Dao and the Freedom Fighters

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟗 - 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐬

Third Person POV:

Aang, Katara, and Sokka joined them for dinner that night. Dao bounced back from different conversations with each of them and Jet was content to just listen. He was still planning for later that night. With the blasting jellies, they were planning on rigging up a bunch around the dam and blowing it to scare off the Fire Nation soldiers. 

But here's the thing.

The dam had been practically empty for months. But the Fire Nation soldiers didn't know that. They never traveled close enough to see that first hand. The dam was on Freedom Fighter's territory. They'd blow open the empty dam, threatening to flood Gaipan forcing the soldiers to flee if they wanted to escape with their lives. Originally Jet had suggested flooding the village, but that would have required filling the dam (and as far as Jet knew none of his kids were waterbenders) and that would mean that any friends they had in town would also end up getting hurt as well as losing everything they'd worked to build.

Dao had been the one to point that out when he'd been listening in on one of Smellerbee, Longshot, and Jet's late night meetings. They all knew what it was like to lose their homes. So they'd revised the plan to a way that would just get rid of the Fire Nation soldiers without harming the Earth Kingdom people.

Jet set up Aang and friends up in one of the spare rooms they had in the hideout before he met up with the other Freedom Fighters to rig the dam.

Everything was going great until Sokka showed up yelling out some crazy accusations about how they were crazy and were just as bad as the Fire Nation soldiers if they were planning on flooding the village. 

He must have been listening in on their final planning conversation before they left the hideout , Jet reasoned. Looks like they'd be pulling this plan earlier than expected.

Pipsqueak and the Duke took care of distracting Sokka while Jet slipped away towards the village. He left Smellerbee, Longshot, and Dao in charge of blowing the dam if/when it came to that. In all reality, if they could get away with not blowing the dam, it'd be a greater win in Jet's book.

Jet was met by a few Fire Nation soldiers at the front of the village. He drew his swords as they got closer.

"It's time for you to leave our town," Jet said, putting on his best commanding, confident, voice.

One of the soldiers laughed. "Or what kid?"

"Or we'll flood the town and all you in it." Jet kept his voice even and dead serious. He couldn't let the soldiers call his bluff. He saw a bit of worry pass over one of their faces, but the others didn't seem convinced.

A different soldier than the first said, "Go back home and we'll leave you alone."

Looks like they were blowing the dam.

Jet gave out a loud whistle for the three up at the rig.

At first nothing happened.

One of the soldiers laughed again. 

Still nothing, then all at once the blasting started. The soldiers took off running as far from the village as they could. They didn't bother looking back. And any that stayed fell to the end of Jet's swords.

With the soldiers gone, the people of Gaipan were finally out of Fire Nation control. 

Jet ran back up to the cliff where the dam was only to quickly be frozen to a tree beside Longshot and Smellerbee. Katara was yelling at him, something about trust, he didn't feel the need to point out that he'd known her less than a day, it wasn't wise to trust that quickly. Instead he was looking around for their second youngest Freedom Fighter. He caught sight of a figure darting through the bushes so he at least knew Dao was safe.

After some more yelling from Katara and Sokka, and even a bit from Aang which surprised Jet a bit, but he really wasn't listening. The people of Gaipan were free. That was all that mattered. 

Eventually the Avatar and friends left and Dao crept out from the brush. He held a small flame in his hands to melt them off of the trees. They were all shivering, but that didn't really matter to any of them.

One more place was safe from the Fire Nation.