Luna "Joy" Sanders belongs to both Flautist4Ever and I
Chapter 10
"That's not good." Luna gulped. The idea of Hala bringing back generations of Kree soldiers was terrifying enough, but the possibility of using the souls of people who fought against her to bring more back? It was terrifying.
With a horrified expression, Lance said, "It'd be like a wave washing over the galaxy, if not the universe."
"That witch. That's completely against the balance of life and death." The mouse warrior frowned.
Looking at everyone, the teen said, "We have to find it and destroy it."
"Not before I am reunited with my family!" Drax growled.
"Drax-" Gamora began.
"No. Gamora, I want to see my wife and daughter again more than anything." The self-proclaimed Destroyer frowned as he looked at everyone. They were all surprised by his words, but they couldn't blame him for wanting to bring his family back.
The green lady spoke to her teammate again. "Think about what you're saying." That only earned her a glare from him.
"I spared you when I could've killed you on the Kyln, and now you dare to tell me bringing my family back is not worth it!"
"Whoa! Calm down!" Quill tried to stop their arguing.
"Drax is right. We have a rare opportunity to bring back those we lost." Rocket said. "How many people get that chance? We gotta take it."
Looking at him, Gamora asked, "And who are you planning to kill to bring them back?"
"You're kinda annoying me right now."
"Rocket."
The two of them had a staredown while their leader got between them while holding something he had recovered from his ship. "Whoa, hey. Calm down you two. Don't fight."
"You dare defy the circle of life and death, raccoon?" The mouse snapped at Rocket.
"No." Everyone stopped arguing and turned to face Yaiyo, who had jolted up and was looking better. "As much as I want bring back all our loved ones, we need to focus on the greater good. We need to bring back champions who can fight against our enemies. Tai's equals… the friends he killed…"
The technician of the Guardians turned to her. "And who died and made you the one who gets to decide what we do with the Forge? You can't just say, 'oh no, you can't do that' and expect us to listen."
"Says you," Gamora muttered under her breath.
"That's the point. How many people died at the hands of the Mad Titan with help from a fallen Keyblade Master? We have to end this, and the only way to do that is to bring back some legendary heroes. I know it's dangerous, but even if we stop Hala, what then? Tai and Thanos won't stop causing death and destruction for everyone. This isn't about us. This is for the entire universe." The mystic explained herself.
Folding his arms, Eight looked down at the ground. "She's got a point, but I don't know."
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we don't have the Forge right now. Shouldn't we get it first before we decide what to do with it?" Luna asked both teams. "Also, Blue Girl has a head start."
"I am Groot," Groot muttered.
"Oh, who made you the leader?" Rocket rolled his eyes. "Don't matter. My mind's made up."
"Enough!" Jessica snapped, causing most of the teams to stiffen up. "The Keyblade bearer is right. Find some common sense and think about what we're doing right now! Hala's got the advantage and all we can do is think about our petty desires? That's a pile of horzlim! The first thing we have to do is get off this rock, and we can't do that until our ships are repaired."
"Not true," Yaiyo said. "I've recovered enough so I can teleport us and our ships to the location of the Eternity Forge. However, once I do it I won't be able to cast the spell for a few days. The only problem is I don't know where I'm teleporting us, and without a location in mind we could end up in pieces." Turning to Mantis she asked, "Can you find the Forge with your powers?"
Shaking her head, the empath said, "No. My people have tried for years-"
"I can find it." Eight suddenly said. "I memorized the map when Luna opened it on the Cassandra. If I have another map of the galaxy I could recreate it."
"... huh. Okay, then."
The archaeologist then pulled out her device and caused a map of the galaxy to appear. Luna noticed there were lots of highlighted areas on her hologram that made her think of country borders. The robot pointed to a section that wasn't highlighted. "The Spartoi map led here."
"Don't do much to narrow down the star systems." Rocket groaned.
"It can," Mantis said. "My powers tell me that's the right area, but I can't pinpoint where. I need absolute quiet as well as Luna's help."
"Huh?" Why me?" The teen asked.
"You are part of the bloodline of the Spartoi who stole the Forge, and now your family is linked to it. I can't explain it, but if I'm in contact with you, I can find it."
Luna wasn't sure about that as she still didn't accept the fact that she was half-human yet, but it was their best option of finding the Forge. "Okay…" she replied, extending an arm to Mantis.
As the bug lady took it, the tips of her antennae lit up while Guardian's Lullaby appeared in Joy's hand. "Head over to that cluster there. No, the one behind that large nebula. The one furthest to… go back. The one to the left. No, the other left. Go up the… back a few… one of… that system… There! That's the planet!" Mantis' finger was pointed at the same planet that Luna's Keyblade was.
"So, what's the name of this planet?" The Earth teen asked.
Looking at her incredulously, the raccoon told her, "Planet doesn't have a name. That area's mostly unexplored territory. Hey, don't give me that look! The universe is a big place, and we can't name every chunk of rock out there."
"This is good. Now, I need to make a ritual circle around us and the ships." Yaiyo then conjured a stick in her right hand before she began to draw arcane symbols in the dirt. While she did this Quill began digging through the wreckage of the Milano. "Do not worry, Star-Lord. All of your personal belongings will be teleported with us."
"Or are you doubting our lady's magic?" Patrick's tone suggested he was ready to fight the leader of the Guardians.
"Hey, hey, I'm not." Quill held up his hands in surrender to show he didn't want to fight, though now they could see he had a photo in his hands.
Once Jessica saw the photo, she realized it meant a lot to him. "Pat, stop. He was just worried."
"But-"
"Patrick," Jessica said in a more scolding tone.
"Okay, fine. Yaiyo, how much longer is that circle gonna take?"
The mystic looked up from her work. "Give me a few moments." She said before she went back to drawing in the dirt. However, a few moments turned to several, and to wait, the majority of the teams had to take shelter in the shade they could find. From the rocks around them to the wreckage, everyone just waited for her to finish. Groot had even pulled out his game again to play and pass the time while Luna looked at it over his shoulder.
"Almost done… there we go." Yaiyo finally finished drawing her circle with the symbols. "Lu- Joy, Mantis. I need your help."
As the two of them approached, her Yaiyo reached out and grabbed them by their wrists before chanting in a strange language. As she did, the glyphs she wrote lit up like the ones on her arms before a flash engulfed them and they ended up on a new planet. Gasping at the sight, Joy couldn't help but think the place was beautiful.
The scenery reminded her of the pictures of the pine forests surrounding Seattle she had seen, except the trees had veins of light running through them. Some of their branches had crystal orbs growing on them like fruit. She took a step forward and was surprised to see the ground was soft and squishy like a water bed. Something told her that if she wanted to, she could bounce like she was on a trampoline.
However, the moment was ruined when Gamora heaved into a bush. Luna was disgusted by the sight and turned to find the wreckage had indeed been teleported with them, still in the same position as they were on that desert planet.
"Sorry. It works well on people I know, but you on the other hand…" The mystic decided to not finish that sentence.
"You seriously teleported everything with us?" Rocket asked while gazing at the wreckage with surprise.
"Aye. I did."
Quill looked at her. "Then that means we can get them fixed?"
"Yes."
"Then we can divide into teams," Jessica said. "One team to make repairs, the other to find the Forge."
"I guess I'm going to be on the team that searches for the Forge," Luna remarked, earning a nod from Mantis, who confirmed she would be joining the teen on her team.
Rocket then chimed in. "I'm coming too."
Shaking her head, Gamora explained, "No. We need you here. You're the best mechanic in the galaxy, and we need you to get our ships flying again"
"I'll stay with our furry friend to get the ships repaired." Patrick vouched for himself.
"You'd better stay too, Drax. We'll need you to move the heavier pieces, and to destroy any dangerous predator that comes around." Quill told his friend.
"I'll get those pieces into place, and I'll slay any beast that comes too close." He boasted with pride.
Glaring at the destroyer, Patrick said, "Great. You'd better not mess with the important parts, and try to avoid sleeping on watch, sentinel."
Groot then looked at Rocket who was preparing to put some pieces together. "I am Groot?"
"If you wanna go with Quill it's okay. I'll be fine. Just as long as nothing goes wrong." He glanced at Patrick when he said that.
"I'm always at anyone's services to protect them while on a dangerous quest." The mouse warrior offered to go with them.
"Just be careful, all right?" Jessica told him.
Eight then spoke up. "I have the schematics for both ships, so I must stay and help the repair crew."
"That's great, Eight," Lance said as the robot used his eyes to project a couple of 3-D models of the two vessels in front of the young scientist. "This is perfect. I'll stay here and maintain contact between us. Call if anything gets fishy and-"
"No, no, no! Keep your hands beneath it. Don't squeeze it!" Patrick snapped at Drax who was moving a heavy scrap of the Cassandra.
The grey alien glared at him. "Let me carry these things and just tell me where to place them!"
"That's not how it works! Most of this stuff is salvageable, but it's still fragile. Do you even know how to repair a broken ship?"
"... and I'll try to maintain the tranquility so they can function." Lance looked at them.
The green lady rolled her eyes at those two. "Kids."
"Guess it's me, Mantis, Yaiyo, Sir Raleigh, Quill, Gamora, Groot, and… Luna?" Jessica noticed the Earth teen wasn't among them anymore. "Luna?" The blonde looked around until she saw Joy standing by the wreckage since she wandered off during the conversation, and now she had spotted something among the scrap metal.
It was made of metal, but shaped just like a red skateboard minus the wheels. She remembered seeing something similar in a movie and had hoped they would've been made last year like Back to the Future part II predicted. It didn't happen. "Huh?" She asked herself. Did it come from the Guardian's ship? "Is this… a hoverboard?" She examined it with curiosity, wondering if it belonged to Quill or Groot.
As she touched it, she accidentally activated a button that turned on the device, causing it to extend. While she couldn't put the technicalities to words, it looked more advanced than what she saw in the movie. "Wow!" Luna was amazed by this thing's coolness. "Uh, who's hoverboard is this?" She didn't want to just take it because that would've been rude.
Upon seeing it, Quill raised an eyebrow. "Uh, it's not mine, and I doubt it's Groot's."
With a shrug, Luna raised her foot to step on one of the two bright rings on the hoverboard. However, Patrick stopped arguing with Drax and noticed what the Earth teen was going to do. "No! Don't you dare set foot on my ZN-3900!" He reached out with his robot arm to protect his property.
His outburst caused the Earth teen to freeze in place, and she let out a small yelp when he marched over and snatched the hoverboard away from her. Glancing at him with a wide-eyed expression, she said, "I-I'm sorry. I didn't know it was yours."
"It belongs to a friend, but I built it." He glared at her.
"Sorry…" She apologized again, backing away from him and losing her balance as she did so. Even though she fell to the ground, she continued to scootch away before getting back on her feet and rejoining the team that was to look for the lost relic. She noticed the muscle man of the Cassandra kept glaring at her the whole time.
Looking at her, Gamora then asked, "You ready?" When the teen nodded, she added, "Let's go." Pulling out some comms she handed them to everyone save the Guardians. "We'll use these to stay in contact with each other. If anything comes up let us know." Those who stayed behind to make repairs nodded and wished the search party good luck as they headed off into the unknown.
Walking on the planet's surface was more manageable than one would think. Luna kept expecting the ground to burst and squirt them with something, but no matter what it didn't. Was it stronger than it appeared to be? She knew this much pressure on a water bed wouldn't allow it to last. Mantis did keep a hand on her shoulder so she could use the teen's genetic connection to guide them to the Forge.
"What is this place?" The teen asked as she looked around at the bioluminescent trees.
With a shrug, Jessica answered, "This planet appears to have no natives, so who knows? The habitats here seem to be doing well without-"
"So this planet is uninhabited?"
"It seems that way," Quill confirmed. "We're pretty far into the unexplored regions. As far as we know, we're the first people to arrive here since your ancestor."
Looking down, she muttered, "I see."
"We're getting closer," Mantis announced, turning everyone's attention to her. Pointing to the left, they headed further into the forest until they came across what appeared to be a large mound covered with glowing alien ferns and flowers. It was kind of beautiful to look at, but what was it? A small alcove hiding the prize? An entrance to a cave where the Forge was hidden?
Climbing up it, the mouse tested it with his paws. "It feels natural, and yet something seems off about it."
When Joy approached it, they found out what. As soon as she placed a hand on it, a beep was heard and the mound began to rumble. Plants were broken away and dirt fell off as a door opened up to reveal an ancient ship buried there. Gasping at it, the teen backed away. "Holy…" she nearly lost her balance again.
Looking over it, Jessica remarked, "This is it. The thief's ship. Why else would it open up for you? It must be linked to your DNA just like the map."
Luna just gawked at the sight before she looked down at her hand. Did Spartoi key everything to their family genetics? Must be useful for organizing family reunions. Still, it wasn't pleasant to be reminded that she wasn't completely human. "Thanks for reminding me." She told the archaeologist dejectedly as they entered the ship. Mounds of dirt had piled in from a pair of broken windows, but only plants like moss and fungi grew in here.
"Anybody home? Don't shoot us. We're friendly, otherwise we wouldn't be calling out!" Sir Raleigh gave his joke a flair of drama once they were inside. The others just gave him a look that made him chuckle. "Nothing wrong with a little humor." Still, his question went unanswered from the ship.
Shaking her head the green lady said, "I don't think anyone is here. At least not alive. Not even Spartoi would last this long." With that, she began to dig through the dirt looking for clues.
"What do you mean by Spartoi not lasting this long?" Luna asked her teacher.
"You don't know? Spartoi, like most races, have long lifespans. They usually live about three times as long as humans do. Now help me find the control console. It might hold a clue as to what happened."
"What if the Forge is still on the ship?" Sir Raleigh asked. "I can't be certain, but it looks like the vessel had a violent entry to this planet. I think there's a chance that the thief might not have had the opportunity to bury the relic."
The Keyblade bearer just stood there gawking while Gamora spoke with the others. They live… three times as long? That made her worry more about her genetics as it now meant she might have a longer lifespan.
She did hear her teacher answer the mouse, "I doubt it would be that easy."
"I agree with Gamora. There are no bodies around here, so I highly doubt the thief would've left the Forge here in his last moments. Too obvious. He must've hidden it somewhere outside just in case someone came looking, but there might be clues as to where."
While Groot joined Gamora in digging through the dirt, they caused a portion of it to shift and slide away. A corpse was then revealed, making the teen jump at the sight of it. "Ack!" She yelped out as she backed away. This was a sight she could've gone her life without seeing.
"There's your body," Quill said, crossing his arms.
Grimacing at the sight, the archaeologist replied, "I see it."
The Keyblade bearer did her best to keep calm at the sight, but she hadn't been exposed to a lot of dead bodies. It did look just like a person, but despite being thousands of years old it was still in good condition. The suit hadn't been eaten away and the face Luna saw reminded her of pictures of mummies that she had seen in textbooks. "But how can it be… well, not a pile of dust?"
"Maybe the soil has special properties that act as preservatives that prevented the body from fully decomposing." The archaeologist theorized as she took some notes.
"Huh?" Luna just stared at her.
"I wish Lance was here right now. He could've figured out the science behind all this for us, and explain it better than I can." The blonde girl then knelt to examine the corpse more.
That made the Keyblade bearer hesitate. "Uh, you're not going to loot the body, are you?"
"What other choice do we have?" Gamora asked. "We need to find clues."
"I am Groot."
Mantis' antennae lit up as she translated, "Groot says he thinks the whole thing is disgusting."
"If being an archaeologist were easy, everyone would do it," Jessica said as she helped clear away the dirt from around the body. Joy just remained where she was, not interested in getting any closer to a dead person than she needed to. "Hmmm… I see dried mud caked on the soles of his boots… and flakes of leaves…" The archaeologist noted as she worked.
Something clanked on the floor as Gamora picked it up. "Spartoi blaster."
"And it looks like there's a spot on the side of the head that…" The mouse backed away. "You don't think… he took his own life?"
With a grimace, the leader of the Guardians said, "It… appears so."
"I am Groot," Groot muttered quietly.
Grimacing some more, Luna asked, "But why?"
"Probably because he wanted to take his secrets to the grave, like the Forge's whereabouts." Yaiyo looked over the corpse.
The teen still felt sick looking at the mummified Spartoi, and she was still trying to process the news about their lifespan. "I think I'm going to take a look over there." She thought out loud, though in reality she just wanted to be left alone. Thankfully, the ship had about two levels to explore so she was able to move away.
Unknown to Luna, Gamora and Quill had looked up from their work and had concerned expressions while the teen walked away. They could sense something was troubling her, but weren't sure how to approach her about it. Jessica could also sense something wasn't right. As she disappeared to the lower levels, the archaeologist turned to the Guardians. "I'm going after her."
"I can try talking to her." The Most Dangerous Woman in the Galaxy suggested to the blonde.
"Give me a chance first. If my suspicions are correct, then I know what I'm doing." With that said, she took off after Luna.
Luna was silent as she sat on some of the debris below deck. She was seated next to some panels that displayed the ship's schematics and were showing how damaged the alien craft was. She just thought about everyone above, and how eager they were to find the Forge. If they did get it, what then? What would they do when they found this relic? Keep it for themselves? Hide it again?
Destroy it?
Some of them wanted to use the Forge to bring back their loved ones while the rest wanted to destroy it. Which was right though? Was it better to use the relic to bring people back by killing others, or should this power be kept out of the hands of the universe forever?
Her thoughts also wandered to everything she had learned about herself on this adventure. She was valuable to a lot of aliens because of her weapon, and some dark souls wanted her power. Oh, and there was the bombshell about her being the product of a relationship between an alien and her mother. How was she supposed to deal with all of this?
"Are you miles away, or are you still here?" Jessica's voice caused her to jump.
"D'ast! Don't scare me like that." Joy was surprised to hear a word Rocket seemed to use slip out of her mouth. Why did she use it?
The blonde girl then asked, "What are you doing over here?"
"Just trying to find some space until you scared me."
"Do I look like I was trying to scare you? It's not very helpful if people tend to have skittish traits." Jessica's explanation caused Luna to send a look at her which prompted the blonde girl to hold up her hands. "Sorry, but I do recall this: you're not alone in-"
"I know, I know." The raven-haired girl said as she looked down at the pile of mud and water that had broken through the ship's hull when it crashed. "I don't know if that water's acidic or not, so be careful."
With a smile, Jessica joked, "I wasn't planning on taking a dip. So, what's wrong?"
Luna was hesitant to speak now. Should she talk to Jessica about this? If so, then why?
"Are you ashamed of yourself because of-"
"Don't mention that." The Keyblade bearer cut the archaeologist off, clenching her fist.
"What is wrong with being half-"
"I REFUSE TO ACCEPT THE IDEA THAT I'M PART ALIEN! How can I?" Luna yelled, her emotions getting the better of her as she let out the frustration and sadness she was feeling. "Do you have any idea what Earth has been like since the Battle of New York? Everyone is afraid of what lies beyond our planet. They see aliens as monsters who would sooner kill people than look at them, and many countries are trying to find ways to prevent themselves from being invaded by extraterrestrials. Even Tony Stark has admitted that he's trying to find a way to keep Earth safe from threats from the stars, and part of me comes from the stars! How can I deal with that? What would my friends and parents think of that?!"
With that, she broke down and let the tears flow from her eyes. She couldn't hold them back as she sobbed while Jessica watched.
Her friends… her family… The thoughts were just too painful for her.