The morning saw the Home Tree bustling with activity, Jake was coordinating the newly formed teams into their routines and agendas for reconstruction of the reborn Omaticaya tribe that was now under his leadership.
Grace was shuffling her papers as she approached Jake.
"Good thing we're acquiring this equipment from the RDA, I can only imagine the funding required to acquisition all of this!"
Jake smiled.
"The cost would only be one aspect of concern, most of the trouble is going to be teaching and assigning everyone to their appropriate sectors"
Grace nodded.
"I just hope that all of this effort doesn't go to waste, we're going to need all of the support we can muster to defeat the RDA"
Jake's face soon enveloped itself in concern, in which Grace promptly noticed with due concern in return.
"What's wrong Jake?"
Jake then turned and positioned himself towards Grace, both Avatars' eyes meeting each other like daggers.
"Look at all we're trying to build: Infrastructure, defense, healthcare, education...families. All of it can can be destroyed again by the RDA when they make their way to our planet...what then?"
Grace soon turned her head to look towards the Omaticaya tribe, full of chatter, laughter of children, and tribesman and women carrying out their daily activities and occupations for the village.
"Jake, we understand what we had to sacrifice to recover and rebuild once again. The mistakes and obliviousness of ourselves and our intuition will not fault us once again like last time. This time we are vigilant and prepared, we know our enemy and what they're capable of, but they do not know us, our resilience and resolve. Not to mention with you as the Omaticaya leader, I saw through Eywa's eyes how you led them against the Colonel, you displayed every attribute a leader should have and exemplify to others. I...WE believe in you Jake Sully"
Jake provided a slight smirk that stretched on one side of his face.
"Thank you for your words Grace, they were very heartfelt"
Grace then shrugged.
"It's the least I could do, now there was something I was going to make privy to you. This information that I am about to disclose to you is not to be discussed with any of the Omaticaya tribe, not even Neytiri"
Jake's eyes widened.
"Well this must be serious if you're putting a disclaimer in front of it"
Grace chuckled.
"I'm placing a disclaimer on this because you have an innate tendency to be overly rambunctious when introduced to new things, including information! They basically coined the term "loose lips" after you!"
Jake crossed his arms.
"That bad?"
Grace nodded.
"THAT bad"
Jake let out a hearty laugh.
"Alright then Grace, what is the confidential information that you wanted to disclose to me?"
Grace shuffled a few papers and finally stopped at one with an enlarged photo with a subtext underneath.
"I believe I've found a device that can act as a shield generator for the entire Home Tree, it does not require a power source, and it naturally recharges off of the element unobtanium!"
Jake smiled.
"The unobtanium is directly underneath the Home Tree! This really plays into our favor against the RDA!"
"Precisely! Also, when did you become the one to have a pragmatic sense of analyzing things?"
Jake smiled.
"I guess you learn a few things when bullets are flying in every direction, time is of the essence when you're in those situations. Granted I guess I had to have at least a share of the genes from my mom and dad, otherwise how would my brother have become a scientist?"
Grace sighed and smiled.
"You make a fair point, anyway, with this device we should have an even playing field with the RDA and the battle with them can finally tip in our favor this time around!"
"Great! So where are we going to acquire such a device?"
Grace shuffled to her next page.
"Therein lies the problem, the device is being stored in a warehouse at the RDA facility we had abandoned a few months ago"
Jake expressed a confused look.
"I don't understand, we cleared out the warehouses before we left, the place has been picked clean and relocated to our village"
"Not quite, we scavenged our documents that we retrieved from the central command tower, and found a blueprint that outlined an underground storage facility that has even more equipment than what we had retrieved on the ground level in the first place. It could hold more infantry weapons, vehicles, and technology along with the device we seek. Needless to say, we got sloppy and got the hell out of dodge before we made sure that we had everything"
Jake placed his hand on his forehead.
"No doubt the place will be teeming with the hospitable and friendly Pandora wildlife..."
"Exactly, which is why I intend to bring along a few squadrons of our warriors to provide protection, while our technicians and engineers procure the equipment in the warehouse"
"Sounds like a plan Grace!"
Grace soon folded her papers.
"Now I want you to take care of hand selecting your most trustworthy of warriors, they must be able to keep a secret, I've already established the engineering and technician core for retrieval of the equipment"
Jake scratched the back of his head.
"I really wanted to have Neytiri to accompany me, her and I have saved each other's hides on more than one occasion. Also, why must this information be kept so secretive anyway? This is not damning evidence against us or a vulnerability to the tribe, it's meant to aid us!"
Grace pointed a finger at Jake.
"Precisely! The RDA may have temporarily vacated Pandora, but no doubt they left surveillance satellites to gather intel on us to prepare accordingly for our altercation. I cannot have every man, woman, and child in the village talking about a massive glowing generator that lights up like a Christmas tree whenever it is in the vicinity of unobtanium!"
Jake chuckled.
"You know, you could have saved a whole hell of a lot of oxygen there if you said that in the first place..."
Grace gave a nudge that made Sully wince from the slight force given to it.
"Technically there's no oxygen on the planet, so ha ha!"
As Grace walked away, Jake smiled.
"It's not nice to pick on a paraplegic!"
"That wheelchair is too small to fit your blue ass now!"
Jake laughed as he made his way back to his chief's quarters of the Home Tree, to summon his most trusted warriors and Neytiri.
The SA-2 Samson sported a customized paint job that complimented the Omaticaya tribe, as it began to lift from the platform, accompanied by other recommissioned SA-2 Samson's.
(If Black Opium is compatible with your device, please press play now)
The SA-2's flew over the village canopy, and soon re-emerged to the vast expanse of the planet's sprawling landscape that stretched to the horizon.
Jake, periodically sitting in silence in his combat gear, turned to Grace, Neytiri, and Norm who were all occupying the passenger seats of the aircraft.
"So how much opposition do we expect to face once we arrive at the facility?"
Norm soon checked a tablet he had been on.
"Once we vacated the facility premises', we activated the exterior defenses around the perimeter to deter any wildlife from entering, but that was a few months ago now, so the turrets have more than likely been exhausted of their ammunition. The electric fence is still active and there is power supplying the facility providing light, so it's not COMPLETELY abandoned"
Jake grinned.
"Well it'll be good to actually have a way to see instead of using a torch against a pack of Viper wolves"
Norm displayed a confused expression.
"Huh?"
"It's a long story, I'll tell it to you for another occasion, preferably one where we're not fighting and evading the friendly wildlife of Pandora"
Neytiri smiled, knowing full well what incident Jake was referring to, and Jake promptly responding with a subtle wink and a grin.
Grace. who was operating the Samson aircraft, soon had eyes on the RDA facility.
"Alright everyone! Time to be vigilant and aware, we're going to be landing at the facility, ETA 30 seconds!"
Soon the aircraft touched down on a vacant landing area, reserved for Samson's, as Grace shut off the propulsion engines.
"Alright headsets on! This is going to be our way of communicating with the other strike teams in the facility accompanying us, whatever happens, we'll be able to respond with them and act accordingly. Everyone understand?"
Everyone in the aircraft nodded promptly to Grace's question.
"Alright then let's get to work, shall we?"
Everyone vacated the aircraft, weapons drawn and assessing their surroundings.
"You know, this place looks especially spooky when there are no people around, did anyone else notice that? Or...is it just me? Also, who's idea was it to launch this operation at night?"
Norm was rather irritated with how this was set up, especially since the wildlife on the planet, although intriguing and fascinating to him, gave him the creeps.
"Well Norm, this is meant to be a secretive and inconspicuous operation. We cannot exactly keep this under tabs during the day with a giant generator being dragged by a giant aircraft, it would be caught by any surveillance equipment of the sky people, don't you agree?"
Norm let out a defeated sigh.
"I see your point, you know it's actually scary how much you guys mimic the traits of a human being like us!"
Jake soon let out a snarky remark.
"Hey Spellman, have you looked in the mirror lately?"
Norm rolled his eyes.
"Oh ha ha, very funny! Jake being the smartass again, I meant figuratively obviously!"
Jake laughed.
"I know man, I'm just pulling your leg!"
Norm nudged Jake in playful annoyance.
"Alright you two try to remain focused on this, who knows what could be lurking inside this facility since we left, we need to be on high alert"
Grace warned, as she did a check in on the rest of the strike times scattered throughout the facility they were in.
"Alright, Alpha team has moved into the main complex and they have encountered a bit of resistance from a few viper wolves, we're going to provide support to them as they make their way towards the lower levels, let's move!"
The engineers and technicians kept close behind Jake's strike team (Formally known as Delta team), as they passed through the main courtyard of the base.
"You know what Norm, I'm starting to see why you would perceive this place to be creepy now"
Grace remarked, as Norm extended a hand in gratitude.
"See? I knew that it wasn't just me who was scared shitless by this!"
Jake grinned.
So you weren't scared shitless with bullets whizzing by, but with complete silence and peace, you're all of a sudden uncomfortable?"
"Well when you put it like that, it dampens the fear factor of the whole situation, maybe you're right!"
Suddenly, there was a rustling noise near a few fuel containers directly in front of the team.
"Shhhh!"
Neytiri placed her hand in the air, signaling everyone to remain quiet.
"It's definitely wildlife"
Norm, still with his eyes trained on the containers, now gave a confused remark.
"How can you be so sure?"
"I've been hunting since I was a young child, the creatures on this planet are prone to lure their pray into a trap by using noise from nearby objects. This has viper wolf written all over it"
Neytiri then took the lead, cautiously approaching the container, mindful to reduce her noise output by her footsteps as much as possible.
Suddenly, from an elevated balcony, a viper wolf pounced on Neytiri, but due to the advantage of size and strength, she was able to thwart the attacker and promptly kill it with agile reflexes from her knife.
More viper wolves revealed themselves in large numbers in front of the group, surrounding them in every direction.
"There's a hell of a lot more than when I first encountered them!"
Jake exclaimed, as Norm began to turn in 360 degree rotations, flustered by his surroundings.
"Are we actually going to be forced to shoot these things? I don't think we have the ammo for this!"
Neytiri soon displayed a defeated expression.
"Normally I wouldn't condone such gratuitous slaughter due to our traditions, but as of now we have no choice. We'll just have to thin out their numbers just enough for the rest to back off into the jungle again!"
Suddenly the pack began it's savage advance towards the team, who in response returned fire, with many of the viper wolves succumbing to crippling shots.
"Try to aim for the legs, we don't want to have too many fatalities!"
Upon hearing this, Neytiri was pleased. She loved how much Jake had grown as a leader and as a member of the Na'vi, as well as a lover.
Grace soon saw the remnants of the attacking vipers retreat from the back of the pack.
"Alright, it looks like we've exhausted their energy...for now"
Everyone collectively did an ammunition check, and proceeded forward.
"Alright, everyone okay?"
Grace asked as the group collectively nodded their heads.
"No casualties to report"
Jake smiled, as Grace returned the sarcastic remark with a playful nod of annoyance.
"Alright, I'm going to try and use my old I.D card to help us access the main mess hall over there, give me a moment"
Grace walked over to the security console and pulled out her old I.D card which displayed her previous human form.
"Let's hope my clearance is still valid..."
She swiped the card over the console, with it soon being indicated by a green light indicating that the door had been unlocked.
"You still got it Augustine!"
She turned back to face the group with a jubilant smile.
"We're through! Let's go regroup with the other team and find this generator!"
The mess hall was still powered by electricity, but the oxygen seals inside the facility had been compromised, which was irrelevant to the newly formed Avatars.
"I wonder if the food is till good in the cafeteria?"
Norm asked, as Jake turned with a smile.
"I thought you just had dinner before you left?"
Norm nervously chuckled.
"I believe I just expelled dinner from my guts once I saw Viper wolf guts be sprayed out in the courtyard"
Jake laughed.
"Did anyone tell you that you had a great sense of humor Spellman?"
Norm smirked.
"Now honestly, that's a first for me"
The group continued to move to the other end of the mess hall, which opened up to a larger part of the facility in the hanger bay.
"You know, if we repel the attack from the RDA in the months ahead, we should really try to convert this place into a gym or arena!"
Grace rolled her eyes.
"Norm, I believe we're going to need a podcast for you when this is all over..."
Norm looked confused.
"What makes you say that?"
"I've never heard someone talk so much since I was with my grandmother on Earth 30 years ago!"
Norm provided a nervous chuckle.
"Uh, sorry about that. Just trying to lighten the mood"
Soon the team moved to the main staircase leading down towards the basement warehouse.
"Alright everyone, the other team should be regrouping with us when we get down these steps. The generator is going to be down here, and since it naturally feeds off of the main mineral of this planet, we could have some hostiles to dispel, I want everyone on their guard and to remain focused. No. Distractions. Got it?"
Everyone collectively nodded, as the team quickly moved at a faster pace down the staircase, with reaching the bottom within minutes. Jake slowly turned the door handle to the basement hanger, which was dimly lit.
"Goodness! I can hardly see a thing in here!"
Neytiri exclaimed, as everyone collectively turned on their tac light attachments on their assault rifles.
"Look! I see the other team signaling to us with their lights just over there! Come on!"
Grace exclaimed as they rushed over to regroup with the other strike teams.
The leaders of the adjacent teams were glad to see the main team finally regroup with them. One of the leaders approached.
"Boy am I glad to see you guys! We encountered some light resistance on our way here, but nothing we couldn't handle. How are you guys holding up?"
Jake soon stepped forward.
"Alright brother, what's the situation on the generator?"
The tribesman soon pointed to the far end of the warehouse.
"We've located the generator, but we're picking up a massive heat signature on our RDA scanners, there's something protecting it, something big"
Jake soon gave a reassuring nod.
"Alright, thanks for the intel tribesman, I want you and the rest of the teams to fan out and cover every piece of space in this warehouse. We need to take away as much space from whatever this thing is. Have your group cover the balcony above, and have the rest of the teams cover the flanks, we'll advance and distract this thing head on!"
"Yes Chieftain!"
The strike groups soon went to their designated areas, as Jake's team took the lead towards the generator at the far end.
"Do I hear snoring?"
Jake soon stopped for a second.
"Yeah...I hear it too"
Jake approached closer and closer to the generator, until he noticed a tail appearing at the side of the generator.
"So, we meet again"
The Thanator soon sensed the presence of Jake and let out a might roar to try and intimidate the Chieftain Avatar.
"Don't worry I brought some friends this time! You're going down big guy!"
*END OF CHAPTER*
