Responses to Reviews:

RonaldM40196867: I can't think of any character I dislike so much that I wish they weren't created. At the very least some of the more hateable ones were integral to the story.

Zigzagdoublezee and Sharpe (who both said pretty much the same thing): Korra's team Avatar is smaller than Aang's in canon, so I thought there'd be space for a couple more. And Hotaru, alongside maybe Jinora, seemed an obvious choice. Plus I think she's cool, but maybe I'm biased.

As Always, Please Review!

Wu

The Lord of Ba Sing Se paced nervously up and down as he kept looking out of the window, towards Yue Bay and the grey shapes in the distance which were growing larger by the moment.

The moment was almost here; Kuvira was approaching.

Team Avatar, along with Princess Hotaru, had made their excuses and raced off in a Satomobile, headed for the mountains where the Republican airfields sat. Most of the Air Nomads had left the city, taking their sky-bison and flying away to the safety of the other temples. Most of the civilians had fled. The city was now deserted except for the few defenders that could be mustered.

The ships of the fleet that had fled from Kuvira had been parked close to the shore, parallel to it. Their crews had then been taken ashore and were even now working alongside the Free Earth Legionaries to build what defences they could.

The thinking, apparently, was that even if the ships got sunk their wrecks would make it harder for any troops the enemy had with them to land.

"I hope this works," he muttered. They would need every advantage against weapons such as Kuvira possessed.

"Sir?"

Wu turned, realising that he wasn't alone. Zaochen, one of the Kyoshi Islanders, stood there regarding him nervously.

"You know you don't have to call me that, right?" He said.

"I think I do," Zaochen pointed out. "This is the army, after all. And you are the King."

Wu wanted to burst out laughing.

"Am I?" He asked. "That's great! The only problem is that she disagrees."

He gestured out of the window.

"Did you have news?"

"Oh, yes, I was sent up here to tell you that we've nearly finished with the barricades."

"That's good," Wu nodded. But Zaochen hesitated.

"If I may..."

"Of course you may!" Wu said, confused as to why she was asking. "Why wouldn't you?"

"What next?" Zaochen asked quietly.

"Next?" Wu stared for a moment. "I'd like to survive today first."

"It's just..." Zaochen didn't seem to be able to fully express what she was thinking. "All my life I have felt like I've had two homes. We're defending one today. But the other is still in danger."

Wu turned to stare out of the window again.

"Kyoshi Island?" He asked.

"Yes."

"I don't know how much we can do for it for now," he said honestly. "We'll get there, I promise, but we've all got homes that Kuvira has oppressed. Ba Sing Se, Zaofu, Omashu, all are suffering. But we cannot help any of them unless we win today."

He closed his eyes.

"Which means we really need the Avatar to come through."

By now, Kuvira's flagship was almost at the entrance of Yue Bay. Usually, a giant platinum chain was strung across the entrance in times of war to prevent entrance, but since they knew that Kuvira would just use her lasers to cut it- and since the plan absolutely relied on Kuvira not firing them- it had been decided to keep it lowered, and let the enemy fleet into Yue Bay without resistance.

"Go," He told the Kyoshi Islander. "Your duty calls."

She nodded and ran off. A moment later, Zuko appeared in the doorway, followed a moment later by the rest of Avatar Aang's surviving companions.

"Uh... hello." Wu was a little bit starstruck.

"your majesty," Zuko bowed slightly. "Mind if we come in?"

"No..." Wu glanced back out of the window. "It's going to get busy in here though."

"I take it you have a plan?" Suki asked.

"Yes- yes I do," Wu nodded. "Delay them."

"By fighting?"

"By talking," Wu told them. "My old tutor used to tell me that I could talk for the Kingdom- and so I will."

Wu looked over to the table, where a radio set lay, and switched it on. Then he looked back out of the window, to where the imposing grey shape was beginning to slide into the bay.

"I knew your grandfather," Zuko said suddenly. "Earth King Kuei."

"Did you?"

"Oh yeah," Zuko nodded. "I nearly had a war with him and everything."

"Oh."

"He didn't want to let these colonies- as they were colonies of the Fire Nation at the time- go their own way as an independent nation. One thing led to another, but fortunately the Avatar prevented things from escalating."

Wu didn't really know what to say to that.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that desire in the Earth Kingdom to take this land back long predates Kuvira," Zuko told him. "She's just the first one to act on it."

Then he realised what he was saying, and hurried to cover his tracks.

"He was a good man!" He said. "And a decent King, once the Dai Li had stopped keeping him in the dark. It was just a misunderstanding."

Katara put a hand on his shoulder.

"What my friend is trying to say, is that we believe in you," she said. "You've got this."

"My granddaughter is going out there to fight him," Zuko nodded. "Do what you have to do to give her the best chance of coming back please."

"I'll try my best," Wu replied. This was, after all, win-or-die for him now. As well as being the exiled King, he had taken up arms with the enemies of the earth empire against it. That made him a traitor, and he knew Kuvira would seize the opportunity to deal with him as one. All he had to do was not give her that opportunity, which meant he pretty much had to win today. He pushed those thoughts aside. Fear would not help him today.

Just then, the radio crackled to life.

"Can anybody hear me? Can anybody hear me?" A voice spoke through it. "This is Colossus, flagship of the Earth Empire. If anybody can hear this, surrender now and save your lives!"

Wu rushed over to it and picked up the microphone.

"Hi!" He chirped into it.

There was a moment's pause.

"Who is this?"

"Oh, just an old friend of yours," Wu replied, sounding a lot more upbeat than he felt.

"That doesn't narrow it down," the voice sounded tired.

"You chased me out of Ba Sing Se?"

Another pause.

"That doesn't narrow it down either. Look, just tell me or I fire."

"It's Wu!" Wu cried. "Earth King Wu!"

"Former Earth King Wu," Kuvira corrected him seamlessly. "What are you doing here? Taking up arms against your own country?"

"The Earth Empire is not my country," Wu stated. "You made that abundantly clear when you chased me out of my own capital city!"

"The Earth Kingdom no longer exists," Kuvira told him coldly. "Therefore the Empire is the legitimate government, and you are a traitor."

"Oh no," Wu replied. "You rebelled against your lawful sovereign. Your King! That makes you the traitor!"

"Is this helpful?" Suki muttered.

"I'm not a traitor!" Kuvira sounded affronted. "I won."

"Not yet."

"Very well, let's change that," Kuvira growled. "You may fire when ready."

"No!" Wu scrambled for an excuse. "This is a centre of industry! Of banking and trade! It will be far more useful to you intact!"

He decided to sweeten the deal, to make certain that she wouldn't fire and blow the plan to pieces along with a substantial part of the city.

"Plus, I'll surrender the city quietly to you if you follow my demands."

"Are you in any position to be making demands?" Kuvira asked. "I've told my gunners to stand down-for now. Make this good."

Wu cracked his knuckles with a determined expression on his face and settled down in front of the microphone. He was so focussed on his task he didn't see more commanders filing into the room behind him. It was time to waffle like he had never waffled before, to waffle as if his life depended on it. Because, in a very real and visceral sense, it did.

"So the first thing I want is..."