WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy #8 by Al Ewing, Marcio Takara, Federico Blee, and VC's Cory Petit, on sale now.

During a diplomatic conference, one that will decide the course of the universe, two diplomats have been murdered. Every clue so far has pointed to one culprit -- Marvel Boy. But the Guardians of the Galaxy aren't so quick to assume their teammate's guilt, and at least Rocket has found the courage to speak up. He might be able to unveil the real killer, but he is also about to meet The Profiteer, someone who might just be the worst person in the universe.

As Rocket Raccoon recounts the supposed story to Noh-Varr's prosecutors, Marvel Boy had just gotten "everyone to agree to weapons inspections for the Alliance... a real bad moment for him to randomly commit murder in the toilet." Rocket is unconvinced by this flimsy theory, but the prosecutor reminds the court that the death of one of the victims has already begun a war of succession on their homeworld. The fallout of the assassination isn't evidence against Marvel Boy, but it's a starting point to walk back through the murder and end up with a motive.

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Rocket examines the weapon that was used in the killing and asks the prosecutor to check that it works. After a shot at the floor proves it does, Rocket asks him to aim the weapon at Noh-Varr and pull the trigger. Shocked by this request, the Skrull does so, and the barrel of the weapon flips around and takes half of his face off when it fires. Rocket's suspicion that the weapon has a gene-scanner has been confirmed, and it's clear that someone wants the conference to fail. The telepaths can't determine anyone who is responsible for the assassination, but they do hear whispers of murder in the mind of one person at the conference. The Chitauri Peacebringer has a bomb hidden in his torso. This is enough to solicit reactions from everyone in the room, except for one, and Rocket now knows who is really behind all of this.

While the majority of the group deals with the impending explosion, Rocket confronts Lani Ko Ako of the Badoon Sisterhood. The Badoon are isolationists, and there's no reason one of them would show up to the conference in any official capacity. Rocket also knows that whoever started all of this wants war for profit, and the only one who fits that bill is the Profiteer.

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An Elder of the Universe, the Profiteer, as Rocket explains, "sell[s] weapons. You sell slaves... kids. You turn blood and death into cold cash... for a hobby. You might be the all-out worst person I ever met in my whole krutakin' life. No offense." And the Profiteer takes none. Rather, she revels in her reputation as a cosmic menace and the ensuing violence, assured that although the bomb isn't her work, it going off and killing everyone else will still leave her in a position to sell her weapons in the ensuing wars. During the commotion, one of the representatives receives a call that his world has gone dark before being left a lifeless husk, and it wasn't the only one.

Random deaths might not concern the Profiteer, but the collapse of the galactic economy would put an end to her trade. Begrudgingly accepting of this, the Profiteer teleports herself and the Chitauri bomber away in the hopes that letting the rest survive might be good for her business. This callous indifference to anything besides her own bank account might very well put the Profiteer in the running for "worst person ever," and she very well could be the worst that Rocket has ever met, although the arrival of Knull may change his mind.

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