Ambush at a South Sea island

In Winter 99 AG, Fire Nation Prince Zuko's crew had to halt at an island in the South Sea after their cruiser had been damaged by Avatar Aang. After landing, they were ambushed by pirates posing as "traders", though successfully fended off the attack. The Fire Nationals then continued their journey to Ketu Harbor for repairs, but another group of pirates made their own attempt at capturing Zuko's cruiser just off the island, this time using their sailing ship.
== Background ==
Having been banished from his homeland to search for the Avatar in the last years of the Hundred Year War, Prince Zuko had access to few resources and followers, namely an old cruiser, his uncle Iroh, and a small crew of firebenders and nonbenders.Avatar: The Last Airbender—The Art of the Animated Series, page 45.
In late 99 AG, Zuko discovered the Avatar at Wolf Cove, a small village of the Southern Water Tribe. He assaulted the defenseless settlement until the Avatar agreed to surrender if Zuko spared the inhabitants. Zuko almost got away with Aang, but his new friends Katara and Sokka rescued him. In course of their escape, already worn-down ship was further damaged and left frozen in icebergs.
== Ambush ==
=== Attack on the island ===
After getting out of the ice, Zuko initially insisted in pursuing the Avatar, but this chase finally began to break his cruiser's engine. With little other option, the prince ordered them to head toward land, near the Fire Nation base of Ketu Harbor in the southwestern Earth Kingdom. They had to halt at an island near the Ketu Harbor, where the engines finally broke down. Zuko decided to look for the island's inhabitants so that they could help the crew repair the ship. Iroh cautioned his nephew against venturing into the island's interior on his own, but Zuko ordered him and the others to guard the ship.
Before long, Zuko encountered a local, loudly declaring that he was a Fire Nation prince and demanding the man to offer any aid he could. The local claimed to be a trader, and assured that he could help with repairs, though they had to make their way back to his base on a nearby mountain. After fending off some wild platypus bears, the two reached the camp where the traders' companions were waiting. They promptly tried to capture Zuko as a hostage, revealing themselves as pirates. However, Zuko unexpectedly received reinforcements as Iroh and a few of his crew had followed the prince against his orders, fearing for his safety.
Together, the Fire Nationals easily dispatched the pirates at the camp, taking the criminals' supplies back to the ship to assist the repairs. As the group made their way down the mountain, they heard a commotion. Zuko quickly realized that more pirates had arrived and were attacking the ship. As they rushed down to save their vessel, Zuko and his companions had to fight their way through pirates and the aggressive local wildlife. Finally, they arrived at the shore and defeated the remaining corsairs, securing the cruiser.
=== Naval battle ===
After overcoming the pirates on the island, Zuko ordered some makeshift repairs. Though these allowed for the engines to be restarted, the cruiser still needed proper fixes. The prince and his followers thus made their way toward Ketu Harbor. Before arriving, however, they were once more attacked, this time by a pirate sailing ship. With the cruiser still damaged, they could not outrun the corsairs. Believing the Fire Nationals no real threat due to their small numbers and the poor condition of the cruiser, this group of pirates demanded them to hand over all they had.
Instead, Zuko and his crew fiercely resisted and defeated two boarding attempts, before sinking the pirate ship, allowing them to finally to reach Ketu Harbor.
== Aftermath ==
Upon reaching Ketu Harbor, Zuko and his crew could fully repair their heavily damaged ship. When questioned by the base commander, Zhao, the prince claimed that "an Earth Kingdom ship" had been responsible for his vessel's damage. After the repairs and an Agni Kai with Zhao, Prince Zuko was able to continue his quest to capture the Avatar. Not long after, Zhao also left Ketu Harbor, taking most of the local troops with him. This meant that the base was weakly defended, and the pirates who had previously attacked Zuko exploited the situation by raiding Ketu Harbor itself. The base's garrison subsequently sent a reconnaissance mission to the nearby islands to investigate the level of pirate activity.
Led by a scout, the Fire Nation mission was repeatedly attacked by corsairs and eventually discovered that the pirates had built a fortress on one of the local islands. Despite the pirates' attempts to stop the recon group from returning to Ketu Harbor, the Fire Nation soldiers were able to return to their base and inform their comrades about the corsair stronghold. The base's garrison proceeded to launch counter-raids against the criminals, retaking supplies and restoring Ketu Harbor's security.
== References ==
Category:A to Z
Category:Events
Category:Hundred Year War