Ivan's eyes turned to Star-Lord. Star-Lord was inevitably a little uneasy at this time, but he looked more forward to it, "Captain Shaw, is it my turn?"
Ivan nodded and said, "Yes, it's your turn. I said before that you just need more time, but don't worry; you can sleep."
Because Drax's sound waves shattered the previous glass cabin, Ivan replaced it with a new one. After Star-Lord was locked in, the tentacles above hung down again. This time, besides the energy transmission pipes, there was an additional oxygen mask. Once Star-Lord was ready, Ivan pressed a button, injecting a special nutrient solution into the glass cabin. Star-Lord felt his eyelids getting heavier and heavier, and he eventually fell asleep.
Ivan adjusted the energy transmission degree of the power gem, carefully observed for some time, and after confirming that there was no problem, he let the Red Queen be responsible for recording the data in the strengthening process. He could get the news at any time if there were an accident.
"Okay, Star-Lord must stay in this state for about seven days. It's a long time. You can stay here with him if you wish. Do you have any plans? Do you want to leave now?"
"I'll stay!" Gomorrah was the first to speak. She didn't know what she was thinking—perhaps she thought Star-Lord might gain powerful power and wanted to use him for some of her own goals, or maybe she had developed feelings for him. Regardless of the reason, Gomorrah's decision surprised Ivan.
"I'm Groot!" Groot still said that, but Ivan understood that he, too, chose to stay.
"Okay, I'll stay too." Rocket was worried about Groot staying here alone, so he naturally decided to stay.
"Me too."
Drax the Destroyer, being the straightforward person he was, felt they should advance and retreat together as comrades-in-arms.
Finally, it was Nebula. After thinking about it, she said, "I have other things to do, so I must leave. Please help me prepare a small spaceship."
"No problem, people are waiting outside. I've already arranged for them to prepare a spaceship for you."
Nebula finally bowed to Ivan and left the laboratory. Her goal was still to kill Thanos. Even though she had regained her human body, her obsession had not dissipated. She had to return to Thanos to find an opportunity for assassination.
Gomorrah, Rocket, Groot, and Drax discussed it for a while. It was mainly Gomorrah and Rocket, as Groot and Drax contributed little to the conversation. They decided to take turns guarding Star-Lord until he woke up. Gomorrah chose the first round of guarding, letting Rocket and the others go to rest first.
"Miss Gomorrah chose to stay; it seems that you intend to betray Thanos," Ivan suddenly said when only Gomorrah and the sleeping Star-Lord were left in the laboratory.
Gomorrah didn't deny it, nodding and admitting, "Yes, I didn't want to stay with Thanos long ago, but I know it's impossible to resist him with my strength. I don't need Thanos to take action personally; any of his stronger subordinates could take me back. But now I have a better choice: Star-Lord, Rocket, Drax, Groot, and me. We might not be able to defeat Thanos together, but we can protect ourselves against others. As long as we avoid Thanos himself, we stand a chance. In some ways, I'm using Star-Lord and the others."
"Miss Gomorrah, I appreciate your honesty. Some things are better said than concealed. Since this is the case, I must tell you something about Star-Lord's father. However, I hope you can keep this a secret and not tell anyone, including Star-Lord." Ivan suddenly considered a way to deal with Ego, requiring Gomorrah to be a chess piece.
Gomorrah looked puzzled. "Why? If you know about his father, you should tell him. Why tell me and not let him know?"
Ivan quickly waved his hand to calm Gamora, then continued, "Don't worry. Listen to my explanation. Some things are inconvenient for me to tell him directly, so I'm choosing to tell you. You can tell him if you think he should know; I won't stop you. Listen to me first, okay?"
Gomorrah nodded, still puzzled but willing to listen.
"Star-Lord's father is an ancient god. He was severely injured in a war, his body destroyed, leaving only his brain. But even so, he survived, retaining complete consciousness. To protect his brain, he surrounded it with a special layer of energy, constantly absorbing meteorite fragments and passing spaceships, eventually forming a strange planet, an asteroid."
"Planet!" Gomorrah exclaimed. Having followed Thanos for years, she had heard of a living planet but had never seen it. Hearing about Ego, she couldn't help but be surprised.
"Indeed. You can think of it as a living planet. The asteroid is his current body. Ego has been trying to restore his body but can't do it alone. He needs someone with similar power to help him. Ego has wandered the universe for years, combining different races to produce offspring, hoping they inherit his power. But he has yet to succeed."
Ivan always felt that Ego was like a cosmic stallion, hence the mass graves in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. These were accumulated after Ego's offspring died, creating an appalling sight.
Gomorrah's face turned unsightly, and she was disgusted by Ego. What Ivan said next made her even angrier at Ego.
"Ego has been working with the Ravagers' leader, Yondu. They've reached an agreement: Yondu finds Ego's descendants and sends them to Ego's planet in exchange for rewards. That's how Star-Lord ended up taken from Earth by Yondu. Initially, Yondu intended to deliver Star-Lord to Ego as usual, but Yondu discovered Ego's dark secret. All the children Yondu delivered to Ego were killed. Ego aimed to find someone who could inherit his power, but none of the children could withstand it. Their bodies are piled up like a hill on Ego's planet."
"Ego killed his children!" Gomorrah exclaimed in disbelief.
"Exactly. When Yondu found out, he ended the cooperation and didn't hand over Star-Lord. Instead, he adopted him, perhaps out of guilt for the other children. Yondu grew fond of Star-Lord and tolerated him, acting more like a true relative. If Star-Lord ever faces a life-threatening situation, Yondu would risk everything to protect him. So, no matter what conflicts you might have with Yondu in the future, remember to leave some room for reconciliation."
Gomorrah pondered this new information before raising her head and asking, "Do you have anything to prove what you said?"
"No!" Ivan replied bluntly, almost shocking Gomorrah. He continued, "You can verify it yourself. I'm just warning you: if you meet Ego in the future, don't be deceived by him. Star-Lord is about to awaken his divine power, which is exactly what Ego needs. He'll stop at nothing to get him."
Ivan thought momentarily, then took a blue light bead from his pocket and handed it to Gomorrah. "This is a spatial coordinate. If you ever encounter Ego and he's about to kill you, break this bead. I'll come immediately to help you deal with Ego."
Gomorrah didn't take the bead right away. Instead, she looked at Ivan suspiciously. "Do you have a grudge against Ego? It seems like you want to deal with him. Did he do something to you?"
Ivan shook his head. "I've never met Ego, so I don't have a personal grudge. But he planted a seed on my planet. My research indicates that if the seed awakens, it could transform the planet rapidly, destroying all life. I suspect other planets are in similar danger. Thankfully, Ego is injured and currently unable to activate these seeds."
"Why would Ego do this?"
Ivan touched his chin thoughtfully. "I'm not entirely sure. I have some guesses. I think these transformed planets might become parts of a larger body. They could form a powerful new body for Ego if activated together."
Gomorrah shook her head in disbelief. "How is it possible to make a body out of a planet? Is there such a life in the universe?"
"Why not? You know about Knowhere, don't you? It's the severed head of an ancient god transformed into a trading post. Star Lord's father, Ego, is from the same race as that ancient god. They're both members of the Celestial race. Celestials have two forms: armored and a giant form larger than planets. If a Celestial is killed in this giant form, it remains enormous, which is how Knowhere came to be."
"Really? Are there gods that powerful? Then... can Star-Lord become as big as a planet?" Gomorrah's voice trembled, clearly shaken by the information.
"In Star-Lord's case, although he's about to awaken his godly powers, it will take a long time for him to become as powerful as other Celestials. If he lived for millions of years, he could become as huge as a planet. On the other hand, even with lesser strength, Ego might use Star-Lord as an energy converter to heal himself, so you need to be vigilant and protect Star-Lord from his father."
"So, you want to eliminate Ego to protect your planet."
Gomorrah began to trust Ivan. She believed that someone dedicated to protecting their planet couldn't be bad, not realizing that Ivan had already removed the seeds Ego planted on Earth and manipulated her trust.
"But I still don't understand. If you know Ego's intentions, why help Star-Lord awaken his godly powers?"
"Because Star-Lord has inherited his father's genes. Even without my intervention, Ego would eventually find and help him awaken his powers, possibly manipulating him. By helping Star-Lord awaken now, I can teach him to control these powers and resist his father."
"How do you know Star-Lord won't side with his father, and together they come after you? What if he willingly helps Ego destroy Earth?"
Ivan shook his head confidently. "That won't happen. First, I believe Star-Lord wouldn't sacrifice countless lives for selfish reasons. Second, Star-Lord's mother, who truly cared for him, was killed by Ego."
"What?" Gomorrah was shocked again, struggling to process this new twist.
"I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. Ego implanted a brain tumor in Star-Lord's mother's brain, causing her to die in agony. He did it because he genuinely loved her and feared that love might sway him from his plans."
Gomorrah's face darkened, and she gritted her teeth. "What a monster, just like Thanos."
"Indeed. In some ways, Thanos and Ego are alike. They have feelings and can experience pain and joy, but they'll sacrifice anything to achieve their goals. Thanos claims to love you as his most beloved daughter. I believe he's sincere, but if you oppose him, he won't hesitate to kill you, even if it causes him great pain."
"Shut up! Thanos and I have no feelings for each other. If I get the chance, I'll kill him without hesitation, with no mercy and no sadness."
"Really? I hope you're right, but are you sure you won't cry?"
"Of course, I..." Gomorrah started to say but couldn't finish. She wondered, " If that day comes, will I not cry?