Chapter 4

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Chapter 4 The city of Ba Sing Se is the capital of the Earth Kingdom. It is where the Earth Kingdom ruler lives, and is the center of culture, education, finance, and agriculture as well. My father and uncle knew that if Ba Sing Se fell, the Earth Kingdom would fall. If the Earth Kingdom falls, the Fire Nation will complete its destiny and control the entire world. Ba Sing Se is the key. Iroh tried years back to invade the walled fortress, but failed miserably. He didn't take the Earthbenders' defenses and their resolve seriously enough, and it cost him dearly. Since Iroh's failure, my father has been obsessed with taking Ba Sing Se. His war minister and generals have been working for years on a device to break through Ba Sing Se's fortified outer wall—an enormous drill. When I learned the drill was completed and on its way to the city, I knew that this would be the means to make up for my recent difficulties in capturing Iroh, Zuko, and the Avatar. How sweet that I will be the one who finally completes the capture of Ba Sing Se. I will take command of the drill and lead the Fire Nation to victory. I will deliver the crushing blow that takes

down the city and destroys the Earth Kingdom in one powerful assault. Once Ba Sing Se is in my hands, all else will become irrelevant. The Earth Kingdom will be ours, and the war will be over quickly—with my father in his rightful position as ruler of the entire world. Mai, Ty Lee, and I caught up to the drill a short distance from Ba Sing Se. I immediately took command from the war minister, who had been leading the attack. He boasted that the drill would easily break through the outer wall of Ba Sing Se in a single day. Then he showed me the device. The drill stood one hundred feet tall and was actually made up of two parts. The drill itself, which would bore an opening in the wall, was completely encased in a metal shell. The drill was connected to the shell by a series of braces, and the shell was impervious to any known substance or force. I am thrilled! The drill is an incredibly efficient tool encased in armor that cannot be pierced. This machine is virtually unstoppable, and with it I shall begin the final phase of the Fire Nation's world victory! I continued toward Ba Sing Se. The war minister remained with me and my crew, who ran the enormous contraption.

My father had also sent a fleet of small tanks to accompany the drill, in case we met any resistance. I laughed as I peered from the drill's command bridge at the tiny tanks, which looked like children's playthings flanking us on either side. The view from the command bridge spread out before me as we approached the city. At my first glimpse of our target—the outer wall—the thrill of conflict swept through my bones. I live for conquest and success, and this time I will not fail my father. "This drill is a feat of scientific ingenuity and raw destructive power," the war minister said as the wall drew closer. He certainly does love his mechanical monstrosity. But his boasting grows tiresome. "Yes, so you've said," I responded. "Once it tunnels through the wall, the troops accompanying us in the tanks will storm the city. The Earth Kingdom will finally fall, and you can claim Ba Sing Se in the name of your father. Nothing can stop us," the war minister continued. Ty Lee leaned over my shoulder and peered out the window. "What about those guys down there?" she asked. I followed her gaze and spotted a platoon of

Earthbenders lining up in the path of the drill. The war minister snorted his contempt for Ty Lee's concern. "Please. The drill's metal shell can handle any Earthbending attack." He is really starting to get on my nerves. I need to cover all possibilities. I will take no chances. "Oh, I'm sure it can," I said. "But just to be on the safe side —Mai, Ty Lee, go take the Earthbenders out. I want nothing standing in our way." "All right!" Mai cried as she and Ty Lee headed for the exit. "Finally something to do!" I watched as the Earthbenders created a huge column of rock directly in our path on the battlefield below. The grinding tip of the drill pierced the rock tower, easily pulverizing it into dust, and the drill rolled steadily forward. Well… perhaps the war minister is correct in his complete confidence in the machine. This may indeed prove to be an easy task. Father will be so impressed with me! Ty Lee and Mai slid down the outside shell of the drill and leaped toward the Earthbenders. Mai flung daggers to provide cover for Ty Lee, who bounced and tumbled her way to a large man—obviously the Earthbenders' captain. One by one, she struck key pressure points on his body, first blocking his bending

ability, then causing him to collapse onto the ground. With their captain defeated, and Ty Lee and Mai gaining the upper hand, the Earthbenders quickly retreated. The girls slipped back inside the drill, which rumbled on, unimpeded, inching closer to the wall. "This drill is so slow," Mai complained, falling back into the seat to catch her breath. "Slow!" the war minister exclaimed. "Breaking through the outer wall of Ba Sing Se took General Iroh six hundred days!" he continued. "We will do so in one." Mai shrugged. "Whatever." Ty Lee suddenly pointed out the window at a cloud of dust rolling toward the drill. "Hey, look at that. It's so… poofy. You know. Poof." What is that? Is there something hidden within the cloud? I can't imagine it could be something that would pose a serious threat to this machine. "Don't worry, Princess," the war minister said smugly. "I'm sure it's nothing. Just a harmless cloud of dust." A few seconds later the cloud vanished, as if the drill had run right over it. Maybe he was right. Perhaps it was simply a harmless dust cloud. Some trick of the wind. We