At midnight, the countryside appeared calm and undisturbed. The quiet hum of insects filled the air, and the wildlife remained mostly unbothered. Yet despite the stillness, tension hung thick—bounty hunters were either patrolling or resting, all well aware that a battle was brewing come morning.
Hidden in the woods, a Weequay pirate lowered his binoculars and silently gestured to his squad. They moved forward to take position.
For now, they needed to pass through the forest and hope to launch a surprise attack. Charging straight through the valley's main road wasn't an option—it was too open, and crawling with potential resistance. That left them with the long way around.
Then—
"Did you hear that?" one of the pirates called out suddenly.
"Did you hear—?"
A strange tinkling noise floated through the air. Then… singing.
Southern nights
Have you ever felt a Southern night?
Free as a breeze
Not to mention the trees
Whistlin' tunes that you know and love so
"What is that?"
"I don't—"
The pirates all froze, glancing down at the feet of one of their comrades.
Before they could react, needles shot out from every direction, striking several of them. Those hit fell to the ground instantly, their bodies covered in needles. Some collapsed unconscious, while others spasmed from paralysis.
The rest of the pirates panicked and scattered.
Then came a short beep.
Southern skies
Have you ever noticed Southern skies? (In southern skies)
Its precious beauty lies
Just beyond the eye it goes running through your soul
Like the stories told of old
More pirates screamed in terror as they were suddenly yanked upward, flung into the air by invisible forces. Others dropped helplessly to the ground.
Southern nights
They feel so good, it's frightening
Wish I could (Southern nights)
Stop this world from fighting
Southern skies
Have you ever noticed?
Rocket darted through the branches above, chuckling to himself.
"They always say the same trick doesn't work twice," he muttered. "Well, guess they haven't met me yet."
From his perch, Rocket tucked away the detonator for the anti-gravity mines and pulled out a handful of electric discs. He leapt down, bouncing between pirates, slapping a disk onto each one.
The pirates flailed in confusion, unable to comprehend what this raccoon-like creature was doing.
Rocket jumped off the last one, pulled out a control switch, and hit it.
Electric pulses erupted simultaneously, shocking every tagged pirate into convulsions. They crumpled to the ground.
"Take care of yourselves," Rocket smirked, holstering the controller.
Earlier, in the village, movement was already underway. The other bounty hunters had been alerted when they began hearing blaster fire and distant explosions.
"All right, everybody!" Sugi shouted from the village center. "Move out! Return to your posts—stay inside your homes and behind the fences!"
Embo and HK-47 moved together, pausing to glance toward the forest. Screams echoed as pirates were flung into the air and dropped like ragdolls.
It happened again. And again. Finally, Embo turned his attention back to the task at hand.
Outside the perimeter, Star-Lord, Sugi, and Gamora stood in front of the fence that would serve as their frontline defense.
"The farmers are already there," Quill reported.
"Very good. Open the fence," Gamora said.
Sugi nodded and tapped a control on his wrist. Instantly, green energy surged outward—an energy barrier now surrounded most of the village.
Meanwhile, Sugi and Rumi activated their Aero Rigs. The strange alien tech wrapped awkwardly around their bodies as they took to the air. The experience was bumpy and unstable—they clearly weren't used to flying.
As soon as they stabilized, they noticed several fast-moving objects approaching.
"We've got company!" Rumi shouted, raising her sniper rifle.
"Everyone, engage!" Sugi barked, firing several shots at the approaching pirate droids.
The droids absorbed the blasts, raised their arms, and transformed them into railguns.
Sugi and Rumi pulled away, and in their place, Star-Lord zoomed in with his quad blasters, flying straight at the enemy.
Peter weaved through blaster fire with expert precision, closed the gap, and blasted one of the droids mid-air. It staggered, just long enough for him to finish it off with another shot. Then he was off toward the next target.
Some droids dropped down toward the village, opening fire with railguns. The defenders scattered, shielding civilians.
Embo charged forward, angling his wide-brimmed hat to deflect the incoming shots. He tilted his head slightly to absorb the energy—it was powerful, but manageable.
Leaping into the air, Embo hurled small discs that landed around a confused droid. The moment he hit the ground, the discs triggered, frying the machine in an electrical surge.
Watching from a distance, Embo nodded in approval. "I owe Rocket for that one."
Then—a roaring speeder engine. Embo sprinted forward.
A group of pirates rode in, but one unlucky rider was suddenly thrown from his speeder—commandeered by a bounty hunter wearing a flashy hat.
Elsewhere...
Gamora led a squad of pirates down a winding trail, riding a stolen speeder bike. As she approached a clearing, she gave a signal.
Moments later, Serapis and the farmers dropped massive trees across the road. The pirates couldn't react in time. Their speeders smashed into the blockade, sending riders flying—some killed on impact, others badly wounded.
Gamora glanced back and smiled at Serapis.
He nodded... and then—
Click. Click.
Gamora's eyes widened as a fiery explosion swallowed Serapis whole.
From the smoke and fire, several droids emerged, speeding toward her.
With a growl, Gamora spun her speeder around and charged straight at them. They opened fire—so did she. One went down. The rest latched onto her engine.
She didn't flinch. Instead, she leapt from her speeder mid-motion.
A retractable sword, God Slayer, extended from her arm. In one fluid motion, she slashed through two droids, slicing them apart as they tumbled midair.
Their remains shattered and fell to the forest floor.
More droids surrounded her, trying to outmaneuver the assassin.
But Gamora was already moving.
With enhanced strength, speed, and agility, she vaulted off a tree, twisted midair, and landed a crushing kick on another droid.
Back in the village, the Guardians and bounty hunters held the line against the pirates and their robotic reinforcements.
Thanks to Rocket's gadgets and their combined skills, they were holding strong.
Until Hondo decided to join the party.
From atop a cliff, Hondo manned his personal tank's main gun. He began firing wildly into the village, uncaring where the shots landed—he knew chaos would follow no matter what.
One blast struck near Embo, the shockwave sending him flying.
"Embo!" Sugi screamed, rushing to him.
She dropped beside her fellow bounty hunter, checking his condition. "Can you hear me?" she asked frantically.
Embo stirred, weakly attempting to stand.
"You'll be okay. We're getting you out of here."
More shells rained down. Farmers on mounts were thrown and injured as explosions tore through the area.
"Everyone—retreat to the barn!" Sugi shouted.
As the group began to move, another shell headed straight for them.
Rocket was already ahead of it.
He tossed a cloud of tiny spheres into the air. They expanded and formed a giant energy shield, catching the blast with a loud sizzle and a wave of light.
"That tank's gonna tear the villagers apart," Sugi muttered, lifting Embo onto her shoulder and dragging him toward the barn.
"Quill, you catch that?" Rocket called out, scanning the sky.
"Got it," Star-Lord grunted, sending a droid spinning with a blast and shooting a hole clean through its head.
HK-47 covered Sugi as she dragged Embo to safety.
"Get him inside," she ordered, handing him off to a villager. "We'll hold the rest off as long as we can."
Suddenly—an explosion overhead.
Rumi crashed to the ground in front of them.
"No!" Sugi cried out, racing to her fallen friend.
"Sugi, focus!" Rocket shouted, blasting nearby pirates with his ion cannon. "Don't get distracted!"
"But—"
"You want to live one more day for your friend?" Rocket snapped. "Then fight now. Grieve later!"