Soren lifted the corner of his mouth.
A deep thud erupted from Nebula's chest, as if she'd been struck by an invisible hammer. The air left her lungs in a choked gasp as she flew backward, crashing hard into the dirt.
A concave dent caved into her torso, right between her ribcage and abdomen.
It was a casual blow of raw psychokinesis, almost an afterthought.
He had no affection for Nebula. Not after the trouble she'd caused.
But something strange happened.
As Nebula writhed on the ground, the twisted metal of her torso began unfolding and slowly repairing itself.
Servos whirred beneath torn synthetic skin. Plates realigned and circuits fused back together. In moments, the dent began to vanish entirely.
Soren's mind probes her body with a flicker of psychic focus.
Half of her isn't flesh at all… mostly machine. A hybrid of bone and steel.
The mechanical frameworks didn't only reinforce her body, they granted enhanced durability, amplified strength, and speed far beyond organic limits.
That resilience explained her survival.
But the Ravagers didn't know that.
They watched in horrified fascination as Nebula's crushed torso repaired itself, and several raised their weapons in panic aimed at Soren instead of her.
"…" Nebula pushed herself up, trembling, her eyes wide.
Her cybernetic optics scanned Soren, registering the invisible force that had struck her… the overwhelming psychic field that radiated around him.
"Who… who are you?" a Ravager finally shouted, voice cracking.
"…No…" Nebula's voice was barely a whisper.
Soren made no answer. Instead, he let his aura flare.
A wave of pressure rolled across the clearing slamming into every Ravager. They dropped weapons and others simply collapsed under the weight.
"Th-that's him…" Recognition dawned in their eyes
"The Great Devil…"
"The one who killed Ronan!"
Nebula's face drained of color. She remembered the battle for the Orb, the moment Ronan was decimated by Soren's strength. She had witnessed firsthand the terror of his rise.
And now he stood in front of her again.
This time, she realized, her chances were even worse.
Soren didn't strike again. The earlier blow had been enough of a warning. Her fear told him she understood perfectly well what the next attack would mean.
He turned his gaze toward the Ravagers.
The group was split into two clear factions, the loyalists clustered protectively around Yondu's unconscious body, and the mutineers who had tried to overthrow him moments ago.
For the betrayers, Soren felt nothing but contempt.
A ripple of psychic energy surged.
BOOM.
A mental blast tore through the traitors' minds, shattering their consciousness like glass. One by one, the mutineers collapsed, screaming in agony before falling limp.
Their spiritual worlds were ruined, broken beyond repair. Even if they ever woke again, they would never regain themselves.
"…!!!"
The loyal Ravagers stared at Soren in stunned horror… and relief.
"You who stayed loyal…" Soren said, voice cold but level, "You'll walk away alive today. Take Yondu and take the raccoon."
"Board your ship."
The order struck them like a pardon from the gods. They scrambled without hesitation, lifting Yondu's wounded body and gathering up the unconscious Rocket.
Soren finally turned back to Nebula, who instinctively flinched.
He considered her for a long moment.
"You're coming too," He said. "We'll let Peter Quill and the others decide what to do with you."
Nebula swallowed hard. For once, she made no argument.
Nebula didn't dare utter a word of protest. Standing before Soren, she felt no trace of the defiance she usually carried. She knew too well, any attempt to resist or flee wouldn't just fail.
Soren could catch her… and kill her… before she could blink.
✦••┈┈••✦••┈┈••✦
Aboard the Ravager battleship, Soren knelt beside Rocket's unconscious form.
With a flick of his wrist, he uncorked a vial of glowing healing potion and poured it over the little raccoon's battered body.
The liquid sank into Rocket's fur, and within seconds, torn flesh knitted back together. Rocket's breathing steadied. Soren let out a relieved breath as he glanced at Yondu.
Yondu's condition, however, was far worse.
The blast Nebula had fired earlier had hit the sensor implant on his head, a device wired directly into his brain, allowing him to command his arrow with a thought.
When it exploded, the surge of uncontrolled electricity tore through his neural pathways, frying circuits both mechanical and biological.
Now he lay trapped in a unnatural sleep. Untreated, his brain might never wake.
Soren sighed, this diverged from the story he remembered, but for the doctor, it wasn't unsalvageable.
He pulled on the treatment gloves.
Instantly, the mystical power of the Medical Hall unfurled around Yondu's body like a shimmering cocoon. Energies wove through him, soothing inflamed nerves, untangling chaotic signals in his brain.
In moments, the damage began to reverse.
"…hmmm." With a faint groan, Yondu stirred.
"Yondu!" Ravagers who moments ago feared for their captain's life now stared in awe at the miraculous recovery, but at the man who had accomplished it.
The Great Devil. The rumors didn't do him justice.
Soren heard their whispers of how ruthless he was, how terrifying his power, how unstoppable. He didn't bother correcting them.
Let them believe what they wanted, the title of Great Devil seemed to be sticking whether he liked it or not.
Yondu blinked his eyes open, disoriented. The first thing he saw was Soren standing over him.
"And… who in the stars are you?" He mumbled, trying to sit up.
One of his loyal men nearly tripped over himself rushing forward. "Captain! Careful! This… this is him. The one from the legends."
"The Great Devil… Soren!"
Yondu quickly recognized him and a shade of fear passed across his face as he looked at Soren again. His throat bobbed.
The stories hadn't exaggerated.