So I've had this story line in my head for a long time. In one form or another, since High...
A Full Synopsis of a Brain Bug that hasn't gone away: nBSG / Avatar: The Last Airbender
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So I've had this story line in my head for a long time. In one form or another, since High School. Back when BSG and Avatar were both still on the air. I've thought about writing it a lot, but you know, real life is cruel, and writing takes a lot of time. But, I feel like I need to get the whole concept out. But why such an interest in combining Grim Dark hard sci-fi with an (extremely high quality) cartoon?
I think, one of the most interesting aspects of a crossover story, is seeing how the themes of different shows coincide. In this case, nBSG and Avatar have very similar themes. Avatar had a theme of, never give up who you are a person. Never give up your ideals just to make things easier. Remember how Aang was so conflicted when it came to killing the Fire Lord? nBSG asked why the Colonials, are the people, were worth saving. How far would they be willing to go to save themselves? I thought the episode where Roslin banned Abortion, one of her deeply held beliefs, was a good example of this. She had to give up a piece of herself for the good of her people. Aang never had to give up that piece of himself like that. What if that had come back to bite him?
There's also more typical SB themes to play with. A culture growing up with Magic interacting with one of Technology. The spirits of the Avatar world, so indifferent to the world around them, having to deal with an Out of Context Problem like the Colonials.
So this is my closure, and hopefully, an interesting read.
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What if, instead of the cold Hellscape of New Caprica, the fleet had happened upon a beautiful, lush world? What if when that raptor accidentally jumped into that nebula, it found an untouched paradise? Untouched, they think, until recon teams find great cities carved out of rock and iron. These aren't the ruins found on Kobol, they're living, breathing cities.
A stoic Admiral Adama makes the call to President Roslin - They need to meet. Immediately. She isn't pleased with the timing. You might recall, the fleet is in the midst of a presidential campaign against Baltar at this time. Roslin is the clear frontrunner, but the first debate is the next night, and she doesn't want to get cocky now. Roslin is shuttled to Galactica, where stunning images of a planet that looks achingly similar to Caprica before the Fall are presented. Laura is elated, until she's shown aerial photographs of great, walled cities and farms that stretch for miles. Her jaw drops. Did they just stumble on Earth, she asks?
No, it's not Earth. The constellations found on Kobol don't match up. But there are clear signs of human life. Though, they aren't finding any hint of advanced technology. Radiological scans show this world has never had one. They can't explain it, but in the end, does it matter? The Fleet desperately needs supplies, they won't look a gift horse in the mouth. Both Laura and Adama agree to keep the discovery secret for now, as they don't need the fleet jumping to conclusions in the middle of an election. William orders Lee, commander of Pegasus, to take his ship into orbit around the planet and commence surveying. The Fleet will be told they are conducting training exercises.
Meanwhile, Baltar and Tom Zarak, the ex-terrorist turned running mate, are contemplating strategy. Baltar knows Roslin is ahead, and that isn't likely to change. Zarak has an ace up his sleeve though. A source on Pegasus provided him with extremely interesting information. Pictures from a recon mission to a world rich in forests and oceans. Pictures that Roslin and the Military are content to keep hidden. Grinning, Baltar knows his next move.
While Lee and Dualla pine over images of a world that reminds them too much of home, recon teams are hard at work. Boomer, Helo, and company are surveying a river with explicit orders to avoid the natives for the time being. This lasts until they are ambushed by men clad in black-red armor. They try to talk their way out of a fight, but are cut off by streams of fire being lobbed at them. The Colonials are taken a back, but it only takes them a moment to reorient and start fighting back. Outnumbered, they are quickly overtaken and captured.
On Colonial One, Laura and Baltar are yelling at eachother about Abortion, or Freedom of the Press, or whatever the hell the Fleet wants to deal with at that moment. Baltar pulls out his images, accusing Roslin of hiding information and even supplies in an effort to keep the Civilian Fleet under her boot. Adama is pissed, but is talked out of arresting Baltar.
on Pegasus, while Lee wonders how the natives seem to have carved entire cities out of ice on the cities poles, they realize on of their raptors hasn't reported back. It doesn't take long for them to start looking, and a second Raptor overhead confirms the worst. Lee hopes his people are still alive and starts planning a rescue mission. Helo and Boomer are interrogated, but the Fire Nation soldiers hardly know what to ask, while Helo warns more will be coming. His captors welcome them to try.
Pegasus doesn't get a chance to try, though. The soil beneath the tent they are being held is thrown aside, ripping the structure apart. The interrogators are half-swallowed by the very ground beneath them, and a dozen or so muscled men make quick work of the remaining soldiers. They free the Colonials, and thank them for finally providing the distraction they've been hoping for. Helo, still trying to wrap his head around how the very ground around him seems to be under their control, thanks them and fumbles to figure out which question to ask first. The two peoples have a little time to talk. Helo introduces themselves as members of the Colonial military, explains how they come from a Star Ship named Pegasus far above their world, and are on the run after their people were nearly wiped out. The Earth Kingdom men explain how their people are fighting for their own existence as well. Their Meet & Greet is interrupted when Raptors scream through the air above. The rescue craft spot Helo, who manages to barely wave them off opening fire.
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On Galactica, Adama and Roslin discuss how to handle Baltar, and the fifty thousand people screaming for answers. They decide to reveal the knowledge of the human presence on the world, but the press conference is delayed when a fire on board the Botanical ship, responsible for growing a significant chunk of the Fleet's food, causes an explosion that destroys several of its biospheres. The fire is contained, and the ship itself is saved, but much of its food storage was lost. This includes precious, irreplaceable organic material used for growing. Roslin and Adama discuss possible sabotage, and just as pressing, how much more dire their supply situation has just become. They might be able to replenish that organic material from the planet, but the Botanical ship won't ever be restored to it's full capacity again. The tools to fix it don't exist anymore.
On the Avatar world, the Colonials are taken to a nearby Earth Kingdom before returning to Pegasus. Can you imagine the last time they've smelled fresh bread, or seen children run in spaces wider than a matchbox? They're filled in on the state of the world. The genocidal fire nation and the 100-year war that has engulfed their planet. They also explain the Avatar has returned, and salvation is at hand. The Colonials ask how they have such powerful control over nature, but the Earth Kingdom citizens can't comprehend a world without bending. They explain they channel the innate energy of their bodes, which sounds like gibberish to the Colonials. The men who rescued them ask how their flying craft work, and how they make the very air itself scream with fury? Helo tries to explain, but like the Earth Kingdom's attempt to explain bending, it's difficult to grasp. The small gang of space travelers snag pictures of a a political map of the world to bring back to the Fleet, and barter trinkets like rank pins for pieces of fresh food.
Lee returns Pegasus to a fleet in disarray. Strict rationing has been implemented, and the Rag-Tag Fleet is starting to question if Roslin is actually capable of protecting them. Lee shows guncam footage of Earth Benders manipulating the world around them, and gives a synopses of the political situation planet side. Laura Roslin asks the Commander if he's making is an elaborate joke. He's talking about magic. Actual, honest to Gods, real living and breathing magic. It's not a joke. It's real. No, they don't understand how it works. But it is what it is, and they're going to have to deal with it and move on.
The explosion has forced the Fleet to move up its timetable for supply runs. Adama jumps the RTF into orbit around the Avatar world, and analysts get to work. They track down a lush forest filled with fruit trees, which toxicology reports show are safe to eat. Mighty rivers are bursting with fish. And, jackpot, no sign of major habitation for dozens of miles. They track down a clearing big enough to land a ship or two in the forest, and put a team together to get to work harvesting food and soil to get the Botanical ship replenished.
And, for the first night, it goes well. Great machines are brought to bare on the planets surface, and the ground crews remark on the beauty of sleeping in front of a horizon instead of moldy, converted store rooms. But hey, you knew the peace wasn't going to last, didn't you? On the second night, the ground teams are confronted by a beast that defies description. A hulking form with glowing, translucent skin oozes out of the trees. An unnaturally smooth, humanoid head with void-like eyes of black, fauna and leaves growing out of its blue-tinged skin. The monstrosity floats about a foot off the ground, moving silently and deliberately towards the Colonial crews. The small group of men try to turn back for the ship, but the roots of the trees around them burst from the ground, wrapping around their leaves and trapping them in place. One of them pull out a gun, putting a handful of frantic shots right into the aliens body, with no result. An instant later, screams are heard across the forest.
Galactica is informed that something is out there, prompting Raptors to be dispatched to survey what they from the air, but there's only so much they can see through a dense forest at night. The commander of the ground team debates with Adama over whether or not to send their assigned contingent of Marines out on a search and rescue mission, but the Half-there Half-not creature comes up to the ship before a decision is made. The beast contorts the trees themselves around the Colonial ship, wrapping them around the Star Craft's engines before letting out a cry emanating from the land itself. "You are trespassers. Leave this place." The creature vanishes. The trees move back into place. The surface ships quickly take off, abandoning their supplies on the ground.
Adama threatens the crews of the harvesting ships to keep quiet. Roslin is at a loss for words, but tries channeling her rational side. After dropping the survivor count on the whiteboard of Colonial One by five, she tries grasping at straws. The creature was obviously sentient, could they communicate with it? Maybe negotiate? Adama shakes his head at the idea. The creature attacked them unprovoked. It couldn't be reasoned with, and their options for supply gathering were limited. Most of their heavy stuff was left behind in the forest. Helo was sent to try and barter supplies from the Earth Kingdom, but they're talking asking for enough food to feed a city. Their new allies can barely protect what farm land they have.
A day of aerial recon finds nothing worth mentioning in the forest. No sign or sight of the creature. It has, by all accounts, vanished. Marines landed on the surface find the remains of their men - Deathly pale and drained of life, with no visible wounds. Then, as the sun sets, the other worldly entity appears again out of nowhere beside the river. Its eyes follow the Raptors, but it stays in place. The attack craft are given the go to fire missiles at it, but an instant later it vanishes.
The next morning, Starbuck presents her plan of attack to the Admiral, Lee, and the President. The creature is nocturnal, and it seems to know exactly where they will be. They can use that. She suggests landing a ship with a skeleton crew, to lure the creature somewhere predictable. And then firebomb the hell out of the area around it. Turn the entire forest around the alien into an inferno using the Colonial equivalent of napalm, and watch the it try to dodge that. They would use the river as a natural firebreak, and resume harvesting unimpeded. Roslin is iffy about risking their lives, but Starbuck is confident the decoy ship can make it away in time. Adama gives the go-ahead.
A ship is chosen, and lands in a small clearing. Night falls. The creature is quick to return, its see-through skin now tinged red. It yells out that they were warned, before the roots around it begin contorting. It doesn't have time to begin its attack on the ship, however, before the piercing sound of Raptors screaming through the planet's atmosphere give it pause. Starbuck gives the order to let loose, and the land around the creature turns into a Hellscape. The land around the creature is incinerated in a blast of fury that would make the most talented firebender blush. And it isn't done spreading.
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While the Colonials have been gallivanting around the planet, news of flying, metal ships and strangely dressed people with glowing screens has made its way around. Most noticeably, it's caught the Gaang's attention. And why wouldn't it? Flying ships. They were travelling through an Earth village when a farmer remarks how he's heard the piercing screams of the air-ships furnace over his home. Light gleams off their bright metal hulls like a shooting star hurling towards the ground. And, in this case, hurling towards the Forest where their most decidedly do not go. Anybody whose been foolish enough to try is never heard from again. Displeased spirits live there, who are angered by the devastation to nature the Fire Nation has wrought. Taking a risk, the trio decide to venture into the forest to try and figure out who these visitors from the Sky are, and why they would be somewhere so hostile.
And for the day they traveled through the Forest, they stayed strangely undisturbed. Sokka was iffy about setting up camp for the night, but Aang was insistent they needed to see it through. They're awoken partway through the night by a howling roar in the air, and then, blinding bursts of light striking the ground. Wide-eyed at the destruction, they just manage to escape the approaching flames, catching a glimpse of the small, tan-colored Sky Ships silhouetted against the night sky. Aang doesn't understand how people could be capable of such cruelty, what could they possibly have to gain? He and Katara gather and their strength, and, with use of Avatar powers, suck the life out of the fire, restoring piece to a scarred forest.
Starbuck mutters an expletive as she watches her work vanish before her eyes. The fire, like a mini sun on the ground, gives way to the moon's soft light again. She remarks at the strange, glowing figure at the center of it. A pair of Raptors cautiously descend close enough to get a better view, as the small figure lowers itself back to the ground under its own unseen power. Their spotlights converge on the three, distinct human figures. The darkness slowly gives way to the coming of dusk as Adama orders Kara Thrace and her co-pilot, Helo, to take the risk and bring her raptor down to figure out who or what they are.
They aren't greeted warmly. Aang demands to who they are, and to know why they would desecrate the land like this, what the life here has done to deserve it. Katara and Sokka are also on the defensive, while Starbuck reaches for her weapon. Helo stops her, pointing out that he is literally a child, and shows his hands at the Gaang. They don't want to fight. They were attacked, and were defending themselves from some sort of creature. Katara asks how they could possibly consider that defending themselves, while Aang points out the Spirit of the Forest was most likely trying to defend itself from them. Starbuck mocks the idea of a spirit, while Helo pleads with them to hear out their case. He explains their people will be on the verge of starvation in two weeks time. They needed the supplies they could only access here. When they tried gathering food, they were attacked. Aang is still hesitant to believe them, but Katara is a little more open to getting more details. Helo notices the arrows on the boy's head, and remembers something he heard back in the Earth Kingdom village. About an Airbender with arrow-shaped tattoos who had returned to save their world. He asks if the boy is the Avatar, which catches him off guard.
Helo says, if they let them, they can show them a whole lot more.
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Back on the Fleet, the situation is growing more desperate. Marines have been dispatched to some of the larger ships to distribute rations after an incident on Cloud 9. The Quorom of Twelve have been quarantined on Colonial One, while Baltar has been rallying more support. She was on Galactica with the Admiral watching a live feed of the firebombing run. She and Adama go back on forth on whether or not to allow Helo's idea of bringing the Avatar and his companions up to the Fleet. The President is open to the idea of allies, but even she is iffy about leading them to the Fleet right after they stopped their attack dead in its tracks. Helo manages to talk them into letting them come up, which the Admiral reluctantly allows.
As the raptor lands within Galactica's hangarpod, a team of armored marines is there to greet the visitors. They're awestruck by Star Ships suspended motionless above the planet, and start playing twenty questions. Where did these people come from? A star very far away. They're civilization was wiped out in a single surprise attack. Aang thinks that sounds pretty familiar. They've both seen their people burn. Doctor Coddle examines the visitors, including a demonstration of water bending by Katara. He's at a rare loss for words, and his questions are meet the same vague ideas of keeping their bodies in balance. He tells Laura that, maybe, if they were at the Colonies with their vast wealth of technology and resources, he could do more to figure out how it worked. But the tools that might tell them more were lost with the Colonies. Roslin asks if their magic really is magic. She doesn't really understand how her radio works, but that doesn't stop her from using it as a tool. Coddle roles his eyes. She doesn't understand how her radio works, but other people do. Cottle suggests more digging on the planet might find something.
Laura and Katara seem like they'd be an interesting pair to mix. Katara was thrust into a situation she was never prepared for, much like Roslin. Katara is surprised and impressed to see a female leader, something the Water Tribe had trouble accepting. Maybe these people can't be that bad. The President shares the fact she used to be a school teacher. Katara asks how a school teacher becomes the leader of a fleeing people. Roslin explains how it's just like if a king dies, their heir takes over. She was just a little further down the line. Katara asks how far, to which Roslin smiles and replies, "Forty-third."
Aang is still reluctant to accept the Colonials with anything more than cool suspicion. The metal, rusting hulls remind him too much of Fire Nation ships. How can a people so advanced, they can walk among the stars, be struggling for food? He talks with Lee, who tells him about life back on Caprica. The Commander tells Aang of skyscrapers that touched the sky, and worlds brimming with great cities stretching from horizon to horizon. Those worlds don't exist anymore. Aang opens up about his people. The Air Nomads, the Temples, and how they were viciously wiped out.
A Civilian woman in Cottle's sickbay is slowly withering away. The Doctor explains to her husband that spores from the moldy walls of their freighter have invaded her lungs, and she won't be alive much longer. The husband begs him to do something, but there's nothing left to do. Later, a nurse laments they have to horde what little antibiotics they have left. The woman isn't valuable enough to save, Cottle reminds her. The little medicine they have left is reserved for pilots, engineers, and officers. People with skills who can't be replaced. When Katara comes to visit again, she finds the woman, and talks with her. The woman tells Katara she was born on a small farm on Virgon. She was one of the most fortunate survivors after the Exodus. Most people lost everyone. She had her husband and daughter. Katara uses her healing powers to restore the woman, who begins breathing normally, alerting Cottle. He checks her vitals, and gives Katara a half-amazed, half-terrified look. After calling the Admiral down, he asks Katara about the woman's condition. What was wrong with her? Which organ? Which tissues? What was causing her illness? Katara can't be too specific about any of her answers. Cottle can't comprehend how she can heal a person without the intimate knowledge of anatomy they have. Adama asks a favor. They don't have many doctors, and they have ships full of sick people. Would she be willing to help them?
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Meanwhile, President Roslin's options for finding supplies are dwindling. The Earth Kingdom was a dead end. Even if they could gather supplies from the Forest, it wouldn't be enough anymore. One of her people suggest the Fire Nation. They have more land, and they can grow more thanks to their industrialized empire. Roslin remembers how the Fire Nation wiped out Aang's people, and is nervous about negotiating with them, but with limited options, she gives the okay to at least talk to them. A Contact team is sent down, and to their surprise, the Colonials are greeted warmly. They'd be willing to trade enough food to keep the Fleet running until they can get back up to speed, but only if they can make a trade worth their while. One of the officers sent to make contact had a chance to get a close look at one of the Fire Nation soldier's armor. It was dull and full of imperfections. He suggests giving them formulas and techniques to improve their smelting. They could show them how to build the tools to mass produce higher quality steel, or make their steam-powered factories much more efficient. Roslin refuses to give them technology they could use for war.
Instead, they try offering them formulas for fertilizer and secrets like crop rotations and harvesting styles to make their farms more efficient. The Fire Nation stubs their nose at a trade for agricultural tricks. As the President tries to come up with a plan B, she gets word of food riots starting to break out on the Refinery ship. Two people were trampled to death.
So, Roslin starts wondering if the officer's idea would really be that bad. Life in the fire nation, all things considered, isn't that awful. They're in the middle of an industrial revolution. Was their own industrialization and expansion that clean cut? Remember back when Caprica ruled over Tauron with an iron fist? Sure, the Fire Nation has committed atrocities, but does that give them the right to be holier than thou? Oh, and she's only heard the Earth Kingdom's side of the story. They've probably done just as bad. In fact, the Fire Nation probably has a higher quality of life than the Earth Kingdom, she realizes. And, actually, they're pretty clearly in the drivers seat of this war. The Earth Kingdom has a handful of strongholds left. A few more years and it'll be over. If they helped the Fire Nation win, they'd be doing the world a favor. They'd be making the war less painful. And if the Fire Nation is going to be the dominant power on this planet they intend to settle, they might as well make sure they're on good terms.
In the end, Roslin rationalizes away her misgivings, and decides to make the trade with the Fire Nation.
Aang and Katara get a look at the less savory side of the fleet. Katara uses her powers to heal the horrifically ill in the Civilian fleet, but is mortified at the level of despair she witnesses. They beg for food. These ships are in a level of disrepair that make the aging Galactica look like a palace. Aang remembers how these were the same people who firebombed the forest, and becomes conflicted. Roslin had told him they desperately needed those supplies, and only attacked in self defense. If they'd succeeded in getting what they needed, would things be a little better? He considers going back down to the Forest to talk to the spirit, but doubts it's in a talking mood.
A half-dozen ships make land fall outside a major Fire Nation city. A mechanic shows diagrams of a method to refine steel the Fire Nation's engineers hadn't even considered. They compare the Fire Nation's metal to the steel they could be making. A steel-tipped arrow goes right through one, while it's stopped dead by the other. The trade is accepted, and the Fire Nation is shockingly quick to fill its side of the bargain. Mounds of food are loaded onto the Colonial ships. Roslin's representative wonders how they even gathered it so quickly. They take off hours later, after which the Military starts distributing the food.
It's no surprise the Gaang wasn't told about Roslin's dealing with the Fire Nation. So while they're elated to see food making their way to the Civilian Fleet, they're curious where it came from. When they spot Fire Nation insignia's on some of the supplies, they demand answers. Roslin frowns, and explains that they took the only option they had left. Aang asks what they gave the Fire Nation, a question that Roslin doesn't answer. Aang says he regretted starting to trust them, and insists on being sent back to the surface, which the President grants. She feels pangs of guilt for what she's done, and for losing Katara's trust and friendship, but realizes she's pulled the fleet out of Crises Mode. Even better, her poll numbers have soared.
When Colonial ships travel back down to the Fire Nation city to grab the second load of food, something has changed. Hundreds of people gather around their ships. Not soldiers, just ordinary looking people screaming up a riot as their ships land. Marines try to talk to some of them. They are farmers, shop owners, and ordinary villagers begging to know why their food has been ripped from their villages and families. More and more rioters gather around the ship, nearly dragging some of the Marines down, before the Colonials decide to book it back into orbit.
When Laura hears the news, she and Adama piece together what happened. The Fire Nation didn't give them surplus food, they ripped it away from the people it was intended for. People were still going to starve to death, but it would be those Fire Nation villagers and children on the surface. And it would be their fault. Her fault. The realization sends Roslin into a depression. She's cathartic for the next day or so, even while news of her election victory rushes over the Fleet.
Roslin confides in Adama that she feels as if their arrival has made everything worse for the Avatar world. From a narrative point of view, the idea is that the Avatar world also made things actively worse for itself. If the spirits of the planet hadn't been so hostile and self-important as they are in the series much of the time, the Colonials might not have needed to trade with the Fire Nation. On the other hand, yeah, it's hard to argue that the Colonials didn't fuck things up for Aang and company. Adama reminds her that there are a lot of mothers and fathers who won't have to watch their children die in agony because of her, but it doesn't do much to help.
On Colonial One, plans are being drawn up for permanent settlement. They're narrowing down a site, when Roslin finally pipes up. They aren't settling. They're going to finish gathering what they need and leave. They've done enough damage. One of the Quorum members ask if the President has lost her frakking mind, but Laura stands by her decision.
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News of Roslin's decision nearly rips the fleet apart. Protests break out on nearly every ship, and the idea of impeachment is brought up. One ship defies the Fleet and makes a break for the surface by itself, but is stopped by Vipers firing warning shots across its bow. Adama gives the order to Jump away, but calls it off after nearly half the fleet refuse to follow. They don't have the manpower to hold every ship at gunpoint. Lee and Starbuck ask if Adama really intends to let this happen. This planet is the single bright light in the nightmare that has become their life. Adama expresses his need to answer to the Civilian government. Anything else would be a military coup, even while the fleet is practically in insurrection.
Tom Zarak hasn't faded into the background. His contacts filled him in as their Fleet gave technology to the genocidal Fire Nation. He remembered his people being under the boot of Caprica's rule for hundreds of years. He remembers the slavery, the murder, and the soul of his people being crushed. He sees the same thing happening to the Avatar world at the hand of the Fire Nation. He sees his people enabling it, and refuses to let that happen. Roslin's breakdown was the best thing that could have happened to him. His support soars, and a plan is drawn up that will give the Civilian Fleet what they want, and make sure the Fire Nation will never have a chance to carry on their enslavement ever again.
Lee talks with Roslin on board Colonial One. He reminds her of his father's speech on Galactica before the Attack. "Someday, the time comes when you can't hide from the things that you've done." That's what She is doing, he tells her. She's doing exactly what they've done with the Cylons. Wash their hands of it, run and hide, pretend it never happened. Yeah, she frakked up, but she should stay and own her decision, not run away. He reminds her the fleet is ripping itself apart, and without leadership, there won't be a Fleet to hold together much longer. She stands, takes a breath, and phones Adama to let the Fleet know they're staying after all.
It doesn't soothe the fleet in time to foil Zarak's plan. Mutineers on Pegasus seize control of an armory, grabbing everything they can get their hands on before fighting their way to Raptors and blasting their way off the Battlestar. At the same time, commanders of Civilian ships take advantage of the chaos, breaking off from the Fleet and making a run for the planet. Vipers are too busy duking it out with Zarak's followers to stop them. Zarak and several Raptor's full of Marines and Supplies lose Adama's pursuit in a cave system, where they meet their contacts: Earth Kingdom men who were expecting them. By the time Starbuck catches up to them, the raptors are abandoned and no sign of Zarak's men can be found.
When the dust settles, they take inventory of what's lost. A dozen ships are going at it by themselves on the surface. Guns, munitions, grenades, propelled explosives, and more are among the stolen supplies. But most disturbing of all is two nuclear warheads unaccounted for.
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The Gaang happens upon the remains of a Fire Nation outpost not too far from Ba Seng Se, the Earth Kingdom Capitol. The soldiers who manned it are filled with bullet wounds reminding them of the Colonial weapons. A rapidly fading survivor tells them they were dead before they even realized they were being attacked. Sokka guesses the alliance broke down fairly quickly before moving on, disturbed at the level of gratuitous violence levied on the outpost. Ba Seng Se is under siege at this point in the series. The massive steel drill meant to tear through its mighty walls is nearing the fortress-city, and they don't have the resources to stop them.
Zarak and his inner circle are at the outer walls of Ba Seng Se, watching as the Fire Nation army approaches. He assures the Earth Kingdom general he has a plan, and asks for a volunteer.
A Colonial soldier, dressed in Earth Kingdom garbs and flanked by mooks of their ally, waves a white flag as they ride towards the Fire Nation army. They say Ba Seng Se offers its surrender, which the Fire Nation soldiers are reluctant to believe. The disguised Colonial says they bring a gift, and opens a silver case with a metal, blinking device inside it. The Fire Nation soldiers don't even have time to raise their eyebrow before they're vaporized, along with the drill. The mushroom cloud is clearly seen from the city, and off in the distance by the Gaang.
on Galactica, Adama is informed radiological readings show a nuclear explosion on the planet's surface, right beside one of the planet's larger cities. They send a team down to the surface, with Baltar in tow. Roslin insists on being a part of the away team, even over the Admiral's objections. The blast has wreaked destruction over the surrounding area. The area around the Fire Nation army is a crater, but the fallout has made its way to nearby farms and villages. Roslin finds an Earth Kingdom boy suffering the early effects of Radiation poisoning. She asks where is family is, and he points to the rubble remains of the village closest to the blast. She suggests taking him back to Galactica for treatment, but Baltar notes, with the level of radioactivity the boy must have been exposed to, there wouldn't be a point.
A few hours later, the Gaang reach that same village. The badly burned and crippled are all around them, and they find the same boy, mildly deformed and crying for water. She tries using her water to heal him, but it doesn't work. She can't understand why. The sickness runs deeper than anything she's ever seen. The level of hatred Aang is feeling for the Colonials is approaching worse than the Fire Nation. Images of those desperate, broken people on the Civilian ship flood his mind. All of this because the Forest Spirit wouldn't let them pick some damn fruit.
From overhead, a Recon raptor watches Earth Kingdom farmers rush to harvest what food they can from their land before abandoning it. Pangs of horror run through Roslin's mind as she realizes they'll be taking radioactive food back to their home without realizing the danger it is. The Colonials try to let them know, but how do you make them understand? They're already spread thin trying to find Zarak before he fucks something else up. Kara runs into the Gaang among the rubble. Aang pins her down, nearly crying, asking why they would do this. She fills them in on Zarak. The terrorist willing to do anything, at any cost of life, to see his goals met. He came to power when they tried to leave their planet for good. Aang agrees to help find and stop Zarak.
Zarak himself is perfectly satisfied. The loss of civilian life is unfortunate, but without the nuke, they might all have perished. He warns the Earth Kingdom not to eat the radioactive food, but asks them to gather it up. They could mix it in with Fire Nation supplies if they were clever enough. The general is leery of Zarak, and the amount of death, both Fire and Earth Nation, he's brought. Zarak insists this was all worth it, and suggests the next phase of his plan. They still have one more warhead, and the Fire Lord would be a prime target to use it on.
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The Gaang arrives in Ba Seng Se to find Zarak and his people gone, with no leads given to find them. Until one of the Generals tells them he left to end the war once and for all. When they piece together he's headed for the Fire Nation Capitol, they rush to tell the Colonials. Aang knew he would have to stop the Fire Lord, but Zarak would leave untold destruction. Would ending the war be worth all that death? Worth poisoning the land itself?
Recent events have broken President Roslin. The images of crippled, dying people, their bones exposed to radiation, their bodies slowly decaying while they unwittingly spread the poison to their families and doctors. Ba Seng Se will never be the same. The Earth Kingdom will probably keep growing and living there. Her actions have caused the death of a generation, and the Earth Kingdom might never recover. Things might be better if Baltar had won. Or if they'd never come here at all. It was easier when the people she lost were her own. It wasn't enough to see her own people driven to extinction, they had to destroy another culture, too.
William Adama is soldiering on. He's put a raptor above the Fire Nation capitol at all times. Tigh wonders if stopping Zarak would be worth it. Terror Bombing is nothing new, maybe letting him end the war would be better for everybody. Adama says they've been responsible for enough death.
Aang talks to Lee again. Aang shares how he has always wondered how he could kill the Fire Lord. Lee opens up about the events of 33, when he had to shoot down a Civilian passenger ship. It broke who he was as a person, but that was his burden to bare so the rest of the Fleet could live. Sometimes, you have to accept that you'll be giving up who you are as a person.
Zarak nears the Fire Nation capitol, lead by Earth benders who clear a tunnel for them. Ground-penetrating Dradis picks up an ever growing tunnel under the ground, giving them away. Marines and the Gaang intercept them, and engage in a firefight. The two sides are fairly evenly numbered, but the advantage goes to the side with Earth Benders underground. Zarak tries to reason with Aang. A hundred years of genocide and murder could be ended tomorrow. He remembers a people who were under three hundred years of enslavement. It destroyed the soul of his people. There's still hope for Aang's world. The war could end, their people could go on intact. Let him do this. Aang hesitates for just a moment. He could use his bending to kill Zarak right there, but he freezes. Zarak frowns. He tells Aang that he should be grateful they showed up. "You wouldn't have the stomach to end this war," Zarak tells Aang before the Earth Benders collapse the entrance behind them.
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Aang won't talk about what happened back in the cave. Katara tries to comfort them. Lee suggests warning the Fire Nation city, but the Admiral won't risk more of their people. Roslin dreams of herself in a strange, alien swamp. There was a supernatural swamp in the show where the Gaang would see and hear the cries of people who they couldn't save. I've always to see how Roslin, a woman with so much weight on her shoulders, would do there. First President Adar, then her dead assistant Billy, then the thousands of people they'd lost on the Olympic Carrier she ordered to shoot down, and then the millions they left for dead on the Colonies. It's all catching up to her.
Zarak's people break out of the Earth at the wrong spot. Within the Fire Nation Capitol, they struggle to fight their way to the Palace where they can detonate the nuke. Aerial raptors find this, and more marines + The Gaang are sent to stop him. They reach him just as Zarak's team gets to the palace. Their numbers dwindling, Zarak grabs the warhead and readies it to go off, prepared to take his own life if it means ending the war. Aang finds him, begging him to please stop. Zarak cries out that Aang would see his own world burn before he ever gives up his precious, self righteous beliefs. He would damn his own kind, but Zarak wouldn't allow it. Aang sends a blast of air knocking Zarak away from the warhead, then uses his staff to fly out of the building, just in time for a pair of raptors to unleash their conventional payload on the Fire Nation palace.
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Well, Zarak's plan sort of worked. The Fire Lord died in that Raptor attack. Adama had considered just blowing up the palace before hand, but then they wouldn't have known where Zarak would be with his warhead. The Fire nation has devolved into in-fighting. The Earth Kingdom took advantage of the chaos to retake several cities, and a ceasefire was declared. The renegade ships rejoin the fleet at gunpoint. The Colonials are allowed to return to the Forest they had left their supplies, for just long enough to get their stuff back, thanks to Aang.
The war is over. The Colonials have their new home, and begin permanent settlement. But, every major power on the planet actively hates their guts. A decent chunk of the land in the core of the Earth Kingdom is still radioactive. Aang still doesn't fully trust the Colonials, and probably never will, but sees to it they are left in peace. Roslin is still President, but she's fallen into a slump she may never break out of. She can at least know her people are finally, finally, safe, even if the cost was unthinkable.
Deep in her heart, she worries what would happen if the Cylons ever find them. Fin.
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So there we go. That's the brain bug I've had in mind for several years. Hope it was worth the read!
I think, one of the most interesting aspects of a crossover story, is seeing how the themes of different shows coincide. In this case, nBSG and Avatar have very similar themes. Avatar had a theme of, never give up who you are a person. Never give up your ideals just to make things easier. Remember how Aang was so conflicted when it came to killing the Fire Lord? nBSG asked why the Colonials, are the people, were worth saving. How far would they be willing to go to save themselves? I thought the episode where Roslin banned Abortion, one of her deeply held beliefs, was a good example of this. She had to give up a piece of herself for the good of her people. Aang never had to give up that piece of himself like that. What if that had come back to bite him?
There's also more typical SB themes to play with. A culture growing up with Magic interacting with one of Technology. The spirits of the Avatar world, so indifferent to the world around them, having to deal with an Out of Context Problem like the Colonials.
So this is my closure, and hopefully, an interesting read.
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What if, instead of the cold Hellscape of New Caprica, the fleet had happened upon a beautiful, lush world? What if when that raptor accidentally jumped into that nebula, it found an untouched paradise? Untouched, they think, until recon teams find great cities carved out of rock and iron. These aren't the ruins found on Kobol, they're living, breathing cities.
A stoic Admiral Adama makes the call to President Roslin - They need to meet. Immediately. She isn't pleased with the timing. You might recall, the fleet is in the midst of a presidential campaign against Baltar at this time. Roslin is the clear frontrunner, but the first debate is the next night, and she doesn't want to get cocky now. Roslin is shuttled to Galactica, where stunning images of a planet that looks achingly similar to Caprica before the Fall are presented. Laura is elated, until she's shown aerial photographs of great, walled cities and farms that stretch for miles. Her jaw drops. Did they just stumble on Earth, she asks?
No, it's not Earth. The constellations found on Kobol don't match up. But there are clear signs of human life. Though, they aren't finding any hint of advanced technology. Radiological scans show this world has never had one. They can't explain it, but in the end, does it matter? The Fleet desperately needs supplies, they won't look a gift horse in the mouth. Both Laura and Adama agree to keep the discovery secret for now, as they don't need the fleet jumping to conclusions in the middle of an election. William orders Lee, commander of Pegasus, to take his ship into orbit around the planet and commence surveying. The Fleet will be told they are conducting training exercises.
Meanwhile, Baltar and Tom Zarak, the ex-terrorist turned running mate, are contemplating strategy. Baltar knows Roslin is ahead, and that isn't likely to change. Zarak has an ace up his sleeve though. A source on Pegasus provided him with extremely interesting information. Pictures from a recon mission to a world rich in forests and oceans. Pictures that Roslin and the Military are content to keep hidden. Grinning, Baltar knows his next move.
While Lee and Dualla pine over images of a world that reminds them too much of home, recon teams are hard at work. Boomer, Helo, and company are surveying a river with explicit orders to avoid the natives for the time being. This lasts until they are ambushed by men clad in black-red armor. They try to talk their way out of a fight, but are cut off by streams of fire being lobbed at them. The Colonials are taken a back, but it only takes them a moment to reorient and start fighting back. Outnumbered, they are quickly overtaken and captured.
On Colonial One, Laura and Baltar are yelling at eachother about Abortion, or Freedom of the Press, or whatever the hell the Fleet wants to deal with at that moment. Baltar pulls out his images, accusing Roslin of hiding information and even supplies in an effort to keep the Civilian Fleet under her boot. Adama is pissed, but is talked out of arresting Baltar.
on Pegasus, while Lee wonders how the natives seem to have carved entire cities out of ice on the cities poles, they realize on of their raptors hasn't reported back. It doesn't take long for them to start looking, and a second Raptor overhead confirms the worst. Lee hopes his people are still alive and starts planning a rescue mission. Helo and Boomer are interrogated, but the Fire Nation soldiers hardly know what to ask, while Helo warns more will be coming. His captors welcome them to try.
Pegasus doesn't get a chance to try, though. The soil beneath the tent they are being held is thrown aside, ripping the structure apart. The interrogators are half-swallowed by the very ground beneath them, and a dozen or so muscled men make quick work of the remaining soldiers. They free the Colonials, and thank them for finally providing the distraction they've been hoping for. Helo, still trying to wrap his head around how the very ground around him seems to be under their control, thanks them and fumbles to figure out which question to ask first. The two peoples have a little time to talk. Helo introduces themselves as members of the Colonial military, explains how they come from a Star Ship named Pegasus far above their world, and are on the run after their people were nearly wiped out. The Earth Kingdom men explain how their people are fighting for their own existence as well. Their Meet & Greet is interrupted when Raptors scream through the air above. The rescue craft spot Helo, who manages to barely wave them off opening fire.
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On Galactica, Adama and Roslin discuss how to handle Baltar, and the fifty thousand people screaming for answers. They decide to reveal the knowledge of the human presence on the world, but the press conference is delayed when a fire on board the Botanical ship, responsible for growing a significant chunk of the Fleet's food, causes an explosion that destroys several of its biospheres. The fire is contained, and the ship itself is saved, but much of its food storage was lost. This includes precious, irreplaceable organic material used for growing. Roslin and Adama discuss possible sabotage, and just as pressing, how much more dire their supply situation has just become. They might be able to replenish that organic material from the planet, but the Botanical ship won't ever be restored to it's full capacity again. The tools to fix it don't exist anymore.
On the Avatar world, the Colonials are taken to a nearby Earth Kingdom before returning to Pegasus. Can you imagine the last time they've smelled fresh bread, or seen children run in spaces wider than a matchbox? They're filled in on the state of the world. The genocidal fire nation and the 100-year war that has engulfed their planet. They also explain the Avatar has returned, and salvation is at hand. The Colonials ask how they have such powerful control over nature, but the Earth Kingdom citizens can't comprehend a world without bending. They explain they channel the innate energy of their bodes, which sounds like gibberish to the Colonials. The men who rescued them ask how their flying craft work, and how they make the very air itself scream with fury? Helo tries to explain, but like the Earth Kingdom's attempt to explain bending, it's difficult to grasp. The small gang of space travelers snag pictures of a a political map of the world to bring back to the Fleet, and barter trinkets like rank pins for pieces of fresh food.
Lee returns Pegasus to a fleet in disarray. Strict rationing has been implemented, and the Rag-Tag Fleet is starting to question if Roslin is actually capable of protecting them. Lee shows guncam footage of Earth Benders manipulating the world around them, and gives a synopses of the political situation planet side. Laura Roslin asks the Commander if he's making is an elaborate joke. He's talking about magic. Actual, honest to Gods, real living and breathing magic. It's not a joke. It's real. No, they don't understand how it works. But it is what it is, and they're going to have to deal with it and move on.
The explosion has forced the Fleet to move up its timetable for supply runs. Adama jumps the RTF into orbit around the Avatar world, and analysts get to work. They track down a lush forest filled with fruit trees, which toxicology reports show are safe to eat. Mighty rivers are bursting with fish. And, jackpot, no sign of major habitation for dozens of miles. They track down a clearing big enough to land a ship or two in the forest, and put a team together to get to work harvesting food and soil to get the Botanical ship replenished.
And, for the first night, it goes well. Great machines are brought to bare on the planets surface, and the ground crews remark on the beauty of sleeping in front of a horizon instead of moldy, converted store rooms. But hey, you knew the peace wasn't going to last, didn't you? On the second night, the ground teams are confronted by a beast that defies description. A hulking form with glowing, translucent skin oozes out of the trees. An unnaturally smooth, humanoid head with void-like eyes of black, fauna and leaves growing out of its blue-tinged skin. The monstrosity floats about a foot off the ground, moving silently and deliberately towards the Colonial crews. The small group of men try to turn back for the ship, but the roots of the trees around them burst from the ground, wrapping around their leaves and trapping them in place. One of them pull out a gun, putting a handful of frantic shots right into the aliens body, with no result. An instant later, screams are heard across the forest.
Galactica is informed that something is out there, prompting Raptors to be dispatched to survey what they from the air, but there's only so much they can see through a dense forest at night. The commander of the ground team debates with Adama over whether or not to send their assigned contingent of Marines out on a search and rescue mission, but the Half-there Half-not creature comes up to the ship before a decision is made. The beast contorts the trees themselves around the Colonial ship, wrapping them around the Star Craft's engines before letting out a cry emanating from the land itself. "You are trespassers. Leave this place." The creature vanishes. The trees move back into place. The surface ships quickly take off, abandoning their supplies on the ground.
Adama threatens the crews of the harvesting ships to keep quiet. Roslin is at a loss for words, but tries channeling her rational side. After dropping the survivor count on the whiteboard of Colonial One by five, she tries grasping at straws. The creature was obviously sentient, could they communicate with it? Maybe negotiate? Adama shakes his head at the idea. The creature attacked them unprovoked. It couldn't be reasoned with, and their options for supply gathering were limited. Most of their heavy stuff was left behind in the forest. Helo was sent to try and barter supplies from the Earth Kingdom, but they're talking asking for enough food to feed a city. Their new allies can barely protect what farm land they have.
A day of aerial recon finds nothing worth mentioning in the forest. No sign or sight of the creature. It has, by all accounts, vanished. Marines landed on the surface find the remains of their men - Deathly pale and drained of life, with no visible wounds. Then, as the sun sets, the other worldly entity appears again out of nowhere beside the river. Its eyes follow the Raptors, but it stays in place. The attack craft are given the go to fire missiles at it, but an instant later it vanishes.
The next morning, Starbuck presents her plan of attack to the Admiral, Lee, and the President. The creature is nocturnal, and it seems to know exactly where they will be. They can use that. She suggests landing a ship with a skeleton crew, to lure the creature somewhere predictable. And then firebomb the hell out of the area around it. Turn the entire forest around the alien into an inferno using the Colonial equivalent of napalm, and watch the it try to dodge that. They would use the river as a natural firebreak, and resume harvesting unimpeded. Roslin is iffy about risking their lives, but Starbuck is confident the decoy ship can make it away in time. Adama gives the go-ahead.
A ship is chosen, and lands in a small clearing. Night falls. The creature is quick to return, its see-through skin now tinged red. It yells out that they were warned, before the roots around it begin contorting. It doesn't have time to begin its attack on the ship, however, before the piercing sound of Raptors screaming through the planet's atmosphere give it pause. Starbuck gives the order to let loose, and the land around the creature turns into a Hellscape. The land around the creature is incinerated in a blast of fury that would make the most talented firebender blush. And it isn't done spreading.
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While the Colonials have been gallivanting around the planet, news of flying, metal ships and strangely dressed people with glowing screens has made its way around. Most noticeably, it's caught the Gaang's attention. And why wouldn't it? Flying ships. They were travelling through an Earth village when a farmer remarks how he's heard the piercing screams of the air-ships furnace over his home. Light gleams off their bright metal hulls like a shooting star hurling towards the ground. And, in this case, hurling towards the Forest where their most decidedly do not go. Anybody whose been foolish enough to try is never heard from again. Displeased spirits live there, who are angered by the devastation to nature the Fire Nation has wrought. Taking a risk, the trio decide to venture into the forest to try and figure out who these visitors from the Sky are, and why they would be somewhere so hostile.
And for the day they traveled through the Forest, they stayed strangely undisturbed. Sokka was iffy about setting up camp for the night, but Aang was insistent they needed to see it through. They're awoken partway through the night by a howling roar in the air, and then, blinding bursts of light striking the ground. Wide-eyed at the destruction, they just manage to escape the approaching flames, catching a glimpse of the small, tan-colored Sky Ships silhouetted against the night sky. Aang doesn't understand how people could be capable of such cruelty, what could they possibly have to gain? He and Katara gather and their strength, and, with use of Avatar powers, suck the life out of the fire, restoring piece to a scarred forest.
Starbuck mutters an expletive as she watches her work vanish before her eyes. The fire, like a mini sun on the ground, gives way to the moon's soft light again. She remarks at the strange, glowing figure at the center of it. A pair of Raptors cautiously descend close enough to get a better view, as the small figure lowers itself back to the ground under its own unseen power. Their spotlights converge on the three, distinct human figures. The darkness slowly gives way to the coming of dusk as Adama orders Kara Thrace and her co-pilot, Helo, to take the risk and bring her raptor down to figure out who or what they are.
They aren't greeted warmly. Aang demands to who they are, and to know why they would desecrate the land like this, what the life here has done to deserve it. Katara and Sokka are also on the defensive, while Starbuck reaches for her weapon. Helo stops her, pointing out that he is literally a child, and shows his hands at the Gaang. They don't want to fight. They were attacked, and were defending themselves from some sort of creature. Katara asks how they could possibly consider that defending themselves, while Aang points out the Spirit of the Forest was most likely trying to defend itself from them. Starbuck mocks the idea of a spirit, while Helo pleads with them to hear out their case. He explains their people will be on the verge of starvation in two weeks time. They needed the supplies they could only access here. When they tried gathering food, they were attacked. Aang is still hesitant to believe them, but Katara is a little more open to getting more details. Helo notices the arrows on the boy's head, and remembers something he heard back in the Earth Kingdom village. About an Airbender with arrow-shaped tattoos who had returned to save their world. He asks if the boy is the Avatar, which catches him off guard.
Helo says, if they let them, they can show them a whole lot more.
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Back on the Fleet, the situation is growing more desperate. Marines have been dispatched to some of the larger ships to distribute rations after an incident on Cloud 9. The Quorom of Twelve have been quarantined on Colonial One, while Baltar has been rallying more support. She was on Galactica with the Admiral watching a live feed of the firebombing run. She and Adama go back on forth on whether or not to allow Helo's idea of bringing the Avatar and his companions up to the Fleet. The President is open to the idea of allies, but even she is iffy about leading them to the Fleet right after they stopped their attack dead in its tracks. Helo manages to talk them into letting them come up, which the Admiral reluctantly allows.
As the raptor lands within Galactica's hangarpod, a team of armored marines is there to greet the visitors. They're awestruck by Star Ships suspended motionless above the planet, and start playing twenty questions. Where did these people come from? A star very far away. They're civilization was wiped out in a single surprise attack. Aang thinks that sounds pretty familiar. They've both seen their people burn. Doctor Coddle examines the visitors, including a demonstration of water bending by Katara. He's at a rare loss for words, and his questions are meet the same vague ideas of keeping their bodies in balance. He tells Laura that, maybe, if they were at the Colonies with their vast wealth of technology and resources, he could do more to figure out how it worked. But the tools that might tell them more were lost with the Colonies. Roslin asks if their magic really is magic. She doesn't really understand how her radio works, but that doesn't stop her from using it as a tool. Coddle roles his eyes. She doesn't understand how her radio works, but other people do. Cottle suggests more digging on the planet might find something.
Laura and Katara seem like they'd be an interesting pair to mix. Katara was thrust into a situation she was never prepared for, much like Roslin. Katara is surprised and impressed to see a female leader, something the Water Tribe had trouble accepting. Maybe these people can't be that bad. The President shares the fact she used to be a school teacher. Katara asks how a school teacher becomes the leader of a fleeing people. Roslin explains how it's just like if a king dies, their heir takes over. She was just a little further down the line. Katara asks how far, to which Roslin smiles and replies, "Forty-third."
Aang is still reluctant to accept the Colonials with anything more than cool suspicion. The metal, rusting hulls remind him too much of Fire Nation ships. How can a people so advanced, they can walk among the stars, be struggling for food? He talks with Lee, who tells him about life back on Caprica. The Commander tells Aang of skyscrapers that touched the sky, and worlds brimming with great cities stretching from horizon to horizon. Those worlds don't exist anymore. Aang opens up about his people. The Air Nomads, the Temples, and how they were viciously wiped out.
A Civilian woman in Cottle's sickbay is slowly withering away. The Doctor explains to her husband that spores from the moldy walls of their freighter have invaded her lungs, and she won't be alive much longer. The husband begs him to do something, but there's nothing left to do. Later, a nurse laments they have to horde what little antibiotics they have left. The woman isn't valuable enough to save, Cottle reminds her. The little medicine they have left is reserved for pilots, engineers, and officers. People with skills who can't be replaced. When Katara comes to visit again, she finds the woman, and talks with her. The woman tells Katara she was born on a small farm on Virgon. She was one of the most fortunate survivors after the Exodus. Most people lost everyone. She had her husband and daughter. Katara uses her healing powers to restore the woman, who begins breathing normally, alerting Cottle. He checks her vitals, and gives Katara a half-amazed, half-terrified look. After calling the Admiral down, he asks Katara about the woman's condition. What was wrong with her? Which organ? Which tissues? What was causing her illness? Katara can't be too specific about any of her answers. Cottle can't comprehend how she can heal a person without the intimate knowledge of anatomy they have. Adama asks a favor. They don't have many doctors, and they have ships full of sick people. Would she be willing to help them?
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Meanwhile, President Roslin's options for finding supplies are dwindling. The Earth Kingdom was a dead end. Even if they could gather supplies from the Forest, it wouldn't be enough anymore. One of her people suggest the Fire Nation. They have more land, and they can grow more thanks to their industrialized empire. Roslin remembers how the Fire Nation wiped out Aang's people, and is nervous about negotiating with them, but with limited options, she gives the okay to at least talk to them. A Contact team is sent down, and to their surprise, the Colonials are greeted warmly. They'd be willing to trade enough food to keep the Fleet running until they can get back up to speed, but only if they can make a trade worth their while. One of the officers sent to make contact had a chance to get a close look at one of the Fire Nation soldier's armor. It was dull and full of imperfections. He suggests giving them formulas and techniques to improve their smelting. They could show them how to build the tools to mass produce higher quality steel, or make their steam-powered factories much more efficient. Roslin refuses to give them technology they could use for war.
Instead, they try offering them formulas for fertilizer and secrets like crop rotations and harvesting styles to make their farms more efficient. The Fire Nation stubs their nose at a trade for agricultural tricks. As the President tries to come up with a plan B, she gets word of food riots starting to break out on the Refinery ship. Two people were trampled to death.
So, Roslin starts wondering if the officer's idea would really be that bad. Life in the fire nation, all things considered, isn't that awful. They're in the middle of an industrial revolution. Was their own industrialization and expansion that clean cut? Remember back when Caprica ruled over Tauron with an iron fist? Sure, the Fire Nation has committed atrocities, but does that give them the right to be holier than thou? Oh, and she's only heard the Earth Kingdom's side of the story. They've probably done just as bad. In fact, the Fire Nation probably has a higher quality of life than the Earth Kingdom, she realizes. And, actually, they're pretty clearly in the drivers seat of this war. The Earth Kingdom has a handful of strongholds left. A few more years and it'll be over. If they helped the Fire Nation win, they'd be doing the world a favor. They'd be making the war less painful. And if the Fire Nation is going to be the dominant power on this planet they intend to settle, they might as well make sure they're on good terms.
In the end, Roslin rationalizes away her misgivings, and decides to make the trade with the Fire Nation.
Aang and Katara get a look at the less savory side of the fleet. Katara uses her powers to heal the horrifically ill in the Civilian fleet, but is mortified at the level of despair she witnesses. They beg for food. These ships are in a level of disrepair that make the aging Galactica look like a palace. Aang remembers how these were the same people who firebombed the forest, and becomes conflicted. Roslin had told him they desperately needed those supplies, and only attacked in self defense. If they'd succeeded in getting what they needed, would things be a little better? He considers going back down to the Forest to talk to the spirit, but doubts it's in a talking mood.
A half-dozen ships make land fall outside a major Fire Nation city. A mechanic shows diagrams of a method to refine steel the Fire Nation's engineers hadn't even considered. They compare the Fire Nation's metal to the steel they could be making. A steel-tipped arrow goes right through one, while it's stopped dead by the other. The trade is accepted, and the Fire Nation is shockingly quick to fill its side of the bargain. Mounds of food are loaded onto the Colonial ships. Roslin's representative wonders how they even gathered it so quickly. They take off hours later, after which the Military starts distributing the food.
It's no surprise the Gaang wasn't told about Roslin's dealing with the Fire Nation. So while they're elated to see food making their way to the Civilian Fleet, they're curious where it came from. When they spot Fire Nation insignia's on some of the supplies, they demand answers. Roslin frowns, and explains that they took the only option they had left. Aang asks what they gave the Fire Nation, a question that Roslin doesn't answer. Aang says he regretted starting to trust them, and insists on being sent back to the surface, which the President grants. She feels pangs of guilt for what she's done, and for losing Katara's trust and friendship, but realizes she's pulled the fleet out of Crises Mode. Even better, her poll numbers have soared.
When Colonial ships travel back down to the Fire Nation city to grab the second load of food, something has changed. Hundreds of people gather around their ships. Not soldiers, just ordinary looking people screaming up a riot as their ships land. Marines try to talk to some of them. They are farmers, shop owners, and ordinary villagers begging to know why their food has been ripped from their villages and families. More and more rioters gather around the ship, nearly dragging some of the Marines down, before the Colonials decide to book it back into orbit.
When Laura hears the news, she and Adama piece together what happened. The Fire Nation didn't give them surplus food, they ripped it away from the people it was intended for. People were still going to starve to death, but it would be those Fire Nation villagers and children on the surface. And it would be their fault. Her fault. The realization sends Roslin into a depression. She's cathartic for the next day or so, even while news of her election victory rushes over the Fleet.
Roslin confides in Adama that she feels as if their arrival has made everything worse for the Avatar world. From a narrative point of view, the idea is that the Avatar world also made things actively worse for itself. If the spirits of the planet hadn't been so hostile and self-important as they are in the series much of the time, the Colonials might not have needed to trade with the Fire Nation. On the other hand, yeah, it's hard to argue that the Colonials didn't fuck things up for Aang and company. Adama reminds her that there are a lot of mothers and fathers who won't have to watch their children die in agony because of her, but it doesn't do much to help.
On Colonial One, plans are being drawn up for permanent settlement. They're narrowing down a site, when Roslin finally pipes up. They aren't settling. They're going to finish gathering what they need and leave. They've done enough damage. One of the Quorum members ask if the President has lost her frakking mind, but Laura stands by her decision.
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News of Roslin's decision nearly rips the fleet apart. Protests break out on nearly every ship, and the idea of impeachment is brought up. One ship defies the Fleet and makes a break for the surface by itself, but is stopped by Vipers firing warning shots across its bow. Adama gives the order to Jump away, but calls it off after nearly half the fleet refuse to follow. They don't have the manpower to hold every ship at gunpoint. Lee and Starbuck ask if Adama really intends to let this happen. This planet is the single bright light in the nightmare that has become their life. Adama expresses his need to answer to the Civilian government. Anything else would be a military coup, even while the fleet is practically in insurrection.
Tom Zarak hasn't faded into the background. His contacts filled him in as their Fleet gave technology to the genocidal Fire Nation. He remembered his people being under the boot of Caprica's rule for hundreds of years. He remembers the slavery, the murder, and the soul of his people being crushed. He sees the same thing happening to the Avatar world at the hand of the Fire Nation. He sees his people enabling it, and refuses to let that happen. Roslin's breakdown was the best thing that could have happened to him. His support soars, and a plan is drawn up that will give the Civilian Fleet what they want, and make sure the Fire Nation will never have a chance to carry on their enslavement ever again.
Lee talks with Roslin on board Colonial One. He reminds her of his father's speech on Galactica before the Attack. "Someday, the time comes when you can't hide from the things that you've done." That's what She is doing, he tells her. She's doing exactly what they've done with the Cylons. Wash their hands of it, run and hide, pretend it never happened. Yeah, she frakked up, but she should stay and own her decision, not run away. He reminds her the fleet is ripping itself apart, and without leadership, there won't be a Fleet to hold together much longer. She stands, takes a breath, and phones Adama to let the Fleet know they're staying after all.
It doesn't soothe the fleet in time to foil Zarak's plan. Mutineers on Pegasus seize control of an armory, grabbing everything they can get their hands on before fighting their way to Raptors and blasting their way off the Battlestar. At the same time, commanders of Civilian ships take advantage of the chaos, breaking off from the Fleet and making a run for the planet. Vipers are too busy duking it out with Zarak's followers to stop them. Zarak and several Raptor's full of Marines and Supplies lose Adama's pursuit in a cave system, where they meet their contacts: Earth Kingdom men who were expecting them. By the time Starbuck catches up to them, the raptors are abandoned and no sign of Zarak's men can be found.
When the dust settles, they take inventory of what's lost. A dozen ships are going at it by themselves on the surface. Guns, munitions, grenades, propelled explosives, and more are among the stolen supplies. But most disturbing of all is two nuclear warheads unaccounted for.
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The Gaang happens upon the remains of a Fire Nation outpost not too far from Ba Seng Se, the Earth Kingdom Capitol. The soldiers who manned it are filled with bullet wounds reminding them of the Colonial weapons. A rapidly fading survivor tells them they were dead before they even realized they were being attacked. Sokka guesses the alliance broke down fairly quickly before moving on, disturbed at the level of gratuitous violence levied on the outpost. Ba Seng Se is under siege at this point in the series. The massive steel drill meant to tear through its mighty walls is nearing the fortress-city, and they don't have the resources to stop them.
Zarak and his inner circle are at the outer walls of Ba Seng Se, watching as the Fire Nation army approaches. He assures the Earth Kingdom general he has a plan, and asks for a volunteer.
A Colonial soldier, dressed in Earth Kingdom garbs and flanked by mooks of their ally, waves a white flag as they ride towards the Fire Nation army. They say Ba Seng Se offers its surrender, which the Fire Nation soldiers are reluctant to believe. The disguised Colonial says they bring a gift, and opens a silver case with a metal, blinking device inside it. The Fire Nation soldiers don't even have time to raise their eyebrow before they're vaporized, along with the drill. The mushroom cloud is clearly seen from the city, and off in the distance by the Gaang.
on Galactica, Adama is informed radiological readings show a nuclear explosion on the planet's surface, right beside one of the planet's larger cities. They send a team down to the surface, with Baltar in tow. Roslin insists on being a part of the away team, even over the Admiral's objections. The blast has wreaked destruction over the surrounding area. The area around the Fire Nation army is a crater, but the fallout has made its way to nearby farms and villages. Roslin finds an Earth Kingdom boy suffering the early effects of Radiation poisoning. She asks where is family is, and he points to the rubble remains of the village closest to the blast. She suggests taking him back to Galactica for treatment, but Baltar notes, with the level of radioactivity the boy must have been exposed to, there wouldn't be a point.
A few hours later, the Gaang reach that same village. The badly burned and crippled are all around them, and they find the same boy, mildly deformed and crying for water. She tries using her water to heal him, but it doesn't work. She can't understand why. The sickness runs deeper than anything she's ever seen. The level of hatred Aang is feeling for the Colonials is approaching worse than the Fire Nation. Images of those desperate, broken people on the Civilian ship flood his mind. All of this because the Forest Spirit wouldn't let them pick some damn fruit.
From overhead, a Recon raptor watches Earth Kingdom farmers rush to harvest what food they can from their land before abandoning it. Pangs of horror run through Roslin's mind as she realizes they'll be taking radioactive food back to their home without realizing the danger it is. The Colonials try to let them know, but how do you make them understand? They're already spread thin trying to find Zarak before he fucks something else up. Kara runs into the Gaang among the rubble. Aang pins her down, nearly crying, asking why they would do this. She fills them in on Zarak. The terrorist willing to do anything, at any cost of life, to see his goals met. He came to power when they tried to leave their planet for good. Aang agrees to help find and stop Zarak.
Zarak himself is perfectly satisfied. The loss of civilian life is unfortunate, but without the nuke, they might all have perished. He warns the Earth Kingdom not to eat the radioactive food, but asks them to gather it up. They could mix it in with Fire Nation supplies if they were clever enough. The general is leery of Zarak, and the amount of death, both Fire and Earth Nation, he's brought. Zarak insists this was all worth it, and suggests the next phase of his plan. They still have one more warhead, and the Fire Lord would be a prime target to use it on.
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The Gaang arrives in Ba Seng Se to find Zarak and his people gone, with no leads given to find them. Until one of the Generals tells them he left to end the war once and for all. When they piece together he's headed for the Fire Nation Capitol, they rush to tell the Colonials. Aang knew he would have to stop the Fire Lord, but Zarak would leave untold destruction. Would ending the war be worth all that death? Worth poisoning the land itself?
Recent events have broken President Roslin. The images of crippled, dying people, their bones exposed to radiation, their bodies slowly decaying while they unwittingly spread the poison to their families and doctors. Ba Seng Se will never be the same. The Earth Kingdom will probably keep growing and living there. Her actions have caused the death of a generation, and the Earth Kingdom might never recover. Things might be better if Baltar had won. Or if they'd never come here at all. It was easier when the people she lost were her own. It wasn't enough to see her own people driven to extinction, they had to destroy another culture, too.
William Adama is soldiering on. He's put a raptor above the Fire Nation capitol at all times. Tigh wonders if stopping Zarak would be worth it. Terror Bombing is nothing new, maybe letting him end the war would be better for everybody. Adama says they've been responsible for enough death.
Aang talks to Lee again. Aang shares how he has always wondered how he could kill the Fire Lord. Lee opens up about the events of 33, when he had to shoot down a Civilian passenger ship. It broke who he was as a person, but that was his burden to bare so the rest of the Fleet could live. Sometimes, you have to accept that you'll be giving up who you are as a person.
Zarak nears the Fire Nation capitol, lead by Earth benders who clear a tunnel for them. Ground-penetrating Dradis picks up an ever growing tunnel under the ground, giving them away. Marines and the Gaang intercept them, and engage in a firefight. The two sides are fairly evenly numbered, but the advantage goes to the side with Earth Benders underground. Zarak tries to reason with Aang. A hundred years of genocide and murder could be ended tomorrow. He remembers a people who were under three hundred years of enslavement. It destroyed the soul of his people. There's still hope for Aang's world. The war could end, their people could go on intact. Let him do this. Aang hesitates for just a moment. He could use his bending to kill Zarak right there, but he freezes. Zarak frowns. He tells Aang that he should be grateful they showed up. "You wouldn't have the stomach to end this war," Zarak tells Aang before the Earth Benders collapse the entrance behind them.
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Aang won't talk about what happened back in the cave. Katara tries to comfort them. Lee suggests warning the Fire Nation city, but the Admiral won't risk more of their people. Roslin dreams of herself in a strange, alien swamp. There was a supernatural swamp in the show where the Gaang would see and hear the cries of people who they couldn't save. I've always to see how Roslin, a woman with so much weight on her shoulders, would do there. First President Adar, then her dead assistant Billy, then the thousands of people they'd lost on the Olympic Carrier she ordered to shoot down, and then the millions they left for dead on the Colonies. It's all catching up to her.
Zarak's people break out of the Earth at the wrong spot. Within the Fire Nation Capitol, they struggle to fight their way to the Palace where they can detonate the nuke. Aerial raptors find this, and more marines + The Gaang are sent to stop him. They reach him just as Zarak's team gets to the palace. Their numbers dwindling, Zarak grabs the warhead and readies it to go off, prepared to take his own life if it means ending the war. Aang finds him, begging him to please stop. Zarak cries out that Aang would see his own world burn before he ever gives up his precious, self righteous beliefs. He would damn his own kind, but Zarak wouldn't allow it. Aang sends a blast of air knocking Zarak away from the warhead, then uses his staff to fly out of the building, just in time for a pair of raptors to unleash their conventional payload on the Fire Nation palace.
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Well, Zarak's plan sort of worked. The Fire Lord died in that Raptor attack. Adama had considered just blowing up the palace before hand, but then they wouldn't have known where Zarak would be with his warhead. The Fire nation has devolved into in-fighting. The Earth Kingdom took advantage of the chaos to retake several cities, and a ceasefire was declared. The renegade ships rejoin the fleet at gunpoint. The Colonials are allowed to return to the Forest they had left their supplies, for just long enough to get their stuff back, thanks to Aang.
The war is over. The Colonials have their new home, and begin permanent settlement. But, every major power on the planet actively hates their guts. A decent chunk of the land in the core of the Earth Kingdom is still radioactive. Aang still doesn't fully trust the Colonials, and probably never will, but sees to it they are left in peace. Roslin is still President, but she's fallen into a slump she may never break out of. She can at least know her people are finally, finally, safe, even if the cost was unthinkable.
Deep in her heart, she worries what would happen if the Cylons ever find them. Fin.
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So there we go. That's the brain bug I've had in mind for several years. Hope it was worth the read!