Disclaimer

I am not the owner of the persons of this story met with in the movie and I never will be, I am not making any money whatsoever from this little story and I will never expect to do it either. If anyone feel like building further stories on persons, localities and events here created then they can feel free to do it – provided only that they try to stay in the given pre-histories, given personalities etc., and keep from turning their stories into adult stories. R&R are welcome.

Deliberations at the RDA Board for a Stategy at Pandora

Four years after Angie had seen a small dot leave the big dot at the radar screen that was ISV "Canopus", i.e. in the year 2164, ten years after the 1st Human – Na'vi War, Jake heard about some Sunara fishers who had been threatened away from a contested fishing ground at the point of gun by some Amananga warriors. At GUNPOINT? From where did they get those weapons – they never took part in the Great Battle! And then the day after Jake had reports about the same happening to Iranali'k fishers at a barren island in the centre of a rich fishing ground contested with the Makxali and Atoll islanders – also by fishers brandishing firearms, also clans who never went to the War against RDA... Now this was so funny that Jake sent out some scouts to investigate, something was obviously going on even though evidences were fragmentary. Those clans replied the messengers evasively and denied having any such arms, the Sunara and Iranali'k fishers must have been slandering them they said.

This is a translation of a talk that occurred between the RDA diplomat Kasimir Mniszek and Lazafnu, olo'eytkan of the Amananga clan after the incident, spoken in flawless Na'vi.

Mniszek: "Olo'eytkan Lazafnu, I see You. The New RDA company is very grateful to the Amananga clan for not revealing my presence here to the messengers from the friends of the Omatikayas."

Lazafnu: "It is our pleasure to help our friend who has enabled us to defend our vital resources better. We WILL dig up the grey rocks you like in return. The least we could do."

M: "If you could get me more of those rocks I am able to get you more firearms and ammunition."

L: "What for? We have succeeded with defending our fisheries now."

M: "Remember that your competitor clans have firearms too and so has other clans who like the Sunara clan are friends of the Omatikayas. They may some day come back with many more warriors and those with the most firearms will then have an advantage."

L: "I can understand the wisdom in your talking. We will dig for more rocks so that we can have more of them."

M: "Now I will leave and not abuse the hospitality of my friends the Amanangas. But I leave a man with you who is expert on how to dig for rocks, he can explain you how to dig them with less tiring work. He will leave not so long time after me, when he has explained you some tricks. But make sure to tell him when he attempts to dig into something important to life, to Eywa, to your traditions! He is under strict orders to always show the utmost respect for Na'vi opinions."

Mniszek afterwards reported to his superior, Manolo Kontakarides, who noted developments in his database. Similar reports were arriving from other diplomatic agents, at North Land continent, at the atoll archipelago, the Marakxali island, from the Gargoyle Fish Land continent and from other stations too. Favourable summary reports were written and sent through the wormhole to the RDA Board. Satisfied people reviewed them.

James Gemmill, the CEO of RDA: "Ladies and gentlemen, as You can see from the reports from our agents at Pandora, we have had great success so far. Our secret agents have studied the diplomatic map and given us a very good picture. Contacts have been established where unobtanium mineral ore is available to us in abundance, we will soon have a full delivery from the Amananga clan pit up to the refinery at Svarog. Our na'vi customers have paid for the firearms we provided for them with appreciable amounts of ore."

He had been the head of the business alliance that took over RDA when the company had been lying sprawled on the floor after the first debacle. Gemmill was an Englishman with a capital E, the sort you need to go to Eton to become; in refined manners, elegant garments and polished way of talking. But no way of behaving could completely cover the ruthless businessman he was at his heart. He was a stickler for hierarchy, the licence to talk to him by his nickname "Jim" was a privilege not given lightly.

Gerhard von Schemoller, Chief of Finances: "So we have established mines for production of ore. But they are running at very low production as for now, we must somehow jack up the production volume. During colonial times in America they increased the aboriginal apetite for firearms by fanning the fires of inter-tribal conflict. Since the tribes oriented towards either England or France there was no lack of rivalry. But the problems with the Na'vi is their oh so profound peacefulness, it really takes a lot to egg them into violence, our company can't afford to wait a couple of hundred years until population pressure again forces them to look for new sources of resources. Competition for resources simply isn't a strong enough power among them to incite them to continuous conflict. Neither are they interested in dominating each other for the sake of pure ego satisfaction."

Von Schemoller was a German aristocrat of the old feudalistic school, demanding competent service and loyality, and caring the utmost for his staff in return. His staff adored him in return, his auditors were roaming around the various RDA projects and stations, and knowing that they had the full backing of their boss they were not afraid of confronting local directors if they suspected embezzlement, waning ability or petty quarrels. Many local directors hated those "pains-in-the-neck" like "Old Nick" himself.

Thierry Guerin, Chief of Security Operations: "I am still of the opinion that we should have flattened the whole place. Dropping thermonuclear bombs down into every restive corner would be a fairly quick end to any resistance."

Guerin was an old man by many regarded as left behind by time, utterly dependent on the opinions of his subordinates and often agreeing with anyone arguing well. His staff knew him well and often acted on his behalf, using him as a figurehead speaking the opinion of his staff. Their decisions were mostly intelligent and he had at least the good sense to not stand in the way of their wisdom.

Viveka Sundelin, Chief of Technical Operations like mining: "You forget that if we nuke the whole moon it will be too dangerous to go down at it and it will take very long time indeed until we can go down to do some mining then. Remote controlled mining is good but you do inevitably need to sometimes get on the spot to solve practical problems. I am more in favour of opening many new sites, we may even provide those na'vi who work for us with food and others, apart from protection of course, if they don't feel like going to war for us. We may in so case have to invest much more protection power to offer that security."

Sundelin was an efficient manager, rising not out of the techies but from the administrators of the department. She was a very down-to-earth and realistic mind, preferring rather to have her lunches with her staff than at the posh company restaurant of the Board, her staff admired her in return. She was in sum the incarnate image of the Swedish farming people she came from – practical of mind, no nonsense and in your face honest – but she was never impolite and careless.

Jerzy Kunderaczywicz, Chief of Research: "Also remember that it is an environment very different from Earth. Air is very different, water most probably too, cell biology must be different too. Preliminary reports we got from dr. Augustine demonstrated a strong resistance to radiation, it will probably take lots of research to find a virus and a poison gas that will certainly do its job without hurting our operations. This means that weapons of mass destructions at our disposal are unreliable in this environment. I have explained you this before and I do hope that I will not need to repeat myself yet another time. But we can certainly start a research project on this if the opinion on the Board is favourable to it."

Kunderaczywicz, often nicknamed "Jerry" for his complicated surname, was a rather nerdy scientist, known to be willing to fight like a lion against anyone roughing up his beloved projects but on the other hand sometimes astonishingly ignorant of the unintended effects they might have. Some of his staff in his absence whispered the words "Asperger's syndrome" about him. He hardly ever asked where the technologies and research results he needed came from – some said that the Intelligence department fed him with results from industrial espionage, not that it seemed to matter much to him.

Guerin: "We might offer the Omatikayas more firearms to supplement what they spend against their opponents, thus we can create an arms race. Furthermore, I am in favour of granting our laboratories licence to concoct a virus that is harmless to humans but aggressive against na'vi, and a poison gas that will kill all but decompose in a couple of weeks, when we go down to start digging that is."

Krasnitskaya: "You mean that we should take place behind both belligerents? That will be most disloyal to our newfound allies, if this is discovered they will certainly desert us. Or it might incite all out tribal war and then we will have no option but to get heavily involved militarywise, such a major conflict will not come cheap. And should so take place we should really have built up a strong force when the conflict breaks out in earnest."

She looked over to CEO Gemmill and winked: "May be we should invite a competitor of ours to Pandora and offer THEM to provide arms for the Omatikayas and their allies, like Britain and France did in colonial America? Just joking of course!"

Gemmill: "I understand that the last idea was meant as a joke. A better idea, someone?"

Sundelin: "I think we should stay satisfied for as long as possible with a large number of slowly producing mines staffed by as few RDA people as possible. Thus we can keep producing those small volumes very cheaply. Even if Jake Sully should find out that those clans are mining for export he can't risk going to war with them just to stop the mining, those clans are independent and free to choose their own friends."

Amerigo Rondini, Chief of intelligence: "When we reach the point of saturation, when no more arms are felt necessary so no more mineral needs to be dug out, what we like to start is a low intensity and long smoldering tribal war that is actually harmless and not impeding our business. That is our goal. It might be a good idea to give the Omatikayas and their allies some intolerable provocation. We can make them suspect their opponents not us with some masquerade and make-believe. Like a grievous insult or we can kill some notable person or persons."

Rondini was at work an ice cold, calculating guy, but he was known to be an exuberant one once leaving his car at home. He had gone his grades at the brutally tough "academy" at the streets of Palermo, he recruited most of his staff from his contacts with the Mafia. He was known to have put his relatives and cronies in good jobs at the RDA company.

Krasnitskaya: "Amerigo, I then ask you to carefully consider three problems.

Firstly, what will be the target or targets for the agents you send in. Jake Sully himself will be a tempting one but he is probably hard to touch and so will his wife and mother-in-law be, however significant they are. May I propose that you rather aim for some offspring they may have? You could think about giving one or more of our own clans a similar provocation too, when it becomes strictly unavoidable only – I agree with Viveka that we must not take such action one day before we have no option but that one if we want to increase the ore production.

Secondly, it is very important that the agents we send in to do this are well trained in the small details of history, behavior and language of those clans we are going to take on, and that the avatars the agents drive are absolutely spotlessly formed and adorned to not look out of place when they go in for action.

Thirdly, I ask the agents to look to their queues – the Na'vi are even more than virtually, they are literally and demonstrably mind readers when their queues are connected! If only our secret police at Earth had that ability with their spies and interrogators – no rebellion would ever be possible!"

Rondini: "I was aware of those points already but given their importance to our operation it does no harm being reminded of just how important they will be. You have my gratitude, Marina!"

Sundelin could sniff the opinion of the Board and she knew that they were going to decide in favour of provoking the aggression of the Namana Land Confederation: "I appreciate that we at this point of time are not about to start the inevitable armed conflict instantly after our decision now. May I express my hope that the provocation will not occur for a long, long time to come! Not until the production has leveled off and until a hefty military presence has been established."

Gemmill then uttered the fateful words: "I sense that there is an opinion common to the present members of the Board that we should give Jake Sully and his allies a provocation when the time is ripe, when there are no more easily accessible and fairly affluent mines that can safely be brought into production without trouble. Do I hear any opposition to the proposition of 'Jerry' to creating some ABC weapon for use at Pandora, to mow the resistance away if there still is some by then? Anyone in disfavour of that?"

Sundelin thought about lifting her voice against that proposition but in the end she decided against it. A too truculent stand against the expressed opinions of the CEO might be detrimental to her seat at the Board and she wasn't about risking that just for a point of mere idealism. So the word of the CEO fell: "It has been decided. Go ahead, Jerry."