Author's note:

Hello everyone! Here is the next chapter for Earth's Mightiest Huntsmen. But first, it's time to answer a few reviews.

SuperSaiyanFever: Yes, you should be very, very afraid of what Rocket can do with Yang's weapons. While it won't be in this chapter, it will be coming.

Blackmetalzane22: Designing new outfits for the characters is certainly going to be a struggle for me, as I'm not the best at designing outfits. But I definitely did want to keep Yang's iconic jacket around.

Cbrandes17: Out of all the arcs I planned out early on when I first started developing this story, this arc was among one of my favorites to plan out, mostly because of just how fun the Guardians of the Galaxy can be.

Noire12: It would indeed be a big twist. Unfortunately, due to the dozens of characters with powerful mental abilities running around Marvel, it would be really hard to justify a permanent memory loss. But I will say that it will be an uphill battle for Yang to regain all her memories.

Thank you all for your continued support. Now, let's get back to the story.

Starlin's Bar—October 13 (Earth Time)

"Is someone going to explain to me what that was all about?" Yang asked.

"Who is this?" Star-Lord asked Yondu.

"Her name is Yang," Yondu explained. "She's the one I told you about in my message."

"I never heard that message."

"Quill…"

"I have been busy lately chasing down these rogue Nova Corp officers before they endanger more innocent lives."

Yondu nodded. "This girl showed up roughly three weeks ago, with no memory of who she was or where she came from. I hired her to work here and keep the troublemakers out."

"And what exactly did you want us to do? Find her home?"

"Yes. We find her home, maybe her people can help her get her memories back."

"That's not at the top of my priority list right now, Yondu," Star-Lord told him. "Especially now, with Titus and his crew on the loose."

"And I'm not saying you have to go now. I'm only asking you to do it once you have time—"

Yang let out a sharp whistle. "Excuse me!" she shouted. "I still want to know what the hell is going on!"

"What's going on is that Yondu's coming with me," Star-Lord told her. He looked back at him. "You and I both know Titus will be back unless he gets what he wants, probably with a few Chitauri soldiers next time along with his crew. You're better off with us, if only to keep innocent people safe."

"I agree," Yondu said. "But I request that we take Miss Xiao Long with us. She's a part of this now."

"Fine. The Milano is docked at Landing Point Three. I'll see you there." Star-Lord turned around and started for the door, pausing slightly in the doorway. "Watch yourself, Yondu. Titus could still be around, waiting for the right moment to strike." And then he was gone.

"What the hell was that all about?" Yang asked.

"I'll explain on the way," Yondu told her, going back to the counter. He reached down and opened a latch that revealed a secret compartment in the floor. In that compartment, he pulled out a bow and a quiver filled with more of his arrows.

"I thought I had seen the last of these," he said quietly, tracing the bow lightly. "But it seems fate has forced me to become a warrior once more." He looked back to Yang. "Get your things. We're leaving."

"Leaving? Where are we going?" Yang asked.

Yondu stood up and slung the bow and the quiver over his back. "To save the galaxy."

Landing Point Three, Knowhere—October 13th (Earth Time)

Yang had never been to the spaceport before, but she found it quite loud. Even more people were milling about, only this time it was combined with the roar of multiple starships taking off or landing. She stayed close to Yondu's side, keeping an eye out for Titus and his men. What Star-Lord had said was true; Titus wanted something from Yondu, and he wasn't going to give up without a fight.

"So, who exactly are these Guardians of the Galaxy?" she asked him.

"They're a team of…well, the closest term to describe them would be mercenaries," Yondu explained. "Many of them joined forces during the Annihilation War, and just stuck together in the aftermath to protect the galaxy from other potential rising threats. The galaxy would be a much more dangerous place without them."

"Isn't it still a really dangerous place though?" Yang asked.

Yondu smiled slightly. "It is. But there would be far more evil warlords out there without the Guardians. A lot of dangerous people tried to take power in the chaos that remained after the Annihilation War. They stopped them."

"Are they…all like Star-Lord?"

Yondu's smile got bigger. "You'll see. Ah, there it is."

The Milano was parked on the far side of the spaceport. It was a sleek, medium sized ship colored blue and orange, with the wings curved back slightly. Outside of the ship was a man in a Nova Corp uniform. However, Yang could tell that this man was different from both the traditional Nova Corp officers and the ones that had been with Titus. She could almost feel the power radiating off him as they approached.

When he saw them, the man smiled. "Yondu Udonta," he greeted, reaching out and shaking Yondu's hand. "How's retirement treating you?"

"Peace and quiet's a nice life, Richard," Yondu answered. "Though it gets a little loud when the past comes back."

"So I've heard." Richard then held his hand out to Yang. "Richard Rider. You can call me Nova if you'd like. I've heard a lot about you, miss."

"I thought Star-Lord didn't listen to Yondu's message," Yang noted, shaking Richard's hand.

He smiled. "He didn't. But I did. I'm sure that once we deal with Titus and his crew, he'll be more than happy to help find your home, or perhaps find someone that can restore your lost memories."

"I hope so," Yang agreed. "Not knowing who I am is really starting to get annoying."

Another figure descended from the ship's ramp. This one was a man completely covered in black, with a thin image of a spider carved in white on his chest. "We're about ready to take off, Rich," he announced.

"Copy, Flash," Richard answered. He motioned for Yondu and Yang to follow. "Come aboard. We're leaving."

Yang moved to follow him up the ramp when she turned around to get one last look at Knowhere's spaceport. As she did, she happened to see the crowd part slightly. Within that crowd was a dark-haired girl with silver eyes wearing a red cloak. She seemed to be staring directly at Yang.

Yang blinked, at in that instant, the girl was gone.

When Yang followed the man up into the ship, they passed through what appeared to be a cargo bay. Sitting on top of one of the crates was what appeared to be a raccoon. What was even stranger was that he was working on a large blaster.

"Who's the girl, Rider?" the raccoon asked.

Yang startled slightly at his words—mostly from the fact that the raccoon was talking. "The raccoon talks?" she asked.

The raccoon dropped down on his hind legs, standing straight up and looking directly up at Yang, not looking the least bit intimidated despite her being several times taller than him. "What'd you just call me?" he demanded to know.

"Uh…a raccoon?" Yang responded.

He shook a fist in her face. "I aint a flarcking raccoon!"

"Rocket, calm down," Richard said gently. "Not everyone is going to instantly know you're not a raccoon."

Rocket hopped back on his crate, going back to examining his rifle while muttering curses under his breath.

"Is he…always like that?" Yang asked.

"Who, Rocket?" Richard chuckled. "You get used to him. But if you ever need weapon upgrades or want to blow up small moons, Rocket's your guy."

"Why would I want to blow up a moon?"

"No one really knows. But Rocket has the hardware to do it…supposedly."

Suddenly, the ship began to shake as the engines hummed to life. "Attention, everyone," Star-Lord announced. "We're leaving Knowhere. Everyone report to the Ready Room for a status update."

"Right then." Rocket hopped down from his crate. "Maybe I'll get to finally shoot something."

Yang followed Richard and Rocket through the ship into what was evidently the Readdy Room, Yondu close behind them. When they got there, Yang saw three more new faces, each one even stranger than the last. Two of the aliens, a man and a woman, both had green skin, with the man also having red tattoos over his body. He was busy sharpening a pair of knives, while the woman leaned against the wall, a massive sword strapped to her back.

The last new face in there was essentially a giant tree with arms and legs. As Yang entered, the tree bent over and peered at her curiously. "I am Groot?" he asked.

"No, Groot, she's not a new member," Rocket told the tree. "She's just here with Yondu."

"I am Groot."

"How would I know if she can fight or not!"

"I am Groot."

Yang tapped the universal translator in her ear. "Is my translator malfunctioning?"

"That's how he talks," Richard explains. "You catch on eventually what Groot's saying once you've been around him a while."

Star-Lord soon entered the ready room, his helmet unfolding to reveal a young man's face. "Listen up, Guardians," he announced, "Titus was on Knowhere. As you all know, he went after our friend and ally, Yondu Udonta, for information he knows." He nodded towards Yondu. "Yondu, would you like to explain to everyone what Titus is after?"

Yondu stepped forward. "Titus and his crew are searching for the Sun Shredder."

The looks on the faces of the Guardians (at least the ones whose faces were visible) turned serious. "What's a Sun Shredder?" Yang asked.

Everyone turned to face her. "Who is this?" the woman in the corner asked.

"Yang Xiao Long," Yondu explained. "One of my employees. She's…mostly unfamiliar with things in the galaxy."

"The Sun Shredder was a superweapon built years ago," Star-Lord explained. "It has the power to destroy entire stars. In the wrong hands, it could be devastating."

"What could Titus want with it?" Flash asked.

"My guess is that he's going to try to go after Xandar to wipe out the Nova Corp," Richard said, rubbing his chin. "At the very least, that's what my brother would want him to do."

"Your brother's with him?" Yang asked.

"Yes. You may know him as Talonar."

"You mean that guy in bird armor?"

Richard chuckled slightly. "Yeah, that's him. It's a long story."

"Who else does Titus have with him?" the woman asked.

"Other than Talonar, he brought Diamondhead and Garthan Saal with him," Star-Lord told her. "But we don't know if he has more former Nova Corp officers with him."

"We can expect that he's going to have his Chitauri buddies backing him up," Richard added. "They hate the Nova Corp just as much as he does."

"Good," the green skinned man said. "Chitauri are scum that need to be dealt with."

"Why would they think Yondu knows where the Sun Shredder is?" Flash asked. "I thought that weapon was lost in space."

"Because I was with the fleet that was escorting the Sun Shredder when it was first being moved during the Annihilation War," Yondu explained. "I'm the only survivor from that fleet. I'm the only one that knows what happened."

"And what did happen?" Star-Lord asked.

"The Annihilation Wave cut us off," Yondu answered. "Annihilus knew we were moving the Sun Shredder into a strategic position to try to wipe them all out. The warp drive malfunctioned, and the weapon made an unscheduled jump."

"Then it could be anywhere in the galaxy now," the green skinned man grunted.

"Drax is right," Flash agreed. "How are we supposed to find it?"

"That's the easy part," Rocket said. "All we gotta do is head to that system and see if it left a trail for us to find."

"Any sort of trail like that would've been lost years ago," Richard warned.

"Ha!" Rocket laughed. "You aint seen the kind of trails I can pick up. Just need to make a few modifications to the Milano's scanners and we'll be up and running in no time."

"I am Groot," Groot spoke up.

"Groot's right," Flash said, "What happens if we encounter Titus' forces. He's probably going to be bringing an entire Chitauri fleet with him."

"Under no circumstances can we let Titus or the Chitauri get their hands on the Sun Shredder," Star-Lord said. "If we see them, we hit them with everything we've got."

"And what do we do when we find the Sun Shredder?" the woman asked.

"What should've been done long ago, Gamora," Yondu answered. "We destroy it once and for all, so that it's power can never be abused by anyone ever again."

"That's going to be your job, Rocket," Star-Lord said to the raccoon. "Once you're done with the scanner, find a way to blow that weapon to hell without causing more collateral damage."

Rocket rubbed his hands gleefully. "Perfect."

"You have your orders, everyone," Star-Lord finished. "Let's get it done, Guardians. Yondu, come with me to the cockpit so we can plot a course."

Everyone got up and headed off through various connecting hallways, leaving Yang alone. "Uh…okay," she said after a moment. "I'll just…stay here, I guess."

Yang sat in front of one of the viewports of the Milano, watching the stars fly by. Her earbuds were in her ears, with "Hotel California," blaring through her MP3 player. It had been over an hour since the meeting, and she hadn't seen Yondu since. He was probably still with Star-Lord, planning out whatever the next step in the plan was going to be.

She let out a small sigh, drumming her fingers against the side. She had never been in space before—or at least she never remembered being in space. Seeing the stars streak by as the ship rocketed at speeds almost unfathomable was quite the experience. But it still felt a little off, being among all these different aliens, all of whom were undoubtedly galactic heroes.

Truth be told, she wasn't sure what exactly to make of the Guardians. Many of them seemed like they were some level of crazy. But for some reason, that didn't seem to bother her at all. In fact, it seemed like, somewhere deep down, she was enjoying it.

And then there was Yondu. She had heard several people talk about his past in the Annihilation War. He was supposed to be a big war hero. So why wasn't he a member of the Guardians? Why did he retire to Knowhere?

A hand suddenly touched her shoulder. Spooked, she whirled around, aiming her gauntlet at the one behind her.

"Woah, woah, easy!" Flash put his hands up. "Just came to check on you."

Yang lowered her arm and took her earbuds out. "A little more warning next time?"

"Right, sorry."

Yang rolled her eyes slightly and turned back to the viewport. "First time out in space?" Flash asked.

"First time that I remember," she responded.

"Right. Rich said that you had amnesia?"

Yang crossed her arms. "Can we not talk about that right now?"

"You know, it's totally possible that you could be from Earth," Flash told her. "It's got a ton of superheroes there."

Yang turned back to face him. "No offense, but how would an alien know where a human like me would come from?"

"Huh? Oh, no, I'm not an alien." The black over his face rippled and folded back, revealing a young man with strawberry blonde hair. "I'm from Earth. Just like Rich and Pete."

Yang titled her head. "Then what's with the black goop over your body?"

"That's just a symbiote," Flash explained, the goo enveloping his head once more. "Without it, I wouldn't even be walking right now."

"What do you mean?"

He put an arm against the viewport. "I was a soldier back home. Got hit hard on a mission. I saved the life of my partner, but lost my legs in the process. Thought I wasn't going to be able to do anything anymore. Then I got roped into a government project to make a super soldier with an alien symbiote. Worked like a charm, and the next thing I know, Iron Man's sending me up into space to work with the Guardians of the Galaxy."

"Iron Man? Who's that, some guy made of iron?"

Flash waved her off. "Not important to the story. What I'm saying is that I've been where you are now. Looking out at unfamiliar territory, wondering what my place is in the universe."

"I'm not wondering what my place in the universe is," Yang interjected. "I just want my memories back."

"Well, by getting your memories back, wouldn't you also remember who you are, and thus, remember your place in the universe is?"

Yang gave him a look. "You're really, really bad at this."

Flash winced. "Yeah…making people feel better isn't exactly one of my strong suits. I'm much better at shooting things."

"Well, I'm much better at punching things than talking."

Flash chuckled. "So I've heard."

"Yeah, you two are quite the dynamic duo," Rocket commented from the door as he entered, tinkering with some sort of spherical device.

"Rocket, are you seriously messing with a bomb while you're walking around?" Flash asked.

"What's it to you, you flarcking idiot?"

"Maybe we don't want to be blown up before we even get to…wherever it is we're going," Yang spoke up.

"Relax, kid, this is my specialty," Rocket told her, finishing his tinkering with the bomb and casually tossing it behind him.

A loud beeping sound began to sound from the ship's radio. "We're arriving at our destination," Star-Lord's voice announced. "Be on your guard. We may not be alone here."

"Guess that's my cue," Flash said. His suit began to ripple around his arm as a gun expanded out from it, dropping into his hand. He patted Yang's shoulder. "Ready for some action, kid?"

"Action?" Yang asked.

Flash chuckled slightly. "If you run with the Guardians long enough, you know that there's always going to be action no matter where you go."

The Milano exited warp speed, and Star-Lord instantly jerked on the controls to avoid flying smack dab into a chunk of floating space debris. "Is this right spot, Yondu?!" he yelled.

"This is the place," Yondu confirmed. "While I don't know the exact spot where the Sun Shredder vanished, I do know it was in this system."

"And what's with all the debris?" Gamora asked as Star-Lord swerved to avoid getting hit with another chunk of debris.

"What's left of the fleet that was escorting the weapon," Yondu answered.

"Wonderful."

Star-Lord hit a button on the console. "Rocket, how's that scanner going?"

"Keep yer shirt on, Quill, it's all ready to go," Rocket's voice piped through.

"Then get it fired up and let's start our sweep."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

"What exactly are we looking for?" Everyone looked back to see Yang hovering in the back of the exit next to the hatch.

"Cosmic trail," Star-Lord explained. "Every time a ship goes to warp speed, they leave a small trail behind. Done properly, this trail is faint and hard to find. But since the Sun Shredder's warp drive malfunctioned, the weapons platform tore a massive hole in space when it warped. That means that the trail left would have been much bigger. If Rocket's right, that trail should still exist even now."

"And if he's wrong?"

"Then at least we'll know there's nothing for Titus to track either."

"Does she really need to be up here?" Gamora asked. "We need to focus on finding the Sun Shredder, not answering questions from amateurs."

"It's all right, Gamora," Star-Lord told her. "She's just curious."

"This sector's all clear, Quill," Rocket reported.

"Copy that, Rocket," Star-Lord replied, moving the ship off through the debris field. "Moving on to the next sector."

"Hold on," Gamora said as a beeping sound came from the control console. "I'm picking up something on the scanners."

"Is it what we're looking for?" Star-Lord asked.

"No…it's another ship."

Star-Lord's eyes narrowed. "What kind of ship."

Gamora pressed a few more buttons, then turned in her chair to face him. "Chitauri."

Star-Lord cursed, turning on the ship's intercom. "Heads up, Guardians: we got a Chitauri warship in the area."

"What the hell are the Chitauri already doing here?" Flash asked.

"Who cares! Let's blow them to pieces!" Rocket exclaimed.

"That's not our mission right now, Rocket," Star-Lord told him. "Keep that scanner going. As soon as we pick up that trail, we're moving out to secure the Sun Shredder."

"What about the Chitauri?" Richard asked.

"For the moment, it doesn't look like they've detected us yet," Star-Lord answered. "But if they send people after us, I want you and Flash outside covering us."

"Copy."

The Milano moved slowly through the debris field as Rocket continued his scans. Star-Lord's hands tightened on the controls, keeping one eye focused out the window and the other on the radar. If the Chitauri made any sort of move to come after them, he would have to be ready.

"Still no trace on that cosmic trail," Rocket reported.

"Maybe your modifications are wrong," Drax spoke up.

"Wha—my modifications aren't wrong!" Rocket exclaimed. "We're just not looking in the right spot yet!"

"I am Groot," Groot agreed.

"Quiet, all of you," Star-Lord ordered.

"More activity out there," Gamora warned. "Incoming warp signature. Looks like another Chitauri warship."

"Have they detected us?" Yang asked.

"They would be sending ships after us if they had,"

"I don't like this," Yondu spoke up, crossing his arms. "What are the Chitauri doing all the way out here? There's nothing close by."

"Maybe they also figured out where this superweapon went missing and are trying to do the same thing we are," Yang suggested.

"How could they have known where to look though?" Gamora asked. "Yondu's the only survivor from that fleet. Unless…"

"Unless they followed us here," Star-Lord realized.

Alarms started ringing throughout the Milano. "Three more Chitauri warships just arrived," Gamora reported. "Make that four more."

"Everyone man your battle stations!" Star-Lord ordered. "We have to hold them off long enough for us to pick up that cosmic trail! Nova, Agent Venom—get out there and cover our flank! Drax, Groot, main the wing turrets!"

"Might want to strap yourself in, Miss Xiao Long," Yondu advised to Yang as she quickly hopped in the last remaining open seat in the cockpit and pulled the harness over her. "This could get a little bumpy."

"Scans show that one of the Chitauri ships is launching fighters at us," Gamora warned. "They'll be in firing range in thirty seconds."

"Not for long," Nova announced as he flew by the front window, surrounded by energy. "I'll see what I can do to pick a few of them off."

"Rocket, if you don't pick up that trail soon, there's not going to be anything left of us to sell for spare units," Star-Lord said.

"Well, if someone would fly us faster around the system so I can get faster readings, maybe we would've already found what we're looking for!" Rocket shouted back.

"This isn't the time for your complaints, Rocket!" The ship rocked as the Chitauri fighters began to open fire, pelting the area with weapons fire.

"Wait, wait—I think I got something!" Rocket suddenly said. "It's very faint, but—yeah, I think this is it!"

"Send me the data so I can plot a course!" Star-Lord ordered. "Flash, Richard, break off and get back inside, we're about to get the hell out of here!"

The ship rocked again from another impact. Star-Lord began warming up the Milano's warp drive, using the information he had gotten from Rocket. But he instantly found something that gave him pause. "Rocket, there's no end point in these coordinates."

"The Sun Shredder was sent into an uncontrollable warp," Rocket explained. "It had to keep going until its warp drive burnt out. Best I can give you is the right direction."

"Fine, fine!" Star-Lord began punching in commands. "Guess we'll just have to wing it."

"You do know what you're doing, right?" Yang asked.

Star-Lord turned his head back and gave her a confident smile. "Of course I do. They don't call me Star-Lord for nothing."

"We're back on board, Pete," Flash reported. "Get us the hell out of here!"

Star-Lord turned the Milano in the direction that the trail was, beginning to direct the ship through the debris field. "Just have to clear this debris field first."

"I am Groot!" Groot yelled.

"I know they're closing in, Groot!" Star-Lord responded. "But I don't want to ram the Milano into wreckage when we go to warp speed!"

"Seriously, are you guys just making up what he's saying as you go?" Yang asked.

"Not helping, Miss Xiao Long," Yondu told her sternly.

Star-Lord ignored this conversation as he focused in on flying. The radar was screaming at him that the Chitauri were closing in all around him. "Come on, come on," he thought, narrowing his eyes. "Almost…now!"

"Everybody hang on to something!" he yelled, throwing the warp drive lever. The stars seemed to streak by around the window as the Milano reached warp speed.

He leaned back in his chair, breathing a sigh of relief. "We're clear."

"How long until we reach the end of this trail?" Richard asked.

"Depends on how much power the Sun Shredder's warp drive had," Rocket answered. "Yondu?"

Yondu put a hand to his chin. "I'd say we've got a good…fifteen to eighteen hours before we reach the end of the trail."

"Then I'm ordering everyone to get some rest," Star-Lord said. "I don't have any doubt that Titus and the Chitauri are going to be right on our asses."

Chitauri Warship—October 13th (Earth Time)

"They got away," the Chitauri captain reported.

Titus leaned forward in his command chair. "Do we have their signal?"

"Affirmative."

"Then rally the fleet to follow them."

"When we find them, I want that blonde bitch," Diamondhead snarled, waving the stump that once had his arm around. "She blew my arm off!"

"Quit your whining, you fool," Saal snapped at him. "It'll grow back."

"I don't give a damn! I'm taking her down!"

"You couldn't even handle her the first time. What makes you think next time will be any different?"

Talonar chuckled from a shadowy corner of the ship's bridge. "You argue like children."

"You want to go, Raptor?" Diamondhead snapped.

"Enough!" Titus slammed his gun arm against the arm of his command chair. "We all know why we're here. We all have a score to settle with the Nova Corp. Once we have the Sun Shredder, we'll be able to wipe them all out with a single stroke."

"I still say that we should be looking beyond Nova Corp," Talonar spoke up. "We could destroy entire empires with a weapon like the Sun Shredder under our control. The Kree, the Skrull, the Shi'ar—they would all fall before us."

"And I told you before, Rider, that you are thinking too bold," Titus snapped. "The Nova Corp has remained weak, filled with only fresh recruits since the Annihilation War. But the Kree and Skrulls have recovered quickly, and the Shi'ar were hardly touched." He stood up. "Do you really think that any sort of weapon would be able to stand up for long against Gladiator?"

Talonar stepped forward, his red visor glowing brighter. However, he remained quiet.

"We find the Sun Shredder," Titus went on. "We reactivate it. And we destroy Xandar and the Nova Corp once and for all."

"And what of the Guardians?" Talonar asked.

Titus gave him a toothy grin, raising his gun arm and powering it up. "We bury them once and for all."

A bit of a set-up chapter here, without too much action. But trust me-next chapter is going to have a lot of epic fighting, with numerous opportunities for the Guardians to show off their skills.

Picking the roster for the Guardians was certainly interesting. I knew I wanted the big five that everyone knows (Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot), and I also knew I didn't want to have too many more than that. I considered multiple other characters for the roster, but eventually settled on Richard Rider and Agent Venom. With Richard, he's long been a well-known cosmic character, so I knew I wanted to throw him in. As for Agent Venom, I will admit that it was a bit of a nostalgic reason why I picked him. One of the first Guardians of the Galaxy comics I ever picked up was the issue where Agent Venom joined the team. And, while I don't think he stayed on for very long, I still found it cool to see him there.

As for the Sun Shredder, I will say this: it's an extremely obscure weapon. I believe it only had one appearance in the comics, where it was destroyed. Therefore, I will be taking some creative liberties when describing it and getting the Guardians on it. Chances are my version of the Sun Shredder will be slightly inspired by a certain superweapon from the Star Wars universe.

But anywho, that's all from me. Until next time, this is Guest 1138, signing off.