Pandora: The Final Solution

I gratefully acknowledge one of the foremost creative geniuses of our times, James Cameron, for conceiving the lush moon Pandora and the "noble savages," the Na'vi, that inhabit it. This story uses the characters and setting he created for his movie, Avatar. I have not received any money or any other form of compensation for my work based on Avatar.

RDA means Resources Development Administration

SecOps means Security Operations, a division of RDA

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Chapter 40: Hell's Gate Celebration

Jake and Neytiri walk hand in hand down the steps from the original Avatar bunkhouse in Hell's Gate. Neytiri says, "The people here have made a really nice place for us."

Jake nods, "Yes, they have. I only spent one night in this place before we met, in a single bed just large enough to hold my Avatar body, in one large room with all the other Avatars. The double bed sized for us in a separate room with a private bath is really more than I expected. Looks like they are building more bunkhouses." Jake looks back at the busy construction site behind the bunkhouse where workers in exomasks and hard hats are trimming tree trunks with chainsaws and running them through portable sawmills while others are raising the newly sawn beams to form large timber frame buildings on concrete foundations.

"I like the shower. I feel much cleaner than washing in the river, but the soap leaves an odd fragrance."

Jake looks back to her and beams a huge smile, "I don't care, river or shower, as long as you are there with me."

She leans into his shoulder and says softly, "I know what you mean." Their tanhi brighten and their tails twitch faster with the shared thoughts. They walk the path through the garden of native plants that provide food for the Avatars. "I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing these plants lined up in straight rows. It is not the way Eywa intends for these plants to thrive."

"Just keep thinking that way. You would not believe all the arguments, both here and on Earth, about teaching The People to grow food like that."

"Really?"

"Yeah, something about how Na'vi culture could be damaged by the introduction of agriculture. I remember my brother studying those arguments that I thought were so boring. Now I wish I would have paid more attention when he talked about nerdy things like that. He wanted to read all the time, and I wanted to do anything else as long as I could keep moving. And we were identical twins." Jake shakes his head at the thought.

"You miss your brother."

"Yes, I do. Like you miss your sister."

"If Max helps us make a baby, we should name it after them."

"That's a good idea. Silwanin for a girl, and Thomas for a boy."

"That is hard to pronounce the Na'vi way."

"How about Tomi?"

"That is much better."

"Good. It is decided." They both smile, remembering how her parents have said those words. They walk through the deserted Avatar physical training facilities, going around the over-sized basketball court. "The first time I was driving this body, it seemed all the Avatars were out here. Guess they're busy today." Since the battle, these facilities get little use, as all Avatars are working around the clock in the Na'vi medical clinic, caring for the patients brought here after the field hospital in the Well of Souls was evacuated. Jake stops to look at the control panel for the airlock into the ambient room and sees that Pandoran air is present throughout. "Looks like Max is ready for us. Ready to do this?"

"Yes. I'm glad he agreed to fit this in around the weddings, so no special trip is needed."

"You're right. We can't hide the results, if we're successful, but this part is best kept quiet." Jake pulls open the door, and no alarms go off. Neytiri walks in and Jake follows, closing the door behind him.

The other door opens after the airlock cycles, and Max appears in his white clinical garb and exomask. "Neytiri, Jake, good to see you again. Come in, and take a seat on separate gurneys." Neytiri sits on the gurney nearest the door, and Jake goes around to the other one across the room, where he first inhabited his avatar after it was decanted. Max stops between the gurneys. "You made a real entrance. We thought your party was coming on foot, and we were surprised when you flew in together on separate banshees."

Neytiri smiles. "Many ikran riders lost their mounts during the Time of Great Sorrows. After we moved into New Hometree, it became painfully obvious that our best hunting grounds were farther away. We ikran riders who lost our flying partners decided we needed new ikran, so we climbed Iknimaya together and captured new ones."

"That's great. This process may take many trips here, so anything that makes trips faster is a good thing."

Jake immediately asks, "How many trips?"

"Hard to say. I'll have a better idea after I get the results from the tests we do today."

Jake laughs, "Just like every other adventure in medicine I've been through."

"Yes. Medicine has never been an exact science. Every body, human, Avatar, and Na'vi, is different, and medical procedures must be adjusted accordingly based on the patient and the doctor's experience. That is why it is called practicing medicine."

Neytiri says, "I like your explanation. I will tell the healers those words."

"Before the battle, little was known about the differences in the Na'vi. The variations among the avatars were studied, but how that applied to the Na'vi was not known. The visible differences were known, like eyebrows and extra digits, fingers and toes, but the internal differences were unknown. Once the most seriously injured were brought here, we analyzed all Na'vi patients to build up our database. You, Neytiri, will be a valuable addition. Na'vi gravidity has never been studied before."

Jake blinks and laughs. "I don't know what that means."

"That means the whole reproductive process for Na'vi women. Most humans think childbirth is a quick and easy thing, but it is the most complex of all physiological processes. That is why I must examine both of you to determine what, if anything, can be done."

"Such as?"

"Today we're dong the initial steps, blood work and a full-body scan. Depending on these results, I may run more tests, including inserting implants to collect continuous data on your internal chemistry. RDA never studied the cycles in Avatars, and never had the chance to study Na'vi cycles. Those results will be compared to the accepted human reproduction norms, and a course of action determined from there."

Neytiri asks, "What is an implant?'

Max answers, "A very small device, a machine, that is put into your body to measure how your body is operating. In your case, it will be recording hormonal levels to determine when your body is ready for the next step, after we determine a course of action."

One of the interior airlock doors opens noisily, and a female med tech dressed in white walks in with a tray of medical instruments. Jake recognizes the woman as the one who tried to sedate his avatar that first day of driving. She looks at him and says, "Hello Jake. Are you going to behave this time?" She and Max break into laughter, and Neytiri makes a quizzical face.

Jake sheepishly answers, "Yes. Sorry about that, I was just so fired up to have a completely working body again. Running at full speed was something I've been wanting to do since my spinal injury put me in a wheelchair."

"No need to run away today. What we are doing now is simple, I'm going to take blood from you and your wife to run through the analyzer. I'll do you first just so she can see how it's done. I'm sure you know the drill. Give me your arm." She sets the tray down and puts on a pair of gloves. She rips opens a disinfectant packet and sets it down, and then picks up a tourniquet. She ties it around his arm, and starts slapping the inside of his elbow. "You have good veins." She pulls the towelette out of the packet and wipes down his arm inside his elbow. She picks up the needle and inserts it into his vein, and pushes the sample tube onto the other end. She loosens the tourniquet and the tube quickly fills up with his blood. She pulls the needle out and puts a bandage on the wound. She slaps a label on the tube and sets it in the tray. Then she removes the tourniquet and her gloves. "All done. Neytiri, any questions before I do the same with you?"

Neytiri says, "My mother uses a special thorn to taste the blood of her patients. She has been teaching me how to do that, but I find the subtle differences in the taste of blood difficult to master. What happens to that blood?"

"We have a specialized machine that analyzes the blood. This one tube is enough to make a whole battery of measurements. Since so many diseases can be transmitted through blood, no one would ever dare taste a sample. You must have much more sensitive tongues to do that, and a much improved immune system."

"I was hoping you tasted blood, so you could give me some advice. Humans seem to have machines for everything. I'm ready now." Neytiri puts her arm out.

The med tech puts on a new set of gloves, puts a different colored tourniquet on her arm, and slaps inside her elbow. "Max, look at this. See how her veins are barely visible."

"Yes, that is one of the differences we've been seeing between avatars and Na'vi. Her veins look typical for a Na'vi. They are better protected by being much deeper than Avatars and humans."

The med tech repeats the process she used on Jake. As she uses the disinfectant wipe, Neytiri wrinkles her nose, sniffs the air as if she is hunting and asks, "What is that? It doesn't smell good."

"It does have a strong chemical odor. Our early explorers were cut up by the local flora and fauna, some developed terrible infections, and a few died. You'll feel a pinch now." She slides the needle into Neytiri's vein and attaches the collection tube. "On Earth, alcohol is usually sufficient enough, but here a cocktail of chemicals is needed to do a good job. Some new antibiotics were developed just for use here on Pandora." She handles the tube and bandage using the same smooth series of well-practiced motions that she used with Jake.

"I wish my healers were here, they could tell you about our treatments."

The med tech pulls off the tourniquet and gloves, and smiles. "I know some of the medical staff have been talking to the healers that came with our Na'vi patients, and would love to get samples of your medicines someday. All done. I'll get these analyzed, stat. You were good patients, this time."

Neytiri asks, "Why do you wear those things on your hands?"

The med-tech answers, "These gloves are part of our infection control procedures, like the antiseptic wipes. Not only does it protect me, but changing gloves protects the patients from each other. The last step is cleaning my hands." She opens another disinfectant packet and thoroughly rubs the towelette over her hands and between and around her fingers and over the nails and tips. "See you later." She picks up the tray and walks through the airlock.

Max says, "Now that the blood work is started, let's get both of you scanned. Here's the plan. I'm scanning both of you, since fertility issues can occur in either partner. Jake, your avatar was scanned before decanting. This scan will be much better, and we'll compare it to your first scan. Neytiri, this will be your first scan, what we call a baseline scan for comparison with future scans. Your scan will be compared against other young Na'vi women in our database. Another use for it is to shape implantable monitors to the contours of your body cavities, if that must be done."

Jake makes a concerned face and asks, "Implantable monitors? What's that about?"

"The blood test can tell us many things about your body, but it only gives us information about your body the instance it was drawn. Implantable monitors measure continuously, giving a more complete picture of what's happening in your body. This is very necessary for fertility, as the body cycles continuously throughout the process."

"How long is it needed?"

"For as long as it takes. This is a complex process, and it will take time. Since medical science has not made this kind of record before, on any Na'vi, it may take a number cycles before a successful pregnancy occurs. I'm sorry I can't be more specific. We will discuss this much more if today's tests show the need for implants, or any other treatment, for that matter."

Neytiri looks to Jake, who is nodding his head and says, "Okay. What next?"

"We travel to the scanner. It was needed near the patients to cut down transportation issues. We converted one of the hangers into the Na'vi clinic."

Jake asks, "A hanger?"

"Yes, we needed a large area that opens to the outside. One hanger has doors front and back, with a large open area behind it. Someone thought engines were tested back there. So, we keep both sides open and put Na'vi sized beds under the roof. The Na'vi healers and relatives that are still here have their camp out back in the green area. They have been providing the food for the patients and Avatars, who say it is better than the food we have."

Neytiri says, "I'm not surprised. Jake told me about the food here. It sounds dreadful."

"Its taste is questionable, but it is nutritious, provided humans stick to human dishes, and Avatars stick to their own dishes. This hanger has some rooms on one end with human air, and many pass-throughs with air locks. We set up a pharmacy in that area, and a break room where humans can eat without fighting their exomasks. Excuse me for a second." Max pushes some buttons on his pad, and then pushes the call button on his throat mike.

A bored voice says, "Ground Control, over."

Max responds "This is Doctor Max Patel. I have our dignitaries from the Omatikaya clan, Jake and Neytiri, with me in the Avatar labs. I want to drive them over to the Na'vi clinic in a ground transport vehicle. Both are ambulatory."

After a few seconds during which the clicking of a keyboard is heard, the voice responds, "Roger, you are cleared to drive ground vehicle two one one to the clinic. If it is not there, call me back. Over and out."

Max looks to Jake and says, "Go back out to the basketball court, and I'll meet you there. Please close the doors behind you."

Jake nods and replies, "Roger. See you outside."


Max rolls to a stop in a parking slot near a large door on the side of the hanger. They exit the vehicle and walk to the door. Max says, "This used to be the loading dock and store rooms, but Maggie's people has remodeled it in record time for the Avatars working here. The Na'vi are welcomed here, but they don't like being in such an enclosed space." He reaches up and pushes a button, and the door slowly rolls upward. Max waves Jake and Neytiri inside and closes the door. He leads them through the loading dock and down a broad hallway to the Avatar break room.

Jake looks around and says, "This is the first normal looking room I've seen for my current size."

Max replies, "Yeah, Maggie had her folks do this up right. This was a storeroom for large aircraft parts. Now it looks like any student break room from my university days back on Earth, except scaled up to Avatar size. Tables, chairs, sofas, even a coffee pot and refrigerator. They are blown up from the human items, that means there are a lot of complaints about no provisions for tails. And, no, the coffee is as bad here as in the cafeteria. It has the caffeine but not the taste of real coffee."

Jake shakes his head, "I know Doctor Augustine was always looking for plants to replace coffee. I'd give about anything for a good cup of joe."

"Me, too. I've been hoping that the Na'vi would have something better."

Neytiri looks at Jake and says, "I do not know this joe or coffee. Describe them to me someday and we'll see what we can find." She looks around and asks, "Is this how you live on 'Rta?"

Jake replies, "I didn't get to spend much time in places like this when I was a warrior. Usually, only when I traveled somewhere for training, and those places held many more people. I think my brother spent a lot of time in places like this."

Max adds, "The rank of the people using such a place determines how fancy it is. The faculty lounges in universities are much nicer, with cushioned chairs, carpeting, and ancient wood tables. Some of the Avatars complained about the plainness of this room, but it is the only place like this for Avatars near the clinic."

Neytiri says, "I don't understand."

Jake says, "The Na'vi don't do things the way humans do. We can discuss it later. We're here to get scanned." He looks to Max.

Max gets the cue and says, "Right. This way, please."

As they walk down the hallway, Max points to a pair of doors and says, "The facilities here were also expanded to accommodate Avatar and Na'vi, just walk past the human sized airlock to get to the Avatar area."

Neytiri stops and asks, What are those symbols on the doors?"

Jake smiles and replies, "Human men and women usually have separate places for relieving themselves. That's what Max means when he says facilities. Human men and women usually dress differently. The sign on the left shows a woman wearing a dress, and behind it are the facilities for women. The sign on the right shows a man wearing pants, and behind it are the facilities for men."

"I saw Doctor Augustine and Trudy wear clothes like that men picture. Doctor Augustine did show some pictures of different clans on 'Rta, and sometimes they were wearing dresses. She tried to teach us that word, but it is so hard to say in the language of The People. I don't think I have ever seen anyone here wear one."

"I know it's confusing, but that is how humans do it. You will see dresses at the wedding."

"Should I be wearing one?"

"No. Everyone expects Na'vi attendees to wear Na'vi clothing. Besides, women's clothing for humans can be very complicated. You'll be fine with that nice outfit you brought. You'll look nicer than the brides."

Max rolls his eyes and says, "It must be love. Come on, follow me."

At the end of the hallway, Max opens the door and says, "Welcome to the Na'vi clinic." He waves his arm so Jake and Neytiri step out into the hanger in front of him. It is cavernous space, with a very high ceiling studded with lights in a regular grid. Both ends are open, one to the paved tarmac dotted with aircraft, and the other to a large field covered with low vegetation and dotted with clusters of tents and seating areas around campfires. The concrete floor is mostly empty along the far wall. Along the near wall are a number of partitioned areas whose contents are out of sight from this vantage point. Facing the partitioned area are a number of horseshoe shaped collections of patients on Na'vi sized gurneys or hospital beds. The walkway between is mostly empty, with five meter high archways carrying cable trays spanning the walkway at periodic intervals. Sprinkled throughout the patients are humans in blue scrubs, Avatars in green scrubs, and Na'vi healers in traditional garb. Max pulls a white lab coat off a wall rack and puts in on while saying, "We started off with the cots in straight lines, but the Na'vi objected, so we let them rearrange the cots into circles as you can see in their camps outside. Our medical personnel opened them up a bit so they could get carts and gurneys in and out as needed, and that led to these horseshoes on this aisle. About eighty percent of the patients we started have been discharged, and what you see left are the worst cases that are recuperating nicely. We still have a few patients inside the Avatar medical unit, but the Na'vi healers avoid that place like the plague."

Neytiri says, "We do not like being closed up in tight places, especially with the unnatural lights in your buildings."

"Yeah, we've gotten complaints about the lights in here, too. There are just too many differences between the sensitivities of human eyes and Na'vi eyes to have one light source acceptable to both. Practically all patients end up in the camp outside when they are able to walk there, we think to escape the confines of the hanger. Once all the injured from a given clan are released for travel, Trudy shuttles them home."

Jake says, "I've wondered about that. Some have a very long trip back home."

Neytiri adds, "It is very nice you do that. They will recover faster that way."

Max replies, "That's true. There are a few that require more physical and occupational therapy that is better received here than at home, but we teach them and their healers what they can do. Sometimes, our therapists have to invent new exercises because of the structural differences in Na'vi bodies. That can't happen at their homes."

Neytiri looks to Jake and says, "We should visit the injured and their healers when we get done with Max."

Jake nods in agreement and replies, "You're right. We should be Toruk Makto and Palulukan Makto again and make the rounds. Maybe we'll do inside here first, and then go outside, since we'll draw a crowd."

Max adds, "The Na'vi have been very respectful to the injured. They don't congregate in here, only out in their camps."

Jake says, "Yeah, generally they are very polite and cooperative. Think it comes from their hard lives. Okay, Max, lead us to the scanner."

They walk past three partitions and stop. An Avatar woman in a white lab coat and a young Na'vi woman are helping another Na'vi woman to sit upright on the bed of the scanner. The Avatar without looking away from her patient says, "We're almost done here." She turns to look at them and exclaims, "Oh! Doctor Patel. We're on the way out, just a minute."

The young woman says in English, "Hi, Jake and Neytiri," and then looks back at the patient she is helping get off the scanner bed.

The Na'vi patient looks up and exclaims, "Toruk Makto!" She slides off the scanner as the other two hold her arms to steady her. She shakes her left arm free and gives them the usual greeting gesture as she says, "I see you, Toruk Makto and mate."

Neytiri replies in kind and the two Na'vi women launch into a rapid fire exchange in their native tongue.

After Jake nods to the Na'vi patient, Max says to Jake, "Jake, this is Doctor Cari Mohammad. She is a key member of the medical staff, and has been running the Na'vi field clinic, both here and at the Tree of Souls when we had the field hospital out there."

Doctor Cari frees up her right hand and sticks it out, saying, "Jake, we've heard a lot about you. Good of you and your wife to visit us here in the clinic."

Jake says, "We are grateful for your tireless efforts, Doctor Muhammad, to get these injured Na'vi on the mend. How did you learn to run a clinic?"

"My husband and I volunteered our medical skills in his home country, Egypt. I did them on my own after he passed, and learned how to herd cats the hard way."

Jake laughs, "I know what you mean. We are all grateful for your help, and all those helping you."

"You're welcome from all of us."

"Tell me about this patient. How is she doing?"

"She's a banshee rider from one of the Eastern Sea clans. Her banshee got shot by a helicopter, and bullet fragments flew out of its body and hit her right leg and arm. Fortunately, her banshee was able to return her to the sacred tree before it died. Norm Spellman just happened to be nearby when they crashed, and he put tourniquets on her injured limbs. I guess he radioed in asking for medical help before his Avatar rode out with the direhorse riders. As you know, we were preparing during the battle, and once the dust settled here, not many injured humans made it back that we could help, Max sent us out to set up the field hospital. The fragment in her leg missed everything critical but embedded in her femur. The fragment in her arm shattered her humerus. The Na'vi healers got the fragment out of her leg and patched it up. She was one of the first injured we triaged by the sacred tree, and we were able to save her arm. There's a plastic rod in place of the shaft of her humerus now, so she'll be fine once the muscles heal and she builds them back."

"Is she going home soon?"

"Yes, this scan is one of the last steps before releasing her. Always looking for infections with these cases. She and her clan mates should be returning next week, barring any problems in the meantime. They have a camp out in the field. They can't wait to get back and get some good home-cooked seafood that no one here can provide."

"Yeah, that's got the be tough."

"The forest clans are doing a good job of feeding everyone, including us Avatars. I've been eating a lot of meals out there, they always have good meats, fruits, and veggies around the clock. Beats the cafeteria, hands-down."

"I learned to eat about anything in the Marine Corps, but I've always had good grub with the Na'vi, including grubs." They both laugh.

"I've had teylu, they taste like shrimp. Makes them easier to eat when I think they're shrimp."

"Yeah, well shrimp look pretty ugly like bugs, too." Again, they both laugh.

"I agree, they're both ugly and they're both tasty. Well, I'd better get this patient out of the way for the next patient, and I'm behind on my rounds."

"Good to meet you, Doctor Mohammad."

"Just call me Cari. Good to meet you, too, Jake."

"Thanks, that's better than Toruk Makto."

Doctor Cari looks to the young woman holding the patient's other arm, and says, "You can take her back to her camp. Let her do the walking, and keep her from falling if she stumbles. Have her keep eating well, including juicy red meats."

The young woman answers, "Yes, doctor. She will do fine, she's come a long way already." The patient says goodbye to Neytiri and Jake, and walks off with the young woman towards the camp.

Doctor Cari says, "Gotta go so I'm not late tonight, see you at the weddings," and heads out the other way.

Meanwhile, Max has been wiping down the scanner with disinfectants. He starts typing on the keyboard below the large screen on the back wall, and says, "Okay, Jake, you go first, so Neytiri can see how it's done. On your back, arms and legs out, hands down, toes out, tail down in the slot."

Jake replies, "Roger that." He sits down and puts his tail in the central channel, and then lays down on the scanner bed while Max runs the controls.

Max looks him over and says, "Your position is good, Jake. Neytiri, see how Jake's legs are apart and toes pointing out so his tail is visible in the slot between. His arms are slightly away from his body, with his palms down, and he's looking straight up." Max walks to Jake's head and straightens his queue into the central channel above his head, and then returns to the controls. "Jake, inhale and hold your breath when the ring reaches your waist. Exhale when the ring reaches your eyes. Starting the scan." Looking to Neytiri, he continues, "See how Jake is centered over the central slot? He is positioned so that his entire body is visible. Now the table with Jake is moving through the rotating ring, from the bottom of his feet to the tip of his queue. Then the table will reverse direction and pass over him again. When it stops, the scan will be processed to determine if this scan is sufficient." As the table moves, a three-dimensional view of Jake's body is built up on the display. The table reverses, "Jake, inhale and hold your breath when the ring reaches your eyes, breathe normal when the ring is below your waist. Starting the reverse scan." Thin red lines appear on the display. "Neytiri, the red lines indicate the places that have moved from the forward scan. Jake is doing very well, few people can keep that still." When the table stops and as the ring spins down, Max says, "Jake, you're done, you can get off the table. Neytiri, now it's your turn." Jake and Neytiri change places, and she lays down with her tail down in the slot, and takes the position as Max pointed out earlier. Max says, "If I didn't know better, I'd say you have done this before. You're position is excellent for a first-timer."

Neytiri replies, "I'm doing what Jake did. If a skawng can do it, so can I." Both Jake and Neytiri break out laughing. Max looks mystified.

Jake explains, "Skawng means moron. She called me that many times while she was teaching me how to hunt the Na'vi way."

Max says, "Oh, I get it." He positions her queue and returns to the controls. "Neytiri, inhale and hold your breath when the ring reaches your waist. Exhales when the ring passes your eyes. Starting the scan." Now a three-dimensional view of Neytiri's body is displayed. When the table reverses, Max says, "Neytiri, inhale and hold your breath when the ring reaches your eyes, breathe normal when the ring is below your waist. Starting the back scan." This time, even fewer red lines appear.

Max exclaims, "Wow! That's the stillest second pass I've ever seen."

Jake says, "I was always amazed at how still she could get waiting for prey. This proves it."

When the table stops again, Max says, "Neytiri, you're done. You can get up now." He starts sanitizing the table, and then a call ring sounds. Max returns to the controls and brings up a picture of a seated woman in a white lab coat. "Max Patel here."

The woman says, "Max, this is Ivanna, can you speak for a second? I have the results from the blood tests you ordered."

Max says, "I have Jake and Neytiri with me now. Here they are." He waves them over to screen so that the camera can pick the up. "You remember Doctor Ivanna Petrokov?"

Neytiri answers, "Yes, one of the brides. I See you, Ivanna," as she makes the greeting gesture.

Ivanna makes the gesture in reply, and says, "I See you, Neytiri. Welcome to our humble clinic."

Jake says, "I didn't think you were a medical doctor."

Ivanna answers, "Oh, I'm not. Like most avatar drivers, I been helping out caring for those Na'vi recovering here. We let the MDs do the medical stuff, and we help out as best we can."

"Didn't expect to see you until the ceremony."

"I've logged too many hours in my avatar, so I'm doing 'light duty' until after my honeymoon, Max's orders. That means lab work, mostly feeding samples to the instruments and verifying that the results are routed to the right files. Pretty much the same routine as my research. I'm leaving soon to prepare, just had to ask Max a question."

Max says, "Ivanna is a microbiologist. She's looking into modifying local microbes so that we can grow food from Earth seeds in Pandoran soil. Ivanna, how's that doing?"

"I've put my normal research on hold while I work the high-priority project that Max mentioned. I have my latest batch of modified microbes in sterilized Pandoran soil, seeing whether they're viable. If they survive, Earth seeds are next. Hydroponics is good for many fruits and vegetables, but soil for grasses and trees is needed to produce some foods."

Max looks to Jake and Neytiri and asks, "Any questions?"

Jake answers, "No, we're not scientists. Anything to keep people here fed is a good thing. Hope it works out very quickly." Neytiri just nods her head.

Max asks Ivanna, "What's your question?"

Ivanna replies, "All results for Jake are within normal ranges. The results from Neytiri caused the embedded AI to throw out a clinical question for its learning mode that I can't pretend to answer. Sending you the screen from the blood analyzer."

A screen pops showing some results, and the question, "The following hormonal levels are comparable to the earliest steps of gravidity (ovum implantation) in a sample from an adult human female. Subject sample is labeled adult Na'vi female. Is the source of this sample gravid? Please enter findings when available to expedite future analyses. The results file will be held as pending until an answer is provided." After the question, a list of medical terms, numbers, and graphs are shown that are gibberish to Jake and Neytiri. Max, however, looks intrigued and only says, "Hmmm, that's really interesting." He clears the screen and looks at the camera. "Thanks, Ivanna. I'll have to look into the scan results, and maybe run some more tests, to answer this. That's all that can be done for now. Thanks for letting me know right away."

"It seemed important, so I'm glad to have called. My time is almost up here, I'll be leaving soon. Anything else before I go?"

"No, Ivanna, you go ahead. We'll see you later. You have a big night to prepare for."

Jake adds, "We're looking forward to the ceremonies tonight. The Na'vi don't have dresses, and Neytiri can't wait to see yours."

Ivanna says, "RDA never planned for weddings here on Pandora, nor much in the way of sewing beyond work or SecOps uniforms, so special outfits here are a challenge. Maggie's folks cooked up some white material in their factory, and one of the maintenance women is using it to sew a dress for me. I go to her next to get any final touches completed before I get my hair done. The one issue I was worried about were flowers. Needless to say, RDA never sent any Earth flowers out here. When the word got out I was looking for flowers, hoping the botany folks had some flower beds with Pandoran flowers hidden in their labs, the Na'vi hunters and gathers at the clinic said they would provide some. I don't know what to expect."

Neytiri interrupts, "I know many nice flowers, I could fly out and get some."

"Thank you, I appreciate it, but I've been told they will bring plenty. I just hope my bouquet is not too big or heavy, knowing how everything grows huge on this moon."

Jake laughs, "Yeah, I've seen some flowers that would take a fork lift to pick up."

Ivanna says, "I've heard that too. Well, I better get going. See you this evening."

Max says, "Thank you, Ivanna. See you tonight." He pushes a button and the screen clears.

Jake asks, "I didn't understand that gobbledygook, what does it mean?"

Max looks up at Neytiri, and asks, "Do you have any reason to think that you are with child?"

Neytiri shakes her head, and says, "No, I don't."

Max looks at Jake and says, "I'll have to look into it some more. RDA never intended to have babies born here, so the medical specialties involved weren't recruited or sent out here. That means we don't have anyone qualified to look into this question."

Jake says, "I thought you MDs do it all."

Max nods and says, "Yeah, we do all in med school, but I had four years more to get my PhD in brain surgery and then two years more for post-doc, following by three years at RDA's research center to learn Avatar physiology and brain structure, followed by the almost six years in cryo and my years here, so it's been a long time since I studied the reproductive process. Besides, it's complicated."

Neytiri is looking at Max with her mouth open. "That long?"

Max replies, "Yeah, I've been reading up on the latest papers sent from Earth to get back up to speed. Once we get a baby for you, I'll write a paper on it and send it back to Earth for publication in the RDA Medical Journal. I can't name you two in the paper, but your case study will be famous and studied for years to come."

Jake says, "I think we're already famous, but not in a good way."

Max nods and says, "Yeah, you're probably right. Me, too. For what it's worth, those results displayed before indicates that Neytiri is in the very first stages of pregnancy." Both Jake and Neytiri have surprised looks on their faces. Max continues, "But don't get your hopes up too high yet. It will take another six to eight weeks before that is certain. Mother Nature has a quality control program where the fertilized egg or fetus is spontaneously aborted if something is wrong, and that can happen at any time before the baby is born. We'll just have to see how things progress from here. I was hoping I could get the implant in and record a couple of normal cycles first, for a baseline, but that may not be necessary if everything works out. Oh, by the way, congratulations!"

Jake and Neytiri turn towards each other and hug tightly for a long moment. Jake turns his head and asks, "Okay, Max, what's next?"

Max answers, "I'll look into your results, tomorrow, and get back to you. I'm going to walk around here and check on things before checking in back at the human and Avatar clinics, and then heading off to the weddings. You're welcome to tag along with me here."

Jake looks to Neytiri and says, "Ready to resume our public roles?"

Neytiri answers, "I'm so happy, I don't know if I can handle this now."

"How about doing the camps first?"

"That would be easier."

Jake turns back to Max and says, "Thanks for the offer, but Toruk Makto and his beautiful mate Palulukan Makto will make the rounds outside. See you tonight. In the cafeteria, right?"

"Yes, that's the biggest meeting space in here, and it's convenient to the food. I've heard that the folks in the camp are supplying a Na'vi style feast, and most of us humans can't wait to see their spread, even if we can't eat most of it."

"Yeah, I never had to figure that out, but even the worst Na'vi meal beats the cafeteria food."

"That is a pretty low bar, but I've been told Maggie insisted that the cooks better up their game for the human feast tonight. Rumor has it the cooks have been holding back artificial meats just for tonight's meal."

"Can't wait to see that. Is Maggie in charge now?"

"Well, she's in charge of the facilities and everyone brought back from the Venture Star. I'm in overall charge of the medical clinics, Trudy is in charge of security, and Norm has been elected dean of the scientists here in the Pandora Research Institute, so he is considered the real leader, but in reality, Maggie runs the show. Guess you could say Norm is the clan leader, but Maggie is in charge of power, life support, food production, and everything else that keeps us alive and going. Without her, we'd be screwed."

"Well, I may be the clan leader, but my group leaders, like warriors, hunters, food prep, crafts, healers, really run the show. So, I know what you mean. Norm is called the dean, how did that happen?"

"If Grace was still with us, it would be her. We had a meeting before the Venture Star folks returned, and it was practically a free-for-all before Norm stood up and started screaming for everyone to shut-up. Once everyone quieted down, he organized a brain-storming session, and got us looking at what must be done. It was shocking, when it became clear we couldn't keep this place running with our existing skill sets. To be honest, having the Venture Star send back the personnel it did was a godsend. Nobody knew how to run and repair the power plant before Maggie and her folks returned. One power problem, we would have died in a matter of hours. Since Norm opened our eyes about our situation, everyone agreed he should be in charge."

"I remember how Tommy always made the Dean's list. In high school, he got all A's except in Phys Ed, and that enraged him every time. Of course, I was just the opposite, my only A's were in Phys Ed. Dean, huh? Next time he calls me Toruk Makto, just wait!"

"Don't tell him I told you. Neytiri, Jake, see you this evening."

Neytiri says, "May Eywa be with you."

Max nods, and walks quickly out of the scanner area.

Neytiri looks at Jake and asks, "Did I say something wrong?"

Jake shakes his head and replies, "No, I think Max just doesn't know how to respond. I'll tell the dean he needs to give a course on dealing with The People. Let's get outside." Jake puts his arm around Neytiri, and they walk to the camps outside.


Maggie Zillman, the Chief Engineer for Facilities and Operations Management, steps to the podium in the front of the cafeteria and taps on the microphone. The overhead spotlights come on, followed by the amp. After a brief burst of feedback that blasts over the voices in the cafeteria, everyone quiets down, and Maggie speaks into the mike, "Testing, one two, three." She repeats this several times until the sound level is set so she may be heard over the background noise. She pauses while opening her notepad, an old fashioned paper pad, and flips through the pages until she finds her page of announcements. She speaks up again, "Attention, everyone, please find a seat and quiet down, and I'll start this service." After another brief pause, she resumes. "Welcome everyone. Today we are holding a triple celebration, a double wedding with the first two couples noteworthy for both being the first to request weddings and for being the power couples who are in charge of our wellbeing. Norm and Trudy need no introduction. Izzy is keeping our computers and communications systems up and running, and helps out with the automated systems like power and life support. Ivanna is modifying local microbes so that Earth food that must be grown in soil will have a stable and fertile biome, and, no, don't ask me what that means. These couples do the work that is necessary and important for our survival. We have also received numerous requests for a celebration commemorating the restoration of the old Hell's Gate to a stable operational state after the recent troubles. Since it seems that everyone living here should be invited to all three events, the decision was made to combine them into one huge blowout." A cheer comes up from the crowd. "For that reason, this ceremony is being recorded for the daily log and transmission to Earth, and is concurrently being streamed throughout this facility on the internal affairs channel, for those who are in critical positions monitoring the power and life support systems and keeping us alive. They will be relieved after this ceremony, so they may attend the party, I mean reception, following this ceremony." Another cheer goes up. "But first, one brief announcement." A sigh comes up from the crowd. "I know, I'll be brief, or at least as brief as I can. We have also received many requests to rename Hell's Gate to something more appealing, like Heaven's Gate or Paradise Gate or even the Grace Augustine Research Center. When I brought this up at one of my Facilities staff meetings, an uproar ensued. A previous decision was made to plaster signs everywhere with the words Hell's Gate on them in an attempt to keep people aware of the fact that we are surrounded by extremely dangerous territory. If we are not vigilant, that danger will jump into our compound and wreak havoc. So, I ordered a census of these signs, and gave the team one day to count them. That wasn't enough time. The sign making shop gave me an estimate of how long it will take to make and install new signs. For the count received from that one day, it was going to take many months. We are shorthanded in almost all departments, so the decision was made. Pick a name small enough so that stickers with the new name can be made and stuck on the existing signs while we are are doing our normal duties, instead of dedicating a team for however many months are needed. Turns out Hell is a very short word, so a replacement name must also be short. In keeping with the proposed names, the name of Eden's Gate has been selected. Stickers with this new name will be made available to all personnel, so they may be affixed on the old signs. In time, the hope is that all vestiges of Hell's Gate will be eradicated. Along those lines, at the request of the Na'vi and residents of this facility, a new waste water treatment plant is being designed, along with smokestack scrubbers and solid waste reclaimers, so that the current pollution releases are reduced to zero." Another cheer goes up. "Now for our weddings." An even louder cheer goes up.

"First, I would like to thank the food production team and cafeteria staff for putting together this meal. I want to thank the Na'vi in our medical clinic that provided the food for our Avatar and Na'vi guests. Also a big thanks to the Na'vi for bringing in the many unusual flowers and those humans that used them to decorate this cafeteria. Most of us have never seen these flowers and plants, and thank the Na'vi for giving us this opportunity to see what beauty lies beyond our fences." Maggie starts clapping, and a cheer comes up from the crowd.

She continues after the cheers subside. "RDA actively discouraged its personnel from pairing up. We all have been getting implanted medications that prohibit fertility, so the inevitable pairing up does not result in babies. It goes without saying that Hell's Gate never had facilities for babies and children. Indeed, if there was evidence that a couple removed their implants, the couple would be fired, forfeiting their entire pay for time served, and put into cryo for shipment back to Earth. That didn't happen often, but it did happen. Also, by prohibiting marriage, the whole legal morass of marriage, divorce, property distribution, child custody, child support, inheritance, you name it, was avoided. After RDA was kicked off Pandora, the desire for marriage returned, primarily because our Chief of Security, Trudy Chacon, and our replacement Administrator, or as some say, Clan Leader, and Dean of the Pandora Research Institute, Doctor Norm Spellman, wanted an officially sanctioned marriage, starting with themselves. Since no lawyers have ever been sent out here, there was no one to turn to, so Norm took it on as his off-duty hobby to research the legalities of marriage and its tentacles, and authored a set of guidelines to direct the issues around marriage, based primarily on the Mars model. These guidelines are being reviewed by many folks, myself included, and may be found on his blog if you wish to review and comment on them. Of course, they led to the biggest question of all, shouldn't we settle on a form of government, and also an economic system and property rights, first, and then continue on to marriage. This is a company town, and the company has been kicked out, so now what? In the past, if anyone caused problems, the Administrator had the power to withhold pay, and even send the miscreant back to Earth on the next ISV. How do we handle crimes and other legal matters, like contracts, now? Norm is in the progress of developing a call for legal and political and economic scholars in the Sol system to develop a constitution and the legal and economic foundations for this outpost. That is also on his blog for your review and comment. He is one busy man. A long time ago, someone said that the heart must go on, so we are holding these weddings today to take care of their hearts now. Transforming this place from a company owned and operated town to a full-blown civilization will be done later. I'm sure more weddings will follow very soon, now that the precedent has been set. That led to the next issue. What service do we provide to marry a couple taking this step? I suggested that our neighboring Clan Leader of the Omatikaya Clan, Jake Sully, officiate. Both couples objected, first because they wanted Jake as their best man. Both couples have a history with Jake they wished to acknowledge this way. Secondly, the Na'vi are of no use here, according to Norm. Who knew, they have no wedding ceremonies. After much private discussion, a Na'vi couple travels to a sacred tree and try to "become mated before Eywa." If they return quietly, Eywa has not sanctioned their mating, and they go their separate ways as if nothing has happened, other than breaking up. If they return from the trip very happy, meaning Eywa approves, a feast is held for them, and then they take eight days off from official duties. They may stay in their village, or travel someplace away from their village, like the floating mountains, for these eight days. Once the eight days are up, they make a place for themselves together in the village, resume their roles in the clan, and let Eywa take her course."

"So, what to do? The only chaplains that were here were SecOps personnel, seems every military has its complement of chaplains. Unfortunately, they were sent out in the attack with the ground forces or med evac helicopters, and none made it back alive. I assisted the Christian chaplain with Bible studies, and so was tapped to officiate. Well, I never have married anyone before. My first attempt to find something was looking on our net, and what came up first was the Donald Jay Trump Federal Marriage Contract. You historians know what happened better than I do. Because of third and splinter parties, Trump got re-elected as conservatives swept the federal and state offices across the USA. There were many things in the original constitution that Trump and his legal team hated, so he called for a constitutional convention. The state legislatures obliged, and soon the USA had its corrected and updated Constitution 2.0. Once the states adopted it, the White House invented this marriage contract with many interesting provisions, such as marriage being exclusively between a male and a female as designated at birth, joining the new federally sanctioned religion, The Evangelical Christian Church of the USA, not using abortion or contraception or gender modifying or other outlawed medical treatments, such as immunizations, buying firearms and periodically certifying the marksmanship abilities of themselves and their offspring, renouncing membership in any political party or organization espousing Communist, Socialist, Progressive, Liberal, or Woke ideologies, sending their children only to schools sanctioned by the Department of Education, and supporting only the news media sanctioned by the Homeland Security Department. No state or locality could provide a marriage license if this contract was not signed first. Soon, no one got officially married in the USA. Within a matter of years, the second civil war resulted in the restoration of the original constitution with an expanded bill of rights and limitations on firearms. It was an interesting read, but totally useless. For my next attempt, I asked the couples which tradition they followed. Izzy is from Israel, and remains Jewish. Ivanna is from Russia, she's Russian Orthodox. Trudy is from the American Southwest, and her family raised her in the New Roman Catholic church, formed after Vatican City was nuked by Iran. Norm's family is in the Restored United Methodist Church, but he hasn't practiced since leaving for college. I am an Underground Missouri Synod Lutheran. So, no consensus there. I asked around for ideas for this service. The first response I got was from Doctor Cari Mohammad, one of our Matrons of Honor. She sent me passages from the Koran on marriage. That got me thinking. I could make one service customized for our couples today, but we are such a diverse group here, I should devise a service that will work for any possible couple in our community. So, I searched the personnel database for all religions provided to RDA, searched through all sacred texts on our net for those religions, collected the best passages on marriage, and wove them into the following service. Both couples wrote their own vows, picked their costumes, selected the music they wanted, and both chose the ring and candle ceremonies. Following the Jewish tradition, Ivanna and Izzy will do the breaking of the glass, even though I think it is just plastic. Following Russian Orthodoxy, a crown ceremony will be held for Ivanna and Izzy. Without further ado, here is our first wedding ceremony in Eden's Gate." The processional song begins. "Will the following come forward, Omatikaya Clan Leader Jake Sully as Best Man for both couples, his wife Neytiri as Matron of Honor for Trudy and Norm, and Doctor Cari Mohammad as Matron of Honor for Ivanna and Izzy." They come forward and take their places, Jake in his clan leader finery and Neytiri in her tsahík apprentice outfit, including her mother's white mantle. Cari follows in her best Islamic outfit from Egypt sporting a hijab. "Since no parents or family members are here, each couple will come forward together, Doctor Ivanna Petrokov and Itzach Krazney, followed by Gertrudis Chacon and Doctor Norman Spellman. Ivanna is wearing a white bridal dress in the Russian style, with red, blue, and gold embroidered designs and a matching gold headpiece. Izzy is wearing wearing a black tuxedo with tails, a classic white cummerbund and bow tie, and a golden kippah on his head. Trudy is wearing a red and black flamenco-style dress with a matching veil. Norm is wearing a black tuxedo without tails, and a flaming red cummerbund and matching bow tie. The humans have never seen Na'vi dressed like Jake and Neytiri before, and the Na'vi have never seen humans dressed like those in the wedding party. The music dies out once the wedding party is in place, and the actual ceremony begins.