Confrontation.

"So... what, that's it?" Jake queried.
"That's it Jake. There's nothing to suggest that this is anything than a simple mining op." Replied Norm tiredly. "Look, I know that the RDA never has this places best interests in mind, but they haven't done anything... yet."
The Hometree had the same hustle and bustle that normally had. There were the sounds of talking, singing, working and what not. There was also the familiar feel of the great trunk that they had come to call home for the last six years. It seemed almost as if nothing could take it down (which was sadly false). And there was the same feeling of peace in the forest.
But at the same time, the forest also seemed to be full of tension. As if every animal and tree knew that it was hunting season. Many a tribesman or woman said that they felt it in the forest. As if the place was holding its breath.

Jake and Norm were discussing the colony under one of the great towering trees near the Hometree. It wasn't as if either of them was paranoid; they just preferred to discuss this manner in private. Jake was still the same as ever, but Norm looked a little tired from a journey back from Hells Gate.
"Jake, I've been talking to the science team. Dr. Carnegie's been very accommodating, and most of the colonists don't look as if they mean any ill."
"Well... okay, fine." Jake relaxed a little.
"Jake, no offence, but for what, a week now, you've been tense." Norm said with a tinge of concern. "You need to relax."
"Yeah, I know, I know..." sighed Jake. " It's just... I just keep expecting the hammer to come down any minute now. I mean, remember the blackout? That's NEVER happened before."
"So?"
"So, why did it happen when the colony had started up? When I was taking Alex and Noh back to the colony? I mean... ughh..." Jake started to rub his head. "... Fuck..."

"You okay Jake?"
"Yeah... it's just another headache Norm..."
"Headache?" Norm frowned. "What, as in migraines?"
"No... not migraines, just normal..." Jake looked back at Norm. "Look, it's just been weird ever since they've showed up, and I'm just... tense."
"Why tell me that?"
"I dunno..." Jake sat down. "Look, I'll be back soon Norm, I just need to think for a minute."
"Well... Okay then." Norm turned and walked back towards the Hometree. "See you later."
"Bye."

When he was sure that Norm had left, Jake got up and started walking.
When he was human, back on Earth, he was used to taking orders from someone higher up the food chain than him. That was when he was a soldier. Now he was on top of the food chain. As a chieftain, he was the leader of his people. He was now the person who made the decisions that could make the difference between the survival of his tribe, and their utter destruction. And that idea weighed heavily upon him.
As Jake walked on he came to a familiar bit of ground. It was a small clearing. There was nothing interesting about the place; with the exception of small mound of dirt, resting up against the tree.
This was where they buried his old human body.

Jake squatted down in front of it. He was starting to come back to the place more often over the past few months. It was his quiet place. As silent as the grave. Which it was.

He dwelled on his old life, back to his time on Earth. He remembered how it was. The corporations taking what they wanted. The crushing amount of people. The poverty that was everywhere. The armies fighting over scraps of resources. Pandora was a paradise compared to it.
He started to think back to what that militiaman, Alex, had said back at the Hometree, in front of the entire tribe.

We are not just talking about the Unobtainium here. There are millions of people back home, including me, who would risk everything that they had to get here. They are willing to die to stay here, in a land where they can breathe the air, walk through the jungle and hunt. A land where they can live as people should live. And as long as there is Unobtainium here that can be mined, or trees that can be cut down, or any kind of way to make a living here, they'll take it. Because this is a place where they can start a new life.

Jake dwelled on those words. He knew with utter certainty, that that policeman from Earth was right. He knew that so many would want to come here. Denying them new life, just like that, would be cruelty. The concept of the new life here was as tantalizing as being able to walk again.

But he couldn't be sure. Do these people, these colonists, know how much this place was worth? Do they care about the wilderness, about the wildlife that was more alive than anything back on Earth? Or are they just apathetic pillagers, viewing the Pandora as nothing more than a gold mine to be mined and harvested, and then discarded? He couldn't be sure yet.

Just as he was thinking about the colonists, the Voice slithered into his ear again.
"How do you know that they won't just pave over this place?" it slithered. "What would stop them?"
Jake started to grit his teeth. Aw fuck, not this shit again...
He turned behind himself. There was no one there.
Great. I'm still crazy.

As if the colony problem was big enough, Jake was starting to hear friggen' voices inside his head.
It wasn't as if he was actually talking to someone who wasn't there. Sometimes, he would just be all alone, for a minute, when suddenly that Voice would creep into his head. He didn't know what it was, or why it was there, it just came. Sometimes, he partially agreed with it. It asked right questions.

Jake started to hear rustling in the bushes, towards where the Hometree was. He relaxed when he realised they were just footsteps.
"Jake?" Neytiri's voice came. "Are you okay?"
She came out of the scrub. The years after the battle had been good to her. Blessed with both a child and a caring family, she was growing into a strong woman. Her mother did her best to teach her everything there was about the Worldmind; she was going to be the next Tsahik at some point or another. But no matter what, she still had time for family.

"I'm fine Neytiri. I really am." Jake answered back.
Neytiri went and sat down beside him. "You know that's not true Jake." She said. She looked at the grave. "Why do you come here all the time?"
"It's quiet."
"That's it?" She shook her head. One of the things Mo'at taught her was how to help and understand people. "Come on, no secrets."
Jake took a breath. "It's these humans 'Tiri." He looked tired. "I don't know what to do."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know if we should fight them or let them stay."
There was silence.
"They haven't done anything wrong yet Jake."
"But it's only a matter of time."
"You're just being a worrier."
"I hope so."
There was more silence.
"You didn't answer my question Jake."
The avatar chieftain stiffened.
"Alright, fine." He said. "I-"
He was going to answer more fully when voices started to shout.
"What's going on?"

The two Na'vi scrambled through the bush and moved to the Hometree. There, they saw the sight that they were dreading for some time.
It was a group of hunters, eight of them, on horseback. That in itself was nothing to fret about, but these ones had just been in a fight. Three of them were being helped off the horses. They were wounded, blood seeping through cloth bandages. They moaned in pain. Onlookers and helpers started to gather around, giving cries of alarm and doing their best to assist the wounded.
Jake rushed forward towards the leader of the party.
"Se'Huk!" he shouted. "What the hell happened?"
The leader of the party turned. He was a bit temperamental, but he was normally a good man. "They tried to steal my son!" he shouted.
"What?"
"The Sky People! They..."
"Se'Huk, calm down!" shouted Neytiri. "What happened?"

"We were taking a break in the forest, having a rest, when my son vanished."
"What, vanished?"
"Gone!" he exploded. "We searched everywhere for him, we were too close to the mines that the sky people used for it to have been an accident."
"You found him right?"
"Yes, I found him... At one of those demon forest eaters! I crept towards it, and what did I find, but one of the humans was trying to lure him into the colony!" He was practically livid.
"What happened?"
"I rescued him from the one trying to lure him. But he shouted, and another one of their warriors shot my son!"
"Oh no..." whispered Neytiri.
"Is he okay?" demanded Jake.
Se'Huk motioned to four Na'vi attending to a stretcher. On it laid Se'Huk's son, unconscious, with bandages over his body. He had been shot just below the ribs on the right. The red blood contrasted vividly with the blue fur.
"He's still hanging on to life, the good boy." He turned back to Jake. "Chieftain, they shot my son." His eyes were ablaze. "We can't let them get away with this."
Jake was silent. Almost as if they knew the tribe around started to grow silent themselves. They were waiting for his decision.
"Yes, you're right. We can't." He said with finality. "Get everyone ready." His eyes started to steel. "We are going to war."

The war party was huge. An armada of wings flew through the skies, over a hundred in total. At the head of it all was Jake, perched on his Ikran, mulling over the battle plans one last time.
Mu'kala's party flies around above the mines to draw their fire to begin with. The rest of us hits hard and fast, smashing their guns, and their aircraft before they have a chance to take off. Then we get down there, and torch the place.

He looked back towards his warriors. They were mixed in terms of experience. A lot of them were veterans of the Battle at the mountains, but many of them were fresh from their training. Many of them had only been bonded with their Ikran's last week. They were the equivalent of fresh out of boot camp.
He wished that it didn't come to this. He didn't want to lead his people against an enemy of possibly far greater stature than they were. He thought of the young bloods with him. For all he knew, he could be leading them to their deaths.
Stay focused. He mentally snapped to himself.

They were coming up to the mines. He could see that the great holes were even bigger than when he last remembered. This gave him a little bit of resolve... a small amount. Problem was, the mining machines were being taken offline. He could make out workers running for the compound. More worrisome, was that the Auto turrets were being aimed towards Jakes tribe. It looked like they saw them coming.
Jake keyed the throat mike on his neck.
"Mu'kala, get ready to draw their attention."
"Yes Cheiftain."
Mu'kala's group peeled off and flew towards the guns. The twenty flying warriors started to scream in range of the turrets.
To everyone's surprise, none of the guns fired.

Something was wrong with this whole get up. That was the one thought that surged through the whole war party.
"Mu'kala!" Jake shouted. "Don't wreck anything yet! Something's not right!"
Mu'kala's party broke off from swooping above the compound. Not a single shot was fired.

What the hell was going on?

Something attracted his attention. On the ground, a couple of hundred yards from the compound, was a burning flare. Standing next to it was a solitary, familiar figure. Jake couldn't make out its face, it was too far away.

Jake keyed his mike and shouted to everyone "Don't follow me."
He swooped towards the mines. The rest of the war party remained in the skies. As he screamed down, not one shot was fired.

Jakes Ikran touched down near the flare. The figure, a lone militiaman, remained where he was. His gun was holstered on his back. Jake got off his Ikran in a solid movement and landed with a thump. The militiaman didn't seem too perturbed by the size of the beast. He'd seen one before.

"Good of you to not come in guns blazing." Alex said approvingly. "We need to talk."