A Hub of Scum

Wani

Iroh Pov

Upon Zuko's return to the Wani, he had a stowaway aboard the landing ship. A Fire Sage who requests clothing and an audience with myself. The crew believes it is to ask for forgiveness by the Royal Family but there is a slightly darker alternative to this Shyu is a close friend of mine and a member of the White Lotus within the Fire Nation that wish if need be to overthrow my brother and is in league with allies across the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom excluding the Dai Li to sign a peace to end this long war of horrors. However, now I and Shyu must put on a facade to trick the onlookers, " Please Great Dragon, spare me and grant me mercy." As Shyu begs I pour a cup of tea for myself and Shyu.

" You may all leave us, I will punish this traitor personally," I state with fake anger and emotion to those present. As the troops leave and the door closes with all the guards leaving.

I hand Shyu the cup of Tea and smirk to him," Hello old friend, it has been quite some time since we last spoke, Bumi has been informed of the impending attack on Omashu, Jeong Jeong is aiding Earth Kingdom Rebels in the colonies and deserters, however, I need you to head North an inform Pakku and Yagoda of the possibility that the Firelord may promote Zhao and allow his move against the North could you inform them for me." Shyu doesn't answer any of my statements concerning current events. However, his smile doesn't leave his face about something that is on his mind.

" Prince Iroh it seems that the Force and the Spirits have aligned and delivered something we can't turn our back on. A Jedi has returned to Ratava and it ain't any ordinary Jedi it has to be The Foretold One!" I hear Shyu's statement with shock and he knows it as my face turns to utter shock with my cup of tea smashing onto my quarter's deck. I turn to face Shyu and he looks to me with certainty and assurance on this matter. Shyu then continues on about it," He wielded a Lightsaber, wore a Jedi cloak, carried a blaster by the looks of it, and wielded the Force."

" Who exactly is he? Did he tell you his name?" I ask these questions with shock.

Shyu responds with a nod and says," Ezra Bridger, who am I being given a trip up north by?" Shyu's Question about going to the Northern Water Tribe brings us back to our main topic on the War.

" You will steal a lifeboat and head to a trade port and take a trading vessel to the Northern City. However, I must look at certain records on this Jedi, Thank You old friend, May Agni Light the Path."

" Goodbye, old friend, May the Force be with you and Agni light the path," States as he slips through the Wani to the Lifeboats in the dim of the ship. I go to my chest and open a record from the Dragonbone Catacombs. The Record was an account from Firelord Sozin when he and Avatar Roku encountered a Jedi. The first time I read the record with me and my father Azulon who adored the record as a warning of what happens to those who are blinded by arrogance and often attempted to use it to cull Ozai's ambition. However, this is not the time for reminiscing but a search for knowledge as I skim through the scroll I find the Jedi's name Jedi Knight Devon Bridger. "A statement from the Jedi told," A Jedi of my line will come to aid the Avatar in the darkest hour of this world and the galaxy at large being the Spark to light the fire which will send the darkness back into its corner!"He said this to both of us as he left. I believe this Jedi will aid the Avatar when we are on the verge of Victory. If this Jedi does come he must be swayed to our side or slaughtered like the Air Nomads." This must be the Jedi that Sozin warned about but from what some of the legends said the power of the Force is something that is incredible to witness and unequal to even Firebending. From how Shyu acted on this matter. I will want to meet this Jedi if I can get a chance without tipping off my nephew.

Seedy Merchant Port

Ezra Pov

We travel to a port close to where Appa has been resting, seeing as Aang while learning the basics of Waterbending has sent all of our supplies downstream with the wave he created. I plan on having Sokka come with me so I can find some other clothes. I sell off several Thermal Detonators to have some money that allows me and Sokka to get supplies and clothes for me. I walk over to them and apparently, Aang spent some money on a whistle. Which doesn't work in which Aang hands Katara the remaining money. I see only two copper pieces in her hands. I drop some extra money into her hands. She looks at me with shock written across her face.

" I sold some extra equipment that I didn't need for some money. Sokka will go with me to get supplies and extra clothes for myself. Just don't waste it on something like the whistle." which I point to after finishing. We walk away from Aang and Katara which both run off to who knows where. While Sokka and I go off to gather food and other supplies. Then I snicker to myself remembering one of my early squabbles with Zeb when we had to find Hera a Meiloorun.

Sokka looks at me and asks," So what are you laughing at?"

"Oh just a past supply run I had to do when I first joined a Rebel Cell. I had to go with a Lasat to find a fruit that wasn't grown on Lothal. Which we had to raid an Imperial supply column for it and save some of my parent's friends," I state the last part somberly.

" So one question none of us asked when you first joined our group is, How did you end up here? Because you sound as if your life was perfect excluding this Galactic Empire you mentioned a few times." Sokka asks this wondering as we buy some medical supplies with his eyes fixated on me. " We didn't forget but rather felt it was a touchy subject seeing how you avoided looking at us on Kyoshi and that you changed your answer to "Friends." They were more than that weren't they?"

"There was six of us Kanan, Hera, Chopper, Zeb, Myself, and Sabine. Hera is the one that made me realize I could be more when she told me 'If all I do is fight for myself then my life is worth nothing.' Zeb was helpful to an extent. Chopper pissed me off half the time and made me want to destroy him. Sabine is an artistic individual and we both fell for each other after Kanan's sacrifice. Kanan was my Jedi Master. He taught me most of what I know. He died saving myself, Hera, and Sabine from the were a second family after I lost my parents." I finish off sadly trying not to lose my composure.

" Then how did you end up here well not here per say but on Kyoshi?" Sokka asks me.

"I had to make a choice as a Jedi to sacrifice myself for my Family and Home. Thus I boarded Grand Admiral Thrawn's flagship and surrendered myself to him. The Emperor offered me my parents and showed them to me. Trying to get me to open a place beyond space and time, However in that instance I quickly realized that my parents wouldn't want me to take it nor because they would not be the parents I was trying to succeed. I destroyed that piece of the Jedi Temple and saw what the Emperor truly is a Snake. He is a snake one you must never let bite you for what he offers you, maybe what you want but it will be a prison of your own making. I formed a connection with the Purrgil and had them take myself, Thrawn, and his fleet as far away from Lothal as possible." As I finished my explanation Sokka looks to me in shock as we walk towards a shop to get some clothes. I enter and try on a series of shirts for me to blend in with some of these villages we are about to enter that may view me as Fire Nation and plus Aang needs a cloak to remain hidden. We buy a new cloak, undershirts, boots, and pants as well as the supplies needed for our trek northwards.

As we walk out we see Aang and Katara running from some pirates as he sends them a Cabbage cart with the merchant yelling," My Cabbages!" I hold Sokka back to prevent the pirates from attacking us and realizing we are with them.

"Why aren't we joining Aang and Katara? We could help them with the pirates," Sokka inquired, angered by me holding him back.

" We have the supplies we need to keep up our travels and if we lose those we will have nothing to eat, heal with, or repair our clothes with! That is why I held you back and plus they can get out of the port themselves we'll leave with our supplies and meet up with them at camp so come on," I tell Sokka this and he realizes that it is better to live to fight another day.

We arrive back at camp to see Aang and Katara using a scroll to learn waterbending. We walk over to them and I use the force to grab the Scroll from Aang. Katara looks at us angrily," Did you get this scroll from Pirates chasing you or did you buy it with the money I got for you?"

" It is Watertribe and thus took it back. Think of it as high risk trading," Katara responds and snaps back at us," Why didn't you help us when we were being chased by the pirates, because we both saw you exit that store?"

" We were carrying the supplies we need to travel to the Northern Water Tribe so both of you can learn Waterbending," Sokka says while gesturing to both of us," and why couldn't you just purchase this scroll from the pirates with the money Ezra got for us to use?" as he points to it Aang walks in between the three of us annoyed and tired of our argument.

"Its because they wouldn't take the money they wanted Momo and the money," Aang said this," in which Katara, knowing I wouldn't trade Momo for it, stole it so we didn't have to give up Momo and lose all of the money we had." We all turned to him with sadness and realized why it happened.

" The reason why is we are trying to keep a low profile while we travel towards the Northern Water Tribe in which my being a mythical Jedi exposed us even further to Prince Zuko, the Fire Nation, and Commander Mutton Chops," I stifle a laugh at my final statement because what is my luck to get chased by a second person with those awful Mutton Chops first Kallus now him. Sokka breaks into a laugh followed by Katara, both laughing at my statement.

" Commander Mutton chops, really Ezra you couldn't find out his name or use it instead you decided on calling him Mutton Chops," Sokka says this while laughing at my statement about the Fire Nation Commander we encountered at the Temple. Aang looks to us confused by us making fun of a Fire Nation officer.

" Aang you didn't see him when we were at the temple he had this awful facial hair covering his cheeks hence, Mutton Chops while I was protecting us. Since you were in the middle of a talk with Avatar Roku." I explained this to Aang and why I was making fun of him," I don't understand why people must use that style of facial hair. It is so weird and outdated."

Aang simply shrugs at my statement about the Commander's facial hair, confused about it but doesn't understand the joke I was making. We set camp back up as we prepare a dinner I ate and entered a meditation to focus and channel the Force however as they all sleep. I feel Katara move to grab the Waterbending Scroll and use it to learn Waterbending. I follow her stealthily. I watch as she attempts to use the move she was doing earlier but she is getting frustrated, " Why can't I get this move? It should be easy to accomplish."

I move closer to her ," It is because you don't understand what you are doing nor how water works with you it is as you were showing Aang earlier with those waves fluid motions like water," I finish explaining it to her after the surprise wore off on her she turned to me with her being annoyed at me.

"How would you know all of this Jedi stuff comes to you naturally like it was when I was showing how to Waterbend earlier," Katara states with sass and anger.

" I am still learning certain things but none of it came easy to me. You must preserve down the road you walk for there will be many obstacles, because many times I thought I was going to die once against the Grand Inquisitor, on two different occasions against Vader, twice by Thrawn, and many other moments. The obstacles that block us the most are the ones we erect in our mind," I finish with however Katara doesn't answer me instead an Old Man alongside Fire Nation forces arrives.

" Wise words especially coming from a Jedi," the Old Man says to me as we are surrounded and Prince Zuko arrives," grab the Jedi's Lightsaber it is definitely a pleasure to make your acquaintance Master Jedi seeing how my father Firelord Azulon constantly proclaimed you pillars of wisdom. Oh my apologies, I am General Iroh." We're both tied to a tree as he holds onto my lightsaber Zuko taunts Katara with both her mother's necklace and the Scroll. While Iroh and I stare at each other trying to figure me out I try to go for his mental defences but for the first time I am blocked. His mind is shielded unlike most including Zuko's mind. Which I smirk at Iroh chuckling.

"I am impressed by you alone, unlike all of the people around you who know how to shield one's mind from a Jedi mind probe. Which seems to be nonexistent here because Prince Zuko all I can feel from him is Anger, Rage, and Pride," Zuko whips around the tree at the insult.

" You don't scare me you pathetic Airbender nor does the Avatar," Zuko says this with arrogance.

" Prince Zuko, you must be far more careful. The Jedi are far more than simple Airbenders because they wield more than an element but the Force itself. They are powerful, don't you remember the story that Firelord Azulon told you about the Jedi who arrived during the Great Debate," Iroh goes on about it while Zuko gives us an eye roll at Iroh's warning.

" Oh please Uncle, with the Avatar, a Jedi, and the last southern Waterbender my father will happily restore my Honor, and welcome me home with open arms," Zuko says with a sinister smile on his face

" Be careful your Highness because as always pride comes before the fall," I say this to him which he brushes off as nothing while his Uncle looks to me with certainty about my words.

"More wise words which you should listen to him Prince Zuko," Iroh says as his nephew walks away in a fit.

Iroh and a few other troops watch us in which I guess that Zuko plans to trade us for the Avatar with the pirates Katara stole the scroll from. We walk over to the handoff site on the riverbank. As negotiations start to turn sour Iroh hands me back my Lightsaber and winks to me in which I wait until the two groups get into a fight in which I activate the blade and cut the ropes and walk into the smoke trusting in the force to guide my actions. In which I run through the fighting attacking both pirates and Fire Nation in which in one instance the smoke dissipated then went back into place as I get to the other side of the smokescreen I see both Aang and Sokka running to Katara and the pirate's boat. While they work on getting the boat into the river I cover us from enemy attacks in case they realize what we are up to as we get onto the boat. Aang and Katara roam around the boat as I look to see the Fire Nation landing craft filled with the pirates," We got incoming pirates!" I yell and point to them while the rest of the Gaang tries to see if they can speed up the vessel. The boarders quickly are repulsed by all of us with the pirates sending another wave of them with some of them being strewn across the deck. While we are fighting on the deck the ship seems to stop on the top of a waterfall. While Katara and Aang focused their waterbending I had to halt the boarding craft. Which was more difficult but my concentration was broken and the ship rammed ours as we were falling. Appa picked us up while we were falling. As I looked at our group Aang held up the whistle he had grabbed while we were shopping.

"Who knew a Bison whistle could come in handy," Aang said happily. Katara looked saddened realizing she had lost the scroll. While the three of them banter about the waterbending scroll. I look back and think of Iroh and ask myself why did he free and help me. However, as I think about him more there is only more questions than answers about Iroh.

Wani

Iroh Pov

As the crew takes up its posts around the Wani. I smile to myself the Jedi has made me realize that the warning has come to pass and will bring aid to the world. However, Zuko still won't listen to my warning about the Jedi that will be quickly forgotten the next time he encounters the Jedi Knight. Well, Knight Bridger is here but there may be more to face but as always one thing at a time.


I don't own either Star Wars or Avatar the Last Airbender both belong to their respective owners. Critique to your heart's content but be polite.