Chapter 5: Let's just say that no one here likes us!

Virgil appeared outside the Kyln moments later. The place was filled with robots cleaning up the mess that the 5. Soon after he made his way out of the portal, 7 individuals surrounded him. Virgil ignored them as he surveyed the scene. He knew that they would not attack him without reason.

"Announce yourself! You are near a Nova Corps Prison and within restricted space. If your answer is unsatisfying, we will have to bring you in for further questioning," One of the Novas said. This one had the symbol of a 6 sided star on their head as well as three stars connected on their chest.

'A centurion. I guess if it was a Nova Corps Prison, they will need a big gun to make sure all the prisoners are brought in safely.'

Virgil then turned his attention to all the ones surrounding him. 3 corpsmen, 2 millenian, 1 denarian, and the centurion leading them.

The Nova Corps had a unique position in the galaxy. They were one of the unmistakable neutral factions on the side of good. They were universal police with strict codes and rules.

Depending on one's rank, that would determine how much of their shared power they could use. One of the 400 corpsmen was limited to .01 percent of the power, one of the 70 millenian were limited to .1 percent of the shared power, the 25 denarians each had 1 percent of the power, and the 5 centurions each had access to 7 percent of the remaining power.

The remaining 31 percent of the Nova Corps' power was given to their best, the leader of the Nova Corps, the Nova Prime.

But just because one was a corpsman, they were not to be underestimated by anyone. In Earth terms, a single corpsman could take on an entire nation's military forces by himself if not superheroes were involved.

Each rank after that was just that much stronger. A single Centurion could stop an entire planet from rioting. And one was standing before Virgil.

"I'm a hunter. I was specifically asked by the guild to look for the 5 who escaped," Virgil replied. He had created a bubble of air since communicating in the vacuum of space was troublesome.

The Centurion was surprised by his act of power but when he focused on the words that Virgil said, he then gained an enlightened expression. He then looked at the red pearl around Virgil's neck and knew who he was talking to.

"Oh. It is The Sage. If it is you who is hunting down those 5, I'm sure that this will be resolved much faster. But if you don't mind me asking, why are you here? I heard the hunters we were gathering were to appear on Xandar."

"I don't do well working with others. I will investigate on my own and send a message to the Nova Corps when I have located them. I have no plans to kill them and just want to turn the item they stole over to the Kree. The other hunters and your members can do whatever you want with them."

The Centurion was surprised by Virgil. Most called him 'The Sage' due to his calm demeanor and strength but they also knew he was not one averse to shedding blood for money. The number of people Virgil had slain in the past 3 months could already have him on a most-wanted list if most, if not all, the people he killed were criminals.

As for Virgil's tracking capabilities, he doubted that even less than Virgil's willingness to give away easy money. Several of the bounties were cold-cases that the Guild did not even hope of finding but Virgil had managed to track them each down and bring them in.

Virgil was then led into the prison by the Centurion and under the guard of the others. Once inside, Virgil immediately started looking around. He went through the cells where the 5 were kept and went to the armory to get the description of the item taken.

'This isn't making sense. These 5 have no relationship with each other besides getting arrested at the same time. They shouldn't want to break out together but instead, kill each other.

Two possibilities. Each of them has information about a certain topic or... they're going to sell the item! One of them bought off the others' help and is going to sell the item to make up for it. That is the only way any of these 5 can afford to pay for the others' assistance.

So it is no longer of where they are hiding but where they are going to sell it. Somewhere where the Kree, Nova Corps, and Ravagers have no influence over but also have enough wealth to purchase.

This leaves out any major power due to them not wanting to deal with the aftermath of this. Even fewer possibilities. But basing it on our current location and the nearest place they could have gone, they must have gone to...'

"Tell whoever you need to that I know where the targets are, Centurion! Or at least where they are going and where we can ambush them at."

'Already?' the Centurion thought to themself.

"It is fine. If you already know where they are, the 8 of us can travel together to apprehend them. I will ensure that you get the bounty on their heads placed by us as well as the item to do with as you please even if you just bring us to their location. You have my word on it," The Centurion said in all seriousness.

Virgil did not disagree or try to fight him on the matter. Even if the group could not handle it, Virgil was able to handle any unexpected consequences.

"Good," Virgil said before opening up a portal in front of them. "We are going to the Auction House.

Virgil went inside the portal while all the Nova Corps members were shocked. The Auction House belonged to The Collector, one of the elders of the universe.

Elders of the universe were incredibly powerful beings. They were some of the first beings to come into existence and also had access to one of the most powerful natural forces in the universe. Each one of them was so old that they all had specialized in hobbies to keep their boredom at bay.

The Challenger and Champion were two of the greatest warriors of all time, the Mastermind was a genius tactician and could control entire wars by himself, or the Caregiver who was said to be the best mother that ever existed.

And The Collector specialized in collecting. And he collected anything valuable or rare. From weapons, ships, armors, and treasure to even organic things powerful or almost extinct species. Whenever he got bored of items, he would auction them off for astronomical prices.

He was feared not due to his power. The Elder was weak compared to all the others. It was his connections that others feared. Not only to all those that he had sold items to or wanted to be in his good books but also to the other Elders.

Many owed the Collector a favor. If they wanted to capture the escaped prisoners on the Collector's territory, they needed to be careful.

"This is Centurion Zeonad. We are currently with the hunter with the alias of 'The Sage'. He has tracked the escaped convicts to the Auction House. The team I brought to suppress the riot and myself are going with him to assist. Any Novas in the area are requested to be on standby in case assistance is needed."

After sending out the message, Centurion led the other Novas through the portal where Virgil was waiting for them. They were surprised to discover that they were not alone.

7 Kree warships, 13 Ravager vessels, and dozens of other smaller vessels also seemed to be forming a blockade around a single ship.

--- 20 Minutes Earlier ---

"It doesn't matter. We can go out fight!"

"Why would you ever do something that dumb? And see how I deal with you later, Quill."

"We're all dead. It is official. Deal with him now because we are all going to die today."

"It was my bad, I admit that."

"I am Groot."

""""We know!!!""""

"That's not what he is saying!"

Gamora, Star-Lord, Drax, Rocket, and Groot were all arguing in the common cabin. The group had just had 3 Kree warships shoot at them and shut down their engines without much issue. The group was riding on a shipping vessel that was unarmed after all.

And the Kree had found them all so easily due to one of their group trying to get in communication with a buyer on an unsecured line.

Soon after the Kree shot them down, they tried to board the ship but after the first 15 members of the crew did not come back and they were afraid that the boarding ship would itself be boarded, they backed off and waited for reinforcements.

"Look. I know I screwed up, but I have a plan," Star-Lord said to the others.

"We might as well hear him cause I am all out of ideas," Rocket said to the others.

Seeing that they were dead, they decided they might as well let him speak one more time. But once he said his idea, they could not help but admit how brilliant it was and also how likely it was to kill them all even worse than before.

The plan was simply to announce who they were and their location to the creatures at the Auction House. With the price on their heads, many hunters were willing to hurry and fly over to try their hand at killing them. This not only alerted the nearby hunters but also all of the Ravager ships in the area as well.

"I am Groot?" Groot asked while pointing at a Ravager ship

"No, they want to capture us," Rocket replied

"I am Groot?" Groot asked while pointing at a hunter's ship

"No, they want to capture us too," Rocket replied

"I am Groot?" Groot asked while pointing at a Kree ship

"Nope. They want to kill us," Rocket replied

So by the time the Kree backup had arrived, the other hunters and the Ravagers were already present. Which led to the current situation. Virgil and the Novas had just exited the portal which was noticed by Groot.

"I am Groot?" Groot asked while pointing at a Ravager ship

"No! Let's just say that no one here likes us! Quill's plan did not work in the slightest!" Rocket said, fed up with the situation and the questions.