"We captured one of the dreamwalkers," announced Na'dia. "Except they are not really dreamwalkers."

Ninat interrupted, "You mean you captured her, my love."

Zhake and Txep'ean half-turned to look at Tania, who was looking a little subdued. After all, both the males were impressive specimens of Na'vi malehood, carrying lethal-looking bows and knives. Zhake commented, "If you didn't see her hands, one would mistake her for one of the People." He sighed. "I had hoped that we would not have to fight the tawtute again."

"The palulukan said they were not truly tawtute, but belonged to Eywa instead," said Na'dia. "Rather than full-blown war, perhaps we could subvert them to the way of the People." Her eyes slid across to Ninat, adding, "My sister had a useful suggestion."

"Oh?" asked Txep'ean, a little cautiously. He had been the victim of some of Ninat's useful suggestions before, and had the scars – mental and physical – to prove it.

Na'dia said bluntly, "The Omaticaya have a surplus of young women, while the dreamwalkers are similarly blessed with a surplus of young men." The two men spluttered in surprise as she continued, "When I was in Hell's Gate, many of the men admired my form, passing favourable comments on my appearance – despite my body being covered by tawtute garments. I think that they feel a lack of female company." She was definitely not going to repeat any of their comments in front of Txep'ean. He was normally easy going, but he was incredibly protective of both of his mates. The slightest implication that an unattached male was viewing either of them with lustful eyes would see him take violent action.

"I wonder..." murmured Zhake. "A combination of Mutiny on the Bounty and Thanksgiving – backed up with the threat of force. It might work, and cost many fewer lives than all-out war. On both sides."

Txep'ean protested, "Is it wrong to play with the emotions of our young people? To use them as pawns in the war against the tawtute?"

"Make love, not war," countered Na'dia. "I would not suggest that we trade our young people for peace. Instead, we use the prospect of winning life-mates to twist the dreamwalkers against the way of the Sky People. All people – tawtute or Na'vi – long for love, no matter how much they would deny it. It is a part of what we are."

"There is something else," said Ninat. "The dreamwalkers do not have the tsumuke'awsiteng, the circle of sisters. They do not know of Uniluke, and do not know of how to partake of the ceremony that keeps women of the People...reasonable. The women that they do have will start to become difficult, and cause troubles with the men. Fights will start soon amongst them." She grinned at Na'dia, adding, "My sister tells me that it is very different being a dreamwalker that leaves her body. Na'dia was surprised at how strange she felt after passing through the eye of Eywa, here on this world. The tawtute may not know this."

Na'dia nodded. She had speculated that that the impact of Na'vi female hormones on cognition and behaviour was reduced by returning to a human body every night, so this problem had not arisen in the Avatar program. Since she had passed through the eye of Eywa, if she wasn't receiving Uniluke, or alternatively having sex and sharing tsahaylu with her life-mates, her temper became extremely volatile and vicious. Not that this was necessarily a problem – if she was busy slaughtering human soldiers bent on killing Na'vi, it was a distinct advantage being a little cranky.

"Look at Tania," said Na'dia. "Already, she seems twitchy and agitated – beyond what one would expect from being plunged into a new environment as a captive of the People."

The four Na'vi paused to gaze at the captive dreamwalker. It was clear from her twitching of her tail that she was feeling the whiplash of uncontrolled female hormones.

"Tania," asked Zhake in English, "What have you been eating at Hell's Gate?"

She couldn't see any harm in answering this question. "Dried ration packs from Earth, with some veg from the Avatar garden," she answered. "The MRE packs taste like shit. I can't complain about prison food - what you've been giving me is much nicer. If command hadn't started supplementing rations with real food from the garden..." Tania stopped abruptly, realising that she had started to wander into dangerous territory.

Na'dia rested her hand on Tania's shoulder. "It's ok, Tania," she said quietly. "We understand that it is difficult for you here. We will try to make you feel more at home."

The conversation switched back to Na'vi, as the four Na'vi discussed the best way forward to implement the subversion strategy.

That evening, Ninat asked of Na'dia, "Tania was your lover, when you were human, was she not? Like a sister of the tsumuke'awsiteng?" Na'dia's life-mate had been fascinated by human behaviour, and had plundered her knowledge for every detail that she could obtain. It was just as well that Na'dia had trained in cultural anthropology after she could no longer dance – otherwise she could never have satisfied her curiosity. On seeing a slight hesitation in her lover's face, she said, "I'm not jealous, Na'dia. I am sure of your love, as a human could never be."

Reassured, Na'dia said, "Yes, Tania was one of my lovers when I was a girl, before my human life was burnt away."

"One?" teased Ninat. "How many did you have?"

Na'dia's face was suddenly burning. "A few," she admitted. "I don't remember the exact number. It was many years and another life ago."

"Faithless tawtute," accused Ninat with a broad smile on her face, which was quickly replaced by a serious expression. "I think you should introduce Tania to Uniluke tonight," she said firmly.

"But I was looking forward to spending it with you...just you," said Na'dia, although those plans had been disrupted by Txep'ean electing not to return to the Omaticaya with Zhake. Ninat's suggestion was a huge break in custom. The Omaticaya only shared Uniluke between sisters of the tsumuke'awsiteng. To invite a stranger...it was just not done.

"It is more important that we start on the plan to turn the dreamwalkers," said Ninat firmly. She had been thinking of this for some days. "Besides, I do have an ulterior motive."

"What motive?" asked Na'dia suspiciously.

Ninat looked a little shamefaced as she admitted, "I want to start on getting pregnant with Txep'ean, tonight. If we share Uniluke, I would have to wait at least another month before I could be sure of catching. I don't want to wait any longer, even if there is to be a war. I hope you don't mind."

Na'dia leant forward to kiss her life-mate gently. "Of course I don't mind," she told Ninat. "I want you to be happy."

"Good," smiled Ninat. "I brewed some antidote yesterday, and the kali'weya is in that basket. Off you go." She made some shooing gestures.

"Tania," said Na'dia. "Could you grab that basket and come with me? Ninat and Txep'ean would like some privacy."

The captive looked curiously at her captor, but nonetheless did as she was asked, and followed Na'dia in the direction of the hot pool. "I thought Ninat and, um, Txep'ean were your mates. Shouldn't you be with them?"

"They are," answered Na'dia. "But Ninat wants to have another child, so she wishes to mate with Txep'ean tonight. As I should not have another child – I almost died bearing my lovely daughter – I cannot be with them tonight."

"Oh," said Tania. There was not much she could say to this confidence.

Na'dia went on to say, "I must undertake the ceremony of Uniluke tonight, so that I can share the love of Txep'ean without becoming pregnant. But I cannot partake of Uniluke alone. Normally, I would ask it of my sisters, but they are not here." She grinned broadly at Tania. "So if you don't mind, I thought I would share Uniluke with you."

"Is it going to hurt?" asked Tania warily. She had heard horror stories about primitive tribal customs.

"Actually, it's quite pleasant," said Na'dia. That had to be the understatement of the year – no, millennia. "It's more like a girl's night out than anything else, but instead of drinking Cosmopolitans, we drink tirea'tutee. We still talk a lot, though. Oh, here we are."

The two women sat down on the grass beside the pool. Na'dia opened the pottery jar she had been carrying, and dipped in the matching bowl, half-filling it with a clear liquid. She took a healthy swig and passed the bowl across to Tania, ordering, "Drink this."

"Holy fuck!" exclaimed Tania as the potent brew burnt its way down her gullet. She blinked several times, obviously feeling the mild hallucinogenic effects of the spirit. "That's got some hell of a kick." It was clear she liked it, for she took another mouthful, and swallowed it, before asking, "I thought the Na'vi only bonded with one mate, but you have two. Isn't that against local custom?"

"Yes," said Na'dia, and took the bowl back, and drank deeply. "It's a long story." She took a deep breath, and began to tell Tania of how she became one of the People. The bowl passed back and forth many times as she related her story, which she finished with the birth of her child.

"You named your daughter after me?" asked Tania incredulously. It was clear that the tirea'tutee was having an effect on her, for she was swaying back and forth, and her eyes were enormously dilated and glassy.

"Yes," said Na'dia. "I wanted a small part of you to live on, so I have told my daughter much about you, so that she knows you as well."

Happy tears were leaking down Tania's face as she tried to say something, but could not.

Na'dia touched her friend gently on the shoulder. "I treasure your love, Tania, though it was many years ago. That is why I did not kill you."

Tania giggled, "I'm not sure that is a very romantic thought, Nadia. But I am honoured by your regard."

"There are things I must tell you, Tania," said Na'dia. "You are Na'vi now, not human. You have the same soul as you did as a human, but you cannot help to think other than as a Na'vi woman. It is very confusing at first, but Eywa willing you will adapt to it."

"But I am your enemy!" exclaimed Tania.

"May be you are, and may be you aren't," replied Na'dia.

"What kind of answer is that?" asked Tania. She had picked up the end of her queue, and was closely examining the waving pink tendrils, her eyes crossing as she held it too close to her face. "Is it true what they say about, um, tsahaylu? You know, the bond. We've heard the sex is awesome."

"Yes, the sex is totally awesome," said Na'dia, "But once you share tsahaylu with another Na'vi, you are mated to him for life. So you must chose your mate with care, and not use it to hook up for a fast fuck. It's not like Earth, where you can get a quickie divorce over the Net."

"But you have two mates – Ninat and Txep'ean. How did that happen?"

Na'dia replied, "I think it was because I was bisexual as a human. There were no songs of it happening before – I just think I was lucky to find two special people." She tilted her head to one side, remembering the time they first joined in tsahaylu. "Actually, Ninat Chose me, and I Chose Txep'ean."

"Would you ever leave them?" asked Tania curiously.

There was only one answer that Na'dia could give. "Only when I die and join with Eywa, and even then I won't be without them forever."

"You believe in the native deity?"

"No, I don't believe," said Na'dia succinctly. "There cannot be belief when one knows."

"You really passed through the eye of Eywa?"

It seemed that they had entered a Na'vi version of Twenty Questions, but Na'dia suspected she wouldn't get very many more. Tania was starting to look a little queasy. "Yes," said Na'dia, passing the bowl back to Tania.

Tania held the bowl briefly, and carefully placed it on the ground, only spilling half the contents. "If I have any more to drink I'm going to throw," she said.

"Good," said Na'dia, who had been wondering how much more Tania could drink. It seemed that her legs were indeed hollow, just like she had been as a human. "Now comes the fun part of Uniluke." Na'dia crawled over to the basket, opened it and quickly shoved her hand in, to pull out the kali'weya – an large arthropod with entirely too many legs and a vicious looking stinger. Na'dia had mastered the art of holding the creature without getting stung many years ago, no matter how intoxicated she was.

Before Tania could object, Na'dia held the kali'weya against Tania's arm, and pressed on the shell segment that triggered the stinging action. "Ow!" shouted Tania. "Ow, ow, ow! What the fuck did you do that for!" She rubbed her arm where she had been stung.

Quickly, for the venom was extremely rapid in action, Na'dia allowed the arthropod to sting her as well, and shoved it back into the basket. "You'll see," she said, welcoming the heat of the venom swelling in her breasts and groin, and the magical clearing of her head of the effects of the tirea'tutee.

"Oh," whispered Tania. "I feel...quite strange. Hot, even." She started to remove her loincloth and breast ornaments. "I'm wearing far too many clothes." As soon as she wriggled out of her garments, she started to moan, "Oh...My...God...Fuck!" One hand was cupping and squeezing one of her breasts, while the other was clamped between her thighs, as Tania squirmed with lust, her eyes shut. "Grrrrrr!" she growled.

Now, Na'dia was naked too. She pulled Tania towards her, kissing her – not gently, but savagely, her tongue plundering the depths of Tania's mouth. Tania responded by wrestling her to the ground, and that was the last coherent thought Na'dia experienced as her body erupted in an explosion of animal desire.