It was a pleasant surprise to see that Fire Nation intelligence and organization had finally been on point.
As we approached the Serpent's Lake, right where we had hoped to see his force, there he was, waiting, with a force of 20 Fire Nation Battlecruisers, and 1 Empire Class Battleship, all armed with newly developed trebuchets, two per ship, anchored in proper defensive formation.
Finally. A competent Fire Nation commander. An all too rare sight nowadays.
I had been travelling the last 2 weeks from our host's location to the Serpent's sea where we had arranged to meet Admiral Chan's fleet. I looked to the head of my convoy of 50 men, Sergeant Zarchek and gave him the signal to light the flare.
It was near evening and visibility was still somewhat good, but in the light of this time of the day, we hadn't expected him to see us with the naked eye, or where even to look for that matter. Zarchek dismounted, pulling the flare cannister out from the side pouch of his Komodo Rhino and knelt down to light it, only after checking to make sure he was lighting the proper flare, and lit it sending a green smoke trail 100 yards up to the sky, finally exploding in a brilliant spectacle of green light, illuminating the world around us in a surreal tint hinting at off worldly interference that my father was so obsessed in, and waited.
And soon enough, after only 5 minutes of waiting, the light from the flare hadn't yet dimmed in the slightest when we saw the smaller Fire Nation patrol boat come to a stop 5 feet away from the coast, extending an automated steel ramp that stretched to the surface, providing a dry walkway for me to use, despite my lack of qualms about getting my uniform wet. I had more pressing concerns than staying nice and tidy. I had to get Chan's support, but now, thinking about it, I assumed looking presentable might go a long way in gaining his support. So I came to appreciate the effort of that patrol boat's crew, and gratefully went up that ramp, issuing one last order to my convoy to set up camp and await my return. We'd camp by the lake for tonight and on the marrow, we'd set out back for my father, with news of either our success, or our failure. It would, with any fortune, be the former.
And so, on that patrol boat demonstrative of only a fraction of Fire Nation innovation and technological advance, we sped towards the command ship, the Empire Class Battleship, signified by its gold markings placing it above the other ships in the fleet, but still below the majesty displayed by that of the royal flagship, the FNS "Royal". A cocky name if you asked me. In my opinion, the Navy was just an excuse for overinflated Fire Navy officers to show off their gifts to the world through eccentrically naming their ships with names like the FNS "Birthright", "Deliverance", &c.
Not that I had any gripes against naming ships, but in my opinion, you name ships off of experience and battle's they'd been through. So as I approached Chan's fleet, I couldn't help but feel relief when I saw the names etched on the side in white paint speaking of names of historic battles Chan himself had won and lost, marking a trait of this Chan that spoke of anything but eccentricity. At that point, I found myself with a renewed sense of hope that he would see things as we did and participate in one final battle to end this war.
We approached the Empire Class Battleship, by name of "Valu River", an infamous Fire Nation defeat that occurred 5 years past, and Chan's last defeat. From that day on, only Victory had followed for this Admiral. As we neared it, the front hatch made it's way open, revealing the inner water port big enough to fit the patrol craft and 3 others. We made our way inside and the hatch closed behind us, rising back into its standard position, forming the infamous spike at the front of every Fire Navy vessel, even the outdated models.
With the closing of the hatch, the inner port become pitch black for a good 5 seconds until the emergency red lights flickered on, marking our passage to the main superstructure of the vessel. Upon entrance into the main superstructure, the lighting improved significantly, and I was guided by two Fire Navy soldiers up the stairs for around 10 stories up to the tip of the command tower where 2 more Navy guards stood post by the door, allowing me into the main bridge.
I was greeted by both Admiral Chan and his escort of guards bowing down to me, a formality I hadn't expected, but one that gave me hope of my success in this matter. I bowed in return as it was customary to do so when addressing the Captain of a boat you were present on, especially an Admiral for that matter.
With the formalities out of the way, greetings were made, with him addressing me as Lieutenant General Lu Ten, a promotion I was unsure that he had yet heard of, but apparently, he had, and had no intention of denying it.
"Lieutenant General Lu Ten" he said, straightening his posture. "We are honored by your visit to us this fine evening."
"The honor's all mine. Very impressive fleet, Admiral. I've reviewed your record on the journey here. Very impressive, I must say."
"You flatter me. I heard about the recent battle at Ba Sing Se."
"Yes. A far less impressive event."
"Indeed. No fault of your own, of course. You made the right call with your retreat. If only Lieutenant General Zahckrael had been so wise, you may not need my help."
"So you know why I am here, then." I hadn't explicitly mentioned what the reason for my visit was.
"Yes. And as eager as I am to see the fall of Ba Sing Se and the end of this war, I am unsure if I want to put my fleet between both the Earth kingdom and the Northern Water Tribe. With the combination of their Naval capabilities, my fleet would quite literally be stuck between a rock and a hard place."
"I understand your concern, Admiral. It's no small task, but we're all making sacrifices here. We're currently preparing for a second assault, with half the manpower as our last assault."
"A bold move indeed. Some might call it foolish."
"Remember who we're talking about here, Admiral. The Dragon of the West. I don't think foolish applies in this situation."
"No. It certainly does not, which is why I am rather surprised by his willingness to go ahead with this second assault. Is he really so attached to seeing that city fall? Sorry. I am not trying to talk poorly of your father."
"No offense is taken. Understand, it's his life's work. If we leave now, it would have all been for naught, but the siege can be recovered, but this siege will fail if the city has an open line of trade with the Northern Tribe. Your fleet, however. Your presence alone would dissuade all trade. No fleet would dare approach yours. And if they did, they'd stand no chance against you. Need I show you the difference between a single Earth kingdom vessel and the smallest ship in your fleet?"
"No. I know we have the advantage, at least in terms of quality, but they have numbers. And resolve too. They'd become desperate. If they tried to break out- "
"They'd be too busy fending off the Crimson Army to worry about the Navy."
"When your assault begins, that is. What of during the Siege? What's to stop them from trying to battle our fleet?"
"Nothing. You will face battle. You'll be outnumbered, but you've faced worse odds, we all know that. Admiral. There's a chance we can end this war right now. Enough Fire Nation citizens have died. If this siege is abandoned, the killing and death will continue for years if not decades more. I know neither of us want that. Why give up the opportunity to end it now?"
He chuckled. "You're a good talker, Lu Ten. You have your father's gift. You're charismatic. And you're right. This war's taken too many lives already. My own son, just 12 years old, is at risk of being drafted, and it's true, I have faced far worse odds. Very well, Lieutenant General. You'll have the Eastern Fleet. We'll sail immediately.
I had to prevent myself from grinning from ear to ear. I bowed, hiding my face, and left. I forced myself to be silent on the walk down, and on that ride back to the coast, but the second the patrol boat was out of sight and I had heard my men ask me what happened about 50 times over, I let out a cheer so loud I was worried Ba Sign Se would start preparing Naval Defenses, because just like that, this Siege was given a breath of fresh air. Of hope.