A/N: And we're back. Sorry it took so long.
Chapter 15: Gorilla-Bear Warfare
It had been seven months since the Empire took control of Earth.
After forcing the two main capitals to submit, it had been a simple matter to take over the rest of the world. The Grand Admiral's offer was repeated as often as necessary, shown alongside the results of those that fought the Empire and died trying, and the choice offered was a simple one. The vast majority of locals realized they had no chance at all, came to their senses on the matter, and surrendered their lands to the imperials. From there it was a matter of occupying the planet, securing the Empire's foothold and making it a spearhead for the invasion of foreign space.
During the seven months the Empire established a presence in every city on Earth, taking control over all governmental functions relevant to the occupation. Garrisons were created in all the modest towns and villages, housing stormtroopers that would patrol the streets night and day. Only the smallest settlements were left alone, though only due to a lack of manpower available from Death Squadron. Tie Fighters patrolled the skies at altitudes low enough for the locals to see, a constant reminder no matter where they were on this world.
Once the proper facilities were built, or repurposed from existing buildings, stormtroopers enforced the rule of law as the Empire saw fit. As long as the locals complied with the Empire's demands, they would be left to their own devices. When they refused to submit there would be punishment, usually to set an example for the rest to learn from. There were plenty of examples to make, but for each dissident hundreds were coerced into compliance. That was rather low effectiveness compared to the norm, but still worthwhile to the Empire.
However, total domination was far from complete.
On a rather pleasant day in Gaoling a dozen stormtroopers were marching down a street, fortunate to be stationed in the southern hemisphere and enjoying local spring. They were heading toward the marketplace in the center of town, one of many regular patrols through the city. Supplies from off-world were being distributed there, side by side with domestic merchandise available for sale. The stormtroopers entered the marketplace and marched past the various stands and shops, all eyes on them as they passed the people by.
Most of the people were looking with stares of fear and hate, which was not unusual for stormtroopers to see on many worlds. One elderly merchant in particular was trembling in fear, his back to a cart and arms held wide to shield his produce. It seemed like he was expecting something to happen, which was enough for stormtroopers to suspect him of subterfuge. Yet on approach it became clear that the merchant was already terrified, and it wasn't because of the stormtroopers, but rather from something else he believed to be threatening him.
The lead stormtrooper stopped in front of that cart, and the other stormtroopers stopped while he looked at the merchant. "Relax. If you have done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear."
That did little to calm the merchant. "It's going to happen. It always happens."
The stormtrooper tilted his head to the right a little. "What's going to happen?"
There was a slight rumble in the ground, and the merchant reached further back to hold some of his cabbages. "That."
The ground split in two right down the middle of the stormtroopers, creating a crevice that grew wide enough to swallow a person whole. Four of the stormtroopers fell into that crevice, the rest reacting quick enough to get on one side or the other. Then the edges of the crevice crumbled into thousands of pieces, falling into the crevice and taking another two stormtroopers with it. Half of the squad was now buried in the rubble, and the other half had raised their blasters and started searching for the earthbenders that created the crevice.
Said crevice also swallowed the merchant's cart, destroying much of the produce. "My Cabbages!"
The lead stormtrooper immediately called for backup. "Command, squad fifteen is under attack. Earth elemental in play, we require immediate assistance."
The command center for Gaoling and the surrounding area was just outside the city, set up in a wide three story building built from imported imperial steel. A hundred stormtroopers marched out the front doors toward Gaoling at a fast pace, all with blasters raised and ready to fire. They were being watched from afar by a small group of locals, half a dozen young men in the ragged brown clothes common in the Earth Kingdom. They watched from a low hill while lying on their stomachs, all but concealed in the tall grass that covered the ground.
Leading the group was young man just short of twenty years, his long brown hair complimented by the mustache he had grown back in the war. "There's the signal."
Haru had set up the plan earlier, having a few friends cause trouble to draw out the stormtroopers. Now that enemy attention was elsewhere Haru and his group got to work, earthbending the ground open to access a tunnel they had made a week in advance. Once inside they hurried through to the far end, about thirty fifty feet below the center of the command center. A spike of solid granite was waiting to be used, directly beneath a forty foot shaft. Haru and his group got around the spike of granite and worked together, combining their earthbending to propel the spike upward on a column of rock.
Granite tore through dirt and soil like paper, and the sharp tip punctured steel as if it were weak flesh. The floor of an office was torn asunder in an instant, and the granite spike hit the ceiling and got lodged into it. The column of rock sank back into the shaft, and quickly returned with Haru and the others with it. On arrival they shattered the top of the column and hurled the pieces outward, striking down imperials that were in this office. Afterward Haru retrieved the granite spike from the ceiling, pulling it down with earthbending before breaking it into smaller pieces.
"In and out fast people," Haru ordered. With earthbending he shaped some of the granite into gauntlets, and then made a tall granite kite-shield. "Come on."
The others did the same earthbending he used, each making a set of granite gauntlets and kite-shields. Together they left the office and hurried down a hallway, immediately meeting resistance from stormtroopers. Although their numbers had been reduced, there were still plenty inside the command center. A dozen blasters opened fire down the hallway, only to strike the granite shields and leave small scorch marks. Haru and the others charged down the hallway with their shields locked together, and they rammed the stormtroopers like a Fire Nation tank.
Knocking down the stormtroopers knocked the blasters from their hands, scattering them far down the hallway and out of their owners' reach. Haru had to punch a still-conscious stormtrooper in the face, the granite gauntlet cracking the helmet in the process. A few other stormtroopers suffered the same beating, and the bodies were left where they lay. Afterward Haru and the others moved to the end of the hallway, checking the rooms they passed in search of what they wanted. More stormtroopers arrived to block their path, to just as much effect as the first group.
After dealing with those stormtroopers Haru and the others entered the last room, a supply room filled with blasters and other assorted technological toys. "Grab what you can and let's go."
It was a cold day in the city of Yu Dao, a frigid breeze shaking icicles off of tree branches to fall onto thick snow below. Winter had come around again with a vengeance, complete with treacherous weather for the first of the old Fire Nation colonies. Everyone was wearing their thick winter clothing, and no one noticed another long cloak amongst many others. It was a good time of year to conceal one's identity, covering up under the pretense of protection from the cold. Sure he was still shorter than the typical citizen, but not by enough to draw attention to Aang.
The young Avatar missed flying in the air, missed the sky bison that was his best friend. It was too dangerous to fly while the imperials patrolled the skies, the risk to Appa's life far too great. Shortly after leaving Ba Sing Se he had found a place where Appa could be safe, and Aang had promised that they would meet up again someday. From there Aang had walked across the Earth Kingdom, disguising himself when necessary, and doing whatever he could to oppose the Empire. This journey had brought him to Yu Dao, looking for those with likeminded goals.
His long cloak covered everything from the neck down, and a hood covered most of his head. Aang had a thick hat on underneath the hood, concealing his bald head from the people in front of him. He did get a few odd looks from people of Fire Nation descent, particularly in regards to the headband covering the tip of his arrow tattoo. Apparently a few of them had attended that one particular school in the Fire Nation, and were wondering why the uniform's belt was on someone's head. For everyone else there was nothing odd about Aang's look, and really he was only hiding from the stormtroopers on patrol.
Aang walked into the Yu Dao marketplace and pretended to shop for thicker clothing, only glancing at the fabrics and their associated prices. From here he could see city hall at the center of Yu Dao, which the imperials had commandeered for a temporary base of operations. Stormtroopers were patrolling the streets around city hall, some entering the marketplace in small groups. Aang could hear one small group talking to each other, something about an attack down in Gaoling. He couldn't hear specifics before the stormtroopers left, and he wasn't about to ask for them.
After ten minutes of waiting Aang's contact arrived, that being a short and broad backed teenager. "What have you got for me Sneers?"
"They're ready to meet you," Sneers answered. He discreetly passed Aang a small note. "She finally found an excuse to be away for a day."
"Thank you," Aang said, pocketing the note. "Better go before you're missed."
Sneers nodded. "Take care of yourself down there."
For appearance's sake Sneers didn't leave immediately, instead getting into an argument with a shopkeeper over price gouging. Aang in turn purchased a large bag from a different merchant, similar to the one Sokka had gotten way back only red and with the Fire Nation insignia. Looking like a satisfied customer Aang left the marketplace, the red bag slung over his shoulder while he read the note Sneers gave him. The note told Aang where he needed to go, and soon he was entering a narrow alley near the wall that surrounded Yu Dao.
In the alley Aang stomped his foot on the snow-packed ground to use vibration sight, not to the same degree as Toph could of course, and confirmed the second part of the note. There was a secret passage hidden in the alley beneath the snow, and Aang opened a false floor with earthbending. Aang jumped down the resulting hole and closed the entrance behind him, then started walking down a narrow tunnel that ran beneath the city streets. After a short walk it seemed like he hit a dead end, only for the rock to be moved out of the way as he approached.
On the other side was a teenage girl in red and green clothing, her brown hair pulled back and letting Aang see her fair face. "Avatar, you're early."
"Please, just call me Aang." He made a polite bow, and the girl did the same. "You must be this Kori I've heard so much about."
"Not much to tell," Kori said. She crossed her arms while Aang pulled back his hood. "I'm just another girl that wants the invaders gone."
"The girl that's leading the resistance here," Aang added. "And if I'm not mistaken, you've got a unique position in Yu Dao, being the mayor's daughter and all."
"I see you've been paying attention," Kori said.
"Just following the clues you laid out for me," Aang said. "So, what did you want me here for?"
Kori turned and walked back the way she came. "Follow me and find out."
Aang walked behind Kori through the tunnel, trusting her to find her way even in the dark. As they walked Aang figured they were heading deeper into the city, judging by the foundations the tunnel weaved in between more often. Soon enough they saw light up ahead, coming from around a corner before their destination. There was a small cavern hidden beneath the city, illuminated by torches set up along the walls. Two dozen men and women were training here, a mix of teenagers and young adults preparing for battle.
The weird part was that they trained with a mix of earthbending and firebending, hurling rocks and flames back and forth around the cavern. Whatever divisions existed between earthbenders and firebenders had ceased to exist, now committed to working together against a bigger foe. Together they combined the strengths of two elements while erasing their weaknesses, becoming far more effective than either element could be alone. They seemed to have gotten their technique down well, and were putting on a show for the Avatar's arrival.
"What are you going to do with them?" Aang asked.
"Give them to you of course," Kori answered. She leaned back against the cavern wall. "I can't be seen leading them. My father would be killed immediately, and we'd lose our only inside connection."
Aang watched the assorted benders a little while longer, and he made his decision. "Fine, I'll do it. But we do things my way, or not at all."
It was a successful raid, all things considered. Haru and his earthbenders had escaped the imperial command center with minimal casualties, just a few flesh wounds and no fatalities. In exchange they had acquired a few dozen blasters, five complete sets of stormtrooper armor, over fifty of what he assumed were grenades, and other assorted tech that Haru couldn't even begin to identify. All of it was brought back to the point of entry and taken underground, and the entrance was sealed after everyone was through.
They had hauled it all away in stone carts moved with earthbending, going through a long tunnel to emerge far away from Gaoling. It took some time to pass through the tunnel, taking care to avoid unnecessary earthbending that might cause tremors and give them away. Haru was the first to surface near the mountains north of the city, checking to make sure it was safe before the others could emerge. They were not far from the arena that once housed the Earth Rumble tournaments, abandoned since the end of the war.
"We're clear," Haru said. Although he didn't see any stormtroopers nearby, he didn't want to be out in the open for very long. "Quickly, get it in there."
At the base of a mountain was a cave, one of many that had been carved out by earthbenders over the centuries. Haru and the others hauled their loot into the cave, and then moved a layer of rock to close the entrance. The resulting darkness only lasted a few brief moments, until someone lit the first of many torches mounted on the cave walls. The light showed the way to the back of the cave, and someone else was waiting for them there. Although Haru didn't trust the newly acquired ally, Mai knew more about alien equipment than he ever could.
Wearing the alien armor she acquired over a year ago, albeit with the long gone fabrics replaced with her normal Fire Nation clothes, Mai stood with her back to a wall. "You weren't followed?"
"No," Haru answered. The earthbenders stopped the stone carts behind him, and he picked up one of the blasters. "This is a start, but it's nowhere near enough."
"Let me see one," Mai asked. Haru passed her a blaster, and she examined it closely. "It looks simple enough to use."
Haru eyed the other kind of blaster on Mai's right arm, the one with a wide base and narrow nozzle. "How does it compare to that one?"
Mai took a few shots at the cave wall. "It's faster, but doesn't do as much damage."
Haru took a look at the smoldering holes the blaster left in the wall. "At least we know exactly how thick our defenses need to be."
"Now we need to work on offense," Mai said. She put the blaster back with the rest, and she faced the earthbenders. "I've got people ready to meet in the Chin village ruins. We'll head out in a few days, get everyone armed and practicing with these weapons."
"It might take a while to get there," Haru advised. "The invaders will be crawling all over the countryside soon looking for us. We'll have to make the entire trip underground."
"Get some rest then," Mai insisted. "You've got a lot of earthbending to do."
The ground collapsed, and then everything was on fire.
Stormtroopers fell into the hole, and those that didn't were overwhelmed by the blaze. Yu Dao city hall now featured a burning hole in its basement, in the one spot that hadn't yet been reinforced with imported imperial steel. The tools and materials needed to correct that oversight were now on fire, along with the stormtroopers still in the basement. Firebenders leapt through the hole and extinguished the flames, clearing the way for the earthbenders right behind them. They made certain that the stormtroopers would not be a problem, and quickly took positions at the door.
Last to come out of the hole was Aang, back in his traditional Air Nomad clothes. "Go."
The dozen benders Aang had brought with him charged through the door, running up the stairs that led from the basement to the rest of city hall. They reached the ground floor and hurried through the main hallway, noticing that much of the décor had been replaced with imperial propaganda. At every side passage the firebenders set them on fire, spreading a blaze through city hall everywhere except in the direction they were headed. As they moved the earthbenders tore up the floor behind them, using what little rock remained between the floor and the metal reinforcements below it.
At the end of the hallway was an office, currently with a handful of stormtroopers and imperial officers inside. A burst of flames knocked down the door, and Aang barged inside. Spinning his staff created a maelstrom of wind, blowing the imperials off their feet and slamming them into the walls. Aang then restrained the imperials with earthen bonds, pinning them to the walls by their wrists and ankles. In one corner of the room was a metal crank, and Aang spun it around several times. The crank triggered a mechanism hidden in the wall, leading to a specific alarm sounding throughout city hall.
"That ought to get everyone out," Aang said, hearing the fire alarm. He closed his eyes and stomped his foot, then pointed at the far wall. "This way."
Earthbenders promptly knocked down that wall, and as everyone passed through the hole the firebenders set the office ablaze. The fire alarm continued to ring everywhere, and the imperials occupying city hall were mobilizing in response to it. The fact that there was an actual fire burning the building helped sell the alarm, and the firebenders were spreading it behind them. The appropriate response to the alarm was an evacuation of all nonessential personnel, getting them out of harm's way while firefighters dealt with the blaze.
That was how Aang wanted it, all the innocent civilians removed before the next step. The real goal was the weapons storeroom set up in city hall, up on one of the higher floors and surrounded by stormtroopers. The earthbenders hurled a large chunk of rock at the ceiling and punched a hole through it, as well as the next two ceilings above that one. With the wind helping him Aang jumped through the holes, reaching the storeroom and the prizes inside. There were enough weapons and explosives here for a small army, simply waiting for enough hands to wield them.
Aang set them on fire.
Afterward he dropped through the holes and got back to the others. "Everyone out, now!"
They were only halfway there when all the explosives in the storeroom detonated. The explosion blew out a hole in the side of city hall, several floors high and just as wide across. A thick plume of smoke rose out of the hole, adding to the smoke from the still burning fires. Everyone inside city hall had a nasty ringing in their ears, including Aang and his group as they were leaving. The way they came in was currently burning, and all the regular exits were blocked by stormtroopers. So the earthbenders knocked down a wall instead, and the firebenders followed them outside.
Last one out was Aang. "Scatter!"
No one needed to be told twice. By the time the imperials had the situation under control, they had disappeared into the crowds of Yu Dao, gone in the wind.
The ruins of Chin Village were only a few days away from Gaoling, but evading imperial patrols lengthened the trip to a week. Chin Village used to be a place that outsiders avoided at all costs, but that had abruptly changed over a year and a half ago. According to the people that had once lived there, the battle of gods had briefly taken place here. It left a crater in the center and every building destroyed, and rather than rebuild the inhabitants simply abandoned the place. Because no one was living here the imperials did not bother with it, leaving the ruins a safe place to avoid imperial attention.
Mai and Haru and the earthbenders reached the ruins just before nightfall, hauling their stolen equipment in wooden carts covered up by tarps. But they weren't the only ones taking shelter here, finding a dozen Fire Nation soldiers camping in a few demolished buildings. Those soldiers were expecting the new arrivals, as Mai had sent a message ahead of them. She was pleased to see Ty Lee with them, as they had parted ways shortly after leaving Ba Sing Se. Ty Lee still had her own set of alien armor, but with her usual pink clothes underneath it.
First thing Ty Lee did was hug Mai. "You made it. I was getting a little worried for a bit."
"So we took our time," Mai said, gently nudging Ty Lee to get her to let go. "We can't be too careful."
Ty Lee let go of Mai and took a step back. Then she looked over Mai's shoulder and saw Haru. "Who's the hunk?"
"It's Haru," he corrected, arms crossed and looking at the girls. Then he pointed at one of the stone carts to his left. "So are your guys going to take these things or not?"
The soldiers quickly helped themselves to the blasters, and there were plenty to go around. They tested the blasters by shooting at the rubble of a building, blasting it into even smaller pieces with sustained firing. They got a good feel for the new weapons, appreciating the simplicity of the point and squeeze the trigger controls. Closer examination revealed a second setting, which had the blaster firing blue rings instead of red bolts. That setting didn't seem to do anything to the debris, which had everyone wondering why that setting was there at all.
However, during the testing Mai got a bad feeling, and she saw lights on the horizon. "Everyone stop."
Everyone did as Mai asked, and when the firing stopped all she heard was quiet breathing. By now the sun had nearly set in the west, and lights on the eastern horizon told her someone was out there. And the lights were awfully bright for being so far away, which had Mai suspecting the worst. Hand signals told everyone else to take cover, and the soldiers complied immediately. The earthbenders took a moment to bury the stone carts in the ground, and then joined the soldiers behind the debris of several buildings.
Mai's suspicions were confirmed when the lights got closer, for they were coming from machines that only the imperials possessed. Those hovering speeder bikes were also faster than any Fire Nation tank, equipped with blasters and bright headlights that lit up the roads half a mile ahead of them. Twenty of them were heading toward the ruins, while others were driving toward other places along the coastline. Mai used hand signals to give orders, telling everyone to get ready for a fight. They only had a few minutes to prepare for the imperial's arrival, a few minutes to set up an ambush.
The speeder bikes slowed down as they approached the ruins, the end of one possible road the thieves could have taken. The stormtroopers riding the bikes parked at the threshold, getting off the bikes and drawing their blasters. They got into formation and marched into the ruins, looking for anyone or anything that did not belong here. They found signs of disturbed earth, enough to tell that earthbenders had been here recently. Footprints were all over the place, another sign that their quarry was nearby.
"They're here," one stormtrooper reported. He gave the hand signal to advance. "Fan out, find them."
The earthbenders struck first, shattering the top layer of earth into a hail of gravel. At the same time the soldiers fired their stolen blasters, shooting from cover in demolished buildings. Four stormtroopers suffered direct hits and fell, while the rest took aim and fired back. From a different direction Mai fired her arm-mounted blaster, hitting three more stormtroopers right in the back. While those fell the rest were bombarded by large boulders thrown by earthbenders, forcing the stormtroopers to scatter and avoid crushing.
From a third direction more blaster fire came, Ty Lee having a blaster in each hand and firing wildly. Three more stormtroopers fell, leaving only ten of them left standing. Their formation broken and targets split in three directions, their numbers quickly fell further. Two kinds of blaster fire and hurled boulders brought them down, and only five were left when they tried to retreat. One of them managed to access his radio before a boulder hit him, undoubtedly alerting his superiors to the battle here. It was over a moment later, but there would be another battle soon if everyone was still here.
Fortunately the spoils of war could prevent that.
Ty Lee was tucking her blasters away when she approached one of the speeder bikes. "So how do you ride one of these things?"
"Let's find out," Mai said. She approached one of the bikes and examined the controls. "It looks intuitive enough, that handle gets squeezed and turned."
Someone started a speeder bike, and screamed when it took off with him on it. Everyone saw it crash into a demolished building, and then they heard Haru's voice. "I'm okay!"
"Smooth," Mai muttered, putting one hand over her face. "Everyone, learn from that. Then load up these things with all of our stuff. I want to be gone before reinforcements arrive."
Yu Dao was under lockdown for a week.
The imperials did allow anyone to enter or leave the city, on foot or in the air or even underground. So Aang didn't even try to leave, having recovered his disguise and returned to hiding in plain sight. Aang spent the days staying in an inn, run by a lovely old lady that was a friend of Kori's. When stormtroopers came by investigating every single building in the city, that old lady gave Aang enough warning time to avoid detection. They came around multiple times each day and each night, continuously searching for the ones that blew up part of city hall.
Aang was trying to sleep when there was a familiar series of knocks at the door. "Again already."
The old lady opened the door of Aang's room, but instead of looking fearful she seemed happier than usual. "You have a visitor."
She stepped out of the way, allowing Kori to enter the room. "You're looking well."
"Yeah, all things considered," Aang said. He wished he had a window, but understood why that was not an option. "Did everyone else make it?"
Kori looked away. "We lost Yan and Diyu, stormtroopers captured them. Shao was injured in the escape, Sneers is tending to him now. Everyone else is in hiding all over the city."
Aang sat down on the bed, looking down at the floor. "Did we make a difference?"
"You made an impact," Kori said. "Word through the grapevine has it that more people are resisting, outside of Yu Dao anyway. If the invaders can be hit hard here, they can be hit anywhere."
"Not anywhere," Aang said. He looked at the ceiling. "We can't hit them up there. They hold a high ground that's beyond our reach."
"For now," Kori said. She sat down beside Aang. "We'll deal with that when we need to. At the moment all we have to do is deal with them down here. If they really want our world, we'll make them pay dearly for it."
Aang closed his eyes, thought about what was going on, and then looked at Kori. "Is everyone okay with this? Are they all committed to fighting until the end?"
"Yes they are," Kori said. "We're just waiting for another opportunity to strike."
Aang stood up, turned around, and offered a hand to help Kori up. "Let's get to it then."