Italics are flashbacks.
Bumi and Kya got up the morning after the hearing, and wondered what they could do before it reconvened. Just then, they received a holocall, it was from Dedra Meero, revealing that Bumi had authorization to be part of the questioning of the captured Aldhani robber. The questioning would be starting in an hour. At that moment, Kya went up and asked a question. "Supervisor Meero, is Syril Karn working at the Bureau of Standards, today?"
"Um, no," Dedra revealed after a moment, looking at her notes after being surprised by the question. Bumi and Bossk were also surprised to hear her ask this.
"Do you know where he lives?" the Waterbender asked. Upon hearing the answer, Kya thanked the blonde, with the call ending shortly afterward.
"Why so curious about Karn?" asked Bumi.
"When we saw him yesterday, he wasn't the foolish, obsessed investigator," Kya answered. "He was a defeated man, broken by how nothing had gone right for him. The last time I saw such a person was at Republic City Memorial, looking lost and alone before being ushered out for disrupting things. A few days later, I saw him wheeled in with rope burn around his throat. It might not be our world, but I'm still a doctor, and I'm supposed to help people. Maybe I can do the same for Mr. Karn."
"How do you think you can do that?" asked Bossk skeptically.
"Giving him closure over this matter he's obsessed with would be a good start," Kya answered. Bumi and Bossk didn't think Syril Karn deserved it but saw that Kya had made up her mind. Bossk helped her find her way to the transport terminal and explained how to find her way to Karn's apartment, while Bumi got in the speeder taking him to the ISB headquarters. As he arrived, he was greeted by Dedra Meero and Colonel Yularen.
"Some of the supervisors doubt you'll be able to offer anything of interest to this interrogation," the older man said. "But it rarely hurts to try something new. Commander Tano demonstrated that, around seventeen years ago."
"Who is that?" Bumi asked.
"She...is someone long gone, sadly," Yularen said regretfully, as if he remembered he wasn't supposed to talk about this subject. "The prisoner is down below, if you'll follow me." Bumi followed the two ISB agents down a hallway, leading to a room with a window in front of it. Within the room was the long-haired, dark-skinned woman who'd been holding the Beehaz family captive to force the base commander to help rob the payroll vault. Her hands were cuffed behind her back and her feet restrained to the floor. She had a couple new bruises on her face, but she still looked defiant.
"Her name is Cinta Kaz," Dedra revealed. "She was a nurse in training on her homeworld. Some frontier settlement that's been neglected and unnoticed for too long. Maybe that's why the people there distrust outsiders, no matter how unfounded such concern is."
"Whatever the case, a member of the tax bureau trying to set things up disappeared one day," Yularen continued. "The investigators were backed up by Stormtroopers, to show how seriously we took such things, regardless of how distant the locals thought they were. At the Kaz family ranch, something happened and there was a gunfight which killed most of the people there. Cinta ran off, and until now she hasn't been seen."
"I've heard similar stories on my homeworld," Bumi revealed, thinking of the tales shrouding Zaheer and his closest allies in myth. P'Li the Combustion Bender had been a child conscripted into a cadre of bandits, Ming-Hua had been an armless degenerate for circus crowds to gawk at, while Ghazan was a runaway Dai Li initiate. Zaheer was a starving orphan who'd lost his whole family to some greedy Earthbending governor and been forced to plunder ancient sites to survive. Or so the tales around them said, revolutionaries loved to invent myths about themselves to inspire loyalty, as demonstrated with Amon. Bumi didn't particularly care if they were true, as they'd all made themselves enemies of his family and himself. This Cinta was more of the same.
"We haven't asked her anything, yet," Yularen added. "Go in when you are ready." At that, Bumi walked into the room, with Cinta looking down.
"I have nothing to say, you might as well kill me, you Imp," the young woman said sullenly.
"I'm not an Imperial, I'm a guest," Bumi said, surprising Cinta, causing her to look up. With that, the lady was surprised.
"I still have a sore jaw from your right hook," she revealed, leaning to the side to show the bruise. "I suppose I should have expected that, as Imperials hate it when people like me talk back, but I was surprised a man victimized by the Empire would have done so. At least, from what you told Gorn." After a moment, Bumi realized what she was referring to.
"My past with Darth Vader is beside the point, regardless of what Lt. Gorn told you," Bumi said. "What's relevant is that, for the last two years, fanatics longing to upend the world have taken hostages in pursuit of their cause. I've been held captive, my brother kidnapped, his children taken captive, and it's usually to coerce someone powerful into helping whatever plan the revolutionaries are attempting that week. Then I go to a different world, and you're babbling about how righteous your cause is, how inevitable our defeat is, holding someone's wife and son captive to steal some money."
"It's more than some money, and when the enemy controls everything, you do what you have to," Cinta stated indignantly, before a look of discomfort went over her face. "When you oppress others, you invite harm to your own families when your actions catch up with you."
"Like those policemen on this planet invite retribution from the gangsters they stop, prompting them to wear masks while on duty?" a composed but increasingly angry Bumi retorted. Getting the feeling that the Imperials behind the two-way mirror were displeased by his outburst, Bumi tried a different tactic. "Besides, Gorn wasn't a true believer. He was a watchman who felt entitled to the money he was guarding and took up your offer, so he'd get what was his."
"The Empire oppresses the Dhanis, driving the woman he loved to suicide, and made it impossible for him to get promoted when he tried to file a protest, that's why he joined us," Cinta claimed.
"Sure it was," said the Airbender, affecting an air of sarcasm. "The thing is, some time ago, there was an insurrection on my world. It was put down, but there was a bit of confusion afterward. One day, seven guys in Equalist garb, using Equalist toys, and shouting Equalist talking points robbed a pretty major bank, boasting how their cause was still in the fight. Then, about a week later, some guy who'd gone to Equalist rallies was found in a ditch with his throat split open. The next day, a bunch of Equalist junk was in a trash can fire."
"Your point?" Cinta asked impatiently.
"Well, that is when we found the other six robbers," Bumi said. "Buying nice things, going to nightclubs, or trying to set themselves up somewhere else. They weren't Equalists, they were just a bunch of thieves shouting slogans and playing a part in the hopes of the police looking for terrorists instead of thieves. Except for number seven, he was a true believer, which is why they cut his throat. Looks like the same thing has happened. These ones are even more secure, laughing at the stupid little girl who thinks they're after revolution instead of riches."
"You know nothing!" yelled Cinta. "None of us are in it for the money! Clem and Skeen, maybe, but not Nemik, Gorn, or V-" she stopped herself, realizing she'd been tricked.
"Thanks for telling us the names of your teammates," Bumi said, walking out. "I guess now we'll see if they are as committed as you imagine." Cinta glared at Bumi as he walked out, angry he'd managed to trick her.
"So, I never asked, who was the robber that was killed during his compatriots escaped?" Bumi asked Dedra after the door closed.
"He was a Stormtrooper kicked out for picking fights with the other soldiers," Yularen said in her place. "Thank you for getting her to reveal some names, though it might be some time before we learn who they are, assuming those names are real."
"I'm pretty sure I've come across the name Clem before," Dedra spoke up and looked in her datapad, before her face lit up pleased with herself. "Oh, Clem Andor is the adopted father of Cassian Andor. I guess we know why the witnesses identified a robber as Cassian." Yularen looked to a surprised Bumi at this, as well.
"He called himself Kassa when we met on the Acheron," the Airbender said in resignation, initially unsure if the man he and his sister saved was at the robbery like some suspected. Afterward, he went to the elevator to exit the building. At that moment, he saw Dedra asking Yularen what Cinta had referenced. Her superior whispered in her ear so they wouldn't be overheard by any of their colleagues walking through the halls. Bumi noticed Dedra retained a curious but attentive expression as she listened. Then, her face shifted in shock when hearing exactly why Cinta thought Bumi would have problems with the Empire. Bumi saw her look of sympathy as the elevator closed in front of him.
Kuvira was practicing with her lightsabers while Suyin observed. In a room close by, the rest of the family was observing the meeting between Tachibana, his children Kanda and Yulduz, and Dr. Raylen of the Galactic Empire, with Baatar Sr trying to mediate. "I heard that doctor is a new word for medicine man or healer," Tachibana's son Kanda said.
"I do work to help injuries and sickness, but not in the method you think," Raylen replied, before turning to his old patient Wing, who'd briefly stepped in.
"I was burnt over a year ago, and my legs were so wrecked they had to be cut off," the amputee revealed, shocking his Sandbending relatives, baffled he was standing. "When he and Kuvira were abducted into space, Baatar lost his own hand. The doc here gave him a mechanical one and then he gave me some new legs," Wing lifted his pants, revealing the dull grey metal underneath, "and taught me how to walk, run, and jump again."
"Well, I suppose this Empire is good for more than just destruction," Tachibana said bitterly. "If only my wife and other children were here to appreciate it."
"I will bring them back in a week, I promise," Baatar Sr told his brother. "Right now, I think it's best you learn more about the Empire and the people who make it up."
"Good luck with that," Baatar Jr muttered while observing.
"So, you are supposed to be helping people," Kanda spoke up.
"That is my oath, and I do my best to uphold it," Raylen answered.
"That's a bit hard to believe, given what your people have been doing with mine," Tachibana stated with an undercurrent of hostility.
"I don't decide who we go to war with," Raylen answered. "I'm rather unfamiliar with the decisions which led to the Sand and Swampbender resettlement."
"We are the Si Wong tribes!" Yulduz yelled, breaking tradition by speaking before being spoken to. "Our tribe is the Nabazov, the least you could do is learn our names as you are imprisoning them!" Her father was surprised by her outburst but didn't chastise her for breaking their people's tradition for women to stay silent until addressed directly. "You might not be involved in what's happening, but you are just as guilty as the ones who are!"
"I wonder when she'll realize she just contradicted herself," Baatar Jr said to Huan, who didn't seem to agree with his assessment.
"Whatever hardships they are undergoing, are nowhere near as bad as you imagine," Raylen stated with an angry undertone.
"How can you be sure if you aren't there?" Kanda asked.
"I can observe, like Kuvira," the doctor stated. "Also, my people suffered far worse than you could ever imagine. If I thought for a second the Empire was doing some wholesale slaughter like you seem to think, I wouldn't be working for it!" At that, the doctor got up and apologized to Wing, telling his patient they'd have to continue later, when the Sandbenders were ready to listen.
"Guy flies around a in spaceship and he acts like he's suffered worse than us," Kanda muttered.
"Well, he got to see countless people die from a disease which literally rots their brains, after some bad guys deliberately unleashed it as a weapon," Wing revealed. "And at the same time, his whole family died along with the rest of his world when those same bad guys bombed it until the ground itself melted. Such are the horrors of interstellar war." Baatar Jr walked out to see how Kuvira was doing in the training room while the Sandbenders tried to process what they'd heard. Kuvira was in her gym clothes, as beautiful as ever, deflecting shots from those training drones with her eyes closed.
"I'm surprised this is even a test," Suyin told the younger woman. "Those things are so loud it's easy to know where they are." Kuvira blocked the next several shots before commanding the drones turn off.
"It's about knowing where and when the shot comes," Kuvira answered, before noticing Baatar. Smiling, she kissed him after he approached. Su was pleased by their growing relationship but still a bit concerned by their recent actions.
"Do you think your methods will get the Sand and Swampbenders to embrace you?" she asked.
"Well, it's hard to excise toxic traditions," Kuvira admitted. "But there is no other way to do so, as they've refused to change their ways. When people think that someone's character is determined by things before they were born, I doubt they can be reasoned with through normal argument. Did you or Lin manage to do so?"
"Not as often as we would have liked," Su admitted, thinking of unpleasant memories. "Then again, it took a while for me to break my bad habits. I lashed out at the world in my youth, so I didn't exactly disprove their assumptions."
"Or you were a victim," Baatar posited to his mother, surprising her. "I mean, think about it. No one was interested in giving you a chance, they kept snubbing, tripping you, and saying you were a bad kid because Grandpa Sokka never married Grandma Toph. Even when you proved them wrong, they were too proud to admit it, so they kept needling you regardless. Then they acted like they were right all along when you got fed up with it and fought back, rather than admit it wouldn't have happened if they'd been kinder to you."
"I...never thought of it like that," Suyin admitted to her son and adopted daughter. What they kept to themselves was how Darth Vader had described his own life in the Jedi Order in a similar manner. "Still, I'm not sure you are actually convincing these people. I get the feeling many are just playing along until they think they can return home."
"Based on these reports, both from the Imperials and the EUA attaches attached to these reeducation programs, many of the younger members of both tribes are far more open to the new world than their elders thought," Kuvira answered, looking at her datapad. Her face then looked rather displeased, prompting Su to ask her what was wrong. "It's a new report: some Swampbender parents tried to kill their kids rather than let them be 'corrupted' by the new world. One of these murder-suicides actually succeeded, but thankfully the Stormtroopers killed the other deadbeat parents before they could succeed. A Si Wong Tribal was suspected of trying something similar, so he's been sent to a proper prison until his guilt can be determined."
"I'm sorry, stuff like that is always hard," Su said sympathetically. She briefly thought this might be the result of trying to change things too fast but immediately realized that wasn't the case. "If they are this fanatical, they need to be deprogrammed. Distasteful as it is, your method might be the best option." A question then popped into her mind as Kuvira thanked her for the support. "Given how resistant they are, how did you and Korra get them onto a different planet?"
"We mind-tricked them, as you saw Baatar do on Nar Shaddaa," Kuvira answered. "Or rather, their chief and the guy closest to him, who commanded the rest. It was the only way we could get them out of the swamp without destroying it and killing a bunch of people. Fortunately, it turns out that devotion to archaic traditions usually hides a weak mind, so doing so was rather easy."
"At least none were killed when they were captured," Su muttered. She then noticed Baatar Jr pull something out of his pocket and offer it to Kuvira. She smiled and put it on, revealing it was a ring. Despite everything, Suyin was happy that her adopted daughter and eldest son were getting together and smiled at the sight. "So, when is the next wedding?"
"How about in a week?" Kuvira suggested, to which Su agreed.
"I figured with Opal getting together with Bolin, there was no reason to wait anymore," Baatar mentioned. "I'm sure they'll be happy together. Too bad Bolin met KayBee."
"What's wrong with that?" Su asked, wondering what the droid had done.
"Well, KayBee thinks that Bolin would be a lousy babysitter for his niece and nephew," Kuvira revealed. "And that, for the safety of the children, KayBee would have to kill him. I heard that Mako countermanded that order, but Bolin still thinks he's unsuited for childcare." Su chuckled at the story before saying that they'd help him grow past that fear. With Korra and Mako soon arriving with the other guests, the wedding was on track, to the family's delight. And hopefully, the program with the primitive tribes would soon succeed in curbing their worst tendencies.
Kya had arrived at the door of Syril Karn's apartment. Or rather, his mother's apartment, judging by who answered the door. Eedy Karn was shocked to hear Kya was there to see her son. "Syril is bothering you?" she asked. "I kept telling him to stop trying to emulate his father, but he thinks it keeps Lyle's memory alive."
"Well, I thought I could help him," Kya told her. "I think he needs something to go right for him, before he can look for new prospects."
"He had no prospects until my brother got him a job at the Bureau of Standards," Eedy replied dismissively. "He's always trying to walk with his head tall and keeps hitting it on the ceiling. Honestly, if it wasn't for me, he'd be even worse." Before Kya could say anything, the door opened and Eedy went to meet her son who'd walked in the door. Based on Mrs. Karn's behavior, Kya suspected that many of Syril's problems came from her. Her opinion was reinforced when Eedy tried to act like she was doing a huge favor for Syril by letting Kya in to speak with him. Syril was surprised by Kya's presence, as she'd avoided him whenever he'd gone to her before. As Eedy sat by close, ready to observe the conversation, Kya decided to try something.
"Mr. Karn, I think it's best if we talk privately," the Waterbender said.
"Why can't I be here?" Eedy intruded.
"This matter is very important to Syril, and it has many things that would take a while to catch you up on," Kya said. Syril hesitated for a moment, before agreeing.
"Mom, I think it'll go smoother if you aren't asking what's going," he told her. "We can talk about it later." After some hesitation, Mrs. Karn agreed and decided to go out for a while. Kya started to wonder if Syril's biggest problem was how his mother ran roughshod over him.
"After seeing you at ISB yesterday, I thought it'd be best if you got some closure about Cassian Andor," Kya revealed. Syril was about to say something, but then he thought better and said something else.
"I...understand why you and your brother were so hesitant to talk to me, before," Syril began. "Bossk had already said bad things about me, and my approach seemed to confirm his claims. I wouldn't have badgered that kid with you for information, but I can't blame you for thinking otherwise."
"Apology accepted," Kya said, pleased at the positive start. "Cassian Andor is almost certainly dead at this point. Even if his partner's ship managed to escape, there is a high probability that 'Kassa' as he introduced himself to us was infected with the Rakghoul plague. Which means that about four to six hours later, he transformed and most likely killed the man who aided his escape from Ferrix." Karn looked like a huge weight had been lifted off him, confirming Kya's belief that it'd be best to stretch the truth and keep the ISB's suspicions from him.
"Well, that's something, I suppose," Syril tried to take solace in. "It might not be from the noose of a court or even the blaster of a policeman but at least that cop killer is gone." He then looked up and noticed how Kya didn't know how to feel about that statement. "You know anyone in law enforcement, apart from that bounty hunter?"
"One of my oldest friends is the police chief of my hometown, like her mom," Kya answered, thinking of Lin Beifong. "My dad...well he was basically the greatest peacekeeper on our world."
"Like that Korra woman the news has mentioned?" Syril asked, only knowing of the Benders from what he saw on news channels.
"He was her predecessor," Kya answered. "He died protecting my brother."
"So, you understand how grave the loss of a lawman is," Syril said. "I know how most people saw the Preox-Morlana Security Team, but that is what we were. Maybe we did get our paychecks from the company, but we kept the streets safe, even if not everyone realized it."
"I get that, but what of Bossk?" she asked. "You were a cop here, your homeworld, and you kept going after him even when you were told not to. He thought you were jealous, and said you denied how Bounty Hunters are official law enforcement agents."
"I'm aware of how they've gained legitimacy few of them deserve," Syril acknowledged. "The problem is, most are mercenaries at heart, willing to take contracts from anyone, on anyone. As for the 'honor code' of the Trandoshans, there are Trandos who gain hunting points by selling Wookiees and others to drug factories, gladiator rings, people who need test subjects, and any other enterprise involving slavery. Bet Bossk didn't tell you that."
"I'll have to ask him later," Kya replied, bothered by his claims. "Though, when he first met you, he'd become aware of several incidents where the murderers disguised themselves as cops to lull their targets into a false sense of security. Also, he thought your conduct when crashing into the limo his client was in looked suspicious."
"There is no rule that says a cop should drive unbuckled," Syril said, knowing what she was referring to. "Only a few weeks before, an officer almost died because he hit something without a seatbelt. I didn't accuse his client, Sadeet I think he was named, of being in league with the thief I was chasing. I accused Bossk of being hired by this jewelry store robber who'd absconded with three-quarters of a million credits, using his current job as a bodyguard to put the limo in my path."
"Bossk was the bodyguard, not the chauffeur, hence why he flew out the right window when you impacted," Kya revealed, surprising Karn. Syril looked a little skeptical upon hearing that.
"Lemmers thought the chauffeur was also in on it," he said. "Jay Lemmers was my training officer and my dad's old partner. He was like a great uncle Dad invited home many times, and he helped whenever I needed it. He was great at finding hunches that would lead to the truth. It's why he helped me track Bossk. Even break into Bossk's ship along with me. I should have been more cautious, known he'd have safeguards. Otherwise, Bossk would be in chains and Jay would be..." Kya realized Lemmers must have been who Bossk killed for trying to find evidence by burglarizing his ship.
"Your dad was a cop, too?" she asked.
"Yeah, like yours," Syril said, ignorant of the extent of the Avatar's responsibilities. A question then crossed his mind. "Wait, how can someone as young as that Korra woman have succeeded your father after his death? When did your father die?"
"Around twenty years ago," Kya answered, rubbing her forehead. "As for Korra, well, her training began at age five, as the Avatar is taught how to use every element and it take a while to learn them all. My father was forced to act as the Avatar before he was ready, specifically age twelve, because only the Avatar could stop the worst war in our world's history."
"Why is there only one Avatar, then?" he asked.
"Because the thing that gives the Avatar his power can only be possessed by one person at a time," Kya answered.
"Oh, okay," he accepted, a bit surprised by this revelation. "So, they're trained from birth like the Jedi were. Sounds like you got more out of it, as the Jedi rarely bothered to help us lowly Coruscanti. As Dad found out."
"Um, what do you mean?" Kya asked.
"Dad was a captain in the CSF Air Division," Syril answered. "He flew this gunship for rather extreme situations. One day, around twenty-six years ago, Connus Trell, the Senator of Ryloth, started handing out huge sums of money for off-duty cops to patrol his apartment building. Dad and a bunch of others figured, why not, as they were supposed to protect him anyway. From what Jay said, it looked like Trell was just showing off how important he was by increasing his number of bodyguards, like a typical politician."
"But that changed, didn't it?" Kya concluded. After a moment, Syril looked down, remembering the day several policemen came to his school to tell him he needed to be at a hospital.
"The top twenty floors had collapsed into the abyss," Syril revealed. "Dad's gunship had been shot down and crashed into a lower point. The chunk that crash bit out of the building sent everything above toppling into oblivion. Trell was now a red blob of mush flattened against some sidewalk a mile-and-a-half down. Dad was too burnt to be saved, and we couldn't even have an open coffin."
"I'm sorry," Kya offered her sympathies. "My own father died in the line of duty. Who did it?"
"That was the question no one managed to answer," Karn said bitterly. "Who was the assassin? Who was behind the assassin? Why did it happen? None of those things were ever answered." Kya could relate, as her own father was one of around a thousand assorted law enforcement killed or injured by the Obsidian Knight and his Army in White, who vanished just as fast as they appeared without a trace. Unlike them, however, Syril's father lived in a civilization where interstellar travel was an everyday occurrence, so she was baffled at how someone could have gotten away with it.
"How did the investigation go?" she asked.
"Since Senator Trell was regarded as the primary target, with everyone else being 'collateral damage,' the Senate Bureau of Intelligence was charged with finding answers," Syril revealed bitterly. "The agent in charge was some posh twit named Yularen. He usually only appeared to say that they hadn't made much progress. Lemmers, who'd made Lieutenant, started looking into things himself, since the SBI wasn't doing much, but he had a hard time getting through the red tape on top of looking for leads. About four years later, Yularen showed up at our apartment, where Jay was staying at the time."
"Why was he there?" asked Kya, remembering Yularen was now an ISB officer.
"Well, Jay was the most committed to justice for our fallen brothers, and the one who'd been loudest in calling for progress on the case," Syril revealed. "Yularen went on to say how the case was now dead and the SBI was moving on. When Lemmers called him out for this, Yularen exploded in anger."
Twelve-year-old Syril looked upon the argument outside his room. "You can't be surprised," the man called Yularen said indignantly. "Trell was corruption of the worst source. On top of being a massive crook, he was just one of many senators. He wasn't even the main representative of his homeworld. No one will miss him."
"He wasn't the only one who died," Uncle Jay said back with gritted teeth.
"In case you haven't noticed, there is more to the galaxy than this corner of Coruscant," Yularen gestured in frustration around them. "You cannot monopolize the SBI's resources or time. We have other concerns."
"And what is that!?" Jay gestured to a picture of the Karn family on the wall. "My old partner was the pilot of the VAAT/E, whose family is letting me stay for a while. He was one of a hundred and twenty-five officers to die with Trell. Does he get no consideration?"
"I am going to be crystal clear, now," Yularen said, losing patience. "The average citizen assumes that every senator is involved in some sort of shady deal. The CSF even more so, dealing with people at their worst all the time. Then, all the sudden, a senator who's a Twi'lek, who your department will usually assume is a drug dealer or hooker on sight, starts shelling out massive amounts of money to guard himself. He doesn't explain why he is doing this, or how he can afford to pay all of you. You guys still take this obviously dirty money and never express concerns to people like me over what's going on. Looking over some of the dossiers of the officers who were there, I get the feeling this wasn't the first time they'd done something like this."
"What's your point?" Jay demanded. "They were just getting some of what's due for risking their lives to protect this planet every day."
"Whoever killed Trell was a professional," Yularen said. "Professionals don't seek feuds, they defend themselves and do jobs. We are no closer to identifying this professional since the day of the assassination, and most of us don't want to do so. No sense in sending good men to their deaths for the sake of bent cops." With that, Jay swung at Yularen, who sidestepped and tripped the CSF officer. "If it is any consolation, these things tend to balance themselves out," Yularen claimed.
"Balance themselves out?" Jay asked in disbelief, holding his bruised nose.
"Trell wasn't dirty but filthy," Yularen stated as he moved to the door. "In all likelihood, this professional will be killed either when his job puts him in conflict with the law or a rivalry turns fatal. This is almost certainly the reason why a hit was put on Trell, after all. But don't let it be said I'm selfish, so I'll give you some advice that the SBI is privy to. Things are getting more divided, both here and across the stars. Rumors abound of the Trade Federation rebounding after their bloody nose at Naboo. Reports of the presumed dead returning in addition to reclusive, well-known figures now meeting in secret. Plots for secession and outright insurrection have been documented on multiple worlds. Which is why the SBI and the Jedi Order have been more focused on that than catching this assassin."
"Well, if you've managed to thwart them, you should be able to return to getting this killer," Jay stated.
"Unfortunately, they keep happening," the agent revealed. "Many of us are starting to suspect we haven't stopped anything, only delayed the inevitable. In all likelihood, before the decade is over, the galaxy will be engulfed in a war unlike anything seen in over a thousand years. As such, when this decade is over, no one will remember or care about the assassination." With that, Yularen left and closed the door behind him, leaving Jay Lemmers and a young Syril Karn to reflect on his words.
Kya nodded in understanding upon hearing his recollection, wondering how much of it was real and how much was an orphaned boy misremembering things. "Did you ever find out who it was?" she asked her unofficial patient.
"Jay thought he'd found the answer," Syril revealed. "Shortly afterward, this very bounty hunter was killed in something unrelated, in a manner he would have been comfortable with. Then that war Yularen predicted started, and since Jango Fett was the man the clone army was made from, any scandal he might have been in was suppressed. As made clear with how several policemen who aired their suspicions were arrested by the 'Coruscant Guard' of the clone army. Now, he has a statue commemorating him built where Trell's apartment building was, held up as a hero here and many other places."
"Oh," Kya said surprised. "Do you think Jango was the killer?"
"I hope he wasn't, as I fear what people will say if they learned," Syril answered. "I spent my whole life trying to prove Yularen wrong. When Chief Inspector Hyne told me to drop the murder of Constables Skiff and Drezzer, I felt like I was hearing that SBI stooge all over again. I threw everything into catching their killer, their Jango."
"Their Jango?" Kya asked.
"It was a term I came up with," Syril revealed. "Some swaggering outlaw who thought he could get away with everything, because he could travel to other planets long enough for the locals to forget about his crimes. It's why I became a policeman, to catch the Jangos of the galaxy. But I failed! And all the things Yularen predicted came true." After a moment, Syril looked up as if he had an epiphany, though he decided to keep it to himself. "Thank you for coming here, Doctor Kya. It's a relief to know Cassian Andor and his partner are gone."
"You're welcome, Syril," she said. She saw she'd gotten Syril out of his downward spiral and moved to leave.
"Did you learn who killed your father?" he asked as she reached the door.
"Yes, eventually," she answered, wondering how things would have been if she'd lost her dad at the same age Syril had, with as overbearing and demeaning a mother as Eedy. Maybe that was why he had such a hard time coming to terms with it.
"What happened afterward?" he asked.
"I learned that not only is he unbeatable in a fight, but that Darth Vader is above the law," Kya said somewhat resentfully, having accepted she couldn't change this. Syril was shocked at the revelation of her father's murderer, never imagining it could have been someone from the wider galaxy, let alone such a powerful Imperial. As she left, Kya couldn't help but wonder if she or the ISB was right in their suspicions of Cassian Andor. They were unlikely to find out.
Cassian Andor had gone through more twists and turns in the last two weeks than ever before in his life. After escaping with his money from the Aldhani heist, he'd tried to visit his mother, but learned she refused to leave. She seemed to think that Aldhani was the beginning of something greater, like that Nemik kid. Cassian had gone off to the largely aquatic world of Niamos, where he'd been practicing his new 'Waterbending' as this strange magic he'd gained was called, calling himself Keef Girgo. Then he was arrested for being in the wrong place, and the trumped-up court sentenced him to a prison on a world called Narakina. He and the other new inmates were stripped of their shoes, so they'd be more vulnerable to the floor which could be electrified. He'd been sent to this factory floor, assembling machines he didn't recognize, under the command of this bossy prisoner someone had called Kino.
"Please, I shouldn't be here!" another prisoner yelled at this unsympathetic guard. "I should be with the rest of the Hami tribe. This is all a mistake, I wasn't going to poison my family!" The guard tazed him to the ground, then Kino and the inmate Melshi helped him up.
"You might be a Bender out there, but here, you're just another inmate, now get on program!" the guard yelled, at which point Melshi ushered the inmate between him and 'Keef'.
"I'm not an Earthbender, I'm a navigator under the desert sky!" the man continued to beg, before Cassian pulled him over. Looking into this man's eyes, he saw how this 'Hami Tribesman' as he called himself was baffled by everything around him. He looked a little like Bumi and Kya had at their unfamiliarity with the wider galaxy, only he had it far worse. Realizing this man didn't know how to screw these mechanisms together, Cassian helped this guy learn how while Kino demanded they get their act together. Maybe this man could help him unlock his full Waterbending potential and he could escape.
So, hope you liked my latest chapter. The stuff with the parents trying to kill their kids, I needed a reason to send one of the detainees to a different prison. Syril Karn's mother really is that unpleasant and mocking in the show. The stuff with his father is original but draws on one of my favorite games, the recently rereleased Star Wars Bounty Hunter.