Xander

Capital of the Nova Empire

You were leaning against a railing as you watched, some distance away, Peter and Bereet talking, well more like arguing as you see her angry face as she yells at Peter and she constantly kept pointing at you while Peter looked like he was trying to smooth it out.

Obviously it didn't work as she slaps him across the face and walked away in a huff. You chuckled as Peter looks down for a moment then walked back towards you. "You really know how to charm them, don't ya, Casanova." You teased and he just rolled his eyes and you couldn't help but laugh as the two of you head to the shop of the Broker, who wanted the orb.

"Mr. Quill and Ms (l/n)." Broker greeted as you two entered his shop. "Broker. The orb." Peter said as you hold out the orb and placed it on the counter in front of the Broker. "As commissioned." You said.

"Where's Yondu?" Broker asked you two.

"Wanted to be here, sends his love. And told me to tell you, that you got the best eyebrows in the business." Peter said, turning on his charm on Broker. Broker looks up at him, quizzically, before he picks up the orb to examine it and scoffs. "What is it?" You asked Broker.

"It's my policy never to discuss my clients, or their needs." Broker replied.

"Yeah, well, we almost died getting it for you." said Peter.

"An occupational hazard, I'm sure, in your line of work." Broker said, dismissively.

"Some machine-headed freak, working for a dude named Ronan." You told him and, immediately, Broker's head shot up, his face full of fear. "Ronan? I'm sorry, Mr. Quill and Ms (l/n). I truly am. But I want no part of this transaction if Ronan is involved." He said and he shoves the orb in your hand and tries to shove you two out of his shop.

"Woh! Woh, woh, woh! Who's Ronan?" Peter asked him as the Broker kept shoving you two out.

"A Kree fanatic, outraged by the peace treaty, who will not rest until Xandarian culture, my culture, is wiped from existence." Broker replied, frantically.

"Woh. Come on!" You exclaimed but the Broker continued. "He's someone whose bad side I'd rather not be on!"

"What? What about our bad side?" Peter asked him, annoyed, just as you two were pushed out of the shop.

"Farewell, Mr. Quill and Ms (l/n)." Broker said and he slams the door shut in your faces.

"Hey, we had a deal, bro!" Peter shouts, angrily, at the door as he punches it. "Well, so much for that plan." You grumbled.

Then the two of you look over to see a green-skinned woman with shoulder length dark hair and dark pink highlights, leaning against the wall of the shop. "What happened?" She asked.

"Oh...this guy just backed out of a deal on us." You replied, quickly, to her.

"Yeah, if there's one thing I hate, it's a man without integrity. Peter Quill. People call me Star-Lord. And this is my friend, (y/n)." Peter greeted as the woman walks slowly up to you two. "You have the bearing of a man of honor." The woman said to Peter, who takes the orb out of your hand and starts to toss it up in the air.

You, on the other hand, had your suspicions about this woman. You're not sure why but you had this burning anger in the pit of your stomach when the woman started to walk closer to Peter.

"Well, you know, I wouldn't say that. People say it about me, all the time, but it's not something I would ever say about myself." Peter stammered until suddenly, the woman grabbed the orb and kicked Peter in the stomach then she uppercuts you, making you fall on your back. "Son of a bitch!" You shouted as you rubbed your jaw.

You slowly sit up as you see the woman running away. Peter straightens up and throws a magnetic rope at the woman's feet, causing her to trip and fall. "You okay?" He asked you as he helps you up to your feet. "Yeah, come on!" You said and the two of you make a mad dash towards the woman as she gets her legs out of the rope.

Once you two get close to her, Peter jumps up, hurtling towards her, but she picks up her legs and kicks him away. He lands on his back next to her as she gets up and places her foot on Peter's hand before he could grab his gun. "This wasn't the plan." She said before she pulled out her dagger and raised it above her head.

You run up, jumped on her back and wrapped an arm around her neck and pulled her off of Peter. She lets out a yell as she drops her dagger and grabs your arm and she starts to walks backwards and slam you against the concrete railings.

Then the woman moved forward and flipped you over, making you land on your back on the ground. You let out a groan as she raises her dagger at you when suddenly a raccoon jumps up out of nowhere and latches on the woman and pulls her down to the ground. Behind the raccoon was a tall humanoid looking tree, carrying a bag.

"Put them in the bag! Put them in the bag!" The raccoo shouted at the tree, who extends his roots and grabs the woman. "No! Not her, them!" The raccon yelled as he grabs onto the head of the woman, who begins to bite at the paws of the raccoon. "Biting? That's not fair!" The raccoon shouted as Peter walks over to you, helps you to your feet and the two of you make a break for it as you picked the orb from the ground.

Unfortunately, the woman was able to break away from the roots and knocked the raccoon off of her head and she begins to chase after you two while the citizens moved out of the way, watching in shock at the scene before them.

The woman throws her dagger and it flies a few feet and hits your hand, causing you to drop the orb. "Ow!" You screamed as you hold up your hand close to your chest. "You okay?" Peter asked you. You nodded as you two watch the orb roll away and down through the cracks.

You and Peter run towards the ledge and see the woman running and grabbing the orb. Peter pulls off the small rocket launcher off of his boot and whispered his plan to you as you take the little device.

He runs off the ledge and lands on the woman, knocking her down, but she was able to recover as she rolls over on top of him, placing her knee over his neck. "Fool. You should have learned." She sneered at him as you jump down and come up behind her. "I don't learn. One of my issues." Peter informed her as he grabs the orb and you attach the small rocket launcher on her side. He presses the button on his belt and it launches her away and into a fountain.

You hold out your hand for him and he takes it as you help him up but then suddenly there was a bag over both of you then you were picked up and thrown onto the back of the humanoid tree, Groot.

"Quit smiling, you idiot. You're supposed to be a professional." His friend, Rocket, gripped at him as the two begin to walk away until he sees the woman, Gamora, walking towards them. "You gotta be kidding me." Rocket grumbled as Gamora shoves him aside.

She let's out a scream as she swings her sword at Groot then cuts both of his arms off. Then she walks over to the bag and opens it, only to reveal both you and Peter raising your guns and shoot her. She falls down on the ground, writhing in pain, as you two get out of the bag and run away as fast and far away as you can.

"I live for the simple things. Like how much this is gonna hurt." Rocket said as he picks up his gun, aims it at you two and fires twice. Both the bolts of electricity hit you two and you and Peter fall down and writhe in pain. "Yeah. Writhe, little humans!" Rocket chuckled then he looks at Groot, who is looking sadly as his severed arms. "It'll grow back, you D'ast idiot. Quit whining." He sneered just as they were captured by The Nova Corps.

"Subject 89P13, drop your weapon." The Nova Corps commanded.

"Oh, crap." Rocket grumbled and he reluctantly drops his weapon.

"By the authority of the Nova Corps, you are under arrest for endangerment to life and the destruction of property." They announced as a couple of the Corpsman comes up to you and Peter, pulling you two up your feet. "Alright. Come on up." A familiar voice said. You and Peter look up and see the familair face of Corpsman Dey.

"Hey! If it isn't Star-Prince and his little lackey!" Dey exclaimed. You groaned and rolled your eyes as Peter corrected Dey. "Star-Lord."

"Oh, sorry. Lord." He said then he turns to his partner, who had a hold of you. "I picked these two up a while back for petty theft. He's got a code name."

"Come on, man. It's a...it's an outlaw name." Peter said.

"Just relax, pal. It's cool to have a code name. It's not that weird." Dey said as he and his partner haul you two away and into their ship.

Nova Headquarters

"Gamora. Surgically modified and trained as a living weapon. The adopted daughter of the Mad Titan, Thanos. Recently, Thanos lent her and her sister Nebula out to Ronan, which leads us to believe that Thanos and Ronan are working together." Dey said as he presents Gamora to Denarian Saal, who was standing behind him.

"Subject 89P13." Dey introduced as Rocket appears before them. "Calls itself Rocket. The result of illegal genetic and cybernetic experiments on a lower life form."

"What the hell?" Saal asked as Groot appears.

"They call it Groot. A humanoid plant that's been traveling recently as 89P13's personal house plant slash muscle." Dey said then it was your's and Peter's turn.

"Peter Jason Quill and (full name), from Terra. Both raised from youth by a band of mercenaries called the Ravagers, led by Yondu Udonta." Peter winds up his middle finger and flips the bird at them while you flip them the double bird. "Oh, I am so sorry. I don't know how this thing works." Peter said, pretending to be apologetic. Dey smiles and said. "Transport all five to the Kyln."

Kyln

High Security Prison

"I guess most of Nova Corps wanna uphold the laws, but these ones here, they're corrupt and cruel. But, hey, that's not my problem. I ain't gonna be here long. I've escaped twenty-two prisons, this one's no different. You two are lucky the broad showed up, because otherwise, me and Groot would be collecting that bounty right now, and you two'd be getting drawn and quartered by Yondu and those Ravagers." Rocket said as all five you were heading toward your cells.

"We've had a lot of folks try to kill us over the years. We're not about to be brought down by a tree and a talking raccoon." Peter shouted as a guard said. "Hold!"

"What's a raccoon?" Rocket asked, confused.

"What's a raccoon? It's what you are, stupid." You shouted at him.

"Ain't no thing like me, except me." Rocket informed and you shake your head as you five continue on.

"So, this orb has a real shiny blue suitcase, Ark of the Covenant, Maltese Falcon sort of vibe. What is it?" Peter asked Groot.

"I am Groot." Groot responded.

"So what? What's the orb?" You asked, aloud.

"I have no words for honorless thieves." Gamora sneered at you and Peter.

"Pretty high and mighty coming from the lackey of a genocidal maniac." Rocket said. Gamora turned to look at Rocket in shock.

"Yeah, I know who you are. Anyone who's anyone knows who you are." Rocket replied.

"Yeah, we know who you are." Peter said but you turn to face Groot and asked. "Who is she?"

"I am Groot." Groot responded, again.

"Yeah, you said that." You said to him.

"I wasn't retrieving the orb for Ronan, I was betraying him. I had an agreement to sell it to a third party." Gamora informed all of you.

"I am Groot." Groot said, again.

"Well, that's just as fascinating as the first eighty-nine times you told us that." Peter said, slightly annoyed. "What is wrong with Giving Tree, here?" You asked Rocket.

"Well, he don't know talking good like me and you. So his vocabulistics is limited to l and am and Groot. Exclusively in that order." Rocket replied.

"Well I tell you what, that's gonna wear real thin, real fast. If I..." Peter started to say until the five of you passed a guard that was messing with Peter's walkman. "Hey. Put that away!" Peter shouted at the guard as he places the headphones on his head. "You son of a..." Peter grumbled and runs into the little room and confronts the guard as the door shuts behind him. "Peter!" You shouted.

"Hey! Listen to me, you big blue bastard. Take those headphones off. That's mine, those belong to impound. That tape and that player is mine!" He shouted.

Suddenly the prison guard pokes Peter with his stun-rod and zaps him with electric shock. Peter falls to his knees and glares up at the guard. "Hooked on a Feeling, Blue Swede, 1973. That song belongs to me!" Peter shouted, referring to the song playing through the headphones.

The prison guard pokes Peter again with his stun-rod and zaps him hard with electric shock, making Peter writhe once again on the ground.

"You first! You first!"

"Murderer!"

"Coming for you first, Gamora!"

"You're dead!"

"You're scum! You're scum!"

"It's like I said, she's got a rep. A lot of prisoners here have lost their families to Ronan and his goons. She'll last a day, tops." Rocket said to you and Peter after all of you were cleansed and forced to change into yellow prison clothes. All five of you were walking around the break room as everyone started yelling at Gamora.

"The guards will protect her, right?" Peter asked Rocket.

"They're here to stop us from getting out. They don't care what we do to each other inside." replied Rocket.

"Whatever nightmares the future holds, are dreams compared to what's behind me." Gamora informed.

Suddenly, you run into someone, accidentally. You look up to see a blue monstrous inmate, who smiles down at you. "Check out the new meat." He said, smiling. "I'm gonna slather you up in Gunavian jelly, and go to town..." You cringed at this as he starts to stroke your cheek with his finger until Peter charges at the inmate and shoved him away from you.

"Hey, get away from her!" He shouts, angrily.

The inmate stumbles back alittle then he starts to charge at Peter, who puts his arms around you protectively, until Groot uses his trunk to insert into the inmate's nostrils. "Let's make something clear. These two here are our booty! You wanna get to them, you go through us! Or, more accurately, we go through you." Rocket shouted at the other inmates, who were all staring at all of you.

Groot drops the monstrous inmate to the ground and walks off with Rocket following him. "We're with them." Peter said to the others and you two begin to walk out of the room, his arm still around you.

"Uh, Peter?" You said, softly. He looks down at you then realized that his arm was still wrapped around you. "Oh...uh...sorry, (y/n)." He said, nervously. "No, no...it's okay. I just wanted to say...thanks for....you know..." You stammered. "Oh, yeah...sure...no problem." He said and both of you chuckle, nervously, your cheeks turning red.

Later, you found out you had to share a cell with Gamora, which you weren't sure how you felt about that. It just felt weird for you to be seperated from Peter, you two were always close and you two were always together. This was the first time, in a long time, you and him had to separate. Plus you still hadn't figure out if you like her or not.

On the way to your cell with her, the prisoners were still shouting abuse at her. "No cell's gonna protect you for long." One inmate shouted as you two enter your cell. She goes and sits down on one side of the cell while you go and sit on the other side as the door closes behind you two.

"Does that happen often? People shouting at you?" You asked her. She looks over at you and gives you a stern look. "Doesn't that bother you?" You asked. Again she says nothing but just glares at you. "Ok, you're the strong silent type. I get it." You say as you start to lay down on the ground and try to get some sleep.

Hours later, you heard the cell door open and then what sounded like a struggle. You slowly open ypur eyes and see a few inmates dragging Gamora out of the cell. "Take her down to the showers. It'll be easier to clean up the blood down there." You heard a voice say as you get up and quietly follow the inmates and Gamora.

Finally, they make it to the showers, where the inmates and Gamora get into a struggle. "Hey!" You shouted as you run in and grabbed an inmate, pulling him away from the group and started to punch him. You were able to hold your own for awhile but the man was just alittle stronger than you as he slammed you face down on the ground and stepped on your back to hold you down on the ground.

"Gamora, consider this a death sentence for your crimes against the galaxy." One of the inmate said as he raises his knife towards her.

"You dare?" A voice called out. All of you look towards the doorway and see a muscular gray-skinned man with red markings all around his body. The inmates look at him nervously as he approaches them, slowly. "You know who I am, yes?" He asked.

"You're Drax, The Destroyer." The inmate replied.

"And you know why they call me this." Drax said.

"You slayed dozens of Ronan's minions." The inmate replied.

"Ronan murdered my wife, Ovette, and my daughter, Camaria. He slaughtered them where they stood. And he laughed! Her life is not yours to take. He killed my family, I shall kill one of his in return." Drax said, angrily, and you couldn't help but feel bad for him.

"Of course, Drax. Here, I..." The inmate stammered as he hands his knife to Drax. Drax looks over at you then turned back to the inmate and asked. "Why is this human here?"

"She was trying to protect Gamora." The inmate said. Drax looks over at you and said. "Enjoy watching your friend die!" But suddenly Gamora kicks out and takes the other two inmates weapons and holds them against Drax and the inmate.

"I'm no family to Ronan or Thanos." She said as she steps back and drops the knives. "I'm your only hope at stopping him."

"Woman, your words mean nothing to me!" Drax shouted and he was about to attack when suddenly a voice shouted. "Hey! Hey, hey, hey! Hey!"

You look over and see Peter running in and raising his hands out to Drax. "You know, if killing Ronan is truly your sole purpose, I don't think this is the best way to go about it." Peter said to Drax.

"Are you not the man this wench attempted to kill?" Drax asked him.

"Well, I mean, she's hardly the first woman to try and do that to me." Peter said as he pulls up his shirt to show Drax a scar on his side. "Look, this is from a smoking-hot Rajak girl. Stabbed me with a fork. Didn't like me skipping out on her at sunrise." Then he shows Drax another scar near his throat. "I got, right here, a Kree girl tried to rip out my thorax. She caught me with this skinny little A'askavariian who worked in Nova Records. I was trying to get information. You ever see an A'askavariian? They have tentacles and needles for teeth. If you think I'm seriously interested in that, then..." He started to say until you spoke up.

"Pete, I don't think he cares about your little escapades." You shouted. He looks over at you then he looks back over at Drax, who was giving him a cold look. "Ok, here's the point. She betrayed Ronan, he's coming back for her. And when he does, that's when you..." Peter said then he slides his finger across his throat, indicating to slicing his throat.

"Why would I put my finger on his throat?" Drax asked him.

"What? Oh, this is a symbol. This is a symbol for you slicing his throat." Peter said as he does the gesture again.

"I would not slice his throat, I would cut his head clean off." Drax said, threatenly.

"It's a general expression for you killing somebody." You exclaimed then Peter turns to one of the inmates and starts to do the gesture again and asked him. "You've heard of this. You've seen this, right? You know what that is."

"Yeah. Yeah." The inmate said, quickly, as Peter turns back to face Drax. "Everyone knows." He said but Drax was still glaring at him.

"What I think he's trying to say is, you want to keep her alive. Don't do Ronan's work for him." You said as Drax looks over at you then over to Peter, who nods and said. "Exactly!" Drax looks at Gamora then lets her go. Peter sighs then turns over to you and stares at the inmate, who still had his foot on your back.

"Would you mind letting my friend go?" He asked. The inmate looks at Peter then over to the others, who nod at him, then he removed his foot and starts to walk away.

"Well, I'm probably gonna have back pains." You grumbled as you stand up. Peter walks over to you and helps you up while Gamora starts to walk out of the showers.

"Listen! I could care less whether you live or whether you die." Peter said to Gamora as you, him and Rocket, who followed Peter to the showers, catch up to her. "Then why stop the big guy?" She asked him.

"Simple. You know where to sell our orb." Peter replied.

"How are we gonna sell it when we and it are still here?" Gamora asked.

"My friend Rocket, here, has escaped twenty-two prisons." Peter said, gesturing towards Rocket.

"Oh, we're getting out. And then we're headed straight to Yondu to retrieve both you and the girl's bounty." Rocket said.

"Just out of curiosity, how much was your buyer willing to pay you for our orb?" You asked Gamora.

"Four billion units." She replied.

"What?!" Rocket exclaimed.

"Holy shit." You and Peter said in unison.

"That orb is my opportunity to get away from Thanos and Ronan. If you free us, I'll lead you to the buyer directly and I'll split the profit between the four of us." Gamora said.

"I am Groot." Groot said as all of you look over and see him staring at the four of you through a cell block. "Five of us. Asleep for the danger, awake for the money, as per frickin' usual." Rocket grumbled.