Starting as a Class Five Mutant

Hearing the High Priestess's words, Star-Lord couldn't help but quip, "I still prefer the traditional way of making people."

The golden-skinned High Priestess Ayesha raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Perhaps one day, you could give me a history lesson on the old traditions of your ancestors."

At her words, a servant nearby stifled a chuckle, her face showing a trace of amusement.

Realizing her words might have sounded inappropriate, Ayesha quickly added, "Purely for academic research purposes."

Star-Lord smirked. "I'd be honored. In the name of academic research, I think that would be very…"

Before he could finish, Gamora, standing nearby, shot him a sharp look.

Noticing Gamora's glare, Star-Lord hesitated, then finished his sentence with a grin. "…distasteful."

Turning back to Ayesha, he added, "I think that might be crossing a line. I'm not that kind of guy."

Before he could elaborate further, Gamora, clearly impatient, interjected, "Enough talk. You promised a reward for this mission. Let's get it and move on."

At her words, a small door in the golden hall opened, and two guards escorted a figure inside.

As the hood was removed, Star-Lord and the others recognized her immediately—a blue-skinned woman covered in mechanical enhancements: Nebula, Gamora's sister.

"Well, it's a family reunion," Star-Lord quipped.

From her seat, Ayesha spoke, "I know she's your sister, but to me, she's just a bounty from Xandar."

She explained, "She tried to steal our batteries but was caught by our soldiers."

"I leave her fate in your hands," Ayesha concluded.

Gamora grabbed Nebula and began dragging her toward the exit.

"We are very grateful, High Priestess Ayesha," Star-Lord said before turning to leave with Rocket and Drax.

Before he could take another step, Ayesha called out, "What is your lineage, Mr. Quill?"

Star-Lord paused, thinking for a moment. "My mother was from Earth."

"And your father?" Ayesha pressed.

Quill joked, "Well, he wasn't American. That's all I know."

Ayesha's tone became serious. "I see an extraordinary heritage in you. The combination of your bloodlines is utterly… absurd."

"Utter nonsense!" she exclaimed, her voice tinged with disbelief.

Clearly, Ayesha had noticed something unusual about Star-Lord.

Star-Lord, however, was left puzzled.

The room fell silent.

Breaking the tension, Rocket chimed in, "You know, he called all of you self-righteous jerks not long ago…"

A chorus of gasps erupted, and the atmosphere shifted dramatically. Soldiers raised their energy weapons in response.

Star-Lord turned to Rocket in shock before glancing nervously at Ayesha, who was glaring at him.

The Sovereign whispered among themselves, their expressions darkening.

Sensing the escalating tension, Star-Lord quickly hurried after Gamora.

"Damn it, did I say something wrong again?" Rocket muttered. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"

Before he could finish, Drax grabbed him by the scruff and dragged him toward the exit.

"You should be grateful they didn't kill you," Drax said.

"No kidding," Rocket admitted, realizing the danger he'd narrowly escaped.

With a mischievous grin, Rocket opened his bag to reveal several glowing yellow energy batteries. "Want to buy a battery or two?"

Drax immediately recognized them as the Sovereign's energy cells and burst into laughter.

"Shh!" Rocket hushed him, holding a finger to his lips.

Soon, the group boarded the Milano.

"Alright, let's deliver this bald blue lady to Xandar for the bounty," Rocket said, firing up the ship's engines.

The Milano roared to life, its thrusters blazing as it ascended through the atmosphere.

Meanwhile, Gamora chained Nebula to the ship's railing.

"I'm hungry. Give me some yaro root," Nebula demanded, eyeing the basket of carrot-like fruits nearby.

"They're not ripe yet, and I hate you," Gamora retorted, frowning.

"Hate me?" Nebula spat back. "If it weren't for that man who killed Ronan, do you think you'd be lounging around like this?"

The mere memory of that terrifying figure sent a chill through Nebula.

Ronan had led her to retrieve the Stone, only to be killed by that monstrous individual. The Stone had been taken, and Nebula had barely escaped, evading capture by Xandarian forces.

"I'll break these chains soon enough and kill you. I swear it!" Nebula growled, glaring at her shackles.

Gamora turned back. "No, you'll rot in Xandar's prison for the rest of your life. Kill me? Dream on."

Nebula glared daggers at her sister.

Just as Gamora was about to retort, an alarm blared throughout the ship.

Gamora rushed to check the situation.

On the monitor, the Milano, now in the Sovereign's outer space, was being pursued by a fleet of Sovereign ships.

"What's going on?" Star-Lord asked in confusion. "There's a whole squad of Sovereign ships on our tail."

Surveying the screen filled with approaching ships, Gamora frowned. "What do they want?"

Drax pondered for a moment before casually remarking, "Maybe it's because Rocket stole some of their batteries?"

"Dude!" Rocket turned to him in disbelief.

Drax shrugged. "Alright, you didn't steal them. Who knows why they're chasing us. Weird."

At that moment, a golden laser bolt grazed the Milano, fired by the Sovereign ships.

Star-Lord's heart skipped a beat as he quickly piloted the ship into evasive maneuvers.

Dodging another blast, he shouted, "Rocket, what were you thinking?!"

"They were really easy to steal!" Rocket defended himself.

"That's your reason?" Gamora snapped.

"Come on, did you see how high and mighty that Priestess was? I was teaching her a lesson!" Rocket replied indignantly.

"You're so considerate," Star-Lord mocked. "No wonder Ayesha didn't appreciate your kindness."

Rocket and Star-Lord bickered as Gamora, exasperated, yelled, "Can you two save this fight for after the space battle?!"

"We're under attack!" Star-Lord shouted.

"I'm ready to blast them all!" Rocket grinned, full of determination.

The two maneuvered the Milano, firing laser cannons and taking down several ships.

Watching Rocket's smug face, Gamora couldn't resist deflating his ego. "You haven't killed anyone. These drones are all remote-controlled!"

"This isn't working. We need to lose them or find somewhere to hold them off," Gamora said.

Star-Lord suddenly suggested, "Let's head to Earth!"

He began preparing for a warp jump.

"Earth?" Gamora and the others were taken aback.

Isn't that Star-Lord's home planet? And the place where the White Knight resides?

(End of Chapter)

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