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Who: Yondu and OTA
Where: Cinema Car
When: Llama 3
What: Yondu shows a few of the holovids he got from home (Battle for Xandar, Flerken Documentary, Ravager Info)
Warnings: A "Damn Nature, You Scary!" scenario

OTA in the Cinema Carriage

Newsreel: Battle for Xandar
Yondu's been looking forward to this one the most. Partially 'cause he wants to remember some of the good times of bein' back home. This victory was a definite high point, even if he missed a good chunk of the battle from above. He'd still been fighting below.

It's a ground view of the notorious (in his universe) battle. He points at the Eclector as it's approaching, speaking over the correspondent on the ground who's narrating the airbattle. "That'n was my ship! An that other'n was called the Dark Aster." He says as a swarm of small M-ships drop out of the bottom of his own vessel.

Then he points to the ship up between the two blast ships. "That'n was me. An' down there's Quill, that's my boy. An' there was Kraglin' an' Rocket. Now the plan originally was that they'd blow a hole in that there an' both me an' Quill'd go in but uh..."

He's quiet until a chunk of debris takes a third of his ship off during the mayhem of the frantic fight and he starts going down.

"...Looks worse than it was. Ended up fightin' ground troops an' havin' to watch from down there, too." He says as a bunch of little Nova Corp Star Blasters show up, escorting Peter's ship. Then he claps once and points with a big jagged grin "-Lookit that! Look at how damn good Peter did flyin' in there." He's proud as hell of his dumb boy.

He finally settles back in to watch the grid up, where it cuts away to talk to an eyewitness reliving their portion of the account and what they were doing that day.

"They show some more in a li'l' bit."

Flerkens: The Improbable Creature
Yondu's quiet this time, listening to the David Attenborough level voice narrate.

It's set in some space ruins, about Earth levels of development though before whatever apocalypse happened there. In a cityscape there's a 'cat' wandering, an orange striped tabby, looking fairly normal at this point.

"The Flerken mother's clutch is near hatching. The young will be vulnerable, so she is patrolling the area of potential predators. And she spots one. A native canine commonly called a 'three-eyed terror hound."

The view shows a massive dog, about the size of a horse, sniffing around the remains of an alien vehicle. "It has caught the scent of a potential meal. The mother-to-be needs to act quickly." The tabby goes darting along an overgrown curb, flattened down as low as she can get, stalking. She has that wild-eyed cat look. She bides her time under the car as the monster-sized animal gets near a rusty shipping container, swiss-cheesed with holes from age.

"Now, she strikes."

That's when the Flerken darts out with the speed a mother cat is usually seen exhibiting before protecting her kittens. What is not usually seen (by humans, anyway) is the mother opening her head completely up and tentacles pouring out of her mouth. She makes a nightmarish noise as she grabs the would-be egg-eater and swallows it whole.

"Her young are safe. For now."

A camera inside shows the Flerken mother going to lay among her eggs, of which there look to be at least 200 some.

"That's what cats look like to me," Yondu says to the person watching with him, then carefully eating a piece of popcorn.

Ravager Country
There's a wide-spanning shot of something that looks like an asteroid until it pans to an angle that reveals that it's a massive skull with a city built into it. This narrator sounds a little more energetic and excitable.

"Welcome to Knowhere." The camera cuts to a street view of pretty questionable looking people wandering around. Everything still mostly intact because this was filmed before Ronan got ahold of the place, but that doesn't say much for quality. A pink man with brown hair and dressed about as recognizably like a field reporter as a space person can look is guiding the cameraman through a marketplace.

"This is one of the best places to find brokers that deal with Ravagers. Usually they serve as middle-men between someone that wants an item or a capture and the Ravager faction they hire. Different factions pass through Knowhere on a regular basis. In fact there are over 100 Ravager factions, and we have one moving in now."

The camera turns to show a bunch of Ravagers walking towards a bar. They're all wearing black and have a different 'flame' design on their uniform. The reporter approaches them to talk.

"I didn't know none o' them," Yondu says, wrinkling up his nose and shrugging. "I think they got Contraxia in here, too." He'll just not mention half of what he's done on Contraxia.

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It's a good question, and one Vegeta really hadn't considered since while he act confident and arrogant about surpassing Goku, he knows he has a long way to go. But he knows one thing, "I have no intentions to try and kill him again." Those days were behind him, even with what happened when he had fallen under the Majin control had been more about defeating Goku, not killing him. "When the day comes, then it will be his turn to try and catch up."

As for his family, "Yes, I am sure neither of them would be happy if I was to kill the idiot, however both are more practical when it comes to actual threats." Much like himself. Goku always had a need to give someone a second change. Vegeta was not like that, even if he had been one of those who Goku had let live. There were just some people out there the universe is better without.

"I noticed that. Real practical an' proactive. Ya got some good people." He'd be a little jealous, almost, except that he knows his bullshit problems he brought on himself. If the train brought any of his people, he'd have a hell of a lotta work to do to reconnect with them.

So mostly, he just thinks Vegeta's lucky. Hell, not everyone can be on speaking terms with someone what they tried to do in. But he's managed it.

"So that Kakarot fella has more of my boy's dumbass luck then? Like the whole power of stupid decisions gives him invulnerability somehow?"

"I do." Vegeta realizes just how lucky he is, he really doesn't deserve it for all he's done. He was still surprised sometimes that they cared so much about him. Despite Bulma reminding him he's an idiot for thinking like that.

Vegeta lets out a huff of a sigh as his face twisted into something between annoyance, disgust, and tiredness. "The moron is half the reason we get into trouble," Then, well, "And normally the way we get back out of it. If he actually used his brain before talking sometimes we wouldn't be in nearly as much messes as we've been through."

"I'm surprised he was able to produce such an intelligent son with his first child." It was disappointing that Gohan hadn't continued in his training, he could had been an amazing fighter, but he had chosen his own path and seemed happy with it. Vegeta can't fault him for that.

Despite that his antics very literally caused a mutiny, Yondu ends up laughing about Peter right then. Can't help it because he knows exactly what he's talking about.

"Yeah, that's about the long an' short of it. Runs off an' pisses someone off an' does somethin'. Needs a whole hit squad to come an' save his dumb ass. Somehow gets all the goods in the end, too. I'm both a little proud an' was in a constant state of wantin' to beat his ass for it."

Though that tempers his laugh some.

"Did feel bad havin' to rough him up so much. But if his real father came for 'im... oh he was gonna have to be tough to handle 'im and I needed him ready. Good thing it worked. But his mama wasn't around to be the gentle type with 'im an' he needed that."

"Sometimes you have to be hard on your children to prepare them for what they may face in the future." A pause as a tension to Vegeta's shoulders returned again, thinking back to his own poor parenting he had done. His own methods had been mostly selfish, though still laced with the need for the boys to learn to fight. He had used them, especially the Trunks here, to strength himself first, and only secondly considered Trunks' training. Something he was trying to make up for now.

"But... with balance. I've learned." He knows he hasn't been the best father, and also that the Saiyan upbringing he had was not the right one for his children. His children at least had Bulma around to help counter his ways, unlike how Yondu had it.

"His father is dangerous?" Yes, lets get this back off him, Vegeta doesn't need the reminder of what he's done in the past.

"His father was somethin' called a Celestial. A real strong bein', old, took the form of a planet but had this little person form of himself to go out and do whatever. Includin' knockin' up Quill's ma. I say was because he did end up killin' 'im when he tried to use 'im. Had a good team of friends that beat 'im. We won.

"But I just bit it makin' sure he made it through."

His turn with the memories, but the memory is of victory, at least. He won, that's the important part. And Ego is dead.

He'll focus on that and not why he needed to kill Ego so bad in the first place. "So that's another thing I can be proud of 'im for, I saw my boy kick a planet's ass. An' that was my son by then. Not his."

Vegeta's face scrunched up with that information, "Why would you want to be a planet?" Because that was the important element in all of that...

His expression relaxed again as Yondu continued, looking to the other man as he spoke before back away with a nod. "Dying in battle for a good cause is not a bad way to go. Especially in an attempt to save others." When it worked at least, it became more bittersweet if the sacrifice ended up not working out, as Vegeta well knew. All the good intent in the world meant nothing if it didn't work and just left others defenseless.

Vegeta mulled it over for a moment, not even realizing how easy it was to talk to Yondu about this when he's normally more quiet on, well, everything. Maybe because it was a bit easier to see some similarities between them. "My son was able to kill my worse enemy," Then a breath of a laugh out. "Didn't appreciate it at the time, but can now. That idiot Kakarot was supposed to had done it and," Well... "Even that wouldn't had been bad, at least Freeza would had died by a Saiyan hand after all he had done. But to think that royal blood actually put him down finally..." Vegeta doesn't finish that though, though the smile he gives, which isn't totally a nice one, tells the rest of it.

"I couldn't tell ya. I've never been a free-floatin' brain." He says it way too seriously, like this is just a problem that's a part of his life now, who knows, possibly one day Vegeta's, as he does have some of his own unique experiences. Even with their difference, it was definitely enough to make him relatable.

"He did that? Hell yeah, then." He doesn't know if it was the same timeline of Trunks, but he's guessing any other version would be able to do it. He's a good guy! "That's a win in my book. I'd take it. ...So if you're royal blood, are you a king? Prince? Duke? Or do ya got your own title like Prime?" Like Xandarians call their leader.

"Bein' out an enemy and on good terms with your best competitor don't seem like a bad kinda life. Even with the occasional wise-ass wantin' to kick the shit outa you."

Vegeta takes Yondu's answer equally serious, nodding away to it as he considered that was a good point, it would be had to know unless in that position. Though it seemed like a horrible fate, to just be a floating brain. With no body to use? Why would you still want to be alive?

That smirk widened a little at Yondu's exclamation at Trunks' feat, Vegeta proud in what his son had managed to do before he focused on that question. "Prince," He answered, though Vegeta is well aware how hollow that title was. It didn't really mean much with most of their race gone. "My planet was destroyed before I could become king. And my father was still alive at that point. That was also a limiter to it." Vegeta's tone telling he clearly didn't think highly of his father.

He let that though sit in silence for awhile, turning it over in his head before finally admitting. "It's certainly not the life I had foreseen for myself. Not even close to it." But in a good way.

"I gotta admit, I wish I'd managed a little bit better. Not that watchin' Peter beat the hell out of his dumbass old man was any poor feat, I'm right proud of how I brought 'im up. But sure wish I had somethin' better than this train to follow it up."

Not the afterlife most people would hope for. But he knows that, in the long run, he gets no happy ending.

"So what happened with your line? If that ain't askin' too much. Sounds like they let ya down from your tone there."

"There's worse places to end up, I know." Vegeta's knows exactly where he's going once he dies for good, he's done too much wrong in his earlier days to make up for it. Too many lives taken. Hell's waiting for him, and he's come to accept that. All the more reason to keep fighting to make sure he can be around as long as possible before that time comes.

The topic on his father is... less appealing, even than that of death, and Vegeta skirts the issue without delving too deep into it. "Traditionally Saiyans tend to have little to do with their children, particularly the men. Children are normally raised up enough to survive and sent off for missions to other planets. The weakest are shipped off as infants and made to rely on their instincts rather than receiving any real training. Only the elite and upper classes tend to get training before they head out, but they also got those planets with a higher threat rating to them."

It should be Yondu's destination too. Even if many of the lives early on weren't ones he particularly wanted to take. Part of him hopes the Ravager's way is the right one where he's from, where you just become stardust.

He's known a hell of a lot of mystics though.

"So you were a hell of a lot more of a daddy to your boy than what your own old man was to you. I get some planets have traditions but some of them traditions is shit." But before he can go off on a full rant about how imparting some knowledge actually matters, he thinks to ask some more. "So you never really got to know 'im then? Where'd ya end up first?"

Ok, this was edging beyond that fine tipping point and into getting too personal territory for, well, anyone really. Vegeta tends to be very quiet on his past, and those he is more open with have taken years for him to start sharing with. Plus talk of his father will always put him into an instantly bad mood. "Something like that." He finishes that off with a snap, which while not that fair on Yondu, still makes it clear that Vegeta is more than ready to move on from that topic.

Talk of other planets is far, far easier. "I don't recall, no doubt it was designated a number under Freeza's system. There was no point in learning a planet's name before it was conquered, either a local term or one used by galactic standards. It didn't matter anyways, we never stayed on them long, just enough to clear the majority of the population and any defensive measures it would have then moved onto the next one." It... wasn't a high point in Vegeta's life, though he hadn't realized it at the time, especially with his first planet. Though the pride of having taken it so easily had kind of been waned by the knowledge they had lost their own planet at the same time.

He absolutely doesn't take it personally. Considering his own old man sold him for... he still didn't know why, and it doesn't matter. Because he knew what would could happen to him.

It's a familiar sort of bitterness, and while he can take things hard- he's walked out of conversations on the train after snapping back. This isn't personal. If anything, it's a defense that he gets, and it's not even that bad.

"What exactly is the deal with this Freeza guy? I mean, besides bein' as bad as the Kree as far as keepin' people that I can tell."

At least they could be on the same page in that sense, and wanting better for those they raised despite their own early lives. Vegeta very much was a Saiyan still, though he was learning to take on more human mannerisms, for the better.

He did let out a scoffing sound as his lip curled up. "He's continuing an empire that was ran by his father before him. Their family has a habit of collecting planets and troops as they continue their conquest across the universe. His brother also is in the family business, though his terrains are smaller and he tends to avoid Freeza's sections." Though it would be amusing to see those two have a go at each other...

"He has a tendency of killing any of his troops he feels are not pulling their weight or living up to his standards without a moment of hesitation, and has a level of cruelty when it comes to killing off those weaker than him." Vegeta is also well aware how hypocritical it is of him to say all of this, since he had been the same. He's trying to make up now for his actions of the past, but it doesn't undo that he had done.

Another similarity, they both had their regrets for hypocritical acts. But he takes it at face value. And Vegeta's made it very obvious that he's learned sometimes letting an enemy live could be to his benefit.

"All that sounds real familiar." He's thinking again of the Kree. "Except less family drama an' the Kree eventually got beat out. Sounds like a forced treaty weren't gonna happen. Ya actually had to take 'im and his kin out to settle things."

Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. And the best option, if not the only option, was outright killing.

"That's the plan next time we meet." Vegeta doesn't care whatever Goku promised to Freeza when he brought him back, Vegeta was still planning and training to take on and get rid of Freeza once again. And he better stay dead this time.

A moment of thought before Vegeta returns back to the here and now, a glance to the holovid in front of them. This was... nicer than he had expected it to be, having just been interested to see other technologies from other realms. Yondu certainly turned out to be interesting to talk to. "Thank you with sharing your experiences here."

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