ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴡᴏ | ᴅᴇᴛᴏᴜʀ ᴏғ ᴅᴇsᴛʀᴜᴄᴛɪᴏɴ

————

"WE THANK YOU, GUARDIANS, FOR PUTTING YOUR LIVES ON THE LINE. We could not risk the lives of our own Sovereign citizens. Every citizen is born exactly as designed by the community. Impeccable, both physically and mentally." Ayesha told the six who were standing before her. "We control the DNA of our progeny, germinating them in birthing pods."

"I guess I prefer to make people the old fashioned way." Peter spoke up after with a lazy grin.

"Well," Ayesha raised her gold eyebrows. "perhaps someday you could give me a history lesson in the archaic way of our ancestors. For academic purposes."

"I would be honoured, yes. In the name of research. I think that could be..." Peter casts a glance towards Lexi, only to see the glare he was receiving. "Pretty repulsive, I'm not into that kind of casual—"

"Oh, please," Gamora muttered, stepping forward. "Your people promised something in exchange for our services. Bring it, and we shall gladly be on our way."

Ayesha lifted a single finger, prompting two golden guards to haul out a person and force them on their knees. One of the men reached up, grabbing the hood of their cloak and ripping it off to reveal Nebula.

Nebula slowly looked up at Gamora, death glaring her. Peter bowed his head to look at Gamora better. "Family reunion...yay." he said in a quiet voice.

Lexi slapped his chest to quiet him.

"I understand she is your sister?" Ayesha asked.

"She is worth no more to me, then the bounty due for her on Xandar." Gamora replied, still looking at Nebula as she wrapped a firm hand around her sister's bicep and yanked her to her feet.

"Our soldiers apprehended her, attempting to steal the batteries. Do with her as you please."

Gamora turned and pushed Nebula forward harshly, walking away without another word.

"We thank you, High Priestess Ayesha." Peter bowed and turned to walk away before being stopped by the golden woman.

"What is your heritage, Mister Quill?"

Peter turned back towards the Priestess, uncomfortable with the question. "My mother is from Earth."

"And your father?"

"He ain't from Missouri. It's all I know." Peter answered hesitantly.

Ayesha stares at him as if she's eaten something bitter. "I see it within you. An unorthodox genealogy. A hybrid that seems particularly...reckless."

Peter tries not to let the statement affect him, but it did. He was hurt by this. Rocket shoots Ayesha a fake grin.

"Y'know, they told me you people were conceded douche bags, but that isn't true at all." Rocket turned and winked again, flashing his left eye to Peter. The Guardians shift uncomfortably.

Peter and Lexi both looked up the Priestess with wide eyes.

The Priestess looked as if at any second, she could break into a raging fit.

"Oh shit. I'm using my wrong eye again, aren't I?" Rocket asked as Peter tugged on Lexi's hand to leave. Drax yanked Rocket by the collar of his jacket away before tossing him to the ground as the four made their way out...while they still could. "I'm sorry. That was meant to be behind your back."

"Count yourself blessed they didn't kill you." Drax quietly scolded Rocket as they approached the doorway.

"You're tellin' me....you wanna buy some batteries?" Rocket opened his pouch, revealing two Anulax batteries that he stole.

Drax threw his head back, letting out a bellow of laughter. Rocket snickered along, trying to shush Drax so the others didn't hear.

Back on the ship, Peter switched on his Mixtape, which was on the song Lake Shore Drive by Aliotta Haynes. Rocket flew the ship up and out of the planet with a smile on his face. "All right, let's get baldy to Xandar, and collect that bounty!"

Peter excused himself to change into more comfortable clothes, as Gamora left to lock up her sister securely at the back of the ship.

Lexi, standing behind a table and reloading her weapons, glanced over to Peter as he pulled on a grey long sleeve, eyeing his abs and toned chest. Peter caught her, seeing her lock his gaze and look down quickly.

"That stuff about my father...who does she think she is?" Peter said with a perturbed looked on his face.

"I know you're sensitive about it." Lexi responded, shoving a cartridge of ammo in her weapon before raising it to point it ahead of her to examine it. A quiet, almost inaudible chuckle passed her rosy lips, "I know I used to be."

Peter watched her as she lowered the gun to thrust it back into her thigh holster and cast a look at him once more. "I'm not sensitive about it, I just don't know who he is."

Lexi stayed quiet, picking up a small knife to store it into a pocket inside her black shin-high wedged combat boot. She turned to look at him, some of her maroon hair falling in front of her shoulders.

"Sorry if it seemed like I was flirting with the High Priestess." Peter apologized, a guilty look flashing in his eyes. "I wasn't."

Lexi sighed, moving past him to walk away with Gamora, towards the front of the ship where Rocket was. "I don't care who or what you flirt with, Peter."

"I feel like you do care!" Peter called out after her, watching her. "That's why I'm apologizing, so sorry!"

"Lexi is not the one for you, Quill." Drax said, suddenly appearing beside Peter and making him physically jump.

"Damn shadow." Peter muttered, returning to his previous position of leaning on the doorway and watching after Lexi.

"There are two types of beings in the universe. Those who dance, and those who do not," he said, looking between Peter and Lexi.

Peter pursed his lips, nodding along.

"I first met my beloved at a war rally. Everyone in the village flailed about, dancing, except one woman. My Ovette. I knew immediately she was the one for me. The most melodic could be playing; she wouldn't even tap her foot. Wouldn't move a muscle. One might assume she was dead."

"That does sound pretty hot." Peter spoke with calculated words; trying to be polite. He raised a brow towards the alien beside him.

"It would make my nether regions engorge." Drax whispered, leaning towards Peter. A disgusted noise passed Peter's lips as he raised a finger, itching the inside of his ear.

"Yes, I get it. I am a dancer, and Lexi is not."

"I am too a dancer!" Lexi yelled, her voice muffled. Peter smirked.

"You just need to find a woman who is pathetic, like you."

Peter hummed, nodding slowly before walking back to the front of the ship. He saw Lexi sitting in his chair, her knees pulled up to her chest as Rocket steered the ship around.

He cleared his throat, catching her attention and letting her move from it.

Moments later, a warning alarm blared. Peter's brows furrowed. "This is weird. We got a Sovereign fleet approaching from the rear."

"Why would they do that?" Lexi asked as Gamora took a seat in the centre chair and Drax stood on the other side of the doorway, gripping a bar beside it.

"Maybe because Rocket stole some of their batteries." Drax answered, looking around.

Rocket turned in his seat. "Dude!"

Drax looked at Rocket before catching on. "Right. He didn't steal some batteries. I don't know why they're after us. What a mystery this is."

A couple of hits to the ship made everyone slam into battle mode as Peter turned the ship sharply to avoid any further fire.

As Peter made many loops and sharp turns to avoid as many hits as they could, he grew angry. "What were you thinking?!"

"Dude, they were really easy to steal!"

"That's your defence?" Gamora snaps, fingers flying around a small screen she had in front of her.

"Come on! You saw how that High Priestess talked down to us! Now I'm teaching her a lesson!"

"I didn't realize your motivation was altruism. It's really a shame that the Sovereign mistaken your intentions, and are trying to kill us." Peter said, with almost a monotone voice.

"Exactly!"

"I was being sarcastic!" Peter exclaimed.

"Oh, no! You're supposed to use a sarcastic voice! Now I look foolish!" Rocket yelled back.

"Can we put the bickering on hold until after we survive this massive space battle?" Gamora asked, her fingers still moving around the screen.

"More incoming!" Peter called out as a trail of the small ships confronted them from in front.

"Good. I wanna kill some guys!" Rocket announced before letting out a cry, holding in the trigger to the ship's guns.

"You're not killing anyone." Gamora informed him. "All the ships are remotely piloted."

"Where's the satisfaction in that?" Lexi asked herself.

"What's the nearest habitable planet?" Peter asked as they receive another heavy hit.

"It's called Berhert," Gamora responded, the planet showing up on the screen along with information about it.

"How many jumps?" Peter asked hurriedly.

"Only one, but the access point is forty-seven clicks away, and you have to go through that quantum asteroid field."

Peter looked over before heading towards it, the rest of the fleet following closely.

"Quill, to make it through that, you have to be the best pilot in the universe," Drax announced in amazement, leaning forward.

"Lucky for us, I—"

"I am." Rocket smirked, flipping the pilot controls between them so that he was the one piloting. Peter glared at him.

The Milano dived into the asteroid field, swooping in and around the swirling stones, barely missing them.

Peter flipped the controls, re-piloting again.

"What are you doing?!" Rocket asked.

"I've been flying this rig with Lexi since I was ten years old."

"I'm cybernetically engineered to pilot a spacecraft." Rocket said casually, flipping the controls again.

"You were cybernetically engendered to be a douche bag!" Peter shot back, flipping the controls back to him.

"Stop it!" Gamora called out.

"Quill, later on tonight you're gonna be laying down in your bed, there's gonna be something squishy in your pillowcase. You're gonna be like what's this? and it'll be because I put a turd in there!" Rocket yelled out, leaning out of his seat.

Peter slowly looked over at him, the controls once again switching. "You put your turd in my bed, I shave you."

"Oh, it won't be my turd. It'll be Drax's."

Drax's laugh roared through the ship. Gamora and Lexi glared at him. Drax ignored the girls' glares, continuing on.

"I have famously huge turds."

"We're gonna die, and this is what we're discussing?!" Gamora asked bitterly, rolling her eyes.

Lexi blinked, looking out the front window. "I know you said we were gonna die, back when we were in prison. But I actually think this is where we die..."

The battle for control of the ship went back and forth, for what seemed like forever to the others. Peter and Rocket swerved around, nearly hitting several teleporting asteroids.

Lexi seemed to notice this, and a spark of hope sprawled within her until Peter's complaints were cut off by a piece of rock smashing into the stern of the spacecraft.

As a chunk of the craft flies out, a vacuum is created, sucking Nebula with it. Fortunately, she's shackled by her wrists so she doesn't fly out. Frost quickly formed on her face and body.

Peter groaned as he tried to get control over the spiralling ship, quick to catch a flying Groot and toss him over his shoulder to Drax. He slapped a button on his control panel, sealing up the backend of the ship with an energy shield and saving Nebula.

"Idiots!" her faint voice yelled out and Rocket shook his head.

"Well, that's what you get when Quill flies."

Gamora was quick to pick up a spare piece of metal off the floor and hurl it at his head. "We still have a Sovereign craft behind us!"

"Our weapons are down!" Peter yelled over the noise.

"Twenty clicks before the jump!" Gamora yelled back.

Drax looked over to Lexi, handing Groot to her before making his way towards the two pilots and squatting down between them.

Drax suddenly got up before making his way towards the back of the ship.

More hits rained down on the ship, destroying another thruster.

"Fifteen clicks to the jump!" Gamora yelled, being sharply jerked in her seat.

Another thurst in her seat.

"Ten clicks!"

"Five clicks!"

"C'mon Peter!" Lexi chanted, feeling Groot's small hands tighten around a lock of hair as he sat upon her shoulder.

"Hey, what about me?" Rocket snapped, looking over his shouler to glare at her.

Lexi glanced at him before looking up, her eyes widening.

There were dozens. Sovereigns left and right arrived in seconds. It was horrifying.

"Son of a—" Peter looked back and forth with his mouth gaped. "They went around the field!"

They all flinched as hundreds of bullets rained upon the ship, quickly destroying more of it. Within seconds, it all ceased suddenly. Rocket looked at Peter with wide eyes, his ears laying back flat.

They were utterly confused. Who could've done this?

"One click!" Gamora yelled.

Rocket looked over, seeing a white oval-shaped spacecraft flying by them. "What is that?"

"Who cares?! That's the jump point, go! Go!" Peter hastily answered, a portal opening up in front of them.

As the craft go closer, Rocket spotted a small figure standing atop of it, waving their arm back and forth. "It's a guy."

As soon as the ship made it past the barrier, the ship exploded into flames from the sudden atmosphere shift.

"Oh my God..." Gamora mumbled, watching as Drax's body flailed around from behind the ship. "He's still out there?"

At the back of the ship, objects flew out from it, hitting Drax left and right. The mount for the cable that Drax was hanging

Gamora's hands snatch it, pulling it with all the strength she could give. Her body was jerked off from Drax's weight. Another hand seized hers tightly, and she looked to see Lexi hanging on to her, and a sturdy part of the ship.

Lexi and Gamora both yelled out, both in pain and effort. As the ship neared the forest, both of their grip started to unwind.

Peter looking down, watching the back camera to see the two out there, on the brim of being thrown off. When Peter looked over his shoulder to Gamora's seat, he saw Groot eating from a bowl of candy.

"Groot, put your seatbelt on! Prepare for a really bad landing!" Peter yelled at the top of his lungs, shutting his eyes as they collided into a forest of trees.