Chapter II The Painted Lady
One of the towns we visited was Jang Hui, a fishing village floating on a lake. The village was a series of platforms on the lake supported by pylons. We were on Appa floating down a river that was more dirt than water. Sokka was apparently trying to fish for something.
He wasn't having luck at all whether from his lack of fishing skill or the state of the river, I don't know, proably his fishing skill. Anyway, we floated over to the nearby village of Jang Hui. We were greeted by an old man with the very creative name of Dock. He was telling Katara about the state of the village, as it was a fishing village on a polluted river. That's a major problem, a fishing village that can't fish.
We spent the day helping the villagers, who by the state of their town desperately needed it. Sokka saw this as a massive waste of time as the invasion had a time limit. Also Sokka saw everybody from the Fire Nation, as enemies or in my case, potential enemies. However he wasn't the only one who saw potential enemies everywhere. I was surrounded by the enemies of the Fire Nation whose current goal was planning an invasion. Yes you heard me, invasion, referring to the planned attack on my country to fight the Fire Lord and the Imperial Home Guard, the army division responsible for defending the Fire Nation Home Islands.
I should really talk about myself and how I got involved in all this mess. I was born on one of the Outer Islands of the Fire Nation called Amami. (AN: actual Japanese island) It's a great island and I grew up in the main town also called Amami with a population of around 5,000 people. Because it was one of the Outer Islands, we were a very remote and quiet island. Still I loved life on Amami.
I have no siblings an only child, thank you very much so I'm a very independent person. I have always wanted to travel the Four Nations, they sound so interesting when we learned about them in school, from the savage and barbaric Water Tribe to the uncivilized Earth Kingdom as our teacher put it. I loved growing up and living in the Fire Nation. The temperature is always nice and sunny in summer between 15 to 26 degrees C (60 to 80 F). There was a square in the town centre where there was a great fire flakes place, and the town market where you can get everything from food to cloth. They had a great burger and milkshake and all the school kids would come after school.
Anyway, back to the present moment in Jang Hui. There was this kid who walked up to us asking us for fish, which Katara did despite Sokka's protests that we, and by we he meant him, needed it. After asking around Dock said that it had to do with a factory that was dumping its waste directly into the river. Something had to be done obviously but what? Also something that would not attract the attention of the Home Guard would be nice.
The next day we went into town which was totally different, as everybody looked really happy. Dock said that the "Painted Lady" came and healed the sick and passed out food and medicine. Afterwards Katara wanted to help the town, much to Sokka's annoyance and we discussed, by which I mean argue, over what to do. Sokka was pretty apathetic over helping the people as we were on a tight schedule as the eclipse lasted only 8 minutes and plus they were Fire Nation which meant that they wouldn't get any help from him as he hates us. We couldn't go anywhere, as Appa was sick, so we had to stay in Jang Hui for a few days.
Later that night, Aang and Katara woke up everybody saying that they had a plan on how to take care of the problem. It was very simple but would defiantly attract the attention of the Home Guard, as the plan was to destroy the factory. I suggested that we make it look like an accident so the Home Guard would not suspect anyone or the town. Anyway so the next day because we couldn't do it at night for some reason, we put the plan in action.
We were sneaking through the factory when we came to a series of metal pipes and valves. The nice part was that they were all labeled, which made it very easy to figure out what did what and which pipe each carried. Sokka laughed at the stupidity and arrogance of the Fire Nation to label everything in a "top secret" factory that any fool could read. He didn't like it when I pointed out that it was proably because of easy maintaince and laziness than stupidity or arrogance. I was getting the impression that Sokka liked to look down and laughed at the failures of the Fire Nation, which he had every right to do so concidering he was from the South Pole.
Like Aang, I'm a not very good with human emotions. Unlike Aang, I have high mechanical apitude. In the Fire Nation, everybody takes STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) classes in school. You can't run an efficient and advanced society without a workforce that knows how to maintain and build metal steamships, advanced weapons, and anything else you would need. The other reason is just as practical: Most of us are Firebenders, meaning that we can produce fire. The ability to naturally generate fire does not equal the ability to control fire.
Steam Technology runs the Fire Nation, and I know how it all works as every house has a coal heated oven used to generate heat and cook with. So when Sokka starts turning dials and banging on pipes at random, I naturally panic.
"Hey Idiot, want to blow us and everything around sky high. Why don't you leave it to me, as I know what the hell I'm doing, unlike you!"
"Be my guest". He glares at me.
"Ok I think we should turn this dial as it's labeled local pressure valve which will cause the steam here to stay in the pipe. Do not touch this pipe as its just steam, but at superheated and at 250 psi. And that one next to it too, as it's the water pipe and that water is really hot. Ok any questions." Naturally, everybody looks at me blankly and raises their hand.
So we finally disable the factory under my supervision and make it look like a total accident or human incompetence, not sabotage. Then we return to the village and wait for the steam pressure to blow everything sky-high. Well that's what's supposed to happen, please work. I only have to wait a few minutes before there is a flash of light and then everything shakes for a moment.
