Let's Mutually Not Kill Each Other

Things Never Go As Planned

"Put the shields back up, you idiot!" I heard the small animal cry as he stormed back into the control deck.
"I... am Groot!" the tree-man shouted his reply. 
The ship lurched again and swayed beneath me. I was never particularly prone to seasickness, but at this moment I was one hundred percent going to hurl my guts up if it didn't stop. I took a few deep breaths, but even that was a poor idea because the metal ropes grew hotter.
Through gritted teeth I shouted, "What are you morons doing up there, and will you consider not doing it?"
I heard his footsteps again, this time followed by a louder, stronger set. The door burst open.
"Change of plans."
The rodent's demeanor had completely shifted in the last few minutes. Now he looked like a rat cornered in the basement.
He slapped something onto my back and I felt a coolness trickle over me like water. Then I was lifted in the air for the third time that day. I grunted in pain as the hot ropes dug into my skin.
We rushed out of the door and down the hall, where the ship's back door was open and waiting.
"Wait," I said, peering out into the void of space. "What are you-"
My last word was cut off, because before I could finish my sentence, the great tree-man leapt out of the door and into space, taking me with him. I tried to scream, but my voice got caught in my throat.
Below us, thankfully, was a planet.
But above us...
Above us loomed a massive ship, large enough to be a moon (in size, not in shape). It was creeping towards our tiny rig with ominous presence. Out of one of its many ports shot a beam of white light, surrounding the ship, drawing it in. We were already far enough away not to get caught in the gravity beam.
The rodent was clawing his eyes out beneath his emergency suit.
"My ship! I ain't ever gonna find another like that."
I watched it go, feeling somewhat triumphant at the rodent's loss. And now, my freedom. We'd be stranded on the planet below, if we even made it that far before our jet-boots ran out of juice. I could easily overpower them there.
Escape the bonds.
Kill the weasel.
Be on my merry way.
He snapped me out of my trance.
"This is your fault, princess."
"I'm not the one who kidnapped me."
He growled. "I'm going to leave you in space."
"Do that and kiss your bounty goodbye."
"You don't even deserve to be kissed."
We stared at each other, our eyes narrowed to slits. It was then that I noticed his were the same shade of red as mine. The revelation startled me for a moment, but after a second I was once again wallowing in angry pain. All this moving around, wriggling to take in my surroundings was singing my blue skin. I groaned softly. There wasn't anything else I could say to the little beast. I'd just have to wait for them to land. I shut my eyes tight. We passed through the atmosphere, our emergency suits taking the blunt of the heat, although I was still burning up inside mine.
And when gravity set in, we were falling. And the jet-boots had finally run out of juice.
All three of us screamed. The landscape unfolded around us like a wide, realistic painting. How poetic that it would be our doom.
"I miss my mom!" I screamed, the words coming out in a long wail above the wind. I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for it to end.

~ ~ ~

Suddenly I wasn't falling anymore.
The scent of green grass and spring fertility tickled my nose and kicked my allergies awake. I sneezed into the soft ground.
The sharp movement re-awakened my limbs. The ropes were still there. Damn those bastards.
"Oh good, you're conscious," came a rusty voice from beside me. I was on my stomach this time, so all I could see were two furry, clawed feet beside my shoulder.
"Get this damned thing off of me," I demanded. Or I'll die, I didn't need to add.
"You weren't s'posed to move so much," he grumbled. "My ship gone... all my tools, my guns... Hold still."
The short creature swung one leg over me and bent down to work on the ropes, his hot breath grazing my ear. Finally. I was going to kill them both.
At last, the ropes relinquished their hold on me, and I sprung off the ground.
Well, I didn't really spring. I more like rolled out of the way, panting, inspecting all the darkening burns. Fortunately, my skin was fairly heat resistant. But they didn't know that. If this was any normal world, I'd sue them.
I shifted my weight so that I sat up against an alien tree, heaving. My limbs were like jelly. I was in no condition to fight, much less to kill. But that was fine. I was patient.
"All that talk of murder got me excited," said the rodent, leaning against a tree opposite me. My swirling vision couldn't tell if it was his tree friend or part of the native flora. "I was hopin' to use this." He lifted the enormous gun that had previously been strapped to his back.
"Move an' I shoot you."
"I wouldn't dream of it," I said, lolling my head side to side just to see if my neck worked. "Hey, you owe me new clothes." I pointed to the gaping hole in my side, on the knees of my yellow pants.
The rodent looked at me for a moment. Then a wide grin spread across his pointed face.
"Ya know what, I think we could make some good use of you. Take off your clothes, I'll get you new ones later."
"Like hell I will!"
He lifted his gun again with his bushy eyebrows raised. "I've really been looking forward to testing this out on someone."
I was pretty sure he wasn't going to shoot me. But I stripped anyway, because I was half delirious. I certainly tripped over myself one too many times taking my pants off.
I was glad to get my top off, because holey shirt.
"Now what?" I demanded. I stood nearly stark-naked beside the tree, my slim arms crossed over my chest. Not that a rat cared about cleavage.
The rodent cleared his throat and looked away.
"There's a city nearby. I was thinking I'd trade you for a couple drinks at some disreputable establishment. What'dya say, Groot?"
The tree shrugged. "I am... Groot."
"He thinks it's a bad idea. But I don't, and I'm in charge. Get moving."
He jabbed my almost naked back with his gun.
I was too exhausted to fight back. I took a step, then another. Then I collapsed. I fell right back into that soft, soft ground.
"I think I'll stay here for a while," I said, a drunken smile on my face.
The rodent pinched the wide bridge of his nose and groaned. "We ain't carrying you again."
"Hey," I said, my sentences slurring together. "I don't even... know your name..."
He bent down and lifted my eyelid with a claw. "Name's Rocket. Not rodent, not vermin, not raccoon, whatever the hell that thing is. Just Rocket."
As I blacked out, the only thought bouncing around in my head was, "What's a rabboon?"