Italics are flashbacks.
Lin Beifong was on the presidential airship, alongside Asami Sato and her father, Hiroshi, heading back to Republic City. Lin's mother Toph was granted a ride on the ship as well. President Raiko summoned Lin and the Satos three into his office onboard the airship, saying he would like to meet Toph, later.
"Mr. Sato, I am releasing you into the custody of the presidential security detail," he said, gesturing to his personal guards to approach Hiroshi, surprising the three of them.
"Mr. President, Hiroshi Sato is an inmate of the United Republic Correctional Authority," Lin spoke up. "He should be-""Heading to the Boiling Rock," the president said, rather annoyed at the police chief. "But that went up in flames. Also, I have received some new reports."
Across the URN and Fire Nation, shuttles carrying members of the 501st Stormtrooper legion, commonly called Vader's Fist, flew to an assortment of prominent prisons. Many of them were on high alert, terrified by the knowledge of aliens in the universe, and of the Avatar having joined the most powerful of them, the Obsidian Knight. Several of the guards had fled home, leaving the remainder hard-pressed to keep the inmates under control. Most of the prisons had locked all inmates in their cells, in the hopes of handling them. This would work well for the Imperials, as Lieutenant Daine Jir and Captain Nahdonnes Praji noted.
"Alright, everyone," Praji informed his troopers. "We are here to deal with the high-value inmates that can't be left alive. But the guards are to be spared, if possible." He then donned his helmet, just as Jir did in his own shuttle. As Stormtrooper Commanders in the 501st legion, they had blue markings on their chestplates and a blue stripe down the right side of the helmet. The chest had been patterned to look like a Y but with eye slits. The shoulder pauldrons were completely blue, the gauntlets were striped, and two more stripes were on the feet. In addition to the armor which made the secondary dangers of battle irrelevant, the commanders had portable shield generators, akin to that of Droidekas but safe for organics to use. They needed it, as Lord Vader expected them to lead their squads in battle.
As Praji's shuttle got close to the Northern Water Tribe prison, with Jir's close behind, the Stormtrooper captain thought of his old commander, Hugo Schorner. Schorner had arrived on a miserable little planet, with Praji as one of the first birth-born Stormtroopers and began acting demanding and smug toward the unhappy locals. Nahdonnes, however, could only think of what the clone troopers had taught him in training, of being aware of your surroundings and taking the populace into account. One of the troopers recalled when a Tactical Droid on Ryloth had been ripped apart by the civilian captives he'd ignored when his position came under attack.
"Clones are yesterday's news," Schorner dismissed when the sergeant had raised his concerns. "The Empire is the ultimate power in the galaxy, and none can stand against us." Schorner had then threatened to have Praji relieved of duty if he questioned him, again. Still, in the middle of that town filled with distrustful and resentful people, Praji had remembered the lessons of Lieutenant Brick. And he was right too, as he spotted someone about to attack, and shot him. Soon afterward, a riot erupted, and Praji had used the opportunity to kill Schorner, who he knew would try to make good on his threat, embarrassed at how his subordinate had been right. During the inquiry, afterward, Schorner's father, a desk general, thinking Praji was just incompetent, tried to get Nahdonnes discharged. But Lord Vader had confronted him, privately, and Praji admitted the truth. Vader was impressed, both in Praji's initiative as well in his willingness to kill a superior he knew as wrong, and inducted him into the 501st. Praji remembered this, and how the locals wouldn't comply just because he was an Imperial, and prepared for battle.
The shuttle fired an EMP warhead over the closest power plant, shutting down power to much of the city, and distracting from the prison. At that moment, the two shuttles went in front of and behind the prison, with snipers in each leaning out the boarding ramps quickly shooting out the lights. The Stormtroopers, hooked up to winches, jumped out of the shuttles and rapidly descended, landing safely before unhooking and charging in. One of the Shoretroopers, now a Waterbender, launched himself into the air and tossed several flashbangs into the guard posts. Before the prison guards could recover, they were hit with waves from the stun setting of the Stormtroopers' weapons. As Praji entered from the north, Jir entered from the south. Within two minutes, the pair met in the Warden's office, having incapacitated the guard detail. The Warden had been restrained, and was utterly terrified, seeing the almost mythical Army In White in front of him. Praji turned to him and leaned forward.
"There are a number of prisoners that I have been charged with executing," Praji stated, his hands clasped behind his back. "If I don't know who they are, I will have no choice but to destroy this facility and all within. Both the inmates, and the guards. Now, where is the prisoner listing?" After a moment, the warden pointed to the ledger, and the two Stormtroopers quickly read through it, finding their targets. The ISB had compiled a listing of potentially troublesome inmates, in addition to those free who bore watching, and Praji had received the list for this Northern Water Tribe penitentiary.
"Sir, the lights are coming back on," the pilot informed Captain Praji.
"We'll be done before anyone gets here," Praji told the pilot. He and Jir directed their squads to the cells where the inmates, mostly Unalaq loyalists, were held. Praji found a cell, and saw one of the main targets: Hotah, a corrupt judge who was fully aware of Unalaq's crimes and had tried to sentence Chief Tonraq to death in a rigged trial. The former jurist was terrified at the sight of the Stormtrooper and tried to fight before getting knocked down with a single punch.
"You should have known helping your master's lies about Lord Vader would get you killed," Praji stated, to the judge's bewilderment. "Colonel Korra sends her regards." He then wrapped his grappling cable around the man's neck and constricted. Hotah had never been strong, and prison had weakened him further, so it took little effort to strangle him. After confirming his target was dead, with the other Stormtroopers quickly gunning down their quarry, Praji and Jir led their squads back to the shuttles, flying away just as the local authorities sent reinforcements to the prison. At that moment, many such scenes were happening at an assortment of Fire Nation and URN prisons, with the prisoners Avatar Korra and Darth Vader had deemed too dangerous to be kept alive being executed by the Stormtroopers sent.
"I've been hearing reports of Kuvira's army executing their own prisoners en masse, as well," Raiko explained. "And of such a mass execution in the South."
"Yeah, I heard of that," Lin said. "I am not happy about it but I'm not sure what this has to do with Hiroshi's situation."
"Well, there's a problem, Lin," the president stated, using her first name to demonstrate his displeasure. "I'm not sure I can trust you, or Tenzin. And definitely not Miss Sato."
"I'm sorry, Mr. President?" asked Lin.
"You waver between protective parent and displeased guardian with Korra and Mako," he said. "Half the time they were here, you were angry at them being loose cannons, the other you rushed to their aid whenever they scuffed their knees. The two of them return, having befriended the most infamous mass murderer in recent memory, defend his actions that day, and reveal they are now actively working for this alien warlord. And neither you or Tenzin have a problem with this!" He slammed his fist on the desk. "In fact, neither of you seem even remotely surprised by this turn of events! Nor does Miss Sato, come to think of it."
"I recognized that there is nothing I can do," Lin said. "Isn't that why you pardoned Darth Vader when you met him in Republic City?"
"Do not change the subject, Lin!" the president shouted. "That pardon was the only way to avoid being killed along with your department in that situation. Something that the Satos are well aware of." Asami reminded Raiko she'd been injured and was drifting in and out of consciousness at that moment, but Hiroshi remembered how the president, who he was relieved was a Nonbender, had Vader's lightsaber held to his throat at that moment. "And it doesn't explain how accepting of this you and others who surround the Avatar have been."
"We love Korra and Mako and are relieved they are back, no matter the circumstances," Asami said. "And we are willing to listen to what they have to say." Hiroshi didn't say anything, so Lin decided to continue the lie.
"Much of my frustration with Mako and Korra came from how they didn't listen to me," Lin said. "But this is a field they are well-versed in that is utterly unknown to us. Also, my niece and Bolin explained their own adventure with Vader, so I had already come to understand. I can't speak for how Tenzin and his family reacted when they learned but he's always been more patient than me."
"Well, I suppose that makes sense," Raiko said. "Another possibility is that you knew before anyone else this might happen and decided to keep it from me for some inexplicable reason, since you and Tenzin are expected to help me by keeping me informed."
"I would never do such a thing, Mr. President," Lin affirmed, knowing he'd never accept that, even if she had told him the truth when she learned it, he'd have been unable to do anything. "My job is to protect the United Republic of Nations to the best of my ability. How can I assist you in these troubled days?"
"Right now, I need you to convince your mother to assist in the rebuilding," he said, making note that Toph was riding with them. "A founder thought lost, now returning is just what Republic City needs."
"I can bring her in," Lin said, hearing that they were approaching Republic City over the intercom before she could leave.
"Miss Sato, I need to talk to your father, alone," Raiko said.
"I'm sure I can help, sir," Asami said. Lin disliked how the president was being more trusting of Hiroshi, a convicted terrorist, than of her and Asami, both distinguished heroes of Republic City.
"Anything you say to me, I will repeat to Asami and Chief Beifong," Hiroshi said. "Besides, I am not in charge of Future Industries any longer. And Asami has become a great engineer in her own right." After a moment's hesitation, Raiko stood up and summoned Lin to the nearby window, so they could see Republic City.
"That is what you missed while in Zaofu, Chief Beifong," he said. Lin looked out and was shocked. There were several crashed spaceships, surrounded by police, and many buildings ravaged by the recent battle, with columns of smoke rising behind the mountain range that surrounded the city. Most notably, however, was the giant carcass of the 'Gorog' as Korra had called it, laying in the middle of the city. There were plenty of trucks and people in protective clothing working to dismantle and carry off the abomination. "Chief Beifong, the best thing you can do is show the citizenry we are still in control. Over that hill, is a giant crater from the impact of the 'Hutt' flagship that Vader and Kuvira take credit for ensuring it didn't flatten the city. As for you two, Asami and Hiroshi, I need you to lead the effort in understanding and deciphering this technology. And perhaps in replicating it."
"Mr. President, I take it you don't want help from Imperial experts in learning about it," Asami diplomatically said.
"You are correct," Raiko confirmed. Asami nodded her head, as did her father, and the three left the room to prepare for landing.
"It looked like you wanted him to say it was okay to bring in Vader's people," Lin noted.
"I've been thinking about those time travel crystals, recently," Asami told Lin. "I've been wondering what it would be like to take a plane back in time to a place that's just invented the wheelbarrow. Recently, I've been feeling like a resident of that village."
"I get what you mean," Lin said, thinking of all the insane machines beyond their understanding that the Empire and others had brought to their world.
"I'm feeling like the stonemason who's carved that wheel," Asami said. "With the chieftain looking at me to figure out how an airplane works."
"And how to produce it's fuel," Hiroshi noted. "And whatever refined materials it is made from. Assuming, that it is made from things we have access to." Lin nodded and knew war with the outside galaxy would be disastrous, especially with how poorly they performed against a mere crime syndicate on its last legs and a few revolutionaries and pirates taking advantage of the chaos. But with the fear inflicted within the populace, the president had to appear to be countering these new dangers, even if it was just for show. And with that, Lin sat down next to her mother, with Asami and Hiroshi buckling in as well, wondering how to set up Hiroshi's house arrest and deal with the civil unrest.
"Pwoe's Pizzeria!" a squid-faced, orange-skinned-being shouted in an advertisement, broadcast to the Hound's Tooth as it was being routed by Nar Shaddaa traffic control to the Devaronian Sector. "We have the best pizza on Nar Shaddaa, Hutts eat half off! Calamari rings, twenty-five percent off for a limited time!"
"Wait, this guy is serving up his own people?!" a shocked Kya asked. "I know this place is rough but this guy makes a business off cannibalism?"
"He's not a cannibal," Bossk said, turning off the ad. "Still, Calamari pizza is tasty, too bad we're on the job."
"So, he doesn't eat the people he serves up?" asked Bumi. To which Boba brought up a hologram, one of a reddish-brown fishman, and one of the orange squidman.
"This is a Mon Calamari," the Mandalorian pointed to the fish guy. "The squid guy is called a Quarren."
"Huh, I guess it's a coincidence Calamari is a world back home for Squid," Bumi noted, looking at his new outfit. "Are you sure we won't attract attention, wearing this?" His clothes were muted blue pants and a black shirt. His mother Katara wore a large grey robe, while his sister Kya wore a light brown dress. Zuko wore light green pants and a shirt, while Suyin wore a subdued yellow cloak, bereft of her circlet and Metallic accessories.
"Yeah," Fett confirmed. "It's better than nothing. You are a collection of spice dealers from Corellia that Bossk and I are running security for."
"Why exactly is hiding who we are a necessity?" asked Kya.
"Because a bunch of Hutts and others are angry that Korra managed to defy them," Baatar explained, somewhat annoyed she hadn't realized that. "And in the process, took away a stable source of income, and destroyed the private retreat of one of the main clans."
"And killed their husbands, fathers, and brothers while liberating Ylesia's prisoners, as well," Zuko noted, understanding that even if what they were doing was horrible, the guards on Ylesia and Kor Besadi likely had families.
"Don't be ridiculous," Baatar replied. "Families sell out their relatives to outsiders traveling through here all the time. Or to places like Ylesia. And the families of the Besadi minions followed them to Kor Besadi. So even if they did have families, they died when Lord Vader rescued Kuvira and I, along with everyone else on that planet. If anyone attacks you for being a Bender, it'll be because they think the Hutts will reward them. Caring for someone beyond what they can do for you is almost unknown on Nar Shaddaa. And it usually ends poorly for the exceptions." Suyin frowned at Baatar's arrogant dismissal of the moon's residents, while the other four were somewhat displeased, as well.
"Baatar has the right idea," Bossk said. "Also, don't go asking questions to the moon's residents."
"That sounds counterintuitive to finding our way," Zuko noted.
"We already know our way," Boba replied. "Also, assuming you find one who speaks Basic, if it is a race that can do so, it's still a terrible idea. If he's willing to talk to you, he'll talk to anyone. And while you might not have a problem with him, all he will be thinking is how he can profit off you, and who to sell you out to for the most money."
"Hold up, we're landing," Bossk announced. As they sat down, Su looked at her son, looking somewhat displeased.
"What's the problem?" he asked her.
"I am sure this place is dangerous," she began. "I know there will be people indifferent to the suffering of others, here, and that there will be people trying to take advantage of us. Such things thrive when the government is corrupt, and this place has perhaps the most corrupt government I have ever heard of. But I have a hard time believing that's completely the case for a society of 100 billion people, according to this estimated census in the brief about it."
"Do you know what I encountered when the Besadis abducted us?" Baatar asked. "Minions who enjoyed lording their pitiful power over me, and talking about how, since I was a Human, the most common species in the galaxy, I was oppressing them. Which made it perfectly okay to leave Bolin and Opal tumbling through space until they suffocated, and to taunt Varrick on how Zhu Li would be addicted to Exultation and worked to death. She'd be broken when they showed her a recording of Varrick being eaten alive by a wild animal. Because his status as a Human made him an oppressor in the minds of these people, even though he barely knew who they were."
"Those people are dead," Kya reminded him, though somewhat hesitantly.
"And like Boba pointed out, Nar Shaddaa is filled with nonhumans who came for no reason other than Humans are a relative minority," Baatar reminded them. "We're breaking into a bar where the air itself is poisonous to Humans. Do you really think this brand of bigotry is uncommon on this wretched world?" After a moment, Suyin shook her head. "Then there is only one other thing to say," Baatar continued. "Klatooinians have a truly remarkable amount of copper in their blood. Enough for a Metalbender to control." That surprised the five Benders with him. But then Katara spoke up.
"Wait, so Metalbending can be used as Bloodbending?" she asked, shocked at the news.
"Not on Humans," Baatar stated. "But since there are no laws, here, you wouldn't be breaking the law anyway."
"I helped shape that law-""Laws are subject to change," Baatar dismissed. "Besides, Kuvira only escaped that arena on Kor Besadi because she could do this with Klatooinians." Before the conversation could continue, the ship landed, at which point they got up, and Vader stood by the boarding ramp.
"I will be gathering my strength, in case you need me," Vader told his apostle. "Be mindful of your surroundings."
"Yes, Master," Baatar affirmed, going out the door first, and seeing the local coming for the docking fee. Thankfully, he was a Gran, so it was easily dealt with.
"We don't need to pay a docking fee," Baatar waved his hand.
"You don't need to pay the docking fee," the Gran droned.
"You won't report our landing to anyone," Baatar said.
"I won't report your landing to anyone," the fool replied.
"We can leave now," he said.
"You can leave now," the three-eyed alien said, walking away. The rest of the party arrived, but Suyin and the other Benders were surprised to see the Gran walking away.
"He won't be a problem," Baatar said.
"Yeah, he'll probably forget us," Bossk chuckled, though apart from Boba, no one understood why it was funny. They continued on the way toward Teemo's arena, following the map on Baatar's datapad. Then, all of the sudden, Boba shot someone walking down the street, before quickly gunning down the man's entourage.
"Alright," Boba said, walking up to the dead man, whose face looked like a cat with horns on his chin, and took out a scanner which he waved over the creature, before taking a blood sample to be sure. "Yep, this is Marko Tyne, a Zygerrian who went on a slaver raid into Imperial territory. Standard bounty, but I'll take them where I can get them." At which point, Bossk shot a red-skinned, horned being in the back, before gunning down the Rodians he'd been walking with. Bossk went up and waved his own scanner over them.
"Okay, this is Holmar Sai Morrow," the Trandoshan smirked. "He hit and ran over Raith Sienar's oldest son, no wonder he's hiding on Nar Shaddaa. And one of these guys is wanted dead by the Rodian Hunters Guild. Nice freebie." While normally the five benders would have been most in awe of the various alien races walking the street, or of the endless skyscrapers and cityscape, they were most surprised at how absolutely no one seemed to care about what Boba and Bossk had just done. The only people who seemed to be paying attention were what appeared to be homeless people, who looked disappointed at how Boba and Bossk had claimed the money of their victims. After the two bounty hunters walked away, the scavengers ran up, including a Rodian, and dragged the bodies away. The five Benders realized it was probably best not to think of it, and followed after Boba, Bossk, and Baatar toward the arena.
"So, uh, what do you know about Teemo?" Bumi asked Bossk.
"He's a minor Hutt when it comes to the Kajidic hierarchy," the Trandoshan said. "He's trying to climb the ladder with a gladiator circuit. Which he's starting up, here. He's never been that important, so far. Even if he has bought an old Recusant destroyer to fluff his ego." He then saw a massive line in front of a large building. Looking up, Bossk muttered something at the neon sign.
"What's it say?" asked Katara, not understanding the lettering.
"It says 'Firebender round three in five minutes,'" Boba clarified, worrying Bumi about his daughter. "That's looking too crowded, and we'd never get our weapons past the security screen, anyway. Good thing the Jekk'Jekk'Tarr is right over there."
As Mizuki awoke, she found herself being dragged into a dark hallway. The person on the left dragging her was a brown-skinned being with three fingers on each hand, a small, shrunken nose-like protrusion, a triangular head, and insect-like eyes colored gold. The one on the right had more human similarities but his dark brown skin was so wrinkled it looked like leather and he had a series of braids on his scalp. Coming close to her was a brutish, red-skinned horned being with a flat face, who attached a metallic collar to her neck. An electrical shock from the collar woke her completely, causing her to stand on her feet.
"That will shock you much harder if you cross outside the boundaries," the red-skinned thug explained, pushing her into a large arena, with a giant spectator box in front of her, a huge slug creature within surrounded by its guards. The slug spoke in a weird language, to which the crowd cheered.
"Ah, our guest doesn't understand us," the slug mocked Mizuki. "Welcome to the games of Great Teemo! You will fight or you will die!" Mizuki noticed several of the audience looking at her, and while they were alien, she could still feel their lecherous attitude toward her. Soon, the door on the other side opened. Emerging was a giant, six-legged green beast with a long neck, sharp teeth, and three eyes. Its roar was a combination of a shriek and a howl, and it charged at her. Mizuki jumped out of the way and blasted it in the face with her Firebending, startling it and stabbing its spiked legs at her in this artificial grassland. She rolled around under it, narrowly dodging the attacks even as the dirt and grass were kicked into the air. Blasting its belly with her flames, it howled in pain. She narrowly avoided being crushed by the burnt animal.
While everyone else was watching the spectacle, Luke had managed to knock a Rodian unconscious with a wrench he'd found. The ship had landed in the arena's main hanger, where exotic beasts were brought in. And thankfully, the guards weren't that attentive in the hanger during this part of the show. Grabbing the Rodian's blaster, he snuck through the vents until he saw the Nikto place the slave collar on Mizuki. Moving through the vents, Luke followed the Nikto captain until he was somewhat isolated. At which point, the young Moisture Farmer dropped out of the vents and crashed down on top of the thug. Luke smacked the Nikto's face with his stolen blaster, knocking out the stunned adversary, and sifted through the thug's pockets for the key to Mizuki's collar. They might have only met two days ago, but Luke could see Mizuki didn't deserve this. And while Jabba might be the law on Tatooine, someone needed to show the Hutts they didn't get everything they wanted. And Mizuki herself also caught his attention. Bright golden eyes, long black hair, pale skin, strength underneath that largely black and red dress she wore, and the size of her chest had drawn his eyes. Then there was her sense of curiosity and optimism she had, despite being tossed into a new world she could barely fathom. Grabbing the key, he followed the signs to the service entrance. He didn't know how, but he would get her and himself out of this wretched hive of scum and villainy.
Obi-Wan had mind-tricked his way past one of the guards to enter the arena with his blaster and lightsaber. As he moved his way toward the interior, he saw that the way to Teemo's box was ray-shielded and that the person operating the forcefield was a Toydarien, making mind-tricks impossible.
"Hah hah hah," the Hutt roared from his box. "Our little Firebender has defeated the great Acklay." Obi-Wan looked into the arena. Inside, next to a dead Acklay, was a young woman roughly the same age as Luke. Her red and gold clothes, similar to those of the man Cheng, had been severely ripped, to the point her undergarments were visible, with her hair unbraided and flowing freely. Her golden eyes and pale skin, coupled with her jet-black hair, were quite striking. This must be Mizuki, the young woman Luke had rushed after. Obi-Wan, however, sensed something strange, about her. She felt like a trained Force user but her power felt...different than what he was used to. It didn't feel like a Jedi or Sith, at all. And he'd never heard the term Firebender before. All of the sudden, new adversaries for the young lady appeared on the other side of the room.
"Let's see how she does with Decraniated," Teemo laughed. Obi-Wan saw the group, and the name was fitting. They appeared to be a mix of species, but the top half of their skulls had been removed. In their place were tiny, electrical boxes, most likely cheap droid brains. They just felt...wrong to a Force User. There was no trace of the individual left, but they were still 'alive' in the sense a brain-dead patient was alive. The only freedom these beings could gain was death. Each of these Decraniated carried a weapon, some melee, some blasters, and approached Mizuki quickly. She sent out a blast of Fire from her fists into two of them, even as she was shocked by their appearance. They were eliminated but the others moved quickly, one jumping about to evade her attack, while another stayed back, attempting to line up a shot. Obi-Wan yanked a Decraniated in front of its contemporary, absorbing the blast meant for the Firebender. At that moment, Obi-Wan didn't know what to make of this young woman. He'd never seen anyone use the Force like she had. Perhaps she was from an unknown world with its own Force-using tradition. At that moment, Luke emerged from a side door and shot several of the Decraniated. Taking the opportunity, Obi-Wan headed for the beast storage. As he made his way there, he sensed a new presence. Some of it felt similar to Mizuki, some felt like the mix of greed and adventurous enjoyment common to bounty hunters, and the last felt like Vader but not quite. At that moment, he almost panicked. Had Vader learned of Luke's existence? Had he learned of Obi-Wan? Was he here for Mizuki? In any event, he had to rescue her and Luke as soon as he could.
"Get out of here, human," the Klatooinian stated to Baatar, before turning to Bossk. "Same for you, Trando. This is a Jekk'Jekk'Tarr."
"Oh, we brought protection," Baatar smirked, covering his face with a sealable mask before fastening his jacket up. His mother and the other four Benders did the same, having remembered the instructions to do so, while Boba sealed his own armor.
"Hey, we don't serve your kind here!" the Klatooinian shouted.
"You will tell us how many people there are, in there," Baatar commanded.
"I...think there are twenty in the first room, the same in the next," the bouncer droned, surprising the five benders present. "Then, there is an ammonia room for Gand and Arcona. I can't go in there. But there is an oxygen capsule in each room. The dancers are Humans and Twi'leks, so they have to remain sealed."
"The Ammonia room is right next to the arena, right?" Boba asked. Baatar commanded the Klatooinian answer, and he affirmed.
"How durable are the capsules?" asked Baatar.
"They're ray shields," the bouncer answered mindlessly. Baatar handed the bouncer a small device and commanded him to go inside and push the button on it in the first crowd of patrons.
"Uh, what just happened?" a baffled Kya said.
"The Force is rather useful for persuading stupid bullies," Baatar smirked.
"And greedy dock masters," Bossk added as he fastened his helmet on. Boba readied his blaster, and then a sudden explosion was heard from within.
"Well, there is our opening," Fett said, moving quickly. Baatar and Bossk rushed in, and the five benders quickly followed. As the two bounty hunters charged into the room, they gunned down a pair of Devaronians, and three Weaquays. Baatar leapt an unnatural distance and split a small, bug-like creature with some sort of breathing device down the middle, before swiftly beheading a Walrus-like being who had just pulled its blaster. Katara, noticing a trio of Klatooinians, Waterbent a whip that knocked them backward. Suyin Metalbent the walls into restraints around the trio, while Zuko blasted another of the small, bug-like creatures, inadvertently setting fire to its breathing apparatus, causing the insides of its suit to burst into flames. Bumi conjured a massive gust of Airbending, knocking the bartender, a Rodian, into the force field containing the dancers.
As the next door opened, Boba fired a missile toward it from his jetpack, blowing apart a Weaquay and a Gran. Leaping forward, he engulfed several more with his flamethrower, before shooting another Rodian. Baatar deflected a shot fired his way from a green-eyed Arcona into a Rodian before blasting the Arcona and two Devaronians with his Force Lightning. Kya sent several shards of ice spearing through the feet of several thugs, causing them to scream in pain, while Bumi sent several Rodians flying into the next room, which was tinted green instead of brown like the rest of the club. All the sudden, the Rodians began choking, as the Ammonia atmosphere for the Arcona and Gand was toxic to them. Boba surprised Suyin when he Metalbent a tile and sent it flying into a Weaquay's neck, beheading him.
Suyin saw a Klatooinian, and bent the copper in his blood, sending him crashing into the floor and knocking him out. As Bossk gunned down four Rodians, a Weaquay grabbed a chair and smashed into the Trandoshan. Bossk quickly shot the assailant but his helmet had been smashed open. Realizing their ally was in danger, Bumi Airbent a bubble of safety around Bossk, giving him an oxygen atmosphere for him to safely breathe. Pretty soon, all was quiet.
"Are you one of the Benders that Darth Vader sends to rescue people?" a desperate voice asked. Looking closer, Suyin saw it came from one of the dancers behind the Forcefield. She was a red-skinned Twi'lek, as Suyin believed the bald race with a pair of tails coming out of their heads were called. Looking closer, Suyin and her friends noticed that, despite the different species, she didn't look that old. Nor did the other dancers, who were all rather exposed. And given the collars that had a hook for a chain, and how their expressions were a mix of hopeful and desperate, it was unlikely they were there voluntarily.
"We can turn off this forcefield, no problem," Boba said. "But the air is a problem, along with the timeframe."
"We can't leave these people, here," Bumi said, encompassing Fett. "Help me get them free, and I'll get them back to the ship."
"I'll help, Bumi," Bossk said, having said the Airbender's name for the first time. "My helmet is broken, anyway. I can handle the forcefields, and then we get back to the ship with some extra passengers. The rest of you, continue with the mission!" The Lethan, as red-skinned Twi'leks were called, spoke to the other women who could barely understand Basic. As Boba and Baatar led the others to the back of the bar, Bossk tinkered with the forcefield and it shut down. Bumi encompassed the women in the protective bubble, and then they went back to the entrance, repeating the process with the other forcefield.
"You're a rich creep, I'm your bodyguard, and these are your slaves," Bossk told Bumi, explaining their cover as they made their way out of the bar and back to the ship. They caught a few side glances as they rushed back to the Hound's Tooth, but not enough for anyone to intervene. Soon, they made their way back onboard, and the eight young women, Human, Twi'lek, and a red-skinned woman with white tattoos on her face and what looked like a headdress made of bone with blue stripes painted on, settled in.
"Uh, I'm sorry we don't have any change of clothes," Bumi said.
"Why are you back here?" Vader asked, shocking the various dancers upon seeing who it was. The Sith then looked at the young Lethan woman. "Jade Sienar, you are a long way from Lianna." Bossk was surprised by the name but said nothing.
"Oh, uh, Lord Vader, I didn't know you were here," Jade nervously said. "I was taken for ransom, and while my father was negotiating, they put me in that horrible place." Vader then turned to Bossk and Bumi, who explained how the Trandoshan's helmet was compromised, and how they had decided to rescue these captives.
"I want to be there when they find Mizuki, but I know she's in good hands," Bumi said. All of the sudden, Bossk's comlink started beeping and when he turned it on, Boba yelled to fire the ship up because Kenobi had absconded with their quarry.
"Luke, what are you doing, here?" asked Mizuki as he shot several of the Decraniated, as these things were called.
"I'm here to rescue you!" Luke yelled, tossing her the key to unlock the collar. She quickly fitted it in, and turned, snapping the collar off just as Teemo pressed the electrocute button on the remote. Seeing another attacker, Mizuki shot a blast of flame out, destroying the Decraniated's droid brain and shocking Luke at her powers. Before he could say anything, another attacker smacked him in the head with a metal club. An angered Mizuki shot a lightning bolt through the attacker and into the one behind it, killing both.
"Ah, looks like our Firebender has a boyfriend!" Teemo laughed. Mizuki was wary of any new attackers but still looked over Luke, who was out cold. He'd been very kind to her and Cheng, complete stranger who had nothing to offer, and had charged into danger to rescue her from these 'Hutts' as the slugs were called. His rather handsome appearance was another point in his favor. Right then, there was a massive crash, and several animals started rampaging through the stands, tearing through the viewers. A door opened, and a bearded man, brown-haired but starting to grey, wearing a white tunic akin to Luke's, came in and shot a pig-man coming up behind Mizuki.
"Hello there," he said warmly. "I'm a friend of Luke's. My name is Ben Kenobi, and your friend Cheng told me your name is Mizuki."
"Yes," Mizuki said, cautious of this stranger.
"I have a ship that can take us back to Tatooine, but we need to go, now," he calmly but urgently stated. This man had the air of her grandfather when he was trying to comfort her, making Mizuki inclined to trust him. And while she was still suspicious, she didn't have any better options. She picked up Luke and followed Ben, unaware that the western wall of the arena was being breached.
I wanted to show what Lin and Asami were up to. Raiko spotted several coincidences, and he now suspects they were keeping secrets from him. They don't admit the truth because they don't think it will do any good. He wants to make use of Hiroshi's genius, and Toph's reputation to keep his administration afloat. I wanted to show a bit of the prison purge Korra had ordered and expand on a Stormtrooper officer assigned to it. The armor Praji and Jir wear is the Stormtrooper Commander armor, most notable in the first Force Unleashed.
Kudos to anyone who spotted the Robot Chicken reference. Baatar, given his own experiences, doesn't think much of Nar Shaddaa's populace. Hope I did a good job of capturing the atmosphere of the Smugglers Moon. Mizuki looks like Shippuden era Hinata Hyuuga but with golden eyes and Fire Nation dress. I included Raith Sienar's daughter because of an idea I've had for awhile, and for future stories. Hope you liked the action.