The sky was ablaze with lights, fireworks surrounding the ship serving as Yondu Udonta's funeral pyre. Kraglin Obfonteri watched, tears in his eyes, as his fellow Ravagers, his newly returned family, honored their fallen comrade. Things would be different now, he had no crew around him, no captain.

As much as he rejoiced that Yondu would not be forgotten, Kraglin suddenly had the feeling that he himself would be. His thoughts were cut off by Peter calling him over to his ship, surprisingly to give him his captain's fin and arrow. And an offer to travel with the Guardians as an extra pilot. Kraglin didn't need to think about it, he called Quill "Captain", and went to practice using his new weapon hoping he'd somehow make Yondu's spirit proud.

"How much longer?" Rocket asked, for the third time in as many minutes. Peter rolled his eyes and ignored him. Delicate procedures like this required finesse, skill, an intelligence that the little trash panda simply didn't have. Careful measurements were taken, and a steady hand arranged the multiple parts into the final, dangerous result. Carefully handing it to the raccoon, Quill took a deep breath and steadied himself.

"Now?" Rocket asked. At Peter's hesitant nod, the Guardian raised the vial to his lips and swallowed, coughing violently. "That - that's horrible," he sputtered, wiping his mouth with his paw. "What the heck do you call it?"

"Midnight kiss - of course we don't have lemon, so I had to be creative," Peter said, downing his drink. He made a face much like he had eaten a locust soaked in turpentine and shuddered. "That really is awful." He glanced at his friend. "Want another?"

"You bet."

Mary Simmons, owner of the bar the Guardians found themselves in, shook her head and smiled. Normally, she didn't let customers mix their own drinks, but this was a retirement of sorts for her. She was thirty years old and ten years running a bar on Kronas had been plenty. She hadn't been surprised Kraglin had sought her out after everything that had happened recently. Yondu had been like an uncle to her, so he and Kraglin had visited many times over the years. They'd never brought the rest of the crew, Mary was not someone who enjoyed having her place shot up, no matter how much the blue skinned captain promised to pay her for damages. And she sort of liked having the two of them visit now and then, making sure she was doing all right.

This group was different though. Quiet for the most part, but with friendly smiles and the cutest little thing called Groot that sat on the big one's shoulder. Drax, she thought his name was. She'd chatted with the ladies that had come in with them, and shown them where they could rest for the night. Gamora had said Mantis was a bit overwhelmed by everything and needed some sleep. And Mary had the feeling Gamora wasn't in the mood to drink tonight.

She glanced at her friend, drinking on his own at the small corner table he and Yondu would take whenever they were on the small planet Mary called home. His normally happy expression clouded with a weary sadness she knew well, having lost the closest person she'd had to a father. She walked over to him and he glanced up, a brief smile flitting across his face as she sat across from him.

"Hi stranger. Your friends are nice."

"Friends? Oh - yeah, I guess, maybe they are." His steel grey eyes seemed to focus on something in the distance for a moment and she sighed.

"They're nice, or they're your friends?" Her teasing lilt drew his attention to her again, and a small part of his pain eased. He chuckled, taking a sip of his drink.

"Both, I guess. Ain't really used to being around 'em yet. I mean, Peter, yeah, but he's not just a bratty kid anymore. He's a captain, a Guardian." He shrugged. "He asked me to travel with 'em - be a pilot and such. I'm gonna do it - I don't have anything else, ya know?"

Mary's eyes clouded. "Yeah, I do know. I was excited to shut this place down after tonight, but I guess I hadn't thought about what to do next. Sandor's had a bit of a price on my head ever since I threw him out of here," she put a hand over her mouth. Damn, she hadn't meant to say that aloud, and certainly not to him. He'd always been like a big brother to her. He glared at her and leaned in closer, taking her hand.

"And just when was you gonna say somethin' to me about that?" he growled, looking like he'd kill all seven feet of Sandor Soardon where he stood.

"I - I wasn't. I'm just going to take the first shuttle out of here and travel, you know - see the galaxy. I've always wanted to, you know, and now I can."

Kraglin stared at her for long moments. "That's why you're closing up." At her nod, he glared at her.

"You aren't taking no shuttle. You're coming with me. I mean us." He motioned Quill over to him and before Mary could say anything, he'd gotten permission for her to travel with the Guardians.

"You don't even know me, I'll be in the way," Mary protested. Peter looked at her with humor.

"We have a habit of being in the way, what's one more, right? Besides, Yandu talked about you to me once. Said you were a pretty fair archer?"

"Well, yeah, I'm good - but that wouldn't matter in a gun fight."

Peter smiled. "Depends on what kind of arrow you had," he answered, glancing at Kraglin. "I know someone who could use a bit of training with a Yaku 's eyes grew wide. She'd only used Yandu's arrow a few times as a young girl, but she'd loved it. He'd given her a smaller one as a gift, and though she wasn't a Centurian, she'd learned to wield the weapon fairly well over the years.

"You have it?" She asked her friend, who nodded sheepishly.

"Well, yeah, but I'm nowheres near as good with it as you are," the Xandarian admitted. "You'd be doin' me a favor, coming with us." He stared at her, and something deep in her belly started doing flip flops. Had he always been handsome, and she just had never noticed. She shook her head, thinking like that could get her heart broken.

"I don't know if this is a good idea," she started to say, then Kraglin's fist pounded on the old wooden table.

"Listen, fila (beloved), I've already lost one member of my family today, I don't intend to lose another - all right?" His normally calm blue eyes were now a steel grey, signalling his heightened state of emotion and she almost gasped. Beloved? That must have been the booze talking.

Mary stood up and took off her apron, making her decision.

"All right, I'll come with you. But right now, I need sleep." She leaned up and kissed Kraglin on the cheek. "Good night, my hero," she teased, and headed for the back room she called her own.

Kraglin raised a hand slowly to his cheek and stared after her for what seemed like forever.

"Hey," Rocket asked, "does this mean we have our own personal bartender on board our ship now? Sweet!"