Aang looked around the cavern and for the first time since coming to Ba Sing Se to rescure Katara he felt nothing but despair. Dai Li Agents were swarming to Azula's aide and Aang knew he would never be able to defeat them all by himself, he saw Katara taking on a group of Dai Li agents. He remembered what the Guru told him, "Only by letting go of your earthly attachments can you hope to master the Avatar State."

"I'm sorry Katara" he said softly. Enclosing himself in a tent made of crystals he sat down to unblock his seventh chukra. He felt the familiar sensation of ultimate power course through him as he entered the Avatar State. But this time it was different. Aang knew what was happening this time just as he was about to attack the Dai Li he realized that he had made a tactical error, Azula was flanking him. A bolt of lightning struck him dead centre in his back, causing his heart to overload from the voltage. The last thing Aang knew was that he was falling down and down until he surrendered himself to the darkness….

Aang opened his eyes to feel the familiar sensation of bison fur against his skin and the pleasant sight of Katara as she gazed down at him just like she had the day he'd been free of the iceberg. Aang gave a weak smile before she wrapped her arms around him, it wasn't long until Aang once again blacked out…

Aang glanced around to take in his surroundings, he could see Ba Sing Se, and the fire nation troops as they marched toward the central city plaza. A fire nation commander shouted in the streets, "Attention! This City is now under the control of the Fire Nation, you will submit to the will of the Firelord!" His troops gave an ear-peircing war cry as the once impregnable stronghold had fallen….

The curved stone archway looked familiar to Aang as he walked on. He came to the sanctuary door of the Southern Air Temple that he knew contained statues of all the previous Avatars. Using his airbending he opened the door and stepped inside, only to find that the room was deserted…

Aang felt as if he were falling into an abyss, he could see the familiar glowing eyes of the previous Avatars and Roku's voice as he said, "If you are killed in the Avatar State, the reincarnation cycle will be broken and the Avatar will cease to exist." Abruptly the Avatar statues started to crack until they were nothing more than finely powdered stone. Aang felt as if something terrible had happened but he couldn't remember what. "NO!" Aang screamed in frustration and helpless anger, Avatar Roku appeared to him then. As if materializing out of the shadows, his figure spoke to him, "You have just been through a terrible ordeal Aang, The attack on you in the Avatar State has permanently disrupted your connection to cosmic energy, you will not be able to enter the Avatar State."

"What attack," Aang protested, "I don't understand."

"I can't fully explain it to you," Roku declared "I have a limited amount of time, your body is still recovering and your spirit is weak. Remember, your original task still remains, you must master the four elements. Only then will you be strong enough." Roku disappeared as quickly as he had come leaving his last two words echoing in his place.

The dark background transformed into an attack on the fire nation. Aang could see Sokka as he engaged a group of fire benders, sword drawn he shouted a war cry before he charged. Fireblasts met him halfway but Sokka dodged them, he lifted his sword to strike at the nearest fire bender, his sword pierced through the bender's armour and the bender fell to the floor. Sokka's raised his sword again but a fireblast caught him in the face before he could strike. Sokka fell to the ground with a scream of agony, his sword clattered on the stone tiles. A firebender stepped forward and ended his life. Toph screamed in defiance as she brought rocks to crash down on Sokka's attackers. In doing so, however, she left her flank unprotected and a firebender quickly sealed her fate. Toph fell to the ground as a charred corpse.

Aang couldn't believe it. He didn't know if this was real or not, but it was a nightmare unlike any he had ever experienced. Aang looked around at the battlefield, the fight for the palace had been brutal but with fire nation defences so well defended the outcome was never in any doubt. Aang could see water tribe warriors making a last stand against a group of fire benders They interlocked their shields and threw their spears and though they caused some casualties it was not enough for them to be able to retreat. Fire nation soldiers surrounded them and let out a final attack…

With a start, Aang awoke for what seemed like the fifth time. He felt lightheaded and as he tried to get out of bed, pain lanced across his left side. He grimaced from the intensity, his vision started to clear and he could finally make sense of his location.

What he saw made adrenaline pump through his body, fire nation symbols were carved on several items and he looked behind him to discover the fire nation emblem on a huge tapestry. Aang couldn't remember how he got here but it was clear that he had to get out, grabbing his staff he exited his room and proceeded down the ship's corridor. Stumbling every now and then as pain shot through his body. It took all of Aang's concentration just to walk down the hallway, he was close to the end when he heard voices. Aang knew that there would be no way for him to walk any further without being seen. He quickly pulled out his staff and sent an air attack in their midst. But he was still too weak from his injuries and his resulting attack didn't even knock them off their feet.

Memories of running through Zuko's ship came down to him but he wasn't about to repeat his mistakes from the past. Aang scrambled up the steps to the main deck, but in his haste to check if he was being pursued he tripped on the last step and crashed to the deck, his staff sliding away from him. "Momo?" Aang asked in complete disbelief. The lemur chirped in response and jumped on Aang's face. "Twinkletoes! That's gotta be you." Toph said as she ran towards him. "Aang, you're awake!" Katara shouted at him.

"Are you sure, it feels like I'm dreaming." Aang inhaled sharply as Katara wrapped her arms around him. As soon as she let go Aang felt himself go weak, as if all the strength had left his body. A few seconds later he collapsed and everything went dark.

Aang lay awake in his quarters aboard the fire nation battleship. After Katara had given him his healing session he had clearly remembered getting struck down by Azula. After that all he could think about was how close he had come to letting the fire nation win this war, not only would he have died but, just as Roku had told him, there would have been no more Avatars. Aang felt as if he had dishonoured the meaning of the word Avatar. He was glad that he could no longer enter the Avatar State, he never wanted to make such a failure again. I promise he told himself silently, I won't fail again.

Vice Admiral Xylan paced on the bridge of the Supercarrier Leviathan, the pride of the Fire Navy. The Leviathan's hull was honeycombed with iron armour, the ship could take a tremendous amount of punishment before even having to worry about sinking, and the ship's armaments could overwhelm any ship that sailed the seas.

Xylan smiled, he had served directly under Admiral Zhou during his siege of the Northern Water Tribe. He had used the Admiral's defeat to his advantage, like a springboard that had given him command of the Northern Fleet. Xylan had turned the battlegroup of 50 battleships that was looked upon as the disgrace of the Fire Navy into an elite group composing of 450 battleships now known as "Xylan's Storm." All it had taken was countless raids on the sparsely populated Water tribe colonies and the defeat of the Earth Kingdom Navy at the hands of Xylan's Storm.

Firelord Ozai had declared that the Avatar had been defeated and was claiming that victory would be theirs with the arrival of Sozin's Comet. Unlike his former mentor, Xylan was not so arrogant as to underestimate the power of his enemies, something many fire nation commanders still had to learn.

Xylan had studied accounts of the Avatar's power, both of recent accounts and in the Avatar's past lives. If anything, it had given him an insight into his enemies abilities, Xylan didn't believe that the Avatar could be so easily killed. All that the reports from the homeland would clarify, was that Prince Zuko had struck the Avatar down.

The lack of information on what happened after Zuko struck down the Avatar did not surprise Xylan, propaganda was after all, an efficient method of keeping citizens loyal. Xylan, however, was not so blindly led, he sent word to his spies in Ba Sing Se. They reported that one of the Avatar's friends evacuated him out of the Crystal Catacombs and that they escaped on the Avatar's bison. Reports from other battles where the Avatar's companions had been sited led Xylan to perceive them as resourceful and cunning foes.

Given the fact that they had evaded capture on at least fifteen occasions, Xylan knew that they would find some way to save their companion. Of course he wasn't about to mention all of this to the Firelord, if he was wrong he knew that the Firelord would strip him of his rank and achievements. Xylan wasn't about to tell anyone else under his command either, rumors would be bound to spread until the result would be no different than telling the Firelord directly. No, Xylan would simply employ a different strategy.

"Admiral, what course shall I set?" The Navigation officer asked with an eagerness that made Xylan crack a smile. The man was always eager for battle

"Set course for Ba Sing Se, Lieutenant. We will conduct our patrol as the Firelord has instructed, than we will continue heading NW."

"Yes,sir! Course adjusted to 123 mark 6. " The ship groaned as the heavy bulk of the supercarrier was forced to change direction

"Signal the fleet to split up, Captain Vai is to lead 150 ships on a heading bearing NE."

"Yes, Admiral. Captain Vai has acknowledged the order and is moving NE."

"Commander?" Xylan inquired

"Your command, Admiral?" A low voice came from his side as Commander Jiup stepped forward.

"Send word to the Ossuna. I have an important task for them."

"Right away sir," Jiup replied with his usual display of proper military protocol, one of the reasons why Xylan kept him as his right hand. Xylan would act on his intuition and knowledge, he would capture the Avatar along with his companions; but unlike Xylan's predecessors, his strategies and tactics would not fail to get results.