Erosion
Chapter Nine
Captain Anko slowed her emu to a walk as Fortress Granitous started to loom in the distance. Already the grey-white granite blocks which made up the outer defensive wall and from which the structure drew its name could be seen rising up from the rolling plains. Far predating the war, the fortress itself wasn't too large or impressive. What was impressive was that the nearest source of granite was over a hundred miles away, meaning that each and every block had to have been moved there. Legend had it that some ancient Avatar had a hand in its construction, though Anko couldn't fathom why an Avatar would want a granite fort in the middle of nowhere. The dingy outer walls had once protected a monastery and then a town. Most recently, it had become home to the Earth Kingdom's army, serving as a command center outpost in this part of the Kingdom.
Anko scowled. While she could feel the eagerness of her men and even the emus to reach the Fort, she wasn't looking forward to it at all. With a low chirring sound, Pyron's emu drew even with hers. "Worried?" he asked softly.
The young Captain's scowl deepened. "No," she snapped back. "Why should I be?"
"Just be polite," the auburn-haired Lieutenant recommended. "And show him the same respect you'd show any other General."
Anko snorted in disgust. As she inevitably usually did, she had confided to Pyron the conversation that had taken place the last time she had met with Mito. Like her, he had not been impressed with the man's character, but unlike her, Pyron wouldn't have to deal with the General directly. That was Anko's job.
"Oh, the joys of leadership," Anko muttered sarcastically as they neared the first checkpoint.
Anko thanked the young Private who escorted the 126th to an empty barracks. Like most of the buildings inside the fort, the stone structure was half-buried underground, with a few windows above the soil for ventilation and a mounded sod roof. It was a rather clever set up; the only structures that stood completely clear of the earth were the more recently added stables and paddock and the center stone building that had once served as a meeting hall but was now the residence of General Mito. While the granite walls that surrounded the inner area were hardly what Anko would consider unbreachable, it was unlikely that the Fire Nation would have an easy time taking the fort simply because nothing within it was burnable. Whatever ancient tribe had built it, they apparently had known what they were doing.
After ensuring that her men and their emus were properly taken care of, Anko followed her escort to her own quarters. And so it begins, she thought wryly, as she noticed the small one room hut was downwind from the midden pile.
"General Mito is expecting you," the Private said brusquely before bowing and leaving.
Anko waited until he was gone before rolling her eyes skyward. And Hachi calls me childish. Still, the hut came with a cot and a low lying table; it would be nice to be able to sleep off the ground, and without the worry of being ambushed. Staying here a few days would do them all a world of good. The wind blew through the window opening and Anko crinkled her nose at the smell of rotting garbage and excrement. Well, at least it would do her men a world of good.
She dropped her bag of meager possessions on the cot. A low moaning noise reached her ears. Curious, she left her hut and followed the sound. She didn't have to go far; her accommodations were also near to the prison area. Surrounded by a knee-high wall and guarded by several Earth Kingdom soldiers, the prison yard was fully exposed to the elements. Most of the Fire Nation soldiers there were chained to a stone wall, but some were…
Anko turned her head as the moan started up again. A firebender was lying on a large flat stone block, his arms bound by leather straps to the side of it. On top of his stretched out, prone body was a flat wooden panel and on top of that was a pile of stones, squishing him with their weight. "W… water," he begged in a rough gasp, "please…" The guards ignored him.
"Impressive, isn't it?" The familiar voice of General Mito startled Anko from behind. "It's called pressing. Day in and day out, the weight of the rocks slowly crush his body. We add a stone daily. It's a slow, painful way to die, but an excellent way of getting information from even the most stubborn of firebenders. What do you think, Captain?"
Anko turned and bowed slightly to the new General, avoiding his grey-green eyes. Keeping her voice and face completely neutral, she answered, "I'm surprised you haven't broken him yet, given the amount of rocks on top of him."
Mito's slightly oily smile widened. "Oh, but we have. He told us everything he knew days ago. I'm leaving him there to serve as an example for the others. I find that watching one of their leaders get tortured tends to break the spirits of the group. It keeps them in line, you see. They understand where their place in this world is. Speaking of, I was very disappointed not to see the 126th on the Yun-Tang plains. Did you not receive your orders?"
Anko raised her gaze to meet his straight on. Screw it. I'll be as polite and respectful as I have to, but I'll be damned if I'm going to kowtow to this jackass! She gave a tight lipped smile as the Fire Nation prisoner behind them gave out another low toned groan of pain. "Actually, General, that is what I am here to discuss with you, but perhaps somewhere more private? If you haven't the time now, I can meet you at your convenience."
The General eyed her for a moment, searching for any sign of defiance he could pounce on. He found none. "Very well, Captain. Let us go to my headquarters. I just hope for your sake that your excuse is a good one." He turned to stalk off towards the central building, Anko trailing behind. As they left, she could hear the Fire Nation soldier beg for water again. It was a sad, pitiable sound.
Captain Anko was not surprised to find that the General's quarters were spotlessly clean and very ornate. "Mind the rug," he told her as they entered. The hand woven Oriental rug stretched nearly the entire length of the room, forcing Anko to stand at attention while keeping the heels of her bare feet pressed against the far wall. This is so stupid, she thought to herself while Mito walked away from her. He sat down at the opposite end of the room, at a table bearing a large map which showed the current positions of units of both Nations.
"Well Captain, I'm waiting."
Anko could have laughed. She knew without question that even if she had been in pitched combat with the Firelord himself, it wouldn't be enough of an excuse for General Mito. She cleared her throat. Forced to speak loudly because of the distance between them, Anko began her explanation. "Yes, sir. As I'm sure you are aware, the 126th's primary mission, handed down from King Yosho himself, is to be disruptful to Fire Nation activities. When I received my orders to join you on the Plains, I had just come into some information that I believed worthy of investigation. The 126th is a small unit, sir; our usefulness in a large scale battle would be negligible and the information I received cast into doubt the validity of the Yun-Tang plains combat. So I decided to check it out."
Mito stared at her. She could see a tick start above his left eye. "Cast into doubt the validity of the Yun-Tang plains combat!" he echoed incredulously. "What do you mean, Captain? Explain yourself!"
That was the opportunity Anko had been waiting for. "If I may?" she asked while gesturing across the Oriental rug that kept her from the map table. Mito scowled, but gave her a stiff nod. With an internal grin, she crossed the room. She explained to Mito how she and her men had found the attacked villages, how they had met with Major Jin's forces and how they had been told that the Fire Nation units had been ordered to deliberately attract attention to themselves. Then she told the General about their investigation of the three harbor towns and the results of each. Anko could tell by the man's expression that he was not impressed. That didn't matter though. What mattered was that she had committed to memory the entirety of his map as she spoke. She finished her report and fell silent, waiting for the storm that she could see brewing behind his algae green eyes. She didn't have to wait long.
"One hundred men! You believe that the entire conflict on the Yun-Tang plains was staged so that the Fire Nation could land a grand total of one hundred men!" He rose and started to pace aggravatedly about the room, causing Anko to instinctively resume her "at attention" stance. "One hundred men," he scoffed again, "and some worthless villages! That is your so-called good excuse for disobeying my direct order! You're insubordinate, Captain. How dare you assume that your judgment is superior to mine. I am a General and a member of the Shen Zhou tribe. You are a misplaced farm girl, one who has clearly forgotten her role in life."
Anko could feel her temper slipping. She reined it in with an effort. "If I may, sir," she said in a cool, calm voice, "I didn't disobey your orders. The message I received instructed me to report to the Yun-Tang plains "as soon as possible". Given the circumstances, I judged my standing orders from King Yosho to take precedence. I am not convinced that the information I brought to you is worthless. I believe that something is going on here, something on a larger scale."
"What you believe is inconsequential, Captain. I am in command here and my opinion is the only one that matters. And don't think that you can hide behind King Yosho. He will be receiving my full report detailing your disobedience and my recommendation that you and your unit be put directly under my command. Dismissed!"
Anko bowed stiffly and whirled away from the table. Stiff-backed, she stalked out of the room and down the stone floored hallway. Jerk! She thought rebelliously. He's just looking for a chance to make me his direct underling. He's already a full-ranking General; what more could he want? She reached the exit of the building and gratefully tugged on her shoes. Well, she had done her duty. Mito now had all the information that Anko possessed. If he chose to ignore it, well, so be it. Anko allowed herself a small smile. She, on the other hand, now had a memory full of current troop positions for both sides and she intended to put that to good use. The raven-haired Captain headed straight for her hut, determined to mark her map before she forgot anything.
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Anko tapped a finger thoughtfully on her chin as she regarded the parchment before her. It was night, calm and still. The wind had died down, relieving her somewhat from the stench of the midden pile. A low toned groan of pain pierced the quiet. That, on the other hand, was becoming a repetitive nuisance. Anko frowned. She was trying to write a letter to her Grandfather, but after the "Dear Grandfather" part, she had gotten stuck on what to say. The first and only letter she had sent had been when she had left the city of Omashu as a brand new Captain. She had hoped that he would get her letter, if nothing else, to let him know that she was accomplishing something, that she hadn't left home in vain. Now, however, she had much to say but she wasn't sure how to say it.
The Fire Nation prisoner moaned again. Anko sighed. She had been so confident that she would be able to do some real good; but now, in the back of her mind a niggling doubt had started. Earth Kingdom politics, with its conflicting and competing tribes, puzzled her. And, like it or not, she was only one small person in a great big world.
Anko pulled her quill from the ink well and positioned it over the parchment. Grandpa, I still want to make a difference. I still want to do what's right.
"Please…water…" The firebender's hoarse gasping voice reached her ears. Anko froze for a long moment, then looked down at the paper. A large spot of ink now discolored it. Frustrated, she crumpled up the letter and tossed it into the fire pit. Catching her head in her hands, she stared at the top of the rough hewn wooden table. Maybe you were right, Grandpa; maybe I would have done more good by just staying home and using my earthbending to clothe and feed the Earth Kingdom armies.
No. It was this place, that was all. She'd feel much better once they left here.
Another moan. "Shut up or I'll add another rock to your weight." The moan broke off into a soft rhythmic sound. The Fire Nation soldier was sobbing. With a disgusted snort, Anko rose from the table. She had come to the Earth Kingdom to try to right some to of the wrongs in the world. In her childish, fourteen year old mind, that had meant fighting the Evil Fire Nation. But Anko wasn't fourteen anymore and wrong was wrong, no matter the color of one's uniform.
"Halt." One of the guards raised up a lantern filled with glow worms at the sound of approaching footsteps. "Who goes there?"
A tall form emerged from the darkness. "I am Captain Anko of the Omashu 126th. My sleeping quarters are right over there. I want you to give that prisoner some water so that I can get some sleep."
The guard exchanged glances with one of his colleagues. "Sorry Captain, no can do. The prisoner has already been given his ration of water for the day and our orders…"
"Are of no concern to me," Anko interrupted. She noted with contempt that the guard was plump and soft-looking. Probably hasn't served a day outside these walls since joining up. "Listen Corporal," she continued aloud, "I've been roughing it for the last three months and I intend to get a good night's sleep. Now either you water that prisoner, or I'll do it for you."
The man's mouth dropped open; he stood there looking to Anko like a big stupid fish. "Now just a minute, Captain! I can't just…"
Anko drew herself up to her full height. She was tired of this. She wanted to be proud of being an Earth Kingdom soldier, not disgusted by the actions of the nation she had chosen to serve. Mito had gotten the information he had wanted out of the prisoner; what point was there in drawing out his death? She towered over the rotund guard. "Stand aside," she ordered in a no-nonsense command tone. The man paled, and then complied. Snagging one of the glow worm lanterns, she stalked into the prison yard.
She found the soldier being "pressed" with ease. She stood there for a second, contemplating the man, whose pain-filled face turned to regard her. He could be a butcher, one of those Fire Nation soldiers that took delight in burning everything and anything around them. But… he was also a man, possibly just a soldier following orders, possibly a father with a family awaiting his return home. Anko sighed. With all that weight on his chest, there was no way he could draw enough breath to bend. She knelt, cutting the leather strap that bound his arm to the large flat rock he was pinned to.
"Can you move your arm?" she asked him gruffly. "Do you think you can hold this?" Anko held up a canteen filled with water. The man gave a gasp; slowly, painfully, his arm rose up towards the water.
"Here," she helped wrap his limp fingers around the canteen. "And here," she dropped her voice as she slipped a small package into his palm between the canteen and his hand. "That is essence of nightshade. Do you understand?" The soldier looked at her wide-eyed, then gave a wavering smile. Anko rose and stepped back abruptly. "The choice is yours."
She wheeled around and started to walk stiff-backed towards the exit of the prison yard. "Thank you, Captain." One of the men chained to the wall told her softly as she passed. She hesitated for a half second before continuing on. She quite simply had no idea how to feel about being thanked by one firebender for aiding in the death of another.
"I'm going to have to report that you gave extra water to the prisoner to General Mito," the Corporal told her as she left.
"You do that," she hissed at him.
If the firebender took the nightshade, it would look as if he had passed away from the "pressing" during the night. No one would know she had a hand in it. And even if they did figure it out, Anko wouldn't care. Right was right and wrong was wrong. I hate to cut the guy's R and R short, but the sooner we're out of here, the better. I'd rather face a whole Fire Nation battalion than have to deal with General Mito. At least the Fire Nation is an enemy I understand.