Alright so Ryloth Arc is all said and done, we are now onto the last stretch of season 1. Jebest4781 and I have been on a fiery role these past few chapters and we wanna get as much shit done as possible before that eventually burns out hits cause we both know it's coming.
That's right everyone, it's time for the Bounty Hunters to make their move.
So I guess some people may find it a surprise to have only six Avengers at the end of season 1 and not the entire set of nine that we got at the beginning.
Well guess what? That was the plan all along! Then again others aren't as surprised. Well, when I look at the reviews, it's mostly the bated anticipation of eventuality. The eventuality of all the Avengers, including the past members making their way into the story.
And man, let me tell ya something just talking about what is to come is lighting a fire under my ass like no other. I want to get to those eventual scenes and galaxy shattering revelations SO BADLY.
But as the saying goes, good things come to those who wait.
And since we've already bitten into a large chunk of the Clone Wars, we're beginning to get to the good stuff.
Only this chapter left along with the three in between for the gap until we reach season 2.
And after that, I'm returning to work on Avenging Remnant and Noble Justice. Put those two stories on hold for long enough.
Of course there's also new stories I've been hard at work on, having several first draft chapters in the works. After I had written a full outline for this story, I have done the same for many of my other new projects which has proven to help a great deal cause not gonna lie a great deal of my older stories was me just flying from the edge of my seat with how I wrote them out.
Now though, it's getting more planned out with lockdown scene being planned with the path getting their being the improvised aspects.
Also, been watching The Mandalorian a lot and undoubtedly will have a lot more to work with come season 1's end. And speaking of Mandalorians. YO George, the fuck are you saying Boba and Jango are not Mandalorians? They are Mandalorians, the entire fanbase agrees on this. This is just like with JK Rowling, establishing a universe with its set of laws and expectations and then suddenly years later down the line they suddenly decide, nope, this is no longer how it is. I can't exactly convey why they are wrong in doing this but it's like with what Disney had done with Han, Luke and Leia. Retconning things just for the sake of it.
That's so dumb of Lucas to just say that, even after recent revelations in Disney's blatant disrespect towards him. Boba and Jango are Mando's so seriously George, the fuck dude?
Jeb: And I wanna point out that even if Boba and Jango aren't of Mandalorian blood, they were raised in the culture and adopted into it. The official lore makes this so that as long as one passes through the trials and tests, the person becomes a Mandalorian and so does their bloodline.
Now then, I think this note introductory has gone on long enough.
Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.
Avengers Infinite Wars Chapter 18: Hostage Crisis
"Where's Pietro?" Sam asked from his seat, watching Steve and Anakin engage in a sparring match.
Steve deflected a punch Anakin flung at him and shoved him back with palm strike to the opposite shoulder.
"Not sure." Steve answered, moving on the offensive against Anakin. "I think he just ran off, something about exploring."
"You sure that's a good idea?" Anakin asked, grunting slightly as once again his attack was deflected by Steve. Fighting without a lightsaber was proving to be exceptionally more difficult than he had anticipated. Then again, he was dealing with a master Mix-martial artist with many years of combat under his belt.
"He could get lost for all we know. It's a big city sector, let alone a city-sized planet."
"Or run into more trouble." Sam stated before noticing a bit on Skywalker's form. "Keep your footing more lose, Anakin. You're keeping yourself to boxed in."
"How the heck do you guys switch up so easily?" Anakin questioned, getting his arm caught by Steve suddenly which resulted in him getting thrown to the ground. "Ow~ That's gonna hurt later."
"Sorry about that." Steve said, helping the Jedi up to his feet. "You were wide open."
"See, that's what I keep saying." Ahsoka said from her spot next to Rhodey, Obi-wan and Aayla Secura.
"Hey now, you didn't even last a second against Cap." Rhodey reminded her with a wry grin making the young Padawan puff her cheeks out and crossed her arms in a huff.
"These fighting techniques are certainly impressive." Kenobi noted. "From what Cody has told me, what little instruction you have been able to give them has begun to spread around to other Clone legions."
"Honestly, Cap should have a book already on combat." Sam said, leaning back against the bleacher-esque curved stone.
It was a surprisingly mundane day for the Avengers and the Jedi which was considerably rare to say the least. With war raging on and the galaxy in a state of turmoil, one would think that finding a moment's rest would be extremely difficult.
Yet, thankfully the past two days were given to the Avengers, the Jedi and their Clones as days for respite.
That wasn't the case now however as Steve wanted to use one of these days to begin familiarizing himself with the Lightsaber forms of the Jedi. Aayla had made a promise from before and what started as a small lesson between the two turned into a small gathering of sparring matches.
An exchange so to speak between the Avengers and the Jedi.
Ahsoka wanted to have a go at it, but found herself getting tossed down faster than she could blink.
The young Jedi was very agile and had more speed than Anakin perhaps but, she still had a long way to go if she were to catch up and match her master.
Obi-wan proved to be a more adept fighter yet even still he found Steve's speed and skills comparable to his own.
Aayla was surprisingly much more in tune with hand-to-hand combat and was able to keep up with Steve on a few occasions yet his enhanced physiology and own experiences outdid hers over time.
Anakin was without a doubt the most eager to learn and grasped certain techniques faster than others however even he knew when he was outmatched.
Sam and Rhodey were the constants in giving the Jedi all fair fights, with a few times where they were indeed beaten but Steve was a prodigious fighter unto himself.
The Force was a huge help in the Jedi being able to match Steve's blows but his super-human strength, speed, reflexes, movements and martial prowess combined proved to be too much for the Jedi.
Now that wasn't to say this was a one-sided contest.
The Avengers were adamant in learning the ways of the lightsaber or at least get an understanding of it.
Which in turn lead to Sam humorously asking. "So… the Force. Do we need to learn?"
It was a slower process for them seeing that they did not have the Force at their disposal.
So the typical "Stretch out with your feelings and let the Force flow through you" shtick wasn't gonna cut it. They were gonna have to get creative with how they taught them.
A lesson Aayla took with great gusto which was soon spread to Anakin and Obi-wan as they appeared to greatly enjoy the challenge of teaching non-force users the ways of the Lightsaber forms.
To them, it was a brand new experience and perspective about being a Jedi.
And speaking of being a Jedi…
"Man, how do you guys use this whole Force mumbo jumbo?" Rhodey said, wielding a practice saber. "Is it like magic?"
At that comment, Anakin and Ahsoka chortled while Aayla and Obi-wan shared amused grins. This was a common phrase they have heard many times over in their travels across the galaxy for those uninformed in the larger goings on of the galaxy.
"In a way." Obi-wan said. "I don't think we really explained how the Force works in the time we've all spent together."
"I don't think we ever had the time, really." Sam wryly commented, making Anakin snigger.
"Good point. We have been a bit busy so to speak."
"Master T'ra Saa told me a bit about the Force." Steve spoke up, recalling his brief conversation when he first met the Neti Jedi Master. "It's the source of your powers, right?"
Obi-wan nodded in confirmation.
"The Force flows through everything you see and can't see. From the trees and plants growing in the gardens, to the very ships in the sky, the Force is ever present in the galaxy and we the Jedi are one of many of its practitioners."
"There are others?" Steve said in interest.
"Yes." Aayla said. "As a matter of fact, this war that we currently wage was orchestrated by the ancient enemy, the Sith."
"The Sith?" Rhodey said in confusion.
This in turn lead to the Jedi exchanging slightly surprised looks.
"Wait, none of you have ever heard of the Sith?" Ahsoka asked in complete surprise. "You've been here the whole time and nobody's ever told you about them yet?"
The present Avengers only shook their heads in the negative.
"It appears we have failed to keep our guests fully informed." Obi-wan said lightly.
"So~" Sam said, leaning forward with intrigue. "The Sith...?"
"Yes, right." Obi-wan nodded. "The Sith: the ancient, old enemy of the Jedi order. Our conflict with these adversaries dates back farther than the order can properly remember. Almost 7000 years perhaps. Maybe even further. And they had been the one of the constant sources of strife, war and conflict for the galaxy all due to their undying hatred of the Jedi."
"Jeez, talk about a grudge match." Sam murmured.
"Indeed." Kenobi said. "We had thought the Sith extinct over a thousand years ago after the seventh and final battle of Ruusan."
"But we were foolish in this belief." Aayla surprised those present with her rather blunt take on the fact that the Jedi were indeed ignorant of the Sith's apparent survival.
"And now, the Sith have come back." Anakin said in a slightly dark tone. "Plaguing the galaxy with war and their lust for power."
Sam, Steve and Rhodey were relatively silent taking in this news with stoicism. If they were honest, the three of them had long since taken many things with a grain of salt.
When best friends with a narcissistic billionaire who just so happens to be one of the smartest men on Earth with many worlds views, those perspectives of looking at conflicts on many sides tend to rub off on you.
With Cap and Sam, the disillusionment with SHIELD and the establishments they had once served and worked for made them widened their world view, making sure that they knew all of the facts before coming to a decision.
Both Sam and Steve locked eyes, a silent message being shared between the two meaning that they weren't getting the full picture.
"So if these Sith guys are back, who is the head honcho?" Sam inquired.
"That's just it." Kenobi said with a frown. "We don't know."
"You don't know?" Rhodey said, unsure of whether he heard correctly.
"All we know is that the Sith lord is associated with Count Dooku." Anakin stated.
"And from the time spent being his prisoner before the start of the war, he mentioned the possibility of a Sith lord being a Senator. An infiltrated Sith within the Republic itself." Kenobi added as an afterthought yet that was more than enough to get sharp looks from the Avengers, especially from Sam and Steve.
"What did you just say?" Steve asked lowly in a tone that surprised the Jedi.
They had never heard the Captain speak in this kind of manner.
"Are you sure that's what he said?" Sam asked. "This Dooku guy said that there could be this Sith in the Senate?"
"What do know about it?" Rhodey asked grimly. "Did you investigate this?"
The Jedi were greatly put off by this sudden string of rather interrogational questions. In the short time they had gotten to know the Avengers, these heroes had proven to be a variety of things as their members have all come from different walks of life with different experiences that shaped and molded them into the men and women they are today. Their personalities were distinct from one another, managing to work as a cohesive unit despite their differences.
However this was the first time any of them had seen a kind of focused intensity after learning of something that they had not known before.
This reaction was rather… unnerving.
However before their conversation could make any headway, Grandmaster Yoda arrived into the training room.
"Found you I have, Master Kenobi." Yoda said in his usual speech pattern.
"Master Yoda." Obi-wan turned to greet the leader of the Jedi. "You were looking for me?"
"Indeed, master Kenobi." Yoda said. "A meeting, the council has called. Your presence necessary. As is yours, Skywalker."
Both selected Jedi glanced at one another, subtly looking back to the Avengers before acquiescing to Yoda's summons and departing.
This left Aayla and Ahsoka feeling a bit awkward at being left behind after their conversation was essentially cut off.
"Uh…" Ahsoka didn't really know what to say here. "I've… gotta go pick up on my studies."
She wasn't necessarily lying about that. Anakin had spoken of helping her study up on the Force as he had been curious about a Force ability for a while now, so the two of them would be able to learn together.
Really, she kinda felt a bit terrible and weird in leaving the Avengers after that serious mood shift.
Sam and Rhodey themselves felt extremely sheepish in how they basically aggressively interrogated the Jedi on the comment of the Sith being in the Senate.
Then again, who could blame them after what had happened recently on earth a year ago.
The two were about to depart when Aayla walked up to Steve.
"Steve." Aayla said softly. "Will you please accompany me to the library?"
Steve blinked, looking at the Twi'lek Jedi in surprise before glancing over to his friends who simply shrugged in a silent answer of them not really knowing what to do here.
"Sure." He responded after several seconds.
Walking off with Aayla, Sam and Rhodey stared at their retreating forms.
"So… did we come on to hard with that?" Rhodey asked.
"Maybe."
Aayla and Steve walked side by side in silence, with both looking straight ahead.
And the hallway was completely empty.
He was having a bit of an odd, indescribable feeling in regards to having the urge to shove his head in his hands, sit down and stay like that for a while.
Where in the hell did that outburst come from?
"Something is bothering you, Captain Rogers." Aayla said calmly.
Steve winced, finding it strange and uncomfortable at someone he considers a friend using such a formal title.
"Yeah." Steve said in a low voice. "Clearly that's the case."
"Would you care to tell me about it?" Aayla asked now looking to him.
Before he knew it, she had lead him to a door that opened up to a small chamber with the shades down and two ottomans situated in the center.
Aayla walked right in and sat herself down on one of the ottomans with her legs crossed, looking to Steve with a patient expression.
Recognizing the wordless invitation, Steve entered the room and sat across from her through he kept his legs to the ground instead.
"You are troubled, Steve." Aayla said, this time using his name. "Though the Force does not dwell within you, that does not prevent my empathic abilities from detecting your feelings."
"Was I that easy to read?" Steve said wryly, though he knew his change in tone back with the others was the most obvious thing anyone could see.
"There is a story I am missing here." Aayla said. "One we all are unaware of when we were in that training room."
"More than you know." Steve murmured, eyes gazing down to the ground.
Aayla leaned forward slightly. "What was it, Steve?"
He was silent, not answering at first.
"I do not wish to impose upon you, Steve." Aayla said softly.
Steve remained silent, resting his arms on his knees while lacing his fingers together.
Aayla also held her silence, waiting for Steve to respond.
The two remained this way for what felt like an eternity when it had only been a long, drawn out minute.
Aayla exhaled afterwards and opened her mouth to talk…
"It's been rather difficult, to be honest."
Steve speaking made Aayla clamp her mouth shut, relaxing slightly at hearing the man talk.
"I… think I talked about this with Sam, Fury and Nat."
She wasn't really sure what he was referring to but opted to simply let him speak.
He then chuckled. "I don't think it counted with Tony considering the way he talks in general."
His right hand began grazing over his left arm, feeling out his uniform.
"When I woke up from 70 years of being under ice, I woke up to a world I didn't recognize. The world was at war when I went to sleep. I wake up, they tell me won without mentioning what we lost. And not just in terms of men. I woke up to a world that had moved on without me and was trying to keep itself from falling apart. Least, that's what it seemed to me."
He smiled slightly.
"For as long as I could remember, all I ever wanted to do what was right." Steve said reminiscently. "Things were a lot more clear cut. Now I don't know what that is anymore. Even with the Avengers. I thought by serving, helping everyone I can with the institution that essentially made me I could find my place in the world again. But I realized it wasn't the same. The very same entity I fought in a war to destroy due to their sinister and dictatorial nature not only survived, but thrived. Infecting countless countries and militaries including the very organization that oversaw the world's safety. When we revealed the truth, the world had to figure out how to recuperate while the Avengers picked up the slack. And since then… it's just been one day after another."
Steve let out a tired sigh.
"And then Obi-wan mentions this Sith lord apparently infiltrating the senate." Steve said. "Something that Sam and I with Nat dealt with personally."
"You dealt with this situation before?" Aayla asked in curious intrigue.
Not seeing any reason to withhold this little tale, Steve recounted last year's event on his home world with the revelation of HYDRA being SHIELD itself, plotting a half century plan of complete global control that would have come to light had it not been for the literal last minute interventions of Cap and his team.
He spoke on their algorithmic plan of culling selected individuals that while seem non-threatening to HYDRA at the time, may prove to be so later on down the line simply because the algorithm they had assumes this possibility. They were not taking chances, hoping to eliminate essentially free thinkers, idealists, heroes, Avengers (Obviously), teachers, policemen. Even those who were living in a rut would be targeted just because their algorithm deems them a possible threat.
As he spoke, Aayla suddenly began to feel a strange… reverberation. The Force… it was reacting to Steve's words, his mood, his story. Since when is that possible?
She then felt a cold sweat of foreboding fall from her brow and lekkus but it was gone just as quickly as it came.
What in the world was that?
The Force… was that a warning?
"Aayla?"
The Twi'lek Jedi realized she had not responded to Steve who had finished his story.
"I'm sorry, Steve." Aayla said, frowning at him. "I sensed a disturbance in the Force."
Steve wasn't exactly sure as to what that meant but he had heard from the other Jedi about the Force giving them a sense of foresight, slight inclinations or "feelings" that can forewarn them of an incoming threat. It's why they are able to deflect blaster bolts in the heat of battle.
"What was it?" Steve asked.
Aayla didn't answer at first, trying to figure out just what it was that caused such a reaction. When she thought about it, all she could remember was Steve speaking of HYDRA and their infiltration of this SHIELD organization and parasitic takeover.
Now, she was getting a migraine headache.
"Apologies, Steve." Aayla said with a downcast expression, hand going up to her head. "I guess… I don't know, I suddenly feel rather overwhelmed. Learning of your past endeavors with this HYDRA you spoke of left me a bit exhausted. I am unclear as to why."
Steve took a moment to look over the Jedi knight and found her words not untrue. She did look very tired and it did appear out of the blue, pun not intended.
What the hell happened?
"Maybe you should go rest then." Steve suggested. "Actually, just go rest. You're not looking to good right now, Aayla. Looking rather pale, I think."
Aayla only nodded, getting up from her seat with Steve standing beside her.
"I'll return to my room well enough, Steve." Aayla said, giving him a reassuring smile.
"Be that as it may, I follow and old school gentlemanly belief of escorting a lady in need to her room." Steve said in good humor.
Aayla only laughed slightly. "Very well. Would you kindly escort this weary lady to her quarters?"
"I will do so gladly." Steve said in an exaggeration tone making Aayla laugh once more.
Hopefully this time of rest will help her think clearly on what was told to her. Once clarity hits, she'll inform the Council on Steve's story as it seems relevant with Obi-wan's proclamation at the Clone War's beginning.
-Scene Cut-
"Jeez, how big is this damn place?" Pietro said aloud in the center of what appeared to be a large marketplace.
"Well the city is one big planet from what everyone at the temple says." Scott Lang said, munching on… something. Whatever it was, it was edible.
Not to mention he wasn't dying from partaking the fruit… or vegetable… hard to really tell.
"Feels like I could get lost here forever." Pietro said, the two walking in a random direction. "By the way, where's Hope? Did you invite her to come with us?"
Scott shrugged. "I did, but she said that she needed to start recreating the Pym particles. Our suit functions are fine but when we'll need to make more for our equipment and vehicles we've been collecting."
"Don't you need like some stable lab to make that?" Pietro asked, eyeing some of the establishments and trying to take a wild guess as to what they may serve.
"Yeah, so trying to figure out that bit." Scott said. "But the Jedi are helpful. They're pulling a few strings, seeing if a lab of sorts could be made."
"Doesn't that need money?" Pietro inquired. "Feels like we're taking advantage of them."
"Well, thanks to Tap and us selling some of our Earthan ideas, we've recently gotten a bit of a steady credit income." Scott said.
"Wait, what? How?"
"Billiards is spreading rapidly and the music we've all got." Scott said, finishing his meal. "Since they've never heard of Queen, ACDC, Zeppelin and a whole bunch of our music, it's selling like gangbusters. Tap has been busy."
"It's a good thing we have Tap." Pietro said. "Most of this money talk goes right over my head."
"You and me both, Pietro."
The two continued to explore the area when they rounded a corner to a district filled with bars.
"Hey, is that Pietro?"
Blinking, Pietro whirled round and saw a large group of Clones.
Some of which had a few familiar tattoos, armor and hairstyles that he had gotten to know well enough back on Ryloth.
"Hey!" Pietro exclaimed boisterously. "Grit! Sixer! Mork!"
"I still hate that name." Said clone named Mork said with an annoyed twitch of his brow yet he still grinned along with the rest of his brothers.
"What are you guys all doing here?!" Pietro said, walking over to them. "It looks like practically everyone from the 71st is here."
"Granted shore leave." Grit answered raising a glass of alcohol. "General Di and Captain Keeli are having a discussion with other Jedi generals. Since our legion took such a hit, but held on in Ryloth we're regrouping and trying to figure out our next course of action."
"Well you guys deserve a nice needed break." Pietro said happily. "I know how annoying I can be."
The Clones around them laughed, knowing full well how much of a character Pietro is due to the pranks and mischief he pulled on Ryloth. As much as that planet was a struggle to stay alive, Pietros light hearted nature along with his unyielding determination helped the legion and their freedom fighting comrades push through the struggle.
"So, everyone." Pietro threw his arm around his fellow Avenger. "This is Scott Lang, also called the Ant-Man. He's a good friend of mine and also a member of the Avengers."
"Nice to meet you all." Scott said pleasantly.
"Yeah, speedy here mentioned you before." Sixer said, gesturing his head at the speedster. "Talked about all of you guys."
"So, we gotta know." Mork propped his arms on the table they were all seated at. "How much of Maximoff's stories are legit and how much of it is poodoo."
"Huh." Scott mused aloud, seating himself down along with Pietro as more Clones surrounded them now curious as they had all been listening to the conversation. "Well that depends. How crazy are we talking here?"
"Something about a couple of scrap droids being thrown together and made the size of a small starship." A random clone brought up.
"Oh, Ultimo!" Scott recalled the literal last mission before they ended up in this galaxy. "Yeah, that was true."
"Wait, what?!" Grit said in slight awe. "Are you serious? You guys fought a giant droid?"
"Yeah, it was the size of a building." Scott confirmed. "Geez that was insane."
Now the Clones all began to find their spots as they were intrigued at what other tall tales Pietro spoke of might be true.
Scott and Pietro themselves got a bit more comfortable. They knew they were probably going to be here a while.
-Scene Cut-
"We're all set here, Cad."
"Good, let's begin."
Cad Bane, famed Bounty Hunter of the Outer-rim rode alongside his entourage for this particularly risky mission.
"Remember." Cad spoke, his baritone voice vibrating. "Our mission is clear. We get Ziro the Hutt, no need for anymore unnecessary attention because we're already getting ourselves right in the Republic's face for this."
"How exactly are we getting this Hutt?" The Female Zabrak said in a slightly bored tone.
"Leave the negotiations to me, Shataan." Cad said confidently. "Just make sure that everything remains secure when we begin."
The transport dropped off one of their members, Aurra Sing on a building adjacent to their destination.
The Senate building.
Their ship descended down to one of the many landing bays of the building, the group of Bounty Hunters being met with the Blue Senate Commandos that guarded the establishment.
"Let me take care of this." Cad Bane said to the group. "I've got a penchant for these types of greetings."
Hopping out from the ship, Cad Bane went up to the Senate Guards with a few trailing their weapons on them.
"Identify yourselves." The Head Guard demanded. "What business do you have here?"
"Business with the Senate, gentlemen." Bane plainly informed. "Now that that's been established, kindly move aside so we may conduct ourselves."
The Head Guard on the other hand was not so foolish and recognized Bane for what he was.
"Down on your knees, Bounty Hunter scum." The Guard said scathingly. "This isn't the Outer Rim."
"Oh." Bane mocked. "Smarter then you look, son. How about this then? Don't do anything to hasty now."
"You're outnumbered, bounty hunter." The Head Guard said. "Even with that backu-AURGH!"
"Captain!"
The landing bay descended into momentary chaos as Aurra Sing from her balcony sniped several guards in rapid succession with the rest of the Bounty Hunters engaging the rest of the guards.
It was over in a matter of seconds, the guards all being killed off in an instant.
Seeing that the platform was secure, Bane -knowing Aurra was watching him through her scope- waved her down.
He then approached the transport he had arrived on and stared at Shataan who sat in her seat, leaning against the edge with a bored expression.
"So glad you that you helped us out there, Shataan." Cad said sarcastically with an annoyed glare.
"You had it handled." Shataan plainly replied. "Besides, I'm not one for overkill. You all just jumped in like it a warzone. This mission requires discretion until the time is right, if you recall."
If Cad had pupils, he'd be rolling them right now.
Aurra Sing joined the group on the platform a short moment later with the two IG-droids and Robonino that had also been recruited for this job.
"You two…" Cad pointed to the two Commando droids. "Get those uniforms on and clear this platform now."
Moving to the dead guards, the group heard one of the comms go off.
"Base to platform." A male voice chimed in from the other end. "What was all that? Report."
The Droid that knelt down to the dead guard raised the comm to its head, changing its voice.
"Protestors against the war." The Droid said in a perfect human voice. "We've taken care of them."
"Oh yeah, totally." Shataan dryly remarked, surveying the corpses on the platform.
The Bounty Hunters watched as the droids quickly got the uniforms on while getting the bodies into a pile.
"Can anyone explain to me how those commando droids fit in to that armor?" Shataan inquired, trying to figure out that question for herself. "They're walking sticks. Where did they get the extra mass?"
"Do you really want someone to answer that?" Aurra asked in boredom. "Cause then we'd be here all day."
"Save it you two." Cad cut in. "We've got a job to do and we need to see it done. Make sure you clear this platform. The rest of you, follow me."
The Bounty Hunters soon entered the Senate building, prepared for anything yet unaware of one element within the building.
Anakin Skywalker was currently reclined against a chair within Senator Amidala's office.
His wife dutifully tapped away at a document she had been working on while her husband lounged about in front of her.
"You seem relaxed." Padme noted earning a shrug from Anakin.
"The Jedi council has seen fit to award me, my Padawan and my legion shore leave for the next two weeks." Anakin said. "I've got a good reason to be relaxed."
"Though not entirely." Padme said, looking away from her work to eye her husband who stared right back at her before slumping a moment later.
"What's bothering you Ani?" Padme asked softly, getting up from her seat and walking over to him. "You've been incredibly on edge these past few weeks. For that matter, every Jedi I've seen seems to share this feeling."
"Is that obvious?" Anakin asked with a grimace.
"Ani." Padme said expectantly, placing her hands on his cheeks and staring deeply into his eyes. "Talk to me."
Anakin stared back at his wife, his robotic hand clutching her wrist gently before letting out a slightly defeated sigh.
"Can't keep anything from you, even if I tried." Anakin said with good humor, Padme smirking at him in return.
Standing up from his seat, Anakin pulled her into a loving embrace inhaling her scent and feeling himself relax simply being with her.
…
"The Force has been unpredictable." Anakin spoke up after several moments of silence. "The constant shifts and changes. They've been a bit disruptive to say the least. Meditating could only do so much. It's like we've lost our way of proper communicating with the Force. It just… comes in whenever there's brief moments of clarity."
"Do you see anything in those moments?" Padme asked, head leaning against Anakin's shoulder.
Anakin remained silent.
"Anakin?"
"I saw…" Anakin tried to properly describe it. "The Darkness. The Darkness and the Light. Both being torn asunder by something I couldn't see. And it was so weird. I thought that I would be filled with terror at seeing the Force seemingly get ripped to shreds but I felt clarity. Like I saw the Force in its entirety not just those two defined aspects. And then it's gone, back into the swirling storm."
Padme remained quiet, allowing Anakin to speak in his entirety feeling her husband's arms slightly hold her closer without making her uncomfortable.
"Honestly, the Council and many other Jedi are growing concerned." Anakin admitted. "The Force is present and we can still feel its power but it's not what it used to be. Something has changed that's beyond any of our control and I can say now, this may seem out of left field, but the catalyst to this were the arrival of the Avengers."
"And what do you make of all this?"
Anakin only sighed tiredly, leaning his head against Padme's.
"I don't know." Anakin said truthfully. "And honestly, that kinda scares me."
"I thought a Jedi is to show no fear." Padme said teasingly.
"With you, that's impossible." Anakin said, unclipping his lightsaber from his belt. "I may be a Jedi and I've been beaten over the head over and over again about how this lightsaber is my life. But you, Padme, you are my life."
Unable to contain her giggle, Padme took Anakin's lightsaber from his hand and gazed at it before setting it down.
"Sweet talker." Padme whispered before ensnaring her husband in a loving kiss one he returned with just as much passion.
While Senator and Jedi enjoyed their moment together, Cad Bane's team of Bounty Hunters continued their walk through the senate building.
The week prior to this mission, Cad Bane had acquired the layout of the building thanks to him getting the blueprints via an astromech droid closely associated with the Senate and the Jedi.
Cad was a man who always gets his job done and the reward the Hutt clans had promised him was more than enough of an incentive of openly attacking and taking over the building.
Making the two IG droids lead, they rounded on a corridor being guarded by one lone Coruscant Guard.
The two made quick work of him, with Shataan moving to get rid of the body finding it annoying how many bodies they're making along the way.
The door opened, with the IG droids taking out the other bots inside.
Cad entered the control room with Robonino who licked his lips with anticipation.
"You know what to do?" Cad inquired.
"I'll figure it out." Robonino assured.
Cad however wasn't going to take an answer like that lightly. "You better not fail me, bubble brain."
"Don't worry." Robonino barked back irritably. "I'll have the power down in no time."
Cad 'Hmphed' expectantly turning to address the other Hunters when he saw one of the IG droids standing idly in front of one of the other controls.
"Hey." Cad said, gaining the droids attention. "You're looking the wrong way. We've got a job to do."
The IG unit chirped a few times in response, following after Cad and the rest of the team.
Meanwhile…
"So this is the Senate building?" Pietro remarked, gazing up at the considerably large structure.
"Yeah I think so."
"You think so?"
"Never really went here. Maybe once or twice but we've mostly been hanging around the Jedi Temple."
"Then where we the last time?"
"That was that Jane lookalike's place."
"Ohhhh… so where do you think Chuchi is in all this?"
Scott paused. "Wait what? Who is that?"
"The blue chick, the one from the party."
Scott's brain tried to momentarily work for a moment.
"Wait, Oh yeah her!" Scott said in realization. "Yeah, she was on Naboo and went with Steve and Sam on that ice planet a while back."
"Yeah her." Pietro nodded in confirmation.
"Why the sudden interest in her, Pietro?"
"Just wanted to chat with her more, Scott. Out of all the politicians I met in my life, she, that not Jane Foster woman and Organa were my favorites in chatting with at the party. And before you say anything, Syndulla isn't a senator so he doesn't count as a politician."
"Right, right." Scott nodded. "Hang on, how many politicians have you even met in your life?
"Since last week, about 50 maybe."
"That's how many were at that little party a few days ago."
"Exactly, so Chuchi set a good standard for me. After all, I actually bothered to remember her name."
"And Organa."
"True."
There was a momentary awkward silent pause between the two before….
"So~" Scott said expectantly. "We going in, or not?"
"Sure! Let's go."
For once, Pietro held back on his speed as he ascended the many steps with Scott following not far behind.
Back with Anakin and Padme, the two had remained lip locked all the while when they both heard a familiar worrisome voice on the other side of Padme's door.
"-but Senator Organa, it just wouldn't be-"
Breaking their kiss, Padme recognized the voice as C-3P0 as he was talking to her close friend. Realizing what was happening, she pushed Anakin down to his knees.
"Whoa, didn't know you wanted to-"
"You need to hide."
"Wha-"
"Hide!" She hissed.
Picking up the voices, Anakin was wide eyed and did what he was told. Quickly crawling underneath Padme's desk, he curled himself up just before the Anderan Senator and protocol droid came waltzing on in.
"The situation cannot be delayed any further, 3P0." Organa's voice firmly stated. "Now stand aside."
The front office door opened and in walked Bail Organa with C-3P0 by his side.
"Padme." Organa greeted. "I'm sorry for the abrupt entrance."
"Oh, Bail, how good to see you." She said as she instinctively tucked Anakin's lightsaber into her jacket's sleeve behind her back. "What is it?"
"Senator Philo has called for a meeting in the lobby in regards on the vote against the Enhanced Privacy Invasion bill." Organa said in a serious tone.
"Right." Padme murmured, recalling her previous work. "Privacy Invasion Bill."
"We must hurry if are to stop the vote." Organa said, turning to leave.
Sparing a glance back towards her desk, the Naboo Senator briefly saw her secret husband peak out before ducking back down when Bail Organa turned back around.
"Are you coming?"
"O-Of course."
Following after her friend and protocol droid, Padme exited her office and hesitated on moving onwards. Looking back at her desk, she saw Anakin pull his head out further. Nudging towards the side, he prompted her to get going.
Once the door closed back up, Anakin got back onto his feet and scrunched his face.
"Now what am I gonna do before she gets back?"
-Scene Cut-
Cad and his associates were walking through the corridor to the lobby, a blown out door behind them. They had taken out a room filled with guards and now were on their way for their momentary prize this morning.
All the while, many Senators were assembling in the chosen lobby with Bail Organa at the center speaking on the matters of the new Bill they stood against.
With him was of course Padme, his young pseudo-protege Senator Chuchi and many other close associates and colleagues.
"We cannot allow the Chancellor to approve of this Privacy Invasion Bill." Organa said.
"We're all in agreement then." Senator Philo, the Gran Senator that had called for this meeting spoke on behalf of all those gathered.
That's when the doors opened.
With him entering the room, Bane pulled out his blaster and fired off several shots towards the lobby's ceiling. The sudden fire startled all present Senators, turning towards the source and saw the Doros bounty hunter and one of his IG droids walking towards them.
"Morning Senators," Bane began. "You should all consider yourselves to be in my power."
Seeking a means of escape, some of the Senators turned around and were about to make a run for it. Before they could do that, the doors surrounding them parted open to reveal more of Cad's team, aiming their blasters at them.
"As long as everybody behaves, this will be quick and painless." With them all closing in, the Duros bounty hunter kept talking. "Do nothing, and it wall be over soon."
The Gran senator wasn't having any of this as he marched forward. "I don't know who you think you are, but I, for one, have no intention of listening to this kind of insolence.
Senator Philo walked right past Bane who in return, casually upholstered his pistol and shot Philo right in the back, killing him immediately.
Many Senators gasped at the recent death, knowing full well know their captors weren't going to be taking any poodoo on the matter and any resistance.
"Alright then." Bane said pleasantly. "If you would all gather in the center of this atrium, my co-workers and I will relieve you of any communication devices you all may have."
Padme however wasn't one to idly obey such orders from criminals.
"I count six of them in the room." Padme whispered over to Bail.
"What are you going to do?" Organa questioned. "It's not like you're carrying any weapons."
...Oh how right you are, Organa.
Up in his office, Sheev Palpatine was overlooking the skyline in his break away from his daily workload. All seemed right in the galaxy, for the most part, as he reflected on his many plans and mentally tuning them up.
Save for that one moment earlier today that was odd to say the least. Another uncontrollable shift in the Force.
Hearing his office door opening up, Palpatine turned around and saw Senator Free Ta walking towards him with a look of distress across his features.
"Free Ta, what's the matter?"
"Chancellor Palpatine." The Twi'lek Senator said urgently. "You need to see this."
Coming up to the central holo-projector, the Twi'lek Senator pressed a series of buttons to answer a call that just barely registered in the Chancelor's systems. He had momentarily turned it off earlier for his time of self-reflection, but seemingly regretted it.
For Cad bane's holo-visage appeared.
'What is this all about?' Thought the hidden Sith Lord.
"Sorry to bother you, Chancellor." Bane greeted non chalantly, checking his nails. "I've taken control of your East wing in the building. The occupants being my hostages. If you care about them, I would advise you freeing Ziro the Hutt from your detention center not far from here."
Glaring at the holoprojection, Sheev used a lot of will power to hold back a Sith-like growl. "You should know that the Republic does not take kindly to such threats. If you have attempted such a foolhardy action as to kidnap a senator, I assure you that it will be met with appropriate force."
Just as Palpatine finished issuing his response, Robonino within the control room of the Senate Building pulled a lever down which shut down the entirety of the buildings lights and doors.
Smirking, the Duros bounty hunter continued to speak. "Sorry to tell you this, but I'm in control. I make the rules now."
Elsewhere, Scott and Pietro who were walking down one of the many hallways were caught off guard of the lights shutting off around them.
Emergency lights switched on in return though several doors around them either shut closes and others were open.
Both Avengers shared a look with one another.
"What the hell is going on?"
"Is it a drill?"
"Could be. I mean it looks like one."
"But would there be sirens blazing or something?"
"Should probably find out what's what."
Anakin had the same set of questions as he walked out from Padme's office.
Sensing a slight disturbance in the Force, Anakin began making his way over to the lobby his wife had gone off to.
Back in his office, Palaptine marched right at the entryway and tried all he could to pry it open. His arms were starting to strain as he physically pulled, but there was no such luck. The hidden Sith Lord could easily open them up through the Force, yet he couldn't as Free Ta was present.
"Orn Free Taa, help me with this door." Palpatine instructed.
"It's no use, Chancellor." Free Taa said dejectedly. "The doors have all been closed due to the emergency functions. This Bounty Hunter has taken complete control of the building."
'...He hasn't even tried helping at all with this door!' Gritted out Sheev in thought. 'Lazy oaf could've been useful on this, for Force sakes!' Shaking his head, the Chancellor breathed a little to calm himself. 'No… no… he's right.'
Not to be deterred, Palpatine rushed over to the communications calling for any help.
"This is Chancellor Palpatine." He spoke through the Comms. "Is anyone out there? Come in?" Going to another frequency, Palpatine continued making his distress call. "Jedi Council, are you there?"
"That won't work either, sir." Free Taa said. "They've cut off all communications to the outside when they got control of the building."
Cad Bane in the meantime had been going through the Senators he held captive, taking their communication devices.
Padme stood with Bail and Chuchi, the latter of the two hiding slightly behind her mentors in fear.
"They cannot search me." Padme said to the two.
"Why?" Organa asked. "What is it that you have?"
From her spot behind Padme, Riyo's eyes caught onto something briefly poking out of the Naboo senator's sleeve. It was metallic in nature as it shined a little under the emergency lights.
"What's that?" Muttered the Pantorian senator.
"I'll be taking that." The female Zabrak seemingly appeared from nowhere, quickly snatching the silver cylinder out of Padme's sleeve.
Padme seized up in fear as Shataan examined the device in her hands.
"What's this supposed to be?"
"Found something, Shataan?" Cad inquired.
"Well well~" Aurra purred out. "Seems Shataan found herself a lightsaber."
"A Lightsaber?" Bane questioned. "Then there's a Jedi in the building."
Shataan eyed Padme with intrigue holding up the saber.
"How'd you come in possession of this?"
Padme didn't say a word while the Zabrak before her shrugged and placed the saber in her belt though she did look up at her again, as if gauging her.
"What?" Padme asked impatiently, internally berating herself at losing their one chance at a possible escape.
Pulling up his wrist communicator, the Duros bounty hunter called out to the rest of his team. "Be on the lookout for a Jedi. There's one lurking in the building somewhere. Flush them out."
Finishing his call, his eye caught onto a form in the higher levels, no doubt attempting to hide.
Quickly pulling out his blaster, Cad quickly fired a series of shots at the retreating form.
"Looks like we need look no further." Cad said to his squad. "After that Jedi."
Scott Lang bolted out from the area with blaster bolts flying past where he stood.
Tapping his ear, the ex-con spoke. "Pietro, I'm in trouble here."
"What's going on?"
"I've got a bunch of… there's one guy that looks like a cowboy and the rest of his goons on my ass and need some help."
"The hell do you mean a cowboy?" Pietro questioned.
"Wearing a freaking stereotypical hat, for starters." Rounding the corner, Scott kept on sprinting.
"Really? They have those in this galaxy."
"Pietr-OOF"
"Scott! What happened?"
Scott rubbed his head and opened his eyes to see…
"Anakin!" Scott said in a relieved tone.
"Scott?" Anakin had to make sure this wasn't some kind of trick.
"There they are!" Spoke a Weequay male with an IG-86 droid beside him.
"Crap, run now talk later." Scott said, pushing Anakin in the direction away from the Bounty Hunters.
Instinctively, Anakin's hand reached towards his side to pull out his lightsaber… only to find it missing.
"Oh, right."
With a hail of blaster fire coming at him, Anakin followed Scott's actions and bolted outta there.
"Get after that Jedi." Said the Weequay bounty hunter. "He's unarmed which means he'll be easier to kill."
Scott and Anakin ran down the hallway with their pursuers getting around the corner and firing at them.
They kept on running until turning another corner.
Rounding yet another corner, the two hunters halted their advancements as they saw the present hallway empty of any life.
"Now where'd they go."
Anakin and Scott hid in a room together with both crouching behind a table as the two Bounty Hunters entered to scan the room. It took them a bit on their search before the Weequay decided to move onward in the search. The IG droid took a bit longer to leave as it stomped away from the nearby area.
"Those were Bounty Hunters." Anakin murmured, as the two departed from the area. "What are they doing here?"
"They took a bunch of Senators Hostage." Scott quickly explained. "It was in some lobby area."
"Oh great." Anakin was now wrought with worry as that lobby area that Scott mentioned undoubtedly was where Padme had gone to.
"And more importantly, one of them has a lightsaber." Scott informed before looking down at Anakin's hip. "...Where the hell's your's?" It then dawned on him and looked at his friend in a surprised look. "They have your lightsaber!"
"Where's your suit anyway?" Anakin questioned.
"Hope is making some repairs to it." Scott elaborated.
"Now of all times, you don't wear your super suit?!"
"We don't live in those damn things, Anakin. They aren't self-cleaning and maitenized. And didn't they get your lightsaber." Scott soon grumbled under his breath. "I guess we're both kinda worthless right now."
"Some more than others." Anakin dryly said.
"Oh shut up, you're lucky Pietro's also here."
"What?" Anakin's head sharply snapped at Scott"Can you get in touch with him?"
"Oh, right. Give me a sec." Tapping his ear, the ex-con spoke. "Hey, Quicksilver, ya there?"
Pietro was casually strolling through a hallway though not as he seemed. In all honesty, he was tempted to begin running around like a mad lad to get an idea as to what was going on after he and Scott split up.
But he knew now perhaps wasn't the best time for such a thing. Right now, he needed patience.
As much as he hated that.
"Hey, Quicksilver, ya there?"
"Scott!" Pietro's hand shot up to his ear piece. "What the hell happened? You cut off without warning."
"Alright, long story short, there's a bunch of senators that have been taken hostage by Bounty Hunters." Scott elaborated on the situation. "I'm with Anakin right now and both of us aren't exactly armed right now."
"Great I…"
Before the call ended, an odd looking droid made its way onto the current floor with a rifle looking blaster in its grasp.
It saw him, quickly prompting the dangerous looking droid to whip it's weapon right at the Sokovian. Yet the enhanced human was faster in reaction, speeding forward and delivering a series of punches right at its multi-part head. With the onslaught upon the bounty hunter droid, the head was soon broken off from the rest of the body and rolled away down the hall.
"Pietro, you there?"
"Sorry, Scott. Just dealt with one of 'em."
Then, several panels opened up and out popped turrets with all their barrels trailed directly at the speedster.
"...Alright, the fuck is this about?"
The turrets immediately began firing at the speedster who nimbly dodged all the bolts.
"Scott." Pietro ran down the hallway just as more turrets popped out and fired at the Avenger who ran by at full speed. "I'm gonna need to call you back. Got my own set of problems right now."
On another area of the Senate building, Scott and Anakin were making their way to the security center. They hoped they could be able to get inside and restore power and control to the rest of the building. And it was easier said and done as neither knew if more bounty hunters were patrolling the halls.
Upon reaching their destination, the two hugged the wall and silently conversed on how they can proceed in their entry.
Yet before anything could be moved forward, the door opened up and a Patrolian strolled out.
On instinct, Scott snapped his arms at the smaller guy and put him in a choke hold.
"Go to sleep. Go to sleep." Scott gritted out, tightening his hold on the squirming bounty hunter. "Go to sleep, you creepy black lagoon knock-off."
Anakin ran over and with a wave of his hand over the Patrolians head, the squirming Bounty Hunter went limp and unconscious.
Giving Anakin an appreciative nod, the Jedi helped up his comrade and the two entered the control room.
"Whoa." Scott murmured. "So how does this all work?"
"Shouldn't be too hard if a sleemo like him managed to get control of the whole building
Popping his fingers, Scott crouched down as he started prying off a panel. "Give me some time and I'll get this up and running."
Just as Scott moved to get to work the entire room seemingly shut down.
"Now what's going on?" Scott bemoaned.
Anakin didn't have the chance to respond when the nearest door opened up to reveal Aurra Sing.
"Hello, Jedi." Aurra said with an intense gaze.
Firing several blaster bolts, Anakin had to quickly maneuver in the confined space. Yet it was quite hard with Scott being present. Said man wasn't able to get enough time as a blaster bolt hit his shoulder, making him grit out in pain.
"Dammit."
"Scott!" Anakin said in alarm which was all Aurra needed to shove her hand forward, force pushing Anakin into the controls.
"Not so fast." Spoke the Weequay bounty hunter.
"Took you long enough."
"Well sorry! I don't have the luxury of having enhanced skills like you have, Sing. I had to haul my ass here while you used your space magic-"
"A force user." Anakin grunted, sitting up against the wall. "You… who are you?"
"None of your concern, Jedi." Aurra said with a sneer, shocking Anakin unconscious a moment later.
"Help me get these two to Bane."
Scott glared though he knew better not to resist. Anakin was out, he was injured and without his suit and god knows what was keeping Pietro occupied. The ex-con felt so useless at the moment. As skilled as a fighter he had become under Cap and Hopes tutelage, he knew now wasn't the time for his heroics.
"Ease up, will ya." Scott groaned out. "Rough me up anymore and you'll have to answer to my girlfriend."
"You're cute, but not that cute." Aurra muttered out as she jabbed her finger at his injured shoulder.
"Oh screw you."
"I would, but you ain't my type."
"And you aren't mine either."
"Oh god, what did I walk into just now?" Said another female voice.
"Ah Shataan." Aurra said expectantly. "Good, help Shahal here with the knocked out Jedi."
Scott and Anakin were taken to the Atrium were they were presented before Cad Bane.
The Bounty Hunter inspected the two for a moment.
"The hero with no fear." Bane said aloud, recognizing Anakin straight away. "There's a part of me that should've expected someone of your caliber rushing in to save the day. Then again, forgive me if I find your performance to be lackluster at best."
Bane then looked at Scott. "And who are you supposed to be? You look like a criminal to me."
"Ok, Ouch." Scott murmured.
"He's one of those new guys we've been hearing about." Shataan said, standing beside Bane.
"The Avengers?" Inquired the white skinned bounty hunter. "And which one are you?"
Scott glared defiantly at them. "Ant-man."
"...Unimpressive, if you ask me." Drolled out the Weequay bounty hunter, to which Bane quickly agreed upon.
Tapping his wrist communicator, Cad spoke up. "3D, are we on schedule?"
-Scene Cut-
Flying through Coruscant's air traffic, IG-3D responded to the Doros bounty hunter. "Arriving at the prison now."
Currently, the Bounty droid flew upon a transport towards the detention center of Coruscant where one Hutt was currently being housed.
Beside him was the Twi'lek Senator as he currently carried a pardon disk to free their intended prize for today.
Upon parking in front of the detention center's main platform, IG-3D jabbed the barrel of it's blaster right into Free Ta's side. "Move it."
A line of Clones awaited their arrival, the Coruscant Shock Trooper Guard.
One of the Clones gave the order to have the doors opened.
"Oh! It's so bright out here!" Whined a purple skinned, lime yellow Hutt. "Why couldn't this have been done at night when it's cooler?"
"Oh my God." A nearby Clone muttered out in complete annoyance.
This was Ziro the Hutt. He was locked up here a while back after the attempted coup of his nephew, Jabba the Hutt, by eliminating his infant cousin Rotta. The plan of taking out Jabba and taking over his seat in the Hutt Crime Family failed horribly by the hands of Skywalker, Ahsoka and Padme; which resulted in his stay here.
The fat slug slid right over to the IG droid, 3D and Senator Free Taa with a smug air to him.
"Well, well~ Senator Orn Free Taa looks so scared right now, doesn't he?" Ziro arrogantly mocked.
"Let's move." 3D instructed, keeping its rifle trailed on the Twi'lek. "You're coming with us."
"What?!" Free Taa said in shock. "But I-I-"
"No loose ends." 3D stated. "No quick actions. Guaranteed delivery necessary for completion of job. Get back in the transport."
Radioing in to Bane, IG-3D spoke. "Package is secure."
"Good… Time for the next part." Cad said over the line.
With the bounty hunter droid flying on out back to the Senate building, Cad Bane ordered his associates to plant bombs around the Atrium for one of his contingency plans. Once done, he brought back up a call to the Chancellor's office.
"Well, Mr. Chancellor, thanks to your calm leadership, the crisis is passed. I got what I want, so I'll return your Senate and your senators. Enjoy them, but don't try anything until the sun has set."
Palpatine simply glared at the Bounty Hunter through the holo-com.
"Understand?"
Seeing Palpatine nod, Cad ended the call and addressed his team. "We need to get to the landing platform. Is everything ready?"
"Yep-yep!" Answered the now conscious Robonino
"You sure? Losing oxygen to the brain might've made you think otherwise."
"Oh shut up, Shataan."
Turning over to Aurra, Cad gave the command. "Turn on the sensors, please."
Pressing a series of buttons on the central sensor, a large array of security beams shot out and connected towards the others in the room.
With it all set up, Bane addressed the senators. "If you so much as breathe on one of these lasers, the whole room will blow up." Making his way out of the room, the Doros bounty hunter continued talking. "Senators, Jedi, Avenger, I bid you all a most respectful farewell."
The moment the bounty hunters left the room, Padme immediately went towards Anakin's side in order to check if he was alright. This was all done before turning her attention to Scott.
"Do you have any idea how we can get out of here?"
"Well… I was gonna say Pietro would help out." Scott said dejectedly.
"Pietro's here?" Riyo questioned.
"Yeah, came in with me when we wanted to check out the place." With gritted teeth, the ex-con continued. "Where he is now, I'm the foggiest."
Cad Bane walked out to the landing platform with his associates just as multiple gunships descended from on high down to them.
Clone Commander Fox with his Coruscant Guard all filed out and had their weapons trailed on the group.
Receiving a call, Cad Bane held out his hand and saw the holo-transmission of Palpatine being flanked by two other Clone Troopers.
"You were foolish to think that you could get away with this, Bounty Hunter." Palpatine said fiercely. "Now surrender and come quietly."
Cad however only grinned at the Chancellor's foolishness.
"No Chancellor." Bane drawled out. "I'm afraid it is you who has been foolish with your senators' lives. One false move and the East Wing of the Senate Building goes up in flames."
Palpatine's shoulders tensed up before slumping in resignation. "You win bounty hunter."
Ending the call, Bane raised his wrist with his other hand hovering over a specific button on his control.
"Holster them." Bane ordered.
Commander Fox kept his gun raised at the Duros and was about to lower his gun when he heard something peculiar.
Blaster bolts going off coupled with loud noises of metal sounding as though they were being ripped apart.
Another door, outburst a silvery blur that stopped at the edge of the platform and chucked the remained of a defense turret.
"And it's outta here." Quicksilver declared aloud. "Whew, that was annoyi-"
Pietro then noticed the other group present on the platform just as Orn Free Taa, IG-3D and Ziro arrived on the scene.
All in all, a bizarre set of circumstances to say the least.
"And that's my que." Shataan cocked her wrist back with it trailing on Bane's head. "Stand down Bane. Now. Or you get a head filled with electric shock that'll turn you brain dead."
"Shataan!" Bane growled out. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Oh, I'm sorry." Shataan's face and voice suddenly sounded different.
The Zabraks appearance morphed and fluctuated with her other hand reaching up to remove a mask. Red hair fell with fair skin replacing the orange tanned markings.
"But Shataan is merely an alias that I'll need to dispose of."
Not knowing who this woman was, who he assumed was a changeling Clawdite, the bounty hunter opened fire upon her. She quickly maneuvered away from the blaster bolts before a silver blur carried her away to safety. Once stopping behind a large wall, Quicksilver gave her a joyful hug.
"NAT!" Pietro cried out in jubilation.
"Hey Pietro." Nat greeted warmly. "As good as it is to see you again, we still have a job to do."
"Oh right." Pietro stepped back, grin still in place. "One moment."
Quicksilver zipped out from behind the wall and in an instant threw all the Bounty Hunters weapons and Bane's wrist detonator down to the ground before them.
"Now then." Pietro said cockily. "This is the part where you surrender."
The rest of the clones held their balster up at the Bounty Hunters with Nat walking out from her cover with two familiar pistols in both hands.
Gritting his teeth on this unexpected factor, Cad pressed a button on his wrist communicator and spoke into it. "You're up!"
A deep, dark chuckle was all that was heard from over the line before it went dead.
A shadow from above appeared between Pietro and Bane followed by the sound of the same dark laughter.
Looking up, Pietro's eyes widened in shock running away quickly before a gigantic armored being landed in front of Bane, throwing its arms out which extended out to the Clones.
In a quick series of maneuvers, the new arrival quickly disposed of a good number of present clones. Snapping their arms, breaking their necks, caving in their heads and chests. All actions done as a means to an end.
"Hope you weren't too bored for waiting, Durge."
"I was waiting in utmost antici-" Punching a nearby clone trooper in the gut into the air, the Mandalorian nightmare delivered a powerful kick in the same place to send the Republic soldier flying away. "-ation."
"OH, HELL IT'S HIM!"
"Who the hell is that?!"
"That freak that attacked Commander Gree's ship! Open Fire."
Durge simply absorbed the blaster bolts, his body bulging out in various spaces before veiny muscles exploded out from his being. The appendages all shot forward, ensnaring and killing every Clone it grabbed.
"A helluva a way to reunite, huh Pietro?" Nat cried out, firing at the ballistic Gen'dai freak that was tearing apart the Clone Troopers.
"Nothing is ever done normally with us. Help out the guys in white and red." Quicksilver gritted out, running out to save several Clones that were about to get crushed by a large piece of debris Durge was using as a blunt weapon.
Taking initiative, Black Widow sprinted forward to a nearby Clone who was clutching his pierced leg.
"Hold tight, soldier." Nat ordered, trying to find a way to remove the armor to treat the leg.
Durge was the necessary mayhem Bane and his gang had needed, going over to the transport that still had Ziro the Hutt and a thoroughly terrified Orn Free Taa.
Getting all on board, Bane pivoted the transport away from the building looking back over to the chaos the Gen'Dai was causing.
"Durge, get your ass over here now!" Bane yelled out to him.
Seeing his ride taking off without him, Durge gave out a deadman's sprint. Reaching the end of the platform, the Nightmare leapt into the air and aimed himself to land on their transport. The moment he landed, the entire thing shook as it tried restabilizing itself.
"Watch where you're landing, you fool!" Ziro growled out before being silenced by the ancient bounty hunter's stare.
"And you shut the hell up, you worthless pile of flesh."
Looking onward, Bane saw a transport heading their way as he spotted what appeared several clones riding in it. "We've got company."
Tilting his head, Durge saw the incoming vehicle. Without a second thought, he leapt off the present transport, sailed across the air and crashed onto the opposing transport.
"Hello." Growled out the Nightmare, looking towards the half dozen clones and a fat looking Twi'lek. "And goodbye."
Free Ta screamed as he was punched in the face by Durge, knocking out several teeth in the process before unconsciousness took over. As this happened, the clone escort were either thrown off the transport and falling towards their imminent demise or had their necks and limbs broken.
With his job done, the Gen'Dai moved around and spotted his teams transport. Squatting down, he jumped off the falling transport and sailed across the air once more and landed back near his previous spot, startling Ziro the Hutt once again. And looking back at the other transport -which was not properly manned now- Bane saw it plummeting towards the city down below before he saw a small speck of an explosion happening.
Whoever was left on that transport that wasn't killed by Durge was most certainly dead now.
With them now getting away, Bane ordered his one droid to speed up to get back to their ship as the Republic will be on their tail very soon.
"Well, Hutt," Cad spoke to the present Hutt behind him. "It doesn't look like prison had too adverse an effect on you."
"Oh, you can't imagine the unspeakable things I've suffered." Ziro dramatically said. "The horror! I doubt I'll ever really recover."
"Talk to us again after being buried alive for over half a century." Durge spoke out, unsettling Ziro once more. "Then imagine how it'll all be like in my boots on what I've been through."
"...I don't want to."
"Then once again, shut the hell up."
Back on the Senate building platform, multiple emergency personnel had arrived to assist the wounded Clones with many others running into the Senate building.
Off to the side, Pietro and Nat stood side by side covered in dirt and grime with a few minor injuries.
"Well… I certainly didn't expect to see you here Nat." Pietro remarked. "Not in this way."
"You and me both, Pietro."
"You were working with the Bounty Hunters?"
"Something I'm not proud of."
"What the hell happened to you? Where did you end up at?"
"Some apparent lawless planet as most called it. A desert world. Tatooine."
"Never heard of it."
"How many planets have you heard of, Pietro?"
"A few… not much really, don't pay attention to that kind of stuff."
"Hmmm."
The two fell into a lull of silence.
All they heard and saw was the attempt at the medical personnel work to keep Clones stable and alive while local law enforcement was arriving with other Jedi in tow.
Nat bit the bottom of her lip, unsure of how exactly to ask this when she didn't need to.
A gunship landed several feet away from them and out stepped none other than Cap, Sam, Rhodey and Hope all suited up and ready to go.
That changed when the moment Steve took a moment to scan the area, his eyes landed on Nat who gave him a slight watery smile.
Mouth slightly open in disbelief at whom he was seeing, a sentiment shared by the other Avengers as they soon saw her too, Steve took one step forward before Nat ran right for him and hugged him tightly.
"You have no idea-"
"I got a pretty clear idea, Steve." Nat said happily, pulling away to greet the others giving each one a hug before turning to the platform around them.
"I just wish it was under better circumstances."
"Me too. Me too."
And done, Season One is officially a wrap and now we've only got a few chapters in between before kicking off season two!
God damn this was a marathon run really. Just took one night to finish this one up to Jebest after sporadically working on it the past few days.
Really, really proud of what I've managed to do here with J. Bulletstorm has also been helpful in supplying newer ideas that will come to light in time and my god my excitement for this story is just getting crazier.
Just a quick reminder, this is an AU gotten a few people pointing out inconsistent timelines and all and I've stated that this is a divergence along with the Clone Wars timeline being adjusted to fit the narrative of Infinite Wars. For example, the Blue Shadow virus? Coming in Season 2 not 1. Have something important planned for that one.
Jebest4781: Not to mention other storylines from other seasons fitting our need for story purposes. Even certain ones from the comics. And even then, they'll be altered from minor to severely.
Free Man Writer: Yeah, there is so much madness coming with so many exciting revelations. I really can't put it into words at conveying just how insane things are gonna get. Like fucking batshit wild stuff.
Jebest4781: All in the means of properly blending the respective media to the best of our abilities.
Free Man Writer: And so far, it's been pretty damn successful. Headaches worth it and all… somewhat. Not always but enough. I'm tired but not at the same time. God… it feels invigorating and tiring to do all this in such a short amount of time.
Jebest4781: Tell me about it. At least we ain't pushing ourselves too hard in constantly updating so quickly… unlike some people on the site.
Free Man Writer: Yeah how do those people do it. Whelp anyway, that's all for now folks. Go read J's newest story A Song of Fire, Ice and Hearts, a collaborative project as I've stated before that both of us will have our own spins on that we'll essentially be working together on. Go read it now. Cause it's damn good. Some of the best work the two of us have made together honestly. And We will see you comrades next time.
Rate Read and Review and As Always Have Nice Day.