August 2, 1940
Si Wong Desert
The sun beat down on the sweating Fire Nation soldiers. Beads of sweat fell down their foreheads as they chilled under an umbrella while keeping watch.
One of them, Triz, swirled the drink in his hand before taking a small sip. His lips were still parched however despite the drink. They were as dry as the desert that surrounded them.
"Beautiful day today isn't it Triz?" Asked Triz's friend, Goura. Triz in repsonse rolled his eyes at his friends sarcasm.
The two sat atop a large building in a small complex that served as little outpost in the desert. In a few months, it would be the forward base for a Fire Nation spearhead towards Gaoling. However, for now, there were only twenty soldiers and two tanks along with one anti-tank gun. All their job was to be a scouting unit for any possible enemy movements.
The job however was an easy one. Each man and woman knew that the chances of their being an enemy attack where they were was slim to none. As a result, the place was unkept and the soldiers relaxed and lazy. But even with their lazy nature, they were still a force to be reckoned with.
But for now, both Gouda and Triz peacefully relaxed atop a building.
"Cheers to a sunny day!" Gouda said with a small chuckled.
"More like cheers to a sweltering day. What I would give for a bit of cloud cover." Triz replied with a small laugh. Gouda picked up her drink and took a gulp.
"I love this life." She reminisced. "The peaceful life of just living with nature while knowing your serving your country just makes you feel like you've done something with your life you know."
"I know how you feel." Triz replied. "I am never unthankful to be assigned to this place where there's a feeling of peace and serenity."
They both leaned back in their chairs and sighed. "This is truly the life of a soldier." Triz said after a short moment.
"I second that!" Gouda exclaimed.
The two both laughed until Triz halted instantly. He stood up and walked over to the edge of building. "Gouda, do you have the binoculars?" He asked.
Gouda nodded and handed them to him. Triz muttered a quick thanks and placed them to his eyes. He dropped the binoculars and took in a deep breath. His hands were shaking before he ran to a nearby whistle.
"What are you doing Triz? What's going on?!" Gouda asked, fear creeping into her voice. However, Triz refused to answer and pulled the whistle, releasing a sharp sound that pierced the air.
Gouda turned and looked to where Triz had looked. Her breath instantly dropped down her throat. It was a giant cloud of sand that seemed to only be moving closer.
It's only a dust cloud, she told herself as she picked up the binoculars and placed them to her eyes. No, it wasn't a dust cloud. It was what looked like three small patrol ships and a few tanks that were cruising across the sands.
She turned and saw Triz walking towards her, two rifles in his hands. He tossed her one and grimaced. "Can you go figure out the radio? We need to let high command know about this."
"I will but be careful Triz. It's quite a few tanks and boats probably carrying troops that are coming our way."
"I know, but this is what we're here to do. We're here to slow down an assault Gouda. We have to try you know."
Gouma nodded. "I know Triz, trust me I know! But that doesn't mean I want us all to die!"
"Just fix-up the radio please."
"Fine then, but please." She said before she climbed down and disappeared into one of the buildings. She quickly found the beat down radio and pounded it with her fist.
She flicked a few knobs and the device began to whirr. She placed the headphones on her head and began to write the message.
Enemy forces assaulting forward SWD outpost. Manifold of troops and tanks and we have only two tank and one anti-tank gun. Will try and hold on for as long as possible.
After she finished writing the message, she clicked it over the radio waves. She knew it would be a long time until they received the message and a much longer time until they answered so she left.
When she got outside, she saw the tankers entering their vehicles and beginning to drive forward. Triz had climbed down from his perch and was now helping the anti-tank gun crew prepare. A few other soldiers were also preparing the machine guns.
She walked over to Triz and helped him carry some shells over. "Thank you Gouma but you should help someone else. I can help them but maybe you can help the machine gunners." Triz suggested and Gouma nodded.
The compound was set up as two frontal buildings and then a small depression in the middle that had a large rug over it. The two frontal buildings had multiple windows where soldiers now waited for the attack.
Gouma checked with each one and found them all good on ammo. Satisfied, she once again climbed up onto the roof. She found the umbrella and the drinks which she and Triz had been drinking earlier.
She walked to the edge and laid flat on her stomach. She raised her rifle to her head and nuzzled her shoulder against its butt. The enemy troops were approaching from the north and were closing in at three quarters of a mile away.
She grabbed a scope from her pocket and attached it to the top, sliding it on smoothly with a loud click. She nudged her head against the scope and stared down the approaching tanks and sand-boats, not sand-sailors since those were smaller.
There were enough tanks to create a significant cloud of sand while the sand-boats numbered fewer with only two. However, in the back of the group there was the largest sand sailor she had ever seen. It was five times the size of any sand sailor, everything about it was enlarged to the utmost quality.
Inside this sand sailor, she saw a few dozen soldiers dangling their feet over the side. She knew she couldn't hit any of them but once they traveled a little further, bam, she'd strike like a Phoenix.
So she waited for a few minutes, yet it felt like hours. All she focused on was her breathing, going in and out of her lungs slowly and the sand crawling towards the heavens. Her knuckles turned white as she focused on a soldier on the sand sailor.
Then she pulled the trigger.
The crack echoed through the air, splitting it with its malevolent shockwaves. The bullet pierced the air like a knife through butter until it reached its target.
The bullet eventually pierced the soldier at his left chest, sending him backwards off the sand sailor and tumbling into the sands. Gouma moved the lever back, expelling the cartridge and putting another one in.
"Fire!" The commander below her yelled. Large booms reached her eardrums as the two tanks and anti-tank gun launched projectiles at the besetting force. The machine guns in the buildings erupted.
Large clouds of sand erupted from the ground, but none landed their shot. When Gouma looked into her scope, she saw the two patrol sand-sailors, which she'll call pss, pull away from the group and begin to flank the outpost.
But that matter to her was unimportant. What was important were the tanks, which she could now see to be German, and the large sand sailor that were cresting over the final dune.
Again, she decided to attempt to kill a man. This time, it would be no ordinary man but rather an officer who she could begin to see moving across the sailor.
She aimed 10 feet above his head and moved a little to the left for good measure. Then she squeezed her pointer finger.
Another shot and this officers head jerked backward unnaturally, bringing his body back until he hit the ground.
Gouma smiled and reloaded again. Below, the anti-tank gun was reloaded and fired, it's AP round hitting one of the tanks causing it to roll to a halt. The tanks would soon be done reloading, ready to fire once more.
But before they could reload, Gouma spotted the two pss's cresting over a fine dune to their right. She rotated and aimed for the large boat, attempting to scout it out for a target.
She sucked in a breath at what she saw. The boat had three 75 mm guns on the front and two sides along with four machine guns. It was a monstrous weapon whose main guns were pointed at her.
First there was a cloud of smoke and after a whistling sound. Next, there was a crash and the machine guns fell silent. Then, Gouma felt herself sliding off the side of the building.
She realized with horror that the building was collapsing and she sprinted towards the side that now pointed towards the sun. She leaped over the ledge and slid down the wall. She hit the ground in a roll and glanced behind to see the building in ruins. The soldiers who had manned the machine guns now groaned or were forever silent.
She stumbled upon the ruins and began to help some out. Meanwhile, the tanks traded shots with each other. The large sand sailor stopped and let troops drop into the dune.
After Gouma moved the injured to the remaining building, she joined Triz who was next to the anti tank gun.
"Gouma, it's good to see you." He greeted as he leaned and grabbed a machine gun from the rubble. He set it between two sandbags and began to fire.
"Triz, it's always a pleasure. What's the plan here?" She asked as she ducked behind the sandbags as bullets flew overhead. She placed her rifle into a small crevice and began picking off the targets.
"The plan is to hold them off as long as possible." As he said this, a round from a panzer flew overhead and slammed into a friendly tank. The resulting explosion was barely felt by the two.
So there they were, Triz firing the machine gun, Gouma shooting her rifle, and the anti-tank crew launching projectiles against the wave of soldiers approaching. One Panzer crested over the hill and instantly met a fiery end at the hands of the anti-tank gun.
However, what none of the defenders realized was that this tank battalion was no ordinary tank battalion. It was a special forces unit of the two best German tankers.
While the cannon fodder attacked from directly in front, a few special tanks flanked from behind. Their approach was silenced by the sounds of the firefight.
They snuck up and then struck at the exposed underbelly of the outpost.
After approaching with the silence of tiger, they pounced at the anti-tank gun. The lead tank fired a High Explosive round at the gun before turning to the people who were now turning their guns to the two tanks.
Gouma watched in horror as the anti-tank gun was destroyed. The other Fire Nation tank had been late to spot the two newcomers and was now a smoldering corpse. Now, it was only soldiers against two tanks and the enemy onslaught.
She quickly turned her gun to face the lead tank and began firing to little effect. There was only the sound of bullets ricocheting to signify that the bullets were hitting their mark. The only thing it did was make the second tank turn its big gun towards her.
She widened her eyes and quickly grabbed Triz's sleeve, pulling him out of the way of the machine gun fire. The two hid behind a demolished wall from the other building and breathed a sigh.
Outside, they heard the sounds of soldiers dying. There screams and moans formed a contrast to the machine guns and HE shells that were being fired.
Gouma sighed deeply and ran a hand through her hair. She then unlatched a grenade from her hip and glanced out from the hiding spot, staring at the two tanks.
"Triz, cover me." She murmured before running out. Triz laid down and began aiming suppressing fire at the tanks. One of them, turned and fired at Triz and his gunfire stopped as the wall crumbled.
Gouma stared back in shock before steeling herself and hiding behind another wall. She looked to see the tanks passing her and saw a man open a hatch and stick his head out.
This was her chance she realized. She ran forward a yelled a battle cry.
Michael looked about at the carnage that surrounded him from the hatch of his Panzer IV. But then he heard the most gut wrenching scream causing him to turn and see a soldier rushing at him with a grenade in her hand.
He took out his Luger pistol and fired three shots and watched the woman fall face first to the ground. He sighed sadly and holstered the pistol again.
This war was only ever a tragedy for them all.
Western Earth Kingdom
August 5, 1940
Souza snoozed lightly as the truck bounced on the bumpy road. His mind was beginning to shut down when suddenly, his head was banged against the window, hard.
He sat up dazed and glanced to his left to see Anza driving. "Sorry!" She squeaked out. Souza waved her reply off and said, "I blame the road, not you." He decided to forego sleeping for a little while, now sitting alert as Anza's copilot.
He glanced out the window and saw the lush green forests of the Earth Kingdom and its peaking mountains. Even though it wasn't home, he was at least on his world.
Glancing back at Anza, he had resolved to question her about what he had read in the Japanese officers journal. He had to know if what the scientists had written was true. Did trauma really create the perfect firebender? If so, why was the royal family considered perfect benders?
The more he thought about the fact, the more Souza disliked the royal family. How did they treat younger members to create trauma, creating a good firebender. What did they face growing up at the hands of their parents so that they become great?
Souza didn't know but what he did know is that the royal family should be taken from power. He would have to write this down in his journal later so he would remember, likewise with all his thoughts.
Speaking of the journal, he was quickly taking up pages upon pages of notes describing his journey and his philosophical thoughts on the perfect government.
What he had described as the perfect government was one with no autocracy. In it, the people decided how they would be governed. It could be a democracy where people are elected to rule for a period with a constitution holding these people accountable for any misdoings. But, on a basic level, there would be no nobles. The peasantry would control the farms and industrial areas, not nobles who try to gain a monopoly on industries, making themselves richer and the common person poorer. But after this basic law was set, the common man and woman would be able to elect whoever they wanted. It would be a perfect nation where the people ruled, not the royals or the snobby nobles. It would be a utopia amongst humanity, at least according to his own predictions.
But that was a matter for another time. The more pressing concern he had at the moment was the predicament of Anza. All he knew was that she was from the colonies. He didn't know where and that was a major bump in the road to understanding her.
"Say Anza" he began as she turned and nodded at him. "You never exactly told me where in the colonies your from."
He watched as Anza's eyes widened in surprise before being joined by a bit of fear. "Just around, I'm not even sure where." She replied all too quickly.
Souza nodded slowly, aware of the obvious lie. "Anza," Souza ran a hand through his hair until his top knot was between his pointer and middle finger. "I've known you long enough now and I can pretty much tell when you're lying."
Anza grimaced. "It worked with Zim." She mumbled out.
"Cause of course it did. He doesn't know you like I do plus he's a bit dense. Like how he doesn't realize you like him." Souza said, causing Anza to turn her head up while it was beet red.
"You know about that!" She cried out.
"Then you're both dense." Souza flailed his arms about. "But really Anza, you can tell me." His voice softened. "I know your concealing something but you can tell me. We're in this thing together and we, Zim and I, need to know. We don't want to see you suffer." Souza reached his arm over and grasped her hand.
Anza sighed. "Maybe I'll tell you two. Maybe though since it's a long story and now really isn't the time. Grab the map over there near the console and tell me where we are."
Souza let out a breath. "I suppose it's the best I can hope for." He said, reaching his hand over and grasping the map. He opened it and resigned himself to reading Japanese again.
Within a few minutes, he found where they were and placed his finger there. He ran his finger up the map along the path they were on until he tapped it three times.
"There's a roadblock ahead, get the papers." Souza muttered.
Anza reached under the windshield and placed her hand down, finding only cold metal. She patted the area down before turning to her left and checking the side door. She became evermore frantic as she opened the pouch in the middle. Then she stopped.
"What's wrong?" Souza asked sitting up while Anza exited the vehicle. "I can't find the papers!" Anza cried out checking under her seat.
After her cry, Souza stepped out of the vehicle and walked around the front of the truck. He was helping her look for the papers when he heard footsteps from behind him. He turned around to see Zim walking forward after exiting the back to see what the commotion was.
"Why did we stop?" He asked curiously.
Anza chose to answer this question. "I can't find the papers. I don't know where I put them!"
Souza and Anza continued to look while Zim stood awkwardly to the side, his feet shuffling and his hands fumbling. After a while of this occurring, he asked, "We lost it didn't we?"
Souza sighed and stood. "I think we did." He wiped some sweat off his brow from the summer heat as Anza continued to search frantically. "Anza, you should stop. It's not there."
"But then how will we get past the roadblock ahead then?" Anza asked, her face morphing into that of a distressed puppy.
"She has a point Souza, we might as well go around in the woods." Zim added.
"No, we're not losing the truck. We need it since there is still a long while to go, I think it's 1000 more miles to Yu Dao and we've gone 100 so far. We need the truck to go the rest of the way." Souza argued.
"But how much longer till we're out of gas?" Zim asked.
"We have 20 miles left." Anza replied
"Then we'll steal some gas from one of the camps. It's not that hard. Anza and I rescued you Zim from one of the camps. I'm sure we can go in and go out real fast." Souza explained with a confident air around him.
"Fine, I'll trust you on this. But what's your plan Souza?" Zim had a large frown on his face and had his brows furrowed. Souza thought for a minute before he grinned widely.
"We are going to masquerade as Earth Kingdom peasants who have joined the Japanese cause and are trying to join up with a convoy further ahead. We'll just say our papers are on one of the other trucks that's further ahead and hopefully they believe us. Even if they do a background check on the vehicle, they'll see it's supposed to be a transport carrying prisoners." Souza explained.
"That's treason!" Zim yelled out.
"How is that treason Zim? What could possibly be treasonous when we're trying to escape?" Souza snarled out.
"We're masquerading as the enemy force. We should do this with honor! Not with the most exemplary display of dishonor that is physically possible. We are masquerading as the enemy force! How dishonorable can that be. And by being so dishonorable, we are being traitors to our nation's own honor! There is no higher crime!" Zim yelled out, walking forward and placing his finger under Souza's chin.
Souza sighed and gently moved Zim's hand down. "Sometimes Zim, stuff must be done. Sometimes honor must be sacrificed before your own life. Life is more important than honor, is it not?"
Zim growled. "Honor is the most important thing according to the Law of Sozin! It is to be cherished above all else. What you say is treason and you are a traitor Souza. Anza, don't you agree with me?"
Anza sighed. "I actually stand with Souza on this one Zim. We have to break some traditions if we're going to escape."
"Then I'm surrounded by traitors! I should sell you both out to the authorities!" He turned and began to walk away into the woods.
Souza gestured to the area around them. "There's no one around us, Zim. We're alone out here with only us to support each other. We're in this together and plus you know, deep down, that none of us here are traitors."
Zim sighed and turned back towards them. "I don't like this plan, but I'll go along with it." He mumbled before climbing back into the back of the truck.
Souza shook his head and began to walk towards the back too when Anza stopped him.
"What if they check the back?" Anza asked.
"Say the prisoners might escape if they do so. But just in case, Zim and I will be ready to shoot and you should be ready to hit that pedal." Souza replied, reaching up and hauling himself into the back.
Instantly his vision darkened from the covering over the two benches in the back. Zim was sitting on one end and was leaning against the front wall of the truck. Souza walked over with slow purposeful steps and sat on the bench opposite.
When the truck started moving, Souza leaned forward towards Zim and stared at him, eye to eye. "Zim, I know your a patriot but you know that this war isn't just. You saw what happened in Japan. You saw what happened in the south. Nothing we've seen has shown the Fire Nation to be waging a justifiable war. All it is a war to increase the arrogance of the royals."
Zim looked away towards the flapping back flap. "You should probably close that." He whispered. Souza nodded, got up, and closed it before sitting back down and staring at Zim again.
"You've traveled the world as a Yuyan archer, Zim. This war only results in pain. Don't you want to go home?" Souza
"I made an oath when I joined the Yuyan archers and it was to serve the Fire Nation and serve with honor. I can't go back on that oath."
"Here, you can travel with Anza and I until we reach Yu Dao and from there you can join back up with the army. But Anza and I, we've seen enough of this war."
Zim sucked in a sharp breath and leaned forward. "You two are deserters?" He whispered in shock.
"No, our army group was the one who got annihilated at the battle near the beginning of the campaign. Anza and I barely escaped the slaughter and the Japanese began to go through the woods, hunting any Fire Nation soldiers. We fled to the mountains but needed food so we would journey down, and on one of those journeys, we found you. But Anza and I, I'm sure we're classified as MIA by the Fire Nation high command. We have no reason to go back and relive the hell we've gone through. I have served for over five years, I think that's enough."
Zim nodded and leaned back against the bench in thought. "We'll see at Yu Dao."
Souza nodded. "I suppose we will."
Suddenly the truck halted and the two could hear voices approaching. Souza sighed, "Let's hope this works. Grab your bow and arrows and I'll have my rifle. I hope you're still good at using that bow." He whispered
"I was trained to do this. It's what I was born to do." Zim replied, notching an arrow.
Souza turned his shoulders and examined the cloth covering the back of the truck. He pulled at it slightly and was able to see outside the truck and the ten men surrounding it. There was a large building in the corner and five cars that were parked next to it.
"Papers please?" Souza heard a Japanese soldier ask.
"It's with the convoy ahead, the one that passed the other day. We're peasants you see. Us and a few other trucks got left behind when we ran out of gas. We had to wait a day till we got some but there were a few trucks behind us." Anza replied, lying with ease. It seemed to Souza that she just couldn't lie to his face.
"Is it alright if we check the back to make sure you're not transporting anything nefarious? Like weapons, explosives, or the like." As the Japanese soldier said this, he motioned for Japanese soldiers to check the back.
Souza glanced at Zim and Zim glanced at Souza.
"You shouldn't check back there! There's prisoners in the back. If you open that flap, they may try to escape!" Anza exclaimed in concern.
The Japanese soldiers stopped. "Why would an Earth Kingdom peasant be carrying prisoners?" The lead soldier asked curiously.
"We were traveling in a group. If I tried anything I would've been killed but I hate the Fire Nation." Anza explained.
"Really, since you look very Fire Nation."
Two unseen soldiers ripped off the flaps and their widened eyes gazed at the barrel of the rifle and the pointy end of an arrow. "Well crap." Zim said before he released an arrow as Souza pulled the trigger.
A large gunshot sounded around the area and the lead soldier turned to Anza, his eyes crossing. Then she slammed the door into his chest sending him flying back. Afterwards, she put the pedal to the metal.
The truck made the sound of an engine revving and the wheels spun on muddy ground. Then it sped forward faster than any thought it could. Both Zim and Souza stumbled forward and only by Souza grabbing the edge of Zim's shirt did he not fall.
The Japanese soldiers, meanwhile, climbed into the five cars and at the lead soldiers orders, gave chase.
Souza and Zim bounced up and down as the truck sped along away from the cars. Then, a few soldiers stuck their heads out the windows and began shooting.
Zim notched another arrow and launched it towards one of the soldiers. The arrow pierced the man in the chest, sending him flying back towards the ground. His body tumbled across the ground behind.
Souza aimed his rifle for the driver of another car. He steadied his sight and once he was confident, fired. The bullet missed and pierced the window in the center, breaking it completely.
Souza sighed and pulled back on the lever, expelling the used cartridge. He then pushed the lever forward, loading another bullet into the weapon. This time, he aimed for the engine.
After pulling the trigger, he heard a loud pop from the tire and the car swerved off the road into a ditch. Souza smiled.
Zim notched two arrows into his bow and aimed for the front of one of the cars. When they hit the front, the car flipped forward, it's back swinging forward and landing upside down after doing a somersault
The last car happened to be the only one with two soldiers pointing their rifles at them and firing. Zim was about to launch another arrow but a bullet penetrated his upper right shoulder and flew right through..
Zim screamed loudly and tumbled back against the back of the carriage. Souza dropped his weapon and pulled him behind the bench. He ripped a piece of cloth off his clothes and handed it to Zim. "Keep a lot of pressure on your wound." He ordered before grabbing his weapon again and sitting behind the other bench.
He took a deep breath and aimed once more. He felt bullets whizzing by but ignored them as the car got closer and closer. He waited until it's bumper was practically against his before finally pulling the trigger.
He saw the windshield collapse backwards and the driver collapsing forward as the car spun off the road. Upon seeing this, Souza slung his rifle over his shoulder and stood.
They were moving pretty fast and the car would soon be out of sight. He once again ran a hand through his hair before turning and helping Zim with his wound.
Western Earth Kingdom
August 7, 1940
Colonel Han Zou watched in surprise as a messenger hawk landed next to him while he was on his balcony. The bird then squawked at him before opening its mouth.
He looked at the open mouth in confusion until he noticed a white piece of paper near the back. "May I grab the paper?" Han Zou asked the bird politely, hoping not to get bitten when reaching his hand in.
The bird hopped closer to him in response. Han Zou sighed before tenderly reaching in and grasping the paper with his pointer finger and thumb. He pulled it out before examining it.
The paper was foreign to him, possibly made from another base, and was folded multiple times. He unraveled the paper and began to read.
Han Zou
I have heard about your recent success in the Japanese attack and have sent this letter to congratulate you. I would like to tell you that your fame in the Fire Nation grows by the day.
You are the first war hero of this war my friend and you should be proud. If I could, I would promote you further but military laws and the Phoenix King prevent me from doing so.
I also should warn you that the Fire Lady Azula is in the Earth Kingdom. If she is to come visit you, which she may or may not do, I suggestion you exercise caution.
I, personally, question her sanity and she is ruthless. One wrong misstep and you might find yourself as a private again Colonel. I have seen this occur before. The woman brings fear to my aging heart whenever she speaks to me.
I have also assigned more troops to your command. Seeing as your one of the most celebrated leaders in the Fire Nation, many men and women are flocking to be commanded by you.
The officers of your school are also succeeding in their duty. They are some of the most effective leaders we have and their strategic brilliance is only slightly below you. But no need to worry, you are still my favorite.
Han Zou chuckled.
I also need to warn you that the enemy may attempt a push soon, possibly through the Si Wong as that would be the most likely place. I am trying to get as many forces there as soon as possible but I fear an Allied attack is soon.
It is possible this attack has already occurred as by the time you have received this letter, it would have been a month or two. If this attack does occur, you have my order to retreat back to defend the pass near the Pohuai that would lead to Yu Dao. The other groups in the west will retreat back to the Great Divide.
However I believe the main focus of the push would be Ba Sing Se as the enemy has found themselves in a stalemate once again. But I do believe that Ba Sing Se will fall with ease to an Allied assault due to their superior technology. Not even the walls of Ba Sing Se could stop them.
It is now that I decide to take my leave. This will be the last time I use a messenger hawk though. Fire Nation command has ordered everything be encrypted and encryption books are being sent by messengers to each high command. At the bottom of this page is a general summary of how it works. All my further messages will be encoded and transferred with power lines.
I hope to write again, War Minister Qin.
Han Zou glanced at the bottom and saw a list of symbols. He nodded to himself and stowed it in his pocket for later usage. Then, suddenly, the radio operator burst into the room.
"Sir, ships spotted off the coast by the Honorable and Caldera. Captain Jui Yun of the Caldera requests air support," the radio operator said.
"Send that message to the nearest airfield and have them send that out. There's probably a patrol out there somewhere."
Off the Coast of the Western Earth Kingdom
Moza checked off to his sides and nodded upon seeing nothing. "This sector seems to be clear." He radioed. "Turn due south-west to about 10 o'clock."
The Firebirds gently turned as they continued their patrol for enemy ships. "Think we'll find any ships?" Uza asked.
"I doubt it, not many go along the shore. They usually head out to sea and sharply turn to shore right into the harbor."
The Firebirds were equipped with large bombs on the bottom, allowing them to be temporary bombers. The only downside was the loss of speed for the group and less time in the air.
Moza thought that today would be another calm patrol as a result. However, that would be far from the truth.
Moza's radio whirred to life and he glanced at it in confusion. The light on the side turned from green to red and a voice buzzed, "Flight leader of Phoenix Squadron 12, the Honorable and Caldera request air support. They spotted enemy ships in grid 5 at the coordinates of 1012°,602°."
Moza took out a piece of paper. "Could you repeat those coordinates flight command?" Moza requested.
"1012°, 602°."
Moza did the quick math and realized with a start they were less than 100 miles away. At the speed they were going, it would be less than an hour.
"Tell the captain of the Caldera that Phoenix Squadron 12 is on its way and will arrive between 30 minutes to an hour. Hold to attack until we ourselves begin our attack."
The radio light turned green again and Moza sighed. "Turn towards west, enemy ships were spotted by battleship, Caldera and heavy cruiser, Honorable, we're flying to intercept."
And so Phoenix Squadron 12 hurled west in an attempt to sink the enemy ships whose crews laid peacefully unaware of their own impending doom.
At coordinates 1012°, 602°.
The British destroyer HMS Glowworm, the Japanese destroyer IJN Arashi, and the Japanese battleship, IJN Hiei were sailing silently through the waves. Their bows cut the waves as if they were butter on their journey to meet up with convoy FC 3 who was already being helped by British battleship HMS Renown who was leading the convoy alone.
However, unbeknownst to them, the Fire Nation battleship Caldera, who was once the Dunkerque, and heavy cruiser Honorable, who was once the Colbert, were shadowing them. This was because of the new technology the two ships were employing.
The Fire Nation was a desperate nation. They were vastly outnumbered in this war and therefore had to resort to new methods that could give them the edge. This ranged from guerrilla warfare to what the ships were now using.
This new technology was radar. This was something the British and Japanese ships lacked but the French had. All the Fire Nation did was make some of their own changes to increase the range of the radar and then, they could stay just out of view.
The enemy formation was cruising at an easy 7 knots while the Fire Nation followed at 7 knots, keeping the ships just in reach. They waited for the planes to appear on screen with baited breath, eager to attack.
The ocean was light blue. It's crystal clear water glistened like the South Pacific near Guam.
The weather was overcast with a few blue spots scattered like dust through the air. The weather was also very warm, but with a light breeze keeping everyone with a feeling of peace. It was a peace that would be shattered very soon.
"Increase range to 20 miles," the Captain of the Caldera ordered his radio operator. The radio operator twisted a few knobs and watched the green line spin. Then a bright blip appeared in the center right.
"Contact," the operator exclaimed.
"How many?" The Captain asked.
"Five sir."
"Then it's most likely the squadron." The Captain turned away and picked up the phone to the engine room. "I need our speed cranked up to full." He placed the phone down and then grabbed the microphone. "All men, man your battlestations."
An alarm blared on both the Caldera and Honorable as men rushed over the decks, trying to get to their battlestations as fast as possible. The Japanese and British sailors still had no idea what was going on.
That was until alarms started to blare on the three ships. Sailors rushed to their battlestations as megaphones yelled out commands.
"Enemy ships! Man your battlestations!"
The Fire Nation ships had suddenly appeared towards the stern of the ship and now, the three Allied ships had to make a decision.
"Sir it looks to be the old Dunkerque and Colbert, they can outrun the Hiei but we might be able to," the British lookout on the Glowworm told the Captain.
"Tell the Hiei we will stick with them," the Captain of the British destroyer replied.
Meanwhile on the Hiei, Japanese sailors studied the charts while trying to figure out the range of the enemy. Some were also doing calculations that would give them the ships total speed. Once that was done, the sailors turned to their Captain.
"Captain, what are your orders?" They asked. The Captain turned and stared out at the two rapidly approaching Fire Nation ships.
"Turn us completely around. We'll face them head on like the honorable sailors of the Emperor we are. We shall pass them across their starboard side, our port, like wind against a blade. Increase the speed to full," the Captain ordered
The two destroyers followed the battleship as it committed to a hard port turn. When the Hiei faced the two Fire Nation ships, it turned to starboard slightly, giving it a slightly angled approach. First, was the Hiei, then the Glowworm, and finally the Arashi.
The Caldera was the first to get into range, unleashing a salvo of AP shells towards the Hiei. The shells exploded slightly off the port side, spraying the crew with water.
"Sir, ships spotted careening towards the port side." One Japanese lookout cried on the Arashi.
One of the officers glanced to his left to see a squadron of Fire Nation Firebirds streaking for the Glowworm from the clouds. Flak exploded around the squadron but the five planes continued without care, impressing the Japanese officer very much.
Moza's cockpit shook again as another piece of flak exploded off his left wing. "Hold steady, don't relent," he commanded over the radio. "Group 2, drop bombs when ready."
On the way to the ships, Moza had assigned each of the members of his squadron to a group. He and Uza were in the same group of 1 whilst the rest were in group 2.
Moza switched his gun to heavy duty cannon rounds and began to shoot down towards the deck of the British ship. Meanwhile, group 2 released their bombs.
The first bomb overshot and missed the bridge by mere feet. The next landed right next to boat, possibly below the waterline. Moza couldn't tell from where he was. The final bomb landed between the bridge and the first stern gun.
There was a deafening explosion as ammunition exploded into a fury of flames. Fire rushed over the deck as men dove into the water to escape the flaming inferno that had become the Glowworm.
Immediately on the starboard side, lifeboats began to be deployed until she was listing too far to port to release them. Oil seeped into the water and soon caught on fire, burning any unlucky soul to be in the area to death.
Moza glanced back in sadness but shook his head, telling himself it was war and that's what happened. This was for the betterment of his nation. Their own survival depended on it.
They flew back up into the clouds.
The Hiei finally got into range and unleashed its first salvo, blasting water into the faces of the crew of the Honorable. The Honorable was still not in range and neither was the Arashi.
Speaking of the Arashi, her captain decided to steer hard to port and prepared to unleash a wave of torpedoes towards the two ships. But first, she had to get within 2 kilometers.
She steered at an angle of 45°, setting herself away from the Hiei and getting into perfect position for a torpedo strike. She was 2.5 kilometers away when the Firebirds dropped from the clouds.
Moza spotted the lone Japanese destroyer attempting to flee. "Uza, with me," he radioed before diving towards the destroyer.
He positioned himself right above the smokestack and let loose cannon fire. Then, he pulled up right as a pillar of fire exploded from the smokestack. The Arashi's engines were completely knocked out and a fire raged below deck.
Moza turned around and gazed at the destroyer still firing anti-air ammunition at him. "Uza, I'm going to use my bomb on this one. Save yours for the battleship. Everyone, pull up into the clouds," he commanded.
The others pulled away but it was too late. Anti-air fire burst next to the plane of a pilot named Juz and her plane spiraled into the sea. This only served to steel Moza's resolve even more upon seeing one of the people he knew plunge into the bright blue sea.
The machine gun fire blazed past him as he swerved to avoid it. Loud explosions through him around the cockpit of his vehicle.
Lightly, he pulled up on the joystick and let loose the bomb. Behind him he heard an explosion and the guns behind him fell silent.
He chanced a glance and saw the destroyer listing slightly. He mentally patted himself on the back and pulled into the clouds again.
Now the IJN Hiei stood alone against the Honorable and Caldera. It's anti-air gunners kept their guns trained on the skies, waiting for the enemy squadron to break out of the clouds.
The Honorable and Caldera banked to their port sides, opening up all their guns for one large volley. Once the Honorable finally got into range, both ships launched AP shells up into the air with their 8 inch and 13 inch guns.
Water and fire blinded the crew of the Hiei as explosions rocked the Japanese battleship. Men abandoned their posts in favor of trying to put out the fires that were now raging on the boat.
The Hiei then unleashed her own salvo, hitting the radio tower of the Honorable. But with her starboard anti-air crew trying to put out the flames, she was open for an attack from the four remaining Firebirds.
Moza peeked his head down from the clouds and noticed they were right above the Hiei. "Now!" He yelled over the radio.
The four planes switched to cannon fire and dove on the Hiei. They then began to strafe it with armor piercing bullets and Uza dropped the bomb.
The bomb landed near the stern of the ship, destroying the rudder and propulsion of the Hiei. She was now a sitting duck that was stuck moving in the same direction, a perfect target.
The Honorable and Caldera unleashed another blast of fire. The Hiei responded with her own salvo which landed just off the bow of the Caldera.
Then, the crew of the Caldera launched one final salvo. This salvo smashed into the port side of the Hiei, smoldering the steel and letting metric tons of water into the boat.
The Hiei quickly began to list and within twenty minutes, she was coming close to capsizing. One of her last main guns launched one final blast before then she was capsized.
The Caldera and Honorable split up from here. The Honorable sailed to save the crew of the Arashi and the Glowworm. Meanwhile, the Caldera sailed to save the crew of the Hiei.
Moza watched this and motioned to his squadron. "We're heading home," he radioed before the four planes swung around and flew back towards land.
Eastern Earth Kingdom
August 9, 1940
The Soviet officer stood patiently waiting in a field. His uniform was neat but it was turning darker from the sweat that dribbled down his head. He reached into his pocket and took out a folded sheet of paper.
We have heard of you. We would like to meet you. Come alone.
-Commander of the EPFF
The Officer then glanced behind him and looked at the soldiers hidden in the nearby woods that had their guns trained ahead of him.
The man used the sole of his foot to scrunch up dirt to pass the time. He casually wondered what the EPFF could be. He had tried earlier to figure out what EPFF could mean. His leading idea was that it could mean Enterprises of the Popular Front of Focus. This was suggested to him earlier from a Corporal. He had no idea what "Enterprises of the Popular Front of Focus" could mean but it sounded both Capitalist and Socialist at the same time. The officer did not like that thought.
Suddenly the ground began to rumble and the officer almost lost his balance. He stumbled to the side before standing up straight again. Was it an earthquake?
Then, a pillar of dirt exploded in front of the Officer, causing him to take a few steps back. But he quickly raised his hand telling the soldiers to hold fire when he saw a man jump down from the pillar.
The Officer had been told about this possibility from KGB agents. The possibility of men who could bend earth with ease and how there may be some who will support the Communist cause. Therefore, the EPFF could be a resistance group.
So the Officer chose to be cordial.
"Hello, I take that you are the diplomat of the EPFF?" The Officer asked politely.
The man, who had a light green tunic, a dark green scarf, and peppered hair, nodded. The Officer first noticed that he carried himself as a leader, one with confidence and a will of steel.
"I would like to let you know that we know of the soldiers that are in the woods. We have men under them prepared to drown them in dirt if any pull a trigger. If you bring them out, I will be obliged to reveal my own bodyguards."
The Soviet nodded. "A fair trade," he said before motioning for his soldiers to come out of the trees. They did, their guns slung over their soldiers. Instantly after they did, the earth rumbled again and ten men and women with similar outfits to their leader shot out of the ground on pillars.
Next the leader stomped on the round and a table appeared between the two. Two more stomps and there were two smaller stools of rock. The man took a seat a gestured to the Soviet.
"Please, take a seat."
The Soviet gazed warily at the stool before cautiously sitting.
"Now onto the topic of the conversation. You do know who we are yes?" The rebel asked.
"The better question would be do you know who we are?"
"My question first then yours Captain if you may," the rebel suggested.
"I believe that you are a rebel group that is made up of the people of the Earth Kingdom. You are the peasantry who seeks to rise up and overthrow the people you see as oppressive rulers. In a way similar to the goals of the revolution that occurred in my nation," The Soviet man said. "Am I correct in these beliefs?"
The rebel seemed, for a moment, utterly shocked and at a lack of words. But he quickly composed himself and placed on a facade.
"You would be correct in the majority of your beliefs. We are the Earth Peoples Freedom Force, which is practically what the name implies. But your earlier question is an interesting one. We, for one, don't quite know who you people are. All we know is that you are from another world to defeat the Fire Nation. Simply for that reason, we found that we should approach you."
The Soviet officer nodded in understanding. "Now what are you actually here to discuss. I'm sure this was not a meeting of introduction. What does your organization want?"
The rebel laughed heartily. "I see the ways of the slick negotiations have not been lost among your people," The rebel said. He leaned over and clasped his hands together.
"I want your support and I know you need mine. Your nation finds itself trapped in this peninsula, slowly being beat down by Fire Nation forces. My people know the land well. We can help you orchestrate an attack with the help of our earth bending. We could even sneak people underground. The people of the earth are renowned for our guerrilla warfare. But in return, we want your weaponry. We want the metallic beasts that fly and the ones that can overpower the dreaded Tundra Tank. In exchange you get our help in breaking out and freeing Ba Sing Se."
The Soviet officer sat silent for a minute before saying, "I think we can make do with these terms."
"Then I think these talks are at an end." The rebel stood tapped his foot against the ground. Instantly, the table and stool turned to dust.
"But before you go, you should take this and possibly show this to your leader." He handed to them a book written in Chinese which read, Communist Manifesto.
Every Soviet officer was given one in the native language to give to any native. To find a head of a native organization and giving him the book would certainly help the Officer's chance of a promotion.
The rebel took and glanced at it before looking up and saying, "I am their leader."
He outstretched his hand and shook the Soviets. "It was a pleasure," he said before one of his guards stomped creating a hole. Then, all the earthbenders leaped into the hole disappearing from the Soviets' sight.
Skies over the Swamp
August 10, 1940
"This is the life," Sokka exclaimed, causing both Haiko and Suki to roll their eyes. The weather was sultry and they were traveling over an area of the Swamp.
For once the Gaang was all together. Toph, Sokka, Katara, Aang, Zuko, along with Haiko and Suki sat on Appa's saddle. It felt like it had been a long time coming.
Aang had been enlisted to help search for missing patrols that had been sent into the Swamp to find a way through. Both the British and Americans had found themselves trapped by Fire Nation choke points. Command had decided that if a path through the Swamp could be found, they could break through. But every person who was sent to find said path, never returned.
It would be helpful if the Swamp Benders weren't imprisoned. If they weren't, then maybe they could help create paths and tell them where the village was. Yet, the only way to find the village was on the ground since it was concealed by tree cover. This posed a predicament.
Another small problem was the sheer size of the Swamp. Soldiers can get easily lost in the thick forests and waist deep water. Any way of creating a note of where they had been could be easily washed away. At times it felt as if you were going in circles.
"We need to be careful, you never know when another tornado can appear, Aang," Katara told Aang. That memory was still fresh in the minds of the three who were there when the tornado did appear.
"What do you mean by tornado?" Toph asked, her feet lounging in the air.
"When we last came through here, a tornado appeared and practically threw us to the ground." Sokka replied.
"Huh, sounds cool. But when I said what do you mean by a tornado, I don't know what a tornado is."
"I also don't know what a tornado is," Zuko added.
"Same," Suki called.
Haiko chuckled but refrained from saying he didn't know what a tornado was either. He turned and stared out over the canopies of the trees while stroking the head of his Turtleduck, Hiro.
He felt a warm breeze blow past him and watched as a cloud formed in a funnel ahead of him. What a weird cloud.
"A tornado is a rotating pillar of air that will pick up almost anything and fling it wherever. They usually form, actually I don't know when they usually form," Sokka said, thinking for a second.
Meanwhile, Haiko furrowed his brow. This weird cloud could be called a tornado but he wasn't sure. It wasn't rotating very much, nor did it seem very windy. He continued to watch the tornado as Sokka continued to explain.
"But I would like to note how dangerous a tornado is. It can kick all of us off this saddle and send us plunging into the trees. So if one does appear, keep a firm hold on the handles." Everyone except Haiko who was entranced by cloud was looking at Sokka, ignoring the cloud that was rapidly approaching. Sokka, who was facing the cloud, didn't see it due to the theatrics he was performing.
Hiro quacked and rushed for cover in one of Haiko's pockets as Haiko felt a blast of air hit him. This brought him out of his mesmerized state and he realized the cloud was much closer. Was this a trick of the light?
"Because of the danger a tornado can pose, I would like for everyone to tell Agent Sokka if there is anything suspicious. Like a suspicious looking cloud should be told to me."
"Hey Sokka, could a tornado be a funnel of air?" Haiko asked.
"Why actually, yes it could. I've heard it described in that way before. Why do you ask?"
"Because I think that might be a tornado." Haiko pointed at the approaching cloud with a shaky finger. His right hand grasped one of the handles so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Sokka moved his head up and paled significantly. "Aang! We gotta get out of here! Toph, stop relaxing and hold onto something! We got a tornado again!" Toph grabbed the tightest thing closest to her which was Sokka's arm.
"Hold on!" Aang yelled out, pulling on the reins, turning Appa's stomach to the tornado. The rest screamed as the wind tried to blow them off the saddle.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier there was a tornado!?" Sokka screamed/asked Haiko.
"One, I didn't know what a tornado was. Two, you should've started with 'tell me if you see anything suspicious.'" Haiko yelled back over the whistling wind.
Appa tried to stay in the air but even he could not withstand the strength of the wind. He began to take a plunge towards the ground.
As they were nearing the tips of the trees, they suddenly felt themselves get pulled back. This was enough for Suki to lose her grip.
"Sokka!" She yelled.
"Suki!" He yelled, grabbing her wrist when she let go. But when another yank occurred, both she and Sokka tumbled out of the saddle and towards the ground.
Toph, who was still holding onto Sokka's arm screamed in fright. She let go right before he fell over the side but still careened right over the little handlebar. She grabbed onto some fur for dear life whilst still screaming.
"Toph!" Zuko screamed, reaching over and pulling her back into the saddle.
"なんて恐ろしい死に方でしょう! (Nante osoroshī shinu hōhōdeshou)" Haiko yelled to the winds.
"What the hell are you saying Haiko!" Zuko cried out.
"It's Japanese!"
They were nearing the ground very fast now. But then, there was another hard pressed turn, this time causing Haiko to lose his grip.
He fell off the edge screaming in Japanese as he plunged into the canopy. He landed in a tree, easing his fall but tumbled through. He grunted over and over as his body took continual beatings.
But finally he landed in the waters with a loud splash, falling unconscious in the swamps unmerciful grasp.