chapter part 1

~In which… The smiling execution-loli arrives with her 200 hundred warships and all her thousands of grizzled war veteran friends arrive to make the Northern Water Tribe really, really sorry for being evil Waterbenders. Sokka leads an elite Water Tribe force to infiltrate the Fire Nation flagship in a last ditch effort to kidnap the admiral, and on that ship, they find... ~

"Aang's not here." 

"Looks like the lieutenant got fed some bad intel, Suki."

[Agna Qel'a Royal Palace - Guest Suite]

Aang rested his good hand on Sokka's shoulder, giving it a firm, reassuring squeeze.

"Hey… thanks for coming, Aang," Sokka said, his gaze never leaving the sleeping Katara. She lay cradled in warm buffalo-yak fur, her face smeared with special green seaweed cream to treat where frostbite had flaked off the skin of her nose and cheeks. But even without it, Aang could see that she was in a pretty rough shape. Her cheeks were sunken, her lips cracked... like she hadn't eaten in days.

"You don't have to thank me. I was worried for her too." Aang admitted, his grey eyes flicking back to Sokka, "But… if you don't mind me asking…"

"Katara's going to be alright. Master Yagoda said so herself," Sokka said- too tersely, as if they were arguing- then caught himself and softened his tone. "Sorry. I'm still on edge from how close we were to… nevermind."

"I know… I saw the state Appa was in when you came back."

Sokka winced. "Sorry about that. The Fire Nation just wouldn't let up- kept right on our tail the entire way back."

"I don't like seeing him hurt, but…" Aang glanced at Katara, then back at Sokka with a small smile. "What's important is that you all made it home. But Master Yagoda did help with his wounds. He'll be fine after a few days, and besides, I'm sure Appa doesn't hold it against you- it was for Katara, I'm sure he understands. He's a big softie like that."

"Well, me and Katara owe him a lot of spa sessions after this. That's for sure!" Sokka chuckled too.

Aang was grateful for that- knowing that Sokka could still smile despite everything that happened. His eyes went back to Katara. Watching as her chest rose and fell in concerningly uneven breaths, as if she was trying to shout something in her sleep. Something was still bothering her. He glanced around for the likely source- his eyes going from that strong-smelling tray of medicinal herbs laying on the bedside, to the blue ice walls of the room that might be too cold even despite being decorated with hung pelts, and finally, to that open window with the view of the coastal walls was letting in too much light.

Walking over, he drew the fur curtains half-closed as he asked, "Was Katara already unconscious when you found her?"

Sokka's hand reached out to stroke his sister's hair. "Worse…" He said quietly, "You should have seen the state me and Appa found her in, Aang. Just wandering alone in the snow plains with a dazed look in her eyes. She barely even reacted when I was shouting at her: 'Get on! The Fire Nation's coming!' But she just stared at me like her mind was elsewhere. I don't know how to describe it. Even on the way back, she barely said anything. It really freaked me out."

"Was it poison?"

"Could have been," Sokka muttered, unsure, "Master Yagoda said there were signs of it. She's been giving Katara some antidotes, and right now, we're in the 'wait and see' part of things."

At that, Aang let out the breath that he didn't know he was holding. Someone doing even half the things that Sokka described Katara doing was already incredibly worrying. So, knowing that it was fixable was a huge relief.

"Speaking of waiting and seeing, Aang… You mind if I bunk in with you in the other room? I'd sleep here, but Master Yagoda said no."

Aang smiled. "I don't mind at all. In fact, I'd like that a lot. The guest room they gave me is a lot larger and a lot more… expensive than what an Air Nomad like me is comfortable with. Our cottage was a lot cozier. And besides…" He looked over at Katara, his heart feeling like it ached every time he looked at her. "… I think she needs us close by."

"Yeah, she should have someone with her to keep her safe."

"No, Aang was here- they must have relocated him. We still have an entire day left to pull something off. Maybe we can- Oh no…"

"Suki, are you seeing this?!"

"… I am, and I think we just failed our mission."

"But… There were 10,000 warriors with her and that special unit of Master Yagoda's students… shouldn't she have been safe with them?" Aang asked quietly.

"I thought so too," Sokka replied, his tone bitter.

"Do we know about what happened out there?"

Sokka gave an angry scoff. "If you believe Hahn, there were actually ten thousand Fire Nation ostrich-horse cavalry troops supported by a hundred thousand barbarians out in the Polar Wastes. Completely surrounded, he led the army to fight the Fire Nation across a hundred battles over the last six days, winning each time before the Fire Nation wheeled out a thousand catapults that scattered them."

Aang raised an eyebrow at the heavy sarcasm in Sokka's voice. "And what do you think really happened?"

"I think Hahn's full of it," Sokka said gruffly. "We handed him an army of 10,000 brave Water Tribe warriors, pointed him at 1,000 Fire Nation troops, and figured not even he could screw it up. But he did. And now he's lying through his teeth to cover it up- because he knows if the Fire Nation force was anything less than the humongous army he claims, he'll be banished to the wastes."

"Except… Him and Katara were the only ones you found there." Aang finished, "We can't prove how many of them were really there."

"No, we can't." Sokka gently squeezed Katara's hand through the blanket, and his voice lowered to a grim whisper, "There were a lot of dead bodies out there in the tundras, Aang. Entire fields of it. But I didn't see a single Fire Nation one. I think things went really bad for them."

The room felt colder suddenly as the enormity of the situation settled in, and a lot more quiet too, save for Katara's shuddering breaths.

Aang's gaze drifted to the floor. "So what happens now?"

"Honestly? Not much," Sokka sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "The Fire Nation is still out there, and judging by the probing attacks we've seen the past few days, they're not breaking through these walls anytime soon. Agna Qel'a is safe, for now. After everything that's happened, morale's so deep in the gutter that going back out there for round two… I doubt anyone's eager to sign up. Sure, we'll have another 10,000 warriors trained up in a few days, maybe even scrape together enough weapons and supplies to arm them. But if the new chiefs are going to send any more of their clansmen, we need something big- something that makes them believe we can actually win the next counterattack.

"Something big, huh? Like the Avatar fighting with them?"

"Yeah, that'd do it." Sokka gave a ready smile. "Are you good to go?"

"I just need a day or two," Aang replied, flexing his still injured hand.

"The Fire Nation Armada... They arrived early."

A sudden clamour outside yanked Aang and Sokka from their conversation- shouts and rushing footsteps echoing through the palace corridors.

Aang shot Sokka a worried glance. "What's going on?"

"Let's find out." He was already strapping his boomerang to his back as he strode for the door. Aang followed behind, but hesitated, glancing at Katara. Sokka caught his hand. "She's safe here. And we have to make sure it stays that way."

Aang squared his shoulders. "Right!"

They rushed out, and down to the ground floor of the palace where the usually serene atmosphere of the royal palace was now a raging rapid of activity. Palace guards rushed everywhere with grim expressions while groups of elders with their whalebone-studded hats murmured anxiously amongst themselves. And as they entered the grand chamber, Aang saw Master Pakku already standing at the centre, his long grey hair and those distinct deep blue Waterbender robes surrounded by a circle of replacement chiefs and advisers.

"Master Pakku!" Aang called out. "What's happening?"

The group paused in their discussion as the senior Waterbender stepped forward, held out something to them, "The elders say that this black snow is a dark omen of a Fire Nation."

Sokka stepped forward, taking the black and white lump in his mittened hand. "Yes, that's soot alright." He said with a hardened expression, "I've seen it before- right before my village was attacked. It's soot from Fire Nation ships mixed with snow. That Fire Nation division must have called for backup, and now they've got ships closing in on the North Pole. And from how thick the soot is, I'd say there's a lot of them."

"How many?" Master Pakku asked, his face set in hard lines.

"At least two dozen ships, maybe more." Sokka answered.

Aang listened as the elders and chiefs broke into more worried mutters, tossing around talk of warriors, whalebone weapons, and ships—none of which they had right now. The Fire Nation's sneak attack from the week before hit harder now than it did the first time: chiefs gone, arsenals burned to ash, and their fleet torched at the docks. The failed counterattack only made things worse, with most of their seasoned warriors lost out in the Polar Wastes. And now, they were short on everything. Fresh recruits with hardly any weapons to arm them, new leaders who didn't know what they were doing, and no ships to send them out on.

They weren't in any position to defend the city from a Fire Nation fleet. Not anymore.

"What about the rafts and canoes we've been making?" Aang stepped up before the panic could rise any higher. "Can the Northern Water Tribe still fight them with those?"

Master Pakku turned to him, unimpressed. "Against a dozen Fire Nation cruisers? In broad daylight? At this short notice? No. But a naval attack alone won't bring Agna Qel'a down. That I can assure you."

The wizened elders nodded as well, agreeing with the sentiment. It gave Aang a little bit of hope.

"Uh… Suki? Shouldn't we be running our butts off right about now? We don't know how long before the saturation bombardment starts!"

"Right! Sisters, let's get to our extraction point! Quickly!"

"Sokka," Master Pakku prompted, like a general talking to his officer, "you've seen this before. How much time do we have?"

Aang watched as Sokka didn't answer immediately. Instead, he walked over to the palace window, staring out at the cloud of black smoke creeping over the horizon. A look of concentration on his face, dredging up details from old memories that Aang knew were painful- the same memories of when the Fire Nation had attacked his village, and when Sokka and Katara had lost their mother.

After a tense silence, Sokka turned to face them, "A few hours… if we even get that long."

"Sooner than I had hoped, but enough time to make some preparations." Master Pakku's expression darkened before turning to the elders and the replacement chiefs. "Sound the drums and have the shelters prepared. Prioritise the children and the sick. Have the Waterbenders fortify the walls and ready the defences. We must be prepared to fend those Warm Landers off if they try to breach the coastal walls! Sokka, gather all our battle plans, we're relocating our war room to the cellar below! All of you, move, we have no time to waste!"

A whirlwind of parkas and urgent jogging as everyone rushed off. Sokka nodded to Aang before jogging off as well.

Drums began to beat in the distance

"Uh… What should I do, Master Pakku?" said Aang.

Master Pakku who ran a tired mittened hand over his balding head. "I won't lie, Avatar Aang…" He said, and Aang winced at the sound of his title. It was never a good thing when people used it with his name. "We sent our best warriors out in the Polar Wastes in that ill-fated counterattack against those Fire Nation elites. And now, we're spread dangerously thin in terms of able warriors. Our warriors won't falter- they'll defend their home with everything they have- but if the Fire Nation breaks through…"

"Then we fight with everything we've got." Aang nodded, his grip on his staff tightening. "We're not letting them take Agna Qel'a without a fight."

Master Pakku gave a weary smile. "I'd prefer they didn't take Agna Qel'a at all," he quipped, but his tone grew serious again as he stepped closer, lowering his voice so only he could hear. "But Aang, you need to understand something: we might not win this battle."

Aang blinked, completely surprised by the sudden change in tone. "What are you saying?"

"If Agna Qel'a falls- and it might- you need to escape. You're the Avatar, the last hope for the world. If you die here, I fear that the balance will be lost forever."

"But! I can't just leave you all to fight alone!" His voice in pure disbelief. "If I run, it feels like I'm giving up on everyone here in the Northern Water Tribe!"

The aged waterbender master simply placed a hand on Aang's shoulder. "You're not giving up. The Avatar's duty is to the world, not just one city. And it needs you to restore Balance, even if it means leaving the Water Tribe behind for now. And besides," Master Pakku gave a reassuring smile, "You came back for us once. I'm sure you can do it again."

Aang took a deep breath. He knew what Master Pakku meant. It was just like what Avatar Roku said during the solstice: Not even the Avatar will be able to restore balance if he failed to master the Four Elements and stop the Fire Lord. But… leaving these people behind, it still hurts to even consider it. He was just about to refuse anyway, but at the last moment, Katara's sleeping face flashed in his mind. "Okay…" he finally said. "I'll stay and fight. But if it comes to that… I'll do it, but I'll definitely come back to free you from the Fire Nation."

"And that's all we can ask of you." Master Pakku nodded, before smirking, "And please, let's not speak as if our defeat is carved into the glaciers just yet. The Northern Water Tribe will fight with all the strength the Moon and Ocean Spirits have given us to see our home safe. But if destiny dictates otherwise… Don't hesitate to take Sokka and Katara, and fly off to the Earth Kingdom."

"Thank you, Master Pakku. And yeah, we won't lose Agna Qel'a. Not on my watch."

"And we're out. But… are we really just supposed to watch as it happens?"

"Only until our extraction arrives."

"… I don't think Agna Qel'a will even hold out that long."

(Half an hour later)

Aang felt small standing atop the coastal wall of Agna Qel'a, like an orange-and-yellow speck on the huge glacier of reinforced ice. The wall towered above the city, taller than hills, thicker than houses, and stretching the entire breadth of Agna Qel'a with its carved animal heads. Only the Walls of Ba Sing Se surpassed it in scale and strength. So, it was hard to imagine any Fire Nation ship breaking through, but they had spent hours fortifying it with Waterbending anyway.

Aang gripped his staff tight with his uncasted hand, wincing slightly as pain cracked up his arm. The small sound caught Sokka's attention, and he glanced over.

"Did Master Yagoda say you could fight, Aang?"

"I… didn't have the time to ask." Aang glanced away. "You're not gonna tell on me, are you?"

"Nope. But we'll be counting on you, Aang. So don't push it too hard, alright?"

"I won't let you down."

Sokka nodded, his face tight with concern. Across the wall, Water Tribe warriors stood at attention, their blue-and-white parkas fluttering in the wind, whalebone spears gripped tightly, sharpened bone pointing straight up to the sky. Their foreheads were marked with Water Tribe warpaint- three wavy red lines symbolising waves crashing on a shore. 'The Mark of the Fierce,' as Sokka had explained. These warriors didn't look so fierce to Aang- too skinny, too young and too old. Not like the tall, muscular men who had marched out to face the Fire Nation's 41st Division a few days ago. But they were determined to protect their home. And that was enough. It had to be.

Then, the moment they waited for finally came.

"FIRE NATION!" The call rang out from the observation towers situated higher above, and the war drums began to beat louder, echoing through the city.

Aang squinted at the horizon, not yet seeing them from this vantage point. He would have gone out on Appa to face them in the sea, but with Appa injured again rescuing Katara, he couldn't risk it. That was alright. Being forced to choose between saving a friend and attacking an enemy, he'd always take the first.

Tense few minutes crawled by, everyone just staring and squinting at the horizon, tension thick enough to be cut with a knife before finally, they came into view.

A solitary black dot on the pristine blue line.

A Fire Nation cruiser, an entire town's worth of Fire Nation soldiers encased in a black metal fortress that burned a swathe across seas. And it didn't come alone. More of those dots appeared, growing. From the line where sky met sea, Fire Nation warships rose from the horizon like the clawed fingers of a monstrous metal hand, as if some gigantic spirit from the Underworld was reaching up from beyond the curve of the horizon to claim the world.

The Fire Nation had come.

"That's definitely more than just two dozen, Sokka." Aang's throat went dry.

One by one, the Water Tribe warriors began to murmur in disbelief; and Aang could feel their fearful gasps in the disturbing breeze. Warship after warship after warship pierced over the horizon, a seemingly endless procession of Fire Nation vessels. Fifty, sixty, seventy… the numbers kept climbing as the minutes passed, filling the Northern Sea with dark silhouettes. A fleet stretching across the horizon like an unstoppable force of nature.

There weren't fifty ships. There weren't even a hundred.

"That's… too many," Aang whispered, a sickening knot forming in his stomach as he couldn't do anything but count, "Sokka, there must be two hundred warships here."

Two hundred. More than twice their worst fears. A lot more.

"That elite division wasn't the main force…" Sokka muttered in realisation, his knuckles white as he gripped the hilt of his boomerang. "They were just the vanguard. This- this is the actual Fire Nation invasion. Spirits, it's not even a fleet… it's an Armada."

"Two hundred thousand people… I hope they find peace for what's about to come next."

[Grand Admiral Zhao's Battleship]

It was a game to her- the extermination of the Water Tribe, Zhao realised. Like something to be played at some schoolyard. Except where ordinary children would wager sweets, the stakes here was a city reduced to ash.

On the bridge deck of his battleship, Grand Admiral Zhao looked down at the main deck, where a little pink-haired girl no older than six summers was inspecting the assembled ranks of the trebuchet crews. Her red cape fluttered behind her as her stubby legs marched up and down the deck, battle-hardened men scared stiff by her mere presence. Zhao let her play her games. In the end, her infamy would only heighten his legend after all.

"Today, we're gonna make those evil waterbenders sorry that they were ever waterbenders! Cuz the good guys are here to save the day!" Her little voice rang out. "Anya says: move to your positions!"

As if her words carried the weight of the Fire Lord himself, the trebuchet crews sprang into action, scrambling from their tight formation to man their great siege engines. Their every action dictated by the whims of a girl barely tall enough to see over the railing.

"Lower the arm!" she chirped.

No one moved.

"Good one!" the little pink-haired girl laughed, her tiny hands clapping in delight, "Anya says: Lower the arm!"

"Anya says: Lower the arm!"

In sync, the two trebuchet operators turned the winch with their great strength- raising high the massive leaden counterweight and the swing arm low to its ready position. With a chunky clunk of metal gears, they locked the counterweight into place, then returned to standing at attention.

"Anya says: Load the money shins!" she sang, as though she were requesting her favourite toy.

Four Loaders hauled the munitions- carefully securing the man-sized ball of compacted high explosives onto the sling. For over fifty years of war, the destructive power of these weapons shattered the thick walls of Earth Kingdom fortresses into scorched rubble. Now, they were reformulated to be even more potent. The wrathful fruits of War Minister Qin's department. The deck crew eyed it warily and gave the immense ball of high explosive death a wide berth, but not Anya- not the adoptive daughter of the Fire Nation Giant himself. She skipped closer, no more afraid than she would be of an ordinary ball.

"Aim!" she shouted.

The crew hesitated again, waiting.

"You guys are getting so good at this!" the little pink-haired girl laughed, her tiny hands clapping in delight, "Anya says: Aim at the evil Waterbender nest!"

The operators adjusted the trebuchets' rotations, deliberate and precise, as though their lives hung on her next command. In a way, they did.

"Anya says: hammer guy and torch guy get ready!"

The torchbearer readied the torch that burned hot enough to melt through the safety coating. And the release operator, hefted his great metal mallet- its shadow looming over the trigger assembly. Both men turned to Anya, waiting for the order that would start the Siege- No, the Annihilation of the Water Tribe Capital.

Anya smiled back at them.

"Anya says… Fire."

The fuse was set alight, and the iron mallet came crashing down.

Metal on metal rang out as it slammed into the trigger, released the catch and sent the trebuchet's ponderous counterweight go into freefall. All around them, the sound was repeated- a chain reaction across the two hundred warships that filled the sea. Five hundred trebuchets hurled their deadly payload skyward, tails of smoke and fire streaking behind them. and the cacophony of those flaming orbs streaking across the blue sky made it sound like the very sky itself was shrieking as if burned.

And all while, Anya bounced on her toes and cheered as she watched the spectacle unfold with wide, eager eyes.

Zhao could only imagine how it would appear to the Water Tribe savages as the munitions reached the peak of their arc. Staring up at the sky to what must have looked like a thousand blazing suns falling from the heavens, ready to end their entire world.

"May Kyoshi have mercy on this doomed city."

(Eight hours of bombardment later) [Zhao's Flagship]

It wasn't normally his style, but Sokka prayed, and he prayed hard.

"Moon and Ocean Spirit… Please be with us tonight."

The nearly full moon hung above them, casting a silver glow on Sokka and his men pulled themselves up the black iron hull. Grappling hooks bit into metal, and one by one, they hauled their way into one of the battleship's many life raft bays.

"Point of no return, warriors," Sokka told the gathered battalion of Water Tribe men in Fire Nation navy uniforms. "We don't leave until the mission's done… Sink 'em."

With grim expressions, they tugged on the ropes leading back down to the water tribe canoes and opened holes in the hulls. They all watched as their only way back sank beneath the freezing arctic waters. They needed to do this. All it would have taken was for a single Fire Nation soldier to look down from the railing and see a lot of Water Tribe canoes pressed against the hull. Enough canoes for an elite strike force, enough canoes to change the course of the siege.

Clearing his throat, Sokka spoke. "Phase one complete. Now, here we are- on the biggest and baddest ship in the Fire Nation Armada, the flagship. We're moving to Phase two: We locate the head officer of this fleet and get into position to capture him. His name's Admiral Zhao. Not Admiral 'Choi' or 'Jao' but 'Zhao.' Got it?" He turned his gaze to one soldier in particular. "I said 'Got it?', Hahn."

The entire docking bay full of men turned to stare at a specific one. The 'former' Head chieftain of the Northern Water Tribe looked like he swallowed a whole lemon, but he still nodded stiffly. This was Hahn's last chance to redeem himself in the eyes of the tribes. Maybe even enough to make himself Head chieftain again. It was a big maybe, but if Sokka could count on anything, it'll be that Hahn will fight tooth and nail for a scrap of glory.

"Yeah. Admiral Zhao." The 'head chieftain' repeated, "We grab him, we win the war."

Sokka hid a wince. "Saying that this'll 'win the war' is a stretch... But capturing the admiral will at least force the Fire Nation to the table." Sokka made sure to meet each of their eyes one by one, keeping his tone firm and confident, "It'll save Agna Qel'a- it'll save the Northern Water Tribe."

Their faces grew even more serious beneath their stolen Fire Nation helmets. Sokka didn't know how many of them would make it through this, but they couldn't let another day of bombardment pass. The trebuchets had torn through their defenses, and they had lost more lives in the first day than the entire army of 10,000 they sent out, which was completely wiped out, and that was on the low side of the estimates.

"And one more thing," Sokka added, holding their attention, "if you find Zhao, don't attack him until the signal. We don't have the numbers to fight the thousands of crewmen on this giant ship. If the admiral escapes in the scuffle, this whole mission's for nothing."

More nods. Silent, serious. Sokka slipped on his own Fire Nation helmet, the cold metal pressing down on his shoulders like the weight of the entire Water Tribe. Maybe even the entire world.

"Moon and Ocean Spirits be with you, Last Chance Battalion," he murmured.

Because that's what they were- the last chance. The Northern Water Tribe wouldn't survive another day of this siege. Everything depended on capturing that admiral. They had the numbers for that one guy and his bodyguards. However...

Spirits help them if there was a monster like the Giant on board.

"Munya... peanuts..."

Anya wriggled free from her Mama's hug, rubbing her sleepy eyes. She checked her bedside table- the peanut bowl's empty. Her cheeks puffed in a pout. Hugging Buttercup, her ostrich-horse plushie (who still had a stuffed Earthbender trapped in its beakie), she shuffled into the hallway and made her way to the kitchens.

"Midnight peanuts… Anya needs her peanuts…"

(A few minutes later)

"Found anything?"

"Sokka! Spirits- almost clocked you there." Hahn muttered, lowering his gauntleted fist. "Yeah, we found it. The stairwell to the bridge is just down that hallway."

He pointed down the metal hall lit up in that ever present red light, and Sokka let out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding.

"Good work. I figured it'd take us ages to find it in a ship this huge. Seriously, the Fire Nation just had to make it so stupidly large- even bigger than the royal palace." He glanced over his shoulder at his warriors in Fire Nation uniforms. "Alright, you know the drill. Get word to the other teams- tell them how to reach the bridge. Then lie low near the stairwell until I give the signal."

The soldiers nodded, saluting with a Fire Nation precision that made Sokka grimace a little inside. They marched off, disappearing into the maze of hallways.

Hahn leaned closer. "So, what now? Do we just wait until-"

"Shush!" Sokka snapped, holding up a hand. His eyes darted down the hallway. "Look... over there."

A long shadow shuffled toward them, cast against the red-lit walls. Sokka tensed. Was it a guard? A scout? Then, stepping into view, came a tiny figure in red silk pajamas, her pink hair tousled and wild. She was holding a half-empty bowl of peanuts in one hand and cradling a small ostrich-horse plushie in the other.

Sokka blinked, frozen in disbelief. "Is that... a kid?"

The two of them stood there, dumbstruck, as the little girl shuffled closer, rubbing her eyes sleepily. The sound of peanuts softly clinking against the bowl echoed in the hallway, the only noise in the thick, tense silence.

"Yep," Hahn said, his eyes wide. "A kid."

She almost bumped against Hahn's shins before she finally noticed- blinking up at them. "Mmmm... can you guys scootsh a bit? Anya wants to go back to bed."

Sokka and Hahn exchanged looks through their helmets. Sokka knelt down to her eye level. "Hey, are you one of the officer's kids?"

"Mmmm?" She yawned. "Who're you?"

"We're just your regular Fire Nation soldiers. Big and strong, and on your side!" Sokka smiled as the girl continued to stare at them. He wasn't too worried about getting found out that they were actually Water Tribe in disguise, not by a little girl at least.

But then… she froze. Her green eyes blinked, widening as she stared at them all. The bowl slipped from her hand, and the peanuts scattered across the floor with a loud clatter. "Wa-wa-wa-WATERBENDERS!" She screamed a shrill little girl scream, "MAMA! WATERBENDERS ON THE- Mmmph!"

"How'd she know!?" Hahn hissed, clamping his hand over the girl's mouth as her tiny fists pounded at his gauntlets; but it was too late, the scream was already echoing up and down the hallway. Vibrations in the metal telling Sokka that the Fire Nation had heard it, and they were already rousing awake. Just their luck- so much for the sneaky approach!

Sokka peeked behind a nearby door, gesturing hurriedly. "Everyone! Into this store room, quick!"

The entire squad hustled into the cramped store room amongst the metal crates, pressed against the door and listened to the voices of alerted Fire Nation soldiers just outside, and Sokka held his breath, pressing himself against the cold metal wall of the cramped storeroom. He could feel the collective tension of his men, hands gripping tight on their whalebone knives.

"I heard Lady Anya scream! It came from this direction!"

"There's a bowl of peanuts on the floor- She was here!"

"We got to find her! My shift will NOT be responsible for this!"

"Evening shift isn't going to be dragged into this either!"

"Grand Admiral Zhao'll have ALL our heads if anything happens to her! Spread out!"

Hurried footsteps beat past the door as the Fire Nation soldiers scrambled in all directions, and Sokka heard everyone in the cramped room release the breath they were all holding. "Too close... that was way too close," He whispered, exhaling too before toward Hahn, who still had the girl locked in his grip.

"And 'Lady' Anya?" Sokka's eyes narrowed at the pink-haired child in Hahn's arms.

"Mmmffmm!" came her muffled reply, squirming as she tried to break free from Hahn's hold.

Hahn, clearly irritated, snapped, "Stop squirming, you little twerp!"

But she squirmed until her mouth was free at least. Her small hands slapping at metal of Hahn's gauntlets, "Papa Khan will get you all, you evil Waterbenders!" she growled, her voice full of bravado. For such a tiny girl, she was fierce- or at least she tried to be. Unfortunately for her, her attempts at intimidation came off as more adorable than menacing.

"Papa... Khan?" Sokka muttered, eyes widening as the realisation hit him. "Your dad's the Giant?!"

"Yeah!" Anya puffed out her chest, despite being held in place. "And everyone's going to use his superweapon, and they're going to burn your little igloos down! And then Papa's going to come and make you all sorry for upsetting Fire Lord Ozzy! And—mmph!"

Hahn had clamped a hand back over her mouth, but he grinned excitedly at Sokka. "This is huge! We got the Giant's own daughter! Now, we can trade her for all the hostages the Fire Nation's been holding!"

"Don't forget Yue!"

"Yeah, yeah. My used-goods betrothed, of course." Hahn rolled his eyes, as if she were nothing more than an afterthought.

Sokka's jaw clenched, anger boiling beneath the surface. This jerk didn't deserve to speak Yue's name, let alone call her 'used goods.' For a moment, he considered knocking Hahn flat, but he forced himself to stay focused. There were bigger problems right now. Taking a breath to calm himself, he narrowed his gaze back at Anya. "Wait," Sokka said, suddenly remembering something else the little girl had said. "What was that about a superweapon?"

Hahn hesitated, glancing down at Anya before loosening his grip. "Yeah, kid. Spill it. What's this superweapon you're going on about?"

"... Anya's not telling!"

"Hahn, we need to find that superweapon."

"What?" Hahn looked confused, his brow furrowing. "What are you talking about? We grab Zhao to make the Armada go home, and now we've got this little brat to barter with the Giant. We've got all the leverage! With Zhao and the kid, we might even win outright! I'm totally getting my position as Head Chieftain back after this! Dude, we're set!"

"No, we're not." His voice was sharp, his tone cutting through Hahn's delusions. "We can't just sit back and hope we've got enough leverage! What use is leverage gonna get us when we come home to the smoking crater of Agna Qel'a, huh?"

Hahn pressed his lips together and grunted reluctantly. "Ergh… fine. You got a point."

"Good." Sokka nodded, and turned his attention back to Anya, who was still quietly glaring at him. "This superweapon... you're keeping it here on this ship, aren't you?"

"Not telling!"

"Looks like they are, Hahn." Sokka said without missing a beat.

"Wha- How'd you know?! Did you read Anya's mind or somethin'?!"

"Nope, you just told me just now," Sokka smirked, and the realisation filled those green eyes. That trick never got old.

Anya's eyes went wide, "Dangit! You sneaky evil Waterbender!"

Sokka chuckled, but his smile quickly faded as the gravity of the situation returned. "I don't suppose you'll tell us what kind of superweapon it is?"

The tiny pink-haired girl clamped her mouth shut, shaking her head stubbornly.

"Figured as much." He scoffed, "Hahn, you and your squad stay here. Keep Anya secure while the rest of the battalion takes care of Zhao. I'll head down and find out what this superweapon is. We need to know what we're up against, in case the Fire Nation tries to use it against the Northern Water Tribe."

"What?" Hahn squawked in protest. "You can't just cut us out of the glory like that! I'm supposed to be leading this mission, too!"

Sokka narrowed his eyes. "Anya is just as important of a bargaining chip," he said, his voice steady. His thoughts flashed to the hostages being held in the arctic tundras, and to the promise he'd made to Princess Yue. "Maybe even more important. Someone has to stay behind and make sure she doesn't get hurt. Or free. And that's you."

"Oh?" Hahn thrust Anya into the arms of another soldier, who quickly clamped a hand over her mouth. "You're just going to keep me on the backbench twiddling my thumbs while you go play hero? This isn't even part of the mission! You and everyone else keep saying that I ran like a coward back in the army, but you're the one running off while I'm the only one who's focused on the mission!"

Sokka exhaled slowly, then pulled a small whalebone whistle from his belt pouch. He held it out to Hahn. "If I don't make it back in time… You blow that as loud as you can and lead the men through Phase Three. Capture Zhao without me."

It was the most surprised Sokka had ever seen Hahn, staring at the whistle, then back at him. "You're giving me the signal?"

"I'm trusting you to get it done if I'm not back." Sokka said, his tone and his stare completely serious. "We need both Anya and the admiral if we want to win. But I'm going to go make sure we don't lose to the superweapon. Make sense?"

"Yeah," Hahn nodded, gripping the whistle tightly, "Makes sense."

"I'll try to be back before you need to use it." Sokka turned toward the exit.

He was nearly out the door when Hahn's voice stopped him. "Hey, Sokka?"

Sokka glanced over his shoulder. "What?"

"Moon and Ocean Spirits be with you."

Sokka's expression softened for a moment. "And with you."

As the door clicked shut behind him, Sokka's mind raced through the next steps. Time was slipping away, and the mission had just grown more complicated. They couldn't afford any mistakes- not with the Water Tribe depending on them. Every second counted now. He had to find it.

He couldn't.

Sokka crouched low, his breath coming in shallow gasps as he wiped some sweat from his brow. Despite all the layers of Fire Nation armour he wore and all the sweat soaking his undershirt, the chill of the ship still seemed to gnaw at his bones. Shadows danced in the dim, red lighting that filled the hold, casting strange shapes over the boxes as the ship gently swayed with the waves. If the Fire Nation had hidden their superweapon anywhere, it would be here. So far? nothing. But there had to be something.

"Where are the mega trebuchets? The Mechanist's inventions?" Sokka muttered to himself. "Maybe they still have it disassembled? And stuffed in one of the crates?"

But as he looked around it seemed as if the ship's hold was stretched out before him, endless stacks of crates towering like a metal jungle. Checking each one wasn't going to be possible with the time they had. So, he had to pick the right crate ones… from out of all those.

"Please, please let me be lucky tonight!" Sokka whispered desperately as he rubbed the metal cheek of his lucky boomerang. He picked one random crate from the stack and forced it open, hoping to find superweapon parts. But instead, rows of smaller boxes greeted him, neatly stacked. Boxes of supplies it looked like, but no strange machinery. Yanking one out, he opened it. Empty. Just circular indentations and a whole lot more questions.

His head throbbed with frustration, and he slammed the crate shut. Then, a sharp, distant screech of metal echoed through the hull, followed by the shrill, unmistakable sound of a whalebone signal whistle.

Sokka's head snapped up, his heart hammering in his chest. "They're early," he muttered under his breath. There was only one reason why the signal would come before everyone was in position: The Fire Nation had found them.

The signal was given, but they were still trapped in the storeroom. Beneath Fire Nation helmets, the Water Tribe warriors exchanged tense glances.

"Anya! ANYA!" a woman's voice echoed down the corridor, "Mama's here! Anya!"

The team leader tightened his grip on the little pink haired child- muffling any possible screams she could make to who was apparently her mother searching for her. One of his Water Tribe warriors shifted, stepping on something small and hard. A single unshelled peanut that had rolled across the floor, and crunched someone's boot.

Everyone froze, holding their breath. Then they realised that the woman was no longer calling for her daughter.

"Sangok," the team leader whispered, his voice barely audible. "Check the door. Quietly."

The young waterbender nodded, edging forward as silently as possible. He cracked the door open, barely a hand's width to peek through the gap.

A slender, feminine fist shot through the opening, faster than anyone could react, grabbing Sangok by the collar and yanking him through the tiny gap. Squealing of crushed metal and the sickening crack of bones being broken simultaneously popped out. Sangok's entrails burst out to splatter at the rest of the team, barely having time to scream as his entire body was forced through a space as narrow as a teacup.

The screaming stopped, and a pair of glowing, blood-red eyes stared unblinkingly at them through the bloody crack in the door.

They'd been found.

Anya took advantage of their shock, wiggling her mouth free from his grip. "Mama! Help! Evil Waterbenders' got Anya!"

The entire bulkhead groaned as metal twisted under immense force. With a sharp screech, the door was ripped clean off its hinges and tossed aside like scrap.

The bloody-eyed shadow rushed in, and death followed after her.

Alarm horns blared, loud and piercing, rattling through the hull.

"Oh, we're deep in the brown snow now," Sokka muttered, yanking another box from the racks. "Whatever was in these crates, I need to know- and fast."

The hold felt different now- more alive. Like the ship itself had woken up, a giant sea monster stirring from its slumber. Every fiber in Sokka's being screamed at him to hurry. His eyes darted around, desperate for something, anything that would make sense of this mess. But no- only the same frustrating emptiness.

His mind flashed to Hahn, to the others. I should be fighting with them- getting to the bridge, Sokka thought, his heart aching to join the fray. But I need to figure this out first. It's more important than anything else right now.

The Fire Nation was closing in. Time was running out.

"I just need one piece of the puzzle. One clue dammit!" he hissed, scratching his scalp in frustration. "Why are these boxes empty?!"

Whatever had been inside was crucial enough to be moved- and recently too! The Fire Nation didn't leave empty crates on a flagship without a reason. So, what was in there?!

Sokka's steps quickened to run as he moved deeper into the hold, no longer cautious. His eyes darted from crate to crate, the walls pressing in as if the ship were trying to trap him. Another stack of crates loomed ahead, even larger than the last. He pried one open, his hands trembling from urgency.

More nothing. More empty containers. More circular indentations carved into the boxes.

A bead of sweat traced a line down the side of Sokka's face. "This just doesn't make sense." He hissed to himself. Then it struck him, sending his eyes flying wide, "Maybe… it wasn't something the mechanist made?"

Mind racing, he tried to piece together the clues.

"Think, Sokka." He clenched his fists. If the weapon wasn't a mechanical siege engine: if it wasn't the clanking and brilliant inventions like the Tundra Tanks, or the hot air balloon that the Mechanist made. Then what was it? Something had been here, something dangerous enough to warrant emptying out the crates in secret. He replayed everything he had seen and heard since boarding the ship. There had to be a clue…

Then, it hit him. What Anya had said: 'Everyone's going to use his superweapon.'

'Everyone' and 'his.'

Sokka's breath caught in his throat- the realisation slammed into him like a tidal wave. "I know what it is!" Sokka whispered, his heart hammering in his chest. "It's definitely not a machine. It's something anyone can use. Of course!"

There was no time to lose. He turned on his heel, sprinting toward the exit and for a possible way off this ship. He had to get back to Agna Qel'a- he had to warn the city. The superweapon wasn't what anyone thought. It wasn't one single thing… it was something far worse.

He could only hope that Hahn and the men had the admiral handled.

[Main deck]

Lined up and kneeling on the main deck of the battleship, Hahn shivered as the biting cold from the arctic winds rushed over the black metal deck. Torches flickered around them- lighting up the faces of the other captured Water Tribe warriors who knelt in silence. For some reason, the Fire Nation bastards had left them in their Fire Nation armour as if to mark them as failures.

"That's him! That's the suspicious Waterbender that grabbed Anya!" The little pink-haired brat jabbed a tiny finger at him.

Of course she'd single him out.

"So, you're the leader of this pathetic, failed attempt on my life." A voice, dripping in contempt, spoke over him.

Hahn looked up to see Grand Admiral Zhao himself standing over them. The older man's great sideburns and great red cape billowing in the wind as he stood beside the pink-haired brat. Hahn clenched his fists behind his back, feeling the rope bite into his wrists.

This wasn't how it was supposed to go. He was supposed to come back to Agna Qel'a a big damned hero. Just like how he was supposed to when he led the army. He had been so close to redeeming himself too, so close to being the greatest head chieftain in the history of the Northern Water Tribe. He'd always thought himself unlucky, but this was another level entirely. Destiny had it out for him. He just knew it. He opened his mouth to defend himself, but before he could say anything, Anya's voice rang out again.

"Launch him from the trebuchet!" she demanded, bouncing on her heels.

"L-launch!? You can't be serious!" Hahn protested, his wide eyes flicking between Zhao and the little girl.

Zhao raised an eyebrow. "Anya, that form of execution is reserved for traitors and mutineers."

"But… Uncle Jao, please~!" She pleaded up to him.

Zhao went quiet for a moment, considering. The silence stretched on for a while, nothing but the crackle of torches and the howl of the arctic winds as Hahn knelt before the guy that he was supposed to capture. Then finally, the grand admiral turned back to him with a self-satisfied smile. "On second thought, perhaps we can make an exception."

Hahn's stomach dropped, and his voice cracked, "What… what are you talking about?"

Zhao's smile widened, and his gloved hand patted Hahn's head like an arctic camel that just won the fair. "Congratulations, Water Tribe savage! By donning the esteemed armour of the Fire Nation, you have officially become a member of the Fire Nation Navy!"

The chuckles of the actual Fire Nation Navy soldiers who stood in the sidelines rippled out around them.

"What?" he stammered, mind reeling. "What do you mean?"

"And as a member of our esteemed Navy," Zhao continued smoothly, "I hereby charge you with trespassing, kidnapping, mutiny, and high treason. How do you plead, crewman?"

Hahn realised then that they just wanted to make fun of him before they killed him! He gritted his teeth and spat, "Suck on a sea urchin, you Fire Nation scum!"

Zhao barely acknowledged the insult. "Defence noted," he said, dispassionately. "By the authority invested in me by Fire Lord Ozai, I hereby sentence you to death by trebuchet, to be carried out by the aggrieved party."

"You're the best, Uncle Jao!" Anya squealed, running over to hug Zhao's armoured leg. She spun toward the real Fire Nation soldiers with a wide, bright grin, and dramatically extended her small arm out. "Load 'em onto the trebuchets!"

Hahn struggled as he and the other Water Tribe prisoners were dragged to their feet. Panic surged through him as they were manhandled toward the massive siege weapons. "Let me go! Let me- mmphh!"

A fistful of peanuts was punched into his mouth by her tiny fist. Hahn choked, struggling to spit them out, but a Fire Nation soldier shoved a sack of peanuts to his chest. "Here's your last peanuts. The moon looks really big tonight, so Anya thinks you've got a good chance of landing there! When you do, plant as many peanuts as you can, okay?" Anya patted his head, "Good luck, mean waterbender guy! Hope you get to the moon safe!"

"Mmmppphhh!" His eyes wide as he was hauled chained onto an oiled up munition.

"Anya says: hammer guy and torch guy get ready!"

But as the tension on the siege weapon grew, as the gears clacked and metal groaned under pressure, all Hahn could do was stare up at the vast night sky, and a terrifying thought came to his mind.

The moon really did look big tonight.

"Anya says: Fire!"

[Agna Qel'a]

Long before the sun had risen, the trebuchets began their relentless assault. Massive fireballs lit the pre-dawn sky, their fiery trails screaming over the icy walls of Agna Qel'a. The remaining waterbenders sprang into action, already holding the waterbending form for raising [Ice Walls] in anticipation of that incoming fireball.

But it never reached the city.

With a deafening boom, it exploded midair, high above the city, raining smoking debris. One of the women, a wrinkled, frail figure in the crowd, spotted something from the debris that had fallen onto the courtyard grounds. She stumbled forward, her knees buckling beneath her as she scooped up a twisted, cracked betrothal necklace of blue jade. Her eyes widened in horror, her voice breaking with disbelief.

"H-Hahn?" she whispered, her voice barely audible. "My little Hahn?"

More fireballs launched from the Fire Nation ship, and again, more smoking fragments fell from the sky as they exploded mid-air.

Aang's fist clenched around his airbender staff. This was beyond war. Whoever was responsible for this… they were just as bad as the Fire Lord. Maybe even worse.

By then, the grim realisation spread like wildfire through the crowd. This wasn't just debris, these were the remains of the Last Chance Battalion- the once proud warriors returned to them from their ill-fated mission in bits and chunks, courtesy of the Fire Nation. Grieving mothers, sisters, and widows filled the early morning air with sorrowful wails, the sound echoing across the city as they mourned the ill-fated mission of the Last Chance Battalion. And if that weren't enough, something bounced off the icy ground near his feet.

Aang bent down, picking up the small, smouldering object. It was warm to the touch, still slightly on fire. He held it up to the moonlight, squinting. "Are these… peanuts?"

Apparently, they were. More fireballs exploded in the sky, more burnt remains- and more smoldering legumes that clattered off rooftops and streets and people, filling the city with a roasted peanuty smell.

Just one last insult to injury as the Fire Nation pelted the mourning families with flaming peanuts.

The numb dread of possibly losing Sokka was just filling Aang when a voice cut through the air.

"Aang. Aang!"

He perked up, his arrow-tattooed head turning sharply toward the sound, eyes widening. "Is that…" His heart leaped, and a wide smile stretched over his face as he spotted the figure in stolen Fire Nation armour, "Sokka! You made it back!"

But Sokka didn't look as happy. "Aang!" He called out in frantic, "it's-"

*clack*

A sharp, metallic sound echoed from the horizon, and Aang's smile faltered. Another clack followed. Then another. It spread, multiplying, reverberating through the still-dark sky. The noise rolled over them like the ominous beat of a war drum, growing louder, sending ripples of unease through the crowds.

"… What was that?" Aang called out, voice cutting through the rising clamour, "What's happening?"

Sokka skidded to a halt beside him, panting, breathless. "It's Red Bull!" he shouted, to Aang and to everyone in earshot. "Their superweapon- it's Red Bull!"

"Their what is what?" Confusion rippled through everyone in the vicinity, Aang included.

Before anyone could process the words, a brilliant glow ignited on the horizon. From a hundred Fire Nation ships, ten thousand soldiers erupted into the sky, fire blazing from their feet like wings. They ascended as one, a massive, fiery swarm that blotted out the stars, their war cries mixing with the crackling roar of flames.

Aang's heart clenched as he stared at the sight, a wave of helplessness washing over him.

But before anyone could react, from a hundred Fire Nation ships, ten thousand Fire Nation soldiers soared into the air on wings of fire.

All across the city of Agna Qel'a, the rallying cry came.

"For Agna Qel'a! For the Northern Water Tribe!"

No longer would they watch helplessly as another salvo of naval bombardment ravaged their home. No, the time had finally come to fight the enemy face-to-face. As for who answered the call?

Ten thousand of their most seasoned militia warriors had already marched out in the Polar Wastes, and met their ends in glaives and talons of the 41st Division. Two hundred of their bravest had also sailed out to capture the Fire Nation admiral mere hours ago, and they were returned to them in burnt pieces scattered across the city amongst flaming peanuts.

Now, the last line of defence standing between the Fire Nation and all the souls of Agna Qel'a… were the people of Agna Qel'a themselves. The remnants of the royal guard, half-trained men, and boys barely old enough to fight. Dressed in unarmored blue parkas, they burst from their homes. No time for goodbyes. And with clubs, spears, and the last of their strength, they met the Fire Nation who descended upon them from on high. The furious orange glow of ten thousand fiery wings lit the city in a hellish orange glow.

The force of their clash thundered all across the frozen city. [Ice Walls] met [Fire Bombs], and [Icicle Sprays]with [Great Fireballs]. Roars and shouts rang out as pitched battle was waged. The waterways boiled, homes melted, and above them all, the stars choked on a hundred rising columns of smoke and ash.

The Coastal Walls, once the pride of Agna Qel'a, crumbled as Fire Nation cruisers- with their thousands of tons of tempered steel- rammed full speed into them. And on its ruins, boarding ramps slammed down, crushing the rubble into dust.

Another set of sharp, mechanical clacks echoed, then… armoured boots began sprinting forward.

From the metal bellies of the cruisers, tens of thousands more Fire Nation veterans emerged like an armoured red tide, charging spear-long into the city and against any Water Tribe that dared resist. They howled for blood as they fought, eyes wide with frenzy and their entire bodies pulsing with unnatural strength as the fearsome elixir surged in their veins. One soldier thrust his spear with such force that it pierced straight through an ice shield and its wielder. Another hurled a Water Tribe warrior into a frozen wall as if he were weightless, the crunch of bone lost in the roar of battle.

This was supposed to be the water Tribe's night. The moon, almost full, hung high in the sky, its pale, silvery light bolstering the strength and the waterbending of every Water Tribe warrior it touched. With renewed hope, they charged into the firestorm, believing that the Moon and Ocean Spirits would protect them.

But the spirits were silent as more Fire Nation poured out of the assault ships.

Tundra tanks rumbled onto the field, [Fire Streams]blasting out from their turrets to wash the Water Tribe capital of its people. Komodo-rhinos stomped last, with mini-trebuchets mounted on their backs, launched flaming death over the heads and into their weakening rear lines.

They were beset on all sides. The armoured boot of the Fire Nation stepped the Water Tribe's throat and ground down. Every clash drained their strength, every strike further thinned their ranks. Their defences, weakened by the day's relentless bombardment, cracked under the furious heat of this Fire Nation assault. The Water Tribe warriors fell back, and regrouped, launching desperate counterattacks in every direction. But their foes were unstoppable. Battering aside their feeble blows, searing away flesh, crushing bodies under the treads of their tanks, and roaring… with all the unholy strength that only Red Bull could grant. A horde of demons with wings.

No place and no one was spared. What had begun as a clash at the city's walls had erupted into total war, a conflagration that spilled into every crack and corner of Agna Qel'a. Over bridges and rooftops, in the craters of the earlier bombardment, and into every home until all of Agna Qel'a drowned in furious, unrelenting war.

…

An hour passed as the entire city boiled with war. A single hour of the Water Tribe raged against the dying of the light. Water Tribe men fought valiantly, and died as valiantly. Defenders dwindled and hope for any sort of victory was seared away. The night had not yet ended, and dawn was still far off. But with the moon as their witness, words echoed across Agna Qel'a- not as one, but in scattered, miserable shouts.

"I surrender!"

And under a moonlit night, the bright red Fire Nation flag billowed over the broken city of Agna Qel'a.

- Doom, War and Peanuts End -