Responses to Reviews:
RonaldM40196867: They've recently announced they're making a big expensive Avatar video game, so yes, I'd say it is.
Zigzagdoublezee: I could see Pirate Aang being a sort of Robin Hood on a boat, although less conventionally swashbuckling (at least most of the time) and more relentlessly optimistic and happy. I suppose the other thing depends on whether he was still raised an Air Nomad, and how much he still holds to those teachings.
As Always, Please Review!
Katara staggered and was thrown against the railings as the Fire Nation warship slammed into them, taking a moment to regain her bearings.
"How did they get through that?" She demanded.
"I don't know, took a run up?" Pakku retorted. "It's not important now, stay back here!"
Katara looked at him as he charged in, and then to the enemy ship where her brother and the Avatar were fighting. Then she looked back at Rinzen.
"Absolutely not," she said.
Fire Nation marines in their red uniforms appeared over the side, and immediately the deck was plunged into chaos. As Katara rushed after Pakku, she watched as one of the artillerymen unfortunate enough to be close to the boarders was set on fire, and, screaming, stumbled to the edge of the railings and plunged over the side. What marines were left on the ship charged into the fray, clubs raised, and were met by Firebenders armed with jians, guandaos, and fire knives. Artillerymen did what they could to help, and waterbenders began weaponising the ship itself against their attackers. Katara watched as a firebender's feet sank into the deck, immobilising him. He warded off the first attack with a blast of flame, but as he struggled to get free he was attacked from behind. Katara watched in horror as two of his comrades began burning the ballistas on that side of the ship.
Without the hail of stinkbombs being flung onto the enemy decks, eventually their artillery crews would return to their catapults, and they would be bombarded by considerably accurate fireballs from much closer range. That would be very bad.
Pakku charged into the fray, bringing water up from the ocean far below and forming it into a ring which spun horizontally around his body. Then four watery arms extended out from the ring and began spinning around, knocking over any Firebender who tried to get close to him. He grinned as the arms did their work, his own limbs working furiously to maintain control over them as they battered at the enemy boarding party. But some Firebenders had managed to skirt around him, and charged at Katara, weapon drawn.
Katara's eyes went wide and she retreated to avoid his initial blow. Pakku heard her cry out and turned around, registering the danger, and Rinzen rushed towards them, but instinctively Katara reached out to the water in the armoured ice in the deck underneath her assailant's feet and pushed it up sharply.
The Firebender cried out in surprise as he was launched straight up into the air. For a moment he seemed to hang there, limbs flailing, before gravity took over and he plummeted into the sea.
The immediate danger had passed, but as Katara watched, things were going from bad to worse. The forward ballistas were now on fire too, and they were getting uncomfortably close to the three on the other side. Already, their crews were having to try to fight off the invaders, swinging at them with whatever improvised weapons were to hand. More Firebenders kept coming, piling up the side and joining the fray. One of them shot a fireball at Pakku, who deflected it with one of his water arms and lashed out, landing a solid hit on the man's helmet that sent him sprawling.
Katara dashed over to him. Pakku nearly went to swipe at her before he saw who she was.
"What did I tell you about staying over there?" He demanded.
"Over there doesn't seem much safer than over here," Katara pointed out. "And I did not sail into the middle of a huge battle just to try to avoid danger."
Pakku grunted, distracted from thinking of a reply by the rush of battle, but just then a small rock, probably fired from a sling or maybe even just thrown, slammed into him with tremendous force.
He yelled and cried out, the water ring around him dissolving as he collapsed to the ground. Katara's eyes went wide.
"Pakku!" She called, and dashed forwards, just as five firebenders saw the stricken master and drew their weapons, closing in for the kill.
Katara stood protectively over the man who had refused to teach her, as Rinzen went to check on him, and took a deep breath. Here goes...
The first two men reached her at the same time, swinging their weapons at her. With a motion of her arms, Pakku's fallen water jumped up from where it lay on the deck around them to block the strike. Katara then wrapped it around the first Firebender's wrist, and yanked it sharply to the side, sending his Jian lurching towards his comrade. The man cried out at the sudden attack and jumped sideways, tripping over some debris on the deck as he did so and going flying. Katara carried on, twisting the man's arm back and causing him to drop the sword. As the man whose arm she was controlling was forced to turn away from her by the movement, Katara made him viciously backhand one of the other soldiers so hard it knocked him over. Then she released the first man, who sank to the floor clutching his hand.
The last two firebenders stepped over him and glared at her. Then they charged. Katara took a deep breath as they approached, and tried to remember a technique she had picked up from one of the scrolls she had found last night. Then she gestured, and the water she was holding up instantly began to boil, steam curling off it in the cold southern air. Then she threw it over them. The Firebenders ran through it and immediately reeled backwards clutching at their burned faces, screaming.
Katara grimaced at the sight, feeling guilty. She tried to tell herself that they would have done the same to her, but it didn't make her feel better.
"How is he?" She asked, turning back to Pakku.
"I'll be fine," Pakku grunted. Then he paused.
"That was very impressive," he said. "Thank you."
Katara didn't have time to focus on that though because the battle continued to rage. Now the next three ballistas on the other side were ablaze. The drums were silent; the drummer who had been beating time for the waterbenders below had been hit with an arrow, and was slumped on the deck. With a start, Katara realised the Captain, Oki, was next to him on the floor, breathing heavily with another arrow sticking out of his shoulder.
A crash from the other end of the ship caused Katara to whirl, but this time it was a good crash. She saw Water Tribe Marines clambering onto the deck, and set about their enemies with clubs and swords. They were followed by Katara and Yue, who looked around with obvious dismay until they saw her and began battling their way towards her.
Their arrival had come just in time too. With the drums stopping, the waterbenders had stopped holding the ship they were on in place, and it had suddenly started reversing away from them, picking up speed as it headed backwards towards other Fire Navy ships.
"Are you alright?" Sokka asked, as soon as he got to her.
"Fine," Katara nodded. "What about you?"
"I survived," Sokka said simply. "What's the damage?"
"We have no artillery left except at the back of the ship, the captain and the drummer have been wounded, and so has Pakku," Katara said bitterly. "I think this is it. There's nothing more we can really do here. The ship is done."
The arrival of the Marines had turned the tide, and by now most of the Firebenders were being chased off the ship. But the devastation they had left in their wake remained. The ship was in very bad shape.
"Done?" Yue asked.
"Well, we have to retreat, don't we?" Katara said. "We have no weapons left. We'll find another way to fight them."
Yue looked around, and then down, and then out towards the horizon in front of them. Then she turned back to Katara.
"I think we still have one weapon," she said. "This ship can still move, can't it?"
"What are you suggesting?" Sokka asked.
Yue turned back to the horizon, looking for the golden decorative plates that adorned the enemy flagship.
"It's not a complicated plan," she said. "We're going to ram them."