FALLOUT OVER PANDORA

Chapter 1: Prologue

Date: April 20th 2385 12:37 PM

Location: Mars Upper Atmosphere

Zao's eyes fluttered open his lungs taking in recycled air as he breathed a deep sigh, the veil of sleep pulling back as his eyes struggling to adjust to the light. His shuttle shaking him lightly as it entered the Martian atmosphere he could feel the tension in his body that went down to his bones as he pulled his officers cap from over his tired eyes revealing the cavernous shuttle that had been his means of transport. With so many different species with different sizes and proportions each transport vehicle had to be fitted to house them whether that was the towering Meta-humans and Deathclaws or the smaller Necro, standard or tunnelers.

In the end it resulted in Zao sitting in a seat that could fold out into a larger one with the rest pressed against the wall acting as his headrest as rolled his neck till he heard a satisfying crack. Breathing through his teeth as he felt some of the tension wind down he leaned over from to look out the window as the twinkle of stars and the dark void of space between them was replaced with the long red dunes and rocky outcrops. As his mind slowly returned to him he remembered why he was here. It had been nearly a month since they had discovered Pandora a small moon roughly the size of earth orbiting around a gas giant in the alpha centari system, a planet that if deep range satellites were to be believed hosted life and the news had not wasted a second going full throttle with ideas of what life could be on that distant world and it had caused no end of trouble for the ancient ghoul. Taking another heavy breath he tried his best to relieve his migraine, gently rubbing his temples as he opened his pip boy; the small curved screen across his forearm lit up in a bright green light, projecting a holographic display as he shifted through to the message that had brought him here.

'Meeting to be carried out in New Lowell MIC in regards to Pandora, further details to be addressed on site'

It was not a long message to be certain but with sensitive matters such as these it payed to keep things vague.

"Good morning sir ETA to New Lowell is 5 minutes" the pilot said; her voice echoing over the intercom taking the ghouls focus away. From the voice he could tell it was a woman and the auburn coloured hair that flowed over her headrest all but confirmed it. Standing to his full height he tried his best to unwrinkle his green overcoat as he looked out the window again. Being closer to the ground he began to see the effects of the terraforming as they passed by large spires, their tops constantly dispersing air particles into the Martian air; helping to repair the Martian world. As they flew he began to see and hear droplets of water sprinkle the window and darken the red sands. Thanks to the weather manipulation technology from the think tank and GECK technology they had been able to get it to rain far faster than expected and though it would still take centuries before people could walk on the surface without suits, watching the waters of life fall on a formerly inhospitable world warmed his heart and helped to ease his migraine.

Pulling himself out of his memories he walked towards the pilot who from the look seemed surprised by his sudden appearance. From his position above and slightly behind he could see her fully. Big brown eyes stared back at him with dimpled cheeks coated in darkened freckles, sprinkled like pepper while her skin was light green like a ripe apple.

Coloured blue with yellow accents and strewn with pockets and pouches she was wearing a standard Military jumpsuit taking inspiration from the vault-suits of old dew to both its functionality and durability but the historical meaning as well.

"What is your name?" he decided to ask the young pilot. He had always tried his best to remember the names of the men and women who served alongside him. He did it for two reasons as unlike the born ghouls that had no risk of going feral, he and those like him that were made in the wake of the Great War, there was always the risk of neurological decay and it paid to make himself remember. The second reason was more personal and the reason he had kept the habit in the first place. When he had been captain of the Yangtze he had memorized the names of everyone on that submarine even as they began to lose themselves; old wounds that were bittersweet to open.

"Kendra, Kendra Williams sir" she said her voice light and chirpy like the song birds that were being reintroduced back into the wild. He would do his best to remember it.

"This is shuttle A236 authorization code 0179 Beta requesting permission to land over." Kendra quickly said pulling a hand to her ear piece.

"Roger that 236 report to docking bay 9 over" the voice radioed back their voice cutting through the light static.

"Roger that over and out" she said as the shuttle listed to the side causing Zao to hold onto a hand hold for balance as he looked out through the cockpit window to see the domed city of New Lowell coming into view. Home to over a million people it was the largest colony in the republic, covered in massive solar panels that made up its outer surface. Zao couldn't help but liken it to a hive as he watched dozens of ships flying in and out like bees.

As the shuttle slowed its approach a piece of the dome lifted, shifting to the side revealing a translucent blue field on the other side. Slowly the shuttle entered into the middle section of the dome, its contents filled with ramparts and passage ways as the dome slid back into place cloaking the shuttle in darkness, the only light sources being the flashing orange lights signaling decontamination and re-pressurization and the subtle strips of light inside the shuttle giving any form of luminescence as the blue field dissipated letting them out into one of New Lowell's military docking stations.

Gliding down into one of the stations docking bays the shuttle came to a halt slightly jostling its occupants as the air tight seal of the door gave way with a loud hiss. Giving Kendra a tip of his hat he disembarked onto the metal platform hearing his boots clang against the metal grating when he was greeted by a small entourage of men each wearing identical black suits and tinted glasses with what appeared to be their leader striding forth.

He was head and shoulders taller than Zao but then again many standard humans were after the institutes strain of FEV had been administered though the difference in size did not seem to enter the other man's head as he saluted before offering his hand.

"Admiral Zao it is an honor to meet you". He said as the two shook hands. "My men and I have been instructed to take you to your meeting sir." He continued turning on his heel as the four other men saluted in turn.

"Then let us move; it would be rude to keep them waiting" Zao replied with a slight smile as they all surrounded him with two behind him and three in front of him. Marching in unison the group left the docking station and entered into a large elevator that would take them down to ground level. Exiting at the bottom Zao looked through the military base. Even after so many years Zao was always struck by how different the members of the republic were. Standard humans, Necro humans and Tunnelers ran their laps around the base each one more different then the last.

There were those with exposed bone and muscle, patches of hair missing and the trademark pitch-black eyes. They like him were Ghouls but had been genetically altered to be able to have children and die naturally at roughly 200 years the same as standard humans. Some might think that loosing immortality to be too great a loss but to Zao and similarly ancient Necro and Meta humans knew immortality is not all it's cracked up to be.

Others were covered in dark blue scales with bio-luminescent spines that flowed over their ridged heads and from their shoulders. Their noses were flush with their heads giving it the appearance of a skull and their mouth filled with similarly bio-luminescent needle like teeth. They were tunnelers and of all the races that made up the republic they were by far the youngest and as such did their best to prove that they were worthy of the respect of the older races. Much like the Deathclaws before them the tunnelers had started out as extremely dangerous wasteland predators that had been uplifted into sapience by genetic engineering. Though unlike Deathclaws the Tunnelers had only been sapient for 60 years while Deathclaws had centuries to find their niches in republic society.

And the manner of their creation had also caused no small amount of controversy. Like many things of the new world it can be traced back to FEV as when a transport truck carrying the institute strain had been attacked by feral tunnelers with the mutagenic fluid being spilt into their nests altering several baby tunnelers. This however happened only a month after the Maxson-Gorr heritage act had been passed criminalizing the upliftment of species that did not show signs of advanced intelligence, signs the feral tunnelers did not show. Some had argued they should be destroyed while others argued that the genie was out of the bottle already and that to kill them would be morally abhorrent. Zao had leaned on the side of preserving them as what was the difference between them and Necro-humans.

Eventually they decided upon giving them a test as even with FEV enhanced troops Meta and standard alike along with power armor and Deathclaws they still couldn't finish off the feral tunnelers as they would always dig deeper causing the conflict to enter into a stalemate. So the tunnelers that had been uplifted were given the task of going down into their Dens and set of Demolition charges as well as gather as many baby tunnelers as they could. The plan had succeeded and the babies had been administered the FEV growing their numbers. Later DNA testing would show that they had once been human.

As they walked further through he could see a squad of Deathclaws surrounding a massive 50 meter high wall, bright paint outlining the pre-made holes were made for their claws to sink into as it didn't pay to have to replace the wall after every exercise. One of them began to climb, strapped with what looked like several hundred pounds worth of weights dangling from their body with frightening speed. Elsewhere he could see a large group of marines gathering around a boxing ring as two meta-humans fought one another their large size belying their speed as the green giants' sparred each other, loud cracks echoing with every strike.

Finally they came to their vehicle, a modest looking four door land car with tinted windows. Filing inside with him in the center the comfortable silence continued as they left the base. For less than an hour they drove until they came into the heart of the city where a monument of six large statues lade in a fountain each depicting one of the founding species of the Republic' each extending a hand into the center and had been made to commemorate the cities founding. A light raspy chuckle came from Zao's throat as he looked at it causing the two men beside him to look.

"It was only a hundred years ago and half of them made a habit of eating the other half." He said breaking the silence. It was more a statement than anything else so he did not find it odd that none spoke in turn as the car returned to silence.

It wasn't long before they arrived at their destination. It was one of the cities larger buildings in New Lowell, first built by the original men and women that had come. The building itself was he would not hesitate to describe as Spartan. A mixture of concrete and metal exterior, with no windows to speak of it stood out sharply when compared to its younger siblings. As they pulled up he began to hear the roar of reporters and local MP's keeping them back.

Zao understood their excitement; everything was happening so fast, first they discover ancient technology from an alien race; that if the scientists were right was around 50,000 years old. Then they find a massive super structure buried under miles of ice that dwarfed even their largest ships by an order of magnitude and now they discover a planet with life on it less than five light-years away. It boggled the mind even as their voices made his migraine reappear as the door opened and he was harried by reporters looking for answers.

The once dull, muffled sound became a roar with so many voices vying for his attention that he doubted he could have given a proper response to any of them. As the suits ordered themselves around him forming almost a second shield the reporters slid and jammed their microphones between the gaps of the MP's, the image reminding him of a cell block, outstretched hands between the bars. Ushering him inside their leader gave him a curt salute before closing the door behind him returning the roar to muffle. As he looked around the building's interior stood in contrast to its exterior as the atrium was large and its marble floor pristine as his boots squeaked slightly with each step. He had no need to ask for directions as he walked through the halls, passing workers and soldiers alike until he came upon a large set of doors each emblazoned with a night stalker the national animal of the Republic. Guarding the door were two republic marines. Wearing their dark green combat armor, their blood type tattooed on the side of their forehead partially obscured by their berets.

Noticing their superior the sound of their clicked heels echoed across the hall as they saluted in unison; as one push opened the door to the command room where the sound of talking could be heard. Giving them a light nod in return he entered the room, itself heavily furnished with red carpet and real wood lining the bottom half of the walls. Above them were the flags of the founding nations of the Republic. In the center of the room was a large wooden table with High admiral Marcus the massive Meta-human looking over to him.

"Ah Zao has arrived now we can begin." He said in a baritone voice as he returned to his seat.

Four other people sat around the table 3 were admirals whilst the third carried the cogs and sword of the brotherhood on his on his overcoat; to Marcus's left was rear admiral Felix from the Lucian Republic. He was a middle aged man whose brown sun kissed skin showed he hadn't been injected with FEV and had kept his gray hair short.

To his left stood the largest sapient species besides Meta-humans; Admiral Gara from the NCR was an old deathclaw with grey scales and a snapped horn telling of fierce fighting at one point. Instead of the standard uniform she wore a long flowing robe that opened in the middle with loose sleeves and her large size demanding that she stand.

To Zao's right was High elder Gabriel; while he had not met the man in person he had a reputation that preceded his appearance with Dark eyes and a stern brow that spoke little of compromise.

Lastly was Admiral Oxon from the Royal British Empire who like himself was a Necro-human whose decaying flesh clashed sharply with his pristine Uniform.

Setting his cap down on the table as he sat down, feeling the leather of his seat as the lights in the room began to dim as a large black dome came from the ceiling projecting a holographic display of the alpha centari system.

"As you all know, the University of Berlin discovered this planet no less than a month ago" Marcus said as the hologram zoomed in on the gas giant Polyphemus and one of its 14 moons. There they could see Pandora and even from hologram it was clear it was brimming with life with deep blue oceans and green land, a far cry from Terra or mars.

"Satellite imaging has shown the presence of life where we later sent a small detail of robots to scout the planet and…." Marcus paused, as a recording began to play showing what appeared to be from an eyebot flying through the jungle. Zao was astonished by what her saw; unlike what remained of earth's jungles this jungle was awash with vibrant colours, blues, greens and purples dotted nearly every surface from the plants to the animals until it crested the tree line and showed what had to be the largest tree any of them had ever seen.

Both Zao and Oxon looked to each other with the look in the British Necro's eyes mirroring his own as they both stared in wonder; even before the War trees of that size were unheard of. As they continued to watch the eyebot tilted itself showing its true size with the branches reaching high in the sky.

But it was at the base of the tree that held the true shock as the eyebot zoomed in showing small campfires dotted at the base of the tree with dozens of tall figures passing by.

"This eyebot recorded this two days ago in one of the planets rainforests." He said letting everyone digest this new information.

"I don't believe I need to tell you all the implications of this."

After several seconds admiral Felix spoke up. "That's all well and good, sir but what purpose does this have with us unless we plan on contacting them and with our eezo reserves being at a critical level…" he tried to continue before a raised hand silenced him.

"And that is why we are here, probes that were sent down with the robots have geo scanned the planet revealing a vast reserve of eezo on the planet, enough that we could build thousands more ships and with the Charon relay being currently being excavated out of the ice with current projections showing completion within five years. It is of paramount importance that we secure the eezo before the relay is activated".

"So how are we going to do this?" was all Zao could ask his nails lightly grinding against his palm.

Nodding his head Marcus tapped away on pip-boy as three circles appeared on the hologram of the planet.

"From the scans that have been sent back we have discovered several possible areas from which we can begin our operations." He said as the gathered group could see three possible areas.

"Each has their pros and cons. The site on the plains is the one most likely for us to get the natives attention as we have detected multiple nomadic tribes though it has the least amount of eezo compared to the other two."

"How large are these tribes?" Admiral Oxon said rubbing his chin.

"Based on the size of the nomadic tribes they range from 100-200 members though the tribes in the more verdant parts of the moon might be larger" Marcus answered.

"The second site is on the moons southern pole and has the largest deposits of eezo as well as the least likelihood of any natives seeing us as we have not seen evidence of any tribes nearby. Although the moons high level of electromagnetic interference seems to be concentrated highest there as well as constant ice storms which would make operations there significantly more difficult." Marcus continued as the image shifted to show its location.

As Zao looked it was clear it was once a massive caldera 50 kilometers in diameter with large mountains forming a ring around it.

"How much more eezo is there compared to the other two sites" High elder Gabriel said his hands interlocking as he stared into the hologram.

"Scans show that there is more eezo there than anywhere else on the moon" Marcus said.

"And the last location"? Zao asked as Marcus shifted the map to a large valley.

"The last location is located inside one of the moons rainforests and is located about 100 kilometers away from where that video was taken and has more eezo than the plains site."

"I vote for the forest, sooner or later the public will learn about the natives and it would be better to get ahead of it" Admiral Gara announced; her deep voice reverberating in Zao's chest.

"If getting the natives attention is what you want than we should choose the plains site" Admiral Felix countered.

"But as Marcus said, first priority is the eezo so we should choose the site at the South Pole" Oxon said in a thick accent.

"I agree with Oxon the aliens can be dealt with once we have secured what we need" Gabriel said.

"What do you think Zao"? Marcus questioned.

It took Zao a moment as he ordered the thoughts in his mind before he spoke.

"While I agree that the eezo is important I must agree with Gara. The presence of sentient life has gifted us an opportunity to show the people that this republic can last. If we can form positive relations with them we can not only secure the eezo but the public's confidence as well" Zao finished as Marcus nodded his head.

"Everyone in favor of the plains, raise your hand" Marcus said though none raised theirs.

"Everyone in favor of the south pole"

Only Oxon and Gabriel raised their hand

"Then it's decided; rain forest it is. Now then let's get into the details".

Date: April 18th 2385 20:32

Location: Pandora, outskirts of Omaticaya village

Arvok watched from the as his fellow clan members singed and danced, their shadows mirroring their movements as they danced around the great fire. Whilst others moved from fire to fire talking amongst themselves about their hunts or what the gatherers had found that day. Above them all was the clear night sky with stars that shined brighter than the sun and Hometree stretching its branches high into the sky its own size making the one he sat on look like nothing more than an insect. He had always been awed by the stars, how they would shine like the markings on the faces of the Navi. He thought that the stars were Eywa's markings shining over them. And how if you looked at them the right way, they would form pictures like clouds in the day.

He breathed deeply for though the sight of Eywa's beauty was great his mind still wared with his heart, till he felt a sudden pressure on his shoulder that nearly made the young man scream. Turning his body he saw the knowing grin of his brother behind him.

"What are you doing all alone" he said sitting down next to him. Tsu'tey had become one of the people having passed his initiation into adulthood and performed tsaheylu with his Ikran. He and the other hunters in training had been so excited their joy had spread to the rest of the clan and a great feast had been prepared for them.

"I share in your happiness but it can get loud." He answered. In truth he had been the cause of this turmoil in his soul. The teachers had decided that he had been ready for the trial but he like always had been left behind. He did not hate his brother; he could not blame him for simply being what he was but the disparity in their ability stung at him like a stingbat.

Whether his brother could sense the truth of his feelings he did not know as he felt his brother's arm wrap around him in a sideways hug. Arvok finally let out a defeated sigh signaling the defeat of his mood against his brothers prodding until he heard a sound he had never heard before.

He looked to his brother to see if he was the only one but like him he too had heard something. Like a cloud of bugs the buzzing sound came as both looked around for the sound, ears twisting this way and that until the buzzing passed over their heads and their eyes widened with shock. Only a few paces away was something unlike anything they had ever seen before. Large and round with large needle like things jutting out of it; it floated, swaying lightly from side to side.

How could something fly with no wings? He thought as he saw the tip of an arrow enter the side of his vision. Turning his head he stared at his brother bow drawn and covered in a bright blue aura the large arrow ready to pierce this strange thing. Arvok did his best to calm his brother placing a light hand on his arm, slight desperation in his movement as Tsu'tey looked back at him. His determined gaze softened, signaling that he had gotten through; though his bow was still drawn as they returned to watching the strange creature. On closer inspection it almost seemed to shine, the light of the blue giant bouncing off its surface and the air under it almost seemed to shimmer as he turned to where it almost seemed to be looking. For several moments it observed the people moving its "face" that looked like dried mud before flying straight up into the dark night sky so fast that it startled them again as the telltale 'swoosh' of an arrow passed by his ear as it flew across the field with a dull thump sounding its plunge into the side of a tree.

Both looked at one another stunned into silence before they began to scramble over themselves as they climbed down the tree Arvok almost missing his footing as the scaled down and into the lush grass below. They ran as though a Thanator was at their backs as they barreled into the village apologizing as they jumped over fire pits and knocked over a fellow tribesman. Between the roots of the Kelutral they saw the Olo'eyktan sitting beside his mate and two daughters by the great fire. Arvok could see that he and the other adults were looking at them with confusion as they barrelled in like a pair of drunken sturmbeest.

"I see you Olo'eyktan" Tsu'tey said Arvok quickly mirroring his greeting. Arvok watched as Eytukan looked over the both of them.

"I see you Tsu'tey, Arvok; what has caused you such distress?" he said his voice echoing over the now silent mail floor. Arvok hesitated slightly as the eyes of everyone including Eytukan's two daughters looked at them as the pressure of their eyes bared down on them. His mind drew a blank as mouth grew dry. How was he to explain what he saw when he himself barely understood. Looking to Tsu'tey he could see that he felt similarly and his brother had never been known to be hesitant. Then he saw where his eyes were looking; Sylwanin the chief's oldest daughter. Everyone knew their feelings for one another and it had been one of the happiest days he had seen his brother when she had been promised to him. She was looking at the both of them with worry plainly visible on her face and the thought of looking like a fool must have silenced his tongue.

"Uh… we saw something." Arvok managed to stutter out, some of the adults smirking amongst themselves as they returned to their conversations. Arvok though continued, he had to tell them what they saw but how could he when they did not understand themselves.

"I and Tsu'tey were outside the village when we saw it. It was big and round yet it had no wings to fly as it just hovered in the air" he said his voice becoming more erratic as he tried to describe it. "And its skin shined like the Sun."

"It was covered in long needles and the air beneath it shimmered. It looked to be watching the people before it flew high into the sky faster than an ikran." He continued until a loud, shrill voice came from the crowd of those still half listening that both he and Tsu'tey cringed at.

Out of the crowd came their mother Artsut. Her hair beads hanging over her face and the lines around he eyes and mouth produced a face that always looked like a disapproving scowl. There she marched to her sons with all the weight of a hammerhead until she was right behind them where she began to pinch their arms hard. They both did not react to the pain as she had always done this when she wished them to be quiet.

"A thousand apologies Olo'eyktan Arvok has always had an overactive imagination; seeing things that aren't there. And his brother is too willing to indulge him." She said a wrinkled smile crossing her face as she began to twist her pinch.

The Olo'eyktan looked to his mate Mo-at the shaman and spiritual leader of the clan. Nodding her head, showing they were of one mind he waved for them to leave as she pulled them away, the snickering laughter from some of the adults all they could hear.

Holding both of them in her vice grip she herded them away into a small clearing just outside the village and more importantly away from earshot before she released her grip and their father materialized behind her.

"What were you two thinking trying to embarrass us like that; running around and getting scared by your own shadows?" She began to rant as she pulled them away from prying eyes. Behind her stood their father Ateyo his eyes feeling as though they were piercing their souls.

"But we did see…" His brother tried to say before being shut down.

"And you!" She said pointing a finger in his face.

"I would expect something like this from your brother, but not you. Do you know how much effort it took for us to convince the Olo'eyktan to marry off his daughter to you." She said; a mocking smile etched across her face as she tilted her head. "You would endanger that, just to indulge your brother's fantasies and on the day you became a full member of the clan!" she all but screamed; her eyes wide and hand raised high ready to strike, a vein visibly bulging from her forehead.

It was useless to argue with her when she was like this so the pair could only stand in silence as she stood like a statue vibrating with anger until their father laid a hand on her shoulder causing her to visibly deflate, her ears drooping down. Lowering her hand, her shoulders grew slack as she placed her hand on his.

"We will speak of this no more" was all their father said as he led his wife away leaving them in the dim bio-luminescent light of the jungle. It was only after both were certain they could not hear that his brother snapped.

"Stupid hag" he snarled as he picked up a rock and hurled it deeper into the jungle. Arvok could only stand by as his brother paced back and forth the tension and frustration easy to see. He himself had grown accustom to their parents habits being the lesser of the two in their eyes but Tsu'tey had always been pushed harder by their parents, pushing him to be better. They had succeeded but in doing so had created someone whose ego was as frail as his body was strong. Eventually his brother stopped as he let himself slump onto the floor his tail still carrying some of his anger.

"Well that could have gone better." Arvok said in a sarcastic tone, trying to lighten the mood as he looked down at his brother. Tsu'tey response was simply to give his brother a look that bordered between wanting to punch him and wanting to call him a moron.

"Well you were the one talking" he finally said venom dripping from his voice.

"Yes, while you were busy trying to not look like an idiot in front of Sylwanin." He shot back only for his brother to rise to his feet in a near instant his eyes threatening to pierce him deeper than any arrow could.

"This is all your fault; if you had let me shoot it" he said through clenched teeth.

"Oh yes, you and your little arrow would kill the creature that could fly with no wings and move faster than any banshee." Arvok countered as his brother continued to glare at him.

"You Tsu'tey the great hunter, chosen by Eywa would have killed the creature with one arrow and paraded its body for all to see." He said his voice getting deeper as posed in a heroic stance. "Then Sylwanin would swoon and fall into your arms as she whispered of all the things she wanted you to…" Arvok did not finish his sentence as he felt a fist collide with his jaw. He tumbled to the ground his head spinning only to feel a heavy weight on his stomach as his brother began to wail on him. He did his best to protect his head as the two cursed each other out until a third voice stopped Tsu'tey mid swing.

Noticing the sudden lack of pain Arvok moved his arms to see his brother with a look similar to a child being caught with sweets. It would have made him laugh if he still wasn't nursing the throbbing pain in his jaw.

"Tsu'tey, what are you doing!?" He heard the forceful voice of Sylwanin as the weight on his stomach disappeared in a flash. Turning to look he saw both Sylwanin and her younger sister Neytiri. Despite being the older of the two Sylwanin was the shorter of the two with small eyes and a large forehead it made Arvok question what he saw in her. Neytiri meanwhile had larger eyes and a wide nose and both he and she got to bear witness to something he so rarely got to see.

"What happened; you both come into camp yelling about a strange creature watching us and flying with no wings and then I find you attacking Arvok!" She yelled at him, her steps echoing out with the force of a thanator in the now silent clearing. frustration inching into her voice as Tsu'tey stood there lips moving but the words stuck in his throat as Sylwanin berated him. It was over almost as quickly as it began with her leaving in a huff and Tsu'tey rushing after her with a string of apologies announcing his departure. Arvok watched as Neytiri walked towards him; looking down into his eyes as she offered a hand which he accepted.

"Thank you" he said as he dusted himself off while nursing his jaw.

"Did you really see it?" she asked her eyes asking as much as her words as he looked back at her.

"I did; and it was like nothing you've ever seen. So small and so fast" he said wonder and worry mixing in equal levels from his voice.

"So what are you going to do?" she asked.

In truth he did not know if he could do anything, his ears pulling back in uncertainty as he looked at her. As they looked at each other the silence flowed back into the small clearing as they both turned their heads to the night sky, stars shining as they always had, but only now did they feel the stars looking back.

Date: April 20th 2385 20:31 PM

Location: New Lowell, Mars

Zao's migraine returned to him as he exited the MIC and into the city center. The bright martian day having peeled away into night with the only sources of illumination being street lights on the now deserted streets, the reporters either being chased off or had left on their own to which he was thankful for. The meeting had gone on for hours covering troop composition,date of departure, number of ships needed, provisions required... who would be leading the expedition. And it was that which turned his pain into anger as he walked, his hairless brow continuing to furrow deeper and deeper.

Walking to the large statue in the center he looked at the polished marble, all species of the republic united with their hands together in the center and the bronze plaque enshrined on the base.

'We dedicate this statue to the brave men and women who not only made this city but made the trip possible. May all those that died in the making of this world look on with pride' it said in bold letters that formed a whirlwind of conflicting emotion, hands balling into fists in his coat pockets that he did not notice the large figure walking behind him until he felt the pressure of a large hand resting on his comparatively tiny shoulder pulling him from his thoughts with a jolt that nearly made him jump.

"Deep in thought?" Questioned Marcus, his deep voice vibrating in Zao's chest.

Several seconds went by before he spoke; he knew nothing would come of it but he would have his thoughts known.

"Don't ask me to do this" he said, in an almost begging tone as he turned towards the large Meta-human having to crane his neck to look him in the eye.

"I've already helped destroy one world, don't ask me to destroy another" he said as Marcus gave him a silent look indicating their surroundings, the reporters seemed to have left but you could never be sure with them.

"Don't be hyperbolic, all you are to do is make sure the eezo flows and to keep the natives from doing anything rash" Marcus whispered putting his hands on his hips as he looked down on the ancient ghoul.

"Yes that is why we will greet these primitive tribes with 1000 marines, now i'm being asked to act like some two-bit raider" he hissed, the anger he felt dripping from his words.

"when i joined the republic i...i" he tried to say as the flurry of thoughts caught in his throat.

"You thought it would be different, that just because we can fly through the stars we could forget the days of scarcity, of simply not having enough. I think we are both a little too old to believe such things" he said as Zao dropped his gaze to the floor, the honest truth putting its full weight on him.

"But why me" he stressed "If it is simply due to experience send Oxon" he said in exhaustion.

"Like you said; you helped destroy the world, your body a living testament to that day. you know well the price of war and like you said, this presents us with an opportunity to gain the public's good will if handled correctly and i know you will" Marcus said, emphasizing the last part as he placed his hand once again on his shoulder which Zao did not try to remove.

"The natives are at a stone age level of technology, they will have no need for it regardless. But if they do take offence you have within your power to make whatever deals or trades necessary to keep the eezo flowing. But if they are unwilling to compromise and endanger our people..." there was a pregnant pause as both knew what would come next.

"War never changes"

AUTHORS NOTES

As you might have guessed this fic also takes place in the mass effect universe so the mineral has changed from unobtainium to eezo. Also don't worry this isn't going to be a 'humans come and wipe out the Na'vi story this is just a thought I had one day come to life.