Gamora folded her clothes neatly and put them back into her duffel bag before quietly leaving the room. Downstairs, the restaurant was mostly empty, Cammi drifted between tables, pretending to be busy. The dog lifted his head as Gamora walked into the kitchen. Cammi noticed her duffel bag and set the kettle down on the counter. "You're leaving?"

"Yeah," Gamora gave the old metal key back to Miss Rider. "Thank you for allowing me to stay here."

She pats Gamora's hand affectionately, "Be safe my dear."

Richie brought Gamora a wrapped lunchbox from the fridge. "What's this?" Gamora picked it up curiously.

"It's to replace your nightmare twinkies, Mom's cooking is way better." He says with a grin.

Gamora tucked it into her duffel bag, "Thanks."

Cammi followed Gamora to the door. "Do you know where you're going?" She asked, "I could take you to the docks."

Gamora chewed her lower lip, she would probably get lost if she went by herself. "I'd appreciate that."

"Be back before the lunch rush, okay?" Miss Rider called after Cammi.

"Yeah, fine!" Cammi sighed melodramatically.

"Goodbye, Richie."

Richie glanced over his shoulder at Gamora, "See you, Princess." Cammi held the door for Gamora, she stepped out onto the city street. She almost felt sad to leave.

She let Cammi set the pace as they walked. They strolled through the market and Cammi went on about some telekinetic Mutant girl, named Matilda. Gamora thought it might have been from a book or something. She didn't understand most of what Cammi said, but that was okay. The city hummed with activity. Cammi occasionally paused to wave at people on the streets. Gamora thought she recognized a couple of them from the diner. After the third time they stopped, Gamora asks, "Who was that?"

Cammi glanced back at them, "Those are the Ackbery's, they're regulars." She waved and smiled at the people next to them, "and those are the Nathukick brothers."

"Is everyone a regular?" Gamora said.

"Nah, not everybody," Cammi giggled, "Let's see I don't know, uh, " she searched the crowd for an example. "Oh, I don't know them. Might be from the lower floors." Gamora glanced at where Cammi was pointing and froze. Kraglin was leaning against the counter talking to one of the locals, Yondu stood to his left watching the crowd. A chill ran up her spine.

You really think that you can outrun us? That we won't find you?

She felt just as terrified and utterly alone as the day Kraglin had said that. She needed more time. Gamora grabbed Cammi's arm and picked up the pace. She needed to get off this tin can, right the hell now.

"You need to go home," Gamora muttered.

"Wait, what? Why?" Cammi matched her tone.

Gamora kept glancing over her shoulder. She wouldn't feel safe until she put some distance between herself and Yondu. "It's dangerous." Cammi rolled her eyes at Gamora. She glanced over her shoulder. The local woman pointed at Gamora, Kraglin looked directly at them. "Crap." She shoved Cammi into the crowd and ran.

"Hey!" Cammi yelped, the men in red jackets raced past her. People scrambled to get out of their way. Gamora was running in the wrong direction. Cammi wasn't about to go home when things are just getting exciting. She took a shortcut through the alleyways, she'd meet up with them at the next intersection.

Gamora abruptly turned the corner and collided with Horuz. She stumbles backward and fell. "Lookie what I caught here," he sneered down at her. Horuz grabs her forearm hauling her to her feet. With the rush of fear came adrenaline, Gamora stomped on his foot. Horuz grimaced and yanked her forward, "Damn brat!"

Horuz didn't notice Cammi move behind them. She picked up a large broom. "Cammi?"

"What's a Cam-" She hit Horuz over the head with the metal broomstick. He spun to look at Cammi, "the fuck?"

"Let her go, you shit bag!" Cammi growled. Horuz looked stunned to hear that string of curse words come out of the mouth of a 7 year old. Gamora took the chance to lodge her elbow firmly into his gut. His grip loosened enough for her to break free. Cammi tripped him and he fell into the food display. She stuck her tongue out at him.

Gamora punched Cammi lightly in the arm, "Why didn't you go home? It's dangerous, you could die!"

Cammi chuckled and spun the broom like a staff. "To die will be an awfully great adventure."

Gamora narrowed her eyes, "Whoever you're quoting must be a moron too."

"Gamora!" Yondu was stalking towards them.

"We should go." Cammi dropped the broomstick letting it clatter to the ground. She grabbed Gamora's hand and leads them towards the docks.

"She's heading for the elevators!" Kraglin called out. The second mate cut them off at the end of the street. Kraglin and Yondu were closing in on them fast. They were running out of places to go.

Gamora felt her chest tighten, she was suddenly gasping for breath. They were going to capture her again. They'd make her go back to that ship. Yondu was going to be so angry with her. "Quick, up here!" Cammi climbed over the retaining wall and into one of the island gardens. She held out her hand, "They can't get us up here." She was breathless but grinning from ear to ear. Gamora grabbed her hand, and she helped her over the retaining wall. They climbed up the tree in the center of the island garden.

The ravagers stopped at the retaining wall. Yondu glared up at Gamora. "Get your ass down here, little girl!"

"No thanks, I'm good," Gamora shouted down at them.

Yondu snarled, "I ain't playing games wit' you girly! Get down!"

Gamora replies in a stern, quiet voice, "I said, no."

"Damn it, Gamora! If you ain't coming down, I'll come up!"

Cammi laughed at him, "I'd love to see you try, old man!" She plucked a mapple off a branch and hurled it at Yondu. It bounced harmlessly off his shoulder. Gamora's eyes widened slightly, they had ammunition. She plucks two more mapples off of the tree.

Yondu kicked the retaining wall, it shook the whole garden. Hundreds of mapples shook loose from the tree and rained down on the ravagers. They had to retreat from the onslaught of fruit. "You ungrateful little shit! I'm trying to protect you!" He shouted in frustration. His outburst caught the attention of the locals. They whispered amongst themselves, watching with concern.

"Protect me?" Gamora scoffed and stood up on the branch. "You kidnapped me!" She threw a mapple at him, it bounced off his chest. "You yell at me and you hit me!" Two mapples hit his shoulder. "I'm never going to stop trying to get away from you, Yondu!" He caught the last mapple before it hit him. He throws it to the ground and stomps on it with an ugly sneer.

Cammi turned to Gamora, her eyes wide, "That Yondu?" Gamora nodded solemnly in response. Cammi shot to her feet, "We'll be leaving now." The playful, mocking tone was replaced by something more serious.

Horuz and Kraglin exchanged confused glances, "What?" And then Cammi let out a blood-curdling scream.

She hid her face in the crook of her elbow, large wet tears dripped down her face. "Please, don't hurt me! Help, someone, help me!"

"What are you doing to those girls?" A woman shouted at them. Her hand was dangerously close to the blaster in her shoulder rig. Someone else shouted, "Isn't that Cammi? Someone call Rider!" The crowd was pushing closer to the ravagers. Kraglin, Horuz, and Gamora looked dumbstruck. None of them had a clue about how to react to the growing mob. Yondu's prosthetic fin glowed a violent red. Yondu whistled and it felt as loud as a gunshot. Everyone reacted at once.

Gamora flinched away from Yondu. The ravagers drew their blasters a fraction of a second later. Any of the locals who didn't draw their blasters ran for cover. The arrow shot out of its holster leaving a trail of red light. And then a hulking blurry mass of exoskeleton appeared out of nowhere, its toothy maw snatched the arrow out of the air. The dog landed with a loud, thump.

Gamora and the ravagers stare slack-jawed at the dog. Peanut had single-handedly disarmed Yondu. Cammi burst into a fit of laughter, she nearly fell out of the tree. Peanut pranced around happily with his new stick. Gamora spotted Richie and Miss Rider watching at the edge of the crowd. Yondu whistled again and Peanut looked at Richie for another stick to fetch. The arrow rattled between Peanut's teeth. It dragged Peanut forward and the dog tugged back on the arrow playfully. It was a game of tug-of-war. "Well, that's a first, " Kraglin muttered, his attention split between the blasters being shoved in his face and the dog.

Since violence had failed, Yondu was forced to find another way out of the standoff. "This is all a misunderstanding, I'm looking after that girl."

The woman with the shoulder rig shouted up to the girls without looking away from Yondu. "Do you ladies know these men?"

"No, Mrs. Ackbery," Cammi shouted the same moment Gamora mumbled, "I've never seen them before in my life."

"They're lying," Yondu snapped. "Gamora ran away from home, her poor mother is sick with worry."

Gamora's lower lip trembles when her mother is mentioned. "You kidnapped me! Don't talk about my mama!" She threw another mapple at him but missed completely.

Ackbery pointed her blaster at Yondu instead of Kraglin. "You're outnumbered, if you leave now nobody has to get hurt."

Yondu narrowed his eyes, "I've survived worse odds." The mob pushed the ravagers back, away from the garden.

Once it was safe, Miss Rider and Richie emerged from the crowd. Richie ran up to the garden and called out to them. "Hey, are you guys alright!?" Cammi slid down the tree, Gamora climbed down after her. Miss Rider's clothes struck Gamora as odd, she wore a black duster jacket over jeans and a T-shirt instead of her usual apron and dress.

"We're okay!" Cammi replied chipperly, she hugged Richie briefly. "What are you doing here, doofus?"

Richie chuckled, "What a weird way to say: thanks for saving me, Richie, whatever would I do without you?"

Cammi shoved him, "I saved myself! You didn't even do anything."

"Hey! I brought Peanut!" He pointed to the dog.

Yondu lurched forward, and the locals aimed their blasters at him. They kept him from getting close to Gamora. "Get the hell away from them! They're a bounty hunter!"

"We need to leave. These men are dangerous," Miss Rider urged them. Richie helped Cammi down first and then he offered Gamora his hand.

Yondu shoved one of the locals out of the way, "Gamora," someone threw a punch but Yondu easily stepped out of the way. "You need to trust me! You don't understand the danger you're in!"

Gamora backed away from Yondu. "What have you done to deserve my trust?" She took Richie's hand and jumped down from the garden.

Gamora heard Yondu call after her but she didn't turn back. Her hands are shaking. The rush of adrenaline felt like electricity, she needed to move. Gamora ran from the crowds. She ran until her chest ached and her legs hurt. When she stopped running she didn't know where she was. She collapsed on the side of the road. Tears pricked the corner of her eyes, threatening to spill over. Gamora cursed herself for crying. She was so tired of feeling this way.

~~•˖✧•✯•✧˖•~~

"Gamora, " Yondu faltered, as he watched the kids retreat. The bounty hunter glanced back at him and smiled. Rage clouded his thoughts. He kicked someone's knee inward. There was a satisfying snap of bone. His fist clipped some else's jaw, as he sidestepped another blow from his left. He felt the sharp familiar pain of a blaster wound in his chest. The sound of a blaster going off in an enclosed space left his ears ringing. The ravager jackets are blaster proof. It took the brunt of the damage but getting shot could break bones and leave minor burns. The city street erupted into gunfire in mere seconds. He whistled out of habit and then remembered that the dog stole his arrow. He was useless.

Kraglin jumped in front of Yondu, pushing him out of the line of fire. Then the second mate forced him to the back of the group. Yondu wanted to protest but they were right. He couldn't do anything in this fight. He couldn't do anything to protect Gamora. The locals pushed the ravagers back into a nearby alleyway. Yondu leaned against the wall and tried to calm down.

Those idiot kids couldn't protect Gamora from real danger. If the bounty hunters got their hands on Gamora, they'd sell her off to the Kree slavers, the Badoon's farms, or worse, they could deliver Gamora to her father. He couldn't let Ego win. Yondu wanted to punch something or scream. He had to do something! Anything! He felt like the same useless brat Stakar picked up all those years ago. "I'm out," Kraglin shouted, ejecting the empty clip from his blaster. He falls back and Horuz takes his spot. Yondu caught the empty clip and tossed Kraglin a full one. The task of refilling the magazine kept his mind steady. He needed to kill that bounty hunter before they killed Gamora. Another dead child on his hands. Fuck, none of this was his fault.

A blast hit Horuz's shoulder. The force threw him back against the wall. There was a soft pop as his shoulder dislocated. "What the hell is so important about one kid?" He groans through gritted teeth as he tries to pop the bone back in place.

"It's not about the girl, it's about the principle of the thing. Little shit stole from me." Yondu grumbled, "And after everything I've done for her." How could she trust that fucking bounty hunter more than him? Yondu's fin unconsciously flared up.

Horuz shot off five rounds but only two of them hit. "I told you keeping her was a mistake. This never would've happened if we had just dropped her off and got paid."

Yondu punched the wall. The sandstone exterior crumbled away easily, creating a small cloud of dust. "Ya dunno shit about shit! Just shut the fuck up and do your job!"

"Captain, you pay me to," Horuz stopped talking when Yondu outright growled at him.

Kraglin figured now was a good point to step in, "Stop bitching Horuz. Nobody even remembers the second mate's name, do you see him whining?"

The second mate fired off three rounds, two found their mark. Blood and brain matter splattered across the city street. He dropped the empty magazine out of his blaster and Yondu tossed him a full one."That's not a fair comparison! He's not supposed to talk," Horuz said.

"I'd like you more if you didn't talk either," Kraglin replied. Yondu rolled his eyes at them. The second mate fired off two more rounds, they didn't miss. Horuz shoots sporadically, rarely hitting what he was aiming at. Several stray blasts hit the side of the buildings outfitted with sandstone. It kicks up massive amounts of dust making it difficult to see the enemy. "What's the plan, Cap?" Kraglin asked.

"Gimme this," Yondu yanks the blaster out of Horuz's hands. It had been a while since he held a blaster. The weight was comfortable, familiar. He aimed the blaster at the opposite wall.

"What are you–"That's all Horuz gets to say before Yondu empties the clip into the sandstone. It creates a huge rolling dust cloud that covers the city street. They can't see three feet in front of them. Yondu presses a finger to his lips and waves for them to follow. The ravagers creep out of the alleyway, and down the street.

By the time the dust has settled the ravagers are already down the street moving with the crowds. They're covered in a thick layer of grime. Kraglin coughs and spits. Horuz shakes the sand from his hair like a dog. The locals keep their distance from the ravagers, they exchange hushed words about them. They get dirty looks and people hold their children a little closer as they pass. Word travels fast on a small station. "Captain, the plan?" Kraglin prompted him for a second time.

"Kill that damn bounty hunter and bring Gamora home," Yondu growled. He was going to kill that damn dog that stole his arrow too.

~~•˖✧•✯•✧˖•~~

Peanut caught up to Gamora first, the giant dog dropped the arrow at her feet. He licked the tears off her face. She smiled and patted his head affectionately, "Thanks, boy." Cammi, Richie, and his mother found Peanut laying in the street so Gamora could rub his belly. Gamora's eyes are puffy and her face is flushed a soft blue-grey.

Miss Rider knelt down next to Gamora, "Are you alright?" Gamora nodded without looking up at her. "We can rest for a few minutes, and move when you're ready," Miss Rider suggested politely.

"No, I wanna go home," Gamora snapped and then takes a breath. "Can you walk with me to the docks? I have a ship there."

Miss Rider nodded and stood up, "Whatever you want, my dear."

Gamora stood up and Richie glued himself to her side. The scent of cinnamon and butterscotch lingered on his clothes after too many hours spent working in the diner. Gamora thought humans were warm and soft. Richie whistled and gave Peanut the command to follow. Gamora flinched, immediately looking around for any sign of Yondu before she realized it was only Richie. "Oh, sorry," He said, "I forgot."

"It's okay," Gamora said numbly.

Peanut picked up the arrow in his mouth and trotted alongside them. The dog leaned against Miss Rider, guiding her as they walked. "How did you know crying like that would work, back there?" Gamora asked Cammi as they reached the elevator.

She laughed like Gamora had said something funny. "I'm a cute girl, people wanna help me."

Richie snorted, "I dunno about cute." Cammi shoved him, and he shoved her back.

"Richie behave," Miss Rider chided him softly.

Richie gave his mother an odd look, "Sorry." They stepped onto the elevator, Cammi held onto the support bar as it lurched up.

Gamora glared at the ground. "If I had cried like that on the Eclector, they would've made fun of me," she grumbled bitterly. Miss Rider glared at nothing and clenched her jaw. The elevator door opened and they stepped out onto the nicer part of town, Miss Rider and Peanut took the lead.

Cammi stares off into space while deep in thought. "Well, crying doesn't work on bad guys, but for every Yondu in the galaxy, there's someone like Miss Rider too. They want to help and they will if you let them." She plucked a flower from a nearby garden and tucked it into Gamora's hair. "You're adorable. You should use it."

Gamora flushed and touched the flower in her hair. "It's plastic." She didn't know why she was surprised.

"Like this shithole could afford real flowers, " Cammi scoffed.

"Cammi!" Richie squeaked, glancing nervously at his mother. To his surprise, Gamora and Miss Rider both chuckled.

When they reached the docks, the harbormaster buzzed them through decontamination. There were two new ships docked there. Gamora immediately recognized the Scarab, it was part of Yondu's fleet of ships. The other ship was polished silver, with green racing stripes painted along the sides, and two huge machine guns mounted on the front. Cammi's mouth opens in awe and walks towards it. "Be careful!" Miss Rider grabbed Cammi just before she tripped over a loose tile.

"Whoop, thanks," She chuckled awkwardly. Richie froze in place. The color drained from his face he clenched his fists at his sides.

"Hey, Ma!" Richie picked up a rock. His mother turned to look at him, as Richie hurled the rock at her head.

"Richie!" Cammi shrieked in alarm. Gamora turned to look.

Miss Rider easily caught the stone before it hit her. Richie glared at her, "You are not my mother."

Miss Rider chuckled, "Well, look at you." She says in a voice that they have never heard before. It was low and smooth, with an accent that Gamora couldn't place. "You're pretty smart for some nobody backwater kid. What gave it away?"

"My Ma hates it when Cammi swears and she never calls me by my nickname," he explained harshly.

Cammi slowly backed away from the woman. "Miss Rider is blind. You kept me from tripping and earlier–nobody told you that I put a flower in Gamora's hair. You shouldn't have known."

When the woman blinks her inner set of eyelids, her eyes turn gold with narrow pupils. Her hair grew longer and turned a dark brown, hiding her ears. Her skin cracked and flaked away revealing scaly forest green skin beneath. She takes a bow and holds open her duster. "You can call me Jazinda." There was an ornate patch on the inside of her jacket with the words: Lionhead's bounty hunters guild.

Her hand went to her hip. Gamora tensed, ready to run if she drew her weapon. Richie whistled, "Settle," Peanut dropped the arrow and snarled at Jazinda.

"Easy, " Jazinda held up her hands, palms out, towards the dog. "Just reaching for my transmitter. If I wanted to hurt you I would have done it already."

Gamora narrowed her eyes, "I've heard that line before."

"Aren't you curious about who put a bounty out on you, little Gamora?" Jazinda says in a soothing tone of voice. "Somebody is waiting for you to come home. I'm here to help."

Gamora's heart leaped into her throat, it had to be her mother. She was certain. She throws Richie a pleading look. He didn't look convinced. "She's a liar."

"You have been so brave, escaping from Udonta all by yourself." She takes a step towards Gamora. "You don't have to do this by yourself anymore. I'll take you home."

Peanut noticed that someone was coming before anyone else did. He turned and growled as Yondu and the others strode onto the docks. He noticed his arrow laying on the ground but didn't move to holster it. "Gamora!"

Her eyes went wide with panic. She took off running for the Anilius. Richie and Cammi followed. "Lil' girl when I get my hands on you I'll–"

Jazinda pulled her gun on Yondu, and stuck one hand in her pocket. "You'll do nothing! Take one more step and it will be your last."

Yondu studied her clothes, thinking out loud he said, "You're the same bounty hunter from before. You're a long way from home, Skrull."

"And somebody cut off your fin, poor little Centaurian," Jazinda cooed at him, tauntingly. "If we're done pointing out the obvious, care to dance, boys?"

The ravagers leveled their blasters at Jazinda. In the same second, she pressed a button on her keys.

The kids jumped as the flight deck became a battleground. They took cover behind the old water hauler. Cammi covered her ears trying to suppress the sound of gunfire. The twin machine guns mounted on the front of Jazinda's ship sputter to life. Yondu and Kraglin hit the deck. Horuz takes cover behind the wall that separates the flight deck from the rest of the docks. A spray of bullets hit the wall. Kraglin and the second mate managed to get off five rounds. Three rounds scorched the hull of her ship. Two more hit her chest. She's thrown back against the hull of the ship. A bullet went clean through the second mate's skull. He dropped like a rag doll.

In the next second, Jazinda turned into a bird, grabbed her things, and flew away from the battle. Yondu rolled onto his back and whistled. The arrow shot off towards the machine guns but started to curve off to the left. It shattered the Scarab's window. Broken glass was thrown across the flight deck. Horuz cringed because he knew he'd be the one to fix it, "You missed!" Yondu spat a curse, how the fuck did he miss? He tried to call the arrow back, but it swerved to the left again and nearly hit Horuz, "Watch it!"

"We need to take out those machine guns," Kraglin said, taking shots at the ship.

"I know!" Yondu yelled in frustration, "I'm gonna kill that damn dog!" The dog must have bent the arrow. It couldn't fly in a straight line.

The machine guns suddenly stopped. The silence was deafening, Yondu and Kraglin exchanged glances. They watched the machine gun cautiously as they slowly got off the ground. There was a loud mechanical clank, as the machine guns reloaded. "Go. Go, go, go!" Kraglin shouted as he ran to where Horuz was taking cover. It takes Yondu three tries to hit the metal joint holding the left machine gun to the ship. The joint snaps in half. It slides off the ship and lands on the flight deck. The right machine gun spits out a spray of bullets in Yondus direction. He's forced to retreat behind the steel wall with Kraglin and Horuz. The wall was already dented, it wouldn't last forever.

"Horuz, it's a 6th gen Xandarian racing ship. Where's the core located?" Horuz thought for a moment and then did his best to describe the layout of the ship.

Horuz folded his arms, "Are you sure this is a good idea? You're shooting blind, and if you miss even once it could give away the plan."

Yondu looked Horuz in the eye, "I won't miss." He whistled. They held their breath.

Jazinda's ship exploded in a fireball of death and destruction. Yondu hadn't considered that taking out Jazinda meant damaging his own ships. The Scarab caught the worst of the shrapnel. It cut through the hull like tissue paper. It skewered the ship's core and set off a second explosion. Metal shrapnel took out the upper half of the wall. When Yondu's ears stopped ringing he could hear the soft roar of the air filtration system. It was quickly trying to replenish the air supply. Every breath made his chest ache, and he was light-headed. His skin felt hot from the radiation. He coughed, "Everyone still alive?"

Horuz groaned in response. Kraglin was picking metal out of his skin, "Ow." Yondu stands up and surveyed the area for any sign of the bounty hunter. A Skrull could shapeshift into anything, down to the DNA. That's why their militia lasted so long against the Kree.

"Sir, I don't think anything could have survived that," Kraglin mumbled as if he was reading Yondu's thoughts.

"Then where's the damn body, Krags?!" Yondu walked a few feet and picked his arrow up off the ground. It was still smoldering. "Skrulls are fucking cockroaches."

Behind the old water hauler, Jazinda slapped a fresh magazine into her rifle. The kids were huddled in a group behind her. She pressed one finger to her lips. Gamora nodded to say she understood, Richie grabs her hand and glares at Jazinda.

"You think that she's with the kid?" Horuz said.

"No!" Yondu snapped and then sighed, "Maybe… Shit." He rubbed his temples. "They ran towards the Anilius. Kraglin you're with me, Horuz–see if you can get her seaworthy again." He slapped the hull of the ship and a large panel broke loose and hit the deck.

Horuz cringed, "Aye, sir."

Kraglin followed Yondu inside the ship. Horuz sighed heavily and surveyed the damage. Jazinda shouldered her rifle and walked up behind Horuz. "Hey, shitbag, drop your weapon!" Jazinda called out to him.

Horuz slowly pulled out his blaster and slid it across the flight deck. "How are you still alive? Who are you?"

"I'm a cockroach," Jazinda replied flatly. She picked up his blaster and stuffed it into her jacket pocket. "How long will it take you to fix the ship?"

Horuz glanced nervously at the ship. "An hour at least, without help."

"Alright," she turned and waved the children over. They cautiously made their way over to Jazinda. "If he tries anything, have your little dog bite his dick off."

Gamora and Richie looked both mildly alarmed and disgusted. "I'm not gonna make him–"

"Okay!" Cammi agreed. With that, Jazinda disappeared inside the ship.

Richie frowned, "What do you think she's going to do?"

"I...I don't know," Gamora said but she meant she didn't want to think about it.

"Whatever it is I bet it'll be fun," Cammi sighed enviously. Horuz picked through the wreckage looking for salvageable parts or tools to fix the Anilius. He was ignoring the children entirely, which meant that Cammi wouldn't get to see Peanut maul him.

Richie paced a few steps and ran a hand through his hair. "Are you certain that Jazinda is gonna take you home?"

Gamora shrugged, "Anything is better than staying with Yondu."

Once Horuz was certain the children were no longer paying attention to him, he slipped his hand into his pocket and opened the frequency he shared with the other ravagers.

"You can always stay with us, Gamora," Richie offered gently.

"No, I wanna go home!"

Yondu was surprised to hear Gamora's voice echo throughout the bridge. He spun around twice before he realized the sound was coming from his transmitter. "Kraglin, the brat is back outside!" He turned to stalk back out in the hallway. He stopped dead in his tracks.

"Sorry, he's a lil' busy right now," Jazinda said. She pressed the edge of a blade against Kraglin's throat. She raised her rifle, pointing the barrel at Yondu. He clenched his fists at his sides and glared her down.

Gamora hears the unmistakable sound of gunfire from inside the ship and moves a little closer to Peanut. Richie fidgets nervously, his attention torn between the ship and Horuz. "We could still leave." Gamora doesn't dignify that with a response.

Cammi had grown increasingly bored with the situation. She rolls a coin across the metal floor and calls out to Horuz, "Are you sure you're a pirate? You don't have a hook for a hand or a big feathery hat." Horuz tried to ignore her.

"He does have the red coat," Richie remarked.

Gamora gives them an odd look, "You don't need those things to be a pirate."

"Oh, well that's lame," Cammi sighed. She held up the coin she had been playing with up until now, "If I give you five units will you say 'shiver me timbers'?"

Richie burst into a fit of giggling, "Oh, my god."

Horuz glared at her with murderous intent, "Are you making fun of me?"

"You drive a hard bargain, sir!" Cammi pulled out a handful of coins. "I'll give you fifteen units! But you have to say 'Arrgh' too!" Gamora snickered and hid her face in her hands.

"Listen, you little snot nosed brat," When Horuz takes a step forward, Peanut let out a low growl.

"Careful, if you aren't nice to me my doggy gets to eat you, Mr. Pirate," Cammi smiles tauntingly. Horuz regards the dog with disdain. "He's tasted flesh before."

"That's not true," Richie said.

"He's a killing machine! He's trained to destroy!"

"Everything you've said is false," Richie complained. Horuz looked very confused and mildly irritated.

Suddenly, the main hatch to the Anilius is thrown open. Yondu retreated down the gangplank and onto the docks. A creature, unlike anything Gamora had ever seen before burst out of the ship. It was a black shambling mess of wings and limbs, as soon as something formed it vanished again. It looked like it was made of ink. Yondu called the arrow. It flew out of the ship and towards the creature, but its body simply made a hole for it. "Damn it, damn it," He whistled again. The creature pounced on Yondu. A hand covered his mouth and then melted into black liquid. The creature suddenly looked humanoid. It's free hand turned into a blade, it moved to strike.

"Stop!" Kraglin staggers out of the ship. He looked bruised and scratched but otherwise fine. "If you bring Gamora to Ego she will die!"

The creature paused, it turned its head to look back at Kraglin. "What?"

Yondu held up his transmitter and it recoiled violently. It scrambled away from Yondu, it's shapeshifted and Jazinda was left in its place. She had one hand clamped over her bleeding ears, "Ow!"

Richie turned pink and closed his eyes, then quickly covered Cammi's eyes as well. "Hey!" She squeaked.

Yondu gasped for breath as he sat up. Kraglin looked away and coughed. "Uh, here's your jacket." He tossed it to her.

"Thanks, sweetheart." Jazinda gave him a shallow smile and covered herself with the jacket. "How did you know that her father's name is Ego?"

"Cause we… we got the job before you." Yondu was wheezing slightly. "Not that it's any a' your business."

She tilted her head to the side. "I can still rip out your throat if you'd prefer." Yondu groaned and flashed his teeth in a snarl. "You lost, fish boy, get over it."

"Can we look now?" Richie asked.

Jazinda chuckled, "Yeah, you're good." He opened his eyes and Cammi shoved him away.

"Ego hired us ta round up all his little ones and bring them home. The money was good enough that nobody wanted ta ask any questions. But..." Kraglin paused and threw a concerned look back at Gamora, who was listening intently.

Yondu cleared his throat and glanced at Gamora. "I didn't want ta tell you. At least then you could imagine you're father ta be whoever ya wanted." He chuckles darkly, "Never thought some brat would actually manage ta get away from me."

"Ego is killing his kids," Kraglin muttered.

"Alright," Jazinda sighed and stood up. "That's a cute story an' all, but why should I believe you?" She pointed at Gamora, "She says you kidnapped her. I've got a father missing his daughter, and there's a rumor that you got kicked out of your guild for trafficking children. You know how bad this looks?"

Yondu sighed heavily and Kraglin cringed. Gamora furrowed her brow and suddenly spoke up, "I… I've never met my baba. My mama said he vanished before I was born." She grabbed onto the hem of her sweater to keep her hands from shaking. "You said you were gonna take me home!"

Jazinda frowned, "I know what I said."

"You can't go home." Yondu snapped, "Ego will just keep sending bounty hunters after you. You would be putting your mama in danger."

"No!" Gamora's eyes filled up with tears and she stomped her foot. "No, you're lying! You're a liar! I wanna go home to my mama!"

"Woah, easy kid," Jazinda said.

Kraglin made a face, "She's not a horse."

"I wanna go home! I want my mama!" Gamora stomped her foot again. "I want mama!" She chokes down a sob and rubs at her eyes frantically.

"Don't start with that," Yondu grimaced and shifted uncomfortably. Richie and Cammi didn't know what to do.

Kraglin walked over and dug several tissues out of his pocket. He knelt down and offered them to Gamora. Her friends eyed him warily, but Gamora accepted the tissues. She cleaned herself up the best she could, and then let Kraglin wipe away her tears. She takes several deep breaths and managed to calm down a little bit. "If you need ta be upset you go on an be upset."

She wanted to wrap her arms around his waist and hug him as tight as she could, but she held herself back. "I'm still mad at you," She mutters. "I wanna go home."

"That's fine, I ain't sorry," he said. Gamora leaned her shoulder against Kraglin and he rubbed small circles on her back.

Jazinda opened her mouth and then closed it again as she tried to make sense of what had just happened. Eventually, she closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. "Do you guys have any proof whatsoever?"

Yondu shrugged and stood up. "Yeah, I got proof, but it's all back on my ship, on Leeto."

"Alright. Well, there's only one working ship here, so I suppose we can go to Leeto. If that's alright with you, kid?" Jazinda asked although she had already guessed the answer.

Gamora looks at Kraglin, then at Jazinda, and finally at Yondu. He refused to look her in the eye, choosing instead to glare at the ship. Nobody here could get her home. She may never see her mother again. She opened her mouth to speak and Richie interjects, "You don't have to–"

She clung to Kraglin's jacket, squeezed her eyes shut tight, and yelled, "I don't care! I don't care." Richie winced and didn't argue with her.

"Okay, it's settled then." Jazinda nodded and glanced about the docks for her things. "We're headed to Leeto."

Gamora isn't certain how long she stood there clinging to Kraglin's side. She felt devastated and angry and terribly lonely all at once. She feels a little better after crying, and Kraglin's presence was comforting too. Eventually, he patted her head and gently pushed her away. "Ya better go say your goodbyes, kiddo. Ya don't wanna leave on bad terms."

She takes a couple of deep shuddering breaths before she moves away from Kraglin. Cammi offers her a sad half-smile while Richie looks dejected. She intertwined her fingers with his and pressed their foreheads together. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help you."

"No, you helped me plenty." Gamora shook her head. "We're friends." He nodded and smiled a little.

Cammi stuck out her tongue, "Gross! You're gonna make me puke!" Gamora giggled and then tackled Cammi in a hug. "Agh! No! You're smothering me!" She squealed.

"I'll miss you too!" Gamora replied. She let Cammi shove her away.

Cammi glanced over at Yondu and Gamora noticed her smile falter ever so slightly. "I know things are really scary right now, but if they get too scary you can always call me okay?"

"Oh me too! Me too!" Richie and Cammi wrote their numbers on Gamora's arm. She didn't have a transmitter but she could find a way to call them if she needed to. She hugged her friends again and then said goodbye to Peanut the dog.

"You ready, kid?" Kraglin asked her gently.

"No." Gamora shook her head and then grabbed onto his hand, "But I'm going anyway."