Six years, it took six years to travel from earth to Pandora, or almost six years anyway. Most travel it via cryo, but when you're as ancient as Xander, six years was barely a long break.
Besides, it gave him time to brush up on his Na'vi. The council had fronted more than half the funds needed to start the research project on Pandora, he could honestly just show up and do what he wanted, that's how he managed to get an Avatar grown for himself after all. But the truth was that he wanted to be useful, he needed to find a place where he could live, and perhaps die, in peace.
Of the three groups currently working on Pandora, the Xeno-scientists were going to be the easiest to get on his side. He paid them, let them work unhindered, and didn't interfere with their business; something he had learned centuries ago when dealing with his best friend's obsessions.
The Military contingent on Pandora could be a problem. They were usually hard assed by nature and spending a few decades on a god forsaken rock on the far end of the galaxy where everything wanted to kill you would only enhance that point.
Thankfully Xander had a standing commission of Colonel in the Marines, thanks to a stint served just before heading out, unless they had issued a general to the site Xander should be able to keep them off his ass.
The corporation would likely be his hardest problem, in all honesty Xander had never learned the trick to kissing the ass of people that thought they were better than him, and while the council owned fifty six percent of the stock in the Resource Development Administration the onsite administrator was unlikely to know that.
Taking a deep breath as the medical technicians went through the process of waking everyone up, Xander slowly let it out as a sigh, he was jealous of them, The 'normal' humans that went about their everyday lives with the passion and fear of mortality.
One reason vampires never truly built anything he supposed, why build something you would eventually see crumble into dust.
Shaking the unproductive thoughts off, Xander shifted the last of his gear to the shuttle and found himself a seat near the exit, he wanted off this ship in a bad way.
--
Xander half sneered at the reprocessed air that filled the base, he was tired of mechanically filtered air, it stunk and left a bad taste on the tip of his tongue when he breathed it.
Glancing out one of the armored windows, Xander let the sneer drop as he watched the machinery chew its way through the planet before shrugging it off, humans would be humans after all.
Walking into the briefing room Xander snapped a salute at the grizzled commander of the military detachment, "Special Advisory Liaison, Alexander Harris," he reported before dropping the salute.
Half glaring at the young man before him, Colonel Miles Quaritch returned the salute before looking at the paperwork the REMF's back on earth had sent him. "Says you've seen some hard time; Serbia, Haiti, Palau and thirteen other stations it seems I'm not allowed to read,"he said as he dropped the mostly blacked out papers back onto his desk and sat in the high backed command chair "You mind telling me how someone your age managed to pick up a profile as… interesting as mine?"
Coughing into his hand, Xander straightened his shoulder slightly "Someone 'my age' Colonel would not be at liberty to discuss such matters," Xander said before nodding at the paperwork. "However I do believe there may be something involving an answer in there," he stated honestly and smiled as the aging Colonel turned back to the paperwork.
He could always tell when people got to that section of the paperwork; you could also tell a lot from the reaction they gave on reaching that point. Watching the blood drain from Colonel Quaritch's face told Xander that the man had access to information he probably shouldn't.
Looking up at the man in front of him, the scarred soldier swallowed heavily "You're-"
"Not at liberty to discuss it, Colonel" Xander interrupted smoothly before shrugging. "And while my record may indicate several interesting things. Those indications are not to be discussed in any worthwhile manner." Xander finished as the commanding officer of the base nodded.
"Understood, will you be joining our detachments?" the older soldier asked as he slid the papers into a secure safe under his desk "I hate to beg but, someone of your skill would be a real asset to us out here."
Xander shook his head as the commander frowned, "Unfortunately, those godlike beings in power have decided, through their infinite wisdom, that I need a break, and politely informed me of such." Xander explained before shrugging, "When I informed them what they could do with their politeness they froze my combat status and issued me orders out here as a Special Advisory Liaison," Xander said as the old soldier snorted his contempt for the orders.
"That means your combat status has been revoked, Damn it." Quaritch hissed before taking a deep breath "So what exactly do these powers that be want you to do out here?"
"From the wording on the orders and the general sense when I brought it up, I think they want me to keep you, the suits, and our ever friendly scientists, from killing each other," Xander said honestly while he tried to keep the smirk off his face. It had taken a lot of work to get here and the last thing he wanted was for it all to be ruined by him being stuck in the chain of command, this way he was free to do what he wanted without being bogged down by regulations.
"Hell, that may be a harder job then any I can come up with," Quaritch admitted before standing up from behind his desk and saluting Xander. "Well, seems we've been handed a raw egg here, nothing to do but make the best of it." He said before pulling on his stripes "I gotta go give the rookies the doom and gloom speech," he said before looking at Xander "You coming?" He shrugged when Xander shook his head "Suit yourself, if you need anything, just ask. Worst I can do is say no."
Walking out with him Xander watched as he started the briefing before heading towards the command section of the RDA, "What a fucking hard ass," He muttered to himself as he made his way towards his second problem.
