GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: Rogues of the Spaceways
Guardians of the Galaxy and related characters are property of Marvel. This is set in the same universe as "Spider-Man: Partners in Crime".
Chapter 1: Tomb Raider
MORAG, RAHM SYSTEM:
"What's it like down there, B?"
The pink-skinned Krylorian looked up from the ship's instrumentation.
"Just fine, Star-Lord. Winds are at a decent 30 knots, rain pH is somewhere in the low 5s, and airborne particulate's enough to suffocate Galactus." she replied.
Peter Quill walked up from the ship's lower deck, his dark red leather duster swaying as he did so.
"Surface conditions?"
"Your coordinates put us right on top of Morag's hotspots. Ground's flat, but instruments are telling me it's fresh pahoehoe."
"What's your point, Bereet?"
She turned around to face Star-Lord.
"We're liable to break the landing site and get a lava bath if we land the ship." she replied.
"Anything sturdier that you can land the Milano on?"
Bereet examined a readout on one of the monitors.
"There's something resembling an old lava plain about ten klicks away from your coordinates. It'll hold the ship's weight, but we're not staying any longer than we have to. Once you find whatever you're looking for, move it back to the ship."
"Right."
A chiming noise sounded from the instrument panel.
"Bring her down on autopilot, B."
The ship's hover engines flared, kicking up eroded volcanic dust as it landed on Morag's surface. Once the dust cleared, the cargo ramp extended from the ship's belly and a lone man in a red leather duster and an environment mask walked out.
The sounds of Redbone's Come And Get Your Love echoed across the barren volcanic plains of Morag's surface as Star-Lord ventured towards the looming remains of an ancient temple of a long-dead civilization. As the adventurer wandered into the ruins, he paid no heed to the various pieces of art on the inner walls.
After roughly an hour of walking from the ship, Quill entered the temple's inner sanctum and had his dreams of ancient riches dashed. The sanctum was solely occupied by a dais with a small gunmetal gray orb floating above it.
Better that than nothing.
Star-Lord ventured towards the dais and removed a miniature tractor beam generator from his duster. After taking a moment to determine the beam's trajectory, he set the generator onto the temple floor and watched as the orb flew towards it.
"Piece of cake." he muttered to no one in particular.
Meanwhile, on the Milano, Bereet was idly snacking on a carrot when the ship's instruments blared.
"Orbital anomaly detected." the computer announced.
Above Morag, a colossal warship hung over the planet like some predatory bird. Its name was the Dark Aster. Within its hull, four individuals monitored its instruments.
"After all these years, the power of the Orb lies within my grasp. Soon, all the galaxy shall know and fear the name of Ronan the Accuser!" the ship's captain cackled.
A large humanoid figure approached Ronan.
"Shall I-"
"Yes, my lieutenant. You shall claim the orb. Prepare your soldiers."
In the temple ruins, Star-Lord was beginning to leave when a large humanoid figure and three Sakarrans materialized before him.
"The Orb. Give it." the humanoid announced.
"Who are you?"
The humanoid cleared his throat.
"I am Korath the Pursuer!"
"Star-Lord."
"Who?"
"Star-Lord. You know, the famous outlaw."
"Never heard of you. Now give me the Orb."
Star-Lord threw a tractor beam generator at the quartet and ran as they were pinned down.