A Fortune Spent on Chaos Direction's Cosmic Branch!

Bang!

Harley's strike, brutal and spectacular, sent the expensive holographic communications panel up in a shower of sparks. It was beyond repair.

The entire public channel fell silent.

Aboard Kraglin's Ravager fleet, everyone stared in disbelief. They were pirates, outlaws, but even they knew when to back down. Picking a fight with the Collector's enforcers on Knowhere wasn't bravery. It was suicide.

The optical sensors on the lead golden enforcement robot flashed from blue to glaring scarlet. Dozens of concealed weapon ports opened across its body, revealing dark gun barrels that glowed with dangerous energy.

A battle was seconds away.

"Harley, darling, don't break the new toy so quickly."

Link's calm voice, tinged with affection, carried across the bridge. He rose from the Throne and stopped Harley before she could charge in and do more damage.

"No need to handle the trash collectors yourself."

He ignored the robots poised to attack outside and turned to the internal comms. "Kraglin."

"Yes! Here, Your Majesty!" Kraglin jolted and answered at once.

"What's the most valuable, widely accepted thing in this sector that's also hard to trace?"

"Uh..." Kraglin paused, then answered quickly. "High-purity Aetherium ingots! Aetherium is one of the most stable energy conductors in the universe. Many advanced civilizations use it as a strategic reserve currency!"

"Good."

Link nodded in satisfaction.

He raised a hand and made a casual swipe through the air.

A miniature Boom Tube, only as tall as a person and radiating strange energy, appeared out of nowhere on the bridge floor.

As Kraglin and the others watched in horror, Link reached into the passage as casually as if he were taking something from his own storeroom. A moment later, he pulled out an unremarkable silver metal briefcase.

He walked to the viewport and opened it with a