Getting back into this story I think, when I first started it I had little idea of where I was going to but I think I do now.
Disclaimer: Avatar and all characters within...I hope there are no delusions about this
Chapter 7 – The Price of War
Our Exodus (Captured from downed Skybender Airship)[Damaged by Fire]
"...from shore to shore. Old values tested, old values abandoned, new ways begin. From the flesh to killing blow we... [Section Missing] …...with no land to take us we chose to abandon the lands once ours to roam. Weakness was not an option now, kindness gone. The colour of our robes not but a cruel reminded of what was we had... [Section Missing]
…...as new brothers. A second half to what was left from us. Knowledge bound by fear with the broken full of power. We all changed, we had to change we... [Section Missing]
We had never looked for power before, we were a culture of peace and freedom. But was we mingled with our new friends we found we we could create together. We moved to waters unknown and found new freedoms for ourselves. We would expand alone and when there war was done we would come back we would take what was... [Most this is left is missing save three words] …...Nomads no more...
Katara had nearly been killed many times in her life, once they had even come close putting her out of action for a month. This was the first time however that she truly knew she had not hope to save her life. She watched the glass fly through the air as if in slow motion, she felt almost numb in her helplessness.
What could she do in this situation. Waterbending she could yes save herself, but then they would kill her. If she tried only to defend herself...no with Thane here she would be dead in seconds. Bran's arm was still around her so ducking as far out of the way as possible was not an option...what was left?
No she was going to die now and she knew it. She ran through the faces of those she loved. First those she would never see again; Sokka's dumb smile, Mai's half one, her father and mother, the earth king, Bumi...her mind moved to the living. Toph, Zuko and...Aang, he was the most vivid.
In her last few moments she remembered him, all of him. The way he laughed and smiled at almost everything, the way he kissed her for the first time, the way he kissed her for the last time after there first and only night together...
These were memories she could die happily with...
A dark shape flew past her faster than she could track. There was a weird sharp noise and a sudden gust of air. In her dazed state she did not really register what truly happened but one thing was clear from what she could see. Thane had saved all there lives.
From his pose on the ground she could not guess what he had done only that he seemed to have punched the ground. He stood quickly and turned to Katara so suddenly she it seemed a blur to her/
He quickly moved to her and shook her by the shoulders startling her, "Shan can you hear me
?" he shouted shaking her again, "wake up you need to get to the ships and off the ground the resistance is attacking and I have to get out there." there was so much emotion in his voice she was surprised.
Shaking her head she felt herself come back down to her body, "What?" she said slipping slightly into her real voice, she shook herself again, "what?" that time she got it right.
He grinned at her, "Thats my girl now get up and get out of hear," he turned from her and shouted out of the hole that was once the window and most of the ceiling, "RUM!" she had to cover her ears, it was one of the loudest things she had ever.
Looking back at her he winked at her and jumped into the air like a rocket with another of those weird noises. He flew so high in the air that she lost sight of him for a second before he was intercepted by a gigantic shadow which flew down towards the ground.
Looking at the ground now she felt her heart skip a beat. When she had come into it "Claw Hold" had looked like a weird dock that had been placed inland, crates everywhere, various sized buildings around the place. It was the same now really, only now most of it was on fire. With her head clearer she could now hear the sound of gun fire and explosions and see them both on the ground and in the air.
She looked up at the fight above. Two resistance airships hung in the air well out of the range of the great dreadnought that was over ten times there size yet oddly not shooting at anything. She guessed they did not want to chance missing and ripping holes in there precious base. Only one Skybender frigate hung in the air engaging the two from the resistance but she could she dozens of shapes flying around the airships and she could guess there were not friendly to the cause.
She had to get out of here and quickly. She turned around to assess the situation in the room. She covered her mouth to keep from retching. It seemed Thane had not been able to save everyone in the room...Putting the sight from her mind she ran for the doors that had lead her into the room.
Suddenly she froze just before she was going to jump over a hole someone had blown in the floor. The citizens in the centre will either be dead, running or fighting. The passports were hers for the taking if she could find them!
Running to the end of the corridor she ran downwards towards the servants quarters. She saw two doors there, one labelled "Sleeping" the other "Eating". She checked in "Eating" finding a small room with table that took up most of it, it was oddly clean. She heard a muffled scream from the other room and ran to see.
Peeking through the half open door she froze in horror! In the tiny room there were maybe a dozen mats and hammocks for servants to sleep in. It was dim and dirty and the last place she would like to spend her time not being abused by the Skybenders. And in the centre of the room was the source of the noise.
The servant was naked, horribly bruised and the blond man behind her had her on all fours and sobbing. He was ignoring her screams of protest as he thrust violently against her from behind.
In front of them was a group of three other serving women two of them hiding there faces and crying, the other was also crying but looking at the scene before her with a kind of resignation.
The man let out a cry of pleasure thrusting a few more times before stopping and shoving the girl away. He jabbed a finger and the girl looking at him.
"You clean me up, there's blood everywhere!" his voice was the most horrible thing she had ever heard.
She reacted at once, not thinking about what she meant to do. She threw open the door and bent water out of a jug in the corner. Freezing it in mid air she drove it into the rapists back from behind. His gurgled scream was almost sweat though as it went on and the man fell back showing Katara everything. From the blood flowing out of his mouth as he choked on his own blood to the almost grotesqueness of his naked body.
Katara looked at the naked girl on the ground...it was Ming the serving girl that refused to look her in the eye. She was covering what she could of her body with her hands while sobbing quietly as if scared making noise would make it all happen again.
The girl that had watched the event crawled over to the girl and hugged her from behind hushing her gently. She looked up at Katara in confusion obviously trying to rectify the images of the Sky Citizen she saw and the Water bender that had saved them.
She began to speak but Katara cut her off, "Where are the passports!" she demanded franticly.
"Wh...what?" she asked sounding scared.
"The citizen passports!" she shouted, "where are they kept?"
"Why?" she asked sounding terrified clutching her defiled friend as if for protection.
Katara knew she only had so much time, she grabbed her by her dress and pulled her close, "Tell me now or envy your friend!" she felt horrible saying it but she had to get those documents.
Sobs of terror came from the girls mouth, the kind the rapist had failed to illicit, "Caretakers office!" she half screamed at her trying to pull away, "Last room on the citizen floor!"
Katara dropped her and quickly turned away not wanting to see either the terrified serving girl or the dead rapist. Both would say to much about what she had become since the start of this war. She pause a second longer, muttered a quick, "Sorry..." then ran.
After that it was easy to find her way up stairs and through to the citizen's quarters. She ran to the last door in the corridor and kicked it down. No one was in spacious office, the walls were lined with shelves and cabinets labelled in ways she did not understand.. She went through everything, scanning any document that looked official in anyway.
She slowly assembled a pile of documents on the desk; lists of important frequent resident, shipping manifests, orders both for the centre and for the Hold and several seals letters marked to be passed on to several officers soon to pass through.
Finally she found them, in the desk of all places stuffed into a draw. Nine of them in total, more than she could have dreamed of, she had to get these to the resistance. Lucky for her they were outside waging war on Claw Hold.
Stopping only to pick up her pack, stuffing her prize into its false bottom. She ran for the centres exit and out into the war zone.
Bullets streamed everywhere forcing her to duck low and work her way slowly around the battle. She had to get to the resistance side, if she could get them the documents they could all flee and...and...well that part came next she guessed.
It took a lot of work but she managed to avoid attention and work her way to the resistance side of the lines. She looked around frantically searching for anyone that could help her. She knew she must still be in shock to a certain extent, she just wanted to go home, what ever that was.
She spotted a group of men in a circle behind a makeshift barricade. She ran at them hopefully calling out to them. When they saw her however all three pulled out there guns and pointed them at her. She stopped in shock throwing up her arms.
One of them, probably the leader came forward and pointed his gun at her head, "Not one more step Sky-Slut," he shouted.
"Please..." she began but she was cut off by one of the other men.
"Shut up!" he shouted walking up to her and back handing her across the face. She fell to her knees with a cry of pain. She felt all the strength she had pulled together since the explosion at the centre leave her eyes went in and out of focus.
"Please!" she cried in her native accent holding up her bag shaking it at them, "the resistance needs these!"
"What!" cried the first man confused, "what are you talking about?"
"I am Katara of the Water Tribe, fiancé of Avatar Aang. I infiltrated Claw Hold to acquire information and Citizen passports!" she stammered this so quickly she was scared they had not understood. She stumbled trying to get up falling on her face.
"Katara!"the third man said in shock he ran forward to see her but was pushed back by the second man.
"Bull shit!" she shout, "Im not trusting some Skybender whore with anything!" he shoved his rifle in her face and she squeezed her eyes shut waiting for the end. At least she thought, they would take her bag and it will be worth it!
The sound of far off gun fire and the removal of the rifle on her head made her open her eyes. All three men were dead. She looked around for her saviour and saw a colossal Sky bison in full armour landed before her.
Thane landed in front of her throwing a large dark grey jacket around her and scooping her up in his arms. She held tight to her bag as he launched them into the air landing softly on the Skybison's back. She was shoved back into a small section around the neck and tided down with leather cords.
"What are you?" she asked franticly trying desperately to stay in her Citizen accent.
"Stay down!" he shouted angrily making to jump off his bison's back.
She reached out and grabbed his leg, what the help was she doing? "Tso please!" she implored she was scared and confused about what was going on. Everything was wrong, she was exhausted and her head was throbbing more than she could ever remember it throbbing before!
He flashed her a toothy smile, "It's Gyatso lass now get some rest they'll look after you on the Wing." He grabbed what looked like a metal version of Aang's glider from a holster and launched himself off the Bison.
She heard him shout, "Rumba get her out of here," and then the bison lifted off the ground. She heard the sound of bullets hitting metal close by. Then a loader form of that weird noise Thane...Gyatso had made before bending before and then a sound like an explosion.
At least that was what she thought, she had never heard anything like it before. But she felt Rumba faultier a bit in the air as if something had struck him. Then it was just smooth flying...
Her mind began to relax, to fade a little out of consciousness. She vaguely comprehended the burning resistance airship break apart and felt a twinge of pain in her chest. She also noticed as they left the battle field that another Skybison had fell in beside them as if in formation.
The world shifted and a giant shadow fell over her quickly replaced by dull artificial light. She smelt straw and gunpowder just before she finally lost consciousness. She had only vaguely taken in the fact that she was now onboard a Dreadnought...
Ok another new chapter up hope you enjoy it, were back with Toph next time so if you don't like that part don't read. Feel free to review and I would also like to know if anyone has a particular introduction document they want toi see, if you do tell me. I may be able to squeeze it in.
