It was still dark outside when the five young and one older man sleeping side by side in individual cots heard their tent open and were stirred from their slumber by someone shaking them awake. "Dimitri, Vassili, Andrei, Sergei, Vadim, wake up. You too, Stepan," whispered the man sternly as they all shot their eyes open to find Major Kravchenko, dressed in the typical blue of their service, standing over them with a sour look. The men quickly discarded their blankets and stood up at attention, dressed only in blue wool trousers, undershirts, and black neckties. The Major stepped back before addressing them. "Good, now get dressed and meet me at the General's tent in five minutes," he said before leaving.
All the men turned to each other before quickly throwing on their simple blue jackets, visored caps, and infantry boots and following after him. "Ugh, why do you think he woke us up, Lieutenant?" asked Warrant Officer Dimitri Borisov in a hoarse voice as the group passed by two soldiers setting up a telegraph pole as another watched.
"You heard the Captain. The General wants to see us," Lieutenant Vassili Parachenko replied before facing his front.
Senior Warrant Officer Andrei Antonov snorted. "Yeah, which means another recon flight," he retorted before sighing. "Let's just hope they can't fly," Stepan, who was nearly always quiet, nodded his head in agreement.
"Or shoot us with enchanted muskets," added Warrant Officer Sergei Popov with a chortle.
"Who knows? All I want is to see my wife when all is said and done," said Junior Lieutenant Vadim Malashenko in a hopeful tone.
Then Vadim turned to find Andrei had elbowed him. "Well, if you wanted to come back alive, I'm not sure the Air Corps is the place for you, Sir!" he whisper-yelled before laughing. The other men joined in, minus Stepan, who shook his head while snorting before the others sobered as they recalled the truth of that statement. In their first engagement alone, they had lost almost their entire flight during recon over Kordish-held territory. Meaning they were among the only men left in their unit. But, this was the risk of using experimental technology for military purposes, especially when the enemy already had it countered.
As they reached the Headquarters, the group quickly made their way up to the entrance, greeted by the men standing guard as they held the flaps open. Inside, they found the General with two of his staff, with Major Kravchenko standing off to the side, watching them. "Now we just need to wait until we can get more intel-" the middle-aged man paused as he looked up before standing up from his wooden folding chair, smiling as he did so. "Ah, there's my Aviators," he saidas he clapped his gloved hands together.
"7th Wing reporting, Your Imperial Highness," said Lieutenant Vassili after he and his fellows saluted him.
By this point, the other officers in the room had also noticed the group and turned to them. Major Kravchenko had in his hand a pocket watch, which he closed as he turned. "Hm, on time for once," he said as he stowed it away.
"Yes, yes. Come here," commanded the General as the men walked over to him before the General gestured for them to look at the table. On the table was a worn map of a world they did not recognize but assumed to be "this" world. On the map stood multiple small flag markers with some crudely put-together flame emblems on the southern side of a walled settlement which seemed to take up the northeastern portion of the largest continent, with the General pointing at the latter. "Gentlemen, this is your target. It is the capital of The Earth Kingdom, and it will be up to you to perform a flyover, take photos, and return to base," he explained as the men stifled a chuckle. However, he shut them up with a knowing glare. "Now, it is imperative you keep a safe distance, as we know next to nothing about our potential adversary, but close enough to get as many detailed photos as you can,"
"Yes, Your Imperial Highness," said the Aviators in unison as the General continued.
"Now, Major Kravchenko. As time is of the essence, I ask if you may bring them to their aircraft," the General said as he gestured to him.
"At once, Your Imperial Highness," said the Major, as he saluted in response before walking out with the Aviators following behind him.
"So, where is our aircraft, Sir?" asked Lieutenant Vassili as the others exited the camp out the east side, now dressed in their standard leather jackets and scarfs with their flight helmets held in their hands. The Major gestured for them to keep following, which they did, only stopping once they came to a flat field between several hills. At the far end sat two Carbuchev C 1s, one behind the other, slightly taller than a man, with a wooden and canvas mid-section on a wheeled chassis and a funnel sticking out the top with square wings extending from either side and an extended tail section in the back. It also had a single large screw on the nose with a pair further back cut into the wings. Off to the side, they could see a dozen carts left in the field with their detached horses huddling under two large tents with groups of men attending to them and the two identical aircraft. As they began walking again, several officers and NCOs came up to the Major, speaking with him about logistics etc. From what the Aviators gleaned from the conversation between the Major and the ground crews. They would likely be able to stay up in the air for at least an hour before running out of coal. After several minutes, the crew chiefs returned to their men to begin final preparations and a final check on the aircraft while the Major took them aside.
"Alright, now that that's all sorted, I think we can start getting everything finished up," began Kravchenko as the Aviators nodded. "Good. Now, as the General didn't have much time to explain, I will elaborate. For one, this is a stealth mission, which means no using the gun unless you have to, understood?" he finished with a cocked brow and a knowing glare.
"Yes, Sir," came the unified reply.
"Good," he began once again as he pulled a sheet of paper from his trouser pocket before unfolding it into two maps, each of which he presented to the Lieutenants. "Those should tell you all you need to know. However, should you not understand, I will explain further,"
As Junior Lieutenant Vadim opened it, he could see it was nothing more than a hastily drawn picture of the walled settlement he had seen on the map and the surrounding area. With lines and symbols showing where their potential allies made camp and where their side was. "So, judging by this map, you don't want us near the western flank?" he asked, considering that these aircraft were a state secret.
"Indeed," replied the Major with a nod. "As for being seen, I assure you, it should be alright so long as you aren't too close to them," he said as they all heard the steam engines on the aircraft begin to boil with smoke rising from the funnels of each. "Well, gentlemen, it sounds like your aircraft are ready," he said as he saluted them. "Make me proud!"
"Aye, aye, Sir!" they replied as they exchanged salutes before walking over to the aircraft, with Lieutenant Vassili taking Dimitri and Andrei and Junior Lieutenant Vadim taking Sergei and the ever-quiet Stepan. After the ground crew stood aside, the two groups clambered onto their respective machines, with Lieutenant Vassili taking the forwardmost craft numbered No.-02 and Junior Lieutenant Vadim taking No.-03.
Once onboard, both crews quickly sat in their respective positions, with Sergei and Andrei at the back facing the tail, a small window protecting their back with a camera strapped to one side of their seat on a short leather lanyard and a hand-leaver cannon with two barrels in front of them on a swivel mount. Stepan and Dimitri sat just ahead of them, behind the small boiler on each aircraft, surrounded by several small containers of coal measured to be one pound each. Lastly, near the front sat the commanders, Vassili and Vadim, who sat in the cockpit of each machine with a small curved window keeping them safe from the wind with various gages, peddles, and leavers for control, each attached to several cables that extended all over the airframe. Each also had an inbuilt compass, an altitude meter, and a small cushion on the seat for comfort. "You all ready?" asked Vassili as his men gave him a thumbs up before turning on the engine. Then, without saying a word, each man put on their leather helmet and lowered their flight goggles. "Alright, we're taking off," with that, he watched as the front prop began to turn. He looked back to see the other two on the wings doing the same before turning to his front. Using the little peddles to steer No.-02 into position as the aircraft picked up speed.
In no time, No.-02 was in the air, its square canvas wings lifting it off the ground as the men felt the cold wind rush by their heads. "That never gets old!" cried Andri as he watched No.-03 taking off behind them. It still amazed him that he could hear anything at this altitude. Thankfully, the engine was quiet enough so that it was only the wind making noise.
"I know, but remember what you have to do. After all, those photos aren't going to take themselves!" shouted Dimitri as he stared, watching the pressure gauges on the boiler.
"Of course, I remember! Can't I have a moment to enjoy this!?" Andrei retorted before turning to face the tail again to find that No.-03 had taken up position on their starboard side.
"Guys, this is supposed to be a stealth mission, so keep the talking to a minimum!" commanded Vassili in annoyance.
"Yes, Sir!" came the unified reply of the Warrant Officers.
After another fifteen minutes of flying, both aircraft approached the great walls of the Earth Kingdom's capital. They almost couldn't believe how massive they were; from this distance alone, Vassili could tell his machine would hit the wall if he didn't start gaining altitude. "Alright, guys, sit back. Things may get a little bumpy!" he called as he began to angle the nose up, using the peddles to alter the position of the wings and tail to allow for a 45° climb. He could feel the strain on the airframe as it climbed higher, and he turned to look behind him to find Vadim's aircraft following them upward. Then, when they got closer to the wall, the strangest thing happened: the men on the rampart below began to throw rocks at the aircraft. However, when he looked closer, he was shocked to find they somehow managed to toss boulders into the air quite a distance just by using their hands. Luckily, despite this inhuman feat of strength, the rocks were too heavy to hit the machines as they passed over the wall. "Hey, Andri, can you take a picture!" Vassili called.
Nodding, Andrei bent over the side, aimed at the camera, and took a photo before sitting back down. "Done!" he shouted as Andri steered to avoid a rock that had reached their height.
"Good!" shouted Vassili as he turned to Dimitri. "Dima, load up more coal!" he called before steering to avoid another rock. Dimitri opened a small opening before placing one of the boxes into it and carefully dumped the coal before putting the box down and closing the furnace to ensure the heat didn't escape.
Once they came out of range, Vassili and Vadim continued to climb upward, hoping to avoid any close calls. Below them, they could see vast farmland, a far cry from the dry, arid desert outside the walls, in the center of which stood rings of walls around what had to be the largest city any of them had seen. "How many people do you think are down there!?" asked Dimitri as he momentarily allowed himself to gaze at the ground before turning his eyes back to his pressure gauge.
"Maybe millions!" shouted Andrei in reply. "Hey, you want me to take more pictures!?"
"Sure!" called Vassili as he began to level the aircraft. "Just try not to use too much film!" Andrei nodded enthusiastically and leaned over the side to take photos.
However, while he was setting up for another photo, something fast and orange caught his eye, quickly climbed up to their altitude. "What the heck is THAT!?" Andrei cried as he pointed at the strange bird-like object.
Sure enough, as the others turned their heads, what appeared to be a bald young boy on a small glider came up on their port side. "Hey! Who are you guys!?" he called as he tried to catch up to them with a high-pitched squeaky voice.
"Uh, Commander, what should I do!?" Andrei shouted to Vassili while preparing his weapon.
"Just to try to scare him off!" Vassili replied while preparing to maneuver should anything happen.
"Yes, Sir!" said Andrei before waving to the boy. "Hey, kid, what do you think you're doing up here!? Now go down, or I will not hesitate to open fire!" he warned.
"Wait, you guys are Fire Nation!?" he shouted in panic before attempting to dive. Unfortunately, he didn't get very far before Andrei's gun erupted, spraying bullets into the air as the aircraft maneuvered to keep the boy and his glider in sight.
Soon after, Andrei heard a faint cry as he saw the glider spiral downward, out of sight. "Well, I warned him," he said to himself grimly.
After the run-in with the boy, the rest of the flight was silent. The only sounds were the engine and the constant clicking and flash of the camera, and after an hour of circling the city, it was time to head back. They passed over the wall, taking more pictures before making their way to the improvised airstrip where they first began their trip. Both aircraft landed safely in the sand before the ground crews brought up ladders to aid the aviators in getting down. "Ah, good to see you back, gentlemen!" shouted Major Kravchenko. "How was your trip?" he asked.
"It was productive, Sir," said Vassili as he saluted before turning to the others. "Right, guys?" he asked the others.
"Well, we got the photos," said Andrei in a sombre tone as he cast his eyes downward.
"Then why do you look like that? You all made it back, didn't you?" asked the Major.
In response, Dimitri put a hand on the other man's shoulder. "You're right. We did. Unfortunately, during our flight, a young boy, I'd say no older than thirteen, attempted to intercept us with a glider,"
"I told him to go down. But, instead, he tried flying closer, so I warned him," Andrei continued, tears beginning to form at the edge of his eyes. "Then, he mistook us for our allies and began to evade, so I opened fire,"
"I see," said Major Kravchenko. "Now, I need to deliver those photos to the General. Then, you may rest. You've all earned it," he finished before turning to another officer. "Captain, once you finished your inspection, have your men dissemble the aircraft and bring them back to camp,"
"Yes, Sir!" shouted the man before turning to his fellows. "You heard the Major! I want those aircraft checked and dissembled before sunrise!"
As the ground crews got to work, the aviators collected their photos before handing them to the Major and walking back to camp. Andrei still felt horrible for what he'd done. Sure, he was trying to protect his comrades, and he'd given that boy fair warning, yet it still felt wrong to fire on a child. "I just hope that, by some miracle, he survived," he whispered to himself.
It had been a peaceful night for the young, blue-eyed teen. After making their arduous journey across the Serpent's Pass, helping the pregnant woman and her husband travelling with them give birth, and then having to fight a Fire Nation mega weapon- He couldn't have been happier. Now, he and his friends had finally entered Ba Sing Se, and now that the city was safe, General Sung had given them a small house in the outer ring to rest for the night, which is where they were now. Sure, it wasn't much, but the thin wooden walls and individual rooms were better than none. But then, while he was in the middle of a pleasant dream about him, Suki, and all the food he could ever want, a sudden crash nearby startled him. The young man quickly made his way toward the sound, still dressed in his day clothes which consisted of a long sleeveless blue vest lined with white with splits on the sides, plain blue wool trousers, and tall leather boots. On his way, he picked up his trusty boomerang, placed the strap over his shoulder as though he'd done this a hundred times before and grabbed his bone club. Then, when he finally got to the door, he burst it open and got into a fighting stance, only to rush over to a broken, hole-ridden glider with a young, bald boy dressed in orange robes beside it, clutching his right thigh in pain. Even from this distance, he could see the blood pumping from a gruesome wound, and the skin curved inward unnaturally with the cloth of his pants pulled inward. "Sokka, help!" he cried when he turned to him. "Ahh! Something hit my leg!"
He quickly ran over and tried to help the young boy cut off the circulation to the severed blood vessel before turning toward the house. "Katara, Toph, Aang's been hurt!" Sokka shouted as two young women quickly made their way toward the two.
The first to arrive quickly bent down beside him, her blue eyes full of concern and terror as she drew water from a waterskin she carried on her side. It flowed through the air, her hands guiding the cool liquid to rest on the horrific wound. "What happened?" she asked.
In response, Aang winced as pain shot through his leg, though he tried to keep himself steady. "Oh-ow!" he cried before taking a breath. "W-Well, I felt I didn't try hard enough when I searched for Appa, so I tried again," he said as Katara nodded in understanding. "Ow- But, just as I was about to come back, Ow- I saw something flying toward the city that left steam in its wake," he finished as the other girl joined the group, followed by a small, white, and furry long-eared creature that flew over to them.
"What was it?" Sokka asked, curious about what it might be and trying to distract him from the pain.
"AH- That's the thing. Eh- I don't know what it was. It looked similar to the gliders the Machinist created but bigger," he said, trying to be coherent while Katara kept probing his wound. "Ah- I flew up and asked the men flying who they were, but then the guy at the back turned to another guy and shouted something I couldn't make out. Er- Then he turned back and commanded me to go down, or he'd open fire,"
"And let me guess, you knocked em' down, and one of them burned you?" asked the short girl with dull-grey eyes wearing a green robe and bare feet.
Aang shook his head. "No, there wasn't even any firebending," he said as the others stared at him in concern. "You see, as soon as I tried to get underneath them, they pulled up, and the guy had this machine that billowed smoke and made this sound like thunder. The next thing I knew, my glider's broken, and my leg burns worse than anything," he said as he winced in pain again.
"Wait, there's something in here," Katara said as she continued prodding the wound with her waterbending. Aang began to quiver, his leg searing as he felt something shift inside, tears forming as the pain overwhelmed his mind. Then, all at once, the pain began to simmer as a wet, popping sound emanated in his ears.
Then, he let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "Ah, ah, ah... What was that?" he asked as he opened his eyes and turned to a stunned Katara. "Katara, what is-" he paused as he saw her staring at what appeared to be a bloody, warped metal pellet. "That?"
"I-I don't know. But it was lodged in your wound," she said before handing it off to Sokka while she went back to tending his thigh, trying to stop the bleeding and seeing if there was any damage she hadn't addressed. "It also looks like it did a lot of damage. I think I can make it feel better and stop the blood, but we need to get you to a hospital for proper treatment," she finished as she tried to keep her focus on his wound.
Meanwhile, Sokka was still inspecting the strange object. "But how could something so small do so much damage? And how could it move fast enough to injure someone?" he said to himself as he turned it over, trying to figure out how it worked. It was certainly no arrow, as it had no tail, and the whole thing was solid. Yet, as he inspected the bottom, he was intrigued to find a scorch mark. Then Sokka sniffed it. The smell of burnt metal filled his nostrils, along with something he couldn't place before he cleaned off the blood and licked the bottom. He quickly spat the disgusting taste out of his mouth and recoiled before staring at it again. "Just what is this thing?" he whispered to himself.