A car covered in mud, looking like it had been buried in a swamp drives through the wall. the author steps out dressed in black leather and puts on Sunglasses.

"I'm back."

Chapter Three

3rd POV

They'd cleared some of the outskirts of the domed city for the military's use in this final exercise. The sounds of battle were all around gunfire and explosions were omnipresent.

Leo dove for cover behind a a conveniently placed garbage truck, where Kendrix, Kai and some other soldiers were also taking shelter.

"Ok let's move." One of them shouted.

The group returned fire at the opposing squads and scrambled for the nearby buildings. An explosion goes off scattering the unit Leaving Leo with Kendrix.

Running for shelter in one of the nearby buildings another series of explosions go off knocking loose apiece of masonry just as Kendrix enters the threshold.

"Look out!" Leo shouts tackling her out of the way.

"Thanks." Said Kendrix as a look of recognition appeared on her features. "You?" She asked.

"Yeah me. Uh, are you okay?" Leo asked as they both got to their feet.

No sooner had they gotten up when Kai Appears and grabs Leo.

"Hey, your the stowaway." He says, as another soldier comes running up.

"Everybody ok." He asks, before noticing Leo. "Leo! What are you doing here?"

"Mike?!" Leo exclaimed.

"You know each other?" Kendrix asked the now named Mike.

"He's my little brother." Mike answered.

"Your brother?" Asked Kai.

"I told you not to come on Terra Venture." Says Mike as he pulls his brother close. This isn't some joyride Leo, the people on this mission will likely never set foot on earth again. EVER!"

"I want to see what's out there just as badly as you." Said Leo as he pushed his brother away.

Just as Mike was about to respond he noticed something strange in the distance.

A college aged girl dressed for the outdoors, was stumbling around looking at her surroundings with a confused look on her face.

The entire group rushed over as she stumbled over and fell.

"Are you okay ma'am" Kai asked kneeling down.

"I don't but, but, I was just, the forest, where am I?" She managed to stammer.

"Hey it'll be alright just tell us your name." Leo asked encouragingly.

"I'm Maya." She said sitting up. "But wh, where is this?"

This is the Terra Venture space colony. Mike answered.

"But, but that's impossible I was just on Mirinoi I was apart of the advance expedition. But we were attacked. How did I get here." She asked.

Without saying anything Kendrix began to subtly check Maya's head for a concussion or other trauma.

Suddenly a green flare shot up and burned over head.

"Well guess the training's over." Said Mike standing up. Let's get you to medical, Turning to Leo, he continued. "and you back to earth."

Before they could continue they all heard the a mysterious buzzing, that was growing steadily louder.

"No no not again, it couldn't be." Said Maya.

Suddenly there was a trio of thuds and the group turned to see an even more unusual sight.

Three more figures had appeared seemingly having dropped from (well not the sky since they were aboard a giant space station) above.

The new creatures had a humanoid shape had a single large black talon in place of hands, a scaly insect like carapace covered their heads and backs.

"Friends of yours." Leo asked turning to Maya.

"No. These are the things that attacked the rest of the expedition." Maya said standing up.

The trio of bugs began circling the group seemingly eyeing Maya.

"Wait so if you really are a member of the advance party then how'd you get here." Asked Kai not taking his eyes of the aliens.

"I wish I knew." Responded Maya.

One of the stingwingers lunged forward swiping with an extended scythe talon towards Maya.

Leo lurched forward his body moving before his mind could make a conscience choice grabbing the alien's arm with Kai following and grabbing its other arm the two of them hurling the creature back into it's fellows knocking them all to the ground.

As the bugs jumped back to their feet, the two groups prepared to clash again when something very unexpected happened.

"Get back!" Someone shouted as a jet of fire engulfed the bugs.

Looking over in the direction the blaze had come from the group saw somebody walking towards them.

He was dressed rather plainly in jeans and a white t-shirt wearing a large tool belt on his waist short as he was he looked a bit like a Latino elf.

"Are you guys alright?" He asked.

"Let me see your hands!" Mike shouted raising his rifle.

"Hay easy there." the stranger said raising his hands placatingly.

"I saw that the training was over and thought I'd head back to my shop. I didn't expect to find you fighting these guys though." He said nodding to the aliens' smoldering remains before absentmindedly pulling a large can of kerosene out of his tool belt that couldn't possibly of fit in there, and drizzling the contents on the bodies.

Wait! how did you do that? Asked Kai pointing.

The new guy grimaced like he'd been caught doing something he shouldn't. "Look." He started saying. "You guys have questions, I have questions, but maybe out here isn't the best place to talk about everything. We can talk in my shop, I can't promise to tell you everything but…"

"Wait why should we trust you." Maya interjected.

We don't even know your name." Kendrix stated.

Turning back to face the group again he answered. "My name is Leo Valdez. As for why you should trust me a couple years ago I made some mistakes and had to leave one of my friends in a bad place. All I want is chance to try make things right with him."

Percy POV

"Hello Percy." Said Trakeena stalking into the room.

"So" She said talon tracing my chin. "You get back from your extended mission to the KO system and you immediately go to play soldier with Furio rather than coming to see me."

"Heh heh well I have a good reason for that." said Percy nervously. "And it's not really my fault either."

"Oh really? What excuse could you have that would make you go play soldier with Furio rather than come to see your beautiful girlfriend." She teased fanning her face."

Yeah Trakeena and I had started dating, and granted our version of dating was her stowing away on with me on some mission, and me being the target of Scorpius' rage once he'd caught on. He hated the idea of his "little princess" dating anyone and had responded by giving me extended missions to distant star systems in a not so subtle attempt to keep the two of us apart, and or get me killed, he didn't seem to have much of a preference. Though in either case it was a major improvement over what happened to Trakeenas' last suitor.

"Well Your Dad told me what was happening on the surface and well I wasn't going to turn down the opportunity to finally be an ambassador." I sputtered out.

"Hmm well I can't blame you for that. Besides with the colony on the way maybe Father will stop sending you out on these scavenger hunts." Said Trakeena.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

It was nerve racking dating your bosses daughter especially when said boss was an alien warlord, even worse when that warlord is Scorpius.

"It would be nice for us to finally spend some time together." I agreed. "You know without the threat of imminent death, dismemberment, disintegration, and last but not least your dad ready to flay me alive for putting you in danger." I said.

"Please the only time I was ever actually in danger was when those pirates showed up." She scoffed.

"Which time?" I asked flatly. "The first time with that crazy bazooka freak or the time with the giant lizard."

"Well you can't complain about the first time." Said Trakeena.

"I got blown up." I deadpanned.

"Oh? But after you oh so nobly jumped in to protect me, my father rewarded you with that armor you love so much." She replied.

I let out a long tired sigh, not wanting to admit that the armor she was talking about was pretty cool. Able to change into regular clothing, not to mention it being ridiculously durable, and self repairing.

As if able to hear my thoughts. Trakeena said. "Sometimes I worry that you love that stupid armor more than me."

"Well near death experiences aside can't think of a better way to experience a new galaxy than with you." I answered.

"Ah your sweet, but with the colony almost here we can finally go on a human date like you've been wanting." She said.

"I'll admit that'll probably be a lot less exciting than our usual" I paused trying to think of the right word. "Misadventures. But like I said it'll be nice to not be on a battlefield."

Hmm. It's sounding like I need to remind you of all the good times we've shared."

Leaning into me Trakeena pressed her lips against mine for a kiss that I gladly returned.

"Yeah space isn't so bad." I thought.

Leo Corbett POV

As we stood around the other Leo's machine shop and garage, I tried to take stock of of the situation.

Tools and parts of all descriptions lay scattered about disorganized. I definitely wasn't what anyone would call a neat person myself, but I wondered how anyone could get much done in this mess, and turned my attention back to the others

Maya A girl that had until, recently been on the new world helping document the local flora and fauna. The best

Kai who seemed to be just as much a stickler for the rules as Mike.

My aforementioned brother Mike. He looked like he was still mad about my stowing away but we had other problems at the moment.

Kendrix who I was having trouble not staring at.

And finally Leo Valdez who claimed he was the best mechanic on soon to be two worlds the proud owner of L & C's Garage. I didn't know who C was yet but L was the reason we were there. A guy who was seemly able to either able to shoot fire or pull something out of his tool belt that could do it for him.

"Nice place." Kendrix commented. "Not to be rude but how'd someone so young get their own shop on Terra Venture? You can't be more than eighteen at best."

"Ergh. That's kinda complicated but I guess the short answer is that I have friends in high places." Valdez answered.

"So…" Mike started. "How do you know about the aliens?"

"I could tell you, but the truth is stranger than fiction so, with my luck you'd probably have me sent back to earth to be thrown in a rubber room." He answered.

"Uh guys. While these are good questions that aren't getting answered. Wouldn't it be a better idea to focus on the girl and humanoid bugs who came looking for her?" I asked pointing at Maya.

"He's got a point." Said Kai. "Do you have any idea how you could've ended up here."

"No I don't. I was running through the woods trying to get away I tripped and when I got to my feet I was here on the station." Maya answered.

"It's possible that with our close proximity to the wormhole you and those… things we encountered earlier entered some kind of micro rift that caused you to appear here." Kendrix theorized.

"If Scorpius has taken over Mirinoi the entire colony could be flying into a trap." Kai said

"He's right." Valdez says turning to Maya. Is there anything you can tell about what happened.

"We'd found some ancient ruins." She started. "One of the professors even managed to start translating the text about the Quasar sabers. These five supposedly mythical swords all embedded in a massive stone like Excalibur, but then there was this buzzing right before the bugs landed, I managed to hide in the foliage then this other creature appeared wearing red armor saying he'd bring the sabers to Scorpius. I didn't see anything more, because that's when they noticed me and I had to run."

"Ok. so why would a technologically advanced race of aliens care about some rusty old swords." Kai asked.

"Supposedly mythical? In my experience mythical implies a lot more than a just a grain of truth." Other Leo says his face darkening in thought.

My eyes met Mikes' and we silently agreed, that there was a story there.

"Anything you'd like to share." I prompted my namesake.

"Look if Scorpius wants these Quasar sabers it's probably a really really bad idea to let him get his slimy tendrils on them." He Replied.

"You never answered before, what do you know about him." Mikes shifting into interrogator mode.

I internally winced in sympathy at seeing someone else on the receiving end of that.

"Look, I met the guy for all of a few, very brief, very unpleasant minutes, and afterwards was promptly shipped back to earth rush delivery, and before you ask, No I'm not an alien and neither is Calypso." Valdez said.

Mike looked like he wanted to ask something more but then Kendrix spoke up. "Guys enough, it's safe to say that none of us really know or trust each other and I doubt that's going to change in the time we have, but the question remains. What are we going to do? There's people on Mirinoi in trouble, possibly a great deal more if this ship is flying into a trap."

"And that's not mentioning what could happen if they come to earth afterwards." I muttered.

"Look whatever we're going to do we need to figure it out fast the colony leaves earth in six hours." Kai said.

However much we stand around here talking doesn't change the fact that we know next to nothing about what's going on. Mike said, turning to other Leo.

"Unless you can pull something out of that tool belt that can help. I said.

"Sorry." Valdez said. "I'm out of tricks for today. I've been working on something that would be useful for us taking a look but using it now before it's ready it would probably just explode."

"Going to take a look? You know this might sound crazy but that might be the best idea." Said Kendrix.

What! You mean take a shuttle to Mirinoi? That's insane Stanton would never approve something like that. Kai argued.

"Better to ask forgiveness than permission. But if the brass never find out about it then we'll need to do neither, and that's something I can help with." Other Leo says as he starts rummaging through his tools and supplies.

"Ok, if our magic grease monkey friend here can do what he says he can and keep anybody from realizing what we're doing. Admittedly I consider that really big if. We can take a shuttle from one of the hanger bays." Mike said turning towards me.

"Uh oh." I thought.

"But first let's get you back to earth."

To anybody wondering why they'd have a military training mock battle in the city. In turn I'd like to ask if you know why they did it on the moon in canon? Ugh, I find my self having to apply what order and logic I can to a series not exactly known for logic and just hope for the best.

Arc 1 Prologue and Quasar Quest

Arc 2 New Heroes on the Block

Arc 3 Magna Defender

Arc 4 Diplomacy

Spoilers past this point.