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. 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 spend all my time dancing and writing in comfort.

This chapter contains all original characters and situations, set on Earth immediately after the end of the movie. It is the obvious approach to dealing with the Pandoran uprising, with less than obvious consequences.

RDA means Resources Development Administration

FTL means Faster Than Light

GRU means Glavnoje Razvedyvatel'noje Upravlenije (Main Intelligence Directorate in Russia)

ISV means Inter-Steller Vehicle

SecOps means Security Operations, the security organization within RDA

PhD means Doctor of Philosophy

DNI means Director, National Intelligence

IC means Intelligence Community

JCS means Joint Chiefs of Staff

NSC means National Security Council

PDB means Presidential Daily Briefing

RFI means Request For Information, often used as a starting point for drafting a contract

RFP means Request For Proposal, the starting point for contract negotiations

Chapter 35: Earth

"Let's start with the RDA news, and then move on to our other concerns."

"Mister President, here is the GRU summary of the RDA situation." The aide hands a folder to the President. "In spite of their Chairman's dissembling, it was no accident, but a war against the Na'vi. It could be genocide."

"That's a strong charge. Do they have decisive evidence for this?"

"Yes, sir. Captain Pieter Gustav, commander of the ISV Venture Star, has been sending reports from Pandora that we have obtained and analyzed. Our asset on Pandora sent us a flash when she was kicked off the moon with everyone else. She sent another flash when she returned with the rest of the service personnel. Then she sent a full report in a steganographic message saying RDA SecOps lost a war with the Na'vi, and what was left of their forces were sent back to Earth. Mining has ceased, but their base is resuming all other production, to supply the incoming ISVs. That's why she is still on Pandora. Her reports have corroborated the Captain's."

"The Na'vi beat a well-trained and well-equipped human military force? That makes no sense! How is that possible? Did she say?"

"Her report said SecOps attacked a sacred site, and were repulsed by stampeding beasts, both air and ground."

"Oh, so the Na'vi fought asymmetrically by forcing the local wildlife into the human formations. That's the only way they could win, they would have been wiped out head to head. Very smart. Didn't think they were capable of such tactics."

"Our analysts came to that conclusion, too. They could see no other way for SecOps to lose. Our asset says it was a former American soldier that lead the Na'vi, a wheelchair bound Marine corporal that was unemployed until RDA recruited him to replace his PhD twin brother."

"That makes sense. The Americans understand insurgencies, and the Na'vi would never have thought to fight this way. What about on Earth assets?"

"We have been developing a new source inside RDA, who is on track to take over their space operations organization."

"That's a big catch!"

"Yes, he is. He makes no mention of a battle on Pandora, but he is very certain of the unobtainium heading here."

"OK, see if he can confirm open warfare on Pandora. Anything from any other assets?"

"No, sir. The response within RDA is tightly under wraps. The source of the FTL reports has not been able to collect anything outbound that has proven useful."

"Well, continue working our sources and see what can be determined. This battle seems so unlikely, it will be tricky to discuss publicly. Their Chairman is implying an accident?"

"After the Vesta disaster, the public world-wide can accept that story. They wouldn't stand for an attack on the Na'vi. So, RDA is playing it the best they can."

"How can we benefit from their misfortune?"

"We have one of the consortia bidding on whatever new ISVs RDA will need for their response. We can use our information through back channels to get a better evaluation of our bid. We can also use social media to spread conspiracy theories, and promise to weed them out if we get more work."

"I like that. But it must be kept underground, it cannot be traced back to Russia."

"Yes, sir. We'll get our our Internet Research Agency to work up something that that can be passed off to our friends in Kolkotta, who can get their friends in Africa and South America to insert the stories into local social media. Once the stories are spread around the Third World, they will find their way into our adversaries' countries through the normal channels of friends and families."

"That is good. More work for our storyteller friends until we get more jobs to stop their stories. Keep on our RDA sources. I'm sure everyone else is working this."

"They are. China and USA interest has been confirmed. EU is slow, but France is on it. The UK and even the remnants of Israel appear active."

"Not surprising. Tell me what China is up to..."

The chief of staff opens the door into the Oval Office. "Mister President, the DNI is here with your daily briefing, along with the Chairs of the NSC and the JCS."

The President waves his hands and says, "Everyone, come on in. This is a pleasant surprise. I know your briefing will cover everything, but I want to hear about RDA and Pandora first. This financial panic set off by their press releases could get me thrown out of office if I can't take credit for righting the economy quickly enough. What can you tell me?"

The DNI hands him a red leather portfolio marked "Top Secret" and answers, "We anticipated your interest, sir, the RDA article is first in today's PDB. The IC consensus is that the Pandoran 'disaster' was really an all out war, with the RDA forces defeated by Na'vi forces led by an avatar driver."

The president opens the folder and scans the first page while saying, "I knew their chairman was pulling our legs. Damn, they got beat by their own employees?"

The Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says, "And the leader was one of ours, a paraplegic Marine wait-listed after taking a spinal injury in Venezuela. He signed up with RDA the day before shipping out to Pandora, after the death of his PhD twin who worked for RDA for several years as an avatar driver. He was only a corporal, but his avatar led the Na'vi forces to an overwhelming victory, with the help of a coup led by the other avatar drivers."

"How do we know this? And, no, I don't want to hear another lecture about our sources and methods. You know I don't care about how it's done, only how reliable it is."

The DNI answers, "Let's just say that between sharing the New Mexico spaceport with RDA and our civilian and military space agencies, and what we collect from our people and technology around the world, this intel is as solid as it gets without actually being there. Today's intel is based on communications getting back to Earth from Pandora, including the reports from the spies of our friends and adversaries in Hell's Gate."

"Really, you're keeping tabs on the foreign spies inside RDA?"

"That was easier that putting our own spies in, and besides, most of the RDA personnel on Pandora come from the good old USA. They are very open at sharing what is going with their friends and family back here. We just listen in on their FTL transmissions."

"That means our analysts are really certain, this was a war."

"Yes, sir, no doubt about it. It was no accident."

"Who started it?"

"The daily reports from the RDA administrator on Pandora, a really smooth operator named Parker Selfridge, indicates that the current unobtainium mine is playing out, and a new mine must be opened soon. The nearest location with the best proven reserves just happens to be the site of the nearest Na'vi settlement. His reports say that they have leveled the new mine site, including the tree the Na'vi were living in. No mention was made how that clan was induced to leave, which leads to the conclusion that RDA attacked them while they were still living in it."

"Has there been any mention of open warfare?"

"Yes, sir, there was one very recent report of a road clearing crew killed, and their dozers burned."

"I knew their chairman was lying. RDA lost a war out there and are selling it as if it is another accident, like Vesta."

"That is the conclusion of our analysts."

"So, where do we go from here?"

The woman who is the NSC chair speaks up for the first time. "The three of us discussed this late last night, and decided that there is no military or even diplomatic response that makes sense. RDA has already put out an RFI for a new class of interstellar vehicles."

"Their playing the jobs card already?"

"Looks like they are dangling billions, maybe trillions, of dollars out to the Big Four. If anyone breaks the news that RDA lost a war on Pandora, they risk getting cut out completely."

"Now I'm really glad the Trumpers crushed the independent press into submission all those years ago. We are going to have to keep all domestic news organizations in line so we don't lose out." Turning to his chief of staff, the president says, "Get our people on the accident bandwagon. Offer RDA any help the USA government can provide. Can you get a press release out this afternoon?"

"Yes, sir, already on it. DNI informed me after their meeting last night, and here is the working draft my team made since then." The chief of staff hands the president a sheet of paper.

"Thanks, good work, everyone. Is there anything else in this briefing that needs immediate attention, or can it wait until tomorrow?"

The DNI responds, "Nothing pressing, I'll roll the other items over for tomorrow's briefing."

"Good, and let me know if anything new breaks on the RDA front. I want to keep ahead of the other powers. Call me if there is news, I can't keep on my email all day long."

"Yes, sir, we'll call you if anything comes up, and we'll send classified details over the secure email."

"Great. I'll get to work on the press release with my staff. Good briefing today, keep up the good work."

"You're welcome, Mister President."

JW and Doctor Dmitri are sitting together in JW's secure conference room, doing a final rehearsal of their slides when a window from his executive administration assistant pops up on the screen.

JW says, "Looks like they're here." He types in, "Show them in."

Minutes later, Bill Blakely and Ko Jin walk out from behind the blast-proof door and into the room. JW stands and says, "Come on in. Good to see you both again. Make yourself at home, and there's coffee and some breakfast on the back bar."

Once everyone gets refreshments and takes their seats, JW says, "We have our inaugural status report for the response fleet, mostly on identifying requirements and a first cut at costs. Should we start there, or do you have something you would rather address first?"

Blakely responds, "We have some slides to show you that will add to your requirements, give me a second." He pulls out his phone and sends a short text. Almost immediately, JW gets an email notification on his secure workstation. "There it is. Open up the attachment, and I'll walk you through it." While JW gets the first slide displayed, Blakely continues. "It is common knowledge that RDA manages a major research facility on Mars for studying the microorganisms found there. Our researchers publish lots of papers, so no one questions that. There is a carefully nurtured rumor that we have made biological weapons from those microbes. That is flatly false, there is no profit in such weapons that could destroy all Terran life as we know it, but it provides a useful cover story. Nobody, except for a few specialists, wants to visit a lab with such dangerous stuff locked up a few feet away in underground vaults. … I'm getting ahead of myself." He pauses briefly. "You know the story, mankind went to Mars to look for life. After a couple of mining stations were built, using RDA technology developed for mining asteroids and the Moon, the search began for a permanent research site, also with RDA involvement. The hunt was on to find lava tubes deep underground suitable to contain human habitats out of the weather, both Martian and Solar, that might possibly have some water and traces of life. Not only was a nice complex of lava tubes found, but huge voids that could be underground seas were found below the tubes. There were a few voids believed to be the magma chambers that drove the creation of these structures. You know our Chairman got his start with robotic vehicles on the Moon, and he personally got involved with getting vehicles up there that could traverse these underground spaces, mapping them and testing for water and life, without contaminating Mars with Terran lifeforms. Eventually, some voids with water were found, and potential paths to them from the surface were identified. Near the skylight into the lava tube just below the surface, the first phase of the complex was built. This slide is the usual one we show of this initial complex, an outside view of the surface structures; water and cement plants, nuclear power plant in the distance under the dirt mound, landing pads, vehicle garages, and an isolated habitat with the central dome for growing food, all connected by Martian concrete tunnels naturally covered with wind blown sand, and a heavy-duty access tower in the skylight down onto the floor of the lava tube. This site was built mainly for the workers that constructed the underground facility. These surface buildings are still used, and double as a safe refuge if something disastrous happens underground. Next slide. Here is the usual drawing of the second and third phases of the complex, the surface structures in the upper left, the segment of a lava tube in the middle with its structures for labs, living spaces, and life support, the connecting tunnels in between. Notice the lower right, the plugged end of the lava tube, originally called the firewall, now called the lifewall. That marks the sterile division between the human habitation and the pristine Martial biome, with decontamination systems and access ports through the wall. It was built first to protect any possible Martian lifeforms, and was phase two. Everything else in the lava tube is phase three, basically the human life support and habitat. Next slide." The screen is blank except for a single button marked 'Authenticate.' "This button is the gateway to the classified slide you are seeing in this presentation today. This was RDA's most closely guarded secret, at least until Doctor Dmitri invented the plan for taking Pandora back. We like to call this the Chairman's pet project, and he may take it public in the near future. But for now, this stays totally secret. Understand?"

JW and Doctor Dmitri nod their heads while Bill looks at both of them in their eyes. He pulls JW's badge from the PC and inserts his own, clicks on the button, and enters his password and a magic number texted to his RDA cell phone. A new window pops open.

Bill continues. "What we've seen on the previous slides is the box in the top-right corner. Twenty kilometers away, in the upper-left corner, is one of those original mines that looked promising but was abandoned when it didn't produce. It was worked using drones from a remote location, so no facilities were built, just the hole in the side of a mountain. This blob over most of the slide is the main void, the magma chamber. A shaft was drilled from the mine down beside it, and adjoining tunnels connect the shaft to the chamber. It is dry, even though it is below the voids with the natural Martian seas. To keep from contaminating Mars, the chamber was completely lined with a shock-mounted reinforced concrete shell covered with a water-proof sealant, much tougher than this table, inside and out." Bill raps his knuckles on the conference room table made from real Pandoran wood by the RDA marquetry artists. "A separate nuclear plant was built to heat and light the chamber, make its atmosphere, and pump and distill water from the underground seas to make a large lake. The water and atmosphere within the chamber are made to match Pandora, and many plants and animals from there were secretly brought back and put into the chamber to make a complete Pandoran biosphere. It took many shipping containers of dirt from Pandora to get it right. The gravity is wrong, there is no unobtainium laying around, and no stray fields exist from floating mountains or the flux vortex, but otherwise Pandora has been faithfully duplicated, minus the Na'vi and their sacred plants."

JW asks, "What does this have to do with us?"

"There is a human habitat with full medical and veterinarian facilities for the handful of researchers, including some avatar drivers, that work in the chamber. They are totally unknown to the rest of the Avatar program and all other RDA researchers, indeed, to almost all of mankind, and are totally isolated in their own facilities off the access tunnels into the chamber. The avatar drivers have mastered the riding of direhorses, banshees, and great leonopteryxes within the chamber. SecOps is proposing the development of a Special Operations force of avatars that will be trained to ride these animals. Your job will be to transport this force to Pandora, in cryo, of course. Portable cryo units must be built for the humans, avatars, and their animals, and sent to Mars, so that when training is complete, the entire force goes into cryo, and waits until some ISVs are ready to transport them to Pandora. There is also talk of having multiple units, formed and trained one at a time, and held in cryo once ready and until after arrival at Pandora. The shaft has elevators big enough for heavy construction equipment, so moving the cryo units is no problem. There is also plenty of storage space and power both at the chamber and in the mine at the surface. It is far enough away from the rest of the surface facilities that it is totally isolated and there is no mingling of personnel. Getting this much equipment on and off of Mars is horribly expensive, but doable."

Doctor Dmitri says, "The existing ISVs have cryo holds with permanently installed cryo units. The holds can be pressurized for loading and unloading, and when in-flight maintenance actions become necessary. Portable cryo units and cryo holds will need a complete redesign, and will need more volume for each non-human passenger. We can get that requirements and design work started immediately, at least for human and avatar passengers. I think a cryo unit for avatars was designed some years ago, but never built because growing them in-flight cut down on the total time-line for production. The animals will be a problem, especially if their existence must remain secret."

Blakely responds, "Do what you can. We are thinking an all new ISV class will be needed for such cargo."

JW says, "As do I."

Doctor Dmitri says, "I concur. Will the Special Forces have their own links on-board their own ISV, and therefore do not need any existing links on Pandora? That means a habitable link hold will also be needed."

Bill answers, "That's right. The human drivers get out of cryo first, then their avatars. The drivers link up with their avatars so the avatars can land on the surface, ready for action, to establish a hidden base. Then the cryo units holding their animals are landed in the base, and the animals come out of cryo, handled by the same avatars that ride them. From there, the forces spread out as needed to take out the rebels and their Na'vi friends. The avatar drivers stay on board the ISVs the whole time. Regular SecOps troops land on the surface to mop up and secure the mine sites."

Dmitri adds, "With the drivers on-board for some time, they will need all necessary life support, plus quarters, relaxation and entertainment spaces, a complete gym.

Bill says, "Yes. Put together a complete living space for them. Probably best to keep it separate from the ISV crew. The board will review all plans, so start big but not too grand, so there is some wiggle room for negotiations."

JW says, "None of these SecOps forces are useful or needed if our mass driver works."

Bill answers, "True, in which case the forces stay in cryo and are returned home. The humans will be thawed and discharged per their contracts. If your plan succeeds in turning Pandora into a lifeless rock, the Pandoran lifeforms in cryo may be the last of their kinds, in which case they will be returned to Mars for safekeeping."

JW says, "Really?"

"The board is mulling over having the Chairman announce that this Pandoran habitat exists on Mars, and a special forces team of avatars and their animals is headed out from there to reestablish our unobtainium mine on Pandora. Also, he wants to build a luxury hotel for tours of this habitat and the other unique wonders of Mars."

JW and Doctor Dmitri look at each other, shake their heads, and then look back at Bill and Jin.

Jin says, "RDA has sunk a fortune into this facility, and the only way to monetize it is to turn it into a luxury tourist trap. It will have fine dining and drinking, nightclubs, shops, a casino, adult and family entertainment, extensive recreational and health facilities, an amusement park, and an expanded transportation hub for tours around Mars. Think cruise ship buried deep underground. The rumor about the biological weapons will be exposed as the cover story used to hide this facility until now."

JW responds, "OK, let us know when this is no longer secret. We will have to come up with some way to develop and buy portable cryo units for the wildlife in a way that hides their intended use. We can't put out an RFP for a portable cryo unit for a toruk and not expect thousands of articles and questions about it."

Bill says, "That is the main reason we are urging the Chairman to make this public. We can't contract out the ISV design effort for the SecOps options and keep parts of it secret."

JW says, "We'll think about what can be done if the animals must remain secret. Once the portable cryo units are designed for humans and avatars, maybe we could design and fabricate the rest in the L2 facility, where we have much more control over the information flow outside RDA."

Dmitri adds, "In order to design the cryo and link holds, we will have to know the number of each species required to make the trip, and the equipment needed for each."

Bill answers, "The SecOps leadership is putting together their preliminary plan for release in about a month, and that will lay out these details. Everything is subject to change, of course, but it will give you a baseline. Meantime, you can start your efforts specific to their requirements we've discussed today."

JW says, "You have given us a lot to work on, and a much better understanding of what is needed. Now, let's go over what my team has pulled together up to this point. The numbers are not as important as determining the expectations of the board. Our goal is to make status reports aligned to your needs, so we don't waste time making slides of little value or that are too complex to comprehend or interfere with the decision making process."

Bill says, "That sounds good. We can start after I get more of this good coffee."