I guess the first thing most people assume about us is that we're constantly engaged in high-speed pursuits, whipping cables at Triad-members, Equalists, and rogue Spirits alike, and just generally tough-as-nails mover characters who don't have a care in the world.

And, I suppose, in the interests of being completely honest, the job is like that quite a lot- especially once Avatar Korra came to the city. After that, it was one thing after another- Amon, then that damned giant Spirit-monster thingy, then the airbender accidents, the rampant spirit vines, and, finally, the full-scale invasion by Kuvira and the Earth Empire.

The other half of that, though, is doing paperwork, patrolling the city, being bored in one of those damned airships, and other surprisingly mundane activities. That's the part no one ever thinks about; what happens when the 'daredevils' have to stay accountable to the people?

I've always been in Republic City, truth be told. My father was a factory worker for Cabbage Corp, which, if you believe his horror stories, was actually a lot worse than it seemed, while my mother was a primary school teacher

I was born right here in Republic City, in a smaller house right smack dab in the middle of Bouldertown Borough. Growing up wasn't too bad- we weren't on the street or anything like too many people were, but we still struggled. We didn't even get our radio until I was around ten.

School was an alright time for me, truth be told. I wasn't the most personable, or intelligent kid- I was content with being average, truth be told, but where I really came alive was bending class. I had figured out that I could earthbend when I was around eight, when I accidentally ripped up a section of pavement when I got infuriated at a neighborhood bully.

Since then, I learned the ins-and-outs of earthbending, and, not to brag, excelled at it. I wasn't a prodigy or anything, but I picked things up a bit quicker than most, and I entered the neighborhood metalbending dojo when I entered secondary school.

After school, when the decision for careers came up, I didn't really have a clear idea of what I wanted. I enjoyed painting, but I was nowhere near good enough to go pro. There was always joining the cab service, or, if too desperate, running jobs for the Triads, but I wasn't really at that point.

What really caught my eye was the United Forces recruiter with all his talk of 'seeing the world' and 'meeting new people'. Like a regular chump, I snapped that stuff straight up, and joined the United Forces straight out of secondary school.

You know, instead of going to university or something smart like that.

My military career was, thankfully, mostly uneventful. My one moment of action was a humanitarian mission to a part of the United Republic that got hit by a tsunami, but that was mostly just helping distribute aid and rations to those poor people.

What my time in the military did do was help me refine my skill at metalbending. My earthbending was improved a lot as well, but the art of metalbending was highly prized in the military, so I refined my skills through constant practice, drilling, and training.

So, when I was approached by good old Chief Beifong with a job offer, I took it in a heartbeat. Every earthbender in the world knew the name Beifong, and every metalbender in the United Republic knew that a job with the Republic City Police Department was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

And the rest, I suppose, is history.

If you were to ask me to do it again, I'd agree without a second thought. I'd just want to be able to do it again without being as stupid as I was the first time.

Before I kick this story off in earnest, I'd like to thank a few people. First and foremost, I'd like to thank Chief Beifong for her tireless dedication to her subordinates, police work, and the law. Chief, you're an inspiration to all of us here, and I very much hope that you stay in your line of work for years to come.

I'd also like to thank my gorgeous wife, Linh, for her encouragement in writing this memoir and agreeing to marry a washed-up policeman like me.

Finally, I'd like to thank Yong, Hulin, Mei, Minjae, Mako, and the rest of the Republic City Police Department for their advice, input, and encouragement, as well as their loyalty to the people of Republic City.

Thank you. Truly.

Hey all,

This is more or less a preview to a concept I've been working on for a while. I initially was torn between doing one of these for a United Forces soldier or a policeman, but binge-watching Korra Season 1 and watching how simply badass the metalbender police are inspired me to focus on the Republic City Police Department.

As I said, this is very much a working concept, so I doubt that there will be any sort of regular update schedule, what with my other fics, but I just wanted to see what sort of a reception I would get from this.

Feedback, as always, is welcome.

-IGdude117