Yet another chapter for everyone's reading enjoyment. Still don't own Avatar.


Chapter 13

"Commander, sir."

Commander Long looked up from the map of the North Sea Islands that was spread across his desk. The captain of his fleet's flagship, the Fire Navy Ship Victory, was standing in the doorway to his small office.

"If this doesn't have anything to do with the sudden demise of Captain Yuan," Long replied, barely hiding his disgust at being interrupted, "I trust that it can wait."

"Not Captain Yuan directly, sir. This message just came in from intelligence. Red Ribbon."

Commander Long frowned and held out a hand. The captain handed off the message, bowed, and retreated a few steps. Long stared at the message in his hands for a moment. Red Ribbon was a high priority message, senior officers only. He unrolled the scroll and looked over the message.

To: Commander Long

From: North Sea Colony intelligence post.

Message: Fire Navy Ship Azulon damaged in surface action involving two Colony Defense Force gunboats at coaling port on Black Rock Island. Vessel is expected to be laid up at North Island Shipyard for repairs.

"Have you read this, Captain?"

The other officer shook his head. Long stood up and handed the slip of parchment to the man.

"If that's good intel, we have a ripe opportunity to attack the renegade fleet. Without the Azulon, their offensive capabilities are severely weakened. However, don't place too much stock in it. We've had bad intel before. Even then, they understand the importance of their ship. They'll do everything in their power to keep it out of a shipyard and in the fight."

The commander sat back down and rubbed his beard in thought. If the message was fake, it was a very clever forgery. If it was genuine, however, he had a perfect break. Without the Azulon, all that would be left were older ships that his task force could easily burn before moving on to conquer the islands. The problem was time. He was a week away from the edge of the burning sea, and a good ten days from the nearest of the islands. Not knowing how long the Azulon would be laid up would make it difficult for them to plan an effective assault.

"Captain," Commander Long said after a moment of silence, "send a message to our contact on Blackwood Island. Tell him we need him to provide some of his... unique... assistance in regards to the renegade commanders."

"Absolutely not!" Captain Yuan shouted, slamming a fist down onto the wardroom table.

Lee took a sip of tea and watched the exchange between the captain and the damage control officer. He didn't envy the man's predicament. The officer had recommended that they take the Independence to a yard for repairs.

"Sir," the younger officer said hesitantly, "the damage sustained during the surface action is severe. Our shipfitters aren't equipped to conduct the repairs that the hull needs."

"Well, Lieutenant, I recommend that you teach your shipfitters how to do it. Commander Long is, at the very best, ten days away. We're facing a fleet strength twice that of our own. Our newest cruiser is thirty years old and four years overdue for a complete yard overhaul. Now, pay close damned attention everyone."

Captain Yuan stood and began pacing at the head of the table.

"I'm not questioning the courage and fighting abilities of the rest of the crews of this fleet. But the Independence represents our biggest advantage over the Fire Navy. Quite simply put, we don't stand a whisper of a chance without this ship. We send her to the yard, we'll be standing in line for execution before she's in fighting shape again. So, I'm going to give this order one time and one time only.

"Get my ship repaired, or stand relieved of your duties."

Lee forced himself to hide a smile as all the department heads shifted uneasily in their seats. Everyone in the room knew the importance of the ship, and no one wanted to lose their job.

"You are all dismissed. Except for you, First. I'd like a word with you."

Lee nodded, and stood in unison with the department heads. He wondered what it was that the skipper wanted. Would it be about the surface action the day before? Yuan had only had good things to say to Lee when he had returned to the ship. He had praised the Lieutenant's handling of the situation, and even left him in charge of continuing the repair efforts.

Once everyone had filed out, Captain Yuan motioned for Lee to join him at the head of the table. As he took a seat to the captain's right, the other man gave him a conspiratorial smile.

"Everything is going well, Lee," the man said, taking a sip of tea.

"What makes you say that, sir? The ship took some pretty heavy damage from those gunboats."

Yuan dismissed the comment with a wave of his hand.

"Superficial damage at most, Lieutenant. I've been in constant communication with the engineering officer. What little damage we suffered to our combat capabilities has already been repaired. While the upper decks just below the main may get a little wet during the next storm we steam through, we are at full battle ready. However, Commander Long isn't going to know it."

Lee raised an eyebrow, wondering just where his commander was going with this.

"It pays to have friends sympathetic to your cause, Lieutenant. Remember that well. The spies that Long thinks he has on our islands are almost all onboard with the rebellion, and as a result have been instrumental in feeding information to our enemy. The message went out late last night that we are sailing for the shipyard for repairs."

"Will Long actually believe that, sir?"

"Personally, I doubt it. Long knows that I understand the importance of my vessel. He knows it well. But, if I know him as well as I think I do, he will trust in the intelligence he gets up to a point. Combine the message sent by the agent on Black Rock with a cleverly forged shipyard contract 'acquired' by the agents on North Island, and he'll no doubt believe that we've gone in for repairs.

"If there's one thing that the Fire Navy succeeded in teaching me, it's that a robust network of spies and informants is crucial to a successful campaign. The right man in the right place can both funnel key information to you while at the same time feeding false information to the enemy commander."

Yuan produced a few small message scrolls and handed them over to Lee.

"The first two are courtesy of an old lady friend in charge at the Eastern Fleet communication tower. You'll find all the ships assigned to Long's task force, crew compliment, cargo manifests, additional equipment drawn, and last reported location. The third message was sent courtesy of a contact in communications on board the Victory. It's a duplicate of a message sent to one Shin of the Blackwood Shipping Company sent on the behalf of Commander Long himself. I think you should read that one, Lieutenant."

Lee nodded and unfurled the scroll.

My good friend Shin,

I wish to thank you again for arranging such wonderful accommodations during my last visit to your beautiful island. I would humbly request that you prepare similar quarters for a pair of visiting officers that should be arriving very soon. Their names are Captain Yuan and Lieutenant Lee, both officers on board the Fire Navy Ship Azulon. Very respectfully yours.

Commander Long.

"I've been speaking with my intelligence analysts to figure out what precisely that message is supposed to mean. Most of them agree that Long has put out some sort of assassination order for you and I, so be cautious. I already sent a hawk to the council as well, requesting more information on this Shin character.

"We're going to be mooring on Blackwood for supplies in four days, Lieutenant. Hopefully we'll know well beforehand what we will be facing."

"Is that all, Captain?"

"No, actually. I also wanted to discuss your handling of the combat action against the two Fire Navy gunboats."

Here we go, Lee thought, pouring himself another cup of tea and heating it up a little with some firebending.

"While I'm not happy about the damage my ship took under your command, Lieutenant, I do have to admit that I am impressed."

"Impressed, sir?"

"Aye. Knock that look of shock off your face, Lee, it's unbecoming. You took this ship from about as unprepared as it could get to fighting off a pair of smaller ships that would have sunk a lesser vessel with a lesser crew in minutes. You seized initiative and went on the counterattack, and the ship came out of it with some minor damage. Not to mention that the Independence drew first blood in this rebellion, under your command I might add.

"Now, I can't tell you any of this officially. None of it is official yet, after all. The council is still awaiting the full after action report as I sent it last night. However, just based on the summary report I sent them, the council is considering you for promotion to captain. You're going to be placed in command of a ship when this is all said and done. Whether it's a new order vessel or one of the old junkers remains yet to be seen. I will put forth your appointment, but the council has to approve it. So keep up the good work, Lieutenant."

"Stop the carriage here," Shin of the Blackwood Shipping Company called out to his driver. The man didn't reply, but instead brought the vehicle to a gentle halt. He looked around at the plush interior, another reminder of the lofty position he held in society on the small island. His mind drifted to the governor, and how once again she had spurned his affections for those of some rebel officer.

No matter, he thought as the driver got down and opened the door for him, the problem of the officer will be solved soon enough.

He stepped out of his personal carriage in front of a shady looking tavern on the outskirts of town. If he had been forced to admit, this part of the island had always made him nervous. The Blackwood Shipping Company was a shipping giant, controlling most of the commerce that took place on the island. Competitors weren't tolerated, and anyone in town knew that to trifle with him or his business was a sure way to end up face down in one of the island's many swamps. Out here, however, his untouchable status wasn't as universally recognized. Still, many of the island's unsavory types that were well known to slit a throat for a few gold pieces could be found in places like this, and that was the reason he was there.

The bouncer looked up from something he was carving into a root to stare at the passing business tycoon. The man, missing one eye from breaking up a particularly nasty brawl, looked at him through his one remaining eye with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity. Shin said nothing to the man. He didn't even acknowledge his presence. He pushed the door open and stepped into the tavern's dimly lit interior.

Clouds of smoke from burning amber leaves and incense hung thick in the air, creating a sickeningly intoxicating curtain of aromas. Only a few men and a woman were present at the early hour, not counting a bartender wielding dual dao swords wiping down a few cups. The man looked up and raised an eyebrow as Shin walked over to the bar.

"Something I can do for you, Shin?" the bartender asked. His voice was barely above a whisper, courtesy of a neck injury sustained fighting in the Earth Kingdom. Shin dug deep, but found he couldn't remember the other man's name.

"I'm looking for Silver Wolf."

The bartender nodded and pointed over to the far corner. Shin followed the gesture and saw the man he was looking for. He nodded to the bartender and began walking over to the table.

Shin had only met the man that called himself Silver Wolf once. The mysterious warrior was a member of the tribe of wild waterbenders that lived on the Rift. Silver Wolf had supposedly earned his name during a rite of passage ritual, in which he had fought one of the Rift's legendary and deadly denizens, the Great Silver Wolf, single handedly.

As Shin approached the table, he found himself confronted once again with the disconcerting sight of the tribal warrior. Most Rift waterbenders wore animal skins regularly, taken from whatever they could hunt up. Silver Wolf clothed himself in skins taken from wolves. From the neck up, his face was always painted with war paint, to the point that Shin had to wonder what color the man's skin actually was. His hair was hidden under a headdress formed out of the skull of the Great Wolf he had hunted years before.

"Greetings, Silver Wolf," Shin said, standing in front of the table. The warrior looked up without saying a word. Under the war paint, the man's facial expression was impossible to read. The cold blue eyes didn't betray any emotion either.

"I'm Shin-"

"I know who you are, Shin of the Fire Nation," Silver Wolf said. "What business do you have with Silver Wolf?"

Shin swallowed, feeling his throat bob. Apparently the waterbender saw it, as a brief flash of disgust showed for an instant in his eyes.

"I, uh-"

"Do not speak. I know why you are here, Shin. You come to ask Silver Wolf to fight another man for you, as so many of your kind do. Is this man you want me to kill going to be a worthy opponent?"

Shin pulled out a small slip of parchment. A sketch of the Lieutenant he wanted dead that he had ordered from a contact on North Island.

"He's a Lieutenant in the rebel navy," Shin said, handing the parchment to the wild waterbender sitting across the table. "His name is Lee. He's a talented firebender."

If the other man had anything to say, he didn't bother voicing it. His expression remained unreadable as he studied the portrait.

"This firebender, he will be a worthy opponent for Silver Wolf?"

"A very worthy opponent."

"Hmph. We will see."

"About your payment Mr., uh, Silver Wolf-"

The waterbender stood up slowly. Shin was forced to admit that the savage presented a formidable figure, standing at least a head taller than even the largest thugs he had ever seen. He allowed himself a smile, knowing that his enemy would have his work cut out for him.

"No payment. Silver Wolf only asks for money if the opponent is unworthy."