It's a little past midnight when I finally step onto my ship. Each time I do, a sense of home and familiarity overwhelms me. I give the wall an affectionate tap as I glance around.

I don't own an apartment in the Grandmaster's Hall. I live here, and I have everything I need. It cost me about six jobs, but I've never regretted buying it. Over the years, I've made it completely mine. Gray cube shelves dot the walls, giving homes to assorted books and trinkets. An artistic map of the galaxy is framed above the orange couch. There's even a small breakfast bar with two stools. And everything is either bolted to the floor or belted in place.

"Home sweet home," I mutter, heading to the bedroom. I intend to get a few hours of sleep before I go steal this orb. My bunk room is my favorite place to relax. It's where I house the few momentos of my life on Terra. A Polaroid of teenage me with my arm slung around my older sister, Amy. My official ID as a member of the United States Air Force. An ABBA poster. And my MP3 player, perhaps my most prized possession. It stores hundreds of songs, and when I get out of bondage, I'm going back to Terra to find my sister and even more music.

Until then, I decide to sleep. I pull off all of my finery and unceremoniously toss it all in a pile in the corner. I slip into a comfortable pair of leggings and a long-sleeved shirt. Space is cold. And when my head hits the pillow, I fall asleep faster than I can flirt.

When I wake up, I realize it's already half-past ten. I wanted to leave at nine. Ugh. I pull myself out of bed and shower, because yes, my ship even has a fully functioning bathroom. I go simple today. I don't have to dress up. Black skinny jeans, white t-shirt, red leather jacket. And those stupid gold bangles I can't get off. Soon. Knee-high black boots. Everything is functional but flirty. That's how I operate. I jog up to the cockpit, grinning as I do. With one button, colorful music fills the jet.

"See that girl, watch that scene, diggin' the dancing queen!" I sing cheerfully. My fingers flick different controls with ease. It's like playing a complex piano song: the years have taught my hands exactly where to go. Flying is what got me into this mess, and flying is what will get me out. "You're a teaser, you turn him on. Leave him burning and then you're gone!"

With the right tunes, the flight to Xandar goes both quickly and smoothly. The ship touches ground in the evening, and I fluff my hair before journeying out, constantly on the look for authorities as well as anyone with the orb. I know the man I'm looking for, at least by sight. Ronx's file of information included a picture of him. Brown-haired, probably Terran, tall. Not unattractive. Looks like the kind of man I can swindle the stone out of easily.

The sun shines brightly despite the late hour, and while I wait for him to appear, I take a brief minute to actually enjoy it. I never stop to enjoy the little things. I'm constantly moving, so goal-driven and concerned with the future that I never appreciate the present. A little girl plays with her father, bringing a smile to my face. These people live their lives without fear of being arrested. They walk around without the weight of a reputation. Maybe once I'm free, I can start fresh, a new life.

"Hey! We had a deal, bro!" Someone yells angrily. I turn and realize it's the man. He kicks the door someone just pushed him out of. I slide over.

"You know doors come with a handle, don't you?"

"Yeah, I know, it's just...this guy just backed out of a deal on me. If there's one thing I hate, it's a man without integrity," he says, holding out his free hand. "Peter Quill. People call me Star-Lord."

"Do they?" I laugh lightly, acting interested as I try to locate any weapons he might have.

"You haven't heard? I don't know where you've been hiding, but I'm actually a legendary outlaw. So, yeah, they call me that." He drops the orb into his bag. Idiot. He should be more careful with that.

"Well, Starlord," I whisper, drawing closer, smiling the smallest smirk possible just to tease him, "your line of profession must be exciting. Want to tell me more? Maybe over drinks?"

He grins, just as expected. I've got him wrapped around my finger. "Hey, that sounds fun."

"I bet it does." He's so busy staring into my eyes that he doesn't notice my clever fingers slip into his bag, grab the orb, and slide it into my own pocket. First rule of pickpocketing: distraction. "Meet me here at sunset, and we'll have a talk, Starlord." I throw him a wink over my shoulder and saunter away. That wasn't too hard. But then someone kicks me in the back, hard, effectively knocking me over. Spoke too soon.

I immediately get up and reach in my pocket for the power stone, but the orb must have rolled out. A green-skinned woman clothed in leather grabs it and begins her escape. And Quill just stares at me.

"Seriously?!?"

"You didn't have to fall for it!" I yell as we run after her. Quill trips her with a magnetic rope. As he catches up, I snatch the orb, but then she trips me. And out of nowhere, some raccoon and this big tree appear with a big sack.

"Put him in the bag, put him in the bag!" The raccoon yells angrily. Normally I'd be freaking out that a raccoon is speaking in the first place, but other matters occupy my mind when the woman pulls out a knife. The tree's roots go out to grab her instead, and the raccoon freaks out while Quill and I wrestle over the orb. "No, not her! Him! Learn genders, man!" Just as my fingers close around the orb, an powerful electric shock courses through me, giving Quill the time to grab it. And while the raccoon and tree don't seem even slightly interested in the orb, they are very interested in Quill.

As soon as he begins to run and I stagger into a standing position, the raccoon grins and holds up a gun. The only reason I get up is because I'm desperate. I need that orb.

"I live for the simple things. Like how much this is gonna hurt." The raccoon shoots a ball of electricity at Quill, who instantly drops to the ground, writhing. "Yeah. Writhe, little man. It'll grow back, you idiot. Quit whining!" The last he says to the tree, who is sadly staring at a lost limb. I think the green girl cut it off earlier. She's on the ground now, too. I think Quill got her. The raccoon really notices me for the first time, and his beady eyes go wide. Recognition. "Groot, she's worth even more than him!" The orb doesn't matter now, I can't get it in jail. I kick the rodent and start running, but hit straight into a Nova Corpsman. Great. I must be losing my touch. I struggle against him, but he's too strong.

"Stay still, you little- Hey, I know you!" Still keeping a firm grip on me, he raises my arm, as if he's showing off a trophy. "Look who I've got! It's the chick who pickpocketed a thousand units in a day!"

"No! We've been looking for you, Miss, for two years now! And look who I've got! Star Prince!"

Quill groans. "Star-Lord."

"Oh, sorry. Lord." He snickers to his partner. "I picked this guy up a while ago for petty theft. He's got a code name."

"Come on, man, it's an outlaw name!"

He pats Quill reassuringly in the shoulder. "Just relax, pal. It's cool to have a code name. It's not that weird."

The rest of our crazy little group gets trapped by this strange energy.

"By order of the Nova Corps, you are all under arrest."

I finally updated!!!