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.

104. Ultron Imperative

Hey there people, been a while right?

Yeah, well, intentional as it is, let's not waste time with small talk cuz I know you all have been waiting for this one for a while now.

So let's get on with it.

Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.

Avengers Infinite Wars Chapter 104: Ultron Imperative

"You sure everything's alright on your end, brothers? I've heard from General Shaak Ti that some truly maddening events happened on Coruscant. Something about the whole planet, what was the word they were using… glitching?"

"Yeah, it was a nightmare on the eyes." Clone medic Kix responded.

"Honestly, most of us are just glad to be alive and well, 99." Jesse stated.

"These sorts of things are out of our jurisdictions." Captain Rex said with his arms crossed. "The Avengers and Jedi handle that sort of insanity."

"Not like you don't get involved, sir." Hardcase pointed out. "You and Cody are always right there next to them."

The Captain gave the clone a dry look whilst Commander Cody, who stood next to him, sent the other Clones a look meant to silence them. It didn't work.

There's a lot that needs to be done to unsettle him. Most of it he was able to numb himself to a degree. Yet there are few who were able to slip past his built-up barrier.

In recent times, the atrocity of Ultron's actions toward his brothers and other people across the galaxy. Above that, seeing the Celestial Judge Arishem. And tied up there was seeing the planet-wide disruption that occurred recently.

He tried to maintain his usually professional and unbreakable demeanor… but Cody has been finding that to be a difficult task.

Especially with the newest addition of Deliah's presence, the Zeltron quickly being able to break through the Commander's tough exterior. And it had nothing to do with what she did to him but everything to do with her open affection and a rather obvious infatuation with his close clone brother Rex.

Never in his short life would Cody ever imagine seeing Rex in such a flustered and genuinely shy state as Deliah Blue's public displays of affection constantly threw the clone off. At first, when he heard about the 501st brotherly vow that they would let Blue act in this rather unprofessional manner towards their captain, Cody had half a mind to step in and give them PT for a month.

That idea was shot down the second he saw Blue for the first time jump onto Rex, letting her, ahem, assets press against his arm and she placed her head on his shoulder, asking if they could take a walk together.

It was quite an astonishing sight and when seeing Rex's flustered and failed face of resistance, Cody was quick to agree with such a notion.

"But how are you boys holding up?" 99 asked, breaking Cody out of his thoughts. "I've been hearing things have been getting uglier out there."

"It clearly has. Not great, but manageable." Rex admitted.

Hearing this made 99's shoulders sag slightly. "Just try to keep each other safe, brothers. I know it's asking much but-"

"We know, 99," Waxer spoke up with a reassuring smile. "We'll try our damndest."

99 smiled at them all before taking a look at the assembled Clones. "Say, been meaning to ask but where's Domino Squad? I heard they were… reassigned? Moved?"

"Recruited." Rex clarified. "Or they're undergoing a trial run in the Jedi Temple."

"The Jedi Temple?" 99 parroted. "Are they… being trained in the ways of the Jedi?"

"Not really." Cody had a difficult-to-discern frown on his face. "I can't act like I know what it is but from what the Avengers told me, they're being tested to see if they can perform magic."

99 almost couldn't believe what he just heard. "Magic?"

"Magic, Sorcery, Jedi Force things, the arcane, mystical mumbo jumbo." Jesse listed off. "The whole lot of it."

"Hard to wrap my head around it." Hardcase muttered, rubbing his shaved head.

"Strange days are upon us." Rex said, snorting a moment later at the comment. "Well… stranger."

The defective clone simply nodded, rubbing his chin in thought.

"I also heard some… rumors," 99 said in a low voice. "About the things Ultron has been doing to people in the galaxy. To the Jedi. To our brothers."

There was a tense silence that befell the group until Boil spoke up.

"It's true." The ARC trooper of the 212th said in a quiet, dark tone. "All of it. What Ultron's doing… changing us into his slaves."

"I see." 99 muttered in dread.

"He's gonna be taken down soon enough." Rex declared resolutely. "Recently, we made contact with the Avengers' home planet of Earth. The entire team has been reunited and once they've come up with how that will bring Ultron down, we'll be bringing the fight to that bastard."

There was a swell of confidence and determination from the assembled clones of the 501st and 212th at Captain Rex's declaration, getting a look of relief and belief out of their brother on Kamino.

Before he was able to speak any further, in came an interruption 99 never would have suspected.

"Alright boys, checked over the AT-TEs." Announced a female voice. "They are spick and span, ready to blow a hole in anything you point their cannons at."

The deformed clone blinked upon hearing this unfamiliar voice, spotting a female Zeltron with vibrant blue hair and pink skin walk into the area. She wore a green, skin-tight crop top with matching green pants and was covered in black, grease splotches, wiping her dirty hands with a towel.

"I looked over the schematics for the gunships and they should be working at full function with no more "glitches" or whatever. Hopefully longer this time."

There were murmurs of approval from the clones and just as Rex was about to praise her, threw her arms around him, much to his embarrassment and the rest of the Clones' amusement.

99 observed all this, with a small smile appearing after witnessing this gesture. He had never seen such a reaction from Rex. "Hello there." He said politely, gaining her attention. "And who might you be, ma'am? Haven't seen you before."

"Deliah Blue. Recruit to the 501st, soon to be their chief engineer."

The clone on Kamino gave her a kind smile in greeting. "Oh, I've been hearing rumors about a fiery lady joining the boys in blue. Nice to meet you. I'm 99."

"So you're 99?" Deliah asked with clear interest. "I've heard a lot about you from your brothers. They say you're half the reason all of them managed to become full-fledged troopers."

"That is mighty kind of you to say." The deformed clone bashfully said. "I don't really do much. They're embellishing."

"Even if it's the truth." Hardcase said with a wide grin, looking at Deliah. "This guy is too modest for his own good. Can't take a compliment without shooting ten back in return."

"Ah come on boy, not in front of Ms. Blue." 99 hovered one of his hands over his face, trying to hide his blushing smile.

Deliah found herself smiling, wishing the clone was here in person rather than holo-transmission.

"You really love your brothers, don't you?" The Zeltron said in a sweet voice, making the area quiet down. "You're looking out for your little brothers, hoping they'd reach the expectations you wish they could have. You encourage them when they least expect it and they're thankful for it."

99 was surprised to hear this from the woman but had a teary-eyed smile, nodding in response.

"Yeah, seeing them succeed and come back is all that matters to me."

"Well, even if you think you did a "small amount" in making the boys who they are today, you're mistaken." Deliah said. "You've helped make these the best soldiers in galactic history."

The clones all had either cocky, touched or bashful faces.

"Though I am partial to this one here being my favorite." Deliah said, sidling up to Rex, much to his chagrin.

The other Clones began chuckling openly, completely unfazed by the glare Rex shot in their direction.

"Well, I leave Rex in your hands." 99 said with a sly smile. "Kriff knows the old dog needs a way to loosen up."

"I can think of a few ways." Deliah mischievously said, causing the Clone Captain to blush up a storm, sputtering out any form of rebuttal.

"D-Deliah," Rex said, both flustered and annoyed. "Show some professionalism. You want to be a part of the 501st so-"

The Clone Captain was silenced when the Zeltron placed a chaste kiss on his cheek, eliciting quite the response from the other Clones.

Most of the 501st released "ooohs" with a few hollers and wolf whistles, something most of the 212th did.

The normally stoic Commander Cody found his exterior breaking, a wry grin appearing as they watched Rex try to pull away from Deliah to no avail.

Not like it seemed he put much effort into it.

Such a strange but amusing development.

Deliah had only joined recently yet already most of the 501st were accepting her, likely just to enjoy watching the Zeltron put their captain into such a flustered state.

"Well, I'll leave you to it, brothers." 99 spoke up. "Try not to have too much fun, Captain Rex."

The look he got from said Captain got the defective clone to burst out laughing as he logged off.

On his end, 99 held a content and happy smile, glad to know that despite everything that was happening in the galaxy, his brothers were holding strong and more united than ever. And that Deliah lady was a spitfire that was drop-dead gorgeous.

Rex was a lucky brother and maybe that can lead to something outside the army.

That'd be nice.

-Scene Cut-

"...I gotta tell ya, it was a real eye-opener being over yonder."

"What was it like?"

"Surreal, let me tell ya."

"And it was only Spider-men… women… animals? Just Spider-people?"

"Tony… really?"

"What? You can't tell me this isn't disappointing, Steve." Tony Stark childishly said, gesturing to Peter Parker who sat in the middle of the couch of the Avengers HQ on Coruscant. "Kid goes to a different universe and all he runs into are different versions of himself?"

"You do know that still sounds wickedly cool, right?" Scott rhetorically asked.

"God forbid we have Stark meeting another Stark." Hope Van Dyne dryly said, eliciting chuckles and snorts from all in attendance.

The entire team had gathered, either in person or via holo transmission now that they had been able to establish the connection between here and Earth.

Now that the Infinity Gate was essentially operating at all times, it became surprisingly easier to study by those who had been for so long and with the addition of other intelligent minds like Scott, Hopes and Peter, they were able to create a transmission between galaxies by replicating the energy the Infinity Gate gave off.

Anakin had also contributed, finding a challenge he had never experienced in combining his technical prowess and his natural connection with the Force that helped in creating these devices that they could now communicate through.

It'll take a while to recreate another Infinity Gate, but they weren't in any rush. Though they'll no doubt need to find any possible dormant ones out in the galaxy to make things easier.

On top of that, Tony, Shuri, Hank and the geniuses of the Avengers and their allies were already thinking of prototype communicators that don't require the energy of the Infinity Gate that connects the two galaxies.

In the center of their large conversation, a projection was seen from the holo-table. Footage and images Karen pulled up to show to the others both on Coruscant and on Earth. It was quite the sight for all in attendance to witness, seeing the Spider-Man they knew in another universe, fighting alongside seven other Spider-People.

And those present weren't just composed exclusively of the Avengers.

A few of their closest friends (and secret lovers) were here as well along with several Jedi Council Members.

Why were they here?

Well, Peter figured that as much as his adventure in another universe was a tale that his fellow Avengers should know, a few Jedi should be told of it.

Particularly those like Anakin, his two girlfriends, Aayla, Luminara, Plo Koon, Obi-Wan and even Grandmaster Yoda. Given the severity of the issue at hand, especially the topics of the Force with what Peter had to say, the leader of the Jedi Order needed to be present most of all.

And the Jedi all had… interesting reactions to the multiversal adventure.

Specifically that of his alternate Jedi version which comes from an entirely different Jedi Order. One where things such as love and attachment were not only commonplace but encouraged.

Hearing an alternate Jedi speak of the importance of connections and attachments was an equivocal, proverbial slap in the face to everything they had been taught about their own Order. There were still some detracting comments and uncertainties but when Peter Park'r spoke of how, like the Jedi are meant to understand the connection between everything to the Force, connections with others empower them.

The real hammer was the distinction that was meant to further separate them from their age-old enemies of the Sith.

The Sith believed to truly envelope oneself in the Dark Side to their full potential, one must gain someone close to them before severing their ties in the most heinous way possible. To kill the ones closest to them, the ones they loved.

Peter Park'r's Jedi Order was taught the opposite. That the ties that bind you give you a greater strength and more importantly, a purpose.

A Jedi had a natural duty and responsibility, both to the Force and the galaxy. But with an attachment, with love, true love, and not obsession, they are meant to keep you on the path of light, of just and good as they are meant to push each other forward, striving to become the absolute best versions of themselves.

For the Jedi in this universe, this was… a certainly difficult idea to grapple with.

Some more than others.

Anakin held a sense of vindication yet it was tempered upon hearing the Jedi Spider-Man's story of tragedy, losing his first love, his universes Barriss Offee. After everything he had recently undergone on Tython, seeing that… darker version of himself, the Jedi Knight swore on his heart and soul and on his mother's grave that he wouldn't go down that path. Not just for his own sake but for the sake of his dear Padawan, his brother Obi-Wan, his Clone Legion, the Order, the Avengers, and above all else, on the memory of his mother and the love of his life, Padme.

But when hearing about how Park'r was with Barriss followed by Ahsoka in his universe, it made him wonder about the three that he knew and he had been observing them for a while now. The three of them had barely left each other's side since Peter had returned and…

They couldn't be… could they?

As these thoughts were on Skywalker's mind, Aayla had her own thoughts on everything she had learned and frankly, it was oddly alleviating for her.

Her relationship with Steve was still relatively fresh but that was in the intimate sense. They had known each other for well over a year now and had been getting closer in that duration until they had, at last, admitted their love for each other.

And now, hearing about how attachments are something to be cherished and encouraged made her wonder just how far this new chapter in her life would go with Steve. In the midst of this long story Parker had regaled them all, upon hearing the tales of the Jedi Order from Jedi Spider-Man, Secura had discretely begun to hold Steve's hand in all this, the crowded room serving as a good cover for the pair.

Obi-Wan felt a great deal of conflict in all this. Especially when learning of another version of himself that existed and was married. And it wasn't just to anyone but Siri Tachi. A Jedi he had grown up with, held a special place in his heart for and mourned her death on the onset of the war.

But to know that in a literal other life, the two were not only married but were still Jedi faithfully serving the Order.

It was a bit too much for the Jedi Master.

He really needed proper time to process all this.

The other Jedi in attendance had mixed reactions to all this.

Yoda held a more contemplative frown, deep in his thoughts as he absorbed everything that Peter Parker heard from Peter Park'r about the alternate Jedi Order.

Plo Koon seemed thoughtful on this but even he held some reservations.

Luminara was… silent as she always was but her eyes conveyed a story of intense thought, flickering over to her Padawan every now and then, the gaze becoming far softer at every glance. And Barriss wasn't the only one she had eyed.

Ahsoka was one as well, followed by Anakin and Obi-Wan, as if she was observing their reactions until they settled on Rhodey.

The Colonel didn't seem to notice her gaze but Tony did.

Stark's eyes shifted between the pair, a mischievous smile appearing in the middle of it all, his mind whirling with possibilities. Though he hid his smile with his hand, a means of appearing he was pondering many things at once like he usually did.

But those would have to wait as Peter had just concluded his extensive journey.

"That's the gist of it. As shortened as it could be… kinda."

"Not really." Said Matt Murdock. "You said Fisk was the one who caused this mess, right?"

"Oh yeah. His super-collider really made a mess of things. Made everything glitchy looking as realities were starting to bleed into others." Peter said, the holo-table shifting to show the glitches that had occurred across multiple realities.

"How exactly?" Asked Scott.

"The particle accelerator was designed to bridge the gap between dimensions, with the ulterior goal of pulling other people or objects from a different dimension into their own." Voiced the Stark AI, Karen, as she pulled up a diagram of the Alchemax machine.

"But why?" Widow asked, holding a napping Mara in her arms.

"Fisk wanted his family back." Peter answered, the holo-table now displaying images of the Fisk family of Miles' universe. "Would damn any other reality to their destruction in the process to restore what he lost."

"A dangerous gamble, that is." Grandmaster Yoda commented.

"Yeah, it was. But it wouldn't really work out in the end." Peter said with a shake of his head.

"How come?" Asks Plo Koon.

"I remember hearing echoes of his wife and son when the others and I fought him. Them hating Fisk for his actions, no matter the reality."

"That's stretching things." Sam remarked.

"There's bound to be the possibility of a small margin of universes where they don't hate Wilson Fisk." Commented Vision.

"Yeah… We'd be having to scour the multiverse with a fine tooth comb and magnifying glass to see which ones." Celeste said with a shake of her head.

"And I'd rather not go through such another mess again." Mordo dryly said with half-lidded eyes.

"Having the multiple universes converge onto each other was wrecking so much." Wong adds in. "Both Coruscant and Earth were witnessing it firsthand."

"Would be impossible to scalpel and restore it all if it went too far." Stephen Strange comments.

"So," Tony had clapped Peter on the shoulder, giving him an approving shake. "Good job on saving the Multiverse kid."

The young hero turned away with a bashful look, rubbing his neck.

"Don't let it inflate your head, Peter." Ahsoka says wryly. "Hate to see all that ego ruin ya."

"I mean, is that such a bad thing?" Clint rhetorically asked. "He saved the Multiverse. That's got to land a few brownie points, right?"

"Rather not him be like those retired athletes who keep basking in the "glory days" and that one game being their big accomplishment." Jennifer Walters comments. "Rather unattractive, if you ask me."

"Like you're one to talk, Miss Beach Flex. You having that gram says otherwise, showoff." Jessica Jones deadpanned at the Jade Amazon who huffed, looking away from the detective.

"He's in his glory days." Wilson commented, jabbing a thumb to the arachnid hero. "For like… the next seven decades. Maybe more with his powers." He shifted his hand to point to Steve. "Same with you with your enhancements."

"And we're not?" Luke Cage sarcastically asked from his end on Earth.

"We have a few years head start." Rhodey stated. "And then there's Thor."

"Yes, my glory days have been going on for quite a while." The God Of Thunder smugly said, chest puffed out.

"People," Wanda dryly said. "Can we, you know, focus on what we're talking about here?"

"What's there left to talk about?" Pietro questioned his sister. "We all saw the whole thing."

"There is still much to discuss, Pietro." T'Challa stated. "The ramifications of everything we have learned is not to be discarded."

In the middle of this conversation, Anakin who had been deep in his thoughts had a stray idea waft into his mind. One that, had he not learned of the concept of multiple realities, would never have considered this specific idea, one that deals with an intensely personal demon of his.

"Do you guys think… maybe…" Anakin spoke up with a degree of uncertainty but pressed on all the same. "...This would perhaps explain and clarify why that other version of me is here. That Darth Vader is here. "

Eyes shifted over to Skywalker's direction as this was said.

"What you on about, Anakin?" Wilson asked on behalf of the group.

"Darth Vader." The Chosen One emphasized. "What if he's not just being my dark reflection? Him being a trial and a manifestation, courtesy of the Son back at Mortis. What if he is literally another me from a different universe. A variant of me becoming a Sith."

That made many in the room pause, specifically those familiar with everything surrounding that matter.

Obi-Wan was stroking his beard, mulling over the possibilities, especially after learning of the Multiverse. "So the Son-"

"Pulled him from his own reality and shoved him here." Anakin simplified.

"But why wasn't he all glitchy?" Asks Ahsoka. "Wasn't everyone like that when being in a different universe other than their own?"

"Since the Son brought him here, Vader was tethered to the Dark Celestial. A means of keeping him grounded."

"You think that's possible?"

"A Celestial is a powerful entity." States Thor. "They could do perhaps a lot beyond our comprehension."

"Or maybe he isn't affected like that." Dr. Strange chimed in. "This is the multiverse we're talking about, anything and everything is possible here."

"When dealing with something as unknown and as unpredictable as the multiverse, we must never discount anything." Mordo stated sagely.

"There's a lot to account for. Some facts conflict with others." Celeste pointed out. "We can't ever be too certain about this type of topic."

"Agree." Said Yoda, tapping his cane. "Much pondering, will be, for what we've learned and seen this day."

"Can't argue with that." Shuri stated with a shrug. "The data Karen brought from across the other universe will take a while to compare and work with among other factors."

"Hopefully you won't be up all night in the process." T'challa says off to the side. "Would hate to see you fall asleep on your workstation again."

His sister scrunched her face up in annoyance.

"That was only-"

"Four-"

"No, five times." Hector Ayala corrected Barton who nodded at the number.

Steve smirked at all this, turning back to the Wall Crawler to address him.

"Anything else you wanna share from your time abroad, Pete?" The Super Soldier inquired.

"That I haven't already?" Peter rhetorically asked.

"Save that for another time." Clint quickly spoke up before anyone else could. "Cause let's not forget what you told the old, depressed, mid-life crisis version of you."

On cue, Karen played the recording of the "conversation" their Peter had with Peter B. Parker.

"GALACTIC! WAR! GENOCIDAL! AI!"

There was a beat of awkward silence that took on a slightly grim countenance as everyone collectively nodded in agreement, dispersing to go about their duties and work as they had been preparing for prior to the whole multiversal event.

Bringing the war to Ultron.

-Several hours later-

Standing over a balcony of one of the many training fields of the Clone Army, Tony stroked his beard. The Iron Man pondered on many things when looking at them all alongside several of his fellow Avengers.

He along with Steve, Sam, Natasha and Rhodey had been silently observing the clones of the 501st and 212th conduct a new training course in regards to dealing with Ultron Drones.

Since the attack on Coruscant, the training of the GAR has become far more regimented whilst also in a state of constant flux. The flux was that of the new methods and strategies that were constantly being brought in from so many sources.

The Avengers had provided a litany of tactics and strategies for the Clone Army and Commander Gree from the 41st legion had suggested looking across the galaxy for inspiration.

Thus came many nights of Clone Commanders and Captains studying the thousands of different species of the galaxy, learning of their history, their warrior ways specifically for obvious reasons.

On the ground, in space, in any environment, it didn't matter.

And they were no longer training alone.

Since Cham Syndulla had suggested the defensive conscript/volunteer bill, new recruits into the GAR began popping up into the ranks of the Clone Troopers.

Most weren't overly happy or excited about working with soldiers that weren't clones but they were disciplined and frankly knew they shouldn't complain. Ultron's threat was so serious that the army needed this influx of volunteers and conscripts if they could even stand to have a chance on numbers alone.

The biggest number of volunteers, be it a surprise or not, came from that of the Twi'leks.

Since the siege and liberation of Ryloth, many Twi'leks, both on and off their homeworld, regarded the clones with deep-seated respect. All had heard of the 71st legion and their now fallen Jedi General along with the fastest Avenger that bunkered down with them during the occupation of Ryloth by the Separatists and saw how much the Clones were willing to sacrifice for the sake of others.

A groundswell of Twi'lek volunteers were among the first to come in once the bill had been ratified after the latest Ceasefire conference and many were now seen among them, especially with those such as the 501st, 212th, 104th, 317th and naturally, the 71st. The noticeable trend was that these were all the legions, corps and battalions that all played a role in the liberation of Ryloth.

And they were present, learning from the Clones who showed them the basics to standard Clone tactics, to weaponry, equipment maintenance, communications, all of it.

"And they all have it…" Tony murmured.

"All of them." Natasha grimly said, holding up the datapad for Tony to look at, showing the MRI scans of a standard Clone, the head being highlighted with a specific region being enhanced to display what could only be described as an artificial tumor.

"We've been studying them for some time now after the Battle of Kamino." Sam stated.

"We haven't made any progress in getting them out of the active soldiers." Nat said with a sigh. "But at the very least, with Tap and Karen, there hasn't been any new Clone that has gotten these chips implanted in their heads. They've been creating algorithms that keep the Kaminoans unaware of this. It's still an uphill battle though, given the amount there is. And as much as we'd wanna take care of the issue at the source, we can't due to a number of reasons."

"But we figured now with Dr. Strange here, getting them out is more likely now." Rhodey said with a hint of comfort, knowing that the possibility of removing these control chips from the heads of the Clones is now more likely than not.

"He's already shown us several ideas in mind to get to all these chips simultaneously," Steve added on. "Specific brain waves, maybe utilized from specially made helmets that deactivate the chips or a proper surgical procedure that can remove the chip in an instant."

"Very theoretical. Need to be sure the simulations work or else we'd get a mass hemorrhage attack for the clones nearly simultaneously." Natasha said. "Shuri and Hank Pym are trying to figure out what they can do as well. Hank's study of brain waves with how he controls his ants believes that they can provide a sort of answer to it all."

"That's one serious problem." Tony remarked with a tired sigh, holding up his armored arm where a holo-screen appeared. "And that's already on top of what we already have."

On the screen was a blue sphere of some kind with multiple lines and threads that pulsed with light and function.

To the other Avengers, there was something strangely familiar about this image.

"What's that supposed to be?" Steve asked. "I feel like I've seen that before."

"You have." Tony responded. "This is Ultron's matrix, the core of who he was when Bruce and I first made him."

"Trying to find a weakness." Sam surmised with Stark nodding.

"The last time we got Ultron, Vision trapped him from jumping out of all his bodies so that when we took him out, we thought he was done for."

"Obviously he changed, so we have to do guesswork on what his matrix is now." Nat stated.

"Not from what I'm seeing." Tony said. "Ultron upgraded, yeah but the basis of how he was made still remains. Jarvis, me, Bruce, the Mind Stone, it's all there."

"He didn't change?" Rhodey frowned in confusion. "Wait, then how was he reactivated?"

There was a beat of silence until Tony eyed Steve specifically.

"When you guys up and vanished from Earth, where exactly did it happen?"

Steve was thrown off slightly by the question but answered it all the same.

"It was at that HYDRA base in Europe."

"And when you guys got there, you all know what you fought, right?"

It was a few seconds of trying to recollect this event when Black Widow beat everyone to the punch.

"Hydra booted him back up from his remains, didn't they?"

"Inadvertently is my guess." Tony remedied. "They may be a bunch of world domineering douchebags but what's the point of ruling the world if it's blown to Kingdom Come? No, those idiots salvaged what they could and didn't realize they revived my greatest mistake."

Cap had a sympathetic look on his face, placing a reassuring hand on Stark's shoulder, a slight shake to try to dispel the man's self-loathing thoughts.

"The blame is on all of us."

"You're not the one who made him, Steve." Stark's tone was low.

"But we all failed in realizing he was still alive." Rogers refuted. "Tony, we can't let the past weigh down what we're doing now, much as it can do that."

The armored Avenger gave the super soldier a peculiar look, glancing over at the others while pointing to Cap.

"I'm not the only one who heard that, right?" He jokingly asked. "Am I becoming the old timer now or is my hearing off cuz I think I just heard the star-spangled man from World War 2 say something about the past that doesn't equate to "back in my day"."

"Man has to modernize eventually." Sam plainly said, smirking slightly at the look he got from Steve.

Nat then steered the conversation back to the matter of Ultron.

"So what have you gotten so far?"

"I've been working on multiple possibilities in trying to end Ultron for good."

"But. There's always an if, but and however." Rhodey knowingly said.

"However, we don't know if it'll effectively work when we hit him with it." Tony then explained to them. "We've been bouncing ideas and possibilities back and forth on contingencies Ultron may have on our attempt. It's not been easy, but it's like playing fourth-dimensional chess with multiple types of pieces and rules."

"Sounds frustrating."

"Given who we're facing, we have to think several steps ahead."

"Just so long as we rip his coding, bit by bit, then that's all that matters."

"Scotty and Pete have actually already shown me a few ideas." Tony revealed. "They believe a target on his coding is the key to taking him down, it's a matter of being able to take it apart before it can be pieced back together."

The other four Avengers thought about that and do recall the pair bringing up the notion of using a kind of hack or program that could rip apart Ultron from the inside rather than relying on physically fighting him head-on.

It's quite the gamble, but what other choice do they have given Ultron's capabilities?

All the while…

"Haven't been on an alien world in years."

"Ah yes. You've been oddly starved since the Convergence."

"Can you blame her?"

"Hush now, Darcy. Don't ruin the moment." The woman placed a finger over her former intern's lips, taking in a deep breath, basking in the environment the trio stood in. "Ah~ moment savored."

She heard her old mentor let out a soft chuckle, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Come now, Jane. It's not gonna be ruined all that easily." Said Erik with a smile. "We're on another planet in another galaxy. Such a great opportunity for us here and now, despite present knowledge of recent conflicts. I've dreamed of such things when I was just a boy."

"They're all coming true now, doc." Darcy Lewis good-naturedly said.

Though the intern, or former rather now that she's gotten her Ph.D., was far more easygoing in appearance compared to her mentors, even she couldn't hide the steadily growing giddiness she had in being on Coruscant.

When Thor had brought them through the Infinity Gate into the HQ the Avengers have on the city-planet, seeing the planet itself just outside one of the HQ's balconies was near enough to make Selvig faint. Darcy couldn't even speak for a good few minutes, jaw dropped and eyes wide as the city before her overwhelmed her senses.

After calming down, Darcy was rather quick to figure out the layout and structure of the city, having a good gander as to where they should go and explore first. One could say it's because of her playing the occasional video games in futuristic settings to prepare her for what may happen later in her life.

As for Jane, the last world she was on was Asgard and it was futuristic, despite its rural aesthetic. To be on a planet that was pure science fiction come to life without a hint of magic was a fever dream she hoped she wouldn't wake up from.

"I'm glad you are all enjoying this so much."

Jane had a wide grin, looking up at her boyfriend Thor who was giving her a loving smile in return.

"You really know how to knock a science girl right out of her socks, big guy." She mischievously said, bumping her shoulder against his muscular arm.

Thor only chortled, throwing an arm around Jane to pull her in close, pressing his lips against her forehead.

"This is only Coruscant. There are many other worlds to explore in this galaxy once everything is settled down."

"Thor, please," Selvig said, a joking look of pain, hand over his heart. "Don't overexcite this old man."

The Thunder God only laughed, Darcy and Jane joining in as they were now headed towards a domed-shaped building.

"And this is the senate hall where all the politicians of this galaxy gather to discuss matters on a greater galactic scale." Thor said with Lewis scrunching up her face.

"The entire galaxy?" She asked for confirmation. "How do they even get anything done?"

"They don't." Thor plainly answered.

"Ah, so even in another galaxy, politicians are still the same, huh?" Darcy drably said, shaking her head at this.

They kept up their observations when not far down the hall they were walking in, the former intern to Jane Foster stopped in her tracks upon spotting two individuals that caught her undivided attention. One was a smoking hot guy with brown hair, brown and black robes and a scar over his right eye. But while the eye candy was one thing, the woman standing next to her was what really made Darcy Lewis freeze up.

She rubbed her eyes a few times, squinting for good measure, and even walked away from her group. They saw this and were about to call out to her when they saw what caught her attention up ahead.

Jane and Selvig's expressions were of stunned disbelief, more so on the former. Thor noticed this as well and a look of realization came over him, his face conveying "was bound to happen sooner or later".

As Jane got closer to the pair, both appeared to notice her, giving her a strange look. The one with the scar on his eye gave her a once over when out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the familiar large frame of Thor.

And the woman next to him caused him to pause in shock.

Moments later, the woman that he was standing with didn't get a chance to say or respond to anything that was happening because right now, she was staring at a replica of herself wearing clothing she never would have considered in her life.

"Jane, look, it's a prettier version of you." Darcy said in astonishment, pointing at the equally astonished and shocked Padme Amidala.

"Y-yeah it… it- wait, what?" Jane smacked her former intern on the arm. "What's that supposed to mean? We look the same."

"Yes." Padme Amidala whispered. "We truly do."

The scientist from Earth threw her hand out a bit awkwardly.

"J-Jane. Jane Foster." She muttered.

"Senator Padme Amidala." Said the Nabooian politician, daintily shaking Foster's hand. "It's like looking into a mirror."

"Freaky…" Commented Darcy. "Almost like an echo right here."

"Don't be rude." Jane quickly shushed.

Her secret husband was equally as shocked and he was already forewarned about all this when he first had that comedic confrontation with Thor meeting Padme the first time.

And it appeared, they weren't the only ones to have noticed this.

Within the hall they stood in, many other senators had actually stopped their conversations, having spotted the two lookalikes and were now talking amongst themselves as to what was going on. Thinking quickly, he pulled the two copies into a nearby room that was thankfully empty.

He clearly did not want more attention drawn to them than needed. So many questions would arise as a result and they would clearly be problematic as a result.

Despite the quick change of location, the two look-alikes kept conversing with one another. The others practically gave them space as the pair were more enamored with each other, given how quickly they got along.

"My word, the universe truly is a bizarre place." Thor remarked, he and Anakin standing side by side, watching their women interact with each other.

"Yeah…" Skywalker murmured, still trying to wrap his mind around that a clone version of his wife that wasn't from Kamino existed in another galaxy.

And now that said clone, well doppelganger, was talking with his wife.

He then felt a light slap on his back and looked over at Thor who was giving him a silent look of "Mhmm, yeah, you and me, peas in a pod". At first, Anakin was confused by the look when Thor nudged his head in their respective lovers' direction, another nod of "you know".

The Jedi soon caught on and snorted, elbowing the thunder god's arm with a silent response of "Yeah, yeah, I know".

"Don't know if the universe will implode right now with them interacting." Erik said jokingly.

Darcy let out a snort. "Nah, that would be with Fury meeting this Mace guy."

Anakin shudders. "I'm honestly dreading to be there when it happens. One is bad enough, but two…"

At the Jedi Temple, Mace Windu came out of his meditation and frowned.

"Why do I feel as if Skywalker was insulting me… again behind my back?"

On Earth, over at one of the SHIELD facilities, Nick Fury paused in his work and glanced over at Maria Hill who was with him.

"Maria…"

"Hmmm?"

"I'm not that bad, am I?"

Hill stopped working, looking up from it to give her superior a bizarre look.

"What now?"

The former Director of SHIELD didn't respond for a few seconds until he looked up at the skies above.

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

Elsewhere on Coruscant, a trio of lovers were enjoying their time together. Them having missed each other after what happened with the multiversal threat Peter was dragged into rather abruptly.

Shortly after his return, when in a private space, Peter smothered his two girlfriends with kisses to show how much he missed them. They graciously enjoyed it and reciprocated the act.

Currently, after a long time out on Coruscant having gotten dinner, visited a few sights and an assortment of small activities together, the trio were in Peter's room at the Avengers HQ. All three were in bed, Ahsoka and Barriss on either side of their boyfriend cuddled up to him and he had his arms around them, holding them close.

"Mmmm." Barriss hummed aloud, resting her head over where Peter's heart was and quickly pecking Ahsoka's forehead. "Today was wonderful."

"It clearly was." Ahsoka happily said, rubbing Offee's arm while also tilting her head up to catch Peters' eye. "You know, you didn't have to go and do all that for us."

"After that insanity I went through, I needed to." Peter said with a shake of his head. "I just… man I'm glad I have you both."

His two girlfriends smiled at that, placing chaste kisses on his cheeks before settling back down to lock eyes with each, a shared expression of worry coming over them.

When Peter returned, other than clearly edited parts alluding to his relationship with them both, they saw everything like everyone else. And like everyone else, they heard Peter Park'rs's story of his universe and above all else, the tragedy of how he was in love with Barriss and that his universe's version of her perished in his arms.

Park'r found love with his dimensions Ahsoka but the matter of Barriss dying had been dwelling in the minds of them all.

And it was clearly affecting their boyfriend though in a more subtle manner.

He was affectionate, doting and all on the both of them the entire day, taking them to all their favorite places to spend time together outside the temple and he made sure everything was paid and accommodated for. They weren't complaining but… they couldn't deny a degree of concern that they now had.

So Ahsoka decided to take matters into her own hands on a bit of a gamble.

"So, judging from what we've seen," The Togruta spoke up, beginning to trace circles on Peters' chest. "In almost any universe, you're an apparent lady's man, Peter."

It was amusing to see their lover become a bit flustered, shifting about beneath them. "I wouldn't say that."

Barriss caught on, lifting her head up to give Peter a mischievous smile. "We appreciate your modest humbleness, love, but the details are there."

"You got us two."

"I think it's more you two wouldn't accept it any other way." Parker wryly said.

"And you're complaining?"

"Only when we may or may not have to explain this to everyone."

"I think dealing with your Aunt was the worst of it." Ahsoka confidently said.

"Don't jinx it, Soka," Peter half-jokingly pleaded. "You do know that with your whole Force thing and the universe having its own messed up sense of humor, it will answer that temptation."

"Oh like what? Other women suddenly throw themselves at you?" The Togruta teased.

"They'll be met by us." Barriss actually nibbled on his chin. "You're ours~" She purred out.

Peter shook his head, looking away from them. "It's not about that…"

Both were silent for a few moments until Ahsoka reached up to tilt his head to face her, giving him an understanding look.

"Peter," She softly said. "You know you shouldn't dwell on such a topic. It happened in a completely different universe."

"Am I that easy to read?"

"Only to those who love you." Barriss said, shifting up to lay her head right next to his. "I'm right here, Peter. We both are."

He didn't respond for a few seconds, releasing a sigh before pulling Barriss in for a deep, loving kiss.

Pulling away, he did the same for Ahsoka and then pulled them in to lean his forehead against theirs.

"I know you both are but… can you blame me for still being worried? Scared even?"

"That's what we're here for." The Mirialan quietly said. "We'll always lean on each other and bring each other home no matter what."

"So don't get all moody on us, Petey." Ahsoka muttered. "We know what we got into when we started this."

The Queens native released a sigh, smiling at them both a second later.

"I love you both so much."

"We love you too, tiger."

The room entered into a peaceful silence as the trio lay in bed for a bit longer, each falling into a calm air that seemed to feed off the other, making them all decompress further.

For Peter, while his mind was assuaged for the time being, it was still on the other Spider-People he met, specifically his Jedi variant.

When the other individuals whom Park'r dated randomly came to mind, he shuddered to think about them. Not about the one bounty hunter known as Silver Sable, but the Mandalorian and Dark Jedi specifically.

He admits Bo-Katan was quite the looker. There was no denying that. But he has very mixed feelings about her. Yes, she's no longer an enemy but an ally now. Yet he honestly doesn't know how such a relationship could work between himself and the older Mandalorian. Just the mere idea flies over his head on the possibilities. Yeah, Park'r told him that his version was around their age but still.

However, the very notion of Peter hooking up with Ventress of all people… he's gonna have nightmares about that now.

He can already imagine it. Odd lover tendencies she expresses. Her dominating him. And it did not help -at all- when Park'r described Ventress being wild in the sheets. And that she was into some kinky shit.

Peter seriously needed his mind cleansed of such a notion. He needed his two girlfriends' help in doing so. He'd rather have them dominating him and vice versa and-

'Oh god, the images won't leave my head!' He internally yelled. 'And they're hot!'

"Something wrong, love?"

"Nothing!" He blurts out, covering his lower region rather suddenly.

While Barriss didn't notice it, Ahsoka did and bore a small teasing smile though she felt her face heating up.

"Oh~ is someone excit-"

Without missing, Peter somehow jumped out from the bed with such speed that both girls plopped down on the bed and he sped to the window, jumping out at full speed -head first- and swinging away as fast as he could.

"What in the Force was that about?" Barriss asked in bewilderment.

Ahsoka held a small blush, shaking her head and patting her girlfriend's cheek.

"Something we'll surely use on our next time together."

"I don't understand."

"Oh… I'll tell you later… once I get help from Natasha. She promised to give me advice. Still a novice myself after all."

All the while, near the hangar bay of the Jedi Temple for the Clone legions, the 501st were in the middle of a standard maintenance check of equipment, weaponry, ships, etc.

There were also Clones showing around new, non-clone recruits, giving them the overall tour of the land and the ships they will be on now that they are joining the war.

In a small corner, three ARC troopers were doing some general upkeep on their armor.

Now to those of the 501st, seeing three ARC troopers among their ranks was a rare sight.

Why, one may ask?

Because officially, there are four ARCs assigned to their legion.

But one was now missing. And for the most unlikeliest and rather shocking of reasons.

"I miss Echo." One of the ARCs said despondently, leaning his arms against the crate he was using as a makeshift table, head hung low.

"We all do, Hevy." Said his brother with the spray painting of their Commander's facial markings.

Beside them with his own Crate table, the clone with the tattoo of five on his forehead gave the pair a deadpan expression.

"You guys do know it's been a literal day, right?" Fives pointed out. "He's only left to get some introductory training, he'll be back in three days."

"Three days too long." Cutup said with a clear sign of misery.

Fives rolled his eyes. "Stop complaining. With our line of work, these three days will go by quickly."

"Will they though?"

"For Kriff's sake, stop being jealous that Echo can use magic."

"It's not fair!" Hevy whined, grabbing his rotator gun. "Can you imagine how many drones I can scrap if I use that magic those sorcerers have? Why does Echo have to be so lucky?"

"At least he's not also having a unique set of armor."

"Don't joke about that. It might happen." Cutup said conspiratorially.

"You're saying that, due to you wanting your own War Machine armor." Fives accused.

"Oh, and you don't want one?" Hevy challenged. "Come on Fives, don't kid yourself. The entire GAR would give up an arm to just fly in Colonel Rhodes' armor just once."

"Or get Lieutenant Wilson's wings." Cutup stated.

"You could try and make your own."

"And would they be successful? Besides, we're good at the basics, we're not like General Skywalker." Hevy reminded.

"Or the Avengers."

"But we can be just as effective." Fives said. "Echo is proof of that."

"Echo got lucky."

"Hey boys."

Domino Squad turned to see their general with Commander Ahsoka, Captain Rex, Captain Rogers and Colonel Rhodes approaching them.

"General. Commander. Captain." Fives snapped to a salute, listing off their ranks with Hevy and Cutup following suit. "Something you need, sirs?"

"Just checking up on you boys." Anakin waved off their posture, a gesture of "at ease". "I know that Echo leaving is a bit of a weird experience for you all."

"It isn't the same without him." Hevy admitted.

"Imagine having to lose another batch mate."

"I'd rather not."

"Easy boys." Steve spoke up. "Echo will be back, he's not gonna be gone for long."

"Those wizards promised three days." Rhodey reminded them, Fives giving Cutup and Hevy a pointed look. "They know that they can't exactly get students and all with how things are right now."

"Uh-huh." Hevy flatly said.

Fives rolled his eyes at the heavy weapons expert of his brothers.

"Ah, cheer up, Hevy." Ahsoka cheerfully said. "Who knows, maybe Echo can show you a few tricks. If he can learn it, so can you."

"I'd rather he doesn't." Rex deadpanned, Anakin chortling next to him.

"Oh, what's wrong? You don't want him to embarrass you or something?"

"What? No." Rex plainly said. "The last thing the 501st needs are troopers like Hevy and Hardcase becoming wizards or whatever."

"That is a good point." Fives mused aloud.

"And what's wrong with Hardcase becoming a sorcerer?" Steve asked in bewilderment.

"Many reasons." Rex, Cutup, Fives and even Anakin said at the same time.

"Back on Kamino, his pod had a leak that the Kaminoans missed and many chalk that up to why he has a few screws loose in the head." Cutup further elaborated, tapping the side of his head.

"You sure it's just not his unique personality?" Ahsoka inquired.

"It is." Fives pulled out a datapad and actually had the file on display. "Echo and Kix checked up on it."

Ahsoka took it out of the ARC trooper's hands with a look of surprised uncertainty.

"Huh… how bout that?"

"We'll see you later, General, Capta-all of you being higher ranks than us." Fives said with amused exasperation.

"You know sirs is enough." Cutup reminded, Fives waving off the obvious statement.

"We've got PT with the boys." Hevy quickly said, the others nodding.

"Don't let us keep you." Steve said, watching Domino Squad walk away.

Before they were able to discuss or converse on any other topic, they heard someone clearing their throat aloud and all turned to a rather surprising sight.

"Gentlemen." Mitth'raw'nuruodo greeted them all with an air of militant and cordial professionalism.

He was garbed in what could be considered military gear meant for the new conscripts but the official first phase of new armor was still in development. So he settled for black cargo pants, a black skintight shirt with some chest armor, shoulder pauldrons, greaves and vambraces.

The Chiss turned to the Togruta in the group and gave her a slight tilt of the head.

"Ahsoka Tano."

"Thrawn." The Padawan greeted. "So, you really did mean it when you said you'd join up, didn't you?"

"I am a man of my word, Padawan Tano." Thrawn said with complete respect. "I had stated that I would volunteer myself for this war effort and I shall."

"And you opted to join the 501st." Anakin pointed out.

"I was given many options and from word of mouth, the 501st is known to be an… exciting division of the army." The Chiss remarked. "One of the top five that regularly receives deployment and undertakes some of the most harrowing missions."

"So we're really known for being batshit crazy, huh?" Rex drably said, shaking his head. "It's become an insult and a compliment."

"Their words, not mine." Thrawn said evenly.

"No, no, we don't deny it by this point." Anakin plainly said. "Deliah had the same rumors and really, none of us do this legion any favors.

"Yes, Deliah Blue, quite the engineer and mechanic. Gave some good conversations with artillery and engines to make them more efficient."

"You already met?" Ahsoka said in surprise.

"She was the one Lieutenant Jesse sent my way due to her also being a relative novice in the army. She had just finished giving me a tour of this hangar before going back to her work. She's quite fixated on her calibrations."

"Kriff, already? That didn't take long." Rex said with a shake of his head.

"Pardon?"

"She says Calibration a bit too often." Rex clarified. "Something to keep her mind off of troubles. She apparently considers it a vacation on most days."

"Quite unusual. Most people often don't consider such a mindset."

"That's Deliah for ya."

"Still though," Anakin walked forward and held out his hand. "I know that we've only just met not too long ago but if you're willing to join us in this war to take down Ultron, that's a friend in my book. Welcome to the 501st."

"Glad to be here." The Chiss said evenly, shaking Skywalker's hand. "Even when I've been given a recommendation to easily join the army, I refuse to be given any special privileges."

"Special privileges?" Steve spoke up.

"A Vice Admiral by the name of Palleon had met with me and pulled me aside for some personal tests he wished to conduct with me." Said Thrawn. "A means of figuring out my placement in the army and working from there."

"Really?" Rhodey was now curious. "So how'd you do?"

Thrawn was silent for a few moments, ruminating on answering before speaking again.

"Met his expectations and exceeded them. Though I don't know of how… high the bar he placed, I believe that's what the phrase goes."

"Depends on what bar you're talking about." Rogers said. "There's Anakin and his brand of high bar madness and then there's Obi-Wan, much as he would like to deny it."

"Plo Koon isn't any better." Rhodey said with a laugh.

"Hey~" Ahsoka puffed her cheeks out. "Don't say that about Master Plo."

"Oh so, he gets defended and I don't?"

Steve rolled his eyes at their banter, focusing more on the Chiss. "But you still opted to reject these direct promotions." Thrawn nodded. "Why?"

"Captain Rogers, I believe as a man of military yourself, it is easy to conclude that soldiers, especially those who are on the front lines, while following orders from superiors, operate on a far better function when they are being instructed by someone who has earned their trust and loyalty by displaying a willingness to fight in the same manner as their men do."

"Never order your men to do something you yourself are not willing to do." War Machine found himself subconsciously blurting out.

Thrawn eyed the Colonel and there was an intensity in the man's red eyes, one of approval and even a slight tinge of awe if one were to look closely.

"That is a powerful phrase." Thrawn stated. "Where did you hear such a saying?"

"It comes from Earth." Steve answered, gesturing to himself and Rhodey. "Our home planet."

"Interesting. Yes, I do believe that is a phrase any and all superior officers should abide by. I have also noticed that there are a lot of topics and such that are migrating from your homeworld, from what the other troopers have recently told me. That they have been making quakes."

"Waves." Said Rogers.

"Yes, Waves, that's the one." Thrawn said evenly. "I had thought of quakes being more impactful in this particular case. Shaking up many norms with what you've brought onto the table."

"Right~" Rhodey wryly said. "Don't think too much of it. They're just quotes."

"Still, are you sure you want to do this the hard way?" Rex spoke up, giving the Chiss a hard look. "A Vice Admiral noticed you and I've heard of Palleon. He had experience in leading judiciary forces prior to the start of the war. If you're really gonna be rejecting him, just know you're in for a hard time right now."

"The boys aren't holding anything back in regards to training the new recruits." Anakin added on, crossing his arms with a serious stare. "If these new soldiers are gonna be fighting alongside seasoned veterans against Ultron and quite possibly the Separatists if peace doesn't come after taking care of that crazy AI, they need to be trained to at the bare minimum, keep up with the standard Clone Trooper."

Hearing this, Thrawn actually straightened out, more so than he already was, raising his head and crossing his arms behind his back.

"General Skywalker. Commander Tano. And Captain Rex. I, Mitth'raw'nuruodo, hereby promise that I shall abide by the regulations and above all else, work to achieve and exceed the standards the Clone Army of the Republic has set and shall execute any and all orders given to me to the best of my abilities and knowledge. This I pledge to you."

"Alright, alright." Rhodey waved down, slightly amused. "No need to go that hard on us. We get it. You're in it for real."

"Welcome aboard." Ahsoka pleasantly said with a slight smile, one that Thrawn responded by giving her a respectful nod.

"I hope to deliver on all your expectations."

"Well, you already had a good audition when ya met my Padawan." Anakin said. "You helping them all survive that Trandoshan hellhole was quite the introduction."

"You already have a good word in with the boys for that alone, helpin' our Commander." Rex said with a neutral but also complimentary tone, placing a hand on said Commander's shoulder.

"I shall endeavor to make sure that good faith isn't misplaced."

"So we're done here?" Rhodey said in humor. "Did we get all the promises and compliments out of the way? Just wanna make sure we didn't miss anything."

Thrawn pondered slightly before voicing something from his mind. "Actually-"

"Oh boy, I was kidding." The Colonel Avenger said with slight exasperation.

"Nothing complimentary, I assure you. More of the curious variety." Thrawn explained. "I couldn't help but hear the rumors circulating around of what occurred not long ago."

"Pertaining to what?" Anakin asked.

"The Glitch Anomaly." Said the Chiss. "It was an… experience to witness."

The Chiss watched the two Jedi, two Avengers and Clone Captain all shift from that statement, sharing glances with each other.

"That's one way of putting it." Ahsoka muttered.

"It clearly was."

"What were these rumors you were hearing?" Anakin carefully asked.

"There are many that some would call outlandish but by this point, all would be plausibly possibilities." The newest 501st member proceeded to list off what he had heard. "Some believed it was an action caused by Ultron. But it didn't fit with his past exploits and motivations. Would be highly irregular to suddenly change his operating pattern at such an unusually frightening scale unless it was strategic in his given nature."

"Ultron would've made some announcement, taking the credit if he did it." Steve pointed out.

"Given what reports I've read, I'd imagine so. Luckily he didn't. Would've been far more problematic if it were true." Thrawn remarked. "Plus, this was one of pure, unpredictable chaos, not the focused madness Ultron intentionally conducted when he first revealed himself."

"You've done your homework." Steve noted, his eyes having been observant on the Chiss.

"Knowledge is a luxury that can become a great tool for many things." Thrawn plainly said. "From what I witnessed, this event caused quite the scare across Coruscant and in the middle of it all, I caught sight of a peculiar set of individuals several times. It took me some time to place the name but I believe I saw an associate of yours, one Peter Parker, multiple times in the middle of this anomaly."

Steve narrowed his eyes a bit, though not in a manner that would be perceived to be negative.

Anakin and Ahsoka shared a look before the latter turned to Thrawn.

"That… is a bit complicated but… if ya get to know him, Peter isn't one to shy away from a good story."

Thrawn wanted to inquire further but a whirring sound that came from all save for the Chiss made the conversation halt.

Rex was the first to see just what was happening and he pulled out his portable transmitter to see that a notification of great importance had arrived.

"Sirs, the Separatists are here for the next Ceasefire meeting." Rex announced to the group.

"Here we go." Rhodey murmured aloud. "More useless Political bullshit."

"Best not keep them waiting." Anakin said with a sigh. "Thrawn."

"General."

They parted ways from the Chiss, the lone man turning to walk towards a cluster of Clones undergoing training at this time.

-Scene Cut-

"Evolution… what a funny concept."

Within an undisclosed base of his, the genocidal AI known as Ultron sat on a throne made of metal.

In the AI's hand was a blue Kyber crystal with multiple metallic veins surrounding it. The crystal pulsed with energy, a humming crackling sound emanating from the ingot.

The latest in his long line of experiments, it was time to see if it worked.

Ensnared by metallic tendrils, Ultron slowly rose from the seat he had made, the throne in which he used to plan for the next phase of his plan.

In his digital mind, a map of the galaxy was on display for him, multiple locations being highlighted, some marked as red, others yellow and the rest an assortment of different colors to designate their importance in his purpose.

He "kneeled" in his digital mind to concentrate on one section in particular, a manic grin slowly making its way onto his face.

With a digital command, he deployed his forces.

"Time to begin the next stage."

Back in the outside, Ultron held a large, sinister grin as the sound of machinery began to stir with dozens that turned into thousands followed by millions of drones and converted beings across the galaxy beginning to rise and take flight.

He saw them all through his connection to them.

The thousands of ships that composed his fleet were soon entering hyperspace and they had their targets set in mind.

It was time to bring this war to an end.

And the first step was now in effect.

-Scene Cut-

The meeting was crowded as usual, only this time, it was supposedly going to be even bigger than last time.

Most of the attendees from before were present with some additional numbers.

Of the Avengers, the five founding members would be in attendance as well as Sam, Rhodey, Matt, T'Challa, Vision, Jennifer, Bucky, Celeste, Mordo and Strange.

Some of the new Avengers would be getting their first taste of galactic politics with this upcoming ceasefire meeting.

"Did The Ancient One ever prepare you guys for this type of crap?" Strange asked his two fellow sorcerers, both of whom shook their heads.

"We were trained to protect our world from mystical threats, not be paid to sell our souls." Mordo dismissively said.

"Don't have a high opinion on politicians, huh?" Bucky said with an amused smirk.

"They're not known to be the kindest nor most accommodating of individuals." Celeste wryly said. "It is a tragedy how that's the main consistency even after 4000 years."

Tony ignored all this, turning to Vision who stood slightly ahead of the group.

"So who exactly are these Guardians that are coming to this meeting?" The billionaire asked. "What are they, some kind of space Avengers or something with that name?"

"Aren't we space Avengers by this point?" Falcon rhetorically/seriously asked with Rhodey shrugging next to him.

"I do believe that as an Asgardian who has traversed the cosmos for over 1500 years, I hereby dub us all Space Avengers." Thor said in faux drama.

"There ya have it." Clint remarked.

"So Viz, what are these Guardians like?" Jennifer Walters inquired, curious to know more about these individuals that Vision had traveled with. Frankly, she knew that there was a lot she wanted to learn about now that she was actually here in another Galaxy far, far away from home but one step at a time was needed.

"They are an eclectic group as some of us know." Vision idly said. "Hope, Peter, Matt, T'Challa and Sam met several of their members on Mandalore and Peter, Scott and Hope met more on Onderon including their leader. They are quite a large team and they are leading a new band of mercenaries called the Ravagers who have struck up an alliance with the Mandalorians."

"For those who haven't met them, what should we expect?"

Pondering for a few moments, Vision responded. "Their penchant for music exceeds your own, Mr. Stark."

The billionaire balked at that revelation and the other Avengers all snorted or snickered at his reaction.

"Excuse me?" Tony's voice was a high-pitched, joking screech. "I demand you to rescind such a dubious claim."

"No Mr. Stark, I don't believe I will." Viz airily remarked with a coy expression.

Just before they were able to ask or make any further queries, they heard ships descending from on high.

The team all looked up to see several Kom'rk class shuttles flying down to where they stood along with one ship that stuck out like a sore thumb in that mix. If the Avengers could describe it, the best they could use for identification was the shape of the ship which would be close to something of a curvy "M".

The multitude of ships all began landing on platforms, the walkways all opening out for the occupants of the ships to come out.

A majority were men and women from many species decked out in the standard Mandalorian though that was a given since their ships made up most of the newly arrived participants in this ceasefire meeting.

But the ones that stuck out were easy to spot given how they were dressed uniquely from their Mandalorian compatriots.

It was a fairly sizable group consisting of eleven individuals.

Two human males though one had some sort of mohawk headpiece on, a green-skinned woman, a red and gray-skinned man, a walking tree, an anthropomorphic raccoon, a woman with large eyes and two antennae, a silver armored Mandalorian, a female Zabrak, a droid and a human female carrying a black and orange helmet.

If one strained their ears closely, there was the faint sound of music being played in the background of the ship where this eclectic group walked out of.

Some of the Avengers (Tony) were able to identify it.

"Rainbow." Stark murmured with a nod of approval. "Guess they really do know their shit."

It only took the newly arrived team of heroes to spot the other team of heroes on the platform, recognizing several among their ranks.

The regular-looking man in the group walked forward with a wide grin in place.

"Viz, good seeing you again."

"Likewise, Quill." Vision pleasantly said.

"So these are them, huh?" The talking Raccoon said aloud with an unimpressed look. "These are the Avengers."

"And you're a build-a-bear." Tony shot back.

"A talking rabbit?" Thor said aloud in wonder.

"Rabbit?" The Earth animal parroted in confusion.

"This is weird." Rhodey said, blandly looking at the striped-tailed Guardian. "And we've seen some shit."

"Haven't we all?" Spoke the mohawk-wearing human with an unusually… is it a southern accent?

Introductions were soon made between the two teams, names being exchanged and all before the leader of the Guardians had his eyes land on Steve Rogers.

For a moment, Peter had a glint in his eyes of recognition before it faded away with a shake of his head.

"Peter Quill, Star-Lord."

"Steve Rogers." The New Yorker pleasantly said, shaking the man's hand.

"Huh, I think I've heard that name before." The Guardian remarked.

"We've been hearing his name and the rest of his team on the holo net all the time now, Peter." Gamora softly pointed out.

Quill however had a look of doubt as he shook his head.

"No, no, it's not that." Peter appeared to be straining his mind as he got a more proper look at Steve. "I think it's your face. And especially your getup. It's weird that you're all stars and stripes like Captain America or some-"

Quill halted his talking and turned his head quizzically. The Guardians stared at their leader weirdly for him abruptly freezing up. Steve's seen that look of slow recognition enough times to know what to expect.

"Wait… No… For real?" Quill mutters in disbelief. "You can't… are you…You're Captain Steve Rogers? Captain Fucking America?"

Steve sagged his shoulders slightly, releasing a small sigh. "Yes…"

At that instant, Star-Lord begins pumping his fist into the air.

The Guardians, Avengers and Mandalorians all looked at the man in complete bewilderment as the look on his face bordered on explosive joy.

"I knew it. I KNEW IT!" Quill exclaimed, jumping into his most emphatic fist pump. "HA! Take that, Ms. Grisby, I told you my report was real! It always was!"

"Uh… what?" Came the confused response from several in attendance.

"I did my US report on you when I was a kid" Star-Lord revealed, much to the Avengers' surprised amusement. "After that epic raid at the HYDRA base in Switzerland, you got taken into space. Coincidentally right before the Roswell incident."

The Avengers all had a collective head tilt at what they just heard.

"...What?"

"So that means that you were abducted by aliens like I thought you were." The leader of the Guardians exclaimed, pointing his finger at Captain America. "And here you are! C minus my ass, you old prune." He grumbled slightly before yelling once more. "I was right all along!"

The other Avengers didn't know what to make of all this.

Save for those who were now openly laughing.

Star-Lord didn't care at all as he had the largest look of triumph he's ever had.

"Boy, this makes me feel much better about not finishing 6th grade." He proudly declared.

And like that, many opinions about the man -from the Earthers' point of view- plummeted in a number of ways.

"Weren't you abducted as a kid?" The talking Raccoon dryly pointed out.

"Yeah. Hence I couldn't finish school." Quill said without missing a beat. "Felt bad about it back then, but now I feel much better."

The Avengers felt a modicum of respect slightly come back mixed with sympathy.

Tony couldn't help but guffaw at the man.

"So, you're from Earth, eh?" Rhodey asked.

"Yeah, Missouri," Star-Lord revealed. "And you're all from Earth too."

"Guilty." Natasha said.

"Wow." Peter Quill had the largest smile on his face, placing his hands on his hips as he soaked in the presence of Earth's first Avenger. "Man oh man, you were all the rage when I was still on Earth."

"Still is, actually." Sam quietly murmured with a slight smirk.

The Missouri-born space-traveler then placed his hands on Steve's shoulders and the super soldier felt a serious case of Deja Vu right about now.

And on his end, Scott Lang felt a strange feeling of copyright infringement mixed with vindication.

"Jesus." Peter whispered in astonishment. "You're way bigger in person."

"Is he really that special?" Mantis asked curiously, peeking over her brother's shoulder.

"Oh yeah, Mant, like you wouldn't believe." Quill emphasized, shooting his sister a wide grin. "I had a whole bunch of Captain America stuff. Plates, shirts, action figures. Even a number of collectible cards. Actually, I still have the deck on the ship."

Steve, Nat, Thor, Clint and Thor all seized up for the briefest of moments, memories of a fallen hero from their first year as a team drifting into their minds.

Thankfully, this went unnoticed by the others as the leader of the self-proclaimed bunch of assholes prattled on.

"Yeah, there were even these walkie-talkies that my grandpa got and I used to use them all the time with my mom, even when she was in the hospi…tal…" Quill's mood took a sudden downturn, startling those in attendance, especially his friends.

"Peter?" Gamora and Mantis softly said at the same time.

"You alright?" Rocket found himself asking.

"No, it's uh…" Quill coughed into his hand. "It's fine."

He looked up at Steve with a melancholy smile, his eyes were now glossy.

"You know, my mom thought the world of you." He said with a slight croak. "And my grandpa, man he never stopped talking about fighting alongside the greatest hero in history."

It was then, inexplicably, a memory came to Steve, one during the war in the campaign against routing HYDRA.

He was there for a few missions but all the same, he was there.

And that familiarity Steve felt from Peter before came rushing back as a slightly familiar face and name popped into his head.

"Hang on…" Steve gave Star-Lord a peculiar look. "You said your name was Peter Quill, right?"

Star-Lord blinked at this, looking at his teammates before back at Cap and nodded. "Yeah, that's me."

After a few moments of trying to make out the memory, it became clearer after a few seconds. "Your grandfather wouldn't happen to be Jason Quill, right?"

Star-Lord froze up, unsure of if he heard that correctly or not. "...How do you know that?"

"Sergeant Jason Quill." Steve now had a wide grin of his own. "I'll be damned. I knew there was something familiar about your face. Your grandfather was in the Howling Commandos with me for a time before he was reassigned to the 101st just before our final mission against HYDRA."

Star-Lord's jaw dropped, eyes wide with a thousand questions running through his head. "Wait… so his stories were true? All of them?! Like… really really?!"

"Depends on what he was exaggerating on." Tony commented.

Peter only laughed giddily. "Who cares?! It was all true! I can't believe it! Can I be your grandson? Or son? How 'bout brother?"

Amusing as this was, Cap figured he needed to pull the wool off Quill's eyes, needing to clear up the truth on a particular misconception.

"For the record, I've only been here in this galaxy for over a year and some change."

Peter paused in his chatter. "Huh?"

"Truth is, I've actually been frozen in the Arctic for about seventy years after the raid at the Switzerland Hydra base."

"...Then how-"

"Hydra base, portal shenanigans with the rest of my team here." Steve gestured to the others.

"...Really?"

"But hey, Cap still wound up in space." Sam quickly chimed in. "So… B plus?"

Quill perked up at that and gave him a satisfied nod.

"I'll take it."

Gamora then cleared her throat, making everyone turn to her.

"So what exactly is this all about?" The green warrior inquired on behalf of the Guardians and the Mandalorians.

"Something about a ceasefire?" Fennec Shand spoke up.

"Seems like something that's not in our wheelhouse." Wes Journ said aloud, speaking for the first time since introductions were made.

"Satine seemed adamant that we go." Fenn brought up. "But seriously, what is this Ceasefire? I heard it's between the Republic and the Separatists."

"It is." Widow answered.

"So why involve us?" Mantis inquired.

"Because it has to do with Ultron." Tony Stark revealed and the Guardians and Mandalorians all shifted in their demeanors.

"Guess that was missed in the memo for you to be here." Strange wryly observed.

"That's a rather large oversight." Matt commented.

"We were in the middle of a job, guys." Tobbi Dala airily reminded the others.

"What were ya doing?" Rhodey asked.

"Smuggling runs, mostly. Protection detail on some occasions. Managing our ever-growing organization. Taking out some up-and-coming criminal groups threatening our work along the way." Star-Lord revealed with a small shrug.

"Sounds exhausting." Tony noted.

"It sorta is now but we gotta do it." Fenn admitted. "The Republic and Sep's have their own thing in their sectors and we handle the rest with the Ravagers and Guardians."

The large group intermingled and began walking toward the Senate building where the conglomerate of people and factions would be meeting.

There were others coming in like Satine, who was conversing with Padme and Obi-Wan and Dooku along with several members of the Separatist Parliament.

Yet before any meeting was able to properly begin, for any of these groups to even converge…

*VVVVVVVVWHEEEE*

"What the hell is that?"

"An alarm."

No sooner was this said did everyone's comms explode with chatter, making everyone collectively wince or jolt.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Sam exclaimed. "Where is it all coming from?"

It didn't take long for a voice to pierce through the commotion, one of alarm, alert and terror.

"It's Ultron! He's attacking!"

"Where?"

"Everywhere!"

"...That guy's exaggerating, right?"

-Scene Cut-

The deployment was rushed, haphazard at best is what was described with everyone sent out at a moment's notice.

The army was spread thin while a small contingent stayed on Coruscant in case of anything. It took a few moments for them to try to figure out just where it was that Ultron was attacking "everywhere" but that was quite literally the case.

Almost every known sector was experiencing some kind of an attack, assault, skirmish, you name it.

Be it one ship or half a dozen, Ultron had unleashed his forces en masse.

It was almost too much to keep track of.

But after some rushed information gathering, many all picked up on several key areas where a large bulk of Ultron seemed to be attacking.

With assistance from Tap, Karen, and now Friday, they were able to coordinate where Ultron had staged the largest assault.

The first was the planet of Naboo, something that caused quite the amount of additional worry for Senator Padme, the woman practically turning white when she heard this. Chancellor Palpatine was "concerned" for his home planet, but was more annoyed with the present situation of another Ultron attack.

Next was Mandalore, one that enraged the Mandalorians, and they, along with the Guardians of the Galaxy all but rushed off as soon as they heard their homeworld was being attacked again. Satine was distressed, wanting to head back to her home planet but Mandalore Spar and Bo-Katan told her that she needed to stay. Even Obi-Wan wanted this but the Duchess was stubborn and outright refused to abandon her people.

And finally, Raxus Secundus, and there was a mixed reaction. The Separatist senators were irate and frightened upon hearing their capital was under attack, none more so, it seemed than Mina Bonteri. She let out a small scream of horror and immeasurable concern as her son was there.

Regardless of sentiments and feelings towards the Separatists, the Avengers came in and told them they needed to help them as well.

Soon, all 29 of their members were called upon and they had all assembled on Coruscant before being divided up into three groups and deployed to each major location Ultron was targeting.

Once all of them were here, each group was given a sorcerer, two in the case of the group being sent for Naboo.

The plan was clear.

Get to the planets as quickly as possible and first and foremost, protect the people and fight back against Ultron.

They had wanted to make portals from here to Coruscant but that would also leave the place open for Ultron drones to come through and possibly wreak havoc here. They didn't know if Coruscant would be attacked but having an avenue for them to do so was not something they could risk.

What they could do is find who they can and portal them to safety in one of the refuge areas of Coruscant.

Otherwise, the Avengers are going to have to deal with the agonizing, anxious wait of making their arrival via Star Destroyers.

Their Jedi allies and friends were quick to state that they would be joining them but Masters Plo and Yoda shot down that notion.

The Avengers would serve as the immediate counterattack to these three planets, the rest of the Jedi still needed to be leading their troops so they would have to wait to get there. This tore at the Jedi, especially those closest to them but they knew they were right.

Thus, the Avengers formed around the Sorcerers as they concentrated on each planet, having been shown their capitals and portals were formed.

For Naboo, the team was Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Falcon, Ant-Man, Wasp, Winter Soldier, Celeste Morne, Black Panther, Shuri and Wong. They would later be backed by the 501st and 327th from Anakin and Aayla.

Mandalore would have the deployment of Spider-Man, Daredevil, War Machine, She-Hulk, Mordo, Shang Chi, Katy Chen (who was terrified), and Ghost Rider. Obi-Wan, Plo Koon and Luminara's armies would be coming to their aid.

And lastly for Raxus Secundus, Iron Man would be leading Dr. Strange, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Thor, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Jessica Jones and White Tiger. Windu, Mundi and Kit Fisto will be coming with their armies.

"We all have our objectives." Were Cap's words to Earth's Mightiest Heroes. "We've fought him many times before and we're gonna beat him back. Watch each other's sixes, hold strong until backup arrives and remember, protect the people. They've already suffered enough."

"God… he really is that amazing." Danny Rand couldn't help but say with an awestruck expression.

"Alright, Danny, autographs later." Stark commented before the three groups stood in front of the portals swirling before them.

Everyone exchanged glances with one another, giving looks of assurance and confidence as they mentally prepped themselves for battle.

At the last second, Peter, Pietro and Steve caught sight of their lovers for a brief moment before they all charged in.

-Naboo-

Cap's group ran into what was the center of the capital city of Theed on Naboo.

And it was pandemonium.

Scott didn't even hesitate in turning big, smashing apart dozens upon dozens of Ultron drones in his growth.

Gi-Ant-Man started swinging, metal bodies being destroyed with scraps reigning from on high.

Wasp had taken to the skies, flying around the giant body of her boyfriend, firing off her enhanced stingers that shattered drones with every blast.

The Panther siblings worked off each other, swinging and flipping to cleave and bash the enemies left and right. Their suits had the buildup of kinetic energy that they released when they clapped their hands together, unleashing a powerful shockwave that shattered many Ultron Drones surrounding them.

"Well done, Shuri." T'Challa proudly said, his sister beaming at the praise beneath her helmet.

Bucky was firing his weapons while covering Celeste's blind spots.

From the air, Falcon was mowing down the drones with a hail of blaster fire with the occasional rockets and using his wings to cleave apart any that came near.

After being quickly portaled up to the rooftops, Clint was running and firing off arrows before having to club and swat the drones coming his way. Down on the street, Black Widow and Cap double-teamed clusters of Drones before razor-sharp winds from the Wand of Watoomb, courtesy of Wong, shredded apart a huge group of Drones that were about to attack them at the same time.

Steve gave the Sorcerer an appreciative smirk with Wong simply nodding at the captain before they resumed their battle.

"Cap." Hawkeye chimed in. "Got civilians all over the place and they're just gonna get in the way."

"Didn't you say you came here before?" Black Widow asked, jumping up to use the armor on her knees as a solid surface to bash an Ultron Drones head apart.

"That was a long time ago by now." Falcon said in the air, releasing a small grunt as he kicked a drone off Scott that was crawling up his back. "We may be all over the Holo-Net but doubt anyone we know would be here."

It was at that moment that they heard blaster fire close by followed by the sound of voices that were identical in every way.

Turning to where they were coming from, Captain America spotted a large contingent of Clone Troopers along with Naboo guards fighting ferociously against the invading enemy.

Rushing in, the Super Soldier helped clear a way to the troopers with several others following right behind.

"Sergeant Grit." Steve said, making the Clone Trooper turn and for a moment, it was clear the trooper didn't even believe who he was seeing.

"C-Captain Rogers?" The Clone Sergeant was stunned at who he was looking at.

"Captain Rogers?" Spoke another clone and Steve found himself grinning.

"Buck, good to see you too."

"How did you-"

"Not important." Steve interrupted, turning around at full force to swing his shield, smashing apart a drone that flew at them. "The team is here to help and hold down things until the Republic comes in with their fleets. Naboo is one of the main three planets under attack by Ultron right now. The rest of the galaxy is either getting small help or may have to fend for themselves until help could arrive."

Black Widow appeared, having changed into using her electrified tonfas and electrifying several Drones on the way.

"We can fight back against these tin cans but we gotta focus on keeping the people safe."

An older, more grizzled native of Naboo gave a look of relief and gratitude.

"Any and all help is appreciated in order to stay alive against these clankers." The man stated.

It took Steve a moment but he recognized the man. The eyepatch he possessed was a dead giveaway and he had seen him with Padme several times.

"Captain Typho, yes?"

The man was clearly surprised at hearing his name. "You remember me."

"You have something distinct." Steve remarked, thumbing his eye briefly before holding up his shield to block the incoming blaster fire from some passing drones. "It's been a while since we were last here, Captain, We're gonna need your help with the layout of the city. Where do you need help?"

Pulling out a small holo-transmitter, a hologram projection of Theed appeared and a dozen red dots quickly appeared. "Aside from everywhere, there are sectors…"

Once given instructions, the Avengers were spread out into groups to help the people of Theed in getting them to safety.

Wong, Hawkeye, Black Panther and Shuri were assisting the other clones in protecting the civilians and getting them to the bunkers.

Shuri stayed behind for the most part, having switched to her panther gauntlets and firing off shockwaves of built-up kinetic energy.

Above her was where Hawkeye perched himself, firing off arrow after arrow at drones from afar or any that slipped past their defenses.

Ahead of the pair were Panther and Wong.

The former was utilizing a brand new weapon, a glowing purple, dual-sided scythe made of pure energy of Vibranium, courtesy of the Prince's genius sister.

Wong was using his own weapon, the Wand of Watoomb in near constant rotation with his magic, bolstering his spells to either rip apart drones with razor-sharp winds or small domes of gust that kept the drones back as more civilians were being funneled into the bunker they were guarding.

These four served as a powerful moral boost for the Clone Troopers stationed on the planet as well as the Naboo and Gungan soldiers native to this world.

"How much longer before reinforcements arrive?" Clint asked.

"I wish I could tell you. Could be hours." T'Challa admitted, spinning about his Vibranium energy scythe on all sides to give him some space from the drones dogpiling him.

"They better show up sooner than later." Shuri muttered.

"Until then, we must hold." Black Panther firmly said.

Over with the others, Cap was with Widow, Bucky and Celeste, assisting Grit and Typho in leading the citizens of Theed to bunkers that had been built beneath the capital with Ant-Man, Wasp and Falcon doing the same.

They knew that it wasn't just Theed being attacked but the entire planet yet for now, all they could do was fight in the capital as that was where the most civilians were and where the core of the attack was based. The Republic fleet stationed here would have to fight on until reinforcements arrived.

-Mandalore-

Swinging around many of the buildings within the domed city, Spider-Man was bashing the enemy army with his many kicks and punches. The drones caved in rather quickly. Others were cleaved and destroyed in other ways, courtesy of Peter using Simby to form sharp weapons and tendrils.

This city was tailor-made for Peter's type of fighting style, allowing for multiple angles and avenues of attack while also helping the people of Mandalore.

It helped that the entire planet had an on hand army as Mandalorians along with Ravagers were flying about, combating the invading force.

War Machine was among the flyers, his suit having gone through a litany of upgrades courtesy of Tony and Shuri and he was using them to their full capacity. His shoulder mounted gun now had several modes, being the usual machine gun, blaster fire, grenade, concentrated beams, or straight-up lasers that could slice through anything.

Down below, streaks of flames with shattered or even melted metal were being made.

Riding on a commandeered and transformed speeder bike that looked like a hellish ride, Robbie Reyes AKA Ghost Rider was flying about at full speed, laughing maniacally at the metal massacre he was inflicting. The flames scorched many Ultron cannon fodder while they were airborne whilst he shot out pillars of flames, orbs, spears, the whole shebang and with his chain that had his axe attached at the end of it, he wreaked even more havoc on Ultron's forces.

On the ground, Daredevil and Mordo found a rather easy rhythm to fall into, the pair utilizing baton or staff-based combat, constantly shifting their weapons to suit their attack or situation, working like a well-oiled machine.

Matt launched his staff, one end wrapping around several drones that were held long enough for Mordo to whip the Staff of the Living Tribunal around, cleaving them all into pieces.

"MORDO!" A boisterous voice shouted, the Sorcerer turning to see She-Hulk running towards him.

"I need a fastball special!" She called out to him and Mordo actually grinned.

"Yes Ma'am." He enthusiastically said, instantly forming a portal just as she reached him.

She jumped through and a moment later, Mordo clapped his hands together and threw them both out a second later. Dozens of portals appeared all around them. Using them to help sever some passing drones while letting She-Hulk leap in to quickly smash the enemies before going into another before she simply opted to dive, becoming a green blur that kept going from one portal to the other, smashing into drones at such force, they almost turned to dust at the power behind each divebomb.

It ended when She-Hulk landed on her knee, the impact causing a crater to form and some debris to kick up.

"YOOOOOOO~~~" Spider-Man exclaimed, swinging by to land on the wall of a nearby building. "That was one of the craziest things I've ever seen!"

"You Avengers really are something special." Dax Ordo exclaimed, uproariously laughing at what he just witnessed, many other Mandalorians being shell shocked by what they had just watched.

"Hey, it's my debut in this galaxy." She-Hulk confidently said, flicking her hair back. "I gotta make it memorable."

"I'm fairly certain you accomplished that, Jen." Matt good-naturedly said.

Amongst the chaos, other Guardians of the Galaxy and their Mandalorian friends had returned. They were certainly surprised to see the Avengers already there but Earth's Mightiest Heroes in turn asked just how they got back so fast from Coruscant.

The only answer they received was something Rocket did, mentioning something about tampering with the hyperdrive and making it "jump" faster, whatever that meant.

Regardless, they quickly joined the battle, flying about and shooting down the drones with the assistance of some occasional Avenger passing by.

Shang-Chi whirled about, destroying the Ultron forces with his Ten Rings. Nearby was his old friend who was giving him some cover fire.

"Stay close, Katy."

"Like I'm going anywhere away from you, Shaun." Said his friend, firing several shots in the process.

Some Mandalorian fighters swooped in and covered the pair before they were forced to move from their previous placement.

"We'll handle this section." Axe Woves said to the two Avengers. "We could use help getting our people to safety in the southern sector.

"You got it, sir." Said Katy.

Shawn said nothing, flipping off the rooftop and landing to the ground below. From her spot, Katy gave a bland look.

"Show off."

"Need help?" Koska Reeves offered, the archer nodding.

"Yes, please."

-Raxus Secundus-

Speeding through the city, Pietro was bashing and shoving the drones before doubling back to get many civilians to safety.

Flying around the city at breakneck speeds, Iron Man was shredding apart drones, using the entire arsenal of his suit or simply being a battering ram at times, swooping in on occasion to help some civilians before rocketing off at full speed.

Dr. Strange had teamed up with Wanda, the pair unleashing all their magical prowess, destroying any and all opposition within their sight whilst also rescuing the people of the city, taking or teleporting them away.

Luke, Jessica and Danny formed their own team, sometimes flying and throwing Luke and Danny around for maximum damage to the drones.

"Was this ever in the brochure?" Iron Fist asked, both his fists glowing with chi, each punch turning the drones to dust.

"What brochure?" Jessica asked, using a rock pillar as a weapon to swat drones away.

"The Avengers one." Rand said in a "duh" fashion.

"Pretty sure it was at the back." Luke Cage commented, grunting at the energy bolts that struck his body, destroying the drone that landed that hit on him in retaliation. "We were gonna be in space sooner or later once we joined the team. It's just we're in the worst time of the season. Let's come back later when it's better."

"As if it will." Jones drably said, casually flicking a drone's head off.

White Tiger fought alongside Vision, the pair unleashing their long-range attacks on the army of Ultrons, the wrestler conjuring jade, translucent tigers that ran about, tearing drones apart and the synthetic Avenger utilizing his beam to decimate the army of his creator.

At a square of Raxus' capital, Lux Bonteri was assisting the local military in fending against Ultron's forces. And he wasn't alone.

Fighting with him was Steela and Saw Gerrera along with a dozen other Onderonians that he had become close friends with after their time on Onderon.

Once the battle for the planet had ended, Lux stayed there for a time until he was called back by his angry mother but he didn't come alone.

He wished to bring his new friends to his home for a time to relax after such a hard-fought battle. They never would have thought they'd be caught up in another one.

"Is this your idea of a date?" Steela asked, firing her blaster rifle beside him.

Lux paused for a moment to shoot her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, Steela. I was hoping to take you on this lovely hill that overlooks the city."

"Oi, you two." Saw called out to them, using his rifle to bash in the head of a drone. "Focus on survival. Flirt later."

Before either could respond to the more abrasive Gerrera sibling, there was a hum in the air that made everyone freeze for a moment.

Lux, Steela, Saw and many others heard the crackling of thunder in the air, having them momentarily look up to see one of the most stunning sights they had ever laid eyes on.

In the skies above, a swirling dark cloud had formed, thunder and lightning crackling and arching around the swirling mass and at the center of it all was one man.

Not just any man.

A God of Thunder.

Thor held Mjolnir aloft, thunder exploding out from it, going into the clouds before the God swung down his hammer with all his might.

A rain of thunder and lightning came down upon the city.

The arks of electricity struck hundreds, if not thousands of drones thanks to the electricity arching out to any nearby that had been struck by Thor's attack.

"By the Force." Lux muttered in utter disbelief.

He has been witness to some of the Avengers' astonishing powers and abilities, fought alongside three of them and in their efforts, helped liberate Onderon.

But this?

This was something else.

"I… have no words." Saw murmured, equally as shocked as Bonteri was, his sister sharing a similar reaction.

-Naboo-

The battle raged on in the once pristine and lush world, the Avengers, stationed Republic fleet and Naboo army fighting will all their might to repel the army of Drones.

After what felt like forever, reinforcements arrived. The Jedi and additional clone troopers came flying in on their transports and were quickly deposited onto the planet's surface.

Anakin was pretty much the first to touch its soil as he was quick in commanding other members of the 501st into action. Ahsoka went on ahead with a few other clones when heading towards the nearest bunkers to check on the civilians.

The present members of Domino Squad began mowing down the drones as they were assisting the evacuees. When the last one got into the one bunker, they went all out.

Aayla Secura and the 327th landed moments later, Aayla immediately assigned her three ARC troopers their own battalions, assigning Lucky to focus on getting civilians to safety, Cameron to safeguard bunkers and other safe points and for Flash to stay with her and Bly to be a mobile force, assisting everywhere they can.

Rex had assigned Jesse, Hardcase and Kix along with their unit to help Cameron in tending some of the wounded. Lucky was working through his namesakes in getting out of some tough predicaments.

Anakin, Ahsoka and Captain Rex fought viciously, the 501st living up to the reputation they had garnered during the war as one of, if not, the greatest clone trooper legion of the GAR.

"Sky Guy!"

From above, Falcon flew by, landing into a run next to the two Jedi and Clone Captain.

"Weren't you just in the sky, birdman?" Anakin rhetorically asked, throwing out his hand to unleash a Force Push on some drones.

"Oh ha ha."

"What's the situation, Sam?" Rex asked, firing his DC-17 blaster pistols at any Ultron Drone that was within his sights.

"We're holding things down but they just keep on coming." Sam answered, extending his wings to jump and slice several drones in half that flew by from above. "Honestly, we believe we've gotten a good chunk of the civilians to safety but this attack isn't limited to Theed. We got reports the Gungan capital is under attack and the rest of the planet."

"Aayla and I have deployed reinforcements across Naboo." Anakin revealed. "We're countering on all fronts but yeah, there's a lot of these bastards."

"We're spread thin as it is. Would take hours to clean to clear them out." Ahsoka mentioned.

"Will take a miracle to have it done sooner."

Elsewhere in Theed, Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Wong, Shuri, Black Panther, Bucky, Celeste, Ant-Man and Wasp were a united front, pushing back the near endless wave of Ultron drones.

By this point, they had managed to secure half the city with Clones and Naboo guards fortifying the bunkers and safe points where the civilians they had saved were while the rest of the Avengers went on the offensive.

They had instructed the garrisons to stay back and keep the people of the capital safe, only bordering the areas deemed the safest to get more civilians who get to them to safety.

Now that the 501st and 327th had arrived, ground troops on top of more air support came in with multiple Arc-Wings, V-19s, Y-Wings, V-Wings and Z-starfighters flying about, unleashing hell on the drones and the starfighters from multiple factions that Ultron had taken into his own navy.

Steve had thrown his shield, the Vibranium disk bouncing around, tearing apart any drone in its path before it ended up in the hands of Clint who proceeded to throw it a moment later, continuing its path of destruction. It soon arrived where T'Challa was fighting, the prince jumping into a corkscrew to grab the shield out of the air and redirect it into the next line of unfortunate Ultron Drones.

It continued when Shuri appeared, caught Rogers' shield and threw it, though it was a bit crooked in her execution.

"Don't judge me!" She shouted, seeing her throw.

"We didn't say anything." Clint shot back.

Wong was up next, using several portals to build up momentum for the shield, flinging it back for more drones to be taken down in the process.

After taking out dozens of drones, Bucky was now up to bat, catching the shield with his metal arm, using it to shatter several more clankers before throwing it to where his lover was fighting.

She threw her hand out, firing a sigil from her left hand whilst her right held her lightsaber.

The sigil landed on the center of the shield, glowing as the spell took effect. The shield began flying around the Jedi Sorceress like a whirlwind, cutting apart drones that were close to her vicinity until the sigil wore off, launching the shield away.

It was then seemingly struck by an unseen force, its angle shifting and then again, the shrunken pair of Ant-Man and Wasp using the shield like a tennis ball, constantly moving to keep up with it before Black Widow appeared, grabbing the shield out of the air.

She held it up in front of her, smashing into several drones, using the last one to perform a flip to bash the shield into another Ultrons chest, pulling it off and throwing it to bounce off the ground and it returned to the hand of Steve Rogers who used it again to cut through another drone.

"Save some for us, Captain!" Yelled a clone from behind.

The Avengers turned to see the combined forces of Aayla, Anakin, and Ahsoka with men from the 501st and 327th rushing to their aid.

With them was Falcon, back in the air, being joined by several Clone starfighters.

"Well it's about time." Natasha called out to them.

"Hey, not all of us are lucky to portal our way around the galaxy." Anakin argued.

"Echo will soon be able to." Ahsoka idly mentioned.

"Lucky bastard." Fives, Cutup and Hevy all grumbled.

Aayla had rushed in with a spinning slice of her lightsabers, landing right next to Steve, the two lovers locking eyes.

"I'm sorry I took so long." She softly said, Roger's only smiling at her in response.

"You're here and that's all that matters to me."

"Force me, I love you."

"I love you too."

"Alright you two, save it for later." Sam said, zipping by them to ram his wings into more enemies.

Despite the battle, Aayla found herself flustered at being caught in such a small display of affection whilst Steve felt a bit sheepish and embarrassed.

Regardless, they shook off the feeling and focused more on saving the lives of this planet.

-Mandalore-

From the docks, Obi-Wan saw the chaos unfolding upon the capital of the domed city of Mandalore. Beside him were Luminara and Barriss, the former being the first to spot Rhodey flying in.

"Glad you guys finally showed." War Machine says, hovering above the two Jedi Masters and Padawan. "You were missing out on the fun."

"We can see there's plenty more to go around." Kenobi wryly said, seeing he battle raging on with Ravagers, Mandalorians and Guardians flying about.

"How bad is it?" Asks Barriss.

"Like how it went on the talks here a while ago." Rhodey responds with. "Except it's worse."

"Lovely." Obi-Wan muttered gravely.

"Let's not waste any more time." Said Luminara. "Master Koon already went on ahead with the others."

"Agreed."

"Barriss." Unduli turned to her Padawan with a serious gaze. "Work on getting civilians to safety. I do believe you've mentioned how Peter is quite adamant about the protection of the innocent."

"He is, Master." Barriss said, her heart swelling at being able to fight alongside her lover. She only wished Ahsoka was here as well.

"Then the two of you can work on getting more people to safety." Obi-Wan said, turning back to the Commander of the 212th standing behind them with Commander Gree. "Cody, divide up the men in two groups, offense and defense."

"Do the same, Gree." Luminara tacked on.

"Yes sir!" Both Commanders responded in turn.

A moment later, multiple LAAT gunships being escorted by Mandalorian and Ravager starfighters arrived with the gray markings of the 104th being easily identified by the Jedi and Clones.

"Obi-Wan. Luminara."

Both Jedi Masters turned to see Daredevil arrive in a swing from his billy stick that served as his means of getting up to their elevated level, landing in a roll.

"Matt." Kenobi greeted. "What's the situation?"

Daredevil tilted his head for a moment, wincing as he focused on tuning out the chaos of the battle around him.

"The Mandalorians are holding strong but Ultrons forces keep swarming in. We've gotten most of the civilian population to safety but there are still many out there that need help."

"Has there been any means of locating Ultron himself in all this?" Unduli asked. "This is quite the attack, is it not?"

"Don't forget, Luminara, Ultron doesn't need to be present for these battles." Murdock pointed out, ducking his head down in time just as an Ultron drone attempted to tackle him from behind.

Obi-Wan instantly whipped out his lightsaber and sliced it in two.

"Quite rude. Interrupting a conversation, such as this." Japed the human Jedi.

"Is it possible Ultron is present here at all?" The Mirialan master inquired.

"Likely and unlikely. Don't forget, he's everywhere. If anything, he'd do something similar as before and steal Beskar among any other resources."

"I was wondering about that as well." Kenobi grimly said. "Have the Mandalorians made the needed measures to keep their armor safe."

"They more than likely have but it won't matter if they can't keep Ultron back."

"We'll just have to find out once this is over."

*BOOOM*

The three of them all turned to see the top of a building erupt into a small explosion.

"Gentlemen, I do believe we've spent enough time here." Luminara calmly said, igniting her lightsaber.

"Agreed."

Further into the city, Barriss had linked up with Sinker and Boost as they got separated from a number of their comrades. In the distance, they could see Plo Koon working with Wolffe and Comet, being joined by Fennec Shand, Sugi, Gamora and Tobbi Dala. In the general sense, they were still trying to locate any and all civilians as their top priority.

Her purple lightsaber was cleaving through several drones when a blast sent her away from the clones beside her. As Padawan Offee plummeted to some levels below, she was quickly caught by the symbiote-wearing wall-crawler as he swung about.

"Hey, Barriss." Peter said cheekily. "You fall around here often?"

"Only for you, love." Says the Mirialan padawan, pecking his cheek.

Back at the one platform, Sinker and Boost saw Spider-Man saving Barriss, relieving them of some worry before they focused back on the matter at hand.

On one of the lower levels of the city, one archer was running as fast as her legs could carry her.

In her arms, a little girl with an injured leg that made it difficult for her to walk.

Katy's expression was one of fear yet her eyes were resolute in getting this child to safety. For her, as the battle wore on, the new Avenger felt her senses start to overload.

"Just save one person at a time." She mutters to herself. "One is all that matters."

That was one of the first lessons Clint imparted to her once she officially joined Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Since joining and even at this very moment, Katy had questioned her placement amongst the team, finding it frankly bizarre and feeling that she was unworthy of such an honor.

These people have been saving the planet and now a literal galaxy from evil.

What was a valet driver from San Fran supposed to contribute to these amazing people?

Her best friend was a secret martial arts master who was the heir to one of the oldest criminal organizations in the world. And now he had those crazy Ten Rings on top of his already amazing skill.

Compared to her who was… what? What was so special about her?

Clint had noticed her demeanor and pulled her aside to give her some much-needed advice.

"You're going about this the wrong way, Katy." She could hear his words echoing in her mind. "You need to remember just who the Avengers are and where we all come from. Spies, super soldiers, lost billionaires to simple kids on the street just wanting to do the right thing. It all starts with one."

"One what?"

"One. One person. You start by saving one person. Things don't immediately fall into place but just having that first step, saving that first person is the start to it."

Katy was doing her hardest to make that happen. But it was so damn difficult with Ultron's forces causing all sorts of debris trying to crush her and the little girl. She found her crawling out of a wrecked center of some kind and without even realizing it, her body had moved to scoop the child up and was now on the run.

She soon spotted a contingent of Mandalorians protecting and guiding civilians and made herself speed up.

"Hey!" She called out to them, getting the attention of a few of them.

The Mando's that saw her instantly broke off to get to her but Ultron Drones came in, killing several.

"WAH!" Katy screeched to a halt, spinning around and getting into a crouch, using her own body to protect the young girl in her arms.

Yet no Ultron drone reached her as a combined attack from two chained, glowing weapons swatted them all away.

Katy peaked one eye open, looking around for a moment, lifting her head up and letting out a relieved sigh.

Shaun and Mordo had arrived to even the odds, now devastating the drones.

"Katy." Her best friend came up to her.

"Hey Shaun." She weakly greeted, briefly looking at the young girl in her arms. "You ok?"

The girl quietly nodded, clinging onto Chen with all her might. Now that she got a proper look at the girl's face, Katy noticed three striped markings on both of the girl's cheeks. She didn't look any older than nine.

"Sintas!" Cried out a woman's voice.

Both Katy and Shaun turned to see an older Kiffar woman rushing to them, decked in Mandalorian armor minus the helmet.

"Mommy!" The now-identified girl exclaimed and without missing a beat, Katy handed the girl over to her mother, the pair hugging each other, both nearly crying tears of joy in their reunion.

Katy stared at the scene and felt a swell in her chest that she couldn't quite describe but… it felt good. Really damn good.

Shang abruptly bumped her shoulder with his and the proud smile she saw on him made one of her own appear, blushing as she realized what she had just done.

"Thank you." Said the mother, actually making Katy jolt a bit. "I don't know how I can repay you."

"Thank us by getting to safety." Shang-Chi said in his friend's stead.

The Mandalorian mother nodded, using her jetpack soon after with her daughter in her arms to fly off to safety.

The San Fran pair saw that Mordo was using a portal to shepherd more civilians to safety all while the battle raged on.

They heard more movement from above and many heads turned to see another swarm of Ultron Drones coming down upon them.

"God dammit, they just don't stop!" Shang Chi growled out, getting into a fighting stance with his Ten Rings emanating their orange hue.

Yet before anyone, Avenger or Mandalorian were able to counterattack the oncoming wave, something truly shocking came from one of the Mandalorian foundries that happened to be close by.

Several dozen mechanized mounts with blaster barrels for faces came charging out, all being ridden by Mandalorians with Fenn Shysa and Spar leading the charge. They began to mow down the Ultron drones, one way or another, be it by blaster fire or simply charging through them.

It was a spectacular sight for the two San Fran residents.

"What in the hell are those things?!" Shang Chi asked in awe.

"Basilisk war droids." Spar proudly proclaimed, patting his own that he rode. "We had been working on them for a long time but at long last, we have managed to build them back up with more on the way."

"Those look awesome!" Squealed Katy. "Can I have one?"

"Katy!"

"What? You got to ride the guardian dragon of Ta Lo. Why can't I ride one of those?"

"Because you're you and I've seen how you drive."

"Oh Puh-lease Shaun, my driving skills are exactly what we need right now."

Elsewhere, Rhodey was blasting down wave after wave of Ultron's army from the sky.

He had seen a line of fire going off in the distance, the sound of hellish, fiery laughter following after it and the Colonel couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for all the drones that were being eradicated at this very moment by the spirit of Vengeance.

In his periphery, Rhodey spotted Star-Lord flying about with that murder-happy droid that kept on whining about how these drones just weren't "meatbags" and it just wasn't the same. Then that talking Raccoon promised to get a job that would satiate that droid's bloodlust.

Jesus, these "Guardians of the Galaxy" were an interesting lot to be sure.

It was then that he saw something, or rather, someone make an appearance that made War Machine freeze up.

His arrival was a violent one, appearing suddenly and quickly, swatting away the three Guardians in rapid succession before the sadistic eyes beneath the helmet he wore locked onto the Avenger.

"Oh you gotta be fucking kidding me!"

"Hello there, meat."

Without even thinking, War Machine rocketed forward, colliding in midair with his old adversary Durge, the pair immediately devolving into a vicious brawl.

"Why are you here!?" Rhodes demanded with rage coursing through him as he ripped off one of Durge's arms only for it to quickly reattach itself.

"A contract. And a promise."

It didn't take long for Rhodey to assume the worst. "From Ultron?!"

"He's paid a mighty sum, in more ways than you can imagine. After all, all he needed to tell me was he was going to attack Mandalore. And now, you and all these Mandalorians are here for me to kill."

"Yeah, we'll see about that you Fuck!" War Machine bellowed in the face of his old adversary.

Before long, they crashed into a building where several explosions went off not long after.

-Raxus Secundus-

Count Dooku oversaw the deployment of his acolytes as they went to take care of Ultron's forces on the capital of Separatist space. It was surreal for him to see them fight alongside the Avengers and a number of Jedi and clones, who had arrived not too long ago now.

With their presence here, he had to strictly order them to not fight their temporary allies. Some complied easily, others grudgingly had to.

They knew that both Dooku and his master basically ordered them to work with the Order and enemies they had been fighting against for so long. Such grievances were not so easily stemmed.

In that instance, Dooku was rather glad that Grievous was no longer among the ranks of the Separatists.

He wouldn't have complied with such an order no matter how hard the Count pressed it on him. His hatred ran too deep.

Still, just thinking about the droid general, or former droid general by now, made Dooku question just where he disappeared to.

But those thoughts would have to be dwelled upon at a later date and time.

Right now, Dooku had to do his duty as the head of the Separatist Parliament and fight off the invasion of Ultron.

Overhead, he heard the crack of thunder and once more, Dooku found himself marveling in awe and fear at the power he was witnessing from one of the most powerful beings he had ever laid eyes on.

Thor was a sight to behold, decimating thousands upon thousands of the seemingly endless swarms of drones that kept coming down from on high.

His feats make his and Sidious' usage of Sith Lightning pale in comparison.

And that was just Thor.

Rather than just from a recording or from afar, Dooku bore witness to the Avengers' powers on full display. And to think that there were only nine on Raxus at this time.

And the nine that were here were truly something special.

Iron Man was flying all over the city, saving people whilst taking out literal battalions of Ultron Drones in rapid succession.

The Maximoff twins were decimating the drones like they were nothing and at the same time, also made sure to save people.

Then there was that Sorcerer, Dr. Strange. The man's magical prowess blew any type of Sith Sorcery out of the water or cosmos perhaps.

Even the ones that at first seemed unimpressive were fighting on a level that most Sith Masters would envy.

The man called Luke Cage was walking through blaster fire, his skin practically impervious to them and he had the super strength to back it all up. His companion and friend, Iron Fist, utilized glowing fists that turned each drone it struck into scrapped metal.

Jessica Jones, a woman as crass and as rude as they come, was proving to be just as effective a fighter as the rest of her teammates, having super strength matched with her ability to fly. This was shown at one point when she leapt and flew through the air to take down a few airborne fighters.

And lastly there was White Tiger who kept summoning literal jade tigers that served as his small army while still proving to be just as effective a fighter in hand to hand as the rest of his team.

Clone troopers assist the local authorities in keeping the civilians protected.

Amongst them were several Jedi he hadn't seen since his departure from the Order.

As he cleaved and stabbed through several Ultron adversaries, his red lightsaber suddenly clashed with a purple one before backing away.

The former Jedi turned to see someone he honestly would never have thought to ever fight by his side ever again.

"Dooku."

"Windu."

The two former colleagues stared at each other as their lightsabers were ignited. A tense atmosphere around them was ever heightened with what was presently occurring.

"Strange feeling of us fighting side by side again." The Jedi Master admitted, holding his violet saber up.

"Like times of old."

Before either knew it, they worked together to fend off the synthetic enemy plaguing the galaxy.

From Naboo, to Mandalore to Raxus, the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Mandalorians, the Sith Acolytes and their Master, the Jedi, the Clones and the people of the Republic and Separatists fought tooth and nail against Ultron's army.

On Naboo, they were finally beginning to route the remainder of Ultron's forces from Theed and were beginning to get to the rest of the planet that was still under siege. They didn't get off without some injuries, Shuri having been caught in an explosion that sent her flying and getting a concussion and Bucky had been knocked out, taking a blow that was aimed for Celeste. Yet they fought on.

On Mandalore, She Hulk had linked up with the 212th, having been joined by Ghost Rider, Gamora, Mantis, Groot, Fenn, Dax and Boba in pushing the drones out of the southern section of the city.

Spider-Man was covering Barriss as she was attempting to heal some civilians. He was struggling and was losing ground, grunting along the way. His frustrations grew ever more as it became rather noticeable as he suddenly acted more angry and rageful, courtesy of Simby. The symbiote didn't want to utilize its more aggressive tendencies but it saw that those less than savory parts of him were needed to help his host and one of his mates. He wasn't about to let either of them die.

War Machine was fighting with a savageness he didn't know he had against Durge, the Gen'Dai being dead set on killing the Avenger. But the hero wasn't alone as Drax of all people stumbled into their fight and quickly moved to join the Avenger against Durge.

Daredevil, Shang Chi, Katy, Mordo, Plo, Obi-Wan, Luminara and the Clone army along with Star Lord, Sugi, Rocket, Spar, Koska, Bo-Katan and many other Mandalorians were doing their best to keep everyone else alive.

The fights were an ever-present stalemate. None losing or gaining ground. Hard to truly tell, given Ultron's numbers.

Back on Raxus Secundus, the Iron Avenger finished blowing up some Ultron war machine attempting to bulldoze the Parliament building. Thoughts crossed his mind as he surveyed the vicinity soon after.

"Something feels wrong about all this." Iron Man abruptly said, flying next to Vision and Thor.

"What?" The latter said.

"This, all of this." Tony gestured to the mayhem that was still ongoing. "What the hell is this supposed to be? Ultron already did this, right? Cap and the others told us how he had his opening party similar to something like this. Several times over, in fact."

Vision contemplated on this, his mind whirring with activity. The battle, the planets… how spread out it all was despite appearing to be concentrated.

Thinking it over some more, Vision remembered the latest "innovation" Ultron had achieved. His horrifying method of converting living organisms into his twisted "vision" of "evolution". He hadn't seen any of that on display here.

Either he missed it in all this madness or Ultron wasn't utilizing it.

Regardless, the answer became clear not long after.

"This is all a distraction." Vision said aloud, making Iron Man grimace beneath his helmet and Thor momentarily halting in his attack.

"If so, what is Ultron distracting us from?"

It appeared the universe itself was listening in on their conversation as a new distress call was delivered. One that was sent to every single available comm, given the nature of its emergency. One that caused every single Clone to stop their fighting, hearing a message that caused the troopers of the grand army of the Republic and every Jedi and Avenger.

"This is Shaak Ti of the Jedi Order, Ultron is attacking Kamino. I repeat; Ultron is attacking Kamino!"

AN

And we're back, ladies and gentlemen, back with the final arc of season 3.

Ultron Imperative.

And aren't we just the worst in coming back only to leave you all with a cliffhanger? In the words of Bugs Bunny: Ain't we just a stinker?

Now originally, I had said and figure the chapter to be way, way longer but then Jeb made the right choice in cutting it off sooner than later. We would've been stuck here for far longer and we've already been away from this story for over a month. Needed to cool our engines, build up anticipation to the chapter. Worked on some of our other stuff, got to finally update some of our Kingdom Hearts stories from Jeb and we're in the process of just… I guess figuring out what to do next. This arc has been outlined and ready so really will be a matter of time when it all comes out, signaling the end of season 3 and at last, Season 4.

So… quick rattle off of a few things.

Secret Wars… disappointing, drab and just… bleh. Like, seriously, I didn't even watch it past episode 3. And Jeb and Bullet basically confirmed that the series ended on a low note. Not that it could get any lower.

We had Skrull plans, sorta, nothing major but they were there. But now, just… we really don't care about them all that much. I mean, they will still have a presence in the story but at the end of the day, we really don't give a shit about them and Secret Invasion did nothing for us.

We're waiting on Ahsoka to get a boost for a certain Mandalorian crossover we've spoken about in the past.

Thanks to one of the OG youtubers, one of the guys that just gets heroes better than the dipshits in charge of the films and comics right now, Itsjustsomerandomguy for that interaction between Steve and Star-Lord.

Lot happened in this chapter but then again, we are dealing with the end of Season 3. So much could have been added but again, we would've been pushing it to 30k words. And that… can be saved for another time. Done it before, much to our headaches. Too much creativity between the three of us.

For now, just happy that we're back.

Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.