As Ikki raced toward the URN coast atop Oogi, she didn't realize that Cad Bane had hidden a tracker in the saddle. She hadn't wanted to run without her parents or the others but the explosion that had woken them up had destroyed the one radio they had. Ikki needed to get to the URN's southern coast before she could call for help. As she passed the cliff faces of the southern coast, something flew over in front of her. Turning around, it started shooting red beams at her, which Oogi narrowly avoided. The craft fired a missile at them, which the Sky Bison tried to Airbend away, but the explosion still knocked them falling into the sea. Ikki narrowly managed to cushion their impact with some Airbending, ensuring they didn't die on impact, but both she and Oogi had the wind kicked out of them, and they washed ashore.
In his starfighter, Cad Bane contacted the Besadis. "I've knocked the little girl and her pet out of the air," he reported. "I need to get moving to the next target. Send somebody to get her." The Weaquay captain he spoke to agreed and sent thirty men to find her. They would be there in fifteen minutes.
"Ikki, Ikki wake up!" a voice yelled to the young Airbender as someone shook her. Opening her eyes, Ikki felt a tremendous headache as she saw Ezra, the handsome blue-haired boy who introduced her to that litter of Bison calves. He'd bandaged her head and had just finished splinting her leg with her broken staff. Looking to her side, she saw his cousin Jonah, the handsome white-haired boy she met on the same day, waving a strange device through Oogi's saddle. Then, the device started beeping and flashing, at which point Jonah pulled out a knife and cut something out of the bison's saddle. Jonah blasted it with some Firebending, and then jumped down.
"They'll be here soon, we need to get moving," the red-eyed young man told Ezra, who Earthbent a sled beneath Oogi and began moving as Jonah carried Ikki in his strong arms.
"Please, we need to-""Aphra is getting Kanan and Hera to help the others at the temple," Ezra told her. "They'll be fine." Ikki felt reassured, forgetting to question how they knew who Aphra was. Soon, however, they heard a loud sound from the sky. Realizing what was about to happen, Ezra Earthbent a barrier over them. The ship above flew over them and set down at the top of the ridge. A significant number of goons exited, and the ship took off again.
"I will draw some of them off, you get her back to base," Jonah said as he jetted away with his Firebending. Tossing a fireblast their way, the Besadi thugs split up. Fifteen went after what they thought was a witness to stop him from calling for help, and the other fifteen chased after Ezra and Ikki.
"What about Jonah?" she asked Ezra.
"He's gotten out of worse," he reassured her as he got her to grab onto him from behind, hanging from his back as he continued to move Oogi with his Earthbending. Jonah had passed by a barn filled with an assortment of tools earlier that day and he had an idea. Going into it, he waited for the thugs chasing him to enter.
As the first four entered, he barred the door on the opposite side, forcing the ones trying to come in to go around. Jumping from the second floor, he smashed one on the head with a shovel before whacking another in the neck with it. Stabbing the shovel into one Klatoonian's foot, he rammed the dog-faced alien's forehead into its handle, knocking him down. Smashing it into a Nikto's head, the shove broke, so he tossed it at a Rodian, piercing his chest with the broken top. Grabbing a screwdriver, he stabbed a Klatoonian through the cheek. Pulling the Klatooinian up, he tossed the thug into two others, yanking out the screwdriver. Another kicked Jonah back and the other two got up but he dodged the next punch and stabbed the thug in the thigh, and then repeatedly in the left side. He rammed the screwdriver into a charging one's throat, before grappling the last and stabbing the tool through his ear.
Running for cover as the next five entered, he saw a pair of machetes, and grabbed them. As five Weaquay entered, Jonah came up behind one and stabbed him in the back of the neck. The next saw him, so Jonah stabbed through the Weaquay's left side before slashing his throat with the second machete. One of them turned to see him, so Jonah tossed one of the machetes into the thug's right shoulder, causing him to fire his blaster wildly as he screamed in pain. Jonah stabbed through this one's neck before swinging the second machete hard enough to behead the last Weaquay.
Spotting a lawnmower, he turned it on, drawing the attention of the last five thugs. As they came close to the lawnmower, Jonah stuffed a piece of paper in a gas can, set it alight with his Firebending, and tossed it at the last thugs. They were engulfed in the explosion, three flailing about in flames while the last two were sent flying. Jonah left the barn, but a Rodian narrowly missed him. Dodging the attack, Jonah fired a blast of lightning into the Rodian, instantly killing him, and proceeded to the rendezvous point. He'd have preferred using blasters but since he and Ezra were on a scouting mission in URN territory, they couldn't afford to be caught with alien technology.
As the fifteen thugs pursued Ezra, he set Ikki down and hid her and Oogi inside a Earthbent formation. Then, he punched a few holes into it so they could breathe.
"Ezra, what are you doing?" she asked frantically.
"Handling them, Ikki, I'll be right back," he calmly reassured her. After sneaking into the bushes, he almost bumped into a boarcupine, but holding his hand up and offering nice words got the prickly pig to relax around him. As the fifteen thugs came closer, Ezra saw them more clearly. Six were Weaquays, five were Klatooinian, and the last five were T'Surr. The blue-skinned giants had a set of thin, crab-like arms emerging from their ribcages in addition to their muscular humanoid arms, razor-sharp teeth, four red eyes, and carried heavy blasters. The T'surr were from an Expansion Region world of the same name and known for their strength and cruelty. They were rarely encountered outside their homeworld, and when they were, they were pirates, slavers, or some other type of criminal brutes. They'd become far less common in the wider galaxy since the rise of the Empire, as many of the organizations they were a part of had been destroyed by the Imperials, most notably the Orvax Slavers Cooperative.
Looking closer, Ezra saw the Besadi clan insignia on the jumpsuit of one of the Klatooinians. His face hardened in anger, these people were the ones who caused his parents' deaths. He would make them pay. But learning how to be a soldier and a bender had taught him to be careful. First, he bent a spike of rock and sent it flying toward the enemy. It went through one Klatooinian and into a Weaquay, killing both. Ezra quickly ran to another bush as the thirteen fired wildly. Earthbending a replica of himself, he sent it darting across the field, luring the thugs after it. Three Weaquays moved forward alongside one of the T'Surr with a chaingun. Looking closer, Ezra saw the grenade belt on the T'Surr. Remembering Kuvira's Metalbending lessons, he yanked the pins out of two of them. Before the thugs could realize what was happening, they went off, killing the T'Surr and two of the Weaquay's, injuring the third.
After that, the rest of the thugs bunched up, scared by what had just happened. Two of the T'Surr fired wildly in different directions. Ezra used the Metalbending cable Kuvira had given him to yank the first Klatooinian by the neck and hoist him into a tree, rapidly strangling him. He then sent a flechette through the forehead of another Weaquay, ripping through it like a bullet. One of the Klatooinians panicked and accidently shot one of the others, to which Ezra triggered another grenade belt. The T'Surr wearing it tossed it off in a panic and it landed at the last Weaquay standing, blowing him to bits. The T'Surr was joined by another and charged at Ezra. The second was knocked away by the boarcupine and rapidly cut up by the prickly pig's tusks and quills. The second grabbed Ezra with his large arms as his secondary arms began snapping at the young Lothalite. Ezra turned the ground the T'Surr was standing on into magma, setting him aflame. Ezra jumped upward, kicking the T'Surr in the chin and knocking him onto his back, burning him completely. Ezra saw the last Klatooinian, Earthbent a rock fist around his arm, and punched the thug so hard his chest caved in. Grabbing the thug's blaster, he shot the last T'Surr who had just pulled a grenade out. If the blue giant survived getting shot, he didn't survive the detonation.
At that moment, the ship supporting the thugs arrived, having been summoned by the wounded Weaquay. Ezra ran for cover as the ship's lasers fired at him. At that moment, a bolt of lightning flew out and struck the ship from behind, disabling its shields. Rapidly bending a clump of lava, Ezra tossed it into one of the engines, destroying it and sending the ship crashing down on the wounded Weaquay, exploding on impact. Jonah came up and accompanied Ezra back to the mound he'd erected to shield Ikki and Oogi. Breaking it down, Ezra called the sky bison out as Jonah picked up the injured Airbender, checking her bandaged forehead and ankle. Soon, the ship sent to pick them up came into view and set down. Oogi didn't want to go up the lowered cargo ramp but Ezra had a way with getting animals to do what he wanted them to, and soon the ship took off for their base.
"Where...where are we going?" Ikki asked her two rescuers.
"Somewhere safe, your mom and dad will meet us there, soon," Ezra reassured her. A short flight later, they landed at one of the main bases the Empire had on the planet. As they debarked the ship, Ezra led the sky bison over to a disused stable. At the same time, as a doctor looked at Ikki's injuries, the pilot strode past her.
"I am Bossk," the Trandoshan bounty hunter stated simply to her upon seeing her surprise. "Yes, Ezra and Jonah are offworlders, just like me, along with most of the people here."
"Korra is our friend, so we're rescuing everyone at the Southern Air Temple," as Ezra reassured her. "Sorry we couldn't tell you earlier."
"Yeah, well, as long as you don't work for Darth Vader, everything should be fine," Ikki yawned as the pain medication took effect, falling asleep soon afterward.
Tenzin and Pema were looking at their son's leg which Bane had stomped on, as all of them were chained down behind a forcefield. The forcefield was surrounded by an odd assortment of aliens: some looked like green pigs, some looked like spiders with walrus tusks, others had thick leathery skin, and some had scaled skin with bug-like eyes. The most threatening were the blue-skinned giants with four red eyes and a set of crab-like arms coming from their ribcages, holding the largest weapons possible. Chained down, with his son's ankle broken and his own leg burnt by Bane's attack, all Tenzin could do was hope Ikki got away from Bane. Meanwhile, Jinora and Kai had just finished hearing Aphra's explanation on who she actually was.
"So, when does Korra come back?" asked Kai.
"Pretty soon, she just needed to do something for the boss," Aphra answered. "Luckily, the team she set up for hostage rescue should be here...now." At that, a relatively large cargo ship appeared, and a four-man team exited. "We just need to hang back and let my friends do their job, and then we'll go to your sister."
The team consisted of Sabine Wren as the Firebender, Boba Fett as the Earthbender, Koko Partagaz as the Waterbender, and Agent Kallus as the Airbender, with Hera Komad and Kanan Jarrus piloting the ship. Koko wore the armor of a Shoretrooper while the others dressed like they did offworld, as the time for hiding their presence would soon be over. After plotting out their attack, they moved. Fett slammed into the ground with an Earthbending slam in front of the Besadi ships, breaking the landing struts of one and knocking the guards off their feet, quickly shooting them before they could get up. Sabine flew above another one and tossed a shaped charge onto it, blowing it apart. As many of the other thugs ran to see what was happening, Koko rained spikes on them with her Waterbending, skewering many. Sabine shot two with her blaster pistols, and kicked a fireball into the face of a Gammorean that got close. Spotting a sharpshooter, she cast a bolt of lightning into his head before he could fire.
At the same moment, Kallus and Aphra charged toward the cage with their Airbending, firing their blaster pistols and expertly eliminating the guards. Sabine quickly joined them, firing her own blaster pistols as she flew with her jetpack. The captives just looked in amazement and nervousness as the battle played out. Kallus turned his bo-rifle into a staff as he stopped and with a single swing, blasted several Weaquay off the mountaintop. A Gammorean swung his axe but Kallus expertly deflected it, knocking it out of the porcine thug's hands before stabbing and electrocuting his adversary. Turning the staff back into its blaster configuration, Kallus shot several Rodians as Aphra jumped on a T'Surr, ripped off two grenade pins and blasted him backward with her Airbending, blowing up him and three other adversaries.
Meanwhile, Fett and Koko fought their way to the makeshift command center. Fett shot out rocket darts from his kneepads, as Koko shielded herself by Waterbending an ice wall. After absorbing the blaster shots, she froze most of their adversaries in place but one of them scrambled toward a box and hit a button inside. Fett shot him and then rushed forward to it as Koko shot each of the frozen thugs with her pistol. Looking closer, he realized it was a powerful bomb and that it would detonate in thirty minutes, so he contacted Hera and informed her of the change in plans.
"So, I take it you aren't an archeologist after all?" a cautious Pema asked Aphra as the fight ended.
"I am an archeologist but right now, I'm your guardian," Aphra answered, seeing the nervousness and suspicion from the captive Airbenders.
"Where is Jinora and Ikki?!" Tenzin asked frantically.
"Jinora and Kai are on the ship my friends came in on, and some other friends are helping Ikki," Aphra stated as she shut down the Forcefield, before her earpiece beeped, and her face shifted in alarm. "Good thing the cargo hold is big enough for the bison," she replied before turning to Tenzin. "Well, it seems that the Besadis have rigged this place to explode."
"Wait, what?!" Meelo exclaimed as all the other Airbenders faces shot open in alarm.
"Yeah, and there's no way to stop the bomb, so you're going to have to board our spaceship," Kallus stated as he walked up to the chained Airbenders. "Unfortunately, given what our bending teachers said about you, there isn't enough time to convince you to trust us, so...we need to knock you unconscious." He then pulled out his pistol set to stun and fired numerous blue waves at the kneeling captives. Aphra did the same with her own pistol and the various Airbenders. Jinora and Kai wouldn't be happy about that, but they were busy getting the bison onto the ship. Fett quickly showed up and Earthbent the ground beneath the Airbenders, rapidly taking them to the cargo ship. As they arrived at the ship, the various crewmen worked to get them on board and fasten them into the berths, while Koko worked to heal Tenzin's blaster burn and Meelo's sprained ankle.
"Everyone strapped in?!" Hera called from the cockpit, waking up the four dozen Airbenders and White Lotus sentries fastened into their berths. "Good, we need to get out of here!" At that moment, the ship blasted off with enough force to pin everyone back into their seats, narrowly escaping a giant explosion that obliterated the Southern Air Temple. Tenzin was saddened to see his second home obliterated, along with so much of his people's history but he was relieved that his family and students were safe.
"I know you have questions, Dad, but Aphra can answer them better than I can," Jinora reassured her father. "Thankfully, Ikki and Oogi are alright, and we're headed there now."
"Well, now that we are away, I would like to...," Tenzin said as he failed to lift his harness over his head. The others tried lift it as well, at which point they saw what looked like a three-legged, rolling garbage can with a black top and three holes on its face, beeping and squeaking in what sounded like a conceited tone.
"Chopper is saying "no exiting your seats during the flight, you can depart when we land," Koko said.
"Wait, that thing has a name?" one of the White Lotus sentries asked. At that moment, a small device came out of Chopper's chest and zapped the sentry. A young woman with golden skin, dark blue hair, dressed in full battle armor, walked up with her helmet under her left arm and scolded Chopper for being rude to their guests.
"Go back to help Hera and Kanan in the cockpit," she told the droid, before turning to the others. "Sorry, he doesn't like being considered equipment instead of a person." She then turned to Meelo, whose cheeks had turned red in nervousness. "My name is Sabine Wren, I understand your name is Meelo."
"So...your blue hair is very pretty," the young Airbender nervously said to her, before noticing her black and red colored armor. "Are you a Firebender? Also, is your mom an alien with gold skin?"
"Yes, but it's my dad who's a Mirialan, not my mom," she said in a friendly tone. "She's a human but we're all Mandalorian, which is how I get to wear this armor."
"All of this is very interesting, but could you let us out of here?" asked Tenzin. "We appreciate you saving us but now we must be on our way to the other Air Temples. And someone needs to sound the alarm about this alien invasion!"
"Tonraq and Bolin have already been informed, and after we set down, you can fly down to Zaofu to tell the Beifongs," the second Mandalorian, this one in green armor still wearing his helmet, stated. "The thing is, our teacher said you are very stubborn and prone to ignoring advice either out of pride or misplaced distrust. So, none of you get to walk around the ship yet."
"Who is your teacher?" Pema asked.
"Avatar Korra," the green one stated, surprising them all. "She gave us our powers and taught us how to use them, as did Mako."
"But she figured you'd be a bit too slow to accept what she'd learned," Aphra added. "Which is why she's been working with her dad and Kuvira to do what's necessary before you can get in the way. My job was to sound the alarm in the event something you couldn't handle came up. Oh look, we're landing at our base, now. Please direct your questions to Bolin and Opal, who've been in on the truth the entire time." At that moment, the ship set down and the harnesses released.
As the bison were trotted out of the cargo hold, Tenzin looked to Jinora. He couldn't be mad at her since Aphra's help was the only way to save them but all he knew was that Korra had returned and hadn't bothered to reveal herself, yet. Still, he was more concerned over Ikki, who now had a bandage on her forehead and a slight limp, though they'd been assured she'd be back to normal in a few days.
"Daddy, that white-haired boy with red eyes I told you about saved me, along with his blue-haired cousin," she rapidly said. "Jonah is very handsome, Ezra is rather cute, and both are great with animals. When Oogi is better, can I take them for a bison ride? Also, Korra's back, she'll beat up those mean aliens with help from her new friends!" Tenzin resisted the urge to groan at how she'd developed a crush on two different boys. Instead, he turned his attention to Bolin and Opal, who'd arrived shortly before they did.
"You deliberately lied to me, you two," he said with an aggravated expression.
"Aphra is an archeologist, just not from the Earth Nation, she is an Airbender, and Korra did rescue her from a slave mine," Bolin said. "I just left out how it was owned by alien slug people who grind you into cheesecake after you're done." When Aphra heard that, she explained it was an expression, not a literal fate. "Oh, so Kay-Bee won't kill me if I'm left in charge of my niece and nephew?" he asked hopefully.
"Yes, he will," Aphra stated, having changed into the officer's uniform that she rarely wore, as she spent most of her time undercover.
"I was really hoping that was a joke," Bolin said before turning back to Tenzin. "Look, I wanted to tell you guys, but Mako and Korra thought it was best if things stayed secret, at least for the time being, and Kuvira and Baatar agreed."
"And after being tossed out into space with nothing but a simple suit keeping us alive, I figured we should listen to the experts," Opal added. "If Korra trusts Aphra enough to look after you, that should be good enough."
"But why isn't the Avatar here now?" one of the other Airbenders in the crowd asked.
"Well, Kuvira and Baatar are off learning some...new things offworld, and Korra and Mako are busy helping one of their new friends, so they couldn't be here," Bolin stated just as a beam shot up from the base, creating a forcefield above them. At the same time, such beams erupted from the ground across the Earth Nation, creating a bubble that encompassed the entire country. "Since the Hutts, who are those slug men I mentioned, are here with their own ships, we've activated an energy shield to stop an orbital attack," Bolin added. "Our friends have created such a shield generator in the South Pole, as well. Thankfully, Korra and the rest will be back soon, and this'll all be over."
"Who are your friends, anyway?" asked Meelo, who sounded a little suspicious. "Are they a bunch of white-armored guys with frowny-face helmets?" Bolin hesitated to say anything, so Aphra summoned some Stormtroopers, striding into view shortly afterward.
"Of course, they are," Tenzin stated in a resigned tone as he recognized the soldiers that had frozen him on the orders of their master. "I suppose that Darth Vader is here, as well."
"Uh, Master Tenzin, how did you know who these people would be?" asked one of the Airbending acolytes. "And who is Darth Vader?"
"I can answer that," the lead Stormtrooper stated as he pulled out a holoprojector. "We are Stormtroopers, the elite, frontline soldiers of the Galactic Empire. And this is the Executor, who commands our entire military. His name is Darth Vader, Lord of the Sith." He then activated the projector, creating a gargantuan red image of his master. All the new Airbenders and the White Lotus sentries were shocked to see the man they knew as the Obsidian Knight.
"Yeah, now you know why Korra didn't think you'd accept the help," Bolin stated. "Don't worry, though, Lord Vader was framed for the first murder, and since he needed to get to a doctors' appointment, everything he did was just defending himself. Except saving Korra's parents from some kidnappers, that was just him being nice."
"Are you serious?!" one of the White Lotus sentries exclaimed in shock.
"Unfortunately, he is," Tenzin stated. "Unalaq got impatient for his throne and said the stranger in the house killed his father. After fighting his way out, Vader, for some inexplicable reason, saved two strangers who had nothing to offer him right before he attacked Air Temple Island. And I suppose that Korra has 'learned the true nature of the Force' as Vader calls it?"
"Yes, so have Mako and my siblings," Opal answered. "We just got done explaining this to my parents, Aunt Lin, Aunt Malina, and Grandma Toph. They were a bit surprised to learn who Wing's new doctor actually is, but I think they took it rather well."
"How...how can you be so casual about working with the Obsidian Knight?!" one of the Airbender acolytes, Ping, asked, whose father was a Metalbender cops killed by Vader on Air Temple Island.
"Because there are no other options," Bolin replied. "Mako and Korra can explain it better when they get back, if this experience isn't enough for you. But your reaction is exactly why she decided to do so in secret." Pausing for a moment, Bolin turned to Tenzin. "You can't fly out of the shield while it's up, but we have a secure connection to the South Pole. You can talk to your mom and Kya to let them know you're alright." After a moment, Tenzin accepted the offer. As he walked to the communications room, Ikki came up to him.
"I have a very important question, Daddy," she said.
"What is it?" asked Tenzin, feeling exhausted.
"Can I still take Ezra and Jonah for a bison ride?" she asked. "They are too nice to be bad, even if we're not sure about their boss."
"And can I take Sabine and Koko for a bison ride too?" Meelo also asked, his cheeks turning red when thinking about the two beautiful women who'd just rescued him. "They also seem nice." Tenzin groaned, feeling as if a blood vessel was about to burst.
As the Platinum Bender arrived in the system, Darth Vader and his apostles studied a holographic projection of the situation. Durga, the Besadi leader, had brought everything the clan had left for this mission of vengeance. His flagship was a Recusant-class destroyer modified with a fighter bay, accompanied by three CR90 corvettes. There were also several large freighters close by, heading for the ground. At that moment, one of the ships fired on the South Pole but the energy shield Korra had helped the Imperials erect diffused the blast.
"The shield's holding," Baatar reported. "But the enemy ships are landing."
"Baatar and I will head down and take command of our forces," Kuvira said.
"I'm coming with you," Korra added. "I've been away for too long. And Raiko will soon be forced to admit that the world can't do without me."
"Mako, we will be using our starfighters against Durga's armada," Vader stated. "Baatar, you will join the rest of our ground forces."
"What about reinforcements, Master?" Korra asked the Sith Lord.
"The Devastator and Executrix will be arriving in four hours," he stated. "But we can't wait for them, and I sense something...off about this."
"Understood, my lord," his four apostles affirmed.
So, Ikki's crush on two boys from outer space has only deepened, and Meelo also has eyes for two girls from space, to their dad's frustration. I based Jonah's fight off the toolshed scene in Violent Night.
Next chapter, the Besadi's attack Republic City with some unconventional forces, Korra and Mako reunite with Asami, Vader takes to the skies, the Cloud-Riders break into the Boiling Rock, and the Empire announces itself.