Chapter 2: Emissary
"Ensign Arnet has not reported in."
In the Stalker's meeting room, Captain Zed did not like the news. If the ensign had not reported in it must have meant that he couldn't report in, and that usually meant that something had gone wrong. It could be nothing more than a malfunctioning transmitter, but that was just a hopeful fantasy. Worst case scenario was that the locals had attacked and subdued him, and if that was the case it meant that the locals were more formidable than were expected. It certainly warranted a change of plans, hence this meeting with his officers.
Currently sitting in his favorite chair in his office, Captain Zed leaned back and put his hands together. "Options?"
"The shuttle's transmitter is still online," one officer reported. "We could call, see if anyone answers."
"Very well," Captain Zed said. He turned to the holographic projector to his right. "Set it up in here. I'll talk to whoever decides to answer."
Zuko was personally overseeing the examination of the captured alien craft, which seemed to be some kind of transport shuttle. He stood inside the shuttle's cockpit, looking through the window at the tribesmen examining the stuff they took out earlier. Around Zuko more tribesmen were taking sketches of the controls, keeping track of all the current positions of the knobs and switches for when the time came to tinker with them. Zuko didn't have a clue on what any of it did, but then again this wasn't his area of expertise.
"Has the hawk been sent?" Zuko asked, facing a courier that had entered the cockpit.
"Yes sir," the courier answered. "Along with three backup hawks, just in case something happens."
"Good," Zuko said.
The courier nodded, and quickly left the shuttle. He was soon replaced by Chief Arnook, ever curious about the contraption in his city. "Any progress?"
"None of any value," Zuko answered, getting somewhat frustrated over that fact. "Once the best minds get on this we shou- what is that noise?"
A high pitched beeping sound had interrupted Zuko, and it was coming from the controls. Arnook looked over Zuko's shoulder and saw a flashing blue light, coming from a button next to a small pad. "Is that what's causing it?"
Zuko leaned closer and listened, quickly becoming certain that the flashing button was the source of the beeping sound. "Looks like it."
"What do you think it does?" Arnook wondered.
"Only one way to find out," Zuko said, right before he pressed the flashing button.
The circular pad lit up and projected blue light into the space above it, taking the form of a man sitting in a chair. "About time you- oh, you're not Arnet."
"What sorcery is this?" Zuko blurted out.
"Science, though I wouldn't expect someone in your position to understand." The little man folded his hands. "Where are my manners? I believe an introduction is in order. I am Captain Akal Zed."
"Zuko." He crossed his arms and glared at the captain. "What do you want?"
"Ah but don't you see, it isn't what I want," Captain Zed said. "Rather, it's what you want. Do you want to avert a conflict before it begins? Do you want to ensure peace between your world and the Empire? Do you want the prosperity I can provide?"
"I'm finding it difficult to believe you," Zuko admitted.
Captain Zed chuckled at that remark. "Yes, I suppose you do have no reason to believe me. And I suppose you never will unless we speak in person."
"And how would that happen?" Zuko asked.
"With a show of good faith," Captain Zed answered. "Just follow my instructions, and the shuttle you're in will take you to my ship."
"Like I'm going to trust that suggestion," Zuko said.
"What will it take to convince you otherwise?" Captain Zed asked.
"Insurance," Zuko suggested. "The soldiers that were on this ship, we'll be keeping them here."
"Have they been harmed?" Captain Zed inquired.
"They'll live," Zuko answered, not wanting to see a reaction to learning about the burn on that ensign's chest. "If this is a trick, that can change."
"The terms are acceptable," Captain Zed said.
Before going through with the deal, Zuko asked Chief Arnook and the other tribesmen to leave first. Chief Arnook readily agreed to that idea, wanting to have no business in whatever place the shuttle would go. However Zuko had no intention of going up there alone, asking for Ambassador Qin to join him on this voyage, along with half a dozen waterbenders loaded with as many full waterskins as they could carry. Qin seemed eager to take part, if only to see what other gadgets could be found and reverse engineered.
It turned out that the instructions to use the shuttle were rather simple. Captain Zed walked Zuko through the steps to engage the shuttle's autopilot, consisting of a series of button presses and turned knobs. Despite having been told what would happen beforehand, the waterbenders aboard were shocked when the shuttle lifted off all on its own. It was quite discomforting for Zuko despite his efforts to hide it, watching the ice move away as the shuttle ascended, and feeling his stomach fall away with the ice.
"Just sit back and enjoy the ride," Captain Zed said, now that the shuttle was in flight. Then the blue light disappeared, cutting off contact with the man talking from somewhere else.
"What now?" Qin asked, sitting in one of the seats and holding on with both hands.
The shuttle turned, and Zuko saw something in the starlit sky. "I think we're going there."
The shuttle's autopilot guided it to the orbiting Star Destroyer, going straight for the opening hangar doors without hesitation. Both Zuko and Qin had difficulty believing just how big that ship was, for it dwarfed even the mighty airships that the Fire Nation employed by orders of magnitude. Going into the hangar was like getting swallowed by some massive metal monster, at least to the more superstitious waterbenders aboard. The shuttle came to a landing in the hangar, and the entrance ramp opened for them automatically.
When Zuko exited the shuttle he was met by a hundred of those same soldiers that had come to Earth in the shuttle, all aiming those alien weapons at him and the people he brought with him. Qin took a step back when he saw the weapons, and the waterbenders looked ready to attack at the slightest provocation. Zuko kept his cool and approached the soldiers directly ahead, making no gestures that could appear to be hostile. Instead he put on an air of authority only a royal prince could make, so that he might appear to be an equal to whoever was in charge here.
"Please, take me to your leader."
Back on Earth Avatar Aang had just received a most disturbing message via hawk, one that he had wished would never come. It was late in the evening at Ba Sing Se when Aang received the message, and he read it in the light of the setting sun. The observatory in the Fire Nation had found something in the night sky, something that had not been there the night before. Aang had wanted to believe that this was a mistake, that there really wasn't an alien ship visiting Earth. It didn't matter that Aang trusted the source, but rather he just didn't want to believe this was real.
A second message dashed away that desire, a message that confirmed an extraterrestrial visit. This one had come from the Northern Water Tribe, describing the alien shuttle that had landed just last night. There was no denying the reality now, that there were aliens here once again. The last time this happened the alien had promised to help, yet everywhere he went there was only destruction. Earth had yet to fully recover from the last visit, and it was far too soon to be ready for a second. Aang knew that they would have to proceed carefully, or risk losing everything.
First Aang wanted to confirm the first message with his own eyes, and so he took Appa to another observatory here in the Earth Kingdom. This one had been built on the easternmost portion of the outer wall, near the spot where the wall touched the eastern seas. Like others across the world this observatory had been built by the Fire Nation, having the best expertise when it came to studying the heavens. Appa landed right outside the domed building and Aang walked inside, spotting the two girls that were tasked with training Earth Kingdom volunteers in astronomy.
Aang knew the names and faces of Mai and Ty Lee, but didn't know much else about them. "I need to borrow the telescope."
"Good to see you too," Mai said, standing near the entrance while Aang came inside. She was wearing the space armor she acquired a year ago, but now had to wear her regular clothes underneath the armor. "Where do you want it pointed?"
"Here," Aang said, handing Mai a note that had come with the message.
"Noren's Belt," Mai muttered, recognizing that constellation from the note. "Ty Lee, get the grunts turning this thing. We've got work to do."
"Sure thing," Ty Lee said, standing next to the telescope. Like Mai she had her space armor on, finding it comfortable with her usual pink outfit underneath. "We'll get it done just in time for night."
It took about ten minutes to get the telescope moved into position, and Aang patiently waited for Mai and Ty Lee and their volunteers to get the job done. Then he had to wait another half hour for the sun to completely set, bringing on the night for a proper view of the heavens. Only then could Aang take a look through the telescope, seeing the stars of the constellation Noren's Belt. In between the three main stars there was the triangle shaped object described in the message, seemingly just sitting there in the night sky.
After seeing it for himself, Aang backed away from the telescope and looked at Mai again. "Keep watching that thing up there. If it moves, send a hawk right away."
Mai took a look through the telescope, and quickly pulled her head away. "Yeah, I see why."
Aang was already on the move, immediately heading for the door to get outside. He jumped back on Appa and got the sky bison into the air, heading straight for the palace as fast as Appa could fly. It took several minutes to make that short journey, and when they had arrived Appa landed in front of the main doors at the top of the large steps. From there Aang ran into the palace, ignoring everyone he saw until he reached the throne room. He ran through the open doors and hurried inside, and saw a meeting already in progress.
Inside he found Long Feng and Katara waiting, along with an Azula who looked like she had just been about to go to bed. It looked like Hakoda wasn't in the palace right now, so Aang got to business without him. "I just got back from the observatory."
"Was the message accurate?" Azula asked.
"Afraid so," Aang answered. "So what are we going to do?"
"What exactly can we do?" Katara specified. "It's not like we can go up there."
"I already have the Dai Li mobilizing," Long Feng said. "If there's an invasion of this city, we'll make sure they bleed for it."
"We don't even know what they want," Azula pointed out. "We should figure that out first."
"And in the meantime, get ready in case we don't like what they want," Aang said. "I'm open to any other suggestions."
"We'll need to come up with a standard greeting," Azula suggested. "Something to convince them that we're not worth their time invading."
"I think it's too late for that," Katara said. "I'm sure your brother spoiled it already, judging by the message we got from the North Pole."
As if on cue, a messenger barged into the throne room. "Urgent news from the Water Tribe."
Azula put one hand on her face. "What did Zuko do now?"
The Earth was beautiful.
Sure only a third of the daylight side could be seen from here, being high above a part of the world in early evening right now. The middle part of the Earth Kingdom continent could be seen, from the Northern Air Temple all the way down to Gaoling in the south and the Si Wong Desert in between. It put things in a whole new perspective. Every person that had ever lived, every royal and commoner, every general and civilian, every Fire Lord and Avatar, had all been down there, on the only place they had ever called home.
Zuko wished he could look at it forever. "This makes it all worthwhile."
He was looking out a window from inside a meeting room aboard the ship, which he had been told was a Star Destroyer class warship. It was a quite impressive craft just from seeing a small fraction of the interior, though Zuko's gut told him that the name was an exaggeration to frighten whatever enemies it came across. This meeting room was on the starboard side of the ship, and the window offered the view of the Earth that was both inspiring and humbling at the same time. Coming up here was worth it, if only to see the Earth like this.
Across the room at one end of a long table, Captain Zed had taken a seat. "I remember my first time seeing my home planet from orbit. It was one of the biggest moments of my life."
"I can't help but feel really small," Zuko admitted.
"That's normal," Captain Zed said. He gestured to a chair on his right, in between the table and another window. "Please, have a seat so we can discuss things like civilized people."
After looking at Earth one more time, Zuko walked over to the table and took the offered seat. "Alright, I suppose you want your people back first?"
"In good time," Captain Zed assured. He poured two cups of coffee for himself and his guest, doing it himself instead of a droid to avoid explaining that to a local. "But first, I think you should know the answer to a burning question. Why are we here?"
"Looks like an invasion to me," Zuko said.
Captain Zed laughed while he passed a cup to Zuko. "Oh my no… If this was an invasion we wouldn't be talking right now. Quite to the contrary, invading your planet would not be in the Empire's interest."
Zuko accepted the cup and glanced at the dark drink inside, wondering if it was some kind of space tea. "Alright, I'll bite, why are you here?"
"We are here…" Captain Zed tapped a few buttons on the table, and a small blue hologram appeared. "…to find this man."
The hologram was of a rather short person, judging by the ratio between height and width. He had spiky hair that pointed straight up, and a stern face that suggested he would kill someone just for looking at him the wrong way. He was wearing some kind of form fitting fabric, along with chest armor that came with shoulder straps. Zuko didn't recognize the person in the hologram, but he was very familiar with the armor that man was wearing. Sokka had recovered a set nearly identical to it, as well as someone else using another set.
Captain Zed noticed a twinge of recognition. "He has been here, about a year ago?"
"Not this one," Zuko corrected. "But there was another in a similar outfit."
"Could you describe it?" Captain Zed asked.
"Taller, spikier hair, not very bright," Zuko described, wishing he had paper and ink to draw him. "He claimed that he wanted to help us, but everything he did only made things worse."
"What happened?" Captain Zed asked, intrigued by this description.
"Just look out that window," Zuko said, pointing a thumb over his shoulder. "You can see the scars from up here. He wrecked my home and left without an explanation."
Captain Zed nodded, having seen the sensor readings of damage that had been assumed to be caused by meteor impacts. "Well now I understand your reaction to our shuttle. You were burned once and assumed we were going to do the same."
"Would you have done differently?" Zuko asked.
"I suppose not," Captain Zed said. He pressed another button and the hologram vanished. "We had a similar experience to yours. The man we search for interfered with our Empire, setting our efforts back years, and left before we could demand reparations."
"You better not say we have a common enemy," Zuko said. "We've been doing that for the last year, and it is barely holding things together."
"I wouldn't dream of dragging you into our fight," Captain Zed said. "All I ask is that you provide all information your people have acquired from your previous encounter. Anything could be useful in determining where they went or how to eliminate them."
Zuko rested his elbows on the table and folded his hands. "Now why didn't you start with that?"
It was early in the afternoon when the news reached the Fire Lord.
"What has that fool done?!"
Fire Lord Ozai was not happy. Granted, he rarely had reason to be happy throughout the last year. Every single day he considered ending the treaty that had halted the war, and then finally take the rest of the world that was within his grasp. But every single time it was always necessity that stayed his hand, necessity that all nations work together to prepare for the day when the alien threat would return. It was just so infuriating to be so close to making the entire world Fire Nation, yet not be able to actually finish that goal.
And now his son was possibly jeopardizing everything. A different alien threat was now lurking in the night sky, biding its time before an inevitable invasion. So far knowledge of its existence had been keep within the smallest of circles, and the general public was kept blissfully unaware to avoid a panic followed by the inevitable riots. But Ozai knew that the secrecy was not going to last very long, as such things always did, and once someone started talking about how Zuko was up there it might as well throw everything away.
In his brand new throne room in the still unfinished palace Ozai was taking steps in preparation for the worst, assuming that his son was going to screw it up for everyone. He was speaking with his top general Shinu and the Earth Kingdom's representative Lao Bei Fong, whom Ozai got the vibe of Fire from in spite of his earthen lineage. They had all just been briefed on the situation at the Northern Water Tribe, learning that Zuko had allowed the alien shuttle to take him up to the larger vessel in the sky, when he had no right to do so.
"Maybe he thinks he can broker a deal?" Lao suggested, sitting across from Shinu at a map of the world, eyes firmly on the Fire Lord.
"He doesn't have the authority to make such a deal," Shinu said. He looked at Ozai in his throne. "Or have you changed your mind about him and not told anyone?"
"No," Ozai firmly stated. "Zuko remains in exile, and I will not have him make matters worse than they already are. If a deal is to be made with this new threat, I will be the one to make it."
For some time the three of them discussed what such a deal would look like, assuming that it could be made at all with an unknown adversary that might be open to reason. Eventually they settled on a starting point in negotiations, being that the Fire Nation should get preferential treatment in whatever plans the threat had for the Earth. But the odds of getting that far were slim, even they could realize that. But it was the best they were ever going to get, as far as Ozai could anticipate without more information on the visitors.
As if to correct that oversight, a courier ran into the throne room with a message in hand. "My Lord, it's urgent."
Ozai took the message and read it, his eyes widening in alarm. "What?!"
Immediately Ozai was on his feet and on his way out the door, which was solid steel instead of the curtain that the old palace had. Ozai kept his pace quick but restrained, giving a sense of urgency but not haste to the workers still hard at work constructing the new palace. Right behind him Shinu and Lao passed through the halls into the entrance chamber, complete but lacking the appropriate furnishings on the walls. Ozai walked through the large doors of the main entrance, heading into the palace courtyard just outside.
Dozens of palace guards had assembled in the courtyard, standard protocol when something unexpected was happening in the capital. Beyond the courtyard past a low wall hundreds of civilians had gathered in the city streets, all of them looking up at something in the morning sky. Ozai looked up at the eastern sky and saw what was causing the commotion, a vessel that matched the shuttle described in the message from the North Pole. It was back, steadily flying towards the incomplete palace.
Just behind the Fire Lord, Lao saw the incoming shuttle. "What do we do?"
Beside him Shinu kept calm in the face of impending danger. "What are your orders?"
Ozai didn't say a word, not when he wasn't sure what to say. His gaze was fixed on the incoming shuttle, which was slowing down as it flew over the city. It stopped moving forward when it was above the courtyard, and then slowly descended toward the ground. The lower wings folded up as the shuttle prepared for landing, descending into a clear space between palace guards and the civilian crowd. The shuttle was facing the palace when it touched down, and Ozai watched its entrance ramp open to let the passengers out.
The first ones out of the shuttle were half a dozen soldiers, wearing the same white armor described in the Water Tribe message. They were followed by a pair of men in simple gray uniforms, who stepped ahead of the soldiers now standing in two lines of three. Those two in gray appeared to be officers in command of the shuttle, and they made eye contact with Ozai before looking back into the shuttle. Someone wearing far more familiar red clothes emerged, and there was no mistaking that particular scarred face.
Zuko crossed his arms, deeply enjoying the look of surprise on Ozai's face. "I'm back."
On the Stalker's bridge Darth Vader was standing next to the windows, looking out into space and at the nearby planet taking up most of the view. He ignored the work of the bridge crew behind and below him, letting them do their jobs without him micromanaging. Standing very still with his arms crossed, his only sound being his breathing apparatus, Darth Vader put the conscious world aside and let the Force flow through him. The very fabric of the universe itself became his senses, at least this small corner of it anyway.
Within the Force the planet felt like the classical elements had been brought to life, each with a distinct sensation tied to each of the four. Fluid like water, solid like earth, burning like fire, blowing like air, and all interacting with one another. But there was a ripple in the Force here, the aftereffect of two powerful individuals, one familiar and one unknown. Even now, when the two were long gone from this world, they still left a disturbance in the Force here. It may diminish over time, as this world recovered, but the mark left behind would never truly disappear, from memory or the Force.
Darth Vader's sight was drawn away from the planet, towards the star and the space beyond it. That was where the threat to the Empire had gone, across the border and well into foreign space. And it was far beyond Darth Vader's reach, as trespassing even this far into the Neutral Zone risked starting a war. That was why the Stalker was flying in a slow retrograde orbit to stay above the night side, keeping the planet and its star towards the far side of the border to block passive scans from there. But the longer they remained here, the more likely an active scan might detect them.
Yet coming from the space he could not enter, Darth Vader felt a strain on the Force. It was like being ready to watch a fireworks display, knowing in advance the explosions that would light up the sky. Darth Vader had experienced this feeling in the Force before, right before the Clone Wars began and right before the birth of the Empire. It was like the Force itself knew when there would be a great change in the cosmos, a strain on the universe itself that stretched everything before the time when it would inevitably snap.
Returning to reality, Darth Vader turned to the sensor officer on the bridge. "Deploy a stealth probe across the border. Tap into any communication networks on the other side. I want to know what is going on over there."
The sensor officer knew better than to voice any concerns, already complying with the order. "As you command, my Lord."
From the Stalker's underside a small black sphere was launched, quickly coming into view from the bridge once it cleared the side of the ship. Against the black void of space the probe was barely visible, until it eclipsed the planet as it went around the obstacle. Once the probe was clear of the planet it disappeared into hyperspace, beginning its one-way trip into unknown territory. Already the probe was returning telemetry to the Stalker, transmitting what little data that could be collected during a hyperspace jump.
There was a risk that the probe would be detected on the other side, that possibility could not be denied. Stealth probes were constructed from the most generic parts that could do the job, ensuring that they would be difficult to trace back to their source. And even if it was found, any tampering would trigger a self-destruct mechanism. Those small safeguards made the probe worth the risk to Darth Vader, considering what he had felt through the Force. Something was going to change over there, something that would affect that part of the galactic map.
Looking back out into space, Darth Vader reached into the Force again. "Whatever happens, I will be ready."