Battle of Xandar

"The Orb is much more important than you realize. I wonder how many other players are caught up in this game? Things may be about to get quite fascinating..."

- Taneleer Tivan The Battle of Xandar was the final event in the Quest for the Orb. The battle pitted the Guardians of the Galaxy, Yondu Udonta's Ravagers, and the Nova Corps against the Sakaaran army of Ronan the Accuser in a struggle for Xandar's survival, which Ronan sought to accomplish through use of a powerful Infinity Stone.

Background
After taking the Orb during the Skirmish on Knowhere and discovering the Infinity Stone inside, Ronan the Accuser disobeyed Thanos and put the power of the Infinity Stone in the Universal Weapon. More powerful than ever, Ronan took the Dark Aster to Xandar. Aware of his plan, the Guardians of the Galaxy convinced the Ravagers to help defend the planet in exchange for keeping the Orb. Rhomann Dey, bringing a message from Star-Lord, warned Nova Prime Irani Rael that the Guardians could help.

Battle
On Xandar, the Dark Aster is confronted by Yondu Udonta's fleet, the Nova Corps, and Guardians of the Galaxy, which breaches the Dark Aster. Meanwhile the Nova Corps attempted to slow the Dark Aster's decent at the cost of leaving the civilians unprotected when Ronan the Accuser began to launch explosives on the ground. Rocket Raccoon with his his own team of Ravagers arrived keeping the civilians protected and saving Nova Corps officer Rhomann Dey's family in the process.

Ronan used his Universal Weapon to destroy the Nova Corps fleet. Drax the Destroyer kills Korath the Pursuer, and Gamora defeats Nebula (who escapes) and unlocks Ronan's chambers, but the group finds themselves outmatched by his power until Rocket Raccoon crashes the Warbird through the Dark Aster and into Ronan.

The damaged Dark Aster crash lands on Xandar, with Groot sacrificing himself to shield the group. Ronan emerges from the wreck and prepares to destroy Xandar, but Star-Lord distracts him, allowing Drax and Rocket to destroy Ronan's Universal Weapon with the Hadron Enforcer. Quill grabs the freed Stone, and with Gamora, Drax, and Rocket sharing its burden, they use it to destroy Ronan.

Aftermath
In the aftermath, Star-Lord tricks Yondu Udonta into taking a container supposedly containing the Stone, then gives the real Orb to the Nova Corps. As the Ravagers leave Xandar, Yondu remarks that it turned out well that they did not deliver Quill to his father. Quill's group, now known as the Guardians of the Galaxy, have their criminal records expunged, and Quill learns that he is only half-human, his father being part of an ancient, unknown species. Quill finally opens the last present he received from his mother; a cassette tape filled with her favorite songs. The Guardians leave in the rebuilt Milano along with a regrowing Groot.