Alexander Kallus was happy to speak to the Air Nomads. He proudly revealed that he was among the first Imperials to meet Korra and Mako, as well as the first to become an Airbender. "I can teach you some new things, Agent Kallus," Tenzin told the blond soldier, as he heard golden-haired people were called. "As long as you don't knock me unconscious, again."
"Thank you, Councilor," he replied. "Hopefully, I won't have to. Korra said you were the best Airbending teacher anyone could hope for."
"That's gracious of her, though I've never had much competition," the Airbending teacher answered. "Before we do so, however, my family and I are rather curious about Coruscant, as I hear your homeworld is called."
"There is Notron, and then there is Coruscant built on top of it," Kallus began. He proceeded to explain how, an extremely long time ago, the first Humans competed with the Taung, long before the later became Mandalorians, on a world called Notron close to the center of the galaxy. After the Taung had fled into space, the humans began building a giant city they dubbed Coruscant. Eventually, the city covered the entire planet, but they kept building upward, before sending frozen people off in slow-moving starships to colonize new worlds, all of this tens of thousands of years ago.
"Do you think we and the others here are descended from such a freezer ship?" a curious Meelo asked. Tenzin didn't know what to say, as this contradicted everything he and his ancestors knew about history. Then again, for pretty much the entire known history of their world, few people in the Elemental Nations even considered the possibility of life beyond their own atmosphere.
"A few of these sleeper ships got lost and founded their own civilization in the Tion Cluster," Kallus answered. "Perhaps something similar happened with your ancestors. Perhaps your ancestors were slaves who escaped the Rakatan Infinite Empire or were explorers from much later in history. Perhaps your past is like the myth Corellians like to believe about themselves. It's unlikely the answer will ever be truly known."
"What's Coruscant like now?" a curious Jinora asked.
"A giant city reaching into the sky, five thousand, one hundred and twenty-seven levels, tall," the Coruscanti answered.
"How tall is a level?" asked Ikki.
"At least ten stories," Kallus revealed. "The entire planet has been covered by this cityscape, except for a mountain range in the southern hemisphere. The lower you go, the worse it gets."
"What do you mean?" asked Ikki.
"The lower levels are so built over, the sun never shines down to them," the Imperial agent answered. "The lower you go, the less the law matters. In addition to crime, there is also the parasites. Most of these, like Stone Mites and Duracrete Slugs, just eat the building material, risking a collapse that for the upper levels would hardly be noticed, others, like Hawkbats, attack people. Then there are Conduit Worms, giant worms which feed off electricity, attached to the wiring inside buildings. If there is a blackout, they're prone to sending out feelers to look for energy. Usually inside the head of someone asleep."
"That's gross," Pema said, her family noticeably creeped out by the description of Coruscant's Underlevels.
"Any semblance of law and order vanishes at level one thousand," Kallus said. "Anything below level eight hundred is almost impossible to get to, poisoned by ancient garbage and infested with blind cannibals called Cthons. Apart from a few archaeological expeditions, the surface of the world once called Notron is effectively abandoned."
"How does anyone live there?" an amazed Jinora asked.
"We have machines that clean the water and air while other planets ship food to us," Kallus said. "In fact, under the Empire, the Underlevels are seeing new life with less crime. Even if some people complain about the replacement of the Republic."
"So, do any parasites get offworld?" Kai asked nervously.
"There is one planet where Stone Mites ate the surface of the entire world, and now any ship that lands there," Kallus said. "The main reason that happened was because a band of mad scientists decided to make them an actual weapon in a lab on that planet. And when there was a security breach, the planet was destroyed as a result. That world is now marked as a no-go zone on every map. So, that can't happen again...hopefully." Deciding to change the subject, Kallus looked to Ikki and noted there seemed to be something on her mind.
"Well, I have a question: why do Stormtroopers have frowny faces on their helmets?" she asked.
"Well, several reasons," their security chief began. "The helmets themselves can be sealed to stop smoke, poisonous fumes, and even the vacuum of space. Their eyepieces can see in the dark as well as through smoke. As for why they look that way, it protects them better than transparent masks while inspiring fear in their adversaries."
"I think it would be more important to look friendly or at least normal to others, making them more approachable and trustworthy," Tenzin said. Jinora noticed that Kallus seemed uncomfortable upon hearing that, as if a painful memory had been dredged up.
"Even before the Empire, the police in the Coruscant Underlevels wore armor and helmets arguably more threatening than that of a Stormtrooper, for the same reasons," he said. "Some cops used to working in nicer areas refused to wear them, thinking the same way as you. They were usually murdered in a few weeks, since showing their faces at work would have their work follow them home." Tenzin suspected Kallus was talking from experience, but said nothing, seeing this was a painful memory.
"Oh," Jinora said, figuring Alexander was talking about his own father. "Well, if you were our guide, I'm sure we'd see all the great parts of Coruscant!"
"Maybe one day," he smiled at the teenager. At that moment, Tenzin decided to ask Kallus what his job in the Empire actually was. "Most of the time, I am investigating reports into subversive, dissident, and possibly terrorist activity," he answered. "As well as stopping them from carrying out their plans."
"Sounds great," Ikki cheerfully said, before looking a little unsure. "But shouldn't the punishment come after the crime?"
"Sometimes," he said. "And then there are people who want to set off bombs in crowded places and are not only willing to die for their cause, but to outright kill themselves to further it. And from what Korra has said, you and your family have run into this brand of criminal before."
"A few times," Tenzin confirmed. "And when they revealed their true colors, warrants were sworn out for their arrests."
"And if he'd been investigated sooner, you might have learned of all the toys Hiroshi Sato had built for him," a Stormtrooper commented standing close by. This one had a gray shoulder pauldron.
"Perhaps," the Airbending leader admitted. "Could you take your helmet off? You are safe, here."
"I'm on duty, so my helmet must stay on," the white-armored soldier said.
"Okay," Ikki said. "What's your name?" The Stormtrooper hesitated, until Kallus nodded to him.
"Well, on duty, we are supposed to use our service numbers," he began. "To better protect ourselves from threats and blackmail, as Agent Kallus noted. But, since we're friends, my name is Sergeant Nathan Namada." A beep came from his watch, and he looked to Kallus.
"The Sergeant needs to make some rounds," Kallus explained.
"Okay, but afterward, can you come by and tell us more about yourself, Sergeant?" asked Ikki. "I'm sure there is no one on the planet who can hurt your family." After a moment, the Sergeant agreed before departing. Tenzin then looked to Agent Kallus.
"Korra said you could teach me how to contact my siblings and mother while they are in space," he said.
"Yes, councilor," the agent said. "I will set it up in the old council chamber."
"Thank you, I will see you there," Tenzin said. As the agent walked away, Tenzin saw Ikki talking with Jonah Mar, who looked somewhat hesitant at her flirtatious interest. Meelo was talking to Koko Partagaz, who appeared amused with the younger boy's crush. Jinora was holding hands with Kai, and Tenzin smiled.
Then Tenzin thought about what he'd learned from Agent Kallus. His father admitted he disliked Ba Sing Se for the city's rings which divided the Earth Kingdom capital between classes. Coruscant had the better off citizens literally on top of the poorer ones. That was in addition to how the idea of an artificial world was rather frightening to a Bender on its own.
On top of that was the reasoning behind Kallus's job and Stormtroopers hiding their names and faces. Were there really places where the forces of law and order would be safer hiding their identities? He'd often thought that only criminals had to do so, but he could understand the reasoning of Kallus, even if he didn't like it. And it was better to stop bad things from happening than to punish the people who did them. As he walked into the chamber where the Air Nomad council would have issued decrees over a hundred and seventy years ago, he focused on Kallus, listening to how the holoprojector worked. After it was turned on, he saw his brother.
"Bumi, are you any closer to finding Iroh and Mizuki?" he asked.
"I hope so," his brother's image answered. "Bossk seems to have found something, but unfortunately, Vader has decided to pursue a personal matter."
"Polis Massa was shattered to pieces about a thousand years ago," Aphra explained. "The only people in that system are Kalidahins." She showed the Bender family a picture of them. They were short, skinny, and most notably, their faces were completely blank, without even a mouth.
"Are they edible, as well?" a resigned Kya asked.
"No," she answered. "They aren't very talkative, as you can see, but they are constantly curious of others. Pretty much all they do is study ancient ruins and dead people under a microscope. Which is the whole reason there is any infrastructure on Polis Massa."
"They sound like your kind of people," Bumi noted, remembering that Aphra was an archeologist.
"Once, then I realized that they hide anything they don't immediately understand away from the galaxy," she answered, annoyed by this fact. "If they don't initially understand it, they think it's too dangerous to be studied and hide it away."
"And what if the thing they find is a truly dangerous weapon?" Zuko asked.
"Then it should be in an armory, not a museum," Aphra answered.
"So, the Kalidahins are who Bane is working for?" asked Bumi.
"Probably not," Bossk said. "I once wound up on their homeworld, injured from a particularly tough battle, with nothing to pay them. And they fixed me up and had to be talked into taking payment."
"In all likelihood, Bane is just handing them off to someone in an abandoned station," Boba concluded.
"Uh, so are they being sold now?" a worried Bumi asked.
"Well, the tracker is still transmitting and hasn't moved," Aphra said hopefully. "I doubt they could find and detach it pretty much immediately after dropping out of hyperspace."
"What if they swapped ships?" asked Zuko, noting she was holding something back.
"Perhaps they left something behind," intruded Darth Vader, stepping into the room. "Or perhaps this is a trap." Before the Benders could say anything, the pilot announced they were on final approach. As the CR92 approached the planetoid, the pilot confirmed there was air within the station they were heading to. Transmitting a signal to the closest hanger, the doors opened and the corvette landed within as the hanger resealed itself.
"I don't see the ship Bane used," Bumi noted looking out the window.
"The signal is from another hanger, we are landing here in case it is a trap," Bossk explained. As the ship opened, a squad of Stormtroopers rushed out and scanned the area.
"I sense no one inside this place," Vader said. "Perhaps Bane left something behind we can use." He marched out of the ship, with Aphra and the two bounty hunters close behind. After a moment, Zuko followed the Sith Lord outside the ship, himself followed by Bumi and the other two. The Stormtroopers announced they hadn't detected any explosives or unusual signals. At that, Bossk requested if he could head to the other hanger.
"Take me with you," asked Kya, thinking of her niece and nephew. Bossk agreed but told her to stay behind him and Fett. Vader was about to continue down the corridor when he stepped on something. The Sith picked it up, looked upon it, and then discarded it.
"Chelli, see if you can find anything in this station's recorders," the armored giant commanded as he headed in the opposite direction of Bossk. Bumi was initially confused as to who he'd ordered before Aphra stepped forward.
"Yeah, Chelli is my given name," she said, looking at the tiny piece of junk Vader had discarded.
"What is it?" asked Katara.
"It's a diving rebreather," the archeologist said. "Of a model discontinued twenty years ago. Not sure what it's doing here, though." As Fett, Bossk, Kya, and Bumi made their way into the hanger with the signal, Bumi saw the ship which Bane had used to abduct his children and so many others. He wanted to rush forward, but he knew there could be a trap there. Boba took out a scanner and didn't find any weird signals, or explosives.
"That ship has been here for a bit," Fett noted, before pointing to two similar pads within the hanger. "Those two pads have been used, recently. It looks like Bane handed his catch off to the customer, and they weren't their separate ways in different ships."
"His 'catch'?" an angered Bumi asked. "Those are my children and a bunch of farmers, fishermen, and new Air Nomads."
"And to Bane, they are just his catch," Bossk noted. "Now be quiet, I'm trying to sniff out some answers." He then started snorting, keeping his head close to the floor and other surfaces. He then noticed Bumi and Kya looking at him bewildered. "What?" he asked the baffled siblings.
"Aren't you taking the 'sniffing out' a bit literally?" asked a surprised Kya.
"Oh, I forgot you are still new to this," he said. "My people rose as predators, and we still have our keen sense of smell. Right now, I'm trying to find a scent that doesn't belong." While that was going on, the siblings followed Boba into the ship. They went inside very carefully, having been warned of the dangers of laser tripwires, and into the cargo hold. While they found several pieces of clothing showing that the captive Benders had been there, there wasn't any message or other clue to be found. Boba went to the bridge, and found acid pored over the controls and other systems.
"There is no data here, only melted silicon and metal fused together," Fett noted. After leaving the ship, he ran his scanner over the other docking pads, hoping to find something.
"Well, does any of that exhaust or grease smears help find my kids?" asked Bumi.
"The ship that took off from there was rather dirty, all things considered, with terrible exhaust," he answered, pointing to the left one. "The other was just...normal." Bossk then perked up and smirked.
"The Scorekeeper has revealed our quarry," he said. "I smell Human, Duros, Gammorean, and the others the commander described...and one that doesn't belong, definitely not here. At least five T'Surr were in this hanger within the last day."
As her children scouted the hanger with the two bounty hunters, Katara and Zuko followed Aphra and Vader into a different wing of the complex. Aphra chuckled upon seeing a broken medical droid.
"What's so funny?" Zuko asked her.
"I haven't seen one of those in years," she smirked. "It's a GH-7 medical droid. The last one I saw didn't know what was wrong with its patient, and said he'd lost the will to live, even after he said he wanted to live. I had a different droid scan the patient, and it turned out he had appendicitis. It seems that Human physiology isn't standard for the GH-7."
"Here is the facility computer," Vader stated to Aphra. "Get to work reactivating it."
"Uh, sure, boss," she said, noticeably wondering why. As new as they were to this world, Katara and Zuko couldn't think of why Bane would have brought his captives into this part of the base. Or perhaps Vader was thinking of something else. After a few minutes, Aphra spoke up. "I got some recordings, but according to the dating, they were made over a dozen years ago."
"Play them," the Sith Lord commanded. Soon, blue light enveloped the room. As the holograms took shape, three figures appeared. One was a floating droid, one was a handsome, bearded man in white or brown clothes that had been partially burnt, and the third was a black-haired young woman lying on a medical table. After a moment, Katara realized this woman was giving birth. The bearded man appeared to be her friend, not her lover. The droid held a child and said something in its language.
"It's a boy," the bearded man translated.
"His name is Luke," the woman said breathlessly. Several things in the room started shaking as the recording continued. Shortly afterward, the woman was handed a girl, which she named Leia. The woman looked exhausted and looked at the bearded man holding her children. "Obi-Wan?" she began. "There is still good in him. I know there...still...is," she fell to the side, no longer breathing, the man called Obi-Wan extremely saddened by her death. At that moment, all the glass in the room shattered, with the table itself flung to the side by Vader. The holoprojector was torn out of the wall and smashed into the floor. Katara and Zuko dragged Aphra out of the room so she wouldn't be hurt by Vader's rage as he started smashing everything in the room. They ran back to the hanger where their ship was.
"I guess the rumors about Amidala are true," Aphra quipped, trying to lighten the situation. Zuko realized that Vader's pain likely went beyond the burns all over his body, while Katara was reminded of Aang's rage when Appa was abducted in the Si Wong Desert. They met Bumi and Kya back at the ship, having already returned with Boba Fett and Bossk.
"So, Bossk smelled a race called T'Surr, which I definitely never met," Bumi said, showing a picture of muscular blue giants with crab arms coming out of their ribcages.
"Makes sense for the T'Surr to be behind this," Aphra said. But before they could continue, Darth Vader stormed into the ship and ordered it to take off. Even under the armor, it was clear he was agitated.
"We need ships more inconspicuous, send for a transport to bring Aphra's ship to Subterral, along with one of the hunter's vessels," Vader ordered, before turning to Aphra and the two Bounty Hunters. "Aphra, take the Ark Angel and head for Naboo. Find the mortician that would have prepared Padme Amidala and find out everything he knows. Then reach out to your contacts and learn all you can about Leia Organa."
"Got it, boss," she affirmed, before turning to Boba and Bossk. "So, would you guys prefer to have the Hound's Tooth, or the Slave One waiting at Subterral?"
"Bossk's ship would be preferable in this situation," Fett answered, before turning to their employer. "What is it you want us to do, my lord?"
"After your ships are delivered at Subterral, rendezvous with me, at Tatooine," Vader ordered. "I have unfinished business, there."
"Wait, what about Iroh and Malina?" Bumi asked. "We have a lead on them, what are you do-""The T'Surr can wait, this can't," Vader dismissed, storming down the hallway. Shortly afterward, they heard an alarm. Looking out the window, the four Benders saw what looked like a TIE Fighter but with a different shape than normal, screaming away, and then jumping to hyperspace.
"Well, I guess Lord Vader needs to handle something," Bossk said. "Maybe he's finally going to feed Jabba to the Sarlacc." The four Benders were worried. Whatever that recording was, it had deeply affected Vader, to the point where he had put it ahead of Iroh and Mizuki. And without Vader, there was no hope of rescuing them. It looked like all they could do was wait for Vader to resolve this and hope it was in time to save Bumi's children.
Korra and Mako found out that Eska and Desna had already departed on their airship, heading for Kyoshi Island to return their mother Malina. They knew that Malina wouldn't be easily swayed, nor the inhabitants of Kyoshi Island, so they needed a way to persuade Korra's cousins and their mother to go along with this new reality. Korra hit upon an idea, remembering how the Southern Water Tribe was originally started.
Long ago, when there was only the Northern Tribe, there had been much controversy over the first woman to be the Water Avatar: Kiawentiio. At the time, girls only learned the healing aspect of Waterbending, so the Waterbending masters grit their teeth when training the new Avatar. Angered at the lack of respect shown to her, Kiawentiio challenged the chief to a duel, only using her Waterbending, and won. The chief was honor-bound to grant her request, which was to build a new tribe in the South. 'The Rite Of Kiawentiio' had never been formally discontinued in the Southern Tribe, as it was a heavy part of their culture, but no one had issued the challenge in over a hundred years. Now, it would serve another Avatar.
After kissing their children goodbye, Korra and Mako got on a Lambda-class shuttle, along with the Elemental Hand, who had done well in combining Bending with Imperial technology.
"Set your weapons to stun," Korra instructed the Stormtrooper squad she'd taught the elements to. "It's time to show the Kyoshi Warriors the new world they live in but no one should die."
"Yes, sir," Sergeant LaRone, a skilled Earthbender, affirmed.
"Uh, Colonel, what shall I do?" asked Specialist Quiller, who was flying the ship.
"Get in your Dark Trooper armor, but don't kill anyone," Korra ordered. "Remember, stay out of sight until they attack me."
"What if they don't, sir?" LaRone asked.
"Then I will introduce you to them as friends," Korra said. When they were one mile off the coast of Kyoshi Island, Korra and Mako leapt out of the shuttle and used their Firebending to rocket to the shore. The sun had just risen and the shuttle landed out of sight. The five Stormtroopers landed on a hill overlooking the island, with the ship locked down. Korra and Mako used their comlinks to let the Stormtroopers hear what was happening above them even as the Imperials hid in the trees close by.
Korra led the way into the town and was soon spotted alongside Mako. The whole village was woken by the commotion, and the Kyoshi Warriors assembled. All of them kneeled in front of Korra, to her surprise. "About time I was given the welcome I am do on my own planet," she commented to Mako.
"Avatar Korra, it is an honor to have you on our island," the mayor of the town said to her.
"I have heard great things of your home," Korra replied to him. "I decided to see if they were true." Mako noticed how several of the Kyoshi Warriors seemed somewhat nervous, even if they were trying to hide it. At that moment, a White Lotus member, who Korra remembered as Chong, an Earthbending teacher of hers, appeared.
"We have heard...stories about your time away," he began. "That you have discovered life amongst the stars. And that you have made some...unexpected friends."
"They have educated me in about the truth of the universe, sensei," Korra said to her old teacher. "Just as I taught them the skill of Bending."
"Perhaps it would be best if we went to the Boiling Rock, where you could better explain this to the Lotus Council," he said, clearly trying to get her to go where he would have the advantage.
"The aliens who attacked Republic City rescued the malcontents there and the volcano was triggered on their way out," Mako revealed. "The future of your order is looking rather bleak."
"You seem happy about that, and who are you?" an angered Chong said, even as he was horrified to learn how his order had been devastated.
"Her husband," an unimpressed Mako retorted. "And the White Lotus is just a collection of old farts afraid of change in any form. If it can't adapt, it deserves to die."
"Tradition, and history, are not something to be discarded like a set of old clothes," the Earthbending teacher spoke up.
"Then prove it," Korra challenged. "My friends LaRone, Marcross, Brightwater, Grave, and Quiller have combined their skill and technology with the Bending I have taught them. If you think your ways are better, test yourselves against them." At that moment, the five Stormtroopers walked into view, their weapons ready but set to stun. LaRone was wearing normal armor with his jetpack, Grave was dressed as a normal Stormtrooper, Brightwater wore her Scout Trooper armor, Marcross had on Shoretrooper gear, and Quiller was in a Dark Trooper mech. Everyone in the town was noticeably frightened, all of them having heard the stories of the Army In White.
"I was surprised to hear you were in league with Kuvira, given her obvious ambition," Chong said, trying to keep up a brave face. "I never thought you would work with the Obsidian Knight, or Darth Vader as I hear he is named."
"Darth Vader and his Empire are the key to our world's safety," Korra said. "If you think differently, test yourself against them."
"Very well," Chong reluctantly said, joined by half of the Kyoshi Warriors. The other half remembered their ultimate allegiance was to the Avatar, even if they questioned some of her actions. The more doubtful Warriors followed Chong into an arena, where the five Stormtroopers were waiting.
"You know, Quiller, it might be a bit unfair with you in that Dark Trooper rig," Korra said. "Why don't you show them how tough you are on foot?"
"Yes, sir," the only Nonbender among the five answered, stepping out of the armor but setting it to lockdown. He was wearing his normal armor already, sans helmet. Korra could see the surprise among the Kyoshi Islanders and even Chong that under their armor, Stormtroopers were Human.
"Even Darth Vader is Human," Mako said, answering the question all on their minds before rocketing back to the shuttle to get Quiiler's helmet.
"If you say so," the mayor replied. "What rules are in place for this spar?"
"There are none," Korra informed them. "This way, the lesson will be most obvious." There were twenty Kyoshi Warriors alongside Chong, half being Benders in their own right. After Quiller donned his helmet, the gong above the arena was struck three times, and the fight began. Immediately, the Stormtroopers deployed smoke grenades, with Grave propelling himself away with his Firebending and Marcross Waterbending ice to slide across the field. She hit several with a stun baton, knocking them unconscious, while Grave dropped a flash bang between two, disorienting them. Quiller fired his E-11 stun setting into the pair, immediately knocking them out. He jumped out of the way of a Fireblast and landed on his feet, stunning the attacker. Meanwhile, Brightwater bent herself an Air Scooter, flying through a crowd of adversaries almost as fast as she would on her Z-4Z. Dropping an EMP grenade, the electrical discharge knocked out more of adversaries. Just then, Chong stomped the ground with his Earthbending, knocking most of the Stormtroopers off their feet. LaRone, however, rocketed away on his jetpack and tossed another smoke bomb which blanketed the field. The other Stormtroopers got back on their feet, and turned on their thermal imaging, easily taking care of their remaining adversaries. Chong bent a wall around himself but was surprised when a Metalbent cuff wrapped around his hands, and tossed him out from behind his protection, with LaRone Metalbending another cuff around Chong's feet. Grave raised his arm to block a Katana, shocking the Warrior who saw her sword bounce off harmlessly, before headbutting her to the ground. With a few more stun blasts, the fight was over.
"How can you be a Metalbender?" Chong asked in shock, looking at LaRone in astonishment. "It is an exceptionally hard skill to learn, and you don't even go barefoot."
"It's exceptionally hard with your teaching methods," Korra said. "Not with Kuvira's. And when you apply the methods of Darth Vader to teaching Metalbending, it becomes even easier." She then looked at the assembled people of Kyoshi Island, half astonished at what they had seen, half frightened. "This is just a taste of the technology the outside galaxy has," the Avatar began. "Others used it to abduct and enslave many others. And when I stopped them and returned their prisoners to our world, they destroyed much of Republic City and its defenses. The Galactic Empire is our world's only hope for survival, now that the wider galaxy has discovered us. I understand that many of you are frightened of their Obsidian Knight and Army In White, but they are our friends. You must not start a fight with them." The Kyoshi Islanders took in her words and knew the Avatar wouldn't advocate this without good reason.
"We thank you for our protection, Avatar Korra," the mayor said. "But Lady Malina is our leader, and we our honor-bound to follow her. This is something you should speak with her on."
"She will be here, soon," Korra said. "I will make her, and my cousins see the wisdom of my actions."
Mizuki and Cheng settled into the inn that Luke and Biggs had rented for them. Apparently, at this time of night, travel across the sands was liable to get you attacked by the 'Tusken Raiders' as the club-wielding natives were called, so they couldn't go back to either Luke or Biggs's house. As Luke and Biggs got them settled, Mizuki and Cheng wondered what to tell them.
"They might not have a concept of Bending," Cheng said. "Perhaps we should keep that to ourselves, your highness."
"Yeah, along with my royal status," Mizuki concluded. Both were exhausted and drifted off to sleep in the two beds, across the room where Biggs and Luke had stayed, unaware of a Rodian, having heard them mention Bending, was now speaking into his comlink.
After they got up, with Mizuki covering her shirt with a poncho Luke gave her to cover its tear, the Fire Nationals sat down with their new allies for breakfast.
"I promised Luke's Uncle Owen I would have him back before dark, last night," Biggs said. "Owen has a bit of a closed mind on Luke doing anything he doesn't explicitly say, so it'd be nice to know why you were out there." Mizuki figured Luke should get away from his uncle, as he sounded far too controlling to be healthy. But that was a conversation for later.
"A group of...pirates kidnapped us from our world, and sold us to someone else," Cheng said. "I think they were called T'Surr. They started some sort of surgery on our countrymen, inserting a tiny piece of metal into their skulls."
"Before they could do so to us, my brother caused a distraction so me and Cheng could flee to...a life pod," Mizuki struggled to find the right word.
"I'm sorry, Mizuki," Luke said sympathetically. "That is how slave owners control their property: a tiny bomb put next to your brain."
"Where are you from?" asked Biggs. "Maybe we can get you back and you can go to the authorities."
"Uh, there is a bit of a problem," Cheng said. "Our world doesn't have spaceships, and until two days ago, none of us knew there was life outside our atmosphere." That shocked both Luke and Biggs.
"Our world isn't even unified," Mizuki continued. "We only just invented the airplane."
"Well, I'm afraid I can't help," Luke said. "Even if Uncle Owen wasn't determined to keep me here forever, I don't have a ship."
"Well, you can stay with us for a bit, while you get used to life outside your world," Biggs said. As they walked to the outskirts of the town, Mizuki believed it was called Bestine, Cheng looked to the side and fell over in shock.
"What is that?!" he asked, pointing to a poster. Mizuki looked over and saw why it was so frightening to him. It was Darth Vader, standing in front of a group of Stormtroopers, holding his glowing sword in his right hand, with his left hand lifting a man off the ground by the throat. It looked like a battlefield triumph, meant to inspire people. But Cheng didn't know any of that, and Mizuki had only learned a little more when her father had related his second meeting with Vader on a jungle world. All Cheng saw was the Obsidian Knight and his Army In White being glorified.
"Oh, that's a recruitment poster for the Empire," Luke said casually. "Pretty much the only legal way to get out of here is to join up."
"And who is that scary guy with the red sword?" asked Cheng.
"That's Darth Vader, the Empire's champion," Biggs answered. Before the conversation could continue, a blue flash hit Mizuki and a collection of Aqualish and Klatooinians rushed forward with their weapons pointed at the other three, yelling in their language to back off. They grabbed Mizuki and put hand cuffs on her and rushed to a ship that had just landed close by. They tossed a case of credits to a nearby Rodian, who seemed rather full of himself, and dragged Mizuki on board. Before Biggs noticed, Luke had run for the ship and climbed up a landing strut, making it inside the ship before it took off.
"Your highness!" Cheng exclaimed in horror as the ship flew off. "As if it couldn't get any worse. Now I lose my people's princess to walrus people!"
"Yeah, well, you 'Benders' have angered a lot of people," the nearby Rodian cackled, flinging out his pistol toward Biggs and Cheng. "There are plenty willing to pay an enormous price for their own private justice." At that moment, a blaster shot erupted and shattered the thug's own weapon, knocking the Rodian down. The shot came from a man wearing a brown cloak. After pinning the assailant to the ground, the man holstered his own blaster, pulled his hood back and looked at Biggs.
"Hello, there," he said. Under the hood was a bearded man whose face had started to wrinkle and hair begun to grey.
"Ben?" Biggs asked.
"I was in town, and I heard some commotion," the friendly man said. "I take it Luke has decided to help a new friend in trouble." He then turned to the Rodian beneath him and asked in a calm but commanding tone where the ship had gone and to who.
"Nar Shaddaa," the Rodian repeated almost absentmindedly. "Teemo the Hutt's auction house." With that, Ben picked up the case full of money and came over to Biggs.
"I need to go to Mos Eisley," he told Biggs.
"Go ahead and borrow it," the young man said. "I'll take an Eopie to Lars' Homestead."
"Thank you, Biggs," he smiled, before turning to Cheng. "I will get your friend back, as well."
So, the Airbenders have learned more of Coruscant and their protectors. The Corellian Myth is something I might touch on in future stories. Kallus thinks he knows why Stormtroopers hide their identities but it isn't to protect them from blackmail or extortion, but to better indoctrinate them. Kallus remembers what happened to his own father when he didn't conceal his face and name in the Underlevels, and is applying that lesson to himself and the other Imperials.
Aphra's first comic had her stealing from Kalidahins and saying their stuff should be in an armory instead of a museum. Given how Trandoshans could track Ahsoka and the other apprentices on Wasskah, I figured knowing the scent of different races wasn't that big a leap. The Benders have gained a better insight into Vader, perhaps with some understanding, while Vader has learned his children might still be alive.
Korra and Mako decided demonstrating the prowess of their Bending Stormtroopers would be more effective than a simple argument. The Kyoshi Islanders respect the title of Avatar, given their history, and as such many of them are reluctant to defy the new one. The Rite of Kiwantiio is something I made up, along with the history behind it.
I couldn't resist involving Obi-Wan. The blaster he used is the one he killed General Grievous with. And of course, Greedo still has the worst luck. Given how several things that happen later don't really fit in with A New Hope that well, I decided to change a few things. For example, Luke has never heard of the Force because Owen hates it. But Darth Vader is not an unknown to Tatooine, given his place in Imperial propaganda. Next chapter, Vader visits the Lars family, Korra invokes the Rite against Malina, Obi-Wan follows Luke and Mizuki to Nar Shaddaa, and the Benders get to know Aphra and the two hunters better as Vader divides their party.