There were only four people in the warehouse, instead of the original group of five that had initially gone to Dana Shada.

The man who separated from the group was one of the Sith attendants, who was sent to reunite with Master Dooku and deliver an important item that would undoubtedly help the CIS better conduct the war.

Currently, only three waiters and a deadly mercenary occupied the quarters, and they regarded him with distrust.

Rumlow sat alone at the table he had prepared for himself, removing his helmet and reinforced hydraulic gauntlets.

Currently, he is repairing some of the damage he sustained during his time on Naboo.

It’s to be expected, really, when dealing with the Jedi and the damn Avengers.

"Hey, are you still listening to us?" an irritated female voice said.

The former Hydra agent simply rolled his eyes and continued welding parts of his glove together.

After a moment, the glove flew out of his own hand and fell into the hands of the annoyed female Sith waitress Zabrak.

"Listen to me when I speak—"

Before she could finish her words, she felt a knife suddenly pressed against her neck.

"What part of me not wanting to fight in this war didn't you understand when I first told you idiots?" Rumlow growled, his charred face adding to his intimidating presence.

Cadrian Say only growled until the two were quickly separated by former Jedi Master Prosette Dibs.

"That's enough." Prosser said in a firm voice, pushing Cadrian away from Rumlow. "The last thing we need is a fight and attracting unwanted attention."

Behind the waiter came a very loud and obvious haughty snort.

"What will the rabble out there do to us?" Rodri said in a smug tone. "We are on a crime-ridden planet. No one will bother to investigate any commotion we create unless we piss off one of the planet's leaders.

"It is for this very reason that we should not draw unnecessary attention to ourselves," Prosette Dibbs snapped. "Also this planet is under direct Hutt control. The Hutts are currently allied with the Republic, so please be aware of that."

"Why are we staying here?" Cadrian asked loudly, annoyed. "We've sent Varen to deliver the virus vial to Dooku. I would have thought we'd have left by now.

"You know why," Prossett said, now turning to Rumlow, who had returned to his workstation. "He has taken a keen interest in the treatment."

"Then why not just take it from him?" Rodri asked with a small growl in his voice.

"Try it, freak," Rumlow said without even looking at the waiter. "You'll regret it."

"What's going to stop us from killing you?" Cadrian said with his eyes wide open.

"A lot of things."

"You're only saying this to delay the inevitable. A pathetic ploy.

Rumlow looked up at Zabrak, unimpressed. "You don't realize that the same Avengers who beat you to a pulp fought me for years. And your bullshit Force powers don't affect me, understand?

Sai's brow furrowed in anger at the reminder.

It was sad to say, but Rumlow was right, considering some of the waiters' previous experiences with the Earthlings. The Force barely worked on them.

Dooku talks about Rumlow and the Avengers seeming to exist around them, proving difficult to influence these people with typical Force powers.

Only someone as powerful or knowledgeable in the Force as their Master Dooku could achieve more noticeable results on the mercenaries.

For now, the waiters are here to guard Rumlow under the Earl's instructions while they await the arrival of the Separatist shuttle.

The room quickly fell silent for a while.

"Snapped!

Hearing the sudden sound in the distance, many people blinked in confusion.

"beep?"

Closing his eyes, the Zabrak attendant focused his attention into the Force.

"I sense something... a familiar-"

"I found them!"

The group turned and walked towards the source, and found a blue-red human projectile flying towards them. On his arm was a man holding a blue lightsaber.

After a while, the two men rushed into the hiding place, followed by two others.

"Jedi!" Rhodri exclaimed, igniting his lightsaber just in time for a clash with Anakin Skywalker.

"Avengers!" Prossette Dibs yelled, his own lightsaber bouncing off Captain America's shield.

"Asshole!" Spider-Man said, waving directly at Rumlow, who deftly armed himself with the gauntlet and kicked up the table he was using to repair it.

The table flew towards Spider-Man who caught it with his webs, spun it in the air, and threw it back at Crossbones.

Rumlow simply swung his armored fist with all his might, the hydraulic gauntlet smashing the table into pieces, and then he swung again, punching Spider-Man in the chest.

The young hero flew backwards and accidentally collided with Prossette Dibbs, and both of them fell heavily backwards.

Captain America, who had been fighting Dibs, blinked before hearing running footsteps heading straight towards him.

"Nice to see you so soon, Cap!"

Steve turned and raised his shield just in time to absorb the impact of the enhanced fist coming towards him.

"You too, Rumlow." The Super Soldier was stressed. He pushed his fist back, his own fist colliding with Crossbones's, though this proved to be a mistake as the hydraulic fist overwhelmed Cap's fist, sending him flying back.

Obi-Wan was currently engaged in combat with Cadrian Sai, the Jedi Master calmly blocking all of the Zabrak's attacks.

"You've improved, Sai," Obi-Wan said with a smile.

The Sith waiter simply growled in response, a crazed grin on his face.

"There was a time when I would have found great satisfaction in hearing the praises of the great Obi-Wan Kenobi," she chided, preparing to strike, only for the Jedi Master to block it. "But now, the highest compliment I can receive is if I strike you down."

"It is important to have aspirations in this galaxy," Obi-Wan said, clashing with Cadrian's lightsaber, the two of them momentarily locked in combat. "But be sure to keep them realistic."

Pushing past her, she raised her lightsaber above her head, which gave Obi-Wan the opportunity to push her into a nearby wall.

She felt pain in her back, but the Zabrak quickly rebounded and leapt at the Jedi Master.

Before she could reach him, however, she felt something grab her back, throwing her out, and she found herself wrapped in webbing, rendering her completely immobile.

"Thank you, my young Padawan," Obi-Wan said cheekily.

Peter simply gave his pseudo-mentor a thumbs up as he waved to Cap and Rumlow while Obi-Wan ran off to assist Anakin, who was currently fighting the other two attendants on his own.

Meanwhile, Steve has been engaged in fierce hand-to-hand combat with Rumlow, with the mercenaries fighting particularly brutally and mercilessly.

All the blows Steve launched at him were neutralized.

"Is this what you are capable of, Rogers?!" Rumlow asked back, addressing the good captain who was temporarily stunned by the hit.

Steve gritted his teeth and retaliated with a quick headbutt, followed by a barrage of punches and a powerful shield swing to his face.

The final blow sent Crossbones flying, landing hard on the ground.

A small bottle fell out of his armored vest and landed on the floor.

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like