Two Rocks — Chapter XIV

F.O.B. Ticonderoga — Evening

Following a maddening lesson that involved contortion of the lips, manipulation of the tongue, and producing an ungodly noise that reminded Wade of walruses in those old nature documentaries, Asher was free to find dinner before tonight's hopeful meeting. It took him a while to find something appetizing amidst the limited options available, desperately wanting to avoid the dreaded 'Spaghetti & Meatballs' that had a notorious reputation for wreaking havoc on his stomach. As he rummaged through the box, he stumbled upon a humble bowl of chicken noodle soup—perhaps the only one of its kind, only to discover that its expiration date had long passed, raising doubts about its freshness.

"Please don't kill me," he mumbled to himself, carrying the bowl into the makeshift kitchen.

Returning to the main room where they shared the only stupid table in the bunker, wisps of steam lazily drifted upward from Asher's bowl as he settled himself across from Danielle. Her eyes, that he could see, were fixed on the screen, completely engrossed in reading his latest report on her tablet. Glancing down to his bowl, the artificial hues of the chicken and noodles gave off an impression that this was nothing more than prison slop. But since Asher had never been to prison, he refrained from passing judgment on its culinary taste.

Dipping his spoon into the bowl, Asher stirred the broth to bring the pieces of chicken and noodle to the surface. He was amazed to find the chicken to be massive chunks, whereas the noodle were skimpy and few. Undeterred because he was hungry and had no time to whine about his choices, he scooped them up and took a bite where he found the chicken to be pleasantly chewy, tender, and enjoyable. The noodles on the other hand, were dissolving in the soup. After eating up all the chicken, he turned his attention to sipping the flavorful broth, which, judging by Danielle's annoyed expression, seemed to be testing her patience.

Figuring she could alter this course of Asher's infuriating slurping to something more… sensible, she turned his attention to his report.

"So," Danielle quietly said, "You crossed paths with a woman named Mo'at, hmh?" Her gaze oscillated between Asher and the tablet she clutched, making sure she got that right.

With bits of broth dampening his mouth, Asher looked up from his bowl and nodded in response to her question.

"I met her twice," Danielle remarked, her finger tapping something on the tablet that remained out of Asher's view. "Once, after Jake kicked the RDA off. And again when she was visiting Hell's Gate with her family. She hated being there, not that I blame her, but from my brief interaction with her, she seemed nice, if not mildly put off by our presence."

Once again, Asher nodded, unable to speak as he finished the last sips of his soup.

"Yeah," Danielle said, her thoughts momentarily drifting back to the past as she placed the tablet on the table. "You're lucky."

"Lucky—lucky how?" Asher finally gasped as he wiped the residue of the soup with a napkin.

"Lucky that you get to interact with the Na'vi," Danielle explained. "Because they're really nice when you get to know them."

Asher couldn't help but chuckle in response. "Yeah? So far, they wanted to kill me."

Danielle waved her hand dismissively to his comment. "That's because you're new to them. Once you get to know them, once you start to know who they are, is when you begin to realize they're just like us—what we use to be. They have a community that we lack. They have spirituality that we simply exchanged for the ideological gods of politics, science, and religion. They have land that they can use. Fresh air to breathe. The open sea. And they do not waste any of it!"

Seated in contemplative silence, Asher listened to Danielle's perspective on the Na'vi, but he couldn't fully agree with her assessment. Not as far as the Na'vi being somehow, enigmatically superior to humans.

"They are also going to die here, you know," Asher flatly stated, "our world may be dying, in fact, it's already dead. We just haven't accepted it yet. But we have the stars and so far, the Na'vi are content with their own species going the way of the tiger. Our species? Never. We are already colonizing Mars, the moons of Jupiter, and beyond. I mean, look at us. We're on a moon right now, four light years away. They haven't even invented the damn wheel, let alone use metal. So when an asteroid strikes this moon, they're gone. If their suns explode. They're gone. Our species meanwhile lives on, even when Earth is gone, we'll be here, living, breathing, and surviving. I mean just think about it for a second. Our species were using metal nearly six-thousand years ago. The Na'vi? They've been here longer than homo sapiens and the only thing they can come up with is… a bow? A spear?"

Danielle started to laugh. It was ridiculous to hear this point preached so often by the RDA that it had become its own parody by this point.

"Mr. Asher," she said through her laughter. "The Na'vi are not interested in immortality. They're interested in living in the present—because they know that with time, all good things do go away. It's why they have not evolved to utilize more complex tools—because why? Because they have no reason to. They do not engage in wars. They don't fight over resources. They don't go on crusades. They share this world together. The mistake our species made was that we saw each other as rivals. The Na'vi haven't."

Danielle leaned back in her chair, finally relaxing, and emphasized, "Family, Mr. Asher, is the most important thing to the Na'vi and family is what keeps them far more happier than something like a rock."

That was one sentiment that Asher and the Na'vi agreed on. "Precisely why I want to wrap this mission up as quickly and smoothly as possible and go home. Because my family is waiting for me."

A fleeting pause fell on Danielle, stunned to hear a point of admission that Asher had a family waiting for him. It was a rarity within the ranks of the RDA, unless one possessed the audacity to bring their families to Pandora—a trend she started to observe among the initial wave of so-called 'colonists', that anyone ever talked about a family or a loved one waiting for them on Earth. Likely because as she believed, everyone wanted to show strength and avoid revealing weaknesses to a harsh mistress who would chew them up and spit them out.

"You have a family waiting for you back on Earth?" asks Danielle.

"Sure do," Asher replied, his mind flooding with the faces of his sister, mother, father. "And I miss them. A lot."

"My mother died from lung cancer," Danielle said, her tone carrying a tinge of melancholy as she continued, "Both my parents lived near these pyramid refineries. And the local government, eager to invite this company around because they produce energy from burning trash, protected them despite these pyramids spewing tons of chemicals into the air, that eventually infected everyone in a fifty-mile radius. I was lucky enough to be born when they moved up north."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Danielle shook her head, a gentle smile gracing her features as she sought to reassure him. "It's okay. That was almost twenty-one years ago. Now my family is—was the people who stayed here on Pandora. I'm sure my father believes I either died or turned traitor. But I haven't. I often find myself thinking about them as much as I think about the Na'vi and what could've been." Finding Asher's face again, she noticed that he didn't mention his family, other than he missed them.

"By the way, Mr. Asher, what is their names?"

"Who? My family?"

Danielle smiled, "Yes."

Asher didn't know how to answer the question. He felt that revealing such sensitive information about himself could be used against him, as it has been done to numerous other diplomats who got too close to their subjects. Moreover, no one had ever cared enough to know who he was, other than acknowledging that he was a UNE diplomat, sent to do a job, and once the job was finished, he would move on with his life, leaving behind the remnants of the people he interacted with as mere memory to reminiscence when he got drunk. But seeing as Danielle was talking about her family and that he was stuck with both her and Wade, Asher arrive with the conclusion that she was seeing him less of a co-worker but as a friend.

Friend. The very word stood parallel against the principle of his job. He never had friends, saved for one of his best friends back in school that died shortly after Asher had joined the army. Since then, there was no other friend and sensing that Danielle was still more than curious to know who Asher's family was made him deathly quiet to her question. However, as he sat across from her, staring at her with an inquisitive expression that could make a monk blush, he relented in giving her somewhat of an answer to chew on.

"My sister was named after my mother's grandmother. Irene." Asher said softly, his own memories of home—of Earth was coming back to him. "It was a draw. Uh-that my mother and father agreed upon that if they have one son and one daughter, that my mother gets to name the daughter and my father gets to name the son. They were lucky enough to have that exact amount. So my dad got to name me Rayan, which is spelled R-A-Y-A-N, because it sounds like 'Ryan', which is close enough to fool all those Americans, right?" Asher chuckled, remembering how his father told him the story of his name.

"And my dad is from Jordan. His name is Marwan. He said that his father's father-father-father was an English man who married a Jordanian woman, who was my great-great-great grandmother, which is how we got our last name—Asher. Don't know what his first name was, come to think of it, but I guess that means I'm a mutt of some kind." Asher mused and grinned.

"And your mother's name?" Danielle asked, now intrigued by this history of Asher.

"Katherine."

"Beautiful name."

A mischievous glint danced in Asher's eyes as he playfully pointed his finger at her. "Enough about me. What about you—and your family?"

Danielle glanced at her watch and shook her head. "Another time maybe. You got to go back before they go to sleep."

"Already?" Asher said, his eyes flying to the windows behind him where it showed that it was still daylight outside. "Man, what the hell is wrong with this place? One moment it's dark, another, it's super bright. Some days, it's dark all day long. Don't know what gives."

The chair screeched as Danielle stood up. "That's Pandora for ya. Thought you would get used to it by now?"

"Nope. Never." He stated coolly, his grin showing as much.

"Y'know buddy," Wade shouted from the link room as his fingers rapidly typed away at the computer station. "You have to stress the syllables. You make it sound like you're too new at this. You also need to carry some kind of accent. Don't speak with a bland, American accent."

Asher chuckled, but his laughter quickly dissipated as he stepped into the link room. At that very moment, he was staring at what appeared to be a tree seemingly piercing through the wall.

"What… the…" he timidly whispered.

Unaware of Asher's distress, Wade asked, "what's that bud?"

Silent and motionless, Asher's gaze remained fixed on the tree. His mind struggled to make sense of how this was happening, as its spectral presence bled through the solid concrete wall, defying all logic he had once held onto. Fearing he might be trapped in a dream, he cautiously waved his hand through the tree, only to find his hand going through it, defying any rational explanation for its existence in this current plane of existence. Confusion overrode his face with a healthy dose of fear that prompted Asher to quickly move to the link bed, believing that it will vanish once he grabbed onto something real. When his fingers licked for the edge of the bed, he turned and saw that the tree was still there, challenging his sanity.

Now he was beginning to freak out. Turning to Wade, he eagerly tapped on his shoulder, his voice trapped in a tightening throat that prevented him from speaking but all the more desperate to find out what was wrong with him.

Wade turned and noticed the bewildered expression etched across Asher's face. "Whoa, bud… you look ill. Are you alright?"

Before Asher could articulate what he had just witnessed, he quickly glanced back at the spot where the tree had been, only to find that it had disappeared—completely. What the hell was going on? Was he losing it? Was it the psionic delirium? He prayed it wasn't the latter.

Wade at the same time followed Asher's troubling gaze but found nothing there. Glancing back, he asked, "Hey-bud, seriously, are you okay?"

Asher tried to brush off the strange experience by shaking his head. "I think I'm just tired or something."

"Tired? What—hold on, are you sure because you look like you caught the flu." Wade said, leaning in closer to get a better look at Asher. He scanned Asher's face but found nothing overtly wrong with the driver, except for the stubble growing on his face. Other than that, Wade couldn't identify any other issues. However, he couldn't allow Asher to drive the avatar if he wasn't feeling well. The last thing they needed was Asher puking in the link bed.

"Yeah, I'm just tired, that's all," Asher assured as he pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed his eyes.

With Wade still standing in front of him, concern written in his expression, Asher looked up and attempted to project a confident smile to reassure Wade. "Seriously. I'm good. Let's go."

"Are you absolutely sure, bud?"

Asher gave a resolute nod. "Yeah. C'mon. I want to get back before someone gets the jump on the avatar."

Wade hesitated for a moment, his hand reaching over to squeeze Asher's shoulder, wanting one last good look of him, ensuring to both Asher and himself that he was okay. After a few seconds, Wade nodded and stepped back. "Alright, this is your call."

Lying in the link bed, Asher was forced to stare at the ceiling, his mind consumed with ideas of how to bring up the subject of the peace treaty with Jake without causing any offense by stepping on any toes, or was it tails? While he was lost in the talkative voice of his thoughts, Wade leaned over to retrieve the cover, his body briefly casting a shadow across Asher's vision, triggering his brain to see the forest's ethereal glow within the depths of Wade's shadow.

Startled, Asher snapped his eyes shut, unwilling to witness any more of the strangeness that was going on. He almost wanted to let Wade know he was seeing something but as soon as the cover sealed him in the link unit, he opened his eyes, finding nothing there. A sudden urge to connect with his avatar swept over him, as if it would somehow reset his mind.

"C'mon, let's go Wade." Asher called out, impatient but also fearful that he was going to hallucinate more of this if he remained here any longer.

"Gotcha, bud!" Wade responded and with a few clicks on the computer, the link unit was synchronized with the avatar, throwing Asher's consciousness into the avatar that awaited on the other end.

High Camp, Ayram Alusìng — 15 Minutes Earlier

"Stop being so paranoid, Spider." Kiri playfully chided, firmly gripping the human teen's hand as she led him back towards the science shack. When did he become such a worry-wart? Wait, was that the right way to say it? She briefly pondered as they entered the dark cave, with only the light from the science shack casting their shadows against the cave walls.

"Yeah but—" Spider's attempt of protesting was squashed when she interrupted him.

"but nothing!" Kiri said, her expression sharing a mischievous smile with the teen. "You want to see the uniltìrantokx or not?"

"S-sure, Kiri. But your dad, your mom. If we get caught—"

"For the fifth time, Spider, we're not going to get caught. Mom and dad are talking to Olo'eykte Amanti. Uncle Norm and the rest are also talking to the People. Do you know what that means?"

He looked across to her and said, "Yeah, it means we shouldn't be here!"

Kiri snorted, "It means we can sneak into the place and find him." And also to talk to the dreamwalker myself, Kiri thought as she walked up the side stairway entrance.

Spider remained hesitant, his gaze darting around anxiously, convinced they would inevitably get caught. The memory of Neytiri, Kiri's mother, nearly slitting his throat for a similar reckless act lingered in his mind. Instead, she had spared him, unleashing a furious tirade that emphasized how he didn't belong among the People, but more importantly, that he had no business being around her sons or her daughters. Did that stop him? No. However, he had always maintained caution in Neytiri's presence. But now he was beginning to believe that Kiri would be the death of him by dragging him to places he shouldn't be.

At the entrance, Kiri looked over at the keypad, her smirk finding its way to her as she punched in: One-Seven-Seven-Five. What a strange number to use but it worked! The green light prompted her to turn around and snatch Spider's worrisome hand.

"C'mon monkey boy. You're not going to want to miss this." She said as she pulled open the door and urged him inside.

"Kiri!" Spider cried in protest.

"I swear, you're like-a-a—"

"Like a what?" Spider demanded, crossing his arms, and furrowing his brow, resembling an angry child who didn't get their way. His expression almost made Kiri burst into laughter, but she suppressed it, knowing it would only make him more furious. Sealing the door behind them, she moved to the gate's corner, contemplating what he resembled before finally blurting out, "Like a baby!" She playfully stuck out her tongue, unable to resist teasing him.

The light above the door turned green, which was also a signal for Spider to remove his mask. "I'm not a baby," he muttered under his breath. "I'm a warrior. Like your dad!"

Kiri rolled her eyes. "Yeah sure."

Standing side by side against the door, they applied gentle pressure, mindful of the creaking noise it made when the door was opened. As a narrow gap emerged, Spider squinted with one eye, peering through to confirm that the coast was indeed clear, just as Kiri had believed. Upon entering the shack, Spider noticed that most of the lights were off, save for faint glows emanating from the lab's holographic monitors. A soft electronic hum could be heard coming from a nearby server. However, there was no sign or sound of anyone else inside.

"Okay," he whispered to her, "It's all clear."

Entering the lab with caution, Kiri closed the door behind them, ensuring their presence remained undetected. She reached over to the side of the entrance where a rack held the breathing masks and smoothly slipped one over her face while securing the respirator tank onto the strap of her tewng. Spider, meanwhile, scanned their surroundings with eagerness in his eyes.

"Well, your mom is still here," he whispered, his voice barely audible. He stood on his toes, peering above the computer desks that encircled the main hub of the shack. "But I don't see the dreamwalker."

"He's over here," Kiri said, pointing off to an adjoining corridor.

Taking the lead, Kiri waved quickly to her mother in the amnio tank before guiding Spider to the far end of the shack. It only took them several seconds until they arrived to a room where a glass wall shielded them from the avatar that lied asleep on the gurney. They could see a mask tightly hugging his face, partially obscuring his human features, which in turn, made him almost look like… them.

"Whoa!" Spider exclaimed, his face pressing up against the wall. "He's big."

"Not so loud, Spider!" Kiri whispered, holding onto his shoulder to prevent him from making any more noise.

"Oh now you're worried we're going to get in trouble," he said with one of his signature sarcastic looks.

Kiri frowned then grinned. "No, but let's try to be careful and respectful of Uncle Norm's place."

"I thought Max and the other scientists owned this place?"

"Sure but seriously Spider, let's be careful," Kiri urged.

Spider nodded, understanding what Kiri meant as he backed away from the glass wall, leaving behind an imprint of grease marks.

"What's he doing here anyways?" Spider asked.

"I don't know," she said as she pushed open the door. An immediate and unpleasant smell assaulted her senses, causing Kiri to gag in disgust. She hastily covered her nose with her hand, although it did little to shield her from the odor emanating from the dreamwalker. She couldn't recall dreamwalkers ever smelling this bad. Most of the time, they had a decent scent that she didn't mind at all. But this one? Kiri's tail flicked back and forth in an irritated state as she distanced herself from the man, hoping to cure herself from wanting to puke all over the floor.

It didn't work.

Spider, on the other hand, paid no mind to the smell and dashed over to the avatar, seemingly forgetting the possibility of being caught at any moment.

"Spider!" She hissed, trying to stop him from doing something stupid.

Unheeding, Spider leaned in, his face mere centimeters away from the avatar's, his insatiable curiosity overriding any semblance of rationality as he absorbed every intricate detail of the dreamwalker's presence.

Despite Kiri's attempts to intervene and stop Spider, she felt an overwhelming pull, an inexplicable tug that made her glance across to the dreamwalker and approach him with reasons that were beyond her capacity to understand. Her previous incarnation would have rallied against this impulse, even her own father's vehement warning echoing in her ear failed to adequately prevent her from reaching the gurney and stand beside Spider, her gaze transfixed, analyzing the specimen that was the avatar. Her eyes unevenly danced over the dreamwalker, captivated by something emanating from his form. Although she had encountered numerous dreamwalkers at High Camp, this particular one held her attention like a lily pad caught in a whirlpool.

What was different about him? She asked herself. His face bore the familiar human features, as expected, but to her surprise, she noticed a distinct peculiarity on his face—he lacked eyebrows.

I have eyebrows, she thought, touching her own hairy-human eyebrows to confirm as such. But why does he not have any? Was he special?

Her inspection continued, where she found a watch on his left wrist—a common feature among dreamwalkers, she noted. However, he had no necklace, and his hair, much like hers, possessed a wild untidiness that suggested he did not care much for looks. More so, he didn't even braid his hair. Why? The other dreamwalkers did. Some even braided in a similar fashion of the Omatikaya. There was also a white bandage around his neck, indicating mother's attempt of killing the dreamwalker. Strange how everything turned out that the dreamwalker remained alive despite Neytiri's attempts of robbing his life away.

Her attention slowly migrated towards his attire. Known as 'shorts' and 'shirts', there was nothing remarkable about them. His shirt sported the typical camouflage pattern, as if he hoped to blend in with the forest and elude the watchful eyes of the Na'vi warriors. However, his shorts were a lifeless, dull shade of green, devoid of any vibrancy to them. But her ever inquisitive nature soon brought her to subconsciously pinch at his shirt, wondering what exactly it felt like between her fingers. She tried to imagine wearing one but as soon as the material met her finger pads, she refused to believe she could wear one, citing the itchy way it ran underneath her fingers.

How could they wear something like this? She pondered.

Her insatiable curiosity eventually led her to circle around the dreamwalker, drawn to the intrigue of his human footwear. She extended her hand and gently touched the boots, confirming her expectation of their hardness and rough texture under her fingers. Unlike the People, who relied on their bare feet to feel their way through the forest, the dreamwalker seemed to depend on these shoes, further emphasizing his unfamiliarity through her world. Which also explained the scratches that lacerated his legs, indicating that he had no clue how to navigate through the forest, let alone how to use the forest to his advantage.

"What's his name?" Spider inquired, looking up at her.

Taking a step back and pulling on the mesh tunic that her grandmother had woven for her, she finally heard Spider's question echoing, drawing her attention back to her friend.

"I do not know," she answered him.

Suddenly, something within her compelled Kiri to reach out and place her hand on the dreamwalker's forehead. With her index finger, she lightly prodded his head, half-expecting a response, but none came. Confusion washed over her. Why did she do that? She couldn't bring herself to leave or ignore him and now she was touching him, as if he was some kind of scab that she needed to scratch. His mere presence here felt intense, almost… dangerous and she could do nothing about it except watch him.

"Huh," she finally mumbled.

Spider, witnessing her strange behavior, curiously asked, "Why did you touch him?"

"I just felt, something…" she said, trying to explain as her thoughts trailed off. "He's fire, or on fire."

Spider chuckled. "You sound crazy when you talk like that."

"Crazy?" She repeated, her eyebrows furrowing at the word. "You think I'm crazy?"

Spider, sensing her tone, immediately backtracked. "No-no. I mean. Uh…I mean. No one talks like that—that's all. Not even your grandmother talks like you do."

"It's just how I sense things, Spider. I don't know how to put it into words for you or anyone else to understand. I mean—I desire to know myself too but," she bowed her head, wondering if the answer was between her toes. "But, I don't know Spider." She said. Kiri then brought her hand to hover over the avatar, wondering where this heat source was coming from.

Spider looked at her solemnly, "I didn't mean to hurt you, Kiri."

A smile graced her lips, "I know monkey boy."

Immediately after Kiri said this, the avatar groaned, his connection stabilizing as Asher slowly opened his groggy eyes, where the haze of bleary vision met his confusion. He noticed between his lost bearings that a strange-looking human kid was standing across from him, awkwardly sharing a smile with Asher.

"Kiri!" Spider cried, his finger pointing to the avatar. "He's waking up!"

"Easy, monkey boy," Kiri responded, walking over to stand behind Spider. "We don't need to frighten him."

Sitting up, Asher ran a hand through the strands of hair that fell over his eyes, forgetting that he had long hair in this body, compared to his short crew cut hair in his human one. "Urgh, please don't tell me you're here to kill me." Asher said, his voice raspy and dry.

Spider smirked, his arms crossing defiantly. "Nope. We're not."

Adjusting his mask, Asher's gaze shifted up, noticing a Na'vi woman standing behind Spider, who at the same moment, was sharing a smile with the man. A mixture of surprise and horror intertwined with his sleepy-state that he nearly fell to the ground when he stood on his feet. Leaning on the gurney for support, he tugged at the hem of his shirt in a futile attempt to appear more presentable. However, a line of drool still clung to the edge of his mask, gradually soaking his shirt as he was doing so.

Grinning at the sight of the dreamwalker doing all this, Kiri pointed to his shirt and said in English with a thick Na'vi accent, "You're drooling."

Asher's ears instinctively pinned back as he looked down, confirming her observation. "Oh, well... I guess this thing was tired—wait, you speak English?" he asked, his surprise evident in his expression.

Kiri's nodded innocently in response to his question. "I do! And it is good to meet you, Avatar," she said warmly, extending her hand to greet him. This was how humans greeted one another, as she was told by Uncle Norm. Although she had little practice, Asher was her first experience in shaking hands with someone she did not know.

"Uhm?" Asher mumbled, his human-like eyes staring at her hand.

"I believe this is called a handshake." She told him.

"A handshake? You people know handshakes too?" He was truly starting to feel like a fool. The Na'vi knew more about humans than he did about the Na'vi.

Her grin grew wider at his astute question. "Of course I do!"

Maybe I don't need to learn the language after all, Asher musingly thought.

"Oh, well then, that's nice." Asher said as he reached down and shook it. After a few gentle shakes, he released her hand.

That felt, strange but, cool! Kiri said to herself. She kept looking at her hand for a moment longer before bringing up to sniff it. It had his stench all right. Shame. Looking back up, she said, "My name is Kiri." She then brought her to touch Spider's shoulder, "and this is Spider."

"Miles," he corrected Kiri. There was no need to share nicknames with strangers. "That's my real name."

Asher extended his hand to Miles, which he gladly took in and shook. "You don't know how long I've been waiting to meet you!"

"Really?" Asher said, his tail now smacking against the gurney. Damn, doesn't this thing ever take a break?

"Yes sir!" After a moment two of looking between Kiri and Asher, Spider finally asked, "what's your name?"

Asher's expression turned slightly apologetic, realizing he had neglected to introduce himself properly. Placing his hand over his chest, he corrected himself, "Rayan Asher. UNE."

"UNE?" Kiri repeated. "Is that your other name?"

"No," he said, laughing lightly. "It's-uh, an organization on Earth that uhm…" Asher paused, his face twisting at how to explain the finer details of human politics. He settled with something she would understand. "It's like, clans that come together and delegate clan business."

She made an 'oh' face but still didn't comprehend it. "And you are here to help us with writing a, a, uh," she looked about the room, trying to catch this foreign alien word. "Peace treaty?"

Asher nodded. "Yes. Peace treaty."

"What is this, peace treaty?" She asked.

Spider chimed in; his expression more serious. "Yeah, what does it mean?"

Asher licked his lips. How in the world does he explain it to a bunch of tweens when he needed to speak to Jake before it became too late in the day to do so?

"Well," Asher said, "I can tell you, but I need to speak to Jake Sully."

"What for?" Kiri inquired, her own face growing concern. "Did my dad do something wrong?"

"Not at all," Asher replied, "We were going to talk about this exact subject, and I don't mind if you two sit around and listen. It involves all of you. Though, I don't know about you, you're a human, aren't you?" Asher said, pointing to Spider.

Spider rolled his eyes. "Yeah—I am, dumbass," he said as he slapped his bare chest.

"Why are you covered in blue stripes?"

Spider took a nearby chair and stood on it to reach Asher's eye-level. "Because I'm Na'vi!"

"Uh-okay." Asher said, his attention slowly turning to Kiri, clearly the more intelligent one to speak to. "You said Jake is your dad? Do you know where he is?"

Kiri crossed her arms, asserting her position. "First, you tell me what a peace treaty is."

Asher didn't have time for this, but he could see he wasn't going to get anywhere unless he answered the young Na'vi girl's questions. "Okay," he said. "You win. It's an agreement that protects the Na'vi from the RDA."

"The Sky People?"

"Yeah, them." He replied, nodding.

"How so? Do we get weapons? What about other Sky People joining us?"

He shook his head, "no. None of those. You're simply left alone. The Sky-uh People cannot harm you. As long as you obey the guidelines presented in the treaty."

"And what are these, these, guide,"

"Guidelines," Asher finished, helping her with the word. "It's like boundaries you cannot cross. Otherwise the Sky People can attack the Na'vi."

Her tail flicked, worry worming across her face as she stared at him. "And what if they attack us first?"

"Then you have the right to protect yourselves."

Kiri exchanged a look with Spider who was still standing on the chair. That sounded good but there was something else that bothered her about this. She needed to know more.

"What happens if we do not agree with the treaty?"

Asher momentarily looked away, his thoughts searching for a possible workaround or an explanation before looking back to the young woman. "If the treaty is not signed, or not agreed, or if the Na'vi have proven themselves to be responsible for the attack fourteen years ago, then the Sky People will come after you—all of you."

Kiri and Spider exchanged confused glances when Asher mentioned the Na'vi being responsible for the attack. How could they be held accountable when it was the Sky People who initiated the conflict? Was this dreamwalker completely oblivious?

"Wait," Kiri interjected, her voice filled with frustration. "What do you mean by 'proven themselves'? Our People were defending themselves against the Sky People—your people. How can you claim that we attacked your people when it was your people who invaded our world in the first place!"

"I didn't say I claim this. I am here," Asher paused, thinking carefully of his next words before he found himself hoisted on a stake to be burned. "Because we do not know the truth of what happened here."

"The truth?" She repeated, as though the very word did not make sense to her. "The truth is your people were responsible for killing ours!"

As Kiri was saying this, she was beginning to subconsciously approach the avatar, her own hand instinctively reaching for a blade concealed beneath her mesh tunic. Seeing this, Asher's heart skipped a beat. He felt a surge of panic shoot up his spine, remembering how the others wanted to kill him with a blade or two. He attempted to move about, give himself a way to escape from the room when he felt the gurney pressing into his back, letting him know it was impossible at this point.

Spider, sensing the tension in the air, also reached for his own blade, ready to act on Kiri's command. However, to Asher's surprise, there was no attack. Instead, he was met with Kiri's intense glare of twisting anger. Also in that same moment, Asher couldn't believe that he, a grown man, was facing the possibility of being attacked by children. The situation was far more volatile than he had anticipated, and he needed to handle this with extreme care, otherwise attacking kids was going to start an unnecessary war.

"Look!" He shouted at both of them, stunning them enough that he could get a word in. "I am here because my people on Earth have only heard what was told to them by the RDA—the Sky People—and it is my job to know what is going on here. And! And-If the Na'vi had every right to defend themselves, then I will help them with the peace treaty as per the Colonies Charter that has given me such an authority."

Kiri's blade pressed dangerously close to Asher's face; it's pointed tip now aiming for the wound on his throat. Asher couldn't believe that this was going to be the third time this day that someone was shoving a knife at him.

"You do not care for our People." She told him. "You refuse to acknowledge truth!"

Asher stared her down. "I care enough that I don't want to see you or anyone else burn up when those missiles come hailing down upon you like some angry vengeful god."

The pointy edge of Kiri's blade came closer to the bandage around Asher's throat, threatening him with death. Seeing as there was no point in this discussion, Asher smacked the knife out of her hand. The blade clattered against the wall, but Spider, ever vigilant, promptly brandished his own weapon, bringing it dangerously close to Asher's face. Reacting swiftly, Asher deftly disarmed Spider, twisting the blade until it pointed back at the boy.

"I am not here to hurt anyone." Asher sternly said, spinning Spider's blade until the hilt was pointing at the boy. "I am here to help. And if you don't believe me. Fine. But I need to speak to Jake. Right now."

Kiri retrieved her blade from the floor, her scowl deepening as she realized that words had failed to resolve anything. It was true that the Sky People were known liars, but it was confirmed by this very dreamwalker that not only were they liars, but deceivers, manipulators, and murderers. Her mind raced with conflicting thoughts and the weight of her own misjudgment for not heeding the voices within her. The ancestors must have been telling her that the heat from this dreamwalker was nothing more than a tall-tale sign of danger. Evil. She should've listened to them. She should have listened to her mother. Everyone was right but her!

Uttering something in Na'vi to Asher, Kiri then pivoted and left the room, leaving Spider to snatch the blade from Asher's hand before quickly following her.

Blinking, Asher stood in the room, scratching his head. "What the absolute hell is wrong with these people?"

"This-this-is… crap!" Kiri cried out her frustration, her feet stomping against the ground as she made her way back to mother.

Spider was right on her heels when he said, "Ignore what he said Kiri. The People will never be defeated by the Sky People. What are you going to do?"

They turned into the main lab when she answered, "I am going to tell my mom that I was wrong about the demon. That she was right, and she was right to kill it. I want it gone. Now!"

"Whoa-whoa!" Spider jumped in front of her, his palms flashing to stop her. "Kiri wait. As much as I think he's stupid… which I most definitely do. But if you do that. If you allow your mom to attack him. Then he will really go and tell the Sky People of what he thinks of us. Don't do that. Don't endanger your People."

She flexed her fists, for the first time in a long time, she wanted to hit someone… she briefly looked at Spider, knowing she could never harm him. But she needed to hit something. Like the demon. Fleeing into the main lab, she hugged the amnio-tank, whispering something to her mother that Spider could not pick up before glancing back to her childhood friend.

"You want me to allow the demon to stay with us? So it can play pretend-Na'vi with us and tell its people to kill us later? Are you lekye'ung?"

"I'm not crazy, Kiri. But you will only prove his point. Right now, he just wants to talk to your dad and if your dad says no. Then I stand by with your dad, all the way! But if you get him killed… Kiri, you might have killed all of us."

She breathed out the tension of her stomach as she listened, knowing deep down that Spider was right, but right now, she was not feeling agreeable to anything.

"You're right monkey boy," she told him as she rustled his hair. "But I don't want anything to do with it."

"Who are you talking about?" Norm asked, standing behind the computers in his Na'vi form.

They both suddenly jumped back at the sudden visitation by Norm.

"Oh, uh, good evening Uncle Norm." Kiri said, her hands finding their way behind her back.

"Hey Norm!" Spider greeted, waving innocently at the scientist.

"Don't hey me, mister." Norm chastised Spider before looking over to Kiri. "And Kiri, what's going on here? Our security cameras picked up two unwelcomed guests here and I knew it couldn't be my two best scientists."

"We just wanted to see—" Spider tried to get out to protect Kiri when the dreamwalker interrupted him.

"Dr. Spellman," Asher greeted, walking in from the corridor. "These two were just helping me find Jake. I thought maybe you were busy or something."

Norm squinted, unsure who to believe as he approached Asher. "Well, Jake isn't here. He's outside."

Asher nodded and leaned in slightly. "Does that mean I can talk to him?"

Norm took a step back, crossed his arms, and said, "you can. But he's quite busy with the Tipani clan leader."

"Good. Then I can speak with her as well," Asher replied.

Norm shook his head at that suggestion. "It's the same woman who wanted to kill you. So I would highly advise you wait until she leaves."

Asher squinted, clearly annoyed at this constant detour everyone was giving him. "Dr. Spellman, sir. I need to speak with him—now. It concerns everyone. The Omatikaya, the Tipani, these kids. Everyone."

Norm understood the urgency but also recognized the delicacy of the situation. "I hear you but they're having a very important meeting. A meeting you cannot be in at the moment."

Asher sighed, conceding that he was getting nowhere. "How long will it take then?"

Norm checked his watch and made an estimate. "Another thirty minutes. At most."

Asher mouthed 'thirty minutes' before looking for a seat to sit down. They were all small seats, and he was too big. Cursing silently, he glanced over to Kiri, who was still scowling at him by the amnio-tank without giving an inch of consideration to the possibility that he might be right about protecting the Na'vi.

"Well," Asher said, his tone shifting to one of defeat. "I guess I'll wait then."

"Good choice," Norm replied. "It shouldn't be too long now."

"You lie!" Amanti accused, her finger thrusting towards a sitting Jake as the flames in the center flickered against the pale cool night.

"Olo'eykte Amanti. It was in the best interest that I remain quiet about the dreamwalker until I understood what we had." Jake attested.

She walked around the fire as her children, silhouetted against the twilight darkness, remained quiet, watching intently as the conversation spiraled from a friendly meeting between leaders to one of troubling rivals.

"No-no-no. You. Lied. Olo'eyktan Tsyeyk Suli. How many more lies will you conjure up that will endanger my People and yours!"

Neytiri made a clicking noise, letting Amanti know that she was dangerously close to crossing the line.

"It's okay," Jake muttered to Neytiri. "Really, it's okay."

Neytiri leaned back to Jake, whispering, "she does not have that right to suggest you are inept, ma Jeyk."

Although Neytiri agreed with Amanti about the issue of hiding the dreamwalker from everyone, she didn't appreciate how Amanti was making baseless assumptions that suggested her mate was blind and stupid enough to deliberately place the Omatikaya in great danger. What Amanti failed to understand was that Jake was the reason the Tipani were here at all. Jake recognized the threats long before Neytiri or anyone else even knew about them. He understood the dangers well enough to build a sanctuary for the Omatikaya in the mountains, providing them with a safe haven from the Sky People. And in addition to that, he was tirelessly preparing their People for the potential return of the RDA. He trained their children to defend themselves, as well as other children in the clan. He was doing everything in his power to protect his People. And yet, all Amanti could do was stand there, smugly acting superior to her mate? It will not stand!

"Olo'eyktan Tsyeyk Suli," Amanti called out, demanding his attention. "I seek your answer. Will you lie to protect more Sky People, or will you seek justice in your heart and protect our Peoples?" Amanti asked, her gaze fixating on Jake who looked down and stared at his two hands on his lap.

The question seemed straightforward, but the answer was far from simple. Jake's loyalties were firmly with the Omatikaya, with the Na'vi, and that would never change. However, the situation demanded a more nuanced understanding than a yes-or-no answer Amanti sought from him. Among the so-called 'Sky People,' were individuals whom Jake considered as friends. These were the ones who had made a conscious decision to stay on Pandora, even though they had every right to return to Earth. But they recognize the value of the moon, the value of the Omatikaya. These were friends he had instructed to respect the boundaries and customs of the Omatikaya—which they did with the upmost care they could offer, and they had willingly resided at Hell's Gate for over a decade to give them that space. They were friends who, when allowed to be present among the Omatikaya, came without weapons or equipment that could disturb or threaten the clan. They were good people. It was Amanti who failed to see it.

"Olo'eyktan Tsyeyk Suli." She said again, this time her tone ever deliberate.

Looking up, he smiled and answered. "I desire nothing more than to protect all who need protection."

Amanti swung her hand in the air, dismissing that answer. "Again with the Sky People deceit!"

Neytiri could no longer tolerate Amanti's disrespectful attitude any longer and stood up, shout, "You will not talk to my mate in that matter, Olo'eykte Amanti!"

Tsmupxa, sensing the escalating tension, stood up as well, his fingers tightly gripping the bow slung across his body. His mother hissed at him, urging him to stand down.

Feeling the rising animosity, Jake quickly stood up and positioned himself between the two women. "Easy," he said in English to Neytiri. His words caused a shift in the woman who had given birth to his children as Neytiri's expression went from defensive for her mate to aggressively snarling at him, resenting Jake for stopping her from protecting him from Amanti's insults.

Switching back to the People's tongue, he glanced over to Amanti whose fuming anger was about to spill over onto Jake. "Olo'eykte Amanti. You are right to hold these feelings about my decision. And I will not stop you from leaving High Camp if you so desire. But my decision was my decision."

"You are right, Olo'eyktan Tsyeyk Suli. It was your decision."

Fully facing her, Jake shielded Neytiri from witnessing Amanti's face. "It now rests in the past," Jake assured her. "We must now look forward to the future. And that future means helping your People. I will not stop until everyone lives safely under my protection."

Amanti's tail flicked side-to-side as Tsmupxa stepped into her peripheral. Looking beside her, she motioned for him to settle back down.

"You," she quietly told Jake. "You are right, forgive me Olo'eyktan Tsyeyk Suli. I am fearful because of what the Sky People have done to my family."

Jake smile, his hand reaching to hold her shoulder as he bowed his head to meet hers. "I understand. If this dreamwalker proves to be a threat, then you have my permission to kill it. Do you agree with that?"

Amanti, pressing her forehead against his, closed her eyes and said, "I agree, Olo'eyktan Tsyeyk Suli."

"Fantastic," Jake breathed before embracing Amanti with a hug. "Now how about we start eating?"

Norm coughed, hoping to grab Jake's attention but instead, earned the attention of everyone else.

"Perhaps," she said softly. "It is my hunger that got to me."

He laughed. "It can happen sometimes. Come. My sons have caught a yerik and have been eager to see what you think of their kill."

Norm clear his throat again, finally breaking Jake's attention from Amanti to look over his shoulder to his old friend.

"Yeah, Norm? Everything good?" Jake asked curiously.

"The uhm," Norm switched to English, "well, Asher is here, and he really wants to talk to you."

Jake completely forgot that Asher was going to return. Shortly after Asher 'departed', Norm came out to tell him that Asher was going to be back later tonight. Finding that it was not going to be a good time, Jake relented on the belief of what Asher wanted to talk about was urgent enough to return.

Taking a deep breath, Jake nodded to Norm to bring him out. But before that could happen, Jake had to spoil their dinner. "Olo'eykte Amanti. The dreamwalker desires to talk to us. Maybe you can ask him a question?"

Amanti settled back on the ground between her children as she said, "I do not desire to see it."

As Jake was going to let Norm know, she continued. "But I am… curious to meet it. Maybe you are right, Olo'eyktan Tsyeyk Suli. Or maybe you are wrong. But together, we will see."

Scary. But Jake believed this was a good of a time as any. "Okay Norm, bring our guest out."

Norm made a face, "Guest?" Then he laughed. He hoped that was not the case.