Marvel: The Villain

"The credit goes to the boss, the blame falls on the subordinates." This is a universal truth that holds up even in the farthest reaches of the galaxy.

After the mission to retrieve the Orb failed, Korath the Pursuer returned to the mothership to report and enjoy a comfortable life. Meanwhile, five of his subordinates—the designated scapegoats—were left behind on the planet Morag to keep an eye on the Vault and see if anyone else came looking for the Orb.

During this time, the underlings kept reporting back, stating they had been monitoring for two days and that no one besides Star-Lord and the Wanderer had appeared. The mission was technically over, and there was no point in staying; the place was freezing and crawling with danger. They repeatedly applied to return to the mothership.

But no matter how many times they asked, Korath’s answer remained the same: "Continue surveillance. You can come back once Ronan has the Orb."

One rank higher is enough to crush a man. These poor soldiers didn’t dare defy orders; they could only endure the cold and hunger, hiding in the remote reaches to monitor the Vault from a distance.

"Who the hell would come to this god-forsaken shithole?" One soldier grumbled, shivering as he lay flat against a jagged rock.

"Tell me about it. But we just had to get stuck under Korath. That guy is petty as hell and has a hair-trigger temper. Make one tiny mistake and he’ll beat you to pulp. Guess we’re just born under a bad sign," Another scout whispered.

"I just hope Korath keeps his word and lets us go once the Orb is found, otherwise..." An angry soldier muttered, face twisted with rage.

"Shh, keep your mouth shut and just endure it."

As they were venting their frustrations to kill time, the scout left on the ship to monitor outer space contacted them: "Heads up! A mid-sized starship is heading straight for your position."

"Strange. Someone actually showed up."

"Maybe a lost vessel in distress?"

"How lost would a captain have to be to fly all the way out here?"

"Everyone shut the fuck up! You want to die? A ship that size definitely has scanners. If we’re spotted, we’re finished. Cut communications and stay hidden!"

The group fell silent instantly, watching the ship as it grew larger in the sky.

The ship’s probes analyzed the surrounding air. Minutes later, the verdict came in: mildly toxic, respirators recommended. After the analysis, the hatch hissed open, and a line of fully armed soldiers marched out in perfect formation.

They carried scanning equipment to map the terrain. Once they confirmed there were no immediate threats, they signaled for the rest of the unit to follow.

Jason, wearing a nano-respirator and flanked by his honor guard, stepped off the ship and onto the soil of Morag.

"Haaa..."

He took a deep breath of the freezing air, and his groggy head instantly cleared. Unfortunately, Morag didn’t offer the spectacular views he usually preferred, but the importance of an Infinity Stone outweighed everything else.

After a few minutes of walking, Valkyrie—having finished the preliminary sweep—approached him with long strides.

She was clad in a shimmering silver armored skirt that showed off her long, powerful legs. The Dragonfang sword hung at her waist, and her jet-black hair billowed in the wind. She looked every bit the heroic general—valiant, formidable, and majestic.

Uniform play? Jason smiled, a wicked idea crossing his mind.

"Found it. The Vault is just ahead! The vanguard is already clearing a path," Valkyrie said, pointing toward a nearby peak.

"We’re here to grab the Orb, not conquer territory. We don’t need these useless grunts. Get me a few experts who know the trade, and I’ll just fly them over!"

"Fine," Valkyrie turned to leave.

Soon, six former treasure hunters stepped forward. Jason raised his hands slightly, and a sphere of shimmering blue energy enveloped them. The surrounding soldiers looked on in awe, their admiration for their new master’s mysterious power deepening.

"Stay here. I’ll be back shortly."

With a wave of his hand, the seven of them streaked toward the Vault.

The Kree soldiers watching from afar gasped. "My god, who are these people? They can fly!"

"I don’t know. There’s no data on them in the system."

"Quick, report to Korath!"

"Wait, are you crazy? Contacting him now will get us picked up by their ship’s scanners."

"Then what do we do?"

"We wait. Contact him after they leave."

Valkyrie sent over a 3D map of the Vault. Jason followed the imagery and arrived at the entrance of the stone chamber.

"Huh?"

The moment he landed, Jason’s brow furrowed deep. The chamber door was open, and he could see a gaping hole inside.

Dammit! Did I get here too late?

Jason’s hope shattered, and he instantly rushed into the room. The laser containment field on the stone pedestal was still glowing with a faint blue light, but the item inside was gone.

"Master! This..."

The treasure hunters ran in, stunned by what they saw.

Jason’s face was a mask of fury. He let out a cold snort. "It looks like someone beat us to the punch!"

The hunters immediately rushed to the blasted hole in the wall, crouching down with their scanners.

After thirty seconds, one of them stood up. "Master, these holes were made by high-energy laser pistols. The marks are fresh. I’d estimate this happened three to five days ago."

When it came to professional expertise, these hunters were truly impressive. Star-Lord had indeed stolen the Orb three days prior.

"Three to five days... if their ship has a hyperdrive, they could be across the galaxy by now. How the hell am I supposed to find them?"

The prize was gone. Jason’s rage flared, and the terrifying energy within him began to surge with his emotions.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The overflowing energy shook the entire holy mountain. Dust rained down from the ceiling of the stone chamber. The hunters scrambled to hold onto the walls to keep from falling.

Beep, beep, beep... His comms went off. It was Valkyrie.

"Jason! What’s happening there? I can see the mountain collapsing from here!"

Jason took a deep breath to settle his mind. "We’re too late. The Orb is gone."

Valkyrie didn’t sound surprised. She comforted him, "We left as soon as we got the intel. We didn’t waste a second, but Sakaar is just too far from here. If the Orb was taken, it’s just bad luck."

Jason replied coldly, "I don’t want excuses. I want a solution!"

Sensing his foul mood, Valkyrie quickly asked, "Did the hunters find anything at the scene?"

Jason glanced at the trembling hunters. "They say there was a fight here three to five days ago. That’s likely when it was stolen."

Valkyrie analyzed, "Three to five days... that’s a massive search radius. If there was a fight, it means at least two factions were after the Orb..."

Jason cut her off impatiently, "For now, order the entire fleet to deploy. Use the mountain as the center and search outward. I want anything of value."

"Understood!"

Cutting the comms, Jason turned to the hunters. "Search every inch of this room. Don’t miss a single detail!"

With the order given, the 1,500-man fleet mobilized. Ships and ground units began a meticulous sweep. This activity terrified the five Kree soldiers hiding on the distant peak.

"Shit, they’re searching the mountain!"

"We’re going to be exposed any second!"

"No choice. We have to run!"

The five scrambled into their ship and slammed the thrusters to max. The ship roared, flames erupting from the engines as it shot into the sky. Their only hope was to reach a jump point before they were intercepted and call for backup.

Jason was sitting atop the ship. The distant roar of engines caught his attention.

"Hahaha, looks like I got a surprise after all." Jason stood up, watching the escaping ship with predatory delight.

"Jason! That ship!" Valkyrie’s voice rang in his ear.

"I see it. They aren’t going anywhere!"

With a thought, a wave of energy erupted from Jason’s body.

BOOM!

He went full throttle, turning into a human comet as he streaked across the sky. In the blink of an eye, a flash of light appeared directly in front of the Kree vessel. Jason was standing in their path.

"What?!"

"He... he..."

The five soldiers saw a human face appear on their monitor and nearly jumped out of their skins.

"Fire! Kill him!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The ship’s cannons spat out bolts of dark green laser fire. Jason hovered in mid-air, not moving an inch, letting the lasers slam into his chest.

"He didn’t even dodge! What an ido—"

The soldier stopped mid-sentence. The laser cannons, capable of punching through 50cm of steel, hit the man directly. He didn’t have a scratch. Not even his clothes were singed.

My God... who is this guy? Even Ronan doesn’t have defensive power like this!

"You cockroaches. Stealing my things and then trying to run?"

A flicker of rage crossed Jason’s face. He slowly reached out with his palm. A massive hand of energy manifested in the air. The Kree ship slammed into it like it had hit a giant ball of cotton. The outer armor wasn’t damaged, but its speed dropped instantly. Even with the thrusters at max, they couldn’t budge.

Jason slowly clenched his fist. The energy hand mimicked the motion, wrapping the ship in an unbreakable grip. Just like that, he dragged the starship behind him and flew back toward his ship.

The search continued, but Valkyrie had already stopped, waiting near the mothership. She had seen Jason’s power before and was confident he would bring that ship back.

When Jason descended, dragging the Kree vessel, Valkyrie flashed an I knew it smile.

Dropping the ship to the ground, Jason pinned it with one hand to keep it from moving and gave Valkyrie a look. After three years together—sharing a bed and a life—they had developed a deep silent understanding. Jason didn’t need to speak; a look or a gesture was enough for Valkyrie to know exactly what he wanted.

Slash! Slash!

Valkyrie drew Dragonfang, carving a hole in the ship in two quick strokes. She stormed inside and began tossing the five soldiers out one by one like they were wet rags.

Jason let go of the ship and stepped forward, a light flashing in his eyes. The five soldiers scrambled up, looking at Jason in horror. But the moment they met his gaze, all five fell under the control of the Mind Stone’s power.

"Tell me. Who are you? And who took the Orb?"

"We are subordinates of Ronan the Accuser, General of the Kree Empire. We were sent to Morag three days ago to retrieve the Orb, but the mission failed. It was stolen by a Ravager calling himself Star-Lord."

Jason looked at Valkyrie, who shook her head. She hadn’t heard of either name. She had been rotting on Sakaar for over a thousand years; she was completely out of touch with the modern galaxy.

"Why does Ronan want the Orb? And if it’s gone, why are you still here?"

"Ronan made a deal with Thanos. If he brings the Orb to Thanos, Thanos will help him destroy Xandar. We stayed behind to see if anyone else was looking for it."

"Thanos!" Jason frowned. This was the second time he had heard that name.

When Loki invaded Earth, he mentioned that the mastermind behind him was Thanos. The goal then was to take the Space and Time Stones, and Loki’s scepter had been a gift from him. Now this guy was after the Orb too. It seemed he was collecting Infinity Stones. But what was his endgame?

Valkyrie spoke up, "Thanos... I’ve heard that name. A warrior from Titan. He’s incredibly powerful. He leads tens of thousands of elites across the universe, wiping out planets and civilizations."

"If even you’ve heard of him, he must be a real piece of work." Jason snorted, becoming even more interested in Thanos. He continued the interrogation, "What else? Spit it all out."

"Star-Lord was hired by a broker in the capital of Xandar. Ronan has already sent Thanos’s daughter, Gamora, to intercept him."

Hearing this, Jason immediately said, "Recall everyone. We’re going to Xandar. This time, we won’t—"

"Wait!" Valkyrie interrupted. "Our ship is massive. In terms of pure speed, it can’t match a small scout ship. Leave the Xandar mission to me."

"You?" Jason looked her up and down, skeptical.

Valkyrie explained, "Xandar is the capital of the Nova Empire. If you show up with a fleet like this, you’ll trigger a war. But if I go alone, disguised as a traveler, I can move freely."

"The target is just a petty thief; I can take on ten like him with one hand tied behind my back. There’s a resort planet nearby. Take the fleet there and wait for me."

Valkyrie looked at him with absolute confidence.

Jason hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Fine. I’ll be waiting for your return."

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