Hey there. My name's Peter Quill, but you might know me as Star-Lord. What brings you here? You want to know how we saved the Galaxy? Well then, you might want to take a seat, it's a bit of a long story.
We better start on Earth. When I was young, about twelve in Terran years, my mom became really sick. Like, cancer sick. You don't know what cancer is? Well, cancer is a nasty Terran disease in which the cells in your body go crazy, stop working, and eventually kill you. Yeah, I know, it's not pleasant, but it can be treated and sometimes you beat the cancer, but that's not often, and there's always the chance of it coming back. Anyway, getting off track. The cancer was winning, and we all knew that there wasn't much time left. So, one night, we all gathered in her room to say our goodbyes. I was little at the time, and I couldn't understand why this was happening. I didn't want my mom to go. I was still in denial when she made her last request, for me to hold her hand, so I refused. She asked again for me to hold her hand, but I couldn't. To do that would mean she would be leaving me forever. Again I refused, with a childish and selfish hope that if I kept refusing, she wouldn't leave me. That she'd stay. My hope proved in vain when she slipped away in the next instant. I screamed for her and held her hand, now childishly hoping that is would bring her back. My grandpa dragged me out of the room, with me still screaming for my mom. He all but shoved me in a seat outside, told me to stay, and ran back into my mom's room. I couldn't accept that my mom was gone. I still could hear the monotone of her heart-monitor, and the crying of my family inside the room. I couldn't stand the sight, sound, and reality that my mom was gone.
So, I did what any kid in my position would do. I ran.
I ran out the door, through the parking lot, and through a nearby park. I ran until I collapsed and started sobbing the hardest I'd ever done in my life. She was gone. I couldn't believe that she was gone. Suddenly, the brightest spotlight I'd even seen shone on me, and a deep thrumming was all that could be heard. The spotlight grew brighter and started to swirl, and I could feel myself being sucked up towards the source of the light. I screamed "mom"! As I was pulled towards the ship and my new life.
Flash forward 26 years later, I was on Morag to retrieve an orb device that a customer wanted. I was supposed to wait for Yondu, leader of the Ravagers, but I was a fully-fledged Ravager, and had been for a few years, plus it was supposed to be just a normal grab-and-stash, so I went at it alone. It was easy getting inside and getting to the Orb itself, but the trouble started when a couple of Ninja-Turtles and their machine-headed freak of a leader showed up also wanting the Orb. What are Ninja-Turtles? Well, Ninja-Turtles come from Terra, and they giant talking turtles and they are superheroes. Their pretty cool, if I do day so myself. Anyway, Machine-Head kept yelling at me to 'drop it!' which I did, but his Ninja-Turtle buddies kept poking me, and he was about to send me to Ronan the Accuser. Not the best of people. I wouldn't recommend meeting him. After exploding a light-orb on the cronies behind me, I grabbed the Orb and flew out of the newly blasted hole in the wall behind me. I smacked down hard on the ground outside, but I had to get up and move quickly because Machine-Head was right after me yelling for my blood the whole time. Yeah. Real nice guy, isn't he?
Once I got to the Milano, my ship, I saw a few more Ninja-Turtle goons waiting near her, and yes I said her. On my planet a ship is always a her, and mine is a beautiful her at that. Sorry, getting off track again, where was I? Oh yeah. They turned their guns on me, but I turned on the electromagnet that had got me the Orb and threw it at them, and that took care of them for the moment. I got into the cockpit and turned on the Milano, just as Machine-Head and his cronies where assembling a huge gun that didn't look like fun. I got to flying as the Big Gun let off a few rounds, which all missed I might add. Just as I thought I was in the clear, a huge geyser erupted out of nowhere and temporarily shortened out the Milano's engine, leading it into a free fall once the geyser stopped. Everything in the cockpit, including me, was all thrown every which way, but I was able to restart the engines before we hit the hard rocky ground. As I set the ship to hover, I took a moment to catch my breath. I'll admit I jumped a bit where I heard a rustling noise, but I just saw a women with purple skin, purple eyes, and tousled hair climbing out of a hole in the floor and, looking dazed, asked "Peter? What happened?" I couldn't remember her name right away, but I tried, I really did, and she told me anyway. A little put-out, but she still told me. It was Bareet by the way. And, to be totally, completely honest, I forgot she was still aboard. Oops.
Later, after an infuriating called from Yondu, I set out for Xandar, where my commissioner, a man called The Brooker, was. I handed him the Orb, and was about to get payed, when I told him about my run in with Machine-Head and mentioned Ronan. Apon hearing those names, he shoved the Orb back at me and shoved me right out the door! I know! Rude! The dude just totally backed out on our deal! But, now that I look back, it's not all bad. Because that's where I met Gamora.