon!" Star-Lord deftly steered the ship around a battered freighter barreling through traffic, a strange hint of pride in his voice. "Here, if you can afford it, you can buy anything and sell anything-including your own life."
"Picking up numerous high-energy readings and weapons signatures... extremely chaotic environment... recommend maximum alert." Rocket stared at the scanner, his paws resting tensely on the weapons controls.