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Arthur felt uneasy about the whole situation. He hadn't explored the full scope of interstellar communication tech, but considering the sheer number of advanced civilizations out there, he figured their systems had to be highly sophisticated by now. Jumping into that kind of market with a half-formed idea? That sounded like a long shot.
Tony gave a casual grin. "We'll still need to run some early-stage feasibility tests. After that, I'll get Star-Lord to walk us through how Xandar's network functions. Once things settle down there, we'll take a deep dive into their current infrastructure… Bottom line: we've got a concept, sure, but we need solid market intel before making any moves."
Arthur shrugged. "Fine by me. Not exactly my field anyway…"
He had unlocked a memory from a spacefaring merchant during one of the major upgrades to the Disassembler System, but even that felt dated. In a universe like this, it was practically ancient history, useless.
And if he didn't understand something, he wasn't about to pretend he did.
Tony and Banner had already tuned him out, their attention glued to the signal amplifier and the prototypes evolving on the workbench.
Arthur let them be and decided to go find Steve.
The man looked troubled at first, but when he saw Arthur, a hint of ease returned to his face.
"I still can't wrap my head around how you're coping with all this," Steve said quietly.
He looked Arthur in the eye. "Remember when we reconnected in this timeline? You told me that if I had to go through everything you did, I'd probably lose it. Back then, I didn't believe you. But now… I get it."
Arthur smiled faintly and turned toward the ship's window, eyes drifting over the endless stretch of unknown stars.
"I don't even know which way Earth is," Steve murmured, stepping closer to the glass. "And that's with some preparation. You landed here with zero warning. No orientation. Nothing. Just thrown into the madness. Everything's alien. Unfamiliar. And you still manage to find your footing. Honestly, it's damn impressive."
"Don't start buttering me up," Arthur chuckled. "You know how easily my ego inflates."
Steve smirked but then shifted the topic. "I've seen their military power up close now. It's different when it's right in front of you. You were right, pretending none of this exists won't make it go away. If Earth keeps burying its head in the sand, someday we're going to have warships in our atmosphere and no way to stop them. And believe it or not, the U.S. Congress is still debating whether that last invasion was just a freak incident."
"People cling to hope," Arthur said, clapping Steve on the shoulder. "I don't. And honestly, neither should you. That's why we're pushing forward, right?"
Steve nodded slowly, deep in thought.
Arthur didn't really know what else to say to the living relic beside him. Steve had spent seventy years frozen out of time. He hadn't grown up with the flood of information Arthur had. He was plucked from the black-and-white past and dropped straight into a technicolor nightmare, and now, thrown even deeper into something beyond human comprehension.
He needed more time. Maybe more than Arthur did.
----
When there's something to say, time seems to stretch. When there isn't, it speeds by unnoticed.
Tony and Banner buried themselves in constant R&D, while Steve wandered the halls each day, browsing, observing, and worrying.
He looked like someone carrying the weight of the world, while still trying to enjoy its rare moments of beauty.
Natasha would occasionally swing by to flirt with Arthur. When her teasing failed to land, she'd retreat to a quiet corner with a drink in hand, whether out of disappointment or strategizing her next move, it was hard to tell.
The liveliest among them was undoubtedly Spider-Man.
He and Star-Lord had become fast friends, inseparable within days. Arthur began to worry that the kid might get too comfortable and lose his edge entirely.
Thor, on the other hand, was doing... absolutely nothing. He'd vanish for hours, off the grid. Eventually, Arthur tracked him down, sitting alone atop the starship, gazing silently into the cosmos.
Arthur tried to make conversation, and Thor opened up just a little.
He said something about things feeling "off" ever since his return to Asgard. His father had changed somehow, but Thor couldn't quite pinpoint why.
Arthur said nothing. Some things were better left alone.
Oddly enough, the happiest among them seemed to be Jeff.
The guy, with a name that already gave him an advantage when blending in with Terrans, was visibly eager to return to Xandar, like he'd been waiting for this moment for a long time.
But as the ship drew closer to the planet, Jeff grew more and more silent. Arthur wasn't sure if it was nostalgia or just nerves about going home.
In any case, life aboard the ship continued its quiet rhythm as they approached Xandar.
------
"…We've confirmed Ronan's fleet. He's moving toward Xandar, rapidly," Came the voice over the comms.
On the other end of the secure channel was a silver-haired woman, regal, poised, and clearly in command. Arthur had spoken to her several times by now. She was Nova Prime, the top authority of the Nova Corps.
Arthur offered a calm smile. "We should beat him there. Just hoping your defense force won't be waiting to greet us with ion cannons the moment we touch down."
"Of course not," Nova Prime replied firmly.
"I'm kidding. Have you forgotten how to laugh?" Arthur teased with a light chuckle.
Her voice was serious. "In times like these, child, laughter isn't easy to come by. Still… I look forward to meeting you in person."
"We've got Xandar in visual range," Arthur said, rising to his feet. He cast a glance at Jeff, who had gone completely quiet, then turned back to the display. "See you soon."
"See you soon."
As the transmission ended, Arthur turned to Jeff, genuinely curious. "What's with the silence?"
Jeff sighed heavily. "I never thought I'd come back here. And now that I am... my biggest regret is how I treated you when we first crossed paths. If I'd just let you go, maybe none of this would've happened."
Arthur laughed. "If you could rewind time, would you really let me go?"
"Not a chance."
"Then that's crap talking."
Arthur clapped him on the shoulder. "We'll land in half an hour."
With that, he activated the ship-wide comm system, instructing everyone to gather in the cargo bay, ready for a formal first contact with Nova Corps.
(End of Chapter)