Author's Note: Rated M for a reason.
Be warned, this story will focus on the darker realities and on the imperfect people who nonetheless strive to make the world a better place.
The Gates of War
Character List:
Bumi -earthbender from Omashu, Lieutenant in the Earth Kingdom armies.
Yukka - waterbender from the Southern Water Tribe, pirate.
Renzu - firebender from the Capital, Colonel in the Fire Nation Army.
Lady Suyin Beifong - earthbender from Ba Sing Se, socialite, and former lady in waiting to the Queen.
Chapter 1: Welcome to the Hu Xin Army
The early afternoon sun cast its pale light over the military base and revealed a desolate sight. Poorly pitched tents mixed with scattered armor and ostrich horses left out in the mud and rain. Half built watchtowers leaned precipitously on faulty stilts while broken granaries filled with rice stood rotting in the sun.
What a mess, Bumi thought bitterly. He was a tall man with wild hair, pale green eyes that were wide and alert, and a thin wisp of a beard that had only recently grown on his still young face. But even his haphazard appearance seemed too clean for a place like this.
"Here we are sir," The soldier at his announced with thinly veiled contempt, "The Hu Xin Army main camp."
The sight of his future base made Bumi's heart retreat slowly into the pit of his stomach. In a different time and place he would've laughed and cracked one of his infamously bad jokes, maybe comparing it to an old lady's house. But when this rabble was meant to stop the Fire Nation from their onslaught against his country, he felt only the urge to bury his head in the dirt somewhere.
"This has to be a mistake." He muttered, desperately hoping that it was.
The soldier didn't reply and merely gave him a weary look that only echoed Bumi's disgust. He bowed curtly and wandered back to his guard post leaving Bumi to walk the rest of the way alone.
Bumi took a deep breath to steady himself. This was not what he had expected when he had eagerly requested a transfer from Omashu to the front lines. After years of boring duty as a guard in Omashu, he had been eager for an opportunity to prove to his country, and to himself, that he was every bit as good as he thought he was. The Hu Xin army was supposed to give him that chance. After all, it was the most modern, best equipped fighting force in the Earth Kingdom. All along the road from Omashu to Hu Xin he had heard people tout them as the "saviors of the Earth Kingdom" and the "warriors without equal". Instead he was greeted with this.
Making his way past the unguarded camp gates, Bumi realized the situation was even worse up close. As soon as he set foot in the camp a powerful stench of waste and excrement assaulted his nostrils, nearly sending him tumbling back. He covered his mouth with his sleeve and struggled on, searching for the Commander's tent. The few officers he encountered along the way were uneager to help him when he asked for directions and in many of their eyes he saw the hazy and withdrawn look of opium addicts. Every step of the way, Bumi felt the urge to leave growing ever stronger.
By the time he reached the Commander's tent every thought in his head screamed at him to go home, but he forced himself to be strong. He had come this far to fight for his country and he wasn't running back to Omashu at the first sign of trouble.
With newfound determination Bumi approached the sentries at the entrance and handed them his orders. They barely bothered to read them, before Bumi found himself being hastily shuffled inside.
Upon entering the tent Bumi immediately noted the vast difference between the Commander's tent and the camp outside. Luxurious rugs covered the floor, the scent of incense hung thick in the air, and half drained bottles of wine that most peasants would never dream to taste stood lazily on tables of rich mahogany.
How encouraging to see that the war taxes that were bleeding the Earth Kingdom dry faster than the Fire Nation were being put to good use, Bumi thought with growing rage. The carefree look that he usually wore tightened into a grimace.
"I'm looking for Commander Shin?" He said with surprising calm.
"You found him. What is it?" Came the arrogant reply. The man who uttered it looked to be in his mid-thirties, with a thick brown beard and a permanent sneer on his face. His immaculate uniform identified him as a high-ranking officer and his accent was distinctly provincial.
"Lieutenant Bumi, sir. I've been transferred from the Omashu Defense Forces to the Hu Xin army, sir." Bumi bowed and held out the scroll with his transfer orders.
"Omashu Defense Forces." Shin repeated with amusement, "You must've really fucked up to have been transferred to the front lines."
"Actually I volunteered, sir."
Shin eyed him curiously, "Wanted to see some action, huh?"
"I wanted to do my part to defeat the Fire Nation, sir." To Bumi's frustration the sneer on the Shin's face widened.
"A true patriot, eh?" He shook his head as he put away the scroll, "Come along, Lieutenant, let's get you acquainted with the troops."
…
The training grounds were the only part of the base, aside from the Commander's quarters, that were halfway decent. It was a large stone yard, clean and well maintained, with equipment and training weapons stowed neatly on wooden racks. Hundreds of soldiers lined the periphery of the yard, eagerly awaiting the start of the drills, while a small group of troops huddled nervously in the center.
"New recruits for the Earthbender corps." Shin explained to Bumi with delight.
'Recruits' was putting it generously, Bumi thought, knowing that most if not all of these soldiers were conscripts. Few of them had any real training and none of them had ever been in a real fights. Forced from their homes in distant villages and marched off to the front lines where they died by the thousands, forgotten and quickly replaced. Bumi felt his heart sink even further. What a waste.
A procession of firebenders led by a paunchy middle-aged man with a grey beard parted the crowd and marched towards Jiang and Bumi. Shin tensed as he recognized the leader.
"General Chow!" Shin hastily bowed and Bumi followed suit, "I didn't expect to see you here, sir!"
The general barely bothered to bow back.
"Carry on, Commander." He said haughtily, "I'm just here to observe your daily drills."
Then casting an eye at Bumi, "Who's that?"
"Lieutenant Bumi, sir, recently transferred from Omashu." Shin replied with clear distaste, "Volunteered for front line service."
"I see." A look of genuine shock crossed the General's face before being replaced with amusement. "What do you think of our army, Lieutenant?"
"It looks like it's seen better days, sir."
The general smirked, "Poor funding will do that to an army eh, Commander?"
"Yes, sir." Shin said with mock gravity, "Terrible shame that the Earth King doesn't care enough about his men."
"You don't seem to be doing so badly, sir." Bumi remarked, his eyes boring into Shin, "I thought only nobles could afford Shuyin Wine."
The amusement disappeared from their eyes and a silence gathered like storm clouds in the air. For a moment Bumi wondered if he had gone too far, insubordination was a serious crime in the Earth Kingdom Army.
"Perhaps you should proceed with the drills, Commander." General Chow said at last, to Bumi's relief.
"Yes, sir." Shin shot Bumi a hateful glare before stomping off towards the recruits.
"Have you had much experience in war, Lieutenant Bumi?" General Chow asked, carrying on as if nothing had happened.
"Only the odd skirmish, sir. Omashu is too far inland for the Fire Nation to attack in force."
"Well things are different on the front lines." The general explained, smiling on the surface, "We give our officers a little…a little leeway. They need a distraction from the struggles of the day to day and in the end what's a few bottles of wine in return for winning a war?"
"I see." Bumi nodded, knowing that Chow was in on it too. Every officer was probably skimming from the top, draining this army's funds until there was nothing left. They didn't care about their country anymore, let alone the soldiers under their command. They were motivated only by greed.
"Atten-tion!" Shin barked and the recruits in the center of the yard scattered to stand at the ready.
"Now then," Shin carried on with a sinister smile, "Let's see what you maggots can do. You there!"
Shin pointed to the youngest in the lot, a boy who was scarcely in his teens who looked like he was about to cry. The boy nervously pointed back at himself.
"Yes you, private!" Shin shouted with growing irritation, "Come here!"
"S-sir!" The boy stepped forward nervously.
"Try to knock me down with your earthbending." Shin commanded,
"Sir, I don't-"
"That's an order maggot!" Shin barked, "Do it now, or I'll have you whipped for insubordination!"
The boy shakily assumed a pitiful stance and weakly levitated a boulder out of the ground. As he prepared to strike, Shin launched his own boulder squarely into his chest sending him flying back. The private collapsed in a heap on the ground, gasping for air.
"On your feet, maggot!" Shin ordered, marching towards him.
The boy sprawled on the ground, clutching his chest. Tears streamed down his face.
"I said on your feet!" Shin pulled him up by the scruff of his neck and kicked him in the backside. The boy fell back down.
"Private, if you don't get back on your feet in the next ten seconds I swear I'll kick your teeth in!" The boy struggled to rise up, blood trickling from his mouth.
"Now maggot!" Shin bellowed and the boy finally managed to stand.
"Very good." Shin nodded with approval, then turning back to the remaining recruits. "Who's next?"
His eyes latched sadistically onto another boy scarcely older than the first.
"You, private." He pointed at him, "Where are you from?"
"Taku, sir!"
"Oh Taku," He scoffed, "No wonder you look like a dumb sack of shit. You think you have what it takes to be in the Hu Xin army?!"
"Sir…yes sir!" The boy stuttered.
"Well any day now princess!"
The boy assumed a more solid stance than the previous recruit and launched a barrage of three rocks at the commander. Shin managed to deflect the first two but the third one caught him off guard and narrowly grazed his cheek, drawing blood.
Touching his face, Shin saw the blood on his hand and his face immediately twisted with rage. The boy backed away in terror, his hands dropping weakly to his sides.
Shin didn't even bother earthbending. He rushed at the boy and floored him with a right hook. Shin punched him again and again, kicking and stomping the boy into the dirt. Unleashing all his rage with no end in sight.
How dare that nobody show him up in front of his General, Shin thought. He'd teach him-he'd teach them all a lesson!
Shin's attack stopped abruptly as he was yanked off the boy. Spinning around to see the fool who would dare interrupt his vengeance, Shin locked eyes with Bumi.
"He's had enough, Commander." Bumi said firmly.
Shin could scarcely utter words in his fury.
"I decide when someone's had enough, Lieutenant." He managed at last, breathing heavily. "Not some city dweller who's never seen combat!"
"These are supposed to be drills, Commander." Bumi continued, unfazed by the hostility. "What exactly are you teaching this boy by beating him to death?"
"Respect, for one thing." Shin said, wiping the boy's blood off his forehead. "And I'm teaching them what happens to losers and weaklings. Any of you got a problem with my teaching methods?"
He glared at the remaining soldiers. None of them replied.
"There you see, Lieutenant." Shin exhaled, "No objections."
"How about you let me try?" Bumi said. Knowing Shin couldn't refuse in front of his men.
"You?" Shin smirked, a tinge of nervousness in his voice. "You're not a new recruit."
"But I'm new to this army. Maybe you can teach me something about how to win."
Shin nodded his head, "Very well. Same challenge, knock me down." Shin assumed a fighting stance.
Typical by the book stance, Bumi thought with amusement, none of these macho soldier-types ever thought outside the box. It was the Earth Kingdom's national trait after all. Earthbenders always fought head on and direct, never subtle. It was no wonder the Fire Nation was winning, when everything the Earth Kingdom did was so predictable.
"Any time now, Lieutenant." Shin goaded, a self-assured look on his face.
Let's change that, Bumi thought.
With a swift and sudden motion Bumi bended the ground out from under the Commander's feet and Shin landed flat on his ass. For a moment everyone looked on in silence. Then one man broke into a chuckle and soon the entire training yard was roaring with laughter.
Bumi smiled for the first time since he arrived in the camp. The look on Shin's face, a mixture of shock with a hint of defeat, was the best thing he had seen all day.
How's that for a lesson you 'dumb sack of shit', he thought, beaming on the inside. But the joy did not linger. Bumi remembered the cause of this reckless fight.
Rushing over to the recruit Shin had brutalized, he helped the injured earthbender to his feet. The boy could barely keep his eyes open, but Bumi saw that they burned with gratitude.
"Let's get you to the infirmary." He said softly.
As the pair made their way slowly through the still laughing soldiers, Bumi saw Shin's murderous gaze following them. Unrelenting, even as they disappeared into the crowd.
…
"Will he be alright, doctor?" Bumi asked hesitantly. The boy had lost consciousness on the way to the infirmary and his breathing was very weak.
"Hard to say, Lieutenant." The doctor held the boy's wrist to check his pulse. "If I had the proper medicine we could bring down the swelling but with the current deficit…"
"You mean the army doesn't even receive proper medical supplies?" Bumi looked at him with horror.
"Tons of supplies are shipped to the army every day." The doctor explained, "But unfortunately precious little of it makes it to the front lines."
"The Fire Nation?"
The doctor sighed, "No, our own trusted officials. They sell what they can and use the rest for recreation."
"And the entire Military command is ok with that?" Bumi asked, recalling the hollow faces of the officers he encountered, the faces of opium addicts.
"Oh I'm sure there are those who disagree," The doctor said in a very hushed voice. "But they don't live long enough to complain about it. Wars are dangerous you know."
Bumi nodded his head in apprehension, "They certainly are."
"I'll do my best to heal him." The doctor said, resuming his normal tone, "I'll let you know if his condition changes, Lieutenant."
"Thank you, doctor...?" Bumi had been so worried about the boy's health, it only occurred to him now to ask the doctor's name.
"Doctor Wan."
"Thank you, Doctor Wan." Bumi shook his hand and glanced powerlessly at the boy one final, knowing there was nothing more he could do. Wearily, he trudged back out into the festering den of brutes that was now his home.
It was dark now. Thick clouds overhead obscured the moon and only a few dim lanterns provided any illumination in the camp. Bumi decided he might try the mess hall before going to sleep. Food would be a welcome distraction, especially since he hadn't eaten since he arrived and his growling stomach now loudly reminded him of that fact.
The path to the mess hall was quiet and surprisingly deserted. Perhaps the mess hall was closed already, assuming this sorry excuse for a camp even kept it soldiers fed.
What a day, Bumi thought solemnly. Aside from the doctor it seemed like no one in this army cared about anything but themselves. Never in his darkest dreams did Bumi imagine that this was what the army was reduced to. It seemed to him now that his country was doomed. How arrogant he had been to think that he could make a difference.
The sound of running footsteps broke the silence and before Bumi knew it a bag was pulled over his head and hands grabbed his arms and pinned them behind his back. He struggled. Even without his vision he could still earthbend.
He sent several of his attackers flying backwards and desperately tried to pry himself from their hold. They held on with all their strength, pulling him back, but in the confusion he managed to pry one arm free.
Raising it to bend up the ground beneath him he almost succeeded in breaking out, when out of the darkness a blow to the head brought him down to his knees. Further blows followed, some of them kicks, others from clubs and bats. Pain burned into him from all sides until Bumi was left writhing like a worm on the ground.
Despite the pain, he tried desperately to pry himself off the ground, but his arms and legs refused to cooperate. He was broken.
The attackers carried on nonetheless. Not caring that he no longer struggled. Not caring if they went too far. Bumi no longer felt the pain from their blows as his vision darkened and his body went numb. In his last moments of consciousness, he heard a familiar voice mocking him.
"Welcome to the Hu Xin Army!"
Author's Note 2:
The main influence for this story comes from my own frustration and disgust with the way events and politics are unfolding in our world. But on another note, I always wanted to explore the less known events and characters in the Avatar Universe, especially some of the deeper ramifications of war and politics. A hundred-year war is definitely full of stories worth telling and this is my take on the early years of this war, where the future of the Earth Kingdom seemed hopeless and its people were pushed to the very breaking point.
Be sure to Review and let me know what you think of the story so far.
-Gongsun Du