Marvel crosses Star Wars, and everyone attacks the galaxy

Chapter 291: Captain America Returns to Coruscant

Inside the flagship of Obi-Wan Kenobi's fleet, the Negotiator, Captain America stood on the bridge, looking distraught.

He was now leaning against the holo-table with his head bowed, his mind filled with everything he and his friend Rhodes had just learned.

The situation couldn't be worse.

Ultron is back.

As the two Avengers were above the planet of Mandalore with Aayla and Obi-Wan, their communications were lit up with multiple distress signals from dozens of star systems both near and throughout Republic and even Separatist controlled space.

This was some kind of blitzkrieg on a grand scale, with multiple ships jumping out of hyperspace above key planets and systems, launching sudden and devastating attacks that unsettled the entire galaxy.

As Republic forces stationed above Mandalore tried to figure out what was happening, there was complete confusion and panic.

After nearly half an hour of trying, they finally received shocking news.

Coruscant is under attack.

The entire planet is fighting back against a mysterious new enemy whose sudden invasion catches the Republic off guard.

However, a tip from Natasha gave Rhodes and Steve pause after revealing who was leading the attack on the Republic's capital.

Now, Steve was alone, and his thoughts and emotions were a bit confused when he heard who it was.

He hoped it was just some kind of hallucination, or that he had heard it wrong.

But now, there was no doubt in his mind about it.

Ultron is still alive.

He is back.

"Steve?" He felt a soft hand on his shoulder, breaking him out of his reverie.

The Super Soldier turned and saw Aayla Secura's concerned face in his eyes.

"Are you alright?" the Twi'lek Jedi asked softly.

Steve gave her a nervous smile as his answer, looking down and sighing loudly.

“I’d be lying to you if I said I was fine.” Steve whispered. “But really… I don’t really know how to explain it.

"So can you tell me something about what you thought?" Ella asked.

“I was definitely horrified when I heard the news,” Steve said. “It should have been even more so for other people.”

Ella frowned when she heard this.

"What was that guy's name?" Ella asked. "Ultron, right?"

"Yeah." Steve sighed loudly. "It's him."

The Twi'lek Jedi had rarely seen Captain Rogers in such a disturbed state before. The usually confident and almost indomitable super soldier had rarely ever displayed what one might call a frustrated demeanor, but now...

Ella observed him for a moment, feeling more like she was disappointed in herself.

"So who is this Ultron?" Ayla asked softly. "It seems to me that you have some history with him."

"You put it mildly," Steve said, looking toward the Jedi. "We've faced off before. Too many close encounters, to say the least.

"And you've been able to defeat him before, haven't you?"

"We did it. It wasn't easy, but we did it last time," Steve said. "The problem now is that the three key people, Thor, Tony and Vision, are not here."

"Still no news from Vision?" Ella asked.

Captain America nodded, "Wanda too." Suddenly, contrary to his usual behavior, he pounded the holographic table with his fist.

This made Ella feel distressed. She had never seen such a frustrated expression on his face.

“You’re not supposed to get involved in something like this,” Steve said. “Especially on a galactic scale. Now we’re dealing with an enemy we were supposed to have defeated nearly a year ago, and he’s back. I’m just… just a little lost right now. Trying to figure out what to do now.”

“Well… a Jedi knows the feeling. Aayla soothed, “It’s not your fault, Steve. This is beyond your control.”

"Really?" Steve asked back. "Really?"

Ella wasn't sure how she should answer that question.

Being the shrewd and pragmatic Jedi that she was, Aayla realized that she had not yet been told the details about this Ultron, and that something else was lingering on Steve's mind.

Something seemed to be bothering him.

Before she could ask him about it, the clone pilots began announcing that they were about to exit hyperspace and arrive on Coruscant.

Soon after, the surrounding hyperspace tunnel scene changed to the battle-torn fleet on the planet Coruscant.

All around them was the torn and damaged remains of the enemy fleet that had attacked Coruscant the day before.

Granted, the Republic fleet was overwhelming in numbers compared to what Ultron brought with him, but the level of destruction was disturbing.

Ultron makes his debut with an attack so stunning and vicious that it leaves the super soldier with a frown.

Ayla's eyes lingered on the devastated scene after the battle.

“It’s hard to put into words how confusing this all is,” she said in an uncertain voice.

"Fortunately, there is no further fighting at the moment."

The extent of the destruction around them was now so great that the Jedi didn't even know if there were any survivors. Yes, it was a scary thought, but it was a sad, bitter truth.

Although it was faint and barely perceptible, she had detected an unusual feeling in the Force.

It came from Steve.

Watching him, as always, she felt the Force surrounding him, marking his complete separation from it.

If she was honest with herself, it wasn't something she was entirely used to.

but now......

Although it was hard to understand, Ella felt an emotion that seemed to roll off Steve.

The feeling was so strong that it penetrated the void and affected her directly.

Without realizing it, she had closed her eyes, reaching out through the Force to feel the emotion.

Guilty.

A feeling of guilt and remorse resonated from Captain America.

This is unusual.

While the Force had always amplified many aspects of the galaxy around them, Aayla hadn't felt such a sense of raw emotion in a long time.

Ella gasped loudly, cold sweat running down her head.

"Ella?"

The flower of the Jedi felt a firm hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Captain America's worried expression.

"Yes. Did you say anything?

"Say what?" Steve said, confused. "I just wanted to get your attention. Now you look like... did you feel anything?

"Hey, what?"

"The Force." Steve elaborated. "You suddenly gasped loudly, and now you look a little pale."

"I, I..." Ella rubbed her head and wiped away the cold sweat. "I'm not sure."

Steve was a little confused by this answer, and was about to ask further when Commander Bligh came over.

"General, Captain." the Clone Commander said professionally. "We're about to... General? Are you alright?

Ayla waved him off. "I'm fine, Commander. What did you want to say?

Bly looked between her and Rogers, and Cap gave him an "I don't know what's wrong with me" look.

Bly frowned and put the matter aside for the moment, as there were more pressing matters to deal with.

"The gunship is ready to take us to the planet."

Secura nodded. "Thank you, Bly. Let's go, then.

The three made their way to the hangar and entered a LAAT gunship accompanied by Lightning, Lucky, and Cameron.

The three clones each nodded to Steve in respect and Steve nodded back, and Cap smiled at the Avengers symbol emblazoned on the clones' armor.

He was still a little flattered to see the clones blatantly sporting the symbols on their Avengers armor. He recalled Cameron and Five telling him that it was something the clones liked, to mark themselves with the emblems of every Avenger they had ever fought alongside.

Currently, some clones of the 212th, 501st, and 327th Legions bear all or most of these markings.

These thoughts quickly left Steve's mind as the gunship was now flying over the destroyed city of Coruscant.

Seeing the devastated Coruscant reminded the veteran of his time fighting on Earth.

Steve didn't realize that he was gripping the gunship's suspension grip tighter and tighter, so much so that he accidentally pulled the handle off the top of the LAAT. Rogers blinked and stared at his hand as he realized what he had done, while Ella stared at him blankly.

"Uh..." Lucky began. "Everything alright, Captain?"

"Not bad, I guess," Steve said, throwing the handle away.

The others didn't say much after that, as they were more focused on wanting to help the other Republic forces with the rescue efforts.

Across the city, they saw gunboats and transport vessels of all sizes moving debris out of the way, delivering medical and useful supplies to key areas, and helping the injured out of danger.

It is a sobering sight.

Steve had hoped that he would never see a scene like this again, but alas, that was not the case.

His thoughts were so absorbed in the city below that he failed to notice the concerned looks from Ella and Bly, who glanced at each other and exchanged silent conversations.

Eventually, the gunships reached their destination and the clone troopers were ordered to assist in the surrounding area while Steve, Bly, and Ella headed to where they needed to go.

Not far away, they saw a gunship land with Obi-Wan, Rhodes, and Commander Cody aboard, and the three walked with them toward the Senate building.

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