Ch14
Earth Empire Aircraft Fleet Roster: JA8094
Type: B747-400
Acquired second hand from All Nippon Airways, after its final flight to Republic City. The air frame is due for extensive overhaul and set to be up-armored and fitted with an extensive onboard weapons array in accordance with its designation to serve as an aerial weapons platform.
For now, the aircraft will retain its original corporate livery until a time at which it can be properly marked in Earth Empire Air Force colors.
United Republic - Earth Empire Border
West of the Great Divide
2020
Night had fallen across the lands, and the moon was the only main source of illumination. Posted in waiting at the bottom of a deep ravine, Jun and his partner were following up on the lead given to them by the local mobs. Time to snag a train-load of smuggled guns.
Just overhead was one of the main freight and passenger train lines that fed into the Republic City Freight Rail Yard. The long girder bridge stretched across a deep river gorge and was a heavily trafficked mainline for heavy trains, separate from the bullet train lines. Rather than losing the element of surprise, Jun thought it to be more valuable to halt the train before it arrived to intercept the shipment; reducing the chances of the cargo being concealed and hauled off amid the unloading process.
He had a team of agents standing by, however by President Raiko's orders he had extra personnel as well. To his disappointment, and despite his opposition.
"How long are we just going to sit here for?" Korra prodded.
"We are waiting for a specific train to pass," Jun replied, slightly frustrated.
"Trains have schedules. We couldn't have just shown up closer to when it would pass?"
"I agree with her," John voiced out.
"Alright! Enough," Jun shushed. "We never know what could transpire. So that's why we are here ahead of schedule, and ready for anything."
Agent Masoka rolled his eyes, and pulled out his phone. He dimmed the screen to the lowest brightness setting and held the device within the concealment of his blazer to hide the light of the screen. "Election's a landslide," he remarked.
"How's it looking?" Jun's curiosity perked up.
"Kuvira's sweeping the floor with the poor guy," John chuckled. "Can't blame her though."
"I don't think 'poor' is the way I'd describe him," Jun commented, setting his Thompson machine gun on the rock beside him. "More like, deserved. Or if in terms of money, that boy still is rich. He's by no means starving."
"Aren't you being a little tough on Prince Wu?" Korra asked.
Jun and John looked toward the Avatar. Then they glanced at each other. "For the sake of discussion, I guess," is what their mutual gaze said.
"You side with the Prince?" they both asked, quietly and simultaneously.
"Well," Korra stumbled, "He's…something. But, between Kuvira and him…"
"You'd rather, him?"
"Well, apart from being a bit spoiled. He doesn't have any dirt on him. No terrifying rumors. I mean, that has to be something right?" Korra tried to sway.
"Avatar, I think everyone has some sort of terrifying rumor about them. That's just normal," Jun blatantly stated.
"That's…No, that, I think, is a very wrong way to think of people."
"Even about you?" Jun asked. "You don't think people are concerned about you? The avatar?"
John recessed back from the exchange. If he had a cup of hot tea, he would be drinking it with a decent amount of silent intensity. This was surely going to be an interesting conversation.
"Me?" Korra defended. "I'm supposed to..atleast try to be, someone people can confide in."
"Yeah, but just like that Prince. You don't really give me that kind of confidence."
"Okay, Mister. I have to ask, what is your problem with me? Do I bother you?" Korra became more confrontational. "What have I done to you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Jun replied, hiding his true tone.
"Yeah. Over the years, especially after the ordeal with Zaheer, and even a few days ago at the police station, you seem like you have it out for me," the avatar vented. "Don't think I don't know who you are, grandson of one of the men who came to this world over seventy years ago. If I recall, when I met your grandfather, he seemed to have a pretty high opinion of the Avatar!"
"And I'm supposed to simply follow?" Jun questioned. "My grandfather, he was part of a different generation. A different time. The Greatest Generation. The avatar was also different. You aren't Aang!"
"I technically am Aang, sir," Korra corrected.
"In principle," he corrected. "Aang was also…unrealistically idealistic. You, I'd give it to you, are at least a little more headstrong. But you're a loose cannon."
Korra slammed her palms into the dirt and sat up right. "I'm a loose cannon? Excuse me?! How am I the dangerous one?! You literally gun down people in the street!"
"I erase criminals," Jun shot back. "C-R-I-M-I-N-A-L-S," he spelled out, "They know what they did and made their own graves."
"But they can't atone. They don't even get the chance to make things right! That isn't the only way of solving things!"
Jun scoffed, waving his hand at her and dismissing her statement. "Sure. Let the average person suffer. They'll go to jail, be released and then it's right back to it."
"You don't know that," Korra insisted. "People can change!"
"Yeah, sure," he scoffed. "And you. Avatar. The bearer of all responsibility, and the power to wield the ultimate power for the proliferation of peace or the complete and total annihilation of mankind. What about the people that die at these criminals' hands? Hm? Let's zoom out a bit, even more. Let's look past the average innocent person. What about all those representatives of state that Zaheer murdered?" Jun's accusatory gaze could be very easily seen even in the dark. "Yeah, because I know you hold this over my head too. Earth Queen, the US, British, Japanese, and Chinese ambassadors, He killed 'em all in cold blood," Jun shot back. "What about then? You were going to lock him up?"
"Well, yes!"
"Right. Because that worked so well the last time, didn't it? He was in this world's equivalent of a maximum security prison, and yet!"
"He needed to stand trial for what he did. And you were the person that was supposed to make that happen!" Korra accused. "And yet-"
"See, now just like Aang. You're not seeing the big picture," Jun cut off. "The anarchy, that chaos that terrorist caused. That isn't going to just slide. And that can't be allowed to slide either. That is why, when I signed off on who to hand him off to, I gave him to the CCP. Those countries wanted answers. My own country would've probably locked him up in Gitmo. But deep down, people are looking for parity." Jun quickly paused to look at the tracks. "Now back to you. If you wanted to, you could have resolved that situation real quickly. Look at your past life. He wanted battleships to stop sinking an island, so he intervened! When it came down to it, even though he historically originally never wanted to be the avatar…he stepped up to bat when he needed to. Now you," Jun said, pointing a finger at Korra. "World is under threat from a known terrorist gang. The damage and the death ensues, and afterwards..when everything goes to shit! You run off! You disappear for six years! You! Who wanted to be the avatar from day one!"
Out of all the back and forth, this was the line that hurt Korra.
"Without that sense of duty. Without the perseverance…perseverance, that average non-benders, even, possess. You are but a nuclear weapon with legs. All that power, for some odd reason, and no conviction to use it properly. Worse yet, you could even misuse it. That, is the reason I never really liked the concept of an avatar," Jun closed. "I've been open to it. But I've yet to be convinced. I don't see why people will often look up to their avatar with this unrestrained hope. I guess the same could be said about politicians and religion though…" he trailed off, returning his gaze to the train bridge.
Korra had been stung. She didn't reply, rather she looked to his partner who seemed at the edge of a metaphorical seat, watching the heated confrontation. The other agents on standby were also starring, but when they realized Korra noticed them, they all returned to looking as though they weren't watching.
"Look," Korra began softly. "I know..I haven't been the greatest avatar. I have a lot to own up to and make up. Especially over these past few years. But I'm here now. I want to try and live up to that standard. You're right, just like Tenzin says, people look up to me. And I need to be someone who they can reliably trust. Probably now, more than ever."
Jun waved a hand at her, "Yeah yeah. Don't beat yourself up too hard, now. Big shoes to fill and all," he dismissed.
Korra scowled. The tracks overhead began to rattle and sing, indicating an oncoming train. It was likely still a few miles out, but the vibrations from the heavy locomotives and cars were carried out miles ahead. "Is that us? Is it time?" she asked.
Jun checked his printed out freight train schedule. "No, it shouldn't be. Should be the next one," he announced. "This train should be outbound to the Ba Sing Se."
"Oh man, Prince Wu is never going to live this down," John chuckled, checking the ongoing count results again.
Korra leaned over the edge of their perch. "Hey," she announced. "Are they supposed to be down there? It's a little late to be working on a bridge, don't you think?"
Jun was alerted. He scooted over and grabbed the night vision binoculars. Down by the base of the towering bridge were several men seeming to be rigging the support beams of the structure. "The hell are they up to?" he said under his breath. Those people shouldn't be there. "Shoot! We gotta move!"
"What?!" Korra exclaimed.
John gathered his gear, getting ready to spring into action.
"Change of plans," Junichiro called into the radio. "We have criminal activity at the bridge supports. Multiple suspects, seeming to be rigging explosive charges. All units move!"
"Explosives?!" Korra exclaimed. But the two Intelligence agents had already sprung from their perch without her. The avatar took off after them.
The unit broke radio silence. Bright flashlights shone down from their elevated position on the perpetrators below. "UFDI!" they called out, "Hands up! Now!"
A rifle shot popped off! Several pops from a handgun too! "Incoming!" one of the agents called out. "Shots fired!"
"Open fire!"
The spontaneous, but decently aimed, shots at them were immediately drowned out by the roar of gunfire from the advancing agents. Thompson machine guns, shotguns, and automatic rifles rained lead down on their malicious opponents. Jun let loose a long burst from his weapon before darting down the sloping ravine towards the base of the valley.
Surprisingly, the saboteurs were nimble under fire. They didn't fight like a typical gang, Jun observed. Usually they'd have been cut down violently by now. These men were organized. He dove behind a boulder and quickly swapped magazines. "Cover! Get to cover!" he yelled. Bullets whizzed around him. Rocks too! He peaked out to shoot back, but ducked immediately at the fuzzy image of a boulder being launched his way!
A solid chunk of stone slammed into another agent's head, brutally. If he survived that hit, the side of his head would surely have collapsed in! The heavy, rapid, but slower chug of an assault rifle burst from the targets.
"That sounds like an AK-style rifle," Jun observed. "A very easy gun to produce."
Dust and dirt flew up, kicked by the impacts of bullets landing around them. A stone wall rose from the earth! It was Korra and John. The other agents piled in behind the erected earthen barrier, seeking cover.
Korra signaled to Jun with her hand that she was going to come over to where he was.
"Wait!" Junichiro shouted, but Korra didn't abide. She made a dash from the stone wall to the small depression that Jun was sheltering in. A mix of stones, metal, and bullets flew rapidly as she darted across. She flinched, shielded her face, and dove for cover. "You trying to get killed?!"
"Who are these guys?" Korra shouted under the gunfire.
"No idea! But they're trained," Jun called back. "We need to push them back! Before that train gets here!"
"Agreed," Korra affirmed.
Jun looked across to John and the other agents. "Fire and maneuver!"
Agent Masaoka grabbed the brim of his hat in acknowledgement. "Ready up!" he called to his party.
"Alright, Avatar," Jun instructed. "One party is going to move, the other is going to suppress."
"Suppress?"
"Make the bad guy put his head down," he clarified. "Got it?"
"Got it."
"Alright, on my lead," he signaled. "Now!" Jun shifted and poked out from cover. A burst from his Thompson spewed lead at the direction of their attackers. Korra mirrored him, coming from the other side, launching a series of fire blasts. Forty-five caliber slugs slammed and clanged off of the steel support beams of the bridge. Some grazed their enemy. The fire bending certainly made them back off. John erected another pair of stone slabs for cover several yards up.
"Moving!" he called out. The mass of suits pushed from cover, dashing for the next set. Rifles and machine guns volley fired. "Suppressing fire!" John called. Another storm of gunfire erupted in addition to earth and metal bending.
"Moving!" Jun announced. "Come on," he prodded Korra. "Push push push!"
Vaulting cover, the pair shot and moved up. Jun dropped another magazine as he slid into cover, while Korra peaked over the top with another combination of fire and earth bending.
"Moving!" John called.
Controlled precise bursts of submachine gun fire came from Jun. Their opponents were outnumbered and outgunned. The closer the UFDI drew, the more they needed to retreat.
"They're running!" Korra announced, vaulting from cover.
"After 'em!" Jun ordered. His primary arm chattered as he burnt through yet another stick magazine. "Reloading," he called to Korra.
She took that as her cue. As he ducked behind cover to change out magazine, she stood to continue firing. The avatar through forth a powerful blast of fire, engulfing both sides of the column that one of the shooters was seeking cover behind. She then pivoted and nailed another to his right that was engaging with their second team. Her dueling days, helping her accuracy and speed.
"Good cover," Jun praised. "Good shooting too!" He shouldered his weapon and opened fire.
"Good pressure on them," Korra commented back.
They were now close enough to hear their opponents. "Fall back! Fall back! We're overrun!"
One by one, the saboteurs pulled away, professionally covering each other as they retreated. The volume of fire, from both lead slugs and the elements, coming from the agents was becoming too much to fend off. Time was ticking down. Overheard the tracks were now rattling.
"Forward!" Jun ordered. The agents and Korra spread out over a wide line, covering as much area as they could and began advancing rapidly. The gunfire intensified. They tried to cut down the criminals before they could escape.
Jun, John, and Korra charged up. The last saboteur in the retreat was straggling behind. He popped up from cover to take an aimed shot, but Korra threw a burst of fire at him. He gave up and decided to make a run for it, the second to last person motioning for him to hurry. Junichiro shouldered and let loose a five round burst. All connected, and the saboteur stumbled. John fired a single powerful shot from his Garand rifle. A sharp crack! He critically wounded the last man. The second to last saboteur contemplated going back for his downed ally, but further shots from the trailing UFDI agents forced him to retreat into the darkness of the nearby woods.
"Got one," John called out.
"Hook him up," Jun ordered. He turned to the other agents who were investigating the devices at the bridge supports. "What have we got?!"
"Charges!" the group of suits called. "They're gonna-!"
Boom! A sudden bright flash of fire and heat! Several successive explosives burst following. Nearby, the other agents were tossed in the explosion. The avatar and accomplices dove for cover once more. Steel buckled and snapped. The entire structure was coming apart! A terrible ring of rails and girders sounded like a concert of dropped bells. Jun was pushed out of the way, violently by a blast of air from Korra. A bus-length steel beam crashed into the spot he was just standing at prior. His partner had just finished ratcheting the cuffs on the captured saboteur.
"The train!" They called to each other.
As the bridge continued to come down, the blast of a diesel locomotive's air horn sounded from above, followed by the sharp screeching of the halted wheels scraping against the steel rails. Sparks flew, drawing nearer and nearer to the collapsing bridge. The train went into emergency, but they wouldn't be able to stop all that barreling mass in time.
"John?" Jun called to, an inquisitive look in his eyes. "That's too much metal."
Jun immediately turned to Korra. "Avatar?!"
She wasn't that good of a metal bender either!
"Avatar state! Let's go!" Jun ordered.
"I-I can't!" Korra yelled back, desperate.
Thinking on his feet, Jun made the final executive decision. "Pack it up! Get away!" he shouted to the remaining men. "Get the dead beat and scram!"
Together with his partner, Jun aggresively pulled the wounded saboteur up by the arms, and the two of them dragged him as far off as they could. The man groaned in agony, being moved with the sizable gunshot wound he had received.
"Get back! Get away!" the other men called as they ran after them.
Overhead, the lead grouping of four 6-axle diesel locomotives crashed through the deck of the weakened bridge; General Electric ES44AC's of the Republic City Rail Authority. The engines smashed through the remaining structural support beams, tearing a larger hole in the bridge, and dog-piled atop one another at the bottom of the ravine. The cars in tow followed suit, plummeting several stories into the ravine and further burying the engines. The sound was terrible. With each car came a screeching noise that was like a thousand forks being scraped across a plate! Intermodal well cars fell from the tracks, their brakes still engaged. Each car carried two stacked intermodal containers, which added to the weight and destruction. Some of the agents barely escaped being crushed beneath the heavy steel.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the momentum was finally slowed enough. At track level, the remaining cars of the train screeched to a halt, with the next car stopping just before where the tracks gave out. The buckling and crumpling mass of steel finally came to rest after a few more separate bangs and clangs; loose containers and truck assemblies falling and crashing onto the wreckage below. The locomotives, now buried under the mass, had managed to not burst into flames but their crews were more than likely killed in the crash.
Jun separated from his group, followed by Korra, to check out the pile of twisted train cars. He was just being thorough, but he did not think anyone would survive that. The fall alone, in a 432,000 pound locomotive, was deadly enough on its own, but then having half of a two-mile long freight train dog-pile on top of that was certain death.
What did catch his interest however, was the cracked open wreckage of a steel container. Papers spilled out from the box and were strewn and blown about. There were many more just like it.
"Chief Stevenson," Korra called, catching up. "Any survivors?"
He didn't say anything, kneeling down to retrieve one of the documents. "These are Earth Empire documents," he observed. "No-, these are voting documents!"
"What's going on?" John finally caught up. "What've we got."
Jun gripped the sheet of paper. "This isn't how they're supposed to be shipped. And this was headed out to the Empire from Republic City."
It hit the Chief Inspector like a train. The council. Their opposition against Kuvira. He spun around, a wide-eyed concerned look plastered across his face. Korra was now realizing what was strewn about in front of her.
He held the sheet of paper out at her. "Korra," Jun began, "Please, tell me that you do not know about these ballots!"
He could see it across her face.
"I…" she began, unsteadily. She was a terrible liar. "I..don't know what these are doing here..?"
Jun dropped his extended arm. Both the sheet of paper in one hand, and the submachine gun in the other hung loosely by his side. "Ohhhhhh, shitttt," he groaned. "This! This is the kind of thing that starts wars! Do you know what this'll do?!"
"Believe me," Korra returned, "I've heard."
"Obviously it didn't stick!"
"It wasn't my idea! I was..against this."
"I," Jun sighed, overwhelmed with frustration. "I..think I know who would suggest something like this."
"But you can't hold it against her-"
"Enough!" he silenced. "I need to think. We need to scrub this site, completely. But how?"
In the distance, coming in fast, were the flashing red lights of approaching vehicles. Sirens could faintly be heard.
"Uhhh," John called out, "Boss? We got company, and I don't think it's ours!"
Jun turned around. "That's not ours!" he called. "That's not the UNR either! That's the Earth Empire! We're on their land!"
"I give it two minutes," Agent Matsuoka informed.
"Crap," Jun blurted. "Shoot. No time."
"I can hold 'em off," Korra suggested.
"No, that'll make it worse. Obvious." He wiped sweat from his forehead and slung his weapon. "We need to go! We need to disappear!" He turned to Korra. "Light this up!"
"What?!"
"Set it ablaze!"
"What about survivors?-"
"There are no survivors! Who's surviving that?!" he shouted gesturing to the wreckage, "We need to burn the traces that we were here! It won't be able to burn all the evidence, but whatever is ours that's buried beneath all that metal will be charred beyond recognition by the time it's found," Jun rapidly explained. "Burn it!"
"But!-"
"Now!"
Korra reluctantly set fire to the wreckage. Quickly, the flames spread through the pile of twisted steel. The fire jumped to the stream of diesel fuel that poured from the crushed locomotives and mixed with the shallow river.
"Pack it up," Jun repeated. "Let's get out of here!"
Prisoner in tow, the avatar and the remaining field agents retreated back into the wooded area they had come from. Just as they had made it out, the first cars and trucks of a responding Earth Empire Army response force pulled in, soldiers pouring from the covered vehicles. They were greeted by the raging inferno of twisted rolling stock. They would need to radio in a fire response unit from a nearby outpost to deal with this level of fire.
"Thousands of Election Material Discovered in Freak Train Derailment"
"Freight Train Plunges Fifteen-Stories Into Ravine, Crew Killed."
"Rail Traffic Backed Up As a Result of Train Derailment, Triads Blamed"
"Earth Empire Military Intelligence Investigating Train Wreck, Top Officials Weigh In."
The headlines of all news agencies were saturated with talks about the crash. It made headlines in both Mechanized and Bending Worlds. Many talked about the "freak nature" of the carnage, but most honed in on the scandalous findings as to the contents of the cargo.
Jinora held the remote to the TV and flicked through the news channels, watching while technically supervising her siblings. Ikki, Meelo, Asami, Mako, Bolin, and her were anxiously and quietly sitting outside President Raiko's office. A muffled but tenaciously charged back and forth verbal shooting war thundered from behind the thick wooden walls and door. The young master swore the paintings and portraits that hung on the wall shook with each shout.
She clicked the remote. Fox News.
"...an unsettling revelation," the prominent conservative host stated. His face was placed beside several other commenters from Washington DC, Ba Sing Se, Republic City, and even a member of the opposing liberal side. "This just carries on the ongoing, frankly, disgusting, and despicable, trends that are happening when it comes to these electoral processes!"
"Frankly," the representative from Ba Sing Se joined in, "It's concerning. The Army is still actively investigating, but so far it looks like there were a considerable number of found voting material packed in mass on that train heading for Ba Sing Se! In the manifest, they were set to be received at certain identified voting centers."
"Believe me, it's a story we are far too familiar with here," the host spoke up. He had this expression as if he was always angry whenever staring at the camera. "Frankly, if that were here, we'd be up in arms! I want to see how our current administration will effectively react to this ongoing-"
Jinora changed channels once more. CNN.
"You know what this is?!" a particularly loud and excited commenter from California called. "This is an attempt by the elite, and the epper echelon of society in the Bending World to undermine the first ever proper democratic event that the Earth Kingdom- sorry- Earth Empire, has ever had in the entirety of its existence!"
"I'd agree, professor," the host commented.
"Yeah, like, here we are. There is a strong leader in power, shaking up the country from the exclusive control of the freakishly rich and the monarchy. Someone who is progressing the Empire into a more potent and feasible world power. And now, someone, obviously with influence or money, or some power, is trying to undermine that and put it right back into the hands of some spoiled uneducated prince! It's not often that both conservative and liberal America would agree on something, so I think-"
Click. KRPC, the news station of Republic City. It was a video of a press briefing that had occurred earlier than morning right here at City Hall. On the podium was Chief Inspector Junichiro Stevenson speaking on behalf of the UFDI. President Raiko, Chief Beifong, Korra, and her father, also had to attend that meeting and could be seen standing off to the side.
"Mr. Stevenson. What is the UFDI's current response to the situation?!"
"Did the documents originate from Republic City?!"
"Is the UFDI involved in trying to sway the electoral processes of a foreign power?"
"Will you be bringing who's responsible to justice?!"
"Will the UFDI be cooperating and passing their findings to the Earth Empire military?"
Junichiro leaned forward so his voice would clearly be projected into the microphone. It had been a long night leading up to that point and he had yet to sleep. He was visually exhausted.
"The Intelligence Department is currently monitoring the situation as it unfolds. And I'd like to reiterate that we are willing to be openly cooperative with our counterparts in Ba Sing Se," he announced. All the reporters had their heads turned down to their notepads and were fully focused on writing down notes. "Currently, our position maintains the same as it appears this incident happens at the hands of local radical groups that had been set on bombing one of the main bloodlines that the United Republic relies on and heavily uses. There is evidence of explosive devices being used to destroy key points of the bridge structure, as well as several weapons that were recovered from the scene. It is my hope that, in the coming days, if not hours, we will learn more about the group, whether they be criminals or terrorists, that caused this terrible wreck and then be able to punish them to the fullest extent of the law. I vow, that these men responsible will face a sentence that is directly proportional to the atrocity they have committed."
Cameras flashed as he spoke. "What about the recovered election material? Is there an attempt coming from Republic City to undermine what is considered to be a landslide election?"
"In regards to that material," Junichiro said. "The situation is still developing, and we have yet to be able to learn where and who those documents came from. At this time, I can assuredly say that the Department of Intelligence did not partake in any shady operations," he emphasized, giving a particularly hard stare at one of the reporters from one of the organizations. "Once more, we are fully willing to cooperate with our counterparts and allies in Ba Sing Se in looking into this rather underhanded travesty. Such practices are intolerable, and if we find out which party tried to undermine an official process, we will hand them over to the proper authorities in the Empire as well."
"President Raiko! What are your thoughts on this?"
The President came to the podium as the head of the UFDI stepped aside. "The United Republic, as a proponent of the democratic process and a forerunner for representation in government, condemns whatever person or organization attempts to undermine the governing practices of the Earth Empire. Our alliance with the Earth Empire goes back many years, and we would not want to undermine that relationship now. My administration is in constant talks with Ba Sing Se, and it is my intention to be fully transparent in our investigations into the matter. The Republic stands in unity and recognition of what the citizens in a foreign power wish for their own country, we do not tolerate any attempt at subverting the electoral processes."
"This comes shortly before the official statements came in from the newly seated Biden Administration in Washington DC," the KRPC newscaster voiced over the now muted footage of the press briefing. "US President Biden, in a letter addressed to to the Head Ministry in Ba Sing Se said, quote, "It on the principle and the beliefs of the United States that-"
Click. KBSS; the news agency in Ba Sing Se.
"Despite the findings, which are now understood to be forged and falsified," the host voiced. "In the final moments of the election between Kuvira and Prince Wu, it is pretty much safe to say that the victor had already been determined days prior to the conclusion. For her first day in office, Kuvira is expected to make a statement regarding last night's incident." The footage switched to recordings of angered crowds in Ba Sing Se, Republic City, and Omashu, at the mere idea that someone was trying to meddle in their electoral processes. "Meanwhile, across the world, thousands gather and raise their voices at the crime that happened to be stopped by this tragic accident. People of both the United Republic of Nations and the Earth Empire have been reaching out to their intelligence agencies, namely the United Forces' Department of Intelligence, to find whoever or whatever group was responsible and punish them to the fullest extent of the law. Some even call for said criminals, whoever they are, to be turned over to the Earth Empire military for sentencing.
This comes amid rising concerns of crime and unrest within the United Republic's own Republic City, where continued street crimes, violent attacks, and gang activity continue to proliferate off of the glamorous and shiny stage that the metropolis is most well known for. A recent survey conducted by KBSS in Ba Sing Se and Omashu, find people wondering: Is the United Republic doing enough for the safety of the Earth Empire's people abroad? Some are even suggesting the idea that the Empire, under its new established leadership take direct actions to protect its people. The Great Uniter, has not directly commented on the matter, however a statement from her fiance has been received by KBSS this morning saying,
'The issues and the crime that we have discovered within the span of the last twenty-four hours is dishonorable to say the least. We of the current administration have our suspicions as to who could have perpetuated and carried out this attempt to undermine democracy, but as of right now there is no solid evidence to act upon and we will not make drastic moves based on mere emotion. Rest assured we are continuing to work closely with our army and central intelligence agencies, as well as the UNR's intelligence authorities to find out who or what caused this.
Regarding the ongoing crime and danger in the UNR. The Earth Empire believes in the sovereignty of other nations beyond the lands of the Empire, and has currently no plans to directly intervene. However, I would strongly suggest a stronger crackdown on both international and domestic crime. Organized, and individual, crime should not be tolerated for the safety and wellness of the innocent who are continually affected. We would hope our counterparts in the Republic see this as a wake up call, and do better going forward.'"
Crash! The door to the President's chamber flew open, slamming into the wall. Outstormed Chief Stevenson in a fit of easily-visible frustration and rage. His face was very red, however despite the obvious strain his attire was still buttoned up and his tie still securely tied. Jinora thought that could also contribute to how red he was at the moment.
"Stevenson!" Chief Beifong called out, stepping into the open door frame behind him, "Where are you going?!"
"To get something to drink!" he yelled back, walking out to the watercooler on the far side of the reception room, empty coffee mug in hand, filling it to the brim and turning on his heel to march back into the president's chamber. "It's hotter than hell in there! And you all aren't helping!" Jun stopped abruptly infront of the television screen, directly between Jinora and company and the TV. He watched the news broadcast for a few moments. He turned to Jinora, being the oldest and most mature.
"What's your take?" he asked gesturing to the screen, and splashing water across the carpet.
"I…think this is..-"
"That's many things," he blurted, not letting her finish. He was usually very admiring and respectful of Jinora. Emotions were high. "An embarrassment?" he chuckled, his head seemed to twitch. "Maybe a crime?" he further pondered. "No. That," he emphasized. "That, is a nail in the coffin!"
Opal, who sat nearby, seemed to grow in frustration. Fortunately, before she could open her mouth, Suyin appeared beside her sister in the open door. "Don't vent this on the children! You want to direct your frustrations at someone, direct them at me! Remember who actually had a hand in this!"
"I, am not venting my frustrations on them," Jun replied in a suddenly ominously mellow and level-toned voice. It was suddenly as if he was speaking at a formal gathering. "I am merely having a conversation." His voice sharply crescendoed into an accusatory yell. "A conversation! Like the one you should have had with me regarding your great ideas!" Junichiro continued his advance back to the chamber.
"Mom!" Opal blurted out, popping up from her chair. "Don't grill her, it was my-"
Suyin cut her daughter off, raising a hand, "No worries, dear. I will handle this."
Jun shut the door behind him, once again isolating the key members: President Raiko, Tenzin, Lin, and Suyin. They had lost track of time regarding how long they had been arguing.
"Tell me again," Jun restarted, "What were you hoping to accomplish?" He rubbed his temples and gulped his water.
"We- I," Suyin adjusted her answer, "Was hoping to stop a dictator from being seated into power."
"Through a democratic process," Jun returned back.
"We all know this isn't democratic at all!" Suyin and Lin returned.
"Be that as it may," Jun worked around their reply. "Even if, let's say, the people are brainwashed. Your idea was to undermine their vote, something that the average Empire person never had the ability to do…ever…and install, essentially, a puppet leader at the throne. Oh, and recess the progress of the Empire back into the faulted monarchy? Great plan."
"Listen here, Stevenson," Lin shot back, "I know the idea of monarchy has a very negative view to you Americans, but here, in this world, its still very acceptable! The Fire Nation still has a Fire Lord, and the Water Tribes still has their chiefs! What we were trying to do, is return to what was originally agreed upon when Kuvira took the reins and overstayed her term!"
President Raiko spoke up to add, "Of course, we wouldn't allow things to spiral down to where they were before all this."
Jun took note of what his boss said, but rather than speak back against Raiko, he turned to Lin. "Lin," he replied, "You seem to know a decent amount of Mechanized World history. Tell me, out of all of the puppet leaders installed- hell, let's make it simpler, how bout just the US-installed puppet leaders. Which one was actually a success? When did that ever work? Dien Bien Phu? Oh yeah, that worked out just fine. Totally worked in our favor!" Jun picked up the rolled morning edition of the newspaper, where the incident was headlined. "Do you have any idea how serious this is?"
"Yes," Suyin replied, "I do. But now-"
"I had good men die!" Jun blurted. "And on top of that, they cannot be identified, and they cannot be recognized because of what it will imply! We have to go on stage and feign ignorance, when you and I know very well what transpired!" He gestured to Korra, "To the avatar's credit. It turned out to be a good thing that she was there, else there's no way we'd be able to even poorly scrub the site!"
Korra still felt bad about that matter. It felt wrong. But she was slightly glad to hear some kind of favor from the Chief Inspector.
"Moving things by train? Are you kidding me? Who in the world were you planning to send those to?" Jun bore down on Suyin now.
"I had connections, people that I could rely on?"
He slapped his forehead. "Jesus, this just gets worse and worse," he mumbled. "Will they talk?!" These 'connections' of yours?"
"No," Suyin stood by her faith in them. "They wouldn't compromise us like that."
"Well," he said, "For our sake. I hope you're right, and they took that information to the grave."
"Took? To the grave?"
Jun looked at her, somewhat bewildered. "Sure, the fire might have burnt much of the paper. But steel doesn't burn. Those containers are numbered, and their numbers logged on the maifest. With a recipient. Who do you think they're going to go after first on their end? And you want to know the best part? You essentially made it justifiable too." He turned to the room in general. "Why did no one think to inform me about this?"
There was a brief silence.
"Because we know you to be close and favoring the Earth Empire!" Lin accused.
Jun's head turned towards the police chief, like a tank turret traversing its gun. Unnaturally slow and smooth. "Excuse me?"
"You seem to talk non-stop highly of them. Always come to their defense, not even giving the slightest doubt. And? You're very obviously intimately connected with one of their officers! It would have been a risk to tell you!"
"My relationships and my duties are two completely different issues!" Jun shot back. "I'm actually offended you would think something like that!"
"It isn't too far off the table," Suyin muttered.
"You want to say that again Beifong Number Two?!" Jun shot over. "Come on! Out loud for everyone to hear!"
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Tenzin yelled. The room fell quiet. Junichiro adjusted his tie and took a deep 'calming' breath. Both Beifongs leaned against the wall, crossing their arms. "I agree, what we have done is…unforgivable! It was the wrong way to go about handling things! But what's done is done! And the more we continue to bicker about this, the more the situation evolves without us actively participating. Meaning! Less control of what happens next!"
"I concur," Raiko added. "We can't undo ripples in the ocean. But we can adjust our course to react. Me and my team will continue to try and bury this. Eventually, I feel the Empire will loosen up enough and we can sweep this under the rug as if nothing happened. After all, they got what they wanted." He turned to Junichiro. "What are the consequences from this? The new official solidified leadership of Kuvira, that is."
Jun cleared his throat. He unbuttoned his jacket and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Likely, the Army will continue what they were doing before," he revealed. "They will continue to annex territories within the Earth Kingdom lands until they achieve full control over all within their borders."
"There isn't much left!" Suyin reacted.
"No," he affirmed, "There isn't. We have the Himeji-Castle-look-alike city of the Liu Clan nestled in the Tai Hua mountains, as well as the one city before that leading into it: Shanguchi. Then, there's Zaofu."
"Great," Lin said.
"There's more," Jun added. "I have a source in the Liu Clan."
"You are in talks with the daofei group?" Raiko questioned.
"Indeed. Nothing solid yet, but he tells me that the Empire has been working on experimental weapons. WMDs if you will."
"Really?" Raiko commented.
"That's alarming," Suyin spoke up.
"What exactly they are building, and what its capabilities are, are not known really at all," the UFDI director reported. "But from the needs of their army, I'd imagine it's likely a form of heavy artillery. A siege weapon if you will. We believe they'll use it to strike against the Liu's territory first. As a test. With Zaofu being the credible ultimate target."
"We need to strike first!" Korra insisted.
"We can't," Raiko answered. "Doing so, would be an act of war against the Earth Empire."
"But this, this would be a massacre!" Suyin voiced out. "The international community must do something!"
"As far as the international community is concerned," the president continued, "It's beyond their jurisdiction and interests. To them, the Empire is merely establishing order in a widely-perceived peaceful manner. In fact by acting militarily, based on an uncredible rumor, they might set their sights on us.
Moreover, both the Water Tribes are not likely to mobilize any of their forces, after that whole civil war between North and South. And Firelord Izumi has made it clearer than the most refined crystal, that the Fire Nation will not be at the spearpoint of any paths to war. Even if preemptive."
"Then what can we do?" Suyin asked. "We can't sit here and do nothing!"
Raiko didn't have any exciting replies, unfortunately. "For now, all we can do is to simply wait and see. We still, afterall, need to ride out the waves caused by the recent incident."
Suyin grimaced and her eyebrows furrowed. Lin felt the same way. It was as if their hands were, not bound but, cuffed and shackled.
Raiko turned to his Intelligence Head however. "But that doesn't mean we can't get involved off the record."
Jun straightened to an informal position of attention.
"Chief Stevenson, we need you back out in the field to find out exactly what the Earth Empire may be planning. There may not be anything on the desk officially yet, but there is great enough concern that we cannot rule out sudden military moves. Any plans, any massive staging of forces, and any movement of alleged superweapons, we need as much intel as possible," the President ordered. "Which means, for now. We'll need you in the trenches with the Liu-Clan. If indeed they fall, Zaofu is next."
"Aye, sir," Jun acknowledged, still yet to drop the lingo from his time in the Marine Corps. Junichiro turned to Korra. "Avatar," he called, pointing to her abruptly, "You're with me. We need to get out to Shanguchi and see what we can gather from our informant over there."
"On it," Korra acknowledged.
"Just a few meetings and conversations to go through first before we actually head out there."
Northern Earth Kingdom
Smoke poured from the muzzles of the coaxial and bow MG34 machine guns. The main gun had been fired a few times, but when dealing with mainly lightly armored or soft body targets, the battle rarely lasted long enough to fire off more than a handful of cannon shots. Yasuho's unit had ambushed a moderately sized column of daofei, after receiving intel as to their movements. The Earth Empire had, afterall, begun to make more use of its infant air forces.
Their targets were nothing more than jeeps and tractor-trailors moving across the semi-paved roads. Two trucks and several jeeps full of what had been identified as "a rogue and violent band of looters." They stood no chance against the weapons that were designed to kill tanks and other, actually armored, heavy vehicles. As the daofei drove along, completely unaware they were riding into a trap, they were met with a sudden unnaturally deep pothole that threw off the lead car. The first truck in the line was unable to stop in time as a dense rock wall jumped from the rode in front of them, and crashed full-force into the erected road block. Just as the rest of the bandits poured from the jeeps and remaining truck, they came under a hail of machine gun and rifle fire from a distance. Several blasts from cannons tore into the grounds around them. Two scored direct hits on a few of the jeeps, tearing them to shreds. A blast tossed the last remaining trailer from the rode and left it partially embedded in the mud. Then, once the column had been softened and scattered, a pair of Tiger tanks and supporting infantry broke toward them from behind a nearby embankment, opening fire with all guns and a fury of metal. The daofei, understandably, surrendered quickly. For what remained of the once powerful and imposing criminal bands, being ambushed by armor, mecha suits, squads of riflemen and machine gun teams, and elite metal benders, was overkill. Gone were the days, when the army could face strong willed and heavily armed gangs full of guns or benders.
"Sometimes it's like killing a fly with a pile driver," Yasuho whispered under her breath as she overlooked the carnage. Twisted chunks of metal, once cars with occupants, were strewn about.
She walked over to the line of survivors that had surrendered. Men and women who had definitely gone down the wrong path in life. They had tossed aside their weapons, or stopped earth bending within seconds after the initial bombardment. They were now knelt in the dirt beside the road while the soldiers searched the wreckage and gathered the scattered weapons of the fallen.
"You are the lucky ones," Yasuho said, talking over the line of prisoners. "You saw reason and immediately surrendered. This will earn you favor, however it will not save you from facing punishment for your crimes. But as far as I can see, today, you will live."
The prisoners sighed some relief. However, Captain Aoshima still felt like there was something they were hiding. Something not being said.
"Is there anything" Yasuho said, looking down on each prisoner with emphasis, "You want to tell me? Anyone?" She folded her hands in front of herself, appearing supportive.
Silence. She noted how the prisoners seemed to side-glance at each other, keeping their heads downturned.
"Very well."
The captain marched off, taking post beside her tank. Maho remained in the hull, manning the radio while everyone else was out searching the wreckage. Her mind was scattered the past few days. News of what had been found after a serious train derailment started to make her have some doubts and reservations of what the United Republic was up to. Normally she wouldn't care, but her partner, head of the Intelligence Department, who she had witnessed in dealing under the table, was her main stake in all of this.
She felt her phone vibrate inside her jacket. Soldiers were forbidden from using their personal communicators when out in the field. Hidden behind the large hull and out of sight, Yasuho quickly checked who was called. "Jun."
The tank officer looked left, then right, seeing if there was anyone watching and then promptly boosted herself up with a column of earth to quickly clamber atop the armored box.
"Maho," she called, throwing open the hatch.
"Kommandant," the radio operator replied.
"Phone call," Yasuho admitted, "can you cover for a minute?"
Her confidant smirked and rolled her eyes. "Sure," she nodded and quickly vacated the vehicle, leaving the captain alone in solitude.
"Hello?" she quietly answered, sealing the hatch on top of her.
"Yasuho? It's Junichiro," he said.
"We have caller ID too, you know," she half-heartedly smirked.
"Uh, yeah. I know," he trailed off. "Hey, listen. How- How are you? Staying safe out there? You knock out any more bands of daofei?"
"Just now, actually."
"You're- You're alright though, right?"
"Mhm."
"That's good."
"I am sure, you of all people know I very well can hold my own," she stated.
"I'm just…checking in is all. Things, after all, are slightly different…"
Yasuho wanted to kick herself for imposing conspiracy theories of the UNR acting against the Empire over a harmless phrase such as "things are slightly different."
"...between us," Jun finished.
"Mhm," she simply replied.
"Hey," her partner began, tone slightly changed. "You have any deployments coming up? Any big final pushes?"
The audacity of this man. "Why do you ask?" Her own tone suddenly shifted too, a bit more confrontational.
"Just curious," Jun replied. "You used to tell of your ventures to the front. Just seeing if there's anything else coming up. I feel like the Earth Empire is running out of gigantic bands of daofei. Don't you?"
"As far as deployments I'm not at liberty to say. And, I don't think that," Yasuho asserted. "Not in the slightest. In fact, I'd say they are still just as much of a threat now, as they always have been. I've lost men to them, even recently still. They are also capable of knocking out tanks and mecha suits. If anything, I think the surviving groups have learned what we attack with and how."
"They seem a little too well trained," Jun commented.
"What are you getting at?"
"There's rumor, that the daofei may not actually be daofei, but rather agents embedded to stage attacks on the army," Junichiro revealed.
"Huh?" Yasuho scoffed, taken aback. "Are you suggesting that our army is attacking itself to further justify its moves?"
"That's not what I am saying," Jun justified, "That's just what I have heard."
"Well, whoever the source, that person is likely someone who is trying to cover up his own wrongdoing. Did you hear that from another criminal? Is this another one of your under-the-table contacts? Because if it is, I guarantee that person will one day find themselves on the receiving end of a cannon!"
"I can't divulge that kind of stuff. And you know that! I'm just trying to look out for you, Yasuho. Please be safe-"
"What else have you been up to? Hmm?" she cut him off. "Tell me, Jun. Did you have anything to do with that attempt to undermine a proper process?"
Now her boyfriend was taken aback. "Of course not! That's absurd. You know my stance on that sort of thing!"
"I'd hope not," she fumed.
"Are you insinuating something?"
"I'm just going off what I heard!" she relayed back. There was a serious of knocks on the turret hatch, Maho signaling that someone was looking for her. "I have to go," the captain fumed. "I'll…I'll talk to you some other time, when things settle." Her thumb then hit the end call icon, not allowing Jun to reply or acknowledge. She didn't like ending conversations on a bitter note, normally.
She tossed her phone beside the headset for her own radio equipment and threw the heavy steel door open. "Yes?" she said, poking her head out. She was pointed to a sergeant standing before their tank.
"Captain," he began his report. "Could we get your assistance with the remaining container? There are noises coming from within. Potentially more combatants."
Yasuho's eyebrows furrowed as she moved to join the small group of soldiers. Two men stood by the latched doors at the rear of the container, MP40s locked, loaded and trained on the door way. A handful of metal benders were positioned beside the steel container to exhume the partially sunken box.
Taking a position by the door, Yasuho ordered, "Ready, lift!"
The metal creaked as it forcefully budged from the med and slowly rose into the air. Whatever or whoever was inside could be heard shifting and tumbling around as the Conex was lifted into the air, shifted, and roughly set down on the ground.
The soldiers shouldered their weapons and aligned their sights as Yasuho moved to get the locks open.
"Hold your fire," she instructed. "Nothing rash today."
Her left hand clenched to a fist and her right wrist flicked outward. The lock snapped with a sharp crack and clattered to the floor. Yasuho unclasped one of her plate reserves and took a combative form, stepping back with the armed soldiers. Two other metalbenders violently rip the doors open. The metal slammed against the container walls with a bang!
The light slowly filtered into the blackened void that was the inside of the container. There were multiple figures inside, some with their hands raised, and no signs of a threat. Yasuho, flanked by two soldiers, approached slowly trying to get a better look. One traded his submachine gun for a flashlight. The light shined brightly on the dirtied face of one of the first occupants. The soldier bounced the light from one person to the next inside the crate. These people were captive! Shackled at the wrists and ankles! It's a miracle the container hadn't taken a hit from the cannon fire. Having been tossed aside, at the onset of the battle it was also out of the way of the hail of small arms fire. This was trafficking.
The people inside looked up at the soldiers in fear, some with relief. They didn't all know what to make of the situation. "Help us," eventually one of them called.
"Spirits above," the men exclaimed, quickly slinging their weapons and moving to free the restrained people.
"Medic!" the men called from within the container. "Someone get the medic! I got some injuries in here!"
More soldiers filtered past Yasuho, who stood at the mouth of the box in shock, rushing to aid the surviving victims.
Eunji and Maho were the first of Yasuho's own crew to arrive at the scene following her.
"The Earth Queen be damned," Eunji reacted, slinging her Mauser rifle. "Those daofei bastards."
Maho could see her close friend internally boiling with anger. "Captain," she cautiously advised. "Let's not do anything rash."
But Yasuho heard none of it. Fists clenched, she stormed off. The tank officer had a sudden change of heart. She was the highest ranking officer, and thus was in charge of all aspects of this task force.
Maho could only sigh and close her eyes, both her and Eunji set to work to assist the survivors.
"Agents of the Empire my foot!" she grumbled beneath her breath, recalling what Jun had implied to her over the phone. "Doing something like this?!" Sure, even she would admit sometimes the army's methods could be a little harsh. But to her, everyone on the receiving end had it coming. This discovery reaffirmed her view that the Earth Empire was still full of dangerous and insidious scum that have yet to be taken care of. The same kind that had robbed her early on as a youth, still proliferated and affected the innocent today. There was still work to be done.
She marched up to the still-detained and guarded line of captured daofei. Their eyes now had a look of terror. They somehow were hoping this discovery would not be made, though it was inevitable the soldiers would eventually crack open the container.
"Captain," the sergeant overseeing the prisoners asked. "Should we radio transport for the prisoners?"
She gave the captured one last angered look. "There are none," she coldly replied before once again departing; not another look back.
The sound of multiple weapons being charged followed.