Disclaimer: I do not own the brilliantly made Avatar...

Well, recently got a heavy writer's block and this chapter might not come out the way I want. Well, enjoy

Opus 8: Gears turning

~A few days before~
Admiral Cheng was sipping his tea. His fleet lined the ocean surface with such order that he had to glow with pride. Ah, years of training. He took another sip. By the chiming of the day break's bell, at least a third of the Earthern Kingdoms will be up in smoke. Of course, he did not approved of this plan for he had a certain sweet spot for local scenaries, but it was an order from the newly anointed Phoenix King, and orders from Ozai, Phoenix King or not, was still an order to obey.
A pipe appeared somewhere from his crimson sleeves, and he slid one end into his lips. A good pipe must be enjoyed. Especially when if this wonderful beach view will perish soon. Ember erupted from between his fingers in a clean snap, and the enchanting scent of fine herbs rose. A few sparks landed on his lap and he swept it away quickly.
"Whoa whoa, isn't that one big burst of ember." He stared out the window. The evening sky was torched red. "Ah, the Sozin's Comet. What a convenience."
"Admiral, all personnel had evacuated into the fleet." A soldier slid open the door, breaking the serenity of the moment.
"Very well." He sighed, and a cloud of smoke escaped from his opened lips. A torrent spiraled in the midst of the raising smoke as the tendrils of gray caught on the edges of his beard of the same color. "So had the Phoenix King's airships been launched?"
"They are off sir."
"Hm. Be sure all fleet leaves shore at first sight of the airships." Ah. I see then. So, this is the last time I would enjoy this quiet scenary. To burn all of
"Yes, Admiral."
"You may leave."
"Yes, Admiral." The soldier exited silently but didn't close the door. Cheng sense that he didn't leave.
"Did you hear my order?"
"Yes, sir, you said "leave.""
"Then which part of it you didn't understand?"
"Everything sir."
"Hm?" Cheng raised an eyebrow. It was dispicable for a soldier, especially the navy, to disregard an order, while also talking back. Yet there was something interesting about this young man. "What do you mean?"
"You are contradicting yourself sir. You still have something to say, but you ordered me to leave."
He..."So it is. Soldier, what is your name?"
"Cao, sir."
"Cao."
"Yes sir?"
"What do you think of this war?"
"Me? I am a pacifist, and thus war have no meaning to me."
"How naïve, how unlike the people of Fire though noble and honorable. Yet why are you in midst of us?"
"To experience the meaning of war. If war itself is what we pacifist are against, we must understand its nature. And where else I can learn it better other than the front line? After all, one can only trust their eyes, and sometimes one's eyes are not as trustworthy as one hopes."
"True, and did your deposition altered?"
"No, it only confirmed my wish to remain a pacifist."
"Then hereby I relinquish your duty as a soldier of the Fire Nation. You will leave with the next boat depart back."
"...Yes, sir..."
"The war is over, and what follows might not please one at all, especially if one is a pacifist. Save your youthful days and spent it more on your great dreams. Perhaps I see you again when peace is achieved."
"...Yes, sir." Cao left. Just before his shadow disappeared from the Admiral's sight, he spoke again. "May we see again in an age of peace and hopefully prosperity."
"..." The Admiral said nil. His silent gaze was already the best answer he could give.
And the sun set, smiling upon this piece of land that it stared every day.
And the Admiral left the room as well. The distant scenary was already losing to the gluttony of the coming night.
A waft of aroma licked the ceiling and was flushed away by the last ray of the twilight.



The morning came in a rough drumming on the thick metal door.
"What?" He grumbled. The day was still early, and his subordinates definitely knew he was a night person. The drumming seemed to be ignorant of this fact. "What!"
"Wake up, Admiral, there are buisness of great urgency!" A voice called out from behind the door.
"It better be urgent!" The Vice-Admiral scrambled from his bed. There were no time to carefully examine his attires, and he stormed out of his bed room, a steel cell somewhere constructed into the decks of the flagship.
A man, captain by the look of his dressings, walked up to him along with two servants, one rubbing his hands in apparent pain.
"Explain yourself, captain."
"Aye, Vice-Admiral. We just received a new message from our messenger hawks. A new Fire Lord had been
"What, so do we pay homage to that meaning spoilt princess?"
"No..."
"No? Than what is the problem?"
"It wasn't Azula who became the Fire Lord, it was Zuko."
"Zuko, huh? That rebel." The Vice Admiral closed his eyes. The name was well known-Zuko was on the Watch-out list for quite a while. "What of the Phoenix King?"
"Of the Phoenix King we received no message. But the fact that some sentries reported that they saw abnormal fire patterns and explosions yesterday night where the Phoenix King first planned to strike first."
"Hm..." A scenario formed in his mind. The worse case scenario that is. Perhaps the Avatar killed Ozai and Azula and destroyed the fleet of airships and crowned the ex-prince Zuko. He sighed. If that was the case, then it would be a nightmare for the Fire Nation's military. Ozai and Azula's brilliancy was well witnessed. Especially Azula-the fall of Ba Sing Se was still something that was sung in the midst of the Fire Nation's army. He sighed again. Who knows what Zuko will do. Well, he wouldn't follow his father's footsteps for sure. Why else would he dethrone his father? "This is giving me a headache. You, go get me a cup of tea. Captain, call a meeting of everyone who is a Vice Captain or above. I have to fetch the Admiral."


The Vice Admiral found Admiral Cheng atop the wooden mast of the wooden galleon, then only wooden vessel left in the Fire Nation, as aways.
"What is of your urgency, Vice Admiral?" The Admiral caught sight of the Vice Admiral.
"Some tragedy had befell our nation."
"Oh? Let's hear it." And the Vice Admiral reported everything, including his suspection. "It's a true misery if that is the case."
"Is it now? But let's drop that question. I am sure that General Morcun was informed as well?"
"The messenger hawk should have arrived, and I ordered a call of staff just now."
"Good." General Morcun would have figured out everything by the time the meeting starts. His intelligence surpassed almost everyone he had ever met. But him...Admiral Cheng really didn't want to meet the general other than the fact that his duty requires so. In great emergencies, the Admirals have to meet with their District Director, who happens to be Morcun. Well, it had been a long time.


Lanes of metal rails were installed between the military encampments, and thus the carriage traveled quickly, covering the distance between the castle and the port within a half the day. Yet the journey was not a pleasant for the carriage itself was made of iron, and as the midday sun poured its fury, it felt like they were swimming in molten lava. Admiral's superb fire bending granted him somewhat an immunity to the hotness, but Vice Admiral had to dab his head with a white handkerchief. Several dripping wet pieces of white cotton cloth lay wasted by side.
"Vice Admiral, are you sure that you don't want to change carriage? I can always alter the shape of this carriage."
"No, sir, this wouldn't be necessary. A man have to bear his own load at all times. But may I have permission to punch a hole in this metal cube?"
"You do." A wave of heat washed over the Admiral as the dull metal that formed the roof flushed red. A loud tear accompanied the brilliance that entered the carriage. Instantly, fresh air washed all the sweat inducing hotness away. The sheet of metal roof hung limply, bent backwards by the sheer force that struck it.
Yet all was not well. The moment the roof was torn away, gales of wind like nothing the Admiral had ever experienced slam into the carriage. Due the fact that his back was against the leeward wall, he did not suffer much other than his hair now looked as if it was ran over by one of his ironclads. But the main victim layed just a few feet across from him. The Vice Admiral was pinned to the wall, struggling helplessly against the onslaught of the rapid flow of wind. He opened his mouth, but the air stuffed it full.
"Close...the roof!" The Admiral pointed at the plane of metal that vibrated dangerously in the wind.
"Yes...sir!" Finally some audible words escaped from the Vice-Admiral's lips, and his struggle paid off handsomely. Now he was on his knees, fighting against the constant stream of air pressure. Soon his fingers touched the slick surface of the metal roof, but it took him a few tries. Slowly but surely, he bent it towards him. Unfortunately, the connection between the roof and the carriage grew thinner as the wind was caught full in this metal sail and was tearing rapidly. Then, the wheels hit a bump. With a loud roar, the remaining piece of roof flew away from the Vice Admiral's reach into the distance.
Admiral sighed and signaled the driver to decrease the speed. A note to self-The quality of the road should be amended.


General Morcun sat in the center of the ring, his legs crossed, his eyes closed. The captains and commanders of nearby encampments shuffled in, lining the border of the room like dominos, coloring the somewhat dull interior with a blazing crimson. Admiral Cheng and his Vice Admiral came last, for they almost didn't make it. Another Admiral was present, standing direct opposite of him. Raising one hand, General Morcun signaled his fellow commanders to take seat, and as the others sat, rising to full stature. Servants came in and place cups of tea on the table, each corresponding position of each guest.
"It is a pleasure to have all of you in my court today. I will toast you one." General Morcun still closed his eyes, as if afraid to behold something of unimaginable ugliness. "to the great Fire Nation and its Absolute Ruler on high." He drained the entire cup in a gulp.
Everyone follow suit, and the cups clanked as they were placed on the table. Morcun continued standingas the echo of the china sang in the packed room. "So you have all heard?" He didn't need to say what was he talking about-they all knew. "Good, very good. But just let us be clear, the Phoenix King and his destruction of Earthern Kingdom might have failed and will-be, no, would-be Fire Lord Azula was taken down along similarily. We can only assume that they were disposed and killed."
Waves of murmur rippled forth, but none of the seated looked surprised. What Morcun said only confirmed their believes.
Morcun continued. "However unsettling this news sounds, we gather here not in grieve but to seek our future's path. Let me ask you this-what shall the military do?"
"Phoenix King's order stands." A commander spoke quietly. It was Admiral Cheng
"If the Phoenix King had fallen, the highest authority of the army goes to the Fire Lord." Someone retorted.
"And we must obey everything the New Fire Lord declares?" Another asked.
"That we must! What good is a military when it doesn't obey the orders of the ones higher above?" the someone replied.
"What if the one who issued the commands are ill-thought? What if the ones above are not fit to issue orders that benefit the people? We should stay as we are!" Admiral Cheng's Vice Admiral almost yelled.
"Military is not a country by itself nor can it form one! We need a country and its people to back us up. If the new Fire Lord orders a withdraw, we could only obey for everything we need comes from our great home land!" The other Admiral finally spoke.
"Enough." Morcun raised a hand. Everyone fell silent. "It is true that the military must follow orders. Yet orders must not be blindly followed, or the military would be called cannine instead. This is my opinion-the ancestor's will is to benefit the good citizens of Fire Nation through expanding into other lands. This is the highest order. So, it must be agreed that if the new Fire Lord issue a creed that harms the will that our ancestor passed down, we will remove ourselves from the jurisdiction of our home countries' ruler and continue down the path of war until we regained the world just as our ancestor taught us even if it meant to lose the support of our home country."


In two short days, the creed came. As agreed, the two Admirals and the General deflected from the Fire Nation's army.

That small creed was a giant and sure step toward peace. But its issue was as if a tiny stone thrown into the . The gears of war had not yet rusted before it was set into motion again. There were many components, but among the first to revolve was the tiny pieces that General Morcun placed in the waking machine, and in the end, everyone, no matter be it the Avatar and his friends, Azula and Zuko, guilty and the innocent, ancient conspiracies and recent grieves, was caught in the torrent set into motion by the tiny action.