The Chronicles of Kaurava: Part I
The Inevitable Change Approaches
This first series of chapters will be a summary and explanation of events that happened when the Avatar World realized it was part of something much, much bigger... along with everything that inevitably came afterwards.
Long before a boy falling from the night sky suddenly landed in Hidden Leaf Village, the people living outside of the Four Nations had passed down tales of a legend through generations, that a child from the cosmos would descend from above, and change the world forever- the Star Child, to be precise.
What he would do when he finally showed up and then came of age was entirely up for debate- but there was another fable spoken of by the people that could hypothetically complete the puzzle.
Rumor had it that there were nomadic tribes and clans moving between the borders of the Four Nations, who believed in a god named Krishna, the "Spirit of Unity" who would one day emerge from slumber and unify the entire globe (including the Spirit World) under one government.
Could Krishna and the Star Child be the same person?
It was only a matter of time before the truth revealed itself.
In the time following his supposedly prophesied arrival, the boy who fell from the sky unexpectedly began to grow quickly, becoming the size of a healthy adult male in under a year, and ultimately transformed into a hulking giant with handsome, androgynous facial features within two more years.
At full height, he stood 4.5 meters tall- more than twice the height of the Earth Kingdom-born Avatar Kyoshi, the tallest human in the world's recorded history.
This ridiculous growth spurt alone was enough to convince his caretakers and future teachers that he WAS in fact the Star Child. And so now his godly name had merit. The real Krishna was here to stay... though he had yet to fulfill his purpose, the divine task of bringing the world together.
The four powerful Benders that protected Hidden Leaf Village, who collectively raised the young demigod as their own child- known as Reika, Daoyu, Taishen, and Isan, respectively, now had the task of teaching him the ancient Bending techniques.
Just as suspected, he had enormous mystical potential inside of him, a fact proven by consistent martial arts training sessions and careful observations. Of course, he always had to hold back during these sparring matches, to avoid permanently injuring his instructors.
Isan, the Airbending specialist of the four, and an extremely rare survivor of the Fire Nation's genocide, suggested that Krishna might be able to bend elements entirely unknown to both human civilizationAND the Spirit World.
She also theorized that the giant warrior, already a prodigy in his own right, could perhaps invent brand new disciplines for harnessing the building blocks of the world.
Isan's notes and studies regarding the topic of Krishna's strange body, chi and mind were numerous, confirming everything from the presence of two hearts in his chest, to the fact that his bones were harder than any form of metal, but the most important details, without a doubt, were these ones:
The possibilities for the aspects of both creation and destruction within Krishna's being were endless.
This man was literally a living super-weapon.
And he had an incredibly strong connection to the Spirit World.
These were all key points that could turn the tide of an entire global war.
With such an asset aiding their cause, the radical military leaders of the Hidden Valley could finally step out of the shadows and make the official move to unify the Four Nations against their will- this would be a war to end all wars, an act of justice to punish those who would dare to divide humanity and disrupt the balance in this world. Krishna would be at the forefront of the crusade, leading by example, pushing the globalists and liberators onwards.
That being said, however...
Was such a noble goal worth the death and suffering that would inevitably come as a consequence?
Many, many people would go against Krishna and the forces of the Hidden Valley, simply because they did not want to lose their cultural identity, heritage and individuality. In addition, some of the resistance's more notable members, like the Waterbending civil rights activist, Katara, and the newest Fire Lord, Zuko, would put up an even bigger fight, posing a real challenge to the unification movement.
The biggest obstacle facing the young demigod's vision of unity was of course, the current Avatar, Aang. At least, that's what Krishna himself honestly believed.
The Avatar was indeed the only person on this planet with enough power to not only square up against a Primarch, but also perhaps relate to one of them, too, in a time of peace. This was a tale of two people gifted with great power, with the fate of the future resting upon their shoulders, but vehemently inclined to oppose each other, as the world plunged into chaos once again.
However, despite the considerable advantages Krishna possessed in dealing with this scenario of approaching war, there was another troubling factor apart from the Avatar which held him back from accomplishing his mission- his own significant personal flaws.
Notably, the sense of arrogance and overconfidence he would display in battle, his tendency to be very stubborn when it came to listening to people, and his difficulty in working with his colleagues.
Despite being the only true rival to the Avatar's power, he certainly didn't have the degree of wisdom, experience and insight that Aang did.
Furthermore, his teachers were unable to get him to see past his own hubris, no matter how hard they tried, and that distinctive ego would prove to be a major setback for him in the future.
Unsurprisingly, when the time to go to war finally came, Krishna immediately demanded that the Elemental Sages, the highest ranked military leaders in the Hidden Valley, should use scorched earth tactics to terrorize the cities of Ba Sing Se and Omashu, in order to scare the enemy into quickly surrendering and becoming compliant.
The Sages refused, stating an obvious fact- that launching terror attacks on populated areas would turn many more people against the Unification movement. The campaign would have to start out small and slow before any significant progress was to be made.
Not one to follow orders, the cocky, disobedient and arrogant young demigod went his own way, on the very same day that Hidden Valley stealth troops began launching coordinated raids on military strongholds across the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation, intended to cripple the logistical supply chain and destroy important infrastructure while inflicting minimum civilian casualties.
While the world began waking up to what was going on, Krishna started his search for the Avatar. He logically deduced that his allies and followers didn't need his assistance at this moment, because the ongoing plan was to sabotage the Four Nations' armies, not directly engage them in a pitched battle.
What the Primarch didn't know, was that the Avatar had a trick up his sleeve when it came to facing strong opponents that could match or even surpass him in power... though Krishna technically possessed a mind with cognitive capabilities beyond that of the galaxy's most powerful supercomputers, he had willingly chosen to ignore his elders' warnings about picking a fight with the reincarnated protector of balance, out of pure recklessness.
...And little did the world know, that not only was this war just beginning, but it was also a mere microcosm of a much bigger conflict, one fought on an incomprehensible scale, which was ravaging the literal heavenly cosmos.
-CHAPTER 1 COMPLETE-
The stage is set, the revolution has begun, and battle lines are being drawn. All the while, outside forces are keenly watching these events unfold from across the stars, pondering on whether the world of Avatar, (the planet which they know as Kaurava,) is actually worth scrutinizing, and maybe even visiting, too.
These star-sailing human pioneers don't have much time, though. They have been fighting a losing war against a totalitarian alien empire, essentially the Fire Nation of the Milky Way Galaxy, which seeks to commit genocide on any civilization that does not fit into their twisted view of "purity."
It would be nothing short of ironic, that the pioneers would one day usurp the position of these alien oppressors.
But for now, the race to claim Kaurava is well underway...
With the current state of far future fantasy events covered and documented, let's have a look at how that same rising human interstellar civilization views the Four Nations.
-GREAT CRUSADE SURVEY-
Planet name: Kaurava
Planet designation: 765-BV
Distance from Terra: 86 light-years
Parent star type: Green dwarf (Class F spectral/temperature grade, 2.5x solar circumference)
Planetary system: There are 12 planets in this system total, including 4 gas giants, 5 ice giants, and just 3 terrestrial worlds.
Habitability: Earthlike, hosts a wide variety of diverse ecosystems, many of which bear an uncanny resemblance to records of prehistoric Terra
Key information: Written by Rogue Trader and Planetary Explorer, Tally Youngblood
A complex, but somewhat primitive human civilization inhabits Kaurava, and it has a strong connection to the Warp. Magic is everywhere here, many people are born with the potential to "bend" the elements, and the world even has a dark, mirrored version of itself hidden within Warpspace.
Spirits inhabit this surreal place, and their temperament varies from reasonable and friendly to irredeemably hostile. However, one's physical body cannot enter the spirit realm, for it is quite literally a part of the afterlife, an island in the sea of souls that is the Warp.
Kaurava's physical and spiritual halves are connected by the presence of one being- the Avatar, the only human on the planet who can bend the four traditional elements, who has the immense task of keeping balance in the world.
Apparently, the Avatar is reincarnated through multiple lives, in different nations.
This is important knowledge to us in the Imperium, because the Emperor's Primarch Project was theorized to have used spiritual material sourced from deities in the Warp, transcendent beings who experienced cycles of reincarnation, being reborn into different eras of history.
Is the Avatar Kaurava's local equivalent of the Emperor's greatest creations? The only way to find out is to visit this fascinating world ourselves, and inform the natives of their role in something bigger.
What's more, if the indigenous population somehow agrees to become part of the Imperium, they will likely prove themselves to be valuable allies in the fight against the Combine Empire.
Kaurava is home to many different warrior cultures, the most notable and powerful of which are centered around the elemental bending disciplines. They could teach the Astra Militarum many things, and their very best warriors could arguably be the perfect candidates for the Space Marine recruitment program.
I heard the Second Legion of Astartes has taken an interest in landing on Kaurava and making first contact. The Spirit Wardens claim that the whole planet is in a very recent state of upheaval, and that something, or SOMEONE worth our attention is causing it.
We must make haste! It's been a whole week since the Space Marines held off an assault from the Combine's navy just outside the Kaurava system... if we don't act quickly, another planet of great value will be lost to the vile enemy!
Conclusion:
I wanted to give the Primarch Krishna some of his own fatal character flaws, because literally all of his brothers also possessed detrimental negative personality traits, which would prove to be catastrophic for the young Imperium of Man.
The Horus Heresy was a result of centuries of petty rivalries, egotistical pride, and selfish acts... so it would make sense for a new Primarch in the roster to be plagued by the same mental health issues.
Also, I am in the process of creating an entire new faction of Xenos enemies for the Imperial Great Crusade to fight, which will be the main antagonists in this fanfic encyclopedia series, in the time before the Horus Heresy.
Not to be confused with the Combine Empire in Half-Life 2, this particular Combine Empire is a nightmarish, intergalactic totalitarian regime, originating from the Andromeda Galaxy, which is governed by a dominant race of gargantuan insectoid beings- the dreaded Veeru, Warhammer's equivalent of the Xenomorphs from Alien, just much more intelligent and dangerous.
The Combine has conquered millions upon millions of star systems and either enslaved or exterminated countless civilizations. Its most recent targets in the Milky Way have been the lost colony worlds of Mankind, and because of this, the Veeru have come into conflict with the burgeoning Imperium of Man.
Not one to surrender easily, the Emperor of Mankind put more effort than ever before into creating armies of super-soldiers, and he has plans for strengthening the Space Marine Legions by utilizing a cheaper version of the elite Legio Custodes genetic engineering process.
Meanwhile, in a desperate quest, the Imperium's vanguard forces have been traveling all over the galaxy, searching for lost Primarchs to be reunited with their Legions and join the fight against the Combine.
Six of the missing Primarchs have been found so far- Horus, Rogal Dorn, Perturabo, Lion El'Jonson, Fulgrim, and Roboute Guilliman.
What would they think of the newest addition to the family, Krishna, the Almighty Master of the Elements?
If anyone in the audience has ideas for that particular future meeting scene, let me know in the review section!
As you are probably aware, in the next chapter, Krishna will fight Aang. It will be a clash for the ages, and a perfect excuse to find out how good I am at writing fight scenes. Really, it's going to be a case of raw power vs. supreme skill.
What happens sometime after this duel, during the escalating war between the Four Nations and the Hidden Valley Kingdom, will change things for the world of Avatar, forever. History won't be the same...
TO BE CONTINUED