This was not supposed to happen. Technically speaking, Zuko's ship wasn't even involved in the war effort. It wasn't necessarily a civilian vessel, but it definitely wasn't a war ship.

The circling Water-Tribe ships didn't seem to care.

There were… a lot of them. And even with two lightning wielders and numerous other fire-benders on the ship those weren't good odds.

Some of them would die, even if they pushed the enemy back. Zuko wasn't here to let his men die, he was here to protect them and get them all home alive.

Zuko hesitated for a moment, "Do you think the Water Tribe would recognize the flag for a parley?" Because they don't seem to recognize the flag marking this vessel as a noncombatant.

Uncle hesitated for a moment, then shrugged. "They might at that." He said.

-…-

Finding a lone fire-nation ship with a small crew, even a slightly dilapidated one like this, was a stroke of fortune.

Most of the time they couldn't afford a full-on confrontation with the fire-nation. Surprise attacks didn't allow ships to identify themselves as a non-combatants and ask for parley.

Hakoda almost wished he'd let Bato convince him to just sink the ship instead of trying to capture it.

He didn't allow his frustration to seep through. Instead, he signaled a return sign. They could have their parley- on Hakoda's ship.

-…-

Iroh couldn't quite tell who was more surprised by the fact he had managed to bring a teapot with him over to the Water Tribe ships, Zuko or their Chief. He and Zuko had come alone for the parley. He wasn't sure if Zuko was intentionally

They'd rowed over in a small boat and climbed the ladder onto the command ship. Iroh smiled, genially and raised his pot. "Would you like some tea?"

The Chief and his second glanced at each other, and in the way of two people who know each other very well a thousand messages pass between their eyes. Finally the Chief nodded. Iroh's smile widened.

-…-

There was something wrong with this tea. Zuko wasn't quite sure what was wrong with the tea- he definitely couldn't fix it- but it was wrong.

The Water Tribe people seem to like it though, which is probably why Uncle made it.

The Chief didn't waste time before speaking. "You proposed a parley. Why?"

They decided to let Uncle take the questions. He was better at keeping his temper in check than Zuko was. Zuko wanted his people to be safe, if that meant keeping quiet, he could keep quiet. Even if surrender always hurt worse.

"The Wani is not a military ship, nor are we part of the war effort." Uncle began, "Attacking our ship would result in lost lives on the part of you and your crew. Attacking us hurts you. If you attack this ship you waste valuable resources and spend priceless lives for nothing."

They seemed to consider for a moment. One of the men spoke. "Your ship could get us undetected into fire nation waters."

Zuko felt a prickle of unease at that- people were only that blatantly honest when they knew the truth could never get back at them.

The Chief glared at the man. Zuko felt a moment of sympathetic pain for him.

Uncle winced. "If you want a ship that can be seen in Fire Nation waters without getting your men caught- the Wani is not your ship."

The Chief raised an eyebrow. Uncle didn't expand his statement, instead he poured more tea into all the cups, including Zuko's. Zuko hadn't drunk any tea past the first sip, there was still something wrong with it.

The silence stretched on. Zuko found himself drinking more of the tea. It was still all wrong.

Finally, the man with the Chief sighed. "Why would this ship be so easily identifiable and why would it be detained in Fire Nation waters?" he asked.

Uncle shrugged. "This ship cannot return to the Fire Nation unless the Avatar is in chains on board. Seeing as the Avatar has not been seen in nearly a hundred years, the likelihood of the Avatar being on board the ship is low. The Wani is the only ship of her style that has not been retired for spare parts. This means that any Fire Nation ship would have right and reason to detain the ship, and if the Avatar is not found, breaking the terms would have unpleasant consequences for all on board."

Zuko did not like the gleam in Hakoda's eye. "Any ship would seek to detain it?" he asked.

Uncle's lips twitched into an almost smile. "Most likely."

Zuko wondered what he was thinking about.

"They wouldn't try to sink it though? Simply detain it?"

Uncle looked at the man, the genial mask drawing back. He simply… looked. It was the look that said- I know exactly what you're doing and am not impressed by your attempts to be sneaky. Zuko almost felt bad for the man.

The man, somewhat impressively, did not quail.

Zuko sipped his tea again. And the Hakoda fellow was looking at him now. But Zuko knew it was a very bad idea to talk and say words when people told him to be silent. He absently rubbed at his scar before sipping more tea. He was not going to say anything. He was going to stay silent because old people got offended really easy when you told them their plans were stupid.

The silence continued…. On the other hand these men weren't fire benders. Weren't benders at all as far as he could tell. And their plan was stupid.

But the last time he'd spoken- the 41st had all died. He remained silent.

"Your plan has a few flaws." Uncle finally said.

The Chief hadn't stopped looking at Zuko, but now he glanced back up at Uncle. He didn't seem offended. Odd.

"Oh?" Hakoda asked.

"Several members of the crew on this ship embarrassed a commander in the Fire Nation navy who has the Fire Lord's favor. If this ship was spotted on Fire Nation waters he'd gather everyone he could to surround it, then request to board. If the Avatar was not present then he'd be within his rights to kill or capture any other personnel on board. Your survival would be unlikely."

The Chief leaned forward. "What would you suggest we do?"

Uncle paused for a moment, seeming to consider before answering. "It would be best if both of us could go our separate ways. We go back to finding the Avatar- you go back to supporting the war effort."

Zuko couldn't get past the fact that supporting the war effort, for Hakoda and his men, would mean killing Zuko's people. He couldn't speak- couldn't accuse them of killing his people, even if it was true.

Zuko felt sick. Uncle had been telling the truth, if his crew didn't die then someone else's would somewhere else. Saving one group of people didn't help anything. It saved them, yes. But it killed someone else somewhere else that someone else didn't want to lose.

Hakoda didn't lean back. He still had that super intense look on his face. "Why should I believe that there is a Avatar hunting Fire Nation vessel that isn't directly involved in the war effort somehow?"

Uncle had apparently thought of this. He'd brought the documentation that certified the Wani as a non-military, non-civilian, Avatar-hunting ship.

Hakoda read it. He didn't seem pleased.

He glanced over at his second. His second shrugged.

Hakoda looked back. "Alright," he said. "We won't justify killing non-combatants. We will lead you a neutral port. You will all leave the ship. Then we'll sink her."

Zuko felt his stomach drop into his boots. That… that would be bad on so many levels.