AN: Inspired by The Mandalorian. Enjoy!

"I gave you life, Vision" His creator, Tony Stark had once told him. "What you decide to do with that life is up to you."

That was all well and good, in theory. But in practice, being part android, part human, made from a mixture of synthetic flesh and vibranium, the rarest metal in the galaxy, with an equally rare and powerful stone in his forehead didn't really leave Vision with a whole lot of solid options. Eventually, after a year or two of roaming the galaxy trying to decide who and what he was, having people scream when they saw his unusual purple-skinned form, or on the other end of the spectrum, being attacked for his vibranium parts, Vision had settled on Bounty Hunting as his best long-term career option.

It wasn't that he liked the job, exactly. The actual bounties didn't mean much to Vision, and in his heart he believed that he was made for something else, something more. But the more legitimate law enforcement had rejected his request for employment, so Bounty Hunting was the only other way he could think of to be a productive member of society, bringing Criminals to some sort of justice, and he would have an at least semi-legitimate reason for carrying the weapons he sometimes needed to protect himself from those who would strip him for parts.

His nearest Bounty Hunting guild, known as the Ravagers, were not picky about who joined their ranks, and welcomed Vision without much argument. He was good at what he did, strong but speedy, with the added bonus of the ability to alter his density, letting him walk through walls, avoid attacks, or deliver a good wallop to the back of the head when need be. Vision's targets very rarely escaped him, and, more often than not, he reached them before anyone else did. Before long, he rose up to become one of the best hunters in the guild.

Vision's skills made him rather unpopular with his fellow Bounty Hunters, but he quickly became a favourite of the Ravagers leader, Yondu Udonta. As head of the guild, Yondu received a percentage of every bounty that Vision successfully collected, of which there were many. Vision was not particularly fond of the Centaurian.. Yondu seemed, at times, a little too money hungry, even for the leader of a bounty hunting guild. But as long as Vision remained in his good books and continued bringing in bounties, Yondu would keep the other Ravagers off Vision's back.

And so, we come to the true beginning of our story, with Vision meeting Yondu in a bar called the Iron Lotus, the unofficial headquarters of the Ravagers, in hopes of receiving his next job.

Vision was much choosier about his bounties than most of the other hunters he came into contact with. He wouldn't spend his time tracking down people's cheating spouses, or children who'd fled from likely abusive Homes. He didn't really care about a missing brother-in-law who owed someone money. Vision wanted to contribute good things to the world, so his focus was solely on capturing criminals and delivering them to justice. The payment he received, in his mind, was secondary.

Yondu knew where Vision's focus lay, which was why he was confused by the job Yondu offered him.

"You want me to retrieve a stolen science experiment from a lab on planet Hydra and return it to it's rightful owner?"

"The client, Lord Ultron" Vision nodded.

"That's not really what I do" Vision frowned. "Are you sure this Lord Ultron wouldn't rather I captured the Thief?"

"The Thief is long gone, apparently" Yondu shrugged. "The client just wants his experiment back.. Pretty desperately too, the payday on this one is great. He told me he wanted his best guys on it, and you, Vision, you're the best of the best."

"Well.." Vision hesitated. He wasn't an errand boy for some Lord. But, he did need to keep Yondu onside. "Alright. I'll take the job."

"Great!" Yondu grinned, baring yellowed teeth, and tossed a device to Vision. "The experiment has a tracker installed, so this will help you find the thing, whatever it is.."

"Got it" Vision nodded, standing to leave.

"One more thing, Vision, in the interest of full disclosure.."

"Yes?"

"You're not the only hunter working this job. The client just wanted to cover his bases, you understand.."

"Of course" Vision sighed, turning to leave. "I understand.."

He only hoped this job did not turn out to be more trouble than it was worth.

With the tracking device in hand, Vision boarded his ship, The Side Of Life, and flew to the planet Hydra, located a few star systems away. He landed the ship in a wooded area to keep it hidden, chose his favourite blaster, and followed the tracking beacon to the location of the lab in which he would find the experiment he'd been sent to retrieve. Something about the whole situation felt off, but he shook his head, clearing his mind of his concerns.

The lab seemed to have a high security detail. Obviously, whoever had stolen this experiment was eager to keep it. Ideally, he would have liked to wait and scout out the building for a little while longer, but he could see the outlines of other ships arriving in the sky, his competition, and he knew he had to get back to the job at hand. Being the successful hunter on this job meant keeping in favour with Yondu.

So, he headed towards the lab. Between his own strength, his phasing abilities, and his blaster, he made relatively quick work of the guards, despite their greater numbers. He wound his way through the building, following the signal of the Tracking Beacon, and when he reached the room where the signal stopped, he kicked the door open, ready to snatch this experiment and get the hell out.. then he froze.

The Tracker had lead him to what looked like a cell, and inside, a dark-haired young woman in a hospital gown, with bandages covering her arms. She was huddled on the floor, her eyes cast downward.

"Please, no more from them today" The young woman murmured. "They are too small, it's too much.. take it from me instead.."

"Oh.." Vision realised, with a sick feeling in the pit of his synthetic stomach, that she was not alone. Two small children peeked out from behind her with wide, frightened eyes. They couldn't have been more than Two, and, horrifyingly, they too were covered in bandages.

The young woman looked up at Vision, her skin pale. She saw the Ravager badge on his chest, and saw resignation in her soft green eyes, though she mustered the strength to push the children further behind her.

"You're a bounty hunter.. where are you taking us now? Or are you here to kill us this time? Maybe that would be better.."

Vision was silent for a long moment, mostly in shock. But as he recovered, he began to think. This wasn't what he signed up for. He captured criminals. He didn't deliver women and children between torture houses.

A burly pink alien burst into the room, whom Vision instantly recognised as Taserface, a fellow Ravager.

"Damn it!" Taserface growled. "How do you always get here first?!"

Vision made a choice. He set his blaster to stun, spun around, and fired, hitting Taserface squarely in the chest. Before the Ravager had even hit the ground, Vision tore off his own Ravager badge, and tossed it aside like it was poison, then turned back to the young woman.

Vision chose what to do with his life, and he wanted to do good.

"My name is Vision.. I am here to help."