Inside Shelter Base, several heroes had recently returned from a harrowing mission that could only be described as an all-out assault by Ultron's drones.
Steve, Sam, Peter, T'Challa, and Hope were taking a brief respite after returning from Choal City.
Thanks to assistance from the 104th, the remaining civilians had reportedly been evacuated and were en route off-planet.
But Steve knew they needed to move again soon.
Ultron was continuing his attacks on other fronts and population centers, and the super soldier suspected the maniacal AI was simply waiting for the perfect moment to strike here.
"Captain."
Steve turned to see T'Challa approaching him.
He hadn't even heard the man's approach.
"Your Highness," Steve greeted warmly.
"There's no need for such formality, Captain Rogers," T'Challa said respectfully.
"Still..."
"Perhaps we could agree to use first names only?" the prince suggested kindly.
"All right, T'Challa."
"My pleasure, Steve."
The two stood in comfortable silence, listening only to thunder and rain pounding against Shelter Base's reinforced walls.
"Steve, you have many questions weighing on your mind."
Steve sighed heavily. "That's... putting it mildly. Though I wanted to ask how you're adjusting, T'Challa. You've only been with us a few days, and I'm somewhat surprised you chose to join this mission."
"I have learned much and accepted much since arriving in this galaxy," the Wakandan prince said thoughtfully.
Steve simply hummed in response—he and T'Challa shared a very similar experience of sudden acceptance into extraordinary circumstances.
"But something specific has been troubling you, Steve," the Black Panther observed after a moment. "It relates to why we're here."
"You're perceptive," Steve said, frowning and crossing his arms.
T'Challa waited patiently for Rogers' explanation while Steve studied the rain-soaked landscape ahead.
"It's Ultron," Steve said after several seconds of contemplation. "He's been attacking everywhere else, but here... he hasn't made his presence known yet."
The prince frowned, seeking clarification.
"Ultron can effortlessly transfer his consciousness from one body to another," Steve elaborated. "I witnessed this on Earth. He could project himself through any drone in his network, but he always maintained a primary body to distinguish himself from the others."
"So you're wondering where the real Ultron is," T'Challa concluded, and Steve nodded.
"Exactly. I—"
"Captain!"
Both enhanced humans turned to see Hope and Sam rushing toward them.
"What's wrong?" Steve asked immediately.
"Scott just returned from Choal with Matt and Pietro," Sam reported, his expression grave.
"What happened?" T'Challa felt a rising sense of dread.
"Ultron," Hope said flatly, her voice betraying her anxiety as she led the two men to follow her.
Walking through Shelter Base, they passed clone troopers and Loyalist fighters, all showing the wear and exhaustion that constant battle had inflicted on everyone.
Entering the base's medical wing, the four found Matt, Scott, and Pietro surrounded by Peter, Rhodes, and Natasha, along with several Jedi and clone officers they knew well.
"Everyone," Steve announced their arrival, and Scott looked up with a weary smile.
"Hey, Cap," the diminutive hero said tiredly.
"Are you all right?" Steve asked immediately.
"We're still breathing," Matt said stoically, not even flinching as medics treated his shoulder wound.
"What happened out there?"
"Ultron," Pietro spat bitterly. "He hit Choal City with overwhelming force. Clones, Loyalists, civilians..."
A somber mood settled over the group, as they already understood what Pietro was implying.
"The casualties—"
"Only a few hundred survivors," Matt stated flatly, his gaze fixed on the floor. "There were too many of his forces. Most died before we could render assistance."
The group fell silent as Aayla looked toward Plo Koon, neither knowing what to say.
"How is the evacuation proceeding, Master Plo?" the Twi'lek Jedi asked, and the Kel Dor Jedi exhaled deeply.
"Challenging, to put it mildly," he replied with obvious dejection. "Our fleet maintains strong defensive positions and can dispatch steady streams of transports to evacuate people from this world. However, this has proven nearly impossible recently. The last several convoys were overwhelmed and destroyed by Ultron's forces. I fear that if this pattern continues, we may be unable to escape Jabiim ourselves."
"So what are our options?" Peter asked with obvious nervousness, though he didn't receive an answer because Jedi Master Leska rushed into the medical bay.
Looking both urgent and worried, she spotted the large assembly of Avengers, Jedi, and clones and immediately approached them.
"Everyone," she said, nearly breathless. "I heard Choal was attacked. What happened? Where are the rest of our forces?"
"Gone," Pietro answered bluntly, grief evident in his eyes. "They're all gone... We couldn't save them."
"Surely not—"
"Ultron," Matt confirmed, grunting softly as medics finished treating his wounds. "He was there personally. Clones, Loyalists, Nationalists... he eliminated them all. Pietro, Scott, and I escaped with the final convoy along with a few dozen survivors."
"Where is Master Norcuna?" Leska's voice trembled as Matt shook his head grimly.
Upon hearing this confirmation, Leska couldn't help but collapse to her knees, mourning the fact that this cursed planet had claimed another Jedi and dear friend.
It was devastating enough that she'd first lost her Padawan, and now it had taken her fellow Master as well.