Morag—a desolate world. Once, it had been home to a thriving civilization, but its fate was sealed the day an avenger wielding the Power Stone arrived.
The moment the Power Stone touched the planet's surface, a surge of violet energy swept across the entire world in an instant, annihilating everything. The wielder, unable to withstand the sheer force, perished as well.
Only a handful of powerful individuals managed to survive, barely clinging to life. They created a containment orb—an artifact now known as the Orb—to seal the Power Stone within. In time, they, too, succumbed to death.
The Power Stone's whereabouts became a mystery, lost to history—until recently, when Ronan the Accuser and the Collector uncovered its secret.
Aboard a small sightseeing vessel provided by the Grandmaster, Garus, Abomination, and Kallruth made their way toward Morag. Despite being a mere sightseeing craft, its shielding and propulsion system far surpassed that of Garus' own warship.
Morag lay a considerable distance from Sakaar, but thanks to the abundance of wormholes nearby, the journey wouldn't take long.
It wasn't like Earth—a remote planet with barely any interstellar access. Aside from the hazardous wormhole near Asgard, most ships couldn't traverse its sector of space at all.
After passing through more than a dozen wormholes, the trio arrived at a world of death. Morag's sky was eternally shrouded in thick storm clouds, its atmosphere choked with dense mists and flickering with violent lightning. Geysers erupted from the surface, launching scalding vapor thousands of meters into the air. It was a place where few dared to tread.
While piloting the ship, Kallruth suddenly spoke up. "Mr. Garus, there's a vessel not far below us. Should we move in for a closer look?"
A ship? It couldn't be Star-Lord's, could it? Based on the timeline, he shouldn't have arrived here yet… Garus' memories of these events had grown hazy over time. He couldn't be certain.
"Let's check it out. See who it is."
"Korath, sir! A ship has appeared above us!"
Korath the Pursuer, a cybernetically enhanced Kree, was one of Ronan's top lieutenants. He and his men had come here for the same reason—to claim the Orb.
Looking up, he saw a saucer-shaped craft descending toward them.
"Shoot it down. The Orb is not for the taking of just anyone."
Korath was already seething with rage. Earlier, he had encountered Star-Lord and been outmaneuvered, forced to watch as the rogue escaped with the artifact.
"We must eliminate anyone who knows about this."
At his command, Korath's subordinates raised their weapons—the same ones they had fired at Star-Lord moments ago—and unleashed a barrage of energy beams at the approaching vessel.
Inside the ship, Garus and his companions saw streaks of white-hot energy hurtling toward them. The outer hull shimmered as a translucent energy shield absorbed the impact without sustaining a scratch.
"They're attacking us," Kallruth muttered, irritation creeping into his voice.
Despite the assault, their ship descended and landed nearby. Seeing this, Korath signaled his men to halt fire. He wanted to see who had come.
Inside the vessel, Garus gave orders. "Blonsky, come with me. Kallruth, stay here."
The airlock hissed open. Garus and Blonsky stepped onto the desolate terrain, greeted by the sight of several armed Kree, their weapons trained on them.
"Kree?" Garus observed their blue-skinned faces. They resembled others he had encountered before. The cybernetic leader, in particular, looked familiar. "You're here waiting for Star-Lord—Peter Quill, aren't you?"
Korath's eyes narrowed. "Are you with him?"
"No. Why does it matter?"
"It doesn't."
Without hesitation, Korath fired his weapon. But just as the energy bolt lanced toward Garus, a shimmering shield flared to life around him, absorbing the shot.
So, these Kree had never faced him before. They hadn't been part of the war on Earth.
"Master, let me crush them," Blonsky growled. The bloodlust he had cultivated in Sakaar's gladiatorial arenas burned within him. As he roared, his body twisted and expanded, morphing into the monstrous red titan known as Abomination.
"Wait," Garus halted him. There was information he still needed.
Korath's men, momentarily startled by Blonsky's transformation, quickly aimed their weapons and fired again. Blinding flashes engulfed the battlefield.
"Ugh—!"
Moments later, the Kree warriors gasped in horror as their weapons clattered to the ground.
They were suspended in midair—choked by tendrils of necrotic energy coiling around their throats.
"Crack!"
All but Korath perished as their necks snapped in unison. The last survivor, helplessly ensnared, floated toward Garus and was dragged aboard the ship.
"Let's go."
Back inside, Garus carelessly tossed Korath to the floor.
"Where is Ronan?" he asked. The last time they clashed, Garus had destroyed Ronan's warship, the Dark Aster, but the Accuser himself had escaped. That loose end needed to be tied up.
Korath, panting heavily, refused to answer.
Garus let out a quiet sigh. Raising Frostmourne, he summoned a tormented soul and sent it plunging into Korath's mind.
The Kree convulsed violently, eyes widening in horror as he was plunged into a nightmarish vision. Whatever he saw within the illusion shattered his composure.
"N-no… Stay back… It was Ronan! It was his order!"
When Garus withdrew the wraith, Korath lay there drenched in cold sweat.
"Now, will you talk?"
Korath hesitated, then finally muttered, "Ronan… Ronan is near Xandar. He's planning to destroy it once he claims the Orb."
The torture had broken him—he revealed everything he knew.
Garus' expression darkened. "Did Star-Lord take the Orb?"
"Yes. He just left."
Garus sighed. He had arrived too late. A wasted trip.
"Kallruth," he called, "set course for Xandar."
"Understood, Mr. Garus."
As the ship's engines rumbled to life, Blonsky looked down at the barely-conscious Korath and asked, "Master, what should we do with this one?"
"Throw him out."
"With pleasure."
Grinning wickedly, Blonsky hoisted Korath onto his shoulder, carried him to the airlock, and unceremoniously tossed him into the boiling geysers below.
Korath's agonized screams faded into the howling storm.
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