A New Start

Subject: A New Start Tue Nov 01, 2011 12:28 pm

I’ve been in the army for a year now. Zhing Ji and Shang Li have made corporal now, but we are no longer a part of the same squad, though we’re still all in Omashu. They were both promoted for their skill.

Zhing Ji was promoted for her skill with a blade in addition to her strict discipline, and is now part of a file of elite swordsmen. Her unit is renowned for tearing apart enemy ranks within minutes of meeting.

Shang Li’s skill with a bow garnered her immediate notice; she’s officially the best archer in the city. She’s currently serving as a guard in the city’s palace, serving as the leader of that garrison’s bowmen. It is likely that in a few more years, she, along with Zhing Ji, will be serving as part of the royal guards, which will mean a transfer to Ba Sing Se.

I’ve been promoted to sergeant for two main reasons: I’m a fast learner, and I have a habit of teaching others what I know. “The perfect role model”, my division commander informs me. My duties at the moment consist purely of training, learning new techniques and passing on techniques I know to new recruits; one would easily be amazed by how many Earth benders reach the age of 16 without learning more than a few basic techniques. Then again, I suppose I was one of those Earth benders, but I was raised in a forest by Air benders; these men and women have been surrounded by Earth bending since the day they were born. Granted, the ways in which the techniques are applied are infinitely varied, but on the battlefield, the more weapons you have at your disposal the better. I know I certainly wouldn’t want to end up facing the Fire lord or even the Avatar himself with only a few variations of the same basic techniques.

When I arrived in Omashu, I knew only how to create and propel small pebbles, and generate a small outcropping of rock. My techniques have jokingly been referred to as “Pebble Pelt”, “Pebble Blast”, “Pebble Smash”, and “Instant Ledge”. Since then, however, I’ve learnt just about every basic technique the Earth benders in the city know, and am currently mastering an intermediate talent.

I suppose I should start with one of the basic talents; I’ll go in the order I learned.

The first technique I was taught is dubbed “Earth and Stone” levitation. Much like when I use “Pebble Smash”, I’m summoning a large amount of earth or stone from the ground, but rather than using a myriad of loose pebbles, I’m summoning a single boulder. From here, most Earth benders launch it at a target with either punches or kicks, as I now do, but I can still use my quarterstaff to propel it with either a jab or a swing of my staff. I learned this technique by watching a group of my fellow benders playing Dodge Ball with it. It’s actually quite a fun game, but you must clad yourself in rock armor to avoid getting hurt, and I have yet to learn that particular trick. As scoring involves hitting your opponents with stones and said stones are usually a meter in diameter and propelled at very high speeds… it just wouldn’t be a good idea for me to play just yet.

Once I learned how to throw stones, I needed to learn how to block them. This next technique, “Earth Shield”, is quite useful for that purpose, and can block just about anything from arrows to blasts of fire. It must be noted, however, that the shield will not hold against a bender who’s significantly more powerful or skilled than the bender holding the shield, or a projectile striking the shield with similar power. For example, when I first learned this technique I could barely keep back my fellow trainee’s boulders. Now I can stave off attacks from nearly everyone else in the garrison. Something to note, however; the shield can be thrown for a quick retaliation. This did not occur to me until another recruit threw his at me during a particularly grueling training session. The only reason I’m still here to speak of it is because I dropped and pressed myself flat against the ground, only barely avoiding it. I was immediately started on the next technique on the list.

“Earth Smash” is a very useful technique when fighting other Earth benders, as it allows you to destroy earthen projectiles with either a punch or a kick, regardless of how strong you are, though most Earth benders are muscular as a rule. Even the other women have noticeable muscle mass and are usually more thickly, making my slimmer figure an oddity amongst Earth benders. My arms and legs have been developing more muscle by the week, however, as a result of the intensive training we do here. Even with the ability to weaken the forces that bind stone, some force is required to actually shatter it, so some muscle is necessary. But not a whole lot. My friends tell me it’s quite amusing to watch a slim little thing like me burst out of a stone tomb.

This next technique is pretty neat, can be infinitely useful, and has a pretty self-explanatory title: “Earthquakes”. Earthquakes can be generated by an Earth bender simply by beating the ground with just about any tool, though hands, fists, and the occasional hammer are the instruments most oftenly used for this purpose. Personally, I prefer to use my quarterstaff, though I really shouldn’t; one of these days, I’ll end up breaking it, and I’ll be greatly saddened, as It was given to me by my clan’s shaman. I really should band it with metal… Anyway, note that the same actions can create fissures, which a powerful bender could use to separate a land mass and create an island.

“Earth Blocks” is sort of a repeat; the only difference between it and “Levitation” is that the block is shaped when it is formed. Most of us make them into round coins with a square hollowed out I the middle, which is what our currency looks like in the Earth kingdom. The usual practice is to stomp on the ground to raise the block and then punch with the heel of one’s palm to propel it. The disc in the middle comes in handy, as the reduced weight allows for higher speed. Or at least, I think it does… so far, all I’ve seen it used for is a game in which we kick the blocks onto a peg that fits just perfectly through the hole. It helps with accuracy, which I suppose is the point.

Yesterday, I learned a most interesting technique, something that I never knew that any Earth bender was capable of. To be quite honest, I always believed that only the Avatar or perhaps an Earth bender working together with a Water bender could pull this particular trick off. An Earth bender can turn a patch of Earth into “Quick-sand!” All the Earth bender has to do is break the bonds of the forces holding the Earth in solid chunks, and presto! You have instant liquefaction of the affected ground area, resulting in Quicksand. The quicksand can also be hardened back into solid Earth by reforming the bonds of the affected Earth, which allows Quicksand to be used to hold an enemy in place. One could also use this technique to break a fall, as Quicksand is very soft (which is why it’s such an effective method of slowing one down and eventually engulfing them). The only danger with this is accidentally becoming engulfed if one does not remain conscious enough upon landing to make the Earth spit them back out onto solid ground. For this reason, I would not recommend this unless either 1, there is another Earth bender nearby to rescue you, 2, you have mastered the art of Earth tunneling, or 3, you simply have no other way to survive the fall. I will most likely only ever need this talent when apprehending criminals, or if I somehow fall off the walls of Omashu or Ba Sing Se.

Speaking of walls, I can now help build them. “Earth Wall” is sort of like an upgraded version of my “Instant Outcrop” technique, with the main differences being the scale of the wall and that I cannot instantly make points with this. You see, the sheer scale of the wall prevents this, as the focus required to make a point usually results in less attention being given to the rest of your creation. At least, that’s what Zoiya and my fellow Earth benders tell me. I’m told that once I’ve learnt the basics and a master can be found to further my training, I will be able to create Earthen projectiles with points, but for now I must content myself with rocks and boulders. Oh well, it’s not as if I need it quite yet. On the bright side, with this technique, it’s more likely I’ll be able to join in an assault on the fire nation, as I can use the Earth Wall technique to help construct fortifications, which engineers can later plate with metal should it be needed. I can also use the technique in battle to impede an enemy’s progress, or to propel myself or other enemies into the air. By doing this, I can either gain momentum to deal out more damage with my staff, or I can send enemies to their death by falling, though I assume that if I attempted this on a bender they’d be able to use their element to either break their fall or turn it into a counter attack; I know I certainly wouldn’t use this technique on another Earthbender.

Now here’s the neatest trick I’ve learnt so far: “Earth Tunneling”. This technique allows an Earth bender such as myself to travel through the Earth. There are two different ways to do this, but the principle is the same: by simulating the Earth’s internal forces, I can part the Earth beneath me. (Zoiya tells me that I’m altering the strike and dip of the rock bed around me; I swear, that woman should have become a geologist, not a soldier! One of these days I’m going to have to get her to tell me how she ended up in the army). Most Earth benders take a straight forward approach when it comes to bending, and as a result they use their ability to force the Earth to do what they want. Benders like myself, however, seek to achieve a balance with the Earth. Instead of using brute force to bend the Earth to my will, I seek where bonds are already weak, and expand from there. As a result, my bending doesn’t tax me nearly as much as it does most benders, and my bending is more precise. I’ve been preaching this philosophy of Harmony to Zoiya and a few of my fellow soldiers… the ones who listened have become better benders since then. I was made an officer for that; I’ve now the lieutenant in charge of drilling Earth benders.

Anyway, this technique is most efficient when one is in harmony with the Earth. Though I can achieve my purpose of moving through the Earth by creating a tunnel, I can move through the Earth more easily by swimming. You see, rather than using a large amount of energy to open up a tunnel, I can instead use my hands and feet to propel myself through the Earth. Not only does this require less energy, but it is also less likely to cause soil collapse, which would in turn case buildings to collapse and crops to be destroyed.

I’ve been in the army for a year now; somewhere along the way, my 18th birthday came and went without notice. Ever since Zhing Ji and Shang Li were sent to Ba Sing Se, life has been monotonous. The only chance I’ve had to practically apply my training has been the arrival of the King here in Omashu. And I don’t mean the King of Omashu, nobody really gives a shit about him; all he does is pass the occasional law and command the garrison in the Omashu region. I mean the King, Kuan Ti Dou, ruler of the whole Earth Kingdom. It was a magnificent occasion, one that I will have to record more completely for my clan’s benefit. Maybe I should do that now?

It was on my watch that the King’s procession was spotted from the walls. Word was sent to the King of Omashu via the mail slide system, and being the officer on duty, it was my job to organize the appropriate response. At first I did not recognize the standard being flown; it’s not often that one sees the royal seal. It took me a minute, but I figured it out and sent a man to get word to the King of the city. Then I shouted for the rest of the benders on watch to follow me down the wall (to do this, I combined the techniques for Earth Wall and Earth tunneling to perform a controlled descent down the wall’s face). Once there, I split us up into three groups. The first group, under Zoiya’s command, was sent to clear the road for the royal procession. They probably had men already doing this, but it couldn’t hurt to take the initiative and help out. Once they were gone, I split the rest of us into two groups of 75 to open Omashu’s massive gates of stone. It was amazing; 150 benders channeling their energy to open a gate hundreds of feet, and quite possibly a hundred feet thick. Even with 74 other men and women working with me, it was quite a strain to get the gate open. But open it we did, with plenty of time to spare. Once the gate was open, I tasked the rest of my men, benders and warriors all, with assisting with keeping the road clear. The Omashu King’s men were still forming up in the palace, so it would be up to my men and whatever soldiers the royal procession would send into the city to keep the road clear for the king. I had enough men to keep the masses back for about 100 meters of road, but after that it would be up to the Kings to field the men to keep the road clear.

My task accomplished, I moved to the side of the road, waiting to speak with or receive orders from the processions commander. It did not take long for him to arrive.

Welcome to Omashu, sir. I’m Lieutenant Ashabi. I saluted as the apparent commander jogged up.

Lieutenant? Shouldn’t there be a King here or at least a General to meet the King?

You’ll have to forgive me sir, we were not informed you would be arriving today. I simply happened to be the officer on watch. I sent a couple of my men to bring word to the King and the General. I’m actually quite surprised they haven’t arrived yet, perhaps they’re awaiting the King’s arrival in the throne room? In any case, I’ve done what I could to clear the road for His Majesty’s chariot, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to supplement my men if we want to get the King to the palace in any reasonable amount of time, sir.

You’ll have to do, Lieutenant. Wish I had a few more like you. If you’ve no objection, perhaps I could see about arranging a transfer? I may not be at the top of the hierarchy, but I do get invited to the war councils. I could use a good assistant, and I’m sure you’re more than capable of serving as a King’s guard.

I couldn’t believe my ears; it was an opportunity being presented to me on a golden platter. And I was definitely going to take it.

I would be honored, sir.

Then follow me Lieutenant. Or should I say Captain?

Sir?

Things happened as if in slow motion; the officer produced an insignia from a pouch on his belt and pinned it onto my lapel. A shiny new Captain’s insignia now covered the Lieutenants patch sewn onto my uniform.

We’ll have to see about getting you a new uniform. Follow me, Captain. If we’re quick, you’ll get to see the King and General Oki up close. Oh, and I’m Colonel Xian.

The next few hours went by in a blur; the Colonel and I walked alongside the royal carriage. The colonel discussed strategy with the King, I took turns admiring the King, General Oki, and the sheer amount of people gathered to watch the procession. They cheered for the King, and they cheered for General Oki. Data, that was his name. General Data Oki. “Data” and “Kuan Ti” were the names on everybody’s lips, and soon I found that they were on mine as well when I left the throne room with the colonel.

The rest of the day was hectic; I was sent back to the barracks to collect pack my things; as the assistant to the commander of the King’s Guard, I would be billeted in the Royal palace. Zoiya was happy for me, but I was sad to go; I would have no friends in the Guard. Not until I eventually reunited with Zhing Ji and Shang Li, but from what I’ve heard they’re still training in Ba Sing Se.

For some reason I can’t get the King and General Oki out of my head; perhaps it is just because I’ve been busy helping Colonel Xian formulate war plans. Apparently, now is the time to strike the fire nation. The colonel believes it’s just a matter of logistics. Boring work, but I do my best to keep up with it. Speaking of which, I promised the colonel I’d be ready to attend a council in the morning, which means I need to go to sleep. I’ll continue this another time.

-Captain Mei Ashabi

Word Count3038
RUPs3