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

Mai

"I would hope that that's a requirement for the job. It would be hilarious if someone became rich and then died without being able to spend any of the cash. " Mai replied with a smirk on her face as she found herself beginning to feel slightly at ease.
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Lilith

"Really?" Lilith asked, obviously surprised. "I mean I don't mean that in a bad way. It's just I never expected....huh." She said nervously, trying not to be rude.
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Azula

"What did you do to her, Zareal?" Azula asked as she watched the strange woman walk away, something obviously wrong with her.

Zahanna

"Indeed. Though, being a bounty hunter isn't just about living the life. It's a career fraught with danger at every corner, because if someone has a bounty on their head, most likely they'll take every precaution available from being captured and/or killed. If you make a careless mistake, you could get yourself and any partners you're working with killed. It's especially difficult when hunting down Jedi. This is not a career for the weak-hearted. But I don't think you're anything like that." Zahanna said.

Fi

"And I never took you for an artist, Lilith. Well, writing and drawing don't have that much common ground...the only other thing I can think of is both of us being stormtroopers, though I've been at this much longer than you've." Fi said.

Lilith

"So you've studied my backround, Fi? Well that's reassuring." Lilith replied dryly, slightly annoyed that Fi was talking down to her. At least, that's how she felt. A slight awkward silence grew before Lilith sighed and asked, "So, do the other stormtroopers draw or is it just...?" Lilith let the question drift off as she waited for Fi's reply, not sure whether or not he'd be offended.
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Mai

"Thanks, I suppose. And yeah, don't worry about me, I've killed before." Mai replied.

Zareal

"I influenced her thoughts with the force, it's a Jedi mind trick," Zareal said, though distracted. She seemed to be at war with his influence, though her mind was weak, so maybe there was another influence on it that was fighting his, but either way she retreated. I just hope it hasn't gotten us more trouble, he thought.

Zuko

"He fell in love," Zuko guessed. He knew from his master's teachings that the Jedi looked down on having emotion, though again he had trouble picturing his master in love with anyone. Of course he must not have always been covered in metal, which made it hard to picture him as anything other than what he was now.

Fi

"I didn't have to read your file, Lilith. I was in the Clone Wars. The entire army and navy was made up of clones back then, not counting the Jedi and few human officers in command. We made up the GAR (Grand Army of the Republic), until the Clone Wars ended. Then you humans...." Fi trailed off again, not willing to finish that aloud. Instead, he began to answer her next question.

"That depends on exactly which type of stormtroopers you're referring to. Those who are human, no doubt they have their own little hobbies to pass the time. So do my Brothers, or 'clones' if you'd rather prefer."

Zahanna

"I don't know if I should be glad or sad about that, considering your age. But oh well, the galaxy's a cruel mother to its children. So, any other questions?" Zahanna asked.

Qui-Gon Jinn

"Correct." Qui-Gon said. "Anakin fell in love with the Senator from Naboo. After a time she, too, fell in love with him. Their marriage was forbidden, though, so they were together in secret. Then..."

Qui-Gon stopped short as they came into a new area in the swamp. Up ahead, a cave was visible.

"From this point on we must be extremely careful."

OOC: Sorry I'm late. I've been busy lately.

***

IC: Katara and Toph

It was at that moment that Katara walked into the main room of their shared house. "Oh?" she said, blinking. She took in the newcomer. "Who's this?"

"No one that important," muttered Toph.

Lilith

"Yes I was referring to you and your "Brothers", Fi. I just wanted to know, is your writing hobby a unique facet of your personality?" Lilith asked as she tried not to feel like she was being mocked or judged.
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Mai

"Not really. We just need to find that Jedi you've been looking for so we can turn him in, right?"
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Azula

"My, it certainly looks like a useful little trick. Perhaps it would be in the mission's best interest if you could teach me how to perform it?" Azula asked as she shifted her weight and tried to seem nonthreatening.

Zareal

"I'm sorry to dissapoint you, but you would need to control the force as a Jedi to do so. You have a connection to the force, but it has manifested differently from the way I'm familiar with. It is possible I could teach you the ways of the Jedi, though I'm not sure how your current connection would fare, your bending might be lost to you," Zareal said, quietly explaining this to her. He was not certain of anything, but it was best that he confess the worst obstacles and possibilities to her.

There was also the issue of her age and demeanor, she displayed traits that led to the dark side, her firebending even seemed to be of the dark side of the force from what he'd felt. It wouldn't be right of him to train her if she was not going to be committed to the light side of the force.

Zuko

Zuko snapped to attention, taking in their surroundings. He'd been distracted by the Jedi before, though he now had brought up the need for caution, he couldn't let himself become absorbed by the story of his master's origins again. That didn't mean he still couldn't listen, but he'd need to keep up his guard as well. "Love is not an evil thing. Neither are most emotions, so why do the Jedi wish to abandon them," he asked.

"Being a normal human or a clone is a moot point," Erv stated, having listened to the conversation without participating much, "What matters most is merit and the contributions to the Empire. That is why I serve under Lord Vader. He never tells his men to do anything he wouldn't do himself."

*

"She's sort of someone that said she knew about Vader," Sokka said uneasily, giving Toph an apologetic look.

Fi

"Yes, it is." Fi said, ignoring what Erv was saying. "We all aren't simple war drones, after all. Believe it or not, we're somewhat human. I know a clone who loves to listen to music, and another that was a bit of a historian. Those are just two examples." Fi said. He didn't intend on sounding condescending, even though it seemed like it.

Zahanna

Zahanna gave a vicious smile. "Turn him in, Mai? Please, the Empire has enough Force-sensitives in the Imperial Inquisition. The Emperor has enough playthings. No, our mission is to find the Jedi and kill him. The Jedi are dangerous enough when you try to capture them alive. It's much easier to kill them, in my view. Though, I have no idea where to start. I'm not in-tune with the Force, unfortunately."

Qui-Gon Jinn

"Not all Jedi have the view the old Order did. In the past, Jedi were free to pursue love, and were not as restrained. However, as time passed, the Jedi Order began to change. Eventually, it came to a state in which they viewed things such as 'love' as potentially dangerous. From a certain point of view, they're right. However, so long as you stave off the negative emotions that deal with love, I see no wrong-doing in pursuing it." Qui-Gon said. He cautiously approached the nearby cave.

"To get to your first Trial, we must go through Koh's Lair. In there, we must be extremely careful to show no emotions on our face. Otherwise, he will steal our faces."

Mara Jade

"Greetings. Lady Katara, I presume? I am Mara Jade. I am the woman who shall help you vanquish Darth Vader the next time you encounter him." Mara said, giving a slight bow.

Azula

"Well yes, I suppose it cant be bothered really. Still, something to think about when this is all over." Azula replied as she hid her disappointment. "We should hurry on though, the sooner we get to the assigned living space, the sooner we can establish a working plan and begin to search for Vader."
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Lilith

"Oh." Lilith replied as she glanced over at Erv to see whether or not he was angry with being ignored. "I'm sorry, that's not what I- I didn't mean it like that." She added, flustered with the fact that she was being talked down to again.
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Mai

"And I'm definitely not connected to anything." Mai stated as she looked up at the sky. It was different now, now that she knew there was more out there. "Do we at least have an idea where he landed?"

"No need to apologize. Whatever our differences are, we have to work together," Erv told her briskly, "Suffice to say, when I'm not working for the Empire, I enjoy spending time with my family on Coruscant."

Katara nodded, smiling. "That's wonderful," she said. "Thank you so much for your offer of help. We really do appreciate it."

"Speak for yourself," said Toph.

The older girl glared at her. "Don't mind Toph. She's always surly."

Sokka almost laughed, causing him to cough into his hand. It wasn't like Katara was Little Miss Peace and Love herself. He remembered how she was the one that freed Aang in a fit of (what he thought was) unjustified anger.

Zahanna

"I believe I found his abandoned ship earlier, but no sign of him. If the condition of the ship indicated anything, he's been here for months, if not years. I know he must be somewhere here, hopefully on this continent. I...may have a way to track him, though." Zahanna said as an afterthought.

Fi

Fi acknowledged what Erv said with a nod. "I am...sorry if I sounded a bit condescending. But clones are just as much human as you or Erv, and we all have our own quarks and hobbies."

Mara Jade

Mara gave a bright smile. "You are most welcome, Lady Katara."

Jade completely stepped inside, and surveyed the hour for a moment. It didn't even compare to the Imperial Palace on Imperial Center (formerly known as Coruscant), but it would do as a base of operations.

"Tell me, what did you think of Vader when you first fought him? What did you feel from him? Also, did he have any companions with him?" Mara asked.

Jet
"Really, they just moved in today? Thanks for your help little guy, couldn't have found them without you." Jet thanked a young boy before tossing him a copper colored coin and then walking across the street. It had taken awhile, the Freedom Fighter had to admit, but in the end his prey couldn't escape him no matter how far they ran. A few minutes later, Jet was sitting on a slanted roof across the street from a clean and newly furnished apartment, and now all he had to do was wait for it's new tenants to return.
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Mai

"Really? How?" Mai asked, her curiosity piqued.
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Lilith

I uh.. Thank you for enlightening me, about yourself and your umm brothers I mean." Lilith replied as she began to tap the counter, now feeling very awkward and wanting to be alone.

Zuko

"Steal our faces? And how can you show no emotion, how can you know what counts as an emotion and what doesn't," Zuko asked, outraged by this news. He had never been good at keeping his emotions to himself, especially anger.

Zareal

"Very well, let's move on," Zareal said. He had little doubt this would not be the end of this conversation, but there were more pressing things to worry about. If he could not keep the empire from coming to this planet, he would have to leave it. That was not something he wanted to do, but he wasn't sure if he could do anything to prevent a conquest of this planet by the empire at this point. Vader was here, and even if he was killed, the emperor would send more of his resources here, and these unique people would have their way of life destroyed. There had to be a more permanent solution to this, but for now Vader was still a considerable threat that needed to be dealt with.

IC: Katara and Toph

"He was... He was very powerful," said Katara. She shivered. "I've never faced anyone like that before. He was an entirely different kind of fighter. We didn't stand a chance."

Toph scoffed.

"You know that's true, Toph. Don't bother arguing." The waterbender glared at the younger girl. "Your ego could get you killed around a man like that."

"As awesome as you are, Tooph, Katara's right. Though, if we had a really good plan for fighting him," Sokka trailed off in thought.

*

Erv nodded at the clone, "I know that quite well. I spent some time training a few clones shortly before the program was discontinued."

Qui-Gon Jinn

"So long as you show no expressions on your face, we'll be fine. Remember, whatever happens in there, don't look surprised! Koh will use every trick in his playing book to get you to show an expression. Whatever he does, even if you're horrified by his appearance, you must not show any fear or shock. Do you understand?" Qui-Gon asked. His eyes slowly drifted back to Koh's Lair. He always hated going through that Spirit's domain. His cave reeked of Dark Side energies...

Zahanna

"Well, there's a new experimental device I recently acquired. If the Jedi still has his lightsaber, which he could have abandoned or lost, then I may be able to use it to track him. Oh, in case you didn't know, lightsabers are the primary weapon Jedi and Sith use. They're like energy swords, I guess you could say. Anyway, a crystal is one of the internal components used to build the weapon. If I can track the signature of the crystal, I may be able to find the Jedi." Zahaanna explained. She went back into her ship for a moment, and came back out with a small hand-held device in her palm.

"Now, let's see if this thing works..."

After a few minutes, beeping sounds began to emerge from the device.

"Bingo! Now, let's see what we have here..." Zahanna trailed off as she studied the screen of the device.

"Sithspit!" Zahanna spat. "Looks like we have more company than simply Vader and the Jedi. If this thing isn't broken, I'm detecting the signatures of five different lightsabers."

Fi

Fi nodded again at Erv. "I...suppose we lost track of our original purpose. Shall we try again at...perfecting our cover story, or should we try again later?" Fi asked, somewhat hoping Lilith would suggest the latter. He didn't want to go through that again if possible.

Aang, Mara Jade

"He's like no one I've ever seen or faced before." Aang said, agreeing with Katara. He surpressed his own shiver at the memory of the black-suited man. "He had this dark aura around him unlike anything I've ever felt. To me, it made him feel more...power than me, more superior. I felt as if he could kill us all just by thinking it."

"I see. I believe I may be able to help with that, Sokka, was it? I am on a mission from my master to make sure Vader is defeated and is brought to justice. I have fought him before, and I may know a weakness with which I can use to defeat him. By the way...did Vader have any companions with him when you last saw him?" Mara asked.

Mai

"Well I know that Zuko had two of them last time I saw him, if that makes you feel better." Mai informed Zahanna as she stood up and looked down at the device the bounty hunter was holding. "Besides, shouldn't it be a good thing we have an extra Jedi to kill, more money after all." Mai pointed out as she looked up.
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Anwar

The water tribe warrior ran through the streets quickly as he tried to make his way back to the apartment he and Iroh had just been given. Anwar had been in the lower ring already twenty minutes longer then he had originally intended and the boy did not want to arrive home later then Iroh. "Just about two more kilos to go and you are safe." He reminded himself as he ran up stairs that went from the lower ring into the middle, turning right at the next corner.
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Lilith

"We could practice a bit more tomorrow or tonight, it's not like we were planning to go out together today or anything." Lilith agreed quickly before turning to see whether or not Erv was going to force them to stay or not.

Zuko

"Fine. My master warned me this would be dangerous, I must confront it to become stronger. I must master my emotions, to better manipulate them. Lead on, Jedi, I will not surrender my face to this spirit," Zuko said, resolve in his voice. Keeping an emotionless face would test him, but he would do it, there was no other alternative.

"It sounds like you already know that answer to that question," said Toph.

"Toph! Be polite!" said Katara, swatting the earthbender in the arm. Toph glowered and Katara sighed. "This is important. We have to tell her everything, if she's going to be able to help us."

To Mara Jade she said, "Yes, there was. The Fire Nation prince, Zuko... He was with Vader."

"He's always been chasing us, but we always got away, but now he has these glowy swords like Vader's and he seems to be working under him. That's not like him," Sokka told her hurriedly.

*

"I understand," Erv told Fi before turning to Lilith, "I think we should practice as much as possible."

Mara Jade

"I see. This 'Zuko'...does he have a scar that covers the left side of his face?" Mara asked.

Fi

"Very well." Fi said, his hopes for ending the practicing for the moment now gone.

Zahanna

"There's a difference between earning more money for a job, and a suicide mission. Well, I suppose that makes it a little better. Alright, your boyfriend has two lightsabers, Vader has one, and I'll assume the Jedi has one as well. That leaves us with a unknown individual on this planet with a lightsaber. Well, it matters not, so long as we can kill the Jedi." Zahanna said.

Qui-Gon Jinn

Qui-Gon nodded. He rendered his face expressionless, and lead them both into Kohs Lair. Qui-Gon walked carefully as they entered the damp and dark cave, keeping an eye out for Koh. He continued to lead Zuko forth, the light from the entrance of the cave disappearing as they went on. He--

And suddenly, Koh was in front of the both of them. The Face-Stealing Spirit looked like some sort of monstrous centipede, with a white-looking mask or face in the place where ait looked like a giant eye should be. Combined with the stench the monstrousity had, it was very hard for one to keep their composure.

"Hello, Qui-Gon. It's been a long time since we last met. Ah, and you have a child with you. Perfect. It has been some centuries since I last had a child's face added to my collection."