I am sorry for my absence lately, but I am not feeling good at all right now. My life has turned into one very big piece of...well, you know what I mean. I won't go into detail, because this is all private stuff, but fact is: I had to face the worst wave of depression ever and I am still not okay at all. I have started writing again (at least I write every now and then) for this has always been the best therapy for me when I am sad. It's working a tiny bit, but not as much as I hoped it would work. But I have my friends who help me in these dark times of my life and I hope life will get better in the future. But as for now I feel terrible and I can't tell you when I am able to post the next chapter, for I am rarely in the mood to take care of this account or my stories anymore. Plus I have not much motivation left to keep updating my stories on here when hardly anyone reads them. But whatever. I am going to finish at least this story.

I also found some motivation and time to translate this chapter and correct a few things here and there.

My thanks goes out to all the people who still follow this story of mine. Thank you a lot, guys :).

I hope you like this chapter and sadly I have to say: This story is almost finished by now. Only two more chapters to go after this one.

But as for now: Have fun with this chapter :)

Chapter 18

Voices…

Voices coming from far away, came to his ears, led him through the seemingly endless darkness and slowly bringing him back into the light.

He tried to open his eyes, but he barely managed to do so.

The beeping of monitors reached his ears and once again he tried to open his eyelids and this time he even managed to do so, but his vision was blurry and the light over his face was blinding him so much that he closed his eyes again. A tormented moan came over his lips, as he tried to lift his arm, which send a lot of pain through his whole body.

"Hey, look. I think he wakes up."

"Call the Captain!"

The voices came closer and his vision got a little better, as he turned his head to one side, away from the bright light and his eyelids fluttered once more. His vision was still blurred, but he could make out the outline of medical devices that produced the beeping sounds. He saw two figures moving around in the room and his heartbeat quickened, as they approached him.

"N-no...get...away...from...me..." he managed to bring over his dry lips and he tried to scoot away, as the figures came closer to him. He expected the pain of sharp fangs and sharp claws, but when none of that happened, he calmed down a bit. It wasn't one of those monsters that wanted to connect with him...

A door opened and heavy footsteps approached him quickly.

"Did he finally wake up?"

"Aye, Captain. Just now."

"How is he doing?"

"His vital signs have returned to normal. But he is very weak and his wounds are deep. It will take time for him to fully recover. Not to mention his mental health..."

"The boy is lucky that he is still alive."

A growl was heard.

"Leave me alone with him! If there are problems, I will call ya! Until then, I don't want to be disturbed by anyone, ya got that?"

"Aye Captain."

Peter heard how the two people left the room. When the heavy iron door closed behind them, he tried to fix his eyes on the person who was still present, pulling a chair up and sitting down on it by his side. One hand reached out for his and he jumped in alarm and whimpered at the touch.

"Shhh. It's only me, Peter."

He strained to find out who it was, but his voice and blue skin had long since given him away.

"Y-Yondu? Is that you?"

"Yes, kid."

"W-where...am I?"

"You're on the Eclector. We took ya to the infirmary. It didn't look good for ya."

"Why...can't I...see anything?"

"Ya were envenomed, but the venom has already lost its effect, because we could give ya an antidote in time. Soon ya will be able to see again as before. Be patient."

The words had to be processed first and for a moment the boy was silent and he tried to remember what had happened. But he could only remember fractions of it, and maybe that was better for him. But still...the roar of these monsters still echoed in his head, as did the dark voice with which the monster had spoken to him when it wanted to connect with him. And then the pain, as it had cut through his flesh with its claws...

He flinched, when a hand gently stroked his cheek and wiped away the tears that had gathered in his eyes and now rolled mercilessly over his face. He wanted to turn his face away from Yondu, ashamed of his tears, his weakness, but he was too weak to do so, could hardly move, so he just squeezed his eyes together and tried to suppress his sobs. But he failed miserably at that and more and more tears rolled down his cheeks.

"Shhhh, Peter. You are safe. Nothing will happen to you here. I'm with ya. And I will protect ya."

The gentle words only made it worse and Peter managed to reach his hand out to Yondu and he almost clawed at his sleeve when he found it. He held onto him, as if he feared the Centaurian would leave and abandon him, but deep in his heart he knew that he would never do that. He would protect him...as he had done it, when that monster had wanted to kill him. He owed his life to Yondu!

Once again his eyelids opened and this time he could see a lot better than before. He saw Yondu's face, still slightly blurred and which smiled at him as gently as he hadn't seen it for a long time. The Ravager gently stroked his thumb over the back of his hand, trying to soothe him and it worked.

"Do you feel any pain?"

He nodded at the question and Yondu reached beside him and took something from a small metal table, which stood right next to the bed.

"Don't be frightened, okay? It will sting for a little second. After that ya will feel much better."

He put the weird thing, that looked like a small pistol, to his shoulder and pressed a small button on the handle of the thing and a brief pain shot through the spot where a small needle pierced his skin. The pain in his body subsided almost immediately and Peter relaxed a bit and sighed in relief.

"Better?"

He nodded and even managed to smile at Yondu, who softly returned his smile, as he put the weird syringe away.

For a while the two of them were silent, seeming caught in their own thoughts.

When Yondu spoke to him again, Peter jumped slightly startled.

"What ya did was stupid, Peter."

He turned his face away from the Centaurian, knowing he was right with his words. He hadn't listened to him when he told him to get out of there.

"Stupid...but incredibly brave. Ya have my respect, kid."

He could barely trust his ears. Did Yondu really say that, or did his mind play a nasty trick on him?

"D-do you mean that seriously?"

"Aye, I'm serious. Ya have shown great courage when ya have been in this facility all alone and in addition to this ya have fought two Klyntar all by yourself and not only have ya survived, but ya have resisted one of them. Not many can do that."

"Klyntar? Were those these monsters that attacked us?"

"Aye."

"What...are they?"

"Bad creatures, kid. Their planet is in the Andromeda galaxy, but I have never seen them on the planet where we were. It was stupid of me to take ya there and expose ya to such danger. If you had died, I would never have forgiven myself for that! It was my fault. Mine alone. Forgive me, Peter. I should never have put ya in such danger."

"I should have listened to you. If I had listened to you, all this might not have happened."

"Maybe yes, Maybe not. The fact is that it happened."

"But I am alive. I think that's the only thing that matters now."

Again a small smile crossed Yondu's face and he squeezed the hand that he still held so gently in his own.

"That's true, kid. And ya know what?"

"What?"

Yondu got up and a small grin spread across his face, causing Peter to raise an eyebrow, as he watched the Centaurian, as he picked up something from a table standing in the corner of the room. As he turned around, he saw that Yondu was holding a Ravager coat in his hands.

"You're one of us now, Petey. A full member of the Ravagers and this coat is now yours. It's a bit big, but you'll grow into it."

He stepped to his side and squeezed his shoulder, as he folded the coat and placed it at the foot end of the bed.

"You've more than earned it, Peter!"

Again tears welled up in his eyes, but this time it were tears of pure joy and he wanted to hug Yondu so bad, but he could barely move. As if reading his mind, the Ravager Captain laughed and squeezed his shoulder once again.

"Ya can thank me later."

"I know something better."

"So? And what would that be?"

"Are my clothes here?"

"Yes. Why do ya ask?"

"Get the little bag I had with me when we were on this planet."

Yondu raised an eyebrow in question, but didn't ask any further questions, but did what the boy asked him to do and got the bag, which, along with the rest of his Ravager clothes, lay on a chair not far from the bed.

"Open it and see for yourself."

Now Yondu couldn't control his curiosity anymore and when he opened the bag and he saw what was inside, his eyes almost fell out of his head. Especially when he pulled the triangular-shaped device out of the small bag, which he had previously shown Peter and which he should have stolen.

"I don't believe that! Ya have found it anyway and stole it?"

Peter grinned slightly.

"Yes. When those monsters...those...Klyntar...were following me, I hid in a storage room and saw that thing there and I quickly put it into my bag. I didn't want to come back empty-handed."

Yondu couldn't believe it!

"Kid, ya have bigger balls than we all together!"

The boy giggled and blushed deeply, with so much praise all at once.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously! Hardly any one of us would have dared to do such a thing. Just when most of them hears the word Klyntar many break out in panic and ya fought against two of them and steal our booty at the same time. Some pirates can take an example from ya!"

Yondu folded his arms across his chest and grinned broadly at the boy.

"You'll be a great pirate, Petey!"

Peter now looked like his head was about to explode.

"Ya know what? When ya feel better, we will come to the last step of yer training. I think ya know what that means, right?"

And despite everything that had happened to him, the human child's eyes began to light up and his heartbeat accelerated in anticipation of what was to come, which Yondu acknowledged with a small grin, as the device next to him beeped faster than before and which was meant to guard Peter's heartbeat.

"You let me fly an M-ship?"

"Fly? I will give ya one as a gift, if ya can control it! And best of all, ya can choose it yourself."

Oh man, that was getting better and better, but Peter had to admit that all this was just a bit too much at once, which Yondu also noticed, because he just laughed softly and sat down at his side and stroked his hand lovingly over his forehead.

"But until that happens, rest and get yer strength back, okay?"

Peter nodded.

"Good boy. I'll take another look at yer wounds and then I will let you sleep a little, okay?"

"Yes, Yondu...and thank you..."

"Not for that, kid."

The boy just smiled and closed his eyes and while Yondu was examining his wounds, he had fallen asleep...