98 A.G

  Lieutenant Toma watched the column advance toward the distant walls of Shen Guan. The fortress rose from the rocky plain like a stubborn tooth of stone. From his position beside the artillery line he could see the banners of Captain Masaru’s battalion fluttering in the wind as the formation marched forward in disciplined ranks, the ground trembling faintly beneath the weight of the strange armored machines that rolled among them.

  The “tanks”, as they have called them, had arrived only days earlier, along with the entire battalion of forces that were now about to storm the walls of the fortress. Their iron hulls intimidating, thick plates bolted together like one of their cruisers, and the tracks that moved the vehicle could stomp on anything they came upon.

  Even at rest they looked impressive and terrifying; their smaller cannons already gave Toma an idea of what they could be useful for. Captain Masaru had been eager to use them and to prove their worth.

  It had been a strange week since Commander Mamushi departed further to the south, leaving most of her soldiers behind and placing them under the Captain’s authority until Commander Lin decided otherwise.

  Masaru and several of his lieutenants had approached Lin with their proposal soon after the tanks arrived, confident that the new weapons would allow them to storm Shen Guan quickly and prove their strength before the rest of the Fourth Army arrived.

  Commander Lin had always been willing to allow ambitious officers their chance at glory, if their plans held merit. Masaru’s confidence must have convinced her, though Toma had not missed the careful limits she imposed.

  The artillery brigade would remain behind to provide fire support while the battalion tested the fortress defenses. The walls and fortress had to fall quickly. The captain’s battalion had to be able to advance through Shen Guan and still have enough strength to continue the campaign north toward Omashu.

  So the offensive was approved as long as it didn’t damage their plans that would see the southern territories finally fall, after carving a path through them for a full year of war. If the army reached and conquered Omashu soon, the campaign would be remembered as the fastest conquest of a region of that size in Fire Nation history.

  Toma moved behind the line as the artillery crews prepared the first volley, mainly to avoid going deaf from the noise. Eighty cannons stretched across the ridge in a long line of black iron, their muzzles angled toward the fortress walls.

  The order was given and the ridge trembled with an immense roar as the cannons fired together, smoke and sparks bursting from the barrels while the smell of blasting jelly filled the air. Even from a kilometer away Toma could see chunks of stone explode outward from Shen Guan’s walls as the shells struck home.

  Crews rushed forward immediately, reloading as fast as they could. The units shouted almost in perfect sync, then the next volley was prepared and again they fired. Below them the battalion continued its advance, banners rising aside the armored machines as the soldiers closed the distance to the battered walls. The tanks began firing as well.

  Toma watched the column disappear into the haze of dust and smoke, hoping that most of the men marching beneath those banners, would live long enough to march back again.

  Lin watched as Captain Masaru’s plan unfolded. She was skeptical about his competence, and even a bit shocked that Commander Mamushi abandoned her men to the likes of him. At least his plan had merit, but the execution had to be perfect, something he obviously didn’t do.

  Her unit kept firing the cannons as support artillery, this time trying to hit deeper into the fortress, to avoid friendly fire. But as she ran the calculations to make range adjustments, she noticed that their forces were not advancing anymore.

  She could see that Captain Masaru had hit stronger defenses and now they were stopped from advancing on the fortress. The tanks were useful but the plan to use them to punch a hole and go through was not going to work. Their tracks were constantly stopped with earth spikes and they had to back up in order to escape them even if the spikes couldn’t pierce their armor.

  His forces were suffering casualties and if it continued that way Fire Nation soldiers would die for nothing. Moreover, she could see the defenders mounting a counter-offensive to trap them. Firing the cannons now to cover them would result in friendly fire.

  “Corporal Nim, signal the retreat order.” Lin said to her spotter.

  The corporal sprang into action, waving the flags to signal the engaged battalion. To her surprise, her orders were ignored. Nim waved the flag again to confirm orders were received.

  “They received our orders, commander… but they are not complying.” Nim said.

  “Please signal it again, Corporal.” Lin said, trying to calm herself.

  “They are ignoring it, commander.” Nim informed her, watching through his eye-glass. “Commander, the enemy is counter-attacking our forces.”

  Lin didn’t even need to look at the eye-glass to see that their formations were breaking. It was such a waste and most of Commander Mamushi’s forces would perish if they didn’t do something. Her own forces wouldn’t reach in time, and even if they did, it would just end in a stalemate and they could lose some of the tanks to the enemy, something which would be terrible.

  “Adjust the angle four degrees east! Load explosive ordnance! You may fire when ready.” Lin ordered her artillery officer.

  “But ma’am that would land them too close to Captain Masaru’s forces.” The officer protested.

  “It’s an order, now follow it!” Lin snapped.

  They reluctantly did as ordered. Then, as the cannons began firing again, the explosions landed just where she needed them, killing both Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation soldiers. It did what she wanted; it broke the fight, both sides retreating in a daze of loud explosions and body parts flying around.

  Lin took a look through the eye-glass and saw the enemy take refuge inside the fortress; walls of earth were built in an instant to close the gaps they had opened.

  “Hold fire!” Lin ordered.

  Lin turned around and looked at Lieutenant Toma. He had a horrified face which he schooled fast as her attention turned to him.

  “Lieutenant, get every glider ready. Absolutely every single one. And all of the barrels we have left of blasting jelly and liquor. Have them prepared close by, and notify the engineers that we need all of them so that we can adapt them to our needs. I will direct them.” Lin said, ignoring what she saw.

  As Lieutenant Toma saluted and ran away, Lin was already feeling guilty and dreading what she would have to do, to keep more soldiers from dying in this battle.

  Captain Masaru returned to the artillery ridge with fury written across his face. His uniform was stained with dust and soot from the failed assault. Several of his officers followed close behind him, and their expressions were the same mixture of anger and humiliation.

  The moment he saw Commander Lin standing beside the artillery command table he stormed toward her, his boots striking the ground with heavy steps as the remaining officers on the ridge instinctively stepped aside to clear his path.

  “What was that?!” Masaru shouted the moment he reached her. “We had them on the run and you decided to blow your own soldiers up!”

  The expressionless girl watched him without moving, even when he invaded her personal space, something he knew was disrespectful, but he was furious.

  “You were ordered to retreat.” She replied evenly.

  Masaru’s face flushed with anger.

  “We were breaking their lines.” he continued, his voice rising while his officers gathered behind him. “A little pressure, and the fortress would have fallen. Instead you slaughtered my men and gave the enemy time to recover!”

  He felt the girl study him quietly for a moment while the distant rumble from the tanks being moved filled the background.

  “If the attack had continued.” she said, “Your battalion would have been surrounded beneath the walls and destroyed. The defenders had already begun their counterattack and your tanks, already slowed down, would be stuck in position unable to defend themselves and they would have been taken by the enemy.”

  Masaru wanted to burn this girl so badly.

  “You had no right to make that decision while my soldiers were still fighting!”

  The words had barely left his mouth, when Lin slapped him. The sharp crack of the slap echoed across the ridge as her palm struck his face with enough force to stagger him half a step sideways.

  Searing pain traveled across his head. The officers around him froze in place while Masaru slowly lifted a hand to his cheek, his eyes wide with stunned disbelief.

  “There will be no more deaths from our side today.” Lin said calmly, breaking the awkward silence that had followed.

  Masaru stared at her while the anger drained slowly from his expression, replaced by confusion as he struggled to understand what she meant.

  “We are not taking the fortress.” Lin said, while several officers exchanged uncertain glances.

  Masaru lowered his hand from his face. “You cannot be serious.”

  Lin turned toward the artillery line while continuing to speak, as if deep in thought.

  “There is nothing inside Shen Guan that justifies sacrificing more soldiers. The fortress exists only to delay our advance. Destroying it will achieve the same result.” Lin said, finally.

  As the gathered officers realized what she meant, they looked horrified. Captain Aiku stepped forward slightly while waiting for her orders. Lin gestured toward the artillery commanders.

  “Divide the batteries into groups of ten cannons. Each group will target a different sector of the fortress and maintain continuous fire until their ammunition is exhausted.”

  The logistics officer standing nearby straightened immediately.

  “Bring forward every remaining shell we possess. The guns will not stop firing until there is nothing left to load.”

  Masaru shook his head slowly as the realization spread across his face. “You are going to level the entire city. But… that would mean the sacrifice of those we lost was for nothing.”

  Lin turned back toward him.

  “Yes, and if you had retreated I wouldn’t be forced to do this in the first place. It’s the only way we can preserve our strength to siege Omashu now.”

  For a moment he seemed ready to argue again, yet before he could speak Lin addressed Aiku once more.

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  “Captain Aiku, arrest Captain Masaru and the officers who followed him here. They will be held for court-martial on the charge of disobeying a direct order from a superior officer.”

  Masaru’s anger returned instantly. “You cannot do this! I challenge you to an Agni Kai!”

  “As your superior officer, I’m denying your challenge. You are a criminal and will face the war council, not me. Apprehend him.”

  Several soldiers stepped forward at once, iron cuffs already in their hands as they seized Masaru and his companions before they could resist. The officers struggled and shouted while the cuffs snapped shut around their wrists, yet the soldiers who restrained them were too strong for them.

  Within moments the prisoners were being dragged away from the command post.

  “I will have my revenge for this! Coward! Let me go!” Masaru screamed at her, while trying to resist his captors.

  But Commander Lin no longer watched them. She had already turned her attention toward somewhere else, unbothered by his rage and fury. Masaru couldn’t believe the injustice of it all, and he had tears of anger in his eyes.

  Without another word she walked away from them.

  Toph shifted slightly on the wooden bench inside the command tent, her brow tightening as the faint trembling of the ground beneath her feet rolled through the camp once again. The vibrations were not as bad now, but there was still a constant rhythm coming from the tracks that moved the new vehicles the Fire Nation had produced.

  The first time the tanks had rolled past the camp she had nearly lost her balance as they made her feel woozy. The strange metal beasts sent ripples through the ground that gave the blind girl new feelings and she had to adjust her senses to understand what was going on.

  Although she had grown somewhat accustomed to the feeling during the last few days she still found the experience a bit disorienting and her senses could get easily confused. For a brief time the vibrations had faded toward the battle, but it seemed that now they had returned once again.

  Toph sat cross-legged inside the tent with a scroll resting loosely in her hands while Princess Azula occupied the opposite side of the small table between them. The two girls had spent most of the afternoon in quiet conversation before settling into a calmer silence, while they listened to the distant battle unfold across the valley.

  “They’re back.” Toph said casually.

  Azula did not look up from the document she had been reading.

  “It is too soon for them to return, that must mean they failed.” the princess replied.

  Another distant volley could be heard roaring in the distance. Toph tilted her head slightly while focusing on the subtle movements traveling through the earth.

  “I think the tanks have all returned.” she added. “If they didn’t lose them, why come back?”

  Azula finally set the scroll down and leaned back in her chair with clear irritation. “How would I know?”

  Toph smirked faintly. “Still bitter I see.”

  Lin had been very clear about not letting both of them participate in the campaign against Shen Guan. For Azula, it made sense that she was angry, she was prepared, and a deadly force on her own. But still, Lin didn’t want her in the battle, saying they needed her as a secret weapon in Omashu.

  For Toph, the metal lady had told her directly that she would not force her to fight her own people unless she decided for herself that she wanted to join the war. The decision had surprised her at first, but over the last months she had come to know Lin, and knew that she cared too much about the people under her responsibility.

  Toph still wasn’t sure what she wanted. Fighting in a war felt pointless and not something she really cared about. She wanted to prove that she was the greatest earthbender alive. That goal had little to do with conquering cities or bringing glory to another nation.

  It was the only reason why she intended to travel to Omashu with fighting in mind. But other than that, she was content in sparring with both Lin and Azula, making friends of the soldiers who she could practice Braille with and traveling the continent.

  King Bumi had been the strongest earthbender anyone had ever talked about, and if she could defeat him in a proper duel then there would be no argument left in the world about who deserved that title. After that, she would decide what she wanted to do.

  Lin had agreed to help arrange it. She had even suggested that if Toph won the duel, she might consider commanding her own Earth Squadron within the Fire Nation army, though the idea still sounded like more responsibility than she wanted.

  Traveling the world, fighting strong opponents, and discovering new techniques sounded far more interesting than managing soldiers. Besides, the Fire Nation was winning already, they didn’t need her.

  Toph looked at her friend, still angry, and decided to try and distract her for a bit.

  “Lin said she’ll try to arrange a parley before the army attacks Omashu.” she said. “That way Bumi and I can fight before anything else happens.”

  Azula stopped pacing and watched her thoughtfully for a moment.

  “You believe he would accept?”

  Toph shrugged.

  “I’m told he’s weird enough that he probably would.”

  Azula nodded. “Then we must prepare you accordingly. I assume that after that fight Lin will want to follow the code of honor and both sides will retreat first, before the battle truly commences.”

  “I guess so. What do you have in mind?”

  “Mmm, well… you are facing a King, so we should make you look like a Queen, what do you say?” Azula said.

  Toph giggled. “Alright, but I still want my armor.”

  “We will figure something out.” Azula said absentmindedly.

  Her expression softened slightly as she thought about that particular offer as well. Lin had told her she could rule the cities the Fire Nation had already captured during the southern campaign. If she ever wanted to.

  Using the Beifong family name would give her legitimacy and ease the fear or anxiety the citizens had with their Fire Nation overlords. But Toph didn’t really want that either, it would be so very boring and besides, she had expected destruction everywhere they went, but the Fire Nation was doing a great job so far.

  She had seen villages repaired, roads cleared, and everyone working alongside Fire Nation garrison soldiers. Although confusing at first, especially after everything she had heard growing up about the Fire Nation, it was a comfortable feeling.

  Azula had even helped her write a letter to her father after the army passed through Gaoling, and he even replied; that letter had arrived a few days ago.

  Her father had written that the city was recovering, that field hospitals were built, treating the injured after the battle, that the chaos was slowly dying, and something akin to ordinary life had returned.

  She was confident her people in the south didn’t need her as a queen.

  Captain Boqin stood atop the battered walls of Shen Guan while the distant thunder of Fire Nation foul weapons continued piercing across the valley like a relentless storm. The first assault had ended not long ago, leaving the plain before the fortress littered with churned earth and broken bodies.

  The Fire Nation battalion had attempted to force their way through the defenses, and for a moment Boqin had believed they had succeeded. The new armored machines that led the attack had proven troublesome at first, their heavy metal hulls absorbing most of the defensive strikes while infantry advanced behind them.

  They were also able to attack through those long tubes, punching a hole through their walls. Even though they were slow, their tracks could grind through obstacles that would have slowed ordinary wagons or cavalry.

  But that just meant they had to switch their tactics. His earthbenders had reacted quickly once they understood how the machines moved, raising forests of jagged stone spikes across the advancing paths and forcing the vehicles to halt while their infantry became exposed.

  Once the armored beasts lost their momentum the rest of the enemy forces faltered around them, giving them the opportunity to push outward from the walls. Captain Boqin tried seizing the moment, jumping at the first opportunity to turn the tide in their favor.

  He had ordered a counterattack that pushed directly into the disorganized Fire Nation formations, earth rising and falling beneath his soldiers as they attempted to break the enemy lines and capture them to force a stalemate.

  For a brief and hopeful moment it had seemed possible, but then they had begun firing those long-range weapons again. This time, instead of just breaking the rock of their walls, they hit the ground near them.

  The explosions tore through both armies, blowing up the battlefield with savage force while stone, dust and bodies were thrown violently into the air. Boqin had watched the chaos unfold with disbelief as the Fire Nation guns hit their own soldiers alongside his defenders, the sudden violence forcing both sides to retreat in confusion as the plain dissolved into smoke and shattered earth.

  Captain Boqin had never seen anything like it. He was used to crazy tactics and bold plans, but never such disregard for their own allies.

  The defenders withdrew behind the walls once more, sealing the damaged sections with newly raised barriers of stone while the Fire Nation soldiers retreated across the fields, then the bombardment finally ceased.

  Boqin had expected the next attack to follow soon after. Maybe a renewed wave of soldiers, or for the enemy that was waiting a kilometer away to push them. Instead the same explosions resumed in a different way.

  The terrible weapons no longer targeted the walls. The first fireballs sailed high over the fortress walls before crashing directly into the town behind them, their explosions ripping apart streets and rooftops with terrifying force while clouds of dust and burning debris surged upward from the heart of Shen Guan.

  The ground shook violently beneath his feet as another volley followed, then another, each wave scattering fragments of stone and metal across the city. Boqin felt his jaw tighten as he watched the destruction spread.

  “Protect yourself, men! Hurry! Ignore the walls, protect each other!” Boqin shouted among the chaos.

  Around him earthbenders struggled to raise defensive barriers wherever they could, thick walls of stone rising in desperate attempts to shield the streets from the relentless rain of iron and fire. The ringing in his ears was messing with his balance but he forced himself to focus on creating walls to protect himself and a few of his men.

  Some of the defenses held long enough to deflect the blasts while others shattered under the repeated impacts, sending shards of broken rock tumbling through the air alongside pieces of shattered buildings.

  The cries of wounded soldiers and civilians carried through the smoke that now filled the fortress streets. Even though it was a military fortress, there was a brothel and several administrative buildings they were not even able to protect at this point.

  His officers moved around him shouting orders, coordinating the surviving defenders as they attempted to contain the spreading chaos.

  The barrage did not focus on a single point. Metal and fire balls rained down across the entire city, striking homes, supply depots, guard towers, and courtyards with equal indifference. It was impossible to intercept them all.

  When it was clear that this attack was seemingly unstoppable, many of the remaining earthbenders began burrowing into the rubble around them, using their bending to carve hollow chambers beneath the streets where they could shelter from the bombardment while waiting for the inevitable ground assault that would follow.

  Boqin remained above with several of his strongest officers. He wanted to be ready in case they advanced on the fortress after their attack. If the Fire Nation attempted another advance he intended to strike them the moment they entered the ruins.

  With the amount of walls he had to pull up, he was not able to see through them if the enemy soldiers were advancing. Deciding that they couldn’t stay like that, Boqin, along with his men, climbed the walls again.

  But there were no enemy soldiers advancing in on them. He turned and watched the ruins of the city carefully through the drifting smoke while their hellish weapons continued hammering the streets below.

  Then through the corner of his eyes he saw strange bird-like shapes in the sky. At first they were only distant shapes moving slowly, small red specks drifting across the smoke-darkened air high above the fortress walls. Boqin narrowed his eyes as the shapes grew larger.

  They were clearly vehicles bearing the Fire Nation flag.

  “Captain, what is that?!” shouted an officer beside him.

  Boqin was in disbelief that the Fire Nation was able to fly like the airbenders of old, and had no answer to that question.

  The wooden frames swept silently over the fortress. Before the captain could fully understand what was happening, from beneath the wings dark objects began dropping toward the shattered streets below.

  Large barrels tumbled down through the air before crashing against rooftops and stone walls with dull cracking sounds, the impact causing them to burst open and ignite. A sequence that seemed to happen in slow motion.

  Captain Boqin watched in horror as liquid fire poured across the ruins of Shen Guan. It was as if a nightmare had been unleashed in front of his very eyes, as the fire was flowing through the rubble like rivers of burning oil, into the cracks and holes his earthbenders had hidden in.

  Flames spread instantly across shattered buildings and broken streets. The fires roared upward with terrifying speed as the flying abominations continued circling above the fortress, dropping more barrels, while the flames devoured everything they touched.

  The air was now filled with heat and choking smoke. Boqin was paralyzed as the inferno spread through the city, while his officers turned toward him, their faces filled with desperation, but he had no orders to give them.

  There was nothing left to command, the battle was lost. He looked at them quietly.

  “I’m sorry. Abandon the fortress. Run for your lives while you still can.” he said.

  Even though the deafening explosions were still raging below, the officers nodded looking terrified, and sprinted using their bending to clear what they could to run away. Boqin tried searching for anyone to help, but among so many screams, he didn’t know where to go first.

  Then, for a second, pain erupted from his side. The captain's world suddenly turned upside down, and then into peaceful black.