Chapter 39: Party Crasher

"Welcome to Ember Island."

The two old crones Lo and Li greeted some very special guests to their summer home, despite the fact that none of them wanted to be here. Prince Zuko, Princess Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee were walking off a boat that had brought them to Ember Island, where they had been all but forced to go for the weekend. The royal siblings understood that this abrupt vacation was meant to get them away from the capital for a while, as the Fire Lord was having a very private meeting with his top advisors. Given how easy it was to eavesdrop on said meetings, the only effective way to stop it was to send the eavesdroppers away.

Unfortunately, they were expected to stay at Lo and Li's during their vacation, which was a very small cabin that was built on tall stilts next to the shore. Sure, they had been friends of the royal family, but that didn't mean the youngest generation had to like them. Lo and Li welcomed the teens inside their home away from home, which was rather decent inside if a little pink and smelling of old lady. It didn't take very long for everyone to unpack their things and get ready to hit the beach, as even Mai seemed eager to get out of the old ladies' home.

Once the four teens were in their respective beach outfits, they walked along a narrow dirt road to go to the nearest beach. It led over a hill before curving along the shore, going past some craggy areas before reaching fine sand. The old crones had left the cabin with the teenagers, but had quickly fallen behind as the reluctant teens wanted to get away from their elders. Ty Lee was carrying most of their supplies in a big bag, while Azula only brought a beach towel, and Zuko was holding a parasol that kept Mai in the shade.

When they arrived Azula surveyed the beach, looking at all the people having a good time in various ways. "Alright, where should we start?"

"I know where I'm going," Ty Lee said, bounding off ahead of the group.

"Guess we just go wherever," Mai said.

"There's an open spot over there," Zuko said, pointing to a currently empty patch of sand. "Far enough away from other people."

"Sure," Mai said. "Whatever works."

Azula walked after Ty Lee, passing by several other people, none of whom seemed to recognize her. "Well… this should be an interesting day."

Elsewhere on the island, in secluded cove of craggy rock not far from the largest beach, it was silent except for the crashing waves on the shore. The silence was broken by a ripple in the air, with a sound like distant thunder but coming from within the cove. It was followed by a blinding flash of light, mostly concealed by the rocks yet still catching the eye of curious beachgoers in the distance. In a second the loose sand underneath the flash was fast-heated into glass, and standing on that glass was a barefooted teenage girl.

For the most part, this girl resembled a normal human teenager, even if her facial features were softer than the norm. This newcomer wore formfitting black clothes that left her legs and midriff bare, perfectly comfortable in spite of the heat of Fire Nation summer. She had bright red hair that reached her shoulders, an oddity to be sure but not completely unheard of. The teenage girl opened her green eyes and took in a deep breath, then looked out to sea and released that breath, relieved to have arrived in the correct place.

"Made it," she muttered, and then tapped a few spots on a silver bracelet she wore. "Right in the path, perfect."

From the secluded cove, the girl walked along the shore, ignoring the sharp rocks that kept away regular beachgoers. The sharp edges crumbled under her heel, not leaving a mark on her picture-perfect feet. A leisurely walk brought her to a public beach filled with people, most of which were relaxing and enjoying the time in one way or another. She walked across the hot sand and looked around the beach, noticing that many of the locals were giving odd looks at her hair. She had expected the locals to look at her like that, and promptly ignored them all.

Halfway down the beach she spotted some teens playing a game, one that involved tossing a ball back and forth across a raised net. The rules seemed simple enough to understand after watching others play the game, and when some of the teens left she approached to take the place of one. She stood on one side of the net with three of the earlier players, while the other side was completely replaced with three girls and a scarred boy. Her side got the ball first, one other player hitting it across the net to start the game.

Once the game was started, she quickly deduced the opposing team's plan, which was to exploit a weakness in girl with pigtails that was playing with her. So every time the ball was hurled at that girl's left, she got in the way and hit the ball back up, alternating between light kicks and gentle arm tossing that got the ball across the net. At one point the ball got high above the net and she jumped far enough to hit it, this time punching the ball so hard that when it hit the sand the impact erupted into a small crater.

"Score!" she declared.

The most serious of the opposing girls stared at the sand crater. "Good arm."

Smiling at the compliment, the redheaded girl turned toward the strangers. "Thank you."

Being the leader of the group, the serious one walked over. "Where'd you learn to hit like that?"

"Almerac," she answered. Then she walked underneath the net to get closer to the girls, and then offered to make a handshake. "I'm Maxima."

"Azula," she introduced herself, awkwardly accepting the gesture. "I've never heard of Almerac."

"Of course you haven't," Maxima said. With one finger she pointed up and just to the right of the sun. "It's about twenty-seven parsecs that way."

Azula couldn't hide a puzzled look. "Parsecs?"

"Yeah, I know it can be a misleading term when you first hear it," Maxima said. "Parsecs are a really big unit of distance, not time."

"Sure…" Azula said, figuring it was best to just roll with it. A welcome change of subject was walking over, and so Azula introduced her acrobat friend. "This is Ty Lee. She can be a little strange at times, so I'm sure you'll get along just fine."

"Nice to meet you," Ty Lee said.

"Likewise," Maxima said. She turned back to Azula. "So what is there to do for fun around here?"

"Tormenting my brother is always a good time," Azula answered. She pointed him out for her, having returned to a beach towel underneath a parasol after the game. "That's him over there. You can't miss this scar, even with that mop of hair Zuko has been trying to grow."

Glancing up at hearing his name, Zuko saw the stranger standing next to his sister. "Whatever it is you're doing, leave me out of it."

"Feel free to ignore that," Azula advised. She gestured to the tall girl sitting next to her brother. "That's Mai, she's a friend. Can be a bit of a bore, until you get to know her."

Mai gave a lazy wave in their direction. "Hey."

By now Azula had given some thought to something she'd heard Maxima say, and didn't like the fact that she needed clarification. "So… just how far is a 'parsec' anyway? It wasn't exactly clear."

Maxima fiddle with her bracelet for a moment to do some quick calculations. "It's the distance light travels in a little over three years, well your years anyway."

That didn't really help Azula, other than to reinforce her suspicions. "So you're from very far away."

That's when Maxima remembered something about where she was at. "Oh yeah, I forgot this planet doesn't have space travel."

"I see…" Azula muttered. Although she was inclined to believe Maxima at this point, she wanted more proof before acknowledging it out loud. "What brings you here?"

"Spring Break," Maxima answered with a smile.

Although he was barely paying attention, Zuko noticed something and interrupted. "But it's summer."

"Here maybe," Maxima conceded. "On Almerac's northern hemisphere, spring just started. And that means it's time to party."

That last part caught the attention of a pair of local boys, who appeared to be among the more popular teens on this beach. One of them had short and neat brown hair, and was clearly the dominant one of the two boys. The other boy kept his brown hair long and messy, parted in a way to let others see only one eye at a time. They had been going around the beach talking to the cool teenagers, and they knew they wanted to include the three pretty new girls the moment they saw them. Of course, they didn't recognize any of them, otherwise they would have approached Azula first instead of Maxima.

The neater one spoke first. "Hey there, I'm Chan and this is Ruon-Jian. We're having a party tonight. Would you like to come?"

"Of course," Maxima answered. "Just make sure it is a lot of fun."

"It certainly will be," the other boy, Ruon-Jian, guaranteed. He turned to Ty Lee next. "And there will be plenty of fun to go around. All the cool people are going to be there."

"Sure," Ty Lee said. "I love parties."

"Great," Chan said, smiling at the fact that these two pretty strangers would be coming. "It's going to be a wild night. We'll be partying from dusk till dawn."

By this point Azula realized the boys were ignoring her. "What about me and my brother? Aren't you going to invite us?"

The two boys simply glanced at her, though it was Ruon-Jian spoke up. "Yeah, you can come."

Chan nodded in agreement. "Just know that some of the most important teenagers in the Fire Nation are going to be at this party. So try to act normal."

They clearly didn't know who they were talking to, but Azula wanted to let that ignorance continue. "We'll do our best."

In the time spent waiting for the party this evening, there was more relaxing and sunbathing on the beach. Several hours later the sun began to descend the western sky, and the beachgoers began to disperse for whatever evening plans they had in mind. Azula and her group were among the last to leave, and only then because it was getting close to supper time. Maxima followed them all the way to the beach cabin, since she didn't have a place to stay on this island, though she wasn't going to mention that to anyone.

When they arrived, Maxima got to meet the old crones staying there. "Hello."

Li made a courteous bow. "It is a pleasure-"

Lo bowed at the same time. "-to see a new face-"

"-among Azula's friends," both said together.

"The first in quite a while," Zuko said.

"Shut up," Azula ordered.

As it was supper time, the servants brought a meal to an outside patio. The old ladies and their five guests enjoyed a pleasant meal of diced rabbit-veal and tuna-salmon, taking their time to enjoy the sunset while they ate. During the meal, Lo and Li inquired about how Azula and Zuko spent their day, especially curious about when they met a new friend, though the royal siblings largely brushed them off. The old crones were more interested when someone mentioned the party tonight, glad to see further attempts to socialize with new people.

Zuko was still a little perplexed about one thing Azula did, or rather something she didn't do. "Why didn't you tell those guys who we were?"

"I guess I was intrigued," Azula admitted. "I'm so used to people worshipping us."

"They should," Ty Lee said.

"Yes, I know, and I love it," Azula said. "But for once I just wanted to see how people would treat us if they didn't know who we were."

"It is a different experience," Maxima confirmed.

Li believed this was the right time to give some words of wisdom. "Like waves washing away the footprints on the sand. Ember Island gives everyone a clean slate."

Lo elaborated. "Ember Island reveals the true you."

Both of them snapped their fingers and pointed upward. "To the party!"

With the blessing of their unofficial caretakers, the group left to go find Chan's beach house. Everyone had changed into more appropriate attire, although Maxima had to borrow a spare pink dress Ty Lee had brought along. By now only a faint glimmer of sunlight remained above the horizon, and the night crowd were replacing the beachgoers from the day. It was dusk by the time the group arrived at the correct beach house, and Azula was the one that politely knocked on the front door. There was a delay, but eventually the door was answered by a particularly confused Chan.

"You're a little early," Chan said, looking past the group and seeing no one beside the group of five. "No one's here yet."

"We heard you'd be partying from dusk till dawn," Azula answered. "It's dusk, so we're here."

"But that's just an expression," Chan corrected.

"We're just punctual that way," Maxima said.

Chan shrugged, but then gestured for them to follow him inside. "Fine, come on in."

Everyone entered the large foyer of the house, where preparations for the party were still being set up. The walls were adorned with various tapestries and murals, while ornate chandeliers hung from the ceiling, as to be expected from the summer home of an admiral. Long tables with food and other party supplies were placed around the room, strategically situated to keep the potential messes away from anything valuable. There were plenty of wide spaces for guests to mingle, and side rooms were open to allow for more private interactions.

"Alright, listen, my dad's an admiral," Chan said as he welcomed the first guests inside. "He has no idea I'm having this party, so don't mess anything up."

"We'll try," Maxima promised.

By now they were far enough inside to peek into one of the side rooms, where Ruon-Jian was fixing his hair and saw the guests in the mirror. "Hey! First ones here, huh?"

"Yup," Ty Lee said. "First and ready to get this party boat sailing."

She would have to wait for the other guests to arrive, but it wasn't too long. The first of them arrived half an hour later, coming in small groups, all glad they weren't the first ones here. An hour after that the place was filled with teenage boys and girls, talking and eating and partying to their hearts' content. It was a cacophony of noise and hormones, and that was before the local band started playing a catchy tune to set the mood. And none of them ever realized the crown prince and princess were in their midst, or the visitor from another world.

Naturally it was Ty Lee that ended up as the center of attention, surrounded by half a dozen boys that had backed her into a corner, all competing for her affections. It got to the point where she panicked and struck the boys, hitting all of their pressure points to make them collapse and clear a path. Meanwhile, Zuko and Mai were sitting on a bench against a wall, both seemingly bored with the party and everyone in it, and the other guests stayed away from their negative vibe. They avoided Azula too, and she wasn't sure how to start a random conversation without ordering it.

Azula was about to ask Ty Lee for advice when she spotted Maxima at a table. "Hmm…"

Maxima was sitting at a table across from a large boy, currently in the middle of an arm-wrestling match. The boy's arm was nearly twice as thick as Maxima's, and yet he could not get hers to budge no matter how much he tried. In Maxima's other hand was a glazed pastry, and she was casually biting into it while keeping eye contact, to her opponent's frustration. There was a crowd around them, some cheering for the boy, others mocking him for how easily Maxima was holding him back. The boy's face was turning red from the effort, far beyond the point of caring what everyone else thought about him.

When she was finished taunting him, Maxima slammed the boy's hand against the table. "Next!"

The boy walked away, cradling his sore arm, and another boy took his place.

"Now you look like a brawny one," Maxima said, eying the thicker arms on this boy. "Let's see if those muscles mean anything here."

Another arm-wrestling match began, and this boy put everything he had into it. He even grabbed with his other hand to cheat, but given what happened to the last boy, no one watching seemed to mind. Even then Maxima's arm barely budged, and when she wanted to apply force she slammed the boy's hands onto the table. After that easy win Maxima glared at the other boys nearby, who were all taking a step back from her. It seemed that they had suffered enough embarrassment, wanting to retain what dignity they still had.

"No more takers?" Maxima asked. She pushed her chair away from the table and stood up. "That's cool. I'm going to get more food."

As Maxima walked over to the buffet table, Azula approached her. "That's some arm you've got."

"Eh, it's pretty normal," Maxima said. She took some slices of pork-chicken and took a few bites, which got her to smile. "The food here is so tasty. How do you synthesize so much flavor?"

Azula didn't have an answer for that, so she ignored the question and changed the subject. "Anyway, I'm sure you want a better challenge than those boys."

"What do you have in mind?" Maxima asked.

"There's going to be a big fight in about three weeks," Azula answered. She picked up a teacup and poured some jasmine tea into it. "All of the most powerful people will be there."

"Three weeks?" Maxima questioned. "How many rotations is that?"

Azula gagged a little on her tea, and had to clear her throat. The confusion quickly subsided as she realized that Maxima must have meant days. "Twenty-one."

"Oh sweet," Maxima said. "I can have fun and see the perfect transit at the same time."

This time Azula feared she knew exactly what Maxima was referring to. "Now how do you know about something like that?"

"A czarnian passed by here and noticed the size and position of your moon," Maxima answered. She glanced out a nearby window, where the moon was in view and currently quarter-full. "From the ground it appears to be the same size as your sun. That's incredibly rare."

"I wouldn't have guessed that," Azula admitted.

"Yeah, but it makes for a phenomenal sight during transits," Maxima said. "Sooner or later this world will become a hot tourist destination for people that want to see it."

"I'll take your word for it," Azula said. Then she turned and took a step away. "Well, I'll make sure you get a front row seat."

After that Azula walked away to chat with Ty Lee, leaving Maxima back to her own devices. So she spent some time eating more of the tasty food, enjoying the opportunity to feast to her heart's content. After a while she noticed Zuko walking up to the table to get something, if only because he walked right past her. Maxima watched Zuko take some food for Mai, who was still sitting on a bench by the wall. But when Zuko turned around he spotted Ruon-Jian next to Mai, and Maxima stood back to watch what happened next.

Even though Mai and Ruon-Jian had merely been talking, Zuko seemed to take personal offense. Zuko grabbed Ruon-Jian and yanked him away, and the latter teen was spun around a few times before regaining his balance. When Ruon-Jian complained Zuko hit him harder, enough to shove him into a large vase and shatter it. This led to a verbal fight between Zuko and Mai over his temper, ending with Mai saying that they were done. Of course Maxima had no idea what that was all about, knowing next to nothing about these people she was hanging out with.

Maxima watched Zuko leave the party before the approached Mai, and the two girls sat down on the bench. "Is that guy always angry?"

"Seems like it," Mai answered.

"I'm not at all familiar with the customs around here," Maxima said. "Is there a reason you two were together if he's always like that?"

"We go back a long way," Mai answered. "I suppose our parents always expected us to be close."

"So they arranged it?" Maxima asked.

"Not officially," Mai corrected. "Still, we shared a childhood, and I suppose that's enough to start something."

Meanwhile, Zuko was walking down the beach, having flashes of memories from his childhood with every step. He remembered a simpler time when life seemed almost normal, when it seemed like he had a real and functioning family. Zuko came across a trail that led from the beach up to the royal beach house, as though fate itself wanted Zuko to face his past. So he walked up that path to the beach house and found the front doors locked, but he simply kicked it until the lock snapped and the doors swung open.

Inside the beach house there was a layer of dust covering everything, a reminder that no one had entered for several years. Cloth covered furniture had been left behind, along with many oil paintings on the walls and other small mementos. Above a table there was a painting of Zuko's family sitting together, which made it look like they had actually been happy. On the table there was a small flat piece of hard clay with a little handprint, which Zuko put his hand on to compare the size to when he was small.

"So is this your alone place?"

Zuko turned around and saw Maxima, who had followed his tracks to the beach house. "Shouldn't you be at the party?"

"I got bored," Maxima answered. "Also, I believe your sister will be coming soon."

Then Zuko looked away from Maxima, not wanting a stranger to look him in the eye right now, much less one with alien conceptions of how to interpret his behavior. Although he had been skeptical when Maxima had appeared on that beach, he'd seen enough of her to believe that she was from another world. He was still skeptical of her stated reason for being here, having overheard it when she told Azula, but didn't really care if she was being truthful or not. In any case she was here, judging him, and Zuko could only guess at what she thought of him.

"I suppose you think we're barbarians," Zuko assumed. "Blowing up over the smallest of things."

"Not really," Maxima said. "Thanagarians have even shorter tempers."

"I don't know that those are," Zuko said.

Maxima shrugged. "Still, from what I've seen your culture is further along than what most would have expected. Most civilizations would have a worldwide war at this point."

Zuko didn't say a word, the silence spoke for him.

"You have one," Maxima guessed. She sighed and shook her head. "Figures. Well that's what I get for making judgments off of just one island."

"Maybe you should leave," Zuko suggested. "You're not going to learn enough from around here."

"True," Maxima conceded. "Then again, I'm not here to learn about your planet. I'm just here for the sights and the fun."

"You won't get either around me," Zuko said.

Maxima turned to walk away. "If you say so."

As Maxima walked out of the beach house, she passed by Azula walking the other way, neither of them saying a word as they switched places. While Azula walked inside to talk to her brother, Maxima walked down the path to the beach, where Ty Lee and Mai happened to be waiting next to a burnt-out fire pit. Some driftwood logs were placed around the fire pit by someone else on another night, and Mai was sitting on one of the logs. Maxima stopped and stood next to the end of that log, looking at both girls in turn.

"So did Azula drag both of you with her?" Maxima asked.

"Yes."

"No."

Ty Lee and Mai's differing answers had Maxima intrigued, and she turned to Ty Lee first. "So why do you follow her?"

"Azula's my friend," Ty Lee answered. "I'd follow her anywhere."

Then Maxima turned to Mai. "Now why are you still here?"

"Where else would I go on this island?" Mai asked back.

"Fair enough," Maxima conceded. Then she heard footsteps and turned to see Zuko and Azula walking down the path. "Hey."

As Zuko walked onto the beach his sights settled on Mai. "Where's your new boyfriend?"

Mai didn't say anything.

Still, Zuko got the message, so he sat down next to her and tried to change the subject. "Are you cold?"

However Ty Lee answered instead. "I'm freezing."

"I'll make a fire," Zuko suggested. He looked up at the beach house. "There's plenty to burn in there."

It didn't take long for Zuko to gather appropriate firewood from the beach house, mostly from breaking apart wooden chairs and furniture that no one was ever going to use again. Zuko put pieces of wood into the fire pit along with smaller pieces of kindling, but as he set up the firewood Maxima didn't see anything to provide a spark. Instead of a match or lighter or even a simple spinning stick, Zuko used his own fist to make a flame. Though this seemed normal for everyone else here, it was a surprise for Maxima.

"Whoa!" Maxima shouted, seeing the fire from Zuko's fist ignite the wood. "I didn't realize your people had pyromancy."

The surprised reaction dispelled any remaining doubts about her foreign origin, and Zuko threw more flames into the campfire. "It's called firebending."

"And it's really not a big deal," Azula added. She held up her hand and a blue flame ignited in her palm. "Now this is. My fire burns hotter than most."

"Can all of you do this bending thing?" Maxima asked.

"No," Mai answered.

"But some bend other elements," Ty Lee added, eager to fill Maxima in on the subject. "There's a tribe that bends water, a bunch of people that bend earth, and one kid that bends air."

"Cool," Maxima said. "We don't have anything like that back home."

Azula extinguished her blue flame and put one hand on her hip. "Well I'm convinced. You really are from another planet."

"Big whoop," Zuko said. He threw an old painting onto the campfire for kindling. "It's not like she's the first one we've met."

"Really?" Maxima asked. "Can I meet this first one?"

"I'll make sure you do," Azula promised.

Just then Ty Lee noticed the painting in the campfire, which was already halfway burned. "You can't burn that."

"Why not?" Zuko asked.

"It's a painting of your family," Ty Lee answered.

"Do you think I care?" Zuko asked.

"I think you do," Ty Lee said.

"You don't know me," Zuko said.

"Well I don't," Maxima interrupted, cutting off Ty Lee from arguing otherwise. "But you really should care. Family is one of the only things we can truly rely on."

"Now I'm convinced," Zuko said, turning toward Maxima. "In case you haven't noticed, my family is so broken that nearly everyone in it has tried to kill each other."

"I can vouch for that," Azula said.

Maxima looked at both Zuko and Azula. "Do I want to know?"

"See this," Zuko said, pointing at the scar on his face. "My father did it. While the entire capital watched. Then he banished me for three years, and only let me return after he thought I killed some kid."

"And that's just dad," Azula added. She looked into the campfire, as if able to see the memories through the flames. "Our mother thought I was a monster. She was right of course but it still hurt."

"That's awful," Maxima said.

"Oh please…" Azula said, dismissing the matter entirely. "No one here has a normal family. Ty Lee has so many nearly identical sisters that her own parents forget which is which. And Mai's mother was so controlling that she shut her down every time she tried to express anything."

"Which is why I left them when you asked me to," Mai said, with absolutely no regret in her voice. "I'm not going back."

"Neither am I," Ty Lee said. "I'm glad I left home to join the circus. At least now I have my own identity."

"As a circus freak," Zuko said.

"Yes, as a circus freak," Ty Lee said. She put a hand on her chest as though to be proud of that label. "For me, circus freak is a compliment."

"So that's why you both are still here," Maxima figured. She looked at both of them, one that didn't care about attention and another that craved it. "You're better off here than where you came from."

"They are," Zuko said, waving an arm in their direction. "As for me, I really don't know anymore."

"You can't be serious," Azula said. "You have everything you could want now. Father's accepted you back, the people think you're a hero, and you're finally home."

"And yet I'm still angry," Zuko said. He turned away from everyone else. "I should be happy, but I'm not. I'm angrier than ever and I don't know why."

"Who are you angry at?" Maxima asked.

Azula knew of several people her brother could be angry at. "Dad?"

"No," Zuko answered.

Ty Lee had a different guess. "Your uncle?"

Barely above a whisper, Azula had a better guess. "Me?"

"No, no," Zuko repeated.

"Then who?" Mai asked.

At that point Zuko couldn't hold it in anymore, and he turned around to yell at everyone to their faces. "I'm angry at myself!"

He threw both fists down, and the campfire erupted into a pillar of flame. Ty Lee and Mai instinctively recoiled from the sudden heat, not wanting to get burned by accident. Azula didn't bat an eye, used to sudden flares of heat and well equipped to deal with it. Maxima was closest to the flames, and raised her arms in reflex, but not to her face. Her skin was unaffected by the heat and fire, and she was only shielding her clothes so they wouldn't catch fire. The flames quickly died down, leaving only a burnt-out fire pit in its place.

Azula noticed the distinct lack of burns, and put it in the back of her mind while she dealt with her brother. "Why?"

"Because I'm confused," Zuko answered. He turned away from everyone else. "Because I'm not sure I know the difference between right and wrong anymore."

"Both are a matter of perspective," Maxima said. "Not to mention the gray area in between."

"And what would you know?" Zuko demanded, turning to her now. "You're just some space party girl. It's not like you have any responsibilities."

"You're wrong," Maxima said.

"Prove it," Zuko demanded.

"My mother is the queen of Almerac," Maxima claimed. There was little reaction to that, but Maxima continued on regardless. "I'm expected to take over for her sometime in the future."

Azula filed that little bit of info for later, if it turned out to be true. "And she let you come here alone? I find that hard to believe."

"Well she didn't let me," Maxima corrected. She hesitated to continue, but figured there was no harm in telling people that would never speak to anyone off planet. "I kind of… ran away."

"Why?" Mai asked.

"The princess is supposed to find a mate before she takes the throne," Maxima answered. She dwelled on that for a moment, but then threw her hands up in the air. "No one back home met my standards. So I said 'frell that' and left Almerac for the most backwater planet I could find."

"Which happened to be this one," Ty Lee assumed.

Maxima nodded. "Only the oans and the kryptonians ever bothered to put Earth on their star charts, and the latter species isn't around anymore. If my mother is ever going to find me here, she would have to ask a Green Lantern for directions."

"A what?" Zuko asked.

"Never mind," Maxima said with a dismissive wave. "The fact remains that I'm free here. And I'm going to enjoy it as long as I can."

"We have so much to discuss," Azula said. "But I've had enough of this introspective nonsense. Right now I want to do something that will make this trip really memorable."

She was eyeing the beach house they had all left, and everyone else instantly knew what Azula had in mind. In five minutes they had returned to the Chan beach house, and all the noise inside told that no one had minded when the five of them left. If anything, the party had only gotten bigger, to the point where it spilled outside and people were making a mess out in the backyard. It would be quite a chore for Chan to clean everything up before his father found out, but one that would be worth the popularity gained from his peers.

That was until Maxima kicked in the front door. "Knock-Knock!"

Front and center was Chan, staring at the broken door, and then the party crashers. "What the…"

"We've got some bad news Chan," Azula said.

Zuko gave it. "Party's over."

As the group entered the house, mayhem broke loose.

It started with Zuko swinging his leg down on a table, breaking the flimsy wood in half and spilling the table's contents onto the floor. Next, Mai threw some knives at the various tapestries on the walls, slicing them into pieces and utterly ruining them. Ty Lee climbed up to the rafters and started swinging from one chandelier to the next, each one falling after her passing and crashing onto the floor. And then there was Maxima punching the walls every few feet, her fist going straight through to the other side and making large holes.

During the destruction all of the party guests fled in a panic, fearing that they would be next once all the valuables were destroyed. Only Chan remained inside paralyzed by shock, the horror of it all written on his face. One could only imagine the punishment his parents would inflict for this, both for the party and the property damage it brought. And as Chan suffered Azula stood behind him, and she smiled at the sight. They stopped just short of destroying the entire beach house, and left Chan to drown in the horror.

When it was over all five of them were smiling, and Maxima wished the moment could last forever.

Meanwhile, twenty-seven parsecs away…

On the fourth planet around a large yellow star, a shining silver city rested on the largest of the continents. At the northern end of that city was a palace built right into a mountain, overlooking the urban sprawl that extended beyond the horizon. Inside that palace there was a grand throne room bigger than many homes, filled with all the decorations one would expect in a royal dwelling. At one end there was a silver throne occupied by the ruler of the entire planet, a gorgeous woman with long red hair and ample curves.

High Lady Ultima, Queen of Almerac.

From her throne she observed a foreigner in the room, a bounty hunter that had been hired for a specific task. "I trust you will use discretion in this matter. Bring my daughter home."

Though only a teenager himself, this bounty hunter had already earned a reputation. Apparently, he had annihilated his own race just last week, with something that he casually described as an experiment for a high school science fair. He wore sleeveless black leather over his gray skin, and his black hair was kept in long dreadlocks. His red eyes seemed to light up with excitement, especially over the lack of specific terms for what methods he could use. So he stood tall and nodded to the queen, smiling the entire time.

"Alright, I'll take the job. You can count on the Main Man."