Chapter Eight: Renewal
"I fucking hate doing videologs."
The mess hall was unsettlingly empty. Hayley wondered just how many people had boarded the ship on the previous day. A dozen or so people clustered around the solitary table she herself sat down at, plateful of rations in hand. The group was a mixture of avatar drivers and scientists - no maintenance workers or marines in sight.
"Why are you still doing them?" It was Li. Hayley was relieved to see that he had made the choice to stay. Despite him grating on her nerves at times, it was good to have someone familiar around.
Hayley paused to think. "I…don't know, really. Maybe I'm hoping that someone out there wants to listen to them."
"I've never been a fan of them myself," Li replied, putting his glass down. "It's too easy to get personal. You forget that someone else is going to be listening to you in the future."
Hayley dug into her own food. There were too many questions to ask. Would they be responsible for the food supply now? She had never been particularly good at growing things or taking care of animals. The ration supply would run out eventually without fresh incoming shipments, so they would have to take special care in maintaining the gardens in the sprawling basement complex. There was only so much the machines could do. And what about the machines? Didn't they need unobtainum to continue running, or repair themselves?
There was far too much to think about.
"Lucas wants us to meet in the briefing room in half an hour," Li mentioned.
"All right, but it's got to be quick, whatever he has to say," Hayley replied. "Village life starts early."
"I'm sure the first thing all of you are wondering this morning is what we're going to do from here on out."
Despite its starkness, the briefing room always left an impression on the inhabitants of Hell's Gate. It was the first room that every recruit gathered in on waking up from cryo. It was a taste of things to come.
Matt Lucas, imposing in his older human form, addressed them all from the front of the room. The blinds had been opened to let the early morning sun filter in. Through the window, Hayley could see the forest encroaching on the far fence. She watched banshees twirl through the air, settling here and there on the ramparts.
Eywa is reclaiming the earth.
"We are scientists. We pursue the truth; we crave understanding. We want to uncover the world's mysteries, to understand the underlying mechanisms of reality and of life."
He paused.
"I see no reason why the absence of the RDA should prevent us from continuing to pursue a greater understanding of both the ecology and the cultures of Pandora," he continued, looking out the window.
"In fact, or continuing research may help our own species in turn…
"Jake Sully summed it up when he spoke of humans 'killing their mother'. We will never know the extent of the damage humankind has done, because we can no longer study our native ecosystem on Earth. We failed to respect the system of life that supported us and a plethora of creatures that no longer walk the face of any planet.
"As humans ourselves, we must jointly bear the responsibility of being a species that, up until the present moment, have been nothing but destroyers of life in the universe. We nearly allowed ourselves to replicate the damage done on Earth here. We now have the opportunity to halt the spread of extinction in our galaxy.
"Pandora is our last hope. There may be other planets that support life in the universe, but it will be too late to find them unless we can salvage our precarious situation. Unless humans find the means to support themselves, they will go extinct before they reach the next star.
"We have discovered a mushroom-like organism here that feeds on radiation and breaks down toxic compounds in the soil. The bioluminescence of the night provides a chemical, renewable light source for all the planet's inhabitants. Imagine if we were able to engineer these biological adaptations for life in Earth's atmosphere, and introduce them to our home world? In time, we might even be able to reintroduce older, native species from the seed banks and restore our planet.
"And so I propose you all do the following; carry on your research. Live among the na'vi, if you can, and learn their ways. Explore the jungle, collect more data, run tests. We will continue to submit our findings on the superluminal communications networks. In time, we may make discoveries that will allow humanity to survive.
"If we are successful, then perhaps in time, when humans return to Pandora, they will do so without guns and explosives. They will only take what they need to help the human race, and leave this world in peace.
"The na'vi, I have heard, speak often of balance, of the borrowing and returning of energy. We need to learn from their example, so that the human species can use energy in a way that can be renewed, not wasted."
Taking his gaze away from the window and the forest beyond, Dr. Matt Lucas turned to face the motley arrangement of Pandora's last human inhabitants.
"With your permission, I will oversee this project. If anyone opposes this, please speak now."
There was silence, then applause.
"I'll miss this place."
She had said the words under her breath, speaking out loud to no one in particular. Even in the daylight the beauty of the Tree of Souls was undiminished. Hayley, linked into her avatar, stood at the lip of the crater. Taking one last long look at the tree, she turned to join Norm, Onui'lk, Jake, Neytiri and the rest of the Omaticaya in the funeral ceremonies.
They had dug carefully through the winding roots until they had made four hollows in the earth. Inside them lay three humans and a Na'vi. The body of Tsu'tey, curled in a fetal position like the rest, dwarfed the bodies of Jake, Norm and Trudy. Naked, their bodies had already begun to be penetrated by the tendrils of the tree.
Jake and Norm stood in front of their own graves, sacred seeds in hand. Neytiri knelt before Tsu'tey's grave, Onui'lk in front of Trudy's, and together they lay the seeds over the bodies of their comrades, both gone and still present. Ninat led the clan in a rising chorus, the voices of the Omaticaya creating a beautiful and eerie melody.
Hayley joined the others, sprinkling palmfuls of earth over the graves. Dozens of blue hands worked together, raining the dirt down over the hollows, until they began to fill. The singing swelled. Hayley did not weep, but in that moment she could feel the collective grief wash over her, as if she was still linked with them all.
Looking to her left, she saw Neytiri still kneeling, weeping openly, moaning in grief. How many that were close to her had died? Her father Eytukan, her mount Seze and her teacher and mentor Grace had already been laid to rest - this was the fourth burial ceremony she had presided over in the past few days. Hayley could only hope that it would be the last for her for a long time. Jake, arm around his mate, had tears running down his own face.
Grace.
Grace was gone, but she had passed into the eye of Ewya and for that Hayley was reassured. She wanted to talk to her, badly, but the Tree of Voices had been destroyed, and the Tree of Souls was a silent place, for prayers to be heard only but not answered. With each sacred seed that fell, though, a new tree would eventually rise, and Hayley hoped that she would survive long enough to be able to talk to her mentor and friend again.
As for the others, Hayley had barely known Tsu'tey or Trudy. She felt grief for Norm's sake, and for the others, but she had not lost like they had. In fact, her life was beginning, and her excitement at joining her own clan was tinged with a pang of guilt for feeling joy in such a moment. Still, she couldn't help it.
"In our clan, we mourn until we have lost our sorrow, and then we feast and dance in memory of that person which passed through the eye of Ewya," Onui'lk said. "It is the same with the Omaticaya, I believe."
"Will we stay, then, if they celebrate tonight?"
"We can return in the evening. For now, I must return to my own clan. They will be performing the last rites for our own matriarch soon, and as part of the clan, we must attend them."
Hayley wasn't sure if she could bear another funeral, but there was no choice.
Onui'lk smiled. Reaching around her neck, she grasped at a bone ikran flute similar to the token she had given Norm. She blew on it, and it whistled soundlessly. Eskareil emerged from the nearby trees, dark wings flapping. He landed a short distance from them, keeping away from the others involved in the ceremony.
"Come."
"Wait, I need to talk to Norm first."
Onui'lk nodded and Hayley went over to Norm. He was standing over Trudy's grave, but he was no longer crying. Taking seeds from a pouch at his side, he knelt and was scattering them over the freshly turned earth. Hayley approached, crouching down beside him. It was strange, seeing him garbed in the feathers and beads and bones and leather of a true na'vi, but it somehow suited him. Still, she felt slightly self-conscious in a tank top and khakis.
"Neytiri gave me these to plant," Norm said, folding the earth over the seeds.
"Flowers."
"Yeah. Maybe I'll try planting some Earth species later. The na'vi don't believe in cutting flowers to lay on graves."
"How are you doing?" Hayley asked, tail twitching.
"I'm better." Norm smiled, meeting her eyes. "I'm not totally there yet, but I'm getting there."
"I'm glad," Hayley replied. "She saved the Tree of Souls. Even if they don't know her, the na'vi are grateful to her. I'm sure they consider her a hero."
"She was a hero. I wish I could have saved her. She deserved to live." Norm paused, and Hayley could see him struggle for a moment. Retaining his composure again, he cleared his throat. "But I've learned now, though. I know that death can be better than life, in the arms of a goddess. I hope that somehow, some part of Trudy made its' way to her. I still hope it wasn't too late."
Hayley placed her hand on Norm's arm.
"I have to go for now. I'm coming back tonight, for the burial feast."
"I'll be waiting."
As Hayley was leaving, she heard Norm speak again.
"Good luck with Onui'lk and the clan."
She turned around to see him standing, smiling at her.
"Thanks," she said, waving her hand in a last farewell. Hopping up onto Eskareil, she gripped him tightly with her legs, wrapping her hands around Onui'lk's waist. Struggling with the weight, Eskareil beat his wings and cried out until they lifted off the ground. Launching into the sky, they skimmed over the trees, gaining speed until they could get higher into the air.
She had flown on a banshee once before, but it was different in the daylight. It was nothing like riding in a Samson, either. The trees grew smaller and smaller until it was difficult to pick out any single feature of the forest. Hayley felt herself reeling from the height, intoxicated.
It was utterly thrilling to fly. Enormous hometrees sprouted up from the forest below, branches twisting into the sky. They banked and soared between them, sometimes close enough to touch the vines hanging from their foliage. Vine-covered clusters of rocks floated lazily around them, and from time to time Hayley could feel a light mist from the waterfalls above them. As if reading her mind, Onui'lk urged Eskareil upwards until they were among the floating mountains. They plunged through the clouds; Hayley could feel her stomach drop every time they emerged into the sunlight, revealing the ground far beneath them. She whooped as loud as she could, exhilarated.
Onui'lk glanced over her shoulder with a grin and pointed. Hayley looked ahead to see a faint but sparkling blue ribbon ahead of them.
The Eastern Sea.
Almost home.
