Avatar: The Last Airbender Created By: Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko
Avatar: The Last Airbender Owned By: Nickelodeon, a subsidiary of Viacom
All original content and characters © Acastus
Chapter LIII – The Road Warriors
Steam billowed from the vents of the Constellation as she headed northeast, her towage of arms and supplies slowing her down as much as the need to keep pace with the Fire Nation infantry she protected. The Crown Prince stood in the well of the forward siphon, scanning the horizon. He could see the Hue Road, but the intersection with the Silk Road was farther south than he could see.
"Excellent," he thought, "Exactly where we wanted to be."
The afternoon sun and the engine heat had turned the interior of the dreadnought into a furnace. He let the westerly wind dry some of the sweat from his hair and brow before reluctantly relinquishing his perch to the gunner on duty.
Iroh's exhaustion and horror had long since been replaced by a growing sense of exhilaration. The Earth Kingdom forces besieging Mequon had been eliminated. Well, a few sizable groups had escaped to the north and east, but this hardly mattered. The victory was complete for all intents and purposes. Then the timely appearance of Tien Shin's Second Corps had confirmed that the action at the Field of Coins had been decisively resolved in their favor. Most importantly, the messenger hawk they had received had brought news that kindled the greatest hopes they had dared in their hearts to entertain.
He felt slightly giddy as he considered these developments, an alien sensation that he did not altogether enjoy. Despite its disastrous beginning, he felt the battle progressing to his ever increasing advantage and tried desperately to stop himself from imagining a glorious homecoming after achieving total victory. He was not entirely successful, nor was he able to completely expel the image in his mind of Tien Shin's face at having to acknowledge the feat in front of his father and the War College.
His mind so occupied, he was startled to find Rhiannon waiting for him on the bridge. She was dirty, her red steel armor dented ominously, but was otherwise unharmed. Next to her the elder "map buddy" and several scouts and messengers scribbled furiously on the campaign map before them.
"Rhiannon!" he exclaimed, overjoyed to see her once again.
She smiled wanly and walked over. They embraced.
"We're winning, Rhiannon!" he breathed into her ear, unable to control his hope and exultation, "I know I shouldn't say it, but Agni Almighty, we're winning!"
She understood his elation. The relief was in direct proportion to the fear and anxiety that had hung over them for weeks and months, but she also knew it was a mistake to give in to the temptation.
"Control yourself awhile yet, Iroh, please!" She begged quietly, "Do not tempt cruel Fate any more than we already have!"
They separated and exchanged salutes.
"Greetings, Colonel," he began again in a louder voice for the benefit of the general staff working around them, "It is good to see you alive and well after such trials. What brings you before us now?"
He used her military title on the battlefield. Seldom did provincial governors command their garrisons in person, for even in these difficult times most were creatures of comfort and privilege, chosen for their loyalty to the Fire Lord rather than their military skill, but to her credit Rhiannon had taken the field herself when her charge had been threatened.
"News, General, and since we're on the move I thought we could take advantage of the break in fighting to do some planning in person rather than by messenger."
"Agreed, it's not as if either of us is getting any sleep."
She smiled in reply and he saw the dark circles under her eyes. He doubted he looked much better, but he allowed himself the question.
"When was the last time you slept?"
"A few hours yesterday morning."
He considered ordering her to bed, but thought better of it. She knew her limits and he had learned to trust his friends and rely on their judgment. Perhaps this is what Xian had truly meant by gathering his friends close? Iroh felt a stab of loneliness at the thought of his cousin.
"What news then?" he finally prompted.
Rhiannon bit her lip before replying.
"The Dreadnought Battle Group cut across our front a few hours ago and rocketed off to the east. They picked up the Qing Dao Ridge and then headed south."
Iroh's brow furrowed.
"What's she doing? That wasn't the plan."
The governor crossed her arms in response.
Iroh turned to the elder "map buddy" and the others still working on the campaign map.
"What's their projected heading?" he asked as he and Rhiannon examined the chart.
"One six zero, south southeast, General," the gaunt, white haired soldier replied, indicating the bright red line they had just drawn on the map.
"Making for the Hue Road?" Rhiannon offered.
"That seems likely, Colonel," the aide replied, drawing his slender, bony finger along the red projection to where it intersected the artery some distance to the southeast, "it's not far away."
"But why?" Iroh cried in a frustrated voice, then turning to the charismatic governor continued, "Did we receive any communication from them?"
"No, nothing."
He cursed himself for his premature victory fantasies. Things were finally going the right way, why had they done this? He never would have predicted such a deviation from Chieng or Gan given their discipline.
"If they take the Hue Road south that'll probably put them behind enemy lines, Iroh," she continued quietly, her voice taut, "…unless we've received any word to the contrary from the daimyo."
Iroh made quick eye contact with the other staff members, suddenly uneasy. His recent elation had rationalized Nikon's silence with the certainty that he and the armor had survived the Field of Coins just as Tien Shin had. Why hadn't they seen any tanks in the fight with Jenju though? That had been the plan. He had ignored the question until now.
Rhiannon, as if reading his mind, gave voice to the fear settling like a pall over his heart.
"Iroh, I've seen no armor… have you?"
"No," he admitted.
He felt fear grip his heart like a vice. Chieng was hurtling head long into the middle of Nifong's army. Nikon was silent. Something must have happened. Something bad.
A few moments of tense silence were broken by the elder aide.
"Forgive me, General, but I believe we have a much bigger problem."
"What?" Iroh said sharply, grateful for the change of subject despite the ominous nature of the pronouncement.
"We just received word of a major enemy breakout on Prince Tien Shin's northern flank," the aide replied as one of the messengers used a wooden cue stick to indicate the most recent addition to the map, a rapidly expanding bulge in Second Corps' front, "the enemy has control of the crossroads and his ostrich horse cavalry is moving through in great strength."
There was still a large gap between Iroh's southern flank and Second Corps' collapsing northern flank – a gap Nifong was exploiting.
"Damn it!" Iroh exclaimed, slamming a fist down on the operations table.
He cursed himself again. Against his will he knew he had tempted Fate. The punishment was swift in coming.
"If we don't close that gap, General, Second Corps will be wrapped up pretty quickly," the old soldier observed calmly.
They had discussed the possibility of this situation in council, but had never developed an adequate contingency. In the end they had simply accepted it as one of the many risks of an extremely bold plan.
"Well what are our options then for Agni's sake! Do I have to think of everything?" he thundered, suddenly at sea over a situation which seemed to be rapidly spinning out of control.
The bridge crew exchanged worried glances at the raised voices which they could not help but overhear. The "map buddy" and the messengers stood stock still.
"Remember your cousin's advice, Iroh," his friend offered gently, "Decisions made in anger seldom lead to victory."
"Xian lost, Rhiannon, remember that!" he replied hotly, "He'd probably counsel some god damn calming tea too and there's no time for that either!"
He blew out a breath and wiped his brow which had begun to sweat again profusely. Forcing himself to calm down he addressed them in a more controlled voice.
"All right, let's go over it again."
Relief flooding his expression, the old staffer quickly recited the strengths, dispositions and distances of the forces contesting the battlefield. Iroh soon realized the "map buddy" was correct. There was only one course of action to take. The gap had to be closed – and fast.
"Okay, we have to commit the reserves," Iroh said reluctantly, "I'll take the Constellation as well. We'll dump the supplies from the cars and load them with infantry instead."
"That's two regiments of rhino cavalry, half an infantry division and the Constellation… that may not be enough, Iroh," Rhiannon cautioned, "and you know whoever is first to commit their reserves often loses…"
"What choice do we have!?" Iroh roared suddenly in anger, "If you have an alternative, Colonel, name it!"
She remained silent.
"Well, there you are then!" he concluded with no trace of satisfaction. He had made his point.
He saw her begin to wring her hands, the telltale sign of her worry. Instantly softening he addressed her again in a low voice only she could hear.
"Look, don't worry. I live, remember? Think about it! That means I can do anything I want here and get away with it, right?"
She blanched at this horrifying statement, her hand flying to cover her mouth.
"Okay, okay," he backpedaled quickly, "that didn't help, sorry, but there isn't much choice here."
"What do I do?" she finally asked in a small voice.
"You're needed here. You're in command of First Corps now. Stick to the plan. You know what to do."
She nodded.
They looked at each other, silently sharing their worries. They hugged once more.
"I'll be fine and we will win this battle," Iroh vowed.
"What about… what about… him?" she replied.
He squeezed her tighter, fear gripping his heart once again for his missing friend.
"I don't know."
The massive enemy vehicles had appeared with little warning. They had emerged from a shallow valley that opened up east of the Hue road. Crude and obviously modeled on the Fire Nation dreadnoughts, the huge stone leviathans were little more than square boxes of rock rolling on wide granite wheels. The body of each rock train was a series of granite plates that could be lifted and thrown at will. Manned by teams of broad shouldered earthbenders, they alternated trying to ram the Fire Nation machines and hurling slices of their own carriages at the enemy.
One of the dull grey monstrosities had pulled up alongside after ramming Corona a few minutes earlier. The hull of the Fire Nation flagship had rung like a bell with the impact and she rocked back and forth drunkenly before settling once more on her treads.
"Chen Ho!" Chieng barked, "Increase pressure to one fifty! Kill the heat exchangers!", then turning to the pilot went on, "Continue on one six zero! As soon as you get ahead of them, cut to port, hit the brakes and vent! Then execute escape maneuver sixteen!"
Suddenly they heard the unmistakable sounds of feet on the roof.
"Boarders, Commander!" the Chief Boiler Operator gasped.
"Right!" Chieng acknowledged, "Prime the siphons! First Section, follow me!"
She grabbed her bo staff from its nearby hangar and ran to the forward siphon well, her technicians behind her.
Moments later she emerged onto the roof where the source of the clanking overhead could be instantly observed. The top of Corona swarmed with Earth Kingdom soldiers who had jumped from the imitation dreadnought flying beside them. The two vehicles raced at ever increasing speed across the landscape. Gaps opened up between them only to disappear moments later as they collided again and again. Each time the gap closed more green clad soldiers jumped on Chieng's flagship.
She quickly panned the scene around Corona. Ahead of them she could see Inferno had attracted the same problem. Behind them Nova remained clear, but was busy dodging massive, coin sized projectiles from another rock train.
Three of them then at least.
She had no time to locate Firestorm before another impact rocked the Corona. Chieng braced herself by grabbing a cleat on the forward siphon well, but the gunner was pitched over the side and lost. It hardly mattered. He was already dead, a green handled short sword protruding from his blood drenched neck.
Before she could stand an exceptionally well balanced Earth Kingdom soldier took the opportunity to punch her head and then kick her square in the belly. Chieng doubled over in pain, barely noticing the two Fire Nation technicians who crawled over her prone body and onto the deck.
Unable to recover, she watched in silent horror as the enemy produced another short sword, no doubt the mate to the one embedded in the dead gunner, and start to swing it down towards her head.
The green clad soldier was suddenly thrust backwards by a thick jet of flaming liquid. He burst into fire and fell backwards, dropping the sword inches from Chieng's face. Droplets of burning naptha sprayed over her uniform and exposed skin. The pain forced her to react. Launching her body out of the siphon well, she rolled to put out the fires torturing her.
Still smoking, she spun to her feet and stood up, pulling her bo staff into a guard position. The enemy who had almost killed her burned a few feet away. He flailed wildly, trying desperately to put out the flames engulfing his body. She kicked the dying man in the chest, sending him over the edge.
Chieng looked aft to see the rear siphon gunner who had saved her life pouring liquid naptha onto the enemy vehicle adjacent to them. Still gasping, she ducked as a mallet swung over the empty space she had just occupied. Without thinking she swept her foot in a wide arc, tripping her latest antagonist who fell to the deck plate with a clatter. One of her technicians fired several firebending blasts. The mallet wielder dodged the first two only to be caught in the face by the third.
She stood up once more to see her crew cleaning off the rest of the enemy boarders. The Corona had picked up speed and was now outrunning the enemy vessel. She now had the Earth Kingdom scow by more than half a length. Chieng felt the move coming before it happened.
"Hit the deck!" she screamed.
Most of her crew responded. Suddenly Corona swung sharply to port, her bow pulling squarely in front of the stone vehicle. The brakes screamed and Corona slowed rapidly, unceremoniously ejecting the remaining boarders and a few of her own crew. Steam poured from her vents as the the ship dumped energy from the headers.
The earthbenders powering the enemy vessel overreacted. Barely able to control the monstrosity as it was, the attackers locked up the massive granite wheels and attempted to match Corona's left hand turn. Ponderous, ill shapen and poorly designed, the stone leviathan began to tip over.
Chieng slid over the deck plate and into the empty siphon well.
Just a little more… she thought feverishly, just a little more...
She ripped a grenade from her belt, twisted the top, chucked it with all her might, then grabbed the siphon's gunnery handles and released the pressure triggers. A bright orange jet of flaming naptha arced over the rapidly dwindling distance between the two vessels. Cries of surprise turned almost instantly into screams of pain as the forward section of the enemy vessel was rapidly covered in the burning liquid. Then a massive explosion shattered several of the massive stone plates that comprised the enemy arsenal.
The rock vehicle flipped, the concussion from the grenade pushing its center of gravity far outside its physical form. Green clad soldiers flew in all directions and not all in one piece. The stone leviathan rapidly disintegrated, sending chunks of granite high into the air.
She could hear cheers erupt from the crew below deck. Chieng swung her siphon to its forward position and picked up the intercom tube from its rocker.
"Now!" she bellowed.
Corona's vents snapped shut and she lurched forward with renewed speed. Swinging sharply to starboard, Corona avoided the spinning wreck and began to close on Inferno and her unwelcome travel companion. The two vessels slammed repeatedly against each other and hand to hand combat raged on their rooftops. Chieng squinted. She recognized one of the figures atop the enemy leviathan.
And the dumbass said he was just an accountant!
She swore silently, angry that Nikon apparently wasn't the only idiot.
"Pull up alongside!" she barked into the intercom.
"But Commander," Chen Ho's voice, tinny and thin, emerged from the speaker, "the road isn't wide enough for all three!"
She could see he was right. The Inferno and her opponent swerved wildly back and forth, occupying almost the entire causeway.
"Ramming speed!"
Corona rocketed forward. Chieng dared not fire her siphon while heading into the wind, so she grabbed her staff and jumped out of the well. She ran forward and wrapped her free arm around one of the iron radiator veins that sprouted from the roof above the bridge like an ornate headdress. She was joined by two of her technicians who read her intent.
Seconds later Corona slammed into the rear of the enemy train engaging Inferno. Before they could separate Chieng sprang over the gap along with her companions.
Gan had two opponents, one of which stood between her and him. The Captain of the Inferno fired a quick blast of fire at the opponent between them who in turn took a swing with a large broadsword. The accountant dropped and rolled, allowing two actions to happen at once. The sword blow cut the earthbender behind Gan in half just as Chieng brought her bo staff down on the swordsman's neck. She spun round and neatly swept the swordsman's legs out from underneath him with the other end of her staff.
The accountant came to his feet, his eyes wide in recognition.
"What the hell!?" he yelled almost incoherently.
"Shut up!" she cried as the stone train slammed back into the Inferno.
Both almost lost their balance. The siphon gunner on the Fire Nation dreadnought opened up and set the front of the Earth Kingdom contraption on fire. Instantly everyone fighting on the roof began choking from the smoke.
"Shit!" Gan croaked.
Chieng felt a movement to her left and turned only to feel an armored fist slam into the same side of her face that had been hit earlier. She felt warm liquid spill down her cheek as she fell to the deck. The world slowed down and her perceptions dulled, but she heard Gan roar and jump over her. The technicians who had jumped with her from Corona were nowhere to be seen.
Time seemed to skip a beat, and next she knew she was dragged to her feet and thrown into thin air. She was caught by something or someone, only to feel the impact of another body slam into her a moment later. She opened her eyes and could see only a bloody haze. Whoever had fallen on her rolled over, grabbed her and pulled her up into a sitting position. Chieng blinked as the person next to her wiped the blood from her eyes with his hands.
"Chieng!" Gan yelled, his voice cracking.
Suddenly she could see him. Liu's daughter lurched to her feet, pulling the ex accountant with her. The enemy vessel lurched forward beside them as the Corona rammed her from behind a second time.
"One more," she murmured in a slurred voice.
Chieng unclipped the last grenade from her belt, her movements languid and uncoordinated. She tried to wipe the blood which still flowed freely from her face before attempting to activate the bomb.
"Give me that for Agni's sake!" Gan cried.
He grabbed the deadly instrument, twisted its top and threw it at one of the empty spaces in the middle of the enemy vessel where a stone plate had once rested.
"Get down!"
The device exploded before he could finish shouting his warning. The effect was catastrophic. Perfectly placed by happenstance, the blow cracked the chassis of the Earth Kingdom leviathan in three unequal pieces. Gan shielded the slight engineer with his body as they were showered with fist sized chunks of granite.
The rock train, or at least the huge pieces it had broken into, immediately lost speed and began to flip end over end as the earthbenders propelling her lost control. Gan and Chieng watched in horror as the Corona swerved out of the way of the flaming wreck, only for the largest piece to fly square off the road and slam head long into the Nova and the last enemy rock sled which had been paralleling her. Both were destroyed instantly in a huge orange flower of flame and death as Nova's boilers and naptha reserves exploded upon impact.
Gan closed his eyes, sickened at the loss, the wind tousling his dark hair.
He looked down at his superior, blood still flowing from the ugly cut on her head.
"You okay?"
She did not respond at first, transfixed by the rapidly expanding black mushroom cloud falling away behind them.
"He better… be alive… when we get there… god dammit," she breathed.
Gan stiffened at the thought of arriving too late to help his friend and at the realization that the Nova had just paid the price for his gambit.
Then, realizing what he needed to do, he replied in a comforting tone, "Damn right, Commander, he better be – or we'll kill him, all right?"
She smiled weakly as he struggled to bring her below deck.
The column rocketed south, leaving behind many dead who would never be buried.
