After dealing with Tahno and the other attackers, Mako walked into the apartment building where his extended family was staying. He knocked on the door, seeing his Uncle Chow open the door. Chow was smiling lightly but Mako could sense the hesitance from the people within the double apartment. Still, his cousin Tu happily invited him into what was once two homes before the wall between them was torn down.
"I see you've now married Korra," said his grandmother, happy at his appearance, still wearing her son's scarf which Mako had given her. "I never asked what the names of my great-grandchildren, were."
"Harou is my son and Saria is my daughter," Mako said proudly. "They'll be coming to the city, soon, I'd be happy to introduce you."
"I would like that," she said, before her face shifted a little. "But I'm having a bit of trouble...accepting your actions."
"Really?" a surprised Mako asked. "You've lived here for about a year. You must have learned that Korra and I are hardly the only people who hated the Queen."
"Yes, I have seen how many people here have rejected the wisdom of the ancestors and tradition and dismissed Queen Hou-Ting as someone they were better off without," she replied. "Though, I admit, her highness hadn't done much to disprove their assumptions of her. That was in addition to her misunderstanding with Korra and the rest of you."
"'Misunderstanding' would imply it was an accident that she kidnapped over a hundred new Airbenders, locked them in a secret academy where death was entirely possible, lied to Korra about being willing to help her, and then threatened our lives when we discovered her lies and refused to let her hang onto those Airbenders," Mako stated. "As much as I hear how you should assume something bad comes from stupidity, not malice, the opposite is usually true."
"In the Earth Kingdom, it is considered poor form to speak poorly of the dead," Chow said, seemingly ignoring the point his nephew made.
"Earth Nation," Mako corrected him, reminding everyone that Kuvira had taken charge and abolished the monarchy. "And that was a custom she herself considered beneath her, given how often she said her father and brother were disgraceful and weak for caring about people like you and wanting to avoid another world war." He noticed a look of shock when he revealed that.
"Even if she did disapprove of her predecessors, I have a hard time believing she would reveal that opinion to the Avatar and her party," Yin said to her grandson.
"She considered her position as Earth Monarch as an impenetrable shield against everything, allowing her to act and treat others however she wished," Mako replied. "Hou-Ting's fight with us came because she thought the Avatar could be defied and ignored. She died because she decided to act demanding toward a group of assassins, even when they had overpowered her guards. She didn't even try to hide her odious opinions from us, about pretty much everyone." Yin tried to find something to say in response, but she couldn't. Instead, she sat down and admitted what she had always known but been unwilling to admit.
"Yes, the Queen was a terrible person, and she made life in Ba Sing Se much harder than it had to be," she said to her grandson. "But what about Darth Vader and his Empire? They did kill Avatar Aang and King Kuei II, alongside so many others."
"Unalaq killed those people," Mako replied.
"I heard how he killed his own father but-""And set up Vader in his place, ensuring Vader could never surrender to tell his side of the story," Mako interrupted Tu. "Everyone Vader hurt or killed, would not have been in a fight with him if not for Unalaq's lies. Well, almost everyone, but they were a bunch of thugs and kidnappers holding someone Vader realized was in trouble. On top of that, Lord Vader had a life-or-death doctor's appointment he needed to get to, sooner rather than later. The URN believes in extenuating circumstances."
"From what I saw, President Raiko believed Vader would kill him if he didn't accept that reasoning," Chow noted. "But let's accept that explanation. What about King Kuei II? He wasn't a Bender or even armed with a sword. Why did Vader have to kill him? He was a good man, a good ruler, and his death led to Hou-Ting becoming Queen."
"The way I see it, there are two possibilities," Mako said. "The first is that he was knocked aside in the confusion of battle and landed wrong. The second: the Dai Li killed him and blamed Vader for it." The second surprised his family.
"Don't you mean that Vader killed Kuei deliberately?" asked his grandmother, noting a possibility he hadn't acknowledged.
"Vader doesn't kill for amusement, and he had no reason to kill Kuei," the Firebender answered. "But accidents can still happen to bystanders in the middle of a fight."
"Still, why are you suddenly assuming that his guards murdered him?" asked Tu.
"Shortly before he was abducted by aliens and rescued by Vader, Bolin found something," Mako answered. "A vault in a forgotten corner of the lower ring. When he finally managed to open it, he found a collection of dirty secrets Hou-Ting had assembled on people she'd needed to blackmail before becoming queen. One of them was a record player with a single recording. It was of her plotting alongside a bunch of people of how to assassinate her brother and seize the throne from his heirs. A few were Dai Li agents, talking about how they could handle Kuei in his sleep. Makes me think they decided to seize the opportunity when Vader showed up." That revelation surprised his family even further.
"Why would she make such a recording and hold onto it?" a shocked Yin asked her grandson.
"To keep her coconspirators from backing out," Mako answered. "After becoming queen, she considered herself above everything, including blackmail. As such, I'm guessing Hou-Ting forgot about it after dismissing her secrets as meaningless."
"Maybe," Chow replied, understanding there was no way to know for sure, and that the subject of the Obsidian Knight's first visit to Republic City was over, in Mako's mind. "Still, what about the Empire, itself? Why are they so trustworthy? And this Kuvira woman?"
"I'm not sure what you are asking," Mako replied.
"Given how Kuvira made her opinion of the monarchy clear, I've been wondering about what happened to Prince Wu," Yin said to her grandson. "I keep wondering if the Empire decided he was a problem and took advantage of the chaos in the 'Hutt' attack."
"I saw the person who shot him," Mako stated. "He was a Weaquay, a being with braided hair and leathery skin. Their homeworld Srilurr is extremely close to Hutt Space, and Weaquays who leave their homeworld often work as criminals of some sort, especially enforcers for Hutt crime syndicates. And none of the Imperials with us were even equipped with weapons that could disintegrate someone in a single shot. There goes the possibility the Empire could have killed him."
"Maybe you are mistaken," Tu said.
"Are you doubting me?" Mako challenged. For a moment, his family was somewhat confused, until they realized what he was asking: did they think he was lying?
"Of course not," Yin quickly answered, realizing distrust could alienate him. "But this technology, it's from another world. How much can you understand?"
"Enough that Korra is being entrusted with educating engineers about it," Mako answered. "We were taught how to use and maintain it and given some tech of our own. I was educated on various types of weapons, their models, and their capabilities. Also, I saw the corpse of the Weaquay who shot Wu. He wasn't someone in disguise. The Imperials didn't kill the prince, the Besadis and their minions did." After hearing Mako's assertion, they felt compelled to believe him. They had various questions about the Empire, and the Sith who ruled them, but that was for another day. There was only one other thing they had to ask, today.
"Okay, the Besadi clan killed the prince," Yin said. "Still, there is one question at the back of my mind: if Wu had survived, what would you and the others have done?"
"Korra concluded that it would be easy for him to give up the responsibility he was unsuited for, and to return to his life as a lounge singer," Mako answered. "But we'd compromise with him and his backers, if we needed to." He left out how, thanks to their telepathy and other powers, they wouldn't have to compromise with Wu regardless of the circumstances.
"There are rumors that a new claimant to the throne has arisen," Yin said, having heard some positive news after the death of Wu.
"There are planets with monarchies in the wider galaxy," her grandson replied. "When a claimant appears out of nowhere, he is usually a fraud. Some people might be so unbending to the changing world they will humor such lies, but Korra and I won't."
"And what if there was no doubt this claimant was real?" asked Chow.
"Kuvira is a good friend, who saved many lives and did her best to put things back together while Korra and I were away," the Firebender answered. "Korra and I won't betray her because some distant cousin of the royal family wants to put his feet up on her desk."
"A king doesn't relax in such a way," Yin said, missing the point.
"Either way, Korra won't empower him to steal what Kuvira has achieved, and neither will I," Mako stated. "The only way he will become king is if he manages to bargain with Kuvira. Which won't happen."
"Because this claimant is a fraud, because the White Lotus haven't found such a claimant, or because Kuvira won't accept him?" asked Tu.
"Or because such a claimant would be too proud to try reasoning with Kuvira?" Chow added, concluding that was the scenario Mako believed.
"Yes," Mako replied, before changing the subject. "My children will be arriving in Republic City, soon. I'd like you to be there for dinner with them, tonight." After a moment, Yin asked when they could come to meet her great-grandchildren. Mako gave the time at Asami's mansion, hugged his grandmother, and left the building.
Bumi and Kya looked out from atop the dam at the Aldhani garrison. It was a beautiful valley, even if the river had slowed to a trickle. Looking closer, they saw what looked like a shrine. Apparently, the meteor shower that would soon be happening was a local celebration which would bring many Dhanis. Still, Kya wondered how they felt about the Empire building their base in their sacred places.
"I'm sorry you can't leave, but decontamination procedure requires you stay for now," Baatar said, noticing the siblings. He knew they wanted to get back to finding Bumi's daughter, but it wouldn't do any good if some Rakghoul spit was left on the Hound's Tooth. By the time the inspection was finished, it would be too late to take off before the meteor shower.
"I know," Kya said. "What are the locals like?"
"Most of them don't speak our language," Baatar replied. "And are utterly backward in other ways, as well."
"That's rather extreme," Bumi said. "I'd think your father would have taught you to be less judgmental of less-advanced cultures."
"I was always the least important child in the house," the younger man said bitterly. "When he did talk about the Sandbenders, he made it clear they were lying, vicious thieves we should stay away from. Oh, and that stereotype about how they abandon their injured members to die in the hot sun? He only survived that because my mother rescued him. After all, he wanted to build actual homes, while they wanted to be traveling thieves. That, along with how he couldn't Earthbend, meant his family was always going to throw him out die in the hot sun at some point."
"Oh," Kya replied, not sure what to say. During her travels, she'd spent some time with the Si Wong Desert Tribes, often called Sandbenders. She learned that while they believed in hospitality and lived a nomadic existence, certain tribes followed different rules. It seemed that Baatar Sr had been born into one of the harsher ones. "Still, you haven't really explained what the Dhanis are like."
"Before the Empire came, they lived in huts without electricity or running water," Baatar answered. "Having been here for only a couple weeks, I can see they are one of those tribes who thumb their noses at anyone who lives above a stone age level, even if Force-Sensitivity is apparently nonexistent here. As if we have lost virtue or something by daring to live with advanced technology." Kya thought about what Baatar had said. She had met some groups that lived in such a manner. On the surface, they occasionally seemed to have such an attitude but when she got to know them, she learned that was rarely the case, outside of a few angry individual members. They just preferred to live simply.
"I have a hard time believing they would agree to the Empire building such a base, here," Bumi noted.
"Someone who moves into a new house doesn't need permission from the rats to renovate," Baatar dismissively stated. "There are still some shepherds in the hills, but most Dhanis have gone down south, to some quality housing the Empire built for them. With actual lights, running water, and a health service for them to go to." He looked over, seeing their shifted expressions. "You disapprove at how their lives have been improved?"
"I'm not sure they would agree it has been improved," Kya answered. "Their sacred site has been heavily changed by outsiders who don't really appreciate it."
"So, the part about having actual doctors is bad?" asked a bewildered Baatar. "And better cleanliness and water?"
"My father didn't believe in forcing change on people," Bumi answered, remembering how the Fire Nation had used rhetoric of bettering the world to justify their conquests.
"But I do, along with Vader's other apostles," the younger man stated before either could say anything. "Which is why Korra helped me and Kuvira round up the Sandbenders. They've been taken to a place where they will learn there is no place for their thievery and practices. I'm sure several are unhappy, now, but they will be better off as a result. No doubt my dad will be pleased when he sees how I've forced them to become more civilized." Bumi and Kya were shocked and doubted that Baatar's family would be as approving as he thought they'd be. But they understood their criticisms would mean nothing to him, so they walked away and went to meet Bossk, who was coming back from a nature hike. Was Baatar always this arrogant or had he learned it from the Imperials?
Korra smiled as the Platinum Bender touched down in the courtyard in front of Asami's house. After it landed, both Naga and Pabu stumbled out of it, noticeably afraid. Korra went up to the two animals, comforting them. She hadn't considered how it might feel for them in a flying machine, with only Kay-Bee for company. Speaking of which, the droid came out with her two children in their baskets, noticeably happy to see their mother. As the Avatar took hold of her children, Asami comforted the two pets. After placing them inside Asami's mansion, with Kay-Bee watching over Harou and Saria, Korra led the engineering team inside her personal ship.
"Is that the navigation system?" asked Hiroshi, pointing to a computer console.
"No, those are the shield controls," Korra answered. It didn't take long of answering questions about the ship for Korra to realize that it was impossible for the local scientists to learn how to build a spaceship on par with the wider galaxy. Alone, at least, but with the Empire's help, they could do it. Though overcoming that hesitance would take time.
After showing the engineers around her ship, Korra called Mako to see how he was doing. "Grandma was more receptive than I thought," Mako said over the comlink. "She finally admitted how horrible Hou-Ting was. She brought up the idea of the White Lotus finding a new candidate for Earth Monarch, though. I made it clear, though, that we wouldn't be betraying Kuvira. By the way, keep an eye out. I had to handle an ambush from Tahno and some others angry we befriended Vader."
"I can handle anything," Korra reassured her husband, before remembering the therapist Lin had wanted her to meet. "So, what do you think of this Dr. Guo?"
"I'm not sure if he can keep our secrets, yet," Mako answered. "I've told him about the feeling of going through the portal, and first time in outer space, as well as in a space suit. Not about some of the things we've done on our master's behalf."
"Yeah, trusting Tenzin, and even Lin, with something like Coronet is one thing," Korra replied, remembering their first mission in the wider galaxy. "Not a stranger."
"Alright, my grandmother and the others are coming over with me, for dinner," Mako told his wife. She smiled at that and told him she was looking forward to it. Shortly afterward, she saw Asami walking past and went up to her girlfriend. After they were alone, Korra stole a kiss from the other girl.
"So, what's Coronet?" asked Asami, revealing she'd overheard the conversation.
"It was Mako and mine's first mission for the Empire," Korra revealed. "A gangster named Thyne in the city of Coronet on Corellia had obtained a plague which jumped every known species barrier and was trying to sell it as a weapon. Mako and I were pretending to be interested buyers. In order to get it, we would have to do whatever was necessary to convince him we were real. After all, he didn't carry it with him, so we'd have to string him along for as long as possible."
"Okay," Asami replied, not sure where this was going.
"Our meeting with Thyne was interrupted by some local police," Korra said. "Thyne wouldn't surrender in those circumstances, and the location of the Blue Shadow Virus could be lost if he was imprisoned. And if we were bad guys interested in buying a weaponized disease, we wouldn't let ourselves get captured, either." After a moment, Asami's eyes flashed open, realizing that Korra and Mako had killed several police to maintain their cover.
"I didn't want to, but I was afraid of what a Blue Shadow Virus outbreak would look like," Korra admitted, rubbing her head at the unpleasant memory.
"You and Mako were in an impossible situation," Asami hugged her girlfriend. "I get that you might be wary of telling Dr. Guo your secrets, but I'll always love you and Mako." The two women smiled, before going to visit Korra's children who'd just settled into the Sato mansion. That is when a call came from Kuvira, and Korra decided to take it.
Bossk had enjoyed studying the wilderness, even if there wasn't anything of value to hunt. After returning, he ran into Bumi and Kya again, and noticed they looked rather bothered. Trying to take their minds off whatever was bothering them, he asked if they were curious about Cassian Andor.
"Strange that he would use such a similar name as an alias," Bumi noted, remembering how he'd introduced himself as Kassa.
"He's the adopted son of Maarva and Clem Andor," Bossk revealed. "Though the records are a bit...spotty on where he came from. Unsurprising, since they look like smugglers, to me."
"How can you be so sure?" Kya asked. "And why is smuggling so pervasive in the galaxy, as a bunch of people keep saying?"
"What is illegal on a planet?" asked the Trandoshan. "What is heavily taxed? There are so many worlds, there are just as many answers. If you work for yourself, you need to fund the operation of the ship. Spend long enough doing it, and you stop caring about import laws, if you ever did. And sometimes, common things can make you rich if you take them to the right place."
"Like what?" asked Bumi. The bounty hunter pulled out a holoprojector from his pocket and showed an image of an alien they had briefly seen on Nar Shaddaa. Its skin was leathery, it had big bulbous eyes without pupils, what looked like a squashed nose, and its head looked like a triangle.
"This is an Arcona," Bossk said. "Their world doesn't have the water they need, so they frequently pay exorbitant amounts of precious metals for it. If you are less ethical, salt is very addictive to them, so bring as much salt as possible, and you will be extremely well compensated for addicting them. When I was starting out, an entire generation was crippled by salt addiction." That shocked the siblings, before remembering how different biologies meant different reactions. Bossk quickly added you could spot a salt-addicted Arcona if his eyes were gold instead of green.
"The Andors' went around the galaxy on their own ship, often picking up dubiously valuable cargo, and sometimes didn't sell anything, according to the logs they submitted," the Trandoshan continued. "Their profile screams smuggler, and I'm guessing they didn't want to explain where Cassian came from, either. Clem died early in the Imperial era, though there is a bit of a gap in his death certificate, and Maarva went back to her homeworld Ferrix. Cassian did a few months in a penal battalion to get out of jail early and actually survived the cannon fodder brigade. He's never left his home system since then."
"Wait, the Empire recruits criminals into its army?" a surprised Bumi asked upon hearing of a penal unit. Such things had been practiced before, but they'd become increasingly rare.
"The term is 'Disciplinary Unit' but yes," Bossk answered. "Some low-level crooks are caught and given a choice of joining the army or going to jail. Sometimes, they recruit people out of an actual prison. Mixed in are an assortment of already-serving soldiers who got in trouble and have been sent there, for the three weeks to a month the Judge-Advocate thinks they should be punished for getting drunk on duty or being insubordinate. Then, there are sent to some dangerous place like Mimban where high casualties are expected, so you need an army that is easily replaced and made up of people no one cares about." The siblings were further bothered by how misfits and outcasts were sent to their deaths almost deliberately, before remembering how they met Cassian Andor.
"Why was Cassian out there, now?" asked Kya.
"It seems that he killed two local constables, and some of their colleagues decided to go on a rampage at the reminder of how vulnerable they are," Bossk said dismissively. "He, and a buyer for some sort of contraband he had, escaped and killed another seven in the process. Good riddance to PreMors like that."
"You have no sympathy for those cops he killed?" a shocked Kya asked.
"From what I understand, the first two started a fight with him because he told them to stop hassling a waitress, and the rest were just losers on a power trip," Bossk said. "Also, 'cop' implies they were part of a real police agency. They weren't but that's a story for later." At that point, Kya decided to see how Srinivasa was doing. The Togruta boy had started to bond with her after the loss of his parents, and she felt the same way. For his part, Bumi was curious about Lt. Gorn. He'd been fairly curious of the Benders but his curiosity didn't look like the other Imperials. The lieutenant almost seemed to be hiding something. Probably just career aspirations, since Gorn looked a little old to still be a lieutenant.
Kuvira had finished training that day and had decided to look over the latest report on infrastructure building in the Earth Nation. The new water filtration system was being set up across the country, though there had been a few protests against it, where fools were saying the Empire was putting mind-control chemicals inside. Fortunately, the EUA and Imperials had been able to disperse the protests with a sonic cannon, causing them intense but nonlethal pain until they scattered. That is when an intelligence report came to her. Upon reading it, Kuvira decided to contact Korra and Darth Vader.
"Are you settling in with the kids?" Kuvira asked her best friend outside her family.
"Yeah, everything's great, and Mako's got his grandma to admit the queen was terrible for everyone," Korra answered, just as Vader came on. "Though, she floated the possibility there is another claimant to the throne, out there."
"It would make sense," the Earthbender replied, before turning to their master. "My lord, whenever there is an opportunity to retrieve your daughter, I will be there to help you."
"Good," Vader thanked her. "But you aren't calling about Leia."
"I've just received a report, master," Kuvira answered. "A substantial force is gathering on an island to the north of the Eastern Air Temple. We don't know it's exact composition, but they are certainly trouble."
"Right around when the White Lotus wants me to meet them in what sounds like a trap," the Avatar noted. "I wonder what Major Partagaz can find on these guys, in the two days before my meeting at the Sun Warrior reservation."
"I will put the Devastator on alert, and retask the newest spy satellite to watch it," Vader revealed. "Prepare a response, at the likely landing sites. After their task force is eliminated, I will have my star destroyer bombard the island in question."
"Of course, my lord," Kuvira affirmed, before an idea occurred to her. "Perhaps we should be absolutely certain the White Lotus is a part of this, before we punish them for meddling in my affairs."
"Sounds like a plan," Korra concluded, before her eyes shifted. "If the White Lotus is a part of this half-baked invasion plan to 'reestablish the monarchy' or whatever the goal is, I'm done putting up with them." They all agreed the invasion would be crushed and that everyone would know the Empire was here to stay. Whether the White Lotus would have a part in that new world, was yet to be seen. Kuvira then looked over the report on the reeducation of the Sandbenders. It was progressing smoothly, despite the initial difficulties. Hopefully, her father would be pleased when he saw how the tribe that abandoned him to die was forced to shape up and behave like civilized people. After Opal's wedding to Bolin, she'd see what he thought of the program to civilize the Sandbenders.
Next chapter, Kuvira thwarts a filibuster led by a forgotten heir to the throne (Look up William Walker if you aren't sure what a filibuster is.) So, I wanted to show Mako's family actually admit what was painfully obvious about the queen. But while Mako hasn't asked Vader, Vader did actually kill the king deliberately, as shown in Chapter 3. I wanted to explain why Smuggling is so common in Star Wars, regardless of the era, as well. Asami is being a good girlfriend, supporting her lovers' kids and standing by them despite a hard choice they made. Bumi and Kya have gotten a more in-depth look at Imperial behavior, with Baatar's casual revealing of it. Please read and review.