The Benatar slipped quietly into the safe house berth deep within the Shipwreck Graveyard. Heavy gates slowly lowered, shutting out prying eyes. Inside the ship, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief after their narrow escape, but the atmosphere remained grim.
"Fuck, that was way too much excitement!" Star-Lord slumped in the pilot's seat and wiped away his sweat. "Hive, the Observers, the Shi'ar Empire... we've pissed off just about every heavy hitter in the universe!"
"And the Nova Corps... they're on our side, right?" Rocket muttered as he checked the ship's damage report, which mainly listed energy overloads and shield depletion.
"For now." Gamora remained as calm as ever. "But the Nova Corps stands for order and rules. The way we operate... won't always sit well with them."
"They saved our lives," Drax said, cutting straight to the point.
"Exactly. We owe them one." Dr. Banner's projection nodded. "Besides, establishing contact with them works in our favor."
Lin Ye shared the key intelligence Ayla had given him about the Observers and the Chaos sample, leaving out some details of Ayla's own scheming.
"Cosmic Recorders? A shadow of the Source of Chaos?" Star-Lord gaped. "That's one hell of a pedigree!"
"So those shiny silver robots just want to 'record' us? Sounds a little better than Queen Bee wanting to slice us up for research?" Rocket scratched his head.
"Not much better," Gamora scoffed. "Once they decide we're a 'threat,' they won't hesitate to erase us. Portmaster Ayla wants to use us to keep them in check, but we're using her information and protection just as much."
"That Chaos sample... it sounds a lot like your power, Lin Ye," Dr. Banner observed keenly. "There must be some deeper connection between them."
Lin Ye nodded. "That's something I have to figure out.