Korra rode atop the Sky Bison alongside Ryu. She was surprised the reluctant Airbender had delivered the message as opposed to just running away. She certainly didn't expect him to fly back with her.
"I don't want to be part of a dead culture," he noted. "But I don't want the others to die, either." The Sky Bison set down on the mountaintop next to the Northern Air Temple. That is when they saw Zaheer and two of his friends.
"We told you to come alone," Ming-Hua stated, looking at the Zaofu airship as it set down. The hatch dropped down and behind it was Kuvira, with Baatar Jr and Asami at the controls, and Bolin by her side.
"Either we see my sister and the others, or I toss you off the mountain," Kuvira threatened Zaheer. That angered P'Li, standing further away so that she could Combustionbend more effectively, but Zaheer simply called Ghazan, who walked up with four restrained people in Airbender clothes and hoods over their heads. Ghazan Lavabent a clump, and then removed the hoods of the two in front, with the lava clump above them. One was Opal, and the other was Jinora, both of whom were gagged.
"There they are," Zaheer replied. "The rest will be released as soon as Korra completes what I ask of her. Also, if this blimp leaves this spot, our men have orders to kill Tenzin. Then his brother, then his sister, his second daughter, and so on." He hadn't noticed that Mako, Lin, and Naga had left the airship earlier and were observing from across the valley. As the four captives walked across to the blimp after Korra let herself be restrained and was placed on the Bison that the Red Lotus had commandeered, Kuvira quickly kicked one of the hooded captives away before he could stab her.
"They're imposters!" she yelled. The second imposter attempted to Waterbend but Bolin knocked him away with a rock. At that moment, P'Li fired a blast at the blimp, and Baatar narrowly jumped out of it before the explosion. He started falling, and Kuvira jumped after him. As Bolin tried to free Opal and Jinora, Zaheer and his two accomplices took off on the Bison with Korra restrained. She fired a blast of air that almost sent Ming-Hua falling to her death, but Ghazan wrapped his arms around her throat and restrained her before being joined by P'Li holding her legs. Korra pretended to be subdued, even as she noticed Mako, Lin, and Naga following close below. Mako and Lin had donned white suits to better blend in with the snow, and Naga was already snow white.
As Kuvira jumped off the side of the mountain, she fired one of her cables into the cliff and grabbed Baatar with her right arm. He was much heavier than she thought but she wouldn't let him fall. Not when he was the main man in her life. The rock her cable was attached to broke off from the cliff, but it then started ascending. Not through Earthbending but because someone was Airbending a miniature cyclone beneath it, pulling Kuvira and Baatar up.
When they got to the top, they saw Opal, freed from her bonds, was performing it. Kuvira latched onto the cliff wall and she and Baatar pulled themselves up. Seeing one of the imposters coming behind his sister, Baatar grabbed a piece of metal from the broken blimp and tossed it at the terrorist, piercing his left lung. Bolin Earthbent a rock and knocked the second off the cliff before he could attack Jinora. As Kuvira caught her breath, Opal hugged her and Baatar. Kuvira was surprised at that but returned her foster sister's hug.
"Is Mom alright!?" the new Airbender asked frantically.
"She and Wing are hurt but alive," Kuvira replied, trying to stay calm. "Opal, right now Korra and the Airbenders are in danger. But Aunt Lin and Mako are following her back with the Polar Bear Dog. We will find them, soon."
"We need to hurry!" Jinora exclaimed. "They're going to poison Korra, making her go into the Avatar State while she's restrained and kill her."
"Then we better get moving," Bolin said anxiously. While Baatar stayed behind, as his combat skills were the most limited, they quickly made their way down the mountain and, at Kuvira's direction, quietly followed Mako and Lin atop Naga. Whenever it looked like the Red Lotus could be looking their way, she and Bolin erected a rock barrier to hide behind.
As Mako and Lin continued following the Red Lotus, they came to the hideout and saw a pair of Red Lotus guards. As Korra was heavily restrained and dragged inside, one of the guards spoke up.
"Zaheer, we managed to retrieve both those things you wanted," the guard said. "The first is in the chamber, the courier for the second will be arriving shortly."
"So, you haven't retrieved it, then?" asked Ghazan. "If you had retrieved it, it would be here."
"It's no great fuss," Zaheer replied. "I will meet with the courier and join you, soon. Don't do anything until I have brought it."
As they dragged her in, none of the anarchists had noticed how Korra's armband was gone. After the trio went inside, with their leader ascending the mountain, the two Republic City police officers moved closer. Upon splitting up, with Mako on the left side and Lin on the right, they prepared. After using her seismic sense to determine that no one was watching the pair of guards from inside, she nodded to Mako. Lin quickly tossed a metal restraint around one guard's mouth, swiftly binding his wrists and ankles, while Mako grabbed the second from behind and rapidly twisted the man's neck, breaking it. Normally, she would have scolded one of her officers for killing in such a way, but he wasn't an Earthbender and the circumstances were too dire for any other option. As their friends caught up, it was decided that Opal would lead Bolin and Kuvira to where she had been held. Jinora would lead Lin and Asami to where she was chained down. Mako would go alone to help Korra.
Korra smirked inwardly as she was dragged through the cave. The cuff on her right wrist was almost loose. That is when the Red Lotus made the mistake of speaking, thinking she was still unconscious.
"How are we supposed to inject it if she's hoisted up there?" asked Ming-Hua, pointing to the two stalactites on the ceiling they were to attach her wrist chains to. There were a pair of equally large stalagmites they planned to attach her leg chains to.
"We have Metalbenders of our own," Ghazan noted. "After we open the jar, they'll coat her arms in it." At that moment, Korra went into the Avatar state, breaking free of her loose handcuffs and knocking the three guards to the side with Airbending. Normally, Korra would have waited until she was sure the Airbenders were there and could be rescued, but normally, she wasn't pregnant. If the Airbenders didn't understand that, then maybe Tenzin wasn't as good a friend and teacher as she thought.
"How'd she get loose?!" one of the Red Lotus exclaimed as she sent him flying into the wall with a Firebending blast. Before the others could react, she sent an Earthbending shockwave across the ground, knocking back the terrorists, except Ghazan who Earthbent a wall to protect himself and Ming-Hua. At that moment, he started propelling them away with his Earthbending. Out of the tunnel on the other side of the chamber, came two Red Lotus members with a large jar, with a warning written on to be cautious when handling it. Korra knocked them backward with an Airbending blast, shattering the jar and causing its deadly contents to spill out. Ghazan Lavabent a large wall at Korra, and as she dodged it, the Avatar Metalbent the toxin on the floor into the wall of magma, incinerating it.
As that was happening, Lin had found one group of captive Airbenders, with Jinora by her side. Seeing that the floors had jars of tar put among the prisoners and that several of the guards appeared to be Firebenders, the policewoman looked to Jinora and told her what to do. The young Airbender sent a massive blast of air at the guards, knocking them backward. Before they could react, Lin restrained them by Metalbending cuffs around their hands and feet. She then quickly turned to the prisoners and used her Metalbending to break their chains.
"Hey, I'm happy to see you, too, Kai," Jinora smiled to a boy who rushed up and kissed her on the cheek. Lin smirked, it would be hilarious to see Tenzin's reaction to learning his daughter had a boyfriend.
At the same time, Kuvira, Bolin, and Asami had made their way to the second prison chamber. Seeing Tenzin and his family chained up alongside other Airbenders, with several barrels of tar between the various prisoners. As they heard a loud crash from deeper in the cave, Kuvira launched her flechettes at several of the guards while Bolin Earthbent his own restraints. They managed to pin the various guards to the walls or floor but there was one left. Before he could set off the explosives, Asami tasered him.
"Is Jinora, okay?!" Pema frantically asked as Asami started unlocking her cuffs. The Air Acolyte loved all her children, and in a moment of humanity, the Red Lotus had left her infant son Rohan with her.
"She's helping Lin free the other prisoners," Bolin said as Kuvira Metalbent the restraints off the captives. "I'm guessing that sound down the hallway is Korra breaking free, as planned."
"We need to help her, especially given her condition," Kya spoke up. No one on Korra's team knew why she said that, but they agreed they had to help Korra. Before they could, however, they saw lava rapidly approaching them and were forced to run out of the main entrance. Thankfully, the other liberated prisoners were outside as well. After getting out, they saw signs of battle on the mountaintop, and began bending their way to the top. Kuvira, however, did not, as she saw the Combustionbender P'Li on another mountain, also climbing to the top. The Metalbender captain knew she had to be dealt with and jumped off the mountain, using her Metalbending cables to grab onto the other side.
As Mako charged into the chamber, he saw Korra's eyes glowing as she deflected one attack after the next. The armless Waterbender noticed him and knocked him backward while the Lavabender continued fighting Korra. Mako quickly dodged her next attack and countered with fireballs. Knowing that she had only a limited amount of water, Mako focused on evaporating as much of it as possible. The Waterbender was good, but she hadn't fought a Firebender as powerful as him, and she soon ran out of her element.
"Ming-Hua, there's another source of water below us!" a guard bleeding from a stalactite fallen on his leg informed the mad Waterbender. Hearing that, Ming-Hua jumped down a hole as Mako followed her. At that moment, she bent not two but eight arms of water and began waving wildly at Mako with her artificial limbs, six of them frozen into a stabbing implement at the end. Realizing he was out of options, he shot a bolt of lightning into the shallow pool below him as he positioned himself between the stalagmites and off of the floor. Ming-Hua screamed as the electricity traveled up the water, sending her flying back into the wall, dead. As he caught his breath, a massive flow of magma started flooding the cavern, trapping Mako inside. But before it could reach him, the roof broke away.
"Get out of there!" yelled Korra from the opening. Mako didn't have to be told twice and rapidly ascended with his own Firebending. Looking up, he saw that Ghazan had broken a chunk out of the roof, exposing daylight into the cave, and rapidly went through. He started turning the roof into magma to drop on Korra and Mako, but she grabbed him and flew upwards with her Airbending. Mako thought he felt something when she hugged him, but his focus returned to the Red Lotus as they got out of the cave.
"Zaheer, you better get that crystal working!" yelled Ghazan upon seeing them.
"Where's Ming-Hua?" the anarchist leader frantically asked back.
"Fireboy killed her!" Ghazan screamed. "Now he can burn!" At that moment, the Lavabender started tossing chunks of magma at Mako, who was rapidly forced to evade. As a Red Lotus member handed him a strange box, they heard an explosion from across the valley. Turning over to look, they saw a smoking crater in the side of a mountain, and Kuvira sans helmet close by. At the realization of P'Li's demise, Zaheer called out her name. Then, he Airbent the Red Lotus member, off the cliff, saying it was his fault for taking so long.
Korra, however, was more interested in ending this fight as fast as she could. But with Ghazan tossing as much lava as he could bend, she had to be careful he wouldn't bring the mountain itself down. Using her Air and Earthbending to shield herself, she deflected his attacks as Mako launched his own, breaking down the walls Ghazan bent to hide behind. After several minutes, the mountain began to cave in, and Ghazan launched his final attack. Korra deflected it, kicked his right leg hard enough for him to cry out in pain, froze his arms in place with her Waterbending, and punched him with an Airbending blast, knocking the Earthbender down the hole into the magma pit he'd created. Mako saw him impact the liquid fire and burst into flames.
Korra looked back to Zaheer, who had flown off the mountain at Kuvira, determined to avenge the girlfriend she'd just killed. Korra and Mako pursued as fast as they could to protect their new friend. Zaheer dodged the first projectile Kuvira had thrown and tossed an Airbending wave at her, knocking her back and almost off the cliff. Korra Firebent at him but he dodged again and tossed another Airbending punch at her. Korra weathered it, and knocked him back with her Firebending, before Earthbending a cuff around his legs. He then smashed something on the ground, and everything was covered in a blinding light.
As Mako flew over with his Firebending, something he'd never done over such a great distance before, he saw Zaheer set off some sort of flash bomb, which he closed his eyes in time to avoid. When he opened them, Mako saw a strange object in Zaheer's hand, which he then pointed to the side. Two waves of green energy connected and formed what looked similar to a spirit portal. Zaheer then tossed an Airbending wave at Korra, knocking her into it.
"Korra!" he exclaimed, jumping in after her. Just as he was about to enter the strange portal, he saw Zaheer toss the strange object onto the ground and break it with a knife. As Kuvira climbed back onto the cliff, she saw the two green phenomena disappear, and just as Mako entered the portal, it vanished. She quickly Earthbent greater restraints around Zaheer, fixing him in place.
As Tenzin, Lin, Opal, Jinora, Bolin, Kai, and Asami made their way to where Korra was fighting Zaheer, Bumi and Kya had stayed behind with the rescued Airbenders, they witnessed a truly bizarre sight. A strange green object appeared out of nowhere and then it vanished, with no sign of Korra or Mako anywhere. As they made it to the cliffside, Kuvira had already pinned Zaheer in place with her Earthbending, with one of her flechettes wrapped around his mouth.
"Where's Korra and Mako?!" Lin asked frantically. While she wouldn't admit it, they and Bolin had become like the children Tenzin had hoped to have with her. "Are they dealing with the third eyed freak?!"
"P'Li is right over there," Kuvira replied, pointing to a blast mark with a hint of blood on it. "I Metalbent my helmet around her Combustion mark, so she blew herself up. Zaheer stunned Korra with a flash bomb, then he conjured up some sort of portal with this crystal that I can't bend," she paused, holding the broken halves of the crystal in her left hand. "And then he Airbent her into it. Mako jumped in just as he broke the crystal, and then the portal disappeared." At that moment, Tenzin, whose family had been threatened by Zaheer so he could torture to death who was effectively the big sister to his children, grabbed Zaheer's throat and ordered that his mouth restraint be removed.
"I am not a violent man, because unlike you, I understand what Airbending is about," he stated coldly. "But even my father had his breaking point. You will tell me what this is and what you have done to Korra."
"It doesn't matter what you do to me," Zaheer replied, trying to sound smug even at the knowledge at the death of his friends. "Besides, don't you recognize what's in front of you?" Lin looked closer at what Kuvira was holding, and it did look vaguely familiar, but she wasn't sure where. "You saw one just like it, over eighteen years ago," Zaheer continued. "There was a time when Unalaq lived for more than just himself. He believed in the cause of holy chaos and freedom like the rest of us, so he gave us shelter and information for many years. One day, a strange craft fell from the sky, and inside was that crystal, along with one identical."
"Wait, I think I remember where I saw this," Lin said, realizing why it looked so familiar, turning to Tenzin. "Sokka handed one to your father the last time we saw them."
"So, you do remember," Zaheer continued. "When we touched the second crystal, it shot a beam of light into the sky. Unalaq took it to his father, who sent it to your father for study. Unfortunately, someone came looking for it a week later." At that, Tenzin and Lin's eyes shot open in shock. This was what the Obsidian Knight beat them senseless over, and what he killed Tenzin's father and uncle for.
"How do I use this?!" exclaimed Lin.
"You can't, it's broken," Zaheer boasted. "But you should rejoice, as we got what we both wanted. Korra is alive, free to raise her children with their father, and I get a world without the Avatar, since there is no way for her to come back." That statement shocked everyone, at the revelation that they would never see Korra again. None of them noticed that things were clicking into place for Bolin, as well. "Of course, if you want the Avatar back, you will have to hope she meets the Obsidian Knight, as she's in his world, now!" Zaheer boasted before Lin Metalbent the gag back into place as the younger team members were shocked to hear of the near mythical Avatar killer.
Bolin had been through one of the hardest days of his life, and now, his brother and one of his best friends had just disappeared. He hadn't felt this enraged since Asami's father tried to kill her for rejecting his madness. But this time, he was calmer, and had a better way to fight back. So, Zaheer wanted to boast about the Obsidian Knight, despite being as ignorant of him as he was of true Air Nomad culture? Time to take the wind out of his sails.
"You know, I do hope Mako and Korra meet the Obsidian Knight," Bolin retorted, shocking everyone. "Because the Obsidian Knight, he's not a monster. He's a cop from another world named Darth Vader." Everyone else, even Tenzin and Lin, were too stunned to respond. "You see, when you dragged him and his friends here against their will, he went to Chief Arlaq to ask for his way home. But Unalaq was tired of waiting for his dad to die, so he killed him and said Vader did it. After fighting his way out, he knew he would have to either sneak his way to it or fight his way to it. Still, protecting the innocent is his job, so he took the time to rescue Korra's mom and dad from some bandits and told them his side of the story. He also warned about how Tonraq would have to fight his evil brother at some point, to which he swore a bond of eternal friendship to Darth in gratitude. So really, if Korra and Mako do meet him, he'll probably help them get home. Maybe he'll have taught them a few new tricks to keep people like you under control, as well."
At that, Tenzin snapped out of shock at Bolin's insane story, even as it clearly stunned Zaheer, and pulled the young Earthbender back.
"Bolin, we're all upset, and we all want Korra back," Lin said, trying to be patient at such an insensitive story disrespecting her and many of the people she loved. "But the Obsidian Knight is no joking matter. He is the most savage murderer I have ever encountered." She then withdrew her right boot, to better connect with the ground. She wasn't as good at lie detection as her mother, and she herself didn't put much faith in that aspect of seismic sense but she was familiar enough, and Bolin had never been good at lying. She had to know if this story was true. Kuvira, also intrigued by the story, placed her gloved hand on the ground to also get a sense of what Bolin would say next.
"Really, Bolin, you're from Republic City," Asami said, also shocked by what she'd heard. "The Obsidian Knight's reign of terror wasn't as long as Amon's, but everyone knows it's no laughing matter. You can't say that he's just some misunderstood hero as if it's nothing." At that moment, Bolin hesitated. He'd already broken his promise to Senna about keeping it secret, and he could simply pretend he was speaking in a fit of rage. But he was a terrible liar, and his claims of the Obsidian Knight helping Korra could actually come true.
"I'm not making this up," Bolin replied. "Korra's mom told us that while I was hiding from Eska. You can ask Tonraq yourself, he'll probably hope for what I suggested to happen." At that moment, a cold shiver ran up Lin's spine, while Kuvira only felt intrigued.
"By the spirits, you're actually telling the truth about this," Lin said in astonishment. Asami and the young Airbenders were just as stunned, while Tenzin looked downright horrified by the revelation. That is when they heard an airship approaching. It had the markings of the Southern Water Tribe. No doubt Tonraq had heard of what was going on and charged off to save his daughter. As it got closer, they saw Tonraq right next to Bumi on the bridge, both looking worried. Lin turned over to Kuvira and ordered that the young guard captain help restrain Zaheer for transport. It was a silent trip back to Zaofu, with Tonraq and Senna crying on the bridge at the news of their daughter's uncertain fate. As they touched down, and the Airbenders began to disembark, with Kuvira dragging Zaheer to a cell, Tenzin saw Bolin. He, along with Asami, would be riding back to Republic City on the blimp, but right now, he was telling Korra's parents that he was sure their friend would help her get home. That was when the Airbending master met his breaking point.
"Hoping to see your favorite murderer again?" asked Tenzin in an incredulous manner.
"I am hoping to see my daughter, again," Tonraq growled back.
"So am I but I don't want to see her with Dark Ripper, or whatever his name is," Tenzin retorted back, as both his family and Suyin's family started to notice the argument.
"Tenzin, what's going on?" asked Bumi, concerned at how his normally stoic brother was losing his temper. The events of the last three days were hard on all of them but why was he angry at Tonraq?
"Your brother doesn't want Korra back, he wants the Avatar back," an increasingly angry Tonraq retorted. "That's all he and the White Lotus have ever wanted. Well, I don't want the Avatar, I want my daughter! And I'll take whatever help I can."
"Like my father's murderer?!" exclaimed Tenzin, to the shock of everyone observing. "I hear he told you to become chief, despite your exile."
"Darth Vader saved my family just because he could," Tonraq retorted. "I don't know what you did to provoke him on your island or why he killed Aang in that forest, but I don't care!" At that moment, the crowd gasped, Tonraq had just admitted to his association with the Obsidian Knight. "He's my best chance for getting Korra back, and that's all that matters!" At that, Kya, who'd been listening to the increasingly heated conversation, Waterbent at Tonraq for defending her father's murderer. Before it could go any further, Lin Metalbent restraints around Tenzin and his siblings, stopping the water whip from hitting Tonraq.
"You should leave, now," Lin stated to Tonraq. "You've outstayed your welcome."
"And the Airbenders have outstayed their welcome," retorted Tonraq as he walked up the ramp to his airship. "Even as Korra does everything she can to help them, they are a cancer upon her life, and now she's paid the price. I don't want to see any Airbenders in the Southern Water Tribe, for any reason. If she misses you, Katara can move into one of your wretched temples." As Tonraq's airship flew away, Lin released Tenzin and his siblings.
"What the hell happened out there?" Suyin asked incredulously from her wheelchair. "I thought you were fighting the Red Lotus, not Dad's murderer."
"I don't even know where to begin, and now's not the time to talk about it," Lin said, as tears formed in her eyes.
"I agree," added Tenzin, clearly saddened by the events as well.
Shortly after returning to Republic City, Lin was back at police headquarters having just chaperoned two meetings President Raiko had. One was with Tenzin, the second with Tonraq. He wanted it to be a meeting with both, but their recent fight made that impossible. Ironically, Tonraq would have appreciated how Tenzin behaved in his meeting: when he learned that Korra wasn't dead but trapped in an unknown location, Raiko had implied it would have been better if she was dead, since the Avatar would have reincarnated, at least. Tenzin blasted him back into his chair with Airbending at the remark. When Raiko looked to Lin to restrain Tenzin, she retorted he should be more considerate of how the Avatar's family felt. The president replied that he had, to which Tenzin interjected.
"We are Korra's family, as well," the Air Nomad leader said. "We might have our disagreements with Tonraq but we are all part of the same family." After they left, Lin promised to be at Jinora's confirmation as an Airbending master in two days, shortly before returning to police headquarters.
After returning, she saw something she'd walked by many times but this time, she was incensed. It was a wanted poster of the Obsidian Knight, or Darth Vader as she'd come to learn. It was taken from the sole picture of him, taken almost by accident as he walked through the flames he started in the North Pole. She proceeded to rip it off the wall and then walked over to the desk of one detective who'd been trying to crack the case for years. An effort she now knew would be pointless, given what she had learned. To the astonishment of the other officers, she ripped up his case files and threw them in the trash.
"Chief, what are you doing?" the detective asked in disbelief as she destroyed his work on the most infamous murderer in the history of Republic City and possibly the world.
"I'm not letting mythicized monsters rule my life, or anyone else in this department," she said with a fierce edge to her voice. "He has made people fear him enough. It is time to move on."
"Ma'am, have you forgotten what he and his minions did that night?!" asked Deputy Chief Saikhan, incredulous at how the chief would just dismiss the most infamous unsolved case in history. The deputy chief had almost been killed by the Obsidian Knight's mysterious white armored followers that day.
"I was there, I will never forget," she retorted. "I also know that, if we could find him, we would have. If we ever meet him again, it will be because he chose to come back." It looked like several of the officers were going to comment they wouldn't have the Avatar this time, but Lin's angry glare silenced them. As she walked toward her office to catch up on her paperwork, she turned around.
"But unless that happens, he will own my life no longer," she said to all the officers. "If he still owns your life, you should reconsider working here." She then slammed the door shut as everyone thought on her words.
Jinora should have been happy the day she got her Airbending tattoos but after all that had happened, she could only feel regret at who wasn't there. She was thankful to her father for accepting Bolin and Asami, even as they stood in silence. Jinora also hoped that one day, her father and Korra's father would calm down and be, if not friendly, civil with each other, as Korra wouldn't want them to fight. Unfortunately, that day wouldn't be coming soon, because of Zaheer's actions. As for the tale of the Obsidian Knight, she didn't know what to think. After the ceremony, she met Bolin and Asami.
"You look great," Bolin smiled at her somewhat sadly. She knew he was trying to be cheerful but after the loss of his brother and Korra, it was hard for him to be happy.
"I'll try to reach them, just like I did with Korra during Harmonic Convergence," Jinora assured him. "Hopefully, I can guide them home."
"Yes, hopefully you can," Asami said, thinking of what Bolin had revealed could happen. Rumors had begun to spread about what Zaheer did to the Avatar and why Tenzin and Tonraq had come to blows. No one involved was talking.
"I'll be happy to have them back at all," Bolin replied, before looking awkward. "I, uh, don't think I'm going to be visiting for a while."
"If it's about-" "It's not," Bolin interrupted. "I have a lot of good memories here, and in the city. But they also remind me of who they were with." Briefly pausing, Bolin continued. "I need to get away from this for a bit. Maybe go to Zaofu or something."
"I understand, and good luck," Jinora said as she hugged the Earthbender, quickly joined by her siblings, Lin, and even Tenzin. As Bolin walked down to the dock, Tenzin turned to Asami.
"Asami, I'm not sure what you want from me," he said. "I appreciate your offer to help but I'm not sure what Future Industries is getting out of it."
"Moral approval," she replied. "My dad was so obsessed with helping Amon, that he wound up hurting much of the company. I don't just mean the horrible publicity of what he did, I mean that, when you consider the machines he was building and giving away for free, he was throwing away a small fortune every month he spent helping the Equalists. He might have finally started his sentence, last week, but his legacy is still there."
"Have you talked to him since his arrest?" asked Lin.
"No, and I won't again, given our last meeting," the younger woman replied. "The point is that, at this point, weapons are what keeps the company afloat."
"That can't be true," Tenzin said. "Everyone likes Satomobiles. Even I enjoyed the time you took us to your testing track."
"But now, it's not just us, it's Varrick, Cabbage Corp, and a couple new firms, without my father's stench," she replied. "Most of my customers don't want cars, they want mechs and biplanes. I wanted to say no but I realized that many of our cargo containers were filled with them instead of cars like the manifest said, so they were all I could sell. In addition, the main reason I've been able to mostly avoid layoffs, is because I keep building them."
"What?" asked Tenzin in surprise.
"I didn't want to build them, or sell them to people like Unalaq, or whoever's in charge of whatever Earth Kingdom province that placed the order," Asami explained. "But I'm out of options. If I am to seriously consider scaling this part of the company back, I need you to accept this proposal." After a moment, Tenzin thanked her for coming and agreed.
Three months after Korra's disappearance...
Kuvira couldn't believe this. Just three days ago, Zaofu had been visited by President Raiko. He'd been extremely concerned after the Earth Kingdom had fallen into civil war shortly after the queen's death. Raiko was hoping that, with the Avatar missing, Suyin would be willing to help unify the Earth Nation. Even though her broken leg had largely mended, Su refused. Kuvira honestly didn't understand why her foster mother would refuse to help their people, and when she expressed that confusion, she'd been harshly scolded for not knowing her place. Later, she ran into Baatar Jr, who asked her what was wrong, and he agreed with her on his mother's shortcomings. They went to many other Zaofu citizens and guards, and quickly rallied them to their point of view.
As they gathered a fleet of airships to head out to begin their work of unifying the Earth Nation, Kuvira felt someone walking up to them.
"What are you doing?" said Suyin Bei Fong.
"Fixing our country," Kuvira said. "I understand, you can't leave Zaofu but I can, and bring unity to our people."
"That's not the point!" an angered Suyin said. "It's not your place to-" "Then whose place is it?!" Kuvira replied. "It would be the Avatar's, but we might never see her again."
"Unless you think she'll befriend Darth Vader," Baatar interjected. The other people already on the airship, such as Varrick and Zhu Li, didn't know who Vader was, but they were surprised by how angry Suyin got with her son.
"Mind your tongue, Junior!" she retorted. "You can't just go around, forcing the Earth Kingdom to do what you want." At that moment, Kuvira frowned at the reminder she wasn't actually part of the family and did the only thing she could do: walk onto the blimp with Baatar and take off. Suyin might not be willing to treat her with respect but soon, the entire Earth Nation would learn.
Opal had decided to visit her parents while on break from her training. When she got there, she ran into Hong Li, who said she should go to her mother as soon as she could. Opal found her mother crying in her study, with her father by Suyin's side.
"Mom, what's wrong?" she asked in concern.
"I chased your brother and sister away," Suyin said through her tears. "They wanted to reunite the Earth Kingdom. I told them it wasn't their place, just as it isn't mine. But all Kuvira heard was me scolding her for trying to fix a problem. Junior said something he shouldn't have, and I snapped back at him. Then they left."
"I'm sure they know you love them," Opal said reassuringly. "They just need time to cool off." Right then, a secretary walked in and delivered an envelope. Suyin opened it, and sadly looked upon it.
"If only this came sooner," she said as her daughter saw it. They were adoption papers, officially making Kuvira a Bei Fong and, legally speaking, Suyin's daughter.
"Just show it to Kuvira and explain your view, better than before," Opal suggested.
"No," Suyin replied. "She will just think I am trying to trick her. She needs to realize what I meant on her own."
Shortly after Kuvira formed her army to unify the Earth Kingdom, Bolin joined upon the invitation of his old boss, Varrick. As Zhu Li measured them for their new uniforms, Varrick jokingly asked who Darth Vader was. Bolin just stared at him silently for a moment and commanded him to never ask that again.
At Air Temple Island, Tenzin awoke to a scream. Rushing to his daughter's room, he saw that Ikki was up in a panic, and he quickly worked to calm his younger daughter down.
"Shh, I know, sweetheart," he said to her as he and his wife hugged Ikki. "I still worry about the Red Lotus, coming back."
"It's not that, Daddy," she said through her tears of fear. "I saw the man who killed Grandpa Aang. Republic City was on fire, he'd gotten all of you, and then he took his mask off. He had Korra's face."
Tenzin looked sympathetically at his daughter and hugged her, assuring her, and himself, it wasn't real. None of them, not even chatterbox Ikki, had revealed the story they heard about the man they now knew was named Darth Vader. Not only was it too shocking to believe, it opened a terrifying new possibility. Whatever his worldview was, it was unlikely the Obsidian Knight agreed with the Air Nomad philosophy, given how vicious and prone to murder he had shown himself to be. Instead of wanting to kill Korra, he might want to convince her to embrace his worldview. And unlike with Tarrlock and Unalaq, she was alone, save for Mako. Hopefully, she would have learned the dangers of manipulation by now.
On Coruscant, the exact moment Zaheer opened the portal...
Vader was standing beside the emperor during a security briefing with his master's cabinet. Then, he felt something strange in the Force.
"-so we must seriously consider the possibility that disparate rebel cells are organizing," Wulf Yularen explained to the group assembled. "As such, we must-" "Clear the room," Vader interrupted, surprising everyone. "There is something I must discuss with our master." Everyone was surprised but Palpatine nodded and everyone apart from him and Vader left.
"What is it, my friend?" he asked.
"There is a familiar disturbance, in the Force," the cyborg informed him. "It feels like that crystal I brought back to you, seven years ago."
"So, someone else has an intact Dathomirian crystal?" Palpatine asked intriguingly.
"It is more than that," Vader revealed. "In addition to the crystal, I feel the presence of the one called the Avatar."
"Perhaps reincarnation is real, then," Darth Sidious told his apprentice. "Find this Avatar and bring him to me."
"As you wish," Vader affirmed, walking out of the room and contacting Admiral Tion, the commander of his personal star destroyer Devastator, to prepare for departure. Upon arriving, he was met by General Appo, Assistant Director Namada, and Commander Corsin, as per his order.
"Shall we wait for the Admiral to arrive, sir?" asked Corsin.
"No, Shaef, he hasn't earned my trust like the rest of you," Vader answered, as Tion was just a rich fool who gained his rank thanks to familial connections. "Besides, he hasn't experienced what we all went through together." After a moment, his subordinates realized what he was saying.
"We have found the world of elemental users?" asked Namada.
"No, one of the elemental users has come to our world," Vader replied. "Specifically, the new 'Avatar' as they are called."
"I will inform the men to begin counter-Jedi drills," Appo said. As his subordinates went to brief the other soldiers on what they would face, Vader wondered if, perhaps, this Avatar would be more reasonable than the one called Aang.
Next chapter, Korra and Mako find themselves on a new planet. Soon, they will meet the fabled Obsidian Knight, who will decide their fate.
I'm not sure if I made the LOK cast OOC but the idea is that, after an insane trauma, only to learn something even worse, everyone was at their breaking point. I based it off Bolin screaming to Hiroshi about being a horrible father and Aang's entire meltdown in the desert. I also thought it appropriate to show the aftermath better than the show did. As for why Zaheer didn't have the crystal at the start, it had been found and sold at a pawn shop while he was imprisoned.
Honestly, I think Korra would have had greater trouble with Ghazan than anyone else, simply because of his Lavabending. Zaheer spent most of his time in the show running from Korra rather than fight her directly. And if he could barely overcome Kya and was incapable of beating Tenzin alone, there is no way he can defeat Korra.
In addition, I wanted to better explain what was only touched on: Future Industries almost went down with its founder. Asami alluded to it when she told Hiroshi to stop writing to her but didn't really explain what it entailed. Finally, I wanted to make it clear that Kuvira and Suyin turned on each other because of miscommunication, not malice from either. The truth about the Obsidian Knight is a secret known only to the people who heard Bolin's story and Tonraq and Tenzin's argument.