XX: Macavity IX

"You aren't the RDA." Jake said coldly.

The smiling man in the business suit and tie shrugged, "Guilty as charged." Then held out his hands, "You must be the famous Jake Sully, am I right?"

Jake narrowed his eyes, "What do you want here?"

The businessman smiled, "Well, I would have thought that was obvious." Jake didn't respond, only stared holes into the man. Casually the man put his hands into his pockets, "A very fine place you have here. A new home, new location, no massive unobtainium deposit directly below it. Very smart. That's what they say isn't it? The most important thing? Location, location, location."

Jake clenched his fists, "Get on with it."

The man made a show of frowning, "Aw now that isn't neighborly, we did your people a favor. We removed the threat of the RDA on Pandora!"

Jake had to keep himself from snarling, "You didn't do anything except attack innocent people, the RDA have been gone for years."

The man shook his head, "Is that so? Well then there was nothing wrong with cleaning up the remaining weapon stores was there?"

Jake laid his ears back, "You nearly murdered a lot of people working together for the Earth and Pandora's sake!"

The man smiled, "Aw Jake, you know that was just a warning."

Jake bared his teeth, "Who, are, you?"

The man held out his hands again, "Oh no one important, you can call me Mr. Smith in fact; but the people I work for? Well, just consider us another corporation, and this?" The man grinned, "…a hostile take over."

Jake's tail lashed slightly, "So you want the unobtainum and you're willing to wipe out the indigenous peoples here to get it? I don't think the governments of earth will like that too much."

The man shrugged again, casually, "Once we establish a base here on Pandora, and corner the market on unobtainum well have all the money we need to keep the UN quiet… and if they decide to try and weed us out, well…" the man's teeth flashed, "I'd hate to see the natives caught in the middle of that." Jake's jaw nearly dropped. So that was why they hadn't immediately begun a Na'vi genocide. He was holding the Na'vi hostage while they plundered their land and established themselves. "Of course if someone were willing to say- get the natives to work for us- we'd be more than happy to cut them in on a small percentage of stock in the company. And as stock holders, their interests would be our interests, and you know how companies like to serve their own interests. We'd be more than happy to defend them from the RDA and provide aid from natural disasters, you know, all that sort of thing. And all they'd have to do is work maybe five to ten hours a day digging a bit. It'd be the perfect opportunity to make sure nothing 'sacred' was disturbed."

Jake couldn't believe his ears, "And if someone doesn't?"

Mr. Smith frowned dramatically, "Well, it's a long way from help out here, Mr. Sully, if some kind of horrible natural disaster were to happen… I don't know if aid would get here in time from earth."

The threat was obvious, hostage, genocide, and extortion. Whoever they were, they were ruthless, professional, and Jake knew, more than willing to do what they said. It sounded almost like, organized crime. Jake felt his hands dig into his bow shaft creaking the wood, but his eyes shifted once to the sky where he knew death for all of his people waited… with a single word. Jake looked back to Neytiri and the other who watched in confusion and fear… and Jake frowned. "This… is not something I can decide, by myself… I have to explain to everyone what is happening, in their terms, alright?" he said carefully. "Give me a day and you will have your answer." The man looked at him darkly, suspiciously. Jake met his gaze without confrontation, just simple patience.

Then the man perked and nodded, "Okay little boy blue, go blow your horn… we'll be waiting… and watching." Then he simply turned and went back to his craft. As he climbed the ladder the rest of the Na'vi began to edge forward, confused. Mr. Smith turned at the apex and smiled brightly, waving to all of them like a presidential candidate. He then entered the small craft, the engines whined, the lights flashed and then the jets roared. As powerfully as they came, the small craft powered into the air at a slow crawl, hummed and then shot back into the sky like a bullet.

Jake watched it disappear, and looked up once, as if he could feel the electronic eye like bugs crawling on his skin. With a hiss of disgust, Jake turned back to the confused people who were slowly gathering again. Neytiri stepped forward first, "Jake, what is this?" she could barely hold back her terror.

Jake frowned hardest at this, "A new problem, it isn't the RDA, it's someone else. Someone who doesn't care who gets hurt in the process of getting what they want and who won't bother risking any of their men in a battle. They ill gladly remain in orbit and scorch Pandora unless we agree to be their slaves."

Neytiri looked away, unable to grasp all that had been said. The rest of the Na'vi were equally affected, and all were silent in the display of the Sky People's true power, and cruelty. "My Jake… what can we do?"

Jake only looked at her sadly, "I don't know yet."

"Jake! Jake is everything alright? We heard over the comm. but it looks like they're returning to orbit." Norms voice spoke in Jake's ear.

Jake touched his throat, still looking at Neytiri, "Yeah Norm, they just left."

Norm's voice was shaking, "But if it's not the RDA, who are they?"

Jake sighed openly, "I don't know."

"We might." Max's voice said suddenly, "We got some more bad news for you." Jake knit his brow, Neytiri mirrored him, unable to hear the conversation in his ear. As Max went on to explain everything they just learned, Jake's eyes widened and the surprise on his face was stark. Neytiri worried for him, as did the rest of the Na'vi who had slowly gathered around them. Jake squeezed his eyes shut, then rubbed his left hand over them, and nodded to Neytiri.

"We've got a problem, but the plan is still the same. Disburse the Omaticaya, do not gather into large groups! I must go to Hell's Gate and I will bring the Stranger back with me." Jake said to the crowd.

Neytiri watched him carefully and then stepped close, "I will go." He didn't argue, instead the Na'vi slowly parted and they both immediately broke into a run back to Hell's Gate. The Omaticaya collectively watched them go, all hope resting on them.

…

Max, Norm, and Yawne stood facing Sun contemplatively, arms crossed. Sun stood meekly, mask set in place, hands fidgeting. "Sooo… do we, lock her up or something?" Norm shrugged, turning to the others.

Max grinned. Yawne pursed his lips, "No, besides we couldn't if we wanted to. She saved our lives and we have no jail, but, we can ask her a few questions. But! I think we should wait for Jake and Neytiri before we get down to it, they'll probably have more intelligent questions. Military questions."

"Sounds good I suppose…" Norm shrugged. Sun had stopped crying a while ago, she was now just watching the monitors in silence, where Peyral still continued to speak to the Stranger. She had a very mixed expression on her face as she watched the two beings, both completely alien on an alien world. All the memories flashed through her mind, then time tables, the reasons, and lastly… the betrayal.

…

Peyral crouched in the grass, hands swirling in the flowing short blades. Why the humans needed to cut it so short she cold not understand, but they continued to do so. The Stranger stood a part from her, tail still wrapped around his waist. It was the longest she had ever seen, twice as long and mobile as a Na'vi tail, it was nearly as articulate as a hand. Its thickness was thrice that of a Na'vi's, strong, but she could not read the emotive side of it. It reacted to his thoughts and actions almost as if it had its own mind, but there were no emotions present such as with a Na'vi, to show his mood or emotional state. He did not set it rigid if afraid or lash it if angry, at least, as far as she could tell. She had been watching the Stranger carefully, curious more than afraid now. She'd made a note of trying to connect his eyes to his tail motions, trying to read what he was thinking and feeling and see if there was a corresponding body language. Ye his actions and thoughts were apparently as alien as his new form. She couldn't read him whatsoever.

He did not move like a sky person, he did not move like a Na'vi. He did not move like anything on Pandora, and she wasn't certain about earth movements. She would have to ask Yawne to study him for herself for a while. At the moment however, she tried to get a grasp on the Strangers thinking, asking him questions every now and again and though he answered them and remained near… she couldn't make heads or tails of his answers. They were basic enough, sure, but… confusing. "Did you swim on your world?" she tried.

Again he seemed startled by the question and his tail shifted slightly, his eyes darting about before settling again. "Before, it became too polluted, always got swimmers ear."

Peyral frowned and looked back at the grass. Swimmers ear? The Stranger didn't seem to note her confusion, because he returned to looking at her crouching there. Studying her features as she was his. She was keenly aware of his eyes tracing her face, her brow and nose, darting away if she looked, and then slowly returning back to her neck; down her collar bone line, the curve of her shoulder and darting down to her fingers swirling in the grass. He looked at her toes, then eyes caught her tail, followed the movements, and along the slope of her foreleg and thigh. Suddenly his eyes would flick up to her necklace, she watched him as he became lost in the intricate patterns, the weave, the design and textures. His eyes didn't slip, as she waited for, instead he seemed to be committing every single detail of her to memory. His eyes followed the flow of her necklace, into her hair, then climbed up to her head and swiveling ears. Peyral paused then, in her thoughts, and simply watched him watch her.

Her eyes flowed over his strange curling tail hooked in the base of his spine, ridged there like a bent finger, the slope of his lower back rising up into his shoulder blades- broader than a Na'vi- up into the muscles of his neck and shoulders, they were broad too, not half as broad as Yawne's but if he were the same size as a Na'vi… Peyral began comparing. His neck was slim, not as long as Na'vi but longer than a sky person's. His throat curved into his chin where rested that strange hair the sky people had but the Na'vi did not. She tried to imagine what it would feel like when he kissed someone. She followed the line of his dimpled chin into his jaw and around to his round low ears. It was odd, she thought, having stationary ears… and so low, she wondered how they heard anything at all. She moved to his slim nose, his haired brow. She flicked up to his hair line, a peak that erupted into a mane of hair that brushed past his shoulders but went no further. The strands were delicate, fine, fragile even from here. It made her want to touch them just to see how soft they were. But there was no queue.

A strange thing indeed and almost startling, no queue… it was like looking upon a blind or deaf Na'vi. Impaired, imperfect, a sense dead one. Peyral let her eyes roll down the waves of his hair to his arms, she could see muscle there, though he should have been as weak as a yearling. She followed the strange shift in that blank skin, without mark, without pattern. Like looking into a void. The stark whiteness of his flesh, moving as he breathed- would his flesh be as soft as the grubs? She noted his long legs, slim in the calves, as if speed waiting to happen. She noted his ankles hidden in the grass and blinked as she saw his toes wiggle. She followed his leg up, seeing the triangular knee, and the strange flatness below it; like a plate. Moving up she again returned to his tail, the strange light blue veins tracing across it, the light red spots every now and again, there was so much detail in that blank canvas if she looked hard enough. There, a small brown spot, what was it? What did it feel like? Why did he have it there and not higher, or lower? The curves of his tail, flowing and aloft- always held up, balanced like a ribbon on the wind.

Peyral slowly traced her fingers tips along the length of his tail, her touch noting the slight ridges of bone and the intricate muscles connecting them all. Supple flesh, wound tight, it was so very strange yet soft beneath her fingers. Softer then grub skin, softer than a baby, like nothing she had ever felt; but what was beneath those folds, what was hidd- Peyeral startled when his tail shifted away from her digging fingers. Her eyes flew up to his own, staring into her in a kind of terror. Peyral whipped her head behind her; no, it was she who had moved, he had remained still! Peyral drew her hand away, face burning. She didn't recall coming closer, she didn't recall reaching out, she had not even realized she was touching him. She had moved the ten feet completely mesmerized, Peyral felt a funny tingle in the back of her skull, a pull. Peyral meekly shifted away from the still Stranger, she couldn't meet his gaze and her ears were hot like fire. She turned her back, realizing her heart was pounding and her breath fast, Peyral looked down upon her Queue… and noted the pink tendrils winding and reaching.

…

Yawne was outside the moment she had begun to move, and now he stood a few feet from them both. The silence between them all louder than a scream. Yawne's face was dark confusion, Peyral looked up in muted wonder. The Stranger stared at both, with wide eyes and body leaning further toward freedom. Yawne moved forward, eyes hard, and Peyral leaped upon him. Surprised Yawne stumbled as Peyral viciously kissed him, teeth flashing as she bit at his chin and neck. Yawne made to comment, but Peyral practically began chewing on his neck. The confusion from before melted away into a different kind of confusion. Peyral wasted no time in words or answer, she gripped Yawne, her Yawne, in strong arms and pulled him away from the Stranger and Hell's Gate. Yawne made to say something to the Stranger, even holding out his pointer finger, Peyral nearly jerked him off his feet in her rush to get away. Yawne sighed as his jaw clamped shut and he was yanked across the open grass and over the gate beyond into the tree line. The Stranger watched all of this like someone who had come home to discover his house ransacked by eighty neighborhood cats.

When two Na'vi came dashing over the fence and landing on the far side of him, he nearly jumped and reflexively hugged himself. It was not the two from before though. It was the other two. Jake and Neytiri closed the distance between themselves and the Stranger at a walk- not wishing to startle him but in a hurry none the less. The instant they got within a few feet of him his white knuckles made them stop dead. Jake held out his hands soothingly. "Whoa, calm down, we aren't here to hurt you."

The Stranger's balloon eyes didn't waiver as he slowly shook his head. "I don't know what you want with me."

Jake and Neytiri looked at each other in confusion. Then Jake touched a hand to his neck, "Sorry, say again Norm?" Neytiri and the Stranger watched Jake as Jake looked down and listened carefully. Slowly the Strangers eyes moved to Neytiri nervously, Jake's face screwed up slightly. "What?" he said slightly amused as if Norm was joking with him. His smile dropped slightly. Jake looked up at the Stranger, the Stranger's eyes flew to him. Jake half smiled, as if still not believing; then he looked down. Jake nearly jumped out of his skin as he realized he was holding Neytiri's hand and rubbing his thumb into the back of it without realizing it. Neytiri followed his gaze and was just as startled. Jake turned back to the Stranger who was now literally covering himself and flinched away as if they were going to reach out and grab him. Jake and Neytiri both looked to each other. "Maybe, we'd better not take him to the Omaticaya as soon as possible…" Jake said in Na'vi.

Neytiri knit her brow, "I do not understand My Jake." her other hand moved up and pushed some hair behind his right ear lovingly.

Jake reached up and took it, "Neither do I, but apparently it something we need to know before we expose him to the other Na'vi." Jake smiled, his breath becoming a little heavier.

"Expose me?" The Stranger said suddenly in Na'vi, slightly high, Na'vi.

Jake had forgotten he spoke it, he turned with a comical 'o' expression. "Uh… listen, what's your name?" Jake tried.

"What do you mean expose me?" The Stranger repeated.

Jake licked his lips, then spoke in English, "Oh boy, um. Look, whatever your name is, it isn't what you think- the spiritual leader of the Omaticaya wishes to meet you. That is all, she just wants to talk to you."

"She?" the Stranger's voice broke.

Jake felt a slow kind of heaviness in his stomach, "Look man, there is nothing to be afraid of, no one is going to hurt you…" Jake's eyes flicked up, "…well, none of the Omaticaya or the people at Hell's Gate anyway." The Stranger was not comforted. His limbs became more taunt, he looked like a deer about to make a run for it. Jake knew there was no time to chase him down. "Look, we'll explain everything if you'll let us. I give you my word no one will lay a finger on you if you don't want them too."

"Your word?" the Stranger said suddenly.

Jake held out his hands, "Yeah, my word, I promise you."

"And mine as well." Neytiri stepped forward.

The Stranger narrowed his eyes then, hands digging into his arms. There was a long moment of silence and Jake felt the strange heaviness in his stomach slowly fade. Jake held his hand out, face open and waiting for answer. The Stranger looked at them both with his strange piercing gaze, his tail shifted slightly and his hands visibly relaxed, leaving red marks on his arms. "Okay, but on one condition…"

"Name it." Jake smiled.

"Pants… I want some Pants."