A.N.: Thank you for the Reviews! I love reader feedback. I even went back and edited some things in chapter one. And now… Chapter two! (Yes, the title is corny but it fits oh so well, hehe…)

Chapter Two: Rock and Awe

Three days had passed since the great procession had marched to the Royal Palace of Ba Sing Se and things seemed to be going exactly as planned.

The flag of the Earth Kingdom was brought down and laid as a doormat upon the steps of the Royal Palace so that anyone entering or leaving through the main entrance would tread upon the flag of the Nation's enemy. A massive black and red Fire Nation flag was raised in its place and the national anthem was sung as it took to the air.

With the great honor of being part of Governor Yung's personal guard Zhi and his unit had been given a now unused area; formally the sleeping quarters for, only, a small number of the Royal Palace's serving staff. However, since the cities fall and the taking of the Palace to serve as the headquarters to the new Provincial Fire Nation government; many of the servants had been expelled.

The Palace itself was massive; filled with a thousand rooms, hundreds of hallways, galleries and even an extensive menagerie, home to the former King's collection of rare and exotic animals.

The former servants' quarters were far up on the Palace's fourth story and consisted of two large rooms that opened to a long, exposed hallway. The left side: a plain wall and to the right a chest high wall that overlooked the long four story drop, like one long balcony. If one stood at the wall they would be treated to an expansive view of the city and the gentle breeze that swept into the hallway.

Pm. Zhi had brought with him a small flag of his native country and had proudly draped it over the chest high wall, securing it with a few bits of string to a rain gutter that ran its length. To anyone down below, the flag would be clearly visible against the earthy tones of the Palace wall.

The two rooms that would serve as the troop's new home were spacious with large tables in the centers and wooden bunk beds that were positioned along the perimeter of each room. The floors were covered with large ornate stone patterns forming the green circle with the square in the center; the symbol of the Earth Kingdom.

The soldiers had settled in well despite the delayed arrival their personal possessions, the Palace was quite an improvement over the small tents that had served as their sleeping quarters before the fall of the city.

Zhi had quickly picked himself out a comfortable looking bottom bunk along the center of the wall near a brazier. He enjoyed reading and the light source would allow him to see once the sun had passed out of view the room's entrance.

He'd slept very well the first night and was surprised at how soft the bunk was. It was believed in the Fire Nation that 'in the Earth Kingdom, beds are as hard as rocks.' The delivery of his duffel bag helped to further make the young soldier at home.

It was a generally accepted practice to have the soldiers' personal items shipped in separately when entering a new area of occupation. Troops with weapons bared and marching in step were far more intimidating than troops lugging their things around on their backs.

Zhi had already placed his Guan Dao against the wall beside his bunk, just within arms reach. His sword and its strap he set beneath the bunk, also easily accessible at a moment's notice, though he wasn't at all worried that something might happen.

The young soldier had one more, small, weapon in his arsenal; a three inch knife with a wooden handle that he kept in a small pouch strapped around the lower part of his right leg and concealed beneath the shin guard of his boot. Zhi knew most soldiers carried a small knife of some sort, but he felt his was special; it had been a gift from his father and he rarely went anywhere without it.

When he had received his duffel bag Zhi had quickly unpacked; he'd set a small framed picture of his family at the head of his bunk on the edge of its wooden frame, smiling at the sight of those he missed. He also retrieved his current book, laying it upon the bed. Zhi left his bed robes and extra clothing folded in his bag which he stowed beneath the bunk with the sword.

With three days and two nights passed as a resident of the Palace, things had become routine for Zhuk's Third General Infantry Platoon. They'd conducted one drill and had traded off patrol and guard duties with another Platoon quartered on the other side of the Palace, work that left them with much free time.

Some of Zhi's fellow soldiers explored the Palace while others had gone down into Ba Sing Se to see the city and take advantage of its services. Some had stayed in the bunk rooms and read or slept and Zhi was certain that the Pai Sho addict Corporal Huế was relieving other soldiers of their pay in the adjacent bunk room.

Zhi had been on the morning patrol shift and had seen a great deal of the Palace before returning to the bunks for midday meal. The food was better than average, now that the Army's mess service personnel actually had real kitchens to work out of.

But he couldn't help thinking what it would have been like to have food prepared by the former Earth King's cooks. Zhi knew this was an impossibility as it was forbidden to have the soldiers' food prepared by those under occupation, the threat of being poisoned was said to be "too high to take chances."

After eating, Zhi found himself a pen, some ink and a piece of paper with official looking Earth Kingdom Royal Palace borders at its edges. This will be perfect for a letter home, thought Zhi, as he started his letter. He made certain to describe the great city and the Palace and promised, in the coming days, to find a special gift for his younger sister who would soon be entering a Firebending academy as she'd proven herself to be quite gifted.

Zhi let his family know how well he was doing and how the occupation was progressing, he finished up wishing them love and reassured them that he would write again in the next few days. After finding a suitable envelope and addressing it to his home back in the Fire Nation's westernmost province, he dropped it into the outgoing mail bag by the door.

The young soldier strode back to his bed and sat down with his back against the wall, snatching up his book he began to read. He was interrupted however when the fellow occupying the bunk above him, a new addition to the unit whom Zhi figured was even younger than himself, leaned over the side of the bunk and questioned Zhi.

"What're you reading there?" asked the new addition, whose name was Ning.

Zhi looked up from his page and held up the novel. "Oh, this? It's sort've an adventure science fiction story. This guy makes a giant machine that flies, it's got big wings that flap and they're powered by this big old steam engine. Anyway, he goes off in search of this lost city in the mountains that everyone thinks is a myth."

"Dose he find the city?" asked Ning, curiously.

Zhi grinned, "Not sure yet, I'm only a third of the way into the book. But I bet he will, considering how these books usually turn out."

Ning appeared to be ready to ask another question when three other soldiers burst into the bunk room. "We're back! Sergeant Zhuk, we're back from the city!" called one of the soldiers.

Zhuk sat up in his bunk where he'd been asleep and rubbed his eyes. "You could've told me when I woke up, soldier," said the Sergeant in his usual, less than pleased tone.

The ever curious Ning sat back up on his bunk and faced their comrades. "What were you guys up to in the city?"

Zhi dog-eared the page he was on and set his book aside to listen. The lead soldier whom Zhi recognized as a Corporal chuckled at Ning. "Why, we visited the finest brothel in the upper ring!"

"Oh," Ning replied and was silent; Zhi figured he was rather embarrassed discussing such a subject.

The two other soldiers went to their bunks while the Corporal strode arrogantly up the center of the room. "Zhi," said the Corporal eyeing the young Polearmsman, "you ought to give your book there a rest and join us in the city next time, there're good times to be had for little coin," he said smirking.

Zhi cleared his throat. "Oh.. I couldn't, I just.. you know?" The Corporal furrowed his brow and let out a chuckle.

"Know what? You've got a girl back home or something, tryin' to stay faithful or somethin? It's not like she's ever gonna find out."

"Well, no, I haven't. But.. I'm.. just rather shy.. around women," replied Zhi, trying to choose he words carefully. This brought forth roaring chuckles from many of the soldiers in the room as well as grumbling from Sergeant Zhuk who rolled over on his bunk and covered his head with his pillow.

"You, shy?" asked one of the other soldiers. Zhi only grinned nervously. "You should hear his stories… and hell, don't get him started on "the economical ramification" of this or that. Nearly impossible to get him to shut up once you've got him going," said another grinning and Zhi and shaking his head.

Zhi chuckled and stood up from his bunk, he knew the others liked mess with him from time to time. "Well, consider this," Zhi began, a smirk on his face, "there're nearly one million people in this city, in other words, a million consumers who'll soon be buying mass produced Fire Nation goods…" There was a collective groan from the soldiers occupying the bunk room.

The young soldier grinned and shook his head. "Alright, alright. Think I'm going to go see Corporal Huế for a round of Pai Sho next door."

"Good luck!" said Ning, calling after him. Zhi turned and nodded back before turning out into the hallway.

He approached the edge of the wall and peered down at the four story drop to the court yard below, a shiver going up his spine at the sight. Zhi had a terrible fear of heights but the view of the city was far too impressive not to stop and have a look.

The sun was setting on the other side of the Palace and its last rays fell upon the city before Zhi. He had to admit, it was a beautiful city.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

A few miles outside of Ba Sing Se a caravan of Fire Nation supply wagons moved forward along a dirt road toward the city. The caravan was lead by an old veteran Quartermaster by the name of Zou who'd been a member of the Army's logistics services since he'd joined up nearly twenty years earlier.

It would be his second run from the Fire Nation's new supply port, near the Serpent's Pass, to Ba Sing Se and he was still rather unsure of the route, despite the maps he'd been provided.

There was a sign post up ahead indicating a left turn to reach the breach in the city's wall and Zou ordered the caravan to turn. The veteran reached into his pocket and removed a pocket watch on a chain, with a quick look at the watch's face he grinned, they were making excellent time.

The wall soon came into view and one of the Rhino drivers sitting at the front of Zou's wagon pointed out that the wall looked rather strange.

Zou acquired a spy glass from one of his soldiers and took a good look at the length of the wall; his grin turned immediately to a scowl, the breach was nowhere in sight.

The Quartermaster quickly halted the caravan and sent two of his best riders back to the sign post. They returned shortly and reported that the sign post appeared to have been switched around. Something, Zou knew, was very wrong.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Back at the Palace, young Zhi had taken some time to admire the great city before making his way into the second bunk room where Corporal Huế was trying to convince a few other soldiers that he would "go easy on them" if they played a round.

It didn't appear to Zhi that the street-smart Corporal was very successful in attracting a new victim for his prized White Jade Tile offense to clobber.

The young Polearmsman wasn't much of a Pai Sho player but a round every now and then could be fun, even if it usually cost him a bit of his pay. Huế turned around in his chair to face Zhi as he crossed the threshold into the bunk room from the hall. "Wanna try your hand, Zhi?"

"Sounds fine, Corporal," replied Zhi taking a seat at the opposite end of the table, the Pai Sho mat was already arranged before him. "C'mon now, you don't need to address me by rank, just call me Huế," said the Corporal in a friendly tone.

"Alright, Huế, lets see what you've got," replied Zhi taking a few coins out of a pouch attached to his belt and stacking them on the table.

A few other soldiers lingered around and watched game that went on as expected; Huế had won the last three rounds and the money Zhi had brought was quickly added to the Corporal's stack. "Why don't you bet that silly necklace there?" asked Huế pointing at the pendant hanging around Zhi's neck.

Zhi held the pendant in his hand, peering down at it for a moment. "Not a chance," he said with a smile, "it's my good luck charm." Huế rolled his eyes, "Alright then, I'm not one to part a man from his good luck," replied the Corporal. A lot of luck it had brought Zhi during the games, Huế had thought.

"Would you like to hear the story of how I got this?" asked Zhi, his eyes lighting up. Huế chuckled, "I've heard it, Zhi, I've heard it." The Corporal scooped up the Pai Sho tiles on the mat and placed them in a pouch upon his belt, then rolled up the mat itself.

"Good games though, you're improving," said Corporal Huế, rising from his chair. Zhi was about to respond when a man dressed in the green robes of the Dai Li walked calmly into the bunk room.

Huế turned around and gave the intruder a questioning look, "What do you think you're doing, coming in here?" asked the Corporal. The man gave him a cold look and spoke calmly, "Would you please step out into the hallway with me for a moment, Corporal?"

Huế set his Pai Sho mat on the table and walked coolly out into the hallway. Zhi watched as the two men conversed in front of the bunk room's entrance. The Dai Li Agent said something quietly to Huế and the Corporal's expression changed from one of certainty to that of anger.

"If you really expect us to hand over our weapons, you've got another thing coming," said Corporal Huế jabbing his finger into the Agent's chest to emphasize his point.

"I expected as much," muttered the Agent, before stepping back and out of Zhi's range of view through the entrance.

Corporal Huế never had a chance to get out of the way, his arm still extended, finger pointing forward, the look on is face changed to one of shock. Zhi watched, unable to act as a sharp cone-shaped fragment of stone struck Huế in the side sending him spinning sideways against the wall next to the bunk room's entrance.

Pai Sho tiles skittered across the stone floor and some came to rest in the entrance way. Three Dai Li Agents leapt forward landing before the threshold where Corporal Huế had once stood. Zhi sprung out of his chair and, catching the pointed up-turned toe of his boot under the edge of the table, flipped the piece of furniture onto its side in an attempt to block the Dai Li Agents.

The overturned table did little to stop the Agent's advance and they had quickly launched another large chunk of the stone floor at the barrier. Zhi clumsily leapt out of the way as the rock smashed through the table sending splinters of wood flying.

By now the other soldiers in the room had leapt into action. Zhi slid across the stone floor and scrambled to his feet, he would need to get into the next room to get his Guan Dao and sword if he were to have any chance at aiding his comrades.

The cry pierced the air, Zhi was unsure who had shouted but it didn't matter now. "We're under attack!"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Across the Palace grounds there lay the Ba Sing Se Prison, constructed on orders from Long Feng years before as a "Solution to the growing crime epidemic in the city that threatened the rule of the Earth King."

In reality the prison was built to hold those who questioned the Grand Secretariat and his Agents, political prisoners who had spoken out against the Government and a few others who had found themselves imprisoned due to the actions of the Fire Nation's ruthless Princess.

On the whole, the prison had been left in the hands of the Dai Li, as the Fire Nation had little interest in the prisoners kept there and its day to day operation had not changed since the city's fall.

The prison was quite large and contained many cells, the majority of which had yet to be filled. The cells were typically small but the inner ones were by far the worst; eight by eight feet with no bed or any real place to sleep and no light source besides torches that were spaced along the wall outside the cells.

The inner cells did not have real walls separating them, only two sets of bars at each side that acted a barrier between neighboring cells. The rear wall was solid metal and the front one, also consisting of bars, had a door built in. Despite the attempts to cut down on material costs using mainly barred walls, the prison was the largest all-metal structure in the city.

In one of these inner cells resided a single captive. No other inmates were kept in that particular block and the only visitors the young captive received were the occasional guards passing by or the arrival of her meager twice-a-day meals.

The girl herself appeared to be roughly fifteen or sixteen with reddish-brown hair that appeared matted and unwashed. She wore a filthy and ripped brown robe with a bit of rope tied around her waist and lacked shoes. Her face was smeared with the remnants of full-face white makeup.

Her blue eyes stared into the passageway before her cell with a distant look, red and black eye-liner had run down and given her the appearance of one who had cried dark blood, the dried red trails had stained her cheeks. Around her mouth a red lip pigment was smeared with actual dried blood as well.

She was a far cry from the valiant warrioress who'd trained and led the island of Kyoshi's all-female warrior group. Inspired by a visit from the Avatar they'd ended their island's isolationism and had sought to aid the Earth Kingdom in their fight against the Fire Nation.

The Warrioress had met up with the Avatar and his companions a second time, including a water tribe boy whom she'd developed some feelings for, but they had soon gone their separate ways again. Sometime later she and her group of female warriors had found the Avatar's flying bison and then encountered that demon of a Princess from the Fire Nation.

The horrors that had followed their defeat and capture were memories the young warrioress fought to put out of her mind; at least she knew the Avatar's bison had escaped unharmed. But what would become of her now she could not say.

Suki had no idea that, in the next few hours, she would no longer be alone.

A.N.: Wow! That was a lot longer than I thought it would be.. I just kept getting new ideas! And I'm sorry if I ended it on yet another cliffhanger, it just seems that's how it turned out. Anyways, I hope all who read this new chapter enjoy it and.. please review! Gives me motivation to get to work on the next chapter!

Edits: Thanks once again to the keen eye of PetertheChameleon, I've re-read this chapter several times and made a number of corrections!

Preview: Chaos ensues as the attack unfolds! Perhaps our hero and heroine will meet, how will that turn out?