98 A.G
Lin stepped off the gangplank and onto the packed earth of Chin Village dock as the morning activity slowed around her. The harbor was crowded with soldiers, dockworkers, and officers trying to look busy, yet they were all taking notice of the newly promoted commander.
She had sent word ahead that she had been delayed by a day, so she was sure some were already waiting for her while others were just doing their job as usual. Colonel Xin was one of those waiting. He stood near the edge of the pier with two lieutenants flanking him, his posture stiff and his expression cold.
He opened his mouth as soon as she approached, clearly ready to speak first, but Lin cut him off without a word. She fixed him with a steady stare that lasted only a few seconds, long enough to make the point unmistakable, and then looked past him entirely.
Behind her, boots struck the ground in perfect unison. What remained of the Red Company had formed up without being ordered, their lines precise and unmoving, armor polished despite months in the field.
They were the only unit present in full formation, the only one that knew that their Captain was back and what it meant for them. Lin felt a familiar sense of pride settle in her chest as she turned to face them.
She raised her hand, and the company snapped into a salute so sharp it drew the attention of everyone nearby. Lin returned it immediately, and then let her gaze travel across the familiar faces.
There were new scars among them; a few of them showed signs of fatigue, but there was no hesitation or break of formation. They had held together and she could see the hope and fire in their eyes was still there, unbroken.
"You survived 18 months without me breathing down your necks." she said, her voice carrying easily across the assembled soldiers. "I hope you haven't gone lax on me, soldiers."
"No Ma'am!" came the response immediately in unison, and Lin allowed herself a small nod.
"I know the last campaign was poorly handled." she continued, her eyes sliding briefly toward Xin before returning to her company.
"I know decisions were made that cost lives and time that should never have been wasted. That ends now."
The village plaza beyond the docks had begun to fill as word spread, more soldiers drifting in, officers attempting to reorganize too late. Lin stepped forward, grounding her stance, and raised her voice just enough to reach beyond the Red Company.
"As of today, I am assuming full command of all Fire Nation forces in the southern theater." she said. "Under my command, we will conquer the region, and this area will become a spearhead toward ending the Earth Kingdom's control of the continent. We will move fast, we will strike with power, and we will not give the Earth Kingdom time to adapt."
She placed her hands behind her back, eying the rest of the soldiers gathering around.
"For everyone present, there will be changes; I will test everyone personally and offer leadership positions to those who deserve it."
She gestured over her shoulder, and her newly arrived division advanced several paces, with their rifles resting on their shoulders. A few of them pushed the compact cannons, already secured on reinforced wooden frames.
"These soldiers are your new riflemen and cannoneers." Lin said. "They will add a lot of firepower to our battalion's strength. They are trained specialists, and they will be treated as such."
A murmur rippled through the gathered troops, mostly curious about the new toys the Fire Nation had provided.
"Training will intensify." Lin continued. "It will be shorter, harder, and even less forgiving. We do not have the luxury of drawn-out drills this time. Our objective is simple and needs to be done as fast as possible." Lin scanned the horizon for a moment.
"We'll drive the Earth Kingdom out of this region completely, only a few objectives are needed to accomplish this. These cities anchor the southern Earth Kingdom's presence, and we will take them all." she continued. "Once they fall, the rest of the peninsula follows. We shall conquer and expand our mighty nation through the continent as we did in the north. For the Fire Nation!"
"HURRAH!" everyone chanted in response.
She turned then, finally acknowledging the rest of the assembled officers.
"All available units are to muster in the village plaza within the hour." she ordered. "I want full reports, and I want everyone ready to begin immediately. If they answer to me, they will be there."
Her gaze found Zhou, and her tone softened just enough to carry the respect he deserved.
"Lieutenant Zhou, I'm glad to see you again." she said. "Good job keeping as many of my men alive."
The Lieutenant smiled and nodded in return. "It's good to have you back, Commander."
Only then did she glance back at Xin, her expression unreadable.
"Colonel." she said evenly, "You will submit your full operational reports directly to me by nightfall. Don't make me regret keeping you here."
Lin turned away without waiting for his response, already moving toward the plaza, the Red Company falling in behind her without being told. Whatever chaos waited within the southern front, it would now move according to her rhythm, and she intended to make every moment count.
----0000----
Azula knew, intellectually, that following Lin to the southern front had been an impulsive decision. It had not been planned with the careful consideration she usually applied to her actions, nor had it been discussed at length with anyone beyond her father. Yet even as she acknowledged that truth, she found she did not regret it.
When she had learned that Lin was returning to the front, something in her had reacted immediately, faster than reason or pride. Still, her training and lessons had been completed, and she had been told she was ready. If that was true, then there was no better place to prove it than here, in the battlefield against the enemies of the nation.
She stood now at the edge of Chin Village's central plaza, watching as Lin addressed the gathered soldiers. Four companies had assembled under her new leadership, and thus, the 23rd Battalion was born. They stood rigidly, Fire Nation banners shifted in the light breeze, while armor and weapons caught the sun as the morning progressed.
Azula stood apart from them with her royal guards positioned behind her, their formation immaculate, as they were trained to do. They rarely saw real combat, but they were still one of the best firebending masters the nation had.
Guarding palace corridors and ceremonial halls was an honor, but it was also boring, and Azula could sense their restrained eagerness as clearly as if it were her own. Being here, for them, meant that the grueling hours of just standing there would potentially be gone.
Of course, it also meant uncertainty, danger, and the possibility of facing their death. But for a royal guard, there was honor in giving their life for the Royal Family.
Her father had not hesitated when she asked to accompany Commander Lin. He had looked at her with that familiar, assessing gaze, and then had nodded and offered his support without complaint.
It was clear he trusted her ability, and more importantly, he trusted her ambition. The princess felt proud of having gained that trust.
As Lin continued speaking, Azula found herself studying her instead of the soldiers. The way she stood, hands behind her back, and her voice had a lot of presence. Everyone had their attention on her. All of it projected authority and respect.
Anyone could see her strength and command in her posture. Azula felt a strange tightening in her chest as she watched. She saw how the soldier's attention locked onto her the more she spoke. There was no question in their eyes, just obedience to that respect the commander exuded.
Azula knew how power was supposed to look, she had been trained for that, as the crown princess. But the way Commander Lin commanded it to everyone present was impressive. She found herself wondering how long it would take before soldiers looked at her the same way.
She became aware, distantly, that Lin was introducing new divisions, the new weapons were being rolled into view, and murmurs of curiosity spread through the ranks. It was impressive that Lin had already gathered a full division of them, and Azula wondered how much Lin had to push past resistance from older generals.
Her thoughts drifted without her noticing, slipping into unfamiliar territory. As she looked at the young Commander, she couldn't help but think she looked quite attractive.
She had never given much thought to courtship beyond its necessity and duty to the nation. Marriage was a political tool, it would be considered for her when it served the Fire Nation. But if she could choose it, she would want someone attractive as her companion.
The lessons she had received had been a bit dull for her, but she understood the purpose behind them. After all, a good family line meant that power and strength were present in the Royal Family. They also had never spoken of possibilities that did not involve men.
Azula glanced again at her, and a rogue thought entered her mind: 'Would she be able to court Lin if she so wanted to?' It was obvious that once she was Fire Lord she could do whatever she wanted, but she would have to wait a long time until then.
'Would Lin even want to be with her?' Obviously being married to the Crown Princess would be appealing to anyone. And she was quite beautiful after all so why wouldn't she. Azula wasn't sure her father would approve though.
She wondered, briefly and without fully understanding why, whether Lin had ever wanted someone to stand beside her rather than behind her. She was a bit older than her, technically already of marriageable age, yet she seemed to be entirely uninterested in seeking one so far.
The thought unsettled her enough that she did not realize the speech had ended until silence settled across the plaza. Azula blinked, suddenly aware that Lin was standing directly in front of her.
Their eyes met, and for a fraction of a second Azula felt exposed, as if her wandering thoughts had been written across her face. Heat rose to her cheeks before she could stop it, irritation flaring immediately after at the loss of control of her emotions.
Without saying a word, she turned and walked away from the plaza, her steps brisk and quick as she headed back toward the harbor and the quarters of her Royal Sloop. Her guards followed without question in formation.
It was embarrassing to flee the scene but she needed some alone time to think things through and understand what she was feeling. Still, as she disappeared from the square, she could not shake the awareness that Lin's gaze had followed her for a moment longer than necessary.
----0000----
Lin continued issuing orders and receiving confirmations from her officers. Reports came in steadily as units finished assembling, scouts returning with preliminary assessments, and supply officers presented inventories to gather information on what they needed from the mainland.
Lin absorbed it all and started making corrections on the spot. There were some decisions made by her predecessor that made no sense, and logistics needed to change if they wanted to switch to the offensive.
The most immediate danger was information. Chin Village had been compromised long before her arrival. It was clear now that sabotage had been ongoing, subtle enough to avoid open confrontation but effective in disrupting supply efforts and intel gathering. Reports of scouts being ambushed and robbed were plenty.
Clearly their patrol routes had been leaked, maybe they had even managed to redirect their scouting parties, their messengers intercepted before they could return with useful information. Whoever was responsible had operated with care, managing to remain in the shadows for now.
Lin had the experience behind her to recognize the pattern. Back in Korea there were many communist spies among their forces, it had caused a lot of damage. And by the looks of it, this was very organized and done by at least a dozen people, either inside Chin Village itself or the surrounding areas controlled by the Earth Kingdom.
Qinchao in particular stood out, a town that had surrendered quickly and without resistance, too cleanly for Lin's liking. She would have to send someone over there soon enough.
She stood over a crude map laid across a supply crate, fingers resting lightly on the charcoal markings that represented roads, watch posts, and bridges. Removing the spies would require speed and subtlety.
A blunt sweep could alert the rest and scatter them, making the problem worse rather than better. That left her with an uncomfortable but obvious solution. Lin had noticed Azula's departure immediately after all, even if she did not turn to follow her. And since then she had wondered what to do with her.
Azula was dangerous, intelligent, and one of the most capable firebenders she knew. More importantly, she was perceptive in ways most soldiers were not. Her mind had a keen eye to instinctively recognize weaknesses and sense traps that Lin had tried to add in their lessons.
Assigning her to frontline combat would invite disaster, both politically and personally. Keeping her isolated would be interpreted as an insult, one Azula would not forgive easily. Lin considered assigning her this task, rooting spies and keeping the information flowing between the soldiers.
The commander needed a task that was not seen as menial or weak, but at the same time didn't represent a risk for the princess. It had to demand competence, and keep the princess out of direct battlefield engagement.
Espionage and counterintelligence fit in that regard, but at the same time, she didn't know exactly how big this group of sabotagers was. She straightened, rolling the tension from her shoulders, and summoned a runner with a brief gesture.
"Find Princess Azula." Lin said. "Tell her I need to speak with her privately."
The runner hesitated only a fraction of a second before nodding and moving off at a jog.
Lin returned her attention to the map, already running through her head the outline of the operation. The princess would not take kindly to being assigned what she might interpret as policing work or something easy.
Lin would have to frame it correctly, make it seem bigger or something only she could do. Maybe lie a bit and complain about how inept the ones who had tried were. Of course no one had even tried but it could work in her favor.
Azula wanted to prove herself, she had seen that in her eyes. Maybe Lin could give her the opportunity without sending her to the front lines, at least not yet.
When Azula arrived, Lin dismissed the remaining officers with a quiet wave, waiting until they were alone before speaking.
"I don't want to explain why I'm here, Commander." said the princess, scowling.
"My Princess. I didn't ask for you to explain yourself, but rather to discuss a mission I have for you, if you want to help."
That made the young royal pause, and she was quiet for a few seconds.
"Alright… tell me more about this mission. Lin." she said finally.
"There's sabotage in Chin Village. Subtle, but it is there." Lin said, ignoring the informality. "And likely in Qinchao as well. Our scouts either find nothing or they are assaulted en route. Someone is feeding information to the Earth Kingdom and keeping their movements hidden from us."
Azula's attention sharpened immediately.
"I want you to find every single one of these spies." Lin continued. "Quietly, they must be hunted down without the public knowing what is going on. I want names, routes, contacts. Who they answer to, and how far it goes."
She paused, watching the princess carefully.
"I know I cannot really order you around, but the incompetence of the people around me forces me to try and find someone else to do the job. I would do so myself, but if I do, I won't be able to train the battalion and get it ready to take Gaoling any time soon."
Azula smirked like usual. "So there is no one better?"
Lin held Azula's gaze steadily. She decided to voice the truth.
"No. I trust you with this."
----0000----
Operative Fong had spent most of the past month sleeping in short stretches and waking exhausted. His mission was not advancing as much as he had hoped, so he was forced to be aggressive. The Fire Nation did not need to win every battle if it could simply build enough ports to keep coming back stronger each time.
The Fire Nation occupation had been a nuisance at first, an outpost that could be harassed and starved, but the moment construction began near the cliffside and the supply runs started arriving with more regularity, the place had become a very dangerous base.
Qinchao followed as well and the construction of a port at the bottom of the cliffs complicated things. With the completion of side cranes, that same port presented a real threat to the region, and it made kicking the Fire Nation from the south even harder.
So he had done what he could, breaking tools, delaying shipments between villages, paying the right people to misplace information, guiding patrols into the wrong roads, ensuring scouts were spotted when they shouldn't, and letting the southern coalition breathe for just a little longer.
He had expected retaliation eventually. He had expected violence and fire, perhaps even a raid that burned the village to teach the locals a lesson about cooperation. He had not expected an ambush and kidnapping.
The Fire Nation soldiers had arrived before dawn, moving in coordinated groups, cutting off the paths between houses, and dragging out anyone they thought suspicious enough, even if they were just regular people.
He was caught in a very bad moment, as he was planning to break one of the cranes on the side of the cliff. Before he knew it, soldiers in black and red came for him. His earthbending had been denied as if he were a joke.
Fong had tried to bend the ground beneath their feet, but metal cuffs had closed around his arms before the motion finished, and by the time he understood what had happened, his wrists and ankles were bound tightly.
Now he sat in a storage room that had been turned into a holding cell, in an uncomfortable metal chair. Chains restricted his movements, and all he could really focus on was the smell of wet wood and oil thick in the air.
A blindfold pressed against his eyes, and the damp fabric made it harder to breathe through his nose. He could hear movement outside; boots in the corridor, the faint clink of armor, and the occasional murmur of voices.
He knew he would be interrogated soon, he was ready for it. No matter the pain, he would give them nothing. When the door finally opened, the steps that entered were too light. Operative Fong tensed, and then forced himself not to speak first. Whoever it was might be trying to unsettle him, and he refused to give them the satisfaction.
A young voice broke the silence.
"Hello, insect. You are going to cooperate with me and tell me what we need to know."
He turned his head slightly toward the sound, still blindfolded, still restrained, and he let a tired irritation rise to the surface.
"You brought a child in here…" he said, not bothering to hide the contempt. "Is that what your army does now, use little girls to keep fueling this war?"
There was silence for a few seconds, then he heard the faint scrape of armor as the figure moved closer.
"Under whose orders were you operating. You are clearly not smart enough to plan ahead." the voice asked again, as calm as before. "Were you working for Gaoling, or Omashu? How many of you are there?"
Fong let out a short laugh. The child was trying to intimidate him, what a joke.
"You are wasting your time, Kid." he said.
The blindfold was removed with a single tug. Light hit his eyes, and he blinked hard until his sight adjusted to it. The first thing he saw was the small girl in black and gold armor. It was shining, as if it were just polished moments ago.
Then he saw her face, young and composed, her golden eyes bright with focus, and her mouth set in a line that looked almost bored. She was clearly royalty, he realized, they had sent a royal child to interrogate him.
She watched him for a moment, and then spoke with the same even tone.
"I would ask your name, but I really don't care enough. You have already been captured, I want the names of the people you work with."
Fong held her gaze and tried to make his expression harden, even if she was royalty she was still an inexperienced child, he could maybe frighten her until they send someone else.
"If you expect me to talk to you, little girl… You should go back to your palace." he spat.
Azula's eyes narrowed just slightly, and the change was small enough that he might have missed it if he had not been staring at her.
"I expect you to talk, yes." she replied. "It will be faster if you decide to cooperate."
She lifted her hands, pointing with two fingers on each hand, and began to move them in a circular pattern, the space filled with a sharp blue light that illuminated the small temporary cell and a cracking sound echoed through the walls.
Fong's breath caught in surprise. Then, the motion ended, and the young girl stepped close enough that he could see the faint reflection of the light in her eyes. Then she placed her fingers against his cheek.
Pain tore through him so violently that he could not form a coherent thought. It seized his muscles, forced his spine rigid against the chair, and ripped a scream out of his throat before he could swallow it back.
Yet her fingers did not leave his cheek. The cuffs bit into his wrists as his body fought the restraints and his vision blurred. Fong had his jaw clenching so hard it felt like it might crack.
When the shock stopped, he sagged forward, gasping, sweat pouring down his face, his lungs struggling to remember how to draw air properly. The girl stepped back, watching him with a wide cruel smile, and in that moment, Fong wondered what evil spirit had taken the girl's form.
"You will answer eventually." she said. "You will sing to me who helped you, tell me how you passed information, and where the rest of your group is hiding. But there is still time for that, no need to rush."
Fong swallowed and tried to speak, he wanted her to know that it hadn't affected him much, but the words tangled with panic, as she watched her do the same circular motions once more.
The second shock made his body convulse so hard the chair creaked, and the sound of his own screaming filled his ears until it became the only thing he could hear. His throat burned, his eyes watered, his muscles trembled violently as the pain ran through him again and again.
When it finally ended, he was ready to tell her anything. He had trouble speaking but he forced names out anyway, anything that surfaced, anything he could offer to stop her from touching him again.
The evil child listened without interrupting, her expression unchanged, and when he faltered, when he hesitated over a detail he could not recall quickly enough, the blue light gathered again.
"Please! No more!" he rasped, the word humiliating in his mouth. "I'll tell you everything."
The girl's gaze stayed fixed on him, calm and unmoved.
"Sure, but you could be lying." she said. "I want the truth and I have to make sure you are not hiding something important. You're going to keep talking until I'm satisfied." she said.
Fong tried to lift his head, to plead and beg for her to stop, but blue light quickly came close to his eyes again and he flinched in response. Pain traveled his body once more and he could hear the evil spirit's laugh distantly as his body trashed violently.
When it finally stopped, she leaned closer, close enough that he could feel her breath and whispered in his ear.
"Isn't this fun?"