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Nova Prime.
The supreme leader of the Nova Empire. Whatever her original name might have been, once she assumed this position, it ceased to matter. There was only the title.
Something like "Your Majesty." Or "Your Highness."
Nova Prime's gaze was calm as she studied Hermione from head to toe.
"Greetings, esteemed envoy." Her voice was warm, carrying exactly the right measure of courtesy. "May I ask what brings Your Excellency to Xandar on behalf of Asgard?"
A faint, bashful smile appeared on Hermione's face, right on cue, as if she were just a little embarrassed.
"Greetings, Nova Prime. Actually... it's nothing particularly important."
She lowered her head slightly, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes.
"I've... I've actually never left Earth before. Thor told me Xandar is one of the most prosperous and beautiful planets in the universe. This Earth country bumpkin just wanted to come see it for herself. Broaden my horizons a little."
She looked up, eyes sincere, tinged with curiosity and just a hint of apprehension. "Please forgive my ignorance."
Nova Prime watched Hermione's utterly unsophisticated display, and a flicker of understanding passed through her eyes.
Beings from the mystical side were mostly eccentric, absorbed in their research, secluded for years on end, perpetually out of touch with the wider world. It was a common enough thing.
And Asgardians, for all their power, did not seem to venture much beyond the Nine Realms.
"I see." Nova Prime smiled warmly. "No need to stand on ceremony. Xandar welcomes all peace-loving friends. Your feat against Thanos's Chitauri forces has earned our deepest admiration."
She had already learned of Hermione's identity before the meeting.
"Our planet truly is a convergence of wonders and civilizations from across the galaxy. I hope Curly— ahem." A small cough. "I hope Your Excellency the Envoy can spend a pleasant time here."
The corner of Hermione's mouth twitched.
Nova Prime turned to General Romen at her side. "Romen, you'll be responsible for accompanying Her Excellency from here on. Make sure she experiences every bit of Xandarian hospitality."
"Yes, Nova Prime!" General Romen answered immediately.
"Um..." Hermione hesitated, as if just remembering something. "Nova Prime, I still have a few... um... prisoners, on the ship outside. Would it be all right if they came along too?"
Nova Prime waved a dismissive hand. "Of course. Shall we send someone to receive them?"
"No need for the trouble!" Hermione's eyes lit up. She looked genuinely delighted. "I'll handle it myself!"
She raised her hand and drew a light line through the air. A portal opened out of nothing.
---
Inside the ship's bridge, the Ravagers were exchanging glances, faces a mixture of relief at having survived and a gnawing undercurrent of guilt.
"Quick! Get the ship moving! That witch dragged the boss off — let's get out of here while we still can!"
"Right! Far as we can go! We are never coming back to this sector!"
"The boss... he'll be able to handle it, right?" someone ventured.
"Not our problem! Save your own skin first!"
They had barely made it out of that sector of space when a portal ripped open in the center of the bridge.
"..."
Every Ravager on the bridge went dead silent.
The relief on their faces froze solid. Their bodies locked up. Their eyes bulged wide.
They had clearly already left. They were several jump points away from Xandar at least. How were they seeing this terrifying woman again?
"An illusion!" one Ravager muttered to himself. "It has to be an illusion!"
Had to be. Fear playing tricks on them. Guilt over abandoning the boss making them see things.
Yondu's face had gone darker than a thunderhead.
Oh, wonderful. These little bastards had really done it.
He'd thrown himself into the lion's den for this crew, and they'd turned around and left him to rot the second his back was turned?
Hermione patted a Ravager on the shoulder with mild curiosity. It wasn't a hard pat. The man jolted like he'd been electrocuted.
"Hey." She beamed at the assembled crew. "What are you all talking about? Looks lively. Going somewhere?"
That single line shattered every last shred of wishful thinking in the room.
Not an illusion. The witch had actually followed them. And she'd brought the boss.
THUD. THUD. THUD. A wave of knees hit the deck.
"Spare us, my lady!"
"We were wrong! We won't ever dare again!"
"It was him! He's the one who said to run!"
Yondu forced his rage down through sheer willpower and swept his gaze over the kneeling mass of bodies. "Where's Kraglin?!"
A Ravager who looked like a minor lieutenant hurriedly raised his head, tears and snot streaming freely down his face, and pointed down a corridor.
"Boss! Kraglin refused to run! Said he wanted to wait for you to come back! We... we locked him in the brig! Him and a bunch of others who felt the same..."
Hermione glanced at Yondu. "Your people," she said flatly. "Your call."
Yondu stared at his crew.
He'd risked his neck for these brats. Charged straight into danger for them. And they'd been ready to sell him out the moment things went sideways.
"Kill them," he said. His voice was seething.
Hermione nodded, looking entirely unsurprised.
She closed her eyes. Her mental power swept outward and locked onto every Ravager in the bridge who had tried to flee, and every one who had helped lock Kraglin away.
The next second, her eyes snapped open. Her wand leveled at the crowd.
"Avada Kedavra!"
A sickly green light shot out, weaving and jumping through the crowd in rapid succession.
Each Ravager it touched froze mid-expression. The terror on their faces simply stopped, solidified, as the light left their eyes all at once. Their bodies folded and dropped, silent and still.
The green light moved like an invisible chain, jumping from one marked target to the next with absolute precision.
A few seconds. That was all it took. A wide swath of bodies lay across the bridge floor.
Yondu stood behind Hermione and watched. A deep chill crept up his spine.
He had seen all kinds of death in his life. Bloody. Brutal. Catastrophic. But he had never seen anything like this, so quiet, so fast, so utterly without mercy or ceremony.
He swallowed, eyes fixed on Hermione's calm profile, half convinced she might get carried away and put Kraglin and the others down while she was at it.
As if she sensed his tension, Hermione put her wand away and turned. That perfectly harmless smile was back on her face.
"Relax. I'm not some bloodthirsty killer."
Like hell, Yondu screamed internally. He kept every trace of it off his face.
A short while later, Kraglin and a group of bruised, swollen-faced Ravagers were let out of the brig.
They took in the bodies carpeting the bridge floor. They looked at Yondu's blank expression. Then they looked at the small girl standing in front of him, smiling faintly.
They understood immediately.
Kraglin didn't hesitate for half a second. He hit his knees in front of Hermione with a crack and started wailing.
"My lady! You've finally come! We're all loyal to the boss — every one of us! We'd rather die than surrender, we'd never betray him! They wanted to throw us out into space, and we still didn't yield!"
The other released Ravagers took one look at him and followed suit, dropping to the ground one after another, swearing oaths, pledging undying loyalty, tripping over each other to be louder about it.
Hermione looked out over the sea of kneeling bodies.
"Still thinking of running?"
➤ Next: The Orb
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