Responses to Reviews:

RonaldM40196867: It's a criticism I've certainly seen levelled at the show. It has fewer episodes than The Last Airbender, and Aang's show was telling one consistent story across those episodes rather than a new one every series. So yeah, when you put it like that I think it might well have benefitted from more.

Sharpe: Then it is clear you possess great taste. I think it's possible they'd want to go out into the world to do other things, and I'm sure they appreciate having the option, but none of them ever seemed especially unhappy about being the heirs to the old air nomads.

As Always, Please Review!

Korra

Korra pulled up a deckchair and placed it down near the edge of the Taka's flight deck. A strong breeze was blowing, and as she looked back the imposing silhouettes of an entire fleet of battleships sailing in line astern greeted her. A few hundred feet off their starboard, a second line of battleships cruised parallel to them, with the other carrier, the Washi, amongst them. She knew Mako was on the Fire Nation warship at the head of that column. Behind her, with their wings folded up, several flying machines sat strapped to the deck, several crewmen flitting around their sleek forms making sure they were ready to go at a moment's notice. She saw Asami and her father stood next to one of them, leaning into the cockpit and fiddling with the controls as they discussed something animatedly.

Korra knew that now their fleet was nearing the strait, the stretch of water that separated Fire Nation from Earth Kingdom. If they had got the timings right, they would find Kuvira here. And then who knew what might happen.

Turning her attention away from the great steel behemoths, and from Asami, she sat down in the chair and pulled out a book. The words The Wheel Turns: A history of the Avatar Cycle from Szeto to Roku stared back at her.

She wondered what her predecessors would have done in this situation. Szeto would no doubt have tried a diplomatic solution. Yangchen would have schemed her way out. Kuruk would have got drunk- actually, that might be unfair, but she didn't really know what he would have done. Kyoshi and Roku would have found Kuvira and intimidated her into stopping, and Kyoshi would have followed through if that warning was ignored. Roku might have done too, but he never had the opportunity, betrayed by a man he had once counted as his closest friend and left to die on the side of a volcano. From what Korra understood, it hadn't really been his fault, Sozin had heeded his warning while he lived, but he had died unexpectedly without a plan.

And then there was Aang. He would no doubt have tried a peaceful solution as well. But the enemies he had faced had not often given him the choice. Aang had been a pacifist, as the last airbender of his time, but had been forced to fight again and again. And he had won, again and again. It was a lot to live up to, she reflected. The connection to the Avatars might be gone, but she still felt their presence, hanging over her, her past lives all more accomplished than she felt.

A shadow fell over her, and she looked up to find Asami.

"Interesting book?" She asked.

"It's given me a lot to think about."

"Add it to the list," Asami shook her head. "You're doubting yourself again."

Korra took a step backwards, surprised by how accurately Asami had read her mind.

"I can see it in your face," Asami pointed out.

Korra sighed. She hesitated for a moment, and then relented.

"Are we doing the right thing?" She asked.

"What do you mean?"

"The Avatar's job is to prevent war, isn't it? Save lives, and yet here we are sailing into a warzone."

"You can't really prevent a war if everyone around you is absolutely intent on starting one," Asami observed. "And Kuvira is singleminded."

She snatched the book.

"Besides, other Avatars have failed to prevent wars in the past. Kyoshi didn't stop the conquests of Chin until most of the continent had been taken. Roku failed to stop the outbreak of the Hundred Years' War. I'm sure there are many others. Avatars have led armies into battle before, and they are not looked down on by history for it. Besides, we've got your plan, remember! We are going to stop this war before it begins. You, me, Bolin, and that Flying Machine."

She gestured to it.

"Dad's told them to put a torpedo on it when the time comes," she said. "Maybe we can try to sink that ship at the same time."

Korra nodded.

"I suppose," she said uncertainly. "But what if she fires a laser before I can fight her?"

"Then we'll have to improvise," Asami replied. "All we can do is try to make sure that can't happen. Keep her talking until the last moment. But you can't hold yourself responsible for someone else's bloodthirst."

"Alright, but how do I beat her? I've fought her twice and lost twice."

"You're the Avatar, I have every faith in you," Asami told her. Then a devious grin spread across her face. "but if you're unsure, then we could always... cheat?"

"Cheat?"

"Play dirty. Underhanded tricks, that sort of thing. Kuvira definitely won't fight fair, so why should we?"

She paused. "Does Kuvira have any weaknesses? Anyone she might be, I don't know, fond of, on that ship?"

Korra racked her brain.

"There is her fiancée," she said. "But isn't he a Beifong?"

"He's also a criminal the same as her," Asami pointed out. "He's not exactly an innocent victim in all this. We don't have to actually do anything to him. Just grab him and hold him to ransom or use him to distract her long enough for you to get a shot in."

"You devious, conniving-" Korra couldn't help but grin back. "Asami Sato, I never knew you had it in you."

"I have my moments," Asami smirked. She took Korra's hand and looked into her eyes.

"But seriously, if you don't feel ready there are ways around that. We'll be absolutely fine."

Korra gazed back, and as she felt the strength of Asami's convictions in her words and looked into her warm green eyes, she suddenly felt the tone of the interaction shift momentously. Asami seemingly felt it too, because as Korra began to close her eyes and lean in, she just saw her do the same.

When their lips touched, it was as if fireworks were going off in her mind, all thoughts of Kuvira, of war, of battleships or flying machines temporarily banished in favour of a deep, satisfying bliss. Korra thought she had never been so happy in her life as she was in that moment.

And then a tannoy started blaring.

"Action Stations! Action Stations! Hostile fleet on the horizon! Action Stations!"

Kuvira and Asami sprung apart and blushed deeply, avoiding eye contact for a moment. The spectre of Kuvira intruded once again, this time in the most literal and upsetting way.

"We should-" Asami began, gesturing to the door that would take them to the bridge.

"Yes, of course," Korra nodded. "Kuvira can never know about that."

"Why?"

"Because she'll do what you want to do to Bataar to you if she knows," Korra said, spelling out her logic.

"I'm sure the captain-" Asami began. Then she looked over at Korra and shrugged.

"Oh, to the Spirits with it," she declared, grabbing Korra's hand. "Did you enjoy that as much as I did?"

Korra nodded, unsure what to say.

"Do you want to do it again?"

Korra nodded again, and wordlessly Asami leaned in a second time. The second kiss was, maybe, even better than the first.