Kyoshi's Rifles
Kyoshi Island
103A AG / 1945 AD
"TEN-HUT!" the NCO barked. The line of traditionally clothed warriors came to the position of attention, in accordance with the Marine Corps close order drill regulations. Fists clenched with their thumbs aligned with where the seam of their trousers would be, though no such seam existed on their heavy armored skirts. The warriors stood unmoving, not even their eyes moved left or right, and they stood proud and tall with their chins in the air. Once the most powerful and highly regarded force on the small island and its villages, after the events of the Hundred Years war and its conclusion, today they stood in the shadows of a more advanced and more modern force.
Their leader, their captain, once the voice of absolute authority over her small elite fighting unit and one of the higher regarded voices of the island, now fell in line with the rest of her warriors. She had much to learn as well, as deemed by their other-worldly combat and weapons instructors, despite having a notable amount of service on the front alongside both the US and Japanese during that final crucial battle on the high seas, as well as the Battle of Kyoshi Island, just three years prior. But, she thought, in ships of thousands of marines and sailors there were many who would not know who she was, Suki thought. Either they didn't know, and therefore her service and performance was irrelevant; or they did not care, and therefore her service was irrelevant.
The NCO made a sharp right-face, toward the officer in charge of this detachment. He was a very familiar face, and Suki felt happy with the recognition.
"Sir, all recruits present and accounted for," the Non-commissioned officer, a sergeant, Suki could tell by the three stripes sewn to his shirt sleeve, reported. He rendered a salute as he spoke.
The officer turned to face his NCO and returned the salute. "Very well, sergeant. Take your post."
"Aye aye, sir," the NCO replied, only dropping his salute after the officer. He marched off to the side and stood at ease.
"Ladies!" the officer boomed, stepping before the formation. His voice carried on through the dense wooded areas and well into Kyoshi Village, which was being reconstructed and improved. "My name is Second Lieutenant Joseph Stevenson. I am the officer that has been placed in charge of overseeing the training of the Kyoshi Warriors into a modern fighting unit, adept, capable, and ready to defend this island and this world against the threats of tomorrow!-"
"WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?!" one of the other marines confronted. "DID HE TELL YOU TO LOOK AROUND?!"
In the corner of her eye, without turning her head, Suki could see one of her girls getting screamed at by a corporal. He was practically screaming into her ear.
"No!" the Kyoshi Warrior shouted in reply.
"No?! No, what?!" the E-3 further screamed. "No, sir! No, sir! SCREAM IT!"
"NO, SIR!" the girl finally screamed.
Just like that, the verbal assault ceased.
"As proven," Lieutenant Stevenson continued, no mind to what had just transpired, "The Kyoshi Warriors are a formidable and strong fighting unit. Your tenacity, agility, precision, and understanding of many forms of martial arts - both armed and unarmed - proves valuable. However, against a mechanized opponent. Or a sizable force, tenacity in hand to hand or sword combat can only go so far. A battleship, an aircraft carrier, an airplane, a tank, or a machine gun are what are called force multipliers. They give one man, one unit, the fighting strength of many. In this world, that naturally occurs being a so-called bender of the elements. The Fire Nation were the first pioneers of mechanization and weaponization however, which gave them a significant and overwhelming advantage until we showed up. In this world, those without the miraculous gift of bending have been at a distinct disadvantage, and there wasn't much one could do about it. Until today." The lieutenant paused, and looked left and right, up and down the line of Kyoshi Warriors. He still found their makeup and uniforms to be fascinating. "From today, you Kyoshi Warriors will learn the fundamentals of marksmanship and basic infantry tactics from the greatest fighting force set loose upon God's Green Earth." The sailors and infantry of the Imperial Japanese Navy rolled their eyes listening to their former enemy speak. "For there is no greater threat than a Marine and his rifle. Upon completion, you will become a force to be reckoned with. I have no doubts."
Joe turned to the sergeant who stood by at the side. "Sergeant, it's your show."
The NCO snapped to attention and once again exchanged salutes. "Aye, Sir!" he acknowledged.
Lieutenant Stevenson gave one quick glance of approval at Suki before heading off to other matters.
"Alright, Ladies!" the sergeant began. "My name is: Sergeant Wright! Lieutenant Stevenson has ordered me and my fellow marines to bring you all up to standard and ensure you are remotely capable of handling a gun." He quickly took control of center stage. "Now, Lieutenant Stevenson seems to have a relatively high opinion of you all. Especially a small select few of you." He rested his hands on his pistol belt. "I want to establish right now that none of that matters. Some of you fought off some fire breathers. Some of you received some super basic training after the Battle of Kyoshi Island concluded. All of that effectively never happened! And we are starting from square one! Do you ladies understand that?!"
"Yes, Sir!" they replied in unison.
"At ease!" Sergeant Wright ordered.
The Kyoshi Warriors stood with their feet a shoulder's width apart with their hands clasped behind their backs. They could look around though. Before them were a pair of weapons' racks, rifles lined up and standing by their butt plates.
"Prior to now, you were trained to go to battle with swords, bows and arrows, and….fans..." Wright remarked, awkwardly letting the iron war fan fall from his grip. "Effective, in their respective ways, in their respective times. However, primitive compared to where we are now. He motioned to one of PFCs to bring up the next Kyoshi Warrior weapon: a bow and arrow. He looked down on the ancient weapon. "Yeah…this is why we won the west…" He turned to his other assistant. "Corporal! Front and center!"
The marine ran before the formation and unslung his M1 rifle, holding it out in front of him with both arms extended.
"Ladies! Consider this a gift from the United States government! A temporary one, mind you. This is the M1 Garand rifle! A thirty-caliber. semi-automatic, gas operated rifle fed from an 8-round clip inserted into an internal magazine. It is effective and accurate out to a thousand yards! This weapon will effectively render your swords, bows and arrows, and especially your fans obsolete."
Suki looked at the rifle being shown to her and her fellow warriors. The rifle visually looked solid, and heavy. She knew what it performed like as well, fighting alongside Lieutenant Stevenson on the shores of Kyoshi Island, and on the deck of Azula's ship during the comet. Semi-automatic, she thought, no bolt to manually cycle each time.
"This rifle, its killing ability, the bullet it fires, flies faster than any rock thrown by an earthbender, farther than any flame from any firebender, tears flesh and shatters bone beyond what any waterbender can heal, and pierces the air faster than the speed of sound!" He looked over the trainees. "There is nothing more terrifying in this world, than a Marine and his rifle. With proper marksmanship training, your enemy will not see you, won't have time to react, and..hell..he won't even hear the shot." Sergeant Wright dismissed the corporal, who retreated to the sides. "Alright, ladies! Each and every one of you is to take a rifle! It will be carried with you, everywhere you go, at all times! Move!"
The Kyoshi Warriors shuffled over to the gun racks to each take up a rifle. Suki had carried a Type 38 Arisaka during the day of Sozin's Comet, which was now kept back at the Kyoshi Warriors' rebuilt dojo. Her previous Japanese-issued rifle was nearly as tall as the 5 '4ft captain, and with its Type 30 sword bayonet mounted was near-equal to her total height. The M1 was noticeably shorter, but it compensated with being much more hefty. Though the two rifles were similar in weight, the M1 felt more substantial in her hands. Its bolt was much harder to pull back, the recoil spring being strong to halt the rotating bolt as it flew back from the fired round and then launched it forward to chamber the next automatically. There were no ornate chrysanthemum crests engraved into its blocky bolt group and receiver. Just the words stamped into the action:
US Rifle
CAL. 30 M1
SPRINGFIELD
ARMORY
4126001
Suki racked the bolt a few times, not pulling it all the way back to where it locked in the open position. The action was crisp and it cycled smoothly, though the wooden furniture of the rifle was notably worn. Some had scratches and scars in the wood, others had chips, gashes, and even divots where wood was missing. Some of the rifles the Kyoshi Warriors were given even felt sticky beneath their gloves.
"You'll find these rifles' actions to be clean and in working order," Sergeant Wright instructed, "As I expect them to be at the end of every training day. The bolt and trigger groups, the barrel, its gas systems, and all springs and screws, have been tediously cleaned and serviced. A cleaned and maintained weapon is a reliable one. And a reliable weapon does not get its user killed in battle."
"Sergeant Wright," Suki called, grabbing the NCOs attention. His head snapped towards her direction. "Some of these rifles are…sticky.." She wasn't one to complain about much.
The marine briskly came over to her and forcibly yanked the rifle from her arms. He pulled the bolt all the way open, locking it to the rear. He checked the chamber, making sure it was empty. He looked down into the magazine well, all seeming to be in working order. He peered down the barrel, and saw no residue or fouling in it. Finally, he let the bolt ride forward, clacking shut, and pulled the trigger. Click. A functional weapon. It even appeared clean visually. "Seems to be in perfect working order to me, Cap." He turned to the rest of the girls. "It's a weapon of war. A modern one. There is oil and grease! Moving parts. It was built to handle some hard conditions, and these have! Yes, you may get some grease and oil on your nails, and yes it may mess up your makeup! Such is life in the trenches, and the reality of being an infantryman!"
Suki's eyebrows furrowed at these remarks. They were uncalled for, and the NCO seemed to look down on her and her warriors. Similar feelings were felt up and down the line, but all held their tongues. They were used to these kinds of sentiments.
"Cap," Wright addressed Suki, "I hope this familiarizes you with what a perfectly functional rifle feels like," he said, handing the rifle back to her.
Suki bit her cheeks. "Crystal, sergeant." She reached out to take the weapon from him, but he suddenly pulled it back. He rubbed his thumb back and forth on the handguard and stock. "Hm," he grunted, rubbing his thumb and index fingers together.
Suki winced! All of a sudden the sergeant spit on her rifle! Saliva coated the wooden furniture and was then rubbed across its surface. Good thing she was wearing gloves, she thought. After wiping down the wooden stock dry with his shirt, Wright then checked the feeling of the wooden surface again. It was smoother. He then handed the weapon back to Suki.
"Probably residue blood and crud-gunk," he informed. "We don't exactly have shipments from Springfield Armory to the Earth Kingdom, and there are no resupplies coming to the fleet from the mainland…being that we are stuck in this mysterious world. Where do you think we got these surplus rifles from? We dug 'em out from right here, under the sand and debris from the beaches of Kyoshi Island and pressed them back into service as soon as possible. My suggestion? Water and a rag."
He turned to the other trainees for a fuller announcement. "The sticky stuff is likely residue blood left on the wood! Water and a rag, ladies! Water and a rag!"
"Fire!"
An unintentionally synchronized salvo blasted from the firing line, as all members of the Kyoshi Warriors pulled the trigger at the same time, upon hearing the command. They were all focused on hitting the targets to make note or care. It was the marines that were all quietly surprised. Sporadic, at-will, rifle shots then opened up after; filling the air with the blasts of heavy gun fire. Shooting from the prone-position, the girls were firing at their wooden target cutouts set at five-hundred yards.
Several days had now passed in their training cycle. They had learned how to disassemble, clean, and reassemble their rifles; ran several makeshift and crude obstacle courses; learned close-order drill and the manual of arms; and even learned fire team maneuvers and tactics. It was a sped up crash course that roughly followed the core pieces of boot camp. Undeniably it was insightful, and the Kyoshi Warriors were the first fighting unit, in what the USN and IJN were calling the 'Bending World', but Suki felt like it was very surface level.
The Garand kicked hard into her shoulder with each pull of the trigger, each round exploding forth from the muzzle. The torso-shaped wooden target was seemingly smaller than the front sight blade at this range. Good breath control, good trigger control, Suki thought, squeeze the trigger as lightly as possible, don't jerk it.
Bang! The gun erupted.
"Hit!" the corporal called. Her spotter, a step behind and beside Suki, watched the target through a set of field binoculars.
She fired again! The en-bloc clip ejected with a ping!
"Hit!" he called. "Dead center!" The marine was impressed with her shooting.
The girl next to her was just finishing the clearing of a malfunction, all the while her instructors were bearing down on her to reset, reload, and get back on target faster. They were screaming at how she would have been shot by now, or blown up by artillery, or burnt alive by incoming fire benders; putting pressure on Kyoshi Warrior.
"AH!" she cried and winced. As she pushed the new 8-round clip into the magazine, the bolt suddenly flew forward and caught her thumb, pinching and crushing the digit toward the chamber with the next round. Her first instinctive reaction was to try to rip her thumb away from the rifle, which hurt even more. And she had removed her right hand glove to get better grip and dexterity shooting and loading.
"Cease fire!" the range sergeant ordered over the thunder of rifle fire. Shortly after, all guns fell silent. "Shooters, check targets."
Rising from her belly, Suki flicked the small metal notch, the safety switch, inward on the trigger guard, and slung her rifle. Meanwhile, her partner had now freed her thumb from the jaws of her rifle and was also heading out on the range to check her shot grouping. She was waving her right hand and trying to massage her hand though. There was a cut and a gash just above her finger nail that was bleeding profusely, as well as an ever-deepening purple hue of a coming bruise.
"Misaki, are you okay?" Suki asked, concerned.
"I'm fine," she replied. "Don't worry too much about it." She replied to her captain quickly, hoping that she wouldn't catch the attention of the marines, less she'd get singled out again. "It's my fault anyway. I failed to pull the bolt all the way back so that it would properly lock on the bolt catch, and didn't get my hand out of the way fast enough. Nor did I brace the bolt handle with the blade of my hand to stop it from closing up on me."
She read out her mistakes robotically and clearly. She sounded more and more like a soldier, Suki noted. The Kyoshi Warriors' leader put a lot of emphasis on discipline and respect in her own training, but being a close knit unit her and her girls were still able to communicate with each other rather casually; especially when compared to typical army units. But the days under pressure, scrutiny, and supervision of the US Marines were starting to make their mark on her unit. They spoke at attention, even involuntarily. The other warriors spoke loudly, nearly yelling all the time, and concisely; it was as though they were subconsciously trying to use the least amount of words necessary to convey an idea as succinctly as they could. They replied to yes and no questions with "yes, sir," and, "no, sir," more often, and even to some degree started saying "aye aye, sir," to acknowledge a command. She kept it in for now, but Suki was not liking the change her comrades were undergoing. Their small elite team was becoming more standard issue, and more rank and file.
Suki's shot grouping was excellent. She had fired sixteen rounds, reloading once; Eight aimed at center mass, and eight aimed at the head. Both groupsing were exceptionally tight, with all eight rounds fitting into a 0.7 inch diameter circle. The other marines, not only her spotter, were impressed by her performance. By all means, she was a crack shot!
The same could not be said however for the next girl over, Misaki. Most shots hit the target, yes, but the grouping was quite wide. There were rounds that passed through the far left, and the far round, hitting what would have been the shoulder bone, or the bicep of the man-sized target. Others were low, passing close to the stomach. And towards the head, one round barely tagged the top of the cutout, a mere graze over the scalp if this were real. Out of sixteen shots, Misaki was only able to fire off twelve as a result of suffering the dreaded M1 thumb. There were not twelve holes and impact marks on the target though. The results up and down the shooting line were similarly mixed, with some having adequate or adept marksmanship performance, and others having equally bad or worse accuracy.
Suki could see the marksmanship instructors pointing out the results to the warriors they were assigned to, as well as Sergeant Wright coming down the line. Surely, he was going to make a big deal out of this, and rightfully he should with that grouping. She decided she was going to give remarks to her team member first, as captain and as someone who had prior shooting experience…in the most extreme situation. Firing on imperial firebenders while climbing, diving, ducking, and rolling, in the back of Appa's saddle during the air and sea battle during the Comet..and doing it accurately with precision, was certainly a mark of experience.
"You're jerking the trigger, Misaki," Suki advised. "I think you may be jumpy. Am I correct?"
"Yes, ma'am," she admitted, concisely.
"Don't worry about that level of formality with me," Suki assured in a calm voice."You can relax." She pulled her folded iron fan to use as a pointer. "See how you're shots trend left and right? I'm sure you were aiming here," she said pointing to the center of the chest area.
"Yeah.."
She held up an imaginary air rifle to show her point. "The movement is small. Very small when you think of all the weight and size of the rifle and your entire shooting stance in relation to your index finger," she explained, over-emphasizing the motion of pressing the trigger with hers. "But that small sudden motion can throw off your aim to the left and right." The captain than motioned to look back at the firing line, five-hundred meters behind them. "Up close, that's not a problem at all. But, just like when using the bow and arrow, five hundred yards away, a millimeter to the right will translate to the bullet hitting a foot to the right."
"I see," Misaki replied. Her facepaint really emphasized the disappointment in her own performance. "Sorry, Suki. I just get a little jumpy when the gun goes off."
"It takes some time to get used to, trust me I know," she assured with a smile. "Especially since it is so much heavier and louder than the bows we used to use," she paused. "When you're ready to fire, don't pull the trigger. Rather, gently squeeze it. The M1 rifle has a moderate trigger pull weight."
"Pull weight?" Misaki interupted.
"How much force you need to push on the trigger before it breaks and the rifle fires," Suki explained. "It's heavier than the Arisaka rifle I had used before. But even so, gently, gently, gently squeeze the trigger until it eventually breaks and fires. It should surprise you," she instructed. "All the while, keep your eye staring through the sights at the target. And at this rate, take long breaths to calm your heart rate and breathing. The calmer you can be, the better your accuracy. That'll be more important if shooting from a standing positon."
Misaki looked nervously at her rifle sling and then the target, "I'll keep that in mind, and I'll try the next time."
"That's the spirit. I know you'll master this," Suki encouraged. "Power through it. The Sarge will likely grill you for this performance, but I know they mean well. It's tough love, you know?"
Her subordinate smiled. Suki was great with empathy and encouragement, in addition to being a great leader and warrior.
But what came next rather shocked Suki.
"Grouping looks good, Cap," he said looking at her shot grouping. The sergeant had developed a habit of referring to her as 'cap', shot for captain. He did not formally recognize her title, as she was not a commissioned officer of the military, nor did she hold any official rank, to him. "That is one dead wooden board."
"Thank you, sir," Suki replied, gratified.
He turned on his heel to look over Misaki's. Suki was expecting him to tear into her. She sympathized with her subordinate.
"Fine shooting here as well, Misaki. Acceptable marksmanship," he remarked.
There was a brief awkward pause between the three of them before Misaki, snapped to attention, still clutching the sling of her rifle, and acknowledged. "Yes, sir! Thank you, sir!"
"Shooters, return to the firing line!" the sergeant of the range ordered.
How was that acceptable, Suki thought. For all intents and purposes, she was learning too; but even she could tell that level of shooting was intolerable. Why was he so lax?
The day's training had concluded as it normally did: with all the trainees, they couldn't really call the Kyoshi Warriors 'recruits', exhausted. Beyond more time on the rifle range, the day entailed more drill and ceremony, long marches across Kyoshi Island, jungle warfare tactics taught between the US Marines and Japanese naval infantry, simulated beach landing drills, and introductions to machine gun operations. Suki herself was rather indifferent to using either machine guns introduced. The M1919A4, and its older and heavier predecessor: the M1917A1 Browning machine gun, were intriguing for the girls to use. Suki herself, became proficient quickly at playing the role of the assistant gunner, gunner, and eventually fire team leader; though she was indifferent. All of them however, despised lugging the heavy weapons and equipment such as spare ammunition, tripod mounts, and water in the case of the 1917, around on marches and drills.
While the others slept, Suki stayed awake. There were things on her mind that kept her from fully passing out. All the changes she was bearing witness to and simply signing-off on. Sure, she was captain, but she definitely did not feel in charge. Rather, a few sergeant and several lance corporals and even PFCs were in charge. Still dressed in full uniform, she sat by the shore lines overlooking the western shores of Kyoshi Island. The sounding of the waves washing up on the sand provided adequate white noise for her to think and focus. In the distance she could see the lights of the anchored warships off shore, a mix of Japanese and American warships; the sight of them anchored together, even three years later, was still somewhat odd to everyone. Tonight it was the 10-gun heavy cruiser, Atago, Battleship Haruna, USS South Dakota, USS Enterprise, and HIJMS Hiryu. Aang and Katara were in Ba Sing Se, Admiral Yamamoto was in the Fire Nation capital along with Admiral Spruance, Zuko as well was in the Fire Nation Royal Palace still getting used to being Fire Lord, and Toph was out contemplating the idea of establishing a Metal Bending Academy while working with ground forces bringing order to the Central Earth Kingdom. Everyone was so spread out now, but she was here on Kyoshi Island with her unit undergoing a complete identity change.
"How's training?" a comforting and enthusiastic voice called from behind. She could hear the sound of boots crunching in the sand.
"Sokka?"
The honorary Kyoshi Warrior, swordsman, honorary US Marine, and up-and-coming chief of the Southern Water Tribe plopped down on the sand beside her. She was happy to see him.
"Thought I'd drop by ya know," he said. "Make sure you weren't getting roughed up too badly. Be there for you when you cry," he teased.
Suki sharply jabbed him in the side, to which he flinched sharply. "Okay! Okay! I'm sorry," he groaned. "But seriously, how is everything?"
"It's fine, I guess," Suki sighed. She noted Sokka's sage-green herringbone twill utility trousers, USMC standard issue, bloused into his turtle-seal leather water tribe boots. Above the khaki web belt and brass buckle, he still wore his water tribe summer tunic, and even further up he still wore his hair in the wolf's tail style. By comparison, Suki's uniform remained completely unchanged, even with her girls starting to carry additional ammunition pouches on them either on bandoliers or pistol belts worn over their saches and obis. She was refusing change, and Sokka could tell she was. It was a common theme and conflict for everyone, especially now that the fighting was over and real change could begin.
"You're not liking it," Sokka said, blatantly putting it out there. He was getting better at reading the room.
"To be honest," Suki sighed, "It's very different from what I thought it would be. I didn't think learning to use a rifle would bring so much change. It's a bit overwhelming."
"How so?"
"We're under great scrutiny by the Marines. They drill us as if we were rank and file infantry! The dynamics are being completely altered, even among the girls. Many of them are even replying to me in yes or no responses and calling me 'ma'am!' Some of them are older than me, even! It's weird, and it's so disconnected. There's like this invisible wall between me and them. Even the Japanese soldiers, encourage this new barrier of seperation."
"Well, you are their leader," Sokka reasoned.
"I know…" She paused. "I understand where it comes from. But, it's not what things used to be. I don't want to be that kind of leader, and I don't want that kind of dynamic between me and the other warriors. Traditions are also changing," she said, continuing to vent. "Most of the girls haven't touched their swords in weeks, because its getting heavy to carry an M1 rifle, and ammunition, as well as a katana and sheath, on top of our already heavy and armored uniforms. Some of them have even been ditching their fans as of late."
"The marines would probably suggest shedding weight in other areas," Sokka replied, anticipating what his US comrades would likely say, and recalling what they were saying prior to hitting the beaches of Kyoshi Island over three years ago.
"They have," Suki interjected. "And no, we are not changing from our current uniforms to the American M1941 service uniform, even if it is supposedly more practical, lighter, and likely a thousand times lighter!" She recalled what had been suggested by the likes of Sergeant Wright.
Sokka chuckled to himself, holding as much noise as he could in.
"What's funny?" Suki questioned.
"Nothing," he waved off, "Just remembering what I had to go through back years ago when we first met."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. You bunch of girls forced me to don a dress and makeup, and learn how to fight with a folding fan," Sokka recalled. "Seems like that is coming back in full circle, now. But unlike back then and unlike me, you are pushing against change."
"So did you," Suki accused.
"True, but it settled in after a bit," Sokka answered.
"Seems, it applied even more too," the Kyoshi Warrior accused further. "Do you even use your boomerang anymore? Or your sword?"
"On occasion," he answered, settling back down. "Sword more than boomerang, and boomerang is more used as a tool now and rarely a weapon, but I still carry them." He adjusted where his M1928 Thompson sat on his back. "But I also recognize that times are changing, and…yeah..even if I personally am also weary of putting the tried-and-true in the rear ranks, I also have to acknowledge that…yeah, there are weapons that are superior in most ways to a sword. Just like having a sword was superior in many ways to having just the club and boomerang, a gun has many more advantages over a sword."
"I can't deny that," Suki admitted, reluctantly. "Being non-benders, we were at a disadvantage from the start, talking in terms of range and power…but now? Specifically then? During the Battle of Kyoshi Island, we were at a disadvantage to non-benders; something that was so rare." She sighed, feeling the weight of the rifle on her back. "But we were established on the teachings of Avatar Kyoshi herself. To protect the people of this island, Kyoshi's beloved people, and to preserve traditions. Not only are things changing, but it feels like tradition is getting paved over. And the Kyoshi Warriors were entrusted to me to lead and preserve, a badge I wore with honor. Am I failing?"
"You're not failing," Sokka comforted. "Change is just…overwhelming, you know?"
"Yeah it really is. And on top of that, the training itself is a very…one-size-fits-all kind of thing. We get drilled as if we were infantry. But we're not. We don't have the size and numbers for frontal attacks, or beach landings. Not even beach defense, as they view it. Yet, the marines train us as if we are to be absorbed into the Earth Kingdom's army, or the Marine Corps. To make it even weirder, there are times when it feels like they get on our case for the smallest of things-"
"Because if I can't expect you to fold your underwear a certain way and keep your gear in order, how can I expect you to storm a beach and keep your battle buddy alive," Sokka interrupted and paraphrased, trying his best to sound like some of the NCOs that gave him a hard time when he was acclimating to their ways.
"Yeah…But then in other times, it feels like they are blatantly lax in standard. And I've served with Marines! I know what they are normally like!"
"They aren't here to bulldoze you, Suki," Sokka soothed. "The marines were assigned to teach and train you guys how to utilize firearms and learn modern combative tactics. You guys are the first fighting force they are formally instructing in this world! Not even the Earth Kingdom Army or Fire Nation Army is getting familiarized with modern weapons yet, beyond what they were vaguely taught during the war."
"It certainly doesn't feel that way," Suki pouted.
"In the end, they are your troops," he said. "Ultimately, it's you guys that need to adopt what you learn here however you see fit into Kyoshi Warrior fighting doctrine. You yourself have some great skills with a rifle. I'm a bit surprised, you have mainly been along for the ride, rather than similarly taking lead or at least assisting." Sokka looked over to his girlfriend. "I think you got a lot of things to offer too. It doesn't have to be a one-way transaction."
Suki perked up listening to him. He was right afterall. "You're right, I should talk to Sergeant Wright. Surely he'd get it too, right?"
"I think so," Sokka assured. "I'm sure you guys can figure something out."
"Thanks, Sokka. Thanks for always being there to lend an ear and advice." She rose from her seat, patting down her uniform's long armored skirt and gettin greedy to set off.
"No problem," he grinned, seeing her off.
Walking into the tents of the nearby US/Japan military encampment, the lone Kyoshi Warrior marched past several officers and enlisted of both fleets. She saluted the Marine lieutenant and US Navy ensign who were chatting over cigarettes near the officer's tents; to which she had faint and quick informal salutes returned to her. Suki also bowed slightly in acknowledgement to the pair of roaming Japanese sentries that were making a fire watch patrol round the perimeter. Very few words were actually exchanged between Suki and the servicemen she encountered as she made her way through they camp, beyond the occasional expressions of surprise or amusement, her uniform was certainly unique afterall, but mostly the men were wondering what she was doing there.
Finally, she found the NCO tent that she could find the marines of her training detachment. There was a strong light illuminating the inside of the canvas tent, and she could see the figures of a handful of marines seated inside around a table. The small of tobacco and faint hints of rationed American Lager could be picked up. It was a quiet night.
"How is the training so far Sergeant Wright?" Suki did not recognize the voice of that man, but she could see the golden bars of a lieutenant rank pinned on his shirt collar. "Lieutenant Stevenson is keen on asking."
"It's progressing," Wright replied. "That's for sure. Nearly done. They'll be out of my hair soon enough."
"You think they'd make bloodthirsty killers on the field of battle?"
Sergeant Wright coughed and hacked. "No sir, I do not."
"Joe seemed to have a pretty high opinion of them," the LT retorted.
Suki crossed her arms. Rather than make an entrance, she now decided to simply listen in on the conversations and views of her instructors. She thought she may get some insight from listening.
"Hm," the sergeant scoffed. "Are they capable? Sure, maybe. Some of them exhibit decent rifle proficiency. That one girl…Suki, I think her name is…the one with the bigger head piece, she's a decent shot with the rifle. Same could not be said about several others, though."
"Yet, you passed them," the lieutenant asked, an indifferent tone on his voice.
"I did, sir." Wright replied. "At the end of the day…these women are..simply that: women. Shit, they carry fans and wear make up into battle for crying out loud. We're not even talking about the dresses they wear." He lowered his tone. "Three years ago, if we were deployed to some jungle on some Japanese-occupied island, I would not be caught dead along their side on the front line. God forbid they break a nail or something. Their make up alone would draw the attention of any sharpshooter within a mile radius."
"Women at war," the Lieutenant commented, taking a can of beer to accompany his cigarette. "Imagine that."
"Indeed, sir. Imagine that," Wright stated. "Even the Japanese sailors question the same thing. A fighting group, tasked with defending the people of this island, consisting entirely of women. I heard, even the founder of this place, the supersized amazonian avatar that that statue the is being reconstructed commemorates, was a lady as well… If anything, it says something about the men of this island.. Historically, I'd say this island is lucky it held no military value to the Fire Nation in a hundred years of war..til we got here of course."
"They had one though," the LT interjected. "What's her name? The one who apparently, supposedly, became a fire breather."
"Special case," Wright wrote off. "At the range, there was this one recruit. Had this freaking huge shot grouping. Definitely would not qualify for 'marksman' level at rifle quals." 'Marksman' was the lowest qualification level for the Marine Corps's rifle evaluation, with 'sharpshooter' and 'expert' being the higher two. "She managed to hit the target though. To me..seems like a mission accomplished."
Suki had had enough, listening to this man. It had become perfectly clear to her that the reason why he was soft on them, was because he in fact did not see her and her team as equals. How far they progressed and how well they did was not his concern. She turned on her heel and stormed off, determined to then prove him wrong out of spite.
"Well," the LT sighed. "Trying to look at it in a…glass-half-full kinda way…They seem like capable combatants. I'd think they definitely punch above their weight class. Fact of the matter is, they did effectively fight against fire benders..at least that's what everyone, including the fire benders, says. And they did show exceptional courage during the landings during the Battle of Kyoshi Island." He took a sip of his beer and a puff from his cigarette. "For Christ's sake, we were literally ordering and pushing them, in addition with our own Marines, to jump off of the side of a destroyer and swim to shore with all that gear on. Hell, I was there and I did that! Expecting a fully grown, fully trained Marine to jump off a destroyer, which logically would still be in deep water to then attempt to swim to shore, a good hundred yards away, with all that weight, while under intense machine gun and artillery fire…or at the very least, tread water with all that crud on until the rock-throwers can literally raise the floor…is suicidal and desperate."
"I also remember that," Wright chuckled. "Looking back, that was…definitely the most questionable thing that we have been ordered to do."
"So far," the lieutenant chuckled. "There's always tomorrow, sarge."
"Right."
"So that was courage. And then they do carry themselves in with honor. The Kyoshi Warriors from what I hear, and what I have seen, exemplify integrity. The conviction to defend the weak and the innocent and stand against evil and tyranny." The LT disposed of his cigarette beneath his boot heel, grinding it into the sand. "And charging at machine gun nests and rifle squads in heavy and cumbersome dresses, the most visible make up, reflective head pieces that cry out, "Shoot me," and with nothing more than a sword and a fan…I'm pretty sure at the very least, among other things, that..that is commitment."
"I'll drink to that," Wright said.
"Honor, courage, commitment," the lieutenant listed. "Are those not the values on which we hold ourselves to as Marines?"
"Hm," Wright grunted, thinking over it a minute. "Respectfully, sir. You may be right on those notes. But principal and reality are often very different."
"You are likely right, Sergeant. And after all, I am a second LT the Marine Corps drummed up from college, so I must have all the ideal classroom thoughts on me. But you may be surprised by what you think you have. I'm just saying," the LT teased. "One of them might just show you up."
The next morning, at an ungodly hour, the entire detachment of US Marines, sailors, and their equivalent number of Japanese counterparts were awoken with the sound of vollied gun fire. The erratic and continual explosions, round after round of .30 caliber ammunition pierced the morning air.
There was no warning. It was an attack, they all thought! Quickly, servicemen quickly took up arms; Rifles, pistols, submachine guns, and swords, and rushed toward the sound of fire. They dashed towards the sound of the range. The marines and sailors came to a startled halt behind the firing line.
"Hit!"
"Miss! Adjust fire!"
"Miss! Left and low of target!"
"Hit! Bullseye!"
The Kyoshi Warriors had begun the day's training with extreme focus on marksmanship on the rifle range. There was a clear divide between them, which the marines that had worked with them previously could determine easily. It was simply: those that were proficient with a rifle, and those that needed more guidance and practice. The girls that were capable played the role of the spotter, looking through field binoculars and telling the shooter where their bullets were landing. The shooters were all those that needed more shooting practice. Some targets were closer, the closest only being about one hundred yards out, while others were even farther than the original five hundred. Suki stood posted at the side of the firing line, vigilantly watching all shooter and spotter pairs.
Sergeant Wright pushed his way through the gathered crowd, flanked by a grouping of other Marines; the other assisting instructors. Although he was on the other side of the long firing line, Suki could easily see he was visibly confused and red in the face with rage.
"Cease fire!" She ordered. "Cease fire on the line!" Immediately, the shooting stopped. She could see the sergeant tearing a warpath toward her, his gaze locked on the leader of the group. She stood unphased, ignoring the oncoming NCO. However, even Suki felt a little uneasy. "Safeties on, check targets," she ordered, as if ignoring the scene that was playing out.
Her girls, slightly uncertain, soon cleared their rifle; those that had rounds remaining could be heard ejecting their partially loaded enbloc clips. They began to stand up.
"AS YOUR WERE, LADIES!" Wright boomed over the group. "BELAY THAT ORDER!"
Some of the Kyoshi Warriors snapped to the Marine Corps's designated position of attention, while the other half followed Suki's orders.
Sergeant Wright came right up to Suki's face, towering over the young leader. She stood her ground, unphased. "I do not recall giving you authority to draw arms and ammunition! I also do not recall giving you authority to use this range! What is your major malfunction?!"
Suki blinked, maintaining a facade of indifference and wiping the saliva off her face; good thing their face paint had very potent water resistance. "Respectfully, Sergeant Wright," Suki responded, "Your instruction until this point has been greatly appreciated. But I am finding it to be not adequate enough and misguided!"
The NCO grew so red in the face it appeared his head would explode.
"We, the Kyoshi Warriors, are not grunts! We physically can't do that kind of warfighting, for a number of reasons, with the obvious one being our numbers are smaller than a typical infantry platoon!" Her volume had grown to become louder and more confrontational. "And on top of that! I know you look down on us! You don't see us as equal! You don't even see us as warriors! Even though we have proved that to you during the Battle of Kyoshi Island, a fight for our home and our land, and on the Day of Sozin's Comet!"
"Oh yeah? Is that what you think?" he shouted in return. More and more men from the two other-worldly navies, as well as the villagers of Kyoshi Island, began to gather around the ruckus. "Well then," he announced. "If the cat's out of the bag then, you're right! I do not have any confidence in your ability to survive on a rapidly modernizing battlefield! Maybe you will, but your team? Cannon fodder! You resist evolving and are too fixated on your origin story and your concepts of tradition!"
Suki knew this day would come. She could sense the feeling of un-equivalence ever since the Kyoshi Warriors first met the US Navy and Marine Corps. She proved her worth and capabilities to a select few, but the overwhelming majority did not see things the same way. This confrontation was inevitable. She did not sugar coat it, nor did she try to find an alternative explanation. It was pride. Pride in herself. Pride in her unit. Pride in her home. And pride in her girls! She was not going to put up with this. She would prove herself, even if it was petty and unbecoming of her. "I will prove you wrong," she said through gritted teeth.
Wright looked around. The half of the Kyoshi Warriors that were unmistakably following the directions of their leader seemed on edge, ready to fight, just like their captain. The other half that stood at attention, also looked uncertain. "Hah," he scoffed. "What? You want to fight me?" His voice began to get lower, steadier, and calmer. He turned away from Suki towards his group of Marines, who were now similarly on edge.
"Sorry, sweetie," he said walking away. "We don't hit women, where I come from."
That sent Suki over the edge. She remembered when she first met Sokka all those years ago; the same Sokka who she could see standing amid the Marines motioning her to calm down. The audacity. "If you won't train us properly," she said through gritted teeth, under her breath. She, hastily and angrily, unslung her rifle, pulled the bolt back and ejected the en-bloc clip. She could feel the tight metal grouping of cartridges and clip in her tightly balled up fist. She took a hard step forward, and with all her strength and anger threw the clip directly at the commanding sergeant. She would have made a decent pitcher, the marines, watching in the moment quickly thought. The clip and its contents struck Sergeant Wright square on the back of his head, just beneath the hat band of his utility cap. There was a quiet, yet deep sounding thunk as the loaded clip struck the bone on the back of his skull.
Sergeant Wright flinched. He seemed to pause, frozen after flinching from the hit slightly. The area around the impact area quickly turned red. The impact area started to become purple, swelling quickly. There was a slight cut, where blood began to pool and flow down. There was a uniform gasp, both from the Marines and the Kyoshi Warriors. He said nothing. Wright turned about to face Suki, who was still in the follow through for her throw. He was furious.
"Okay," he quietly said. "Fine. We'll play this your way." He lunged at Suki, who blocked his punch with the length of her rifle. Raising it like a bar in front of her, she diverted his punch up and away from her face. But she could feel the raw power of his throw, even through the wood and steel of the Garand rifle. But before she could react, next came a powerful kick to her core as he thrust the sole of his boondockers through the shorter Kyoshi Warrior's stomach plate. Even with that armor, Suki had the wind kicked out of her. She flew back, landing on her backside in the sand, mud, and dirt, dropping her rifle where she stood.
"Redirect that," Wright taunted. "Get up! You want to fight!? Let's fight!"
One of the other Kyoshi Warriors came to her captains defense, swinging the stock of her rifle across and toward his face. He blocked that hit, but she quickly recoiled and drove the stock of her rifle at his side, sending the sergeant reeling stumbling away from her. The other Kyoshi Warriors all began ejecting and clearing the rounds from their rifles. Some went for their fans, even. The same girl who swung at Wright went for another hit. But another marine suddenly took hold of her rifle and the back of her uniform's collar from the back, yanking her and throwing the girl to the ground. He was then kicked to the ground from the side.
The groups erupted into a frenzied brawl. US Marines and Kyoshi Warriors then poured in to aid their brothers and sisters in arms. It was rifle stocks and iron fans, trousers and long armored skirts, and speed and agility against power and raw strength. The Warriors of Kyoshi were struck down, but at the same time Marines were redirected, grappled, and thrown; victims of their own strength and momentum. It was dogpile, a bar fight of epic proportions, and the scale seemed to grow uncontrollably. Even the IJN personnel, who were shoved just for being in proximity to the brawl, and men of the village of Kyoshi who were coming to the aid and support of their own warriors became entangled in the fighting.
Getting up from the ground, again, Suki wiped a streak of crimson from the edge of her lip. It was not the rouge of her makeup. Directly ahead of her was Sergeant Wright, who was replacing the cap on his head. She could see bruising developing on his face and under his left eye. The two met each other's gaze. Suki reached for her obi, drawing and deploying her fans. The sergeant looked beside him and took grasp of an unloaded M1 rifle which was partially buried in sand. He forcefully let loose a blood-mixed ball of spit, before standing to face her. There was a brief moment of solid eye contact, a silent affirmation of intent to battle, before the two of them lunged at one another. Wright brought the rifle stock high over his head, aiming to strike Suki with the blunt edge of its steel butt-plate. But Suki's open fan bit into the wood grain of the weapon giving her slight, last minute, and miniscule, influence into its path. She pushed, as much as one could with one hand into the microscopic edge of the fan, into the incoming rifle; just managing to push it enough to clear her. And with her other fan, she drove it into the pit of his arm and redirected the larger man past her. It was short lived. He spun around, still on the attack, and swung. The first missed. Suki stepped back with each. But on swing three, the butt of the rifle slammed into Suki's hand, smashing the fan out of her grasp. The metal clanged from the vibration, it amazed him how sturdy those things were. Before Suki could bring her other fan-arm around, he charged her; using the rifle as a bar of leverage and pushed the eighteen year old up against a tree. Her feet could barely touch the ground. She struggled, looking for an opening.
"Give up?" Wright asked. "Are you done? You just gonna take it?! Huh?!" He could see Suki physically looking about, and evaluating all her options. "Come on," he grunted through gritted teeth. "Fight for it," he said, encouragingly. "Fight for your life!"
Her eyes turned to his. Her face and mouth strained, as she mustered her strength. Allowing the force from the rifle to hold her body up, she brought both feet up and, finally, managed to kick him away and back! Sergeant Wright stumbled back, losing his balance and tripping. Suki lurched forth. She reached behind, and drew her katana from it's sheath, bringing the bladed weapon over her head and down sharply at the Marine!
Clang!
The sharp, succinct, chatter, of the Chicago Typewriter, clacked away over the roar of the fight. A full magazine dump, one continuous burst of automatic fire, twenty rounds of .45 ACP, shot into the air. The fighting was suddenly interrupted. Marines and Kyoshi Warriors dove for the deck, instinctively covering their heads. It was the MP's, Military Police, accompanied by the navy equivalent, Shore Patrol. The crowd quickly dispersed, as responding Marines began to pull both US personnel and Kyoshi Warriors apart forcibly, detaining them for disorderly conduct and fighting.
"Drop your weapons! Now!" an arresting MP ordered, pointing his M1 rifle at both her and Wright.
Sergeant Wright had blocked Suki's sword thrust, catching her blade at the balance of his rifle. She was going to kill him, he thought. That was the cutting edge of a sword. He admitted, mentally, that a hard enough hit with a rifle stock could also kill someone. For her age, and size, she certainly had some fight in her. He recalled even encouraging her during their fight. Suki made note of that too. He was, in a way, pushing her on to fight harder and stronger. Now, she stood over him, looking down.
"You two drop 'em now, ya hear?! Don't be stubborn! Git!"
Sergeant Wright looked the Kyoshi Warrior in the eye, holding his block just as she held downward pressure on her sword. Their eyes locked in contact. He raised his eye brow. She raised hers. He nodded, still trying to catch his breath. She nodded too. Again, a silent agreement. Slowly he lowered his rifle. Slowly, she raised her sword up and away from him. The two of them turned to face the MP and placed their weapons down on the dirt before them. They had reached an agreement.
The two marines, two lance corporals, quickly moved in and pushed the two of them down to the dirt, quickly cuffing their wrists and hauling them off to be detained with the rest.
"Good shit," Sergeant Wright commented, getting shoved along by the MPs. "I knew you had it in you."
"Oh yeah?" Suki questioned, also getting pushed along.
"Just had to check and see if for myself," Wright replied. "LT last night seemed to make some good points in your favor."
Suki let that information process. Obviously the two of them went on conversing for longer than she had stayed to leavesdrop. "Likewise, good fight," she said returning his earlier remark. "I needed that."
"Happy to oblige," he said.
"Set!" Suki announced. "Begin!"
A volley of rifle fire boomed simultaneously. The rate of fire was now very irregularly paced. The Kyoshi Warriors, under Suki's guidance, were training in teams of two. One armed with the M1 rifle, and the other, the one with the most marksmanship precision accuracy, armed with the bolt action M1903A3 Springfield rifle, acquired from the US Navy's shipboard armories.
The girls were running a course which tested their speed, agility, and accuracy all at once. They vaulted over sand bags, in and out of trenches, and up and over simulated buildings and rooftops, all while having to engage targets at various ranges and in varying group sizes.
Suki opted to have her warriors focus on accuracy and agility, mixing the elements of the infantry with the traditional maneuvers and disciplines of the Kyoshi Warriors prior to the introduction of guns. The deadly accuracy of the M1903 was immediately attractive to the Kyoshi Warriors' captain, and its operation was something she was more familiar with. The Marines were equally impressed with her decision to switch the curriculum to mix in the Springfield, because of their prior cult following of the venerable rifle; being the weapon that the Corps had fielded in Belleau Wood in the First World War, which made the Marine Corps even more synonymous with rifle marksmanship and with which they gained their nickname: Devil Dogs.
In pairs, the Kyoshi Warriors now were engaging targets with deadly accuracy at ranges at around a thousand yards; on iron sights. The M1 rifle helped in the long-intermediate and close ranges. They had found their niche as a lightweight, mobile, accurate, and precise special unit that specialized in marksmanship; the first and the best in the Bending World.
Just like before, training within the Kyoshi Warriors had become largely internal. During drills it was mainly Suki and a designated set of assistance that coached and advised the others on their shooting and combative fundamentals, with the Marines now only occasionally stepping in to give pointers.
"They've come a long way, haven't they, Sergeant Wright?"
The NCO turned around, finally looking away from the ongoing training session. "Lieutenant Stevenson," he acknowledged, snapping to attention and saluting.
"At ease," the officer acknowledged. "About ready to sign off on them? I heard about your mass brawl."
"Yes, sir," Wright affirmed. "I have come to realize that they are indeed very capable fighters. They definitely have the heart and the ability."
"Admittedly, I also thought lesser of them at first. But as I'm sure you learned first hand, I found that to be true as well." He recalled his first encounter with Suki years back. "How has training been as of recent?"
"It's become much more passive. Suki pretty much trains them herself these days," the Sergeant reported.
"I see," Joe remarked. "Though, I will say, sergeant. This is how I had imagined it would evolve into. From the very beginning."
"Sir?"
"Yeah. I really did not expect you to train them on a tight leash, and run them through Marine Corps Recruit Training from start to finish," the lieutenant revealed. "I mean…if it did transpire that way, I wouldn't mind either. But I was certain this was how it would end. With training being largely self-taught, and with our role being primarily advisors."
Sergeant Wright watched as one of the girls drilled a target at nine hundred yards. "What's in store for these ladies, sir?"
"It's unknown at this point, Sergeant," Joe revealed. "Some in the Earth Kingdom's current government and military leadership want to take them in and utilize the Kyoshi Warriors as a sort of special force group. Others, outside of Ba Sing Se, think they should be deployed as a peace-keeping group..since there is still a lot of violent crime in the Earth Kingdom and the world. There are still all those military holdouts leftover from the war, as well as independent Earth Kingdom lords that act on their own agendas, to the detriment of the innocent. While Suki and the rest of Team Avatar seem to believe they should remain here on Kyoshi Island as its primary defensive force." He sighed, watching Suki direct, advise, and instruct her unit. "Whatever they become and whatever they do, they'll need the approval of Suki, or their chosen captain at the time in the future, before they are pushed into doing anything. She made that crystal clear. Beyond that, their future endeavors are up in the air."
The two men chuckled, impressed at what the warriors had become, and what they had become capable of. Over to the side, they could see other enlisted Marines interacting with additional Kyoshi Warriors. It was very obvious they were learning the Kyoshi Warriors' fighting fundamentals through sparring, and were very much invested and intrigued at fighting with an iron war fan. "One way or another, they will be valued allies to the US and Japan. And, a strategic ally in this Bending World."