The Rift: Unification through Steel

by AnUnknownInkStain

A Direct Continuation of "The Rift: The Eagle, Rising Sun, and Sozin's Comet" A push for order and unity by any means under the leadership of the Great Uniter. The worlds now teeters the line over the fires of a new World War in the absence of Avatar Korra and the spread of disorder. The descendants of the past must find their place as their moralities will surely be tested.

20. Chapter 20: Smoke

A/N:

Full-on mechanized warfare begins in this chapter as the Earth Empire finally begins making its planned military offenses. Needless to say, it's not going to be pretty. It is not looking good for those in opposition of the Earth Empire. Hope you feel the adrenaline, are on the edge of your seat, and enjoy this chapter. Without further ado, Chapter 20!

Ch20

Central Earth Kingdom

2005 AD / 163 AG

Yasuho was on the verge of dozing off. She leaned against the side door of her family's Satomobile as they cruised along one of the Central Earth Kingdom's main interstate highways. Forests and plains were replaced with mountains and valleys as they slowly made their way from their hometown of Omori towards Ba Sing Se. Young Miss Aoshima had just turned eighteen in January and was on the verge of graduating high school, classes had finished with the passing of the final exams of the term in early February, and her class of graduating third years was set for commissioning, graduation, at the beginning week of March.

Their Satomobile was among the upper end of mid-end cars, a four-door sedan resembling a first-generation Pontiac Chieftain from the fifties. The car body was steel, heavy, and large, but it rode smoothly and had the comforts of a modern car; like great air conditioning, bluetooth capabilities, and chagrin ports. Yasuho could see the polished navy blue, sky blue, and white, paint scheme of the streamlined car body reflected in the chrome reflection of the fuel tanker they passed on the highway. Busses, semi-trucks, vans, and Cabbage Corps Cabbage Cars, which were smaller and cheaper than the Satomobiles, filled the highway.

There were four of them: her father who was driving the most of the route to Ba Sing Se, her mother who rode in the forward passenger seat, and her older sister Miyu who sat beside her in the back bench of the car, scrolling through her phone and typing out a text to her international student classmate from the United States. Yasuho, being a relatively new licensed driver, took turns at the beginning of the trip in the emptier country roads and highways. Her, being still dressed in her high school's uniform, would grab the attention of patrolling and waiting Interstate Troopers, though they had only been pulled over and license-checked once.

She felt for her iPod in the inner chest pocket of her school blazer; a dark forest green jacket, made of Italian wool with three shiny brass buttons. The school's crest, a great panda, representing the forest spirit Hei Bai, and oak leaves, was fixed to the breast pocket of the jacket, and dark burgundy-brown trimmed the top of the pockets. The knife-pleated knee-length skirt was similarly a deep burgundy-brown with a tonal plaid pattern in the super 110s wool fabric. Her dark gray socks had the initials of her school embroidered in the sides, and her loafers were a finely polished dark brown, made of shell cordovan. Yasuho attended the top academic high school in the region, Omori City Commerce Academy, and was top of her class. This trip served many purposes, but the primary reason was her winning the local commerce-innovation contest and being chosen to represent her school and city in the Four Nations' High School Business Innovation Competition held at Ba Sing Se University. Noted company representatives from Bay Area tech companies in the Silicon Valley area of California, Future Industries, Cabbage Corps, Boeing and Airbus, among other highly regarded organizations were set to attend and observe as well. It was a grand opportunity, and being chosen to attend and compete was a mark of accomplishment in and of itself.

She may, however, possibly be the last student to do so for that school. The town of Omori, despite being a center of commerce in the region, was declining. People were moving out, and her high school's enrollment as a result was dropping year by year. There were talks it would soon close down. It was a harsh reality of the expansive and, ununified, in Yasuho's opinion, Earth Kingdom.

In addition to competing for her school, this family trip was several other things. Yasuho had said she wanted to visit Ba Sing Se anyway to tour the university, and enjoy the city upon turning eighteen; her father was set to have another business event to attend, meeting with the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries; her older sister was set for an orientation for an upcoming internship with Ba Sing Se International Airport, and her mother was going to catch up with old friends.

"...Several ranking officers of the United Forces Navy were in attendance, with other admirals invited from the Water Tribe and Fire Nation, to view the commissioning of the USS Jimmy Carter, the final Seawolf-class nuclear submarine ordered during the Cold War, in Groton, Connecticut, USA on Saturday the nineteenth. Also in attendance was the former 39th President of the United States himself, Jimmy Carter. SSN-23 rounds out the number of Seawolf type nuclear attack submarines in the US Navy at a total of three, and was the previous class to the current Virginia-class with USS Virginia launched in October of last year. This comes in a time between matured avatars where ongoing talks and questions of whether or not United Forces should be able to field their own nuclear -powered ballistic missile submarines is being deliberated in the council chambers of the United Republic of Nations.

Former President Jimmy Carter, seemed happy to meet with United Forces officers and government representatives whom he recognized from when he was in office. His administration was known for extensive talks with former Avatar Aang, with whom he consulted with often, which notably led to him pardoning all Vietnam War draft dodgers in the US. He also drew great criticism from the US public during his presidency, with some criticizing the frequency and the regard with which he consulted with Avatar Aang and the government and military officials of the Bending World; some feeling it played a big contributing factor to his landslide loss to President Ronald Reagan in the 1980 presidential election," the radio narrated, after Yasuho's father tuned in to the news. "Reporting live from Naval Base New London, Connecticut, I'm Evelyn Cheung, KPRC Fox 12, Republic City."

"I heard there is some heavy traffic through the Omashu City Bypass," her father recalled. "Bumper to bumper, zero kilometers an hour, with a line extending several miles. Said it was a tanker truck overturned on one of the bridges, dropped some chemicals all over the freeway. Massive clean up. I'll take us on a country highway around it. Company buses sometimes use it for this very thing. We'll shave off the plus-four hours that that jam will add to the drive to Ba Sing Se. Quieter and more scenic route too."

"Sounds great," her mom remarked. "We may even be able to make dinner time in the upper ring!"

Yasuho's father hit the turn signal lever and began pulling the car to the right to take the upcoming exit.

"Yasuho," her father called, looking at her through the rear view mirror. "You ready for the competition? All set, mentally?"

"Yeah," she replied, a grin on her face. "Cake walk."

"I heard Republic City Kai-Sakura Academy is in the lead running this year."

"They always are," Miyu chimed in, recalling her time in Yasuho's same school doing this exact competition. "They are one of the staple competing high schools. Right up there with Ba Sing Se University Prep, and the Royal Fire Academy for Girls." She felt sour, remembering how she had lost the competition by a hair to the Republic City school two years ago.

"We get graduates from those schools quite often," their father said. "Some even interned right after high school, before even going to university."

"Dad," Miyu interrupted, "You're going to spook Yasu."

Mother turned around. "Yasuho has a strong head on her shoulders. It just means, show no mercy," she encouraged, flexing her arm like Rosie the Riveter with a warm smile on her face. She was the fighter between the two parents.

"Yea!" her dad added. "Remind them that just because we come from a small city in a far corner of the Kingdom, doesn't mean we don't have any fight and drive!" Her father was a fighter in a different sense. He was legendary in the board rooms, unafraid of standing against even significantly larger and more powerful corporations.

"Though little Yasuho doesn't have that kind of no-mercy drive in her," Miyu teased. "She wouldn't hurt a fly. Even if it's actual fighting, she never deals the final blow in an earth bending spar even if the opponent was several tiers lower than her. It's business! Sometimes you have to fight dirty!"

"That is that," Yasuho defended herself, "This is this."

Though they were both academically strong sisters, Miyu was the more athletic and fiercer one, while Yasuho had the edge academically. "It's a different world beyond high school, you know," her older sister advised. "You have to make yourself known. Establish yourself from university onward. Especially since you'll be heading to Ba Sing Se University in a few months! The school isn't going to hold your hand along the way like a high school does. In this world, if you want something, you need to seize it. You need to do it yourself."

"Noted," Yasuho acknowledged. She plugged her earphones into her iPod and began scrolling for a song to listen to. She settled on "The Reason" by Hoobastank, cranked the volume up, and reclined in her seat, watching the outside world roll by. The mountains ranges that surround Omashu were in the far off distance ahead of the car, as they coasted down the sloped highway junction towards the plains below. The gentle and smooth motion of the car helped her swiftly drift off to sleep. She was a heavy sleeper, especially on long trips. Yasuho was likely not going to wake up until Ba Sing Se at this point, even though it was only an hour past noon and the sun was still high.

---

"What's this?"

"What's he doing?!"

"Oh shit!"

The sound of the engine accelerating and tires screeching pierced Yasuho's drowsy ears. She hadn't a clue what was going on, and was barely waking up.

Crash! The sudden, blink-of-an-eye, of an earthen battering ram shooting up from the road beneath mixed with the shrief of buckling and scraping metal. The car flipped! Tossed and rolled to the left. There was a moment where the world was spinning, Yasuho's long black hair even hung in the air for brief moments of spinning weightlessness. This was not the ideal situation to be waking up in.

"Hang on!" she heard her father cry. She didn't really know if this was real or a dream.

Crash! They had hit the ground, tumbling and rolling. The air bags had deployed. Windows shattered, and the frame buckled. Something, metal, had jammed into Yasuho's sides and battered her. It was like getting punched in the face. And the side. And the back. And the stomach. All at once, right after the other.

The sounds of other car horns, could be heard in the near vicinity; especially after their own thrashing had come to rest. Similarly, it sounded like a a duet of someone smashing soda cans while their partner simultaneously scratched all five finger nails across a chalkboard with one hand while forcefully dragging a metal fork back and forth on a dinner plate with the other.

---

Slowly, she came to her senses. Yasuho blinked a few times, trying to survey the landscape around her as the blackness retreated and she regained consciousness. She had been thrown from the wreckage. It was a bad crash, and she found herself pinned beneath a pile of mangled car parts. The youngest daughter coughed, and sputtered, a thick crimson splattered on her uniform. She could feel a warm liquid also running down her forehead. It was blood as well. She was pinned from the waist down, and trying to pull herself from the wreckage brought a sharp cutting pain. Yasuho winced, clenched her teeth together, as a tear formed and streamed down from her eye. She couldn't see, but it felt like there was a sharp and jagged piece of metal either impaled in her, or prodding and scratching at her sides and legs.

Where are we, she thought as she surveyed what little she could make out of the surrounding area.

"HELP!" she cried out. "Mom?! Dad?! Miyu?!"

Pop! Pop! The sound in the distance, ominous amid the fires and smoke of a small pile of over turned and smashed cars and trucks. Gunshots! They came from somewhere down the line, somewhere Yasuho couldn't see as she was obstructed by the wreckage of the family car that pinned her. She began to panic. Screams of a woman in the distance echoed out, quickly snuffed out. A man ran by her wreckage. He turned to look back, briefly making eye contact with Yasuho. "Help me! Help me!" she cried, but the man did not stop. He himself was too scared and panicking. A sizeable rock blasted by. The bowling ball sized stone whooshed through the air, before the deep and voluminous sound of a painful sounding thud played out following with the crumbling of earth and stone. The man was launched forward, several feet from where he stood. That was a lethal blow. Earth benders, Yasuho observed.

She could hear the sound of metal being forcibly pried open, either with bending force or conventional tools. Crow bars were jammed into jagged but shut car trunks and trailer doors, handy guns shot open locked doors, and even the sound of doors being ripped off their hinges by metal bending were heard.

Yasuho realized where they were. They had been flung off the highway and tossed by the side, with all the cars and trucks ending up in a roadside embankment. The plain the roadway cut through were littered with the crumbling and eroding remains of large ancient Earth Kingdom war disks; the huge ones that were in the shape of an Earth Kingdom coin. The large stone disks were still strewn about the land, embedded and partially buried in the earth, after being thrown and launched thousands of years ago. The sands of time, had brought even more carnage to this battlefield though. The wreckage of WW2 era American battle tanks, and the mangled remains of downed B-17 bombers added to the ancient ruins of war. Historically, this land had always been a brutal region. The road traced the route former Fire Lord Zuko had ventured off on when he wandered the Earth Kingdom alone as a banished prince.

"Yasu," someone whispered nearby. "Yasu! Over here!"

Yasuho turned as best as she could over to where the voice came from. It was her older sister. Battered and injured, but free from the wreckage and mobile. "Miyu!, Help me! I can't get myself out of here!"

Her older sister, a frightful look in her eye, held a finger to her mouth. Shushing her to keep as quiet and still as possible. "I will in a minute," she mouthed. "For now, do not draw attention to here!"

"What's going on?"

"Daofei!" Miyu mouthed off. "They ran everyone off the road and are robbing..even killing people for their valuables!"

"Where's mom and dad?"

"Nearby! Not far! But I don't know exactly where," Miyu advised.

The voices of the unseen assailants drew closer. The looting of wreckage, the tearing open of metal and the smashing of windows drew closer.

"Out of the car, lady!" the gruff voice of a man ordered.

"NO! NOOOO! LET ME GO!" she heard a woman's voice cry. A door was pulled open, and Yasuho could tell she was being pulled from the wreckage.

"That looks like it's got some worth! Hand it over!"

"It was my mother's!"

There was a struggle. "I don't care! Hand it over!"

A heavy hand could be heard whacking against her face. Her resistance suddenly stopped.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" the voice of another man suddenly confronted. "You cowards-"

He was suddenly pinned by a few earth benders. A gunshot rang out. Yasuho winced. It was much closer. It wasn't a distant fire cracker anymore. It sounded like a nearby crack of lighting. She winced again at the sound of the victim's body thudding against a pile of metal.

"Satomobile," the unseen gunman remarked. Yasuho knew somehow he meant her family car. "Check the trunk of that one!"

A pair of footsteps could be heard rapidly approaching the car with a purpose. The crunching of gravel and the plodding over grass drew near. Thye were just on the other side of the wreck from where Yasuho lay pinned. Her eyes widened. She looked to her sister. Without a word, she understood what Miyu was trying to tell her with her eyes and gestures: "Play dead."

She barely had time to understood. How does one even do that? I'm not an actor, Yasuho thought. She laid as still as possible, letting her body rest on the ground as limply as she could feign. Eyes open? Eyes closed? What does the corpse of an automobile accident even look like? She shut her eyes. That wasn't the hard part. The hard part was trying to slow and control and quiet her breathing.

"Driver and passenger," the sound of a woman remarked. "Poor bastards look dead to me. Died in the crash."

"Hm," her male partner simply scoffed.

A tear formed in Yasuho's eye. Her blood simultaneously boiled. But she held it in.

The two tugged at the trunk door of the mangled and torn apart car. It jiggled, but it did not open. Yasuho could feel whatever prodding piece of the wreck that was stabbing at her earlier move as well. She bore with it. She clenched her teeth. Biting her tongue, or biting her cheek seemed like a logically terrible choice should that sharp pain suddenly jump in scale. She opened her eye lid a crack to peer across the way at her sister, who now sat slumped against an opposing wreck; appearing lifeless.

She felt a chill rocket down her spine; the hair on the back of her neck stand up. Her ears twinged as she heard a set of heavy footsteps come close to where she laid, stamping down the grass. She could tell the imposing brute stood right beside her, and though she wasn't looking his way, Yasuho could tell he was looking down straight at her.

"Omori City Commercial Academy," he remarked, recognizing her school uniform. "And probably on the way to Ba Sing Se. You definitely got something valuable laying around. Probably a bunch." He scoffed. "Rich people. People like you don't know real struggle. Go to your fancy schools and look down on us from your marble towers. Hah. Well, the best part is..you people can't hurt a fly yourselves. Can't you, girl?"

Yasuho grew nervous. She was supposed to be dead. Who talks down to a corpse?

"And you're all terrible liars."

A crow bar was jammed into the trunk door. Yasuho resisted the urge to wince. But she may have flinched at the wreckage being disturbed causing pain. The daofei leader kicked the wreckage that piled over Yasuho, sending jagged metal piercing and cutting at her side and leg.

"AHH!" Yasuho shrieked in pain, writhing in pain. She screamed loudly. The gig was up.

"Gotcha," the man confronted, reloading a fresh magazine into his pistol, a Walter P-38, and chambering a new round.

"Leave her alone!" a fierce voice shouted. The gang leader was caught of guard. The sound of moving earth rumbled, and before he could react a slab of earth slammed into his chest, knocking the brute to the ground. It was Miyu!

"What the?!" The two henchmen on the other side were also hit back. Her parents were still alive as well! Yasuho could hear the fierce sounds of her mother's strong, notably aggressive, and fast successive earth bending. From behind the wreck, she watched her father tackle the other henchwoman to the ground.

"Hey! Boss is in trouble!" the other daofei called. Reinforcements. A lot of them.

"Miyu!" their father cried, "Get Yasuho out of there! Hurry!"

Another rock, thrown by the eldest daughter flew over Yasuho's head, again striking the gang leader; exploding as it hit his black leather jacket. "On it!"

She couldn't see it, but she could tell: her mother was amazing! She could verbally hear her fending off the other daofei members.

"Be gentle, Miyu! Be gentle!- AH!" Yasuho cried in agony as her older sister tried to dislodge and free her from the wreckage.

"Bite the bullet, Yasu! Just a bit more!" Miyu stomped the ground, and two pillars of earth shot up to try and jack the wreckage off her younger sister. "You are going to get so much school cred after we make it out of this," Miyu lightheartedly teased. "Good luck getting a boyfriend though."

"Good luck keeping yours," Yasuho prodded back through gritted teeth. "My face isn't as banged up as yours!"

"Hurry, Miyu!" their father called, still retraining the female daofei member on the ground. "HUR-!"

POP!

The sisters turned in horror! A gunshot! Their father dropped. Dropped onto the daofei member he was holding down, soaking her clothes in crimson.

"HARUTO!" Yasuho could hear her mother cry in agony! "Miyu! Yasuho-!" A hard thud! The sound of stone splitting, and the bouncing of someone bouncing off metal! Her mother, Yuka, rebound back, coming into view. She had multiple cuts and bruises, wounds from holding back the other coming gang members. Cuts and grazes from blades and bullets joined the welts and broken bones she received from an overwhelming swarm of earth benders. She looked to her daughters, blood streaming from her head wounds; trying to stand herself up. A rock slammed into the side of her head. She fell, finally, beside her husband; their father.

Yasuho was speechless. The trauma was already overwhelming. She clawed, and pushed, futily at the wreckage the pinned her, trying to get free! Damn the pain! It didn't matter! In fact, it didn't even feel like a stabbing or cutting sensation anymore…just something scratching at her! She thrashed, but her body ached. She couldn't make use of her own earth bending abilities to even help her sister.

POP! Another CRACK! The daofei member had now gotten back up, advancing on the two remaining. Miyu had been shot! Twice! Once in the leg, the other in the shoulder! She recoiled back, and fell to the ground. Despite being hit though, Miyu used her last bits of strength to continue to try and lift the wreckage off her sister.

"Woo!" the daofei leader chuckled and remarked! "Feisty ones, aren't we?! Definitely weren't born with a silver spoon in your mouths, were you?! Nice try~" he mocked. Pointing the pistol at Miyu, who held her ground. He wiped a streak of blood from the corner of his mouth. "Well," he panted. "People like you. The overtly rich. You deserve this. The gall, to live so effortlessly. Somehow, I'm sure you know you deserve this." He looked around, surveying the highway carnage. "Not that I discriminate though. Rich, poor, doesn't matter. Why work for something when it can simply be taken?" He spun around to look at the fallen parents. "Why are you guys so…so feisty? It's just stuff anyway!" He waved his pistol at the previous couple that had been killed just prior. "Some kind of necklace," he snorted. "That her mother gave..so sentimental! It's just shiny rocks on a string! And her husband too! All she had to do was hand them over! All he had to do was shut up and stay put! Then they'd be alive! Same with your parents!"

Yasuho's blood was on the verge of steaming, while tears streamed from her eyes. These criminals! This murder! This guy's enraging dialogue and heartless remarks, in addition to his entitlement! And the fact that she was stuck and couldn't do anything about it! She had snapped several nails, pushing up against the metal to no avail.

"Go to hell," Miyu scoffed, spitting a round of blood that had gathered in her mouth; she still held the wreckage that was pinning Yasuho as much as she could.

"You first," the daofei leader simply replied, before he pulled the trigger. The gun went off, and Yasuho was all alone. The bending suspending the wreckage, and the minor progress Miyu had made, suddenly snuffed. The boulder supports crumbled, and the wreckage settled back down and dropped onto Yasuho. Again, she screamed, in a mix of agony and sorrow. The pain was unbearable. She fell into blackness.

---

"…she's just a high schooler, man! These daofei, I swear!"

Faintly, Yasuho could feel the touch of someone's fingers on her neck.

"Bloody hell, she's not out of the fight yet! Medic! Hey, guys! Give a hand, I got a live one here!"

Yasuho's eyes weakly blinked open. The rumbling of the ground beneath her woke her up. Rolling her head to the left to face, she saw moving links of metal and large heavy sprockets rolling by. A tank, green with gold trim and bearing the markings of the Earth Kingdom Army. Black smoke, belched from its rear exhaust pipes, and numerous soldiers rode perched on its deck and turret. A Panzer IV, lacking its armored side skirts rumbled along the line of mangled wrecks.

Uniformed men gathered around her, encircling the wreckage; soldiers of the Army.

"What's your name, miss?" the soldier who found her asked. "Y-Yasuho," she weakly replied. "Where are my parents?"

"Alright, Yasuho. Hang in there. We'll have you out in a bit. What year are you in?"

"Third year. I'm a senior. Where are my parents? Where is Miyu?" she replied and questioned again, weakly.

"Alright men. One! Two! Three!" The gathered soldiers moved, in unison. The car wreckage was effortlessly lifted up and away, finally freeing her from its grip. Without aid and without prompt, against their best wishes, Yasuho scrambled to her feet. She bled from her side, where a jagged bar which was part of the car's frame had impaled her. There was also a rather deep gash that ran down her right leg that had been bleeding profusely. The soldiers were concerned it could have punctured her femoral artery. But Yasuho was quickly on her feet and limping away.

"Yasuho! Wait, you shouldn't take off like this! We need to treat that!" they called out. Some of the men tried to grab her, but she slipped around them and took off running as best and as fast as she could; paying no mind to her injuries and the pain that came with each move of her body.

Scattered among the wreckage and the carnage the daofei had inflicted upon a line of innocent civilian vehicles on a highway, were the bodies of the victims. Their personal belongings mixing in with the cargo looted from trucks and bus cargo bays and laying strewn everywhere among the ancient battlefield ruins of thousands of years past, destroyed tanks and planes from decades back, and now the modern day pile up of cars and vehicles. Receiving aid and being attended to in the back of a covered truck and the opened gates of a nearby parked halftrack were many more survivors of the daofei hit. They suffered various wounds of varying degrees. Indeed, the daofei leader was right, he didn't discriminate. There were people of all kinds of backgrounds indiscriminately harmed and robbed.

But while the victims, the innocent that were affected were receiving care and treatment, the there was a growing pile of daofei members cast off to the side next to another transport truck; their bodies being tossed with no consideration and their weapons piled up next to them. Those that surrendered had been bound and cuffed and were knelt down before a large party of armed and unarmed soldiers, looking for an excuse to strike one of them.

Where was the leader, Yasuho thought? Rage and anger were still built up in her heart. She remembered the man's black leather jacket. She remembered what he looked like. The pistol he carried. How could she forget? None of the daofei, neither the living or the dead, matched his description. He was somewhere. The murderer was somewhere, and she was going to find him.

She stepped on something. There, beneath her scuffed penny loafers, was the handgun. She knelt down and picked it up. It felt heavy in her hands. She looked at its black slide. An engraving, an eagle with its wings spread perched on a wreath and swastika, was stamped in the metal. Blood soaked its grip. Ahead of her, on the ground was a faint trail of crimson soaking the grass. Gun in hand, Yasuho followed the trail, stalking a wounded predator. The lead took her far off from the wreckage and the rescue operation. Out to the field among the ancient Earth Kingdom stone war coins. These crumbling monoliths were larger than one would think, standing up and above Yasuho, who was stout by comparison.

Propping herself against one of the semi destroyed stone coins, she finally caught him. Dead ahead, a few yards ahead of her, clutching his right arm and limping as fast as he could toward another large coin, was the daofei leader. Leaning, trying to alleviate as much pressure from her injured leg as possible, Yasuho raised handgun and leveled it against the wounded target.

"Hey!" she yelled out, not wanting to simply shoot this criminal in the back. She wanted him to see it. "Turn around! Now!"

Without stopping his run, he did look back. His face turning about and seeing the young adult standing there.

Good enough. Yasuho sharply pulled the trigger. The gun jumped in her hand. A flash! A deafening crack! She almost dropped the firearm. Her ears were ringing. They hurt. The school girl was disoriented.

The daofei leader dropped to the ground. She had struck him at his left hip. Yasuho opened her eyes. She had involuntarily shut them upon the loud bang of the gun going off.

"Oww! Son of a-" the daofei leader groaned as he dragged himself onward. He had rolled onto his back and was pushing himself towards the sunken earth coin to lean against. As with all of the ancient war coins, it was in a crumbling state. Yasuho recalled there were specifically signs along the road that warned travelers, specifically tourists, from approaching the large stone coins as they could crumble at any time.

Standing over her family's killer, Yasuho looked down on the waste-of-oxygen.

He coughed and sputtered. She could see had had likely caught hell from the army. There were several bullet holes all over the front of his jacket; multiple bruises and welts from stones too. "You!" he called. "The school girl. The academy student."

She didn't say a word. She was too enveloped with a fury of emotion.

"What?" he taunted, having the nerve to chuckle and laugh at her. "You gonna kill me? Shoot me? Avenge mommy and daddy? How bout what's her name… Miyu?" He coughed, laughing still. "You don't have the nerve."

"She wouldn't wouldn't hurt a fly," Miyu's words echoed in her mind. "…doesn't have that kind of no-mercy drive in her."

Her grip on the gun tightened. It's pieces rattled quietly in her trembling hand.

"If you want something…. You need to do it yourself!"

The daofei leader looked her in the eye. He was starting to grow uneasy, with how threateningly she stood before him. "It was defense! Like I said, if your people would have just handed the stuff over…cooperated..they'd still be here right now! You guys starting earth bending at me! You kill me, and you will be the murderer!"

Yasuho would hear none of it. She clenched her free hand into a fist. Two stone slabs shot up from the ground beside the gang member, propping him against the stone coin he sat against. He couldn't move before, but he certainly wasn't going anywhere now. And nonchalantly, she kicked her heel into the ground. A line shot through the soil before her, and climbed up the old stone coin, fracturing the earth as it flew along. A sharp stone crack came from above. He looked up with wide eyes. He wasn't able to finish the first sound of a scream. The upper edge of the crumbling stone coin broke apart and came crashing down on the pinned daofei leader below. It slammed into the ground below with a voluminous thud. Fortunately, Yasuho stood back far enough to not get anything on her.

---

A blank expression on her face, emotionless from shock, Yasuho rode seated on the side of the tank, flanked by other retrieved victims as well as soldiers. The medics were able to address her injuries. Fortunately, they assessed that none of her injuries were particularly life-threatening in and of themselves, but she had lost a concerning amount of blood. They had stabilized the bleeding, patched her wounds, and had also given her a blood transfusion. She was set for transport, and was to be looked at further at a hospital. For now she felt okay, physically.

Deep in her skirt pockets, she could feel the weight of the pistol. She had shoved it into her pockets when soldiers came running to investigate the gunshot they heard. Her story, when the soldiers arrived on the scene and found the leader of the Daofei group crushed to death, was simply that he had lunged, drawn, and shot at her. That she had defended herself and unintentionally killed him. A lie, to cover her end.

"You..have anyone we can contact?" the soldier, a sergeant, who rode beside her asked.

"I'm eighteen," she replied, still staring blankly off into the distance. "I'll take care of myself."

The sergeant didn't dig any deeper into that matter. Legally, she could take care of herself without any guardians. "Where were you and your family headed?" He was nervous, asking her about her family, knowing that she was the sole survivor.

"High school business competition at Ba Sing Se University," she answered. "Dad had a business meeting, mom was going to meet with her friends from before, and older sister just landed an internship at the airport and was going there for an orientation." She was devoid of emotion or any variation in tone as she spoke.

"Shit," the NCO muttered beneath his breath, feeling genuinely saddened and sorry for the girl. "Potential…hit by low life animals," he said. "I…don't have any kind of words of consolation that could possibly-"

"It's okay," Yasuho replied, holding back a tear. "It's been settled. What's done is done."

He couldn't fault her. Expressing grief came in an endless number of possible forms. "With your academic know how, I'm sure you could-"

"I want to join the army," she suddenly, flatly, blatantly, blurted out.

"Hai?" the NCO yelped, caught by surprise. She didn't seem like the fighting type. And before today, he'd be right.

"I would like to join the army, sir," she said. "No. I will join the army. I will do anything and everything in my power to expel this cancer of the Earth Kingdom and prevent, as best as I can, something like this from every happening again." She placed her in her lap. "I want to make daofei, criminals and all, to feel fear and regret. I want them to suffer. I will show them as much mercy as they showed me."

---

Shanguchi, Northern Earth Kingdom

2020

The inhabitants of the unofficial town of Shanguchi were panicked as the air raid sirens of the location were blaring their ominous warning of oncoming danger. It was the day. Everybody knew it would come, but knowing something is coming, and it actually coming, were two completely different matters; especially for an unsanctioned establishment with little more than a small, essentially non-existent, police department and a volunteer fire brigade.

Kuvira had issued a brief final order to surrender, from her office in Ba Sing Se. She couldn't be bothered to attend though, as she was busy planning the next moves to accomplish total unification in the Empire's sovereign territories. The radio, television, and digital communique was received, read, watched, and listened to, but as expected, the Liu Clan and the people of Shanguchi did not comply. And now, several columns of tanks and infantry were rolling on the entrance to the Tai Hua mountain ranges. It was Shanguchi first, then on to the castle fortress where the final major Daofei hold out was.

The local resistance was already mobilizing. As Junichiro had seen, both towns' people were armed and ready to fight. And this wasn't taking benders into account either. People shoved past one another as they hurried to defensive positions, or shelters. Guns of various calibers were carried by the townsfolk. This was setting up to be a fight to the end. But Jun knew they wouldn't be able to last long. They were outgunned, and more importantly outnumbered.

Jinora and Opal had provided the group's entry to the small town. Juicy, Opal's sky bison, and Pepper, Jinora's had been hidden far away off to the sides; away from the impending stand off.

"Lock and load," Jun advised, fumbling to slide the fifty round drum magazine into his M1928A1 Thompson. "Conserve ammo, shoot only when necessary, and most importantly, do not start World War Three….yet, atleast." He pulled the charging handle back, charging the gun, then removed his fedora to slip the sling over his head. Both his partner and he wore their plain suits. They could not be officially traced back to the United Republic for this. Junichiro then holstered his 1911 and stuffed additional thirty round stick magazines around his outfit.

John tapped a magazine into his M1 Carbine. "What exactly are we looking for?"

"We are looking for our little daofei informer, Xiaoli Chen," Jun reiterated. "Where he is exactly, and how to exfil him…I'm still working that out."

"Who do we shoot?"

"Anyone that gets in the way," Jun answered. "Earth Empire soldier, or resisting daofei. Let's move!" The pair ran into the town heading for the outer buildings.

At the middle, amid a large square that featured a well and a bell tower, Korra, Mako, Asami, Opal, and Jinora were frantically trying to convince people to evacuate. But amid the chaos, and the will to stand and fight, they were having little success beyond families and people with children.

"You guys need to get out of here! It's not safe," Korra shouted.

"Leave? Hell no! Stand and fight with us, Avatar! Help us!"

Asami stood beside her friend. "You can try holding out, but realistically how long can you?"

"As long as it takes! We knew this day would come!"

So stubborn, she thought. Asami wore a shock gauntlet on her dominant hand, and carried a semi-automatic M1014 shotgun loaded with twelve-gauge bean bag rounds; a 'less-lethal; shotgun ammunition type.

Mako ran over from his sector of the town. "Guys it's no use, their hellbent on facing down the Earth Empire's Army," he reported, winded.

"They're right, though," Opal interrupted. "Why should they leave? Why shouldn't we help them? This is their home! And they're about to get rolled over."

"Opal," Jinora reminded, "It's against your responsibilities and your philosophies as an air bender to openly fight wars. We can only be passive."

"So we are just going to sit here, while these people get crushed or blown to bits?"

Jinora looked at Korra for a moment. Korra was dead set on trying to hold off the army. In her mind she thought she could do it.

"We can't kill," Jinora pondered, "But we can certainly try to stall!"

At the entrance to the city, the outermost wall of houses and buildings, Junichiro and his partner John were trying to ask around and search for their informant. However, everyone was busy trying to get back, or get to the front and head off the approaching army.

"Have you seen this guy?" Jun asked, holding a picture of Xiao. "Have you seen this-! HEY WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!" People often would run straight into the two, in their panicked haste. The loud cry of the air raid siren didn't make it any easier.

John stopped in his tracks, wide eyed and looking down the street and out beyond the town's pastures. "Cap," he said, tapping his superior on the shoulder. "Here they come."

Jun tilted the brim of his hat down further over his eyes, to block the sun's bright lights. There, around three hundred yards out, breaking through a dense line of trees, the heavy tanks of the Earth Empire rumbled forth. First it was just one, but soon several more bulldozed their way through the dense woods, emerging at the edge of the slightly sloped field leading into the outer buildings of Shanguchi's circular layout. Several platoons of soldiers, supporting half tracks and trucks, and about a dozen mecha-suits followed suit. Not good, he thought. "Inside, now," Jun ordered, kicking open a door to a two story storage building with his partner in trail.

"People of Shanguchi," a voice on a loudspeaker boomed, coming from the stopped tank column. "I am Major Jiho Choi, of the 1st Armored Division. Consider this your final warning to cease and desist. We are beyond asking for alignment. You are to lay down your weapons, surrender, and face capture and detainment for separatism, criminal acts, and disservice to the Empire."

Jun scanned the line of stopped armor. "There's got to be a crap-ton of them staged behind the initial armor line in those woods. They'll steam roll this town."

"Boss. Boss!" John tapped, motioning him to his window. Jun ran over. In the building next to theirs, they could see a weapons crew making ready to fire! On the roof, two men staffed an RPG-7, and on the floor just beneath them was a crew servicing an MG42 machine gun.

"They get that round off, it'll kick start this throwdown," Jun remarked. He noted how professionally they moved. They certainly weren't amateurs. He threw the window open. "Hey! Put it down!- Shit!"

A rifle popped off, from the windwo directly across from Jun! It barely missed him! The bullets smashed a wall clock that hung just behind him.

John returned fire, blind firing his carbine around the window frame. "The hell they shooting at us for?!"

"I think they are agents!" Jun said, clutching his weapon. When a pause in the back and forth firing presented itself, he quickly popped up out of cover. His Thompson chattered as he put several rounds into the RPG gunner, just as the man pulled the trigger. The target flinched, and the rocket fired off target. Rather than striking the intended target, a troop truck, the rocket slammed into the frontal upper armor of the modernized Tiger II. A hole straight through the thick steel could be seen as the interior of the tank was lit into a violent blaze. Fire erupted from the cupola and out the barrel.

"What the?!" Major Choi could be heard with genuine surprise and shock on the microphone. One of his tanks was suddenly destroyed, and one of his crews killed.

Jun could see the visual confusion and the arguing among the men of the crew he was now certain were not true defenders and resistance from the town. They were agents. That wasn't their intended target. The MG42 opened fire, unleashing a hail storm of 8mm mauser at the opposing Earth Empire force. The rest of the town opened fire too, thinking someone along their line ordered to fire upon the invaders. The Earth Empire returned fire. Bullets tore through the thin wood and stone walls, sending fragments bouncing throughout the room. Jun and John hit the floor, ducking to avoid getting shred to pieces. He stood up, again opening fire on the gun crew in the next door building.

Boom! A distant blast. A sudden whistle, and a ear shattering explosion. The blast force threw the two UFDI agents from the window. It wasn't their building, rather the one they had been shooting at. An 88mm shell smashed the opposing wall, flinging large chunks of dirt and debris at them. It came from a totally different origin! Peaking over the window sill, Jun looked for where that shot came from. There! On the top of a ridge, perpendicular to where the ground forces were, and looking down on the town were several additional tanks and motorized infantry. The deep forest green and silver of a grouping of Tiger I's and Panther tanks were overlooking the city, their machine guns lit up and fiercely raining down a terrific stream of lead. From their position they could hose the majority of the first defensive line.

"They have a fire support element!" Jun reported. "Classic ground assault tactic!" He popped up again, and cut down the now retreating Earth Empire agents. The Tiger II's began to advance across the long and open grass field towards the town. Blocks of infantry advanced behind the dense armor of the tanks, shielding them from the hail of small arms fire as bullets plinked off the steel. The mechasuits, with their bullet proof chest plating carried rocket launchers, gatling guns, or chain guns on their appendages; the cyclic chugging of the 20mm autocannons pounded in the air as holes were violently punched into the weakening concrete facades. Eighty-eight and seventy-five millimeter high explosive shells continued to rain down onto the city from the hills on the flanks.

Quickly the resistance forces began to fall back from their initial defensive lines, with most breaking away in panic. Apart from a few RPGs here and there, they weren't well equipped to deal with heavy tanks; and the rocket launchers they did have were limited by the few rockets they had in reserve.

"Fall back," Jun called to his partner, flinching from the hail of lead that swarmed through the walls, "Fall back! Let's find our informant and get the hell outta Dodge!"

Down below, on the front defensive lines, Korra and company were not having much effect.

"There's too many!" Mako shouted, throwing a few fire punches and snapping back behind cover as bullets hit uncomfortably close to their mark. "Where do we even start?!"

Asami, an adept skeet shooter, efficiently loaded a grouping of four more shells into her shotgun's tube magazine. Two resounding cannon shots rang forth as she blasted two oncoming soldiers with her bean-bag rounds, knocking them both down temporarily. This is only wasting ammo, she thought as she watched the two men she hit simply get back up and return to formation. "The soldiers are one thing, it's the tanks and armor we need to hold off!"

Opal and Jinora had tried to approach the heavy King Tiger tanks from the flanks, trying to hit them on their broadside with typhoon gale winds, but to little effect. They weighed a ton! "Armor is too heavy," Jinora cried.

"We need to work together," Korra rallied. "Come on!" She ran forth, springing up dense walls of earth to cover the four of them. The two air benders, and Mako, flinched hearing the heavy slugs slamming into the rock barrier that shielded them from the rapid MG fire. As they ran, Korra bore a trench for them to move through, approaching the armor line. An eighty-eight blasted a gaping hole through the stone barrier, but fortunately they were clear.

Mustering all her strength and energy as they approached just below the first tank, Korra managed to topple the heavy steel box on to its side, lifting the vehicle with strong earthen supports on one side and jacking it over. The King Tiger slammed into the dirt with a heavy clang, and the mass of infantry huddled behind it scattered. One down, several to go.

Soldiers ran to their trench, moving to hose the trench and its occupants with their sub machine guns, but the other three were able to fend them off.

"Duck!" Mako shouted, seeing a mecha-suit direct its chain gun to their position. the 20mm shells pounded the dirt around them, forcing them to duck just as the next tank rumbled overhead. Korra tore one its steel road wheels out of its track assembly and flung it at the firing mecha suit; glad she had learned how to metal bend herself. The tank overhead clanked to a halt, and its stolen roadwheel dinged off the chest plate of the mecha suit, striking it to the ground. But the infantry were now swarming around them.

"Korra, we can't stay here!" Mako advised. "They're right on top of us!" He backed an entire squad of soldiers back with a strong breath of fire.

"Grenade!" Opal shouted, immediately picking up the stick grenade and throwing it as far as she could. She fortunately noticed it get tossed into their cramped trench. Jinora followed it up with a blast of air, sending the explosive farther into the air where it exploded far over the battlefield.

After knocking back a group of men, and seeing a bunch more closing in, Korra agreed. Indeed, this was a little too impulsive and ambitious. No matter how many soldiers she tossed, and how many bullets dodged, there were a ton more! She conceded and bored a tunnel beneath the battlefield leading back into the town. The others were relieved to escape the center of a swarm. They were welcomed back by another shell slamming into a nearby commerce building overhead. Looking back, she saw a group of earthbenders reorient the tank she had tipped onto its side; smoke belched from its rear exhaust pipes as its heavy tracks began to clank into motion again. The other one she had ripped the road wheel from its track assembly had it replaced shortly after, and it too began to advance forward again. A distant boom and a terrifying whistle overhead as another eighty-eight millimeter shell tore past and exploded in a group of the resistance fighters.

Asami grabbed the returning benders and hustled them away from the front line. "We need to focus on trying to get as many of these people out and way from here as we can! There's too many for us to fight. We can't stop them," she reasoned.

Korra pondered for just a moment. She didn't have the luxury to stop and think. Though, acting on impulse was her specialty. "Get as many as you can to the bisons! We'll fly them out in alternating loads!"

"Where to?" Opal and Jinora asked.

"Anywhere," Korra emphasized. "Far enough from here!"

---

The tear of the two co-axial MG34 machine guns filled the air with a terrific rip. Firing from both the radio operator's position in the hull, and the parallel mounted machine gun beside the main gun, two distinct lines of orange traces hosed down the town below.

Yasuho was perched atop in the cupola looking ahead, surveying the carnage below and listening as closely as she could to the radio communications with the main frontal assault force. A symphonic battery, like the beats of a large taiko war drum, resounded below as the advancing Tiger II's fired into the town, the sound of exploding stone and crumbling facades replied to the call.

"Badger Mole 2-1, Badger Mole Actual," Major Choi called through the radio. "Reached first assault checkpoint, about to enter town boundaries. Initiate. Initiate. Initiate. Shift fire. I repeat, shift fire!"

Yasuho clasped the two throat-mounted receivers of her laryngophone which sat just above her shirt collar; a radio that picked up the vibrations directly from the speaker's vocal cords. It did a good job at picking up what the user was saying even with machine gun and cannon fire. "Badger Mole Actual, 2-1 shifting fire, thirty degrees. Clear to advance."

"Badger Mole 2-1, Badger Mole Actual. Recieved. Advancing."

Without needing to look, Yasuho flicked the radio frequency switch at waist level beside her. "All units, shift fire, left, thirsty degrees. Shift fire. Left! Thirty degrees!"

A wave of acknowledgements replied as the other three tanks of the block, the two mecha-suits, and three machine gun fire teams shifted their fire to the left as to not hose down their friendly advancing forces. They now fired further towards the center of the town where the resisting separatists had set up their second defensive line. A loud mechanical whir came as the boxy turret of Tiger 118 traversed to the left. A blast erupted as the main gun fired off almost immediately after finishing the turn.

This was a comfortable position for their gunner. Through the sight, Eunji was able to zero in on any target of opportunity. Yasuho also scanned the town's scenery through a pair of binoculars, and helped call out priority targets.

"Machine gun emplacement," their commander identified. "Three-twenty degrees, port side. Second story. Building with the Earth Kingdom flags. Looks like a commerce center. See em?"

The turret whirred and the gun elevated. "Yeah, I see 'em," Eunji confirmed. "High explosive," she called to her loader.

A pang of metal and a satisfying click, as the gun breach closed. "High explosive, up," Junko affirmed.

"Sending," Eunji called, hitting the fire switch. The tank recoiled as the gun went off. Through the sight there was a violent but quiet poof of gray and black dust and rubble. The corner of the building had been blown apart. "High explosive," she called as the gun swiveled slightly downward, targeting the entrance.

"Up," Junko repeated, already disposing of the previous shell casing.

"Runners," Yasuho called. "Repositioning."

"Already ahead of you, kommandant," Eunji acknowledged.

Sure enough, the remaining resisting fighters were on their way out of the exploded structure. Though there was only one door out.

The gunner tapped the fire again lightly underfoot. Another explosion down range. One of the old Earth Kingdom banners fell from the halyard it was strung on.

The rapid cycling of the machine gun clanked and rattled away, as they hosed down a group of armed members, who scrambled for cover out of sight.

"Hold," Yasuho suddenly interrupted. Immediately Eunji released the MG trigger. Just as she said that, and just as the machine gun ceased, a group of what certainly looked like unarmed people, and prior resistance fighters with their hands up crossed the window of fire they were shooting into. A group surrendering and moving to be taken into custody by the advancing ground forces. They disappeared behind another wall. "Clear. Resume," Yasuho called, and immediately the machine guns began again.

"Captain Aoshima," another tank officer called. "Sky Bisons spotted!"

Looking to the left over the her firing line, the white and broad outline of a sky bison could be seen lifting out of the town. It's saddle was full of escapees. Atop the Panther tank to her immediate left, the commander posted out in the cupola and swiveled the top mounted MG42 around. "Hold fire, Chen," she said. "Let them run."

The Panther tank commander looked over and pinched his radio receiver. "You sure? Perfect target of opportunity."

"Negative, focus on the immediate threats to the boys on the ground. If they run, they run."

"Copy," he disappointingly acknowledged.

She was not about to gun down one of the air benders, and one of the few remaining sky bison. Even if they were providing aid to those undeserving of it, in her eyes.

"Badger Mole 2-1, Badger Mole Actual. Reached secondary checkpoint," Major Choi called. "Initiate second assault phase."

"Badger Mole Actual, this is 2-1, received and understood. Advancing," Captain Aoshima acknowledged.

"All units," she radioed, switching the channel again. "Clear to advance. All clear. Push. Push. Push."

Engines roared to life and smoke belched from exhausts. Gears shifted as Corporal Fujioka cycled into their drive gears. Yasuho surveyed her mass of tanks, armored suits, and mechanized infantry platoons. She curled her fingers into a fist, then gestured ahead with a sharp knife hand. Whistles sounded among the troops and engines revved and roared. The tanks lurched forward and the infantry charged with a mighty battle cry. The machine guns tore into the town, ripping through two more belts of ammunition before packing up and pushing with the storm troops. Tiger 118, and all other accompanying tanks took the plunge, sharply dropping down the steep slope and racing toward the western town edge.

---

"Cap," John called, tapping another fifteen round mag into his carbine. "It's about to get a lot worse!" He was referring to seeing the supporting tanks charge off the ridge toward the town.

"I can see that!" Jun replied, just exhausting the remaining rounds in the initial drum of his Thompson. It banged on the floor as he dropped it, already tapping in the following thirty-round stick mag. "Avatar's busy evacuating separatists too!"

John began putting rounds down range. Jun followed. "Where do we find this guy?"

Jun wasn't sure, and running from the falling rubble coming from the shell impact just overhead, wasn't helping. "For now, let's regroup with the others!"

The two moved from cover, out into the streets. The advancing army was all around them!

"Hit the deck!" John called.

Jun didn't hear him, but caught sight of the squad of Earth Empire soldiers that were grouped together down a cross street. He leapt forth just as a fifty pound boulder flew right where he was just standing. He popped out of the crater he took cover in and let loose a spray of lead. His partner flung a series of stone rubble at the enemy, who equally countered and exchanged rocks.

A stamp on the ground, launched Jun from his crater, into the air, and had him crashing down in the open exposed. But John focused on the crumbling walls above the enemy soldiers. They weren't able to dodge as the ton of bricks and concrete came crashing down on them. Jun stumbled back to his feet, winded, and scooped up his weapon.

"You okay?" John called.

"Could be better," he wheezed, straining to re-inflate his core. "Down!"

Without thinking John dove for the deck. Jun emptied the rest of his magazine in a sustained burst. A group of camouflage clad storm troopers were cut down.

"Let's move!" Jun ordered.

The two took off towards the town center where the avatar and company were slugging it out with the advancing soldiers and armor. Jun nearly tripped on himself running through the compiling rubble on the streets. Another pair of infantry. Another pair dropped, with John watching their rear.

He stopped, snapping his gun up to shoulder. The UFDI chief was staring down the barrel of a 12 gauge shotgun as he snapped around the corner into the town center. "Blue blue blue!" he yelled.

The woman wielding the long arm lowered its muzzle, recognizing the suit and hat. "Any luck?" the CEO of Future Industries inquired.

"Unfortunately, no," Jun reported. "How's Korra's escapade?"

"Moved a lot," Mako chimed in, "But not enough. Evacuations are still ongoing." He was trying to catch his breath, while in the background Korra was in a three way duel with armed and earthbending soldiers. "How's finding our insider?"

"Damn near impossible now," Jun panted, "Without a proper army to fight, we're losing ground quickly. The people are getting systematically cut down. This isn't daofei warfare, and they don't know how to fight properly."

"Take cover!" someone, across the center yelled. A terrifying rumble and crackle building. A three story building across the square started to topple, with numerous surrounding people running from the rubble and the dust. Plowing through the lower wall came the hull of a Tiger II, it's turret traversing towards the front.

"TANK!" Jun called.

On the opposite side, a mecha suit emerged as well, cycling a new belt into its 20mm chain gun. "Not good."

John flung two boulders, torn straight from the street at the mech. The force knocked the armored suit onto the ground. Two pairs of earthen cuffs tried to grapple the mechanical suit to the ground, but it quickly broke free, its chain gun pounding away in various directions. Team Avatar dove for cover, behind the wreckage of destroyed cars and crumbled structures. The resistance members that opened fire with small arms were blown away by the 20mm slugs. Meanwhile the opposing tank had brought its long 88mm gun to bear. Thinking quick, Korra erected a sturdy pillar of stone and shifted it to forcefully push on the tank's gun barrel, turning it just as the gunner fired. The high explosive shell tore into the mecha suit, obliterating it and its operator. Though they didn't catch the fury from the main cannon, the noise from being on the receiving end disoriented them. Jun could barely hear himself think. He could barely hear the commander's, coaxial, and hull machine guns open fire across the square, peppering their general position with lead.

He could barely hear the blaring sound of a car horn, but he peeked to look at the source of the noise. Barrelling down the narrow streets, came a Cabbage Car sedan, a bipod-mounted machine gun blasting forward from the passenger seat, and a stalky, glasses-wearing man hanging out the rear window, looking over the roof of the car with an RPG set on his shoulder. With a muffled fwoosh, the rocket fired, barreled through the square, and slammed into the large broadside of the Tiger II. The ammunition within detonated, and it's heavy turret was blown from the hull in a column of fire, slamming into the building beside it. It was Xiaoli, their contact. The car roared past, continuing on a street heading further into the town as Xiao jettisoned the rocket launcher, having fired his last rocket.

"T-That's our guy!" Jun called. "That's our contact!" He stumbled to his feet quickly. John took off after his superior. Nearby was a parked Satomobile, painted a drab green with red flashing lights mounted to its roof. It was one of the patrol cars of the town's small peacekeeping force. Asami, and Korra converged on the two men as well.

"That's him?" Asami asked, shoving more shells into her shotgun's tube magazine.

"That's him," Jun confirmed, throwing open the passenger door. The keys were still in the ignition. "You a good driver?"

"Decent, I'd say-" Asami responded.

"Best one," Korra interrupted.

Jun pointed at the young lady and simply ordered as he dove for his seat, "Drive!"

Korra, Mako, and John piled into the back seat. Jun took and stowed Asami's 1014 shotgun for her as she entered. She shifted the car into gear and sped off after their target.

Xiao's car was faster, but his driver was not as steady or experienced at evasive driving. The dust, rubble, crumbling buildings, bullets, and tank shells all made it near impossible to drive in a straight smooth line. Asami by comparison was a far more adept driver, and although they had a head start and a faster car, she was now right on their tail.

"What exactly are we after this guy for? And couldn't you just call them over phone?" she inquired, still focused on the road. Jun braced as Asami jerked the wheel to the right, avoiding the falling wall of a building just struck.

"Xiao's got good intel on possible superweapons the Earth Empire is developing. If we can get a hold of that, it could help prepare Zaofu for their inevitable siege. He's been keeping a close eye on the Empire's activity! Contact right!" Asami swerved left to avoid a squad of soldiers, while Jun opened fire out the car window, suppressing the enemy force. "Phone signals in the area are non-existent, and that man doesn't have a phone, so calling him has kinda been off the table. You know how to PIT maneuver a car?"

"Generally," Asami replied.

"Good girl," Jun praised. Good enough. "When you catch them, pit 'em. Try not to kill them though."

The v8 engine roared, the red flashing light shone bright, and the air raid siren sang as they closed in on the fleeing car. The target car rounded a corner, turning onto a broad main street, headed north towards the mountain pass that lead to the Liu Clan's castle stronghold.

"Right turn ahead," Jun called out.

"On it," Asami acknowledged. The three passengers in the back were squished together as they took the corner at speed, John and Jun gripping the ceiling handles.

"Nice turn," Jun praised. "Push push push!"

They passed straight through a dust cloud. Jun's eyes shot wide open. "BRAKES!"

---

"We're entering a densely packed urban combative environment," Yasuho advised her crew, "Eyes peeled. There could be an RPG around every corner and in every window."

She sat low in the commander's cupola, trying to make herself as small a target as she could while maintaining situational awareness. Some tankers tended to push aggressively into fleeing troops, regardless of the environment change, and rely on shock and awe to gain the upper hand. But Yasuho understood the risk, tanks faced in close-in and cluttered situations where infantry were practically layered on top of them. "Hanako, don't out-advance the infantry. I don't want to get caught without infantry support."

"Yes, kommandant," the driver replied.

"Contact front," Yasuho called out.

Eunji took a quick look through the gun sight. The plinking of bullets bouncing off the armor rang audibly within the hull. She glanced to Junko. "Give me a canister shell."

The stout loader pulled up the next shell, sliding it into battery. The shell did not carry any explosive round, or any armor piercing projectile. Rather it was loaded with steel and tungsten ball bearings, essentially turning the main gun into an 88mm shotgun. "Cannister, up," Junko replied. Maho still tore into them with the bow mounted MG34. Despite this, the gathering resistance forces continued to pile on, staring down an advancing tank and trying to shoot the accompanying infantry. Earth benders raised stone barricades for the resistance fighters to take cover behind. Some had the sense to run from the sight of a tank.

"Fire when ready," Yasuho ordered. She ducked beneath a boulder that had been launched at her, and flung one in return.

Eunji swung the main gun towards the center of the crowd. "Goodnight," she said, hitting the cannon fired, spraying the deadly hail of metal bearing in a powerful cone ahead of the tank. The bearings shred the stone barricades and ripped into the soft targets that had gathered ahead. Clanking could be loudly heard as Junko cycled the spent casing out of the breach.

The commander spun around, waving the infantry that took shelter behind her tank to advance down the street. The soldiers moved up systematically in rows that took over both sidewalks. More combatants! Popping out of the windows above them and the doors around them. The street was enveloped in a deadly crossfire. A machine gun in the buildings above opened fire on the troops below. The soldiers returned fire but, being caught in the open, sustained serious casualties as the others seeked over.

Clang! A stone boulder slammed into the rear of the tank's turret, denting the red numbering '118' over the additional ammunition storage compartment. Yasuho flinched, ducking down admittedly getting caught off guard. She spun around just in time to destroy a follow up rock that was flung directly at her. She was engaged in an earthbending duel toward the rear of the tank, while her crew continued to lay down supportive fire out the front. Her opponents, two of them were nimble, and wouldn't remain still for her attacks to land. They even dodged the metal plates she kept on her belt. Finally, one had connected. A pillar jutted out of the ground, striking down one of the men, and catching the other by surprise. Reaching over her, and focusing her energy, Yasuho broke off a sizeable junk of a nearby housing building, balcony and windows intact, and launched the section at the two men. The crash and the erupting cloud of dust was the end of the ordeal. The turret swung right, it's gun elevating, and fired into the upper floor of what looked to be a lodge. From what Yasuho heard on the intercom, there was an anti-tank crew setting up in the previously existing window.

In the distance, behind several layers of buildings and streets. Yasuho heard the chugging sound of a 20 mm chain gun, followed by the blast of an 88mm cannon. She heard the faint blaring of a car horn, and then what sounded like an ammo rack explosion.

"All units," the voice of Major Choi, the leading officer in this operation came on the radio, "We have a priority target. Be advised, there is a gray Cabbage Corps car speeding through the streets headed toward the north. Ground units have identified, Xiaoli Chen, a lead influence within this Daofei clan. Kill or capture!"

Those explosions weren't too far away, Yasuho thought. She could intercept their probable escape course. "Hanako, punch it!" she ordered. "We can head them off at the north end of town."

They picked up speed as smoke belched from the exhausts. The main street, according to Yasuho's map was directly ahead, perpendicular to their position, and was the fastest way out of the combat zone into the mountains. No doubt, since the town had effectively fallen, that was the route her opponent-friend was headed for. She'd be the one to capture him, lest he gets killed by other units; lest he faced the the brutality of 1st Armored's units.

The approaching wail of what sounded like a police siren drew nearer as well. "Kommandant," Maho indicated, having been simultaneously listening in on radio chatter whilst manning her bow gun, "Seems like they're coming in hot! Next corner too. We're perfectly ahead of the intercept!"

Perfect, Yasuho thought. The roads had opened up. There was less resistance in the way, and they had a straight line. The suspension did a good job, but the heavy armored box still shook and rattled as they rumbled through piles of rubble and craters. Unachievable with the original engines of ww2, they were in a full on sprint to intercept.

"Eunji," Yasuho prompted, "Let's shake 'em up. Load smoke."

"Aye, captain," Eunji acknowledged. Junko slammed a smoke shell, packed with willy pete, into battery.

---

"Gunner traverse left," Yasuho ordered, anticipating the approaching corner.

The turret began to swing left. "Traversing to port," came the acknowledgement.

Down the road, a drab green patrol car screeched around the uneven street corner at speed. "Nice turn," Jun praised "Push push push!" Asami gunned the engine, closing in rapidly to the speeding target car.

The muzzle break of the improved Kwk 36 peered around the corner as the imposing silhouette of the Tiger I pulled into view. It's gun and turret now turning towards the approaching pair of cars. Eunji keeping her foot poised right over the floor-trigger, waiting for the crosshairs to settle on target. She was going to fire just ahead and to the right of the lead car, the blast of smoke would scare the target into wrecking the vehicle.

"There's a second car," Eunji remarked.

"Lead's the target," Yasuho affirmed. Maho opened fire with the bow gun, firing at the chasing patrol car.

"BRAKE!" Jun called, in the passenger seat, as tracers ripped towards their car. Asami jerked the steering wheel left and right, avoiding the spray of the machine gun. The bow gunner's cone of fire was limited as the tank turned it's hull to speed up the turret's rotation. She stayed committed in the pursuit, to the terror of her rear passengers. "Their gun's lined up!" Mako shouted. "They'll fry them!"

Korra acted quickly. "Not if I can help it!" Her arms punched forth, and a force wave shot ahead of their car, racing towards their contact's. A chunk of earth below Xiao's car jumped up and struck the bottom rear corner of the Cabbage Corps Car, sending it out of control. The car went right!

"Sending!" Eunji stomped on the trigger. The main gun fired. The barrel recoiled and the shell erupted forth, leaving the barrel at nine-hundred-thirty meters-per-second. "Shit!"

The shell slammed into the ground and detonated right beside Xiao's car, just as they were now swerving perpendicular from being hit out of control. The impact force, torn into the ground and flipped the vehicle, shredding and tearing the car frame violently. All occupants were hosed with the fragments of burning white phosphorus.

Yasuho felt her heart sink, slamming into rock bottom like an anvil dropped off a high bridge, as she watched the mangled car tumble and roll from it's momentum. She watched all three occupants, including her childhood friend, get thrown from the vehicle.

"HALT!" she cried. "Stop! Stop!" Her voice was panicked and shaky.

"Fuck!" Jun exclaimed. Asami slammed on the brakes, when the cannon fired. The brakes locked, but they still skidded through the loose dirt and gravel.

"Holy shit," John observed, they tore 'em up! "No one's surviving that!"

Korra felt guilty. "Did I do that?"

"They were dead anyway," Mako defended.

Jun pulled his hat tight on his head, still gripping the passenger grab-handle firmly, bracing in the emergency stop. When the dust settled Xiao's car was in pieces, smoke pouring out from the wreckage, with three bodies thrown about on the ground. There was nothing they could do. "Get us out of here!"

"What?" Asami was surprised.

"Now now now! Back us out of here, we'll be surrounded soon!"

She threw it into reverse, and immediately they reversed away from the crash scene and tank. The car drifted, as Asami rapidly oriented the car, shifting into drive as the front of the vehicle spun toward the opposite direction, and they made a break for where Jinora and Opal were staging their sky bison. Shanguchi had fallen.

Sorry Xiao, Jun thought, I tried.

---

"Yasuho!" Maho shouted after her friend, as their commander desperately leapt from the turret, clambering down the tank as fast as she could. Eunji felt guilty, she had missed. But everyone was also rather shocked, and confused.

"Cover her!" Maho ordered the remaining crew. "It's still an active combat zone!"

Eunji traversed the tank turret, Junko scrambled up and manned the top mounted MG42, plopping on a helmet as she went topside. Maho was conflicted, she had a gun herself to man, but she caved in to the need to help her friend. " Eunji, you're command," she quickly said as she threw open her hatch and ran to catch their commander.

Captain Aoshima ran through the smoke, bending away the intensely burning fragments of white phosphorus spread around the impact sight, consequently clearing away the smoke. She paid some mind, to avoid getting any of it on herself, but in all her legs carried her recklessly through the dangerous material. She coughed and sputtered, waving away the thick white smoke. There was a terrible smell. "Xiao!" she called. "Xiao!" On the ground were two bodies, the driver and the forward passenger and machine gunner. They were killed in the crash, and they had severe physical injuries and burn marks to match. It was not looking good.

What helped Yasuho to find her friend amid the smoke, were the screams. Terrible, eardrum shattering screams of agony. She couldn't help but try and plug her ears with her coat sleeves, as tears formed in her eyes. Finally she came to a halt beside him, looking down on Xiao. In the crash and being ejected from the rear seat of the car, he had sustained heavy physical trauma. The describing word would be, mangled. There were deep lacerations, broken bones, and multiple impalements. But, much worse than that, he was covered up and down with white phosphorus which continued to burn intensely. Smoke poured from the wounds and holes where the reactive rocks continued to burrow into. Having one small piece was terrifying, but to be covered in them was a painful death sentence.

Despite his state, he writhed in pain. His screams were painful to listen to. Yasuho could only imagine what it must have actually felt like! "Xiao!" she exclaimed. But he was occupied, and couldn't hear her well. "Xiao, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Her hands were coated in sweat, and shook uncontrollably. What do I do? What do I do? She searched for answers.

She steadied her hands. She would try to remove the phosphorus. People had said they'd need to cut the chunks out, cut out the flesh from under the white phosphorus and scoop it out else it'd burn through the bone. But there was so much of it. An earthbender wouldn't need a knife! She tried to extract them, all large and small chunks sharply moved up, trying to get out. It was like trying to play 'Operation' but trying to pluck all the pieces out of the tiny holes of the game board with sixteen tweezers fielded by one hand. It wasn't clean and it wasn't painless. It wasn't viable either. "Ahhhhh!" he shrieked, writhing from the intense pain.

"Yasuho!"

The captain turned, and saw her friend who had finally caught up to her. Maho was equally as shocked at desolate at seeing Xiaoli's current state.

"What can I do?" her friend and superior pleaded.

Maho's mouth moved, but no words came out. She was shocked and speechless. She didn't have an answer. "Yasu," she began, shakily, "He's going to die."

"No!" Yasuho opposed. "No, I won't let that happen. I told you!"

"Yasu-"

"Yasuho," Xiao spoke up. Weakly raising a hand, bearing through the unbearable. "Yasuho, can you hear me?"

"Xiao?" she turned to face.

"Yasuho, it's okay," he writhed and managed to say. "It's- I-It's okay. You didn't mean to. I know."

"I can help you," she pleaded. "Just…Just give me time to think!"

"It hurts, Yasuho," he groaned. "It hurts." It took all his mental strength to stop himself from screaming in agony.

"I know, just bear with it a little longer," she insisted, desperately.

Xiao held up a hand. Yasuho and Maho stared at his gesture for what felt like a long moment.

"Yasu," Maho consoled. Her friend also held up her hand. The same gesture. Stop.

Captain Aoshima sniffled. She was tense and shaking. Anger, sadness, regret, an indescribably swirl of emotion troubled her. She couldn't do this, not with her own hands.

"Take care of yourself..Yasu-chan," Xiao said, closing his eyes.

"You too," she replied. She reached across her belt and drew her P-38 handgun, racking the slide and leveling the barrel at him. She shielded her face with her free hand, closed her eyes, and looked away. Tears were pressed from her closed eyes.

Crack! The sharp sound of a single gunshot shot through the air. She nearly dropped the gun, feeling her grip go limp after. She shakily flipped on the safety and re-holstered her sidearm. Maho quickly grabbed her to keep her from falling. For a moment, Yasuho was able to cry in peace, the remaining smoke blocking her off from the surrounding world.

The sound of clanking tank treads and the road of an engine approaching forced Yasuho back to reality. She quickly adjusted her uniform and profusely wiped the tears from her face, pulling the visor of her peaked cap over her eyes as much as she could.

The tall and bulky, angled silhouette of a Tiger II emerged from the smoke and came to a halt beside the wreckage. The number '474' was written in red at the rear of its turret, standing out from its forest green camouflage pattern. Major Jiho Choi hopped down from its cupola, keeping his garrison cap in place with his hand. His ike-style tanker's jacket was covered in dust and blood. Briefly he surveyed the wreckage, the mangled car crash, and the three victims. "Shit," he said. "Excellent catch, Captain Aoshima." He looked down at who he could still confirm was Xiaoli Chen. "You got him! Good hunting."

Captain Aoshima remained quiet, acknowledging his praise silently.

"Hit 'em with the smoke too," he admired. "Angel of death indeed!" The Major walked past Yasuho and tore open the door of the wrecked car. After some digging around, he managed to locate a leather folder that had survived the crash. "Do you know what this is?" he asked, quickly tearing through and scanning its contents. "Oh boy. This is valuable!" He approached her side and showed her the pages. They were maps, and charts, tracking the position of Earth Empire Army units throughout the entire continent. But more important than that, it also showed the positions of several Daofei hold outs throughout as well. "These pages detail exactly where these daofei are holding out. likely they are stashing their most valuable supplies and equipment in several of these positions. This," he emphasized "This is the nail in the coffin for this final remaining large daofei group. It will only be small, pathetic, and weak bands once we eradicate the scum from the Empire. Imagine how much more peaceful our people can rest, knowing that the last widespread Daofei group has been erased!" He shifted tone. "This will also grease the wheels with any Mechanized World attention and news coverage, since we can prove, show, and justify our operations as well," he chuckled. "You," he emphasized, "deserve a promotion for this, Captain! We'll make a field officer out of you yet! One day!"

Major Choi turned to his crew. The destruction of Shanguchi was evident behind the column of tanks, trucks, halftracks, mechs, and soldiers. "Onward! Onward to the castle stronghold!" he signalled. The battle chants of the men of the 1st Armored Division echoed as they made ready to advance.

"This is where we part, captain." From here, as planned, Major Choi would lead the final assault to clean up the Liu Clan's headquarters. The final stronghold, nested in the heights of the Tai Hua Mountain Range. "I'll see you on the outskirts of Zaofu!" Major Choi launched himself atop his tank and began the advance.

The sound of the tanks and equipment rolling by was the only sound in the air, now. Shanguchi itself had fallen silent.

---

Omori Town, South Western Earth Kingdom

Omori City Commerce Academy

2005 AD / 163 AG

Streamers poured from the ceiling, and spirits were high. It was graduation day, and the spring cherry blossoms were in full bloom. Tears and cheers were apparent among the crowd of high school seniors, the graduating class, as they were embarking towards the next chapter of their lives as young adults. However, one girl among them did not feel the same sense of joy or accomplishment.

Yasuho had largely recovered from her injuries and was fortunate to have been out of bed and out of the medical supervision for weeks now, however she still wore bandages where her injuries were. Her blazer and dress shirt covered her mid section where some of the most bandaging was, but the white bandaging of her leg poked out beyond the hem of her skirt, reminders of the trauma she had endured.

She ended up not attending the competition in Ba Sing Se, not that she was in any state to do so at that time. But she also ceased all further academic pursuits. For the remainder of her month in high school she was quiet, kept to herself, was disconnected from the anticipation and excitement of her peers, and as a result felt alone. Talking with university representatives was replaced with constant and convicted consultations and conversations with army recruiters. She was determined to join the ranks of the army.

"Yasu-chan!" someone called out to her.

She turned towards the voice, clutching the leather cylinder that encased her diploma. It was Xiaoli. She didn't know how to feel about seeing her friend right now, as she knew his family was involved with a daofei gang farther up north.

"Congrats on graduating!" he exclaimed.

"Thanks…" she replied, with no excitement in her voice.

"Future plans?"

"You know what I intend to do," she repeated.

"I know," he confirmed. "Joining the army."

There was a dead silence between them, one that seemingly drowned out the noise of the euphoria in the room. "And you support this?"

"Yasu," Xiao answered. His family had ties with one of the most prominent daofei groups in the mountainous Earth Kingdom territories. He occasionally talked about their moves to 'redistribute wealth' from the monarchy to the people. Their main targets were armored cars, and the reserves of individual lords. "Regardless. That aside. I'll always support you! Before the army, before everything, we were friends. I'm not going to let this change that," he paused. "..as long as you allow, of course." He twiddled his thumbs, as he had been trying to avoid the elephant in the room. "I know your reasons well. And it's understandable. I'd be that angered too, and honestly, if our situations were reversed, I'd probably feel the same too."

Yasuho was relieved. A smile crept onto her face.

"Besides," he brightened up, "We both know you're not capable of killing me!"

Yasuho lightened up. "You sure about that?" she teased.

"Yeah! I'm light on my feet. A face in a crowd. You're too brute force. Same why you never struck me out in dodgeball…or dodgerock…"

Yasuho chuckled. "We'll see about that," she laughed. She was glad to have known Xiao. Particularly in the weeks and months following the loss of her family..he was the last remaining family she had.