Experiment: The Ravager Code

Purpose and Promise

Two others moved instantly, getting him up off the ground and getting him out, and Tess watched, her heart feeling like it would beat out of her chest as her knees buckled and she slid to the floor, the sobs finally coming.

Horuz looked like he was already dreading the encounter he would have with Yondu later, even if he had only walked away for a moment, but Kraglin nodded to him and he turned to the others that were supposed to be heading out.

"Well, get on with it, nothing to see here," Horuz told them, sending whispering men scattering.

Kraglin held the knife in his hand up and looked at it slightly, no remorse for what he had done but when he looked at Tess he wished he would've done it elsewhere, but when he saw that... saw her so scared and helpless again, and knew what that man would've done to her—he snapped. Instinct had just taken completely over and he saw red through his next actions.

Tess was staring at the dismembered hand still laying on the ground, her breath gasping sobs as Kraglin slowly kneeled in front of her.

"You okay..?" he asked gently, reaching out to touch his fingers to her shoulder.

She gasped a few times, looking between the hand, then his knife, then his eyes. "You—you just... He—I couldn't stop it, I just..." She started crying again, shivering as she buried her face in her hands.

"I know, it's alright. They ain't gonna hurt you, not when I'm around."

She didn't know why she did it, but she threw herself up and straight forward into his arms, clutching the front of his leathers for dear life, sobbing into his chest.

He tentatively put his hand on the back of her head, eyes steely-but-sad, still angry, but now for the fact that had he not been here she would've been—

He closed his eyes and decided not to think about it. He couldn't, or else he might just go and take off the other hand.

- - - - - -

That night Yondu was livid, and the entire crew was made well aware.

According to him Tess' harasser ''got off easy'' for what Kraglin did to him, and threatened to take off more... sensitive things—though that was certainly not how he worded it—if it ever happen again.

After that the whispers only grew more, but only if they were absolutely sure the captain was nowhere in sight.

And Tess was humiliated.

She couldn't do anything about it, not even that rush of power that had exploded from her that day in the showers had swept to the surface, and she wondered if she was only going to end up more trouble than she was worth.

"Ain't touched your food," Yondu said in that softer tone he always seemed to keep around her, entering her new quarters the night of the incident.

Tess glanced to her untouched dinner, then away again, still queasy even after hours. "Not hungry."

He watched her for a few moments, silent and observing, watching the way she curled into herself, the blanket tight around her shoulders and her entire body hidden under it all but her head.

"If you don't eat you won't heal," he began, taking the few steps through the small room to sit beside her on the cot. "And how're ya gonna learn to fight if you don't heal?"

She looked up at him quickly, confused and startled. "What?"

He reached down to his belt and unclipped a small holster from it, passing it to her and waiting as she tentatively took it from his hands.

As she looked down at it she realized it was a small blaster, and it looked brand new.

"I... I can't shoot..." she said quietly, still gazing down at it.

"What do you say we fix that?"

She felt her heart stumble around, something like excitement at hearing it. "You... you mean..?"

"How about we start your training tomorrow? Start getting some strength back in you?"

Tess' eyes widened more, her mouth wanting to curve up, and she shook her head vigorously. "Yes! Yes, please, I want to."

He chuckled softly, still finding that little warm glow flickering inside him when he saw her happy, and ruffled her hair softly. "Good, we'll make a Ravager outta you yet, kid."

She blinked, shaking her head in surprise as he stood. "Wh— A Ravager?"

He smirked at her. "Yeah, if that's what you want. You've got something in there we can tap into, and until then, you're doing a damn good job with the mechanics."

She actually smiled then, pure joy and hope blossoming in her and feeling like someone had lit a candle inside her heart. "I won't let you down, Captain."

"I know you won't, I know."

- - - - - - -

"Been reading these strange signals on the radar for a week now, Sir." one of the Nav told Yondu later that night.

He watched the screens in the darker room, seeing the blinking red lights a parsec from the Eclector's coordinates, an uneasy tingle going down his neck as his implant flashed slightly. "Run a scan on the beacons yet?"

"Unknown freight, most likely smugglers of some sort."

His jaw feathered as he looked at those little lights indicating some kind of vessel just seeming to lay stalking less than a jump away from them, and he figured being safe was better than regretting not having made a decision that would cost them less than if that freight was what he thought it was. "Get us outta range of it, keep moving."

"Yessir." the Nav answered, and Yondu turned to leave. "But, uh, Cap?"

He paused, waiting for the man to continue.

"Too many jumps like this and we could start running out the fuel quicker, you may want to take that into consideration?"

"I already did. Jump the ship until you're out of range. That's an order."

Fuel... as if that was important now. Maybe he was a fool but the thought of someone coming after them with Tess as their target was cutting him on an open wound, stinging so deep he couldn't ignore it.

If someone thought they were going to track them down to take back that girl... well, they would have another thing coming for them.