GhostWriterGirl-1: Thank you. Well, Thanos did sound like a heartless jerk when Nebula talked about her past. Hope he gets what's coming to him in Infinity War. :)
KuriMaster13: It's gonna take a while to come up with alien-like names for the Nova's ghost enemies.
mikaela2015: Thank you. :)
Here's chapter 8 everybody.
Chapter 8: Eclector Escape.
Back at the Eclector, Yondu, Rocket and Daranak were thrown into a jail cell by Taserface and his followers.
"We deliver you to the Kree in the morning." Taserface said as the cell gate locks up. "Neither each of you will last longer after that." Taserface said before starting to leave.
"Okay, Taserface. Hey, tell the other guys we said 'Hi', Taserface!"
"And tell them I said 'Taserface is a ridiculous name'." Daranak said.
Taserface groan before continuing to leave his prisoners in the cell.
"What about this little plant? Can I smash it with a rock?" Gef asked as he shows Baby Groot in the cage.
"No, Gef. It's too adorable to kill. Take it to the tailor." Taserface ordered.
Back at the cell, there was nothing Rocket, Daranak and Yondu can do except sit and talk.
"No offense, but your employees are a bunch of jerks." Rocket said.
"And ruthless. How did you even end up with a bunch of mercenaries like the Ravagers?" Daranak asked.
"I was a Kree battle slave for 20 years when Stakar freed me." Yondu said.
"Stakar Ogord? Salzer and I heard about him during our time at Nova." Daranak asked.
"He offered me a place with the Ravagers. He said all I needed to do was adhere to the code. But I was young, and greedy, and stupid. Like you stealing those batteries, and you and your sister going in that dangerous ghost portal." Yondu said.
"That was mostly Drax." Rocket said.
"Salzer convince me to go in the portal with her." Daranak said.
"Me and Stakar and the other captains, we weren't so different from you and your friends. The only family I ever had. When I broke the code, they exiled me. This is what I deserve." Yondu said, admitting his mistakes.
"Slow down, drama queen. You might deserve this, but Daranak and I don't. We gotta get outta here." Rocket said.
"And how are we gonna do that?" Daranak said, showing the cuffs that were place on him.
"Where's Quill?" Yondu asked.
"He went off with his old man." Rocket replied.
"Ego?" Yondu asked, couldn't believe what he just heard.
"Yeah. It's a day for dumbass names." Rocket said, which Yondu chuckled. "You're smiling. And for a second, I got a warm feeling. But then it was ruined by those disgusting-ass teeth."
"You like a professional asshole or what?" Yondu asked.
"Pretty much a pro." Rocket said.
"Trust me, Rocket can drive the others nuts sometimes." Daranak said.
"Why didn't you deliver Quill to Ego like you promised?" Rocket asked.
"Not only that, since you didn't deliver Peter to his father, how come you didn't return him back to Earth? He might have had other relatives there." Daranak asked.
"He was skinny. Could fit places we couldn't. Good for thievin'." Yondu lied.
"Uh-huh?" Rocket said, not believing Yondu's lie.
"Right..." Daranak said, also not believing Yondu's lie.
"I got an idea on how to get outta here. But we're gonna need your little friend." Yondu said.
"God knows what they're doing to Groot. Hope he's okay." Daranak said.
Meanwhile, at the main section of the Eclector, Baby Groot was being humiliated by Taserface's men, especially one name Retch, as he was struggling to take out some clothing that they had placed on him, making him fall.
"Little fellow's all worked up! He needs a drink!" Retch said.
Retch and his fellow Ravagers spill alcoholic drinks all over Baby Groot, making him angry.
"Look how cute it is when it's all riled up." Retch said.
"He's goddang precious!" one Ravager said.
Baby Groot tried to attack Retch, but he kicked him back, making the others laughed more.
Hours later, a sadden and depressed Baby Groot walked pass the cell where Yondu, Rocket and Daranak were being held at.
"Hey, twig!" Yondu called, gaining Baby Groot's attention. "Come here. Come on."
Baby Groot walked towards the cell, which made Rocket and Daranak noticed what the Ravagers did to him.
"Oh no." Daranak said, feeling bad for Baby Groot.
"Aw, man, what did they do to you?" Rocket asked in concern.
Baby Groot only reply with a sad face.
"Hey, you wanna help us get outta here?" Yondu asked with a smile, which Baby Groot nodded yes. "There's something I need you to get, and bring back to me. In the captain's quarters, there's a prototype fin, the thing I wore on my head. There's a drawer next to the bunk. It's in that. It's red. You got it?" Yondu said, which Baby Groot runs off to help.
Yondu looks at Rocket and Daranak, which they didn't have confidence that Baby Groot had understand. A few minutes later, they were right as Baby Groot returned with a pair of underpants.
"That's my underwears." Yondu said.
"Yeah, Daranak and I was pretty sure he didn't know what you were talkin' about. You have to explain it more careful." Rocket said.
"Yeah, don't forget, he's still a child." Daranak said.
"It's a prototype fin." Yondu said, as if talking to a child.
A few minutes later, Baby Groot failed again, bringing back a Orloni.
"I knew he wasn't going to bring back a fin." Daranak said.
"That's an Orloni. It's a fin, Groot." Rocket said.
"You explain it this time." Yondu said.
"All right." Rocket said.
Rocket explain to Baby Groot about Yondu's fin, but Baby Groot failed once again when he bring back a cybernetic eye.
"That's Vorker's eye. He takes it out when he sleeps. Go. Look again." Yondu said.
"But leave the eye here." Rocket said.
"Why?" Yondu asked.
"He's gonna wake up tomorrow and he's not gonna know where his eye is!" Rocket laughed.
"Really, Rocket. Really dying to do that eye joke that you attempted to do before Xandar?" Daranak asked.
Minutes later, Baby Groot came back with a large desk.
"That's a desk. We told you it was this big." Rocket said, showing how big the fin is.
"Come on, Groot. You gotta bring back a fin, and nothing ordinary, weird, or creepy." Daranak said.
Daranak spoke too soon as Baby Groot came back minutes later with a served human toe, making everyone look in silence.
"Okay, what the heck?" Daranak said, creep out.
"Tell me you guys have a refrigerator somewhere with a bunch of severed human toes?" Rocket asked, which Yondu shook his head. "Okay. Then let's just agree to never discuss this."
"Or agree to pretend that we never learn or saw this." Daranak said.
Yondu then pull out his Ravager badge and shows it to Baby Groot.
"The drawer you wanna open has this symbol on it. Okay?" Yondu said as he hands Baby Groot the badge.
"It's just like the symbol on Salzer's and I's ghost form attire, Groot." Daranak said.
Baby Groot then places the badge on his head, making Yondu upset.
"What? No!" Yondu said.
"He thinks you want him to wear it as a hat." Rocket said.
"That's not what I said!" Yondu said.
"I am Groot." Baby Groot said.
"He's relieved you don't want him to." Rocket said.
"I am Groot." Baby Groot said.
"He hates hats." Rocket said.
"I am Groot." Baby Groot said.
"On anyone, not just himself." Rocket said.
"I am Groot." Baby Groot said.
"One minute you think someone has a weird-shaped head, the next minute it's just because you realized part of that head is the hat." Rocket said before facing Baby Groot. "That's why you don't like hats?" Rocket asked, which Baby Groot nodded.
"Groot, you, Salzer and I need to have a serious talk after this." Daranak said.
"This is an important conversation right now?" Yondu asked.
A few minutes later, Baby Groot return to the captain's quarters where Taserface was sleeping, as he climbs on the bed. He then saw a nearby drawer and recognized the symbol that is on Yondu's badge. Baby Groot use his vines to open the drawer and sees the prototype Yaka Arrow controller fin. Baby Groot smiles, but instead of the fin, he picks up another object.
"That ain't it." Kraglin said, gaining Baby Groot's attention.
Minutes later, Kraglin drops the fin in the cell as he holds Baby Groot. Yondu looks at Kraglin who has a face of regret.
"Finally come to your senses, Kraglin?" Daranak asked.
"I didn't mean to do a mutiny. They killed all my friends." Kraglin said, apologizing for his actions and asking for forgiveness.
"Get the third quadrant ready for release." Yondu said, forgiving Kraglin.
Kraglin patted his chest before handing Baby Groot.
"Thought you might need this, Daranak." Kraglin said, handing Daranak the key to the spectral cuffs.
"Thanks, buddy." Daranak said.
"Anything for an old family friend." Kraglin said before starting to leave, but Rocket stops him.
"One more thing. You got any clones of Quill's old music on the ship?" Rocket asked.
A few minutes later, the Eclector's PA system started to play the song 'Come a Little Bit Closer' by Jay and the Americans, which gain some of the Ravagers attention. Two of the Ravagers entered the cell to see what's going where they see Rocket finished attaching the prototype Yaka Arrow Control and Daranak, still in his Xandarian form, out of the cuffs. The two Ravagers were about to grab their blasters, but Yondu whistled, activating the Yaka Arrow and killing his former comrades before Yondu gets up and sees the dead Ravagers fall to the floor. Yondu, Rocket, Baby Groot and Daranak were about to leave the cell, not before Rocket picks up the blasters. At the captain's quarters, the music has woken Taserface up and noticed that the fin is missing, making him realized that Yondu has it and attempting to escape with his other prisoners.
"He's got it! Yondu's got the fin!" Taserface warned.
As Yondu, Rocket, Baby Groot and Daranak makes their escape out of the cell, more Ravagers arrived to halt them. Yondu swiftly managed to kill all of them with the Yaka Arrow. The four walked across a catwalk where Yondu used the arrow to kill an extremely large number of Ravagers loyal to Taserface, literally causing it to rain the corpses of the dead Ravagers. Baby Groot then spotted Retch. Retch made a run for it, only to see a furious Baby Groot chasing after him. Fearing what he might do in revenge for the abuse he suffered, he attempted to escape and fled. However, Baby Groot easily attacked him with his vines and angrily threw him off the catwalk they were on, killing him upon impact. Baby Groot then jumped back onto Rocket's shoulder as the four headed to the control room. They see the display screens where it shows the Ravagers trying to get to them. Yondu took advantage and started killing them with his Yaka Arrow, even causing a M-ship to fall on several them. Rocket then noticed one Ravager heading towards the control room door. He shot the blaster through the door, killing the Ravager. Daranak noticed another Ravager getting near the control room. He use his intangibility to phase his arm through the wall, before blasting and killing the Ravager with a powerful ecto-blast. The three then started killing the rest of the Ravagers; Yondu using his Yaka Arrow; Rocket firing shots from his blasters; Daranak using his ghost powers in his Xandarian form to fire ecto-blasts. Yondu then noticed Taserface walking through a hallway and called his arrow and flew it straight at him while igniting it. Taserface dodged the arrow, laughing, until Yondu's arrow hits some flammable materials and explodes, severely wounding Taserface. Rocket and Daranak noticed the continuous explosions throughout the whole ship on the screen and became worried.
"Oh man..." Daranak said.
"You maniac. The whole ship's gonna blow." Rocket said as the Eclector starts to blow up.
"Not the whole ship." Yondu said as he summons his arrow and leaves the control room as the others followed him.
Meanwhile, Taserface got up and patted his arm to take out some flames before contacting Ayesha's chambermaid.
"Who is this?" the Sovereign chambermaid asked.
"I am sending you the coordinates for Yondu's ship." Taserface said before typing in the coordinates. "I only ask one thing. That your High Priestess tell him the name of the man what sealed his fate. Taserface!"
The Sovereign chambermaid broke out laughing upon hearing Taserface's name. Taserface can only resignedly groan in defeat as he listened to the Sovereign laughing at his name just before an explosion breaks out, and destroys the lower half of the Eclector, killing Taserface.
Meanwhile, at the Quadant, Yondu, Rocket, Baby Groot and Daranak joined Kraglin, who has already prepped the smaller ship.
"Release the quadant!" Yondu ordered.
"Aye, captain!" Kraglin said.
Kraglin released the Quadant, and the smaller ship managed to flew away from the exploding Eclector. Once in the clear, Kraglin then asked...
"Where to, Captain?"
"Ego." Rocket replied.
"No, boy!" Yondu said in concern.
The Quadant starts flying through jump points, jumping through a planet, and dimensions, including the Ghost Zone.
"It ain't healthy for a mammalian body to hop more than 50 jumps at a time." Yondu said.
"I know that." Rocket said.
"We are about to do 700!" Yondu warned.
"What?!" Daranak said.
Because of this, Yondu's, Rocket's, Baby Groot's, Daranak's and Kraglin's faces becomes temporarily disfigured and they scream as the Quadant starts making 700 jumps as it traveled to Ego's planet.
And that's the end of this chapter. What will happen when Salzer, along with other Guardians on the planet learn the truth about Ego? Find out next time in the next chapter. Please review.