章 35: Chapter 35
The crew of Azulon's Revenge stood at attention in deathly silence, ignoring the drizzle of rain dripping down their armour from the grey clouds above. Night had nearly come, but the large braziers that'd been set up across the deck blazed heartily enough to keep them warm.
Nobody dared utter a word, but a sense of uncertainty and trepidation hung over them like a thick shroud.
Hours ago Zhao's raiding party had returned from their hunt for The Avatar on foot, and it hadn't taken long to notice that the tall, imposing man who should have been leading them had been replaced by the little girl with golden hair who inspired such awe and terror in equal measure.
It hadn't taken ten minutes before urgent whispers had passed the news around the entire ship.
Admiral Zhao was dead.
With him gone, command of the crew fell to Commander Tanya, but that did little to ease the crew's minds.
Everyone knew that the fleet of ships Zhao had been amassing was for some kind of huge invasion, but Zhao had been less than forthcoming about what exactly the plan was. With him gone the question of what would happen now hung on everyone's minds.
If the fleet broke apart it would be a massive waste of the time and resources that had been put into assembling them. But what other choice was there? Who else could lead the invasion but Zhao?
No doubt Commander Tanya had called them here to answer those very questions.
As their golden haired leader walked up to a podium before them, rain dripping down her stoic face like teardrops and soaking the bandages sling covering one arm into a damp grey mess, none of the crew doubted that behind her indifferent expression Tanya must be grieving terribly.
It was just like her to keep a strong face for their sake, but everyone knew how loyal she had been to Admiral Zhao.
She had been his perfect soldier: following his orders dutifully and efficiently, and always by his side no matter how high up the ranks he climbed.
Once news that she was an orphan had spread around the rumour mill, some had even theorised that she was secretly Zhao's daughter, and had joined the navy in order to get to know him.
"Soldiers of the Fire Nation!" Tanya yelled, her voice carrying across the deck with practised ease. Her tone, like her stance, gave away nothing about how she was feeling besides cold stoicism.
"No doubt you have all heard the rumours, and I have come to confirm them. Earlier today Admiral Zhao did indeed lose his life in battle with The Avatar.
Using cowardly firebending techniques learned at the foot of the traitor Jeong Jeong, The Avatar struck Admiral Zhao while his back was turned."
Outraged mutterings began to break out across the crowd, but Tanya silenced them immediately with a raised fist. "His sacrifice will not be forgotten, nor will The Avatar's dishonourable acts, but now is not the time for grieving.
The Admiral assembled this fleet for the greatest military campaign our nation has embarked upon since the siege of Ba Sing Se, and in his dying breath he told me the secret to his invasion plan. A secret I will not allow to go to waste!"
Tanya straightened, and for a moment it seemed like she genuinely grew taller. The aura of authority that surrounded her demanded their absolute attention.
"Under military procedures following the death of a high-ranking commanding officer, I hereby temporarily claim the rank of Acting Admiral until further orders are received from the homeland.
And my first order, to be relayed across the entire fleet, is to continue amassing as per the late Admiral Zhao's instructions." She looked out across the crowd, silently daring anyone to refute her claim, and when nobody did so nodded approvingly. "Return to your posts and prepare yourself for further orders.
Very soon you will all have a part to play in the most heroic battle this war has ever seen! Admiral Zhaos' death will not mean the end of the legacy he began! We will finish what he started!" She saluted, and was rewarded by a thousand soldiers saluting her back in thunderous unison. "For the glory of the Fire Nation!" She yelled.
"FOR THE GLORY OF THE FIRE NATION!" Thousands of voices echoed back.
With that Tanya turned and walked away, leaving the soldiers to go about their business as she stormed directly to the helm. The moment the door was closed behind her, the controlled expression on her face broke apart, sliding easily back into the wolfish grin she'd been struggling to keep off her face for hours.
With a skip in her step Tanya strode over to the heavy safe in the corner of the room, took the key she'd stolen from Zhao out of her pocket, and inserted it into the lock.
Truth be told she had absolutely no idea what Zhao was planning, but as long as everyone else thought she did they'd never dare question her right to take command.
It was Zhao's dubious promise of a great victory that was holding this fleet together, and as long as she appeared to be the only one left who could provide it, her position of Acting Admiral was secure. Not that she'd be merely an acting admiral for long after successfully conquering the North Pole. Bring a prize like that to The Firelord, and being formally granted the rank of Admiral would be the least of her rewards.
All she had no do now was actually conquer the north. Easier said than done, but if Zhao thought it possible he must have at least been sitting on some tasty information he intended to exploit. Information he likely kept within this very safe.
The safe door swung open, revealing a single scroll inside: dusty brown and old, like a relic from a museum. Carefully Tanya opened the scroll, staring curiously at the picture of two fish swimming in a circle around each other.
Two words were displayed below the picture in big, bold letters: 'Moon' and 'Ocean'.
As her eyes scanned the content of the scroll, the devilish grin on Tanya's face grew just a little sharper.
...
The military base was a bustling hive of activity. It was like a living creature: the soldiers who carried supplies along dirt roads, its blood vessels; the messenger hawks flying back and forth, its nerves; and the tents stocked full of food, beds and all the other services essential to life, its organs.
And at the centre of the camp stood the brain that controlled everything: the command tent.
Inside the various commanders and important captains of the fleet sat around a rectangular table. All eyes were turned towards a large map of the world placed at the far end, and the small girl with golden hair who stood beside it.
"Scouts have confirmed that The Avatar's bison was seen flying out towards the North Pole no less than two days ago. No doubt he intends to find a waterbending teacher anong The Northern Water Tribes." Tanya's voice was even and formal, yet with a sharp bite to it that demanded attention.
It was a tone she had developed long ago specifically for debriefing subordinates who might ignore her instructions because of her age, and had had many opportunities to perfect.
"As many of you suspected, the late Admiral Zhao's plan was indeed a full scale invasion of the North Pole.
By subduing the last of the resistance from the Water Tribes now, it would mean that the plan to defeat the Earth Kingdom when Sozin's Comet arrives will signal a decisive end to this war.
The Avatar's presence presents both an opportunity and a threat. With three elements under his belt and whatever spiritual tricks he has up his sleeves, he will no doubt prove to be a significant asset to the Northern Tribe's forces.
If we can capture him however, we remove one more obstacle that may seek to protect the Earth Kingdom on the day of the comet's arrival."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go get him!" One of the assembled men shouted.
"Patience, Captain Li. He who fails to plan, plans for failure." Tanya replied sternly. "This is not the first time a siege of the North Pole has been attempted, and to succeed where our predecessors have failed we must understand why they failed. Our strategy must be foolproof."
"Yes, the fabled great plan Zhao left to you. The one our esteemed Acting Admiral will not deign to share with her commanders." Captain Li interrupted sarcastically.
"Perhaps if we knew what the whole strategy was, we might be able to make it foolproof? Most of the men here have served in the military longer than you have been alive.
Who knows, we may just have some worthwhile advice to offer? The only thing we know right now is that you've been sending our ships out to old battlefields for Agni-knows-what reason!"
Tanya's cold glare fixed on the captain, causing a couple of the fully grown men sitting next to him to shuffle in their seats uncomfortably. It was a credit to his resolve, or his stubbornness, that Captain Li himself did not wilt away under it.
"The plan, captain, is a top secret of national importance. When The Firelord approved my appointment as Acting Admiral, he decreed that information to be on a need to know basis, and you don't need to know." Tanya hissed back, her icy glare daring him to challenge The Firelord's authority. When Captain Li did not speak up again, she continued.
"I am aware that many of you are displeased at having to take orders from a girl younger than some of your grand-daughters, but to imply that I am incapable of leading this invasion is to imply that The Firelord was wrong to appoint me.
Tell me, would anybody else like to question The Firelord's will?"
...
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