97 A.G
"Fire!"
The explosion echoed through the courtyard like a thunderclap, a violent roar that cracked across the sky and rolled through the city in a trembling wave. A moment of stunned silence followed before the second blast struck, even more deafening than the first.
The attending officers flinched, and servants dropped their trays. Somewhere in the distance, birds took flight in a chaotic burst. But Minister Qin stood frozen with a wide grin, heart hammering with excitement. It was everything he had imagined.
The cannon still smoked at the base, its steel mouth glowing faintly from heat. It had been aimed precisely at a granite column positioned before a sloped wall of packed sand. What had once been a six-meter stone pillar was now a spray of dust and debris scattered across the firing range.
The projectile had buried itself deep into the slope behind it, a perfect arc of devastation that needed no explanation. Of course, no boulder could cause such devastating damage. This was a ball of metal that traveled faster than the eye could follow and struck with uncanny precision.
Qin could scarcely contain his glee. He glanced around at the other ministers, generals, and nobles present. Their expressions shifted from confusion to awe as the reality of what they had witnessed began to sink in.
He wanted to shout, to declare victory, to drag each of them forward and make them admit how far their thinking had fallen behind. Instead, he composed himself. He was a minister, after all, and small amounts of dignity mattered.
Captain Lin stepped forward from the platform beside the weapon, hands behind her back, face nearly unreadable but for the subtle tremor in her shoulders. Qin could tell that she was thrilled. If he didn't have years of experience, he would be just as thrilled. Her voice was steady as she began her explanation.
"The prototype cannon you have just witnessed uses stabilized blasting gel as propellant. Its barrel is a single-forge cast of refined steel alloy, like the ones we use in our ships, treated with copper lining for heat distribution. Effective range is estimated at eight hundred meters for flat trajectory targets, higher with adjusted angle. Ammunition is interchangeable but we are still developing different types for different uses. As you can see, way more effective than a trebuchet in range, power, and velocity."
Qin nodded along, eyes shimmering. She had said it exactly as they rehearsed. But even he hadn't expected the results to be so clean. The recoil had been manageable by the weapon's weight and the wooden structure built to move backwards with the shot, which had been very precise. The design, while bulky, was already being revised for mobility with added wheels to carry it around.
His initial investment in helping the girl live to curry the favor of the Renshi family for future projects had doubled considerably now, and he could count it as one of the best expenditures he had ever made.
Lin continued without pause. "Two soldiers are sufficient for operation, but efficiency improves with a third to assist in reloading. Standard reload time is under thirty seconds, around two shots per minute. The maintenance cycle is every twenty shots or post-battle inspection."
The Fire Nation generals began whispering. Qin didn't need to hear them to know what they were saying. Siege weapons had always been a sore weakness. The Earth Kingdom used their own bending to siege, the Water Tribes relied on mobility and walls upon walls of ice, but none of them had developed something like this.
This was Fire Nation war doctrine elevated, ingenuity turned into might, power made possible for everyone. He stepped forward once she finished, gesturing broadly with both arms.
"As you can see…" he began, "this is not a replacement for bending, but a reinforcement. A supplement. With proper deployment, these cannons can be used by infantry, mounted on naval ships or defensive walls. The metallurgy is standardized as we use it much for our ships already. The propellant is a by-product of blasting jelly which we have been stockpiling for a time already. Production can begin within weeks."
He swept his gaze across the crowd, searching for doubt and finding none, only astonishment. This was good, a stepping stone in his ever-growing career.
"I remind you that all of this was accomplished with less than five tons of steel." he added, tone thick with pride. "For comparison, our navy cruisers use nearly nine thousand. This is a small ask for a large return."
One of the officers raised a hand.
"Wouldn't it slow our forces down?"
Lin answered without delay.
"Mobility is currently limited. Field-deployment prototypes are underway. We can make smaller barrels so that they can be carried, as well as a design for front-line assembly so that the weight can be distributed and carried by animals like the Komodo Rhino. There are lots of improvements but they are being handled as we speak."
Another question came, this time about what they were good against, how to use it against fortifications and resistance. Another about training times of a crew. Captain Lin fielded each with as much clarity as she could and even came up with solutions he hadn't even thought of yet.
Qin felt a surge of admiration. She had absorbed so much from so little instruction, learned with terrifying speed and a talent brilliant for war. All he had done was grease the wheels, redirect funds, send the right messages to the right engineers. It was her mind that had driven it forward.
If only he were younger, he could see himself working side by side with her, reaching new heights, complimenting one another and making tools of war for the glorious Nation.
The applause came slowly, but once it started, it spread. Officers clapped and generals exchanged words with renewed excitement. Even the nobles looked impressed, some visibly shaken.
Qin turned to look at Lin again, about to congratulate her directly, but she was no longer standing upright. Her body had dipped slightly. She leaned over and whispered something to him, too quiet for the others to catch.
"Please give me a moment, health issue."
She then knelt slowly on the polished stone and sat on her knees. His brow furrowed. She seemed disoriented and her eyes were unfocused. He quickly turned toward the crowd with a flourish, raising his voice to cover the moment.
"The future of Fire Nation warfare begins here, ladies and gentlemen!" he declared. "Let us not waste it."
He launched into a planned summary of deployment strategies, buying her the seconds she needed. He could easily handle the politics now that the demonstration was over. She had already handled the miracle after all.
----0000----
The cannon blast still echoed faintly in the distance as Ozai rested his chin against the back of his hand, fingers curled loosely in thought. Below, the courtyard had erupted into a scene of exhilaration, with officers crowding around the prototype like moths drawn to fire. But his gaze remained fixed on the girl.
Captain Lin stood at the center of it all, near motionless except for the fine tremor that passed through her shoulders. She had whispered something to Minister Qin before dropping to her knees. It was clear she needed a pause, probably a health issue.
But it did not really concern him. Many sages had told him that her will and chi reserves would keep her alive for many years to come. Her resolve was not in question and she would rise soon, and she would do so composed.
He had kept watch over her for months now. His spies had nothing of concern to report. She was loyal, almost pathologically so. Her daily routines were rigid and her service to his daughter complete. Her progress with weapons and logistics had been relentless. What had begun as a test of her capabilities had become a confirmation of her immense value for the war effort.
Lin Renshi ended up as so much more than just a weapon. The thought pleased him. In another ruler's court, someone with her physical power, early ascend through the military ranks, and inventive mind might have posed a threat.
But Ozai felt none of that. Lin did not crave power, almost even shying away from maneuvering politically. She obeyed and served the Fire Nation with such conviction and passion. One that Ozai wished everyone had. She had earned his respect for that.
Her invention would change how the nation waged war, he could already see it. The Fire Nation already dominated the seas of most of the continent, but prolonged campaigns drained time and resources, and every lost soldier chipped away at public resolve.
Firebenders were the might of the army but also ones he couldn't afford to lose in huge amounts. Finding a use for the non-benders to be more effective could easily win them the war in the long run.
For over a century, the war had ground forward through bending, attrition, and terrain advantage. But siege weapons like this, standardized for everyone to use, could finally shift that balance.
The Earth Kingdom's bastions would not hold. The only remaining Water Tribes ships would not be able to outrun them anymore, the range and speed of the projectiles giving the Fire nation the advantage. Ba Sing Se itself, arrogant in its supposed invulnerability, with enough firepower could be brought to its knees. Their impossibly high walls could only handle so much damage.
He had to adjust plans to prepare for the years ahead. He had calculated that they would be able to finish the war with the arrival of Sozin's comet, but if this worked as he envisioned it, he needed to accelerate those plans.
Reconstruction would be difficult. Shifting from a war economy to long-term occupation would require administrative strength and public unity. The colonies had produced capable governors so far, they could be used as well. With resources absorbed from the defeated nations, recovery was only a matter of time.
He glanced toward Azula then, standing beside one of the high balconies. Her eyes had not left the captain since the demonstration. She was trying to conceal it, but he could read her body language well enough.
Pride mixed with awe, the sting of admiration that was rare among her daughter's features. She had grown more focused since Lin began training her. Stronger, more disciplined and more dangerous.
He was pleased with her progress. Her flames turning completely blue made the palace gossip easily. She had already demonstrated those azure flames but to know now that every flame she produced was hotter than anything any other firebender could produce made him a very proud father.
He turned his attention back to the field. The Minister of War, Qin, had begun a speech. The crowd clapped in approval, while generals took notes. Several had already begun speaking with assistants, no doubt drafting proposals for supply routes, for transport, or who to offer for training on these weapons.
With people like the captain appearing in the new generation, he could see the end of the war was no longer a distant goal but an approaching certainty. The next few years would be difficult, but winnable. And when the world finally bowed to the might of the Fire Lord, he would cement his rule and name through history for centuries to come.
He stood, adjusting his robes and casting a final look over the demonstration site. The Fire Nation would shape the future, with himself as its phoenix king.
----0000----
The courtyard still smelled of scorched metal and blasting jelly. The air held a faint static hum, like the world itself had been forced to stop and listen. Azula stood near the rear columns of the viewing platform, flanked by her guards, eyes fixed on the machine that had shattered a stone pillar with nothing but a burst of force. A powerful weapon her own instructor had developed in just a few months.
It looked simple enough. A long metal barrel, reinforced and mounted to a thick wooden base, with a few straps and clamps. The demonstration was astonishing. Her words had run true as the sound it made while firing was truly terrifying and with devastating results.
The sheer violence of it had rekindled her excitement after months of hard work and boring lessons. It was delightful and her mind already pictured how many uses she could get out of it. Threatening someone with being shot at close range by one of those would bring delightful expressions from people who displeased her.
But, at the same time, she didn't like how impressed she was. Azula had expected something useful; as useful as Lin had been so far. Perhaps giving them a small edge here and there, but not this. Not something that made even her father lean forward with genuine attention and admiration of what she was capable of.
It was such a set of conflicting emotions. Excited to have such a terrifying weapon in the Fire Nation arsenal to use to torment her enemies; proud for her teacher that seemed to have created a masterpiece of intimidation and power; but angry when watching her father descend the steps to greet Lin personally, watching him nod once and speak in that quiet tone he reserved for praising her. It made something knot tight in her chest.
He had only looked at her that way only a handful of times. Azula folded her arms, jaw tense. She had trained harder than ever these past weeks. Her flames were as powerful as ever, her stance no longer faltered, her mind could solve all of Lin's puzzles and find the best strategy on her stupid scenarios.
She had memorized maps, details regarding logistics of war, and even began reading the older strategy texts in her spare hours which were dreadfully boring, all to achieve more through her lessons. Yet here he was, praising Lin for one loud weapon.
It was fair, she told herself for a moment as she tried to calm down. Lin deserved praise; the weapon was brilliant, after all. But the fairness of it didn't make it sit any easier. She turned her gaze back toward the center of the courtyard, intending to watch the crowd of officers swarming her instructor.
But Lin was no longer standing. Azula's eyes narrowed. The older girl had dropped to one knee and whispered something to Minister Qin, who quickly launched into an overlong speech about potential deployment and battlefield adaptation along with detailed estimates on costs.
The princess' gaze didn't leave Lin though, who hadn't risen back up. She sat back on her knees while her shoulders trembled. Azula took a step forward before catching herself.
No one else seemed to notice. Everyone was too distracted by Qin's dramatics and the potential of the weapon. But Azula was watching how Lin's eyes had lost focus, how her breath seemed agitated. She didn't seem to be overwhelmed by praise; something had gone wrong.
She felt something unfamiliar stir inside her. Lin had always been a bit distant and aloof at times but focused on probably developing things like the cannon. Now though, it looked like she saw a spirit. She was concerned, all right; she didn't want to lose her one capable instructor. She was clearly above the usual teachers she previously had.
Then, as quickly as she had dropped to the floor, she seemed to recover. Lin rose slowly, calmly, the trembling gone. Her face returned to its usual state of cold calmness. When the generals approached her with questions, she answered them in her clear, level tone.
When one of the naval officers asked how they intended for the cannon to be modified for shipboard use, she explained without issues how it could be balanced and used effectively. She stood tall, collected, and unconcerned, as if nothing had happened.
She remained where she was, silent, arms crossed again. Her father watched from his high seat, now speaking with two advisors. Qin was still gesturing grandly, and the officers were drinking in every word Lin gave them like students before a master.
Azula didn't believe it for a second.
'Was that finally a weakness she could exploit? Could it have been the loud sound that dropped her for a few seconds?' She briefly wondered.
Azula's eyes stayed on her mentor. Whatever had happened, whatever had shaken her hadn't stopped her for long, but it would be enough. She would have to experiment this sometime soon.
Maybe she could ask her father for a cannon, just to test her theories.
"How exciting." She mumbled, a wide grin adorning her face.
----0000----
The moment the cannon fired, something in her memory cracked open. The thunder of it reached deeper than her ears. It echoed across the inside of her skull, a sound too close to the battlefield she was used to more than a decade ago.
That same battlefield, so different, where explosions happened constantly, almost all day and night. A battlefield where shells rained like water and missiles fell like candy from a piñata.
Memories of torn bodies and dismembered comrades surfaced. Those same explosions created holes a meter deep that later served as the only available cover, often filled with the dead brothers and sisters who had fought alongside her.
She had spent what felt like eternities inside of them, with little food or rest and sometimes soaked and caked in mud. Her mind was a mess of trying to search for threats and failing to comprehend what it saw as this was another world entirely.
She continued with the rehearsed presentation while her body shook with anticipation and adrenaline coursed through her veins. Having practiced the speech it was easy to repeat it without stopping, but she wouldn't be able to answer questions like this.
When she finished, her knees bent before she registered the command, and her back hitched with the reflex to dive. Only the sharp texture of polished stone against her palms reminded her she was not in the trenches of another life.
She whispered to Minister Qin that she needed a moment, then steadied herself on both her knees. No one else would think much of it if she took a moment to calm herself. She had a body that looked like a fantasy cyborg after all; a few health issues here and there could give her an excuse.
She controlled the trembling in her hands by grounding her chi along her spine. The prosthetics absorbed most of it. She counted heartbeats, then her slow intakes of air as the words from the Minister of War grounded her bit by bit.
It wasn't fear or shock, she had no fear left after that brutal war. But something buried in the back of her mind, echoed when triggered. In the past, she had been trained to welcome them, to let instinct override thought as it would help her react faster.
It was a shock of adrenaline, as if she were in battle unexpectedly, not in the calm environment she was currently in. She was trained to have that reaction but she thought that after spending sixteen years in this nonsense world, she wouldn't remember how to.
It seemed that the mind indeed remembered and she would have to be careful or prepare in advance. This body, this version of her, required her to calm her chi almost constantly and it didn't welcome that instinct yet, but she could train it. The blast had surprised her, that was all. A loud surprise, which she could handle.
It had been louder than she expected, that was all. Next time, she would be better prepared for it. Maybe exposure to it more often would suffice. This was not something she had accounted for but it was not as bad.
She had seen what PTSD did to her own troops, this wasn't nearly as bad, but she would have to condition her mind carefully to avoid a repeat of what happened. Deep down she knew that her mental health was an issue, but being transported to a whole new world, plus her own past experience, guaranteed that she wouldn't be one-hundred percent healthy.
She was fine with that as long as she could remain active and handle it carefully. On the bright side, the Fire Nation was so backwards compared to her own world that she was sure she wouldn't be discharged from the Army citing a mental problem. They didn't even invest in psychology to begin with.
She finally managed to stand again and calm her nerves. She gave Qin a small nod and he gently guided their audience to ask Lin for clarifications to their doubts.
The officers swarmed soon after. Questions about deployment, production, troop integration. She answered with minimal effort. Her voice showing neither faltering or doubts. Her spine held straight and her body no longer shook.
After confidently addressing everyone's questions, she looked up to see Princess Azula looking down with a wide grin on her face. Having made both Royals happy would elate her father for sure.
----0000----
"SHE DID WHAT?!" Kaien yelled.
"My lord… it is as I said: she presented a siege weapon to the Fire Lord and his generals this morning." the informant said.
"Her ideas were always difficult for me to grasp when she was young, I can only imagine what she has come up with now that she is experienced… Well…? How did it go?" Kaien asked, fearing the worst.
"The Fire Lord was ecstatic, my lord. He praised your daughter, and witnesses report that he was seen smiling almost like a mad spirit after exiting the courtyard."
"What…?"
"Even the small princess was seen smiling widely. If the reports are true, your daughter just gave the Fire Nation one of its strongest weapons as of yet. It was a weapon that supposedly could be heard through the entire palace and even beyond it as it echoed through the walls of the city." the informant continued.
"She also apparently had sent through a fire hawk the specifics to our own manor a few days ago, but with the amount of correspondence we have been dealing with lately, we didn't think a letter from her would be this important. A mistake I need to be punished for and one I sincerely apologize for."
Kaien raised his hand to stop the hard working man. He was both dependable and an excellent information broker. His family had served the Renshi household for a few generations already; he didn't blame him for not knowing her daughter could come up with ground breaking innovations with her current posting.
One would think that she would focus solely on teaching the princess and using this opportunity to integrate herself into the inner circle of the nation. She clearly had other ideas to win everyone over, of course.
"You are forgiven, just don't let it happen again, there will be no punishment, my friend. I assume you have the specifics already."
"Yes, here my lord." He said while handing him two sheets of papers.
After carefully going over her report, he couldn't believe what he read. A range of almost a kilometer paired with the velocity and destructive capabilities of a demolition ball used to bring down decommissioned ships?
This was unprecedented, and as he continued reading he was even more baffled by what his daughter had come up with. The costs were low and training was relatively short compared to training crews operating trebuchets. This was a significant upgrade.
It could be operated by only a crew of two that didn't require to be a bender! He could see why the Fire Lord was impressed, this would give the army even more advantage over the other nations still in the fight.
"We must make our moves fast to take advantage of this. My daughter just gave us a golden opportunity. Remind me to gift her something; she is marvelous."
"Yes, my lord. If I may… knowing her, more engineers would be a great gift."
"You are quite right, my friend. Get to it."
"At once!"