A/N: Had this idea a few days ago, thought it'd be fun to toy around with. We saw ALMOST everyone's reaction to Kuvira's Coronation speech. Almost. Thought it would interesting to see how everyone else reacted.

I wrote this before realizing that, in maybe three blurry background frames, you can see Asami standing beside Mako on stage for some inexplicable reason. Which is really weird, because Bolin, Baatar Jr., Zhu Li and Varrick are all in the bleachers. Mako makes sense, he's the bodyguard. But Asami has nothing to do with any of it. Frankly, she's sort a security risk up there, not that she'd do anything. It's just so odd. Her and Baatar should switch places, honestly. Or, to make things interesting, Bolin. I'm thinking this was maybe an oversight when they were trying to figure out where Asami would be in that scene, and putting her in the bleachers might look odd considering her political stature.

She doesn't even speak in that episode, so that's probably how they made that 'mistake', or something. Unless it becomes relevant that she was physically there, I'm gonna go with oversight, since I doubt they'll specifically reference her actual presence during the speech later.

Which is fine by me.

Viacom owns all, but Bryke has our hearts. More or less.

Asami rubbed the exhaustion from her eyes. Well, she tried to. She'd been attempting to massage the lack of sleep from her body for almost her entire adult life, and it had never truly worked. Tea helped, but she knew that there was no true substitute for sleep. She eyed her cup of tea and, with very unladylike speed, emptied the cup like she was doing a shot of fire whiskey.

She sighed, and the sound essentially filled her office. Acoustics were a fun thing to toy around with, especially since it made her voice all intimidating and resonating. Reverberation, curved walls, materials for sound-bouncing. Unlike her homely...home office back at...home... Asami yawned, again with no sort of elegance whatsoever. She was so tired that she couldn't keep her vast vocabulary in check. Or around. Or remember what she was thinking about. Her office was nice, but not as nice as her home office. Future Industries was a business, so it needed to look professional.

Yes! Her office. She liked her office.

Her father may have become consumed by his hatred, but his business sense had always been right on the money. She snickered to herself, a little slaphappy. On the money. Yes. Business. She was excellent at it after years of shadowing him, mostly because she loved, back then, spending time with him. She'd picked up a rather astounding amount of his business sense. A part of that was how to project one's power by use of a room, namely her office.

It was calm, inviting, and at the same time made it very clear that she was the one who was in charge of any and all negotiations. She briefly considered having a miniature mecha-tank statue made and posted near the door as a sort of silent guardian, just to spook potentially 'hostile' partners and clients, but ultimately decided against it. It would remind people too much of the Equalists.

Asami looked down at her work. Thankfully, none of it was clerical, because it was one of those wonderful days where she got to brainstorm to her heart's content. Recently, she'd been trying to come up with a way to use blasting jelly, much smaller amounts, as a form of propulsion...of something. Asami wasn't sure what to call her idea yet, but if she could prove that she could accurately calculate the trajectory of, say, a metal ball, she was positive that the United Forces Navy would jump all over it.

No Benders Required! Oooh, she liked the sound of that. They would too, she was sure of it. Perhaps that moratorium she'd placed on her company's weapons development division could be lifted after all.

She loved those brainstorming days, but unfortunately she was unable to enjoy it as much as she normally did. The bags under her eyes only seeped deeper as she remembered the look Tonraq had when he'd realized Korra wasn't there.

Wasn't in Republic City. Wasn't at home. Wasn't where anyone had seen her. That she'd been lying to him for six months. He'd looked conflicted. Asami was sure that he trusted his daughter to take care of herself, but...why would she lie like that? Why couldn't she have just told her parents, or really anyone, that she was off on her own? Somewhere.

She hadn't even brought Naga! Something was very, very wrong.

After that, Asami hadn't been able to sleep well. Yes, Korra could take care of herself better than anyone else, even without Naga, but she was still worried. She continued with her work, writing down calculations and sketching out rudimentary designs for...what would those even be called? Blasting Jelly Launchers? Bendless Cannons?

Cannons! Perfect.

She finished one sketch, it was basically just a tube with a tiny diagram of the inner workings, which weren't much. Proof of concept, nothing more. She sketched a small version of Korra next to it, eyeing it happily. She added a little speech bubble that said: "Ooooh, it's like combustion bending! If you mounted airships with these, they'd be unstoppable! Or they'd just explode. Heh."

Asami chortled. Combustion bending. It was sort of like that. She idly wondered if she could get in contact with one for consulting work as she checked the time. Her eyes bugged out of her head as she realized she was very late for Prince Wu's coronation, and wouldn't make it in time for the show. She didn't really want to go, per say, but Varrick was in town, and they'd worked together on uniting the train lines throughout the United Republic and Earth Kingdom, so it would be rude of her not to stop by and say hello.

Even if he was mostly a sleazy, manipulative businessman with little to no morals whatsoever.

Asami sighed and switched on her desk radio, turning the right frequency. Prince Wu's voice filled her office, and for the first time she was regretted designing the room with such effective acoustics. That man deserved a swift smack in the mouth.

"...who have worked so hard to restore their beloved leader to the throne. One of them deserves special attention. Kuvira, rise! For your service to the realm, I would like to present you with the Kyoshi Medal of Freedom, our nation's highest honor, which was somehow not stolen, unlike the royal pinky rings..."

Asami rolled her eyes. Oh, yes, how tragic that your pinky rings were looted. Her thoughts drifted off to the mental image of her slapping the young King repeatedly. With her shock-glove. What an idiot. Before she could finish her thought, Kuvira's commanding and intimidating voice boomed through her office. She supposed that it was the price she paid for not attending.

"...the idea of a royal family passing a title from one generation to the next was archaic, and that technology and innovation should be what drives a nation forward. It was the pathetic rule of kings and queens that caused the Earth Kingdom to descend into such incredible disarray...

Asami's eyes bugged out her head and her jaw flopped open. She felt adrenalin pump through her system as the speech went on, perking her up and temporarily burning away her mental and physical exhaustion. This wasn't the plan. Nope. Not at all. Something had gone horribly wrong...and Korra wasn't there to stop it. That's how it happened. Kuvira knew exactly what she was doing. With no 'active' Avatar, nothing, and no one, could stop her from disposing of the ancient monarchy of the Earth Kingdom.

Asami paled. Bad. Very, very bad.

Kya slowly narrowed her eyes at the radio. She looked up at her mother, who was frowning grimly. Something was wrong, and her mother must have had some idea on what it was. Kya looked to Senna, who looked a little lost. They'd been spending the day together, and Senna wanted to listen in on the Coronation broadcast. It was where her husband was, after all. It also wasn't everyday that a new monarch was sworn in.

"...It's taken me three years to get it back on track, and there is no way I will allow it to slip back into the dark ages..."

Senna stared at the radio with a look of puzzlement. "What...what does she mean she won't allow it to happen?

Kya frowned. "It's exactly what you think it means. If Korra were there..."

Senna bit her lip looked out the window toward the southern tundra. "She runs off from time to time. She's been doing that since she was a little girl. But she wasn't hurt like she is now. This time...might be different..."

Katara closed her eyes and sighed deeply. "She'll come back. We need her right now. She won't run like my husband did when he was a child. It's not in her nature."

Senna smiled sadly. "No. It's not. She's never run from anything. She got that from her father."

Kya gave Senna's shoulder a tight squeeze. "I'm pretty sure she got it from the both of you."

Bumi clapped his hands together with a big grin as he wound down one of his favorite war stories. He had hundreds, thousands even, but the one he'd been telling was among the most clever. The Air Nation needed good inspirational stories now and then, since they were always traveling and that could get a little exhausting. Bumi knew that. He'd been in the military for most of his life, and that was more or less what he did the entire time. "...and that's how I stopped a volcano from erupting back in my old academy days! The important part of that story isn't how I used all of the sand, or even where I got it from, but why, which in my opinion is pretty obvious..."

He realized that no one, except that kid Otaku, were actually listening to him talk. Rather, they were huddled around a radio. He walked up to them, brow raised. "You know, if I was boring you, you could've just said so. What's so interesting on the radio, anyway?" Once he got close enough to actually make out the words from the broadcast, he stopped in his tracks.

"...I'd like to make an announcement to the world: the Earth Kingdom is no more. And from here on out, this man has no authority..."

Bumi had put down his share of warlords and rogue generals in his long term of service. He'd disposed of cannibals, crazy sandbenders, and even some weird spirits. He'd rescued hundreds of people from certain death, beaten earthbenders in rock throwing contests, and even managed to almost singlehandedly rescue his family along with Korra's family and friends from a massively superior Northern Water Tribe force. All of those times, he'd been scared, sure, but he'd never been scared for anyone other than himself and his troops.

As the speech went on, he felt an unwelcome terror grow in the pit of his stomach. Not for himself, but for his nation.

Bumi had been lifelong military, and still was considering the state Air Nation, so if there was one thing he knew how to do, it was to take action. He frowned and walked in front of the rest of his comrades, folding his hands behind his back. "So. Looks like we've got some lady upstart who thinks she can mess with the world and get away with it. If I've learned one thing in my years it's that if it smells like a sabre-tooth moose lion and looks like a sabre-tooth moose lion, you'd better believe it is one! The way I see it, it's like this..." He leaned over the radio, severity flashing in his eyes. "She's crazy and she needs to go down."

His comrades paled. They weren't used to hearing things like that, even after three years of fighting on the front lines of every conflict across the globe. Air Nomads were supposed to be peaceful, but the world could no longer afford them to sit idly by. Not anymore.

Tenzin was going to scream his ears off for that comment, but it was worth it. He knew he'd be right in the end, even if it might not be him who dealt the final blow. Kuvira was a big problem, and it was important that the rest of the Air Nation truly understood just how large of one she was.

He didn't want to think about what could happen if they didn't.

General Iroh was choking on his tea as he heard the broadcast from the Coronation. He slammed his fist against his sternum and forced the...hot...leaf juice to go down the right path. He took a deep breath and quickly turned up the volume of his radio.

"...I have created a new Earth Empire, and I will continue to lead it into the future myself, bringing about a new era of prosperity for my people..."

"It's times like this that I really wish the United Forces wasn't simply a 'peacekeeping' force." He said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "...this is could go very, very badly if everyone isn't careful." He rubbed his chin. "I wonder what my great-grand uncle would do..." After a moment, he snapped his fingers. "He would wait! He'd make more tea, be patient, and wait for an opportunity."

Iroh got up from his desk to pour himself another cup of tea. "Either that or take her down right then and there before she could do any more damage." He blinked then shook his head. "...maybe not that..."

"...and let me assure my fellow leaders of one thing: Anyone who crosses our borders or stands in our way, will be crushed."

Asami had to do something. Anything. Her heart rate spiked. She'd seen pictures of Varrick's new line of weapons. His VarriMechs, despite their terrible name, and new airship designs far outclassed anything the other four nations had at their disposal. The disparity in military strength and technological advantage was more than a little scary. Though...to her knowledge, Kuvira didn't have a navy. In fact, she wasn't sure that the Earth Kingdom had ever had a proper navy. The Fire Nation had been able to harass the Earth Kingdom by way of the Serpent's Pass for nearly a hundred years.

But Varrick did. He had fleets of merchant, transport and shipping vessels that could easily be retrofitted into battleships, if they weren't already. She had to act fast. She needed armored vehicles. Better and faster kinds of biplanes.

She unlocked one of the drawers in her office, where she stored her personal design ideas that she hoped would never have to see the light of day and pulled out the entire contents, laying them on her desk. She flipped open the folder and glared at her battleship design, complete with a runway and multiple planes. A brilliant idea that was completely unnecessary in a time of peace.

Future Industries and weapons development, together again. It didn't make her happy, but she needed to defend her home. No matter what.

Asami flicked off the radio and hastily grabbed her phone. She flipped through her rolodex for a certain military officer's number. General Iroh. She quickly punched in the numbers and waited as the phone rang. Each one made her a little more nervous.

"Hello, you've reached the Office of General Iroh."

"Yes, hello, I need to speak with the General as soon as possible. It's a bit of an emergency. Is he in at the moment?"

"Who may I say is calling, miss?"

"Asami Sato."

"I'll check to see if has a free moment, Miss Sato. One moment please."

"Thank you."

The receiver clicked. "Hello, Miss Sato. It's good to hear from you again."

Asami smiled sadly. "And you as well, though I wish it were under better circumstances. You heard the...coronation, I hope."

"I did. Looks like my patience paid off."

"What?"

"Never mind that. I'm impressed with your response time. It was only two minutes ago. "

"You should know that I don't like wasting time, General."

"Neither do I. I'm going to take a wild guess that you've come to the same conclusion that I have."

Asami sighed. "It's a war we can't win, if she chose to start it. Or, if we chose to start it."

"Yes. We're outclassed, outgunned, and even possibly outnumbered. Their technology is far beyond our own capabilities at the moment, and I can't help but be reminded that this is very similar to how the Hundred Years War started."

Asami slouched in her seat, her face paling. "I...hadn't thought of that."

"I don't expect many to, at least for the moment. It's simply something that my family has been...keeping a watchful eye out for, as I'm sure you can understand. I can't imagine it would lead to another genocide, she has no motivation, or really an unprovoked invasion." He paused. "But that doesn't solve the current military problem we have."

"I have a few ideas on how to even the odds."

"Good. Future Industries was once the world leader in military development, and with you at it's head, I'm sure it will be again. This also saves me the trouble of having to call you and ask for help."

Asami chuckled and flipped through her designs once more. She'd saved them, even the refined versions of her father's old schematics, just in case. Just in case the unthinkable happened. Her father had taught her to be prepared for anything and to expect the unexpected. Leave nothing to chance and never dismiss an idea simply because it isn't practical or useful, because it could be later.

For one single moment, she was thankful to her father and proud to be his daughter. But only for a moment. That was all he was going to get out of her.

It was all he deserved.

A/N: Kept Asami's military development involvement non-concrete to shield her from being totally non-canon, which would have been inevitable. Besides the fact that she was technically there, on the stage. Again. Weird.

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