Welcome back to the world of "Half-Worlders of the Galaxy" everyone! And to those that are new here, a big welcome to you too. After about a year away from the series, I'm finally back to continue the story, but this time it'll be Rocket and Lylla's daughter that takes the main starring role.

As a given, there will be spoilers for "Half-Worlders of the Galaxy" here, so I highly recommend you go back and read that one first to see how we got here. With that out of the way, enjoy the start of my newest story, "Shocket: Far From Home!"


Out in the far reaches of space, the ancient being known as The Collector had recently completed his new mobile lair. After the destruction of his previous abode at the hands of Thanos five years prior, The Collector was ready to bring his collection to all parts of the galaxy, and he had his eyes on adding to that collection as he went. The first new display: the now three-time galaxy saving Guardians of the Galaxy, their fame/infamy having grown even more since they took part in the battle of Earth.

Or at least, that's what the Collector wanted to happen. What he didn't expect was for the newest Guardian to highjack the security elevator, destroy the main power generator, and release all of his specimens in order to free their family. After hopping into the Benatar, the Guardians of the Galaxy made their escape, blaring their music as they took off to another adventure.

"I can't believe he actually thought that would work," Rocket laughed.

"Indeed," Lylla giggled. "He really should have made sure we couldn't have easily broken out of those cells."

"And it was all thanks to the little rodent!" Drax shouted. "A victory for Shocket!"

The other Guardians gave a cheer for Shocket, but the ottercoon only gave a half-hearted cheer in return. "Yeah, great job me. I'll just be in my room if you need me." She quickly hopped out of her seat and started walking towards her room on the ship.

"I am Groot," Groot said.

"Watch your language, mister!" Rocket chided. "Especially if you're talking about your sister."

"And I thought having to deal with one teenager on this ship was bad enough," Star-Lord sighed. "Where's Thor when you actually need him? He's close to Shocket."

"Let me handle this," Lylla said. The otter followed her daughter to her room, where Shocket was lying on her bed, staring blankly into the ceiling while listening to music. "Shocket? May I come in?" Shocket didn't respond, only grunting and turning away from the door. Lylla sighed and entered the room, sitting at the edge of the bed. "I know something is bothering you, dear. You can tell me?"

Shocket let out a loud sigh, removing her headphones and sitting upright. "How is it so bloody BORING here!?" she shouted. "I thought we'd be going on more daring adventures through space like when you guys fought Ronan and Ego, but everything's been so plain since Thanos."

"Not every job is going to be a big galaxy-saving one," Lylla stated.

Shocket shook her head. "Still, I wish something interesting would happen. Eight months and still nothing? No Gamora, Thor's off on his own adventure, and even the Collector was a pushover."

"We'll find Gamora eventually," Lylla assured. "Unfortunately when someone like her doesn't want to be found, she'll be hard to find. We have made progress on the Phoenix Shards, though. That's fun!"

The ottercoon rolled her eyes. "Mum, no offense, but as cool as the Phoenix Force is, going on a fetch quest to find it is somehow more tedious and boring than doing it in a video game." She grabbed her music device and looked at it. "And we're not even in a good reception spot, so I can't vent to my friends on Earth either."

Lylla thought about that for a second. "It sounds like you need a break from guarding the galaxy," she said. "How about we send you to meet with your friends back on Earth? It has been eight months since we were there."

"Really? You'd do that for me?" Shocket said, perking up a bit.

"We've been meaning to stop by there soon anyway," Lylla nodded. "Is there anyone that you'd like to visit while we're there?"

Shocket hummed. "Morgan would be nice to see again, or maybe having an IRL meet up with Kamala and Sam… Oh wait a minute! What about Peter! I only got to meet him for a little bit after that whole Thanos thing, but we're about the same age, right?"

"Indeed," Lylla replied. "And you're just in luck, because in Earth-time it's just about when humans start their 'summer vacation,' so you'll have plenty of time to hang out and do hero things on Earth."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Shocket grinned. "Let's head off to Earth! Better be ready, Spider-Man, 'cause Shocket is about to crash your summer vacation!"

[***]

On the other side of the galaxy on Earth, Spider-Man was having his own struggles similar yet different to Shocket's. Peter Parker had been one of the people lost when Thanos snapped away half the universe, and thus was gone for the last five years. He had eight months to get caught up on what had happened, but with Tony's forced retirement and the loss of captain America, the young hero was going through some things.

"When I Blipped back to my apartment, the family living there was very confused," said May Parker, aunt to Peter Parker. She was currently giving a speech to a local homeless shelter in Queens, which Peter (as Spider-Man) was also attending. "The wife thought that I was a mistress. The grandma thought that I was a ghost. It was- It was really a mess." She left a moment for the audience to laugh. "Thank you all for coming out to support those who have been displaced by the Blip. And, of course, thanks to our very own Spider-Man!"

The audience clapped as Spider-Man awkwardly stepped up to the microphone. Peter was still getting used to his aunt knowing about his secret identity. "Thank you, Miss Parker, for having me. And thank you, you guys, for having me." He gave two thumbs up to the crowd.

"And thank you Spider-Man; he'll be right back out to take photos and videos," May said as she took the microphone back. "Thank you!"

The two went into the backroom kitchen, giving each other a high five in congratulations. "That was amazing," Peter said as he deactivated his mask.

"That was great!" May agreed.

"That was so cool, I was so nervous," Peter admitted.

"I'm sorry I was a little stiff. I felt like I wasn't in the pocket," May apologized.

"No, I thought you did great," Peter assured.

"Well, I actually did think you were a little stiff," May pointed out.

"Uh," Peter paused. "Yeah, I felt that too."

"It's fine," May said. "Did you get your passport? Mini toothpaste?"

"Yeah, I did," Peter said. He excited to get to go on his European vacation after this.

The two turned as the doors opened, with Happy Hogan coming into the room carrying a giant check. He'd been the confidant between Peter and Tony in the past, and was still the major go-between for Spider-Man and Stark Industries now. "Sorry I'm late," Happy said.

"Happy, hey," Peter greeted with a smile.

"Oh, you look lovely," Happy said to May.

"Thanks, you too," May returned the compliment.

"New dress?" Happy asked, with May nodding to confirm.

"A new beard," May pointed out.

"It's my Blip beard," Happy explained. "'Cause I grew it out in the Blip. Anyway, the reason I'm late is because this was misplaced. Can you believe it? Because It's enormous." He handed over the giant check to May. "Not the amount, the size. The amount is nice too. Pepper Potts said sorry she couldn't be here."

"I think I'm going to go change the Sterno under the vegan lasagna," May said, walking out to the main room. "Spider-Man, go shake hands."

"Will do," Peter replied. He then turned back to Happy with an accusatory look. "What just happened?"

Happy didn't respond, instead saying, "Head's up, Nick Fury's calling you."

That go Peter's attention. "Nick Fury's gonna call me? Why?" Nick Fury is the director of SHIELD, and the one whom most of the Avengers report to on Earth.

"Why? Because he probably has some hero stuff for you to do," Happy said. "You're a superhero, he calls superheroes."

"Well, I mean, if it was really that important he'd probably call someone else, not me," Peter said. His phone then began to ring, making the two men look at it.

"No caller ID; that's him," Happy confirmed.

"I realy don't want to talk to Nick Fury," Peter shook his head.

"Answer the phone," Happy ordered.

"Why?" Peter questioned.

"Because if you don't talk to him then I have to talk to him," Happy replied.

"Why don't you want to talk to him?" Peter pressed.

"Because I'm scared," Happy admitted. "Answer the phone." Instead Peter swiped the 'decline call' button. "You sent Nick Fury to voice mail? You don't send Nick Fury to voice mail."

"Do you hear that?" Peter said, pointing back out to the main room. "They're calling me. I gotta go. I'm gonna call him, I promise, I'm gonna call him. After my trip."

"You do not ghost Nick Fury," Happy said angerly.

Peter just put his mask back on and went out into the main room, where he was immediately surrounded by fans and people with flashing cameras and video recorders. "Okay, one question at a time," Spider-Man said.

"Are you the head Avenger now?" a girl asked.

"Uh, no, I'm not," Spider-Man replied.

"If aliens come back, what are you gonna do?" another person asked.

Spider-Man definitely didn't want to answer that one at the moment. "Does anyone have any neighborhood questions?"

"Sean Winford, Queens Tribune," a reporter said. "What is it like to take over from Tony Stark? Those are some big shoes to fill."

Spider-Man zoned out, the voices becoming white noise as he started panicking inside. "I'm gonna go, thank you all for coming!" He jumped over the crowd and swung out of the building, landing a nearby rooftop to cool down and take a breather. Peter then pulled out his phone, making a call to his former mentor.

"Hey kid, what's up? Aren't you doing a homeless shelter thing with your aunt?" Tony called.

"Hey Tony, I just… needed a minute to breathe," Peter said. "They were asking all these questions about the Avengers and you and I- "

"Peter, breathe," Tony said. "Look, I know this must be a lot for you right now, but you're still young and have a lot to learn."

Peter sighed. "Sometimes it feels like you're actually gone and not just retire."

"Yeah, well, after Lylla used that Phoenix thing to bring me back, sometimes the pain makes me feel like I'd rather be dead," Tony joked. "Anyway, did you get a call from Fury yet?"

"I'll call him back later," Peter said.

"Don't ghost Fury," Tony replied. "Now I've gotta go. It's time for Morgan to go to bed."

"Tell her I said hi," Peter said.

"And call Fury!" Tony insisted.

Peter hung up the phone. He was glad to hear Tony's voice again after some time, but it was still strange that that former Iron Man was more distant than before. Maybe Tony believed that Peter could be Spider-Man on his own now? Or had Peter disappointed him in some way? Either was, it was time for Spider-Man to take a break from being a superhero for a while. He could figure out the Avengers stuff later and focus on his vacation to Europe for now.


Author's Note

And welcome to "Shocket: Far From Home" everyone! As you can tell, this will be a retelling of "Spider-Man: Far From Home" with Shocket crashing Peter's vacation. How that changes the story will be for you guys to find out.

As for some housecleaning, for those that didn't read "Half-Worlders of the Galaxy" or need a refresher, in this universe Lylla the otter is Rocket's mate/partner-in-crime from their home planet of Half-World. The two of them along with Groot joined the Guardians of the Galaxy on many adventures but were the only two along with Nebula to survive the Snap.

In the five years between they had a daughter named Shocket, and eventually took part in the Time Heist and battle to stop Thanos. Lylla, whom was the current host to the Phoenix Force, used the last of her powers to revive Tony after he used the Infinity Stones to save the universe. Though Tony is still alive in this universe, he was only brought back enough that he would live, so he was forced into retirement and is focusing on being a good dad for Morgan.

I also hope you understand why Peter got some more page time in this introductory chapter. Shocket had more time to establish herself back in "Half-Worlders of the Galaxy" so I needed to establish Spider-Man as a character in this world and how he's been affected by the events on Endgame in this world.

Next Time: Shocket arrives on Earth and Peter starts his vacation!