The collapse of the Earth Kingdom had been as swift as it was devastating. The death of the Earth Queen, however, was not its cause, but merely its catalyst. Her Majesty Hou-Ting's hold on her country had always been tenuous at best. It was bad enough that she had inherited a nation still struggling with the wounds of a hundred years of war and the loss of vast tracts of land and thousands of people to the newly-formed United Republic in the peace that followed. Her relentless seizure of properties in the name of the Crown, brutal taxes, nepotistic appointments and overall incompetence had only made things worse. The uprisings had started almost as soon as she had assumed the throne and had not stopped since, although they were always crushed with vicious force. All of these things had weakened the foundations of the Kingdom; the Queen's fall was the final crack of thousands, and at last the they crashed down like thunder.
The looting in Ba Sing Se had begun with the palace. Citizens long disgruntled by their poverty swarmed over it and spilled into the homes of the nobles and the rich in the Upper Ring. The city's security forces were so occupied with their duty to the elite and so overwhelmed with the sheer number of thieves and cutthroats and angry common folk that the rule of law simply ceased to exist. With their leaders fleeing to safety and the great treasury pilfered by the desperate hands of rich and poor alike, neither the army nor the city Guard had the capacity to maintain order even if they wanted to. So they fled, or became thieves themselves, or simply gave up, and the mayhem had spread through the city like a cancer.
No one came to the aid of what had so recently been the Kingdom's crown jewel. They all had their own worries to attend to—rebellions to quell, lands and power to grab now that the monarchy seemed to have finally died out. Kuvira intended to change that. Saving the nation's largest city would be a fine end in itself, but what it symbolized was far more important. It would inform every Governor or warlord looking to milk the situation and every frightened citizen looking for security that a central power had returned and the restoration of order was imminent.
Securing Ba Sing Se would be no easy endeavor. Obviously, it would be impossible to imprison every single person who had lifted a finger in wrongdoing, as satisfying as that might have been. Petty thugs and pickpockets were more or less a given, anywhere—in time, she would deal with them as well, but they did not pose the structural threat that the heads of the criminal syndicates and gangs that had muscled their way to dominance and the scheming, treasonous nobles with their little private armies did. Those would do, for now.
Her wealthy "friends" in Zaofu had not only supplied her with provisions. They had something far more precious to offer: information they had come by through the magical powers of gold or their own less than savory connections. This was what would save Ba Sing Se.
The operation would be a series of surgical strikes. The troops had been divided into teams of several highly capable benders each, and every one of these teams had several primary targets. These would be captured alive, detained, and presented to the fat, nervous little Lord Chancellor Kuvira had forcibly fished out of hiding and any officers remaining loyal to the Kingdom that could be found within the city. After that, they would publicly turn control over to her, and the real work could begin.
Kuvira gave the four members of her team a final cursory glance and was satisfied to see them poised at attention.
"Baatar, are all units in position?"
Baatar looked up at her from his seat in front of the radio.
"Affirmative. They await your signal."
"Very good. Inform them that they are to commence immediately."
On saying this she swung out of the airship into the thick cover of the night, rolling to absorb the impact when she hit the roof of her target's safehouse, a large, elegant building in the Upper Ring. A series of soft thuds informed her that her team followed close behind. There were people moving beneath them despite the hour, and the sounds of their arrival, though quiet, sent them out to search uneasily for intruders. Kuvira made a short gesture towards them, and her companions slipped silently down to deal with the threat. Kuvira herself crept along the roof until she found the second window to the right on the Eastern wall of the highest floor and propelled herself inside.
It was dark. Kuvira preferred to see, but she made do with the vibrations of the wooden floor to orient herself. The room was open and spacious with a few chests lining the walls. Forward and to her left was a large bed that had, until recently, been occupied. She knew this because the occupant was standing behind her with his hands raised, ready to strike. The darkness was suddenly broken by his fire.
"Hey, pretty lady," he said pleasantly. "I wasn't expecting company tonight."
He sent two balls of flame flying at her back. Why he chose to live in an almost completely wooden house when this was his first mechanism of defense escaped her. She ducked, throwing a band of metal at him. It missed his arm and buried itself in the wall. He cursed both for his close shave and his ruined antique tapestry before attacking her again, because, as she was quickly learning, he had a rather skewed sense of priorities. She dodged again and retrieved the tapestry-murdering band. This time she threw several in quick succession and succeeded in pinning down his left leg. As he went crashing down he kicked a long line of flame towards her, but it was too late. Now that he was slowed down he did not stand a chance. The rest of his limbs were soon immobile.
She bent his restraints so that his hands were crossed behind his back and his legs were folded under him before standing back to observe her work. He smiled.
The plume of fire he shot from his mouth almost hit her. Its heat licked greedily at her skin. That, of course, simply would not do. The gleam of triumph in his eyes turned to pain as she clamped his mouth tightly shut before he could stop breathing flames. For a moment the metal glowed red over his lips. She was not here to kill him, but the infamous Jade Dragon was widely known to be a very cruel man with a penchant for doing creatively painful things to those who crossed him, and this made the sound of his screams strangling in his throat rather satisfying. For good measure she drew her fingers closed into her palm and tightened the makeshift gag just a little. He squealed. His trembling told her that any further resistance was highly unlikely.
One down, nine to go. And if her calculations were correct, she was right on schedule.
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The group of high-ranking officials and nobles tiptoed anxiously through the bare halls of the palace. Their unease was fairly justified. Although the palace itself had been thoroughly cleared and more guards than were really necessary walked at their sides, the memory of the Queen's demise as her bodyguards looked on helplessly and the swarming, angry mass of people still at large within the city prevented them from feeling anywhere close to safe. Many of them had not wanted to come, and had to be gently reminded that the abandonment of duty they had chosen as their course of action was, in fact, treason.
As they filed into what had been the Queen's throne room the Lord Chancellor jumped up from his tea and began greeting them with all the obsequious formality that was customary of the court. After the fifth full description of the titles and honors of a guest that had so generously graced their presence, Kuvira had had quite enough. She cleared her throat. The Chancellor squeaked and invited everyone to take a seat. The guards raised the floor to form a makeshift table for them. They did not bother to hide their distaste, but took their places without a word.
"As I'm sure you know, since Her Majesty, ah, passed—great spirits bless her royal soul—the Kingdom has been in a state of..." The Chancellor paused, seeking the least offensive term for the utter pandemonium the nation had fallen into. "Shall we say, unrest? Yes, that's the word. Our own beloved city has fared very poorly. But hope has arrived at last! This woman has come to give us our city back."
The courtiers raised their eyebrows.
"Who is this woman, exactly?" someone sneered. "And how does she plan to do that? What price does she demand?"
"Well, um, ah—"
"If I may, Chancellor," Kuvira interrupted. "I would like to speak for myself." The Chancellor was only too happy to oblige, practically drooping with relief as he stepped back to make room for her. The courtiers turned their full attention on her for the first time.
"My name is Kuvira. Until recently I served as Captain of the Guard for the city of Zaofu. I have given up the position with the express intent of restoring the Earth Kingdom, beginning with Ba Sing Se. I ask no price, but if I am to succeed you will unfortunately need to give me absolute authority."
This statement was followed by an immediate and violent uproar.
"Absolute authority?!"
"On what grounds?
"Is this supposed to be a coup?"
"Are you insane?"
They looked to the unfortunate Chancellor for explanation.
"I am happy to serve under the Crown," Kuvira said firmly, drawing their ears back to her. "But the heir is currently little more than a child, and his Regent has yet to be selected; many of you are likely vying for that position, I'm sure. The current government, yourselves included, has failed. Miserably."
"This is an outrage. You have no right—"
"I thought a demonstration might be in order." Kuvira nodded to a line of guards. They filed out of the room. The courtiers looked on in horror, fully expecting to be murdered where they sat. Perhaps they deserved that, given the suffering their selfishness and failure had wrought, but Kuvira reminded herself that this was a diplomatic mission. They may have been useless idiots, but they were useless idiots who had the power to confer her with a legitimacy that would be recognized across the Kingdom. The guards returned, accompanied by about a score of chained, shackled, and gagged prisoners whose expensive clothes were torn and stained.
"Do you recognize these men?" Kuvira inquired idly. She glanced at the head of the Dai Li, clad in black, and at General Hu, the head of the army. Recognition and disbelief flittered across their faces. The head of the Dai Li stood abruptly and leaned forward, his hands planted on the table as if to support himself.
"It can't be. Is that the Jade Dragon? The Badgermole? Cheng Bo?"
"Who?" squeaked one terrified and confused woman.
"These," Kuvira explained, as if she were speaking to a child, "are the heads of the major criminal syndicates that have actually been running the city for the past few months, as well as the leaders of several competing coups attempting to claim the throne for themselves. Look a little closer and you might recognize a few friends."
They were too stunned to protest against the implications of her snide final comment. General Hu looked at her grimly.
"This is impossible. What on earth did you do, sneak an army in?"
"Around three-fourths of Zaofu's guard force rounded them up last night. The entire operation took a little under a month, including planning and intelligence gathering." The head of the Dai Li paled. General Hu began to stutter incoherently. The rest of the officials began whispering amongst themselves. "Of course, there's still quite a bit of work to be done. I'll need your help for that. Chancellor?"
The Chancellor produced a series of scrolls and laid them out before the officials gathered, one for every major department of government.
"These documents transfer the final authority over your offices to me until such time that the rightful heir assumes the throne. The Lord Chancellor has taken care to assure that they are legal and binding. Don't worry; you will keep your positions—under my supervision, that is. You have three days to make your decision, after which you may or may not choose to affix your signatures. Sign, and I will restore the Earth Kingdom for you. Don't, and I will simply go. And then you shall have to deal with the friends of our guests over there."
The officials eyed each other.
"Good day. I look forward to working with you." Kuvira bowed and made her exit. The line of guards and their prisoners followed, clinking as they went.
"Tea, anyone?" the Lord Chancellor offered meekly as the doors closed behind her.
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In the warm light of the afternoon the streets of Ba Sing Se were full of people scurrying purposefully about with satchels of tools and bundles of wood and bags of their belongings. It was a different kind of chaos from that which the city had experienced in the months following the Earth Queen's death. It was not the chaos of fear and looting and death, but that of life. Citizens were returning to their homes, rebuilding their shops, sweeping away the garbage and broken glass their ordeal had left behind. The Guards of Ba Sing Se had returned to chaperone the proceedings, resuming their long-abandoned patrol routes and bending repairs into the houses and city infrastructure here and there.
"It's amazing," Baatar said. "I can't believe we did this. It's like a completely different place, and you haven't even been given formal control yet."
"Don't get ahead of yourself," Kuvira chided him. "There's plenty of work to be done here yet. And then there is the rest of the Earth Kingdom to be taken care of."
They should have left long ago to begin that process, but the city officials had requested time to make the transfer of power a public spectacle with all the titles and pomp they were used to. They were also taking the opportunity to make it look as of they had had some sort of role in her intervention and the subsequent stabilization of the city besides being dragged unwillingly out of hiding and wetting themselves. Their intentions had been all too obvious, but she had indulged them. Their involvement, as well as presence of the many dignitaries they had invited to their little ceremony, would be excellent protection against anyone who tried to paint her as some sort of usurper.
In the meantime she had decided to survey the city's progress. Baatar had elected to go with her, and presently they were strolling through a market. Many of the stalls were still abandoned or even destroyed, but some people were already hawking their wares again. The shouts advertising apples and brooms and protective amulets for the best prices in the city were loud enough to make it seem like the market was as crowded and alive as it had ever been. Children took advantage of empty kiosks to play hide-and-seek and rolled marbles over the pavement in the spaces in between.
"I know that," Baatar huffed. "But you have to admit that it's something. It's more than any of the idiots who were supposed to run this city could manage. We've done a lot of good."
"Yes. I suppose that's true." Kuvira purchased an apple and sectioned it neatly, handing him half. "Never underestimate the power of a little order, Baatar."
"And why is that, o great Kuvira?"
His tone was a little too teasing for her liking. Had he been merely another one of her guards, she would have scolded him. But he was almost a brother, and he had abandoned everything to be walking through this city with her, so this time she let it slide. She would break him of it eventually.
"Because order begets order. People are really animals at heart; take the order away and that's all that's left. They run wild. But give them order and they will be reminded that they are human again. Often that's all it takes."
"How philosophical of you. I'm sure the guards that could drag them straight to prison if they stepped out of line have nothing to do with it."
"That's part of it. It certainly helps, but you don't have to make them fear that to get them to behave. On the contrary, they rely on it."
"Rely...on being carted off to prison. That makes a lot of sense."
"Not them. The people who would harm them. Anyone who would do wrong. They need to know that someone is going to protect them. Otherwise they would have no choice but to rely on themselves." She gestured to a man hammering a broken door back into place. A woman who might have been his wife offered him a cup of water, which he took gratefully. "Then anyone can become a criminal. I'm willing to bet both of those sweet little lovebirds looted a shop or two when things got ugly."
Baatar did not seem to understand this. All his life he had had everything he needed, and he probably thought himself a thoroughly upright man because of it. The concept of not knowing where he was going to get his next meal was completely foreign to him; he could not comprehend what had gone through the minds of those people and what it might have made them do. He had a good heart, she was sure, but there was much he still needed to learn about the ways of the world.
"More than being enforcers," she continued, "the guards are a symbol. They remind people that order exists, that they don't need to become animals just to survive."
That was why she had commanded General Hu to relay immediate orders for any guards still loyal to the Kingdom to return at once to duty and patrol the streets. They were not actively looking to arrest everyone who had participated in less than savory activities in the city's time of weakness; they were simply there to let everyone know that after all that had happened the Guard still existed. Once the guards themselves believed it, the other citizens began to believe as well, and the news that so many notorious criminals had been apprehended after months of terrorizing the city had firmly solidified that belief. The fact that those guards had absolutely nothing to do with the actual operation was irrelevant—what mattered was that they once again seemed capable of maintaining the peace. Criminals once again thought them worthy of fear and ordinary citizens once again thought them worthy of respect; both classes of people conducted themselves accordingly.
"And Ba Sing Se is supposed to be the symbol that tells everyone that the Earth Kingdom can be stable again?" Baatar questioned.
"Precisely." Kuvira smirked at him. It was her turn to tease. "Although I have no idea why you decided to come if you just figured that out now."
"I suppose that was what I thought when I left. Not in those words, but something like that. Now I'm not so sure."
Kuvira frowned.
"Oh? What is it supposed to tell them, then?"
Baatar looked at her strangely. Kuvira was suddenly aware that he seemed to be standing minutely closer than he had been a moment ago.
"I think it's supposed to tell them that...that people can choose to step up and make a difference. People like you."
The city's radio broadcast system blared three resounding gongs. An overly cheerful voice invited the general public to witness the swearing-in of the Interim President of the Earth Kingdom in two hours at the central square of the palace. Kuvira quickened her strides and Baatar followed suit, falling into step one pace behind her. For the remainder of their walk they did not speak a word.
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A/N Another week, another chapter.
Is there anything you want to see explored as the Earth Empire comes together?