A few days later, Sam was ready to try going back into space.
This time, he wasn't going alone.
He stood inside the command room of the massive Stark battleship.
Standing right beside him was Hela.
She was wearing her dark green Asgardian armor.
She looked powerful, sharp, and very excited.
Little D sat comfortably in the pilot's seat, while Little H stomped around the room, cheering loudly.
"Hulk smash space!"
Little H yelled happily, punching the air.
"Calm down, little one,"
Hela chuckled, gently patting the tiny green Hulk on the head.
"We are not smashing anything today. We are exploring."
Sam looked at the Goddess of Death with a warm smile.
"Are you sure you are ready for this, Hela?"
Sam asked.
"I have more experience traveling the stars than anyone on Earth, Sam,"
Hela answered, crossing her arms proudly.
"I conquered half the galaxy with my father. I know the dark corners, the safe paths, and the hidden planets."
Hela walked over to Little D's control panel.
She began to type incredibly fast on the glowing screen
"I am giving her the exact coordinates of the Nine Realms,"
Hela explained.
"And I am also adding the secret paths that lead entirely outside of our universe."
Sam raised his eyebrows, deeply surprised.
"Outside our universe?"
Sam asked.
"You have been to the multiverse before?"
"Oh, yes,"
Hela smirked, her dark eyes flashing with pure amusement.
"Odin did not like it, but I found ways to slip through the cracks of reality. I have seen many strange worlds."
"Which one was your favorite?"
Sam asked, leaning against the captain's chair.
"There was one world I really enjoyed,"
Hela answered, a fond, wicked smile appearing on her face.
"It was a world filled with nothing but Ninjas and Samurai. They used strange elemental magic. They were constantly fighting, warring in the forests and the mountains. There were no big, hidden villages yet. Just pure, endless war between clans. It was glorious."
Sam's eyes widened in instant recognition.
"Ninjas? Warring clans?"
Sam whispered to himself.
He knew exactly what world she was talking about.
She had been to the world of Naruto, right in the middle of the violent Warring States Era.
Suddenly, a massive, exciting new goal formed right in the center of Sam's mind.
He looked out the front window of the ship into the endless sea of stars.
"First, we have to find the remaining Infinity Stones,"
Sam said, his voice full of calm determination.
"And we have to deal with the Mad Titan, Thanos. Once he is gone, and the Earth is completely safe..."
Sam paused, feeling the heavy, ancient Qi spinning inside his Golden Core.
"I am going to break through my mortal shell,"
Sam promised himself.
"I will reach the Nascent Soul Stage. When I do, I will be practically immortal. My soul will be unbreakable. Killing me will be completely impossible."
He turned to look at Hela, his eyes burning with adventure.
"And when I am immortal,"
Sam smiled smoothly.
"We are going to take this battleship and explore the entire multiverse together."
Hela let out a low, highly satisfied laugh.
She walked over and wrapped her arms around his strong neck.
"Now that sounds like a perfect plan, my King,"
Hela whispered happily.
"Set the course, Little D,"
Sam ordered, taking the captain's seat.
"Let's go find the Power Stone."
The massive silver battleship landed silently on the dark, rainy planet of Morag.
Sam and Hela left Little D and Little H to guard the ship.
They walked together through the gray mud and entered the deep, ancient temple.
When they finally reached the deepest room, Sam stopped.
He looked at the stone pedestal in the center of the room. It was completely empty.
There was no glowing light. The metal orb was gone.
"We are late,"
Sam said, crossing his arms.
"Someone already took it."
Hela did not look worried. She calmly walked around the dark room.
Her sharp eyes scanned the dirty floor and the broken stone walls.
She bent down and touched a fresh, black burn mark on the ground.
"There was a fight here very recently,"
Hela said, standing back up.
"I can smell cheap blaster powder. I see messy boot prints. This is not the work of a highly trained army. This is the work of space pirates."
"Pirates?"
Sam asked.
"Yes,"
Hela nodded with absolute certainty.
"The Ravagers. They are a group of thieves and scavengers. They must have stolen the stone to sell it for money."
Hearing the word Ravagers, a bright spark of realization hit Sam's mind.
He instantly remembered the plot of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
He knew exactly who had taken the orb.
"Not just any Ravager,"
Sam chuckled softly, shaking his head.
"It was a man named Peter Quill. He calls himself Star-Lord."
Hela raised an eyebrow, looking at him with deep curiosity.
"You know this thief?"
Hela asked.
"I kind of know of him,"
Sam smiled.
"And I also know exactly what he is doing right now. If he took the stone, he definitely tried to sell it on a bright planet called Xandar. But he probably got into a massive fight in the middle of the city."
"So, where is the stone now?"
Hela asked, walking back over to him. She didn't even ask why he knew him. She trusted he had a way to know. Cultivators were full of mystery after all.
"It is locked up,"
Sam answered, his eyes shining with pure amusement.
"Peter and his new crew of misfits were definitely arrested by the Nova Corps. Right now, they are sitting inside the Kyln. It is a highly secure, deep-space prison."
Hela let out a low, excited laugh.
She summoned a sleek black dagger into her hand and spun it playfully.
"A space prison?"
Hela smirked, her eyes full of wicked excitement.
"That sounds like fun. Are we going to break in and tear the prison apart to get your stone?"
"We don't have to,"
Sam smiled, gently pushing her dagger down.
"Peter and his friends are very tricky. They are probably trying to escape right now. We will just take the battleship to the Kyln and wait outside for them to break out."
Hela smiled back, enjoying how calm and in control he always was.
"Lead the way, my King,"
Hela said.
They turned around and walked out of the empty temple, ready to go catch a group of escaping thieves.
Sam sat comfortably in the captain's chair of the massive Stark battleship.
He rested his chin on his hand and watched the large viewing screen.
Everything was happening exactly as he expected.
He didn't have to lift a single finger.
"There they are,"
Sam smiled softly, pointing at the dark screen.
Out in the cold, deep space, a colorful spaceship suddenly blasted away from the prison.
It was the Milano.
Peter Quill and his completely mismatched crew had successfully broken out.
Inside the Milano, loud cheering filled the small, messy cabin.
"We did it!"
Peter yelled happily, gripping the steering wheel tight.
"I told you guys my plan would work! We are totally free!"
"Your plan was terrible,"
Rocket the raccoon grumbled from the co-pilot seat, crossing his furry arms.
"I am the one who actually got us out of that miserable place. You just shot a few guards."
Gamora stood behind them. She did not look happy or relaxed. Her face was completely serious.
"Stop arguing,"
Gamora commanded sharply.
"We are not safe yet. Get us out of here before they send the fleet after us. Prepare the warp drive."
"You got it,"
Peter smirked, his fingers flying across the glowing buttons on the dashboard.
"Next stop, anywhere but here."
But just before Peter could pull the heavy warp lever, the ship's radar started to beep wildly.
The entire dashboard flashed bright red with warning signs.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What is that?"
Peter asked, his eyes going wide.
"Look out the window!"
Drax yelled loudly, pointing a heavy, gray finger at the thick front glass.
The entire crew of the Milano completely froze.
Their jaws dropped.
They could not believe what they were seeing.
Directly in front of their spaceship, blocking their only escape route, was an absolute ocean of glowing pink light.
It wasn't an asteroid field. It wasn't an alien army.
It was swords.
Hundreds of thousands of glowing pink swords floated perfectly in the dark vacuum of space.
They multiplied endlessly, forming a massive, beautiful, and absolutely terrifying wall of sharp blades.
They hummed with a deep, heavy, ancient energy that made the metal walls of the Milano vibrate.
"Punch the warp drive, Quill! Go through it!"
Gamora yelled, grabbing the back of his chair.
"No! Don't do it!"
Rocket screamed in pure panic, frantically waving his little paws in the air.
"Do not touch that button!"
"Why not?!"
Peter yelled back, completely sweating.
"Because those swords are filled with pure, dense energy!"
Rocket explained quickly, his eyes locked on the terrifying readings on his scanner.
"If we try to warp into that wall, the jump will completely fail. The pressure will break the ship. We will be instantly shredded into a million tiny pieces! We will be sliced into ribbons!"
The crew went completely silent.
Groot let out a worried, quiet groan.
They were entirely trapped. They could not fight a hundred thousand magical swords, and they could not run away.
Suddenly, the radio on the Milano crackled to life.
A calm, deep, and very polite voice filled the small spaceship.
"Hello, Peter,"
Sam spoke smoothly through the communication channel.
"Please turn off your engines. I think it is time we have a little chat about that metal orb you are carrying."
Inside the Milano, Peter grabbed the radio microphone.
His hands were sweating, but he tried to sound as tough as possible.
"Who are you?"
Peter demanded loudly.
"Are you one of Ronan's lackeys? Because if you are, you should know we are heavily armed, and we are not afraid to shoot!"
Sam's calm, peaceful laugh echoed through the radio speakers.
"I do not work for Ronan,"
Sam answered smoothly.
"I am from a much smaller place. I come from a little blue planet called Earth."
Peter completely froze.
His jaw dropped, and he almost dropped the microphone.
"Earth?"
Peter whispered, his eyes wide.
"Why does it sound familiar?"
Suddenly, a bright pink light flashed right inside the tight cabin of the Milano.
Sam appeared out of thin air.
He stood casually in the middle of their ship, keeping his hands relaxed by his sides.
"It is nice to finally meet you, Star-Lord,"
Sam smiled warmly.
Before Peter could even process what was happening, Sam turned his deep, peaceful eyes toward the green-skinned warrior standing in the back.
"Hello, Gamora,"
Sam greeted her politely.
"I have a very important question for you. Where is Thanos right now?"
Gamora's entire body went completely stiff.
Her eyes widened in pure, sudden panic.
No one in the galaxy just casually asked about the Mad Titan like they were asking about the weather.
"How do you know that name?"
Gamora hissed, instantly drawing her sharp silver sword.
"He is an enemy! Attack him!"
Drax roared at the top of his lungs.
Drax charged forward blindly, swinging his heavy knives.
Peter quickly pulled out his blasters and started shooting.
Rocket jumped onto a table and fired his heavy laser gun.
*Bang! Bang! Slash!*
Their attacks hit Sam perfectly. But there was no blood.
There was no sound of a body hitting the floor.
Instead, Sam's body suddenly shattered.
He broke apart into a million glowing, pink cherry blossom petals.
The soft, magical petals danced beautifully through the air, effortlessly slipping past their bullets and blades.
"What kind of crazy magic is this?!"
Rocket yelled, spinning around in total confusion.
"The fun kind,"
A dark, chilling voice answered from the back of the ship.
Hela stepped out of the shadows.
She wasn't smiling nicely.
She was ready to play.
Drax roared and swung his knife right at her head.
Hela simply grabbed his thick wrist, twisted it effortlessly, and threw the massive gray warrior face-first onto the metal floor with a loud *thud*.
Gamora lunged forward with her sword.
Hela dodged the blade by an inch, kicked Gamora's legs out from under her, and pinned her firmly against the wall.
Peter aimed his blaster, but Hela flicked her wrist.
A tiny black dagger shot out and knocked the gun right out of Peter's hand.
She grabbed him by the front of his jacket and tossed him directly into Rocket.
They both crashed into a pile of junk.
In less than five seconds, the entire fierce crew of the Milano was completely beaten.
"You are all incredibly slow,"
Hela smirked, dusting off her hands.
The floating pink petals quickly gathered back together in the center of the room.
With a soft flash of light, Sam reformed perfectly.
He did not have a single scratch on his clothes.
"That is enough, my love,"
Sam said gently, stopping her from hurting them any further.
Sam looked down at the beaten, terrified crew.
He reached out his hand to help Peter stand up.
"I told you, I come in peace,"
Sam said, his voice calm and entirely serious.
"I did not come here to fight you. But you need to listen to me right now. That metal orb you are holding is not a simple treasure. It holds an Infinity Stone. It is a weapon of absolute destruction, and it is something you simply cannot handle."
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