Focused Fire (ATLA)

The progress of the Northern Pacification Army was going faster than expected. Clearly they had overestimated the Earth Kingdom once again. Cities and villages were forced into the fold of the Fire Nation by a small army of administrators, while castles and forts were cleaned out and awaited their new firebending garrisons. All in all, things were going rather well.

But Azula found herself frowning, particularly at the message tacked onto the report. “This isn’t a joke?” she asked Ping, who had the decency to fidget a bit out of nervousness.

“No,” the captain answered with a shake of her head and a brittle smile. “Mozi is taking over until Xing returns. Thankfully, there isn’t much opposition around for us to worry about.”

The princess quirked an eyebrow up and slowly stood from behind the desk of her royal office in the 11th Regiment’s training complex. “I couldn’t care less about the regiment’s progress, Ping. It’s its colonel that I’m worried about. Did Xing say where he went off to?”

Another shake of the captain’s head. “Only that he’s working on Avatar-proofing the plan.”

That bled off some of Azula’s anger. Avatar-proofing?

Uncle Iroh had helpfully sent news of Zuko’s encounter with the Avatar to Azula about a week ago, masked under a regular report to a concerned sister. No doubt Xing had received the same message as well. There was much to unpack, from the fact that the Fire Nation’s greatest threat being an airbender monk around her age, to the idea that this Avatar seemed…unprepared for his role.

But Xing had gone off on a ship to spirits knows where after receiving that information, and that he had Ping relay his departure personally to Azula instead of just settling for a letter meant that the boy was probably regretful about his action. Not that Azula would so easily forgive him, but… Avatar-proofing?

Ren’s voice broke the princess from her musing. “Think he decided it by himself?”

Ping shrugged. “Dunno, but I’m not going to be surprised if it ends up being the spirits nagging him again. He gave us the new security measures to consider ‘aerial security’ right after he heard of the Avatar, and asked us to make it subtle. Mozi is still talking with General Sho, but they’ll wait for your approval before making the news public.”

Which meant that nobody knew if the Earth Kingdom knew about this new development. Troubling, but promising. If Zuzu had the competence to quickly apprehend the Avatar, this would be a non-issue, but alas, her brother was headed back to repair his ship. Now they had to worry about the possibility of a flying Avatar seeking refuge in enemy territory.

Still, Azula had kept the news from her father. With how secure their encrypted messaging was, there was practically no risk to it, and it would give Zuko that little bit more time to restart his hunt.

Before father decided to further punish his incompetence by opening Avatar hunting season to all comers, or something along those lines.

Much as Azula detested Zuko’s weakness, Xing had been right; he’d been taking the right steps to rising above his incompetence, and that was something worth seeing through. If a recruit from the 11th could be turned into a proficient killer, then her brother could at least make for a half-decent prince. He’d still be far below Azula, but at least the dum-dum could be a useful tool to further her ambition.

Especially after father’s ill-advised duel and exiling of her brother. That act had garnered a disturbing amount of sympathy for Zuko, something that got in Azula’s way as she waded through court politics. The murmurings were faint, but they were definitely there. Her not-so-public attempts at off-handedly looking out for Zuko had garnered her some of these courtier’s support, but having her brother return would make the work a lot easier.

Have dum-dum return, make a show of guiding him back into royal politics while rebuilding their sibling bond, then work on winning him over to her side. Give it a few years and Azula was certain he’d fully support her as heir, especially if she could foster his bitterness over father’s punishment. It’d probably require her to offer the 11th to help search for mother (even if that likely meant finding her untimely grave), and if she could make him bitter enough, maybe throw in the opportunity to be officially adopted by Uncle Iroh, since they’re so close to each other.

It would require careful and patient politicking and social engineering, but Azula was confident in her abilities, and that of her growing roster of talents. And she probably didn’t have to worry much about wording things for father either.

Zuko would be happy being mediocre (not weak, at least), father got to be rid of him, and Azula would get to enjoy being crown princess without so much second-guessing from the shadows.

Of course, that all required Zuko’s return to the palace, but with the Avatar now running around…

“You’ve no clue about what Xing might have meant by Avatar-proofing?”

“Unfortunately not,” Ping confirmed. “I think if we knew, we’d probably end up stopping him. But…” The captain paused to fish something out of her belt pouch, a piece of folded paper. “Xing did ask me to deliver this to you as means of appeasement.”

Azula took the paper and carefully unfolded it. She read through the message, quickly at first, then took a moment to fully process what had just been written before reading through it again, more slowly this time.

“Everything alright, Azula?” Ren asked.

The princess glanced up at the two captains, her two surrogate elder sisters. “Did…did Xing ever mention anything about Omashu?”

Ren and Ping exchanged confused glances before shaking their heads. “We just kept up with the news on the south, but no plans were made.”

That made Azula frown heavily. “Xing just promised to give me Omashu after he’s back and the northern campaign is over. As…as an apology.”

Ping whistled while Ren’s jaw dropped a little. “Well…that explains why he preferred quick raids over drawn out encirclements,” the captain of the 4th Battalion remarked. “Also explains why he didn’t argue much with Dao and the other battle-hungry nutters about the sieges.”

Ren hummed thoughtfully. “Well, maybe he got something out of the spirits?”

Azula’s frown turned into a scowl. “The spirits better be giving him flawless directions.”

*****

Sometimes, Koshi had to remember that his colonel, a rescued orphan, did not fully lead 11th out of obscurity and orchestrated brilliant strategies by himself. No mere boy, however prodigious, could come up with so many ideas or peer into the future as Xing did. That was not to dismiss his feats, but it was also irrefutable that Xing had some help, in the form of the whisper of spirits that only he could hear.

And it required some reminding that such boons did not come for free.

There were many tales of invisible benefactors aiding a hero throughout their journey, only to exact a significant price at the end or sometimes even before the adventure began. Like the tales, Xing’s capricious helpers were mysterious in their agendas, but thus far the advice they provided him had not only kept the regiment alive, but allowed the 11th to reach new heights.

Yet…yet Koshi couldn’t help feel some guilt that it was a mere boy that had to shoulder all the burden of this exchange. These didn’t seem like spirits that could be appeased by offerings or negotiations, but instead they clearly reveled in sending Xing to partake in senseless games, like the near-suicidal visit to King Bumi, or this seemingly pointless little expedition.

And as Xing’s renown grew, Koshi had no doubt that the delayed price of survival and prosperity would gradually increase. All the bodyguard could do was to stick with his colonel to lighten what little burden he can. If he could, Koshi would gladly meet with these spirits and offer his life in exchange instead. Xing did not deserve to selflessly burn himself playing confounding games for the sake of his regiment. 

Koshi took some solace in the fact that this time Xing had brought along an escort for his journey without any strong-arming required. Other than the bodyguards, the Han unit followed along the journey south. The crew of the corvette loaned by Admiral Daeyang would not join them ashore, but thanks to their tireless work it only took several days of speedy but boring seafaring before they reached their destination.

“Let’s hope we have the right village,” Xing sighed as he stepped off the landing boat and onto a pristine shore. He’d opted to skip the port, both to maintain a low presence and avoid dragging the locals into his quest. “You’d think such a small, mountainous island would only have a couple or so villages, but no…”

“So, you’ve no clue where we’re supposed to go, sir?” Bofang asked as he scanned the shoreline.

“Other than being sure that it’s on this island, no. Unless there’s other places where they have people in white and green? Please don’t tell me that’s the case.”

Koshi smiled despite the chainlink veil covering his features. “It’s practically guaranteed that your description is of the Kyoshi Warriors, sir. We’re on the right island. Now we just need to narrow things down.”

“Without scaring the locals,” Xing added, and he then picked a random direction and began walking.

Koshi, the other bodyguards, and the Han unit followed along in good order, weapons sheathed but otherwise fully armored. How they kept the villagers from running would be a problem for the colonel to handle.

They quickly left the beach and entered a sparse forest, and immediately Koshi’s hackles were raised.

“Eyes forward,” Xing ordered, clearly having sensed what he did. It took the small force some effort, but they marched on with forced casualness. Feigning ignorance was the bodyguards nor the Han unit’s strong suits, but with the amount of counter-ambushes they’d conducted Koshi would like to think that they were doing a passable job.

Sure enough, the threat appeared as they got deeper among the trees, far enough from the shoreline to affect a hasty retreat. Figures descended from the treetops, their green uniforms breaking through the scant canopy cover. The soldiers immediately closed ranks and drew their weapons, though Koshi had to lead his bodyguards to form a protective ring around Xing who had rather recklessly walked too far in front.

A quick glance told Koshi that they were surrounded, but far from outnumbered, though the enemy’s full strength might still be hidden. The ambushers were all in deep green dresses with lacquer armored cuirasses, spaulders and vambraces, their faces painted in white and red. They wielded war fans and blades and small shields, adopting stances that Koshi was unfamiliar with.

The vaunted Kyoshi Warriors. Supposedly they were an all-female order, carrying lessons taught by the Avatar Kyoshi herself. But considering the painted faces, Koshi couldn’t exactly be sure about the claim of the former. That kind of rumor might be useful to make certain enemies complacent. 

And even if he was truly surrounded by only women, the way these warriors held their stances was not something to scoff at.

“Soldiers of the Fire Nation,” a voice called out, and Koshi almost winced as he realized it belonged to someone not quite an adult yet. She wore a more ornate golden headdress compared to the others, he belatedly noticed. A squad leader, at the very least. “Your kind are not welcome here.”

Xing pushed through his protective ring to face the speaker. “Please, I’ve not come for a fight,” he said, actually removing his helmet in the midst of enemies for probably the first time. The colonel then offered a quick bow and salute of respect. “I am Xing, and I’ve just come to-

The Kyoshi Warriors stiffened noticeably upon hearing his name, and their leader all but hissed as she leveled her fan at him.. “The Scorpion of the Fire Nation… In Kyoshi’s name, your campaign of terror ends here!”

They lunged as one, though Xing had the presence to quickly bark an order before he dodged a strike. “Bruises only! Bruis- Ah fuck!”

Koshi scowled as he dove in to intercept a blade with his bracer, then sent a knee up into the armored plate of the attacker to drive her back. The spirits were cruel to ask for this sort of fight, but Koshi swore that none of the soldiers here would fail Xing.

“Form up!” he called out with his authority as a lieutenant to get the bodyguards and Han unit in line. “Closed ring! Bofang! Yan! With me!”

Leaving Kwan to keep the Han unit organized, Koshi rushed to Xing who was dancing around three of the painted warriors. He joined the fray with a flying kick that managed to graze a Kyoshi Warrior, while Bofang simply tackled another shoulder-first into the ground and Yan literally cut into a slash with his own short sword. The bodyguards went to work protecting Xing’s back, leaving him to deal with the enemy leader unhindered.

These women were fast, and their fighting style was utterly alien, but the soldiers’ battle experience more than made up for the disadvantages. Trusting in his armor, Koshi stepped into a slash from his opponent’s war fan and felt the weapon rippling against his brigandine. Remembering XIng’s orders, the lieutenant lashed out with one arm to grab at the woman’s neck, though he had to quickly let go when another warrior lunged into the fray, aiming for his neck.

Koshi grunted as his initial opponent capitalized on that and slammed her shield into the side of his helmet. It lacked the force to knock him off the ground, but the brief disorientation was enough to put him on the back foot. Yan’s blade darted by him an instant later, knocking the women back and resetting the momentum of combat.

Before the melee could devolve any further, a familiar blinding flash and its accompanying roar gave everyone pause. The Kyoshi Warriors were all frozen in shock as they stared at Xing, but the soldiers of the 11th were already consolidating and preparing to land decisive blows.

“Please,” Xing called out loudly, with one hand around the neck of the enemy leader. “I don’t want any casualties here…” The colonel raised his free hand and pointed it at a nearby tree, incinerating it with a gout of white fire. “Otherwise I’d have torched this whole place from the start.”

The leader of the Kyoshi Warriors struggled to break free, scrabbling against his arm as she tried to use her legs as leverage. Xing’s grip proved stronger though, and the young woman remained bending backwards at an awkward angle. 

“We…will not…kneel…to the Fire Nation…” she gasped out, earning Xing’s gaze which was both apologetic and annoyed.

“I’m not here to conquer, just to pass a message…and hopefully offer some advice.” The colonel looked to the soldiers of the 11th. “Weapons down.”

They all did as ordered, and after silent stare, the enemy leader reluctantly nodded as her throat was freed. “Stand down, Kyoshi Warriors.”

A tense awkwardness settled on both groups as Xing began negotiations. As a show of good faith (and probably to keep the meeting’s content more discreet) the Han unit were sent to wait at the edge of the forest, leaving the colonel and his bodyguards against the favored warriors of an Avatar.

“Say your piece then,” the leader said curtly, almost spitting out the words.

Xing still bothered to give another respectful salute. “If you do not mind, might I have your name?”

The young woman looked unsure for a moment, glancing back at her comrades before frowning disapprovingly at Xing. “Fine… I am Suki, of the Kyoshi Warriors.”

Koshi swore that the boy visibly relaxed, as if he’d found his quarry. Typical of the spirits to play such games… 

Xing bowed without any trace of mockery. “And as I mentioned earlier, I am Xing, though you’ve already heard of me, it seems.”

“The atrocities you’ve committed are well known to us.”

Xing smirked at that, but he didn’t reply to the accusation. “In any case, I’ve come to inform you that the Avatar has returned.”

The Kyoshi Warriors almost reeled back as one, though Suki recovered quickly with a frown of  suspicion. “And we’re supposed to believe you?”

As an answer, Xing shrugged. “He will likely land here. But he is being hunted, so I’d suggest you don’t host him for too long.”

Her frown increased, and the young woman finally gave in to the niggling question that must surely be nagging at the back of her head. “Why…why are you telling us this?”

This time Xing’s smirk was wide, almost becoming a grin. “Because, it’s in my interest if Kyoshi Island does not become…tainted by the war. I do not come asking for the island’s submission, but I hope you’re all at least open to…ah, employment negotiations in the future.”

Even Koshi was wide eyed with surprise at that.

“Why would we ever work for the Fire Nation?”

“Because maybe there’ll come a time when we’re actually a better option?” Xing immediately answered. “Because maybe we might both be able to put aside our enmity to dispense a greater justice, at least for a while?”

What in the world was Xing insinuating? That there was a bigger threat than the war?

“You have your armies, why would you need us?”

“I don’t,” came the unhesitating reply. “But again, it’d help a ton, especially because we’ll be likely dealing with Earth Kingdom victims. It’d be hard for soldiers like us to approach them, wouldn’t it? Much better to have reliable, unfeared faces to look after them.”

Koshi found himself frowning at the clues, his mind struggling to piece together this vague scenario being presented to him. 

It surely couldn’t be Omashu, the plans didn’t call for any civilian suppression…

In the meantime, Suki shared a silent, concerned look with her warriors, one heavy with a promise of a weighty discussion in the future. Then her gaze returned to Xing. “Say that we believe you-”

“You don’t have to. If the Avatar arrives on your island, you’ll have some proof of my word’s value. When the request for aid of the Kyoshi Warriors arrives, you are free to make your own judgment with all the news that will be bound to follow the request.” Xing smirked a bit smugly. “I’ll be sure to make the truth clearly known when that time comes, to banish all ambiguity of the cause you’ll be offered to join in.”

Suki’s frown faded a little, but her suspicion remained. “If what you say is true, then…I can only promise to consider your words.”

“Good enough for me,” came the shrugging reply. Xing seemed happy enough and was about to turn to leave before he paused as if remembering something. 

“Oh, by the way. If the Avatar gets chased by a Fire Nation force led by a guy a bit older than myself… If his name happens to be Zuko, tell him that I hope he compensates any damage he does to this island. Quote me on that. The faster you get the message over to him, the less fighting you’ll have to deal with, hopefully.”

Suki and the other Kyoshi Warriors could only offer confused looks at that, while Koshi found himself exchanging equally clueless looks with his fellow bodyguards.

“If he still persists in being…difficult, tell him that Azula has plans for this island, and she doesn’t appreciate him ruining it.” Almost absently, the boy leaned back to throw a sideways glance at his bodyguards and whisper too loudly.

“She didn’t.”

They left after that, with the confused Kyoshi Warriors watching over them every step of the way. Koshi couldn’t help his curiosity once they were almost back to the boats. “What is it you’re preparing for, sir?”

Whether the spirits bade him to be silent or whether it was Xing being unnecessarily obtuse about it, the colonel gave a wry smirk as he answered: “War. To drain the secrets of Lake Laogai. Hopefully it’ll get me…get us a nice home.”