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𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟕
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓 𝐄𝐗𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄

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After changing out of their prison uniforms and into more comfortable clothing, the group of escapees began their journey toward the buyer of the Orb. While Gamora stood over the map on the table, Primrose sat in her usual spot with her book in hand as she read through the next chapter. What she didn't know was that Drax was standing behind her trying to make out what was happening in her story.

The silence was soon interrupted by the noise of a wire being pulled out of place before Peter's shouts cut through the room. Everyone instantly turned their direction towards the source of the sounds to find Rocket sitting over a pile of parts while the Quill man rushed towards him.

"Yo, Ranger Rick! What are you doing? You can't take apart my ship without asking me!" Peter shouted at the raccoon after stopping a few feet away from him. He reached down to grab one of the devices near the furry creature. "What is this?"

"Don't touch that. It's a bomb," Rocket told him in a nonchalant tone as he continued to mess with the object in his hands.

"A bomb?! And you leave it lying around?!"

"I was gonna put it in a box," the raccoon defended himself before pulling out the drawer closest to him.

"What's a box gonna do?!" Peter shouted right as Rocket pulled out the small brightly colored box that the Quill man kept hidden since they got the Milano. "No! Whoa! Hey! Leave it alone!" the redheaded man demanded before forcing the gift back into the drawer and closing it with his foot.

"Why? What is it?"

"Shut up!" Peter shouted, earning a small scoff from Rocket while everyone continued to watch their exchange with different emotions on their faces. It wasn't long before the Quill man gestured to another object next to the raccoon. "What is that?"

"That's for if things get really hardcore," Rocket told him as a small smirk slowly formed on his face, "or if you wanna blow up moons."

"No one's blowing up moons," Primrose declared as she turned the page of her book, earning a small cry of protest from Drax. His actions caused the Quill woman looked back at him with confusion in her eyes.

"So, listen I'm gonna need your buyer's coordinates," Peter said to Gamora while walking around the table to get a better view of the map.

"We're heading in the right direction. For now," was all the Zehoberei woman said in response, her eyes never leaving the Orb.

That caused the Quill man to turn his attention away from the screen to look at Gamora. He just stared at her for a long moment before taking a few steps toward her with a small smile on his face. "If we're gonna work together, you might try trusting me a little bit."

"And how much do you trust me?" the Zehoberei woman retaliated, causing Primrose to let out a small laugh as she closed her book and took the Orb out of Gamora's hand.

"I don't know about Peter, but I know I'd trust you a lot more if you told us what this was," the Quill woman stated while studying the silver object in her hands, "because I'm guessing it's some sort of advanced mechanism...or maybe it holds important information."

"I don't know what it is," Gamora stated after Primrose placed the Orb on the table in front of them, only for Drax to pick it up.

"We should use it against Ronan," the Kylosian man stated as he stared at the object in his hand.

"Put it down, you fool. You'll destroy us all," the Zehoberei woman hissed while her grip on the table tightened.

"Or just you, murderess!" Drax shouted before Gamora walked forward until she was standing inches away from the man.

"I let you live once, princess!"

"I am not a princess!"

"Hey! Nobody is killing anybody on my ship!" Peter yelled, causing everyone to turn their attention to him to find him staring at the pair with a hint of annoyance in his eyes, "we're stuck together until we get the money."

"I have no interest in money," Drax stated with disgust in his voice before he tossed the Orb to the Quill man.

"Great," the redheaded man said as the Kylosian man pushed past him and walked toward the other side of the room, "that means more money for the four of us."

"I am Groot."

"For the five of us," Peter corrected after seeing the sadness in Groot's eyes before turning his attention back toward Gamora, "partners."

"We have an agreement, but I would never be partners with the likes of you. I'll tell the buyer we're on our way," the Zehoberei woman stated, causing the Quill man to let out a long sigh while his sister rolled her eyes, "and Quill, your ship is filthy."

Silence surrounded them as Gamora turned their back toward the group that remained and climbed the ladder to the cockpit. Once she was out of sight, Peter brought his attention back to those who remained in the room before a small smirk slowly appeared on his face.

"Oh, she has no idea. If I had a black light, this place would look like a Jackson Pollock painting."

"You got issues, Quill."

"You have no idea," Primrose added with a smirk on her face, earning another annoyed look from her brother as she went back to reading her book.

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Rock music filled the Milano as Primrose sat in her chair and watched Peter mess around with their equipment. A small smile formed on her face as her brother pointed the blaster and pretended to shoot it before going back to cleaning. That was how their lives were before they were dragged into this mess and Primrose couldn't help but long for it. To her surprise, going back to it being just the two of them was something she wanted more than her freedom to explore the universe.

It wasn't long after that when the peaceful moment was interrupted by Rocket calling down to them that they had arrived. Peter immediately put his blaster down before making his way toward the ladder. When he realized his sister wasn't following him, the Quill man turned to look at her and gestured for her to come with him. A sigh passed over the Quill woman's lips as she got to her feet before going after her brother up the ladder. When she reached the cockpit of the ship, Primrose could hardly believe her eyes. The open space in front of them was filled with different colored star clusters and in the center of it all was a giant floating head. The brunette woman just stared at the sight in awe before she felt a presence on her other side.

"It's called Knowhere. The severed head of an ancient Celestial being," Gamora explained while everyone just stared at their destination before she sat down in the seat closest to her, "be wary headed in, rodent. There are no regulations whatsoever here."

As soon as she finished speaking, the raccoon flew the Milano straight into the eye of the former Celestial. A whole new world was revealed as soon as they passed through to the other side. A large grin instantly formed on Primrose's face as she looked around at all the lights that surrounded him. Unknown to her, Peter was watching his sister with a small smirk on his face. It had been a long time since he saw the look of pure wonder that he loved to see on his sister's face.

They soon found a place to park the Milano before all six of them went down the ladder to grab their belongings. Once they were prepared, the group of misfits headed out onto the streets of Knowhere. The smile on Primrose's face did nothing but grow as they walked along with the Knowhere natives. But her attention was soon drawn back to Gamora when she began speaking.

"Hundreds of years ago, the Tivan Group sent workers in to mine the organic matter within the skull. Brain, bone tissue, spinal fluid. All rare resources, highly valued in black markets across the galaxy," the Zehoberei woman explained as they continued to walk further into Knowhere toward their destination, "it's dangerous and illegal work, suitable only for outlaws."

"Well, I come from a planet of outlaws. Billy the Kid, Bonnie and Clyde, John Stamos," Peter told them, only for Primrose to send him a confused look that he intentionally ignored.

"It sounds like a place which I would like to visit," Drax stated, causing a silent sigh to pass over the Quill woman's lips as a smirk formed on her brother's face.

"Yeah, you should," the Quill man told him right as a group of kids came rushing toward them, "watch your wallets."

While the rest of them continued walking, Primrose stopped beside Groot before watching him smile down at a blonde girl. The Quill woman watched in awe as the giant tree held a hand out toward her after forming a flower in his palm. Groot immediately picked the flower before handing it over to the girl. The two of them just watched a small smile form on the kid's face before they followed the rest of their group. The rest of their journey was filled with silence until they reached a building with the most colorful lights on the planet. To Primrose, it seemed kind of pointless to have so many colored lights in one place. But it seemed to be doing its job of drawing everyone's attention.

"Your buyer's in there?" Rocket questioned as they got closer to the building.

"We are to wait here for his representative," Gamora told them right as they watched a bouncer throw someone out of the building.

"This is no respectable establishment," Drax complained before letting out an irritated groan, "what do you expect us to do while we wait?"

"I don't know about you, but I think I'm gonna explore a little," Primrose said as she looked around at her surroundings, completely unaware of the concerned look Peter was sending her way.

"Alright, just be careful and keep your comms on," the Quill man told her before the smile on his sister's face grew, "and don't go too far. We'll probably need you for negotiations."

While everyone else walked into the building, the Quill woman turned down the street to see more of Knowhere. Primrose couldn't believe how a civilization formed in the head of a Celestial being. If anything, she thought it would just be abandoned and forgotten. But here it was, providing a home for thousands of people. Primrose just wished she got more of an opportunity to explore places like that.

The brunette woman had no idea how much time had passed since she left her misfit group. She would've kept exploring the different parts of Knowhere, but her fun was cut short by her comm beeping, meaning it was time for her to go back. A small sigh passed over her lips as she turned around and headed back, only for her to stop in her tracks when she spotted a familiar face in the distance. Panic coursed through Primrose's veins as she spun around to find another way back to her brother. However, she was only able to take a few steps before running into someone she never expected to see again.

"Well, well, what do we have here," Yondu said with a large grin before two more Ravagers came out of nowhere and restrained her, "it's so nice to see you again, Rose."

"The feeling isn't mutual," Primrose hissed as she attempted to break free from the men's grasp.

The leader of the Ravagers just stared at the Quill woman for a long moment before a sly smirk appeared on his face. It wasn't long after that when he started laughing, making his followers join in. As soon as his joyful moment was finished, Yondu's attention moved toward the two men restraining Primrose. "Take her back to the ship and make sure she stays there until I get back."

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