We arrived to the Nova Corpse a week later. I had been losing my patience and they did everything in their power to calm me. I had Nebula to find now! I don't have time to waste. I was already thinking about ways I'd have her found if she wasn't at Nova Corpse. This was my only easy choice. If she wasn't here then I would have to actually try to find her, and she'd be even more sorry.
"Master Thanos! The Nova Corpse is in our sight. What do you want us to do?" The Other asked.
"I want you to release the Leviathons. This planet is big and I don't plan on destroying it at the moment. I have to see Irani. She might have Nebula. Scan the planet for her, while you're scanning the planet I demand a layout of the planet. I'll be sending Gamora to find her sister, with an army of Chitauri. I don't trust Gamora on her own. I might also send you with her. She cannot be left alone." I heard Gamora make a disapproving noise.
"Father, I can do this."
"Gamora, you lost my trust. I don't dare send you alone with the Chitauri in case you do find Nebula. You two might try a break for it, get away from me and I cannot have that and in that case, The Other is to accompany you to the Nova Corpse. If you find yourself in a dangerous predicament, he will protect you with his very soul."
"Yes Master Thanos."
"I shall go alone. I don't want Irani to scare herself by seeing me with another army of Chitauri. When will we be ready?" I demanded, leaning back in my chair.
"Just a minute, Master." The Other ran off to give orders while I sat. Gamora, surprisingly, didn't try to convince me of her loyalties and trustworthiness. Which I was glad for. I don't want to listen to her babbling. It's just another consequence of her disloyalty and betrayal. Nebula will be getting the same treatment.
It took more than a minute, probably long enough for them to notice us. Finally The Other came back. "Is it done?" I demanded, glaring at him.
"Yes Master, we've got a scan of the planet. Nebula's energy wasn't found on the Nova Corpse. We have downloaded the layout of the planet into these devices." He handed us a hologram projector. "When you arrive on the planet, it will inform you where you are." I snatched them and gave one to Gamora.
"Good. Let's get going. Release the Leviathans onto the planet. Tell the Chitauri to wait for my signal and not to move before then. Set up two pods. One where Gamora tells you and one at the base of the capital of the planet. I need to speak to Irani. These orders are very strict and I expect them to be given as I have spoken them." I leaned in my chair once more as The Other ran off to give my orders.
A few minutes later The Other came rushing back. "It is done Master Thanos."
"Good. Gamora! Get to work!" I demanded, standing up, heading for the pods. When I got there, I made sure The Other got in the same pod as Gamora. "Gamora! Do not make me regret sending you away from my side."
"Yes Father." Gamora replied, closing the hatch of the space pod. I got in my own pod and closed the hatch before pressing the button to shoot me from the ship and onto that filthy planet. I felt the pod shoot out the ship and then I felt nothing. Until suddenly I felt a large bump as the pod landed on the ground.
I looked out the window to see my destination right in my face. I smiled. The Other is great at following orders. I shoved the hatch open and took a minute to admire the durability of the pods I have. Then I turned and entered the big building. I walked past the guards and the staff until I found Irani in a meeting. I'd slammed the doors open and they all turned to look at me.
Irani stood up. "SECURITY!"
I smiled at her. "Surely we don't need to jump right to violence. I am only here to ask you a few questions."
"What do you want?" She asked as her security came in, armed with puny guns.
"First, do you have Nebula?" I quickly pulled up a photo of my daughter. "I should warn you to be honest."
"I have not seen Nebula, but Nebula has been seen at the Kyln. Nebula and Ronan were following someone who escaped the Kyln."
"You're hiding something. I know exactly what they were after. The power stone. We'll get to that in a minute. Do you have any leads on where Nebula has gone?" I was being as civilized as I knew how to be. Being a dictator wouldn't help at this moment.
"No. I'm sorry to say I don't." I felt my lip quirk into an angry line before quickly gaining my composure again.
"Well in that case, you are not of any real use to me."
"Wait!" She demanded. I waited. "I might have someone who can help you. There's been Krees and a Terran who've come to see him."
"So a broker?" I asked. She nodded.
"Yes. He specializes in pawn shops and he's well known. He knows every broker who also they might have went to see." I stood against the wall.
"You will have him brought to me." I told her. She stood there for a moment. "Or should I ransack your planet, Xandarian?" She snapped her mouth open but before she could say anything, another creature spoke up, pointing out the window.
"Ma'am, I think you might want to take a look at this." He said slowly. She walked to the window and gaped.
"By Gods, what is that thing?!"
"That would be a Leviathan. There's fifty more on this planet. On top of them is armies of hundreds upon hundreds of Chitauri. They do anything and everything I say by the T. Now I'll ask again. Will you refuse to bring him to me or shall they remain peaceful creatures?"
"Bring him." She said looking straight at one of her officers.
"We don't have any guarantee he'll keep up his end!" He objected.
"But we do have a guarantee that he will keep up his end if we don't. Do as I command!" He ran off and I leaned against the wall, waiting. I felt an incoming call and set my hologram projector down. It was The Other.
"Shall we attack?" He asked. I smiled at Irani.
"No. Give them ten more minutes to comply."
"Yes Master Thanos." He hung up and I put my hologram projector away.
It took a while but finally they brought him and while I had been waiting, something had crossed my mind. Gamora knows the next place Nebula went. I was leading myself around in circles! I looked at Irani.
"You don't have Nebula on this planet do you?" I asked. She looked at me.
"No. We don't have Nebula, if we did we would have already happily handed her over."
"Well then you are partly useless." I turned my attention over to the broker.
"You!" His gaze landed on me and all the color fled from his complexion. "Where might Nebula have gone? There was a Terran who had the power stone, Gamora was ordered to take it from him but she betrayed me. Where might they have taken the stone to sell it?"
"My business is strictly-" I picked him up by his filthy shirt, glaring at him.
"If you say 'secret', I will not flinch as I tear off one your body parts. Starting small of course. I can't have you bleed out before I get the information I need." He gulped, clearly rephrasing what he was going to say.
"-with the Collector. He wanted the stone, he wouldn't tell me what it is, and it wasn't my place to ask. I didn't have a clue until Peter Quill brought it to me and said that a Kree fanatic named Ronan tried to murder him for the orb. I was being paid to give it to the Collector."
"And just where might this Collector live?" I asked skeptically.
"The Collector lives in Knowhere. K. n. o. w. h. e. r. e."
"Good! Good." I patted his shoulder. "Now which body part should I take." He whimpered.
"I gave you what you wanted!" He cried.
"Yes but you hesitated. Besides I need some way to convince Irani to give me the power stone." I turned to Irani. "Bring me the power stone, no tricks, and I'll let this nice broker man keep all his body parts."
"I don't-" I gripped the broker's left pinkie harder than necessary. "- I can't possibly give you something so dangerous while knowing just what type of things you could possibly do with that stone. It is safer here, where the right people can keep an eye on it." I broke his pinkie and heard him scream in pain.
"I warn you this is possibly just the beginning of the end for your planet. I could have easily just blown it to pieces and retrieve the stone then. But I didn't. I bothered to come down here and ask you politely for it. Now are you going to give me what I want or are things going to have to get bloody?" I demanded, gripping the broker's right pinkie. She looked torn.
"I can't." I broke his pinkie and heard him scream again, he started begging for mercy. I felt another incoming call and answered it, dropping the hologram projector on the ground.
"We did not find Nebula but Gamora has revealed some important information you might want to know."
"I want you to tell the Leviathans it's time. We will destroy this planet to it's very core."
"Wait!" Irani demanded. I refused.
"Do as I say!" I cut it off. "Until I get what I want, the Leviathans and the Chitauri will destroy, destroy, and destroy some more. Meanwhile I pluck break this man's bones. Now you can end all of this as soon as the real power stone lays within my grasp." I grabbed the broker's left ring finger and broke it as Irani and her men started discussing the situation. I stumbled a bit as I felt the first building collapse.
"May I make a bargain for this power stone?" Irani asked. I scoffed at her to answer her question. "Bring the power stone! Now!" She demanded as the ground began to shake as the Leviathans really started to get to work. As I waited, I broke another finger from the right hand. "Please! Stop!" Irani demanded.
"You hesitated." I replied as the ground shook harder and faster, harder and faster. Buildings were collapsing everywhere. Soon the man came back holding a rock taped shut. I snatched it, opened it, and was relieved to see the real power stone. I closed it and taped it back shut. "That wasn't so hard was it Irani?" I asked her, throwing the broker to her feet. "Keep him as a reminder of what happens when you cross me." I headed out of the building, calling up The Other.
"Yes Master Thanos?"
"Tell the Leviathans and the Chitauri to stop and return. Take Gamora back. We have what we came for."
"Yes Master Thanos. Right away." I hung up and got back in my pod. I was shot back toward my ship and I waited the ride. When I reached the ship, I saw Gamora and The Other land on the ship too.
"We have the power stone. We also caused considerable damage to the Xandar. Do not destroy the planet, that way even in death, Ronan failed." I cackled as I made my way to my throne. "Make for Knowhere, immediately." I called over my shoulder.
"Yes Master Thanos."