xXx

Chapter 1:

Orders

xXx

Private Lind stood quietly at attention in the corner, hands folded in front of him, waiting to record a reply from his commanding officer. From the creeping look of disgust curdling on Colonel Shang's face, Lind was betting his response would not be a pleasant one.

The young scribe only hoped that Shang's temper would not be as dire as his expression. He took in a calculating, paranoid glance at the colonel. Shang was tall and stocky, broad as the walls of Ba Sing Se (where he had been raised). But while he was physically intimidating, both in hand-to-hand combat and earthbending, Shang had not ascended to the rank of Colonel without learning some measure of patience. Lind would be safe, for now.

To distract his mind from the waiting and from the soreness of his muscles (resulting from his motionless stance), Lind let his eyes wander. The Colonel's office was a solid affair of steel-laced-with-stone. Green and cream tapestries decorated the walls, depicting popular scenes from the Earth Kingdom's Book of Sage Histories. The room reminded Private Lind of the homes of the new merchants - those who had made a vast amount of money quickly and had tried to spend it on things that looked cultured. The spindly young man gave a slight sigh, feeling a twinge of homesickness. He missed the mercantile travels he used to take with his family, the countless hours of money book balancing, punctuated with breaks of tea and Pai Sho. "If only Father hadn't insisted I join the military…" he thought.

"Where is General Gin?" The question was clipped and it broke Lind from his reverie. Slowly, Lind turned to face the Colonel's piercing green gaze.

"General Gin is onshore." The young scribe stammered, wringing his hands tighter together. "Do you wish me to fetch him for you, sir?"

Shang gave a tight nod. "With all due haste, Private."

"Yes, sir!" Lind turned and raced out.

xXx

Colonel Shang glared across the room at his all-too-placid superior. Not even a rock upside the head seemed to get through to this man, he thought.

"So I have no appeal in this? I must simply accept this order?"

"I would like to know why my transfer of a perfectly competent officer upsets you so, Colonel." General Gin's voice was as smooth as jasmine tea.

Shang put his hands on the desk and stared at Gin with a flat, dark expression. "You know as well as I do that both the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation respect the sovereignty of their royal families, even in this day and age. And while a colonel outranks a major, a prince outranks even a general..." He paused, gauging Gin's reaction. "…If he so chooses," he added in an oily tone.

"You imply that Major Iroh would break the chain of command to supersede your orders?" Gin asked, leveling a cool gaze at his officer.

Meeting the gaze, Shang folded his arms across his chest. "I am merely saying that it is not unknown for a noble scion to overstep themselves and rumors of the Major are not always flattering."

"Rumors are simply that. Rumors." The General growled, fixing Shang with a cold stare. "This is a military ship, Colonel, and I expect that you will act on orders and facts. You will leave vague rumors and idle gossip for society ladies and their tea parties. Unless you have a legitimate concern about having Major Iroh on board, this conversation is over and my orders stand as written."

Grimacing, Colonel Shang rose to stand at attention. He strangled his anger in his throat and struggled to keep the disdain on his face from bleeding into his posture as he executed a clipped, formal bow. He took in a breath, placing his hand on the smooth sculpted stone orb sitting at the side of his desk, centering himself for several long seconds before he spoke again.

"So, when is the Major arriving?"

Gin offered a wan smile, just a hint of humor playing through his pale grey eyes. "He's already here. We came on board together..." He let that sink in before adding, "...the Major is waiting outside the door."

Shang's eyes narrowed. Tales of imperial firebenders varied widely regarding the spooky and abnormal skills they were professed to posses - from the ability to steal souls or enthrall hearts, to whispers that they could not be killed by mortal weapons. But, through all of the exaggerations and flights of fancy, most of the tales agreed on one point: they had excellent hearing. Shang set his jaw and planted his feet, clenching the stone orb until his fingers turned white. "Private Lind, send the Major in."

Iroh entered as smoothly as sparks float on an updraft in a summer breeze. Tall and lean, perfectly assembled, he didn't look a day over twenty. He gave General Gin a quick, fond greeting before turning his bright gold eyes towards Shang in a polite expression.

The Colonel stopped his jaw from dropping. Not just a noble, he thought acidly, but a noble child with trumped up rank! He swallowed his bile and managed a thin smile. "Major Iroh. Welcome."

"Thank you, Colonel…" Iroh offered a proper salute of rank and equipped the smallest of smiles, the sort usually reserved for well-trained courtly banter, "… am I to take that to mean I am welcome onboard?"

Gin had set him up and now the Major – the Prince – was confirming he had overheard their entire conversation. Shang felt the anger rise in his gut, and the muscles on the sides of his throat go so taut he had trouble getting his next words out. Gripping the stone orb, he spoke cautiously, "General Gin has assured me you are up to the task."

"I intend to prove such." Polite. Calm. Careful.

"Then, yes, Major. Welcome onboard." Colonel Shang conceded. He could see the beginning of General Gin's smile and it made him deeply angry. Gin may have gotten what he'd wanted, but Shang was not about to let his guard down on an untested noble brat.

"Thank you, Colonel." The firebender's smile was slight, flickering like a barely contained fire just waiting to burn.

xXx

Private Lind was waiting outside the Colonel's office, his hazel eyes searching with a silent question at Major Iroh who was now exiting from his meeting - 'better or worse than you expected, sir?'

Iroh paused, taking the scribe's expression in stride and waving a hand, indicating for him to stand at ease. "You can show me around the ship, Private?"

"Sir, yes Sir!"

Lind's response was cut from a mold, but his eyes glinted at humor. If he was showing Iroh about the ship, it could only mean that the General had not been swayed by Shang's protestations.

Stepping out onto the bridge Lind and Iroh were greeted by a bright flash of sunshine and a pair of officers with the deep green eyes indicative of a strong earth kingdom heritage. The elder of the two had the faint lingering scent of snow-apples, probably picked on shore leave and shipped to a wife and growing children back home. The younger appeared only a year or two past Iroh's age. Both eyed Iroh and Lind with a reserved curiosity.

"New posting, Major?" The elder queried with a businesslike tone.

Iroh offered a crisp nod, noting the speaker shared his rank and, gauging by his tone, exceeded his authority. "Yes, sir. I'm Major Iroh, I recently transferred from Battalion 6."

"I'm Major Jian, Colonel Shang's executive officer." Both officers shook hands, each quietly sizing up one another and both concluding with a smile of acceptance for the other. Jian straightened and gestured to the younger man beside him. "This is Lieutenant Keran, one of our infantry officers and, incidentally, my cousin." Jian added the last bit with a hint of fierce protectiveness.

Keran flinched and smiled all at the same time, offering a salute towards Major Iroh. "Pleased to meet you, sir."

"Pleased to meet you both." The firebender gave a smile.

"I have been curious to meet my new associate," Jian started, falling into a quiet stroll about the deck with Iroh, Keran and Lind following several paces behind. "Is this your first assignment to the northern sea?"

A short nod, the younger major drew himself up a bit. "The 6th Battalion was posted near Mt. Makapu, which is the farthest north I have been in many years."

"Ah, out of Pohuai." Jian put a hand to his chin in thought. "If you have never fought in the arctic cold, Major, you may want to chat over some preparations with one of the medics."

Iroh resisted the urge to smirk at Jian, his mind recalling the travels across creation he had taken with his family in his youth. His grandfather had insisted he see and understand the spread of creation. But, he had to admit, he had never fought a military campaign there. After a considerable silence, he offered, "Thank you for the advice, Major Jian."

"You could speak with Medic Sakia, she's on deck." Keran offered with an overly-helpful tone. "She spent the last two years running rescue in the South Pole."

Sensing a set up, Iroh gazed keenly at Keran's half-hidden smile. "Someone I should meet?"

"She likes to know who she will be reattaching parts to when the going gets rough." Keran replied. To his credit he kept the majority of his grin in his eyes rather than plastered across his face. With Keran taking lead they, crossed the deck where a petite woman with short dark hair and sea-green eyes was lounging in the sun before they set sail. "Lieutenant Sakia, I was wondering if you have some time to meet our newest major?"

Sakia turned, curiosity burning in her expression as she gave the infantrymen a small nod. She pushed off from the rail and drew herself into a semiformal stance. "Who have we here?"

Iroh offered her a proper nod of greeting, with only a hint of a smile "Major Iroh."

"Oh ho… ", Sakia exclaimed, "Major Wan-Tien's replacement? I was wondering when that pervert was going to get transferred to Si Wong Desert duty." She grinned fearlessly, locking eyes with the young major in front of her. "Not that I'm suggesting you would know of such things."

"No, Lieutenant Sakia, I'm sorry. I would not." Behind him, Keran and Jian chuckled. Iroh gazed between them, picking up the teasing looks and the challenge in the medic's voice, rather relieved that she would be more concerned at who he was replacing rather than the more obvious jab at who his family was.

More than ready to test some limits the medic drew herself up to her full height, eyes sparkling, "do tell me you're not as much of a pervert as he was."

Iroh drew his eyebrows together, feeling on the defensive. "Not knowing the man at all, I'm going to have to simply assure you I would never act in a dishonorable manner towards a lady."

"I'm not a lady, I'm an officer." She sassed back, placing her hands firmly on her hips

The firebender smiled lightly, "I realize that. That also means I outrank you…"

Flustered, the medic started a protest before Lieutenant Keran decided to jump in and diffuse things before the hotheaded waterbender made an ass of herself. "Sakia, you're just angry you lost a bet to Major Wan-Tien." he replied in a voice that might have been accompanied with a wagging finger had they not been in public.

"Lost a bet?" Private Lind broke his silence, hiding his gaping look behind his sheaf of papers.

"Yes, something about Pai Sho and cactus juice if I remember correctly" Keran pushed forward looking rather like a cat-owl playing with a cricket mouse.

"I hear all the best stories start with cactus juice." Iroh prompted lightly, turning curious gold eyes onto Lieutenant Sakia. Her sassy resolve was breaking down as embarrassment flushed into her cheeks.

"I guess they do." She muttered back. "You have any cactus juice stories to share?"

When no one volunteered any tales an uneasy silence ran through the conversation, heightened by Lind's fidgeting. Iroh waved a hand, overlooking her embarrassment as if there was no need to worry about the issue. With a light tone he steered the conversation in a new direction, "Lieutenant, you are a battlefield medic?"

"Combat medic is more like it." Lind murmured, eyeing the slender sword at Sakia's hip and the paired fans tucked just below her shoulder. "I never thought a healer would carry a sword…" His slow look of astonishment cemented Iroh's guess than the young scribe had never seen war – or any warrior from the isle of Kyoshi before.

"It's an unfortunate reality that not everyone on the battlefield can distinguish between a medical uniform and an infantryman, Private Lind," the young woman replied in a curt tone. "And frankly war isn't fair, and some people simply don't care."

The scribe's eyes reflected a look of delayed horror. "People would harm a healer?"

"Some of our enemies consider cutting down a medic to be a quick route to victory, like cutting a hamstring." Iroh's voice was sharp enough to cut through Lind's shock and it earned him a nod of agreement from Major Jian.

Private Lind's eyes remained locked onto the medic. "Even healers?" Had Iroh been listening to his tone rather than his words he would have sworn the young man asked 'even women?'

"Yes, even healers." Iroh gave a sober nod. "To know how to defend one's own – whether fellow soldiers or kin, it is a valuable skill."

"I… I can't imagine." Lind did everything he could to keep his jaw from dropping, imagining the horror of his mother or sisters picking up arms. "If you will excuse me, Sirs, I should file my reports."

Jian nodded to the scribe who scurried off like a mouse from the stirrings of a cat-owl.

Slowly shaking his head, Iroh pinched the bridge of his nose. "Lieutenant, I think he'll be in your sickbay if he ever gets put on combat duty."

"I'm trying to see to it that he never gets to combat duty." Major Jian replied in her place, "He's a scribe."

Iroh frowned slightly, "even as a scribe there is the possibility of combat. Why would he join the military if he could not handle that?"

"I'm pretty sure it wasn't his decision." Sakia waved a hand in the air, "he's here because his father is a rising political figure connected to the Earth King, and this assignment is all about advancing the family's political goals. So, meanwhile, we try to keep the kid from getting killed and stick him somewhere where he can't get into too much trouble." She punctuated the blunt truth with a glittering smile.

His face drew into a wince, as Iroh was reminded that duty to family burned as strongly in the earth kingdom as it did in the fire nation. "That is unfortunate."

Sakia continued, "We seem to get a steady stream of officers with connections, most of which aren't worth the lamp oil used to read their contracts by. I suppose if I were Colonel Shang, I might be a crotchety old rooster-grouse, too." She realized what she had said when she caught the Major's gold eyes gazing at her. Almost through her. "I mean… I meant no offense, Major."

"None taken." He offered a calculated smile that made the medic uneasy and curious all at the same time. "It is an enlightening perspective."

xXx

A small group of ranking officers gathered in Shang's office, spread around a table full of maps. A draftsman's sketch of a large sailing vessel, with a scribble of a symbol to indicate the ship's emblem, completed the pile of paperwork. Major Jian stood beside the Colonel as he drew out the mission.

"We will be rendezvousing with the navy, under Commander Bumi, at the Port of Taku before heading north, towards the Amoge Mountains. The Northern Water Tribe has noted that the pirates operate to the south-east of the capital bay." Shang pointed out the areas on the map in front of him. "We believe they use Amoge Bay as one of their main ports since the area is shielded by the mountains."

"Treacherous sailing?" Jian queried, carefully looking over the sea charts.

Shang traced out a line north from the base of the mountains, "The southern waters are navigable, but the northeast coast becomes increasingly dangerous – with both rock and ice. Our hope is to catch the pirates close to port so we do not have to pursue them northward. Commander Bumi's ship will be invaluable for containment."

Iroh leaned forward, studying the detail of the coast. "If Bumi could drive them northwards from Amoge Bay towards the Ki-Ran inlet they would run aground and we wouldn't have to worry about containment."

Shang studied the young firebender warily. "It would be preferable to catch them at port."

"But timing a port attack would be tricky, Sir. The Major's suggestion is feasible." Jian noted academically. "Perhaps we should keep it as a back up plan?"

Despite the distasteful look creeping across Colonel Shang's face, he gave a slow nod of assent. "I will discuss the matter with Commander Bumi when he joins us."

Oblivious to the subtle powerplay between the officers, Gunnery Sergeant Tan looked up, his brows knitted "how many ships are we talkin' about, and are we sinkin' 'em or bringing 'em in?"

"Only one ship has been confirmed in port, it is unlikely that the pirates will team with any fleet." Shang replied, adding "and they are to be eliminated."

"Right, Sir." Tan gave a grin that showed off several missing teeth, "I'll have my boys ready the weapons."

xXx

The senior staff gathered on the deck of the ship, standing at attention as they neared the naval fleet. A wild-haired man standing on the bridge of his ship welcomed the incoming officers with a shrill whoop. Shang granted him a withering glance and muttered something that included the words 'improper' and 'obscene.'

Beside him Iroh bristled, indulging in a quick glare aimed at the back of the earthbender's head while they waited.

Rather than use the docking bridge, Bumi leapt over the side of his ship and sailed over the gap between the two vessels, landing on the deck of Colonel Shang's Galestorm with a flourish. "Ah, Colonel Shang! You're late!" he started with a wide smile.

"Late?" Shang's deep green eyes burned with irritation - this was precisely the correct day, what was this man barking about?

"Yes, late. You should have come in time for tea." He clucked his tongue at the Colonel, his smile growing into an all out grin.

Shang gritted his teeth, reigning in his slowly-rising temper. "With all due respect Commander Bumi, we have a mission to discuss so we can get underway…"

"Yes, yes mission. I have been fully briefed already." He paused and grinned at the executive officer, "Major Jian, it has been a long time!" Undaunted by the Colonel's growing frown, Bumi started to make his rounds, greeting the various faces he recognized.

"If you have already been briefed, we should start discussing strategy." Shang's neck turned bright pink as he stepped in front of the commander.

"We'll get there, have patience, Colonel." Bumi grinned, pushing past Shang to come before the young firebender. "Well if you don't have a familiar face!"

Iroh had been doing his best to blend in with the other officers and when Bumi called him out he felt his heart skip a beat as a small wave of mortification ran through him. With Shang already on the warpath, he thought, he didn't need any extra attention. He offered a thin smile to downplay the greeting and tried to wave his old family friend into passing him by.

Bumi would have none of it. Throwing an arm around the young major's shoulders, he drew him forward. "Fancy you being here, Iroh! Did you bring me any white jasmine tea?"

The young major shut his eyes for a second, his cheeks turning noticeably pink, trying to think up a diplomatic response. He was almost relieved when Colonel Shang beat him to it.

"I'm not here to talk about white jasmine tea, Commander." Shang ground out, "I'm here to talk about the Le-San pirates."

Bumi wagged a finger on his free hand, still keeping the other around Iroh's shoulders, "What a pity, that in this cultured day and age we can not stop for a minute and enjoy tea, as friends, before going headlong into danger." Bumi fixed all his attention on the earthbender, allowing the young firebender to break free. "One might say it is downright uncivilized."

"Is that an insult, Commander?" Shang's green eyes were hard as jade.

Bumi fanned his fingers into a placating gesture. "Merely an observation. My ship still needs two hours before it can be underway and I'm carrying a load of supplies to be transferred to your ship - I imagine it will take several hours beyond that for all the ships to be out of dock." He paused to make sure Shang was listening, "Seeing as we will be working together on this mission, it is wise to sit down and take some time to get to know one another." He waited long enough for that to sink in before he fixed his grey eyes back on Iroh, "So… white jasmine tea? Did you bring it?"

Iroh knit his brows, looking from Shang's livid expression, the wide eyes of the gathered officers and, finally, to Bumi's expectant smile. He swallowed his embarrassment, as years of courtly practice taught him to do, and replied, simply, "Yes, Bumi. I brought three varieties."

Bumi let out a short whoop and practically dragged Colonel Shang off to his office, leaving Jian smirking and Iroh thanking Agni that, at least, Bumi had not decided to hug him.

xXx

Commander Bumi had been right about one thing: sitting down over tea did ease dispositions all around. At least for the short term. They hashed out an overall mission plan and agreed to dock at the Northern Water Tribe, sending a messenger hawk to the tribal chief on ahead of them. Bumi casually reminded Colonel Shang that approaching the northern coast was treacherous in the evening, and advised all ships to slow down as they neared their destination so they would come into port at daybreak. Surprisingly, Shang had agreed. Both crews left the meeting with an overall feeling of preparedness and set out on the two week journey towards the northern ice.

But over the course of the next two weeks, Colonel Shang became increasingly short tempered and mysterious - diving into secret reports delivered by messenger hawk and snapping orders, at odd times, to the navigator. Iroh was the first to broach the subject to Major Jian, who had passed off those observations as firebender paranoia. But, as they neared the North Pole, Jian grew increasingly suspicious that Colonel Shang was planning to deviate from the planned route.

Standing on the deck, Jian watched Bumi's ship - Spirit of Omashu - slow down and signal to the Galestorm to follow suit. The ship obeyed sluggishly, taking some distance from Bumi's vessel. The earthbender breathed a sigh of relief, quietly rubbing a stone from his home village that he kept tucked away in his pocket for good luck. No reason to worry… yet.

xXx

Jian's fears might have eased, but Iroh's had not. Colonel Shang's furtive behavior had caught his attention and heightened his wariness. It prompted him to be out each evening, walking the deck and keeping an eye on how far they pulled away from Bumi.

It was the second week, on his fourth circuit around the ship - just before the point where the crew started asking if there was a problem - when he noticed that the motion of the ship was different. He felt it pulling slightly to the starboard side, as it turned in the rising moonlight, the water rushing past the stem of the vessel.

Iroh's skin prickled as he fought a feeling of deep unease. He reigned in his first reaction to bark a question at the already busy helmsman, clenching the railing for several long seconds before he pushed off and took a long, purposeful walk towards Navigator Kotalk's station.

When Iroh entered the station, Kotalk snapped to attention, his wary blue eyes fixed upon the firebender.

"Major."

"At ease." Iroh took in a steady breath, planning his question carefully, "have we made a course correction?"

Kotalk's eyes went momentarily wide, a hint of panic running through the older man's face before he replied with the utmost professionalism, "we have adjusted course under the orders of Colonel Shang, Sir."

A flash of anger evidenced itself by merely a hiked brow. Iroh reminded himself that Kotalk was only following orders. "Navigator, what course are we now following?"

The older man's face pinched, his voice reluctant. "We are heading up the coast towards the Amoge Port."

A slow, sick premonition of dread wavered into Iroh's mind, but it was beaten back by a flash of stubborn inner fire. He kept his expression a calculated calm, a skill his mother had insisted he pick up for noble gatherings and other social events. "Has Commander Bumi been informed of this course change?"

"I do not believe so, sir." Kotalk's voice was small; his fears that the Colonel was making an un-advised change to the mission plan were confirmed.

"I will take the matter up with Colonel Shang, carry on Lieutenant."

xXx

Colonel Shang's glare could have cut the wings off a moth-fly at twenty paces. "Get out of my office."

"Is that an order, Sir? Because until it is, I plan on staying right here until I get answers." Iroh's gold eyes were fixed directly on the Colonel, unflinching.

The earthbender's green-eyed gaze was wary; Shang could almost feel the heat rolling off the young officer. Along with his resolve he held a note of fear when facing down angry firebenders. Especially noble angry firebenders. "Fine. What do you want to know?"

"Why are we changing course and why haven't we informed the rest of the fleet?" the question was sharp, but not as hot as his previous tone of voice.

Shang sat back down, laying his hands on the slate tabletop while he centered himself. "I intend to signal Commander Bumi once we have moved into position. However, I am acting on sensitive intelligence and I firmly believe that having the Commander's fleet behind us will destroy our cover and our chance at a surprise attack."

The Major narrowed his eyes, letting that sink in. "You plan on catching the pirates at the docks?"

"Why not? My contacts assure me that the pirates offload their stolen goods under cover of darkness and all reports indicate that they will be at the Amoge Port tonight." Shang indulged in a smile at his own cleverness.

Iroh was not convinced. "What if they are not at dock?"

Sitting up, Colonel Shang puffed his chest out, patting the ship wall behind him. "That's not a problem either. The Galestorm could outrun a lion-hawk and sink a battlecrusier twice her size if need be."

"Assuming there is only one ship to face, Colonel." The young officer's eyes reflected a hint of paranoia born from a family line that seemed to attract trouble like ostrich-horses attract flies.

"I assure you, I have the possibilities covered… however, that does bring up something I wanted to broach to you, since you're here." He smiled like a cat-owl ready to strike.

Iroh clenched his hands behind his back, nails biting into the skin of the palms, but he kept his voice calm. "Yes, Colonel?"

Shang eyed the firebender, measuring his temper. "I want you below decks."

To his credit Iroh didn't flinch, but his gaze was unusually dark, "to what purpose, Colonel?"

"I believe that your skills would be better served with the gunners." Shang rocked slightly in his chair, carefully watching. He sounded painfully insincere.

Taking a long pause, the major felt fire rise in his chest, and it flickered momentarily in his eyes. Better judgment told him to attack the problem with logic, not flame. "I am not trained as a gunnery officer."

"That does not mean you would not be invaluable for providing the fire the weaponry so badly needs." Shang served up a flattering smile with his tone of deep condescension.

Honor demands you do not snap the neck of a superior officer. Not yet anyways. Iroh swallowed down the flare of rage and offered Shang back a small smile... a dangerous smile. "I suppose it would do me well to be out of sight and mind." He waited while the Colonel worked through the implications of that statement.

Shang's expression dropped fractionally. The only thing that worried him more than what Iroh did in front of him was what Iroh did behind his back. He swallowed and put a hand up in a gesture of truce, explaining with a bit more honesty: "I foresee quite a bit of aerial defenses – arrows, projectiles, and the like. In my experience it is much safer to place young officers below decks. For their own good."

"This is a ship, Colonel. If it sinks you drown as easily below deck as you do above deck."

"And yet, I don't intend to see my ship sink." Shang snapped back.

Iroh fixed the older man with a canny gaze, "No you don't, do you? You plan on catching the pirates at dock and boarding them. And, if you get into trouble, signaling Bumi's ships to run containment and interference."

The Colonel paused for a few seconds as the shock of having his plans laid bare before him by this upstart filtered through his body. He finally gave a slow nod of assent. "My men will do better on a solid playing ground, while Bumi is a water-bird. He likes his ships."

"And you still want me below deck when you're running a boarding mission?" the prompt was dangerously calm, but backed on the knowledge that General Gin had specifically sent him as a land-mission specialist… and not a marine.

Shang offered the young firebender a thin smile. "You could always disobey my orders."

"I would not dishonor my name with such actions."

"No need to dishonor, technically a prince outranks a colonel."

Iroh eyed his commanding officer with a steady calm, "I will not be baited into breaking my word to-"

There was a low crack and the whole ship shook from an impact that cut off Iroh's reply. Immediately, his bright gold eyes swiveled towards the deck and he was on his feet and out the door before Shang could order otherwise.

Outside, the sky was on fire. A haze of heat shimmering off the steel deck as another crack came from the dark waters and exploded in a shower of sparks overhead. The dark form of the steel-and-birch pirate vessel loomed in the cloudy grey waters; a flash of vicious red from their bow was the only warning before the next ear-shattering explosion. Behind the menacing shadow, two more ships loomed.

Iroh's breath caught in his throat as he recalled an accident involving blasting jelly, where a promising young solider prematurely ended his career, and nearly his life, with a split second of incautious behavior. No. No time for hesitation. He forced his body into action, taking up the time-honored stance his father and grandfather had shown him. His chi reached out, pulling at the flames hidden within the oncoming rocks and tugging them into complacence.

A cannon ball veered wildly off course, hitting the sea with an angry hiss. A second ball arced overhead, hit with a jet of fire from another soldier; it exploded into a fine rain of stone shrapnel.

Colonel Shang reached out with time-honed reflexes, called the earth and swept it aside, staring at the sky. "What the hell are those?"

"I would guess they are some sort of cement-hardened stone projectiles mixed with a type of blasting jelly." Iroh called back, "Something that starts burning when fired and explodes when the fire draws deep." He readied his stance for another barrage. "Earth and firebenders should be on deck to defend against them, waterbenders at the ready."

Shang's eyes narrowed. Was the little snot giving orders now?

But the young Major was already focused back on the cannon fire. More damning was the fact that his suggestion was solid. Shang growled and started barking for earth and firebenders to the front, waterbenders at ready in the back.

The third barrage of cannon fire was expected, and by the time the fourth was blasted from the pirate vessel, the benders on deck had started to fall into a tight rhythm of pull and drop, cover and clear. Earth and fire working together as harmoniously as blowing glass. After the fifth barrage, there was a pause and a sickening silence that filled the air. Iroh could feel the tension in the soldiers around him as every single one squinted into the darkness, trying to divine what would come next.

There was only a short whistle in the air that gave any warning. Beside him, Iroh saw a dull grey fletching and a bright stain of blood blossom on young Lieutenant Keran's chest.

"Archers!" He yelled across the deck as a hailstorm of arrows rained down. His heart skipped a beat as he lunged for Keran with one hand, the other flicking upwards, a roaring shield of flame springing from his fingertips. Gently, he eased the wounded earthbender to the deck and listened to the man's labored breath.

The tang and crack of arrows hitting stone shields filled the air, mingled with the cries of the wounded. Around Iroh the arrows fell to burning cinders, a rain of bright orange sparks. Another silence, just barely time for crewmen to yell out for the medics, and the crack of cannon fire resumed.

Picking Keran up with one arm, Iroh rooted his feet on the deck and scooped with his forward hand, willing his chi to pick up the fires on the deck. A breath, a pause, he let his breath out and willed the falling sparks forward in a bright orange streak across the black sky, a shot that impacted against the nearest incoming missile.

As it exploded in a firework-burst across the water, Iroh carried the young earthbender to cover and pushed him into the hands of one of the waiting healers. He offered a swift word of encouragement before turning back to the deck.

It was burning.

Heart heavy, he gritted his teeth and felt the heat of desperation creep into his neck and temples. Still, there was no time to hesitate. He ran forward to help fill in the gaps left by the benders who had fallen, pulling the fire-rocks from the sky, dousing whatever flames he could.

The deck roared beneath them as a counter-volley of fire was let loose. The earthbenders stuttered as their ground seemed to fade for a second in the vibrations. In the aft of the ship, signal-fire was being sent to the sky. Shang's pride had melted enough for him to call for Bumi. Another whistle and another barrage of arrows were set loose, countered by a weak response of earthen discs and a round of cannon fire. And then the sound of hail on the deck. Ripping through the deck. No, not hail… small pebbles of metal.

A red-hot fire of pain tore through Iroh's arm and his vision went momentarily white before he dove for the deck, pulling two other soldiers behind Major Jian's makeshift rock shield. "You've seen this before?" he asked the earthbender.

Jian gave a grave nod as the metal poured down on top of them. "Off the cost of the Nan Shan River, a group of brigands stuffed metal beads and balls, cast off from forging, into the muzzle of a cannon. It tears right through wagons, ostrich-horses, komodo-rhinos… good soldiers."

Iroh could smell the tang of blood in the air. Even by the roughest estimates, they were quickly losing the numbers they needed to divert the explosive cannon blasts. "We need to turn around," he concluded.

"Colonel Shang won't like that." Jian cautioned, but his tone did not disagree with the conclusion.

Iroh set his jaw, hinting at an unyielding resolve "I don't care what Shang likes. I do care that the soldiers on this ship live to carry out this mission."

Jian smiled ever so faintly. "Then we better make sure everybody lives long enough for Shang to make up his mind in the right direction."

Iroh gave a nod and bit back the thought of 'He had better make that decision soon or I'll drop him myself.' But Jian had worked with the Colonel for more years than Iroh had been in the military. He would have to trust the earthbender's judgment.

Another flash of orange-red lit up the dark sky, the fiery impact cracking against the deck. The smell of sulphur and coal filled the air. Jian shoved his foot into the deck to solidify the stone shelter with some quick earthbending and then rolled away from the protection.

Feeling heat shimmering all around the stone, Iroh stood and snapped up a wave of fire into a block, enough to keep himself from getting burnt. Then he focused on pulling the flaming shrapnel away from Jian's path. Only once the earthbender had ducked behind a wall did he refocus his attention forward.

Fire was everywhere, blazing from a dozen potholes in the deck and consuming anything it could burn. The once-organized defense teams were shattered; the remaining benders huddled behind makeshift shelters, guiding away what they could muster before taking cover. The wounded were huddled against the stone, pressing rags and scraps of cloth to bleeding wounds.

Worry and fear seized in Major Iroh's chest, but his hands still flew upwards, calling jets of fire to knock away the cannon fire coming towards the shelters. Standing just in front of the wounded huddled on the floor, he fell silent, concentrating only on the fire and beating it back from the deck.

Slowly the cannon fire receded, the shrapnel hitting mostly open sea as the ships pulled apart. The rumble and crack of enemy guns faded to the sound of distant thunder and Galestorm's own cannon finally quieted. Bumi's ship came into view, silhouetted in the moonlight as the pirates melted into the dark artic waters.

As the firing ceased, exhaustion gripped the young major's body and he sank slowly to his knees. The moans of the wounded around him cut through the hazy numb pain in his body and he forced himself to reopen his eyes.

This poorly prepared gamble had come at a cost but it was the crew that had been made to pay with their blood.