Responses to Reviews:

RonaldM40196867: I'm not really sure. Maybe a mix between a dog and a cat?

Zigzagdoublezee: Exactly, the steamships are all further up the river fighting the Earth Kingdom.

As Always, Please Review!

The drums pounded as the river widened, before giving way to a large bay. It was crammed with ships, and the enormous quantities of ash they generated blotted out the sun. The town which sat on the edge of the water, waves gently lapping at it, had been plunged into permanent darkness as a result.

The captain directed his little fleet towards the largest of these ships, a huge grey hunk of metal which sat in the middle of the bay menacingly. It was clearly not a warship; it was much larger, and had several rows of windows with bars set into them visible in the hull. The oars rose and fell in time with the drumbeats, as they began to approach their destination.

Meanwhile, across the water, a sky-bison quickly dropped into a courtyard, hidden from sight by the cloud of ash, and a moment later a figure in blue appeared by a window.

"Sorry!" Suki hissed at the startled Earth Kingdom townspeople, as they began to protest at her entrance. "Avatar business!"

"Avat-" a woman asked, baffled. "Who are you, anyway?"

"I am the Avatar," Yue told them, appearing behind her. A hush fell over the room, and then everyone knelt.

"There's no need for that," Yue told them, gesturing for everyone to stand. "I just need to use your window."

"Sorry about this," Sokka emphasised as he followed. Then Katara appeared, followed by Rinzen, who had finished hiding Gembul behind the tall walls of the courtyard as best as he could.

"Thank the Spirits that you've come," the woman told them. "It's been awful. I haven't seen the sun for weeks!"

"Is that how long they've been here?" Yue asked them gravely. They nodded. Yue nodded, and then turned to watch the bay. The wooden ships they had been following were making their way out towards the sea, towards the big grey ship in the middle of the harbour.

Yue pointed to it.

"Do you know anything about that vessel?" She asked. The woman approached the window and looked.

"That one?" She clarified. When Yue confirmed it, she shook her head.

"When we were first occupied, it took some of the townsfolk away," she said. "Every two weeks it returns, and every two weeks it sails away with more prisoners. I don't know where they end up."

"To the Fire Nation, I expect," Sokka frowned. "Where else would they be taking them?"

"What would the Fire Nation want with them?" Rinzen asked.

"I dread to think," Suki told him gently. "But nothing good, I imagine."

"How long does it usually stay here?" Katara asked their host.

"A few days," the woman shrugged. "It's probably leaving any day now."

Yue turned to watch the scene again. A hatch had opened up in the hull of the ship, just above the waterline, and the lead galley was pulling up next to it. Guards began hauling terrified looking figures in green up from below decks, and shoving them through the hatch. Yue was much too far away to hear, but she could imagine the screams, the desperate pleading, the rapidly fading hope of those who were being snatched away.

She balled her fist, angrily, as Sokka came to stand next to her.

"Be careful you're not seen," he murmured to her. "Don't stay in the window too long."

"I'm fine," Yue shook her head. "I'm more worried about them. I didn't think the Fire Nation could sink any lower."

"We'll deal with them," Sokka reassured her. Then he paused.

"... How are we going to deal with them?"

Yue considered, tilting her head.

"I guess," she said slowly, "the Fire Nation has done us a favour. If this was just a regular prison camp..."

She shook her head.

"But I think we can work with a ship. All we need to do is steal it."

"Steal it?" Sokka repeated. "There are probably guards on that thing, a lot of guards. Stealing it probably won't be easy!"

Yue frowned at him.

"I didn't think it would be," she said. "But even if it's difficult, it's got to be done."

Suki frowned. Then she turned back to the woman.

"When this ship leaves," she asked, "does it have escorts?"

"Why would it need escorts?" The woman asked. "The Fire Nation dominates the central seas."

"Great!" Suki grinned. She took the woman's hand.

"Thank you so much," she told her. "You've been a great help."

Sokka was eyeing the heavy anchor chains keeping the ship in place.

"We'll need to strike after it's raised anchor," he said. "I'm sure you two could cut it, but it would waste time. So we stay here, and keep a lookout until the ship begins to move. Then, when it does, we swoop in, sieze the bridge, and force the captain to surrender the ship to us. Then we free the prisoners, lock up the guards, and sail to the nearest free port."

"Where is the nearest free port?"

"South, probably," Suki shrugged.

"We might even have to send this ship all the way to the South Pole," Katara added. "Safest place for it."

"That would still be taking these people from their homes," Rinzen pointed out.

"I don't think there's anything we can do about that now," Yue told him. "All we can do is take them somewhere the Fire Nation can no longer do them harm."

"Then let's do it," Rinzen nodded.

Yue turned back to the window. The first and second ships had unloaded their human cargoes, and were now looping back around and heading towards the mouth of the river. The third was moving into place, as the same routine started again.

Her scowl deepened. The Fire Nation couldn't get away with treating people this way.

"We must keep an eye on that ship then," she said. "And make sure it never reaches its destination."

"Alright," the woman butted in. "Do you need anything while you wait?"

"I suppose your name, for a start," Yue told her.

"Ying," the woman bowed.

"Pleased to meet you," Yue returned the bow. "You don't mind if we stay here, do you?"

"You mean hiding the Avatar, risking death or something worse if they find you?" Ying raised an eyebrow.

"Well," Sokka started, "When you put it like that..."

"Sounds thrilling!" Ying exclaimed. "Stay however long you need."

Yue bowed gratefully, and then turned back again to start her long watch over the harbour.