Book 2: Earth

Chapter 27- The Final Blow

Zhenjin was quite pleased at the progress of the battle so far. The Earth Kingdom had pulled their remaining forces out of Yu Dao itself, giving his own battered forces a few moments to rest and refit. The trickle of wounded soldiers heading to the healing tents was slowly turning into a steady wave, and he doubted he would have been able to continue the fight any longer.

That however, did not remove the imposing airship of the Earth Kingdom from the skies, and Zhenjin watched with apprehension as it came closer to the city. The behemoth was a reminder to him that the battle could still be lost yet. If the Earth Kingdom were able to get their ship to the center of the city, they would tear his defenses apart from the inside out with their cannons, and they would be untouchable from the air. He had to take that machine down before it came to that.

The outcome was being decided on the most delicate of scales, and like a good gambler, he was risking it all on his trump cards. The elite team he had assembled with Asami and Korra. He had no doubt that Asami was up to the task, along with Kori, who had given him the impression of a trained and experienced soldier.

No, the real wild card in all this was Korra. From the moment he saw her, and from what he remembered in his conversations with Mako and Asami, she was truly an enigma. For some reason beyond his understanding, she intrigued him. One moment, she was strong, so dominant and driven with a fire that he knew all too well, while other times, she seemed so meek and accepting, almost like those broken down colonials he had known time and time again. What was she? Was it on a whim that he gave that mission to her?

He wondered, but he knew deep down that he had made the right choice. Like Asami, Korra gave off an aura of almost limitless potential, even if she was still a novice, and he was curious himself to see how far she could go. Sometimes, being unpredictable was an advantage in itself on the battlefield.

"Sir," Colonel Shu saluted as he walked next to Prince Zhenjin.

"Report Colonel." Zhenjin replied. "Plainly if you please."

At that, the colonel nodded, producing a sheaf of paper from his pocket. "As per your orders sire, we've set up a telegraph station in the palace. It just finished so we are a bit behind, but the reports state that the Crimson Armada has refitted and left their base. While the Phoenix Lord's fleet had left three days ago, confirmed by our outposts by Whale Tail Island."

He never put much faith in these new-fangled inventions by War Minister Sato, but in a sense, it was a miracle. Here he was, receiving information from two different bases hundreds of miles away, in a fraction of the time it would take via messenger hawk. It wasn't perfect, but if they left three days ago, they would almost be here to make a difference.

All he needed to do now was hold out. And it didn't take long before Zhenjin soon found himself occupied with other thoughts when the first of the Goliath's cannons opened fire on the city.

As the first shells impacted the walls, the Fire Nation soldiers around him scrambled for cover, avoiding the shrapnel and falling stones that exploded around them. But Zhenjin remained firm and resolute in the chaos, eyes focused solely on the Airship and his thoughts on his comrades inside.

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Admiral Chan paced bridge of his airship impatiently as his eyes scanned the horizon. They had lost a good chunk of the air fleet over the Great Divide, along with a sizable portion of Ruon Jian's army, but the Crimson Armada was nevertheless still intact. The Earth Kingdom had foolishly turned away, seeking to destroy the colonies of Yu Dao instead of attacking Ba Sing Se, and giving Chan the time he needed to gather reinforcements and supplies to repair his battered ships.