Gamora was frustrated. She’d been lying low and minding her own business, but now she was on the run from a bunch of angry pig-men with Rocket Raccoon in tow. It wasn’t at all what she’d planned for or expected. The ship that was supposed to save them was missing, and they only had moments to figure out what to do next.

“D’AST!” exclaimed Rocket, taking off in another direction. “This way!”

“Where exactly are we going, Rocket?” Gamora asked, darting over the debris-covered streets of Degenera.

“I’ll let you know when we get there!” Rocket yelled, his little legs growing more tired by the second. They were moving fast, but they couldn’t keep running forever.

“Gamora!” a voice called out from one of the shacks. A small hand belonging to a short hooded figure began furiously waving. “Over here!”

Rocket looked at Gamora wide-eyed. “You got friends here you didn’t tell me about?” he asked, sweaty and wheezing. They rushed into the shabby living quarters as the Kodabaks ran by without a glance. Rocket and Gamora breathed a sigh of relief, having escaped their enemies. The shack was damp and smelled of body odor. Its owner slowly removed his hood, revealing a familiar face.

“Welcome to Degenera,” said Pip the Troll. “Sorry about the smell.” Pip had known Gamora for many years. They were once members of the Infinity Watch, a handful of heroes who traveled the galaxy looking for the fabled Infinity Stones. It was a difficult task that took its toll on the group. Eventually they went their separate ways. Gamora hadn’t seen Pip in quite some time, but their reunion was a lot less dramatic than the other one that was taking place.

“My old nemesis!” shouted Rocket, marching up to Pip.

“Keep your voice down, raccoon! You want those Kodabaks to find you?” Pip grunted. “And, for the record, you are my old nemesis!”

Pip and Rocket had crossed paths before, many years ago, before either one of them had ever met Gamora. It hadn’t gone well.

“I’m not a raccoon, and you know that! YOU KNOW THAT!” Rocket said in a heated whisper.

“Hello, Pip,” Gamora said, eyeing the cramped space. “It’s good to see you, even under these strange circumstances.”

“It’s weird, all right. But good!” Pip said warmly. “The universe is a small place, I guess.”

“I didn’t know you and Rocket had history,” Gamora said. “Will working together be a problem?”

“HA!” cackled Rocket. “No. I’m a professional. I’m here to help you. That’s what friends are for, right?”

“Yeah, me too,” added Pip. “Whatever you need, I’m there for you. That’s what friends are for.”

“I JUST SAID—” Rocket closed his eyes and took a very deep breath. “Keep it together, Rocket. You’re better than this.”

“What brings you to Degenera?” asked Pip. “It’s not exactly paradise.”

“I’m searching for an item,” Gamora said, activating her holographic projector. “A box that once belonged to my father, Thanos.” Rocket and Pip shuddered. Thanos was one of the galaxy’s most notorious villains, after all. Being Gamora’s father didn’t make him any less scary.

“What’s inside that thing?” Rocket asked.

Gamora paused. “I don’t know,” she confessed. “I was told never to touch it. When I was a girl, I always believed it contained something of value to my father, something powerful. He used it as a bargaining chip to gain my obedience. Once, I caught my sister trying to open it, but she was unable to do so. When I grabbed it, snatching the box from her grasp, it began to open. I believe I know why, but before either of us could see inside, Thanos angrily swiped it from my hands. I never saw it again, but I remember what it looks like, every single inch. I know Nebula does as well. It could all be a mind game of my father’s design, or it could be … something else.”

“OooOooOoo, you mean like an Infinity Stone?” asked Pip.

“As a girl I dreamed that whatever was in that box could take me far away. Away from the madness … It’s silly to think about now,” Gamora confided. “It fell out of Thanos’s hands and went missing. For years I’ve been following rumors and reports of its whereabouts, as if it were a strange myth. Leads always seemed to run dry, and I eventually gave up looking. That’s when it reappeared. I received an image from a cosmic trading post that confirmed the box’s existence in the region. It’s changing hands quickly and I need to find it immediately.”

“So what are we waiting for? Let’s go find this thing so you can come on home to the Guardians of the Galaxy. Your real team,” Rocket said, shaking his finger at Pip. “This troll will teleport us anywhere we need to go. It’s the only thing he’s good for!”

“Um, well, uh, I’ve got some bad news,” Pip said sheepishly. “My teleporting powers have been kind of nutty lately.”

“Oh, great. The troll is broken! He’s useless!” Rocket said, pacing around the tiny hut in a fervor. “What do we do now? Fly a holo-banner across the Milky Way?”

“I can still track stuff, you mangy beast!” Pip said, sticking his finger in Rocket’s face.

“STOP. Both of you. There’s more,” Gamora began. “My sources have told me that my sister, Nebula, has also been tracking the box. Although neither of us can confirm its contents, I fear that if that box falls into her hands, the entire universe could be in danger.”

“So, troll, how do we get off this stinky planet? Some flarknard stole my rental ship,” Rocket grumped.

“I’m glad you asked,” Pip said, opening a curtain to reveal a small old spacecraft.

“You want the three of us to fly around in that fossilized hunk of junk?” asked Rocket. “I’ve seen bathrooms bigger than this! You’re out of your mind, stubby.”

“I like to think of it as vintage cozy,” Pip said, patting the spaceship’s side. A metal panel fell off, exposing its ancient circuitry. “Heh-heh. Nothing to see here.”

Gamora rolled her eyes and wondered whether involving Rocket and Pip in her quest was the right choice. But there was no time to think about it. They all climbed into the cramped vessel and prepared for takeoff. Pip moved toward the main cabin and was brushed aside by Rocket.

“Beat it, troll. I’m flyin’ this thing,” Rocket said, sitting down in the captain’s chair.

“Talk to me like that again, raccoon. See what happens,” Pip countered.

“I. AM. NOT. A. RACCOON,” Rocket said, his voice rising.

“That hairy mug of yours has 'raccoon' written all over it,” Pip scoffed.

“Why don’t you try putting a mask on, tiny? I’m sick of looking at that ugly troll face,” Rocket barked.

“Say it one more time, Raccoon!" Pip growled.

“ENOUGH!” Gamora boomed. She was getting a headache. “Listen to these words, as I’ll only say them once: settle your differences.”

“Fine,” said Rocket, surrendering his chair. “I’m going to go put my feet up and try to forget that I let a stumpy little troll tell me what to do.”

Pip settled into the captain’s chair and began flipping switches. “Strap in!” he said, turning to Gamora. “Where we headed?”

“Zaldrex,” she said. rswiVSKryq2zOhXg5mioevFj3n38fRqc/CGFsP0JEgVBTkW9cvJvp8rOkpdP1g2x