I am at it again with going really off-course with the trope, because, well, I thought of fairy tales...Then I thought of Star Wars, because it's honestly a space fairy tale...And now, I give you, the Star Wars AU chapter you never asked for! Enjoy? Disclaimer: I do not own A:TlA or, in this case Star Wars and all associated with either. All rights go to Bryke, Viacom/Nickelodeon, Disney, Lucasfilm, George Lucas and I guess anybody else who has ever written anything for Star Wars, and trust me, it's a lot of people.
Please note, that I decided to do a little world-building, it got out of hand, and I am probably going to be writing a continuation/prequel to this as a separate story.
Quick breakdown:
Katara: former Jedi padawan escaped Order 66, was kind of adopted by Kya, who was then killed and she couldn't stop it, and she also feels very guilty bc she also found out Kya's her mum, but she now also knows she has a dad and a brother in the alliance, she found her brother when she joined the alliance, and then later went after Yon Rha with Ex-Sith/ImperialDefector!Zuko, who made sure she didn't turn, and now they're having a chat.
Iroh: Order 66 survivor who got captured by Ozai (a Sith who had kids and trained them, also they're not brothers here), in prison he met Zuko, who had just gotten punished for that war meeting (at fifteen, though, here) and bonds with him and turns him to the Light, they escape together and join the alliance as master and padawan
Zuko: A redeemed (unofficial) Sith Inquisitor, who also trained with Mandalorian!Mai a lot in his time in the Empire, and is actually better with weaponized combat than with Force combat. Uses two light sabres, but since he couldn't get his hand on any proper kyber crystals, he's still got two red ones. He is also not afraid to use the Dark Side (which is kind of the AU equivalent of firebending here) if necessary, but only when he knows he has morally light motives, or is in a very desperate situation. Or someone's droid needs powering up.
The moon of Katara's home world used to be called La, but is now called Yue in honour of Princess Yue, who sacrificed herself in order to save her planet.
And Ba Sing Se is one of the moons of the Earth Kingdom planet/system, and is its capital. Some stuff happened there between Zuko and Katara, where he broke her trust in some way (different to the series though).
The Appa is a freighter, although she was used by Aang originally as a kind of space-RV.
Right now, I'm not sure I want this to co-exist in the same universe as Star Wars or not, so I left stuff as vague as I could.
This is basically it, most stuff will be transmitted through the story.
All this raced through the back of her mind as she stood before Yon Rha, her hand outstretched, an unknown, dark power flowing through her, choking him with the Force. The man grasped at his throat in panic and begged for mercy. But she wasn't going to give him that.
She threw her hood back. She heard her companion do the same behind her. Her icy blue eyes bore into the man whimpering in her grip. He looked at her, his eyes wide with surprise, but not recognition. He seemed confused. Frustrated, she slammed him into a wall with the Force.
"Do you know who I am?!"
The man frowned.
"N-n-n-no...," he stammered.
"Do you remember, seven years ago, on the southern colony of the ice moon Yue, when you killed the Yue Jedi?" she cried, the pain inside her fuelling her anger.
"Yes..."
"And do you remember a young woman who arrived just after and took up the Jedi' s body and wept?"
"Yes...Yes...Wait...Y-y-y-you are that woman, aren't you?!"
Katara smiled coldly.
"Yes. I'm her. I am the Yue Jedi. You killed an innocent woman that day. An innocent woman who thought she was only helping out a lonely traveller, not a fugitive Jedi apprentice. And only after you slaughtered her did I find out she was my mother. And now, you are going to pay for your crimes."
Her old master's voice whispered, unheard, deep inside of her, "Revenge is not the Jedi way". But as it was unheard, nothing stopped her from applying more pressure to the man's windpipe. The man struggled for air.
"Revenge," he gasped, an icy smile forming on his dry lips, " Is what you want, right? Well, then go ahead, kill my - haahng - mother. I can send you her - haah - coordinates right - hnnng - now."
'How empty was he? How pathetic-'
Something inside Katara clicked. And the darkness...Suddenly, it was gone. This man...He might be cruel, but mostly? He was empty. He was pathetic. And...She pitied him.
She released him from her hold. She sensed Zuko's surprise close to her. She places over her shoulder to see him standing there, watching, looking calm and pensive, not giving away even the slightest hint of emotion. Which was impressive, given how expressive he often was.
Yon Rha cowered at her feet. Finally, he asked done simple question:
"Why?"
Katara looked down at him.
"Because I pity you. You're empty, and cruel, and pathetic. It would be a bigger mercy to kill you," she told him, her pitiful tone laced with distaste.
She looked over at Zuko.
"And it would be an even bigger mercy for me to finally forgive you for what happened on Ba Sing Se, down in those catacombs, and I'm granting it." she quietly told him through the Force, re-establishing that bond that had been there in those caves.
Then, she gave Yon Rha one last distasteful look and stalked off to the Appa, Zuko already a little ahead of her. And in that very moment, she realised just how good-looking he truly was, especially when she studied his side profile as he settled down into the pilot seat, flicking switches and levers, and sending a message back the base.
