The Theft of the Embers of Genesis was an operation, planned by the Ravagers to steal the Embers of Genesis from the Collector.
Background[]
- "They're called the Embers of Genesis. Nutrient-rich cosmic dust from an ancient supernova with the power to terraform entire ecosystems. With one ounce, you can heal a dying planet in minutes. And with a payload the size we're talking..."
"We could feed billions of people on millions of worlds, and eradicate hunger across the galaxy." - ―Nebula and Star-Lord[src]
T'Challa and Nebula discuss the Embers of Genesis
Star-Lord and the Ravagers had become a formidable power in the galactic underworld, to the point that they were noticed by the Collector who wished to capture T'Challa and make him a part of his collection. Tivan attempted to get to T'Challa through Nebula who was in debt to Tivan but Nebula informed T'Challa about his plans, soon after he succeeded in obtaining the Orb. Knowing that Tivan had the Embers of Genesis in his collection, T'Challa and Nebula made a plan to both steal the Embers and clear Nebula's debt.
The Ravagers formulate a plan
T'Challa and Nebula explained the situation to their fellow Ravagers, although Yondu Udonta was not keen on stealing from Tivan due to his formidable security systems and Black Order guarding him. T'Challa convinced him to join regardless, and told them the plan: Udonta and Nebula would pretend to sell the Orb to Tivan, while T'Challa would infiltrate the museum and steal the Embers. However, he decided to keep the second stage of the plan a secret, since Udonta would never let T'Challa willingly end up as Tivan's captive.[1]
Theft[]
Stage One[]
Proxima Midnight stops the Ravagers' fight
- "He's got the Black Order doing security. Take it from me, they're bad news. How do you plan on sneaking past them?"
"I don't. I'm gonna knock on their front door like a lady." - ―Thanos and Nebula[src]
Upon their arrival on the Knowhere, Nebula and Yondu Udonta entered the Collector's Museum, introducing themselves as the sellers of the Orb, while Star-Lord was hiding inside the containment unit. Meanwhile, Thanos and Korath the Pursuer started a fight outside of the museum, creating a distraction and luring out the Black Order. While Nebula and Udonta were keeping Taneleer Tivan occupied, T'Challa left the unit to scour the museum for the Embers of Genesis. T'Challa found Howard the Duck being one of Tivan's exhibits, so he liberated him and asked him to show where the Embers were.
The Black Order went outside of the museum and stopped the fight, however, Proxima Midnight noticed that the Ravagers were the cause of the chaos and realized that it was a diversion. The Black Order activated an alarm and signaled the lockdown of the museum but T'Challa was able to get past the closing gates in time and ended up at Tivan's hangar. Suddenly, T'Challa came across the Royal Talon Fighter and discovered a recorded message from his father who was looking for him, which meant that Udonta lied about Wakanda being destroyed. While he was processing the new information, Nebula carried out the second stage of their plan and pretended to turn T'Challa and other Ravagers to Tivan, as payment of her debt.[1]
Stage Two[]
- "Hey, it was T'Challa's idea to keep you in the dark."
"'Cause he knew I would never let him walk into a trap. Look where we ended up."
"All a distraction, providing me the necessary cover to obtain this. The Embers of Genesis." - ―Nebula and Yondu Udonta[src]
Star-Lord and the Ravagers were imprisoned at the holding cell where T'Challa confronted Yondu Udonta about his lies about Wakanda's demise. Later, T'Challa was taken out by the Collector who intended to make him an exhibit of his collection but later changed his mind and ordered Ebony Maw to dissect him. T'Challa managed to bust out of the containment unit with his Vibranium Necklace before Maw used his telekinesis to restrain him. Carina then betrayed Tivan and shot Maw down, letting T'Challa escape, only to be confronted by Tivan himself.
Thanos fights the Black Order
Meanwhile, Nebula killed Corvus Glaive and liberated the Ravagers from their cell, explaining to them the entirety of T'Challa's plan and revealing that she had successfully stolen the Embers of Genesis. Udonta, however, did not join them and went back to assist T'Challa in his fight with the Collector. The remaining Ravagers rushed to Mandela to escape from Knowhere, however, they were chased by the Black Order and the Sakaarans. Thanos decided to stay behind and fight them, so the Ravagers could escape, however, Proxima Midnight and Black Dwarf overpowered him and prepared to kill Thanos. Nebula then returned to save her father and forced Black Dwarf to ingest some of the Embers, turning him into a spawn for massive vegetation. The resulting chaos gave Thanos and Nebula a chance to arrive at Mandela and fly away.
Using weapons from his collection, such as Kronan gauntlet, the Dark Matter Dagger, and Necroswords, Tivan overpowered T'Challa and prepared to kill him. Udonta arrived just in time to save his son by hitting Hela's Crown off of his head, however, Tivan destroyed the Yaka Arrow. T'Challa decided to use a different approach and had Udonta distract Tivan while he successfully stole Tivan's device that allowed him to control the museum. T'Challa then forced Tivan into the containment unit and gave the control to Carina who released all specimens from Tivan's collection and left him at their mercy. As foliage overtook Knowhere, T'Challa and Udonta fetched the Royal Talon Fighter and escaped from the station, while Cosmo sneaked on board with them.[1]
Aftermath[]
- "All crew members present and accounted for by some miracle."
"Then I will see you at the rendezvous point." - ―Nebula and Star-Lord[src]
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T'Challa returns home
Successfully escaping the Knowhere, T'Challa considered all new information and made a decision to return to Wakanda. T'Challa and the Ravagers landed on Earth where T'Challa reunited with T'Chaka and introduced his new family to him. The Ravagers and Wakandans celebrated T'Challa's return[1] but the peace did not last long, as Ego arrived at St. Louis to launch his Expansion, so the Ravagers had to stop him.[2]