[AN] Totally and utterly and in all ways AU. Also, going to be _much_ darker than my previous works.

Anyway, I'm a lifelong sci-fi geek, and I've been sort of thinking about this story for a while. It is influenced by a huge plethora of sources and I hope I do them all justice.

Enjoy!

Explosions in space are eerie, snuffed out quickly as oxygen is lost to the vacuum. They burn as bright flashes into wincing pupils, leaving their trace amidst teary blinking. They are silent. There is nothing to betray their aftermath; no smell of lingering flames, no voices of survivors moaning their pain. There is nothing but the floating pieces of leftover destruction, glittering in what dim light there may be.

Sixteen years ago the Terran Galactic Empire disintegrated as an increasingly corrupt government dragged everyone thoughtlessly towards economic ruin. The head of the military, General Aang, was an enlightened man, disgusted by what he viewed as the loss of all honor and therefore any legitimacy of the ruling body, and he led the revolt to overthrow the old government and usher in a new era that put more power in regional governments and encouraged collaboration rather than top-down authoritarian rule.

Life was great for all of ten years under the Terran Alliance.

Then Aang was assassinated, apparently by anarchists who thought even regional governments were not to be tolerated. Without Aang's leadership, the Alliance also collapsed as each planetary system started competing against each other, trust gone, and with it apparently all hopes for peace.

And thus I found myself enlisting at the age of eighteen, over the loud objections of my parents, into the Armed Forces of the United Republic of Planets. I discovered I had a talent for flying and quickly advanced into the Space Fighter Corps. Battle attrition meant I received a lot of field promotions, and by the age of twenty-four, I was made captain and put in command of my own squadron. They're a motley band a misfits, but they're mine and I love them. My whole life is now dedicated to keeping them alive while we keep the United Republic safe.

I'm Captain Korra, callsign Avatar. My squadron is the Fire Ferrets, and we're the best there is.

—

I blink furiously, trying to clear the flashes from my eyes as my squadron prepares to hold the line against the latest encroacher. My fighter is battered and patched and I'm pretty sure I'm hearing a new oxygen leak through my canopy. There's a Fire System troop ship out there somewhere launching fighters at us, and my HUD flickers as it picks out the newest incoming targets.

"Here we go, people, second wave. Lock and load."

One of my two unit commanders, Lieutenant Mako, crackles to life in my ear. "I only see four blips on the scanner, Cap. That seems very wrong."

"Any sign of their launch base yet, Macho Man?"

"That's a negative, Cap. Also I fucking hate that callsign. I need a new one."

I snicker. "Blame your brother. As long as he has more kills than you, you get to keep the one he gave you."

"That's right, Macho Mako," crows Ensign Bolin, his gleeful voice flooding the comm. "You've got a lot of work to do to catch up to the Little Mouse, brother! Bombs away!"

"Hate to break up the party, people," I comment drily, "but we've got six new targets trying to circle around under us. Ironman, you copy?"

Lieutenant Iroh always guards our back door. Not one for a lot of words, he's absolutely reliable for ensuring our safe route if we need to retreat and regroup. Technically he's got seniority over Mako, but he was his squadron's only survivor of a Fire System attack a couple of years ago, and the guilt still seems to prevent him from ever accepting a promotion.

"Standing by, Cap."

I grunt as I see our incoming birds getting closer. "Macho and Mouse, the three of us are taking the top four. Bitches?"

"Boss Bitch here, Cap." I hear Commander Kuvira call out lazily. "We've got the six down-unders?"

I grin wickedly. Boss Bitch is my other unit commander, and is the only other member of the squadron (besides myself) who got to pick her own callsign and boy has she earned that right. Somehow we ended up having a boys team and a girls team, and the rivalry between the two is friendly, but fierce. With Ensigns Jinora (Wee Bitch) and Opal (Mad Bitch), Kuvira manages to tweak Mako and his crew on a regular basis. I'm also pretty sure there's also some money at stake between Iroh and Mako on whether or not Bolin and Opal are getting frisky, but if true they've been remarkably discrete so far.

"Just make sure to leave one or two for Iroh so he doesn't get bored, okay?"

"Ha, you're funny, Cap."

"Engaging in ten, Cap," Mako warns.

I place at the scanner, grateful that no additional birds have shown up. This should be no problem for us, but as always I throw up a prayer to whoever might by listening — Please keep my pilots safe.

"Okay, people. Losing team buys the drinks, let's go!"

And we're in the thick of it. I zero in on my target and unleash two missiles, barely registering the flash of the hit as I peel away seeking my next target, only to find that Mako and Bolin had cleared the other three, Bolin already gloating about his two shots, two kills. The three of us reorient and dive down to join the Bitches.

"Boss, speak to me. Where do you want us?"

"Two peeled off, probably back to their base," she responded. "You take those while we mop up here."

I hesitate. Our orders are to defend our territory, and we are generally discouraged from pursuing ships in retreat.

"Come on, Avatar, let's go get them!" Bolin shouts.

Then I see it, and my heart starts to pound. "Wait, Mako, check your scanner."

"Captain," I hear Iroh say loudly. "We need to fall back. Now."

I've never heard him sound so scared. "What are we looking at Ironman?"

"That's a dreadnaught. It can carry up to a hundred fighters and thousands of ground troops." Iron said flatly. "I thought they had all been destroyed, but apparently the Fire fuckers built a new one. "

My stomach drops, and I fumble hurriedly with my comm.

"Command, this is Captain Korra. Come in."

"We read you, Avatar. We also read something unholy big right behind you."

"Ironman says this is a dreadnaught, Command."

The comm squawks with sounds of fervent cursing.

"You guys get the hell out of there, right now. That first skirmish was probably to check for how many birds we had on patrol. There is likely another wave coming at you any second now. Get back here while we scramble up a welcome committee."

I haul on the stick and point my fighter towards home. "You heard Command, people. Let's get the fuck out of here."

"Caaap," I hear Bolin call out, a waver in his voice. "We've got trouble."

Shit.

"I got scanner contact, incoming from six, no seven, vectors," announced Mako.

"Son of a bitch," I hear Kuvira mutter. "They're trying to surround us."

"Copy that, Boss," I grind out, thinking fast. "Bitches, spear formation, punch a hole, and cherry bomb a perimeter. That should buy us enough time."

"Mmmm, love me some cherry pie," I hear Opal murmur, her voice playful despite the tension. Cherry bombs got their name from the bright red flash the emitted when they blew, and they could be set for either time based or proximity explosions. They were going to help cover our tails when we made a fun for it, and the forward guns of the fighters were going to shred anybody who got in the way.

"Ironman—" I begin, only for him to cut me off.

"I'm the tail of the spear, Cap." His tone suggests he's expecting an argument but he's not taking no for an answer. I can't really argue with him. The two of us are the best flyers, and I know he won't let me go last.

"Copy that, Ironman. Macho and Mouse, slide in behind Mad and Wee and wait for me and Ironman to form up before you start throwing your cherries. I don't want to have dodge those mothers."

"Copy that, Cap." Mako grunts.

I glance once more at the scanner. They are coming in fast. Too fast. "Kuvira, go."

"Bitches, away," she howls and she peels off straight for planet side, ready to reign death on any asshole who is stupid enough to get in front of her. She carries extra missiles rather than cherries, so she's always at the front of any maneuver, just how she likes it.

Wee and Mad spiral in quickly behind her, flinging their cherries off to form a cylinder that the rest of us fly through.

"Here they come," Iroh growls. "Cherries away!"

I see the glow of the explosions as the first of the enemy fighters starts running into our bomb field. Hopefully they take the hint and slow down to give us enough time to get the hell out.

"On your tail, Mouse!" I hear Mako shout and I break out in a sweat. How the hell did they get so close so fast?

"Get him off me, bro!"

"Bring him right!"

"I'm trying!"

"Shit, two coming up fast on us, Wee!" says Opal. "Scissor me!"

Scissor move is awesome when it works, and Jinora and Opal do it better than most — they fly straight at each other and flip their fighters at the last minute so that they pass scarily near each other, belly to belly, but spinning away in opposite directions. Their pursuers don't react quickly enough and run into each other in a flash of orange and yellow.

Kuvira is mowing down ship after ship that apparently had been lying in wait. "Baby bitches, your boss needs more missile action up here."

"Copy that." Jinora responds, then she squeaks in surprise. "On your tail, Boss! Swing up!"

"Mother fucker! Get him off my ass!"

"Shit that was close."

Fuck, fuck, fuck. This is not how I planned for today to go. "Command, where's that welcome committee? We're having a fucking party out here!"

"On their way, Avatar. Two minutes."

A huge explosion nearby shakes my ship as I'm racing to try to back up Mako. "Iroh, what's your status?"

I get no response, but a bird is coming at me and I'm busy for a few minutes until I can put a missile through it.

"Dammit, Ironman, what's your status?" A scanner check shows the number of enemy fighters dwindling quickly, but it also shows what I was afraid to see.

Ironman is gone.

Tears stream down my face but I manage to keep my voice steady. "Macho, Boss, I need status."

"We're busy but okay so far, Cap." Kuvira pants, clearly in the thick of a fight.

"Little busy, Cap," Mako gasps. "Bo, I can't shake this guy and I'm out of cherries."

"I'm coming, bro, hang on!"

"I can't get clear! Shit, shit, I'm sorry, Bo, I'm sorry!"

I hear Bolin crying and my chest starts to heave, I'm pushing my fighter as fast as it can go, but I know I won't get there in time.

"Mako, just hang on, I've almost got him," Bolin pleads.

"I love you, bro—"

There's a crackle, then silence. I'm sobbing in fury, my only remaining thought to save the rest of my squadron. Mako's killer disappears in a fiery burst, Bolin's missile landing a minute too late.

"Bolin, I'm coming in on your six, we need to form up with the Bitches."

I get no response. "Little Mouse, come on, we need to regroup and I need my wingman." My voice is shaking and my tears won't stop.

"Copy that, Cap," he finally whispers, and we swing around and down.

"Welcoming committee coming in." I hear the relief in Kuvira's voice and my stomach starts to unclench.

Then Bolin groans. "Oh fuck, Cap, two more coming at us."

"Oh, fuck that," Kuvira shouts. "We're coming, Cap."

"No!" I shout frantically. "Keep Mad and Wee safe, Boss!"

"Not leaving you in the shit," she grinds out. "These assholes just don't know when to stop, do they?"

I line up my shot and get the first bird, then swing around to back up Bolin. To my horror I see flames flaring from his engine. "Mouse, status!"

"Clipped me, Cap," he manages. His voice is muffled, and I know his helmet's face mask has automatically sealed, not a good sign. "Bird still out there."

I'm looking around frantically, but can't see it. "Boss Bitch, you see anything?"

"Negative, Cap. Coming up on you now. Welcoming committee is right behind me."

Then I hear Jinora call out, her voice shrill. "Topside, Cap, watch out—"

And there is darkness.

Please don't hate me...