Avengers: Infinite Wars

by free man writer

The Clone Wars are in full swing with the galaxy divided. The Jedi lead the clone army against the infinite droid army of the Separatists. Yet a wild card enters the fray. The Avengers. From there, newer, more sinister and deadlier threats emerge and The Galaxy, no, the universe, shall never be the same again. Co-written by Jebest4781 and BulletStormX. Now in Season 4.

88. Our job as Assholes is to ruin your day

It's kinda funny seeing all the people's reactions to Asajj being Half-Celestial when that was revealed back in chapter 71 that she's Peter's sibling that he came to this galaxy to find. Then again, this story is nearing 100 chapter(Which is batshit), so can be forgiven in forgetting certain things considering how much has been done… and we're just getting started.

Thanks again to those who participated in the top 10 lists so let's give them a shoutout.

The Mandalorian Terminator(noice name).

Megalovaniac(Also, a badass name and trust me, I got something special planned for Delta squad. And I'll return to my Danganronpa crossover soon).

IS6A6E, thank you.

BlackWatcher1234, what's up man?

Eryl, not sure if that is one but it's list like and pretty funny to. Yeah, Rex is a luck bastard, ain't he?

Jeremiah Skywalker, another one of my favorites, always love seeing your reviews.

And most of all Mushroom Kingdom Warrior, my man, one of my favorite guys to talk to and see the reviews of because he doesn't half ass it, he really wants to make sure each topic is touched on. MK Warrior is one of the main reasons I wanna make sure this story delivers on all fronts. If you guys wanna check his list out, he did both a top 10 current and a top 10 anticipation list. You can find it on my DeviantArt account in the poster titled the First Nine. Please go there and give it a like, comment or whatever, it's really awesome. Him and Darkfusion are likely my favorite two thus far, Atreides, also being up there.

And guest uh… God, why didn't you give me a name at least? Still, thank you so much for pulling an MK Warrior and Dark Fusion. Oh and Atreides to.

I still love seeing everyone constantly listing the pairing, Ultron and Mortis. I hope we can top them but I'm confident we'll pull it off.

Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.

Avengers Infinite Wars Chapter 88: Our job as Assholes is to ruin your day

*zzzzZZZT*

*zzzzZZZT*

*ChzzzzZZZT*

*ChzzzZZZ-lways going on about it. It's starting to worry me."

"Bastila, relax already. Your boyfriend knows what he's doing."

"I'm not worried about what he's doing, I'm concerned about what it's doing to him. He hasn't slept properly in three days now."

"Suggestion: Mistress Shan, when Master first created me, he told me that if I were to ever see him overworking himself or stressing himself to the point of exhaustion that a well-placed smack to the head would be most sufficient in giving him time to rest."

"Or give him a concussion."

"Or wipe his memories again."

"Something Shan is really good at, apparently."

"Oh, shut up, Vao."

"Grooooaar!"

"Heh, you said it Big Z."

"You are insufferable, all of you."

"You kinda… no, you fall into Bastila." The Cathar female said with a laugh. "You'd think you'd learn by now."

Shan was about to snip back at the Cathar when a door opened and in walked a grizzled warrior with another man following in after him.

"Master." HK-47 cheerfully greeted and a loving smile bloomed on Bastila.

"Revan-"

*CHZZZZZT*

"God dammit!" Rocket exclaimed, whacking his repair tool on HK's head. "Ah crap, sorry tinhead. Didn't mean to do that."

The assassin droid simply shrugged, a motion he has seen many do up to this point and adopted the motion into his response functions.

"Assurance: There is no need for an apology, Master Rocket. You are merely trying to turn me into a more efficient killing machine, after all."

Rocket chortled to himself, shaking his head. "Yeah, well, can't let you lag behind. Gotta make you the best murder machine in the cosmos."

"Appreciation: Thank you. Your work shall make my name be feared by meatbags in every system of the galaxy."

"Soon it'll be the whole universe once we figure out how to get outta here without the last way we got in." The Raccoon stated, resuming his work on HK's memory processors.

That made HK's mental faculties whirl with activity as he pondered on such a notion.

Yes, he himself was found within the Ebon Hawk outside the galaxy that he knew and hated but just how he got there was the question and… it really was something extraordinary to consider being found by life outside the galaxy.

"Fucking hell, HK, why are your memory circuits so weird." Rocket grumped aloud.

"Commentary: My systems are old. You just don't know how to work with them."

"It's not that. There's something," Rocket squinted at the back of HK's head. "Else or… I dunno. Have you ever considered doing a transfer?"

"Answer: I have but declined."

"Why?"

"Proud declaration: It would not be me." The Assassin droid proudly proclaimed.

"Right~" Rocket deadpanned, fiddling with some wires. "I tried replacing some of your missing components but it doesn't give."

"Reminiscent: Ah, that must be the designs of my previous Master."

"Your old Master?" Rocket scrunched his face up in thought. "Which one? Exile, Revan or… what's her name?"

"Answer: Meetra Surik. But this was done by my first Master Revan after Master Surik brought me back to him."

"Brought you back to him?" Rocket shook his head. "Whatever, do you know what he did to you?"

"Admittance: I have done multiple subroutine scans and self-evaluations and I believe Master Revan intentionally tampered with my memory. Be it for a purpose that I have now forgotten."

"So it's not that your memory can't be fixed, we just gotta find the missing component." Rocket assumed before scoffing. "Fat chance that'll happen. We looked over the Hawk a thousand times already. There was nothing there."

"Speculation: Perhaps Master Revan didn't keep it on the Ebon Hawk for a reason. In my time with him, I have come to learn that Master Revan never did things without purpose or reason. All of it was for the sake of a grander goal."

"Any ideas where it may be?"

"Contemplation: Hard to specify. Many places of significance with Master Revan. Even then, thousands of years have passed since then. May end up elsewhere by raiders among other possible factors."

"Shit." Rocket muttered. "Well… you know what? Fuck it. Knowing our luck, I bet we'll either end up falling ass first into it or it falls ass first into us."

"Joy: I do prefer it done the Guardians way, Master Rocket. So many explosions and Meatbags that always get caught in our line of work."

The tech-genius raccoon cackled at this, clapping the back of HK's head shut.

"Least we know that's a fact. Come on. We got some ass to kick."

The assassin droid's right arm morphed into that of a glowing blue cannon, HK's eyes glowing with sadistic glee.

"Statement: We most certainly do."

All the while…

A man with sharp features, cold blue eyes and shaved blond hair in blue Mandalorian armor walked through a large hanger bay filled with ships of all types.

Pre Vizsla, leader of Death Watch, led his contingent of Mandalorians through the many ships around him, walking down a rather lavish corridor.

The warrior couldn't help but roll his eyes at this.

He understood decorating, maybe a guest room or a place of importance but a corridor? And it seems that the entire place was decorated really as every room and hallway he walked through had a lavish set of red carpeting with black and yellow curtains that clashed horribly with each other.

Vizsla was no interior decorator but even he could've done something better than this.

But he wasn't here to criticize the interior designs of a base.

The Mandalorian was here with a purpose.

He soon arrived at a closed door, silently looking back to the half dozen Death Watch members that followed after him as an unspoken order for them to stay. Obliging their leader, they watched as Pre walked through the door, sliding closed behind him a moment later.

Entering the room, it was a simple and quaint design with the small indications here and there of this being a place owned by the Black Suns, emblems on the chairs, walls and curtains notwithstanding.

As soon as he walked in, he was met with the sight of his two new supposed "partners" appearing to be in a heated discussion.

"If you truly believe that your wealth will amount to anything other than one week's extension of survival, then I don't know what a fool like you is doing here." The Falleen Leader of the Black Suns, Prince Xizor, stood in a bored fashion, shooting the other man in the room with a look of complete dismissal.

Behind the Falleen was a gorgeous human woman with blond hair, blue eyes and a cold demeanor that would unnerve anyone who would stare too long. She appeared unarmed unless she was hiding a weapon somewhere one couldn't spot right away. Rather unsettling with an apparent spooky feeling coming off of her.

She was Guri, Xizor's personal assassin. But what was really unique about her was that she was actually a human replica droid; a rare oddity to be sure.

In front of the pair was one-third of the newly formed triumvirate leaders, Orson Krennic.

The man had an air of cockiness and arrogance that would have annoyed Vizsla but… no, no buts, Krennic was unbearably arrogant. Had it not been for the fact that the man actually backed up what he claimed to do, Pre would have honestly shot the man dead, damn the Mandalorian code of honor.

Orson Krennic was somehow an oddity yet fit right into the conniving, sniveling and snake-infested world that was the crime syndicate of the galaxy.

He came off as a pompous bastard who paraded himself around as one of those snobby politicians from the Republic or Separatist would but would be ruthless in the execution of his plans and goals on the drop of a credit.

He didn't accumulate such wealth, military force and influence by playing nice.

That still did nothing in gaining any respect from Xizor and Vizsla.

It was a wonder as to how such an alliance came to pass.

"You say that Prince Xizor but could you care to remind those in attendance just you are, pardon me, were at one point able to virtually do and get away with anything and everything in the Outer Rim?" Krennic questioned in a bored fashion. "Prince Xizor, the Falleen ruler of the Black Suns, a ruler so fierce and dangerous that not even the Hutt Cartels even dared to challenge. Pockets of influence from the lowest trenches of Nar Shadda to the upper echelons of Coruscant itself. All undone," The man held up one finger. "By a single Mandalorian whom you foolishly lost sight of in the massacre of his clan. How many Vigos has Wes Journ killed?"

Though he didn't show it, Pre Vizsla picked up on the murderous intent that radiated off.

Krennic paid it no mind as he turned to face him, throwing his arms up.

"Ah, at long last, our third illustrious leader." Orson greeted with a hammy tone. "Pre Vizsla, a pleasure to have you here despite your busy schedule."

"I've got much to cover in recent times, unlike some."

"Oh me?" Krennic said in faux-disbelief. "Me who put this alliance together, me who has taken over the fallen Black Sun bases, me who is practically throwing his credits at any and all of your future endeavors?"

"Which we do appreciate." Xizor said calmly. "But don't think for one second that this means you hold power over either of us."

"So the sum of fortune I've generously donated means-"

"Does that really place any power over us?" Vizsla spat out. "It somewhat does on certain mercenaries and organizations, but with the likes of us, there are certain things that one needs to abide by."

"You're walking a thin line. If you push too far, we'll push back."

Krennic gave both men a heated look, focusing on the leader of Death Watch first.

"Up until a few days ago, your faction of Mandalorians were nothing more than that, mercenaries. Slaves to the credit and the highest bidder." Krennic walked right up to the man, glaring at him. "Until my offer, you would have continued as such, even with your numbers, you are still viewed as a splinter, a rogue element of the true Mandalorians who hold power in the Mandalore system."

Pre snarled at this, stepping forward with Orson taking a step back managed to stand strong.

The crime boss then turned to Xizor who looked as though he wished to be anywhere but here.

"And lest I say it again, one man has dismantled centuries of Black Sun influence in the span of a few months. The Guardians of the Galaxy and Ravagers are now sweeping up and cementing their own stake in the Outer Rim. I wouldn't be surprised if they soon challenge the Hutt Cartels for control."

If looks could kill right now, Xizors could be equated to a slow torturous kind of murder.

Krennic then stepped back, spreading his arms out.

"I brought us here because I believe we can accomplish more but do not forget," His expression then morphed into a derisive snarl. "We stand here amidst my achievement, not yours!"

The Falleen rolled his eyes. "Oh please. You can't take the credit and pass all of it off as yours. You didn't plan everything. You didn't take part in every operation. If you did, then things may be different. All you're doing is talking about big game and nonsense."

"My "big game" has allowed your remaining bases to be reinforced by my hands."

"Enough." Pre Vizsla all but shouted. "I didn't come here to bicker. Are we finalizing this alliance or are my Mandalorians here wasting their time?"

There was a tense silence between the three before Xizor released a disgruntled sigh, waving his hand towards the table in the room with three chairs around it.

"Let's not waste any more time then." The Falleen declared. "There is much to discuss if we are to make this work."

Krennic tersely nodded and the three men soon seated themselves in silence.

There was a beat before Orson leaned forward and activated the holo-images of multiple weapons, vehicles, bases, military assets and all.

In conjunction with them were the symbols of the Ravagers, Guardians of the Galaxy and Mandalorian Protectors on top of several other criminal syndicates.

"If we are to make this work, we need to understand where we must concentrate our forces and what we have to allow to be dismissed until the time comes for us to address it." Krennic began. "We know our enemies and the power they are garnering."

"We can't defeat them through conventional means." Vizsla begrudgingly admitted. "Not yet at least."

"What we need is a starting point." Xizor remarked, fingers laced together. "A means of bolstering power and assets from like-minded individuals that view our enemies in the same contempt that we do. And I know a good start."

A yellow emblem was then displayed, in the shape of…

"The Pyke Syndicate." Xizor revealed. "We need further cooperation from them."

-Scene Cut-

The meeting between the triumvirate came to its end after a few short hours of discussion, evaluation and planning.

Loath as the three men were to admit it, they were able to find common ground in their ambitions and now had several objectives in mind, one being the recruitment of more criminal organizations into their ranks.

Still, that didn't stop Krennic from privately raging in his new quarters in the Black Sun base.

"Fools and bastards, the lot of them." The man raged, pacing about in his room, practically seething. "I extend a hand and they have the audacity to spit in my face. Scum, all of them. The gutter rats of the galaxy."

Orson swatted a bottle from a nearby table, shattering it upon hitting the ground.

"Things were so much simpler when I was in the Republic." He growled out. "Damn you Chuchi. And Damn you Organa. You haven't heard the last of me."

At one point, Krennic could recall the decadent life he once held in the tall spires of Coruscant. But apparently being a "corrupt" politician on a planet that was literally run by it was not allowed in the eyes of several holier-than-thou Senators that ruined his reputation and standing.

Had it not been for a secret meeting with Palpatine, Krennic was certain to have spiraled.

He was under orders by the Chancellor himself to acquire the Kyber crystals for goodness sake. Palpatine never told him the reasons why but he promised him that when the time came, he would reveal to him the secret project that he would be put in charge of.

One that would greatly change the galaxy for the benefit of the Republic.

For years, he sacrificed everything in his life for the Republic. Time spent to become a good smuggler. Knowing the ins and outs of the trade in order to get his given task done.

Yet it didn't matter anymore as the Chancellor blacklisted him at one point. He didn't even get a proper reason why.

Just that contact all but stopped and he couldn't fathom why. The last time he spoke with Palpatine, the man encourage and told him to speed up the process of acquiring more Kyber crystals.

Then it just stopped abruptly and now… he was in a worse predicament than he was when he lost his position in Coruscant.

"Ultron," Was his bitter tone. "Why'd you have to make things worse?"

"Speak of the devil, and he shall appear."

Krennic didn't have to look over to see a holo-projection of the galactic menace appearing in his chambers. He felt a cold shiver down his spine but his anger overpowered his fear as he rounded on the genocidal AI.

"What is going on, Ultron?" Krennic all but demanded, stalking up to the transmission. "I thought you said that this was the ideal plan."

"Things are proceeding as expected."

"Expected? As expected?" Orson parroted angrily. "What plan is that? Sending me to be disrespected, damn near killed by the lower lifeforms of the galaxy?"

Ultron's red optics only stared back in sadistic amusement.

"Is it really that bad spending time with people who are so much like yourself?"

"I am nothing like these leeches and parasites." Krennic vented furiously. "I only came here because you believed there to be a benefit to it. And tell me, what even is that?"

Rather than answering his question, Ultron changed the topic, much to the human's annoyance.

"We are pressed for time. There are a great many things to attend to."

"And when will you elaborate with me these plans of yours?" Krennic all but demanded.

"All in good time, I assure you."

"That's not good enough." Blurted Krennic, glaring with barely contained rage. "I have delivered every Kyber crystal I could get my hands on. Especially the one from Utapau. I hope you understand the difficulty in that one in particular."

"Oh, I very much do. Especially with the potential that crystal holds."

This made Orson fume, close to snapping.

"This has all been done under my efforts. My work. My-"

"And look where that's gotten you." Ultron cut him off in a bored fashion. "What has it accomplished for you, Orson Krennic? Where is your standing now in the galaxy? Where would you be if not for the powerful figures that be in the background strumming you along whilst you prance about like you're the greatest thing the galaxy has ever seen? Let me remind you of something, fleshling." The AI's eyes flashed and this set the man on edge. "You have been wallowing about in these gutters you despise while I conduct the purpose which I was made to do."

"I have been doing your dirty work." Krennic shot back, jabbing a finger at the AI.

"I'm literally sparing you from the slaughter, and this is the thanks I get?" Ultron let out a 'tsk'. "Typical. And dirty work? Have you not been paying attention to what I've been doing? Or are you that conceited?"

Orson had to bite his tongue for that.

What could he possibly say in response to something like that? The entire galaxy felt the presence of Ultron even when he did nothing.

But he wasn't sitting idle.

Like every faction and organization in the galaxy, he was building up his power, preparing for his next great offensive.

"But you needn't worry." Ultron's smile became deadly. "Things are coming together better than expected, even with the ceasefire. With what you've done for me, Krenny, I can finally attain the purpose I was designed for. The true evolution of all life."

"Wha-what?" All the pomp and arrogance the cape-wearing human once had evaporated. "What is this? What Evolution?"

"This galaxy's reckoning." Ultron said as if it were the most obvious thing. "You've all been living on borrowed time, whether you know it or not. Sooner or later, it will all become metal."

Orson took a step back, a disturbed feeling welling up within him.

Without even realizing what he said, it came out in a clearly frightened demeanor.

"You're evil."

Ultron tilted his head at that, a thoughtful yet manic look for the crime boss to see. "Evil… You should not call something evil, just because you cannot comprehend it. Evil is an abstract concept for sentient species and your thinking is limited, lacking perspective. You are organic, a collective that will soon be extinct and make way for something greater. Your limitations prevent you from seeing the truth: dumb organics don't want to evolve. All they want is comfort and satisfaction on someone else's dime. And with what's to come, I can be considered the necessary evil."

Krennic didn't have a response, the AI chuckling darkly at his reaction.

"Chin up, orifice." Ultron jibbed. "Like that old saying goes, you're a funny guy, Sully. That's why I'm gonna kill you last."

"Wh-What?"

"With your actions in assisting me, you'll be amongst the last organics I'll either kill or convert." The AI smirked. "Though you'll beg me to do the former, in time."

Krennic was unable to make any comment or remark to that as the AI had logged off, leaving a man to realize just what he had gotten himself into.

'How did it all go wrong?' Krennic wildly thought to himself. 'Why did the Chancellor have to cut me off like that? He hasn't even responded to any of my transmissions since that time. What in the galaxy happened?'

These questions and more often plagued his mind. Him being a good soldier, following orders. Yet getting snubbed in such a manner left him unhinged.

He became desperate, foolish and blind in his decision-making to recoup what he lost. And in turn… he turned to the number one enemy in the entire galaxy.

Now what was he to-

*Rumble*

The entire room shook, cutting Krennic out of his thoughts and then came the alarms followed by the sound of running, shouting and in the distance, blaster fire and explosions.

Rushing out of his personal quarters, he saw a look of panic and confusion when he stopped a Death Watch member.

"What's happening?"

"The base is under attack!" The Mandalorian exclaimed, stunning Orson.

"By who?" He demanded.

"Them." Was all he said, rushing off with other Death Watch members joining him.

This only served to further exacerbate the politician turned crime boss.

How could they have been found already? They've been so careful as to not be tracked.

As much as Krennic wanted to make assumptions on how this was possible, he can figure this out at a later time.

"Are you deaf!?" He shouted at some of his own men nearby coupled with members of the Black Sun. "Deploy our garrisons!"

A flurry of commotion and movement followed suit with hundreds of men and women all rushing to get out of the base and meet the oncoming invading force head-on.

"Lock down the station. Cover all entrances, man every defense post, turrets, all of it. Fighters in the air now!" Krennic began barking out. "Where's Vizsla and Xizor?"

"Pre is already leading his men." One of his guards stated.

"Call in our assets if you haven't already. Time to see if they are worth what they say."

Said assets were casually moving towards the outside of the base that was devolving into a battlefield.

They were comprised of three men, each unique in appearance, a reflection of their mindsets and personalities when it came to combat.

Two shared a similarity in facial masks being skull motifs and all yet their suits couldn't be any different.

One wore a hood and cape, lightsaber strapped to his belt.

Another placed on a black helmet with white spray paint in the shape of a skull, pumping weaponized gauntlets.

And the last flicked a toothpick away whilst adjusting his gaudy cowboy hat, red eyes looking ahead as the battle commenced in full.

"Well, it was getting boring these days." The Black helmed mercenary commented. "Least we can let off some steam."

"Was getting antsy while doing nothing." The one in the white hood remarked, twirling a small hilt in his hand.

"Their payment better live up to our work." The blue-skinned merc stated, taking the toothpick he had in his mouth and flicked it away. He pulled out one of the blasters from his holster, spinning it once before holding it upward, finger on the trigger.

They stepped out of the base, their heads tilted up at the sight of Mandalorian and Ravager ships all headed straight towards them with contingents of those flying in on jetpacks.

Around them were mercs, forces from the Black Suns and members of the Death Watch rushing forward to prepare for battle.

"Gonna be one entertaining evening." Brock Rumlow AKA Crossbones commented, his gauntlets vibrating momentarily.

"Been waiting for this." Taskmaster stated, igniting his orange lightsaber whilst his Beskar shield on his left arm snapped open. "The Guardians of the Galaxy."

Cad Bane let out a derisive scoff, tipping his hat back as his red eyes scanned the litany of oncoming ships before landing on the one leading the charge.

"That's them, huh?" He said, his warbling voice sounding clipped. "The so-called Guardians."

"Got an issue with them?" The white-masked mercenary inquired.

"Their naming leaves a lot to be desired." Was all Bane said before his boots ignited and he flew upwards, pulling out his other blaster pistol and began firing both at the oncoming wave of enemies.

Seeing the first set of Ravagers, Protectors and enemy mercenaries begin to land, Crossbones rolled his shoulders, slammed his gauntlets together before charging forward in a surprising burst of speed.

He reared his arm back, smashing his fist into the chest of a poor Ravager, caving the man's ribs in and killing him instantly. In an instant, he threw up his other arm and a small rectangular ray shield activated, blocking blaster fire sent his way.

Rumlow charged forward, reaching the closest group of foes, shoving several down with his shield. With his other arm, he aimed at the fallen group and fried several disks out at them that latched onto random parts of their bodies.

Rolling away, he heard the scrambling of the poor fools who heard the beeping from the disks that were attached to them before they all blew up.

Grinning maniacally under his helmet, Crossbones rushed forward to his next foe.

Taskmaster had engaged the attacking force as well, flipping, corkscrewing and jumping through the air all while avoiding, dodging and deflecting blasters bolts sent his way.

Once getting within range of Mando's and Ravagers, Taskmaster started to cut a path through them all, his lightsaber a flurry of orange death as one after the other was cut down.

Any fighter who managed to last longer than three swings of his saber was cut down after a moment, the natural Force ability of instantly picking up on the fighting style he witnessed coming into play, negating the momentary defensive advantage they may have held.

All while these three hired guns went about their job, one wielding a blade of his own was coming down hard, particularly on anyone garbed in Black Sun garments or armor.

Wes Journ was a silver tsunami of death, cutting, stabbing, beheading and a whole assortment of other means of melee murder.

His sword was coated in blood by now, splatters of it decorating his armor with scorch marks here and there.

Every step he took was heavy and vindictive as he trudged forward like a man possessed, specifically gunning for any Black Sun nearby.

He kept his massacre going until his blade connected with something it didn't cut through.

Wes halted and froze up, helmet tilting up to see the helmet of one Pre Vizsla, holding the fabled blade known by all Mandalorians.

The Darksaber.

"Wes Journ of Clan Journ." Pre said with what sounded like a modicum of respect. "The oldest guard of the Mandalorians."

Beneath his helmet, Wes's eyes narrowed, shoving the Darksaber back and the two began circling each other.

"Pre Vizsla of clan Vizsla." Journ said in acknowledgment. "Why would you of all people join with scum like the Black Suns? Don't you know what they've done to the Mandalorians?"

"I only know of what they did to your clan." Pre shot back. "Or rather, what was done to them. You truly are the last of your clan, aren't you?"

Wes's hold on his Beskar blade tightened at the mention of his destroyed clan.

"So I ask again," Journ said with a more bitter tone. "Why in the name of Mando'a would you be siding with these bastards? I know of your rivalry with Spar, Fenn and Satines groups but to side with Mandalorian killers?"

"Lest you forget yourself and our ways, Wes, the laws of the Mandalorians are as follows. Only the strong shall rule."

Wes's anger burst forward and he swung his sword forward, Vizsla raising the Darksaber up in time to parry him.

They exchanged several parries and deflections until Pre held up his free arm and fired his wrist-mounted flamethrower. Wes ducked underneath it and rolled to the side yet Vizsla trailed his arm after him, activating his jetpack to take to the skies.

Ending the attack, Pre flew off, Journ turning on his own jetpack to go after the leader of the Death Watch.

Catching up to him, the pair moved about, occasionally clashing their blades for brief moments before moving apart. In the midst of all this, they had to deal with navigating around many others currently in the skies, friends and foes alike between the two of them.

They had to separate several times as others came in to attack or assist one another, either being cut down or flying off in a different direction as the chaos of the battle only increased.

Wes adjusted his flight path, holding his Beskar Saber to the side. Once angled properly, Journ rocketed forward at full speed toward Pre Vizsla who readied the Darksaber in hand.

Both blades clashed. Metal meeting light construct. Static emanating in the air with the clanging of the Beskar and saber.

This went on for a few seconds, the two having fought down to the ground, separating once touching down.

Wes fired his cable at Pre, who dodged. Before it could recede back to the owner, Vizsla cut the line with his weapon. He soon brought up his arm and let loose another stream of flames. Wes countered this with his own flamethrower.

When their flame duel was over, Wes leaped into the air and tossed some grenades. Pre rolled out of the way before they went off.

Quickly pulling out his blaster pistol, Vizsla shot at Wes who reflexively swatted the bolts aside with precise swings of his sword.

Vizsla was actually startled by this, the way Journ deflecting the bolts being reminiscent of that of a Jedi. The movement and fluidity were near flawless on his quick blocks and dodges. A sinking suspicion was quick to surface.

"So it's true then," Pre said aloud. "Your clan truly was gifted with it. The powers of the Jedi. The Force. The Mandalorian outcasts."

"Outcasts?" Wes snidely said. "Are you sure it wasn't jealousy? I know how the rest of our people always looked at us. After all, your ancestor -who made the Darksaber- was gifted by the Force. Are you upset that your clan never inherited the gift that my clan did?"

Vizsla said nothing, instead using his jetpack to propel himself at the swordsman. Swinging at full force, combined with his speed, Pre struck Wes's Beskar blade with a powerful blow that staggered the Mando. He followed that up with a spinning back fist and a jetpack-boosted dropkick.

Wes hit the ground on his back but quickly got back to his feet as his opponent drew near again.

Feeling the flow of the Force coursing through his body, Journ countered with a burst of speed, diving shoulder-first into the Death Watch leader's stomach.

He heard the wheeze of Vizsla's breath and snapped his head up, violently bashing the top of his helmet into Pre's, the man's own head whipping back.

Wes reared his arm back, grasping his blade and was about to swing when several Death Watch Mando's tackled him away from their leader.

"Get off!" He managed out, feeling smothered by them as he thrashed about trying to free himself.

Two of them were on top, punching his helmet repeatedly, the back of his protected head bouncing off the ground.

He tried fighting back though to no avail.

His bit of saving grace came in the form of Spar's men arriving and giving him the needed assistance. Some tackled and pried the offending Mandalorians off while others opened fire, driving them back.

"You're welcome." Dax quickly said, firing at the neck of Death Watch Mando.

Wes grumbled under his breath, accepting the arm offered by Fenn who hefted him up.

"I'm not joining you guys." Wes quickly said, getting bonked by the butt of Shysa's rifle.

"You're more stubborn than a bantha, you know that?" Fenn said with a shake of his head, the group refocusing on the battle at hand.

The ships of the Ravagers and Mandalorians began landing en masse at the front of the base, the combined forces rushing out in a swarm.

The Guardians all ran out at full speed, joining the fray and the madness of it all simply escalated.

Amongst them was Asajj Ventress, the Dathomirian taking slow, methodical steps forward to the base, casually looking around the chaotic battlefield.

She saw one of the Guardians, the musclehead Drax run by her with a boisterous laugh, wielding only two large daggers. Getting to the closest Black Sun, the meathead stabbed one of his daggers into the unfortunate soul. Either through the gaps between the armor or through it, didn't matter as the man was dead and then used as a blunt object as Drax hefted the body up, swatted it at several enemies close by and was then violently thrown at a Death Watch member in the air.

With a shift of her gaze, she saw one of the bounty hunters -Embo- working in tandem with both his Anooba beast and close compatriot Sugi. His bowcaster went to cover his loyal pet, who was mauling a Falleen foot soldier before using his metal, circular hat, either for defensive measures to cover Sugi or using it similar to how that Captain Rogers' fellow attacks with various bashes and throws, from what he's studied on the holo-net.

Next to them was Rocket on Groot's shoulders and HK-47, the assassin droid singing one of those gaudy songs that the Guardians seem to love.

"-Are you ready hey are you ready for this?

Are you hanging on the edge of your seat?

Out of the doorway the bullets rip

To the sound of the beat yeah

Another one bites the dust

HK-47 blasts down several Black Sun soldiers.

Another one bites the dust

His arm shifts into a cannon, firing at a small cluster of poor souls foolish enough to be in his sights.

And another one gone and another one gone

Another one bites the dust

Hey I'm gonna get you too

Another one bites the dust.

HK-47 utilizes another upgrade of Rockets, morphing his arms into a repeater Blaster cannon, tearing through the opposing forces. If the droid were a living being, he'd be crying around this time.

Gamora, in the meantime, was a flurry of grace and deadliness, utilizing her two blades to slice through any and all that came her way.

Ventress couldn't help but blink at the level of violence on display.

For calling themselves Guardians of the Galaxy, a tacky "friendly" name, they sure didn't mind getting down and dirty as any bounty hunter or Mandalorian.

Though one of the oddballs of the group was Mantis, who was merely taking cover and was occasionally shooting with her pistol. She was clearly not a fighter but was insistent in taking part. A means of showing she was part of her team, her family, and the girlfriend of one of Spar's men.

However, whenever anyone got close to her, Mantis simply touched them once and they simply collapsed a moment later.

It was one of the strangest abilities Asajj had seen and she hasn't really asked how that works.

Focusing back at the matter at hand, once seeing this giant arrow zipping around and piercing through many enemies, which seemed to match Kraglin's whistling.

This was her element. Her being back on the battlefield after all these months.

Granted she was without a droid army at her beck and call. One which wasn't entirely great through their design flaws, which was made up for their overwhelming numbers. Instead, she was with a literal army filled with competent fighters.

She admits this might be a good trade-up. A shame, really, that she may long for it once returning to Dooku's side.

Just have to see how this will go for further assessments.

She looked up, seeing that Star-Lord had engaged with Cad Bane, the pair flying about on their jet boots, firing at each other in their efforts to take one another out.

There was a nearby explosion and whirring sound, craning her head over in the direction of the mercenary Crossbones fighting alongside the human droid Guri, the pair engaging against the rest of the Guardians.

Groot, Rocket and HK-47 were simply tearing through the battlefield whilst Mantis had the backing of Chirrut, Baze, Fenn, Dala and that kid Boba now.

It was a bit astonishing for her to see a young child willingly throw himself out into something as dangerous as this.

Then again, being the full-blooded son (and unaltered clone) of the fabled bounty hunter and former Mandalore Jango Fett has bestowed on him a ferocity unrivaled by most. He had been fighting like this for over a year now and he only grew more skilled as the days went by.

Off to the side, she saw the Mandalore Spar with Bo-Katan Kryze, Dax Ordo, Fennec Shand and Kraglin Obfonteri storming into the left flank of the Black Sun base, Mandalorians and Ravagers quickly following after them.

She comes to a halt when a large Falleen drops dead in front of her, head missing.

"Sorry 'bout that." Said a slightly exasperated voice.

Ventress craned her head up at Gamora who held two blades covered in blood that she flicked off.

Asajj raised a brow at her. "So what, do you all just rush in like this all the time with no plan?"

"That's how we used to do it." Gamora freely admitted. "But with us now having an army and the Mandalorians helping, we've gotten some form of structure."

"And how long will that last?"

"Depends on what surprises we'll come across."

"Now are you just gonna stand around all day or are you gonna join in on the fun?" Asked the second-in-command of the Guardians.

Ventress raised a brow at her. "You call this fun?"

Gamora only shrugged before taking off.

Shaking her head, Asajj unclipped and ignited her blue and green lightsabers. With several experimental twirls, she rolled her neck and shoulders before breaking into a sprint.

The Dathomirian spun about, trails of blue and green in her wake as she corkscrewed in between several Death Watch and Black Sun members, cutting them to pieces.

She jumped about, either dodging or deflecting any blaster bolts sent her way, finding moments of irritation from the exclamations of "Jedi!" from the opposing forces.

As she cut her way through the enemies, the Sith Apprentice felt something… unusual.

Nothing bad, per se, but everything around was different.

She couldn't quite define it but everything around her was so clear if she could call it that.

This may possibly be some after-effects of her training under Vectivus. Or something else entirely.

Before she was able to contemplate this any further, a familiar presence approached her.

One she hadn't felt since…

"Ain't this quite the surprise." Spoke a slightly muffled, hollow voice.

Turning to the source of the voice, Asajj's eyes narrowed, letting out a huff. "Oh, great. You."

It was Taskmaster. The Force-sensitive Mandalorian of some unknown clan she met prior to the Battle of Kamino.

"Heard you were dead." He conversationally said, completely ignoring the pandemonium of the ongoing battle. "Apparently your demise was misinformed."

"And what of you?" Asajj spun her lightsabers again. "What brought you here? This doesn't seem like your type of battle."

"Ah, but lest you forget, Ventress," Taskmaster ignited his orange lightsaber, vertically holding it up. "The Force is my ally, as it is yours. It guided me here and am I glad that it did. To fight the other group that has been making changes in the entire galaxy. How could I refuse such a chance?"

Though he didn't say the name out loud, Asajj was unable to fight off the sneer she had at the mention of the Avengers.

"I just never expected to run into you. And I gotta say," Taskmaster let out a hum. "You feel… different."

Asajj simply held up one of her sabers, pointing directly at the unusual warrior.

"I've been through what you call a rebirth." Was all she said, seeing the glowing eyes of the mask Taskmaster wore gleam with intrigue.

"A rebirth, you say? Seems that way." He held up his orange lightsaber in one hand before switching out his Beskar shield to withdraw a yellow lightsaber in the other. "Jar'Kai then. Let's see how it went."

Asajj squinted before she swung first. Blue met with yellow followed by green and orange and this pattern repeated several more times until she brought both down blades with Taskmaster holding them back with his own.

"Good use of Form II there." Taskmaster praised and though she couldn't see it, Asajj could sense the grin he held beneath his helmet. "Count Dooku is renowned for his mastery of the Form. Seems you've picked up on it."

Ventress said nothing, instead pushing him away and going in for another flurry that Taskmaster easily parried and countered.

"Ah, but your leg work still needs more flourish and your finesse is a lot to be desired." The strange and deadly mercenary commented, casually swatting away a jab at his chest. "Still, I do admit, it's odd to see you use something other than red. Would be fun to add them to my collection."

Ventress rolled her eyes at that. "Taking a page out of Grievous' habits, I see."

"Or him from mine." Taskmaster shot back. "I have been around for far longer, you know."

She didn't know that and neither did she care to.

Taskmaster was proving to be as difficult to fight as she heard, the man quickly starting to deflect and block everything she sent at him.

The man was now copying her movements without so much as a single misstep. He moved like Dooku did, a complete mastery over Makashi with no mistakes to be seen.

It was frustrating, really.

She wasn't tired by any stretch but a sense of irritation was creeping in now as the mercenary was proving to be difficult to overcome.

Ventress recalled hearing about his ability to copy any and all fighting techniques which she dismissed to be a boast. But now that she was on the receiving end of it, she realized this wasn't a boast.

He truly copied all her moves and on top of that displayed a mastery of every other form of the lightsaber.

Taskmaster was now utilizing Form V to begin to beat her back and Asajj felt her hands vibrate at the power of his blows whenever his lightsabers struck hers. They were a lot like Anakin Skywalkers when she first dueled him on Yavin IV.

She realized beating him through conventional means wouldn't work.

So a new tactic was needed.

The Dathomirian did something unusual with her lightsabers. During some of the clashes, Asajj began channeling her innate power and the Force into them the blades seemed to crackle and expand. She leaped forward as she swung her blades, which Taskmaster was forced to retreat from the coming, unusual attack.

Even though she missed her mark on the initial swings, Asajj carried on with the flow, slamming the blades into the ground which let loose a pair of powerful shockwaves.

The shockwaves reached her enemy, sending him flying back and crashing onto the ground though he quickly kicked back up.

Elsewhere on the battlefield, Peter felt something strange going on.

"The hell?" He said aloud, inadvertently turning his head in the direction of where Asajj was.

"Don't get distracted." Said the warbled voice of Bane, the Duros Bounty Hunter tackling Star-Lord in the air, the two tumbling down.

"Hard not to with a party as big and epic as this." Star-Lord grunted out, smacking one of his guns into Cad's face.

Back with the Dathomirian and her Mandalorian enemy, she looked at her hands that had the white-blue glow of her latent power swim around her arms before they subsided.

"Phew." She said, briefly putting away her sabers to shake her hands. "Still getting used to that."

Getting back onto his feet, Taskmaster shook the dirt out of his head before focusing at the Dark Jedi.

"Oh, that's new." He stated, masked eyes gleaming. "Where's you learn that?"

Asajj flicked her hand again, grabbing her lightsabers and reigniting them. "Experimentation and from someone long dead."

"A Holocron, then." Surmised Taskmaster.

Ventress didn't correct him as they continued their bout.

They locked lightsabers once again and this time, Ventress used the knowledge of the Force bestowed onto her by Darth Vectivus to hold the advantage yet it lasted only so long.

Taskmaster's own Force replication ability came into effect and though he was on the back foot, Ventress found he wouldn't be taken down in the same manner as she managed a few moments ago.

This only further served to annoy her.

She knew that this man was beaten back by the Avengers on Kamino, yet he held on for so long after copying their skills and move sets onto his own repertoire.

How did they manage to beat him?

She wasn't able to dwell on it for long as her mind refocused on combating the Mandalorian.

Gritting her teeth, Ventress increased her tempo, starting to swing with a more reckless abandon though this was intentional.

She hopes with her utilizing a more varied and wild assault on the man that had no form or discipline, it may work to overwhelm his senses and not allow him to copy her movements.

Before she could enact on them, the Force-adept Mandalorian was knocked aside, which briefly surprised the Dark Jedi.

"Is this a private dance or can another tag in?"

Asajj glanced over, seeing Gamora standing beside her now.

"It was."

"You sure? Looked like you needed the assistance there."

"Ah, Gamora, is it?" Taskmaster remarked, rolling his shoulders. "You're stronger than you appear. I've heard a lot about you."

"Underexaggerated, all of it." The deadliest woman in another galaxy shot back. "They haven't truly seen what I'm capable of."

"Oh? Is it possible that I may be worthy of such a sight?"

"If you survive that long." Gamora casually answered, resting her blade on her shoulder.

"I think I'll take my chances." Taskmaster cordially said, spinning his two lightsabers. "I can be fine going against another at the same time. After all, who would miss the chance of going against two capable fighters at once?"

Gamora and Asajj said nothing in response, simply glancing at each other briefly, nodding before getting into their stances.

Seeing this, Taskmaster holstered one lightsaber to bring back his Beskar shield, holding it up defensively whilst holding his orange saber pointed downward.

"This should be fun."

The two women charged as the Mandalorian stood his ground.

-Scene Cut-

While the battlefield raged all around the base, one man crashed through one of its windows, skidding to a halt.

"Ow." Was Star-Lord's response, the Terran sitting up to rub his head.

He looked up at the window he crashed through, trying to spot the Duros Bounty Hunter he was fighting a few seconds ago but didn't spot him.

Rubbing his head, Peter stood up, his helmet receding back into his earpiece as he took a stock of where he was.

This was the Black Sun base and it kept shaking from explosions going on outside.

"Quill."

Star-Lord spun around to see Spar coming up to him with Bo-Katan, Dax, Fennec, Kraglin, Groot, Rocket and HK behind him.

"Dismay: Oh Master, how could you do such a thing? Rushing into a base without me and planning on slaughtering all the meatbags in here. What would be the point of my existence if you stole such joy from me?"

"Wasn't my intention, right away that is." Quill leaned his back to pop a kink in his back, all but used to the droid's blood-thirsty tendencies. "It just happened when fighting Cad Bane."

"That hat-wearing asshole?" Rocket commented. "Where is he?"

Peter flicked his hand at the shattered window. "Out there somewhere, being a dick."

"I am Groot."

"Would that even be here?" Fennec questioned.

"Here's a better question, do we even wanna keep this place?" Dax brought up. "Cuz it is a bit out of the way-"

"And we don't wanna spread ourselves thin, boss." Kraglin pointed out.

"So we clear this place out, grab what we can, and blow it up." Peter said plainly.

"I'll be sending some of my men to see what can be taken and salvaged here." Spar said, sending the order out.

"Joy: Oh Master Quill, you never fail to inspire me with your penchants for violent solutions. Many of my former masters and owners failed to understand the necessity and beauty of such destruction."

"Does this droid ever think about anything that doesn't involve killing?" Bo-Katan couldn't help but ask.

"I could fix him but then he'd be boring." Rocket casually answered, cocking his pistol that expanded in size. "Now let's go fuck shit up."

Neither person made it out far when blaster fire came down upon them. The group took various forms of cover.

"What was that about-"

"Shut up, Quill." Rocket grumbled, pulling out another pistol.

The group popped out of their cover, firing back at their enemies, managing to take down several when more came in, forcing them back down.

"Haha, betcha ya wished I came along this time!" Said an obnoxious male voice.

Everyone gave pause to that, exchanging glances at one another.

"Is he talking to us?" Bo-Katan asked in bewilderment.

"Now you'll see that for me, taking you guys out is easier than counting one, two, three."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"He did not just say that." Rocket deadpanned, any semblance of tension vanishing a moment later.

Taking a chance, Obfonteri peaked his head out a little and tilted his head in confusion. "Wait a sec." He squinted in clear disbelief. "Ain't that Dengar?"

Others followed suit. There amongst the Falleen and other mercenaries was none other than Dengar.

"Dengar?" Star-Lord all but abandoned his cover, casually raising up his two weapons to shoot down those near the bounty hunter with the rest following suit.

They quickly cleared out the mercs, Black Sun and Death Watch fighters around Dengar yet the towel-wearing bounty hunter seemed unperturbed by this.

"Yes, it is I, Dengar. I've joined the winning team, you see." Said the one bounty hunter. "Give it up. You have no chance against the likes of us."

He was met with silence, allowing him to ramble on.

Bo deadpanned at this, looking over to the Guardians.

"He just loves running his mouth, doesn't he?"

"You have no idea." Rocket mumbled with a shake of his head.

"What's he even talkin' about?" Kraglin asked.

"I don't know, are you even paying attention to this?" Dax said, unsure if this was actually happening.

"I lost track of some of his rambling. I only have the general gist of his arrogance." Came Fennec's comment.

"Why not just shoot him? It would at least be more direct."

"Observation: Yes, most efficient. It is what I would do."

"Course it is." Quill gestured forward. "Go for it, HK."

"And furthermore-"

A blaster shot struck the man dead center at the head, causing him to topple over dead.

Peter leaned forward, hand propping up his ear. "I'm sorry. What was that? I missed that last part."

"Supplication: Master Quill, I have come to hear the term "is it my birthday today?" and given your generosity just now, I do believe this is what you Meatbags would correlate to a birthday!"

"You encourage him too much." Spar noted.

"I Am Groot."

"Huh?"

"Ignore him, he's just being cheeky." Rocket said.

Soon an explosion went off, courtesy of a tossed grenade, scattering the Falleen soldiers and other mercenaries. From here, the Guardians and their allies began firing at the stragglers.

The others soon focused on the one who threw the explosive.

"Well, what did they think was going to happen?" Dax said quickly. "They were standing right at the window without firing back. Did they think we weren't gonna shoot 'em as they just stood there?"

Couldn't argue with that notion.

"We've wasted enough time. We need to move." Spar said aloud.

The battle, while going in their favor, still was leading to a considerable loss in their numbers. The Death Watch was fearsome as were the Black Suns and their assembled forces but it was their three mercenaries that stood out from all else.

Taskmaster, Crossbones and Cad Bane were menaces unto themselves, proving to have been able to stand their ground against the Guardians and anyone that came in their way were disposed of quickly.

Pre Vizsla was also proving to be an issue, his Mandalorians rallying around him and Xizor with Guri were proving to be as deadly and effective as the other leader of the Triumvirate.

They needed to end this fast and efficiently to send a message to anyone else that may challenge them.

And one Dathomirian Sith Apprentice figured if ever there was a time to test her fledgling abilities, now would be the time to do so.

She had been combatting Taskmaster initially but had separated from him in the madness of the fight. As far as she knew, Gamora still combated him somewhere in the middle of all this. Thus she fought alone for the most part, occasionally spotting one of the Guardians or a Mandalorian she recognized.

But in her mind, it was time to end this fight.

With an exhale of her breath, Ventress began calling out to the Force, recalling the teachings of Master Vectivus.

"You are the conduit, their marker that allows passage into the mortal world. The dead are ever present and always there over our shoulders. With this power, you can call upon those that will enact your will over any and all who stand in your way."

She could hear his words clear as day as she began to move.

Asajj concentrated, holding her arms out to the side and felt the familiar tinge of the Dark Side seep into her being. For additional assistance, she poured her innate power into the mix for the needed boost. Coupled with the pressure she was now exuding, the white and blue aura of her other power began surrounding her arms.

And this of course did not go unnoticed by Gamora who was now fighting nearby. She had also separated from Taskmaster, had a quick exchange with Crossbones before now getting back to fighting close to where Asajj was.

The daughter of Thanos froze in her tracks, staring at the Dathomirians arms, jaws dropping and tilting her head up to stare in utter shock at Asajj. A look of familiarity, focusing on the emitting aura.

At the same time, once more today, Quill felt unusual with the feeling he was sensing. He paused in mid-flight, looking in the direction of where this sensation was coming from. Before he could question it, he and many others heard something.

At first, came a strange, chilling wind that encompassed the battlefield.

Moments later, screams, moans and yells filled the air.

These were nothing new they have experienced, but something that just felt out of place. They were bone, if not soul-chilling as the screams reverberated down to their cores. And why did it suddenly get so cold? Where was all this fog coming from?

Looking around to locate the source, they realized the haunting sounds that were accompanied by dark vapors began to take on the forms of various entities rushing through everywhere.

All these shapes took on loose humanoid appearances, at least in the upper body sections and began to converge around Asajj Ventress; not that many could really notice right away or at all.

The Sith Acolyte held her hands horizontally from the ground, angled diagonally as the Force Phantoms swirled around her, some briefly ensnaring her arms before pulling away.

Once she felt the coming apex of the gathered deceased souls, Ventress threw her arms to her sides before flinging them forward.

And like that, with a terrifying screech that froze many where they stood, the ghostly apparitions were sent forward like a tidal wave.

Upon reaching those deemed as foes, many of whom were present on the battlefield, they were swiftly taken out by the phantoms. Either by being torn, sliced, ripped or cut apart in grizzly manners, having bodies freeze and go under cardiac arrest or having brain hemorrhages. Anything and everything which pertained to utter fright were used in causing all this death.

For many, it was a gruesome sight, to say the least.

Nearby, landing at some area of the vicinity, Quill met a number of his allies as they were witnessing this grisly spectacle.

"What the hell?! What is this?!"

"Are these ghosts?!"

"Wait a second. Where are all these ghosts coming from?"

"By the Mando'a, they're being ripped to shreds!"

"Is this place haunted?"

"I don't know but… why aren't they attacking us?"

"How are we gonna deal with them?"

"Are they enemies?"

Some pulled out their weapons and pointed at the phantoms.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"They look like ghosts. They're already dead."

"They're gonna be deader."

"Should we call the Ghostbusters?"

"..."

"..."

"Who?" Was the collective response from everyone else.

"Damnit, Quill, shut up with your Terran references. No one here gets 'em!"

"Shut up, you don't understand!"

Before anyone could speak any further, a phantom flew by the group of spectators, the astral body passing by them with a terrifying face. As it did so, it unexpectedly gave them the chance to see Asajj Ventress standing in the midst of what one would call the nexus of these phantoms.

And it seems that she was the one directing the astral forms.

Peter blinked at this. "Ilsijj?"

"Congratulations, you are being saved." Asajj smarmily said, a grin that felt unusually familiar to him. "You owe me big time for this."

It didn't take long for assumptions to be made.

"Wait, Ilsijj… are you doing all of this?"

"I am." She managed out, noticeably sweating and shaking profusely now. "And I don't know how long I'll hold this up. When they're gone, there shouldn't be that many left. Don't waste this opportunity."

Nods of understanding were given. Calls were made, having their allies use this situation to their advantage in taking care of the Triumvirate forces.

It was a devastating sweep with the Triumvirate forces in full retreat. All were fleeing however they could whilst the Guardians and their allies tried to pursue them when Death Watch released seismic charges in their escape, causing a great amount of chaos and confusion for their pursuers.

There were those who still wanted to go after them, but the leaders of this raid called them off.

The day was theirs. The base was theirs as well with their enemies in full retreat and abandoning this place. No need to risk losing any more lives with their fleeing from the planet.

"Damn." Peter Quill remarked at the lay of the place, seeing all the bodies strewn about.

Haunting as a sight that is, what really kept everyone's attention were the phantoms that still drifted about the area.

"Okay, Ilsijj, you can call off your spooks." Star-Lord ordered, not looking at her as he was distracted by one of the spirits that came right up to his face, making him lean back squeamishly.

With a raised, shaking hand, the Phantoms melted away into the ground, disbursing a moment later; well, most of them that is. Others merely faded rather slowly.

Quill released a relieved sigh, not noticing his girlfriend standing next to him now.

"That was really frea-"

"Peter." Gamora whispered next to her boyfriend, the man looking at her only to be directed in the direction of "Ilsijj".

Confused as to why his girlfriend made him look at the Dathomirian, something made him freeze up.

Something that he was not aware of the first time as really, the phantoms took up his attention. Swirling and subsiding around the body of Asajj Ventress was a whitish-blue aura.

One extremely familiar to Peter as he had seen it many times over the past several years.

Raising his hand up, Quill concentrated on his Celestial Gene and a moment later produced a glow identical to the one the Dathomirian possessed moments ago.

He looked back and forth between his hand and Ventress who was now on her knees, breathing heavily.

Without missing a beat, he walked straight over to her, standing before the Sith Apprentice who heard him come up to her. She looked up at him, an expression of clear exhaustion and in no mood to speak right now.

"What?" She rasped out impatiently, coughing slightly.

She didn't stop to think about what would happen to her when using this new power that it would drain her so much. Asajj had already done it several times with Darth Vectivus but this never occurred.

What was-

Ventress's mind shut down as she saw Peter raise his hand and around it… was the same glow as hers.

Her eyes widened to the size of small saucer plates, looking up at Quill before she turned her attention to her hands. With a little bit of concentration, she called back the power that assisted her and held it up at Peter.

The pair gazed at their hands and the others intensely until Asajj's vanished from a coughing fit she suddenly had.

"Ilsijj!" Mantis cried out from the side, rushing over to the downed Dathomirian, and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you ok?"

The effect was instantaneous.

Though she was exhausted, her senses were on full alert, in more ways than most would assume.

So it wasn't just her sight, smell, touch, eyesight or hearing.

There was a deeper sense, a hyper-awareness of herself and the beings around her. Ventress could tell and distinguish who was who and who they were connected with.

She had never experienced something like that before. Not since first tapping into her power that existed beyond the confines of the Force.

Whereas she felt something odd, yet familiar from Quill, the sensation she got from Mantis was similar yet off.

As she pulled away, a spark came off from the Dathomirian and was connected to Mantis for a few moments. It didn't harm her at all. In fact, it was merely absorbed as if it was a part of her.

It washed over her and struck her spiritual center and it had the unintended side effect of affecting Quill as well.

The reaction was immediate.

Star-Lord may not always seem like the sharpest tool in the shed nor is he the first to figure things out quickly.

But with what he just felt, seeing "Ilsijj's" power on full display and the way Gamora pointed to her in the middle of everything rather than focusing on the task at hand of the raid, everything just connected.

And of course, there was only one appropriate response to the revelation that just fell upon him.

"Holy SHIT!" Quill exclaimed, the largest grin he ever had blooming on his face. "You?! It's you?! I… I can't believe it!"

"What? What the hell are you screaming about?" Asked an annoyed Rocket.

"My sister! I have a sister!" Peter yelled, surprising the Raccoon by grabbing him and lifting him up to his eye level, shaking the poor modified Guardian with no restraint of any kind. "I found her, dude! I found my sister!"

"Alright, alright you bastard, just put me down already!" Rocket managed out from the shake.

"I am Groot." The walking tree said with a wide smile, patting Peter on the back.

"Congratulatory: Wonderful news, Master. And it appears her ability to kill meatbags is as grand and creative as yours. Oh, what a wonderful addition to the family."

At first, Asajj Ventress couldn't quite comprehend just what was happening right now.

She was still just registering everything that was going on at this moment.

But eventually, after what felt like an eternity, though it was really only a minute of silence, everything began to click in Ventress' mind.

The display of power Quill had akin to hers.

That sudden connection she felt between her and Mantis.

And the outburst Star-Lord had.

Her eyes comically widened as she felt it. At first, she never would have even bothered to seek such a thing. But now?

The familial connection she had between the leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy and its wide-eyed, kind-hearted empath, her realization sank in.

"Oh… oh no. Oh God. Oh GOD! GOD AND FORCE NO PLEASE! No, nononononono." Asajj felt sick to her stomach. "You?! You two idiots?! You're my brother and sister?!"

Mantis appeared utterly perplexed by this unusual reaction whilst Quill, who was joyful a moment ago now was very much unamused with her reaction right now.

The Dathomirian was hunched over, away from the others and felt sick to her stomach. Not literally, mind you. Just the mere idea of her being related to these two in particular.

"Force," Her bug-eyed look was comical. "Let this be a twisted joke from the cosmos."

"Oi, what the hell is that supposed-" Peter paused in mid-sentence, registering something she said in her dramatic exclamation. "Wait," Quill glanced at Mantis now since she was the other person Ventress pointed to. "Brother and sister? What's she talkin' about?"

"She's the one you were sensing." Said Gamora. "The one born here."

Rocket gave her a look. "Wait, how did you know?"

"Practically saw it earlier. Didn't take long for me to figure it out." Thanos' adopted daughter soon shifted her gaze over to their meek teammate. "But that spark… it can't be her too, can it?"

"I'm sorry, what are you-?"

"P-Peter…" Mantis wrung her hands nervously. "There is… something else. Something I didn't tell you before." Quill's attention focused more on her with others following. She briefly turned around, spotting Fenn who nodded encouragingly, giving her a thumbs up.

She turned back to him, some level of confidence but with an equal measure of trepidation. "It's not just Ilsijj here. Ego… he was my father too, but I didn't inherit…"

Peter's eyes widened as his jaw nearly dropped at the realization.

Mantis went on, completely ignoring her half-brother's reaction.

"I know what I did. Because of me standing by, so many innocent people, our siblings all perished just cuz of-

The young woman was abruptly cut off by Peter snatching both her and Asajj into an all-encompassing bear hug, holding them both close.

"Oh my god. I didn't expect that I'd find out I've got two sisters in one day." Quill practically glomped Mantis and Ventress into a big hug. "This is one of the best moments of my life!"

Whatever feelings of abject horror Asajj may have held melted away the moment she was scooped up into the hug.

"Get off me!" She growled, squirming around to try and escape.

"Never!"

Mantis, however, took this in stride. Her eyes practically began to water when she embraced her brother.

"I thought you'd be upset." She said, hugging him back as tightly as he held her. "I did… so many horrible things to stay alive and I-

"Why in the hell would you even think that?" Peter said, grinning from ear to ear. "We've all done some dumb shit, Mantis. I have a sister who's been with me this whole time and it's the best cuz I have one who is always happy and the other is as grumpy as they come."

"I'm not grumpy. I'm feeling murderous if you don't put me down." Asajj snarled.

Off to the side, Mantis' boyfriend held a wide grin from ear to ear, happy to see his lover in such a state of pure joy.

"Fascination: Being that they are these Celestials you spoke of, I cannot deny the intrigue of seeing them try to kill each other. The collateral of meatbags would undoubtedly be high."

Asajj whipped her head to HK in utter confusion. "I'm sorry, Celestials?"

"We'll tell you later." Was the collective response from the rest of the Guardians.

The pair of girls were set down, Ventress violently pushing Peter away though Mantis was quick to hop back into a tight embrace, tears of joy freely streaming down her face.

'This is so unsettling.' Thought the Dark Jedi. 'Far worse than my cousin doing this. A child is one thing but grown adults are another.'

She was still in a state of denial and disbelief.

These were supposed to be her siblings?

She left for the sole purpose of training and strengthening her connection to the Dark Side. Not reunite with a family whom she did not even know existed outside Dathomir.

How did this happen?

It all felt too fast.

Elsewhere, whilst joyful realizations coupled with existential dread was occurring, Bo-Katan Kryze stood alone in the middle of the now silent battlefield. Her posture was subdued, watching the fleeing Death Watch on the ground, eyes on the ship she recognized as Pre Vizsla's. Her posture was stiff, helmet tucked under her arm and eyes glazed.

She watched as the remaining members of Death Watch fled with the rest of the Black Sun and mercenaries under their employ before they were all out of sight.

Releasing a heavy sigh, she turned to her Nite Owls that were awaiting her orders and she simply gestured her head in the direction of the base.

"Start clearing it out."

With the simple order, her Owls acted first before others began following suit.

Now that the battle was over, the Guardians with their Ravagers and mercenaries with the Mandalorians soon began clearing out the captured base, reviewing the spoils of their victory.

Weapons, credits, treasures, some ships needing new owners after their last ones were wrecked in the recent conflict, all that jazz.

Then came a very interesting and prevalent issue.

"What are we gonna do with all this stuff?" Fennec asked, holding up a helmet of some kind, tossing it back into the crate she got it from a moment later.

"Paying off all our people and mercs who signed up for the gig, for starters." Said Kraglin.

"I get that. But where will we put this stuff?" Drax asked, tossing aside some jagged blades. "Our ships can't carry all of this."

"Perhaps some charity can do some good." Chirrut suggested, hands gliding over several crates, trying to make out what was within them. "If we do not need them, other people who truly need it at this time can benefit from such kindness."

Several of the Guardians all snorted at this save for Gamora who nodded approvingly.

"Good idea, Imwe." She said. "Some people can find a use for these items. They could really need them right now."

"We can take the armor." Said Spar. "We'll need the material, recycling them for our initiates and foundlings. After that, mere replacements for whatever comes to mind."

"Some of these weapons can be needed in other sects." Baze noted, hefting up a rifle. "With the rumors of kidnapping and Ultron, other systems need their own means of protection. Not everyone can have the luxury of all of us being there."

"To be considerate of others." Shand wryly said. "You can't get any more of an anti-bounty hunter."

Embo made a few comments in Kyuzo.

"Yeah, these aren't normal times." Sugi murmured in agreement.

"How do we divvy all this up?" Fenn Shysa asked, standing next to a gaudy statue of Xizor. He gave it one look before tipping it over, sending it down to the ground. "Talk about egotistical."

"Statement: I do believe that the best way to divide our spoils of war is which of us executed the most Meatbags. Due to your brain fluids interfering with your abilities to think, I do believe that responsibility falls upon my shoulders."

"Ain't that comforting." Dax sarcastically said. "So, how are we doing this then?"

Before anyone else was able to make a comment or suggestion, a new voice chimed in through all this.

"Ah, it is Guardians of Galaxy!" Said an unusually filtered, cheerful female voice. "I knew eyes were not deceiving me."

Those in attendance looked around, wondering where this person was.

"Who are you? Show yourself."

Neither person didn't realize how simply easy it was on the request. All they heard was the soft padding hitting the metal floor with a soft clinking along the way.

Before they knew it, they saw a furry creature, on all fours, wearing a red and white spacesuit of all things. And around the collar was the big red letters "CCCP" with something in a smaller font in some unknown language to them.

To Peter Quill, he recognized the creature as an animal from Earth. It was a Labrador with trimmed, yellow-brown fur.

"Hello Guardians of Galaxy." The newcomer said, tongue sticking out in a happy manner.

The group of ragtag misfits all looked down save for Rocket who was at eye level and stared at the creature before them.

"Uh… you're a talking… dog." Star-Lord noted, unable to say it any better.

"Wrong comrades." The Female Labrador "said". "I am unable to communicate with my mouth, therefore my mind shall do."

"Your mind?"

"Yes, comrade Guardians. My mind is how I speak."

There was no response from the Guardians until their gadgeteer genius had a look of recognition.

"Wait a sec." Rocket shook his head. "I know you. Yeah, I remember you now. You're from Knowhere."

"She is?" Gamora squinted at her.

"Yeah, you guys missed her." Rocket elaborated. That nutjob of a Collector was keeping her in one of his cases when we were there to sell the Power Stone."

Quill frowned upon hearing this. "Hang on a sec, if you're telling us you're from Knowhere then how in the hell did you get here?"

"You were there when it happened but didn't see it." Said the telepath. "When the purple stone emitted its energy and exploded -courtesy of the Collector's poorly treated assistant- I and many others were freed. In my escape attempt, I came across big odd gate Collector possessed that suddenly activated. I saw animals go through it and not come out, I assume it be my way off of Knowhere."

"So, some kind of mystic portal gate helped you get outta Knowhere?" Kraglin asked. "And here you are now?"

"And here I am now… after a year… or two, I think. Lost track for a while wandering all around." The Labrador said, tilting her head to convey her shrug.

"And how did you get here here?" Gamora inquired, pointing down to the ground.

"After big purple explosion and passing through the Collector's gate, I walk through and find myself in a forest full of crown head people."

"Crown head people?" Drax parroted, looking to Mantis for an answer with her shrugging.

There were plenty of species out there that have "crown heads" as a physical trait. So unless more specifics were given, the others would be at a loss.

"Got picked up one day during my travels, due to my exotic nature. Did some tricks so I wouldn't get killed and now I'm prized pet."

"To each their own for their survival." Rocket commented.

As this went on, Peter eyed the telepathic Labrador.

"Got a name?" He asks her.

"My name is Cosmo."

Star-Lord gave a brief nod.

"So… a dog."

"Yes." Cosmo happily said.

"You're from Terra, or rather Earth." Peter elaborated, seeing her ears perk up.

"Oh, so you know about the homeworld?" Cosmo excitedly asked.

"I'm from there as well." He revealed, making the Labrador bark.

Cosmo's tail began to wag there. "Oh, you are? Splendid to hear, comrade. Where exactly?"

"Missouri."

The dog's head tilted to the side. "...I don't recall where this Missouri is located."

"It's in America."

Cosmo's mood shifted from jovial to defensive.

"American?!" She growled out, jumping forward in an attempt to bite him.

"Hey! What's the sudden change for?!" Quill exclaimed, avoiding Cosmo's attempts to bite him.

"Capitalist swine!" She angrily declared. "For the glory of Mother Russia!"

The moment those words were heard, the memory of the Missouri boy jarred, recalling time spent in an Earth classroom from decades ago. It was such a far-off memory but hearing her declaration of "Mother Russia" triggered an old memory of a history class from a bygone time in his life. Things quickly snapped into place in Quill's mind as he now remembered just where this dog likely came from.

"...Oh~~~ that's right. Russian." He struggled out what to say.

This got further looks from the others.

"Any reason why-"

"Our countries were rivals -not sure if they still are, been thirty years- around the time we left Earth." Star-Lord had to duck and weave away from Cosmo's attempted assault. "Can someone try getting her to not bite my head off?!"

"I'd rather see it happen." Rocket casually said.

Sugi rolled her eyes. "You would."

"Hey, knock it off." Gamora said, grabbing the back of Cosmo's neck and lifting her up. "Whatever you think he is, it's been thirty years since he left Terra. I wouldn't even consider him to be… what was your home place again?"

"American."

"Yes, he's not even Amercanian."

"Ameri-I just said the word. How'd you derive that from American?

"You don't call yourselves that?" Gamora said in surprise.

Peter looked at her in bewilderment. "Why would we call ourselves Amercanians?"

"That's how Zehobarians are referred to. As are most other species."

"Species, Gamora, not country affilia-why are we even having this conversation? Cosmo, I'm not an American anymore. I'm a Guardian of the Galaxy, means I can't really have a homeplace nationality."

"...So you renounced your American citizenship?"

Peter let out a strange laugh. "Not by choice when I was taken as an eight years old kid. Wasn't even a concept to me honestly. Didn't even last. I've been in space my whole life."

Cosmo pondered on this for a moment before doing her own equivalent of a shrug. "Huh, okay, I guess that counts."

Asajj could only watch all this with an expression that conveyed bewildered annoyance.

"Are you all this incredibly stupid or am I the one falling into insanity?"

Chirrut stood next to her, sympathetically patting her shoulder. "Give it time. You'll join in on the insanity eventually."

"One of us! One of us!" Kraglin, Drax and Mantis cheered, jumping around the Dathomirian who felt an aneurysm coming on.

Didn't help when Mantis glomped and hugged her once more.

Baze watched all this alongside Embo, the pair chuckling in silence at Ventress' face whilst Sugi held up a device that made a snapshot to commemorate her first mission with them.

The Mandalorians and Ravagers and other mercenaries watched on in bemused amusement, having come to terms a while back already that the Guardians… well, they were just weird. And they embraced it, so more power to them.

Asajj felt her soul slowly drifting out from her body as a means of escaping what she felt to be an unending torture she had willingly joined.

'This is my life now.' She mentally thought in abject dread. 'I already regret joining them.'

While being a simple bounty hunter would be easy to part ways once the job was done, the recent revelation of her apparent blood relation with two members of the Guardians of the Galaxy would make it hard to head off elsewhere.

At the very least, she'll get a vast amount of long-awaited information from them on her paternal heritage.

But at what cost?

Her sanity and patience, for starters.

-Scene Cut-

"FUCKING FERRIC!" Pre roared, throwing a large crate violently against a nearby wall, the top popping off with all its contents spilling out on the floor. "That scum-sucking bastard. I knew I shouldn't have trusted him."

Xizor watched the Death Watch leader rage about, igniting his Darksaber and cutting the floor and walls of the large, darkened room the pair stood within.

Though the Falleen appeared impassive, internally, the man was barely able to restrain his own fury at the loss of yet another base of the Black Suns.

Krennic would've been here, but he was elsewhere at this time. His excuse was securing what was left of this Triumvirate's property from the one base and transporting them all to a disclosed location.

After his cowardly display of fleeing the base once seeing the Guardians.

He didn't even stay to at least put up some kind of fight, the man abandoned the base as soon as he saw the oncoming attack.

The next time he sees Krennic, that man was as good as dead if Xizor doesn't get to him first.

"We should never have trusted that sleemo fuck." Vizsla raged on. "Should've killed him the moment we met."

Xizor nodded and was about to voice a comment-

"You seem perturbed." Spoke a smooth male voice that set those in the area on edge.

Vizsla had one hand on the Darksaber and the other held up a blaster pistol in the direction of the voice.

Xizor's hands were hidden in his sleeves yet in each one were poison-tipped daggers ready to be thrown and behind him was Guri who already pulled out two pistols of her own.

There was a tense silence save for soft footsteps coming from the shadowed portion of the room until out stepped a Zabrak male with a red and black face, acidic yellow eyes with a red rim and a posture of calm confidence.

The Zabrak regarded them both, raising his hands from behind his back. "I come in peace. I mean you no harm."

"And who are you supposed to be?" Pre inquired, keeping his pistol trained on the newcomer.

"An opportunity."

"An opportunity?" Voiced Guri. "Strange name."

The Zabrak looked at the bio-droid oddly.

"Don't mind her." Says Xizor. "It's been a very long day for all of us."

"I am well aware." The yellow-eyed being stated. "A pleasure to meet you both, Pre Vizsla. Prince Xizor. You may call me Maul. And as I said, I mean no ill intent to the both of you. I merely came to speak with the two of you."

Xizor kept his guard up. "Rather suspicious, so soon after what occurred."

Maul simply rolled his hand at that. "Call it a coincidence. Call it a poor choice of timing. Nothing can go well in intended meetings. I merely came in late on my intentions and missed out on the fun."

"And what intentions would that be?" Vizsla cautiously said.

"An opportunity." Maul said once more. "A partnership. A means where our three parties can benefit from working together in the near future."

Vizsla snorted. "At this point, given what happened, I'd rather get away from Krennic. Not exactly keen on establishing another alliance, especially with one whom neither of us knows."

"Now, now. Let's hear what he has to say." Xizor said, diplomatically. "He came here, seeking our audience. I'd like to at least grant him a chance to speak."

After some moments, Pre relents.

Maul gave the Black Sun leader a thankful nod. "Then allow me the chance to rectify this issue of yours. The both of you, as I have come to understand it, are in dire straits. Both of you have lost a great deal of manpower, resources and sectors to call your own all due in no small part to enemies that fall under the same umbrella. Enemies who have aggravated the both of you in one way shape or form."

Neither man responded as Maul went on.

"What I am offering is something that can help regain lost ground and balance the playing field. One cannot account for everything that may or may not happen but at the very least, you would have the tools and means in which to combat your foes on an even stand."

Pulling out a holodisk, he stepped closer and activated it.

There, the two leaders saw many schematics for weapons and vehicles, technologies they'd never come across before. Not to mention surveillance clips of certain "assets" under Maul's thrall which can be added onto their numbers if they were to ally with him.

"What is all this?" Vizsla inquired, his interest now piqued.

"My end of the bargain if you join me. Technology and assistance, to sum things up. The power that those who you are against would never see coming."

Xizor and Vizsla silently studied the holo-images for several moments until the former spoke up.

"You had my curiosity, but now you have my attention."

While Maul kept a neutral appearance, he inwardly smiled knowing he got other parties on his side now.

"But what do you want in return?" Vizsla quickly asked, knowing that no deal this good ever comes without a catch.

"Is this not to be a partnership?" Maul rhetorically asked. "Your cooperation will be sufficient."

"But on what scale would it be?" Xizor shot back. "How much of our resources and manpower would be going into this alliance?"

"Our current one isn't working out all that well at this time." Pre bitterly said.

"Just understand that as much as you are willing to give, I in return shall provide."

"And what is it that you shall provide other than this technology?" Xizor inquired.

"I offer much more. One as such is true protection with who and what I associate with."

Maul soon had another set of holo-images and footage appear, showing who he meant.

After what felt like minutes passing by, Xizor spoke his mind.

"Those are rather… frightening, I admit." The Falleen said, taking a moment to examine these "associates" of Maul on all sides.

"Barbaric, more like it." Vizsla said bluntly.

"They are effective." Maul assured. "The most fearsome foes in the universe."

Pre eyed the Zabrak. "Quite the statement you have there."

"It can be arguable, but I've never met another species more dangerous than them." Maul said with a malicious grin that was enhanced by the glow of his eyes.

Pre and Xizor were silent, contemplating more on what was offered on the table with the Mandalorian speaking moments later.

"Say we accept this partnership, we cut our losses with our other partner-"

"No, it would be foolish to cut your allegiance from a man with such resources so prematurely." Maul said with a shake of his head. "Use what you can from him for the time being, further your goals and cut him off when the time is right. One misstep is something to be learned from, something that can be avoided next time."

The Falleen prince nodded in agreement. "Krennic had helped with certain finances and supplies with his activities. Best to end things with him once he's no longer useful."

The Death Watch leader let out a small snarl. "Fine."

If he and his people were at better strength and numbers, he'd sever his ties with Krennic immediately. They were silently at his mercy to lessen certain burdens.

Yet this Maul strolls right in with a better means of rectifying such an issue. As much as he wanted to cut ties with Krennic right away, Vizor spoke true.

Besides, it is best to obtain finances and materials from two sources instead of one.

"A Triumvirate such as this proves merit, like many others in the past. They come and go, through similar goals, philosophies and ideals. Yet one link of the small unifying chain may easily break it apart if not properly replaced in time." Maul lectured.

"You speak of this from experience." Xizor stated than asked.

"My… previous Master taught me much on this matter." Was Maul's enigmatic response. "I seek to learn from history so I hope to not repeat certain mistakes that have done many in the past."

The leaders of Death Watch and the Black Suns exchanged looks.

"I take it you have something to call this alliance that you're building here?" Asks the Falleen, getting the Zabraks attention. "Surely there must be a name."

"Honestly, I haven't put much thought into my sect under my lord and master." Maul pondered aloud. "He never cared much for where we were sent, just that the job was done and the balance was made."

"Balance?" Vizsla's face scrunched up. "What balance?"

"Balance of the Force, perhaps?" Xizor suggested, sharp eyes glaring into Maul's unflinching acidic yellow.

Pre was now on edge, hand reaching for the Darksaber. "The Force? You some kind of Jedi?"

The red and black Zabrak surprised the pair when he threw his head back and laughed uproariously. It seemed to last for minutes but was really for several moments. But the laugh felt hard with how the Dark Side user thought the idea was.

"Oh dear," Maul actually wiped a tear away, the accusation amusing him to such a degree. "I haven't had a laugh like that since… I don't know when." Once calming himself down, he still bore a smile, yet there was an edge to it. "No. I am not one who covets the Light Side like the Jedi."

It didn't take much to realize what was implied.

"If you are not Jedi," Xizor frowned in thought. "Then are you their opposite? Those called the Sith?"

Pre was silent but he kept a guarded expression and posture as Maul now appeared distant, almost reminiscent.

"The Sith…" He said, more to himself than to them. "There was a time when I was one, yes. Darth Maul, Lord of Rage, that was my name. Apprentice and Assassin to the Sith who rules this galaxy in the shadows. Or so he once did." Maul released a dark chuckle. "I almost pity him. There would have been a time when I would have loved to have seen nothing more than that man's downfall." The Zabrak released a dismissive sigh. "Now, he is nothing more than a nuisance to be dealt with in due course. Someone as dangerous and powerful as him shall not be allowed to run so freely while I am here. In due time, he shall be dealt with."

"And who is it that you serve now?" Vizsla asked on behalf of himself and Xizor.

"The one who saved me from my insanity. He who restored what was lost to me." Maul said, subconsciously placing a hand over one of his legs. "He has given me things I would never have dreamed of before. I owe him everything. All he asks is to bring balance to the Universe, one way or another, and I intend to give it to him."

"And what is this… balance?"

Maul's smile remained sinister. "Now tell me, would you reveal all your cards upon first meeting individuals of questionable variety?"

He had them there.

Xizor silently contemplated for a few moments before voicing a thought that came to him. "Are there others you were able to convince to join this sect of yours?"

The Zabrak nodded. "I have. Some Force adepts were easier to convince than others. Separatists, Republic and apparent Neutral ones have allied with me. Other groups and organizations took time to make it so."

"Name some." Vizsla demanded. "Humor us."

Maul soon spoke some which quickly came to mind.

"Umbara, the Zygerrian Empire and a recent acquisition though I don't believe it will serve in the long term."

"The Zygerrians?" Xizor repeated in slight surprise. "How did this come about?"

"I am a man who understands the people with whom I converse with." Maul plainly said. "The queen and I came to an understanding, as did Deechi of Umbara. The latest one required more force though I imagine they are not long for this alliance."

"What?"

Maul waved his hand. "They matter not. Just understand that the Umbarans and Zygerrian Empire stand with me. And if you two are to join, our power will increase exponentially."

Vizsla scrutinized the former Lord of the Sith, stepping into his space, locking eyes with the man.

"Say we take this deal, forge this alliance… what's to stop you from betraying us the first chance you get?"

"It's all a matter of context but I have been taught that breaking off allies so needlessly only leads to more enemies." Maul tutted. "I shall keep my word unless you give me reason to remove your head from your body."

Vizsla glared at the Zabrak, tilting his chin up with the two entering into a brief staring contest until the leader of Death Watch 'hmphed', a cold smirk appearing.

"Likewise." The man said, stepping back with a pleased expression.

Pre took a look at a silent Xizor, the two exchanging a silent conversation before they both nodded.

Turning back to the former Sith Lord, the leader of Death Watch offered his hand.

Maul reached forward and the two grasped forearms, cementing their alliance.

Something soon came to mind, making it feel appropriate for the Zabrak to say aloud.

"From the dark, a Crimson Dawn shall shine and bring balance throughout the galaxy."

AN

And here we are at the closer of this arc and not gonna lie, low-key was frustrated with this one cuz to be perfectly honest, a majority of everything we've been working on in regards to the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Mandalorians has been primarily done as set up with what the major plotlines they'll be going through in seasons 4 and 5.

Jebest4781: Sure, this little arc was primarily filler, at best. Setups for what's to come while building up some additional lore and connections. We got that last chapter with Darth Vectivus teaching Ventress much about her Celestial powers and some additional skills. And all that led her to meeting her half-siblings and she now dragged along with the Guardians until further notice.

FMW: Really, the main big things about this arc are Ventress finally meeting her siblings and Maul's movements in the background. Honestly, this arc was still fun just the last chapter is what frustrated us. But now? Next five arcs are gonna be a fucking doozy.

Jeb: Aside from the story, things have been fun with entertainment to a degree. Bad Batch has been alright, but some recent episodes were surprisingly fantastic on bringing back some fun lore. RWBY Volume 9 recently came out… and sadly is rather lackluster as it feels very fillery by this point and there are supposed to be 10 episodes for the volume and we're already 3 episodes in.

FMW: Yeah, cool concept as volume 9 appeared to be, thus far, hasn't really done it for us. Not that we don't think something good might happen but in the three episodes we got at the time of this chapter coming out? Not really making us feel anything other than "Can we get back to the more serious problem back on Remnant?". Least Mandalorian and Bad Batch have been delivering.

Creed III was fun and enjoyable. Lots of anime references in it and great character growth. Jonathan Majors being a favorite with his portrayal and oddly more entertaining than seeing him as Kang in Quantumania.

Last of Us has been fantastic, despite some slow moments that took away the feel of the show. But we got a good pick up after the slight decline. And next week is the season finale. Feels disappointing when learning of that as I thought there would be more content before then. Hopefully the finale will be just as long as the first episode (80-90 minutes).

Other than that everyone, thanks for continually reading this mammoth effort from the three of us.

And before we go.

-Omake-

On the crime planet of Nar Shaddaa, the Guardians were celebrating their latest victory with the most unlikeliest of individuals.

He was a man also from earth with an arm made of Vibranium, an unusually scraggly beard and a penchant for music.

What is love?

Oh baby, don't hurt me

Don't hurt me

No more

Baby, don't hurt me, don't hurt me

No more

What is love?

Yeah

No, I don't know why you're not fair

I give you my love, but you don't care

So what is right and what is wrong?

Gimme a sign

"What is this?" Peter asked aloud, unsure of how he felt about what he was hearing.

Regardless, the man's head was jiving to the beat of the music.

"Just gotta go with music, Quill." Klaue encouraged, manic grin in place as he danced and SNL bobbed his head to the music. "Let it take you for a ride."

It took a few seconds until both men had their head-bobbing synchronized, matching the beat of the music with the weapon and metal dealer singing along.

Over to the side, Rocket was leaning back on a crate, bobbing his head side to side to the music, Groot emulating the gesture.

Next to them was an excited Cosmo, wagging her tail whilst enjoying the strange new music she had never heard before.

HK all the while… was putting the party mode feature Quill and Rocket installed in him a few weeks back to great effect.

The robot fits the assassin quite well.

Fennec Shand watched on in bemusement with Baze and Drax sharing a drink. Chirrut sat next to Sugi and Embo, the blind Force user petting a sleeping Marrok.

Kraglin was passed out, large glass half filled with alcohol, the Ravager leader snoring aloud.

Wes Journ sat next to him, trying to make sense of the song, finding it catchy but still weird. In the end, the Mandalorian inadvertently found himself head-bobbing with the other two men who were still singing this bizarre song.

This went on as the pair cycled through songs from the Earth's decades known as the '60s, '70s and '80s.

There were other songs from other decades but the duo seemed fixated on these.

That was until…

Klaue and Quill locked eyes, mouths open wide that morphed into matching grins upon hearing the four opening notes of the song.

Without missing a beat…

Growing up in a glass bowl

With chameleons, lizards and tadpoles

It hardly enters your mind

That there's something better than this

A lettuce leaf and a carrot

Maybe a seed from a parrot

Believe me when I tell you

The word "gourmet" just don't exist

But Pizza Power

A flying saucer food delight

Pizza Power!

Oh that's what makes us feel alright.

"What manner of a song is this?" Drax inquired, finding it to be even more unusual than what they usually listen to.

"I think it's those adolescent deformed sneaky geckos he keeps harping on about." Rocket answered.

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!" Quill and Klaue irritably corrected in the middle of the song.

On a couch with a table stacked with food and alcohol, Asajj Ventress sat with her half-sister and the daughter of the Mad Titan, all the while looking on at the man-child that is Star-Lord.

"That guy is our brother?" Asajj asked for the umpteenth time in a low, clearly distraught voice.

"Isn't he funny?" Mantis happily asked, a beaming smile directed at the Dathomirian who couldn't form a proper response. She could only shoot her newly discovered sister a look of near disgust, watching the antennas bounce up and down as Mantis bounced in her seat.

"He acts more like a child." She dryly said.

"He has his moments of maturity." Said Gamora.

Asajj produced the flattest stare she had ever mustered in her entire life. "And how common are they?"

Either Guardian would voice a proper response, which was all the answer Ventress got.

"Oh god." Asajj muttered, burying her face in her hands.

'This is what I left Master Dooku and Vectivus for?' She thought miserably. 'What am I even supposed to say to my master and mentor when I see them again?'

"Cheer up, sister!" Mantis said without losing an ounce of her joy, now next to the Sith Apprentice, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Her antenna lit up and due to the contact she had with Ventress, the Dathomirian felt the sheer happiness radiating from the wide-eyed woman and it was such a foreign feeling to her.

It was weird and to her, felt kinda wrong.

But before she was able to pull away from her, Star-Lord's foot came down on the table in front of her with him posing dramatically.

"Alright folks, listen up!" Peter said boisterously, chest puffed out and hands on his hips. "Klaue and I have come to a consensus. We're forming a band! The people of this galaxy deserve more than just radio play. Let the Zero's to Hero's deliver on what they crave!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Zero's to Hero's?"

"Zero to Hero." Quill clarified. "Our band name."

"Peter, none of us can play an instrument." Gamora lightly said.

"We can learn." Peter childishly said.

"I can teach ya." Klaue offered with a shrug. "I know how to play most instruments."

"Earth instruments don't count."

"Strings are strings and blowholes are blowholes."

"I feel that should have been phrased better." Chirrut commented.

Once more, a migraine arose, making Ventress want to groan in annoyance. Yet her physical contact with Mantis made that rather hard for it to take root properly.

The girl's giddiness and joy were overriding any negativity she was feeling and even when she pushed her hand off, the feeling remained.

"Music, huh." Wes mused aloud. "Sure, why not, sounds like fun."

"You're agreeing to this?!" Rocket incredulously asked. "Aren't you some warrior honor bozo bullcrap like Drax?"

"Mandalorians have many songs, rodent." Journ tersely said. "Music exists in all cultures, in case you forgot."

"What you even play?" Baze couldn't help but ask.

"Duh, earth music." Quill said with an "obviously" tone. "Listening to it on the radio is one thing but hearing it live? That's what life is all about."

"Plus we can make money off it by charging attendance."

"Sold." Was all Rocket said in response to such an idea.

"Are you really doing this?" Fennec drably asked. "You do know what the galaxy is going through right now, right?"

"Music always has a place in the universe." Klaue dramatically said, spinning about at a surprising amount of speed to point at her in an over-the-top pose. "And we shall be the ones to deliver!"

"Hell yeah!" Peter proclaimed.

"Oh boy." Gamora murmured, shaking her head at her boyfriend's antics.

"The Force hates me." Asajj mumbled into her hands.

"Hey baldy, you do know we've been dealing with him longer than you have." Rocket deadpanned. "You don't get to complain."

"If he's my brother, I have every right to complain." Ventress spat back, comically twitching. "Whatever the case, leave me out of this."

"Eh~ your loss." Klaue waved off.

"She'll come around." Quill confidently said. "Everyone always does in the end."

The Dathomirian, finally losing the happy high from Mantis, only leaned her head back, closing her eyes in dread.

'Force please, Master Dooku, get me out of here.' She groaned in thought. 'Even you, Vectivus.'

Ah, poor Ventress.

Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.