Soon after, the Guardians and bounty hunters gathered in a room around a holographic table displaying the villages and regions they were tasked to protect.
"We have two fronts to worry about when the attack comes: the forest to the south and the ridge to the north," Star-Lord said, pointing to the respective areas on the projection. "Whatever we do, both of these areas need to be defended. If we don't, they'll surround us."
"Three fronts," Gamora corrected, her voice sharp and tactical. "Don't forget about aerial assault. They might launch an air strike with their droids."
"Quill and I can handle that," Rocket said confidently, patting his vest where one of his flight packs was secured to his back. "HK, I've got two spares if you want to help us establish air superiority."
"Flattery: Why, thank you. I am always eager to diversify my killing methodologies. Raining death from above is something I have yet to experience," HK-47 responded with disturbing enthusiasm.
"That's... deeply unsettling," Rumi muttered, eyeing the assassin droid warily.
"What's he talking about?" Sugi asked, confusion evident in her voice.
"We'll explain later," Gamora interjected firmly. "Right now, we need to make sure our strategy is sound, or we'll be overwhelmed by superior numbers."
"But there are only eight of you," one of the Felucians attending the meeting pointed out skeptically. "How can eight bounty hunters possibly fight off so many pirates?"
"Strength isn't always about numbers," Gamora replied, her tone carrying the weight of experience. "It's about how effectively you use what you have."
Embo spoke in his native tongue, his words carrying a confident undertone.
"Yeah, exactly what Hat Man said," Rocket boasted, crossing his arms. "A few mangy pirates? That's child's play for us."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Seripas asked, his voice tinged with indignation.
"What do you think it means?" Rocket shot back challengingly, but Gamora quickly grabbed his shoulder to restrain him.
"You seem to doubt our capabilities," Sugi observed, her tone accusatory.
"It's not that," Quill said diplomatically, shooting Rocket a warning glare. "It's just that we might be facing overwhelming numbers. It's not that we can't handle them—it's that some might slip through and target the villagers directly."
"Query: Then why do they not simply defend themselves? Surely it cannot be as difficult as you make it sound," HK-47 interjected.
"That's it!" Star-Lord exclaimed, his expression brightening with sudden inspiration. "We'll train the villagers to defend themselves."
"What now?" Rocket said in surprise, his ears perking up.
"But we're just simple farmers," one villager protested. "Why should we hire bounty hunters to protect us if we're going to end up defending ourselves anyway?"
"Quiet, Dilanni," Cassis scolded gently.
"Observation: If a creature as diminutive as my ally Rocket can pose a threat to beings ten times his size, we can certainly teach you meatbags to do the same," HK-47 noted with mechanical logic.
"He's not wrong," Quill admitted reluctantly.
"Query: Master Quill, please allow me to assist in your training regimen. I possess numerous combat and assassination protocols that I would be delighted to share with these organic life forms."
"Let's... not get ahead of ourselves," Star-Lord said quickly, holding up his hands.
"How can you be so confident?" Cassis asked, worry creasing his features. "What if we're not prepared when those pirates arrive?"
"Trust me," Star-Lord said with conviction. "We'll get you ready."
Within hours of finalizing their plan, the assembled bounty hunters dispersed across the settlement to begin their preparations. For some, the immediate task was clearing the crop fields—given the circumstances, it would be better to secure the harvest now rather than risk losing it during the inevitable conflict with Hondo's forces.
"Load them all into the barn," Sugi instructed a farmer as his harvesting droid moved methodically through the fields.
As a dozen villagers carried the collected nysillin into their central storage facility, another thirty formed an uneven line in front of Gamora, awaiting instruction.
"Alright, everyone gather up," Gamora commanded the assembled Felucians.
The farmers looked at each other uncertainly, shuffling about without clear direction.
Gamora sighed deeply. "Form five rows of six."
Instead of proper formation lines, the farmers ended up clustering into small, disorganized groups, causing their would-be instructor to rub the bridge of her nose in frustration.
"See? I told you—we're not soldiers," Dilanni called out defensively. "We don't even have proper weapons."
Gamora's eyes focused on the wooden farming implements in their hands. She approached one of the farmers and gestured politely. "May I borrow that for a moment?"
With the farming tool now in her grasp, she stepped back and began manipulating it to test its weight and balance. After a few experimental movements, she started spinning it with increasing precision and speed, the wooden staff becoming a blur in her skilled hands. Finally, she smiled with satisfaction and handed it back to its owner.
"These will work perfectly."
Meanwhile, Rocket prowled around the perimeter, tossing sensor discs at strategic points while scanning the sky with narrowed eyes. He spotted movement and called Rumi over to assist him while continuing his surveillance work.
HK-47 had positioned himself with a group of Felucians who possessed slingshots, demonstrating proper aiming techniques and ammunition optimization.
Over in the main storage barn, Star-Lord and Sugi watched as more nysillin continued to pile up inside the cavernous structure.
"We'll probably be outnumbered significantly," Quill observed, his tactical mind already working through scenarios. "Some of Hondo's crew will definitely try to break through our defensive line and make a direct assault on this barn. There's plenty of space here to mount a last stand if necessary."
"Why don't you move your ship out of harm's way? Or better yet, use it in the fight?" Sugi suggested.
"And risk the Milano getting destroyed? No thanks," Quill replied firmly.
"You realize we have our own ships too," Sugi pointed out.
Sugi didn't respond immediately, instead pointing toward the barn entrance as another pair of villagers entered carrying their portion of the harvest.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Quill asked suddenly, prompting Sugi to regard him with a raised eyebrow.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing, nothing... it's just..." Quill trailed off awkwardly.
"You think I'm only concerned about my cut of the profits, don't you?" Sugi interrupted, her voice carrying an edge.
"Well... I'm not going to lie—kind of, yeah," Star-Lord admitted with uncomfortable honesty. "I've been in this exact situation more times than I care to count."
"I'll have you know that I'm not nearly as much of a backstabber as you seem to think."
"Hey, let's just drop this subject," Quill said, trying to defuse the tension.
But Sugi wasn't finished.
"So in your mind, I'm just another pirate looking out for herself?"
"Look, I wouldn't put it quite like that," Star-Lord said carefully. "Listen, I've done plenty of terrible things in my life that I'm not proud of. We all have our dark moments, don't we?"
"Who's 'we'?" Sugi asked pointedly.
"My team. The Guardians of the Galaxy," Star-Lord clarified, his voice becoming more reflective. "All of us—and I mean all of us—have done some seriously messed up stuff that's not exactly the kind of thing that helps you sleep peacefully at night."
Sugi found herself uncertain how to respond to this unexpected honesty.
"Look... I know we're all here for the paycheck and everything that comes with it, but we need to work together if this is going to succeed," Star-Lord said, reaching into his jacket and producing a small disc. "Here."
Sugi stared at the compact device with curiosity.
"What exactly is this supposed to be?"
"Aero-rig," Quill explained. "You activate it against your chest or back, and boom—instant flight capability."
Sugi took the device and examined it closely, turning it over in her hands. "This can actually make me fly?"
"Yeah," Quill said, then paused as a realization struck him. "You know, we've noticed that this galaxy doesn't seem to have a lot of the technology we're used to encountering."
This immediately caught Sugi's full attention. "This galaxy?"
Star-Lord's eyes widened as he realized his slip-up, his mouth opening and closing several times as he searched for words. "Oh... yeah... uh, well, you see..."
"Quill!" Rocket's voice called from outside, providing a much-needed interruption.
Star-Lord felt a wave of relief wash over him. He really didn't want to explain their interdimensional situation right now—not because he was opposed to sharing, but because that particular conversation would require far more time than they currently had.
"What's going on?" Quill called back.
"What music should we queue up for when we get back to the ship?" Rocket shouted.
"What are you in the mood for? Something upbeat?"
"Yeah, exactly—something like that 'Come on Eileen' track."
"Good choice," Quill agreed, quickly moving away from Sugi to join Rocket outside.
The Zabrak woman's expression darkened, her eyes narrowing with suspicion and growing curiosity.
Star-Lord's inadvertent comment had definitely aroused Sugi's interest, and she was determined to get answers—no matter what those answers might reveal.
But for now, she would have to shelve those questions for another time.
She had a job to complete, and she intended to see it through to the end, regardless of whatever secrets the Guardians might be hiding.