mikaela2015: Thank you. :)
KuriMaster13: And a girl who is half ghost.
GhostWriterGirl-1: Definitely.
Here's chapter 7 everybody.
Chapter 7: Knowhere.
The Milano was flying in the vast darkness of space. Inside, Rocket was working on something, using parts of the ship, which upsets Peter.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Yo, Ranger Rick! What are you doing? You can't take apart my ship without asking me! See, what is this?" Peter confronted, trying to pick up a object, but Rocket stops him.
"Don't touch that! It's a bomb." Rocket said.
"A bomb?" Peter asked, not believing what Rocket just said.
"Yup." Rocket replied.
"And you leave it lying around?" Peter asked.
"I was gonna put it in a box." Rocket said as he opens a nearby shelf.
"What's a box gonna do?" Peter asked.
"How about this one?" Rocket asked as he grabs the present Meredith gave to Peter 26 years ago.
"No! Whoa. Hey! Leave it alone." Peter said as he grabs the present and puts it away.
"Why? What is it?" Rocket asked, which annoys Peter.
"Shut up." Peter said.
"Hey!" Rocket scoffed.
"What is that?" Peter asked, pointing at some components.
"That's for if things get really hardcore." Rocket replied with a grin. "Or if you wanna blow up moons."
"No one's blowing up moons." Gamora said.
"No one's blowing nothing at all." Daranak said.
"You just wanna suck the joy out of everything." Rocket muttered.
"So, listen, I'm gonna need your buyer's coordinates." Peter said.
"Yeah, are we even heading in the right direction?" Salzer asked.
"We're heading in the right direction. For now." Gamora replied.
"If we're gonna work together, you might try trusting me a little bit." Peter said.
"And how much do you trust me?" Gamora asked.
"I'd trust you a lot more if you told me what this was. Because I'm guessing it's some kind of weapon." Peter said as he places the Orb down.
"If it was a weapon, Nova would have place it in their custody." Daranak said.
"Especially if a deadly assassin like yourself is trying to get it." Salzer said.
"I don't know what it is." Gamora said as Drax grabs the Orb.
"If it's a weapon, we should use it against Ronan." Drax said.
"Put it down, you fool. You'll destroy us all." Gamora said.
"Or just you, murderess!" Drax shouted.
"I let you live once, princess!" Gamora said, confronting Drax in his face.
"I am not a princess!" Drax yelled.
"Hey! Nobody is killing anybody on my ship! We're stuck together until we get the money." Peter said.
"I have no interest in money." Drax said as he throws Peter the Orb.
"Great. That means more money for the three of us." Peter said, until Groot scoff at him. "For the four of us." Peter said as he looks at Daranak and Salzer.
"Like Daranak said, we don't care about the money. We just want to know what this Orb that Ronan's after is for." Salzer said.
"Partners." Peter said.
"We have a agreement, but I would never be partners with the likes of you. I'll tell the buyer we're on our way. And Quill, your ship is filthy." Gamora said as she faces Daranak and Salzer. "As for you two, you might want to change some clothes. The place we're going will not taken kindly to Nova Corps members, and since you two have a high reputation in the galaxy for being half ghost hybirds." Gamora said before she leaves to the upper level of the ship.
"Oh, she has no idea. If I had a black light, the place would look like a Jackson Pollock painting." Peter said.
"Jackson what?" Salzer asked.
"You got issues, Quill." Rocket said.
A few minutes later, both Daranak and Salzer changed back into their Xandarian forms before getting change out of their Nova Corps dress uniforms for regular clothes. Both were wearing plain grey sweatshirts, a pair of red jeans, and black combat boots, Salzer's being longer than Daranak's. The two then sat next to each other as the Milano continues its journey to its destination.
"What's gonna happen to us now? We're AWOL now and the Kyln might have send a signal back to HQ about helping with the escape and that they all might be murdered by Ronan's forces. We might be held accountable for that." Salzer asked.
"We've been AWOL before, but no matter what happens, we'll deal with it." Daranak said.
"You sure? We might have committed treason." Salzer said.
"Well, we can explain why we did it and hopefully stopping Ronan can prevent us from treason." Daranak said.
"I hope so brother. Who's gonna protect the galaxy from major ghost attacks or invasions?" Salzer asked.
"That's a good point. The Nova Corps need us. They know it will be risky to do something bad to us. We're the only half ghost hybirds in existence." Daranak said.
"Well until then, lets help the others figure what that Orb is for." Salzer said.
"Agreed." Daranak said.
Meanwhile, back at the Kyln, Ronan, along with Nebula, and his army of Sakaarans invaded the prison in their search for Gamora and the Orb, as well as Gamora's new allies and the Nova Twins. Many prisoners and guards were killed, and others were interrogated for information about Gamora's whereabouts. Nebula is currently interrogating the Nova guard of the prison with her knife at his throat.
"I swear. I don't know where they went! I swear." the guard cried.
"If he knew where they were headed, he would have already told us." Nebula said.
"Yeah." the guard said as Nebula receive a message from her cybernetic implant on her head.
"Ronan, the Nova Corps sent a fleet to defend the prison." Nebula said.
"Well, then, send Necrocraft to every corner of the quadrant. Find the Orb. Any means, any price." Ronan ordered, furious that he is again failing in his quest to locate the Orb for Thanos.
"And this place?" Nebula asked, about the fate of the Kyln and its occupants.
"The Nova can't know what we're after. Cleanse it!" Ronan ordered.
Back at Xandar, Yondu and Kraglin went to meet with Broker. Before revealing why they were really there, Yondu is taking some time to admire the various artifacts that Broker had on for sale.
"Do you got any other cute little buggers like this one? I like to stick 'em all in a row on my control console." Yondu said, admiring one jewelry artifact.
"I can't tell if you're joking or not." Broker said.
"He's being fully serious." Kraglin said.
"In that case, I can show you..." Broker said, before Yondu approached him.
"But first, you gonna tell me what this Orb is, and why everybody cares so damn much about it. And then you gonna tell me, who out there might wanna buy it." Yondu demanded.
Broker tried to insist that he would be unable to reveal the names of his buyers, but Yondu ignored his many excuses and spoke over him with gibberish, mocking and annoying Broker the more he did it while Kraglin laughed.
"I cannot possibly betray the confidentiality of my buyers!" Broker shouted.
Yondu then threatened Broker with his Yaka Arrow, pointing between his eyes.
"Now who again is this buyer of yours?" Yondu asked.
Meanwhile, at a place somewhere in the galaxy, a man with blonde hair and wearing a fur coat, approached a Krylorian woman.
"Carina." the man called.
"Yes, Master." Carina said.
"Your people do have elbows, do they not?" the man asked.
"We do, Master." Carina replied.
"Then use them. I don't have to remind you what happened to the last attendant who disappointed me. Do I?" the man warned.
Carina look at the last attendant, another Krylorian woman, inside a display chamber.
"Chop, chop. Our guests will be here soon." the man said as Carina continues to polish the glass.
Back at the Milano, Peter, along with Daranak and Salzer, were listening to Peter's rock music while Peter was practicing shooting his Quad Blasters.
"This music is not bad. I like this song." Salzer said, enjoying Peter's music tape.
"Heads up! We're inbound." Rocket called from the cockpit.
"Looks like we've arrived to our designation." Daranak said.
Peter, Daranak and Salzer climbed to the cockpit before looking out the windows to see their designation, which looks like a very large skull.
"Whoa." Peter muttered.
"What the heck?" Daranak muttered.
"What is it?" Drax asked.
"It's called Knowhere. The severed head of an ancient Celestial being." Gamora said before looking at Rocket. "Be wary headed in, rodent. There are no regulations whatsoever here."
Rocket then pilots the Milano into Knowhere. Everyone look outside to see what looks like a large city, with little mining craft collecting material from the skull. Rocket lands the Milano before everyone started to walked to their designation in Knowhere. Daranak and Salzer tried their best to cover themselves as to not be recognized by the people walking around them.
"Wow." Salzer said.
"So what's the story behind this place?" Daranak asked.
"Hundreds of years ago, the Tivan Group sent workers in to mine the organic matter within the skull. Bone, brain tissue, spinal fluid. All rare resources, highly valued in black markets across the galaxy. It's dangerous and illegal work, suitable for outlaws." Gamora explained.
"So, this is where all the outlaws gather at." Daranak said.
"Well, I come from a planet of outlaws. Billy the Kid, Bonnie and Clyde, John Stamos." Peter said.
"It sounds like a place, which I would like to visit." Drax said.
"Yeah, you should." Peter said.
"Billy the Kid? Bonnie and Clyde? What?" Daranak said, weird out about the outlaw names from Earth.
"Hey, Peter, you should tell us about Earth sometime. I've been fascinated by it and I want to visit the planet someday. And you can tell us about its culture, history and those outlaws you mentioned." Salzer said.
"You'll love Earth, Salzer." Peter said.
A group of begging kids suddenly approached the group. While some try to make the kids go away, Groot use his Flower Generation powers to form a flower on the palm of his hand before giving it to a little girl. The group continue their way through Knowhere until they reach Gamora's buyer's place, a bar called the Boot of Jemiah.
"Your buyer's in there." Peter asked.
"We are to wait here for his representative." Gamora replied as she and everyone else saw a bouncer kicking someone out.
"This is no respectable establishment. What do you expect us to do while we wait?" Drax asked.
"I have to agree with Drax. The more time we wait for his representative, the more time we waste." Daranak said.
"Yeah, besides, bars are not our thing." Salzer said.
A few minutes later, Drax, Groot, Rocket and Daranak was wagering on a game where a F'saki creature is devouring Orloni creatures. The last surviving Orloni is the victor. Drax, Rocket and Daranak were cheering for their Orlonis while Salzer look at disgust and scowling at the game.
"Yes! Yes!" Drax cheered as one Orloni gets devoured by the F'saki. Drax was also drunk.
"This is horrible!" Salzer said.
"Yahoo!" Rocket cheered, as he was also drunk.
"Come on! Let's go!" Daranak cheered before seeing Salzer scowl at him. "What?! Can't I have a little fun?! Besides at least I'm not drunk, or even drink!" Daranak said before seeing his Orloni gets devoured. "Dang it!"
"Boys will be boys." Salzer muttered in annoyance.
The F'saki then devoured another Orloni, making Drax's Orloni the last remaining, making Drax the winner.
"My Orloni has won, as I won at all things! Now, let's put more of this liquid into our bodies." Drax drunkenly said.
"That's the first thing you said that wasn't bad-shit crazy!" Rocket drunkenly said.
"Just don't drink too much." Daranak said.
Daranak and Salzer then left Drax, Rocket and Groot to look outside.
"What a crazy day." Daranak said.
"I know." Salzer said.
"So, what do you think about all of this? The others?" Daranak asked.
"I guess the others are okay. Gamora turns out to have some sort of kind side than I expected. Peter is the interesting one of the group." Salzer said.
"Because he's from Earth, right? A Terran?" Daranak asked.
"Yeah." Salzer said.
"You know, I sometimes wonder what Earth is like. How it looks like from space, the Terrans, or Humans as they like to call themselves, and their history and culture, everything." Daranak said.
"Yeah, I want to visit Earth someday. It's my dream. It might happen now that we know Peter." Salzer said.
"Hmm, I wonder if Earth have any ghost problems as well." Daranak said.
"Or how the ghosts from the Earth dimensional plane looks like and how the Humans stop their attacks." Salzer said.
"We're the only two half ghost hybirds in the galaxy, Salzer. I don't think other species like the Humans would be half ghost hybirds as well. The Humans are less durable than us Xandarians." Daranak said.
"Yeah, you're right. That's silly, a half Human-half ghost hybird, it's impossible." Salzer said.
"Anyway, let's hope Gamora's buyer can see us soon and figure out what's the Orb for." Daranak said.
"Well, we should check on Drax, Rocket and Groot before they get too drunk." Salzer said.
Meanwhile, outside, Peter approached Gamora, who was staring at the vastness of space.
"Man, you wouldn't believe what they charge for fuel out here. I might actually lose money on this job." Peter said.
"My connection is making us wait." Gamora said.
"It's just a negotiation tactic. Trust me, this is my specialty. Where yours is more, 'Stab, stab. Those are my terms'." Peter said, making Gamora smile.
"My father didn't stress diplomacy." Gamora said.
"Thanos." Peter said, about the Mad Titan.
"He's not my father." Gamora said, staring directly at Peter's eyes. "When Thanos took my home world, he killed my parents in front of me. He tortured me, turned me into a weapon. When he said he was going to destroy an entire planet for Ronan, I couldn't stand by and..." Gamora stopped before she look at Peter's Walkman and grabs it. "Why would you risk your life for this?"
Gamora then presses the play button on the Walkman and a romantic pop song is played.
"My mother gave it to me. My mom liked sharing with me all the pop songs that she loved growing up. I happened to have it on me, when I was... The day that she... You know, when I left Earth." Peter said trying to fight the emotions about Meredith.
"What do you do with it?" Gamora asked.
"Do? Nothing. You can listen to it. Or you can dance." Peter replied.
"I'm a warrior and an assassin. I do not dance." Gamora said.
"Really? On my planet, there's a legend about people like you. It's called Footloose. And in it, a great hero named Kevin Bacon, teaches an entire city full of people with sticks up their butts that dancing, well... It's the greatest thing there is." Peter said.
"Who put the sticks up their butts? That is cruel." Gamora said, not knowing about phases.
"What? No, that's just a... It's a phrase people use." Peter said.
Peter then grab his headphones before placing them on Gamora's ears. Gamora listens to the music and likes it.
"The melody is pleasant!" Gamora shouted.
Peter then grabbed Gamora's hand before he tried to kiss her.
"No!" Gamora said before she drew her knife and held it directly to Quill's throat.
"Ow! What the hell?" Peter said.
"I know who you are, Peter Quill! And I am not some starry-eyed waif here to succumb to your... Your pelvic sorcery!" Gamora shouted.
"That is not what is happening here." Peter said before Gamora released him.
Peter then noticed a fight has broken out between Drax, Rocket and Groot while Daranak and Salzer are trying to restrain them without using their ghost powers.
"Oh, no." Peter said.
Back inside, Drax was punching Groot in the face. Groot try to use his vines to restrain Drax, but he broke free. Salzer tried to stop Rocket, but he pulled her hair, making her scream, before releasing her. Daranak tried to restrain Drax, but he pushed him to the ground. Rocket was about to aim his Laser Cannon as Gamora and Daranak stop Drax.
"Stop it!" Gamora yelled.
"That's enough!" Daranak yelled.
Rocket was about to fire his weapon until Peter got in the way.
"Whoa, whoa, what are you doing?" Peter asked.
"This vermin speaks of affairs he knows nothing about!" Drax yelled.
"That is true!" Rocket yelled.
"He has no respect!" Drax said.
"That is also true!" Rocket yelled.
"Rocket, stop!" Salzer begged as she also got in Rocket's way.
"Hold on! Hold on!" Peter yelled, trying to make Rocket back off.
"Keep calling me vermin, tough guy! You just wanna laugh at me like everyone else!" Rocket drunkenly said.
"Rocket, you're drunk. All right? No one's laughing at you." Peter assured.
"He thinks I'm some stupid thing! He does! Well, I didn't ask to get made! I didn't ask to be torn apart, and put back together, over and over and turned into some... Some little monster!" Rocket said, recalling his past.
"Rocket, no one's calling you a monster." Peter said.
"He called me 'vermin'!" Rocket said, pointing to Drax. Rocket then pointed at Gamora. "She called me 'rodent'! Let's see if you can laugh after five or six good shots to your frickin' face!" Rocket said as he aims his cannon once more.
"No, no, no, no! Four billion units! Rocket! Come on, man. Hey! Suck it up for one more lousy night and you're rich." Peter said.
Gamora, Groot, Daranak and Salzer hoped that Peter's words has come to Rocket's sense. They get relived as Rocket sets down his cannon.
"Fine. But I can't promise, when all this is over, I'm not gonna kill every last one of you jerks." Rocket said.
"Really, Rocket?!" Salzer said.
"See? That's exactly why none of you have any friends! Well maybe except you two." Peter said, referring to Daranak and Salzer. "Five seconds after you meet somebody, you're already trying to kill them!"
"We have traveled halfway across the quadrant. And Ronan is no closer to being dead." Drax said before leaving.
"Drax, don't do this man!" Daranak said.
"Drax!" Peter called.
"Let him go. We don't need him." Gamora said.
Suddenly, two doors open to reveal Carina, before she approached the group.
"Milady Gamora. I'm here to fetch you for my master." Carina said.
"Here we go." Daranak said.
And that's the end of this chapter. So Salzer has always dream of visiting Earth. Daranak always wonder about Earth and wants to visit as well, not much as Salzer does. Well, they said they're the only half ghost hybirds in existence and that half-human-half ghost hybirds are impossible. They have no idea what's in store when they do visit Earth and meet Danny and Dani. Don't forget, this story is setting up for that future encounter in Infinity War. Both the Phantom Twins and Nova Twins are in for a big surprise when they do finally meet each other. Well, what will happen when Daranak and Salzer meets the Collector and they along with Peter, Gamora, Rocket and Groot learn about what's in the Orb? Find out in the next chapter. Please review. :)