Responses to Reviews:

RonaldM40196867: I'm most proud of being able to keep everything straight in my head. As this story gets longer, there's probably going to be a lot of backstory.

Zigzagdoublezee: We shall see what happened to Ursa in due course.

As Always, Please Review!

The ships of the Southern Water Tribe's navy bobbed gently up and down in the harbour as Sokka and Yue followed the engineer Aguta down towards the water. Most of them were made of wood, either sailing ships with high sides or oar-powered galleys, which sat much lower in the water. Each galley had one large wooden ballista mounted at the front, a weapon which used the torsion generated by twisting a rope to launch a projectile (of which the Water Tribe had an enormous variety) a great distance. The sailing ships, likewise, also mounted similar weapons, one each aimed forwards and to either side. Most of them were flying the light blue pennants of the South, but Sokka could see a few dark blue flags of the Northern Tribe fluttering in the breeze too, from the masts of ships which must have managed to escape the night the North Pole fell and the war began.

It was an imposing fleet, for the Water Tribes were nothing if not accomplished sailors, but Sokka knew it wouldn't be enough. Wood burned, and while every one of their ships was armed with one or two artillery pieces, every Fire Nation ship had at least double that, and was made of iron. If they tried to fight at range, they would be unable to compete with Zhao's firepower, and if they tried to close in, their ships would be easy prey for enemy Firebenders.

But hope was not lost. Because dwarfing even the largest wooden ship were the vessels Sokka had come here to see, six gigantic ships which glistened in the morning light. They were made of "armoured ice", with six ballistae mounted on each side and a further two set up to be able to fire forwards. All along their flanks, ornate carvings depicting legendary heroes, spirits, and scenes from Southern history and mythology ran. These were not just warships, they were now the most visible and intimidating symbols in the world of the Southern Water Tribe's military power and prestige.

Or at least, they would be if they could deliver on their promise of saving it first.

"What do you think?" Aguta asked, clearly proud of his creations.

"How did you build these so quickly?" Sokka asked, in wonder. "They're huge!"

"Armoured ice is still ice, and we're waterbenders," Aguta shrugged. "Once you know what you're building, it's pretty straightforward."

"How many people does it take to crew them?" Yue asked.

"A lot," came the reply. "But we have enough men, don't worry."

"This ice," Sokka mused, "How similar is it to regular ice? You know, apart from being... brown."

"That's just the wood chippings and sawdust," Aguta pointed out. "And it's much stronger than normal ice. It's survived direct hits from a ballista that would have shattered normal ice."

"But won't it... melt?" Yue asked. "We are fighting Firebenders here."

"Yes, Avatar, we have thought of that," Aguta smiled. "First, again, we're waterbenders. That makes it incredibly easy to make pretty extensive repairs in moments."

He grinned smugly.

"Most of the problems with this ship can be solved with those two words, really. They'd be totally impractical for any other nation. We probably can't even sail them too far north without them melting under us. But also, we worked out that animal hides coated in vinegar can insulate the ice from the flames."

"That's a lot of animal hides," Sokka observed. "For six ships of those sizes."

"We've asked anyone who can to donate their spare furs," Aguta nodded. "For the good of the Tribe. The alternative would be to hunt for them all, and that would not be sustainable."

Sokka nodded approvingly.

"Don't worry, My Prince," Aguta nodded. "These ships can fight the Fire Nation. That's not all either. You see their masts?"

He gestured to the tall wooden T-shaped poles which rose out of the ice.

"Those can be lowered in battle, hidden inside the ice itself. and waterbenders stationed in the hull can move the ship."

"How does that help?"

"One less thing for them to set on fire," Aguta grinned. "Yes, these will do the job."

"Even hugely outnumbered?"

"They won't be outnumbered. And the very ocean itself can be our weapon too, if necessary."

Sokka frowned, unsure. He didn't know how much use the rest of the fleet would be.

"Can't we cover them in furs too?" Yue asked, looking like she shared his doubt.

"Without wiping out the local ecosystem for the next hundred years, I doubt it," Aguta told them flatly.

Yue nodded, but she still didn't seem sure.

"Are you alright?" Sokka asked.

"I don't know..." Yue frowned. She looked like she was weighing up what to say. Finally, she could take it no longer and it came spilling out.

"Surely there must be some other way," she said.

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Some way of preventing any battle. We might win, but a lot of people will die."

"No." Sokka folded his arms and glared at her. "You are not doing that again."

"What? Giving myself up?" Yue shook her head. "I said never again and I meant it. Besides, they probably wouldn't trust me again."

Sokka nodded, satisfied.

"Nobody wants to fight," Aguta put in. "But if the Fire Nation forces us to defend our homes, then that is what we are going to do. These ships give us the best chance of doing that."

"There must be something I can do," Yue said. "At least let me fight."

She must have noted the alarmed look on Sokka's face because she pointed at him.

"You're not choosing now to agree with Pakku are you?"

"No!" Sokka protested. "But-"

"It will be dangerous?" Yue preempted him.

Sokka grimaced, but realised he didn't have any grounds to argue with her- by now, the Avatar was no stranger to danger- and nodded.

"Then I'm coming too," he said. "On the same ship."

"Then it's decided," Yue grinned.

"Great," muttered Sokka.

Just then, there was a commotion behind them and Sokka turned to find a boy rushing towards them.

"Prince Sokka!" He called breathlessly. "My master sent me to find you!"

"What does he want?" Sokka demanded.

"It's the Princess!" He gasped.

Sokka frowned and looked at Yue. She looked baffled.

"The Princess Katara?" The boy prompted. "She's got in a fight."

"I can't say I'm too surprised," Yue observed. "Who with?"

"Master Pakku!"

That got their attention.

"We need to go," Sokka told Yue. "She might need help!"

For a moment, Yue looked like she wanted to argue but then she nodded.

"Agreed."

Together they took off running back into the city.