Prologue

As the leader of the infamous Ravagers, Yondu Udonta was a business man first and foremost. He had been accustomed to all forms of depravity, and barely batted an eye at his customers' outrageous requests... at least if the price was right.

Still, you have to draw a line somewhere, if you want to be respectable, not just rich. And that led Yondu to his current dilemma.

The Centaurian made it clear to all the new recruits that cannibalism is forbidden. But Hun, one of his top Enforcers, didn't heed the message. In order to satisfy his urges, the large Raptor made the unauthorized visits to the primitive planets. He kidnapped the humanoid children, and devoured them alive in the secret underground apartment he rent on Xandar using a false name. Yondu learned about it by accident when he investigated the unrelated case of embezzlement.

Hun's love for exotic raw meat earned him the notification of early retirement and the extra hole drilled in his head. Yondu dealt with rogue Raptor personally, and it wasn't because he felt sorry for the children. As explained above, the Centaurian was a business man first and foremost, and turned a blind eye to his people's hobbies as long as they get the job done. But Hun ignored the direct orders, and if Yondu allowed him to get away with blatant disobedience, only The Watcher knows what he tries next.

Yondu Udonta was in quandary of what to do next. Hun's latest acquisition staring back at him wasn't helpful in the slightest.

Kidnapping wasn't uncommon in Yondu's line of work, and he saw all kinds of the children's behavior. He saw tears, eyes wide with fear, even the petulant princes who threatened him with the names of their parents.

But the Terran Girl (Hun never bothered to learn her name) intrigued the Centaurian. If she was scared, she hid it well. She just sat and stared, her thoughtful brown eyes moving from Yondu and his bodyguards to Hun's corpse on the floor and then back again. Her gaze met his and the Chief Ravager instantly knew he wasn't dealing with the ordinary child.

As a business man first and foremost, Yondu knew that the chance to acquire something worthwhile comes in many forms. The trick is not to miss the opportunity. So instead of following the common sense and getting rid of the girl he decided to adopt a wait-and-see approach.

First thing first, let's see if she can be taught to speak Galactic Standard instead of gibberish she uses. If Terran Girl is too stupid to learn, I can always toss her in the airlock and forget about her.