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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟑
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐖𝐊𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄

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What felt like an eternity of sitting around the Milano and listening to Peter's music passed before they finally reached their destination. Xandar. Just the sight of the planet made Primrose close her book and stare out the window in awe. She would've given anything to live on the capital of the Nova Empire and work with the technology there. It was like nothing she had ever seen before. But that was never going to happen. Especially not with Yondu and his goons after her.

After Peter landed the Milano in a docking bay and paid for its stay, the Quill siblings made their way toward their destination while Bareet went in the opposite direction. Primrose would never tell her brother but she was a little jealous of the Krylorian. Even though she was stuck on the Milano with them for a while and probably a lot longer than she would've liked, the pink woman was able to walk away like nothing happened. Despite her wanting to stay with Peter, the Quill woman couldn't help but be envious of Bareet's freedom.

Primrose quickly shook off her thoughts as she followed Peter through the busy streets of Xandar. They wove through the civilians that littered the walkways and avoided eye contact with the planet's officers as they passed. It wasn't long before the two of them made it to the center of the city. The Quill woman looked around in awe at the shining buildings that surrounded them and the ships flying overhead. When she turned her attention back toward her brother, she couldn't help but let out a scoff. She just stood there for a moment as she watched Peter flirt with one of the Xandarians before she got the feeling that she was being watched.

Primrose's senses were on high alert as she looked around the plaza and at the people passing by. However, before she could get a good look at the world around her, her attention was drawn back to Peter when he nudged her shoulder. Once she fully turned back around to face her brother, he tilted his head to the side and gestured toward their next destination. When they reached the smallest building in the area, the Quill woman grabbed the orb from her brother. Peter sent her a glare that Primrose easily ignored before the two of them went inside. The man behind the counter instantly looked away from the object in his hands and greeted the siblings with an expressionless look on his face.

"The Orb," Primrose replied to the man's welcome while holding up the object in question and placing it on the counter, "as commissioned."

"Where's Yondu?" was all the Broker said in response, earning an eye roll from the Quill woman that the former either missed or chose to ignore.

"Wanted to be here. Sends his love. And he told us to tell you that you got the best eyebrows in the business," Peter told him with a small smirk before a smile finally appeared on the businessman's face.

"What is it? And why is it so important?" Primrose questioned, drawing everyone's attention back to the silver Orb that sat on the counter between them.

"It's my policy never to discuss my clients or their needs," the Broker stated as he started placing his tools on the glass surface.

"Yeah, well, it would be nice to know what we risked our lives for. We did almost die getting it for you. "

"An occupational hazard, I'm sure, in your line of work, Ms. Quill."

"Some machine-headed freak, working for a dude named Ronan," Peter added, making the Broker stop what he was doing before looking up at the Quill siblings.

"Ronan? I'm sorry, Mr. Quill. I truly am. But I want no part of this transaction if Ronan is involved," the businessman stated in a panicked tone as he walked around the counter. Not even a second after that passed when he placed the Orb back in Primrose's hands and pushed them toward the exit.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Peter shouted, causing the Broker to pause his actions to stare up at the Quill man, "who's Ronan?"

"A Kree fanatic, outraged by the peace treaty, who will not rest until Xandarian culture, my culture, is wiped from existence," the businessman explained before continuing to push the two of them out of the building, "he's someone whose bad side I'd rather not be on."

"What?! What about my bad side?!" the Quill man shouted while his sister clutched the Orb against her chest as if her life depended on it.

The next thing either of them knew, the Broker waved his hands through the air to open the door before they were pushed outside. Shock and confusion flowed through Primrose's veins as she listened to her brother shout at the closed door. This lasted for a moment longer before they both realized they were being watched. When they turned their attention away from the steel door, they found a Zehoberei woman leaning against the building's exterior. Primrose studied the stranger as the latter continued to eat the fruit in her hands and watch the siblings. Uncertainty flowed through the younger Quill's veins the longer she stared at the woman while her brother looked at her with wide eyes.

"What happened?" the stranger questioned after looking away from the Terrans and to the fruit in her hands.

"Ah, this guy just backed out of a deal on me. If there's one thing I hate, it's a man without integrity," Peter explained, earning an elbow in the side from his sister. The Quill man instantly sent Primrose a glare then took the Orb and pushed her away to continue speaking to the stranger. "Peter Quill. People call me Star-Lord."

"And by 'people' he just means himself," the Quill woman added, receiving another glare from her brother while the woman in front of them sent her a small smile.

"You have the bearing of a man of honor," the raven-haired woman responded after her eyes left Primrose and landed back on 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," Star-Lord told her as he tossed the Orb in the air and caught it again while his sister tried her best to suppress an eye roll. She failed miserably.

An uncertain feeling soon flowed through Primrose's veins as she watched the Zehoberei woman slowly approach them. Before she could voice her concern to her brother, the stranger snatched the Orb from his hands and kicked Peter straight in the stomach. If it was any other time, the Quill woman would've started laughing. But this wasn't any other time. Irritation replaced the confusion Primrose once felt before she grabbed an Energy Bola from Peter's belt and threw it at the stranger. A smile replaced the scowl on her face as she watched the object wrap around the woman's legs and send her to the ground. While she tried to free herself from the glowing ropes, Primrose sprinted at the stranger, leaving her brother behind to recover from the pain.

When she finally reached the woman, the latter used both her feet to kick the Quill woman in the stomach and send her to the ground next to her. Primrose was able to block the Zehoberei woman's punches to her head and chest before the latter landed one in the brunette woman's stomach. As the stranger pinned her to the ground, the younger Quill sibling silently wished she took Kraglin up on his offer to train her more in hand-to-hand combat.

"This wasn't the plan," the woman muttered before she raised her sword into the air, only for a small creature to appear out of nowhere and knock her off of Primrose.

The Quill woman just stayed on the ground as she watched what looked like a raccoon attack the raven-haired woman. The confusion within her did nothing but double when a giant tree creature appeared out of nowhere.

"Put the humie in the bag! Put her in the bag!" the raccoon shouted up at the tree before branches grew out of the giant creature and wrapped around the woman, "no! Not her, the humie! Learn species, man!"

Primrose continued to watch the scene play out in front of her in utter confusion before Peter appeared out of nowhere and forced her to her feet. After grabbing the Orb off the ground, the Quill siblings sprinted away from the trio through the streets of Xandar. Just as they thought they escaped from the danger behind them, a dagger came out of nowhere and nicked Peter's hand, forcing him to drop the Orb. The Quill woman sprinted forward and tried to grab the object as it rolled across the walkway. However, her attempts were futile as she watched it roll over the side and land next to the fountain.

An irritated groan passed over her lips as she watched the Zehoberei woman scoop it up and sprint away. When she turned back around to face her brother, she watched Peter jump over the railing and knock the woman to the floor once again. Just as Primrose was about to join him, something wrapped around her and lifted her into the air. The last thing she saw before being stuffed into a bag was the smirking face of the raccoon. Primrose struggled to free herself from the bag as she felt the tree walk through Xandar before they came to a sudden stop. The confusion returned to the Quill woman when she heard her brother's grunts coming from somewhere nearby.

"Quit smiling, you idiot. You're supposed to be a professional," the brunette woman heard the raccoon say as they came to another sudden stop before she heard the creature sigh, "you've gotta be kidding me."

The next thing Primrose knew, she was dropped onto the hard ground before she heard the Zehoberei woman's shouts. While the raccoon and tree were preoccupied, the Quill woman was able to free herself from her fabric prison just in time to see her brother shoot the woman with his Quad Blaster. The younger of the Quill siblings just stared at the scene before her brother forced her to her feet and dragged her away from their attackers.

However, they once again didn't make it very far before an agonizing shock filled every inch of their bodies. Both of their yells cut through the air as they fell to the ground while electricity continued to course through their veins. Right as the shocking feeling faded away, Primrose felt hands grab both of her arms before she was forced to her feet. When she finally saw who helped her up from the cold ground, all her happiness faded away.

"Hey! If it isn't Star-Prince," Rhomann greeted Peter, whose smile fell and was replaced by an annoyance.

"Star-Lord," the Quill man corrected while his sister did her best to suppress a chuckle.

"Oh, sorry. 'Lord,'" the Dey man responded before his attention landed on Primrose, "and Stardust, right?"

Primrose failed to hold back her laughter after hearing her brother's snarky remark about the man remembering her name. After the Quill woman received a glare from Peter, the members of the Nova Corps began to escort the siblings away from the trio being lifted into the air.

"I picked these two up a while back for petty theft. They have code names!" Rhomann continued to explain to his comrades, who laughed in response to their ally's words before Peter lets out another scoff.

"Come on, man. It's...it's outlaw names," the Quill man practically whined after seeing a smirk appear on one of the men's faces.

"Just relax, pal," the Dey man told Peter while Primrose smiled along with the rest of the Nova Corps officers, "it's cool to have a code name. It's not that weird."

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"Primrose Jordan Quill Parrish, from Terra. Raised from youth by a band of mercenaries called the Ravagers alongside her brother, led by Yondu Udonta," Rhomann explained to the two other officers standing in the room with him while Primrose stood on the other side of the screen, "she got most of the brains while Peter...well, you know. But they do make the perfect team."

The three of them watched the Quill woman study her personal information that was popping up on the screen. They tried to hide their amusement as she tried to figure out how the machine in front of her worked before the silence was broken by a long sigh.

"What a bunch of a-holes," Saal stated as he looked over the information he was given about their five newest prisoners, "transport all five to the Kyln."

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