Chapter 11

It happened in the dead of night, while most of the senior officers were asleep. Roughly three weeks out of Port Keunman in the Contested frontier with the Earth Kingdom State of Kim, the Dragonhawk had begun her wide northward turn toward the Waegu Gap between the Northern Water Tribe Province of the Nattirhiurtuq Coast and the Whirlpool and Pirate-infested Waegu Archipelago. The idea was to avoid any patrols by Earth Kingdom Naval Junks, as while they might be inferior ships to modern-day Fire Nation ships, they were still a danger to an obsolete Szeto-Class Cruiser like the Dragonhawk.

It had been thought that the Pirates of the Waegu Archipelago wouldn't dare try to attack a proper Naval Vessel, even one as obsolete as an unmodified Szeto-Class Cruiser. Pirates sought soft targets, after all. They weren't naval forces so much as a sort of martial corporation. Fighting a naval ship wouldn't be worth the losses incurred for the amount of wealth on board. That had been the reason that Lieutenant Jee had decided to swing closer to the Waegu Archipelago than to the Nattirhiurtuq Coast. Even if they were not currently at war, the Northern Water Tribe would still defend its territorial waters aggressively and it wasn't worth risking an international incident.

Everyone had thought that the prevailing wisdom would prove out once again, even General Iroh, and when they had rounded Heug-Yoseog Island, the northernmost of the Waegu Archipelago, and turned south without incident, it had looked as if everyone would be proven correct. As it would turn out, the Waegu Pirates were just biding their time until they could strike with the least amount of fighting.

The night watch on the twenty-first night of the Month of the Puma Goat, of the Ninety-Sixth Year of the Era of Fire's Supremacy was bare bones. It consisted of three watchmen and one Petty Officer, all of which had dropped their guards. That was why the delay between the alarm being raised and the attack starting was large enough for the Earth Kingdom-style Junk and two, smaller, Water Tribe-style Cutters, to get within firing distance of the Dragonhawk.

The benders amongst the Waegu Pirates were a mixed lot, some Waterbenders and Earthbenders with a few Firebenders who had defected from the Crimson Sails Pirate Armada after the Fire Lord had made a deal with Head Captain Kangana and who didn't feel like taking orders, even unofficially, from the Fire Lord again. Most of the Pirates were non-benders, however, with only a few officers having the ability to bend. That didn't stop them from being dangerous.

The first notice that anyone had of the intentions of the Waegu Ships was the sound of black powder cannons firing at the Dragonhawk. Metal cannonballs sailed out from the Junk's small gun deck and forced the Night Shift Helmsman to pull hard to port and cut power from the boilers to the screws. The cannonballs splashed into the waves short of the ship, just as the Dragonhawk halted, drifting sideways slightly from the sudden stop. There was no damage, but that wasn't the point. The point was to get the Dragonhawk to stop.

Immediately, several grapnels of sharpened, fire-hardened, clay were fired from the Junk as the Earthbending Officers aboard the Junk lashed the two ships together. At the same time, a pair of waves rolled up to the sides of the Dragonhawk before freezing over, sticking the ship in place and providing platforms for boarders.

It was only now that the Petty Officer managed to sound the alarm, mechanical bells tolling throughout the ship. He died moments later from a ceramic knife being bent at him by one of the Waegu Junk Earthbenders. The blade stuck into his neck, as he hadn't been wearing his full helm on duty.

Boarders began to stream up over the side of the ship, using the ice as a ramp or climbing on via the thick cables lashed to the Dragonhawk from the Junk. The three Nightwatchmen tried to stem the tide, cutting down the first boarders before they could bring their weapons to bear. They tried to buy time for the alarm to spread, joined by the Night Shift Helmsman and Navigator, both of whom were Firebenders, though not of any great pedigree.

As they delayed, clashing with the Pirates on the deck, the alarm rang out, waking the sleeping crew below. . .

XXXX

Bikki was up and out of his bunk the second the alarms began to ring. Thinking quickly, he didn't bother to put on a shirt, remaining barefoot in just his trousers. Instead, he used the time to belt on his Emushi Blade and snatch up his bow and quiver before racing out of his small cabin. Fortunately, he wasn't the only one, as it appeared that Prince Zuko and Lieutenant Jee were also jolted awake. Prince Zuko was buckling on his Dao, padded leather underlay for his armor already cinched up on him. Lieutenant Jee, meanwhile, was having his breastplate buckled on by a Sailor he'd pressed into doing that job.

"What's going on?" Demanded Prince Zuko.

"Someone's raised the alarm! We're either sinking or under attack!" Answered Lieutenant Jee.

"We're close to the Waegu Archipelago, no prize for guessing who's attacking." Scowled Prince Zuko.

"I need to organize a counterattack! The Night Shift and Night Watch were a skeleton tonight, it's likely that the Pirates will have taken the deck by the time we move to counterattack. Prince Zuko, stay below decks, if they see you, they'll try to capture you for Ransom!" Ordered Lieutenant Jee before he moved off to begin shouting a knot of milling Sailors into Order.

Bikki turned to Prince Zuko and just cocked an eyebrow, asking, "You're not planning to stay below decks, are you?"

"Not for a million Ryo. What about you?" Retorted Prince Zuko.

"I'm your sworn retainer, Prince Zuko. I go where you go." Shrugged Bikki.

"Why do I feel like you would still go up on deck to fight even if that weren't true?" Snorted Prince Zuko.

"Because you know me, my Prince." Grinned Bikki.

With that, the pair made their way up top, becoming the first reinforcements the Night Shift and Night Watch had. What they found when they made their way up there was nothing short of a massacre. The Night Watch had all been slain, and the Night Shift Helmsman and Night Shift Navigator were both huffing and puffing, bloodied, bruised, and crouched down on one knee.

Standing over them was a giant, bearded, Earthbender with a pair of Chui Maces whose heads were made of solid jade. Another, lankier, mustachioed, Earthbender was bending a trio of ceramic knives in a circle around his body. A Tattooed Waterbender was standing nearby, Jawbone knife prying a gold tooth out of the mouth of one of the slain Night Watchmen, while a scarred Firebender directed reinforcements onto the bridge, breathing smoke out of his nose as he did so.

Bikki took one look at the scene and decided the Waterbender had to die first for disrespecting the dead like that. He nocked an arrow to his bow and let loose. The Waterbender, too busy with his grisly task, didn't notice the arrow until it was too late.

"Sitiyok, Dodge!" Shouted the Scarred Firebender, being the first to notice Bikki and Prince Zuko.

The Waterbender turned, eyes wide, and took Bikki's arrow in the shoulder rather than the neck as Bikki had intended. Bikki nocked a second arrow and fired it off in a snapshot, but this time, the Waterbender just growled, whirling about and dragging a screen of seawater up from over the side to block the arrow.

Bikki was forced to dodge away from a blast of flame from the Scarred Firebender even as Prince Zuko rushed toward the Giant Earthbender to save the Night Shift Helmsman and Night Shift Navigator. Unfortunately, Prince Zuko didn't make it there, being forced to drop to his knees to duck under an Earthbent ceramic knife that was punched at him by the Lanky Earthbender. He slid under the whirling blade in a kneeling skid before popping back up in time to parry a second ceramic knife with a draw cut from his Dao.

Then Bikki was engaged by the Tattooed Waterbender and the Scarred Earthbender and couldn't spare any more attention for the Prince's fight. . .

XXXX

Zuko growled at the delay that the Lanky Earthbender had imposed on him. A prince shouldn't allow unforeseen delays to get under his skin like that, but then, Zuko had never really paid that much attention to Father's Lessons. Azula had, but then Azula was just like father, cruel and calculating. Azula wouldn't have tried to save the Night Shift Officers like he was doing, so she wouldn't have been in this position to begin with.

The frustration gnawed at him, as did the internal comparison to his sister. Azula was always the one who had excelled at everything, and Zuko had always been the one who'd been deficient. Father had constantly compared them and Zuko had usually come out the loser. Not always, mind you, Azula hadn't deigned to pick up a weapon beyond the basics. Zuko's mastering of the Dao had been the one thing that Father had always praised him for over his sister. Mind you, shortly after had been when Azula had first introduced Ty Lee to the court and Ty had embarrassed Zuko in sparring.

All these memories and emotions flashed through Zuko in instants, but instead of letting the anger burn him up from inside, Zuko did the one thing that his Uncle had been teaching him to do ever since they had left Tseng Colony behind them. He fed his inner flame with his Anger, using it for a constructive purpose instead of allowing it to eat at him.

When Zuko popped up out of his skid, his leaping kick trailed a veritable wall of flames at the Lanky Earthbender. The power of it surprised Zuko, and scared him too, as it exceeded his control. He'd meant to kick out a fire lash, not this inferno. The wall of flames raced across the Deck, engulfing the surprised Earthbender, who had ducked expecting a lash of flames and had gotten an inescapable wall instead.

With a cry of pain, the Lanky Earthbender was sent screaming over the side of the ship to plummet into the sea below. Fair play to him, the water extinguished Zuko's fires, but Zuko had a feeling the guy was too badly burned to swim.

"I need to work on my control." Muttered Zuko.

"You won't get the chance!" Snarled a voice from his right.

Zuko turned to see the Giant Earthbender rushing toward him, jade-headed Chui Mace striking for his chest far faster than it had any right to. It was all Zuko could do to turn with the blow and channel Chi internally to his ribs to strengthen them. It was what saved his life, as the blow, harder than anything he ever could have expected cracked multiple ribs and bruised several others, even through the padded leather he was wearing. If he hadn't turned and channeled internally, that blow would have staved his ribs in.

Zuko was thrown to the deck several feet away, Dao clattering out of his grip and off to the side. The Giant Earthbender growled at him, Chui whirling about as he stalked forward, stomping his feet on the metal deck as if to punctuate his approach with intimidation.

"You think you were so strong, taking out Zhang like that? Where's that strength now?" Demanded the Giant Earthbender.

Zuko stood shakily, ignoring the pain in his ribs as he took a shaky stance. It had to be the Jade in the Man's weapon. Earthbenders were no good at sea without a supply of stone to fight with. Normally, they used a specific style of Naval Earthbending aboard their ships that was meant to fire stone projectiles at enemy ships so they didn't have to worry about boarders. It wasn't as effective as the blasting jelly cannons the Fire Nation Navy used, but it was still pretty dangerous at range. The Waegu Pirates wouldn't have access to that style, though, as they weren't Earth Kingdom Navy. This Earthbending-assisted Weapons Style must be their workaround to that.

Looking at the Giant Earthbender, Zuko realized that though the head of the Man's Chui was made of solid Jade, the handle was pure bronze. If the Giant Earthbender couldn't handle him at sea without his weapon, then Zuko would be able to win if he could get his weapon away from him. A plan began to form as the Giant Earthbender reached his position. Zuko would only get one shot at it, though, because his ribs would slow him down enough to kill him if he failed.

"What's the matter, Prince? Cat Owl got your tongue?" Sneered the Giant Earthbender.

"No. I just figured out your weakness is all." Retorted Zuko.

Then, with an effort of will and a flex of Yang Chi, Zuko immediately grabbed for the Gian't Earthbender's Chui. His hand latched on and the Giant Earthbender began to laugh at him, locking his arm in place to ensure Zuko couldn't disarm him even if he tried.

"Pathetic! You call that a disarming technique?" Laughed the Giant Earthbender.

Zuko didn't reply right away. Instead, he channeled his rising anger and the feelings of pain in his ribs, into the bronze hilt. Application of heat to a secondary medium had been the first stage of Steambending that Bikki had been teaching him. Zuko couldn't manage to do more than raise the temperature of the room sharply, but using his Uncle's Teachings, along with Bikki's, he managed to heat up the bronze hilt of the Giant Earthbender's Chui into a cherry red glow.

The Giant Earthbender yelped and dropped his Chui Mace, which clanged against the Deckplates. In that split-second opening, Zuko punched out with both fists, launching a plume of flames into the Giant Earthbender's chest. The Man was blasted back into the command tower, burned badly, unconscious, but alive.

"No, I call that a disarm." Huffed Zuko before wincing as he grabbed at his ribs.

Hopefully, Bikki could handle his own fights, because Zuko figured he was done for the moment. . .

XXXX

Meanwhile, Bikki was facing off against the Scarred Firebender and the Tattooed Waterbender. The Scarred Firebender was constantly trying to back him into a corner for a disabling shot, while the Tattooed Waterbender used the reprieve to begin attending to his wounded shoulder. Apparently, his Waterbending Healing was just about good enough to patch up an arrow wound to the shoulder with a bit of focus. Bikki remembered the Northern Water Tribe only taught healing to Women, so it would probably take the guy a bit.

In the meantime, Bikki fought the Scarred Firebender. Wide arcs of fire were cleaved through with superheated cuts of Bikki's Emushi Blade, leaped over, or ducked under. In the case of the latter two, Bikki would always wind up cutting apart a fireball that was trying to take advantage of his positioning in mid-air or crouched down.

Bikki growled as he ducked under an arc of flame from his Opponent's roundhouse kick, cut out in a diagonal slash of his Emushi blade that cleaved a punched fireball in twain, and began turtle-duck walking a few feet closer to his opponent before he was forced to spring up into a jump to avoid another, low, arc of fire that was kicked at him by a sweep of the Scarred Firebender's legs. As he leaped up, Bikki launched a few kicks of his own, jets of flame forcing the Scarred Firebender to back off from his follow-on uppercut fireball.

As Bikki landed, he launched an Arc of Flame of his own that forced the Scarred Firebender to fall flat on his ass to avoid. Surging forward, momentum regained, Bikki suddenly found himself being forced to throw himself to the side in a shoulder roll to avoid an icicle streaking at him from the right. The Tattooed Waterbender seemingly back in the fight just in the nick of time.

"Sitiyok! Disable, not kill! We don't get the bounty if the Kid can't answer questions!" Snapped the Scarred Firebender, kipping up to his feet.

"Fuck that, Ming Seong! The bastard shot me with an arrow! I want blood!" Spat the Tattooed Waterbender.

"Are you going to tell Commodore Shun and Captain Sirmiq that?" Retorted the Scarred Firebender.

"Fine! But I'd better get a bigger cut!" Snarled the Tattooed Waterbender.

Bikki's mind whirled. There was a bounty on his head? Why? Was it because of Steambending? If so, how had word spread fast enough that he had a Bounty? Those were questions for later, right now, he had a fight to win. He could ask those if he managed to survive this. Time to take the initiative.

Bikki surged forward, launching a series of fire knives at the Scarred Firebender with a few knife-hand and spear-hand strikes. The Scarred Firebender put up a wall of flames to block, but Bikki's fire knives cut through that wall and forced the Scarred Firebender backward, even as Bikki cleaved a thrown ball of water into steam with his superheated Emushi Blade. Then, switching his stance up, Bikki launched a tightly curving, forward, elbow strike that blasted the steam back at the Tattooed Waterbender.

A wall of water was put up with a whirling motion to block the scalding steam and froze in place with a motion of both the Tatooed Waterbender's arms. A kick sent the frozen chunk of ice shooting at Bikki, but he was already moving, leaping into the air to avoid a torrent of flame that was shot at him by the Scarred Firebender with both arms and one leg. Fire met Ice and both elements sublimated into a large cloud of steam. Bikki landed in the middle of it and began to move, with linear punches and tight, spiraling elbow strikes to punch half the cloud at the Scarred Firebender and Half at the Tattooed Waterbender.

Before either realized how badly they fucked up, the cloud of scalding steam had separated and shot for each of them, Bikki was able to target accurately thanks to his ability to sense their Chi with the Sensing the Inner Flame Technique. Both tried to deflect the steam with last-second walls of fire and walls of water at the last moment, but a pair of explosive downward hammer fists flattened the steam clouds to pass below the flames and water before they could fully extend. A pair of rising elbows caused the steam to expand behind the walls in a jet, and suddenly both Bikki's opponents found themselves getting a faceful of scalding hot steam.

The Tattooed Waterbender breathed it in and his lungs couldn't handle it. They collapsed from the heat and the sudden pressure, sending the man down to the deck plates. The Scarred Firebender knew to hold his breath and shut his eyes, but his face still wound up being parboiled and he was sent screaming to the deck. Just like that, both his opponents were down.

A boot to the screaming Firebender's temple sent the man into blissful unconsciousness, and Bikki charged into the fray against the remaining boarders. Apparently, Zuko had managed to distract the Earthbenders from finishing the Night Shift Helmsman and Navigator and both of them had gotten their second winds, shooting fireballs at the oncoming group of boarders and managing to keep an area near the command tower where the stairwell to below decks was, clear of enemies.

Bikki moved to attack the enemy boarders and had just cut down a Pirate wielding a pair of Hook Swords with a diagonal slash of his Emushi Blade when two others took that one's place. Bikki parried a strike from a Jian and dodged a whalebone spear thrust before leaping up into the air and kicking a pair of fireballs at his attackers. Both fell to the deck, burned and Bikki landed in a falling cut of his Emushi Blade that sliced into the top of a Water Tribe Pirate's head. The man fell to the deck, skull split, but his fall wrenched Bikki's Emushi blade out of his grasp.

An Earth Kingdom Pirate with a Tiger Fork forced Bikki back with a thrust of his weapon. Bikki punched out with a jet of flame in a counterattack that burned the man, but even as he did that a Meteor Hammer smashed into his side, bruising his side and two ribs. Bikki hit the deck hard, rolling up and punching out to burn the Meteor Hammer Wielder only for him to wince from the pain in his ribs and barely weave away from a Water Tribe Pirate's Warclub. A kick to the side of that Pirate's knee snapped the man's leg, but Bikki took an elbow strike from a Tonfa-Wielding Fire Nation Pirate that split his lip and stumbled to the side.

Bikki lashed out with a spear hand, fire knife flying at the Fire Nation Pirate and cleaving through the man's tonfa and both arms, but Bikki realized that there were just too many opponents and he'd already tired himself out fighting two benders earlier. More strikes were going to slip through and he'd eventually be ground down. To make matters worse, a shout from near the side of the ship drew his attention as he backed away and he spotted another Waterbender leading reinforcements for the boarders over the side.

Fortunately, it was at that time that Lieutenant Jee managed to come storming onto the deck with the reinforcements. The sailors and marines of the Dragonhawk taking the Pirates by surprise and cutting through the remaining lot of initial boarders before moving on to take on the Waterbender and his reinforcements. General Iroh brought up the rear, face red like an angry spirit as he charged forth, tossing boarders off the ship with powerful blows and launching multiple bursts of flame at any enemy Bender or Officer who tried to rally the Pirates.

The Dragon of the West took down two Earthbenders, a Waterbender, and a Firebender all by himself, while Lieutenant Jee accounted for two Waterbenders on his own. Within an hour of the counterattack, General Iroh and Lieutenant Jee had finished off the remaining Waegu Pirates and taken the Junk and both Cutters as prizes.

The battle was won. . .

XXXX

As the captives were rounded up and questioned over the next day or so, it transpired that there was indeed a bounty on Bikki's head. Apparently, the Earth Kingdom was offering one thousand Gold Ding for Bikki's capture alive, and one hundred Gold Ding for his capture dead. Apparently, the Earth Kingdom viewed the invention of Steambending as a threat worth the equivalent of ten million Ryo to snuff out permanently, and the equivalent of one-hundred-million Ryo to co-opt.

"That's the highest bounty I've seen the Earth Kingdom place on anyone outside of the Fire Lord or any of his High Generals." Mused General Iroh.

"I suppose that when you can Earthbend, mining for gold is something of a minor annoyance as opposed to a major undertaking." Grumbled Prince Zuko from where Doctor Sesi was healing his ribs while angrily muttering about the stupidity of youth under her breath.

"That would be one reason that Fire Lord Sozin wished to invade them after dealing with the Air Nomads, yes." Nodded Lieutenant Jee.

"So the question becomes, what can we do about it?" Frowned Bikki.

"There is not much we can do, aside from prepare for more attacks." Shrugged General Iroh.

"Well, there is one thing that needs to be done." Pointed out Lieutenant Jee.

"Yes. Exiled or not, the Waegu Pirates injured a Prince of the Blood of Fire Lord Sozin. That cannot go unanswered. Ordinarily, I would say to leave the situation until we have the forces to visit vengeance. We are just one ship, after all. However, I have been getting some very interesting reports." Informed General Iroh.

"Oh? What sort of reports? From who?" Questioned Bikki.

"I have many sources in many places, some of which might be considered unbecoming of a member of the Royal Family of the Fire Nation. It was a necessity to prosecute a war so far away from the front lines. One of my sources was a former Smuggler who used to work the lakes near Ba Sing Se. I have continued to keep in touch with him as he has built up a network of like-minded individuals. You never know when you might need false documents or help of a less than legitimate nature." Answered General Iroh.

"Criminals, you mean." Scoffed Prince Zuko before Doctor Sesi wrapped his ribs a bit more tightly than he had anticipated, causing him to wince.

"Serves you right for running off into a fight half-baked." Scowled Doctor Sesi.

"Regardless, my source has told me that the vast majority of the people of the Waegu Isles would be glad to see a change of regime in the Archipelago's Capital of Seom Yosae. Apparently, the current Commodore of the Waegu Pirates is an Earthbender named Shun who is quite unpopular. He has impressed anyone who showed even a hint of bending talent into the Pirates and has conscripted many more non-benders besides. With neither the Earth Kingdom nor the Northern Water Tribe seeming able to rein him in, it falls to us to do so." Cut in General Iroh before Prince Zuko could start an argument with Doctor Sesi.

"How do you propose to effect such a regime change? We have one, obsolete, cruiser, with some ninety-two Sailors and Officers and a single platoon of Twenty-one Marines. That is not enough manpower to take the outer islands of the Archipelago, let alone the Capital." Frowned Lieutenant Jee.

"We do not have to take the Outer Island and the Capital alone. I have been promised a full Battalion of fighting men by my contact, along with five ships of varying make in exchange for certain assurances." Informed General Iroh.

"What kind of assurances?" Queried Bikki.

"Firstly, that the Waegu Archipelago become a vassal territory of the Fire Nation rather than a Colony or Military District. Secondly, that the Vassal Lord placed in charge be approved by my Contact. Finally, that any Fire Nation Naval Base placed in the Archipelago be done in the Outer Islands, rather than in the Capital." Listed off General Iroh.

"And you think my father will agree to those conditions?" Asked Prince Zuko.

"It allows him a base with which to interdict Earth Kingdom supplies, reinforcements, and naval power going to and from the free territories of the States of Tayeuk, Hon-Gi, and Wong-Sul and brings the Fire Nation Navy much closer to the last major Earth Kingdom Naval Stronghold in Chameleon Bay. It does it with a minimum of Forces, at a time when it would be an unexpected gift, and also allows him to satisfy his need for vengeance on those who would strike at the Blood of Fire Lord Sozin. I believe he would agree." Nodded Lieutenant Jee.

"Indeed. My Brother may be ruthless, but he is not stupid." Added General Iroh.

"Besides, it might make him rethink exiling you just a bit if you're gift-wrapping him a victory like this." Offered Bikki.

"I doubt it. My father doesn't change his mind easily once it's made up." Groused Prince Zuko.

"Still, it is worth doing, is it not?" Questioned General Iroh.

Prince Zuko thought about it for a few moments, then nodded his head in assent. General Iroh would coordinate with his contact in the morning, once all were rested up and ready to fight. Once the promised forces arrived, the Invasion of the Waegu Archipelago would begin. Prince Zuko would insist on taking part.

And Bikki would be taking part alongside him. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, here we have the Pirate Attack, alongside the start of the next big event. The Pirates here are inspired a bit by the historical Wokou Pirates, though given the local Earth Kingdom States have a Korean Flavor to them, the dominant language and part of the culture are going to be more Korean-esque than Japanese.

Like the Wokou Pirates of History, these guys don't hold allegiance to any of the nearby rulers, and with the Earth Kingdom so busy with the War and the Northern Water Tribe stuck in splendid isolation, nobody has seen fit to stamp them out yet. Their Islands are thus de-facto independent and they take in people from all over.

The local population is actually mixed blood from a century of this sort of thing going on and you get Fire, Water, and Earth benders cropping up among the locals, though this is the first generation of that. Previously, benders were mostly imported with the locals having an Earthbender crop up every now and again.

At any rate, the next chapter will be the start of the Invasion of the Waegu Archipelago.

Stay tuned. . .