CH1: Lost Ruins of a Forgotten Time
Waves crashed against the hull of the large empire class battleship as it made its way north, towards the north pole, to confront the northern water tribe. Positioned at the center of the massive armada, stood the single largest and most elegantly decorated warship within the fleet; the flagship and serving headquarters of Admiral Zhao. The ship was one of the largest ships ever commissioned within the Fire Nation Navy, and was also one of the most distinguished, featuring its massive and characteristically ornate bow; a large golden dragon's head. The vessel was second only to the ship built for, commissioned, and used solely by Princess Azula. And this, from Zhao's perspective, was only fitting for a Fire Nation officer who was destined to fall the Water Tribe, once and for all.
Having just finished tea with the former "Dragon of the West," General Iroh, Zhao stood at the bridge of the command tower looking over the main deck of his warship. He was discussing the plans for the phases of attack and the assault and landing operations of the siege, coordinating the efforts of his battleship captains, and infantry colonels, all the while observing the preparations of his troops and ship's artillery. After the plans were settled and the officer's adjourned to study their roles in their quarters, Zhao, in the absence of Iroh, began to divulge his findings of the moon and ocean spirits to his leading general as the two remained on the observation bridge alone.
"I'm sure General Iroh had mentioned it to you, but I have a little concern as to the timing and operations window of our attack, Admiral," the general began, "during the planned three day siege, the moon will be in its fullest phases, with a full moon present in the mid way point of the operation, a time where I will have boots on the ground and engaged in an urban combat zone of waterbenders at their fullest power. This alone can present risk of severe casualties."
"Not to worry, general," Zhao began, "I am fully aware of the potency of the moon on waterbenders' abilities, and of the moon cycle. Rest assured there is a plan I have, that will eliminate the moon from the equation, which I plan to execute on the second evening of the siege when the moon is fullest. I know of the risk factor involved and the buff that the Water Tribe enjoys as a result of the full moon, so I planned my attacks accordingly to try and minimize Fire Nation casualties. We are strategically attacking on the full moon, to hammer in a message and crush the power of the Water Tribe in a way that will not only not only lead to their defeat and submission to the Fire Nation, but will also eradicate any and all hope from their hearts and minds."
"How do we plan to carry this out?"
"I haven't informed General Iroh of this yet, as I know he will undoubtedly have something to say in objection, but years ago upon a great and powerful secret while serving under General Shu in the expeditionary forces in the Earth Kingdom. While leading a company charged with mapping the Si Wong Desert, I discovered a hidden library below the desert sands in fact. Tearing through hundreds of scrolls, I had discovered the physical identities of the moon and ocean spirit as well as their locations. I realized that I could be the officer that could single handedly gift the Fire Lord a great strategic victory to the Fire Nation. Imagine the prestige and the possibilities that could be bestowed upon me when I relay news to Fire Lord Ozai himself that I, Admiral Zhao, single handedly brought the Water Tribe to its knees, and eradicated any ability for them to resist. From that point on, all those years ago, I knew the spirits that the Water Tribe relied on so heavily could be found, and killed," Zhao explained.
"And these spirits, I take it, are within the city of the Northern Tribe," the general inferred.
"Absolutely, not only will we capture the Avatar, but we will end the Water Tribe upon completion of this mission," Zhao concluded.
The general, who had a side interest in reading and studying, inquired further about the library of Wan Shi Tong. " Such a library could only be the mythological library of legend, the library of Wan Shi Tong, he who is said to know ten thousand things."
"I have heard the legends of such a library, though I believe that such a library could not exist. There was no one there either to confront or greet our entrance, not a single soul around. No one provided any resistance certainly when we burned down the section detailing the Fire Nation, and its weaknesses. So even if it was the impossible library, the man of myth himself couldn't at all, else he'd have provided resistance. The only thing that seemed supernatural was, some of my men, even I myself, claimed to see the image of a great owl watching us from the shadows. But of course, an owl couldn't be more than a bird."
The general was not fully convinced of Zhao's view and remained convinced. "With all due respect, Admiral. I feel you have no idea of just what you had discovered, all those years ago. That being said, surely there had to be other extensive knowledge or information hidden within the volumes of the library."
"There was one other piece of information I had read, general. Though I couldn't make much sense of it and tossed it aside as mere myth. The script was old, written in a style I couldn't understand or read well, just fragments at a time. It mentioned the existence of alternate versions of worlds. Linked together by the same type of energy that suspends the spirit world and our world, as well as the passage of time. Or some hearsay like that," Zhao explained.
"Alternate worlds and the passage of time?"
"It was very confusing and clouded, but it was the only other thing that managed to remain with me in thought from that expedition. Supposedly there are ancient ruins hidden away and lost to time out there somewhere in the Earth Kingdom, that can open some sort of a portal to what I would assume would be either another world, or another time. Control of such a gateway, should it exist, could be crucial to the Fire Nation's war effort, and could potentially allow us to search through the past indefinitely as an objective. Imagine what Fire Lord Sozin could have accomplished, 100 years ago, if he had the ability to continually pass through time backwards to search for the Avatar before he went into hiding. Or what resources or knowledge could be learnt through a parallel world. I have no clue how such a gateway could work, the document I discovered those years ago, was near impossible to read, despite it being an entire book; in hindsight I should have taken the book with me so as to study it further. Once this siege has been completed, the Water Tribe fallen, and the Avatar well within Fire Nation custody, this will be the next grand operation I plan to look into. Such a gateway, if it were to exist could mean many things, but I feel it will yield great insight, and power," the Admiral conjured.
"If such a gate exists, this will be a grand discovery that will undoubtedly guarantee victory in the war. The Earth Kingdom will surely fall as a result of controlling such an ability. Even the Avatar himself cannot access worlds beyond the spirit world, and I doubt he can possibly navigate time either. We must look into this soon if it can wield that much potential," the general commented in excitement.
The two were interrupted by an officer from the command bridge of the ship. "Admiral Zhao, we will be within range of the Northern Water Tribe by the morning of tomorrow, sir."
"Very well, Captain," Zhao dismissed while turning back to his general, "One historical victory at a time, General. I will slowly fill the history books with one victory and discovery at a time. For now, let's write some history."
June 4, 1942
Northern Pacific
Midway Atoll
USS Enterprise CV-6
First Lieutenant Joseph 'Joe' Stevenson, stood watch looking over the railing as he smoked his Lucky Strike cigarette, looking out over the vast and never ending Pacific Ocean. Beside him were two privates who similarly had the misfortune of being stuck with shipboard watch duty. The sun had yet to rise as it was still the early hours of the morning, and the moon still soared brightly above.
"LT, do you think this war will last about as long as the first one?" one of the privates asked, trying to light his own smoke.
" Your zippo's out, use mine," Joe said, passing the marine his, "and I honestly haven't a clue. Many of us at the academy were not convinced the Japanese were capable of such damage at Pearl Harbor. Despite our instructors making us research and study the development of the Japanese navy and armed forces with an emphasis. They shocked me, for one."
"Somewhere out there, in that darkness," the other private to his left began, "is the Japanese fleet. Tomorrow is going to be intense isn't it?"
"I'd imagine so," Joe confirmed, "Just another block to go through on the path to Japan."
"A long and slow path," the private continued, "fast maybe for the Navy, but slow for us Marines."
"Oorah to that one. These ships cannot go fast enough. I could run faster than this!" the other NCO added.
"And it's hot as hell here," Joe interjected. "I can't believe I am starting to miss those Seattle winters."
"Imagine if we could manipulate the elements, like magic," one of the enlisted men laughed.
"Now that would be something wouldn't. Though pretty dumb and unbelievable if you ask me," Joe commented.
"Don't mind him, sir" the other private began, "he's always sprouted this nonsense ever since we were boys. The plains and farms of Nebraska will do that to people like him."
"Wouldn't be the first though," Joe responded. "In a culture studies class I had to take at Annapolis, the cultures of the orient would often have really ancient folk tales, and stories, and myths, of people-like characters that can manipulate the elements. Ignite fire out of thin air, generate ice and move currents, and blow winds as strong as the tornadoes in Kansas from their breath. Our enemies from Nippon for example, had a commonly known mythological figure, 'Yuki-Onna' or snow woman. A commonly known-to-be beautiful, yet sad, woman wearing white kimono. Supposedly she could produce snow, and freeze her surroundings and its subjects, even if it was a warm environment."
"The Japanese really will come up with whack things now don't they," the enlisted men laughed.
"Yeah it was a very weird class to take," the Lieutenant admitted, tossing his cigarette overboard and into the sea. "Well our watch cycle is about up, we better wake up the next round and get as much rest as we can with what little time we have remaining. Ship's gonna be lit up tomorrow."
"Aye aye, sir," the two privates acknowledged tossing out their cigarettes and following the Lieutenant's lead, disappearing into the inner corridors of the Yorktown-class carrier.
The massive aircraft carrier and its surrounding warships all were in dark ship conditions. This meant that all their lights were shut off which minimized the chance of the Imperial Japanese Navy spotting the large battle group. The enemy fleet, containing four of the largest aircraft carriers of the time, in addition to the largest battleship ever built, were similarly blacked out against the mysterious depths of the Pacific. The waves on the eve of a significant event were calm and seemingly motionless. Despite making good speed, this night seemed to lack any strong waves crashing against the steel hull of the ship, a point that typically characterized the Pacific Ocean.
The two fleets continued to slice through the water beneath the watchful gaze of the moon.
