[Heroes Assembled] Groot Fan Fiction - Lost Branch World

 

Groot has posed:
Groot has convinced the Milano to investigate a series of coordinates that he got from Oa and the Maze of Klabaru. It is a legend of his people of a Branch world that was stolen by a powerful alien race and moved far away from the rest of the Branch worlds. Rumor has long said that they were out there, contact from traders etc, and as the Milano approaches the system Groot is clearly nervous.

Long range scans do indicate some technological presence in the system, 4 worlds, one Earth type, 2 gas giants and a hell world. There are two orbital energy platforms and a very small trading station. There are no broadcasts like entertainment or business traffic that are typical of such a world. If asked what to expect, Groot will say he has no idea. They've been cut off from his people for two centuries so he is expecting nearly anything.

Gamora has posed:
    "This is strange." Gamora notes with a troubled tone, seated in her normal position in the cockpit. "I don't think I've ever been to a viable system that was this quiet. Even Earth was trying to sell vehicle insurance to the stars."

Nebula has posed:
    It's a contrast, moving from the lower decks where the temperature is lower and the lights are dimmer in to the upper decks and common areas where the temperature is set roughly to what Peter likes and the lights are set to roughly what Peter likes. May be other species prefer it that way too but Nebula likes the gloom. May be it's a personal preference.

    Stepping in to the cockpit Nebula peers out at the otherwise seemingly quiet planet and folds her arms. Space is a lonely place and even for loners like Nebula you sometimes need contact with other people. A trading port is a welcome sight. Likely one where she has no reputation. A chance to screw it all up on her own.

    Botany isn't exactly her strong suit nor an interest of hers. Talking and walking trees - she's only recently gained an appreciation for Groot. Ever the perplexingly mysterious creature and strangely loyal to Rocket. A begrudging respect for Groot had formed in her mind - so when he proposed this trip she figured: why not.

Peter Quill has posed:
Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szm_SbNmK6s

Peter's playing a track from his Kryprton Road Trip mix hoping this time what they find at the end of their journey will be a whole lot happier for all involved. Plus, 'Shambala' was just a fun travelling song, so there was that if nothing else.

He's at his usual station, checking out the sensor readings as they close in on the system. "Well, I'm not seeing much in the way of signals from the worlds buuut, there's definitely a station and some satellites in orbit so I'll take that as a good sign. You want to try hailing them Groot?" he asks handing back an old CB radio mic he'd rigged into the comms system on the panel for moments like this.

He does look back at Gamora's words. "Yeah, pretty proud of my people for that," he says of the insurance ads. "But who knows what sort of tech they might have maybe they're talking their heads off and we're not tuned in to their message."

Rocket has posed:
Rocket runs a variety of scans from the pilot's seat he's in. For most of the last few days, he's been quieter than normal. It's almost a blessing in disguise for some on the crew, if not most, if not all. He merely answers Gamora with a shrug, verifying, "I ain't seein' much." Peter's song of choice barely gets an ear-twitch out of him, as he looks rather sullen. Whether he's flying or Quill is, he remains focused on what's ahead - and what's not.

Groot has posed:
Groot gives Rocket his space while still checking in on him periodically. He knows that the nightmares are troubling to him and is concerned, but also knows Rocket will share when he's good and ready. He doesnt hover, but he is obviously worried. When asked to hail them, he considers this. Given the scent element of his language, a lot of radio communication is lost, but who knows?

He opens hailing frequencies and says, "I am Groot."

There is a silence and then there is an audio static and finally says, "I am Qaru."

"I am Groot."

"I am Qaru!" There is an audible excitement to the voice but it is hard to tell if it is positive or negative.

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora arches an eyebrow at Peter. "That's..." Gamora suddenly looks puzzled, "... oddly astute. Hmm." Gamora fiddles with a knob or button or two to open communications, and links her fingers together while Groot calls out, and actually gets a response. "Oh. That's good. Is that good?"

    Nebula's arrival earns a wary but relatively welcoming look from Gamora; which is to say, she doesn't punch her or grimace.

Nebula has posed:
    Arms fold tighter as Nebula hears the response. So the trip wasn't a waste after all. That's good, she supposes. But it does mean Groot is going to get all excited.. "How does that.. nevermind," she says wondering how they could possibly be communicating like that over the comms.

    "Are we landing on the trading station or on the planet?," she asks pondering just how committed to this she needs to prepare her mind. Doing good things for Thanos's minions was never a 'thing'.. they curried his favour, not him currying theirs. Doing something for others.. she's only ever done that for Thanos and Gamora. Everyone else was immaterial. This giving of her time and skills is still a new and challenging concept.

Peter Quill has posed:
Peter looks to Rocket when Groot gets a reply. "You understand what the other guy said?" he asks not sure if Rocket's skills were focused on understanding Groot or all of Groot's people. "And thanks," he says glancing back to smile at Gamora. "I have my moments."

As to where to land he leaves that in the hands of Groot and Rocket. "Kinda hoping the trading post, could definitely use a drink right now." Not that they didn't have stuff on the ship but drinking at a bar was just /better/, he was pretty sure it was science or something.

Rocket has posed:
"The station," Rocket conveys, gesturing toward Groot. "He was askin'. Got a couple of..ones like him down there, sounds like." No, he doesn't elaborate. Chances are if he caught anything potentially dangerous in what he was able to make of the conversation back and forth, he would have shared it. "One's Qaru. The other's Thoote. Yeah, I know it sounds a lot like Groot. I got most of it, Quill." As such, he takes the Milano in toward their destination, still staring straight ahead.

Groot has posed:
The ship is able to approach and dock with the station. A few more quick exchanges with Qaru gives them what they need. Groot is both excited and a little nervous but it seems self exlplantory (or at least approaching it). A docking port slides out to the Milano and they are approaching. He whispers to Rocket as the door is sliding open, "I am Groot" and then a short while later, Qaru, who looks..KIND OF like Groot but is much shorter and has flowering berries and is surrounded by what looks like a dozen tiny beaver like creatures, small and furry that chitter enthusiastically at everyone.

"I am Qaru" and he gestures for them to follow into a wide area that looks like a food court with some aliens of various species, a tall plant like individual who who looks at Groot very...judgementally, and lots and lots of the small fuzzy creatures. There is clearly a 'bar' of some kind and two over the counter restaurants.

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora isn't the most emotionally intelligent person in the world, having grown up in a world of both hiding and shaming weakness, and some accompanying back stabbing, but Rocket's lack of energy or rudeness is starting to catch her notice finally, though for now the Zen-Whoberian can only give him a quizzical look without distracting from their purpose with a tangent.

    She eyes Qaru wearily at the docking port, and softly notes, in earshot of her crewmates, "... I suspect we will not be driving the conversation today."

Nebula has posed:
    Nebula can't stop staring at the beaver creature.. creatures. There's so many of them. So many fuzzy creatures. She peers at Rocket and then back to the beaver, then back to Rocket, then back to the beaver. Yep. Rocket is totally a pet. She smirks just a touch at her own thoughts, amusing herself.

    She walks deeper in to the station and observes the creatures going about their business, then looks over to Gamora and shrugs a little. It's a sisterly thing, it means she has no idea what she's meant to be doing. Usually by now she's plotting, shooting, or stabbing something.

    With a motion to the one giving Groot a disapproving look she says, "This must be Thoote then." There's a raised eyebrow. But also a slightly confused look as she realises this wasn't just a process of elimination.

Peter Quill has posed:
Star Lord looks around the station with an amused expression. He loved finding new places like this full of strange new aliens. "Right on," he says mostly to himself.

Then seeing the beaver creatures surrounding Quaru, he can't help but aside to Gamora. "Weird, isn't that like having a school of piranha following someone?" he asks without thinking if she knew what piranha were or well pretty much any of what he was talking about.

Rocket has posed:
Rocket shares that, at least, there is a concern on Groot's part about how trustworthy Thoote may be, but he's eyeing Qaru and his..beaver attendants, doing so with a distasteful expression on his face as his ears draw back briefly. Probably a good thing he doesn't know what Nebula is thinking right now. Shaking his head, he starts off toward the nearest bar, whether others decide to join him or not.

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora only shakes her head and asides to Peter, "I have never been to Piranha, or its schools."

Groot has posed:
Those looking at the area would find that one of the restaurants has food that smells very VERY good, one smells like a garden and flower shop. The beavers and aliens frequent the first, the plant based folks the other; both frequent the bar. Thoote has a small ring of the locals around him and is stink eyeing groot but the more observant folks would ALSO know he is looking judgementally at the other plant folk NOT around him since they are chattering quite amicably and equitiably with the beaver folk who chitter in a super fast local dialect though the translators can actually make SOME sense of it and understanding them might be possible in time.

There is a conversation between Groot and Qaru. It is, of course, quite boring to those who can't understand it since it is an ongoing series of greetings. More interesting, is the minstril that starts to sing in the corner with a band full of the beaver things and the shorter plant people that is theramins and bagpipes. "I am Bloom! I am Bloom!" It's clearly a balad but the words are ...only three.

Nebula has posed:
    Nebula pinches the bridge of her nose and and glances down at the ground with a sigh. "This...." she begins to say but seems lost for words. Then Rocket walks past toward the bar and she realises the usually loudest of the crew has the right idea.

    Turning, Nebula follows after him with slightly defeated slumped shoulders too. There's a distinct desire in her blood to burn this place to the ground and she's not quite sure why. At least father seemed to have a rhyme and reason about his massacres. She sits down at the bar and gets a cup of.. something orange. It tastes good and has alcohol in it so she's fine with this.

    A look is given to Rocket. On the one hand he seems to be in some kind of emotional distress.. on the other hand if she asks and he actually tells her, she might be compelled to listen. Then again, he is great in the field when he's on his game and he's clearly not on his game. But, also, she doesn't want to give the impression she cares... and she doesn't care.. does she? A look of confusion sweeps over her face again and she yanks up her hood to hide it.

Peter Quill has posed:
"It's not a planet-" Peter begins before shaking his head. "Sure, it's well known for it's schools," he remarks just going with it. "Still this may be a much weirder place," he says looking around before spotting Rocket and Nebula heading for the bar. "Want to come with?" he asks offering Gamora an arm as he turns in that direction.

Rocket has posed:
Rocket may look like he's off, but that doesn't mean he is. He's still got weaponry on him, and his eyes, ears, and nose continue to take close note of what's around. In fact, he may be even more focused on their surroundings than usual. Something about this leaves him suspicious, and through snippets of Branch creature conversation he watches Thoote the most. "Yeah, so those things are Elori and that one," he indicates Thoote, "thinks they shouldn't be treated as equals. I say fuck that guy, but I'm also thirsty."

Groot has posed:
Groot seems...unusually cheerful. The crew would notice something off about him though. He immediately says, "I am Groot" and excuses himself to join the group. As he looks around, he mutters low enough for the group to hear (mainly rocket) obviously, "I am Groot." The look on his face is...complex, to say the least. It is pleasant, but inwardly suffering, more than they have ever seen but there is also a murderous gleam in his eye.

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora's eyes follow the departure of their two most (outwardly) troubled crew mates with some concern, before she notices Peter's offered arm with some surprise.

    Such gestures are *also* a bit rare in her life.

    "Oh. I..." Gamora seems to struggle to find a 'Gamora' way to convey her answer, so for possibly just the second time her demeanor cracks a bit and she simply says, "... sssssSure." before taking Peter's arm.

    Inside, Gamora arches an eyebrow, "I would have thought *trees* to be above class division." Gamora gives a small 'hmph" and shakes her head. Perhaps a culling would do this civilization some good.

    Huh. Where did that come from?

    "Perhaps our martial prowess will be called for after all." She notes, trying not to sound too eager, and then squints at the bar. "... Would their spirits be... compatable?" she asks with some concern. What even IS tree booze?!

Nebula has posed:
    Nebula looks up somewhat suddenly and peers at Groot. Her eyes slide past him to Thoote once more and then back to Groot. "What in the Hel," she says and smirks. "You only have to ask..." she says with dark conspiratorial eyes as she looks at Groot levelly, then tips back some of the orange drink in to her mouth. A new found respect for Groot is growing within her. Gamora is yet to learn just how right she is.

    What does she care if she is considered a monster on yet another world in yet another star system. At least this'd be in her wheel house. Gamora's too. She pulls back her hood and gives Groot a very 'put me in coach' look that Gamora has no doubt only ever seen before when Nebula's desires had aligned with fathers.

Peter Quill has posed:
Peter grins as Gamora agrees to take his arm and join him for a drink. "Not terribly surprised, people all over the galaxy find reasons to be jerks to each other, why should tree people be any different?"

As for their booze? Peter's willing to try. "I'll have whatever she's having," he says to the bartender nodding to the orange drink Nebula is currently imbibing.

Seeing the look in Groot's eyes he leans over to Rocket. "Is Groot okay?" he asks before really taking a moment to notice how Rocket seems. "And you too, buddy. What's going on?"

Rocket has posed:
Rocket frowns openly at Groot, but as he looks over the woody face of his..friend..his ears lay back again and a scowl sets in. "Is that so? Want me to do somethin' about it? I already got an idea or two formin' in the ol' head." He does not provide the rest of the Guardians with a translation to what Groot had said. It may be for the best. That's about the time he raises a brow in Nebula's direction. Thoughts of a drink fade. "Nothin' you gotta concern yourself with, Quill. You just sit here and enjoy yourself."

Groot has posed:
"I am Groot." It is deadly, it is final, and it is ....odd in tone coming from him. He looks at Thoote, who is talking with the plants around him in a series of declarives. "I am Berry." "I am Thoote." "I am Spatula" (laughter)

Gamora has posed:
    "Rocket." Gamora begins to speak in a firm tone, "Though I do not often wish to mirror my sister's... enthusiasm... I believe we are well beyond protecting each others... 'rap sheets' from growing." Is Gamora just itching to kill something? Maybe a little. Being the responsible one has been a vexing experience, her tendancy to cling to composure aside. "I only urge discretion." She ponders for a moment, and adds, "... if that is something we are capable of." Signs point to 'no' so far in their adventures.

Nebula has posed:
    Nebula warns Peter, "It's disgusting and probably toxic." It seems from the expressions and tones that everybody is on board now. Everybody, perhaps except Peter, is down for some tree murder. Her eyes slide back over to Thoote and she says, "I expect someone has a plan I won't like."

Peter Quill has posed:
Despite the warning Peter does take a sip of the orange stuff when delivered. "Oookay, you might be right Nebula," he says. Rocket's words though get a frown. "Sure," he says of sitting there and having a good time. "And I'm with Gamora if we need to back Groot up, he can count on us." Shifts his coat a little to make sure he's got a clear line to draw his blasters. "But let's hope we can just sit here and," he glances at the orange stuff in his glass. "Enjoy our drinks instead."

[Heroes Assembled] Groot Fan Fiction - Happy Birthday, Star-Lord! Hope You Live To Tell About It!

 

Rocket has posed:
Everybody needs time to unwind, and with everything that's happened surrounding the Kryptonians, the Guardians needed a little time to themselves, a bit of R&R mixed in with, in some cases, some heavy drinking.

And, at least to start with, the whole idea actually came about when Rocket overheard Quill talking about his birthday. It wouldn't matter whether or not this fell on the same day, but Rocket set course for a planet that had a reputation as low-rent, a hub space port. Goods move through, some legit, some hot. Bounties are often posted and claimed for credits. Things happen that don't get spoken of around most, and whatever serves as the police force, you never really know what you're going to get.

The Guardians have gathered in a dingy, seedy bar that's perfect for their motley crew, and drinks have already been flowing to the table. It's a raucous place, and Rocket is currently standing atop the table, regaling the others with a tall tale about some caper he pulled off even before he met up with Groot. He does so with typical bombast and boasting, and only sounds mildly drunk. It's early in the party. "..and that's how I swiped that thing right out from under that poor loser's nose without him even realizing it!"

Groot has posed:
Groot is all on board team building exercizes. He thinks they should all get to know each other more and it lets him ignore the elements of the discovery in the maze he is obsessed with and terrified with. So kicking the space can down the space road is good. He laughts at Rocket's tale and says, "I am Groot" adding his own spin on it.

Peter Quill has posed:
Quil is always up for a party especially when it's for him. So he is definitely in the party mood a cardboard party hat strapped on his head, and definitely helping himself to his share of drinks to the point his cheeks are a bit rosy, and he's talking more loudly than usual. He's also not so subtly looking over at the bar staff, giving them little head shakes, and one moment gestures, before smirking to himself.

He turns his attention to Rocket's story, grinning and laughing as he pours a new drink from the pitcher and offers it to Rocket. "Nice one man, you get a pile of units for that score or what?" he asks.

Gamora has posed:
    With her cloak slung over the back of her seat, Gamora is two sips into her drink, and now holds it in front of her face, peering into the side of it with one suspicious eye. Whatever's on her mind seems to take a backseat at the end of Rocket's story, when Groot adds his two cents. She peers at them curiously. "... Strange. I almost felt like I knew what he was trying to indicate. For a moment." Gamora glances at her drink again, now doubly suspicious.

    Looking to Rocket, she observes, "I am impressed that you've evaded a higher profile, given the... explosive nature of many of your adventures."

Nebula has posed:
    A long flowing black cape billowed from her shoulders to the ground, revealing a subtle shape of her body and the chair she's sitting on. The hood is up. The general vibe of the look suggests to strangers - 'Leave me alone'. It's also meant to mean the same thing to the crew of the Milano but they seemingly never get the hint.

    It doesn't help that she's sitting at the table partaking in the drinks and listening to Rocket's heist story. "Ridiculous," is her contribution to Rocket's epic. "The smell would never come out," she suggests that perhaps the tale isn't entirely as recalled.

    The problem with low-rent hub space ports is that eventually someone is going to notice you're one of the daughters of Thanos. But there's no point living life in fear. Fear isn't exactly a thing that drives Nebula's decisions. The only thing she truly fears is her father.

    Glowering at the drink in front of her. She takes a long gulp of it and ponders each face around the table. Because of Gamora she's getting to know them and sadly, somehow, they've been getting to know her. It was easier back home where everybody mistrusted everybody else and it was an unspoken rule to stay out of each others business. Here, ... music and dancing and trying to be everyones friend.

Mantis has posed:
Mantis has never gotten to celebrate a birthday before, so she's quite excited about this one! Unfortunately, she's dressed in the same manner she always is, simply because she's never actually bothered to shop for clothes for herself. At least she washes her one outfit. She arrives later than the rest, because she was busy coming up with what is the proper thing to say. When she finally arrives, she walks directly towards Peter, and shooting her arms in a flourish almost in his face out of nowhere, she cries out, "happy day of your birthing, Quill!" She moves surprisingly silently, so there's a chance she might give Peter more of a scare than a cheering up.

Rocket has posed:
Rocket gives Groot a quick glance, seemingly one of confusion, before he answers, "Yeah. Sure, buddy. That was hilarious." Thumbs-up! Double Thumbs-up, even! Maybe something got missed along the way.

Tossing back a shot of some purple-tinted liquid after he grabs a glass, he wipes his mouth with the back of a little hand afterward then settles both at his sides against the jumpsuit he goes around in. "Who's saying I've evaded a higher profile? You know how many times I've busted out of prisons and jails? Groot here makes it a little easier, but he hasn't even been with me for all of 'em! I'm probably the most famous one in the known galaxies out of all of us. That ain't a knock on the rest of you. Not everyone can be that famous."

He remarks, mainly for Nebula's benefit, "You'd be surprised at what smells can be gotten out of. Besides, I'm gonna go out on a limb here," at which point he makes his way over to Groot and literally does so, "and say I probably got the best nose out of all of you. Let's just say I probably know when you need a bath before you do." There /are/ some eyes on the table, but people are keeping their distance. In this case, it appears their reputations have afforded them some privacy.

Peter, as the birthday boy, gets a large portion of Rocket's focus, and the 'harshest' reaction. "Did I get paid? Quill, I got paid so well you probably can't even count that high. Did I get paid? Hah! Are you a big idiot sometimes?"

At least he said 'sometimes.' That's a marked improvement over the first few weeks and months.

"Were you busy getting him something, Mantis? 'cause I got him something, and I can go grab it whenever you're all ready. Unless any of you got any fun stories first," the fuzzy terror suggests.

Groot has posed:
Groot chuckles at Rocket's comment and says "I am Groot." He folds his arms and smirks as if he knew some joke that only he and Rocket would get but then looks philospophical and nods, "I am Groot."

Peter Quill has posed:
Quill reaches up a hand over Rocket's head as he looks to Gamora. "A higher profile is a little out of his reach I think," he says with a grin for the assassin before knocking back his drink and smirking at Rocket. "Sometimes? I didn't know you cared."

Though pretty quickly the joke is on Peter as Mantis appears and startles the bejeezus out of him spilling his drink all down his shirt. He makes a face looking down at his shirt before looking to Mantis, with a smile "Thanks," he says and actually seems like he means it. "But next time just a little bit of warning, okay?" he asks.
As for gifts, Peter grins, "Heck yeah, it's time for gifts," he says before glancing at his shirt again. "I hope one of you got me a towel."

Gamora has posed:
    Staring at Rocket, Gamora slowly says, "I... I see." That bodes poorly, if it's true. Gamora's no less infamous, but in her defense, up until recently most people who saw her face died shortly afterward. So that's something.

    Gamora looks to Groot, and frowns. "... No. Nothing." Must have been a trick of the mind. She takes a sip. She grimaces. "Nnf. It is not unlike the hint of bitterness in Power Girl's gift. Though without the sweetness, the smoothness, nor the heavenly euphoria." Gamora frowns. She takes another drink.

Peter's jape earns a deadpan look from Gamora, which gradually shifts into a short huff of a laugh through here nose and a tugging at the corner of her lips. Don't laugh, Gamora, Rocket will cause a scene. After recoiling slightly at Mantis' sudden appearance, Gamora stammers, "I... yes." awkwardly and raises her glass. "You have survived another year by most Galactically recognized calendars, Peter Quill. Well done." She... lets the others go ahead with gifts first.

Nebula has posed:
    Nebula lifts her cup and says, "I am Groot." in a sort of 'cheers' motion so she doesn't have to say this 'happy birthday' thing that apparently is part of the ceremony. She has no idea what she just said in Groot's language, nor does she care. It's the thought that counts and that thought was 'i hate this why are we here'.

    Rocket's odd boasting about being the most famous of the crew gets a small smirk from her. She'll give him that. It's only their victims that have images of Thanos, Gamora, and Nebula burned in to their retinas. Most people just think of their father as the space boogie man. Rocket, .. he's got flair and a mouth, very memorable. Assassins aren't meant to be remembered.

    "I got you nothing because this ritual is ridiculous," she says to Peter with dark piercing eyes. Possibly jaded over the notion that he still has a planet of birth to return to whenever he wants, filled with music and culture and strange foods and weird Titan people.

Mantis has posed:
"Oooo! I thought it was better if we say it in surprise!" Mantis explains herself, before looking at Quill with an impish grin, "but you did appreciate it! So thank you! I am happy for your day of birthing!" She then turns to look all puzzled at Rocket. "There was something to get...?" Mantis asks, the concept foreign to her. But then Quill mentions the need of a towel, nevermind it's her own fault, and Mantis calls out, "I can go and get one! Should I do that right now?"

Nebula next has Mantis' attention, as she gives her a beaming smile, "Nebula! You too came to celebrate Quill's day of birthing, this is really a big happy family! Thank you!" And after Nebula explains why she got Quill nothing, Mantis adds, "and I got you nothing because I didn't know this ridiculous ritual at all!"

After a moment's thought, Mantis asks Rocket, "everyone is more famous then me, but are you sure you're more famous than Groot? You don't know what the trees say about him, and there are many kinds of trees in the galaxy!"

Rocket has posed:
"Yes, Groot, I know I smell great, and I didn't get Quill a cake. Or if I did, I already ate it. And no, I don't think she actually said she's a teacup. She just said 'I am Groot' like saying 'I am Groot,' not like you do," Rocket explains, having to take a moment to clarify a few things for the one Mantis soon suggests may be more famous than he is. "Whatever. If that's the case, it's because tagging along with me got more of the word out."

Rolling his eyes at Quill after his response, and especially after he's wasted a perfectly good drink, he hops down from Groot, reaches the floor, and goes over to his unused chair to fish something out of a gear bag. Finally, he climbs back atop the table so he can hold court again. In his hands is a box that might contain something roughly the size of a baseball in it, which means it's a bit larger given his proportions. It's wrapped in some kind of paper, if one can even call it 'wrapped.' There are gaps in coverage worse than a cell phone signal, it consists of what appear to have once been different pieces of paper but have since been torn up and gathered together, and a few letters can be seen on the box itself: 'ector.'

Tossing it toward Quill, he says. "Go ahead. Open it. I had to go through a lot to get this for you. You wouldn't believe it."

Groot has posed:
Groot makes a teacup gesture and chuckles out loud, "I am Groot" said as if one were invoking said Tea Cup. An almost non perceptible scent of waffles and elderberies accompanies it and then he straightens up. He takes out a gift wrapped metal object shaped like a small shovel. "I am Groot." His brow furrows but he seems hopeful at the same time.

Peter Quill has posed:
"It's okay Mantis," Peter says shrugging off his jacket and pulling off his shirt. "No reason to be fancy in a place like this, I'll air dry" he says tossing the shirt away and pulling his jacket back over top.

Wet shirt dealt with, "Well that's a shame Nebula," Peter says when she tells him she got him nothing. "Because a little birdy told me it's someone else's 'day of birthing' today and I /did/ get them something."

He gives a nod to the bar staff he'd been exchanging looks with and they hustle out with a sparkler festooned something that is blue and vaguely face shaped, with a very convincing scowl. Is it Nebula in cake form? Possibly, but then this is a bar not a bakery, and there was only so much they could do. "Happy birthday Nebula," Peter says with a smile as the cake is set down in front of Nebula and the servers scurry away to escape any retribution from the angry looking blue woman.

As for Quill? His eyes light up at the poorly wrapped package thrown his way. "Wow, you got me a present?!" and then he looks to Groot. "You too, thanks man," he says and without care or concern that Rocket's present might explode, he tears into the wrapping paper, first Groot's, pulling the paper off a trowel. "Thanks man, you invigting me into the chocolate cartel or something?"

Then when he opens Rocket's he freezes, eyes going wide at the notice on the top of the box. "Uh? this says Property of the Collector?" he says looking up at Rocket.

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora blinks once and straightens up as Rocket presents his gift to Quill. Wrappingg? Nobody said anything about wrapping. Is a gift cursed if it's not wrapped? Traditionally? She doubts it'd be true, but it'd be a bad omen.

    Well... it's too late for that.

    Gamora subtly looks away when Quill briefly disrobes, and softly clears her throat. When her turn comes around the table, Gamora reaches back into her cloak and retrieves two objects, setting one on the table. The other, she takes in both hands. "... Here." She says awkwardly, and holds out what appears to be - and what will prove to be! - a sheathed knife with a red handle, of good strong make; though not the most expensive thing money can buy. "I hope that this proves reliable, and useful in your future." She pauses. "... They offered to monogram the handle... though I feared that it may one day be used as evidence against you in a court of law. ... Happy Birthday."

    The other object - identical but with a dark blue handle - is sloooowly, subtly nudged in Nebula's direct, only to be knocked loudly when Peter announced Nebula's birthday, causing Gamora to flinch sharply. Oh no... she didn't... oh no... she can't remember... oh no!

Nebula has posed:
    Nebula stands and turns so fast on the quickly retreating servers one might think she's really going to kill them. Her hood has fallen off though revealing her angry blue scowl. It's a good likeness. Two people in the bar see Nebula and one starts to shake, the other helps them up and they quickly make their way out of the bar. Apparently someone knows her face.

    Her eyes look to the sparkler and the suspicious cake. Then her scowl moves to look toward Gamora because there's no one else on this ship that could possibly know that detail about her life. "Gamora," she says with a seething rage broiling up inside of her.

    "Do you take nothing seriously anymore? or are you so petty you wish my enemies to know when I was born as some kind of psychologoical weapon against me." One finger pokes in to it and curls out a bit of the food. It is food after all. She takes a taste and says to Peter, "Excessive use of sugar. Typical of Earth." That review didn't say it tasted bad. Success.

Mantis has posed:
Listening to the exchange between Rocket and Groot, Mantis looks at Nebula and giggles, "you said you were a tea cup in Groot! I can't even say that, you are very talented, Nebula!"

But then Quill makes his declaration, and Mantis gasps in surprise, "oooo! Nebula has a day of birthing too! Happy day of birthing, Nebula! Two in one is very special," but seeing the Nebula shaped cake, Mantis just bursts in laughter, "that is amazing! A Nebula cake! Ha!"

Rocket has posed:
Rocket notes, "Groot thought he was getting you a towel, but instead he got you a trowel. And, yeah. I looked it up. Back on Earth, they like to wrap gifts so it's a surprise."

There are a few lengthy moments where he simply stares openly at the semblance of a cake that is brought out for Nebula. "Whoa. That looks like shit!" he blurts, proving that his ability to speak before he thinks at times has not left him.

Quill's reaction to seeing that name on the box was what he was waiting for. "Ain't it great? I went to the trouble of getting you something that was supposed to go to that guy! It was crazy! Go on. Open it. It's supposed to let you relive your favorite memories. I figured you don't have many of those, especially considering where you're from, but this will let you remember that one thing or two even better."

About that time, a voice can be heard from the general area of the entrance. "Funny you should talk about surprises, you talkin' rat." A man in a trenchcoat stands up, lifting a hat to show more of his face. "Because I gots one for you. See, you gots a bounty on your head for stealin' dat an' I aims t'collect. You wasn't lyin' when you said you was famous, so I gots myself a crew of my own."

The door is busted open, and for a moment there's a group of bodies all trying to enter at the same time. The smallest squeezes through, looking a lot like Rocket...except not. Others start to follow.

Rocket stares at all of this, and upon seeing the first one in he just..rubs the side of his face. "You? Got a bounty on me? And you hired /that?/ What the fuck /is/ that, even?" he gestures, for the creature with a pair of goggles upon its forehead looks a hell of a lot like a possum.

Groot has posed:
Groot stands up frowning, "I AM GROOT!" He tosses a nearby table at the nearest guy that smashes on the wall, intentionally missing but likely being quite intimidating. He looks at Nebula, not realizing it was her birthday too. He sighs, and looks at Nebula and looks at Rocket, back and forth a few times, "I am groot." He puts something on the table, a rather specific something. "I am Groot" he says resignedly.

Meanwhile he has picked up another table to throw.

Peter Quill has posed:
Quill grins at Gamora's gift, "Smart thinking," he remarks about not having his name on it, and grins even wider when she wishes him happy birthday. "Thanks, Gamora, I mean it," he says earnestly, before flipping the blade around in his hand a bit to get a feel for it's balance before sheathing it again.

Rocket's present still has him stunned. "You stole a thing, from the Collector?" the part about what it does doesn't seem to register, he's mostly just stuck on that part.

Well at least until the new guys butt in. "Whoa, whoa, whoa," Peter says knife slipped into his pocket while his other hand edges towards a blaster. "There's got to be some sort of misunderstanding, I'm sure if we all sit down and talk we can work this out-"

The possum like creature raises a blaster at Quill. "You ain't so smart, Humie, don't move! Nobody gets one over on ol' Pockets Possum, isn't that right Shrub?" he asks up to the plant-like creature beside him who's mean mugging Groot. "Me are Shrub," he says with a solemn nod and cracking wooden knuckles.

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora scowls at Nebula and insists "I am *not* petty!" leaving the matter of her seriousness unresolved. "Not everything is an attack on you, Sister! I simply struggle to keep my thoughts in order when I'm..." Gamora glances to the side awkwardly, and the fire in her voice dwindles when she concludes: "... 'relaxing.'"

    'Gamora time' is a somewhat drunken time, just lately. It'll probably end when the chocolate liquor runs out. Probably.

    Gamora just sort of... leeeeans back as the hostile group make themselves known, her eyes wandering over each one, and then to the Possum and the Tree... and then to her drink. "I am... inebriated." Gamora concludes aloud with some worry. "Someone sober confirm whether these people need to die... or if they are merely thirsty."

Nebula has posed:
    Well if Gamora is going to offer her a blade right when people come in looking for Rocket's head, she's obviously going to take the blue handled blade. Still standing, her back to the doors.. a big cloak and a blue back of her head. She lowers her hands and a compartment in her leg opens up. Nebula picks up the chocolate and deposits it in to her leg, but then draws out the base of a gun and it expands out in to a barrel, becoming a rifle. Completely hidden from their adversaries.

    The subtle reflections off of surfaces and objects in the room allow her cybernetics to reconstruct a three dimensional vision of what is behind her, marking out the hired goons for rapid targeting.

    Nebula narrows her eyes as Gamora realises she's drunk. "He stole it fairly, walk away," she says eyeing Groot and then giving him a small little nod of acceptance. Her eyes fall on the cake in front of her and her lips twitch in annoyance.. just more thugs trying to take things away from her. Things she didn't want, sure, but now they're her things. Nebula does not own many things.

    "Or die," she adds ominously. Not just a threat, but a statement of fact as far as Nebula is concerned.

Mantis has posed:
Mantis turns to look at the door in surprise when the man threatening Rocket has his minions all try and squeeze inside, "...is this part of your gift, Rocket?" Clearly, Mantis is open to infinite possibilities, and doesn't always assumes what's the simplest explanation is the right one. It's Quill's birthday, Rocket wouldn't get a bounty on his head just so they have to fight, would he? That had to be a surprise thing!

Looking over at the possum-like creature making the claim, Mantis looks at him intently, and then quips, "you're not very tall, I'm sure I can get a lot of things over you, like this!" And randomly, she reaches to an empty glass from the table, and proceeds to toss it right over the possum thing, "ha! Right over you! And you said no one could..." she then helpfully offers to Gamora, "yes, you are inebriated. It is because you drank that drink of alcoholic content!"

Rocket has posed:
Before things get really hectic, Rocket helpfully points out, "Groot says that was his last chocolate, Nebula. And did that..thing just say he was gonna fuck your weedy bitch-ass up, Groot? Daaaaaamn! You gonna take that?" Groot already threw one table. Then, he shrugs. "Nebula here has a point, you wannabe space cowboy. I heard about it, I wanted it, and the guys transporting it must not have if their security was so lax. By invocation of Intergalactic Right of Thieves, that makes it mine to do with as I please. The Collector, of /all/ people, ought to appreciate that." For someone who's at least part of the way drunk, he can make sense when he wants to.

It's the marsupial that draws most of his ire and disdain. "You have to be fucking kidding me. What did you say your name was? Pouches? Hang on. I wasn't expecting more guests to the party, but I'm sure I can find a little gift for you."

****

"Hey! Hey hey hey! I SAID HEY! No throwing things prematurely!" The bounty hunter ducks and covers, coming back up with an accusing finger in the direction of the Guardians. As others begin to file in, he does his best to intone, "Your comeuppance is at hand, rat and friends! Even if you gave dat back, you's gots another thing comin' and I'm gettin' dat bounty. You already met Pockets an' Shrub. Say hello to the Blood Brothers an' Lurgh. Remember their names for the seconds you's gots left."

In come a pair of burly-looking aliens that look like twins, and they must really like each other given the fact they're all but attached at the hip. Behind them, barely fitting inside the place, is an even larger individual, an alien barbarian that appears to be made out of stone, carrying an axe made of rock as well.

"You's can call me da Bounty Hunter, an' we're..uh. Did we decide on a name yet, Pockets?"

****

Rocket doubles over in laughter, momentarily forgetting about digging out a weapon. "Seriously? You rubes don't even have a name for yourselves yet? What kinda half-assed crew goes around like that without even knowing what to call themselves? Lemme guess. This is your first time, right? Should we go easy on 'em, guys?"

Groot has posed:
Groot looks angry and says, almost with shakespearean rancor, trilling the r and slapping Shrub across the face, "I am Grrrrrrrrooot." . o O "What a lack of eloquence thou hast peasant. Seriously, that is the best you can do? What kind of a name is that, 'shrub' your accent is so colloquial and gutter trash it sounds like you have been living in some galactic trailer park. Also your friend is small bald and dumb. He stiffens his back and sniffs with indigation at Possom and then begins growing in size thickening up arms become thick as treetrunks. "I. AM. GROOT." . o O "I AM GOING TO FUCK YOU UP 'SHRUB' LET ME SHOW YOU HOW ITS DONE."

Peter Quill has posed:
"Seriously, Pouches?" Peter pushes the gun barrel out of his face. "Tell you what, we'll give you nameless Dollar Store Bounty Hunters a good ten second head start before we put our feet up your collective butts. Sound fair?" he asks as he slowly slides the box and trowel off the table with a free hand and stuffs them in his pocket.

---

"It's Pockets! You idiots!" he pulls the trigger on the blaster a half-second before the blaster is moved blowing a chunk out of the ceiling causing the bartender to groan and yell into his comm unit.

Shrub crosses his arms looking affronted. "Me are Shrub" <<Shrub is a good and honourable name passed down through good hardworking trees for generations, you classist! And my friend can't help his baldness, he's a possum! But he's still better than a no good scavenging Trash Panda!>>

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora slowly pushes herself and her chair back with her legs, causing a shrill screech of the legs dragging against the bar floor, creating a bit of distance between herself and the table, and, more vexingly, the increasingly crowded bar. Her eyes are fixed on the brothers, and a certain paleness comes to her facem even as her expression becomes stony and set.

    "... It has been some time..." she begins to say, speaking a bit slowly after a few drinks - "... since I've allowed myself to be found in such a poor environment for swinging a blade." She stands up slowly. "You'll forgive me if my cuts are not so elegant as to spare you pain." She stares at the group icily.

    "*HIC!*"

    Gamora brings one hand to her mouth, "Mmph." She shakes her head. "Do not let me forget to kill those two, should they refuse your offer."

Nebula has posed:
    Nebula tilts her head a touch at Rocket's explanation. The last of it.. she trusts Groot isn't lying to her, but Rocket might be. At least that chocolate liqueur Power Girl brought is almost done too. "Even Mantis could take these fools," she says and turns around lifting up the rifle. Her vision overlaid with their current momentums, predicted 'hit box' and targets on each of them with the weapon trained on the one that's talking the most.

    "This is just embarrassing," she says as she looks over the bounty hunters. Not that a good bounty hunter can't do amazing work. Heck she's been caught by them before. But these guys don't look like they have the stuff.. and they missed their opportunity to get the jump on them.

    "Pocket. Shrub. Blood Brothers. Bounty Hunter," she says scoffingly in a tone meant for Gamora.. or perhaps even a little for Peter. "There are three outcomes. I kill most of you and my friends kill the rest of you. You walk away. Or you come to an agreement with Rocket," she warns.

    "Go ahead, do facial recognition. See how much of a misstep you have made. You've even made the tree angry. And if even one crumb of my cake is ruined because of you, you will know true terror before I end your lives."

Mantis has posed:
"No throwing things!?" Mantis argues at the call by Bounty Hunter to not throw things, "Pouches just said we couldn't get anything over his head, and I proved him wrong, so you're just liars and a bullies!" Mantis says the words with such gravitas, one would almost think she expects the bounty hunters to walk away in tears.

Hearing those guys don't even have a name for themselves, Mantis is quick to offer help, "how about The Stupids? Because, you know, you're picking on The Guardians of The Galaxy, which is very stupid?" Mantis. Ever helpful.

Rocket has posed:
Rocket sputters at what he can pick up of the exchange between Groot and Shrub. The former, he understands perfectly. The latter...it's close. Different enough, but close. "You dumb bush, you want to fight royalty? Go ahead, see how that works out for you!" he taunts, following up with, "And I may be no good, and I may scavenge, but I am not that last part!" He doesn't give the others the satisfaction of hearing him say 'Trash Panda.'

Then he decides to forego the gun, instead hopping down after a small portion of the ceiling is chipped loose from the errant blaster. "Pockets, Pouches, whatever your stupid name is, let's get one thing straight. There's only room for one awesome pilot and plant sidekick in this reality, and you two ain't it. I don't know where they dug your scrawny ass up from, but I don't have time for this /or/ your stupid, gross, hairless tail. It's like when whatever made you..made you, they forgot to finish the job!" Nevermind that possum tails are all like that. Facts never stopped Rocket before, and he bites at one of those ears!

****

The Blood Brothers advance on Gamora and Nebula, looking for all the world like they'd be happy to pound the two into paste. "Which one do you want, brother?" the first asks. "The one you don't, brother," says the second, as they crack their knuckles together in unison. The girls may know the trick with these two, if it gets to that.

Lurgh merely stalks toward Mantis, a wordless presence for the moment, as the stony barbarian pats his axe.

Bounty Hunter, however, grows suddenly hesitant. "..N-Nebula?" he asks, casting an incredulous look Quill's way. "The intel dey gave us ain't said a thing about Nebula bein' wit' you's!" While he slows, the others still appear to be itching for a fight, even as a call goes out for the authorities.

****

Rocket, amid whatever's happening with Pockets, sniffs. "An agreement? I dunno what they could agree to that'd satisfy me! Unless..." As he grapples with Pockets, an idea springs forth and he lowers his voice. "Quit fighting me, you reject. I wanna talk to your stupid leader."

Groot has posed:
Groot is a lot less verbal by Groot who attempts to great out with his larger physical size and (if successful) grabs Shrub's arms and uses them to punch the others face. Either way, he says, "I AM GROOT." . o O "Classist? That would imply you HAD some class you blatherskite. Stop oppressing yourself. Stop oppressing yourself. Help help a watery tart threw a sword at me in an aquatic farce and I thought it would be the foundation of a non class based system because I'm an unedjumacated rub!"

Peter Quill has posed:
"My tail is supposed to look this way, you idjit!" Pockets roars as he lets another blast slip blowing out a screen above the bar. The bartender is really upset now, and is screaming even louder in Interlac into the comm unit, as Rocket gets a solid bite on Pockets' ear. Shrub doesn't seem put off by Groot's pedigree or his arguments. "Me are Shrub!" << It's the aristocracy that is doing the pressing, sipping the finest water, and drinking in the best sunlight while the trees that make your lifestyle possible get none! One day we will rise up and burn you all! >> the literal political firebrand says, before reaching down to try and pry Rocket off of Pockets.

Quill for his part, grins to Bounty Hunter, "Yep, Nebula, and that over there is Gamora, soooo, if you guys want to give up now, pants uncrapped, we'll understand," he says before Rocket of all people calls for a parley. "Or Rocket can talk to you, and if you're real lucky, he won't bite off your nose."

Gamora has posed:
    When the second blast goes off, Gamora's blade just seems to appear in her hand, so quick is her draw...

    But then Captain and Also-Maybe-Captain Rodent alike are calling for parlay, which... doesn't come up too often in Gamora's experience. She hesitates, lowering her blade slightly, but not so much she could not raise it usefully if required.

Nebula has posed:
    The second blast has her rising her rifle a little more threateningly. One thing she's learnt being with the Milano crew is you don't start shooting right away. Sometimes weird stuff happens if you just wait a touch longer. And that weird stuff this time is Nebula lowering her weapon.

    "Gh'ree? R'Hos?" she says blinking as she stands up straighter, no longer in fighting pose as she approaches the brothers and and then peers over at Bounty Hunter, "What are you doing working for these idiots?" Because these guys used to work for Thanos.. the two princesses here in this little dive running in to the two brutes that daddy used to put to work. Comical and weird.

    There's simply no reason for her to fight these guys. Not unless they pick a fight. Hell she might even share some of her cake with them if they know what's good for them. "Gamora, it's the blood brothers.. _the_ blood brothers," she says now that it's not just a title, but a surname. It's also a rare sight for Nebula not to be instantly angry at someone. Familiarity breeds comfort, even though they're horrible horrible people.. they're old acquaintances. She trusts them as far as she can throw them either way.

Mantis has posed:
Mantis completely misunderstands that Quill is introducing Nebula and Gamora as a means to intimidate the bozos, instead, she thinks he's introducing the girls of the team and feels slighted for not even earning a mention, so she does it for him, waving her hand, "and I am Mantis!"

But Mantis' attention immediately shifts to Lurgh as he moves over towards her while patting his axe, "sooo...you're thinking of trying to kill me with that thing?" Mantis asks politely, before extending her arm towards him, for a handshake it seems, "no reason to avoid sportsmanship, right? Shake hands, and then you try to kill me?" It's a polite request, though she does seem oddly calm in the fact of what might be her death.

Of course should Lurgh choose to shake hands before killing her, the antannas would light with a white glow as she'll whisper, "you're afraid. Terrified of me." Which Lurgh will find is quite true, as Mantis will appear like the scariest being he ever saw in his life.

Of course if he decides not to be sportive, it'll just have to go down.

Rocket has posed:
Before things get good, Lurgh falls for Mantis' trick. Suddenly, there is a decidedly high-pitched shriek, followed by a thumping running as the big and currently very scared barbarian runs out of the place fast enough that he creates a new exit next to the one meant to be used.

The Blood Brothers stop as Nebula seems to be looking to chat instead, looking at each other, then the Bounty Hunter to follow his lead.

"Hold! I wanna hear what the rat has to say," the man says, and clearly he is still spooked enough by simply knowing Nebula is within an easy shot from him that he's reconsidering things.

****

Once Rocket tears himself away from Pockets, leaving a bite mark in the one ear but no skin ripped away, he points at the Bounty Hunter. "You. Sit. There." The chair next to the table he'd been at, watching and waiting for the Guardians to get drunk enough - or so he thought - is indicated, and he obliges. Rocket uses him to make his way up to the tabletop, making sure to step right on his groin to the sound of a satisfying grunt, before he leans in close to cup a hand against one of the man's ears.

The conversation is mostly one-sided, though a few words can occasionally be heard, words like 'present,' 'Quill,' 'Collector,' and 'Nebula,' and 'alive,' and even 'in one piece' immediately afterward, the man nodding a few times before sitting more upright. "That's too much!" he blurts, only for Rocket to smack him across the face and hiss, "Listen!"

A few more words, emphasized by him taking both hands, making fists together, then miming snapping them, and the Bounty Hunter seems to get it.

Rocket jumps back off the table and holds out his hands to the guy. "Fine. I surrender."

At this point, the Bounty Hunter is actually allowed to cuff Rocket, and the space cowboy still seems more afraid than not as he says, voice a little shaky, "We have..agreed to..to terms of surrender per conditions of said bounty on Rocket..and further agreed to.." The man pauses, swallows, and a kick in the shin from Rocket gets him to finish. "Ahem. We agree to give the Guardians of the Galaxy nine-tenths of the bounty upon collection, and immediately leave afterward. And..we'll pay for the damages here out of our cut."

****

While Pockets, at least, looks incredulous, Rocket gives the rest of his crewmates an exaggerated wink and says, "Hey, don't worry. I'm sure I'll be back in time for dinner." At that point, the local authorities arrive to take him into custody.

Been there, done that.

Groot has posed:
Groot crosses his arms, quite skeptical and huffs, "I am Groot" and chuffs. . o O "Are you from a Branch world or Planet X?" He doesnt want to come out and ask about the lost colony he found out about on Oa but the idea of connecting with his own kind. Well, his own kind NOT like Shrub. This guy just rubs him the wrong way instinctively.

Peter Quill has posed:
Peter for once seems to keep his cool when the terms of the negotiation are annoucned. "Seems fair to me," he grins putting away his blaster.

"FAIR! FAIR?!" screams Pockets, "How is giving these losers 90% of our bounty fair?!"

"Me are Shrub."

"I don't CARE if that's better than a hundred percent! That's not the point." He looks ready to go for his blaster when the authorities arrive to take Rocket away. "Don't think this is over Trashmuncher!" he calls after him.
eShrub for his part looks at Groot. << A branch world, of course but we can talk about this another time >> he points two twig like fingers at his eyes and then a single one at Groot. "Me are Shrub!" << I'll be seeing you >> he says before shuffling off to join his crew.

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora lets out a long slow sigh, and admits, "This is... not how I envisioned tonight going."

    "*HIC!*"

Nebula has posed:
    As the local authorities turn up, Nebula quickly pulls her hood back up and turns her face away. She shakes her head at Rocket.. whatever it is he thinks he's up to. Probably going to escape jail again. Somehow they're getting paid for this? Birthdays are ridiculous.

    Once again Mantis does something.. strange.. with her antennas. She narrows her eyes a touch and makes a mental note to keep her distance from that one if things get dicey with the Guardians in the future. The rifle compacts itself down to the size of a pistol and she places it on the table next to her cake. _Her_ cake. She takes out the knife Gamora gave her and cuts a slice for herself. It is very sugary.. very Earth.. kinda nice. Could may be use some chocolate.

Rocket has posed:
The Blood Brothers mingle, if only briefly, but do much like the others in going back to the Bounty Hunter, none of them looking very pleased at all, especially given the fact their cut is 10% /minus/ the repairs.

Before Rocket is taken off, he gives the possum dual middle fingers, taunting him, "Get bent, you half-assed knockoff with a tail that doesn't even make sense. The rest of you guys, keep the ship running." Or, you know, they could help him break out if they really want to. The particulars just have to be dealt with first as far as the bounty is concerned, which is in the process of happening with the Bounty Hunter. The rest of the authorities don't know what's been agreed to, just that Rocket /should/ be on his way to the group that was supposed to deliver Quill's present to the next group that was going to move it through additional channels en route to the Collector.

Instead, Quill has the gift, the Guardians had a party, got drunk, ate cake in some cases, one of them had a chat with another sentient plant, two of them got to see a pair of familiar faces, two others saw in themselves inferior reflections of themselves...and they're coming away richer for it as the Bounty Hunter reluctantly squares things up with Quill.

What a pair of birthdays.

Nebula has posed:
    --- Elsewhere in Space

    The man in a faux tudor costume trembles weakly as the energy whips keep his arms spread and his posture kneeled before Ronan. Each passing moment brings more pain and it had been days for him now. "Please.. I beg of you.. I know nothing more! I know not where this Gamora or Nebula is!"

    Another Kree approaches Ronan and comes to a halt near him. "Jump gate trace is complete. They traveled to Earth, a forbidden planet by your order. They then traveled to Oa, a forbidden planet, by Thanos' order. They appear to be heading to the Rao System, a class Q highly toxic star system, forbidden by Oa. There is no logic to their travel. If this is an attempt to evade us by going to forbidden destinations, they are fools."

    Ronan turns to his crew and says, "The Daughters of Thanos are not fools. Prepare a jump to the Rao System." He turns and looks back to the prisoner from Eskeem-6 and makes a motion to one of the guards. He draws an energy blade and slices the mans head off. It topples to the floor and Ronan places his foot to stop it rolling. "They will have to stop for supplies soon." The Dark Aster begins to coil itself up in configuration for its next jump... and their pursuit of Thanos' daughters continues.

[Heroes Assembled] Groot Fan Fiction - Krypton or Bust: The Dead Planet

 

Peter Quill has posed:
The first official run of the Guardians of the Galaxy was mere minutes away from completing the first leg of it's journey: the Rao system. Or was it the second leg? What with Oa and all, regardless it was an excuse for a party, so the music is blasting all over the ship and Quill is down in the common area while he waits for the computer to alert them they're about to jump into the system. Best piloting protocol? Probably not! But it's how Quill rolls.

He's dipped into the ship's supply of Earth food for the event, pop, beer, nachos are all available on the table and for those that want to, there's dancing. Quill is definitely one of those, grooving to himself a beer in hand, while Three Dog Night's "Shambala" plays over the speakers. A fitting track to herald the arrival to their promised destination.

(Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szm_SbNmK6s)

Groot has posed:
Groot keep looking at the ship sensors, focusing on the larger area of the galaxy for good portions of the trip but stopped to listen to this song. He'd actually gone out of his way to 'research' the lyrics, disappointed to find there was no such place but glad to finally understand the context. As it was, he put the chart away and walked to the bridge. They were, after all, about to visit what he himself considered a very large grave.

Kara Danvers has posed:
    Kara's mood had picked up since they'd leave Oa. That place was horrible. Those people were horrible. These people on this ship though? quirky and fun and she considers some of them friends. She was even starting to understand the grumpy moods of Nebula. And then she hears the music.

    Kara's head peeks around the corner in to the common room and then she enters with a small little bop to her steps and a hip sway. She picks up some nachos and dips them in to the sauce and noms. There's a nod of agreement to Peter about his choice of snacks and she bops her head a little more.

    "I've never heard this song before. I like it," she says and lets herself sway a bit more freely to the groove. She grabs a pop and lets it fizz open, then takes a sip. She lifts the drink in to the air, "To found friends and fateful journeys."

Clark Kent has posed:
Clark's been quiet, arms crossed, and a serious expression on his face.

He takes a slow breath when Kara says something peppy, but is otherwise applying his considerable super sense to searching the area for what feels like, to his instincts, the other shoe about to drop. Which is impressive, considering the war they barely avoided with the space police.

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner wasn't with the others when they talked with the Guardians of the Universe. Somehow the bald wicked smurfs missed him and his 'evil' Kryptonian genes. He was super-annoyed both about how the others got threatened and insulted, and the fact the aliens either didn't think he was Kryptonian enough or somehow failed to notice him.

Or maybe Maxima's ship messed up with their sensors. But Conner is blaming the GotU.

They did say Krypton's sun exploded, though. That means there shouldn't be much left of the whole star system. He has not talked with Kara about it, but he is somewhat pessimistic about the whole trip. And not even Quill's 'classical music' is improving his mood.

Karen Starr has posed:
    Contrastingly, Karen's mood hasn't picked up. To be fair, she's the angry one, so that's about par for the course. Instead, though, she's been devoting her time to planning- not for failure, but for success. Already, she's considering exactly what they'll do- and have to do- should they find the best result.

    Already though, she has her suit on- having ten minutes ago double tapped her gauntlet to signal the technology to deploy it across her form. It fits her like a glove all over, though for the moment, her helmet is clutched under an arm.

    "I don't know how accurate the Guardians' information is." she mentions, "The planet should have detonated- not the sun. If it was the sun, there shouldn't be anything left... Not for nothing, but I hope they're wrong."

Jon Kent has posed:
     Jon had never been to space. So of course, as a fifteen year old boy, he was having the time of his life. Floating when he could, unassisted by his powers, etc.

  The merriment and song has his dancing in overdrive, and he knew lots of old school moves. The Cabbage Patch, The Running Man, The Electric Slide. He even had a bottle of Soder Cola to celebrate.

  He still had on his Superman hoodie, and everything he came to this time with, which is pretty much the clothes he had on his back. But he was an optimist, now that he was pretty sure he wasn't going to poof out of existence, he has allowed himself to be relaxed.

Groot has posed:
Groot says, "I am Groot." Granted without Rocket here to interpret this, he tugs Peter's sleeve and points to the system nav which has suddenly deteceted a quark star and some asteroid fields one the Milano jumps out. He looks extremely concerned. He taps again with a flashing red notice that says 'Exotic Raditation'

Peter Quill has posed:
"I'll drink to that," Peter says raising his drink to Kara's toast. He takes a long pull from his beer and gives a thumbs up to Jon who seems to have caught the spirit of the event even if the rest of the crew were Gloomy Gusses. "Good moves kid," he grins. "And everyone, relax we won't know what we're going to find until we get there..."

Which is apparently now. Groot's tugging on his sleeve gets his attention.

"Thanks buddy," he says, before heading up to the cockpit. "Time to do Captain stuff!" he calls back down to the others.

Jumping into the pilot's seat he brings them out of jump space and veers hard to port just missing a tumbling bit of space debris, that scrapes against one of their winglets.

"Phew," he says wiping his brow before he flicks on the intercom, stopping the music. "It's alright folks we all didn't die, but we are now officially here, for those of you wanting a view... well come on up."

He starts navigating through the debris trying to get past it and have a proper look at what was in fact left of the Rao system.

Kara Danvers has posed:
    It has been three years for Kara since she was violently ripped away from her home world, watching it explode behind her as she jumped away from the Rao system. She puts down the pop and approaches the front window to look out at what remains and a hand goes to her stomach as it tightens.

    The Milano has jumped in to the midst of what was once a planetary system of colonised worlds. Now, it is a series of rings of rock and technology circling a tightly compacted and still unstable quark star. The quark star, a more dense neutron star constructed of exotic freely interacting quarks, has begun to pull some of the destroyed worlds back toward it, while most of the orbits are pushing outward from the dead sun once known as Rao.

    Argo is the outer most planetary body that seems to have remained mostly intact. One side of it scarred beyond recognition while the other is an icy tomb. The next planet Thoron once home to a large population has been ablated on one side, carved away by the explosion of Rao and now has a long crescent trail of asteroids ahead and behind it.

    The next is one of Krypton's moons, cut down in size considerably - Mithen, had been ejected from Krypton's orbit by the blast. The next planet Dheron, the fifth planet in the Rao system is as devastated as Krypton itself. A crescent chunk of both planets remains and the rest is a mass of asteroids and irradiated kryptonian crystal technology.. green.. carelessly called 'kryptonite' by Earth. Strangely the moon Wegthor of Krypton has mostly survived, though it has been battered by asteroids constantly in the 36 years since the sun went supernova. Krypton itself must have shielded it.

    Exotic radiation is one way to put it.. between the quark star and remnants of Kryptonian technology, this system is toxic. The shields of the Milano are quite capable of handling it so long as they don't get too close to Rao itself.

Clark Kent has posed:
Clark wishes Lois was here, something to hold onto among these strange aliens and future clones and visions of a past he increasingly wants nothing to do with. What are they doing here, among the dead and doomed? Even the pieces of his lost homeworld want to kill him. Forgotten ideas, a paradise that turned out to be a lie and worse, a curse on the galaxy so baneful it drove the Guardians of the Universe to become another faction of warmongering thugs. A galaxy without any real protectors anymore.

Clark wished he FELT anything, looking at these rocks in space.

Superman cannot falter, though, so the Man of Steel squares his shoulders and takes solice in the fact that no one here knows him well enough to realize it's an act. "Well, we're here. Ball's in your court, Supergirl. Can you pick anything up?"

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner follows Peter into the cabin, and peers to the blasted star system. "Holy crap," he mutters. He can't even really see what is left of Rao. Is that a black hole? "Still, there are more remains that Earth astrophysicists would believe. Supposedly a nova is to a planet like putting an nuclear bomb close to a wooden hut. But look... I can see some planets still, well, being planets," mostly. But they are /not/ space dust. "Which one is Krypton?"

Karen Starr has posed:
    "That's not right..." Karen states, looking over the debris of Krypton, and what's left of the Rao system. Her eyes narrow deeply, and she seems momentarily lost in thought, doing no small amount of math.

    "The star wasn't that old. They should have had /eons/ before it went nova. That's not right." bringing a hand up, she pinches at the bridge of her nose. This is nothing like the disaster of her Krypton.

    "Without the radiation of a red sun, we'll need full led shielding on all of the suits. It's going to make the visors more opaque, so be extra careful." she notes, slipping her helmet back over her head.

    "Whenever we're ready, we can see if there's... Anything we might want to take back. Most of it can't be salvaged because of- well, it's probably radioactive too... But maybe if there's data, records on the pieces of tech, that might be worth bringing with us."

Jon Kent has posed:
     Jon stopped his dancing long enough to dance over to the cockpit, and looking sad. "That...is not good." He comments at everything outside. "So, there's supposed to be something there? I thought there wasn't a thing left."

Peter Quill has posed:
Peter looks out over the devistation and his face falls. "Wow..." he says just staring at it all, the images enhanced by the Milano's systems.

Noticing the others there with him, he glances back struggling for words... "I can take us out of here if you guys want, there doesn't seem like there's a whole lot left," he settles on as he shifts uncomfortably in his seat.

Conner's question has him looking back. "Wish I knew man, this all happened before I even went to space," he says before tapping some keys on the console. "Here's some archival stuff on the system, if it helps any," a virual screen pops up by Conner with an old chart of the system and an encyclopedia style entry in Interlac about it as well.

Groot has posed:
Groot is reverently quiet as he observes this, helping the others (Peter in particular) to augment and enhance the ship's sensors to find things for their passengers to take back with them as momentos.

Kara Danvers has posed:
    Kara can feel her legs getting weak, barely registering Clark's prompt. She places a hand over her mouth and her breathing quickens. "It's too small. This ship is too small." Her hand crushes the headrest of the seat in front of her and she tears her eyes away from the outside. Conner's question falling on deaf ears. Stumbling back in to the common room where she can't immediately see outside. She doesn't get much farther than that before her legs give up and she drops on to her knees.

    She tries to control her heavily breathing, hyperventilating despite. Flashes of Krypton exploding filling her minds eye and the tight dark of the capsule as it travelled through space. She sucks in air through her nose and breathes out through her mouth, trying to steady her shaking body.

    "I.. I can't.. I thought I could..," she quivers and wraps her arms about herself, rubbing her arms. There was a plan.. it's still a good plan, if she can pull herself together. There's tears rolling down her cheeks as she is forced to acknowledge the reality that had been haunting her for three years... or thirty nine years depending on how you count it.

Clark Kent has posed:
Karen throws together a plan quickly enough. It's a good one for the circumstances, but certainly not the magical road to Argo City they'd been promised.

Superman looks at Conner and Jon, and Superman wouldn't be a jerk about this. So he steps forward and puts a gentle hand on Supergirl's shoulder, helping her back to her feet and letting her sob, a little. This entire thing is close to Kara's heart, and it's understandable she needs a moment.

Groot has posed:
Groot exudes as much empathy as he can radiate, wishing suddenly Mantis were there, but as it is he works the sensors while their passengers work through their justifiable grief and horror and pain.

Karen Starr has posed:
    After not long, despite being still in her suit, Karen's hand lands quietly on Kara's shoulder. There's a firm but friendly squeeze, and her voice cracks out over the speaker of the suit- not impersonal, but not as comforting as it could be.

    "You can. It's going to hurt, but I know you can. When you feel a bit better, you can put on a suit and come outside. Take the time you need, but remember- You can do this."

    Stepping away then, Power Girl heads for the airlock. If there's no reason to linger, she doesn't want to. If there's anything to be found, they should find it and go.

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora had been in the cockpit for the last little while, tapping the toe of her boot to the music while no one could see. She wordlessly nodded to Quill and the others as they arrived, and did her part aiding with the ship's systems.

    The sight they find is... a lot. Even for her. She's seen this kind of ruin on ground level on local planets; in the wreckage of ships that attacked or defended themselves against her father. But on the scale of a galaxy... words fail.

    When Peter offers to leave the system, Gamora gently chides, "Quill." with a slight shake of her head. They probably need time to absorb this. Not that Gamora has the best emotional intelligence in the world, but if SHE'S stunned, she can only imagine how they feel.

    Gamora stands suddenly as Kara drops to her knees, but lets the Kryptonians friends comfort her. They're better equipped for it, anyway.

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner was actually fascinated by the sight of the broken star system until Kara breaks down. That makes him sober up quickly. That broken planet was Kara's home, and where her family and friends had lived until just a few years ago.

He slides to the girl in a second, helping Clark to get her back to her feet. "I am sorry," he murmurs. "I... sorry," really, there are no words. He looks at Karen and grimaces. "Would it be worth it? But if there is someone alive here, maybe she ship sensors can find something."

Peter Quill has posed:
"Right, uh, take as long as you need guys," Peter says after giving a nod to Gamora. "Shields are holding firm, we should be good to stay as long as you need, and our sensors /should/ be able to cut through this background radiation," he adds trying to be helpful. His emotional intelligence is somewhat lacking but he's trying hard not to step on the Kryptonians sombre moment.

As he falls quiet he shoots another look to Gamora to see how she's doing with it all.

Kara Danvers has posed:
    Kara leans her head against the chest of her cousin. The sound of his steady heart beat is helpful. She wipes away the tears and draws in a deep breath, then lets it out again slowly. If Karen can do it, so can she. No doubt Karen did a similar trip - pilgrimage - to her Krypton once upon a time. She nods to Conner and lowers her hands, a piece of the chair she just brutalled dropping to the floor.

    "Okay," she says with a slightly weak voice. She turns and steps back in to the cockpit and her eyes survey the system with determination and sadness, her cheeks a touch puffier. She points a finger to Wegthor, the moon. "Twin moons of Krypton. Wegthor and Mithen. Wegthor has had a military installation on and in for a very long time. The first Kryptonian to ever be sent to the phantom zone - Jax-Ur, he set off a missile that destroyed a large part of the moon colony. I remember learning that in history class..."

    She wets her lips and rubs them together, "If anything survived ....this.... it'd be under the surface of Wegthor." Another tear slides down her face, she has no control over it now. Kara is not okay but typical of her and her family, she is pushing on regardless. She taps the control on her wrist to deploy the space suit that Karen made. "Captain Quill would you please take us closer," she asks and then gives a nod to Clark and Karen.

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora watches silently for several long moments before it occurs to her that any given passanger may not appreciate strange eyes watching this vulnerable moment. She sits back down slowly into her seat and meets Quill's gaze.

    She's confused by it for a moment, but she ends up interpreting it as concern. "You don't need to worry about me." Is her slightly evasive answer, though her eyes drift back to the view screen and she adds, "It just... brings back memories. In a way."

    When Kara makes her request of Peter, Gamora looks over the screens on her console, and gives Quill a quick nod to indicate that that IS possible. Maybe not RECCOMENDED, strictly speaking, but they don't get paid for avoiding risks.

Jon Kent has posed:
     Jon slowly approaches Kara on her knees, gently reaching out to her shoulder too. He doesn't have the words to even help here. But he's going to help...somehow.

  Bright blue eyes darken on the sight of all this...mess. It's truly saddening. He looks to Superman, not sure what he should do.

Clark Kent has posed:
Superman smiles, a little tightly, when Kara pulls herself out of her dispair. It's a rough situation, to be sure.

But we have a direction, and that makes everything better. "You want the two of us to go?" Sueprman offers Kara, "You can direct us from inside the ship since you know the area better. I think I've got the hand of this space suit."

Superman grins a bit more hoenstly, ruffling Jon's hair. There may be a hint that morale duty is important right now for his aunt.

Maxima has posed:
Despite having wanted to see the ruins of Krypton with her own eyes, Maxima was not aboard the Milano when it set out. Even as her ship had reached the edges of the debris field where the Milano disembarked, there was still lingering diplomatic considerations from what transpired on Oa and she was sequestered away in a conference with her mother, the Queen of Almerac Prime and Empress of the Empire.

That seems to have concluded however as a dot of energy appears in the midst of the Milano's bridge, a dot which quickly expands into a glowing yellow portal through which steps the Almeracian Crown Princess. Once the momentary disorientation of the portal travel has passed and she has a moment to take in her surroundings, she stops and stares at the ruins of Krypton bearing witness, for the first time, to what in her mind was the end of a great warrior empire.

Groot has posed:
Groot watches and listens, not yet commenting. I mean, most wouldnt understand him anyway, but as it is he can be an extra pair of eyes on the sensors though he watches those as much as the rest of the room.

Karen Starr has posed:
    Karen remains at the airlock, and holds there for a time, the visor of her helmet nearly opaque as it fills with a form of gaseous Led. Like a grim specter, she remains wholly silent for a time, before quietly cycling the airlock as soon as Kara has taken her feet and helped give them a course of action.

    She didn't need to be told- she already knew that was going to be the most likely destination, but if anyone needed to do this, it was Kara. There are enough differences regardless that Karen cannot trust the knowledge from her home universe, but the similarities are enough that she's drawing a lot of the same conclusion.

    Slipping out into space, Karen latches onto the side of the Milano as it approaches the moon, and once it's close enough, she'll detach and start heading for the surface, still silent over the communicator.

Conner Kent has posed:
Conner is not used to teleporting tech, so Maxima's arrival surprises him. First thing he thought it was they might be under attack. So, it is a relief when the tall redhead steps in. "Hey. Nice to see you, princess," he greets.

Today Conner changed his usual jeans and leather jacket by the N.O.W.H.E.R.E. outfit. Black with red lines and the glowing red S on his chest. Some of his friends teased him saying he looked like a Tron character. But it is a smart suit centuries ahead of any Earth space gear and should keep him safe from radiation. As long as he wears a helmet.

Peter Quill has posed:
"Of course not," Peter says quickly to Gamora's evasion. "And I bet," he says of bringing back memories. After all if you roll with Thanos long enough you're bound to see some blown up planets. Even if he didn't know one of them was her own.

Kara's request and Gamora's look are both met with nods. "Yeah, we can get you closer," he says taking the controls. "Groot, Gamora one of you want to give that moon a scan and see if we can find what they're looking for below the surface?" he asks as he weaves the ship through the debris towards Wegthor. He doesn't even crash when Maxima appears suddenly on the ship, he just mutters to Gamora sotto voice. "We totally need that tech." For good and honourable reasons of course!

Groot has posed:
Groot nods and does just that. He begins focusing the Milano's sensors on the moon. He is not as skilled at it as Rocket or Nebula but he has a firm attention to detail and is methodical.

Kara Danvers has posed:
    Kara nods her head to Clark and says, "I.. need to do this Kal. I can't stay in here and watch." Kara places her hand on Jon's shoulder. He feels like family.. and is, even if she's only just met him. There is a tilt of her head as Maxima appears via portal. She nods to her, then takes in another deep breath and activates the same gaseous led in to her helmet. "Let's.. go see what was recorded," she says and heads to the airlock. She gives Conner a thumbs up on her way out.

    The drop down on to the moon is perilous. What is true of this place is an almost constant barrage of dust and meteors crashing down against its surface. The ground is peppered and it takes the likes of a Kryptonian to carefully dodge the dangers. The scans done by the Milano crew guide them close to an energy signature.

    Not far away is an opening in to an underground bunker. An oval shaped entrance with an iris that has been smashed open by the rain of stone and kryptonite. Of Krypton. Inside, a corridor is partial shelter. A red beam sweeps over the intruders before a purple set of holographic glyphs alight a pathway deeper in to the facility.

    Another iris door oval in shape spreads open to allow them entry. On the other side, an energy field keeps atmosphere clear. A working Kryptonian room .. of sorts. Pristine and white with a crystal console in the middle and a glitching hologram, barely able to keep any kind of shape. The console indicates 'Heritage Protocol' is engaged.

Gamora has posed:
    When Princess Maxima chooses to just *materialize* on their ship, Gamora's reflexes are good enough to, in the same breath, grab a blaster and begin to aim it at Maxima; and then recognize Maxima in time to realize what a world of shit she'd be in if she allowed muscle memory to take the wheel. So she very quickly hides the gun away before she's quite gotten around to pointing it at Maxima.

    Gamora lets out a very tense breath with a 'near miss' sort of look on her face, and nods to Quill. "Agreed."

    Gamora watches Kara leave with a solemn sort of expression, her eyes lingering on the last place she saw her.

    "Oh." Gamora suddenly turns to Quill, quietely noting, "In the next... 'ad'... we can say we've transported royalty, yes? That might impress people."

Clark Kent has posed:
Was this what I was like as a boy?, Clark thinks as Jon leaps head first into danger.

Clark follows Kara and Karen's lead for the moment, playing backup, getting ready to move heavy things and otherwise be an extra pair of hands. He really knows so little about Kryptonian technology, it's kind of awkward and embarrassing. He feels like a caveman.

Maxima has posed:
Maxima stands there as the glowing yellow portal closes behind her. She returns Kara's nod and nods in greeting to Conner as well, though she doesn't speak up just yet, silently watches as the ship changes course and approaches the moon. The normally boisterous warrior princess seems to sense the weight of the moment.

"I am here if you need me." She tells Kara before the other young woman heads for the airlock.

At which point she steps over towards where Conner is to continue watching.

Jon Kent has posed:
     Jon's shaggy hair is ruffled, well, it was ruffled before, but now ruffled differently. A smile starts growing on his face as he stays to provide a little support for Kara. He joins the others, though the suit is a little...different to him. But it doesn't shake him as they make their way down to the moon's surface.

  Jon follows into the Kryptonian room, where the others are. He doesn't say anything yet, not even sure what this all is, he's only ever seen the Fortress, but he knows that this is important for him and his family.

Peter Quill has posed:
Quill lets out a breath when Gamora doesn't shoot the alien space princess on their bridge, a quiet thumbsup is given before he get the Milano settled in orbit above the moon as the 'landing party' heads down to the surface and beyond.

Peter snappoints Gamora's way at that suggestion though. "See that's some solid thinking," he says. "Think we could convince Maxima to give us an endorsement?" he asks, then looks back to Groot. "Also let us know if those scans pick up anything interesting down there," by which he means valuable. "Our guests might want to know about it," and if they don't well it could make for some decent salvage on a return trip.

Karen Starr has posed:
    Experienced in space, Karen dances through the debris down to the moon as if she's been here before- technically, she has- but it's less preternatural foreknowledge and more skill.

    When she lands, she holds, waiting for the others- and specifically Kara- to come landing and following behind. Thus her time of taking point comes to and end, and she defers to the young woman to lead them through in silence.

    Her attention clearly lingers on the form-challenged hologram, and she sets a hand again on Kara's shoulder. "Go ahead. See what it can tell you." her attention goes to Clark, then, "You should go with her."

Kara Danvers has posed:
    Kara nods to Karen and approaches the console. Her hands out stretch as she starts to make gestures to it. The blur of projected pixels twist and turn awkwardly, "Something has corrupted this." She walks over to a wall and pulls away and sharded covering. The insides is a twist of crystals infected with the now familiar green. "Kryptonite," she says.

    She flinched. It's hard not to when she knows just how painful it is.. but the suits are protecting them. With a foot she kicks at the kryptonite until it dislodges and exposes where a chunk of meteor crashed down in to the cavity behind the wall.

    Kara returns to the console and tries again. The image sharpens in to a map of the solar system. She starts to move the footage back through time by jumps until she is confronted with a multiple holographic angle of a huge flash of light. The shockwave of explosion, either from rao or Krypton, it's hard to tell.

    Cautiously she inches the footage forward until suddenly an audio interface appears and there is footage of a glowing semi-sphere of shielding energy and light with long trailing crystalline tails - like a space jellyfish, though the size of a city.. it moves away from the debris field and then becomes a blur as it shoots off in to space away from the Rao System.

    Kara motions to the audio and starts the track.

    "Hello, my name is Zor-El. If you can hear this we have safe refuge for all lost Kryptonians. Argo City has survived and we are plotting a course toward... join us." The audio triggers a holographic update showing a plot away from Krypton to yellow sun solar system identified only as K-2.

    Kara steps back. She becomes motionless like a statue, stunned beyond all belief. That was the voice of her father leaving a message for others who might find their way back here.

    Argo City survived.

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora ponders Quill's question, once more being required to guess the motivations of people existing outside a relatively simple world of 'success or hell'. Her eyes drift to the side. "... Hm."

    Gamora watches the unusually solemn Princess for several seconds, then looks back to Quill. "... Perhaps there will be a more appropriate 'mood' in the near future."

Groot has posed:
Groot stays on the scanner, looking for interesting things. There are, of course, LOTS of interesting things since there are tons of technology around or ruins the trick is finding things that they WANT but he starts feeding the filtered data through more and more watching the transmission with rapt fasination, "I am Groot.

Clark Kent has posed:
"Alright." Superman says, trying not to show his sheer discomfort with walking through this tomb.

He, again, follows Kara's lead; she knows this technology, he knows...not much. He can just about recognize the pictures from Kelex's old files. It's like watching old photos of a family tradgety that he's a generation or two away from. It's bad, but not in a way he can really interact with. And then...

Zor-El. His...uncle? Superman reaches out, for a second, eyes wide. Kara was right. There were survivors. This is a map, too them.

General Zod and his cultists are at large.

"...should we be taking this away from here?" Clark finally approaches the question.

Jon Kent has posed:
     "Zor-El? Oh wait, no. I was thinking Jor-El." A slight blush coming to Jon's face. He wasn't good with all the Kryptonian names. But...wonders. "I guess I wouldn't have one, huh?"

  The boy's expression widens as there is mention of a safe Argo City. "Wait what? No way!" He hadn't known of this revelation himself, but from his tone, he is very pleased. "That means we aren't all...y'know." But the question of Zod and his compatriots gets a definite nod from Jon. "If it keeps it safe, probably." But that was just his two cents.

Kara Danvers has posed:
    It takes Kara a moment to get over the shock and surprise that in this universe, too, Argo City survived. Just like in the world where the monster existed. And that was her fathers voice, "Dad...." she says, utterly stupefied by this revelation. She gulps and looks to Clark, Karen, and Jon.. then back to the console.

    "You're worried Zod might find them? even he wouldn't be crazy enough to attack them. I.. don't know. What if there are others like us that might need this? Karen? Clark? ..Jon thinks we should take it, I don't know.."

    She stares at that brightly glowing city frozen in the hologram like a still frame. She plays the audio again just so she can hear her fathers voice once more. "Jor-El is your grandfather.. Zor-El is his brother, my father," she says to Jon even as her voice wavers. "I.. a name is just a name."

Clark Kent has posed:
Superman listens.

He is not worried about Zod HURTING the Kryptonians. The opposite, in fact.

He looks at Kara, and then at his son.

"No, that's not the right thing to do. We'll take a copy of the files." Superman's already ripping the console out of the wall...carefully, but still a brute's solution to a problem. But hey, a sword solved the Gordian knot. "Kelex will take it apart, we'll confirm the location, and maybe make a visit if we decide it's safe. If the galaxy loses its mind over that..."

"...well, maybe they'll have a right to. We don't know what sort of Kryptonians these people will be, after this long alone in the cold of space. But hiding from the truth isn't going to solve that for us. And better in our hands than in the grip of whatever scavengers will dare this place one day."

Kara Danvers has posed:
    Kara blinks in surprise at Clark's approach to taking the data. The hologram blinks out of existence. "..right. I mean, we have a space ship and a bunch of possibly pirate friends. We should at least check the place out." She starts walking back to the exit, feeling a rumble under her feet as another asteroid hits the moon hard.

    "My parents could be there!," she exclaims with a touch of excitement. "..and if it's bad, well, we leave. With my parents." Outside, she looks up to the Milano and then rises up in to space to re-dock and enter the airlock.

Maxima has posed:
Maxima's otherwise stoic expression registers startled surprise for a moment at the news of Argo City's survival, a surviving colony of Kryptonians. An entire city of such potent warriors is a prospect impossible to ignore, though the thoughts racing through her mind are diametrically opposite to those of the Guardians of the Universe.

Jon Kent has posed:
     "I'll do whatever you all want to do...this is kinda...big. But I'll have your back whatever you think is right." Thing were so much easier on Earth, only because he knew it, all of this space stuff was much more different, many more shades of grey. Jon was an optimist, finding the best things in people and working with that. "Alright, so what can I do to help?" He asks, looking to the others.

Clark Kent has posed:
Clark flies back to the Milano with the machine.

He's not the most cheerful, but he does say, "We got some coordinates." To the Guardians of the Galaxy, "We'll need some time to figure them out, but we should probably get out of this system as soon as possible."