WOW, JUST WOW, those review responses to my hiatus notice on all three of my stories are fucking amazing. Just seeing those who understand why and how and the amount of PM's that I got in the span of 12 hours was fucking amazing and crazy. You guys… man you guys are sometimes too much. I love that about all of you and INFINITY WAR, HOLY FUCKING SHIT THAT HAPPENED

THIS IS HANDS DOWN ONE OF THE GREATEST FILMS…NO EVENTS I HAVE EVER WITNESSED. THE ENTIRE THEATER WAS SILENT WHEN IT ENDED. DEAD TOTAL SHOCKED SILENCE. WOW MARVEL DID IT AGAIN AND THIS TIME THEY DID IT IN A SNAP. GO SEE THIS MOVIE RIGHT NOW. GO NOW

So this is a chapter that I've been planning for a while now. Kinda hard to explain for some reason as the words escape from me right now.

Meh, whatever. This'll probably be a quick one all things considered.

The two year gap will probably be another few chapters, nothing to long as I really REALLY wanna get to Mass Effect 2. We'll be getting some more Miranda and Peter scenes…ok I just wanna get this off my chest cause I need to say this. Peter Parker is one of the characters who have gotten the most flack and shit thrown at him, it's the absolute worst to see such a beloved character have so much shit thrown at him. From literally erasing his marriage to MJ, to tarnishing the memory of Gwen Stacey, Spider-man has just gotten so much horrible crap thrown at him it just piss's me off to no end.

Sorry, I was reading the latest Spider-man comic and all these feelings came bubbling up. Just god damn man.

Whew, alright I'm good. I'm good

Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day

Along Came a Spider Chapter 31: Reflection, Motivation and Reputation

It was silent within the office of the Illusive Man, leader of the human lead group known as Cerberus.

The only sound being heard was the occasional inhale of his cigar followed by the exhale of smoke.

He held an intense gaze as he stared out at the burning red sun, relaxed in his seating. His glowing enhanced eyes blinked when he heard the door to his office open up and in walked Miranda Lawson with a file in hand.

"Sir" Miranda greeted respectfully

TIM remained silent, still engulfed in his thoughts.

Now normally, one would try to break the silence that was emanating throughout the room but Miranda knew better than that. She has worked for the Illusive Man for more than enough time to gauge a read on the man. When he was ready to speak he would speak so until that time she would remain silent and wait for him to initiate the purpose of this meeting.

Exhaling, Illusive man finally spoke.

"The galaxy is on the verge of yet another monumental shift, Ms. Lawson" Illusive Man said conversationally

"I agree" Miranda nodded "But the question remains is what will be the shift. And when will it happen?"

"It has already happened" Illusive man stated as it were a fact "More than a good year ago with the appearance of him"

The him that the Illusive Man was referring to was none other than the vigilante Superhero known as Spider-man.

"What we need to figure out is when and what shall be the next shift in this changing galaxy" Illusive man said, smoking his cigar "With everything that has happened, what is happening, and what's to come. We need to be prepared. Now more than ever"

"I concur" Miranda nodded "The Council will remain as stagnant as they are now. Even with Anderson being amongst them"

"Anderson is too much of an idealist" Illusive man waved off dismissively "And he would never work with our organization. His pride and Hackett's clouds their judgement"

"Then who would be the one we need to push humanity in the direction that is necessary?" Miranda asked

"One comes to mind" Illusive man said vaguely "Originally, I had hoped that perhaps Spider-man would be of a similar mindset but that's clearly unattainable right now. So for now, we shall leave him to his endeavors as miniscule as they may be"

Miranda opened her mouth, quickly shutting it a moment later. She found herself bewildered by her actions, eyes widening momentarily. She was ready to speak out yet she managed to catch herself.

The Cerberus agent was biting the inside of her cheek, having some confliction in regards to the topic of Spider-man. There was a tinge of guilt at the memory of her forcefully discovering that the identity of said web-head.

'Peter' Miranda thought to herself

Coincidentally, the Illusive Man brought up the most recent news in regards to Peter which was during his trip to Earth, specifically Manhattan.

"A new development?" Miranda asked

"New faces" Illusive Man flicked his hand up and in front of them appeared a collection of images and videos.

On them displayed scenes of action and chaos with the recognizable figures being Spider-man, Garrus Vakarian and Liara T'soni. The new ones were the most eye catching and Miranda herself had a hard time trying to make sense of what she was seeing exactly.

One man who seemingly became sand itself

A short portly man with four additional metallic limbs.

A young girl clearly in her teens enlarging herself and other individual limbs to large sizes.

The last new one being a feral looking man with metal claws popping out through his knuckles.

"Wha-What is this?" Miranda found herself asking in a rare display of stunned silence

"It appears that I had spoken to soon in regards to Spider-man" Illusive man said "From what our agents managed to recover, all four of these….people, if you could call them that, there is personal relationship each of them share with the vigilante. The way they fight, from what I've managed to pick up from the footage the way they speak to one another"

"What do is your plan then?" Miranda asked

"Finding them first" Illusive Man admitted with a tinge of annoyance "It appears that our agents were a few minutes to late in intercepting their transport to the prison that the ones known as Doctor Octopus and Sandman as the media has taken to calling them. Sakoln "The Shocker" and the one known as Electro were last seen liberating the two from their bonds"

"Those are all enemies of Spider-man" Miranda noted

"I've sent out agents in hopes of finding them" Illusive man said "Perhaps they would be willing to enter into a partnership with us if we give them proper incentive"

"And that would be?" Miranda inquired

"The necessary tools needed for their own little escapades" Illusive man said "But for now, that shall be put to the side. Tell me, how is our AI project?"

"It turned on the Alliance as we had intended on but not as planned" Miranda said

"Pardon?"

"From what the scientists have told me, an outside force caused the VI from going rogue" Miranda said, slightly disgruntled at the thought of something outside of their operations performing a task they had intended on yet they know nothing of

"The source appeared to be untraceable" Miranda continued to elaborate "There was some sort of coding that they had managed to discover but the algorithm, it was unlike anything they or I had ever seen"

"Be sure to send me those reports" Illusive Man said

"What about the Reapers sir?" Miranda abruptly remembered "We also need to focus on them"

"And we will" Illusive man stated, bringing up a file labeled SR2 "First, we're going to need the materials"

Scene cut

The Citadel

Anderson sat alone in his personalized office, one custom made for his uses since becoming humanities councilor.

In all honesty, he'd rather be back on board an Alliance ship amongst his own peers and colleagues. It's not like he didn't take pride in the work that he was doing here at the Citadel for humanity, no. It's just the politics and the maneuvering, the constant talking and debating.

For a man of his patience and experience, even he had his limits.

Groaning in tiredness, Anderson finally finished reading the report his old friend and comrade Admiral Hackett had sent to him in regards to Lieutenants Alenko and Williams most recent mission on Earth's moon.

The two had called in some old friends of theirs that were coincidentally taking a vacation over on Earth at the big Apple.

Of course, trouble naturally found their way to them and what Anderson had read gave him a bit of a migraine.

"Where do these people come from?" Anderson murmured, an expression of contained disbelief at the site of the one Alenko had identified as Ms. Marvel growing five times her original size and slapping away the equally large Sandman.

It then switched over to Spider-man and the one called Logan fighting off against the man named Doctor Octopus.

'What is this, a comic book?!' Anderson thought incredulously, witnessing the metallic arms of the portly man swing violently at the feral claw wielding Canadian.

Then there was the rumors of those gigantic metallic beings that were spotted in Alliance territory. But the last time he had heard wind of any of that was when Shepard was still alive. As a matter of fact, the entire Normandy crew has been pretty tight lipped about that incident.

Easy for Anderson to suspect that there's more to that rumor than it being a passing mummer's tale. But right now he had another pressing matter on his hands.

The councils inability or rather willingness inability to do absolutely nothing on the threat of the Reapers. That didn't really frustrate Anderson. No not frustrate him in the slightest.

It down right pissed him off to the end of the fucking galaxy. They were spitting on the sacrifice and legacy that John Shepard had died for.

And that was not something Anderson was so idly gonna sit on.

Since then, Anderson has been working hard on finding like-minded individuals that agree that there are coming conflicts within the galaxy that shall be appearing soon rather than later. With the path that it was currently on, it was clear that while the Reapers shall be their main opposition, there are other unseen threats that will be making their presence known in time.

Anderson knew that he had Hackett, Lieutenants Alenko and Williams on his side hands down along with the other former members of the Normandy. Garrus Vakarian, Tali'Zorah, Liara T'soni, even Wrex Urdnot and the vigilante Superhero Spider-man were all on the same page and in agreement about taking on the Reapers.

Speaking of Spider-man, the thought of him caused Anderson to stray back into a memory where he had gained an ally from the most unpredictable of outcomes.

And by that statement, an Ally he would have thought would be the last person on the Citadel in agreeing to work with him

Flashback

Several weeks earlier

Anderson had departed from the council, grumbling under his breath from dealing with yet again more political bullshit.

He was so annoyed that he had already forgotten what the meeting was about.

Something about the Volus and a Eezo mine.

Regardless, you could forget something you don't care about if just try hard enough. The try hard usually came in the form of either bourbon, whiskey or vodka…or all three at the same time.

Anderson was just about to exit the Citadel when he was stopped by the most unexpected of individuals.

"Councilor Anderson"

He paused and turned back to see none other than Councilor Sparatus approaching him.

"Sparatus" Anderson said respectfully

"I see we are leaving in the same direction" Sparatus said idly, making Anderson stare at him in slight confusion.

He walked passed Anderson for about several steps until he paused and looked back with an expectant expression.

"Well, aren't you coming along?" Sparatus said patiently "I could use a strong drink myself"

Now Anderson was thoroughly bewildered. The usually uptight Turian was being far too friendly and mellow at this very moment. What was going on here.

However he knew he was starting to make things awkward and it would be rude in declining when another man subtly states he wants a drink together and discuss something. The question is, what does Sparatus wish to speak with him about?

Soon enough, Sparatus and Anderson were sitting at a booth with beers in hand(Dextro type for Sparatus) and food as well.

They ate in relative silence, with Sparatus greatly admiring the altered burger he had.

"This place is truly a find, Anderson" Sparatus said, mouth half full "That Krogan and Human chef are exemplary in their culinary arts"

"If that's a convoluted method of saying that they're really good cooks, then yes, Al And Grimlock are pretty damn good" Anderson wryly commented with a chuckle

"Indeed" Sparatus nodded, taking a drink out of his beer letting out a satisfied 'ah'.

"Sparatus" Anderson tone abruptly shifted the unusually relaxed mood in their booth "It's time you start talking. I'll be up front with you in asking what was the purpose of this meeting"

"Is it that hard to believe that one wishes to make amends and build towards a friendship with a fellow council member?" Sparatus said innocently only receiving a disbelieving deadpan in return from Anderson.

Sparatus expected this and only sighed in a slump, leaning back and showing a clear sign of exhaustion.

"Anderson" Sparatus spoke in complete seriousness "For the longest time now, I have held a deep seated fear and suspicion of humanity"

A hard edge flashed in Andersons eyes but he kept any remarks at bay, allowing Sparatus to continue to speak.

"Here was this upstart species that came in and showed such hunger in becoming a main stage player on the galactic community, displaying little regards for themselves or others and were faster than any other species to attain and seat on the council" Sparatus recounted "Our species met yours and we went to war. We had the upper hand at first but then you truly showed us just how capable you all were in combat and adaptability. An admirable trait that many Turian's praised after the conflict even though there were those who held contempt for your race"

"Saren being an obvious purveyor of such contempt" Anderson said in obvious distaste

Sparatus coughed uncomfortably at the mention of the former Spectre turned Rogue madman.

"Noted" Sparatus said "But regardless, humanity persevered showing more than enough backbone to shoulder the weight that comes with being on the center stage of the galaxy. Your first Spectre was more than a good enough example of such a man, bringing together multiple species under one individual goal for the sake of good and others. That's a rarity in every era and we need more like him"

"Like Spider-man?" Anderson said/inquired

"If not the entire Normandy crew" Sparatus stated "That crew has sent shockwaves across the galaxy from what I've been reading. The Krogan known as Urdnot Wrex has been sited on Tuchanka, rallying multiple Krogan tribes under his leadership"

"Yes, I am aware" Anderson nodded "I take it that the other councilors know of this and are wary?"

"More than likely" Sparatus nodded "But we need that. Especially in the times to come. We need to be a united galaxy"

Anderson couldn't hold back the blatant surprise present on his face. Sparatus, one of the most hard edged and stubborn Turians he had ever met is now speaking of unity in a very serious manner.

"Forgive me if I say I thought you'd be one of the last I'd know to say something like that" Anderson admitted

At that, Sparatus did return to his usual dour persona giving Anderson a slight glare.

"I'll have you reminded Anderson that I was also one of the individuals who was part of the agreement for the joint collaboration project between our two species when we first crafted the Normandy" Sparatus said with a slight tinge of arrogance before calming himself with a collected breath "As much as I gave you and yours a hard time Anderson, what happened at the Citadel those many months ago was an eye opener for me to say the least"

Sparatus now looked to be a great deal older then he appeared.

"Believe me when I say this Anderson, I understand your frustrations at times in being a member of the council when you'd rather be amongst your kind of people" Sparatus said with understanding "With men and women more simple and straight forward. The navy is your true home and yet you willingly gave that up for this life"

Sparatus couldn't help but chortle at the rather dumbfounded face of his fellow councilor.

"In case you forgot Anderson, practically every Turian has experienced the military lifestyle. How do you think I gained my markings" Sparatus said, gesturing to his face

"What brought about this change, Sparatus?" Anderson inquired "Forgive me for being frank here, but last I checked you were one of the most consummate politicians in the entire damn galaxy. Change doesn't just happen overnight"

Sparatus propped his elbows up on the table and hung his head to hide his expression.

"I'll be honest with you Anderson, the last year has really been putting a lot of things into perspective for me" Sparatus said somberly "With what the galaxy has been witnessing and with what history has taught us, in times of great desperation do few consider the notion of working together. That is something that must end sooner than later"

"There's this new up and comer amongst the Turians. Quentius is his name I believe. Good young lad with a history of service to the Turian hierarchy before switching into politics, believing he could more widespread good through here"

"Hope he knows what he's getting in to" Anderson couldn't help but say which got a chortle out of Sparatus

"Said the same exact words to him when I first met the youngster" Sparatus said "In all honesty if I were to have an immediate successor, he would be my pick. I think you'd actually like him a great deal. Told me he greatly admires your past work and Shepard as well"

Anderson only hummed in interest, allowing Sparatus to continue.

"So I do want to say this here and now Anderson" Sparatus said "I agree with you on the Reapers. With what I've seen with the coming of men such as Spider-man and Shepard with the events that came after, the Reapers…they are a very real threat, as much as it pains me in admitting that"

David could only stare wide-eyed at the stubborn old Turian.

"That's…rather humble of you to admit that Sparatus" Anderson said truthfully

"Yeah well, I've been doing a lot of thinking" Sparatus wryly stated "That and Quentius is a persistent one. Damn boy talked my ear off every day since Saren died and that ship attacked the Citadel"

Flashback end

Soon after coming into an agreement with Sparatus, Anderson had met this other Turian that was mentioned and found him to be quite likeable with a level head on his shoulders with a deep seated understanding of what needs to be done. And that will be a valuable asset to come in due time.

But right now, he was going over the greater deal of expansion to the Alliance fleet.

Since joining the Citadel as official members of the council, Humanity has been given a greater hand in leeway and privileges something that they had no intentions of squandering.

He had been in extensive talks with Hackett and other high ranking admirals and generals of the System Alliance in pooling their resources in adding more fighter ships, more dreadnoughts, cruisers, frigates, it didn't matter. All that mattered was bolstering their numbers and forces.

Similar steps were being taken by Sparatus and Quentius, with the younger Turian spear heading the coming projects while the more older and experienced politician worked his craft in keeping things under wraps and if nothing else, just some additional testing that the Turian Hierarchy had come to him about and one he approved of.

He also needed information on a more broader sense of the term.

Rather than having the information eventually make its way to him, Anderson needed to be vigilant of any shifts occurring in the galaxy so they could respond to it accordingly if need be.

And speaking of shifts, Anderson had caught wind of some unusual activity in the wilder parts of the Galaxy.

Specifically, Omega and the Terminus system overall.

Word of a new group of mercenaries were rising to prominence with their leader standing out above all else.

It was rumored that the leader was some kind of unusual Asari with a large orange fin-like Mohawk. But the thing is, this leader is blue as can be yet she is a he. Meaning that he wasn't Asari as they are only mono-gendered. Was it a mutated Asari? Or a man playing dress up in a blue suit.

But Anderson thought little of the topic right now, his sole focus being on a growing concern of this Human-organization stirring up a conversation amongst the denizens of the galaxy. And not in the good way.

"Cerberus" Anderson murmured with distaste, eyeing their logo that was displayed on the datapad.

Nothing truly good ever came from organizations that went out of their way to keep themselves under the radar, even if they had the 'best of intentions'.

He made sure to keep a greater eye on them. Knowing the type of organization they are, Anderson wouldn't have been surprised if they already have several of their own agents amongst the citadel and alliance.

Scene cut

Terminus system

Omega

Goksor Fand, Krogan Battle master elite mercenary was snoring loudly upon the couch of the small temporary base he and his comrades had taken up for the time being.

Beside the couch was a desk lined with weapons and credit chits which an Asari and her companion were currently cataloging.

The human glanced over with a quirked twitching brow at the particularly loud snort that Goksor let out, mumbling to himself while shifting around to get more comfortable.

"You know…" The human said in a deadpan "My vision sometimes rattles at the sheer volume of his snore. You ever get that Sasarv?"

"Not in the eyes but definitely the ears" Sasarv remarked "Where do you think he is right now?"

"Right now?" He hummed "Probably with the head honcho of Omega"

"Never saw Aria up close" Sasarv said aloud "Wonder what he did for her that got her so comfortable with him"

"Now that you mention, what did he do to gain the good graces of the Queen of freaking Omega?" He asked, mostly to himself.

"Well Riley, since you're so interested" Said a crass accented voice making both turn their heads to the door way where Yondu Udonta, leader of the newly formed Ravagers stood.

The blue skinned being wore a reddish brown trench coat matched with pants and shirt with black boots. On his upper right chest was a flame like emblem with a black diagonal accent on the right. Aside from the jet blue skin, his most defining feature was the protruding Mohawk like fin on his head that seemed to have some kind of circuitry coursing through it.

"See, me and the queen lady came to an understanding after I did little something for her that resulted in her giving me her good graces for my services for her" Yondu said with his toothy crooked grin

Riley stared intently at Yondu, trying to analyze the meaning behind that statement.

"Did you have sex with her?" Riley guessed making Sasarv go wide-eyed at the thought of such a notion.

What they got was Yondu laughing uproariously which made Goksor grunt at the sound but remained asleep.

"Nice guess Riley" Yondu said, shaking with laughter "But we ain't up to that stage of our relationship"

"You are in a relationship with her?!" Sasarv exclaimed

"Working relationship Sara" Yondu said casually "Can't really go into greater detail but the best I could describe it is well I helped out a person of interest under Aria's radar that would rather see them alive and healthy then dead in a ditch"

"It's Sasarv" The Asari said slightly irritably

Yondu only waved her off with a grin, walking past Goksor and waking him with slap across the head.

The Krogan only snorted, blearily opening his eyes which landed on Yondu.

"Boss man" Goksor greeted "We got ourselves a mission?"

"Yup" Yondu said "And some new blood with us as well"

"Already?" Riley said with interest and surprise "We already got some numbers in the crew"

"Well this one was a bit more personal apparently" Yondu said vaguely "Sides, she's a young upstart that's for sure. Speaking of which, I'll introduce you to her"

Looking to the entrance, Yondu yelled out "EH LIZZY, GET YER ASS IN HERE AND MEET SOME OF YOUR NEW FRIENDS"

In walked a young Asari, purple in skin tone with white accent marking over and under both eyes, on her head and in the center of her lip with a gap before another white accent on her chin. Her face was slightly round with her eyes being distinctly sharp but also innocent.

"Yondu" 'Lizzy' said with a pouty scowl "I told you not to call me that"

"Right" Yondu said dismissively "Well anyway, introduce yourself to the gang here Lizzy"

Rolling her eyes in annoyance, she turned her attention to the other occupants in the room and was much more pleasant.

"Hello" She said politely "I'm Liselle, nice to meet you all"

"Nice to meet you too" Sasarv said to her fellow Asari "I'm Sasarv and this is my boyfriend Riley"

"Yo" Riley gave her a two finger salute

"Names Goksor" The Krogan battle-master introduced with a fist thump to his chest "So how do you know this loony here?"

The question actually made Liselle somewhat flustered, puffing her cheeks with her arms crossed. Yondu of course laughed at her expression, walking over to her and placed his hand over her shoulder.

"Since she's too prideful to admit it, I helped Lizzy here out of a tight spot a while back" Yondu boasted, though with Liselle's darkening face it was seemingly confirmed

"What kind of tight…spot…" Riley slowly asked before slapping his hand over his face at the innuendo he inadvertently since Sasarv's cheeks darkened slightly and Goksor chuckled

Yondu shook his head in amusement before answering.

"The saving her life tight spot" Yondu said "Since then, she's helped me out a lot like I did for her"

"How exactly did you help me?" Liselle asked challengingly

"Hmmm, let's see" Yondu scratched his chin thoughtfully "There was that time on our way with the blue suns…"

Liselle quickly clamped her hand shut over Yondu's mouth, face burning with shame and embarrassment.

"I thought we agreed on never to bring that up" Liselle said almost hysterically

Removing her hand from his mouth, Yondu could only grin at the distraught expression she held

"Oh? You mean the time when I saved your ass again and you begged me not to tell anyone about it while I walked away with you running up right behind my heels" Yondu said with a shit eating grin

"Yes" Liselle grit out "That one"

"Wait a sec…" Riley rubbed his head, face scrunched up in concentration "That Blue Sun thing you mentioned…that wouldn't happen to be that freighter fiasco on the borders of the Terminus system, would it?"

"Right on the money there Riley" Yondu said with a nod, patting Liselle's shoulder while she could only look down dejectedly from the reminder of one of her more embarrassing moments as an agent on Omega

"What exactly happened?" Goksor asked "It was never really clarified"

"Ah, I think that'll be a story for another time" Yondu waved off "Right now, queen ladies got a little job for us and wants to see it done. And you know what the Ravagers do"

"Get it done" the trio before him stated firmly making him grin proudly

"Come on Lizzy, you know how your momma can get" Yondu beckoned

"Momma?" Goksor murmured

"You know her mother?" Sasarv asked before her eyes widened "Wait, are you her father?! This is your daughter?!"

"Nothing like that" Yondu debunked "It's just after what's been happening in the galaxy, Aria would rather have someone she could trust at an arms-length look out for her little girl here"

Now all eyes were back on Liselle who's face darkened considerably at the casual mention of her mother being none other than the pirate queen of Omega.

"What…" Riley said dumbly

"Hey dummies" Yondu grumped "Wipe those dumbass expression of your faces and get ready. We depart with the others in 20 minutes"

"Aria T'loaks daughter is with us now?" Sasarv murmured faintly

"You got a death wish or something, Udonta?" Goksor asked

"Less you wanna make it so, get ready" Yondu instructed more firmly this time "Come on, we're burning daylight and we got a mission to do"

"Shouldn't we talk about this?" Riley said nervously

"We already did" Yondu said, now impatiently "Now shut up and gear up"

"but…" Riley stuttered out when Yondu cut him off

"Boy, I will send my arrow right up your ass in a second flat" Yondu threatened

Riley promptly clamped his mouth shut and quickly began readying his gear with Sasarv and Goksor doing the same.

Liselle and Yondu left, the two walking side by side to the Ravagers main ship.

"You really know how to make a scene pops" Liselle wryly commented

"Part of my charm, Lizzy" Yondu said

"A charming asshole"

"With the face of an angel"

"Ah you do care"

"Barely enough sometimes"

"It's something at least"

Liselle could only shake her head, smiling despite herself.

For the past few months now, she had met this strange bizarre individual who she had bonded with to the point that she had begun to see him as a father figure. And it wasn't difficult to see how as he had taught her many valuable lessons, tricks on negotiations and how to fight smarter and better. At Omega's bar that her own mother overlook, he straight up cracked a glass over a drunk lechers head that was making eyes at her like it was the most common occurrence in the galaxy.

It was strange really to have a man such as himself have such an impact on her in such a short amount of time.

And the way that they had met was just as bizarre as their relationship was.

Flashback

Liselle cursed herself as she was the last one standing amongst her original unit that Aria had sent her with in dealing with this job.

It was supposed to be a simple smuggling op of Element Zero with the infamous mercenary group known as the Blood Pack but some numbers 'didn't add up' and then it all went south.

Now she was alone with her back pressed up against wall she was utilizing as cover.

She was outnumbered and outgunned with what looked to be her last stand.

Liselle attempted to barter some kind of deal but they were having none of it which further pissed her off to no end.

Over a dozen missions she has already performed, each one going pretty smoothly but this one went off the rails and now here she was.

It didn't take long for the Blood Pack Mercs to corner her, guns trailed right in her face.

The Vorchas of the group had made some insulting comments about the product not being up to snuff in terms of quantity and quality, stating Aria may be losing her edge.

She rebutted, stating everything was as it should be but they had ignored her in favor of simply killing her for trying to 'screw them over'.

Right before anyone pulled a trigger, a jaunty whistling tone filled the air.

All heads turned to see a figure strolling right up in the middle of the area.

And what they saw was someone they had never seen before. A blue human? Or what could be best described as a male Asari with a crazy fin on his head.

"Well look what we got here" The blue man said boisterously "A deal gone south. Seen that one, one to many times"

"Who the fuck are you?" The Krogan leader of the team growled out

"Me?" The figure said, feigning surprise "You never heard about lil old me?"

"Blue Asari's voice annoying" A Vorcha growled out, pointing his gun to the blue man "Want to shoot"

"Ah so you haven't heard of me then" he nodded his head understandingly "I get it. It is a big galaxy after all"

"Who are you?" The Krogan all but growled now, leveling his gun at him

"Ah, names Yondu Udonta" The blue Man introduced himself "And I'm here for the kid"

"The kid?" The Vorcha who already had his gun pointed at him

"What business do you have with her?" The Krogan interrogated, narrow eyed

"None really" Yondu admitted with a shrug "But see…"

He began pacing in front of them and now, half the squad had their guns trailing at him now.

"I've been in this business for a helluva long time before I joined the Guardians" Yondu said conversationally "And because of that, I've learned a lot of tricks. Like reading out a situation, one where clearly someone is getting a little greedy here and didn't read the deal right"

Yondu gave Liselle a wink of reassurance which caused her to tilt her head in bewilderment. It was then that she noticed that the entire squad of Blood Pack had their attention solely on him.

"Meaning?" The Krogan growled

"Meaning, I know that the little lady their did nothing wrong and you're all a bunch of jackasses" Yondu stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world

"You got some nerve Freak show" The Krogan leader rumbled, eyeing him with the intent to kill "I don't know what the hell you were thinking but if you wanna die in her place, go ahead. We'll kill her afterwards anyway"

"Now see" Yondu wagged his finger "You shouldn't have said that plate face cause now I really have to do something about it"

"Oh really" The Vorcha taunted "No weapon, no chance"

The rest of the squad grunted in agreement, now raising their guns at Yondu's head.

Yondu only shrugged and raised his hands in surrender.

All the while, Liselle could only stare at him in bewilderment and anxiety. Much as she loathed to admit it, this stranger just came in from out of nowhere and announced his intention to basically save her life.

But now, it seems as though he was going to die in her place instead.

She was about to shout out for him to leave when he began whistling a soft tune.

Liselle along with the Blood Pack mercs blinked at this sudden sound as his whistle shifted pitches, into a higher note.

Then came one of the craziest things they had ever seen.

Yondu's fin began glowing and out from his trench coat floated a golden arrow with two red trails flowing out from both ends, spinning and wobbling in the air.

The blood pack mercenaries and Liselle couldn't help but be enthralled by such a thing as they had to admit, they had never seen anything like it.

Nor would the mercs ever see it again as Yondu let out a series of high pitched FWEETS and the arrow shot forward like a missile.

Before some could even blink, the Arrow had impaled and gone through more than half of them and the rest attempted to react but they proved to be to slow as the golden arrow proceeded to kill them within an instant.

Yondu let out one final FWEET and the arrow rocketed back to him and he caught it and twirled the arrow between his fingers.

"Heh, And Quill called me old" Yondu said triumphantly, approaching the still down Liselle

Her eyes were wide in complete and utter shock as he now stood over her.

"Need a little help there?" Yondu said, holding out his hand "I'm still getting used to this whole good guy thing"

Liselle then at last snapped out of her gaze.

"Pardon?" Liselle quietly asked

"Do you need help?" Yondu now spoke extra slow which for some reason served to slightly irritate her but nonetheless this man…Asari…blue guy just went through the time to go out of his way and save her life. That's not something one takes for granted in these parts.

She saw that he held out his hand for her so she took it and he helped her to her feet.

"Who are you?" She couldn't help but blurt out

"Didn't you hear me from earlier? Names Yondu"

"No, no" Liselle shook her head "I mean just…what are you? Are you an Asari?"

"Do I look like a girl to you?" Yondu said with a deadpan

"No no" Liselle quickly waved her hand "It's just that…I need a moment, a lot just happened"

"What's your name kid?" Yondu asked

Liselle's brow twitched subconsciously at the way he addressed her but he just saved her ass so at the very least…

"My name is Liselle" She introduced herself "I'm an agent of Omega under Aria T'loak, ruler of Omega"

"You don't say?" Yondu murmured in faux interest which served to further irritate the Asari.

She was finding his nonchalant demeanor rather annoying but once again, he saved her life. Though for very vague reasons.

"Tell me, since you're an agent of this ruler of Omega, you think she's willing to meet with a wanderer like myself?" Yondu inquired

"Why would you want to do that?" Liselle asked in return

"Let's just say this galaxy is a big place and with the, how do I say it, environment here. I'm pretty sure a scoundrel like myself could fit in quite nicely here" Yondu said confidently

"Didn't you mention something about being a good guy?" Liselle pointed out in befuddlement

"Let's just say It's a combination of it being complicated and old habits dying hard" Yondu stated "And I ain't dead yet so there's that"

"What?" Liselle couldn't help but say

"Nothing you should worry about Lizzy" Yondu said

"Lizzy?" Liselle murmured to herself

"So?" Yondu said expectantly "You taking me to meet your boss or not?"

Liselle could only stare at the bizarre individual until she finally shook her head with a slight groan, gesturing for him to follow.

"How am I gonna explain this one?" Liselle said

Flashback end

Since then, Yondu has rather endeared himself to Aria with his brash and quick witted attitude and on more than one occasion, she saw that Aria and Yondu were a bit too comfortable for her taste.

She kinda found herself choking every time at the thought of them both going at it.

Goddess she hopes that wasn't true at all, otherwise she would have an extremely vivid imagination that hates her for some reason even though it's an abstract thought that belongs to her.

She needed a boyfriend.

It was actually rather strange really that her mother would come to her and almost subtly force her into joining up with Yondu's up and coming mercenary group he calls the Ravagers.

When she asked why, all Aria said was 'Never distrust a mothers intuition'. That and the fierce gaze she gave her in doing so.

Aria trust Yondu to a great deal if she wanted him personally to watch over her in her operations on Omega and in the Terminus System.

Then again saving the daughter of the pirate queen on more than one occasion helps out a great deal.

And she actually was surprised on some of the missions Yondu has already performed.

Escorts for civilian vessels, helping smuggle much needed supplies to those who need it and going out of his way to help those in need in general.

While this part of the galaxy in particular was known for being ruthless and unyielding in its lifestyle, Yondu and the Ravagers were quickly becoming a rather noble standard within the Terminus system.

Well…as noble as one could get when you've garnered your own reputation of being quite merciless at times if you piss off Yondu.

Another group of Blood Pack members found that out the hard way when they tried messing with him and by that, messing with Liselle once again.

30 members went after her and none came back.

That Yaka Arrow as he called it was damn near indestructible and unstoppable.

She saw it cut through metal like it was paper which was a damn sight to see.

But for now, she had a mission to do.

Speaking of which.

"What are we doing Yondu?" Liselle asked

"Escort op" Yondu replied "Apparently a group of weird humans have a base of theirs in the Terminus System that was taken over by someone else"

"What numbers are we looking at?" Liselle said, going over her Omni-Tool

"One" Yondu said with intrigue making Liselle look at him

"One?"

"Apparently it's a human who's a crazy strong biotic to the point of absurdity, as one of the sources so aptly put it" Yondu explained

"Pops, after you, I think I'm gonna find it really difficult to see if anything will be as absurd as you" Liselle said

"Careful with your words Lizzy, you may have to eat them later" Yondu said with a teasing grin

Rolling her eyes, she saw the three other Ravagers she had met were ready and awaiting them.

As she got closer, she heard a song echoing from the ship that they had prepped for their journey.

"Sun is shining in the sky, There ain't a cloud in the site
It's stopped rainin' Everybody's in a play and don't you know it's a beautiful new day. Hey Hey"

"What's this?" Liselle asked Riley

"Our ship" Riley said like it was the most obvious thing when Liselle gave him a flat look.

Riley looked at her in confusion when…

"Oh" Riley said in realization "Yeah, our captain prefers listening to tunes when we're flying for our missions. Says it reminds him of home"

"I like this one" Goksor commented, giving a nod to Yondu while he boarded the ship

"Mister blue sky please tell us why
You had to hide away for so long (so long) Where did we go wrong?"

"Huh" Liselle found herself frowning, a slight tinge of disappointment in herself "I didn't know he like human music"

"Neither did I" Riley said cheerfully "But I like his taste. A lot of golden oldies"

"Indeed" Sasarv said, swaying a bit to the music "I find the catalog of human music quite enjoyable"

"He ever tell any of you why he listens to this?" Liselle asked

Riley only shrugged "Said it reminded him of home"

"You know him better than us" Sasarv said to Liselle "Did he ever talk about where he came from?"

Liselle looked to the ship, the music still playing.

"Not really" Liselle said unsure, slightly put off again at not knowing Yondu as well as she had thought. They had spent a great deal of time together the past few months, with him teaching her a great deal of new techniques and life lessons yet…in all that time she had never once learned a lot about him.

Silently, she boarded the ship with the others following after her. Mentally, she decided to promise herself to learn more about this individual who quickly grew to be a type of father figure to her.

"Let's go" Yondu said to them, awaiting their arrival in the cockpit

He was seated in the cockpit with the crew seating themselves in their respective positions.

"Anyone know the name of this super biotic freak we're going after?" Goksor asked

Yondu powered up the engines, stating one word.

A name.

"Jack"

Oh, what could this mean?

I think you all should know by now. So yeah, I'm still reeling from Infinity War which has seemingly sparked a fire under my ass and thus in the span of two days this chapter was complete.

After that fucking tease, you really think I would have left you all like that so high and dry.

And god damn the reviewers who got the feeling I got, shell shock shit right there. Never would have thought we would see something like that in theaters.

I mean as comic book fans we should've expected something like that, but at the same time…the way it happened was truly something that'll be sticking with us for some time.

Can't wait for the next few films.

And I can't wait for the next chapter for this story even though I'm the one writing it.

What's up with that am I right?

Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day