Unharmonic Convergence

by Archer83

They've faced it all. Revolutionists, religious zealots, anarchists, ancient dark spirits, and a slightly unhinged military leader bent on world domination. The Normandy SR-2 and her crew almost smashing into Aang's face before unceremoniously crashing into the bay? That's a new one. The citizens of Republic City just can't seem to get a break.

10. Marching Forward

Chapter 10: Marching Forward

Sato Estate, Dragon Flats Boroughs

Team Shepard's new base.

"It truly is a fascinating thing, to see the physiology of another being laid out so plainly for these old eyes." Katara mused as she examined the diagram that Karin had pulled up for her perusal of the typical asari. Reaching out to wave her hand through the holographic image before her, Katara made a curious noise when the image shifted, and zoomed into what it took to be her desired location, that being the upper sternum. "Quite a marvel indeed, I am sure there is a perfectly logical, if lengthy, explanation as to how this all works, but I am content to let the mystery remain just that."

Karin chuckled and leaned back in her new infirmary chair as she let Katara examine the detailed medical data she had on hand about their mutual asari friend. The reason had been simple and to the point, Liara had asked the master waterbender to attend the birth of her and Shepard's first child, alongside Karin of course. To that end, Karin had happily invited the older woman to brush up on Liara's physical makeup, which had led to them discussing the marvels of their vastly superior technology. "I'm sure there is, but even I don't know exactly how the device before you works, only its purpose. That being said, I am quite thankful I don't have to remember every little detail I picked up in Alliance medical school many years ago. Besides, seeing you so enraptured reminds me of my own bright eyed, joyful curiosity when I was quite a bit younger, and a bit more naive."

"I imagine you were quite the student however," Katara replied as she leaned away from the hologram before her, and met Karin's gaze from across the desk that separated them, the old woman situated in another of the infirmary's rather comfortable chairs. "But every wise student and teacher alike knows that we never stop growing, so long as we continue to seek new knowledge and broaden our horizons for the betterment of those around us and ourselves."

"Indeed." Karin agreed softly, and leaned down to reach into a cabinet beneath the desk's surface. When she came back up, there were two glasses and a bottle of brandy in hand, which she summarily poured into the glasses before handing one to Katara. The master waterbender nodded her thanks before she took a measured sip. The approval in Katara's eyes upon getting a taste of the dark brown liquid made Karin smile. "I had hoped you would approve. Serrice Ice Brandy is a personal weakness of mine, but with all you've done for us, both literally and otherwise, I thought it was past time that I shared a drink with you."

"Your thanks is all the reward I need, but I have never been one to turn down a chance to share a friendly conversation with a good friend. Sharing a drink however, usually meant tea in my experience rather than brandy, but I am not about to split hairs." She chuckled warmly before taking another sip, both hands wrapped firmly around the glass before she set it down on the metallic desk between them. Karin's wistful gaze had clued Katara into the fact there was something on the good doctor's mind.

Karin cleared her throat, tossed back the rest of her glass's contents, and poured herself a fresh cup before finding the courage to ask the question that had been bothering her for some time. Bothering might have been a strong word, but she hoped Katara would answer the question she wanted to ask. "I know we haven't known each other long Master Katara, but I can't help but be curious about something ever since I heard you were married to Avatar Aang."

"You wish to know more about him." Katara replied, her smile never wavering even as her gaze became distant and unfocused as her mind wandered back to some of the best and worst moments of her life. She had gotten used to the questions regarding her life with Aang, but unlike some that had asked such things of her, Katara knew Karin was genuinely curious about her and the man that had affected so many people in the time she had known him.

"If you don't mind." Karin stated softly, and set her own glass down, the rest of her drink forgotten for the moment. Unbeknownst to Katara however, Karin hesitantly activated her terminal's record function, normally reserved for dictation and taking notes for future input into her computer's massive memory, and got comfortable for the long haul, drink in hand once again. Shepard and Liara both had expressed interest in learning more of the tale right from the horse's mouth, but it was Liara that had insisted they get a recording of it, for posterity's sake if nothing else. Karin hadn't liked it then and she didn't like it now, but she understood, at least partially, why Liara hadn't simply asked Katara directly. She just hoped Katara would understand when she no doubt found out the truth.

"It is no trouble at all Karin, and please, call me Katara. I might be a master waterbender, but like Korra, I am but a humble woman who has experienced far more than most people I could name." Katara stated, and folded her hands in her lap, and let her mind wander, gathering her thoughts in an effort to satisfy her more scientifically minded counterpart. Karin remained silent, not about to interrupt her effort. When Katara began to speak, Karin was enraptured by the tale she began to weave for her, telling her of the Hundred Year War and how she had found Aang with her brother Sokka. While the story was far from complete when Katara finished, having spent two hours straight of simply talking of her days traveling with Aang, Sokka, Toph, and eventually Zuko, as well as their animal companions, Momo and Appa, Karin had a much better grasp of just how far Katara had come in those days, and it gave her a better picture of just who the woman truly was.

Karin remained quiet for some time, just trying to process the tale, and made it a note to deactivate the recording program she had opened up against her better judgment. When she met Katara's gaze however, she sighed when she saw the knowing look on the healing woman's face. "I see my suspicions were correct, but if they wanted to know, all they had to do was ask."

"When did you figure it out?" Karin asked, while she made a note to give Liara a stern talking to once she got out of this mess of her own creation.

Katara chuckled softly as she stood to her feet and folded her hands neatly behind her back. "Toph taught me much, just as she taught us all a great deal. She was quite adept at sleight of hand despite her blindness, or because of it, and scamming those that were, at least in her opinion, far worse than she was during our youth. You almost succeeded in pulling one over on me, but these old eyes aren't that bad just yet." She held up a hand as she turned to face Karin directly, to stop her from speaking for a moment longer. "Considering the bond shared by Liara and Elizabeth, it would not surprise me if they were the ones that truly wished to know about my adventures with Aang, and the time we shared after the war. That and considering the strange dreams the latter has been having of late, it makes sense they are desperately searching for answers to that particular mystery."

"It might be a far stretch to say they're desperate, not yet at least, but yes, that did guide Liara in asking me to record your tale from the beginning, for which I apologize sincerely." Karin replied, feeling the greater fool for having tried to deceive someone that was turning out to be infinitely more wise and experienced in ways she was only then beginning to understand. "But if it makes you feel better, I was also quite curious about you and the man that built the city we're only a short drive away from."

"No apology is needed, although I would have appreciated honesty from the beginning Karin." Katara gently reprimanded the doctor before taking her seat again. "Still, from what I understand, Liara has gotten used to leading a secretive life with this Shadow Broker mentality I've heard so little about, so I can understand why she felt hesitant to ask me directly. From what I have heard however, she grew used to peering into shadows that were better left alone, and almost became as corrupt as her predecessor, considering she felt it necessary to replace him."

"It's not just that, but it does play a part in her current attitude." Karin admitted, her drink forgotten as she went on to explain more about Liara's mental state, and what her role as the new Shadow Broker had cost her, or so she believed at any rate. "It might be a far stretch to say that she would have become as twisted and corrupt as the being she replaced, because of Shepard's guiding light to keep her balanced, but that might have very well been true if not for Elizabeth's help, and the fact the resources the old Shadow Broker possessed, which she gained after taking over the position, she used to help in our own war effort. A network of informants, spies, and more were suddenly at Liara's fingertips, and to use her own words, she could have started a war in ten minutes by letting certain information slip to the right people, but as you said, she had someone to keep her head straight. But….it came with a cost."

"Power such as you describe always does. I know this better than most, and not just because I was with Aang for so long." Katara softly agreed, earning a curious glance from Karin, but when she didn't elaborate further, Karin let it go for the moment. There were far more important matters to discuss.

"To have the galaxy's secrets laid bare, Liara learned just how far the former Broker's reach extended, and how he had gathered so much of his intelligence. But that wasn't the only thing, which was disturbing in its own right considering just how many people he had under his employ who willingly sold secrets to him for the right price. He had a large number of soldiers and assassins under his control, and since he had so much information on everyone of importance, company secrets that could destroy so many people without firing a shot, scandals that could topple governments, in order to use her new network to help our cause, she had to make decisions that affected far more people than some of our battles we fought in the open ever did. Hers was a secret war, fought in the shadows, through agents that never knew her real face, or the toll it took on her soul."

"I take it she was forced to ruin more lives with the information she suddenly had at her fingertips than she actually took through these agents you mention." Katara stated rather than asked, and when Karin nodded sadly, the old woman returned the gesture. "I'll admit, this is a little beyond my expertise, but not the scars she now bears on her spirit. But I have a feeling she'll be fine, and the ice she had to form around herself to protect her soul from the horrors she committed to save those she loved, will thaw in time." Karin was able to meet Katara's gaze once more, which gladdened the waterbender more than she could say as she finished her brandy at last before setting the empty glass before the good doctor. "War leaves no clear victors." Katara began, curious as to what Karin would say in response.

She wasn't disappointed. "Only survivors, something we can no doubt agree on." Karin responded in kind, before she too tossed back the rest of her drink, and promptly slammed the glass, open end down, onto her desk with an ease that told Katara far more than anything the doctor had said thus far. Late nights, no doubt wracked with concealed worry for her eclectic family that she had surrounded herself with in her own way, with only her brandy for any real company beyond the ever vigilant EDI perhaps. Katara made a mental note to keep an eye on the good doctor, but made no mention of Karin's possible dependency on her poison of choice.

The soft smile that had just started to waver grew stronger than before despite her concern, and Katara nodded, albeit sadly, in agreement. "Indeed, and while the argument could be made that death would be the preferred choice for many over disgrace and a loss of their honor, life is so full of possibilities. If one tries hard enough, even the most jaded, cynical individual can change for the better."

"I sincerely hope you're right Katara." Despite her doubts, Karin couldn't help but match the old waterbender's warm, comforting smile as an easy, comfortable silence fell between the pair. She broke it after several minutes, a thought having occurred to her. "Hmm, I wonder how the recovery efforts of the Normandy is going?"

"About as well as can be expected I imagine." Katara replied cryptically, earning an inquisitive glance from Karin. The waterbender only smiled and turned her empty glass over so that it was bottom up on the desk between them.

Future Industries Airfield, outside Republic City

(For added effect, play Greatest Change from LoK. Trust me.)

Dragging the Normandy SR-2 out of the bay had, for some reason, been the easy part, despite both the extensive damage it had suffered and the fact that Korra and the metalbending officers that had come to help in the operation, hadn't been able to bend the ship directly. The metal used in its construction, while not pure like platinum, was nearly as strong if not stronger than the metal in question, thus making it impossible for it to be manipulated in such a fashion. While it complicated things slightly, it did reassure Shepard and company with the knowledge that it couldn't be stolen easily, not without a sufficient group of strong Earthbenders around at least. Instead, the metalbending police, along with Bolin and Korra, had raised the earth underneath the once proud vessel, holding it together as they raised it out of the depths. For those unable to do more than watch on the edge of Air Temple Island, it was a sight to behold as the ship was revealed as it was slowly dragged out of its watery grave.

Water cascaded off of the scarred, dented, and battered hull, and pieces of dirt and seaweed clung to its gunmetal gray hide, but it was still undeniably….home, to more than a few of them, and it was being returned to them. With the midmorning sun casting its light upon the area, a couple of the crew would swear later they saw small rainbows amidst the water and debris that fell off of the Normandy, only enhancing the image that would forever be engraved in their respective memories. "It's good to see you again girl." Shepard heard Joker mutter softly under his breath, while EDI pulled the pilot a little closer into her side. Shepard found the small smile on the man's bearded face far more reassuring than even seeing the Normandy again as a piece of Jeff's very being was restored to him. Hope was in the air again, both literally and otherwise, and that was what truly mattered to the Spectre.

Getting the vessel out of the depths had been the easy part, but finding a way to transport the vessel to the far side of the city was another matter. Secrecy was out of the question given the sheer size of the Systems Alliance super frigate, and with the number of officers Lin had called in to help drag her out of the water in the first place, it would have been a moot point anyway. Thankfully, between Lin, Bolin, and Korra, a plan was already in place as RCPD airships swooped down into the area, and dozens of metallic wires were wrapped around the vessel from end to end before the island of rock and dirt it had been resting on was allowed to sink back into the depths from which it came.

Currently, they were heading to the airfield, the ships and the Normandy having already gone on ahead of the rest of the group. Which found Shepard and Liara riding in the back of Asami's car, with Korra and the heiress in the front seat, the feel of the wind rushing through her neatly trimmed red hair. Shepard couldn't help the almost all encompassing smirk on her face as they drew closer to their destination. "I don't think I've seen in you in such a good mood Elizabeth."

Shepard met Asami's gray eyes in the rearview mirror and chuckled in response. "You'd be surprised how many good memories most of my team have of that ship you and your extensive list of friends just pulled out of the bay, Asami. Having her, even battered and broken as she is right now, back on dry land again means more than I could ever say."

"Necessity might have demanded we do something to protect or destroy the Normandy in case the Remnant made a move to acquire it, I agree with Shepard on this Ms. Sato, Avatar Korra. You have done truly amazing work, and have asked so little in return." Liara intoned softly in turn.

Both women blushed a little at the quiet yet sincere praise in the asari's voice. Even if they couldn't see her gaze, Liara having donned a low riding dark cloak over her face and arms as they drove through the city, both were pretty sure her blue eyes were bright in her own version of renewed hope at having her home returned to her as well. Korra was the first to say what Asami and herself were thinking. "It really wasn't that big a deal Liara. Although, I thought Jeff was going to break down into tears by the time it was over and we had the ship secured to the RCPD's fleet. And really, who would have blamed him? Even I know your ship represented everything he fought so hard for, even if I don't know the story of how he became your pilot in the first place, Elizabeth."

"It's actually kinda interesting if you want to know how he got the job originally, but as for what it means to him? You wouldn't be far off the mark Korra." Shepard leaned forward, her arm, having been resting on the edge of the open window on her side of Asami's car, now rested in her lap as she met Korra's gaze, the Avatar having turned around to listen to her. "To Joker, the Normandy was more than a vessel, or a place he, like the rest of us, called home after a while. It was his dreams given reality, even if we took the ship into some pretty dark places over the years. He always wanted to fly, and he had the drive and passion to succeed in achieving that goal. He had top marks in all his classes, and could outfly everyone that studied with him, even the instructors were second rate compared to him. I've seen his file, the awards, the commendations, and I've seen what he can do behind the helm, so I know for a fact he's just as good as he claimed when I first asked all those years ago, despite the fact he has brittle bones that would have otherwise held him back in any other career. To say flying is what makes him who he is wouldn't be wrong to say either."

"Well, let's hope that at least getting it on the ground will help him in some small way." Korra replied softly as she turned back toward the front only to lower her eyes to her lap. She perked up though when both Shepard and Asami put a hand on her shoulder and leg respectively, sensing a bit of her old scars she still bore in the tone of her voice. She squeezed Asami's hand and gave Shepard a smile for their efforts.

The rest of the ride proceeded without any more pained looks, brought on by memories of their respective traumas for one reason or another. And by the time they reached the airfield, the group were laughing, smiling, and having a good time. Passing through a security checkpoint, Shepard couldn't help but raise an eyebrow when she saw the metallic poles stuck into the ground at regular intervals, but she didn't see anything connecting the black metallic poles themselves. The soft hum of some kind of energy as they drove past the checkpoint clued her into the truth however. "Clever. You have some kind of forcefield around the perimeter?"

"It was one of my father's old designs, I improved on it." Asami replied softly, and shot Shepard a respectful glance in the mirror at having guessed the nature of the 'fence' even as a pang of sorrow hit her in the gut at the reminder. Shepard wanted to kick herself for ruining the mood with the seemingly innocent question, but a subtle shake of Korra's head stopped her from saying anything. Nor did she complain when Asami slammed on the brakes once they had pulled up in front of the massive hangar that had been constructed to house the Alliance vessel while it went in for repairs.

Knowing when to issue a tactical retreat, Shepard and Liara quietly left the car, leaving Korra and Asami alone. Only her enhanced hearing detected the quiet sobs that followed them, which were quickly muffled when Korra pulled a trembling Asami into her arms, cradling her head in the crook of her neck, but Elizabeth pretended not to notice a thing as she and Liara entered the metallic structure before them. A look towards the asari at her side when she pulled down her hood however, said she knew what was happening behind them. "She's going to be alright Liz."

"I know….but I still feel like a giant ass for bringing it up in the first place." Shepard muttered glumly, but was stopped mid stride when she felt Liara's soft fingers against her cheek. She leaned into the blue hand on her cheek and grabbed Liara's wrist, and brought her fingers to her lips before leaving a gentle kiss on the asari's knuckles. "I also know what you're going to say, and you're right."

Liara only smiled as Shepard let her hand go and walked deeper into the bustling hangar, completely oblivious or ignoring the few curious glances they got from the work crews already hard at work in trying to figure out how best to tackle the problem before them as she trailed after the human that had become so important to her. Her thoughts were derailed however when someone stopped right in front of her and immediately leaned forward, his gaze intense and focused. When she tried to step to the side, the man moved with her, his ilps pulled into a thoughtful frown as his right hand moved to stroke at his black, pencil thin moustache. "Excuse me." Liara said, only to lean back further when the man moved closer. She frowned and narrowed her blue eyes, a sign of danger for anyone else, yet the man before her only seemed to grow more confident.

"Hmm, you my little lady are amazing!" Liara felt a sweat drop roll down the back of her crested head when she realized who this man was as he threw his hands out wide over his head. "Proof of alien life just walks right through the front door, and let me tell you it looks pretty good." Shepard had since taken notice and had already started back to Liara's side, but a subtle glance over the man's shoulder had the Spectre stopping mid stride, a curious look on her face but Liara's sight was soon blocked once more. "So, got a name I can actually pronounce, or should I make one up for you?"

When she was able to see Shepard again, she made a mental note to tie her to the bed and leave her begging when the asari noted the snickers she was trying to hide before she turned her gaze back on Asami's….exuberant business partner. "My name is Doctor Liara T'Soni, and you must be Iknik Blackstone Varrick."

"I see my fame precedes me! But most people just call me Varrick." Varrick proudly announced, and raised his equally thin eyebrows in what he likely thought was his being sauve and charming. Liara could see the appeal, if she were even vaguely interested in the man in that sense, but only felt annoyance over anything else as she once again tried to step around him, only to be blocked once more. "You know, you'd look good in one of my movers. We'd make a fortune selling the lost traveler angle! Or better yet, a romantic tale!"

Just as Liara was about to tell him exactly what she thought of that idea, Varrick turned white as a sheet when his light blue eyes fell on something behind the asari. When she turned, she put the pieces together when she noted the annoyed gleam in an otherwise almost bored looking woman's face that was zeroed fully in on Varrick. Liara instantly started to like the smartly dressed woman as she stomped over to them and jabbed a finger in Varrick's face. "I thought we agreed we wouldn't pester the offworlders with such a proposal? You take one look at them and try to reel one of them in?"

"Hey, it's part of my nature! Besides, I married you didn't I? I might be a self absorbed businessman and genius inventor on a good day, but I do have my moments. I was just being charitable to our new neighbors." He countered before sliding up to his female counterpart and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close just as quickly. 'Sides Zhu Li, you can't pretend you aren't curious about them yourself, am I right?"

Zhu Li sighed but couldn't help to let a flicker of a smile dance across her lips in agreement before jabbing her finger into his face again. "Fine, but if one of them decides to push you off a cliff, I won't stop them."

"Alright, you made your point. Yeesh!" Varrick shot back and held his hands up before in an effort to placate his wife. "I'll try to be on my best behavior….that's gonna be a challenge now that I think about it. Hmm." He mused, and went back to stroking his chin this time until Zhu Li pushed him towards the ship. Varrick flailed his arms around, almost fell over, but managed to right himself before he hit the ground. Having gotten the hint, Varrick straightened his blue suit and tie before all but strutting towards the vessel, where the last of the catwalks and various equipment was being set up around it.

Ignoring the amused gleam in Shepard's gaze when she came over to stand beside her, Liara was the first to be addressed by Zhu Li directly. "I'm sorry you had to deal with that, but he's not as troublesome as he used to be. My name is Zhu Li Moon, it's a pleasure to meet you Doctor."

"Thank you Mrs. Moon. We've heard a great deal about yourself and Varrick from Asami and Korra." Liara responded, and wasn't all that surprised when Zhu Li let out a weary sigh. Their history was indeed quite spotty, and while Varrick had been the brains behind most of the schemes in question, Zhu Li had indulged him throughout most of those same events. But that didn't matter to Liara since if Asami and the rest of her friends trusted the man, then she'd reserve judgment until and if he gave her a reason to doubt him.

"Unfortunately all those stories are true, but as Varrick has already said, he's done a lot of good as well." Zhu Li admitted, confirming the asari's line of thought, but the tilt of her lips said she loved the man he was now, and that was enough for Shepard.

"Meh, he seems like a nice guy to me, if a little off his rocker." Shepard said with a shrug of her shoulders. Zhu Li only smirked in response and bowed her head towards them before running off to catch up with Varrick, no doubt in the hopes to keep him out of further trouble. Elizabeth only shook her head and smiled after the pair before meeting Liara's amused if annoyed look. "What? I thought it was nice he offered you a job myself."

"I'll be sure to remember that the next time you get into an uncomfortable situation." Liara shot back, but left a kiss on Shepard's cheek despite her mixed feelings regarding the man. It was probably just as well as both women saw Korra and Asami coming their way. They said nothing to the pair, but they relaxed a little when Asami looked up towards them and nodded silently before she took a deep breath and marched towards the nearest of her workers and promptly began to issue orders. Korra remained behind though, and watched as Asami busied herself with the monumental task before them. "You're concerned."

"Wouldn't you be?" Korra asked, and let out a heavy sigh as Liara and Shepard shared a look. "I'm trying to be there for her like she was there for me, but I'm afraid she might be slipping away from me."

"Sometimes all we can do is keep moving forward. She'll come around when she can't run away from it anymore. When that happens, be sure you're there to catch her when she can't keep going alone." Liara emphasized those softly spoken words when she directed her gaze on Elizabeth.

"That said, while I wouldn't pester her about it, be there for her kid. Support her, be someone she can lean on, although I doubt I have to tell you that. You two are pretty inseparable as it is." Shepard patted Korra on the shoulder as the Avatar chuckled weakly but nodded her thanks for their own support. "As I told Asami just yesterday, my door's always open….just uh, knock first. I probably should have told Asami that too now that I think about it."

"Uh...right." With that less than subtle innuendo between them, Korra made a hasty retreat before she spontaneously burst into flames from the rampant embarrassment when she caught onto the punchline. Still, Korra stopped mid step before she spun around to face the two. "Thank you, for trying to help in your own way."

"I wouldn't be who I am if I didn't." Shepard replied, and nodded her head ever so slightly when Korra bowed at the waist, her fists touching at midway between her chest and stomach before Korra turned and walked the rest of the way towards Asami, Varrick, and Mako and Bolin.

Shepard turned to her bondmate and said quietly. "Make sure that we get the Normandy ready as soon as possible, I don't know who these Remnants are, but they sure as hell won't catch us with our pants down."

"Let me guess, you want it done quickly, and yet quietly, no matter how contradicting these two things often seem to be?"

"You got it."

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Because you know me too well." Shepard shot back without missing a beat before a sly smile appeared on her face. "However, I can offer some… compensation for your efforts."

"You're incorrigible. Or would that be insatiable?" Liara asked, a mischievous smirk pulling at her own lips as she casually draped her arms over Shepard's shoulders. "Of course, I expect to be paid….many, many times for all those missed opportunities up until now, my Commander."

"Oh I think I can manage that." Before she could move in for a kiss that would have likely left them both a bit dizzy and ready for more, Shepard remembered where they were and coughed in mild embarrassment herself this time. Liara meanwhile quickly backed away and smirked despite her own cheeks turning a couple shades darker about the same time. "Later then?"

"Yes, later, preferably without so many prying eyes around." Not that they cared what other people thought about them, since they had been through far too much to let the opinion of others sway them, but they still abided by some measure of common decency for those not so ready to see how they felt for each other. Whatever else they might have said on the matter was interrupted though when Kasumi flickered into sight, beating a curiously worried looking EDI by about ten seconds. "What's happened?"

"Jeff has disappeared." EDI informed them.

"What?!" Both Liara and Shepard shouted at the same time.

"For a guy with brittle bones, he can get around pretty quick when he wants to, and according to our metal friend here, she went to help one of the workers with moving some equipment, and when she came back, Jeff had flown the coop. One of the vehicles outside are missing, so he isn't traveling by foot." Kasumi explained quickly, bringing them up to speed as quickly as possible.

No one was all that surprised when Elizabeth slammed her fist into the nearest hard surface at her side. "Dammit, he really should know better than to simply run off."

"I believe Jeff wishes to be alone to grieve for his family in solitary." EDI said sadly, her synthetic, brown eyes full of concern. "He knew that we would try to help if we knew where he went." To further prove her point, EDI held up an omni-tool, Jeff's omni-tool, which earned a collection of rather colorful curses from Shepard before she regained a measure of her composure.

"That's not the point EDI. He's one of our friends, family." Shepard sighed and forced herself to take a breath, then another, in order to calm down before she did anything stupid. It helped, if only a little, before she met their respective gazes. "And with how big Republic City is, let alone the surrounding area, it's gonna take hours just to pick up his trail again."

"And with the gangs acting up as they have, he might be in even greater danger." Liara stated, echoing what most of them had already been thinking.

"The thought had already crossed my mind Liara." EDI replied glumly, or she did a pretty good impression of the emotion at any rate.

"I imagine it had EDI, but we'll find him." Kasumi reassured the group at large before flickering out of sight. "Besides, he isn't stupid, he won't do anything too stupid, will he?"

"In his current emotional state, it would be hard to predict just what he might be capable of Ms. Goto. But….I will hope we find him unharmed." EDI replied immediately, and ignored the few strange looks they were receiving for the simple fact she was apparently talking to thin air. "Where should we start Shepard?"

"You probably know him best at this point EDI, since you spent a lot more time with him than any of us. But if I were a betting woman, I'd say we start with the bars. Anywhere where they serve alcohol, or what passes for it on this rock at least."

"That's going to still take a lot of time, but it's a start." Liara said before turning to look towards Asami, Korra, and the rest of their close friends. "Let's….leave them out of this. They have enough to worry about as it is, and besides, they've done a great deal for us already."

"I agree, but the moment it looks like we have to engage one of the gangs here, we should inform them at least. I mean it probably would be better if they heard it from us than from the locals about how the strangers decided to shoot up their streets and the surrounding neighbourhood." Shepard replied and patted her concealed sidearm on her right hip. Liara only nodded in response, but they both knew she had at least one concealed weapon on her, as well as an alloy blade tucked away somewhere on her person. It had been silently agreed upon by everyone on the crew that they have at least one weapon on them at all times, especially if they went into the city for any reason. And while some of them hadn't been happy about with the order to use only non lethal means as much as they could without putting their own lives at risk, Shepard had compromised with her more violently prone friends by allowing them to carry both a rubber ammo block as well as the standard tungsten block they normally used during such engagements.

It didn't take long for the rest of the team to be silently informed, keeping Korra and company out of the loop in the process. Those not vital or necessary for the reconstruction efforts on the Normandy quietly slipped away from the airfield, and joined in the search for their wayward pilot. If someone wanted to complain about it later, they could get in line as far as Shepard was concerned as she, Kasumi, Garrus, Liara, Jack, Zaeed, and Grunt made for Republic City.

As they left the hangar and the airfield however, a pair of unfriendly eyes marked their passage, and whispered a message into the collar of his Future Industries uniform. "The Commander has left the hangar. She and several others are moving out to find their missing pilot."

"Good. We'll have them tailed in an effort to learn more about them. Continue your assigned task, but do not engage." The emotionless woman heard in the intercepted transmission replied.

"Understood." Having made his report, the young man ran a hand through his closely cropped brown hair before picking up the toolbox at his side. Waving sheepishly with his free hand, he bowed his head and offered an apology for not getting there sooner before meeting Tali Zorah's amused gaze behind her tinted visor. "I've heard a great deal about your genius ma'am. It'll be an honor to work beside you during this endeavor."

Republic City, on the edge of the Downtown Spirit Wilds….

He had thought about finding himself a dingy little dive and drowning his sorrows until he couldn't see straight, but then he remembered the first and last time he had gotten that wasted right after graduation. Ending up in the local campus hospital for multiple fractures after falling down a partial flight of stairs in a drunken stupor had really put a damper on any further drinking like that, even when he had had plenty of reason to get that wasted over the past three years going on four. No, as much as his life sucked right then, he wasn't so far gone in his depression that he was ready to slip away into an alcohol induced coma and not come back. Besides, Ashley was right, even if they didn't really know how the war had ended. He had to believe that the Reapers were gone though. The Normandy had crashed because of the red wave of energy that had chased them through FTL. Somehow, because of all that energy, and their FTL tunnel going crazy because of it, they had wound up here, where people manipulate the very elements of nature with a few hand gestures and a couple foot stomps.

If a place like this was possible, then he was willing to hold out a little hope, but that wouldn't bring his family back. Letting out a tired, bone weary sigh, Joker stumbled to a stone building that looked about as old and fragile as he felt, and slowly slid down so his back was to the wall and his legs drawn up close to his chest. He didn't have it in him to cry, having already done that once today before the Normandy had been dragged out of the bay, and while the sight of his ship, his home, his hope, being brought back had done a lot for him, it hadn't chased away the voices of his sister and father damning him for being too slow to save them. The Normandy, much like his soul, was still in pieces, and seeing everyone else slowly putting the pieces back together of their respective lives hadn't helped him, so he had ran, in an effort to find his own way out of the dark, or to sink further into it, he hadn't really decided yet.

Pulling off his battered and admittedly smelly black and gray hat, Joker ran his hand over the synthetic material and sighed again, his finger brushing over the hole Lin had put in it when she'd shot it off his head. "Hilary..." He whispered, and slowly put the hat back on his head before pulling his legs closer to his chest and buried his head in his knees. "I'm sorry your big brother wasn't there to save you….like I promised I would." It hadn't taken long to figure out an asari commando that Shepard had ran into in Huerto Memorial Hospital about the same time Ashley had been admitted, having had her head bashed into the side of a shuttle by the very body EDI now inhabited, had ran into his sister on Tiptree. It had taken time for the Commander to overhear the entire story on her way to see Thane and Ashley respectively anytime she and the team were able to stop by the Citadel to resupply, but the truth had come out about what had happened to them both. Hilary hadn't made it, the asari commando did, it was that simple. Joker had held it together until stumbling across Hiroshi Sato's grave, but now he could do nothing but face it all head on.

"Give it back!" The shout of a young girl not too far away had Joker looking up and to the left, down a dirty, debris strewn street where he could see one of the many spirit vines poking out of the dirt and into a nearby stone building, but that wasn't what had his attention. It was the sight of a girl, no older than fourteen, fifteen tops, trying to grab something a bigger kid was holding just out of her reach. The fact she was outnumbered three to one didn't seem to matter to the girl since she was far more pissed off than afraid at that moment. "I said give it back!"

"Whaddya gonna do, cry? I think I'll sell it, make a nice chunk of change off this old necklace of yours." The apparent leader of the group of ruffians cackled as he pushed the girl back, sending her tumbling into the dirt, where she landed with a muffled grunt. His cronies laughed and jeered, and started to walk away, but a well thrown rock against the side of the leader's head stopped them dead in their tracks.

Joker merely crossed his arms and shot them a cocksure grin, appearing far more confident than he actually felt. "I think that belongs to the girl tough guy. Of course, you can't be that tough if you pick on little girls." When the leader growled and summoned a fireball the size of Joker's head, the pilot paled and started backing away. "Oh shit….that's just my damn luck."

"Ain't so tough now are you pal? Throw a rock, start talking smack, and you expect to get away do ya? You've got guts, but you're stupid, and someone needs to put you down pretty boy. Guess me and my boys are gonna have to break your face, pretty boy, for sticking your nose where it don't belong." Despite being seriously outclassed, even if he didn't have brittle bone disease, Joker stood his ground since there was little point in running. Besides, he'd run long enough.

Pulling his arm back, the leader shot his right hand forward, and the fireball in his hand became bigger, becoming a sustained bloom of orange flame. Just when the heat became almost unbearable long before it had hit the halfway mark between them, the girl jumped between Joker and the wall of fire coming right for him. "I won't let you hurt him!" She shouted, and much to everyone's surprise, save the girl's, a concentrated blast of air shot out of the girl's right fist before she followed it up with a spin kick to the left, sweeping all three men off their feet or into the sides of the street. Before they could get up, the girl was standing over the leader, her hands balled into bloodless fists, which she promptly used to smash into his face before throwing her hands out to the side just as his two cronies started to get to their feet again. Once more they were sent flying, except they hit the buildings on either side of the road, and didn't get back up again.

Grabbing the leader by the front of his dirty tunic, the girl stared him right in the eye, and held up her free hand, wreathed in a swirling tornado of elemental energy for added effect. "Don't ever come after me again." She hissed once she was sure they were safe, and pushed him back to the dirt hard enough so that his head bounced off the ground. Rifling through his pockets, she gave a strangled cheer when she found her necklace that the guy had taken from her in the first place, before slowly turning to Joker, tears running down her face. "I-I'm sorry you got involved and almost got barbecued,…..but thank you...for trying."

"Hey, it wasn't a big deal kid." Joker replied, and was able to get his first good look at the girl now that his heart wasn't in his throat, and that he had forgotten about his desire to face his impending doom with some dignity. She was barely fifteen if he was any judge, her face streaked with dirt and fresh tears as she clutched at the necklace with its simple green cloth band that was surprisingly clean and well taken care of. It obviously meant a great deal to her, otherwise it wouldn't have looked better than the girl holding it close to her chest, her gray eyes closed and her head of dirty, silver gray hair hung low as if she were offering a prayer to some deity he didn't know the name of. She was nothing but skin and bones, her ribs all but see through underneath her tight green shirt and brown work pants that were held up by a simple blue cord around her waist.

Having finished doing, whatever it was she'd been doing, the girl started to turn around, but seemed to think better of it when she looked over her shoulder towards him. "You shouldn't be down here, this place is dangerous, more so now for some reason. The gangs have been cracking down on anyone that doesn't pay their 'protection fees', and people have been disappearing. Street kids mostly, but some of the adults that can fight have also gone missing. Benders and non-benders, it doesn't seem to matter. I've been lucky so far, but….a lot of people haven't been." The way she looked at the necklace still clutched tightly in her right hand suggested someone she knew had gone missing fairly recently.

Joker could only blink, having not heard anything like this was going on in the city, but with what he knew of the situation, it also didn't surprise him all that much. From what he remembered of history class, along with his assorted favorite films and comics from his own childhood, as well as listening to Liara talk about the Reapers' assorted twisted tactics, it sounded like someone was recruiting, big time, and they were targeting people that wouldn't be missed. "Sounds like things are pretty rough down here, why hasn't anyone done something?"

"Psh, please, no one cares about people like us! We have to look out for ourselves!" The girl shouted back and threw her left arm out behind her before she calmed and looked away, her gray eyes downcast. "You wouldn't understand, you live in some fancy house I bet, surrounded by your friends who are equally loaded, eating a hot meal every night, with servants bowing to your every need. Your clothes practically scream money to me, so don't pretend you care."

Before either knew what was happening, Joker closed the distance between them and grabbed the girl by the front of her dirty top and leaned down so that the brim of his hat was all but poking her in the right eye. "Listen here kid, you got no idea the shit I've been through! My whole family's dead, and my home's gone! I'm stranded out here in the boonies, and I have no idea if I'm ever going to be able to go back, or if I even want to, so don't give me your sob story and then throw all that shit in my face!" Letting her drop, Joker spun on his heel and started to walk away, rigid with anger and trying to hold back the tears. "You're welcome by the way for helpin' you get your raggedy ass necklace back! Not that I almost got toasted for my trouble or anything!"

Joker stopped when his hat was knocked off of his head by a directed gust of wind, and muttered a string of curses as he rounded on the girl, her left hand outstretched and her own face contorted into an angry scowl. "And you have no right to come down here, stick your nose in my business, and then walk away after yelling in my face! I didn't ask for your help! I didn't need it!"

"That's not what my eyes told me you little airbending pipsqueak! God, you're just like my sister!" Before he could stop himself, Joker punched the wall of the building on his right, and instantly regretted it when something gave way in his hand. The crack of bone was audible, but it was quickly drowned out by Joker's growled, pained scream as he clenched his teeth and knelt down, clutching at his broken hand. The girl instantly forgot her anger and rushed to his side before kneeling down so they were at eye level. "Damn….karma just kicked my ass….had that coming."

"I know a healer, he's just down the street." Helping him to his feet as best she could, without further injuring him since he hadn't hit the wall that hard in her opinion, which puzzled her to no end as to why he had so easily broken a bone in his hand, she led the way with him leaning on her for support. It was a little bit of a walk, so in an effort to distract him, the girl started talking. "So….stranded here?" She asked dumbly and slapped her free hand over her face for the lame question.

Despite the pain radiating up his arm and through his hand, Joker managed a weak, humorless laugh. "Yeah, got in town a little over a week and a half ago. You couldn't have missed us."

"A week and a half ago? Wait, you were in that giant metal bird thing?!" The girl asked, amazement in her voice as she jerked her head up to look at the bearded man's face. The pained grimace she got in return gave way to a wry grin before it switched back to his earlier expression.

"Yeah, that was us. I was the unlucky SOB behind the wheel when we crashed in the bay. Somehow I managed to get us out of the way of Aang's thick head on our way down." Joker replied, and was suddenly reconsidering his decision to leave his omni-tool behind as the pain in his hand and arm, having broken more than one bone with his stupid, emotion driven punch, grew steadily worse with every step they took.

"Impressive, even if you still crashed like a sky bison stuck in a tornado." The girl replied, and breathed a little easier when Joker rolled his eyes but grinned despite the pain he was in. Nodding to the simple, bare faced brownstone building in front of them, faded green paint clinging to the roof and the few window shutters that remained, the girl threw her free hand forward and knocked the door out of their way. "We're about there."

"Nice trick. Where'd you learn to do that anyway?"

"...I learned on my own." Joker wanted to kick himself when those gray eyes started to fill with tears again. "My parents were going to take me to the Air Temple, to train with Master Tenzin and his growing ranks of Air Nomads, but we got into an accident. There was a fight on the bridge as we were going into the city, and our car was hit by a stray shot by someone with fire coming out of her head. A third eye freak!" The girl hissed between her teeth, before her angry energy seemed to just bleed out of her all at once. "She wasn't even aiming at us, but the police vehicle she was firing at dodged out of the way at the last second. The resulting explosion still knocked the car off its wheels and sent it careening off the road and into the water below, but we….we weren't so lucky."

Joker didn't know what to say, his pain forgotten as he stood without the girl's assistance, not that he had needed it in the first place. He had simply went with the flow, that and he hadn't wanted to risk further injury should the agony racing up his arm made him trip and fall or something. But all that was a distant thought as he placed his good hand on trembling girl's shoulder. She looked up at him, and for a moment, he thought she was going to jerk out of his grasp and even go as far as to throw him through the nearest wall with her air powers, but instead she put a hand over his and let the tears fall. "It sucks kid….but a good friend of mine told me it gets better. The pain might not get any better, but it gets easier to carry around, you just gotta take it a day at a time or whatever. Look, I'm not good at this touchy feely stuff."

"Y-you coulda fooled me flyboy." The girl chuckled weakly, before slowly pulling herself free of Joker's grasp and turned her gaze towards the slowly darkening sky, the sun having started to set at last. "You said you flew the ship that crashed? I...I wanted to fly, to see what was out there….but after my parents died….and trying to find my way to the Air Temple? Forget it. There was no longer any point-"

"There's always a point kid." Joker interrupted her, and was surprised by the strength that had returned to his voice as the girl jumped away from him. He held up his good hand to show he didn't mean her any harm, and hesitantly knelt down so they were at least on the same level. While she was physically taller than him at that moment, Joker didn't notice as he began to speak. "The one thing I learned at a young age is to never give up on your dreams, no matter how much life tries to kick you in the crotch. And before you ask, the reason why half the bones in my hand and probably my arm broke when I hit the wall is because I was born with brittle bone disease, yet I didn't let that stop me. My dad believed in me, and my sister wanted to follow behind me, to become a pilot just like her big brother. And I did it, despite being about as fragile as glass, because….it was worth it seeing their smiling faces, but also because I wanted to prove to myself that I could."

Shaking off her amazement a few seconds later, the girl wiped at her eyes with the back of one dirty sleeve before leading the way to the open door, where an older looking man was waiting for them. "Saria." The old man offered in greeting, feigning having heard a thing, but Joker could see the approval in his gaze when their eyes met.

"Kyto. He needs help." Saria replied simply, still overcome by Joker's impassioned speech, although it was a bit more colorful than had been necessary to get his point across.

Kyto nodded and beckoned Saria inside before slinging Jeff's arm over his shoulders, taking the burden the slender blonde had carried thus far. Joker made no move to protest as Kyto took charge. "Let's get you two inside, warmed up, and we'll see what we can do for your friend." Their eyes met once Saria was out of sight, and out of earshot, and Kyto nodded once more. "What you said to her friend, she needed to hear."

"I needed to say it, so I guess we owe each other a favor on that front Kyto. Thanks….for lending a hand."

"No matter our origins, we must help each other and stand together, or we will fall alone. Helping another in need is simply the right thing to do." Something in Kyto's voice suggested he was talking about more than his physical injuries, but Joker wasn't about to argue the point as he was soon situated in a simple wooden chair in front of a rust covered heater in the corner while the man raised a tendril of water from a nearby metal bucket, and submerged Joker's arm up to his elbow in the glowing liquid. Relief immediately followed, and despite being in a strange place, surrounded by strange people, he nodded off.

A soft touch on his shoulder, and Joker immediately jerked awake, only to find himself covered up in a thin blanket that offered little in the way of warmth, yet the gesture meant a great deal to him. Kyto's apology was waved off as Joker grimaced when he moved his left arm, but it was vastly improved from what it had been. "It still needs some work, but I was able to do a great deal before I needed a break, no pun intended." Joker smirked weakly at the old man as he sat down across from the pilot, and silently nodded his head over his right shoulder. Turning, Joker saw Saria was wrapped up in a similarly thin blanket, her right hand clutched tightly around the necklace in her grip. Sensing his curiosity, Kyto spoke before he could ask the question no doubt plaguing him. "She's been out here for almost three years, living with the rest of us as a refugee of sorts. When Harmonic Convergence occurred, her parents, her mother being an earthbender from Omashu, got her family out of the Earth Kingdom when her daughter started showing signs of airbending. Rumors started quickly of other airbenders disappearing, and given the history of the Earth Kingdom, rumors are often truth hidden in the dark."

"I think I heard something about that. The Earth Queen was trying to make an airbending regiment to augment her Dai Li or something." Joker said, remembering part of a story he had heard from Kai, Jinora's boyfriend, and someone that had been inside the Dai Li's hideout at the time. Kyto nodded, but Joker hardly noticed, his eyes falling on Saria once more. "Damn kid goes from one shitty situation to another. It's no wonder she didn't try to make it to Air Temple Island."

"To be so close to one's goals, to see a better future, a better path stretching out before you, only to lose it all in a cruel twist of fate, would shatter anyone." Once more Joker got the impression he was talking about more than one person, mainly himself, but he didn't get to respond before Kyto continued his line of thought. "You too have had a similar experience." Joker only nodded as his brown eyes fell to his lap. Kyto nodded, having expected as much, and was about to say something else, when a soft cry caught both men's attention. Joker jerked towards the source of the noise, and instantly knew what was happening when Saria tossed her head of silver hair to the right before going back to the left.

Kyto stood and swiftly made his way to her side before kneeling down. Joker could only watch as the old healer put a hand on her dirt streaked cheek and started to softly sing. His voice was deep and sounded like a rich baritone as it filled the dark living space, and it had an immediate effect on the girl who had started to say something about fire, intermixed with cries to her parents.

"Silver light

She turned her face up to the starlit sky

And on this night began to wonder why

She knew that soon the day would come

Born to be

An heir of beauty and serenity

Into this world she entered quietly

To her surprise she was the one

Destiny was close behind her

Phantom of borrowed life

And the sea was a reminder

Mirror of given light

Then one day

The sign she'd waited for in skies of grey

Traversed a winding road and came her way

She found the love she hoped she would

But she knew

That she had promises to stay true to

The dormant daughter of the silver moon

Then all at once she understood

Destiny was close behind her

Phantom of borrowed life

And the sea was a reminder

Mirror of given light

From the sky

She watched the life

She'd known she would leave behind

Said goodbye

And gave her people

Life through her sacrifice."

Saria had stilled by the time the third verse had rolled off of Kyto's tongue, and her cries to her parents had stopped almost immediately. Kyto pulled the blanket up to her chin before running a hand tenderly through her silver locks. Once he was sure she was sound asleep, only then did he stand and make his way back to Joker's side. "Her father was from the Northern Water Tribe, and they had a tale about the moon, of how a princess who lived during the Hundred Year War, gave her life so that the moon spirit would live, thus ensuring our world would continue to exist in balance, rather than the chaos a Fire Nation admiral tried to create by mortally wounding the physical body of the moon spirit. Zhao the Moonslayer his name was. His obsession to destroy the last of the Fire Nation's enemies led him to such a drastic, earth shattering action. If not for her brave, selfless sacrifice, we would not be having this conversation I imagine. Or things would have been far worse here than any of us could have possibly imagined if the princess hadn't given her life so we could continue to exist, despite living in a world consumed by fear, hatred, destruction, and merciless war and all that it brought with it. Either way, that song never fails to give Saria comfort when the nightmares return."

For a man that always had a ready, sharp, sarcastic if not outright dirty joke ready to fire off at the drop of a hat, Joker was finding it increasingly difficult to find anything to say. Kyto only patted Joker on his good shoulder on his way by, and gestured to the only bed in a back room. "You may stay here for the night friend, and I'll even offer to show you the way back to your friends if you wish. I only ask one thing in return." When he looked up towards the kind old man's face and nodded in acknowledgment to his request, Kyto smiled warmly as Joker stood to his feet. "Your name. I would know the name of the man that tried to help one of our own down here."

"Jeff 'Joker' Moreau. And really, it's me that should be thanking you, well...for everything Kyto." Kyto merely shook his head before gently guiding Jeff to the spare room, which really was no more than a closet with a bed in one corner, yet to the pilot, it was more than he had expected to receive from a couple of complete strangers. It wasn't just the bed though that had him sleeping soundly for the first time in what felt like an eternity. It was everything he had nearly walked away from, and what he still had to be grateful for to be alive when so many had it just as bad if not worse than he did. Yet to look at Kyto and his little home here on the edge of a jungle infested swamp, he had something the pilot had almost lost. Hope, and he gave it freely to everyone around him when he had so little to offer.

Sure, life sucked, but with people like Asami, Korra, and everyone else he'd met since crashing on this rock, Joker was starting to realize he had a lot to live for despite everything he had lost, and there was something else that occupied his thoughts as sleep took hold.

He had a lot he could give back.

End Notes;After watching the whole of ATLA over the course of a couple weeks, (the finale about made me cry lol,) and learning how it all ended gave me more than enough ammunition to make this chapter a reality, but one thought kept playing over and over again through my head. Princess Yue, of the Northern Tribe, and her selfless, brave sacrifice. Thus, this bit with Joker and Saria, who, despite how I wrote her appearance, won't be making the same sacrifice before anyone jumps to that conclusion, was born. As for the song lyrics used, it was from Adrisaurus's Original Song, appropriately named Daughter of the Moon

More is revealed about the Remnants' movements in the city, and while Asami is starting to lose her battle with her own grief and sorrow over the loss of her father, Joker has started to win his own in the most unlikely of places. There's plenty more where this comes from, but for now, I want to take a moment to again thank everyone that's offered their support to myself and Nomad-117 regarding Archer83's disappearance, as well as the many reviews we've received since we started writing this story again. Keep them coming everyone. As for everyone that's thanked us for continuing this story, you're more than welcome my friends. It has been a joy and an honor to write this again. May you find peace and balance in the days to come.