Author' Notes: Hey everyone, I am glad that you liked the last chapter and I hope that you like this one as well, as always I own nothing.
It is the function of the Navy to carry the war to the enemy so that it is not fought on U.S. soil-Chester W. Nimitz
If she were completely honest with herself Akemi would have to admit that she had been enjoying herself since the fleet had left the Fire Nation. She knew that they were going into battle and that people were going to die, with the very real possibility of herself being among them, yet that knowledge could not dampen her enthusiasm. Unlike when she had been standing in for her father she had had to face the same situation only this time she could actually participate and the feeling of helplessness that she had felt before was gone now. Also, she would have the chance to employ her firebending to the maximum. Except for the time she and Zokar were attacked she had rarely been able to simply let loose, the thought of doing so filled her with excitement.
Then Zokar had gone and done something stupid. What could he be thinking?! It was not as if the battle would be over before the main force got there if he needed to prove his bravery. When she had thought that she had lost her parents it had nearly crushed her, only the fact that she had to keep going had kept her from sinking into depression or madness, as Lady Oriole had done after the death of her son. Even though she had known, at least intellectually, that she would likely outlive her parents it had still nearly crushed her. Her brother, on the other hand, was younger than her and was supposed to live at least as long as she was. She knew that he considered himself her protector, both as her brother and a soldier to the future Fire Lord. She loved him for that but she also felt protectiveness to him as well and not just as an older sibling. She would one day be Fire Lord and as sovereign she had a duty to protect her people and while she had sent people to their deaths and may have to do so again it was the duty of the sovereign to not do so needlessly, something that the Fire Lords during the war been criticized for during the war had been accused of, but there was more as well.
Akemi knew that her brother was driven to prove himself in order to escape from the shadow of the dead uncle whose name he bore. She had never been as fascinated with the uncle who had died years before she was born as her brother had been, which made sense she supposed, but she knew the influence that he exerted over her brother. She understood that more, she also knew that her brother could never fully escape or surpass his namesake. For good or bad they were linked by name and blood and because his uncle was dead her brother could never truly surpass him, her brother was risking his life for something that he could never have and until he realized that fact Akemi was determined to do whatever she could to keep him alive. And then he went volunteered for a duty that put him beyond her ability to help him. She wanted to scream but she was on the bridge of the flagship and so instead she forced herself to be calm and focus on her duties.
The ship was an Empire-class battleship the Lu Ten, named in honor of her second cousin who had died during the war. It was captained by Chan, a man from a family with a long naval tradition. It was also rumored among the crew that he and her aunt used to be a thing but she doubted it, Azula had never mentioned the man and he had never mentioned her either during the entire voyage. Regardless he had proven a competent, if unimaginative, commander. As it was the flagship the real power was Admiral Natsuko. Akemi had learned a lot from the older women, the admiral was a highly effective administrator, having brought the fleet together on such short notice. However; Akemi had not yet seen the admiral in action and she was not sure that she would for some time, the briefing that they had attended made it sound as if the enemy fleet was not likely to engage them in battle. Instead the fleet was escorting the troop transports to Republic City and then provide fire support to the invasion force.
Akemi resisted the urge to pound the counsel in frustration, the fleet seemed to be going so slowly that she half expected to see the ships moving in reverse. Her brother could be bleeding and dead and there was nothing she could do about it! Just then an ensign rushed onto the bridge and made his way to where the admiral was standing. She turned to regard him coolly, he was acting in a most unprofessional way, but she saw that he clearly had something important to say.
"Admiral! We just received a messenger hawk from Colonel Rei, the advance force has come under attack! The cruiser Fury was sunk! It seems the enemy fleet has moved and is now between the advance force and the main fleet!" Akemi, who was listening, frozen at the news but the admiral jumped into action immediately.
"Captain Chan! Call the crew to battle stations! Ensign!" She said to the man who had brought the news. "Signal the ships! The transports are to fall back till they are ordered to continue the advance. The cruisers Firestorm and Dragon's Fury are to remain with them and are to signal us if they should come under attack. The rest of the fleet is to take up battle formation with our ship in the lead. We shall seek out the enemy fleet and engage it to clear the way for the army transports to make landing."
As the crew jumped to obey Akemi struggled to process what she had just heard. The first thing that came to her mind was the fact that the transports were stopping. That meant that the advance force would be on its own till it was safe for the rest of the army could move again. The feeling of helplessness threatened to overwhelm her but she suppressed it. She would not be helpless this time, she would be in the battle to clear the way for them. She found the helplessness being replaced by excitement and eagerness for battle. She found herself smiling and then noticed the captain giving her an uneasy look.
Author's Notes: Hey everyone, I hope you liked the chapter, the next chapter will be another set up. I intend to have this battle seen through multiple POVs so let me know what you think and did I do Akemi ok? I want them all to have different personalities and will be attempting to develop them but as a guy I have been told that it is hard to write female characters so feel free to let me know if you think those chapters need improvement. Till then, in addition to my normal prayer requests, please pray for those injured in the Louisiana shooting. Thanks and may Jesus bless you.