Mantis was currently sitting with Groot, who had grown bored and was now quietly playing his game in her quarters.
The wide-eyed girl sat on the floor in front of her bed with a small holographic projector.
After a moment, the holographic transmission activated, and standing before her was the Mandalorian warrior Fennec Rau.
"Hi, Fennec," Mantis said cheerfully, a bright smile spreading across her face as she bounced slightly on the bed.
The Mandalorian smiled in return. "Hey, Mantis. How are you holding up?"
"I'm doing well," Mantis said, humming softly. "I was wondering how you were. Did you hear about what happened?"
Fennec's expression darkened. "Hear about it? I was there."
Mantis's expression fell slightly. "Oh no. What happened?"
"Concord Dawn was attacked," Rau revealed. "Mandalorians reported that the planet was suddenly assaulted by a mixed fleet of Republic and Separatist vessels, so we rushed there to drive them off. Turns out we weren't the only ones hit. Concordia and several other worlds were also attacked. One had Death Watch presence, and the others had various clan camps."
"That sounds terrible. Are you alright?" Mantis asked with obvious concern.
"I'll survive," Fennec waved dismissively. "What about you? Did you encounter any of these rogue droids?"
"We ran into them during our previous mission. We protected our client during the attack. There should be many people looking to hire us after this," Mantis said with a lighter tone.
Fennec nodded. "That's good, I suppose. At least you and your team will stay busy for a while."
"Your Mandalorians would do the same," Mantis observed.
"Right," Fennec agreed. "If anything happens, Mantis, you can always call me for backup. You've helped me and my people several times. We owe you."
"That's really wonderful! I'll definitely let the others know."
Fennec nodded.
"Goodbye, Fennec. We should have lunch together next time."
The Mandalorian's heartbeat quickened slightly as he remembered what he'd said to her during their last meeting. He hadn't expected her to remember.
Fennec felt warmth spread through him and gave her one final smile and wave before closing the transmission, grateful that his holographic image couldn't show his slightly flushed face.
"Damn it, Fennec," the Mandalorian said to himself with a fond smile. "You're lucky to know such a good person."
As the Guardians prepared to depart Nevarro, the rest of the galaxy struggled and reacted in its own way after Ultron's sudden blitzkrieg.
The Separatists convened a council consisting of every senior official involved in Dooku's administration.
It was chaotic and completely discordant.
For the first time in months, Count Dooku actually attended these meetings—not via holographic projection, but in person.
The Count observed the discussion, his mind racing with concerns.
Numerous questions filled his thoughts, with no answers to ease his growing headache. This hadn't been planned or anticipated.
Previously, his master Sidious would have informed him well before something like this occurred.
Unfortunately, even Sidious himself seemed ignorant of this catastrophe's origins.
For now, all Dooku could do was placate the masses and hope to find a solution to their latest crisis, all caused by this entity called Ultron.
That was the name Sidious had mentioned.
No one seemed to know who this Ultron was.
The meeting buzzed with discussion, various councillors arguing back and forth about the attacks and appropriate responses.
"We need to strike back immediately!"
"How can you say that?! We were just attacked ourselves!"
"Yes, a retaliatory strike against the Republic is exactly what we need!"
"What are you talking about?! The Republic? They're not the ones attacking us!"
"Then how do you explain the Venator-class Star Destroyers and Acclamator-class assault ships that appeared in the fleet attacking Raxus?"
"Then how do you explain that our own ships were in the attacking force?!"
"Enough!" Dooku's voice resonated, effectively silencing the entire conference chamber.
"Senators, please control your emotions," Dooku said calmly. "The last thing we need is to argue amongst ourselves when we must stand united. Now is more crucial than ever."
"Dooku is correct," said a middle-aged woman with brown hair.
She was Mina Bonteri from the planet Onderon.
Many in the chamber turned their attention to the current speaker.
"If we continue to recklessly attack the Republic after suffering such devastating losses ourselves, it will only leave us in a more vulnerable position," Mina pointed out.
"Vulnerable position?" screamed a green-skinned female alien with red eyes and horn-like protrusions on her head. "We were attacked, but we managed to repel the surprise assault. Our losses were at most a few dozen ships!"
"Do you see what's happening here? Major systems are being attacked simultaneously. We don't know by whom, but they clearly have a strategy behind these attacks. Either against us or the Republic. Whoever is behind this wants both sides weakened," Mina countered. "To attack the Republic so suddenly now would only lead to further chaos, especially considering their current state."
"Senator Bonteri is correct," Count Dooku said firmly. "If the Separatist Alliance attacks now, it will result in far greater losses. The Republic, though they may be as shocked as we are, will undoubtedly be on high alert after such a devastating strike."
"Dooku is right," agreed another human senator. "We need to consolidate and rebuild our strength."
"This makes no sense," snarled Voe Atell of the CIS war faction. "We need to reestablish our dominance in this galaxy. What if the Republic is planning an attack on us?"
"That's impossible," Dooku replied. "They are in no better condition than we are. This would only lead to mutual destruction."
The Sith Lord's eyes focused on Voe. "I understand and admire your unwavering loyalty to the Separatist cause, Atell. However, if you're willing to recklessly discard everything this Alliance represents, then you are no better than the Republic from which we seceded."
This was enough to make Voe retreat from her overzealous rhetoric and fall silent.
When the meeting concluded, Dooku stood alone, staring at the floor. He needed to contact his master immediately.
This shouldn't have happened.
This was not part of the Sith's grand design.
Whoever this Ultron was supposed to be, whoever he thought he was, he was playing a very dangerous game with the Sith.
This Ultron would pay the full price for his arrogance.
In response, Darth Tyranus swore an oath to the Force.