Li Rong moved briskly down the narrow corridor, her boots echoing against the freshly bent stone. Hanging candles flickered overhead, their soft glow casting shifting shadows along the walls. Dust danced in the faint light, stirred by her hurried steps.
At the end of the hall, a heavy metal door loomed, flanked by two guards. Both snapped to attention as she approached. One rapped his knuckles on the door. A moment later, the scrape of a bar being lifted echoed from the other side.
As the door swung open, Li Rong stepped through and saw him.
Standing between two more guards was the large muscular frame of Commander Yu.
The older man stood there with folded arms, insanely large biceps seeming ready to burst with the effort. He towered over the guards standing at two meters. A large shaggy beard extended down from his square face, covering his wide neck.
At 60 years of age his black hair had begun to turn silver. Well the hair he had left anyway. He was currently in a battle to keep what little he had left and unfortunately, he was losing badly.
He wore the same yellow and green tunic and dark green pants that they all wore. The symbol of their order, The Kingdom's Blades, was sewn in bright gold thread on the front above the left breast. The symbol was simple, a large Jian with the Earth Kingdom symbol behind it.
Li Rong stopped before Commander Yu and stood at attention.
"Lieutenant Li Rong reporting for duty sir." She announced.
Commander Yu's bright green eyes stared at her, his gruff expression set in stone upon his face. Suddenly his face broke into a large smile. With one step forward, he wrapped her up into a large hug.
Li Rong's composure left her as Commander Yu's large arms picked her up.
"Is that anyway to greet your Uncle?!" Yu roared.
"It is the proper way to greet a superior. Now let me go!" Li Rong said as she struggled in his embrace.
With a huff Commander Yu set her down, but still held her at arm's length. He looked down at her with a warm smile.
"You've grown into a beautiful woman, my little Rabaroo." He said.
Li Rong's face turned crimson as she saw the guards smiling at the scene before them. She shrugged out of her uncle's grasp and straightened her tunic.
"Commander Yu! Do you mind? I'm in uniform!" Li Rong exclaimed.
Commander Yu bellowed out a laugh.
"Forgive me for being overjoyed at seeing my precious niece, especially after being apart for so long."
Li Rong rolled her eyes as she fixed her hair into a ponytail. She usually styled her long silky black hair this way, but she had decided to wear it down for this meeting. A mistake she wouldn't make again.
She had meticulously cleaned and ironed her tunic in preparation for this meeting. Only for it to be ruined because her uncle couldn't control his emotions.
"It has only been three years Commander Yu." She replied.
"I see officers' school has not changed you." He said.
Li Rong regained her composure and stood at attention again.
"If I was summoned here just for a wellness check, I believe that the objective was completed. Permission to be dismissed, sir." She said briskly.
Commander Yu, face still smiling warmly, raised his right hand. The two guards snapped to attention then marched out of the room, closing the door behind them.
Commander Yu's expression suddenly darkened as he stood to attention.
"Lieutenant Li Rong. You have been selected to lead a covert task force assigned with the completion of Operation Fading Sun." Commander Yu said.
"Should you accept this assignment, you will have the full backing of the Kingdom's Blades as well as that of the four nations." He continued.
Li Rong's heart skipped a beat. Did he just say the four nations? Surely this couldn't be real. But as she studied his face, the blood in her veins turned to ice. There was no trace of mischievousness in his emerald eyes.
"W-What is the nature of this mission?" She asked, her voice wavering.
""Due to its nature, no further details are to be discussed until the mission is accepted. After which, anything said will not leave this room. You will be sworn to secrecy under pain of death."
After a brief moment of silence, he continued.
Li Rong drew in a shaky breath. This was too much. She had only just graduated from officer's school. In fact, she'd been on her way to her new assignment when the orders came. At first, she'd assumed her uncle had pulled strings to bring her into his regiment—a classic case of nepotism. She'd come ready to lecture him about abusing power.
But now…. None of this made sense.
Yes, she had graduated top of her class. She was a decent earth bender to the credit of her Uncle's training. From what he told her, Uncle Yu had taken her in after her parents died during a pandemic. Once she discovered that she was a bender, he had trained her everyday since.
But nothing about her seemed extraordinary enough to warrant this assignment!
Uncle Yu's expression softened suddenly.
"You can still reject the assignment. You still have a bright career ahead of you. I can assign you to a patrol unit and yo-"
And there it was—that look she'd seen all her life.
Pity.
Her uncle, her teachers, even her friends—they all pitied her. She was the poor orphan who needed protecting, no matter how much she proved herself. Rising to the top of her class hadn't been enough. Sleepless nights studying tactics, relentless training, endless meditation—it all meant nothing if they still saw her as fragile.
Now her Uncle wanted to place her in some cushy patrol unit, no doubt in some rural city.
Hot anger flared in Li Rong's chest, her fists clenching tightly at her sides. She wasn't some scared little orphan anymore. She would show them. She would prove them wrong.
"I accept!"
Commander Yu blinked, momentarily taken aback by her outburst. Li Rong held her uncle's gaze as she stood at attention. Then his lips curved into a small smile, the worried look he had before, replaced by one of pride.
"Very well," he said, his tone formal. "I, Commander Yu, hereby bestow full operational authority of Project Fading Sun to Lieutenant Li Rong."
Li Rong clasped her right fist over her left palm and bowed deeply. Excitement surged in her chest. Whatever this mission was, whatever it demanded of her, she was ready. She'd worked her entire life for this moment, and she wouldn't let her kingdom—or herself—down.