Morality Chain
So, uh, what I said about faster update times?
Disregard, please. This chapter really didn't want to be written. I'm sorry about the long lag in update times.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
A distant booming noise was what had jerked Ping out from his peaceful slumber. Blearily, he fumbled in his hammock and leaned over to grab his spear. Not that he really expected anything serious right now – the Fire Nation had been quiet after their rather embarrassing defeat regarding the drill, and that hadn't been too long ago, so it was generally understood that there wouldn't be any large Fire Nation campaigns any time soon.
Not that that justified sloth ofrcarelessness, of course, and so, like a good soldier, Ping hefted his spear and ran out of the barracks.
The sight that greeted him rooted him to the spot in shock and horror.
The Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se was crumbling away. Directly in front of him, a massive section of the wall, far, far larger than the breach that even the Dragon of the West had created back in his day, was slowly sliding down into rubble.
That would have been bad enough, but even at the distance he was at, Ping could see figures on the walls, their bodies moving through familiar Earthbending poses. But they didn't appear to be trying to repair the wall…
If anything, they appear to be the ones tearing it down.
And abruptly, with a slow, rumbling roar, the entirety of the sunken section collapsed down, throwing up great clouds of choking dust and obscuring all vision.
His heart in his throat, Ping hurried forward as the dust slowly began to clear, and his heart sank as he saw what lay beyond the walls.
The Fire Nation's armies, arrayed in marching formation, were pouring through the broken walls, column upon column of grim soldiers walking unchallenged into the most strongly fortified city in the world.
As he watched the wave of soldiers approach, Ping instinctively raised his spear, preparing to charge the invading army, and to drive them back again. All around him, other Earth Kingdom soldiers raised their weapons, prepared to do likewise.
But then –
"Put your weapons down, soldier," the voice came from behind him, and Ping turned to see a sight that made his skin crawl on the best of days.
The Dai Li agent stepped forward, letting his gaze roam over the confused soldiers. "The Earth King has already surrendered. Ba Sing Se is now in Fire Nation hands."
What? That statement made no sense to Ping – the Fire Nation soldiers were only just now beginning to enter the city! How could the Earth King have already…
Then he remembered the Earthbenders on the walls of the Ba Sing Se tearing the structure down, and he felt a chill run down his spine.
"To hell with what the Earth King says!" one of the soldiers to Ping's left roared. 'I'm not letting those Fire Nation bastards into my hommmmph!" As he'd spoke, rock clamps had come out of the ground and wrapped around his mouth, effectively gagging him. The ground under him gave way as well, causing him to sink into the muddy earth up to his shoulders.
"If any of you attempt to fight, you will have to deal with both the Dai Li as well as the Fire Nation," the agent said calmly. Even as spoke, the march continued, wave upon wave of troops that the surprised defenders of the walls could never have matched in the open plains.
And so, with a mixture of rage and despair, Ping and his fellow soldiers could only stand and watch as the Fire Nation marched unopposed into the hitherto unconquered capital.
(X)
"Jin, where are you going?"
Jin glanced over her shoulder and smiled at her mother. "It's fine, mom. I'm just going down to the market to pick up some things for dinner."
She stepped out into the tightly packed streets of the Outer Ring, weaving her way through the crowds as she headed for the shopping district.
She rounded the corner – her path taking her past the tea shop where she had worked before Eeroh had offered her her new job in the Inner Ring.
I wonder how his tea ceremony yesterday went. Truth be told, she'd been rather disappointed when Eeroh had suddenly informed her that her services would not be needed that day. She had been nervous about being presented before the Earth King – her, an Outer Ring peasant! – but still, she couldn't deny that the opportunity to prove herself would have been nice too.
If nothing else, it would have made a grand story to tell her friends.
Thoughts of friends in general led to thoughts of Jet and Lee in particular, and Jin frowned. Them not coming to the Inner Ring to visit the Jasmine Dragon was one thing, but after receiving her unexpected day off yesterday she'd combed their usual hangout spots and hadn't seen hide nor hair of them.
And truth be told, she was starting to get a little worried.
Well, that could be dealt with another time. She had to hurry and get to the market so she could get the ingredients for tonight's dinner. And then she could head on to the Jasmine Dragon and help Eeroh-
"Make way!"
The proclamation sounded across the bustling square that Jin was crossing through, and Jin instinctively backed up. Though rare, it wasn't unheard of for high-ranking officials to travel through the Outer Ring, and that invariably meant large processions that could waste up to a quarter of an hour just letting them walk by.
As she pressed herself against the walls, Jin glanced up – and froze.
It was indeed a procession, but instead of the men being dressed in the vibrant green of the city's officials, they all bore maroon clothes and similarly coloured armour. There was no litter bearing a bored, fussy diplomat, but instead row upon row of grim-faced men marching in formation. Behind them, she could even see the hulking shape of what appeared to be a war tank.
It can't be… Jin's mouth was dry. All around her were confused and alarmed murmurings as the soldiers continued their march.
Jin stood, stunned, as column after column of troops passed through – finally they were gone, except for the several dozen soldiers stationed at the Square, visible proof of the Fire Nation's new presence in their lives. More and more of the populace ducked and scurried away, or simply stood staring in shock. But there were no overt moves against the soldiers – what could they have done, anyway?
Numbly, Jin stumbled away, her feet carrying her mechanically away from the square, towards the market, her stomach churning the entire way.
What had happened? Had Ba Sing Se fallen? With no battle, no struggle? She'd gone to sleep yesterday secure in the belief that the walls would repel the Fire Nation, and all of a sudden they were in the middle of the city, marching in as victors of a war already won.
What had happened at the Walls?
And… what was going to happen to everyone now?
(X)
So it was in that manner that the greatest, most powerfully fortified city in the world fell.
The soldiers ordered to stand down and to watch helplessly as the Fire Nation marched in.
The civilians confused and panicked from the sudden appearance of conquering troops appearing on the streets.
No bloody battles.
No heroic last stands, with desperate soldiers holding their ground to the last man.
Ba Sing Se had fallen.
The war had ended, not with a bang, but with a whimper.
(X)
Seated on what had until recently been the Earth King's throne, Azula spared a cordial nod as a rather unhappy looking man entered the chamber, flanked on both sides by elite Firebenders, both of whim saluted upon catching sight of her. It wasn't until she was looking at them that she realized just how much she had missed this familiar sight.
She really had been spending far too long in the Earth Kingdom.
Well, with any luck she'd be able to tie up the several remaining loose ends quickly enough, and then – at long last! – she'd be homeward bound.
For now though, she sat and waited as the man approached her.
"All glory to you, princess Azula." War Minister Qin said by way of greeting.
"I should hope so," Azula replied. "After all, I did bring Ba Sing Se under my thumb." All right, perhaps this was laying it on just a little thicker than absolutely necessary, but she'd never liked the War Minister and if she had the chance to rub in his face that he'd succeeded where he'd failed, well.
The War Minister made no direct reply, but Azula could tell that her remark had stung.
She let the silence linger for just a moment longer to let her snub sink in, and then nodded and stood from her chair.
"I trust you have brought your troops into the city?"
"Yes, princess," Qin nodded. "We've already deployed them in a manner following the plans we had drawn up for occupying the city. We expect little trouble going forward."
Azula nodded thoughtfully. "Good. Well then," she gestured to the side of the chamber, where a squad of Dai Li were standing, awaiting further orders. "I'm sure you'll want more information about the city – groups that could prove troublesome, infrastructure issues – that sort of thing. And since we'll be in charge of Ba Sing Se from now on. I've asked the Dai Li to compile all the information that could prove useful. Please liaise with them and get their reports at first opportunity."
She could see the discomfort in the War Minister's eyes at having to so openly deal with the 'cultural authority of Ba Sing Se', and she resisted the urge to sigh. Working alongside members of the Earth Kingdom was a matter of course, whether it was those who could be persuaded by loose purse strings or the disgruntled with a chip on their shoulder. Qin must have known this and would have been perfectly fine with it – as long as it was far enough down the chain that he wouldn't have to deal with it personally.
"Is there a problem, War Minister?" She raised an eyebrow.
"No, of course not, your Highness," he bowed deeply. "Well then, by your leave."
Azula nodded and watched as he turned and began walking in the direction of the Dai Li agents, with a noticeable hesitation in his step.
"So," Mai said from behind her. "Feel better yet?"
She turned and gave a brief smile to her friend. "Even better once we're on a ship headed for home."
(X)
Zuko sighed as he paced back and forth in his room. It was, by any account, a very comfortable room – far better than any he'd lived in since... since three years ago. It really had been that long, hadn't it?
Still the comfort of the room was... well, little comfort. The past night had seen sleep elude him for most of it as thoughts of Uncle kept him tossing and turning, and the rising of the sun hadn't changed much.
"Why would Uncle do something like that?" He'd been asking that question, both silently and out loud, ever since the incident had occurred, and he was no closer to an answer than before.
Or was it that he knew the answer but simply refused to admit it?
"The Avatar cannot be captured by the Fire Nation. If that happens, the last light of hope would be snuffed out."
Uncle's words, delivered in as grave and serious a manner as he could possibly have done so.
Did that really mean what Zuko though it meant? Did Uncle… did Uncle really not want the Fire Nation to win?
The idea, the very thought was so alien, so repulsive to Zuko that he nearly rejected it out of hand. Of course Uncle couldn't have meant that! Hadn't he travelled with Zuko the past three years to help him capture the Avatar?
Travelled with him… and constantly wasted their time on distracting side trips and pointless excursions. But he had helped with Zuko's plans once the Avatar had showed up, hadn't he? Like that trip to the North Pole… Uncle had made sure that Zuko had gotten to where he'd needed to be.
But that had ended with Zuko alone and on the verge of freezing to death, spared only by the Avatar's mercy.
Zuko shook his head. His Uncle couldn't have planned for that.
Could he?
Almost without knowing about it, he found himself heading further down into the lower reaches of Ba Sing Se's palace – through the jail cells – and one in particular.
Two Fire Nation guards – they'd assigned Fire Nation guards already? – shifted uncomfortably as they caught sight of him.
"P – Prince Zuko!" one of them hastily saluted. How long has it been since people treated me with respect? "Have you come to see the prisoner?"
The prisoner. Not Lord Iroh or General Iroh. Not anymore.
Just 'the prisoner'.
Zuko took a deep breath.
"… Prince Zuko?"
"Nothing," he snapped as he turned on his heel. "As you were."
Not waiting for a response, he turned and stalked away from the cell. Once he rounded the corner, he swung his arm out, letting a wave of fire wash over the darkened corridor, leaving a long blackened mark across the stone.
"What were you thinking, Uncle?" Zuko muttered, his throat tight.
What were – what are you thinking?
(X)
"A project?" Ty Lee looked at Azula. Even from her upside position of a handstand, Azula could see the curiosity in her friend's eyes.
"Yes, a big one too," Azula said as she rolled up the scroll in her hands. Most of the assets on her desk had been seized from the desks of the five Generals, and while a lot of it had to do with the daily tedium of running the Earth Kingdom's army, there had been enough tantalizing clues dropped about something that Azula had decided that it was apparently worthwhile to take a personal interest in it.
A calendar with a date circled…
A letter intended to be sent to the Northern Water Tribe, asking for aid…
And then there had been the map in the planning room. A stroke of luck had allowed them to seize it with the troop dispositions still arranged for the world to the see, the guards stationed in the room having been subdued before they'd had the chance to clean up after the latest meeting.
It had indicated some sort of offence on the Fire Nation and at first Azula had almost dismissed it out of hand. The Earth Kingdom was certainly in no position for any sort of direct assault on the Fire Nation, moreso now that Ba Sing Se had fallen.
And yet…
Placing the scroll back on her desk, she folded her arms and leaned back. The waterbender had been in talks with the Generals until the day of the coup itself, that much she knew. It only made sense that she would be part of the planning for such an operation, if only because of her connection to the Avatar, where she could serve as his representative.
The question, then, was what sort of offensive operation would involve the Avatar. The obvious answer was that they had simply planned on using the Avatar as a spearhead for the assault forces, where he would hopefully be able to crush any resistance the Fire Nation put up. That was a disturbingly plausible theory, especially given what he had achieved in the North Pole and what he likely would have done just two days ago had Azula not put a lightning bolt in his back.
Well, now that the Avatar was dead and Ba Sing Se was safely in Fire Nation hands, any plans involving that would have to be shelved. So it would almost certainly be something she could easily drop and never think about again.
Almost.
Azula had not got to where she was today by leaving dangling threads to lie. Even if the primary plan was called off, variants or modifications did exist, and a surprise attack on the Fire Nation could still do a significant amount of damage.
She would have to arrange for a talk with several of the Generals, and soon. Idly, she wondered if she should include Zuko in those talks. Thoughts of that reminded her she hadn't seen Zuko for most of the day.
"Ty Lee, would you find Zuko and bring him to me?"
"Huh? Oh, er, okay. But why?"
"If I know him he'll be busy moping about Uncle," Azula said. Well, it wasn't like she hadn't been wondering about the old man either – she was simply better at keeping her feelings under wraps. "I've got something for him to do. Hopefully it'll keep him occupied for a while."
(X)
"A city inspection?" Zuko repeated dumbly as he glanced at his sister.
Azula never so much as looked up from her paperwork. "Yes, a city inspection. Take a little trip to the Outer Ring, let the Earth Kingdom citizens see who's in charge now. It's all symbolic of course, but no one ever said symbols don't have any power."
"But... what about you? I mean, you're the one who actually conquered the city."
"Yes, but they don't need to know that," Azula said, finally raising her gaze to meet his. "The Avatar's dead, Zuko. You're crown prince again. The only thing left is to have father formally recognize it, which he will once we return home. But there's no harm in letting our troops and the locals know you've already reclaimed your honour."
Zuko drew in a deep breath. Reclaimed his honour? Yes, that was what capturing – killing – the Avatar was supposed to have done. Right. His honour.
"Besides," Azula said as she lowered her head to the papers again. "There's a lot of paperwork here that needs to be gone through. The generals were planning something big, and I intend to get to the bottom of what it is."
"Something big?"
"Yes. Whatever it was, that waterbender peasant was involved, and that means the Avatar might have been involved somehow. Which means it's important enough for me to look into."
Zuko almost opened his mouth to ask his sister if he could help with that, but then he shook his head. Knowing Azula, she'd planned the whole thing out already and had decided that this was the best way for him to contribute overall.
Besides, maybe the walk would do him good. Help him clear his mind. Or something.
Zuko turned and walked out of the room. As he did so, he fleetingly wondered where Mai was and what she was doing at that moment.
(X)
"Hello. I am Joo Dee. Welcome to Ba Sing Se."
Mai sighed as she stared at the collection of women standing in the room, most of them with empty, vacant smiles on their faces.
Seizing control of the Dai Li had the rather unfortunate side effect of seizing control of most of the Dai Li's projects. In some cases it had been immensely useful, such as the information network the Dai Li had spread throughout Ba Sing Se which in turn allowed them to gather news of subversion and to stamp it out before it had time to grow.
But in other cases...
"So," she said, making sure to put an extra amount of withering contempt into her voice as she turned to regard the Dai Li representative that Azula had assigned her. "A rehabilitation program."
She could remember the conversation she'd had with Azula the other night regarding the Joo Dee that the Dai Li had brought with them even after their lake facility had been destroyed. Azula had made no secret of having very little regard for dealing with what she referred to as 'a bunch of faceless, nameless Earth Kingdom peasants', particularly as the new Fire-Nation occupied Ba Sing Se would have very little use for such handlers. And truth be told, Mai might not have bothered interceding so strongly on their behalf had it not been for one crucial factor.
This was what they had tried to do to Zuko. They had failed, of course, but had they continued the program to its conclusion this would have been the result.
And so Mai had determined to eradicate any trace of this. Forever.
"A rehabilitation..."
"Yes," Mai nodded once. "You broke their minds, surely you have some way of fixing it?"
The awkward silence that followed told Mai what she needed to know. Well, she'd expected that much. Not having a very high opinion of the Dai Li in the first place, every time she interacted with them only served to further confirm her belief that they were low, even for Earth Kingdom denizens.
"Well," she said. "If you don't have one in place, then make one. I want a guideline for how you plan to achieve this by the end of the week."
"The end of the – that's two days away!"
"Yes it is," Mai glared at him. "Fail and perhaps we shall introduce you to the Fire Nation's methods for dealing with dissidents and traitors."
The Dai Li lowered his gaze. "I'll see what I can do."
Mai watched as the Dai Li fairly scurried away, resisting the urge to sigh. She'd finally been able to convince Azula to spare her the resources using the argument that they'd be able to turn these otherwise-useless Joo Dees into productive allies after they had their minds fixed – with the bonus of them being grateful to the Fire Nation for having helped them. Of course both Mai and Azula knew that was about as likely as Zuko taking up Fire Lily ballet, but it had served as a decent enough pretext for Azula to do her friend a favour.
Of course that also meant that she would be in Azula's debt. But she could live with that.
(X)
The streets of the Outer Ring were still busy, Zuko noted as he walked under the bright afternoon sun. Notwithstanding the shock many of the ordinary citizens would feel as their city suddenly came under Fire Nation rule, the need for the daily necessities of life still led many of them out of their homes to their jobs and to the market.
Thus far the Fire Nation hadn't instituted much in the way of changes that would affect the daily lives of Ba Sing Se's denizens, but then again they had only been there for a grand total of two days. They would start the usual process of controlling the economy and food production of the city soon enough – the reconfiguring the vast industrial and agricultural producing power of the city to best serve the needs of the Fire Nation.
As he walked, he could hear the tramp of boots behind him. The bodyguard he'd been assigned were following obediently behind him as usual. After spending so long in exile and learning to do things on his own, the knowledge of their constant presence was... well, unsettling. Somewhat.
Well, it was something he was going to have to get used to. After all, he'd be heading back to the palace soo-
"Lee!"
The startled cry blasted away his thoughts, and he turned just in time to see a familiar sight rushing up at him.
"J – Jin!" Zuko sputtered.
"Lee, thank goodness!" Jin said as she neared him. "Where have you been? I haven't seen any sign of you or Jet for so long, and then the Fire Nation came in and... and everything's been so confused, I just don't know what -" she broke off as she noticed his clothes for perhaps the first time: a red Fire Nation robe that denoted his rank as nobility, and a confused frown appeared on her face. "Wait – what are you-"
And then his bodyguards were all around him, placing themselves between him and Jin, two of them reaching out to seize her and to drag her away.
"No – wait!" Zuko called out. "Stop! It's all right!"
The nearest of his bodyguards turned to him, a confused look on his face. "But, Prince Zuko, she's-"
Not wasting time with words, Zuko pushed past the soldiers, roughly shoving the two soldiers grabbing Jin out of the way. Aside from confused looks at each other, they quickly backed down.
"Sorry, I'm… Look, are you okay?" Zuko reached out a hand to her – and Jin recoiled.
"Zuko?" She repeated, staring at him, her eyes wide. "… Prince Zuko? You're… a Fire Nation prince?"
Zuko swallowed and reached out a hand. "Look, it's not what you think. I-"
Jin backed up several steps, her expression saying what no words could. "Don't! Don't… don't say anything! Don't touch me! Don't come any closer!"
"You will treat the Prince with the proper resp-"
"ENOUGH!" Zuko whirled to yell at the overeager Fire Nation guard before turning back. "Look, Jin, it's not what you-"
Jin had vanished. And suddenly, Zuko realized just how many Earth Kingdom people were staring at him in silence, confusion, resentment and anger mixed through the expressions.
Swallowing, he waved his arm to indicate that the rest of his guard should follow him, and continued his slow march through the streets of the Outer Ring.
(X)
"Well then, General Fong," Azula said pleasantly as she looked up at the General who had just been brought into her room. "Have a seat."
The pleasant nature of her statement notwithstanding, he was rather roughly shoved into the chair by the Firebender guards that had accompanied him.
They were in a metal room – no surprise that the palace of Ba Sing Se would have some – mostly they would be used for dealing with criminal earthbenders, and now they could be put to good use while under the Fire Nation's care.
"I trust you found your new accommodations suitable?"
No response. Not that Azula had really expected any.
"No? I could arrange for significantly better living conditions – and quite a bit more freedom to act. One word from me and all that can come true," she smiled. "Of course, that depends on how well you cooperate."
Staring at his sullen expression, Azula could read flickers of growing anger behind the man's eyes. She smiled at him.
"Now then. The reason I've called you here is simple. I want to know what the Earth Kingdom army had planned for this day." She tossed a slate that had the date inscribed on it across the table, letting the general glance down at it.
There was absolutely no reaction on the man's face. Azula resisted the urge to smile. The effort they went through to show how much it didn't affect them was entirely telling in its own ways. Most significantly, it showed that they still considered the date important for some reason. If the invasion of Ba Sing Se (Azula saw no reason to inform them of the death of the Avatar) had derailed these plans, they would have mentally written it off by now.
That, in the end, was as much information as she'd hoped to get – whether the people involved in this plan thought they had any chance of still pulling this off. After that, she'd just need to find out why this date was considered significant enough to stage whatever it was they were planning on this day. Assuming it had gotten off the ground with the involvement of the Avatar, it would be a surprisingly rushed operation – a complete contrast to the slower, more meticulously mapped out methods of the Earth King. Which meant the date itself had to be significant.
That didn't mean she couldn't still needle him for extra clues, of course.
"Well, general?" Azula said as she tapped her finger against the desk, producing a sound just rhythmic enough to be annoying. "It's no good pretending this date isn't of any significance – I got it from your calendar on your desk."
"I'm afraid I don't have any idea," the general said without looking up at her.
"Oh, so you can talk," Azula said. Then she steeped her fingers. "You're certain you don't know?"
General Fong simply glared at her.
Azula sighed and sat back in her chair. "Well then, I must admit that I find it odd they would exclude one of their own generals from planning an invasion as important as this one."
She resisted the urge to smirk as she saw the look of dismay flit across his face.
The nice thing about having five generals kept in complete isolation from each other was that it had given her five different chances to guess in front of them, all while keeping a close gauge on their reactions. General How had barely blinked at the word 'assault', and General Sung had let the barest traces of a smug smile come across his face at the word 'coup', letting Azula know that they would most likely be dead ends. Either that or the generals were spectacularly good at not letting anything slip – but Fong here had just disproved that notion.
"Still, if you can't tell me anything more than what the others did, then I'm afraid I can't give you any special privileges," she shrugged. "My deepest apologies. Take him away."
"Who was it?" the General demanded as the Firebenders seized him by the shoulders.
Azula raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"
"Who told you? Was it Sung? I knew it! I knew that soft spoiled aristocrat couldn't be trusted. I bet he-" his voice vanished abruptly as the Firebenders dragged him out of the room, slamming the heavy steel door in the process.
Alone in the room, Azula resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
(X)
"Zuko?" Mai's voice was soft. "What's the matter?"
Standing on a balcony overlooking the city, Zuko drew in a deep breath and let it all out in a sigh. "Today wasn't a good day."
"What? Why?"
"I did an inspection today. The city… looks a lot different than when you're walking through it as a peasant and when you walk through it as a conqueror."
Mai didn't say anything for a long moment.
"The people don't react so nicely to you, either," Zuko's voice grew softer.
"Mm," Mai nodded. "Well, do you want to take another look at the city?"
"Huh?"
"Just the two of us. Find a restaurant somewhere in the Inner or Middle Ring. Have a nice, quiet dinner."
Zuko turned to face her and cracked a brief smile. "You'd hate it."
"Maybe," Mai smiled back as she stepped closer and took his hand in her own. "But we won't know until we try, will we?"
Zuko leaned in closer and gave Mai a quick kiss on the lips. "No," he said. "I suppose we won't."
And hand in hand, they left the palace.
Chapter End
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