Chapter 31
"Well, for lack of a better word, yes," I correct and he watches me as I crouch next to him, knife in my hand. "I just can't kill you, but I can hurt you. Maybe make it so you can never harass anyone again? Or maybe I should just cut out your fucking tongue? Thoughts, Bently?" He gapes at me and I smirk slightly, slowly swinging my knife back at forth. "I mean, it is your body. So you should have a say, don't you think?" He nods slowly and I plunge my knife into his leg, making him scream.
"Why should you get a say when you didn't give anyone else a say, asshole?" I snarl in his ear and he tries to make a quick getaway. "That's no use. Oh, I know what I'll do." I notice a tree nearby and extend a branch over, making one end of it thicker(after getting the OK from Stakar and Aleta, obviously). Like a baseball bat. I make part of it thin and snap it off easily, turning it over in my hands. "Can't believe that worked," I mutter under my breath and look at Bently.
"Huh?"
"I know your anatomy. Normally, I prefer an aluminum baseball bat. But, I don't have one of those. So, this will work too." I take my knife out of his leg and whistle my arrow back into my holster, resting the thick end of the branch on the ground. "Get up."
"Huh?"
"Get. Up." He struggles to his feet and I nod, picking the branch up to inspect it again. "You have lost all rights to working kneecaps."
"Huh?" I swing the branch into his right knee and there's a loud CRUNCH and SNAP from it as he collapses to the ground with a scream.
"Damn. This works better than an aluminum bat." My stomach was twisting and I push through it. He is not getting away with doing that... I slam the thick end of the branch down on his other knee and the sounds repeat with another scream. "Well then. You'll either never walk again or never walk again without assistance. Have a shitty life." I knock him out and look at the branch. "I'm keeping this," I mutter under my breath and feel bile crawl its way up my throat. I swallow it back and clench my hand around the branch slightly so it doesn't shake, taking a short, deep breath. You're fine, you're fine... I go back over to the others, leaving Bently there for the moment, and notice Doc looking at me closely.
"Are you alright, Rogue?"
"'Course I am, Doc. Why wouldn't I be?" I smirk and they don't respond. "What you want done with that asshat, Stakar?"
"Somebody take him to Xandar so they can make sure he doesn't die." Nebula nods and goes to do that.
"Leave him at the docks and let him drag himself to a healing office," I murmur as she goes by and she barely nods, doing that. Bile claws up my throat again and I swallow it back with a little difficulty.
"How will you be getting back to your ship?" Segs asks and I tap a button on my wrist com, showing that the Shadowblade was landed behind the Winter.
"They landed after we got inside, I guess." I shrug and look at them.
"What's the plan for this crew?" Stakar asks as he looks at me and I look them over.
"Doc, you want to be a Captain?"
"What?" They ask, shocked, and I look at them, resting the thickest part of the branch on the ground. "Why me?"
"Well, you're the First Mate. First Mate steps up to be Captain if something happens to the Captain. Plus, I am certain that you'd make an amazing Captain." They look at me then at Stakar and back at me, shocked.
"What?" They repeat and I smile slightly, making them relax slightly. "Well, I would accept it if offered by Captain Ogord... But, why me?" I go over to them and look them over.
"Because, Dear Doctor, you have been the one that has been taking care of the ship and the crew," Segs says simply and Doc rubs the back of their neck awkwardly, their dreads falling around their hand. "You have been acting as the Captain for as long as you have been the First Mate. You deserve to have the title to match your work."
"And you agree with that, Rogue?"
"Put simply? Duh."
"Seriously?"
"Segs has always had a better way with words than I have."
"Unless it has to do with pain being inflicted on others or the pain you have been in." I shrug one shoulder and lean on the branch slightly, watching Stakar a bit as he talks to the other Captains.
"Rogue," I glance at Aleta and go over when she just looks at me. "Your opinion on Doc becoming a Captain?"
"Seriously?" She nods and I roll my eyes slightly, noticing Stakar going over to Doc.
"Doctor Oblo," I notice Kraglin and Yondu's eyes widen slightly and put my focus back on Doc and Stakar. "As you might know from when Rogue became a Captain, we need a unanimous vote of yes for you to become one as well. Would you accept it if you were to get all votes of yes?"
"Yes, I would."
"There are two votes needed still. Yondu, Rogue?"
"Doc, yer gonna be great," He smirks and Doc bows their head slightly in thanks before everyone looks at me.
"I'm the one that asked, so it should be obvious," I mutter under my breath and go over to Doc, seeing them all watching me closely. I move the branch to my left hand and offer them the Ravager Salute, bowing my head slightly as they reciprocate it. "You're gonna kill it, Doc." They smile gently at me and I smile back slightly.
"Thank you, Rogue." The crew cheers and Stakar hands me the golden badge.
"Thought this was your thing?"
"Would mean more coming from you." I nod and take it, attaching it to their duster. I glance at Stakar and he quirks an eyebrow.
"Tradition?" He looks at Doc then the other Captains and nods slightly after they nod too. We all face Doc and give them the Ravager Salute simultaneously. They reciprocate it with their crew and I think that I see someone standing to my right, turning slightly.
Nothing and no one was there. I could have sworn- "Rogue?" I turn to see Doc coming over to me and grin slightly at them. "You seemed spaced out."
"Heh. Happens from time to time. Frustrating." They don't look convinced and I change the subject. "Oblo, huh?"
"Yes. I assume you saw Kraglin's reaction as well?"
"And Yondu's. What was with that?"
"Oblo was my son and... He died in Taserface's mutiny... One that Kraglin started..."
"I'm sure he didn't mean to do a mutiny, though," I say softly and they nod slightly.
"I understand that he didn't... He has expressed regret for the mutiny numerous times... It is still painful..."
"Yeah..." I rub the back of my neck and notice Kraglin and Yondu glancing our way. "They looked surprised. You never tell them?"
"No... I did not..."
"How come?"
"I did not want their... Their apologies or their pity... They would not bring my son back... I harbored resentment towards them when I joined the crew... Then," They drift off and push their dreads to the back of their head.
"Then what?"
"Then Quill started coming by more often... And... You came on board... Five annual cycles after Taserface's mutinous crew killed my son... Can I tell you something?"
"Sure."
"I was going to find a way to kill you and Quill when you first came on board... Enact revenge against the two that indirectly caused the death of my son..."
"What changed your mind?"
"You did..."
"How?"
"You reminded me of Oblo when he was younger... And whenever you would hear a story about Quill, you would rush to tell me... Those things helped me realize how much pain would be brought to anyone who cared about the two of you... And... I had come to care about you, as well... I could not bear to lose someone else I cared about and I could not force anyone to go through it..."
"Hm." I lean on the branch slightly and Doc looks at me. "Maybe don't tell Yondu and Kraglin that." They look at me then chuckle and I smile a bit. "I get it. You thought about it, but you didn't do it. So, that's all that matters to me." I start to walk away but pause and look at Doc again. "And talk to them about the mutiny. From what I've heard, Krags was just tired of Yondu going back on his word and Taserface used him snapping to his advantage. And he'd been waiting for a cataclysmic event like that. They both got better by the time I came on, keeping their word with me and the whole crew."
"I will talk to them."
"Good. Who's your First Mate going to be?"
"Segs has offered and I will be taking him up on it." I smile and pat their shoulder gently, going over to my ship since I had my jobs from Stakar in my pockets.
"Later." I go toward my ship and feel the hair on the back of my neck stand on end, but keep walking as I use my glasses to check the ship for anything wrong. Nothing's wrong... So why do I feel like something is?
"Kid!" I turn to see Kraglin jogging up and look at him. "Been a while... Las' time we, uh..."
"Sparred? Talked in general?"
"Uh, yeah..." He runs a hand through his hair and I look him over carefully. "Me an' Cap'n was thinkin'... Ya wanna stay on Terra fer a bit with us?" He asks awkwardly and I look at him.
"Why?"
"Senso an' Lumes like Terra, fer some reason... An' ya can, y'know... Take yer kids ta see yer Momma..." I glance at Yondu and see him watching us as he leans against a wall, uncharacteristically nervous.
"Sure. When are we going?"
"Cap'n wants ta go now."
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Doc's new ship, the Shadowblade, and Eclector land on Terra next to each other in a field, and the three crews go to the cabin, grateful for the break. I stop the kids, minus Indri and Morgan, and Loki pauses next to them. "What is it, Rogue?"
"Not much. Just... Haven't been able to take these guys anywhere once we're planetside here. Wanted to change that. Wanna come?" He nods after a moment and Quill was attached to his side, per usual.
"Where are we going?" Yondy asks and I just smile a bit, leading the way through the trees. "OK..." They follow with Senso, Lumes, the Captains, and First Mates since Doc and Segs had never been to visit Mom, and I lead the way easily.
The rest of my Misfit Family was waiting at the gate and I roll my eyes slightly, going in with them. "What's this place, Mom?" Gamora asks and I look around the graveyard slightly.
"It's a graveyard. People get buried here when they die so that the people they cared about can come to visit them easily."
"Who's buried here that you're visiting?"
"'Er Momma," Kraglin supplies carefully and I nod, going over to her grave.
"Oh... Sorry..."
"It's fine, Gamora. You didn't know." I crouch down and clear off the headstone.
"Are you going to use that flower from Xandar?" Peter asks and I look at him slightly. "It's supposed to light up when the person's spirit is here, right?"
"Yeah, it is. And no, I'm not. It doesn't light up..." I finish clearing off the headstone and look at the rusted letters and numbers, saying nothing because I don't know what to say.
I stand and brush my hands off slightly. "If we talked, would she hear us?"
"I like to think so, yeah. If you want to, go ahead, Kraggles." I gently pat his arm and he goes over to the gravestone, talking quietly. The others watch him and I feel something press into my back.
"What the fuck are Ravagers doing on my property? Let alone this planet?" A lady asks and the others spin to look toward us. "Put your hands up and if you try anything stupid, I'll blow a hole in her stomach." They do as she says and she presses the muzzle of the gun harder into my back. "You too, Jolly Green."
"Gods, I've missed Terran pop culture references."
"Just put your hands up and turn around. Slowly." I raise my hands and she backs up a bit so I can turn toward her. "Keep them up and don't try anything stupid or-"
"You'll blow a hole in my stomach? Yeah, I heard." She glares at me and holds her weapon in one hand while searching me with another. "Nice weapon. What is it? Military-grade assault rifle? How'd you get your hands on that?"
"I have my sources." She pulls out a copy of the last picture that I ever took with Mom and Keiko, tensing slightly. "Where'd you get this picture?"
"That's none of your fucking business." I take it back and she presses the muzzle into my chest as I put the picture back in my inside pocket. She looks closely at me and presses the muzzle further into my chest, eyes narrowed.
"I've already had a Skrull strut around with one of my girls' face on. Take it off, asshat," She growls and I scoff, looking at her.
"Sorry to break it to you, but I'm not a Skrull." She shoots me and I stumble back slightly. "What the fuck, lady?" I press a hand to my chest and come back with blood, showing her. "Happy?"
"Rogue, are you alright?"
"I'm fine." The wound heals and the lady looks at me in shock.
"This isn't possible... How... Razi?" I tense and glare at the lady.
"What did you just call me?"
"Razi... It's short for Raziah..." I go over to her and grab her by the collar of her coat, lifting her feet off the ground.
"Where did you hear that name?" She stumbles over her words and I shake her once. "Where?"
"It's what I named you! Thirty-four years ago!" I drop her and she stumbles, moving back a few steps. "I named you Raziah. Your father told me about the name when he was drunk one time and it stuck with me. Where have you been?" She was shocked and happy, the weapon abandoned on the ground. I pick it up and she looks at me. "Razi?"
"Don't call me that."
"But-"
"Do not! Call me that," I growl and she nods. "You're my mother?"
"Yes." I cut her face with a knife and she cries out, moving backward quickly with a hand to her face.
"Yeah, right. If you were my mother, you wouldn't be bleeding green." Green blood was pooling from behind her hand and she sighs, dropping it.
"Can you blame me for trying?"
"Yes, yes I can." She runs for me and I press the muzzle of the weapon to her forehead. "Because losing someone that close to you is something you never get over." I squeeze the trigger and her body falls to the ground, shifting into a Skrull's corpse with a purple outfit. I seamlessly take out my blaster and blast their head off for good measure, silent as I slide it back in its holster.
"Mom?" I look at the kids and see them looking at me, worried. "Are you alright? You, uh, you kind of got shot..."
"Happens often, Kruthin. Nothing new." He nods a bit and I look at the Skrulls corpse, pissed.