Tomorrow's Guardians

by Michael Weyer

I know, I know, WAY too long since update but hoping to make it up here. I'm aware of the many changes to LOT since the last update but keeping to how it is for now. Again, apologize for long delay but hope to get back on track.

The silence was deafening. That may have sounded a cliché but it held true here. Since the return of the Legends and the Guardians, the mood on board the Orville was chillingly downcast. It was no wonder as it wasn't every day you watched a world die.

Drax, of all people, seemed to be taking it the most understanding. Then again, he knew just what it felt to lose his people with Gamora right behind him. Even Quill knew it was best to just keep quiet rather than insert any talk now. The Legends were taking it in themselves with Siren, for once, ceasing her usual sardonic remarks as they stood in the main hanger bay of the Orville. It was packed with various shuttles, many showing damage from the shockwaves of destruction they had barely escaped. They watched as the crew members tended to the Mocolan refugees. For a race known for their stoicism, they were clearly deeply affected by the loss of their homeworld. That included Klyden, Bortus' husband, who was throwing himself into this work to distract from his own loss.

"Dammit," Sara whispered. "Maybe if we'd been here instead..."

"You start playing that song, it'll never get out of your head," Quill intoned. His usual cockiness was gone with him leaning on a wall watching. "You guys do time travel, you oughta know things can't be changed and are meant to be."

Sara glared at him. "You're going to lecture us?"

"Lady, if you learn from your mistakes, I should be a PhD," Quill fired back.

"Instead, you're in the third year of summer school," Siren couldn't help throwing in.

Quill waved her off. "Listen, I thought I screwed it all up going after Thanos after he talked about killing Gamora. Turns out, it led to the one future we needed to save the universe. I've seen some planets wiped out before, it's never easy but some things are just out of your control."

"That's it? Just roll with it?" Sara barked.

Quill gave her a serious look and that he seemed sincere was troubling Sara. "I'm feeling you're already piling on the guilt. Trust me, you keep it up and you're never gonna pull out of the pit."

"Am I the only one deeply concerned about Quill talking sense?" Rocket asked with the other Guardians nodding in agreement.

Nearby, Ed was moving to where Bortus was speaking to the surviving members of the Moclan High Council. He recognized Kagis, the advocate they'd met on an earlier mission and nodded. "I...can't begin to say how I feel now," he began in a low tone. "Just know, the Union is with you. We'll help you find a new home and..."

"We..." Kagin appeared short-tempered but then took a breath. "We shall...adapt, Captain. Thank you." He looked around the bay and sighed. "This...and whomever was off-planet...are all that is left of our race. It is hard to believe..."

"We're sending out word to other races to accept any help," Ed informed him. "And we will find Ultron and stop him."

Kagin gave him a hard look. "It will not bring back what is lost, Captain."

"I know," Ed softly replied. "Nothing will. But at least we can stop any other worlds from sharing this fate."

"Captain," Malloy's voice echoed from the loudspeakers. "We have some ships coming in. They look like Moclan designs and we're getting a hail with permission to come aboard."

Ed frowned. "Have they identified themselves?"

"Yeah and...well..." Gordon sighed. "It's Heveena."

Instantly, the Moclan council scowled in unison as Sara looked to Len in confusion. "Heveena is a Moclan female," he replied. "Who are pretty rare, only one born every 75 years or so. She's also a famous writer from their culture, Gandis Eldin. She was trying to fight back against a ruling to have a Moclan child forced to be made male, last heard, she was in self-exile."

"We will not have...that here!" Kagin spat. "Not after..."

"Councilor," Bortus spoke up. "Whatever else, she is Moclan. And right now, we can use all we can."

"If she can offer help, that's good," Ed added. "Let her come on board, Gordon."

There was a hum as everyone saw a large shuttlecraft pass through the force field leading from space into the hanger bay. It landed and after a few moments, a door on the side opened. Exiting on a ramp, leaning on a cane, was an elderly female Moclan who offered a smile to Mercer. "Captain Mercer," she intoned in a gravely voice. "It is...good to see you, despite the circumstances."

"You too," Ed replied. He saw some other Moclans gathering from the ship behind Heveena. "I suppose you're here for aid and..."

"What...is this?" Kagin nearly choked out. He and the others were staring in disbelief with even Bortus jarred. There was a buzz among the other Moclan survivors as they realized nearly every member of the crew exiting behind Heveena was a female as well.

Heveena nodded to Mercer before waving at the women behind her. "We have been quiet for some time, Captain...for our own safety. But when word reached of what occurred...we knew the time for silence had passed."

"Where...where did they come from?" Klyden was stepping forward, his own eyes amazed as he took in the female Moclans. "How can there be so many...female Moclans?"

Heveena looked at him, then to Kagin, her eyes narrowing. "You...still haven't told them...have you?"

He seemed confused as well. "Told of what? I agree with Kylden, unless somehow these...women are exceptionally long-lived, because of how rare they're born..."

"Rare?" Heveena snorted. "Oh, my...You don't even know." She chuckled. "I owe you an apology, Kagin. I thought you were just being obnoxious at the trial as part of the grand lie of our culture but no...no, you're as in the dark as everyone."

Kagin looked to another councilor. "Jagahar, what is she..."

The elder Moclan, his skin showing signs of the graying of age, snarled. "Be silent, female, this is not to be spoken!"

She raised her eyebrow. "Really? After all this? All we've been through, you still cling to this fantasy? We are an endangered species now!"

"Our culture-"

"Is what exists on this ship, you blind fool!" Heveena snapped, leaning on her cane. "Moclus is dead, Jaghar! Unless you want all of us to join it, you're going to forget the traditions set up centuries ago by a pack of backward figures unable to face progress!"

She turned to face the various refugees, many of whom had begun to gather around them. "What I am about to tell you will come as a shock," she began in a softer tone. "It will change everything you believe you knew about us, our culture and our very way of life. But given all that's happened, it is only right you know."

She took a deep breath before continuing. "Female Moclans are not a 'once in 75 years' event. They are, in fact, quite common in every generation. For years, I have helped many of them to a world of sanctuary."

As expected, a stunned silence followed her words. Bortus seemed to handle it best but Kylden was stunned while Kagin stared at Jagahar as if he'd never seen him before. "Is...is this true?"

"If it wasn't then how is the population of our sanctuary over six thousand?" Loud gasps echoed from the Moclans even attempting to believe that many females could exist. "The Council obviously did not want this found out as it would ruin so much of our supposed superiority as a one-gender race." She looked over to Bortus. "You and Klyden thought you were dealing with a historic issue, unaware of how many others have had the same choice before them on making their daughter a son."

Mercer looked to Jagahar. "You...kept this quiet?"

The man looked as chagrined about this as the other Council members. "It...if it got out, it would change everything. It could have ruined our people!"

"Yeah, pretty sure the ship has sailed there." Ed couldn't help sounding more mocking then he intended.

Heevena looked over the Moclan refugees. "I dare say, a deep-set DNA test would reveal quite a few of you may in fact have been born female and not know it." That got another wave of shock as she continued. "I am sorry. For all of this. But the truth had to come out." She waved a hand to her crewmembers. "We have supplies. And we have more numbers to aid you in this time."

Jagahar angrily shook his head. "No...No, we will not accept this! No matter what, we are still Moclan! To even believe females an equal..."

Heevena raised her eyebrows. "Oh? Well, then, I guess we can just fly off back to our home, then wait for what's left of you to die off. Then the Moclans will still be a one-gender race."

Ed stepped forward, raising his hands. "Okay, this is quite obviously a very tense situation. However, she's right. You're in no position to turn down any aid, especially when they are your own people."

Jagahar was still doubtful. "Captain, this is not a Union concern..."

"With all respect, Councilor, your standing in the Union just took a massive hit," Ed responded. "If I can be blunt..."

"Like you never have been," Kelly muttered under her breath.

Ed continued. "The Union has put up with a lot of Moclan culture because of your importance as our weapon builders and defense suppliers. However, and I'm sorry for being this way, all those factories and resources are now burning rubble. We will help you, because it's what we do." He stepped forward, narrowing his eyes. "But let's make this abundantly clear, Councilor. As of now...you need us more than we need you."

He backed up, waving a hand to Heevena. "She's right. Your world is gone, all you have is what's on this ship and the Moclans on other worlds. Maybe it's time to accept a change to your people before you lose any more."

He turned to Heevena. "I'll get my crew to help you out and get started with medical aid and such."

"Thank you, Captain," Heevena stated. She looked to Jagahar and her face softened. "Jagahar...I never wanted to ruin our culture. Not with my writings and not with my actions. I only wanted to help our people. It's what I want now." She extended a hand. "Please...let go of those damned traditions and the stupid pride and accept some help."

He just stared at her, then turned to march away with the others following. Kagin held back, slowly looking at Heevena with an apologetic gaze on his face. "I...will talk to them," he said in a quieter tone. "I..." he licked his lips. "I am sorry."

Heevena offered a sad smile. "So am I. Believe me, so am I."

Bortus was moving to Klyden, his husband just staring outward mutely. Bortus knew what was going through his mind. Kylden had been born a female before being altered by his parents and that "secret shame" no doubt drove his passion for the Moclan wave of life. To discover that he was no "freak" but could have lived a different life was undoing his entire world view.

"Sooooo...what the hell just happened?" Siren spoke up.

"From what I gather, aside from losing their home world, the Moclans just had everything else they've always believed in turned upside down," Len mused. "This is going to make a tight voyage."

For a trained scientist, getting a look at a 25th-century lab was a dream for Ray Palmer.

Granted, the Waverider's own science lab was top notch and Ray had seen some far-future stuff before. Still, it was great to be in his element, looking over the data from the fallen Kaylon bodies to study them. He stood by a table with a Kaylon lying on it, watching as a scanner read through every inch of its form. The Orville's technology was surprisingly easy to figure out, making Ray wonder once again if something had happened to "pause" Earth's technological progress in the past. Which also might explain why nothing in pop culture worth mentioning since the 2020s...

He adjusted a scanner before checking out the readouts on the circuity inside. "This is...pretty impressive."

Nora was nearby, curious as she looked over his shoulder. While magic had always been her interest more than science, she was nonetheless supportive. "Any idea how they can be beaten?'

"I'm working on it," Ray stated.

Nora nodded before Ray spoke again. "So...how you been?"

"Pretty good," she stated. "Got dusted but came back."

"Ouch, sorry."

She waved a hand. "It's okay. It gave me some time to regroup, reflect on mistakes and such. It's why I was open to Ava's offer to help the Bureau, helps balance some scales." She smiled at him. "Thanks for the flowers in prison."

"No problem," he smiled warmly. "I'm glad you're okay."

"I'm handling," she admitted. "I'm not sure of how much good I can be with the magic but I'm willing to try."

"Thanks," Ray stated. He sighed as he looked at the data. "I just need to crack this big-time. It's majorly advanced tech and harder to figure out."

"Need a hand?" Ray looked to the side where the loud and obnoxious voice had come from. Seeing no one, he looked down to see what appeared to be a blob of green gelatin sliding on the floor. "Hey, I'm Yaphit," the creature stated. "I'm willing to help if ya need it."

Even given his past experiences, having a blob of green Jell-o talking to him took a few moments for Ray to take. He slowly nodded. "Um, okay, sure, thanks."

"No problem," Yaphit said in a friendly tone. What Ray guessed was his face glanced to Nora and, despite lacking actual lips, managed a whistle. "Damn, you are a hot one! You doing anything later?"

"Ah...sorry but...sorta involved," Nora said in as kind a tone as possible. Yaphit shrugged (well, his upper body moved up and down a few inches) as he joined Ray in investigating the fallen robots. "Ah, probably for the best. No offense but I'm not into relationships, just a love em and leave em type. Ask the doc!"

"Sure, later," Nora replied as she tried to adjust to the weird sight of her...not quite boyfriend but something in that area...and the green alien working together.

A set of metallic footsteps came up as they looked up to see Isaac coming forward. "I may be of assistance," he stated. "I understand the programming better than anyone." He seemed to pause, a rarity for him. "I am...I will accept if you are not willing to take my aid."

Ray paused before nodding. "Come on, the more the merrier."

Isaac appeared as surprised as an android could be. "You accept me?"

Ray shrugged. "I've worked with folks who made a lot of mistakes before." He looked to Nora with a light smile. "But in a lot of cases...there's always room for a second chance." Nora smiled back warmly.

Isaac sat with him to observe the fallen Kaylon's systems. Yaphit was quiet before speaking up. "Ya know...the doc...is taking what you did pretty hard."

"It was not my intention to hurt her."

"Maybe but ya sure succeeded nicely," Yaphit continued. "It's gonna be a long time before she trusts someone again." He held up a "hand." "I'm not saying you two are finished but you are going to need to apologize to her."

Isaac took that in. "Perhaps...you are correct."

"Or you don't and I get another shot at her again..."

"That is only further impetus to me making amends with her."

Nora took in the discussion of the android and the gelatinous alien and suddenly felt much better about her own current relationship.

The bridge of the Waverider was once more busy as Gideon's hologram highlighted the map of the galaxy. "I am attempting to track Ultron and his Kylon forces," the computer announced. "However, it appears he has taken to sending out various waves of interference which, while not a true cloak, is making it more difficult to follow their trails."

"Could they be headed for Earth?" Sara suggested. "It makes sense they'd go after it after taking out another key Union planet."

"If they do, it'll be harder," Snart stated, leaning on a nearby wall. "By now, the Union will have the fleet organized with most of it protecting Earth."

"Also too obvious a target," Siren threw in as she leaned on a console. "Ultron knows Earth will have its defenses high, he can't just sneak in. He can use it as distraction for his actual plot." Off the looks of the others, she shrugged. "I once worked for guys who were masters of making someone think they knew the plan when they had a real scheme going in plain sight."

"But what?" Gamora mused, studying the map. "Molcan made sense, they're key weapons manufacturers for the Union. Xelaya was home to a lot of scientists and security folks. The other planets are harder to figure out."

"Assuming just one," Nate pointed out. "We don't know how many of those mega-bombs Ultron made."

"The power levels involved were quite massive," Gideon explained. "I would suspect that the materials required for them are rare which may limit the number created."

"Yet even one more can cause some serious havoc," Zari mused.

"I am Groot."

"He's dead right," Quill said. "Needle in a haystack doesn't begin to explain this." He shook his head. "Honestly, folks really underestimate just how damn big the universe is. It's why I never got in Carol Danvers' face about not going against Thanos, she might have tried in between helping Skrulls but he moved around a lot and too easy to miss him unless you really work at it."

"To her credit, she apologized for it," Nate tossed out. "Something about how she was focused on Skrulls and that Ronan guy. She heard about him in passing but figured the Nova Corps and others could handle him while she focused on worlds they all ignored."

"My father used that," Nebula noted. "He played the other galactic powers against each other, made himself out to be just a despot with few realizing just how dark his ultimate goal was."

"Underestimating a sociopathic monster as a nuisance until it was too late." Nate sighed. "Sadly, that's one trend in history that always repeats."

Gamora was studying the map. "Whatever this Ultron is, he's a logical being. Maybe driven by more emotion than a regular robot or android but he doesn't do anything without a purpose. We just need to figure out what that is."

Sara was about to speak when a shimmering came over the air. They all turned to see the familiar sight of a door opening in thin air and a nervous-looking man wearing glasses and an ill-fitting suit stepped through it. "Oh, hey, guys!" he called out with a friendly wave and a grin.

"Oh, God, not this idiot again," Siren moaned, putting her head in her hands rather than once more take in Gary Green.

"Wow, hi, this is amazing," Gary said as he took in the Guardians. "Read about you all in the files but this is...wow..."

"Who..." Len began.

"Ignore him, we do," Mick intoned.

"So, anyway, was going over files and such and had to warn you that right now the future of this timeline is um...well, not really existing right now. Which means unless you guys fix something fast, it can get...pretty bad."

"Define bad," Quill asked.

"Oh, don't encourage him," Charlie pleaded.

"Kinda apocalyptic? I mean, it's pretty out there now, you know how things are shifting but can't settle down just yet until we know for sure." Gary's eyes fell on Rocket and he grinned wider. "Awww, look at this little guy, he's so cute-"

In a flash, Rocket had his gun aimed right in his face. "Cute? I look cute ta you? Say that again! Go on, say it!" Mick chuckled at the reaction.

Gary swallowed as he backed up, his hands raised. "Um, okay, that's...a little more extreme than I anticipated."

"I am Groot," the sentient tree snapped at the raccoon.

"Hey, don't start with me!"

Nate frowned. "You understand him?"

Gary blinked and then blanched. "Oh, no, no, not a word, just being, you know, understanding of the trees." He turned and held up a hand to Groot. "Would it help if I said I'm not a vegetarian?"

The creature frowned. "I am Groot."

Mantis frowned as he looked at Gary. "No, no, he understood every word..."

"I take a lot of Berlitz courses," Gary quickly said.

Siren rubbed her temples. "How did this become my life? I mean, really, I was fine being a street crook with a scream, now I'm time-traveling with aliens."

"Ah, he doesn't seem so bad," Quill remarked with a wave of the hand.

"Drax? I guess but he does seem to take things too literally..."

"Huh? Oh, no, meant him." He waved to Gary, whose eyes widened.

The Legends exchanged baffled looks between Gary and the Guardians. "Um...what?" Zari spoke up for all of them.

Gamora frowned. "You guys...do know he's an alien, right?"

A wave of laughter greeted her declaration. "Um...okay, clearly you don't know many humans," Nate stated. "He's Gary. He's...okay, he's a weirdo but we've known him long enough to know he's human."

"A very annoying human," Mick added.

Nebula snorted. "Please. Even if my eyes weren't cyborg, I'd know a cloak when I see one."

Mantis' antenna bobbed as she studied Gary. "His emotions are so raw and real...yet clearly too much a human, as if trying to overcompensate."

Constantine barked out a laugh. "Gary? I mean...what? Really?" He looked to the young man. "Come on, squire, tell them..." he stopped as he saw the guilty look on Gary's face.

"Gary?" Sara asked, slowly stepping forward. "What aren't you telling us?"

Taking in their looks, Gary swallowed as he reached a hand to his glasses. He slid them off as his body shimmered to transform into a massive grey-skinned form with an elongated head marked by huge pupilless eyes and a mouth comprised of tentacles. While he had a humanoid form, the tentacles behind him were more additions to his true alien origins.

He slid the glasses back on to once more take on his human form. He licked his lips at the wave of blank stares he was getting from most of the inhabitants of the room. A very long silence was finally broken by Zari. "Well...that explains a lot." The rest of the Legends had to give assenting nods.

Len just raised an eyebrow. "I'm guessing I missed some drama here?"

Gary swallowed. "Um, yeah, it's...a long story. See, I was sorta sent to find some ultimate warrior type for my people but I got sidetracked by the whole Dusting and then I came to really like you guys and please don't kill me!"

"Hey, hey, come on!" Nate assured him. "We don't judge just by appearances!"

Charlie let out a series of loud coughs with the occasional "bullshit" thrown into them.

"I mean, we forgave you for the whole mess with Neron," Nate said. "And the time you nip-tonized the Time Bureau."

"The time he what?" Quill blurted.

"Yeah, Ava doesn't want that brought up ever again," Sara snapped. She glared at Gary. "And you just kept this quiet all this time?"

Gary coughed. "Um, you know, Captain Lance, I could point out a lot of folks on this ship have made more than their share of mistakes. I mean, you were once an assassin and maybe that wasn't the best thing to say by the look in your eye..."

"I will punch you for sheer pleasure in a minute," Siren snapped and for once, Sara was backing her.

Quill coughed. "Clearly, you have all have some...issues to work out here and I'm sure they're fascinating, really but don't ya think we should be concentrating on the murderous fleet of robots out there?"

Sara nodded. "You're right." She glared once more at Gary. "But trust me, this is not over." He gave a nervous nod as he backed up, looking to Constantine. "I...do you...respect me less than this?"

John put a hand to his shoulder. "Trust me, Gary...I could not respect you any less than I already do."

"Oh, thank you so much, that's so nice!" Gary gushed.

"I am Groot."

"I agree, this is a weird, weird ship," Quill remarked, clearly not grasping the irony of his statement.

"Does Ava know about this?" Sara demanded, waving at Gary.

"Well, it's not exactly what you put on the job application..." He shrugged. "But am happy you guys are accepting of this."

"We did decide not to dismiss anything after the Beebo bit."

Zari shook her head. "It's amazing how you get used to bizarre shit on this ship."

"It may just be me but it sounds like you guys have taken a major step in the weirdness since I left," Snart pointed out.

"Not you," Mick agreed. "It actually seemed semi-serious then. Running around, facing Savage and other threats, me as Chronos. Next thing I know, we're handling Vikings worshipping a teddy bear."

"I'll take your word for it, this place has been weird for me since the start," Nate stated.

"On the plus side, we do seem to have bonded more," Sara intoned. "I remember being so tempted to kill you guys in the first few weeks. Especially when we found there's only one bathroom on this ship."

"I am Groot?!"

Gary was looking to Black Siren. "Wow...you do look different from her. The other Laurel Lance, that is."

Siren shrugged. "Ah, used to it. I didn't know you knew her though."

"Oh, yeah, just saw her on TV last week!"

Sara frowned. "Wait...on some video thing?"

"Oh, no, on a news broadcast, her back at Star City D.A.'s office!" Gary went on. "I guess the story of her being in witness protection worked out, and there she was like nothing happened and why are you staring at me like that like you don't know she's still alive?"

Sara's eyes were wide as she walked forward. "What do you mean...Laurel's alive? As in my Laurel, my actual Earth-1 sister?"

"Well, yes," Gary stammered. "She was abducted by some aliens, not mine, a bunch of others who are really, really mean and her death was faked but now she's back with Oliver and wow, so thought Ava told you all this."

"Damn," Constantine mused. "First time heard someone back from the dead without soul retrieval and such..."

"Welp, there's trouble in paradise," Charlie couldn't help muttering.

Sara was clearly stunned and Siren wasn't far behind her. "Laurel's alive..." Sara whispered. "Oh my God..." She walked off and after a pause, Siren followed her. "Hey," she called out. "Sara, wait."

Sara was marching toward her room. "I'm going there. Well, first, I'm going to see Ava to demand to know why she didn't tell me about this, then I'm going to see her..."

Siren stepped before her, her hands up. "Whoa, whoa, hold on. Listen, I get it, I do but we can't just leave right now. You're the one pressing for us to help out here, bailing out now isn't a good message."

"What do you care?" Sara snapped. "Hell, when have you cared for anyone but yourself?"

Siren winced but nodded. "I know...I know. I bathed in the dark side way too much after Oliver died. I just...it just felt so much easier to keep being so bad rather than face up to my pain. To her." She looked at Sara with a gaze much like the Laurel she knew. "But...dammit...you and the rest of this pack of idiots...well, you've made me realize it's better helping people. Caring about people again, doing whatever it takes." She waved her arms about. "I leave now, leave this future to Ultron when I could help..." She looked back to Sara and her usual sardonic nature was gone. "I can't live with that."

Sara couldn't help but smile broadly. "I can't believe it...you giving me advice to help others."

Siren rolled her eyes. "Yeah, this hero crap is contagious, sue me."

"If you're still a lawyer, you can handle that."

"Actually never did get rid of the degree..."

Sara nodded. "Okay, fine...get this, then get to Laurel."

"Hey, first-class incentive to kick some robot ass."

A smirk returned to Sara's lips. "You two are a lot more alike than you think."

"I'll look forward to finally finding out."

As the two walked off, a pair of eyes followed. More specifically, one pair of natural eyes and another mixed with a bionic one. Nebula and Gamora watched the Lances walk away as they shared a long look. "Two sisters once at each other's throats now on the same side," Gamora mused. "Maybe the universe trying to tell us something?"

Nebula was more serious than usual before speaking. "When you died...I felt...something I never felt before. Pain in my heart, the loss of something tied to me. I spent years wanting you dead and when you were, I couldn't imagine being without you." She looked to Nebula with true warmth. "Maybe that's what sisters truly are."

Gamora looked at her. "I'm going to hug you."

"I...would like that." And so they did.

The mess hall of the Orville was quieter than usual. A few off-duty crewmembers sat, mostly in hushed conservations or nursing some beers. The mood was sour, the destruction of an entire world still clear in everyone's minds and the fear of what planet could be next.

Bortus was allowed a wide space, staring out the window as if trying to see where his home world had once been. He became aware of a presence but didn't turn as Drax came beside him. The green-skinned warrior stood with his arms crossed as he also stared out into space.

"I had thought you were on your ship," Bortus stated.

"Some of us went on a...coffee break...to use the term," Drax stated. "I thought to practice my invisibility."

Bortus looked to him. "You can turn invisible?'

"Oh, yes. I am doing so now."

Bortus' eyes looked him over. "I must say you are doing a poor job."

"I can move so slowly, my movements are invisible to the human eye."

"Ah...Perhaps that is why I can still see you."

"Undoubtedly." Drax was quiet for a moment before speaking. "I...how are you?"

Bortus didn't know Drax well but already suspected the man was not used to conservations like this. "I...do not know. In a few hours, I have lost my world and then found all I thought I knew was a lie." He looked down. "I...don't see...how to go on...Even though I know I must yet after all that..." He sighed. "My people are used to standing up to whatever life throws at us. But this is a challenge even for us."

Drax mused on his words, a rare show of true thought running across his face. "My world is dead," he finally announced. "My people were ravaged by a madman, the few left scattered across the universe. My family..." The way he trailed off told Bortus everything. "For years, all that drove me was a chance to avenge them. It happened in the end yet...it did not change what occurred."

He glanced over to Bortus. "I found...a family, of sorts. They are an unusual lot but I believe they have helped me." He glanced about the room as if taking in the entire ship as he went on. "You have a family here. Not just your mate but this crew. Accept that and they can lessen your pain."

Bortus mulled over his words. "Perhaps you are right."

"Your mate needs you more than anyone now. You can feel the anger and the need for vengeance. But it's not as satisfying as you think." He clasped a hand to Bortus' shoulder. "Your world may be ruined...but as long as you and your people live on, it shall never truly die."

Bortus cocked his head. "That is...surprisingly philosophical."

"I am a man of many depths. As I prove when swimming."

Bortus nodded in thanks as the two men returned to staring out into the stars.

Nearby, Len was bringing drinks to a table where Mick, Rocket and Groot sat. Mick smiled as he held up his beer. "At least this place has good alcohol."

Rocket sipped his beer and nodded. "Yep, pretty good. Been getting inta this stuff a lot more, thanks to you."

"Happy to help."

Len smirked. "You and that raccoon get along well, huh?"

"Hard lives, harsh times and trying to make do," Mick retorted. "We got a lot in common."

"I am Groot."

Len wasn't sure what the tree was saying but kept talking. "You have changed, Mick. For the better."

"No longer the dumb muscle?" Mick said. "It's what a past version of you said right before he killed another version of me."

Taking a moment to absorb that, Len continued. "Maybe we both changed then. Hell, a few years ago, you told me I'd be out there, saving the world, caring for anything other than a score, I wouldn't have believed it."

Mick snorted. "Ugh, just what we need, Flash telling us how we're heroes."

Len rolled his eyes. "I can hear him now." He broke into a copy of Barry Allen's voice. "I always knew you were more than a crook, Snart. You can be a better man than what you are."

Mick chuckled as he tried to copy the voice too. "You don't have to keep up your old ways, it's never too late to change."

The two friends laughed before Len sobered. "How's Lisa?"

Mick sighed. "Haven't heard from her in a while. She...took your death kinda hard. Last I heard, she was a bounty hunter somewhere by Coast City."

"I'll have to check on her, make sure she's not still in trouble she can't handle."

"You were dead, Len. Think that outdoes her trouble." Mick took another drink. "Listen, maybe we get with her, pull a job. Just to show we still got it, haven't gone soft."

"A job, huh?" Rocket sat up. "I think I'd like ta see that. From what Quill says, that planet of yours is so backward in tech, I can break into that Fort Knox place easy!"

That got the attention of the two men. "Okay, let's get talking on that," Len said as he leaned across the table. "How could we get all that gold out? It's tons!"

"Tons..." Rocket chuckled. "Aw, how cute, you guys forget you work with someone who shrinks stuff."

"I am Groot."

"Quiet, we're just doing a free-thinking exercise," Rocket intoned as the trio began talking.

While not discussing it, everyone on the ship had decided to give Claire a wide berth for now. All knew of her and Isaac and how she obviously must have felt at his betrayal. She was focused on her work, going over the charts of the refugee patients. It wasn't helped by the insistence of several to check their DNA to see if they had once been born female. While Claire had her issues with the Moclans doing this, it was hard to get that upset about a society that had just endured such a horrible loss.

A smell came to her nose that took her a moment to recognize from a holoprogram she had once taken part in. She looked up to see Constantine enter, puffing on a cigarette. "I don't suppose it'll matter if I say we don't smoke here?"

"Not really," Constantine stated as he headed to a shelf. "Was wondering about what kind of supplies you have. Might need to whip up a few healing potions on the fly."

"I use science, Mr. Constantine," Claire said in a dry tone. "That goes much further than 'magic'."

He threw her a sly smirk. "Oh, you'd be surprised how far magic goes, luv."

"I am not your, nor anyone else's 'luv'," Claire snapped in a harsher tone than she intended.

Constantine's smirk slowly faded as he saw the obvious pain in her eyes. He took the cigarette out of his mouth, stubbing it out on a table before speaking. "Listen...I'm probably the last bloke to be dispensing romantic advice. I mean, did sort of send my last girlfriend to Hell."

"Yes, that would disqualify you," Claire dryly stated even though she wasn't sure if he was kidding or not.

Constantine went on. "But speaking as someone who has been a spectacular bastard for most of his life...Isaac seems to regret what he did. And he was pushed into it by programming and such." He looked to Claire. "Yet the fact he stuck around to fight for this ship and willing to fight his own kind...I doubt that was programmed in."

"So, what I should give him a second chance?" Claire scoffed. "He used me, it was nothing but a con."

"I know cons, luv. I've worked a few and I know when someone's lying. So when I tell you that guy seems sincere about wanting to make amends, you should believe it."

"He's not a 'guy', he's a machine."

"Yet seems a better catch than most humans. Trust me on that." He shrugged. "Just my two cents, take it or leave it. Just know I'm usually not the type to be giving out advice forgiving someone." He pulled out another cigarette to light it up.

"You know those are very bad for you," Claire remarked. "They cause cancer."

"Relax, me and Lucifer made a deal on that long ago. He wants a better way to torture me." He left, with Claire feeling troubled that a man so obviously mentally disturbed could have made an actually good point.

Entering the armory, Kelly couldn't help smiling as she saw Alara talking with Talla near a console, back in her old uniform. Alara brought herself up as she turned and saluted Kelly. "Lieutenant Katan reporting for duty, Commander."

"Welcome back, Alara." Kelly returned the salute before embracing the smaller woman. "Good to see you again." She broke it off to study the other woman. "Sure you're okay?"

"The treatments have been working fine," Alara stated. "Besides, you need all the help you can get."

"I've been showing her the scans we've been taking off the fallen Kaylon," Talla told Kelly. "I think we can adjust the weapon frequencies to hit them harder."

"Have we gotten anywhere with the other bodies?" Alara asked.

"Isaac is still going over them with that Palmer guy," Kelly said. "It's tricky right now. We called the Grand Admiralty, the fleet has been assembled around Earth but we don't know if they'll strike elsewhere."

"At least the Krill are actually being a help here," Talla stated. "I have to admit, that weapons tech is pretty advanced, much better than we imagined." She sighed. "With Moclus gone, we're going to need an edge in combat."

Before either of the other two women could speak, the doors opened as Gamora marched into the armory. She studied the various weapons on the wall, tapping her chin. She reached up to take one rifle down, balancing it in her hands. She then grabbed a larger launcher before pausing to take a smaller pistol off a wall. She bundled them together as she looked to Kelly. "I'll be borrowing these."

"Borrow implies you'd be bringing them back later," Kelly dryly stated. "I'm getting the feeling that's not happening here?"

"I'll be making something better," Gamora stated as she grabbed a larger blade-shaped weapon off another wall. "Be nice and I might try to replicate it for you." Without speaking more, she turned to march out of the room.

There was a long pause before Alara spoke. "Can we trust these people?"

"Right now, we don't have much of a choice," Kelly mused. "Just...try to be careful around them."

"You don't think they're a threat, do you?'

"I think these two crews could be a threat to the cosmos just grabbing a lunch order."

A coughing sound got their attention and they turned to see Ed coming in. "Hey, checking in quick," he said. "We've got the refugees in safety and we should be able to get going soon. Heevena has her world ready but you can imagine the issues."

"As in the Moclan council, or what's left of it, would rather just travel through space than accept the help of women," Kelly sardonically noted.

Ed let out a tired sigh. "Dead right there. The Admiralty reports the Moclan ambassadors on Earth are up in arms about this. And yes, it says something they seem more upset about the truth of Moclan female births getting out than their entire planet destroyed."

"Nice to see some things don't change," Alara muttered.

"What about the Krill?" Talla asked. "Can we trust them not to go off on the Kaylon themselves?"

"Please, never use Krill, Kaylons and 'get off' in the same sentence again," Kelly begged.

Ed smiled briefly at that before going on. "Right now, we don't have a choice but to trust them. They seem okay helping us now but I agree, we can't ignore the fact they can have their own agenda."

"At least we have those others helping," Alara said. "They saved my homeworld, I'm willing to give them some slack, as strange as they can be."

"We still need to track Ultron down," Ed remarked. He rubbed his chin. "I can't help feeling there's more to all this than there seems."

"Gut feeling?"

"Problem with gut feelings? If they're true, then a lot of times, they lead to serious illness."

As he stood on the bridge of his ship, Ultron gazed at the image on the viewscreen of the Gamma Velorum system before him. His eyes were focused on the planet nearby, looking much like Earth. Regor II seemed to be a peaceful world although the files Ultron had read from the Union databases brought up its issues.

"Sir," his aide called up. "We are prepared."

"Energy levels set?"

"At lower than anticipated, sir. The energy residual we gathered from the destruction of Moclus is sufficient but we lack the power from Xelaya to ensure full batteries."

"Still, we should be able to recharge nicely from this." Ultron paused, still studying the image of Regor II. "Fire at will."

He became aware of the Kaylon staring at him and mimicked a sigh. "Of course, I keep forgetting, you don't have one. Fire now, then."

Orders were quickly transmitted as the main ship moved ahead of the others. From the lower hull extended a large array which combined a cannon with a large circular dish. The crackling of energy emitted around it, building up larger and larger as whisps of energy soon coalesced into large full beams bouncing off each other.

The beams came together before forming a huge red ball of energy that seemed to crackle and hum even in the vacuum of space. At a final command, it was fired outward, tearing across three light years to enter the Gamma Velorum system. It sped past Regor II and the other six planets, seemingly building in size and energy as it streaked toward the system's sun.

It entered the sun, briefly swallowed up into its warmth. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the dark red energy began flowing outward, from the sun's interior to its surface, crackling with the dark energies. The sun began fluctuating with shockwaves emitting that raced at higher speeds than it should, shattering the closest planet to dust.

Just as it seemed as if the globe was about to expand, it instead began to retract. The sun seemed to fold in on itself, sucking in more energy. What had been a vibrant globe of energy instead transformed into a monstrous black hole, a tear in space and time.

Nearly three thousand years earlier, the people of Regor II had taken a constellation collapse as an evil sign and believed anyone born within that same month was somehow "cursed." For all their technological advancements, their hold on astrology was a key reason they could never be welcomed into the Union.

At long last, what had once been primitive superstition became an all too real horror.

The black hole's energies tore through the system, the waves of destruction smashing another planet apart. By the time it got to Regor II, the energy had shifted as the planet was slowly but surely disintegrated by the power of the wormhole. It looked as if it was being peeled apart, layer by layer, the atmosphere first, followed by its crust and then the mantle all the way to the core. It was as if the world was an onion thrown into a compactor, the ones on the dark side spared most of the agony while those in the sunlit side had a few moments to curse their fate before all was lost. Regor II was yanked apart, most of it scattered across the cosmos while the rest was pulled into the growing black hole.

In the relative terms of the cosmos, it took less than an hour for five of the seven worlds of the Gamma Verloum system to be swallowed into the black hole that now rested in the center of where its sun had been. The remaining two planets were ravaged by the shockwaves, one knocked out of its orbit while another was rendered forever lifeless, the warning signs to the cosmos of what now existed.

The shockwaves had faded by the time they could reach the distance to where the Kaylon fleet safely sat. Ultron felt a bit of whimsey as he looked at the slowly spiraling black hole at the center of the system. "I chose it for a reason," he spoke up despite knowing the Kaylon wouldn't truly care. "I mean, they spend thousands of years convinced astrology rules, governing by the stars. Using their sun to wipe out their world? Too good to pass up."

"Energy levels are lower than expected, sir," his aide spoke up. "We will need further time to recharge before it can be used again."

"That's all right," Ultron stated. "We've got a trip ahead anyway." He settled onto his throne, once more taking in the destruction of the entire star system. "Set a course for Earth and get ready for some fight.

Oh and one more thing? Check with the designers down below on how the new body is coming. I really want to be able to smile for things like this."

The Yaphit cameo is a tribute to the late, great Norm MacDonald.

For those who missed The Orville, Regor II was a planet that made first contact with the Union in Season 2. It looked to be going great until they learned Kelly and Bortus were born in a certain month so put into a concentration camp. It seemed the populace accepted astrology more than science and when a star blew out millennia ago, accepted that anyone born in that time was somehow "cursed." Thus, the idea of them being wiped out by a destroyed star just seemed bizarrely fitting.

And yes, the bit on Carol and space being big me taking on those complaining about Carol never stopping him. Look how many times in the comics the Avengers are completely clueless over a near world-ending disaster almost happening right in New York City. That word of Thanos could have taken a while to get to Carol isn't impossible, not to mention that most dismissed him as a typical "world-conquering" despot, not grasping he wasn't out to rule, just sheer genocide and how far he'd go to achieve it.

Also the Laurel alive thing is explained in "Salvation Run."

Again, apologies for the long delay and hopefully not as long a wait before the next chapter.