Part One of Two
As per usual when Charlie fixed the team dinner, the Guardians were broken into smaller pairs, although they resided within the same space. Peter and Rocket animatedly spoke about possible upgrades to the ship. Groot, content in his vase, listened intently. Drax, Gamora, and Charlie spoke about places in the galaxy they once dreamed of visiting.
"My home planet was destroyed when Thanos came," explained Gamora. "It is a shame I couldn't bring you all there."
Having overheard, Rocket chimed, "You know whose home planet isn't destroyed? Charlie and Peter's."
The two shared a disappointed look, automatically knowing the request wasn't within their power. "I can't even begin to explain all the reasons why we can't take a trip to Terra," declined Peter.
"Well, it's not like we're busy," said Rocket, reclining in his seat.
Peter sent a look to Charlie, silently asking her to get in on the conversation. She, in return, gave a minor shrug, beginning with an obvious point: "Aliens."
"Yes, the people on Terra sorta have no clue they exist, and would probably use lethal force if we walked around with a talking raccoon," explained Peter.
"And we can't land the ship there, because as soon as we entered the atmosphere, we'd be classified as a UFO and proceed to be, most likely, shot down," continued Charlie.
"Plus, it's been twenty-something years," said Peter. "So much has probably changed. Charlie and I would look strange."
Charlie's brow raised. She grabbed a metal spoon from the drawer and examined her features. "Yeah, I still look exactly like my mother. There's an incredibly high chance someone from our hometown would recognize me."
"What's so terrible about that?" wondered Gamora.
"My parents, his grandfather all probably went crazy looking for Peter and I," said Charlie. "At some point, they would have had to have given up on the idea of finding us and accept our loss."
"Popping back into their lives just to leave again..." trailed off Peter.
Rocket tried to divert the conversation. "Have you ever thought 'bout checking for Terran news?"
"The rodent has a helpful idea," agreed Drax. "Perhaps there are other Terran's in the galaxy."
"I doubt that," said Peter.
"Earth --err, Terra-- is a very guarded planet. It's impossible for a spacecraft to get in and out of the atmosphere without somebody noticing," explained Charlie.
"Then how did Yondu do it?" challenged Gamora.
Sipping her beer, Charlie nodded, rather impressed with the quick quip. "Valid question," she praised.
All of a sudden, Peter shot up straight in his chair. Eyes widened, staring into the distance, he spoke as though he had unlocked the secret to the universe. "Stealth mode."
"What?" asked Rocket.
"We're going to make this ship invisible," said Peter.
"Does that mean we're going to Terra?" asked Drax.
Snapping their heads to him, Charlie said a stern, "No," while Peter replied with an excited, "Yes!" Hearing their different answers, the two turned to one another. "What? Why not?" demanded Peter.
"Even if we did go stealth mode, what about the scanners? We can't be sure that NASA, or the FBI, or someone federal won't pick up on our ship somehow," stressed Charlie.
"Ranger Rick and I got this," promised Peter. "Don't worry your beautiful little face about it."
"So..." said Gamora curiously.
"We're going to Terra!" yelled Peter before Charlie could decline again.