Peter Quill has spent a lot of time in bars across the galaxy. He usually was with Yondu and his drunk red-neck followers flirting with every woman in the bar (he was one of them, but he never got to embarrassing drunk). He spent time alone drinking his fears away... But that was his secret. Now he was flirting with Nikki, telling her tales of Earth, or his adventures roaming the galaxy. The more they spent time together, the less he thought about the money... But he wasn't new at this. He knew they were being observed. Watched by the Collector's men. Seeing what he had, who was with him, if he was dangerously armed or looked like some scrawny treasure hunter... He hoped they didn't pull any funny business on the way they were drinking and talking. But sure enough it jumped back in to this mind as they were approached by a pink woman. "Mister Quill. The Master will see you now." The woman said with a bow, and then without another word she walked out of the doorway. Quill followed after her, with Nikki right beside him. He gave a very small hint of a smirk as he noticed how close she was to him. As they moved in to the lair of the Collector, he was impressed, and a bit creeped out. There were aliens and creatures of all shapes, sizes, and color within a tank. It reminded him of a sketchy zoo. Nothing like what he saw when he was a kid. The man was introduced, and his little collection matched him perfectly. Weird, and Sketchy. He had a simple nod and "a pleasure to meet you" but Nikki got the whole ordeal. A kiss to the hand, a few glances up and down, and then he dropped the bomb. Metra? The legendary fierce warriors that were wiped out? She the last one? Quill looked at Nikki in awe, and then turned his attention back to The Collector. "So I have your ah, artifact thingy, it wasn't easy, but Star-Lord deliv--" [I]"How much?"[/I] He asked. "Huh?" [I]"Excuse me?"[/I] [I]"How much for the girl?"[/I] "I'm-- she's not--" [I]"I'm not the item we're selling you."[/I] "What she sa--" Did he actually think he would sell someone he didn't own?? [I]"200,000 Units."[/I] "200,000 what now?" Peter's mouth fell open, his eyes wide. [I]"Sir, I'm not for..." "500,000 Units." "Hey I'm not for sale!" "One million Units. Just for her."[/I] Peter's mind was drawing a blank. He would never have considered trading a human-- well, half human being before! He didn't stay long for US history lessons back on Earth, but he knew that slavery was frowned upon no matter what part of the galaxy you're in... but as the numbers got higher, he felt bad that he was more and more tempted. She then took off, the Collector waved it off, and then the words [I]"Do we have a deal?"[/I] Peter stared at him with a confused look, hesitating, and then he took off for the blue haired girl. "Nikki!" He heard a scream, and gunshot. Seconds later he saw two corpses on the ground. He then heard a large piece of glass breaking, and soon he caught up to see a ship that he never saw before. Soon he was joined to see others, running at her. "Watch out!" Peter yelled, jumping out of the way of the thrusters that came to life, some guards getting burned to death. She broke through the glass, and then the ceiling, leaving everyone speechless. Peter got up, and brushed himself off. Seconds of silence filled the room until he coughed a bit, and turned to the Collector. "So... About that artifact deal..." ------------- "Boom! Dead! Boom! Dead!" "I am Groot." "What do you mean I have bad aim?! Can't you see their heads exploding?!" "I am Groot." "Oh so now you're a gun expert, here, let me see you fight these guys off!" "Guys! Not now!" It was years after that incident, and Peter Quill has kept himself very busy. He had his rough times, slept with more women, had his morals questioned... But that changed after he was almost kidnapped by a walking tree and talking raccoon, and a deadly and sexy assassin, breaking out of the most fortified prison in the galaxy, fighting a hellbent warrior from destroying the galaxy with a stone that Thanos wanted... and he found out that his dad is an ancient alien, his mom gave him another mixed tape, and a baby tree is adorable. He was now Star-Lord. Leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy. Groot, Rocket, Gamora, and Drax. All having their own quirks and personality, but all knowing that if there was ever a threat to the galaxy, they were going to stop it. A couple of months later and Groot grew back, and they were hunting down some idiot who thought he could attack a planet of pacifists and get away from it. He had a bounty on his head (Rocket and Groot had that for motivation) but Peter was a changed man, no longer worried about money. He found his real purpose in life. To help protect not only Earth, but every other life out here. They were technically guns for hire, but leaned more on the good guys side. Taking this freak down was rewarding, but the reward was icing on the cake. The man took refuge on a planet filled with his little toy robots designed to kill any intruders. They took a small speeder, and Rocket and Groot were now arguing as Peter tried to drive and dodge not only bullets, but the terrain. Gamora was in the passenger seat, reading a small screen. "The tracker is still on him. he's in a base a few hundred meters from here!" She yelled. "DIIIIIEEEEEEEEE!!!" Rocket Screamed. Drax was busy ripping a robot apart that got too close. "Keep shooting! As soon as we get there everyone get down and hold on to the seat in front of you!' Peter screamed against the wind. He swerved from a giant rock, felt a laser burst past his hair, his helmet saving him from the wind and debris that could hit his eyes. "Alright, hold on!!!" Peter screamed, going towards the large metal fortress in front of them. He pushed a button and rockets fired from the front of the speeder, hitting the side of the fortress, leaving a hole. Peter tried to break, the speeder turning until they entered the wall, and crashed. "Everyone alright?" "That was idiotic and a shot in the dark." Gamora grunted, brushing her hair back. "It was a foolish idea Quill... Good work." Drax said, getting up, brushing the dirt off his bare arms. "I am Groot." "I agree with Groot. Needed more of a kick!" Peter pressed the button on his ear, his helmet disappearing. "Sorry, I try to keep my foolish ideas survivable." Quill said as he climbed out. "Rocket is this thing still drivable? When we catch this guy, it'll be a long walk." "Yeah... I might need to fix a few things, but it'll get us back to the ship." "Good. You and Groot stay here, Drax and I will split up to find this guy, Gamora find out if there are any security, and if there is, disable it after telling us his location." "Right." With that the Guardians went their own way, Rocket still arguing with Groot about his shooting, Gamora mumbling about how dangerous that could have been, and Drax being silent as always. Peter walked down the hallway, quietly humming a song as he cautiously searched rooms and other halls... Where was this guy?