Some time later.

An inter-dimensional crack ripped open a section of space momentarily before quickly closing again with a thunderous clap.

Parked not far from the tear in the universe was a spaceship.It was called the Milano, its sleek orange-and-teal design reminiscent of a certain convertible that had raced through the winding roads of a planet on the other side of the galaxy ages ago. Beyond the colors,though, the vehicle and their passengers couldn't be more different. Mostly. "That was close. You sure about this, Quill?" asked Rocket as he finished buckling in his space rig and jetted closer to the Milano's PA system, secretly ripping out wires, a sly grin on his furry face. "It'll be here any minute," answered Peter Quill, the ship's captain. Peter was monitoring a red dot on a homemade device crafted from an old handheld video game he had carried with him since childhood. "Which will be its loss," said Gamora, one of the most fearsome assassins in the galaxy. She was wearing a space rig, like Rocket and Quill, as she checked and double checked a very deadly-looking long-range weapon.

"Is that a rifle?" Quill asked, a little surprised. "You don't know what a rifle is?" Gamora was equally surprised. "Of course.I-I just thought your thing was a sword," he retorted. Gamora looked at Quill as if this were his first battle. "We've been hired to stop an interdimensional beast from feeding on those batteries' energy, and I'm going to stop it with a sword?" She brushed past him and continued working on her weapon. "Hey,no need to get all huffy," Quill mumbled. "You're the one being inconsistent here." But she was right they had to focus on the battle. He looked around, surveying their mission: guarding the batteries that powered the large conductor towers surrounding them. These power stations were massive, and the batteries were some of the most sought- after sources of energy in the galaxy. Which was exactly why the Guardians of the Galaxy had been hired for this job. The batteries were a source of both pride and power for their clients, helping maintain the beauty and balance of their home world: the Sovereign. The Sovereign was a magnificent planet, so perfect it was obviously not made by nature. Light glinted off its golden surface, which was made of interlocking orbs rotating in flawless harmony as it circled a blue sun. The things Peter Quill saw in his travels across the galaxy never ceased to amaze him. but there was one thing that bothered him was, where in the galaxy is his brother Eden Quill and his friend Iris? the last time he has seen them was a three months ago.

Then A much louder, much closer inter dimensional crack quickly shook his wonder.

"I Am Groot," said a small young sapling near Quill's boots. Groot had been freed from his pots, but was still far from being his old gigantic and enigmatic self. After their last major adventure, Groot sacrificed himself for the good of the team... but he was on the mend and starting to get ready to jump back into the fray. He was sitting in some practice already, fighting with a small Orloni creature while the rest of the Guardians prepared themselves for a battle on a little bigger scale. "I agree, pal," Rocket replied. Gamora looked at Drax. The muscled warrior stood with his blades drawn, looking up at the sky. She pointed to his chest. "Drax, why are you standing there? Suit up with one of Rocket's aero-rigs." Drax shook his head. "It hurts." "Hurts?" Gamora had no issues with hers, and she was a quarter his size. "I have sensitive nipples," he muttered, much to the delight of Rocket, who burst into laughter. "Aw, poor baby," he teased. "You wanna bottle?" Drax snorted. "What about you? What are you doing over there?" Rocket held up Quill's tape player, loaded with his Awesome Mix Tape Vol.2 cassette. "If I rig this just right, we can listen to tunes while we blow up whatever wants to come through those cracks," he said, going back to work on the ship's PA system. "Then we can do our job and get out of here." Rocket turned to Drax. "You're welcome."

"How is this a priority?" Drax raised his eyebrows and asked incredulously. "Ask Quill," Rocket said. "He's the one who likes music so much. Quill got in between the two, trying to defuse the situation. "I gotta go with Drax on this one, Rocket. You could be checking weapons or something other than this." "Oh sure, okay, Quill," Rocket said, winking at him. Then he went back to work on the PA system. Quill shook his head. "No, Rocket, I seriously agree with Drax." "Sure," Rocket said, looking back. "I know." He winked again. "I can clearly see you winking," Drax growled. Rocket furrowed his brow. "Wait, I thought I was using my left eye." Any further discussion was quickly ended by a massive crack, the largest yet. It shook them all, as though space itself had tilted slightly. Quill surveyed his team. It was now or never. Time to lead the Guardians of the Galaxy in another epic battle. "I am Groot." The youthful tree squeaked and jumped on Rocket, gripping his shoulder. "Don't worry, pal," Rocket said, pausing his project. "Whatever it is, I'm sure it can't be..." Rocket trailed off as Groot turned him around. "I Am Groot," he said, pointing. Rocket had crossed paths with some rather nasty creatures in his day. Usually, he ended up fighting with them, and usually he won. But the pale-pink monstrosity spilling out of the inter-dimensional crack in space was most definitely not like anything he'd ever fought before. This was not going to be an easy win. Fortunately, he had friends. And some music to accompany them.

The creature, known throughout the galaxy as an Abilisk, fed off large energy sources. Every time it opened its mouth and roared, powerful piercing waves escaped through its teeth. This Abilisk was fully grown, almost one hundred feet from mouth to tail. The only thing standing between it and one of the most powerful energy stations in this corner of space were the Guardians of the Galaxy. It was not a fair fight. With the press of a button, an upbeat rock song came blaring over the Milano's PA system. Rocket smiled. Now for the fun part, he thought. Groot clearly agreed----he had already started dancing. Quill gave the order. Turning to his fellow Guardians, he said, "Okay, so we've faced bigger. Or not. But we've got this, so let's kick some space-creature butt!" He reached up and turned on the mask-helmet combo that covered his face for extra protection. Fully suited up, he led the charge. Gamora, Quill, and Rocket used their space rigs to maneuver out of the creature's way, but they couldn't find a way to cause any damage. Drax, witha mighty cry, leaped at it, holding his twin blades. Dodging and weaving, the Guardians tried to finding a weak spot, blasting everywhere, but the beast was just too massive. Diving into another attack, Drax was flung back with a powerful blow, crashing near Groot and destroying the PA system. the music stopped.

"I'am Groot," he said angrily, kicking Drax for being so careless. Groot loved that music almost as much as Peter and Eden did. Suddenly, an idea struck. Drax bellowed out to his fellow Guardians, "The beat's hide is too thick. Our weapons do nothing from the outside. I must cut through it from the inside!" Before the other Guardians could register what Drax was planning to do, the warrior let out a glorious roar, charged directly at the Abilisk's mouth, and was swallowed whole. "Great, Giant Pinkie here just swallowed our teammate. Ideas, Quill?" Rocket asked, firing away. "What is he thinking?" Quill asked Gamora. "He thinks he can pierce the beast from the inside of the skin," said Gamora. "But that doesn't make any sense," Quill replied. "The skin's the same thickness inside and out!" Gamora gave him a look that said, Duh! "I understand that. So what are we going to do?" Quill was wondering now how they would be able to complete their mission and save their short-sighted teammate. He scanned the Abilisk, looking for any sign of damage they may have done. Luck, his secret weapon, paid off when he noticed something on the creature's neck. "Gamora!" he yelled. "There! On the neck. Not very big, but-" "I see it," Gamora said coolly. "Get its attention. I will take care of the rest."

Quill jetted up. "Rocket, get it to look up!"

Rocket began his attack while yelling taunts in every language he could think of. The beast roared, and colorful waves of energy flew from its mouth. Rocket dodged just in time, his tail singed. Attacking from the other side, Quill was shooting and trying to expose the Abilisk's neck. "Look up here, you big sea monkey!" he shouted. Suddenly, the creature turned and lunged at Quill. Gamora aimed, ready to take her shot. Nothing. Her rifle was jammed! With out a second thought, she threw down the weapon and drew her sword. Getting a head start, she leaped onto the creature's neck, plunging her sword into the wound. The Abilisk gave out a final scream as it crashed onto a platform and died.

Still nursing his brusied tail, Rocket went over and kicked the creature's head "Ha!" he cried. "Take that!"

Jetting over to Gamora, Quill grinned. "Sword? See? Consistency," he said with a smug smile. "Maybe we shoulda tried that from the start." Gamora folded her blade, unamused. "You're questioning my abilities on the field of battle?" she snapped "Who was it that-" The sound of the Abilisk stirring interrupted the pair. They both instinctively reached for their weapons. Suddenly from the open wound, Drax tumbled out. Standing, he raised his arms in victory. "Ha! See? I have single-handedly vanquished the beast!" The Guardians turned away, rolling their eyes. Groot picked up a small piece of debris and threw it at him. "What?" Drax asked as the Guardians jetted back to the Milano to clean before meeting with their client. "You're welcome?"