A/N: Kuvira gets some more back story, and the gang readies themselves for a new day.

Three years prior in Ba Sing Se:

The day's first rays of light were feebly penetrating the dense, smoky haze blanketing all of Ba Sing Se as Kuvira and her team were lowered quietly into the upper ring. Three long days had passed since their arrival and while all of the fires weren't completely extinguished, they were at least contained to uninhabited areas of the city. Two and a half days Kuvira had been forced to remain on her airship giving orders while her men worked without her.

"Our contact should be in the tunnels beneath the palace," Kuvira said softly as they reached the once pristine cobblestone street. "Be prepared for anything. Gangs of looters have formed throughout the city."

Shadow darkened streets strewn with garbage and debris surrounded them - the stench of human waste and smoke seemed to permeate every inch of the unburned parts of the city.

"Hold your positions," Kuvira ordered quietly as they neared the main road to the palace. Widening her stance, she stomped on ground and observed the vibrations as the traveled outward. "All of the buildings along the road ahead are occupied. If we want to avoid a fight we're better off going underground."

"Are we digging straight down or is there an access point?" Tao asked as he scanned the area.

Kuvira took another seismic reading. "There's an entrance to the tunnels along the canal."

Like the streets, the waterway was clogged with refuse and ash leaving the shallow water a murky gray. Kuvira led the men down the steep slope of the canal and opened the hidden entrance without difficulty.

"Stay together. These tunnels go on for miles all over the city." Glowing crystals lit the narrow corridor as the group's muffled footsteps echoed off the walls. "There are people ahead - be ready."

The corridor opened to a large, dimly lit chamber filled with mismatched tables and chairs, as well as Dai Li agents. Hopefully Ghashiun is among th-

With a low growling scrape, the walls of the corridor began to suddenly close around the group. A moment of fear flashed through Kuvira before she steeled herself and forced the walls back into place. "We're here to help!" she yelled as calmly as she could.

"We'll see about that," a white-hair agent at the head of one of the tables barked distrustfully. "Come into the light."

Muscles tense and back aching from her injury three days ago, Kuvira led her men into the chamber. The other Dai Li agents stood and faced the newcomers warily.

"What is it you think you can help us with?" the oldest of the men asked, still seated at the table.

Kuvira removed her helmet, "My name is Kuvira and I hail from the Zaofu. For the last three days, my men and airships have worked around the clock to extinguish the fires consuming your city. We've come to aid in restoring order to Ba Sing Se."

"Zaofu," the man said skeptically. "Why would Suyin Beifong send aid when she has ignored the kingdom's numerous taxation notices?"

"She didn't. I and the city's security forces chose to come against the matriarch's wishes," Kuvira stated calmly.

"Hm. And just what do you hope to accomplish?" he asked as he stood and approached. "Surely a citizen of Zaofu feels no kinship to the Earth Kingdom."

"Of course we do," Kuvira countered. "We couldn't stand by while innocent people perished-"

"There are no innocents here," he spat. His slow approach was smooth and measured. "Our own people turned on their protectors and attacked each other."

"Their protectors?" Kuvira asked in disbelief. She nearly voiced her disdain for the organization in front of her before she remembered her mission. She took a breath and squared her shoulders "The city needs stability and order," she said patiently. "We're here to offer aid in any way we can."

The Dai Li agent stopped directly in front of her. "And what will you do once the city has stability and order? Return to Zaofu? No, no one offers aid without helping themselves. So what are you looking for? Power? Pulling Ba Sing Se under Zaofu's rule?"

The old Dai Li's breath smelled of bitter tea as he stood uncomfortably close to her. "We are traveling with a number of businessmen," she said truthfully, holding her ground. She saw no reason to be anything other than honest. "They will undoubtedly find some way to turn a profit while we work to stabilize the city."

The man's eyes narrowed as he considered her words and stared down his nose at her. "Scavengers," he spat. "We don't need the likes of you or your aid."

Kuvira exhaled slowly through her nose as she fought to maintain her composure. "What is your plan then?" she asked looking up into his wrinkled face. "Let the city burn to the ground and salvage what's left?"

The man's eyes narrowed. "Leave while you still can, child. Take Suyin's aid with you," the white haired Dai Li agent growled into the former security chief's face.

This isn't over, she thought as she glared back at his pompous face. "Fine," she said coolly. "We're done here." She motioned for her men to retreat the way they came.

His sharp voice chased after them, "Beware, Kuvira of Zaofu. The Dai Li to not take kindly to trespassers. Leave the city while you still can."

Kuvira turned and gazed impassively at the elderly agent before turning and following her men.

"What do we do now?" Tao asked as they converged in the canal. "Should I signal the airship?"

"No," she said patiently. A plan quickly began to form in the back of her mind. "Let's take a walk through the upper ring. I get the feeling we may find what we're looking for yet."

"Suli, everything is ready."

Kuvira looked up from the delivery schedule she had been attempting to read and nodded to the former prisoner. Exhaustion was beginning to creep up on her as the coup dragged on into the late afternoon. Rubbing the tiredness from her eyes, she stood and followed. Let's see if I can find someone sympathetic to our cause.

The young man led her to the cells in the basement where she took stock of the occupants. Men and women of varying ages glared at her as she passed former guards and support staff of the prison camp. She disregarded the shouts of old men promising execution for Suli's treachery. "If you haven't figured out that isn't my real name yet, then I grossly overestimated your intelligence," she said to the man who had been her direct superior. She continued walking until she found the group she was hoping to gain the favor of. "You three, on your feet."

The firebenders acting as jailers walked to the cell and motioned for them to approach the bars to be handcuffed. These were to lowliest of the support staff, two janitors and a cook.

"This way, please." More shouts of guaranteed death followed them back up to the stairs. "This will do," she said holding the door of a conference room open and beckoning them all inside.

The former Emperor allowed them a moment to take seats at the long table before she began her planned discussion. "I need your help," she stated baldly.

One of the janitors snorted derisively and refused to look at her.

"Order and safety shouldn't come at the price of freedom," Kuvira said patiently.

"This is our land!" the man stated boldly, glancing in her direction before continuing to stare at the wall to the right of her. "These bastards have no right to be here," he said motioning to the firebenders.

Kuvira allowed a small, pitying smile to show on her face. "Nor do you."

The man forgot his efforts to avoid looking at her and stared at her in open outrage. "What?! Of course I do! I'm an Earth Empire citizen!"

"So your tan skin and blue eyes aren't from of the Water Tribes?" she asked skeptically as she pulled up a chair to sit next to the group. "If anything this firebender looks more Empire than you with his green eyes and fair skin."

The man's rage was nearly rendering him incapable of speech. "But he's a Firebender!"

"And the only reason you weren't put to work with them is your lack of bending," Kuvira said shortly. "You were deemed harmless by those of real Empire ancestry and allowed to work for the Empire so long as you showed the correct temperament - which you still have it seems."

"You have no idea what you're talking about," the prisoner said angrily. "A scum sympathizer like you knows nothing about the Empire!"

"Oh?" she mused. "Did the Great Uniter feed that to you? Did she tell you you were superior to your neighbors if you wore her uniform? Did she promise you the respect you've craved your whole life, but were denied because of your lack of bending?"

"Shut up!" he roared.

Kuvira felt a pang of pity for the seething man before her. She knew what had been promised to the man - she knew how to bend people to her will, how to find the things they most desired and use them to her advantage. She pressed on in a softer voice, "Did she tell you, you'd have to arrest your neighbors, good hard working people who had never broken a law in their lives? People you've known your whole life?" She let the silence grow for a moment. "Did the Great Uniter tell you you'd have to watch the families of your neighbors beg you not to take their husband, their wife, their child away? Did she tell you about the guilt that would never really go away-"

"The Great Uniter did what had to be done to save the Empire," he said with quiet anger. "She did what no one else was willing to do and she expected her people to do the same."

"And what if the Great Uniter came to you and asked you to help free her people?" Kuvira asked quietly. "What if she came to you and said everything you were told was a lie meant further the Empire at the expense of its citizens?"

"She would never do that," he said quiet stubbornness, avoiding her eyes.

"Wouldn't I?"

The room stilled as a charged silence filled the air. The other silent prisoners looked at Kuvira in disbelief as the firebenders shifted uneasily on their feet. Kuvira continued in her normal, lower octave, "If I told you I experienced true humility at the hands of the avatar when she saved my life from my own super weapon, would you believe me?"

The man looked close to tears. "You're not- you can't be-"

The cook dropped to his knees from his seat inclined his head. "All hail the Great Uniter," he muttered quietly.

Kuvira sighed tiredly as she felt the firebenders take defensive positions behind her. "I'm not here to harm anyone-"

"Bullmoose!" one of the benders yelled as he unleashed an inferno at her.

Standing and turning quickly enough to upend her chair, the metal strips on her uniform were bent to form a shield for the blast before latching onto the wrists of the firebenders and forcing their arms behind their backs. "As I said, I'm not looking to hurt anyone."

The tense silence as broken by the chatty janitor. "Why?" he asked in disbelief. "This doesn't make any sense."

Kuvira met the narrowed eyes for the two firebenders before speaking. "My near death experience opened my eyes to the horrors I brought upon my own people," she said patiently. "My thirst for power nearly destroyed everything I held dear. I couldn't stand by and allow my nation to continue down that same dark path after I surrendered."

Silence stretched on as the men in the room contemplated her words. "I will follow you," the cook said in a quiet yet firm voice. Both janitors nodded in agreement, though the argumentative one did so reluctantly.

"Gentlemen, what about you? Will you work with me to undo the damage I have caused to our nation?" she asked the firebenders.

Warily, they nodded. "It doesn't seem like we have much of a choice."

"You always have a choice, but you have a greater likelihood gaining your freedom with my help."

"Okay, we need to catch the next airship to the refugee camps," Mako said tightly. "I think it would be a good idea to-"

"But we just got here," Bolin complained. "I haven't seen Opal in days! Don't make me leave her already!"

The firebender pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed as he, Bolin, and Jeong were in dining room having dinner with the rest of the inhabitants of Air Temple Island. "We have a job to do and we need to get Jeong back to her family!"

"I'm okay with saying the night," she piped up. After over a week of living off of instant noodles, Pema's cooking was practically a gourmet treat . . . though she did feel a little bad about abandoning her family and the neighborhood . . . but it was only for one night and then she'd be back.

"See? Everyone wants to stay the night!" Bolin said enthusiastically.

"Fine, but we should leave on the first flight in the morning."

"Yes!"

Jeong smiled at how excited Bolin was to spend time with his girlfriend. When was the last time she'd been on a date? Months? The butcher's son - he'd been a handsy jerk who thought he was a gift from the spirits. Mom had been disappointed it hadn't worked out. She just hadn't had time to date with all of the hours she put into the shop and looking after her siblings. Not that she was in a hurry to get married and start popping out kids - Spirits, no!

But still . . . she did enjoy helping the other mothers around the camp with their infants, babysitting while the mothers stood in long lines at the ration station. Watching Miss Sato with Pema's youngest son reminded her of what she was missing.

A soft, but sharp elbow to her ribs pulled her from her thoughts. "What?" she asked quickly turning to Mako.

"I asked if you were okay with the room you had this morning or if you'd like a different one?"

"Oh. Um, there wasn't anything wrong with it so I guess I'll just use that one again if that's okay," she said hastily. It was certainly better than her cot at the camp.

"Good," he said simply before going back to his meal.

A conversationalist he is not, she mused before returning to her own food.

"Do you suppose we've given them enough time?"

Asami smiled as she leaned back against Korra's chest, "Probably not."

The last glimpse of the sun had disappeared below the horizon nearly an hour ago, but the couple remained seated against a tree at the northern edge of the island overlooking the bay. The engineer was more than a little tempted to simply fall asleep where she was.

"We have to go back soon - I'm not carrying you to bed."

"You're no fun," Asami chuckled quietly. The day had been long and stressful - she was loath to leave their small sanctuary. Tomorrow would likely take the engineer to her R&D facility in the mountains with Varick and his wife while the avatar tried to come up with a plan of attack here at the island.

"If they're still going at it, we'll just have to bang on the wall," Korra muttered before pressing a kiss to her cheek. "Come on, I've already felt you jerk awake three times since the sun set."

With an arm wrapped around each other, they arrived back at the women's dormitory in time to spy Bolin sneaking away from Opal's room. At least we won't have to worry about banging on anyone's walls tonight, Asami thought as she and Korra slipped silently into their shared room.

A/N: It's a bit short compared to my other chapters, but the next one is gonna be a bit more action-y. I'm kind of using this chapter as a warm-up for what's to come.

Thanks for reading :)