The temporary lodgings provided by Stasis Crystal stood on the city's outskirts, a tranquil courtyard built from milky-white crystal. Soft light streamed down from the dome, and peaceful energy flowed through the air, easing the mind almost involuntarily. But to the Guardians of the Galaxy, who had only just escaped mortal danger, this excessive tranquility felt eerily unreal.
"The ship's preliminary diagnostics are in," Rocket Raccoon said, breaking the courtyard's silence. An assortment of strange, faintly glowing tools and diagnostic crystals supplied by Stasis Crystal's technicians lay spread out before him. "The engine core's completely melted down. No saving it. The shield generator needs a full replacement, and the hull has stress fractures all over... damn it, this junker's basically scrap."
Star-Lord slumped on a crystal bench, rubbing his forehead. "What did Stasis Crystal say? Can they fix it?"
"They offered several options," Gamora answered. She had just returned from speaking with a crystal technician. "The most straightforward is their 'Stasis Reshaping' technology. They put the entire ship inside a special energy field and reverse the local increase in entropy. In theory, that could restore it to its condition before the damage."
"Reverse entropy?!" Dr. Banner's voice came through the communicator, filled with shock. "That... that practically touches the universe's most fundamental physical laws! Stasis Crystal's technology... or rather, their application of the laws of 'order,' has reached an unbelievable level!"
"What's the price?" Lin Ye asked calmly, remaining wary. There was no such thing as a free lunch, especially within an unfamiliar, powerful faction like this.
"Time," Gamora said. "According to the technician, even with their technology, 'Entropy Inversion Repair' on this scale would take at least ten standard stasis cycles-roughly seven days on Earth. And throughout that period, the ship would be completely sealed inside the energy field.