[AN] Two, count 'em two chapters today.

The Empire ship's hanger is lit by a blend of flickering lights and the ominous flares of flames, distant yet still far too close for any of our comfort.

Our three fighters are tethered with their own magnetic mooring lines to the ship, none of us willing to trust the gravity generators not giving out and our only rides home floating away at an in opportune time. Our suits are similarly fully engaged for space as we're not at all interested in sealing the hanger for air in the assumption we'll need to leave in a hurry, if we're able to leave at all. It makes for awkward walking, as the magnets in our boots are engaged, but the alternative doesn't bear risking.

We are clustered around the entrance to an airlock, Wei and Asami already ripping open the access controls and muttering incomprehensible tech speak at each other. Around us the haunting groans and creaks of the ship remind us that disaster looms large.

I look at Kuvira, and with a glance at Bolin she shrugs. She knows exactly what I'm thinking. When it comes to flying, Kuvira is one of the better pilots in the fleet, but when it comes to leaving her fighter on a boarding party she is indisputably the best there is. Even Bumi knew it, paying her the highest praise he could offer by bemoaning the fact she hadn't gone into Special Forces. So do I leave her to protect Asami, or do I take her with me to try and take the bridge? My heart screams at me to do the former, my duty compels me to do the latter.

As I hesitate, Asami raises her head from where's she huddled with Wei and looks at me. Her gaze is filled with love but also an implacable resolve, and she makes my decision for me. She, too, knows me far too well.

"Take Boss and go," she instructs me firmly. "Those missiles need to be stopped."

She stands up and with a quick stride is before me. I cup her helmeted face in my gauntleted hands and press my face shield against hers.

"I love you," I murmur.

I see her beautiful green eyes flutter shut for a moment, and the deep breath she takes.

"I cannot possibly explain how much I love you, Korra," she whispers. "I won't fail." She steps back and gives me a soft push. I can see the determined set of her jaw as I step back. "And neither will you. Now go."

I stare at her for a moment, then give a jerky nod. She's the brains of our relationship after all. I turn to where Bolin and Kuvira stand ready.

"Mouse!" I bark. "If anybody interferes with these two I will hound you to the gates of hell, do you get me?"

He blinks then straightens up proudly. "Read you loud, Avatar!"

I take one more longing glance at Asami then turn to the airlock controls. "Boss, you're with me. And Raava, you better be, too."

—

Once past the airlock, we retract our helmets; we need to be able to hear. I activate my HUD, and make a face as I smell the air. The smoke of the encroaching fires is more a hint right now, but I know it will grow stronger soon. We don't have a lot of time.

I tense as I see Kuvira cock her head and drop to a crouch. A moment later I hear approaching footsteps, thudding fast and loud.

I press one shoulder against the bulkhead and raise my blaster. Two men race around the corner, mostly likely headed towards the hanger. They skid to a stop when they see us, raising their own weapons. I watch bemused as they fall, dispatched by two quick shots by Kuvira. We pause, listening hard, then rise and continue when we hear nothing but silence. As we reach the end of the corridor Raava messages me.

IF DOCTOR SATO WAS CORRECT IN HER ASSESSMENT OF THE SHIP LAYOUT, WE ARE APPROACHING AN ACCESS LADDER TO THE BRIDGE.

I hold out a hand to Kuvira and we both sink to one knee. After a moment I find the hatch on the far side of the corridor and motion Kuvira towards it. She pulls it open with a grunt and peers inside before gesturing me over with a jerk of her head.

"Up or down?" she murmurs.

My HUD flashes with Raava's recommendation and I grimace. "Up we go. If Raava's right we'll hit the bridge after about a thirty meters."

Thirty meters is a long climb in a flight suit and Kuvira, predictably, swears as she holsters her blasters. Her face is sour as she swings herself onto the ladder to start the ascent. After one last glance in each direction of the corridor I pull the hatch shut as carefully as I can before starting my own climb. The crawlspace is narrow and dim, with only the faint reddish glow of the emergency lights, further muted by the swirls of smoke that continue to waft past us, the smell of which is growing stronger and I suppress a cough as I clamber after Kuvira as quietly as I can. Climbing in our suits is awkward and more than once I hear quiet grumbling ahead of me.

DOCTOR SATO AND MASTER SERGEANT WEI HAVE SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED A CONNECTION TO THE ONBOARD NETWORK, Raava flashes.

"Do you have control of their weapons system?" I ask as quietly as I can. Above me Kuvira pauses and peers down at me, one eyebrow raised.

NEGATIVE AT THIS TIME.

"Fabulous." I blow out a breath, then choke in the thickening smoke that's blowing past us. We both reactivate our helmets, gulping gratefully as the smoke is cycled out through the air filters."Boss, I'm having a terrible thought."

"Yeah?" Kuvira's voice sounds strangely hallow in my helmet's speakers. "Besides how much fun it is to be sweating inside these damn suits hoping our asses don't catch fire?"

I fight down the feeling of dread in my gut. "What if the weapons control isn't in the bridge?"

"Where the hell else would it be?" she demands. "Also, I think we're getting close."

"You been counting steps?"

I can almost hear her eye roll. "No, you idiot," she whispers. "The access hatch above me has the word 'bridge' painted on it."

"Shut up." I growl as quietly as I can. "Raava, any progress?"

I HAVE LOCATED THE WEAPONS CONTROL SYTEM, COLONEL KORRA. HOWEVER IT REQUIRES A PHYSICAL ACCESS KEY THAT I CANNOT CURRENTLY CIRCUMVENT.

"Dammit," I swear. "Is it at least on the bridge?"

AFFIRMATIVE.

I think quickly. "Can you tell where the crew is?"

Kuvira looks at me with a hopeful expression.

NEGATIVE. THE CREWS OF VESSELS OF THIS ERA WOULD HAVE BEEN TRACKED BY DEVICES WORN ON THEIR UNIFORMS.

I shake my head with a frown, then I see Kuvira carefully press her face shield against the access hatch. Like holding a water glass to a wall, she's clearly hoping to try and hear something.

"Anything?" I whisper after a long moment.

She leans back and looks down at me. "Yeah," she murmurs back. "Angry assholes, at least three." She slides herself over as far as she can and I clamber up beside her, the access hatch between us, and I belatedly remember a feature of my HUD I haven't used in a while.

"Raava, switch my HUD to heat mode."

The bulkhead is significantly thicker than I had hoped, and I can only see very faint heat signatures moving around. After a long moment of watching let out an irritable breath.

"I count five," I murmur. "Go for the shoulders and the legs. We can't afford to kill them any of them until we know how to shut down the missiles."

Kuvira nods grimly, then draws one of her blasters. It will be a tense bit of shooting given that I'm pretty sure they'll have no such compunction about whether or not we get killed.

"We need a diversion so we can get through the hatch," Kuvira suggests. "Can Raava set off an alarm or something?"

Raava is clearly listening in, and my HUD flickers back to comms mode.

PLEASE STAND BY.

I drop one hand to the hatch handle, ready to shove it forward.

I CAN SIMULATE HULL BREACH ALERT ON MAIN CONSOLE.

ACTIVATING DIVERSION IN FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO…