While he'd studied plants most of his career Norm certainly never trained to grow them. Sometimes he felt more like a farmer or administrator than a scientist living in St. Augustine. Still he found working with his hands satisfying in a way he couldn't describe. It wasn't just keeping the base running by providing sustenance for his colleagues. He didn't realize until showing off the base to the newcomers how much pride he took in all the work they had put into the improvements.
It had taken some getting used to when he first put himself in charge of this particular patch of dirt. The plants he'd grown accustomed to being chest level of his avatar now required a ladder to reach the top. The worst was the mask he needed to wear just to take a stroll outside. Once he was as much a part of Pandora as the plants themselves but now the exopack was a constant reminder of his alien nature.
"They're looking good." Someone said behind him and Norm would have jumped out of his skin if his leg was fully healed. He turned to find Jake behind him grinning like an idiot.
"I hate it when you do that." Norm grumbled and returned to his work.
"That's what makes it so funny." His friend said while rubbing a leaf between his long blue fingers. "Remember when you chased me out here the first day we linked up?"
"You know, in retrospect, I'm surprised no one saw what you did coming. How did they not expect you to take off the second you could stand?"
"The look on that tech's face when I pushed past her was priceless." Jake reminisced fondly.
"Max was pretty steamed if I remember right."
"He still brings it up every now and then. Can you believe that?"
"Knowing him yeah I can. Did you come out here just to sneak up on me?"
"Only if. We'll be heading back to Hometree after the last shuttle takes off."
"Sounds like a plan." Norm said and avoided the discussion Jake had really come to have altogether. They'd been over it a million times already; all that was left was to say his goodbyes.
"Max told me about his ideas to get you back in an avatar." The olo'eyktan said quietly.
"Oh yeah?" Norm said and tried to sound unconcerned.
"Sounds good. Real good. They get some of their precious damn tskxe and we have a good way to lure their best and brightest all the way here."
"That's if they agree to it." Norm pointed out.
"They will. At least for now. I'm sure eventually they'll want to build up an invasion force but that'll take years to mobilize and send over. I'm positive they'll agree to our terms. On that subject though…"
Norm turned back around to eye Jake. He never started a sentence like that unless it was something serious. "On what subject?"
"Norm Spellman, you are hereby relieved of your duties as ambassador to Earth. I'm not sending you back on the Centurion. You're staying here with us. I've picked a different person to make the trip."
Standing with his mouth agape Norm didn't know what to say. He'd known he would be heading back before the ISV arrived but it had been pushed to the farthest reaches of his mind with the events that had unfolded. They had spent hours discussing who would be the best candidate to bring their demands back to their home planet and it had always come back to either him or Jake. While Norm was indescribably glad that he would not be away from Pandora for so long, possibly forever if things went sour, he was also disappointed Jake would entrust such an important task to someone else.
"Max?" he guessed.
"No. Captain Alberon has agreed to represent us."
"What?" Norm wrinkled his nose. "That doesn't make any sense. Why him?"
"Who better than one of the RDA's highest ranked employees? They can't attack his credibility when he works for the company."
"I don't know, it seems like a bad idea. How can we trust him?"
"He's convinced we saved his life. For an old school soldier like him that means a lot. Plus he's giving us everything he has in his cargo bay and then some. I'm sure he's legit, what do we have to lose? Bad press?"
Turning his attention back to his plants Norm shook his head. "You think they'll just send us a bunch of avatars and equipment just like that? Without even a peep?"
"If they don't, Alberon fires every pebble of tskxe into the sun. They'd rather sell the shirts on their backs then let that happen."
"Hmph."
"Don't worry, in a twelve years or so there will be a brand new uniltìrantokx just for you."
"That's cool." Norm said nonchalantly.
"Cool? That should be fantastic news. What's wrong with you?"
Letting out a pent up breath he'd been holding in Norm turned it into a sigh halfway through. "What if they booby trap the avatars somehow? Send them back with a virus or plague to infect all of us? Plant a mini nuke in one the avatar stomachs?"
"Stop worrying. Max is here. If there's a single cell or strand of DNA out of place he'll find it. Remember this is just a trial. They're going to want repeat business from us. It's in their interest to make sure everything is perfect."
"I don't know Jake. I just can't imagine it turning out the way we want it to."
"Norm, you're Omaticaya. You belong in Hometree with the rest of us. You've earned it. Hell, three times now you've earned it. Plus, you're forgetting that I'm your olo'eyktan. If I tell you to get your dreamwalker ass to your avatar you better do it and like it."
He had to laugh at the absurdity of it all particularly since the even in question was easily more than a decade away and far from guaranteed. He would try not to get his hopes up but to have the chance at another avatar body…there was nothing he wanted as badly.
"All right, it's worth a try." He conceded.
"That's the spirit! You'll be flying around with me on ikran before you know it."
"Assuming the RDA doesn't come back to blow everything up."
"Well yeah. You can always fly with me in the Samson 'til then."
Norm smiled at the sad memory their conversation triggered. "I miss Trudy."
"I do too." Jake agreed without missing a beat. They sat in silence a few moments while Norm pruned away a few unneeded shoots.
"Neytiri wants to have kids." Jake said suddenly.
Furrowing his brow and not sure if it was a joke Norm turned back to see the very serious face of his friend. "Um…oh."
"Yeah."
Putting down his tools Norm took a seat with Jake on the soil. It was soft and cool on his skin and he stretched out in front of his giant friend.
"So…"
"Yeah."
"Well?"
"I…said I'd have to think about it?" Jake grimaced.
"Oh jeez. What did she say?"
"Um…she kind of smiled and then walked off. I'm not really sure if it was a good reaction or a bad one."
"Hmm. Women."
"Right?"
"Well what's it gonna be olo'eyktan?"
"I can't really say no can I?"
"If you don't want to I think you should say…something!" Norm suggested vaguely.
"That would go over well." Jake scoffed. "I'd be like, 'Listen Neytiri, I'm not really into the whole kids thing- oh my god what are you doing with that spear!'"
Norm laughed at the very real possibility of that occurring. "Still, you gotta bring it up."
"Well, it's not that I don't want to. I just never thought about it until she mentioned it. I figured I'd be older, a retired officer and married before I'd think about kids. Like ten or fifteen years from when I first came here."
Chuckling Norm patted Jake's foot. "I think things have changed a little bit since you came up with that plan buddy."
"Yeah yeah, you're right. Wouldn't be so bad would it? I probably won't be doing any of the hard work."
"Spoken like a true father to be." Norm said dryly.
"I just don't want there to be problems." Jake said with a sigh.
"Problems?"
"You know…extra, extra fingers. Two heads."
"Oh. Hmm…should probably talk to Max about that."
"I did. He said it 'should' be fine."
"Well there you go."
"Yeah well I don't like 'should' or 'probably'." Jake complained.
"It'll be fine Jake. Eywa will provide and all that." Norm assured him.
"How exactly does that fit in here?"
"Well, you kicked the RDA off the planet right? She owes you a healthy child right? That should even it up."
"Er…I kinda thought we were even when I made the permanent transfer to this body."
"Crap. I didn't think about that." Norm said and adjusted his exopack. "I guess you'll just have to take a leap on this one."
"Yay." Jake said unenthusiastically. "I suppose now it's just a matter of how he's raised. I mean, does he learn Na'vi or English? Do I teach him how to shoot hoops or make arrows?"
"Both?" Norm offered. "And how are you sure it'll be a boy?"
"Uh…I don't know, I was just guessing."
"You're going to get a girl now just for that." Norm laughed.
"Alright smart ass, he or she will have a good jump shot and have the best damn bow maker the Omaticaya has as a fletching instructor."
"I thought Ma'aa't was the best bowyer?"
"Tch, no, he just talk a lot of trash. My string work makes his look like 'eveng-yä tsko."
"A child's bow? Your English is slipping Jake."
Grinning the olo'eyktan scratched the back of his head. "I know. The other day I kept referring to my Scorpion as my metal ikran without even realizing it. When I'm out at Hometree I don't think about it but when I'm here going back and forth between Na'vi and English all day sometimes my brain switches words."
"That's a good thing isn't it?"
"I'm not sure yet. I better get going though. Have some things to do."
"Okay. I have plenty of work to catch up on too." Norm nodded.
Standing to tower over him Jake paused before leaving. "I know we haven't spoken about it in a long time but I think you should put a little effort into moving on. She wouldn't have wanted you to drown yourself in work so you wouldn't have to think about it."
"I don't need you to be my counselor Jake." Norm said uncomfortably after staring at the dirt.
"I'm not trying to. Sometimes though people need a kick in the ass to go do what they know they should have been doing in the first place. You're a bachelor, you should be out and about looking for a Mrs. Spellman."
"Yeah well this isn't exactly a great place to meet women if you haven't noticed."
"There's a bit of truth to that." Jake admitted. "But a little birdy also told me that there's a certain someone who may or may not have the hots for St. Augie's own Dr. Norm Spellman."
"What!" Norm blinked and felt his face growing red. "You're making that up."
"Nope. Tell you what, I'll hop on one leg back to the basketball court. If you can beat me there I'll tell you all about it."
Norm was still trying to figure out if it was a joke or not when Jake stood and unsteadily jumped forward on one foot. Dropping his tools Norm pulled a hard, still growing fruit off the plant near him and started to limp after Jake as fast as his body would allow.
"This is so unfair." He muttered. Adjusting the heavy plant missile in his hand he aimed for the back of Jake's ear to disrupt his sense of balance.
Inside the cafeteria Claire could hear the approach of the Valkyrie. While there had been no problems or reason to suspect them a landing craft put the base on edge until a friendly presence was announced. It was one of several new security protocols Jake had decided to implement to prevent another incident from occurring. She stopped eating her plate of mushy proteins until the voice over the base wide intercom reported, "All clear."
The last of the equipment from the Centurion was being unloaded and there would only be one final shuttle after this one to bring the last of the Earth-bound humans back to the ISV. It would collect the refined unobtanium and antimatter for the trip along with formal terms of trade drafted by the Pandorans.
Don was in the middle of lecturing her on the fascinating subject of Pandoran genome splicing as electric dollies moved cargo in the halls behind him. Claire was looking into her soupy lunch and trying to maintain a detectable interest in what her colleague was talking about. She did not notice that someone had joined them until he spoke.
"I see Don is keeping you from getting bored down here." Huey Freeman said. Claire's head shot up and he was really standing there behind their burly mutual friend.
"Hew!" both she and Don said at the same time.
"I got your postcard." He grinned. "Seems there's been some excitement since then."
"Sit, sit!" Don said eagerly. "What are you doing here? Have you changed your mind? Are you staying? Still leaving? Are you heading back with the last shuttle?"
"Slow down there big guy. No, I'll be going back with this shuttle once it's unloaded and reloaded. I wanted to see the ground now that all the action has died down." The tall man explained.
"Must have been rough up there too." Claire said.
"It was. Nothing like what you guys went through though. Who would have thought Boston's own Don Lee would have come all this way just to be shot while cold-cocking space grunts?"
"We don't grow 'em soft back East." Don said proudly.
"Shame about your avatar though. I'd give you mine if I could."
"I'm not too worried about it. I hear we're sending back some rocks in exchange for new bods. I don't mind as long as I'm on the waiting list." Don said.
"I take it you haven't changed your mind then?" Claire asked.
Smiling sadly Huey answered, "Actually, with all this hubbub I was wondering if either of you were reconsidering."
Don glanced over at her and Claire nodded. "I'll be right back." She excused herself and walked briskly to the living quarters to locate a couple of tightly wrapped packages. Returning to the cafeteria minutes later she rejoined her long time friends and dropped the parcels on the table.
"What are these?"
"Our letters to Earth. They were going to do a final collection in a couple days but since you're here…I would be honored if you delivered these yourself."
Sighing their friend dutifully collected the small bundles. "What made you two want to stay anyway?" he asked them. "It's going to be lonely back home."
"There's seven billion of you, you'll have plenty of company." Don joked. "But seriously? The produce. The produce here is amazing. That and the years worth of base pair cataloging I have to do."
"I don't want to say." Claire blushed. "It's silly. The two of you will laugh."
"Oh come on!"
"Claire, it's us."
"I don't want to." She protested weakly.
"Favor for an old friend before he goes away for a long time?" Huey attempted.
"Ugh. Fine. You bastards." She gave in. "Well…it was a really pretty sunrise I watched."
"Oh my god, hahaha!"
"Wow, did you see that after a long walk on the beach with your dream man astronaut Mike Dexter?"
"Shut up! I knew I shouldn't have said anything!" she screeched.
"Okay, okay, we were kidding." Huey held up his hands. "I really want to know, what was special about it?"
"…"
"We're sorry Claire! Please, tell us." Huey said with a half smile.
"Tch. I guess, whatever. Anyway…I saw a sunrise through my avatar's eyes. There were just these colors in it I've never seen before with my real eyes and I know I would miss that. The way the sun came up through the mountains and lit up the forest was just…I could hear prolemures calling and…well you just had to be there. Plus it's like Don said, there's so much to do here scientifically. Everything I know about Pandoran xenobiology isn't even a scratch on the surface."
Huey nodded soberly and said, "You're willing to stay even if it means you might be shot at again?"
"Especially because of that. I've seen the kind of people that would love to start up again here after leveling all of the hard work the Na'vi and the other Pandorans have put in. I won't sit by and let them build another thousand highways where forests used to be. It's too late for Earth, but not here."
"What she said." Don chimed in. "I hope you can understand."
"I do." Huey acknowledged. "You two are braver than I could ever be. I'm going to miss the hell out of you guys but at least I know you made the right choice for yourselves."
The rest of the time they had they spent talking for hours about new discoveries and the things they would miss about home. When the base intercom informed them they had thirty minutes until the shuttle departed they stood to say their goodbyes. Don and Huey first shook hands but soon it turned into one of the big man's signature bear hugs. When it was her turn Claire tried not to make a scene but began to bawl uncontrollably when she put her head on Huey's chest. He patted her back and when she pulled away to dry her cheeks his eyes were moist as well.
"Don't cry little sister." He murmured in Na'vi. "I will see you again one day."
She did her best to look happy and hugged him again. They accompanied their old friend to the front of the base where the main airlock would take him out to the tarmac. Huey pulled on his exopack and waved as he headed forward.
"So long guys!"
"Bye Hew!" Don shouted.
"Eywa ngahu tsmukan!" Claire added.
"Get some of that good pie for me back home!" Don laughed.
"You bet!"
"Hew! Send us a postcard!" Claire said. He waved one last time before engaging the door and closing it in front of them. The two of them stood there a while looking at the blank wall and both wondered if they had said goodbye to their last link to a dying planet they used to call home.
Don put an arm around her shoulders as they turned back to the base. "Come on kid, let's go find some ice cream or something." He suggested.
"It better not be low fat." She said glumly. They headed back into the base to resume their new lives.