One human, one tree, one raccoon, and a baby creeper sat together by the plaza fountain, forming the most bizarre group Xandar had probably ever seen.
"So, Rocket, what brings you to Xandar? Doesn't seem like your kind of place."
Rocket kept flipping the bone meal in his paws, studying it from every angle like it was some alien artifact. Which, from his perspective, it basically was.
"Looking for work," Rocket said without looking up. "Plenty of 'business opportunities' on a planet like this."
Mario nodded. Xandar might look clean and civilized on the surface, but every advanced society had its dark underbelly. Places where people needed problems solved quietly, without questions asked. That was Rocket's specialty.
The raccoon held up the bone meal between two claws, squinting at it suspiciously. "What the hell is this stuff anyway? Why's it so weird?"
"Bone meal. Literally ground-up bones. It's plant food."
To demonstrate, Mario produced another handful of the white powder and sprinkled it over the potted twig he'd planted beside the fountain. The bone meal transformed into green sparkles that sank into the soil. The twig shuddered, then visibly grew a few centimeters.
Rocket stared at the display, then back at the bone meal in his paws. "I'd sooner believe this is some alchemical reagent. Who the hell has bones that grind into perfect little cubes? Unless... Unless their bones actually are cube-shaped?"
You're closer to the truth than you realize, buddy.
Mario just smiled, choosing not to explain. When Rocket eventually met some of the workers from Sakaar, everything would make sense. Or he'd have a complete mental breakdown. Fifty-fifty odds, really.
"I am Groot!"
Groot suddenly spoke up, tugging on Rocket's arm. Both Rocket and Mario followed his pointing finger to an overpass about thirty meters away.
A man and a woman stood there, engaged in what looked like a tense conversation. After a moment, the woman turned sharply and walked away, leaving the man standing alone.
Mario got a clear look at the guy's face and felt excitement surge through him. Star-Lord. Is this really the opening of Guardians of the Galaxy?
He thought about the tracker he'd hidden inside the orb, and a smile spread across his face. The universe had just delivered his targets right to his doorstep.
This world really is interesting. Maybe I should take this opportunity to replace Thanos entirely.
After all, he already had one Thanos working for him. Building an entire army of Thanoses wasn't the worst idea. The mental image of dozens of titans wearing straw hats and wielding hoes, marching off to farm the fields of Endstar...
Rocket pulled out something that looked like a remote control, but when he touched the side, a holographic screen projected outward. "You know that guy?"
He pointed the scanner at Star-Lord. A green targeting reticle locked onto the man's head, and information flooded the display.
His eyes lit up like he'd just hit the jackpot. "Hey, Groot, this guy's got a forty-thousand credit bounty on his head. We're about to get rich!"
Mario couldn't help but laugh. "Forty thousand makes you rich? I think you're underestimating what 'rich' means."
The wealth gap in the universe was insane. Some beings owned entire planets, even multiple star systems. The truly poor couldn't afford basic food and shelter. Rocket belonged to that second category, scratching out survival at the bottom of the economic ladder.
It reminded him of his own early days after transmigrating, when he'd been desperate enough to collect vampire gold teeth. Now he didn't even bother with that shit. The vampire's entire body was worth more for experiments.
"Wait!" He grabbed Rocket, who'd already drawn his weapon and was ready to charge. In the raccoon's mind, Star-Lord had already transformed into a walking pile of credits.
"You know him?" Rocket asked, not actually angry. After all, the guy stopping him was about to offer a hundred-thousand credit job.
"Not really. Just know his name and some background info."
"Don't worry, that forty-thousand bounty isn't going anywhere. But you can't make a move here. This is Xandar, you start a fight in public, you're going straight to prison."
The mention of prison sobered Rocket up immediately. Mario had always wondered how the Guardians had gotten into that brawl in the middle of Xandar's streets in the movie. Especially Rocket, who'd pulled out firearms. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't understand how they'd escaped afterward.
"Then what do we do?" Rocket asked, watching Star-Lord's retreating figure with obvious frustration.
"We follow him. I'm very interested in whoever buys the goods he's trying to sell."
The Ravagers had burned their credibility. Mario needed a new partner, and that alien broker who dealt in black-market goods seemed like a solid choice. Cautious, timid, careful, exactly the qualities that kept someone alive in that line of work.
"I am Groot." The tree-person's face showed very human worry as he watched Star-Lord walk away.
Mario stood up, cradling the flowerpot. "He's not gonna die. Come on, let's go."
The group followed Star-Lord, not behind him, but right alongside him. There was no point trying to be subtle. Mario's crew was about as inconspicuous as a neon sign in a cathedral.
Star-Lord definitely noticed. His eyes kept darting to them, practically glued to the bizarre quartet. Rocket's trigger finger twitched several times, clearly itching to teach the guy some manners.
But Groot kept stopping him.
Feeling Star-Lord's stares, Mario decided to establish some kind of communication. "What are you looking at?"
Star-Lord raised both hands, flashing that trademark smirk. "Hey, friends, I just thought your group looks interesting. No offense meant."
"You better watch yourself," Mario shot back, his tone carrying just enough edge to put Star-Lord on the back foot.
"Sure," Star-Lord replied lightly, clearly not taking the warning seriously.
They continued walking, and before long, he realized Mario's group was still right next to him. He couldn't help asking, "Hey, are you guys following me?"
Mario pointed toward a building ahead. It looked like a small starfish lying on the ground. He recognized it instantly, the broker's place from the movie.
"I'm here to see the broker."
Brokers connected buyers and sellers, taking commission from both sides. Useful middlemen in the universe's gray markets.
Since he'd found the broker, Star-Lord was now basically useless. The guy had nothing except an empty orb shell. As for money? He wasn't trying to be mean, but Star-Lord was probably broker than Rocket.
More importantly, Yondu would never let anyone walk away with payment. Sure, he would hand over the credits initially, reputation mattered. But afterward, he'd hunt you down. Ravagers weren't a charity organization.
Whoosh.
The automatic metal door at the broker's entrance rose smoothly. He entered carrying his flowerpot, followed by Rocket, Groot, and Creepy.
Star-Lord didn't come in. That was the rule, only one party allowed inside at a time.
The metal door slammed shut behind them, fast enough that nobody outside could see what was happening inside.
The broker's room was small but meticulously organized. Glass display cases lined both walls, filled with items whose purposes were completely unclear to Mario.
"How may I assist you today?"
The broker set down whatever tool he'd been working with. Despite Mario and company clearly not being regular customers, the man showed no change in demeanor. Instead, like any good businessman, he greeted them with enthusiasm.
Though Mario suspected that if they couldn't offer something valuable, this guy's friendly facade would vanish in about two seconds flat.
"I wanted to ask whether you deal in rare metals here. Vibranium, for instance."
The moment Mario spoke, the broker's expression shifted. The wrinkles on his face stretched into an even broader smile. "Of course, of course! Some vibranium entered the market recently and caused quite a stir, sir. Right now is an excellent time to sell. I can definitely offer you a price you'll find satisfactory."
Mario nodded and pulled a chunk of vibranium from his inventory, placing it on the counter.
The broker didn't question where Mario had produced the vibranium from, smart businessmen didn't ask those kinds of questions. Instead, he immediately pulled out a scanning device and ran it over the metal. The display quickly showed him what he needed.
"Five hundred thousand. I can offer you five hundred thousand for this piece."
Mario didn't really understand vibranium's true cosmic value, but this price was a hundred and fifty thousand higher than what Yondu had gotten. That was almost the bounty value of four Star-Lords.
"Deal. I've got one more piece. Transfer the money directly to him." He pointed at Rocket, who was already standing beside the counter, practically drooling.
Hearing the numbers being discussed, Rocket's entire brain short-circuited. He pointed at himself with one tiny finger. "Me??"
"That's a million credits!!"
"More than enough for you to live comfortably on this planet for the rest of your life."
Mario turned to the incredulous raccoon with a smile. "For your lifetime, anyway. Mine's... a bit longer. Consider this your advance payment for working with me. I told you before, it's a big job that takes time."
Rocket hesitated, and Mario could see exactly what he was thinking about. The raccoon's eyes drifted to Groot.
"I am Groot." The tree-person placed a hand on Rocket's shoulder.
Mario noticed Rocket's internal struggle and continued, "I'm not going to restrict your freedom. You just need to help me research some things, work on projects that require your particular skills. What I value is your intelligence. That incredible learning ability you've got."
Only then did Rocket lift his head. He looked at Groot first, then stared directly into Mario's eyes for several long moments before finally giving a firm nod.
In one smooth motion, he leaped onto the counter, pressed his oversized gun directly against the broker's forehead, and said, "Hey, I'm no clueless rookie here... I'm Rocket!!"
The charging whine of the weapon made the broker's eyes go wide.
"Hands off the controls. Six hundred fifty thousand. Final price. You'll still make plenty of profit."
Seeing the energy building in the gun barrel, the broker nodded rapidly like a bobbing chicken. "Yes, yes, of course!"
He fumbled for his communicator and immediately began transferring the credits to Rocket's account.
Mario didn't mind getting fleeced a bit. He had "easy mark" written on his forehead when it came to cosmic economics. But as long as he was satisfied with what he gave and what he received, getting taken advantage of was acceptable.
1.3 million universal credits transferred directly into Rocket's account.
But Mario felt puzzled. Who exactly issued these universal credits? How could they be used across the entire Marvel universe?
Rocket stared at the number, feeling almost weightless, like he was floating in zero gravity. "Groot... we... we finally have money."
"I am Groot!"
Groot was clearly happy too, but he was happy because Rocket was happy, not because of the credits themselves.
Sounds of fighting suddenly erupted outside, catching Mario's attention.
Star-Lord and Gamora are going at it already?
After getting a contact frequency from the broker, he led his group outside, ready to enjoy the show. He wanted to see which of them would win without Rocket's interference tipping the scales.
When the metal door opened, sure enough, Gamora had arrived on Xandar.
Rocket pulled out his information scanner again, targeting Gamora. Now that he'd taken Mario's money, he needed to prove his worth. The display filled with data.
"That woman's name is Gamora. She's the adopted daughter of Thanos, the Mad Titan. Her entire body's been modified, she's seriously strong. And based on recent intel, she's been spotted with Ronan the Accuser. Looks like Ronan and that maniac have some kind of agreement going on."
Mario watched the two fighting over the orb. Without Groot and Rocket jumping in, they looked like amateurs. Neither could gain a decisive advantage.
Hearing Rocket's report, Mario nodded. "I know."
Rocket then noticed the orb the two were fighting over. His eyes lit up. "There's definitely something valuable inside that sphere. Let's make our move. We grab it, it's ours!"
Mario shook his head slightly. "Not yet. We wait until they get arrested. Look."
Several Nova Corps starfighters were already overhead, tractor beams locking onto both Gamora and Star-Lord from above.
Star-Lord's face immediately darkened, glaring at Gamora.
Several Nova Corps officers in blue uniforms also rushed over from street level, weapons drawn.
"Drop your weapons! In the name of the Nova Corps, you are under arrest. Charges: endangering civilians and destruction of public property."