Boss

It was still a miracle to me how we managed to make it to Jianghe's shore alive, but as the wooden shards of the skiff knocked against the island's coast, the tide of the sea skewering the sand with the debris that we would have been among had we left moments later, and as my feet touched the ground, the sand clinging to the water that still left me soaked after the day's affairs, I realized that we had made it.

And so, as the others went on their way, Zek being met by Ka'lira's embrace, her already waiting on the shore for his return, as Jadoh reluctantly helped the old ex-ship captain out of the remnants of his legacy, and as Luke, in his usual self, stalked off to the shore to gaze out into the sea, likely scanning for the wreckage we left behind, I was met by the combined force of town guardsmen, and the governor's troops, assembling on the shore in response to the commotion.

The town's guardsmen were swept aside, a mere afterthought, as the soldiers bearing the governor's mark pushed their way up to me, immediately pointing me out as the semblance of leadership among these marooned mercenaries. It was supposed to be a small, quiet job. Find the caravan, possibly save it, report it, get a small pay. Yet here we were, trapped on an island by an invisible blockade. War's the same as it ever was, but we keep on finding new ways to fight it.

The soldiers had now reach where I stood, and their supposed commander, distinguished by his pauldron, walked up to the point of standing a mere half foot in front of me, asking, "Take your men and follow me. The governor wants to see you."

We were trapped on this island. We were mercenaries. Both sides wanted to use us. Both sides would likely feel better if we were dead. Our life was determined by our use to others, and right now, that use was in demand.

So we followed.

It was a slow work to Jianghezhen, the island's fortress, sitting on its northern shore. Despite its barren port, the only Fire Nation-built vessel on the island being our own, the castle stood formidable, a stone aegis keeping the island in check just as much as it was guarding it from outside threats.

The way to the castle was anything but direct, the last landmark above the surface being 4 hanging carcasses, which Jadoh promptly pointed out to be the failed mercenaries who had gained his tip about our most recent job from. As we walked along the cliffside, the open ocean to our right, we were guided into fortified trenches and bunkers beneath the surface along the cliffside, arrows slits, murder holes, openings for artillery batteries, all of these lining the emplacements. Soldiers were rushing through them, pushing their ways past us as we were guided along through a series of twists and turns, down one set of stairs and up another to the extent that we only realized we were within the actual castle once we were quite actually standing in front of the governor's office.

"Yilie will see you now," spoke the soldier who had guarded us this far.

He opened the door for us, and in the room were 4 figures. At both ends of the doors were Fire Nation guardsmen, statues in their own right, unflinching, guarding the other two in the room, one of which was the island's governor, Yilie, a bald man bearing stark sideburns and a pronounced brown 'stache, the appearance one would expect from a man of his stature. However, the figure in the room that surprised me more was the one sitting across from him, Gordez.

"Gordez?" I asked, entering the room as the door was shut behind me, cutting me off from the rest of my band.

"Hey, Boss," spoke Gordez, meekly, but clearly alive and unhurt.

"Boss, is it?" asked Yilie. "Please," he said. "Take a seat." He motioned to an empty seat beside Gordez which I promptly took. "I hope you don't mind," he continued, "but I took the liberty of having my men search your ship after you left the island. An unmarked Fire Nation vessel with a skeleton crew coming into my dock, laden with military gear, without my approval? I think it's only fair that I take some precautionary measures. And, don't worry, nothing was stolen. I made special care to ensure my men were on their best behavior."

I did understand. Quite well actually. I would've done the same in his position, but all the same, I wasn't fond of having my ship's integrity compromised in such a way, and I didn't plan on making it come off otherwise. "Not sure how I like the idea of your men going through my stuff."

"Oh you misunderstand us. We were just checking your ship for the usual: possible stowaways, saboteurs, bombs, you name it. We had no interest in your personal belongings. And I hope you don't mind me allowing your second to sit in on this meeting. We were having quite the lovely conversation before you came in."

"Well you seem to already have a good understanding of who we are then. So tell me, what do you want from us?"

"Your mercenaries and you're stuck on an island being besieged. I think it's quite clear what I want. I think it's also quite clear what you want."

"What we'd really want is to get out of here before the shooting starts, but"

"But the island is already blockaded by an invisible fleet. So you're stuck here, but really? Is getting off what you really want?"

I wasn't entirely sure what he meant, but he wasted no time in making it clear. "I've heard enough out of your second-in-command to know what your company is about. Protecting those unable to protect themselves, is it not?" Well. There are 3,927 inhabitants on this island, and only 117 soldiers to guard them. When the Earth Kingdom lands on these shores, my soldiers will ingrain themselves in the village and fight a guerilla war. These aren't their wishes, but they're my orders. The Earth Kingdom will have to kill every last man, woman, and child to root us out of this island. I care about these people, but I care about my Nation more, and I will not surrender a single inch of my land to the enemy. If you want to help me avoid this ultimatum, this horrific ending that is in store, you'll help me repel the enemy. In addition to that, you will be compensated."

"Like the mercenaries we saw dangling outside the castle walls?"

"Those men were a liability and I had no duty to them. Their loyalties were as loose as their tongues and they were a potential threat that had to be dealt with."

"And how do I know the same won't come of us? How do I know it won't be the bodies of my men hanging from those posts next?"

"I already know where your loyalties lie. You like to claim to be a neutral party, but we all know your sympathies still lie with your home. The only case-scenario where your corpses will hang from that wall is if it's below an Earth Kingdom banner. So do we have a deal?" He extended his arm. There was no other choice. He was right. About everything he had said. He was a smart man, and there was no other way we were going to make it through this. I took his arm, and we shook. We were in this fight now, whether we liked it or not.