A month or so later, there's some commotion in the hangar when Yondu returns from a private mission with Zeede.
Kraglin looks over a catwalk alongside Horuz to see what all the fuss is about, and he catches sight of the Captain carrying a small girl in his arms. She has light pink downy fur and large luminous eyes. Little whiskers protrude from atop her eyes and large ears, and she clutches a small bag of toys in her furry hands.
He and Horuz exchange looks. A kid?
The girl stays on board the Eclector for about a week. When she's not by the Captain's side, she's in a little room just off his quarters. The crew is given strict instructions not to touch her, and Kraglin hears the word "cargo" slip from Yondu's tongue a few times concerning her, which gives him pause and an uneasy feeling in his gut. I thought Ravagers weren't supposed to deal in people, 'specially kids. It's against the Code. But, he thinks, the Cap'n would never break the Code. He must have a good reason fer why she's here.
Seevah is sitting at a table in the mess. She's quiet for once; usually she's a little chatterbox, always asking questions. Yondu sits nearby, studying a holopad while he eats from a can of beasties. Hesitantly, Kraglin approaches him. "Can I join ya, Cap?"
Yondu grunts noncommittally, and the mechanic sits. He fidgets, taking a couple slurps of soup before speaking. "Um. Sir?" Kraglin asks.
"Yeah, Krags," Yondu says distractedly, swiping his finger against the holopad and leaving a greasy smear.
"Jus' wonderin'," he says in a low voice. "What's with the kid?"
Yondu glances at him briefly. "Takin' her to her father. Her momma died, and he's payin' us good money to pick her up and bring her home."
His shoulders relax a little. Well, I guess it ain't like it's slavery or somethin'. We're jus' takin' the kid home to her daddy. He tries to shrug off the remaining apprehension, but it lingers. He shakes his head at himself. The Cap'n knows what he's doin'. He'd never go against the Code. If we're jus' takin' the kid home, then that's that. He forces himself to be content with the answer, and he and his Captain finish their meal in silence.
Kraglin starts awake, hand groping for his blaster in the darkness, and looks up to see Yondu standing over him. "Come on, boy," he says. "I need a pilot."
It's the end of Third Watch. Where the flark are we goin' at this time a' the Day Cycle? He stifles a yawn as he gets to his feet, picking his way around the Ravagers lying between him and the door. "Yessir."
In the hallway, a sleepy-eyed Seevah is waiting, clutching a plush toy to her chest. Her small bag of playthings is hanging from a cord looped about her wrist. Yondu scoops her into his arms. "C'mon, darlin'. We're takin' ya to yer daddy."
Kraglin heads to the hangar, where he fires up his ship, the Cawl. He pats her hull and smiles fondly at her red wingtips before climbing the ladder inside, followed by Yondu and Seevah.
The Eclector is skirting the edges of a system that Kraglin has never heard of, and they set course for a planet that's not listed in any of their star charts. As they break through the atmosphere, they're greeted by fields of red dust and rock. Tall spires loom on the horizon, and as they draw near, they see they are made of rock and plantlife. The surroundings quickly become beautiful, exquisite and brightly colored, like something out of a dream. Everything seems to surround a gigantic, castle-like structure of ornate and intricate design.
"Touch down there," Yondu says, indicating a wide platform surrounded on three sides by flowers. A figure comes out of the castle on the fourth side as they approach, a cloak billowing off its shoulders.
Kraglin sets the Cawl down gently. Seevah is wide awake now, stretching in her seat to try and see out the windows. "Is my daddy nice?" she asks, swinging her clawed feet as she cranes her neck around Yondu's seat.
"Uh, yeah. Sure is, sweetheart," Yondu says, unbuckling. "Come on, out ya go." He unstraps her from her seat and lifts her down, handing her the bag of toys. "Come with, Krags," he says. "Need another pair a' eyes in case this goes sideways."
Kraglin checks his blaster and flicks the safety off before following Yondu and Seevah down the tractor beam and onto the planet's surface.
The figure from the castle is standing just beyond the ship. It's a man, with greying hair and a kind face. His face seems to fluctuate slightly in appearance, become a little fuzzier, his beard a little fuller, and Kraglin starts. A Skrull? He thinks wildly, but relaxes a bit once Yondu approaches the man, leaving Seevah with him for the moment. No, can't be. Cap'n would never do business with Skrulls or any other slavers. Must be a different race that can shift.
"Welcome to my planet, Yondu Udonta," the man says, eyes darting towards Seevah, then up to Kraglin. "Hello, my name is Ego." He flashes pearly teeth at him.
Yondu snaps his fingers, drawing Ego's attention back to him. "Made the transfer yet?"
The man reaches into his vest, and Kraglin's fingers stray to his blaster as he pulls Seevah behind him slightly. "Don't worry," the man says, noticing the motion, "Just getting my account information to transfer the units." He pulls out a small holopad and wiggles it in his hand. "Transferring the units now," he says, tapping the screen a few times.
There's a soft ping at Yondu's wrist, and he grins. He looks back at Kraglin, and nods. Kraglin releases Seevah and nudges her forward gently. "Go on, darlin'."
Seevah is shy at first, but Ego kneels down and opens his arms. At the man's encouraging, bright smile and sparkling eyes, she giggles and runs to him. "Daddy!"
Ego holds her tightly and runs a hand over her furry head. "Seevah."
There's nothing malicious in his voice, nothing in his demeanor or posture that should give Kraglin the shivers. But he gets them anyway; a sort of creepy, flesh-crawling feeling that he can't seem to shake. Something about him just screams dangerous. But then again, they do a lot of deals and jobs with murderers, smugglers and criminals, so Kraglin forces the uneasy feeling down again.
Unlike him, Yondu is all smiles as he claps Kraglin on the shoulder. "Come on, boy."
"Captain," Ego calls after him, leaving Seevah. "Wait a moment."
"Yeah?"
"I was wondering if you wouldn't mind…." Ego pulls Yondu aside, and they converse quietly. At the end of their conversation, Ego hands Yondu another small holopad, and smiles warmly at him. "Thank you."
"Yeah, sure."
Kraglin begins to climb up the ladder when he hears Seevah calling, "Wait, wait." He ducks his head slightly, watching as Seevah tugs on Yondu's duster. "Mr. Captain, thanks for taking care of me. This is for you." She presses one of her toys into his palms, a little plastic bit of nothing shaped like a six-legged animal from her home planet.
"Uh. Thanks." Yondu smiles crookedly at it.
It's not until years later that Kraglin sees the figurine again, on Yondu's control console of their ship.
It turns out that Ego paid handsomely for Seevah to be returned to him. Very handsomely. The crew has never been this well off. The booze flows, everyone has extra spending money, and the crew is happy.
Everyone except Kraglin. At least it seems that way to him. There's something weird going on, something doesn't quite feel right. It turns out the Ego had more than just one kid. He had several, and he's tasked Yondu to pick up as many as he's willing to.
Over the course of a year, there's eight children that they deliver to Ego. Seevah is followed by Niti, Daara, K'achatl, Voola, and Xander. They're all from different races, all born of different mothers that have died or gone missing under mysterious circumstances.
Kraglin doesn't always accompany the Captain down to Ego's planet; sometimes it's Zeede, sometimes Horuz. Yondu seems happy to deliver the children, and says repeatedly that they're taking the kids home to their father.
But after they deliver the seventh child, Rathill, Yondu starts acting strange. Fidgety, edgy, almost nervous-like. Kraglin pilots when they deliver the eighth child, a little boy named Evir. When they do so, Yondu is uncharacteristically quiet – so much so that it makes Kraglin nervous. The mechanic keeps stealing glances at his Captain, wondering what might be wrong. He doesn't know Centaurian physiology, but it doesn't look like Yondu is sick or anything. But his eyes are dark, his posture stiff, his movements stiff and jerky when he does move.
Kraglin looks back at the child briefly, then turns back to the windshield. He still doesn't understand how one man got around to so many planets so far apart from one another, and in what seems to be a pretty short amount of time – all the children they've picked up are within three years' age of each other at most. But, he supposes, they've picked up all the children in under a year, so he supposes Ego is just a player that hooks up with someone wherever he goes.
That being said, how did he know the women were pregnant, that they died, and how did he know the exact whereabouts and names of all his children?
Kraglin shakes his head. Thinking about how and why is making his head spin. Best to just leave it alone, it's just a job. He looks back at the child again. Evir is probably the sweetest of the children they've picked up. He's soft spoken and obedient, and likes to draw things, so that kept him occupied during his stay on the Eclector and out of the Ravager crew's way. He's currently sitting in the seat behind Yondu, doodling on a holopad that Yondu gave him. Sometimes he hums a soft, nonsensical little tune through the blowholes on his face, but is otherwise quiet.
They're about to enter the planet's atmosphere when Evir suddenly asks, "Does he love me?"
Yondu starts violently, as if shaken out of a deep sleep, and stares back at the boy. "What? Who?"
The boy blinks his four purple eyes at him. "My Dadda. Does he love me?"
Kraglin glances furtively at the Captain, and sees him swallow, hard.
"Y-yeah, boy. Sure he does." He clears his throat, and unbuckles from his seat to move into the one next to Evir. "Uh, hey. Listen, kid," Kraglin hears him say. "If ya don't feel safe with yer…yer Dadda at any point, and ya want me to come and pick ya back up, ya jus' press this little button on this communicator and I'll come getcha, okay?"
"Okay," the boy replies softly, and Yondu appears again at Kraglin's elbow, sliding into his seat. "Here, I drew this for you," Evir says, and the holopad slides into view. Yondu takes it, and Kraglin glances at the pad.
It's a picture of Yondu, Evir, and what Evir must think his father looks like. In the background are other Ravagers – one of them has fuzzy brown hair sticking up on his head, and Kraglin assumes that must be him. He smiles softly, but it fades quickly. 'If ya don't feel safe...jus' press this little button and I'll come getcha.' He sneaks a look at the Captain, but he's staring at the holopad, an unreadable expression on his face. What do you think's goin' on, Cap'n? he wonders. Are the kids in danger? He bites his lip, and turns back to the front. He spots the spires of Ego's castle ahead. "Prepare for descent."
Yondu doesn't move until they land, and even then, seems to hesitate. "Okay." He breathes in and out, deeply, as if trying to calm himself. "C'mon kiddo." Yondu slowly gets to his feet and unbuckles Evir, flinching as he the boy slips his hand into his own. He stares down at the activated tractor beam, again hesitant.
"Want me to come, with, Cap?" Kraglin asks, shifting to unbuckle from his seat.
"No. No, I'm good, Krags," comes the quiet reply.
"Goodbye, Mister Kraglin," Evir waves as they're lowered down.
"G'bye, Evir," he says, raising a hand. His gut clenches apprehensively as the boy slips out of view. He turns on the exterior cameras and watches as the delivery is made. Same old thing, Ego makes the transfer, hugs the kid, stares at them, and hands Yondu a pad with a new planetary address and a name.
But this time, Ego is the one who departs first, and Yondu stops him.
Ego waves his son ahead, into the field of flowers, and Kraglin watches as the child laughs, chasing the jewel-colored bubbles floating there. Ego and Yondu begin talking to one another. "Wish the damn cameras had sound,"he mutters, crossing his arms. He squints at their faces, trying to make out the words by reading their lips, but it's useless – they're not speaking Xandarian anyway.
Ego and Yondu converse for several minutes. At one point, Yondu steps forward, obviously angry, and Ego gives him a surprised look – then laughs. He gives the Captain a condescending pat on the shoulder and says something that makes the Captain go as stiff as ice. Then Ego walks away, following Evir.
Yondu just stands there, staring, and keeps standing there until Ego and Evir are out of Kraglin's sight. The Captain takes one step in their direction, hand moving suspiciously like he's going for his arrow, then he stops, and slowly turns back to the ship.
The tractor beam is activated, and Kraglin turns in his seat, watching as the Captain rises into view. He steps rigidly on board, his expression distant, blank. Kraglin shifts uneasily as Yondu seats himself numbly in the copilot's seat. On the dash lies the holopad that Evir had drawn on.
Yondu reaches for it, and Kraglin notices his fingers are trembling. Of course, he doesn't mention this. After staring down at it for a few moments, the Captain raises his head and looks out through the windshield, eyes focusing on nothing. They're wet. A flash of light goes through his implant. His face hardens, teeth grinding. His grip on the holopad tightens, and keeps on tightening until his knuckles are white through the blue flesh. The screen cracks.
Kraglin jumps slightly at the noise, and turns concerned eyes to from the pad to Yondu's face. "C-Cap'n?" he asks timidly.
"What?" the word comes in a low growl.
"Um, y-ya seem…I mean, uh. Are – are ya okay?"
"The hell kinda question is that?" Yondu snarls, rounding on him.
Kraglin leans back slightly in his seat. "'M sorry sir, ya jus' seem-"
"Seem what?" he snaps.
"Outta sorts," he replies in a quiet voice, wide-eyed. He hurriedly drops his gaze and turns back to the controls. "Sorry, I- nevermind. I'll take us back to the Eclector, Cap'n." He sets a course for home, not daring to look at Yondu, who is still staring at him.
He feels the Captain finally tear his gaze away, but Kraglin doesn't dare meet his eyes again or even glance in his direction. Something is wrong. Anger, and an emotion that Kraglin can't identify radiate from his Captain like scorching heat. It makes his entire body tense, edgy. Something is very, very wrong.
If Yondu wants to share, if he thinks it important enough to divulge, Kraglin is all ears. But there's no way in hell he's going to push his Captain into giving him an explanation for his actions. Might as well throw himself out an airlock.
The only words Yondu speaks before disembarking from the Cawl is that they have one more child to pick up, and that he will be the last. The coordinates lead to a backwater planet in a remote star system called Terra.