I've finally decided to write fanfics again after a long hiatus. The problem was that people never really bothered to review, and I can't stress enough how important reviews are for budding writers.

The idea for this fanfic came to my head when I was doing work on another fanfic. This is a what-if scenario centering around the observations made by a dimension hopping army bent on "acquiring" new members for their growing federation.

Disclaimer: Avatar: the last airbender and all other related characters are not owned by me.

Communiqué/Priority Level 2/Code Beta

Addressed to Warlord Alexander Thant

Subject: Study of physiological anomaly within indigenous population of planet designated as Theta IV.

Author: Dr. Sigismund Rala, Chief Xenobiologist of the A.R.S. Destiny.

Information designated as: requested

Security classification: level 1 (minimal)

I bid you good greetings my lord, the dimensional jump a week ago was a lot rougher than normal, but the chief psion Patroclus assures me that such turbulence is to be expected when entering a universe such as this one. Already I am beginning to suspect that there is some latent force within this universe that is powerful beyond imagining.

As you have requested, I have prepared a report regarding the unique traits observed within certain members of the native population of Theta IV. There are so many exciting things to say, that I am hard pressed to decide where to begin.

For one thing, upon viewing the images that the video drones have returned with, I have noticed that a high proportion of the native people of this world are capable of manipulating the matter around them. For instance, there has been footage of people shooting burst of flame from their fist, and of people that can change and direct the flow of water, and even of people who can command the very ground beneath them to move as they would wish it.

Given our prior experience with worlds that are rich in magical or psionic energies, this in itself was no surprise. The one thing that I did find strange was that the situation here is far different from anything we have encountered before.

The problem is, whereas most metaphysical based worlds are either influenced by magic or psychic energies, this one seems to be a combination of both, and by both I don't mean that there is a population of magic users and of psionist. What I really mean is that this world is influenced by what seems to be a fusion of both forms of energies.

This observation came into light when we attempted to acquire a test subject. You can personally thank sergeant Kayron for me later; his account regarding the incident is en route to your esteemed personage even as you read this report.

In any case, we have in truth made only minor headway in truly understanding the way that these "benders" (this is the native term for those who are capable of manifesting such powers) are able to manipulate matter in such a unique way. From what we have learned from biological testing, a unique form of energy courses through the nervous system of a bender. This energy seems to be at its highest state of fluctuation when one attempts to "bend" his designated form of matter.

We were hoping to probe deeper into this strange biological function, and the gardinian neuro-biologist, Dr. Raz Heronymo, was opting for a full autopsy. Not wishing to risk damaging the specimen, and not to mention refusing to stoop to such a barbaric act, I quickly denied his request.

However, to further explore this strange facet of matter manipulation, I turned to asking master Patroclus to perform a psionic probe on the subject. What he discovered was not really all that I had hoped for, but was interesting nonetheless. For one thing, the subject does seem to have a latent psionic capability. However, this is not the driving force behind the subject's powers. The psionic ability that the subject manifests is merely a control tool for the energies coursing through his body. In other words, his powers are limited only by his mind.

We have noticed that the population of this world chose to divide themselves into four distinct nations, each one adopting a fundamental element of nature as their motif. The motif that they adopt seems to greatly influence their culture and the way they think (of course, it may just as well be the other way around). I believe that this mindset is what determines the form of matter that they are capable of manipulating. My examples regarding this are stated below:

1. The people who adopted fire as their motif are able to control flames and increase ambient temperatures. They are a hot headed and power hungry race that seeks to increase their prestige, capabilities, and fortunes no matter who they have to step over. They are currently embroiled in a war of supremacy against all other nations, having devoted the last 100 years to this mad crusade.

2. The people who adopt earth as their motif are able to move and manipulate rock and soil. They are a hardy race (most of them anyway), and are practical, hard working, and have a serious and stern demeanor in general. They are the largest nation, and their capital is so massive that it puts the Zhol capital of Raffa to shame. The unfortunate thing is that due to their strict outlook, they are inefficient due to the high level of bureaucracy.

3. The people who adopt water as their motif are able to manipulate the flow of liquids, and have been known to have limited healing capabilities (more on this development will be explained later). They are somewhat more backward than the other nations, but are perhaps some of the best known seafarers on their world. They are a peaceful and gentle folk, but they can become fierce warriors when they are threatened.

4. Lastly, there are those who adopt the motif of air. They are capable of changing and shaping air currents. Sadly, not much is known about their culture, since almost all of their kind has been exterminated long ago during the start of the war. We do know that there are a few of their kind left, but most are not classified as benders. Although there is at least one known bender of their race that has managed to survive, and there are hints that there are other survivors as well. We also know that, based on architectural observation, they were a monastic society.

So far, most benders are only capable of manipulating their chosen element, but what master Patroclus discovered within the deepest recesses of the test subjects mind suggest a different story. It seems that long ago, the 4 races were once united as one. These people were capable of manipulating all forms of matter and energy around them. They were very powerful indeed, and the era was hailed as a golden age. But alas, they grew degenerate and selfish over time, until such a point was reached that their empire shattered, and the secrets of controlling their environment were lost to them.

Fortunately for them, other species aside from theirs developed the ability to manipulate matter, but only to such an extent. It was from observing and learning from these creatures that this once proud race was able to regain the ability to control matter and energy. However, the disunity amongst their own kind caused a schism of sorts, and each side adopted a different ideology. This in turn drove the now divided 4 races to learn only from those creatures that could control elements deemed "ideologically pure" by the individual races. Over time, this belief strengthened into a hard dogma, preventing (or at least making it very very difficult) for a bender of one nation to learn the bending abilities of another.

The mental block can be overcome however. There have been reports of fire nation benders who, in their quest for personal perfection, have been able to remaster the ability to control electric currents, and on occasion, to generate such intense heat that they could fire bolts of plasma from their fists (this last facet is truly frightening, since even our heavy combat armor is helpless against plasma weaponry). As I have mentioned before, the water nation benders use their control over liquids to manipulate biological functions, and given enough practice, to be able to read thoughts just by touching ones forehead.

There was even an incident in which video drones managed to catch footage of an imprisoned earth nation bender breaking out of a metal cage as if it were made of paper. It was later observed that the subject in the film was obviously blind, but was still able to perceive her environment in some other way (perhaps a form of vibration sensing).

To sum this all up, should these rather unique people ever overcome their psychological inhibitions, they would have a military strength that would easily be a match for even the most advanced weaponry we develop. The secret to defeating them lies in disrupting their energy flow. I am confident that given enough time, we can develop such a countermeasure.

I am, as always, happy to serve the needs of the federation. I look forward to our victory.

Whew! Man was that long. So anyway, please leave a review, it helps me to know what others are thinking. And if I made a goof somewhere, don't be shy, I respond positively to properly worded criticism.

Once I have enough reviews, I will continue on with the second chapter.