Ch26
In the seas off the southern coast of the Earth Kingdom, the wounded but headstrong US carrier fleet proceeded onward towards Kyoshi Island. USS Enterprise and USS Hornet were now overloaded with additional planes from the sunken Yorktown. Numerous fighter, dive bombers, and torpedo planes were stored as tightly as possible on their flight decks.
Earth Kingdom fishermen waved up to the sailors of the US Navy from their wooden fishing boat which passed amid the massive warship group. The tiny trawler was dwarfed by the steel leviathans of the US Navy which passed, indifferent to their presence, with great forward speed. Word of the US Navy's mounting kill tally of Fire Nation warships, those which had haunted and coerced their local waterways, villages, and seas for years, were spreading among the citizens of the southern coasts. And although extremely destructive, and not to the Avatar's approval, the guns of the American battleships and cruisers were making easy work of the coastal bases and installations the Fire Nation had been actively installing.
The fishermen turned toward the ship which led the American fleet, USS South Dakota. Klaxon alarms sounded aboard as the ship made ready to fire its main battery. Nearby, several miles inland, aerial reconnaissance had spotted yet another Fire Nation airship post. Several airships had been spotted tied down and moored in the field, and their exact coordinates had been reported to the floating artillery fortress. Crowded at the railing at the bow of the wooden boat, the small Earth Kingdom crew watched in awe as the nine barrels of the battleship's 16 inch guns were rotated to starboard and elevated to their firing angles. The captain of the small boat watched avidly through his well-worn and rusted telescope. The weaponry and technology of these advanced and otherworldly forces was peaking the interest of the dwellers of this world, particularly those of non-benders.
As the siren wound down, a brilliant and intense eruption of fire and smoke blew forth from the ship's guns. The fishing crew covered their ears just in time. The breath of black smoke extended far beyond the ship. The vibrations from the firing sound could be felt in the chests and heads of the fishermen even from this distance back. It was an awesome, although ear-shattering, sight.
They tried to listen for the distant, faint, sounds of the explosions of the shells after impact, as the South Dakota made ready for another salvo.
From high in the sky on the back of Appa, even several miles ahead, Team Avatar and accompanying Marines could see the dense plume of smoke which rose from the forest grouping in the distance behind them.
The teens looked at the aftermath grimly.
"Looks like South Dakota's tallied another airship base," Lieutenant Stevenson noted.
"Judging by that smoke," Jones added, "Ain't nobody surviving that."
"Lieutenant!" Corporal Martinez called from the front of Appa's saddle as he watched through his field binoculars, "Looks like we got another Fire Navy cruiser group," he reported. "There, anchored down just a few clicks off the coast. Two ships."
Sokka denoted their positions on their map before passing the indications to the LT.
"Looks like we have a small town coming up as well," the LT noted. "Maybe we can get some intel from the locals."
The bison made a descent towards the upcoming town.
The group had decided that Aang, Zuko, and Toph would be the most recognizable since they had all been noted on Fire Nation wanted posters, or had ties to the Fire Nation, at one point or another. So whilst they hung back, Sokka, Katara, and the Marines made their way into the local town to try and gather information.
The Marines had left their primary weapons with the three who had been left behind to reduce their visual presence, and carried their holstered M1911 exclusively. Apart from the details of their uniforms, such as their boots, the presence of a button front to their shirts, and other points which made their clothes distinctly identifiable from the more traditional garb of the Earth Kingdom locals, the green canvas of their utilities made them fit well enough with the locals.
Commerce in the small town was bustling. It was a trading point where goods from the inland regions could be exchanged and sold beside fish and other seafood from the nearby coastal regions. Though the commerce was running, the crowds were notably thinner. Evidence of war could be seen around as they made their way through the commercial areas. Some buildings, here and there, were completely burnt to the ground as Katara and Sokka could immediately see. Others were either riddled with holes as a result of machine gun fire, or blasted apart from aerial bombs as the US Marines could easily note. Larger structures, such as what could be made out to have once been a town hall, were missing large areas of what was once the original structure; possibly the result of naval artillery. As Joe peered down one alley, he caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a rather large crater in the ground in the midst of a courtyard. Fire Nation banners were flown atop the flag poles that stood atop the town's tallest structures. The IJN banner also was draped from roofs as well, hanging down and adorning the sides of busy streets. However, despite evidence of the IJN having a direct hand in the capture of this town, there were no Japanese military personnel present. Logistically there really wasn't a viable way for either the American or Japanese fleet to station men and equipment in any particular town or outpost for long or indefinite periods of time. Yet.
"Sokka, we need to see if anybody here can provide some information about any Japanese air or naval activity. Or anything big going on around the area. Something that we can relay back to the fleet," the LT directed.
"These people aren't soldiers," Katara jumped in. "We shouldn't rely on them to directly involve themselves in the war effort. What if they're caught? They could get into serious trouble."
"Look around you," one of the squad members replied. "They're already directly involved. If we find out something valuable like a target for a fire mission, we could potentially liberate this town..end all of this."
"Yeah, just like you liberated the last one."
"He's right, Katara," Sokka affirmed. "If we can get the Americans information on military targets, their ability to inflict damage here will greatly lessen. Just think of all the airship fields they've already leveled, or all the ships they've sunk. With each, the Fire Nation's ability to wage war weakens." He transitioned, "And you're right too, they're not soldiers. Which means the local tradesmen around here have likely seen a thing or two since the military wouldn't bat an eye at them like they would any other combatant or spy."
"But who to ask is the real question."
"How about…" Sokka droned as he scanned the crowd, "Her!" he said pointing to a fish merchant.
"Excuse me, miss," the US officer called. He interrupted her, mid announcement, as she tried to garner the attention of potential customers looking for the fresh catch of the day.
The woman, a young adult, looked towards the group that approached her, two men and a pair of teens.
"Hi, could I interest you in some fi-"
She stopped abruptly as she caught sight of the leather pistol holster on the lieutenant's duty belt. Instinctively, she took a step back. A reaction of fear. Her hands extended behind her as she stumbled backwards, desperately gripping the edge of her wooden ostrich horse-drawn cart. "I-I'm sorry I mean no trouble. Whatever I did, it won't happen again."
"Woah woah woah, I think we might have gotten off on the wrong foot here," Joe tried to defuse. "Now I'm not here to harm you, miss, I just wanna ask you some questions is all."
"It's true, these men are friendly enough," Sokka tried to help calm her down. "They've been helping liberate towns along the coast."
"Y-You have one of those, hand held cannons," she remarked. "Are you with the Fire Nation's ally?"
"The Fire Nation's ally?" the LT pondered until he realized she was referring to the IJN. "No. No not us ma'am. We fight them. We- uhh- We're here to help liberate you guys from their influence."
"Help us? You have weapons that can defeat theirs? Ships of such power?"
"Better and stronger, miss. I was wondering if you can answer a few questions maybe?"
Reluctantly she agreed, starting to get comfortable with the Marines. Across the street, she could see the likes of PFC Williams and Lance Corporal Martinez interacting with some of the kids of the town.
"Have you seen heavy military activity around? Ship movements, or airship flights?" Sokka inquired. From what I've been seeing the Fire Nation has been planning something big, but I don't know exactly what.
"Surely, you've seen activity in your work along the coast," the LT further questioned. "We've been running into and sinking more and more Fire Nation ships as we continue west."
Katara sighed as Sokka and Joe questioned the poor merchant woman, bombarding her with endless questions. She could see the Earth Kingdom merchant was rather overwhelmed.
"...and what did it look like, roughly?" Sokka pushed. "As much as you can remember."
"Here, draw it in the dirt," the LT offered, drawing his Ka-Bar as a utensil to trace an outline in the sand.
"Please stay back, I can manage," she said.
Taking a step back from the group and stamping her rear foot into the ground strongly, as a testament to her photographic memory and bending capability, a stone replica of a warship surfaced from the ground beneath them, guns, aircraft catapults, radio antennas, and as much as she could remember of the vessel.
"Woah!" the Marines took a step back.
"That's incredible," Sokka commented.
"You're an earthbender!" Katara exclaimed.
"Thank you," she replied, "It's as much as I can remember, so it might not be so accurate. But it was a warship unlike one I have ever seen before so it is vivid in my mind."
"That's definitely an Imperial Navy ship," the LT observed. "Looks to be a heavy cruiser too. Look at the three forward gun turrets."
"What is your name," Katara asked.
"Zhu," she answered.
"How are the Fire Nation and Japan seeming to just rollover town after town?" Katara passionately inquired. "If it's anything how you describe it, they're just surrendering, letting themselves be taken. It never used to be this way. Not even after a hundred years of war with the Fire Nation."
"You don't understand, it isn't so simple-"
"I mean, you're an earthbender. Wouldn't you fight back too? At your core, your people are strong willed and stubborn to rule. You've been in a town that had been invaded and colonized too. Are people just...accepting this?"
Zhu took a deep breath. "This isn't warfare like anything this world has seen, and I think you as well know that."
In her journeys as a merchant on the coastlines and riversides of the kingdom, Zhu had seen a lot of devastation and poverty as a result of the war with the Fire Nation. But now, towns didn't have to be completely burned to the ground for the casualties to mount. The enemy now had an even greater force multiplication as a result of their armament and greater warfighting strategy.
"It used to be, if the Fire Nation wanted to take a city...for example Omashu," she explained, "They would appear en masse. An armada...or some invasion force of an unrivaled size. This has been how war has been fought for centuries. Even the Earth Kingdom still relies on their amassed armies."
"Just like the Fire Navy fleet at the North." Sokka recalled.
"But now, with just one or two ships, they can make even Omashu and Ba Sing Se look like primitive attempts at protection. It doesn't even matter anymore who is a bender and who is not. The men aboard these ships," she said pointing at the stone image, "cannot bend the elements at all. But they can strike down hordes of Earth Kingdom soldiers, battalions at a time. There are no more days-long sieges anymore. Cities and towns are taken in the span of a single day, and the results are brutal."
Zhu looked at Katara. "So yes, to answer your question. We did fight back, initially. The army still fights wherever there are still units and strongholds. But many of them are inland, far away from the coasts where ships cannot go. However, even they are vulnerable to death from above."
Sokka could notice scars on her arms as the fabric from her tunic revealed from time to time as Zhu moved her arms.
"I was never much of a fighter. And luckily for me, when I was foolish enough to try to fight back in the first encounter, I was able to walk away with nothing more than visual reminders of the events. The rest who tried, weren't so lucky." Her tone shifted. "But, since then many have learned to coexist with the new management. It's going to sound odd to many, but people are beginning to appreciate their living situations."
"After all that has been done? How could they possibly?" Katara asked, bewildered at Zhu's statement.
"New laws and regulation were..difficult to get accustomed to. But as time went by- and remember, this isn't so long ago- people started to see a bittersweet brightside to all this. It began with the problems with crime, the daofei, that has plagued the earth kingdom for thousands of years. You see, criminals don't follow anyone's rules, and even they would try to cause trouble in newly occupied territories. Simply put, crime has gone down significantly. The gangs have been driven out of the coastal towns and cities. Supposedly they are timid to attempt activity in towns that are not occupied. The Japanese, with the assistance of the Fire Nation, have also unified commerce as well. People, including me, are able to better their position in life."
"How so?"
"Everytime a ship comes into port, at least one of theirs… Fire Nation ships still sometimes demand commodities for heavy discounts- merchants make the most sales and sell out rather quickly. This town we are in right now is a prime example."
"But we've seen the destruction, all the destroyed buildings and charred streets."
"But have you noticed how busy the place is? Many of the homes and structures in the center have been rebuilt quickly. The ones left destroyed were not prioritized because the people were tired of their previous rule. Anyway, as long as people don't cause trouble, and maintain a general harmony, the Navy does not cause harm or issue to the townsfolk. Rather commerce, and protection are provided."
"I can't believe this," Katara fumed. "All that destruction. All that pain. And the lives taken?- Of those that fought to protect and keep these people- you- safe and free from oppression? And you just soak up all that and embrace them? It's unbelievable!"
"Katara, keep your voice down," Sokka reprimanded. "She's been through a lot."
"I know it sounds shallow and even disgusting," Zhu accepted. "But try to understand, this is, to many, the best alternative."
As the group made ready to leave, Sokka wanted to acquire some supplies for the journey.
"You said this ship, as well as a lot of equipment are being moved towards Kyoshi Island?" he clarified.
"Yes, whatever they are doing there, it must be important."
"Then we have to check it out," he said, "We have to scout ahead and see what's going on."
"It will be a long journey indeed, please take care."
"Yeah, speaking of which," he said looking over her catch for the day. "Can we maybe but some fish off of you?" he said, laying out his bag of various Earth Kingdom currency.
Zhu made a troubled face as she looked over what Sokka had to offer. Normally it would have been more than enough to buy much of what she had. "I'm sorry, but I can't accept this."
"You can't?" he was surprised.
"Not after our new management, unfortunately," she sighed.
"I have Fire Nation coins as well."
"I can only take gold pieces," she reported sadly.
"Gold?! Only?!"
"Transactions have become more strict and centralized. Much of the old currency is almost worthless, suddenly. I can only accept old Fire Nation or Earth Kingdom gold pieces, or newer yen bills."
"Yen? I've never heard of those before."
From her pocket, Zhu pulled out a bill of paper, which supposedly carried a moderate value to it. In characters along the top read, "The Government of the Fire Nation." The voucher was worth a noted five hundred yen, whatever that was.