98 A.G
Lin stood at the edge of the cliffside battery and let her gaze rest on the dark outline of Gaoling in the distance. The long rows of the buildings offered a nice view with the city lights scattered unevenly along the mountainside.
They had killed the scouts near the bay close to Gaoling that evening then landed all of the cannons from their ships to attack the city. They had moved without stopping once they had everything ready and closed in on the city from the southwest.
Now Lin was letting all of her men prepare everything. Behind her the cannoneer company moved with urgency, but making no mistakes, iron wheels creaking softly as cannons were aligned and elevation angles adjusted by hand.
She had spent the last days training with them extensively. Going over the physics behind how to calculate the trajectory of the shot, pacing their reload cycles, and drilling them until their movements became second nature to them.
The effort had cost her a lot more than she had expected, although she did her best not to show it to them. Adrenaline still coursed through her system each time she heard one of them fire. She could feel the heat lingering under her skin, and at the edge of her vision shapes appeared that did not belong to the landscape.
Sometimes she would see soldiers from her past life, sometimes she could hear shouts in Korean in the distance, but she could still remain focused and anchored in the present moment somehow, which was enough to do her duty.
She glanced at the men, and she could see they were nervous. Lin did not fault them for it, for they understood that within minutes their actions would reach beyond the mountain face and into the city below. Hundreds would die by their hands if the plan went ahead as expected.
Lin could see their hands fidgeting briefly before their training and discipline took hold of them again. Their breaths steadied, and each crew kept to their assigned task, loading shells, sealing chambers, and checking fuses with careful attention without uttering a word.
Lin had crafted a plan that would make Gaoling fall in one day. The opening bombardment would strike the mountain perimeter during the night. The resulting landslide and rockfalls would sow chaos on their defensive positions and scatter both soldiers and civilians into confusion.
Under cover of that chaos, her red company would be deployed into the same mountain, including her. At dawn, her messengers inside the city would deliver a single narrative, stating that the earthbender defenders had chosen to fight them on those mountains without regard for the people beneath them, placing blame squarely on the governor and the military command for the destruction that followed.
By the time the sun rose fully, Gaoling would already be surrounded and in disarray. With their morale plummeting to the ground, it would be easy to overwhelm them and take the city fast. And they could probably avoid taking heavy casualties this way.
Then Lin intended to present her forces as the only structure capable of restoring order. The city would be open to their occupation, because the alternative would appear worse, and resistance would collapse before it even began.
With the help of the intelligence unit, they had managed to map every defensive position, every escape route, and even how their supplies moved through the city. That unit would remain hidden within the Beifong estate, protected by Toph's cooperation, and positioned to assist once her army took control.
Lin walked the line one final time, her presence steadying the crews without a word. When she reached her position, she raised her hand, the motion small and deliberate, and her officers fixed their attention on her without hesitation.
She lowered her hand and gave the order in a voice that carried no doubts or hesitation.
"Fire."
----0000----
Mayor Zu, Gaoling's governor, woke to the sound of stone tearing itself apart. The first impact jolted him upright, the floor beneath his bed shuddering as if the foundations of the statehouse had received the full force of an attack.
Before he could fully orient himself, another tremor followed, stronger and closer, dust shaking loose from the ceiling beams and drifting through the air in thin sheets.
"What is this… we don't get earthquakes in this region…" he mumbled.
He pulled on trousers with hurried movements as a third impact rolled through the city, the sound deep and prolonged as if rocks were being moved by dozens of earthbenders. At that moment, a guard entered his chambers in panic. His breath was uneven, and his eyes were wide in alarm.
"Mayor! Sections of the mountain are giving way, entire slopes are breaking loose and crashing down into the northern districts. There are streets buried under falling stone and some roofs crushed." He said hurriedly. "The guards present there are already struggling to hold the damage and stop the falling rocks."
"Direct every available earthbender to evacuate the northern district. Let's contain this, prioritize the residential quarters. We need to help them fast before they are trapped below stone." Zu ordered at once, while fastening his belt.
As the guard exited his house rapidly, Zu pushed outside into the night, where the cold air made him shiver. He ran toward the north district, in the distance he could see another landslide in the mountain walls. He paused his run to take a look at the surrounding ring of mountains that hugged Gaoling's city to the north. They all seemed alive at the same time.
Rock and stone poured downward in waves, boulders tearing free from high atop, and its slopes were splitting open as if struck repeatedly by an invisible force. Dust clouds rolled through the streets in the distance, choking the air and obscuring lantern light.
Then Zu began to notice a strange noise. It came in intervals, deep concussive booms echoing through the valley, followed by fresh collapses that traveled the same way as the recent landslide that had just happened. Zu felt a cold certainty settle into place as another sequence of impacts shook the ground.
This was not an earthquake or a natural occurrence. The Fire Nation was somehow involved. Their spies had not delivered a report in weeks, they had little hope they were still alive, and they were expecting an attack on the city soon, but not whatever this was.
He did not know how, only that this scale of destruction was not natural, and the booming sounds in the distance could be the new weapon they had heard rumors of. How enemy forces had reached the mountain tops without earthbending defied immediate understanding, and Zu forced himself not to dwell on it as he turned his attention back to the city below.
He caught the first runner he could find, gripping the man's shoulder firmly enough to cut through the panic in his expression.
"Soldier, get a grip! Go to your superior, command every district to pull guards and labor crews to the north of the city. Quickly now, we need to evacuate the civilians and contain this chaos!" Zu said. The runner nodded and bolted through the chaos.
Defensive posts would be thinned, but if they failed to manage the falling stone so many would die or lose their homes. Fear could spread quickly, he needed to get his commanders to bring order.
Zu saw more guards rushing into collapsing streets, civilians ran without direction, causing panic among his forces. Some were even clutching children and belongings as debris thundered down around them.
Zu finally found two of his commanders already barking orders.
"Mayor, this situation is out of control!" Colonel Moshi said.
"I agree, colonel. We need to stabilize and help the civilians get away from this." Zu replied.
"You heard the governor, direct everyone who is able to help, we need every earthbender here if possible." Moshi said.
The colonel quickly made a small roof and small room for them out of stone. "We will use this as a command point, let's bring order, people, without fear!"
Earthbenders worked until their movements slowed, sweat and dust streaking their faces as they struggled to hold slopes in place long enough for people to escape. Shouts echoed through the streets, commands colliding with screams.
Finally, after what seemed like the entire night, the landslides began to stop and the falling rocks quieted. There was still chaos, people going through the rubble and civilians crying after losing family or their houses.
An officer from the Omashu detachment reached their command post through the confusion, his armor was scarred, as if he had been hit by a rock.
"Mayor, there is enemy movement in the ridgelines. We saw silhouettes of what seemed to be Fire Nation soldiers that were not there before, high in the mountains. We should push immediately toward them and attack before they can bring the mountains down on us." he said.
Zu refused. "No, captain. If we go fight them up there, we will cause more destruction to fall down on the city. I don't know how they did what they did, but it seems it has stopped so far, let's focus on preparing the defense and helping civilians." He said, his voice firm despite the noise.
Whatever force the Fire Nation was using, it was aimed downward, and any attempt to contest the heights would draw further collapse onto Gaoling itself. Their priority had to remain the people still trapped below.
"Mayor! Control is breaking down in the adjacent districts. Civies' are ignoring evacuation routes and are pushing barricades in panic. Fights are also breaking out as we speak, people are ignoring the blockade on certain streets to try and reach their families living in the north district." A runner said.
Zu closed his eyes briefly, breathing through the dust and strain, knowing that this was escalating beyond their control too fast.
"Alright, order the guards to control the crowd, we need civilians out of the picture. Light signal fires to guide evacuees and concentrate more of our forces here to help bring order." Zu said.
Exhaustion would claim them before the night ended, yet they had no choice but to endure.
"It's going to be a long night, colonel."
----0000----
With the arrival of morning, Lin watched her forces settle into their final positions as the city below remained fractured and unsteady. Some of their streets were choked with debris, and there were still structures partially collapsed. No doubt, earthbenders were scattered across the northern districts attempting to contain damage.
Smoke and dust still hung low over Gaoling, blurring distance and dulling sound, while movement within the walls remained disorganized. She had descended hours earlier, dropping into the mountainside under cover of darkness alongside most of the riflemen unit and the red company.
It had taken quite some time to drop everyone in using the gliders but they had not been attacked and the landslides that had occurred only left stable ground to land on. She looked around to her riflemen, getting ready and preparing their weapons.
They had trusted her parachutes without question, stepping into the void one by one despite lacking the advantage of firebending to correct a fall if something went wrong. Lin knew they would hold, she had known it from experience in her past life, but the men did not share that certainty.
She had them train over the past few weeks, and she appreciated their bravery to commit to it, overcoming their fears. Their willingness to carry their duty above all and their courage, was something Lin was willing to praise.
With everything aligned, the bulk of her army advanced from the southern plains, if they attacked quickly enough, the city would still be in chaos and there wouldn't be enough defenders to stop them from entering the city.
They had the task of forcing the defenders to split their attention while panic still dictated movement within the walls, then to take control of most of the city. Lin's position in the north, reinforced by the Red Company and the riflemen, would face the most resistance and heavy fighting as no doubt they had pulled most of their earthbenders to the north.
Still, they would be exhausted after working all night, the odds were heavily in their favor. She expected the city's defenses to collapse within hours. This way they would suffer fewer casualties than they would have suffered in a prolonged siege, and fewer than the city would have endured had the assault stretched into days.
Lin and her company began descending the mountain. Firebenders moved with her down the broken slopes, using controlled bursts to clear paths and keep pace, while the riflemen followed behind them.
The idea was for them to take position above the advancing line of firebenders, spreading out along prepared vantage points carved into the rock during the night. From there, they would have to rely on their aim, but the risk of friendly fire was minimized.
As the ruined edge of the city came into view, Lin raised her arm and released a single fireball into the air, its arc clear against the morning sky. The riflemen responded in unison, the first volley tearing through the haze and into the disorganized defensive line below.
As the noise dwarfed everything around them, Lin could see the confusion spreading as bodies fell to impacts they could not see, only hear and feel.
"Forward! Kill them all!" she screamed.
Earthbenders reacted late, walls rising unevenly as they tried to shield themselves and form a defensive line against the invading forces. Lin closed the distance at once, while her company followed behind her.
With a roar, she punched hard at her closest enemy, fire breaking from her strikes as she shattered newly formed barriers and forced defenders backward. Stone erupted where her attacks landed, fragments scattering across their lines, already layered with rubble.
The Red Company followed her lead, advancing in disciplined formation, cutting down resistance methodically. As they continued to eliminate every threat, more earthbenders tried desperately to kill them, throwing boulders and earth spikes, which were easy to avoid or break.
The defenders struggled to match their pace. They began retreating as the company continued to advance, so far they hadn't suffered any casualties. The riflemen continued to shoot above their heads and Lin was happy their aim was impeccable.
Civilians were absent from the immediate engagement zone, pushed deeper into the city by the night's destruction, and Lin used that to her advantage, closing to engage at full power and letting her chi free to destroy her opponents.
It was all coming down so quickly that by the time Lin looked up, she could see they had already pushed deep enough that the buildings and streets had no rubble from the night before and her riflemen had to advance in order to catch up.
Earth Kingdom forces pulled back toward the city center, abandoning positions as her unit advanced, and through the gaps between collapsing defenses she could see the southern advance pushing inward, Fire Nation banners cresting over the streets.
Finally, she could see civilians escaping or closing the doors of their home as well. The plan was unfolding as intended, and soon the Earth Kingdom would lose their city. Gaoling was ready to fall.
"Captain, set a perimeter, and leave a few of our reserves here, we are not sure if there are defenders hiding inside these buildings, have everyone ready for anything." Lin said to Zhou.
"Yes, ma'am!" he replied.
"Also, let them know that if civilians ask for help, we should help them, so long as it isn't suspicious and they are careful not to fall into a trap." Lin clarified.
"You got it, commander." Zhou said.
"Everyone else, let's move! We continue to push! For the Fire Nation! AK!"
----0000----
Azula and her unit exited their hideout in the Beifong manor. The plan was to take control of the manor by using Toph as a hostage. The blind earthbender didn't like to play victim but her parents believed she was very weak, which was very amusing to the princess.
She was about to knock on the door of Toph's room when the blind girl opened the door.
"Hey princess platypus." she said, smirking.
Azula scowled. "I shouldn't have made that joke."
"Relaaax, princess. I'm ready, let's meet the rest of my family and my servants." Toph said.
They navigated the huge manor corridors. They encountered the first state guards and azula put a hand on Toph's shoulders.
"If anyone dares to attack, she dies." Azula said, confident.
She liked the look of anger in their faces as they clenched their fist. She knew they wouldn't risk it. As the unit moved to restrain them with metal shackles the princess smiled. Lin's plan was working perfectly.
Toph's parents were shocked to see Fire Nation soldiers in their house, more so with their daughter and they were begging before they even exchanged any words between them.
Her unit started locking servants in their service rooms and using shackles to restrain the guards. When they were done, they met at the main hall to plan when to join the fighting outside. But at that moment a loud bang echoed through the estate.
"Traitors! You have nowhere to escape! Come out or die." someone shouted outside.
Azula smirked as her heart began beating faster. "It seems… the battle will join us instead. How fun."
----0000----
Lin held position near a market street that was now completely destroyed. The stalls were overturned and their stone counters were fractured where they had faced resistance. The smell of dust and smoke was still clinging to the air as her unit secured the surrounding blocks.
Movement came in short bursts now, defenders retreating deeper into the city while her forces consolidated control street by street. She was reviewing the next steps in her head when a corporal runner reached her.
"Commander! An emergency fire hawk just got to us, there is an urgent message from the Intelligence unit. The Beifong estate is under attack! Earthbenders were attempting to force entry shouting accusations of treason." he said.
They must have planted spies on the noble family and discovered their unit, or someone had seen them. Lin hoped they managed to talk them down, or at least, that they weren't enough of them to be a threat. Still, there was still time to catch up from where she was.
"Captain Zhou, lieutenant Toma, you are coming with me, we need to go at full speed and ignore everything else, the intelligence unit and by extension our nation's princess is under attack. The rest of you continue as planned." Lin said.
"Commander, it is dangerous for you three alone to go!" Lieutenant Aiku complained.
"More of us will slow us down, continue the attack as planned, Lieutenant. Let's move!" Lin replied.
Within seconds they were moving, all three of them using firebending in urgent bursts to propel them forward along the broken streets. They would spend all of their chi if they wanted to fly higher, so they used just enough to cut distance rapidly.
Lin navigated without slowing, she was well aware of Gaoling's streets having studied the maps extensively. She anticipated every turn, avoiding every obstruction in her path and her men followed close. They ignored civilians and scattered defenders as they crossed paths, their speed fast enough that no one could stop them.
Lin could hear the sound of fighting, stone and walls rising and falling as earthbenders continued resisting, but she ignored them as well. In only a few minutes they arrived at the periphery of the Beifong estate.
As they entered the outer gardens, the noise became less chaotic than expected. Bodies lay among the hedges and walkways, earthbender guards from the city forces, some with burns, others with boulders on top of them. The manor itself still stood intact.
Lin moved through the entrance without pausing, Zhou and Toma flanking her on guard. As they entered the main hall Lin was hopeful as she saw two members of her intelligence still standing. They looked exhausted but with determination in their eyes. They were facing off against three remaining earthbenders blocking the corridor ahead.
As Lin took the entire picture, she saw a few of her soldiers lay scattered across the polished stone floor, some clearly dead, and a few barely conscious, surrounded by fallen Earth Kingdom soldiers whose numbers far exceeded theirs.
Lin quickly pulled her pistol from her leg and fired once at the nearest earthbender, who collapsed immediately as the shot pierced his skull. She closed the remaining distance without breaking stride, knife already in hand, striking one of the stunned attackers before he could react. Zhou surged past her, fire catching along his arms as he overwhelmed the last defender, landing a killing blow.
Lin turned to the surviving operatives. "Men, give me a report, where is the princess? What happened here?" Lin said.
"Ma'am. Princess Azula and the young Beifong moved deeper in the manor. They were initially defending the hall with us, but we didn't know if more were coming. We suggested for them to hide in case we were overwhelmed. The princess and the young earthbender refused but there were civilians as well, and they were eventually convinced to go with them and act as a last line of defense." one of them said.
"We have a code word just in case. They are not in danger, we didn't let anyone through." the other said.
"Good. Lead the Captain and the Lieutenant to them, then we will make our exit toward our own lines if we need to, I will see if I can help the ones that are still alive here and if someone else comes in I will deal with them." Lin said, already moving to check on the fallen soldiers.
As they moved away, Lin surveyed the hall once more. It had been a tough fight, that much was clear. She saw a slight movement on the corner of her vision and she approached quickly. One of her soldiers lay against a shattered pillar, breathing unevenly, an earth spike driven clean through his abdomen. His armor was torn and blood was pooling beneath him.
She recognized him instantly, he was Sergeant Jiro; one of Captain Aiku's men. Lin knelt beside him, ignoring the noise beginning to return as allied forces had already caught up to the estate and they were fighting against the defenders close by.
She took a look at the fallen sergeant. He was still alive though she knew there was nothing she could do for him anymore. His breathing was shallow, irregular, each breath an effort that pulled a faint sound from his throat. His eyes fluttered open as she reached him.
"Commander… I am… I'm s-scared." he said.
"I know, sergeant. But you have nothing to be afraid of." Lin said, taking his hand with her metal ones gently.
"I'm going to tell you a secret, Jiro. Something I haven't shared with anyone. I know there is nothing to be afraid of, because this is not my first life. I died once already." Lin said.
Jiro's eyes widened and his breathing was still ragged but Lin could see she had his full attention now and that he didn't even doubt what she was saying.
"I used to serve another nation and I did my duty. I fell in battle, I remember the cold of my final moments. I remember the bodies of my fallen comrades all around me. And when I thought life was over for me, I was rewarded with a new purpose. A new beginning."
"Your path doesn't end here, Jiro. Your duty and honor will continue to your next adventure. The spirits will not abandon soldiers who fought until the end. Whatever comes next for you now, Jiro, I'm sure it will be a life full of resolve and honor."
Jiro listened, tears gathering in his eyes, and despite the pain etched across his face, he smiled.
"Thank you… C-commander. I only regret… t-that I won't be there to see you win the war for us… To see you bring v-victory to our nation. I-I… wanted to follow you… until the end."
With visible effort, he lifted his other arm not held by Lin and crossed it over his chest, his breathing slowing further as he held the gesture.
Footsteps echoed behind her as Zhou and Toma returned with the princess and the others in tow, their voices rising briefly until they saw the scene before them. Lin did not turn to them, however, her attention remained fixed on Jiro as tears slid down his temples and he closed his eyes.
"For the Fire Nation." he murmured.
His breath left him, and finally his body relaxed for the last time. Lin remained kneeling for a moment longer, silently mourning the loss. Then she rose to her feet to greet the rest of her unit and the Beifong family.
"I am Commander Lin of the Red Battalion. You have my apologies. We didn't intend to bring death to your doorstep." Lin said, bowing to the Beifong patriarch.
"We will surrender, Commander Lin." he replied.
"There is no need for that, we will-"
As Lin was about to talk about their relationship with their daughter Toph, the doors opened yet again and Captain Aiku, along with more of her men, saluted her.
"We have taken the city, Ma'am, we are moving to mop-up operations." he informed.
----0000----
Negotiating with the Beifong family was awkward and Toph's parents put up a lot of resistance, which she had to defuse by demonstrating that she was capable of defending herself in a spar against her.
At first they believed she had been manipulated and brainwashed, something that they discarded when they almost had a heart attack after Toph called the crown princess of the Fire Nation "Princess platypus" without any repercussion.
Lin didn't want the Beifong family as their enemy. Who knew if they had hidden assets they could use to track them down and make problems for them, all because they thought they had kidnapped their daughter.
Once it was clear that Toph was passionate about traveling with them from now on and becoming the best earthbender in the world, and that she was accepted by the Fire Nation as one of their own, her parents relented.
With Gaoling now under their control, Lin allowed herself to relax for a moment. She would give her men a few days to rest and consolidate their presence. Then they could bring military police reserves to preserve the peace in the city and bring her unit back to Chin village and prepare a takeover of Omashu.
War didn't wait for anyone, after all.