Road to Ba Sing Se | Zuko

43

❃ Caught Red-Bannered ❃

The Gaang waited with bated breath from their hiding spot. Appa and Momo had been secured under a red tarp by The Duke. Kanak had been quick to join the Gaang (although he seemed most interested in Toph) and Lei hurried inside where he had easy access to any weapons he would need, should things go down. Keya and Hun pretended to clean up the deck in the meantime. It gave the ship a more natural appeal and made it easier for them to hide the many bowls that the crew had just been eating from. The less the Fire Nation could find out, the better.

"I hate not being able to do anything." Aang hissed through clenched teeth.

"Hopefully," Toph argued, "we won't need to."

Kanak nodded in agreement. "Yeah, let's not get ahead of ourselves."

An iron ramp was let down over the gap between the two ships. Three intimidating men crossed the gap in a triangle formation. The foremost soldier looked to be the Captain. His armour was decorated with gold linings and details. His shoulderpads emphasised his impressively broad physique, fit for a well-trained firebender. On his face he wore a scowl that did not seem as if it had left his face in ages. His pointy Fire Nation beard indicated a sense of style that only elites could afford to invest in. Most foot soldiers and other lower rank fighters were always ordered to wear the official Fire Nation army helmets with spikes, a skeleton-looking face, and holes for eyes that made them look like demons. As a matter of fact, the two men behind the ship's Captain wore just that. Keya was instantly reminded of a very dark day in her past, one that had caused her to flee to the recently-conquered Ba Sing Se in the first place. She shuddered and focused on controlling her breathing. Just stay calm and stay in control.

"Commander," the Captain exclaimed sternly, "why are you off course?"

Hakoda gave him a formal Fire Nation bow, but received no bow in return. The Captain just went straight to business.

"All Western fleet ships are supposed to be moving toward Ba Sing Se to support the occupation!"

"Actually, we're from the..." Hakoda improvised as he went. "...Eastern fleet. We have orders to deliver some cargo."

"Ah, Eastern fleet..." The Captain massaged his spiky beard thoughtfully. "Well, 'nice' of Admiral Chan to let us know he was sending one of his ships our way." His voice was sarcastic and annoyed at the news that he hadn't been informed on the matter. It was highly dishonourable in Fire Nation culture -especially Fire Nation Navy culture- to make plans or alter them without giving the proper notices to the proper people. The idea of not being included in that group surely left a nasty taste in the Captain's mouth.

"I'm sure Admiral Chan meant no disrespect, Sir." Bato quickly added.

"I mean, how difficult is it to write a quick note and send a hawk our way?" The Captain complained.

Hakoda shared a glance with Bato. "Next time, we'll send two hawks to make sure you get the message." He ended his sentence with another bow. This time, it was reciprocated.

Just as the two men turned to go back to their own posts, one of the soldiers behind the Captain spoke up to his leader. "Sir, Admiral Chan has been on leave for two months at Ember Island."

This surprised the Captain. "What? Why doesn't anyone ever tell me anything? Something's not right. They should have known that." He frowned, before realising the truth: "I think this is a captured ship. Just stay quiet until we're safely across the ramp-" He instructed his soldiers and made his way back to their own ship "-then we'll sink this ship."