Yondu glanced at Kraglin, it wasn't like him to be quiet, he was a talker when he let him fly, talking a mile a minute constantly asking if he was doing it right. Now he just silently gripped the steering wheel, eyes moving from the navigation screen to the open stars. It wasn't a long journey to the planet, but the silence made it feel like it was stretching forever.

"What's on yer mind?" Yondu grunted Kraglin's way, making him stiffen, hunching his back over more leaning across the steering wheel.

A few minutes passed and Yondu was ready to drop it, deciding to let him keep his thoughts and wouldn't press further unless those thoughts became actions later. Kraglin surprised him though, like his ward was managing to do lately, by finally speaking his thoughts out loud.

"I feel like you would take it the wrong way and I don't want to cause a fight, cap'n."

Yondu frowned at that and knew what was on the boy's mind, it was obvious in hindsight.

"Ya think I'm too hard on Quill," he said and Kraglin didn't respond trying to avert his eyes, already wanting to drop it but Yondu wasn't going to until he said his due.

"Ya think he's little and fragile and needs to be babied like Tak does."

"No," Kraglin croaked out hastily already trying to prove he wasn't going against his captain, "Ya are a good man, Cap'n, keeping him away from…Ego…they told me what he done to Peter's siblings…"

He went silent after that, not really knowing what to say. He just stared off and began fidgeting in his seat, letting out a long breath, turning purple.

"I saw the scars is all," he finally whispered, "I know what them Terrans did. I can't process it, Cap'n…I just don't understand how anyone could do that…"

He paused taking another deep breath, eyes misting with tears a little, he turned his head away from the captain fast not wanting him to see and rushed out his last words in a whisper.

"It was bad and cruel and wrong and I just don't think you should call him worthless is all. He already thinks that of himself, when I don't think he should…"

"The boy needs thicker skin, he ain't ever gonna survive bein' that soft," Yondu said firmly cutting off Kraglin's thoughts and making him abandon whatever courage he had to speak against his captain.

Kraglin thought about arguing but didn't feel like he was that important to live through a heated argument. He kept his silence and let his negative feelings sink deep down inside him. The captain knew better then Kraglin ever would, he wasn't as old and wise as Stakar but he had been raised by the man and deemed worthy enough to be a captain. He knew what he was doing and he knew what was best, not only for the crew and Kraglin but for Peter as well.

Or so Kraglin told himself to keep the contempt right now for the captain.

Peter nervously flexed his fingers, holding his breath to keep out the sighs and grunts, the silence starting to get to him but he didn't want to be caught so soon (by possibly dangerous) strangers, so he kept his Walkman where it was in his bag.

He had been crammed in here for awhile now and knew he would have to wait to get out of the box at all now. He knew the box he had hid in had been stacked under other boxes and there was no way he was getting out until someone moved them. It was likely he would get caught then but being crammed in a tight spot in the dark and silence with his nerves fraught like they were, maybe he didn't care anymore. He almost wanted the captain to find him now, the point he was trying to make lost on him. The brief flex of rebellion lost, getting beat and yelled at and sent back to Tak by the captain may be better then getting caught by strangers he realized dully. He was a stupid child who hadn't planned any of this out.

After Kraglin had left him in the captain's quarters, Peter found he didn't have the energy to cry about his lot in life anymore. He didn't know what he wanted or even needed to do, he had pulled his bag out of the closet where Kraglin always put it away and just came to the brash decision he was going to leave the ship.

He knew the ship pretty well thanks to tagging along with Kraglin the last week or so, he knew what he was doing and knew where the M ships were located. He kept to the vents and hid behind the cargo that was being loaded onto one of the ships. Some of the large ugly aliens were standing around talking among themselves. The largest of them seemed to be the leader of the small group as he was giving the orders.

"Cap'n just gets to leave without loading any equipment, that don't seem fair to me," one of the large idiots sneered.

"He is teachin' his ward how to pilot, a very useful thing for young ones to know in this line," the larger one sneered back making the smaller pink skinned monster cringe flinching hard behind the other monsters avoiding the smack.

"We," he emphasized the word very hard making the three large men cringe hard, so that guy must be like their mini captain Peter figured, "Respect our captain. We respect his choice to father children and raise them into this life style and if ya disagree with that, I will knock some sense into you, Taser."

"Knife Heart ya know I mean no disrespect to you," 'Taser' said with a long emphasis on the 'you' making wide gestures with his hands as he talked, "You have proven yourself strong and worthy my brother but Udonta does not match up to his rumors. He even disrespected your offer to bring glory and riches to his fractured clan! He is weak!"

"He has not proven that to me yet," Knife Heart said firmly, "This crew of his though…some are weak and do not know what honor is. We should set an example, brother."

"Are you suggesting we kill the weak, brother?" another of the deformed aliens quiered, looking thoughtful, hand rested under his chin while Taser began perking up behind him at the very thought of murder making Peter a little nervous.

"Maybe we shall, Blaster," Knife Heart said with a small smile that Peter thought was supposed to be warm towards his kin but just looked creepy to Peter.

"Our captain is too honorable of a man to deserve to have such low lives as a crew, maybe we will see it fit to put them into shape ourselves after this very important mission."

'Blaster' sneered at that and the other two followed suit making Knife Heart glare at them once more.

"Our supposed friend called our treasures garbage, brother, I do not see how anything can be of value on that planet if they did not respect our gifts."

"We worked very hard to collect those just for the captain…" Peter felt a little sorry for the monster with his face filled with such anguish, it was only fitting gross alien's could get their feelings hurt too. Peter saw a small tear fall from his eye and his heart sank and his anger at Yondu rose again, it seemed he was a giant bully to everyone here.

Knife Heart pulled his brother into a tight hug and smacked him hard on the back making Peter cringe a little at the echoes that followed.

"There, there, my brother, we will prove ourselves this time! If we keep proving ourselves to the captain, I am sure one day he will see it our way and allow us to bring him true glory and honor to our small, fractured clan!"

Peter rolled his eyes, these space pirates were nothing but giant children. He couldn't believe he had feared them!

"Let's load the rest of the cargo," His booming voice echoed with excitement.

Peter was quick as he popped open one of the trunks and scurried into it. He cringed and held his breath to keep the gag from escaping realizing he had jumped into a cargo pod filled with gross smelling sacks for who knows what.

He heard loud bickering and hurried foot steps, he held his breath and pushed himself deeper into the pile of large sacks.

"Hello Horuz!"

He frowned, he knew that name. Kraglin said he had been promoted to first mate after a line of incompetent people for the role and he knew from experience he was a very strict man. He had seen him several times looking down on Kraglin and demanding he do a better job on the floor (after the asshole left scuff marks on the once clean floor with his own boots).

Peter often glared after the man but never spoke to him like the man often pretended Peter wasn't there at all as he helped Kraglin re - scrub the floor before the alarm would bring a rush of men through the halls they were in.

He told Tak he didn't like him on several occasions for being such a jerk and Tak laughed and agreed with him that the first mate was indeed an asshole.

"My idiot lost the boy and I suspect him to be around here," he heard the first mate sneer with a sense of authority he could hold better then the captain in Peter's opinion.

"I didn't lose him," he heard another voice sneer back, "He weren't my problem, he were Tak's."

"And he were busy and the captain isn't going to let anyone near his little precious baby boy," Horuz spat back and a loud smack echoed.

"Well maybe ya should-"

He held his breath to keep the squeak in as he heard a fist meat flesh and something break from the kick he heard come after. He pulled his legs closer to him, remembering exactly why Kraglin and Tak said it was important for him to never be around the crew alone.

"I don't want to hear any fucking sass or back talk from any of you," Horuz said evenly over the pained pants from the other man, "That includes you, Tulk. Ya think you can get away with whatever but not anymore. Shit changes now."

There was a pause and nothing was said, even the giant monsters must have been afraid of Horuz for beating someone like that so carelessly in front of them.

"I want you idiots to search your cargo, thoroughly before departing, that boy is not leaving this ship. Tulk get in the vents and find our missing prince before anyone else does."

Another long pause occurred, Peter could only guess the monsters were trembling as hard as Peter was.

"Should we alert-"

"The captain finds out, we are all dead men," Horuz stated simply and Peter closed his eyes imaging the dead pan stare the man must be giving to the much larger and scarier looking alien, imaging even someone as large and scary as Knife Heart feeling as helpless and afraid as him.

"Stop being a bitch, Tulk and follow my order," he heard Horuz hiss moving away from the cargo, his voice becoming more distant and harder to hear for Peter.

"The security system has been shit since that last raid damaged it, I won't be able to find him that way but he should be easy to find. He's primitive and small and probably stupider then you lot. He's either in your cargo or in the vents."

Peter clamped his shaking hand hard over his mouth to keep his breathing low, he was screwed. He was going to get caught and Kraglin and Tak weren't around to help him. They wouldn't kill him but they could hurt him. They could very easily hurt him without doing real damage to make him learn. He was choking on his panic now, curling tighter into himself in the large box, trying in vain to get more bags over him.

His heart was deafening any sound after he heard the lid being lifted from the crate and…nothing happened. He felt the crate he was settled in being tossed to the side, his little surprised cry being overshadowed by the louder thud of another crate being tossed on top of his.

"No little brats here," he heard Taser face sneer at the first mate, "Are we done here? Are we allowed to leave now?"

"Whatever, stop wasting my time," Horuz growled back.

"I will keep an eye out for the child!" Knife Heart called towards the first mate, "Do not worry friend, he shall not be harmed!"

"Whatever," were the first mate's parting words.