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: Thanks to KimKimTheCat for urging me to resurrect Trudy. It's taken several years, so I hope you like it. With this chapter, I am diverging even more from canon. On the other hand, Cameron has not given us the reason why the Na'vi and all life on Pandora was created. This story is one possibility. Please let me know what you think.

EMP means Electro-Magnetic Pulse

Chapter 31: Trudy Chacon

"Come on, baby, … keep flying." Trudy strains against the controls, willing her flaming Sampson to stay airborne. Unlike the Scorpions that are 'fly by fiber,' her aircraft has old-fashioned mechanical controls. "Mushy is good, … sluggish is good, … just keep going, … that's it, baby, … don't stop now." In spite of hope and best effort, she is slowly losing altitude, dropping below the safety of the floating mountains. She sees the Dragon taking up an excellent firing position above her, close enough so she cannot elude it but far enough away so she cannot ram it.

She thinks, "Quaritch knows I'm out of the fight. Bet he'll waste a missile just to watch me die." An unexpected calm falls over her. She has done all she can do for Jake and the Na'vi, and now there is only one thing left to do, die well. Her only regret is not being able to spend more time with Norm, making new life and growing old with those children and her newfound soul mate. She is at peace in this moment that seems to last forever. She tries not to look, but from the corner of her eye she sees a missile leap from its launch rail beneath the Dragon and streak towards her. Just as it gets close enough to touch, everything changes.

Jake got to sleep early this evening, but after just a few hours, he has his worst nightmare since his days in the hospitals back on Earth. It starts with him as a fly on the wall in the bridge of an ISV that is in high orbit around Pandora.

Quaritch is in command, and is almost gleeful. He barks, "Battle stations!"

"Aye, sir." A siren blares through the intercom system. "Launch window for target one opens in thirty seconds."

He finishes off the coffee in his over-sized zero gee mug. "Program missile one for target one."

"Programming complete. The Well of Souls is targeted."

"Arm missile one."

"Missile one is armed. The missile and its nuclear warhead are both green. The launch window is now open."

"Fire missile one." Everyone holds their breath, and a shudder goes through the ship. No missile has been fired from an ISV before now. There were no test firings in Earth's solar system to hide the fact that RDA has this internationally illegal capability. This is the one technology that would turn all governments in the Sol system against RDA.

"Missile one away. Impact in eighty-seven minutes."

"I can't wait to see what that does to those blue monkeys. Stand down for now. We won't fire again until after the battle damage assessment is complete."

"Yes, sir, but we must stay at battle stations, in case there is an early detonation or the EMP fries anything. And, no one knows how the flux vortex will react to a nuclear chain reaction, so we have been ordered to keep Pandora between us and the target at impact, as much as orbital dynamics can allow."

"That's why you're here, to keep us safe. I'm just eager for some real pay back and whipping those blue asses for good. Carry on. I'll buckle myself in and ride out the detonation here, after I get some more coffee."

"Very good, sir."

"Genocide can be fun and profitable. We're making history today."

"Yes, sir!"

Jake next finds himself flying his toruk some distance from the Tree of Souls. A contrail becomes visible high in the sky. Before he can react, a brilliant flash of light blinds him and his ride. He grabs at its flying harness with both hands. The deafening blast wave knocks him off his toruk, and they both blindly tumble through the roiling air that burns off their skin.

Before his flaming body slams into anything, he wakes with a start in his dark bedroom in Hell's Gate, gasping for air, sweaty, his heart pounding. "Damn, just can't get a good night's sleep. Haven't had one since I caught my toruk. Now my nightmares return." He pulls himself upright in his bed and rubs his face with both hands. "I feel like I've been chased by a thanator again. Better get my avatar up and talk this over with Neytiri. Hope she isn't pissed off by me waking her up in the middle of the night. Never had a bad dream about Pandora before. Wonder why?" He slides out of bed, uses the toilet, throws on some clothes, and quickly rolls to the link room. He meets no one on the way. This is surprising with the support personnel back at work in Hell's Gate, but they live and work in other buildings, for the most part. This emptiness seems wrong after the hustle and bustle he had to navigate through before his first trip to site 26. Even the link room is deserted, except for the drivers safely enclosed in their links. He fires up the link reserved for his use and jumps in. Max would be livid if he was here, cutting short his sleep and not getting help with operating the link, but he and most of the medical staff and avatars are still out at the make-shift field hospital in the Well of Souls. What Max doesn't know won't hurt Jake. He can barely wait while his consciousness transfers into his avatar.

Jake's avatar body bolts upright and he mutters to himself, "Ouch, my tail. What did I do?" The preparations for the parley with Captain Gustav and receiving the support personnel left him and Neytiri exhausted. After the over-loaded shuttle eased out of Hell's Gate, they decided to fly back to the Well of Souls to check on the progress of finding a new Hometree for the clan. Jake's toruk made the trip very quickly, so they got little rest en route. After eating and talking with Lrrkxi and Mayotx, and then mingling with the clan, they were too tired to mate or even bond, so they kissed goodnight and immediately fell asleep. His avatar must have rolled onto its back after breaking the link and now his tail hurts like hell. "Where's Neytiri? She was here when I broke the link." He jumps up and hurriedly ties on his groin strap and loincloth, wagging his tail like a dog the whole time to get the kinks out and the blood flowing into it again to stop that annoying tingly feeling. While he dons his knife harness, he looks across the clan to the cave used by Mo'at. "Maybe Neytiri went to see her mother or help with some emergency." Neytiri and Mo'at are not standing by the mouth of the cave or anywhere else among the clan. Looking across the encampment, he sees much commotion. He thinks, "The clan is uneasy tonight, lots of restlessness. This can't be good." The parents are trying to keep their children quiet, but Jake hears much crying and arguing. "Never seen this before." He scans the sentries around the boundary of the camp, and sees one beckoning him. He picks up his bow and arrows, and quietly runs towards her. Before he gets there, she points down the path to the main trail into the Well of Souls. Jake raises his bow over his head in silent salute, and runs towards the sacred tree. He finds Mo'at and Neytiri standing on the edge of the rim just off the trail, looking down at the sacred tree and the hospital area covering the floor of the well.

"I See you, ma Tsahìk and ma mate." Jake makes the gesture after the pair turn toward him.

The women make the gesture in reply, and Mo'at answers, "I See you, ma 'itan. What brings you out here when you should be sleeping?"

"I had my worst nightmare since arriving here. This sacred tree was destroyed from orbit by the most powerful weapon known to mankind."

"We had similar dreams. I dreamed that the human gunships destroyed it the way they destroyed Hometree. My daughter dreamed that human warriors used their fire weapons on it like the blazing pa'li she saw during the battle."

The three of them look down into the well in silence. Although it is the middle of the night, it is clear that the convalescing warriors below are also restless. There is as much activity now as there would be in the middle of the day.

"I've never had a bad dream about this place before. So, I'm no tsahìk, but the uneasiness tonight in the clan and down there says to me that Eywa is trying to tell us something."

"We were discussing that before you joined us. It could be a foretelling that this place will be destroyed in the future."

"Yeah, my dream will take six years, at a minimum. Your dreams could happen now, if there are any weapons left on the Venture Star. I'm hoping that without Quaritch, they won't mount another attack. Captain Gustav was very definite that he would not allow that, but they could always kill him and take over his ship. Is there any way you can find out from Eywa when the sacred tree will be destroyed?"

"Eywa never speaks directly to anyone, not even tsahìks."

"Without any more details, the safe thing to do is to leave here, as soon as possible."

"I agree. It will be difficult, though. Most of the injured can be moved, but some cannot. It will take much time and effort to leave this place. We could start by clearing out of the well."

"Well, let's get some sleep, and discuss this in the morning with the healers and Max."

Before the Omatikaya leaders start back to their camp, the leaders from the Eastern Sea clans come down the trail towards them, all looking grim and bedraggled. Behind them in separate groups are the leaders from the Plains and the neighboring forest clans, also looking very tired and unhappy.

Trudy's seat falls less than a meter before slamming into the metal floor, right in the center of a huge room. "What the hell?" The grip ends of the cyclic and collective slide out of her hands and clatter away. Her pedals, headset, mask, and many other bits of equipment from her Sampson are banging on the floor around her. "Oomph!" Her seat flips backwards, and she lands facing up, looking at the ceiling. "I'm not in Kansas anymore." She is within a dull metal cube, about twenty meters on each side, with no visible doors or windows. All six sides are marked off in a grid with narrow reflective tape. Lights ring the edge of the ceiling, and bathe the room in an unusual reddish light that is both harsh and oddly warming. The air smells stale but is breathable, and has an antiseptic taste. It is not Pandoran air. It is very dry and feels oppressive, like it has a higher pressure than Earth or Pandora. Her sidearm and exo-pack were on the other front seat, and Trudy doesn't see that seat in this room. She has no choice other than breathe this air, and she has already lasted longer than she would on Pandora. "Let's roll." She hits the release on her safety harness and flips into a crouched position on the floor, drawing her survival knife and holding it point up in front of her chest. She feels heavy and sluggish, the gravity here seems greater than Earth. She is surrounded by parts of her cockpit, none showing signs of being blown apart or burned by Quaritch's missile. Something surgically cut her out of the Sampson and dumped her and the odd bits here before the missile detonated. The calmness she felt watching the missile is replaced with mind-racing dread. "Where is this? Who could do this? Why?" Trudy looks around and is definitely alone in this box. She stands up and turns around slowly, looking for any opening, but sees only six unbroken surfaces. Loudly she yells, "Hello?" Trudy pauses, but there is no reply. "Can you hear me?" Again, only oppressive silence, like standing in a small cave, too small to echo. She thinks, "There has to be a door, … it's got to be in one of these walls." She walks to a wall and begins looking for a way out. The grid lines look like they are pasted onto the solid surface. She thinks, "Maybe a door is hidden by these lines. There's got to be a way out of here." She slowly walks around the cube, scratching at the lines with her knife. She gets about half way around the room when she hears popping sounds behind her. She turns towards the center of the room just in time to see the debris from her Sampson disappear. The seat and other larger pieces are already gone. The last bits of her Sampson disappear before her eyes, leaving behind more popping sounds, getting softer as the pieces get smaller. Now she feels really distressed, there is no doubt that she is being watched. Her training kicks in, and she forces herself into an unnatural calm, ready for anything. Once more, she shouts, "Hello?" Her voice is higher than normal and sounds squeaky.

She is answered by an electronically generated voice. "You are homo sapiens? A human? From Earth?" It is a very high and shrill voice, with no discernible gender or source.

"Yes. I'm a human from Earth. My name is Major Gertrudis Chacon, Trudy for short, formerly a pilot of Sampson gunships for the RDA Security Operations force on Pandora."

"Formerly?"

"Well, yes. I was just shot down. Everyone thinks I am dead."

"You are not dead. We saved you. We removed you before your aircraft was destroyed by a missile carrying an explosive device. You are human, but you fought against the humans?"

"Yes. Guess you can call me a turncoat, a traitor. I switched sides."

"Why?"

"Because I felt the other humans are wrong. The Na'vi are a peaceful people. Their only mistake is living on a gold mine."

"Gold mine?"

"Well, really an unobtainium mine. It's worth far more than gold. Gold mine is an old human expression for anything valuable."

"Why do humans kill for this unobtainium?"

"They make tons of money selling the stuff. It greatly increases energy efficiency, especially for transportation. I'm a pilot, not a scientist, so I can't give you the details."

"Why do humans come here to get it?"

"Earth has way too many humans on it, way more than the available resources. So, we have to get resources from other places, like Pandora. We have no choice, other than die."

"You were trying to stop the other humans?"

"Yes, but how do you know that? Who are you?"

"That is not important. We are surprised you attacked the rest. You were greatly outnumbered?"

"Yeah. I was hoping for something other than martyrdom, but that wasn't in the cards."

"Cards?"

"Another human expression, like gold mine. Forget it."

"Why aren't the humans using what you call weapons of mass destruction?"

"Now I get it! Are you Eywa?"

"That is not important."

"Maybe I won't answer any more questions until you answer my questions."

"Maybe we send you back into the flaming wreckage of your gunship where you belong. That is where we sent everything else that arrived here with you. Or, we can send you back nearby at high altitude. You cannot breathe the air, and will be unconscious when you hit the ground. It will look like you jumped, and your death should be painless."

"OK! OK! I get the message. Mama didn't raise a stupid girl. Sorry, that's another human expression. You were asking about weapons of mass destruction. RDA is not allowed to have them, on Pandora or anywhere else. I am not aware of any on Pandora, and I would have heard since I'm a pilot. If RDA wins this war, they won't need them. If a miracle happens and RDA loses, that could change, but it will take about six years to get those weapons out here. Of course, RDA could just bomb Pandora from orbit using conventional weapons. The new satellites they have would make targeting easy. That wouldn't destroy the Na'vi, but it would disperse them so they couldn't fight as an effective force. I guess you've been watching this battle closely if you figured out which side I'm on. What you see is what RDA has on Pandora. They are all in and not holding anything back."

"No weapons of mass destruction?"

"Not here. Not today or anytime soon."

"These weapons are only on Earth?"

"As far as I know. RDA has a xeno-microbiological research center on Mars, and there are rumors that they have some really nasty stuff there. But, I think the real weapons, the militarized biological weapons, are only on Earth. Definitely none here in the Alpha Centauri system."

"Do humans use these weapons of mass destruction?"

"Just often enough to make a mess of Earth. The first nuclear weapons were used on Japan over two hundred years ago. Since then, they've been used in North and South Korea, Okinawa, Guam, Midway, some Alaskan and Hawaiian Islands, California, India, Pakistan, China, Israel, Iran. Even Vatican City was vaporized, and they had no military forces or nuclear capability, just one crazy imam thinking he could destroy Christianity with a single bomb. After that, the major powers, China, Russia, the European Union, and my country, the United States, banded together and took them away from all other countries. But I bet RDA could get some if they pay off enough people."

"And the chemical and biological weapons?"

"Chemical weapons were used too many times to count. But their effect is always very localized and very short-lived, so most uses have gone unrecorded. No one knows about the biological weapons. Those are the scariest to use and the hardest to detect. There were epidemics that were rumored to be purposely started, but no proof exists. If they were deliberately started, the bad guys were the first to die, and they forgot to leave suicide notes."

"Do you think RDA would bring biological weapons here?"

"If they lose this battle today and can't mine unobtainium, there's no telling what they might do. I'm just a pilot, and I don't know what the RDA leadership is thinking back on Earth. Communications are very slow, they probably don't know what's happening here today."

"Thank you for your help." A loud pop causes Trudy to look to the center of the room. What looks like a Na'vi sized bed frame has appeared right in the center of the floor where her seat disappeared just seconds earlier. "Please stop talking. Lay down flat and relax. Take deep breaths and hold your breath when you are told. You will live if your friends react quickly enough. Otherwise, you will die."

"Really?" Trudy walks to the over-sized bed that is more like a table to her small body. "Are you Eywa? The Na'vi talk about her all the time." She lays down on the monstrous bed frame made out of roughly hewn planks of real wood. On Earth, this piece of furniture would be worth a fortune. She relaxes and starts taking deep breaths.

"Hold your breath. We are not Eywa, we made Eywa."

She holds her breath, and everything changes again, after a series of flashes.

"Max! Wake up!"

"Uh, …, Cari. What's going on?"

"Something big is going on. Looks like all Na'vi leaders are up on the rim, staring down at us."

Max sits up, holds his glasses against his exo-pack screen, and scans the top of the well, stopping on the rim where the main trail from the camps makes its steep descent into the well. There stands a wall of Na'vi, most wearing red, all facing them and looking down into the well.

"OK, that's weird. How's the night shift going?" Max unzips his sleeping bag, slides out, and pulls on his clothes and lab coat.

"Awful. Everyone is having nightmares. Norm has been up all night trying to keep those in bed that shouldn't get out yet. Wish more of us knew Na'vi."

Max starts laughing to himself, and shakes his head.

"Max, what's so funny about that?"

Smiling widely, Max turns to Cari and answers with a question, "Is there a full moon tonight?"

"Come on, Max. Wake up! We're on the moon Pandora orbiting the planet Polyphemus in the Alpha Centauri A system, remember?"

"My first residency, my first insanely busy night, the old nurses told me things were always crazy on the nights with full moons. I told them that was lunacy, but they didn't get the joke. One of them really told me off. Didn't know how much they disliked doctors until that night." He reseals his sleeping bag, and carefully extracts himself from the insect netting surrounding his cot.

"Lunacy is about right. Tonight is the closest thing I've seen to mass hysteria since walking into an ebola derivative outbreak in southern Egypt."

"How widespread is it?"

"All Na'vi not sedated are having these vivid nightmares. All say this place will be destroyed in various ways. Norm went to the native healers across the way and asked for some convalescing patients to come and sit with our patients. Turns out they've been dealing with the same dreams over there. Even their caregivers are having these nightmares. They were glad for the suggestion, and quickly got their patients who were awake to sit and wait for the sleeping patients to wake up. A number of volunteers arrived here, and they are with the patients who shouldn't get up now."

"If it helps, I think I was starting one of those nightmares, something about RDA seeding the atmosphere with a Martian virus that kills everything."

"That sounds similar. The Na'vi don't understand viruses, so that one hasn't come up yet."

"Yeah. I know too much." He slips his glasses on under his exopack mask and scans the rim again. "It does look like a full meeting of the war council, but this time of day? I've never seen a crowd of Na'vi looking so grim. Track down Norm, please. I need him to translate."

Cari answers, "That's easy, here he is now."

Norm walks up, fumbling with his exo-pack, and asks, "What's going on?"

"I don't know. Look up there." Max points to the leaders standing on the rim.

"Wow! Why are they looking at us like that? It's the middle of the night!"

"I don't know. Didn't think they would have a meeting this late, this early, whatever."

"I wonder if the Valkyrie has returned to Hell's Gate?"

"They wouldn't be looking at us if that was the case."

"Yeah, you're right." Norm finally picks Jake out of the crowd, and waves his arms over his head. Jake locks eyes with him, and waves back the same way, and then makes a beckoning gesture with both arms. Norm makes an exaggerated nod with his head and Jake does the same in reply. "Max, ready to climb up to Jake?"

"Guess so. I need to urinate first. And grab a spare exo-pack."

"Ditto for both. Let's water the fwampop and then head up to Jake. I wouldn't miss this for anything." They walk to the packing crate full of refilled exo-packs and each takes one. They pass through the gate and walk to the place nearby where the human males relieve themselves. Several fwampop run out of the shadows and wait at their feet.

"Max, have you ever thought about studying the fwampop? I remember reading an article years ago saying that the Na'vi couldn't live in trees if these creatures didn't exist. The Na'vi would get dysentery or cholera or some other nasty disease without them."

"Naw, I'm more interested in working with the Na'vi than the other flora or fauna here on Pandora. There's lots of speculation about the bugs these tapirus could carry. That's why I insisted on putting this fence up around the field hospital, to keep them out. Infection control is difficult enough without strange animals wandering around eating excrement and spreading who knows what. The Na'vi made the fence without damaging any of the roots of the sacred tree, but that makes it the strangest fence ever."

"Yeah, its all over the place, like a cubist nightmare. Has human fecal matter affected the fwampop?"

"Not that anyone can tell. Someone thought human waste might taste sweet to them, since it is devoid of the heavy metals nominal in local food."

"That's weird, but I get it. Did anyone figure out the toilet paper problem?"

"No. Those critters won't touch toilet paper, clean or used. We agreed it must be the manufacturing chemicals, since the toilet paper is made from cellulose taken from local trees. The Omatikaya children gathered up the used toilet paper around here, and have been providing the leaves they use. The tapirus gobble down the used leaves like candy."

"Some candy!"

"Yeah." They both laugh. "So if you want to study the tapirus..."

"No thanks, Max. I'm into plants, that's why Grace dragged me around the forest. I want to finish her research, if I can find the time."

"Know what you mean. These patients could take months of effort to heal and rehab. They weren't in my research plans. I'm just glad Maggie is back, otherwise I'd be hearing about every leak or burned out light bulb."

"If only she could teach Na'vi."

As soon as they zip up and turn away, the fwampop get to work. Max and Norm trudge up the steep and winding trail, and are passed by a young Na'vi warrior running and carrying an elderly woman healer in his arms, the oldest Na'vi either have seen. They have seen her around the well but have had no contact with her. They wordlessly make the climb up to the rim, and quietly join Jake. The elderly healer they saw is in an animated discussion with Mo'at and the other tsahìks. The discussion seems cordial, with the tsahìks treating the old healer with much deference. Jake takes Norm and Max under his arms and guides them away from the discussion.

"OK. Something is going on tonight, and the tsahìks don't understand it yet. Max, how long will it take to evacuate the injured from the field hospital?"

"Whoa, Jake! I've got patients that can't be moved. Some are sedated or unconscious, others need to heal more. Don't want to pull out their stitches or cause internal bleeding."

"Seems like everyone is having nightmares about this place being destroyed."

Norm interjects, "Tell me about it. That's what I've been dealing with all night down there."

"Is that why the patients are restless tonight? What are they dreaming?"

"Yeah, they all think the Tree of Souls is going to be destroyed, but the means are different depending on the patient. My dream was based on an old sci-fi movie where a gray dust starts here on the tree and devours all carbon based lifeforms, leaving Pandora a lifeless rock."

"My dream was Quaritch nuking the Tree of Souls from orbit."

"I've learned some new Na'vi words tonight, like tsunami, earthquake, hurricane, tornado, lava, volcanic eruption, all of them happening here in dreams, along with lightning, flood, wildfire, landslide. Most of these natural events can't happen up here in the mountains."

"Without consensus on time or means, the only safe thing to do is to evacuate the area, immediately. I think some of the leaders are ready to pull their clans out, right now."

"Is this a sign from Eywa?"

"Well, that's the hot topic with the tsahìks. The old healer Za'ki there with Mo'at is a retired tsahìk, something of a legend among them. Mo'at told me she's asked for her help to get me into my avatar body permanently. Za'ki says this is not a sign from Eywa, and the rest agree. Guess Eywa has never acted so directly before, especially with non-tsahìks. What they can't agree on is why this is happening, or who could do it, if not Eywa."

"Wow! Neytiri said Eywa listened to you, and sent in the wild beasts when we needed them. Maybe Eywa likes taking a more active role after that."

"Well, there's no way for us to know. Eywa doesn't speak to anyone, at least that's what I've been told. Max, how long will it take you to pull out?"

"Uh, can I check with my staff first and get back to you?" We can start with the ambulatory patients right away, and prepare the worst at the same time..."

The alarm on Norm's watch goes off, beeping loudly. In a crowd of humans, everyone would just tune it out. The Na'vi leaders immediately stop talking and look at Norm. He sheepishly apologizes in Na'vi, and the leaders resume their discussions.

Jake looks down at Norm with a disapproving face. "What's that about?"

"That's the other weird thing going on down there, the cuckoo clock."

"Cuckoo clock? The Na'vi don't have clocks!"

"Some patients told me about this soft popping sound they hear down in the well. Then I heard it. I started timing it, and it marks one sixteenth of a day, to four decimals."

"Have you found it yet?"

"No, it's up high, above the sacred tree. I've never seen it, but a couple of patients have. It appears and disappears so quickly, it can hardly be seen. One patient says it's round, like the head of a bird from her hunting grounds."

"How long until the next one?"

Norm looks down at his watch. "About twenty seconds."

Jake bellows at the top of his lungs in Na'vi, "Quiet! Look above the sacred tree! Find the noisemaker!"

Unlike humans, the Na'vi immediately fall silent and turn to face the tree, freezing in place. Each Na'vi has a lifetime of hunting discipline that is displayed in this instant. No one moves a muscle, except for Max and Norm, who gape at this scene with total disbelief. No crowd of humans has ever acted so much in unison as these Na'vi leaders.

A soft pop disturbs the night. It was heard by most standing on the rim.

Again, Jake yells in Na'vi, "If you saw it or can locate it, report to me." He turns to Mo'at and says, "Please continue the discussions about these nightmares and add this new popping sound." Mo'at nods and offers her hand to the elderly healer, who looks to Jake and says, "Toruk Makto, I must go with Mo'at, but I did see the noisemaker. My old eyes aren't what they used to be, but I think it was about this size." She pulls a leather pouch up from her loincloth, and from it removes a small pounding stone. She holds it up for Jake to see.

Akwey, the most respected leader from the Plains Clans and the leader of the ground forces in the battle, speaks up. "I, too, saw the noisemaker. It is about the size of that stone. Za'ki, that is very helpful. May I borrow your stone? I will give it back as soon as this discussion is over."

"Akwey, I trust you with my very best pounding stone. I know it is tiny compared with what the cooks use, but it is the right size for the medications I make with it." She reaches out towards Akwey, who lets her drop the stone into his hand. Za'ki turns to Mo'at and says, "Lead on, Mo'at. There is a circle of sitting stones over that way." They slowly walk away from Jake arm in arm, with most of the other tsahìks following behind.

Jake turns to Akwey and says, "Akwey, why don't you lead the discussion on the size of the noisemaker? I'll stay here and lead the discussion on where the noisemaker was located."

Akwey answers, "I'm happy to do that. Those that saw it well enough to judge its size, follow me." He moves away from the tsahìks and the crowd around Jake.

Jake next turns to Neytiri and says, "Please take Max and Norm and the remaining leaders and plan what must be done to evacuate the well and leave this area, and how long it will take to get ready to move."

Neytiri nods, puts her hands on Max's and Norm's backs, and guides them forward. A number of leaders fall in behind them as they walk a short distance up the trail away from the well.

Jake leads the discussion on locating the sound, and lets everyone with an opinion speak. One clan leader offers to climb the arch and catch it the next time it appears. Since no one knows how it can appear and disappear so quickly, there is concern that trying to catch it may be injurious. Jake cuts off the discussion at that point with, "Thank you for the offer. That is very brave, but it seems better to not take the chance. I think we know where it appears for its quick visits. Let's see how the rest of the groups are doing. Ask the groups to come together now." Soon all leaders are back together in a single group.

Jake says, "We don't have much time, we have to get back to Hell's Gate for the next shuttle landing. My group discussed the location of the noisemaker. The consensus is that the sound came from directly above the sacred tree, just below the lowest stone arch. This point allows looking down and seeing the entire well without obstruction, and the arch providing some cover. Akwey, how big is the noisemaker?"

Akwey replies, "We spent much time looking at the pounding stone Za'ki gave us. The noisemaker is slightly larger, completely round, and has a smoother surface that is dark and not shiny. Some say it has a spot on it that is clear like water. We need to see it in better light. In order to do that, we came up with a plan. We want to put observers around the well to watch the daytime appearances. A drummer with a large drum is needed on the rim to signal when to look, using that noisy wristband. I know the warriors who are also drummers. They brought many drum skins with them. You probably heard them play the night before the battle. One now has an injured foot, and has been making more drums to pass the time while recuperating. I'm sure he'd be happy to play one of his creations."

Jake nods his head. "That is a good plan. I also need a drum for my clan, I have a couple anxiously waiting on their dream hunts so they can become mated. I'm sure Norm will be happy to help, he's the one who first brought this noisemaker to my attention."

Norm shakes his head in silent assent.

Jake continues, "He will have his noisy wristband, we call it a watch, ready to give the signal to the drummer. Get the drum made, right away. That is an excellent plan, thank you, Akwey."

"You are welcome." Akwey turns to Za'ki and says, "Thank you for lending us your pounding stone. It was very useful. I think your eyes are in very good shape." He holds the stone in his fingers and reaches out to Za'ki. She holds out her hand, and he carefully places it in her palm.

"I bet you say that to all the girls." Za'ki bursts out laughing, and most in the group of leaders laugh with her while she returns the stone to her pouch. Akwey rocks from side to side, tail whipping around nervously, looking rather awkward and blushing, with his tahni blazing brightly with embarrassment. "I'm just teasing you, Akwey. I'm very glad that an old woman like me can help."

Jake chuckles, "That's the perfect set-up. Za'ki, have the tsahìks reached any conclusions on the dreams or noisemaker?"

"The noisemaker has not been heard by any of us before, and we are familiar with the sounds here on Eywa'eveng. Maybe it is caused by some tawtute machine?"

"I've heard many machine sounds, but I haven't heard this sound before, either."

Norm shakes his head and says, "I've heard a sound kind of like that before, when I worked with vacuum pumps in bio labs, growing plants for food in off-planet environments. That floating ball is too small to be a vacuum chamber, though."

Za'ki says, "It is not a natural sound. I know many tsahìks that are within Eywa. I will ask them, after I get back to the sacred tree."

"What about the dreams?"

"We have no experience with these dreams, Toruk Makto, but we agree that this is not typical behavior for Eywa. She has never affected so many like this at one time. Sometimes, a tsahìk will have a dream, and later realizes that maybe Eywa has given that dream to show the way to handle a situation. But never so many vivid dreams to so many about the destruction of one place, especially this very holy tree. And so many of these dreams do not see likely here in the mountains, like huge waves of water."

"So, is it safe to stay here?"

"We agree that it does seem to be a warning to leave. We cannot tell how real or imminent this warning might be."

"Is only the sacred tree going to be destroyed, or the whole area around it?"

"We cannot know that, either."

"The only prudent action is to leave at once. Does anyone disagree?"

Za'ki answers, "No, but there is something that must be done before we leave here for good."

"What's that?"

"We must have a ceremony to thank Eywa for Her help. We must also commemorate those that were killed, and, as Mo'at has asked me, transfer your spirit into your Na'vi body. Mo'at said that she held a ceremony for guidance after her clan arrived here, but was cut short when you landed your toruk in the well. No one was unhappy for the stoppage, as your arrival was the answer to their prayers."

Jake cannot respond, but like Akwey earlier, he silently blushes and his tanhi blaze with embarrassment.

Za'ki continues with a smile, "She also held a transference ceremony that was cut short when the injured person died of her wounds. She held your childhood ceremonies yesterday, and completed them without interruption. We must plan this ceremony for a time when it can be completed. We need everyone here to participate, for Eywa will do the transference only when enough people ask her for it. The previous attempt could have failed because the Omatikaya alone might not be sufficient numbers for the ceremony to work."

"Guess it should wait until we're done with the shuttle at Hell's Gate. Most of the warriors and hunters are out there."

"I agree. We need as many people as possible. We should do it when they can return."

"Right now, we have the injured in the well, and the Omatikaya are camped together under the rock overhang. An earthquake could break down the stone arches over the well and the rock overhang, killing many. Let's find a suitable place for a camp close to here but away from the arches and any other hazards like rock overhangs, and move everyone there as soon as possible. Once the Venture Star leaves, we can hold the ceremony in the well, and then depart."

Awkey says, "When the pa'li riders do not have other duties, they have been riding down to the river and carrying water back up here. There is a nice ford by the trail, and a large hill on the other side. It has an easy slope covered with trees, and mostly bare on top. It is much closer to water, and there are plenty of pali'wll there, too. It looks safe from floods and earthquakes."

"How hard is it to get there on foot?"

"It is like most trails here in the mountains."

"Everyone should be able to walk there, except for those with leg or foot injuries, or limited mobility like the elders?"

"I think so, Toruk Makto."

"There isn't a better trail out?"

"That is the only trail out of this place."

"And it will need sentries to protect the travelers on foot?"

"That would be a good precaution. Ewya brought many beasts here that ignored the People during the battle, but may not ignore us now."

"The only open area here by the well is the plain that had campsites in the middle, and now has the mass graves at the ends. Those using the campsites are now at Hell's Gate. There are stone arches near that plain, and a rock wall that might fall onto it from one side. Let's start moving everyone out of the well up to the plain, away from the arches and walls. They can stay safe there until after the shuttle returns and leaves again, at which time the ikran riders can return and protect everyone walking down the trail to the new campgrounds. We can spare some pa'li riders to carry everyone who cannot make it on foot."

Akwey says, "I will lead the pa'li riders to do that and direct those setting up the campground across the river. You must get back for the next shuttle landing."

"Za'ki, will that do?"

"Yes, Toruk Makto."

"We need to keep our forces ready for an attack here and at the tawtute village. The forces here can help move the injured out of the well, but most must stay near the tree to guard it and not go to the new place across the river. We should stay in this area until some of our forces can return to help with the move."

Akwey answers, "I agree. We have split our forces already, another split is asking for trouble."

Jake looks around the crowd of leaders while asking, "Does anyone want to add anything?" No one speaks up. Jake says, "Good, it is decided. Pass the word among the healers and injured below to move themselves out of the well. The walking wounded should help those with mobility problems to get out. I'll order the Omatikaya to move to the plain and prepare the campsites there for those coming up from the well. Let's get to work."

Jake and Norm are standing on the rim by the drummer for the first daylight sighting, looking above the tree. The well is practically deserted, empty except for the tents in the fenced-in human area where Max and his staff are preparing the worst patients for the final evacuation. Norm's watch beeps, and the drummer bangs out his signal. All clan leaders have provided observers, the best from each clan, spread out evenly around the rim. The observers freeze at the signal and patiently watch above the tree.

The soft pop is heard distinctly, and then a second, much louder pop echoes deep in the well. One of the Na'vi observers yells, "Look!" and points down to the floor of the well. Everyone looks down.

Jake whistles loudly, and grabs the spare exo-pack off Norm's shoulder. He asks, "You good?" as he wraps it around his neck.

Norm nods and replies, "Yeah?" with a mystified look on his face.

"Take a good look down there!"

Jake's ikran lands on the trail just behind him. Jake jumps onto its back, positioning himself on the foot bar and making the bond in one smooth motion, and screams, "Yah!" They take off, and dive over the rim, straight down at the human laying on what looks like a table that just appeared on the floor below.

Norm stares carefully at the supine human woman below, and yells, "Oh, my god!" He runs down the trail faster than anyone has seen him run before. "Trudy!"

Jake flies his ikran down into the Well of Souls, landing alongside the over-sized wooden table with a human woman lying on her back, holding her breath. Jake leaps off and puts the exo-pack on the woman, who pressurizes the mask and then gives a thumbs-up signal. She stands and looks up at the tall Na'vi that came to her rescue.

"They said I would die if my friends didn't react in time. Jake, I knew you wouldn't let me down. How did you lose your war paint already?"

"Trudy, we thought you were shot down. How did you get here? You're bleeding!"

"Yeah, my Sampson got shot down about ten minutes ago, and I caught some shrapnel in my cheek. Nothing serious. Why are you here? Last time I saw you, you were in your battle dress flying your big bird."

"Uh, Trudy, the battle ended days ago."

"No, I was just there. Quaritch and the entire SecOps force is headed this way. That tree is the primary target." She points to the Tree of Souls.

"Eywa sent in the wild animals, and that turned the tide. I took down the Valkyrie and the Dragon. Neytiri killed Quaritch just as he was about to slit my avatar's throat. The avatars took over Hell's Gate. We put the survivors on the shuttle and sent them to orbit, but the support staff are back now. Long story."

"We won?"

"Yes."

"That's a miracle!"

"Yes."

Trudy looks at her watch. "Well, here's two more miracles. Look at my watch." She holds her arm out so her watch is in Jake's face.

Jake looks at it. It shows the date of the battle. Jake knows that all pilots keep their watches on the proper time, always. "I can't explain it, like I can't explain why you're here. Is there another miracle?"

Trudy puts her arm down. "Yeah, I had a little discussion with the people that rescued me. They didn't show their faces. They were only interested in knowing if RDA has weapons of mass destruction here on Pandora. I told them no. I asked if they were Eywa. They said, quote, we're not Eywa, we made Eywa, unquote."

"OK, it's a miracle that someone around here would say that. Please don't repeat it to anyone. The tsahìks are working on some other mysteries right now. After Max checks you out, we'll see Mo'at and Neytiri. We're evacuating the area as soon as possible, and I'm flying the worst cases out of here with my toruk."

"You're taking me to Hell's Gate on your toruk?"

"No, Max is over there, in a tent behind the tree from here." Jake points to the tree.

Just then they hear Norm coming down the trail, yelling, "Trudy! You're alive!"

"I think Norm is glad to see you again. The Na'vi made a thorough search of the entire area looking for the dead and wounded. When you didn't show up, we thought you were dead."

"Yeah, so did I. Be right back." Trudy takes off running towards Norm, and runs into his arms a little way up the trail. The lovers hold each other for a long time, pulling up their masks just long enough to kiss between hugs, before walking arm in arm back to Jake.

"OK, you two. Compare your watches, date and time. Looks like Trudy just lost some days."

"Yeah, I just left the battle less than ten minutes ago."

Norm holds his watch against her's. "Wow! Looks like you're still in the battle, time-wise. So your body time was shifted like being in cryo, but your watch was also affected. How did that happen?"

"You're the scientist. I just fly for a living."

"Norm, take her over to Max and his staff and get her checked out. They're busy getting their worst patients ready for transport, but they'll be happy to see Trudy. You can fill her in on what's happened while she's been away. I know this is asking a lot, but please wait on asking Trudy about what happened before she got here. I want her to give her story to Mo'at before anyone else. OK?"

Norm nods, "OK, Jake."

Trudy looks at Jake and says, "I can wait. Don't want to upset anyone with the news." Norm looks at her with a questioning face. "My lips are sealed."

Norm looks in her eyes. "You got me worried now. What's the big mystery?"

Jake knows he can't keep any secrets from his mate, and sees that Norm and Trudy can't either. "It sounds like there is another player here on Pandora." Norm gets a surprised look on his face, but doesn't say a word. "Now, don't bug her about it. Tell no one until we can discuss it with the right people."

"Yes, sir. That sounds very sensible. I'll let her be. Come on, Trudy, your cheek is still bleeding. Let's see the MDs and get you patched up."