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.

G means Gravity

GAV means Ground Assault Vehicle

ISV means Inter Stellar Vehicle

RDA Means Resource Development Administration

SAM means Surface to Air Missile

USA means United States of America

Chapter 33: Hell's Gate

"Captain, we're being painted by the shoulder-launched SAMs again. At least four from the power reading. Gotta say, their consistent."

"Yes, I'm impressed by their readiness for every landing. And to think they're just stone-age hunter-gatherers without any military training or history. Good thing they can't travel to Earth. They seem the equal of any special forces unit."

"Aye, Captain. They sure kicked the butt of SecOps."

"That they did. I don't know if I have the words to convince RDA management to leave them be. They think technology trumps everything in space, but that's not true out here on Pandora."

The pilot turns on the ship wide intercom. "All personnel, prepare for landing."

The Valkyrie glides over the now abandoned mine and skims above the fence into Hell's Gate. It slowly turns and lands in the bull's eye made of huge dump trucks with raised beds that hasn't changed since his first landing. The Captain thinks, "They're sitting on the roofs again on their over-sized birds, but they don't seem so colorful today.

The pilot announces, "We are on the ground. All personnel, hold position until the Captain gives the command to lower the loading ramp." He turns off the intercom and looks to Captain Gustav. "Good luck, sir."

"Thanks. I expect everything will go smoothly. Toruk Makto should be pleased." The Captain pops off his safety harness and slowly stands, pulling himself up against the unfamiliar gravity.

"Who?"

"Corporal Jacob Sully. He is only the sixth in the long history of the Na'vi to attain that title. Apparently their god chooses a great warrior in times of great trouble. I'm telling him that this is our last flight. By the way, I've filed commendations for you and all personnel involved with these resupply flights. I'm throwing a party for all of you when we get back, before you have to get into cryo."

"Outstanding, Captain. You know, we were going to party, anyway."

"I know, but this time it's on me. Or RDA, the truth be known. Some of the luxury items meant for Hell's Gate 'fell off the truck', if I remember the phrase correctly."

"Really! Such as?"

"You will have to attend to find out. Let's just say there will be more than sufficient fine dining and adult beverages. The entire Bursar's Office staff either were lost in the battle or are now in cryo, so the usual record-keeping is now in disarray."

"I will drink enough to forget what you just said, sir."

"That's good. There shouldn't be any trouble here today. Just don't leave here without me."

"I won't, sir. If you're throwing the party, I'm making sure you get back in one piece. Godspeed."

"Thanks."

The loading ramp on the back of the Valkyrie lowers onto the tarmac. Once again, Captain Gustav in his gleaming white full dress uniform and exopack walks down the ramp alone, this time carrying an omni-directional camera on a stand. He steps onto the pavement and sets the camera stand down. The ground and loading crews slowly walk down the ramp, stopping half way down. Gustav looks around, and sees Wrrtll and Maytse running up to him, carrying their spears, but not wearing their war paint. Behind them are Payrel and the other escorts, all armed to the teeth but not sporting their battle dress from his previous landing. He thinks, "That's why the fliers didn't look so colorful."

Wrrtll calls out, "Hello, Captain Gustav. Good to see you again."

"Good to see you, Wrrtll and Maytse. I was hoping Jake Sully would meet me in person today."

"The leaders are happy with what Toruk Makto calls engagement protocols, so he is waiting for you, but in a different location this time."

"Wouldn't expect anything less."

"This way, Captain." Wrrtll walks around the ramp at an easy pace. The Captain follows, at a brisk pace. Maytse picks up the camera stand and falls into the rear. They walk around the other side of the shuttle, and between two parked trucks, where they stop, surrounded by Na'vi warriors with bows and spears at the ready.

Once again, the human civilian named Sunny scans the Captain with a weapon detector. She yells, "All clear." Wrrtll says something in Na'vi, and the warriors spread out and disappear among the trucks. Sunny looks to the Captain and says, "Jake decided to have this meeting by the Avatar lodge, on the other side of Hell's Gate. It's a good hike from here, and he knows you live in a low G environment, so you're getting a ride to the meeting."

A weird looking vehicle pulls up and stops. The Captain immediately recognizes the driver. "Good to see you again, Sargent Krasney. Have you visited the local wildlife?"

The driver pulls himself out of the vehicle and says, "Hello, Captain. I'm not direwolf poop yet. Just call me Izzy. I'm officially a civilian now."

"Really?"

"My girlfriend talked to Maggie, and I have been officially transferred within RDA from SecOps to the Technical Operations Support Group."

"You're a driver now?"

"Oh, no. I still work electronics and communications systems full-time. I'm driving you today because I am the only one around who can drive this beast. The Israeli Defense Forces taught me how to drive anything, a handy skill when you're behind enemy lines and need to get out fast."

"I can understand that. This looks like a GAV, except for the back end."

"You're right. Maggie's fabricators removed the gunner's position, it was stupid anyway, and added the over-sized benches with active shock mounts for Na'vi transport. Won't need that today, Hell's Gate is flat as Nebraska, or was that Kansas?"

"I don't know, I'm not American. What I remember is 'flat as a pancake.' So, how do I get up there?" The Captain puts one hand on the rail, but finds the bottom step too high. Two incredibly strong hands grab him by the hips and lifts him up onto the bed surrounding the back-to-back benches. Both Wrrtll and Maytse jump up on the bed on either side of him.

Wrrtll says, "I will help you down when we get there. Come, sit, we'll keep you from falling off. We're not going far today."

"Have you ridden this vehicle often?"

Wrrtll laughs. "This is my second time. Jake wanted us to experience the movement up here before you arrived. It can be bumpy liking riding pa'li, and fast like riding ikran, but also is very different from both. Makes me understand why you humans like riding in your machines."

Izzy jumps back into the driver's seat and yells, "Hold on, here we go." The GAV roars into life, and is so loud conversation is impossible. Gustav thinks, "Typical military vehicle, built to a set of requirements that doesn't include considerations for the soldiers in or around it." Izzy smoothly accelerates the vehicle, easing into a leisurely pace through the concrete buildings and around pipes and poles holding wires and lights. "Like living in a cross between a factory and a refinery. I prefer my space ship." They go through a narrow gap between buildings and into a large open space bounded by the perimeter fencing, with the green jungle and bare mountains beyond. An over-sized obstacle course dominates the area in front of the fence, and a large garden on the other side. At the far end stands a wooden structure built from logs, reminiscent of the ancient lodges found in the storied national parks in the western part of the USA. They stop in the courtyard between the building and garden. The Captain thinks, "There are few places on Earth as pleasant as this spot. And to think this is part of Hell's Gate."

Wrrtll and Maytse jump off the vehicle. Gustav stands and looks at Wrrtll, who says, "Don't worry, I've got you. You are about the size of my little brother." Wrrtll picks the Captain up by the hips and gently settles him down onto the paved roadway. Izzy drives away quickly, so that a calming peace falls over the park-like setting. Maytse sets the camera stand down slightly in front of him where it can pick up his face and voice, along with the entire idyllic scene. He thinks, "They have picked a very suitable place for a parley."

Jake, Neytiri, and a number of older Na'vi walk down the stairs from the wooden building, all carrying bows or spears. Two mature women walk down a separate ramp arm in arm. One is the oldest Na'vi woman the Captain has ever seen. This pair joins Jake and Neytiri in the front of the crowd that walks towards him.

When they stop, Neytiri makes the traditional gesture of greeting he saw in a video and says in English, "I See you, Captain Pieter Gustav."

He mirrors her gesture and says, "I see you, Neytiri."

"I would like you to meet my mother, Mo'at. She is Tsahìk of the Omatikaya Clan." She turns to Mo'at and says, "This is Captain Pieter Gustav, leader of the Venture Star."

Mo'at makes the gesture and says in English, "I See you, Captain. My daughter and her mate have said good things about you."

The Captain repeats the gesture and replies, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Tsahìk. I am sorry for your loss, your husband and all other clan-mates and friends lost in these troubles."

Mo'at nods, and says, "Thank you for your concern."

Avatar Jake snaps to attention and salutes. "Good to see you again, Captain."

Gustav looks up and returns the salute, saying, "I should be saluting you, Toruk Makto. Since our last meeting, I've been studying up on the Na'vi. I now understand that title." He notices that some of the other Na'vi picked up on his use of Toruk Makto, but few seem to follow his English.

"I just did what I had to do. All the rest was Eywa's help. How are the resupply missions working out?"

"Our remaining Valkyrie has been very reliable, and our crews have kept up a grueling mission tempo. This trip today is our very last trip before breaking orbit."

"That is great news. Thought you would need more trips."

"Once we returned the manufacturing personnel, they made our needs their top priority, and found some creative ways of packing everything to fit for each trip."

"How long will it be until you head for home?"

"Once we dock, it will take twelve hours to unload the Valkyrie, safe it, and lock it down for interstellar flight. Usually, we would take three days to get all personnel except the en-route crew into cryo and perform all pre-flight checks. After that, we start the main engines and break orbit, and move away from Alpha Centauri A."

"Usually? Can you do it faster?"

"Our cryo holds are already full, so the pre-flight preparations for them are underway now. Our rotating habitat is transitioning into flight position, and should be ready for departure when I get back. We were fortunate that Maggie's people were making parts for the cryo units we brought down here for repair just before the hostilities, so they ran off another hundred new units that are now being installed in the Avatar hold. We can easily access that space while in flight, and that is where the Valkyrie and on-orbit crew will ride home. We can leave before they're all asleep. We should be ready to break orbit about 40 to 48 hours after leaving here."

"Outstanding! Captain, my people will be very happy to hear that."

"I will break normal protocol and time my departure so you can see our engine plume. We usually hide it as best we can by leaving in front of your sun."

"My people will appreciate seeing a sign that you are leaving."

"We also cleaned out our holds, so you have everything we brought out here for Pandora."

"Did you give Selfridge his Scotch and cigars?"

"Enough to tide him over. He wants to stay awake on the trip home, but I'm afraid the crew would push him out an airlock in a matter of hours. So, he's going into cryo as soon as I get back, willing or not. The rest of the luxury goods have been put into your locked warehouses, even though there is no Bursar's staff to dispense them."

"Don't tell me, they were all SecOps."

"You are correct."

"Well, I'll get Max to talk to Maggie and they can work something out. If it was just me, I'd let it rot, but with the maintenance and manufacturing staff here, I'm sure they will want it."

"Yes, they will. It will take many items to keep the staff here happy."

"As it is with my clan, or your crew."

"Yes, indeed. You understand."

"Yes, I do." Jake turns to the crowd of Na'vi behind him and speaks Na'vi to them in a loud voice.

The Captain sees the crowd stir, with many relieved faces, some happy faces, a few troubled faces. Sully must be telling them this is the last flight before leaving. "No yells of triumph, no excitement of victory, not the reaction I would expect. What are they thinking?"

Jake turns back to Gustav. "I'm glad this is the last flight. Captain, I brought you to the Avatar quarters so that the Na'vi leaders could meet with you. They want to meet the one RDA leader here who is honorable and reasonable, and your news will make them happier. The three of us will translate as needed."

"I was beginning to think all Na'vi know English."

"Those that know English were taught by Doctor Grace Augustine when she ran a school for the children of the Omatikaya clan. Once my clan finds a new home, we will resume teaching English to all Na'vi willing to learn it, and open the school to all clans."

"That sounds very sensible. You know how important unobtainium is to keeping the Earth operating with its current population. Mankind will keep returning here to get it. The more Na'vi that can interact with humans, the better."

"I wish no more humans would come here."

"I know, but there are more ISVs on the way that can't turn back."

"Yeah, I know. I had Maytse bring your camera so that RDA can study these leaders and get some idea of where things stand. Thought you'd like to know."

"Thank you, Toruk Makto. I'll keep that in mind. I take it that they know we are leaving."

"I just told them."

"I was surprised by their reaction. No victory yells?"

"They have all lost so much in this fight, no one feels jubilant. They have to get their wounded home, and deal with the grief of their clans for those not returning, all because of the greedy bastards in RDA that caused this war."

"Well, let's begin. My people are working double time, so we can get out of here as soon as we can."

"Roger."

The old woman hanging on Mo'at's arm says something to Gustav in Na'vi. Mo'at smiles and translates her remark. "This is Za'ki, who was tsahìk until her mate was killed hunting. Now she is a healer, and has become a good friend of mine. She says she likes your eyes, even though they are too small and a funny color. They show the hardness of a warrior, and the softness of one who understands that fighting is rarely necessary."

No one has ever told Gustav anything like this before. "Uh, thank Zah-key for her very kind words."

Mo'at turns to Za'ki and speaks in Na'vi. Za'ki turns to Gustav, smiles, and nods.

Jake says, "There are clan leaders and tsahìks from many clans that want to meet you. The first is the leader from the Plains, Akwey, and his son, both excellent riders of pa'li. Akwey commanded the ground forces during the battle."

The Captain tries not to stare at the bone through the man's nose. "I thought you commanded the Na'vi forces."

"As Toruk Makto, I was in charge, but I couldn't do everything by myself."

"Many commanders do not learn that lesson. Not bad for an enlisted jarhead."

Jake's face beams with his unique smile. "Thanks. Here is Akwey. He is the most respected leader from the Pa'li Clans on the Plains."

As the Valkyrie lifts off for the last time, Akwey turns to Jake and asks, "Are they really leaving for good?"

Jake answers, "I think so. I trust Captain Gustav, and he seems determined to get away as soon as he can."

Shaking his head in assent, Akwey replies, "I have that feeling, too, Toruk Makto. Can you trust the people he brought back?"

Jake's face hardens. "That is a tougher question. They still work for RDA. I was worried that the friends who helped our cause might not be able to survive on their own. With the returned personnel, they will be able to survive, but I'm concerned that they might be in danger. Only time will tell."

"No doubt of that. How can our friends be protected?"

"If Mo'at could get the transference ceremony to work every time, I was thinking that all our friends could be moved into Na'vi bodies permanently, and then they can live with us or maybe live like us but together in their own village. Some, like Max and Norm, don't have an avatar body, so they will have to make some first."

"They can make bodies like ours? How is that possible?"

"You are looking at the body made for my brother. He died before he could use it, so I got that job. My human body is in a machine that controls this body. I hope someday I can move my spirit out of my human body and into this body full time. My human body is injured and run down, and this body has its issues but is in much better shape. I wish to transfer into this body so I can spend all my time with my mate and my clan, and be there when my children are born."

Akwey looks troubled, so he falls back onto something more understandable. "Their machine leaves in two days?"

"That is what Captain Gustav promised. There will always be mechanical issues or other reasons, but I think he and his people are doing the best they can to leave and make it back to their homes alive. He said he will leave in such a way that we will be able to see them leave."

"That is good. I want to see them leave, and then I feel it is time for us to leave."

Za'ki speaks in a surprising loud voice, "Before anyone leaves, we must have a thanksgiving ceremony at the Tree of Souls." Mo'at and Neytiri, standing on either side of Za'ki, are shaking their heads in agreement. "Toruk Makto must be a central part of this ceremony. Everyone is needed to make the transference possible."

Jake and Akwey look at each other. Jake replies, "How can I argue with them? Spread the word, after we see their sky machine leave, we will hold a great ceremony of thanksgiving with everyone present at the Tree of Souls, and the next morning, we will begin leaving for home. The Omatikaya will stay near there until we decide on a new home."

Akwey shakes his head in agreement once again, and says, "Yes, Eywa helped us in many ways, now it is time for us to thank Her. Then we will see what we can do about your wish."