"It's here! It's here! It's here!" Aang bounced excitedly down the corridor, clutching the e-book reader to his chest. Ignoring the disapproving frown on Elder Monk Bon's face, he quickly darted into his room and airbent his way to the topmost bunkbed. Flopping against his pillow, he held up the e-reader and quickly navigated his way to the source of his excitement.
Constellation Avalare
A Beginner's Guide to the History of the Quad System
(Revised Edition)
Unit 1
Discovery & Settlement:
In the year 25 B.D.E (2563 A.D) the Quad system in constellation Avalare, located at 122.3 light years from the solar system, was discovered by a team of Terran astronomers. The discovered system was initially suspected to possess two potential habitable planets: the actively volcanic Firion – 12B and the dormant Irdom – 11C. A year later, an earth-sized planet Aimad – 4A and the tidally locked pair of moons 55 Watibe N and 55 Watibe S were also determined to be potentially habitable.
Traveling at sub-light speeds, the journey to the system could be made in 300 years by class 4 generation ships. Five years after its discovery, terraforming ships were launched for the Quad in the year 20 B.D.E with destinations programmed for.
Twenty years later, in the year 0 Post Departure Earth (P.D.E) exactly one hundred and fifty class 4 generation ship departed for the terraformed planets and moons for colonization of the terraformed Quad system.
Planetary Composition: An overview Pre-Terraforming vs Post-Terraforming:
300 P.D.E saw the arrival of class 4 generation ships in the Quad with the total number of ships split evenly across the three planets and two moons.
Firion – 12B was predominantly a volcanic planet with two distinct oceans named Agni and Ra. Agni, located in the southern hemisphere also contained a continental size landmass dotted with dormant volcanoes while Ra, located in the northern hemisphere contained a stretch of volcanically active planets spanning the circumference of the planet. Post-Terraforming a significant portion of the continental mass named Caldera was turned into lush forests and farmlands. The active volcanoes were turned dormant and the ring of islands in northern hemisphere was converted into a tropical paradise.
Three fourth of Irdom – 11C's surface was composed of a major landmass dubbed the continent of Kyoshi. Kyoshi continent contained three major mountain ranges with snowcapped mountains and massive glaciers that fed into rivers snaking across its fertile surface and feeding into a variety of seas and lakes. The only ocean that Irdom could boast of covered the final one fourth of its surface, dubbed the Ocean of Chinn. Post-Terraforming, the continent of Kyoshi was covered in grassy plains, terraced farmlands and most importantly the tropical rainforests. In addition, a vast desert with considerable reserves of old earth fossil fuel also emerged and was dubbed the Si Wong desert.
Technically the two moons of Watibe were primarily composed of water but the gravitational pull of these two tidally locked bodies resulted in a pair of massive oceans on the sides facing each other and somewhat dry, desert like masses of lands on the sides facing away. In the middle of these watery oceans, each moon contained a massive ice-cap with frozen land underneath. Post-Terraforming, the desert-land was turned into marshes and swamps with some of the most complex ecosystems in all of the terraformed bodies in the Constellation of Avalare while the sea surrounding the continental icecaps contained some of the most exotic aquatic life.
Aimad –4A was a planet that in some manners resembled the closest to Earth, while in others it couldn't be more different. With an abundance of salt-water seas and continental sized landmasses, the only thing setting the planet apart from Earth was the ocean that ringed around the planet's equator. Simply dubbed the Ring, the positioning of this body of water allowed the formation of planet-wide storms for certain periods of time making it hard to travel between the surface and space. The natural resources of the planet worked in favor of habitation and post-Terraforming, the planet Aimad was dubbed Earth-2 by some simply for its resemblance with the home planet.
Note: In the later centuries, keeping in view the seasonal planet-wide storms, Aimad's asteroid belt was consolidated and converted into four space stations in geosynchronous orbit to the planet to serve as waystations that later evolved into thriving trading stations and habitats of their own.
Arrival, Inoculations & Side-Effects:
Although terraforming was a success, the population was inoculated with nanites capable of genetic modifications to help the colonists get settled quicker. An unforeseen side-effect of the inoculations did not begin making an appearance until the year 315 P.D.E when a miner Wan (last name unknown) from Aimad displayed the very first instance of elemental bending in recorded history.
The strange, at the time, phenomenon was chalked up to being a side-effect of prolonged exposure to the radioactive element Avatarium-120 most commonly utilized for fuel in the Quad system.
Environmental Effects on Elemental Affinities for Bending:
In the following years more instances of elemental bending cropped up over each colonies and although the elemental affinity was normally chalked up to individuals, a recurring trend began to appear after the first three hundred years.
By 625 P.D.E. each of the colonies were marked down with the following as the most recurring trend of elemental affinity.
i.Firion -12B (Firion being the commonly utilized term) generally displayed an affinity towards fire, most likely due to the environment itself being predisposed towards the element.
ii.Irdom -11C (Irdom being the commonly utilized term) generally displayed an affinity towards earth, most likely due to the environment itself being predisposed towards the element.
iii.55 Watibe N and S (Watibe North and Watibe South being the commonly utilized terms) generally displayed an affinity towards water, most likely due to the environment itself being predisposed towards the element.
iv.Aimad—4A (Aimad being the commonly utilized term) generally displayed an affinity towards air, most like due to the environment itself being predisposed towards the element.
It was theorized that with subsequent genetic modification on existing possessors of an elemental bender, further affinities could be introduced. Much experimentation and research was conducted towards the exploration of this avenue although most experiments resulted in failure with often fatal consequences. This line of research was abandoned for—
"Boring!" Aang sighed, quickly swiping past the introductory pages of the book, taking a moment or two to skim through the subsequent chapters before coming to a stop near the very end. His grey eyes lit up as he spotted the passage of his interest near the very end of the book. "They totally included him in here."
With a bright grin, he hopped off his spot and used a cushion of air to soften his landing as he waved the e-book reader and shot off towards the orphanage's activity room.
"Hey, Sister Korra! Look, look! They did a whole page on Monk Roku in this one!"
"Aang, you're not allowed to airbend in the hallways," Sister Korra admonished though her tone was more amused than irritated as she turned away from the gaming console. Pulling off her headgear, she regarded him with sparkling blue eyes as she crossed her arms.
"Monk Gyatsu doesn't mind if I airbend, so long as none of the elders can see it." Aang stuck out his bottom lip in a pout, before giving her a pleading look. "You're not going to tell on me, are you?"
"Hmm…" Korra pretended to think, letting out a laugh at the 'caught with a hand in the cookie jar' look in Aang's eyes. "Fine, fine, I won't tell them this time, but you really have to be careful in the hallways. There's a reasons why we don't bend in those."
"I know." Aang huffed, continuing in a tone that was obviously a mockery of one of the elders. "It's because these hallways are the last vestiges of the initial waystations built by our ancestors. Bending in these areas might just destroy something fragile and that will be one more instance of our history lost because of your carelessness, young man!"
"I'd give that performance an eight out of ten." Korra laughed once more. "Was that supposed to be Elder Monk Bon or Elder Monk Sen?"
"Elder Monk Sen."
"You need a bit more grouchiness in the tone to really hit the point." Korra pointed before giving him a demanding look. "Well? Show it to me."
"Take a look! They did this whole page on Monk Roku."
And with that, the young boy thrust the e-reader under Korra's nose until she was nearly cross-eyed. Moving back to a more comfortable distance, Korra patted the seat next to her for the boy to sit before they both bent over the e-reader, eager eyes following the lines of text.
Master of Four Elements: Monk Roku
Monk Roku [last name unknown] (7th Nov 2272 P.D. – 28th July 2342 P.D.) was a biochemist and biophysicist who conducted pioneering research in the field of bending nanite technology and the effects of Avatarium-120. One of the only people to integrate the varying effects of nano-tech with his own genes without fatal consequences, Monk Roku successfully proved the long debated theory that genetic modification could allow a subject to display bending capabilities in more than one element. Although naturally inclined towards the element fire, Monk Roku subsequently displayed the ability to bend the remaining three elements as well.
In addition to his scientific work, Monk Roku was also known for his philanthropic work such as his patronage of various orphanages and scholarship programs for the underprivileged. The Sage Orphan Home on Southern Waystation Colony was renamed to The Roku Memorial Home for Orphans in his honor, two years after Monk Roku's passing.
There is much controversy surrounding Monk Roku's disappearance in the winter of 2334 P.D. and his reappearance in the June of 2342 P.D. While some claim there was foul play involved, given Roku's physical state when he was discovered, others claim that his emaciated and comatose appearance was a result of the experimental nano-tech in his body. While no one can say for—
BOOM!
"What was that?!" Aang cried in alarm.
Korra's reply was cut off by the sound of blaring alarms.
"We've got a hull breach," Korra breathed, eyes wide in alarm as she hopped to her feet. "Aang, gather the kids and—" the sound of another explosion cut off her words as the ground shook beneath their feet, toppling a tall bookshelf in a corner of the room. "Gather the kids in your dorm and stay there. I'm going to go check with the elders."
BOOM!
A third explosion sent her and Aang flying across the room. Trying to ignore the stars dancing across his vision, Aang crawled across the floor to where Korra lay.
"S-Sister Korra?" he called out hesitantly, wincing at the sound of a fourth explosion. Korra groaned in response but lay unmoving, a pool of blood rapidly growing underneath her.
"All children return to your dorms immediately." Monk Gyatsu's voice crackled over the intercom speakers. "All able-bodied acolytes report to the Central Control Station. Southern Waystation Colony is under attack. All children—"
The fifth and final explosion cut off the power and with it, the announcements and the alarms, leaving Aang alone in the dark with his injured companion.
-0-
Aang sat huddled in his former dorm room with a group of children from other parts of the orphanage. Several of the younger kids were sobbing into their knees and though Aang wanted to join them, he kept his tears at bay through sheer stubbornness alone. He was scared and Sister Korra was out there somewhere, bleeding! But Monk Gyatsu had ordered all the children over the intercom speakers to comply with the armed men's demands and return to their dorms. The men wore, black bodysuits complete with skeletal looking facemasks and they all carried blaster weapons. They wore no insignias and when they spoke their voices came out wheezy and distorted through the breathing apparatus.
The men had locked the kids in their dorms and stationed guards in the hallways. He could hear them breathing through that apparatus on the other side of the door. He wondered what they might do if Aang tried to airbend up to the circulation vent in the roof and sneak to the Central Control Station. If he got caught, would he simply be sent back or would the men shoot him? He'd seen one of them attack an acolyte while they had been herding the kids to their dorms. The acolyte had been badly burnt and they'd just left him in the hallway. What if Aang got caught and they did that to him? He was just one kid? What if they hurt the other kids? Or worse… what if they hurt Monk Gyatsu?
Before he could decide, the intercom came to life, the sound of crackling static filling the air for a moment or two before a harsh, grating voice spoke. It was a man and his flat tone sent an involuntary shiver down Aang's spine.
"Denizens of Southern Waystation Colony, this is General Han. Due to a possible viral outbreak within the four Aimad Waystation Colonies, the interplanetary coalition of disease prevention is placing all colonial stations under strict quarantine."
A couple of the boys with him murmured in protest while the youngest kids began to wail in fright. Aang hastily shushed them when the men guarding their door knocked with their blaster and demanded silence. General Han was still speaking and Aang tried to listen to his words, half his attention on trying to puzzle out the viral outbreak. There had been none! Unless you counted that weird flu that had been going around in one of mining stations in the outer rim of the colonies. Aang wasn't supposed to know about it but he'd overheard the elders talking about it while he had been on his way to visit Monk Gyatsu.
"The quarantine will remain effective until a cure has been manufactured and the population inoculated. As such, no one will be allowed in or out of the colonies for the duration. Until such a time that it is not needed, your cooperation will be greatly appreciated. Please refrain from trying to leave your designated quarantine areas as ICDP has been granted the rights to shoot to kill anyone attempting to exit this area.
"In this vein, I would like to add that please cooperate with the medical staff as they have come here at great personal risk to help find a cure. You will be kept updated via the intercom system. I hope to work with you in such difficult times and hopefully all of us will come out as friends by the end."
Without further warning the intercom cut off, leaving Aang in a room full of scared and sobbing children. Aang tried to distract them with a few of the games he kept stashed in his drawer and thought about the General's words. The entire situation was making him uneasy in a way completely unrelated to the sudden implementation of a colony-wide quarantine. Whatever was going on, Aang had a feeling in his gut that things were about to go completely pear-shaped.
-0-
People had been going missing from the colonies as far back as Monk Roku's disappearance but most disappearances were chalked up to accidental deaths out in space when their bodies turned up floating in some remote part of the asteroid belt. While a little unusual, it was one of the accepted hazards of life out in the Aimad Waystation Colonies so no one looked into it very closely. Aang could only wish that someone had thought to investigate when there had been time to bring everything to light. It had been over a year since the colonies were put in quarantine and Aang knew the truth behind the disappearances.
He knew the truth and all colonists imprisoned in there with him knew the truth and it was too late to do anything about it because the rest of the worlds believed what the ICDP said about the deadly virus infecting all of the colonists. But it was all lies and no one would see it coming before it was too late.
He didn't know who the ICDP truly worked for but the colonists were guinea pigs imprisoned in their own homes and Aang couldn't do anything to help anyone. In the time since the quarantine had gone into effect, he had only seen Sister Korra twice, once with all her hair shorn off while she was covered in blood and strapped down to a gurney in the medical bay six months ago – way too late for it to be the same injury that she'd gotten when the colonies were attacked and infected – and the other time was now where she was floating in a tank full of glowing blue liquid, eyes closed and body full of tubes…
His heart hammered inside his chest in fear as he was rolled down the length of the hallway and into what used to be the prayer hall for all the elder monks, Aang noticed that there were hundreds of such tanks, all with an unmoving person inside. His vision was hazy with the drugs they'd given him and he could barely move his head let alone actually try to escape but he could hear the uniformed people milling about just fine.
Their words hammered and drummed around inside his head in an insane cacophony but he could pick out snatches of what they were saying.
"—response to culture AV-647 is not promising—" said that lady next to the tank holding… wait, was that Kuzon?
"— tried switching to AV -921 nano-gene therapy but the subject's body is not –" said the baldy with a datapad in his hand, pushing his spectacle farther up his crooked nose.
"— prepping subject for full immersion in batch—" droned another with papery skin and squinty golden eyes.
"This one is an Airbender," announced the skull-mask guy who'd drugged Aang and then tied him up so Aang couldn't try running again.
"An Airbender, hmm?" Ice cold fingers gripped hold of Aang's chin and he found himself staring into the face of old guy with a huge sideburns. Aang tried to speak but there was lead in his tongue weighing it down and his throat was so dry. He needed water… would they give him some water if he asked nicely? "They're the most responsive to the treatments out of all our subjects although I must say, Subject 326-K8 is showing promise."
"Isn't that the waterbender, sir?" asked the skull-mask guy.
"Yes, yes, but she is very promising all the same. Now, bring this one over here, I'd like to try something different to stabilize him for the nano-gene therapy." A part of him wanted to be afraid but that tiny voice was buried under all the other voices bouncing around inside his head. And then there was the spinning of the world, not unlike the low-gravity stations he'd visited with Monk Gyatsu a few years ago. Oh… he was moving again and now they were stopping next to an empty tank with hundreds of snakelike tubes hanging out of the spaces near the top. "Now 112-A2, just relax, alright? This won't hurt a bit."
Was the old guy speaking to him? Oh, he was… the old guy had a mechanical device with five sharp needles sticking out its end and what was he— all thoughts cut off immediately as the 6 inch long needles sank into Aang's stomach and a cold, burning liquid fire began to spread outwards and oh it hurt so much and Aang wanted to scream but they were shoving a pipe down his throat and there was pain and fire and he was sinking, falling, lost in the darkness…
-0-
He was floating in space… there was warmth all around him and inside him, in his veins and bones and nerves and he was floating and there were flashing lights somewhere far away and people were screaming.
"Put surviving subjects in cryostasis and prepare to move out!"
There was fire and monsters and screaming and blood and the warmth around him was turning to ice and he was turning to ice too and his blood was freezing with his bones and flesh and he was sinking deeper and deeper into darkness…
-0-
SECRET
(For the Eyes of His Majesty, The Fire Lord Only)
AIMAD MEMORIAL RESEARCH FACILITY
Firion, Restricted Zone 43
Series No. 121
Copy No. 4
Of 5 copies only
Display of Avatar Effect by Subject 326-K8
On March 24th, 2376 P.D. Subject 326-K8 was scheduled for a testing of the results of nano-gene therapy to culture combinations of AV-446, AV-487, AV-562 and AV-239. After a treatment duration of two years, Subject 326-K8 displayed a secondary elemental affiliation for fire and earth.
After the Subject's positive response to nano-gene therapy, Dr. Shinu scheduled a secondary round of culture treatments and after five months, subject was rescheduled for a demonstration.
February 1st, 2377 P.D. Subject 326-K8 successfully demonstrated an elemental affinity for air, proving to be the second successful possessor of the Avatar Effect. Unfortunately, Subject suffered a psychotic breakdown post-demonstration and proceeded to utilize its newfound abilities to bring about the destruction of the research facility set up in the former The Roku Memorial Home for Orphans and three of its surrounding sectors.
Subject escaped the Southern Waystation Colony in a stolen komodo-dragon class ship and proceeded to attack the remaining three colonial research facilities. It is not yet fully known how the subject managed to accomplish their destruction but the attacks focused on damaging the structure integrity of the biomes and their power sources resulting in the complete destruction of Northern, Eastern and Western Waystation Colonies. Southern Waystation Colony while only partially damaged was deemed structurally unstable and ten of the surviving subjects from the research facility were placed in cryostasis and transported to Restricted Zone 43.
The stolen komodo-dragon class ship was shot down and destroyed upon reentry of Aimad's atmosphere. Although subject had been given an experimental regenerative nanite implant, Subject 326-K8 was deemed terminated based on lack of readouts of vital signs from the subject. As with the viral outbreak in Waystation Colonies, evidence of the Aimad Colonies Massacre linking the infamous terrorist/pirate armada Equalists to the unfortunate Sister Korra has been periodically released for public after a thorough investigation performed by the military faction of ICDP. Shortly after the incident, the global scale storm erupted on the surface of Aimad—4A making reentry to the planet surface for further acquisition of Avatarium-121 impossible. As the element was an integral part of the research into the Avatar Effect, large-scale research on the project is no longer viable and termination is recommended.
SECRET
(For the Eyes of His Majesty the Fire Lord Only)
AIMAD MEMORIAL RESEARCH FACILITY
Firion, Restricted Zone 43
-0-
Restricted Zone 43
Aimad Research Facility
2377 P.D.E
Ten cryostasis pods were rolled down a winding hallway in the bowels of the research facility. At the very of the final hallway was a cavernous storage room, where failed projects were sent to death via obscurity. The procession of cryostasis pods reached this storage room, headed by the grim-faced head scientist, Dr. Shinu, for Project Avatar. The man silently observed his underlings stash his life's work in the dusty hall, feeling a pang of regret mingled with anger. He had been so close. So close, to figuring out the Avatar Effect and now they were throwing it all away. He still had ten surviving subjects and just enough Avatarium to bring it all to fruition. He knew he could do it if they just let him continue his work but instead the inquiry committee had deemed the project non-viable. His life's work was deemed non-viable!
Gritting his teeth, Dr. Shinu watched the workers hook up the cryo-pods to the power supply, running a final systems check to ensure long term storage of his beautiful specimens. He reached for the nearest pod, resting his palm against the glass tube that contained the youngest of his specimens and the only surviving Airbender of the lot. If only…
Anger gave way to bitterness as Dr. Shinu sighed and stepped away. Glancing down at the datapad, confirmed that everything was in working order before barking the orders to retreat. The doorway slid shut behind the retreating team with a hiss of finality as the project was buried in the shadows for the next eighty seven years.