Obi-Wan cleared his throat, hoping to dispel the now rather awkward atmosphere.

"Jabium has long been a world of intense contention between the Republic and the Separatists," the Jedi Master said, his voice calm and composed. "Since the outbreak of the war, the planet has been in the grip of a violent civil war, between those who wish to secede from the Republic and those who remain loyal. Until..."

Jabimu's holographic projection was soon joined by a stream of ships marked with both Republic and CIS insignias, as well as a large number of ships highlighted in red.

"Ultron recently attacked the planet with a large force of nearly a hundred ships," Kenobi revealed.

"Then he went looking for metal ore." Plough speculated.

“Maybe,” Steve said, crossing his arms. “But maybe not.”

"You believe Ultron has a different goal, Captain Rogers. Yoda said rather than asked.

“Metallic ore is one aspect he’d undoubtedly like to get his hands on,” Steve said, stepping forward and gesturing at the army. “But Ultron is unlike any enemy we’re facing right now. I know who he is, and this isn’t just some massive attack on a planet where the Republic and the Separatists are fighting each other.”

Black Widow then voiced her words. "When we first faced Ultron, he made great efforts to make himself difficult to track until he made his presence known. He attacked several locations with the sole purpose of gathering supplies and resources.

"So he's here again," Anakin surmised.

"That's what he's been doing since he came to this galaxy," Falcon said in a firm tone. "Where else did he get those ships from?"

"How can he control those ships?" Captain Rex couldn't help asking.

"Ultron is the first being to collect and process data and information." Black Widow reminded everyone. "He is different from any ordinary robot you have ever seen."

"Yes, we are well aware," Anakin said loudly.

"He has the ability to control multiple drones and robots, as long as they're all connected to him. A hive mind system, so to speak," Black Widow said.

"So he's kind of like a Separatist capital ship?" Anakin asked.

"What do you mean?" Steve tilted his head in confusion.

"Long story short, most capital ships are central matrices that control droid armies, and some droids come from these droids." Anakin said. "Take the capital ship, and you take the army."

"Is this how Ultron works?" Luminara asked, looking towards the Avengers.

Quicksilver scoffed and shook his head. “No, he doesn't operate like that. Ultron is an artificial intelligence. He can transfer his consciousness into other forms of technology and keep himself alive like that.”

“The only way we were able to defeat him last time was to trap him and stop him from transferring his consciousness to other drones and technology.” Black Widow said. “But we had Vision last time, and he was the only one who could do that.

"So what can we do now?" Plo Koon asked, hoping to focus on the task at hand.

"You're implying that Ultron's attack had an ulterior motive, are you?" Jedi Knight Emma-Gon Dread said, and Steve nodded.

“Ultron’s attack on Coruscant and the galaxy was really his coming out party, his big debut,” Falcon said.

"We are facing an enemy who has made his intentions clear to all parties in this conflict. Matt Murdock spoke for the first time since the meeting began, and everyone turned to him. "He is not on the side of anyone but himself. He has made that very clear. He has attacked multiple places, so to speak, where many factions have a lot of influence. Coruscant, Raxus, the Mandalorian Sector, Hutt space. But he has targeted one planet, the one where both sides of the war are currently fighting."

Matt took a moment to collect his thoughts.

"The first attack was kind of his opening statement," he continued. "I'm here to reverse everything you've fought for. I think that's something that a lot of people could easily surmise. But this attack? This concentrated attack? That was his statement."

Slowly, as the Jedi and clones gazed upon the warring planet of Jabium, the implications behind Matt's words began to emerge.

"He will try to fight off both sides. Commander Cody said loudly in a grim tone.

"If he could have the entire galaxy seen after his initial attack, how do you think the galaxy would react?" Steve asked, though he didn't expect an answer.

The question and the truly silent answer hang in the air as everyone realizes that this new enemy is someone they are not truly prepared for.

"So what can we do?" asked Emma-Gon Dale.

"First, we need to turn the troops' attention to Ultron." Steve said in a tone that left no room for argument or disagreement. "He's the top priority right now."

"If there are still Jabium citizens on this planet, start providing them with transportation," Black Widow added. "Ultron showed on Earth and here that he doesn't care about civilian casualties. He will kill anyone who stands in his way.

"What about the Separatists?" Commander Wolfe reminded everyone. "Don't think they will be keen to work with us to kill Ultron."

“If they don’t realize Ultron is going to kill them all, they’re going to learn that the hard way.” Sam shot back. “Now, this isn’t about two sides fighting a war. This is about fighting off one asshole who can fight two armies at once.”

“Be prepared, we must be prepared. Yoda said, interrupting the chatter. “Avengers, this is your enemy. Following in your footsteps, we will.”

Windu looked down at the tiny green Jedi. "Master Yoda, are you sure—"

"Of course, I am not. Conflicted in that regard, I am. Yoda interrupted him with a frown. "The Force, the silence, the matter of Ultron. It is best left in the hands of those who understand our enemy, and we must trust."

There was a moment of silence over the large group until Anakin sighed loudly, his mechanical hands caressing his face.

"Well, let's not stand here like we've already lost," the Jedi quipped.

Steve simply nodded, and immediately went into planning mode as the Republic fleet drew closer to Jabium.

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

You'll Also Like