"The box is enchanted with permanent spatial magic," Ernst stated calmly.
"Internal dimensions: one hundred meters long, fifty meters wide, thirty meters high. One hundred and fifty thousand cubic meters of absolute vacuum storage."
Taneleer Tivan's eyes widened.
His obsession with the dead specimens evaporated, instantly replaced by a ravenous hunger for the spatial artifact.
"This is exquisite," the Collector breathed, his long fingers tracing the leather grain.
"I will offer seven hundred million cosmic credits for the specimens. And to acquire this dimensional box... I will round the total to an even one billion."
Tivan looked up, a manic gleam in his eyes.
"Do we have an agreement?"
"Deal," Ernst replied flatly.
He felt no seller's remorse. To him, the specimens were butchered waste.
The spatial box was valuable, but obsolete.
Ernst intended to forge a far superior dimensional matrix for his personal gear later.
"How do you prefer the transaction?" Tivan asked eagerly.
"Digital transfer or hard currency?"
"Transfer eight hundred million to an encrypted ledger. Bring me the remaining two hundred million in physical credits."
Ernst paused, leaning against the examination table.
"I also require the services of a master shipwright. I am constructing a bespoke vessel, and I will provide the raw materials. Can you broker the introduction?"
"Easily," the Collector smiled, eager to secure Ernst's future patronage.
"I hold significant sway in this sector of the void. I will secure the finest engineers on Knowhere. Furthermore, I can acquire restricted military-grade augmentations for you. Your vessel will possess the firepower of a planetary flagship."
"Excellent," Ernst nodded.
Both parties were satisfied. The billion-unit transaction concluded in less than thirty minutes.
Knowhere possessed no laws.
Power was the only currency that mattered, and Ernst now had a billion credits to back his power.
The Collector proved true to his word, dispatching a team of elite aerospace engineers to a private drydock.
They expected to build with standard plasteel or titanium.
They were utterly paralyzed when Ernst dumped tons of raw Vibranium onto the hangar floor.
It was a king's ransom in indestructible metal.
The construction began immediately. The exterior hull was forged into a sleek, impenetrable wedge.
But conflicts quickly arose in the drafting room.
The lead engineers argued fiercely against Ernst's interior schematics.
"It is a massive waste of volume," the chief engineer insisted, pointing at the blueprints.
"You are leaving zero room for the life-support baffles or the cargo holds."
Ernst ignored them. He stood his ground.
The engineers did not understand magic.
They did not know Ernst intended to cast the Undetectable Extension Charm directly onto the bulkhead panels.
Physical dimensions were irrelevant to a wizard.
Ernst poured his credits into the project like water.
A month later, the vessel was complete.
From the outside, it was a compact interceptor: twelve meters long, seven meters wide.
Inside, it was a sprawling fortress.
The engine room housed a state-of-the-art Laurel warp drive, heavily modified by the Collector's black-market contacts.
Ernst embedded over twenty pure spatial energy crystals into the mainframe, syncing them with the ship's navigation computer.
It was no longer a simple transport. It was a stealth troop carrier.
With the ship operational, Knowhere had outlived its usefulness.
Ernst spent his final days liquidating his remaining cash, purchasing rare cosmic artifacts and esoteric technologies.
He moved through the lawless markets with absolute impunity.
His brutal dismantling of Moro's syndicate had established his reputation. He was a walking apex predator.
No one dared cross his path.
Ernst sold his original Asgardian interceptor to recoup some petty cash.
He boarded his new Vibranium ship and set the navigation coordinates.
Destination: Planet Morag.
He intended to retrieve the Power Stone before the Guardians of the Galaxy ever formed.
The ship lifted off, gliding silently out of the Celestial's severed skull.
But in the shadows of the void, greed stirred.
The criminal syndicates of Knowhere had watched Ernst bleed credits for a month. They saw the impenetrable Vibranium hull of his new ship.
They didn't dare attack him in the streets. But out in the dead vacuum of space, there were no witnesses.
"Dr. Ernst."
The Red Queen's voice resonated through the sleek cockpit.
A holographic white rabbit flickered on the dashboard.
"Multiple hostile vessels are trailing our exhaust signature. Active targeting scanners detected."
Ernst sat back in the leather pilot's chair.
"Initiate a passive sweep. Give me a tactical breakdown."
Ten seconds later, the Red Queen reported.
"Telemetry confirmed. The pursuit fleet is a coalition. Interstellar pirates, rogue mercenaries, and a massive Ravager armada."
Ernst smiled faintly.
"Maintain our current vector. Ignore them."
He tapped his fingers against the armrest.
"As long as they hold their fire, they are inconsequential. If they force the issue, they cannot blame me for the slaughter. Prime the primary weapon batteries. Return fire upon the first hostile action."
The white rabbit dissolved. A holographic projection of a red-haired girl materialized on the back of Ernst's hand.
"Doctor," the AI analyzed.
"Our warp drive is fully spooled. We can initiate a jump and outrun this fleet instantly. Why permit them to follow?"
Ernst stared out the viewport at the cold stars.
"We can outrun their engines, Red Queen. We cannot outrun their greed."
He looked at the glowing radar console.
"This Vibranium hull is a beacon. If we flee, they will simply regroup and hunt us across the galaxy. I prefer to resolve this immediately."
Ernst's eyes hardened into cold steel.
"I will strike them down here. I will make a horrific example of this fleet. When the survivors retreat, they will spread the legend. No one will ever dare track this ship again."
"Understood, Doctor. Your foresight is sound," the Red Queen replied, her algorithms adapting to his ruthless logic.
Ernst deliberately locked the thrusters at a sluggish, sub-light cruising speed.
He waited.
Ten minutes later, the radar erupted in warning runes.
Over a hundred jagged, heavily armed fighter craft dropped out of stealth, swarming Ernst's ship like angry wasps.
At the rear of the formation, a colossal dreadnought drifted into view.
It was over fifty meters of heavily armored, scarred metal.
A broadband transmission hijacked Ernst's comm channel.
"Attention, vessel."
The voice was deep, authoritative, and completely devoid of mercy.
"You are surrounded by the Ravager armada. Surrender fifty percent of your total cargo and wealth."
The voice paused, letting the threat hang in the vacuum.
"Do this, and you will fall under the personal protection of Stakar Ogord. I guarantee your safety. Refuse, and you will be atomized."
The dreadnought's massive hangar doors ground open, exposing a brightly lit landing deck. It was a forceful invitation to dock.
Ernst was prepared to order the Red Queen to open fire.
Then, he processed the name.
Stakar Ogord.
Ernst remembered the lore from his past life.
Stakar was the legendary leader of the Ravagers. The warlord who had exiled Yondu Udonta.
But more importantly, Stakar was Starhawk.
In the comics, Stakar was a supreme being.
He had triggered a divine trap, merging his physical form with his wife, Aleta.
He possessed super strength, immortality, light manipulation, and heightened senses that spanned the cosmos.
He was a living myth.
Ernst's scientific curiosity flared. He wanted to see the biological reality of this hermaphroditic, light-wielding warlord.
"Red Queen. Stand down the weapon batteries."
Ernst stood up and adjusted his coat.
"I am going to board their ship."
Ernst manually piloted his sleek Vibranium vessel onto the dreadnought's heavy deck.
The landing gear locked with a heavy clank.
The boarding ramp hissed open.
Ernst stepped out into the artificial gravity of the hangar. He was completely unarmed.
A hundred heavily armed Ravagers formed a tight perimeter, their plasma rifles leveled at his chest.
Standing at the vanguard was a tall, imposing man clad in dark, tactical armor.
Stakar Ogord.
The Ravager King looked at Ernst's empty hands. The tension in the hangar dropped slightly.
"You are wise to surrender, boy," Stakar sneered, lowering his weapon.
"Transfer the wealth. I will uphold my end of the bargain."
Ernst smiled, clasping his hands behind his back.
"You misunderstand, Captain."
Ernst's voice echoed clearly across the silent deck.
"I did not come here to surrender a single credit. I was simply curious about the legendary Stakar Ogord. I wanted to see the myth in the flesh."
Simultaneously, Ernst unleashed an invisible, microscopic wave of telepathy.
He probed Stakar's biological aura, searching for the dual-soul signature of his wife hidden within the Ravager's mind.
Stakar felt the psychic intrusion instantly. His face twisted into a mask of pure, insulted fury.
"You arrogant piece of trash," Stakar growled.
He took a heavy step forward.
"You step onto my deck and mock me? You think because you crushed some street-level thugs like Moro in the void, you can face an armada? You are entirely out of your depth."
Stakar raised his hand.
The hundred mercenaries cocked their plasma rifles in deafening unison. The glowing muzzles locked onto Ernst's head.
Ernst didn't flinch. He laughed softly, the sound carrying a terrifying, unbothered calm.
"How will you know unless you try, Stakar?"
Ernst spread his arms wide, welcoming the firing squad.
"A man needs dreams. Otherwise, what distinguishes him from mere existence? Perhaps you will witness a miracle today."
Stakar's eyes burned with cold murder.
"Arrogant fool. I will ask you one last time. Will you pay the toll?"
"No," Ernst replied flatly.
"Surrendering without a fight goes against my fundamental principles."
Stakar Ogord raised his weapon.
"Since you court death willingly, no one else can be blamed. Attack!"
A hundred plasma rifles erupted.