Amber Morgan plopped on the ground of Knowhere, Kyle removing his helmet to breathe after his helmet ended up splashing a lot of the yellow liquid inside. He leaned over and felt her heartbeat but saw she wasn't breathing.
"You're not going down that easy on me, Morgan," Kyle promised, quickly trying to resuscitate her. He saw that wasn't working and quickly went for CPR, pushing against her heart. Mandalorians weren't known for medical treatment, considering they were warriors, but Kyle might have slipped a lesson or two. "Come on, Amber, wake up." He tried to resuscitate her again, but nothing was working. "Come on... COME ON!"
Amber's eyes fluttered open, and she coughed violently as she expelled the thick, yellow liquid from her lungs. Gasping for air, she fought against the disorientation that clung to her like a heavy fog.
"Oh, you're okay," Kyle exclaimed, his voice filled with relief as he knelt beside her. "You're okay…"
"What… what happened?" Amber stammered, her head throbbing as she struggled to piece together the fragmented memories.
"You fought Maul," Kyle reminded her, his expression turning serious. "But… he got away."
A creeping sense of dread washed over Amber as she instinctively reached for her side, only to realize her lightsaber was missing. Panic set in as her voice trembled, "My lightsaber... my lightsaber!"
"Hey, hey, calm down," Kyle urged, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I saw Maul take it before I dived to rescue you. It's gone. There's nothing we can do about it right now."
"No…" Amber whimpered, her heart sinking as fear for their friends crept in. "Wait... the others."
"I don't…" Kyle began, but the sound of a returning pod interrupted him. "Oh, there they are."
The battered pod shot across the clearing, its hull scarred and smoking from the recent skirmish. With a heavy thud, it landed, and the door swung open, revealing only Cheep, the small droid.
"Cheep!?" Amber called out, hope flickering, only to fade as Cheep tumbled out, using his mechanical legs to kick the pod and emit frantic beeps and whistles in Binary. His electronic voice was a flurry of urgency.
"What?!" They exchanged worried glances, trying to decipher his frantic message.
"Kate's gone?" Amber asked, her voice a mixture of disbelief and sorrow.
"They were outside when we teleported?" Kyle questioned, a hint of panic creeping into his tone.
"They could be stranded in space!" Amber declared, determination flashing in her eyes. "We've gotta-"
"Not to worry," a familiar voice resonated in their minds. They turned to see Cosmo, his diminutive figure approaching. He settled himself on the ground, his eyes glinting as he began to explain. "Cosmo teleport Knowhere to other side of galaxy. But before teleport, Cosmo heard signal by Peter Parker. Call Hondo Ohnaka."
"Why would he do that?" Kyle wondered, furrowing his brow in confusion.
Amber sighed, her expression shifting to one of understanding. "Because he would be in the area. He probably backed off when Maul showed up, but…"
"A quick response and the possibility of a rescue and recovery," Kyle said, his voice lifting slightly with the hope of a plan forming. "He bought us time to save them."
"But we can't," Amber replied, sadness enveloping her as she recalled her missing weapon. "Without my lightsaber… I'm nothing."
Kyle let out an exaggerated sigh, rolling his eyes. "Oh, boo-hoo, my glowing stick is missing," he said with mock exasperation.
Cosmo gasped in shock while Cheep bleeped in disapproval, indicating that they found Kyle's comment callous.
"Oh, I don't care if it's mean!" Kyle retorted, gesturing toward Amber with an open hand. "You think that laser sword is what makes you a Jedi?"
Amber shrugged, her expression conflicted. "More or less."
"What do Jedi stand for again?" Kyle pressed, stepping closer, challenging her perspective.
"We were meant to be guardians of peace and justice," Amber replied softly, her gaze drifting toward the stars as if searching for answers amidst the vastness of the cosmos. "But there is none of that left in the galaxy. The Empire made sure of that."
Kyle moved to stand beside her, his tone earnest. "Then I guess that means it's up to you to bring some back to the galaxy."
Taking a deep breath, Amber straightened her posture, determination replacing despair. "It's not going to be easy."
"Then let's start with getting our friends back," Kyle encouraged, his voice unwavering.
Cheep bleeped enthusiastically, rolling closer and indicating his eagerness to assist.
"Cosmo wishes he could join," the small being interjected, his tone filled with regret. "But Knowhere needs protection."
"We understand," Amber nodded, respect evident in her voice as she recognized the importance of Cosmo's role.
"But ship is fueled and ready to go," Cosmo promised, his circuit eyes wide with determination.
"Then let's go," Amber proclaimed, her voice ringing with renewed resolve as she prepared to face the challenges ahead.
Hondo and his crew were having some fun as the three of them were dragged and dropped at his feet. Rex sighed as Kate's mechanical arm had a taser attached for if she decided to go for an attack. Peter was dropped with cuffs to keep him from attacking.
"Ah, you have put me in such a difficult position, my friends," Hondo told them. "For one, I don't want to have to turn you over to the Empire, you are just too much fun. But again... you are bad for business."
"Seriously, Hondo?" Kate asked, getting electrified by one of their Tasers. "Gah!"
"But business is business. And turning you over to the Empire, well, that will be the greatest business of all... except for you," Hondo proclaimed. "Take them to the cells. We will drop them off at the nearest facility and likely to be paid handsomely for our efforts."
His men cheered at that, one of them grabbing Peter, only for him to push them off. "You turn us in... and you will be saying goodbye to the biggest score you have ever seen."
Hondo froze when he heard that and chuckled, playing with his hat a little. "That glowy rock of his?" He asked with a laugh. "And you think you can go up against someone like Maul?" He asked, walking over to stare Peter in the eye. "It didn't seem to go well for you the last few times."
"If Maul plans on using that Gem, that means he will start losing his mind," Peter promises. "You heard what the Collector said. Sooner or later, he will destroy himself. But he will bring dozens of planets to their knees first."
"Hm..." Hondo seemed to be intrigued by his idea. "And what, pray tell, would be my payment for this?"
Peter sighed, as he knew what Hondo wanted. "Help us stop Maul... and you can have the Infinity Gem."
"Peter!" Kate cried.
"You can't let him-" Rex was hit by one of the tasers, which shocked him. "Gah!"
"What do you say, Hondo?" Peter asks. "Help us stop Maul. You can have all the riches and whatever it is that Maul keeps in that giant ship of his."
Hondo seemed to consider it and finally laughed. The crew seemed to get what he was doing and laughed, letting the grip on them go. "Let them go!" Hondo told his men. They all freed Rex and Kate, getting their gear back for them. "Ah, this is the beginning of a new and beautiful friendship!"
That was when there was a shake, causing them to freak out and rush to the front of the ship, looking to see that the Stellar Sentinel was firing on Hondo's ship. Peter, Kate, and Rex rushed over to the front of the ship and saw the Stellar Sentinel floating ahead. Amber on the hood of the ship in a space suit, holding a strange weapon.
"Captain, the shot was non-damaging." Hondo's men informed their captain.
"Attention, idiots. The lady on top of this craft is holding a modified SM-9 Frag Launcher." Kyle informed them over a hologram. "A weapon of my own design."
"What the hell?" Peter asks.
"If you don't hand over our companions now, she's gonna tear your ship a new one," Kyle warned them. "A very big new one!"
Hondo chuckled. "I ain't buyin' it."
"I'm giving you to the count of five. Five, four, three..."
Peter and Kate stop Hondo's men from giving the order to blow up the ship and rush to the controls.
"No!"
"No, no! Don't!"
"No! Wait, hold on!" Peter quickly grabs the comm. "Kyle, it's me, for God's sake! We figured it out! We're fine!"
"Oh, hey, man. What's going on?" Everyone let out a breath of relief.
Kyle, Cheep, and Amber joined them on Hondo's ship as they talked in the cargo hold. They shared information that they figured out and guessed, especially where Maul was going.
"You call that 'figured it out'?!" Kyle asked in shock. "We're gonna rob the guys who just beat us senseless?"
"Oh, you want to talk about senseless? How about trying to save us by blowing us up?" Peter asked him.
"We were only gonna blow you up if they didn't turn you over!" Kyle defended.
"And how on earth were they gonna turn us over when you only gave them a count of five?" Peter asks.
"Well, we didn't have time to work out the minutiae of the plan." Kyle scoffed, looking over to Cheep. "This is what we get for acting altruistically!"
Cheep grunted and bleeped, seemingly siding with Kyle.
"They are ungrateful." Kyle agreed.
"What's important now is we get the Pirates to help us save Mandalore," Kate told him.
"So we can give the Stone to Hondo who's just gonna sell to somebody even worse?" Kyle questions.
Rex sighed as he rubbed his head. "We'll figure that part out later, okay?"
"We have to focus on stopping Maul," Kate tells them.
"How?" Amber asks.
"I have a plan," Peter promises.
"You've got a plan?" Kyle asks.
"Yes," Peter promises.
"I don't believe you have a plan," Kyle stated, sitting on a cargo crate and crossing his arms.
"I have... part of a plan!" Peter promises.
"What percentage of a plan?" Rex wonders.
"He's right; what percentage?" Kyle asks.
"I don't know, five percent." Peter shrugged.
"Five percent?!" Kyle broke into laughter.
Peter scoffed. "That's a fake laugh."
"It's real!" Kyle cried. "That is the most real, authentic, hysterical laugh of my entire life because that is not a plan!"
Kate had to agree. "It's barely a concept."
Peter seemed shocked that she took their side. "You're taking their side?"
Cheep bleeped to give his opinion.
"So what if it's better than eleven percent? What the hell does that have to do with anything?" Kyle wonders.
Peter was happy to have Cheep on his side. "Thank you, Cheep. Thank you. See? Cheep's the only one of you who has a clue."
All he saw was that they seemed reluctant at the idea.
"Guys. Come on. Hondo is gonna be here in two seconds. He expects to hear this big plan of ours. I need your help. I look around at us, you know what I see? Losers. I mean, like, folks who have lost stuff, and yet after everything, and I mean everything, we are still here. We chose to be Protectors. Now the galaxy is giving us to live up to that name." His speech seemed to inspire something among them. "I, for one, am not gonna stand by and watch as Maul wipes out billions of innocent lives. Not again..."
"This is what we signed up for..." Kyle agreed. "But, stopping Maul, it's impossible. You're asking us to die."
"Yeah, I guess I am," Peter admitted, turning his back to the group in defeat. "I get it. Make no mistake, what we're about to do is dangerous—'don't expect to make it out alive' dangerous. But their Crime Syndicate? They aren't a better alliance. They haven't endured what we have."
He spoke of the past experiences they had all survived: losing their Order, their Clans, their friends, and their families. They had sacrificed so much to reach this point.
"They don't understand diversity. They don't know what it's like to be knocked down and have to get back up again. They don't know what it means to fight...for what they truly believe in."
That only ended in silence as it seemed everyone stayed where they were.
"Peter?" Kate called. "I grew up trying to live up to my hero, " she said, recalling how she started this journey. "And then I got pulled into this war, and I lost so much. I befriended Clones who ended up betraying us, and I had to put them down. I lost friends I made along the way. And I survived to make it here. Amongst this group. Friends." She then takes a stand. "I will be grateful to die among my friends if that is what must happen."
Peter smiled and was happy to have her on his side.
Rex stood and was proud of the speech. "You know what they say about clones, sir. We are loyal to the end. I will fight beside you." He promises and gives a salute. "It's what my brothers would have wanted. What Commander Kenobi would have wanted. And it's... what I want to do."
Peter nodded and placed a hand on Rex.
Amber nodded as she sighed. "Jedi are supposed to be keepers of the peace. They would have told me that we cannot interfere with conflict like this. But that's not what I am anymore. The old Jedi are gone. You guys taught me a new way of protecting people with the teachings of the Jedi. I will honor their teachings, but I cannot stand by and watch people suffer." She then took a stand. "Count me in. I'll stand by you... Till the end."
They all then look at Kyle, who finally sighs and gives in. "Oh, what the hell. Mandalorians aren't known to have a long lifespan, anyway." He also rises and stands on his feet. "Now I'm standing. Are you all happy? We're all standing up now."
"The stone reacts to anything organic. The stronger the target, the bigger the power surge." Kate told Hondo and his pirates.
"All Maul's gotta do is touch the stone and zap." Peter continued. "His connection to the Force, his physical strength..."
"Everything will be enhanced." Kate continues.
"So Maul does not make the surface," Peter told them the plan as they began to do it.
"Hondo will lead a team to blow a hole in the Vermillion's starboard hull." Peter showed the plan. "Then, our craft and Hondo's will enter."
"Won't there be hundreds of Crime Syndicate members inside?" Hondo's man asked.
"That's our problem," Rex stated.
"Once they know we're on board, Maul will isolate himself behind impenetrable security doors on deck," Kate said, showing the ship schematic. "Which Cheep can disable by dismantling the power source."
"We'll make it to the flight deck, and I'll use the Frag Launcher to kill Maul." Peter proclaimed, wrapping the Frag launcher around his back.
"Once Maul is dead, we will retrieve the stone," Kate said, small orb-like devices being passed around to the crew to ensure everyone has one in case anything happens to one of them. "Use these devices to contain it. If you touch it... It will likely kill you."
"We'll have Kyle contact Bo-Katan on the planet's surface, inform them that we are there to help," Peter finished their planning.
With the plan in full effect, everyone headed off to do their own thing. Kyle took the Defender from the Stellar Sentinal and made his way downward to the surface of Mandalore while everyone got themselves prepared to defend the planet in the atmosphere.
"Maul's fleet has been spotted and will arrive in t-minus fifteen minutes..."
Hondo walked over and stopped Peter. "Just remember the agreement, boy." He warned Peter. "At the end of this, I walk away with that glowy super-rock. Try and cross us... Well, you know what I do to loose ends."
Peter nodded as he agreed with Hondo on this one. He planned to keep his end of the deal. And with that, everyone got into the ships, Hondo and his men all getting inside of their own ships while Peter, Kate, Rex, and Amber got inside of the Stellar Sentinal.
Kyle made his way down to the dome and reached the city where he was allowed to land by the guards. He was brought in by the guards and walked ahead towards Bo-Katan on the throne.
"Kyle?" Bo-Katan was surprised ot see him, looking over the hologram of approaching ships. "What is going on?"
"Bo-Katan, Maul is coming for Mandalore," Kyle explained to the entire room of Clan leaders. The word of Maul returning caused them to look shocked and afraid. "He is in possession of an Infinity Gem and is heading for Mandalore."
"An Infinity Gem?" Alrich asked in shock.
"He found one and is coming here with an entire armada of troops to attack and take back what was taken from him," Kyle warned them.
"He's probably still mad about the whole capturing him thing I did." Bo-Katan took an obvious guess. "What do you need from us?"
"My friends need assistance," Kyle said, explaining his part of the plan. "They sent me to warn you to begin evacuation if needed, but to help keep the city safe."
"And what will you do from here?" The Mandalorian Armorer wonders, beginning to forge something.
"I can't do much from the ground," Kyle shrugged. "But I will help get as many people to safety as I can." He then felt the Armeror approach and spark something to his shoulder plate, getting him to look down and see she placed the Protector's logo on his shoulder plate. "What is this?"
"You have found yourself a new clan, have you not?" The Armeror asks of him.
Kyle looked down and saw that they were accepting that he had put himself amongst the likes of the Protectors. "Yeah, I have."
The Armorer then headed somewhere and searched. "Have you trained in the art of the Rising Phoenix?"
"Just recently," Kyle confirmed.
"Then this..." The Armorer then revealed she had a jetpack for him. She walked over and handed it to Kyle. "Will make you complete. But until you have mastered its ways, it will not listen to you."
Kyle nodded. Seeing he had nowhere to put it, he placed it on his back. "Thank you."
"You heard him," Bo-Katan told everyone in the room. "Sound the alarm. Prepare for an assault and evacuation."
Maul sat in his command post and used the new power of the Gem to sense what was coming. With his connection to the Force enhanced, he could tell what was about to come before it happened, if only for a few seconds.
"They are here..." Maul sensed the Protectors. "The Protectors of the Nebula..."
The Pirates flew alongside the Protectors as they flew their way towards the Vermillion as it breached the atmosphere of Mandalore. They flew over, and Hondo chuckled when he saw the ship. Leaving the Stellar in the Pirate's ship, the Protectors were inside of the Guardian as they flew closer to the Vermillion.
"Oh, this will be good business," Hondo said, looking to his men. "Make with the diversion."
Their main ship shot off two missiles that flew ahead, exposing and creating a giant smokescreen that blocked Maul and everyone on the ship's line of sight.
"Now make with the boom!" Hondo cheered, everyone flying off as he laughed, making their way toward the side of the Vermillion to begin their plan. Once they dived out from the ship's line of sight, they turned upward and began to ascend toward the underbelly.
But as the smoke cleared, Maul noticed the last of the ships flying downward. "They are beneath us! Send our ships to intersect!"
They sent off dozens of various ships from across the galaxy that began to chase after and shoot down the Pirates. Hondo chuckled as he flew over, shooting the side of the Vermillion and creating a massive explosion after breaking through the shielding.
"Haha! Hondo Oh- oh, no!" Hondo's cheers turned into fear. But before he could enter, they were chased off by Maul's ships. "Ah, looks like we won't be joining you, Peter Parker!" He called over the hologram as Peter and his crew flew upward to reach the Vermillion. "We will hold them off out here!"
Peter groaned, hung up the communication, and saw that they were being slaughtered. The Pirates' crew was limited, and Maul had the entire Crimison Dawn on their tail, shooting from every direction. They flew to avoid being shot down, but for every one they avoided, there were a few dozen more ready to intercept.
"There are too many of them, sir!" Rex warned Peter.
"We're not going to make it," Kate said in fear.
Cheep spun around, whistepling and covering his eyes.
That was when they were saved by a Kom'rk-class fighter that made its way around, shooting the area as it flew through, revealing to be backed up by a dozen other ships and even flying Mandalorians. They all opened fire on Crimson Dawn's ships as they cleared a pathway through for the Protectors.
"Peter Parker, good to see you again." Bo-Katan contacted them from her ship. "Your reinforcements have arrived."
"Bo-Katan!" Peter cheered. "Oh, yeah!"
Then, from Bo-Katan's ship, she dropped dozens of Mandalorians, who flew off using their jetpacks and struck down the troops. Peter flew at full speed, making his way up using the Guardian's defenses to fend off Crimson Dawn's ships, and they flew into the hole Hondo had made on the Vermillion.
Peter then spun the ship around as Kate let out a laugh and squeal as they spun around, shooting down the troops inside. Rex then shot out a missile, shooting a whole fragment of the ship that exploded, sending it down on the turrets and others inside. Then the Guardian crashed into the ship, taking down several more walls with it in the process. The ship finally came to a hault as they all took a moment to catch their breath.
Everyone let out a chuckle as they saw this was the most chaotic thing they'd done.
"Let's do that again," Amber said with a chuckle.
Cheep grunted, currently dangling upside down before getting himself back up. He proposed they should never do that again.
"You're no fun, Cheep," Amber chuckled, grabbing one of the blasters on the ship. "Let's do this."
Maul sighed when he saw that they had breached their ship. "Everyone out!" He demanded everyone in the room. "Stop them from getting closer. Deport all power to the engines. Get us to the surface."
They complied as everyone rushed out of the ship and made their way downward, and they saw the variairty of dozens of ships that were attacking from all directions.
"Pilots... Bombard the city," Maul demanded of his troops.
The dozens of Crimson Dawn ships stopped attacking the Mandalorians and Pirates and changed directions to make their way for the Dome over the Mandalorian city. Everyone grew concerned when they watched as they started to attack the dome and crashed into the city.
"They are divebombing the city!" A Mandalorian realized. "Bo-Katan, should we break formation?"
"No!" Bo-Kantan told them, knowing that this was bad. "We need to keep Maul from reaching the surface."
Dozens of the ships began to make contact with the city, sending chunks flying everywhere and people screaming in terror. One was aiming for the school district just when Kyle came flying in using the Defender and shot the ship down before it could make contact. He flew upward, made his way out of the dome, and fired on the few other Crimson Dawn ships that were making their way down.
"Keep Maul up there, Bo-Katan," Kyle tells her, parking the Guardian as he floats outside the dome. "We'll protect the people!"
Bo-Katan smiled when she saw that and nodded. "You've got it!"
Kyle then got into contact with the other members of Hondo's pirates. "Everyone, shoot them down before they hit the dome!"
Dozens of the Pirates and even a few Mandalorians broke off and flew their way down to follow his lead. They made their way down, floating above the dome and beginning to shoot down the ships.
Amber, Rex, Kate, Peter, and Cheep made their way through the ship's interior, making their way to the front of the ship. When they reached it, they were stopped by dozens of Crimson Dawn's members. They froze when they saw the Protectors standing there, all with the same insignia to confirm they weren't part of Crimson Dawn.
"Aw, crap." Rex sighed.
Amber struck first. She raised Rex's larger blaster she borrowed and shot down one of them. That started an all-out brawl throughout the room. Peter leaped into the air, where he shot two webs, yanking two members up and then slamming them into the group of Crimson Dawn. Rex ran and ducked behind some cover that he then used to raise his two blasters and open fire on Crimsin Dawn.
Kate rushed in, raising her bow, shooting off various arrows to clear a path for Cheep, who bleeped and zoomed his way through the chaos. She then drew her sword, blocking a strike from one of the Crimson Dawn members carrying glowing daggers. She blocked their strike, mounting her ground to then push off, drawing an arrow and shooting them down.
Cheep made his way over and whistled to himself as he reached the door controls and quickly began to hack his way inside. As he did that, one of the Crimsin Dawn members came up and prepared to shoot him. But that was stopped by Kate shooting an arrow that pierced his head completely.
Amber used the Force to push back members of Crimson Dawn, giving Rex an opening to start shooting the Crimson Dawn members.
Back with Kyle, he shot down another one of the ships, but part of the debris flung off, making its way down and crashing into another of Hondo's ships. He gasped and saw that the heard of ships protecting Mandalore was thinning.
"Peter, you guys better hurry!" Kyle informed them, seeing the Vermillion was beginning to come closer to the surface. "The city is still being evacuated, and we are starting to lose more men than we can afford out here!"
Peter drew his electricity gauntlets and sent a giant blast of electricity towards the Crimson Dawn troops as he, Kate, Rex, and Amber backed up against Cheep as they were still fending against the door.
"Cheep, come on, hurry up and get that door open!" Peter said, taking a second to find cover. "We're running out of time!"
Cheep bleeped and whistled, saying it's going to take a minute.
"We don't have a minute!" Kate cried.
Cheep muttered something to himself, turning back to focus on the door controls.
"I heard that!" Rex cried.
"Yeah, next time you need an oil bath, don't come crying to us!" Amber warned him.
Cheep then finally got the doors open, getting them to run inside. Cheep closed the doors behind them as they made it inside. Maul was standing in the center of the room, his eyes closed as he reached out to the Force. When he turned around, Peter already had the Frag launcher ready and aimed it at Maul. When he fired, the missile flung from the weapon and flew towards Maul.
Maul raised his hand at the missile just as it reached, blowing up and sending fragments of the missile and surrounding area flying. They all waited for a brief moment, wondering if that finally did away with the Sith Lord.
"Is that it?" Amber asks them. "Did...did we do it?"
That was when Peter's senses went off, and they looked to see the dust settle, and Maul stood high, revealing he wasn't injured by the missile. Kate drew another arrow, firing dozens at the same time to try and make an impact, but all of them were quickly stopped by Maul. He only grew a smile as he turned the arrows to face the heroes, throwing them back. Kate blocked one of them off with her metal arm, but it was followed by another piercing her shoulder. She let out a scream, dropping her bow in the process, and reached over to grab the arrow in her shoulder.
"Kate!" Amber rushed over towards Kate to help her.
Peter and Rex opened fire on Maul, watching as he drew his lightsaber and began to spin his saber to block off the attacks. Once he got an opening to strike, he spun his lightsaber around and then tossed it towards Peter and Rex. When it came over, they quickly ducked down, allowing the saber to pass over their heads and embed into the ship.
That gave them what they thought was an opening to run in and fight back. Peter leaped over and shot a blast of electricity, but Maul caught that and even absorbed it. He then raised his hand and Force-choked Peter by the throat, raising him into the air, struggling for air. Cheep bleeped and rolled backwards and hid, having nothing to help in this situation. Rex jumped out from behind the barrier and let out a roar as he opened fire on Maul. Maul stopped all of the blasts and then began to repeat the process on Rex. Raising him into the air by his throat, and he began to choke him.
Amber helped Kate, removing the arrow from her shoulder, but then looked over and noticed the boys were in trouble. While he had them up in the air, she looked over to Maul's saber and rushed over, grabbing it. She leaped into the air and activated one end of the saber and went to strike.
Maul drew Amber's saber, and he blocked her attack, dropping Rex and Peter, who were too deprived of oxygen, to get back up and help. Kate groaned as she saw her quiver fall all over the place, and her bow was too far. All she had was her sword, and that wasn't going to be much help with Maul's connection to the Force.
"Kyle..." Kate called into the comms. "We need..." She winced from the pain in her shoulder. "Help..."
Maul chuckled when he saw that Amber survived, the scar across her face still clear. "You survived. Only to come after me again?"
"I'm stubborn like that!" Amber started, taking a swing, only for Maul to use the Force and freeze the swing with ease.
Amber struggled to move as Maul chuckled. "Were you there when Order 66 happened?" Amber couldn't move her body, but her face showed anger. "Did you think that you were going to survive just to die at my hands?"
Maul then went to strike her just when he sensed an incoming ship. Looking towards the large window, the Defender came flying at full speed. Kyle let out a scream as he flew in at full throttle with the Defender preparing to crash it into them. He flew into the window, crashing and sending the ship falling as they rammed into the controls. Kyle used his wrist missile launcher to launch a quick escape through the window, flying out with his jetpack before the ship finally crashed into the wall.
Peter and Rex got out of the way as the ship slammed into Maul and rammed the wall. They all began to come together. Cheep rolled over, and Kate stumbled over, clutching her shoulder. Amber limped her way over and noticed her lightsaber. She used the Force to drag it over and sighed as Kyle landed, stumbling as he tried ot use his jetpack and land. Peter dropped to his knee and sighed as they saw they had done it. They stopped Maul. But they were also going down with the Vermillion.
They knew that this would happen.
They all looked around at one another, seeing that this was it. They accepted their fate, happy to see that they saved Mandalore, even at the cost of their lives. Amber, however, had her own idea. She sat down at the center and began to reach out to the Force. She felt the Force and tried to find a way to save her friends. She then reached out and started to summon rubble from all around them. She brought it all together, confusing the rest of the Protectors when they saw the fragments moving around.
"Amber... what are you doing?" Peter asks in confusion.
"Amber?" Kate saw she wasn't responding.
Amber shed a tear as she knew she was doing something she had never tried before. "Connecting..."
She then reached out and clutched her hand, holding the pieces together as tight as she could. She was told, as a Jedi, never to grow attached to others. But this group... this group was more than just her friends; they were basically her family. She never knew her original family, but this family was as good one as any other. They were broken, they were stubborn at times, and they always argued. They were a family. The Jedi were gone, and she needed to find a new way to be a Jedi.
"I lost one family... I won't lose another." Amber promises, using every ounce of energy into this protective dome.
Before they could protest, they felt the Vermillion hit the ground. It sent everyone flying around the small fortress Amber made as the ship crashed. Outside, everyone watched the ship as it tumbled to the ground, fragments flying everywhere as it slammed into the ground.
As it crashed, one of the fragments of the Defender began to play from the stereo Quill had on board. It began playing "I'm Not in Love" Performed by 10cc. The Protectors did end up surviving the heavy hitting of the crash, but they were tossed around and were wounded from the full crash after Amber was knocked unconscious. Peter and Kate were sent flying across the area. Rex was unconscious as he started to wake up and groan, rolling over to sit up, but everything hurt too much.
Kyle made his way over towards Amber and clutched her in sorrow. She had survived, but she was exhausted from the attempt to save them, taking a lot of energy to keep the barrier on the rubble to save them. The wound on her face looked like it got a little worse, seeing she didn't give it time to heal.
"You're okay..." Kyle whispered, moving some of the hair out of her face. "We've gotta stop making this a habit..."
Everyone thought it was over. The ships came down and landed, running over to see the Protectors as they either stayed down to recover or from exhaustion. That was when Peter sensed something, looking over to the rubble of the Vermillion as Maul marched his way out.
"You!" Kyle screamed, grabbing Kate's blade and rushing in. "Why won't you die!?"
Maul watched Kyle activate the saber but waved his hand, sending Kyle crashing into the rubble. "These are your Protectors?!" He screamed, looking out to everyone, showing the Infinity Gem on his hand. "People of Mandalore, I give you two options!" Kyle saw the Frag launcher nearby and quickly began putting it back together. "You are to kneel before me, or you will die at my-"
"You still don't get it," Peter said, getting back up, clutching his arm. "After all of this, you still don't get it. You can kill this place a dozen times, and people will always find a way. No matter how many worlds you conquer, people will always survive. Light always shines out, Maul. Come on... let's break this cycle." He held his hand out to Maul. "Come on..."
Maul looked down at his hand and chuckled. "Did you truly think that would work?"
Peter chuckled himself at that one. "Oh, god, no. You're a maniac and have already lost your mind. I just needed to give him a extra few seconds."
That was when Maul heard whirring and turned around too late just as Kyle and Rex had the Frag launcher prepared. Kyle connected the last two wires while Rex was aiming it, firing the missile off towards Maul. Being too close this time, Maul couldn't prepare himself as the Frag launcher blew off his entire hand. Maul screamed as the Gem went flying, allowing Peter to leap in to grab it.
"No!" Kate cried, seeing what he was planning to do.
When Peter grabbed the Infinity Gem, the energy flowed through him, but he wasn't connected like Maul was, and now the energy was destroying him. Maul only smiled when he saw this and allowed the energy to consume him. Kate made her way through the swirling vortex created by the Gem and reached Peter.
"Peter!" Kate cried out, reaching out with her flesh hand, using her mechanical arm to block the wind. "Take my hand!"
Peter turned to face her, showing the Gem was destroying him. Looking down at her inviting hand, Peter began to reach over, and with tears in his eyes, he finally does it. Kate is also affected by the energy surge as she screams out and becomes stiff.
Rex makes his way through the storm and finally reaches them and then grabs Peter's shoulder. The stone started to crack down on his body as he screamed in pain. The stone's energy was still too much for them.
Kyle made his way through as he made his way over and grabbed Rex's hand. He screamed as the energy coursing through him. To their surprise, Cheep stumbled his way through the storm, making his way over and grabbing Kyle. Even with all of them, the energy of the Gen was too much, they were still being terrorized by it.
That was when a hand came and grabbed Kate's arm, revealing to be Amber. She was the last that they needed. The energy started to course through all of them, showing their energies combined were finally containing the power of the Gem. They looked towards Maul and showed that he was going up not mere Jedi, no mere Clone, no mere Mandalorian. He was up against the Protectors of the Nebula.
"This... shouldn't be possible," Maul said in shock. "HOW!?"
"We told you, you tattooed bastard," Peter said as he grew a smile, fighting through the pain. "We're the Protectors of the Nebula."
Maul tries to impale him with his lightsaber, but Peter then re-directs the Power Stone's surge at him. The Zabrak's body can't contain the stone's energy for more than a quarter of a minute before it explodes. Peter and Kate then quickly seal the orb shut to contain the stone before its energy can continue destroying them. The energy in their bodies finally letting up and the storm swirling around them deceased, revealing themselves to everyone of Mandalore.
Peter looked to Kate with a large smile as they saw that they were okay. Then they looked amongst their friends and saw that they were all indeed okay.
"Well, well, well. Quite the light show you put on," Hondo said as he approached the group. "But you got some business to attend to before all the jolly-jollie festivities can begin."
"Peter, you can't. Peter." Amber said.
"You gotta reconsider this, Hondo." Peter tried to get him to sympathize. "I don't know who you're selling this to, but the only way the universe can survive is if you let us get it somewhere safe."
"Now, let's not make this..." Hondo raised his hand, his men raising the blasters. "...uncivilized."
Peter sighed and knew he didn't have a choice. He reached back and grabbed the orb, passing it to Hondo. Hondo chuckled, walking off, and his men lowered their blasters.
"Hondo?" Peter called out. "Do not open that orb. You know that, right? You've seen what it does to people."
Hondo chuckles to himself and walks off with his men. "Come on, men. Drinks on us!"
The men cheered as they left, the Mandalorians letting them pass. They waited a few minutes as they watched the ship fly off with all of the pirates.
"He's gonna be so pissed when he realizes I switched out the orb on him," Peter said, revealing to be carrying the real orb.
Kate chuckled and let out a breath of relief. "Where'd you learn magic?"
"Scott," Peter admitted with a laugh. "It was a slow day. We were on Mortis and were passing the time."
Kate nodded with a chuckle. "So... what do we do now?"
Peter looked down at the Gem and knew what to do as the Watcher smiled at them. "A villain defeated, setting a new course to this universe, now with Crimson Dawn out of the way, many stories you know would not come to pass. The galaxy was made a little safer, even with the threat of the Empire still growing. And there were a few things to sort out..."
A few days after everything had happened, Peter and the rest of the Protectors were in the main hall with Bo-Katan as Peter passed the orb off to Bo-Katan.
"I am sure you know what to do with this," Peter said, handing it off.
"We will make sure it never sees the light of day again," Bo-Katan tells them. "You may be enemies in the eye of the Empire, but rest assured, you are friends amongst the Mandalorians. And... in the light of that, we've got a surprise for you."
They began to follow her as Kyle and Amber followed slowly. He looked at the scar across her face that Maul had given her; it was healed but left the scar. "Looks like you were left with a nasty scar."
"It's kinda growing on me," Amber said as she rubbed her cheek. "What do you think? Does it give me more character?"
"It tells the galaxy you were stupid enough to go against a Sith Lord and expected to get away unscathed." Kyle scoffed.
"Oh, shut up, who asked you?" Amber asked as she walked ahead.
Kyle chuckled as they headed outside. They saw a newer Stellar Sentinel made out of the fragments of the old one from the debris of Hondo's ship. As well as a new Defender and Guardian attached.
"We kept it to as close as we could to the original, salvaged what we could," Bo-Katan told them. "Least we could do for you."
"Thank you, Bo," Peter said as they headed off, being sent off with a salute from a dozen Mandalorians as they headed for the Stellar Sentinel. "Look at that."
"Looks like we've lived up to our name," Kate said.
"Not yet," Peter said. "Maul was small potatoes. There's still the Empire."
They headed into their ship and began to take off. Everyone looked around at all of their new quarters, which looked much cleaner with half of everything been destroyed. Now it was time for them to head off and find someone else in need of help.
"Alright, Protectors... let's find someone else who needs our help," Peter said.
"Their journey is far from over," The Watcher promised. "But before we continue their journey... lets head to the Wheel... where something unforeseen has occurred."