It was an easy mission. Star-Lord was sure of that. All the Nova Corps wanted was for the Guardians to catch some small, furry alien that had escaped some kind of zoo or something like that. Honestly, Star-Lord didn't care where it came from; he only cared that he'd be getting some major cash for this. Of course, the whole team would split the reward, but still.
A week ago, the Guardians had been surprised when they had been contacted by the Nova Corps via transmission. They had been….well, not doing much of anything, when the call had come in. Star-Lord, who had been slouching in his seat, quickly sat up like a rocket.
"Guardians of the Galaxy, we require your assistance. A possibly dangerous creature has escaped from one of our facilities, and we require it's return, within the month, if at all possible".
The message had been clear, all static aside. Star-Lord, of course, first had to make sure his team was comfortable with the job, especially Rocket Raccoon. He could be sensitive where other "animals" were involved.
"Yeah, yeah, we need the money, don't we?" Rocket had snarled. The others had no objections whatsoever. Now, in present, the Guardians had landed their ship on the planet, Vangolo, where the creature was said to reside.
Vangolo was 98% rainforest, and the overall atmosphere was muggy, and not much fun. To be fair, it was hard to be a fun place when being there for 10 minutes made you feel as if all the world's perspiration was now stuck in your clothes!
"OK team, um," Star-Lord began, trying to sound leaderly, "for some reason, the Nova Corps didn't give us a name to go with the creature….BUT, we do have a photo and a description, which I will now, uh, pass around". He handed the photo to Gamora, who looked at the image deeply, wondering if she had come across the creature before. No such luck.
"The creature's fur is purple, but contains no poison or toxins. Walks on four legs, but also has mild flight capabilities due to its short wings. One-eyes, horned. Is almost impossible to locate after nightfall. Will eat almost anything it can get its hands on, and can be considered highly dangerous", Gamora read aloud. Star-Lord was of the opinion that she sounded hot even when reading a boring scientific summary.
Drax looked at Star-Lord seeking confirmation. "We are to capture this alien alive, correct?" Star-Lord nodded.
"We should also try to avoid roughing it up in general, too. The last thing we need is the space version of PETA to get on our butts", Peter joked. Unfortunately, judging from the looks of his comrades, the joke had sailed over quite a few heads.
"I would never let anyone touch my butt", Drax growled. The only person he had allowed to do that was his dear wife.
"And no one would want to", Star-Lord said, then quickly realized his mistake, and tried to cover it up. "I mean, I'm sure lots of people would like to….they'd just be scared, and, uh….".
"Just stop, you're looking like an idiot" Rocket jeered. Star-Lord shut up. Rocket, shaking his head, reached inside a small backpack he had.
"Since our leader has gone full idiot, I'll take this opportunity to hand everyone a map of the area. So, you know, you jerks don't get lost", the raccoon-type alien smirked as he handed each member a map, except sapling Groot, who'd be staying behind.
"I am Groot", the tree said solemnly. Rocket gave the tree a small nudge.
"Yeah, I'll be careful, mom. Don't get your branches in a twist", Rocket said with a jovial tone. The others watched bemused, quickly looking away when Rocket looked back up.
"Well, what are you guys waiting for? We have to hurry before the sun sets!" Rocket yelled. The team all went their separate ways in the forest, Star-Lord wondering who made Rocket leader, Drax trying to read the map, and Gamora feeling insulted that Rocket would have the nerve to insinuate that she would get lost without a map.
Gamora, still fuming, almost didn't notice when she passed a particularly swampy area. Quickly going back, she wandered if the creature enjoyed the water. It didn't look particularly aquatic, but she had to make sure.
The bog looked clean, with sparkling, blue water, but bubbles that occasionally popped up to the surface said otherwise. This was no place for a creature to swim.
More bubbles began to gather at the bog. Gamora leaned in curiously. Just then, a figure lunged from the waters, grabbing Gamora by the neck! Undaunted, Gamora kneed the figure in the stomach area. Gasping, the figure, which looked male, let go.
He was drenched, of course, but his skin was covered in black scales, and he had needle-sharp teeth. His eyes glowed green. Gamora raised an eyebrow. She had never seen anyone like this.
Drax was lumbering around in a thicker part of the forest, using his knife to cut through tree branches and vines. He had to admit: he was completely lost. The map had been no help to him, which was vexing. He let out a huff has he cut down some particularly strong branches.
He paused when he heard a noise that seemed to be coming from the upper canopies. Could it be the creature? Drax would find out. Determined, he began climbing the trees as easy as if he were a monkey. Of course, with his green skin, Drax did fit in pretty well with the shrubbery.
A few minutes later, and Drax had reached the top. What he saw took him by surprise!
"What manner of being are you?" Drax asked, staring at some kind of feathered being. It looked like a man, but had feathers all over, and a head that resembled (what had Peter called it?) an owl. The "owl man" looked at Drax, and spread his wings.
Drax tensed up, knowing what was coming next. The Owl Man tackled Drax, taking him off the tree, but Drax grabbed on to his opponent's wings. The Owl Man let out a hoot, diving in low, hoping to shake off Drax.
"That will not work, my grip will not loosen" Drax informed the Owl Man. Frustrated, the Owl Man flew upside down, but that only gave Drax a chance to wrap his legs around the man, their combined weight causing them to plummet to the ground.
Star-Lord was casually walking around, headphones in his ear. He wasn't too concerned about finding the creature right away. Honestly, he was more concerned about how he'd catch it, since he forgot to bring a cage or a net.
Closing his eyes to better enjoy his song, he tripped over something and fell hard.
"Son of a OW!" he cried. Looking down at what tripped him, he saw fur.
"I FOUND YOU!" he yelled triumphantly, grabbing the animal's tail. The animal let out a loud, "What the heck, Peter?"
Whoops.
It was Rocket. A very ticked off Rocket. Oh man.
After a hasty apology, Rocket didn't look very impressed.
"I gave you guys maps so you wouldn't get mixed up, and enter someone else's territory. Did you even read the map, jerkwad?"
"Well, I did read the map, but you know, I follow the beat of the music", Peter explained. Rocket gave him a murderous look.
"Ok, I was an idiot, but you know what? I think this is a good thing", Peter said, enjoying Rocket's confused expression. Peter continued.
"You see, I was thinking that it would be really hard for me to grab that creature. I have no net, and I don't want to get space rabies or something like that. But Rocket, with you here, maybe we can communicate with it!" Peter said in a rushed exclamation.
"What, since I'm also an "animal", means I can communicate with all space creatures? That's a stereotype, Quill!" Rocket stated, crossing his small, furry arms. Peter rolled his eyes.
"No, I assumed you could because you can understand Groot". Rocket blinked.
"Oh".
As the duo talked, they failed to notice a certain purple-furred creature crawling next to them, attempting to eat Rocket's backpack. Rocket, noticing with a yelp, tackled the creature. The creature managed to squeeze out of his grasp, but Star-Lord cornered it next to a thick bush.
"We have it now, Rocket!" Star-Lord exclaimed, stating the obvious, in Rocket's opinion. Now was the time to communicate.
"I – am – Rocket. What – is – your – name?" Rocket asked in a very slow, obvious voice, while making big signals with his hands. Star-Lord couldn't help but feel that this must be how some people acted when they met Indians. He hoped the purple creature wouldn't get offended.
Rocket and Star-Lord were both surprised, but pleased when they saw Gamora and Drax both emerge from various trails. They were less pleased when they saw a fish-man and an owl-man behind them.
"Guys, behind you!" Star-Lord warned. Gamora put her hands on his shoulders.
"Peter, calm down. They mean no harm", Gamora said, her tone giving little room for argument.
"Well, if you say so…" Star-Lord said, trusting Gamora's judgment. After all, when he first met his teammates, he thought they looked pretty weird too.
The fish-man stepped forward. "We have lived on this planet alone for many years. I am the last of my race, and the same can be said of my feathered companion. We have chosen to live here, safe from outsiders. This purple creature arrived here seeking freedom; who are you to take that away? We wish for him to stay with us".
Star-Lord felt guilty, but the Nova Corps had given him this mission. Gamora looked at him.
"Peter, Thanos killed their family, but they are safe from his wrath here. If we tell the Nova Corps, Thanos may find out", she said quietly.
"I don't see any harm in letting them stay", Drax said. He sympathized with their loss of family. Star-Lord looked down in guilt. Rocket was doing the same.
Star-Lord hardened his resolve. "OK. We won't tell the Nova, and we won't bring back the little guy". The purple alien crawled back towards the greenery, possibly to build a home. Who knew?
The fish-man and owl-man bowed respectfully. Star-Lord, feeling uncomfortable, headed back to the ship, where they blasted off.
Star-Lord sent a transmission to the Nova Corps explaining that the purple "monster" had died. It had burned alive in some kind of strange acid emitted from a rare space plant. Nothing could be done. Somehow, the Nova Corps believed this!
And it all ended happily.
Well, aside from the fact that Rocket had gotten fleas from the purple creature. But oh well, small details.
Well, that was fun to write. My first Guardians fic. I loved the film, so I had to write something. I'm busy with other fics, so I only had time for a one-shot, but eventually, I may try my hand at a longer fic!
If you liked, please comment. And if you didn't like...you can still comment! :D