Zaofu managed to fully evacuate within a day. Those twenty four hours had been a chaotic scramble of cramming trains well beyond their maximum capacity, but their efforts had paid off. Only Zaofu's security force remained behind, along with Kuvira, Korra, Zuko, Azula, and Anraq. The Avatar and her current team stood watch in one of the outer guard towers, while the platinum city domes had shut tight behind them as a shield against the invasion. Although one of their primary defenses, hopefully the domes would never have to come into play. No telling how long they would hold out against a full scale assault.

As per the reports, the Dragon Empire had brought a massive invasion force. Rough estimates put their army at twelve fully equipped bombardier airships, ten platoons of tanks, at least thirty regiments of ground troops, and two waves of mechas leading at the front lines. Not only did they have Zaofu outnumbered at least ten to one, but they also had a severe advantage in armaments.

"That's... a lot of troops," Anraq said, with a grim tone. The entire valley in front of Zaofu had been packed full, almost entirely hiding the grass beneath them.

"You want to know the scary part?" Kuvira said, as she watched the troops draw closer. "That's only a fraction of the empire's entire army."

"Yula is an idiot," Azula muttered. "I told her repeatedly you can't just start invading other nations. That's how you start another Hundred Year War."

Kuvira raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly were you planning on doing it?"

"The same way I did the Earth Kingdom," she insisted, with a nonchalant shrug. "Through careful planning and clever manipulation." She paused, as everyone turned to stare at her. "What? It's not like I can do it now."

"With the kind of numbers she has, it may not matter if she makes direct invasions," Zuko said. "If she takes Zaofu, all that's left is Republic City and the two Water Tribes. If the United Forces combined their efforts with both Water Tribe militaries, they might be able to stand against the Dragon Empire, but it would be far from a sure thing."

Anraq heaved out a sigh. "So basically, no matter what happens here, we need to do some serious damage. We need to at least thin out their numbers."

"Only if it comes to that," Kuvira stated. "I want to talk to Yula first. Maybe I can talk some sense into her."

"Yeah, good luck with that," Anraq muttered. "Chances are, we're in for the fight of our lives."

"You know, you three didn't have to stay," Korra said, looking to Anraq and the others. "You could have gone to Republic City with the rest of the evacuees."

Anraq chuckled. "What, and miss this? Nah, you guys need all the help you can get. Besides, we're still Team Avatar. We stick together."

"Besides, I have a score to settle with Yula," Azula added. "I'd love a chance to give her a headache. Or a sword to the gut."

Zuko lifted a brief eyebrow at his sister, before turning to Korra. "And if they're staying, so am I. Who else is going to keep them out of trouble?"

Azula rolled her eyes. "Please, Zuzu, I'm not helpless."

"I was more concerned about Anraq doing something stupid," he insisted, giving the waterbender a teasing smile.

Anraq frowned. "Ha ha. You know, just because I'm dating your sister doesn't mean you have to give me a hard time."

"Actually, I believe it does." Zuko stifled a chuckle under his breath, although Korra and Kuvira were less discreet with their laughter.

Anraq groaned, burying his face into his hand.

"Alright, everyone get ready," Kuvira said, calming herself with a deep breath. "Things are about to get intense."


Yula stood militantly in front of the airship window, arms clasped behind her back. The great platinum domes of Zaofu had been raised, shielding the city from the outside world. Expected, but inconsequential. With the kind of power at her disposal, those domes wouldn't last for long. Kuvira and the Avatar had no doubt formulated some pitiful plan to deal with her forces, but they would fail. The Dragon Empire had no equal. Zaofu would surrender to her, or be crushed.

Captain Han approached and stood at attention. "Empress, our troops are in place."

"Good," she said. "Have the pilot set the Dragon's Wing down behind the front line."

"Should we make battle plans, as well?"

"Not yet." Yula narrowed her eyes, focusing on the central dome. "We're going to give them a chance to do this the easy way. If they refuse, you can make all the battle plans you want."

"Understood." He gave a salute, and hurried away to give the order to the pilot.

When he was gone, Yula turned a smile to her sister standing next to her. "This is exciting, isn't it, Shayu?"

Shayu fidgeted, pulling at the black leggings of her new imperial uniform. "Yeah, for sure. I just... Ugh, these pants are way too tight. I feel like they're going to tear right off if I bend my legs too much."

"I'll be sure to make a request for a larger pair later," Yula said. "Does the rest fit okay?"

"Oh, yeah, everything else is fine." Shayu tugged at the sleeves of her red and gold military coat, making sure they were snug around her arms. "Totally weird being dressed up like this, though. I feel all official and important."

"You are important," Yula insisted, bring a hand to her sister's shoulder. "I'm glad you're here with me."

Shayu smiled. "Thanks, Sis."

"Now, let's get ready. We're about to have a very important meeting."


The meeting took place in Zaofu's central city square, beneath the watchful eyes of the new Suyin Beifong statue. Yula had been allowed a single squad to accompany her for the proceedings, while Kuvira arrived flanked by half the might of her security force—two hundred elite metalbenders. Korra, Azula, Zuko, and Anraq joined them. Compared to the thousands of troops waiting outside, their numbers were paltry. Kuvira knew this, but she didn't plan on giving that information away to Yula. Showing any kind of weakness right now could doom them all.

"Ah, Matriarch Kuvira, Avatar Korra," Yula said, as she approached the opposing group. Her own squad of fifty Imperial Guards remained in formation behind her, ready and waiting. Captain Han stood at one side of her, Shayu at the other. She shifted her gaze away from Korra and Kuvira, taking notice of the other three. "So, you did come to Zaofu, as I thought. Good to see you all again."

Azula scowled. "Stuff it, you four-eyed, backstabbing twit."

"I see someone's still a little bitter." Yula smirked, glancing at the sword handles sticking up over Azula's shoulder. "Nice swords. I take it the firebending still isn't doing so well?"

Azula deepened her scowl into a glare of seething rage, a retort bubbling in her throat. Anraq held a hand to her shoulder, calming her before she could do anything regrettable.

"Yula..." Kuvira took a step forward. Ever since parting ways a year ago, she had hoped to see Yula again. Never could she have imagined their reunion would be under such circumstances. "Why are you doing this?"

Yula raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Isn't it obvious? Because I can. I have the power and the means to do so, so why wouldn't I? It's time to spread the Dragon Empire to all corners of every nation. It's time to unite the world. That is something you can appreciate, isn't it, Great Uniter?"

"Please, Yula, stop this," she insisted. "You don't have anything to gain by invading other nations. All you'll accomplish is hurting people."

"I've already come all the way here, I can't just turn around now." Yula folded her arms and smirked at the matriarch, staring her dead in the eyes. "The only reason you're even asking me is because you know you can't beat me. I'm guessing these guards you have with you are... what, a third of your forces? Maybe half? Zaofu was never a military state, was it? You don't have a proper army. I, on the other hand, have an army outside that could raze this city to the ground."

Kuvira tightened her jaw, retaining her demeanor with a calming exhale. "I'm asking you because we're friends. Or we were, once. I don't want to do this, not against you. Please, you have to know that what you're doing here isn't right."

"It's because we used to be friends that I haven't attacked yet," Yula stated, lowering her brow with a stern glare. "I can see you're prepared to fight, considering you've evacuated the city from the looks of it, but I want to give you a chance to do this peacefully. Surrender to me and you won't be harmed. I might even give you a high position in the empire. You could still lead Zaofu, if you wanted. Of course, you'd be under the Dragon Empire banner, but this way there doesn't have to be any violence."

"You think I don't know what you're doing?" Kuvira narrowed a glare of her own, steeling her resolve. "You come in here, claim you want peace, and give us an ultimatum that you know we won't accept. That way, you get to look like the reasonable one, while knowing you'll still get exactly what you want: the chance to exercise your power when we refuse. It's exactly what I did when I marched on Zaofu."

Yula merely sighed at the accusation. "You think you have me all figured out. Just because we slept together a few times doesn't mean you know me."

At this proclamation, Shayu lifted her brow and turned a stunned look towards her sister. "Wait, you guys what?"

"Never mind, Shayu," Yula said. "Just stand there and be quiet."

Anraq scoffed. "You're unbelievable. Getting your sister involved in this? As if you haven't done enough damage already."

Yula focused on him, deepening her glare. "Mind your own business, waterbender."

Shayu, on the other hand, looked to Anraq with an eager wave. She smiled, and turned her head away shyly. "Hi, Anraq."

"Hey, Shayu..." he muttered, breathing out a deep sigh.

Azula glanced back and forth between the two, eyes shifting with contempt. Although they had never spent much time together, she had noticed Shayu giving Anraq suspicious looks during the past year. While she'd never had reason to think anything of it at the time, clear, distinct awareness flared through her now. She knew what those looks meant. That girl had a crush on him, didn't she? "Listen to your sister, and mind your own business."

"Shayu, would you stop flirting with the enemy?" Yula grumbled.

Suddenly aware of everyone staring at her, Shayu shied away several steps, lowering her head. "Oh... uh, sorry."

"Of all the ridiculous..." Yula lowered her face into her palm, and took a calming breath. Once she had composed herself, she refocused on Kuvira. "Here's how this is going to work. You have until tomorrow morning to surrender. If you refuse, we lay siege to Zaofu. We will crush you, and everyone we find within its walls. Oh, and don't think your domes will protect you. They won't."

"Yula, please, you have to reconsider." Korra spoke up this time, taking a step forward. "What you're doing is more than just invading other nations. If you continue on this path, you'll throw the entire world out of balance!"

"Oh, Avatar." Yula shook her head and sighed. "If there was one thing Azula and I most agreed on, it was that the world has no place for you anymore. I don't care about your antiquated notions of maintaining balance. While the world continues to grow and evolve, the Avatar does not. We'd all be better off with you."

Korra's hands curled into fists, but Kuvira grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back.

"Are we done here?" Kuvira asked, focusing a heated glare on the Dragon Empress.

"Yes, I think that will do for now." Yula gave a flippant wave and turned to leave with her troops. "You have until dawn to make your decision. Try not to keep me waiting."


Kuvira huffed a groan of aggravation as she dropped herself into the chair behind her office desk. The others stood around her, including Captain Hong Li. "Well, you were right. Yula has definitely changed."

"I don't mean to say we told you so," Azula said, with a furrowed brow, "but we told you so."

"So what's the plan now?" Anraq asked. "We don't have a lot of options here. We either give ourselves over to the empire, or probably die fighting them all off."

Zuko looked to Kuvira and hummed a contemplative breath. "There is another option. I understand there are hidden tunnels beneath the city that lead into the mountains. Given the circumstances, it may behoove us to abandon Zaofu, and retreat to Republic City while we still can. Your security force would only help if added to a larger resistance."

Kuvira shook her head. "No, we have to let Yula know that she can't bully her way to conquest like that. She has to know that people will resist her."

Korra nodded in agreement. "Besides, we're here now, and so is Yula. If we can get to her, then there's a chance we can end this before it even starts. We could prevent her from ever marching on Republic City, or the Water Tribes."

Anraq raised his brow. "So what, you're saying we kill her? We just sneak in and assassinate her in the middle of the night, and then everything is A-okay?"

Azula uttered a soft chuckle. "I'm impressed, Avatar. That's a plan I could get behind."

"No, I just..." Korra sighed, and hung her head. "I don't know. Maybe. It's not like I want to, but she isn't leaving us much choice."

"I suppose we could think of a way to subdue her long enough to get her into some kind of chilled containment, to keep her from firebending," Zuko said. "That way, we neutralize her without having to kill her, and still effectively cut the head off the Dragon's neck.

"Shirshu toxin should work," Hong Li offered. "We just recently confiscated a whole batch. I can grab it from headquarters."

Kuvira thought a moment, sinking back in her seat. "That still leaves us with the task of getting to her. We certainly aren't about to fight our way through her army."

"A small infiltration team could slip behind enemy lines without being noticed," Zuko said.

"Just like what Su tried on me..." Kuvira muttered, bringing a hand to her chin. That, of course, had failed miserably for Suyin. "We'll need another team to create a diversion and draw attention away. If the infiltration team is caught, I doubt Yula will be as merciful."

Zuko nodded. "I could lead that team with Druk. What better distraction than a dragon?"

"Myself and the rest of the security force would be at your disposal," Hong Li said, with a salute. "We'll give you all the opportunity you need."

Kuvira considered the plan, and turned a look towards Korra. "What do you think?"

"It... could work," she replied. "We'll need a good team, though."

"Sign me up," Anraq said, raising his hand. "I do still owe Yula one for trying to roast me."

Azula scoffed, arms folded across her chest. "And if you think I'm sitting this one out, you're stupid. I think my vendetta against her speaks for itself."

"Alright..." Kuvira stared back at her, tapping her fingers against the table. "Just remember, we're going to try not to kill her, if we don't have to."

Azula rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, I'll do my best."

"So, looks like we have a plan," Korra said.

Kuvira nodded. "We have the rest of the day to work on the details. I want us ready by midnight."


Zuko glared out over the valley. As expected, the Dragon Empire had made camp shortly after arriving. With midnight fast approaching, most of the troops had retired to bed. Numerous patrols still guarded the perimeter, but a much more manageable number than their entire army. With a little maneuvering, he and the security force would have the opportunity they needed to cause some mayhem before the enemy even knew what was going on.

Captain Hong Li approached him, looking over the side of the rocky mountain slope. "My men and I are ready when you are."

"Just a little longer," he replied. "We need to give the infiltration team time to tunnel in below the Dragon's Wing."

"Just say the word, sir."

Zuko focused his attention on the platoons of heavy tanks behind the first wave of infantry. "When we get in there, I want your men to concentrate on dismantling those tanks. Chances are, they're made of platinum, so you won't be able to destroy them in the conventional sense. However, you can make their weapons useless."

Hong Li looked to the tanks. "How's that?"

"See their cannons? Unlike typical Fire Nation munitions, which are built to focus fire, those are built to focus lightning. They rely on a focus crystal set near the firing chamber. The lightningbender inside releases a bolt into the crystal, which empowers the lightning into a destructive laser."

"Seriously?" The captain's eyebrows lifted. "That's... scary."

"Yes, Fire Nation ingenuity at its most deadly," Zuko muttered. "However, this works in our favor. Those focus crystals are obviously made of earth. Your men should be able to bend the crystals out of the cannon barrels and shatter them, effectively making the tanks useless."

Hong Li nodded. "Sounds like a plan. I'll relay the information to the men. What will you be doing?"

"I'll be melting those mechas into scrap metal," he said, looking over his shoulder. Druk sat there, waiting. The dragon gave a low grumble to express his impatience. "Hopefully before any of their troops can arm them."

While their mission was meant primarily as a distraction, it was equal parts sabotage. The more of the empire's armaments they could destroy, the better. With the security force disabling the tanks, and Zuko destroying the mechas, that would leave only airships and ground troops to worry about. Granted, the Dragon Empire's infantry numbers were still overwhelming, but the loss of their heavy weapons would hurt nonetheless. At least, until they could resupply.

"Just remember, we're not going in to fight," Zuko added. "This is strictly diversion. Get in, do what damage you can before they can regroup, and get out."

"I know, we're ready."

"Good, because we'll be going in any minute now."


The patrolmen never saw the dragon coming. Druk dove in from above, against the pitch black darkness of a cloud-covered night sky. On Zuko's command, he unleashed a destructive jet of dragon's fire from his maw at the first line of mechas. Screams erupted all over camp. An alarm followed, blaring through the entire valley. By the time the sleeping troops had managed to scramble out of their bedrolls to prepare some kind of defensive, Druk had circled back for another pass.

A second wave of flames swallowed the next line of mechas, leaving scraps of melted metal in its wake. The troops closest to the mechas scrambled for cover, while others shot blasts of fire or chunks of rock at the fleeing dragon. Druk easily outmaneuvered the countering barrage, far faster than any human below could keep up with. At least, any of their ground troops. Tank platoons began to stir, as drivers entered through the top hatches.

When Druk turned around for a third pass, several tanks aimed their canons at him. Zuko guided the dragon sharp to the left, moments before three simultaneous lasers ignited the night sky. The beams missed, sizzling so close that Zuko felt the air heat up on the way by. Druk dove to avoid a second volley of lasers. The tank cannons shifted, adjusting their aim. Blue flashes pulsed.

Before the lasers had a chance to fire, Hong Li and the rest of the security force tunneled up through the ground and made for the nearest tanks they could find. With simple, guiding motions of their arms, they removed the focus crystals straight out the cannon barrels. Charged lightning flickered and died, as their power sources vanished. Within a matter of moments, the security force had disabled all of the currently manned tanks. Dragon Empire infantry converged towards them, cutting off their path towards the unmanned tanks. Hong Li gave the immediate signal to retreat, prompting the security force to tunnel back into the ground. Zuko and Druk made one more pass, melting the final line of mechas and another handful of tanks on the way by. Their job was done.

Now, their plan rested on the others.


The infiltration team moved swiftly. As soon as Druk made his first pass over the mechas, they emerged from the ground below the Dragon's Wing airship. Kuvira and Korra led the way, metalbending open a hole in the side of the ship so they could slip inside. Once they were in, they closed the hole behind them and continued down an open corridor in the lower decks. Shouting and footsteps echoed throughout the deck, as a team of imperial soldiers ran around the corner, no doubt alerted by the attack outside. Halfway down the corridor, they slid to a stop in surprise, coming face-to-face with the infiltration team.

"What in the—" one of the soldiers started, as a metal strip wrapped over his mouth to silence him. His entire body jerked sideways into the wall. Kuvira shot another pair of strips around the wrists of a second man and bashed him headfirst into a pipe, while Korra metalbent a panel off the wall and wrapped a third man in a solid cocoon.

Azula raced towards the remaining two soldiers. She slid low, as the man punched a shot of fire towards her. Flames scorched the air above her head. She sprang upward, leading with a rising kick that snapped the man's head back and knocked him clean off his feet. The final soldier turned to attack her. Too slow. Azula drove her elbow into the side of his neck and dropped him to the floor.

Azula mockingly brushed herself off. "Well, that was simple. Shall we continue?"

Anraq gave the unconscious guards a passing glance as he followed the others down the corridor. "Nice work."

"Please, was there ever any doubt?" Azula replied.

As they neared the steps that leading to the main deck, Kuvira raised a hand, urging them to stop. "Hold on a second. We need to make sure we know exactly where Yula is." She raised her leg, bended the metal bottom away from her boot to expose her bare foot, and stomped against the floor, eyes closed. Vibrations rippled through the airship, reaching the farthest corners of the vessel. She focused on them, taking note of how many guards there were, where they were moving, and how many else might be on board. "I see someone in a large room on the upper deck, guarded by a team of soldiers."

"That's the royal cabin," Azula stated. "Fancy, for a metal box on an airship. My guess would be it's Yula."

"Can you tell for sure?" Korra asked.

Kuvira shook her head. "No. My seismic sense has improved, but it's still not on the level of Toph, or Lin. Plus, they're about as far away from us on this airship as they could be. All I'm getting are vague outlines."

"Well, it's the best lead we have," Anraq said, already halfway up the ladder. "We only have so much time, so we better get a move on."

Anraq led the way to the main deck, where they met more resistance. A dozen Imperial Guards in total, all firebenders. Anraq struck first, battering several guards with a shot of water from his flask, and freezing them within blocks of ice. Korra followed with a blast of wind that lifted the remaining guards off their feet, while Kuvira used the momentary stun to grasp several men with her metal strips. With a whirl of her hands, she slammed them into each other and cast them aside like rag dolls. They crumpled to the ground.

By the time the remaining guards recovered enough to launch a counter attack, Azula had already lunged in the middle of them. The five men made a desperate attempt to subdue her, but their fire burned only air. Azula weaved and spun around their attacks with little effort, dropping each with precision strikes to the neck or head. Within seconds, the men fell to her feet unmoving.

"The way to the upper deck is over here," Azula said, racing towards the next set of steps.

Another team of guards met them in front of the royal cabin. This time, Korra simply air blasted them off the balcony down to the main deck below. Kuvira led the way, tearing the metal door off its hinges with a single punch. When the way was clear, they ran inside.

"Yula, you're finished!" Azula called, pushing herself in front of Kuvira with her swords drawn. "You're going to pay for—!"

Before she could finish her sentence, the metal floor peeled upwards and wrapped tight around all four of them. The metal paneling yanked them close to each other in violent fashion, slamming them together. The more they struggled, the tighter the bindings squeezed.

"An admirable effort," said a low, rumbling voice. Not Yula's voice. A man's voice, deep and callous. "But the empress thought you might try something like this, so she had me watching the vibrations of the surrounding area. I saw you all coming a mile away."

A figure stepped out of the shadows near the back wall, garbed in a wide-brimmed hat and long green robes. Korra recognized him first, glaring at him with stunned contempt. "Avan!"

Korra pushed her arms outward, causing the metal wrapping around them to bend and give way. The Dai Li commander raised a hand, tightening the metal again with a simple clench of his fingers. His raw bending power had not diminished in the slightest.

"Yula let you out of prison?" Kuvira said, darkening her own glare at the former Red Lotus member. "She really has gone mad."

"The empress recognized my talent and chose me to serve her, and to reinstate the Dai Li," he replied. "It was either that or rot in a wooden cell in the middle of the ocean."

Anraq grunted, struggling against the metal bindings to no avail. "Guess I can't blame you for taking that offer, but you're still a bastard."

Azula scoffed. "Really, Avan? You, laying down and taking orders from a self-proclaimed empress? I thought you were better than that. Heck, with the Dai Li at your disposal, you should be plotting a coup, not playing lap dog."

"Ah, Aoi." Avan tightened the metal even further, eliciting pained groans from his captives. "Or should I say, Azula? It doesn't matter what you think I should do. In the end, none of you will live to care."

Korra glowered at him. "You really think you can hold us for long?" Her eyes flickered with a bright glow, and the metal binding them expanded.

"Long enough." Reaching one hand back, Avan bent open a hole in the far wall. He gave the bindings one more squeeze before turning to leap out the hole into the open night air. The parted metal wall closed behind him. Not a second later, Korra's eyes ignited, and their metal bindings exploded outward in pieces.

"I really hate that guy," Anraq muttered. "What now?"

"Our plan failed," Kuvira said. "We have to get out of here now and make a retreat, before—"

Her words cut out in a thunderous explosion. Fire and smoke and metal shrapnel ripped through the room, as the entire cabin ruptured. A second blast followed, lifting them all from their feet. The floor gave way, metal crashed around them, and everything went dark.


"Easy boy, down," Zuko said, giving the top of Druk's head a gentle pat. The great dragon descended from the sky and landed atop a rocky precipice on the side of a mountain. "Good, get some rest."

After Druk set him down, Zuko took a step towards the ledge and gazed over the valley below. Teams of imperial soldiers ran frantically throughout the camp, desperate to put out the fires. Too busy to pursue the fleeing security force, in any case, which meant Hong Li and his men should be able to safely retreat. Zuko would regroup with them later. For now, he focused on the Dragon's Wing, the airship at the center of the entire encampment. The infiltration team should have Yula by now, if they'd been successful. With any luck, they would show up at the rendezvous point soon.

BOOM!

Zuko's thoughts rattled at the sudden ball of fire that erupted at the center of the camp. He blinked, uncertain what he was seeing at first. Where the Dragon's Wing had once been, massive gouts of flame now flickered, burning against the backdrop of an inky night sky, as metal pieces of airship shot hundreds of feet into the air. The entire top half of the vessel had exploded, with enough violent force to shake the entire valley. A second explosion ripped through the airship soon after, towering a raging inferno into the sky.

"No." Zuko's eyes widened. Firelight flickered in his gaze, mesmerizing him in a trance of horror. He dropped to his knees a moment later, unable to tear his focus away from the destruction. "No..."