As the shuttles landed a short distance away from the Western Air Temple, Tenzin's family waited to be reunited with the passengers. The ship in the lead landed first, and Jinora could see Mako was in the cockpit. As the boarding ramp lowered, Bumi and Iroh exited first, with the Firebender stunned to see how many Imperials were close by. As the passengers inside came out, Tenzin hugged his brother and sister, while Jinora and her siblings eagerly hugged their cousin Iroh. They smiled at Katara, as well as Korra and Mako, but were somewhat startled when they heard the distinctive sound of mechanical breathing accompanied by heavy footsteps.
"Darth Vader," Tenzin said to Sith Lord, restrained but still resentful of the man who killed his father. "You are Korra's friend, and you didn't have to help rescue Iroh. You are welcome here, like all friends of hers. But Izumi will be here in about five minutes. It might be best if you were...out of sight, for the moment."
"Very well," Vader replied. "Where is a good spot for meditation?" With that, Kai walked up and offered to show him a secluded area.
"I see you finally accepted my advice on getting a dedicated security detail, Uncle Tenzin," Iroh commented, noticing the Stormtroopers and other Imperials present.
"Well, after they saved us at the Southern Temple, I figured I could trust them," Tenzin stated. "And after all the danger Korra went through on my behalf, she deserves some peace of mind about our safety." Iroh commented that the children seemed to enjoy it as well, noticing how Meelo was eager to spend some time with Koko Partagaz, as he later learned the pale-skinned, white-haired young woman was called. At the same time, Ikki was praising the blue-haired boy named Ezra for helping save the captives on T'Surr. Iroh then noticed how Tenzin and to a lesser extent Pema seemed a little annoyed at two of their children having a crush on the younger Imperials.
"Wait, where's Mizuki?" asked Jinora, right as the Fire Nation Royal Airship appeared over the horizon. Bumi's feeling of relief at getting his son home, gave way to how his daughter was still out there, and he would soon be heading back into space to find her.
Obi-Wan looked at Cody, the clone commander he worked with for the majority of the Clone Wars. The last time he saw Cody, he'd just killed General Grievous on Utapau, and they were prepared to crush what was left of the Separatist garrison, effectively ending the war. Cody had handed Obi-Wan his lightsaber back, and Obi-Wan rode his mount toward a higher level of the sinkhole city...and then the AT-TE next to Cody fired on his position, sending the Jedi Master falling into the lake at the bottom of the sinkhole. After he fled Utapau in Grievous's starfighter, he'd learned that 'Order 66' had been sent out, sentencing all Jedi to death.
"Why did you do it, Cody?" asked Obi-Wan. "I made some mistakes, and overlooked the truth of your situation, but you couldn't have believed I would betray you."
"I've thought back to that day, many times, General," Cody replied. "One moment, I'm thinking about how the war is effectively over, how we'll march through Coruscant in a tickertape parade, and how you, General Skywalker, and Commander Tano will help us become citizens as well as soldiers of the Republic. And the next, I receive a strange signal, with the Chancellor wearing a hood on his head, saying 'The time has come, Commander Cody, Execute Order 66.' All the sudden, I call him My Lord while affirming his order without so much as surprise, I look to you riding that lizard up the wall...and all I can think of is Pong Krell sending Waxer and Boil into a trap."
"I suppose that is what you were being told," Obi-Wan said, remembering the rogue Jedi Master who concluded that the dark side would prevail, and as such embraced it. Krell, like everyone else, thought a Sith victory would come through Count Dooku leading his puppet state the Separatist Alliance to victory, with no one ever considering that Palpatine was a Sith plotting to subvert the Republic into the Empire. As such, Krell did everything he could to sabotage the vital Battle of Umbara, before being captured and executed by the 501st legion. Obi-Wan wondered if their performance was why Palpatine used them to sack the Jedi Temple.
"I mean, I felt exactly the same as I did on Umbara, when we learned the truth from Rex," Cody continued, looking uncomfortable at the memory. "A couple days later, I hear how we are now the Galactic Empire. Those feelings of betrayal disappear, and I'm not sure what to think. Suddenly, I hear how some friends on Ryloth were imprisoned because they didn't want to beat up some Twi'leks complaining about a new security measure. Then, our old friend Saw Gerrera is now a wanted man. I hear how some new guy called Darth Vader killed Senator Fang Zar, one of the guys who called out the facts of the clone army, and has beaten the Wookiees into submission because they sheltered some other Jedi in addition to Yoda. One day, about a year after we last saw each other, I'm at a bar, trying to make sense of what happened, and Rex comes up to me."
"Rex?" a surprised Obi-Wan asked, knowing Rex was last with Ahsoka transporting a captured Maul to Coruscant.
"Yeah, I heard his ship went down, too, so I was baffled," Cody said. "He started pointing out some things I'd noticed, and I followed him. That's when I saw Ahsoka, and she stunned me. I wake up, and I feel much better, as if you and I had just fought a hard battle and saved a whole planet from Grievous, or something. Then, Ahsoka held up a little something, and I realize it's the Inhibitor Chip that Fives was terrified of."
Obi-Wan's memories flashed back, remembering a clone, Tup, who lost his mind for no apparent reason and shot a Jedi. The Kaminoans revealed the existence of a brain implant called an Inhibitor Chip. They said it was to keep the clones sane through the accelerated growth rate, and that a one-in-a-million infection had degraded it. But the ARC Trooper Fives was convinced there was another purpose the Kaminoans were hiding, so he removed his own. His subsequent erratic behavior led many to believe the Kaminoans' claims. But before he was killed, Fives had ranted and rambled about the Kaminoans drugging him and how Palpatine was lying to everyone.
"So, that's what it was," Obi-Wan remarked in realization. "Sometimes, our reliance on reading the Force stopped us from connecting the dots in front of us."
"I'm not sure what the second dot would be, sir," Cody replied.
"I kept hearing how the Jedi Councilor Sifo-Dyas created the clone army," Obi-Wan explained. "But when I questioned Jango Fett, he said he was hired by someone called Tyrannus. Then, I learned that the Pyke Syndicate had killed Sifo-Dyas at the behest of an employer called Tyrannus but had held onto insurance in case he turned on them. When Anakin and I went to get that insurance, Count Dooku of all people showed up and destroyed it. And as Dooku was fleeing, the Pyke leader showed up and addressed him as Tyrannus." Cody was shocked, learning that a man he spent years fighting was behind his own creation. "At that point, we were afraid of the truth being revealed, much less pulling the clone army from the front, so we kept the truth of Darth Tyrannus quiet." Cody continued his own story. Many other clones embraced the lie of Jedi treachery, presumably so they could bury feelings of guilt, while many didn't see a problem with the Republic becoming the Empire.
"I haven't seen Rex or Ahsoka in about four years," he said. "Eventually, I wound up with Shaak Ti, looking after a bunch of kids being hunted by Inquisitors. Then, Vader and some new apprentice, called Kuvira, showed up. He handled Echuu Shen-Jon and set Kuvira on us. I take off with Maris Brood, General Ti's apprentice, right as we see this young woman with Vader. She's got a proper hair bun and mole under her right eye to go with her green uniform, strike the Jedi Master down while talking as if she's the hero and we're a bunch of kidnappers." Obi-Wan frowned, saddened to hear that yet another friend was now confirmed dead. He then remembered Kuvira was a warlord on Elementia, also in league with Vader, and gained another reason for concern regarding these new Imperial allies. "We crashed over at Kothlis, and Maris flees in one direction to lead some bounty hunters away from me and the kids. That is when Cal stumbled across us, and after some convincing, brought us here." Upon hearing the commander's story, Obi-Wan spoke.
"You never betrayed me," the Jedi Master said, lifting a great burden on Cody's shoulders. "What you did wasn't your fault. And you did your best to fix it. If anything, some of what happened is on me. Sometimes, I feel Order 66 was the price the Force inflicted upon us for using an army of slaves. But feeling guilty in the hopes of absolution accomplishes nothing. I dedicated myself to fixing my mistakes, by looking after Luke, and ultimately training him when he is ready. I am proud to know you have dedicated yourself to doing something similar." With that, he saw tears of joy from Cody, relieved that Obi-Wan had finally forgiven him. He stood upright and saluted his general like he had so many times before.
"Thank you, sir," Cody said, before leaning in and whispering to Obi-Wan. "During her battle with Vader's apprentice, I heard Shaak Ti say some strange things. Including that Vader was actually-""Yes," Obi-Wan stated, unable to hear Cody say it aloud.
"I didn't repeat it to anyone," Cody revealed. "Do you wish it to be known, now?"
"No," Obi-Wan said, knowing that the burden would be too much for Luke in his current state.
"As you wish, Obi-Wan," Cody said to his old friend. "There are a few other familiar faces, here, I think you'll be happy to see, like Boil. But I think we should catch up to your young friends and Master Kestis."
Obi-Wan had just come through the door, after Cal had explained to Luke and Mizuki the full story of Order 66. Merrin had set Natalia down and returned to the living room of the prefabricated family home that had been set up on Tanalorr. It was a large, metallic cube divided into one dining/family room with two different bedrooms, constructed to be easily set up on the frontier. The settlement had several other such Prefabs, as they were called, along with a town hall, for lack of a better term, with a droid bartender called Monk. Noticing how Obi-Wan still seemed mistrustful of Merrin, Mizuki decided to ask the pale-skinned woman about herself.
"I am Merrin Sergeevna of the Kalashnikova clan from the world of Dathomir," Merrin explained. "Dathomir is a world far from here, where the sky is always red, much of it is jungle, and the influence of the Force is exceptionally pronounced. Which is why the ancient Force-using empires of the Kwa, Rakata, and Zeffo all came to Dathomir. Around a thousand years ago, new inhabitants came, many of them regular humans, and others were Zabraks of Iridonia." BD showed an image of a man and woman to Mizuki and Luke. Upon looking closer, Mizuki could see the man was almost entirely devoid of hair, and both he and the woman had horns on their scalps and tattoos on their faces, similar to Merrin's.
"For whatever reason, most of the girls born on Dathomir had pale skin and hair like Merrin, while most of the boys looked like Zabraks but with orange, yellow, or red skin," Obi-Wan added, looking like he was uncomfortable while saying Red. "Almost every Dathomirian was Force-Sensitive, but the condition of Dathomir pushed them toward the Dark Side."
"It sounds like you are talking from experience," Luke noted.
"Your father and I met a clan of Nightsisters when he was sixteen, but that's a story for another day," Obi-Wan said. "In fact, the dark side was so integral to Dathomir, that they dubbed themselves Nightbrothers and Nightsisters."
"And then came the most infamous thing about my people," Merrin said, looking fairly uncomfortable herself. "The enslavement of the men." She went on to explain how the Nightbrothers were kept subservient by limiting their knowledge of the Force to just physical augmentation, while the Nightsisters used more esoteric forms to rule. She looked especially uncomfortable when talking about how a typical 'marriage' would begin with several contenders sent into a dangerous challenge, with the survivor being taken as a mate, whether or not he wanted it. And how it was entirely possible to be murdered by his wife, either for fathering a daughter and therefore no longer being needed, or for displeasing her in some way.
"So, how were things with your parents?" Mizuki asked, shocked to hear of such a horrible society.
"Sergei, my papa, was very loving to me," Merrin revealed, sounding fond of her father. "Nina, my mama, admitted she had once treated him poorly, before realizing she actually loved him. They did their best to keep me from turning out as poorly as many others had. Then, Mother Talzin, Matriarch of the dominant clan, began looking to the skies, and overreached."
"Your father heard a rumor of a Nightsister clan and their Nightbrother warriors setting up a base far from Dathomir," Obi-Wan added. "From how he and his Padawan told the story, they were easily eliminated on the first scouting mission, with the clones mopping up the rest. Then, we heard that Count Dooku had sent General Grievous and an army to Dathomir, in retaliation for attempting to assassinate him. He slaughtered Talzin's entire coven, though not Talzin herself."
"For a while, my parents were almost relieved," Merrin said. "The friends and others lost were seen as the price to be free of the rules they had come to hate. But Talzin returned, this time close to our home village, and soon, Grievous followed her with an even larger army. While his superiors, who he called Tyrannus and Sidious, fought the Matriarch, he killed much of my father's hunting party. Then, he killed Talzin herself, just as his army landed. His war machines bombed every village on the planet, with large formations landing to kill the survivors. As my parents tried to lead me and the others in my coven to safety...Grievous came upon us." She'd begun to hesitate at reliving the memory. "Mama was shot by his droids, and then I saw him kill Papa, before laughing at and mocking me, repeating my parents' words to run. I was the only one in the group to escape." As her husband placed a comforting hand on her left wrist, Merrin turned to Obi-Wan, and thanked him for killing Grievous.
"I wish it had been the victory I was convinced it would be," Obi-Wan said somewhat sympathetically. "But it's good to know I provided you with some peace."
"That you did, when Cal told me," Merrin replied. "Most of the droids left in roughly a month, leaving me alone. But there were a significant number of Nightbrothers left. And since I was the only woman on the planet, I became the fixation of their vengefulness. Then, about three years later, another outsider came. A Jedi named Taron Malicos." Obi-Wan didn't recognize the name but that didn't surprise him. "At first, I thought he was a friend. But then, it turned out he just wanted the secrets of Dathomir. As the last Nightsister, who'd been forced to learn from old manuscripts and diaries she'd found after the massacre of her people, I was the last source of knowledge. He then took control of the Nightbrothers, and forced them to accept him as their leader. I spent over a year running from him and the beasts of Dathomir, and then Cal came."
"I believe you called me a charlatan," Cal playfully recalled. "Before turning your dolls on me."
"Well, I've never heard them called dolls before, but I suppose that fits," Merrin replied humorously to her husband. "He helped me imprison Malicos beneath the ground, and after he got what he came for, I joined the Mantis crew."
As she sat down in the main dining hall of the Western Air Temple, Izumi was relieved to have her husband, father, and son back, but shocked to hear that her daughter was still out there. She knew Bumi hadn't given up on their daughter, so she didn't yell at him out of frustration. She also told her son not to blame himself, as Iroh had just been trying to protect Mizuki.
"Bumi and I will be leaving here in a day or two," Kya said. "We will get my niece back, and we'll be able to call you at the holocomm that's been installed, here."
"I'm not sure how often I can come here," the Fire Lord said. "The director of my own security detail was extremely reluctant for me to come here, with so many Imperials."
"I think we've proved that your security team can't stop the Empire, at all," Mako spoke up, having walked into the room. "Of course, if this is inconvenient, we could install one in your airship or your palace."
"You're talking to Fire Lord, use respect," one of Izumi's guards said, angered at Mako's disregard for etiquette.
"Don't act smug, it doesn't befit a servant," Korra piped up, unimpressed by the guard's attempt to act tough.
"Let's not get off topic," Tenzin said, trying to defuse any conflict before it started. "Mizuki, I'm not sure how else you can receive updates on the search."
"Well, it sounds like an easy way for the Empire to spy on us," Izumi said. "I can't agree to that, not with things the way they are. You can send me updates via messenger hawk, and if it goes on long enough, I might come here once or twice." Bumi had an idea but decided to wait to tell his wife until after. Several Imperials were standing in the room, with the Royal Firebender Guards staring at them, but most of the Imperials were indifferent, instead talking among themselves. All the sudden, the one called Kanan looked worried and walked out of the room, which the Airbender kids thought was strange.
"Who exactly has Mizuki?" Izumi asked her father. Before Zuko could answer, someone else did.
"His name is Cal Kestis," a menacing voice stated, booming through the hall. "A Jedi survivor who has had a remarkable stroke of luck in staying alive. As does another Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi."
"The most dangerous adversaries you could face, right Lord Vader?" Korra asked her master who'd strode into the room. All the Firebender guards were terrified at the sight of the Obsidian Knight, even Izumi looked rather unnerved.
"Indeed," Vader confirmed. "Kestis has a Nightsister at his side, as well, and most reports say she is a Necromancer."
"Eww, that's gross," Ikki said. "Though, I heard the term was Necrophile, maybe that's just-" she then saw everyone was staring at her in shock, surprised she'd heard of Necrophilia.
"A Necromancer is a sorcerer who casts a magic spell, animating dead bodies and using them as puppets," Mako clarified.
"Oh, well, that doesn't sound good, either," the young Airbender said. At that moment, Izumi stood up and looked at Darth Vader's helmet, staring at his eyepieces.
"At this moment, I don't care about what you did," she said, trying to be resolute in the face of the man she feared most. "You are the only expert on these people here, what will they do to my daughter?" For a moment, all anyone heard was the mechanical breathing of the Sith Lord, and then he spoke.
"They will attempt to win her over to their cause," Vader stated. "I suspect they will be successful, as Kenobi especially is good at persuading people his dreams and desires are theirs. That is in addition to how you raised her to hate and fear me, so she will be eager to oppose the Empire, unless she witnessed the parade on Axxila and understood what it meant." The various Elementals shifted in discomfort at Vader's remarks. "Whether she falls for the lies of the Jedi or not, sooner or later, she will be brought into their missions undertaken against the Empire. Either she is a hostage they take along, or a convert to their cause. Either way, the Imperials she encounters see a rebel attacking their base. In life, she is a weapon for Kenobi and Kestis to use, in death, she is a prominent Elemental killed by the Empire, making things harder for it here." Everyone, except Korra and Mako, were shocked to hear Vader's assessment, and terrified Bumi and his family.
"That argument presumes we would blame the Imperials who were defending themselves over the people who kidnapped her," Jinora broke the silence.
"I know how the Jedi think," Vader said, almost sounding like he experienced their thinking firsthand, before turning to Bumi and Kya. "And while you are too intelligent to fall for such a gambit, I'm not sure everyone else is ready to let go of their hatred of me. Whatever the case, Kenobi alone is out of your league, and Kestis is rather impressive in his own right. When you suspect you have found them, contact me, and I will come." He then turned to Korra and Mako, summoning them back to their shuttle. Korra and her husband hugged Tenzin and his children before standing up and preparing to return to the South Pole. With that, Bumi and his family laid out what they would be doing, going forward. Katara would return to Republic City with Tenzin to help in the rebuilding, while Iroh would return to the United Forces, and Zuko would briefly return to the Capitol Island to see his wife, before returning to his role as an ambassador. After the meeting, Meelo thanked Sabine for helping save Iroh.
"That's what friends are for," the Mandalorian replied. "Maybe I'll be on the mission to get Mizuki back, as well. Who knows, maybe Maul is another Dathomirian Kestis has recruited."
"Who's Maul?" asked Bumi, who'd walked over to ask her something else.
"He's a very powerful Dathomirian, who, when I was about a year old, took over Mandalore because Duchess Satine was a wimp who did her best to weaken our people," Sabine explained. "He was ousted right at the end of the Clone Wars, but the ship carrying him vanished, and there are persistent rumors he's behind this crime syndicate, as well." Then, a new thought entered her mind. "Though, if he is working with Cal Kestis, I don't think Obi-Wan Kenobi will stick with them for long." Bumi decided the story behind that could wait and spoke himself.
"Is there some sort of small communication device Izumi and I could use to stay in touch?" he asked. That surprised both Sabine and Meelo, having overheard how she couldn't have a communicator. "I get the feeling the Empire already has a way to monitor her. Listening in on my reports about looking for our daughter won't make a difference. She doesn't have to tell her advisors." After a moment of consideration, the Mandalorian replied.
"The Empire is still setting up communication satellites in orbit, making communication a little spotty as it is," Sabine explained. "And since none of the local populace has anyone to talk to in the wider galaxy, there is no need to set up a civilian equivalent. If you want to talk to your wife, she needs a communication device, like the one here." Bumi knew that Sabine was a fine young woman, who, while not sharing Meelo's crush on her, still liked him, and that she was honest.
"Well, I guess I have to convince my wife to accept such a communicator," the Airbender said, hoping to persuade Izumi as he headed for the Fire Lord.
In Ba Sing Se, Suyin looked over the city that was being rebuilt. She had mixed feelings at the sight: on one hand, like Kuvira, she was happy the walls were gone. On the other hand, she noticed how many of the new buildings were more metallic than traditional Earth Nation structures, showing Imperial influence. The giant crater that was the Upper Ring had largely been filled, save for where the palace had been, as the catacombs it sat atop were now exposed to the surface. Close by, was a massive dome with multiple rings for ships to land inside, serving as the Imperial planetary headquarters. Across from it was the much smaller headquarters that Kuvira had erected for her own forces.
"I'm aware of the symbolism," Kuvira told her mother, knowing what she was thinking. "But as uncomfortable as it is, the Imperials needed a place here. Think of it as an embassy."
"Well, most of the time, the embassy isn't the largest building in sight," Su replied to her daughter. At that moment, they heard a familiar voice, and Suyin and Kuvira looked to see Opal was there. Opal hugged her mother and adoptive sister at seeing how they were back, with Bolin a short distance behind her. Kuvira then noticed how Bolin was wearing something on his hand.
"Oh, well, we have a bit of an announcement," Opal said to her mother, before revealing a ring on her own hand. Su congratulated her daughter and Bolin for their engagement, smiling at the news. Kuvira herself was rather pleased, and wondered when Baatar would propose to her. Then, an assistant handed a datapad to her, and she smiled at how Varrick reported he'd begun the Spirit Vine experiments. Truly, the vines they harvested from the Foggy Swamp would be an impressive energy source. To think the Swampbenders would have the world remain ignorant of it. It was for the best they were taken to Eriadu and forced to join the modern world. That was when a new figure came into view.
"Lord Vader has summoned me," the man said in that accent many Imperials possessed. The Beifong family and Bolin were startled by his appearance. His oval-shaped head was bald, lines appeared on grey skin, with red bags under his yellow eyes, and identical, crimson tattoos on his forehead pointed at each other, complete with sharp, crooked teeth. He wore black pieces of armor over a grey jumpsuit, the Imperial symbol on the shoulder pads, and he had a lightsaber on his hip, with a handguard and an emitter on either end.
"Well, thank you for coming, Grand Inquisitor," Kuvira replied, even as the other three were unnerved by his appearance. "My troops are eager to learn from you and the rest of the Inquisitorious."
"I will do my best not to disappoint you, or Lord Vader," the Grand Inquisitor replied, walking away.
"So, does everyone in his species look like that?" a nervous Bolin asked.
"Yes," Kuvira said. Before she could continue, a beep came on her comlink, and she saw that Korra and Mako had returned to the South Pole, with Darth Vader. Hopefully, they would be able to retrieve Vader's son and daughter, soon.
I was curious about a clone explaining what it felt like to have his chip activated. I had already come up with my own ideas before watching the Bad Batch, so I went in my own direction. Upon learning the truth, Obi-Wan can't hold a grudge against the clones for what happened. Especially since he and the other Jedi failed to see two rather big red flags. I decided to tie Kuvira's adventure with Vader back into this story. Cody is loyal to Obi-Wan and will keep his secrets, and since he's the only one to hear Shaak's rant to Kuvira and survive, the secret of Vader is kept up.
Given how nice Merrin is, I decided she needed definite reason for why she's rather at odds with the other Nightsisters, so I made her parents rather atypical Dathomirians. Her recollection is based off Darth Maul: Son Of Dathomir, and the best part of Tales Of The Empire. Mako and Korra refuse to cowed by tradition or those who style themselves as it's guardians. Vader thinks that, since upholding the Jedi way is what's most important to Obi-Wan, Mizuki is expendable to the Jedi Master. Sabine's opinion on Satine is what I'd expect her to have been raised to believe.
The Inquisitors are here and will be teaching many of Kuvira and Korra's soldiers more limited applications of the Force. Please read and review.