When Diplomacy Doesn't Work

For over an hour, all Alan knew was blackness. After he had been hit by the arrow, he had passed out, but only after a violent seizure where he had felt like every nerve in his body was on fire. For some time he had not seen or heard anything, until at last he started to come to. Everything had seemed so surreal that, for a moment, he was not sure it had actually happened. Slowly, he opened his eyes.

"Ugh..." he groaned. "That has to be the worst dream I ever..."

As he blinked and his eyes started to re-focus, he tailed off in his sentence. For he now saw that he was still outdoors, but not near Hometree like before. Instead, he was in what looked like a vast canyon, with large trees growing all around the walls. The area was still lit by moonlight, and some of the plants glowed strangely, casting an eerie luminescence on the area. He also noticed that he was stood bolt-upright against his will; he was tied to a wooden frame, his hands and feet shackled to the top beam and the floor of a wooden platform respectively. He jostled about a little, but his bindings held fast. Mercifully, his mask had not been removed, but his weapons had been taken away. He could see them on a nearby tree stump, along with Bishop's excavation tools and a military-issue assault rifle.

"Captain!" Bishop's voice said from his immediate left. "Thank God you survived!" Alan turned his head to see Bishop beside him, similarly bound.

"What the hell happened, Bishop?" Alan asked. "Where are we?"

"You were shot by one of the Na'vi's poisoned arrows," Bishop explained. "They coat their arrowheads in a nerve toxin that causes death in seconds to humans. Organiser G-1 must have spared you, though it took time to adapt your body."

"As for where we are," another, unfamiliar voice suddenly chimed in from Alan's right, "I'd say we're up shit-creek without a paddle."

Alan turned to look at the speaker. He saw that it was a human, also bound, and dressed in a fairly standard military uniform, complete with flak jacket with a high collar. His features were largely obscured by a respirator, though he had the look of a seasoned soldier.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I already told your Bishop buddy," the soldier replied, sounding amused, "but never mind. My name's Tomas Jimenez. No need to tell me who you are, Captain Tyler; Bishop filled me in on that much."

"Tom Jimenez..." Alan muttered. "Where have I..." Then he suddenly remembered where he had heard Tom's name before, and for a moment he felt elated.

"The Tom Jimenez?" he asked. "The one who flies around in Telek 'Heros' fleet?"

"Er... yeah..." Tom replied, rather taken aback. "Have we met somewhere? No, I'd never forget a face like that..."

"Then it must have been your ship we saw in orbit..." Alan mused, ignoring Tom's comment about his appearance. "Otto 'Gamam sends his regards."

"Wait, what?" Tom asked, incredulously. "You've spoken with the Arbiter?" He leaned forward slightly to get a better look at Bishop. "You never mentioned that to me!"

"I didn't get to speak with the Arbiter personally," Bishop said. "In fact, I spent most of my time on the Shadow of Intent unconscious while I was being repaired."

"Jesus..." Tom breathed. "I mean, Bishop told me you'd come all the way out here looking for Kiryuu Knight, but fancy having Otto's seal of approval!"

"I'm not doing this to win favors from anyone," Alan replied. "I'm just a fool who thought it was a good idea to bring Kiryuu back home."

"Join the club," Tom said, allowing himself a chuckle.

"Bishop didn't tell you we were also looking for Telek, did he?" Alan asked.

"Actually, he missed that part," Tom replied.

"You were starting to come around before I could get to that point," Bishop explained to Alan.

"Alright," Alan said. "So you're part of Telek's fleet; Otto told me that much. I didn't see any other ships in orbit though. So do you know where Telek is? I really want to have a word with him about this mission. Turns out he's got the same idea as me." He gained a strong feeling of foreboding when Tom shrugged.

"Honestly, I don't know," Tom said. "None of us in the fleet do. He suddenly took off on his own while we were in slip-space. Of course, Telek being Telek, he destroyed all of the trackers our ships had once upon a time, so we couldn't pinpoint him and he wasn't answering any hailing. So for about a fortnight now we've been trying to find him the old-fashioned way, scouting every planet as we go."

"Hence the reason you're on Pandora," Alan guessed.

"Yeah," Tom replied. "I drew the short straw to scout this place out. Bishop told me your slip-space drive got banged up, so you came down here looking for new parts. Dunno why you'd come to this hell-hole, mind."

"Unobtainium is the only material a suitable part can be made from," Bishop explained. "I only hope that José was able to get the ore we mined back to the ship safely."

"Not that it's doing us much good right now," Alan groaned. "How come we're still alive, anyway? I thought the Na'vi killed any intruders on-sight."

"I discovered a few Na'vi phrases in Sully's journal," Bishop replied. "I believe I was able to convince them to spare our lives for the time being. I am sure I asked them if we could see their leader, at any rate."

"What about you?" Alan asked Tom. "How'd they get you?"

"It's pretty embarrassing, actually," Tom said, wincing. "One of these little blue monkey-things on this planet snatched my ration pack. I chased it into the trees, and ran smack-bang into a group of Na'vi with very sharp sticks. Aeko's never gonna let me forget it; if he's alive, that is. I don't know why I'm still alive. Probably their idea of shits and giggles; let 'em think they've got a chance."

As Tom finished speaking, a new sound reached Alan's ears. Soft footsteps could be heard coming from behind the prisoners, gradually getting louder as they approached. Alan, Bishop and Tom tried to get a good look, but due to their bindings they could not turn far at all. They were sure that there was more than one person, however, and now the sounds of muttering reached their ears. It was a strange, alien language which they were speaking; as far as Alan was concerned, they might as well have been speaking in Swahili, for he did not understand a word. He heard one of the group move right behind him. A young man's voice could be heard, laughing and speaking in a mocking tone.

"I may have misheard," Bishop said, "but I think he just said that your tail is ridiculous."

Alan said nothing, but instead willed his long, reptilian tail to move. It suddenly flicked over to the left, and Alan felt an impact against it. The Na'vi behind him gave a startled yelp, and there was a thud as he was knocked to the ground.

"Looks like I found a use for it, though," Alan said, failing to suppress a smirk. Behind him, he could hear the small group of Na'vi speaking angrily in their native tongue. The one Alan had struck was picking himself up and screeching a number of angry curses.

Then there came a female's voice, much older-sounding than any of the other voices. It was also a strong, commanding voice, and it was rather angry. There were shuffling sounds, leading Alan to assume that the group was making a run for it. Someone was still around, however, for he heard footsteps approaching again. Finally, one of the Na'vi came into his view, walking to the front of the platform.

As it turned out, the Na'vi were humanoids that averaged around seven or eight feet tall. Their skin was blue, with odd markings on it that glowed slightly. They had small, thin tails, six fingers on each hand, large yellow eyes and small pointed ears. Though their hairstyles varied, their hair was a uniformly black colour, and they all had one long braid of hair; Alan remembered Jake Sully mentioning that this braid hid the tentacles underneath, used for some supposed connection to the wildlife, but he found that entire notion very hard to swallow.

This particular Na'vi seemed to be female, as she had a very feminine neckline. She was dressed head-to-foot in a ceremonial maroon-and-gold robe, and wore an ornamental head-dress over her braided hair. Her face seemed to be lined and showing signs of age, but her expression was resolute and somewhat spiteful; as she peered at the captives, her gaze seemed to drill right through them. She peered at Alan with particular ferocity.

"Sky-demon..." she snarled angrily. When she moved her lips, Alan noticed that some of her teeth were very sharp. "You had no right to attack my son that way!"

"You..." Tom stammered. "You speak our language?"

"I have not needed to speak in the tongue of the sky-demons for a long time," the Na'vi responded, a note of bitterness in her voice. "It was taught to me by one who proved herself to not be a demon, unlike so many others from the sky." She looked away for a moment, and Alan thought he saw an expression of sorrow flit across her face for a moment, but her expression quickly became resentful again.

"The others who we permitted to stay were weak," she said "They soon left our world. We vowed that no sky-demon would ever set foot here again, yet you persist in coming and scarring Eywa!"

"We do not wish for any trouble," Bishop said reasoningly. "We have what we came here for. If you will allow us to return to our ship, we can be on our way. You will never see us again."

"Lies!" the Na'vi shrieked. She actually grabbed Bishop's throat and moved as if to choke him. "You stink of one who has no soul! You would only bring more sky-demons down upon us! Why should we listen to a word you say?"

"Get your hands off him, you stuck-up cow!" Alan shouted indignantly. Tom muttered furiously, something about not antagonising the Na'vi, but Alan didn't care. He was tired of being polite; the only viable way to him seemed to be an aggressive approach.

"You attacked us!" he continued forcibly as the Na'vi rounded on him. "We would have been gone by now if your lot hadn't decided to pick a fight! If that's the way your people treat outsiders, it's no fucking wonder you nearly got yourselves wiped out!"

The Na'vi's initial response was to hiss like a cat. She was looking at him so furiously, her eyes would have been shooting sparks if they could.

"Do not dare to speak of what you cannot possibly understand!" she snarled.

"Then make me understand," Alan retorted, his expression severe and defiant. "You owe us that much, at least."

The Na'vi breathed hard for a moment, before turning away. It seemed that Alan had somehow got through to her. She took more breaths to steady her nerves, before turning to face Alan again. She still looked resentful at him, but when she spoke her tone was less fierce.

"The humans were not the first demons who tried to destroy us," she said. "Our ancestors still speak of it now; the pain and the destruction that the first demons brought down upon us..."

"Ancestors?" Alan asked. "What the smeg are you talking about?"

"I assume that she refers to their written records and history," Bishop mused. "Perhaps that is simply the term they use, for it is written by their ancestors." At this, the Na'vi gave an odd sort of snort, as if she had found something funny in what Bishop had said. She quickly reined herself in and continued speaking.

"The first of the demons came in many forms," she said. "It even used dreamwalkers, just like the humans, to deceive us. It wasn't until it was too late when we saw its true demonic self... We have no name for it in our tongue, but the ancestors remember it vividly... If Eywa had not risen to drive it back, then our world would have been destroyed by the golden demon of many faces."

"Golden demon of many faces?" Alan repeated. "That sounds familiar..." He knew of one creature that would fit her description, and it was then that he began to realise just how deeply the roots of the Na'vi's hatred of 'sky demons' lay. The light of understanding was also beginning to dawn in Tom's eyes; it seemed that he too had at least heard of the being Alan was thinking of.

"She doesn't mean..." he muttered. Meanwhile, the Na'vi was once again glaring at Alan with a look of unfathomable hatred.

"So do not take us for fools, sky-demon," she spat. "All who have come from the skies have sought to destroy us, and we will not allow that to happen. All sky-demons will pay the price for what they have done to us, for how they have tried to destroy Eywa."

"So why are we still alive?" Alan retorted.

"You will be made an example of," the Na'vi replied. "When the others demons see what has become of you, they will know that we will never let ourselves be destroyed. It is the will of my chieftain; my mate. You will die for the crimes of your black-hearted race!"

Even as she was speaking, however, a high-pitched whining could be heard over the treetops. As it grew louder, everyone looked up into the night sky to see glowing lights advancing closer as the sound grew louder. Seconds later, a green-painted Phantom swooped overhead, hovering above the canyon. Suddenly it fired from its plasma turrets, almost hitting the Na'vi and the captives. Clearly it was intended as a warning shot. Looking around him, Alan noticed that Tom had a smile on his face.

"Curse you..." the Na'vi hissed. She then ran deeper into the canyon, screaming "Curse all sky-demons!"

A shimmering purple light appeared underneath the Phantom, which Alan recognised as a gravity lift. Someone was being lowered slowly down the shaft of light. Upon touching the ground, it immediately ran over to the frame where the prisoners were tied. Alan saw that it was a Sangheili clad in what he recognised to be the white assault armour of a Special Operations Commander.

"Aeko!" Tom shouted, overjoyed. "Not a second too soon!"

"Shipmaster," Aeko replied calmly, as he worked to untie everyone's bonds. "You can't say that I didn't warn you about moving on your own in those woods."

"I know, I know," Tom said, wearily. "You can go ahead and kick my ass when we get back to the ship."

Aeko peered at Alan closely after he had freed Tom. "Are you the Shipmaster of the Serenity?" he asked, as he undid Alan's bonds.

"Yeah, that's me," Alan replied, taken aback at the apparent rescue mission. "You've seen my crew and my ship?"

"They are safe and well," Aeko replied. "I told them to follow us as quickly as possible."

As Alan was freed and he stepped off the platform, however, a new complication arose. The wailing battle-cries of the Na'vi sounded in the trees all around them, and Alan suddenly saw the outlines of what looked like giant birds, each piloted by a Na'vi, flying out of the surrounding trees and swooping towards the Phantom. The dropship fired in all directions, but it was apparent that it would be swarmed by the sheer number of the birds.

"Blasted creatures!" came the voice of the pilot through Aeko's communicator. "We will have to circle around the area to throw them off!"

"Understood," Aeko replied. "We will move to safer ground as quickly as possible. Meet us there." As the Phantom was forced to flee the area, pursued by the bird-riders, Aeko freed Bishop from his bonds. All three captives rushed to the tree stump and grabbed their supplies, with Tom holding the assault rifle like a seasoned pro.

"Pretty careless of them to leave these here," Alan smirked. "Pride comes before a fall."

"You're really keen to pick a fight with these guys, aren't you?" Tom said.

"Hey, they started it," Alan retorted. "Besides, I don't think there's any way we can reason with those clowns. They're obviously completely crazy."

"As much as I hate to generalise," Bishop lamented, "I fear that Alan may have a point. Whatever has happened to the Na'vi in the past, they have allowed themselves to become blinded by bitterness and pride. Their words and actions have made that apparent to me."

"There is no way out in that direction," Aeko said, pointing in the direction the Phantom had come from. "We will have to try heading deeper into the canyon to find an exit."

"If we can get out without the Na'vi eating us alive," Tom chimed in. "I don't like it; there are too many places they could ambush us. Still, I guess we don't have a choice."

Aeko led the way deeper between the two walls of rock, with Tom bringing up the rear. Alan kept spinning around, peering into every shadow. He could not help but feel that he was being toyed with and that at any second the Na'vi would jump out from cover and strike them down. Bishop, as ever, remained calm and collected. The canyon seemed to close around them as the group made their way deeper inside, as if the rocks themselves intended to move in and crush them just as they thought they were on the verge of safety.

All of a sudden the canyon widened to form a sort of clearing; part underground and part open-air. At the far end of the clearing was another passage leading to the other side of the canyon. In the middle of the clearing was what liked a gigantic glowing tree, vaguely reminiscent of a Peking Willow, with long strands hanging from its many branches. Unlike the other trees, however, this one glowed with a white light that seemed to subtly change colour. The roots snaked everywhere across the canyon floor.

At the base of the tree, Alan spotted two strange-shaped mounds of green roots. The shapes did not look natural for this place, but then again little about the planet seemed natural. Still, his curiosity got the better of him, and he broke away from the group to get a closer look. The others followed him, peering around them cautiously.

"Uh, Alan?" Tom interjected. "I don't think now's a good time for sight-seeing."

Alan ignored him, and kneeled down next to the mounds. He proceeded to pull away some of the green roots, and then immediately wished he had not. For underneath the roots were two human bodies, unclothed and perfectly preserved. It would be easy to believe they were both merely sleeping, if Alan had not checked for their pulses. One body he recognised to be Jake Sully, while the other was a red-haired woman in her 40s that he did not recall.

"What the...?" Alan muttered. It seemed reasonable to assume that some unique biological phenomena kept the bodies preserved even decades after the death, but he wondered what had happened to Jake. Alan had assumed that the soldier had gone into the wilds somewhere as a hermit; he had not expected this.

"That's far enough, changeling," a voice suddenly called from somewhere to his right. He spun round to find what he assumed was the Chieftain of the tribe. He was a tall, well-built Na'vi, wearing what looked like tribal battle armour, made from bone and leather hides. He was carrying a long spear in one hand, and looking at them all sternly. When Alan saw his square-jawed face, he had the distinct impression that he had seen this person before.

"Step away from the Tree of Souls," the chieftain repeated, "and drop your weapons. You're completely surrounded." As Alan peered around into the canyon walls, he saw several Na'vi in the dim glow, skittering along the rocks and drawing their bows. He also realised where he had heard the chieftain's voice before, though it definitely sounded more aged.

"Jake Sully?" Alan asked. He proceeded to hide his initial shock with sarcasm. "What's the matter? Got a bit addicted to the Avatar program?"

The chieftain formerly known as Jake Sully glared at Alan with his cat-like eyes, as if Alan had said a rude word.

"That life doesn't mean squat to me anymore," he said in a tone that was almost boastful. "The Na'vi found a way to transfer my mind into my Avatar permanently."

"How wonderful for you," Alan retorted in a very sarcastic manner. "So the woman I saw earlier must have been Neytiri, right?"

"Had a talk with you, did she?" Jake replied. "She told me you beat up my son, and I ought to scalp you right here and now for that."

"I'm starting to wonder what she saw in you," Alan spat. "Were you this big a blockhead before you became the big chief?"

"I was definitely a fool, I'll give you that," Jake retorted. "It took me until that day 28 years ago to realise what I needed to do. I would have died for Neytiri, and when both her father and Tsu'tey died, the Omaticaya needed a leader. I was proud to be chosen to unite them once more."

"Really?" Alan said, his voice full of venom. "Were you also so proud of the fact that you basically left the human race in the lurch? Were you proud of just letting them get slaughtered by the Covenant?"

"You weren't here," Jake spat. "You didn't see with your own eyes how men like Quaritch would have happily committed genocide for the sake of their war. He even murdered one of my best friends; one of my best human friends. I wanted nothing more to do with such a diseased race."

"You really are full of shit, aren't you?" Tom chimed in, raising his rifle. "I oughta-"

As he raised his rifle, the sound of the Na'vi tightening their bowstrings was audible. Alan raised a hand, cautioning Tom and the others while also drawing his own revolver.

"Ought to what?" Jake retorted. "Have you forgotten that you're trespassing on our most sacred grounds, are surrounded and have twenty arrows pointing at you? Just surrender quietly and we'll grant you all quick and merciful deaths."

At first, Alan was as tempted as Tom was to launch himself right at Jake, but he held himself in. An attack was just what the Avatar would be expecting, and he would know how to deal with that. This required a different approach.

Alan thought hard. He tried to recall what Kiryuu had written in his notes. The first step to getting out of any tight situation was to identify the source of the problem. Jake Sully was the problem; that much was obvious. However, it did not mean that he was also the solution. He recalled something Kiryuu had noted, a question that always had to be answered:

"What is the one thing your opponent doesn't want to happen in the next five minutes?"

In a flash, Alan realised what he had to do, though he did not like the plan that was forming in his head. This site was obviously important to the Na'vi, and he had a good idea as to why. He snapped the chamber in his revolver until it was in the correct position, then aimed the gun at a spot above his head. When he squeezed the trigger and fired, what emerged was not a bullet, but instead an enormous fireball which exploded into the air above the canyon. The Na'vi gasped in horror at the bright, burning flames. Slowly and resolutely, as the sudden light from the flames died away, Alan pointed his weapon directly at the Tree of Souls. His actions had the desired effect, for now Jake was starting to look very worried.

"That..." the Avatar stammered. "That's..."

"Technomancy," Alan finished, his expression grave. "If you remember that, you'll remember that it's outlawed on Earth. We're not on Earth though, are we?"

"You wouldn't...!" Jake shouted, his eyes widening in alarm as he realised what Alan was intending to do. "This tree is our most sacred site!" As he spoke, he pulled his long braid around in front of him, and parted some of the hairs on the tip. Alan now saw a set of tiny, flesh-coloured tentacles emerging from the tip.

"This is how we speak to everything on Pandora!" Jake continued. "Everything on this planet is connected. The plants, the animals... Everything! It all returns to the planet after it has gone, and the Tree of Souls lets us communicate with Eywa and the ancestors! They still survive, as part of Pandora!"

At once, Alan's expression contorted. He was struggling to hold back a burst of laughter that had threatened to escape.

"Bullshit," he said.

"I didn't believe it at first, either!" Jake said, whipping his braid back behind him. "Not until I experienced it myself. I'm not bullshitting you here! This tree is what lets us speak with Eywa and the ancestors. If it's destroyed, we'll lose everything that means something to us! It could even cause irreversible damage to all of Pandora! Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"Saving the human race from the Covenant's killing spree didn't mean anything to you, apparently," Alan spat. "Why the fuck should destroying your precious Na'vi's culture matter to me?" At this, Jake hissed angrily.

"You sound just like Quaritch..." he snarled.

"That's better than being a wanker," Alan retorted. "Right now though, all that matters to me is that I get these people safely out of here, and you're stopping me from doing that. Obviously this tree means something to you, so I can see this going two ways. If I can burn this tree down before your tribe gets us, we win. If not, of course, we lose." He held his grip on the gun more tightly, his eyes narrowed, his expression resolute.

"Well, you tree-hugging creep..." he snarled. "Do you feel lucky?"

0

Everything was tense for several seconds. None of those close to the tree seemed to know what was to be said. The Na'vi whispered furiously among themselves, awaiting orders from their chieftain. Alan continued to glare at Jake, his gun still pointed right at the Tree of Souls and ready to ignite it at any moment. To break the silence, Alan repeated his ultimatum.

"Call off your tribe, or I burn this tree down!" he said loudly enough for everyone to hear. Jake glared at him with an expression of fear, clearly worried about the fire-spitting Technomantic revolver. However, his expression contorted and became one of anger.

"Fine..." he snarled. "If you wanna play hardball..." He suddenly let out a Na'vi battle shriek and charged straight at Alan. The mutant was caught by surprise and was knocked backwards by Jake's tackle. The gun slipped from his grasp and dropped into the midst of the roots.

Meanwhile, the Na'vi surrounding the site decided to open fire. Thinking fast, Aeko dropped a portable shield generator which he had brought with him, and he, Tom and Bishop dived behind the glowing blue shield as it formed. Na'vi arrows impacted against it, cracking and splintering as they did so. Aeko and Tom fired back at the Na'vi as they tried to move to a better position. Two of them were cut down by the bullets and plasma fire, but as the rest retaliated the shield's blue glow began to turn red, indicating that it wasn't going to hold out much longer.

Alan, meanwhile, had managed to pull himself together long enough to grab his whip from its holster. It too had Technomantic properties, and when Alan let the line fall free it glowed a vivid blue colour, and crackled with sparks like a Sangheili energy sword. He rolled out of the way as Jake tried to skewer his head with the spear. The two traded blows, with Alan cracking the whip to keep Jake at bay while Jake swung with the spear.

This is all my fault, Alan thought, as he caught a glimpse of his companions pinned down behind the deteriorating shield. I should have destroyed that tree when I had the chance. This is what I get for hesitating!

After a few seconds, Alan noticed that, while Jake did have some skill, his age was beginning to catch up with him, and he made obvious telegraphs when he was about to make a large swing with the spear. Timing his move carefully, Alan slid under the spear as Jake swung it horizontally again, and managed to get in close. He lashed out with the whip, striking Jake dead-centre in the chest. His armour softened the blow slightly even as the whip cut it apart like tissue paper, but the cut formed was still long and agonising to Jake, who collapsed onto the roots and clutched his chest to try and stop the blood escaping.

Breathing hard, Alan crossed over to where his gun had fallen and grabbed it, holstering his whip. Jake watched helplessly as Alan crossed to the tree and began to raise his gun once again. There was only one thing he could do if he hoped to get himself and the others out of this alive.

"I don't want to do this," Alan said gravely, "but it's the only way I can end this madness!"

"No!" Jake shouted, panicked. He suddenly shouted out words in his native tongue, addressing the Na'vi in the shadows.

"Everyone, hold your fire!" Bishop suddenly shouted. "He just told his tribe to stand down!"

Alan gasped. He had been on the very verge of squeezing the trigger; his finger was clenched tightly around it. One twitch would have pulled it all the way, and the tree would be engulfed in flames. He turned to see the Na'vi retreating, slinking away into the shadows. Jake continued to lie amidst the roots, still clutching his wound, as Aeko retrieved the shield generator.

"Alright," Jake said sullenly. "You're free to go from here. However, once you leave this canyon, you'd better pray there's a ship waiting for you at the other end. The Omaticaya will hunt you to the ends of Pandora. There's nowhere out there in that jungle that you can hide. You have made an enemy today with this insult." His lips curled into a nasty sneer, and for a moment Alan was sorely tempted to shoot him there and then. Instead, he consoled himself by pointing his gun at the Tree of Souls again, causing Jake's expression to turn sour faster than a changing traffic light.

"Don't tempt me," the mutant snarled, a tone of disgust filling every syllable. "Just don't tempt me."

With that, he turned and marched around the Tree of Souls to the other side of the clearing. The others followed him to another path that led away from this site. Sacred or not, Alan was glad to be away from there, and away from one of the hardest decisions he had ever had to make in his life. As sorely tempted as he had been to make that tree burn, at the end of the day he wasn't sure if he wanted to be responsible for the destruction of an entire culture, no matter how idiotic it was to him. Besides, he knew he could never let Jake have the satisfaction of being proven right.

"Jesus..." Tom breathed as the glow from the Tree of Souls started to fade. "Is that what the Avatar program did to people? Turned them bat-shit bonkers?"

"Who knows," Alan muttered, "or cares?"

"I quite agree," Aeko chimed in. "We should be focusing more on getting back to the ship alive. We only earned a temporary reprieve."

Knowing that there was truth to Aeko's words, the group decided to pick up the pace. After several minutes of running without incident, the group finally emerged into a large clearing in the midst of the trees. Everyone stayed on the alert, peering around them into the trees and expecting an ambush. Alan rotated the barrel in his gun to a new setting, one which he really wanted to try out on any Na'vi that crossed them.

The welcome and familiar sound of the Phantom's engines could soon be heard overhead. As the group looked up, the ship sped into view. However, they saw that its plasma cannons were blazing, trying desperately to shoot down the swarms of flying creatures that were coming at it. Some scattered, but others were able to latch themselves onto the hull and begin trying to tear it apart, and the ship buffeted from side to side trying to throw them off.

One of the flying creatures broke off from the group and suddenly dived straight at the four on the ground. Alan barely had time to register that what he had seen were not birds at all. They were dragons, or at least creatures that resembled dragons, larger than a bear, each with four wings and in vivid colours, piloted by a Na'vi wearing a headband with eye-guards, like goggles. Unlike the dragons Alan had seen on Earth they did not seem to be sentient, but he saw a cord stemming from the dragon connected to the Na'vi's braid. The rider was literally plugged into the steed.

Of course, he didn't have time to admire these details, as he and the others pressed themselves flat against the ground. The sharp talons of the dragon stretched out for them, missing them by inches. A sharp wind swept through the area as the dragon passed over their heads. Quickly, Alan spun round and fired a shot with his revolver. This time, what looked like a large ball of electricity was launched, and by a stroke of luck it slammed into the back of the ascending dragon. Both rider and dragon started to tumble back to the ground, knocked unconscious by the crackling lightning, and soon went crashing into a tree. Alan was sure that they were alive, but he was not willing to bet on a soft landing.

"Thanks, Manda," he muttered. In spite of this small victory, however, the rest of the dragons continued to swarm the Phantom, and Alan was sure they would not survive if the ship was forced to retreat again. He looked around at the others, who all seemed resolved to go down fighting if it came to that.

All of a sudden plasma shots were fired from somewhere in the sky on Alan's right. The shots flew at the Phantom, but missed it, instead causing the dragons to scatter. Looking in the direction the shots came from, Alan was relieved to see the Serenity come charging through the skies towards the stricken Phantom, plasma cannons blazing. Its movement was rather shaky, as if the pilot did not have much confidence in their flying ability. It shot past the Phantom and swooped down towards the ground. At first Alan thought it was going to knock them down, but the ship managed to come to a stop in front of them. As the ship hovered so close to the ground, the jets lifted up grass and dirt all around them, and the group had to back away to avoid being blasted off their feet.

Even as the ship hovered, it lowered the large ramp leading into the airlock. Without hesitation, the group scrambled on board, and the ramp started to rise even before everyone was completely inside; Alan had to scramble over the edge and slide down into the airlock. As soon as the ramp was sealed shut, Bishop activated the filtration system and the artificial gravity, even as the ship suddenly lurched skywards, almost throwing everyone off their feet. At last the metal doors into the cargo bay opened and all four ran inside, with Alan, Tom and Aeko peeling off their air masks.

"Who the hell's flying this thing?" Alan called; as far as he knew, Bishop was the only one who could actually pilot a Firefly. He ran up to the flight deck, closely followed by the others, and found Alistair sat at the pilot's controls. The ship was now blasting skyward, with the night sky filling up the view of the windows, though the Phantom could be seen ahead of them, providing cover fire. José and Rachel were at the turret controls. The former ODST was in his element, manipulating the controls as if he had been born into them, picking out and shooting any red markers on the holographic targeting displays that came too close.

"¡Beza mi culo, pendejo!" he shouted, as another red mark went wheeling away from the ship. Rachel, meanwhile, looked much less comfortable at the controls of a gun, and only took half-hearted pot-shots. Finally the marks on the scanners faded away as the ships went too high for the Na'vi to follow. When all sound outside the Serenity faded away, Alan knew that at last they were safe.