Natasha Romanoff was not a simple woman, to say the least. As a highly trained spy whose skills had been coveted by the KGB, S.H.I.E.L.D., and even HYDRA, she had finally found her true purpose with the superhero team known as the Avengers.
Now, she and most of her team were together again—just in a galaxy far, far away. More of them were scattered across unknown space, unable to locate the rest, while some new team members had recently arrived through means they still didn't understand. And they still hadn't found a way home.
So... yes, in terms of interstellar travel, this was going to be a very long first voyage for everyone.
At this moment, the Wasp was practically dragging her through the Senate building.
"Why exactly did you drag me along, Hope?"
"Because you need more social interaction."
"I'm plenty social," Black Widow protested. "I've been helping Steve with diplomatic situations."
"Work socializing doesn't count as personal socializing."
"I'm a spy, remember? I was trained to excel at social interaction," Black Widow said defensively.
"Right, well, now let's see how you handle this world of manipulation and political intrigue on a galactic scale."
They walked through one of the many corridors, a place that Black Widow had become somewhat familiar with due to her recent "assignments" here.
"So what exactly are we walking into?" Natasha asked.
"Nothing too dramatic or earth-shattering," Hope said, "except for the whole... you know, child recruitment thing."
Natasha could only frown as she thought about the Jedi and their methods of bringing younglings into the Order. After all, it was all too familiar to her own experiences. They claimed to do good things, and perhaps they did. But there was always a darker side to such organizations. It just hadn't revealed itself yet.
Entering a specific conference room, Natasha spotted several familiar faces.
"Ah, hello, Hope," Padmé greeted with a warm smile.
"Hey, Padmé. I brought a friend along."
Padmé turned her attention to the other Avenger in the room, recognizing her. "Oh, you're... Natasha, right?"
"That's right," Natasha nodded. "And you... look exactly like the girlfriend of one of our teammates."
Padmé blinked, staring at her with mild confusion.
"I'm sorry?"
"There's someone on our world—and we're not exaggerating when we say this—who looks exactly like you."
"How remarkably strange."
"Apparently no one's mentioned it to you."
"It would seem not," Padmé murmured thoughtfully. "So what is this 'other me' like?"
"Jane Foster is an accomplished astrophysicist," Hope explained simply. "She and our teammate Thor met during one of his missions to Earth."
"Missions?" Padmé repeated curiously. "Is she some kind of soldier?"
"She's a scientist," Hope clarified. "She was one of the leading experts in astrophysics and astronomy. Thanks to her research, revolutionary discoveries were made available to the scientific community."
Padmé hummed with interest, wanting to learn more, when she noticed several people approaching from behind Wasp and Natasha. One of them waved at her.
"Well, I'd love to hear more about this 'doppelganger' later. For now, let me introduce you to some of my closest colleagues in the Senate."
As they approached, one thought flashed through Natasha's mind: Oh, shit.
"Natasha, Hope, I'd like you to meet Riyo Chuchi, Mon Mothma, and Bail Organa—"
"We've met before," Natasha interrupted Padmé.
"Really?"
"During the hostage situation."
"How is that possible? I didn't know you were involved."
"I was one of the people pointing weapons at you."
This revelation made the others visibly uncomfortable.
Organa studied the red-haired Avenger carefully, noting that her face didn't match any of the bounty hunters who had held them captive. However, her eyes...
"I don't recall meeting you."
Natasha simply pulled an intricate piece of silver fabric from her belt and held it up. "This little device helps conceal most of my facial features." She placed it over her face and adjusted it, pressing a small button on the side. The fabric began to shift and change, making her face look exactly like the Naboo Senator. "The only things that would make it perfect are a voice modulator and the right wig."
"Remarkable," Mothma said with genuine amazement. "I've seen holographic disguises and shapeshifting technology before, but nothing this sophisticated."
"Wait, you were the Zabrak bounty hunter?" Organa asked with sudden recognition.
"Hey, very good guess," Natasha said approvingly. "How did you figure it out?"
"Your eyes," Bail pointed out. "They're quite distinctive."
"Impressive," Natasha nodded. "Yeah, the eyes are always the hardest detail to mask completely."
"But how could you speak, let alone eat?" Riyo asked with fascination. "I don't see any openings in the fabric around your mouth."
"Well, that's getting into the technical details," Natasha said with a wave of her hand, removing the mask to reveal her normal face. "The important thing is that it works."
"So, Natasha," Padmé looked at the spy with renewed interest. "I heard from your friend and team leader, Captain Rogers, that you were one of the founding Avengers when the team was first assembled."
"Is that what he told you?"
"We discussed it during a reception on Coruscant," Padmé explained. "I got to know your group quite well before you were publicly revealed."
"Mostly."
"But who was that new person?" Padmé asked curiously. "During the Zillo Beast incident, I noticed someone new in a red and blue outfit. He was using some kind of white webbing to swing around the creature."
"Oh, that's our newest team member from Earth, who somehow ended up here with us," Hope explained. "He calls himself Spider-Man."
"Spider-Man?"
"It's his codename."
Riyo then added, "Ah yes, Pietro mentioned his codename was Spider-Man."
"Each of us has both a codename and a real name," Natasha explained. "To the public, I'm Black Widow. To my friends, I'm Natasha."
Padmé considered this thoughtfully. "So what do you think of Coruscant?"
"It's one hell of a big city," Natasha stated bluntly. "The entire planet is urbanized, right?"
"That's correct," Mothma confirmed. "Coruscant is an ecumenopolis that has served as the Republic's capital for virtually all of recorded galactic history."
"Unfortunately, the history from before that period has been lost to time," Organa noted. "Though I know some scholars believe there may be worlds elsewhere that preserve the ancient history of the entire galaxy."
"Well, hopefully they'll figure it out eventually," Hope said optimistically. "Maybe they'll have some success."
"Perhaps they will," Organa said with a slight shrug. "Maybe everything will work out after this war ends."
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