Earth. Fire. Air. Water. Long ago, in the early days of the Chun Tai era, Avatar Korra helped the peoples of our world find a new balance among themselves. We learned that with our hearts and minds working together, we could create wonders unimagined by our ancestors, in both the spirit and material worlds. But all that changed when we discovered the world beyond the Veil. We found a culture so different, but complementary to our own, and through them came to realize that though our accomplishments were great, they were but the first footsteps on the shores of a much larger galaxy... I have a message from another time... Eyrie Productions, Unlimited and Magnetic Terrapin Studios present UNDOCUMENTED FEATURES FUTURE IMPERFECT THE LEGACY OF KORRA, BOOK 5: VEIL Epilogue: A New Galactic Age Philip Jeremy Moyer "Legacy" devised by Philip Jeremy Moyer Korra created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko (c) 2015 Eyrie Productions, Unlimited PT I: An Unexpected Teatime XINQISAN, JIUYUE 12, 271 ASC (Wednesday, September 12, SY 2390) In the Spirit World, there was a mountain. Around that mountain, there was a plain. On that plain, there was a tea shop. And in front of that tea shop, there was a table. An assortment of spirits were gathered around the table, sharing in the excellent spirit tea and cakes spread about its wide surface. The conversation was light and jovial, encouraged by the proprietor as he bustled between the guests. A pleasant afternoon, shared by enjoyable company, and even the heightened debate between two of the guests could not dampen the mood. Considering that one of those guests was Avatar Korra, this was a very good thing for all involved. "Well, look," Korra commented as she blew across the surface of the teacup in her hands. "It's not like this is unprecedented. Remember the kvald migration of '05? We didn't even know what those -were-, until we asked the Zipangi. Frankly, I'm surprised you guys didn't have them popping up earlier." Across from her, an Aye-Aye spirit gave Korra a gimlet-eyed gaze as he stirred his own cup. "It's not the -existence- of them that's the problem, Stinky," he replied before taking a sip. "It's just that they get into the strangest places, and they're so... so..." "Weird?" Korra offered. "No, -sharp-," Aye-Aye replied, and then jumped in alarm as one of the subjects of his concern crawled up over his shoulder. "Aaah! See what I mean?" Korra laughed, and reached over to take the centipede-like spirit into her hands, lifting it off Aye-Aye's shoulder. "Awww, he's -cute-!" she exclaimed as she stroked the metal scales of the mechanical insectoid spirit. It made a soft buzzing, trilling sound as it blinked its faceted eyes, and then crawled up her arm on its multitude of tiny wire legs. "See? There's nothing to be afraid of, Aye-Aye. He's different, but not dangerous." "Hrmph," Aye-Aye replied, dubious. "Just you wait, Stinky. Next thing we know, we'll have creatures of -tubes- and -wires- crawling about the oasis, and if they're not careful, they'll short out! And rust! And stink up the waters!" "Sounds like you -do- care," Korra commented with a sly smile as she sipped her tea. Meanwhile, the mechanical spirit had crawled up to her hair and curled up, making a shining circlet on her head. "Look, if it'll make you feel better, I'll go and talk with them, see what arrangements can be made. Maybe they just need an oasis of their own. Something with an oil bath..." "Mmm. Perhaps," Aye-Aye conceded, before taking another swig of his tea. He then sighed, and leaned back in his chair. "It wasn't like this back in the old days." Korra arched an eyebrow. "Yes, and the days of the lion turtles were -ever- so peaceful." Aye-Aye snorted. "Can I get the two of you refills?" asked the proprietor as he came up between them with a kindly smile. "I heartily recommend the jasmine blend." "Oh, thanks, Iroh," Korra thanked the aged tea master with a smile as she held up her teacup to be filled. She inhaled the aroma of the spirit tea before taking another sip. "Wow, this is really good! Did you use the teapot for this?" "No, not this time, Korra," Iroh replied as he poured another cup for Aye-Aye. "This one is a special blend taught to me by the radish spirit." "Hmmm, he always did have good taste," Aye-Aye admitted. "I do wonder what he's been getting up to these days." "Last I checked, he'd set up shop at Jasmine Dragon corporate headquarters," Korra replied with a grin and a glance at Iroh. The former Dragon of the West chuckled. "Ahh, it is good to know that tea appreciation has continued into the modern day. Even -if- the prices have changed some since my time." Korra laughed. "Anyway, I think in the long run, the Spirit World can only benefit from this. All the new concepts coming in from Zipang and Diqiu as we modernize - well, it'll just add more variety to the spirits that live here. Stasis may be comfortable, but it kills in the end. Makes you more vulnerable to the things that -can- change." Iroh nodded sagely and set his tea-tray aside on the table between them. "The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but building on the new." Aye-Aye rubbed a knuckle against his sharp chin as he thought it over. "All right, those are both good points," he finally said, before taking a bite of spirit cake. Korra smiled, and was about to respond, when something on the edge of her perception gave her pause. She turned to look over where Naga and her pack had been resting (well, save for Amaruq, who had been stalking a dragonfly-rabbit spirit without much success), and made to get up from her chair. At that moment, everything changed. A sudden hot wind blew around Hai-Riyo Peak and across the plain, bending the spirit grass so much that it seemed to flatten outright. Naga's pack went on the alert, howling disconsolately at the sky which had abandoned its pastel hues for an utter starless black, but they could barely be heard over the terrible thunderous roar that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at all. At the wind and the noise, Korra staggered, falling to her knees, clutching at her head with a wordless cry of alarm. Startled, the metal spirit jumped from her hair and landed on the table, where it skittered away to hide beneath the pastry basket. "KORRA!" Iroh and Aye-Aye exclaimed together, dropping what they were holding and moving to either side of her. "Are you all right, Korra?" asked Iroh over the noise as he rested a hand on her shoulder as she groaned and steadied herself. "I... don't know. Maybe?" Korra muttered, shaking her head to clear it. "Here, drink this," Aye-Aye added, handing her his cup of tea. She inhaled the aroma deeply, then took two great gulps of the jasmine blend. Her vision clearing, she straightened up and handed back the teacup to Aye-Aye. As she did so, a thought occurred to her and she glanced at the spirit. "Wait, did you just call me 'Korra'?" Aye-Aye rolled his eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about, Stinky." Iroh gave the two of them an amused look, then turned serious. "Korra, what do you want us to do?" Korra looked between her two friends. "Get everyone you can to the spirit portals. I have no idea how long this will last, but in case of the worst..." Iroh and Aye-Aye nodded. "We understand," the spirit replied. "-Go-." Without further discussion, Korra put fingers to mouth and let out a piercing whistle, cutting through the continuing noise. Naga immediately stopped her howling and ran up to Korra's side. In one smooth motion she pulled herself up onto Naga's back, and they were off. PT II: The Cosmic Null Time, distance, and direction were all fluid concepts within the Spirit World. While time itself was guaranteed to move forward, the rate at which it moved was highly variable, and largely dependent on the people experiencing it. The same could be said for places in the Spirit World - while concrete locations existed, their position and distance relative to one another were often interchangeable, and dictated by the needs and emotional state of the traveller. When that traveller was a very focussed Avatar, said times and distances were very inconsequential indeed. The taijitu upon which the spirit portals and the Tree of Time resided appeared mostly unchanged during the brief moment of transition. It was only when the Spirit World snapped back into focus that she could see that it was faring the same as the land around Iroh's tea shop. The bare branches of the Tree were being stirred by the hot wind; Korra could not recall the branches having moved, -ever-, not in her very eventful lifetime, or those of her predecessors. The sky here was that spare, starless black as well, the only lights available those provided by the land and water itself and those in front of the small outbuildings that had been set up over the years on the periphery. Korra paid them little mind as she and Naga came to a halt at the roots of the great Tree. A small group of monks and sages had gathered at the base, mendicants and researchers who had taken to meditating near the Tree to gain a glimmer of cosmic awareness. Now, they huddled together for their own protection, as well as several spirits who had been in the vicinity at the time. "Avatar Korra! What's going on?" cried out one of the monks, an airbender named Shespa, one of Rohan's many descendants. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out. Get everybody else OUT of here!" She gestured towards the spirit portals. "Never mind me, just GO!" she exclaimed when hesitancy crossed their features. "I'll be all right!" (I hope), she didn't add, as she twitched Naga's reins. The polar bear dog leapt and climbed over the twisted roots in record time, and in moments they were perched on the rim of the opening leading to the hollow trunk. Outside, the hot wind continued to howl, cutting across the opening and causing a deep basso roar to resonate through the Tree. Korra grimaced, and put the unpleasant memories that came to mind behind her. With a gesture to Naga, she moved to the center of the hollow's floor, assumed the lotus position, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. The Path was there. The Path was there, and Korra stood on it. That was, perhaps, the only good news that Korra could come up with, as she meditated and tried to bridge her consciousness to the energy of the universe. The Path was there, wide and shimmering, but there was nothing there for it to lead to. What had -happened-? Even if, by some bizarre circumstance, her Cosmic Self was not present, the background energy of the universe should have been there. The sum totality of the universe, alive in all its glory, should have been present, observable, a living breathing thing of stars and worlds (as her own admittedly limited human mind would have interpreted it). This, though, was -nothingness-. Absent of energy or decay, which had an energy all its own. This was totally outside of any of her past lives' experiences. Korra could feel the shock and confusion murmuring in the back of her mind through her connections, shock at the totality of nothingness, confusion as to how any of this could have come to pass. She somehow knew, deep in her soul, that asking any of her predecessors as Avatar what had happened would be fruitless. Even with their ten thousand years of service, that was an eye-blink when compared to the universe itself. Korra focussed herself inward, to the very core of her being. There was one who could possibly help, but even if not, she must be warned. (Raava.) (Yes, Korra,) answered her other half, the Light Spirit that was bonded to her in ways that transcended the physical or spiritual. (I see it too.) (What -happened-?) Korra asked in a wordless plea. (The Spirit World's gone bleak, and now this -nothingness-...) (I do not know,) Raava admitted with regret. (Even when I was independent so many cycles ago, or entwined with Vaatu, I have never seen such a thing. This is not darkness, this is -absence-. I would not have even thought it -possible-.) (But the universe had to have had a beginning, right?) (Perhaps, but even then, it would have likely been birthed from the death of another,) Raava mused. (Even so, my existence and Vaatu's would have begun long after that event. I have no memory of a 'before' for comparison.) Korra grimaced, uttering a wordless, voiceless expletive. (So... this is it, then? The end of the world as we know it?) Her expression then hardened, her resolve strengthening. (Not on -my- watch.) There was a brief moment of amusement from the Avatar Spirit. (My sentiments exactly, Korra,) she replied. (Whatever happens, I am with you, forever.) (I know, Raava,) Korra answered fondly as she gathered herself. (Thank you.) With that, the Avatar threw all her focus, all her will, all her self into invoking the Avatar State. She could feel the rush of power begin as Raava and her past lives, from Aang to Wan, joined with her, and then... ... with a suddenness like a light switch being turned on, the energy of the cosmos returned. No fanfare, no premonition, no warning. Just emptiness one moment, and existence the next. Korra blinked glowing eyes, and would have rubbed them if she had thought to do so in her bogglement. (... well! -That- was easier than I thought - eh?) She paused in her self-congratulation to study the situation further. Yes, it appeared that the universe had somehow returned, but the whole thing seemed... off, somehow. Like a television image suffused with subtle static, something was preventing the cosmic energy from returning to its full strength. (Okay, spoke too soon...) she remarked to herself, and shifted her focus. Now, instead of looking inward, she looked outward, past her Cosmic Self to the universe beyond. What she found surprised her. When she had "perceived the infinite" before - joining in meditation with others, or by herself within the Tree of Time - she had not sensed any particular intelligence behind it. If there was one, it had been vast and unfathomable, beyond even the Great Spirits in their workings. But now, there -was- something to be sensed. She couldn't define it exactly, but a presence was definitely there. For some reason she couldn't describe, it strongly reminded of her long-deceased mother. Whatever, whoever was behind this latest change in the universe, she could tell that it was not malicious, but caring. Even so, she could somehow tell that the presence was strained to its limit. That somehow, it was responsible for the restoration of the universe, in a last desperate measure to prevent the end of all existence... and that it couldn't keep it up forever. Korra's heart and mind went out to the presence, offering to help in any way that she could. The answer she received was one of wordless reassurance, a promise that the universe would go on. The emotions contained within that promise were almost overwhelming in their totality, and the Avatar had to fight to keep from flinching. Steeling her resolve, Korra answered that response with a promise of her own: that she would stay with the presence, as long as it was required, until the universe was fully restored. Her promise was backed up by that of Raava and her past lives, all the way back to the first Avatar, the Avatar Spirit in totality providing whatever assistance it could. Time became undefinable as Korra existed in that state of connection, synchronized with such an intelligence. It was a strange form of communion, of a type in which she had never participated before. She couldn't tell if progress was being made or not, or if her efforts were making any difference. She only knew just that her support was deeply appreciated, and was making the whole endeavor more bearable for the presence on the other side. A sudden surge in the cosmic background energy snapped the Avatar out of her trance. With something like a muted gasp-hiccup, the presence's own energy was subsumed by that of the rest of the universe. Korra reached out with her mind and spirit to help the presence recover, but now she could only feel contentment and satisfaction from the entity, that of a job well done. The 'static' was gone from her perception of the universe - if anything, it seemed even more 'real' than before. While she was still processing that, there came one final emotion from the presence before it faded, the closest to dialogue that Korra had so far experienced with it: Thank you. With a wordless you're welcome, Korra withdrew from the contact. She had done all that she could at this level of reality. Now, it was time to deal with the ones closer to home. Korra came back to herself, still seated within the depths of the Tree of Time, and took a deep breath. She let it out with a sigh, uncoiled herself from the lotus position, and walked over to Naga, who had waited patiently near her master. "Good girl," Korra said as she rubbed the polar bear dog behind the ears. As she did so, she could hear that the horrendous noise from earlier had stopped. The pastel lights of the sky shone through the trunk's opening, illuminating the interior. This was a promising sign, but there was no telling how the Spirit World had weathered the storm otherwise. With a resigned sigh, Korra climbed back out to the roots of the Tree. From her vantage point, she could see that the area around the portals had not survived the incident unscathed. Several of the outlying booths had collapsed, and the spirit water channels had broken their banks in several places, causing irregular pools to form among the ridges of the taijitu. What was most notable, however, was the large gathering of spirits and humans that had formed beneath the Tree of Time. Mixed together without regard for role or species, this group had apparently disregarded her earlier warnings - or had gathered here after the incident to find out what had just happened, which Korra thought was more likely. (Well, can't be helped,) the Avatar remarked to herself. (Time to deal with it,) she admitted with a self-deprecating smile before putting her game face on and hopping down to address the group. The confused, concerned muttering from the crowd picked up as they noticed that Korra had emerged from the Tree, but they quieted almost immediately as she raised her arms and waved to get their attention. "Excuse me! Hello? May I have your attention please?" Korra called out to those assembled. Once she saw their attention was on her, she took a brief moment to size up the crowd. There were quite a few familiar faces there, and she nodded in satisfaction. "Thank you. First off, it would appear that the universe has NOT ended," the Avatar started without preamble. "There -was- a brief period of 'interruption', for lack of a better word, but some other power took steps to rectify the situation, and I aided them with the restoration. Whoever or whatever it is, it is -not- hostile." A pudgy spirit frog grunted. "What's -that- supposed to mean?" "It means that I believe the worst is over, for the time being," Korra replied. "Whoever is responsible for the restoration has promised that the universe will go on, and I am inclined to believe them." She held up her hands to forestall complaints before any arguments could begin. "What I need all of you to do right now is to return to your homes, take stock of what damage may have occurred, and then report back to the Air Acolytes and Nomads who will be remaining here. That way, we can determine what's happened and we can prioritize how and when to fix things." Murmurs of discussion began to spread within the assembled crowd, and Korra raised her voice again. "I promise you, you will not be abandoned in the aftermath of this crisis! We will work together to fix this, spirit and human alike! Look to your neighbors for help, and we will all get through this!" As the conversations began to turn more positive, Korra gestured for one of the Air Nomads to come closer. "Will you take care of coordination on this side for me, Shespa?" she asked the airbender as she approached, followed by one of the foxlike knowledge seeker spirits that roamed the spirit and material worlds. "Of course, Avatar Korra," the spirit researcher answered with a nod, which was matched by a nod from the fox spirit next to her. "We'll take care of things here, and I'll report back to grandfather as often as I can." "Good, thanks," the Avatar replied as she gave Naga a scratch behind the ears. "Let me know immediately if anything stranger than normal comes up." "Of course." Korra took one last look around the taijitu, as the crowd began to break up to check on their home territories. She sighed, and gave Naga one last hug before releasing her. "Take care, okay? I'll be back." The polar bear dog gave her longtime master a friendly lick on the cheek, and then settled back on her haunches. Korra nodded, closed her eyes, and focussed. With another breath, Korra left the spiritual world for the physical one. Korra slowly blinked her eyes open, feeling her spirit settle back within her body on Air Temple Island. As she returned her focus to the concerns of the material world, blurry shapes of crimson and saffron resolved themselves into a small group of Air Acolytes and Nomads surrounding her. Seeing that the Avatar had returned to her mortal shell, they moved forward to provide assistance if she needed it. The Avatar waved off their offers of help, remaining seated, searching the small crowd surrounding her in the ocean-facing meditation pavilion for one person in particular. "Where's Jinora?" she asked through dry lips. "I'm here, Korra," came the reply from the elderly Master Airbender, as she stepped through the small grouping of acolytes. "You had us worried there for a while." Korra made a noncommittal grunt, and finally accepted one of the Acolytes' offers of water. She took a deep drink to soothe her dried throat, and then looked up at Jinora as she waited. "So... you know?" Jinora nodded gravely, reaching a hand up to pet the green dragonfly-bunny spirit that had perched on her shoulder. "The gist of the matter, but not the specifics. Furryfoot and his friends were quite worried, and they weren't even in the Spirit World at the time." Korra took another drink of water, and frowned. "If the spirits out here could sense it... damn." "What do you want us to do, Korra?" The Avatar thought this over for a few moments, looking down at her glass of water. Then she lifted her head, looked Jinora in the eye, and issued a single, simple directive: "Summon the White Lotus." PT III: The Other Side of the Divide FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, SY 2390 (Xinqiwu, Jiuyue 14, 271 ASC) SAIKYO, ZIPANG ENIGMA SECTOR At first glance, Foreign Minister Hayashi's job wasn't all that complicated. The original settlers of Zipang, hailing from such first- and second-generation Japan-derived colonies as Tomadachi and Hayaku, had specifically chosen their new colony's location in the Enigma Sector in order to get back to relative basics. No high-traffic spacelanes, no galactic megacorporations, no major rare resources to draw the attention of any hostile galactic powers. The Zipangi liked their privacy, choosing for themselves what they would allow past the borders to integrate into their society. When GENOM made its push for galactic dominance in the wake of the fall of the Wedge Defense Force, the reaction from Zipang had been to close down all of its border orbital stations, save one. While perhaps not all that effective in the galactic view (a planet's surface is a rather large area to interdict from orbit, especially for a newly- established third-stage colony), it was more that the effort was made that counted. So, on paper, the position of Zipang's Minister of Foreign Affairs didn't actually have much to -do-. All official trade and immigration was managed through Dejima Station, in geosynchronous orbit above Saikyo. Zipang's space navy was mostly geared towards intra-system defense and orbital interdiction. The chances of them needing to enforce foreign policy outside of the system was slim to none. What diplomats that Zipang had were dispatched towards various of the Enigma, Rigel, Cygnus, and Centarus Sectors polities that respected Zipang's neutral stance on matters interstellar. For any other galactic power, this would have made a posting to the Foreign Affairs office either a retirement home for government officials past their prime, or a source of busywork for those up-and-comers who had more energy than political sense. Those galactic powers, however, didn't have a class-5 multi-national urban and industrial inhabited world on the other side of a metaphysical divide from their own colonized planet - one much larger in population and overall capability to their own. So they could be forgiven for underestimating the amount of effort the Foreign Minister had to actually put into their job. Fortunately for Zipang, Hayashi Midori was not the kind of woman to let things slide. Straight out of college, Hayashi had not let her homeworld's self-imposed isolation stop her from satisfying her interest in foreign cultures. Fresh-faced and bright-eyed, she had joined the country's foreign service, dispatched as an aide to one of the diplomats assigned to Diqiu's United Republic of Nations. Two decades later, after a few lucky breaks, three duels, and a lot of hard work, Minister Hayashi now wore the haori jacket of a government samurai, occupied the largest corner office in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and kept her naginata of office finely honed. Even if she didn't get out into the field as often anymore, she kept tabs on her officials and the international affairs of her country and its neighbors (in both directions) with a precise and steady hand. For instance, on this day, Hayashi was going over the minutes forwarded to her from the colony's representative in the Federation Senate on the current debate over the Earth Alliance's proposed legislation for psionics monitoring, while also drafting a proposal for increased training of Zipangi-born element-benders in association with components of the United Republic's military. It wouldn't do for her home to go unprotected, however the Federation ended up actually deciding on the issue. "It's just my luck that the inner colony caucus would push this nonsense through on -my- watch," the minister muttered to herself as she read the latest report, detailing how several of the Co-Prosperity Sphere's representatives had spoken vociferously for the need to monitor the emergence of random psionic talents. "I bet Komei would never have put up with this when he was in office." "I don't know, Minister Kato always complained about the Earth Kingdom parliament stonewalling him whenever he didn't think I was listening." Hayashi's eyebrows went up beneath her glasses as she looked up from her data terminal. There in the doorway stood a familiar form, grinning crookedly as she leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. "Avatar Korra!" Korra smiled, giving the minister a quick Water Tribe bow. "I'm afraid this isn't a pleasure call, Midori." "Of course, of course," Hayashi replied, getting up from behind her desk to give the Avatar a formal bow of welcome. "So what brings you to my doorstep today?" "Has there been anything... strange going on in the outer galaxy the past few weeks?" "You mean, -other- than the Federation parliament still debating over this 'Psi Corps' initiative the Earth Alliance has come up with?" Korra shook her head. "Not anything that long-term. Within the past week or so." "Well, my contacts in the Navy have reported on a burst of traffic on the Rigel-Terminus corridor. Not cargo haulers, but something a lot more heavily-armed." "How long ago was this?" "Specifically between last Wednesday and this Tuesday. Within the past week we've had quite the eclectic array of transports passing by the system. They all filed their flight plans, and we had no cause to stop them since they weren't planning to linger in our orbital space. But still, the Freespacers, GENOM Corporation, WDF, various free-traders and couriers - it's not exactly a unified group." "Well, the timing sort of works out, though I don't see how spaceships going back and forth would influence what happened in the Spirit World. We've had plenty of them fly by in centuries past, even if we didn't know it." "I'm afraid that aspect is far outside of my expertise, Korra." Hayashi then tilted her head, curious. "What -did- happen, if I might ask?" "It's... I'm not entirely sure, to be honest. It just seems like the universe 'stopped', for lack of a better word, but then started back up again. I'd never seen anything like it." Just then, one of the agency's functionaries poked his head in, a datapad in hand. "Minister Hayashi? We've got an update from Orbital Traffic Control." "Ah, good. Put it up on the screen, if you would?" Hayashi and Korra turned, and the decorative screen along one wall changed images from a Hokusai reproduction to a diagram of the nearby sector. Although a lot of the diagram's details went over Korra's head, she could read lines and labels well enough, and the aggregation of tracked spacecraft did indeed appear to be travelling along the corridor the minister had mentioned. However, while the tracks entered through the Rigel side, they did not make it all the way through to the Terminus. Instead, they stopped halfway through, and within the past day started going back out the way they came. The nearest astronomical feature to their stop point was indicated with a large label: ENIGMA X-21. Hayashi blinked. "... -that- can't be right. Has this data been verified?" "Yes, minister. By the head of traffic control himself." Korra studied the diagram, and her brow furrowed. She turned and looked at the minister with concern. "Now, I'm no astrophysicist, but I thought getting too close to a black hole and back out again was impossible." Hayashi frowned, and came to a decision. "Bring my car around. We need to get to the spaceport right away." "Yes, Minister!" The trip from the Foreign Minister's office to the spaceport's Orbital Traffic Control station was a 15 minute ride for a ministry hovercar, carrying the driver, the Minister, the Avatar, and their respective protective escorts. While neither official really required one, it was a political token that had served them well, and you never knew when you'd need backup to take out some hostile element to one's person. As such, the four of them traded anecdotes about their years of service on the drive over. "So, if you can believe it, the Terra Triad decided -just then- to get into a brawl with the police outside the Fire Nation's embassy while Hayashi here was visting on the behalf of the Zipang ambassador," Korra explained to her Kyoshi Warrior escort and the minister's Foreign Service bodyguard, who were listening with rapt attention. "Unfortunately, they decided to do it just as she was getting out of the ministry's -Satomobile-..." "Really, you make it sound like I held off the Triad members by myself with nothing but my wit, charm, and blade-handling skills," Hayashi replied with modesty. "I did have help from the embassy staff," she continued, with an acknowledging nod to the face-painted woman in combat fatigues seated next to Korra. "I knew my cousin was stationed for a time at the Fire Nation embassy, but she never mentioned this!" the Kyoshi Warrior said with quiet awe. "She always compared the job to a whole lot of standing around, being imposing, and trying not to fall asleep." The minister chuckled and nodded. "Well, Maiya was always one to understate things. Speaking of which, Jin, has there been any word...?" "Oh, yes!" the warrior said with a grin as she sat back. "She finally gave birth last month. She had a girl, they've named her Maki." Hayashi nodded. "A good, strong name, that," she said with approval. "I'll need to send a congratulatory gift basket from the embassy for this auspicious occasion." "You know, Minister, I'm surprised," said her bodyguard. "With your history, I would have expected you to -join- the Warriors, not just train with them for several years during your posting to Kyoshi Island." Hayashi shrugged. "Well, as much as I enjoyed my time there, dealing with the unagi proved to be too much of a hassle. I'd rather face politicians and the Triads." Zipang's central spaceport stood out from the rest of Saikyo's urban infrastructure due to the fact that it had changed very little from the colony's early settlement days. Large enough to handle cargo haulers and orbital transports to and from Dejima Station, but not large enough to receive the long-distance passenger liners and heavy industrial transports that were in vogue elsewhere in the galaxy, the landing field was surrounded by the blocky reinforced prefabs and revetments that were ubiquitous to first-stage colonies across the settled galaxy. The only concession to the colony's unique architectural idiom was the passenger terminal's front facade, which to Korra's eye looked like a Fire Nation community center. The interior, however, was a purely utilitarian passenger concourse, more generic than some of the ones in airports back home, and Korra kept her momentary disappointment from showing as they were ushered to the spaceport's more functional non-public areas. She tried hard not to look too bored as she was led through a number of nondescript prefabricated hallways, and only visibly perked up again when they arrived at the spaceport's control center. "Minister Hayashi, Avatar Korra, thank you for coming," said the director in charge of Zipang's air and space traffic control as he welcomed the four into the center's observation office. "I take it you want to know more about the report the Orbital Traffic office sent over." "That's about the size of it," Korra replied, crossing her arms. "The whole thing looks strange, and I know strange." Hayashi nodded. "What are your findings, Hiranuma?" The director nodded, straightening his haori of office before moving to his desk to activate the controls for his master status display. The diagram the two women had seen in the Foreign Minister's office reappeared, much larger and more detailed than before. "The activity on the Rigel-Terminus corridor first came to my attention when the GENOM Star Destroyer Vindicator logged their flight plan to pass by our system on the way to the Terminus. Now, as you can imagine, even with GENOM being on the up-and-up these days, a Super Star Destroyer doesn't go anywhere without some direct orders from the higher-ups in the company. Although they passed us by without incident, I had several of my people keep track of where they were going. Just in case we'd have some blowback coming the other direction." Hiranuma gestured towards the diagram, at the tracks that would lead ships through the corridor to places in the Terminus such as Omega and Zelfina Station. "However, -it never came out the other side.-" "A Super Star Destroyer -disappeared-?" asked Hayashi's bodyguard with surprise. Hiranuma nodded, and ran his hand through his greying hair. "For three days there was no report at all, and then yesterday the GENOM ship comes back going the -other- way. Long-range sensors in the system picked up some -major- battle damage on its hull, and while they were as nice as you please responding to our request for another flight plan, they were rather silent about what they'd been up to." "That's when you started having other people look into any other disappearances," Korra postulated. The director nodded. "Correct, Avatar. In the past week twelve ships of varying tonnages and battle capability have travelled the corridor, dropped off the radar, and then showed up again. Whatever happened out there, it was -big-." "So, how'd you find out where they'd gone?" asked Korra's escort. Hiranuma gestured at the display, changing the images projected therein. "Once we realized that these disappearances were occurring, a tiger team of our controllers began going through the long-range sensor logs, the ones that are used by the deep space observatories, and they started to notice a pattern." Spots of light appeared in a cluster in one particular system. "A collection of hyperspace, warp, and reflex fold traces in the Enigma X-21 system, and even that new 'metaspace' drive that's been announced. All of them stopping just outside the event horizon of a black hole." "I can see why you'd be concerned," Korra replied with a frown that matched that on the flight director's face. "Especially with this damage," she continued, pointing to some report displays on the side. "They look like they've been through the wringer." "I can't even recognize the causes of half that damage," Hayashi's bodyguard spoke up once again. "That's like carbon scoring, but the -scale- of it... no battle big enough to cause that kind of damage would go unnoticed in a core sector, even Enigma. We'd have heard about it from all the news outlets by now." Hiranuma arched an eyebrow. "You've got a good eye, Mr..." "Ibu, sir. Ibu Tadayuki." Hayashi smiled slightly. "Mr. Ibu served a tour in the Navy in order to pay his way through his degree." The flight director chuckled. "Well, when you get done working for the Foreign Ministry, you might want to come over here instead." "You honor me, sir. I'll need to think about it." "Of course." Korra looked out through the windows of the observation gallery, watching the traffic controllers at work below. It was a room filled with organized chaos and quiet tension, one that reminded her strongly of missions past. Before she could start getting maudlin, a commotion at one of the terminals caught her attention. As she turned to point it out to the group, the voice of the floor supervisor issued from the Flight Director's desk: "Sir, we've got another one." A minute later, Korra, Minister Hayashi, and Director Hiranuma were gathered behind the controller's station. As the flight controller continued to monitor the information, Hiranuma was consulting with the floor supervisor. "Which one is this?" "One of the late arrivals, the Phoenix Queen. She doesn't appear to have suffered major damage," he said, gesturing towards the sleek starship displayed on the controller's side monitor. "Whatever happened, they appear to have avoided the brunt of it." "Sir, they'll be in range for contact in two minutes. Do we just let them pass? Their incoming report was pretty rushed, according to the controller on duty," said the seated controller, indicating a flight plan record from earlier that week. "We could call them, ask for further clarification..." Before the supervisor or Hiranuma could reply, Korra spoke up. "Here, let me take this one." "Pardon?" The controller looked back at her boss and her boss's boss. When they nodded, she got out of her chair to make way for the Avatar. "Thanks," Korra replied, and then plucked the cap off the controller's head and put it on her own. "Gotta look official," she said with a slight grin as she settled herself into the console. She squinted briefly, committing the salient facts of the courier ship to her mind, and then put on her best 'Being Cheerfully Polite' face before opening the video channel. "Hello, hunting vessel PQ9 dash six one three, this is Zipang Orbital Control. Please state your cargo and destination." "Oh, hi, Zipang," answered a pretty brown-haired woman. "Veronica Santangelo here. Captain Inazuma's racked out, it's like two in the morning for us." She smiled indulgently, trying to suppress a yawn as she did so. "No cargo, we're a survey ship this month. Just on our way back to New Avalon from charting the Terminus for the WDF OSC." Korra nodded, and made as if to log that destination into the computer. "Our plot shows you passed near Enigma X-21 not long ago. Did you encounter any anomalies there?" Veronica blinked, then shook her head. "Huh? Uh, nope. Well, unless you count the big honkin' black hole, but, y'know. It's pretty clearly marked. And hey, you don't bother them, they don't bother you, right?" she added with a shrug. Korra arched an eyebrow. "I... see. Anything else? Unexpected traffic, unusual comms, anything out of the ordinary at all?" "Nooo, not so much. Everything's pretty quiet. But then we used up all our Class-X probes on this trip, so we wouldn't know anything about anything beyond sensor range anyway!" Veronica grinned. "We're just heading home to get paid, get laid, 'n recharge the milkshake machine." "Right. Well... clear skies, Phoenix Queen. Zipang out." Veronica smiled and nodded. "Thank you kindly, Zipang! Phoenix Queen out." With that, the connection was terminated, and the group watched as the courier's marker disappeared from Zipang's local traffic pattern as it left the system. Korra regarded the display for several long moments, muttered an "... Uh -huh.-", then slowly turned around in her seat to look up at the minister and their joint entourage. After a moment's consideration, Jin spoke up. "It's not really my place to say, Avatar... but that was remarkably suspicious." "Especially since they never made it to the Terminus in the first place." Korra frowned, and got out of the controller's seat, handing back her hat as she resumed her station. "-Something's- not right here." "I agree, Avatar," replied Hiranuma. "I suppose they didn't consider the range of our long-range sensors in creating their story." Korra nodded, and then looked over at Hayashi, who had an expression of grim determination, one hand resting on the collapsed staff of her sheathed naginata. "... Midori?" The minister blinked, and then looked over at the Avatar. "My apologies, Korra." She shook her head, frowning. "This entire matter is troubling in several aspects. We clearly need more information if we're to determine if it's related to the matter you came here to discuss - which is seeming more likely by the second. "I promise you full cooperation of my agency with the White Lotus Society, Avatar Korra. Zipang's best interests are served by participating in a joint investigation of the events of these past weeks." Korra smiled. "Thank you, Minister Hayashi. And I'll keep trying to figure out what happened on my end, and fix anything that was broken because of it. Hopefully between the two of us, we'll be able to make some sense out of the whole deal." PT IV: Repairs and Investigations XINQISAN, SIYUE 17, 272 ASC (Wednesday, April 17, SY 2391) REPUBLIC CITY, DIQIU True to Hayashi Midori's word, the Zipang Foreign Ministry's intelligence apparatus, as well as those of the Ministries of Defense and Commerce, were made available to Diqiu's Order of the White Lotus. Together, the ministries and the White Lotus performed several fact- finding missions into the galaxy beyond, seeking the provenance of the strange events of the past September. While that was going on, Korra performed her own investigations in the Spirit World sandwiched in between the two worlds, as well as determining what effects the events there had bled over to the material world. Given that one of the major epicenters of spirit activity was actually in Republic City, Korra didn't need to travel far to get things done. Thanks to the events of the Harmonic Convergence of 171 ASC, portions of the city had become overgrown with massive spirit vines. The inhabitants of the city, after a period of transition, had learned to live with them and their new spirit neighbors, rearranged the city's zoning districts, and underwent a complete transportation network rebuild to accomodate the unfortunate disruptions. Now, the spirit vines were as much a part of Republic City's infrastructure as the city's power grid and sanitation lines. Most citizens gave them little thought over the course of their day, unless they had some reason to visit the wilds. The wilds themselves had been carefully shaped and arranged over the decades, the vines redistributed instead of destroyed, to make a truly "green" city enjoyable by both human and spirit alike. Unfortunately, as with any natural system, there could be the occasional chaotic growth period, overrunning the more structured human construction. Fortunately, the Avatar had long since learned the way to cope with such disruptions, and could usually get things fixed in an afternoon. If only there hadn't been so -many- of them... Korra looked up at the storefront. What had once been a thriving store in the "Disciple Wong's Sound City" phonograph chain, was now doing its best impression of an overgrown florist's shop. Spirit vines had broken through several of the windows and had entwined around the record racks inside. While it was still possible to enter the store, it certainly wasn't doing anything for the consumer experience. "I'm sorry, Avatar, but I'm at my wit's end," the shop owner cried, watching as several puffball and mushroom spirits loitered in the shop. "I don't mind having the spirits there, but the vines - I can't even get into the back room anymore!" Korra studied the scene, a slight frown crossing her features. "And you say the Department of Spirits tried to move the vines earlier?" The shopkeeper nodded, the tassel on top of his hat flapping wildly. "They came last month, and the month before that! But the vines just keep -coming back!-" The Avatar sighed, and shook her head. "Do I have to take those guys through a refresher spiritbending course again? Seriously," she muttered under her breath, directing a brief sidelong glance towards the Spirit Department water tanker that had accompanied her to the vine disturbance. The driver had the good sense to look abashed at Korra's glare. "Don't worry, I'll take care of this." Shifting into a bending stance, Korra twisted the valves open on the nearby tanker truck. Water flowed out, controlled by her waterbending, and twisted around the vines, suspended in midair. As she shifted her stance, the water began to glow, redirecting the spiritual energy the vines were composed of. Slowly, the vines retracted from the depths of the store, receding into the ground and out of the windows. Continuing her spiritbending, Korra shifted the vines through the ground and under the pavement, allowing the tendrils to burst forth from the sidewalk, twisting upwards over several lamp posts, turning them into trees in the process. Their habitation moved, the spirits in the store ambled their way out of the shop and into the newly-grown trees. "Go in peace," Korra said, offering the benediction that completed the spiritbending technique. She had not discorporated the vines, but made them more harmonious with the environment, so she felt the statement still counted. "Amazing," the shopkeeper said with quiet awe. "That was incredible, Avatar Korra, thank you - aaah!" The shopkeeper jumped, startled by the glowing form of an elderly airbender that appeared between the two. "Korra, it's time. We're ready for you," said the apparition. "Thanks, Jinora," Korra replied, then turned towards the owner. "You're welcome, but I'm afraid I can't stay." A quick gesture closed the valves on the water tank, and another circular gesture summoned a gust of wind which propelled her airbender's glider staff to her hand. "Be there in five, Jinora!" she called out, before taking a running leap and taking off to fly towards Air Temple Island. Korra flew over the city and across Yue Bay, arrowing straight for the upper levels of the Central Air Temple. Alighting on one of the balconies, she spun her glider staff to collapse it, and stepped inside. Within the council chamber, the current White Lotus masters had assembled at the arched table, as well as a few extra people. Notably, Hayashi Midori was among them, along with her bodyguard standing behind her. Korra set her glider staff by the open window, and stepped forward. "All right, what've you got for me?" she opened without preamble. "It's as you suspected, Korra. Something -major- happened out in the outer galaxy, and whatever it was, its metaphysics rippled across the entirety of known space," Jinora replied from the center of the table. "You were just in the right place, at the right time, to both observe its aftereffects and take action in the Spirit World." Korra nodded as she pulled up her own chair and sat down. "Right. Specifics?" "We think the epicenter of the disturbance was in the vicinity of, or perhaps even -beyond-, the boundaries of black hole Enigma X-21," stated Colonel Takemi Takuma of the Fire Air Force, gesturing towards the computer display in the corner. A career pilot and former taikonaut, she now headed the United Republic's Outer Galaxy Threat Assessment team. As much as she appreciated the possibilities presented by the URN's alliance with Zipang, it was leavened with a decent measure of caution with regards to the threats beyond. "Whatever the cause, it was important enough to prompt a coordinated military response from several of the galaxy's major heavy hitters on -extremely- short notice," she continued. "GENOM CorpDef and the Vindicator, the CFMF Charlemagne, and the WDF Strategic fleet's Concordia were all pulled from their usual duty sectors and ordered to X-21 immediately. They, and several other vessels - including Gryphon's Daggerdisc! - arrived in the X-21 system two days before the incident. They must have known ahead of time that something -big- was about to go down, and deployed accordingly." "To help with whatever went on?" asked another of the masters, Captain Qiao of Diqiu's International Disaster Response Agency. "We're still unsure on that score, but the amount of battle damage seen on the returning ships point towards a MAJOR fleet engagement - one unreported by the media." Takuma nodded to the White Lotus intern who was manning the computer terminal for the display. The image changed, showing starships that looked like they had been through the wringer. "Heavy enough that both the Vindicator and Concordia had to go into dry-dock for repairs. Very few returned unscathed. Even the Autobots' Ark had some damage." Korra's eyebrows went up. "The -Autobots- went there too? Man, sounds like quite the party." "Since then, Supreme Commander MegaZone's resigned his commission and dropped off the grid (no surprise there)," Takuma added with a roll of her eyes. "Admiral Hutchins has resigned as well, but he appears to be heading up a new initiative in New Avalon - something called 'The International Police Organization'." "Huh. How 'International' is he talking?" Minister Hayashi straightened up and raised her voice. "Enough that my office and the Ministry of State have gotten invitations to consider joining. I know that several of the Salusian and Crown Colony worlds have signed on immediately. The reaction from EarthGov has been... mixed," she admitted. Korra snorted. "Figures. What about from the Freespacers and GENOM Corporation?" "The Freespacers look to have consolidated in the wake of this incident, and are buying up construction materials. We're not sure what's going on there," Takuma replied. "GENOM's undergoing a reorganization and starting a new initiative to hire more people for CorpDef and to boost production on their smaller Star Destroyer classes, as well as troop carriers. It doesn't seem to be purely military, though - there's some word that GENOM's starting to look into high- energy physics work again." "We're not sure just what they're developing, though they were a major player in refining the metaspace drive system. I've read that they're looking to make a major rollout of metaspace gates across the inner worlds, so they may be trying to make incident response faster," added Qiao. "Also, just to add to the confusion, there was a small combined task force flotilla that formed up around Enigma X-21 after the lead ships arrived and vanished. Apparently none of -them- got the memo either. Unfortunately, we haven't gotten much out of them in the way of reports, and I don't think we'll be able to get much out of them face-to-face. Not without looking suspicious," Takuma admitted. "Ok, so that settles what happened -after- everything exploded." Korra nodded. "Do we have any indicators of what could have prompted the thing in the first place?" "We have two certain indicators that something strange had started happening two and a half weeks before the incident. The first was the sudden destruction of Supreme Commander MegaZone's office in downtown New Avalon and his subsequent disappearance. We can't rule out abduction, but to be honest the New Avalon police and WDF Security were baffled as to what had happened. The rest of his inner circle didn't appear to be as concerned, considering his history - at least, nobody tripped any immediate red flags," reported Captain Qiao. "The second is the more distressing one," Rinpoche Tianbao of the Air Commonwealth continued from where Qiao left off. "Last Jiuyue, remember how all the weathermen were commenting on the sudden cold snap the equatorial cities were having?" There were nods all around the room. "Well, further investigation by myself and Professor Mosura - " (at this he nodded to said personage) " - revealed that it wasn't just limited to them. We had a -worldwide- drop in temperature, we just didn't think it strange at the time because in such places as the North and South Water Tribes, the variation wasn't as noticeable. And that drop started two and a half weeks before the incident, and didn't -stop- until after Korra did what she did in the Spirit World." Korra chuckled. "Well, it's nice to know that I had -some- effect." "But that's not all. This drop in temperatures was matched by a similar drop on Zipang. And once we saw that, we started checking -other- planets." Korra's brow furrowed. "... what are you saying here?" Tianbao leaned forward, his expression grave. "Beginning Bayue 26, 271, there was a -galactic- drop in the mean temperatures of inhabited worlds. It didn't matter the type of planet - even Tatooine experienced a drop. It doesn't appear to have raised any red flags - most likely since most people pay attention only to their local global temperatures." "Okay. That's just -screwy-." Korra frowned. "And things got back to normal after I did whatever it was that I actually did?" Tianbao nodded. "That appears to be about the size of it. Again, the WDF and GENOM have made no note about the occurrence, it seems to have been logged as a meteorological anomaly, if it's gotten noted at all. Not all planets are on the same seasonal cycles, after all." Korra took this onboard, then nodded. "What about Enigma X-21 itself? There anything strange about it, -other- than it being a huge gravitational anomaly that crushes everything too close to it?" "We've got reports from the WDF Science Division, the Royal Salusian Navy, the Vulcan Science Academy, and the Stellar Physics Chair of the New Snowdonia Institute of Science," said Kenzaburo Sato from where he was consulting a stack of notes. "Every one of them swears up, down, and sideways that Enigma X-21 is just your bog-standard stellar black hole in terms of actual physical effect. It isn't in a binary system where a partner star can provide any mass. The only thing strange about it is that its accretion disc and outflow jets radiate in the visual spectrum, not the X-Ray." "Oh really?" "Here's a video from a Rigel Spacelines passenger liner that swung by the black hole while on the Rigel-Terminus route, dated two months ago." He nodded at the intern who was manning the display's controls, and a new image came up. "They didn't actually -linger- there, but it's apparently a popular long-distance photograph opportunity for ships going that way." The video in question revealed a black void in space, surrounded by a wide and thin twisting disk of energy that was endlessly spiraling into its depths. Equally visible were the jets launching energy outwards from opposite sides, perpendicular to the accretion disk proper. As the disk spun slowly and the energy shot outwards, the whole thing shifted through a constant spectral flux, putting Korra in mind of the rainbows cast by waterfalls. "Wow, I can see why. That's pretty, but... hm." Korra tilted her head and squinted a bit at the image. "Yes, Avatar?" inquired the representative from the Kyoshi Warriors, Captain Fen, who sat nearby. "I dunno - aside from the whirlpool disk part, wouldn't you say that sort of looks like the Spirit Portals? I mean, the jets don't stay cohesive like the aurora projections from the portals, but..." "Korra, there's something else you should consider," Hayashi added. "Yeah?" "We were able to get the Terminus Sector charts ostensibly made by the crew of the Phoenix Queen. One of our pilots in New Avalon was able to get a copy from the local WDF Office of Stellar Cartography." She pulled up a paper packet, unfolding it on the table to reveal it as a recently printed sectional map. "Suffice it to say, there are some anomalies." Korra got up from her seat to study the map, as did several of the White Lotus masters. At first glance, the interlocking arrangement of grid squares, circles, arcs, and graded lines made no sense to the Avatar. But after a few moments study (and a quick glance at the legend in the corner) the whole affair began to make a strange sort of sense to her. She could pick out the major routes avoiding the notable anomalies bordering the Enigma side of the Terminus sector, the blocks of data denoting communication and station information that could provide succor to space travelers along the way. "I'm no expert, but I get the distinct impression that either these guys are the galaxy's worst stellar cartographers, or this is some kind of a joke," said Korra, pointing to a handwritten note reading HERE BE DRAGONS next to an arrow pointing to X-21. "Whoever this Sarah Inazuma person is, she's got very good brushmanship," commented the master from Piandao Academy. "I could only -wish- my students had handwriting skills that advanced." "We compared the map to earlier ones from different agencies, and there's a lot of overlap," Hayashi explained. "It's pretty, but there're a lot of subtle breaks - a cartographic version of cut-and- paste." "So basically, at this point we're looking at a cover-up of some kind," Korra concluded as she returned to her seat. "That's pretty much what it boils down to," Takemi replied. "Not apparently a malicious one, but possibly one to prevent wide-scale panic." "Which we somehow failed to avoid, thanks to our connections to the Spirit World," Master Tenneq, a sculptor and spiritualist from the Northern Water Tribe, pointed out. "Yeah," Korra frowned. "And because of those connections, we've had quite a bit of cleanup to do, on both sides. Republic City's Department of Spirits have -almost- gotten all the vine overgrowth taken care of, so I don't need to poke my nose in -too- often anymore." She rolled her eyes. "I checked both the Northern and Southern Spirit Portals at the poles, and there's been some overgrowth there too, but it hasn't impacted people as much because, well, they're in the middle of the ice on both ends. Spirits evacuated out of them when it happened, but then moved back in once they got the all-clear." "So, what caused the vine growth?" asked Master Kirima, the angakkuk of Korra's home town of Senna. "We haven't seen an upsurge in Dark Spirits lately." Korra shook her head. "From what I can tell, it was a defensive survival mechanism. Looking deeper into the Spirit World, there were actual -dieoffs- of spirit life inside it." She grimaced, then continued on. "Most ambulatory spirits were able to relocate, but a lot of the anchored stuff was affected. The Spirit World was a lot closer to whatever happened, and it bore the brunt of the aftereffects. Structures within them got shaken up, and some of the human-built ones broke apart entirely. The spirit-made ones fared better, but there was still a lot of cleaning to do." Jianyu Beifong, the latest architect in a long line of Zaofu Beifongs, nodded. "My construction teams were deployed on Captain Qiao's order to repair the human waystations beyond the Spirit Portals once the assessment was made. We offered our help to any spirits who wanted it, too." "Was Iroh all right?" asked Kirima. "And his tea shop?" Korra nodded. "He was with me when it happened; he helped a lot of folks get the word out and evacuate." "Good, I'm glad. I'd have hated to have to cancel our tea-and- pai sho dates," Kirima replied with a fond, indulgent smile. Korra raised a curious eyebrow, and then shook her head, dismissing whatever she was about to say from her mind. Jinora took the opportunity to speak up. "There's something I'd like to add to that, Korra." "Yeah?" "There was an upswing of revelatory dreams among the more spiritually aware around the time that this happened. Mostly focussed on either massive battles in the snow, or disruptions of the Spirit World proper." Korra blinked. "Huh. I didn't get any of that." "Probably because you were at the epicenter of what happened. A good number of people dreamed -of- you, but that's not quite the same thing." Jinora gave Korra an impish grin. "Well, that's not disturbing at all," Korra dryly replied. "You were -awake- the entire time, Avatar. It is not surprising that you would have missed out on the prophetic dreams experienced by others. Unless you managed to sneak in a nap in there while nobody was looking," Captain Fen added, the stark markings of her Kyoshi Warrior facepaint making her arched eyebrow even more pronounced. "Not even Kuruk would've decided to have a nap -during- an unfolding cosmic crisis," Korra grumbled. "So no fears there." "You -are- one of the most powerful spiritual entities in our world, Korra - if not the strongest, period," Jinora stated, as if to an airbending novice, instead of to the Avatar. "It's only natural that your actions in the Spirit World would affect people who were naturally receptive to these things." "Okay, -moving on-..." Korra shook her head. "Has there been anything metaphysically weird out in the galaxy?" "There were a scattering of similar reports, but they mostly got lost in the tide of yellow journalism dismissals. We only knew to look ourselves because of our own world's proclivities," Jinora replied. "What concerns me is that we may have had an upswing of esper awakenings in the wake of this event," Hayashi continued, her face grave. "We had a handful of spontaneous bending manifestations in Zipang from people who had bloodlines tracing back to Diqiu immigrants, but who hadn't shown any affinity for the arts in grade school. They happened the day of the incident, and not a moment before." "Well, -that- sounds familiar," Korra commented, with an agreeing nod from Jinora. "The reason we're thinking this is that according to reports, the timetable for getting EarthGov's 'Psi Corps' up and running has been accelerated," Colonel Takuma added. "They'll be operational before the end of the year at this rate." She leaned forward in her seat. "I've read some of the screening guidelines that my counterpart at the Zipang Ministry of Defense forwarded to me. It is -not- pleasant reading. But if you read between the lines, it's clear that they've been spooked. This event's pushed 'the telepath problem' to the forefront of their minds." "Well, that's just great," Korra grumbled. "There's one other angle we haven't considered yet. Was there any insight from past Avatars, if you were able to contact them?" asked Master Tenneq. A quick exchange of glances crossed around the room before all attention rested on Korra. They all knew the history of how, during Harmonic Convergence, the Avatar had lost her connection to her past lives through Raava the Light Spirit, and the legend of how some time afterwards Korra had managed to regain those connections. She didn't talk often about that subject, as it was something of a sore point for her, but seeing as she didn't depend on her past live's opinions, she was at least up-front about talking about them. "That was one of the first things I did, once the initial crisis passed," Korra admitted, and then sighed. "Honestly, it was kind of muddled. A lot of the older ones I couldn't understand, the more recent ones tried dodging the question, citing the old 'your era is different than ours, we don't have a clue what it was about' excuse, like Roku's pulled on occasion." Korra rolled her eyes. "I ran it by Yangchen, but... I dunno, if I didn't know better I'd say she was drunk." Jinora blinked at this, while Fen allowed herself a slight, sarcastic smile. "So, not nearly as helpful as you would have hoped," said the Kyoshi Warrior. Korra nodded, her expression rueful. "Pretty much. Aang was feeling pretty good about it, though, which is something, I suppose. And Kyoshi was feeling somewhat proud of whatever had happened. I know they all -helped- me when it happened, but it's one of those 'had to be there' things. I can't really put it into words. Raava had her own opinion - that this wasn't darkness, but -absence- - but she was fully behind my doing something about it." "Well, you've always been closest to her, so that stands to reason," Jinora pointed out, having recovered from her momentary befuddlement. "I concur with Raava's evaluation of the situation," replied the woman standing over to the side in lab coat and multifaceted glasses, her multicolored moth wings beating and creating a refreshing breeze in the room. "The weather in the Spirit World was affected by the absence of energy and substance, not the corruption of it. It acted much like the 'black holes' of the material world - a vacuum which consumed all the spirit energy before it. If it were not for the Avatar's actions, plus those she aided, no doubt the whole of the Spirit World would have been consumed, and then the mortal world would soon follow." A moment of silence followed, as the humans in the room considered the moth spirit's words. It had not really sunk in until right then just how close they had been to everything ending for certain. "Well then, I suppose once again we owe the fact of our survival to you, Avatar Korra," Captain Fen said, giving the Avatar a seated bow. "Thank you." "Heh, you're welcome," Korra replied, returning the bow. "Right. So, conclusions?" she prompted, in order to get the meeting back on track. Colonel Takuma nodded. "Something happened out in the galaxy, something unprecedented, that nevertheless went unnoticed by most of the galactic community. Those who -did- notice have kept the event and its outcome under wraps. From what we can tell, a sizable portion of the people involved live and work in New Avalon in the Zeta Cygni Dyson sphere. If we want to get to the bottom of this, our best chance for answers is there." "So, our best chance is for somebody to head out there and shake them down for answers." "Somewhat crudely put, but correct, Avatar," Tenneq replied. Korra nodded decisively. "I'll do it." The spiritualist blinked. "Wait, what?" He stared at the Avatar in surprise, and then looked at his fellow White Lotus masters. A mix of expressions could be seen around the table - from an equal measure of surprise to his own, to mild disgruntlement, to long- suffering resignation, to quiet amusement. He could even see the head of Future Industries looking almost so proud as if to burst, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes. "Avatar, you cannot be serious!" "Oh, but she can," replied Kirima, her eyes crinkling as she smiled. "You may have just risen to the inner circle, Tenneq, but mark my words - this isn't the first time that our Avatar has led the charge." She exchanged a knowing nod with Jinora. "Yes, and it won't be the first time my office will protest you doing this, Avatar Korra," Takuma replied. "You -know- we have no idea what may happen if the worst-case scenario occurs in the outer galaxy." Korra rolled her eyes. "We've already been over this, Takemi. And it's not like I haven't been careful taking risks out there before." "You -headbutted- the leader of Clan Weyrloc!" Korra snorted. "The guy had it coming to him. And the Urdnot Shaman had my back, and hey, it improved my standing with the overall ruler of the planet, so all to the good, eh?" "Avatar, we know you're eager to get out into the field again," added Fen. "And honestly, I cannot blame you," she added, before Korra could protest. "It's just... we've already invested all the time and effort with getting our agents into the field, performing all the information gathering already. Is there really a need for you to risk yourself as well?" "Seriously, Fen? You're taking this tack with me?" Korra asked. "Look, I know you mean well, but by now, everybody's who's been investigating will have been doing it long enough that I would not be surprised at all if the WDF and other agencies have started to put two and two together. The number of questions being asked by people about the same period of time has got to have raised a few red flags of their own. I know we route nearly everything through Zipang to keep it from coming back to us," (at this she nodded in acknowledgement to Hayashi) "but this still means there's somebody who it can be traced back -to-." "Unfortunately true, Korra," Hayashi admitted. "I would advise having several of my people do a 'surgical information strike' on New Avalon, but I suspect you would go ahead anyway whether I sent them or not." "(no bet,)" murmured Jinora to Kenzaburo, who outright let out a quiet -giggle- as he nodded in agreement. Korra sat up straighter, addressing the assembled masters. "Look, this was an unprecedented spiritual occurrence - one that could theoretically have put Harmonic Convergence to shame. Regardless of what you think of me personally, or my survival chances out there in the galaxy proper, it would be -tremendously- irresponsible of me to just sit on my ass here instead of doing my best to get to the bottom of what happened." Korra directed her stern gaze at Takuma, Fen, and Tenneq, who drew back slightly at her intensity. "I wouldn't be able to call myself the Avatar if I didn't." "Exactly so," Jinora replied, giving her explicit approval for Korra's choice. "I for one would not oppose Avatar Korra going out on her own investigative mission on behalf of the White Lotus." "(no surprise -there-)," muttered Beifong under his breath, before being slapped on the shoulder by the much older Kirima. "Ow!" Qiao sighed. "This won't be a repeat of the Cybertron incident, will it? I still have nightmares from reading the damage report from your little 'excursion' there with your 'new pal'." "Hey, Hot Rod was a perfect gentleman... for a guy who turns into a futuristic Satomobile," Korra replied with a grin. "And hey, the damage could have been so much worse." "Yes. That's what I'm still afraid of," Qiao deadpanned. "So, it's decided?" Korra asked the group. "We start making arrangements for me to head to New Avalon?" "Well, it wasn't exactly put to a -vote-," Fen pointed out. "But if you're so dead set on pursuing this path, we may as well support you as best we can." "Grandma would be so proud," Kenzaburo said with a grin. "If you're entirely sure, Avatar..." Takuma said with grudging acceptance. "Then my office will provide updated threat reports as soon as possible. Just so you're well-informed." "Hey, go to one of the most populous cities in the galaxy, poke my nose in, try to make contact with one of the most polarizing figures of the current age out there, and ask him some pretty sharp questions. How hard can it be?" Korra asked rhetorically. Jinora arched an eyebrow that nearly reached her arrow. "I can never tell when you're being sarcastic or not, Korra." "It's a talent, Jinora." PT V: Footsteps on the Shore XINQIYI, WUYUE 27, 272 ASC (Monday, May 27, SY 2391) REPUBLIC CITY, DIQIU Republic City Central Station had a long and storied history. Built in the early days of the city, it represented one of Aang and Fire Lord Zuko's hopes for increased communication and trade between the nascent republic and the Earth Kingdom. It had birthed the first major passenger rail lines, weathered the disturbances of 170 and 171 ASC, became the principal hub of the cross-continental magna-train network, and welcomed a resurgence of traffic once the Veil was discovered and rail travel became a major player once more. Its architecture had the weight of decades upon it, built by people who, above all, hoped for connection with others, no matter the means. While the statue of a young Fire Lord Zuko stood out in the plaza, there was another small memorial plaque by the entrance. There, in brass Tongyu characters, stood the inscription: REPUBLIC CITY CENTRAL STATION RAILWAY STATION RENOVATION PROJECT CONTRACTOR - FUTURE INDUSTRIES 171-174 ASC CHIEF ARCHITECT AND ENGINEER ASAMI SATO Korra smiled fondly and sadly as she hesitated by the entrance, rubbing her fingertips over the old, embossed text. No words were said, everything that was needed was already known in her heart. Besides, she had a train to catch, and if she was late, her memory of Asami would never let her hear the end of it. She shook her head, gave one last look at the plaque, and then went inside with her polar bear dog, Aagga. Inside, Korra navigated the terminal concourse with practiced ease. Fellow passengers gave her a wide berth, partly because she was the Avatar, and partly because of the massive apex predator accompanying her to the departure platform. Within a few minutes, she and Aagga had reached the waiting East Bao Sai Limited at the Zipang platform, and she waved to the group of people gathered by one of the passenger cars. "Hah! I told you she'd get here on time," stated Master Ikki to her older sister Jinora. "I never doubted you, Ikki," replied Jinora calmly, and then nodded to Korra as they arrived. "Hello Korra, Aagga." "Hey, you two," Korra replied, hugging both women. "Here to see me off?" "Of course," said the grandmaster of the White Lotus, bowing slightly to Korra. "Cheong here has your finalized documentation for the outer galaxy." "Zipang passport, medical insurance, credit chits, bank card, account information, network drop points, and calling card pre-loaded with the numbers of the Zipang embassies you might need to contact us," the White Lotus member said as he handed the papers across. Korra grinned as she accepted the diplomatic packet. "Thanks. This'll help me a lot." She turned and hauled her duffel bag off of Aagga's harness and unzipped it, stuffing the last bundle inside before closing and shouldering it. "Sure you've got everything, Korra? You didn't forget your seal jerky again?" asked Ikki impishly. Korra rolled her eyes. "Yes, Ikki, I've got my seal jerky," she said, patting the side of her duffel. "And I'll be sure to ration it this time." "Good, good. I don't want to have to fly down to the Little Water Tribe district and have to order another packet to forward to you across the galaxy. The -look- the one butcher gave me when I tried to buy some. I'm an Air Nomad, I'm a vegetarian! That doesn't mean I can't pick up some meat for my friends..." Ikki let out an annoyed huff. "But I thought you -liked- people giving you looks," Jinora commented. "Yes, but Tianbao's different. And I'm married to him." Korra shook her head, chuckling. "You two... c'mere," she said, opening her arms. The two aged airbending masters knew their cue when they saw it, and stepped forward to embrace their dear friend and adopted sister in a three-way hug. "Stay safe, Korra," Jinora murmured. "I don't know if I can promise that, Jinora," Korra admitted. "Will 'Stay Alive' do?" Jinora smiled fondly. "Yes, that it will." "Oh, and Ikki, could you do something for me?" "Anything - unless it's your taxes." "I don't -do- taxes. The White Lotus does them for me." Ikki snorted. "Which thrills them immensely, you know," she said with a sidelong glance at Cheong. "Seriously, though..." "Yeah, yeah," Korra replied, letting go of the two women. "Could you look after Aagga for me while I'm gone? I don't want her to get lonely." "Oh, of course." Ikki smiled over at the patiently-waiting polar bear dog. "As long as she doesn't get it into her head to try to climb the temple like her old man," she said with a pointed glare. Aagga gave her best deadpan look, but her wagging tail betrayed her. Korra laughed, and ruffled Aagga behind the ears. "Oh, -you-," she said, leaning in close. "Play nice with Ikki, will you? She's getting on in years," she confided to her animal companion, with a sideways glance towards the airbender. Ikki stuck out her tongue in protest to the allusion to her age, and then relented, laughing. Just then, the shrill whistle of the train cut across the platform. A conductor called out, "Five minutes to final boarding call!" "Right! There's my cue!" Korra smiled at the three humans and one polar-bear dog. "I'll see you all when I get back. And don't worry, I'll send plenty of letters," she added with a cockeyed grin. "You better!" replied Ikki. "I know you will," Jinora added, before giving her spiritual student an airbender bow. "Safe journeys, Korra. May the wind always be at your back." Korra returned the gesture with a water tribe bow of her own. "Thank you, Jinora. May your shores and harbors be calm while I'm away." "(They'd better, I'm getting old too,)" Jinora murmured, before standing and smiling. "Now go and run off, you whippersnapper." Korra laughed and waved to the four before turning and running up to the passenger car entrance. Showing the ticket to the conductor, she was quickly admitted, and vanished from view. As the four watched the train power up and begin to move away from the platform, one of the side windows of the passenger car opened, and Korra stuck her head and shoulders out. Before the conductors could call her inside, Korra waved, and called back, "See you on the shoreline!" Eyrie Productions, Unlimited and Magnetic Terrapin Studios presented UNDOCUMENTED FEATURES FUTURE IMPERFECT THE LEGACY OF KORRA, BOOK 5: VEIL Epilogue: A New Galactic Age The Cast (in order of appearance) Avatar Korra Aye-Aye Centipede Mecha Spirit Uncle Iroh Naga Shespa Raava Mysterious Cosmic Presence Pudgy Frog Spirit Grandmaster Jinora Hayashi Midori Zipang Foreign Ministry Attendant Kyoshi Warrior Jin Ibu Tadayuki Hiranuma Utamuro Zipang Orbital Traffic Control Day-Shift Supervisor Zipang Orbital Traffic Control Controller Veronica Santangelo Owner of Disciple Wong's Sound City #122 Colonel Takemi Takuma Captain Qiao Cheong Rinpoche Tianbao Kenzaburo Sato Captain Fen Master from Piandao Academy Master Tenneq Master Kirima Jianyu Beifong Professor Mosura Aagga Master Ikki Republic City Limited Conductor written by Philip Jeremy Moyer Korra created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko "Legacy" devised by Philip Jeremy Moyer ye suspicious Behavior The EPU Usual Suspects Traffic Control Benjamin D. Hutchins Book 5: VEIL is concluded but The Legacy of Korra will continue with Book 6: GALAXY, Chapter 1: An Avatar In New Avalon E P U (colour) 2015