Luna "Joy" Sanders belongs to Flautist4Ever and I

Chapter 11

"You're afraid." Jessica finally said. "You're afraid that you'll be rejected by those you love because of this." She then took a deep breath before she continued, "But come on. Enough with the drama. Look, I don't know what happened on your home planet before your abduction, but I can see it wasn't good for your people or your society. It's got you acting like a criminal who has no choice but to turn herself in.

"And it's because you're only half-human that you fear for the future? No. It's not your fault that you're half-Spartoi, and it certainly doesn't make you illegal. If my words are not enough, then keep it a secret until you can figure out who you can trust to share it with."

"B-but-"

"No buts. You're you, no matter what blood runs in your veins." Luna hesitated at Jessica's words and did not answer. Shaking her head, the archaeologist continued, "If someone needs to answer for that, it's your folks."

"... I was adopted," Luna admitted. "They have no idea that I'm part Spartoi."

"Oh. Sorry, I had no idea." Placing a hand on her head, Jessica said, "Then your biological mother or father…" She decided to not finish her sentence.

"I only know about my biological mother. She was definitely from Earth, but all I ever learned about her was her name was Olivia. Her maiden name… it's a mystery, as is the name of my father. If I want answers I'm going to have to travel to Spartax, but I…" Joy couldn't voice how she felt about it.

"You don't feel ready, do you?" The blonde girl surmised.

"Yes."

"Does this mean you'll want to use the Forge to bring your mother back?"

"I don't know. I am tempted to do that, but would she want someone else to die so she can live again? Something about that just doesn't seem right." By now, Joy was sitting against the wall resting her arms on her knees as she thought.

After a moment, Jessica joined her as she sat down resting her back against the wall. "There you go. You proved yourself as wanting to be a true human. Your true self." Her words made Luna look at her with wide eyes.

"What do you mean by that?" She asked as she wiped away her remaining tears.

"Let's start with this. I don't know if your father is still out there somewhere, but as far as we know, we're both motherless children." Her statement shocked the Earth teen.

"... oh." She muttered. "I'm sorry you lost your mother."

Jessica looked down at that. "... so am I…" She sighed as she leaned her head back. "A sudden heart attack wasn't fair. I'd use all my skills and power to bring her back no matter how hard it would be. I have this opportunity to revive her, but it would cost everything she taught me about the code of archaeology if I exchanged another life for hers. It would terrify her to see I'm no longer the little girl she knew before her demise." Sadness filled her eyes as she looked back down. "Now I'm stranded in space far from my father who's got no idea what happened to me. For me, it's been about a year and I have no idea what's happened to my home or friends."

"I guess that's something we have in common," Luna said. "We're far from our homes, and we miss our friends."

Jessica nodded at that. "Yeah… not knowing if we'll ever see them again."

The thought made Joy grimace. "I kind of lost track of how long I've been out here. All the moments just seem to blur together."

"Well, how long do you suppose it's been since you were kidnapped?"

"I don't know. A few days? I can't tell anymore."

That made the blonde sigh. "They must be really worried about you now." As the raven-haired teen nodded in response, Jessica added, "As I said before, you chose your adopted family over your biological one. That means you're still you no matter what that revelation says. So don't beat yourself up anymore."

Luna sat there pondering Jessica's words. She did make a lot of sense, and it did remind her of what Gamora had said. Deep down, she was still her. There was something about all this that bothered her though. "Why are you helping me with my problems? I know we have some common ground, but you've only known me a day or two."

Jessica just stared at Luna unsure of how to answer her. She was going to reveal something she hadn't told anyone else. "... I don't know. Maybe because your half-blood scenario reminds me of an old friend." Looking down, she continued, "She lacked confidence in herself, and was ridiculed because she was the child of an interracial couple. Still, I chose to stand up for her and became her friend. One day though… let's just say we stopped talking despite her efforts. There's a part of me that regrets not keeping our friendship up."

"... I'm sorry," Luna muttered. For some reason it reminded her about how things were with Gwen at the moment. "I'm having some problems with friends back on Earth."

"My advice: don't give up on them. Try to work through whatever is creating a rift between you." The archaeologist said. "I failed when I was too hard on her. On everyone in the school. In my eyes, people were becoming blind to the meaning of our existence. Our history. I don't know if they ever missed me or my judgemental statements. Aside from Lance, Patrick, Yaiyo, Sir Raleigh, Eight, and… I had no other friends back then. My dad is the only one who misses me."

"I don't believe that's true. I'm sure others are worried about you." The Keyblade bearer said, "And I promise I'll do what I can to get you back to them."

"Don't make promises you can't keep."

"Well, I can try."

"I appreciate your support, but you've got your people who need you as I do. It's not such a simple thing to promise."

"I wish I could do something to help you."

"How about this? Stop beating yourself up over your heritage, accept yourself for who you are, help find the Forge, and we'll call it even. Okay?"

The teen fell silent at that. How could she just accept it like that especially when she couldn't reciprocate it? She wanted to help Jessica with her problem, but if she couldn't use her Keyblade to do it, then what?

Getting to her feet, Jessica continued, "I know it won't be easy, but you have to at least work at it. Will you try?"

"I will."

"Good. Now let's try to find this relic and decide what to do with it." With that, the two of them began searching around for a clue as to where this item could be. However, while Luna was looking under some seats the blonde girl asked her another question. "Another thing, what pulled you to our hoverboard earlier?"

"I skateboarded back home," The Earth teen admitted, "and your hoverboard reminded me of it."

"Skateboard? As in with wheels?"

"Yeah, that's the one. Why do you ask?"

"... it belonged to a friend," Jessica answered after pausing for a moment. It was clear that remembering was painful for her.

Luna was afraid she might've triggered something. "I… didn't know. Sorry."

"Nah, it's all right. Besides, he was the reason why Patrick, Lance, and I ended up in space, but that's all I say on that story. About the hoverboard, even if you had broken it, Patrick still has four more. There's no need to worry." The blonde reassured her.

The teen slouched a bit with relief. "I thought he was going to kill me when he saw me with it."

"He just likes to appear intimidating to others. It's perfectly reasonable for people to think like that when they're getting to know him." Jessica shrugged at that.

"Was he always like that?" Though Luna strongly assumed he was, she remembered when she snuck aboard the Cassandra. How Patrick lost his parents, his job, and was made one of the most wanted men on his planet. The guy had it rough, and she couldn't think of anyone who could go through that and still be pleasant.

"I'm afraid that question is a personal subject," Jessica answered though she didn't make eye contact this time. "It's up to him to explain, but he isn't someone to spill the beans so easily. Unfortunately, he can temporarily lose his marbles in an instant."

Giving a nod of understanding, Luna said, "I have no intention of pushing him that far." She then knelt to check under some compartments for any sign of a clue, but found none.

The blonde girl knelt beside her. "Everything else okay between you and my friends though?"

"As far as I know."

"Alright then. Are you ready to rejoin the others? We did come here to search for clues, after all."

"Yeah." As the Keyblade bearer got up, she placed her hand on the console that hung over the compartments she had checked, using it as support. There was a whir as a holographic screen appeared before them. Luna let out a cry of surprise as she jumped back, flailing her arms as she tried not to fall over. The screen buzzed as static appeared all over, but an image did come through. As Jessica looked at the battered and beaten figure on the screen, she thought she could see a similar facial structure between the speaker and Luna.

"-ay one. I h- survive- impact with the plane- and the Forge is intact. How- I c-not take it back to Sparta- If I did the people w- be in –anger."

"Stupid static." The Earth teen groaned.

"Well, this is a wrecked spaceship, so don't expect everything to work perfectly. Let's just be glad we can access the log after all this time." Jessica told her before she looked at the screen again. "By the way, it sounded like he was saying he couldn't take the Forge back to Spartax."

"You sure?"

"It's a guess, but it would make sense."

The log recording continued, "En route we -re ambushed by t- Mad Ti-n. He killed -ryone but I ma- to escape. He cl- the Forge shou- be used to bal- the universe. If I took the F- to Spartax he w- destroy us. He tried t- use it to -vive an ancient mon- but it d-n't work. One of my men - revive- only to be k-d again by Than-"

Though the words were broken, Luna found herself blinking at what was implied. He had to be talking about Thanos, which meant… "Was that monster behind all this?"

"Maybe. From the sounds of it, it appears that he tried to use the Forge for something, but failed. It could be that the artifact isn't in a state where anyone can activate it at will, which bodes well for us. Thanos has killed plenty of people, but could only bring back one person he recently killed instead of something ancient. Is there some sort of condition to using it? Mantis said it could be used to bring back anyone from any period as long as someone else had been killed, so what was he missing?"

"I bare- escaped, but I will n- see Spartax again. My -, my father, the For- will corrupt him. I under- why the Kree were lock- it -way. It's pow- is too much for - galaxy. I know wh- I must do. The -cation of the Ete- -orge must die with me. I wi- hide the accursed -pon on this planet, and u- ship's power to shoot - map into space, an- hope it is pu- into the sun. Then… I - take my li- so I cannot be inter- by anyone.

"Bro- the - will be yours now, and y- son will inherit it as -ll his son. I just p-y that Spartax will b- better off -ause of my sacrif- Not just Sp-x, but the entire u-verse." The log then ended.

The two stared at the screen in silence as Luna tried to process what they had heard. The Earth teen couldn't help but think that this guy had sacrificed everything to keep the Forge hidden from the rest of the galaxy, and now they were trying to get it. But if they didn't recover the Forge first, then Hala would get her hands on it and everyone would suffer. Even though she saw that as protecting this guy's final wishes, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty. "Any idea what he was referring to with that last sentence? It sounded like a message to his family."

"No idea, yet," Jessica admitted. "I do know from this find that the Forge is definitely on this planet like Mantis said."

"I wish he said where."

The archaeologist then got an idea. "Maybe we can see where. Remember that device Quill used in the Kree temple?"

"And I think Mantis can still sense the Forge." Luna nodded.

"Which means it must be close to the wreck. Come on. We'd better get moving." Jessica said. "We won't find it by standing around." Luna nodded in agreement as the two went back up just in time to see the Guardians preparing to head out.

Sir Raleigh was the first to notice them. "Thank goodness you have returned. The Star-Lord has used his thing to start looking into the past to retrace the thief's steps."

"Looking into the past?" Luna tilted her head at his phrasing.

Gamora then explained. "He has a device called a Time Scanner. It lets him see past events that took place in an area that's scanned. Did you find anything?"

"We found an old recording. We were able to learn that Thanos tried to claim the Forge, but it didn't work for him the way he wanted."

That made the Most Dangerous Woman in the Galaxy do a double-take. "How?"

"It sounded like he killed the crew and tried to use their life energy to bring something back, but failed. However, according to the recording, it worked just fine when he used the Forge to revive one of the Spartoi he had killed." Jessica explained. "I can only theorize that either something is wrong with the Forge or something is inhibiting its power."

The sorceress mused over the information. "Interesting."

"At least, that's what we made out from it. It had a lot of static, and was hard to hear." Luna added. "Unfortunately we couldn't figure out the rest."

"I think we have enough." The green lady told them.

"Hey, you guys need to come to take a look at this!" Star-Lord called them via their comms with Groot adding his voice to the claim. The group exchanged glances with each other before heading over to where Quill was. They found him descending with the use of his rocket boots as soon as they exited the ship. "I found where our pal hid the prize."

"Really?" Sir Raleigh asked him.

"Right over there." He then led them to a tree that looked a little skinny, but was still massive. After all the buildup, it seemed like a letdown.

The Keyblade bearer ended up raising an eyebrow at it. "That tree? Seems a little small."

"I think he meant that tree." Yaiyo gestured to one that was massive. It was taller than even the redwoods Luna had seen on various nature documentaries and could've rivaled a New York skyscraper. At the bottom were roots that seemed to extend everywhere and looked like they intertwined with the roots of other trees.

"... wow." Was all the teen could say.

"The view from down here isn't bad at all." The mouse said.

"I am Groot."

The Earth girl could barely make out the top of the tree. "So the Forge is in this tree?"

"It does look like a good spot to hide a dangerous artifact," Jessica noted. "So how do we get it?"

The mouse leaped over the roots and began ascending the massive plant. "We start climbing." Activating his rocket boots, Quill began to fly up after the talking mouse who was moving as fast as a squirrel up the tree.

Luna just groaned at the idea while Jessica made a complaint about Peter being the only one who could fly. The trunk was way too big for the teen to wrap her arms around, so she couldn't get up that way. However, Gamora leaped up and began climbing the tree in a way that reminded her of her friend Peter Parker. Did she have some sort of tool equipped like what some video games gave characters to scale walls?

"Careful." Mantis's warning caused the green woman to glare at her.

With a frown, she said, "I'm always careful."

"But what-"

"Mantis!"

"... okay."

Shaking her head, Gamora muttered something under her breath while she resumed climbing up the tree. Watching from the ground, Luna still found herself wondering how she was going to follow them. Groot even looked up from his game system with an expression that mirrored the Earth teen.

Yaiyo then sat on the ground and shut her eyes, which caused Luna to raise an eyebrow. What was she going to do? She told them she couldn't use the teleport spell again for a few days, so was she just going to meditate or something? "Plant Rose!" The runes on her arms glowed as she placed her hands on the ground while a large purple flower grew underneath their feet!

"Whoa! What the?" Luna gasped as she nearly fell backward, but regained her composure.

"I am Groot!"

The flower's vines grabbed the trunk as it began to carry the rest of the team up the tree. It was almost like they had their own elevator, and it saved Luna from having to worry about splinters or anything else. Even the archaeologist was impressed. "Another surprise spell. It gives me a good idea as to how Hala would react."

The stunned teen looked at the sorceress. "Is there anything you can't do?"

"I can't touch iron, and I can't revive the dead." The mystic answered.

"Do we have to go through all of your limitations?" Jessica pointed out.

The mystic looked at her. "No, we do not." With that, they sat in silence while the flower continued to carry them up save for Quill, Sir Raleigh, and Gamora.

"You guys having fun?" The leader of the Guardians asked while he hovered around them. "Growing up fast enough?"

"Real funny." Jessica frowned.

Mantis took a deep sniff. "It smells nice. The flower. So fragrant."

"How much further to the Forge?"

"Not much… there!" The bug lady pointed to a little hole just above them. Once they were close enough, Yaiyo stopped the flower and Luna took a look inside. The hole was big enough to reach into, and she could see an hourglass-shaped item that reminded her of the carving she saw in the Kree temple, as well as when Quill used the Time Scanner.

As she looked at it, she asked, "Is that it?"

When the mouse arrived he took a peek. "It appears so."

"That's it," Mantis confirmed.

That small item no bigger than a cup or a wine glass was the Eternity Forge? "I thought it'd be a little bigger, and a little more terrifying." Luna voiced her thoughts. After all, they went through so much to get this thing that she felt a little disappointed it wasn't more… epic.

The archaeologist looked at her. "Size doesn't matter. Don't let its appearance deceive you. It is what Hala is after."

"Jess- You hear- Come in!" A shout was heard through the static on everyone's comms.

Raising an eyebrow at this, the blonde girl tapped the comm in her ear. "Hello? Lance? Is that you? Is everything okay over there?"

"Come - sensors said – Hala-"

"Repeat. What about Hala?"

"Hala is in orbit!"

Even Gamora looked shocked. "How? We're thousands of jumps in the middle of nowhere, and mammalian bodies can't handle more than fifty at a time."

"She must not care what happens to her crew as long as she can get her hands on the Forge," Jessica said as she tapped into her comm again. "How far along are those repairs? Are the ships ready to fly?"

"Just -t back now!" Everyone could hear the desperation in his voice and knew they didn't have time to waste. Quill just reached into the hole for the Forge.

That caused Luna to look at him with shock. "Whoa! What if there had been alien spiders or something?" When she had looked, she had seen heavy layers of cobwebs and moss on the Forge and had been reluctant to stick her hand inside. Being poisoned by an alien spider was not on her to-do list.

"We don't have time to waste. We have to take that chance." The leader of the Guardians told her as he pulled the relic out of its resting place. "The tree sure has grown around- holy shit!" As soon as he pulled it out, everyone saw lots of spider-like creatures crawling all over the item and his hand. "Get them off, get them off!" He practically shrieked as he shook his arm in an attempt to lose them.

"Whoa, be careful!" Jessica reached out to him. "You will drop-" before she could finish her warning the Forge flew out of Quill's hand. As everyone panicked over the turn of events, Sir Raleigh leaped off the tree and grabbed the relic.

He then realized his mistake. "Got it. But who's got me?!" As he began to fall with the prize, Groot extended an arm and wrapped his hand around the rodent and artifact. As he was brought back up to the rest of the group, the rodent looked at the sentient plant with gratitude. "Thank you."

Groot gave a nod in reply while Yaiyo had the flower descend the tree, though Luna noticed she was having it moving faster than before. "We have to hurry." She said as the teen looked at her. "If Hala is truly here, then we do not have time to linger."

"I agree. We need to get back to camp and get our ships operational again." Gamora nodded as she looked to the sky. "Something's entered the atmosphere."

Everyone knew what it was, so the mystic used her magic to make the flower move even faster. Once they were back on the ground, the plant vanished and the team hurried back through the forest to their camp. Everyone hoped that the ships would be ready for flight before Hala found them.

As they got closer to where they left the others, their blood froze upon hearing what sounded like a battle going on. At first, they thought it was the Kree but as they entered the clearing they saw it was Drax and Patrick going at each other again. "Oh, come on," Star-Lord muttered while the Earth teen shook her head.

"What now?" Gamora groaned as they entered the clearing.

"Why can't they put away their childish enmity for the galaxy's sake?" Jessica's irritation was heard through her question while the two of them went at each other.

Looking up from a device he was working, on Lance smiled when he saw the recovery team. "Just in time, guys. So, did you find the artifact?"

"The prize is ours." The mouse held it up proudly for all to see.

The green lady turned to the two who had paused their fight to see the relic. "Have they been bickering with each other since we left?" She made no effort to hide her disapproval.

"Nah. Just about five minutes ago." Lance placed a hand on the back of his head as if it was a little embarrassing. "After I warned you about Hala, Drax vowed he would destroy every last Kree coming for us. Then Patrick harshly criticized him, calling his actions 'brainless handiwork'."

"And as I said before, I have a brain. Otherwise, my body would not be able to function." Drax glared at Patrick while he said that.

Glaring at him, the cyborg brute restated, "And I told you that going into battle without a plan was brainless!"

The two looked as if they were going to fight each other again, but the blonde archaeologist changed the subject. "How are the ship repairs?"

"Almost completed."

"Good. Let's finish up and get off this rock."

"And then what?" Drax impatiently asked.

Mantis answered, "We take the Forge to the sacred shrine. There the Celestial One will choose to empower it, or destroy it forever."

That got Jessica's attention. "What do you mean, 'empower it'?"

"As it is right now, the Eternity Forge can restore those who are recently deceased, and mostly… not decomposed. A security measure added to prevent chaos before the Celestial One could decide its fate."

Understanding filled Luna. "So, if they've been dead for more than a few years, it wouldn't work? But once it's charged it can bring anyone back no matter how long they've been gone?"

"Exactly."