Meanwhile, General Chin was telling us all about this particular Wunderwaffle. And compared to it, the infamous German Maus—the heaviest and strangest piece of mechanical monstrosity of its time, while also being just slightly more useful than completely useless—didn't seem quite so terrifying anymore and hardly deserved the proud title of "miscarriage of engineering."
Granted, unlike the creation of the gloomy Teutonic genius, the Fire Nation Engineering Corps hadn't been trying to create some sort of "wonder weapon" when they designed this drill. They'd pursued purely utilitarian goals. Yes, the thing was expensive and extremely specialized, but it was worth it!
So, where to begin? Well, probably with durability. A half-meter layer of armor provided reliable protection against rocks, even ones hurled down from the top of the wall. Inside, the drill was hollow, essentially just a tunnel as wide as two subway tunnels side by side. To keep the whole thing from collapsing under its own weight, the hull was reinforced with special beams and trusses.
The cherry on top was an entire hydraulic system comparable in complexity and ingenuity to the Mechanist's creations, and I would've said he'd designed the whole thing himself if not for the fact that the engineer had only recently entered the Fire Nation's service officially, while the drill had been under construction for several years. But back to the hydraulics. The system of actuators allowed the drill, when in operation, to "crawl" along like some kind of snail—using pistons to push sections forward and then retracting them, effectively "pulling" the rear sections along. Yes, it was slow and miserable, but dislodging something that literally "clung to the earth" would be a challenge even for an entire army of earthbenders.
The second point was that all these bells and whistles essentially turned the "Siege Drill" into a gigantic jackhammer. There ought to be a joke here about how the Fire Nation's take on the "neighbor with a power drill" would be truly, epically unbearable.
Oh, right—and the crowning touch was a "detachable drill head," meaning my initial hypothesis had turned out to be correct: the drill would hammer its way through the wall, ignoring every attempt to stop it, after which it would become a steel tunnel that couldn't simply be crushed or smashed, through which Fire Nation assault troops would pour into the city, backed by heavy tanks.
"Well, that sounds fairly convincing," Azula concluded. "But we'll see how it performs in practice."
"Everything will be ready within two days at the latest, Your Highness." Chin bowed. "May I offer you a tent here in the camp and, of course, the command throne in the drill's control room?"
"Two thrones," the princess corrected him. "As for accommodations, those won't be necessary. My cabin aboard the airship is quite comfortable. But thank you for your hospitality."
"Y-yes, of course!" The esteemed general's eyes practically bulged out of his head, and he seemed unable to believe his ears. Then he gave Zuko and the Blast a long, very thoughtful look. I'd bet my last coin he was wondering whether the monarch's policy toward his son had changed—or whether "that monster" had somehow managed to make even the Fire Princess respect him.
"Hmm, esteemed Chin, do you happen to have a supply of tea?" Iroh asked, having accompanied us in silence this entire time.
"Uncle..." Zuko simply closed his eyes and sagged. Look, even Mai was soothingly patting him on the head.
"That's actually a very good question!" I chimed in, supporting my fellow hobbyist.
"Li..." The royal siblings had never been more united than they were now—in a state of profound despair and sorrow. And yes, Azula was getting patted on the head too. Ty Lee, being the sweet girl she was, was encouraging her friend. There were... no objections. Then again, yeah, who would object to that cheerful little sweetheart when she came at you with nothing but the best intentions?
"What? Good tea is important!" I assured the girl.
"That's it... no tea! We're going to train! Now!" And then I was quite literally grabbed by the scruff of my neck and dragged off to her lair... I mean, outside the camp, where the soldiers happened to be training.
"Um, who exactly is that, and what sort of relationship does he have with Her Highness?" I heard the general ask Iroh, courtesy of my chi-enhanced hearing.
"That's Li... He's the Herald's apprentice and aide. He's a good guy, but sometimes I think he has certain... eccentricities," Suki said, dealing me a "treacherous stab in the back."
"Uh-huh..." The general glanced sideways at the Blast, who continued standing impassively beside the group of guests. And there was... quite a lot in that look. Something along the lines of, With a master like that, it's no wonder the kid went crazy. And sympathy, yes. I didn't have time to make out anything more, because Azula rounded a row of tents and our merry little group disappeared from my sight.
The next hour passed in a duel that genuinely did a great job of clearing my head, letting me take my mind off things and pull myself together. And as for the enormous bursts of blue flame flaring above the camp... well, everyone knew how the princess "flared up," while "Li" could simply have been a warrior—or perhaps his flames were being "overpowered" by the esteemed lady.
(End of Chapter)
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