Author Note: Got to make this quick because I am heading out very quickly! It was either upload this chapter today or wait a real long time. So, it's not as cleaned up as the others. Still, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy. Please remember to follow, favorite, and review because it greatly helps with my frequency and motivation in writing chapters.

Chapter 30

A large cabin jutted out in the center of the forest. The only sign of civilization was farther down the road thirty minutes away. A truly isolated spot, perfect for impromptu and secretive meetings.

Ben and the rest of team avatar laid along the walls of that small cabin. Ben and Jet trying to strain their perceptions forward to get a reading on when the other people assigned to this meeting were going to arrive.

Ben let out a gust of hot breath, eyes fixating ahead as he and Jet's eyes both widened. "There here…" Jet spoke up, team avatar's eyes heading down the road as they began to hear it. The sounds of horse hooves clapping along the dirt pathway.

It was a standard carriage. A medium sized car with four wheels attached to it, with a white curtain to cover the top and a veil for privacy. The man driving wore a heavy green coat with an old and tired face. Yet, team avatar wasn't fixating on this.

A man wearing a deep brown cloak, the type of cloak that one wore to conceal their identity. He shuttled from the end of the carriage. His boots lightly breaking the ground underneath him as he shuttled to the door. "Only for a couple of minutes." He aimlessly told the driver, the man driving with a solid nod went back to his business.

Team avatar and the cloaked man following into the cabin as the door was promptly shut behind them. Team avatar taking a seat along the table as Ben stood, watching the man as he tossed off his hood. "I must say, I have been trying to reach you for ages. I was thinking about leaving in a matter of days and finding someone else."

"I apologize." Aang spoke. "We have been in the Northern Water tribe to overwatch our friend's recovery."

The man threw off his cloak, Ben's eyes slowly widening at the sight. He was older than he thought, a man on the shorter side. With long and greying hair. A heavy mustached face, but as he threw off his cloak.

Ben's eyes dilated, his jaw unlatching as his eyes locked along the man's clothes. Wearing a heavy red yellowish robe, with the fire nation insignia brandished onto it. "Then let us…"

Aang and the rest of team avatar watched the man, astonished. The man's hand flailing as his fist slammed into the base of the table, his eyes bulging from the center of his face as his left hand went to his throat, mild red slashes going to him as his eyes began to redden, his face turning blue from the lack of oxygen.

That was when they turned…Ben. His left arm raised, aimed at the man as he began to move around the table. The fire nation man starting to slowly being lifted into the air. "Ben!" Sokka screamed, wrapping his arms around the large boy as he tried to wrench his arm down.

"Fire nation trash, trying to lure us into another trap!" He snarled, throwing the old man into the wall. It took all the members of team avatar to wrench Ben's hand down, the old man falling to the floor with a tumult as they went to him. Ben's right hand going to his blade, igniting the weapon as the blue beam of plasma radiated along the room.

Aang saw this, quickly moving in front of Ben. "Ben, relax." He ordered, Ben merely shaking his head as he leveled the blade to his side.

"He's fire nation, look at his clothes…he's a nobleman." Ben answered back with a low growl. Inching closer to the airbender as he couldn't believe it. Was Aang this naïve to let a fire nation man like this live? Someone that allowed all this tumult to continue. "Answer me this, Aang. Why are we letting this fire nation scum live?"

"Because he means us no harm. He has been trying to reach out for us for a long time and has shown us no sign of danger. We aren't going to attack him without any reason to."

Ben grimaced. His eyes narrowing as he began to weigh the options of just wrenching Aang away with the force and dealing with this fire nation scum by himself. Yet, that was when the shock entered Ben. His eyes widening as they went back to normal. The blade going back into the hilt as he reconnected it back to his belt.

"I mean no harm; I merely have a proposition…Jedi and Avatar." The old man grunted with harsh breaths, Katara leading him to the table as Sokka watched from afar. He held similar sentiments towards Ben, but he didn't approve of how quickly he attacked him.

Hell, even Ben was shocked by how quickly he moved onto this enemy. He was merely an old man, and he took all his aggression and hate, aimed it towards him like a dagger. He didn't even like the fact that he was thinking about potentially hurting Aang. Sure, he knew he wouldn't have caused lasting damage…but to wrench a twelve-year-old kid away with the force to get out of his way went farther than overkill, it was borderline insane. 'Fuck, who gives a shit. He's a fire nation dog…bastards like him were the type of people that killed their own during that fire ball volley. Damn bastards!'

His thoughts screamed in his head. Dark and hate filled thoughts that no Jedi should ever think of, but to him those thoughts held truth and power. So, he didn't turn away from them.

"Proposition?" Jet questioned.

Aang and Ben walking over towards the man as the old man began to go into his pocket lifting up a piece of paper towards the group. Ben taking it in his right hand as he brought it up to his face to get a clear view of the picture.

It was a picture of a girl, a pretty one in fact. Ben's eyes glossing over the picture as he began to glance at the frame. She was a girl, maybe a year younger than him. She had this beautiful round face and deep brown greyish eyes. A slim figure with light skin.

Ben was transfixed, lightly combing through his hair. "What is this?" He questioned, the old man coughing to clear his throat.

"Ty Lee, one of my daughters. She…ran away from home a long time ago to find herself. Yet, she's been captured by a bandit group who are trying to hold her for ransom."

Ben stared back at the picture, placing it back onto the table as he shook his head. "No, there's something up, something you're not telling us. Why are you coming to us about this? If you were really so worried, why did you not contact the Sith to help you, there located in the fire nation. Why do you need the Jedi and the Avatar so damn much?"

The old man didn't speak, his eyes going towards the heels of their shoes as even Katara herself was beginning to get surprises. Ben raising a good point of why the man didn't just go and speak to the Sith and received their help, this whole plan was becoming far more secretive and confusing. To Ben, he wanted to cut this man down right now. Another piece of fire nation trash that was probably leading them into a deeper trap. Yet, he felt something within him…anxiety?

"My daughter is special. She has these gifts, these abilities that don't make sense to me and if I ever chose to alert the Sith of what she truly is, they would take her from us." His head snapped to the team. "That is all I am willing to say on this situation."

Ben didn't know what to do…strange powers? Yet, this man didn't feel touched upon the force, was this a trap or was this something more? He combed through his locks of hair, his hand still on his unignited blade. He should've finished this sooner.

"If you take this mission, I promise you that I will reward you. Military secrets, armaments, and anything…ancient Jedi relics."

'Ancient Jedi Relics?' Repeated in his head. He had known that the Jedi were long gone and the fire nation most likely stolen any sort of relics or items of importance. Still, how would a fire nation nobleman get such things?

To throw them around so carelessly, Ben was intrigued. "Master Jedi, I also hold something that you may need. An answer that may very well get you to see that I am not lying."

Team avatar hesitated, going to Ben as the boy carelessly cocked his head back. "Go, I'll deal with this guy."

With those words they parted from the cabin. Ben turning back to the old man as he reattached his blade to his belt and glanced once again at the picture. He didn't like it, but this old man didn't seem to be lying. Likewise, he was intrigued and just maybe this old man can help them against the fire nation.

"You must understand, I had no desire to speak to you about this. You and the rest of your team are the most qualified people and I know that you shall return her back to me safety." He got up from where he was sitting, dusting off his robe as he cleared his throat. "But, to guarantee the safety of my daughter, I am willing to take any risk."

He dug into his robe, the crimson gleam of the item in his hand slowly beginning to reveal itself. He knew the tetrahedron, the red gleam it created as the powerful artifact of the dark side was held in the base of the man's palm. He raised it to Ben to get a closer look, his eyes dilating at the sight.

It was different from the Holocron of Exar Kun, while Exar's held an ornate and intricate carvings this one was completely cleansed. His heart hammered along his chest as he felt the power the artifact generated.

"This is your contract fee…after you save my daughter, I will have a contact give you the second Holocron."

Ben's eyes shot back open, aimed at the nobleman. "Wait, what?"

"I have been here far too long, master Jedi. The members of the fire nation grow suspicious, especially the lords of the Sith have been peaking into more matters to deal with any rebellions that have been growing due to that one Jedi that has pooped up."

Haru…he must have been attacking fire nation outpost more than ever, and Ben must have figured that Haru had to be going on a rampage, a man on the mission trying to cripple the fire nation war machine the best he possibly could. He was his apprentice all right, but he was still worried.

If the Sith were poking into these matters, Haru won't just be dealing with just fire nation soldiers but powerful warriors of the force. But there was another thing he had to deal with first…

"Where should we meet after getting your daughter?"

"Ba Sing Se, my contact will find you when you reach the city…"

With those words, he left the Holocron on the table. Throwing over his hood as he pushed through the door as it creaked a slight bit. Ben's eyes going back to that Holocron, to that malignant artifact of the Sith. He felt that he was learning all he could from Exar, and he was eventually going to run out of things to learn from the old fool, so maybe this was a blessing in disguise?

Ben chuckled, pocketing another Sith Holocron, because to Ben, Light side and Dark Side were merely just tools for him to use or was that simply a lie that he used to delude himself of the true nature of the force.

The bandit camp was small, confined in small wires that laced along trees that looped along cans to alert of any trespassers. A large campfire produced heavy black smoke that trailed along the frontier of the Earth Kingdom. Tents were lined up like dominos.

"How does it look?" Ben asked Sokka, the young waterbending warrior peering through his telescope. Straining his eyes through the little hole to get a proper visual.

"I can hardly see a thing…" Sokka squirmed.

Jet coming over with Katara as the team sat down, the ex-freedom fighter taking a pair of sticks and beginning to draw out a plan on the dirt. "Alright, so I got an idea…"

"Welp, I already have a better one…I go into that camp, and kick ass." Ben spoke, cracking a smile that caused a little grin from Aang.

Katara shaking her head in response. "We don't know how many of them there are there. You shouldn't be so reckless."

"Whatever, mom." Ben chuckled back.

Ben getting up as they were distracted in their plan making. Insuring his legs with the force as he beelined down the mountain. It was quite sad to him actually…they didn't need a plan; these were hoodlums and scoundrels. Weaklings who couldn't understand the true power of the force.

Benjamin, a warrior would show those fools wat true power was. His eyes darting to the string as he leaped over the wiring, landing on the ground as he dragged his lightsaber blade with the force into his right palm, igniting the weapon as the dark blue blade of plasma lit up the area.

He landed, his boots breaking into the dirt as he began to expand his surroundings. Trying to figure out where the waves of bandits were. Yet, as he sprawled his eyes and senses around. He didn't feel a singular thing, lightly dropping his blade down to his side. Not comfortable enough to turn off his blade, but he was confused.

Until…he heard something, scanning the ground near him as he walked through the desolate campground, he began to fear that the bandits had escaped, and they were going to have to search again. Yet, he heard something, farther down the campsite as he spotted a man on the floor.

"Girl…" He strained out, Ben kneeling. "Girl…" He repeated as Ben could only stare in pure disbelief. Looking around the campfire as he stared at the fallen men and woman that were either knocked out or dazed.

'A nobleman's daughter, did this?' He questioned. So, in his thoughts and distracted to the point in which he didn't hear the footsteps behind him or felt the weight of the force surrounding him. He was too late, whipping his back around as he felt a striking pressure soar along the base of his right arm, right under the shoulder. His heart thumping along his chest, willing to break out as he threw himself backwards.

His lightsaber automatically unignited as it slipped from his fingers, the feeling of his arm slouching as he stared at it. No feeling, he didn't think…rather he remembered, that feeling when his left arm was separated, the separation, the pain…the fear.

Ben was afraid, he was terrified as his heart thumped and sweat began to glisten. He didn't have time to think, and right before the enemy could leap into the fray Ben threw out a powerful force push, knocking the figure into the rows of tents as he tried to still his breathing.

He had to glance, to stare at his right arm to make sure it was there. It took a while but with the aid of the force, after a minute or two he began to feel tingles along his arm, and those tingles caused a slight breath of fresh air to excel from his parted lips.

Reattaching his blade, he began to walk towards the interloper, hoping that maybe he could get an answer or two from this person that done this to his arm. Yet, as he stared at the figure…only one word emptied from his mouth. "Fuck…"