[Before Drax could finish his pathetic attempt at damage control, an energy blast screamed past the Milano's hull, close enough to rattle the viewport.]
[Realizing the Sovereigns meant business, Star-Lord yanked the controls hard right and threw them into evasive maneuvers. The golden fleet swarmed after them like angry wasps.]
[Star-Lord gripped the yoke while shouting over the weapons fire, "What the hell were you thinking?"]
[Rocket shot back defensively, "Come on! Those batteries were practically begging to be stolen!"]
[From the back seat, Gamora's voice cut through the chaos. "That's your justification?"]
["Did you see how stuck-up that High Priestess was? I was teaching her some humility!"]
[The Milano rolled and dove through a barrage of energy bolts, Star-Lord's hands dancing across the controls.]
[Star-Lord's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Oh wow, how noble of you! Too bad the Sovereigns didn't appreciate your life lesson and decided to murder us instead!"]
[Rocket completely missed the tone. "Exactly! Finally, someone gets it!"]
[Star-Lord stared at him in disbelief. "I was being sarcastic!"]
["Oh! You need to use a more obvious sarcastic voice! Now I look like an idiot!"]
[Rocket threw his hands up indignantly.]
[Gamora leaned forward, exasperated. "Could you two possibly argue about this later? We're in the middle of a space battle!"]
[Star-Lord spotted more golden ships on his scanner. "More hostiles incoming!"]
[Rocket, frustrated and spoiling for a fight, bared his teeth. "Perfect! I need to kill something right now!"]
[He spun in his gunner's seat and opened fire with everything they had. Sovereign fighters exploded in brilliant golden fireballs.]
[Just as Rocket was getting into his rhythm, Gamora deflated his bloodlust. "You're not actually killing anyone. Those ships are all remote-controlled."]
[Rocket's face fell. "Damn it!"]
[Cut to the Sovereign control center, where a golden-skinned pilot cursed as her fighter exploded on screen. She slammed her fist on the console in frustration before respawning into a new ship.]
[The command center resembled a massive arcade, with hundreds of Sovereigns seated in gaming pods across multiple levels, piloting their fighters like the universe's deadliest video game. Explosions lit up screens constantly as the Guardians tore through their forces.]
[On the highest platform, High Priestess Ayesha watched the battle with Admiral Saal beside her.]
["What are you waiting for, Admiral?"]
[The fleet commander hesitated. "High Priestess, those stolen batteries are highly volatile. One stray shot could destroy our entire formation."]
[Ayesha's perfect features twisted with rage. "I don't care about collateral damage! They have insulted the Sovereign people! We hired them in good faith, and they repaid us with theft! This is the ultimate blasphemy!"]
[With his orders clear, Admiral Saal activated fleet-wide communications.]
["All units! Terminate the target with extreme prejudice!"]
[The Sovereign assault intensified immediately. Fighters swarmed the Milano from every angle, energy bolts turning space into a deadly light show. A direct hit sent shockwaves through the ship.]
[The Milano bucked and rolled, but her hull held. Star-Lord grimly assessed their options.]
["What's the nearest jumpable planet?"]
[Gamora's fingers flew across her tablet. "There's a world called Berhert!"]
["How many jumps?"]
["Just one! But the jump point is forty-seven units away, and we have to cross that quantum asteroid field!"]
[Star-Lord studied the shifting debris field to starboard—chunks of matter that phased in and out of reality, creating a constantly changing maze of death.]
[Despite the pursuing fleet, Star-Lord felt confident about their chances.]
[Then Drax opened his mouth and ruined everything.]
["Quill! To navigate that field successfully, you'd need to be the greatest pilot in the galaxy!"]
[Star-Lord's competitive grin spread across his face. "Well then, we're in luck! I happen to be—"]
["I am!" Rocket interrupted, lunging for the controls and transferring piloting authority to his station.]
[He immediately proved his point, threading the Milano through the quantum debris with surgical precision. Behind them, Sovereign fighters crashed into shifting asteroids and exploded in spectacular fashion.]
[Star-Lord's ego couldn't handle being upstaged. He wrestled back control.]
["What are you doing?"]
[Star-Lord yanked the ship into a barrel roll. "I've been flying this bird since I was ten years old!"]
[Rocket fought for the controls. "I genetically engineered my brain for advanced piloting calculations!"]
[Star-Lord snapped back, "You were genetically engineered to be a pain in my ass!" and reclaimed the helm.]
[From behind them, Gamora and Drax shouted in unison, "Stop it, you idiots!"]
[Rocket's voice turned venomous. "Tonight, when you're sleeping, there's gonna be something crusty on your pillow. And when you're like 'what the hell is this?' it's gonna be a turd I left there!"]
[Star-Lord's face contorted with disgust. "If you crap on my bed, I'm shaving every hair off your body!" He seized control again.]
[Rocket grinned maliciously. "I won't stop with just my excrement! I'll get Drax to contribute!"]
[Drax burst into proud laughter. "My bowel movements are legendarily massive!"]
[Gamora buried her face in her hands. "We're about to die and you're debating fecal revenge?"]
[Rocket quietly took back the controls without responding.]
[Star-Lord immediately grabbed them again, and their battle escalated.]
["Dude! Let go!"]
[The Milano lurched up and down as they fought for dominance. Both were exceptional pilots—individually, either could have navigated the field flawlessly. But their constant power struggle was creating dangerous gaps in control.]
[During one particularly violent transfer of authority, the ship's navigation system glitched. For a split second, nobody was actually piloting.]
[That split second was enough. A massive quantum fragment materialized directly in their path, and the Milano slammed into it at full speed.]
[The impact tore a gaping hole in the ship's rear section. The Milano tumbled end over end through space, completely out of control, as debris and atmosphere vented into the void.]
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