"Seriously? You're still fighting over who's the better pilot while the ship's falling apart?" Tony stared at the projection in disbelief, watching Rocket and Star-Lord's catastrophic power struggle.
Rocket shrugged with characteristic arrogance. "Hey, I already told everyone I'm the best pilot in the universe! Quill's the one who had to make it a pissing contest!"
Captain America shook his head grimly. The worst part wasn't their lack of skill—both were clearly exceptional pilots. The problem was their complete inability to work as a team. With their combined abilities, navigating that asteroid field should have been routine. Instead, they'd nearly killed everyone over wounded pride.
Steve had briefly considered recruiting the Guardians into the Avengers, but watching this disaster unfold changed his mind entirely. He'd seen enough teams torn apart by ego and infighting. The last thing they needed was someone who'd sabotage a mission over petty grievances.
Some people were just too dangerous to have as allies.
High Priestess Ayesha, monitoring the pursuit from her flagship, smiled coldly at the Milano's predicament. "You'd better die quickly, before I get my hands on you personally."
[The massive breach created violent decompression that turned the Milano's interior into a hurricane of debris and escaping atmosphere.]
[Nebula, still restrained, was lifted off her feet by the suction force. The pressure differential nearly dragged her into the void as she screamed in terror.]
[Frost began forming on her cybernetic components as the ship's warmth bled into space.]
[Baby Groot, who'd been perched on Rocket's shoulder, lost his grip and was swept toward the gaping hole. Star-Lord lunged forward and caught him just in time, tossing the tiny tree to Drax.]
[Drax immediately pressed Groot against his chest, shielding him from the chaos.]
[Fighting against the violent air currents, Star-Lord managed to reach the emergency controls. A golden energy barrier materialized across the breach, instantly stopping the decompression.]
[Without the hurricane-force winds, Nebula crashed to the deck. She lifted her head and snarled at her captors. "IDIOTS!"]
[Rocket remained completely unrepentant. "Well, that's what happens when Quill tries to fly."]
[Star-Lord shot him a withering glare but focused on regaining control of their tumbling ship.]
[Gamora grabbed a loose component and hurled it at Rocket's head. He yelped and spun around indignantly.]
["We've still got Sovereign fighters on our tail!" she shouted.]
[Back in the control center, several Sovereigns gathered behind Zarek, watching him pilot with growing excitement as he closed the distance to the crippled Milano.]
[Inside the Milano, Star-Lord delivered more bad news. "Weapons are completely offline!"]
[Gamora checked their navigation display. "Twenty units to the jump point!"]
[Drax handed baby Groot to Gamora and moved to assess their tactical situation.]
[Gamora settled Groot on her shoulder. "Hold on tight, little guy!"]
[Star-Lord wove desperately through the quantum debris while Zarek maintained relentless pursuit. The Sovereign pilot clearly had exceptional skills—he matched every evasive maneuver the Milano made.]
[With no weapons to return fire, they could only dodge and hope their damaged ship held together long enough to reach safety. Watching their helpless situation, Drax's mind began forming another characteristically insane plan.]
[Nebula spotted a Yaro root that had fallen during the chaos. She stretched toward it, fingers barely touching the vegetable before a boot kicked it away.]
["Still not ripe!" Drax called over his shoulder.]
[He retrieved a tether cable from the wall mount and clipped it to his utility belt.]
[Then he pulled a compact emergency suit from a storage locker and slapped it against his back. The nanotechnology spread instantly, encasing him in a translucent protective membrane.]
[In the Sovereign control center, Zarek's fellow pilots cheered him on. "Come on, Zarek! Finish them!"]
[Zarek seized his opportunity, landing several direct hits on the Milano's hull. The impacts sent shockwaves through the ship that made baby Groot bury his face in Gamora's hair.]
["Yes! Excellent shooting!" his supporters celebrated, and Zarek allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction.]
[Gamora glanced at the countdown display. "Fifteen units to jump point!"]
["Keep the pressure on!" Zarek's companions urged. "Don't let them escape!"]
[Drax grabbed a plasma rifle from the weapons rack and moved to the ship's secondary airlock.]
[Nebula watched the barrier separate her from Drax and immediately understood what the maniac was planning.]
[Drax sealed the inner door, let out a battle roar, and launched himself into the vacuum of space.]
[The tether cable snapped taut, turning him into a human pendulum swinging through the void behind the Milano.]
[Zarek stared in confusion at the massive figure now careening through space outside the enemy ship. What could this fool possibly hope to accomplish? He dismissed the distraction and continued his attack run.]
[That dismissiveness would prove fatal.]
[Gamora called out the countdown. "Ten units!"]
[Despite being whipped around by the Milano's erratic flight path, Drax managed to steady his aim and line up a shot on Zarek's fighter.]
["Die, you golden bastard!" He squeezed the trigger, and the plasma bolt tore Zarek's ship apart in a brilliant explosion.]
["ARGH!" Zarek threw down his controls in disgust as his screen went red.]
[His supporters dispersed with disappointed mutters. One of them sneered, "Typical failure, Zarek."]
[Another added with casual cruelty, "Should have seen that coming."]
[The irony was lost on them—they'd all been destroyed even faster than Zarek, but Sovereign culture thrived on kicking people when they were down.]
[Gamora's voice carried new urgency. "Five units!"]
[Star-Lord successfully navigated the last of the quantum asteroid field, but their relief was short-lived. Dozens of Sovereign fighters emerged from hyperspace in a perfect surrounding formation.]
[Ayesha had anticipated their escape route and deployed additional forces to cut off their retreat. The trap was closing.]
["Damn it—they flanked the asteroid field!" Star-Lord's hands flew across the controls, but every direction showed hostile contacts. Those final five units might as well have been five hundred.]
[High Priestess Ayesha's perfect lips curved into a satisfied smile. Did these thieves really think they could steal from the Sovereign people and simply fly away? Their reputation demanded blood, and she would have it.]