Yondu looks around the Elector's main hangar as he watches his men finish unloading the newly obtained cargo. The sooner they're done and on their way out of this system, the better. Xandar may be the jewel in the crown of the Nova Empire, but the place is way too clean and sterile to appeal. He remembers the first he visited it. He must have been barely over twenty because he was still being shepherded around by Stakar. The rest of the crew had seemed excited, but he'd felt a visceral dislike toward it almost immediately. Xandarians might be the mortal enemies of the Kree, but the capital's tidy streets and immaculately dressed citizens had reminded him of another cruelly pristine city on an entirely different planet. The two empires can keep trying to destroy each other for eternity for all he cares, it isn't his fight anymore and no amount of money or treasure could entice him to get involved in that mess.
"Tha's about it, sir. We're finished with the cargo and we's just waiting on Oreya and Teno's crews to get back from the southern continent." Horuz's rough voice interrupts Yondu's thoughts and he whips around with his signature scowl.
"Right then, took long enough. Where's Quill got to?"
The other man rolls his eyes. "The brat? Dunno. Ain't he with that skinny mining colony punk you insisted we bring aboard?" Horuz has proven himself loyal, but he'd been around when Yondu had still been learning how to be a Ravager (how to be a person, an insidious voice in his head says) and they'd even been assigned to the same crew quarters on Starkar's ship so the guy can occasionally get away with a tone that would earn almost anyone else an arrow through the eye.
Yondu scans the hangar. "Nah, that's Obfonteri over there playing cards with Tullk and Vorker."
"Ain't got a clue then," Horuz says with a shrug and a dismissive flick of his fingers. Yondu's lips curl up at that. There are limits, after all. He grabs the man's collar with one hand and flips his own coat open with the other one, revealing the arrow buzzing in its holder.
"Better get one fast. I want the kid found. And watch it with the backchat, unless you've got "being spaced" on your to-do list."
He lets Horuz go and gets a stiff salute in return. "Aye, Captain. Whatever you say." He stalks away and Yondu hears him mutter something that sounds like "Shoulda delivered him like we was supposed to" and "…nothing but hassle" but he decides to ignore it.
Yondu turns his attention to the card-playing men. "Kraglin! Get over here!"
The skinny Ravager immediately drops his cards and runs over to the captain. "Er, yes, boss?"
"Quill came up with you, right?"
"What?"
"Peter Quill. A pint-sized Terran and general pain in the backside. Eats his weight in rations and doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut," Yondu says, trying to mask his frustration.
Kraglin flushes. "I know who you meant, sir! It's just, Pete was on our M-ship back in the spaceport, but he said we was takin' too long and that he'd go with you. He did it all sudden-like, even left his jacket on the seat."
Yondu fights the wave of nausea that threatens to wash over him. "He didn't come with us."
"Well, unless he came up with Horuz or Igti, it means that…"
Yondu bites the inside of his cheek. "He's back on Xandar." He'd have to go get him, but not yet. He'll wait until everyone is settled back onboard and drinking themselves sick and then find an excuse to head back down planet-side.
Peter frantically glances around the port and panic sets in slowly. He knows better than to dawdle when it's time to head back home, but everyone had been taking forever to get the ships loaded. He had been sure he'd time to go to the bathroom, but finding the way back to the port's main hangar had been more difficult than he'd expected and by the time he'd found it, the four M-ships from the Eclector were gone. They'd notice he was gone and come back for him, right? Yondu had implied earlier that they'd need his ability to squeeze through small spaces on their next job. He'd just have to wait and hope they will. But not here. The hangar is crowded and uncomfortable, but there some restaurants and bars just outside. If Yondu does decide to come back for him, Peter is sure he'd search the nearby establishments.
He doesn't take long to choose a place. It's chilly outside and he really wishes he hadn't forgotten his jacket. He picks a restaurant that's well-lit and doesn't look too rowdy because this is Xandar and the bars would never let him in. The proprietor gives him a bit of an odd look when he walks in alone, but he takes Peter's order once he sees he's got units and brings him a hot, sweet drink that kind of reminds him of cocoa, except that it's pink. The port area is definitely a seedier part of the capital so he probably doesn't need to worry about anyone calling the authorities. It's only been about a half-hour or so when he hears loud voices at the entrance. "Haha! That's a good one, Captain!" He whips his head around to look, but it's definitely not Yondu and his crew. There's a small group of them, though, and they're all wearing navy blue leather uniforms with very familiar-looking flame insignia. They're Ravagers. He knows there are other Ravager crews ("At least 30," Gef told him once). He also knows that none of them are on friendly terms with Yondu's faction and that he's supposed to avoid them no matter what. And yet, he can't help but be interested in this group. He orders another drink and scooches over to the edge of the booth so he can get a better look. They've pushed a few tables together and seem to be in a celebratory mood. The captain is a humanoid with dark hair and glowing gold bands that wrap over his chest and shoulders. He's talking and laughing loudly with his crew members, even the ones who seem to be low-ranking. Peter decides to pay attention to what they say; if he picks up something useful maybe Yondu won't be too mad about this whole incident. Mostly they're just joking around and complaining about their significant others, but the guy who looks like he's made of glass starts talking about something involving jewels and a planet in another system so he pulls out the small datapad he had in his sweatshirt pocket. It's small, the screen is cracked and it doesn't have any comm capabilities, but he knows it can record because he managed to get a video of Horuz snoring away on bridge duty. He gets a few minutes of them talking about the logistics of the job before they switch topics again and he's about to put it away when someone grabs his arm, roughly.
The man who grabbed him is stocky and green-skinned. "Hey, boss! Look what we got here."
The captain stands up and looks over their way. "Uh, Xolmez, that's a child."
"He was recording us!"
The glass guy is up now too and he shoves his hands in his pockets and glances over at Peter. "I kinda doubt that."
"Fine, then I'll show you-" The Ravager is cut off by Peter trying to yank the pad out of his hand.
"Hey, that's mine! Give it back, jackass!" But it's too late and it only takes a few seconds of the recording playing for the captain to grab Peter by his shoulders, but to his surprise the guy doesn't shake or hit him.
"All right, kid, spill it. Who sent you? You just tell us who hired you and-"
"Oh, so you're interrogating children now? That's a new low, even for you." It's a woman's voice and Peter uses the momentary distraction to turn and get a look at her. She has messy dark hair and a lot of weapons. There's also a flame patch on her dark green uniform. There are two more women in green near the door, an Aakon and a Kree. He looks back at the one in front of him. She doesn't look anything like Meredith Quill, but when she smiles at him he can't help but see his mom. He also can't stop himself from pulling free of the man holding him in order to wrap his arms around her waist. She slowly stretches one arm around him in return and glares at the navy-clad captain, who for some reason looks both nervous and embarrassed. "I don't know what I thought would happen when I decided to use valuable time away from my ship to come join you here, Stakar, but it sure as hell wasn't this!"
"Ah, come on, Aleta! He was spying on us. I just wanted to find out who was behind it."
"Wait, you're friends with him?" Peter asks. He releases her from his embrace but sticks close to her side.
She smiles down at him again. "I guess you could say that. He's my husband."
"What, really? Are you getting divorced?"
"What? No! Why would you think that?!" Stakar asks in an annoyed voice.
"Well, she says she has her own ship and when my friend Bobby's parents got separate houses, it meant they were splitting up."
Aleta laughs. "We just need our own space, that's all."
"And he said you were crazy and you're gonna be the death of him."
She stops laughing. "Oh yeah? What else did he say?" Her voice suddenly sounds different, scarier.
The expression on Stakar's face reminds Peter of how Yondu's crew members look when he's about to whistle. "OK! Enough of this! Let's get outta here. We definitely need to talk to the boy more."
"You're not taking him anywhere without me. You're going to scar him for life." Aleta counters with a shake of her head.
"Why don't you come along to the ship for a visit, then? You've been saying you would."
She nods and looks down at Peter. "Ok, what do you think of that? I promise no one will hurt you. Oh, and what's your name?"
"It's Peter. And yeah, Ok, I guess so." He says as he takes her offered hand.
They walk quickly back to the ship and he, Stakar, Aleta and the man with crystal skin end up in front of what looks like a shinier, fancier M-ship.
"Um, actually, I really need to go home. I'll be in a lot of trouble if I don't get back soon."
Aleta looks at him at him sadly. "I don't know what your home is like, but I suspect you'll be better off if you come with us. Please just trust me, all right?"
"Ok," he says hesitantly. They board the ship and the door slides shut. Aleta points to a seat near the back and Peter sits and watches her go to the front with the other two. She's talking to Stakar in a low voice and he's trying to pick up what they're saying when it occurs to him. He's not restrained. He looks back and, sure enough, the door's lock isn't engaged. Could it really be that easy? He gets up quietly and walks to the control panel. It looks just like the ones on their M-ships, but would the sequence he knows work? He takes a deep breath and starts punching it in. The doors slide open.
Stakar paces around the Kismet, one hand rubbing his temples. "I can't believe he managed that! Who the hell is this kid anyway?!"
"I don't know, but I kind of wanted to keep him." Aleta said with a sigh.
Her husband looks back at her in surprise. "You were the one who said three was enough."
"Giving birth three times was enough! That one was already born. Or hatched or whatever."
"So, uh, what do you wanna do, Captain? Take off?" Martinex asks from the pilot console.
The captain sighs. "Yeah, I guess so. You still coming, Leta?"
"Oh, sure, why not?" Aleta slouches in the chair that Peter had just vacated, fiddling with his little datapad. She finds herself staring at a gallery of pictures and videos. She clicks on a few. They're pictures of rough-looking people in red leather, many of whom she recognizes. She hastily clicks the "delete all" button and shoves the thing in her pocket. "On second thought, I think I'll head back to my M-ship and join you a bit later."
After landing back at the port, Tullk and Kraglin secure the M-ship while Yondu hunches behind some junky shuttle and fiddles with the tracking feature on his datapad. Peter's flashing red dot hasn't moved in a while and he forces himself not to think about what that might mean. He's not being sentimental, damn it, he just wants to collect the boy and head off to their next job.
"Looking for your kid?"
He freezes. That's a voice he'd recognize anywhere. "Aleta? What the hell?!"
"We had a brief encounter with him, but he ran off. He's still on this planet, as far as I know." She stretches out an arm as if to rest a hand on his shoulder but then lets it drop to her side.
"I dunno who you're talkin' about but-"
"Oh yeah? About this high. Pale pink skin. Knows the Kree word for "jackass" and the control sequence to open the doors of an M-Ship. You're really gonna stand there and say you don't know?" She grins at him and it's exactly how he remembers it. Well, damn. She always was the smartest of the lot of 'em.
"All right, fine. He's a member of my crew."
"Uh huh. You're recruiting prepubescent children now? That's a great idea, why didn't I think of that?" She sighs and shakes her head. "Deny it all you want, but I'm a parent, remember? That boy... He's one of- one of them, isn't he?"
"It's-" He begins, but what's the point? His friends didn't listen to him about the Ego situation when they had the chance so what's the point of trying now? And even he will admit that they weren't wrong, not about the facts anyway. Instead, he makes eye contact with his old teammate for the first time in years. "How are them rug rats of yours, anyways?"
Aleta gives him a thin smile. "They're all fine. They asked about you the last time we dragged them to a general meeting."
"Yeah, and what'd you tell 'em?"
She winces and it's just noticeable enough for him to catch. "I didn't say anything. Stakar, however-"
"Never mind. Don't wanna know." He's saved from any more of this unique form of torture by a voice shouting his name through his comm.
"Yondu! Hey, Yondu! You there? We're ready to go find the lad."
Aleta raises an eyebrow. "Tullk stuck with you, then? Huh, well, that's interesting. Guess I'd better be going. Good luck finding your boy."
He turns around in annoyance. "Like I said, he's not-" But she's already gone.
The sign on the building reads "East Xandar Children's Home." All in all, the kid could've ended up somewhere worse. Yondu decides they might be a bit over-armed, but he still expects some kind of resistance when they barge in. He definitely doesn't expect a tiny, middle-aged Krylorian woman to rush over to them with a mix of concern and relief on her face. "Oh! Oh, thank the gods! Is one of you called Udonta?"
"That'd be me." He answers, feeling even more perplexed, because that's not the kind of reaction he's used to hearing upon arriving… well, anywhere.
If she looks a little surprised that it's him who spoke up, she hides it fast under a huge smile. "All right, why don't we get things sorted so you can get on your way?" She glances at their weapons and flame patches. "It's late and the children are all in bed and I'm sure you Ravager folks are very busy and all."
Kraglin just looks confused, but Tullk gapes at Yondu. "What the hell is goin' on, Captain?"
Yondu ignores him. "OK, woman, what're you on about?"
She gives him a wide-eyed looked. "You are here to pick him up, right? Because if you want to sign over your rights, I can tell you right now that this institution does not have the facilities necessary for-"
"You talkin' about Quill?"
Now she's looking at him like he might have brain damage. "I'm referring to the boy. Your son? Jason Udonta?" He feels his fellow Ravagers tense up and for one horrifying moment he wonders if something on his face betrayed him, but when he glances over at them he sees that Kraglin's eyebrows have shot up to his hairline and he's biting his lip while Tullk looks a few seconds away from convulsing with laughter. He scowls at them.
"All right, you two numbskulls stay put. I'm gonna grab Quill."
The matron leads him down a long corridor. "He did say that you would come and get him, but we were starting to lose hope." They stop at a door, which she unlocks with a wave of her hand. There's a bed and a box of toys, but Peter is sitting on the floor, back against the wall. His face lights up with a mix of relief and apprehension when he sees Yondu and, damn, if that doesn't dredge up… something. Something he immediately banishes from his conscious thoughts.
"Er, I'll go check on your friends," the matron says as she turns and shuffles away.
Once she's gone, Yondu leans against the opposite wall and crosses his arms across his chest. "So. Solitary on the first day, huh? Not bad, kid," he says with a lopsided grin.
Peter smiles back. "Yeah, they said I was an instigator, whatever that means. Something bad, I guess."
Yondu snorts at that. "They might've said that about me a few times too."
"Who did? Your parents?" Peter asks with narrowed eyes and his usual curious expression.
"Never mind about that. How'd you manage to end up here?"
"I was hungry so I tried to steal some food from a shop, but I got caught and the police brought me here. But that was after I got away from some… other people."
"You mean other Ravagers?" Yondu gives him look that says he'd better not lie.
"How'd you know?! But... yeah." He answers, sheepishly.
Yondu grins as he imagines Stakar and the others trying to control Quill. Then he has a thought that causes his face to cloud over. "Hey, kid, did these orphanage people do anything to you?" He'd really prefer not to traumatize a bunch of children by murdering their caregivers, but that might not be possible.
"You mean something bad?"
"That's right. Like hit you or whatever."
Peter scrunches up his face. "Yeah, I guess so."
"Yeah? What'd they do?" He feels molten anger bubbling up inside him and he's not completely sure why because whatever it is he knows he's seen worse. Hell, he's likely done worse, though not to children. He didn't hurt kids. (Except Peter's siblings, the voice in his head says).
"Well, for starters, they took my Walkman! Even though I told them I need it to sleep. Plus, I didn't get any dessert with dinner and I'm pretty sure the other kids did." Peter stops his rant and scrambles to his feet. "Hey, why are you laughing? It's not funny!"
"It's pretty funny." He leans over the ruffle the kid's hair. "C'mon boy, let's get back before those drunken idiots do too much damage to my ship. We need to hurry if you wanna have time to get that junky old music player of yours."
Quill follows but as they leave the room he tugs on the captain's grimy sleeve. "Hey, Yondu?"
"What?" He asks as he stops to look down at the boy.
"I thought you didn't come back for stragglers?"
He rolls his eyes. The kid is far too clever for his own good. "You're a special case, ain't ya? Like an investment. We need you for the thing on Ylvium, remember? And you'd better do a good job, you hear?"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Hey, Yondu?"
The brat is hanging on his arm again. "What?"
"What'd you do to piss off all those other Ravagers?"
This time Yondu shakes him off and keeps walking. "On second thought, we could leave you and take one of them here orphan kids instead. They'd probably be less fuss and a whole lot more grateful."
"What!? No! Wait, I'm sorry!" Peter shouts as he hurries to catch up. "I'm coming, all right? I promise I'll be less annoying!"
"I dunno, I kinda doubt that." But Yondu's smiling when he says it.