98 A.G
Lieutenant Kaida leaned against the wooden railing overlooking the training grounds, arms folded loosely as she watched soldiers cycle through drills below. The noise was familiar and comforting: steel on steel and boots on packed earth. Beside her, the recently promoted Captain Aiku rested one elbow on the railing, his posture relaxed in a confident way.
"She really is something." Aiku said at last, eyes following a line of riflemen moving into position. "Everyone respects her now, and there is no doubt that she deserves the position of commander of the entire southern theater."
Kaida allowed herself a small smile. "Yes, the battalion is looking mighty impressive quite quickly under her leadership. I never doubted this would be the outcome, though."
Aiku huffed softly. "True. Colonel Xin nearly choked when she stepped off the ship. I thought he was going to start babbling instead of actually talking."
"Yeah, it was beautiful to see." Kaida replied, amusement creeping into her voice. "I almost felt bad for him."
"Almost…" Aiku echoed, shaking his head. "Did you hear about Kyoshi Island?"
Kaida turned slightly, interest sharpening. "I heard rumors. Something about a storm and an Unagi."
"Yes, but they are no longer rumors." Aiku said. "One of the rifle officers finally talked to me last night. Said the ship nearly ran aground as a storm tore the sea apart, and then that thing surfaced right in front of them."
Kaida exhaled slowly. "They say she faced it."
"Yes. She did." Aiku replied. "He told me she jumped from the watchtower into the rain, blasted the thing in the eyes, and forced it to retreat. Saved the ship and the entire crew."
Kaida closed her eyes briefly, imagining it, Lin standing against the creature, braving the storm. "Of course she did."
"Then she steered the ship to a safe position." Aiku continued. "After that, they made landfall on Kyoshi Island."
Kaida frowned. "I must admit I don't know much about the island, besides that they worship the late Avatar as if it were Agni for us."
"Well, there's not much more to note, yes." Aiku agreed. "Lin handled the negotiations expertly, apparently receiving the water they needed after they told them about dealing with the sea monster."
Kaida laughed quietly. "She turned a storm, a sea creature hunt, and a diplomatic incident into a resupply stop."
Aiku glanced at the cannons being wheeled into place nearby.
"These new weapons are also her doing. I have never seen firepower like this, ever. It's scary-dangerous and more destructive than siege engines. The best part is, they say the weapons came out of her mind."
"They also say she built most of them herself." Kaida said. "Most of her time was spent bringing these weapons to life whenever she wasn't teaching the young royal."
"Ain't that a surprise as well? The princess is now here." Aiku added, lowering his voice slightly. "Did you see her during the plaza speech?"
Kaida nodded. "Hard not to. She was watching Lin like the rest of us."
"I see that look in many of us nowadays." Aiku said, grinning.
"Hard not to." Kaida smiled as well.
"That's the same look of admiration we all have when we understand her greatness." he replied. "Like you suddenly realize the world makes sense if you just follow her lead."
Kaida glanced back toward the plaza, where Lin was still moving among officers, issuing orders quietly. "To draw that reaction from a royal princess, she truly is inspiring." she said softly. "She is supposed to be a prodigy as well, and hard to impress."
Aiku straightened, excitement flickering across his face. "If half of what she's planning comes true, this campaign is going to change everything. I wouldn't miss it for anything in the world. I'm sure it's the same for the princess."
Kaida nodded, her gaze steady. "It's great to be alive in a time like this; I'm glad to be here."
"Well, I'd better go back to work, she needs our best as well."
----0000----
Lin was impressed by the speed with which Azula had accomplished the task. She was reading the reports, standing alone in the temporary command office, as the late afternoon light filtered through the shutters and traced slow lines across the maps spread over the table.
The information was thorough; names, routes, schedules, methods of communication, and even patterns of behavior that explained how the sabotage had gone unnoticed for as long as it had. It continued to detail more about their movements, organization, and future plans in greater depth.
It was the kind of intel Lin was used to seeing after weeks of careful counterintelligence work, not after a handful of days. She was amazed at how well the princess had taken to her mission. Having her work so diligently would make her a great asset.
She exhaled slowly and set the last page down, pressing her fingertips flat against the table. She could use this advantage now, maybe even make Azula a spy or an infiltrator. It was risky, but she wouldn't be on the battlefield, at least.
Because the princess had acted so quickly, the remaining sympathizers, if any, would hide and not show themselves or even go back to Gaoling. The capture of twenty people was not going to go unnoticed on their side. But at the same time, her troops were not yet ready to advance.
Lin folded the reports and placed them aside, already reorganizing her plans around the new information. With the leaks sealed, supply lines could be reinforced and scouting operations resumed properly. Gaoling would be blind to their movements for some time, and she was sure that they would focus on defense and shut themselves in.
Strategically, it was good, as the longer they delayed until they were ready, the defenders' reaction time would either grow lax with boredom or they would be more anxious. Both were good outcomes, so for now, she would focus on training her men and not letting information reach the Earth Kingdom's city.
She stepped outside once she was done with her planning. She took a deep breath of the cold air and watched the training fields. Drills echoed from the open ground, rifle reports punctuating shouted commands as the new division trained alongside the veterans of the Red Company.
The integration was going smoother than she expected. It seemed that when everyone was pushed equally hard, a sense of camaraderie spread faster among her men. She had to promote a few of her more trusted officers to help with the training now that she had five hundred men under her command.
The company had lost a few of its best. Among them, Lieutenant Ruze, along with Sergeants Katsu and Nari, and seven corporals under their command, had been killed by King Bumi, buried alive under tons of rock and soil. It was a terrible loss in her eyes. But it had also gained a lot of new faces and among them, some talented firebenders.
She stared down to the courtyard where Captain Zhou oversaw a sparring exercise; his men were placed in pairs, fighting one another, while Captain Aiku was giving a lesson in close-quarters fighting nearby. The battalion would be ready faster than she anticipated.
Lin allowed herself a moment of satisfaction before turning back inside. There was still too much to do to linger.
She found Azula later, seated alone inside her temporary office in the village's plaza. She was writing something on one of the multiple desks Lin had placed inside. The princess sat with her back straight, her focus entirely on whatever she was working on.
Lin approached without announcing herself, stopping a few steps away.
"You did well, my princess." she said simply.
Azula jumped a bit, startled and quickly hid the parchment she was writing on. Lin found it odd, but she could accept the Royal family keeping a few secrets. When the princess did turn around, her expression was composed, almost neutral, though Lin could see the faint tension beneath it.
"Thank you." Azula replied. "I completed the mission, as requested." she said, turning the chair toward her and sitting again.
Lin nodded, moving one of the other chairs to sit in front of her.
"You exceeded my expectations. The information you gathered will shorten this campaign significantly, and dismantling their network was crucial." she said.
A flicker of satisfaction crossed Azula's face, quick and carefully contained.
"I assume you will move against Gaoling soon." she said.
"Yes, we will." Lin answered. "Within the next three weeks, if preparations continue at this pace. So you might have some rest for now until we make our moves."
"I see…"
They stood in silence for a moment, the sound of training drifting toward them in the wind. As Lin turned to leave, she paused, considering whether she should give her the next mission so soon or let her rest, then finally deciding she shouldn't coddle her.
"There is something else. Another mission I'm planning to put you in charge of." Lin added. "You've earned my trust through this."
Azula studied her for a moment, her wide smile betraying her face.
"Again…" she said. "This is not an order, so you can refuse if you want."
Azula's brow lifted faintly. "Go on."
"I'm planning to advance on Gaoling in stages." Lin continued. "I'll need accurate intelligence from inside the city once we begin. I hope you can continue to assist me, I need a spy network inside the city. It's an infiltration mission, one you have demonstrated you would do well."
Azula's lips pressed together, then curved into the slightest smile. "Tell me more."
"You will be assigned eight of my men under your command to support you, infiltrate the city, and build an information-gathering network, and report back. It will be dangerous but I will have my unit ready in case we need to mount a rescue operation."
The princess regarded her for a long moment, then rose smoothly to her feet.
"It actually sounds kind of fun." Azula said, "I'll accept your mission."
Lin rose as well. "I'm glad to hear that, my princess. I will let you know once I've gathered the ones who will go with you, and also when we discuss the best way to get inside the city. For now, get some rest."
Azula nodded and exited her office. Lin watched her walk back toward the docks, the guards falling into step behind her.
She returned to her maps, carefully placed in the center of the room with renewed focus. The pieces were finally aligning, the battalion was nearly ready, and the southern campaign would soon move from preparation to execution. With the spies eliminated and morale rising, Gaoling would be the first true test of her new command.
Lin straightened, rolled her shoulders, and began issuing orders for the night. Now she needed to come up with a good plan to infiltrate the city. As she was reviewing her options, a firehawk burst into the room through her window carrying one of the largest packages she had ever seen one of those birds carry.
Carefully, she unsealed the tube that was brought to her, unfolding the multiple sheets of paper inside. She grinned widely. The latest schematics sent by Minister Qin had arrived.
It was time to give the princess wings.
----0000----
Azula had waited four days before Lin told her how they were going to get into the city, and every single one of them had tested her patience.
She stood near the edge of the improvised launch field overlooking the cliffs, boots planted firmly in the packed earth, eyes fixed on the strange vehicle resting on its supports. It looked fragile at first glance: a thin metal frame reinforced with ribs, wide wings folded at a slight upward angle, cloth stretched taut.
It did not resemble any war machine she had ever seen before, nor anything taught at the academy. Lin stood beside it, her hands checking the frame and different straps it had for passengers. Then she checked the wheels, a new special type made out of rubber, a novelty discovered very recently.
"This will be a gliding flight." Lin said calmly, anticipating the question before Azula could voice it. "We won't be firebending and flying just yet."
Azula's lips curved faintly. "I'm listening."
Lin gestured for her to step closer. "The principle is simple. Lift is achieved through movement, speed, and surface area, so we don't need to sustain thrust as long as we have momentum. This saves chi and firebending is only used to reach an initial speed and to correct trajectory when necessary."
Azula circled the vehicle slowly, eyes sharp as she took in every detail. "So the one in the back does all the work."
"Yes, exactly. For now at least." Lin replied. "Lieutenant Toma will be providing propulsion for this test. The only thing sticking out of the glider will be his boots so that he can give us that speed; he just needs to give us enough to lift and then control bursts to keep the glider up."
Azula glanced toward Toma, who stood nearby already securing himself into the rear harness. He looked focused, and it seemed he had no fear of the responsibility being placed on him. She liked that.
"The rest of us are passengers then?" Azula asked.
Lin nodded. "Observers, primarily. You will be in the forward position. That seat has no controls like the rear or middle seats. In the future, we could have it placed differently so that a firebender could attack from there, but for now, it's just transport."
Azula raised an eyebrow. "So we are going to test flying today?"
Lin picked up a compact pack from a nearby crate and handed it to her. "No, we are testing the drop today. We tested the glider yesterday. This is a parachute; it is a carefully put-together piece of cloth that will stop your fall and glide you to the ground using the air currents that get trapped in it to slowly descend. Your team will be using it to infiltrate Gaoling without using firebending which could be seen from below."
Azula took the pack, turning it over in her hands. The weight was unfamiliar, and the material stiff but well crafted. "Sounds a bit mad to trust in a piece of cloth, to be honest."
"True, but that is why we are testing it now, if something fails we use firebending to stop." Lin answered evenly. "This deploys manually, we had a version that was not packed but it gets tangled with the glider parts and it is dangerous. So thanks to my engineers we managed to pack it tight, you just pull this handle and the cloth unfolds. For the first time I will be jumping with you, strapping to you midair, and then deploying mine, so that you learn how to use it by seeing me."
"And if it doesn't deploy?" Azula pressed again.
"Then we fall and rely on firebending." Lin said. "Into the sea, preferably. Which is why we launch toward the water."
Azula smiled, sharp and eager. "I like it already."
Lin watched her closely. "Are you excited?"
"Of course I am." Azula replied. "Who wouldn't like to fly as high as you say this thing can go?"
"One more thing." Lin said, and then handed her a piece of leather with glass on it. "These are goggles; you put them over your head and wear them over your eyes to shield you from the wind hitting your face."
Azula carefully placed them over her head as Lin did, then climbed in. Lin allowed herself the smallest hint of amusement. "They look nice. Strap in."
They took their positions quickly. Toma secured himself in the rear harness, boots locked into the frame. Lin climbed into the central seat, adjusting the steering stick and testing the tension on the wing flaps. Azula settled into the forward position, the parachute pack secured tightly against her back.
"I will tell you when we jump."
Azula nodded, eyes forward, heart already beating faster.
At Lin's signal, Lieutenant Toma began firebending, flames flared from his boots in a controlled stream, and the glider rolled forward across the grass, picking up speed as the wheels turned faster. The edge of the cliff rushed closer, far faster than Azula had expected.
For a moment, instinct screamed at her that she needed to firebend to safety, then Lin pulled back on the steering stick and the glider lifted upwards, leaving the ground behind.
The sensation was unlike anything Azula had experienced. In contrast with firebending flight, this was a smooth, unnatural release as the ground fell away beneath them. As they picked up more speed, the wind tore past her face, cold and sharp, stealing her breath. Her heartbeats were drowned by the loud sound of the wind.
As the princess looked down, she gasped. They truly were airborne, higher than she had ever been. Azula laughed, the sound torn away by the wind as the glider climbed higher, the sea stretching endlessly below them.
"We are gliding." Lin called over the wind. "Lieutenant, you can focus on managing your chi now."
The flames behind them vanished, and still they remained aloft. Azula stared down, eyes wide despite herself. The air was thin and cold, and her hands trembled in exhilaration.
"Truly a wonder." she mused.
Lin glanced at her briefly. "Princess, prepare to jump!" she shouted.
They banked slowly, circling above the coastline, then turned toward the distant shape of the royal sloop waiting below. The glider responded to every adjustment smoothly and obediently.
"Ready?" Lin said suddenly.
Azula did not hesitate. "Yes!"
Lin gave Toma a final signal, then rose from her seat in one fluid motion, and leapt. Azula followed without thinking, jumping off the glider.
Wind roared past her ears as gravity took hold, her stomach lurching as the sea rushed up to meet her. For a split second she considered firebending, but before she could act, Lin was there, arms wrapping around her from behind.
A sharp click sounded as their harnesses locked together, and she could feel Lin's embrace tighten. Then the parachute deployed and the sudden resistance yanked them upward. The fall was arrested violently enough to drive the air from Azula's lungs. The cloth billowed above them, catching the wind, and the descent slowed into a controlled glide.
They drifted down for a few minutes toward the deck of the ship, crew members already rushing to receive them. When their boots touched solid ground, Azula barely waited for assistance before turning and throwing her arms around Lin, laughing openly, breathless and wild.
"Let's go again!"
----0000----
After several days of coordinated movement, the infiltration network inside Gaoling was finally in place. Princess Azula and seven of her most trusted men had entered the city under cover of night, descending silently beyond the walls and dispersing before dawn.
The limited number of gliders had forced them to make two separate drops, a delay Lin had accepted reluctantly, as building additional units would have required more time they didn't have if they wanted a swift victory in the south.
There were no signs that their arrival had been noticed. Once inside, Azula's group adopted new identities, wearing stolen clothing taken from outer districts and markets. Within a short span of time, the first reports reached Lin.
The picture they painted of Gaoling was not reassuring for the Earth Kingdom. Defensive structures existed largely for show, manned unevenly and poorly coordinated. Scouts rarely ventured out and supplies moved through the city with minimal oversight. Authority appeared fractured, divided between local elites and lower district enforcers.
The extent of corruption was promising. Bribery was common, which made inspections inconsistent and loyalty easily purchased. The divide between the upper class and the lower quarters was bad enough that morale for most guards was very low.
For Lin, these were clear opportunities. Gaoling was a city that had not been touched by war yet, and it had a false sense of security. She began planning an invasion of the city with that in mind.
The next day, another report drew her full attention. Azula's team had received information suggesting the presence of a Fire Nation soldier operating within the city. He was neither a prisoner nor hiding, and common rabble spoke about having seen him fight in a tournament.
An individual who had managed to secure a place for himself without attracting suspicion, meant it could be a deserter feeding the enemy information. In Lin's eyes, a deserter was worse than having spies roam her base.
A deserter carried knowledge, understanding Fire Nation doctrine and its logistics. If such a person had avoided arrest within Gaoling, then he was either competent enough to remain useful or protected enough to be tolerated.
Either case demanded that Lin silence him one way or another. Capturing him would require more manpower. If he had embedded himself successfully, then a clumsy attempt would only drive him deeper into hiding or alert those shielding him.
Lin set the report aside and reached her decision: she would have to go personally and make sure it was handled carefully.
She issued a few orders quickly to both Captain Zhou and Colonel Xin, who were to maintain oversight of all ongoing preparations, continuing drills, logistics, and weapon deployment as planned.
With that secured, Lin had Lieutenant Toma prepare the glider to drop her close, while she went back to her boat to replace her prosthetics; she had some made for stealth missions but never had to use them.
She hoped that would make it harder for anyone to recognize her. Maybe she could dye her hair black as well.
----0000----
The Earth Rumble arena was louder than Azula expected. It was an underground facility, with a fighting platform in the middle surrounded by rows of audience seats, packed with bodies and noise. The air was thick with dust and sweat, and with the constant vibration of shouting voices.
The princess sat among them without standing out, dressed in muted green like the rest of the infiltration group, her posture loose enough to pass as ordinary; no one was really paying attention to them.
Lin sat beside her, quite altered. The commander's armor had been replaced with dull cloth and green tones, her prosthetics stripped of their spikes and polished metal, stained in black. She had dyed her hair as well. Who would have thought something they only used on clothing could be used on hair?
If Azula had not known her well, she might have missed her entirely, which only reinforced how good the disguise truly was.
"Welcome to Earth Rumble four!" an announcer began. "I am your host, Xing Fu. The rules are simple: Just get the other guy out of the ring and you win!"
"For our first match, we have The Gecko vs The Big. Bad. Hippo!"
Azula watched with open boredom as both earthbenders clashed, one relying on brute force and his obese body to shake the platform of the ring, the other, masked, clumsily trying to stay inside, throwing rocks occasionally to the fat man. They did nothing of course, and the outcome was quite obvious.
The crowd cheered loudly when the weaker man was thrown from the platform and Azula rolled her eyes in annoyance. The second match held slightly more interest, though.
The fighter called Head Hunter used prepared terrain and a suspended rope that was clearly placed there beforehand, to his advantage, landing heavily on the platform and throwing the obese man off the ring.
Then, finally, the supposed Fire Nation challenger entered the ring to fight Head Hunter. As soon as Azula glanced in his direction she knew this was not a Fire Nation soldier. The disguise was crude, the emblem on his belt was wrong, and the way he moved betrayed him immediately.
He even tried to sing the national anthem of the Fire Nation but it was clearly wrong, and he didn't know the lyrics. The crowd erupted in laughter and cheers as Head Hunter dispatched him with ease.
Azula felt irritation coil tightly in her chest at having been drawn into this deception. This was clearly just an Earth Kingdom entertainer, used for show to put the enemy of the Earth Kingdom in a humiliating position.
She kept her gaze forward, unwilling to look at Lin just yet, though the embarrassment burned sharply beneath her composure. She shouldn't have reported it immediately and should have investigated it more thoroughly.
Still, Lin didn't react as badly as she had expected. The commander joined the applause, unhurried and calm, while her expression remained unchanged. There was no sign of frustration or disappointment, which eased her worries.
"I'm glad it was a false lead, it means we can rest easy knowing no one revealed our strategies to anyone." Lin said.
Azula nodded and was about to respond when the announcer called for the final match.
"And now, the moment you were all waiting for. Head Hunter versus your champion. The blind bandit!"
The champion stepped onto the platform: a young girl, probably around ten or eleven years old, with unfocused eyes and an unassuming stance, her confidence evident in the way she stood still while the crowd roared around her.
"I don't think I want to fight a little girl." Head Hunter said.
"I think you are just a little chicken." answered the blind girl, successfully taunting him.
"Nobody calls me a chicken!" he roared.
The fight that followed lasted only moments. As soon as Head Hunter tried again to lift himself to the rope from the ceiling, the ring swallowed him and promptly spat him outside the ring. In a swift move, the young girl had won in the blink of an eye.
Azula leaned forward despite herself, her interest fully captured now. She was used to beating everyone around her, that is, until Lin came along, so this probably was a prodigy as well, albeit an earthbender one.
As the crowd shouted for more, Xin Fu descended from the center pillar.
"To make things a little more interesting, I'm offering up this sack of gold pieces to anyone who can defeat the blind bandit!" he chanted.
"Any takers? Nobody?" he continued to ask.
Lin rose from her seat, her movement smooth and deliberate, drawing confused murmurs from those nearby and Azula looked at her, perplexed.
"Are non-benders allowed to fight?" Lin asked calmly.
"Of course! If you think you can. Ha ha ha." answered Xin Fu.
Lin quickly descended from the steps and jumped to the ring, landing heavily. Her metal legs rang, hidden below her clothes.
"We have a match then!" said the announcer, pushing earth upward and ascending back to the pillar.
With her hands behind her back, Lin walked toward the center of the ring, facing the young girl.
"Alright, mystery lady. Let's see if you can last longer than three seconds." said the blind bandit.