Chapter One
The comet had finally come. Its power abused, stolen for selfish motives. Its true power, wasted on war and destruction. A king's dream of absolute power was now a reality. The natural, innocent, honest world was no more. Exit the light, and enter the dark. Divorce the innocent, and confide in the corrupt. Hopes and dreams of all opposed to the king are put to death by the flame. Only one with the divine power would end the suffering, but there would be others who pave the way.
"This meeting will come to order!"
The whole counsel had become restless. Fire Lord Sozin had called a meeting of the minds to discuss his plans. Talk of archers and foot soldiers where frequent, and the scent of war was in the air. Sozin had reached into every camp, company, and rank to call out a top official. General Shia-Ti was second in command only to Sozin himself, and had been the voice of the Fire Lord.
"We have all agreed to make the Air Nomads our first target. With Air being after fire in the Avatar cycle, we could complete decimate the nomads. This would of course end the Avatar cycle, leaving the Fire Nation free to rule over all nations!"
Shia-Ti was a dynamic orator, and his tone swayed the crowd. He had been a war hero, in civil conflict no less. Shia had put down a series of revolts and uprisings against the throne. For his duty, he had been showered with promotions and praise. He had lived a very accomplished life, filled with fame and riches. In fact, only one thing kept him from true happiness: love. There was one, a childhood friend. She was later killed in one of the civil riots. She was the only one he had loved as strongly as he had, and now she was gone. Sure, women came with fame and fortune. There was not one who had stayed in the name of love. Shia-Ti was a famous war hero who had all he could ever want. Yet, he could not have been any more unsatisfied.
The meeting had become more and more sinister in theme. One official suggested a full force attack to stun and cripple the water tribes before worrying about the Air Nomads. Another wanted to bull rush the great Earth Kingdom of Ba Sing Se. Finally, it was Shia who proposed a sweep of all the Air temples. The Fire lord had personally agreed, adding that the warriors where to leave not one monk alive. Shia didn't like to kill, arguing to only destroy all establishments and arrest the monks. The Fire lord overruled his judgment, choosing mass murder. Sozin knew the Air Monks where all pacifists, making it impossible for them to put up any kind of resistance. Shia-Ti acknowledged the orders, and then called a meeting of the officials.
Shia-Ti raised his arms to quiet the anxious crowd. After years of planning and waiting, the time for action had finally arrived.
"The Fire Lord has made his decision on which methods we will be using to attack with. First, we shall poison the water supply of the nomads. Then, while their reeling from their sickness, we'll attack them from all sides! We will use this method on each temple and crush our opposition in this manner!"
The counsel burst into applause and the officers saluted as Shia-Ti took his seat next to Sozin. Another official ended the meeting and the board room emptied out into the barracks. The plan to destroy the Air Nomads was officially put into action; and the war had officially begun.