Dawn of a New Prince (Star Wars/Avatar Crossover)

Sokka smiled at her words. He didn't know why but coming from her, they made him feel warm inside. Then he heard Zarael and he nodded.

"Right. You're irreplaceable too," he told Toph before walking down the hallway. They'd need to find the others quickly.

She could not help it. She blushed as he returned the compliment. Toph could tell he meant it, too, just as she had meant what she said. It gave her a much-needed confidence boost.

She held on to Sokka as he navigated the corridors in search of Katara. Toph kept her ears open, just like she had before, in case she heard something interesting. An echo brushed her sensitive hearing. She tapped Sokka on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Katara's voice... It's coming from a hallway, not far from here."

Sokka nodded and headed further down the hallway, completely silent as he strained his ears for his sister's voice. Finally, he caught the faintest sound of his sister's voice and walked towards where it came from.

"Stay quiet," he murmured lowly to Toph and the Jedi, "We don't know who's guarding her."

"It's Long Feng," supplied Toph. "I don't forget a voice."

And there was no mistaking his oily tones, either. He was very smug. Katara sounded both angry and afraid.

"Should we attack him or let him leave?" Sokka asked the others even as he went over the pros and cons. Killing Long Feng would disable the Dai Li, but then, they could pledge themselves to Vader and Zuko. But what if Long Feng came this way and spotted them?

"I don't know," said Toph, unsure how to act. Each option was not entirely pleasing.

Fi

"Asajj Ventress." Fi simply said. If Lilith knew her history, that name would simply explain itself.

Darth Vader

Vader nodded. As Helios left, the Dark Lord felt a disturbance in the Force. He scowled. What could be going on now?

Long Feng

"Well, my dear, I have enjoyed out talk, but I must take my leave." Long Feng said, giving a mock bow. He left, heading down the hall away from Sokka and Toph.

Zahanna

"True. So, when do we meet them?" Zahanna asked.

((Mind posting with Ty Lee, AI?))

(Of course. Sorry about that.)

"Wow..." Ty Lee stated in awe, staring at the alien before her. After being quiet for five seconds, which was amazing in itself, Ty Lee squeezed and poked at the alien's head-tails.

"Wow! You're beautiful!" she told her happily, "And you're the same color as your Aura!"

Lilith

"You actually fought her?" Lilith asked, whispering even though she didn't need to.
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Mai

Mai rolled her eyes as she saw Ty lee's reaction. "Yeah well, we can go right now. There's a Dai lee agent waiting for us about thirty minutes away from here, he'll take us to Vader."

Toph listened. Long Feng spoke, bidding Katara farewell. His footsteps gradually drifted further and further away, until they were gone completely. Silence fell over the corridor.

"I think he's gone now," said Toph.

She thought she could hear Katara crying softly, too.

Sokka nodded, though he knew she couldn't him do so. It took every ounce of self-control he had to keep himself from throttling Long Feng. He spoke up.

"Come on. Let's get her out of there," he told the others.

They moved forward. Well, at least Sokka did. All Toph could do was hold on.

Katara glanced up at the disguised pair as they approached. She scowled. "Haven't you people visited me enough?" she demanded. She sneered. "Aren't you a little tall for a Dai Li agent?"

(Now I wonder where that's from...)

"You really can't recognize your own brother?" Sokka asked her, poking his head out from the robes. He frowned, hating to see his sister like this. She looked like she had been crying and yelling.

"Are you ready to leave?" he asked her quietly.

"Sokka!" Katara smiled and raced towards the bars of her cell. "I'm so glad to see you. That means...?"

"Yeah, it's me," said Toph, nodding her head. The large hat bobbed with the motion.

Katara could not help herself. As not only the healer of the group, but also the mother, she was bound to give her family a glance over. What she saw troubled her. Sokka's face was bruised and he acted as if each step and word pained him. Toph was paler than she should have been, and even though it was hidden by the folds of robing, Katara could tell something was wrong with the younger girl's left arm.

What had happened?

"I'm guessing you have keys?" she said, trying not to let her worry show.

Zareal/Helios

Zareal walked along the corridors, trying to sense Mara's position without giving himself away, when he was called out. "You there, I have an important assignment for you," the young Sith Apprentice called out. Zareal stopped and quickly came up with a reply. "Forgive me my lord, but I have already been assigned a task of utmost importance by Lord Vader," he said, trying to mimick the tone and rythm the Dai Li spoke in. Helios stepped closer, examining the man, but apparently noticed nothing. "Very well then," he said, temper flaring up. The young man walked away from him, apparently to search for another agent.

Zareal sighed in relief as he walked away. The young man's mind must not have been focused, else that would have given him away. He began to walk again, trying to mimick the pace of the agents. He had heard them so many times he thought he had a good idea of how they acted superficially. He wished fervently that he could have his lightsaber, any battle with another force user was almost inevitably forfeit without it.

"No, I left them back in my cell," Sokka told her sarcastically, trying to lighten the mood as he saw Katara frown. He didn't want to worry her. Not yet, anyway. Quickly, he inserted the keys into the door and unlocked it, letting Katara out.

"Do you know where Aang is?" he asked her, not wanting to stay in the Dai Li base any longer than he had to.

"I... No, no I don't." A painful lump rose up in Katara's throat. "Zuko said they had him in a special cell, that..." She trailed off, unable to continue. It was too terrible a thought. She felt terrified, angry tears burn in her eyes.

She half-expected Toph to tell her to suck it up, or how else would they save Aang? She wouldn't have minded it, either, not after having been so nasty to the younger girl for the past week or so.

But Toph didn't do that. Instead, she reached over with her right arm--and why not her left, Katara wondered, when it was so much closer?--and after wavering a bit in search, patted Katara on the shoulder.

"Don't worry. We'll find him," said Toph.

"Yeah. Zuko's always been filled with hot hair. He sort of reminds me of a large ham," Sokka told her reassuringly, trying not to think about what they were doing to Aang. They wouldn't really hurt him, right? If they killed him, that meant he'd be reborn.

"Of course you would think about meat at a time like this," said Katara, smiling fondly and appreciatively at her older brother. She drew in a tight breath. "Let's find Aang."

"I might be able to find him, if I had enough time to look," said Toph, slowly.

"We won't let anyone near you," Sokka told her, surprising even himself at how fierce he sounded. The rational part that knew Aang was their own only hope warred with the irrational part that just wanted to get Toph out of him. He honestly didn't know which one was right.

Katara nodded. "I think there is some water in the other cells," she said. "I can use that, if it comes down to it."

"Then help me down," said Toph. "And don't bother me, okay? This isn't going to be easy, not with a place this big."

She helped the younger girl down. It did not take her long to realize what was wrong with Toph's left arm. "Toph!" she said. "You're arm... it's...!"

"Don't worry about it." The earthbender was flushing. "It's not important right now." Toph took a seat in one of the cells. She pressed her hand and feet into the stone and closed her eyes, concentrating.

Katara, however, was not put off. She looked at Sokka, and with a newfound intensity noticed his wounds again.

"What happened?" she whispered.

Sokka scowled at the memory, at how helpless he felt as Vader sliced off her hand. He clenched his fists and told her quietly, "Ask Vader."

"Vader did that to her? To you?" A new wave of anger, of hatred, for the machine man, for Zuko, for everyone involved with them, washed over Katara. It blinded her for a moment, and it took her a while to regain some sense of composure. "How... how dare he..."

Sokka gripped her hand, shaking his head at her. He spoke fiercely, "Don't try to get even with him! He's too powerful! Our best chance is to run when we meet him again."

She almost argued, but with her senses returned a cool sort of aura that helped her think more clearly. Katara nodded. "I agree. The only person who might stand a chance against Vader is Aang, in the Avatar State. The rest of us... We just need to be careful."