Boss

The Fire Nation cruiser towered over ours, its thicker, stronger hull rising even above the peak of our command tower itself, a superior ship in every sense of the word as we sailed, broken sterned, derelict, literally in its shadow, our destroyer made night-black by the shadowy monstrosity to our side, concealing the setting sun as it sailed to our west, parallel to our own hull but facing the opposite direction, towards our attackers, who now sank into the merciless the sea, the last of the flames engulfing the vessel being extinguished alongside whatever life remained aboard the vessel.

I was on the command balcony, or rather, the small overlook constructed to observe threats from our rear. It was partially shrouded by the primary steam funnel, rising above the command tower itself, but enough of a view was provided for me to witness the outcome of the skirmish, floating debris in place of where a great threat to our very existence once sat, a water-born deliverance. There was only one sight that mattered to be, however, the survival of our skiff, and there it was, 2 aboard, mine own, survivors of what had just passed. A damned miracle.

How far were we from Whale Tail island? Somebody tell me that much. I got an answer, of sorts, as the "friendly" battlecruiser moved past us, in the opposite direction, to our starboard side. It was impossible to hear what was being yelled over the metal whir of their propellers pushing them through the sea, but they their body movement said enough. "Stop."

Damnit. We survived one vessel, by the grace of Raava. We wouldn't survive this one. Our best chance, doing what they said.

"Jadoh," I said, facing the pale-faced boy. He didn't answer at first. His cloud-white hands still clutching the spear, haphazardly too, facing the ladder that led to the command deck, seemingly unaware that the danger, at least from the Earth Kingdom destroyer, was over. "Jadoh!" I called again. He turned to face me, confused, as though my words were battling each other in his head. My saying "Don't take your eyes off that ladder, and now calling his attention away. This was the first time he'd been in danger lie this before. That much was easy to see. How old did he even say he was? "The battle's over. Get down to the engines, cut them, then held Luke and Zek get aboard. Got it?"

"The-he battle's-"

"Over. Yes. You heard what I said?"

He shook his head.

I repeated my words to him, "Cut the engines, and help Luke and Zek get aboard."

He nodded, left, leaving me alone on the command deck of this ship that was falling apart by the minute. We suffered 3 collisions. I couldn't see the full extent of the damage where I was, but assuming we managed to dock, we'd need repairs. Hell, what am I even going to say? We're pretending to be Fire Nation, quite poorly at that, and we're going to ask a poorly stocked outpost as is to repair our ship, supply us with food, water, and medicine, and send us along the way to somewhere we can find mercenary work, possibly against the Fire Nation themselves. We'll be lucky if they only execute us. But our luck was out. It had been out a long time ago. We somehow got out of this battle alive, but I couldn't say much more for what came next. I did what I had to. I was confident. They believed it. And somehow, I kept them alive. Through this one at least, but how much longer?

I felt our engines, or what was left of them, cut out below me, our ship coming to a progressive stop. The battlecruiser was looping around our rear, circling across our stern, assessing the damage. I was watching it as intently as I could. Soon enough, after they had assessed our rear damage for a good 3 minutes, a small patrol skiff emerged from its rear, headed our way. As it neared, I could soon enough count those aboard. 5, plus the driver, 6. Enough for us to fight. Maybe, but we'd be blown out of the water soon enough. I saw what it did to the Earth Kingdom destroyer, took it out of commission and sent it to its watery grave in a matter of seconds. Not a force I was willing to trifle with by a long shot.

They'll be heading to our stern skiff bay. Or whatever was left of it. I should go down to accompany them aboard. And make sure nobody killed each other.

So with a degree of haste, I rushed down, through the bridge, down the superstructure ladder, into the cool dark bowels of the ship, no gas pumping through to provide lighting, a floating corpse.

Then there was the light ahead. So the stern door was already opened, good, probably not closed since the battle, made sense. Yet when I got down, the situation wasn't that the stern hatch was raised, nor that the ramp was lowered. Rather, we seemed to be lacking a stern in its entirety. It was a miracle the damage didn't extent further south beyond the water line, or we'd be facing a similar fate as our old adversaries.

In the bay, however, was not the tense situation I had been expecting. Rather, both skiffs were loaded into rear already, its appropriate crews already disembarked, or in this case, embarked onto a barely larger vessel, and they were conversing. All apparel led in Fire Nation uniforms, 6 of them real soldiers, 3 of them in disguise, one that seemed to be working, or so I hoped.

"This must be the captain," said the leading crewman by the looks of him. 2 firebenders judging by their masks. We have one of our own, but a kid. He wouldn't win, right? But then there were 4 others, armed, armored, veterans by the looks of them. Now I even doubted our combined ability to take down half of them. We didn't seem to have much of a choice. So when the leading soldier offered his hand, I took it, shaking it, allies, for the moment.

"You took quite a hit. You're all damn lucky to still be floating."

"We appreciate the help. We'd probably be shark bait if it weren't for you."

"Give yourselves some credit. We saw the explosion two of your boys did," he said, referring to Luke and Zek, who, what?

"Yep," laughed one of the other troops. "Older one even took a prize for himself it seems."

Zek. He held a girl in his arms, scooped in his arms as though she were a 5-year old, carried off to bed by her loving parents after falling asleep in some manner of an awkward position beforehand. But what is she doing here? So, I asked as such.

"She was in the captain's quarters, sir. We think he was just using her. Couldn't just leave her behind while the ship sank."

I nodded. I wasn't in the mood to argue this. And I didn't have the time. We had company.

"Cute one too," continued the banter between the soldiers from the neighboring vessel. "Nice face on her."

"You were looking at her face? I was looking at- "

"Alright alright," intruded the lead soldier. "Cut the chatter. Captain," he said, returning his attention to me. Southern Raiders I see. Where's the rest of your crew, raider?"

I didn't let myself be perturbed by the emphasis he placed on the word, raider, but that didn't stop me from taking note of it. He knew something wasn't lining up quite right. I was determined to make sure that whatever suspicions he did have were promptly put at ease. And as far as I could tell at this moment, telling lies would get me nowhere. At least, telling certain lies would get me nowhere. Other lies, well, they were needed to keep me and my crew breathing as long as humanly possible. "This is it. We have an injured man below decks."

"Only 5 of you? On this ship? Alone? Well damn. I take back what I said. You are lucky we came along when we did. What the hell are you doing out here, in an outdated Fire Navy vessel?"

"Out of uniform too," added one of the soldiers further behind.

So they caught both points of discourse right away. Damn. Ship's not ours. Borrowed. Haven't gotten around to returning it yet."

"Captain feels attached to his ship. Understandable."

"And the uniforms were just given to us. Guess they ran out of the snazzier ones."

He smiled at that. Good. "And out here in the middle of the sea?" he asked.

"Were raiding along the Nip Sea looking for supplies. No luck. Took to the Burning Sea to try our luck down south."

"Didn't work out so well, I see."

"Not quite, no."

"Well. Here's the deal. I was quite impressed by the show your two saboteurs over here put on in taking out that eyesore of a ship. Not to mention your ability to run this thing with only 5 guys, one of whom is out for the count. So tell you what. We'll tow you to our outpost, due South on Whale Tail Island. Seems you were headed that way anyway. We'll repair your damages, load you up with supplies, and send you on your way. Deal?"

Deal? Deal?! He was offering the very thing I'd thought we may have to kill these men for, but now, they were just offering it to us on a silver platter. Hell, no, no, it couldn't be. No. Besides. It made no sense. Just giving away supplies? Where was the logic? What was there for him to gain? And who gave him the authority to do so in the first place?

"T-that's. That's far too generous. Besides, would your captain agree to tow us, and would whoever's in charge of the outpost agree to it?"

He scoffed. "Relax, kid. I am the captain. And don't worry about whoever runs the outpost. The one who controls its defense force controls the outpost. He'll do what I want if he wants me to stay. Besides, we're expecting new supplies to come in any day now, and we have more than we need. So get these boats secured in nice and tight. Give us a second to get a tow on you, and strap yourselves in. We're going for a ride.

They left, keeping two of their own, the two firebenders onboard. They didn't insist on comfort. Rather, they confided themselves to the main deck, one keeping an eye on the metal chain by which we were being towed, and the other keeping an eye on our rear, ensuring no water was making its way aboard and that there were no further surprises from the Earth Kingdom behind us. For the most, part, however, we were on edge, but there seemed no cause by which to do anything rash.

Zek agreed with me. He had already set the woman down. Coincidentally enough, in his own bed. I needed to keep an eye on him. I doubted he'd do anything, but war and bloodlust did strange thing to men. I didn't take Zek as the kind to succumb to it, at least not now, at his age, but then again, I'd seen better, younger men succumb to the same fate. Please be wrong.

After he had set the woman to rest and patched up her nose, he came to me aboard the bridge, where I was stationed, keeping an eye on the ship in front of us, but more intently, watching the firebenders below us. Worse comes to worst, could Luke take them? He'd dispatched Earthbenders with ease before, but firebenders? His own element? I wasn't sure. Part of me wanted to find out, but my fear told me it was best to avoid such a confrontation at any cost. "You think it's safe?" I asked him.

"I think so. They seem nice enough." He's still a patriot. Of course. What else would he answer with?

"You don't think there's any cause for concern?"

"Of course, I do. But they seem friendly enough. Besides, you heard what they said. They have plenty to spare."

"Or they're just luring us into a trap. Want to get us off our ship, onto solid ground where they can trap and surround us."

"There's five of us. If they wanted to take us out, they coulda done so while we were all bundled together like sardines in the skiff bay."

"Maybe. Maybe, but Zek, keep your guard up. We got out of one mess, but I don't want us getting trapped into another."

"Well if it is a trap, we don't have much choice but to spring it. They have us in tow. They have two of their guys on board. And we're out of fuel as is." Same assessment as me. Just ride it out. "Just ride it out," he said, mimicking mine own words within my head.

He turned to leave, but one word, "wait," and I held him back. "Who's the girl?"

He sighed. He had hoped to get away before the question was asked but had no such luck. "She was in the captain's quarters on the Earth Kingdom destroyer. I think she was just some port woman he picked up. I didn't want her going down with the ship, so I helped her."

"And the bloody nose? Did she have that when you found her."

There was a pause as he considered what to say next. Did you hit her, Zek? "No," he answered. I was so lost in my thoughts I didn't know which question he was answering. The one I spoke, or the one I thought. "Luke. He-She was about to scream and alert the ship. Luke stopped her."

I breathed out, shaking my head at the thought of it. He wasn't getting any better. He still remembered Ba Sing Se all too well. Whatever he saw, whatever he did, it changed him. It's still changing him.

"Alright," I said. "She can stay onboard, but when she wakes up, ask her where's she's from. And get her some clothes. I don't want a tits-loose port woman running around my ship. Got it?"

He left, presumably to do what I had asked and provide her with some degree of decency at the very least.

Near half an hour later, I could see the land ahead of us, the island in its might, and the communications tower that protruded from the islands many rock formations, walled off, small hobbles and guard quarters surrounding the perimeter.

The response of the outpost was impeccable. As we neared, the battlecruiser unhooked us, leaving us floating as it docked. Smaller tugs previously docked then approached us, tethering smaller hooks, and pulling us into the dock. In a matter of 5 minutes, we were docked, offboard, our ship being tended to, as "safe" as we could be.

We were offboard the ship as repair crews went about the tasks seemingly by instinct. Did the captain send a message ahead about our condition? If so, how much did he say? Gordez had been allowed to stay aboard, still resting. How much did he sleep through? Did he miss the entire battle altogether? I couldn't help but grin at the thought, and the pleasure I'd get later out of either telling him what he missed or an explanation of what all the hubbub was about. If there is a later. This can still very well be a trap. They might know who we are, or worse, who we aren't.

A man came out of the communications tower not long after we had boarded. He was older, but well dressed, not in military uniform. The outpost owner I presumed. If I wasn't sure before, his next comments were enough to confirm that for me. "What the hell is this? Who are you, why are you at my outpost, and why the hell, again, are you here?"

I stumbled around my words, stupidly enough as my crew watched on, saying "We-we are."

"They're with me," said the Captain from the battlecruiser whose name I was now beginning to regret I hadn't caught.

"Captain Zeeda, what is this?! Why are these, raiders, at my dock?!" So Zeeda it was.

"They're here at this dock because they got attacked by an Earth Kingdom destroyer a few miles north of here. An Earth Kingdom destroyer in your territory. That you should have known about and reported."

"You know my resources are limited, captain. How can I be expected to watch this territory when all I have is you and a few scout ships? And what anyway does this have to do with me repairing their ship?"

"What it has to do with this attack, is that you're falling behind. A friendly vessel was attacked by the enemy in territory you should have been watching. The least you can do is make it up to them. And you were whining about your lack of resources, the 'oh-so-pitiful defense force you currently, have, well, I don't have to stay here. Ozai has ordered all personnel, Navy included, to return to the mainland to regroup. So unless you want your 'pathetic force' as you put it to return home, I suggest you do as I say and tend to this ship."

The man glared. He wasn't angry that he had lost. He was angry because he knew that he would continue to lose. He had no power here. He saw that much. He was the captain's puppet. And he knew it. He looked at me now when he said it. "Fine. What supplies do they need?"

"Tell them, Captain," said Zeeda. Great. Making me say it.

"Food, water, medicine, and fuel. And we'd appreciate any repairs that can be made."

"And throw in a trebuchet for good measure," said Zeeda. "They're ship is lacking proper defenses. Proper anything, now that I think about it. Scratch that. Send a team aboard the ship. Bring it up to operational standards."

"But that would take-"

"Days. A week maybe. So get started. I recommend you do it quickly if you're so concerned about resources. I insist that the crew of this fine vessel feast every night until they're set to leave. Can you handle that, overseer?"

That same glare. "Yes, captain."

He left for the tower to make the necessary arrangements, thoroughly humiliated and stripped of whatever power he thought he held here, reminded of his place once more.

The captain turned to me, smiling. "See? What did I say? Don't worry about it."

"We appreciate the help, but, a week? We can't take up that many of your resources. Besides, we have to get going."

"Oh don't worry. That was just the overseer complaining. We'll have your ship good to go by morning. We have a shipment from the Earth Kingdom deconstruction facilities coming through later on tonight. Lucky timing. We'll pull it over, take what we need to fix up your ship, and have you on your way by tomorrow night at latest."

"Well. Thank you again. We don't know how to thank you."

"Our pleasure, Boss, that is what your crew calls you, right Captain. If anything, thank you for the target practice. Been too long since we sunk an Earth Kingdom ship. Well. For now, get your boys to town. Get some rest, get some drinks, and enjoy yourselves. You've all been at sea for a while. We'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah," I responded, still shocked by the hospitality. "Tomorrow."

"Good to hear, Boss. You raiders have hard jobs. Now get some sleep. You'll need it."

And with that he left, and I wondered, how did he know what my crew called me?