It was amazing how quickly you could get used to something. So many things Gamora had considered luxuries are now just part of her routine. Regular hot showers, a soft bed to sleep on every night, home-cooked meals. (Well, Gamora still kept a stash of emergency food in her lunchbox. Some habits die harder than others.) Gamora had even grown accustomed to missions. She was too young to do anything important. Her job was to stay out of the way and not cause trouble. At first, the fights, explosions and ship chases were exciting, even a little scary. But after a month it was all incredibly mundane. No–it was worse than that. Gamora was bored. At least on the Eclector, there was something for her to do.

Gamora was almost relieved when she heard Cammi's ringtone. Gamora fumbled with her transmitter and answered her call. Her heart skips a beat when she hears Cammi's voice. "Hey, Sailor Scout, whatcha up to?"

"Gamora!" Tullk yelled from the helm, "we're threading the needle!"

"Aye!" She yelled back. She dropped down from the support beams and checked that the cargo was tied down. The starboard and port side airlocks opened. Gamora grabbed onto the bulkhead as the Anobii banked right. A missile shot harmlessly through the cargo bay. She held her transmitter up to her ear, "Nothing, I'm so bored!" The missile smashed into the side of an enemy ship. Gamora looks away before it crashes into the city below. The wind whips her pigtails back.

"Great! I've had the craziest day," Cammi said. Gamora climbed back up into the safety of the support beams. "Do you remember when that famous terrorist that got caught? They put him on a prison transport vessel to Klyn."

Gamora vaguely remembers Jazinda mentioning it. "I think so. Is it that guy who destroyed an entire star system?"

Cammi chuckled, "that's my guy! So their transport vessel was supposed to stop on Leeto to refuel, and I was there for the festival of lights." Gamora frowned, she didn't like where this story was going.

~~•˖✧•✯•✧˖•~~

The festival of lights takes place on the river at dusk. There are tents set up as far as the eye could see. People are selling food and playing music, however, it wasn't crowded yet. Miss Rider was saving a table for them. Peanut, their pet dog is dosing at her feet. "Don't run off too far!" She warns.

"Okay!" Richie yelled back. He was carrying his little brother, Robbie on his back. Their mother really likes R names. Cammi lags behind them, she can't help but stare up at the stars. This far from the city there are millions of glittering lights. The brightest star in the sky broke loose from the heavens and plummets towards the red sand dunes.

"Look, Richie, look!" She tugged on his sleeve, "a falling star!" It sounds like thunder as it breaks through the atmosphere. The center is a burning white with orange and red flames roll off the side. The clouds cling to the star, they're reluctant to let go. Chunks break off from the core, the ground tremors as they strike the planet. The core crashed into the dunes, the wind whips Cammi's hair back. A giant sand cloud bloom in the distance. Richie shielded his little brother from the sand. People are shouting and pointing. A couple of the tents collapsed.

Cammi shakes the sand from her hair, "that was totally awesome!" She bounced on her heels before she started running across the sand. She charged up the dune, fists clenched at her sides.

"Ca-Cammi!" Richie looked around before running after her. "Where are you going?

Cammi pointed at the red dust cloud, "I'm going to get a closer look!"

Richie takes labored breaths as he catches up with her. Robbie is clinging to his brother's chest. They stopped at the top of the dune. At this distance, Cammi could see the smoldering wreckage, metal shrapnel littered the desert. Orange and yellow flames flicker from within. "I don't think that's a star, Cammi," Richie whispered with awe. She could just make out two words etched into the side: Nova property. She stumbles down the dune.

"Cammi!" Richie stomped his foot. "My mom told us not to wander off!"

Cammi scoffed, "do you do everything your mommy tells you to?"

"Yes!" He shouts indignantly and kicked sand at her. He looks between Cammi and festival. He makes a snap decision, he can't let her go alone. "Blue Blazes! You're going to be the death of me!" He follows her through the desert.

Cammi could make out the details as they got closer. Large portions of the hull are missing, one of the wings was completely gone. Hunks of metal lay in the smoldering wreckage around it. Cammi could see three people, survivors. Two of them are Roclites, a humanoid species with vibrant red scales. The third is a large green humanoid with red swirling tattoos. They're all wearing the shredded remains of yellow jumpers. "You shall die by my hands' Blood Brothers!" The green one yelled.

"Pop him?" The eldest brother said.

"Better done than regretted," The youngest replied. They threw a punch at the green one. He grabbed the youngest by the arm and threw them into the sand.

Richie gasped and pulled Cammi behind a dune. "This is bad. This is so bad. We need to leave." He whispered in a panic.

Robbie tugs on his brother's shirt. "Richie! What's happening?" One of the Roclites glances in their direction. Richie covered his little brother's mouth and they ducked down.

After a moment Richie dared to whisper, "That's Drax the freakin' Destroyer! We need to leave now!" Cammi hushed him, as Drax broke someone's jaw.

Drax drove his palm into the eldest brother's nose. Blood splattered across the sand. He blocked a punch from the youngest. The eldest kicked Drax in the gut and sent him flying. He flew over Cammi and tumbled down the dune. Richie snapped up Robbie and ran back to the festival. Drax staggered to his feet and charged at the Blood Brothers.

He found a pipe with one jagged spear-like end. He drove it through one Roclites' chest. They screamed in agony. They claw at the pipe, desperately trying to remove it. They crumple to the ground. There's a small pool of blood forming beneath him.

"Woah!" Cammi gasped, moving closer to get a better look.

The remaining brother screams in anguish and tackled Drax. They fall back into the sand. They're trading blows too quickly for Cammi to follow. There is blood everywhere. It turns the red sand black and sticky. Drax gets the Roclites pinned beneath him. He held him down by the throat and punches him, repeatedly. There's a sickening crunch of bone and a gurgling sound. The Roclites stops moving. Drax spits blood into the sand. He's breathing hard and sweating, he slowly stands up.

"That was totally awesome!" Cammi threw her arms into the air. "You were all like, bang, boom, pow!" She punches the air, "and they were all like, " Cammi grabbed her neck and made a gagging noise. She twirled around melodramatically and flopped over into the sand.

Drax squints at Cammi. He looks around the desert and then back at Cammi. "You're a little girl."

She chuckled and stood up. "Figure that one out all by yourself didja, big guy?" She dusts the sand off her clothes and shakes it out of her hair. "My name is Cammi, it's nice to meet you."

"Go home, Cammi." He grumbled and brushed past her. He starts walking towards the city.

Cammi skipped after him, "No way! Who are we going to kill next?"

"We are not going to kill anyone." Drax glares down at her. "I have business to attend to. You must return to your family."

"Boo! Lame!" Cammi gave him a solid two thumbs down.

"You are not intimidated by me at all."

"Nah, " Cammi replied, "I've lived with scary people before. You are not scary."

Drax shook his head at her. "What manner of little girl are you?"

"The regular kind. So what is this business we're attending to?" Cammi asks her best impression of Drax. "And does it involve pants? Not that you aren't rockin' those booty shorts."

Drax glanced down at the shredded remains of his prison uniform. "Maybe you will prove useful after all."

"What are we talkin? I was thinking biker leather." Cammi chirped and waved her hands in an arc.

"No."

"Flora beach shorts, " she suggested.

"Absolutely not."

Cammi huffs, "Alright, we can get you more booty shorts if you insist." Drax didn't dignify that with a reply.

"Cammi!?" Richie was standing at the edge of the festival overlooking the dunes.

She stops walking, "Oh hey, Rich. " His eyes grow wide when he sees Drax. He opens his mouth, but no words come out.

Robbie runs to Cammi and throws his arms around her waist, "you're okay! Richie was really worried!" She pats his head affectionately.

"Robbie get away from there!" He yanked his little brother back. "That's—That's—"

"Drax the Destroyer, " Cammi finished. "You don't need to worry, he's cool."

"Hello, " he waves.

Richie holds his brother tighter, "Why—why is he here? Cammi, I don't—What's going on?"

Cammi looks between Drax and Robbie and then sighs. She gestures for Richie to follow. She walks out of earshot. "Richie, I'm going to help Drax get of this dust ball and then I think—I think I'm going to go with him."

Richie blinks, "Go with him? Cam that's," He frowns and then points at Drax accusingly. "He's a criminal, a serial killer! Are you kidding me? Go with him," He scoffs and shakes his head. "You're gonna come home with us."

Cammi expression twists into a scowl. "No, I'm not. That's your home Richie, it's not mine."

"Oh, bullshit."

"Richie, " she looks away and then sighs. "I'm not happy here. Miss Rider is really nice to me, and I'm grateful for everything you've done, but you're always going to be her favorite. I want–I deserve more than that."

His expression softened, "I'm not her favorite."

"You're her son. You get to train Peanut and play the piano while I have to work," Cammi insisted.

He dropped his gaze to the ground. "I didn't know you felt that way." After an agonizingly long moment of silence, he sighs deeply, "Okay."

"Okay?"

"If you want to leave, I won't stop you, but you'll always have a place here. If you want it." He replies softly.

Cammi tackles him in a hug. "Thanks for everything."

He hugs her back, "go be happy, Cam." Robbie said goodbye, and they watched Drax and Cammi disappear into the crowd. Richie can't shake the feeling that he made the wrong choice. "What the hell am I gonna tell mom?" He wonders allowed.

Cammi avoids the festival as she leads him into the city. They find a clothing store without much hassle. Drax picked out several new pairs of pants, while Cammi was sitting upside down in the chair outside the changing room. "How about we only talk in questions for the next hour?"

"I am not interested in your games, " Drax replied.

Cammi blew a raspberry, she decided to play by herself. "Why were you arrested?"

She thought Drax wasn't going to reply, but after a moment, he mutters, "The Novas do not see my quest for vengeance as honorable."

She propped herself up on her elbows, "Why do you want vengeance?"

Drax yanked back the dressing room curtain, "Don't you have parents?" He's wearing dark blue jeans with a belt.

Cammi chuckled, "Why are you changing the subject?"

He sat down next to Cammi to lace up his combat boots. "Ronan killed my family and destroyed my planet. It is my destiny to put his reign to an end. He shall die by my hands." He stood up fists clenched at his sides, "Now. Do you possess currency so we may leave this place nonviolently?" Cammi jingled her purse at him.

She paid for his new clothes, and they left the store. The festival was in full swing, the sun had set for the first time in months. Cammi's jewelry begins to float and washes her out in a green glow. The streets are filled with music, lights, and people. Cammi follows him to the end of the block, before she asks, "where are we going now?"

Drax stops dead in his tracks and groans. He spins to glare down at her. "You have fulfilled your purpose. How do I make you go home, Cammi?"

"Bad News: ya can't! I'm in your life now, Destroyer," Cammi replies in a taunting tone.

"And I get no say in the matter?" Drax frowned.

"Yup!" Cammi hummed.

Before Drax can reply, there's a burst of blue flame as three Nove officers fly overhead. The leader points at Drax and yells, "Halt!" The crowd scatters, leaving Drax and Cammi alone in the city center. One officer says into his comms device, "He has taken an Earth refugee hostage. Do not discharge your weapon while the human is in danger."

Drax smiles. "Maybe you have not outlived your usefulness, yet." With one arm he pulls Cammi up onto his shoulders. He charges the Novas. His fist smashed into the Nova's head. It sends them sprawling. The other two jump back. One pulls their blaster in a panic. Before they can get a shot off, Drax grabs their arm and points the weapon at the other Nova officer. He shoots them square in the chest. Drax breaks their arm and jabbed his elbow into the Nova's nose. Their eyes roll back into their head as they crumple to the ground.

"That was so cool!" Cammi cheered as Drax swung her off his shoulders. He takes the blaster off the Nova's body and searches them for ammunition. "Can I have a gun?"

"No."

There's a distant rumble as a Nova scout ship breaches the atmosphere. It's heading straight for them. "What's that?" Cammi squints up at the ship.

"Reinforcements," Drax mutters.

Five Nova officers dive off the ship, the moonlight glint off their signature gold late Roman style helmets and blue uniforms. The one on the far right says, "three officers down. The target is armed." The leader lands in front of them. The air around them crackles with power as their fists start to glow. "Drax Douglas of Spireallia you are under arrest. Let the human go and come quietly."

Cammi threw a rock at them. It bounced harmlessly off their chest. "Boo! Less talking more punching!"

Drax pointed his blaster at a Nova and fired. Several things happened at once. The Nova tumbled backward. Three of the Novas opened fire on Drax. The leader yelled for the others to stand down. Two shots scorched the ground the third nicked Drax's shoulder. He shoved Cammi out of the line of fire. "Hey!" She yells in surprise.

In the next second, Drac charges one of the Novas. He leaps into the air tackles them, smashing them into the ground. The Nova fires wildly as they struggle with Drax. He punches them in the head repeatedly. The other three Novas rush to their aid. They tried to pull Drax off them. They're trading blows quickly. There's the unmistakable sound of gunfire. One of the Novas drop from the sky. "Woah, " Cammi scurries from her hiding place to get a better look. Three Novas down two to go.

Three more Nova's appear out of nowhere. "Drax!" Cammi jumps up and down while waving her arms, "Drax, incoming!" He glances up at her and she points at the Novas. Drax headbutts the leader and kicks the other square in the chest. They're thrown headlong into a wall. They don't get back up. Cammi ran over to Drax's side.

The leader staggered to their feet and punched Drax in the head. It sent him sprawling. Cammi winced, "oh that's gotta hurt." Drax doesn't get up.

The Nova grabs Cammi by the arm and starts to pull her away. "You're okay now, kid. Come on,"

"No! Let go of me!" She kicked them in the shin but only hurt herself. The Novas train their guns on Drax. "Get up! You have to get up! Drax!"

Drax's vision blurs. Tens of thousands of twinkling lights dance just out of reach. He was doing something important. "Please! Get up!" A familiar voice calls out. He stands up slowly, everything around him is spinning. Soldiers are pulling a little girl away, she's blurry around the edges and green. "You have to get up!"

"Hea...ther?" He sways on his feet, "not again. No. You won't take her from me again." The confusion fades from his eyes leaving only determination. He stalks towards the Novas.

The Novas open fire. Three shots miss, one hits his collarbone, another grazes his leg. It doesn't slow him down. The Nova pushes Cammi away, "get back!" Drax punches the Nova by the head. Their knees start to buckle. He grabs them by the throat and throws them into the three new Novas.

He sweeps Cammi up into his arms, she grins, "ya miss me already?" Drax wordlessly swung Cammi up onto his shoulders. He runs up the stairs to the bridge overlooking the city. A Nova flew after them. Drax throws the blaster at the Nova knocking them out of the sky. Cammi screams in delight when Drax jumps off the bridge. He dropped down on top of the Nova scout ship. He forced the upper hatch open and dropped Cammi into the airlock before following. "That was so cool!" She yells as Drax opens the inner airlock doors. She skips ahead of him, "Is this our ship now?"

"My ship, " Drax corrected, "the remaining Nova on board must be dealt with first. Stay close." He creeps down the hallway.

"I'm going to find the galley. I'm hungry, " Cammi says before heading in the opposite direction.

Drax rolls his eyes and runs after her. "You are not listening."

"Say something worth listening to!" She replies.

"Hey, little girl! How did you get here, sweetie?" The Nova marches down the hallway towards Cammi. Drax steps out of their line of sight.

Cammi puts on her sweetest smile, "where can I find the galley, mister?"

The Nova points down the hallway, "that way, make two lefts and a right. But how did–" Drax grabs them by the throat.

"Thank you!" Cammi chirped before walking towards the galley. Drax made quick work of the Nova and ejected them out an airlock.

Cammi found another Nova in the galley tending to steamed crestagion. Instead of the uniform they're wearing an apron and civilian clothes."Hi, there! Can I help?"

The Nova looks baffled by Cammi's presence. "Uh, where did you come from, honey?" Drax grabs the Nova by the collar and drags them out into the hallway. They scream and three more come running. Cammi washes her hands as Drax takes on four of them at once.

She steps into the hallway hands on her hips. "Hold it!" Drax and the Novas all froze. Cammi waltzed forward and snatched the apron off the Nova. "Continue!" The fighting resumes. Cammi ties the apron around her waist, it's a little big for her. She rolls up her sleeves and gets to work. Drax dealt with the rest of the crew quickly.

Drax sat at a round table in the room adjacent to the galley. There's a box of medical supplies open on the table. He was tending to the worst of his wounds while Cammi finished preparing dinner. "What was that name you called me back on Leeto? It was like Haily or Hannah or, "

"Heather, " Drax says quietly.

Cammi glances up from her cooking, "Who was she?"

Drax sighs, his shoulders slumped and his expression softened. "Heather Douglas was my daughter. She was kind and intelligent, and she loved sugary treats. Nothing at all like you." Cammi is caught between scoffing and laughing. "I was separated from her when Ronan attacked my planet. He killed her."

"I'm sorry."

"You are not responsible for her death," Drax replied.

"I know, I meant that I have sympathy for you." Cammi turns off the stove. "Dinner is ready."

Cammi made a plate of food for herself and Drax. "Smells good, " He popped one of the roasted veggies into his mouth, "thank you." The ship flew away from Leeto. Away from Richie and Miss Rider. Away from the last few years of her life. And towards something new, something better.

~~•˖✧•✯•✧˖•~~

The Anobii landed inside the Eclector, Tullk steered the ship into the hangar. "Wait so your just traveling across the galaxy with this guy?" Gamora said into her transmitter. She can't keep the concern from her voice. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"Christ, you sound like Richie." Cammi scoffs and then says, "remind me where you work again?"

Gamora chuckled, "okay, point taken." She unbuckled herself from the seat and started untying the cargo. "Where are you now?"

"We're headed to Ronan's last known location, somewhere in Cepheus. Big guy is on a warpath," Cammi says. Gamora felt her heart sink a little, that was nowhere near them.

The other ravagers started unloading the cargo. Kraglin spots Gamora talking on her transmitter and gives her a disappointed stare. "Donut Head don't make me take your transmitter away from you."

Cammi chuckled, "someones in trouble."Gamora shushed her.

Kraglin snaps his fingers at her and she yells back, "Alright! Alright already!" Before saying goodbye to Cammi, "keep me updated okay? Stay safe."

"Back atcha sailor, " and Cammi hung up.

/ive been waiting So Long to post this chapter