Rocket and Lylla have been split up, so let's see how they fare when apart.

Lylla let out a grunt as she was pushed into a room aboard the Ravager ship. Blackjack entered shortly afterwards, locking the door behind him. "I've been waiting a long time for this," the rabbit said. "How's it been, Lylla?"

The otter growled and punched Blackjack straight in the face. "You horrid hare!" she shouted. "We were friends, and you sold us out? Why?"

"It was for you, Lylla," Blackjack said. He grabbed her arms to avoid being punched again. "I wanted to- no, I needed to get you back, just like in the old days."

"What are you talking about?" Lylla questioned. "We were all a team: you, me, Uncle Rus, Rocket…"

"Rocket isn't one of us!" Blackjack shouted. His grip tightened. "You see, you weren't supposed to get on that spaceship all those years ago. You were supposed to stay on Half-World with me. Then, give it a few years, and we would be happily married, with Rocket completely out of the picture."

Lylla's face contorted into one of rage. "It was YOU!" she screamed, breaking out of the rabbit's grip and getting a hold on his neck. "You altered the mind wiping program that made Rocky and I forget about Half-World. And for what? So you could live out your delusions of having me all to yourself? Is that why you betrayed everyone and sided with the robots!?"

"It's not a delusion!" Blackjack shouted back, kicking Lylla away. The rabbit pulled out a device from his belt and threw it at Lylla, the object turning into bands of energy that bound her arms to her sides. "Do you remember the research we found left by the original inhabitants of Half-World? When you left, Pyko got to work rebuilding their tech, and he created a device that showed the future. In it, I saw that as long as Rocket was out of the picture, then you would be mine."

Lylla remembered Pyko, a turtle with a knack for engineering that rivaled even Rocket's building expertise. "Pyko is insane," Lylla said. "He probably just told you that so you would kidnap me for him."

"No, what I saw was the future," Blackjack said. "No matter what, I will make you mine."

'He's gone completely off the deep end,' Lylla thought. 'I hope Rocky has already figured out a way to get to me…'

[***]

Speaking of the raccoon, Rocket and Yondu found themselves thrown into a holding cell by Taserface and his lackeys. "No offense, but your employees are a bunch of jerks," Rocket said.

"I was a Kree battle-slave for twenty years when Stakar freed me," Yondu said. "He offered me a place in the Ravagers. Said all I needed to do was adhere to the code. But I was young and greedy and stupid - like you stealing those batteries."

"Technically, I didn't steal the batteries, so much as convinced the gold lady to let me take them," Rocket defended himself.

"Me and Stakar, and the other captains - we weren't so different from you and your friends. The only family I ever had. But I broke the code. They exiled me. These ones here are the ones who followed - of course they're jerks. Which is what I deserve," Yondu stated.

"Slow down, drama queen. You might deserve this, but I don't. We gotta get out of here and save Lylla," Rocket said.

"Perhaps I could help with that?" said a voice. Rocket turned around to see Wal-Rus, looking worse for wear as his robotic tusks had been removed.

"I don't think so," Rocket said. "You sold Lylla and us out to Blackjack, so the only thing you can do is to Flark off."

"I was trying to find Blackjack as much as I was trying to find you," Wal-Rus stated. "He's working for Judson Jakes and Pyko in exchange for getting to keep Lylla. I was hoping that if I found you first that I could convince him to turn against them, but it looks like Blackjack is too far gone to be reasoned with."

Rocket remembered Judson Jakes, an insane mole that wanted to further the experiments that the robots had started and continue to upgrade the Half-World species. "So we've got to deal with three loonies, great," the raccoon said sarcastically. "I'm guessing that they want Lylla and I so they can open the vault?"

"What are you two critters talking about?' Yondu asked.

"One of the reasons I left Half-World was as a failsafe to our ultimate weapon," Rocket explained. "There's a thing locked up underneath the planet, a creature that has immense psychic power. The vault can only be opened if Rus, Blackjack, Lylla, and I are all there to open it, so that's what Jakes wants us for." He gave a pointed look to Yondu. "And don't even think about trying to open it yourself, unless you want to let a literal psycho out into the universe."

"That's the last thing I want," Yondu shook his head. "Anyway, while you two have been catching up, I want to know where Quill is?"

"He went off with his old man," Rocket answered.

"Ego?' Yondu questioned, his face turning to concern.

"Yeah. It's a day for dumbass names," Rocket replied.

"I actually ran into him on my search for you," Wal-Rus said. "He offered to fix my ship, so I went with him when he was searching for your new team."

Yondu snickered at Rocket's comment, which didn't go unnoticed by the raccoon. "You smiled and for a second I got a warm feeling, but then it was ruined by those disgusting-ass teeth. Ever heard of floss?"

Yondu frowned. "You're like a professional asshole, or- ?"

"Pretty much a pro," Rocket replied. "Why didn't you deliver Quill to Ego like you promised?"

"He was skinny, could fit into places we couldn't. Good for thieving," Yondu answered. Rocket nodded in response. "I got an idea on how to get outta here. But we're gonna need your little friend."

[***]

Lylla sighed as she watched Blackjack mutter to himself. The rabbit had taken the two into his own personal ship. The otter was trying to figure out a way out of her bindings, but was coming to realize that only Blackjack could do so at the moment. She was going to have to convince Blackjack.

Putting on the sweetest looking face she could manage, Lylla turned towards Blackjack and sighed. "Oh Blackjack," she said in a semi-seductive voice. "I just remembered something important."

"What is it?' he asked.

The otter smirked as her plan was put into motion. "My memories have returned, and I now realize that it does make sense that we would end up together." She adjusted her body to lean into the rabbit. "Rocket is nice, but you were always there for me from the start. All we need is some time to reconnect."

"How do I know you're not just saying that?" Blackjack questioned. Lylla closed her eyes (and tried not to gag) as she locked lips with Blackjack, the rabbit's eyes going wide behind his goggles. "Well then, why don't I let you out so we can get a bit more… intimate?" the rabbit offered.

Lylla shook her arms a bit after being let go, before punching Blackjack square in the face. The rabbit staggered back, only for Lylla to grab a nearby tool and clonking Blackjack over the head, knocking him out. "I'm going to need to wash my mouth later," she said. The otter quickly jumped into the seat of the spaceship and typed in a few coordinates. "Now then, I'll just send you back to Half-World and lock the controls so you can't turn around once you wake up."

Her ears stood up as music started to play within the Ravager ship. Jay and the American's "Come a Little Bit Closer" played as the sounds of screaming as also heard. Lylla finished her work and grabbed her staff (Blackjack having taken it for himself) and got outside the ship.

"Lylla!" Wal-Rus called. The walrus had gotten his tusks back and was putting them to use, firing off lasers at incoming Ravagers. "Good to see you safe. Yondu and Rocket are staging an escape, so I would advise getting to them in the security room."

"Glad that you're still on our side," Lylla said, using her staff and eliminating a few Ravagers herself. "Blackjack is in the ship. I set it to go back to Half-World."

"I'll make sure that happens," Wal-Rus said. He got into the ship but turned to face the otter with a smile. "I'm glad that the two of you have found a new family."

"You're welcome back anytime," Lylla said.

The otter found a nearby vent and crawled her way through the inner part of the ship, "Come a Little Bit Closer" still playing as more Ravager bodies fell. Lylla eventually got to the security room, dropping down into it just as Rocket, Yondu, and Baby Groot got there.

"Lylla!" Rocket shouted, grabbing his mate and giving her a passionate kiss.

"Rocky…" Lylla breathed. She grabbed one of his blasters and shot an incoming Ravager. "Let's focus on getting out of this alive before we celebrate, alright?"

The raccoon blushed then grinned, taking Lylla in his arms as they fought side-by-side. It was almost like a dance as the two twirled around to fire upon the Ravagers, all while Yondu rolled his eyes at their antics as they sang along with the song.

"Come a little bit closer

You're my kind of man

So big and so strong

Come a little bit closer

I'm all alone

And the night is so long!"

[***]

"Well, that was a close one," Lylla said, watching as the remains of the Ravager ship exploded behind them. Luckily the upper part of the ship could detach, but Yondu should of warned them before he ruptured that tank of explosives!

"Rocket, Lylla, do you copy?" came Wal-Rus' voice over the coms.

"Glad to know you're still in one piece, Rus," Rocket replied.

"I'll be taking Blackjack back to Half-World, as well as dealing with Judson Jakes and Pyko," Wal-Rus stated.

"Stay safe out there!" Lylla said as their companion went into the Jump Point.

"Where to, Cap'n?" Kraglin, the only Ravager that stayed loyal to Yondu, asked.

"Ego," Rocket said, hitting the controls to make the Jump. The Guardians needed their help, so it was Rocket and Lylla to the rescue!

Author's Note

We're getting to the end of Volume 2. There's probably only two chapters left of this arc, before we can get to the big stories (you know what I'm talking about). Lylla got to show off her skills at talking her way out of a situation here, and having Blackjack get socked in the face multiple times was pretty satisfying. Imagining Rocket and Lylla dance-fighting at the end of the "Come a Little Bit Closer" scene also makes me smile.

I hope that you guys aren't disappointed that Wal-Rus and Blackjack are out of the story for now. I didn't want to kill Blackjack in the Ravager massacre, so I needed to have a way to get him off the ship before it blew up. Wal-Rus and the other Half-Worlders may show up later, so be on the lookout for that.

One a more ranty note, I'm not the only one that's pissed that Blackjack got with Lylla on the comics, right? In Rocket's first appearance Blackjack is a bad guy that actively kidnaps Lylla, and suddenly the two are together once Rocket leaves!? I just hope that if Lylla shows up the movies that they sidestep the whole issue all together so Rocket and Lylla can be together happily.

The Battle on Ego is next, so stay tuned!