Usually the music from the Awesome Mix Tape Vol.2 was enough to brighten Peter Quill's mood. Or at least take his mind off whatever might be bothering him. But as the Milano flew out of the Sovereign's orbit, not even the bouncy, up-tempo song playing from the repaired PA system's speaker could lift his spirits.

Peter seemed to be in a wrestling match with his jacket as he tried to shake it off. Finally freed, he tried to shake it off. Finally freed, he threw it to the ground as Gamora passed. "You all right?" she asked. "Or did the jacket offend you and you've now taken up the Sovereign customs?" "The Sovereign?" Peter spat the words in disgust as he flopped into a seat on the flight deck. "That high priestess did seem to overstep her bounds," Gamora reflected.

"Right?" Peter sat up, his face momentarily flushed. "That stuff about me and my brother being 'reckless hybrids.' Hey, lady, people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones." He leaned back in his seat. "And that stuff about my father?" he continued. "Who does she think is?"

Gamora puts her hand on his arm. "I know you're sensitive abou that." " I'not sensitive about it," Peter said, a little too forcefully to cover the lie. "I just don't know who he is." Gamora nodded at him. Being the adopted daughter of the genocidal mad titan Thanos, she knew what it was like to have a complicated relationship with your father.

Registering the touch of Gamora's hand on his arm, Quill suddenly recalled the scene from earlier.  "Oh man, Gamora." he said awkwardly. "Sorry if it looked like I was flirting with her back there. I wasn't. I just started talking-" Gamora removed her hand from Peter's arm. "I don't care if you were flirting," she said, her tone unreadable.

Peter leaned in, a playful glint in his eye. "See, I think you do care," he hinsisted. "That's why I'm apologizing." Gamora got up and moved toward the back of the ship, grabbing Nebula by the chains along the way. "Still sorry!" Quill called after her. He watched her leave and then leaned back, smiling. His mind returned to the time when he'd introduced Gamora to music on Knowhere. The balcony, the starlight. Even thinking of the battle earlier, when she used her sword to slay the Abilisk with no hesitation, made his smile growinto a goofy grin.

The way she used her sword, it seemed so natural. He could still feel her hand on his arm. It felt as if- "Gamora is not the one for you, Quill." Drax standing over him, abruptly interrupted Quill's thoughts. "I wasn't...She and I... We're not-" Quill stammered. "You were staring at her, were you not?" Drax asked. "I wasn't staring," Quill said defensively.

"There are two types of beings in the universe," Drax continued, ignoring him, "those who dance and those who do not." "Uh-huh." Quill wasn't sure where Drax was going with this, which wasn't too unusual with Drax. Drax looked out the window, gazing at the stars. "I first met my beloved at a war rally. Everyone in the village flailed about, their arms and legs in evert direction. Dancing. Except one woman. My Ovette. I knew immediately she was the one."

"Because your thing is being a buzzkill?" Quill asked, genuniely confused. Drax gives him a suspiscious look and continued. "The most melodic song in the world would be playing and she wouldn't even tap her foot," Drax answered plainly. "She wouldn't move a muscle. She was still among so many people dancing about, one might assume she was dead." Drax smiled at the thought. "Well, yeah, I can see how that's pretty-" Quill lied as best he could.

"It would make my heart race-" Drax continued, completely wrapped up in the memory. "Okay" Quill quickly interrupted, waving his arms. "Fascinating. Beautiful. Love story for the ages. I don't need to know the rest. I get your point. I'm a dancer and Gamora is not." Drax turned to Quill, and smiled saying, "You just need to find a woman who is pathetic. Like you." The big warrior squeezed Quill's shoulders, then let go and left. "Great talk. Really,' Quill called after him. "Next time I need a pick-me-up, I know where to go. Thanks!" Shaking his head, he snuck a glance down the ship toward Gamora and Nebula.

In the back of the Milano, Gamora did not show her sister any kindness as she secured her to the wall. For a moment, both sisters refused to look at each other. Nebula's eyes rested on a  bowl of fruit. "I am hungry," she said. "Hand some of that yaro root." It was more a demand than a request "No. It is not ripe yet," Gamora answered flatly. "Also, I can't stand you."

"You can't stand me?!" Nebula snapped furiously. "You left me there-" "You flew away. Your choice," Gamora interrupted. "Left me there," Nebula continued, ignoring her sister, "while you stole that stone for yourself. Yes, I'm in these chains because I tried to steal, yet here you stand, a 'hero'-some sort of 'Garden of the Galaxy'!"

"Some sort of what?" Gamora asked, not sure what her sister had just said. She and Nebula stared at each other, both confused. Suddenly, it dawned on Gamora. "Oh, Guardians of the Galaxy." "Whatever," Nebula said, trying to hide her ignorance. "Why would we be the 'Gardens of the Galaxy'?" Gamora asked, bewildered.

Nebula shrugged. "You have a tree and a furry creature," she said. "I don't know. I thought it was stupid anyway." "That it would be," Gamora agreed. "It's still wordy," Nebula said. trying  to provoke her sister.

Gamora refused to take the bait and said, "I wasn't the one who thought of it." Suddenly, Nebula lunged at Gamora, her face stopping mere inches away from her sister's. Gamora didn't blink, knowing the bonds that held Nebula were tight enough to restrain Drax. There was a fire in Nebula's eyes. "Your name doesn't matter," Nebula spat. "I'll be free of these shackles soon enough, and when I am, I'll kill you. I swear it."

Gamora stared into her sister's eyes, emotionless. "No," she calmly replied. "You'll live out your days in a prison on Xandar, wishing you could." 

The sisters stood staring at each other in silence for a few moments, until the blaring sound of the ship's alarms intrrupted their standoff. The lights above them began to flash. Gamora ran to the stairs and quickly ascended to the flight deck. Drax joined her as the two ran toward the cockpit, where Rocket and Peter were already seated. "Why the alarms?" she asked. Rocket pointed to the monitor. Gamora didn't flinch as Peter exclaimed, "Because we have an armed sovereign fleet on our tail!"