Morag

---

Based on Kai's understanding of Tony, he knew that even though Tony always acted indifferent about his parents, the truth was different. If Tony ever found out that Bucky was the one who killed them, he would never let Bucky off easily.

In the original timeline, the Civil War wasn't truly caused by Bucky—it was more about ideological differences. But it was the revelation that Bucky killed Tony's parents that led to the explosive fight between Tony and Steve and tore their friendship apart.

That was exactly the kind of outcome Kai wanted to avoid now. So, he needed to find the right time and the right approach to tell Tony the truth—without letting things spiral out of control.

Sure, from a moral perspective, Bucky should pay for what he did. But from Steve's point of view, if Bucky were killed outright, it would mean the end of their friendship with him too.

Kai's plan, for now, was simple: take Bucky out of New York, far from Tony's line of sight. If Bucky wasn't around, Tony wouldn't be constantly reminded of him, and his anger would have time to settle.

But that was all easier said than done. Kai didn't have a perfect solution yet, so he decided not to force one. For now, he would wait for the right opportunity.

A few days later, Zora and Steve finally completed their global investigation of Hydra. Steve came to find Kai, letting him know that he and Bucky were ready to set out.

Kai had previously told Steve that Bucky needed one more brain treatment before going, so that was part of the visit as well.

After treating Bucky, Kai saw them off. But before they left, he said to Steve:

"Steve, if you run into something you can't handle alone, make sure you let us know. We'll be there."

Steve nodded silently, acknowledging the support, then left with Bucky.

This time, thanks to SHIELD operating in the shadows under Coulson's lead, the mission to track down Hydra would be much smoother. With SHIELD's global resources, they could move Steve around discreetly and quickly.

Zora, on Kai's orders, also provided Steve with intelligence in his spare time. Since he was one of the people who knew Hydra best, his support was invaluable—as long as it didn't interfere with his work with Tony.

Zora had already accepted his current situation. He no longer resisted Kai's orders; in fact, he was even happy to help.

After all, during his time with Hydra, he had to work in the shadows, always hiding. Now, even though he was being watched by Gear and JARVIS, everything he did was out in the open. That alone was a massive improvement.

He thought to himself, *If you can't fight it, enjoy it.*

**Meanwhile, on Morag—an abandoned planet.**

A spacecraft touched down. A masked man with glowing red eyes stepped out, the mist swirling around him.

He pulled a scanner from his coat and followed the projected path through the ruins.

With a tap to his ear, he deactivated his mask, then placed a headset over his ears and hit play.

Music flooded in, and his whole demeanor shifted. He bobbed his head, danced through the ruins with swagger.

This was Peter Quill—Star-Lord—abducted from Earth twenty-six years ago.

Still dancing, he eventually reached the central chamber, where a glowing purple orb sat on a pedestal—the Power Stone, hidden inside the Orb.

This was what he came for.

**Back on Earth, at the manor.**

Kai temporarily shelved thoughts about Bucky. He began to sort through his priorities.

After everything, he'd already secured the Tesseract, the Mind Stone, and the Aether. That meant half of the Infinity Stones were already in his grasp.

Only three remained: the Orb (Power Stone), the Eye of Agamotto (Time Stone), and the Soul Stone.

But these weren't going to be easy.

The Eye of Agamotto was still in the hands of the Ancient One—and she was not someone Kai could outwit easily.

As for the Soul Stone, Kai remembered from the movie how to obtain it. But its location was in deep space, and more importantly, it demanded a sacrifice—someone you loved.

Kai wasn't willing to do that. Not now. Maybe not ever.

That left the Orb.

He remembered that Star-Lord had found it on a distant planet, and that eventually, it ended up with the Nova Corps instead of Thanos.

If he wanted the Orb, he'd have to find Star-Lord—and that meant heading into space himself.

The thought of yet another mission so soon after everything made Kai sigh.

Maybe… just a little rest first.

So, for the next few days, he turned off the news, stayed in the manor, and let himself relax in peace.

**Morag.**

Just as Star-Lord bent down to pick up the Orb, a voice echoed from behind him.

"Put it down."

He looked up to see several armed men pointing their weapons directly at him.

Star-Lord blinked, raised both hands, and slowly placed the Orb back onto the pedestal.

---