C121 I’m Star-Lord (Patreon)

Peter sat on the grass in the backyard of Professor Xavier's school, the night sky stretching endlessly above. "I won't be returning. So, you should all saddle up and get here quickly." He winked into the camera of his datapad and added, "See you soon."

"Peter, don't you dare—" A voice yelled through the speakers, but was swiftly cut off as he ended the call, knowing full well he'd earn an earful when they arrived.

Letting out a sigh, he quickly sent the coordinates of Earth to Yoda, including instructions on how to bypass a few hazards along the way. Then, he pocketed his datapad, leaned back, and gazed up at the twinkling stars.

Suddenly, behind him, the sound of footsteps, accompanied by the distinctive click of a cane hitting the ground, caught Peter’s attention. Without needing to look, he called out, "Couldn't sleep, Granny?"

Peggy Carter stepped closer, dressed in her usual attire. "Who said I ever even made it to bed? Some of us have jobs, you know." She took a seat on the edge of a large fountain nearby, adding, "And stop calling me Granny, brat."

Peter chuckled. "Nah, I think it fits you... Granny."

Peggy let out a tired sigh, her gaze lifting to the stars as well. "What's it like up there?"

Peter smiled, his eyes reflecting the celestial lights. "It's actually a lot like down here, but everything is on a much larger scale. There are governments, but instead of countries, they span entire planets, star systems, and more. But, no matter where you go, everyone has the same problems and aspirations. Aliens or not, we're all the same."

"Though it can be quite beautiful.” He paused for a moment, his mind drifting back to his travels. “I still remember the first time I saw the planet Ilum. It’s this frozen planet covered by so much snow and ice that it reflects the light of its sun like a shining jewel. The equivalent here on Earth would be traveling to the North or South Poles, I guess. But, like I said, everything is magnified up there."

Peggy stared up at the stars, her imagination running wild with Peter's description. Suddenly, she asked, "What's a Sith?"

Peter frowned, glancing over at her. "I see you've been eavesdropping."

Peggy shrugged, her expression unapologetic. "It is my job, after all."

Peter scoffed, his gaze returning to the sky. "The Sith are the bad guys." He answered simply.

Peggy raised an eyebrow. "Yes, I believe I’ve gathered that much already. But what are they exactly? Are they a race of aliens, or some sort of crime syndicate?"

Peter thought carefully before replying. "The Sith are an order of crazed individuals who use negative emotions like anger, hate, and pain to fuel their quest for power. They reject emotions like empathy and compassion, seeing them as weaknesses. And they happen to be the number one enemy of the Jedi Order."

"And you’re a Knight of the Jedi Order, right?" Peggy asked, her curiosity piqued.

Peter hummed in agreement, leaning back on the grass. "Yeah, they rescued me about a month after I was kidnapped from Earth. With nowhere else to go, I thought, why not become a badass magic space monk?"

Peggy chuckled slightly. "Magic space monk?"

Peter nodded, grinning. "Don’t forget the badass part."

"So that’s where you get your powers? They taught you their magic?"

"Yeah, though it’s not actually magic. It’s the Force," Peter explained.

Peggy raised an eyebrow. "The Force?"

Peter nodded again. "Yup, the Force. It flows through everything and everyone. From the smallest ant to the largest elephant, the tiniest grain of sand to the biggest mountain, the Force is in it all. Even you have the Force in you, though not nearly enough to make use of it."

Peggy went silent, trying to make sense of Peter’s explanation. It all sounded so fantastical and hard to believe.

Seeing her struggle, Peter smiled. "Don’t think too hard about it. Like I said before, badass magic space monks explain it all pretty well."

Peggy smiled back, realizing Peter had a point. "Do you truly believe this Sith, Darth Sinister, or whatever his name was, will really come looking for Carol?"

Peter laughed, correcting her. "It’s Darth Sidious. And I’m not sure. I’d say there’s a 50/50 chance. But it would be nice if he showed himself."

Peggy countered, "Speak for yourself. I’d much rather the whole galaxy stay far, far away from Earth."

Peter shook his head. "You don’t get it. The hardest part about battling a Sith these days is finding them. If he comes to collect Carol, we’ll have the perfect opportunity to kill him, especially since the Jedi are on the way now."

Peggy asked, her tone worried, "And you trust the Jedi? They’re not going to try and invade or take over the planet, are they?"

Peter scoffed at the idea. "No, the Jedi are all about peace. Some Jedi can be uptight moralistic douchebags, but most are just kind people who want to help. You won’t have any problems with them. Just try to remain on your best behavior, or you might get a lecture."

Peggy smirked knowingly, "It sounds like you’re speaking from experience."

Peter responds with a heavy sigh, "Oh, you have no idea..."

…

..

.

Peter and Peggy stayed up for a while, talking. Peter explained some things about the galaxy, the Kree, the Sith, and the Jedi to her.

He could tell that she was concerned about not just the Sith and the Kree Empire, but the Jedi as well. However, after Peter explained how the Jedi worked, she began to calm down.

The Jedi wouldn't care to conquer Earth, and the Republic wasn’t an expansionist state. Nor would they dare enter Wild Space, so Earth was safe from them.

The only thing she had to worry about was the Kree and the Sith, but with the Jedi on the way and the plans that she and Peter began formulating that night, things were at least moving in the right direction.

Speaking of their plans, as soon as Peter woke up the next morning, he hopped in the shower and started getting ready for his meeting with Magneto.

It was finally Saturday!

Since he stayed up so late last night, he may have slept in a little bit as well, which meant he had to hurry up. But thankfully, he had a helicopter and Peggy could easily clear him to land in the city, so he should make it on time for the meeting.

As he finished getting dressed after his usual morning rituals, Peter went to see if Carol was awake. Knocking on Xavier’s office door, he was called inside and found the Professor behind his desk, going over some paperwork.

In the corner of the room, he saw Carol still unconscious in her hospital bed, which was good since he had to leave anyway.

"Morning, Professor," Peter greeted, freezing for a moment as he realized something. ‘I forgot to tell him…’

"Good morning, Peter," Xavier responded, looking up from his papers. He noticed Peter seemed off. "Is something wrong?"

Peter scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Uh, yeah. I have a meeting with Magneto in an hour. I meant to tell you earlier, but with everything that's happened, it kinda slipped my mind."

Xavier frowned, his expression serious. He had been against meeting and trying to form an alliance with Erik in the first place. However, to Peter’s surprise, Xavier said, "Good. I’ll come along with you."

Peter raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Weren’t we trying to keep your involvement hidden? At least until Magneto agrees to team up?"

Xavier nodded, rolling his chair around the desk. "Yes, but I’ve changed my mind. As you said, it’s very likely that an alien invasion will occur in the coming days or weeks. And I hate to say it, but we’ll need all the help we can get. And if that means risking yet another potential backstab from the man who used to be my best friend, then so be it."

Noticing the uncertainty on Peter's face, Xavier continued, "Moreover, Erik will be far more receptive with me present to vouch for you. Although we're adversaries now, there was a time when Erik and I were as close as brothers. He will heed what I have to say."

Ultimately, Peter nodded, agreeing to take Xavier along. "Alright then, but who will watch over her?" He gestured to Carol.

Xavier's brow furrowed in thought before he replied, "I’ll call some of the teachers. Besides, classes are suspended until the damage to the school can be fixed, so they aren’t very busy these days."

And like that, they left Storm and Beast behind to watch over Carol. Beast because he would know what to do if she needed medical help, and Storm to help calm Carol if she freaked out at the sight of Beast.

They tried to get Doctor Strange to watch over her as well, but he refused to do any ‘Grunt Work,’ as he called it.

But nonetheless, with Carol properly looked after, Peter and Xavier loaded into the helicopter and flew off toward the city.

As their helicopter disappeared into the horizon, a small, inconspicuous drone could be seen trailing them from a distance, its cameras whirring quietly as it tracked their movements.

————

Across the country in Los Angeles, Tony Stark sat on the sofa in one of the many living rooms in his mansion, watching the live video footage from the drone on his TV.

He had been looking into Peter for a while now, and the lack of information he found had forced him to build and deploy this drone to spy on Peter. And for its first day of use, it seemed to be working exceptionally well.

The only thing Tony knew about Peter was that he had gone missing as a child and was never found. This was intriguing, especially since Peter seemed to have no other records. No bank account, no ID, no property, no parents or guardians, nothing. Just a birth certificate and a social security number. Beyond that, he might as well not even exist.

What surprised Tony even more was that when he sent the drone to find Peter, Jarvis, who was tasked with keeping tabs on him, informed Tony that Peter was currently across the country in Upstate New York, specifically at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters—a school for mutants.

"Is Peter a mutant?" Tony muttered to himself.

He had heard of mutants, of course, but had never actually met one. Though If Peter was a mutant, it made sense why he had disappeared as a child.

Perhaps he activated his mutant ability and ran away in fear of not being accepted, or worse, perhaps he was kidnapped by scientists and experimented on.

Either way, all of this just made him more and more curious about Peter…

Suddenly, the camera footage from the drone cut out with a loud bang, causing his screen to flash and blur before switching to static.

Confused, Tony asked, "Jarvis? What happened to my drone?"

Jarvis's disembodied voice filled the room, "Sir, we have lost its signal. The last transmission indicates a possible impact."

Instantly, Tony realized that Peter or Xavier must have noticed the drone and shot it down somehow. Either that or it malfunctioned, but that was highly unlikely. After all, his last name was Stark, not Hammer. Nothing he made was allowed to malfunction.

An amused smirk graced Tony’s face as he said, "Jarvis, prepare my private jet for takeoff. I’m heading to New York."

"Right away, sir," Jarvis replied.

Tony stood up, his curiosity and excitement piqued. It was time to meet his mysterious friend once again.

————

*Boom!*

Back in the helicopter, Xavier jumped in his seat, exclaiming, "What was that?" as he heard a small explosion nearby. He turned just in time to see smoke and debris from the drone that had been following them.

Peter, on the other hand, didn’t react to the explosion at all. "Just swatting a fly," he said nonchalantly.

Xavier glanced over at Peter, realizing that he must have been the one to blow up whatever that thing was. "What was it?" he asked, his curiosity piqued.

Peter shrugged. "I don’t know. But it was following us, so I ionized it a little bit. Who knew it would explode so easily?"

Xavier shook his head, a mix of amusement and exasperation on his face. "You know, the more I learn about your powers, the more perplexed I become."

Peter nodded matter-of-factly. "I know. It's hard to comprehend greatness, isn't it?"

…

..

.

After a short flight, Peter and Xavier landed atop a skyscraper before making their way to the meeting spot, Central Park. The bustling park was filled with New Yorkers going about their day, but one figure stood out amidst the crowd.

Seated on a bench, Magneto, his distinctive metal helmet drawing curious glances and whispers from passersby, waited patiently. His posture was relaxed, but his eyes were sharp and alert, scanning the park's surroundings.

It didn’t take long for Magneto to notice Peter and Xavier's arrival. His eyes narrowed as he recognized his old friend, and he stood up to greet them.

"I knew you were involved in this, Charles…”

A/N: 2228 words :)