Ch 1
"Korra. It's an honor to see you again. Last I heard, you were still recovering." Kuvira said.
"We'll, i'm feeling better now." Korra said.
"That's good to hear. What are you doing here?" Kuvira asked.
Korra winced at the brusque tone Kuvira had.
"I here to ask you to back down. Please, take your army and leave." Korra said.
"You have some nerve, dumbass. I spent the last three fighting to bring order to the earth kingdom. Zaofu is the last holdout. Why should i treat it differently than any other state?" Kuvira asked.
"This isn't right!" Korra said.
Kuvira scoffed.
"You're not the avatar. You're an errand girl. Sent by grocery clerks to collect the bill." Kuvira said, entering her tent. Korra followed her, and watched as Kuvira fell prostrate. Korra said nothing, but observed the leader.
"Su trained her soldiers to burn and cut people alive, but won't allow them to write 'fuck' on their helmet or armor. Because, it's obscene!" Kuvira said, in a trance of sorts.
"I couldn't stand it. Su did nothing to help her fellow citizens. Just because she didn't like the monarchy, doesn't mean she had to condemn the rest of the nation to a slow death. And the rest of the world followed her lies and arrogance. Nobody understood the war we were fighting. How could they? During the fighting, my soldiers came upon a large village. They gave us food and supplies in exchange for our protection. After we left, a child came up to us, telling us that some horror had descended onto the camp. We came back, and all the villagers were dead. Throats slit, body parts cut off, some were disemboweled. I wept like some old woman, and i then realized something." Kuvira said.
"What did you realize?" Korra softly asked. Kuvira snapped like a coil, and Korra backed away in fright. Kuvira calmed down when she saw it was only Korra.
"That the bandits we were fighting were stronger than us. Because they could commit these atrocities without a second thought. And the idea i had was pure, crystal. Spirits, the genius! We had to become stronger men, because we are not monsters. Everyone fears monsters because the monster is unrestrained, capable of doing all kinds of evil and cruelty. I needed men and women who could fight from the heart, yet who could put it all aside and fight and scorch the world without any judgment or reservation. Because it is judgment that defeats us." Kuvira said, her eyes elsewhere.
"Kuvira, are you alright?" Korra asked. But Kuvira continued as if the avatar wasn't there.
"I've seen and done horrors. You've no right to call me a monster. You have a right to kill me, to torture or imprison me. But you have no right to judge me." Kuvira said.
"I'm not here to kill you." Korra said, greatly confused.
"Are you an assassin?" Kuvira asked, a crazed grin on her face.
"What? No!" Korra exclaimed.
"That's good." Kuvira said.
Korra looked at the insane woman, wondering if she would snap and suddenly kill Korra. Kuvira composed herself and handed a piece of paper to Korra.
"Here are my terms. If Su will swear allegiance to me, than she and her people will not be harmed." Kuvira said.
…
"Zaofu is ours!" Kuvira shouted in triumph, hearing the shouting of her soldiers. Victory had never been so sweet before. It had cost enough blood already. Her soldiers picked her up and carried her on their shoulders, chanting her name over and over.
Kuvira was touched, seeing how loyal her army was. She knew of the hardships they faced, and that many came from all parts of the earth kingdom which was left in utter ruin thanks to the earth queen. But now, she was the leader of the earth empire. No-one would dare subjugate her nation again.
"Ma'am, should we invade the city?" one of her soldiers asked.
"We move in. Gather all the people into the courtyard. Stragglers are to be shot on sight." Kuvira said.
Su could only watch in horror as Kuvira's troops pulled the citizens out of their homes, shoving them towards the center of the city. Her soldiers were everywhere, all armed to the teeth. She had heard what Kuvira did to city states who refused to bow to her.
Kuvira entered Su's estate, as memories flowed thru her. She saw a picture of Su and a young Kuvira. She pulled the photo out of the frame and looked at it. Narrowing her eyes, she tore the picture to pieces and tossed it aside.
Night came, and everyone was gathered in the courtyard with earth empire banners all over the place.
"All who pledge their loyalty to me will be dealt with fairly as full citizens of the earth empire. Anyone else will be imprisoned as traitors just like Su Beifong and her two sons. Kneel!" Kuvira shouted, seeing the timid and frightened citizens kneeling in front of her.
Only two stayed defiant. Baatar, and his son Huan.
"Bow to her! She's your rightful leader!" Baatar Junior exclaimed to his father.
"I'm so disappointed in you, son." Baatar said, as soldiers took him away.
Though Kuvira's face showed no emotion, she was sad seeing the Beifong family break like this. She gave Su a look of pure hatred and walked away. She was found standing in front of the Beifong estate, playing around with some of the platinum metal used for training.
"Get your mother and brothers to me. I want to talk to them." Kuvira said.
"Of course." Baatar Jr said.
Su felt herself being pushed around, thru a room and shoved on the ground.
"Where am I?" she asked. She got her answer as the bag over her head was pulled off. They were in her office, and she saw Kuvira sitting in the chair, drinking some wine.
"Kuvira. I should have known." Su bitterly said.
Kuvira said nothing, but snapped her fingers. Wei was brought into the room and shoved onto his knees in front of his mother.
"What are you doing?" Su asked.
"Teaching you a lesson." Kuvira said. She turned around and kicked Wei as hard as she could in the jaw. Next, was a kick in the groin.
"No! Leave my boy out of this!" Su exclaimed.
Kuvira ignored her, and continued to beat Wei until blood was dripping out.
"Remember, Su. Had we followed your wishes, this is what the entire country would have looked like." Kuvira said, breaking Wei's nose.
The rest of the soldier's came in and dragged the duo to their cells. Su looked at the rest of her family, noticing they weren't beaten up too badly.
"What did she want?" Baatar asked.
"To teach me a lesson. Get some rest. I get the feeling we'll need it." Su said.
Not two hours passed until a guard came and dragged Su out of the cell towards an interrogation room. Kuvira was there, waiting for her. She tossed a bucket of boiling hot water onto Su, watching as she screamed in pain.
"It hurts, doesn't it? Course, not that you'd ever know the kind of hell me and my boys went thru." Kuvira said, throwing a fist into Su's jaw.
"Whatever you want, i'm not telling you a fucking thing." Su said.
"I got time. And i won't be torturing you." Kuvira said. The door opened, and her husband was brought in front of her.
"No! Leave him out of this!" Su shouted.
"I wish i could. He's a good man. Smart, loyal. But a lot of good men had to die because you refused to fight. But i need information." Kuvira said.
"He's only an architect." Su said.
"Have you contacted anyone outside the earth empire? The united republics? The fire nation?" Kuvira asked.
"No." Su said.
Kuvira wrapped metal around her fist and punched Baatar as hard as she could, drawing blood and giving him a swollen eye.
"I've no desire to hurt an innocent man. Tell me what i want to know." Kuvira said.
"I told you! I didn't contact anyone!" Su exclaimed.
Kuvira had Baatar Sr dragged away, and one of her sons dragged in.
"This will continue unless you give me what i want to know. Did you contact anyone else?" Kuvira asked.
"No. I didn't. I swear!" Su shouted.
Kuvira looked at her enemy, seeing the look of terror in her eyes.
"Okay. You're telling the truth on that. Now, tell me one thing. Why didn't you answer my letters?" Kuvira asked.
"What letters?" Su asked.
Kuvira pulled out a pair of pliers, and tore off one of Wing's fingernails. He shouted in pain, clutching his wounded finger.
"Answer the question. Or your son is going to lose more than a fingernail." Kuvira said.
"Mom, answer the question!" Wing exclaimed, now fearful of what Kuvira will do next.
"I swear, i didn't get any letters!" Su shouted.
"Before i stabilized Ba Sing Se, i asked you to send food and medicine to help the earth kingdom. But apparently now. You were more than happy to stay behind in your precious city." Kuvira said.
"Kuvira, you have to believe me. I never got any of your letters. Ask Wing. My husband. They can confirm it." Su said, tears down her eyes.
"Wing, if you're lying, i'll take your eyes out. Did the letters never reach the city?" Kuvira asked.
"That's correct. They never reached the city." Wing said.
Kuvira had her soldiers take Wing back to the cell, and had another soldier come in.
"Lt Beria. You remember that 50 of your fellow soldiers died of disease." Kuvira said.
"I remember. We had no medicine. Can't believe any of us are still alive." Beria said.
"Well, that woman in the room is responsible. She didn't deliver any food or medicine. Not to me, and certainly not to the peoples of the earth kingdom." Kuvira said.
"Su? I thought she was so enlightened. I guess not." Beria said.
"Correct. She's an expert in manipulating emotions. Speaking of emotions… fear, degradation. Shame. We've been there. She hasn't. I want you to break her will and pride. Use any methods you see fit." Kuvira said.
"Consider it done." Beria said.
Su screamed in pain as the wip tore off more flesh from her back. All she could do was try to hold on, but her act of defiance only angered the torture. Beria walked in front of Su, and brought the whip down on Su's face, leaving scars across it. Su clearly remembered giving her sister those scars, seeing the anger and hurt on her face. Now it was her turn.
After another hour, Beria left the room and visited Kuvira.
"She hasn't given any information." Beria said.
"That's because she knows nothing. I want her to suffer, like the people of the earth kingdom have suffered while Su was content to do nothing. Put a sign on her cell that says, please disturb. Tell the troops to be as creative as they see fit." Kuvira said.
"Are you nuts?" Beria asked.
"Maybe." Kuvira smirked.
The next day, Kuvira went to see her prisoner. Su was laying on the floor, practically catatonic. A pool of blood and semen was gathered around her nether region.
"Why?" Su weakly asked.
"You brought this on yourself." Kuvira growled, stomping on Su's genitals hearing the former ruler of Zaofu cry out in pain.
Kuvira left the cell, leaving Su alone as she broke down and sobbed.