The Balance of Life
Part One - Discovery
Chapter 3 - Part 2--- Aftermath
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"Hey Max, Susan has regained consciousness," Ron called out from the door to the prep room, his voice distorted from the exopack.
"Be right there." Gary had filled him in on most of the major damage. He would get the remaining details after checking on Susan, and the clone.
"Norm, just close Andy's pod for now. We will take care of him shortly," Gary said when Norm looked his way.
"Everyone listen up," Gray began once Norm and Karen had quietly closed Andy's pod and turned their attention to him. Without being asked, Karen had closed Andy's lifeless eyes and straightened the collar of his shirt. Laying her hand on his chest she said her last goodbye so softly that only Norm had heard her words.
"The earthquake has caused some serious damage, although it might be more accurate to call it a shockwave instead of an earthquake. My preliminary assessment of the damage is incomplete, the best I could get on short notice. Our most pressing problem is that major sections of the refinery have collapsed knocking down a large section of the perimeter wall. Anything that walks crawls or slithers will now have easy access to the interior of the compound. The fact that the refinery was shut down and its storage tanks empty most likely saved us from a major explosion. With our limited manpower and lack of construction knowledge I don't see how we will be able to repair the wall."
"Would there be any way to jury-rig something?" Buck asked.
"Possibly, it's something we will have to put our heads together about. A secondary problem is the number of breaches in the integrity of the Ops Center. Fortunately most of those are fixable. Mostly sprung doors that just need to be resealed. We have a large supply of patches in various sizes for cracks and other openings. It may take a few days but we should be able to restore our air integrity. Until then, we are just going to have to live with the exopacks."
"Has anyone actually slept in one of these things?" Abby asked.
"I'm hoping we won't have to," Gary continued. "We should be able to isolate a good portion of the Ops Center in a few hours. After that we can work on the outlying areas. We are all going to have to keep our exopacks within reach. We have no way of predicting if or when we may get more quakes, shocks."
"Why are we on emergency lighting?" Norm asked.
"The initial shock tripped all the main breakers, kicking in the emergency backups. Restarting the main geothermal generators has to be done manually. It shouldn't take too long. But even if it does, at our present rate of electrical consumption we have better than a month's worth of backup power. Right at this moment, restoring normal air flow is priority one."
"Anything else we need to know about?" Kyle asked; his arm wrapped tightly around Judy's waist. Even in times of crisis the two were inseparable.
"Lots of things overturned that will need to be cleaned up. Mostly what you would expect after something like this."
"Do we have any idea where the quake originated?" Buck asked.
"No we don't. I'm going to try to get some geological data from the satellites. See what if any information I can get."
"I don't remember anyone mentioning the possibility of earthquakes," Karen added, her fingers tightly intertwined with Norm's.
"Actually, Pandora is much more active than Earth when it comes to seismic activity," Zoe offered, which had everyone looking at her.
"What? Just because I worked in administration you figured I don't know anything else," Zoe replied testily. "You should all know that the RDA doesn't send a single person out here that can only do one job. Part of my duties, besides procurement, was to monitor all seismic activity on Pandora. Since I just arrived on the last shuttle I haven't had a lot of time to spend going over historical data. Selfridge had us working on inventorying the new supplies and equipment that arrived in the last shipment. He didn't seem the least bit interested in seismology."
"Zoe, henceforth you are responsible for all things geological here on Pandora." Gary was looking at her, a strange quizzical look on his face as he spoke. "Can you tell us what, you know or suspect, might be the cause of what just happened here?"
For a second Zoe was wondering just why she had opened her mouth. Now everyone was looking at her for answers. Answers she didn't have. Since there didn't seem to be any way to get out of honoring Gary's request she moved to where he was standing in front of the others. When he continued to look at her with speculation in his eyes she felt a little nervous.
"Where to begin," Zoe started out nervously. "As you may or may not know, Pandora is made up of dozens of continents and hundreds, maybe thousands, of islands. The main reason for this is due to a combination of the extreme tidal forces created by Polyphemus and her other moons, plus the intense, constantly changing magnetic fields that exist on Pandora. All her land masses essentially float on the surface of the planet, just as they do on Earth. Pandora's diameter is just slightly smaller than Earth, but its mass is less than three quarters that of Earth. This causes the crust depth to be about half that of Earth's crust. Consequently the land masses are much thinner and more brittle. Without the huge deposits of unobtanium land masses of any significant size would be highly unlikely. The unobtanium acts as a giant super magnet holding land masses together. If fact, the Hallelujah mountains are another consequence of large concentrations of unobtanium. The mountains themselves are almost completely composed of unobtanium. They are suspended in midair by the opposing magnetic and gravity fields. As the magnetic fields are constantly in flux the mountains are not stationary. This fluctuating magnetic field is what makes our instruments useless in the mountains and many other areas on the planet."
"The continent we are on is one of the largest on the planet. It is about the size of Australia. It's located just north of the equator which accounts for its tropical climate. This continent has some of the richest deposits of unobtanium on the whole planet. That is why the RDA chose to setup mining operations here. I am pointing this out as I think the mining of unobtanium has significantly changed the structural properties of the continent. Unobtanium is a multi-faceted crystalline compound. In its native state, its tensile strength far out matches that of any compound on Earth. But like all crystalline based substances once you damage the structure it can become brittle and shatter easily. Based on the amount of unobtanium that has been mined over the last several decades I believe that the tidal forces finally overcame the structural integrity provided by the magnet forces holding the continent together. What we felt today was most likely caused by the continent being fractured into two or more smaller pieces."
"Just like glass?" Judy added.
"Pretty much the same idea. I won't know just how badly the continent fractured until we can get images from the satellite. From those images we may be able to get some sense of what additional changes to expect."
"What about volcanic activity?" Buck asked. "I know there are a couple of active volcanoes on Pandora. Could this lead to more eruptions?"
"It could, but I suspect we are more likely to get steaming geysers, boiling rivers, that sort of thing. Also, a sudden change in climate wouldn't be out of the question."
"No sense in borrowing trouble," Gary put in. "Until Zoe gets data from the satellite we are just speculating. Right now we have some real issues to deal with. The sooner we plug the holes in this place the sooner we can stop using these exopacks."
"Norm, we are going to need you drivers to go back out in your avatars. Some of these leaks are going to need patching from the outside," Gary stated. It was sort of a request, but it had only one answer.
Buck felt Abby's body shudder under his hand that was resting reassuringly on her shoulder. He was sure she wasn't the only driver that was worried. He knew he was.
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When Jake, Neytiri and Ralu returned to where the remaining members of the clan were gathered, they were all struck with how few they were. Jake estimated that less than three hundred were present. The sense of misery and despair was so strong it overpowered every other emotion. He recognized hopelessness. He had felt that way for a very long time after he had lost the use of his legs. He also knew that unless his people could rebuild their hope the clan was doomed to become extinct.
"Jake, we must go to Ralu's aunt and uncle," Neytiri said quietly for only him to hear. "We will talk with them but not thank them for Ralu. It is Omatikaya custom that accepting responsibility for another's child is thanking Eywa for being deemed worthy of the child. As you have noticed our children are not as plentiful as the fruits of the trees. Being given a child to care for is a sacred trust. As I do not see Ansita's sister with them, she may have injured or killed. Hopefully she is off helping others. Thanking them for allowing Ralu to be ours would add to the pain they are already feeling. I'm sure they would have liked to have kept her. Ea'u'tey, her uncle, was very close to his brother."
"I understand. What is Ralu's aunt's name?"
"Tshari."
The three of them made their way through the clan members gathered into smaller groups. Most groups had at least one injured person, several groups had more.
When Neytiri sat down, her legs crossed, Jake did likewise. He noticed that Ralu stood until both he and Neytiri were seated and then sat down between, but slightly behind them.
"I see you," Neytiri intoned to Tshari and Ea'u'tey.
After they both responded to Neytiri, Jake added his formal greeting which was accepted in kind. Ralu was not addressed, nor did she speak. Everyone seemed a little stiff to Jake. Neytiri did all of the talking for their part, while Tshari seemed to do the most of the talking for Ralu's former family. When Ea'u'tey addressed a question directly to Jake he was caught a little off guard.
"When will searchers for new home return?"
In all the confusion Jake had completely forgotten about Ell'a'u and her search parties. Recovering quickly he replied, "They were to be back before nightfall. The earth…ground shaking may change that."
"I hope they return sooner rather than later," Jake added, now worried about the searchers as well as the hunting party that had left earlier that morning. He knew Ell'a'u and Tey'bar were capable, even if they didn't have a lot of experience.
"It is important for Omatikaya to find new home quickly," Ea'u'tey added as he looked around at his fellow clan members. We must have daily routine, to heal the mind as well as the body."
"Yes you are quite right. The sooner the better from the looks of things."
"You will find the people their new home. For Toruk Macto this should be easy to do."
Ea'u'tey's last statement was given with what could only be called a smirk. A facial expression that Jake had only recently learned to recognize among the Na'vi. Jake didn't get the feeling that Ea'u'tey was making fun of him. It was more of a comment on Jake not feeling qualified to be their leader.
When the conversation ended, after all the adults had risen, Ralu went to her aunt and uncle, hugging each in turn. Without saying anything Neytiri turned and led Jake and Ralu away. Jake was just starting to get used to not saying anything when leaving someone's presence as was the clan's custom. He still felt a little awkward about it. Joining someone's presence was usually accompanied by profuse greetings. Saying nothing upon parting seemed a bit odd.
"We should try to speak with all of the injured and their families, see who can travel and who cannot," Neytiri suggested as soon as they reached the middle of the gathering area. "Any orphans that have not been taken in will need to be provided for."
"Ralu, you should circulate among the other children. Get a sense of how they are feeling," Neytiri added, after she stopped and squatted so that she and Ralu were eye to eye. "Possibly you could get them to play some games to ease their fears."
"Yes, I can do that. I'm sure some of them will be hungry as well. We will see if there is any food to be found close by."
"That would be good. Find Eu'ta'o or Tau'san. Tell them Jake said to go with you so you will not be alone. The forest animals will be very agitated after what happened. You will want to avoid them."
"Yes mother," Ralu replied in the suffering voice all children learned to use from an early age. The smile on her lips and in her eyes betrayed the tone in her voice.
"Brat! Go and do what you are told," Neytiri answered affectionately.
"She will get a much better sense of how the other children are handling all of this. We will learn the same from then adults."
"Should we do this together or separately?"
"Separately would be better. That way we can talk to nearly everybody in half the time."
"Then let's get started," Jake agreed.
For the next two hours Neytiri and Jake made their way among the people, talking with the injured, and the tired. They were both relieved to find very few serious injuries. The fact that they were able to give their brothers and sisters reason for hope lifted their own spirits in return. Jake received a lot of questions from young teenagers as to when hunter training would resume. He took this as a good sign. By far the most common question they encountered centered on finding a new home. Jake was more than a little frustrated as he tried to explain earthquakes as the people wanted to know what caused the stone arches to collapse.
Figuring Jake would be occupied for a while longer Neytiri sought out her mother. Catching Mo'at's eye she angled her head so that her mother would know that she wanted to talk with her. Finding a quiet spot Neytiri sat patiently waiting for her mother to join her. After talking with Ralu's aunt she had some questions that her mother might be able to answer. Mo'at joined her minutes later, sitting directly in front of Neytiri so that they could talk quietly without being easily overheard.
"I wanted to talk with you about Ralu," Neytiri began once Mo'at was settled comfortably. "Although Tshari didn't come right out and say it, she intimated that Ralu had a special gift, that she was a special child. I also felt that she and Ea'u'tey didn't quite know how to deal with this gift. She seemed almost nervous about it, as if it made them uncomfortable."
"Why do you think? Ralu has been with you for the best part of a night and a day."
"She is very smart, very clever, especially for such a young age. I don't feel that she uses her abilities in an underhanded or deceitful way. She does use them to get what she wants, but there is pride in her that won't allow her to abuse her abilities. Of this I am also certain; she has great empathy for those who are suffering. She seems to be able to sense pain, pain on the inside."
"What is it that you want me to tell you? That you are correct in your observations. You already know this in your mind and in your heart."
"She seems to have a special tie to Jake. I saw for myself just how close that connect is a few hours ago."
Neytiri went on to tell her mother what she had witnessed earlier.
"Are you jealous of the tie between them?" Mo'at asked when Neytiri had finished relating the healing that Ralu had brought to Jake.
"No, I love them both too much for that to be the case. If anything it brings me great joy to know that they are of one heart. Ralu isn't something that has come between us. If anything she is bringing us closer together. She and the other children are our hope for the future. Having her has only increased my desires for Jake and me to have as many children as Eywa will bless us with. I never thought I would feel this way. I want to feel life growing inside me, feel the pleasure of feeding our son or daughter at my breast. Watch Jake's face light up with love and pride for what we have made between us."
For several seconds Mo'at sat in stunned silence. Neytiri had always been more warrior than nurturer. To realize that she had both qualities in her warmed her heart beyond measure.
"I'm not quite certain how to respond to you," Mo'at finally managed. "I was always afraid that you might be too wrapped up providing for our people that you wouldn't have time for a child of your own. This is one of the reasons that I felt it would be good for you and Jake to have Ralu. It would give you a child to love and cherish. This would strengthen both yours and Jake's connection to the clan, to its roots, and to its future."
"I once told Jake that when I first met him I hated all Sky People, but that over time he taught me as much or more as I taught him. Every day he teaches me that it's who you are, not what you come from that matters. The fact that the Sky People made Jake's body has nothing to do with who he is. Jake is my life-mate, There will never be another."
"When I first met Jake, tasted his blood, I too sensed something in him. My visions were equally divided between destroyer and savior. I could never get a clear picture of what he would bring. But that is the nature of dreams."
"Dreams are what I ultimately wanted to talk with you about. I think Ralu is a seer. She says that she sees things in her dreams. Things that have not happened yet. Is it possible that she could have the gift of true foresight?"
"Yes, it is possible. This I did not foresee myself. It is something to be considered with great care. If the child truly has the gift of foresight we will have to work with her closely. The gift can be a terrible burden if not properly channeled."
"Mother, you and I both know that I do not possess this gift," Neytiri added, placing her hand on her mother's arm. "I have insight, feelings, but I do not see what the future may bring. Maybe Ralu was meant to be ours so that you could teach her in a way that I never could."
"Neytiri, last daughter of my womb, Eywa does not always reveal everything when it suits us. The future will bring what it will bring for all of us, and that includes you. We will watch and we will see."
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Author's Note:
I'm sure that most of you will pick up on a major conflict in the making. It make some time to fully develop so please be patient. Sometimes the author is as amazed as you readers by how the story unfolds. (Meaning, I write from a stream of consciousness, and then go back and edit.) Enjoy. I am.