Chapter 12: The Ultimatum

Everything hurt when Zuko woke up.

The last thing he remembered was being flung face first into a wall, which explained the pain in his face and chest. Blood stained that wall in several places, matching the smears on his arms and legs and other assorted places. He didn't remember getting tossed around the room, but it would explain the painful bruises he felt everywhere. As he lay there in pain Zuko noticed the blood from his face flowing in one direction, telling him that the floor was tilted considerably. At first he just wanted to lie there, but the pain wasn't going away.

"What happened?" Zuko muttered. It hurt to turn his head even a little, but the cell door he saw reminded him. "Oh yeah…"

After the failed attempt to destroy the Star Destroyer from within, the few survivors had been thrown into the brig, presumably to be punished at some later date. It was just Qin and Sangok in this cell with Zuko, neither of them were in any good condition. But at least Sangok was able to get on his hands and knees and move around, slowly getting closer to Zuko inch by inch. Zuko didn't have a clue as to why the floor was tilted, figuring that had something to do with the part he missed. He tried to think of a reason why, but that only seemed to make the pain worse.

Sangok got in front of Zuko, alarmed at the sight of a gash in the forehead bleeding into Zuko's scar. "Oh man, that's got to hurt. If only I had some water. Ugh… got to make do without."

Even though his hands were bone dry, Sangok pressed them against the bleeding gash. His hands were soon covered in blood, doing little to stop the bleeding. Still Sangok focused every bit of his waterbending into his hands, calling on the inherent waterbending ability of healing. It seemed that the blood on his hands had enough water in it for the task, glowing a dim blue while flesh began to mend. Sangok looked just about ready to pass out when he finished, and the gash was reduced to red and swollen skin.

Feeling better, but still with a throbbing headache, Zuko nodded. "Thanks."

Suddenly the cell door opened, and half a dozen stormtroopers came inside, blasters pointed at Zuko and Sangok. "On your feet."

Zuko tried, but his legs gave out from under him. "Yeah… that's not happening."

One stormtrooper made a hand signal, and the others moved in on them. "Get them cleaned up and ready for transport. And get a medical droid to examine them. We can't have them dying before interrogation."

Grand Admiral Thrawn stood in the center of the Executor's bridge, and he nodded toward a particular bridge officer. "Begin."

On that command the Executor began launching probe droids, deploying its entire one thousand compliment of the multi-limbed black machines. The rest of Death Squadron launched their probe droids as well, one hundred from each Star Destroyer. The probe droids flew down toward the planet, and then scattered across the face of this globe. It took some time for the probe droids to reach their destinations, every single population center on the planet, from the largest cities to the smallest villages and everything in between.

The larger cities got dozens of probe droids in their skies, while even the smallest of villages got at least one. The probe droids hovered above the populace, beyond the reach of their supernatural abilities, and spread out in the most efficient manner to draw as much attention as possible. They certainly achieved that goal, getting fearful scorns in the capitals and confused looks just about everywhere else. The probe droids remained in place for a short time, letting crowds gather beneath them for maximum effect.

Each probe droid was equipped with a holographic emitter, and all of them were activated simultaneously. They projected an image of Grand Admiral Thrawn beneath the probe droids, his every motion captured and relayed from the Executor's bridge. Each hologram made Thrawn appear to be fifty feet tall, standing above the locals and looking down on them, as lifelike as if he was actually there. The probe droids kept track of the number of locals looking at the holograms, the total climbing with each passing second.

When a sufficient number of locals were watching, Thrawn began. "Attention, citizens of this world."

Across the Fire Nation, people watched and listened to this alien introducing himself to the world. "I am Thrawn, Grand Admiral of the Galactic Empire, commanding officer of Death Squadron fleet. I have enough firepower at my disposal to raze this entire planet. I need only to give the order."

Across the Earth Kingdom, people watched in fear of newfound war. "But I have chosen not to. There is a place for you in this Empire, if you choose to become a part of it. Your capitals have proven that, in part from the remarkable resistance they had demonstrated."

In the Fire Nation capital, the Fire Lord and the Blind Bandit listened with suspicion and disbelief. "Make no mistake, if you continue to fight you will die. Comply, and you will live. Lay down your weapons, and we will welcome you into the Empire. Not only will you survive, you will thrive."

In Ba Sing Se, the survivors were sorely tempted by what they were hearing. "Once the fighting it over, I will ensure that your world is rebuilt. The ruins from your last war will be swept away, and you will know prosperity unlike any this world has seen before."

In this moment, it seemed like Thrawn looked at everyone in the eyes. "The choice is yours."

When the message ended, Fire Lord Ozai reacted immediately. "Send the word out. Anyone that surrenders to this alien is to be executed on sight."

"WHAT?!" Toph yelled, turning towards Ozai and throwing her arms wide apart. "That's a little extreme, don't you think?!"

The message from space had arrived during the search for survivors, and the few that remained were coming out of hiding holes scattered across the Fire Nation capitol. The search had come to a halt during the message, all eyes on the alien's image during its speech. At the end of the speech the image disappeared, and the machines that projected it went back to wherever they came from. The message certainly had an effect on the people around Ozai, already seeing treasonous thoughts behind the eyes of many.

"We need as many people as we can," Suki said, now wishing that Sokka hadn't left without her.

"We can't afford any deserters," Ozai argued. "Everyone must fight if we want any chance of survival."

"We don't have any chance at all!" Toph yelled.

That struck a chord with the people around them, all of whom had lost someone today. One battle with the invaders had nearly cost them everything, and they only survived because those invaders left of their own accord. Only a few hours ago they had been willing to lay down their lives in defense of the Fire Lord, and had been certain they would all die doing so. They also knew that when the invaders returned, they could only stall until the inevitable defeat. Yet now there was a chance to survive, and their Fire Lord ordered them to throw it away.

One rather scrawny person looked away, then turned away, and then walked away. Another person followed suit, followed by another and another. One by one people turned and walked away, turning their backs on the Fire Lord that would lead them to their deaths. The Fire Lord watched his subjects quietly abandon him, even the imperial firebenders that had stood by his side. Soon it was just Ozai standing alone, even though Toph and Suki were still there facing him, all but daring him to strike at the people abandoning him.

"You're all fools," Ozai said, watching the mass desertion. "They're just going to kill everyone that surrenders. You know that."

"Maybe," Toph admitted. "But staying with you will kill everyone too."

Suki sighed, realizing that it was already over. "I can't believe this."

Then Toph turned and walked away, followed by Suki, and leaving Ozai all alone in his empty capital.

During his third trip into space, Zuko found himself in his second prison cell. On the way up he had gotten a glimpse at the fleet in orbit, proof that even if his insurrection had succeeded it still wouldn't have made a difference. Now Zuko was alone in this cell and left in his misery, waiting for whatever end the invaders had planned for him. Sure they had bandaged his wounds and applied advanced medical treatment that relieved the pain, but those was small concerns compared to the inevitable tortures Zuko expected.

Then the cell door was opened, and Zuko was surprised by who the stormtroopers threw in. "Azula?"

The princess was in pretty bad shape, and she did not respond to Zuko at first. Her space armor had been taken away from her, and the stormtroopers had put basic black clothes on her for modesty's sake. Azula wasn't conscious and appeared to be dehydrated, but she was still breathing as she lay there on the floor. When the cell door was closed Zuko got over to his sister, wondering how they had managed to capture her alive. Zuko crouched and podded Azula's shoulder, which got her groaning and opening her eyes.

"Wha…" Azula muttered. She looked around and saw her brother, and was somewhat confused by his presence. "Zuko…? What happened…?"

"I failed," Zuko answered. "That's it for me. What about you?"

"Same," Azula said, slowly getting up to a sitting position. "Threw everything I had at these guys, and it just wasn't enough."

"I know that feeling," Zuko admitted, he sat down next to Azula. "How bad is it out there? I've been out of the loop for a while."

"Let me put it this way," Azula said. She laid her head back against a wall, barely looking her brother in the eye. "It took the Fire Nation one hundred years to reach and conquer Ba Sing Se. These invaders did it in one day."

That had Zuko speechless.

For a while Azula brought Zuko up to speed on what she had gone through, and Zuko in turn told Azula of his experience in space. Although their efforts had been ultimately fruitless against overwhelming adversaries, they had both learned something from their failures. While these invaders were certainly powerful forces to be reckoned with, they were far from invincible. They could be hurt, they could be slowed, and given the odds against them those small feats were a consolation victory in and of themselves, if only in a minor sort.

"So what do we do now?" Zuko wondered.

"Not much we can do in here," Azula said, she glanced at the cell door. "I guess we wait until an opportunity arrives."

"And go out in a blaze of glory exploiting it," Zuko said. "You go first."

"And leave father's throne to you?" Azula questioned. "I don't think so."

"Kind of a moot point," Zuko argued. "First, pretty sure you couldn't have gotten the news yet, but I fought father again and earned back my place in the royal line. Second, what with this invasion going on, I'm pretty sure father's been killed by now. And third, there probably won't be a throne for either of us to take by the time this whole thing is over."

"Well at least you'll die along with me," Azula grumbled.

Zuko would have said something, but the cell door was opened and some stormtroopers entered. "What do you want?

"Come with us," one stormtrooper ordered.

There was little point in refusing, given the obvious consequences, and so Zuko got up and walked with the stormtroopers out of the cell. They left the brig and walked to the nearest turbolift, taking it through the massive ship to some other section somewhere else. Despite the swift speed that the turbolift moved, it still took a while to pass through this enormous ship. Zuko wasn't sure where he was when the turbolift stopped, having been unable to keep track of how far he had gone during the long trip.

From there it was a short walk through a corridor, accompanied by more stormtroopers of course. They led him to a large and long room, which had a view of space along the left side. There was a spectacular view of Earth as well, but Zuko was in no position to enjoy it this time. A long table spanned the middle of the room, and at the far end someone unfamiliar was sitting there. Zuko didn't know the blue skinned alien in the white uniform, but the armed guards behind him told Zuko this guy was now in charge.

Zuko stopped and stood at the opposite end of the table. "Why am I here?"

Thrawn gestured for Zuko to sit down, but didn't react when Zuko refused. "I have an offer for you."

"I've heard that one before," Zuko said.

"Yes, from Darth Vader," Thrawn said. He picked up a small cup and swirled the drink a bit before taking a sip. "He has a habit of doing that and altering the deal as he sees fit. While it does get results at the time, it makes people less likely to make such deals in the future."

"Your point?" Zuko asked.

"I am not Vader," Thrawn said. He stood up and walked over to the window, taking a look at the planet out there. "When I make a deal, I hold up my end."

"Still not seeing a reason to believe you," Zuko said.

"Of course, not without any proof," Thrawn conceded. He walked over to the side of the table and pressed a button, activating a series of holographic images. "Perhaps this will help."

The hologram started with an image of stormtroopers standing in front of a shuttle, though Zuko couldn't tell where it had landed. The view then shifted away to a crowd of Fire Nation villagers, cautiously approaching the stormtroopers near their home. The stormtroopers waited around their shuttle, remaining patient while the villagers approached. The two sides met, the respective leaders talked, and not a shot was fired. There was certainly animosity between them, something Zuko could see in the faces, but no violence whatsoever.

The same thing could be seen when the hologram changed, showing a different group of people reacting in the same way to the stormtroopers they met. This appeared to an Earth Kingdom town, not quite welcoming but still not openly hostile. The hologram changed again to show Water Tribe citizens doing the same, letting the stormtroopers enter without resistance. And in return the stormtroopers were not attacking anyone, but were instead bringing food and medicine to the populace complying with their presence.

Thrawn let the hologram cycle through more images depicting this behavior. "Earlier today I extended an offer to the people of this planet. If they surrendered, they would not be harmed. These people did so, and my men have not attacked. I kept my word to them, and I will keep my word to you."

Zuko watched the hologram a little while longer, seeing stormtroopers start to unload supplies and hand them out to the populace. "Alright, let's say I believe you. What's your offer?"

"It's much like the one I made to your people," Thrawn said. "Comply, and be rewarded. In your case, I require a middle man. Someone to bridge the gap between your people and the Empire, someone that your people will respect but someone I can rely on. It will help ease the transition of bringing your world and its people into the Empire."

"Why me?" Zuko asked.

"You've proven capable of making the hard decisions," Thrawn answered. He pressed a few more buttons, and the hologram changed to selected scenes recorded from the Stalker's security cameras. "That insurrection you attempted is proof enough of that."

"It failed," Zuko pointed out.

"Irrelevant," Thawn said. "The point is you're a suitable candidate for the position. Your people would have one of their own as a leader, but still serve the Empire's interests."

"And if I say no?" Zuko asked.

"We'll find someone else for the role," Thrawn said. "And that person will have an example of what saying no will get them."

Zuko could definitely imagine what Thrawn meant by that. "It seems like I don't have a choice."

"Oh there is a choice," Thrawn said, crossing his arms. "It's just that you really don't want to choose poorly."

"I get it," Zuko said. He sighed, shook his head, and walked up to the table. "So is there something I have to sign…?"

In hindsight, Toph figured that she shouldn't have been surprised.

When everyone left in the capital city had abandoned the Fire Lord, Toph and Suki had gone with them and left the caldera. They had gone down the volcano slope and headed straight for the harbor, itself a small city in its own right given its role on this island. All trade going to and from the capital had to pass through this harbor, and the tariffs placed on shipping brought wealth to the people that lived and worked here. It was really the only place on the island to go, as going any further required passing through here.

And here the situation was very different from the capital. The invaders from space were here in force, but they were not attacking any of the populace. The people here had not witnessed the battle in the capital, and had only the alien message and their own judgement to go on. So when the invaders landed here the people had accepted the offer, letting the invaders stay in exchange for protection. And the invaders were keeping their end of the bargain, much to the surprise of those that survived in the capital.

If there were any lingering doubts about abandoning the Fire Lord, they disappeared here.

Toph walked up to one of the stormtroopers, holding a blaster but keeping it pointed at the ground. "Excuse me, when did you guys get here?"

The stormtrooper seemed a little puzzled by that, since he thought it was obvious. "We landed half an hour ago. Where've you been, under a rock?"

"You could say that," Toph admitted.

"We just got here," Suki said. "We wanted to know what's going on."

"Nothing yet, and if no one screws up it ought to stay that way," the stormtrooper answered. "Orders are to not fire unless fired upon, and keep the peace so long as your people want it."

"Ah," Toph muttered. She turned and started walking away. "In that case I won't bother you."

Right behind her, Suki was close enough to whisper. "Was he lying?"

"No," Toph answered. Assuming these invaders had the same tells for deception, her vibration sight reported none of them. "I think he actually was telling the truth."

Suki looked around, seeing the stormtroopers handing out food and supplies. There was still plenty of fear and suspicion here, but less than there had been in the capital. "Do you think this will last?"

"No idea," Toph said. "I think we should get out of here before they change their minds."

"Yeah," Suki said. She looked up the volcano, seeing several landing crafts descend into the caldera. "I wouldn't want to be up there right now."

Fire Lord Ozai stood alone.

He had returned to the throne room that he ruled from, only now there were no subjects left for him to rule over. Everyone was either dead or deserted, leaving the capital a hollow shell of its former self. Ozai sat in the new throne of this still incomplete palace, a place that surely would never be completed. There he waited for the end to come, when the enemy would return to finish the job, and he would face it like a true Fire Lord. He was through with retreating deeper into the volcano, and would make his final stand here.

The invaders returned at sundown, and came in far greater force than before. Ozai heard their ships landing just outside, and soon heard the rushed footsteps of hundreds in the palace halls. Stormtroopers came pouring through the throne room entrance, lining up in rows and pointing their blasters at Ozai. Yet the stormtroopers stopped there, none of them pulling the triggers on their blasters. He was a little surprised that they weren't shooting on sight, so he stayed his hand long enough to find out why.

One stormtrooper placed a small disk on the floor and slid it halfway to Ozai, and the disk projected a life size hologram of Thrawn. "Fire Lord Ozai, I presume."

"Just get it over with," Ozai insisted.

"Eager to throw your life away," Thrawn commented. "You really should consider the alternative."

"What alternative is there?" Ozai asked. "You invade my world, slaughter my men, steal my subjects, and have finally come for me."

"Nothing personal," Thrawn said. "This world belongs to the Empire now, and you are standing in the way. You can step aside willingly and help your people adjust, or you'll become a lab experiment to see if your talents can be reverse engineered. It's your choice."

"No choice at all," Ozai said.

"So be it," Thrawn said. He turned toward the stormtroopers. "Commander, stun setting."

Ozai charged and fired a bolt of lightning straight at Thrawn, but the lightning passed right through the hologram and struck a stormtrooper behind it, killing him instantly. All the other stormtroopers fired their blasters simultaneously, the stun setting shooting blue rings a meter wide, rather than the red bolts of the kill setting. Dozens of the blue rings converged on Ozai, their combined effects overwhelming him in an instant. Ozai collapsed and fell to the floor, out cold and unable to resist any longer.

After a momentary disruption from the lightning, Thrawn's hologram resumed its normal function. "Bring him aboard, and use every security precaution. Keep him sedated until a lab is ready for experiments."

In the middle of the night, Aang slipped away.

Aang had slept for ten hours straight since escaping Ba Sing Se, long enough for night to fall there and the full moon to rise. In the darkness of the night the light of descending spaceships was plain as day, and there were so many of them heading for the city that Aang knew fighting for Ba Sing Se was a lost cause. So he walked the other way, keeping the massive wall to his back, and traveling by moonlight to find his way. Aang didn't really have any specific destination in mind, just that he had to be anywhere but here.

After passing through a flattened forest, Aang found a lake with an unnaturally circular shore. This unnatural terrain brought back memories, but he didn't take the time to dwell on them. Aang stood at the shore and stared at his reflection in the moonlight, seeing all kinds of cuts and bruises he'd all but forgotten about. Aang took a moment to wash off the grime and dried blood as best he could, mentally kicking himself for never bothering to learn the healing part of waterbending. He felt better physically, but mentally was another matter.

At this point in his life, Aang had lost track of how many times he'd failed as the Avatar. This one just happened to be bigger than the others, having lost to an outside force far beyond his understanding. It was tempting to just give up and surrender, thus taking the easy way out of this mess. But the easy way out had always caused more problems in the past, the Hundred Year War being the biggest example, and Aang saw no reason for that to change in the future. Aang resolved to fight on, no matter how hopeless it may appear.

Aang reached into his pocket for a bison whistle, one that Sokka had bought for him nearly a year ago, and blew into it. He couldn't hear the high pitched sound the whistle made, but he was hoping that the sound could carry all the way to Ba Sing Se. Aang had to wait a while, blow the whistle a few more times, before he spotted a shadow cast in the moonlight. Sure enough it was his ever faithful sky bison, hearing the sound of the bison whistle, and coming to Aang's call as quickly as the big furry beast could fly.

When Appa landed Aang hopped on his head. "Come on buddy, let's get out of here."

And so the Avatar left, vowing to fight again another day.

Thrawn had to admit, judging by the latest reports, things were proceeding rather well.

Imperial forces were landing at every substantial settlement on the planet, and very few cases of violence were being reported. Most of the planet had been uncontacted before his message was sent out, and the inhabitants leery of outsiders promising something good. Keeping to the promise of nonviolence towards those that didn't fight, the stormtroopers deployed convinced most of the locals that the message was sincere. Delivering food and supplies won over many of the suspicious populace, holding up the imperial side of Thrawn's promise.

Sure there were some places where the locals were hostile, and they were promptly exterminated by the stormtroopers without hesitation. Some of them were left alive to send a message to nearby settlements, just to reiterate the point about violence being met with violence. In comparison to the calculated estimates, the casualty rate was closer to the minimum this time. Very different from the bloodbath Vader caused, that difference in results being something that Thrawn could take a little bit of pride in.

Thrawn was looking at the reports in his quarters, and he pressed a button to call the bridge. "Could someone please send the admiral up here?"

Soon enough Admiral Ozzel arrived and entered. "You wanted to see me?"

"I did," Thrawn said, swiveling his chair away from the computer to face Ozzel. "I want your honest opinion of the situation planet-side."

"Well it's better than it was before we got here," Ozzel answered. "Stable too, for now at least."

"You think that could change," Thrawn noted.

"Easily," Ozzel answered. "One misunderstanding and a fight will start. If that is handled badly it could spread across the planet. We would lose a lot of soldiers before we get it contained."

"How would you handle it from here?" Thrawn asked.

"I would pick an ideal location for our needs, carpet bomb it from orbit, and set up shop before the locals know what we're doing." Ozzel expected a reaction, but did not get it. "We don't need to keep them alive in order to use this planet."

"I'd rather avoid genocide if I can," Thrawn said. "In general it is far too wasteful, both in lives and in spent ammunition. In this particular case however, the locals and their abilities are a unique resource. I won't throw it away because it would be more convenient."

Ozzel knew better than to question his superior on this. "What orders would you have me carry out?"

"Begin with reconstruction where it is needed most," Thrawn ordered. "Once that is done, and goodwill established with the locals, begin building headquarters and garrisons across the planet. We will need them to house the first wave of troops ahead of crossing the border."

"And what if the locals resist?" Ozzel asked.

"Make an example of them," Thrawn answered. "Be merciful once in a while, it will improve relations."

"Understood," Ozzel said, and he turned to leave.

"One last thing," Thrawn said. "If the locals present an opportunity we haven't anticipated, don't hesitate to act on it. I wouldn't want it wasted just because you don't have the proper orders."

"Yes sir," Ozzel said, and he finally left the room.

Once the door was closed Thrawn turned back to his computer, looking over the reports again for anything he might have missed before. He checked the current inventory of locals under his sway, noting that the entire Fire Nation leadership was accounted for. Fire Lord Ozai had been captured alive, Prince Zuko had agreed to be a figurehead, and Princess Azula was still in custody. If anyone else were to attempt to take power in the Fire Nation, it would be far too late to do anything about the Empire's presence.

Similarly, the Earth Kingdom was mostly under control. The apparent leader Long Feng was in custody, while no other leader seemed to be taking his place. Avatar Aang was unaccounted for though, and the power he wielded could be a real problem for Imperial forces trying to maintain order. So Thrawn ordered a search to begin immediately, for the potential nuisance could not have gotten far in such a small amount of time. He also made sure that the stormtroopers understood the need to bring him in alive, so that his power could be studied and repurposed to serve the Empire.

Thrawn leaned back in his chair, folding his hands while deep in thought. "It's been a good day."