It was a bright, warm morning on Pandora, and the Hometree was getting ready to greet the new day.
In normal times, the morning would go at a leisurely pace. The tribe always knew where to find food, water and friends, so there was never any real rush unless there was something special happening soon. Unfortunately for the ones who wanted a quiet morning, this was going to be a special day.
At the foot of the Hometree, nestled amongst its great roots, a mother was talking to her child about what to do when the sky-people came by.
"Now Miri, what did I tell you to be when they get here?" she asked maternally.
"Polite sa'nu." The child nodded.
"Good. Now I'm going to be talking to them for some time, so until your turn to see them comes up, I have to leave you with Hesh'ka for the time being."
The child gave a displeased moan.
"Miri, why don't you like her?" the mother frowned.
"She's creepy." Miri pouted. "She keeps looking at me in a weird way."
The mother sighed. Ever since the blackout, Miri had always been on edge. Because of her knowledge, Hesh'ka helped to console Miri in the days leading after the blackout. She was uncharacteristically interested in her.
"Miri, you got to learn to put up with it. She's been very helpful to..."
A voice called the mothers name from around the bend. It was weathered, but still full of life. The Na'vi warrior came from around the bend and looked about as glad as a Na'vi could be from under the scars when he saw Neytiri.
"I'm right here Mu'kala." Neytiri said. "What is it?"
"Just telling you that everyone is ready for when the sky people come." He replied. "We're not throwing a banquet for them, but I think people know what to do when they get here."
"That's great. Tell my mother I will be with her shortly."
Just before the scarred Na'vi walked off, Miri asked him a question.
"Mu'kala, what are the sky peoples flying animals like?" she asked.
Mu'kala gave the question a little bit of thought. "They aren't animals little one." He started. "They're machines. They are created, not born, just like anything else they have here."
"What are they like?"
"Some of them are just made for moving people through the sky. Other ones can..."
Mu'kala trailed off. He stiffened. His eyes started to unfocus.
"Some of them are not so good little one." he finished. "That's all I can say right now."
Miri nodded. "Thanks Mu'kala."
"You're welcome 'evi." He softened. "You just have a good day little one." He walked off.
Neytiri turned to Miri. "It would be best that you don't bring up the sky people too much to him."
"Why not?"
The mother frowned to find words.
"It... brings back memories for him. Bad ones."
"How come?"
"I can't answer that question for you Miri." She said. "Come on. It's time to go with your friends."
Neytiri got up from the root and gave Miri a piggyback ride up the tree. All of the children with a few of their parents had been told to gather in the great branches. Everyone figured that if anything bad happened, the little ones wouldn't get in the way if they were high up.
As they journeyed up the tree, Miri heard a strange noise. It wasn't thunder. Rumbling wasn't the right word for it either. It was a mixture of droning and thumping that came from afar. It sounded strange to Miri because it had too much of a rhythm to be natural.
Neytiri turned to the horizon. There, they could see three objects in the sky, moving slowly towards them. Miri tightened her grip.
"What's that mama?" she asked worried about what will happen.
"It means that they're here."
"You know what?" Noh shouted to Wikus over the Samson.
"What?"
"I'm actually getting bored of the scenery."
The statement settled in an uncomfortable way. For some reason, maybe for a bunch of reasons, that statement just seemed wrong somehow.
One of the scientists, Gomez, took the bait. "Why?"
"I dunno." Noh shrugged. "I'm not sure, maybe it's just cause I lived here a while, but somehow, the scenery doesn't really faze me anymore."
"Aren't you amazed by the flying mountains and shit?" Mac yelled trying to make sense of it all.
"Yeah, for the first couple of trips... Then it just becomes standard. Like seeing the sun rise."
"Maybe you need to get out of the jungle and over to the oceans." Answered Wikus helpfully. "Or the tundra. Just a change of scenery, you know?"
"I guess..." the liaison shrugged. "I dunno, maybe I'm just not a scenery kinda guy..."
Meanwhile, in another Samson, Alex was checking his datapad for the third time. Emile, who was sitting next to him, noticed that he was focused enough to not participate in the conversation on the radio. That got Emile thinking that something wasn't right.
He craned his neck over to see what Alex was looking at. He just managed to make out 'Evidence on the existence of the Pandoran Worldmind. By Stanley Carnegie' when the datapad was swiftly folded shut, followed by a steel face stare from Alex.
"Is there a problem Emile?" he said in a voice that was both low profile, and at the same time, shout 'Back Off'.
Emile looked away, trying to look unimportant himself. "No sir, I was just looking to see what-"
"Yeah, well, look somewhere else, this is private."
There was a short period of silence on the chopper. Emile finally dared to break the ice.
"I think that stuff about a Worldmind is a load of shit." He said casually.
"And what makes you say that?" Alex said with concealed moodiness.
"It just seems stupid that's all." Emile continued. "I mean, it's just that there's not a lot of evidence to suggest that God, or Eywa or whatever actually physically exists, that's all."
"Hmm..."
There was another pause.
"That's why Father Byron's been dragged along." Alex said.
"What? Oh right..." Emile looked towards the Samson carrying the priest. "You actually support him teaching the Na'vi Christianity?"
"Nope. I brought him along to teach him a lesson." Alex said with a little bit of satisfaction in his voice. Like a scout, watching an invading army wander right into a minefield.
Emile decided to break the conversation off. He'd see soon enough what would happen.
The choppers kept going on, soaring above the forest. Soon they reached their target.
The Hometree towered above the forest like a skyscraper. Alex and Noh weren't that fazed. Everyone else was. The standard radio chatter of 'Oh my god, it's so big!' went around the radio. Thing was, Alex kind of agreed with Noh. The Pandoran jungle was getting kind of boring, and seeing the Hometree wasn't helping. He needed a change of setting sometime or another... Like that was going to happen with all of their commitments in the area.
As they approached, they saw a flock of banshees come from the trees and fly towards the choppers. They were a fair distance away, but their vibrant colours were not exactly good day camouflage. The humans could just make out the riders on top of them.
"Sir, they're coming towards us. What do we do?" the pilot of Alex's Samson asked apprehensively.
"Fingers off the trigger pilot. I think they're just welcoming us." Radioed Alex.
"You think?" someone nervously asked on the radio.
The flock started to move closer. The humans in the troop bay started to get more apprehensive, cocking guns, and clutching their gear. Noh took note of this and told everyone to calm down.
The banshee's got closer. The various details and markings all over the beasts and riders started to become more and more clear. All of this paled in comparison to the fact that they were heading directly AT the choppers. Alex started to get worried.
"Okay okay maybe we should OH SHIIIIIT!-"
Just when the flock looked as if it was about to collide with the choppers, they swiftly dived right under them, and kept going. A couple of humans actually screamed in fright. Alex's own heart stopped for about three seconds. He could have sworn that he heard laughter as the Banshees moved on.
The banshees turned around and came back, but instead trying to charge the Samsons, they flew beside the choppers and matched their speeds. One of them flew right beside Alex's chopper. It was being flown by young Na'vi woman who was smiling mischievously at Alex.
"Oh ha, ha, ha, very funny Shee'kana!" Alex shouted at her in Na'vi. "We could have shot you!"
"Well, I knew that the wise and merciful Garnett was coming along!" Shee'kana gleefully replied, evidently not caring too much. "I knew that you wouldn't be here to cause any real trouble!" She motioned her head towards the Hometree. "Follow us. We'll lead you to a place where you can land."
Alex gave the word to the pilots who hesitantly complied. They weren't exactly happy about what had happened.
As they followed the flying beasts, one of the passengers aboard the Alex's Samson, a scientist asked nervously, "Are they always this... playful?"
"It's just her. She's just a young blood, that's all."
The Samson's were lead to a clearing a few hundred metres away from the Tree itself. As they landed, Alex took note of a small group of Na'vi waiting for them. He keyed into his radio. "Everyone just stay on your birds. Me and Sergeant Noh will just go and talk to them about what to do."
"What, me?" Noh asked.
"Yes Noh. This is your job remember."
The Samsons landed on the forest floor with a small thump. Alex made sure that his gun was holstered properly before hopping the chopper and walking over to the Na'vi. He saw a familiar face amongst the group
Jake Sully, the chieftain of the tribe, stepped forward and extended a hand. He looked far more relaxed than when Alex last saw him. His face looked lighter, less tense and less burdened. Maybe he was just in a good mood, but Alex felt that Jake had got something off his chest a while ago. He was joined by the Tsahik, or matriarch of the tribe, Mo'at.
"I see you Alex." Jake warmly greeted.
"It's good to see you Chief." Alex shook his hand. Noh trotted up beside him.
"And it's nice to see you as well Noh."
"Right... you too Jake."
They talked for a few minutes about what was going to happen for the day. The general concession was that the scientists and their escorts were to be allowed to wander around the Hometree's outskirts. Almost all of the Na'vi would be able come and talk to them about anything that they wanted, be it questions or stories, or just general banter. Children would be accompanied by their parents. Then Alex made a big request.
"Chief, Carnegie wants to take a good look at the Tree of Souls in order to prove something."
Jake stiffened. "The Tree's off limits to outsiders Alex. Like sky people, you know this."
"Then how the hell did you get close to it, you're a..." Noh had begun; quickly realising he was off guard. "Sorry, WAS a human."
"Long story 'pal'..." Jake answered icily at Noh. "Anyway, you still can't go. It's several miles away and I kind of planned everything to happen here."
"I know, but aside from the good doctor wanting to take a look, there's another problem that I need to talk to you about." Alex cut in.
"What's the problem?"
"Okay, first things first Mo'at, has this tribe ever been visited by a missionary?"
Mo'at drew a blank. "What is a 'missionary'?"
Noh gave her one of his characteristically smartass answers. "Basically, they're the guys who go to any place which isn't their religion, preferably tribal, and try to make the people believe in whatever the hell god the missionary believes in." He paused for a second. "Usually with promises of eternal pain and suffering if they don't do so."
Mo'at gave Noh a strange look. "Just when I thought your people couldn't get anymore strange..."
"Yeah we got experience in being that..." Noh agreed.
"So let me guess." Jake began. "You brought along a missionary to try to convert my people?"
Alex suppressed a smile. "I did bring him along yes..."
"It's not happening Garnett."
"My people believe in Eywa." Mo'at began with resentment in her voice. "We talk to her, and she talks back. Even I know that your 'god' doesn't do that. Why should we agree to listen to this man?"
"Well, Father Byron might have come here with the intent to convert, but he's such a nice guy back home." Alex answered rubbing the back of his head. "It would have broken his heart to just deny him this chance considering how he helps out everyone."
"We still can't agree to him."
"I'm not asking you to." Alex continued. "That's why I'm mentioning this with my request to visit the Tree of Souls..."
Ar'kadi was watching the humans talk to the chieftain and the Tsahik with the rest of the Na'vi when Shee'kana brushed up alongside.
"So, what are they talking about?"
Ar'kadi furrowed his head. "I don't know... I can't hear them from over here."
"What's the plan then?"
Ar'kadi gave an exasperated sigh. "Don't you ever listen when someone important talks?"
"Sometimes. Not today."
Ar'kadi grumbled a little. Shee'kana was his friend there was no doubt about it. But there were times in which her hyperactive, cheerful persona just felt inappropriate.
"Well... too bad, I can't be bothered explaining right now."
"Really?"
"Really."
There was a pause between the two of them as the higher ups kept talking.
"How do those things work?" Shee'kana asked suddenly.
"What things?"
"You know, the kunsips, the machines, the chopper... whatever you call them."
"Does it look like I know?"
"You're the engineer."
Ar'kadi was just about to answer when the humans broke off from talking at started to shout something to the rest of the humans waiting on the kunsips. Jake and Mo'at walked back to the others.
"It's done. Let's lead them Home now." He turned to Shee'kana. "Could I have a word with you for a second?"
As the others went over to the humans, Jake led Shee'kana a little way off the path. "Is there a problem chieftain?"
"Yes there IS a problem." He started reproachfully. "You shouldn't have scared the humans when they were coming over like that."
"I was just having a little bit of fun..."
Jake forcefully grabbed her arm. "What the hell do you think this is? A game?" He snapped. "They could have thought you were about to attack. They could have shot you!"
Shee'kana stumbled for words. "I...I'm sorry chieftain."
"Next time, THINK first."
"Yes chieftain."
Jake let go. He started to calm down a little.
"Right, well... that's it." He looked back to the others. "You go ahead. I'll catch up soon."
"Yes Jake. I'm sorry."
"It's okay, it's okay." He looked at her in the eyes. "Hey, don't be so glum. Enjoy the day."
As Shee'kana jogged back to the group, Jake went and sat on a tree trunk. He just needed breather, that was all. He'd catch up when-
"Well aren't you touchy right now" the Voice slithered. "I think you nearly bit her damn head off. You do that to everyone?"
Jake already knew that no one was there.
He was starting to get sick of this; he needed to talk to Mo'at about it sooner or later. Maybe she could help.
"Maybe I do need to mellow out a little..." he muttered, before heading back for the Hometree.
As he walked home, a woodsprite floated down. The seed of Eywa drifted along, like a tiny jellyfish in a sea of green. It started to drift towards Jake as he walked.
But when it came near him, it twitched violently. For a brief second, it flashed red. And then it fell to the ground.
Jake didn't see it. The forest did.
The day went by with quite smoothly. The humans had been gathered at the foot of the great Hometree, where Na'vi came to see them to ask questions and exchange stories. At one point, Dr. Carnegie told Alex that the Na'vi were more relaxed and at ease with the humans than in old scientist visitations. When Alex asked why, Stan attributed it to the fact that the humans weren't wearing exo-masks anymore, or hiding behind an avatar. This made them far more relatable for the Na'vi to talk to. "Makes us look more human if you pardon the pun."
The Na'vi would tell stories about their tribe, show them around the Hometree and give the humans advice on how to live on the land. In return the humans told their own stories and histories, and did their absolute best to try to explain how bits and bobs of machines work. The humans were given a small clearing to rest at, where the Na'vi had put out a bunch of mats and rugs for the humans to rest and sit on. Sometimes a bunch of scientists and militia escorts would be led to see the great Mountain Banshee's and Dire Horses.
Alex was pretty happy with the day so far. Noh was helping to translate the stories of the Toruk Makto into English for his friends. Dwight was doing his best in showing a bunch of Na'vi warriors (including a man who Alex was pretty damn certain was Mu'kala) how his guns work. Jade was doing some freehand drawings of the Na'vi, which she was handing them out whenever she finished. And finally, Alex himself was translating for Father Byron. This was harder than it sounded. Alex was careful to try to make it sound to the Na'vi as if what Father Byron was talking about was the myths and legends of the Sky-People, and not at all like an attempt to convert them to Christianity.
Then the sacred universal institution of Lunch came. Both sides were comparing the different foods of their people. The food that the humans had brought along was grown directly on Pandora, rather than some vat grown bulk food. Of course the Na'vi still couldn't eat it, but they were still interested in what it was.
While the two peoples were talking and eating altogether, Noh had just returned from a tree (the reasons being completely natural and still gross) when he ran into a familiar face.
He was just heading back to the others when he felt someone's gaze upon him. It was a fairly common human instinct, but Noh's case was particularly fine tuned. It helped him a lot back in his old Army days when he could tell whether or not he was being tailed by the military police. He turned and saw a familiar Na'vi woman nearby. She immediately did her best to look as if she wasn't looking at him. He frowned.
"Do I know you?" he asked in Na'vi. She was definitely familiar.
Neytiri tried to back off. "You've got me confused..."
"You're Jake's wife aren't you?"
Neytiri gave in. "Yes."
"Right. My name is Noh, good to see you."
"And my name's Neytiri."
They talked about life on Pandora, on how Hometree and Hells Gate were faring. They chatted about their people and generally tried to steer the conversation away from big issues. Then Noh just couldn't suppress the question any longer.
"So... I was wondering... How did you and Jake get together?"
Neytiri cocked her eye.
"Bad topic? Sorry it's just-"
"No, I suppose it's an okay question..." she answered. "I sometimes wonder myself."
"What, you got problems right now?"
"No, no, no, it's just interesting how we got together that's all..." she gave a small smile.
"Tell me about it. I got time."
They went a little away from the rest of the group. They were still in sight, but out of earshot. That's where Neytiri told Noh the story of she and Jake got together.
She started with that night in the forest, when she saw this idiot Na'vi trying to beat off a pack of viperwolfs with a torch. She went on about how she resented being told that she would have to teach this human copy of a na'vi the tribe's ways, she had better things to do. But then she told Noh how beneath that bull headedness and that stupid smile, there was actually a brave and noble man beneath. He was determined, caring and wasn't willing to back down.
"As the months went on, started to grow to like him as a Na'vi, not some idiot dream-walker. I started to think he was the one for me."
"Wasn't there anyone else?"
"There was another man; Tsu'tey, but our relationship kind of went downhill as the days with Jake went by. I think he resented it. But I guess I was too love-struck to notice."
"'Love-Struck?'" Noh asked cocking his eye in a slightly amused fashion.
Neytiri play-hit his arm. "Oh what do you know about love?"
"I know that I'm a very cynical man when it comes to it ma'am."
Neytiri continued about their relationship. At the Tree of Voices, when Jake had learned everything there was to know, the moment he had made his feelings clear about her, was the one of the happiest in her life. She had found someone to be with. Then the RDA came and ruined it all.
Right, of course... Noh thought dryly inside his head. The evil corporate bad-guys have come in at this moment...
Neytiri went on to say that at that point Jake started to become more and more distant. Then just before the old Hometree burnt down, she found out why he was really there.
"How did you feel?"
"I felt betrayed."
"Fair enough, I guess."
She went on about how she felt when he revealed his true purpose as another RDA stooge. She didn't believe it at first. Especially considering how she thought he was her mate. She didn't want to see him again. Ever.
"So what made you reconsider?"
Neytiri told him about how Jake returned one day, riding a huge Toruk.
"So... he tames a great beast... and suddenly he's your friend again?" Noh asked dubiously.
"Of course not." Neytiri smirked. "But taming one of Toruk wasn't a mean feat. And he had come up with a good plan for fighting the RDA with the other tribes. We felt that he deserved another chance."
"So what did get you back to him?"
Neytiri thought for about a minute.
"It was just after that bastard Quaritch finally died. I looked for Jake and I saw his body lying on the ground, near the broken shed. He wasn't moving. Then I was realised he wasn't even there." She paused. "Then I heard movement in the shed. I went to see."
"What did you see?"
"I saw this sky-man, choking and coughing on the ground. I thought it was Norm or someone else. I helped him breathe again, and recognised just who he was."
She paused.
"He looked so alike to the other self. I realised that I was holding the real Jake, not the body he used all the time. He was just recovering from near death, and his legs were useless, but he was alive.
And then he looked into my eyes and greeted me."
"And you lived happily ever after?" Noh smirked playfully.
Neytiri sighed satisfactorily. "Yes smartass. We did. What do you think?"
Noh was still interested in the story. He really was.
"Relax Neytiri, it's all okay..." he paused for a second and gave a sly smile.
"What?"
"It reminds me of an old tale that's told in our own people." Noh said with nostalgia. "A man from another land journeys to this completely new land, and while he finds the world strange, he meets a native woman, who he journeys with. As the story progresses, they fall in love, and the guy ends up fighting for the woman's people as opposed to his own. Then they win over the invaders and they both live happily in wedded bliss."
Neytiri smiled a little in realising how familiar it was. "Heh... I guess it does sound like my story..." she chuckled a little. "What was it called?"
"Umm...Pocahontas I think..." Noh answered hazily. "It's pretty old."
Neytiri felt better, now that she could actually talk to someone who regarded themselves as an equal. It felt refreshing compared with the people she already knew.
"Alright then smartass." She crossed her arms in superiority. "What's your story?"
"It's not much."
Noh told her on how he always grew up as an outsider. His parents hated each other's guts after they moved town, so he always kept out of the house. But he could never fit in with the crowd. All he could do was watch and learn from the people around him.
"The more I did it, the more I realised that people were never what they said they were."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, I once saw this priest. He was this big shot among his own people, he always preached chastity and whatever, but I always saw him go into the brothels."
"Brothels?"
"Uh... let's just say he was doing the opposite of chastity. Anyway, the more I watched people, the more I realised just how many liars and hypocrites there were out there...
But don't get me wrong, I saw a lot of unsung heroes as well. People who showed mercy to others, who went to help the needy and who stood up for the downtrodden. And some of these people were thought to be scumbags. They were sometimes whores, and thugs and thieves. I realised that they were the real Chieftains of Humanity."
"How did you get here?"
"I joined the Army because there wasn't much else on offer in terms of jobs. Then I got kicked out for my snarky and charming attitude." He paused for a second. "And for that Mech incident..." he added quietly. "I was looking for a new job, maybe in the merc business, when I saw an ad for the new Colony starting on Pandora. They were looking for AMP drivers, so I dropped my name. Really, it was more of joke. I was an Army reject and the waiting list went all other the world.
So I wound up practically crapping my pants when I got the message that I had been accepted." He shook his head. "I met Alex in training after we stole rations from the Mercs and we've been friends since. I then came here." He sighed. "And that's the story of my life."
Neytiri watched the human for a while.
"You don't seem like such a bad guy."
"Oh that's a load of crap." He shrugged. "I'm just some joker who got here on what's probably pot luck and saw a lot of weird stuff. That's it. I'm nobody special."
They talked a little while longer. Their discussion drifted to friends and family.
"I saw that you had a kid when I was here last time."
Neytiri smiled down warmly. "That'll be Miri." She got the fuzzies. "She's a bundle of joy that never ceases to give."
"She's certainly brave, I'll give her that." Noh smiled.
"Well, she's always been curious about everything, always asking questions, always wanting to know why, and how..." she cocked her eye. "Sometimes she's a little TOO curious..."
"Well I don't know anything about kids ma'am... But it looks like you raised her well."
"Why, thank you..." Neytiri smirked.
"How's Jake by the way?"
Neytiri looked hesitant for a while.
"Is there a problem?" Noh asked worried.
"No, no, no... " She warmed back up a little. "I just worry about him that's all."
"What do you mean?"
"I just think he's more... I don't know... burdened." She said with a little concern. "He's found more time to be with us, and he's loved by all, but he just seems to be more weathered nowadays." She sighed "He seems more and more distant. Like he's lost."
She looked at Noh. "It seems that ever since your kind showed up again, he's been this way."
The human before him thought for a minute. Neytiri could tell that it was real thought, and not someone pretending to listen.
"I think it sounds like he needs support now, more than ever." He started. "But the problem, is that he doesn't think he can share his problems. So he tries to distance himself because he thinks he can solve the problem himself." He paused. "I think the best thing that you can do right now, is just to keep persisting. Just keep trying to break through to him. You'll get there, I know it."
"What makes you so sure that you know that will work?" Neytiri asked with suspicion.
"Because Garnett went through that period. And if some asshole can help him, so can you."
Neytiri felt touched. This tawtute actually had sound advice. He may be a snarky, cynical bastard, but at the same time, he was one of the most empathetic people she knew.
"Well... thanks for the advice..."
The human shrugged in his exo-suit. "I'm just sharing my thoughts ma'am."
"Thanks all the same." Neytiri gave a smile. "May you..."
Something caught her attention. It was a pair of woodsprites, the Atokirina, drifting through the forest. The thing about them was that they were stopping right near Noh. It was as if they were encircling him. Almost like a halo.
She'd seen such a thing before. That night, when she met Jake for the first time, she was ready to just ditch him and leave him for the animals. But then the woodsprites came. They gathered around Jake, settling on him. It couldn't have been some freak accident, it was important. So she took him to the Hometree. And that's how it all started.
They always say that the woodsprites were Eywa's way of communicating out of Worldmind. It was Eywa's way of showing her that Jake was different from the other dreamwalkers. Maybe it was the same with this human.
"Is there a problem?" asked Noh.
One of the woodsprites drifted onto his shoulder. The other ones kept encircling him. He took notice of the one on his shoulder.
And then he smacked it with a mechanized hand, crushing it. It dropped to the ground. The other ones peeled off.
"You were saying?" he said conversationally.
Neytiri sighed sadly. "Nothing... I think we better head back now."