LODESTAR ❥ PETER QUILL

Chapter 9

Heather and Peter are dragged away from each other, out of the airlock and into another room on the ship which Heather presumes to be the bridge. She's pulled to a different wall, away from Peter and they both are held tightly, restrained by at least half a dozen ravagers each.

Peter tries to give Heather a reassuring smile but it turns into more of a grimace. Yondu enters the bridge and crosses the room in quick steps to sink a fist into Peter's gut.

"You betray me? Steal my money?" Yondu roars, punching Peter again and again in the face.

"Stop it! Leave him alone!" she yells desperately, straining against the ravagers holding her back.

Her desperate plea goes widely unnoticed.

Yondu grabs Peter by the chin. "When I picked you up as a kid, these boys wanted to eat you. They ain't never tasted Terran before. I saved your life!"

"Will you shut up about that? God! Twenty years, you been throwing that in my face, like it's some great thing, not eating me. Normal people don't even think about eating someone else! Much less that person having to be grateful for it! You abducted me, man. You stole me from my home and from my family."

"You don't give a damn about your Terra! You're sc-"

"Yondu, stop it!" Heather roars.

Yondu's attention turns to Heather, he stares her down angrily.

"You backed out of our deal, didn't you?" he asks, stepping towards her.

Peter watches Heather with intense curiosity.

Fuuuck . . .

"That was before I knew who else was looking for the orb and the true power inside it . . . And before I realised who he was." Heather nods towards Peter, but she refuses to look at him still, scared that she'll lose her resolve.

Yondu shoves Heather backwards.

"And who exactly is Quill?" Yondu demands.

Heather ignores Quill's heavy gaze.

"A . . . A friend from Terra," Heather quickly finds a way to change the subject and to be the one in control of the conversation.

I'm not supposed to know about this but I have to say something.

"What would Yalenchka say now, Yondu, if she saw this. She's your younger sister but she'd put an end to this. She made you promise."

Yondu's glare falters, this boosts Heather's confidence.

"Anyway there's more important things at the moment. Ronan has an Infinity Stone, he could kill us all," she continues.

"I know what he's got, girl."

"Then you- let us get it back! He's gonna use it to destroy Xandar, we have to warn them! Billions of people will die! You have to let us at least try to save them," Heather begs.

Yondu turns back to Quill. "Is that what she's been filling your head with, boy? Sentiment?" He reaches him and slaps him harshly across the face. "Eating away your brain like maggots! That's it."

He whistles and the arrow from hus holster flies upwards and pushes itself up against Peter's neck.

"No!"

The force of the word tears Heather's throat and she's tries again to rip herself away from the Ravager's hold.

"Sorry, boy, but a captain's gotta teach his men what happens to those what cross him."