Chapter Text
The sounds of the space port were a welcome release for Kai, like white noise, sipping at his cheap drink with a clear view of the landing terminals. Pretty sure his drink was mixed with fuel but he had a warm sensation in his stomach and it was getting the job done, it had been a while since Kai had stopped to take a moment. As moisture dripped off the canopy he was sitting under something caught his eye. There it was, the Benatar, right on time as his intel had suggested. Not the smartest thing keeping tabs on the Guardians of the Galaxy as they were called. He grunted with a smirk wondering if the legends would live up to their name. Based on how the ship lurched into the terminal he was starting to question it already. Worst parking job in the port. No sense sitting around any longer Kai got up, he wasn't going to learn anymore about them from way up here. No rest for the wicked. Downing what was left of the blue liquid and giving a slight grimace as it went down he made for the shadows. It was time to get a closer look at this rag tag team.
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"Quill are you trying to wreck this ship or were you just born stupid?" Rocket barked at Peter after they stumbled into the space port.
"Hey I mastered the Milano it's just gonna take me a bit of time to get used to this one, I'm changing the habits of a lifetime here" Always cheery Peter brushed off Rockets insults.
"Changing the habit of being a bad pilot?" Drax asked in all seriousness.
"I am Groot" Groot chimed in. Gamora laughed at the jibes that brought a flush to Peters face.
"Well I'm the captain so I'm getting off MY ship to have some fun, I'm sure my crew will enjoy getting everything ready, gotta be in top shape for when we get to Xandar"
"Perhaps the fuzzy puppy should land us for the Nova corps if you wish for a good impression?" Mantis said beaming a smile and a playful look on her face. Drax bellowed with laughter at this, Mantis always knew how to make him laugh, Rocket was less than impressed by the back handed compliment. Quill began storming off but his dramatic exit from the common area was shot dead in the water as a call came in. It was Nova Prime, letting out a big sigh he answered.
"Greetings Star Lord," Nova Prime began. Well that put a smile on his face and patched up his pride, something about that name still gave Peter childish glee. "We eagerly await your arrival and thank you once again for accepting our request."
"Hey as long as we're getting paid" Quill responded, Rocket nodding in earnest agreement.
"Yes... quite. Whilst we have discussed the preliminary aspects of our request I wish to inform you that we have acquired the assistance of someone considered a specialist on this topic who will be travelling with you. I will make the necessary introductions upon your arrival. Forgive me for not mentioning this sooner but it was at their request. They like to maintain a low profile and it was difficult getting them to work with you on this given your preference for more flamboyant solutions" Prime couldn't have worded things more diplomatically if she tried.
"Since when did we become a transport for randomers? And for the record my team can handle anything, we don't need some outsider. Never have, never will" Peter was back on the defence feeling his authority as Captain was being over looked for the millionth time.
"This is not negotiable. We will be providing some extra compensation for you accommodating them aboard your ship that can be negotiated upon your arrival. Safe travels, Star Lord" Okay that time it felt like she was mocking Quill, too much emphasis on those last words and possibly a slight smirk fighting it's way past Nova Primes poker face. The video feed was disconnected. Another exasperated sigh escaped from Peter that pleaded the day be over now.
"What kind of specialist they bringing on? I am a frickin' cybernetic, don't get more specialist than that!" This had got Rockets mind racing. The mission already had his back up threatening to unearth a past he would much sooner forget. Who was more special than him when it came to this stuff? Ain't no thing like me, 'cept me Rocket thought.
"As much as I don't like the idea of some stranger on board it's not like we have a choice. The Nova Corps should have carried out back ground checks but we should remain on our guard" Gamora, ever the practical one, stated with a confidence not shown on her face. Peter saw the slight crease between her brows as she said it. She didn't like this anymore than he did. It had been a journey getting to the port, this was tomorrows problem. Right now they needed to rest up. After a minute of small talk they broke off to their own quarters. Convinced Quill must have caused some damage with his parking attempt Rocket headed outside to check things over, Groot in tow behind. Both were blissfully unaware the shadows would be watching them.
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Sure enough patience paid off, always did for Kai. The Benatars boarding ramp lowered. A few quick taps on the interface grafted into his forearm and his senses were tuned in to pick up Rockets grumblings as he exited the ship.
Hmm, He's taller than I expected Kai thought.
At least the Guardians were such a diverse group making it easy to identify each one. Working with other life forms wasn't his preference, much less chance of getting stabbed in the back when working alone. Looked like the ship had taken a few hits most likely from blunt impact on their last mission. Rocket was not impressed by this as he was ranting away to Groot wandering around outside the ship.
Not perfect cybernetics, I would have done that better Kai pondered as he watched Rocket walking about. His movements were smooth and steady as a biped for sure but he seemed to be lilting forwards like he would prefer to be scurrying on all fours.
Groots attention was elsewhere constantly staring at a hand held device making bleeping sounds, probably a game no doubt, Rocket however suddenly stopped on the spot. His nose lifted up, his whiskers twitching, something wasn't right. Barely a second passed before Kai's interface registered detection. That was sloppy. He was getting mesmerised watching Rocket. Easing back into the shadows and out of sight Kai relaxed his senses back to their standard human qualities. He was hesitating, he should walk away get some rest and continue tomorrow but this urge to have one last look with his human eyes. NO shaking the thought away he pushed off from the wall and walked away from the landing zone. A scowl creased his forehead wondering what that was about. He dismissed the train of thought quickly, no point reading into things, he was simply observing another living example of cybernetics or Synths as he called them. Didn't matter how big the galaxy was they were still rare after all. Yeah, that's all it was. The streets and back alleys were deserted as he snaked his way back to the bars. Good thing too as he was rattled by being off his game, what was in that drink from earlier? He rounded onto the main street. He had secured a room for the night above one of the smaller businesses along the stretch. It wasn't glamorous but it was off the books. Best chance of a quiet night, exactly the way he liked it. Tomorrow he'd make his move.
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A new day began on the space port. Not that time was easy to tell in these places. The hustle of people going about their business did have a tendency to pick up and wane but for the most part life continued in perpetual motion. Kai got up feeling rested, of course that was only his Terran side, but before going anywhere he wanted to run a quick scan of his cybernetics. The bitterness was still there in the pit of his stomach. Sure it was a drop in the ocean compared to when they were new but that nagging voice would still occasionally taunt him with words like half-breed. Everything checked out. Kai reached for his interface. It was a relatively small screen that connected to his internal wiring attachable to either forearm. Ugly ports embedded in his skin connected the interface enabling him to manually change his augments. The result of experiments that left him lost in a universe where he no longer felt he had a place. Holding the screen in his hands he sat back down on the bed. Was it really worth spying on the Guardians? Patience was his mantra and it served him well but right now it felt like the fire that fed his cautious behaviour was out. He was wasting time, he slapped the screen into place barely noticing the sting as it came to life. Pulling on a heavy coat and grabbing his bag he set off towards the landing terminals.
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Rocket was busy at work with goggles protecting his eyes as he fixed up the minor scrapes and dents to the hull of the Benatar. He casually turned off his equipment and pulled his goggles down around his neck. He took a few steps back to the make shift work station behind him. Without another moments hesitation he grabbed hold of the rifle on the second shelf spun round and aimed.
'Hope you got a good look pal cos it's the last thing you're gonna see!' His hand squeezed the trigger sending a blue flash right toward the guy Rocket had been aware of for the last fifteen minutes. Sure it wasn't a friendly greeting but the guy had some nerve spying on him and doing such a bad job of it too. To Rockets surprise the guy didn't flinch or move an inch as the bolt flew past him. It was close enough he would have felt the heat but he was steady as a rock. Rocket couldn't help but be impressed, this guy had balls.
'You should try aiming at me next time, I hear it's more effective' Kai replied matter of factly. As the words left his lips another blue flash erupted from the rifle. This time he moved fast to the side as that one was gonna blow a hole in his chest. He noticed movement from the ships entry ramp. Others were coming. He took cover and listened.
'What are you playing at Rocket?! You're supposed to be fixing the ship not blowing holes in it!' Kai's interface popped up with Peter Quills face matching it to the voice he heard.
'Some creep has been snooping around, they were watching last night too!' Rocket growled in response. They began to bicker between themselves much to Kai's annoyance. He quite fancied testing their skills in battle before making introductions but clearly this group of misfits were dysfunctional to the core. How they had made it this far without being killed was a mystery. Kai kept his Cybernetics juiced up as he stood and made his way towards them, just in case anymore pot shots got fired his way.
'Excuse me? If you two are done arguing I think some introductions are in order.' Kai confidently strode up to the two Guardians. 'You must be Peter Quill and you...' He faltered looking at Rocket. Did he refer to him as 89P13? Was that an insult? Maybe Rocket was too informal? Why did he even care? Rocket was looking straight back at him with a curious expression but importantly the gun that looked too big for him to wield was now pointed at the floor not Kai's face.
'Call me Rocket' He said. Kai was getting distracted again as they locked eyes. His mouth moved to start saying something but he was cut off.
'Actually most people call me Star Lord these days' Peter said with a cocky smile, Kai cringed at his immaturity but as Peter stepped forward offering his hand it broke Kai's eyeline with Rocket at least. The tension eased. Strange to think this kind of exchange didn't cause a fuss around this port. It certainly wasn't the seediest port but firing a few shots still didn't really draw any ones attention. Kai reluctantly shook the hand offered to him.
'So how can we be of service Mr....?' Quill asked.
'You can call me Kai and actually I'm here to provide my services to you. I have been hired by Nova Prime to support your next assignment. I was meant to rendezvous with you on Xandar but as your perceptive friend suggested I decided to take some time and carry out research on you and your team first.'
'Well don't quit the day job humie, your sneakin skills ain't exactly what I'd call professional.' Rocket turned as he said this maintaining a nonchalant persona. But as Quill made excuses for Rocket's rudeness and lead Kai onto the ship he couldn't help watching him out the corner of his eye until he was out of sight. The Guy seemed normal to Rocket except the way he reacted to being shot at. The movement was unnatural. Rocket concluded he must be covering up his cybernetics the same way the flight suit covered Rockets. Guess they had a few things in common so far.
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Quill introduced their temporary member to the whole crew. Mantis was the only one who seemed genuinely pleased to meet him. She had a young energy to her like she had lived a sheltered life. The rest showed the passive aggression of distrust. Not that this bothered him much. There were of course some ground rules laid out by the captain. The first of which really baffled their new guest. Music. Terran music. Apparently the almighty Star Lord will play it loudly to gather a ship meeting when people are in their quarters and generally play it any other time it suited him too and if that was a problem he could feel free to leave the ship without a space suit at anytime. Eager to interact with him Mantis hurried to put some on. Memories that Kai wasn't sure were his or implanted stirred in his mind. It was soothing. It must have shown on his face as Quill made some remark about knowing another Terran would be on board with the concept. The rule was dumb and reinforced Kai's disbelief that this guy was leader to a group that protected the galaxy but never the less the music was a nice touch. The other rules were more mundane and practical; all communications into and off the ship would be tracked and when they were in transit everyone would take turns on look out while the rest got some sleep or down time. As much as he didn't like his communications being tracked he couldn't argue. If the roles were reversed he would do the same thing. Peter showed him down to the lower levels where their quarters were, it was nothing fancy but this ship had everything to be comfortable. His room was, by common standards, generous in it's size and had an actual double bed. No doubt this was a result of Quill being captain since it was so... human. He had seen the common areas on his way to meet the crew, been shown the flight deck and Quill pointed out where the showers and storage areas were. Kai got a twinge of excitement at the prospect of a hot shower, it was the small things in life. He was free to explore the ship for the time being they would be leaving very soon since Rocket was satisfied with the repairs.
The second Peter was out of sight he dropped his bag. His priorities had shifted and he needed to act now. It was time to hit the showers and hit them hard! A grin spread across Kai's face and, after checking no one was around, practically skipped down the corridor. Maybe he was going to enjoy this assignment after all.
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Wandering about the ship with his muscles warm and relaxed, a towel wrapped around his neck to stop his wet hair dripping all over his clothes, Kai stumbled across a very focused furry synth. It was a small workshop of sorts off of a corridor. He paused in the doorway watching for a moment.
'You got a real problem staring at me pal, didn't work out for you so well last time.' Rocket was abrasive as always. But Kai could tell it wasn't just arrogance he could back up threats and was not someone he intended to intentionally piss off.
'I think we got off on the wrong foot, what you working on? It looks cool' Kai could see how his dexterous paws were piecing together different components. It had taken Kai years to understand his own cybernetics and a lot longer to master the tech. He would still tweak aspects in his down time. What Rocket was doing though was something else. He was a genius. Rocket turned to Kai, scanning his face for sarcasm. He still struggled with social cues sometimes. It would be kinda nice to show off his latest toys but this guy put him on edge. He was probably gonna end up laughing at Rocket and making jokes like everyone else.
'I make things that go boom. That is to say generally my creations make larger things into lots of smaller things' He couldn't help his pride. He kept his focus on his work as he spoke. He could hear foot steps coming closer to the work bench. Kai leaned over Rockets shoulder to take a closer look. On a normal day any stranger getting this close would have a bite taken out of them but instead feeling the heat coming off his body made Rocket's fur stand on end. It was like nothing he had felt before. It was something like fear and excitement crashing together sending static all over his body and all the oxygen had inconveniently left the room.
'May I?' Kai asked gesturing to pick up the device. Rocket just about managed to nod. As Kai picked up the device carefully, raising it up to get a better look, the artificial lighting caught his eyes and Rocket was caught off guard again. His eyes were beautiful, stunning, mesmerizing... Frickin hell will you pull yourself together?! Rocket snapped back to reality. Kai noticed him staring.
'Huh guess the tables have turned. My eyes can be a bit off putting I guess. Normally I don't use my cybernetics up close' Kai was referring to his eyes. They were enhanced by microscopic tech at will but when it was active his irises had a metallic lattice woven into his natural eye colour. He was used to it drawing unwanted attention and ridicule - whoa you some kinda freak? Rocket wanted to blurt out Kai was mistaken but choked the impulse before it got anywhere. 'Now when you say "larger things into smaller things" if I'm seeing this for what it is this would break a very large thing. Not gonna lie I would love to chuck this at a moon or something.' A devilish grin played across his face as Kai set the stupidly powerful explosive device down carefully. Rocket barked a brief laugh at that last comment.
'Now here's a guy that gets it! Try mentioning that to the others. Bunch of jackasses wanna suck the joy out of everything.' Kai found the way Rocket said the last part cute but you know in a bit of a psychotic way. He seemed genuinely a bit depressed that his crew didn't condone blowing up natural satellites for fun. Kai couldn't help but think they were gonna get on fine despite first impressions.
'So how'd you learn to make this stuff? You're still in one piece so I guess it wasn't a case of trial and error' Kai ruffled his wet hair with the towel as he spoke. Before Rocket got a chance to reply the communication device in Kai's pocket went off. 'Ahh sorry I have to get this.'
'Why? Is it your mommy making sure you packed enough clean underwear?' Kai flipped Rocket off in response to his taunts, wandering down the corridor and back to his room to take the call. Quill did warn him that comms would be monitored thought Rocket. Sure he had morals but there were a million reasons to listen in on the call and not a single reason he would acknowledge not too. Hopping down off the work stool he scurried over to the access panel for the intercom next to the doorway. A few moments later and viola, he could hear everything.
Kai - ...are decent enough. You wanna know more it's gonna cost you and the info won't be up for trading till I'm finished here anyway. Not dumb enough to put myself at risk. You know me better than that.
Unknown - Yeah, yeah I got no interest in that group of weirdos anyway.
Kai - That's cos you got no taste in people.
Unknown - Explains why I'm talking to you at least. It almost sounds like you like 'em.
Kai - Right now most of them are giving me the cold shoulder like I'm some sort of spy. But tell you what that Rocket guy? He's a freakin genius. I'd heard the rumours but man you should see him work.
Rocket grinned and could feel his face getting hot under his fur, sure he felt a bit bad listening in but this was totally worth it
Unknown - Rocket? That creepy little beast? Man if I was close enough to see him work I'd be close enough to smell the animal. (laughing). Hard pass on that front my man!
Ouch, that hurt. Rocket did lift an arm and sniff though and couldn't argue
Kai - ...(silence)
Unknown - You still there?
Kai - I'm gonna say this real slow so you can keep up. The only stinking creep I've had to deal with lately is you. Now get to what you want I've got more important things to be doing.
Unknown - Yikes someone's a bit sensitive. Want you to look at some parts. Few need fixing. Paying the usual flat rate plus 10% when the gear shifts.
Kai - Not interested.
Unknown - C'mon man how about 15...
Disconnect
Rocket reset the intercom and stepped back lost in thought. Kai was being nice about him. Not just to his face but behind his back too. Yondu was right, a single drop of kindness really made him realise how empty he was. It was such a different feeling to what he had been conditioned to it felt like that drop was enough to drown him. All his motivation to tinker with parts had left him. Rocket wandered back to his quarters, tail sagging all the way. The strip lighting had been switched to hibernate in the corridors which mean it was time to sleep anyway. He guessed Quill wanted some more time to relax before making the jump to Xandar. Right now he only wanted to sleep. He had been working hard all day fixing the ship and he didn't have the physical energy left to think about feelings Urgh. He pushed the thoughts away. He'd wake up in the morning with that crap back in it's triple locked vault where it belonged. "You can fool yourself and everyone else, but you can't fool me!"
'Alright ya frickin' blue jerk' Rocket was talking to the memory of Quills real father. Not long before his passing he challenged Rocket to start caring. In his defence it was on his to do list. He had simply lost the list somewhere that was all. Joking aside Rocket knew time had run out though, it was time to confront his demons. Hell he was starting to wonder if that blue idiot had sent Kai here himself. Rocket sighed and suddenly missed the days Him and Groot spent hunting bounties like honest criminals. Simpler times. Simpler worries.
Kai wandered back to the work station but found it deserted. It definitely wasn't smart to touch anything in there alone. He had heard about the Darwin awards on earth and was sure that touching devices, unsupervised, made by the Raccoon would land him right at the top of the podium for that years ceremony. It was disappointing but he'd have to head back to his room for now. The day had flashed by but when he thought of all that had happened it was enough to make him yawn. Giving his hair one last wipe with the towel and pulling off the interface from his forearm he face planted on the bed. It was so damn comfy. Yup, I could definitely get used to this. The thought had barely left his mind before his cybernetics sensed rest and gave him a firm nudge into unconsciousness.
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