[Yondu Yell: "You don't give a damn about that orb! You're just scared! Scared 'cause you're weak! Weak in here! You understand me?"]
[He thumped his own chest, then slammed Star-Lord against the wall, his face inches away.]
[Gamora shouts: "Yondu, listen to me! Ronan has the Infinity Stone!"]
[Yondu shot her a sideways glance, his voice dismissive. "I know he took it."]
["But don't you understand we have to get it back? He's going to use the Stone to destroy Xandar! We have to warn them! Millions of people will die!"]
[Yondu turned his fiery gaze back to Star-Lord. "She got you playing with your heart, boy?"]
[A sharp slap echoed in the chamber as Yondu struck Star-Lord across the face. He then gripped his chin, forcing him to meet his gaze.]
["What?"]
[Yondu slowly released him, shaking his head with a sigh. "Alright, then."]
[He let out a sharp whistle, and the Yaka Arrow at his belt shot forward, its tip pressing against Star-Lord's throat.]
["No!" Gamora cried out, her voice filled with panic.]
[Yondu turned to his crew. "Sorry, boy. But a captain's gotta show his men what happens when someone betrays him."]
[Kraglin yelled to the other Ravagers: "Boss is just teachin' the boy a lesson!"]
[Though a part of him hesitated, Yondu knew he had to maintain his authority. Unless, of course, Quill could give him an excuse not to.]
["Kill me, and you throw away the biggest score of your life!"]
[Hearing Star-Lord's words, the faintest hint of a smile touched Yondu's lips. He knew the boy was clever enough to find him an out.]
[He turned back, a grin spreading across his face. "You mean the Infinity Stone? You better have something better than that. Ain't nobody stupid enough to steal from Ronan."]
[Star-Lord blinked, a plan forming in his eyes. "We've got a secret weapon."]
["That so?"]
[Star-Lord glanced at Gamora. "She knows everything about Ronan—his ship, his security, his army!"]
[Gamora, picking up his cue seamlessly, added, "And his weaknesses."]
["Well? What do you say, Yondu?" Quill pressed, his old confidence returning. "We fight alongside you, we make a killing! Just like old times!"]
[Yondu stared at him, his face an unreadable mask. His cheek twitched once. He let out another whistle.]
[The arrow zipped back to his belt. A wide, yellow-toothed grin broke across Yondu's face as he laughed. "Let him go!"]
[Star-Lord let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He was off the hook.]
[Yondu strode forward and pulled him into a rough hug. "You always were a brave one, kid! Worth all the trouble of raisin' ya!"]
[Seeing the sudden shift, Gamora easily broke free from her captors. With Yondu's change of heart, his men no longer bothered to restrain her.]
"Talk about whiplash," Tony Stark remarked, leaning back in his chair. "One second he's about to execute him, the next it's a family reunion. That guy is driven purely by profit. He'll do anything if the price is right."
Natasha shook her head slowly. "No, I don't think so. He was never going to kill him." She glanced over at the other Peter Quill. "He was bluffing from the start, wasn't he?"
A faint, knowing smile touched Quill's lips. He knew Yondu better than anyone. It was all a performance. "Yeah. That's just him. He had to look tough for his crew. As long as I gave him an out, a way to save face, I knew I'd be fine."
[Just as the Ravagers and their captives were sharing a tense, hypocritical laugh, the entire ship shuddered violently.]
[The view screen switched to the space outside, showing the Milano strafing the Ravager ship, the Eclector, with blaster fire to get its attention.]
[Yondu and his men scrambled to the bridge.]
[The helm officer saw him and immediately reported, "That last volley didn't even scratch our cannons, Boss!"]
[Yondu stared at the screen, his brow furrowed.]
["Listen up, you idiots! You've got a desperate lunatic out here with a custom-built, one-of-a-kind quantum rocket launcher pointed right at your ship!"]
[The screen zoomed in on Drax, clad in a bulky spacesuit, floating outside the Milano. He hefted a massive launcher onto his shoulder and aimed it squarely at the bridge.]
[Yondu's eyes widened at the sight of the Milano. His first instinct was to glance back at Star-Lord, then he shared a look with Kraglin.]
["What's this maniac yelling about?"]
[Rocket's voice, tinny and furious, blasted through the comms. "You hand over our partner right now, or I'm gonna blow your ship to smithereens! You hear me?! SMITH-ER-EENS!"]
[Yondu was speechless. As if some jury-rigged rocket launcher could actually destroy his ship. "What do I even say to that?"]
["I'm giving you to the count of five! Five… four… three…"]
["Whoa, whoa, whoa! NO! Hold on!" Star-Lord scrambled through the crowd of Ravagers, shoving his way to the communications console.]
[He slammed the comm button. "Rocket! It's me! For God's sake, we're fine! Stand down!"]
["Oh! Hey, Quill! What's goin' on?" Rocket sounded genuinely confused, but he stopped his countdown.]
"A five-second countdown?" Peter Parker raised an eyebrow. "Is he for real?"
"It would appear so," Otto Octavius noted, a flicker of amusement in his eyes. "It seems less like a rescue and more like an attempt to incinerate his own friend."
"Hahaha! Who knows, maybe that little raccoon's toy could actually do it!" a woman named Rose chuckled, walking over to place a small plate of pastries on the table between them.
"A custom quantum rocket launcher," Otto mused, picking up a piece of cake with a fork. "I wonder if it's truly as powerful as he claims."
"Perhaps. The technology in their universe is clearly more advanced than ours in some areas," Rose commented. "Tony Stark's cold fusion technology is remarkably stable and compact. I only caught a glimpse, but it's impressive."
"Indeed," Otto said with a sigh of regret. "A shame I don't have the chance to study it myself. My own work with thermonuclear fusion is still limited by scale. The reaction becomes too unstable when miniaturized. If I could only get some inspiration from Stark's designs…"
[Once Rocket and the others were aboard the Ravager ship and learned how Star-Lord had negotiated their freedom, Rocket thought Quill had lost his mind.]
["This is what you call 'handled'?! Teaming up with the guys who just captured us? You idiot!"]
[Star-Lord shot back, "Oh, I'm the idiot? Were you trying to rescue us or blow us all to bits?"]
[Rocket puffed up his chest indignantly. "If they hadn't handed you over, I would've destroyed their ship!"]
[He clearly still didn't grasp the flaw in his plan.]
["You gave them five seconds! Five! Even if they wanted to hand us over, they couldn't have moved that fast!"]
["Hey, I didn't have time to workshop the plan!" Rocket retorted confidently.]
[He then turned to Groot and started complaining, "We risk our necks to save them, and this is the thanks we get!"]
["How ungrateful they are!"]
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