A/N: Wow, over 100 reviews for this story. I'd like to thank everyone that's been patient with me and still reading this story.
Chapter 14: Missions and Motives
For nearly two weeks, Katara counted down the days until the solar eclipse. The Fire Nation capital prepared for the invasion, recalling soldiers from across the nation to aid in the defense. Nobles in the city either left the island or prepared personal bunkers beneath the city. At a moment's notice the entire city could be evacuated, and the Fire Lord could command the army from inside the island's volcano.
Extra security was placed around the capital prison, just in case spies tried to locate the Avatar. But they never noticed Toph earthbending a tunnel underneath the prison, leading directly to the palace. She worked slowly over the weeks to prevent anyone from hearing the earth move beneath them. With only one day left until the invasion Toph finished her work on the tunnel, allowing Katara to visit Aang without having to sneak past the guards.
Beneath Aang's cell, Toph metalbended the cell floor into a trapdoor. When Toph was almost done she felt Katara approach through the tunnel. Katara was carrying a hot meal on a tray for Aang, using her firebending to keep the food warm.
"What's on the menu?" Toph asked.
"Rice, fresh bread, and some hot peppers" Katara answered. With the tray in one hand and a blue flame in the other Katara looked up at Toph's work. "Is everything ready?"
"Yup. I can get in and get Aang out without anyone hearing a thing" Toph bragged.
"Good" Katara said. "Once Aang's out and through this tunnel you'll have to break out Sokka and Iroh the old fashioned way."
"About time I get to bust some heads" Toph said, punching a fist into her palm.
"I'm sure you'll have fun with that" Katara said. "Can you open the door please."
"Sure" Toph said. She reached up to metalbend the door open and slowly lower it down on new hinges. Then she stomped her foot on the ground to earthbend a stone ladder for Katara to climb up. "There you go."
"Thanks" Katara said. She climbed up the ladder into Aang's cell. When she caught a glimpse of Aang's condition she didn't speak for a moment.
"What is it?" Aang asked.
"You have hair" Katara said.
Aang ran his fingers through the short hair on his head. "The guards won't let me shave it off" Aang complained. "I didn't even notice it growing until after your last visit."
"I'm sorry it took so long for me to get back here" Katara said, handing over the food to Aang. "I've been busy preparing for the invasion."
"So what's the plan?" Aang asked.
Katara pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket and unfolded it into a small map. "This will lead you to the Fire Lord's secret bunker beneath the palace" Katara said. "Just wait outside the bunker doors until you can't firebend anymore, and you should have no problem defeating him."
"Is there anything else I need to know before the invasion?" Aang asked while eating some rice.
"Yes, we have a bit of a problem" Katara said. "The other day I had to inspect some minister's project."
"I'm not going to like where this is is going, am I?" Aang asked, taking a bite out of the bread.
"Aang, they're building airships" Katara said.
Immediately Aang started choking on the bread he was chewing on. After taking a moment to clear his throat he said "What!"
"Remember that balloon Sokka and the Mechanist used back at the Northern Air Temple?" Katara asked. "Well the Fire Nation recovered it after the crash and went nuts with the idea."
"This is bad, this is very bad" Aang said.
"I'll do what I can to keep those ships on the ground for as long as possible" Katara said. "You just focus on defeating the Fire Lord."
"Okay" Aang said. He finished his meal and handed the tray back to Katara.
"I should be going" Katara said. "There's a war meeting today and it will look suspicious if I don't show up on time."
Katara climbed down the ladder into the tunnel. Toph shut the trapdoor and metalbended it to appear invisible from above. Katara placed the map she showed Aang beneath the trapdoor for him to find. With Aang up to date on the plan, Katara walked through the tunnel to attend the war meeting.
OOOOOOOOOO
In a stolen canoe Azula, Ursa, and Haru sailed across the Fire Nation seas. Azula was bending the water around the canoe, propelling it as fast as she could without tipping it over. But with the seas stretching out to every horizon, it appeared that they weren't making any distance at all. The only thing keeping Azula on course for the capital was the morning sun behind her, and that they would inevitably reach the capital island by simply heading east.
While watching Azula waterbend, Haru was sitting in the back of the canoe. He was bored with how long the trip was taking. "Are we there yet?" he asked.
"No" Ursa said, not bothering to look away from polishing her green oni mask.
"Are we there yet?" Haru asked again.
"No" Azula said, still focusing on her bending.
"Are we there yet?" Haru asked yet again.
"No" Ursa and Azula said at the same time.
"Are we..."
"YES!" Azula said, spotting an island on the horizon.
An hour later the canoe reached the island. Most of the coast was steep cliffs and a small beach in a bay. Haru earthbended a ledge at the bottom of a cliff and used it to elevate everyone to the top. Exhausted from the waterbending, Azula let herself collapse onto the grass on the island. To Haru's disappointment, the island was uninhabited except for wild koala-sheep.
"Where are we?" Haru asked.
Ursa looked around, examining the vegetation and the koala-sheep. "I think this is the Black Cliffs" Ursa said. "If we had a proper ship we could reach the capital in a few hours from here."
"Just let me rest for a bit and we'll head out" Azula said. "The eclipse is tomorrow and we can't afford to miss it."
"So what's the plan?" Haru asked.
"I don't know yet" Azula admitted. I'll have to ditch you at some point she thought. Azula knew that Haru would never cooperate with her once he knew her true intentions.
OOOOOOOOOO
High above the clouds, a sky bison flew with the winds out of the northeast. Appa was flying faster than normal, only carrying the burden of one passenger instead of the usual four. In Appa's saddle Suki guided him, but was bored out of her mind. With nothing better to do during the long flight, Suki examined a small glass vial she kept on a string around her neck.
The Northern Water Tribe had welcomed Suki into their city when they recognized Appa. Despite disappointment among the people when they didn't see the Avatar, they allowed her to stay for a few days. Chief Arnook had been skeptical when Suki explained what happened to Katara, but acknowledged that the properties of spirit water had never been tested. He allowed Suki to take one vial of spirit water, and wouldn't let her have any more unless the Avatar asked him directly.
"Who would think something so plain can cause so much trouble?" Suki said to herself.
Appa roared, as though he agreed with Suki.
"You miss Aang, don't you?" Suki asked.
Appa grunted and nodded his head.
Suki looked over the edge of Appa's saddle, observing the expanse of ocean in all directions. "I just wish I knew where we were supposed to meet up with Aang" she said.
With a short snort, Appa just kept flying.
"Nobody tells you anything either" Suki said. She pulled out a map from Sokka's green bag he left with her for safekeeping. The map had been crudely drawn by Zuko before Suki left the others behind. On it was the location of an island Hakoda was supposed to launch the invasion from. "I guess we'll just meet up with Hakoda and see what happens."
Appa gradually descended from the high altitude, giving Suki a better view of where they were. She spotted an island in the distance with steep cliffs and a bay. There weren't any other islands in sight, just like map indicated. "This must be the place" Suki muttered.
OOOOOOOOOO
The war meeting in the palace had been scheduled to begin in the late morning, and Katara had arrived exactly when she was expected. For some reason Katara couldn't fathom, Zuko didn't arrive on time and the Fire Lord refused to start the meeting until Zuko showed up. A servant was sent out to find Zuko and escort him to the meeting, and when he arrived around noon the meeting began properly.
Katara was sitting at Ozai's left while Zuko's seat was at Ozai's right. There were eight generals sitting around a large map of the Earth Kingdom, all having to look up at the Fire Lord. The generals had wanted to start the meeting on schedule, but knew better than to object to Ozai's desire for Zuko to be present. Once Zuko had bowed to Ozai and taken his seat the Fire Lord started the war meeting.
"General Shinu, your report" Ozai said.
"Thank you sir" Shinu said. He stood up and started walking around the map. "As we speak our forces are massing on Ba Sing Se's very doorstep. The Earth Kingdom's new leader has withdrawn nearly all Earth Kingdom forces from the rest of the continent, abandoning it in favor of protecting that single stronghold."
"What is your recommendation?" Ozai asked.
"They're up to something, concentrating all of their forces in one place" Shinu said. "Our scouts haven't been able to locate their soldiers once they retreated behind the wall nearly three weeks ago. I recommend that we use our airships to bypass the walls and crush Ba Sing Se immediately after the eclipse passes."
Ozai gave a slight nod, then turned his head towards Katara. "Azula, you've been inside Ba Sing Se. What do you suspect their plan is?"
With all eyes on her, Katara quickly made up something she thought would sound convincing. "It's a trap. Having their entire army in one location makes an appealing target, but they want us to attack when they are at their best."
"A final stand for the Earth Kingdom, to inflict as many casualties as they can before they perish" Ozai said. He turned his head to his right. "Prince Zuko, you've been among the Earth Kingdom commoners. Would a victory over such a stand end their defiance?"
"The people of the Earth Kingdom are proud and strong" Zuko said. "They can endure anything, as long as they have hope."
"Yes, you're right" Ozai said. "We need to destroy their hope."
"Well that's not exactly what I meant" Zuko said.
"It's not like we can simply burn it all to the ground" Katara said sarcastically.
"Actually, that's not a bad idea" Ozai said. He stood up and slowly walked towards the map. "Sozin's Comet is almost upon us, and on that day it will endow us with the strength and power of hundred suns. No bender will stand a chance against us."
"What are you suggesting sir?" Shinu asked from the other side of the map.
With all eyes on him, Ozai continued his monologue. "When the Comet last came my grandfather, Fire Lord Sozin, used it to wipe out the Air Nomads. Now I will use it to wipe out the Earth Kingdom, permanently."
Ozai stepped onto the map, stopping in the middle with the generals all around him. "From our airships we will rain fire over their lands. A fire that will destroy everything, and out of the ashes a new world will be born. A world in which all the lands are Fire Nation, and I am the supreme ruler of everything."
Katara couldn't hide the horror she felt during Ozai's declaration, but only Zuko took his eyes off Ozai to see it. What have I done? Katara thought over and over, guilt stricken for making a comment that sparked a potential genocide.
OOOOOOOOOO
While Azula rested from her efforts earlier, Ursa made a stew out of a koala-sheep. Haru practiced his earthbending alone while Ursa cooked, leaving her alone with Azula. Bored out of her mind, Azula found nothing better to do than talk with Ursa.
"Do you have anything in mind for when we arrive?" Azula asked.
"I have to make things right" Ursa answered.
"And how would you do that?" Azula asked.
Ursa turned her attention away from her cooking to look at her green oni mask. "I've been hiding for too long" she said.
"You didn't have much of a choice" Azula said. "Father takes banishment seriously."
"I should have been there for you" Ursa said.
"Yes you should have" Azula said. She sat up to look at Ursa. "Do you know what you'll have to do?"
"Agni Kai" Ursa stated, turning back to her cooking. "It's the only way I can make your father let me stay now."
"You would lose" Azula said. She knew how powerful Ozai was, and no one could beat him in firebending. More than once Azula had wondered if she could do it, but knew that even with her old body she wasn't strong enough to pull it off. "He would kill you."
"Not before I make my point to him" Ursa said. Using a ladle she sampled the koala-sheep stew, judging it to be ready.
"What could you possibly say to him in the middle of a fight?" Azula asked.
"The fight itself will be the point" Ursa said, pouring some of the stew into a bowl. "It was how I met your father."
"You met him in an Agni Kai?" Azula asked while taking the bowl from Ursa. "I thought your marriage was an arranged one."
"You're uncle's marriage was arranged, being the firstborn" Ursa corrected. "Ozai wanted someone that had strong firebending to pass on to his heirs."
"Someone like you" Azula asked, then ate some of her stew.
Ursa filled another bowl of stew for herself. "He used to hold private Agni Kais, fighting any woman that wanted to marry him. My brother found out about them and pressured me to try."
"And you won" Azula said, finishing her stew.
"No" Ursa corrected. "But I almost did, and that was enough to satisfy him." She ate a bit of the stew. "If I'm right, another Agni Kai will remind him of the better times we had back then. Of what he was like before he became Fire Lord."
"What if it doesn't work?" Azula asked.
Ursa hesitated to speak, just long enough for her to notice a shadow pass between her and Azula. Looking up she spotted the underside of a six legged beast above them. "What in the world?" Ursa wondered.
Azula turned her attention upward, and recognized the sky bison. She could see it descending towards the farther side of the island, ignorant of the people beneath it. "Why is that thing here?" Azula questioned.
"You know what it is?" Ursa asked, having never seen a sky bison before.
"It's the Avatar's bison" Azula answered. "But if the Avatar is at the capital, then who's guiding it here?"
OOOOOOOOOO
Suki brought Appa down for a landing on the far side of the island, near some bushes for Appa to graze on. Once they were on the ground Suki jumped out of the saddle and walked beside Appa, stretching her limbs after the long flight. While Appa ate the bushes Suki chewed on some seal jerky she brought from the North Pole, wondering what to do until Hakoda arrived.
"One of these days I'm going to have to tie up Sokka and make him tell me everything that's going on" Suki said.
Appa grunted and resumed his grazing.
"Look at me, talking to something that can't talk back" Suki said. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "I should have brought someone from the North Pole with us."
Appa looked at Suki and shook his head.
"You're smarter than you look, aren't you?" Suki asked.
Appa didn't respond, but walked over to a fresh bush.
"I need someone that can talk back" Suki said.
Suddenly Appa stopped grazing and sniffed the air. Before Suki could wonder what scent Appa found she felt a faint ripple shake through the ground, so small that she would have missed it if she was having a proper conversation. Appa followed the scent he found, leading Suki towards the center of the island. As they walked Suki noticed the vibrations grow stronger, but lack a distinct pattern. Walking around a small hill Suki found the source of the vibrations, a teenager earthbending boulders into the side of the hill.
"Hello there" Suki said, startling the stranger.
"Who are..." he started to say, but then spotted the sky bison around the corner. "Appa!"
Appa jumped over Suki and pounced onto the boy, pinning his legs down long enough for Appa to lick his face.
"He seems to like you" Suki said as Appa got off him. "What's your name?"
"Haru" he said.
"I'm Suki" she said and helped Haru get up. "What's an earthbender doing here so deep in the Fire Nation?"
"Well I'm trying to help rescue Aang" Haru said. He patted on Appa's head. "This will be so much easier with Appa here."
"Yea, flying is the best way to travel" Suki said. "Is there anyone else on this island that I don't know about?"
"Of course, I'll introduce you" Haru said.
OOOOOOOOOO
After the war meeting ended Katara walked to her room. She dismissed the servants and shut herself inside. Katara couldn't stop thinking about what happened in the war meeting, and how the stakes for winning the war went through the roof. If the plan to defeat Ozai failed, an entire continent would be destroyed. Going through all the options in her mind, only one outcome would guarantee victory. Fire Lord Ozai had to die.
Aang would never do it Katara thought, kneeling in the light of a single candle. She knew Aang was too innocent, too young, to intentionally kill someone. It went against everything Aang had told her about Air Nomad beliefs.
A knock on the door took Katara out of her thoughts. "Come in" Katara said.
The door opened and Toph walked inside. "You wanted to see me" Toph said.
"Close the door" Katara asked.
Toph shut the door and locked it. "Something big changed during that meeting, didn't it?"
"Yes" Katara said. "And I'm not sure if our plan will be enough to handle it."
"If it works everything will be fine after tomorrow" Toph said. "Unless someone else figured out what's going on I don't see how things could get any worse."
Katara stood up and walked up to Toph. "I don't think Aang can finish the plan" Katara whispered.
"Why not?" Toph asked.
Stepping away from Toph, Katara stopped just in front of the only lit candle. "How long did you fight back in Gaoling?"
"Two years, why?" Toph asked.
"Did you ever finish a fight, permanently?"
"Almost, once" Toph said. "It was my first fight after learning earthbending. I was careless and nearly crushed my opponent's legs."
"Would you ever do it on purpose?" Katara asked, turning away from the candle. "Or would you ask someone else to do it?"
"No" Toph said.
"I see" Katara said. She thought about what she would have to do. "I'm about to step over that line."
Instantly Toph realized what Katara had in mind. "Are you certain?"
"There's no other way" Katara said. "I can't ask Aang to kill him."
"Is it really necessary?" Toph said.
"Yes" Katara said.
"Can I do anything to help?" Toph asked.
"Just make sure Aang gets through this in one piece" Katara said.
OOOOOOOOOO
Azula and Ursa hurried across the island, heading for where the sky bison landed. As they ran Azula tried to guess who could have brought the sky bison here. The Avatar was somewhere in the capital along with her imposter and brother. It couldn't be the blind earthbender, for obvious reasons. Only Sokka was left that could guide the bison, as far as Azula could tell.
I can beat him easily Azula thought. The only possible threat from him could come from revealing her intentions to Haru. That outcome could be easily avoided by beating him before Haru could see and hiding the body.
Halfway across the island Azula caught a sight she didn't expect. Haru was walking towards her alongside a girl with the sky bison behind them. Who is this girl? Azula wondered, not recognizing anything about her. But she did notice the stranger recognizing Azula as Haru led the way.
Immediately Suki threw her fist back directly into Haru's face, knocking him out and eliminating a possible enemy. The blow filled Suki's hand with pain as Haru hit the ground, and for a few seconds Suki tried to shake the pain out of her hand. "This just had to be a trap" Suki muttered.
Azula bended water out of the air and into ice darts to throw at Suki. Before the ice darts could reach their target Appa jumped over Suki and landed in the way. The ice darts hit Appa but didn't penetrate his fur. Appa roared at Azula, blowing wind at her and Ursa. The wind pushed them back while Suki ran around Appa.
The one time the bison puts up a fight Azula thought. She bent water out of a nearby tree and threw it at Appa. Before impact she froze the water into spears of ice, but even those failed to wound Appa. The sky bison pounced on Azula, pinning her down.
Ursa threw several fireblasts at Appa, setting his fur on fire. The flames reached burned his skin, the pain forcing him off Azula. Rolling onto his side Appa put the flames out, then leaped into the air as Ursa threw more fireblasts at him. While Ursa kept Appa at bay, Azula focused her attention on Suki.
"Just you and me, whoever you are" Azula said. She created a waterwhip and threw it at Suki, but missed as Suki ducked underneath it.
Suki ran towards Azula, ducking and dodging more attacks. As Suki closed in Azula bent water onto the ground in front of her and froze it. Slipping on the ice, Suki fell and slid into Azula toppling her over. The two girls quickly got back up, but Suki was able to strike first. She punched Azula's chin, making her stumble backward. Azula rubbed her jaw for a bit and smiled.
"You're good for someone that doesn't bend" Azula admitted.
"Kyoshi warriors don't need to bend" Suki said. She threw more punches, but kept getting blocked by Azula's arms.
While deflecting one of Suki's punches Azula bent some water onto her hand. Making a fist she froze the water into ice and punched Suki in the face with it. The ice on Azula's fist shattered as the blow knocked Suki over. As Suki hit the ground Azula bent water over Suki's limbs and froze them to the ground.
"You never stood a chance against me" Azula said, watching Suki struggle against the ice. She crouched next to Suki. "Of all the people I've imprisoned, I think you could be my favorite."
"Well don't I feel special" Suki said.
Azula grabbed Suki's throat and slightly squeezed it, just to shut her up for a moment. Right when Azula was about to let go she felt a string brush her finger. She grabbed the string and pulled on it, sliding a blue vial out of Suki's shirt. Instantly Azula recognized the vial, an exact double of the vial she found on Katara nearly three months ago.
Where did you get this?" Azula demanded as she yanked the vial away from Suki. When Suki couldn't respond Azula bent some water onto Suki's throat to heal it. "Tell me how you got this?"
"From the source" Suki said.
Azula stood up and kicked Suki, then walked away from her. "Mom, we're leaving, now!" She shouted as she left Suki behind. Ursa stopped throwing fire at Appa, who immediately landed next to Suki. The beast stood guard over Suki as Azula and Ursa walked away.
Walking beside Azula, Ursa looked back at the battlefield. "What about Haru?" Ursa asked.
"Leave him, he's dead weight now" Azula said. She tied the vial's string around her neck, keeping it close for safe keeping.
Ursa wondered what was in the vial. "What is that?" she asked.
"Leverage" Azula answered with a smile on her face.
OOOOOOOOOO
Over a few hours the ice binding Suki melted enough to let her break free. Angry over losing the spirit water, she took out her frustration on the koala-sheep. When half a dozen koala-sheep were slain Suki noticed Haru waking up. She walked over to him as he stood up, one hand rubbing his nose.
"What hit me?" Haru asked.
"Me" Suki admitted. "To be honest, I thought you led me into a trap."
"Why would I do that?" Haru asked. "Katara would like you."
"By the way, that wasn't Katara" Suki said.
"What are you talking about?" Haru asked.
"Katara bumped into some Fire Nation girl, spirit water was involved, and some body switching happened" Suki explained.
"You do realize how crazy that sounds" Haru said.
"Yes, yes I do" Suki said.
Haru sighed and shook his head. "Well I suppose that explains why she didn't tell me anything" Haru said.
"I know how you feel" Suki said. She saw Appa walk over and lick Haru. "Looks like Appa understands too."
"So what happens now?" Haru asked while patting Appa's head.
"I haven't got a clue" Suki admitted. "I guess we just wait for the invasion force to arrive here."
"An invasion is coming here?" Haru asked.
Suki sighed and started explaining what she knew and how little of it she understood. She described how the invasion is going to be a diversion while Aang and the others defeat the Fire Lord from the inside. Last she described her role, making a detour to the North Pole to obtain more spirit water. Beyond that, Suki didn't know what else to explain.
"This sounds like something out of a fairy tale" Haru complained.
"Maybe I should start writing this stuff down" Suki wondered aloud.
"That would make it easier to keep up" Haru said. "And it would make a good story to tell your kids someday."
OOOOOOOOOO
As the sun set behind the Fire Nation palace, Katara walked through its halls. A small knife was hidden in her sleeve, intended for Ozai's throat to finish him quickly. Using the hidden passages in the palace, Katara headed for Ozai's personal chambers. In preparation for the invasion Ozai had retired to his chambers early, requiring as much rest as possible to handle the day ahead.
Once inside Katara slowly walked towards Ozai's bed. Even in the dark Katara could make out the curtains that surrounded the large bed, hiding Ozai within it. Without making any noise Katara reached the bed and slowly pulled back the curtain. Inside she found Ozai beneath a thick blanket, his breath slightly lifting the fabric. Katara drew the knife from her sleeve and plunged it into the man's throat.
Its done Katara thought as she let go of the knife.
Suddenly the lamps in the room were set aflame, nearly blinding Katara for a moment. From behind her Katara heard someone clapping slowly. Turning around she found the Fire Lord alive and well, giving slow applause.
"That was too predictable" Ozai said. He took a few steps towards Katara. "Did you really expect me to fall for the same trick your mother used on your grandfather?"
It can't be… Katara thought. She pulled back the cover on the bed behind her, and nearly screamed when she saw the face of War Minister Qin. Panicking for a moment, Katara immediately attacked Ozai with blue fireblasts. With his own fire Ozai easily deflected the attacks.
"Did you really think I wouldn't notice your treachery?" Ozai asked. "You've been plotting again, trying to claim my throne. It's obvious you planned to eliminate me, let Zuko reign long enough to surrender to the Avatar during the invasion, and then use your charms on the Avatar to make him leave the throne to you."
"Close enough" Katara muttered as she bent a stream of fire at Ozai. He deflected the attack with ease and took a few more steps towards Katara.
"I can suffer your treachery Azula, but not your incompetence!" Ozai yelled. He bent a large stream of fire at Katara, which she could barely divert with a wall of blue flames. "Treachery requires no mistakes."
Out of any other options, Katara charged a blast of lightning. As she used the circular arm motions Ozai recognized it and prepared his own lightning. While Katara had started first, Ozai was faster at charging lightning. Both fired at the same time, lightning colliding in between them. In a blinding flash and booming thunder the lightning arced away from the collision, striking metal objects in the room at random.
The flash left dark spots in Katara's vision, but she could still see warped and burned metal where lightning had struck. The bed behind Katara had been set on fire, along with the tapestries that hung on the walls. Katara's skin was numb and she couldn't feel her limbs, while her loose hair stood up on end. She could see that Ozai was similarly affected, even as she struggled to remain standing.
"You will suffer for this" Ozai declared. "The stars will hear your screams once I am finished with you."
"Not if I can help it" Katara said. She tried to move but fell as her legs collapsed beneath her.
Before Katara could recover guards rushed into the room, summoned by the sound of thunder. Some put out the fires while others restrained Katara. "Take her away" Ozai ordered. "Triple the guard at the prison." As the guards took Katara away Ozai looked at the ruined bed. "And get someone in here to clean up this mess."