Happy 2019, everyone! I meant to finish this and post it sooner, but obviously I didn't, but it's finished now. Ha ha, wow, so who else's soul is still in pain because of Infinity War? Anyway, here at last is the final chapter set before the events of GotGVol2—I've been doing a lot of fanart about this time too, because I really like to imagine our favorite assholes in space having some fun and getting to enjoy themselves.

Also, quick question before we get started: The Guardians' ship in Infinity War is called the Benatar. So, did the Ravagers destroy the Milano on Berhart in GotGVol2, or did the ship get fixed but destroyed later on, sometime in the four years between the events of Vol 2 and Infinity War? Send me a message if you know or have theories, because I don't know, but I would love to write fanfic about this.

Also, I'm super excited for Endgame next week! And I loved Captain Marvel—it sure was great to see a movie where people I like got to be alive. (Including Korath! Even though he's a villain at this point in this story…) Okay, now we're all caught up. Thanks for your patience. See you again sometime, after Endgame…

Chapter 27

Drax's POV

"The next time we see Saal, I'm killing him," Rocket muttered. He was gripping his head and had (from the sound of it) been throwing up for most of the day. Now they were sitting in the upper part of the ship, watching Quill guide them toward Jang, and Rocket was holding a bucket in his lap, just in case. Gamora was in Rocket's usual seat, Baby Groot in her lap.

"This is the consequence of trying to drink as much as creatures several times your size," Drax pointed out reasonably. He did not understand why this was unclear to Rocket, who enjoyed alcohol eagerly in spite of its negative effects. Then again, it was obvious that Rocket had not had any friends other than Groot before they had all met in the Kyln—perhaps, having never had a chance to drink socially, it was inevitable that he overindulge.

"Ugh, do me a favor and either shut up or kill me," Rocket groaned.

Drax considered this request. "…most people, I would kill for saying that. But as a sign of friendship, I will shut up."
In response, Rocket spat into his bucket.

Varad was pleased to see them when they arrived in her shop—though they had only recovered a fragment of the asteroid, it was still very valuable. She had prepared a meal to welcome them, and though Quill was healing rapidly, she still fussed over him, clearly sorry that he had been stabbed while completing the job.

"No more asteroid mining," she declared. "You are far too stabbable, Quill."

"I—is that even a thing?" Quill wondered, piling a plate high with food.

"She's right," Drax said seriously. "You are very stabbable. It means you would be easy to stab."

"That's true," Gamora said quietly, and Quill looked shocked.

"Have all of you thought about how easy I'd be to stab?!"

"I mean, I err on the side of thinking about how easy you'd be to shoot," Rocket said, taking a tiny bite of food. Since he didn't have to race outside to vomit, Drax guessed his stomach must have settled down. "But yeah, you're a pretty good-sized target."

"I am a buff target," Quill argued.

"Remember that I almost stabbed you when we first met," Gamora said gently.

"You kinda did—I mean, you hit me in the hand with a knife."

"Exactly," Gamora said. "It's easy to do."

"It's worrisomely easy," Drax agreed.

"Okay," Quill said. "I'll…try to work on being less stabbable, I guess."

"So, obviously this job didn't go exactly the way we planned," Varad said, "but at least it turned out to be profitable, and no one died."

"And we found out that it's not Yondu who's trying to kill us," Rocket said. "It's a different bald guy."

"Which is a surprise," Quill said, scowling at his food. When Baby Groot reached up and tried to take a piece of fruit, Quill handed him the plate and smiled when the small tree quickly devoured everything. As far as Drax could tell, he wasn't growing very fast—maybe food helped speed up the process, but he was still less than a foot tall after he'd shed the branches he'd used to conceal the asteroid.

Varad rolled her eyes. "Peter, you know he cares about you. Yondu's just not the type of person who's good at expressing it."

"What, so in this case, he's showing he cares about me by not trying to kill me?" Quill said skeptically.

"Yeah, pretty much," Varad said. "From the sounds of it, you did cost him the biggest score of his life. Even I might get a little stabby over that."

"Hey, can I buy some stuff from you?" Rocket asked. "This trip proved we need some better space gear. And maybe other equipment—like guns that discourage flerken."

"Sure, I'd be happy to help—for a price," Varad said. She smiled as Baby Groot crawled into her lap, and she let him eat what was left of her food. While Rocket and Varad haggled, Drax watched Gamora looking intently at something on a datpad.

"What's that?" Quill asked.

"I'm trying to locate Nebula," Gamora said. "She escaped from Xandar on one of the Ravager's ships, but since then, she's been hard to track. Maybe if we find her, she can lead us to Korath."

"If we kill them, that would be two fewer people attempting to kill us," Drax said, putting down his plate.

Gamora frowned. "She's worth more to us alive than dead."

"Yeah, but bringing her in alive is gonna be tough," Quill pointed out. "Unless—do you not wanna kill her?"

"I'm trying, in general, to kill fewer people," Gamora said. "And yes, I'd prefer to not kill Nebula."

"Why?" Drax said. "She tried to kill you."

"Just as Yondu has tried to kill Peter," Gamora said, looking at Quill. "Would you kill him, given the chance? Knowing that it would probably make your life easier?"

"Probably not," Quill admitted. "I'd feel bad…I think."

"You both have a strange weakness for hairless blue lifeforms," Drax said, shaking his head.

"So, where to next?" Varad asked, giving Quill a hug as they prepared to leave. Selling the asteroid had only taken a few moments at a local gem exchange, and having lived (since leaving the Kyln) without many units to his name, Drax was pleased to feel suddenly more financially secure.

Quill glanced at the others before saying "I think we're gonna lay low for a bit. Let Groot grow some more before we try any big jobs."

"I like him baby size," Varad said, picking Groot up and giving him a kiss on top of his head. "Well, stay safe and come back soon."

"Thanks for everything, Varad," Quill said.

"I am Groot!" Groot said.

"Yeah, I'll let you know what I make with these parts," Rocket said, shoving his bag at Quill to carry.

"It was good to meet you," Gamora said.

"You cook almost as well as I do," Drax declared.

By the following week, Quill's wound had fully healed, and everyone had just finished a meal when a message came through on the communicator.

"If it's Yondu, I'm not here," Quill said, watching as Gamora got up and looked at the message.

"Do you actually care if he's pissed at you?" Rocket wondered.

"Well, kind of," Quill said awkwardly. "I mean, I did accuse him of trying to kill us. I was pretty sure that was a safe thing to assume, but it sucks because this time, he actually wasn't trying to kill me. Also, hardly anyone else has my number, so usually when someone calls, it's him."

"I am Groot," Groot said, growing his arms up to try and reach a jar of candy hidden on a high shelf. He frowned when he discovered that it was empty.

"I told you to save some of that if you wanted it for dessert," Rocket said.

"Dessert is unnecessary and unhealthy," Drax said, wondering why this even needed to be pointed out.

"So, who is it?" Quill said.

Gamora's expression was hard to read. "We've just had a message from the high priestess of the Sovereign," she said.

"Seriously?" Quill said. "What the hell do those golden weirdoes want with us?"

"They'd like to pay us for a job—protecting one of their battery production facilities," Gamora said.

"Why pay someone instead of doing it themselves?" Drax wondered.

"Apparently, there are certain interdimensional creatures that are attracted the batteries' energy signature," Gamora said. "The Sovereign would rather pay outsiders to protect the batteries than risk getting their own people killed."

"So how much are they gonna pay?" Rocket asked.

"I've already negotiated our payment," Gamora said carefully. "…they have Nebula. If we protect the batteries, they'll turn her over to us."

"Hey, sounds good!" Rocket said. "She's got a huge bounty on Xander, what with the whole Ronan thing!"

"Are you okay with…you know," Quill said. "Turning her in?"

"It's fine," Gamora said, keeping her voice and expression carefully neutral. "The galaxy will be better off with her in prison."

"True," Drax agreed. "She and all those connected to Thanos should be imprisoned. Present company excluded."

Gamora smiled faintly, and Groot climbed onto Rocket's shoulder as he examined a schematic of the Sovereign's golden capital.

"All right then," Quill said, heading up the stairs to adjust their course. "Next stop: the Sovereign."