Dragon At Heart

Chapter 36

36. The Fall of General Iroh

Lieutenant Jee was standing in a line. Having worked most of his adult life in the Navy, he was well used to waiting in line. There were about ten soldiers standing before him, and about a dozen behind him, all waiting to tell the Admiral what they knew about dragons.

It was very likely that Lieutenant Jee knew more about dragons than the rest of the line put together. That said Jee was in no hurry to see Zhao; he had not come all this way to meet the Admiral, nor did he have any intentions of sharing information with the man. It was General Iroh Jee had come to see.

When the word had spread that Zhao was inviting people with knowledge about dragons to come to the flagship, Lieutenant Jee had seized the opportunity to get onboard, and to hopefully have a chance to exchange a few words with General Iroh. Any member of the Prince's old crew could have come along, but had they come in great numbers that might have raised suspicions, and so Jee had convinced the others it was better he went alone.

Something strange was going on and Jee and the rest of the crew wanted to know what.

Jee was of course very happy to find out that Prince Zuko was alive, but at the same time, it was no coincidence that both Iroh and Zuko were at the North Pole and both under false pretense. They were after something, and if it was just the Avatar, why go through such theatrics?

No, there was a hidden threat out there, all right, but it was something bigger and more sinister than the Air Nomad. And come to think of it, Jee's hunch told him that this trouble was inside the ranks of the Fire Navy rather than somewhere outside it. That was why Jee needed to talk to General Iroh: he needed to tell the old General that Zuko's crew was still loyal to Iroh and the Prince. They could be counted on, come what may.

An officer stepped out of Zhao's cabin, and stated: "The Admiral will receive no more visitors tonight. You are ordered to return to your ships."

The news caused some disappointed and even jealous murmurs, but no one protested loudly. The sailors started to make their way back towards the rear of the flagship, where rowing boats could be lifted onboard or off the ship. Usually, people walked from one fireship to another via ramps, but since the fleet was vast and potential informants scattered all around, they had been told to row there in lifeboats.

The door to Zhao's cabin opened again, and high-ranking military officials and Zhao's trusted men streamed out. Jee walked very slowly, waiting to see if General Iroh would emerge as well, but he did not. After a while of stalling, Jee decided to risk it. He turned to one of the officers, saluted him respectfully, and asked: "Is General Iroh still with the Admiral, sir?"

Jee was a little worried that he would get into trouble for this, but luckily the higher ranking officer looked tired and mildly surprised, but not suspicious or hostile. "No. General Iroh is resting in his own cabin."

Jee nodded briefly. The officer walked passed him, but on the last minute, he turned around and asked the inevitable question: "Why did you want to know?"

Jee smiled uncomfortably, and answered: "I served under the General for years, and to my shame I owe him a considerable sum of money from Pai Sho tournaments held on the ship. The General never pressured me about it, but the unsettled debt weighs heavy on my conscience, and I would rather pay it in this life than the next."

Jee felt like the other man could see right through his pitiful excuse, but since he had already come this far, there was little harm in pushing his luck a bit further. In for an inch, in for a mile.

"You see, I had thought that I would meet the General here, since he is the Admiral's foremost expert on dragons. That is why I brought a considerable sum of money with me, and now I would hate to return to my ship before I've settled the debt. Is there any way I could visit General Iroh's quarters on my way off this ship?"