Soon after, the Guardians and Bounty Hunters gathered in a room around a holographic table that showed the villages and regions they inhabited.

"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 two areas. "Whatever we do, both of these areas need to be protected. Otherwise they will surround us."

"Three fronts," Gamora added. "Don't forget the droids. They might launch an air strike.

"Quil and I can handle this." Rocket said, patting his vest where one of his aviation kits was attached to his back. "HK, I've got two spares if you'd like to get some air superiority."

"Flattery: Yes please. I'm always looking for new ways to diversify my killing abilities. Death falling from the sky is something I haven't done yet.

"That's... quite disturbing. Rumi muttered as he looked at the assassin robot.

"What are you talking about?" Suji asked.

“We’ll tell you later,” Gamora cut in. “Right now, we need to make sure our plan is correct, or we’ll be outnumbered.

"But there are only eight of you?" a Felucian who attended the meeting asked. "How can eight bounty hunters fight off so many pirates?"

"Strength isn't always about numbers. It's mostly how you actually use the few you have." said Thanos' adopted daughter.

Embo spoke in his native tongue, to which Rocket responded, "Yeah, you said it yourself, Hat Man." Rocket boasted. "A few pirates are just a piece of cake for us."

"What does this mean?" Serapis asked in a tone of indignation.

"What do you think this means?" Rocket launched a challenging counterattack, but was pulled back by Gamora.

"You seem to lack confidence in our abilities," Suji said in an accusing tone.

"It's not like that." Quill said, glaring at Rocket not to interrupt. "It's just that we might be facing a large number of enemies. It's not that we can't handle them. It's just that they might take advantage and attack the villagers.

“Q: Then why didn’t they protect themselves? It’s not as difficult as you describe.

"That's it! We will only train the villagers to defend themselves. Star-Lord said with an anxious expression.

"What now?" Rocket said in surprise.

“But we are just simple farmers. Why should we pay bounty hunters to protect us if we are going to do it ourselves eventually?

"Hush, Delaney," Cassis chided.

"Observation: If a creature as small as my ally Rocket can prove a threat to creatures ten times his size, we can show you how to do the same."

"He's not wrong," Quill muttered.

"Q: Master Quill, please allow me to assist you in your training. I have many forms of combat and assassination skills that I would be happy to bestow upon these little meatbags.

"Let's...don't think too far ahead," said Star-Lord.

"How can you be so confident?" Cassis asked. "What if we are unprepared for those pirates?"

"Trust me. We'll get you ready." Star-Lord said confidently.

Within hours of their plan forming, the assembled bounty hunters began to work in various parts of the land. For a few, their task was to clear the crop fields. Given the developments, it would be better to deal with them now rather than do them later when the conflict with Hondo and his forces was resolved.

“Put them all in the barn,” Suji instructed the farmer as his farm tractor went to plow the field.

As a dozen peasants loaded the collected Sillim into their central barn, another thirty formed a line in front of Gamora.

"Alright everyone, gather up," Gamora ordered the Felucians in front of her.

The farmers looked at each other in confusion, not knowing what to do.

Gamora gasped. "Split into five rows."

The farmers ended up not forming lines but forming small... teams, causing their coach to rub the bridge of her nose in frustration.

“I told you, we are not soldiers. We don’t even have weapons. Delaney shouted.

Gamora stared at the wooden sticks in their hands and walked up to one of the farmers. "Can I use them?" she asked politely.

With the farm implement in her hands, she stepped back and began to move it around to get a feel for it. After a moment, she began to spin it with precision and speed. Finally, she smiled and handed the farm board back.

“These are very useful.”

Rocket walked around, throwing discs here and there, staring at the sky. He squinted his eyes and called Rumi over to him while he continued to work.

HK-47 is with a couple of Felucians who have slingshots, and shows them how to use them properly.

Over in the big barn, Star-Lord and Suji are watching more Seelims pile up inside.

"We'll probably be overwhelmed by their superior numbers," Quill pointed out. "Some will surely try to break past us and make a beeline for the barn. There's plenty of room here to defend."

“Why don’t you get your boat out of the way? Or use it anyway?

"Risk being destroyed? No thanks.

"You know we have our own."

Suji did not respond, but pointed to the barn, and another pair of villagers walked in carrying a piece of Sillim.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Quill asked suddenly, causing Suji to look at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What does it mean?"

"Nothing, nothing, just..."

"You think I'm only worried about my profits, right?" Suji interrupted him.

"Well... I'm not going to lie, kind of," Star-Lord admitted. "I've had to deal with this situation a number of times."

"I'll have you know that I'm not as much of a backstabber as you think."

"Hey, let's not talk about this."

However, Suji kept going.

"So in your mind, I'm just like any other pirate?"

"Well, I wouldn't think of it that way," Star-Lord said. "Look, I've done some shitty things in my life myself that I'm not proud of. We all have, don't we?

"us?"

“My team. The Guardians of the Galaxy. Star-Lord clarified. “All of us, and I mean all of us, do a lot of messed up stuff that’s not exactly the kind of thing that would make most people sleep well at night.”

Suji wasn't quite sure how to respond.

"Look... I know we're all here for some paychecks and all this bullshit, but we have to work together. Star-Lord said, pulling a disc out of his pocket.

Suji stared at the small disc.

"So what is this supposed to be?"

"The aero rig," Quill said. "You hit your chest or your back, and boom, it takes you up instantly."

Suji held it up and examined it. "Can this make me fly?"

“Hmm,” Quayle said. “We actually noticed that this galaxy didn’t have anything we normally come across.

This immediately caught Suji's attention. "This galaxy?"

Star-Lord blinked, then opened his eyes and closed his mouth several times. "Oh...yeah...uh, you see..."

"Quil."

Star-Lord breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. He really didn't want to explain this matter now. It's not that he was against it, but the specific topic would take a long time to elaborate.

"what happened?"

"What music shall we listen to when we get back on board?" asked the Rocket.

"What are you looking for? Anything fun?

"Yes, yes, just like that water cloud."

"Blue sky," Quill said, quickly leaving Suji and joining Rocket.

The Zabrak woman's face scrunched up, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Star-Lord's words just now aroused Suji's suspicion, and she wanted to find the answer now. No matter what he meant.

But for now, she would have to save those issues for another day.

Now, she had a job to do, and she would do it to the end.

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