Chapter 4
Proceedings
The staff sat together in the Commissary. It had only been about an hour since they made the horrifying discovery and its implications.
"Are you saying that there are still more Sky People on our land?" asked Neytiri.
"The image suggests there are," said Adam. "However, these people live on another continent in the Southern Hemisphere."
"How can this be?" asked Neytiri, sounding almost devastated. "We banished the Sky People."
"She's right," said Jake. "I know the RDA set up small mining facilities near Hell's Gate. But our superiors never mentioned settlements on any other continents. We would have known."
"Who's to say there weren't?" said Norm. "Our superiors must've known and concealed it for reasons of security. Unobtamium must be plentiful on other lands as well. Most of Pandora is still uncharted. It's also possible that they established another colony as a form of insurance, in case Hell's Gate failed."
He spoke truly. Hell's Gate had been established in the Northern Hemisphere not just for its abundance of unobtamium, but for health reasons as well. Like the environment on Earth, humans were better suited to live in zones far from the equator where temperatures reached scorching degrees, even in the jungles of Pandora.
"But wouldn't that be expensive?" asked Max. "I mean, it cost hundreds of billions of dollars just to keep Hell's Gate running. How could RDA afford to run another base?"
"Not if there's enough unobtamium to keep shipping back to Earth," said Sam. "The RDA wouldn't give up its pursuit of unobtamium that easily. Earth's global economy practically thrives on it. As long as it keeps flowing, the RDA can pay for anything."
"Then... our land is still in danger," Neytiri said with distress.
Jake put his arm around her in comfort. "Hey, hey, take it easy," he soothed. "It'll be okay."
Neytiri calmed down from Jake's touch. They both returned their attention to the debate at hand.
"So what do we do?" asked Jake.
"Well, that's the problem," said Norm. "There's no telling how to proceed with this. Adam, what can you make out from the image?"
"Well, the base looks like it's about the same size of Hell's Gate. The individual heat signatures I picked up suggested there are three-hundred people populating this area. There could be more. They appear to also have a sufficient amount of machinery, including mining vehicles, and Samsons, which suggests they have military power."
"Three hundred people at least," Norm thought it over. "And with military machinery. Well, we certainly can't mount an assault. They'd mow us down."
"That might not be the case," said Paul. "Think about it. It's obvious these people know about our existence and the fact that we banished the RDA from Pandora. Selfridge could've contacted them for reinforcements, but that never happened. So why? They could be hiding from us because they know they couldn't win against us.
"It's also possible that they have the sufficient strength but can't afford to send their troops a great distance, especially with their kind of aircraft. Samsons and gunships have limited traveling capabilities. You need a plane or a shuttle to travel that distance between continents."
"Satellite imaging and theories aren't enough," said Jake. "The only way to know for certain is to go there and see it for ourselves."
The group stared incredulously at Jake. "You mean reconnaissance?"
"Exactly. We gather what information we can and then plan from there."
"What if we get captured?" one of the staff members asked.
"We'll only send a few to investigate. That shouldn't draw attention."
"That sounds... like a pretty good plan," said Norm.
"But there's no guarantee of success. It's still dangerous," said Sam.
"So is it if we just sit here and do nothing," Norm spoke firmly. "We'll have a vote. The majority wins. All those in favor that we proceed with a reconnaissance?"
The assembly voiced their approval.
"That settles it then. We have coordinates and a map to follow," said Jake. "Norm, I want you to inform the Omaticaya what we found and that I need our best warriors to come here."
"Got it. I'll tell them to bring my avatar. I'm going to send it with you so I can be in both places at once," said Norm. He turned his attention to the staff. "Alright people, it's time for us to act. I want to take the last Valkyrie we have and prep her for flight. We're going to need a considerable amount of supplies, rations, and weapons. Let's move people."
Norm left for his avatar link bed to give the news to the Omaticaya. The staff jumped quickly to action.
Jake looked at Neytiri, who was sitting at one of the commissary tables with her head low. "I guess our child will have to wait," she said sadly.
"I'm sorry, Neytiri. I promise it will happen," said Jake. He too was saddened that their conception had been delayed.
Neytiri buried her head into his as they embraced. Her hopes of having a child were dwindling fast. "Jake, I want to go outside. It is hard to breathe. I can't bear to stay in this place any longer."
They left to rest outside. It had been a tough day for them.
