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

(Maybe we should wait for someone else to post.)

Sokka yawned as he woke from his nap and stumbled off of Appa just a little more gracefully than Toph did.

"We should set up camp," he suggested.

Darth Vader

"A disappointing turn of events, but it will not stop us. They have only delayed our plans. The next time we face them, you have my permission to kill the Avatar. I have studied him enough, and I have taken the blood sample I needed. We can track Zareal and Mara through the Force. They will try to hide their presence, but they are weakened, and a flying bison isn't all that of a normal sight. It will not be hard to track them down. Now, bring me the bounty hunter." Vader commanded.

Mara

"We should arrive at....wherever we're heading tomorrow morning sometime, I think." Mara mentioned to Zareal. "However, I hope whatever we find there...wherever there is, will help us take down Vader. In our current state, we will die in a fight against him."

Zareal

"We must trust in the Force," Zareal said, looking toward the kids. "I won't pretend this isn't bad though, these kids are in danger, and I can't garuantee they will have a future. This planet may well be doomed, as all its inhabitants. But my faith lies in the Force, and will do what is right when the times come, whatever action, or inaction, is required." He looked toward Mara and asked, "What will you do?"

Helios

"Yes, my master," Zuko said, leaving the chamber. The Avatar's life was now his, and he would take it, rip it, from him. Better yet, the he would rip the Avatar Spirit from reality, never to return. As his thoughts swirled, he came upon the bounty hunter, Mai, and Ty Lee. "My master has summoned you, follow me," he said, giving no hint he knew any of them, and walking back toward Vader's chamber.

Ty Lee gulped, looking from the alien to Zuko. He looked different now, paler. His aura was a lot darker too, as dark as Azula's now. She shivered. She didn't want to meet his master again, but Mai and their new friend wanted to. She'd do her best not to look afraid.

Erv, meanwhile, maintained a respectful distance away from Zuko and the bounty hunters. He had yet to report to Lord Vader on the escape. He stiffened. He had never failed Vader before. He didn't know how his lord would react.

"I think that's the best idea," said Katara. She glanced over to where Mara and Zareal were speaking. She wondered what they were talking about. "We don't have our supplies, though, so we'll have to make due with what we have here."

"That's fine by me," said Toph. "I do that all the time anyway."

She tried pulling up a few rock-tents for the group, but the effort proved too much for her. She had only made one wall rise up when she paled and wavered on her feet. Katara caught her before she fell.

"No bending out of you for a while, understand?" she said.

Mara

"My mission was originally to investigate the disappearance of Lord Vader, but that has changed since then. My contact with my Master was cut off, and I have no way of telling him about Vader's treachery. Thus I have no other choice but to kill Vader and his apprentice, before they can attempt to overthrow Lord Sidious. In doing so, I must also protect the lives of these children. Of them, I believe only Aang has a real chance of defeating either of them." Mara said.

Zahanna

Zahanna nodded at Helios and followed him. She glanced at Mai and Ty Lee and said,

"Make sure you show Vader the upmost respect. Bow before him, and don't think any negative thoughts about him."

"Why? He c-can't read minds. C-can he?" Ty Lee asked with a gulp, showing no trace of her usual perky personality.

*

"Yeah. You can have my sleeping bag," Sokka offered Toph without thinking. He gestured over to Appa, "I'll just cuddle up with Appa's tail."

Zareal

"I dislike that greatly. He should be trained to know how to use his power before he fights either Master or Apprentice, but we have few options," Zareal said. "Though even last time, I saw Aang's power unleashed, and he was still captured by them."

Helios

"All things are possible through the Force," Helios answered Ty Lee. He stopped in front of a door and knocked before it opened. Helios walked inside, sank to one knee, head bowed, and said, "Master, I have returned with the Bounty Hunter."

"I don't need a sleeping bag..." mumbled Toph, already half-asleep.

Katara just sighed. "It won't hurt to be comfortable for just one night. C'mon, Toph."

The waterbender was finally able to get Toph to curl up in the sleeping bag. The younger girl was asleep within moments. Katara smiled gratefully at Sokka.

"That was good of you, Sokka. You can have my sleeping bag, if you want. I'd say you need it more than I do."

Sokka nodded and smiled at Katara. He crawled into her sleeping bag and and laid down, smiling at her.

"Thanks," he told his sister before joking, "This smells cleaner."

"Gee, I wonder why," said Katara, chuckling. "Just try and get some sleep, Sokka." She wished him a good night, and then she joined Aang next to Appa. "How are you feeling?" she asked. She was worried about him too.

Aang

"...Not so good." Aang said with a sigh.

Zahanna, Vader

Darth Vader nodded as Zahanna, Mai, and Ty Lee all walked in shortly after Zuko. Zahanna quickly dropped to one knee, and motioned for Mai and Ty Lee to follow. Vader turned his head to Mai and Ty Lee after briefly glancing over Zahanna.

"Before we begin our bargaining, bounty hunter, I would like to question your servants for the moment. Tell me, do either of you know where Azula may be at the moment?"

Mara

"True, but he was weakened by the battle he and Vader fought in his mind, which led to his capture. Besides, Aang does possess powers neither Vader or his apprentice have, so that's another advantage he has. Not to mention the boy's strong and odd connection to the Force." Mara said, frowning at that thought.

"Just how is that boy so strongly connected to the Force, though? I've never felt anyone like him. Not even Vader or my Master."

Katara frowned, though she was not too surprised. "I think that is everyone's answer right now," she said. She placed a hand on Aang's shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll find a way to defeat Vader, and together."

Zareal

"That power is uncontrolled," Zareal said. "In his current state, his power is great, but he is not more powerful than Vader. It seems that his greater power is unlocked somehow, but it takes over him. If he could be trained, to use that power... he might be able to save everyone." He was about to say something else, but kept it to himself. The prophecy, the chosen one, could it be Aang?

Aang

"Katara...." Aang sighed as he looked off into the distance. After a minute of failed attempts to articulate his thoughts, Aang finally managed to speak.

"The Avatars they....they showed me a vision of what would happen if we lost to Vader."

Mara

"A good point, but where will we find someone to teach the boy to control his powers? Half of the world is his enemy. Besides, I imagine there would be few, if any, people out there that could teach the boy to use his powers. And even if there were, it's doubtful we'd reach them in time." Mara said.

"A vision?" Katara did not like the sound of that. Worse, she hated seeing the pain it obviously had brought to Aang. She looked him in the eyes, not turning away from this or from him. If he needed her, she would be there for him. "What did you see?"

Aang

"Cities being destroyed by a strange green light in a single blast. Cities burning everywhere, with people in white marching through the chaos. Men, women, and children all crying out in pain and fear. Long Feng, ruling over all that's left with an iron fist. Our people being sold as slaves, taken to places far, far away. And maybe the most frightening of all...an old man, cackling madly. He appeared harmless, but his aura, it felt so....it felt even worse than Vader's if possible. His visage being spread all across the four nations, being declared a god. And you..."

Aang trailed off, unable to continue. He held his head in his hands, and looked like the child he actually was.

Zareal

"There is precious other choice," Zareal said. "Aang cannot win now. He needs to learn control, and perhaps there is a way he can learn it. The Force is everywhere, the Jedi teachings may help him, even if he manifests his abilities differently."

"Oh, Aang..." Katara was horrified by the visions, but she was more troubled for Aang's sake. It hurt her to see him this way, and she wished she could do so much more. She wrapped him in her arms and held him close. "That won't happen," she said. "We won't let it."

Mai

Mai looked at Vader, remaining calm. She was good at that, after all. But controlling her thoughts so she thought nothing negative about the metal man? That was much more difficult. But somehow, somehow, the Nobleman's Daughter turned Assassin turned Rogue turned Bounty Hunter, somehow she managed to keep her mind quiet.

And when Vader brought up Azula, Mai had no problem with betraying the Princess. After all, she had already done it twice before, what was one more knife in the back?

"A mile and a half north-east of where your Dai Lee brought us in is where I left her."

Sokka grimaced as he felt himself fall asleep, gripping Katara's sleeping bag as he closed his eyes. He murmured, half-aware of Aang and Katara talking about some vision, "Just focus on the here and now. Visions are... stupid."

With that, the Water Tribe boy fell asleep, too tired to convey his displeasure for vision and magic at the moment.

Mara

"Perhaps. Though it might be wise to wait and see where exactly we're being called to. Maybe there Aang can find a teacher of some sort." Mara said.

Darth Vader

"I see. She's no longer there, no doubt, but I will send the Dai Li to investigate." Darth Vader said. After this he began to work out a deal with Zahanna. By the end of there conversation, Vader had worked out an arrangement with the bounty hunter. For now, they would work together when Vader tried to attack the Avatar and his companions the next time. Zahanna and her two partners would be paid by Vader personally if they managed to kill the Jedi themselves, and a bonus would be added if they succeeded in killing Mara as well.

"Now that is over with, you may leave. You shall be assigned rooms. Rest, practice with your weapons, do what you deem fit until it is time to begin our next assault."

Aang

"I know. We can't let this happen. As the Avatar, I will not allow Vader to do this, especially after what he did to Toph." Aang stated, though he sounded uncertain about what he said.

Katara heard the uncertainty in Aang's voice. She felt for him. Again, she wished she could do so much more to support him. For now, though, all she could do was try to comfort him.

"Don't forget, Aang," she said. "We're together. You, me, and Sokka and Toph. We'll be with you. We won't let you do this alone."

Aang

"Thanks, Katara." Aang said gratefully. He looked up at Katara, uncertain of whether he should say what was on his mind. "Uh....Katara...?"

"Yes, Aang?" she said. She looked at him from where she sat, getting ready for the night's rest. "What is it?"