Chapter 4: Something to Fight For

The Thanator closed the gap on Jake, as it made a swift strike, aiming for his neck. The mighty beast sent vibrations through the concrete of the base's structure as it moved.

"Try to aim for the breathing receptacles around its neck! It's the only place where our bullets can do damage!"

Grace shouted, as the rest of the strike teams took the advice of the scientist, pounding the beast with a barrage of ammunition and rifle fire.

Surprisingly, the beast was still putting up a resilient fight, despite it being surrounded by 30 Na'vi.

"I remember taming one of these when we fought the RDA!"

Neytiri screamed over the hellfire of bullets slamming the beast towards cover.

"Really? So why is this one so aggressive?"

Grace soon piped up over Jake's question.

"In that instance the RDA were the perceived threat to all wildlife on the planet, these creatures viewed us as allies to help protect the planet!"

"And now?"

Grace gave a snarky expression.

"Well now we intruded on his territory and interrupted the poor bastard's beauty sleep!"

Jake smiled.

"Ah, that makes more sense, thanks for the biology lesson Grace!"

"Anytime Jake! But let's try to focus on the animal that's trying to have all of us as a full course meal BEFORE asking asinine and irrelevant questions, okay?!"

"Fair point!"

Soon the Thanator was collapsing from exhaustion.

Norm noticed a weak point near the beasts' jugular.

"Jake! Try to wrap around to my end, I think I've found a way to take down this thing right now, before we waste all of our ammunition!"

Jake nodded, and immediately and swiftly made his way over to Norm, using the distraction of covering fire from the other Na'vi warriors to avoid being detected and noticed by the beast.

Soon both Avatars crouched.

"Alright, you see the jugular? Right now it's exposed and one of the main arteries is vulnerable. Try to use your knife to sever it and it should provide a near instantaneous death for the creature and end it's suffering."

Jake nodded and turned, but before he did, he quickly turned back with a slight smirk.

"Since when did you devise tactics for battle?"

Norm returned the smirk.

"Well, let's just say learning from you and being shot at by the RDA taught me a few valuable things about staying alive and not ending up six feet under in an unmarked grave!"

Jake smiled, and soon sprinted towards the Thanator, unsheathing his blade to prepare for the final blow to finally finish off the apex predator.

Jake leapt into the air and quickly grasped onto the lower portion of the Thanator.

Without further hesitation, Jake located the main artery of the creature, and quickly severed it. Blood quickly sprayed out in a dramatic fashion onto Jake's face and the concrete floor below.

The beast soon collapsed onto the ground, with every member of the strike team surrounding the corpse to pay their respects to the creature's passing into the realm of Eywa.

After a few moments of silence and silent expressions of respect, the group soon converged on the main item of their violent and dangerous expedition to the RDA facility: The Power Generator for the natural shield.

"Alright, so just how are we going to extract this out of here?"

Norm asked, as Grace spotted two transport trucks that could accommodate the generator back to the Samson's.

"We can all put it on the automatic lifts and have the combined payload be put on the two trucks braced together!"

Norm raised a finger in opposition, but quickly lowered it as he contemplated the idea in his mind.

"Actually...that's a great idea and it lessens the strain and toll on one vehicle! One again Grace you've proven to be the brains out of all of us!"

Grace smiled.

"I try my best Norm, I can assure you, there have been many fuck ups I've had through my career that I will tell you when we're not in a damp and dark abandoned facility. For now, let's all try to get out of this safe and sound, alright?"

Soon, all the strike teams were loading the generator onto the two flatbed transport trucks, and braced them together with heavy duty support straps and tethers.

"Alright Neytiri! Slowly press against the accelerator! It's the one that's smaller than the brake!"

Abruptly Neytiri applied the gas to the truck, causing it to screech forward, before she quickly braked.

"Like that?"

Grace looked over to Jake with a slight smirk.

"When you were teaching her driving lessons, did you take her to Indianapolis 500 by any chance, Jake?"

Jake rolled his eyes.

"You know, if the science route didn't prove fruitful, you could have easily applied to a stand up comedy club!"

Grace laughed.

"Thank you so much for the compliment Jake! At least I know I have another talent besides science!"

Jake smiled.

"Alright everyone! We're going to need to protect both of the transport vehicles until we reach the Samson's on the carrier pads just outside the base, I need everyone to remain vigilant and ready for anything! This thing feeds off of unobtanium, so every creature on this planet is going to be attracted to it once we bring it out...needless to say it's going to be a close shave for an escape back to the Home Tree."

In unison, the strike teams boarded the transport trucks and started the engines.

Neytiri kept a firm grip on the steering wheel and her eyes trained on the road ahead.

"Alright drivers, keep a steady pace with each other, and we'll worry about anything that tries to attack the generator!"

Soon both trucks were moving from the warehouse and into the exterior of the base outside.

"It's quiet again I don't like this one bit"

Norm exclaimed as Jake placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, view it this way, every moment we're not being attacked is more distance covered and the closer we are to getting home in one piece."

Norm smiled.

"Yeah you're right, thanks for the reassuring words Jake."

"No problem, now keep your eyes peeled to your surroundings, the wildlife on Pandora can be unpredictable and conniving."

The trucks were almost to the carrier pads when suddenly, glowing eyes approached from just behind the fence line where the base perimeter had been breached.

"Viperwolves! Open fire all strike teams!"

Soon a barrage of bullets were streaming towards a seemingly endless pack of Viperwolves.

"Geez! How much power is behind this generator?!"

Jake screamed over the hail of bullets.

"Exactly! That's why it is imperative that we bring it back to the Home Tree, this thing can turn the tide and help us defeat the RDA!"

Grace screamed, as the transport trucks were edging closer to the Samson's.

"Quick, Pilots! Commandeer the Samson's and get those tethers attached!"

Neytiri screamed, as the two Na'vi pilots boarded the carriers and ignited the engines.

"Alright, everyone else keep firing, we're thinning out their numbers, we're almost home!"

Suddenly, a rumbling could be heard immediately after Jake finished his sentence.

"Note to self: Never open your mouth until the mission is complete..."

Jake finished his remark as a pack of Sturmbeest were approaching from the exterior of the base, and were about to barrel through the Samson's and transport trucks desperately trying to vacate the facility with the generator in tow.

"EVERYONE GET ON THE SAMSON'S NOW!"

The Na'vi heeded Jake's order and scrambled to board the transport carriers.

Everyone climbed onto their designated Samson and quickly they took off, with the main Samson carrying the generator facing a near miss from an alpha Sturmbeest.

(If Undying Love by Two Steps from Hell is compatible with your device, please press play now)

"HELL YEAH!"

"WOOOOO HOOOOO!"

"WE DID IT, HOLY CRAP WE DID IT!"

Everyone was jubilant that the mission was a success, this was a major turning point in the conflict, one that would see the Na'vi face an even greater RDA threat than before.

Meanwhile in deep space, the RDA fleet is amassing a massive offensive in the months to come...

Parker Selfridge sat at his desk, sipping a cup of coffee.

An RDA personnel officer soon stepped into the office of his quarters.

"Sir, the latest status report we've received from our satellites orbiting Pandora"

The officer handed a cluster of papers kept together by a paper clip to the RDA administrator.

Parker sifted through each individual page, some with more quicker analysis than others, as he paused and read one particular page that caught his interest.

"Our base was abandoned?"

The RDA officer, still stood at attention with both arms around his back nodded.

"It seems that way sir, the Na'vi were quick to scavenge whatever tech they needed and quickly vacated the facility."

Parker rubbed his forehead.

"I don't understand, we destroyed their home and burnt it to the god damned ground, where else did they have to live?"

The RDA officer retrieved a projector tablet from his side and flipped through the slides stored on it.

"Precisely sir, which is why I brought this along with me, you're not going to believe what has happened down there"

On the projector screen from the tablet, displayed the image of the Home Tree fully restored and revitalized, and seemingly larger than before.

"What the hell?"

Parker's eyes opened wide with amazement.

"How did they restore it so quickly?"

"The tree acts as a conduit for unobtanium, it can be destroyed temporarily, but as long as the element is present underneath the plant's structure, it will eventually be replenished to a larger size than its previous form."

Parker put his hand to his mouth, rubbing in a horizontal fashion in contemplation.

"We could just blow the thing to kingdom come again, why would they leave our base behind for something so inferior for defense?"

The RDA officer sighed.

"That's...actually the main reason I came here. Our sensors picked up activity at the warehouse facility at the base. This time, it's not just wildlife, Samson's and motorized transportation were present with automatic weapons. Needless to say, the Na'vi were present in the facility again."

Parker raised a finger and had a questioning expression.

"Where did you say they were?"

"The warehouse sir."

Parker paused for a few moments, taking inventory in his mind and processing what could be so valuable inside the complex, then it hit him.

"The generator!"

The Samson's soon arrived back to the Home Tree with the sun rising over the horizon, to the sounds of rapturous cheers and chants from the Na'vi villagers.

"Say hello to the welcoming party everyone!"

Grace exclaimed as they disembarked from the Samson's, to be greeted with hugs and kind gestures from their fellow kinsman.

Neytiri quickly ran over to Jake.

"There is something I must tell you in private"

Jake turned back, as Neytiri provided a soft and warm smile in his direction.

Jake soon followed, distancing himself from the mass of Na'vi which were fascinated by the newly acquired generator.

Jake followed Neytiri to a nearby stream, which led to a shimmering lake, wildlife teeming adjacent to them across the body of water, grazing on flora.

"Jake...we've endured so much ever since I met you all that time ago. We've both shown each other so much and it's been more than I could have imagined. As Chieftain, you have the responsibility of defending and leading us to prosperity in the name of Eywa. If we survive this conflict with the sky people...I'm willing to spend the rest of my days with you and..."

Neytiri paused for a moment, as Jake gently raised her head with his hand.

"What Neytiri?"

Neytiri looked into his eyes, which were stoic, yet reassuring and kind in nature.

"I want us to be able to start a family. Everything changed when I met you, you've shown me what it feels like to be engulfed by kindness and love. I want that to be something that we can make an impact with, to be able to teach them how to lead, care for, defend, and fight for something that has meaning-"

Jake stopped her before she could continue.

"Like you were for me?"

Neytiri smiled.

"Exactly, Jake Sully..."

The two then engaged for a warm passionate kiss and embrace, the world around them seemed to stand still, the Pandoran sun beaming down upon them.

Rustling could be heard from the outcropping behind them, as Grace appeared.

"Oh! There you two lovebirds are, I was wondering why you two left so abruptly! We've moved the generator closer to the base of the Home Tree, we're just waiting for you to attend to see if it works."

Jake turned to Neytiri and smiled.

"When all of this is over, there's no greater gift that I could receive, than a lifetime spent with you."

Grace smiled in the background.

"Oh come on you two, don't make me cry standing here!"

Jake and Neytiri both laughed.

"We'll be there shortly Grace!"

Grace walked back towards the village, as Neytiri wrapped her arms around the neck of Jake and stared into their gaxe.

"We better not keep them waiting any longer, this could be the big break we've been longing for!"

Both Na'vi now ran back, full of emotion and anticipation of if the generator would be a successful start up.

"Everything alright with the circuit board Norm?"

"Despite a missing wire in the back panel, I believe we're good to start this thing up and see if it has any juice left in her!"

Grace provided a nod.

"Alright everyone, this is the moment of truth! This could mean Home Tree or bust!"

The Na'vi looked at one another with confused expressions.

"Oh right...human expression..."

Grace scratched the back of her head.

"All set to go Norm? It would be a great send off after just embarrassing myself!"

Norm gave the thumbs up gesture, as Jake and Neytiri emerged from the crowd to get a better view.

"You're just in time kiddos! The show's about to start!"

Norm picked up the mobile console, which had a remote link to control the ignition of the generator.

"Alright, here goes nothing!"

Norm then moved all three switches to commence the starting protocols of the generator, as it beamed a bright purple aura around the village and tree, engulfing it into a neatly wrapped and shaped bubble.

Everyone looked in awe above them, as the generator had provided an optimal shield around them, providing protection from any RDA firepower within their arsenal.

"It works!"

Graced exclaimed, as everyone started to cheer at the success of the device. The tide and tables had turned in the Omaticaya's favor, and the whole of the planet and its survival for that matter.

"This should be perfect for the anti-air units we acquired from the base too, I should be able to calibrate the shield to recognize Na'vi life signs when firing, while RDA presence is viewed as hostile, in short: We can shoot at them, but they can't shoot at us!"

Jake provided a smirk towards Norm.

"Great work Spellman, you're a smart bastard, you know that?"

Norm smirked.

"In the words of Grace Augustine: I try my best. Now, I'd say this calls for a celebration tonight don't you think?"

Everyone cheered as the village had erupted with joy and laughter, the likes of which had not been seen in a very long time.

A large feast had been prepared for the village, laughter and music filled the Pandoran night sky, with Neytiri looking over the village from hers and Jake's hut window at the base of the Home Tree.

Jake soon entered the room and noticed her staring out over the village.

"Can't beat the view, eh?"

Neytiri jumped, as she was daydreaming and didn't hear Jake enter.

"Oh my goodness! You startled me!"

"Sorry about that, it wasn't my intention I swear ha! ha!. You left a bit early from the feast, did something happen? Is everything okay?"

Neytiri once again looked out over the village, the Pandoran moon was full, with purple solar flares shooting across the sky with the stars.

"No...everything is quite alright...It's just that, I still am bewildered and flabbergasted by the fact that a human stumbles into our village, and changes it for the better of all."

Jake soon stood beside her to view the sights.

"When you put it like that, you make it sound like an ant going into a hornet's nest"

Neytiri rolled her eyes and smirked.

"More of your Earth creatures?"

"Well...were Earth creatures. The planet got a little overpopulated to see many of them again, and I only really saw them in my biology textbook as a kid. Maybe I'll ask Grace for a copy of her zoology books and I'll show you."

Neytiri laughed at this, but soon returned to a contemplative and trance-like state.

"What do you believe is going to happen?"

Jake's face turned to a more contemplative state as well, as he tried to formulate an answer to the love of his life.

"With Eywa by our side, along with her blessings, I believe the RDA don't know who they are messing with. As long as we have people in our tribe and Na'vi willing to band with us all over the planet, I believe there is no cosmic force that can challenge the resilience and resolve Pandora has."

Neytiri smiled.

"You really have become comfortable with the position of Chieftain haven't you?"

Jake chuckled.

"I guess I am."

The two then leaned towards each other for another hug and kiss, with Neytiri soon wrapping her arms around Jake, as both lovers became more aggressive in their affection.

Neytiri jumped and wrapped her legs around Jake's waist, as he maneuvered towards their makeshift cot in the corner of the room.

The surroundings of the village outside still echoed with the voices of Na'vi laughter and tribal music. This was the calm before the storm, one that would see a more intense struggle than when the RDA first attacked.

Jake knew this, but something in his mind made its presence. A newfound sense of confidence and pride.

"We have something worth fighting for, and I'm going to commit my very soul to protect it. My whole life has led me to this journey and path...and I'm going to make it count."

*END OF CHAPTER*