Air Temple Island - Republic City

Caran POV...

Tenzin leads us inside his study where he, Korra, Luon and I, sit down in chairs to listen to what Jarik has to say. He sits silently for a moment, hands held together underneath his chin in a contemplative posture before starting.

"The First Order reached out to the New Republic, requesting that we hold a conference between the leaders of both groups," he tells us. "The Chancellor accepted."

"I thought you guys were at war with each other," I recall, frowning.

"Cold War, not actual fighting. More of a standoff," he corrects me. "But the Republic doesn't want to take any chance of it turning into a real war."

"That's good, right?" Tenzin questions.

"Normally, but the First Order is led by Snoke, so he will make a move at some point. As long as they're around, it's inevitable. The Republic disagrees," he explains, sighing. "So we went to participate in the conference. Me, my wife Ahsoka, and Luke Skywalker—a fellow Jedi Master and good friend—went along with the Chancellor."

He goes quiet for a few moments, and then continues.

"We were met by few high ranking officers of the First Order and then, for the first time, came face to face with Supreme Leader Snoke himself," he reveals.

We all widen our eyes in surprise and glance at each other, baffled and unsure of what this could mean. The dark side master, Snoke, coming to participate in these discussions himself? That can't have been good!

"Oh…" Korra says uneasily. "What… what is he like?"

"I've encountered Snoke before, despite it never being truly in person, but I was still unsure of what to expect. Throughout the whole event he portrayed himself as a kind, if a bit firm, old man who only holds different views on how a government should better serve its citizens," Jarik says, looking unsettled, something that makes me nervous as well. "That's what the Chancellor and her associates saw, but for Luke, Ahsoka and I… we could sense his true nature. It's as if all the warmth is sucked away, replaced by a malicious sense of cold. I've never felt anything like it before. He doesn't just command the dark side... it's as if he is the dark side."

The way Jarik describes it, how he looks very unsettled, anxious, and worried just at the thought of Snoke's presence, makes me very afraid. I thought I've felt the terrible cold of the dark side before, first from the Messenger, then Vyra… but what Jarik is describing just sounds horrible.

"How could the rest of your group not see how bad of a person he is?!" Luon asks incredulously.

"Snoke may seem to be a kindly, frail old man, but he is brilliant, deceptive, and cunning. He knows how to play people and bend them to his will, even if they're not aware of it. He's a master of manipulation, perhaps even on par with Darth Sidious," Jarik explains grimly. "And he didn't attempt to hide the fact that he was a Force-user."

"What do you mean?" I ask him.

"He actually revealed to being a wielder of the dark side which, is admittedly a smart move. Darth Sidious hid his true identity as a Sith Lord so that he could conquer the Republic; now it seems like Snoke has nothing to hide. He explained his point of view and his apparent goals in such a way that they would be very acceptable reasons," he explains, sighing. "As such, the Republic agreed to their terms for a truce in the hopes of ending the tension between both governments."

"Just like that?" Korra asks, baffled. "But he's an evil guy! Couldn't you explain that 'Chancellor' person the kind of person he is?"

"Remember what happened with Tarrlok, Korra," Tenzin says with a meaningful look. "He held immoral and selfish ideals, but still managed to manipulate the system to where he was the favorable figurehead. Government leaders do this all the time."

"But wouldn't Jarik's word be taken over Snoke's?" I point out, looking at him. "You are a war hero, right?"

"Unfortunately, it's not that simple. The goal of the New Republic since it was formed was to ensure that no war happens ever again, by any means necessary. The views of me and, for the most part, the rest of the Jedi Order, aren't exactly in line with that since we believe that war with Snoke will be inevitable," Jarik explains sadly. "Despite all that's happened in the past, that's the reality of their thought process, and tension is only growing between us and the government."

"What a bunch of idiots," Korra scoffs, frowning irritably.

"So what'll happen now?" Luon asks.

"Nothing, really. But the First Order is now free to operate however they wish in the section of space that they own, provided it's not against the Republic," he answers.

"Which means Snoke can focus more on us," Tenzin deduces grimly.

"Exactly," Jarik nods in agreement, turning to me. "Caran, I know there are a lot of things about what has been happening that you are unsure of, but I'm going to make sure that you receive the training you need in order to properly face them."

"Ok," I reply slowly, nodding my head.

"While you focus on your training as the Avatar, Korra," he states, looking back to me. "There are some more things you need to do Caran in order to progress. This time I've brought some things to better help you in your training."

"Like what?" I ask him.

"Books, training equipment, and the materials needed to construct your own lightsaber," he tells me.

I widen my eyes in surprise, glancing down at the crystal necklace which is still around my neck, and look back up at him.

"For real?" I say, bewildered.

"Wow, that's pretty cool," Korra remarks. "I wonder what kind of stuff you're gonna do with that."

"Wonder what else he's brought," Luon tells her curiously.

"That's so cool..." I say slowly, amazed, before glancing at Tenzin. "We have time to do all of these things, right?"

"Supposedly, provided the Joker takes a step back for the time being," he replies.

"Time?" Jarik questions, curious.

"Oh, yeah, a lot of stuff happened for us too," I tell him.

"No kidding. We finally threw all of those hoodlums in jail," Korra states with a grin.

He raises an eyebrow at us.

"Sounds like you've had more success than me," he remarks with a small smile, before glancing over at Tenzin. "Anything about Vyra or the Messenger?"

"No, they've stayed quiet," he replies.

"The Joker's done a little bit, but nothing unusual," Luon adds.

Jarik's mouth turns downwards slightly in a small frown, his expression thoughtful. After a moment however he drops the look and nods his head in acceptance of what we said.

"Alright, sounds good," he says.

THE NEXT DAY

Senator Shuno's Office; City Hall - Republic City

3rd person POV…

Asami sat in a chair in front of the main desk, which Senator Shuno sat behind in his own chair.

"You wanted to see me Senator?" she asks him.

"I did, yes," he nods in reply. "First of all, I wanted to congratulate you for your part in the arrest of the bending triads."

"Oh, well, thank you," she replies, a bit sheepish. "I don't think I did too much though…"

"Nonsense, no need to be so modest," he responds with a smile. "If it wasn't for your business relationship with Lau we may have never gotten the opportunity to bring him in, and consequently we wouldn't have been able to pull off such a successful strike against the triads. You played an important part."

"Thank you sir," she says, a small smile on her face as well.

"There is also something else I'd like to ask about," he continues. "As you know, election day for the presidency is coming up very soon, and I'm preparing to hold my last fundraiser event. I'd like to have it at Future Industries."

Asami blinks her eyes in surprise, not expecting something like that.

"A-At Future Industries?" she replies, bewildered.

"Of course. I understand that your company hasn't fared very well in recent months, since Hiroshi Sato's actions harmed its reputation," he explains. "You've more than proven yourself to not take the path your father did, and you and your company shouldn't have to suffer for it. If the public sees that I'm willing to work alongside you and Future Industries, then it should help ease their suspicion and distrust."

Asami stares at him with wide eyes, unsure of what to say.

"And also help me get elected of course," he adds jokingly, shrugging his shoulders lightly.

"I… I don't know what to say…" she admits quietly, baffled and amazed. "Thank you!"

"I take it that's a yes?" Shuno questions.

"Of course! Absolutely!" she quickly nods her head. "We can use Future Industries Tower, in the downtown area!"

"Wonderful," he replies in content. "We can go over the details later, whenever you wish."

Air Temple Island - Republic City

Caran POV…

"Wow… this is incredible…" Jinora murmurs.

I watch her with a bit of amusement and some exasperation as she reads one of the books Jarik gave me. I wonder how he'd feel if he realizes that Jinora is going to read them probably twice as much as I ever will.

"Did you know that the origins of the Jedi go back over 30,000 years? They used to be called Je'daii!" she says.

"Seriously?" I ask, surprised.

"Yeah. That's even older than the Avatar Cycle!" she tells me. "And get this: the Force itself itself is even older, they don't know how old. It was 'birthed' on some planet called the 'Wellspring of Life,' some form of Force nexus."

"That's pretty cool… what else is in there?" I ask her curiously, scooting up beside her.

"Well… there's stuff about history, training techniques, different religious groups…" she summarizes, flipping through a few pages before coming to a stop. "Huh…"

"Is that a… lion turtle?" I ask, surprised.

The page that we stopped at contains a detailed drawing of a large being, looking suspiciously like a lion turtle, although not exactly the same. It has a large beard, a widened old face, massive 'antlers' on its head, and a big rugged shell on its back; unlike a lion turtle, it seems more 'ape-like' instead of like a turtle. The large creature seems to be conserving with another, smaller person standing in front of it. The smaller is clearly a woman, although instead of hair she has some strange horns on her head along with three tails, similar to Vyra. Strange, but not nearly as intriguing as this lion turtle look-alike.

"There's a caption here," Jinora says, narrowing her eyes and reading it out loud. "It says: 'The Bendu. An ancient Force sensitive creature that represents the center of the Force, standing between the light and the dark side. Although much is unknown about him or if more of his kind exist, Bendu is known to be very powerful in the Force, and carries great wisdom.'"

She then lifts an eyebrow, wonder and curiosity dawning on her face as she leans her head a bit closer in eagerness.

"'During the age of the Empire, Jarik Shan and Ahsoka Tano interacted with the Bendu on the planet Atollon, along with…'" Jinora trails off, both of us amazed. "Wow, that's so cool!"

"Is there anything else about it?" I ask curiously.

"No, it just lists three other Jedi and then ends," she replies, a bit disappointed. "I wonder what Bendu is like… maybe he's a spirit or something."

"I don't know if the Spirit World goes beyond our own planet," I point out uncertainly.

"I guess you're right," she admits in agreement. "Still, would be nice to know more."

"About Bendu?" a voice asks.

We both look up in surprise, startled by the sudden appearance of Jarik leaning against the door frame, a slightly amused expression on his face.

"Uh… yeah, yeah, it would be nice," I quickly respond.

"Well, there's not too much to tell. He's very secretive," he comments in reply. "He's ancient, wise, and very powerful. And he doesn't bother himself with anything other than the Force."

"Is he a spirit?" Jinora asks.

"I don't believe so," he says.

"When's the last time you saw him?" she asks curiously.

"Not since before the Empire fell, which was a long time ago," he states.

"He looks kind of like a lion turtle," I comment, looking back down at the picture.

"I noticed that two, when I was looking through your library as well," Jarik nods in agreement. "Curious isn't it?"

"Yeah… the Force is very strange. Even more mysterious than the Spirit World!" Jinora comments.

"I'll take your word for it," he replies with a smile, before looking at me. "Well, are you up to resume your lessons?"

"Umm, sure, I guess," I shrug in reply.

"Great, I'll be waiting out by the meditation pavilion. We've got an hour before Tenzin wants us and your team all together. Said something about some senator of yours wanting to talk," he tells me with a shrug.

"That's probably Senator Shuno," Jinora deduces.

"What's it all about?" I ask him.

"Beats me," he shrugs in response. "I'm still kind of new here… and I'm not the biggest fan of politicians."

With that being said he walks away to leave us by ourselves. Jinora and I share a curious look with each other before I shrug and stand up, following after him. I can't imagine a meeting with the Senator having any bad news right now, not after we caught all of the city thugs.

Korra POV…

"So, thoughts?" Luon asks.

We're both sitting beside each other along one of the stone walls in the courtyard. I glance at him in confusion.

"About what?" I ask him.

"You know, about yesterday. Now that Jarik's back for a little bit," he says.

I frown thoughtfully, shrugging my shoulders.

"Eh, I don't know. I mean, it is cool that he's back here and can teach Caran more Jedi stuff," I comment, grinning slightly. "I wonder what kind of lightsaber he would build."

"Who knows," he replies curiously.

"I hope it's blue... blue is a cool color," I remark.

"Sure you're not a little biased with that?" he teases, nudging my shoulder.

"What? No!" I retort, shoving him back. "I just thinks it's a cool color, that's all!"

"Right, and I'm actually the Messenger," he scoffs in reply.

"Oh shut it," I shoot back, rolling my eyes,before looking at him suspiciously. "You are Luon, right?"

"Of course not. Now die, stupid girl," he replies in mock exaggeration, waving his hand at her.

"Yeah, definitely not the Messenger. You're horrible at playing the bad guy," I say with a laugh.

"Really?" he asks, frowning.

"Ugh, terrible!" I respond with a grin.

"Better than being horribly impatient and reckless," he retorts.

"So what? It's pretty clear where our differences lie," I state firmly. "I'm the girl who takes names and kicks butt, while you're the wimpy sidekick who's sneaky and dances around people."

"Wimpy?" he mutters incredulously, scoffing. "Yeah right."

I grin widely at him while Luon just shakes his head with an exasperated sigh, giving me a look.

"You're stronger than everyone else on the team—Bolin I don't know, it's debatable—so I say you don't get to use that to claim you're better," he says.

"...so you're saying my strength does make me better," I reply.

"Oh for spirit's sake," he groans irritably.

I laugh at him.

"Relax, I'm just teasing!" I giggle, playfully smacking his shoulder.

"Very hard to tell. You're extremely competitive," he replies, although I can tell he's amused as well.

"Yes I am," I say in agreement, smiling. I look out at the trees in front of us, watching the wind blow through them before sighing. "I am a bit worried about the other things Jarik said though."

"About Snoke?" he deduces.

"Yeah. That idea that there's someone out there, who wants nothing but to take over our entire planet... it's scary," I admit uneasily. "And he's focused on me and Caran."

"I'm sure the Jedi are trying their best to stop him," Luon says reassuringly.

"But what if they can't? Their government doesn't care what Jarik or the others have to say," I point out. "And... what if he comes here himself? He's already powerful enough out there, but here..."

I shudder at the possibility of this 'Snoke' guy coming to our planet. I barely know anything about how the Force really works, or how powerful people can be, but if he came here and became even stronger because of all the Force energy here, like Jarik and Katara said about Force users... he'd surely be unstoppable.

"Well let's not worry about that right now," Luon tells me gently. "As long as Vyra is running the show, he's less likely to do anything."

"I know," I reply with a sigh. "I'm just worried for Caran..."

"I think we all are. But I'm sure Jarik knows what to do. He is training Caran after all," he points out.

I turn my head and look over to the cliff where the meditation platform is at, far in the distance. I can make out the forms of Caran and Jarik practicing with their lightsabers, green flashing against gold.

I give Luon a small smile, which he returns with a gentle look, and lay my head on his shoulder.

Senator Shuno's Office; City Hall - Republic City

3rd person POV…

"Well, this was certainly something," Shuno remarks, scoffing in amusement. "Five hundred and forty-nine, arrests."

Tenzin, Lin, and Team Avatar are all sitting in Senator Shuno's office as he flips through a few papers, Jarik in his own chair at the edge of the group, more of a spectator.

"All at once I might add," Shuno continues, looking up. "You guys certainly pulled off a big one."

"I'd like to say this may be a highlight of my career," Lin comments, unable to completely withhold her satisfaction.

"I'd like to think so too. I don't think even your mother pulled off an arrest this big," he says with a nod, turning to look at the assembled group. "The city, and myself for that matter, are surely in your debt for helping to clean the streets so effectively."

"Thank you Senator. We do our best," Korra replies, smiling.

"With such a large group to convict, are there any concerns about how the system handles them?" Tenzin asks.

"Unfortunately, the head guys will probably make bail," Shuno admits in disappointment. "Luckily the mid-level guys, they can't, and they can't afford to be off the streets long enough for trial and appeal. They'll cut deals that include some jail time."

"I suppose that's expectable. They do have their pockets filled with things," Lin remarks.

"Think of all you could do with 18 months of clean streets," he tells her with a smile, but it then drops. "Now we just have to focus on those space-traveling friends of ours."

"Still haven't heard much about their activities yet," she says, frowning.

"Perhaps they've left?" Shuno asks, looking over at Jarik hopefully.

Jarik shakes his head in response.

"Unfortunately, no. The Knights of Ren obey their master's wishes, and Snoke is… very patient," he explains regretfully. "They won't give up until they achieve their goal."

"That's worrisome," he sighs.

"What about that Joker guy? Isn't he hanging out with the Knights or something?" Bolin points out.

"Haven't seen him either, not since he robbed that triad bank," Mako tells him.

"I'm sure we'll find him eventually. There's only so many places he can hide," Korra states confidently.

"Yeah, and who else?" Caran adds sarcastically.

We're interrupted as the previously silent radio starts blaring up with static, gaining our attention. We all glance over at it in confusion when the sound clears back up, although it's not the regular radio broadcast.

"Hello citizens of Republic City! Welcome to tonight's game show, run by your favorite host, the Joker!" a strange voice exclaims, all giggly and crazy sounding.

"What the...?" Luon murmurs.

"The Joker?" Senator Shuno asks incredulously.

"How has he taken over the radio?" Lin demands quietly in disbelieving anger.

"Tonight is a special treat, because we have a special guest!" Joker's voice exclaims cheerfully. "Go on, let the people know who you are! Tell them!"

There's silence for a few seconds.

"Tell them your name..." Joker repeats, quieter this time. His voice sends chills through me.

"...Ka- Karrisi..." a girl's voice replies, obviously terrified.

We all widen our eyes in horror, instantly coming to the realization that the Joker kidnapped a girl and is now doing something to her... over the radio no less! Korra and I both gasp at the realization, glancing at each other with horrified expressions.

"He has a child with him?" Shuno says, horrified.

"Isn't that the same girl..." I started to say, referring to Karrisi; the girl who dressed up like Korra and absolutely adored her.

Korra nods silently, looking a bit sickened.

The Joker starts snickering, sounding almost insane.

"Are you really the Avatar?" he asks

"...n-no."

"Hehehe, no!?"

"No..."

Karrisi is whimpering, clearly terrified.

"Oh my word..." Tenzin breathes out.

Lin grasps for her own radio and calls up someone.

"Saikhan, you hearing this?" she demands.

"I've already got people on it," he instantly replies.

"Find them!" she orders fiercely.

I move closer to Korra, and hold her arm tightly as we both listen to the radio, fearful for the fate of the young girl. Karrisi is an absolutely sweet little girl that looked up to Korra... Jarik stands beside us, his eyes narrowed in grim sternness.

"Heheh, then why do you dress up like her?!" the Joker asks.

He then starts giggling maniacally, sounding like a little kid while also being downright terrifying.

"...be- because she's a hero... she and her friends help us against the bad guys so... so we don't have to be afraid," Karrisi practically sobs.

"Yeah... you really do Karrisi, You REALLY DO!" he practically growls out.

Karrisi continues to whimper and cry with absolute terror, forming a massive lump in my throat.

All of us are horrified, wanting to do something, yet not knowing what to do. Senator Shuno's hand is on the table, slowly clenching into a tight fist. The Joker then starts quickly shushing her, followed by the sound of a couple of soft slaps against her face.

"So you think, Avatar Korra and her friends have made Republic City a better place? Hmm?" the Joker asks. "Or how about those alien freaks of theirs?"

I glance up at Jarik and he returns the look, still grim.

"Look at me," the Joker says softly, and Karrisi whimpers. "LOOK AT ME!"

We jump at the sound of the Joker's voice suddenly growling out like a maniacal demon or monster, sounding truly insane.

"Oh my gosh..." Asami whispers, a hand held in front of her mouth.

Korra glances down at me in horror, a look which I return just as fearfully, and then return our sight firmly to the radio. There's silence on the radio for a little bit before the Joker starts to speak again.

"You see everyone, this is how CRAZY Avatar Korra's made Republic City! You want order, in Republic City. Well, those alien freaks, Caran and the new guy, must turn themselves in so that they can be sent back to space where they came from. We don't want them here, and we shouldn't want them here."

Everyone glances at us, and Korra grips me tighter. I look up at Jarik nervously, who is now frowning, his face showing heavy concern and worry.

"Oh, and every day they don't people will die, starting tonight," the Joker drawls, and my blood runs cold. "I'm a man of my word."

The Joker then begins to laugh hysterically, and the last thing we hear is Karrisi's terrified screams as the radio cuts out. We're all in shocked silence, unsure of what to think.

"What… in the absolute… monkey-feathers just happened?!?" Bolin shrieks.

"We've got to do something!" Mako insists. "This guy is a monster!"

"Even Amon would never do something so evil…" Asami murmurs fearfully.

"What are we going to do?" I ask nervously.

"I'll tell you what we're going to do. We're gonna find his demented whack-job and give him the beating of a life time!" Korra snaps furiously, cracking her knuckles.

"We can't do anything yet," Tenzin says quietly.

"What?!" we all ask incredulously.

"He's right, we don't even know where to start. And I don't want you six going on a rampant rage through the city," Lin states firmly.

"So we're just supposed to let this Joker freak kill little girls now?!" Korra demands furiously.

"Something has to be done!" Shuno suddenly shouts, surprising us by slamming his fist on the table.

"Senator, I understand your frustration but… we can't rush into something as delicate as this," Tenzin says.

"Tenzin, the fact is that we have a raving lunatic running around our city, who is now targeting innocents. This was meant to scare us! He's no longer focused on the triads," Shuno states firmly. "I'm not where I am today by letting these people get off scot free."

"We have to find him first," Lin states.

"Jarik? You haven't said anything yet," I point out.

Everyone turns to him, and he remains silent with his arms crossed, a frown on his face.

"...the Joker, isn't just a freak. From what I've heard in this short time he's sadistic, and a murderer, but he doesn't do things by accident," he finally says. "So if you're getting furious and riled up, it's probably because he wants you to be."

"I think that's why acting out of anger right now is not a good idea," Tenzin adds.

I slump over, nervous and afraid, while the others all silently steam in their anger, frustration, and unease. Senator Shuno sighs in frustration and starts walking over to the window of his office.

"I understand your point, Mr. Shan. But we still have to apprehend this… this animal, before anyone gets hurt. By any means necessary," he states.

All of a sudden, somethings falls down from above and slams into the glass right in front of Senator Shuno: the body of a girl. We all let out screams of fright, and Shuno jumps back with a startled shout and a curse; only Jarik doesn't scream. He and Lin rush up to the window and observe the body, and we all get good looks as well.

Asami, Korra and I all gasp in horror upon recognizing it as Karrisi. She's in her Korra outfit but also has clown makeup all over her face, which is also bloodied and beaten. A rope is tied around her neck, allowing her to remain hanging in front of the window. Bolin shrieks at the sight of her, all of us afraid and horrified.

"Oh my gosh!" Asami screams, covering her mouth.

Korra grabs my shoulders and turns me away to keep me from looking, hugging me close. Still I already had a good view of Karrisi's corpse, shaken up badly. Even the things that the Messenger did were never this brutal… I shut my eyes and hug her back, trying to erase the image from my mind.

"That monster! He's above us!" Lin growls.

"I don't sense anyone," Jarik replies, looking up at the roof with narrowed eyes. "You kids stay here: Lin and I will go."

"What about-" Luon starts.

"Just stay!" Tenzin exclaims.

"Chief Beifong, if you find him up there then I have no problems with you ending his life if necessary," Shuno states angrily.

"Neither do I," Lin replies fiercely.

Jarik POV...

I follow after Lin Beifong's lead as we quickly make our way through the building and to the stairwell. On the concrete steps Lin stopped us for a moment, lifted her foot and slid back a metal plate on her boot, and slammed her foot into the ground. Through the Force I could sense her using her own form of detection, mapping out the area. After a few seconds she retracts her foot.

"The Joker and two others are floors above us!" she states firmly.

She's starts sprinting up the stairwell and I follow right after her, keeping pace easily. Reaching out with the Force I sense Lin's statement to be true, although the dark side is present in the other two, giving me a grim confirmation of who they are. We reach the right floor and Lin prepares to burst through before I stop her.

"Let me go first. Vyra is here too," I tell her.

Lin widens her eyes in surprise but nods her head. Looking at the door, I let my mask form over my head and then thrust a hand forward, blowing the door clean off with a single Force push. I rush inside and whip out one of my lightsabers, lunging towards Vyra and the Messenger. The two look up in surprise and ignite their own lightsabers, blocking my strike. However, the strength behind my swing sends them stumbling back, and I bring my lightsaber up to swing it once more.

A sudden blaster bolt forces my attention away to deflect it, and I spot another man wearing a purple suit and strange makeup all over his face, holding a blaster. He's grinning fiercely, with a hint of insanity, and I also notice the scars on his mouth.

"Well that was quick! Way to make an entrance!" he laughs.

Lin instantly thrusts out her metal cables for the Joker. He ducks away from them, but his blaster is hit by a cable, knocking it from his grip. He still laughs however, leading me to determine he is insane; in a way.

"You monsters are going to answer for what you did," Lin scowls.

"Oh I would wait with that, otherwise you'll miss all of the fun," Joker replies.

"There will be none of that," I state firmly.

I return my gaze to Vyra and the Messenger, the latter growling and preparing to attack. Vyra stops him with a simple gesture however, and smirks at me.

"Tell me, Shan, did you find my Master to be enlightening?" she asks.

I narrow my eyes with a frown, and she chuckles sinisterly.

"Until next time, Jedi," she declares.

Lin and I are both confused, but the three of them quickly move into action: not to fight us though. Joker picks up his blaster and, laughing, then jumps out of the open window, followed by the Messenger and Vyra. We both rush up to the window ledge in complete bafflement, which quickly turns to surprise.

Flying through the air and away from the building are two dark clouds of black smoke, large whiffs of it trailing along behind the front like a comet trail. The whirling balls of smoke fly across the city and soon disappear from view, leaving us stunned. That could only have been Vyra and the Messenger, and the Joker would've been with one of them...

"They can fly?!" Lin exclaims in shock.

"Apparently," I reply, deactivating my lightsaber. "Seems that Snoke knows a lot more about the Force than I thought."

"How does the Force allow people to fly in black clouds?" she asks incredulously.

"I don't know..." I admit, unnerved.

I've seen many strange and impossible things in my life, going as far outlandish as I could never imagine. And yet I've never seen anything that would make me think the Force could be used for flight. Only the Mortis gods were capable of flight, but they're on another level of power entirely, so that shouldn't count.

I recall a statement given by someone long ago, a statement I learned despite not having heard him say it personally: 'The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural.' Well it would certainly seem that he wasn't lying. But what kind of knowledge would it take to learn a way to literally fly through the air?

Just how much about the Force does Snoke know?

Lot's of stuff went down, and things are far from over for Team Avatar. It's being realized that the Knights of Ren and Snoke are more dangerous than previously thought.

Inspiration for the whole 'black cloud flying' thing came from how Voldemort and his Death Eaters could fly unassisted. Based on my version of Snoke's backstory and true nature in the Shaniverse (which is not yet revealed), I think it fits.

Just to reassure anyone who might be worried, I've got everything mapped out for all of my stories, so nothing important is incorporated randomly or will be left out. Felt like that needed to be said haha.