Chapter 19: The Twilight of Ba Sing Se

Another chapter after just three days, What's going on? It must be Christmas or something, right?

Nope, just that this chapter was originally part of chapter 18, so I split it in half.

Enjoy.

Oh one more thing, The link to the map I sent in chapter 17, There are four tram ways leading in and out of the city, straight to the outer wall. For future chapters focus on the Western tram way. Also the area where the Western tram way intersect the walls between the Lower ring and the agrarian zone, that's where the White lotus is situated.

The forward base, once a carefully organized staging ground, was now unraveling under the relentless assault. The complex—formerly a civilian district—had been hastily converted into a war camp when the White Lotus first entered the city. Now, it was being torn apart. Makeshift barricades of crates and debris lined the streets, but they offered little defense against the advancing Fire Nation forces.

The deep rumble of Fire Nation tanks echoed through the shattered streets, their cannons releasing torrents of flame that consumed everything in their path. The sky, once dark with night, now glowed orange from the infernos raging across the city.

White Lotus members and allied soldiers moved through the complex. Some worked to salvage what little equipment could be carried, hastily strapping down crates and weapons onto carts before setting off toward the retreat path. Others focused on evacuating the wounded, carefully lifting them onto stretchers as hurried whispers passed between medics. Outside, near the collapsed archway that once served as the district's entrance, waterbenders strained to control the spreading flames, but their efforts were quickly undone as new fireballs crashed down, igniting anything that could still burn.

Despite the chaos, the defenders held their ground, knowing that any delay they could cause would buy precious time for those retreating.

Inside one of the remaining intact buildings, Jeong Jeong, Suki, Sokka, and Zuko stood over the a large map, studying the paths leading out of the city.

Jeong Jeong leaned over the table, his sharp eyes scanning the worn-out map spread before them. He placed his finger on three key points along the retreat path.

"Right. As you all can see, if we can hold these positions here, here, and here," he said, tapping each location in turn, "we can buy additional time for everyone else to retreat."

Zuko straightened, arms crossed. "Won't that spread our forces too thin? we will loose this base in a couple of minutes."

Before Jeong Jeong could answer, another explosion rocked the building, shaking the walls and rattling loose debris from the ceiling. Sokka, bracing himself against the table, suddenly spoke up.

"Yeah, scratch that idea, I don't think it will work."

Jeong Jeong shot him a look. "Do you have another plan?"

Sokka gestured toward the map. " I have and judging by the tanks, this base doesn't have much time left. There's too many of them. Our earthbenders won't be able to stop them all—not before they completely overrun this place. We'll be cut off before we even get to those positions."

A heavy pause followed his words, broken only by another blast outside. This one struck dangerously close, sending a tremor through the floor beneath them.

Jeong Jeong exhaled, his brows furrowed. "You're right. Those tanks need to be dealt with."

"We tried immobilizing them," Jeong Jeong continued. "But they just reroute and push forward. And for every one we stop, another one arrives."

Sokka tapped his fingers against the edge of the table, thinking fast. "Alright, we need a different approach then… Maybe something—" He stopped mid-thought, then looked up abruptly. "Any chance there's a convenience store nearby?"

Everyone turned to him, staring.

Zuko raised an eyebrow. "Really? You want to go shopping right now?"

Sokka rolled his eyes. "No, I'm serious. There might be something useful in there—something we can use against the tanks."

Jeong Jeong considered this for a moment, then scanned the map again. He dragged his finger across one of the streets and pointed. "There's one here, just past the old market district."

"Perfect," Sokka said. "Zuko, take some waterbenders with you and grab anything sticky, slimy, or any kind of liquid you can find—oils, grease, even fruit juice if you have to. Then have the men blast it straight into the tanks' firing mechanisms. If we can gum them up, they'll be useless."

Jeong Jeong's lips curved into a rare smile. "That is ingenuous, Sokka. Instead of slowing them down from the outside, we paralyze them from the inside.

Zuko nodded, his focus shifting toward the task. "Okay then, what about you?"

Sokka's gaze turned serious. "There's probably someone leading this attack, coordinating everything. And if I had to guess, they're nearby."

Suki's eyes narrowed. "And you plan to do what, exactly?"

"Take him out," Sokka said simply. "Quietly, of course. Maybe even cause some disruption."

Suki crossed her arms. "If you're doing that, then I'm coming with you."

Sokka shook his head. "No. You need to stay here with Jeong Jeong."

Suki let out a dry laugh. "You're crazy if you think I'm letting you go without me."

"Suki, I can't—"

"I'm coming. End of discussion." Her voice left no room for argument.

Sokka hesitated, then sighed. He knew better than to try and talk her out of something once she'd made up her mind. "Fine. But we do this together, and we do it my way."

With the plan set, Sokka turned back to Jeong Jeong. " Oh right, we'll need an entrance and an exit point though. Can you clear a path?"

Jeong Jeong nodded. "Of course."

Then they wasted no further time. He gave orders to some of the waterbenders, pointing towards Zuko. "Go with him and follow any order he gives."

The waterbenders immediately gathered around Zuko, who nodded once before taking off toward the convenience store.

The streets were littered with obstacles—collapsed buildings, overturned carts, and stray debris from previous battles. As they advanced, bursts of flame and shouts from enemy soldiers forced them into cover.

Zuko didn't hesitate. He launched forward, sweeping fire in a wild arc to drive back advancing Fire Nation soldiers. The waterbenders followed his lead, using their bending to freeze water along the ground, trapping some of the enemy's feet in ice before sweeping them aside with well-aimed strikes.

The distant rumble of the tanks grew louder. Zuko glanced toward the street ahead—the market district wasn't far. "let's move!" he called, surging ahead.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the base, Jeong Jeong, Sokka, and Suki made their move.

"Stay close," Jeong Jeong instructed as they slipped through the wreckage of an old alleyway. They pushed forward, undetected for now.

They weren't unnoticed for long.

A group of Fire Nation soldiers rounded a corner, and before they could react, Jeong Jeong swept his hands forward, sending a blast of fire that erupted at their feet, forcing them back. The momentary opening was all Sokka and Suki needed—they darted forward, moving past the scattered enemy forces while the White Lotus continued to hold the line.

Earthbenders at the far end of the district worked quickly, slamming their fists into the ground, causing the terrain beneath the tanks to shift. Some vehicles tilted dangerously, their treads sinking into newly formed pits, slowing their advance.

Sokka and Suki reached a vantage point overlooking the battlefield. From here, they could see the tanks pressing forward, Fire Nation troops pouring through the broken streets.

From their vantage point, Suki studied the battlefield below, her sharp gaze fixed on the shifting movement of the Fire Nation forces.

"There," she said suddenly, pointing to a partially collapsed building across the way. It stood taller than their current position, offering a better line of sight. "We need to get up that building. We'll have a clearer view of whoever's leading this assault."

Sokka barely reacted at first, his gaze distant. His hands were tight around the hilt of his sword, his grip stiff.

"Sokka," Suki pressed.

He blinked, forcing himself back to the present. "Right. Yeah. Good call," he muttered, adjusting his sheath before moving toward the ruins.

The climb wasn't easy. The building had been gutted by fire, its skeletal remains a maze of broken stone and exposed beams. The only sounds that accompanied them were the distant echoes of battle and the occasional creak of the crumbling structure beneath their hands.

Sokka was quiet as he climbed, more methodical than usual. Normally, he would have cracked a joke about how everything lately involved climbing, sneaking, or fighting. But tonight, he barely spoke at all.

Suki glanced over her shoulder. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Sokka said shortly, reaching for the next ledge.

Suki exhaled through her nose, tightening her grip on the jagged edges of the stone as she pulled herself up. For a while, they climbed in silence, working their way up carefully. Suki moved ahead, testing each foothold before trusting her weight to it. Sokka followed.

After a few minutes, she finally spoke again. "Sokka, I need to ask you something."

She glanced down at him from the ledge she was perched on, her expression unreadable.

Sokka hesitated before following her up onto the ledge. "Something tells me you're going to ask no matter what I say."

She nodded. "You're right. So here it is—what's wrong?"

Sokka's hand clenched into a fist before he forced it to relax. "Nothing."

Suki stared at him. "Try again."

He sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "I told you, I'm fine."

"No, you're not." Her voice was sharper this time. She wasn't going to let him brush her off. Not anymore.

Sokka exhaled slowly, glancing away. "Suki, now's not the time—"

Suki didn't stop climbing. "It's exactly the time. Because the way things are going, we don't know how many chances we'll get."

Sokka clenched his jaw, but he didn't argue. They climbed in silence for a while, the only sounds being the shifting of loose stone and the distant roar of fire.

Suki was the first to break it again. "I spoke to Zuko."

Sokka hesitated mid-step, just for a second, before continuing his climb. "Yeah?"

Suki's gaze stayed on him. "He told me what you said, when you were imprisoned in the Boiling Rock."

Sokka reached a flat surface and hauled himself up, dusting off his hands. His voice was tight when he responded. "Did he now?"

Suki pulled herself up next to him. "Yeah. And I'm glad he did, because you sure weren't going to."

Sokka let out a bitter chuckle, shaking his head. "Zuko needs to work on his secrets-keeping skills."

Suki crossed her arms. "Maybe. But at least he got something out of you."

Sokka's expression hardened. "Just so you know, he came to me with some questions."

Suki exhaled, forcing her frustration down. She softened her voice. "He told me how Azula treated you. How she was… worse in the beginning."

Sokka's muscles tensed. His eyes flickered with something unreadable before he looked away.

"He said you barely slept," Suki continued. "That you started seeing her even when she wasn't there."

Sokka swallowed. "Yeah, well… sleep deprivation mixed with paranoia will do that to you." His voice was casual, but there was no humor in it.

Suki studied him carefully. "And then there was Mai and Ty Lee."

"Suki—"

"You asked her if they were alive," Suki pressed, her voice quieter now. "And she wouldn't answer you."

Sokka closed his eyes briefly, exhaling through his nose. "I shouldn't have asked that," he muttered.

Suki took a careful step closer. "Why?"

Sokka hesitated, his fingers twitching at his sides. "Because it set her off."

Suki's stomach twisted. "Do you think they're still alive?"

Sokka hesitated again. "I… yeah. I think so." His voice wasn't certain, but it wasn't doubtful either.

Suki tilted her head. "How do you know?"

Sokka's jaw tensed. "I just do."

Suki studied him, her eyes narrowing slightly. She paused for a moment before saying, "Wow, interesting. That's exactly what Zuko said."

Sokka's head snapped toward her, his expression unreadable. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Suki shrugged, but there was an edge to her voice. "Just that when I asked him about Mai and Ty Lee, he said the same thing. That he 'just knows' they're alive." She tilted her head. "Its like both of you know something about her."

Sokka exhaled sharply, running a hand down his face. "Look, Suki, I can't explain it.I just—" He stopped himself, shaking his head.

Suki frowned. "You just know her right?"

Sokka sighed. "It's not that simple."

Suki took a step closer, studying his face. "Sokka…" she said carefully, "Is there something you're not telling me?"

Sokka's fingers curled slightly at his sides. He hated this. He hated how much of this felt like a trap—like if he said one wrong thing, it would unravel everything.

"There's… a lot," he admitted finally, his voice barely above a whisper. "More than I can even begin to explain. And my mind… it hasn't even begun to make sense of it all."

She searched his face, but whatever had surfaced was already slipping away, buried under layers of guarded silence. Suki decided not press him any further, for the time being.

They reached the next ledge, and Sokka climbed up first. He turned and offered his hand.

For a moment, she just looked at him.

Then she took it.

He pulled her up, steady and sure, before releasing her hand and turning toward their next path.

They reached the top of the ruined building in silence, both catching their breath as they crouched low, surveying the battlefield below.

Sokka kept his eyes on the enemy.

Suki kept hers on him.

Sokka adjusted his grip on the ledge, his fingers steady despite the cold night air. "Look over there," he murmured, nodding toward a small encampment below. Firelight flickered against the steel hulls of Fire Nation tanks, their massive forms lined up in perfect formation. Patrols moved in organized paths, weaving between tents and supply crates. But Sokka's focus narrowed on one structure in particular.

Suki followed his gaze, her sharp eyes landing on the largest tent at the center of the base. "That's the command tent," she stated. "That's where we need to be right?"

Sokka nodded. "Yeah, but we're going to need an exit point first."

Suki arched a brow. "What do you have in mind?"

Sokka pointed toward a cluster of barrels stacked near the tanks. "Those oil barrels. If you can tamper with one before meeting me by the command tent, it'll help cover our escape."

Suki studied the barrels for a moment before nodding. "Consider it done."

With no more words exchanged, the two slipped down from their vantage point, weaving through the ruins until they reached the outskirts of the Fire Nation encampment. The night provided some cover, but the guards were still sharp, their movements precise. Splitting up, Suki moved toward the barrels while Sokka stuck to the shadows, inching closer to the command tent.

Keeping low, Sokka moved through the shadows, careful to stay out of sight. The Fire Nation patrols were methodical, predictable even, but that didn't mean he could afford to be reckless. He pressed himself against a crumbling stone wall as two soldiers passed by, their heavy boots crunching against the dirt.

He counted to three before slipping past them, weaving through the lit camp. The deeper he went, the closer he got to his target—the main tent. It stood near the center of the encampment, larger than the others, with banners displaying the Fire Nation insignia draped on either side. A faint glow seeped through the fabric walls, and as he drew nearer, voices carried through the air.

He crept to the back of the tent, crouching just beneath an opening where the fabric didn't quite meet the ground. Carefully, he leaned in.

Inside, a captain stood across from a younger soldier, his posture rigid as he spoke. "It was a shock to many," the captain said, his voice laced with disdain. "The great General Iroh, the Dragon of the West… nothing more than a traitor. And to think, he was part of some secret organization all along."

The soldier nodded stiffly. "The White Lotus, sir?"

The captain scoffed. "They're no secret society. They're nothing but a band of cowards, deserters, and fools. Even the great master Jeong Jeong—once a respected admiral, now a traitor as well. These were generals who could have led the Fire Nation to victory, and now they are nothing but fugitives. Every last one of them must be exterminated."

Sokka's grip on his sword tightened, his jaw clenching at the venom in the captain's voice.

Movement from the opposite side of the tent caught his eye.

Oh crap, she's here already. That was fast.

His gaze flickered toward Suki, who had taken position across from him, her figure barely visible in the low light. Her eyes met his, and in the faint glow of the encampment, he saw the glint of metal in her hands—a rope dart, poised and ready.

Not yet Suki.

Sokka lifted a hand subtly, signaling her to wait. She hesitated but held her position.

Inside, the conversation continued. The soldier saluted and turned to leave, but then hesitated. "Sir, if I may ask… is it true?"

The captain frowned. "Is what true?"

"The rumors."

"What rumors, boy? Speak clearly."

The soldier swallowed, lowering his voice. "There are reports… whispers among the men. That the Fire Lord is ill. That she hasn't been seen in public for some time."

Sokka felt his breath hitch.

His senses sharpened, his focus zeroing in on every word.

Azula… sick?

Sick with what? Was she injured? Poisoned? Or was it something else entirely?

No. That can't be right.

The soldier continued, his tone uneasy. "They say its not a sickness known to man. That only woman can contract it. There's panic spreading, sir. People are afraid. The Phoenix King is missing, and now if something happens to the Fire Lord—"

A sharp crack cut him off.

The captain had struck him across the face. "Get yourself together," he snapped. "These are baseless rumors. Fire Lord Azula has never been stronger, healthier than she is now. She is still in her youth and Phoenix king Ozai was wise to name her his successor. Otherwise, we'd have a weak-willed traitor on the throne."

Sokka barely registered the rest of the words. His mind was elsewhere, spinning with thoughts he didn't want to entertain.

Only woman can contract it.

Wait a minute.

No wait, it can't possibly be that. Anything but that.

I mean, it hasn't even been that long.

Why am I even thinking about this right now.

For a moment, he felt the anxiety creeping into his chest—it had unsettled him.

He shoved the thought down.

Focus.

But before he could react, movement in his peripheral vision made his blood run cold.

Suki.

In a flash, her rope dart shot forward, piercing the young soldier through the neck. He barely had time to react before she yanked it back, sending his body crumpling to the floor. In the same fluid motion, she swung the rope around the captain's throat and pulled tight, cutting off his air.

Sokka stood frozen for a moment, then clenched his jaw and emerged from the shadows.

The tent fell silent.

Sokka stepped forward, his movements slow, controlled—but there was tension in his shoulders. Suki met his gaze, her expression unreadable, but before she could speak, Sokka cut in.

"We'll talk about this later," he muttered, voice low.

Before she could respond, a pair of soldiers stormed into the tent.

The first one reacted instantly, sprinting toward the alarm bell.

Just then, two guards burst into the tent. Their eyes widened at the sight of the captain's lifeless body slumped against the table, the faint trace of blood still staining his collar.

One of them wasted no time—he turned on his heel and sprinted toward the alarm bell.

Sokka moved, but he was a second too slow. The sharp clang of the alarm echoed through the camp, followed by the shouts of scrambling soldiers.

The other guard lunged at Suki, but she was faster. She ducked beneath his wild swing and countered with a sharp jab to his throat. The soldier choked, staggering backward. Without hesitation, she delivered a spinning kick to his chest, sending him crashing into the wooden table, unconscious.

Sokka clenched his jaw, frustration gnawing at him. "Great. Just great."

No time to dwell on it now.

His eyes landed on the torch clutched in the downed guard's hand. Without thinking, he snatched it up.

The alarm was still ringing, growing louder with each passing second.

Sokka turned to Suki, grabbing her wrist. "Time to go."

They sprinted out of the tent, moving fast and low through the maze of enemy tents. The firelight cast eerie, dancing patterns on the ground, but Sokka barely noticed. His mind was racing, calculating every step, every turn.

The camp was descending into chaos. Soldiers scrambled to respond to the alarm, their shouts ringing through the night air. Some rushed toward the command tent, weapons drawn, while others turned toward the outer defenses, expecting an ambush.

They didn't notice Sokka and Suki weaving through the confusion, slipping through the cracks like shadows in the night.

As they neared the edge of the encampment, Sokka's eyes locked onto the oil barrels stacked near the line of Fire Nation tanks. A perfect opportunity.

He slowed slightly, his grip tightening on the torch. "Suki, did you—"

Before he could finish, Suki plucked the torch straight from his hand.

Without hesitation, she hurled it toward the barrels.

The explosion was instantaneous.

A massive fireball erupted into the sky, the shockwave nearly knocking them off their feet. The ground trembled beneath them as flames consumed the barrels, the pressure causing a chain reaction. One by one, smaller explosions followed, each sending debris flying in every direction.

Sokka barely had time to process it before the chaos escalated.

The flames spread rapidly, licking at the edges of the nearby tents. Soldiers shouted in panic, some diving for cover, others scrambling to contain the fire. A few unlucky ones were caught too close to the blast, their bodies thrown back by the force of the explosion.

Sokka grabbed Suki's hand again, yanking her toward a ruined building nearby. "Move!"

They ran, ducking low as another explosion ripped through the camp behind them. The heat seared at their backs, but they didn't stop. Smoke and ash filled the air, choking their lungs as they pushed forward.

They reached the ruined structure, slipping into the shadows just as another blast shook the ground. Sokka pressed himself against the broken wall, his breathing heavy.

The Fire Nation camp was in utter disarray.