Teaser

Through the clear forcefields of their respective cells, Julia Andreys looked over her fellow prisoner. The young woman, who had introduced herself as Miko, was on the lean side in build, wearing a slightly tattered sleeveless vest of red with gold trim and pants of matching color. Her dark hair, shoulder length, was disheveled, much as Julia's own blond hair was. Amber-toned eyes looked to Julia with shame and frustration welling inside of them.

All things considered, Miko was the better off of the two of them. Julia herself was ragged from Fassbinder's abuses. For the untold time since the ordeal began, she'd been wearing the same clothes she'd had on when the attack on New Liberty began; a white tank top and burgundy red shorts with a sports bra of matching color below the tank top. The colors were now faded from days of sweat and immersion in the fluid her captors used for healing her.

The question of time was bewildering for Julia. Between the torture sessions and the time she spent unconscious from them, she wasn't sure how many days had passed since she was captured during the SS exiles' attack on New Liberty. She wasn't even sure what happened to the others. Was the Colony gone? Had her ship, the Aurora, been destroyed in the attack? She could remember that Cylon working with Fassbinder, the SS officer who oversaw the attack, talking about a similar strike against Gersal. Was it possible that everyone she knew and loved was dead?

No. No, Julia would not let herself consider that. That was the road to despair, a despair that would crush her spirit far more thoroughly than the torture Fassbinder delighted in inflicting on her.

It was as much to escape such thoughts as it was to satisfy curiosity that she returned her attention to Miko. The young woman brimmed with frustrated energy, unsurprising given what she'd said. That she felt she had to help Julia, to stop what was being done to her, and why she felt that way.

"What did you mean?" asked Julia. "When you said you were 'the Avatar'?"

Miko turned her head to face Julia. "It's who I am. What I am. The Avatar is… I am responsible for the balance on my world. The balance between the Nations, between the Human World and the Spirit World. The Avatar is the only one who can bend all four elements instead of just one."

"Bend?"

"It is our word, perhaps the translation does not work so well with your language." Miko opened her fist. Julia watched as, for a moment, a flicker of flame flashed into being over Miko's palm.

The collar around her neck lit up. There was the distinct sound of an electrical device activating and Miko's body seized up. She let out a cry of pain and clenched the fist again, banishing the flame from existence.

"The Avatar is reborn in a cycle within the Four Nations, one nation to the next," she continued, her voice more hoarse given her earlier cry of pain. "Air Nomads, Water Tribes, Earth Union, Fire Nation. I am Princess Miko of the Fire Nation, and I am the Avatar of this cycle, born the day that Avatar Komin died."

Julia nodded as understanding came to her. "So… the people from each nation can use, can 'bend', the element their nation is named for, but only you can bend all four?"

"Not all are born benders. But yes," said Miko. "It's a heavy responsibility. The Avatar keeps the peace among the Nations. It's my duty to protect people. People like you, Julia Andreys." She closed her eyes, tears brimming in them. "It's why I surrendered to these 'Nazis', so they would spare the people of Tangshan."

"But they didn't."

"No. They opened fire anyway. They made me watch."

Julia didn't find it hard to imagine who ordered that. "Fassbinder?"

"The one with the evil eyes?" Miko shuddered. "I can feel the darkness of his spirit. The hatred."

"His entire society is built on that. Hating those they consider inferior. Enslaving or exterminating them." Julia grimaced as she shifted into a sitting position. Her body still ached. "Your people are spacefaring?"

"Yes. We first reached into the void during Avatar Korra's lifetime, and it was during Komin's that the Five Nations went to other suns."

"You only said four nations before, what's the fifth?" Julia asked.

"The United Republic. It is a combination of people from all four nations that was founded after the Hundred Year War, created by Avatar Aang and my ancestor Fire Lord Zuko nearly three hundred years ago." Miko's eyes glistened. "It's built around Republic City, the greatest city on my world." After a moment spent considering said city, Miko turned her eyes to Julia. "What of your people? Your Alliance?"

"The United Alliance of Systems is, well, this is the hardest part for people to understand if they don't see it," Julia began. "We're an interuniversal society of multiple systems, including multiple copies of my homeworld Earth, made possible by technology called the interuniversal jump drive. We have worlds, colonies, in many universes, and through them contact with even more nations and species. The Alliance itself has four species currently, we Humans, of many universes, the Gersallians and Dorei of Universe N2S7, and the Alakin of A7R6."

Miko looked at her in some confusion. "When you say other species, you mean... "

"Aliens. Sapient life forms other than Humans. Yes."

"Amazing." Miko's eyes widened. "What are they like?"

"Well, Gersallians actually look Human. Dorei look like…"

Julia stopped as she heard the distant stomp of boots hitting the floor in a steady cadence. The noise increased over seconds until two guards arrived. One lowered the forcefield for Julia's cell. The other reached in and grabbed her arm, forcing her up, shrieking at her in German to come. He and his ally both brandished stun sticks to make clear they weren't taking no for an answer.

Julia got up and approached her captors. As she stepped between them both thrust their stun sticks into her torso anyway. She shrieked in both pain and surprise as her body seized up. She fell to her knees.

"Leave her alone!" Miko shouted.

As one guard kicked Julia in the shoulder, knocking her over, the other turned to Miko and snarled at her. "Shut up, witch!" His hand went to a device on his belt. As soon as his finger pressed down on a button, the collar around Miko's neck lit up. She let out a short cry and doubled over in pain.

By the time she looked up, the guards - and Julia - were gone.

Light years away, the Starship Aurora and the Fire Nation Voidship General Iroh remained side by side, both ships undergoing repairs from combat. The vessels were possessed of marked differences: the four warp nacelles on the Aurora were arranged at the end of pylons from the drive hull while the Iroh's were built into the main hull, the visible weapon turrets on the Iroh in contrast to the emitter banks and emplacements on the Aurora, the Iroh's dark gray hull contrasting to the Aurora's azure sheen. By size the Iroh was barely half the length of the Aurora, although she looked more heavily-armed for her size.

Activity aboard the Iroh was even more hectic than on the Aurora, with repair teams from the latter ship helping the surviving crew of the Iroh return their vessel to full readiness.

In the wardroom of said ship, those looking to aid Julia and Miko were likewise sharing information about themselves. The specific nature of the United Alliance of Systems, the existence of non-Human life in many universes, the actual existence of the interuniversal jump drive, all of these things were taken in with wonder by Princess Ursa and the Beifong cousins.

The particulars of their world invited Lucy to say, "So everyone born into a particular nation has a chance to be born with the ability to manipulate, to 'bend' as you put it, the element corresponding with their origin nation?"

"Yes."

"Is this true for everyone?"

"There are those in each nation who do not bend," replied Komin. "And only one person can bend more than one element, and that is the Avatar."

"The Avatar is reborn into each nation in a cycle," Yeshe added. "Air, Water, Earth, Fire. Every Avatar is meant to be a mediator and peacekeeper, protecting the world from any force that threatens it and standing apart from the other nations."

"And Miko is the current Avatar," Robert said.

The three gave him an intent look. "How did you know?" Ursa asked.

"I sensed it," Robert answer. "Our life energy abilities give us insights. We can sense the truth of things. Although in this case, it was easy to see she was important in some way that the SS would want her as a captive."

"Our world is in turmoil over the issue," confirmed Ursa. "Some advocate negotiation for her safe return. Others support my efforts to find and free her."

"Negotiation with the SS will be futile," Meridina said.

"So I am convinced. And that is why my uncle, Fire Lord Daizon, authorized me to take the General Iroh out to scout for her."

There was a certain fierce desperation, a frustrated impatience, in the older woman's voice, and in her heart. Those present could easily notice it, whether it was from metaphysical insight, telepathy, or in Jarod's case, careful observance and deduction. Ursa, whatever her skills or capability, was ultimately a desperate mother trying to rescue her child from a threat that, to her people, was still an enigma. And all the Aurora crew could do was confirm that some of her worst nightmares might very well be true, given the tendencies of Miko's captors.

The Beifong cousins were quick to pick up on it as well. "Miko has a strong heart," Yeshe assured Ursa. "And I sense she is still with us."

"Are you two friends of Miko?" Lucy asked. "Given neither of you are Fire Nation, from what I see."

"She asked us to train her," said Komin. "Yeshe is her Airbending instructor. When she has mastered Water, she will come to me for Earthbending."

"Although knowing my cousin, he has already shown her some," Yeshe remarked with a knowing smile.

"Why was she out on this colony Tangshan?" Meridina asked. "Given her importance, and the raids on your colonies beforehand, surely the risk…"

Ursa laughed harshly. "My daughter has a fierce spirit. She did not get along with the Water Tribe instructor we sent her to and believed she would find a better one in the outer colonies. In truth, I think she was trying to assert her independence from me."

"Teenagers often do," Lucy noted. "Most anyway." She flashed a grin toward Robert.

He returned it. Just as he went to speak, he felt a scream fill his being, echoed by intense pain. He gasped in shock at the intensity of that pain. Everyone turned to him and watched Robert nearly bend over.

"What's wrong?" Jarod asked him.

"I feel it again," Robert replied. "He's hurting her!"

Undiscovered Frontier
"Trial by Fire"

There were no questions. Not a single attempt at interrogation. There was only the agony, the evil cold energy of the lightning that was a manifestation of all of the hateful and arrogant energy in Fassbinder's twisted soul. And Julia could do nothing but suffer. Her muscles twitched and spasmed, her body burned, and nothing she could do could help her escape it.

Worst of all, she could feel her life slipping away, drained by that dark energy from Fassbinder. An open abyss seemed to open up around her, and she was falling toward it, falling...

Julia was barely conscious when the lightning stopped. She didn't feel herself being freed from the chair, or carried away to another room in this strange city. She remained at the cusp of the abyss until the now-familiar sensation of the soothing green fluid covered her.

From outside of the tank, Fassbinder watched Julia stir slightly. She couldn't move, of course, given the restraints locked around her wrists and ankles to keep her trapped in the open-topped tank. He looked over the controls and noted that her vital signs were improving slowly.

"You should just end her," said a female voice. He turned his head and saw the blond Cylon, one of his teachers in the talents he'd long sought to tap. "Kill the Dawn-Bearer. She is of no use otherwise."

"No," Fassbinder said. "She has not suffered enough. Not nearly enough for what she and her people did to us." The frustrated look gave way to a small, sinister smile. "Besides, do you not sense it? The connection to her?"

The Cylon "Six" seemed to concentrate a moment. "I believe I know what you mean."

"She is connected to one of them. To him, I am convinced. Dale feels what is being done to her. When she suffers, he suffers. And I will use that." The smile grew as his hand went to the dial on the control. He twisted it halfway to full, sending an electrical current into the "kohltou", and watched with satisfaction as Julia's body spasmed despite the restraints.

With the discussions over, Meridina and Jarod returned to the Aurora. Lucy remained, joining Komin in heading to engineering to help in the General Iroh's repairs. This left Ursa with Robert. She gave him a searching look as he clasped the side of the door, the color leaving his face. "You are in pain."

"Not physically. I… my friend, Julia, I can feel it. She's in pain. The SS are torturing her right now." He tried and failed to blink tears from his eyes. "I need to get to that base. To get to her, to free her from… from what they're doing."

Ursa approached him and, with great solemnity and sympathy, placed her hand on his shoulder. "I do not understand how these gifts of yours works. How your spirit is connected to hers. But you have the same assurance from me that your people have given us. We will reclaim your friend as well as my daughter."

There was a quiet determination in her voice that Robert appreciated, even if he sensed her own lingering fears and doubts. They were just two ships, two against however many that the SS might call in. And what if their loved ones were moved? There were still so many ways they could fail here. It was frightening.

As such, her words were welcome, a glimmer of hope, and Robert appreciated them. He nodded to her. "Thank you."

"We should see to our duties. Miko and Captain Andreys will not be rescued by our desire alone," Ursa said. He watched her leave to resume command of her ship.

In the heart of the General Iroh's engineering section, Lucy finished patching the power cable line that their earlier repairs had only partially restored. Afterward she checked the integrity of the repair and reassured herself it was done. She glanced toward the reactor. Purple light filled the ports of said power plant. Even now, with its output dialed down, Lucy could feel it creating a ripple in the Flow of Life.

In a way, it was a marvel. The reactor they used tapped into a powerful energy source, more than the fusion or antimatter power that their technological level would otherwise permit. This greatly helped the Iroh's capability whatever the technological issues they faced. Lucy was unable to hide her interest in that aspect.

And yet… yet she felt wary. Whatever the power systems tapped into, it had some connection to the Flow of Life. She didn't think it was the Flow of Life itself, not in the way the Balmeran crystal worked on the Castle of Lions, but there was some kind of connection there. She couldn't help but wonder if that made the technology dangerous in some way. As she once pointed out to Cat, the Flow of Life was not merely a physical source of power. The same might be true for whatever they were using. And she felt naturally leery about it.

After verifying the integrity of the power trunk with a scan, Lucy turned her head and watched Komin complete a repair as well, using his gift for manipulating metal. After he finished she said, "I suppose that you can move, I mean 'bend', metals so long as they're an earthly compound?"

"That's how it works," he replied.

"Including alloys? Purified metals?"

"That depends. It's possible to purify or alloy a metal to remove the raw earth and make it unbendable. It's what we use in voidship hulls, for instance," he answered. "That's why I carry these." He indicated the metal plates on his belt and trousers.

"I see. Options in case you're not around something earthen or with metal that still has natural impurities." She glanced to the reactor again. "I've never seen a power source like this. It's some kind of energy tap?"

He nodded. "Varrick reactors draw latent energy from an alternate dimensional space. The principles have been around for a couple hundred years."

"And why are they called Varrick reactors?"

"For the family that did the most work in developing them," said Komin. "They were working on these kinds of energy sources as far back as Avatar Korra's time. The Varricks and their company have been refining the technology over the generations." Komin led her over to a board showing the ship's power distribution system. More of the sections were green-lit now, but a few still showed damage. "What kind of technology do you use?"

"Our primary power sources use a material known as naqia, it acts as a power amplifier and absorber," she replied. "Among other exotic properties. We also use fusion reactors as a backup power supply."

"Deuterium-fueled fusion?"

"Usually," she confirmed.

Komin nodded. "We have a backup fusion reactor for the General Iroh. The technology was first postulated by Gan Sing over two hundred years ago, but it was another hundred years before Fire Nation scientists successfully tested the first viable fusion core."

Lucy gave him a knowing grin. "Someone's interested in studying the history of power generation science, I see."

"Well… yes, that's me," Komin admitted, grinning slightly. His green eyes glinted in the light with immense satisfaction. "I've always been fascinated with machines. I've spent years studying Varrick reactors, but actually getting to work on one…"

Lucy nodded in appreciation of Komin's position. It reminded her of Tom, whom she decided to introduce to Komin at the first opportunity.

"Did you always want to be an engineer?" Komin asked her.

"Not really," she replied. "It was just a job for me, at first. But it's been useful, and I'm not sorry I became one."

Komin replied with a nod and returned to examining the power distribution network. Lucy joined him. She couldn't read the language on the displays, but the ideograms looked familiar. She used her omnitool to scan them. To her surprise the translations came right up, or at least proposed ones.

Komin noticed and grinned at her. "Those… 'omnitools' your people use are impressive," he said. "I hope to get one. And they must be very well-programmed to read our language so quickly."

"That's just it. It didn't," she said. "The translation programs are reading your language as Chinese."

"Chinese?"

"They're a nation of Earth," Lucy explained. "One of the most populous nations, in fact, and a dominant nation of Asia, our largest continent. So maybe your people are descended from Earth as well?"

Komin shrugged. "I don't know. Ancient history, that's not really my field," he admitted. "I've got a cousin who might be interested, though."

"I'm sure a lot of people will be, once contact is opened up between your world and the Multiverse," Lucy said.

There was a look on Komin's face, one of wonder, that made Lucy smile warmly. His people are in for quite a shock, just as we were. I hope they take it as well as he is, she thought.

With her captain a captive, command of the Aurora was now in the hands of the ship's First Officer. Meridina, normally a Commander but currently serving as an Acting Captain, sat in the chair that Julia usually occupied and looked over the things belonging to Julia. The trophies, the family photos, the other personal items… Meridina looked at them all and found herself hoping that Julia would be back here, where she belonged.

But there was more on Meridina's mind than the fate of her superior, someone she considered a friend. For the sake of the others she had to keep a strong appearance, even as her heart still ached with the loss her people suffered from. On the desk viewer, footage from her homeworld played, showing the rescue and cleanup efforts in the wake of the Cylon attack. The reports of the losses taken in the bombardment were stabilizing at an estimate of ten million dead and over twice that number injured.

It wasn't just the dead, though. The Cylons, in their attack, revealed their true nature as followers of the fallen Kohbal, the man who nearly wrecked Gersal in his war to seize control over twenty-nine centuries ago. The attack also revealed that other followers of Kohbal remained hidden after their supposed defeat and expulsion from the homeworld, as said followers had committed acts of sabotage across the planet in the minutes before the attack, ensuring the Cylons complete surprise.

And they had won. That was the worst thing. Meridina, Lucy, Talara, they'd gotten away, as had Meridina's father and many others, but the Cylons succeeded. They destroyed the Great Temple off Swenya in a barrage of atomics. They did the same to the Temple of Perception and the Temple of Birth, as if to wipe Gersal clean of all references to Swenya. Many of the Order's best, many of its wisest, died to the bombs, the blades, or the atomics of the Brotherhood. She had even felt the mortal blow dealt to her mentor, Mastrash Ledosh, struck down by the fallen Mastrash Goras.

It was all so wrong. A nightmare made reality. After all of the fights, all of the hard victories over darkness… darkness, in the end, was not vanquished, and had indeed returned to deal the Light a terrible blow.

And a part of Meridina believed it to be her fault.

A chime sounded at the door. She looked up and called out for the figure to enter. She was surprised to see Doctor Tusana, with her civilian wear, enter. "Doctor, how may I help you?' Meridina asked.

The civilian psychiatrist gave Meridina a knowing look. When she replied, it was with a mental cast into Meridina's mind, a telepath communicating with a fellow telepath. I am here to help you, Meridina. I can feel your grief.

Meridina nodded in acknowledgment of Tusana's point, if not agreement. It does not matter. What matters is reclaiming Julia.

Do not ignore your pain, Meridina. It could consume you.

I am not ignoring it. I am simply leaving it to the side so that I might do my duty, Meridina cast back. Captain Andreys' life may hang in the balance. I cannot take time right now.

You will do her little good if you can't function. Seeing Meridina's look Tusana shook her head. I will be here if you need me. With that she turned away and left the room.

Meridina promptly returned to work. She had little time to complete it before a blue light appeared on the back of her left hand, timed with a tone from her omnitool. She relayed the call to the desk. "Meridina here."

"I was just lettin' ye know that th' repairs are complete, sir," answered Commander Scott. The Starfleet legend's voice had the usual pride in getting his ship back in action. "We're ready t' go find th' Captain whenever ye're ready."

"We will be leaving as soon as our new allies are ready, Commander. Thank you for your timely repairs. Meridina out." She cut the line and sat in the quiet for a moment, considering Tusana's words, and the feeling in her heart.

Robert, Lucy, and Talara, along with Komin, stepped onto the General Iroh's bridge. It was a rather larger chamber than the one they were used to on the Aurora, more like a major command operations chamber for a station, with two levels and multiple stations. Ursa sat in the middle chair with Yeshe standing beside her. Ahead of her, another member of the crew was at the helm, freeing Talara from having to execute that duty again. "I am informed our repairs are complete?" asked Ursa.

"Yes, Highness," Komin answered. "Chief Lee is giving some systems a final check now, but the Sato drive is ready."

"Sato drive?" asked Talara.

"It is a space-warp drive," Komin said. "Based on…" He quieted at seeing Ursa's look, as she was clearly not interested in hearing him recite the history of the technology.

"From what I saw, your ship's best sustainable speed is about Warp 7 on our charts," Lucy said. "The Aurora can easily match that."

Robert didn't quite keep the aggravation at that from showing on his face. Warp 7 wasn't a slow warp speed, not at all, but it was still quite slow compared to what the Aurora could do, even at a leisurely cruise warp, due to the Darglan-designed warp drive. But they didn't have Darglan data. We should probably be happy they're capable of Warp 7 and not 5.

"Before we depart, I would ask the status of our communications array," Ursa said. "I would like to update Admiral Hanraq on our situation."

Komin shook his head. "Enemy fire ripped away the transceiver completely. We can't contact home."

"Then I will do so," said Yeshe.

Komin gave his stoic cousin an uncomfortable look. "This far out?" he asked. "Has it even been tried this far from into the frontier?"

"I do not believe so," she said. "But I should still be capable of reaching home. I can relay our situation to the others.

"Then do so," said Ursa. "Captain, your… teleportation machines, they do not work at warp?"

"Only if velocities are matched exactly, and they work best if both ships are using them to ensure a connection," Robert replied. "I'm not sure portable transporters would be sufficient."

"Probably not for warp-speed beaming," Lucy offered.

Robert nodded. He had a look of impatience growing on his expression. "I'll be returning to the Aurora before we depart, I have reports to file for our leaders. I'll leave Lieutenant Lucero and Ensign Talara here so that we have working communications between the ships."

"I will arrange quartering for them," Ursa answered. "We should depart now. We cannot give our enemy time to flee."

"Agreed, we can't," Robert said. He tapped at his omnitool. "Dale to Aurora, one to beam back."

He transported out. Moments later, their ships accelerated and made the jump to warp.

For his part, Robert was not entirely truthful when he attributed his return to filing reports. He went straight to his quarters, a desperate plan forming in his mind.

Sharp, harsh pain filled Julia's head, and her arms struggled in vain against the restraints holding her wrists to the arms of the Aurora Chair. Aside from her instinctive struggles, Julia could do nothing to fight back. All she could do was try to bury herself in other memories, cherished memories.

Whether it was irritation with her condition or perhaps a desire for amusement, the memory she found herself dwelling on was the time Robert put an entire canister of her play-doh into the harvester. She recalled how upset that made her when she was young. "How could you do this, Robby?!" she'd scolded angrily, drawing an uncertain look from her close friend. "That was my play-doh!"

These same words echoed in the chamber. On the screen the image of a young boy dominated, along with an empty plastic container.

Something about the memory drew her in. Not just recalling how upset it made her at the time, but the genuine look of contrition, the realization that an impulsive, selfish act caused harm to someone he cared for. The pain of the Aurora Chair became distant, less a drill boring into her mind and more of a pinprick, a splinter at the edge of it.

"I'm sorry, Julie," the child Robby said. "I just… I thought it'd be fun. I didn't mean to make you upset."

"Why didn't you ask me?! You know better!"

While Julia seemed to grow still, Fassbinder looked at the viewer and frowned. Somehow she was resisting, that he was certain of. How, he couldn't say for sure. There was something about her energy, her being, that the Chair seemed to be failing to reach. But it was infuriating regardless.

"Turn up the chair," he ordered the technician.

"It is already at the maximum setting, Herr Brigadeführer,' the man replied. "I cannot intensify the effect any further."

Fassbinder considered that for a moment. When he spoke again, it was to bark, "Shut it down!"

The technician did so. Julia's body relaxed. She drew a breath in. Slowly, she seemed to come back to recognition of her surroundings. Fassbinder sensed confusion. "The Chair must be having an effect upon her memory state," he said to the technician. "Scharführer, I want it inspected. Thoroughly."

"Jawohl!"

He gestured to Julia. "Take her to the tank," he instructed the others.

Light years away, seated on the floor of his quarters' living area, Robert opened his eyes. He drew in a breath as the sharp pain that he'd felt through his head faded, leaving as its mark the sweat covering his brow and the memory of that pain.

Regardless, a small smile crossed his face. "It worked," he mumbled. "It worked."