Playing With Fire

The atmosphere on the ship was one of carefree fun and enjoyment. Music twined through the air and the crew laughed and joked, enjoying their night free from their usual duties. They had anchored off the west shore of Whale Tail Island to await the arrival of the rest of the fleet. Off to the side, out of the way of the dancers a table had been set up where a game of cards was under way. Aria sat with her shoulders hunched over her hand of cards, eyeballing the players around her. Her forehead was wrinkled in concentration and she bit her bottom lip. The music was an unwelcome distraction; they were playing for money and she wanted to win badly. Although she had brought along a decent sized bag of coin, she knew it wouldn’t last and looked for anyway to increase it.
Her eyes darted up when she detected movement from across the table. Commander Kon was rubbing his chin; something, she noticed, he tended to do every time he wasn’t doing well. Smirking, she laid her hand down on the table and glanced up at him; challenging him to bring forth a better hand. The Commander threw his cards down in disgust and took a swig from the bottle in front of him.
“You know how to play that game entirely too well.” He complained. Aria laughed and scooped her winnings into a pocket. “And now, to restore my honor, I demand a dance. I doubt you can best me at that.”
“I don’t dance, but don’t worry; you have no slight against your honor.” Aria said amused.
“I insist.” He said, his voice slightly slurred. He grabbed her hand and lifted her to her feet. Aria gave up and followed him out onto the dance floor. Without a word, he put one of his hands on her waist and grabbed her hand with the other. Together they glided around the deck of the ship with Commander Kon’s humor fending off the awkwardness. Aria hadn’t laughed so much in a long time; Kon made continuous comments about the rest of the crew’s dancing techniques, none of them being very nice. Under the influence of alcohol, the Commander loosened up and their difference in rank seemed to fade into the background.
“So…up to telling me your real story yet?” He asked charmingly. Aria stared up at him, momentarily floored.
“What are you talking about?” She answered, vying for time. As they were dancing, Kon was slowly maneuvering her away from the rest of the crew. They walked around the starboard side of the boat towards the back. Out of earshot of the rest of the crew, Commander Kon stopped and faced her, leaning casually against the side of the ship.
“Let’s just say I’m good at reading people. I know you weren’t telling the truth.” He responded.
“Then why did you let me join?” Aria challenged.
“I was interested. I want to know why such a young, talented, and seemingly high bred girl would run off to join the Navy.” He said, his eyes probing her face.
“Why does anyone join the Navy? To serve the Firelord and my country.” She said elusively, not looking him in the eye.
“Oh, quit playing games and be honest. If I was planning on doing anything about it, don’t you think I’d already have?” He pointed out. Aria took a deep breath and looked out over the water; she couldn’t decide whether she should trust the charming young officer or not.
“Do you know of General Jirou?” Aria asked after a long silence.
“Of course, who doesn’t? I’ve never served under him seeing as he’s army but his name is well known in all circles of the military. What is your connection to him?” Commander Kon asked curiously. Aria turned and locked eyes with him, lifting her head defiantly.
“I’m his only daughter.”
She watched his face carefully, waiting for his response. Surprise and confusion flickered across his face before settling once more on curiosity.
“Really? I can’t say I was expecting that. So what made you want to leave?” He asked.
“It’s a long story.” Aria said, not wanting to explain everything.
“We’ve got time.” He persisted. Commander Kon sat on the deck and mentioned for Aria to do the same. The sound of the crew’s revelry reached Aria as she stood contemplating the pushy man. With a sigh, she settled down beside him and began telling her story. Commander Kon listened attentively without interrupting, frowning slightly. It was only now that the words were spilling out of her mouth that she realized she had needed someone to talk to. Aria ended her story and looked at Commander Kon expectantly, waiting for his input.
“Well…that’s as good a reason as any I’d say. I’ve met Zhao, he respects no one and has a nasty temper; not someone I’d want to be saddled with either.” He stated. The pair lapsed into a pensive silence, neither one willing to share what they were thinking.
The night seemed to grow unnaturally still when the ship lurched violently, throwing Aria onto Commander Kon. They both jumped up, looking around wildly. They were thrown into the railing when the ship lurched once again. Holding on desperately, Aria looked out at the ocean and gasped. Somehow several small skiffs had sailed up without detection and were shooting great chunks of rock at them; earth benders were among them. Commander Kon ran for the front of the boat, already barking orders.
Aria made to follow Commander Kon when her legs collapsed from under her; the earth benders had worked together to lift the ship into the air with sea floor rock, effectively stopping any escape attempt. Cursing, she bounded to her feet and ran around the cabin of the ship. What she saw made her despair.
The enemy had already boarded the ship and the entire crew was engaged heavy fighting. Aria fought back her panic and jumped into the fray; though she was considered a great bender, she had never been in a serious fight and it was obvious. They were badly outnumbered and one by one the crew was subdued. When Aria saw Commander Kon go down she growled in fury and increased her attacks. Many of the Earth Nation soldiers quailed before her, the blue flames danced around her, creating a daunting barrier around her. Sweat rolled down her face as she struggled to keep the enemy away; there was only a handful of the crew still fighting. She saw Commander Kon being shackled before a well-aimed blow hit her temple. She slumped to her hands and knees and watched Kon being hauled to his feet before her vision went blurry and she passed out.
The regular beat of animals walking and the harsh voice of a man slowly brought Aria out of her state of oblivion. She kept her eyes closed, buying herself time before she had to face the reality of what had happened; not to mention the fact that she was unwilling to aggravate her fierce headache any further. Relying on her other senses, she tried to make sense of what was going on around her. She was riding on the back of an animal with her wrists bound, leaning on the back of what she guessed was an Earth Kingdom soldier. Her heart sunk and she wondered how many of the rest of the crew had been taken.
Aria opened her eyes and the light seemed to stab into her brain; groaning quietly, she sat up straight and squinted blearily around her. She sat astride an ostrich-horse whose uneven, rough gait jarred her with every step. The Earth Kingdom really needed to find better transportation. Around her, rode probably fifteen other Earth Kingdom soldiers; six of them also carried Fire Nation captives. She gasped when she saw Commander Kon; though he was sitting straight and alert, he had a heavily bruised face.
“The brats awake.” The man sitting in front of her informed the apparent leader.
“Keep a close eye on her; she injured a few of our men pretty badly.” He growled in response. Commander Kon looked at her with pride at this information and winked. Aria was never one for keeping her opinions to herself and she wasn’t about to now.
“You look horrible.” She stated, looking at Kon’s face.
“You don’t look so hot yourself.” He returned, smiling grimly.
“Be quiet. Both of you.” One of the Earth Kingdom soldiers ordered.
“Where are you taking us?” Aria asked, ignoring him.
“We’ve got ships docked on the other side of the island. From there we’ll be taking you to BaSingSe to be tried for war crimes.” He answered. Aria was surprised at the ease of obtaining the information; as it were, the commanding officer glared at him.
“Ah, I see.” Kon said slowly, “Well I have absolutely no desire to rot in an Earth Kingdom prison.”
He swung his leg high over the ostrich-horse, catching the man in the head. Aria followed his lead without thought and threw the chain connecting her wrists around her guard’s neck. Pulling back, she made the man gasp for air and he slid off the side of their mount. She slid into the saddle of the animal and grabbed the reins. Praying it was the same as riding a Komodo Rhino, she kicked it hard and had to grab the saddle as it leaped forward. She looked back and jerked on the reins hard, stopping the ostrich-horse. Behind her, Commander Kon had been subdued again. He saw her stop and yelled after her.
“Go! Just go!” When he saw her continue to hesitate, he shouted out once more, “Aria, as your commanding officer, I’m ordering you to run!”
Aria gave Commander Kon a last, horrified look before urging her mount forward again. Half of the Earth Kingdom battalion gave pursuit while the others remained behind to deal with the Commander. Risking a glance behind her, Aria’s heart sank; the soldiers knew how to ride these animals and were coaxing a lot more speed out of them. They were closing fast.