After Suyin stepped onto the shuttle, Kuvira took Opal aside while Baatar did the same with Bolin. "Opal, there are a lot of things I have to say to Dad and the boys," Kuvira told her little sister. "I think it would be better if you and Bolin went back to base and organized those medicine shipments."
"I'm here to support your decision," Opal told her big sister.
"And I appreciate that," Kuvira smiled to the younger woman. "But there is a lot I have to unpack with Dad and the others. And Baatar has a ton as well. This is something we have to do on our own, like that mission to handle the Jedi Fugitives, just not as deadly." After a moment, Opal nodded and hugged Kuvira. Of course, that wasn't the only reason Kuvira and Baatar didn't want their little sister and her boyfriend coming along. Baatar took Bolin aside and told his subordinate to empty his pockets. Bolin pretended to but after a hard stare, he relented and did so. Inside was a ring with a reddish-brown band and a green gem on top.
"I thought it would be appropriate," Bolin explained with a sheepish smile. "I was going to ask her at the wedding but then I realized I hadn't gotten permission from either Suyin or your dad."
"You have mine and Kuvira's permission," Baatar smiled to the younger man. "Why don't you ask Opal while she's overseeing that medicine distribution?"
"I'd love to," Bolin said, before looking a little nervous. "It's just, I always heard it was proper to ask a girl's parents for permission before proposing."
"I talked to Appo, over there," Baatar replied to his sister's girlfriend, pointing to the stormtrooper general. "His girlfriend's father hated him for pretty much no reason and would never grant his permission. As Appo put it, all that matters is how she felt. For you, all that matters is how Opal feels. Besides, if we were obsessed with doing things 'properly' the Earth Nation would either be in total chaos or have some thug as it's self-proclaimed king." Bolin thought about that and agreed.
As the shuttle headed for Zaofu, Opal looked at Kuvira with a bit of confusion. "Was it really necessary to bring up the Air Nomad theory that Tenzin hates most?" she asked. Given the peaceful beliefs of the Air Nomads, many had a hard time believing they'd been unified through violence, like Kuvira had stated.
"I don't believe the narrative that the Air Nomads were any different than everyone else on our planet, much less across the galaxy," replied Kuvira. "I can believe they were as peaceful as we heard by the time Avatar Aang was born but for all their history? I think not. Tenzin acting like they were, is just his way of saying 'my people are better than yours, so do as I say.'"
"If you were more interested in learning about the Air Nomads, you would realize that isn't the case," Suyin responded to her eldest daughter. "Moreover, it seemed like you were deliberately trying to start a fight with him."
"Yeah, well, he's been opposing us from the start, even as we help our countrymen back on their feet," Baatar added. "My tolerance for his attitude is rather limited, needless to say. Besides, when you get past his surface-level politeness, it's ultimately just posturing about how everyone else is inferior. I've seen enough Freedom Fighters and Sozin's Sons disguise their bigotry the same way to recognize it."
"Tenzin can be a little stubborn and not as diplomatic as he should be," Opal told her brother. "But he doesn't look down on others, so to speak." Before they could continue, the pilot informed them that they were about to land. Suyin was a little surprised to see they were outside Zaofu, then she realized it was probably best not to land a shuttle in the city while most people were grappling with how her wayward children were now in league with the Obsidian Knight. It would be best if they entered on foot. Opal and Bolin waved goodbye as the other three departed, and as the shuttle took off, Lin saw a spaceship, bigger than the shuttle but far smaller than a Star Destroyer, flying past, with a pair of the larger 'walkers' as the ground assault vehicles were called, hanging on the bottom.
"That's a Gozanti," Baatar explained. "It's an armed cargo freighter the Imperial Navy uses."
"It can hold up something that large?" Suyin asked, surprised at the sight of the AT-ATs hanging from the bottom.
"The walkers are held with magnets," Kuvira added. "And the engines and ship structure have been modified for military duty. They are meant for heavy lifting." After marveling at the sight, Suyin led her children to Zaofu. After passing through the gate, Hong Li met them. He glared at Kuvira and Baatar, clearly displeased at how his old captain had invited the aliens who killed Avatar Aang and so many others into the Earth Kingdom.
"Your husband and kids are back at the mansion," he said to Suyin, glaring at Kuvira. "I thought you were busy helping your new friends set up shop."
"Our new friends," Kuvira corrected. "Besides, I thought I would see how my brother's doing. That offworld doctor can work miracles, after all."
"Thank you, Hong," Su said, interrupting the conversation before it could turn nasty. The inhabitants of Zaofu stared at Kuvira and Baatar Jr, both proudly wearing the lightsabers Darth Vader had given them. Soon, they entered the home they grew up in.
Baatar Sr had been having a rather stressful last three days. First, he learned that aliens existed, and that three of his children had briefly been abducted by them. Second, it turned out the Avatar had also returned. And third, the Obsidian Knight was the leader of the aliens who had helped them. All while the new doctor helping his son adjust to prosthetics was also a servant of Darth Vader, as he'd learned the Knight was named. And both his daughters and eldest son had decided not to return home and confide in their family, instead working in secret with Vader and his Galactic Empire. Wing, whose doctor was explaining how to maintain his new legs, noticed his father's downcast expression.
"Dad, what's wrong?" he asked.
"I'm just wondering what your siblings were thinking," the architect said to his son. "Do they think so little of their family that, when they learn a world-changing revelation, they keep it to themselves?"
"You give your children too little credit," Dr. Raylen spoke up. "I don't know exactly what happened between you, but I know that they care very much for their family."
"How would you know that?" Wei asked his twin's physician. "From what I understand, you knew Korra longer and you only briefly met Kuvira and Big Bro."
"When I met your brother, he learned I could attach new prosthetics with relative ease," Raylen explained, before turning to Wing. "While his own wound was being examined, he immediately started asking when I could attach new legs to you. Even at the height of his pain, he was thinking of how he could help his little brother." The twins and their father were surprised. Baatar Jr had been noticeably less than affectionate with them for the last few years and had repeatedly rejected their attempts at communication when he joined Kuvira's war to unify the Earth Kingdom. It was a relief that he still cared for them, but it was somewhat surprising. Then Huan spoke up, having noticed something.
"What wound was he being examined for?" the Metalbending sculptor asked. At that, the twins and their father also remembered what Raylen had said.
"He asked I not tell you," The doctor said. "But you might as well know now: A piece of debris sliced off his right arm." That shocked the Beifong brothers and their father, hearing the eldest child had been maimed and hadn't even told them. "Not to worry," Raylen continued. "He has a fully functional prosthetic arm, in its place."
"Is losing a limb just another day for you people?" an incredulous Wei asked.
"Oh, it's very common in the wider galaxy," Raylen confirmed. "That is why the prosthetic industry is so profitable." Before they could continue, the door opened, and Suyin walked through. Her husband and sons were surprised, so she explained how she'd been given a ride by one of the Imperials, alongside Kuvira and Baatar Jr.
"Tenzin, Lin, and Katara are having a long talk with Korra and Mako," Su explained to her husband, before pointing to the door behind her. "Kuvira and Junior came here to do the same with us." With that, Kuvira and Baatar Jr walked around the corner, both having a thin smile on their faces. Baatar had shaved off his short beard and taken off the glasses that made him resemble his father so much and had grown out his hair into a short ponytail reminiscent of the ones often worn by Gaoling men before they submitted to the Earth King, then called the King of the Wall. Kuvira had tied her hair into a tight bun but still had the stylized eyelashes her adoptive parents had taught her. Before either could say anything, Baatar Sr rushed forward and hugged the son and daughter he hadn't seen in almost a year.
"I'm so glad you're here," he said. "I heard about that 'Exultation' those gangsters wanted to subject you to." After a moment, Kuvira and Baatar Jr hugged the older man in response.
"It's good to see you, too," the young woman smiled warmly. At that moment, Baatar Sr remembered something over a decade earlier. He'd been working on a new project for several days and had forgotten to go to lunch. Kuvira, who was nine years old at the time and had been with them for over a year at that point, climbed onto his desk and gave him her chicken and rice lunch. He'd graciously accepted after she affirmed her willingness to part with it, and after she left for class, he realized that Kuvira was becoming more than just another of his wife's Metalbending students.
"Nice to see you, Dad," Baatar Jr said with less enthusiasm, before looking at Wing. "So, how are you liking the new legs?"
"They're great!" Wing exclaimed, rushing up to his older siblings. He'd certainly adapted well to his new legs. "Thanks for introducing the doc." He then turned around and thanked Dr. Raylen.
"You're welcome," he smiled before standing up and walking out of the room, knowing this was a familial talk that he shouldn't be a part of. After the doctor left, Baatar Sr looked at his oldest son's prosthetic arm. He felt the need to grasp the cold metal for it to sink in that it was now gone.
"Why didn't you tell me, Junior?" he asked in shock.
"Well, apart from getting used to it, we were processing all that we had learned about the wider galaxy," Baatar told his father, displeased at the hated moniker of Junior. "And what else we'd realized." At that moment, he stepped back and grasped Kuvira's hand rather tightly, to which she reciprocated.
"Baatar has always been in love with me," she smiled to her adoptive parents and siblings. "I feel the same way and I'm done denying it." Suyin, Baatar Sr, and the other boys were a bit surprised, as while they suspected Baatar Jr had romantic feelings for her, they weren't sure Kuvira felt the same way. Normally, Suyin and her husband would have been rather pleased with this except for the alien excursion that led to it.
"I suppose I should be happy for you," Huan said in a dry tone. "But all I can wonder is how you embraced Darth Vader and this Empire he leads."
"The Empire is the best protection our world could ask for against the Hutts, or any other enemy," Kuvira stated. With that, the focus returned to what this meeting was truly about: their alliance with the Obsidian Knight.
"Why are you even questioning this?" Baatar Jr asked, completely baffled. "The Avatar herself has validated Darth Vader as an ally."
"After he killed the last one," noted Baatar Sr.
"Darth Vader didn't kill Aang," his son plainly stated, to the shock of even Kuvira. "He didn't kill anyone on his first visit, except a single gang of kidnappers. Everyone else who died was murdered by Unalaq, who murdered his own father and blamed the stranger who came to them looking for help."
"I've never heard it explained that way, before," Suyin said, baffled by the description, especially since her own father was killed by the Sith Lord.
"Not how I would have put it, but the fault was Unalaq's," Kuvira noted.
"Perhaps we should let bygones be bygones," Wei said to his older siblings. "But that Hutt crime syndicate is destroyed, now. There aren't any pressing threats, right?"
"There are always those willing to take advantage of people disadvantaged against them," Kuvira said. "In this case, our world is disadvantaged against everyone, and the only real way we can protect ourselves is with an offworld partner."
"Besides, if you've met one Hutt, you've met them all," Baatar Jr added. "A race that revels in cruelty the galaxy is better off without."
"Let's not get carried away, Junior," his father said with displeasure in his voice. "I understand that the Hutts you met were criminals, operating a mine where the workers were basically drugged every day, but I thought I taught you better than this. Don't assume the worst of entire peoples." Having been raised among the Si Wong Tribes, often called Sandbenders, Baatar Sr was firmly aware of how some groups were seen as evil by others, made worse by the actions of the worst of said groups.
"Those 'peoples' are human themselves," his son replied, annoyed at the Junior moniker. "Then there are alien races, some of which are simply evil."
"According to Darth Vader," said Huan skeptically.
"According to EVERYONE," Baatar replied. "As for the Hutts, well, first they were a bunch of vicious conquerors who exterminated whoever could stand against them and enslaved the rest. Which usually turned into 'Extermination by Enslavement.'"
"But all that changed twelve thousand years ago," Kuvira continued. "Once, the Hutts lived on the beautiful world of Varl, under two stars named Ardos and Evonna, which they worshipped as gods. Then, disaster struck."
"What sort of disaster?" Suyin asked, wondering where they were going.
"Probably a civil war but there are so little surviving records of it, no one is sure," Kuvira said. "The effects, however, are well known: all air and evidence of life were burnt off Varl's surface, every other planet and moon shattered into smaller asteroids, Evonna completely vanished, and Ardos a mere twentieth of its original size. The Hutts were basically reduced to a series of scattered kingdoms for the next three thousand years, before reunifying under a new system called Kajidic."
"Which is not a rejection of their old ways, just a new strategy to achieve their goals of possessing everything and enjoying themselves as much as possible," Baatar Jr explained. "The rules they are supposed to follow aren't really 'don't do this' so much as 'don't get caught doing this.' Rather than military conquest, Kajidic is about economic domination. How they get rich does not matter. What is considered criminal by other races isn't their concern."
"So, you're saying they are an entire race of gangsters?" a surprised Wing asked.
"Exactly," his brother confirmed. "Oh, and another thing: they survived what their gods didn't. As such, they see themselves as deities or the next best thing, placing themselves above all concepts of morality. And they throw murderous temper tantrums whenever someone doesn't humor their delusions of divinity, as shown by their actions at Republic City."
"So, because of their culture, there are no good Hutts?" Baatar Sr asked in disbelief.
"If a Hutt is charitable or kind, he's a bad Hutt," Baatar Jr told his father. "Just like how a Sandbender who would rather be an architect than a thief and murderer is a bad Sandbender. Unlike the Sandbenders, though, they just kill their defective members as opposed to simply abandon them to roast in the desert, so it's far less likely to meet a bad Hutt." Baatar Sr said nothing at the comparison to his own harsh past. He'd repeatedly told his children how his own parents had mistreated him, as did the other Si Wong Tribals, because he wasn't an Earthbender or an eager participant in their raiding on travelers. He'd wanted to discourage them from visiting the harsh land he'd barely escaped, as opposed to vilifying the people who lived there. But given what he'd told them, perhaps he shouldn't be surprised. Regardless, it did seem doubtful that the Hutts were either friendly or trustworthy.
"Comparisons to my past aside, what makes Darth Vader and his Galactic Empire the ideal allies against the Hutts?" the family patriarch asked. Captain Hong Li then entered the room and handed the new guard deployment schedule to Suyin, before going to the corner to witness the conversation
"The Hutt Domain is a distant second to the dominant civilization of the known universe," Kuvira stated, annoyed at his doubts. "Only the Galactic Empire has more people, territory, and resources. So no, we don't need any other allies out in space, assuming they could help or want to." He then reached into his bag and pulled out a series of papers. "This is a list of the various weapons of the wider galaxy, how common they are, and their effects."
"And countermeasures, right?" Wing asked his big brother as the list was laid out on the table.
"Most of the ways to defend against them without offworld assistance or technology amount to hiding under a mountain," Kuvira explained. "And sometimes, not even that is enough."
"Thank you for this list and translating it," Suyin said to her two oldest children. "I think we should stop for now, so we can contemplate what you've told us. Your rooms are just how you left them."
"Thank you, Su," Kuvira said, standing up and walking out. Before Baatar Jr followed her, he looked at his parents and siblings.
"It's good to see you better, Wing," he smiled, before looking to his parents. "Look, I had...problems with you even before meeting Darth Vader. But it's good to see you again, and one of the reasons I'm working with him is to protect you."
"I know," his father said. "And it's good to see you again, as well." After Baatar Jr left, Suyin picked up the list he left behind and started reading it. The fact that weapons capable of destroying cities so easily were everywhere in the wider galaxy was certainly worrying. A 'laser cannon' could be mounted on a vessel the same size as a biplane but over a hundred times faster. A standard laser cannon could fire almost a hundred shots a minute, each capable of ripping a train car open. A 'Turbolaser cannon' could be mounted on anything from a Star Destroyer to a vessel the size of a Gozanti. Depending on the size of the Turbolaser cannon, it could fire almost as quickly as a fighter-mounted standard laser with enough punch to destroy a building, or it could fire only a dozen shots a minute. But a shot from a slower fire rate could obliterate a city the size of Zaofu with a single hit.
"Well, the tech out there is as fascinating as it is terrifying," Wei quipped, reading the explanation on Proton Torpedoes and Proton Bombs. They could be fired or dropped at a target with extreme accuracy, usually ignoring any energy shields that the outside galaxy liked to use as defense and explode with tremendous force. And if used in an atmosphere, they released an energy called 'radiation' which could boil the insides of anyone exposed to it. Wing saw the essay on Ion Cannons, which were about disabling electrical systems on enemy ships. While an Ion Blast would usually be harmless to the crew of a shielded warship, power surges notwithstanding, people on the ground hit by such an attack would likely burst into flames with the sheer amount of electrical energy slamming into them. Handheld Ion Weapons could be either akin to taser weapons, a massive lightning bolt, or anything in between. Blaster weapons, which were basically laser weapons miniaturized into handheld size, combined a large amount of superheated gases into an energized shape and sent them flying at their target. When it hit the target, it would expand into the surface of the individual, basically burning into them and expanding inside the body of the target. Sometimes they would be charged in a way for the blaster shot to tear completely through the individual or even vaporize them. The five Beifongs present were left to ponder these revelations, and Kuvira and Baatar Jr's changes.
"Well, nothing against you, Dad, but I like Baatar's new look," Wei said. "Didn't like how he said Darth Vader isn't responsible for Grandpa Sokka's death, though."
"I get the feeling that Junior feels like he's been silenced for too long, and will speak his mind, no matter how others feel," Baatar Sr remarked.
"I saw some of that, too," Suyin replied to her husband. "After a while, I noticed he's started hating the 'Junior' moniker, as well. While Kuvira thinks the Empire is something to emulate, as well as too great a foe for anyone to defeat, with or without Darth Vader."
"Well, looking at these weapons, their numbers, and who is leading them, I'm not sure I disagree with her," Wing added, looking at the description of a Star Destroyer. Such a vessel was beyond anything he thought was possible until now, it had almost forty-seven thousand assorted crew and soldiers on board, and it was a rather common ship in the Imperial Navy. "But they can't be all bad. Kuvira met them because they were on a slave rescue mission, and despite how it hurt their own mission, they still diverted to help her and Baatar. Whenever Doctor Raylen isn't helping me, he volunteers at the hospital. Avatar Korra trusts them, after all."
"Yes, and I trust Raylen, so I'm willing get to know them better," Su told her son. "But I fear that Korra and Mako have gotten too close to the Empire."
"Why do you say that?" Wei asked.
"At that diplomatic meeting after their wedding, which was really just the Imperials stating what they would do, the consequences of attacking them, and how the law doesn't apply to Darth Vader, Korra and Mako attended," the Zaofu matriarch explained. "Wearing Imperial Uniforms and being addressed as Colonel and Major by the Imperials present."
"Well, that's...surprising," Wing said, looking somewhat worried like everyone else at the revelation. Suddenly, Kuvira and Baatar Jr rushed into the room, looking rather worried.
"Korra sent a message over our commlinks," Kuvira said. "Something happened at the Western Air Temple."
Bumi was riding on his Sky Bison to the Western Air Temple. General Iroh, his son, had taken a biplane to fly to the closest naval base to the Boiling Rock, to help in the evacuations around the eruption volcano, but a fleeing dragon smashed into one of the wings, and he'd narrowly managed to jump out before his plane exploded. Bumi dived the Bison, managing to catch Iroh in freefall.
"Are you okay?" Bumi asked his son.
"Great, Dad," Iroh replied.
"Alright, after I get off at the Air Temple, you take Kachi here to the base," Bumi decided. As they came up to the Western Air Temple, they saw roughly five hundred people who'd fled the volcanic eruption. As they landed, several of the refugees graciously bowed their heads to Iroh, since he was their Prince. Bumi, however, was surprised to see how there was only one Airbender present at the Temple. Going up to the monk, Bumi was surprised at who it was.
"I thought you were at the Southern Temple, Otaku," he said.
"Tenzin thought I should deliver some scrolls," Otaku replied as he handed out bandages. "But when I got here, everyone was gone. I've been going back and forth from the relief stores on my own for a while. I've been going-"all the sudden, something beeped from within the Airbender's robes.
"What is that?" asked one of the injured evacuees. Otaku quickly tapped his wrist, and all of the sudden a massive blast of energy shocked the refugees unconscious. Bumi and Iroh blasted him with a massive gust of wind and a fireball, respectively, but jets hidden on Otaku's ankles flew him away before they could strike. A shimmer appeared over the Airbending monk, and then it cut out, revealing a blue-skinned, red-eyed alien underneath, wearing a longcoat and having a pair of tubes implanted into his cheeks. He pulled out two weapons and began firing them, forcing the father and son to run for cover.
"Move in!" he yelled into his wrist-mounted device, at which more aliens of various appearances charged into view. They had a collection of electrified batons and a few 'blasters' as Bumi thought they were called. Bumi blasted several into the canyon below but one that looked like a pig knocked him down with a swing from its club. The blue one, now wearing a large hat, was firing relentlessly on Iroh, forcing him into cover. Before the pigman could swing its club down on its head, a Fireblast hit it in the face, and a plane smashed into the crowd of alien attackers as its pilot jumped out. Blasting some flames into another alien close by, the pilot ran up and pulled Bumi up.
"Mizuki?" he exclaimed in surprise, seeing his daughter was the pilot. He then blasted another pigman away as she fired a lightning bolt at the blue alien attacking her brother. The alien dodged the attack, and Iroh had to jump out of the path of her attack. The alien jetted up and kicked the Fire Princess in the stomach, knocking her back. Bumi knocked the alien's blasters out of his hands with his staff-glider but before he could continue the attack, the alien dodged under his punch and a sharp pain entered his side. Looking down, he saw the alien had stabbed him in the right side. The alien let go but he could still feel the knife moving.
"Say hello to your brother," the alien stated in a scratchy voice, and then blasted him away with a powerful Airbending blast. As the alien grabbed his blasters, he smacked a charging Iroh in the face with one, knocking him unconscious, before dodging Mizuki's own attack and grabbing her, at which point, he shocked her until she passed out with electricity from his gauntlet. He then called his minions, ordering them to take the Fire Nation Crown Prince and his little sister aboard their ship, where the unconscious evacuees were being taken alongside the White Lotus guards and Airbenders who stayed at the Western Air Temple. Hopefully, they would be able to escape the growing Imperial armada above the planet.
Bumi landed at the edge of a cliff, the landing driving the vibrating blade further into him. He was fighting to stay awake through the pain, but his soldier's mind was fast at work: normally, keeping the blade inside until a medic arrived to treat him was the best option, but this knife was vibrating continuously, doing further damage the longer it stayed in. Biting his wingsuit, he yanked it out with a yelp of pain. Tearing the flaps on his suit, he started tying his wound. Trying to stand up, he saw a spaceship taking off from where he last saw his children and the unconscious crowd. Terrified his children might be onboard, he attempted to fly after it but fell flat on his face in pain. At that moment, he was having a hard time staying awake, when he heard another ship's roaring engines. As the new ship, looking like the one that shot him and Appa down almost twenty years ago, fired something at the other vessel which attached itself, he saw four of Darth Vader's white-armored soldiers drop out the craft as it was landing, rushing toward him.
"You're going to be alright, Commander," one of the helmeted soldiers said to Bumi as he opened a small box. Bumi was in too much pain to even stand up, let alone resist the minions of his father's murderer, and the last thing he saw before blacking out was the helmeted soldier stabbing his arm with a needle.
Yep, Bolin is ready to propose. I'll talk later about why Oniye's dad disliked Appo. Kuvira and Baatar have reunited with their family and are beginning to reconnect, but they aren't there yet. They learned the history of the Hutts from the Empire, which is pretty much what it is in the EU. Where is Bane taking these people? What are Korra and Mako up to? You will find out in the next chapter.