Everything was as it should be, flowing according to the plan that Commander Li Zun had put into play.

From the moment the ambush had been launched to the present, where the fire soldiers continued to push the Water Tribesmen back, all of it had been in line with what Zhangs commanding officer had had in mind. A full tactical assault in combination with projectile bombardment that nearly crushed all hopes of a collaborative retaliation from the opposing water benders; this was the action taken in order to bring the Southern Water Tribes Capitol to its knees and one that without a doubt did its job.

Captain Zhang had to admit that even he, a man of scrutiny and doubt, was thoroughly impressed. Aside from the obvious advantage granted by the set plan of attack, the casualties on the Fire Nations side were drastically diminished. Despite possessing inferior numbers, it was beginning to look as if this small part of the Southern Water Tribe would be entirely eradicated, so long as the other branches refrained from sending reinforcements.

Zhang hated every last moment.

War. Bloodshed. Murder. The whole idea of honor in battle sickened him and made his stomach churn. Though acknowledging his superiors talent for strategical combat, he himself held nothing but disdain for the concept and was merely an unwilling puppet in the grand scheme of things. Unmoved by the pure propaganda the upper echelon of the Fire Nation constantly spewed out, Zhang felt disgust and hatred for his own homeland and constant conflict they sew under the guise "sharing their own prosperity".

Having been drafted into the Fire Navy at a young age, during the start of the war some 36 years ago, Zhang had worked tooth and nail to reach the rank of Captain solely so he himself didnt have to get his own hands dirty with the blood of the innocent. Eventually he married and even managed to settle down some time ago, raising his son who was now 15 years old. Of course, that was when he was selected to take part in the raids agains the Southern Water Tribes, a relatively smaller and more peaceful nation of waterbenders that lived in the South Pole.

Unlike their sister tribe, the Southern Water Tribe had no real strong military force to speak of and severely lacked the necessary manpower to stave off the Fire Nation for very long. It would no doubt be a long and arduous scuffle with both sides suffering heavy blows and It was something that Zhang didn't want to be a part of despite how familiar he was with the battlefield and its many, many downsides. However, he needed the money for his family, for them to live in peace and comfort, away from the terrors and death brought about by the ever expanding war. The many times he felt like abandoning his post, he remembered the family that was waiting for him back home and used that as a means to further steel his resolve.

"Lets bring this to an end," Captain Zhang muttered, positioned at the forefront of the Fire Navy ship, overlooking the slaughter. He swiveled his head to the right where a messenger was waiting, a person whose sole job was to relay messages to the units fighting below. "Order all troops to move forth for one last push. Crush the defenders and capture as many waterbenders as they can. We'll fall back afterwards in order to keep the casualties to a minimum."

"Sir, I have news," another messenger rapidly said as he rushed forward, giving a small bow. "To the southeast, there's a group of warriors moving towards the main force at a rapid pace. It's only a matter of time before they reach them. What are your orders?"

(("A group? Is that the reason the opposition has been so weak? Why though? Why were they so late getting here?")) Zhang tried to peace together the answer, but he was lacking in information so he could only surmise what had happened. He had to take appropriate measures to counteract the newly arrived warriors that were no doubt still at full strength.

"Send a small squad to interce-"

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"So then. You're the one in charge then correct?"

A chill, one that had nothing to do with the bitter wind and freezing temperatures, ran down his spine the moment he heard the voice. It wasn't inherently deep or deadly nor was it particularly menacing, but it still managed to make his neck hairs stand on end as he whirled around, searching for the one who had spoken to him.

After a moment of panicked confusion, his eyes settled on a young man around the same age as his son parked on the side railing of the ship, a black haired youth dressed in rather odd garments completely different from that of both Water Tribe and Fire Nation clothing. Wild black hair with scarlet tips, dark, emotionless eyes, and the katana situated on his hip all served to give the boy a mysterious yet intimidating air that most children of the same age lacked. Though the male was shorter then he was, Zhang being 6ft while the boy was about 5ft 6, and he himself was a seasoned warrior, he felt his instincts screaming at him to either run or to fight.

"You're the one in charge...right?" The teenager asked again, his tone robotic.

It was dead silent, the only sound coming from that of the surrounding area in which the fight was still raging. Neither the messengers nor Zhang so much as breathing as they remained frozen in place, body rendered frozen from fear and surprise.

"I'll take that your silence as a confirmation," Jak concluded with a tilt of his head. "Meaning you're the one I wish to converse with. If I may have a moment of your time, I wish to negotiate with you. I was wondering if there was any way you'd consider pulling your forces back."

"...my apologies young man but may I ask who are?" Zhang tones came out unnaturally polite, a defense mechanism that had always popped up whenever he was dealing with someone of greater rank or power.

"My identity has no real connection to the matter at hand, but I'll oblige. My name Jak Yanda." The dark haired youth hopped off of the railing, landing without the slightest sound. "I've come to discuss the possibility of you removing yourself from these lands in a peaceful manner."

Zhang found himself unable to respond as Jak walked towards him, his words caught in his throat as his heartrate increased significantly. His gut was telling him that this boy wasn't someone he could hold a candle to despite possessing slightlt above average firebending nor would fleeing be successful fi attempted. With both options rendered mute, he could only stand there like a statue as Jak stopped before him, an analytical gaze present within his black eyes

"I would like to refrain from killing as wasting energy on such menial actions doesnt get me what I need. That being said, I'll only ask you this once and should you not give me an answer that satisfies.....you die, plain and simple."

Everything was happening far too fast for Captain Zhang to properly process, from the appearance of the stranger to this very moment, it all seemed like some sort of lucid dream. He wanted to deny the figures request, to tell him it was impossible to do such a thing because he would be dead anyways if he retreated without substantial gains from battle. However, the only sound that escaped his lips were choking noises as he gazed into the boys merciless eyes, abyss like his that swallowed what was left of his sanity as he quickly deteriorated. The only other time this had happened was when he had stood before the Fire Lord for the first time, his brain melting and his body breaking down.

"H-hey, what do yo-"

Kchk!

Fresh blood sprayed towards the air, splattering over a petrified Zhang as the crimson sheen of Jak's drawn katana grace the air in smooth arcs before once again being sheathed. The sound of the messengers body hitting the floor followed by the head was like thunder in the captain's ears, hiss heart nearly stopping at how quickly and effortlessly the boy had killed the solider. There had been no hint of hesitation nor remorse as Jak kicked the head away from him, his gaze still focused on Zhang.

"My apologies but I dont wish to be interrupted," Jak looked towards the other messenger but made no move towards him. "I only want your agreement or your refusal. If you also have other words to say then I'll hear you out as well."

"Uh....w-well...I cant exactly pull back," Zhang managed to crank out, his voice a near whisper. "I-I could v-very well....be.....killed."

"Is that your final answer?" Jak asked as he grabbed the hilt of his weapon. "I'll give you the chance to change your m-"

Jak was interrupted as Zhang launched a surprise counterattack, punching towards the boys head, fire shooting out from the cent of his fist. It was a simple punch and one that was thoroughly unimpressive as Jak, in one fluid motion, pulled his blade out and smoothly severed his arm from the elbow.

"Very well," Jak muttered as he followed up with decapitating the other messenger. "Ill just kill everyone here."