6399/Milano Tales: Gamora, Thanos' Wrath Incarnate

Milano Tales: Gamora, Thanos' Wrath Incarnate
Date of Scene:	31 May 2021
Location:	Knowhere
Synopsis:	Gamora having doubts as to how Phyla-Vell could help, thinking may be Peter has lost his mind (again?) sits down to a meal and drinks with Phyla. She learns the stranger is actually Quasar and the whole opportunity to rescue Nebula becomes tantalisingly real.
Cast of Characters:	Gamora, Phyla-Vell

---

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora is in dire need of a drink.

    Sadly, she is currently at Knowhere, simultaneously the best place to get a drink, and - in her mind at this point - the worst place to trust one. So though the aesthetic does not suit her... she finds herself at a cafe.

    With company!

    Phyla-vell is a point of absolute confusion for Gamora right now, and at this deeply confusing moment in her life, she needs that to clear up yesterday. If nothing else, she doesn't like getting her hopes up.

    Gamora sits across from Phyla with the hood of her cloak covering most of her head, impatiently rapping her fingers on the table withh one hand, and disinterestedly poking at food with another. "... So." She says, little betteer at starting conversations than she started, unless it's to issue threats or receive orders. "... Quill seems sure you can help us."

Phyla-Vell has posed:
    Bonding! Why not make new friends. Friends are good. Peter trusts his crew, so she must be trustworthy. Not necessarily trust worthy for her but that can change. Invited to drinks? Why the heck not.

    Taking a seat down, no disguises for her - she isn't wanted by anyone but criminals and they'd be foolish to try. She watches the paranoid hood in place and then taps the table top, "I'm paying."

    The drink is brought to her lips and she takes a long gulp. "I can," she says and smiles. "What's the deal here though. Peter isn't really the 'i need help' kinda guy. He rushes in blindly and somehow makes it out with his butt intact."

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora is silent when Phyla declares she's paying, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. It is entirely possible that this is the first time she has ever been offered the kind of generosity that a sane person would recognize by a woman before. Men, certainly, but... it's still weird.

    "The deal..." Gamora sighs, "... is a rescue mission that requires us to catch, board, and then leave the Dark Aster while defending a person who may or may not want to leave. A task as suicidal in victory as the extremely likely event of failure."

    Gamora sips from a drink that isn't nearly as alcoholic as her brain is craving right now, and sets it down with a sigh.

Phyla-Vell has posed:
    Phyla nods her head and leans back a touch. She steeples her finger tips and says. "Yes that bit I get. But it's the who that has me puzzled. Why would Ronan the Accuser come all the way out of his way to kidnap just one of your crew. Why is this person so special but no one else."

    She leans forward again, "For that matter, why did he leave anyone of you alive?," she takes another sip. "It's not really his M.O. to leave survivors. Just recently I got a report of some vacation theme park moon that he bombed to dust."

    She picks up her food and takes a bit. Oh yes, the medieval world they visited is gone - they hadn't even heard until this very moment what their fate was. No more gnug legs.

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora turns her head away a bit in a slightly evasive gesture as Phyla lists her questions, but notably her gaze snaps back to the silver haired woman when she hears of the 'vacation moon'.

    "Eskeem-Six?!" she blurts out in alarm, visibly paling for a moment, her partly obscured yellow eyes widening. "But they... they didn't..." Gamora falls silent. Even she knows subterfuge isn't her strong suit, and she may have just given Phyla a thread she wasn't willing to have unravelled right this second.

Phyla-Vell has posed:
    Phyla leans back again. She peers at Gamora for a little longer before she says, "Something tells me you know a little something about Eskeem-Six." She tilts her head, "Ronan going there wouldn't have anything to do with this person we're going to rescue would it?"

    "Clearly you care a lot about this person," she says managing to poke on a sore point without even trying. But it's clear on her face she means well. A hand runs through her white hair and she returns to the food and drink.

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora is reeling, visibly leaning back into her chair as she tries to process this. Eskeem-Six couldn't have done anything to warrant that. Hell, until a month or two ago their leadership wanted to get on Thanos' good side. She can imagine some ridiculous chain of terrible mistakes with the new leadership leading to problems, but... there's no need when there's a very simple line to draw.

    They destroyed it because of her. Because she set foot on it.

    Where else has she been since then? The Branch World station? Oa? The Earth? Could they all be...?"

    Gamora tries to raise her glass with one hand, but it begins to tremble enough that she sets it back down quickly. A few moments later she suddenly remembers how to breathe properly. They think she's dead. It's not even that they won't follow her anymore; the places she's been to, the places she'll go for the rest of her life... they won't have to face the penalty of being in her wake.

    Gamora's voice sounds more stable, and yet very dry as she begins to speak, "... Listen. You seem a decent person. But Quill's optimism is unwarranted at the best of times, and this...?" Gamora shakes her head, "... Even if you could help, my sis-... the person we're after... she's a killer. And a liar. Everything decent inside of her was burned out of her years ago, and all that's left is a monster with no regard for life or decency." She says, thinking specifically of the cloned body Nebula created of Gamora.

    "She doesn't deserve your help..." Gamora says, looking away, "... and neither do I."

Phyla-Vell has posed:
    Phyla can see Gamora is struggling with something deep inside. Whatever their involvement that has drawn Ronan after them, they don't deserve it. She stands up and places a hand upon Gamora's shoulder and there is a warmth there, not just a body warmth hand, but a nice warm heater kind of hand. It's an odd thing.

    "I've seen that look before," she says. "You think you're not worth saving. You think your.. sister? is not worth saving. But anyone who crosses Ronan like this? they're worth saving. If there were a way, even Ronan would be worth saving. In his case.. I don't think there is a way. He's said his piece to the Kree High Council and will not budge."

    She remembers the speech. It was broadcast. The Supreme Intelligence was livid.

    "You're worried I'm putting my life in danger for no good reason and you don't want anyone else to get hurt because of you, am I right?," she asks empathetically. "Gamora, I don't see a monster sitting here. I see a woman worried about her sister and caring about the people around her enough to want to push them away. But that's not how friends do," she says with a smile.

    "Do you really think Peter would have called me for help if he didn't think I could handle it? I'm not going to turn away now," she says. "Have you ever heard of Quasar?" The equivalent of a space superhero? may be Phyla knows that person, may be that's why Peter would draw this Kree in to their mission and ship.

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora eyes Phyla's hand warily, her brow creasing at the odd sensation it brings with it. "I... rarely understand what Quill is thinking." She says passively. When she hears the name 'Quasar', however, she pushes her seat back sharply with her legs, the legs of the chair scraping noisily against the ground. Gamora looks up at Phyla with newly cautious eyes.

    Is she terribly familiar with Quasar? Not really. But there are certain... standing orders.

    "... You are implying...?"

    

Phyla-Vell has posed:
    Not quite the reaction she was expecting. Usually people are comforted to know Quasar is around.. except for the criminals. Hm. Woops.

    "You have nothing to worry about Gamora," she says and then removes her hand and sits back down to de-escalate that fight or may be flight response. Besides, she has food and drink to enjoy still. "Any friend of Peter's is a friend of mine," she says.

    Either she's implying she wouldn't turn Gamora in to Quasar, or that if she is Quasar she's not someone she'd consider a threat right now. It's hard to say. Very few people see Quasar up close who aren't either dead or locked away in Kree or Nova prisons. And she just looks like a regular woman. Kree though.

    "What I'm implying is Ronan the Accuser is no match for Quasar. You can get your sister back and no one will ever know you were there. If something goes wrong, all the focus will be on her - not you," she says heavily implying that this rescue mission will somehow involve a Kree space superhero. Better Ronan face justice from one of his own though, less political fallout that way.

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora doesn't look entirely convinced, but hope is a compelling drug. "... If that's-... if that's actually possible, then I..." Gamora lowers her head slightly so her hood obscures most of her face, "... I would be... grateful."

Phyla-Vell has posed:
    "It's not just possible, you can count on it. Gamora, I am Quasar" she says and smiles kindly to the green woman. Then she resumes drinking the delicious drink she ordered from this dodgy Knowhere joint.

    It does explain Peter's confidence that bringing her in would save the day somehow. She really doesn't look like much though. In fact she looks like she'd be an easy fight. But then again, if she's Quasar.. there are stories, rumours, and of course standing orders.

    Thanos and Quasar have a ... history ... and even now Thanos holds Quasar's girlfriend hostage _somewhere_. Not even Gamora or Nebula know where. But the rivalry is known and intense. Quasar has kept her distance since her girlfriend was taken though.

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora manages to maintain an appearance of composure, but inside her heart is pounding. All that once, this suddenly seems both physically possible... and massively more dangerous. Associating with a name high profile in both the Galaxy, and Thanos' circles... a name that Thanos might hunt them for in its own right. Gamora is strong, fierce, and deadly in a fight. Quasar is... *Quasar*.

    Then again... if Thanos hasn't decimated any cultures lately just looking for Quasar... maybe this woman could even function as a shield of sorts against Thanos' wrath should they be discovered. At least in the short term.

    All this, and the nagging impulse to... well... KILL this woman make this a difficult social situation to navigate. You can take the girl away from Thanos, but taking all the Thanos out of the girl seems to be a more complicated process than Gamora imagined.

    "... Well then." She finally manages. "Perhaps Quill is not so senseless after all."

    That's... LIKE optomism!

Phyla-Vell has posed:
    Phyla chuckles and says, "He has his moments." She really does know the guy it seems. But never stuck around either. No, their situation never fully resolved itself. Somewhat in a round about way, he is helping her get closer to Moondragon and she doesn't even realise it. Sitting across from one of Thanos's daughters, sharing a drink and a meal.

    Not that Quasar yet knows this has anything to do with Thanos. It seems to be all about Ronan and his crazy cult of racial cleansers. They deserve to be stopped. Though the idea of Ronan going up against Oa is laughable, he could easily destroy Earth - if not for a certain Captain Marvel protecting it.

    "What can you tell me about this person we're going to rescue. A name? a species? a description? ....why Ronan was after her in the first place?," she asks. Now may be Gamora will be more willing to share details - she hopes.

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora is silent for a long moment, her expression still largely invisible under the cloak. "... She is a Luphomoid. Bald. Attractive. Angry. More cybernetic than not." Gamora steeples her fingers on the table and sighs. "... I was the real target. She attacked me and the crew without warning... all to fake our deaths so that Ronan would neither take me, nor kill them to do it."

    She pauses. It seems there's little avoiding the quick removal of this metaphorical bandaid.

    "... Her name is Nebula."

Phyla-Vell has posed:
    Phyla rests her hands on the table top a moment. She can feel her stomach twist and turn as it becomes utterly obvious that Gamora just isn't some random popular name. Not when paired with Nebula. Gamora and Nebula, the daughters of Thanos the mad titan.

    She swallows down the last gulp of the food she had just ate and stares tensely at Gamora. "So.. you're that Gamora? The butcher's blade? The scourge of scarnos? Chantho's Reckoning?! Thanos' Wrath Incarnate?!?! Daughter of Thanos... and this mission is to rescue Nebula, Thanos' other daughter.. from Ronan, who is known to work for Thanos?"

    It's her turn to push her chair back and stand. She turns away for a moment as her feelings of anger at Thanos fill her and she tries to push them down. Another feeling of betrayal from Peter swells inside her too, but she pushes that down as well. They are irrational and don't help.

    Besides, things are starting to fit in to place here. Gamora and Nebula on Peter's ship and Ronan chasing after them laying scorched earth policy in their wake? Something monumental is happening to Thanos' command structure. A chink in his armor. He is faltering.

Gamora has posed:
     "... I am." Gamora answers softly.

    Even more quietly, she answers, "... It is."

    Gamora stands slowly, keeping her palms down on the table with the 'heels' of her hands nearly touching. "... I know what you're thinking. But... I left. And Nebula, she... she was meant to bring me back to him. To Father." Gamora looks up at Phyla sharply, "But she didn't. For months, she never tried, even when... even when she threatened to. And when Ronan found us, Nebula... Nebula went to *absurd* lengths to keep us safe. To keep me free. And she let them take her. Do you understand. She's letting them *bring her* to *Father*. She will..." Gamora straightens up, her fingers twitching rapidly until they curl into fists, "... she will be lucky if he simply kills her." Gamora lowers her head once more, "... My sister has never been lucky."

    Heartfelt, but it's a pretty hard about-face from when she was trying to talk Phyla OUT of this. A spiel that makes much more sense now that Phyla knows who they are.

Phyla-Vell has posed:
    There is a flash of light over Phyla as she listens to Gamora's impassioned plea. She never thought for one moment about the people underneath Thanos. About Nebula, of all people, being a victim, let alone Gamora. The burst of light is gone as quickly as it was there. Several people in the place pause and stare, then hurriedly start to pack up their things to leave.

    There's a sort of poetry to it too.. Thanos took Moondragon from her, she takes Nebula from him. A simple equation, leverage. But that's the wrong motivation. She can hear it in Gamora's voice.. the true motivation is right behind her.

    Turning, her expression softens and she nods her head, "I have already given my word to Peter. I will help you get Nebula back." Because _something_ strange is happening here. What it is ain't exactly clear. Gamora running away from Thanos, ending up with Peter.. weird coincidence. Nebula betraying Thanos to give Gamora freedom? truly bizarre.

    Phyla holds out her hand to Gamora and says, "You have my word now too." Because it's what heroes do. If Gamora were trying to manipulate Phyla-Vell, she just succeeded. But Phyla doesn't think this is fake. Peter has too big a heart to surround himself with in-genuine people.

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora isn't privy to the conflict within Phyla. Emotional intelligence is not her strong suit, her eyes suited mostly to sensing anger, and signs of betrayal. Truth be told, she herself barely thinks of herself, of Nebula, of ANY of them as people outside of Thanos' shadow. Even now she struggles to see herself as much more than simply... disobedient.

    But, if you're going to give Thanos credit for anything that doesn't inspire murderous rage, Gamora is nothing if not sincere. Even her attempts at deceit have largely been laughable, save for a marked period of self restraint.

    So it's an oddly uncomplicated feeling when Phyla answers her, and Gamora feels like her heart has just sprung back to life from stasis. She takes Phyla's hand with both of hers and says, "I- I... Thank you...!"

Phyla-Vell has posed:
    Phyla has to re-evaluate some things. This almost meek person is somehow the scary right hand of Thanos. The one who has assassinated more people than they have been able to list. She can't hardly believe it, Gamora is nothing like she had imagined.

    She smiles again and sits, "Well.. let's enjoy the meal then. My other questions can wait for another time. If we're going to attack Ronan stealthily there are a few modifications I'll need to get your engineer to do to the Milano. Rocket is your guy right? the little furry one? I'm guessing here. He was wearing tools."

Gamora has posed:
    Truth be told, this is a side of Gamora that would seem alien to anyone who WAS familiar with her. But circumstance has demanded different things from Gamora... and emotions have grown more complex than she ever wanted them to.

    This has somehow resulted in the Galaxy's most pervasive serial killer and occasional mass murderer to sit down with a sigh of relief in front of a superhero who could probably spread a lot of peace of mind by killing the green woman in front of her.

    "... Yes." Gamora says with relief in her voice. She's compelled to take a sip from her glass, feeling like she just walked out of the desert. And she thought it was tense when the GUARDIANS found out. At least she was pretty sure she could TAKE the Guardians. Albeit that feeling has gradually been revised.

    "Yes. Rocket. His tree friend is Groot. He is... abrasive, but remarkably effective. I... don't believe he and Quill have settled the ongoing debate of the Captainship of the Milano. I have largely stayed out of it."

Phyla-Vell has posed:
    "If I recall, Peter said he stole the ship fair and square. I'd say that makes him the captain," she says with a playful smile. There's an easy nature about her. What's said is done and she has moved on. "I need to sit down with the whole crew and go through some kind of plan. Once we have the ship set up to be blind to the Dark Aster's sensors, I can find his current location and.. we can go get your sister back."

    She goes about finishing her meal. Why has fate thrown her back in the way of Thanos she wonders. She's really playing with fire now.. and worse, Thanos might just call her bluff. She'd never actually trade Gamora and Nebula back as if they were actual hostages.

    "I'm curious. What did Thanos tell you about Quasar?," she asks. She has come to recognise that this is a persona that has evolved its own mythos and scuttlebutt over the years. People believe what they want to believe. This is why she is still Phyla-Vell. Quasar is what she does, not who she is.

Gamora has posed:
    Gamora doesn't seem surprised by Phyla's question, but she IS consciouse of how sensitive the matter might be, given the delicate and unlikely circumstances they're in. Gamora considers for a moment, and says, in a measured yet slightly dark tone. "... Kill them if the opportunity presents itself, but do not needlessly endanger yourself or your mission."

    Gamora frowns slightly in rememberence and adds, "... Though I think for Nebula it was just... don't endanger your mission."

Phyla-Vell has posed:
    Some insight in to where she stands with Thanos. A kill of opportunity. He must feel he has Quasar on lockdown with Moondragon in his pocket. He does. She hates that he does. There's a small nod, "Understandable. I hope you are going to disregard that order. I feel like we're starting to become friends and that'd put a real dampener on it."

    She seems jovial about it, not dark at all. She finishes her drink and asks, "Shall we go find Peter so I can tell you all about how awkward he was when I first met him and you can watch him squirm awkwardly?"

Gamora has posed:
    Worryingly, there is a short pause before Gamora answers, "... Right."

    She does, at least, smile a little and Phyla's suggestion however, standing as she says, "Thought could be enlightening."