Gamora, Rhea, and Peter stood in the main room of the Ravager ship surrounded by holograms outlining their plan. They addressed the Ravagers who filled up the room, ready for the fight as the trio debriefed them.
"The stone reacts to anything organic." Rhea said with her hands clasped behind her back.
"The bigger the target the bigger the power surge." Gamora said eyeing everyone around them with confidence.
"All Ronan has to do is touch the planet's surface and zap. All plants animals Nova Corps…" Quill listed off.
"Everything will die." Gamora simplified Quill's statement.
"So Ronan does not make the surface." Rhea ordered sternly.
"Rocket will lead a team to blow a hole in the Dark Aster's starboard hull." Quill brought up an attack simulation on a monitor. "Then our craft and Yondu's will enter."
"Won't there be hundreds of Sakaaran soldiers inside?" Yondu's second asked.
"I think of Sakaaran as paper people." Drax commented from next to him, the second in command nodded in amusement punching Drax in the shoulder lightly only to get a dark look in return that made him back off.
"Once they know we're on board Ronan will isolate himself behind impenetrable security doors on deck." Gamora went on. "Which I can disable by dismantling the power source."
"We'll make it to the flight deck and I'll use the Hadron enforcer to kill Ronan." Peter said.
"Once Ronan is dead we will retrieve the stone, use these devices to contain it." Rhea told them as silver orbs were handed out. "If you touch it, it will kill you."
"I'll contact one of the Nova Officers who arrested us. Hopefully they'll believe we're there to help." Quill said.
"There is one more thing we need to complete the plan." Rocket called out then pointed at one of the ravagers. "That guys eye."
"No, no, we don't. No we don't need that guys eye." Peter said quickly.
"No seriously, I need it. It's very important to me." Rocket chuckled before they broke up to get ready.
The team had separated into different rooms changing their clothes for the fight. Rhea had changed into a high necked sleeveless dark red backless crop top with even darker red accents with a flame like emblem over her heart, a pair of tight pants, fingerless elbow length gloves, and knee high boots all matching in their color scheme to her top.
She stepped out into the main hall waiting for the others, Peter was the first to arrive and she followed him down the hall sending him a quick smile which he returned. They were joined by Gamora, the Drax, next was Rocket, then finally Groot completing the new group.
'Ronan's fleet has been spotted, and will arrive in t-minus fifteen minutes.'
They all got into position Rhea jumping into the co-pilots seat as Peter took the captains seat of the Milano, Drax Groot and Gamora taking the seats behind them before they took off with all of the others.
"This is a terrible plan." Gamora said.
"Hey, you're the one who said you wanted to die amongst friends." Peter replied.
"I personally like this plan, I'm excited to be a part of it." Rhea commented with a devilish grin as Ronan's ship descended upon them. "There she blows."
"Fire!" Yondu fired to blasts that laid down a bright fiery blanket of cover for them. "Cover it down, submerge!"
They all flew down under Ronan's ship putting their plan into action.
"Rocket hurry!" Peter called out as Rocket led two other Ravager ships in close to Ronan's where they started to concentrate their fire to make a hole.
"Quill, Yondu, now!" Rocket called out as the hole was made.
"We're inbound Rocket." Rhea replied as they weaved through the battle.
"Aw hell, I'm going down. No more games with me boy, I'll see you at the end of this!" Yondu called out as he crashed due to a run in with an enemy ship to his wing.
"There are too many of them Rocket!" Gamora called out as they were hit. "We'll never make it up there."
Suddenly star shaped ships appeared all around them joining in the fight.
"Peter Quill, this is Denarian Saal of the Nova Corps." Saal said over the comm. "For the record I advised against trusting you here."
"They got my 'dick' message." Peter cheered getting looks from the others.
"Prove me wrong." Saal finished.
"Let's punch it." Rhea said as Peter shot them forward straight through the hole into Ronan's ship. They skidded along with Drax laughing in excitement the whole way as the other exchanged unsettled looks.
"Yes!" Drax cheered.
"Well if we're going to die, might as well have fun with it." Rhea shrugged as they were fired on. Quill pulled hard on his controls causing then to turn so he could return fire blasting the enemy down before they came to a stop. Drax laughed as he raised his hands into the air. "Let's go meet the neighbors."
They all filed out of their ship cautiously making sure that no enemy lingered to ambush them.
"I can barely see." Drax said. Groot raised his hand and from it pinpoints of light like fireflies floated into the air surrounding them bathing everything in a golden light. They all gazed around them in wonder, Rhea smiling softly as she raised her hand catching one in the palm of her hand before softly blowing it away, not noticing Quill watching her with a strange warm look in his eyes. "When did you learn to do that?"
"Pretty sure the answer is "I am Groot"." Peter answered for him and Groot nodded.
"The flight deck is three hundred meter this way." Gamora said leading them on.
"I want you all to know that I am grateful for your acceptance of my blunders. It is pleasing to once again have friends." Drax told them all as they walked. "You, Quill, are my friend."
"Thanks." Quill replied.
"You Rhea, are my friend." Drax said.
"Right back at you big guy." Rhea said with a smile.
"This dumb tree, he is my friend." Drax said to Groot who nodded. "This green whore, she too…"
"Oh you must stop!" Gamora snapped just before Nebula jumped out in front of them.
"Gamora, look at what you have done. You have always been weak. You stupid, traitorous…" Nebula was cut off by a blast to her stomach and everyone turned to Drax who held his gun pointed at where she had once stood.
"Nobody talks to my friends like that." Drax said and Gamora actually looked a little touched by the sentiment for a moment.
"Head to the flight deck, I'll shut down the power to the security doors." Gamora said before she walked away the others going the opposite way.
They ran following Quill through the maze that made up the ship until they came upon a group of armed soldiers lead by a man with cybernetic implants in his head.
"Star-Lord." The cyber man breathed out.
"Finally." Quill smirked before they attacked.
"Impetus Tempestatis!" Rhea formed a whirl wind around her sucking the soldiers in. "Igne Fulgur." She shot them back with lightening and fire. A man broke through her wind barrier striking her down, but she rolled coming up just in time to grip him by his neck. "Duratus." She froze hi neck then crushed it severing his head from his body. "Umbra." She stepped back into some shadows using them as camouflage so she could sneak attack other soldiers with blasts of light. "Lux!"
"You thief!" The blue eyed man snarled kicking Quill before Drax threw his knives at him missing as he dodged, but killing two more soldiers then deflected a direct attack from Ronan. "You will never make it to Ronan."
Drax and the blue eyed guy were locked in a fight while Groot Quill and Rhea held back the soldiers. Drax pinned his opponent gripping his throat and ripping out his cybernetic head implants.
"Finger to the throat means death." Drax snarled before he finished him off leaving him twitching on the ground. Drax looked to Quill. "Metaphor."
"Yeah, sorta." Quill nodded as they ran for the hall. "Oh no."
A lot more men came rushing at them only for Groot to grown his arms through a majority of them then use them as a mace beating them all to death before he released them then turned back to the others with a large smile.
"Sometimes you just make me so proud." Rhea grinned then started down the hall. "Come on guys, let's get a move on."
"Quill you got to hurry, the city's been evacuated, but we're getting our a**** kicked down here." Rocket said through the comm as they fought their way to the security doors.
"Gamora hasn't opened the doors." Quill replied as he readied the weapon while Groot and Rhea tried to get through the door.
Finally Gamora managed to get it open as well as blast her way in, all of them coming together taking out soldiers as they went just in time for Quill to shoot Ronan. The powerful blast enveloped Ronan making them all turn away at its force.
"You did it!" Drax cheered, but Ronan stood unscathed. Rhea and Peter's eyes met just before they were all blasted back. Drax recovered first charging at Ronan who grabbed him by his throat raising him off of the ground.
"I was mistaken, I do remember your family." Ronan said as Rhea stumbled to her feet her eyes going wide as she saw what was coming at them. "Their screams were pitiful, I…"
"Celeritas!" Rhea ran forward using a spell to speed herself tackling Drax out of Ronan's hand just in time for Rocket to crash his ship into the Dark Aster and mow down Ronan; Rhea and Drax barely getting out of the way in time. Drax protected her from the debris taking the brunt of the damage himself knocking him out cold.
"Rhea!" Gamora called out as she came over to them, the ship crumbling apart.
"I'm here, help me with Drax!" Rhea called out and together the two girls managed to drag him over to the others. "Rocket?!"
"He's just unconscious." Peter retrieved Rocket from the crashed ship carrying him over, all of them kneeling on the ground. Rhea gently placed her hand on Rockets head, Groot joining them also looking concerned for his friend as the ship started to nose dive.
"I guess this is it." Rhea said softly as she looked up at Peter who nodded. Rhea bowed her head. "At the very least I'm going out in a way that would honor my family and I'm surrounded by friends."
She gently ran her hand over Rockets head as he came to and noticed his eyes widening. Looking up she saw why he was so shocked. Groot started to wrap his vines around them all encasing them in a woven ball lighting it up with his light pollen….he was sacrificing himself for them.
"Groot." Rhea said softly in a pained voice as she starred up at him, her gentle giant of a friend as Groot's vines secured them in their place.
"No Groot." Rocket cried out as he scrambled over to him, Rhea following gripping Groot's shoulders.
"Please don't do this." Rhea begged, tears streaming down her face. "Please."
"You can't, you'll die. Why are you doing this?" Rocket demanded scrambling up on Rhea's shoulder so he could stand eye to eye with Groot who wiped their tears away with smaller vines. Rhea reached up gripping the small vine which twined around her fingers. "Why?"
"We. Are. Groot." Groot replied before they hit, the explosion enveloping everything leaving them all unconscious.
