Thor was breathing heavily, looking out to the sunlight hitting his face, each beam carrying a wave of heat. Suddenly, a large wing shielded him from the light, and a bird face leaned into his field of view, asking, "You awake? Who are you? Why are you here?"
Thor recognized the language as a common one from a fringe galaxy. "Where... where is this?" Thor responded.
"This is the edge of the Voka Red Ring. How did you end up here?"
"Voka Red Ring... what is that?"
"Oh, I see! You must be a criminal exiled here, right? This is Sakaar, the principal planet of the Tianlu Taiyue Star System. Though most people in the cosmos prefer to call this the Saka Junkyard."
"Sakaar?"
Thor's mind was a whirl of confusion. He recalled that he had passed by here with the Father of All Gods, which allowed him to understand some of the local language.
He opened his parched lips, looking at the sky - so different from Earth. It was covered with a faint layer of green, with a massive ringed planet hanging above, and the sun appearing larger and fiercer.
The sun grew bigger and bigger before his eyes, the white light brighter and more blinding, taking up his entire field of vision until everything went white.
With a "click," the white light vanished as the table lamp was turned off. Sitting beside the bed, Shiller asked, "So why did you toss him onto Sakaar?"
"Because that place suits him perfectly."
A voice came from the bed, but no body was visible. More eerie was the sight of Loki's head on the pillow, surrounded by stardust.
Calling it stardust isn't entirely accurate. Every star was bonded together by a black mucus. His body seemed like a gigantic net comprised of symbionts, the black mucus actively climbing and moving around, collecting the tiny lights to reform his body.
With a cup of coffee in his hand, Shiller said, "I originally wanted to pour you a cup as well, but since you've got no organs to digest it with, I let it be."
Shiller and Loki looked at Loki's body together; Loki chuckled. Shiller said, "Are you really in the mood to laugh?"
"Of course, I am. I can guess what that buffoon is thinking right now."
"He must be calling himself the biggest fool, questioning why he ever believed those who praised him. He must feel like a clown, giving undue importance to things that didn't matter."
"Honor, honor..." Loki's voice was filled with a hint of resignation. "Who bestows honor anyway?"
The door creaked open, and Strange walked in. He glanced at Loki and said, "If I had known your plan was this risky, I would never have taken Thor there."
"Risky? I'd say it was more of a gamble, which, by the way, I won."
"Tell me this whole plan from scratch; I think you could use an audience right now."
Loki laughed again, seeming carefree, and proceeded to narrate.
"Thor's biggest problem is that he's too caught up in the made-up sense of honor and duty. He hasn't figured out who bestows honor upon whom."
"The Father of All Gods sits on the highest throne and bestows honor upon well-suited individuals, turning them into brave warriors of Asgard. Thor, however, never grasped this, allowing flattery to persuade him that he was Asgard's greatest warrior."
"The Aesir is a strange race indeed," Loki's tone was mixed with mock and amazement. "They are born warriors, but refuse to admit that it is their inherent love for violence that drives them to war."
"So, they cloaked their wars in shallow pretenses of honor and duty, when in reality, they were merely basking in the thrill of victory and conquest."
"A King who fails to understand this will never manage to rule the Aesir. Clearly, the Father of All Gods, was apt in doing so."
"He made war as appealing as a bone to a dog, using honor and duty as chains and collars to drive the Asgardians into fighting for him, whilst they hailed him as their wise leader willingly, delivering him the fruits of their victories."
"But Thor fails to understand this: he chases after bones like a dog, rather than being the man who holds the leash and tosses the bone."
"Continuing down this path, he will be deceived by honor and lead Asgard to the brink of destruction."
"Thor's faith in the Asgardians is built on their flattery. The Father of All Gods, on the other hand, never required adulation; he only needed their courage in the face of battle."
"What was the Father of All Gods' ultimate purpose in casting Thor out to Earth: to teach him humility? Kindness?"
"No, a king doesn't need these. And even though I often mock Thor, I must admit that he already possesses kindness. Perhaps too much so, to the point of stupidity."
"The Father of All Gods sought to make Thor realize that any praise or flattery from any Asgardian, any so-called honor or duty he was bearing, meant nothing."
"Without adequate strength or weapons, he would live in hardship and poverty, like any ordinary Earthling."