In the residential sector of Knowhere, the bars were a far cry from the lower mining levels. Gone were the miners and drifters reeking of sweat with hollow eyes, and the desperate sex workers who'd do basically anything for a meal.
Here, everything operated by a stricter, if unspoken, code. This made it the preferred haunt for mercenaries, space pirates, and shady brokers who couldn't afford (or weren't welcome in) the upper districts.
When Sean first checked into the inn called The Devil's Den, he drew many eyes.
It wasn't just that he looked like a young, plump mark with full pockets... but as a Terran, he simply stuck out too much. After all, for most civilized species, Earth was a backwater world barely noticeable on any standard star chart.
Within two days, however, no one dared to deliberately give him trouble anymore. They all quietly shelved any ill-intentioned ideas.
That because a crew of space pirates who had loudly boasted about selling this 'Terran brat' to the mines had vanished into thin air the very next day.
Meanwhile, Sean routinely sat at his usual spot, single-handedly throwing a burly Kree onto the floor, then calmly downing twenty glasses of wildfire in the bar without batting an eye.
This seemingly slender Terran earned the unanimous respect of the mercenaries present, having thoroughly proven his mettle in both strength and capacity for drink.
Several mercenary outfits and pirate fleets even extended invitations to him. However, upon learning Sean possessed his own independent warship, they all uniformly retracted their offers, their evaluations of the man climbing yet another notch...
Kirk, who shared a table with Sean and was devouring a grilled meat slab, looked at him with undisguised admiration, "Sir, they're all saying you're a Star-Ranger like in the stories, a top-tier powerhouse who roams the cosmos alone!"
For this Luphomoid kid, happiness was as simple as having meat to eat every day and having no worry for the next meal.
Sean smiled slightly but didn't respond. Over these past few days, Kirk had dutifully reported various pieces of intelligence; such as the whereabouts of Star-Lord, Peter Quill.
Reportedly, the man had recently found something good on Morag. Unfortunately, during a transaction on Xandar afterward, he was unluckily apprehended by the Nova Corps and shipped off to the Kyln.
The Kyln is a space prison built within an asteroid belt. It was run by the Nova Corps and housed all manner of dangerous criminals: infamous space pirates, illegal slavers, and ruthless mercenaries.
"This is the man called Star-Lord..." Kirk tapped open his smart terminal, a fourth-gen Xandarian civilian model costing 10 000 units which was gifted to him by Sean.
The present had nearly moved the Luphomoid kid to tears. In his short life, he has never received any gift before.
The holographic interface displayed a man in a red leather jacket with a roguish grin. Peter Quill...
"He's part of the Ravagers. Used to be in Yondu Udonta's crew and is said to be his adopted kid. This Star-Lord guy is a hot topic these last couple days. News about him is everywhere, I didn't even need to dig deep," Kirk licked his lips and continued, "He caused a huge riot at the Kyln with a bunch of others, evading Nova Corps pursuit. He's quite the celebrity now."
After a moments pause, Kirk added, "I also got a piece of intel from a broker: both Ronan the Accuser of the Kree Empire and Star-Lord's adoptive father, Yondu, are tracking him down."
Sean nodded. The one advantage of Knowhere was that with enough credits, efficiency was astonishing. In less than a week here, he had gained a clear understanding of the three major empires, the Nova Corps, and other major powers.
The intelligence brokers active in the residential sector were truly resourceful... even news about Thanos's recent setback on Asgard was being sold.
"Morag..." Sean murmured, recalling that was where Star-Lord had discovered the Orb.
"The Morag civilization was once glorious, but it was destroyed ages ago. No one knows why," Kirk explained, clearly having done his homework.
Frowning in thought for a moment, Sean quickly reached a probable conclusion: The Morag civilization had been the Orb's previous custodians. They must have coveted the planet-destroying power within and ended up bringing about their own demise.
Compared to the other Infinity Stones, the Power Stone housed within the Orb was more perilous. Lesser lifeforms couldn't even touch it without being instantly obliterated.
Even someone like Quill with the powerful heritage of Celestial blood flowing through his veins could only hold it for a few minutes at most.
"Sorry, sir. No one knows about a planet called Vormir." A hint of apology flashed in Kirk's eyes.
The cosmos was vast. Unless a planet had once hosted a glorious civilization or ancient ruins, it generally remained unknown.
Sean waved a hand, indicating the child shouldn't trouble himself over it. He would get the exact information from Gamora's mouth soon enough. Presumably, Thanos's adopted daughter was still unaware of the Mad Titan's severe injuries.
"You did very well, I'm very satisfied," Sean praised with a smile.
Since arriving on Knowhere, he had seen the immense value of this chaotic place. When Earth eventually uses the Nine Realms as a springboard to charge into the cosmos, this place could perfectly serve as a bridgehead.
As for the Collector's operation... if the timeline remained unchanged, Ronan's fleet would descend soon, wreaking large-scale destruction. That might present an opportune moment.
Sean had originally considered meeting with Taneleer Tivan, but he had nothing that could truly pique the Collector's interest, and the Infinity Stones were, of course, out of the question.
The cosmic order was already established. The three great empires held the greatest sway. Beneath them were mid‑sized civilizations, massive monopoly conglomerates, and privately armed factions.
As a complete newcomer, for Earth to secure a seat at this grand banquet and claim even a sliver of the spoils would be immensely difficult, virtually impossible...
After Kirk left, Sean sat alone in his seat, deep in thought, "Thanos might just provide me with an opportunity..."
First, he needed to prove his strength and earn sufficient renown. Only then could he attain the status he required.
In the era of the starry sea, individual power might seem insignificant. But once one reached a certain level, that rule no longer applied.
"Then let it begin here," Sean swirled his glass, a faint smile forming on his lips.
'Sometimes, order is born from chaos...'