The soldiers were mobilizing. Already. Just like that. If this was Zahckrael's camp, if we were told we would be heading to a fight in a week, we would still be unprepared. I just left the Dragon's tent last evening and the men were already moving out.
It was the morning. There would be a fight today. A big one too. I could see the gray clouds despite the dark of the morning night. It was probably going to rain. That wouldn't be good on the field. Earth Benders can work more with mud than firebenders can. And what if they have water benders too? I shouldn't think that way. I spent the night in a medic tent on a cot next to the ones where Gan and Gi Gu had spent the night. I regretted leaving my book back at our camp. Would've helped the evening go by quicker, but instead, I ended up training. More.
That was last night. It was morning now and I wanted to think I was ready. I woke up with the sound of the marching soldiers outside and saw it was the Crimson Battalion. Made sense. It was them who would be engaging the Earth Kingdom this morning. And Unit 350 had the honor of fighting alongside them. I moved from my where I had spent a sleepless night on a stiff cot and grabbed my pile of armor next to my bed and started getting dressed. I spent the night my underclothes, a small shirt and boxers, leaving the combat greaves and shirt in the pile along with my boots. Unlike other Fire Nation soldiers, I didn't get clothes. Made sense too considering I'd just end up setting them on fire.
I slipped on the greaves first, working them up to my waist, still disconcerted that the Fire Nation made combat armor my size, putting it out of my head shortly after. I slipped on the long sleeve, special fire-retardant shirt over my undershirt, rerolling the sleeves up 1 inch as the shirt was still a bit long on me, and finally got the armor. I put on the main chest piece first, clamping it myself over my shoulders. The first few times us Citadel kids had worn the armor, we needed help from the others getting it on, clamping the straps over our shoulders. We all got used to doing it ourselves in time. And the degree of comfort we felt short after in that armor made the feeling of putting it on all the more comforting, but all the same, satisfying upon taking it off. I remembered only after that my shoes were still off and slipped on my socks as I preferred to sleep without them. They were on soon enough, thankfully dry of the sweat from the days they'd gone without washing, but didn't dare to smell them, knowing I wouldn't get and positive results.
I looked over to the cots next to me to see the rest of my crew was still sound asleep with the exception of Gan who was starting to stir at the sound of the marching. I moved to wake him when a war horn sounded from within the camp, causing him to shoot awake, startling my in the process. He looked over to me, still getting dressed, and judging by the shift in his eyes from exhausted to alert, suddenly remembered what was scheduled for today. He moved over to Gi Gu's cot, pulling him off, awakening him instantaneously. All of us were more or less recovering from our injuries. Gan had trouble standing without a crutch, but the doctor's determined it was his left leg which was good as he wouldn't need it for driving. I'd help him get into his driver's seat and once he was there, he'd be just as useful if not more than he'd ever been in battle.
As my crew began getting into the motions of getting their clothes and armor on, and thankfully so considering Gi Gu slept naked, I got back to my own task, fitting on the metal leg plating, the sleek leather boots, and the metal armguards. I grabbed my helmet and moved to the washbasin with the seeing glass above it, splashing water in my face while trying to avoid my own gaze. I knew how I looked after yesterday but caught myself looking anyway. My eyes were red, there were cuts on my face, some scabbing, some not, and there was still dirt in my hair that I couldn't get out no matter how hard I tried. It didn't matter. I wasn't here to look pretty. I slipped the steel helmet over my head and all of a sudden, I wasn't Luke anymore. I was a soldier. And I was ready to go to war.