Italics are flashbacks.
Kuvira and Baatar had sat down in the living room with the twins Wei and Wing and their brother Huan. Suyin and her husband, Baatar Sr, had also come in, surprised to learn that Darth Vader had taken command of the rescue mission they were on.
"He might be the most knowledgeable and powerful, but I'm not sure he is the best choice," Baatar Sr said. "He killed Zuko's son before maiming him, he maimed Bumi, and then killed Bumi's father. Forcing the two, along with Bumi's mother and sister, to follow his orders sounds like a recipe for disaster."
"Assuming they love revenge more than Bumi's children," Baatar Jr noted. "Also, in practical terms, the only thing they offer is reassurance to the abducted is that this team has come to rescue them. The Imperial crew and the three specialists with them are the ones who will actually rescue the Fire Prince, Princess, and the various 'unimportant' people." Suyin was annoyed at Baatar's insensitivity to the family of Avatar Aang, but also proud that her son was thinking of the commoners who had been taken as well.
"Like when Bolin and Opal were character witnesses for you to trust Vader?" Wei asked.
"Exactly," Kuvira confirmed, before changing the subject. "Several people have wondered why everyone in the EUA is so forgiving of the man who not only killed the Avatar but the last 'good' monarch."
"The thought has crossed my mind," Suyin said. "Bolin said it was a story for another day when I asked him."
"In short, Kuei II was a dead man walking, along with his reforms," Kuvira revealed. "Hou-Ting had already planned out his assassination, and those who'd continue his work."
"That sounds more like a rumor than a fact," a suspicious Huan noted. Baatar chuckled upon hearing his brother's skepticism.
"Early on in Ba Sing Se, Bolin found a vault buried in the middle of nowhere," the oldest son said. "The key necessary to open it was in the Queen's bedroom. There were a bunch of treasures in there, and an early record player with a single recording, made perhaps a month before Vader was dragged here by Unalaq. It was of a meeting between then-princess Hou-Ting and a collection of people unhappy with her brother's rule, plotting out how to kill him and seize power. They considered Avatar Aang to be a weakling who wouldn't challenge her rule if she left him no alternative as Earth Monarch." That revelation surprised much of their family, Kuvira noticed.
"Why would she make a recording of treasonous plans?" a curious Wing asked. Their parents didn't know what to think, while Wei was suspicious and Huan outright didn't believe it.
"To remind her coconspirators they couldn't back out," Kuvira answered. "As for why she held onto it, I am guessing she forgot about it."
"Forgot about something that delegitimizes her rule?" a suspicious Huan questioned.
"She was never that smart to begin with," Kuvira noted. "And after becoming queen, she thought that her position made her invincible. As such, she considered evidence of her crimes meaningless, and therefore, never bothered to cover her tracks." Suyin nodded at that, as the now-dead queen had always carried herself as invincible, no matter the circumstance, until the Red Lotus finally killed her. She was about to bring up that Vader casually killing an unarmed Nonbender wasn't justified because someone else was plotting his death, when Kuvira's datapad started beeping. She turned it on, and it was in the alphabet the Imperials used.
"What's it say?" Wing asked curiously.
"Well, it seems like Bolin has had a good day," Kuvira smiled, about to continue when another message popped up. This time, she looked a bit surprised, and read it again. She then handed it to Baatar, who had the same look on his face.
"What's so surprising?" asked Wing.
"It appears that Lord Vader made a discovery," Baatar said. "And he wants my help with it."
"So, you jump when he tells you too?" Huan asked.
"There is a chance a particularly dangerous adversary will show up on their journey, soon," Kuvira explained. "Only someone trained in Sith techniques can prevail against such a foe. Unfortunately, the trail for the abductees has led to a place that Vader cannot go, nor can Korra or Mako. And unfortunately, I am still needed here. The shuttle that will fly Baatar there will be here, soon."
"Then I will come, as well," Suyin said, walking up to her son and placing her hands on his shoulders. "I should have gotten involved sooner. I don't care about the danger, I will be there for you, Baatar." Her son was surprised but also pleased to hear her say that.
"Okay, but you need to follow everything I or Vader say, when we say," her son said. "There are a ton of complications regarding space travel, and other such dangers. If you hesitate to follow the orders, it could be disastrous."
"I understand," Suyin said. She hugged her husband and other children before following Baatar and Kuvira to the courtyard, as Kuvira was planning to return to her own command post. After hugging their father, Kuvira and Baatar looked to the sky as a Lambda shuttle flew away.
"Hold on to me, Mom," Kuvira told Suyin, hugging her and leaping into the open boarding ramp. Suyin was amazed at the sight of her son and adopted daughter's new powers, having only heard of them before then. She was also pleasantly surprised to hear Kuvira call her Mom instead of by name. A short ride later, Kuvira kissed Baatar's cheek and leapt out of the shuttle down to Fort Haruka, before being contacted by Korra on her datapad about how she'd pacified Kyoshi Island.
Back in Zaofu, Wei spoke up. "I really hope they succeed," he said. "But anyone else thinking they were keeping something to themselves?"
"You got that, too?" Huan noted. "Yeah, I get the feeling our brother and sister read something else in there." Wing wondered what his doctor had been through and decided to ask Raylen about himself at dinner.
Katara was surprised to see that Suyin had come along with her son, Baatar Jr. He was wearing a black jacket and vest, with a dark glove covering his prosthetic hand, with the lightsaber Darth Vader had given him slung proudly from his belt, and a blaster pistol on his right hip. His hair was in a distinctive ponytail, and he carried a box in his left hand. His mother had just finished reading the safety manual for spaceflight. Specifically, to be careful of what you Metalbent inside a spaceship.
"Okay, the five of you will have to follow me, Bossk, and Boba here onto Nar Shaddaa," he began as Suyin joined the other four Benders. "This box has a change of clothes for each of you because, at best, you will stick out too much, and at worst, scream at the top of your lungs 'I'm a Bender' in a place that hates Benders more than an Equalist rally."
"We're also transferring to my ship, the Hound's Tooth, since the Empire isn't exactly welcome on the Smugglers Moon," Bossk added, before looking over to Boba. "The processing room has been cleaned since last time, Fett."
"That's a relief," the Mandalorian said. "I hope you take care of your ship as well as I take care of Slave One."
"Wait," a surprised Kya asked. "Your ship is called Slave One?"
"It's what my dad named it," Boba answered a bit nervously.
"Well, good for him," Bossk said in defense of his frequent partner. "Between me, him, and Aphra, Boba had the best father." As the Hound's Tooth was docked with the Corvette's airlock, Bossk walked up and punched in the code to open it. After going inside the new ship, Bossk went to the cockpit while Boba went to the cargo bay. Within the bay was a small, plane-like craft with a single wing, each tip with a single laser cannon. The nose of the craft was painted red, with what appeared to be a missile launcher built into it. And behind the cockpit were four engines.
"Wait, what about the vacuum of space?" Suyin asked when she saw Fett moving for the door controls.
"The ray shields will hold the air in, but allow solid objects to go in or out," Fett reassured her. He opened the doors, and right afterward, a unique TIE Fighter flew inside. Its hatch opened and Darth Vader emerged from the craft, surprising Suyin.
"I thought you couldn't go to Nar Shaddaa," she stated to her father's killer.
"It is best if I don't," Vader said. "But I can advise and train Baatar for the challenge he may or may not face." Vader stormed into the ship and summoned Baatar for sparring. After his apprentice had arrived, Vader commanded Bossk to shut off any recorders or monitors in that part of the ship.
"Uh, yes my lord!" the Trandoshan affirmed. "Just, try to take it easy and not break anything." He then shut down the various devices he had before jumping to hyperspace. "Okay, six hours to Nar Shaddaa. Time for you to be briefed on it."
"Well, before that, Suyin needs to be briefed on the Sky Bison in the room," Katara said, looking to her. "On our search, we came across a recording of a woman dying after giving birth to a boy and girl. From the way he reacted, I am assuming Vader is the father." That was quite shocking to Suyin.
"Okay, I wasn't expecting that," she replied, remembering how both Kuvira and Baatar had been noticeably surprised by the message, while also being reluctant to say what it actually said. She then heard how Vader had deduced Bumi's own daughter had been taken to the moon, along with a boy with the same name and approximately the right age to be Vader's son. "I had my doubts about those stories of time-traveling crystals but I guess they are real."
Darth Vader blocked several strikes from Baatar, before going on the offensive. Baatar fired a barrage of lightning from his flesh and blood hand but Vader easily deflected it.
"You will need more than that to stand a chance against Obi-Wan," Vader told his apprentice. "He is the master of Form III of lightsaber combat as I am the master of Form V. The most I have ever achieved is a draw against him, four and a half years ago."
Vader had won, burying Kenobi under a mountain of rocks. Then, Obi-Wan emerged from the ground and battered him with rocks. Vader had chopped and deflected several, battering Obi-Wan with rocks as well. But his old master wasn't defeated yet, and propelled himself forward, cutting the left side of his mask off. In desperation, Vader unleashed a massive Force blast. When the dust cleared, with Vader's breathing device somewhat strained, he saw Obi-Wan across from him. They were separated by a great gap in the ground, with nothing but rubble between.
"Anakin, I am sorry," his Jedi Master said, tears flowing down his face. "For everything. For not being a better friend, and a brother. For not helping you with your nightmares. And for not seeing the danger the Council's assignment put you in."
"You destroyed Anakin, long ago, with your neglect," Vader said. "I am what remains of your apprentice."
"Then my padawan is dead," Obi-Wan said. But instead of charging like Vader expected, he ran for the shuttle Vader had left behind. Realizing what he was doing, Vader charged after Obi-Wan but arrived too late to stop Kenobi from lifting off and fleeing into the unknown.
"Obi-Wan!" he yelled. "You can't escape me! I will hunt you to the ends of the galaxy!" Little did he know, that when the Emperor learned of this battle, he would command his apprentice to cease his search. He said that it was both a distraction from his duties to the Empire, and a threat to him, personally. He knew Vader still loved his old master, despite everything, and that love could pull him away from the Dark Side.
"If that is the case, I don't think I can-""Doubt is the enemy all warriors must overcome," Vader told his apprentice. "As a Padawan, I saw many Jedi fail their tasks not because they were arrogant or unprepared but because they doubted themselves. If you consider Obi-Wan to be too much for you, he has already won." Vader then gave Baatar a signal device on his belt. "If I show myself on Nar Shaddaa, an alarm will go off," the Sith said. "But your survival is what's important. If you encounter Kenobi, activate this signal and I will come, cutting down any Hutt or degenerate foolish enough to interfere."
"Of course, master," Baatar said, before deciding to question Vader. "I am a bit confused by this revelation, my lord. How has the existence of these children escaped your notice for so long?"
"I have never met Leia Organa, though I did see her on Coruscant, once, when Bail Organa brought her on a trip to his senate office," Vader said. "I thought she was a bright young girl who had been raised on the myth of Republic and Jedi glory. I could see it in her eyes, Bail had raised her to believe the Empire was a bad dream to be woken from."
"Yeah, a bad dream where Alderaan has to follow all the rules everyone else does," Baatar replied. "I've seen his type all too often. Privileged jerks at parties in Zaofu who are angered when Mom and Dad reveal the rules of decency and politeness apply to them, as well. I've also encountered them on our journey across the Earth Nation, incensed that a commoner like Kuvira is stronger than them and changing things up."
"That is who the people yearning for the Republic's return truly are," Vader agreed. "As for Luke, he was on Tatooine, which I never planned to return to. Being raised by the fools who couldn't protect my mother. Obi-Wan chose well for a place to hide him, and likely himself."
"Well, I guess it was lucky that Mizuki wound up there," Baatar said.
"Obi-Wan would call it destiny," his master continued. "But destiny is for fools and those who hope to be gifted answers instead of actually find them."
"What exactly happened that kept you from learning about them?" Baatar asked. After a moment, Vader decided to reveal it.
"I had gone to Mustafar to kill what was left of the Separatist Leadership," Vader began. "Obi-Wan had tricked Padme into coming to me and had hidden on her ship. He told her stories to make her think I'd betrayed her, even though I had been doing everything possible to save her and end the war. We started arguing, and I saw Obi-Wan glaring at me from inside the ship. I...lost my temper, thinking she had helped him get there, and hurt her." Baatar was stunned to hear Vader admit that, and even through the mask, the Sith Lord's regret and shame were obvious.
"That must have been when Kenobi injured you," Baatar realized. "Why you were burnt."
"Exactly," Vader admitted. "I spent over a day with the Emperor's medical droids working on me. I couldn't be sedated, and only my strength in the Force kept me alive, like it had on Mustafar. After my operation was completed, I learned Padme was dead and would be ritually cremated on Naboo." Baatar realized the worst part of that story: Vader had spent fifteen years thinking he had killed his wife and their children before they could be born.
"I am so sorry, master," Baatar reassured him. "We will retrieve Luke, and Leia, soon."
It had been five years since Obi-Wan had left Tatooine, to rescue young Leia. He had stayed on Tatooine, knowing his old apprentice, once named Anakin Skywalker, wouldn't go to his hated homeworld. Having learned the truth of what happened to Anakin's mother, Obi-Wan wondered if, had he listened to Anakin's fears shortly before the Clone Wars, they could have saved her. And in turn, saved him from the Dark Side.
But now wasn't the time for regrets. Now, he had to focus on Luke and the young woman he'd gone to rescue. Luke was certainly his father's son, jumping into danger to help others, whether he knew them or not. Hopefully, his more stable upbringing would make him less vulnerable to the dark side than his father. As the tramp freighter landed on Nar Shaddaa, Obi-Wan looked at the money he'd requisitioned. This shady captain wouldn't be staying long, so hopefully, he would be able to find someone else to hire him to fly him back. After disembarking, he checked the blaster he had with him. As much as he preferred his lightsaber, he knew a blaster would attract less attention. Though he still kept his sword hidden with him as a backup, the Grievance Striker, as the pistol had been dubbed, was a reliable and powerful weapon. If it could kill General Grievous, it could handle most of the threats Obi-Wan might face on the Smugglers Moon.
Shortly after departing, he saw a large neon sign for Teemo's combat arena, where people could fight each other for sport, watch captives fight starved animals, slaves, or professionals hired for spectacle, and otherwise be amused by the deadly show. This time, it was advertising combatants called 'Benders' which Obi-Wan was unfamiliar with. It reminded him of the Petranaki Arena where the Geonosians laughed at him trying to fight off animals with his hands cuffed. And since the Rodian snitch he'd mind-tricked had mentioned Teemo the Hutt, he knew where to start looking. But first, he needed to find an escape route.
Going to a spacer's bar, he looked for a captain for hire. He wanted to have the ability to rescue everyone Teemo might have taken captive, but the hardest thing about hiding was how he couldn't intervene in many injustices. He'd ignored far too many cruelties Jabba and others committed on Tatooine during his time there. He'd seen many people murdered or hurt without consequence, there, as well. And almost every time, he'd ignored it, as it would have drawn attention, first to him, and quite possibly to Luke. He had used his blaster to kill a gang of thugs in Mos Eisley, once, when a family had been threatened, and thankfully, the town was too lawless to think anything of it. Besides, it was unlikely many of these captains had anything more than a medium freighter.
He saw a young man who looked somewhat familiar to him, with red hair, a worn brown jacket and pants, a blaster pistol on his left hip, and a small BD droid close to him. He was talking to a Latero projected as a hologram. "Don't worry, Greez," he said. "I'll be at the Mantis, soon, with the shipment."
"Great, Cal," the Latero replied. "The sooner we're out of here, the better."
"I want to get back to Merrin and the others soon, too," he said, before looking up in Obi-Wan's direction. "I'll call you back, something might have come up." He kept his hand close to his blaster, not sure if the stranger wanted trouble, and asked what he wanted.
"My name is Ben," Obi-Wan said, neglecting his last name. While many on Tatooine didn't pay much attention to the details of the Clone Wars, in the outside galaxy, others might be familiar with the Kenobi name. "My grandson and his girlfriend wound up on a ship here by mistake, and I came to retrieve them. I can pay three thousand for a safe passage back to Tatooine." Cal looked interested but cautious.
"I can do that," he said. "But my ship needs to leave in three hours."
"I will be there by then," the disguised Jedi said. Cal named his landing pad and reminded 'Ben' to be there on time. After leaving, Cal contacted Greez and revealed there was a complication. Someone he hadn't seen in almost twenty years had asked for help.
Zuko and the others were rather surprised to learn that Nar Shaddaa wasn't a planet but a moon, albeit with a breathable atmosphere. It orbited a world once called Evocar, but was now known as Nal Hutta, as the Hutts had conquered the planet after the destruction of their own homeworld. Many Evocii were enslaved and sent to Nar Shaddaa, where they were used to build a giant city across the surface. The city was effectively finished thousands of years ago, and after several failed rebellions, the Evocii on Nal Hutta were exterminated, while the ones on Nar Shaddaa were chased into the darkest depths of the city. At this point, the species was commonly believed extinct, the Hutts succeeding in what Zuko's father failed to do with Sozin's Comet.
After the Hutts changed to the Kajidic system, Nar Shaddaa had become the Hutt Domain's greatest trading post and largest population center. Whatever wasn't given over to industry were marketplaces mixed with some casinos. Despite all of this, much of the moon's populace lived in poverty, as the majority of the wealth went to the Hutts. What made it even worse was how virtually anything could be bought there, regardless of how immoral, slaves, drugs, weapons, and others. What passed for law and order were the crime lords who operated there, Hutt or otherwise, who kept their own fiefdoms relatively safe to run their enterprises. Many companies had, at one point or another, operated facilities on the moon where they could do business with virtually no oversight. Given how many outlaws called it home, or at least a place to do business, Nar Shaddaa was often called the Smugglers Moon.
"Always be careful where you step in Nar Shaddaa," Bossk said, after they finished looking over the brief.
"I have been in dangerous places before, though never as lawless as this," Suyin said.
"No, if you make the wrong step, you'll fall for two hours before landing," Bossk said. "There's a reason it's called the Vertical City, occasionally."
"Also, a word of warning," Boba Fett added. "Many of the people here came because they thought living in a place where humans were about twenty percent of the population was worth the price of living in the most wretched den of crime. So, if a nonhuman approaches you, he's probably hoping to steal your money and leave you bleeding to death in an alley."
"Though, there are also a bunch of people fleeing one war or another who came here, hearing that Hutt Space is neutral and thinking that's what's most important," Bossk added. "They usually wind up on the auction block sooner rather than later, bound for Sleheyron or Ylesia, before Korra destroyed it."
"It sounds like you have been there, before," Katara noted.
"Every bounty hunter goes to Nar Shaddaa at some point," Fett answered. "Countless fugitives either go there to take a new identity, or to hide outright." Knowing it was still two hours to Nar Shaddaa, Bumi decided to get to know the two hunters better.
"So, Bossk, I'm a bit curious about the Trandoshans," the Airbender began.
"We can grow our limbs back if they are cut off," he answered, before remembering Bumi and Zuko's lost legs. "Sorry that's not the case for humans. And we can live for up to a three hundred years, according to doctors. Unfortunately, many Trandoshans are killed on hunting excursions, and die no later than sixty-five. Good thing I turned sixty-seven, last month, it marks me as exceptional."
"Okay," a surprised Kya said. "Though, if so many of your people have trouble hunting, I'm surprised you've achieved spaceflight."
"That's not what he meant," Boba said, rubbing his helmet as if it were his brow. "The Trandoshans mastered their homeworld of humid jungles and grassy plains, long ago. He means hunting for the Scorekeeper."
"What is the Scorekeeper?" asked Bumi, while a look of nervousness passed over the five Benders.
"Our goddess," Bossk revealed. "She rewards hunters with Jagganath Points, how many depends on the prey and the way it was captured. Our scores determine where we go in the afterlife. Dishonorable behavior, as well as imprisonment by a non-Trandoshan, results in being 'zeroed' as we call it." That revelation was rather surprising, but it also made sense with what Bossk had said to Katara in the South Pole about how imprisonment was cruel by nature.
"So, you can hunt anything to gain points, right?" a nervous Kya asked. "Or anyone?"
"No," Bossk clarified. "With only some rare exceptions, other Trandoshans offer no points."
"That reminds me of Adventures of Gorro: The Space Avatar," Bumi mentioned. He explained to Bossk and Boba, that it was a comic strip about silly space adventures, and that one of the alien races, the Untrustworthians, justified all their horrible behavior by how, unlike humans, they never killed each other.
"Trandoshans kill each other for the same reasons as humans," an annoyed Bossk replied. "That is the case for almost every species I know of."
"I guess so," Zuko said. "I have to wonder where the non-hunters are left in your society."
"A doctor hunts for a way to treat his patients," Bossk said. "An engineer hunts for a way to build the vehicle on his drawing board. A navigator hunts for the ideal route. A chef hunts for the perfect pancake recipe. As long as the hunt is challenging and honorable, points are awarded."
"I get the feeling most of your people are a bit more literal about the 'hunting' part," quipped Suyin.
"Many of them are more careless than literal," Bossk said. "Or too dumb and greedy. Many Trandoshans think all they have to worry about is the Scorekeeper outside our world, which frequently leads to them getting in trouble or doing something bad." Katara was going to ask why they didn't just surrender to whatever authorities were present until the disagreement was sorted out, but then she remembered how a Trandoshan would be disgraced if captured by someone who wasn't one, meaning that fighting to the death was likely if escape was impossible.
"Can't they regain their points, after being released?" Zuko asked, reminded of his own struggles with reclaiming his people's acceptance.
"Starting over from zero," the reptilian revealed. "There are only two ways to recover your prior score, to kill whoever shamed you, or to go through a ritual that, if anything, is even more dangerous. Assuming this person who shamed you is alive for you to avenge yourself against. But the war is also a reason relatively few Trandoshans live to my age."
"What war?" a surprised Katara asked.
"The eternal war between Trandoshans, and Wookiees," Bossk answered, pulling up a hologram of a large, furry creature on the table. "Kashyyyk orbits the same star as Hsskhor, so they were the first alien species my people ever encountered 4100 years ago. And we have been fighting each other ever since."
"How intense their conflict is varies," Boba explained. "Sometimes it is economic competition, other times it is raids on the other's colonies or even homeworlds, sometimes it is open war or even outright invasion. But the Trandoshans and Wookiees have never stopped fighting each other."
"Why is there a war?" asked Bumi, though he had a suspicion building in the back of his mind.
"The Wookiees killed several Trandoshan explorers," Bossk said. "A powerful clan leader said that, since Wookiees killed our brethren like animals, they should be hunted as animals. Then we found that the wood on those giant trees they live on is quite valuable on the marketplace of other worlds, and that their strength makes them worthy prey."
"So, you hunt Wookiees as a whole, not just outlaws?" a shocked Katara said.
"The Wookiees are savages who tear your arms off during temper tantrums, which can be sparked by something as minor as losing a board game," Fett said. "And since they sheltered Jedi fugitives early on, they have been heavily restricted by the Empire." Suyin remembered what Doctor Raylen said of Darth Vader's background, that he had crushed a rebellion on Kashyyyk before it could begin. "It is almost impossible for a Wookiee to get offworld, legally," he continued. "So, if you find a Wookiee outside Kashyyyk, they are almost certainly outlaws." Just then, Kya noticed something. One of the braided ropes around Boba's right shoulder looked a little too brown. The same shade of brown as the Wookiee in the hologram. Several others were of different color, but they all appeared to be the same material. "And since they are always dangerous opponents, we have no problem taking trophies from such hunts," Boba stated, gripping the braided pelts, shocking the five Benders at the revelation.
"Well, you have a...strange outlook on things," Kya said.
"Thanks for not saying 'barbaric' as many disapproving outsiders call it," Bossk replied.
"So, you became a bounty hunter to get paid for hunting other people?" realized Zuko.
"It's a good way to earn a living outside Hsskhor," the reptilian said. "While prey don't realize it, now, if they are worthy, they are reborn as Trandoshans in the next life. Allowing them to gain their own score." At that moment, Baatar walked into the room, having finished his sparring with Darth Vader.
"It looks like we'll be going on Nar Shaddaa's dark side," he said, putting up an image of the side of Nar Shaddaa that would be utterly dark without the lights of the cityscape. "But it appears the only way into Teemo's arena, that can't be cut off by forcefields, is through the Jekk'Jekk'Tarr attached to it."
"Okay, I'll get my boots, gauntlets, and space helmet," Bossk said, walking into the storage room. Suyin looked at her son in confusion, to which Boba explained that a Jekk'Jekk'Tarr was a type of bar on Nar Shaddaa frequented by races other than Human or Trandoshan.
"Okay, so we can't drink anything there," Kya said, though Zuko suspected it was more than that.
"A Jekk'Jekk'Tarr doesn't serve drinks," Boba clarified. "It pumps gas cocktails through the airvents to the people standing inside. And almost all of them are toxic to Humans and Trandoshans, even to touch."
"Wait, wouldn't Vader be ideal for that?" asked Kya, remembering his sealed armor and helmet. "If he's unwelcome on a Hutt world, why doesn't he turn invisible, like he did at Korra's wedding as part of a test on awareness?"
"My cloak doesn't work on Droids, Hutts, or Toydariens, a Hutt vassal race," Vader spoke up, filling the room with his mechanical breathing. "The Hutts have never liked how I refuse to flatter them, even on their own turf."
"Yeah, then a clan leader named Marlo got angry when you wouldn't do so, to the point he had his goons attack," Bossk mentioned. "Lord Vader killed them all, including Marlo, and afterward the Imperial Diplomatic Corps begged him not to show up to any more meetings with the Hutts."
"And now they are displeased with me rescuing Baatar and Kuvira, in the most exclusive part of their domain," Vader reminded the five, staring at Suyin as if to remind her he'd saved three of her children from the Besadi clan. "Yes, I can walk the streets of Nar Shaddaa and kill any fool who attacks. But I don't see how that helps rescue your daughter. And my son." He was about to look at Bossk but he made a zip the lips gesture to the Sith Lord. Boba didn't say anything but nodded in obedience that he wouldn't reveal that to anyone else. Breaking the silence, Bumi walked up to Vader.
"I can't forgive you for what you did to my father," he said. "I'm not sure if I ever can. But I have to move on from it. And as you are helping rescue my son and daughter, so I will do all I can to help you get your children back, as well."
"Some people in my position would hope you fail, so you can understand the pain you inflicted upon me," Zuko said, remembering how Vader had killed Lee, as well. "But I don't, and you definitely felt that pain before. I will do all I can to rescue Luke. And I hope you find Leia, as well." The other three affirmed they would help Vader get his son back as best they could.
"Your promise, is appreciated," Vader said, before turning to Baatar. "The man who took my son the day he was born might be there, and he is as dangerous as me. If you encounter Obi-Wan, signal me and do your best to avoid a direct fight."
"Yes, master," Baatar affirmed, while Boba seemed somewhat displeased.
"Is there a problem, Fett?" Vader asked.
"No, Lord Vader," he answered. "I have handled other Jedi but not Kenobi. I learned the lesson of separating vengeance from the job." The five benders were confused by that, but Bossk looked at the timer and realized they'd be arriving at Nar Shaddaa, soon, and that it was time to get ready.
Another chapter done. I've had the idea of Hou-Ting plotting to usurp her brother from the start. And if a brilliant politician who became president can leave recordings of his own scheming lying about, I figured a not-too-bright evil queen would as well.
I changed up Vader's fight with Obi-Wan in the Kenobi series, a little, to what it should have been. Vader has come to trust his four apostles enough to let them in on some of his more shameful secrets. I figured that Tatooine was isolated enough that few people would think much of the name Kenobi, but out in the wider parts of the galaxy, he needed to be more discrete. Baatar looks like Greed-Ling from Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood.
I wanted to mock the Trope Ape Shall Never Kill Ape, so I made up a Dilbert-esque comic strip for the Avatarverse. Bossk's interpretation of Trandoshan-Wookiee history is what Trandoshans are taught to believe. The Jekk'Jekk'Tarr was a location in KOTOR 2, and I decided to revisit the concept. Since it is very difficult to mind-trick Hutts and Toydariens, Force Cloak doesn't affect them, either. The Benders still dislike Vader but it would be hypocritical of them to be angry of Vader going off to find his own lost children on this mission.
Next chapter, Mizuki and Luke find themselves in Teemo's arena. Lin and Asami head back to Republic City. Obi-Wan is helped by a fellow Jedi. And the rescue party faces the dangers of Nar Shaddaa.