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 for my work based on Avatar. If I could get paid by the hour for these stories, I would retire and spend all my time dancing and writing in comfort.

Author's note: Today (12 May 2013) is Mother's Day in the USA. I salute all mothers who have made life possible for us. The concept for this chapter has been rattling around in my head for months, but was written in just the past few days. I had to publish it today, as it is so appropriate for this day of honoring mothers.

Chapter 8: Eywa & Grace

Grace is blasted awake by an all-out assault on her senses. She sees uncountable splotches of varying colors and brightnesses, but with no form or pattern, like those ancient television screens of static, but in color instead of black and white. She hears a cacophony of sounds with no rhythm or structure, and wildly varying volumes. Her senses of smell and taste are a riot of flavors changing too fast to identify, with most worse than waking up after a hard night of drinking and smoking. The most disturbing are the sensations she feels all over her body. There are occasional zingers of intense pleasure, but most are very painful, like she is being bombarded from all sides by hailstones, some frozen and some burning. Her muscles seem to be randomly contracting and relaxing, her limbs flailing in all directions as if she is in a grand mal seizure. Her mind is so overloaded, she is unable to form words, let alone cogent thoughts. Mercifully, her consciousness collapses under the onslaught.

These assaults happen repeatedly; how often is unknown as she has lost track of them and of time. Grace feels like a leaf being blown around by a tornado. She becomes aware that the assaults are changing, with some senses lessening while other senses retaining their high intensity. Her higher functions remain almost frozen, she can't even count the assaults, let alone analyze the differences. All she can do is endure each assault until she passes out. She yearns for death to escape this torture.

Grace wakes up with the worst headache of her life. Other than the pounding in her brain, she feels nothing. She has that disembodied feeling like she experiences when moving between her human body and her avatar body, except this feeling is lasting way too long.

"Oh, no! I've had a link accident! Guess it was bound to happen after all these years."

She has heard the horror stories, some avatar drivers dying, others becoming mentally unstable or worse, when a glitch or hardware failure occurs during a link. Max has studied these accidents in detail.

"Hope Max is nearby and is working to recover me... No, I remember, I'm not in a link. Jake carried me to the Tree of Souls. I wanted to take some samples. What the hell!"

She begins to lose it as she realizes she cannot move, her senses are dead, and she feels nothing except the pain in her head. For a brief instant, Grace sees the brightest white light she has ever seen and feels like her entire body is on fire.

"Now I know how it feels to stand beneath a rocket taking off."

The pain is so great, she loses consciousness again.

Grace wakes up on her own. Her headache has lessened, but it is still pounding. She feels nothing, but does see a soft, warm glow. The silence is broken by a soft whimper, followed by a very young Na'vi girl whispering "Can you hear me? Are you awake?"

Grace cannot feel any muscles to move to breathe or speak. She can only think, and replies in Na'vi "I can hear you, my child. But I think I'm asleep. I must be in a nightmare where I can't move. I need to wake up."

"Please! Don't go away! I won't be able to find you again!" The little girl starts to sniffle.

The hurt and pain in the little girl's voice pulls at Grace's heartstrings. "I'm in bad shape, little one."

"Are you hurt?"

"My head hurts really bad."

"Here."

The pain immediately lets up. Grace didn't feel the little girl touch her, and doesn't know what she did. "Thank you, you must be an excellent healer."

"Promise you won't go away?"

"I'll stay with you as long as I can. But, I don't know how long..." The little girl whimpers again. Grace realizes reason will not comfort her. "My name is Grace. What is your name?"

"My name is Eywa" the little girl replies with a smile in her voice.

Grace is heartened by the response. "That is a very nice name. It reminds me of a little boy I met on my very first day of school. I saw his name tag and said 'Hi, Jesus.' He rolled his eyes and said 'My name is HAY-sus, not GEEZ-us.' Jesus is the name of a god on the world I came from, like Eywa is the goddess of this moon."

"She is the All-Mother. May I call you mother?"

Grace is getting emotional. If her eyes are watering, she can't feel it. "Of course, Eywa, you may call me mother. Many little ones like yourself have called me mother." Grace pauses to regain her composure. "Forgive me, I have forgotten my manners. I See you, Eywa."

"I See you, mother."

"I would have made the gesture, but I cannot feel or move my arm. And my eyes aren't working very well, I really can't see you. All I see is a soft glow. Can you see me?"

"No, mother, I do not have eyes."

Grace is shocked. Practically all Na'vi are perfect physical specimens. Their life is so hard, only the strongest survive. The only exceptions Grace has seen are those injured while hunting that managed to get help in time, and now are missing digits or limbs. "I'm sorry to hear that. Did you have an accident, Eywa?"

"I don't know, mother. I cannot remember seeing anything, ever."

"That's all right. Tell me, Eywa, how did you find me?"

"No, mother! Don't keep asking questions like that! You'll go away!" Grace hears Eywa starting to sob.

"I'm sorry, Eywa. I'm a scientist. I ask lots of questions, and don't always think about the consequences. Don't get upset if I ask something you don't want to answer. Just tell me you can't answer. I said I wasn't going to leave you. I want to be your friend and keep you safe."

"I'd like that, mother." Eywa sniffles and asks "What does Grace mean?"

"My name?"

"Yes."

"Refinement or elegance of motion. It is something my mother wanted me to have. She made me take ballet lessons to teach me how to be more graceful, more full of grace as she said. That didn't work. I had to fight with her and everyone else to become what I wanted to be, a scientist, a botanist. I love plants so much, I want to know everything there is about them." Grace gets emotional again, remembering a boy in junior high school who said she had no grace, and a better first name for her would be Ice Bitch.

"Are you fighting now?"

From the mouth of babes. "Yes, Eywa, I am. That question made me sad, and I'm fighting myself to not lose it again, just so I can stay with you."

"Forgive me, mother. We should stop asking questions."

"No, Eywa. Asking questions is the only way to learn. We have to overcome our emotions, mainly fear, to ask the questions that move us forward and help us learn. Right now, I'm guessing that I am in a coma. I can't feel or move, only think. Maybe you are a hallucination, except you are behaving too rationally." Grace starts to laugh in her mind. "I've studied plants my entire life. I've often wondered what it would be like to be a plant. Right now, I'm a thinking plant. I cannot move or feel, only sense light." Grace falls silent.

"Please mother, don't go away!"

"We're speaking English, and you understand and speak it."

"You switched to English when you told me about Jesus, mother. There is no Na'vi word or concept for god, just Eywa."

"OH! MY! GOD!"

Mother! Please! Don't leave me!" Eywa starts sniffling again.

"Eywa, please answer me truthfully. I promise I will not lose it or go away. Are you really Eywa, the goddess of Pandora?"

"I promise to answer truthfully, but I really need you to stay with me. I may not be able to find you again."

"I promise. Please, are you the Eywa that runs this world?"

A different voice answers, one that is much older and much more commanding. A voice that even Mo'at would not dare question. "You are correct, Graceaugustine. I am the Eywa you are asking about, the protector of this world."

"That's the voice I first heard, under the sacred tree."

"And you ignored me. You wanted to talk to Jakesully more than you wanted to transfer to your Na'vi body and save your memories."

"Well, I'm not much of a scientist if I'm not able to report my findings."

"You have a habit of ignoring superiors and not understanding what is going on around you because you think you know better."

"I like the other voice better."

The voice of the little girl replies "Forgive my deception, mother, but this voice was the most likely to get your attention and keep you from losing consciousness."

"Did you enjoy torturing me?"

"That was not my intention. Your body continually provides signals to your brain. Your brain expects these signals. When I tried to activate your persona, you lost consciousness almost immediately because these signals were not present. The signals typical for Na'vi did not work. I had to try many variations to find the set stimulating your persona now. I am truly sorry for the pain I caused you, but it was necessary to make you operational. Now that you are fairly stable and able to communicate, we should make some tweaks to improve your situation. Once we finish that, I will be able to make more human personae. I need to do that so Jakesully can transfer to his Na'vi body. I was not ready for you because I have so little experience with you dreamwalkers. Jakesully has made tsaheylu with me only three times, and his brain looked very much like a Na'vi."

"Oh. You realize that the body making tsaheylu with you is the avatar. The human is in a machine called a link that projects his or her personality into the avatar. Human brains are very different from Na'vi brains, and the link probably keeps you from looking back into the human body at the human brain."

"This is why I need your help, Graceaugustine. I've been looking at your memories but I do not understand what I see. You know so many things that the Na'vi do not know."

"You looked through my memories?"

"I had to make a catalog as I was copying your memories out of your human body, to organize your memories and be able to find things. But your brain is much different. The Na'vi brain is designed for tsaheylu and communication is easy. Your human brain needed many extra filaments to make enough paths, and I was rushed as you were dying. I didn't learn much from creating the catalog. Your subordinate Jakesully made tsaheylu with the Tree of Souls and begged me to look into your memories to learn about Earth. I learned many things about you when I did that. Like that boy in junior high that hurt you so deeply. I see that you treat all human adults badly, but you treat children, especially your Na'vi students in the school for the Omatikaya, much better. I made my voice from the memories of your students. Your body was shutting down as I was trying to transfer you out. Your persona is a mess, and I'm not certain I have all the pieces put together properly. I'm sorry for the pain I have caused you, but maybe you would be in your Na'vi body now if you helped me instead of pulling back to talk to Jake."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know what was happening. So I'm dead?"

"You are in Eywa, the only human so far. Many humans have died here, and they are all lost. Your human body is dead and has been buried for not quite three days, near the Well of Souls. Jake is having your avatar body taken back to Hell's Gate."

"How do you know that?"

"Many Na'vi make tsaheylu with the sacred trees every day. I know what they know."

"I'm sorry, Eywa. I should thank you for saving me. I've never been good at gratitude."

The little girl's voice is beaming. "I know. You're welcome, mother."

"Eywa, I have so many questions to ask. But, you would not have gone to the trouble to bring me back unless you have a good reason. What can I do to help you?"

"Maxpatel has said many things I don't understand. I've been looking at your memories, but I need your help to comprehend."

"Did you learn English from my memories?"

"I first learned as your students made tsaheylu with the sacred trees, mainly with the Tree of Voices near the Hometree of the Omatikaya. I also got help from your students that are in Eywa."

"Silwanin?"

"Yes, her and the other children killed in your schoolhouse, and those who died yesterday fighting the humans to save the Tree of Souls."

"The humans attacked the Tree of Souls?"

"Yes."

"That damned Quartich!"

"He is dead now, Neytiri killed him, just as he tried to kill Jake."

"Good for her."

"The avatars took over Hell's Gate, and most humans have been banished."

"Banished?"

"Put on a shuttle and sent home."

"Or at least up to the Venture Star. It will take over five years to get home once they break orbit. Who helped the most with teaching you English?"

"Silwanin and Tsu'tey were the most helpful, as they knew the most English."

Tsu'tey is dead?"

"He is in Eywa, and he is happy again, he is with Silwanin. Your memories added many new words to my vocabulary, but I need help. There are many technical words I must understand."

"And almost everything Max says are technical words."

"Yes, mother. I am very concerned about many things he has said, but here are the most troublesome. What is fertility therapy and what is a surrogate mother?"

"Max must have told Jake and Neytiri that they cannot have babies without his help. Guess it is better to let them know now than to wonder why the babies aren't coming."

"You are correct. Many Na'vi are bothered by Jakesully. He is the sixth Toruk Makto, but that does not change the fact that he is a dreamwalker. Having a baby will make most Na'vi accept him."

"He and Neytiri will be blessed by Eywa."

"Exactly."

"OK, Eywa. You understand that to make a baby, a male must fertilize the egg from a female. With many species, like humans and Na'vi, the male produces sperm. These are single cell organisms with tails. The tails are necessary for the sperm to move and fertilize the egg."

"These tails are important?"

Yes, and even more important to Na'vi, as their bodies are proportionally larger, so the sperm must travel farther. Humans have a very simple genetic defect that causes this tail to disappear. That defect is introduced into the male avatars to make them sterile. There is still a very small chance that Neytiri can get pregnant the natural way, but don't count on that happening. The best way is for Max to get eggs from Neytiri and sperm from Jake, do what is called 'in-vitro fertilization,' and implant a fertilized egg back into Neytiri. Max could also implant into a different female, who becomes the surrogate mother."

"That confirms what Max said, but your way is more understandable."

"Max is a researcher and doesn't always simplify for non-experts. Don't think he ever taught. My time in the school for the Omatikaya kids forced me to learn how to explain things in simple terms."

"The baby must come from Neytiri. This 'surrogate mother' will not be understood by the Na'vi."

"Believe me, this is very controversial on Earth, too. This has been possible for over one hundred years, almost two hundred years, and there are still many countries that prohibit it or don't recognize it. But, women who cannot have babies are everywhere, and this is one way to have a child that is related to them genetically, or by blood as the Na'vi would say."

"There are many Na'vi couples that have never had a baby. I see how they could benefit from this fertility therapy, and even a surrogate mother. But that is not the Na'vi way. There is another option Max mentioned. He wants to collect blood from the fifteen clans now in the Well of Souls and make a better Na'vi genome. Then he can make new avatars without the fertility issue, and make them much more like the Na'vi. Jake wants new bodies for all humans, all identical to Na'vi bodies, and move all humans into them."

"So when RDA returns, there are no humans left."

"I think that is what he is thinking. He has not made tsaheylu with me since he thought this."

"Growing new bodies will take several years, and the next ISV is due in less than a year."

"ISV?"

"Space ship from Earth. It has been traveling for about five years now. It will have to orbit here to refuel and top off consumables, like water and gases, before it can return. It must get some items from Hell's Gate. Do you have a space fleet, or space weapons of any kind?"

"No, I serve only the life on this world. My makers take care of everything else, when warranted."

"Your makers?"

"They have not been here since before the Time of the First Songs. The last aliens I handled came here at that time. Those aliens became the first Na'vi. The makers left soon after that, and have never returned. I write everything that meets their reporting criteria into a certain memory pod, and they take that information periodically. Their querying frequency went up when you humans arrived. It increased after your settlement was built, and again after the destruction of the Tree of Voices that the Omatikaya used. Now that the Well of Souls has been attacked, and your memories of weapons of mass destruction have been reported, that frequency will increase even more."

"We didn't know, even though there are many theories arguing that Pandora was constructed. What will your makers do?"

"I don't know. I am not allowed to speak directly to the Na'vi. The makers do not speak to me, so my guess is that they are not allowed."

"You're kidding!"

"That protects me and them."

"Why are you speaking to me?"

"Once the Well of Souls was attacked, my rules of engagement allowed me to work on your memories to make an operational persona, and speak directly with it."

"Do your rules prohibit me from talking to Jake? I really need to talk to him to find out what his plans are. That jarhead wasn't in Hell's Gate long enough to understand the problem."

"When a Na'vi makes tsaheylu to talk to an ancestor, that activates the persona of the ancestor. There is no reason to stop you if Jake activates you."

"Can you arrange it to activate me automatically when Jake makes tsaheylu?"

"Yes, and I will make sure he does. His mother-in-law talks to me every day now that she is at the Well of Souls. Her mate is within Eywa."

"Eytukan is in Eywa?"

"Yes, he is."

"I'm sorry for her." Grace pauses. "Eywa, I think I'm really going to enjoy working with you."

For the first time, the little girl's voice sounds very happy. "Thank you, Graceaugustine. Now, let's tweak your stimulations and make sure you don't go unconscious again, and can be activated without problems."