The Legend of Bumi
Chapter One: The Airbender's Son
Earth, Fire, Air, Water. Long ago, my father told me how the bending arts were tied into a person's essence, their spirit. That was why someone might not have the ability to bend even though their very twin might be an accomplished bender. My father is a wise man, but sometimes I think that he might have gotten it wrong. For if the ability to bend is linked with the spirit, then his older brother Bumi should have been born as a powerful one, for he had enough spirit for twenty men.
-TLoB-
There are certain things accepted in a big city to be clockwork: the rhythm of the buses, happy hour, and the occasional jettison of some unruly drunk from the window of a bar onto some pavement somewhere. These were the things that one learned to accept in their lives, to the point that one bus or the other, or one drunk or the other, would pass by with barely a blink and retreat smoothly into the background noise of the world.
It was somewhat rarer for two men to be thrown out of the same bar, one after the other, but hardly something to look up from the Pai Sho match to notice. For long, anyway.
When the third man came sailing out into the mud with a cry of alarm, things began to get more interesting. Now that they were paying attention, the alley residents could hear the sound of bottles being smashed, furniture turning to splinters, angry shouts followed by jets of flame or water, and to top it off there was a loud and booming howl coming from inside the bar, like something from the spirit world had decided to show up for happy hour.
Card dealers, other kinds of dealers, and vagabonds alike all looked at each other in complete bewilderment.
Inside the bar, Bumi was having the time of his life. Uncorking another bottle he thrust it between his teeth and swallowed heavily. "Now that's the secret when fighting firebenders, you know. Firebending all comes from the breath, so you just have to make sure it's hard for them to get."
Kya applauded him enthusiastically from the one undamaged table in the bar, laughing uproariously at the firebender choking in Bumi's headlock. "Get him, Boo!"
"Take it easy, Sparkles." Bumi grinned. "Got to quench my thirst first." He sculled the remainder of his drink, then tossed the bottle aside with a long and hearty belch. "Now then!"
Gripping the firebender by the back of his belt, Bumi took a run up and hurled him out the window and into the street. He turned around, his hands held up high. "And the winner is Bumi! The unconquered champion of Republic City!"
"Yay!" Kya danced from tabletop to tabletop. "Bumi! Bumi! Bumi!"
"What's going on here?" An outraged voice demanded. A portly man had charged through the door, half a dozen toughs at his back. "What the hell did you kids do to my bar?"
Bumi and Kya froze and exchanged glances, guilty as sin.
"I'll make you little brats-oof!" The man had summoned a ball of water from a flask at his side. Kya had extended her hand in a sweeping motion, grabbed the puddles of alcohol from the pavers and blasted him and his cronies backwards back out the door.
"Kya, hop on!" Bumi ordered, His little sister leapt from the table, landing on his back as Bumi leapt out the broken window. "Let's beat it!"
-TLoB-
"Mom is going to be so mad." Kya lurched against Bumi with another giggle. "I bet she really thought she had you cornered that time."
"Once again, she missed a hole in her logic." Bumi announced proudly. "She said not to misbehave for Uncle Sokka. She just didn't specify that we couldn't misbehave on the way home."
Kya frowned. Though Bumi was always the one responsible for their little 'outings', she still felt a little guilty for always going along with him. "To be fair, she did say come straight home after the theatre."
"Yes, and that bar is on the fastest route to the ferry." Bumi countered. "Once more I prove that a dizzying intellect is a match for any bending."
Suddenly the two of them were hauled into the air by their ears, and a voice they knew well rang out like the hiss of the Face-Stealer. "See, it's not that particular statement itself that I object to. It's just that you need to have a dizzying intellect first."
Necks stretched out like turkey-vultures, they found themselves twisted around. Uncle Sokka's easy smile greeted them. "Well. Hello there."
"Please Uncle, don't turn us over to Auntie Toph." Bumi begged. It suddenly felt like a raptor-boa was wrapping itself around his neck. "She'll put me right back on street sweeping. Remember last time?"
"Last week, you mean?" Uncle Sokka grinned. "As an upstanding member of the City Council and a personal friend of the Chief of Police, I should of course turn in the two little vandals I caught mere minutes after they smashed up a bar and dropped a dozen grown men and women in their tracks…but as your beloved Uncle I too understand the desire to smash up a Triad bar and throw a little booze in the face of some goons."
They sighed with relief. "Thanks, Uncle," Kya said.
"But thinking you could outsmart your mother after making her a solemn promise?" Sokka continued, and fear leapt back into their throats. "That I have to punish. If only so you'll be smarter next time."
It wasn't the first time Uncle Sokka had marched the both of them back to the ferry for Air Temple Island. Kya's first memory of it was when she was eight and she and Bumi had made a daring break for freedom after being grounded for a particularly spectacular prank pulled on Air Acolyte Wei Xin during his meditations. Intending to seek out Great Uncle Iroh in Ba-Sing Sae, they'd made a successful escape to the mainland and been halfway to the railroad before their uncle intercepted them. It felt as humiliating eight years later as it did back then.
And like back then, Dad was waiting at the terminal, wearing an expression that spelled doom.
It wasn't an angry expression, oh no. Dad never got angry and that was the worst thing. Mom would occasionally lose her temper, reprimand the two of them severely and then feel bad about it later and bring them hot chocolate. Dad would have a goofy smile on his face that indicated he'd just thought up some spectacularly amusing punishment that would send even solemn Tenzin into gales of laughter and make Mom's lips twitch with something dangerously close to a smile at their expense. Even Fire Lord Zuko, when he visited, would offer sage advice to them as they personally swept the Path of Peace (without a broom), or refilled the Pool of Tranquillity (without waterbending).
If Kya thought about it, she could tell that Dad actually enjoyed their little breakouts as much as he did coming up with a challenging, yet thoughtful, reprimand for their misdeeds. Certainly he always spent more time with them afterwards, explaining the point of their useless punishment before giving them the afternoon off to go wind-surfing in the harbour, the wind provided by him personally. It was as much of a bonding activity as Tenzin's field trips.
Dad wasn't in his usual robes tonight. Instead he wore a grey suit that brought out his twinkling eyes. "Well, what have you dragged out of the alley, Sokka?"
"Aang, you won't believe it, but I actually caught your darling children up to no good after they left my place. Which I wouldn't mind if they hadn't given their solemn word to be upright citizens for tonight." Uncle Sokka said, presenting them like they were a pair of naughty toddlers. "Please have mercy on them. They share some of my blood, and you've seen what it does to me."
Dad looked down on them in that mock serious way he had. "I see. And what do you two have to say for yourselves?"
Kya immediately took the lead. Her lips pouting and her eyes wide, she stepped in front of Bumi. "Don't be too hard on him, Dad. I just said I felt it was sad that the Triads have taken so much territory in the last year. Bumi tried to cheer me up by knocking over a few of those bullies."
"Well, I'm always a fan of knocking over bullies." Dad offered Bumi a grin. "It was very considerate of you to try and make your sister feel better, Bumi."
Bumi gave a weak shrug, trying to avoid looking Dad straight in the eye. "Thanks, Dad."
It was the wrong move. Dad's stance shifted slightly, his head cocked to one side in that manner that Kya knew all too well was his way of sniffing through the air currents around them. When he spoke, Dad's voice was suddenly, dangerously, calm. "Kya. Why is there alcohol on your breath?"
Oh boy. Kya took a deep breath, about to answer, but Bumi stepped in first. "It's my fault, Dad. I suggested the bar for a drink, not for beating up Triads. It just escalated a little after a couple…"
Dad didn't get angry, he never got angry, but his eyes did narrow suddenly. "You took your sister into a Triad bar? And you let her…Kya, go wait by the ferry."
Kya shot a furtive glance to Bumi, trying to convey please don't make it worse with her eyes. Bumi slouched down further, his eyes falling to Dad's kneecaps as his father loomed over him. Dad needn't have bothered sending her to the far side of the jetty, Kya could hear everything anyway.
"…and giving your sister alcohol would be hypocritical of me. Sokka used to sneak a bottle of wine out of one feast or another when I was as young as all of you, and we certainly split our fair share of brandy with Toph at her school. Not to mention the reunions we had at Zuko's place." Dad began in his usual, understanding tone. "But taking her into a Triad bar? You know they're getting more violent as they recruit more benders. Kya could handle herself sober, but drunk?"
"I know, Dad." Bumi nodded dutifully.
"And you're not even a bender. How are you supposed to fight off an angry Triad if you pick the wrong…"
Bumi suddenly snapped. "I know I'm not a bender! I'm only reminded of it every single day!"
Dad paused, suddenly taken aback. "Bumi, I didn't mean…I'm just disappointed in you for endangering…"
"Didn't mean what? That I'm not like Kya or precious Tenzin? The only non-bender in a whole family of them. Gee, Dad, sorry for disappointing you, again." Bumi gave a sarcastic half bow. "Maybe you should have done what they used to do in the old Fire Nation and given me up at an orphanage. Reason on the note? 'Can't bend like his parents'."
Dad was indignant, about as wrathful as he ever got with his children. "You're being ridiculous, Bumi. I've never been angry at you for not being an airbender."
"No, just disappointed." Bumi countered. "I saw it in your eyes the day you accepted I wouldn't be a 'late bloomer'. You wanted an airbending child and all you got was me!"
Kya was stunned, Dad was poleaxed, even Uncle Sokka had lost his perpetual grin. Sokka was the one to recover his voice first. "Bumi, what's come over you? Surely you can see your Dad's just being…"
"I'm quite capable of looking after my own son, Sokka." The warning note in Dad's voice made Uncle Sokka freeze. As suddenly as it had appeared, the agitation Dad had shown had dissipated. Once again he was cool and calm, but without his smile this time. "Bumi, you've clearly had a little too much to drink. I suggest you take a walk whilst I take your sister home. We can speak more on the next ferry."
Bumi glared at him. "Don't bother catching the one back here, I'll stay the night in the city. I'm eighteen now, I don't need to follow you home."
"So you are." Dad's voice had a sarcastic edge to it. "I'll see you in the morning, Bumi."
They turned and walked away from each other, each one cold and aloof, each one radiating wounded pride and a sudden pain that made Kya wince on their behalf. For a moment she wanted to stand up and seize both of them, make them apologise and make things right. But the dizziness that had been threatening her since the bar finally set in and she settled down comfortably on the bench next to the ferry, confident that Dad would wake her when it was time to go home.
-TLoB-
Bumi had once asked Fire Lord Zuko how he had dealt with having a more talented sibling in the family. It hadn't been the most tactful question, but then he hadn't been a tactful child at twelve. As he remembered it, it was just after Tenzin had proudly demonstrated his mastery of the spinning gates in front of Auntie Toph, Uncle Sokka and Uncle Zuko himself. Bumi had looked on gloomily, he and Kya practically forgotten in the enthusiasm surrounding Tenzin.
Uncle Zuko had seemed to understand after he overcame his surprise. He'd taken Bumi aside after the demonstration, kneeling down to talk to him at his level.
"It can be a challenge, dealing with someone who has more raw talent than you." He confessed, not hiding the truth from Bumi. "When my sister Azula and I were little she outshone me at everything. Languages, courtesies, history and nearly everything else. And firebending. She was always so much better at firebending than I was. I didn't hate her, but I resented her. And I know that you resent Tenzin."
The harsh truth had made Bumi hang his head in shame. But Uncle Zuko had been understanding him, not condemning him. "I learned to reconcile my negative feelings toward Azula with my positive ones. I haven't seen her in decades, not after her last plot failed, but I still love her and always will, even if I never get the chance to see her again. If you look a little deeper, you'll find that you love Tenzin far more than you resent him, and that your parents love you all no matter what your talents. Your father may have his flaws, but he's far better than mine."
"Not exactly a high bar to get over." Bumi muttered to himself, turning his mind back to the street. His anger had begun to fade after three blocks of walking and now he just felt woozy from the beer and guilty for yelling at Dad. Then his guilt turned back to anger when he remembered Dad's frustrated grimace, then back to guilt again when he remembered the distress on Kya's face. He'd rather have hacked off his own hand than cause his little sister pain. The anger bloomed in him again at Dad's implication that he would have let any harm come to her.
Frustration and resentment bubbled and churned in his gut and he kicked up the dirt in the road with a muttered curse. The real problem here was that he was only half drunk, not well and truly splattered. For a brief second he considered going back to the Triad bar to bust some more heads, then decided against it. Dad was right about one thing, there was no point fighting Triad benders drunk.
His wandering feet eventually brought him to the Thirsty Otter-Weasel, a watering hole for Southern Water Tribe expats that Uncle Sokka had introduced him to on his eighteenth birthday…well, a few days before it anyway. Bumi had always suspected, in private, that Uncle Sokka's love of the place had stemmed less from the quality of its drinks and more from the wild cheer that went up from the fishers and sailors whenever the greatest hero (second greatest whenever Mother was around) of the South wandered in for an ice cold beer.
Bumi liked the Ottsel. Liked the cool air from the ice sculptures that the bartender would bend at the bar. Liked the trophies from the owner's old hunts and battles that lined the walls. He liked to listen to the stories from the sailors in from a long voyage, his mother's people sharing their stories in their native tongue rather than the more universal Northern Earth Kingdom mixed with Fire Nation idioms that everyone used in Republic City. He felt himself calm down almost as soon as he set foot inside. Here was almost better than home on Air Temple Island. There was no Dad to bother him with a lecture on serenity here, and no simpering Air Acolytes to complain about him disturbing their meditations. Mom wouldn't come in and ask him to help with the garden, Tenzin wouldn't disturb him asking for stories and wrestling matches and even Kya couldn't ask him to take her on a shopping trip in the city.
The Ottsel was his own place, and he liked it that way. A home away from home when he needed his space. Uncle Sokka seemed to understand, which was why he never seemed to come around whenever Bumi was drinking.
The bartender greeted him with his customary smile and a broad laugh. "Bumi! What brings you down here on such a night?"
"Just looking for a drink, Jem." Bumi gestured toward the bottles behind the bar. "Could I get an iced spice rum?"
The bartender gave a whistle. "A little stronger than your usual brew, eh?"
Bumi didn't think he could handle another lecture tonight. "Just the drink, please."
The bartender poured a full measure into a glass as cold as ice. "What's got you hitting the bottle so hard tonight then, lad?"
"I might be fed up with drinking at home? Why do you care?"
The bartender gave a shrug, even as he smiled. "It's not of my business, I know. Ah, but still, I know a thing or two about being a young man still trying to pull away from my father's shadow. Did I ever tell you the story of when I was caught in the Great South Passage in between a hurricane and the biggest white whale you ever did see? Now that was a story for the ages. We'd been caught flatfooted after the great beast destroyed the biggest of our ships, the old…"
Bumi had never expected to be so grateful to a group of strangers in his life, but when the commotion at the entry of the bar interrupted the tender's story and a swarm of men and women in blue uniforms filed in surrounded by a buzz of conversation and roars of raucous laughter he could have kissed each and every one of them.
"Barkeep!" The leader of the group, a tall man as broad as half the bar, strode up to the bench and dropped a coin pouch on it. "Drinks for my crew! Beer, fire whiskey and your best rum, if you please."
Jem cracked a smile. "Well, Captain, it looks as though you survived another voyage."
"To everyone's disappointment, I'm sure." The burly captain took the seat next to Bumi. "There some narrow scrapes in there, to be sure. Pirates off the north coast of the Fire Nation, and an arctic sea-serpent just before we reached the Northern Water Tribe. But the Winter Dragon always comes through, you can be sure of that."
Bumi looked up from his drink, suddenly interested. "The Winter Dragon? You're Captain Amaruq?"
"That's me, lad." The man said, sparing him a brief glance. "Amaruq of the Southern Water Tribe, captain of the Winter Dragon, the fastest frigate in the United Forces. I'm guessing you've heard of our exploits."
"Have I?" Bumi felt excitement welling inside him. "I…sir, you're a living legend."
"Oh, I wouldn't go that far." Amaruq chuckled. "Maybe a few stories are told about me every now and then, but legends are for far greater men than a simple frigate captain."
Bumi shook his head. "No sir. Your actions defeating the warlords in the eastern seas have had their own songs written about them here in Republic City."
"Well, if it isn't nice to be appreciated." Amaruq gave him a friendly smile. "What's your name, lad?"
"Bumi, sir."
"Bumi." Amaruq savoured the name. "Good name. Strong name. But that's an Earth Kingdom name, and you have the look of the Water Tribe about you."
"My mother was Southern Water Tribe, sir." Bumi explained. "But my father…he had a good friend in the Earth Kingdom named Bumi. Named me after him."
"Any name's a good one, lad, as long as you make it your own." The captain turned back to the bartender. "Jem, give me another drink for my new friend here."
The rums arrived and Bumi drank deeply, draining it to its ice cubes before the captain had downed half his dram. Amaruq seemed to savour his rum, smacking his lips appreciatively before he set it down again. "So, Bumi, what does a strapping young lad like yourself do for your daily bread here in Republic City?"
'Part time babysitter, full time nuisance.' Bumi thought ruefully. "Unemployed, sir. But my father usually finds ways to keep me busy. Running errands, that kind of thing. I think he has dreams of sending me to an academy in Ba-Sing Sae or the Fire Nation."
Amaruq cocked an eye. "From your expression I'd say you're not in favour of the idea?"
Bumi hesitated. Arguing with Dad was one thing, part of him felt off talking about it with a stranger. But then again, Captain Amaruq had just bought him a drink. That made him a friend in Bumi's mind. "No, sir. I don't know exactly what I want in life, but more schooling isn't part of it."
Amaruq considered his reply, seemingly chewing it over as he took another sip of his drink. "Then what do you want, Bumi? You don't seem to be looking for work, and it seems you're already set on disappointing your father on your education. Clearly you can't stay in a bar for the rest of your life, so what do you want?"
For a moment Bumi was struck dumb. He paused to take a sip of the next drink, which turned into drinking the whole thing. "No one's ever asked me that before."
"Well I'm asking." Amaruq was studying him intensely. "Tell me, lad. And be truthful."
Bumi studied the empty glass. "I want something…different. I…I don't even care what it is at this point. Work, study, travel, adventures, the details don't interest me. But I want it to surprise me, for life to take me by the collar and toss me into the thick of it. That's where I'm comfortable, that's where I'm having fun."
He looked back up to see Amaruq's hand disappearing inside his jacket. For some reason the captain now had a pleased smile on his face. "Truth be told, I was hoping you'd say that, lad. So it's the unexpected you want, is it? Damn good to hear, damn good indeed. Jem! Another round!"
Bumi went to pick up a glass and almost spilled some. "Perhaps this should be my last. I'm feeling a bit…"
"Nonsense, Bumi." Amaruq clinked glasses cheerily. "We need to drink to your good fortune."
Bumi wasn't exactly sure what good fortune the captain was referring to, but he drank nonetheless. The rum tasted a bit odd, a bit sweeter than normal. Still, he cheerily downed it and turned to the next one. "What shall we drink to next?"
"Next?" Amaruq said, his fingers tapping the rim of the glass. "Hmm…what day is it? Ah! To a bloody war and a quick promotion!"
Bumi wasn't sure he understood the toast, but he lifted his glass all the same. "A bloody war and a quick promotion!"
It took him longer to drain the glass this time, his stomach roiling slightly at the consumption of so much liquor so quickly. He swayed on his seat. He heard Jem's voice as if at a distance. "Have you had enough, Bumi?"
"Enough?" The captain laughed. "The lad's just hitting his stride. Another round! To our ships at sea and friendly harbours!"
"Ships at sea…" Bumi slurred half the toast before slurping down the next glass. The swaying became more pronounced and he felt himself falling. Strong arms grabbed him as his chair toppled over and there was another laugh, whether from Amaruq or his crew he couldn't tell.
"Give him here." He heard Jem's voice again. "He can sleep it off in the back."
"Rubbish." He heard Amaruq declare. "The lad just needs some fresh air. Oy, Nuniq, take the boy outside and let him get it out of his system."
"Aye, Captain." A cheery woman's voice answered the order. "Come on, Maliq, Nini, help me with him."
Bumi was half walked, half carried out into the street, then back into an alley. He closed his eyes as they lowered him to the ground. From above he heard muffled giggles, followed by a reproachful sigh.
"I thought the Captain said we were done for the night after the last bar." A man stated, his tone disagreeable. "At this rate we'll be on half rations before we resupply."
"Oh don't be dramatic, it's only two days sailing till drop off." The first woman stated. "Besides, at least this one's got a little promise about him. Did you see how many drinks it took to finish him off after the captain slipped him the goodnight kiss? He's got a bit of grit about him, that's for sure."
"All this work for a non-bender?" A third voice complained. "And he's so big. I won't be able to carry him like the last ones."
"Then find a barrow." The woman's voice was patient, but strained. "Maliq, the sack."
Bumi was beginning to find the whole experience entirely disagreeable. At this point he'd drunk his fill and just wanted to head to Uncle Sokka's apartment. But when he tried to stand up he found his legs would not comply. Instead, someone lifted up his shoulders and in an instant he found his head and shoulders encased in rough burlap. He gave an exasperated sigh and decided to go to sleep, resting his head as comfortably as he could on the edge of whatever they had lifted him into and drifted into peaceful oblivion.
-TLoB-
He woke up to pain. The worst pain he'd ever felt, though admittedly it wasn't a vast selection. His head felt like someone had used his skull as a drum, and someone must have been pouring sand down his throat for it to be so dry.
"Hey, he's awake." A thin and reedy voice cut through his consciousness like a particularly sharp knife. "Hey, buddy, are you alright?"
"Ughhhh…."
"Pardon? Did you say something?"
"Give over, Yoshi." An irritated voice cut the first one off. "Poor guy just wants to sleep."
No…no that wasn't what he wanted. "Wat…wat-water…"
"Oh, water." The second voice was suddenly apologetic. "I'm sorry. Here."
He cracked his eyes open as someone helped him up and held a pitcher to his lips. He drank eagerly, thirst overcoming the awful, brackish taste of the liquid passing over his dried out tongue. Now swimming back to sobriety, he took in the measure of his surroundings. He was in a room. A room with steel walls and a steel roof and a steel floor. There were some chairs and table in the centre of the room, also steel. The bunks, too, were the same steel, and the mattress and pillow may as well have been slightly softer iron.
"Am I in lock-up?" Was the first question that reached his lips. It wouldn't be the first time that a boozy night landed him here.
The one giving him water, a bearded man with sharp eyes and a crooked nose, grunted apologetically. "If only, friend. We'd already be out by now if we were. Can't you hear that?"
If his throat had allowed it, Bumi would have asked what the hell he was meant to be listening for. Since his throat didn't allow it he just listened instead. He heard it in an instant. The low, dull thrum that couldn't have been anything but an engine. And since there were no clacks of wheels on a track…
"We're on a ship?" Bumi sat straight up, then winced again as pain shot up behind his eyes. "What ship?"
Beard-Face nodded. "We're on a ship alright. What ship? Well, I think you'll figure that one out in a few minutes."
"A few…"
The door to the room crashed open and the cheery woman from the night before walked in. "Alright, boys and girls. Captain says we're far enough away that you can take a stroll on the deck. Now, you can jump overboard if you like, just remember that none of you are water-benders and it'll likely take you more than a day to swim back to the mainland. If you want to take that risk, be my guest. Otherwise, take it easy and treat this like the pleasure cruise it is."
"Come on." Beard-Face helped Bumi up from the bunk. "You need some fresh air and some sun. I know what they got you with, lying around doesn't help it."
Bumi was too weak to argue, so he allowed himself to be stood up and guided out of the cabin, down a corridor and up a staircase onto the deck. The blast of salt air that hit his face as soon as he stepped out into the open air was too much. He staggered away from his helper to the rail and leaned over.
The rum had been as sweet as lemonade going down, it tasted like liquid fire coming back up.
"Got it out of your system, friend?" Beard-Face patted him gently on the back. Bumi retched again in reply.
"That's it, lad!" A familiar jovial voice made itself known. "Bring it all up. Rum is good, but mix it with Goodnight's Kiss and its better off leaving it on the outside. Bring it up, I say!"
Bumi whipped around. "You!"
Captain Amaruq smiled from ear to ear. "So, Bumi, how are you finding your first adventure?"
"Adventure?" Bumi choked out. "You just kidnapped me."
Amaruq looked hurt. "I? An honourable officer of the United Forces kidnap anyone? I'm shocked at your accusation. Technically, Bumi, you have been pressed into service with the United Forces."
"A press gang?" Bumi snarled. "That's illegal."
"Not illegal just yet." Beard-Face said, inserting himself in the conversation from where he was leaning against a railing. "Just very, very frowned upon. The RCPD started posting guards on the docks near naval vessels a few years ago to prevent civilians from being taken onboard against their will. But for the right price, RCPD officers will let you take sacks of 'potatoes' onboard without inspection."
Bumi stared at him. "Whose side are you on?"
"Ah, and what a heavy sack of potatoes you turned out to be." Amaruq interjected. "Maliq was complaining all morning, he thinks he's thrown out his back."
Bumi grunted. "Good. I want off."
Amaruq gestured to the ocean. "Be my guest. Can you swim well?"
Bumi glanced toward the stern. He could still see the outline of Republic City on the horizon. "Take me back to the harbour."
"Can't do that, lad." Amaruq said, and his voice dropped to an apologetic pitch, not that Bumi believed in his sincerity. "I'm on a schedule. The Dragon's due for a refit at one of the UF drydocks in the Fire Nation, and I'm due to resupply and drop off a parcel of recruits on Dragon Koi Island before that."
"Dragon Koi Island." Bumi repeated.
"That's right, Bumi." The captain nodded. "It's grand, isn't it? Being swept off your feet into a new life? Feels different, doesn't it?"
Bumi swung a fist at the man's jaw. Either the rum was still slowing him down or Amaruq was faster than his huge frame suggested, but either way Bumi found himself flat on his back with a stinging ear.
Amaruq didn't sound the least bit angry. "Poor lad, I'm always a bit irritable after a big night out as well. Take him along to the galley and get some grub down his throat."
Beard-Face gave an awkward salute. "Yes, sir."
Bumi found himself helped back to his feet by his new…caretaker? Jailer? Beard-Face wasn't wearing a uniform, but he seemed far more willing to be on the ship than any of the other scowling men and women on the deck around him. For the moment, he decided to follow his lead. At least until he'd had something to eat.
-TLoB-
'Grub' turned out to be surprisingly good. Bumi had read, or rather listened to Kya reading, his fair share of naval dramas. In Kya's stories, whether romances or stories of adventure, the crew dined on well-salted meat and hard ship's biscuit, the stale diet supplemented only with rum and lemon juice to keep down scurvy.
Instead, breakfast was simple bacon and eggs with fresh noodles and a heap of mushrooms and fried potatoes. When he pointed that out to Beard-Face, the man simply shrugged.
"My dad told me that when the United Forces were formed the first thing the Fire Nation officers did was to find out if waterbenders could preserve perishable foods in cool rooms for long trips. Nowadays, the crew can eat fresh for several months before they even think about dipping into the preserved rations."
Bumi paused in scooping up another mouthful of runny egg. "Your dad was United Forces?"
Beard-Face nodded. "He served with the Fire Nation Navy toward the end of the Hundred Year War. He was one of the few survivors from the Siege of the North. When Fire Lord Zuko and Avatar Aang founded the United Republic he volunteered to help found the military. Commanded his own ship for ten years before they moved him to Central Command."
Bumi paused. "Your dad's an Admiral? But…how did you get press-ganged?"
Beard-Face paused. He suddenly looked very awkward. "I didn't. I volunteered…well, kind of."
Bumi waited to see if there was any more. Beard-Face waited as well. Bumi decided not to press it. His fork clattered to the table as he extended his hand. "I'm Bumi."
Beard-Face's grip was firm and dry. "Hanzo. You a Republic City boy?"
"Born and raised." Bumi confirmed. "You?"
"The same." Hanzo nodded. "What borough?"
"Air Temple Island."
Hanzo whistled. "Your parents are Air Acolytes?"
"I…yeah, something like that." Bumi half considered telling him the truth, but the real names of his parents froze on his tongue at the last second. He hadn't advertised his birth back in Republic City, it seemed hypocritical to try and do so now. "So, who else got yanked onboard with us?"
"Well, you see those two? The brother and sister?" Hanzo gestured to the two Earth Kingdom siblings chatting over their food. "Shin and Lin. I think Shin was the only one actually pressed, Lin found out at the last second and decided to enlist voluntarily, there was no time to try and get him out of it. They brought those three, Edano, Yoshi and Koga in about an hour before you, pulled them out of some kind of barfight. That older guy? Hahn, I think? He's actually a veteran of the Hundred Year War, Northern Water Tribe Navy. The captain got him drunk and convinced him to re-enlist 'in memory of beloved Princess Yue'."
"Bet he regretted that in the morning." Bumi said.
"Actually he cheered up a fair bit after a chat with the captain. I think he's missed being a sailor." Hanzo said. "Some people are born to take orders, I think. They prefer it when their own choices are taken out of their hands, put towards 'the greater good'. Why else would someone willingly give up their freedom?"
"Why would you?" Bumi shot back. "You said you volunteered."
Hanzo smiled bitterly. "As I said, willingly give up their freedom."
Bumi had been confused enough for one morning. He ate the rest of his meal in silence before walking back up to the deck. They'd been travelling for less than an hour, and already Republic City had long faded from silhouette to shadow. None of the crew paid him any mind as he walked to the stern and tried to do the calculations in his head.
He may not have been a waterbender, but he was half Water Tribe. Mom had taught him how to swim almost before he could walk, and he'd even been able to give Kya a run for her money in their races (even when she cheated with waterbending). The longest he'd ever swam was a five hour circuit of the harbour to win a bet with Auntie Toph. Distance wise, he was confident he could make it all the way back to Republic City. But a calm harbour was not the same as a rolling ocean. He'd expend more energy fighting currents and the tide, and there'd be no Kya keeping a wary eye out in case he got tired and started to sink.
He closed his eyes and tried to suppress the sudden wave of guilt. Dad would have gone to Uncle Sokka's this morning to find him and apologise. But he wouldn't have been there. Dad would have gone to Auntie Toph to see if he'd stayed there, then all the houses of his friends. By now Dad would have gotten worried and asked Toph to start putting out feelers with her officers. They wouldn't find him. Mom would be beside herself with worry and Kya would be frantic. Tenzin would start picking up on the mood sooner or later. And it was all his fault.
"Catching one last look at home, Bumi?" Captain Amaruq's good cheer was the last thing Bumi needed, but he didn't exactly have a choice. For the moment, trying to escape was pointless and trying to fight would land him flat on his back. Bumi had never been scared of a fight, but punching the giant captain was a sure way to wind up flat on his back or in the brig.
He looked at Amaruq. "My family will be looking for me."
"And that's a beautiful thing." The captain said. His head cocked to the right, his eyes almost misty as he considered the waves. "Hell, my father was damn near insane with worry when I signed on with the UF without his permission. Really helped me patch things up when I got my first leave, knowing he'd been so concerned about me. Up until then I thought he couldn't have cared less about me."
Bumi tried a different angle. "Look, Captain. I…I kind of left things in a bad shape with my dad. With my sister and little brother too, if I think about it. I can't just leave things as they were."
"In that case this is the best possible thing. A few months of basic training will give everyone time to cool down. You can make a real fresh start with them."
Bumi suddenly wished he'd paid more attention to how Kya twisted Mom and Dad around her little finger. If she was in this situation she'd probably have Amaruq half in tears and steaming back to Republic City at full speed. "My uncle's a regular at the bar. It's only a matter of time before Jem tells him what happened."
The captain shook his head. "I'm afraid we've taken so many new recruits out of the Thirsty Otter-Weasel over the years that Jem could probably crew his own ship with them. Trust me, he's accustomed to turning a blind eye."
His last ditch bubbled up Bumi's throat before he could stop it. "My Dad's the Avatar."
"Sure he is, son." Amaruq patted his shoulder sympathetically. "And I'm sure your mother is Princess Yue and your sister is Toph Beifong."
Bumi slumped over the railing, momentarily defeated. Amaruq clicked his tongue a little. "You're not the first impressed recruit that tried to talk their way back to shore. Truth be told, I don't think anyone's tried quite so hard in recent memory. You don't give up easy, do you?"
Bumi didn't answer. Amaruq glanced up at the United Forces ensign hanging off the flagstaff hanging off the stern, as if searching for answers. "You must think I'm a real heartless bastard right now, eh?"
Bumi hoped his glare conveyed the appropriate anger. Amaruq had the good grace to look sheepish. "Look, I'm not exactly proud of what I did to you. Normally I try and give a good recruiting speech, really sell the dream of uniformed life. That, or I find those who don't have much of a choice. You were a special case."
"Special?" Bumi looked at him incredulously. "I was half drunk and moping in a bar. You probably could have recruited me if you'd just asked!"
"I don't think so." Amaruq shook his head. "I think you were still too fixed in place. It's not healthy for a fit young man like you to still be moping around your home town, arguing with your parents and drinking at shady bars. You needed a clean break, to be 'surprised' like you wanted. It may take some time, and you'll never thank me, but you'll see I was right eventually."
Bumi looked at him. His voice was cold. "The only thing that'll happen 'eventually', Captain, is that I'll learn whatever I need to learn to punch that smug grin off your face."
Said grin returned in full force as the Captain slapped him on the back so hard it nearly sent him overboard. "By the Moon, Bumi, I do believe you just might. Some day. Some very far off day."
-TLoB-
The frigate's crew had increased their activity exponentially before dawn on the third day. As the sun rose, Bumi found himself bustled along with the other new recruits to the starboard bow. He had barely enough time to rub the sleep out of his eyes before a rating shoved a roll in his hand and pointed off into the distance where Bumi could make out the outline of a fast approaching shore.
"Whole crew is prepping for stores loading, Cap'n wants you here out of the way." She informed them curtly before she departed. "You'll be offloaded onto Dragon Koi Island immediately, then you're not my problem."
She paused, then turned back. Bumi could make out a faint smile on her face. "One thing. A piece of good advice, really. The next four months are going to be some of the worst of your life, but we've all had to do them to earn our place in the UF. Keep your heads down and try not to talk. They really hate the noisy ones."
Who really hated what noisy ones? Bumi suddenly had many urgent questions that needed answering. What was Dragon Koi Island and why had he never heard of it? What was recruit training like? Could he please send a telegram to Air Temple Island? It was important.
Though the dock approached at an alarming rate the crew didn't seem to be panicking. It suddenly struck Bumi that the ship was moving normally, it was just his own time that was speeding up.
The crunch of a crust drew his head around. Hanzo had taken a large bite of his bread whilst his eyes continued to scan the shore. On looking at his nonchalant lean and his almost-bored expression one might think he was musing over whether or not to have rice or noodles for lunch.
On his other side, Shin and Lin were both looking pale. Shin caught Bumi's eye and offered him a weak smile. "You know those recruiting centres in Republic City?"
"Yes?"
"I really wish I'd gone into one and had a look at what the training program was like. Maybe I wouldn't be so damn nervous right now." Shin said.
Bumi could have sighed. Out of all the recruits, Shin was the smallest and the frailest. His sister was taller and broader, and there was a fight in her eye that didn't dim. He wondered if Amaruq had personally selected Shin like he had Bumi and bizarrely hoped he hadn't. Only a cruel man would have played such a joke on a boy like that and Bumi hadn't thought Amaruq to be cruel in that way.
"Just stick close to your sister." He finally advised Shin. "And, if you really need a hand, just ask me."
Even as Shin nodded his thanks, a new figure stepped in front of Bumi. The scowling face of the older man, the Hundred Year War veteran that Hanzo had called Hahn, met him far too close for Bumi's personal taste. "You'll do him no favours by coddling him, boy. Every man and woman must stand on their own two feet in battle."
Bumi stepped sideways around Hahn. He had no wish to disrespect the veteran, but the man's overbearing attitude had already gotten him into a fight with the brawling trio of Edano, Yoshi and Koga the night before. That Hahn had laid all three of them out in just a few seconds had earned Bumi's grudging respect, but it didn't mean he had to like him.
"I'll keep that in mind." It was a trite phrase, but for the moment Bumi had no desire to fight him. Not when they might have to spend the next four months together. Might. Dragon Koi Island might have been a military outpost, but he could see civilian ships in the harbour as well. Civilian ships that could easily make it to Republic City in three days or less.
The genesis of his plan had formed after Amaruq dismissed him the night before. The captain had heard every excuse and plea from involuntary recruits, so he'd said, and was immune to them. But would a civilian captain be so averse to promises of wealth and fame if he helped return the Avatar's kidnapped son to him? Bumi had won much more on worse odds at the card tables of Republic City.
Hanzo had already seen where his stare lay and smiled ruefully. "If you're thinking what I think you are, I'll just say that the Navy pays them a bounty for any runaway-recruits they turn in."
Bumi didn't answer him. Hanzo seemed to be happy enough where he was and Bumi applauded him for that. But it wasn't going to suffice for him. He hadn't struggled for years against the constraints of his family only to step into worse ones now.
Hanzo eventually got tired of waiting and turned his eyes back to the pier. Bumi's eyes didn't leave a particularly sleek looking fisher in Earth-Kingdom green. He couldn't make out the crew on the deck, but was certain they wouldn't be averse to a pile of cash that Bumi would beg Mom on hands and knees for.
"They're right next to the shore." He murmured to himself. "I could swim out to one in a few minutes…"
"Pardon?" Hanzo asked.
"Nothing." Bumi lied. "Just admiring the view."
Hanzo shrugged. "It's the sea. We saw it yesterday and we'll probably see it a lot more in the future. It's about as interesting as a field of rocks, really."
That's where he was wrong. Bumi loved the sea. Perhaps he couldn't bend water like Mom or Kya, but he'd damn near been born with salt water in his blood. Uncle Sokka had been delighted by that fact, since it meant he'd always had an extra hand on his little sailboat that he took out whenever he got sick of the City Council, which was every week. The winds, the tides, the fish, he knew them all like the intimate friends they were. A part of him even revolted against the idea of a steam powered vessel; though he knew it was faster, it did nothing to sway his preference for a sail.
Before he could voice those thoughts to Hanzo, the other man had already moved off closer to where a walkway was being extended from the dock to the ship. A hand slapped Bumi on the back, he didn't need to look to know it was Captain Amaruq. The friendly giant offered him a wide smile before gently pushing him and the rest of the recruits towards the shoreline.
"Now remember all the advice I gave to each of you." Amaruq nearly shouted, for all the world like a proud father watching his children skip off to school. "Please stay in touch, send me a letter after you march out and please remember, from the bottom of my heart, any gratitude is completely unnecessary."
Bumi turned to retort, tripped over Shin's bony leg and toppled all the way down the gangplank. The quiet dam, which had been stopping up a slowly gathering flood since he'd last exhausted his rage trying to punch out Amaruq, burst again and Bumi found himself stringing together a litany of curses that would have made Uncle Sokka blush, made Mom grab him by the ear and might have impressed Auntie Toph for a few seconds. He heard a disapproving sigh before he heard the voice.
"Up on your feet, Recruit. It doesn't become a soldier to lay on the deck swearing."
Bumi was angry enough that he would have fought ten men on the spot when he got to his feet. As he turned to face the speaker, he privately vowed that he'd drop the man on the spot.
That vow was promptly broken as he got his first good look at him. Clad in a neat green tunic and trousers, with spit shined boots that could have served as a decent mirror, and with a short, polished cane in his hands, the largest man Bumi had ever seen stared down at him. It wasn't merely a case of Uncle Sokka, who was tall, or Captain Amaruq, who was broad. The Cane Man dwarfed him and would have continued to dwarf him even if Shin or Hanzo had sat on his shoulders.
"Fall in line, if you please, Recruit." Cane Man addressed him with such politeness that Bumi had already stepped back before he truly registered the command. The other seven recruits had already formed a line, Bumi tacked on the end. Edano and his crew were slumping, their eyes reflecting their anger. Shin was doing his best to stand tall, whilst Lin was achieving the same result with a relaxed frame. Hanzo simply stood as he always did, and that was the stance Bumi copied. Hahn, veteran that he claimed to be, stood at perfect attention with his head fixed straight ahead and his eyes staring into nothing.
The Cane Man walked up and down the line, his eyes falling up and down each recruit with the same display of bored disinterest. When he finally stopped, he gestured to the two stripes on his sleeve. "I am Corporal Han. It is with great pleasure that I tell you that I have been assigned as your welcoming guide to Dragon Koi Island and the Joint Training Facility. Kindly turn to your left and begin marching down the pier and down the pathway straight ahead."
Bumi relaxed a little as he turned. If all the training staff were as calm and soft as Corporal Han then escaping should be a walk in the park.
"Section, quick march!"
The first attempt of the group to march looked more to Bumi like a band of drunks staggering home from the bar. Han glanced at them with thinly veiled amusement. "No, not like that at all. Right arm rises with the left foot, left arm rises with the right foot. Offset your swing."
His advice only seemed to make things worse. Han offered them a bemused grin. "Ah, I suppose you'll get the hang of it."
'Not on your life.' Bumi internally grinned. He could be out of here by dawn if this was the kind of attention that was going to be paid to them.
"Left, right, left, right, left, right, left." Han droned on and on. "Squad, left wheel!"
As they went, Bumi was careful to make note of the path they were taking away from the docks. He would need to be able to find his way back after dark. There did not appear to be many sentries after they passed the docks. First they marched past a large, paved hollow square, which was immediately followed by a large building from which emanated the smells of meat and rice. Han cheerfully advised them that it was the mess. "Don't worry, we'll be coming back here for breakfast soon. First we'll have to get you settled into your barracks."
The barracks, as it turned out, was a short walk from the mess. Six large stone buildings, each with their own smaller paved square, stood in a neat line. Each building, Bumi noticed, was marked with a different insignia, a large animal rampant and angry.
"Armadillo-Wolf Company." Han gestured to the first one. "Bear-Snake Company, Cheetah-Seal Company, Dolphin-Alligator Company, Eagle-Bat Company and Flying-Bear Company. Your section has arrived just in time. Second Platoon, Eagle-Bat Company arrived yesterday, you'll join in with them."
They were marched briskly up the stairs to the second level and shown inside a large room. The edges of the room were lined with double bunks and lockers, three quarters of the room already filled by chattering men and women in civilian clothing. Han gestured to the far left hand corner "You are the Fourth Section of this platoon. Pick your preferred bunkmate, but it doesn't really matter. After two or three weeks you'll all be at the same standard anyway."
Walking down the room, Bumi noticed that the other recruits were wearing noticeably better clothes than the street and evening wear the press ganged section currently wore. They seemed far more prepared and accepting of where they were, as well. Some played cards, two had a Pai-Sho game going, some were reading books or magazines. None looked like they had been yanked out of bars in the middle of the night. Hanzo had selected the first bunk, Bumi joined him. He wasn't going to be sleeping there long, and Hanzo didn't seem the type to stop him if he accidentally woke him up.
"Hey there." A young woman had approached he and Hanzo. "New guys?"
Bumi and Hanzo glanced at each other. Hanzo spoke first. "Aren't we all new?"
The woman grinned, apparently thinking it was a joke. "Good point. Didn't you bring any luggage?"
Hanzo shrugged. "I don't carry much with me anyway. The rest of these guys were…"
"Kidnapped." Bumi didn't try and sweeten it. "We got drugged and carried onboard in sacks."
The woman's smile grew even wider. "Really? That's amazing! That's much more exciting than just signing up at the recruiting office."
Bumi and Hanzo looked at each other again.
"Kidnapped." Bumi said the word clearly. Did it mean something different outside Republic City? "Stolen away in the middle of the night against our will…that's amazing?"
"Oh, it's not so cool when you put it like that." The smiler was briefly apologetic. "But if you think about it another way…"
"There is no other way of thinking about it!"
The smile momentarily disappeared from her face. "Oh…"
Bumi paused, momentarily ashamed of himself. In the silence he realised the room had fallen silent, the other recruits gazing at him with curiosity. That was the last thing he wanted. He bowed his head. "My apologies. It's not your fault."
"That's okay." The woman said. Her lips had already returned to smiling like he'd never said a word. "My name is Li Xiang."
"No kidding? I'm Bumi."
"Nice to meet you." Her hand stretched out to meet his. "You the lead man for this section?"
"Lead man?"
"Yeah. They wanted a lead recruit from each section to help co-ordinate things until our instructors turn up. I'm lead for One, Xu Dong is lead for Two, Hiroto is lead for Three." Li Xiang pointed at each of them in turn. "You lead for Four?"
Bumi shook his head. "No, that's Hanzo for sure."
Their heads turned to see Hanzo shaking his. "No thanks. I don't do well with leading."
Bumi shrugged. "Then I guess it would be…"
"Oh just admit it's you." Hanzo nudged him. "Shin and Lin already respect you for taking a swing at Amaruq, and if you don't do it then we'll just be stuck with Hahn."
At least Hahn will still be here tomorrow.
To argue would draw still more attention, yet more he didn't want or need. He shrugged again, feeling he would become very used to the gesture in the short time he had left in the camp. "Sure, whatever, I'm the lead."
"So…" Hanzo trailed off. "Do you know what time our…"
"Attention!" A deep voice roared from the doorway. "Stand by bunks!"
The room froze for a moment. The voice roared again. "That means move recruits!"
The room became a flurry of activity as card tables were knocked over and people pushed past each other to get back to their beds. Bumi and Hanzo stood next to each other, Bumi unable to contain a smirk as Li Xiang charged through the throng to get back to her position.
The owner of the deep voice soon came into view. A muscular man with close clipped hair and the blue uniform of a Water Tribe volunteer. Two stripes rested on his arm, and a special device was mounted just above the double rack of medal ribbons on the left side of his jacket, the crescent moon signifying a lower master waterbender. Two parallel scars decorated the right side of his face, more of an indication of heavy combat than all his decorations. Bumi instinctively knew he was a man to be feared.
His eyes passed over all of them, measuring them, weighing them, finding them wanting. Finally he gave a nod and turned back to the doorway. "All more or less in order!"
"Really?" A new voice questioned, a sardonic edge to the tone of the question. "Your generous nature is beginning to show again, Corporal."
Flanked by three other corporals, two in green uniforms and one in red, the next speaker stepped forward. The measured clip of boot heels against the floorboards induced something unusual in Bumi's stomach. It wasn't fear, not completely. A slowly growing dread inside him that threatened to overwhelm the knowledge that he was perfectly safe. For a moment he was almost too afraid to look at the new arrival.
The voice began speaking. It was a woman's voice. The universal Northern Earth Kingdom dialect with a Fire Nation accent.
"I am Staff Sergeant Machiko, Senior Drill Instructor of this platoon. The first words out of your mouth will be either yes or no, the second, third and last will be 'Staff Sergeant'. Am I clear?"
There was a moment of silence. The voice was sharper this time. "I said, am I clear?"
This time there was a chorus response: "Yes, Staff Sergeant."
"Better."
Bumi finally dared to raise his eyes. At quick glance at the Staff Sergeant's back did not reveal anything particularly impressive. Average height, average build, hair tied up in a neat bun. There was no particular reason to be apprehensive. Then she turned around.
He rediscovered that apprehension in a heartbeat.
Uncle Sokka had long left his warring days behind him, as had Fire Lord Zuko, Mom and Dad and Auntie Toph as well. But Aunt Suki was, and always had been, a warrior by profession. In her walk was a constant balance that mirrored the one in her eyes. The calm and serenity that did not hide the precision and focus with which she could direct her fury if she so chose.
Staff Sergeant Machiko's eyes could have been a direct mirror for Aunt Suki. Provided, of course, that Aunt Suki was a great deal angrier than usual. She wore a red jacket rather than a blue one, with three chevrons and the Fire Lord's insignia marking her rank. Whilst nearly all the corporals had a double stack of ribbons, the Staff Sergeant had four neat rows resting one atop the other. She wore no bending insignia, yet the waterbender corporal spoke to her with deep respect in his voice.
"You, all of you, have wound up here in my platoon for the next sixteen weeks." Machiko informed them. "Welcome to Dragon Koi Island, the premiere training institution in the entire United Forces. For your situational awareness, we are approximately two days by steam from Republic City and another three days steam to the Fire Nation. So in case any of you get cold feet and decide to swim back, I'll let you know right now that it might not be an option."
There was an outbreak of laughter. Machiko wheeled on the culprit. "You!"
Bumi saw Li Xiang straighten up suddenly and winced on her behalf. The Staff Sergeant's clipped pace sped up as she walked straight to the young recruit. "Is there something funny, Recruit…?"
"Recruit Li Xiang, Staff Sergeant!" She had clamped down on her laugh, but Li Xiang was clearly still struggling not to smile.
"Well, Recruit?" Sergeant Machiko asked again, her tone agitated. "Is there something funny?"
"It's just…" Li Xiang hestitated. "It was funny, Staff Sergeant."
The air in the room was still, as if nobody intended to take another breath until Machiko made her move. Personally, Bumi believed Li Xiang was already toast. As the first person to incur Machiko's anger, she would doubtless be an example to be…
"I appreciate your honesty, Recruit." Machiko replied, her tone sharp but not carrying the same concealed rage as before. "It was meant to be more of a warning than a joke, but I can see how it might be funny."
Her eyes scanned the room. "Let me make one thing clear, I do not punish for laughing, smiling or breathing out of turn. Humour is a soldier's way of coping, and you are aspiring soldiers now. What I will punish is laziness, arrogance and back-chatting. A brief look at all of you and I can see that there's plenty of it going around. No matter, I've seen it before."
She strode up and down the line. "Sixteen weeks. You will learn to march. You will learn to make your beds and keep a clean barracks. You will learn teamwork, camaraderie, and the principles of the noble brotherhood that binds the United Forces together. You will even learn, to the regret of some of you, how to fight. You may even, at the end it, learn to be something more than useless wastes of perfectly good meat and bone. Am I understood?"
"Yes, Staff Sergeant!"
"Excellent, we will start now." Machiko gestured to the door with the gold tipped cane in her left hand. "Form up outside in rows of three."
Bumi began to walk slowly towards the door, his resentment at the whole situation continuing to build. All he wanted was a decent breakfast and then maybe some time to think out his escape route for tonight. In fact, the more he thought about it the more he considered that the whole thing was just a…
"I said form up!"
A mad scramble for the door began, Bumi inexplicably finding himself dashing forward with the rest of them. The Staff Sergeant had neither raised her voice nor made any threatening gestures toward the recruits, yet somehow he wanted to be as far away from the owner of that voice as possible before he made her angry.
The corporals stood in a loose box into which the recruits lined up, squaring off in three roughly even rows. 'Roughly' wasn't good enough, and the corporals dived in.
"Even ranks, do you know what means?"
"Space out off the marker, Stick your arm out to the left, your friend will either move or get it in the face."
"Didn't your mother let you play with blocks as a child? You do know what a straight line looks like, right?"
The formation was almost perfect by the time Staff Sergeant Machiko exited the lines. The frown on her face deepened as she examined their line. "I didn't know it was possible, but you all look worse in the sunlight. Let's get that sorted. Platoon, left turn!"
The corporals pounced again. "Pivot on the left heel and right turn, bring the right foot up to the mark-time position, slam it back down."
"Quick march!"
"March, recruit, that means swing your arms in time with your steps!"
"Closed fist! If I see that hand open again I'll put a nice big rock in it and you can march with that!"
"Arms come up to breast pocket height."
"Get in step you horrible excuse for a human being!"
It was a madhouse, Bumi concluded. A madhouse in which the inmates had full control of the interior. The platoon was marched to Machiko's strict cadence, and the corporals' constant haranguing, deeper and deeper into the barracks, passing a large swimming pool that struck Bumi as completely redundant considering they were on an island with a large sandy beach.
The order was given to halt, something Bumi was grateful for. The shoes he had worn for his night out were not made for marching around in formation and the linen shirt he was wearing was already damp from his sweat.
The next direction came down almost immediately. "Line up and prepare for induction in section order."
Bumi had lost track of Hanzo and the others in the mix up, but figured that since the fourth section was the last one they'd be up the back anyway. Luckily it seemed even Shin had deduced that part. The eight of them grouped together briefly, Hahn flashing them all what might have been a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry about this next part. It seems worse than it is."
Seems worse than what is? Bumi didn't get the chance to ask the question before the corporals opened the door and began to usher the recruits through. Bumi found himself slowly walking in line behind the rest of the platoon as they were processed through. He found half a dozen irrational fears floating through his head. Was it some kind of hazing ritual? A beating? Resistance to interrogation training? Were they going to test them for bending? He'd been through that once before, thank you very much.
He reached his turn in the line and found nothing but a few chairs with a man and a razor standing behind each one. Bumi briefly readjusted his collar and glanced around. He hadn't been that scared.
"Take a seat, sonny." The barber, a gruff old man with sergeant's stripes, patted his station. "Let's get that mop of yours under control."
Bumi took the seat, eyeing himself in the mirror for the first time since he'd smashed the one at the Triad bar two days earlier. He'd been wearing his best town clothes then, a blue jacket over a white collared shirt and his shoes highly shined for a night in the city. Kya had helped him with his hair like she always did when he couldn't get it under control. Now his jacket was gone, his shirt was filthy and his hair was a dishevelled mess like the rest of him.
"Just a trim round the back." He said. "Oh, and some wax when you're done. Got a date tonight, need to look spiffy."
The sergeant cracked a smile. "Good that you can still joke. Most of you kids are too worried about your first day to keep your sense of humour."
Bumi grinned back. "What can I say? Getting drugged in a bar and tossed into a sack and waking up for a brand new haircut is a good Tuesday for me."
Still chuckling, the sergeant began his work. His scissors cut away most of Bumi's thick mop of brown hair before he whipped out his razor and shaved away the rest. Part of Bumi missed it. Mom hadn't cut his hair too short since he was a child. He couldn't remember the details very well, it had come after Dad had finally accepted that Bumi would never be an airbender. Even Dad's reassurances couldn't hide the pain in his eyes. Bumi had worn his hair long ever since. Only airbenders needed short hair or shaved heads, and he wasn't an airbender. Still…
"What is it, sonny?" The sergeant asked gruffly. He finished his work with a flick of the razor. "You should be moving on."
"Sorry…" Bumi looked at the mirror, half distracted. His hand touched his smooth scalp and he traced it backwards. "Just…thinking…"
"Take my advice and don't do too much of that for the next few months." The barber said. "Go with your instincts and embrace the pain, sonny. Best thing to keep in mind? This isn't what the regular army is like. Well…most of the time, anyway."
Bumi wondered if it was a pre-requisite for being old that you needed to deliver cryptic pieces of half-useful advice to younger generations that hadn't asked for it.
The corporals moved them into another hallway, where men and women in grey uniforms stood behind stacks of boxes. The Water Tribe corporal stepped on one of the boxes. "File through and collect your first issue. Give the clerk your name, weight and sizes. Draw one set of boots, one set of trousers and one jacket and undershirt. The rest we'll give to you after your showers."
Bumi found himself in front of a bored looking woman with a clipboard. She glanced at him briefly. "Name."
"Bumi."
"Any last name?"
"No."
"Age?"
"Eighteen."
"Weight?"
"Two hundred pounds."
"Height?"
"Six foot, two inches."
"Place of birth?"
"United Republic."
"Any allergies or special dietary requirements?"
"No."
The clerk nodded. "Alright. Your number is eight-seven-eight-six-three-two-three-nine. No need to write it down, you'll get your tags in a day or two. Preference for first pay? Republic yuan? Fire Nation yen?"
"Republic yuan." It wasn't like he'd be hanging around to collect it.
"Good, good." The clerk absent-mindedly finished scrawling on her board before handing it to him. "Write down your sizes at the bottom and draw your uniform, then go through into the shower block and get all that hair off you before you change."
Bumi glanced at the clipboard. There it was, all written down. The only information the United Forces cared to know about him. Age, weight, height, what they needed to pay him in. They collected all that and his measurements, chucked it on a piece of paper that could be filed under his own special reference number and that was it. They didn't care about his name much less who he was. It felt off, like he was just another nameless, faceless scarecrow in a uniform that the clerk had to check off her list before she finished work for the day.
He might have thought on it for longer if a hand hadn't shaken his shoulder. He glanced to his left and saw a bald man staring back at him. A bald man that, with a start, he realised was Hanzo. His clothes still gave him away, but Hanzo's black hair and beard had been shorn away. An ugly scar that stretched along his chin almost to the base of his ear was now visible, no longer hidden by the beard. Uncle Sokka would have immediately re-filed him as 'Scar-Guy' instead of 'Beard-Guy'
"Stop daydreaming." Hanzo told him in a low voice. "That Water corporal is starting to notice."
Bumi resisted the instinct to look at the corporal, choosing to follow Hanzo into the shower block. Another corporal was inside, this one in Fire Nation red. He pointed at two bins next to the doors.
"Clothes that you want to keep go on the right, you'll get them back washed and dried at the end of training." He barked. "Those that you don't go on the left."
Without hesitation, Edano removed his light blue jacket and placed it in the right bin, most of his cronies did the same with their expensive town clothes. Hanzo shrugged and did the same. Bumi decided against it. He wouldn't need civilian clothes to swim out to the boat, best to just leave everything behind.
The shower felt good, the clean clothes felt better. The uniform was surprisingly comfortable, boots, trousers and undershirt all soft and fitting better than he'd expected. The grey jacket was a little too large, but he wasn't too concerned. He'd be ditching it soon anyway.
Shin appeared out of nowhere. There was something in his eyes that hadn't been there on the ship. For the first time, the kid actually seemed excited. Clad in his new grey uniform, and with his head freshly shaved, he looked somewhat like a malnourished polar-bear dog pup that had just seen a treat. "Hey, Bumi, how cool is this?"
"Cool?" Bumi spat the question. He retrieved the last item of his uniform, an eight pointed grey barracks cap. "I look like a sky bison in this get up. A handsome sky bison, sure, but still a big blob of grey."
Shin didn't seem to read Bumi's tension. "Seriously, look at us? We look like…like soldiers."
Bumi looked at the mirror. He'd seen soldiers before. The Fire Nation Royal Guard that Uncle Zuko travelled with, they were soldiers. Whenever the United Forces had a parade in Republic City, soldiers marched down the street. Uncle Sokka was a soldier. Calm, confident and boisterous, radiating his easy skill with a varying level of modesty. Staff Sergeant Machiko…she might be the ideal of a soldier made flesh.
Bumi saw a stranger's face wearing a stranger's uniform in a strange place. That wasn't a soldier, it was just dress up. A few boys and girls playing make believe. His eyes snapped away, his face suddenly burning. "Come on, we'll be late."
-TLoB-
Staff Sergeant Machiko was waiting for them when they got outside with their brand new duffel bags stuffed full of spare uniforms, boots, washing and shaving gear, and half a dozen extra bits and pieces that Bumi could neither name nor properly use.
The Staff Sergeant had shed her neat red jacket in favour of a grey undershirt. "Form up!"
The process was as confused as before, the corporals howling at them from the edges as the platoon worked itself into some kind of formation. Once they were ready, Machiko strode up and down the line, her eyes passing over them like a sheep-dog supervising her flock.
When she reached the end of the line, her eyes briefly met Bumi's. Maybe she saw a sliver of the anger he still felt burning under his skin, or maybe there was a bug on his face, but her eyes still turned to him again. Bumi stared at her steadily, refusing to break contact. If he could star down a bar of Triads (and occasionally his father) he could match her. Machiko blinked. Bumi nearly smiled. He'd won again. Machiko blinked again. A horrible thought struck Bumi. What if she hadn't been playing at a stare off? What if she was committing his face to memory?
"You came to us as individuals." Machiko began to walk back down the line, her voice ringing through the platoon. "You dressed differently, you talked differently, you styled yourselves according to your own self-image. That is the first thing we got rid of. Age, sex, race and social status mean nothing here and mean nothing to me. That is all part of the individual who you were and who you might become, it is worthless here. Individuals will not survive this training. You can go it alone if you wish, I've seen many try and each of them fail. There are no lone wolves in the United Forces, no mavericks or renegades. We work as a team, as a single, cohesive unit, from the moment we start training to the day we finally leave the service. You will have the back of the soldier next to you and you will trust them to have yours, but for better or worse you will all go together. Am I understood?"
"Yes, Staff Sergeant!"
"I wonder." She grunted. "We shall see. Ladies and gentlemen, let's kick things off with a little run."
Bumi smirked to himself. He'd always kept in good shape back home. Machiko could run them all day and he'd still have enough energy left to swim out to the fishing boats come night time.
-TLoB-
Bumi's head hit the pillow before the rest of his body hit the matress. Never, not in his whole life, not on the worst of Uncle Sokka's fishing trips, had he ever felt so tired. Every muscle ached, every joint was complaining, and even his bandaged finger was still making itself known.
He couldn't pinpoint exactly when he had realised that Staff Sergeant Machiko's idea of a 'little run' was markedly different to his own. They'd started off with a full circuit of the training camp before the Staff Sergeant had led them on a long and winding path in the hills behind the base, up and down the Three Wise Lemurs and doing an extra loop of the recruit lines before Machiko had declared them finished. Bumi had lost count, but Shin calculated it as close to ten miles.
Breakfast had finally followed, and Bumi had counted on a chance to sit down and re-organise his thoughts for his escape. He had counted wrong. He'd barely had fifteen minutes to shovel down a hasty breakfast and scramble back out onto the road where the instructors were waiting. Staff Sergeant Machiko had, somehow, eaten and showered and re-appeared in a fresh uniform showing no signs of exhaustion. Bumi had calculated that it was either a twin sister or the spirits were intervening somehow.
They'd collected training swords and staves from the armoury, drawn light armour on the return trip, and that was before they started their lessons. Two hours intensive close order drill before lunch, another two after. Left turns, right turns, about turns, saluting on the march. All of it accompanied by the same curses and shouts as before.
There'd been no respite after they came in out of the sun. The first lesson was sewing (For uniform maintenance and development of hand-eye co-ordination, maggot!), something which the holes in Bumi's fingers pleasantly reminded him that he was no good at. Then bed-making (A neat soldier is an efficient soldier, an efficient soldier is a deadly one!), folding the corners of the sheets a dozen different times before the section commanders were satisfied. Then locker layout (Knowing where your equipment is could mean the difference between life and death, boot!), with helmet, armour and clothes to be folded in such a manner, boots to be shined to a specific level of brightness, training swords to be stored to be ready for ready for use.
Dinner was as hastily shovelled down as lunch and breakfast, with still more lectures and lessons heaped on afterward. It was all Bumi could do to stagger to his bunk after final dismissal, topple onto it and try not to groan.
He could hear Shin muffling his crying with his pillow, with Lin softly comforting him and Edano whispering at them both to shut up. Hahn was humming to himself, still as relaxed as he'd been on the boat. Running and drill hadn't phased him in the slightest. If Bumi didn't know better he would have thought the man was happier at the end of the day than at the start. Hanzo simply lay down at went to sleep. Yoshi and Koga were arguing between themselves about whose fault it was they had gotten into that bar fight.
Bumi thought of the docks, of the fishing boats, of the promise of his freedom. He wouldn't make it tonight, not with his legs worn through and his strength sapped. Tomorrow. He'd find his way out tomorrow.
One day later…
Bumi's head hit the pillow. He barely heard the start of Shin's muffled tears before his mind peacefully sank back into sweet oblivion.
-TLoB-
A/N: Amazing what a single line of dialogue from Bumi about being recruited into the United Forces via potato sack can inspire. I kind of want to cover the stories that Bumi brought up in the show, given that his actions in season 2 demonstrated that he might not have been stretching the truth too much.
For my regular readers, this may seem a bitter of a sudden change. Really, I just wanted a break from writing Mass Effect stuff for a bit.
I'm also posting on AO3 as well from now on. If that's more of a preferred format for you, you can read it over there. Same username.