If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.
Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize winner
When Chief Lin Beifong unlocked the heavy bolt of the door to the prison cell, she found a rather curious sight. The prisoner was sitting down in front of the wooden table, cup of tea in one hand and a rather voluminous book on her lap, her dark hair still undone falling in waves over her shoulders. It seemed longer than the last time she saw her. A contrast quite jarring to the eyes from the sharp, tidy image from distant times of the former military leader always impeccably clad in silver, black and green.
Kuvira lifted her glance from her reading and greeted the chief with a lopsided smile.
"Good day to you Chief Beifong. Welcome back to my humble abode. Nobody told me beforehand I was receiving a visit. If I knew I was, I would have made the effort to be more presentable." She put the large tome aside and began fixing her hair into a single braid. The longer hair made the metalbender resemble more the Zaofu guard captain of yore than the Great Uniter of recent times.
"Tea? I've been told by the guards my tea is actually decent," she added while glancing at a teapot over the table. "They provide the hot water in exchange of a cup prepared by the former Great Uniter herself."
"Thank you but business is what brings me here. I was entrusted to deliver this letter in person" the elder Beifong sibling replied.
Kuvira noticed the bundle of papers the Chief of Police was carrying in a beige folder. Lin extended a very official looking envelope with the seal of Republic City embossed over the white smooth surface.
"I take that Zhu Li not only received my letter, she actually read it. It's a pleasant surprise."
"It would have been unwise of her not to read it. I also have this." Lin slid the folder over the table.
"Are you sure you want to continue along with the trials without legal representation? Even you have a right to a defense."
The former military leader finished fixing her hair and let out an audible sigh as she stood up, placing her hands behind her back. Lin kept close watch of her while leaning against a wall with arms folded over her chest. With the hair fixed and the pose, the metalbender now resembled much more her former past self, the softer look in her eyes substituted by a hard glance.
"Me? Who would dare to defend me in this city?" Kuvira seemed almost amused by the notion of the existence of any defendant insane enough to take her case. "Besides, I've made it so far without any assistance. I don't think having one at this point will change anything. I understand the charges. I'm familiar with the events and I have stated my case clearly."
"You may not find representation here but that doesn't mean you can't find attorneys willing to take your case from other nations. There have been some from the Earth Kingdom that have expressed their interest. Many have also voiced their dissatisfaction by the fact that trials have proceeded with the accused lacking proper legal advice. They claim it sets a bad precedent and the optics looking from outside aren't good either."
"Someone wants free publicity out of my case? Sorry, not interested," Kuvira replied with a dismissive wave of the hand.
The eldest Beifong sister countered. "It is not only that. There's a perception, erroneous as it is but still a growing perception among the general public that our government is willingly withholding assistance to your defense, pushing the narrative that the trial is just cosmetic and the verdict has already been decided."
Kuvira shot a knowing glance at the Police Chief. "Which I would believe it's actually the case." Lin's expression told her the Chief wasn't particularly bothered by that possibility but having been flung to the pavement forcefully while still stuck inside the arm of a giant mecha like it had been her case made her position seem rather reasonable.
"So you worry that the insurgent elements remaining in defiance of my call to surrender might take this as a justification to continue their resistance, or even worse. I see…I knew that the offer was not out of benevolence."
"There was nothing benevolent in your invasion of our city" Lin growled back, hands now firmly placed over the table. The Chief was never one to mince words. Kuvira regarded Republic City's top cop cautiously, pacing slowly in the limited space the cell provided her.
"No, just as there was nothing benevolent about the feckless governments the Earth Kingdom endured before, during, and after the Hundred Year War. It was common knowledge that most citizens were very dissatisfied with the rule of Queen Hou-Ting. What Zaheer did with her assassination was just to stir into a fever pitch the general discontentment that had been brewing for a long time."
"There was nothing that the other nations could do about the internal affairs of the Earth Kingdom," Lin countered.
"And yet there were interventions. I believe this very city is the result of one of said interventions, isn't it? And let's not forget that instance about kidnapping Earth Kingdom conscripts." Kuvira stopped pacing to look at Lin directly.
"If you are referring to the airbenders, they were held against their will," the Chief replied firmly.
"And yet their rightful ruler had a right to conscript any of her citizens. I think that was an internal Earth Kingdom issue but we both know how that ended. I'm not one to defend the rule of that despot yet I do recognize that her position gave her the authority to deal with her citizens as she saw fit according to law."
"Lawful doesn't always means it's right or ethical."
The former leader smiled at that. "And I'm glad you are aware of the difference Chief and it means a lot coming from you as the city's highest representative of law and order. Antiquated laws gave the Earth Kingdom incompetent governors like Deng from Avatar Kyoshi's time. What business did a mere child have in governing a province? But that was lawful then and spirits know if it might still be lawful now. I couldn't review all our laws during the three year span I spearheaded the government. Probably it would have been impossible anyway even if I had dedicated myself just to do that." Kuvira paused while Chief Beifong kept listening, suspicion etched on the peculiar way her eyebrows furrowed together. She was keenly aware of the former commander's cunning ways with words.
"Now I ask you from your position of authority; was it really lawful to appoint a mere city captain of guards to provisional head of a crumbling state? Was the situation so dire there was nobody else available with the qualifications and the resolve, somebody capable of holding the reins of a nation in urgent need of leadership? Oh yeah, there was someone highly qualified and with the right family name to boot but she refused!" Kuvira's tone had morphed now. There was a marked accusatory inflection in the last sentence that Lin evidently caught by the severe expression on her face now and the narrowing green eyes.
"At least I was a grown woman and not a spoiled child like Deng but still, rather young to be given absolute responsibility of a nation in shambles without the benefit of being groomed for power since childhood like Wu was."
"Yet you accepted it. You shouldn't shift the responsibility of your actions to others. It's too late for that" the Chief countered sternly.
"I'm not shifting the blame," replied Kuvira pensively. "I'm just stating mere facts. Actions have consequences. I'm contending with mine now but at least I'll never regret stepping up to do something others weren't willing to do."
"Hope you are quite aware of the consequences then. You should be dealing with them for a long time."
"That's why I'm in this place isn't it? But I don't plan to dwell on the past forever and being here should help me to put things in perspective. I mean, aside from reading huge books, all I have here is time to think. But I don't mind debating history or the law from time to time." Her face no longer displayed the combativeness of instants ago, returning to a composed demeanor, down to the conciliatory tenor of her voice.
Chief Beifong raised an eyebrow. She had been bracing for the argument to become violent at any moment. Kuvira's temper was well known to flare up by the slightest provocation and this had been turning into a rather incendiary topic. Instead and rather surprisingly, the metalbender had managed to keep her emotions at bay. She was either becoming more cunning in her manipulations or was making actual progress with self-control. Either way, she made sure to make a note of today's exchange when she returned to the station.
"I should be on my way now." The Chief of Police knocked twice and the guard outside began unlocking the door. Before leaving, she added, the sternness on her face softened a notch: "I'm not really the debating type but you've made your point about something."
"What?"
"That you don't need legal assistance. You can manage yourself on the courts well on your own. Who knows if you end up speaking your way out of this mess." Lin sounded slightly intrigued by the possibility. Perhaps it was her unique way of conveying respect towards the prisoner's skills and intelligence without necessarily sympathizing with her deeds.
As Chief Beifong went on her way, her steps fading into the distance, the metalbender reached for her book. She was about to open it when she noticed the letter with the Republic City official seal still on the table. She took it, opened it carefully and began to read. The first paragraphs were mostly formalities, delivered in a pleasant yet firm language.
"Our government expresses our deepest appreciation in the voluntary disclosure of the existence of sensitive information that if made public, could potentially tarnish the reputation of the current ruler of the Earth Kingdom, Wu and therefore, derail the progressive efforts of bringing a new form of elective government towards said nation."
Kuvira's mind took her back to the day when her guards recovered the National Bank from a hardened and well organized band of looters composed of Ba Sing Se's elite fighting forces. After the battle was won, at close inspection of the facilities they found out that it was not only treasure of the type measured by precious gems and gold that was heavily guarded and that they intended to secure it. Carefully stowed among the gold, stored for discreet safekeeping were several stashes of documents deemed too sensitive to be kept within the National Archives vaults or even in the care of the individual families. Secrets of state, the inconvenient truths and secrets of many wealthy and powerful families, the crown family included, were kept there in a separate, inconspicuous section as if to mask its actual value and importance. Kuvira and Baatar had the nagging suspicion that some of the wealthy benefactors from Zaofu that accompanied her group were in the know of this fact and their urgency in recovering the bank was due to the urgency to seize such material, perhaps even more than the treasury itself. One of their first political decisions was to withhold the knowledge and whereabouts of said documents, their benefactors included, keenly aware that whoever possessed the secrets held sizable bargaining power for future negotiations. In the present, she had no longer the need or use for such volatile secrets with her tenure as the Great Uniter over. Instead, it now served as a good will gesture of her disposition to aid the new administration in fulfilling its duties without the concern of compromising information out in the open. The last handwritten lines brought amusement to the dark haired metalbender, a grin curving on her lips:
"PS. The following comments are not an official expression of the President of Republic City but are made in my personal character. Although I do not hold a grudge for the several attempts made against my life during the testing of the Spirit Cannon nor during combat operations sustained by Republic City against the invading Earth Empire army, in particular the giant mecha, you should be aware that I will ensure these actions are duly recorded during your trials. It will be up to the courts to decide the nature, malicious or otherwise of these actions. However, your collaboration upon your surrender and the valuable information and intelligence provided should be also noted publicly. I will strive from my position that justice rather than revenge is served in your case. Signed, Zhu Li Moon."
It seemed that with the benefit of hindsight that it was obvious Kuvira had made a crucial mistake: she had greatly underestimated Varrick's unassuming assistant and now she had to contend with a formidable opponent. A small silver lining out of the scenario served as consolation of sorts for the former military commander. She suspected the time served by the now president in her organization, working alongside many empowered women, served to embolden the bespectacled aid to Varrick until she was finally able to grow into her own better self. And what a way to prove that becoming Republic City's top elected official beating even a seasoned politician like Raiko in his own game. Not bad for a humble assistant! If that was possible, maybe the thought of freedom for herself wasn't as far-fetched as she believed. And with that thought still lingering in her mind, Kuvira returned to her book.
