ME: Crime and corruption as well as the remaining Equalists; something Legend of Korra kinda glossed over.
FROM THE JOURNAL OF CHIEF OF POLICE LIN BEIFONG
If there's one thing that hasn't changed from the days of when my mother had my job and Avatar Aang was still around, it's that this city has needed protection.
Fortunately the Equalists are now divided into two factions; one led by Amon's former Lieutenant, now calling himself the Commander, officially named the True Equalists. They say Amon hijacked the non-bender civil rights movement-admittedly, he did do just that just like his brother Tarrlok used his seat on the Council to seize power for himself-and that they are the true freedom fighters in the "war between non-bender liberties and institutionalized oppression." He's even apologized on behalf of his followers for their actions against non-criminal benders like my Metalbender police officers (who, along with me, are grateful that we can now move rocks again among other things) and Avatar Korra. Tenzin has issued him and his troops a general pardon as long as they help me and my number two, Executive Deputy Chief Saikhan.
Unfortunately, there's the other half of the main Equalist remnants and they're known as the Purifiers for a reason. They claim benders are a blight on society, and since a certain bloodbender-apparently his real name was, of all things, Noatak-isn't around to simply "purify" benders, they simply want anyone who can bend an element, elderly or child like Tenzin and Pema's kids, male or female, exterminated. Unlike the True Equalists, who mainly wear their old uniforms, these bastards all dress like Amon but claim Noatak was an impostor-I will agree that he was a lying son of a bitch-and their leader (Hiroshi Sato is secure without even a thuggish cell mate to keep him company, while the guards report he sometimes mumbles his now-deceased wife's name in his sleep-never thought I'd pity him after he more or less ruined the Sato name, leaving Miss Asami with neither of her parents-so he's off the suspect list) wears a uniquely modified Amon outfit.
Frankly, I'm not eager to work with a man who fought for Amon, but even without the Purifiers we need all the extra help we can get.
The Triads are now back, and without Amon to threaten them they terrorize, rape and murder anyone who gets in the way of their greed. Worse, my detectives and their informants have said they've used the lack of pre-Amon law and order (between the transition from martial law under General Iroh and the United Forces troops under his command to civilian government and Korra restoring the abilities of my metalbenders, we've been swamped) to gain ground and annex the smaller, weaker street gangs.
One of them, a group of entirely non-bender members, refused to join the Agni Kais, so the captain in charge of the crew sent to deal with them made an example that reminds me of some of the atrocities committed under Fire Lords Sozin, Azulon and Ozai.
First they raped the leader of the gang's girlfriend (who's relationship with said leader is widely suspected to have been abusive-three guesses as to who was the abuser), but thanks to the new CEO of Future Industries not a single Yuan spent on making sure she has a comfortable recovery and a good, honest life comes from the taxpayers and frees it up for Reconstruction efforts, though I doubt anyone would seriously mind being charitable in her case.
But the gang members themselves didn't live; the Agni Kais burned them alive as slow as possible, then hung the corpses from lamp posts to send a message. No one else defied orders to submit after that, be it from them or from another Triad (who'd probably do the same thing or a similar thing if the Agni Kais didn't do it first.
Now for the Triads themselves:
The Agni Kais are obviously Fire Nation supremacists, although they're the also most abusive of non-benders (even towards ones entirely of FN descent), with anyone who can't firebend either mopping floors, cooking meals, serving as a "comfort woman" (more or less female prostitutes who only serve Agni Kai members-they get exclusive, and more importanly, free access to them as a benefit; the women themselves are paid either via a subsitence-level salary or they get slop and the right to sleep under an Agni Kai roof) or any other menial profession, though some serve as guards/lookouts whenever firebenders can't be spared. They either dress in modernized FN military uniforms from the Hundred Years War or modernized traditonal clothing, though a couple were captured in red suits. They specialize in racketeering, although they indulge in smuggling as well. Funny enough, their leader's a sincere nationalist who refers to extorting shopkeepers as "taxation." They also operate out of compounds in the industrial areas.
Then there are the Red Monsoons, the waterbending Triad. Their current leader supposedly "cracked" having to take on lots of responsibility at a young age like Aang's wife Katara and her parents died, but unlike the renowned healer she apparently couldn't take it. Rumor has it that she's a bloodbender on level with at least Tarrlok, though for obvious reasons we don't have much usable evidence that would get her convicted; chances are whatever sap had the misfortune of learning about said skills didn't live to talk about it. The gang itself mainly consists of those who grew up poor, came from difficult households or both. They have a fierce rivalry with the Agni Kais over the tensions that remain between their respective ethnicities even though the war's been over for more then half a century; plus the fact they compete for smuggling revenue doesn't help matters. Their main crimes consist of theft, human trafficking and-worst of all-they now have a near monoply on prostitution now that they've killed off a large number of competing rivals, all pimp and madam-types-not shedding any tears for them, just their victims. One 15-year old ex-sex slacs recently escaped their captivity-both because of her age and not consenting to having sex for money, she won't be prosecuted-and told of one of the Red Monsoon leader's lieutenants-this one a female-stabbed to death one of her fellow captives with an icicle in front of their others just to intimidate them into submitting to being raped by either the gang members or their customers. Naturally they operate out of the slums, driving away further chances of legitimate employment relieving poverty.
Next are the earthbenders, the Iron Rockslides Triad. Unlike the others, they don't have any real bases of operations and are constantly on the move, although they frequently inhabit seedy bars whose legality is questionable at best. This makes them virtually impossible to pin down and take out. The Rockslides may not be as brutal as the Agni Kais or Monsoons, but that does not mean their selling of illegal cactus juice makes them harmless. Their leader apparently grew up in a police family but now is a flat-out anarchist at best.
The Triple Threats are the final of the four "traditional" Triads. Zolt's still in control even though he can't firebend anymore (Korra and I devised a screening process to keep criminals from getting their bending back), though the heads of the Four Families have made a waterbender named Viper the underboss. Zolt may have led the Triple Threat Triad into a new era of lawbreaking but he didn't get where he got before Amon debended him without the Four Families; formerly separate, they backed him and made him the overall boss of the Triad but it's clear they've taken advantage of Amon's actions to use him as a puppet while they (and Viper, to a lesser extent) take control. One of the Four Families is Fire Nation, another Earth Kingdom and the other two are both Water Tribe (Northern and Southern). Each is governed by a patriarch or matriarch who all rank directly below both Viper and Zolt officially; unofficially, Viper is now their joint representative more or less.
The Triple Threats are undeniably the most powerful Triad because of their acceptance of all regardless of nationality; even though benders still get better pay and higher ranks, non-benders face the least discrimation in the Triple Threats and none of them have been coerced. They are based out of Downtown; though they indulge in petty crimes, their main focus is on stuff like running numbers and money laundering.
Last but not least are the Blacksmiths, led by the Weapons Master; he is a man named Jae who we have little information on whatsoever. Not only are they the only Triad where non-benders are the majority but in fact most of them are ex-Equalist militants. What we do know about him is that he grew up on the streets as an orphan-turned-hobo who later joined the Equalists for a roof over his head then any real bigotry against benders.
He was merely one of Hiroshi Sato's assistants until the day Korra revealed Amon was a fraud.
Together with his future high-ranking associates, Jae stole a large amount of Equalist weaponry before anyone else, Purifier or True Equalist, could take it.
Now Jae does one of two things to make himself and his fellow Triad members money; if any of the other Triads are in a turf war and needs extra manpower, he simply allows them to rent his soldiers as mercenaries and/or assassins. The fact he deals with all four of the other Triads make each one's leadership despise him, but Jae and his fellow Blacksmiths are now too valuable to dispose of.
The other way he and his "friends" (if his business partners/employees can be called that) profit is why he's above the Rockslides on my inverted list of threats; black market arms dealing.
Just two days ago, a group of Blacksmiths were arrested in the Fire Nation for attempting to smuggle weapons past customs to a radical ultranationalist terrorist group attempting to overthrow Fire Lord Izumi. Four mecha-tanks stolen from Future Industries meant to be converted into construction vehicles for civilian use before their theft, 100 swords, 1000 electrified gloves modified (by none other than Jae) to help firebenders produce lightning and enough explosives to sink a United Forces battleship.
But that's just one case where they were stopped. It didn't stop them from selling to all four of the other Triads or smuggling their wares past checkpoints on the EK-URN border via underground tunnels to bandit customers.
The question is how are we gonna stop these threats from causing our city and the work of nearly a century to collapse into ruin?
ME: Suggestions (including OCs), criticism and complements welcome via PMs and reviews.