Chapter One
Strangers in Kyoshi
They stood together in the growing sunlight, on the shores of Kyoshi, sharing a moment of peaceful silence. Which then was brutally shattered by Sokka running to them in usual state of panic.
"AANG! KATARA! " he screamed, waving his arms like a crazed chimpanzee.
"WHAT!?" they replied angrily.
"I think that's a Fire Nation ship out there!"
They turned to look out towards the horizon and the beautiful rising sun over the glistening crystal sea, and indeed they did see a steamer, which they would normally think of as belonging to the Fire Nation.
"Then maybe we should get moving," Aang said quickly, "We should have been going yesterday anyway."
"Lets get everything packed up," Katara said in her usual business like tone.
Then they set to work packing every thing up. Random pots and pans, blankets, that sort of thing. Aang and Toph rushed down to shore to collect water for the trip. Aang would bend the water into the air, and then Toph would earth bend the salt out of it. As they filled up the water skins, Aang took a glance out to the steamer. He saw that it was a dirty white, instead of the usual dark grey that characterised Fire Nation ships. It also flew an unfamiliar flag from the mast, situated in between two smokestacks instead of the regular single one. He also heard a snatch of music that was coming from the ship, unlike any he had heard before.
"When Britain first arose, from azure waves..."
He turned to Toph and said,
"I don't think that's a Fire Nation ship."
"I don't think so either," she paused "The engine sounds different, more powerful."
Another snatch of music, louder this time around,
"RULE BRITANNIA! BRITANNIA RULES THE WAVES! BRITONS NEVERNEVERNEVERRRR SHALL BE SLAVES!"
"Okay, now I'm sure that's not a Fire Nation ship. Sokka! Katara!" Aang yelled.
"Yes Aang?" they replied.
"That isn't a Fire Nation ship out there!"
"What?" Sokka replied incredulously "Of course it is! No other nation makes ships like that!"
"Well tell them that!"
Sokka stormed over the hill, his typical mix of arrogance and pompousness in full swagger.
...
Meanwhile, on the Queen Victoria, the members of Her Majesty's Pacific Anomaly Exploratory Force (PAEF) listened to the final chorus of "Rule Britannia" blasting from the speakers. As the final notes drained away, Commodore William Wilberforce's gruff voice sounded over the intercom.
"Alright! Now that you've been properly inspired, time to get to business! As you know, we have been sent by the Queen to gather information on the other side of the Pacific Gates, and now here we are! We assume that we have gained access to what seems to be an entirely new planet, gathered by the creatures that we have come across, like those giant carp," he paused to shudder at the memory of it, "Anyway, I want the airship crew to the airdeck immediately! Everyone else to the bow!" He shut off the speakers and turned to the airship captain, a young man from Germany named Heinrich Himmel. "Capt. Himmel?"
"Yes Commodore?"
"Prepare the Queen Bess for takeoff."
"Yes Commodore."
...
Sokka observed the ship and said,
"Okay, maybe it isn't a Fire nation ship."
"Well then which nation does it belong to?" Toph said with her ever-present sarcastic tinge.
"I don't know, maybe Earth Nation?" Sokka said, the "I don't know" coming off his tongue like lead balloons.
"Doesn't look like it." Aang said. "I've never seen that flag before in my life."
"Maybe we can get their attention." Katara said excitedly. "Yoo-Hoo! Over Here!"
...
On the Bridge of the Queen Victoria, the Commodore received an unexpected call from the lookout telephone.
"Sir?" the lookout hesitantly asked.
"Yes?" he replied gruffly.
"Sir there's four natives and a giant bison on the shore!"
"Mr. Bentley?"
"Yes Sir?"
"Have you been drinking?"
"No sir! Have a look for yourself if you wish!" he replied indignantly.
"Alright Mr. Bentley." He had a look through his binoculars and gasped at the sheer size of the bison. "Mary Mother of God what is that thing!?" He picked up the telephone to the Airdeck and waited for the call to go through.
"Hello?" a voice inquired.
"Hello. This is Commodore Wilberforce. I need to speak with Capt. Himmel."
"Alright sir. Please hold for a moment."
William stirred his tea and took a sip as he waited.
"Ja, this is Himmel."
"Captain! You shall address me by my title or 'sir'!"
"Deeply sorry Commodore. What is it that you require of me?"
"Good. I need you to provide air support to the land group instead of an independent exploration."
"Sir?"
"We've spotted some natives, with some sort of giant six legged bison. We have no idea how dangerous this could be, the only machine gun is on board the Bess, and we want to have an aerial advantage in case this turns ugly."
"Sir, how many natives are there?"
"Four,"
"Sir?" barely controlling his urge to chuckle.
"Capt. Himmel! There could be many more hiding in the trees, and that bison could be very dangerous!"
"Yes sir!"
...
"Do you think we've got their attention?" Katara asked Aang.
"I think so," he replied.
The scene was surreal. The landing craft were being frantically loaded and prepped aboard the Queen Victoria's bow, while the round and plump silver airship Queen Bess lifted off the stern. The Sea of Kyoshi was gleaming in the noonday sun, and the four friends stood and watched as the landing crafts were lowered into the sea. The steady chugging of the engines mixed with the whistle of the boats undersized smokestacks as they plowed through the surf towards the beach. In the boats were men and women all dressed in the white helmet, red shirt, and white pants that made up the Standard British Military Uniform (SBMU). All armed with Watson 9mm Revolvers, and trained expertly in marksmanship, the PAEF were among the best-trained units in Her Majesty's Imperial Army. On the Queen Bess, the crewmen were trained the same way and wore flight-suits with built-in parachutes, and these men and women were also trained in the art of operating a hydrium airship.
"Those people look like they're military," Sokka said somewhat anxiously.
"Yeah, but they will be nice to us, right?" asked Toph.
"Probably," Aang replied in a very ambiguous way.
The craft reached the shore and unloaded the PAEF soldiers. They approached the Avatar and his friends with their hands on their pistols.
"'ello?" one of the soldiers asked, "Any chance you speak English?"
"Hi! I'm Aang, the avatar. I can bend all of the four elements and I came to save the world from the Fire Nation and Fire Lord Ozai!" He proclaimed quite grandly to the assembled members of the PAEF.
"They speak English?" a startled soldier said.
"Apparently. What is this land child?" a kindly female soldier named Elizabeth asked softly.
"The west coast of the island of Kyoshi, which is part of the Earth Kingdom," Aang proclaimed grandly.
"And what is that giant thing behind you?"
"This?" he said, pointing towards Oppa. Elizabeth nodded, "His name is Oppa, and he's a flying bison."
"A flying what?" she asked with surprise.
"A flying bison! Watch!" he yelled as he jumped up on Oppa and rode him around the airship floating above. Needless to say, the PAEF were stunned.
"That was impressive,"
"Thanks!" he said.
"What did you mean by saying that you can bend the four elements?" Elizabeth inquired.
"Watch!" Aang said simply.
He proceeded to do some of his most spectacular bending of earth, water, fire, and air that he had ever done in his entire life. The fire spewed out as if from a dragon's mouth, the water swished and swirled like the most beautiful of waterfalls, the earth shook like god himself had decided to rent it, and the air twisted like the four ancient gods of wind were blowing it about. At the end of the display, the PAEF soldiers were stunned. Major Emerson approached Aang and said simply
"That was the most astounding thing I have ever seen."
"Thanks!" his childlike mannerisms floating back to the surface.
"Would you and your friends like to come back to Great Britain with us?"
"Where is that?"
"Across the Pacific Anomaly Gate and far to the north."
"Maybe. Let me ask my friends," he turned to them and said "Well?".
"I don't know Aang. We're supposed to be fighting Ozai," Katara said hesitantly.
"I think we should go with them!" Sokka proclaimed with exuberance. "They might be willing to help us with fighting Ozai."
"Toph? What do you think?" Aang asked
"I also think we should go," she said back. "They seem to know a lot of stuff, and their ship sounds impressive."
Aang turned back to the Marshal.
"We would love to!" he said.