Ch 52 Ego

"I'm guessing he is going to charm his kid as well." Tony said.

"He is." Logan said, "His mistake was that he thought he charmed him too much."

On Contraxia, several people were having fun as Howard the Duck was shown on a date with a woman who was laughing hysterically at something he said. "You know what they say- "You're out of luck until you've gone duck."" Howard said and laughed at his own joke as the woman continued laughing.

Everyone's jaw was wide again as Steve finally said, "Out of Tivan's collection finally."

"I'm guessing the joke of him having a girlfriend wasn't exactly baseless." Pepper said.

"Nope." Benjamin said.

"Oh God!" Hope sighed.

Several Ravagers were there too, having fun. Yondu was in a room, shirtless. He looked at the love bot with which he had done- stuff, and it shut itself off.

"What are those?" Sam asked.

"Uhhh…love bots." Odinson said.

"Really?" Tony asked as everyone gapped, "Love bots are real?"

"If you're in space, yeah." Odinson said, "Only on Contraxia though."

"Man space is getting weirder and weirder." Scott said.

"Tell me about it." Thor said, not having seen the full weirdness of space until recently.

Another Ravager called Tullk called him down. He put on his Ravager garb and with his other allies, walked down to hear another Ravager from another faction telling his friends about the time he had thought his wife Aleta was losing her mind. Yondu called out to him and greeted him. His name was Stakar Ogord. On seeing Yondu, Stakar said this establishment was the wrong kind of disreputable.

"Who is he?" Rhodes asked.

"He is the Rambo of the Ravagers." Tony said and everyone chuckled. [1]

"Stakar Ogord. Legendary Ravager Captain." Odinson said.

"Doesn't look very happy to see Yondu." Natasha said.

"You will see why." Logan told her.

Stakar walked away, shooing away some shopkeeper as well. He told Yondu he had lost business of 99 of the 100 Ravager factions by serving one. Yondu angrily smashes a bottle, telling him he could go to hell as he didn't give a damn what he thought. Stakar turned around and angrily asked why he was following him then. Yondu told him to listen to what he had to say but Stakar said he wouldn't as Yondu had betrayed the code. Ravagers didn't deal in kids.

"Oh! That!" Clint realized.

Yondu said he had no idea what was going on and Stakar said he didn't want to know because it made him rich. Yondu demanded a seat at the table as he wore these flames the same as them. Stakar said he may dress like them but he wasn't one of them. He would never hear the Horns of Freedom when he died and the Colors of Ogord would never flash over his grave.

"Best way to hurt someone is to tell them they would be insignificant after death." Loki observed.

"Kind of harsh, though understandable." Bruce said.

"Codebreakers are not easily tolerated in all societies." Bucky said.

Stakar said if Yondu thought he took pleasure in exiling him, he was wrong. He said Yondu had broken all their hearts. With that, he walked off with his faction, leaving a dejected Yondu behind. One of them watched him for a few seconds and walked off too.

"He isn't taking it well." Aunt May said, "As expected."

Kraglin and a scarred Ravager sat together with some love bots. The scarred one said Yondu was pathetic. Quill betrayed them but he let him go scot-free. They had followed him because he had been the one unafraid to do what was necessary but now he was going soft. Kraglin asked if he was soft, why was he whispering. He told Kraglin he was right. Tullk told him to be careful with what he said about Yondu.

"Who's Scarface there?" Tony asked.

"Let's just say his name is best left unsaid so that when you know it, it will be a surprise." Odinson said, confusing them.

"I think he means- "No spoilers."" Hill said and they nodded.

Yondu turned to see Ayesha arriving with her entourage, who were rolling a blue cloth to prevent her from touching the ground. It got stuck in ice for a while before they continued rolling.

"And she is back." Fury said, "She really wants the Guardians badly."

She told Yondu she had a proposal for him.

"Well, the Guardians better watch out." Scott said.

At night on Berhert, the Guardians, Ego and Mantis had lit a campfire. Ego told Quill he had hired Yondu to pick him up when his mother passed away but instead of returning him, Yondu kept him and he had no idea why. Quill said Yondu had done that because a skinny little kid could squeeze into place adults couldn't and made stealing easier. Ego said he had been tracking him ever since. Drax said he thought Yondu was his father and Quill was confused Drax thought that this entire time they were together. Drax said they looked exactly alike and Rocket pointed out one was blue, to which Drax pointed at Quill.

Everyone burst out in laughter as Hope asked, "How dumb is he?"

"I think a new scale would be needed to measure that." Thor said and the laughter continued.

Quill said Yondu wasn't his father. He had abducted him and kicked the crap out of him to teach him how to fight. He had kept him in terror by threatening to eat him, horrifying Ego.

"High and mighty coming from you, bastard." Logan snarled at Ego.

Gamora asked how he had found them now and he said where he resided past edge of what's known, they had heard of Star-Lord. He said they could head out there right now and his associates were welcome, even the triangle faced monkey. Rocket started touching his face to see its shape on hearing that.

"At this point, I have no idea what he really is." Peter said.

"He doesn't have any idea either." Steve said, looking at Rocket in sympathy.

He got up and told Quill it was unlike any place he had ever seen and he could explain Quill's very special heritage, finally getting to be the father he always wanted to be. He then walked off to take a whiz. Quill said he wasn't buying it.

"Smart." Fury agreed with Quill's decision.

Gamora told Quill to take a walk with him as Ego peed. Mantis introduced herself to Drax and gave him a strange smile. He asked what she was doing and she said she was smiling as she had heard it made people like others.

"But that is creepy." Pepper said and nods followed.

Drax told her not if she did it like that.

"Even he agrees with you." Tony told Pepper and everyone chuckled.

She said she had been raised alone on Ego's planet and didn't understand the intricacies of social interaction. Looking at Rocket, she asked Drax if she could pet his puppy as he was adorable.

"Adorable? Adorable?" Sam asked as everyone was dumbfounded.

"He is smart, but not adorable." Rhodes said.

"Space is strange." Scott muttered.

"Try petting him. Please." Loki smirked in amusement.

Drax nodded and she tried to pet him, only for him to almost bite her hand as Drax laughed madly and said it was a practical joke. Mantis started laughing too, saying she liked this very much. Nebula shook her head at them.

Everyone else burst out in laughter too as Wanda said, "Nice introduction to practical jokes."

"I did not expect her to like it." T'Challa said.

"As others have already said before me- "Space is strange."" Vision said.

Quill was skeptical, saying after all this time Ego had shown up and wanted to be his dad. He said this could be a trap by Kree purists or the Ravagers.

"At least he is smarter in this one." Fury said.

Gamora asked him about the story of 'Zardu Hasselfrau' he had told her. Quill realized she was talking about David Hasselhoff. He said Hasselhoff had owned a talking car to help him fight crime and be supportive.

"Good ol' days." Tony said and everyone laughed.

Gamora told Quill he had carried his picture in his pocket as a kid and tell the other children he was his father. Quill said he had said that when he was drunk. Gamora said she loved that story and Quill said he hated it as it was sad.

"Yeah. Big, big sad." Peter agreed and everyone nodded.

Quill said as a kid he used to see other kids playing catch with their dads and he wanted that too. Gamora said that was her point. Maybe this man could be his David Hasselhoff and if he was evil, they could just kill him.

"You say that as if it's easy." Logan said, "It's not."

They realized they were holding hands and stepped away.

"Same old, same old." Scott said and everyone chuckled.

Nebula was horrified that they were leaving her with Rocket, calling him a 'fox.'

"I wonder where this confusion arose from." Bruce said.

"They are space people. They have never seen raccoons." Wanda said.

Gamora said he was not a fox and told Rocket, who was fixing the ship, to shoot her if she did anything suspicious or if he felt like it. She then knelt in front of Groot and said they would be back in a couple of days before Rocket finished fixing the ship. She then walked off as Groot turned around with a sad expression and waved.

Everyone was smitten by Groot's cuteness and some of them went, "Awwww" again.

"He is the most adorable thing ever." Hill said.

"All babies are." T'Challa said.

Drax asked what if the Sovereign arrive and Quill said they had no way of knowing where they were. Drax said he was uncertain of parting ways and Quill said he was like an old woman. Drax asked if that was because he was wise. Gamora asked why he had so much luggage and he said he didn't want Groot playing with his stuff. Rocket told Quill he hoped his daddy wasn't as much of a dick as him. Quill said if he was trying to get everyone to hate him, he was succeeding.

"Not wrong there, Quill." Tony agreed.

'The Chain' played as Quill, Gamora and Drax went up to Ego and Mantis and walked into their ship which closed its barrier and flew off into the sky. Mantis put a hand on Ego's head, helping him sleep as Quill looked at his picture of David Hasselhoff. Later, Quill, Drax and Mantis sat as they asked what her antennas were for. Drax said him and Quill had a bet, to Quill's annoyance. As Gamora arrived, Drax guessed that if she was going through a doorway too low, they would save her from decapitation. Quill said if it was anything other than that, he won. Mantis said they weren't for feeling doorways and Quill laughed.

"What are they for?" Aunt May asked.

"Just watch." Benjamin said.

Mantis said they had to do something with her empathic abilities. When inquired, she said she could feel others' feelings when touching them. Quill asked if she could read minds and she said telepaths read minds, empaths felt feelings and emotions.

"Yeah, I think I got the difference." Wanda, the only telepath in the room said, "I can read minds, not feel what others feel."

"Ah! I get it now." Tony said.

At Quill's permission, she touched him and as her antennae glowed, she said he felt love. He said he felt general unselfish love for everyone but she said he felt romantic, sexual love. And then she pointed at Gamora, saying for her. Both Quill and Gamora looked embarrassed as Drax laughed like a madman again and said she had told everyone his deepest, darkest secret.

"We call it 'dirty, little secret' here." Natasha said.

"Drax is too literal." Clint reminded her.

Drax asked Mantis to touch him and as she did, she started laughing hysterically too, saying she had never felt such humor before. Quill and Gamora rolled their eyes.

"They are an interesting lot." Steve commented.

She was then about to touch Gamora but she grabbed her hand and said if she touched her, the only thing she would feel is a broken jaw. She then let Mantis go who backed off.

"Kind of harsh." Hill said.

"Not everyone likes exposing their feelings." T'Challa told her.

Mantis said she could alter emotions too, like easing a sad person into contentment for sometime or making a stubborn person compliant. She mostly used it to help her master sleep though as he lay awake thinking of his progeny. Drax asked her to do one of those on him. She touched his forehead and he immediately fell asleep, snoring.

Everyone burst into hysterical laughter as Wanda said, "These people are too much to handle."

"So is Wade." Logan reminded them and they laughed at remembering his random and ridiculous antics.

At Berhert, the campfire was still lit as 'Southern Nights' played and Rocket sang along to it. From a distance, Kraglin, the Scarface guy and more Ravagers watched.

"With that campfire and music, they are inviting these Ravagers to capture them." Fury said.

"They do have a plan though." Logan told him.

They walked up to the ship as one of them killed a spider like creature and ate it.

"Eugh!" Peter said as everyone looked disgusted, "What's wrong with them?"

"Space is strange." Wanda reminded him.

They walked up to the Milano when one of them stepped on a mine-like object. They then turned to their left and several syringes shot out from devices, hitting many of them and taking them down.

Everyone's jaws dropped as Natasha said, "Okay, he is back to being smart."

"No kidding." Clint agreed.

Groot looked afraid as Nebula looked out. The music system was inside the Milano but Rocket was outside on a tree.

"Took a page out of my book then." Natasha said as everyone laughed.

The Ravagers walked around as Rocket leapt from tree to tree. One of them aimed at him, hitting the other with his gun accidentally. They all fired and Rocket leapt around, avoiding their shots as he hid behind a tree and pressed a button on his device. A mine-like device under the Ravagers sent out a huge shockwave, sending them into the air and crashing on the ground. He pressed it again and the same thing happened. He laughed and pressed both the buttons on the device, sending Ravagers flying around from two such devices.

Everyone burst out into hysterical laughter as Thor said, "I like this one."

"Oh I like him too." Loki said, "He knows what to do."

"He really does." Tony agreed.

"Though he kinda overdoes it." Natasha pointed out.

As more Ravagers moved around, Rocket leapt down and jumping from head to head, put devices with red dots on each of their heads. He jumped back up and pressed a device on his wrist. All the Ravagers were electrocuted and knocked out as Rocket leapt down.

Everyone clapped and cheered happily as Logan said, "When he uses his brains, he uses them nicely."

Two of the Ravagers aimed at him but he leapt at one and hit his throat, making him gasp. The other fired but Rocket leapt away and the Ravager was taken down. Rocket then leapt at the other one and hit his head continuously, knocking him out.

Everyone clapped again as Thor said, "I really, really like this one."

"Don't blame you." Odinson said.

Then Rocket heard a whistle as the Yaka Arrow flew up to him and stopped inches from his face.

"That." Clint said.

Yondu and the other Ravagers surrounded him as Yondu called him a rat and Rocket called him a blue idiot. Yondu said they had got themselves a little gig. A golden gal with a high opinion of herself had offered them a large sum to deliver him and his pals to her because she wanted to kill them all. Inside the ship, Nebula urged Groot to free her from her bonds if he cared about his friend as they would kill him.

"Tricking the kid into freeing her." Natasha snarled as everyone glared at Nebula.

"And the kid cares enough about Rocket to do it." Bucky said.

Yondu told Rocket it was easy to find them as he had put a tracer on his ship during the Battle of Xandar.

"And they never noticed it till now?" Fury asked.

"They aren't the brightest ones." Logan told him.

Rocket told him if they didn't hurt Groot, he would tell them where the batteries were. Yondu said his word didn't mean squat so he wouldn't hand them over and just take the batteries, even though they were worth a quarter million in an open market. Scarface guy said they had been offered a million for the Guardians and said a quarter was just one-third while Tullk said it was 25. The Ravagers started arguing as Yondu said they weren't stupid enough to help kill the Guardians of the Galaxy as the Nova Corps would be on them.

"He doesn't want to kill Quill." Aunt May said.

"He does care about him." Hope agreed.

Kraglin said he had to say it this one time, no matter how many times Quill betrayed them, Yondu protected him like the others didn't matter even though he stuck up for him.

"Peer pressure." Rhodes realized.

Scarface guy said it was time for a change in leadership as they all cocked their guns at each other while Yondu readied his Yaka Arrow. Rocket said there must be a peaceful resolution to all this or even a violent one where he was standing away. Yondu was about to whistle when a shot from behind made the fin on his head fall away as he lost consciousness. It was Nebula. Rocket snarled at her and she shot him out too.

"Oh God!" Peter said, "Now she is out."

"And they are captured." Hope said.

"Well hello boys." Nebula said as all the Ravagers looked at her and she took a bite out of the yaro root before spitting it in disgust, "It's not ripe."

"They told ya!" Tony said as everyone chuckled a bit.

"Thing are not going well for them." Pepper said.

"No, not at all." Steve agreed.

"Let's just keep watching." Odinson said.