Desert Shelter

'Waa'i-Du'in 3 [pronounce as why - do - in], Small Magellanic Cloud. Gravity 0.9 G. Rural desert planet; limited space travel. Main attraction: moving sand dunes," Rocket read from his transgalactic tourist guide and said, "Sounds like ya picked a good planet to relax, Gam."

"I didn't pick it, it was selected at random."

"We should lay low for a few days. My burn mark is itchin' like hell."

"I agree. Peter is still limping. I hope he can catch some sleep."

"I didn't. The itch woke me up."

"That or the booze had spent its forces. I told you before; it's not the best sleep medication."

"Ye're bitchin' again. I shot down two guys, drunk an' all. You jes' chopped off a hand."

"You got hit, I didn't."

"Yeah right! Blame the victim."

For a While, they watched the stars speeding by.

Gamora resumed, "Peter contacted the Nova Corps. They were most interested in the rogue Kree group we encountered. If these Ronan adepts are serious, they may pose a threat to Xandar."

"I didn't even know the ugly sonuvabitch was married, did you?"

"His spouse is called Crystal, she's one of the Inhumans."

"The Inhumans? Do ya think they're involved?"

"That would be a problem. They have formidable powers," Gamora answered.

"I still don' understand this whole charade. Why gettin' at us fer revenge? What's their game?"

"There's a political smell to it. Maybe they're plotting against Xandar and have the audacious plan to use us as leverage."

"This raccoon ain't nobody's bargainin' chip, I tell ya," Rocket proudly exclaimed, pointing with a thumb to himself. He added, "I've done some thinkin'. If they're really after us, they've probably planted a tracker on us. When we land, I'm gonna check the ship thoroughly."

"That sounds like a prudent thing to do."

Rocket landed the ship in a quiet place, somewhere at the edge of a cold desert. The weak sun shone a reddish light on the barren place. To Rocket it felt like sun set; but judging from the position of the star, it was the middle of the day.

He and Groot started to look at the bottom section of the ship for suspicious devices. Groot lifted him up, moving him slowly along the surface of the hull. Rocket had put a headband on with a lamp attached to the front, highlighting the coloured metal.

Soon after, Peter came down the stairs and walked towards the busy couple, saying, "Gam told me you were looking for tracking devices."

"Yep."

"Can I help?"

"You know yer own ship best. Look fer anythin' that's outta place."

Peter went back into the ship and came out with a light. He inspected the wings. After ten minutes he called to Rocket, "You found something?"

"No, not yet. We'll continue to check the rest of the hull."

"OK, I'm going back in then."

Soon after, the tree and the mammal entered the ship. "Didn't find a thing," Rocket said with disappointment.

"Still, good precaution," Peter complimented the two.

"Sure, sure."

Drax was up too. He was sharpening his knifes. It was his daily routine. If he had used them, he cleaned and honed them; if he hadn't used them, he sharpened them anyway. He believed they could lose sharpness even when kept in their sheaths. Moreover, the air surrounding them could make them blunt. That wouldn't do.

Rocket nibbled on a soft, heated dough thingy with a meaty sauce inside he got from the food dispenser. It was still too hot to eat. The raccoon was hungry and in his eagerness, he burned his tongue a bit. Then he was quiet for a while and looked at his half-eaten snack with a pensive expression.

Peter observed him and said, "What's on your mind, Rocky?

The ringtail chewed some more and replied, "I don' understand why I didn't find anythin'. These creeps didn't look like amateurs to me."

"Don't worry, we're safe here. This is a no man's planet."

"Not according to the tourist guide," Gamora brought up. "There's a small town, not far from here. You guys bought a lot of booze, but we're low on food."

"We're not! The dispenser's filled up," Rocket protested with his mouth full.

Gamora said, "I can't live on dispenser food for months. I need proteins, fruit and vegetables to keep my body in shape."

Peter smirked. He was going to make a remark but Gamora cut him off. She insisted, "Don't say it! I know what's on your mind. You better work on your shape too if you want to make a chance with the other sex at all."

Peter put on a pouty face. He lifted his shirt and grabbed his abs. "Hey, no woman has ever complained to me. Look at this six-pack. I'm in prime condition. Are you sure you're a female of your kind?"

Rocket snickered. Gamora threw the tourist guide at Peter's head.

The raccoon exclaimed, "Hey watch it, that gizmo's expensive!"

Peter lost his concentration. His belly flapped out of shape before his shirt coiled back.

"You must mean a six-pack of ale," Gamora retorted with a nasty look on her face. "Enough fun for today. I'm going to visit the locals. Anyone care to join me?"

Drax answered, "I'll come with you. I want to stretch my legs."

After a three-kilometre walk, Drax and Gamora reached an oasis village. It was built on a rocky hill, covered with fern trees and a multitude of white, tent-like houses. The main road went straight over the middle of the hill. To both sides, the tent buildings were spread out irregularly with small paths between them.

The residents were one head smaller than the reddish man and the green woman - who looked very dark in the red sunlight. The skin of the inhabitants was coffee-brown and velvety. They wore dark coloured, wrapped cloth garments with a hood from under which a muzzle protruded. None of them directed their large, bulging eyes to the newcomers. Apparently, they were used to seeing other species.

In the middle of the village, there was a large building, about eight metres high. It was erected with long and thin upstanding wooden beams, resembling bamboo. The posts were bound together on top in groups of four. The base of this construction had to be a regular grid. A large, patched sheet was draped onto the beams as a roof.

The two visitors entered the building. A long row of tables meandered between the steep, slanting beams. Merchants displayed their goods. A multitude of oil lanterns made this souk brighter than the dim outside.

First, they moseyed around. The market provided for a rich variety of goods. Not only vegetables, herbs and fruits, but also knifes, swords, furniture and even some modern technologic equipment.

When Gamora wanted to buy some groceries and showed a handful of credits, the shopkeeper pointed to a stand in the corner of the large hall. There she could change units into local currency. To her satisfaction, ten credits represented so much counter value that she could buy food for a month.

Drax had checked out some of the blades, but was not impressed. While the green woman piled up more and more goods, Drax went over to her and said, "I'm going to recon the village."

"I need you to carry this stuff back with me."

"Make a deal with the locals."

"Men!" Gamora exclaimed.

The local salesmen and women had wrapped the merchandise up in 'bags' made of knotted ropes. It would take a number of hands to carry the collection. Luckily, she found a stand with a carrier who swiftly packed all the stuff onto the back of a transport animal. It was a ruggedly furred creature the size of a small horse. With its protruding muzzle and bulging eyes it strangely resembled the locals, Gamora thought with inner amusement, but politely kept a straight face.

While she and the animal handler left the market, she could see Drax stroll off over the main road in the distance. At a certain point, he took a turn to the right and disappeared into the maze of small houses.

The four-footed carrier had a slow gait. After a trip of an hour, the travelling group arrived at the parked ship. The handler helped Gamora to unload and bring the goods into the pantry. She gave him his fee and he walked back to his town.

"Where's Drax?" Peter asked.

"Thank you Gam, for taking good care of us," Gamora replied.

"That too," he riposted.

"Drax wanted to see more of the village. Don't ask me why. It's a backwater planet."

"Maybe he went to look for a bar."

"I don't think they have one. Didn't see any alcohol on sale in the souk."

Drax climbed over the small passageways between the tent buildings, towards the highest peak of the oasis. In the distance, he could make out the Milano. He held a vision enhancement device to his eyes and slowly turned around to scan the environment. When he had turned half circle, he suddenly spotted an unknown, small shuttle in the desert close to the village. He spied at it, using his vision tool's zoom function. It was hard to see if there was anyone inside.

This discovery worried him. What if Rocket was right and the Kree had followed them to this place? He descended from the rock, taking a zigzag path towards the vessel.

As he left the village and stepped into the sand, he noticed a movement through the corner of his eye. Someone went into hiding behind a house. Too big for a local, he thought. Drax changed direction. He strode past the tents at the edge of the oasis, peeking between the buildings. At a well-chosen point, he took a path back into the village. He had passed one house, when he saw a startled man to his right. It was a Kree with a prosthetic hand.

"You?!" Drax shouted at him. He ran towards the blue man and pinned him before he could make a move. The Destroyer took out a knife and put it to his throat, while he disarmed the man with his other hand.

"Please, no hasty decisions," the Kree commander begged him.

"Not so tough now you're on your own?"

"We're not after you! We made a mistake," the man replied nervously.

"Do you take me for a fool? We knew you were following us. This time you will not get away."

"Listen to me. Listen to me! Let me explain."

"How many men in your shuttle?

"But ..."

Drax repeated the question with a louder voice. The scared Kree said, "Two!"

"Good. Now bring me to them."

"OK, OK. Careful with the knife."

The men walked a few hundred metres. Drax was holding his blade to the back of the man. When they approached the vessel, the door opened and a Kree stepped into the doorway. The commander ordered, "Drop your gun and let Yor-Bat do the same!"

The crew member obeyed without hesitation. He slowly came out the door. Behind him followed a second man, who also dropped his weapon into the sand. They held their hands up and cautiously moved a few paces away from the abandoned weapons.

"Where is the rest of your crew?" the Guardian demanded, as he and the captain closed in on the two Kree.

"We have a small intergalactic ship, parked at the other end of this desert," his captive replied.

"You will take me to it!"

The men stepped into the small craft and took off. During the flight, the captain said, "We are no danger to you. It is no longer you we are after, I tried to tell you."

"I do not believe a word you say."

"You will see. I can explain everything when we are aboard.