On the smuggler's moon Nar Shaddaa, the criminal underworld was also in upheaval as multiple criminal organizations reeled from the attacks, catching the entire galaxy off guard.
Unfortunately, since they lacked the numbers and resources that the Separatists and Republic possessed during Ultron's invasion, they failed to repel the AI threat.
Now, on this lawless world, chaos reigned supreme.
In a cantina, a well-armed and scarred man sat at a table eating in relative peace, while the entire establishment maintained a not-so-subtle tension.
Across from him sat a man who appeared equally calm, if not nervous or excited—a man who kept humming.
"Shut up," the scarred man growled. "If you're gonna hum that garbage, go join the band and screw off. I don't want to hear about love for the twentieth time."
"If you know a better song, I can sing it for you."
"This isn't Earth," Rumlow said. "Unfortunately, this place doesn't have Spotify."
"I use SoundCloud."
"Whatever, same damn difference."
The man across from him sighed dramatically. "Wonder if the boys can keep the band going without me."
"If they think you're dead, they probably won't. I mean, did you force them to perform?"
"Oh god, no." The man shook his head. "We are arms dealers, yes, but our love for music is genuine. If you want, I'll send you the SoundCloud link."
"Don't try to share your trash music with me."
"So what do you want, Brock?"
This man was called Brock Rumlow, or by his new bounty hunter alias, Crossbones.
"Well, Klaue, you should know why I'm here," Rumlow said.
"Ultron?" arms dealer Klaue asked knowingly.
"He's brewing this storm that's got everyone freaking out, like the end times are only hours away," Rumlow said. "You're the only person I know who's dealt with him directly, other than the Avengers."
"Pretty sure everyone's dealt with him by now."
"You know what I mean," Rumlow muttered.
Ulysses Klaue laughed loudly, using his mechanical arm to grab a napkin and wipe food from the corner of his mouth.
"I admit, it wasn't a pleasant surprise to see him again," Klaue muttered. "When I saw those drones of his, I did kill a few of them to repay him for what he did to my arm."
The arms dealer then laughed heartily. "That said, it's a very lovely arm. Look what I've installed."
The arm then separated at the wrist, revealing...
"Why?"
"I'm a music enthusiast," Klaue said proudly, tapping the small built-in speaker. "I like to listen to my favorite tunes while I work."
Rumlow rolled his eyes, questioning whether this man was still sane.
"How did you manage that?" he asked, and Klaue's manic smile grew more pronounced upon hearing the question.
"Even had to do a system purge so Ultron doesn't come back and hijack his lost toys."
The two sat in silence for a moment.
"What are you doing in the market now?" Rumlow asked.
"Hmm?" Klaue blinked. "You know there's an actual galactic war happening right now, right? Earth was fun, but the Force sent me here."
"I follow you."
Klaue laughed loudly. "War profiteering. To a naive newcomer, it's a struggle. But to someone like me, it's a lucrative vacation." He then took a sip of his drink. "I heard the Banking Clan, the Techno Union, and the Trade Federation were doing this before this war started. If you get into the right markets..."
Crossbones just stared at him until Klaue sighed loudly.
"Fine."
Klaue reached into the bag beside him and pulled out several containers of different metals.
"Look at these," Klaue said enthusiastically.
Rumlow examined them with interest. "What are they?"
"Precious metals," Klaue said, patting them proudly. "I've had incredible luck since arriving here. I've acquired these very rich, valuable resources."
Brock picked up one of the containers and examined the metal inside. It had some kind of purple luminescence.
"It's like a watered-down cousin of vibranium, if you want a comparison," Klaue said. "But it's still related to it. So what that means is..."
"It's as good as any other available metal," Rumlow concluded, and Klaue nodded excitedly.
"These aren't easy to come by, but bribery, connections, and bloodshed all help," Ulysses declared. "I think you'll particularly enjoy this one."
Crossbones stared down at the container that had been pushed toward him.
"What is it?"
"Cortosis alloy," Klaue revealed. "I heard you had a run-in with those laser sword-wielding fanatics."
"Jedi."
Klaue nodded. "It's effective against them. The energy blade..."
"What about that one?" Rumlow pointed at the purple metal.
"Phrik," Klaue said. "Nearly indestructible as hell. Good for weapons and such, but difficult to obtain. Could make something impressive out of it, given the right circumstances."
"And this?"
"Ah~" Klaue took the small rectangular metal plate from the container and patted it with satisfaction. "Beskar. This is the absolute best metal I have, and the absolute hardest to obtain."
"I think it's the vibranium of this galaxy."
"You have more insight than I gave you credit for," Klaue confirmed, holding the metal out for Rumlow to examine personally.
"Where can I find it?"
"Where else? Apparently the Mandalorian moon of Concordia," Klaue said. "Like the Wakandans, the Mandalorians value this alloy extremely highly. It's quite expensive just in terms of cost, and even more so when trying to acquire any significant amount."
"What do you mean exactly?"
"Many of them consider beskar to be a family treasure, passed down through generations," Klaue elaborated. "They create new pieces, but their methods are often kept secret. Only their metalsmiths and weapon makers know its properties best. The best I can do now is sell it at premium prices."
Rumlow now examined the metal in his hand. "How much would this cost me?"
"That's pure beskar straight from the Mandalore system... enough for me to fund a small fleet."
Hearing this, the mercenary's eyes widened slightly.
Klaue laughed loudly. "Yeah, pretty expensive, isn't it? The only thing that comes close to matching their price is something called a kyber crystal. Trying to find those is a bit of a hassle, but I have a few leads. One of the Outer Rim pirate lords mentioned them to me a few weeks ago."
Crossbones was more focused on the metal in his hands.
"How much armor can this beskar make?"
Klaue held up the current sample and exhaled. "This could cover a shoulder or forearm. If you want more, it'll cost you extra."
"How much do you have?"
"Plenty, depending on your budget," Klaue said mysteriously. Rumlow narrowed his eyes, showing slight distrust of the arms dealer.
While he was still uncertain about it all, for now, he'd rather be better prepared, especially with current events.
"Give me a good amount of this stuff."
Klaue frowned. "Are you sure you can afford all this?"
"I've been busy," Rumlow said. "Someone's willing to pay handsomely for the previous virus... to convince populations to accept their rule."
"Everyone's a little too stressed right now to be paying attention to that, and besides, certain regions of this galaxy aren't the primary focus," Crossbones said in a grimly casual tone. "By the time they notice, a lot of people will be long dead."
Klaue snorted loudly.
"Look at you, getting into the war profiteering business."
"Supply and demand are constants, even in these trying times," Klaue's face lit up with frenzied joy. "Make your friends rich, make your enemies rich, and then wait."
Rumlow stared at the man. "What the hell does that mean?"
"Tony Stark once said that to me... I heard it again from Ultron before he chopped my arm off because I mentioned that bastard's name. You know what that metal bastard said after he chopped my arm off and it was fine?"
The man then raised his new arm and waved it back and forth. "Can't deny, it turned out pretty well."
Crossbones thought the man in front of him was insane, but he didn't have more time to contemplate that thought because he saw Klaue raising his glass to him.
"To our new business partnership."
Rumlow wasted no time picking up his glass and clinking it with Klaue's, and the two quickly finished their meal.