Chapter 30
We're back on Terra for Christmas and Loki was taking care of Quill with Gamora and Petey's help since she has grown to only do anything she'd need to do with Loki, which is fine with me. He loves spending time with her, is good with her, and it relaxes him and he asks for help whenever he needs it. Tony and Pepper have been a huge help along with the other kids.
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Bently and Doc come in on the last day, just a little bit before we're to leave, and Doc comes over to me, smiling. "Hello, Rogue."
"Hey, Doc. How you doing?"
"I am well. And you?"
"Good."
"And your pregnancy?" They ask softly and I motion slightly over to Loki and Quill. They look over and smile. "Their name?"
"Her name's Quill. The asshole that delivered her fucking mutilated her because she was born with both genitalia for Terrans. Asshole..." They gently pat my arm and I smile slightly at them. "How come you guys showed up so late?"
"He did not wish to come but Stakar gave him no choice." I nod slightly and smile at them gently.
"Sorry that you have such an asshat for a Captain."
"It is quite alright." The kids are getting ready to leave and I smile at Doc. "Go deal with your children and brother."
"It was good talking to you, Doc."
"Good talking to you as well, Rogue." I smile and go to deal with the kids, noticing the others packing up too.
"Alright, let's go." Martinex comes over.
"Meeting planet. One solar cycle."
"Got it, Sparkles. Thanks." He nods and we all leave Terra.
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Nebula and I land on the Meeting Planet in the Winter and disembark. "Honestly, why don't we just make Terra the meeting planet?"
"Because Captains Ogord and Ogord can't stand the cold for longer than a lunar cycle and enjoy coming here, even if it is only once an annual cycle," She explains reasonably and I shrug one shoulder in agreement.
"Makes sense." She nods and notices we were the last ones there.
"I do wish we could get here earlier."
"That's not as much fun," I smirk and she shakes her head slightly as she sits among the other First Mates.
"Is it just me or do you get closer and closer to the starting time each time we meet?" Martinex scoffs and I roll my eyes slightly. "They're about to start." I go in and over to my seat.
"Nice of you to join us," Bently scoffs and I look at him, disinterested.
"Yeah. Y'know, I would've been here sooner, but... It's fun to annoy you," I smirk and sit down, looking at the Ogords as Stakar raps his knuckles on the table.
"Save that shit for later. Rundowns. Bently, you're last today." He looks shocked but nods and Stakar looks at me. "Well? Rundown?"
"Ship's getting any interior repairs needed during this meeting, jobs are lined up, and crew is healthy." He nods and the rest of the Captains give their rundowns.
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"Ship is functional, a job's lined up for two solar cycles from now, and the crew is healthy. No higher ranks sleeping with people of lower ranks and no Skrulls," He adds unnecessarily and I look at him, the room silent.
"Your First Mate?" Another Captain asks awkwardly as the Ogords pass out the jobs on holopads and he looks at them.
"She's still adjusting."
"Wait, wait, wait." They all look at me and I look at Bently. "Did you get a new First mate?"
"No. My First mate is the same one as before. She came from Udonta's crew as his Lead Doc."
"Yeah, I know that. Why are you using 'she' to describe your First Mate, though?"
"Are you that stupid? Because she's a woman."
"Uh, no. Your First Mate is not a woman. They are a Krylorian and they use they/them, not she/her."
"What the Hell are you talking about?" He scoffs and I look at him.
"What? Do not understand what I'm saying? I don't think I can be any simpler. Your First Mate uses they/them instead of she/her."
"You are an idiot," He scoffs and I stand after the Ogords had sat down.
"What are you doing?"
"Proving a point. You mind?" Stakar waves his hand slightly and I open the door. "Hey, Doc."
"Yes?" I motion them in and they come in after a moment. "Captains," They greet awkwardly and carefully avoids Bently's eyes, but I notice as I lean against the table.
"Question." They look at me and nod slightly, eyes flicking toward Bently slightly. "Bently, whatever the fuck you're doing, you better stop it." Doc relaxes slightly and I cross my arms slightly.
"What is your question?"
"Ignoring Bently and whatever might come out of his asshole mouth, you go by they/them, not she/her, correct?"
"Yes... You know this because you asked what I used when you were younger..."
"She is obviously a woman," Bently mutters and I whistle, my arrow hovering in front of his eye while I keep my body faced toward Doc.
"Is there anyone else that Bently disrespects like you?"
"Well, yes... But, he is the Captain..."
"That doesn't mean he can treat you guys like shit. Could you do me a favor?"
"Of course."
"You mind gathering up everyone he treats like shit on his ship and get them off of it?"
"Of course."
"Thank you, Doc. You're good to go do that."
"She is most certainly not!" I hear Bently's chair slam into the wall and Doc tenses slightly.
"Doc, you're good to go." Doc leaves as I stand up and look at Bently, smiling sweetly as he comes for me.
"Y'all migh' wanna move outta 'er way," Yondu warns the Captains between Bently and me, most of whom were standing too, and they sit down while Bently swings at me. "Tha' ain't a good idea..."
I catch his arm and spin him around, my right arm around his throat while my left arm is around his waist. He tries to get free and I tighten my right arm slightly. "You keep squirming around and the only hold I'll have on you is around your throat. That what you want?" He stops and I wait another moment before putting him back down. "You done?" He punches me in the face and I feel my lip split. "Guess not..." He swings at me again and I catch his hand, punching him in the jaw.
He falls to the floor, knocked out, and Stakar looks at me, frustrated. "He swung first and was going to keep swinging. He'll come too by the time Doc brings the crew back." He rubs his temples and I lean against the wall slightly. "I'm guessing I can't-"
"No, you can not bind him," All of the Captains in my family say simply, to the shock of the other Captains, and I shrug one shoulder.
"How did you- Never mind," Zur, an Aakon, mutters and I shrug slightly. "How long we gotta wait for that Doc?"
"Until they get back."
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I get a transmission from Doc and answer it. "Hello, Rogue. We have a small problem."
"Which is?"
"The crew that he disrespected is too large to fit into that room."
"How many are there?"
"Many."
"Then we'll meet you outside." They nod and I end the transmission, looking at Bently as he comes too. "Took you long enough. You disrespect too much of your crew." He gets up and rubs his jaw slightly, glaring at me. "You want me to hit you again? Get your dumbass outside." He goes to do that, wiping at his mouth, and the rest of us follow.
"Rogue, you got a plan for this?" Mainframe asks softly and I look at her, thinking of a good answer to that.
"Not really... I'm just kinda... Rollin' with the punches," I respond and she shakes her head slightly, sighing. "It'll be fine. Probably..." We get outside with our First Mates and Doc was waiting with the crew.
"Happy?" Bently asks and I look at the crew.
"Doc, how much crew is left on the ship?"
"None."
"This is the entire crew?"
"Yes."
"Damn. And you haven't been mutinied on yet?"
"Unlike you, I don't show any weaknesses for them to exploit," He sneers and I shrug one shoulder. "And they would never mutiny against me." I step forward and look the crew over, seeing that a majority of them looked like females but could also be like Doc.
"How many of you have thought about doing a mutiny against this dumbass?" They all look at each other then at me and the rest of the Captain, uncomfortable. "Stakar."
"This is a hypothetical situation. Your answer will not lead to you being kicked out." All of them raise their hands, Doc too, and I laughed shortly, covering it with a cough quickly when Stakar glares at me.
"Heh... Sorry. You managed to make Doc, the most chill person I've ever known, want to mutiny? Damn... That takes skill!" Bently rolls his eyes and glares at all of the crew, making a few of them shudder. "Doc, do you still work in Med?"
"From time to time, yes. Why?" I go over and they look at me.
"Has anyone come to you about any type of harassment? Or abuse?" I ask in a whisper and they hesitate for a moment. "You don't have to name names. Just yes or no." They glance at the crew and I notice. "You can OK it with them first if you want."
"Please." I nod and step back, giving them privacy. The crew talks in whispers and Doc comes from the middle after a minute. "Yes, Rogue... There have been crewmembers that have come to me about that... Myself included... Nealy all of the crew, in fact..."
"By whom?"
"The Captain..."
"I see..." I nod slightly and step toward them a bit then turn to look at the Captains and First Mates, clapping loudly. "Pop quiz!"
"A what?"
"I'm asking the questions, not you, Ben Ten. Question number one! What does a Captain swear to do when they become a Captain of a Ravager Clan?" Kraglin was confused and Nebula raises her hand. "Nebula!"
"Provide for, protect, and lead their crew, Captain."
"Correctomundo! Question number two! What would be classified as going against that?" Nebula raises her hand again. "Other than Nebula." She lowers her hand and Martinex hesitantly raises his. "Sparkles!"
"Abusing and harassing them?"
"Ding, ding, ding! Can anyone, anyone at all, guess which Captain has been doing that?" Kraglin nods his head and I look at him with a quirked eyebrow. "Who?"
"Ben'ly."
"And we have a winner, folks. Stakar, what causes a Captain to lose all right to a crew or to even be in the Ravagers as a Captain or crew member?"
"Breaking the Code or their Oath," He growls and glares at Bently, making him uncomfortable. And I am here for it.
"Thought so." I move aside so he can go over to him.
We all watch as he is physically stripped of his Flame and duster and I feel so much satisfaction in it. "If we ever see you wearing anything to associate with us or hear you saying that you were a Ravager, you will die. Am I clear?" He nods mutely and Stakar stalks away from him.
"My Dear?" I look toward the crew and freeze slightly when I see Segs standing there, beaten up badly. I go over in three long strides and look at him, gently holding his shoulders. "It is so lovely to see you again, my Dear..." He smiles sadly at me and hugs me. I hug him back for a moment before pulling away and looking at him closely.
"Great to see you too, Segs. What happened?"
"That f****t got what he deserved," Bently sneers and Segs flinches slightly.
"He did this to you? Because you're a good designer?" He nods slightly and I let go of him, going over to Bently in five long strides. I stop in front of him and he scoffs, looking at me. "How fucking dare you?" I punch him in the face and send him flying, pissed off. I start to go over to him but Kraglin and Martinex get in my way.
"Whoa, whoa! Calm down, Kid!"
"Yeah, relax, Rogue."
"Move," I growl and they look at each other then at me.
"Can't do that."
"You see what that asshole did to Segs? Do you know what he did to Doc? What he did to all of these people?"
"We see that and we can probably figure out what he did. But you can't go beating on him."
"Like Hell I can't! Now get out of my way before I make you," I snarl and see Bently pull out a blaster, pointing it at his former crew. He fires it as I form a barrier of the plants of the planet and the blaster shot hits that instead of anyone else. I make the two First Mates move out of my way and go toward him, forming barrier after barrier because he keeps blasting at me.
"What the Hell are you, you freak?" He screams and I snatch the blaster out of his hand, throwing it away from us. "You should've stayed a battle slave! And you should've never become a Captain! Terrans are weak, stupid, fragile beings!" I grab him by his throat and clench my fingers around his larynx as I lift him off of the ground. He chokes and coughs.
"That's your larynx. It will allow you to breathe if I let go of it. Too bad for you that I'm not going to." I clench tighter and he struggles.
"Rogue! Let him go!"
"Fuck off, Stakar!"
"That is an order!" I hesitate for a moment and throw him to the ground, turning to see Stakar right behind me now.
"Anything you say, Admiral." Bently was coughing on the ground as he catches his breath and Stakar ignores him, looking at me.
"You are not allowed to kill him. If you can beat or punish him without killing him, you may."
"Gladly." I pull out my knife easily and look at him in disgust, thinking.
"You fucking cunt of a slave..." He coughs and I crouch, pulling his head up by his hair.
"You just helped me figure out what to do."
"And how's that?"
"Tressit would torture anyone I didn't kill in a fight. For solar and lunar cycles. His record was two lunar cycles between my other fights."
"Your point?"
"That record was with someone of your species." He pales and I smirk. "Yeah. So, I know how to hurt you a lot without killing you. Isn't that great?" He tries to get away and I whistle my arrow through his pant leg, pinning him there for now. I walk toward him as I spin my blade around my hand and was feeling sick to my stomach about this. He is not about to get away with the bullshit he did.
"So what? You're going to torture me?"
"Yes."