Although the laws of Xandar are nearly perfect, light can never completely dispel the darkness.
As a broker, he can do business on Xandar with ease. On the surface, he appears to run a collection shop for Commons, but his secret client base stretches across the entire Andromeda galaxy — even reaching into the Kree Empire.
Although the Kree and the Nova Corps had only recently ended their prolonged conflict, business dealings between brokers had endured for decades. When the profits are high enough, laws are often bent — no matter the planet.
Kain doesn't remember much about the Marvel universe, and most of what he knows about the cosmos comes from Loki.
After scouring the collection halls of Xandar, Kain finally arrived at an unremarkable-looking place.
The owner of this shop was a well-known underground broker on Xandar. Not only did he cater to a high-end clientele, but he also had ties to numerous space mercenaries and predators — both legitimate and otherwise.
At this level, high-end clients rarely appeared in person. They preferred to stay anonymous and used brokers to avoid exposure. Space predators were notorious — it wasn't hard to find one, but it was better to stay hidden when dealing with them.
"Customer, is there anything you're looking for?"
As Kain and Betty entered the shop, the owner greeted them politely. On the surface, he was simply a collector of Common artifacts — though that clearly wasn't his main source of income.
Kain and Betty glanced around the shop before Kain turned to the owner and said, "I'd like to hire the Ravagers to locate a Cosmic Orb. I hope you can put me in touch with them."
Where did this newbie come from?
The broker's first thought was one of suspicion. No serious client ever walked in asking questions like that — and especially not while the front door was wide open. Was he really being this blatant?
Without a word, the broker quickly closed the door, then turned to Kain and said firmly, "Sir, I don't engage in anything that violates Nova Corps law. All my business is above board."
"This is 50,000. I just need you to connect me with a space ravagers. I believe there's a Ravager leader named Yondu? If possible, contact him. That's all. Call someone over, and the fifty grand is yours."
Hearing this, the broker was tempted. A quick and easy 50,000 — just for making a call? He hadn't seen a deal this good in ages.
But he remained cautious. This was his first encounter with Kain, and he didn't know what to make of him.
"This is the 50,000. So, when can I meet the mercenaries?"
Sensing the broker's hesitation, Kain chuckled and took out a chip — a standard universal credit chip loaded with 50,000 units. He had received it from Loki.
Kain had supplied Loki with plenty of materials, so it made sense he'd be given some funds in return. While Asgard rarely interacted with other powers in the galaxy, they still used this form of currency. As acting king, Loki had full authority to use royal resources for himself — and by extension, for Kain.
Kain had taken a total of 500,000 units from Loki — more than enough for his needs.
"Serving my customers is the core of my business philosophy," the broker said with a wide smile, nimbly taking the chip and hurrying to the back to verify the payment and make the necessary calls.
Not long after, he returned — this time looking more relaxed and smiling naturally.
"Sir, I've made contact. Yondu will be waiting for you tomorrow at coordinates XN32-MU78. But, if I may ask — are you sure you don't want me to relay your request to him? It would be safer that way."
Even though he said that, the broker boss clearly hoped Kain would find Yondu and the others on his own — earning 50,000 units just by opening his mouth.
"No need, boss. I'll go myself. What's that thing over there? Can you tell me about it?"
After finishing the discussion about the cosmic mercenaries, Kain pointed to a necklace inside the collection cabinet. It had a unique and beautiful design, and Betty had noticed it the moment they entered the room.
"Oh, that," the broker said. "That's the Phantom Necklace — an heirloom of the Phantom Race. After their race was wiped out, the necklace disappeared. I happened to acquire it decades ago."
The broker paused, then continued, "It doesn't have many practical uses. Its design is special, though. When worn, it can create several phantom images of the wearer — useful for confusing enemies. But any advanced abilities it may have would likely only be usable by members of the Phantom Race."
"Is it for sale?"
The broker smiled at once. "Fifty thousand."
"Let's trade."
Without hesitation, Kain pulled out an account chip. The broker's eyes lit up as he accepted it. Pressing a small control button on his wrist, he triggered the cabinet to open automatically.
"The Phantom Necklace is now yours, sir and ma'am."
Though the necklace's functionality was basic — and far less practical than the alchemical items Kain could craft himself — he bought it because Betty liked it.
After acquiring the necklace, the two spent some time wandering around Xandar. Its architecture was entirely different from Asgard's, which bore traces of medieval Earth design. Betty found herself preferring the clean, advanced technology of Dalstar.
However, Earth would still need at least 30 years to reach the level of Asgard's technological development. That said, Kain had his own plans — turning New York, home of the Pent Group headquarters, into a technological city. After all, the Hive was already hidden underground in New York. Designing and building above it seemed like the next logical step.
The next day, Kain and Betty headed straight for the coordinates provided by the broker.
The location was one light-year away from Xandar, still within Nova Corps territory, but not near any inhabited planets. Instead, it was a region of shattered asteroids.
Betty stood beside Kain in a close-fitting protective suit. She worried she might become a burden, but this wasn't a battle — it was just a mission.
Before long, a large spaceship arrived through a space jump.
From aboard the ship, Yondu immediately noticed the figures standing on the asteroid.
"Boss, that guy didn't bring any gear!?" one of the mercenaries exclaimed in surprise, pointing at Kain.
Only certain special races and deities could survive directly in the vacuum of space. Most lifeforms couldn't endure such an environment — especially not here, where a planetary collision had devastated the region thousands of years ago.
Simply standing there unprotected was a powerful statement.
"Where the hell is this guy from? Who can just stand there like that?"
"He's our employer. What are you afraid of?"
With that, Yondu called a few crew members to join him as he left the ship and made his way to the asteroid where Kain was waiting.
Once Yondu arrived, Kain didn't waste any time — he went straight to the point: he wanted to commission them to locate a Cosmic Orb.
The Cosmic Orb is a container designed to hold small items. It's constructed from an extremely durable metal, making it very difficult to destroy. Additionally, the orb has a self-destruct mechanism—if someone tries to open it incorrectly, its contents will be destroyed.
While these orbs are rare in the universe, a few still surface from time to time.
Kain couldn't remember exactly which planet Star-Lord had found the Cosmic Orb containing the Power Stone. All he recalled was that it had been on an abandoned planet once inhabited by a civilized race. The people who had lived there resembled Earthlings, which was a small but useful clue for Yondu.
However, the universe is vast, and many planets matched Kain's vague description. Yondu was clearly troubled—just based on this limited information, there was no telling how long the search might take.
But then Kain offered a staggering 400,000-unit reward.
400,000—an enormous sum. Deals like this didn't come around often, especially ones with such low risk. All they had to do was search for the Cosmic Orb on an abandoned, once-inhabited planet. Sure, such a planet might be hard to locate, but with that kind of pay, it was more than worth the effort.
Word of the reward quickly spread, and with such a high bounty, it was bound to attract thousands of cosmic mercenary teams.
"The contact info has already been given. If you complete this commission, Mr. Yondu, I'll have more work for you in the future."
With that, Kain and Betty departed.
He had entrusted the task to Yondu on a whim. The Ravagers were capable, and Star-Lord was the one who originally found the Power Stone—maybe they'd have similar luck this time.
The Power Stone served as a buff amplifier for the other Infinity Stones. With the Power, Space, and Mind Stones, Kain would be virtually untouchable. Even if someone else acquired the other three stones, they'd still be no threat to him.
After leaving the trade asteroid, Kain and Betty continued exploring the Andromeda Galaxy.
Kain visited Knowhere, though he didn't have much money on hand and didn't encounter the Collector. He only managed to buy some Celestial Potion—a rare substance extracted from the tissue of ancient Celestials and popular on the black market. It was known to enhance strength across multiple species.
Kain intended to experiment with it. If it helped super soldiers evolve further, then Umbrella's power would grow significantly.
They also visited Sakaar, where cosmic races fought in brutal arenas. The battles were bloody and savage, yet wildly popular. People even bought war slaves, making them fight for entertainment. If a slave won a hundred matches, their owner could earn a fortune—multiplying their investment a hundredfold.
Betty found the blood-soaked atmosphere unsettling. Meanwhile, Kain noticed a new change in his trading system—a new world had appeared.
What surprised him was how quickly this new world appeared, only a few months after the "Devourer" mission had ended. Something felt off. Whether it was a system glitch or something more mysterious, he decided it was time to return to Earth.
"Come out!"
At the designated meeting place, Thor called out loudly. Not long after, Nick Fury emerged from a bar—the same one where he had first spoken with Carol Danvers. The bar hadn't changed much since Fury had bought it. It still retained its 1970s–80s aesthetic.
Joining Fury were Stephen Strange, Clint Barton, T'Challa, and Bruce Banner. After the Eternals were captured, they had immediately left the Amazon border and gathered here.
"Hi, I'm Nick Fury—"
Before he could finish, Thor cut him off.
"To be honest, I was warned before I came here. So I'm not particularly interested in getting to know you. The only reason I'm here is because of the Cube.
So, what do you want to tell me? If it's nothing important, I'm leaving."
Thor's blunt words left most of Nick Fury's prepared speech dead in the water. He had expected aliens to be hard to deal with, but he didn't expect Thor to cut him off so sharply from the start.
"Well, I've more or less figured out your origin," Fury said, trying to recover. "I didn't believe it at first—Thor's Hammer from legend actually showing up on Earth? Seemed far-fetched."
Then he cut to the point.
"The Cube isn't in our possession anymore. It was taken by the Pent Group. If you know what the Cube is, then you should understand how dangerous it can be. I was hoping you'd help us."
Thor's expression darkened.
"The Cube is originally an artifact of Asgard. My father left it on Earth for safekeeping. So trust me—I know its power better than you ever could. And no—Asgard will not get involved in Earth's conflicts."
Nick Fury quickly countered. "The Pent Group isn't just a threat to Earth. Their leader is ambitious and dangerous.
This man here, T'Challa, used to be the prince of Wakanda. But Wakanda has been destroyed."
He paused, then added, "According to our investigations, it was wiped out because it held technology far beyond anything the rest of Earth had. And now the Pent Group holds the Cube—an object of infinite energy. It's only a matter of time before they turn their attention to the rest of the universe.
Tell me, have they already made their move? Do you know something?"
As he said this, Fury noticed a flicker in Thor's expression—something was off. His line of questioning had started as speculation, but that look confirmed it: the Pent Group had already reached into space.
"So, are you saying this has nothing to do with you?" Fury asked. "Was that all you came to say?"
"I want peace," he added. "And I believe you do too. We're the same in that regard. If you ever want to talk, you know where to find me. I'll be on Earth for a while."
Thor didn't bother responding.
"Pointless," he muttered and turned to leave the bar.
He hadn't intended to think too much about it—but Fury's words had struck a chord. According to Sif and the others, Loki's strange behavior was somehow connected to Kain Pent. Thor still didn't know what was going on in Asgard—he'd been watching from afar. But now, he felt an urgent need to return.
More importantly, he had just learned that Kain Pent now possessed the Cube—an artifact once considered one of the Apex Treasures in Odin's vault. If someone with ambition got their hands on it, the consequences could be catastrophic.
He remembered well how the Frost Giants, when in possession of the Casket of Ancient Winters, tried to freeze the entire Nine Realms.
The Cube was even more powerful than that.
Thor left the bar without another word and immediately set off—he needed to speak to Sif and find out the true situation in Asgard.
….
patreon.com/Vks_sh