After Vader returned to his ship, he went to his quarters to diagnose the damage he'd sustained. After a quick examination by one of his medical droids, he found that all it was a few tears on his cape. Everything else was effectively unscratched. After his examination was concluded, Namada entered the room.
"We have set down on one of the southern mountain ranges, my lord," she said. "We have begun eavesdropping on transmissions. The Avatar is in Republic City and has just left for the North Pole in the hopes of apprehending you before the anniversary celebration."
"My lord, might I suggest something?" asked Corsin.
"You may, Lieutenant," Vader replied.
"The water prince, his name is Unalaq, is the one who truly killed his father," Corsin noted. "Perhaps the Avatar would listen to reason and return the crystal to us?"
"I have studied Aang of the Air Nomads," Vader replied. "His worldview is incompatible with ours, and more importantly, he has no reason to trust us. I will have to retrieve the crystal by force."
"If that is the case, you should head to Republic City, my lord," Namada noted. "A ship from the Northern Water Tribe just touched down there."
"Before we go to Republic City, I must go somewhere close by," he said, pointing at a smaller port city to its south.
"Is that where we will find the crystal?" asked Corsin. Many Imperials wouldn't tolerate such open questioning from their subordinates. But Vader understood the meaning of loyalty, and that his men were merely attempting to help the Executor of the Galactic Empire. In fact, Corsin's willingness to do so was one of the reasons Vader kept him in his immediate circle.
"No," Vader said. "But I sense a strange disturbance there. We must investigate before we retrieve the crystal." Vader left out the feeling of distress that seemed far too much like something he had once experienced. If his master was there, he would be criticized for feeling such sentiment, but he was alone and there was nothing to stop him.
In Republic City...
Aang was smiling, as it was the anniversary of the third greatest day of his life. Fifty-five years ago, he managed to defeat Fire Lord Ozai and ended the war that had destroyed so much of the world, including his entire civilization. It was eclipsed first by the day Katara married him, and again by the birth of their son, Bumi. Despite Bumi's lack of bending, Aang had been starting to teach his son what it meant to be an Air Nomad when Katara had their second son, Tenzin. Unlike his brother and sister, Kya, Tenzin was an Airbender, and Aang, relieved to know he wasn't the last of his people, had spent a substantial amount of time teaching his youngest child Airbending. He hadn't realized it at the time, but he had been neglecting his wonderful Bumi and dear Kya. That was his greatest regret in life, far surpassing when he ran away from the Southern Air Temple after learning he was the Avatar.
While Aang might not be able to change his past missteps as a father, he could make amends to his oldest son and daughter. Tenzin had just gotten his Air Master tattoos, so now, whenever Aang was free of his Avatar duties, he would focus on time with his entire family. Looking over, Aang saw his son talking to his wife, Fire Nation Crown Princess Izumi, their son, Iroh II, and his mother-in-law Fire Lady Jin, laughing about how Bumi's first haiku when courting Izumi. On the other side of the room, Kya was talking with Lin Bei Fong, the daughter of his Earthbending teacher, Toph. Looking at the strange crystal his brother-in-law Sokka had handed him, Aang put it into his satchel and walked over to the table where he had asked his eldest son and daughter to meet with him.
"Hey, Dad," Kya said as she walked over. "Mom said you wanted to talk to me?"
"To you and Bumi, sweetheart," Aang answered, and seemingly on cue, his son walked over to the table. "Bumi, how are things going with Izumi?"
"Very well," Bumi told his father. "Jin is hoping that she can finally visit her hometown, again." Aang nodded quietly at that.
"I am sure Kuei Junior will finally bury the hatchet," Aang reassured his son.
Jin was an apprentice seamstress in the lower ring of Ba Sing Se when she met Zuko. The then fugitive Fire Prince had been living under an assumed name in the Earth Kingdom capital when they started dating. He later inadvertently revealed his fire bending to her, and as the Dai Li had suppressed knowledge and discussion of the war to such a massive extent that many people didn't even know it was happening, she thought nothing of it and kept his Firebending to herself. Shortly afterward, Azula convinced her brother to help conquer the city, and Jin's life had quickly become a living hell. Her aunt and uncle were enraged that Jin hadn't sounded the alarm, ignoring how they had never told her there was an alarm to sound. Quickly coming to fear for her life, Jin fled Ba Sing Se and made her way to the Fire Nation's colonies on the Earth Kingdom's west coast. She didn't meet Zuko again until the war ended.
Feeling responsible for putting her in that position, Zuko made sure she got a job at a textile mill. Jin was still rather resentful of Zuko for putting her in that position, but having few options, she accepted. Years later Zuko's current girlfriend, Mai, was killed in a terrorist attack by Fire Nation radicals who hated how their lies had been exposed. Jin and Zuko became much closer, and eventually married, having Izumi and her little brother, Lee. Despite all that time, however, Jin hadn't set foot in Ba Sing Se in over fifty years. This was because the Earth King, having been fooled his entire life, refused to pardon anyone he regarded as responsible for the Earth Kingdom's defeat.
The new king, however, was much more like his father before things went wrong. And not being raised in a bubble like his father, he had a much better understanding of the world. His father had mixed feelings about the Fire Nation colonies being turned into the United Republic of Nations as opposed to returning them to the Earth Kingdom. But Kuei II understood that trying to reclaim it would result in another war and active resistance from all the residents, regardless of their heritage. So he recognized it as a legitimate state. This had been criticized by many in his homeland, including his own sister, Hou-Ting, but like his father, Kuei understood the Earth Kingdom had to adapt to the new world in order to survive.
This was the first time the Earth King would attend the Day of Peace, as the holiday was called, in the URN. It wouldn't be surprising if he granted the Fire Lady permission to visit her hometown after today.
"Well, Dad, what did you want to talk about?" asked Kya, bringing her father back to the subject at hand.
"You do know I love you, right?" he asked. This elicited a strange look between his two eldest children.
"Of course," Bumi answered. "Dad, are you sick or something?"
"No, it's nothing like that," Aang said. "It's just that I've been thinking more lately. I never meant to hurt either of you, but when I learned your brother was an Airbender, I was just relieved to know that the Air Nomads wouldn't die with me. Whenever I was free, I was making sure Tenzin would be able to carry on the traditions of my people."
"OUR PEOPLE, Dad," Kya emphasized. "We're as much Air Nomad as we are Water Tribal. And you have a whole fan club of people looking after the temples, studying the ways of our ancestors. Pema is one of them, remember?"
"That isn't what I meant, Kya," Aang told his daughter. "You both did your best to learn of your ancestors' ways, and I'm proud of you for that. But neither of you were born Airbenders, and I was now teaching someone in person as opposed to transcribing lessons onto scrolls to be read later on. It felt as great a responsibility as it was to be a father. I guess, I didn't realize you needed me as much as you need your mother and your uncle." This left Bumi and Kya speechless. For many years, they thought they were the last thing on their father's priority list, as he would always spend more time with their brother than with either of them. They had both studied Air Nomad philosophy in the hopes of their father's approval, though before now they had only received passing compliments. They appreciated the times their father defended them, such as when hateful fools attacked Kya, or when he was there for them, such as when Bumi's son Iroh was born, but it still hurt when he hadn't attended Kya's healer graduation or Bumi's officer certification into the Republic Forces.
"Dad, I always wondered if you were angry that I joined the army," Bumi went on to say. "I know that organized militaries weren't part of our people but-" "I was never upset over that," Aang interrupted. "How could I be? You were following the family tradition of fighting injustice and evil." As the conversation continued, Sokka came over to the table.
"Sorry to interrupt, bro, but this can't wait," he said, with a messenger hawk on his shoulder. He then handed Aang the scroll it had carried. Aang looked at it, and saw it was from Sokka's daughter, Malina. Malina was living in the North Pole with her husband, Crown Prince Unalaq, having just had twins, a boy named Desna and a girl named Eska. Sokka didn't trust his son-in-law, and Aang hadn't been entirely comfortable around Unalaq, either, so Sokka didn't talk to his daughter as much as he wanted. But this wasn't about their family, it was a cry for help.
"What is it, Dad?" Kya asked, seeing how worried her father was.
"An unknown adversary attacked the North," Aang answered. "He killed Chief Arlaq, and a hundred others last night, almost killing Unalaq as well."
"Wait, last night was a full moon," Bumi noted. "Who could have overcome the Northern Water Tribe, except you?"
"Apparently, this person," Aang answered, turning the note toward his children, showing a drawing. The figure was clad in some sort of armor as black as obsidian, with a sword whose blade was made of fire, and blood red eyes behind a mask with a misshapen mouth. Before Aang could say anything, Bumi spoke up.
"Duty calls, Dad," the veteran soldier said. "It was great talking to you, you really brightened things up for us."
"We'll continue this talk when you get back," Kya added with a smile. Aang was relieved, he had managed to start setting things right with his children. He wouldn't make the mistake of his greatest enemy, Ozai, never even trying to make up for his failings as a father. Aang knew that his friends and family would accompany him on such a mission, but this was just a fact-finding errand before dealing with whatever the problem was. And since Appa had been feeling a bit tired, recently, he decided to take an airship. He would be back in Republic City in time for the celebration tomorrow, and include Tenzin in these talks, so that he would learn to relax more.
Far to the south, close to Darth Vader's shuttle...
Tonraq was in a rather difficult situation, to put it mildly. That had been the case for him for the past several years, ever since his recklessness had unleashed a horde of angry spirits on his home. His father had been so enraged, and his brother so indifferent, that he had been banished. After heading to the South Pole, he ran into Senna. Senna was a friend he had met while learning Waterbending from various sources, and a renowned student of the great healer Katara herself.
Senna's mother, Reina, had been the Fire Nation ambassador to the Water Tribes. Reina herself was the daughter of a Waterbender taken by the Southern Raiders named Tanoak. Thankfully, Tanoak's jailer grew a conscience and helped him escape. Tanoak later married the jailer's daughter who helped hide him. Senna believed that it didn't matter if your elements or backgrounds were at odds, if love was real, that was all that mattered.
Tonraq's father had disagreed and had said several things implying her family was a shameful disgrace on the Water Tribes, forbidding Tonraq from taking things further with her. But after being banished, Tonraq had been lost, and Senna found him depressed at the docks at the South Pole. After a year together, they had married, and they had spent three years in the United Republic, as there was a demand for Waterbenders in the port city of Pohaui. Now, Senna was expecting their first child in less than a month, and they were going back to the South to raise their family at home. But before they could get to a ship to take them home, a gang of Earthbenders had taken them captive, encasing their hands and feet in rock so they couldn't water bend. They heard that Tonraq was a prince and thought they had scored some easy money.
"Guys, we wasted our time here," one of the kidnappers said. "This guy means nothing to his dad, so we're not getting anything for him."
"Well, there are other ways we can get our money's worth," the leader said with a creepy smirk. Whatever thoughts he had, however, were derailed by one of his minions.
"Boss, somebody made of metal is walking this way, I can feel it with my seismic sense," the thug said. Just then, one of the other thugs was pulled screaming out the window by seemingly nothing. Then, the thug who sounded the alarm started choking and grasping at his throat, before it broke with the sound of a tree bark buckling. They heard strange sounds from outside, with screams of pain and terror coming from the Earthbenders who were standing guard outside the hideout. As the noise stopped, they all heard another strange sound. It sounded like some sort of air pump but with the rhythm of someone breathing.
"Show yourself!" the gang leader yelled as he hid behind Tonraq and Senna. At that moment, the door in front of them caved in and in stepped through the most terrifying person Tonraq, Senna, or the gangster had ever seen. A giant clad entirely in black armor complete with a cape and a strange panel on his chest, his face was covered by a mask with a strange mouthguard and blood red lenses over where his eyes would be. The strange sound of air pumping seemed to be him breathing, and in his right hand was what looked like a sword hilt. Before the kidnapper could react, the figure outstretched his hand, and the gangster went flying forward. A bright beam of red shot out of the hilt the figure was holding, impaling the criminal on it. Withdrawing his blade, the figure allowed the gangster to fall to the floor, and with a single swing, beheaded him but strangely, Tonraq couldn't see any blood, he only smelled a strange odor akin to something burning.
"I am here to help you," the figure spoke, in a terrifying voice. The giant then retracted the blade into its hilt and outstretched his hand. Quickly, the rocks binding Tonraq and Senna's hands and feet shattered, freeing them.
"Thank you, sir," Senna said to the stranger, grateful but somewhat nervous given the man's appearance.
"You wonder why I dress the way I do," the figure said as even as the sound of his breathing continued. "I was betrayed many years ago, and I can no longer live outside this suit. As for my appearance, people have feared me ever since I was nine. So much so that they have been trying to kill me ever since, no matter what I do. If I am to be feared, they should be afraid of crossing me."
"You still have the gratitude of my husband and myself, right Tonraq?" Senna said sympathetically.
"Of course, Senna," he confirmed, though Vader's head turned slightly once he heard Tonraq's name.
"So, I assume you are the rightful king of the Water Tribes, unfairly denied your claim?" Vader asked.
"I told myself that for years," the exiled prince admitted. "But it was my own fault, and I accept the consequences. And if I had stayed in my past position, I wouldn't have been able to marry Senna."
"Taking responsibility is important," the figure agreed. "It is why I must soon return home to fulfill my duties of bringing prosperity through maintaining order and stability."
"Where are you from?" Tonraq asked.
"I live in a land called Mustafar," the figure answered. "Do not bother looking it up, it exists on no map you can find. Just as I have never heard of the four, technically five, nations before." This baffled the couple, how could he have never heard of any of these places and yet be such a powerful bender? Then again, his method of bending seemed downright alien compared to what any of them had seen or heard of.
"I came by accident, because some of your countrymen in the North found something they didn't understand, and it brought me here," the strange figure continued. "I must have it if I am to return home."
"In thanks for what you have done, I will reach out to my father and attempt to get him to help you," Tonraq said. "I'm not sure how much help it will be but it's the least I can do."
"Unfortunately, that is no longer an option," the armored man replied. "It is no longer in the Northern Water Tribe. I must go to Republic City. However, there is one thing you can do for me."
"Name it," Tonraq said.
"There will be a day when I return here," the giant said. "On that day, I wish you will extend diplomatic privilege to me."
"Unfortunately, that is not mine to give," Tonraq said.
"I think it will be, one day," Vader replied. "I did go to the North Pole to retrieve it. I attempted to reason with your father so that I could return home without incident. But a man, I assume to be your brother, killed him and claimed that I did it." Tonraq was so shocked to hear that, he was stunned silent while Senna spoke up.
"That makes no sense," Senna said, clutching her pregnancy bump, feeling a kick. "Unalaq is the crown prince, he will be the new chief."
"Unfortunately, Unalaq is not a normal man," the figure continued. "Perhaps he was afraid his father had grown sentimental upon becoming a grandfather and was going to invite the big brother and his commoner wife home. Perhaps he was tired of waiting for his father to die. Whatever the case, I have encountered men like him far too many times: a man of greed and jealousy who walks the world without a heart. Tonraq, it doesn't matter if you are challenging him for the crown or fishing in the South Pole. There will come a time when he tries to destroy your life on every possible level, at which point either you or he will kill the other." At that, the couple was silent in shock, unsure of what to say.
"But when people like that fight people like you, it is almost always the people like you who triumph, as you live for more than yourself." Upon hearing that, Tonraq didn't know what to think. It was one thing to be angry at his brother for not standing by him, it was another to think he would betray their family in the worst ways. And this stranger had been accused of killing his own father? Tonraq didn't know what to think. All he knew was that this man had saved him, his wife, and their unborn child in their time of greatest need, while his father had refused to so much as acknowledge him after his banishment.
"I make an oath before Yue and La," Tonraq said, referencing the moon and ocean spirits all Water Tribals worshipped. "I, Tonraq, son of Arlaq and Liara, pledge to support..." Tonraq paused, realizing he hadn't heard the stranger's name.
"Darth Vader," the warrior revealed.
"Darth Vader," Tonraq continued, "in his request for diplomatic privilege, whenever he requests it in the future."
"Thank you, my friend," Vader said, walking toward the door. "Now, I must go to Republic City. I will attempt to retrieve what I need and find my way home unnoticed, as I believe you should. But if I am found, I will have to fight, just like I did when Unalaq framed me."
"I understand, Darth," Tonraq said. "And no matter what, when I see you again, I will uphold my oath, as well as our friendship."
There, less than a week since starting. I made this so long for several reasons: one, I don't think Aang would ever consciously favor Tenzin over the others, and that when Tenzin had learned Air Bending, he would try to gain Bumi and Kya's forgiveness. Two, I love Jinko, and given how the Dai Li made mentioning the war illegal, her not knowing there was a war on is the only reason I can think of for just accepting Zuko was a Fire Bender. Also, the fact that she knew one of the Fire Benders who conquered the city was there two weeks before and said nothing would certainly cause problems for her. She and Zuko would name their son after his old alias because of course they would. Malina has red hair and fights with a fan, just like her mother, but sadly, Suki was killed in a terrorist attack. While Mai died at the hands of Fire Nationalists angry at their lies being exposed, Suki was murdered by Earther radicals enraged she would support a peace that left the Earth Kingdom smaller than before the war. In her grief, as Sokka himself was extremely depressed, she met Unalaq, who gaslit her into thinking he was a wonderful person. I also like the idea of one of the Southern Water Benders convincing one of their captors to admit the truth, eventually helping in their escape and falling in love, along with showing how a century-long war can hurt interracial marriages, which, given what we see of Roku's time, were fairly uncommon to begin with.
As for Senna's background, her great-grandfather was Bato, Hakoda's best friend. Her own father, Tarro, was a few years older than Sokka, being about eleven when the Southern Raiders abducted him, and took him to a prison akin to the one that drove Hama mad. But his main guard, Taiga, had a son the same age as Tarro who had just died in a terrible accident. This, combined with how he was in charge of tormenting a child to begin with, made him realize the truth of what the Fire Nation was doing to the world. Eventually, he managed to start a fire that covered the escape of both Tarro and many other inmates. But the majority of these prisoners didn't know how to Waterbend, so he created a safe haven for them on one of the Fire Nation's outlying islands, liquidating the majority of his wealth in order to do so. They were only discovered a week after the war ended. Taiga's own daughter, Yumi, would ultimately fall in love with Tarro during this time.
As for Vader being the hero, there are two reasons for this. The first is that, while he doesn't like being reminded, he is still Anakin and helps people that remind him of himself. He came up with the cover of asking for diplomatic immunity, so he has a justification in the even Sidious calls him out for compassion. The second, this will factor into why Korra will trust a man that most of the world will see as the devil.
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