Avatar: The Last Airbender Created By: Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko
Avatar: The Last Airbender Owned By: Nickelodeon, a subsidiary of Viacom
All original content and characters © Acastus
Chapter XVI – Alea Iacta Est (The Die is Cast)
Nikon dug his heels into the sides of his mongoose dragon, urging it forward. He was late, a rare and uncomfortable circumstance for him. Punctuality was a distinct virtue in a society where the smallest insult, whether real or perceived, often resulted in the dreaded agni kai. As a commoner, before he was taken as a student by the illustrious Master Chen, Nikon would not even have been afforded the opportunity to defend himself in such a duel. He would simply have been maimed or executed.
Pushing these thoughts from his mind, he instead focused on the journey. The Nasu plain flashed before him as he and a pair of guards tore across the countryside. Sweat poured down his brow, for though the Summer Solstice had passed more than a month ago, the late afternoon still sweltered in this region of the world. He experienced a brief moment of regret as he realized that, no more than a few weeks ago, this land was covered in a sea of grain. Now it was a wasteland of ash and dust scoured mercilessly by the wind.
Cresting a low ridge, the great fortress city of Nanjing rose in the distance before them. Its fortifications, obviously of great age and in poor condition, were broken badly in a dozen places. Thick, black smoke rose in never ending columns that threatened to blot out the sky. The mongoose dragons closed the gap between them and the fallen enemy stronghold at amazing speed. Soon the Fire Nation flags draped over the lengths of wall still intact became visible.
Iroh's friend looked to his left and saw the remains of the ancient monorail system that had once connected this mighty provincial capital to the rest of the continent. The railway stretched to the north almost as far as the eye could see before turning east along a river that was but a glimmer in the distance. Supported by elegant stone arches, the structure looked as if it had been there since the beginning of time and would be there beyond its end. The architectural perfection of the railway was ruined, however, by its abrupt termination some distance from the city. The intervening expanse was littered with the crumbled remains of this final tract.
The structure captured the young commoner's imagination, and he was reminded briefly of the book Iroh had read during the crossing. He caught himself wondering sadly whether Tien Shin had wrecked this beautiful monument, one of the last, proud vestiges of the ancient world. He dismissed this idea, however, as he got close enough to see the vegetation growing over the stones of the fallen railway. The monorail, whether through decay or as a result of some war that had now long since faded from memory, had obviously collapsed hundreds of years before Tien Shin had arrived to destroy it.
Visions of buildings that touched the sky and underground dams vanished as soon as he saw the bright red tents of Tien Shin's headquarters just outside the city. He had not seen his commanding officer for over a month since his humiliation at Cam'ron, and he was glad of it. Despite Tien Shin's severe warning about the enemy's search for a weakness in their new technology, they had witnessed no change in the enemy's strategy since then. The defenders, outgunned and outmaneuvered, but not out fought, continued to fall back, burning everything they could not take with them. Those encircled by the Fire Nation's rapid advance fought to the death.
Nikon felt again the twinge of unease at Tien Shin's concern. The daimyo had been angry beyond reason, yes, and clearly regarded him with dull hatred and contempt, but the fear in his eyes when he spoke of Nifong had been palpable. He had never seen Tien Shin show fear before that night.
As the cluster of richly decorated Fire Nation tents drew close, the brigade leader saw another small party of mongoose riders arrive from the west and stop in front of the largest tent. As they dismounted Nikon could see that the leader of the other party was none other than Prince Iroh. Suddenly the demons of doubt and indecision that had plagued him the whole journey vanished. The Crown Prince, turning to identify the newcomers as he took off his helmet, smiled broadly and spread his arms wide in a gesture of welcome.
"Your Highness!" exclaimed Nikon, emotion threatening to overwhelm him, "You're alive!"
The commoner embraced the Crown Prince, who smiled and replied, "It is good to see you too, my friend. I feared the worst when Chieng told me of Nifong's attack against Cam'ron."
They released each other, and unable to restrain himself, Nikon rejoined with a mischievous grin, "You helped me out there, Your Highness. As soon as the enemy heard you were sending her over," he said, using the palm of one hand to slap the other and making a take off motion, "they took off like a wolf bat out of hell!"
"Oh, I'm sure of it!" Iroh replied laughing, then, checking quickly from side to side to make sure the foul mouthed engineer wasn't eavesdropping, "My only question is how you stopped your own men from running away too!"
They laughed for a moment before the smile faded from the young tank commander's face.
"I know I let you down," he confessed solemnly, "I let us all down. I lost face in front of Tien Shin, and I know that reflects on you, Your Highness. I'm sorry and I beg your forgiveness."
"Haha! You didn't let me down!" Iroh corrected, "I should thank you for giving me the opportunity to win such a victory for my father. I received a letter from him congratulating me on Nomura not a week ago, "a glorious success" he called it!"
"Really?" the tank commander questioned in surprise. Catching himself he continued, "I mean, yes, of course it was! I'm just sorry I put you in that position," then, lowering his gaze to the ground promised soberly, "I could have blown this whole thing for us. I won't let it happen again."
"I know, my friend," Iroh replied with measured confidence, "but you didn't, remember that. Besides," he continued with a satisfied grin, '"The risk was probably worth it. Just think," he said, motioning to the tent in front of them, "when we walk in there, Tien Shin will have to congratulate us on our victories!"
Nikon blew out a breath and smiled ruefully, "Yeh, that's worth something I guess," then, a look of apprehension clouding his face, "Did… the Fire Lord say anything about… Cam'ron?"
Iroh's grin broke in a wide smile as he replied, "Yes, he did, as a matter of fact," but declined to continue. Instead, Iroh's grin expanded to extend nearly from ear to ear.
"Well?" his friend pleaded, "Please, Your Highness, don't torture the low born, we aren't built for it!"
"Ha! Nonsense, anyone who can, quote, "hand Nifong his first defeat in a decade is a servant of special talent and ability", end quote."
"Sweet Agni! Did he really say that?"
"Oh yes, I will show you the letter later," chuckling, Iroh continued, "and here you told Xian you weren't a warrior – shows what you know about yourself, my friend! Anyway, we can talk more about it after the council, but now we must attend to my cousin and our beloved daimyo."
Turning serious again, and checking to make sure none could overhear the familiarity, Nikon warned, "Iroh, I am concerned about your cousin. When I saw him last he'd lost a lot of weight and looked very ill. I tried to find out what was wrong, but he wouldn't tell me."
Iroh's smile dampened, but he brushed off the warning saying, "Don't worry, I'm sure he's fine. Wouldn't we have heard something by now if he were really sick? Besides, Xian worries for everyone and everything. He lets it wear on him more than he should," then, his smile returning, "We'll just have to cheer him up, maybe with one of those nice, hot cups of tea he is always recommending to us."
They entered the tent, returning the salutes of the sentinels as they passed. Inside they saw a nearly perfect duplicate of General Xian's headquarters. The center of the tent was occupied by a high rectangular table. Iroh and Nikon were indeed the last to arrive. The room was full of people, including Gan, Chieng Shiung, Tien Shin, and General Xian. The rest Iroh recognized as Tien Shin's other brigade commanders.
Xian and Tien Shin stood with many of the others around the table, poring over the map. Iroh was startled when he realized one of the sentinels had followed him and Nikon into the tent and announced their names in a formal tone. Everyone turned to the newcomers, but Iroh focused on his cousin. His heart sinking in his chest, he saw instantly that Nikon had been right. Xian looked exhausted, frail, as if he had aged a lifetime since that night the Fire Lord had given him the task of defeating Nifong. No, not just frail, defeated. The relaxed, fatherly disposition that Iroh had loved since he was a boy was gone, replaced by a stony countenance that betrayed a life without hope. Iroh heard Nikon draw in a quick breath as he too looked upon their commanding general.
"Oh cousin, what has happened to you?" Iroh quailed in his mind, "I don't understand, we are winning, yet you look as if we have already lost! What is happening to you?" Iroh surveyed the room quickly, noting Tien Shin's sour look and concluded, "No time to find out now."
Iroh and his friend saluted their general and Tien Shin. Xian returned the salute, Tien Shin did not.
"Welcome, Prince Iroh," Xian said, his voice stronger than his frail frame seemed to allow, "and you, Commander Orlando. Congratulations to you both on your victories. The Fire Lord has written that, despite whatever mistakes we have made," Xian paused briefly here to make eye contact with Nikon, "he is pleased with the success of our campaign and has developed a favorable impression of your performances."
With the ghost of a smile, Xian gestured for Tien Shin to contribute.
"Yes, justified or not," the daimyo said through obviously gritted teeth, "the Fire Lord has bid us congratulate you, Prince Iroh, on your successful liquidation of the Nomura pocket, and…," Tien Shin's dark brown eyes flashed with bitter hate as he focused on Nikon, "you on your… "victory" at Cam'ron."
Nikon saluted once again and, unable to suppress the hint of a smile, replied, "Thank you, my lord… I hope I have made you proud."
Tien Shin's fist tightened over the grip of one of the war fans he wore in his sash.
After allowing a few moments for the tension to continue, during which many in the room began to exchange uneasy looks, Xian began anew.
"Now that everyone is present," he began sternly, "we must turn to the reason I have summoned you. We are here to make a decision, and while the final judgment is mine alone to make, I would hear what each of you would counsel before I choose our course."
Xian instructed the group to gather around the table which was covered in a huge map. Iroh surveyed the map, much larger than any available at his headquarters. This was one of the massive campaign maps that only Xian and Tien Shin's entourages carried. His eyes swept over the enormous chart and recognized the eastern portion of the Nasu plain, the western third of Lake Myojin and the wide spine of the mighty Ping Tou mountains which separated them. To the south he spied the upper reaches of the Dune Sea and the lifeless salt lakes that populated it.
"First, the facts," Xian announced when they had taken their positions around the table. The ailing general produced a thin scroll, and handing the missive to the young commoner, asked softly, "Nikon, would you please read this aloud."
Nikon opened the scroll, cleared his throat and began.
"From the loyal Commander Ryu, 2nd Armored Division, to the noble Tien Shin, Daimyo of the Army of the Great Divide, I send greetings.
My lord, it has been three days since, after meeting token resistance at Highpass Hold, we captured the Meiji Pass and penetrated to the far side of the Ping Tou Mountains. I am pleased to report that after following the Jade Highway for almost five hundred leagues we have finally come to its termination where it joins with the Coast Road. Here, at long last, we caught our first glimpse of the western shore of mighty Lake Myojin. I tell you truly, lord, Lake Myojin is a wonder to behold. If I did not know better, I would swear this was the Eastern Ocean itself.
As planned, we have pivoted southward upon gaining the Coast Road. We briefly occupied two nameless seaside villages, but finding no inhabitants and nothing of value, at once proceeded further south. Yesterday our scouts came within view of our strategic objective for this stage of the campaign, the port city of Amiganza.
Approaching the city from the northwest the scouts found the city overrun with refugees. Both the Coast Road from the south and the road heading west to the southern passes of the Ping Tou Mountains were choked with a living river of men, women, children, wounded soldiers and every conceivable form of transport. All appear to be heading for the harbor in the hopes of obtaining passage to the eastern shore, presumably in an effort to gain the imagined safety of Ba Sing Se.
The road from the north was devoid of refugees, however, and given our experience in the two villages we briefly occupied, we believe that most of the population along the north shore has been evacuated. It seems from this that the enemy has received advance notice of our arrival and acted accordingly. This morning our belief in this matter was confirmed by an event of such importance that I felt immediate communication was necessary.
Last night we sent scouts around the city to try and survey the situation to the south. During the night one of the scouting parties encountered and killed an Earth Kingdom soldier bearing a message scroll from Wu Ti, General Nifong's Chief of Staff, to the Governor of Amiganza Province. I send you this captured communication for your inspection along with this report. I note that the enemy's intelligence is far better than we supposed since his assessment of our supply situation is basically accurate.
Yours in obedience,
Ryu
"Now this one," commanded Xian, handing Nikon a larger green scroll. The scroll's spine was adorned with a wooden cap on each end that bore the symbol of the Earth Kingdom. It was tied with a dark green ribbon. Nikon carefully untied the ribbon, opened the scroll, and began to read.
"I'm afraid the answer to your request, my Lord Governor, is still no. General Nifong is not impressed with your insults or your petty threats. He has bid me to encourage you to go ahead and report this "outrage" to the Earth King for all the good it will do you, and while he is impressed that a member of the Council of Five would ever leave the comfort of Ba Sing Se to see the real war, he would like to point out that General Xu has no more authority over him than you do.
As for the facts of the situation, we are well aware of Ryu's activities to the north. This is not important, however, since our intelligence indicates he has not been supplied in over 10 days. Without additional fuel his ability to threaten either Amiganza or our rear is low. Now that Daimyo Tien Shin has secured the bridgeheads across the Yoshi River, we are certain that the enemy's main thrust will be through the southern passes, and it is there we must concentrate our forces.
Sending troops to Amiganza would be a waste we cannot afford. You and General Xu do not need anymore bodyguards. If you are that afraid, get on the next boat to Ba Sing Se.
Wu Ti
Nikon's voice rose an octave in an expression of surprise as he finished reading the message. He lowered the scroll, his eyes wide in shock, and whistled loudly in spite of himself.
"Yes," remarked Xian as he nodded absent mindedly, "you're not kidding, my friend."
Gan, standing to Nikon's right, motioned for his friend to hand over the scroll.
"All right," asked Gan as he examined the paper closely, "I know what it says, but what does it mean?"
"That, dear colleagues," intoned Xian in a tired voice, "is the question we are here to answer."
The tent flaps rustled in the wind as silence descended on the group. Some exchanged worried glances.
Finally Chieng spoke, raising one hand in a slightly flippant gesture, "So? What's there to debate about? We send the armor and cavalry through the Meiji Pass and catch Nifong with his pants down from the rear. With Prince Iroh's infantry blocking their escape to the west they'd have no chance."
Gan put the scroll down on the table and observed in a controlled voice, "That's one interpretation. The obvious one."
"Again," Xian cut in, "that is the question we must consider. The message contains enough, barely enough, information to make a decision, but only if we believe it to be genuine. Is it real? Or is it a deception?"
Bristling, the engineer retorted, "I think Gan, as usual, overanalyzes. If it looks like a turtle duck and quacks like a turtle duck, then it is, in fact, a turtle duck," her golden eyes narrowing dangerously she addressed Gan, "You believe it's a fake. Why?"
"I think it may be fake. I don't know for sure," the Qu'ai Tau replied cautiously.
"So, the answer to my question is you have no evidence that it is fake?"
Annoyed, Gan replied hotly, "Of course I don't have evidence that it's fake, what the hell do you expect? Instant forensic analysis? Perhaps a bit of soothsaying?"
"Then your conclusion is baseless," she stated coldly.
Tien Shin laughed with quiet malice and said, "You have the makings of a good state prosecutor, Chieng, but the possibility of deceit must be considered."
One of the brigade commanders who Iroh recognized by sight, but not by name, picked up the scroll, read it quickly and commented, "Well, it's interesting to note that the tone is hardly complimentary of anyone. Also, the letter's undated and contains no greeting or preamble at all."
"I agree," Xian injected thoughtfully, "the letter seems genuine if only because it paints no one in a flattering light. Wu Ti comes across as an arrogant ass, the Governor as a whining incompetent, and Nifong as confident enough of his position to feel comfortable insulting a member of the Council of Five."
"Also," Iroh commented, echoing Xian's thoughtful tone, "As Ryu pointed out, they did reveal a key piece of intelligence we know to be accurate. Ryu cannot advance without receiving additional supplies," then, turning to address Xian directly, "If this is a deception, General, it is an exceptional one."
Xian locked eyes with his cousin and replied, "Would you expect anything less from Nifong?"
The question hung in the air, silent and deadly. No one was in doubt of the answer.
Breaking the silence, Gan queried, "Even if it is genuine, how do we know Nifong had anything to do with it? Who is this Wu Ti? He claims that Nifong instructed him to respond in this manner, but his claim isn't proof."
"No, it isn't," Xian agreed, "and all we know of Wu Ti is that he is, in fact, Nifong's Chief of Staff, or was six months ago when I was last briefed on the subject."
"How often does a member of the Council of Five leave Ba Sing Se?" asked Commander Tojo, one of Tien Shin's brigade leaders, "I don't remember that ever happening before."
"It's rare, but it does happen," answered Xian, "General Shu and I defeated one of the Council members on my first campaign."
"More to the point," Tien Shin interrupted in an undertone of annoyance, "The message reveals discord and conflict amongst the enemy, which is very credible given Nifong's infamously shaky relations with Ba Sing Se."
"Only if it's genuine," Xian replied.
"Yes," Tien Shin agreed, eyeing his commander, "if it's genuine, though I agree with Chieng, I see no reason to believe the message false other than it is, indeed, quite convenient."
"And that doesn't bother you?"
"It does, but I see no excuse for inaction."
"You seem to have made up your mind."
"I have," Tien Shin replied softly, but firmly after a slight pause.
"Why?"
"Think carefully, General," the daimyo replied in that measured and calculating tone that Iroh feared most, "What realistic choice do we have? What is our alternative? We have overlooked perhaps the most important fact revealed in this letter. Whether it is a fake or not, Nifong clearly knows what our current plan is. He expects me to attack through the southern passes, just as we planned. So, what other options do we have besides using the northern pass? I see two."
Tien Shin pointed to the desert region on the map and said, "One, march through the eastern expanse of the Dune Sea and round the Ping Tou at their termination far to the east of Mequon, and two, end the campaign now and consolidate our gains by pulling back and fortifying the Nasu."
"Neither is practical," he concluded with absolute confidence, "The former is suicide unless we magically develop the ability to drink salt water and can somehow instantly manufacture a dozen more tank trains to service the unbelievably long supply lines we'd create in the process. The latter would be in direct violation of the Fire Lord's order."
Xian sighed, cocked his head to one side and shifted his gaze to his cousin.
"Prince Iroh, what say you?"
Shocked to hear himself say the words, Iroh replied, "I agree with the daimyo. We can't go forward the way we planned, we can't go around, and we can't stay where we are."
"Unfortunately," Iroh continued, pointing to the rabbit's warren of trails that constituted the southern passes, "Even if the letter is genuine, the opportunity presented does not guarantee a swift, easy victory. Even if we succeed in engaging them unprepared from the rear and my infantry blocks the western end of the pass, we will still be fighting in what amounts to an enormous rock canyon. Hardly the most favorable ground. However, if we succeed in trapping Nifong there the probability of destroying him is high, even if our own losses are heavy."
"On the other hand," equivocated the Crown Prince, pointing now at the western shore of Lake Myojin, "if it is a trap, the lake shore is the only place for them to counterattack. The land there is relatively flat for thirty leagues before you get to the foot hills of the Ping Tou, so they'd be attacking us on very favorable ground. We've still got enough time left in the dry season for us to execute the whole operation with time to spare so we shouldn't have to worry about mud."
"Even if it is a trap, who cares?" Chieng asked in an exasperated tone, "They've failed to stop us so far and they've thrown everything they have at us. This is just the opportunity we've been waiting for, so let's not waste it."
"I don't know about that," Iroh objected gently, "Nifong's counterattack at Cam'ron was a failure in part because he did not commit the bulk of his forces to it."
"So what?" the engineer retorted with a curt gesture of dismissal, "The fact remains that he engaged our armor and lost – badly, and if he learned anything from the failure we sure haven't seen it."
Iroh shrugged his shoulders and declined to rebut the argument. After a few moments of silence, Xian turned to Nikon, who had not yet spoken.
"Nikon?"
The young commoner looked quickly over at Iroh, who regarded him with an encouraging smile, then to Tien Shin, who did not.
"Well?" Tien Shin prodded coldly when Nikon did not answer immediately.
Addressing Xian, the young tank commander replied in a slow and deliberate voice, "Cam'ron taught me the value of caution, General, and the daimyo has impressed upon me many times and in many different ways the value of information and the power of deception," he hesitated a moment and stole another glance at Iroh before concluding, "I agree with Gan. I believe the message is false and that this is a trap, but I have nothing more than my intuition to support it."
Chieng made a sound of disgust, while Xian nodded solemnly and said, "Thank you, Commander."
"We have asked the question whether we believe this captured message to be genuine or not," Tien Shin retorted indirectly, "but I submit that this question has no practical value. As Chieng pointed out, we have no reason to believe it is not genuine, and therefore we have no choice, General, but to act upon it," Tien Shin concluded with the cold, deadly finality of a jail cell slamming shut, "If you fail to act, the Fire Lord will hold you accountable for allowing such an opportunity to pass."
Xian turned reluctantly to meet his subordinate's eyes, read the implicit threat that lay there, and accepted his fate.
"The die is cast then," the exhausted General concluded heavily, "We will attack. Tien Shin, prepare the mobile forces for immediate departure. We make for the Meiji Pass."
