Beneath the Bush

It is a bright morning, and the sun is shining. The sky has a mixture of light blue and golden light throughout it. The Prompt Adjudicator sails at sea. Asad enters Macai's personal chamber. The walls are light grey, the ground is dark red, and the ceiling is white. There are several pictures throughout the room of different Fire Nation leaders including one of his father, General Eyre.

Two Fire Nation soldiers open the door for him and Asad notices Macai reflecting at his own throne. Several white flames surround him as he is meditating. As soon as Asad enters the room, Macai douses his flames and opens his eyes. Macai stands up and sits at his desk.

Asad kneels, "You requested my presence?"

Macai slowly walks toward Asad, "Rise." Asad stands. Macai: "I heard that you ordered Dade and your unit to leave me open and exposed. Did you think I wouldn't discover this?"

Asad replies, "I simply did not want to put our unit at unnecessary risk."

Macai: "Indeed, but in my unit there is one rule you must not forget. We all are one unified body! We work together and put ourselves at risk for each other. That's what makes us different from most other Fire Nation units and even my father's unit. You should also know it's standard procedure to put the interest of the commanding officers first. It's the least you could do for a commanding officer who risks his life fighting on the frontlines aside his men when many other officers don't."

Asad sharply replies, "That may be so, but you only know the rule books and official guidelines. I am a seasoned veteran. In the real battlefield, the units must take care of themselves first and foremost."

Macai: "Are you certain of this? I talked to both my father and even heard once from the Firelord that a good leader's word and style must take precedence over that of his subordinates. Do you think of yourself as the leader? What makes you think you can make such decisions?"

Asad shakes his head, "Look, I'm sorry if there was a misunderstanding."

Macai's eyes narrow, "Do you take me for a fool?! I know what you were trying to do. You wanted to leave me exposed and risk my death. So that you could take command. Something like that. I'll give you one final warning."

Asad: "No, captain. That is not it." Macai lunges his fight hand across Asad's neck and starts tightening his grip. Asad latches onto Macai's right arm and attempts to break the chokehold. In an instant, Macai knees Asad in his stomach. Macai yanks the officer and slams his head against the floor.

Macai pulls Asad back up and Asad's nose turns red. Macai pulls his right fist into Asad's face and amplifies it with white fire. Asad: "Ehhhm!" The hit knocks Asad out and Macai gives a hand signal for two of his soldiers to get him.

Macai: "Drag him back to his office. If he ever does anything like this again, I'll kill him myself."

Senior Captain Hazo enters Macai's chamber and confronts his friend. Hazo: "You did well Macai, I'm proud of you."

Macai: "Thanks Hazo. I couldn't have done it without your guidance."

Hazo smiles, "Wonderful. We have a new assignment."

Macai: "Oh great, what is it this time?"

Hazo: "There is a faction of pirates who call themselves the Sea Guerrillas. They travel quickly and raid several commercial ships. They have attacked several Fire Nation supply ships then sell the supplies for profit. They usually pull this off in the less important Fire Nation colonies with less up-to-date ships."

Macai: "I see, how do we plan on dealing with them?"

Hazo: "Stories about you being the boy with white fire are already traveling, but not all the members of your crew are very known. You could stage a false meeting with them, using people that are fresh and young. People who you trust and believe could pull the mission off."

Macai smiles, "I know just the people who would be perfect for the job."

Hazo: "Great, you can use them to spring the trap. They make the fake deal then arrest the pirates. Their leader is a dangerous man named Namo Vib. Talon Zon and Rigor Po are other dangerous members of their team. They wear teal uniforms with yellow markings."

Macai: "We will need a small team to avoid being detected and everyone must keep a low profile."

Hazo: "Exactly, the pirates do not make deals when cities are too crowded. However, they like for there to be a moderate amount of people around so that they can use the crowd as a distraction for an escape. One of our spies says that they are heading for the Fire Nation colony New Polexia. It's known for its harbor."

Macai: "When the time is right, I'll have the Prompt Adjudicator come to intervene. I'll give my team thirty minutes to wrap things up before we arrive."

Hazo smiles, "Good, very good. They have at least five ships at their disposal, but they never have them all together. So you may be attacked by several vessels. They are faster than most Fire Nation ships, but the Prompt Adjudicator should be able to put pressure on them. Their ships are only about sixty meters long and thirty meters wide. With about thirty crew members per ship."

Macai asks, "Do they have wooden ships?"

Hazo: "Yes, so they aren't as resilient as our steel ships. But don't underestimate them. The Sea Guerrillas stole advanced Fire Nation technology and have powerful cannons that can melt steel."

Macai: "So they can dish it out but, they can't take it."

Hazo: "Yes and they are also faster than even the Prompt Adjudicator. Despite their primitive tech, the ships were very well made. With advanced sail systems."

Macai: "But our ship will be more accurate. My soldiers have superior training. We also know how to fire three shots within the time that the average non-Fire Nation vessel can fire one. That's faster than the average for the Fire Nation which is still about two to one if I remember correctly."

Hazo: "Indeed, you should be able to match them. Especially with the element of surprise. But let their vessels touch down first before you pull out in front of the harbor. Remember that your ship has an advanced scope on it. You can have one of your soldiers look through the scope tower to tell when to strike. It comes with a great range for recon purposes and you will see them before they see you."

Macai respectfully bows and Hazo does the same. Macai: "You are an excellent mentor. Your guidance is invaluable."

Three days later...

Alternate Negotiations

Kanna is sitting in a room, but she is not wearing her Fire Nation uniform. Instead, she has a bright orange shirt and a skirt with yellow highlights. Kett is in a seat right of her direction wearing a purple shirt with dark blue pants. Dade is left of her position with a standard dark red shirt and black pants.

The walls are white in the room, the floor is light brown, and the ceiling is also light brown. There are open windows in the building and it is located within New Polexia. Sunlight beams from the open windows and a few travelers can be seen through the windows.

Kanna: "I'm so excited to see more of this town. This will be a fun adventure."

Dade: "I don't know why you're so excited. There isn't much to New Polexia. It's just an industrial and port-based city."

Kanna: "It's near the sea and I love beaches."

Dade: "Kanna, every city that we go to is near the sea. There is nothing new about that."

Kanna: "I know, but this is an actual village to enjoy. Not a battlefield."

Kett: "I hear that there are a bunch of salesmen in the city. That try to sell umbrellas when it's raining, water, and clothes. Especially to any new people in the city."

Dade: "We'll definitely stand out, but I can't imagine that they get that many tourists. It's only a medium-sized city."

Kett: "You all will probably stand out more than me. I think the locals act a bit more like me. You know, laid back and hard-working common people."

Dade: "It's true that Kanna stands out wherever she goes. Not that that's a bad thing. I don't know about myself."

Kett: "Looks behind Dade, what about you two? What do you guys think about the mission?" Behind them is Sonna, the gifted archer and Ronin. Sonna has a light green shirt with grey pants. Ronin is wearing a brown shirt and light grey pants.

Sonna shrugs her shoulders, "I'm fine with it."

Ronin: "I'm very excited. Even though I'm just the backup guy."

Dade: "Hey there is nothing wrong with that. Just wait on a rooftop and come assist any of us if we need help. Macai was wise to ask for a reserve warrior. It's a great chance to prove yourself."

Ronin: "Prove myself? No offense, but I have more experience than all of you."

Dade: "That may be true, but we know the Captain. Even with your experience, Macai has proven himself time and time again. We also have stats to show that we are legit. That first battle, we all proved ourselves."

Ronin takes a breath, "I know, I know. You guys are legit. I'm just kind of nervous that's all. I've never worked with a young noble like Macai before. But he is really cool. I've already learned a lot by being his bodyguard and he's a lot fairer than many nobles. He's also less of a hypocrite than what I'm accustomed to seeing."

Kett smirks, "That's because he had us to help whip him into shape." Ronin nods his head. Kett: "I'm kidding." Kett looks and notices that Sonna has a silver bracelet on her right wrist. Kett: "That's a nice bracelet, did you just wear that for the role?"

Sonna: "I thought it might help me blend in, but it actually means a lot to me. It belonged to my grandmother. She gave it to me during my journey here."

Dade: "You're a new recruit right?"

Sonna nods her head, "I'm sixteen and I just graduated."

Dade: "Exciting stuff. I guess that squirrel shooting really paid off. That's what you did right?"

Sonna: "I shot squirrels, leopards, and deer. From different elevations. There are a lot of hills where I'm from."

Dade: "I can kind of relate. We're from Nyarri (pointing at Kanna and Kett). We lived in a valley near some mountains."

Sonna: "I've heard of your town, it's pretty famous. Mine, not so much." Someone knocks on the door.

Kett: "That's probably the messenger. Are you all ready?" Everyone nods their heads. Kett: "Ok, Sonna get into position." Sonna immediately hides and enters a closet. Ronin then climbs out of a nearby window and flees the scene.

Dade: "Let's get it over with."

Kett rushes forward and opens the door. A man with dark brown hair, long sideburns, tan skin, brown eyes, a light grey shirt, and beige shorts enters the room. Dade: "Are you the Weeping Crow?"

The man nods his head, "I am. I have exactly what you are looking for."

Dade: "Lead the way."

Weeping Crow: "Not so fast, show me the supplies first."

Dade signals and Kett gets a large suitcase then carries it toward the man. Ronin opens the suitcase and shows hundreds of silver coins. The Weeping Crow nods his head, "That looks right to me. Alright, you're all good. I'll take you there and they will give it an official count."

Dade: "But you have what we want right?"

Weeping Crow: "Of course, we Sea Guerrillas always keep our word. That's why people keep doing business with us. You will find the goods soon enough. Now follow me." Dade and his allies follow the Weeping Crow through the town. They walk past several citizens and maneuver past several of the small tan building throughout the area. While this is happening, Sonna follows behind them in the distance with her bow and arrows strapped on her back.

Ronin climbs on another distant building and keeps a bit of a distance from Sonna so he can also see what is happening. Ronin takes cover to avoid being detected by any enemies. He lays low until or unless intervention is absolutely necessary as instructed.

They move closer toward the harbor into an abandoned area. Sonna notices where they are heading and climbs on top of a distant building. The young woman gallops from building to building to close the distance.

The Weeping Crow leads stops and stands still then turns around. Weeping Crow: "We are here. Now watch what I do." The man walks to a nearby building and knocks on the door. The Weeping Crow makes a strange noise and the door opens. Then he signals for Dade and his gang to join them.

Dade, Kett, and Kanna enter the building. Kett is holding the suitcase. They notice about nine pirates in the room. All wearing teal uniforms with yellow stripes. In the center, is a man with medium-length brown hair. He also has deep green eyes, pale skin, a long nose, a small goatee, sharp attached ears, and big lips. He stands at five feet and ten inches tall. He is Namo Vib, the leader of the Sea Guerrillas.

On his right, is Rigor Po. A man with black wavy hair, caramel gold skin, light blue eyes, a thin mustache, and a thin frame. He stands at six feet and one inch tall. Rigor: "Well, well, well. Looks like these are our guests."

Namo smirks, "Indeed, would you guests like to have a drink before we conduct our business? We offer one free one to all our clients."

Kett: "No thanks, we are in a hurry. We have to head to another town called Galigon soon after this."

Namo: "Oh leaving, so soon? Well isn't that a pity. I hope you all enjoyed your stay so far."

Kanna: "Finishing this deal will make it that much better."

Namo: "Get them their lember stones" The pirates bring a box of lember stones. Namo: "These lember stones are being used by the Fire Nation to make their ships travel faster. They can supply ten times the amount of energy than standard coal. They are vital to the Fire Nation war effort, but we have them here at your convenience."

Kett smiles, "Excellent."

Rigor: "Will you need help shipping these into your vessel?"

Kett looks back at Rigor, "Yes, please."

Rigor smiles, "Very well, I'll send some of my men to help you ship them. Just show us to your ship so we know where to go." Rigor and four of his men follow Kett's team to the shore. There is a standard harbor ship waiting for them.

Kett: "See, that's our ship."

Rigor: "Good, then we have what we need. We will ship it for you really quickly." While this is happening, Sonna keeps an eye on the situation from the distance. She looks across at Ronin and signals for him to come where she is. Ronin leaps across several rooftops until he lands where Sonna is.

Ronin: "Yes?"

Sonna: "Stay low." Ronin crouches. Sonna points at two distant buildings across from her. One on the right and another on the left. Sonna: "They have two archers, which means that I might have my hands full for a bit. I'll need to take both of them down before I can cover the team. But that's not the only issue."

Ronin looks back at Sonna, "What else do we need to worry about?"

Sonna: "I need you to keep an eye on their position. Rigor and some of his men are with Kett's team. But Namo and the others might try to escape. I want you to see if they try to and where they attempt to leave. Wait for me to take down the other archers, then be ready to intercept them if you need to. I will give you covering fire and hopefully, the rest of them will come to your assistance if you need to cut some enemies off."

Ronin: "Oh geez, I don't know if this was a good idea."

Sonna: "Macai asked for us to complete this mission because he believed in us. So do not let him down. Your failure would be his failure."

Ronin nods his head, "Ok, let me return to my position so I'll be out of your way. Then when the time is right, I'll attack."

Springing the Trap

Three of Rigor's men carry crates of lember stones into the wooden harbor ship. Dade stands across from them in the ship while Kanna and Kett stand across from Rigor with four of his men around them. Rigor: "You both can start shipping things in as well. Or I can see why the lady wants to wait, but you (to Kett) can go ahead and start shipping things."

Kett turns and locks eyes with Rigor, "That won't be necessary." Rigor raises his right eyebrow. Kett extends his right arm and flicks a light orange flame into the face of a pirate. Kett pivots his body and lengthens his arms, firing an explosive rectangle of flames at Rigor. The pirate leader raises both of his hands, and a stream of water hits the flame.

An explosion ensues and steam causes smoke to flow around the area. Sonna immediately fires an arrow into the neck of the pirate archer on the left building. The archer falls off the building. The archer on the right reacts and looks around to locate Sonna. Just as he notices her, Sonna propels an arrow in his chest, and he also falls off his building.

Kanna springs into action and kicks a dark orange rod of flames into a pirate's chest. Two pirates move to engage her. One quickly draws a short sword and the other draws two knives. The pirate with the knives immediately throws one at Kanna's chest. Kanna hops right and the pirate throws a second knife at her head.

Kanna ducks. The knife-thrower retrieves another two knives from his utility belt while the other pirate rushes Kanna with his short sword. The pirate swings vertically at Kanna and Kanna leaps right. The pirate horizontally swings at Kanna a second later and Kanna spins backward.

Kanna jumps behind the swordsman. The knife-thrower throws a knife at Kanna, and she rolls right. The knife flies in the back of his comrade. Pirate swordsman: "Ahhh!" Kanna kicks a flame into the knife-thrower's stomach, and he rolls backward.

Meanwhile, Dade swiftly draws his sword which is strapped to his back. The pirates immediately drop their crates. Dade cuts down a pirate left of him with a horizontal sweeping strike. A pirate across Dade picks up a lember stone and tosses it at Dade's face. Dade ducks then kicks the crate over. The pirate draws two short swords then skips over the crates toward Dade.

Dade tilts his blade horizontally and blocks the strike. However, the force of the clash sends Dade stumbling back two feet. The pirate rushes forward swinging wildly from left to right and Dade tilts his blade side to side blocking several strikes. Dade rotates his blade and lunges low, pressing his sword through the stomach of the pirate.

Dade hears footsteps from his left direction. Dade swiftly rips the blade out of the pirate's stomach then turns and notices a pirate with a long sword who vertically swings at his head. Dade rotates his body and blocks the attack. Pirate: "Not bad boy, but I'm commandeering this ship." The pirate kicks Dade overboard into the water below.

The pirate laughs then heads for the controls. Meanwhile, Kett and Rigor continue to battle each other. Rigor: "Fire Nation scum!" Rigor shifts his right hand forward and launches a large stream of water at Kett. Kett leaps right dodges the stream, Rigor waves his hands and redirects the stream of water to loop around and follow Kett.

Kett notices and sprints toward Rigor. As the stream of water is right behind him, Kett leaps behind Rigor. Rigor's own stream of water flies toward him, but Rigor turns around and faces Kett. Kett nonchalantly raises his right hand and scatters the water. Kanna looks across at Kett. Kett: "Go, get Namo, I'll deal with this guy."

Rigor frowns, "I hate your nation. You're the reason I became a pirate."

Kett: "Spare me the pity story."

Rigor: "Your nation destroyed my village, killed my parents. After that, I had nothing. I became an orphan and only the pirates would take me in. You call me scum and a scoundrel but your wicked nation stole from and destroyed peaceful villages! I can't wait to put you down boy. I've made a list of every soldier that I've certainly killed from your nation. I've got thirty-four so far. You just might be number thirty-five."

Kett: "This is going to be embarrassing when you get owned by a sixteen-year-old." Kett leaps low and kicks a rod of fire at Rigor's feet. Rigor jumps in the air and presses his right hand forward, firing a water tentacle at Kett. Kett rolls right and springs back on his feet. Rigor extends his tentacle and swings it horizontally at Kett's body.

Kett performs a left flip past the tentacle. Kett presses his arms forward and fires a volley of light orange shots at Rigor. Rigor sways his arms in a circular motion then creates a water shield that blocks the incoming shots. Then Rigor presses his left arm forward and directs a beam of water out of his shield and at Kett.

Kett rolls right then leaps back on his feet and thinks, That's similar to one of my attacks. While this is happening, Kanna rushes toward the building she was just in. She sees two pirates approach her. One on her right and the other on her left. Both are armed with short swords. Kanna kicks her left leg and pounds a flame into the stomach of the pirate on the left. He flies into the wall of the building behind him.

Kanna turns and launches a flame from her right hand into the chest of the other pirate. The young woman advances in front of the door and presses both of her hands together. A beam of dark orange fire flows from her hands and burns through the front door. As soon as Kanna enters the room, two pirates are waiting for her beside the door. Both are armed with short swords.

The pirate on the right swings horizontally at Kanna's neck. Kanna ducks and flips the pirate over. Then Kanna turns and shoots a flame into the other pirate's chest. Kanna doesn't waste time and bolts a second flame into the pirate on the floor. Then Kanna looks up and notices a pirate with a spear across her. The pirate chucks his spear at Kanna and Kanna dives right.

Another two pirates with short swords advance toward Kanna while the pirate who just threw his spear draws a dagger. Kanna notices a pirate with a short sword closing the distance while she is still on the floor. Kanna rotates her body and kicks a whip of fire into the pirate's legs. The pirate falls backward and Kanna leaps back on her feet.

Kanna immediately shifts her right arm forward and launches a flame into the chest of an approaching swordsman. The last pirate with the dagger turns his back and sprints toward the door. Kanna launches a flame into his back, knocking him out. Kanna looks around and notices that the crate is gone.

Kanna thinks, "I have to hurry, Namo isn't here. He must be making his escape."

Outside of the building, Namo is running with three pirates. Two of them are armed with short swords and one has a combat spear. One of the pirates with a short sword is carrying the crate. Ronin sprints about ten feet in front of them. Namo: "Get out the way if you know what's good for you."

Ronin smiles as Sonna is lining up a shot at Namo's head from a rooftop. Just as Sonna prepares to fire, she hears a voice, "What do you think you're doing?" Sonna tilts her head and notices two pirates with short swords are behind her.

Sonna: "You got me?" Sonna slowly stands like she is about to surrender as the pirates move in to close the distance. Sonna turns and shoots an arrow into the chest of the pirate left of her.

The Pirate screams in agony, "Gah!" The pirate directly behind Sonna closes the distance and Sonna springs forward then kicks the pirate in his stomach. The pirate falls backward and drops his sword.

Pirate: "Don't shoot, I surrender."

Sonna warns, "Then stay down!" The pirate slowly rises. Sonna: "I said stay down." The pirate draws a knife and Sonna propels an arrow in his chest. The pirate's body slumps backward.

Namo looks at Ronin, "So you're one of them aye? Well, you chose the wrong man to mess with." Namo rips his shift off and tosses it aside. Namo is unusually muscular and presses both of his hands forward. A stream of dirt flies toward Ronin and Ronin shifts both of his hands forward; launching a rod of orange fire into the dirt.

The dirt is evaporated by the heavy explosion. Ronin kicks a flame from his right leg at Namo's face. Namo pulls his right hand forward and blocks the flame. Ronin kicks a second flame at Namo's stomach. Namo stomps his right foot and a wall of stone intercepts the flame. Namo presses his right arm forward, launching the stone at Ronin.

Ronin slides right and flicks two flames at Namo. Namo rapidly jabs two bricks at the flames and they both extinguish each other. Namo then pulls his right arm in the air and yanks it downward. This sends a strong vertical whip of sand flying at Ronin. Ronin rolls right. Ronin kicks his left leg and kicks an orange flame into Namo's lower stomach.

Namo falls backward and his pirates spring into action. Ronin kicks a rod of fire into the stomach of the pirate on his right. The pirate with the spear throws his blade at Ronin. Ronin crouches and the spear zooms over his head. Sonna gets back in her position and fires an arrow into the forehead of the pirate with the crate. Sonna pops another arrow into the chest of the other pirate.

Namo leaps back on his feet and shouts, "No! I will not be beaten, by a child!"

Ronin: "Child? I'm twenty-three."

Namo: "Well, you're all children to me." Namo plants his feet and claps both of his hands. This creates a small earthquake in Ronin's direction. Ronin weaves backward and in the right direction. Namo rushes forward and launches several objects at Ronin. Ronin blasts two of the objects but is then hit in his left nipple by a rock.

Ronin stumbles backward and another rock hits the right side of his stomach. Two stones fly toward Ronin's head and Ronin ducks then another rock hits Ronin on the neck. Ronin falls backward. Sonna is able to take the shot at Namo but, she doesn't. She remembers the instructions she was given by Macai to allow her warriors to win their own battles when possible to prepare them for greater storms. She waits to intervene when absolutely necessary.

Ronin coughs and Namo smirks, "That all you got boy?" Ronin dashes forward in a moment of flurry and rage. Ronin thrusts both of his arms forward with all of his might and fires a ten-inch-wide beam of orange fire at Namo. Namo pulls a wall of earth to intercept the shot, but his wall is broken to pieces by the attack.

A fragment of the disrupted wall hits Namo on the left side of his face, a few inches from his eye. A red mark is left from the attack and Ronin zooms forward. Ronin hurls a flame from his right arm into Namo's chest. Namo groans and falls. The flame burns into his chest and Namo dies. Ronin can feel a chill on his back from his actions and his stomach starts turning from the brutal act.

Another pirate arrives with a dagger a few feet across Ronin's position, but Kanna fires a dark orange flame into his back. Kanna slowly walks forward, "Well done, Ronin."

Meanwhile, the last pirate starts steeling the ship that Kett's team burrowed for the mission. But he hears a noise behind him while he is taking off. The pirate turns around, "Back for one last round are you kiddo?" Dade rushes into the room and the pirate draws his sword.

Dade chucks a lember stone into the pirate's nose. A loud snap is heard and blood gushes from the pirate's nose. The pirate falls over unconscious. Dade taunts, "Commandeer that."

 Kett battles Rigor.

While this is happening, Kett continues to battle Rigor. Kett fires a three flames at his opponent. Rigor hurls three water torpedoes into Kett's flames. Rigor presses both of his hands together and swats a water beam at Kett. Kett leaps right and creates a large fireball then tosses it horizontally at Rigor. Rigor launches himself ten feet in the air with two water streams then fires two water streams at Kett while descending.

Kett narrowly avoids the attack and Rigor smacks another two streams of water into the ground as he launches himself towards Kett. Rigor starts to generate ice particles on his right hand as he prepares to fire a killing shot on Kett. A weary Kett presses his hands forward and directs a beam of fire at Rigor. Rigor's eyes widen and he immediately surrounds himself in a defensive water bubble shield.

The light orange fire beam knocks Rigor twenty feet out of his water bubble and into the ocean. Kanna sprints behind him with Ronin a few feet behind her. Kanna: "Is he dead?"

Kett: "Water benders can control water, but only the best ones can breathe it. I think that's the end of him."

Kanna replies, "Hopefully, but he seemed to be pretty talented."

Ronin: "He might know how to breathe water, but with how quickly he was flung into that sea the waves might have taken care of him."

Kanna: "Unless he can control the waves when he falls."

Ronin: "He's probably dead, but we can have soldiers search for him."

Kett: "Looks, like the pirate reinforcements, are here to deal with us." Kett points to three approaching pirate vessels on the shore. Each one has a garrison of forces who are ready to engage Kett's team."

Kanna: "Should we run?!"

Kett: "Just wait a second. If these pirates had any sense, they would have fled. But they think it's just us."

In the center of the ships, is the pirate leader Talon Zon. She was second in command of the Sea Guerrillas. However, she is the de facto leader of the group since Namo died. On the other hand, the other Sea Guerrillas are not aware of Namo's passing.

Talon has medium-length black hair, light skin, an eye patch over her left eye, and a hazel right eye. She is a firebender, but never showed her ability before to hide getting animosity from the other members. One of Talon's men looks through a scope and notices Kett, Kanna, and Ronin.

Pirate: "I see three of them on the shore. Along with several fallen members."

Talon: "Make them pay, all ships prepare to fire. We'll reduce them to rubble with our new weapons. Get the ships in position."

Kett: "Wait, they're facing us."

Dade suddenly sprints as he catches up with his group, "You guys won't believe what happened. I barely got off that ship we borrowed that the pirate tried to steal because I don't know how to control a ship by myself. There is no way he would have lasted with it alone, I guess he thought other people were doing to pick it up. Now it's drifting at sea."

Ronin: "Now is not the time, turn around and see what's happening." Dade turns around and sees three pirate ships moving toward them. Dade winces.

Kanna: "Like I said, run!"

Kett: "This doesn't make sense, the whole group will look bad if they level the city just to kill us."

Kanna: "Well, let's not make it easy for them by standing on the shore. Come on!" The group starts running.

While Kett is running he says, "Well now that I think about it, I think I heard that Talon is the most brutal of the leaders. And with the others not there to balance her out, we might have a big issue on our hands."

A pirate with the scope tells Talon, "They're running."

Talon laughs, "They will not escape the range of our guns. Even if they get behind the buildings, level everything in your path until they're dead." Just as the ships are getting ready to fire, a volley of orange fire torpedoes his the ship left of Talon. The ship immediately splits in two.

Talon turns around, "What just happened?!"

Pirate: "Looks like a Fire Nation ship just emerged. They're moving to engage us."

Talon: "Oh, well tell the ship on the right to take those scum out and we'll retreat. Our ship will fire distant shots to keep them at bay meanwhile our enemies will get obliterated."

Macai waits at his command deck with Asad. Asad: "The enemies are getting ready to open fire on us. The ones at Talon's ship anyway."

Macai: "What about the one on the left? It looks like they're getting ready to fire on our ground team."

Asad: "There is no way, we'll intercept all of the shots from Talon's ship if we focus on the other one. We shouldn't risk our entire team for five members."

Macai interrupts, "Those are five of our best members. Hazo order our meant to put all power to the engines, we'll move to evade those shots. Our troopers trained for this. I want a third of our shots to be fired at the pirate ship on the left. It is wooden, so it won't take much abuse before it goes down. I want another third fired at the shots that they might bombard the port, and I want another third of the shots to block incoming projectiles."

Asad: "There is no way our men will succeed in all those areas."

Macai: "We have to try. Besides, we trained diligently to be elite. The biggest limitations that anyone has are the ones they put on themselves. Give the order!"

The pirate ship of the left fires a volley of shots at the shore, but a volley of well-placed shots from Macai's ship hits the explosive cannons. Creating a massive explosion right outside of the shore that still manages to fry some naval ships on the harbor. Another volley of shots his the ship on the left, blowing it in pieces.

Kanna, Kett, Dade, and Ronin take cover expecting to be pulverized. They hear the loud explosions but, are still alive. Kanna looks and says, "Guys, the ship is destroyed."

Ronin looks, "What?! Macai did it! He saved us! I don't believe it."

Kett: "Macai is a real bro. He has our backs until the end. No matter what."

Ronin: "He probably left himself exposed to save us."

Kanna: "Macai trained his team well. If anyone can do it, it's the 31st."

The last volley of shots flies towards a barrage of shots from Talon's ship. Many of Talon's cannons are destroyed by the shots and explosions that ensue from the well-placed shots. However, several shots keep heading towards the Prompt Adjudicator. The ship avoids several of the cannons but three cannons hit the ship. Each cannon rocks the ship and has a minor breach through the ship's defenses.

One cannon destroys one of Macai's catapults on top of his ship and kills three crew members. Another cannon kills two crew members in a torpedo position. A third cannon kills four crew members and injuries two others. Macai: "Now return fire." Fire half of our shots at enemy projectiles and a third of them at the enemy ship."

Asad: "What about the few remaining guns?"

Macai: "Keep them on reserve for any incoming projectiles that we miss and fire at will after the initial volleys are fired. That way we keep our ship safe. We don't need to waste an unnecessary amount of firepower and risk getting hit. We also don't need to risk firing too many shots and causing unnecessary damage to the harbor which is an important economic resource to the Fire Nation."

Asad shakes his head. Macai's ship opens fire and blocks incoming projectiles and fires another volley at Talon's ship. Talon looks up in despair as she and her crew and blown to oblivion. The crew cheers to celebrate their victory and many members have a newfound respect for Macai after his first two victories.

Asad visits Hazo in his office. Hazo's office has blue-grey walls, a sand-colored ceiling, a khaki door with a silver door handle, and a dark blue floor. Asad: "We took casualties because of his actions, to save a small team."

Hazo: "And? Casualties were expected."

Asad: "I thought the well-being of your men meant something to you?"

Hazo: "They do, as well as that of Kanna, Kett, Ronin, Sonna, and Dade. They are all part of this crew. Sonna and Ronin have been a part of this crew for a while now. It seems like you are the only one who is not looking in the best interest of his unit."

Asad: "No sir, not at all. I just don't like the favoritism that Macai is showing."

Hazo: "Macai has the right to handle this however he wishes. If I told Macai this, you might be a dead man. I am relatively nice for a Fire Nation officer so I will leave you with this last warning. Stop your medaling. This is a lower casualty rate than what was expected for us to engage the three pirate ships with their new modified weapons. We also did it while saving five of our most trusted and valuable members. It certainly will pay off in the long run."

Asad: "We still could have saved more."

Hazo: "Only because of Macai's exceptional training."

Asad: "I'm not saying that Macai is not a great trainer. I'm talking about his-".

Hazo: "Enough, I know exactly what you're talking about. Your argument is nonsense. It seems to me like you're just jealous. You're hanging on a thin thread my friend so I suggest you learn how to hold your tongue and control yourself. Do I make myself clear?!"

Asad: "Yessir. Fine, I'll say nothing more from now on."

The ground team returns to their naval vessel and meets with Macai in the briefing room. Macai: "I must apologize to you all."

Kanna: "For what?"

Macai: "For risking five of my most valuable members in one mission. It was a good plan and a good mission but that was not wise. It was an awful risk."

Kett: "I don't know if any other team could have pulled the mission off. You know what Ozai says in the rule book. Always use your best members in hazardous missions to maximize success rates. Even if they die. Less talented soldiers are better for large-scale battles while more talented soldiers are better for small-scale battles. We're just doing our part."

Kanna: "You also saved OUR LIVES. A lesser officer would have sacrificed us to complete the mission."

Macai: "Well I should be thanking you all. My entire mission depended on your success. I wanted to see how effective each and every one of you were. When it came to working with new people and working in small-scale missions. None of you disappointed me. I'm very impressed. We have a bright future ahead of us."

Dade: "That we do. Now let's not overthink things. It's time to celebrate."

Macai: "Alright, I've got a deck of cards in the rec room. There is also a pool table, foosball, and ping pong."

Kett: "Sounds like a ball to me."