"Intelligence Dispatch, Acolyte 729-AN
Confirmed that Water and Air Confederacy are preparing fleet of Storm-class Airships for attack on Codename Barrier.
Requesting further orders."
-Intelligence dispatch forwarded to Master Commodus, Earth Nation, from Regia Communications Center Delta Omega. Required security clearance level Imperial Council
The metal underneath my chest is cool, and I am grateful. The metal in my gloved hands burns with the heat of ten suns, and it is very difficult for me not to let go. I have to hold on, because if I move from my hiding spot on the top of the ship's observation tower, I will be seen. Possibly not immediately, but I would rather not risk it. In order to remain hidden on one of the most well-guarded ships in use at the moment, I have to hold on very tightly to two powerful magnets in my hands.
The magnets are very powerful. So powerful, in fact, that I am sure that I will have to leave them behind when I leave my hiding spot. When I first attached them to the top of the observation tower, the resulting clang was probably heard in Bah Sing Sae. I was almost certain I had been caught, but no one seemed to notice.
The boat sways below me, and I fight the urge to vomit for what feels like the eighth time. I have been fighting the urges on an hourly basis, and my lack of food and water is not helping me fight them. I tried to meditate a few hours ago and clear my mind of the swaying waters, but my awkward positioning on the observation tower made that impossible. Lying on your stomach, spread-eagled, holding on for your life, is not a comfortable position that inspires one's peace of mind.
I return to focusing on the conversation taking place just a few feet away from me. One is an old man, and the other is the captain of the ship. They have been talking for well over six hours now, and they have given me a great amount of information.
"This is a lovely ship, Captain. I am surprised," the solemn and wise voice of the old man says, "By the lack of weaponry visible."
"Well," the young and boastful captain says. I can just picture him puffing up his chest. "We have so many skilled Benders on board, we decided to store all the heavy cannons below decks."
"Ah, yes. The Energybenders." The old man says. From his voice, I can tell that he has had years of commanding soldiers in the field. He has a way with words and a way of ordering people to tell him things without directly asking.
"No!" The captain says quickly. "Not just the Energybenders!" He exclaims. "The Royal Guards are more than capable of defending against any attack."
"But," The old man says. I can hear the smile in his words. "The Energybenders help a lot."
"Well, yes." The captain says. "I don't understand how they can do what they do, but it sure comes in useful."
"Once, just a few years after the Energybenders came into the world," The old man begins. "I was piloting a fleet of airships over the Air territories to the south. Keep in mind, this was at least a decade before the war began."
"Yes, yes?" The captain says, eager for more of the old man's war stories. I'll admit, I am as well. Clinging to the roof of a metal tower in the hot sun loses it's excitement after a while.
"Well, the fleet was cruising calmly one moment, and the next moment all of our instruments started failing."
"Was it because of an Energybender?" The captain asks.
"Apparently, one of the cooks onboard a ship," The old man begins. "Got into a fight with another cook. The first cook assumed he would always stay a Nonbender until he started to glow in the galley!"
"Did the cook mess up the instruments?" The captain asks, eager for information of any kind.
"Not intentionally." The old man responds. "I've noticed that Energybenders' emotions have a very large effect on their Bending. The cook was angry and the energy just started pouring out of him without him even trying to do so. It messed with the instruments and jammed our transmitters until someone calmed him down."
The two men are silent for a minute. I hear faint sipping sounds, and I realize the two men are drinking tea. "That Energybender on the deck was very impressive, even if he did scratch the ship." The voice belongs to the captain.
"Yes." The old man responds. I hear another faint sip. "He does not move like any other Energybender I have seen. The rest use strong motions like Firebending, and hold their ground like Earthbenders, but the boy does acrobatics like an Airbender and his body moves and bends like a Waterbender."
"Do you think he was taught to do that?" The captain asks.
"No. I've met his father," the old man says quietly. "Once before the war, two times early in it. He is a very traditional man."
"Ironic, considering forty-something years is a very short time to form a tradition."
"Well, the element of Energy is one of purity." The old Admiral begins to cough. When he recovers, he continues. "Pure devotion to the balance between the offense and defense. The good and the bad. The yin and the yang."
I think about what the sage man said. I have never thought about Energybenders as anything other than just mercenaries for hire.
"So why do they fight for every side in the war?" The captain asks my next question for me.
"Well, the Energybenders see what they're doing as a way of maintaining the balance. They fight for every side because they see it as they're duty to make sure that no one side has an advantage over the others."
"That doesn't make any damned sense!" The captain exclaims. "Why do we use them then?"
The Admiral laughs. "Because they do what they're told, they do it flawlessly, and they give great advice and can plan an entire campaign from start to finish in a few minutes. They've done experiments on Energybenders. Their chi goes straight from their core to their brain. It enhances thought processes, changes behavior, and makes them develop muscles and form brain connections faster."
The captain is silent for a few minutes. During the silence, I consider what I have just heard. I am not sure if I can believe it. Energybenders are not superhuman; they die just like every other person on the planet does. I know that; I have killed a few. It may take me awhile, but they do die like normal humans. They do indeed have very fast reflexes and can expertly plan out an entire battle, but a campaign?
The captain seems to be thinking along the same line of thought that I am. "If they can plan an entire campaign, how come they aren't ruling the world right now?"
"Because they have too few numbers. Have you ever seen an Energybender's house? A city made especially for Energybenders?"
"Well…" The captain thinks for a few moments. "No."
A large wave crashes upon the deck of the ship. It distracts me from the Admiral's next words, but I return my focus near the end of his sentence. "-so you never will. They're too dispersed across the whole world. Families grow up in other Nations because one or more parents may be off fighting.
"They have no culture that we know about. Yes, the Regia in Republic City is a beautiful building," The admiral says wisely. I hear another sip of tea. "But what does it stand for? It's a place for them to rent out their services, nothing more. If the Energybenders ever decided to gather up and try to take control of the world, let alone Republic City, they couldn't possibly agree on how to do it. They have no governing body. No Council of Elders, no real structure to them."
"But the Energybending Masters-" The captain starts.
"One Master fights for each Nation. If that's not a sign that they are disorganized, I don't know what could possibly prove it." The Admiral affirms.
The two stop talking, and the only sound besides the waves and the occasional seabird call is the soft sips the two men take from their teacups.
I close my eyes and focus on the hot sun blazing against my black tight clothing. Well, not completely on the hot sun. I think about the Admiral's words. He is right, one hundred percent. The Energybending people are scattered across the entire world. They fight against each other because they are paid to do so, and they do not care if they kill their own kind. They are greedy and as cold-blooded as snakes.
The hours pass by quickly. I am not really sure if I fall asleep or not, but I do know that when I next open my eyes, the sky is beginning to turn orange from the setting sun. The journey from Republic City to the Fire Nation by boat takes at least a day. If the sun is setting, the journey should only have about twelve hours left.
I sigh. Twelve hours left of being seasick. My stomach groans it's dissent.
A movement at the front of the ship catches my attention. It's a dim white blur. I think it's one of the Energybenders. All they seem to be doing is watching the sunset in front of the ship, and I can't blame them. It looks beautiful.
We watch it, together, for an hour as it slowly sets in front of us. Only one of us knows that the other is there, which saddens me a bit. The sadness is part of the job.
Still, I sigh.