It was late when Second Captain Gregori Vasilevski heard a knock at his cabin door. Without replying, he stood from his desk and opened the door to reveal a handsome young girl in her late teens holding a letter. Stepping out, he closed the door before turning to her. "What is it, my dear?"
"It's from the admiralty, Papa," she said, holding it out to him.
The gruff man nodded. "Thank you, my dear. Now, you should probably head off to bed," he said as the girl pouted but nodded and did as he suggested. "Oh, Nastya," he muttered as he returned to his cabin before closing the door. He still couldn't believe his wife allowed the girl to accompany him back to Krestopol. But, she said Anastasia needed to see the world and, perhaps, find a husband, and she figured the naval base would be a good place to start. But, he shook such thoughts away as he opened the seal and began to read the letter:
"To Second Captain Gregori Stepanovich Vasilevski of the Ironclad Gorlovka.
Upon receiving this letter, you are to prepare your ship to depart and link up with forces under the command of Grand Duke Nikolai, who has requested several ships to maintain control over the lakes. In this letter, you will find a map detailing the position of his army and the location you and the ironclad Lataka will patrol. You will understand when you leave port.
Signed: General-Admiral of the White Sea Fleet, Evgeny Yakovich Vlasov."
Scrunching his brow, he poured the remaining contents from the envelope, and sure enough, he found the map. But when he started looking it over, he realized, exactly, what Vlasov was trying to say: "Another interdimensional posting, eh?" The man snorted before standing up and stretching. "Ah, well, so much for going to bed," he muttered before waltzing over to the speaking tube on the wall. "All hands on deck!" he bellowed as loudly as possible. Not long after, he could hear the various officers scuttling about, followed by the sounds of doors opening and closing and the pounding of boots on the wood floors and stairs. After waiting a few minutes, he emerged from his cabin and walked through the empty officer quarter. Soon after, he entered the room between one of the primary batteries of 9.4-inch guns before ascending the stairs in the center of the small room. Upon reaching the top and exiting the final bulkhead door between him and fresh air, Gregori found himself face-to-face with the ship's funnel and the forward-facing smoke vents, which he wormed his way around before finding the crew lined up on the center of the deck to his front. All 20 officers stood slightly forward of the rest of their men, with the Lieutenants in the center, followed by the Ensigns and Midshipmen. "Greetings, Sailors!" he shouted as loudly as he could.
"Greetings, Captain!" His crew replied.
"At ease!" Gregori commanded. "Now, we've received orders to prepare to sail as soon as possible. And, yes, we're going to another world... Again."
Most of the men, especially the newer landsmen, seemed excited by the prospect, but everyone remained. One of the seasoned officers stepped two paces forward and clicked his heels. "Permission to speak, Captain?" the slightly unkempt man asked.
Gregori nodded. "Go ahead, Lieutenant Ivanov."
"By another world, are we going to Hulikova or Novosegorsk?" He questioned.
"No, we're going somewhere new. But we won't know until we get there," the Captain explained. "That will be all," he said with a salute as his subordinate replied before stepping back into line. "Now that that's out of the way, tomorrow morning, I expect you all up bright and early to begin loading the supplies we'll need for our journey. Dismissed!"
On his order, the crew dispersed and began returning below decks for the night as he did the same, but when he rounded the funnel, he came face-to-face with his eldest daughter. "Is it true, Papa? We're going to another world?"
The man nodded. "Yes, my dear. Now come," he said as he bypassed her. "We should both be getting to bed."
"Yes, Papa!" She cheered as she followed him through the bulkhead and back toward their cabins.
As one would expect, the next two days were abuzz with excitement as Azula, her friends, and even her guards awaited Nikolai's confirmation of their trip to his homeland. At the same time, supplies from Ruskia had arrived, including medicine distributed to her friends and those in the city and Fire Nation camp, who had experienced an outbreak during her stay in Ba Sing Se. Then, on the third day, the moment she'd been waiting for came: Nikolai arrived at her room, followed by the remaining Ruskian commanders and the men of the commanders of Ivan's regiment, himself included. "Are you ready to go?" He asked.
Azula quickly nodded. "Yes, of course. Girls?" She asked, turning to them.
"This will be fun!" Cheered Ty Lee as Pyotr smiled from behind the Grand Duke.
"Ready as I'll ever be," replied Mai with a sigh as she stood up from the couch.
Nikolai nodded. "Very well. Follow me please. We'll stop at the Bulwark and reach Ruskia tomorrow. I'll explain the ground rules in the morning."
Azula and the girls nodded before quickly collecting their things and following the Grand Duke out of the palace, where an escort waited to take them to the rail station. Surprisingly, she found they weren't the only ones, as the Earth Kingdom General she'd seen numerous times around the palace was there, along with the other girl and, finally, the current head to the Dai Li, who spoke briefly with Nikolai before he, the General, the girl, and his agents departed. Not long after, she and the others took the short journey to the rail station, where she found it much busier than the previous time, though that seemed to be the case for everything. It seemed once the protests died down, the city returned to life, with people casually walking the streets, occupying the shops and, most annoyingly, crowding the rail network. "Ugh, I missed when this place was empty," the Princess lamented.
"Lighten up, Azula," said Ty Lee with a slight chuckle, though she hardly heard it over the hundreds of other voices echoing off the walls. "It'll all be worth it when we get to Ruskia."
She sighed as Ivan shook his head. "Very well," Azula crossed her arms and huffed audibly, waiting for the rail carriage to arrive, which would take them to the lower ring and, from there, to the Bulwark.
The boy lurched up, much to his body's protest. "Ugh," he grunted as his chest lit up with a burning pain. But, as he took a few moments to breathe, he found the pain subside. Once it settled to the point where he could think clearly, he examined his surroundings, finding himself in a large room with metal walls and a bulkhead door, and beneath him, he could feel movement. "I'm... On a ship?" He questioned once he connected the dots. But, as he thought about it, he grew suspicious until he turned to the other side of the bed and saw a brilliant red banner with a black flame emblem in the center. "AHH-" he screamed, only to be cut short as the pain shot up again, and he began coughing violently due to the dryness in his throat. However, after finding a conveniently placed cup of water and drinking the contents before placing it down and attempting to get up, he found it impossible, as his body felt much weaker than it should have. "Ugh, come on, I have to get out of here-"
But he stopped struggling as footfalls echoed outside his room, followed by the bulkhead opening to reveal- "Aang!" Katara, with a Fire Nation cloak she'd placed over her clothes. Not a moment later, she dashed to the bedside and wrapped her arms around him.
"Uh, hey," he said as he hugged her back, his mind reeling with questions as she trembled in his arms.
"I-I thought we'd lost you," she said at last before breaking the embrace, her cheeks stained with tears. "Come, let's go show the others."
Aang rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Yeah, about that... I don't feel strong enough to move just yet," he explained as she nodded and extended a hand.
"Then let me help you," the Avatar nodded before taking Katara's hand, helping him out of bed and supporting him as they made for the door. The two left the room and soon reached the deck. When they first emerged, Aang had to shield his eyes from the morning sun. "Everyone! Aang's awake!" Katara called, and not long after, his friends and others came running from either side, with Momo landing on his shoulder.
"It's good to see you, Aang," came a muffled voice, and he turned to see a Fire Nation soldier. "Oh, sorry," or rather, Sokka, wearing a Firebender uniform, as he removed the helmet.
"It's great to see ya twinkle toes!" Toph cheered as she elbowed him.
"Oof," Aang grunted. "Uh, good to see you guys too. So, what's with the outfits?" He asked, noticing that even Toph had a Fire Nation cloak.
"To keep our cover," came a deep and authoritative voice. The Avatar then turned to see a man who bore a striking resemblance to Sokka. He wore a Fire Nation officer uniform, while other men, dressed as regulars, flanked him as he approached.
"You must be Chief Hakoda," Aang said as the man nodded.
"That's right," he began. "And you're the one who's been keeping an eye on these two," he said, nodding to his children before he stepped forward and kneeled. "I just wish we'd met under better circumstances, Avatar Aang."
The boy's eyes lowered as he remembered what had occurred that night. "Yeah," he replied solemnly. "I just... I don't even know what went wrong. I had their leader in my grasp, but then..."
"You died."
Aang snapped his head to Zuko as everyone did the same. Like Sokka, Zuko was also wearing a Firebender uniform, but it was easy to see it was him with the faceplate removed. "Zuko now isn't the time," Katara cut in from beside the Avatar, her tone threatening.
The banished Prince crossed his arms, his face pensive. "Fine, we'll talk later," he sighed before turning away and heading below deck.
"Don't mind him. He's been in a sour mood since... Well, you know," Sokka said before smirking. "And look at my buddy! You finally grew some hair!" he said before rubbing his head, much to Aang's annoyance.
"Twinkle toes has hair?" Toph questioned before stretching out her hand and grabbing at the opposite side of his head. "Huh, well what do you know? It's soft too-"
Aang had had enough. "Stop!" he shouted as both his friends did while he held his hair. "H-How long have I been out?"
"It's been a week," Katara said.
Aang's eyes widened. "A week!? What's happened!?"
Sokka sighed. "It's not been good. But, thankfully, we captured these cruisers, so we'll still be in place for the invasion-"
The Avatar scrunched his face in confusion. "Wait, we're still doing that?"
The Water Tribe boy nodded. "Yeah, but without the Earth King's army, it'll only be some of our close allies," he explained. "But, we still have you, and since they don't know about our plans, you should be good to find the Firelord and finish him for good. Then we can worry about those guys," he said, pointing in the presumed direction of Ba Sing Se.
Aang blinked several times. "You mean with the Avatar State?"
His friend nodded. "Yeah, exactly. Just go whoosh-" he said as he made an exaggerated motion to represent Airbending. "-and don't hesitate this time."
Something inside Aang shifted at the mention of the Avatar State, as though there were a massive hole or gap where once there had been a surge of energy. He couldn't explain it, but it was as though a part of himself was no longer there. "I-I don't know if I could do that again," he said, hoping to deflect.
But Sokka was having none of it. "What do you mean? Of course you can. You're the Avatar."
Then Hakoda placed a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't we give him some space? He just got up."
His Son sighed. "I guess," he said as he backpeddled. "Sorry bud. I got a little carried away," he said, shaking his head.
"It's okay," Aang replied while rubbing his arm.
Katara tugged lightly on the arm linked with hers. "Come on. Let me check on you," she said as gently as possible. Aang sighed and agreed to come along, and they soon returned to his cabin.
Following their departure from Krestopol the previous day via a portal at the mouth of the harbour, the Ruskian taskforce, consisting of the Central Battery Ironclad Gorlovka and the small turret ship Lataka, reached their destination after sailing through a narrow pass between two tall yet thin mountains and made anchor in a deep freshwater lake across from the main Ruskian fort in the area. Upon arrival, the fort's commander had sent extra provisions and a small team of officers who informed them of the situation and their allies, the Fire Nation. Presently, the two ships were making their rounds on the far side of the lake when one of the foretopmen saw smoke on the horizon. "Smoke to the Southeast!" the man shouted to the crew below him. Of course, as it was a clear day, it didn't take long for the ship to come into view as it entered the lake from a large channel. It was a marvel to behold, even for the seasoned topsman, with a tall bowsprit of shaped iron and a gargantuan superstructure at the rear. Notably, it carried no masts, which was strange to the Ruskian, as the Gorlovka had two, each bearing a single gaff sail in addition to the engine for propulsion, though they also had a couple of jib sails to mount on the bow if required. However, the engine was usually only used when navigating tight spaces or in combat. This Fire Nation (as evidenced by the giant red flag with the emblem matching the description of their national symbol) ship, on the other hand, seemed to rely purely on its engines, much like the Lataka. Which was strange considering the difference in size between the two. "What a waste of coal."
Below him, Captain Gregori thought similarly as he quickly had his men deploy signal flags: First, they raised the signals for half speed and later for a left turn while Lataka continued its patrol. Of course, he imagined it would do little good unless the Grand Duke had given them a code book. "Engine to half speed!" He shouted through the speaking tube while the helmsman began turning. Once the Captain thought they were close enough to the other ship, he approached the speaking tube. "Engines full stop!" He shouted as the signal flags were lowered and replaced with the full stop. With that done, he picked up the megaphone sitting beside the binnacle. "Ahoy, Fire Nation warship!"
"Hello!" came the distant reply from a man standing on the opposite ship's deck as it came alongside.
"May we come aboard!? I should like to speak with your Captain!" Gregori asked, curiously noting the other ship had only marginally slowed its course.
"You are welcome, but I don't know how you plan on doing that!? Our ship is much taller than your's!" He replied as the ship began losing speed.
"If you have a hoist, I'll use one of our boats!" The Ruskian Captain replied.
"We have a ladder! You can climb up the side!" The man shouted back, pointing to a ladder stretching from the deck to the waterline.
"Very well!" Gregori replied as the other ship finally ceased its forward momentum. Of course, he didn't fancy doing so much climbing, but the man had a good point, as the Gorlovka was at least a third shorter. However, as he descended the ladder to the deck, his daughter emerged from the bulkhead. "Ahhh," she yawned before turning to him. "Papa, what's all the commotion about?"
Once he descended the ladder, he gestured to the dark form of the Fire Nation ship. "I'm going to meet with our new allies to get a better understanding of the situation," he explained.
"Can I come too?" The girl asked excitedly.
But her Father shook his head. "No, my dear. Besides, you don't speak Pogyinese," he retorted. Of course, he'd learned the language out of necessity while serving in the Far East due to the exercises with the Pogyinese navy and the few times his old ship had to dock in their ports.
Anastasia pouted. "Fine, I'll stay here," she sighed as her Father shook his head.
"Oh, my dear Nastya. Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it," he said with a smile before turning to two other officers: Lieutenant Ivanov and Midshipman Yakachenko.
"Sir, may we join you?" They asked as the Captain nodded.
"Certainly gentlemen," he replied before turning toward the lifeboats and the men already awaiting to accompany them. "Take us down," he told them as he and the others entered the boat, followed by two sailors, one of whom sat in the middle, preparing to man the oars, while the other sat at the rear to steer while the officers sat in the middle with Gregori at the bow. With everyone seated, the boat was lowered into the water, scrapping along the angled armour before landing in the lake, bobbing from side to side before the sailor on the oars began moving them toward the Fire Nation ship. After a few minutes of constant rowing, the boat eventually arrived on the port side of the Fire Nation ship, and the Captain and his officers climbed the ladder while the boat returned to the Gorlovka. Once they reached the top, there was a welcoming committee of ten men attired in the typical armour described in the letter, with another in the center with a sash and a sword at his waist, indicating an officer or Captain. "Greetings, Sir. I am 2nd Captain Gregori Stepanovich Vasilevski of the Ironclad. Gorlovka."
"I am Captain Lee," said the Fire Nation Officer as he bowed, one hand in a fist going into the palm of the other. The Ruskian genuflected in response. "It is good to meet you," the man said as he stood up, and Gregori followed.
"I can say the same," he replied. "Now, Captain Lee, would you mind showing me around your ship? I would be most interested in understanding how it works."
The other man appeared surprised. "Uh, that's... Not possible. We were recently in combat, and our engines are under repair. However, if you want to join me, we were just about to have lunch," Lee explained, his bright blue eyes glinting from under the shade of his helmet as he gave the invitation.
The Ruskian was slightly alarmed but put aside these thoughts. "Very well," he replied before turning to the accompanying officers. "Come, gentlemen."
The two Officers nodded, and together, they followed the Fire Nation Captain as his escorts dispersed. As they crossed the deck toward the, in his opinion, massively oversized superstructure, he began to notice very few crewmen on the deck. "Where is the rest of your crew?" He questioned. "And are they all soldiers?"
"As I pointed to before, most of them are in the engine room," he explained as they continued.
Gregori felt floored by this statement. "I- How many crew do you have?"
The man seemed to think about it as they entered the tower. "About 50. We had more, but the ship is undermanned," he replied, which satisfied Gregori, though he still felt concerned that such a large warship was manned by a crew so small. His ship had a complement of 156 men and a 20-man landing party, not including officers, and Gorlovka was about half the size of this vessel. "Oh, though I also wanted to ask, you use sails?"
Lieutenant Ivanov scoffed from behind him as Gregori nodded. "Indeed we do," the Ruskian Captain replied.
The other man nodded. "Interesting," he said before shaking his head. "Anyway, I think it is time for lunch," he said as he gestured for the Ruskians to follow, and they headed up the stairs to the second floor, passing a few other soldiers who watched them with interest. Curiously, he noted they seemed to show little reverence for their commander, though he chalked that up to the typical un-uniformity common in most navies. Upon reaching what he assumed to be the Officers' mess, he and his comrades sat down and removed their headwear as Captain Lee did the same. He was somewhat surprised to see the man's long, unkempt brown hair, but again, he chalked it down to un-uniformity. "Lunch should be here in a few minutes."
Gregori nodded. "Good. That should give us at least a little time," he said. "So, Captain, you said you were in combat? What happened, and where?"
"We were on our way up through Chameleon Bay when the ship struck a mine, followed by some Tribals boarding the ship, but we beat them off," Lee explained while Ruskian appeared concerned.
"Tribals? Are their savages around here?" He questioned, which seemed to cause the man to tense, but he quickly returned to a more neutral expression.
"Not exactly. They are from the South Pole, here to aid the Earth Kingdom, or what's left of it," Lee explained.
"Hmph, well that shouldn't be a problem for much longer. Our cavalry is approaching the area, so they should take care of any bases or encampments," Gregori replied as the door opened to reveal a young woman, at least the same age as his daughter, bearing a tray with several wooden bowls of rice, meat, and leafy vegetables with a teapot and cups on the side. Interestingly, he noted she bore a striking resemblance to the Captain, her hair and eyes matching his. Once she'd set everything down, she turned to leave. "Was that by chance your daughter?" He questioned once she left.
"Yes, she is," Lee replied. "Why do you ask?"
The Ruskian Captain smiled slightly as he shook his head. "I was just curious," he replied before sipping his tea, only to stop. "Wait, this wouldn't happen to have caffine, would it?"
Lee shook his head. "No. It's mint," he replied.
Gregori nodded and continued eating. "Hm, this is good."
Anastasia sat idly watching the Fire Nation ship, wondering how the meeting was going. However, her attention shifted from the meal in her lap when she noticed a commotion from the top men at their posts. Curious, she put aside her meal and climbed onto the bridge platform for a better vantage point. By the time she ascended the ladder, the entire deck crew had gone over to the port side, and the Officers and helmsman were also looking in that direction with their instruments. Thinking quickly, she rushed for the railing and leaned over the edge as she tried to catch a glimpse of what had caused the disturbance. At first, she saw nothing save the pass they'd entered through, covered by clouds and a black dot below them. But, as the "dot" passed between the mountains, her eyes widened as she realized it was a large, full-rigged ship, as the "clouds" were, in fact, the sails. At first, she couldn't be sure whose ship it was, as the wind was in the correct position for any vessels attempting to make it through the pass, and it didn't have a flag raised. "Raise the flag!" Shouted one of the Officers.
"Aye aye, Sir!" replied one of the sailors as they raised the black, gold, and blue diagonal flag of the Ruskian Navy as a signal while Lataka, which was closer, did the same.
In response, the other ship raised its own, while another of similar make entered the pass, followed by a third. "They're Genish," muttered one of the Officers while Anastasia felt a sense of dread filled her chest.
Aboard the Fire Nation ship, Gregori and his officers had finished their meal when a Fire Nation soldier entered the room and whispered something to the Captain before leaving. "Say, were you expecting reenforcments?"
The Ruskians looked at each other before darting to the closest window as Captain Gregori took out his spyglass. When he saw the Gorlovka sailing away. At first, he was confused until he saw the three frigates bearing the Genish ensign sailing line ahead toward his task force. "Damn!" He cursed. "Captain Lee, have your ship align with ours, I must return to the Gorlovka!" He shouted, only to receive no response. "Wha-" When he turned, he found the Midshipman on the floor, blood pouring from a wound on his head, while Lieutenant Ivanov was struggling against Lee's grip on his neck. "C-Captain Lee-"
The man smirked as he shook his head. "If you move, he dies," he said as others came rushing into the room, including his daughter.
Gregori breathed heavily as he stared at them. "Coward!" He bellowed as he lunged for him, only to get swiped from the side and land hard on the ground. When he turned, he saw the girl with a long tendril of water floating in the air, which moved back inside the small pouch at her side with a small hand gesture. "W-Who the hell are you people!?" He screamed in rage.
"I am Hakoda, Chief of the Southern Water Tribe," The man he once knew as "Lee," said as he pushed Lieutenant Ivanov into the arms of one of the other soldiers, who quickly restrained him. At the same time, the Chief approached the Ruskian Captain before dragging him up, taking a rope handed to him by one of the others, and tying his wrists.
"You won't get away with this, scoundrel!" Gregori shouted. "You'll pay! With lies you may go far, but you will never get it back-"
Hakoda tied a handkerchief over his mouth and pushed him to one of his men. "Take him away, and make sure he stays quiet," the Chief said.
"Well, that went easier than expected," said Sokka once he removed his helmet.
His Father sighed in relief. "Yep. Though it was cutting it close a couple of times," he said before turning to the warships sailing toward each other. "Now, if only whoever they are wins. We can get out of this mess when it's over."
Inside the Bulwark, Nikolai, Ivan, Azula, and their friends were finishing lunch when a panicked soldier burst into the room. "Grand Duke, Genish ships have entered the lake! Come look!" He shouted before leaving.
The Fire Nationals were confused, while their Ruskian counterparts appeared worried. "Quick! To the ramparts!" Nikolai shouted as he, Ivan, Pyotr, Antonov, Dimitriev, and the others rushed out of the room while the girls lagged behind them. When they reached the battlements, Azula stood, confused, as she gazed at the motley array of warships. On one side were two Ruskian ships, one of which was barely a speck in the water, while the other was about twice the size, though still much smaller than the Fire Nation ship it was sailing away from. Lastly were the newcomers, seemingly those that had caused the alarm. She was surprised that they relied entirely on sails, something only the Water Tribe or pirates used anymore, as even the Earth Kingdom had water wheels powered by Earthbenders, who used weights of rock to move them. "And whose ships are they?" She asked Ivan, who was looking through a spyglass.
"They're Genish, judging by the double tricolour," he replied, his expression grim. "This doesn't look good for our guys."
Azula felt surprised. "But, they use sails, and their ships don't look metal. Your cannons should tear them apart," she stated before tapping him on the shoulder and gesturing for the spyglass.
Ivan handed it to her before sighing. "You underestimate how much magic tips that scale," he said as Azula looked them over. Strangely, she noted a light violet glow on the sides of the ships, which also seemed to have a black colour scheme with a single white line which ran the length of the hull, with little black squares running between it.
However, upon registering what he'd said, Azula lowered the spyglass and turned to him. "Wait, what do you mean magic?" She asked, her brow cocked.
The Grand Duke sighed. "You'll see," he said, his voice solemn. "And there's nothing we can do about it."
Azula had to blink several times. "What do you mean? Can't we shoot them?"
Ivan shook his head. "Unless your lightning can reach that far, no. They are out of range of our field guns, and we don't have any more siege howitzers," Azula's eyes widened at the implication before pulling up the spyglass. If only she could somehow contact the Fire Navy ship, she would have it aid the Ruskians, but as things stood, she could only watch and hope for the best.
Gregori sat in his "cell," his eyes stained with tears as he watched from the cabin window. He had no sword, and his revolver was back on the ship, though they had at least removed the ropes. "Be safe, my dear. Forgive your Father his folly," he said as he reached toward the glass. He should've seen it coming, yet he got so tied up in getting to know his allies that he'd forgotten the procedure. He should have remained at his post, yet now his beloved daughter and his ship were left to fend off three large Genish frigates. "Curse that lair! May he lose all his teeth for what he has done to me!" Bellowed Gregori as he slammed his fists against the walls to no avail.
Hello everyone! I am proud to announce that this chapter was completed in under a week for once! Anyway, I look forward to hearing what you guys have to say, and please remember to Fav and Follow to ensure this story countinues to grow! Also, if you want to get a better idea of what's going on, or you want to chat personally, here's the Discord: /NRr4Ayyg