Chương 7: 2/3
Not bad. Not bad at all. Provided we manage to raise it high enough to deter any burning projectiles. But we should be able to. Maybe, with the almost-full moon, we can add another one, directly behind it to stop any battleships that come through. The Fire Navy would be forced into their longboats.
We could also incorporate the metal projectiles we received into the outer wall, so that when the walls are inevitably breached, the wall can be unfrozen and sent to slam into the fleet.
If the double-layered hull is too time consuming to breach in multiple places, destroy the fuckers with their own creation.
I raise my hand to make the suggestion. Pakku, to be annoying, ignores me in favour of Hahn. Even though he knows we're friends. Pakku's such a petty old man sometimes. He still hasn't gotten over his drunken confessions the other day.
Well, I'll speak with his blessing, or without. Arnook is my friend, after all.
"What about the infiltration plan? We could still take out the commander," Hahn suggests in the tone of someone who believes he can do no wrong.
Sokka is quick to shoot him down from his place beside Aang. "I thought we were over this already! The Fire Nation uniforms you have are too old-fashioned, everyone who sees you will know about your plan."
"Then we'll just have to steal some newer uniforms!" Hahn bites back. It seems tensions were running high while I was out playing Battleship.
Arnook strokes his beard. "Yes, you are right Hahn. That could work. It is better for us to have multiple options in any case. An additional objective for the strike teams, then. If it is possible, I would like for us to get our hands on some uniforms."
That sounds fine. And since Hahn isn't an idiot, I know he can manage to take out Zhao.
I raise my hand again. Pakku narrows his eyes at me, but nods for me to speak. Dear Spirits does this feel like school all over again. Not, that I really sat in a proper classroom this time around.
"About the additional wall of ice, how about we make that two? As far as I can tell, their ships are good for one breach, then they are stuck. So, if they plan on breaking through the wall, we could further delay them with a secondary one below the surface. This would also give us the time to sink the ships or take out their trebuchets. We should be able to manage it. I would also suggest raising platforms from which our benders can defend the city in the bay. If we can prevent them from taking the battle to us, we have the advantage of the ocean."
There is a bit of silence after that, then Arnook smiles grimly. "Yes," he nods. "I entrust this task to both Master Pakku and you, Kaito."
Pakku looks at me like he's never seen me before and I shrug. It isn't like no one else could have thought of that.
He and I leave the others to it. There is no time to be wasted.
.
Close to sundown, the Fire Navy halts their assault. With the reprieve, the Avatar returns.
By the time I've rounded up and instructed the thirty men whom I've been training for the last few days on our task, the moon is firmly up in the sky and we've gathered all the metal projectiles. We get five other benders to bring us and our cargo to where the wall is supposed to be erected about one and a half miles in front of the city.
They are also our defenders, should the Fire Navy decide to resume their attack early. I doubt it, but you never know.
Meanwhile, Pakku has assembled and sent out the strike teams. That's almost half of the entire numbers of waterbenders in the city outside of it tonight. The others are preparing for battle, or resting.
We line up along the cordially provided shells of ice our escorts bended, and centre ourselves. No more second tries. No more 'better next time's.
"Alright, let's make this count!" Hiraku shouts and we begin the sequence.
We move with purpose. This is our first line of defence, and we love our city, our home. We make it count. Once the water has risen high enough, we transform it into ice. It's something we do well, since we've all been stationed at the city gates. The only tricky thing about it is forcing the foundation of our wall to withstand the tides of the ocean, and a few warships. It feels powerful, to know that this construct of ice is our work, and it will stand tall.
The incorporation of the metal projectiles the Fire Nation gifted us takes more cooperative precision-work. Hiraku and I manage well. He thaws the ice in the right place, and I insert the metal smoothly before we re-seal the wall together.
I daresay, that tea earlier wasn't wasted after all.
The finished wall of ice looks magnificent. It's thick enough that the metal is only visible if one looks very closely. The enemy will have telescopes, but it's nighttime.
"Good work!" I shout and receive tired smiles in return. "Now remember, if they do break through, we can always sneak out and unfreeze it to sweep up the ships waiting on the other side."
Again, I am stared at like I've grown a second head. Which I have not. I would notice that.
We move about half a battleship's length back and craft the secondary wall, so that it'll just about kiss the surface when the tide recedes, which won't be that much this far north, but we do want to give the Fire Navy a surprise. We waterbenders love those.
To my own private surprise, Hiraku decides to show his bloodthirsty side. "How about we make spikes to skewer the ships underwater?"
I grin at him. "Yes! Great idea! If anyone else wants to get creative, now's the time!"
The men do indeed get creative. Turns out, we're all quite violent, when afforded the opportunity.
An hour before sunrise, the bay has hidden traps all over, just beneath the surface. The water will be red by the time the fighting's done. We return to the city, and relay our success. Not, that it's not evident. In the moonlight, that wall looks imposing. Smooth and gleaming, a dare. Come, if you will. We'll be waiting.
The rested benders listen to our accounts of the positions of our traps, which one is where, how they work, and so on. Then they set out to familiarise themselves with them, and perhaps refine them a little.
By sunrise, the strike teams have also re-entered the city. No casualties, and five new Fire Nation uniforms are with them. Two for benders, three for normal soldiers. The distinction lies in the weight and quality of the materials.
I'm slightly disappointed to have missed the forty or so ships they sunk.
The benders sent out are set to rest and the others available ready themselves for the incoming attacks.
.
After a quick meal and some sleep Hiraku wakes me for some strategy discussions.
The wall is holding up well so far, no break-throughs yet and it's past midday. I have a feeling that won't last too long. We determine that the men should move back out now. Hiraku will have command, out in the bay, and I will join them if necessary, hopefully with the Avatar and some healers. The women have assembled themselves into squads of four, and will be ready to receive injured. Aang has gone to the Spirit Oasis to meditate. While I wish him success, I do hope he hurries up.
We meet Pakku en-route, and while Hiraku goes to assemble our unit, Pakku explains to me that Hahn and I have been given free reign over the infiltration mission.
"How come?" I ask, slightly confused as to my involvement in another operation.
"He says he needs someone whose skill he can trust. You've been sparring with each other for years now, I'm confident you can manage this," he says this, and looks a bit like he'd rather not. "And not many of us have the stature to fit into the uniform they brought back."
I nod slowly. Hiraku will be fine. He knows what's at stake and he's not a bad commander.
With a short farewell, I leave to find Hahn. We decide to grab some lunch from one of the many open food stalls that have been spread all over the city, to keep the fighters energised and some of the civilians busy. Hahn hasn't eaten in a few hours, and I won't have the time for the foreseeable future. He moves ahead to our meeting point with the others who have volunteered for this mission while I get some grub for all of us.
"Good luck," the man who hands me our bowls, Kassuq says, solemn.
I've known him since I was a child, and give him my best mischievous grin. "No worries. I'm good at saving my hide."
"I'll say," he agrees, thinking back on all the times I've raced past his stall on the marketplace to escape the warriors chasing me.
"Stay safe." They're meant as my last words for him today, but the sudden worry on his visage tells me he thought he'd be entirely safe in the city walls. I pause, and look him in the eye. "We don't plan on letting them through, believe me, but if they do, hide with your family. That's what the bunkers in the ice are for. Don't go to the palace. If they breach the city, that's where they'll be headed."
His face is visibly trying to contort into a mask of fear, but he's valiantly holding it back. "What you're doing here," I say, looking down at my food for a moment, "Is invaluable. You're a good man, Kassuq."
His lips thin and he nods. I do believe he'll stay and keep feeding the hungry fighters.
"I'm off, then," I give him a grin to lighten his mood. Perhaps, with me behaving a bit more like my usual self, he can believe that everything will be alright. It's the small things, after all, that keep us sane.
"Leave the city standing, will you?" He grumbles, and I've heard variations of that sentence many times over the years. Yes, he'll be fine.
"No promises!"
.
When I arrive back at our little planning room in the barracks, where we've been provided a large round table, and a map of the city and the bay that someone helpfully marked our lovely little walls in, the others of our team have already arrived.
To my surprise, Kesuk is there. For some reason, I'd expected him to be out in the bay, but he's less of a group fighter, if I remember correctly from patrols together, and better at one-on-one confrontations. In a surprise attack, he's precise and quick.
The two other warriors are veterans of various skirmishes with the Fire Nation, and I've seen them around, but never been on a patrol with them.
All of them look up when I enter, and look pleased about the food that comes with my presence. I hand them out quickly and settle in one of the chairs along the wall.
"Thank you," they murmur before tucking in. Seems they are all hungry, and I use the opportunity to observe them. Kesuk eats relatively cleanly, but doesn't always worry about shutting his mouth to chew. Which is slightly revolting, but I don't have to look at his mouth. Hahn, I know, eats with the manners befitting his station as Arnook's son-in-law-to-be, but quickly like he might be worried someone will take his food from him if he doesn't finish first.
The other two take their time, and murmur to each other. "Didn't know Kassuq was one of the food stalls still out."
The other nods, "Didn't peg him for one not to go with his family."
"Good of him to stay."
"Mhm."
From those tidbits I infer that we'll all manage well together. We're all decent human beings, more or less.
Once they've all eaten, we move to surround the table and the map. I'm still chewing, but receive no irritated looks. I won't be speaking with my mouth full, either, so I suppose there's nothing to complain about, since I don't chew loudly.
"As you know, my name is Hahn," he introduces himself, "I am the mission leader, and I'll be glad to have your assistance in planning our tasks." It's not as conceited as it could've been. Perhaps Sokka's absence allows for more of a level head.
The other's eyes seem to shift naturally to me to be second in line. I swallow my mouthful. "I'm Kaito. I look forward to working with you. I'll be handling part of the bending side of things."
"With me," Kesuk smoothly picks up, and I begin to eat again. "Kesuk."
It's the bearded veteran next, "Nauja. I've been on the outer patrols for ten years now."
Outer patrols are those that most often see combat. They also tend to die a lot. It's a position of great danger, and therefore generates great respect.
"Onartok," the last one of us says, "I was a weaponsmith before my son took over, and I joined the patrols."
Once we've all acknowledged each other, Hahn, spreads his hands over the map to smooth the crinkles. I've finished my bowl, and set it aside.
"Right." He begins, nodding. "Our objective is to prevent the commander of the enemy fleet to reach his own objective. That would be successfully invading and conquering us. For that, we believe he will attempt to reach the palace and either capture or kill our chieftain.
"Kaito. You were the commander of the wall-unit before I requested you to be on this mission. While I have faith in you and your benders, holding off a hundred empire class warships won't be an easy feat. How certain are you that the city won't be breached?"
I smile wryly. "The unit is on its way out now, to unfreeze the first wall, and hopefully destroy a large number of enemy ships with a large wave. We incorporated the lovely little metal presents into the outer wall. I believe that it will be very effective. However, we can only do this twice, and the next time they will be ready for it." I am silent for a moment, and allow them to take in the situation properly.
"The traps all over the bay, together with our benders and warriors will further prevent ships from reaching the city wall. But my estimation is that five to ten ships will reach the city and any number of them could breach the wall. These ship's hulls are made for ramming and piercing at full speed. If the benders in the bay can prevent them from reaching that speed, maybe three could actually enter the city," I pause again, and then give them more numbers. "That's about a hundred soldiers, if not more, and ten or more Komondo rhinos each. Not to mention the benders."
The silence once I've spoken is palpable. Put into words, it does seem like insane odds. How does the Fire Navy even have this many soldiers? They must be all they have. If we win this… the Fire Nation won't be able to recover easily. This could be devastating.
For both sides.
The Nothern Watertribe has about three-hundred waterbenders. A third are women, and therefore healers. Some even have a bit of fighting experience, because we don't send them on patrols when they could be a complete liability, even if they're meant to help. But those are perhaps… twenty at most. Warriors range from four hundred to six, depending on whether you count the ones in training.
"Half of our bending fighting force is out in the bay, at all times. A third of the warriors have joined them, I believe," I add, when no one says anything.
"My guess is that Admiral Zhao will be part of the troops that enter the city. He'll want to claim victory with his own hands, if what the southerner has told us about him is true," Hahn states, face grim.
He points to the map. "If they know anything about the layout of our city, they will aim to breach the city wall here." He indicates the spots on both sides of the gate. The canal behind that first stretch of wall will be another line of defence. "And the most likely route to the palace is along here."
We all lean in close. There are quite a few opportunities for ambushes. One even only a few houses down from my own.
"Since we have the uniforms, we need to find a way to infiltrate his personal escort," Nauja points out.
"The most chaos, and so the most opportune time will be here," Kesuk gestures to the stretch of ice between the large canal and the city.
Onatork nods, "We'll have need of a distraction, early on. How do we recognise him?"
"Admirals wear slightly different uniforms. He has broader shoulder guards and a cape. If he doesn't wear a helmet, we can look out for a man with large sideburns. I think he might choose to ride the rhinos. According to the southerner he's too proud to disguise himself as one of the common soldiers, or his bodyguards," Hahn informs us with slight emphasis on 'the southerner'. What happened between them? Did he find out about Yue and Sokka? Did Yue woman up?
No. Now is not the time.
"If we don't manage to replace his escort before he enters the city, where will be our second attempt?" Nauja asks, studying the map intently.
We point out and discard or decide on ambush places. We'll have to set them up before nightfall. By then the city will have been breached. We will also need to set up some safeguards to the Spirit Oasis. Perhaps one or two warriors could stand guard, as protection for the Avatar. Katara might be there, but she's only been Pakku's student for a short time. And against several benders, should we fail, she will be next to powerless once the sun rises.
I should stop by. I have no intention of having Yue die. Or the Spirits.
The work is split between the five of us. Kesuk and Onatork set up our ambush points, Nauja speaks with Arnook about helping hands for them, Hahn informs the warriors of our plans, and how they can identify us – a band of blue around our left biceps, just about visible enough peeking out from the uniforms. In the darkness, it will only be visible if one knows to look for it.
I go to check on the Spirit Oasis.
Wish Yue luck and patience, maybe, depending on her mood. I've not seen her since the snot-bending incident.
I find Katara, Sokka and Yue in the process of climbing onto Appa's large back.
"What's happening?" I question, my voice stopping them in their tracks.
Yue lets go of Sokka's hand to run towards me. "Aang's been taken! The Fire Nation prince is here and he's taken Aang while he was in the Avatar State!"
Ah. Right. Shite. That was the reason there was no one there to stop Zhao in the first place.
The southern watertribe siblings are impatient. They will search for Aang no matter what I say. But Yue… I look at her. She'll not stay here, waiting. Not when she's found her resolve.
"You need a guide. You can't go without someone experienced. A healer, too, just in case," I tell her. "Fly to the healer's huts first. Yugoda will help you."
Yue nods, relief and determination in her face now. A plan was what she needed.
"You're not coming?" Sokka asks, accusation clear in his tone.
"I have to defend my city."
His face contorts as he accepts this response with a nod and I help Yue into the saddle. "Stay safe out there. Listen to the healer," I tell them, watch their faces with apprehension that I don't let them see. "And don't die."
"You too!"
.
Two hours after midday, the first ship breaches the outer wall.
It's almost a relief, after waiting, watching every fiery projectile that hits the wall almost melt through it before it is stopped, and sealed. Every time, there was the worry that one would make it through, with the knowledge that one would. That was how we intended it, after all. But the anxiety was close to driving me mad as I remained calm on the outside for the benefit of the others. And myself, but it was the concern for the city and its inhabitants that kept me waiting instead of joining Hiraku and the others.
The front of the ship is pushed into the air by the secondary wall. Soon, the defending benders have skewered it. The second one manages to get the soldiers and some rhinos onto longboats to make for the city, but the traps all over the bay do their work. By the time the tenth ship has unloaded its contents into the bay, the wall is a construct doomed. The Fire Navy also seems to have figured out the degree of the angles their trebuchets need to go over the wall, but also hit the city.
From my vantage point on the inner wall, I can see Hiraku and half of the wall-unit work tirelessly to repair it, and finally, switch into combat mode. From here, wind biting at my face, it seems almost like stick figures are playing games with one another.
It is so far from this impression that the dissonance leaves me feeling as though I were acting outside of my body.
Part of me is with Yue, searching for the Avatar. I heard Yugoda herself, and Buniq went with them. A good team of healers and experience outside.
Another part is wondering where all my panic went.
Probably somewhere outside of my body as well, just waiting to take control of it.
The stick figures of my wall-unit take over control of the wall as other waterbenders distract the enemy inside of the bay. It manages to crush about seventy battleships beneath the powerful wave of water and metal. They even manage to raise the secondary wall as high as the first one was.
The original strike teams, rested and fed, spread out across the city wall to man the inbuilt defences until the exhausted men return. Then, they and a few hundred warriors spread out into the bay, onto the platforms we crafted for this last night to renew the traps and take on the incoming longboats.
Once the sun sets, the secondary wall is just as doomed as the first, and takes another forty ships down. Things aren't going too badly. The sharks will feast for days.
The remaining ten battleships attempt to plough through the traps the longboats got stuck on, but Hiraku and the men are the ones who set them up and the beauty of water is that it is changeable. Soon, the Fire Nation is shrouded with mist and attacked from all sides. Two make it to the city.
Both breach the wall. But the defenders are nothing if not determined.
I spot Zhao and Iroh. I manage to get in close enough through the fighting to hear what they're saying over the sounds of violent confrontation all around.
"We are following this map to a very special location. And when we get there, we are going fishing," Zhao says and smiles a bloodthirsty smile.
I meet up with Hahn and the others for one last time.
"Their target is the Spirit Oasis."
Eyes widening, then narrowing, their determination to fulfil this mission successfully rises tenfold. Hahn and I decide on two ambushes. One to take the place of Zhao's escort, the other to take him out however possible.
We have the other disguised bender lie in wait closer to the palace with two more warriors for the actual takedown. The three warriors and I will have a squad of undisguised ambushers lead an attack, during which Zhao and Iroh are distracted, so that we can replace at least two of the guards.
It's a complete mess, but I manage to get in position on one of the rhinos, shedding my Watertribe coat as I do so. Hahn does the same. The rest of our unit die.
Which, fuck. Inacceptable.
I've seen more death in the last hours than ever before in my life. And I'm pretty sure I should feel more than slight disappointment. Hahn does, I can tell with the way he sits. He's horrified by their deaths.
At Hahn's signal, the second ambush takes on the remaining guards and another bender takes on Iroh. Hahn holds his own against two of the benders by sicking the rhino on one and swiftly taking down the other.
I take care of Zhao by way of beheading him while he's busy making a warrior dance. Iroh surrenders.
It's all quite anticlimactic. Or I'm just functioning on the basest of instincts.
Then, Hahn is killed by one of the guards. A roar tears itself from my throat. How the fuck could I just assume with these two out of the fight, it'd be over?
Just as I step up to avenge my friend, the spirit of the moon is killed.
It is like a punch to the heart. I falter, stumble. The same happens to my fellow bender who just finished encasing Iroh in ice up to his neck. The moon turns a lovely shade of red. I gasp.
A failsafe. Zhao had a failsafe.
Why did I think he wouldn't trust anyone else with his knowledge, his quest to make history? Above all else, he wanted to be known for defeating the Northern Watertribe, defeating powerful spirits themselves. Why did I believe that he would be the incompetent Disney villain? Ah, Nikelodeon more like.
"No…", Iroh whispers as he stares into the blood red sky. I've landed on something sharp.
The guard I was about to skewer turns on me. It is only years of training with Hahn that save my life. I roll on the ground, pick up a fallen sword to brush aside the flames he punches at me with a flick of the wrist. Ah, this is going to be a pain. I only hope Iroh won't decide to join in on the new game of 'who can hit the defenceless waterbender?'. I'm also quite glad that the Fire Nation uniforms ward off flames. I'd have second degree burns all over my arms if I wasn't wearing one.
He's pretty good, never letting me in too close, but I manage to herd him towards a fallen rhino and he falters. Finally, I get a clear shot in. I disable his attack, swipe at his knee and once he's down… I know the neck armour is sturdy, so I shove my entire bodyweight behind the strike. The firebender dies by way of open throat.
I collapse to my knees. All my energy feels like it's been drained. I never knew I depended so much on my bending. The only reason I'm not flopping on the ground like my fellow waterbender does, is because I've lived thirty years as a normal human.
I look at Iroh, who is still staring at the moon, shell-shocked. I take off the faceguard and spit out some blood. That can't be good. Finally, he notices me. His eyes take in the bloody sword in my hand and the dead guard.
He melts the ice trapping him away in a matter of seconds.
"Gonna finish me off?" I ask and give him a bloody smile.
Iroh shakes a tired head.
"Ha, the Dragon of the West, showing mercy. How kind," I laugh, then cough and more blood lands on the ground. "Fine then. Help me to the Spirit Oasis, would you?"
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