Prison rig

:This article is about the offshore Fire Nation prison. For other similar uses, see Prisons (disambiguation).
The Mo Ce Sea Prison, more commonly known as the prison rig, was an offshore Fire Nation prison located in the Mo Ce Sea and used for the internment of earthbenders during the latter stages of the Hundred Year War. Prisoners were taken captive mainly for attempting to resist Fire Nation rule in the Earth Kingdom or for bending in regions where it was disallowed. Run by an unforgiving warden, such internees were forced to build, repair, and refuel ships for the Fire Navy. Imprisonment for many was indefinite, a fact which, along with the inability to use earthbending in the metallic prison, quelled any thoughts of rebellion.
In late 99 AG, however, a major prison revolt erupted on the rig. This ultimately led to the platform being captured by an Earth Kingdom Army unit.
== History ==
In 95 AG, Tyro was brought to this prison after revolting against Fire Nation troops in a mining village. Five years later, he was followed by his son, Haru, who was tracked down by Katara to the rig in a rescue attempt. She was shocked to see how hopeless and deprived the prisoners were, and felt compelled to give them a motivational speech. Nevertheless, the prisoners continued to sulk, quickly dismissing Katara's words.
When Aang and Sokka came to take Katara from the rig, she bluntly refused to leave, claiming the prisoners needed her help. Faced with her stubbornness, Sokka and Aang decided to sneak into the prison and assist Katara in her rescue. Aang reasoned that the prison was burning coal, a substance earthbenders could use to fight back against their captors. From this, Sokka devised a plan in which Aang would release the coal from its deposit to the prisoners' quarters using airbending, which was successfully performed.
Using the coal to support her words, Katara attempted once again to inspire the earthbenders to fight for their freedom, but to no avail. However, Haru was provoked by the warden's subsequent mockery of Katara and struck a small rock against his head using earthbending. Angered, the warden retaliated with a firebending blast, but his attack was blocked by a coal wall Tyro raised. Incited by the presence of coal, the earthbenders began to fight alongside Tyro, successfully overpowering the Fire Nation guards. The battle ended when Tyro and a few other earthbenders gathered up the guards on a bed of coal, and levitated them off the prison rig to let them fall into the ocean waters. Following the quarrel, the earthbenders commandeered a few Fire Navy ships and returned to their homeland, vouching to liberate their villages from Fire Nation jurisdiction.
During the battle on the rig, Katara lost her mother's necklace. It was later recovered by Prince Zuko, who came to the prison rig some time after Team Avatar's departure. Zuko helped the warden to restore some order before continuing his hunt for the Avatar. Not long after the prince's departure, Tyro's rebels returned to the prison rig on a number of dirt-carrying boats. Using these supplies as weaponry for their earthbenders, the insurgent militia stormed the rig to shut down its operations for good. As the warden was reinforced by a Fire Nation military contingent, the battle for the rig temporarily became a stalemate. The Earth Kingdom rebels held its lower levels, and the warden's troops the upper levels. The stalemate was eventually broken when Tyro's militia received aid by an Earth Kingdom Army unit headed by Captain Boqin. Together, the Earth Kingdom forces defeated the warden's forces and largely secured the rig. Afterward, Tyro's militia departed for the mainland, while Boqin's contingent continued to mop up what remained of the warden's garrison as well as defend the platform from Fire Nation counter-attacks.
== Layout ==
The prison rig was a towering, highly secure facility located several miles off the coast of the Earth Kingdom. Its foundation was supported by multiple bars, which elevated it high above sea level. The entire facility was erected in metal, which at the time was an unbendable material. At the center of the prison was a large, tower-like structure which was several stories tall and bulged outward at the core. It had many small windows dotted across its facade, and a smokestack at the top, indicating the large amounts of coal which was being burned inside. Several vents led into the interior of the rig, all of which could be opened and closed as needed. This tower-like structure was largely filled by the industrial sections, including a large steel mill with several massive furnaces. Here, the prisoners were forced into building, repairing, and fueling Fire Navy ships. The upper sections of the tower included the guards' barracks, armory, and the warden's headquarters. The lowest sections of the tower hosted the coal deposits.
The tower-like part of the rig was divided from the prisoners' quarter by a tremendous metal wall. The prisoners slept and spent their time on the makeshift square on one side of the wall, while the guards kept watch from the wall. At night, they used mounted searchlights to scan the rig and surrounding waters to watch out for trespassers.
Prisoners and cargo were transported to the facility by means of ferries; these were later used by the inmates to flee from the rig and return to their villages following their successful escape.
== Notable inmates ==
* Haru (escaped)
* Katara (escaped)
* Tyro (escaped)
== Notable personnel ==
* Warden
* Goro
* Juro
* Prison rig captain
== References ==
es:Prisión plataforma
fr:Plate-forme de prison
nl:Mijnbouw gevangenis
ru:Плавучая тюрьма
Category:A to Z
Category:Earth Kingdom
Category:Establishments
Category:Fire Nation
Category:Locations
Category:Military
Category:Prisons