The Statesman drifted through the darkness of space. The once-great Asgardian vessel had become a graveyard of twisted metal, shattered machinery, and fading lights. Smoke curled through the damaged corridors. Emergency systems flickered overhead, casting brief flashes across the wreckage. The survivors were gone. The ship that had carried the remnants of an entire civilization was no longer a place of refuge. In the central chamber, Thor remained restrained, his strength useless against the force holding him in place. His expression burned with helpless anger as he watched his brother stand before Thanos. Loki held the Tesseract. Its blue light illuminated his face as he weighed the only choice he believed might keep Thor alive. For once, there was no clever escape waiting behind his smile, no trick guaranteed to turn the situation in his favor. Nearby, Heimdall lay gravely wounded, having already made his final desperate effort to help Thor. Thanos waited. The silence between them was oppressive. The exchange was nearly over, and the outcome appeared inevitable. Then, far beyond the ship's damaged hull, something came hurtling through the void. It wasn't a recognizable spacecraft. There were no visible engines, no navigation lights, and no sign of anything slowing its approach. Just a figure. Moving impossibly fast. The collision came without warning. BOOM. The Statesman shuddered violently. The impact sent a deep metallic groan through the vessel, shaking loose fragments of plating and scattering sparks across the floor. Somewhere overhead, an alarm began to sound. The exchange stopped. Loki's attention snapped toward the impact. Thor twisted against his restraints, staring toward the sudden disturbance. Thanos turned away from the Tesseract's glow. Through the settling dust, an unfamiliar figure could be seen amid the wreckage. You. There had been no warning of your arrival. No explanation for your presence. No reason for anyone aboard to believe that another person could simply fall out of the darkness of space and land in the middle of their confrontation. Loki's expression tightened as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. Thor stared in disbelief, unable to determine whether this stranger represented a chance of survival or another danger. Thanos remained motionless for a moment, his attention fixed on the unexpected interruption. The Tesseract was still in Loki's hand. The chamber remained damaged, the ship continued to drift, and the fate of the remaining Asgardians was still uncertain. Nothing about the situation had become safe. But for the first time, the confrontation had been interrupted by something nobody had anticipated. And in the wreckage of the Statesman, every surviving pair of eyes turned toward Nova.