Ch 5 the bad news
"We ready?" Isoroku asked.
"The fleet's ready to launch." His aid said.
"Good. Set course for the fire nation blockade."
The Yamato and her two escorts left the bay, and headed straight towards the fire nation, the plan of launching a full scale attack and destroying as many fire nation ships as they could in the first strike.
At the blockade, admiral Zhao was on his flagship, eager for revenge against the unknown warship. He looked thru his telescope waiting for the unknown warships. Today, they would fall.
Yamamoto looked thru his binoculars, seeing nothing open sea. He scanned the skies out of habit rather than necessity. No country in this world had airpower.
"A bison?" Yamamoto asked, seeing Appa.
"Sir?"
"Take a look." Yamamoto said,
The officer looked thru the binocular, and saw a flying Bison.
"That looks familiar." The officer said.
On the bison, Sokka and Katara were shitting themselves, seeing Zuko's ship, and the Yamato.
"Aang, we got a shitload of problems!" Katara shouted.
"What the hell?" Aang shouted, seeing the Japanese warships heading towards the fire nation blockade.
"Aang, we got incoming!" Sokka shouted, pointing to Zuko getting ready to fire a fireball at them.
The flaming round soared from the catapult, almost hitting Appa.
"We need to get out range before-" Katara said, but was drowned by the blasts of the Yamato's 18 inch guns.
"Fire everything we have them." Yamamoto ordered, as his ships positioned themselves diagonally, bringing their guns to bear on the fire nation fleet.
"Focus everything on that fleet heading towards us." Zhao said.
Once again, a naval battle of biblical proportions occurred. Fireballs crashed on the heavily armored ships, doing zero damage. 18 inch high explosive shells and long lance torpedoes ripped apart fire nation cruisers and battleships.
"Admiral, our attack is going to plan." The XO said.
"And I'm going to change the plan. Tell the destroyers and cruisers to continue the attack. Harass the fire nation ships as long as they can. Once they run out of torpedoes and high explosives, head back to base." Yamamoto said.
"What about us?"
"We're to follow the Avatar. He wouldn't come to the fire nation for no sane reason." Yamamoto said.
Zhao watched in fury and anger, as the Yamato punched thru the blockade, blasting fire nation ships at will, and headed straight after the Avatar. And he was powerless to travel after him. Being forced to deal with the destroyers and cruisers now wrecking his blockade, he let Zuko slip by.
"I'm going after the Avatar." Zhao said, ignoring that his fleet was currently being turned into a funeral pyre.
"Sir, what about that big warship, and prince Zuko?" an officer asked.
"Zuko is no threat. He's a fool to come here. But that big ship I'm working on. For now, I'll stay out of their range." Zhao said.
Yamamoto looked thru his binoculars at the lone fire nation battleship trailing his ship. And Zhao was well out of range in the Yamato's guns. He turned back forward and saw the bison heading in one direction.
Where are you going?
Appa landed at Roku's temple, tired and exhausted from the flight.
"We better move. That ship could be here any minute." Katara said.
As the gang entered the temple, the Yamato found the island and maintained a blocking position. Yamamoto headed to the ships armory and stocked up on some grenades, a pistol, a carbine, and plenty of ammo.
"I'm going inside. Make sure the fire nation doesn't attack here." Yamamoto said.
Yamamoto went inside the temple, hearing some footsteps. He quickly hid behind a pillar, and watched as 5 fire sages ran, going after the Avatar.
"The Avatar is here. I saw him." One of the sages said.
Yamamoto followed the sages, waiting for the right moment to strike, but he didn't find it. He stuck to the shadows and followed them as they approached a room which had several pillars inside, opposite of a highly decorated door.
Yamamoto hid behind a pillar, and did a double take when he saw Katara and Sokka hiding behind the pillars. Shyu suddenly attacked one of the sages, prompting Katara and Sokka to do the same, capturing the rest of the sages.
"Aang, now!" Katara said.
Aang sprang from his pillar and ran at full tilt past the doors. With Aang safe inside, Yamamoto proceeded to kill the remaining sages, except Shyu.
"Admiral?" Sokka asked.
"Nice to see you again. And what are you doing here?" Yamamoto asked.
"Aang needed to talk to Avatar Roku, his predecessor." Katara said.
Yamamoto took a look at the dead sages and grabbed one.
"Help me hide the bodies." He said.
On the Yamato, the bridge crew saw via radar and sonar 8 fire nation ships heading towards them.
"Why only eight?"
"Doesn't matter. Kill them."
The Yamato fired her guns, taking out 7 of the ships. Zhao evaded the barrage, and went back to the blockade, not wanting to fight. The crew waited on edge, wondering what was going on at the temple.
Inside the temple, they waited inside, waiting for Aang to finish communicating with Roku. So Katara and Sokka talked to Yamamoto.
"What have you been doing since we left Kyoshi island?" Sokka asked.
"Carrying hit and run attacks against the fire nation. Today, we launched a full scale strike against their blockade." Yamamoto said.
"Yeah. We noticed." Sokka said.
The doors opened, and Avatar Aang came out, a quiet look on his face.
"Aang, is everything alright?" Katara asked.
"I'm fine. Lets go." Aang said.
Shyu elected to stay at the temple, knowing it was a death sentence. As the gang left the island on Appa, Yamamoto headed back to his warship, and sailed out of there.
As he headed to earth kingdom waters, he wondered why Aang risked him and his friend's lives to head to the fire nation. What did Roku tell him?
"Aang, what are you thinking?" Sokka asked.
"We should tell them." Aang said, looking down on the Yamato.
"If you think it's right…." Sokka said.
Aang flew towards the battleship via glider and landed on one of the deck guns. The sheer size of the weapon compared to him seared itself in the young Avatar's mind. Aang wondered just how powerful these people were, to have only 5 ships that were capable of destroying the fire navy outright.
Using airbending, Aang jumped to the bridge of the ship and walked inside, earning a few death glares from the crew.
"Aang, we need to talk." Yamamoto said.
Yamamoto closed the door to his quarters and locked it. He faced Aang, with a furious look.
"You make me understand. Why did you come to the fire nation?" Yamamoto asked.
"Avatar Roku told me about the comet." Aang said.
"What comet?" Yamamoto asked.
"Sozin's comet. Roku said he used its power to launch the attack in the first year of the war. Now, 100 years later, it'll come back. Firelord Ozai will use the comet's power to end the war. He'll be unstoppable." Aang said.
"That changes everything. I'll have to hit the fire nation hard and fast. God help us all." Yamamoto said.