Opal was surprised to see her grandmother present when she and Bolin landed in Zaofu close to sundown. Bolin was excited when he met the famed Toph Beifong, who was rather disinterested. Seeing several Kyoshi Warriors nearby, Bolin extended his greetings. A young woman, wearing the traditional face paint of the group, with red hair, walked up to him.
"Do I know you?" he asked.
"It has been some time, my lovely turtle duck," the blank-faced woman said in a deadpan tone, at which point Bolin ran away in panic before crashing into Lin.
"Chief, help!" he yelled. "Eska is pretending to be a Kyoshi Warrior to keep stalking me!"
"No, she's not," Suyin said. "Her mother, Malina, is the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors, like her mother before her. Eska decided to take a break from the North Pole and help her mother here."
"So, really, you aren't in any danger from Eska," an older Kyoshi Warrior said as Toph walked back into the family house. Upon a closer look, Opal recognized her Aunt Malina, Eska's mother. In addition to her Kyoshi Warrior garb, she had her father's sword slung across her back. "I'm not sure the same can be said for Lin, though," Malina added. Bolin turned his head to see the police chief frowning at him.
"Well, I can see you have some questions," he nervously said. "It's a long and complicated story." Lin nodded and grabbed the younger man by the ear. "Ow, why did you do that?"
"So that you will listen and pay attention," an aggravated Lin stated before releasing him. Bolin asked to use the bathroom, and Huan led him there. After he got out, he ran back into Eska, who'd washed the face paint off. Trying to avoid talking about their past romance, Bolin looked for something to mention.
"So, you dyed your hair," he noted, pointing at her red hair.
"I stopped dying my hair," Eska stated. "I have always been a redhead, like my grandmother, Lady Suki. But after Mama left, my father demanded I become a brunette. He said red was the color of disloyalty. I no longer believe him, given his own disloyalty."
"Yeah," Bolin said, feeling a bit sympathetic at the reminder of her father Unalaq. "So, is Desna here, too?"
"He is back in the North Pole, leading our people," she answered, before looking at him, looking a bit more upset than before. "Bolin, I was sick when we met," she said with greater emotion than she normally spoke. "My father had been so controlling of me and Desna, that I convinced myself that to love someone was to possess them. I...I wanted to believe that Unalaq was as demanding as he was because he loved us. But...we know that wasn't the case. Desna and I should have gone with Mama from the start."
"Well, how are things with your mom?" he asked, feeling bad for his ex-girlfriend.
"Much better than they ever were with my father," Eska answered. "She...approved of you for some time...and then Kuvira's army donned those helmets."
"What's wrong with the helmets?" Bolin asked in an unconvincing tone. "They were designed by Baatar for maximum effectiveness. Also, they let you see in the dark and through smoke, while letting you breathe. Hell, they even help you breathe in the vacuum of space." Pausing upon realizing he'd said too much, Bolin was relieved when Malina showed up and took them to the living room.
"Wow, Wing, you're doing great!" Opal complimented her brother upon seeing him and his twin Wei compete in Power Discs again. Truly, the prosthetic legs that Korra's friend, Dr. Raylen, had installed were as good as advertised.
"Thanks for bringing the doc here," Wing said with a smile, before frowning slightly. "Though, I was rather surprised you sent your boyfriend to introduce him in your place."
"I love Mom but I'm more aware of her flaws than before," she answered her brother. "I thought staying away would force her to admit to them."
"Maybe Kuvira and Baatar have a point," Wei admitted. "Maybe Mom could have been more attentive, but I don't think that's why they're doing what they're doing now. And if it is, they really need to move past it. I mean, making their fan club dress like the guy who killed Grandpa Sokka? That's some nonsense I'd expect from Huan he'd call 'expressive.'" Soon afterward, the Beifong family assembled in the living room. When she realized Malina and Eska were there, Toph tried to leave.
"This affects you as well as us," Malina called out to the elder Earthbender. "You need to be here."
"I'm starting to regret leaving the swamp," Toph muttered. "Do you really want to have me here, Malina? I can't imagine it's easy."
"It was a long time ago," she answered. "And as a result, I have a wonderful sister and her family. I've forgiven Dad, so I can forgive you, Toph." Suyin smiled at her half-sister trying to mend fences with her own mother. Lin, however, seemed indifferent, more focused on Bolin.
"Okay, Bolin, is there any reason why you keep working with Kuvira, even after she confused peace with terror?" Lin demanded.
"Well, I think that's a bit of an exaggeration," Bolin said sheepishly.
"And you, Opal, you need to explain yourself, too," Suyin looked at her daughter. "I read the letter you sent with Dr. Raylen. It...was hard to read but I understand why you sent it. I did make several mistakes. But I thought I taught you and your siblings the values of freedom and democracy. It's something Junior and Kuvira seem to have discarded. And you are siding with them?"
"There isn't a better option, so yes," Opal answered her mother. "I've learned a lot in the last month, and there really isn't a better option."
"Yeah, we don't want slug men to grind us into cheesecake, right?" asked Bolin, before realizing everyone was looking at him like he was crazy.
"Bolin, what did I tell you about Cactus Juice?" an annoyed Lin asked.
"I didn't-""What did I say?" the police chief asked again.
"That it's bad and that using it even once is dangerous," Bolin answered. "But I haven't been drinking cactus juice! I...ah, forget it, I was never good at keeping secrets." Hearing a chuckle from her mother, Lin turned to face her, somewhat angry.
"What's so funny?" Lin demanded.
"Oh, nothing," Toph replied, before looking at Bolin. "Well, what secret have you been keeping?" After a moment's hesitation, Bolin relented.
"Well, it all started about a month ago," he began. "Opal was visiting our camp. She was talking with Kuvira and Baatar about what was needed to fix the country, and about how they felt regarding their parents. And then we were abducted by aliens who blasted us off in their spaceship."
"Alright, Opal, you're not allowed to date Bolin," her father said while everyone else was shocked by what he'd said. "Only someone on Cactus Juice could imagine such a crazy thing."
"It's not a crazy hallucination, it actually happened, Dad," Opal replied, shocking her family except for Lin, who seemed strangely unsurprised. "And Kuvira, Baatar, Varrick, Zhu Li, and over a dozen other people all experienced the same thing."
"I believe you," Lin said, surprising everyone else. "Even if they all took the same thing, they wouldn't see or hear the same thing." Toph suspected her daughter knew more than she was saying but said nothing.
"Right, Aunt Lin," Opal continued as she gripped Bolin's hand. "They thought it would be funny to leave us in space to suffocate but thankfully, we were rescued by Korra and Mako."
"Wait, what?" Toph asked. Unlike everyone else, who was shocked to hear of the Avatar, she seemed strangely unsurprised to hear about Korra. "Well, I guess that explains her attitude when she came to visit me in the swamp."
"Wait, Korra visited you in the swamp?" Lin asked her mother. "Why didn't you say before she was back?!"
"It's been a while since someone kicked my butt," Toph admitted, somewhat embarrassed. "She's much tougher than I thought."
"Leave it to Mom to leave out something important," Lin muttered before turning back to Bolin. "Why didn't you tell me your brother and Korra were back?"
"Well, they thought it best it stayed secret for a bit," Bolin continued. "So, while they were getting Zhu Li and some other people out of the slug men's mine, their friend, the Executor, helped me and Opal rescue Kuvira and Baatar, who were being forced to fight a giant monster in the slug men's arena. He destroyed the defenses of the planet by mind-controlling a giant squid."
"Wait, I thought you were in space, not underwater," Huan said.
"We were in space, this squid was living inside a...nebula, I think it's called?" Bolin continued. Noticing their skepticism, Bolin added "This is why we didn't tell you the crazy story. Well, that and the other reason."
"What other reason?" Lin demanded like a mother suspicious of her son.
"Well, Korra and Mako's friends are a little...scary," he continued.
"Why, what do these aliens look like?" asked Suyin.
"Well, most of them are as human as the rest of us, in appearance and behavior," Bolin explained. "Of course, the Executor is rather scary, on account of how he once crashed his bicycle into a volcano. At least, I think that's what happened. Not sure why he kept wearing a cape, though. Also, I think his legs and arms were completely destroyed, while the rest of him was just badly burned. It made him very grouchy as well as scary looking. Still, I suppose we can't-""Bolin!" shouted Lin, whose eyes had shot open in alarm upon hearing of someone burned in a volcano. "Stop stalling! There is something you aren't saying. Tell us!"
"Yes, Mom," a frightened Bolin said.
"Wait, he just called you 'mom'," Toph noted. "Did you and Tenzin have kids after all?"
"Not now, Mom," an exasperated Lin retorted to her mother. "And he said 'Ma'am.'"
"No, he definitely said 'Mom'," Eska added. "And you have been acting like his mother during the duration of this visit." A flustered Lin tried to change the subject when the door opened.
"Dr. Raylen, now really isn't the time," Suyin told her son's prosthetic physician.
"Actually, it is, right Lady Opal?" he asked the Airbender. After a moment's hesitation, Opal agreed.
"Korra introduced us to Dr. Raylen, as the prosthetics of the wider galaxy are the best Wing can have," Opal explained.
"Wait, so you're an alien?" Wing asked his physician in surprise.
"The correct term is 'off-worlder' Wing," Raylen answered. "I am as human as you are. As for other sentient races, the term is 'non-human' instead of 'alien' which is considered an insulting slur." After a moment, Baatar Sr spoke up.
"So, you are Avatar Korra's friend?" he asked.
"I met her about two hours after the terrorist Zaheer pushed her into that portal," the doctor answered. "She and Mako saved me, along with hundreds of others, from barbarians who thought we'd challenged them to a ritualistic war. Helping a friend of theirs recover from his injuries was the least I could do. But that is not the only reason I am here."
"Wait, it's not?" Wing asked his doctor.
"The second is to sound the alarm in case the Hutts attack," Opal said. "That's what the slug men are called."
"I would have informed you, but Korra advised I keep the truth a secret," Raylen added.
"Why, because you are an 'off-worlder' who'd get cut open to see what's inside you?" asked Wei. Everyone stared at him in surprise. "I read a silly comic, once. An alien got cut open after being captured for study."
"No, it is because of who one of the greatest leaders of the Galactic Empire is," he answered, naming his civilization. He pulled out a holoprojector and tossed it to the floor. "You are on, Lord Vader." Then, a red hologram appeared, the figure's back turned. He turned to face the Beifong family, shocking almost everyone at the sight of the Obsidian Knight. Lin just groaned in resignation, while Toph was clueless.
"What's going on?" she demanded, as her seismic sense didn't extend to holograms. "I don't see anything." Then, she heard the menacingly familiar sound of mechanical breathing, and after a moment of realization, her face shifted in fear.
"So, you do remember me," Vader's hologram stated. "Fortunately for you, I am not there for you to attack. Defending myself would be extremely damaging...for you."
"You dare speak of defending yourself?!" Malina exclaimed at her father's killer.
"That was all I ever did the first time I came to your world, save for one instance," Vader stated to her. "Your husband was not only a terrible brother and father, but a terrible son, as well. I came to ask the chieftain for my way home, and his son murdered him, knowing your tribe was foolish enough to believe him."
"What, you think we're going to believe that?" Toph asked in disbelief. One of her greatest regrets was allowing the man who killed both Sokka and Aang to escape her.
"Unfortunately, Mom, it's true," Lin stated, surprising everyone except Bolin and Opal. "Right before he crashed the party at Air Temple Island, he rescued Tonraq and Senna from some gang in Pohaui. Then, he told Tonraq his brother killed their father, and warned of pretty much everything Unalaq was plotting, except releasing Vaatu." The current police chief of Republic City looked to Eska. "When you were stalking Bolin, he hid in Korra's house. Her mother told him, Mako, and Korra this story, presumably in reaction to how your father had railroaded Tonraq for something he was clearly innocent of." Everyone looked to Bolin in surprise.
"Yeah, that's what happened," he confirmed. "Then, when Zaheer was boasting about how Mako and Korra would be killed by the Obsidian Knight, I lost my temper and retorted he would befriend them. As you can see, my prediction came true." After a moment, with everyone processing the revelation, Vader spoke again.
"It is most fortunate it did," Vader stated, turning to Suyin and her husband. "For if I hadn't, Bolin and Opal would be a pair of asphyxiated corpses floating in the void of space. The Hutts planned for Kuvira to be eaten by whatever starved beast they pitted her against for entertainment, while Baatar would have been addicted to working in a spice mine until his mind broke along with his body. And you would never have learned what became of any of them." At that, Suyin didn't know what to say. On one hand, she was relieved her children had avoided such a horrifying fate, but on the other hand, she refused to thank her father's murderer. Realizing his wife's predicament, Baatar Sr spoke up.
"You have our gratitude, Sir Vader," he said with a mix of gratitude and nervousness.
"You're welcome, but it is Darth Vader, Lord of the Sith, and Executor of the Galactic Empire," the holoprojection replied. "The Empire is the dominant power in the galaxy, and as Executor, only the Emperor himself can command me. Korra and Mako have recognized the Empire's greatness and are now helping spread it, but they are aware of how foolish most of the kings and queens of your world are," Vader continued. "Fortunately for your planet, your children trust the Avatar more than you do, and they, along with their army, are working to bring this world into the Empire. For now, however, Kuvira and Baatar must face a test on another world."
"What test?" Suyin demanded with an edge to her voice, trying to hide her fear at this revelation.
"The Sith are not the only ones who can use the Force and fight with lightsabers," Vader answered. "Kuvira and Baatar have already made a fine start in learning the ways of the Sith. Now, they face the true test of a Sith apprentice: to kill a Jedi or die trying." He then turned to Bolin. "I know they will pass this test, but you are in charge of their forces until they return, Commander Bolin."
"Understood, Lord Vader," Bolin stated as he held himself straight.
"What, you actually believe his claims of helping others?" an incredulous Toph asked before turning to Vader. "I ran into plenty of people like-uh!" The old woman held her throat for a second before falling to the ground, her daughters rushing to her side.
"You know nothing of me, the Empire, or the galaxy as a whole," Vader stated, releasing his grip and allowing her to gasp for air. Vader turned back to face the audience. "I promised my Apostles that I wouldn't inflict permanent damage if you attacked me. Still, you might need a lesson in fear." The hologram blinked out, leaving everyone, even the normally stoic Huan and Eska, terrified. After a moment, Toph spoke up.
"I think we need to process all this, before we continue," the elder Earthbender stated.
"Agreed," Suyin added. "We'll continue this in the morning."
"What about him?" asked Baatar Sr, pointing to Dr. Raylen. After a moment, Wing spoke up.
"Maybe it's best if you stay in your quarters for a while, doc," he said to his physician.
"I understand," the doctor agreed, leaving the room. Suyin called the guard post and ordered that he be kept confined in his quarters until further notice. After that, everyone went back to their rooms, with Bolin going to a motel to spend the night.
After Korra had tucked her children in, she kissed them goodnight and went back to the Platinum Bender. She and Mako took off from the South Pole to rendezvous with Orson Krennic, who boarded alongside his Death Trooper squad. They input the coordinates for the Fondor system and jumped to hyperspace.
"So, who is this traitor?" Mako asked the Director of Advanced Weapons Research. Krennic plugged his datapad into the holoprojector and a picture of an Imperial officer appeared.
"Admiral Amise Griff," Krennic answered. "He's been trying to gain resources for his own project for years at the expense of my own."
"What is his project, exactly?" Mako asked. "Come to think of it, what is your project?"
"You, along with Kuvira and Baatar, will be the first to learn on your planet," Krennic answered. "You have proven your loyalty to the point you can be trusted with it. As for Griff's project, it is a gargantuan star destroyer, or, as some have called it, a Super Star Destroyer. It will be completed regardless of what he does, but he wants the prestige of finishing his project before mine is completed. Of course, he needs to figure out how to effectively power it." At that, Korra had an idea but kept it to herself.
After arriving at Fondor, they approached the observation platform to the SSD and landed the Platinum Bender within. As they moved to the main office, they encountered several Navy Troopers in their path.
"I will need to see authorization," the leader growled, as if Krennic, Korra and Mako were not superior officers. Krennic displayed his authorization from his holocom. "This is most irregular, I will have to clear th-" Mako interrupted this fool by levitating him and his squad with the Force before slamming them into the floor, the three Benders charging forward while the Death Troopers stayed behind to hold the MPs captive so they couldn't alert Griff. Charging down the hall, they smashed through Griff's office. Before anyone could react, Korra Metalbent restraints around three guards while Krennic and Mako Firebent a wall around Griff. Korra knocked down five more guards with an Airbending wave, and then strode up to Griff.
"Time for a talk," Korra stated to the terrified admiral. After dragging him back to their ship, they blasted off and flew over a gas giant close to Fondor.
"You won't get away with this, Krennic!" the admiral yelled. "You and your freaks are done for!"
"When you cause an insurrection, it is you who are done for," Krennic smirked before playing a recording in front of Griff. It showed Griff, in civilian clothes, outside a shifty-looking bar talking with someone keeping his face hidden.
"I was told I had you to thank for my early release," the hooded figure stated.
"I looked up your records," the hologram Griff stated. "You are very good at forgery and playing a role, but you also know your way in a fight. I have need of such qualities."
"For what?" the hooded figure asked.
"I need you to find a way to handle a problem for me," Griff answered. "But simply killing him won't be enough. I need him humiliated before he dies." The hooded figure asked for information about his target. "Let us go somewhere else to talk about this," Griff said and the two walked away. Watching the recording, Krennic smirked.
"Agent Kallus is very resourceful," the director said. "That recording came from an old camera everyone thought was broken in that part of Commenor. Given your displeasure at my survival, and how you still stop by your homeworld every now and then, Kallus decided to look around your hometown." At that moment, Griff was noticeably scared.
"You will tell us who you hired for this," Mako said, using a mind trick. Initially, Griff resisted but when Mako tried again, he was more successful.
"His-his name is Arvel Skeen," Griff answered in a daze. "He's a forger who killed seven constables when they came to arrest him. Or at least, I thought. He was the muscle for the real forger, whose escape he covered. He and that forger worked to set things up on Maridun. Skeen was the one who posed as a miner."
"What about the forger?" asked Korra.
"I never saw him," Griff answered. "Skeen called him 'Nemik' and talked about him like his kid brother. From how he was described, Nemik sounded like a Rebel as opposed to a crook out for money."
"How can we find them?" asked Mako.
"I...don't know," Griff answered. "They took their money and fled after setting up the insurrection. But you interfered and it was all for nothing." Realizing there was nothing else to learn from Griff, Mako ignited his lightsaber through the admiral's chest, and then the Death Troopers tossed the corpse out the airlock into the gas giant below. Once, he would have simply arrested the admiral, but Mako had learned from Vader well. If someone was clearly guilty of such crimes, there was no need for trials, especially since he might escape and go on to cause more harm. Shortly afterward, the holoprojector started beeping. Activating it, an officer flanked by a pair of Navy Troopers appeared.
"Director Krennic, I am Major Sankharan," the officer said. He was about the same age as Krennic, but his hair and mustache were grey. "We need to speak about Admiral Griff's arrest."
"There is nothing to talk about, he is a traitor we have dealt with as such," Korra stated to the fool on the hologram. Sankharan frowned at how a much younger woman was addressing him as a subordinate.
"You might not be under my direct command, but I am your superior, and you will address me with proper respect," he stated with authority.
"I'm a colonel, so no, I'm your superior," Korra smirked at him, displaying her rank insignia clearly for him. "Also, I think you need some discipline, so here it is." She reached out with the Force like she'd seen Vader do and levitated the MP leader off his feet. When he realized what was happening, terror flashed across his eyes, while the other Navy Troopers also displayed their fear. "I think you should tell all your friends and superiors I can do to them what Lord Vader can do if they disrespect him."
"Yes, Ma'am," Sankharan nervously affirmed. "There is no need to further delay you." At that, Korra disconnected the call and the Platinum Bender jumped to hyperspace to rendezvous with Vader.
Kuvira and Baatar had been split up for their respective tests against Jedi fugitives. Baatar had been sent to a world called Raxus Prime in the Tion Cluster, while Kuvira had been sent to the world of Krant. As Baatar donned his uniform, complete with a chrome helmet, he gripped his lightsaber and jumped out of the shuttle.
Raxus Prime had once been an industrial powerhouse and regional capital of the Tion Hegemony. And like the rest of the Tionese kingdoms, it was built on piracy. They might have been more successful and prosperous than the Sandbender tribes, but the Tionese were ultimately raiders at heart, repeatedly rising against the Republic that preceded the Empire in the hopes of returning to their raiding ways. Unsurprisingly, the Raxus system became the capital of the Separatist Confederacy that forced the Republic to become the Empire. But while Raxus Secundus was beautiful, Raxus Prime was now a wasteland. Anything not given over to factories was covered with scrap metal and trash. Entire lakes and rivers of toxic runoff blanketed much of the planet, and outside of a few gangs of scavengers, there were no organics living on the planet. Or so it had been believed.
After Baatar checked his helmet and suit, making sure they wouldn't let in any pollutants from the air, he jumped out of the shuttle and began his trek. Seeing a collection of Rodian and Aqualish thugs whipping their Jawa laborers, he scanned the area and plotted his attack. Gripping a starship engine, he tossed it at the gunship the scavengers had close by, blowing it to pieces. As the thugs shifted their focus, Baatar charged forward, firing a stun blast into the largest Rodian, knocking him backward and into the acidic river below. Another scavenger jabbed his clawed gauntlets used for dismantling wreckage at Baatar. He ignited his lightsaber and chopped off both the thug's hands, kicking him backward into an Aqualish. Before the Aqualish could get up, Baatar stabbed through the maimed Rodian and into the Aqualish beneath him. Swinging his lightsaber through another Rodian, he deflected a shot back into an Aqualish's head. The Jawas jumped on one of the whip wielding Rodians and blasted his face with their plasma torches, while the Aqualish with a whip lashed at Baatar. Baatar deflected it and force-pushed him and two others into the acidic lake. Killing one of the Aqualish, Baatar grabbed his gun and shot the last of the thugs.
"Thank you, glowstick man," one of the Jawas said in their bizarre language.
"You're welcome," he replied before continuing his journey. Soon, he saw his destination: a replica of the Jedi Temple made of junk. As he entered it, he encountered several droids made from scrap, attacking with either makeshift blasters or clubs. He swiftly smashed them and continued to an elevator constructed in the heart of the Junk Temple. So far, the description of the Jedi he was sent to kill had lived up to his reputation.
Kazdan Paratus was rather bizarre for a Jedi Master. The Aleena was less interested in conventional uses of the Force and more how it could be used to help his obsession with building droids. His love of machines alienated him from the other Jedi, even as he distinguished himself on the battlefield and gained the rank of Master. During the Clone Wars, he was known for reassembling the battle droids he smashed into his own creations and sending them to wreak havoc on his enemies. When Order 66 came down, he'd run and was believed to have been killed when his starfighter was shot down. Instead, he hid on a garbage scow that took him here.
On the flight to Raxus, Baatar had been confused as to why Paratus had hid on the junk planet for so long. "Cowardice brought him here, guilt keeps him here," Vader stated. "He was afraid of fighting in the Temple, so he ran to Raxus. Now, he has recreated the Temple out of garbage where he stays and obsessively defends against any 'intruder' as he calls anyone that comes near. Whether they are broken droids, scavengers, or Imperial scouts, it does not matter, he will kill them." Looking through the interior of the Junk Temple, Baatar couldn't help but agree that Kazdan was living a fantasy version of his past life. Perhaps it was a mercy that he was there to end it.
As Baatar stepped out of the elevator, he entered a replica of the Jedi High Council chamber, with replicas of each of the Councilors made from scrap. Standing in front of them was Kazdan Paratus, wearing his four-limbed harness which he used to sprint and climb. Paratus realized he wasn't alone and turned to face Baatar, holding his lightsaber pike with his two mechanical arms. "Don't worry, masters, I'll handle this Sith trash," he muttered to the sculptures.
Baatar charged forward, slashing his lightsaber at Kazdan, who deflected the strike and swung the bottom half into Baatar, knocking him back. Paratus charged on his robot legs and stabbed at the young Sith, who dodged the strike before chopping a piece of garbage the mad Jedi sent flying toward him. Gripping one of the Councilor Replicas, Baatar sent it flying at Paratus, who smashed it out of reflex before panicking. "Please forgive me, Master Skywalker, I didn't mean to hurt you," the Aleena babbled to the broken statue. With Paratus distracted, Baatar charged forward and hit the lightsaber pike so hard it was knocked from its owner's hands. Kazdan retreated out of Baatar's reach and cast a bizarre spell, drawing massive amounts of scrap together into a gargantuan form. The colossus he assembled smashed at Baatar with its club-like right fist. Baatar slashed back but the armor was too thick to be easily cut with a lightsaber, forcing him to dodge the spiked claws of it's left arm. Gripping it's chest plate with the Force, Baatar ripped it off and sent a blast of Force Lightning into an engine core within the mechanical abomination, blowing it apart. At that moment, Paratus charged forward from above like a rocket, slashing wildly at the Sith Warrior. Blocking expertly, he kicked the Aleena in the chest backward.
"You won't destroy the Order's stronghold, Sith Scum!" yelled Paratus, gripping a large engine block and sending it flying toward Baatar. He jumped directly at the debris, smashing through it with his lightsaber as he used the Force to deflect the resulting explosion around him. He smashed down, locking blades with Kazdan, hammering on the Aleena until the middle of the pike broke, leaving only the lightsaber at the end in Paratus's hands. Blasting Baatar away with a blast of the Force, Kazdan retreated to the ceiling. But this time, Baatar charged after the diminutive Jedi, fighting Paratus on the columns that held the ceiling up. Paratus slashed at several of the columns but Baatar jumped closer to the Jedi before they collapsed. Paratus fired a blast of lightning at Baatar but he deflected it with his lightsaber, powering through at locking blades with the Aleena. Gripping the broken half of the pike through the Force, Baatar sent it flying toward Paratus. Kazdan deflected the attack, but Baatar severed his mechanical legs, sending him falling to the floor. Charging down himself, Baatar kept hammering at the tiny Jedi, knocking Kazdan's lightsaber away and cutting the master across the chest. Grabbing Kazdan's lightsaber, Baatar held it to the Jedi's throat in a scissor motion. But even then, he knew Paratus was beaten, and dying.
"I'm sorry, masters," Kazdan coughed. "I've failed you again." His eyes then shut and Baatar felt his passing through the Force. Feeling somewhat sympathetic for the mad old man, Baatar levitated his body with the Force and gently lowered it into the acidic river passing through the Junk Temple. As he left, Baatar called for pickup, along with a transport to return those enslaved Jawas to their homeworld.
As Kuvira came closer to the planet Krant in the shuttle, she learned more about the Jedi she was sent to kill. Shaak Ti was a member of the Jedi Council who had narrowly survived a battle with Darth Vader. Vader had killed her partner close to Nar Shaddaa and he'd almost killed her before she set a Rancor loose on him as a last-minute distraction. Kuvira jumped out of the shuttle high above Krant and used the Force to slow down her landing. As she approached the compound, she remembered what Vader had told her about it.
"Ti is a fanatic attempting to rebuild the Order exactly the way it was," Vader explained. "This means taking children too young to have convictions of their own. Unfortunately, she has had over a dozen years to do so since our last meeting."
"How many of them might attack me?" a worried Kuvira asked. She could have easily wound up in the same position as these children were in, if Suyin hadn't protected her from the Dai Li. She didn't want to hurt these children, either.
"A few of the older ones, perhaps," Vader stated. "But it is unlikely that more than one of them has a lightsaber, so they won't be a problem. You are more likely to fight the blaster-wielding Rebels helping Ti in the hopes that the Jedi Order they worship will return their precious Republic to them." Kuvira nodded, she hated such fools who worshipped the past. Vader would handle the second Jedi Master, Echuu Shen-Jon, while the Devastator and the fighters would focus on stopping ships that attempted to escape.
Upon reaching the outside of the compound, Kuvira Metalbent flechettes at the guards. Sending her projectiles into their throats or foreheads, she quickly moved forward. Spotting her, one of the guards grabbed a rocket launcher and fired at her but she force-pushed it into a different guard, blowing him up. Metalbending her accessories into a whip, she grabbed the E-Web turret and yanked it out of the guard's hands. Jumping onto it, she opened fire and mowed down the various guards outside the compound. Metalbending the door open, she turned the broken pieces into shields to protect her from blaster fire. Easily blocking the oncoming fire, she Metalbent more pieces out of the walls, slicing through several. Jumping forward, she impaled one on her Metalbent sword and whipped it around another's neck, yanking him off his feet and crushing his throat.
Meanwhile, Vader approached the north as Kuvira came from the south. Seeing several speeder trucks, he grasped one and sent it flying into another, causing a massive explosion engulfing the defenders. The remainder started firing at Vader, but he easily intercepted their attacks, bouncing the blaster shots back at them. Noticing one of the Rebels had a grenade belt, he used the Force to activate each grenade. Just as he realized what was happening, the Rebel exploded and engulfed four others.
Noticing one had a Z-6 chain gun, Vader grasped him with the Force, holding the Rebel in front of himself and facing the other Rebels. Vader forced the gunner to open fire on his own allies, cutting down many, before Vader activated the Rebel's grenade belt and tossed him at a new squad, dispatching them all in a fiery explosion.
"Everyone, retreat!" yelled a new voice. The voice belonged to Echuu Shen-Jon, a Jedi Master who'd escaped Order 66 by virtue of cowardice. Early in the war, Echuu had fought Asajj Ventress, who'd killed his apprentice. Losing his temper, Echuu unleashed a blast of Force Lightning, forcing the Dark Jedi Assassin to retreat. Afraid he was falling to the dark side, Echuu had exiled himself to meditate on his experience.
"Dark Lord, you will not pass!" the Jedi Master proclaimed, grasping a large tree and sending it flying at Vader. The Sith held it back with his own strength and sent it flying away as Echuu charged forward and slashed at Vader. Vader easily blocked and forced Shen-Jon to the ground. At that moment, Vader began to hammer on the Jedi's lightsaber, forcing the Jedi to the ground and knocking his lightsaber out of his hands. Shen-Jon retaliated with a blast of Force Lightning, knocking Vader to his knees and allowing him to grab his own lightsaber but Vader blocked the next slash.
"I thought you were too afraid to use the full power of the Force," Vader stated, somewhat impressed.
"I no longer let fear control me," Echuu replied, trying to unleash another blast of Force Lightning. But Vader grabbed the Jedi's wrist and squeezed, crushing it with his mechanical strength. As Echuu winced in pain, Vader sent him flying backward with a blast of Force energy, pinning him to the wall of his base. Moving forward, Vader blocked the lightning directed his way with his own lightsaber, and when he was close enough, severed Echuu's sword hand, and then beheaded him. Grabbing Echuu's lightsaber, Vader stormed through the base, cutting down any Rebel foolish enough to get in his way.
Smashing into a hanger, Kuvira saw one of the ships taking off but she Metalbent the engine out of it, grounding the craft. Leaping forward, she jammed the doors shut, ensuring the brainwashed children wouldn't flee before they could be helped.
Hearing something behind her, Kuvira ignited her lightsaber and blocked a strike from an electrostaff-wielding adult, who she quickly sidestepped and beheaded. As another two ships prepared for takeoff, Kuvira saw her target. Shaak Ti was a fifty-year-old red-skinned Togruta who was still quite beautiful. Her montrals, the headdress-like bone protrusions covering her scalp and her ears, were white with blue stripes, and the hollow interior gave her enhanced hearing to the point of echolocation.
"Maris, get on the ship and ensure the others escape," Ti commanded a younger, much paler woman wearing what could be mistaken for a bathing suit. Upon closer inspection, it appeared this apprentice had a crown of red horns sprouting up beneath her hair. Was she a Zabrak? If she was, she lacked any of the tattoos commonly associated with either the Dathomirians or the more common Iridonians. Maris, as she was named, had just cut open the side of the ship, ushering the occupants out toward another ship.
"But Master, you'll need help if Vader is close behind," the younger woman argued to her master.
"I will be right behind you," Ti reassured. "Now go!" The apprentice followed her orders and jumped into one of the other ships that was about to take off, while Ti stood in the path of Kuvira.
"I should have expected a Sith to endanger children," Ti taunted Kuvira. "It's a coward's tactic."
"They will thank me after I've freed them from the lies of your cult," Kuvira retorted, pointing her green lightsaber at the Jedi Master. Charging forward, Kuvira's first strike was deflected, and she was knocked backward. As Ti leaped toward her, Kuvira sent the Jedi Master flying with a blast of Force Lightning. Kuvira charged and locked blades with the Jedi Councilor.
"I see Anakin has a new apprentice, given your fighting style," Ti stated. "And he rewarded you with Bultar's lightsaber as opposed to have you build your own."
"My teacher is Darth Vader," Kuvira pressed against Ti's blue sword.
"I know what my fellow Councilor calls himself," the Togruta retorted.
"Lord Vader told me all about you, how you ran when the Temple started to fall," Kuvira taunted. The Jedi Master knocked the Metalbender back.
"I have many failures," Ti regretfully acknowledged. "I didn't believe Ahsoka, I didn't believe Fives, and I didn't see Skywalker wavering in his commitment to the Order. But I won't fail those children!" The Jedi Master charged forward, sending a blast of energy toward Kuvira which the younger woman narrowly dodged. The Jedi Master grabbed the discarded electrostaff and wielded it in her left hand. Jabbing at Kuvira, she dodged the staff and blocked Ti's lightsaber. Forming a dagger with her bendable accessories, Kuvira stabbed at Shaak, cutting her left leg. Knocking the lightsaber out of Kuvira's hands, Ti pushed her away, but she Metalbent a cable around the Jedi's right leg and yanked her off her feet. Shaak severed the cable with her lightsaber but Kuvira wrapped her cable around her own saber and whipped it at the Jedi.
Ti deflected the strike with her electrostaff but Kuvira gripped the green lightsaber in her left hand as she pulled a reserve lightsaber out with her right hand. Igniting the blue blade, she crossed it with the green sword and moved forward. Shaak grasped a crate with the Force and sent it flying at Kuvira, who chopped it in half. She broke the next piece of debris with a similar strike. Finally, Shaak tossed the engine Kuvira had previously torn out at the young Metalbender. This time, Kuvira leapt and smashed through it, pushing the explosive energy away from her. As she smashed down, she struck fast and hard with both her lightsaber, knocking the electrostaff out of Ti's hands. Grazing Ti's left shoulder with her blue blade, she blocked Ti's own lightsaber with the green one, not breaking her own momentum. Rapidly striking with both blades, Kuvira knocked Ti's lightsaber out of her hands and slashed her across the chest. As Ti dropped to the floor, fatally injured, Vader stormed into the room, having killed the last of the Rebels in the base.
"Excellent work, my apprentice," Vader complimented Kuvira. "You are as worthy of the blue blade as it's builder."
"You will lose, Anakin," Ti stated to him. "Maris has escaped with the next generation of Jedi and their teachings."
"We'll get them, later," Kuvira stated, stabbing Ti in the heart and finally killing the Jedi Master. After boarding their own shuttle, Kuvira and Vader learned one of the transports had been captured but unfortunately, it was a remote-controlled decoy. The life signs within were simply a pack of Nerfs used to fool the scanners. "We will catch the others, soon," Vader reassured Kuvira, who'd been looking forward to freeing these children from the Jedi cult attempting to indoctrinate them. "For now, we are headed to the Geonosis System to rendezvous with the others. It is time you learn of one of the Empire's greatest secrets."
Back on Elementia, Zaheer had just been put inside a cell meant specifically for him on the Boiling Rock. After being chained down, he was left alone and the door was locked. He had been stunned to learn of Korra's survival and how she'd joined a vast, conquering empire that spanned the stars led by the Obsidian Knight himself. The astonishment, and the trauma of Vader's interrogation, left him silent as the White Lotus dragged him into his new cell. How was he to achieve freedom through holy chaos now? He spent hours alone with his thoughts inside the cell, when he heard something open in the ceiling. A dark figure with a light brown helmet with two spikes stood in front of him. On the figure's body, was a set of grey armor covered with a brown fur cloak. On the figure's back, was a staff of some sort. The figure took off the helmet, revealing a red-haired young woman with many freckles on her face, surprising Zaheer as he thought it was a man.
"Shh, we need to be quiet," the woman in front of him said before Zaheer could say anything.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"My name is Enfys Nest," she answered. "I'm the leader of the Cloud Riders, a revolutionary group dedicated to fighting the Galactic Empire."
"You're-you're an alien?" he asked.
"I suppose so, but you shouldn't use that term," she said. "The Avatar has made the Empire far stronger than before, and the Empire will reveal itself to your world, soon. My comrades and I want to rescue you and the other revolutionaries here, from the Imperials in waiting. Are you interested?" Zaheer thought for a moment. This could be a trick to lure him and the other prisoners into a trap where they could be killed without question. Even if they were revolutionaries, they might not agree with his goal of freedom through chaos. Then, he remembered how hopeless he had been. He wouldn't be able to escape without help, much less defeat a galaxy-conquering adversary he knew nothing about. If he didn't take Nest's offer, he would die here, and everything P'Li, Ghazan, and Ming-Hua died for would be for nothing.
"I'm looking forward to working with you," he affirmed. "I don't know how the Equalists will react but I can bring the rest of the Red Lotus into line." Nest smiled before putting her helmet back on. She then turned invisible with a tap to her belt, hiding her from the guard who looked through the door. After he left, Nest climbed back up to the ceiling and continued planting bombs to liberate the prison.
So, Opal and Bolin have finally come clean. I hope I captured Lin's resentment of Toph, and everyone's shock at Darth Vader, as most of these people had no idea he was involved. I was trying to show Eska coming out of her shell with her mother's help but still capture her prior persona. I had Unalaq force her to dye her hair as a way of emotionally crippling her. Su has never even seen Vader before but still holds great anger toward him for killing her father. I see Dr. Raylen as played by Colm Feore.
Korra, Mako, and Krennic didn't inform the MPs of what they were doing partly because they feel above such procedure and partly to ensure Griff wouldn't have the chance to realize they were coming for him. I'm of the opinion that Skeen is genuinely fond of Nemik, given their dynamic in Andor, so I made them partners in crime, Skeen the cynic and Nemik the idealist. Mako executed Griff since he felt a trial was a waste, and Korra messed with Sankharan because she revels in her power to bypass foolish bureaucrats.
I decided to do two boss fights from The Force Unleashed I. Being the engineer, fighting a droid master Jedi was fitting for Baatar. Hope you enjoyed Vader's fight against Echuu. Kuvira, seeing the Jedi as no different from the Dai Li, doesn't realize she's hurting the kids with the Jedi. I based her fight with Shaak Ti off the 'Return' SWTOR trailer. Her blue lightsaber is the one Ahsoka buried with the clones Darth Maul killed while escaping. Of course, Kuvira thinks she's helping the kids Shaak and her friends were looking after, as opposed to putting them in danger.
I'm combining Enfys Nest's character with Karli Morgenthau from The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. Both are played by Erin Kellyman and commit numerous crimes in pursuit of their cause. Unlike with Falcon and Winter Soldier, her actions will be shown to hurt her cause.
Next chapter, Bolin and Opal are confronted by the others for their actions, Korra and the other Apostles see the Death Star, Baatar has an idea for the Executor, and Elementia is attacked. Also, Aphra isn't the only spy in the Air Nation.