July 12th, 1940
Moza felt someone shake him awake. He groaned and rolled to the side, it was too early for him. Way too early for him. There wasn't even a sun yet.
"Moza, Moza" Said person and Moza cracked open an eye and glanced at the man who dared wake him up. He put his head back into the pillow when he saw it was Uza.
"Moza you have to get up man." Uza shook Moza again.
"Why? It's still dark out." Moza groaned. It was true, it was five o'clock in the morning. Much too early for any good pilot.
"We're relocating."
Moza mumbled something to himself. He planted his face on the pillow for one last second before resigning himself to getting up.
"Where to?" He tiredly asked.
"New Ozai or Omashu." Uza shrugged. "Whichever you want to call it."
"And we're taking trucks there? That will be hell to get down the mountain." Moza grumbled out. They were on top of one of the highest mountains for Agni's sake.
"No silly, we're taking our planes. They didn't add any weapons so, you know, no accidents." Uza replied. Moza swung his legs out from the bed and stood up.
"Also did you write that letter home to our parents?" Uza added with a cheeky grin.
Moza rolled his eyes and nodded. He and Uza had lived in the same village. Childhood friends who had joined up with the new Fire Nation Air Force along with Moza's brother. But once Moza's brother had died in Lyon, they both joined the new Phoenix division of the Air Force which were the fighter aircraft.
Moza quickly got dressed into his pilot's uniform. The only thing not with him was his helmet which was in his plane. Once he was done, he found Uza waiting impatiently outside his room.
"Come on Flight Leader, the group is waiting." He told Moza who rolled his eyes yet again. They walked outside to find the sun just beginning to peak above the horizon. Soldiers were beginning to awake for their morning meditation.
"Looks like it'll be a good day for a fly." Moza smiled lightly.
"And hence why your flight leader and not me." Uza also smiled at the sunset.
"Why?" Moza turned to Uza curiously and he shrugged.
"You understand all these flying terms and things. You can tell how good a day's weather will be from the instant you get up. You can make decisions based on the weather before you're even off the ground." Uza chuckled to himself.
"I can't fault that logic." Moza chuckled too.
They reached the planes and greeted the other members of the flight. Then they climbed into their planes and were soon up in the air.
They turned south and settled in for the long trip to Omashu. No, he meant New Ozai. Moza inwardly groaned, sometimes old habits die hard.
The sun slowly rose higher and higher. The Firebirds glistened in the early morning light. Peace overcame him.
Moza glanced to his right and saw the edges of the Si Wong Desert. From what he had heard, the Fire Nation had been using the new tanks to deal with the Sand Sharks. They were slowly entering the Si Wong so it could be colonized.
An ulterior motive was probably so that they could have a straight line to the portal and cut the people here off. From what Moza had heard, the Fire Nation had tanks and outposts already stationed throughout the desert in preparation for a march across to the mountains.
Moza leaned back in his seat and thought of the coming days. Omashu was significantly closer to the ocean than where they had previously been. They would probably intercept more warships and destroy shipping.
Speaking of warships, Fire Nation shipping has been continually harassed by U-Boats as the Germans called them. They are continuously sunk and the cargo at the bottom of the sea. The Fire Nation command was desperately trying to figure out how to stop the threat. Right now, there was nothing.
The battleships of the many nations now steamed within the coast of the Earth Kingdom too. Locking it off from the rest of the empire. The only feasible ports were in the colonies.
The sea was becoming a dangerous battleground between their fleet and that of the other worlds. After the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Brest where half of the fleet under Admiral Chan was destroyed, the Fire Nation has resorted to using the captured French battleships and few Japanese warships in their fleet. These ships were also the basis of a new fleet. The shipyards were using every reserve to build this new fleet as fast as possible to defend the seas. Most of the main ships in the fleet at the moment were French ships like the Dunkerque.
The string of bad defeats was staggering to the soldiers of the Fire Nation forces. They had been continuously defeated at every turn. The other nations were just so much better than them at everything. The only thing the Fire Nation had that they didn't was equal rights for all genders which Moza thought was silly. They were just as good as men in everything but these nations refused to see that and hence why the Fire Nation should spread to them our glory.
They were very close to New Ozai and surrounded by dunes when suddenly there was the sound of a ra-ta-tat and long white lines flew past the squad of Firebirds.
"We got enemy aircraft!" Uza shouted over the radio.
Moza looked down and saw the insignia of a star on the wings. It was the Americans, of course it was. At least not the Japs. He looked up and saw white fluffy clouds above him. He bit the corner of his lip.
"Fly up into the clouds and try to lose them!" Moza ordered the others. They pulled up into a steep climb with the Americans licking at their heels.
They entered the clouds and were enveloped. They continued their rise and passed through the upper layer of clouds. Above, they saw the beauty of the atmosphere. The blue sky and the bright sun.
Of course the Americans were still behind them, still trying to pump hundreds of bullets into them.
"Break formation! We're not too far from Omashu. I mean, New Ozai. It can't be more than ten miles away. Try and make a run for it. None of us have any ammo!"
There were affirmatives and Moza pulled hard to the left. He passed through the side of the cloud at breakneck speeds.
A lone American, patrolling the perimeter of the clouds, was waiting there for him.
Moza passed slightly below the American's tail and checked behind his shoulder. He realized with horror that this was an ace when he saw the five Fire Nation insignias on the side.
The American pulled around and followed Moza who pushed the joystick forward, entering his plane into a steep dive.
He glanced at the ground below him and saw a very large gorge with a river running through it. He pulled right towards it in a desperate attempt to escape the American ace.
He watched as bullets streaked past him to his left and right. He pulled even harder to the right and did a quick roll placing himself perpendicular to the river below.
It was like he was dive bombing an enemy artillery emplacement. At the last moment he pulled up and was running along the gorge. The American was hot behind him.
Bullets were still miraculously passing around him and avoiding him. He came across a fork in the gorge and pulled to the left. The American pulled to the right.
Hold on he recognized this gorge. His airship had once flown over it on a scouting mission.
Moza took a breather for a second as he navigated the gorge until he came to the other end. Here, he and the American almost collided with each other, the American passing Moza just seconds before.
Both Moza and the American pulled back hard on the throttle. The American pulled the trigger as Moza came up but Moza was expecting this. He had lowered his throttle prior bringing himself slightly below the American.
His and the Americans' cockpit were facing each other. They were only feet apart. He and the enemy could clearly see the other as they passed. Their eyes locked for a millisecond before they were on their way.
Moza glanced to either side of him and was able to pick out the mountains where the new air base was located. It wasn't even four miles away from him!
Moza pulled back into the gorge with the American once again pulling in behind. Moza casually ignored the bullets and reasoned that he had to get out of this gorge without getting shot. But he couldn't let the American know where the airbase was.
Moza came to a decision as they pulled left down another path of the river. He knew the gorge fairly well from here on out. At the next sharp turn, there would be a wall of rocks.
Here, Moza would dramatically pull up and just clear the wall while the American would be destroyed. It was the only way.
When the turn came, Moza pulled hard to the right and quickly began to pull up. But before he could, the American blasted his wing.
Moza desperately tried to clear the wall but his wing had dipped far too low. It smashed against the rocks and Mozas' plane spun. Luckily, miraculously even, his plan landed perfectly along the ground and after spinning a few times came to a halt.
The Americans plane clipped the rocks and smashed into the ground before slowly being consumed by flames.
Suddenly a voice over the radio.
"Moza, are you alright. I see smoke from below."
It was Uza. Moza picked up the radio and leaned back against his seat.
"My plane is totaled. I'll walk the rest of the way back but I killed an American ace. I can't be more than three miles away." Moza replied before pausing as a black figure emerged from the burning plane ahead.
He turned off the radio and reached to the side of his seat and pulled out a pistol. He then turned and kicked out the canopy above him. He climbed out and dropped to the ground.
He walked slowly over to the American who was now leaning against a rock. The pistol was clutched firmly in his hand. When he reached the American, he pointed the pistol at him.
The American closed his eyes and leaned his head back.
"Just get it over with already. I know your honor doesn't allow a man to surrender." The American chuckled to himself.
The man was about Moza's age and had brown hair and a bright smile. If he wasn't covered in blood, Moza thought he would be pretty good looking.
Moza paused before pulling the trigger. Then, he holstered the pistol.
"My honor, contrary to popular belief, allows a man to surrender and it also doesn't allow me to kill a defenseless man." Moza grabbed the man by the shoulder and the man groaned in pain.
"It's only three miles until we can get you some medical attention." Moza comforted the American as he began to carry him.
"Might even be two…" He added as the two began their walk towards the towering mountains ahead.
Japan
The clerk at the desk watched the young lady approach the counter. Her hair was neatly tied and she was in a military uniform which was surprising considering her gender.
"What can I do for you?" He asked politely.
The lady raised up a bag with a plenitude of food in it. There was a bag of rice, a few fruits, a fish, and a few other things.
"I would like to purchase these." She replied with a kind smile.
The clerk began to take out each of the items and began to ring them out. He noted the ladies' accent being different than any he's heard before. Maybe she was from one of the islands. He really didn't know.
When he finished he smiled sweetly at her. "That will be eighty."
The lady smiled back and paid. She was then on her way. Her black hair swished behind her. Absent-mindedly, the clerk wondered if he would ever see her again. He doubted it.
When Anza rounded the corner of the store, she found herself face to face with Souza and Zim. They were in casual Japanese clothes which Anza had brought.
"Did it go well?" Souza asked.
"I think I can speak in perfect Japanese." Anza chuckled.
"Then in a few days we will be free." Zim said.
Souza laughed. "Rightly so, I haven't seen our world in much too long. I can already imagine it. The tall mountains and the sincerity of it all. The grass that gently sways and the peace that you find under the warm sun."
They turned and walked into the forest, back towards their camp.
Somewhere in the Si Wong Forest
July 14th, 1940
The sun beamed. The sand crunched. The British officer sweated to death as he walked through the series of buildings in the Si Wong.
The buildings were made of mudstone and were huddled against a large cliff. Most likely for the gift of shade the British officer thought.
Behind him, an American and German officer followed. Even though they were the same rank, the British officer had more history with dealing with foreign diplomats which would be exactly what they would be doing.
The town, if it could be called that, was extremely small and was on the edge of the Si Wong. According to the people however, this was a very large town. Bigger than somewhere called the Misty Palms Oasis. The British man found this hard to believe. It was a quaint place, peaceful. But, the people in the town stood outside their houses staring at them.
The officers didn't know if it was from awe or fear. Most likely a combination of both. Behind the three were bodyguards from the three nations, each carrying large rifles which they doubted any of the townsfolk had ever seen.
At the end of the town, there was a larger building. Considerably larger than any other house, the building had a flag above.
The flag had a red background and a large white sun in the center surrounded by 20 smaller blue dots.
This was where they were heading. It was the town hall, the Reichstag, the Parliament, the Senate of the people of the Si Wong. A people that should at all costs be respected for if anyone could survive in this desert, they had to be made of tough stuff.
When they reached the house, the British officer turned to the bodyguards.
"You two." He pointed to an Englishman and a German. "Are gonna come inside. The rest of you wait here. Holler if anything happens."
The entourage nodded in unison and they followed their orders. One of the English soldiers grabbed the door and opened it for the officers and the German soldier. They walked inside and were greeted by a young lady.
"I assume you are the representatives for the Unified Southern Front against the Fire Nation."
"Indeed we are ma'm." The American replied in a thick Texan accent.
The lady nodded and motioned for them to follow.
The British and American walked in a similar way, both arms swinging calmly as they walked down a corridor. The German meanwhile held to the back and kept his hands crossed behind his back. The two soldiers flanked him on either side, letting the lady and the British and American officers lead the way.
They came to another door at which the lady knocked. There was a voice saying for them to come in and they entered. The soldiers stayed outside the door guarding.
When their eyes adjusted to the light, the officers saw themselves surrounded by a council of twenty men arranged in a semicircle that rose up above them. The American officer noted how close this looked to the Senate building.
The three officers stood there, in the center, as the lady left them in front of the council of tribal leaders. They were dressed in long white robes and had white caps on their heads. There was an uncomfortable silence.
"Hello, am I correct in presuming you can speak English?" The British officer began.
The man directly in front of them, who had a large white beard and a very tan face, nodded.
"We do speak the new tongue. You are the diplomats from the United Southern Front against the Fire Nation?" The man, no, the elder, asked.
"We are, however, we are curious. We did not know that the Si Wing Tribes had some form of government. Intel suggested you were many tribes with no centralized ruler. You were tribes that fought constantly." The British man stated, although desiring an answer from the many representatives. One of the other representatives did in fact choose to respond.
"The Fire Nation has been encroaching on our land for the past two years, even more so than they previously had during the 100 Year War. Already, a few tribes have been destroyed and their people moved into other tribes. We took notice and formed this loose confederation to protect ourselves." The representative spoke in a silky voice, his charm obvious.
"This town is the product of the coming together of three tribes. We are continuously building and this town will one day be a glorious city. I am the representative for these three tribes, united under one centralized command." The representative added.
"Thank you representative Guhshu for explaining." The representative in the middle told the man now known as Guhshu. "But truly, what are the real reasons for which you are here? Do you seek the ability to travel through the Si Wong. A military alliance perhaps."
The German officer nodded. "Ve are here, so zat ve can have both an alliance and military access. It is to ze utmost importance zat ve vork together. Ve fear zat ve are bogged down in ze mountains and ze only vay to bypass ze Fire Nation is to go through ze Si Wong."
The head representative, the elder, nodded at them. "Did you come up with a plan then? A paper perhaps detailing the terms."
"We created a rough draft." The British officer took out a piece of paper. He walked over to the elder and handed them a paper. The elder took it cautiously and looked over it.
After a few minutes, the elder nodded to himself. "We will need to convene to discuss these terms. You men are free to leave, perhaps get a drink? Lushu can lead the way."
The lady from before, Lushu appeared in the doorway. The British and American officers instantly turned and left. The German officer meanwhile saluted the representative body before he followed.
They exited the building and the soldiers immediately followed. When Lushu had led them to the bar, the British officer turned to the soldiers which had rejoined when they exited the building.
"You men may do whatever you want. I need one or two men inside however to make sure there's nothing suspicious going on." The men nodded and two soldiers followed the officers as they entered. They quickly found a seat while the soldiers chose to stand at the doorway. There was only one other person in the bar
The barkeeper came and immediately took their orders. Each ordered one of the typical Si Wong alcoholic drinks. The German officer chose to take off his military hat and lay it on the side of the seat, his Luger right next to it. He slicked back his hair before talking to the other two.
"Vell, zat vas interesting." He remarked to the other two.
"Quite old Kraut. Our intel was completely wrong. The Avatar had told us that the Si Wong Tribes had no organization whatsoever." The Englishman replied.
"To hell with what the Avatar wants or says. He plays God, that's what. And there is no other God than the true one." The American snarled.
The German chuckled, Americans were so filled with their own freedom. They disrespect anyone who attempts to play God, even if they are a 14 year old boy.
"The Avatar is a kid Johnson. It's best if you remember that. He said he came here when he was twelve. That was a long time ago." The British officer told the American whose name was Johnson the German noted. He had missed the briefing.
They descended into a silence as the barkeeper brought over drinks. He placed them on the table and the German absent-mindedly swirled the drink whilst the Englishman drank.
His eyes squinted and he frowned. "This isn't liquor! This is a sin!"
Johnson took a sip and shook his head. "Alcohol is alcohol." He muttered before continuing to drink.
The German glanced at his drink and noted how it looked like the beer back at home. Expecting the worst, he took a large gulp and smiled. "It's just like home." He said in his native language as he laughed lightly. He took another sip.
"I'll never understand 'em Krauts." The British officer muttered as he watched the German chug the entire drink. "Maybe you shouldn't get yourself drunk Strauss." He added a little louder.
The German, Strauss paused. He put down the drink and leaned back. "Zat is probably a good idea. Surprising coming from a Brit."
The Englishman rolled his eyes. Some rivalries last more than a lifetime. Britain and Germany, even though working together, were still on unfriendly terms.
"Well it's typical of a Kraut to do something stupid. That's why you lost the Great War." The British officer snarled.
Strauss grimaced and mentally pulled himself out of the argument. An argument with the British officer would only end in disaster.
"Do you think they will agree with the terms?" Johnson asked suddenly.
Strauss watched the other man in the bar lean over slightly to hear them. It was suspicious.
"Chances are they will. It will be the birth of a good alliance and we will be able to cross the desert." The Englishman laughed. "And if we take all the Fire Nations territories in the Earth Kingdom, the war will end. I'm sure they'll surrender."
"And we'll all be able to go home. Maybe even by Christmas." Johnson exclaimed.
The other customer in the bar got up and began to leave. Strauss caught the eyes of the two soldiers at the door and motioned to the likely spy.
As the spy passed the door, the two soldiers grabbed his arms.
"What are you doing!" The man cried out, pulling the attention of Johnson and the Englishman. He struggled as the two soldiers dragged him outside the bar into the desert heat leaving the officers as the only customers.
"Wonder what that was about." Johnson shrugged after the commotion was done.
"Zat man vas listening in. I motioned for ze soldiers to take him in for spying." Strauss replied.
"Bloody good thinking Kraut."
Suddenly Lushu entered the building.
"It looks like zat zey finished looking over ze rough draft." Strauss remarked, grabbing his hat and placing his Luger back into his pocket. "It is time for us to go."
"It seems that way." Johnson stood and patted himself off.
They followed Lushu back into the main building, this time entering another room. It was covered in a traditional rug. The main representative sat on one end while three cups with steaming hot liquid were on the other. Each cup had a white flower, possibly a lotus, on it.
The head representative was kneeling and glanced up upon hearing the door. He smiled widely at them.
"Hello, please have a seat." He motioned with his hand to the rug.
Strauss was the first to kneel in front of one cup. Johnson followed and then the Englishman did too. They were cautious of the drink, the Englishman especially due to his past experiences with Si Wong drinks.
The old man took a sip of his drink. "It's a combination of leaves and hot water. It's a Si Wong classic." He explained.
Strauss nodded and took a sip. He grimaced, it was just tea. He took a glance at the British officer who took a sip. His eyes lit up as he took his first sip and he continued to sip.
"Finally, a good bloody drink." The Englishman muttered
After they sat for a minute, Strauss and Johnson uncomfortably, while the Englishman and the Elder drank from their cups.
"We have reviewed the rough draft." The Elder paused. "And we are most certainly intrigued." He said the last word slowly.
"I am sure you have many questions and we're here to answer them." The American replied.
The Elder nodded and took out a piece of paper. "We are intrigued by your suggestions in regards to the sand sailors. I believe these are the plans you have created." He slid the paper over.
"We are curious on the basis of your design. We consulted with an expert and they said the designs could be possible. I need a deeper description of the entire design, specifically the guns."
The Englishman slid over the design to the German. It was after all his people that came up with the design. It therefore had to be him to explain.
Strauss glanced at the paper and began to think. Then he remembered all the specifics he had been told.
"Ve based the designs off some modern ships, ze larger model. Ze larger model vould be for carrying ze supplies, for example tanks. Ze smaller design is based on patrol ships used in ze harbors back in our vorld. It has two 17-pounders on either side zat are rotatable. Ve also have many machine guns at multiple places. Ve kept to the sail design but vith your sandbending, you should be able to go against ze vind. It vill be a perfect way to perform hit and run on ze Fire Nation."
The Elder nodded and took the plans back. "We'll begin constructing them immediately. I'm also wondering about the predicament of Sand Sharks. They are somewhat uncommon in this desert."
"We can take them, us and our 17-pounders. Guns at least would take them out." The American said confidently.
Right after he said this however, there was a large explosion. Gunfire burst the quiet atmosphere. The door burst open and a sand bender rushed in.
"Some men just began shooting at us. It's firebenders and non-benders with guns. Most likely spies spurred on by the capturing of one of their guys. We're already taking heavy casualties."
The three officers were already rushing to the door before the man finished. They were outside within a minute and found smoke rising from down the street. One of the soldiers that were with them earlier was laying in the middle of the street. The other soldiers were huddled behind a building. They made a beeline for them.
When they reached the building, they found Representative Guhshu also with the soldiers. He turned to them with a frown.
"We got multiple, about five, Fire Nation soldiers held up in a shop down there. They came out of nowhere and began shooting. We got one guy." He pointed at the soldier laying in the middle of the street. "Dead and a few others injured."
A blast of fire lit a house on fire.
"Ve have to stop zem." Strauss exclaimed. He unholstered his Luger and motioned for his fellow countrymen to follow him. "For the Kaiser!" He shouted in German as he pointed his Luger forward.
He and the four other Germans ran across the street amid the rifle fire. On the other side, Strauss looked at the shop about 400 meters away.
"Two of you hold here and pin them. The other two and I will try to flank from our right." He explained.
The four soldiers saluted and began to perform their duties. Two Germans along with the other soldiers pinned the Fire Nation soldiers. Strauss and the other two flanked and very soon they were parallel with the store.
One of the Germans unhooked a stick grenade from his belt. He chucked it in the building and there was a deafening boom. However, all it seemed to do was stir a hornet's nest as the Fire Nation spies turned their guns on the three who immediately seeked cover.
The elder finally came out of the building dressed in Si Wong battle gear. Specifically, goggles and a turban around parts of the face. "Guhshu, it's time."
Guhshu nodded and raised his hands as the Elder did so. They performed a sweeping motion as the sand rose around them. Then they thrust their hands forward and the shop was swamped by sand.
The German soldiers rushed into the house and Guhshu and the Elder removed the sand. Next there were a few gunshots and then two men were brought out of the house with their hands above their hands.
While Strauss was dealing with the prisoners, the Elder walked towards the British and American officers.
"There is one last thing that we would like after the war if we are to work with you." The Elder told them.
The British officer nodded. "Whatever you want, we can do." He replied, expecting something in regards to weapons or money.
"We want our independence. Independence from the Earth Kingdom after this war. We have turned ourselves into a self-sustaining nation. The Earth Kingdom hasn't had any jurisdiction in these parts for a long time but once this war ends, they'll try to reign us back in. We want you guys to fight for the independence of us, not actual warfare but diplomatic fighting. I trust you can do that?" The Elder asked.
The British officer nodded slowly. "We can do that I think." He glanced over at Johnson who shrugged. Neither fully expected their nations to give this little piece of desert their independence and cause further conflict. It would be an empty promise.
Unbeknownst to any of those there, this decision, this pact would result in turmoil in the region for many years to come, eventually causing this world's First Great War.
Southern Earth Kingdom
The lighting was dim in the briefing tent. The brightest light was from the cigar in the British colonel's mouth at the front of the room.
The Gaang was here. The only ones here actually and they occupied the first row, their feet fiddling. Haiko was the only calm one, being that he was only half there mentally. The other half was still mourning Pierre's death.
The British Colonel took the cigar out of his mouth and lightly breathed out. On cue, a projector whirred your life.
"Good evening, young Avatar and co. I'm sorry for the large meeting area but it was the only way we could show you this."
The screen changed to show an island inside of an island. On the inner island, there was a large building which looked like a prison and another building that was being constructed near the docks on the outer island. Zuko audibly gasped.
"This is the Boiling Rock Prison. Prince Zuko, I'm sure you're aware of this prison."
Zuko nodded, he was. It was Mai's uncle's prison. He was the warden. She had once told him so. Spirits, where even was she now? Last time he had heard of her, he had been about to flee Caldera so that he could join the Avatar.
Did she still listen to Azula's whims or had she broken free? He wasn't too sure and wasn't sure if he wanted to find out. Azula, if she had learned of any disloyalty, may have killed Mai.
But there wasn't really much time to think about her. Her no-care-attitude that made him fall in love with her in the first place. Her night black hair that cascaded down her black. No thinking.
The world was watching.
"Intelligence suggests that the Fire Nation is building a submarine base at this location using the prisoners as labor. So far it's only two pens but it's possible more could be created."
Zuko raised his hand. The British Colonel nodded at him.
"Sorry to interrupt but I figured this would be helpful information. This prison is for high profile prisoners. For example, the leader of the Southern Water Tribe or the Head of an elite group called the Kyoshi Warriors." Out of the corner of Zukos' eyes, he saw Sokka bite his lip. "I am also wondering how the Fire Nation has gotten around the boiling hot water surrounding the prison."
The British Colonel nodded, "For the latter question, the sub pens are outside the prison. Prisoners are transported through a retractable bridge which is pulled in past working hours. The bridge is extremely fast at retracting making it impossible to make a forward assault without a man on the inside."
Zuko raised his hand again. "Yes Prince Zuko."
"They replaced the gondolas that were used? How does this retractable bridge work?"
"The retractable bridge is relatively new. It was installed prior to the beginning of the construction of the sub pens. We were unaware that there was once a gondola system."
This time Aang raised his hand. The Colonel rolled his eyes. "Yes young Avatar?"
"I understand the briefing but my question is what do you need us for?" Aang asked shyly.
The Colonel nodded in understanding. "For you Avatar Aang, you will most likely be staying here with Madam Toph but we believed it would be a good idea to include you for your opinion. We are sending in British commandos on three subs, two British and one German, to destroy these submarine pens. Based on what Prince Zuko said, this mission will also now be a prison break so that we may gain ally's." The Colonel paused to think. "We were planning on doing something similar to steal supplies. So nothing will change."
"We need Miss Katara and Prince Zuko to help us in our operation. Miss Katara because she's a waterbender and would be invaluable and Prince Zuko due to his knowledge. Misters Sokka and Tanaka have the option to go or to stay. We would like Avatar Aang and Miss Beifong to stay and help protect troops from bombardments."
Toph nodded, "Seems simple enough. So I can leave right? I'm starving!"
The British Colonel rolled his eyes but nodded. "You are free to leave Miss Beifong and Avatar Aang."
Toph stood and stretched. "I'll see you guys at the food tent. These food rations are awesome."
Everyone else stared at Toph as if she grew a second head as she walked out of the tent. Aang then cleared his throat and spoke. "I'll elect to stay and learn this operation."
The Colonel nodded. "We're calling it Operation Lights Out. The subs will approach undetected and when within range, they'll send out three soldiers to infiltrate the prison on a dinghy at night. They'll steal Fire Nation uniforms and they'll be in. We'll give them a radio to transmit info on troop numbers and such. We'll let them do this for a day and at night, they'll let down the bridge as a set of commandos charge across and another set of commandos will destroy the submarine pens. We'll free the politically important prisoners and maybe take some of our own. Once that is done, we'll take the prison and leave it in shambles. We'll then return home with little casualties."
Aang shook his head in sadness. He knew he couldn't stop the bloodshed but at least he could agree with plans that would limit it.
"I'm going to stay, I don't like the sea." Haiko said.
"Understandable." The Colonel gave a quick short nod.
"Zuko, do you really think Suki and my dad might be there?" Sokka asked.
"I think so." Zuko said with a final tone.
Sokka nodded, "I'll go too."
"Good then, the plan will be finalized on the submarines. We leave early tomorrow morning." The Colonel replied. He gave another quick nod and left the tent.
The next morning, the subs docked at a small port. From here, they would begin their journey.
The British commandos walked on board with small little bags carrying a change of clothes and supplies for many days. The Boiling Rock would be a two days journey for the subs. Four days of rough seas for the journey there and back.
Aang and Katara shared a hug before they left.
"Please be safe Katara. You never know with the Fire Nation." He whispered into her ear.
"I know Aang, I'll make sure to keep the other two safe." She gestured to Sokka and Zuko who were messing around with Toph.
"Also please keep an eye on Haiko. He's still really depressed." She added.
Aang nodded. "I'll see you in a few days then."
Katara hugged him again. "This time with more allies." She replied with a small smile.
"I'll see you two dunderheads later." Toph punched Sokka and Zuko in the arms.
"Owww." They chorused rubbing their arms. "That really hurt." Sokka cried.
"It's how I show affection. Get used to it."
Haiko waited off to the side and Zuko walked towards him.
"Are you gonna be alright?" Zuko asked.
Haiko shrugged. "I hope so, life sometimes throws unexpected things your way."
"I worry about you. You sure you'll be alright? If you feel down you can talk to Aang." Zuko assured.
"What would I be down about?"
"We've all lost someone. My mother disappeared and my cousin died. Katara and Sokkas' mom was killed. Aang's entire people were wiped off the face of the Earth. And Toph, her parents are as good as dead to her. If you talk to Aang about how you're feeling, he'll listen. Trust me Haiko."
Haiko sniffed. "But it's hard sometimes. I suffer all the time. All I picture is his dead body. All the time." He admitted.
"Then talk with Aang, he's a master of spirituality and will know what to do." Zuko patted Haiko on the back.
"I think I will. But make sure you, Katara and Sokka are careful out there. This is a dangerous mission."
"When have I not been safe." Zuko said with a small smile causing Haiko to also smile. Zuko, Katara, and Sokka all boarded one of the submarines, which happened to be a German u-boat by the name of U-26.
The subs began to pull away as Zuko, Katara, and Sokka all waved back at those still on the dock. Haiko was waving slowly while Aang was waving with a lot of vigor. Toph was waving in the wrong direction. They waved until at last the land was out of sight.
"Everyone, get below ze main deck. Ve are diving!" One of the officers called out to the three. The three nodded with them piling below the conning tower. Meanwhile on top, U-26 slowly dove beneath the waves.
Southern Sea
July 15th, 1940
They were getting close, very close, noted the Soviet Commander to himself. Ahead, was blue skies and two ships that lightly bobbed in the waves. The red flag with the hammer and sickle waved triumphantly.
The air had gotten much colder in the past day. But, the man was used to it. He was raised near Leningrad. Cold was no stranger to him. It was no stranger to most in the Soviet Union.
However, today, the wind was blowing extremely hard. The man had half a mind to return to the safety of the inside but decided against it. It was pleasant to have fresh air.
He was the captain of this vessel, one of six in the current convoy. It involved four transports, one of which was his, and two destroyers.
The seas were calm and they had been. Similar to their world, the seas were calmer up north due to it being hard for storms to form. At least, that was from the man's observations.
The water, despite appearances, was likely cold, very cold. He shivered at that thought. He did not want to experience falling into that water. If he did, he would likely only have minutes before death.
The man sighed, finally having enough of the cold and returned to the safety of the bridge. The journey had been smooth, like a journey from Stockholm to Leningrad or Leningrad to Copenhagen. Those areas rarely got storms to his knowledge and if they did, they were rarely bad. The occasional bad storms however were extremely malicious.
When he entered the bridge, the men saluted him and he waved them off. The man did not like formalities.
"Captain, the rest of the journey we think will be smooth." One of the officers told him.
The man nodded, "Good, hopefully we will reach our destination within the week."
He walked over to the window and gazed towards the destroyer in front of him. They would be the first to see the icebergs which would inevitably come.
"Captain, can I ask something? We've all been wondering about it." The First Mate asked.
"Go ahead."
"What is our destination? Most of us have been left in the dark."
The man smiled. He had tried to create a suspenseful mood the entire trip by not revealing their destination. Seemed like the act was up.
"Our destination, comrades, is the liberation of the Southern Water Tribes."