Peter stood up slowly, rubbing his sore jaw.
He looked at Sam, then looked at the terrifying wall of pink swords outside his window.
He didn't know what to do.
"Quill, just give him the stupid metal ball,"
Rocket groaned, pulling himself out of a pile of broken ship parts.
"What? Are you crazy?"
Peter argued, looking down at the small raccoon.
"We almost died trying to get this thing! It is worth a fortune!"
"I don't care about the money right now! I care about my own survival!"
Rocket yelled, pointing a furry finger directly at Sam and Hela.
"He can control a whole bunch of flying swords, and this woman just beat Drax with one single hand! Give him the orb before they decide to actually kill us!"
Peter let out a heavy, defeated sigh. Rocket was right.
They were completely outmatched.
Peter reached into his leather bag, pulled out the heavy metal orb, and carefully handed it to Sam.
"Fine. Take it,"
Peter said, crossing his arms.
Sam smiled and put the orb safely inside his spatial ring.
"Thank you,"
Sam said.
Peter frowned, his mind suddenly focusing on what Sam had said earlier.
"Wait a minute,"
Peter said, looking confused.
"You said you were from a planet called Earth. What is Earth?"
Sam looked at him with deep, understanding eyes.
"It is a beautiful blue and green planet,"
Sam explained softly.
"It is the place where humans come from. It is your home planet, Peter. You are Earth-born."
Peter shook his head quickly.
"No, that doesn't make any sense,"
Peter argued.
"I am not from Earth. I am from Missouri."
Sam could not help but feel a little bit of pity. He felt a wave of sympathy for the lost boy.
"Missouri is on Earth,"
Sam said, his voice incredibly kind.
"It is a state right in the middle of the country. You were taken from your home when you were just a little boy. But your home is still there."
Peter's eyes went wide.
His tough, space-pirate attitude completely melted away.
For a second, he just looked like a lost little kid.
"Missouri is... on Earth?"
Peter whispered, his voice shaking.
"Yes,"
Sam nodded.
"You have been running around the galaxy for a very long time. If you want, you and your friends can follow my battleship. I can show you the way back. You can finally go home."
Before Peter could answer, loud, blaring sirens filled the Milano.
The radar screen flashed violently.
Outside the window, dozens of bright yellow, star-shaped spaceships dropped out of hyperspace.
It was the Nova Corps.
They completely surrounded the Milano, trapping them from all sides.
"Attention, runaway prisoners!"
A loud, robotic police voice boomed over the radio.
"This is the Nova Corps! Turn off your engines and prepare to be boarded! You are completely surrounded!"
"Oh great,"
Rocket groaned, slapping his forehead.
"We are going right back to prison."
Gamora grabbed her sword again, looking incredibly tense.
"Their energy shields are up,"
Gamora warned them.
"We cannot shoot our way out of this."
Sam simply sighed. He didn't want to waste any more time.
"Don't worry,"
Sam said calmly.
"I will handle this."
Sam did not pull out a weapon. He didn't even raise his voice.
He just looked out the front window at the fleet of police ships, and he gently flicked his finger.
*Whoosh!*
Outside in the dark vacuum of space, the ocean of one hundred thousand pink swords suddenly moved.
They shot forward like brilliant streaks of lightning.
The Nova Corps ships quickly raised their thick energy shields.
But it did absolutely nothing.
The ancient, heavy Cultivation energy sliced right through their high-tech shields like a hot knife cutting through soft butter.
But Sam was very precise. He was not a murderer of innocence.
He perfectly controlled every single sword.
The pink blades didn't touch a single pilot.
Instead, they sliced cleanly through the back of every Nova Corps ship, destroying only their engines.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
In less than three seconds, every single police ship lost its power.
Their lights went dark, and they floated helplessly in space, completely unable to move or chase them.
Inside the Milano, the entire crew was frozen in absolute shock.
Their jaws were practically touching the floor.
Sam turned back to Peter, his hands resting easily in his pockets.
"So,"
Sam smiled, acting like nothing had just happened.
"Are you following me to Earth, or not?"
The Milano was completely quiet.
Peter, Gamora, Drax, and Rocket were still staring out the window at the broken police fleet.
They couldn't find their words.
But one member of the crew was not afraid at all.
Groot slowly stepped forward.
The tall, gentle tree alien walked right up to Sam.
Because Sam was a Cultivator with a deep, pure connection to the energy of life, he radiated a very warm, comforting aura.
To Groot, standing near Sam felt like standing in a perfect, sunlit forest.
Groot gently reached out his long, wooden fingers and touched Sam's shoulder.
"I am Groot,"
Groot said softly, his dark eyes full of absolute peace.
Rocket finally blinked and shook his head, looking at his tall friend in disbelief.
"What do you mean he smells like a perfect sunny day?"
Rocket asked, completely confused.
"He just blew up fifty spaceships with magic pink swords! Step away from him, buddy!"
"I am Groot,"
Groot replied happily, refusing to move.
Sam let out a warm, deep laugh. He reached up and gently patted Groot's wooden arm.
"It is very nice to meet you too, Groot,"
Sam smiled.
"You have a very pure soul. Actually, I have some friends who are a lot like you. Let me introduce you."
Sam raised his hand.
A small, sparkling portal opened right next to him.
Little D and Little H stepped through the portal, coming straight from the Stark battleship.
Groot looked down at the two small helpers. His wooden face showed pure curiosity.
Little D and Little H looked like small robots or dolls, but they were not made of metal.
They were carved entirely out of pure, ancient wood.
Deep down, at the very root of their magic, they were made of the exact same life energy as Groot.
They were fundamentally the same.
Little D was happy, spun in a circle around Groot's long legs.
"New friend! H, we have a new friend on board!"
Little H stomped forward. The tiny, wooden Hulk looked up at the giant tree.
Groot slowly knelt down on the metal floor.
He held out his hand. A tiny, beautiful green flower bloomed right from his fingertip.
He offered the flower to Little H.
Little H took the flower carefully. His angry little wooden face broke into a huge, happy smile.
He raised his little fists in the air.
"Hulk... friends!"
Little H cheered loudly.
"I am Groot,"
Groot answered, gently patting Little H on the head.
They became best friends in less than a minute.
Peter watched the giant tree playing happily with the two wooden helpers.
The heavy tension in the room completely melted away.
Peter let out a long breath and ran a hand through his messy hair.
"Well,"
Peter sighed, a small, genuine smile finally showing on his face.
"If the giant tree trusts you, I guess you can't be all bad."
Sam looked over at the space pirate.
"So, what is your choice, Peter?"
Sam asked calmly.
"Are you going to keep running around the galaxy, or are you ready to see where you came from?"
Peter looked at Gamora.
She gave him a slow, trusting nod.
He looked at Rocket and Drax, who both just shrugged.
They really had nowhere else to go.
Peter looked back at Sam.
His space-pirate mask was gone.
He just looked like a man who finally wanted to stop running.
"Earth,"
Peter said, his voice steady and sure.
"Show us the way to Earth, Sam. I think it is time for me to go home."
A short time later, the massive silver battleship and the Milano landed safely on the large landing pad at Stark Tower.
Sam and Hela walked inside, leading Peter Quill, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot.
Tony Stark was waiting for them in the main living area.
He held a cup of coffee.
When he saw the group of space pirates, he froze.
He slowly lowered his coffee cup.
"Sam,"
Tony said, pointing a finger at the strange crew.
"You went into space for a quick test drive. Why did you bring a team of aliens back to my house?"
"They are friendly,"
Sam smiled, walking into the room.
"And one of them is actually from Earth."
Tony looked at the giant tree, then at the green woman, and finally at the grumpy raccoon.
"I am guessing it is not the talking raccoon,"
Tony joked.
"I am not a raccoon!"
Rocket yelled angrily.
Tony held up his hands to stop the argument.
He looked at all of them with a very serious face.
"Before anyone touches anything,"
Tony commanded.
"We need to do a full medical scan. I just had a baby girl. I am not letting any weird alien viruses or space bugs onto this planet."
"Scan them, JARVIS,"
Tony said to the ceiling.
A soft, bright blue light dropped from the ceiling.
It quickly swept over Peter Quill and his entire crew.
"The scans are completely clear, Boss,"
JARVIS announced politely.
"They do not carry any harmful viruses. They are all green."
"Good,"
Tony let out a long breath, finally relaxing his shoulders.
Peter Quill did not pay attention to the scan.
He was standing right next to the massive glass window.
He stared out at the bright, busy streets of New York City.
He saw the tall buildings, the yellow taxis, and the blue sky.
His eyes were wide, and his hands were shaking just a little bit.
"Is this... Missouri?"
Peter asked softly, his voice full of deep emotion and pure curiosity.
"No,"
Sam walked over and stood next to him.
"This is New York. It is a very big city. But Missouri is not too far away. You have a lot to learn about your home planet, Peter. A lot of things have changed since you left."
Just as Sam finished speaking, the elevator doors opened with a soft
*ding*.
Peter Parker, MJ, and Ned walked out. They were wearing their Qi-enhanced armor.
They had come to the tower to give Tony their daily training report.
"Mr. Stark,"
Peter Parker said happily, holding a small notebook.
"We finished our patrol and we wanted to make a report—"
Peter Parker completely stopped talking.
He dropped his notebook.
Ned gasped loudly, his eyes going as wide as dinner plates.
MJ just stopped walking and raised a single, curious eyebrow.
"Whoa,"
Ned whispered loudly.
"Are those... real aliens?"
Groot turned around and looked at the three teenagers.
He offered a very gentle wave.
"I am Groot,"
Groot smiled happily.
"He says hello,"
Rocket grumbled from the floor.
Peter Parker's jaw dropped.
"The tree can talk? And the raccoon can talk too?!"
Tony looked at the three shocked teenagers, and then he looked at the space pirates.
A bright, clever idea suddenly popped into his head.
"Perfect timing, kids,"
Tony smiled proudly, clapping his hands together.
"I have a brand new, highly important task for you three."
"Really?"
Peter Parker asked, quickly picking up his notebook.
"Is it a secret mission? Do we get to fight bad guys?"
"No,"
Tony laughed, shaking his head.
"You are going to be tour guides. Peter Quill and his friends here do not know anything about modern Earth. I want you three to show them around. Teach them our rules, buy them some good food, and make sure they don't do something reckless."
"We get to hang out with actual space pirates?"
MJ asked, a genuine smile finally showing on her face.
"That sounds acceptable."
Sam looked at the two Peters. One was a young hero, and the other was a lost space pirate finally returning home.
"Take good care of them, Peter,"
Sam smiled at the young Spider-Man.
"Yes, Uncle Sam!"
Peter Parker nodded enthusiastically.
He walked right up to Peter Quill and held out his hand.
"Hi, I am Peter,"
Peter Parker said politely.
"That is funny,"
Quill smiled, shaking his hand.
"I am Peter, too. Let's go see what Earth is all about."
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