Guardians of The Galaxy Vol 2: Unspoken Things
Title: Unspoken Things
Rating: T
Characters: Yondu Udonta, Rocket, Kraglin Obfonteri
Summary:
Conversations that must have happened in Volume 2, that we never saw.
Eclector Prison Cell
“So, since we’ve got some time to kill, wanna tell me the real reason you kept Quill?”
Yondu glanced up, staring at the rodent that shared his cell, before shrugging and returning his attention to the corridor, looking for the small twig that would hopefully be bringing his fin this time around.
“I already told you. He was sm-“
“Oh, don’t even try it” Rocket interrupts, smirking at Yondu. “That explanation might work on Quill, but I’m not that stupid.”
“It aint stupid” Yondu warns. “I’ve got photos, kid was skinny-“
“Oh please” Rocket snaps. “There’s a million small, skinny, starving kids on every fricking planet in the galaxy. Most of which would be elated to find a ticket out. Yet you kept the one kid that didn’t wanna be with you, and came with a payday you chose to ignore. Nobody does that for no good reason, specially a crook like you.”
“Is that a fact?”
Rocket shrugged. “You tell me. For whatever reason, you raised Quill when all the evidence says you should have delivered him. Makes a guy curious-”
His ears prick up. Here comes Groot again.
“-As to why you thought giving him to his old man would be worse than growing up as a Ravager.”
Yondu’s lips purse on reflex, before the stinging pain on his forehead reminds him it’s useless.
“I reckon you’ll find out soon enough if you go looking for Quill rat” he says, ears pricking at the sound of tiny footsteps. To his relief, Rocket steps back in acceptance.
When they break out and the rodent immediately sets course for Ego, Yondu wishes he’d picked his words a bit more carefully.
The Quadrant, above Ego
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up!” Rocket squawks, running Yondu’s ‘about to fight a planet’ line through his head. “What do you mean, fight a planet?”Yondu ignored his, pulling Kraglin close.
“What ships made it through the blast?”
“Two M-ships are still in flight worthy condition” Kraglin offered, pulling up the specs. Yondu immediately shook his head.
“No good. If we’re gonna get Quill out before Ego reacts, we’ll need to do it hard and fast. He’ll rip apart an M-ship before we get off the ground. Got something that’ll take a beatin?”
“Well, we still got that shuttle from the Askaveri Bank job.”
“That’ll do.”
“The Askaveri – that was you?” Rocket spluttered, before shaking his head and storming over.
“How about you start talking.”
Yondu rolled his eyes and headed off the brig.
“Follow me rodent, we’ll walk and talk.”
—
“You know, there’s considerable walking and not so much talking happening right now…”
Yondu sighs.
“Like dealing with Quill in puberty all over again.”
“I will shoot you archer boy.”
They reached the lift, and Yondu waved a hand to push him away while navigating them down.
“Fine. You want to know what you’ve signed us up for? Ego didn’t just name the planet boy, he is the planet. Also known as a Celestial.”
Rocket stumbled.
“…As in the god Celestial?”
“That’s the one.”
The raccoon groaned.
“Dammit, Quill is gonna be insufferable. He’s a freakin god?”
They hit the right floor, and Yonda heads out.
“Right now we’ll be lucky if he’s even still alive.”
Rocket freezes, only chasing after the Centaurian when he realised the doors were closing.
“Wait, what are you saying?”
“I’m saying Peter wasn’t the first kid of Ego’s I brought to him” Yonda explains, regret deep in his voice. There were ten more before him. Each a different race, different mothers. Guy got around.”
Rocket whistled. “Okay, so guy liked to spread his oats. What’s that go to do with anything.”
Yondu just shook his head, barely aware of the question.
“I should never have taken the jobs. I knew something was up, but the records matched, and the money was so good. Even when my gut was screaming I looked the other way. Wasn’t till one of my men spoke to Ego’s pet that I couldn’t pretend no more.”
“Pet? You mean bug girl?”
Yondu shrugged. “That’s the one. He asked her how the brats were all doing. She couldn’t even name em – had the first one almost a year and his damn near constant companion, whose whole schtick was emotions, couldn’t put a name to a face.”
Rocket felt ice pool in his stomach.
“I didn’t tell em I figured it out, and a few months later he sent me another job. Kid on a backwater dump called Terra whose mother was dying. Realised pretty quickly that if I didn’t take the job he’d just find someone else to do it, so I grabbed Quill and hid em on the ship. Took some sweet talking and threats to get the crew on board, but the old timers had figured out the same thing. Only chance Quill had was with us. Ship’s no place for a kid, but we didn’t have much options.”
The centuarian gritted his teeth.
“Course, a few months in, Ego starts getting curious. I blank his calls and he calls my bluff. Tracks down Stakar and tells him what I’ve been doing the past few years. Stakar came to me and asked what the hell I’d been doing, and I couldn’t…”
His hands clench.
“Stakar was going to take Quill to his old man. Escorting kids was just about within the code. So I told him what Ego was doing. Had to admit I’d trafficked ten kids to their deaths. The look on his face…”
They’re almost at the loading dock, but Yondu pauses, eyes closed and teeth clenched.
“Kicked me out of the Ravagers right then and there. But Quill, he left on board. Told Ego he couldn’t find a trace of the kid, and not to contact the Ravagers for any more jobs involving his brats.”
Rocket paused next to him, eyes wide with the new information.
“You never told Quill.”
Yondu gave a choked laugh. “You know that boy. The second you tell him not to do something he’s halfway into doing it. Knew if I told him anything about his old man he’d either not believe me or go straight for him. Ignorance has always been his best defence.”
The raccoon really can’t find fault with that, and Yondu’s starting to shake off the hesitance from earlier, so Rocket pushes on with one last question.
“What does he want with him?”
“I don’t know” Yondu admits. “But considering what happened to his siblings, Quill’s in serious trouble.”
He heads into the loading bay, heading for an old mining ship that’s long since seen better days, while Rocket mulls over what he’s learned.
‘Hope the old man’s not as big a dick as you orphan boy.’
He winces as his last words to the terran run through his head. Dammit, he only said it because Quill’s Dad was supposed to be the guy someone like Peter should be allowed to get as a father. If he’d known the guy was a murderous asshole he would have kept his damn mouth shut, or at the very least shot the man that night. How the hell was he supposed to know Ego was a nutcase?
By the grace of his biggest gun, Quill better still be alive for Rocket to rescue from Ego or the raccoon will never forgive himse…Quill – he’ll never forgive Quill – for it.
Wait…there’s an obvious way to find out.
“Hey Yondu!” he yells, running into the bay. “You got any handheld radios that’ll reach the surface in here?”
The Quadrant, on Ego
Trying to land a ship the size of the Quadrant on a planet literally falling to pieces was a difficult job at the best of times. Trying to do it solo was a lesson in skill Kraglin had never wanted.
But the Captain needed him, and he was in no position to complain. Now that those strange white tentacles had freed them, he could see the Tattoo Giant running towards them, a tiny figure in his arms.
Suddenly, the radio lurched into life, and the grainy audio of Yondu’s collar phone echoed in the cabin.
“Kraglin, you hear me?”
The man lunges for the radio.
“Loud and clear Captain. You on your way up?”
Instead of the affirmative followed by cursing that he expected, Kraglin felt his heart chill when Yondu just sighed.
“Kraglin, the rodent’s on his way up. Once he gives you the order, you head out, you clear.”
The Xandarian froze.
“Kraglin! We clear?”
He swallowed.
“Cap…I can’t leave you behind. S’not right.”
Over the radio, he heard Yondu sigh again.
“I can’t leave him behind” he says. “I’ve screwed up every damn time he needed me to pull through, I need to do this.”
He doesn’t. That’s what Kraglin wants to say. His Captain had done more than anyone could have done for Peter without losing the respect of his crew. Peter won’t even be expecting him to stay.
Not like Kraglin, who through his own stupidity only has Yondu left.
“Cap…”
“You were a better first mate than I deserved Kraglin” Yondu interrupts with his usual abruptness. “Sorry you had to put up with so much crap from me.”
“Don’t say that” Kraglin snaps. “I’m the one who screwed up. I should be the one down there – head on up and I’ll extract Peter.”
Yondu just laughs.
“It don’t surprise me that the one mutiny that worked was cause you spoke up Krags” Yondu laughs. “Known for years if you wanted to take control I’d probably lose. Whole ship answered to you and you never even knew it. Expect you’ll be flying with your own crew in a few years.”
“No” Kraglin says. Forcefully enough that he can practically hear the capital. Beneath him he can hear Quill’s giant friend clambering on board. “In a few years I’ll be right where I need to be. By your side handling your new crew.”
“That aint gonna happen son” Yondu replies, and Kraglin’s knees feel weak. “Peter’s my boy, but he’s no Ravager. You’re gonna have to carry the crimson clan yourself from now on. Can’t think of a better heir to the title.”
It’s not becoming of a Ravager to cry, but Kraglin’s about ready to do just that.
“Captain…”
“Tell me Kraglin” Yondu snaps, back to business. “Tell me you heard the order. When the rodent lands, you leave.”
Kraglin’s hand tightens around the radio.
“Kraglin!”
He swallows.
“Aye, aye Captain” he chokes out.
Yondu sighs, and the man can practically see his shoulders relax.
“Good man. I might not die under the Colours of Ogord, but promise I”ll be there to wave you on when your time comes. Make me proud Kraglin.”
The radio cuts off, and Kraglin punches the control panel just as Drax arrives.
“The others will soon arrive” he states, walking over and glancing out the window. There are two figures climbing out the crevice. One’s Gamora and the other…
Huh. Guess the sister murdering didn’t work out so well. Hopefully that means she wont wanna kill Kraglin for messing up her payday either.
He pays no attention to their mad scramble to the doors. All Kraglin can look at is the crevice. Hoping, begging, that the next body out will be a centaurian lugging a red coated terran with him.
But it’s not.
It’s Rocket.
Who refuses to answer Gamora’s yells, and orders Kraglin to leave.
Drax is yelling now, realising that Quill isn’t on board. Kraglin ignores him, firing up the engines and fulfilling Yondu’s last order.
He won’t go any further than he has to. Just far enough outside the planet’s atmosphere that he can escape its gravity. If Yondu and Quill find a way out, maybe he can get to them in time. Maybe it don’t have to be the way the Captain plans…
Oh gosh. I never considered what Yondu and Kraglin’s last conversation must have been like, but ;-;