39 Lieutenant-General Zahckrael

We have been here for 2 weeks and this siege has been everything but that, a siege. No fire had been exchanged between the city and our ever-growing camp and there still has been no communication between our host and that of General Iroh. The very first encounter we even had was 2 days ago, and it hadn't exactly gone well according to Fire Nation expectations. 1 tank and crew all dead, 2 tanks and their crew complements deserted only to retreat back to camp, currently waiting in captivity for cowardice, and 1 dead of Zaedra's crew. How was Gu's crew, the crew of only Citadel orphans, the only one to escape unscathed? Were they really just that lucky? Or was the new generation really what the Fire Nation had always hoped for? A generation of soldier raised in service to their nation whatever the cost. At this point, it certainly looked that way. I had called in Zand, assigned commander of the 15th Armored, and Zor'ak, assigned commander of the 22nd Infantry, my two closest commanders.

"Did you get any more details out of the survivors?" I asked Zand.

"Only what we already knew. 12 attackers. 7 non-benders, 5 earth-benders. Final casualties were 3 earth-benders and 5 non-benders on their side."

"And 4 non-benders on our side. Plus the 6 deserters. And a tank."

"Yes sir" replied Zand, ashamed, viewing the cowardice of the men as his fault despite not having been commander of the 15th for 2 weeks. The blame wasn't his or anyone for that matter save the 6 who deserted, and they would be punished accordingly.

"Sir, if I may-" interrupted Zor'ak, not even waiting for leave to speak before he did, "Infantry is much more fit for the job of battling Earth-Kingdom forces. The armored serves more of an auxiliary role. They aren't fit or ready for full-front combat as we can see."

"So I imagine that you'd have handled this situation better?" Zand replied. "Enlighten me.

"We would have marched with 100 of our men to encircle these earth benders and if they tried to escape, burn them out from their holes."

"You mean you'd march 100 men on standard patrol, not knowing any attack was imminent, would encircle an invisible enemy hiding underground and burn them out of the endless holes with, what, 10 of your division's limited 100 firebenders?"

"Quiet. Both of you." I stated, ending the argument before violence erupted. Zand was right on the count that an attack had been unexpected, but all the same, the results were clear. We had lost more than we had gained, and we were low on men and supplies. We couldn't face losses like we did 2 days ago. "Zand. Have we received any word from the 3 squads sent to the listening post?"

"No sir." He breathed out. "I've lost all contact with them. I sent a messenger hawk and that's the last I ever saw of it. So the bird could've been shot down, or the team's been compromised."

"Then assuming the worst, we lost 15 tanks, 45 men, the listening post has been secured by the enemy, and we're cut off from the Dragon of the West." The report was sounding too grim. I needed a break from the 15th. "Zor'ak, what's the state of the camp?"

He straightened himself, raising his voice to make sure we could all here the undying confidence of his voice as he made his success known to us all. "Defenses are in place. Trenches span the south, north, and east sides as well as 3 layers of defensive spikes with anti-infantry mines between them. Watch towers have been set up every 100 yards and are manned night and day. Torches have been set up from here to a mile from the wall, lighting no man's land which is rather empty at the moment."

"And morale?"

"The men want a fight, sir. Send them to that listening post, and the 22nd will have it taken in no time."

The 15th had failed to take it. Maybe the 22nd would be what I needed. Some brute force where speed and armor failed.

"Lieutenant General." Zand interrupted, actually waiting for permission to speak unlike his counterpart.

"Speak freely, Lieutenant-Commander."

He referred to the map, pointing to the span of land between our camp, admittedly north of our intended target, an admission I wasn't fond of making, and Iroh's host, near the South West of the city. "It's clear that the Earth Kingdom has reign over this area. Whether it's mines, guerillas, or a strong military presence, it's not safe. They're waiting for us to commit more and more men to bleed us dry. Rather, I suggest we move with haste, in a way they won't expect."

"Explain."

"If rather than moving south, we move north, going around the other side of the city, we can make it to the Dragon's host from the North rather than the South."

"You would place whoever you send between the sea and the city. They could be surrounded with ease."

"If we send them off at the beginning of the night, they could, at full speed, make it to the western mountains by dawn. From there, they'd be out of sight of Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom forces. From there, they could find their way to Iroh's camp, re-establish communication, an perhaps set up a more northern based listening post rather than what we have which has clearly failed."

"You can't possibly be considering this." Zor'ak interrupted. "Think of all the men he's wasted up to this point. Now he wants to send a squad of tanks to sneak past a city of earth-benders? You cannot-"

"I can do whatever I please, soldier. You're dismissed. The rest of this meeting does not concern you."

"But I"

"Go!"

The anger came to his face, but he contained himself. He saluted, and left, leaving me alone with Zand. I wasn't lying. The 22nd wasn't involved in what was left to discuss.

"Do you have a particular squad in mind for this operation?"

"I do. And that leads me to my next question. What are we to do with the survivors and deserters of the encounter."

"That depends. What do you recommend be done with your men?"

He paused, considering, as though making some final choices in his head that he had been pondering for a while before finally letting it loose. "Morale is low as it is. Stories of how easily a tank was taken out have my men ill at ease. They are focusing on what went wrong when they should be focusing on what went right."

"What did go right?" I asked, with some bitterness I hadn't intended, but I couldn't be blamed. We ended up on the losing side two days ago. We lost far more than we gained. What could have possibly gone right?"

"A single tank, relying on speed and accurate attacks, was able to dodge the attacks of enemy earth-benders and provide support to an immobilized vehicle, that even when immobile, was able to hold its own due to proper defensive measures and strategic defensive timing. That's the story that needs to come out. I recommend field promotions to the crews of unit 350 and the Iron Gauntlet."

"Granted. There will be no ceremonies, but make sure word gets around the 15th. It'll be good for morale to know that bravery gets rewarded. And the deserters?"

"I recommend small scale court martials and trials with them accused of cowardice and endangering of squad mates."

"Punishment being?"

"If found guilty, execution of drivers via hanging and reassignment of gunners and co-pilots to new units."

"Very well. I'll leave the assignment of these new squads and soldiers to you. Trials will be held tomorrow. When do you plan on launching this expedition north?"

"Perhaps the day after tomorrow, but it needs organization, and I think I have the unit in mind."