The trip isn't long and soon, we land in the Earthkingdom base.
Our welcome is… enthusiastically delivered. "Welcome! Avatar Aang! I am General Fong," he and his delegation of uniformed earthbenders follow suit. "And welcome to all of you great heroes! Appa! Momo! Great Sokka! The mighty Katara. And…" he looks at me quizzically while the others preen.
I decide to have a little fun and give the mockery of a bow with a flourish, "Kaito."
"And the heroic Kaito!" he picks up seamlessly.
Katara snorts, "How would he know that?"
I give her a wink, "My dashingly charming appearance is all he needs."
Sokka snorts into his hand and Aang considers me seriously. "Actually, I think you come off as a bit less dashing or charming and more… roguish."
Where did the Avatar pick up a cheap romance novel? Katara and Sokka laugh heartily at my expense and I waggle my eyebrows at Aang just in time for the fireworks to set off. It would've been more impressive at night, with the new moon we have. Nonetheless, I nod when Sokka comments, "Not bad."
We're led inside a large audience room to sit and are brought some tea while General Fong moves to take his place behind his desk.
"Avatar Aang, we were all amazed at the stories of how you single-handedly wiped out an entire Fire Navy fleet at the North Pole," he opens, stroking his beard repeatedly with one hand, "I can't imagine what it feels like to wield such devastating power. It's an awesome responsibility."
Ah, now I'm glad I had that talk with Aang. I vaguely remember someone forcing Aang into something or other. In any case, it's the friendly ones I'm looking out for from now on. As well as everyone else.
"I try not to think about it too much," Aang replies. True, but that's what he gets nightmares for, eh? How about some talking about it to get rid of them? Or something. Aren't there such things as drawing-therapy? An idea for another time.
"Avatar. You're ready to face the Firelord now," he declares with a kind face.
"What?! No, I'm not!"
"Aang still needs to master all four elements," Katara says reasonably. It's a step up from how she talked to Pakku, definitely.
"Why? With the kind of power he possesses, power enough to destroy hundreds of battleships in a matter of minutes! He could defeat the Firelord now!" Fong's stood up during his little outburst.
"But, Sir, the thing is, Aang can only do those things in the Avatar state," Sokka divulges.
"And you might want to take note of the fact that, while the Avatar possesses the power to do what you insinuate, he did not, in fact, destroy that fleet. He instead saved the lives of hundreds of warriors and benders who'd been powerless against the assault of the Fire Nation moments before," I drawl this with uncharacteristic longevity.
"But he could! He could and with him as the ultimate weapon we can cut a swath right to the heart of the Fire Nation!"
"The ultimate weapon, huh?" I repeat quietly and Katara's temper makes itself known again.
"Aang isn't a weapon!"
General Fong seems to decide that he needs another angle to persuade Aang, "May I show you something? That's the infirmary. And those soldiers are the lucky ones. They came back. Every day the Fire Nation takes lives. People are dying Aang! You could end it, now! Think about it."
I click my tongue. Everyone turns to look at me leaning against one of the pillars near the window. "Let me ask you something, General. Historically, aren't all the plans that hinged on one focal point failures? Once that point is removed, the entire plan folds in on itself. What you suggest puts the Avatar at extreme risk, more so than he is now. And, should he be incapacitated, no one returns."
"That's right! And Aang is more likely to be incapacitated if he hasn't mastered all four elements! That puts everyone at even more of a risk!" Sokka catches on fast. Good. Katara's bound to be with us, if only because she doesn't believe in Fong's persuasions.
Only, what he's said isn't untrue. But instead of pushing Aang into something he's clearly not ready for, neither capability-wise, nor emotionally, he should devise better methods of protecting his soldiers, be more cunning. While the Avatar can bring balance to the world, if there's no one left to live in it, there is hardly any point.
General Fong is mad, tireless and a bit of a tyrant. That much is clear. What will become dangerous is the lengths he's willing to go to.
That, and he underestimates us. Aang has been warned, Katara and Sokka are ready, Appa knows not to trust the stable hands blindly, and Momo… Well, that one's a master of making one underestimate him. He's clever, and quick, and when I bribe him with a few special fruits that he likes, he manages to steal one of the maps and another scroll: an earthbending scroll.
Although it offers little in the way of training an Avatar whose first element is air, I'm sure it will come in handy. Be it only to bribe someone with, or to barter for something equally valuable. Bending forms are very rare, after all, and divulge secrets that some schools have long forgotten.
It would have to be either a family above suspicion within Fire Nation territory, or in the free parts of the kingdom. We'll see, but I suspect that if it is sold, it will end up in the hands of the wealthy who manage to profit despite or perhaps because of the war. What I know of the Earthkingdom's economy is sparse, but it isn't a far leap to assume that taxes are high, soldiers undisciplined, and guidelines that people call laws are stricter. It's no wonder that General Fong is this desperate. He knows more than I can assume, but Aang is in no state to invade the Fire Nation. Yet. With the right allies, perhaps soon enough.
Soon enough to survive the Comet.
I'd hate to take on the Firelord during those hours. Perhaps we have to work at the firebenders to get them to stop their insane, destruction-happy kin. But it isn't a likely venue, when I could definitely make some sort of impact elsewhere. Besides, I doubt any change would take, if it didn't come from the inside, from someone well-known and -liked…
Someone famous…
Perhaps there is a way to put General Iroh back into power, but that's a long way off. It might be simpler to plant the idea of a functional democracy. But those are hard to establish, and harder to keep from becoming corrupt or slaves to the corporate money holders. Already the wealthy have Ba Sing Se in a chokehold, with only the Dai Li to balance out power.
A balance the latter – and the former, I imagine – would gladly upset, if it meant more advantages for them.
Until I know more, there can be no changes. I don't know how the Fire Nation people think, what it is they care about most. If a shift in power to the benefit of the people occurred in the Northern Watertribe, the council would clamber to retain their power, leading to the benefit of only their own families.
So there would have to be measures in place to ensure that won't be a possibility.
As it happens, I believe Arnook to be the best man for the job, although I have no idea who would be his best replacement. I'd keep it being a non-bending family. Benders are already far too influential compared to the non-bending population. But those aren't immediate concerns of mine. Not until after everything is over. That is, the situation with the Firelord and my spiritual problem.
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Don't forget to throw some power stones :)
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