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Arthur's lips curled into a faint smile, but he didn't say a word. Instead, he grabbed Spider-Man and led him straight out the door.
Gamora frowned and followed without hesitation.
Star-Lord blinked, clearly caught off guard, then hurried after them. "Hey, Arthur, where exactly are you headed to chill out? I mean, Ronan's ship isn't a bad spot, plenty of room, decent view, and hey, a crash course in Kree culture…"
Arthur said nothing, just kept walking, leading Spider-Man through the corridors like he knew the place inside out. Spider-Man, meanwhile, trailed along with a puzzled look on his face, still trying to figure out what Arthur was up to.
Gamora stayed close behind, silent but alert.
Star-Lord, as usual, wouldn't stop talking.
Spider-Man glanced back a few times, tempted to say something to him, but one look at Arthur's expression made him think better of it. He zipped his lips and kept moving.
Soon enough, Arthur came to a stop and turned toward Star-Lord. "If I were you, I'd check in on your crew."
That smaller ship should've arrived by now, and having two randoms stroll onto the Ravager's ship? Not the kind of surprise that usually ends well.
Star-Lord gave Arthur a long look, then sighed. "Fine, fine, don't go anywhere!"
He turned to Gamora, who hesitated before speaking. "There are things I want answers to."
"Fair enough."
Star-Lord threw his hands up as he walked away. "Everyone's got their secrets, huh…"
Arthur watched him go, then turned back with a slight smirk. "He's a little touchy. And clearly into you."
"That doesn't matter." Gamora locked eyes with him. "What I want to know is, how do you know that name? He said you were just some Earthling who got lost in space. So why… do you know about him?"
Arthur shrugged. "Some things were never meant to be secrets. And a guy like Ronan? No matter how deep he hides, someone's going to notice. But Ronan's not the real threat. It's the one pulling his strings… Thanos."
Spider-Man opened his mouth but didn't speak, unsure whether to join in.
Neither Arthur nor Gamora acknowledged him.
Resigned, he closed his mouth again.
"What else do you know?" Gamora asked, eyes narrowing.
Arthur shrugged again. "I know some of his twisted philosophies. Like how wiping out half a planet's population somehow equals balance. It's not balance, it's just mass murder, dressed up as logic."
"That's not something just anyone would know!"
"Which is why I'm probably not just anyone."
Arthur's smirk returned, and he gave a casual wave. "Honestly, saying it out loud kinda ruins the mystery. But you're his daughter. If anyone knows how terrifying he really is, it's you. So tell me… how bad is it?"
Gamora didn't answer right away. She just stared at Arthur in silence.
Arthur held her gaze without flinching. Off to the side, Spider-Man muttered under his breath, "That look… definitely means one of two things: Either a fight is about to break out… or someone's getting kissed."
"…Shut up," Arthur grumbled, shoving Spider-Man's face away. Dating an alien with green skin wasn't exactly on his to-do list, he didn't have Star-Lord's adventurous palate.
"Enough," Gamora said, pulling her gaze back. "Whatever your reason, whatever your plan, I don't believe knowing about him is going to help you."
"Ignorance is what gets people killed," Arthur replied. "No matter how powerful an enemy is, they've always got a weakness. What's truly dangerous… is not knowing what that weakness is."
Gamora paused before speaking. "In terms of raw combat strength, he's not the most powerful. But he commands the deadliest lieutenants and the most fearsome army in the galaxy. Ships like this Ravager vessel? He could wipe out fleets of them without blinking."
"Weaknesses?" Arthur asked.
"You first," Gamora replied, eyeing him. "Why do you want to know all this?"
Arthur thought for a moment, then sighed. "Because sooner or later… he's coming to Earth."
That one sentence was enough. No further explanation is needed.
Gamora's expression shifted slightly. "Is that something everyone on Earth knows?"
"Of course not," Arthur said with a dry smile. "Earth's tech is still decades behind galactic standards. If you told people right now that a purple warlord from space was on his way to crush them, half wouldn't believe it, and the rest would probably panic."
Gamora gave a rare smile. "There is no weaknesses. He's not the strongest… but he's without flaw."
Arthur frowned, thinking that over. He gave a slow nod, then turned to leave, but paused mid-step.
"Oh, by the way, you interested in joining our… uh, Superhero Alliance?"
Spider-Man, who'd been quiet for a while, practically lit up. "Wait, are you officially recognizing that name? That's huge!"
Arthur winced. "Yeah… maybe I shouldn't have."
Gamora raised a brow. "What exactly does this 'Alliance' do?"
Arthur shrugged. "Mostly… stop the world from ending. Try to keep the cosmic scale tipped toward not-doom. Why does that sound like a line from the villain's playbook?"
He muttered the last part to himself, suddenly realizing how familiar it sounded.
"I think Quill would be very into this," Gamora said.
"He's already on my unofficial recruitment list," Arthur replied. "In fact, I'm betting your whole crew ends up joining. With Quill leading, it's only a matter of time."
"What do we get out of it?"
"Well… for starters, you'll be backed by forces beyond anything you've seen."
Gamora blinked, momentarily taken aback. But Arthur was already walking away, tugging Spider-Man along.
He left one final line behind him: "If you decide to join, you know where to find me. I just hope Yondu hasn't turned my cabin into a broom closet."
...
As it turned out, you didn't need to expand a room to make space for storage.
Arthur's old quarters were still intact, and even the door code hadn't been changed.
He brought Spider-Man inside. The moment they entered, Spidey pulled off his mask and began looking around, clearly fascinated, poking at things like a curious kid.
"So, you've decided to bring them in?" He asked.
"We're Earthbound. They're out there among the stars. News always reaches them faster than it does us." Arthur leaned against a wall as he spoke. "And space is still unfamiliar territory for us. If we can build a connection with them, maybe some of us can learn what it's like to fight on that front. Eventually, we'll have to adapt."
Spider-Man nodded. "Yeah. You're right. And honestly, you're probably the only one who can pull this off."
Arthur gave a faint smile. "If they show up, tell them to wait for me. I want to try something first. If it works… I'll be heading somewhere."
"Where?"
Arthur looked him dead in the eye as he spoke.
"Hell."
(End of Chapter)