Why I Fight (Trudy Chacon)
I was sitting in the crew lounge when the orders came. Quaritch was
rolling the gun ships on Hometree. He was going all out. There was
going to be no stopping him. The orders said to be in the air at 1600
hours. It was now 1530. I had little time. Jake and Grace had to know.
Otherwise the Omaticaya would never have any warning. They would be
slaughtered. And Quaritch wouldn't give a damn.
I started toward the hanger but reversed my course after I heard the
science lab was being shut down. I ran down the corridor and into the
science lab out. By the time I reached the lab I was out of breath.
Jake, Grace, and Norm were sitting around a small table talking.
" And you're justified in taking it," Jake had just finished saying.
" Quaritch is rollin' the gun ships," I said panting for air. " He's
gonna hit Hometree."
" My God," Grace said as she ran past me. Jake was wheeling after her.
Both of them were going to see Selfridge.
I turned and looked at Norm who was in total shock.
" He's gonna hit Hometree?" Norm asked shakily.
" Yeah. He's taking it to the ground." I said calmly.
" All this just for money," Norm said shaking his head. " They are
willing to wipe out an entire clan just for the sake of money."
" Norm," I said, looking into his eyes, "I'm going to tell you a
story that pains me. When I was in the Marines, I was shot down over
Venezuela. It hurt like hell but I survived. My ship took most of the
damage. I came out of it with a broken leg and a concussion. The
concussion, I could deal with. The leg, on the other hand, I couldn't.
The bone was pressing against my skin. If I moved it would have broken
through. Now, mind you, this is all in enemy territory. All I had was
a combat knife and a pistol. Not a very good combination. Anyway,
luckily the search team found me the next morning. But as I was lying
there, I promised myself that I would always respect life if I got out
of this. And I got out of that. And now, seeing Quaritch ready to kill
the Na'vi, I want to stop him, but I don't want to die. What do I do,
Norm?"
Norm thought for a moment before he answered.
" Trudy," He said," What do you fight for? Why do you go when they
call you?"
" I guess I fight for myself," I said. "I never thought about it
much. I follow orders. That's who I am. Now that I really think about
it, I can find a couple of reasons of why I fight. I fight for all the
friends I've lost. In fighting, I keep their memory alive. Another
thing is I fight for the preservation of life. And I know that doesn't
make sense so let me explain. If a war rages on for more than a month,
let's say, many more people are going to die whereas if a war is ended
fast many more lives are going to be saved. And lastly I fight for my
God. When you almost die, you realize some intelligent being and all
protector has to be watching over you. And with him watching you, I
believe he deserves a small amount of prayer and praise. That's why I
fight. To save life."
" Then save them," Norm said. "Don't fire on them. Make a convincing
charade. No one will know the difference. Trust me, when this turns
into a fight, which it will, we want to be with the Na'vi. They have a
whole planet, whereas the RDA only has this base. And Trudy," he said
as she turned to go, " Whatever you choose, I'll always love you."
" Norm," I said walking over to him. "I love you. Nothing will ever
change that."
I kissed him on the mouth then ran to my awaiting Samson. As the
Samson lifted off of the tarmac, I felt a feeling of peace within me.
I was not going to kill anything. How could I? In my book the Na'vi
were made by the same God that had made me and redeemed me. That made
the Na'vi almost family and I would not kill family. With that
resolve tucked deep inside my heart, I flew in formation, waiting to
strike at the company that employed me. Watching and waiting for my
chance. My chance at revenge.