The ship's cryostasis modules began the long process of returning its passengers to the land of the living. They had been decelerating for nearly six month and eight days before reaching the planet the rest of the crew began to wake. First were the commanding staff, the technicians and the medical corps. Captain James Alberon was among the first to be brought out of the death-like torpor. Though he was responsible for the ship's voyage he deemed himself unnecessary to the actual navigation part.
This trip marked the second and final of his commanded vessels to the Alpha Centauri system. Through the preservation of the deep sleep technology and time dilation effects he'd already spent nearly 18 years crossing the nearly unfathomable distance to Pandora. He often thought of the fact that this extreme distance was a baby step by the standards of the known universe. The way back would still cost him another six years just to enjoy the fruits of his labor. It was a price he was willing to pay to be set for the rest of his days when he returned home.
It would be another three days before they would loop around the blue gas giant and make the jump from its orbit to Pandora's. Two days until the rest of the crew and their passengers would awaken to prepare for the journey to the surface. Alberon would remain on the ship until it was time to leave the system. He'd already seen the sights below and had decided that once was enough for him.
Assisted by a metal walking aid he made his way through the ship's body the 52 year old captain would be able to set aside the staff by the end of the day. Though he was technically 70 according to his birthday the aid was merely the effects of cryostasis. Quite a fit man if an old one Alberon was told he reminded others of a sea captain without the beard. It was a compliment to him and an accurate summation of his character.
Entering the commissary he found his three immediate junior officers freshly awake. They were the highest ranking on the ship and his good personal friends after the first assignment to Pandora. Sipping coffee and chatting they stood to salute him as he entered.
"As you were." Alberon nodded and joined them at the table. A steaming mug of good Earth java was pushed his general direction.
"Good morning Captain." Deyshana Biggs, his chief navigational officer and second Valkyrie pilot, greeted. Next to her sat Brian Deskel who held the distinction of being the most experienced Valkyrie pilot on board. Across from them and to the left of Alberon was the ship's head engineer Martin Nguyen.
"Morning's an abstract thing in space Ensign." Alberon smiled and sipped the coffee. Taste buds that seemed to have forgotten what they had been made for sprung to life on contact with the liquid.
"You seem to be in a good mood for someone just out of cryo, Captain." Deskel noted.
"Usually I'm pissed I'm alive after getting out of that coffin but now I feel good." Alberon confessed. "Next time I wake up there's gonna be a bonus and solid ground waiting for me."
"I'm glad you're well sir. I feel like my head's been used to play gyroball for six straight years." Nguyen groaned.
"That's just that big brain of yours defrosting." Biggs joked.
"Guess that means you don't feel a thing huh 'Shana?"
Alberon chuckled as the ensign flicked coffee at the smaller man. It felt good to know that this mission was nearly half over. All that remained was dropping off and picking up.
"What's it look like Lieutenant?" he asked Nguyen.
"Everything is tip top Captain. No problems with our sleepers, shields have held up fine and we're cramming the mainline now. About the only thing that isn't routine is a message we picked up over the superluminals."
"What was it?"
"Real short Captain, I don't know if it was a joke or what. It just said, 'Go home'."
"Really." Alberon scratched his chin. "That's not something you like to hear when you first wake up. If it is someone's idea of a joke, I'll have their brass."
With that Alberon climbed to his feet. "Keep an eye on things. These old legs need some exercise."
The next three days passed rapidly as the calm ship became very noisy in a short amount of time. Empty halls and meeting areas brimmed with passengers excitedly talking about their planet side plans. Alberon made it a point to visit every area of operation to check in with the crew. He very much believed in a hands on approach to leadership.
They had been orbiting Pandora three hours before the command staff gathered in the small bridge. Seated behind Biggs and Deskel Alberon chatted with Nguyen while the viewing slot gave them a panoramic view of Pandora. Behind it Polyphemus loomed large even with its moon filling their vision. Biggs tapped on her holographic monitors like a machine as she opened the comm channel to the base far below them.
"Hell's Gate Tower this is ISV Centurion on flight sixty-niner-one from Earth. Come in, over."
In a few moments a large viewing screen dropped down in front of the two pilots to both send and receive transmissions from the ground. It lit up with power but the screen itself remained black and inert. Despite the lack of image the audio buzzed to confirm its proper performance.
"Loud and clear Centurion you're right on time. What's your status, over." the speaker squawked.
"On schedule for 0800 local time Valkyrie departure, control. We're not getting an image up here, any problems ground side, over."
"Nothing major Centurion. How did you all sleep, over."
Biggs turned to grin back at her colleagues. "Like a hundred or so logs, control. Requesting clearance for shuttle landing, ETA two hours, over."
There was a long pause that did not sit well with Alberon. This kind of thing was planned out years in advance and asking for permission to land was more a formality than anything. There was either something wrong with the equipment or something wrong with the person on the other end. Either option made him wary.
"Permission denied, Centurion." came the voice over the box. Three heads swiveled back to look at Alberon who stood up from his chair as the voice continued. "Please put your senior officer on the comm."
"This is Captain James Alberon, I want to know the meaning of this delay along with your name and rank soldier." he demanded.
The comm went quiet for a few moments before the formerly blank digital screen exploded with color. Reclining in a giant, makeshift chair a blue skinned alien filled the screen. He sat wearing an over sized T shirt and jeans that fit his muscular form well. His hair was braided with small decorations tied into it. Looking very calm he relaxed in what appeared to be the Hell's Gate control tower. Behind him no other people – or aliens – moved and he wore no mask.
"Hey there." he said in perfect English and was obviously the person they had been talking to. "Nice to meet ya."
Alberon and his men sat in stunned silence. Even with the shock holding his tongue the captain was already assessing the situation from the limited visual information at hand. The normally bustling tower was abandoned and filled with natural Pandoran atmosphere. The airfield was among the most heavily fortified and least likely to fall of any Alberon had even heard of. Something had gone terribly wrong during the six years they spent getting here.
"You guys don't talk much do you?" the alien said cheerfully.
"Who...are you?" Alberon stammered after finding his voice.
"Jake Sully." the alien answered. "You'll be hearing a lot about me when you get home I think."
"You sent us that message didn't you." Alberon figured. "Is everyone dead?"
"Of course not." the alien named Sully replied as if this was something impossible. "They're heading back as we speak. I regret to inform you the RDA has suspended operations on Pandora permanently. This base has – oh it's called St. Augustine now by the way – this base has no RDA staff or military presence anymore."
"What?"
"Is this a joke...?"
"Can't be..."
"Quiet." Alberon ordered as he thought rapidly. Hell's Gate or whatever is was called was one of the toughest, most well armed military installations ever established. It was a stronghold that prospered in the harshest conditions known to man and had firepower famous even on Earth.
"Can I ask what happened?" Alberon inquired carefully.
The alien Sully's face darkened. "Your fellow employees waged a war they were certain they could win. It didn't end well for anyone. In the end we let your...coworkers leave before any more blood was shed."
"Who made that choice?"
Sully rested a giant chin on his blue palm. "I imagine Parker Selfridge did."
"I know Selfridge. He'd never do anything that stupid." Alberon guaranteed.
"You didn't know him very well then I guess." Sully scoffed. "He wanted unobtanium so bad he was willing to let SpecOps fire on unarmed women and children. They did and that's the reason you're talking to me now."
The captain could not begin to formulate a response to that if it was true. It was all wrong. The RDA had long stressed their philanthropic and goodwill efforts toward the native populace. How could things have gone so badly?
"Don't worry, we have proof." Sully said as if reading his mind. "We loaded some of it onto the first ISV that's on its way back. I almost wish I could see the look on their faces when it begins broadcasting."
"Who...what are you?" Alberon asked, unable to control his curiosity.
"I'm Jake." he answered naturally.
"You have to be from Earth. If you're an avatar driver then you're RDA but you keep talking like you're not."
"I was a driver a while ago." Sully admitted. "Not my style anymore."
Alberon avoided the nonsensical answer and asked, "So there's still humans on the base?"
"Yep."
"And you're one of them?"
"No. I used to be." Sully corrected.
"I don't follow you."
"It's a long story Captain. For now, we have to talk about your ship."
"My ship?"
"Well, you've got two options. You can turn around and go home now or you can come down and say hi. But if you want to do that, there's gonna be some conditions."
The mess hall was crowded and raucous with boisterous conversation bouncing off the metal walls. It was hard to hear let alone think but Claire Rouga huddled next to her fellow avatar drivers Huey Belgin and Don Lee. She looked out from underneath short, straight auburn hair framing a rounded, pale skinned face. Her small nose often required glasses and the rest of her could have used some gym time. Her looks were modest but her brown eyes were sharp and her intellect sharper.
Only two years out from finishing her Ph. D in Pandoran xenobiology being an avatar driver had been her life's goal. On Earth she went through the rigorous training together with the two men she sat with now. Don, a huge, portly man with a red beard and colossal laugh and Huey, a taller, hawk nosed man from New York. Both were experts in theirs fields, cellular composition and geology respectively. All three of them were eager to start their work on Pandora.
"I hope they have better pizza than this." Huey had to half shout at them. "I can't stand this stuff. It's like they baked cardboard."
"Where d'ya think they'll get tomatoes from on Pandora?" Don questioned in a bemused tone. "Flour? Pepperoni?"
"They'll bring it along with? Right? Right? Claire?" Huey tried to confirm in a slightly alarmed manner.
Claire laughed easily at his genuine concern. "Get used to it Hew. You'll be dining on tapirus down there. It's kind of a pig looking thing."
"Wait, are you guys serious?" Huey said with his voice turning slightly shrilled.
Don leaned over and said with a certain amount of satisfaction, "You better start filling your pockets with some of that cardboard buddy. It's gonna be a long time before you see it again."
The beleaguered man looked to be seriously considering that when a blinking light came on above them and the entertainment screens shut off. Conversation died quickly as ship personnel began filing into the mess hall from every entrance. At first Claire thought it was a drill but she recognized the color coded jumpsuits from all different parts of the ship. Something big was happening and soon it was standing room only.
The people in front of her blocked her view so Claire stood up on the bench she had been sitting on. With a clear line to the front she saw the ship's captain come in with the last of the crew. He was an older, frightening man flanked by a cadre of sub officers. When he began to speak his voice boomed across the room without mechanical aid.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, your attention please." It was an unnecessary introduction as the hall was as quiet as a graveyard.
"I know many of you have been looking forward to this trip for some time or have trained years for the right to be here. Some of you have a lot personally invested in our endeavor. So I fully understand your disappointment when I say this."
"The RDA has ceased operations on Pandora as of further notice. Many of you will not be leaving the Centurion until we have returned-"
Whatever else the captain was saying was drowned out by the bedlam that broke out around her. Everyone in the room seemed to be trying to talk all at once. Claire herself was completely speechless. There had to have been a mistake. Had to.
Turning back to her friends she saw confusion and disbelief that was surely mirrored on her face. Looking back to the front of the room the captain had his hands up and was waiting patiently for the uproar to expire. Watching, stupefied, Claire could only wait to hear why the mission she'd spent years of her life training for had suddenly been canceled.
"Listen, listen please." the captain bellowed. "It seems reports of cooperation with the indigenous were...exaggerated. Hostilities broke out during our trip and our guys were already sent packing."
"We can either go home now or try to talk to them. Myself and my advisors will be heading down to try to piece together what happened. The native representative agreed to a peaceful summit at the base formerly known as Hell's Gate. They have approved a short list of you to accompany me. This roster will be posted immediately. If you are not on the list you will remain on the Centurion until further notice. Those who are report to Shuttle Bay A with your gear in the next thirty minutes. Direct any questions to my staff."
The captain turned to walk out of the mess hall and the room broke out in agitated chatter. The entertainment screens began to show a slowly scrolling list of names that Claire could not read without her glasses on. Around her people argued while crew members passed out stacks of paper with the names on them. Jumping down she pushed through the throngs of other passengers to get to someone with information she needed. Snatching a copy from a crewman Claire pressed it to her chest and slipped through the people going the opposite direction.
Smoothing out the paper on the table near the others all heads around her crowded around for a glimpse at the letters that would decide their future. Scanning it quickly Claire was surprised to find her name along with Huey and Don's. Looking up at their still bewildered faces she gave them a thumb's up before jostling her way out of the mess hall.
Twenty five minutes later she was in the loading bay for the shuttle that would take them to the surface. Finding her friends was no trouble at all; besides the scattering of fatigues there was only about twenty people waiting to be checked in.
"Guys." she said finding the pair taking in low voices.
"What do you think?" Huey asked anxiously. Though he was normally a ball of nerves on a good day stressful situations turned the world class scientist inside out.
"I didn't come all this way to head back without even seeing the damn planet." Don rumbled. "If they say we can go I say we take the chance. Might not get another one."
"I'm with Don on this one." Claire agreed. "At least this way we can say we were there. If the captain's going then they definitely won't be leaving without us."
"But why us?" Huey wondered apprehensively.
"We all speak Na'vi. Maybe they need translators." Clarie reasoned.
"I don't know, I don't like the sound of this. What if they take us hostage?"
"Hew, you're being a wuss even for us geeks." Don snapped. "Stay here if you're so worried."
Claire was about to come to his defense when the captain entered the loading bay with his pilots. All words fell in the air and the gray haired man took his place in front of them.
"Listen up people." he said in his commanding voice. "This is no longer a routine mission. It's not even a mission at all anymore. That planet down there is no longer the new frontier with new lives waiting for you. We're visitors on foreign soil and we are not welcome. They have agreed not to harm us yes but nothing is for sure."
"All of you were picked by name to be allowed to see Pandora. None of you have military training but that doesn't matter since they have forbidden us to bring any weapons. We'll be totally defenseless. We have to hope they are true to their word. If you have any doubts, I urge you to stay here. Everyone else, load up."
Claire turned towards the waiting shuttle but Huey stood still like a statue.
"C'mon Hew, let's get on board."
"No." he said resolutely.
"Hew-"
"Not this time." the tall man said as he set down his pack. "I didn't sign up for this. I came to study tectonics. Not to end up on the business end of a Na'vi spear."
"Hew, be reasonable." Claire begged.
"I am. It's you two who are taking the risk. Go on if you want to. I'm staying."
"Huey!" Don snorted.
"My mind's made up. You get on that shuttle and you might not come back. No thanks. I'm going home."
The geologist began to walk away from them and Claire found it hard to believe he could just ignore the chance to see Pandora when it was only meters away.
"Hey. Hey! Hew! Come on!" she yelled after him.
"Send me a postcard." he called back without stopping.
"Hew!" she shouted but he was already disappearing behind a curve. Shaken by his resolve Claire speculated on her own. Her decision didn't seem as clear cut as it had been moments before. While she did not think herself a coward the captain's words began to hit home.
"Come on Claire." Don urged. "They'll leave without us."
Watching him get in line and turn over his pack for inspection Claire took a deep breath. Below them Pandora and the Na'vi waited. Don was right. They had come too far to just turn back now. For better or worse she would take their offer to see them in the flesh.
"Here goes nothing." she said to herself and took her place in the queue.