The twins and McGucket hurried after Quill, who had darted off through a door to their right.

Quill rushed in and headed straight for what looked like yet another control panel. As soon as they came in the door, the three following him stopped short in their tracks.

"Sweet Moses…"

"Whoa…"

"Well I'll be hornswaggled…."

Above the control panel was a row of large windows. Out the window they could see the earth. They were close enough to see clouds, but the view of the land and water below was nothing but green, blue and white.

Dipper took a few steps forward, looking straight out the windows at the deep blackness dotted with twinkling stars. "Amazing—we're actually in space…"

Mabel rushed ahead of him, fairly pressing her nose against the window. "Hey, Dipping sauce, there's your birthmark!"

Dr. McGucket looked down at Dipper, who had smacked his face with his hand. "Ma-bel…" Dipper grumbled.

"Dipper?"

Rolling his eyes, Dipper took off his hat and lifted his bangs. Dr. McGucket raised his eyebrows at the sight of a perfect Big Dipper in red dots on Dipper's forehead.

"Well, I'll be, that explains a lot." McGucket said with a grin. Seeing the frown on Dipper's face he said, "Son, we've all got out little weirdnesses. That's what makes us special. "

Dipper had to chuckle at that, remembering his great Uncle Ford's six-fingered hands.

"Okay, let's see-" Quill was saying as he was flipping switches and pushing buttons on the control panel. "Yeah, here we go."

He turned a knob, and the nose of the ship tipped sharply downward.

"Who-a-a-a!"

Mabel fell over and tumbled under the control panel. Dipper fell on his knees, and Dr. McGucket fell flat on his stomach.

"Son, what did you do? "he asked Quill as he tried to push himself into a sitting position.

"Ah—I think I turned the wrong dial?" Quill said, frantically trying to find a button that would right the craft.

Mabel crawled out from beneath the control panel. Pulling herself up on it, she drew a sharp breath as she saw the quickly approaching Earth. "Oh my gosh, we're going to crash! "

"Quill, what the flarg are you doin'!?"

Dipper turned his head to see Rocket in the doorway.

Quill turned to look over his shoulder, grinning sheepishly at Rocket. "Uh – trying to land?"

The raccoon/not a raccoon marched over and shoved Quill out of the seat (well, put his paws on Quill's thigh as if shoving him, and Quill got up).

"Move over! Jeez, it's a wonder you can even fly the Milano…"

Rocket's dark eyes scanned the control panel, then he stood up on the seat and smacked down a button just out of his reach. After another scan, he pulled down a lever.

The ship shuddered, but kept going. Dipper could make out mountains and bodies of water more clearly now.

"Rock-et—" Quill intoned.

"Look, the Collector escaped in a pod and before he left he wrecked the controls. I didn't have time to fix them and keep you from killin' us all!"

He went under the control panel. Dipper and Mabel could hear clanking and squeaking. "Right now I hope that I can at least figure out how'ta stop this thing. "

Dipper felt a pain in his hand. Looking down, he saw that Mabel was squeezing it – hard.

"I had hoped we could see Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford one more time. " she mumbled.

Dipper wasn't sure what to say. He had hoped so, too, but now it looked like…

He couldn't tear his gaze away from the window. The mountaintops grew ever closer, then the treetops. He found himself squeezing Mabel's hand. Feeling an arm around his shoulder, he looked up to see Dr. McGucket, giving him a half-hearted smile.

"Rocket !" Quill yelled.

"Quill would you shut up already, I'm tryin' to - "

"Whoa !"

"Yikes!"

"What in tarnation – "

Dipper went flying forward. His head hit the control panel. He heard Dr. McGucket scream, but was stunned and couldn't move. Where was Mabel…?

"Kid? Kid, you okay? "

Dipper blinked. Above him he could see the concerned face of Peter Quill.

"Mister Quill? Where-?"

He sat up, a little too fast. A sharp pain tore through his head.

"Owwww—where's Mabel ?"

He saw the tree-creature Groot come over, Mabel in one of his hands. "Dipper !" She cried, jumping out of Groot's hand and wincing, then throwing her arms around her brother's neck.

"Mabel, you're okay. "Dipper said softly, pain still ripping through his head. "Where—where's –"

"Now wait just a minute, Mister Drax, I can walk just fine. It's my arm that's busted, not my leg."

Dipper looked up. The green and orange-skinned man was carrying Dr. McGucket over to the children and Quill.

"Regardless, sir, you are of old age, and after this ordeal you are likely in need of help. "

McGucket raised an eyebrow. "Well, if'n that's your way of sayin' you're respecting your elders, fine, but I'm tellin' you I can walk!"

Dipper and Mabel grinned at each other.

Drax brought McGucket closer to Quill and the twins, and finally set him down. Dipper and Mabel noted McGucket had a crude splint on his arm.

"Doctor McGucket, are you okay?" Mabel asked.

"Aw, I'm fine." The older man answered. "It's just a broken arm, an'—how d' you kids say—"Been there, done that'."

Dipper and Mabel shared grins again, remembering the un-needed cast that was on McGucket's arm for years—even though his arm had healed from breaking it in a car accident.

"But—where—where—"

"Everyone left after we—uh—landed."

"A few of them said thank you, at least." Quill said, rolling his eyes.

"I am Groot."

"Yeah, you're not kiddin' – ungrateful bunch a'-"

"So-o-o…" Quill interrupted his shipmate. "Where's Gamora?"

"She's—" Rocket smirked. "She's takin' a piece off 'a' the Collector's ship. "

Dipper and Mabel looked to see the green skinned woman pulling a partially-peeled piece of metal off of the side of the ship. After she had pulled at it a few more times, it came loose.

"Dang…" Mabel mumbled.

After Gamora had removed the ship piece, the twins and the other Guardians watched her take out her gun and shoot.

Crash!

Glass tinkled and broke, and Gamora ran out of the way as water spilled out of the side of the ship. Along with it came—

"The Gobblewonker!" Dipper, Mabel, and McGucket all gasped as they watched the huge creature spill out into the lake.