We Will Always Be By Your Side

Heisenberg of Asgard had made up his mind. The petty grudge between him and Doomsday needed to be settled sooner rather than later!

In about half a month, once the Rainbow Bridge was fully repaired, Heisenberg would officially set out!

The reason he was so cautious was that this time, he had no intention of freezing time in the Marvel universe.

Currently, the only worlds he visited were Marvel and DC, and pausing them occasionally wouldn't cause much trouble.

But in the future, when he would possess countless worlds!

Would it be necessary for everything to pause and wait for him?

Or would he even have the leisure to personally handle every minute of every universe?

Of course not.

...

Heisenberg of Asgard had made his decision.

Meanwhile, Yondu on the Ravager ship had also made his.

...

When Yondu first activated the communication link to his old friend, he truly hesitated.

He didn't want to, nor dared to, and was even ashamed to make any request of that old friend.

After being expelled from the Ravagers for his past mistakes, it had been far too long since he'd reconnected with that group of old friends!

Just how long had it been?

Roughly since Quill had been on his ship!

Everything, perhaps, was because of Peter Quill!

And now, he had to contact them again because of this kid!

Yondu's blue skin seemed to frost over with cold resentment.

He trembled as he pressed the communication button before him.

Moments later, the call connected, and Yondu abruptly closed his eyes.

He couldn't bear to look at the communication, even less at the person who made him feel shame and guilt!

...

In the distant Starhawk system, the Ravagers had just completed their seven-month-long deep-space escort mission.

They'd collected their payment and, before sailing back to their lawless gathering planet, had already opened the ship's liquor for a small celebration.

Unlike the chaotic drinking of their underlings, the Ravagers' veterans and leaders sat together, bored, playing cards.

At the head of the table sat the absolute core of the Ravagers, Colonel Astro!

To his left and right were the stern and serious Starhawk, Stakar, and the muscular Charlie-27.

Across from Colonel Astro was the crystalline being, Martinex.

The four played cards, one after another, but their faces showed no joy.

Did you think they'd all lost money?

Impossible.

They didn't care about winning or losing. If not for the need to feed their underlings and freedmen, they wouldn't even care about money.

Their lack of joy stemmed from the fact that their once-perfect team was missing a crucial piece!

Yondu!

But when they were all together, no one dared mention the name that hurt them so deeply.

Perhaps the less something is spoken of, the more it tends to knock on the door.

"Buzz buzz buzz!!!"

Mid-game, Astro's communicator buzzed.

Astro paid it no mind, tossing down his card and glancing at the device.

In the next instant, he froze.

His reaction caught the eye of Stakar, who cared for him the most.

Stakar's face, identical to Sylvester Stallone's, suddenly flashed with a woman's wariness!

Before Astro could answer, Stakar reached out, grabbed his wrist, and activated the communicator.

At the same time, Stakar—

Cough cough, Stakar's distinctly masculine face blurted out a distinctly feminine line.

"I'd like to see which little bitch has you so worked up this time!"

"Hey, Aleta, don't be like that!"

Martinex patted Stakar's shoulder, but called out the name "Aleta"…

Hearing Martinex, Stakar whipped around, his Stallone face morphing into Stallone's daughter's face in an instant!

Meanwhile, Stallone's daughter glared angrily.

"Don't tell me not to be like that! The moment I loosen up, you'll drag him to those godforsaken places with those godforsaken women!!!"

With that, Aleta turned back to Colonel Astro.

"Answer it quickly! I need to see who's got you so nervous!"

Facing Aleta's scolding, Astro helplessly nodded and answered the call.

And so, Yondu's face—a face that made all four of them rise in shock—appeared before them.

Before Aleta could say a word, the face shifted back to Stakar's.

Stakar slammed the table, roaring at the damned Yondu.

"You goddamn bastard, filthy trafficker, idiot who sent countless kids to their deaths, you still have the gall to call Astro?!?!"

"Ahaha, Stakar, no wonder I keep your name with Colonel Astro's. I knew you two were always goddamn together!"

Yondu shot back rudely. As soon as he finished, Stakar's face morphed into Aleta's.

Aleta's fierce expression softened, and she smiled at Yondu.

"So it's you, Yondu. Well, that's a relief.

Go ahead, call Astro whenever you like, as long as his comms aren't occupied by some goddamn hussy!"

Her expression shifted, and in an instant, she transformed back into a man.

Stakar glared at Yondu.

"Impossible, Yondu! Where do you get the nerve to seek the Ravagers' help after committing such atrocities?!

Never, never expect our aid again!

Never!!!"

"Bullshit 'never'!" Aleta interjected. "Don't listen to my brother. He's stuck on this damn principle. I don't care about your past mistakes. You're a victim too—Ego deceived you!"

"Shut up, Aleta!"

Stakar's face reappeared, his anger palpable as he glared at Yondu. Yet his ever-shifting features couldn't quite muster the fury.

He fell silent for a moment before finally speaking.

"Maybe Aleta's right, but you must understand this: whether or not you were deceived, you handed hundreds of children to Ego!

Regardless of your intentions, whether you believed Ego's lies or thought you were returning them to their fathers…

You must know this: you caused their deaths. You fed them to the devil's maw!!!"

Stakar slumped in his seat, seemingly drained.

Aleta, understanding her brother's pain, didn't fight for control of their shared body.

Colonel Astro and the others sat stunned, Stakar's words robbing them of any desire to aid Yondu.

Even Yondu himself wore a mask of pain and helplessness.

Across the vast starry void, the five fell into a heavy silence.

The silence stretched until the one who hadn't spoken broke it.

Charlie-27, a giant of a man, licked his thick lips and growled at Yondu.

"Speak your purpose, Yondu!

If it's not important, you'd never call us.

I don't care what Astro or Stakar think. We're brothers—we were, we are, and we always will be.

You've wronged many, caused the deaths of many children.

But as long as you haven't betrayed me or us, I'll always be there when you need me!"

As Charlie-27 finished, Colonel Astro nodded firmly.

Without waiting for Yondu's response, he patted the table's shattered remains and declared resolutely.

"Charlie's right, Yondu. You broke the Ravagers' code, violated the creed of our universe's freedmen.

But as long as you never betray us, no one can stop us from aiding you!"

"But what about the children who died? Why should they bear what they didn't deserve…"

"Enough, Stakar!"

Martinex cut off Stakar's rebuke. He exhaled a cold breath and summarized for everyone.

"Whether Yondu was deceived or not, he's already paid the price. His team was expelled from the Ravagers, and he lost his title.

He's lost the Flame Badge forever, the Horn of Freedom will never sound for him, and Orgo's light will never shine on his grave.

But beyond that, after he's faced his punishment, we can't be so harsh to our brother.

As long as Yondu isn't asking to rejoin the Ravagers, we have no reason to ignore him!"

Martinex turned to the communicator, where Yondu's eyes were already red.

"Yondu Udonta, last heir of Centauri IV, our blood kin.

Tell us—Astro, Charlie-27, Stakar, Aleta—what's happened, why you're calling, and how we can help you, my brother!"

Hearing Martinex's words, Yondu's heart clenched like it had been struck by a hammer.

Tears welled in his eyes, and only by tilting his head back and gasping for air did he keep them from falling.

He collected himself, trying to appear more natural.

But when he spoke, his emotion broke free.

"Stakar… I…"

His voice faltered, and he turned away, facing the ceiling.

Stakar, too, finally looked directly at his long-lost comrade.

"Speak your troubles, you damned fool. And don't you dare whine about rejoining the Ravagers. That'd make me lose respect for you, Yondu!"

As Stakar finished, Colonel Astro, whose eyes were already red, patted his shoulder.

He addressed Yondu, whose back was still turned.

"Yondu, don't blame Stakar. After all, he's Ego's son.

And the children you handed to Ego were his half-siblings!

It's just that neither you nor we learned this until Stakar revealed what he'd intended to keep secret forever.

Forget that damned Ego, those poor children, Ego's deceit, and his cruel game that tore us apart…

We're still brothers, family!

So speak your troubles. We will always be by your side, Yondu!"