BOOK ONE: VOID

CHAPTER FOUR: OLD AND NEW PLAYERS

It was a tough job, but someone had to do it Xiang Xi put his rough hands to the rougher rock face and closed his eyes. Xi had a special ability among Earthbenders: the ability to see where earth wasn't. It was derided as a useless skill for years, until an enterprising woman in the mining business recognized that people with this talent were uniquely situated to find deposits of black ore.

Black ore. The lifeblood of nations. As population in civilized areas trebled, villages grew into towns, towns into cities, cities into metropolises. Plentiful and free spirit energy powered the main power grid and the connecting monorail, but vehicles and generators needed refined ore to run. And so, as cars and trucks and ships and planes multiplied across the globe, the mining industry struggled to keep up with demand. Black ore was scattered in small deposits around the world, and Xiang Xi was currently working at a hopeful find somewhere in the rocky foothills between the desert and the sea.

He could feel an absence behind the rock. Probably a narrow vein. Xi planted his feet and crouched in a ready stance. He drove his fist into the rock face, and earthbent out a large section of useless stone.

Xi stepped forward to feel again. The ore had to keep flowing, so the money could keep flowing; that's what the bosses said. Xiang Xi didn't see much of that money, just a few yuan a week to send back to his family in Ba Sing Se. Now that Xi had a steady job, his wife and three children could move out of the slums and into a one room apartment. It wasn't much, but a roof and floor and four walls were six surfaces more than Xi's family had two months ago. He smiled and put his hands to the rock again.

That wasn't right. There was nothing there. Xiang Xi withdrew his hands and shook them. Was there something wrong with his bending? The hands felt the stone again. Xi could feel the wisps of rock in a sea of nothingness. No, not nothing. He grabbed at the rock, bending away pieces, gradually exposing a mural of shiny, smooth blackness. Xi stood back and looked at his dark reflection, refusing to believe.

There was a sharp crack. Xiang Xi looked up. The rock face high above him had splintered. The wall of stone fractured and began to sag. Xi yelled to his partner working at the far end of the rift: "Get back, it's coming down!" They both ran as the rocks began to fall. The soft slate threw up clouds of chalky dust, and the thunderous avalanche echoed throughout the canyon.

Once they were a safe distance away, they stood back and looked. The rockfall had exposed a huge deposit, fathoms wide and fathoms high, of black ore. Xi and his partner looked at each other and laughed.

"Have you ev'r heard of a find this big?" his partner asked.

"No, never," Xiang Xi replied, wiping tears from his eyes. "You'd better call the boss."

His partner whooped. "We're gonna be rich!" she cried.

Xi nodded, and gave thanks for escaping the falling rocks. He had learned long ago that the movement of a few small stones could precipitate a mighty cataclysm that could shake the foundations of the earth.

Nourma was an Airbender. Mehdi had told Aisha, and Aisha had told Pasha, and Pasha called Nourma into his study. It was three days after Nourma returned to the village, and her parents would have grounded her, but Nourma initiated a self-quarantine. Indeed she had not left the house, and almost constantly stayed by her parents' sides. She sat down next to her father and hugged him.

Pasha returned the hug. "Nourma," he said after a while, "why didn't you tell us you had this special power?"

Nourma drew away. "Who told you?"

"That Mehdi boy," Pashta answered. "But he was worried about you, and he only told your mother so she could help find you." He smiled and ran his hand through Nourma's hair. "We're not disappointed. Your mother and I are very proud of you. Our family's first Airbender!"

Nourma relaxed. It seemed that Mehdi had only told Aisha about her bending air, not fire. There was still hope. "So," she hazarded, "I'm still part of the tribe?"

Pasha enveloped Nourma in another hug. "Of course you are. You will always be my daughter, no matter what."

"So I still get to be chieftain?"

Pashta stiffened. Nourma looked up at her father and saw the hesitation in his face. Nourma dropped the loving tone. "What," she snapped, more accusation than question.

Her father sighed. "Nourma, you have an incredible talent. Besides your unique bending, you are bright and strong. This village is too small for you."

Nourma stood up and started pacing. "Don't I get to decide that?" she yelled. "I've never wanted anything more than to live here, with you, with the tribe!" She turned to Pasha, tears in her eyes. "And now that I'm an Airbender, you want to kick me out!" Nourma could feel the anger slowly welling in her breast, a painful knot that threatened to rise up and explode out of her. She feared the rage and the terrible visions it would bring. With a great force of will, she swallowed and breathed in a deep, labored breath.

Pasha stood and went to Nourma, rubbing her arms. "You can still decide," he soothed, "but I want to give you all the opportunities available to you. There's a school up north, just for Airbenders. Will you come with me and check it out?"

Nourma wiped away her tears. The rage was receding, slowly being replaced by lukewarm acceptance. "Okay, I'll come with you. But it won't change my mind."

Pasha gave a kindly smile and pulled his daughter to his chest.

"I don't want to go out into the world alone," murmured Nourma.

"No," said Pasha, "not alone."

Mehdi was reading alone in his room. The village had few scrolls to read, but he was a slow reader, sounding out one character at a time. He had almost reached the conclusion of the story when he heard a voice outside his window.

"You little viper-rat."

He looked up to see Nourma climb in from the night. She walked to the bedside and loomed over Mehdi. He put away the scroll and sat up.

"You told my parents about what happened?" Nourma hissed.

"Okay, first of all, I only told your mother. You were missing. You ran away." Mehdi stood up to face Nourma. "And, by the way, you're welcome. For oh, just saving your life!"

"Did you tell her about the firebending?" she asked desperately.

"Well...no," Mehdi replied sheepishly. "To be honest, I had forgotten about that."

He saw Nourma's face redden, and he glimpsed the hurt and pain in Nourma's eyes, and he realized that she wasn't mad at him. Nourma was angry at herself. Mehdi couldn't fathom why, but he had no time to think on it, for she interrupted his thoughts by delivering a soft punch to Mehdi's shoulder. In the adolescents' parlance, this meant thank you. Mehdi reciprocated with a punch of his own: you're welcome.

They both sat down on the bed. "Anyway," Nourma said after an awkward pause, "I guess this is goodbye, for now." Mehdi cocked his head quizzically. Nourma continued. "My parents are taking me to visit some Airbender school."

"Yes," Mehdi interjected, "in Republic City."

Nourma threw up her hands. "Great spirits," she exclaimed, "is nothing secret?"

Mehdi chuckled. "I only know because I'm coming with you."

"No you're not," Nourma stated, enunciating each word

"Ah, c'mon," Mehdi protested, "don't leave me here alone. Do you know how boring this village is without you? I'd rather kiss a sand-shark than listen to another one of Old Man Wu's made up stories." Mehdi also wanted to add that Pasha had already invited him on the trip, but something told him Nourma would not like that little tidbit.

Nourma relented. "Alright," she said, "we'll go together. But…" she jutted out her chin defiantly, "we are not staying there!"

Mehdi shrugged. "No worries there. How great can Republic City be?"

The towers of steel and glass rose impossibly high above the ribbons of asphalt, reflecting the cold, grey sky. Jagged snow capped peaks created a chaotic background for the neat, orderly city. Ships in the crowded harbor carried goods from all over the planet: juicy raspberries from the Fire Nation, magnificent gems from the Northern Ridge, luxurious polar-penguin pelts from the Southern Water Tribe, and tankers of refined ore to keep the wheels of commerce running. The living metropolis pulsed with an energy not found anywhere else, a synergy of machine and man, of nature and technology, of metal and vine.

Nourma had visited Republic City as a child, but all she remembered was the cold. The cold was still present, but it was tempered with the warm thrill she felt as she craned her neck upward to gawk at the rising edifices. Mehdi walked beside her, taking in the foreign sights, the sounds of constant traffic, and the smells of twenty different cuisines all on the same block.

Pasha and Aisha, accompanied by Mehdi's parents, followed a few paces behind. They had been to Republic City three times before, their last visit only five years ago, but even they marveled at all the changes since then. The suburban bed-and-breakfast they had stayed in had been replaced with a towering hotel, surrounded by similar skyscrapers. The whole city was growing, always reaching higher, always building newer, leaving the old places in shadow.

Located on a small island in the middle of the harbor, the Airbending Academy was in stark contrast to the rest of the metropolis. The squat stone buildings were drab, but the people rushing back and forth in the courtyard were vibrant. They were wearing robes that reminded Nourma of Linus' garb, and some people even had a similar blue tattoo, culminating in a large arrow on their foreheads, pointing down. Most Airbenders were walking, but as Nourma looked up, she could see two people in wingsuits using some sort of air manipulation to fly like squirrel-bats above the island. Nourma's heart flew with them, and a part of her hoped against her pessimism that one day she would be able to take to the skies.

After asking around, they were finally directed to a lonely building containing a desk attended by a boy younger than Nourma reading a magazine. Pasha strode up.

"Excuse me, my daughter just found out that she's an Airbender. Can she get a tour of the school?"

The boy sighed, and without looking up from his reading, slid a piece of paper across the desk. Pasha opened his mouth as if to speak, then shook his head and gave the paper and a pencil from his pocket to Nourma. Nourma looked at the form. It asked her name, age, place of birth, date of first airbending, previous airbending training, and dietary restrictions. She started to fill it out, leaving out the training she had received from Linus.

Mehdi emerged from behind his parents and addressed the reading attendant. "Hey, I don't know if you know any jobs around here. I mean, for people who can't…"

At the word "can't" the boy's eyes shot open, and he threw away his magazine. "You're not an Airbender?"

Mehdi nodded.

"And you want to work here?"

Another nod.

The boy whooped. "Of course there are jobs here! Non-Airbenders that assist Airbenders are called Air Acolytes. There are four Acolytes on this island, and three hundred Airbenders! It's horrib…" he looked at Mehdi, "it's great! Here, follow me. Let's get you some robes, and I'll show you around the place." He draped his arm around Mehdi and led him out of the building.

Nourma called after him: "Who do I give the form to?"

"To me," answered a voice behind them. They turned and saw a woman with an Airbender tattoo, which was almost covered by dark, curly hair. She took the form, put it within the folds of her robe, and gave Nourma a warm smile. "A new Airbender?" she asked.

"Yes," answered Nourma cautiously, "but I probably won't go here."

The woman laughed kindly and said, "I think I know where you're coming from. You think that being an Airbender will separate you from your family. I thought that too, once." She took Nourma's hand. "But you will grow closer with your family, I promise, while gaining a new family. An Airbender family." Nourma looked skeptical, but the woman just tilted her head and smiled again. "Come, let me show you and your parents around the Academy. My name is Opal. What's your name?"

"Nourma, daughter of Pasha and Aisha, future chieftain of the Hami tribe."

Aisha clicked her tongue, warning Nourma to watch hers. Nourma face reddened, but Opal ignored Nourma's proud tone. "Nourma. That's a lovely name." She led them back out to the courtyard.

"This school has been active for over ninety years," Opal said. "It started with one student, but now the Academy has almost three hundred Airbenders in training. We try to mix the ancient traditions of isolation, learning, and meditation with the new…" she searched for the right word, "...realities of a modern world. This Academy is like a chimera."

"What's a chimera?" Nourma inquired. Mehdi's and Nourma's parents were glad she was the one to ask that question. They felt ignorant enough in this alien city.

"A chimera is a combination of two animals," Opal answered evenly. "Like the head of a lion-fox on the body of an eagle-stallion."

They passed an open door. Inside, Nourma could see at least twenty students practicing calligraphy. She scowled. Aisha had tried to teach Nourma the art of writing characters, but Nourma's hand was never steady enough. After two lessons, Aisha had abandoned the endeavor.

Opal spoke again. "Tell me Nourma, when were you born?"

"Exactly A.E. 0," Pasha answered proudly, "on the night of the aurora. We like to think the entire world was celebrating the birth of our little daughter." He squeezed Aisha's hand. Nourma rolled her eyes.

"The entire world was celebrating," Opal replied, diplomatically. "We have many students who were born that night. You see, during the Great War, almost all the Airbenders were wiped out. That night, the world restored the balance. It gave airbending abilities to many non-benders across the globe." She paused and smiled. "Even me."

Nourma stopped. "You?" She attempted to word her question in a way that would not yield a reprimand from her mother. "You were born that night too?"

That earned her a glare from Aisha and a hearty laugh from Opal. "No, no," she said, wiping away tears. "I didn't explain properly. I was sixteen on that night. I was a non-bender in a proud family of Earthbenders. But much to their, and my, surprise, I started airbending. And I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world."

Nourma felt comforted. It seemed her new ability wasn't as strange as it seemed. But she wanted answers about her firebending too. She thought of a line of inquiry that wouldn't give away her secret.

"The current Avatar, her name is Korra, right?" Nourma innocently asked.

"Yes, she's our Avatar. Korra is actually the person who taught me airbending."

"And the Avatar is the only person who can bend more than one element."

"That's correct. You'll learn why this is, and the entire history of the Avatar, should you decide to study with us."

Nourma returned to her haughty tone. "I don't know about that. My tribe is counting on me to be its chieftain one day."

Pasha opened his mouth to speak, but this time it was Aisha who squeezed his hand. Pasha snapped his mouth shut. Nourma was about to comment on this when Mehdi ran up, breathless, already dressed in the orange robes of an Acolyte.

"Mom! Dad! Nourma! They have showers for everyone here! Piped, hot water showers, every day! And they have fresh fruit and vegetables for every meal! There's a whole boat of fresh food that arrives from the city every midnight! Apparently I'll be unloading it, but that means I can save the best picks for me and you. And did I mention they have refrigerators so big you can walk into them? C'mon, I'll show you!" He grabbed Nourma's hand and led her across the courtyard and down into a dark, subterranean doorway.

"It seems Nourma's friend has taken a liking to this place," Opal said. "Although he might not be so enthusiastic after a week of Acolyte duties."

"Those two are inseparable," replied Mehdi's father, "and when they're together, their mischief triples."

Behind him and Opal, Mehdi's mother whispered to Pasha and Aisha. "You haven't told Nourma yet?"

"Not yet," Aisha said. "I'll talk to her. Tonight."

Aisha and Nourma strolled down the boardwalk, moving with the slow flow of the Republic City nightlife, hearing the waves slap against the shore stones. Pasha, Mehdi, and his parents were having dinner at Darye Iroh, which was reportedly the best tea-house in the city. Mother and daughter sat down at the next bench and stared at the bright lights across the water.

"How did you like the school?" Aisha asked, hiding the interest in her voice.

"It's alright…" Nourma replied automatically, looking at the view. To her, it was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. The skyscrapers seemed to be jeweled lattices, casting their magnificent reflections across the rippling bay.

"Nourma, I want to talk to you," Aisha said. Nourma looked defiant at first, then adopted a receptive demeanor. Aisha took a deep breath and started her speech.

"Your father and I love you very much. When you were lost in the desert, we…" Aisha wiped a tear from her eye and continued, "we couldn't bear it. This is the hardest decision we have ever made. The reason why we don't want you to be chieftain, Nourma, is because soon there won't be a Hami tribe to lead."

Nourma looked at Aisha, shocked at the prediction. Aisha continued.

"Ever since the end of the Great War, people of the desert have been trickling to the cities. At first it wasn't so bad: maybe one or two families a year to find better jobs. But now with the monorails, people have been leaving in droves. When you were born, our village had around twenty-five hundred people. Now it has less than five hundred. When your father dies, the Hami tribe will probably be ten people just dredging the desert for sand shark bones. You would be the last chieftain; the tribe will have all moved to Ky Shek, or Ba Sing Se, or here."

Aisha turned to Nourma and grasped her hands.

"But now you have a gift. An incredible, amazing gift. And you have a chance to get out of the desert and have a better life, a far better life than we ever hoped for you. You can learn and grow and realize your true potential. We just want what's best for you."

Nourma was dumbfounded. She felt as if she had been blown from her safe and regular future and deposited on a harsh and foreign shore. Having her entire future swept away in a moment brought back the pain she had felt upon learning of her airbending powers. Her desert, her tribe, her family, that was Nourma's life, and now it was gone. Tears filled her eyes, and she looked out over the water. She saw in the midst of the city a golden column of light, reaching up, above the glow of the skyscrapers, into the dark, crisp night to touch the twinkling stars. The reflection of the luminous beam reached across the bay and seemed to lay itself at Nourma's feet, as if illuminating her path. She could see the way before her, to follow the shining light to the heavens far above. But the way was cold, and would require her to leave the warm and protecting presence beside her. She turned back to her mother.

"It's just that...I don't want to leave you and papa!" she blurted out.

Aisha embraced Nourma. "I know, I know," she cooed. "Pasha and I will miss you very much. But we'll be happy, because you will be growing. And I know you will be happy, maybe not at first, but someday. Mehdi will be here, and we will visit as much as we can."

Nourma dried her tears and spoke in a broken voice. "I know what I have to do. I...just need some time by myself."

Aisha hugged her daughter again and said, "I'll go back to the hotel and wait for you there. And know that whatever you decide, I still love you. And you will always be our daughter." She stood up and walked into the crowd.

It was just Nourma, alone, facing the big, loud, smelly city. She looked at the water, trying to control her emotions. She heard the fragments of nearby conversations: "...there's going to be an uptick in exports…" "...massive find in Suhyin Province, largest in history…" "...Song said that? Well, tell her…" Then Nourma heard a familiar voice, as dry as the desert where she first heard it: "...can't believe I'm stuck here again. This is getting quite ridiculous. All this newfangled...oh, hey, it's you!"

Nourma turned and saw an old man in outdated orange robes standing in the crowd, invisible to all others. "Linus," she whispered. She was incredibly relieved.

Private Choi stood at attention behind the seated General Won. When Choi had volunteered to be the General's aide, he imagined lavish dinners, pretty girls, and all the trappings of the City's high society. Instead, he found himself rising before dawn and retiring well after midnight. General Won kept an impossible schedule, and he expected his aides to share the burden. Choi only had time for quick meals of dry hardtack and a strip of bacon. Why, even his comrades at the training camp ate better that that! But the worst of it was the horrible woolen dress uniform. Choi had to stand motionless during the endless meetings, resisting the terrible urge to scratch the infuriating itches caused by the coarse fibers.

Today's meeting was about some big discovery down south that held no interest for Private Choi. What did hold his interest was the platter of delectable confections at the center of the polished oak table. The assembled generals, admirals, and chairpersons took their seats, while their aides remained standing, like columns around a dark pool.

The platter started to make its way around the table, with each of the seated participants taking a pastry. Someone, a civilian, started talking about a huge black ore find in the Earth Confederacy. The platter made its way under Choi's nose, and he could smell the delightful mix of berries and sugar. His stomach grumbled.

Now another person, some admiral with a chest full of medals, was discussing the implications of this find, something about "market share" and "demand". General Won selected a strawberry Nucka-rose with pink frosting, and passed the platter on. Choi's eyes followed it longingly.

Someone else was talking now about the United Republics' position. She unrolled a map across the table. Choi saw the thin crescent that comprised the Republics, squished between the massive Earth Confederacy and the ocean. She pointed at Republic City, about midway up the crescent, then at the ore find, at the southwestern corner of the Confederacy. She said words like "parity" and "scarcity". Choi eyed the platter. Everyone at the table had taken a piece, but the platter was still half full. Perhaps it would be possible to get some leftovers after the meeting.

Now everyone was talking, some in small groups, others to the table at-large. The platter started to make its way around again. There was a lot of talk of "safety" and "peace". The confectioneries continued to disappear at an alarming rate. Then the talk was of "security" and "mobilization". The platter now had only three pastries left. The conversations switched to "defense". Two pastries. Now there was discussion of "offense". One pastry left. Choi heard the words "pre-emptive" and "preventative", but he held his gaze on that last pastry, willing it to be untouched.

The word "war" was said. This caused a fierce discussion lasting several hours, but Private Choi stood still through all of it, bearing in silence the itchy wool and forcing his stomach not to growl. When the meeting finally adjourned, and people slowly filed out, the platter remained, containing only crumbs.