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 or any other form of compensation for my work based on Avatar.

Chapter 42:The Tree of Souls

Author's Notes:

A million thanks to sugarbear2017 for a nice review. I'm glad you appreciate my detailed descriptions of life in a clan. I want so much more than what the movies have given us. Unfortunately, describing the everyday life of the Navi does little to advance their storylines. Another contributor to the lack of detail is that James Cameron demands total control over that part of the Na'vi language. Yes, I tried to submit ideas for names of everyday items used by the Na'vi, and got promptly rejected. For example, they hunt animals for food every day, so they obviously know the anatomy of these animals in a detailed manner, yet most words for these parts have not been coined. The normal daily acts of the hunter, such as stalking(!), blooding, gutting, and skinning kills, have no way to be expressed in the language as it now stands. Standard references for geographical features, used to make detailed digital maps, have been studiously ignored. That is why the language has become so abstract and even obtuse in places, there is no other outlet for outsiders to show any creativity in the language. But I digress. I will keep inventing more details of daily life as I go, as that is an area that will not be made obsolete by the movies. As to your question, sugarbear2017, well, that would be telling! The good ol' USA has everything in the public record, for the most part, if you have the will to research in depth. Search "executive orders on security classification" to see more than you want to know about this topic. Please note that the "most secret" topics in that RDA meeting were those that would cause the most adverse publicity, a total misuse of the classification process as defined in these executive orders.

CEO means Chief Executive Officer

RDA means Resources Development Administration

APU means auxiliary power unit

Trudy has been loose and fun-loving throughout her honeymoon in site 23, but now that she is in pilot mode again, she is solely professional. "Okay, before we shut down our rebuilt hacienda on the mountaintop, have we got everything packed?"

Ivanna replies, "I have the clean linens and towels on the bottom bunk by the bathroom, and all dirty things in a bag I put under the back seat behind the legs of my Avatar that is strapped in and ready for flight."

Izzy adds, "All lockout tags are installed or in place ready for installation. All spare parts are stored in the correct cabinets. I packed the tool boxes and have them strapped down in place."

Norm concludes, "And I have the supplies and food locked away in here, the water turned off, and the bag of trash and the full wastewater tank under the back seat, along with the case of our personal items."

Trudy nods her head and says, "Sounds like everything is covered. Okay, everybody put on your exomasks. Norm and Ivanna, you go through the airlock first. Izzy, put the APU on standby, put main power, life support, and the food refrigerator into automatic unattended mode, and set the safeties as needed. I'll make a final check, get the lights, and follow you into the airlock after the first pair is through."

Izzy replies, "Roger," as Ivanna and Norm enter the airlock.

Outside, Ivanna and Izzy climb into the back seats of the cockpit. Trudy tells Norm to preflight the Sampson, as she double checks the cargo stowage. They meet up in front, and she says, "Norm, I know you want to fly, but we're going up into the mountains to the Well of Souls to pick up the busted up link module. That's where the vortex and the winds aloft are the worst, so I want the controls."

Norm nods his head and answers, "You are in charge of Air Pandora, so I'll just sit and observe. Tell me when you hit the tricky stuff. I want to see how you handle it."

"Will do. Everything ready?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Let's roll."

They climb in up front and everyone straps in. Trudy starts the engines and pressurizes the cockpit. When a breathable atmosphere is obtained, she says, "You can take off your masks now, and put on your helmets." After everyone settles into their seats, she asks through the intercom, "Is everyone ready to see the Well of Souls?" After she hears affirmative replies from her fellow honeymooners, she eases into the controls and takes off.

As they orbit the Well of Souls, Ivanna says, "It is more beautiful than I could image."

Izzy adds, "I thought the floating mountains were amazing, but this place, the tree, the well, the arches, has them beat."

Trudy lands the Sampson in a clearing downhill from the damaged link module. She has Norm assist her with the landing checklist after everyone stows their helmet and puts on their exomask. Everyone stays seated until Wrrtll appears out of the brush with several other warriors and hunters, including his wife Maytse. Norm opens his door, and exchanges greetings with them in Na'vi.

Wrrtll says in English, "Good morning, honeymooners. Welcome to the Well of Souls."

Trudy pops open her door and stands up inside, saying, "Hello, Wrrtll, are you the welcoming party?"

"Yes, Jake sent us up here to meet you. He's down by the sacred tree, talking to its guards, convincing them you are not invaders."

"That's good. I hate to have a nice week ruined by getting some arrows shot into me."

Wrrtll laughs, "We are here to protect you, we won't let that happen."

A strange whistling sound is heard from the undergrowth. Wrrtll and the other Na'vi crouch down and look around quickly, bows drawn, and Trudy reflexively ducks back into the cockpit, grabbing her weapon. Wrrtll stage whispers, "Careful, I do not recognize that sound."

Norm opens his door and stands up, yelling out, "Come on out, Jake. No one here recognizes the mockingjay song except me."

Jake and Neytiri walk out of the bushes, both laughing, relaxing everyone else.

Jake looks at Norm and says, "Guess I fooled everyone except you. You can tell those on board to come out now, it's safe."

Norm and Trudy jump out holding their weapons, and closing the doors behind them. Norm approaches the Na'vi as Trudy goes aft to help Izzy and Ivanna out, and all three return with weapons slung over their shoulders. Trudy and Izzy are carrying the orange intake covers, and go forward to put them into place. Trudy then pulls a red plastic Pitot tube cover out of her pocket and puts it in place, unfurling its red streamer that is emblazoned with "REMOVE BEFORE FLIGHT." She turns back to the rest and says, "My baby is buttoned up now. What's the plan?"

Jake answers, "Well, I was thinking…"

Norm interrupts, "Jake. Thinking? Wrrtll, where did you hide the real Jake?"

Neytiri, obviously unhappy, puts her hand up to stop Wrrtll from answering and says forcefully, "Jake has been spending much time worrying about the people that returned to run your machines, and how he can organize all Na'vi to watch everywhere for a very long time, and get to any point where RDA can land as quickly as possible. This is not a joking matter!"

Norm puts his hands up and say, "Just kidding, Neytiri. I haven't done any serious thinking for over a week, except for my new bride." He puts one arm around Trudy and pulls her close.

Wrrtll deadpans, "I could not have said it any better myself." The friends all break up in laughter.

Maytse says, "Jake, Wrrtll, and I climbed Iknimaya with Tsu'tey and captured our ikran there. Jake seemed like most warriors his age, strong and not so bright. I liked Wrrtll because he was the smartest warrior in the clan, besides Tsu'tey. Jake has gotten smarter as he grew up, better than most warriors."

Jake shakes his head and says, "I am the first to admit I don't do much thinking. Back on Earth, I was just another dumb grunt who let his commanders do all the thinking. I never asked why, I just took my orders and achieved my objectives, every time except the last time when a round blew out my spine. Now I'm facing the toughest questions in my life. I need to talk to you about them. Neytiri came to me one day and gave me some ideas, and that really got me off dead center. I want to get the ball rolling as soon as possible, and the more ideas to talk through, the better."

Norm looks up at Jake and says, "Truly, I am amazed how far you have come. Your brother Tom always said that inside your tough exterior, there has always been a smart man waiting to break out. I believe him now."

Jake looks rather abashed and says, "Thanks, Norm. And I always knew that inside your goofy exterior is a very smart man."

Trudy butts in, "Okay, enough of the mutual admiration society. What do you think we should be doing, Jake, other than flapping our jaws about you?"

Jake grins and says, "Let's walk down to the sacred tree and talk some more. I'm sure Ivanna and Izzy would like to see it. That will give my people time to put together a meal. After eating, we can talk some more, and get back up here to sling the module to your helicopter and fly it home before dark."

Ivanna says, "I have one quick question. Do any of the links still work in that wreck?"

Jake answers, "I think so, but I haven't used one since the day of the battle. After Neytiri saved my life, I used Norm's link. Had to carve out some of that gel stuff with my knife to make room for my exomask. If the link still powers up, you can use it. Did you bring your avatar?"

"Yes, it's in the back seat. I would love to go down there in it, get some soil samples from both outside and inside the well, and maybe from the walls if I can find some among the rocks. That's why I'd like to be in my avatar, to get around more easily and reach higher."

Wrrtll says, "We'll have to chase the wildlife out before you go in that box. The hide over the hole can't keep the wildlife out. I'm guessing there are riti hanging in there."

Jake say, "I agree, but I have an idea. Wrrtll, get some help to get her avatar out. I'll work on the riti."

Ivanna says, "You don't have to help my avatar. I'll jump in the link, and unbuckle myself when I regain consciousness in my avatar."

Jake says, "Oh, yeah, that'll work. Let's get up there." The group walks uphill to the link module. Jake puts his hand on the door and opens it quickly. He looks in, and sees riti hanging from the ceiling. He says to Wrrtll, "Let's see if this works." He whistles loudly, and his ikran lands next to him. He makes the bond, and soon his ikran sticks its head inside and roars. The riti immediately scramble out, and the ikran catches and eats two riti that didn't get around him. The ikran takes flight, breaking the bond, and chases after the cloud of riti. Jake looks to Wrrtll and says, "Now it's your turn."

Wrrtll answers, "Thanks, boss." He goes into the link module, banging his bow against the walls and floor to scare out the remaining wildlife. Several other warriors bang on the outside with bows and spears. A number of critters scurry out through the door and the broken window, around the skin covering it. Shortly, Wrrtll reappears and says, "all clear," as he throws a small animal into a bush.

Norm looks to Izzy and says, "Let's go in and power this thing up, and see what works." The two men enter, followed by Ivanna. Soon, they have her packed into the link with her exomask, and exit the module.

Izzy looks up at Jake and says, "I hate to leave her alone in there."

Jake nods his head, and fires off some Na'vi, and he, Wrrtll, and the other warriors have a quick discussion. Jake says to the three humans in English, "Wrrtll has a guard force standing watch at all times. If they hear any alarms, they will check on Ivanna and call me on my radio. Let's meet up with Ivanna's avatar, and head to the well."

The group stops on the rim of well, looking down at the Tree of Souls. From here, the gnarled roots on the surface are clearly visible.

Ivanna asks, "Is it true that the roots light up at night?"

Neytiri answers, "The fronds glow at night. The only time the roots light up are when many Na'vi are bonded to them during the transference ceremony."

"Bonded?"

"Each of the people participating do tsaheylu with a root, they bond their tswin to it, their, ah ..."

Norm adds, "Their queue, or neural whip, from their head."

"Yes. They hold their tswin to the root, and they bond together. Sometimes, small roots, like hair, grow out to attach to the twsin."

"Does that hurt?"

"No, it may tingle on occasion, like your foot going to sleep. The bond is different for each plant or animal one bonds with."

"Let me get a quick sample of soil, then we can go down there." Ivanna stoops down, pushes a loose rock away, and scrapes some of the uncovered soil into a plastic container. She puts a lid on it, writes on it, and puts it in her bag. She stands up an asks, "Neytiri, can I ask you a question about bonding?"

"Yes, you can ask me anything."

"May I bond with that tree? Is it allowed for us avatars?"

"Jake has bonded with this tree, the Tree of Souls, and our Tree of Voices, before it was destroyed by those big machines."

"But he transferred permanently to his avatar from his human body."

"He bonded to both trees before he transferred. I know you can do it."

"Do I need to do anything special, or do I just put my queue on a frond?"

"Come, I'll show you." Neytiri turns to Jake and says, "I am going to take Ivanna to my favorite spot under the tree and give her a first lesson on Eywa and tsaheylu with a sacred tree. Go ahead and start, you have much to discuss. I'll return to you when I can."

Jake responds, "We'll follow you down. I'll use the terrace where I spoke to the clan for the first time."

Neytiri nods and then looks to Ivanna. She puts her hand out and says, "Come."

Ivanna puts her hand in Neytiri's and says, "Lead on." Everyone else follows them quietly down the steep trail to the floor of the well.

Neytiri and Ivanna climb the terraces to a large, fairly flat terrace near the trunk that has many fronds hanging just above it. Neytiri stops in the center, at a spot surrounded by fronds, and pulls Ivanna close so she is also encircled. Neytiri slowly sits down the Na'vi way, pulling Ivanna down into the same position.

Neytiri looks into Ivanna's eyes and says, "When all the clans were gathering here before the battle, this terrace was reserved for tsahíks and was called the tsahík's terrace. Many healers that came here were retired tsahíks, and this terrace was often crowded. Usually, all sacred trees are open to all Na'vi, with no reserved places, like us being here today. To understand these trees, one must first understand Eywa. If you plan to join us the way Jake joined us, you will be taught much more. For example, you must have your first bonding ceremony."

Ivanna asks, "This is my first time bonding with anything. Should I have that ceremony first?"

"Normally, that would be the case. My mother is not here, and only a tsahík can give that ceremony. I taught Jake how to bond using pa'li at first. Then he saw me bond with my ikran. Then he bonded with his ikran, our Tree of Voices, me, and his toruk. After all that, my mother remembered to give him his first bonding ceremony. Do not worry, it didn't hurt Jake. Here is what you must know. Eywa is also called our All Mother. That means she is the mother of all life here, what we call Eywa'eveng, or Eywa's children. All life came from Her, and that makes all life precious. We give thanks to Eywa for all things She provides, from the animals we eat, the plants we eat, to even the cleaning and drying leaves we use to wash ourselves. No matter where you go here on Eywa'eveng, you are surrounded by Her, as we are surrounded by these fronds." Neytiri reaches up, and strokes the fronds by circling her hand against them, causing them to glow more brightly. "All you have to do is open yourself up to Her, and you may feel Her presence. You can bond with any plant, but sacred trees are the best. You still must concentrate after bonding, but you feel her much more rapidly and deeply. If you had ancestors here, you may talk to them while bonding, or you may concentrate on Eywa. Usually, She will ease your spirit, and leave you relaxed in what we call the calm of Eywa. I found that very comforting, because I saw many bad experiences after our Tree of Voices was destroyed that made my spirit very sick."

"My spirit has been sick, too, but it is much better now that I am married to Izzy. I do worry about what will happen to us when RDA returns to take back what they lost."

"Jake and I share that worry, but we are working very hard to get prepared for whatever happens. I am very concerned that your people do not understand Eywa, that is why I am helping you now."

"Let me tell you something very important to us avatar drivers. My good friend, Doctor Cari Mohammad, she was my Matron of Honor, talked to your mother one night when the field hospital was set up around here. Your mother stayed in the Avatar tent that night and Cari helped her get situated."

"I know about this. My mother has this cup that is clear as water and light as a feather, with her name written on it."

"Cari must have given her that plastic cup. She spoke to your mother about a training video we saw on Earth years before we came here, a most heart wrenching clip made by a tiny drone camera many years before. A baby had its queue attached to the frond of a tree, and immediately died. Everyone looked sad as the baby was brought to the tree, and the grief was obvious in all faces after the baby died. It was almost as if they expected the baby to die when bonding to the tree. This clip is used to teach us to never bond to anything here on Pandora, because it might kill you. Cari told your mother about this, and her answer was that indeed death can happen, but rarely. It is always a possible outcome of that ceremony. Cari told a number of us avatar drivers about that conversation, and we all agreed to try to bond with something and report back to the group. That is why I asked for my avatar to come here, to see if I could bond to this tree and live."

Neytiri sits quietly for a moment, and then responds, "I have not heard of this before. Jake's brother Tomi was killed just before the sky machine was leaving, and Jake got into it just before it left. Jake never received any training, he never saw what you described. Yes, death is always a possible outcome of the first bonding ceremony, but it rarely happens. My mother was at one such ceremony when she was a child, before she became a tsahík apprentice. It has never happened to anyone receiving the ceremony from her. I hope it never happens to me when I take over from my mother. I know it can happen, but I don't want to see it." She pauses for a moment, and then continues. "Life here is hard. It is possible to live alone, but it is very hard. There are so many skills that must be mastered to live alone. By living in a clan, the skills are spread around, and everyone can specialize in the skills that make them the happiest. If you don't like what you are doing, you talk to the leaders or elders and you get to do something else. Sometimes, a person comes along that may take years trying many skills before settling on one. Usually, each person knows when they are a child what is best for them, and work at it their whole lives, becoming very skilled. A good weaver usually cannot hunt well. A good hunter cannot weave very well. I tried weaving as a child and hated it. I love to be out in the forest with Eywa, and discovered I am very good at hunting. I also like learning warrior skills, they are very much like hunting, with more emphasis on personal strength and endurance. Once my sister died, and Jake appeared with his toruk, my path as tsahík became clear. I will become the best tsahík I can become."

"The clan is lucky to have you. Back on Earth we would call you a warrior queen."

"For many years, I only wanted to be a hunter and a warrior, but that changed with Jake, and my spirit is glad for everything now. To answer your question about the child that died, only a child born with a bad physical problem will die during the ceremony. Everyone in the clan must do their part for the good of the clan. Even those that become too old and infirm to do the work can teach it, or become an elder to advise the clan. Only when a baby is born that is sickly or not able to function normally does Eywa take its spirit so it does not have to endure the rigors of our life. That is why those people looked worried going into that first-bonding ceremony. They were expecting a bad outcome, but hoping Eywa would spare the life of that baby."

"Thank you for explaining that, I will tell the other avatar drivers. So, what happens when I bond with this tree?"

"I have no way of knowing. I could bond to the same frond as you, and not have the same experience as you. Every bonding is different. Since you have no ancestors here, you should concentrate on seeing Eywa. I usually experience Her as a bright light, white in all directions. After some time, my bad feelings and worries melt away, and I experience the calm of Eywa. Most everyone gets to feel the calm of Eywa, they just have to stay bonded long enough. I had to make Jake stay bonded, until he felt it himself. Now, he never breaks to bond until he gets the calm of Eywa first. I think it is something that makes the Na'vi a more happy people, as Eywa makes our lives easier to bear. Here is what you need to do. First grab the end of your tswin and hold it like this to let the hair fall away from its tendrils." Neytiri holds her tswin up so Ivanna can see her tendrils waving about. Ivanna does likewise. Neytir says, "Good. Now hold it up against a frond, like this, and it will grab hold, and you are bonded. It is best to stay bonded until it lets go on its own accord, but you can pull it off if you must, but be gentle." She holds her tswin against a frond that lights up as the bond is established when the tendrils grab hold.

Ivanna follows suit with a different frond, and both women are bonded to the tree. Ivanna experiences a bit of light-headedness as she passes through a brightly lit tunnel, much like her reaction to the link when getting into her avatar. Soon, she sees nothing but a vast expanse of white. Within seconds, she sees a blob approaching her that resolves into white lab coat with a red-headed face, and an unlit cigarette hanging from its lips. It can only be one person, Doctor Grace Augustine.

"Well, hello, kiddo. Never expected to see you here."

"You look and sound like Grace. Are you Eywa in disguise, or are you really Grace?"

"What do you think, Vanna? No one gets to talk to Eywa, somebody should have told you that by now. Where are you?"

"I'm with Neytiri, on the tsahík terrance beneath the Tree of Souls."

"I had to get shot to see that tree, and you just waltz in here with Neytiri. Are you planning to take the plunge like Jake, or just visiting?"

"Oh, I'm just visiting, this time. I just married Izzy Krazney, and Max is making him an avatar, but it won't be ready for years. I thought maybe I'd talk to Eywa, and ask if she can tell if RDA is flying this way any time soon."

"Well, she talks to no one. And even if she did, she's a plant, or maybe a network of plants. She can't see into space. I struggled with the question of Eywa. How does a bunch of interconnected cells in your brain make a consciousness? How does a bunch of interconnected roots on this moon make a consciousness? Is Eywa even self-aware, let alone a thinking entity?"

"Yes, talking to Neytiri, it seems all Na'vi can 'feel' Eywa, but it doesn't seem to go any farther than that."

"Maybe the bugs you look at can give us some answers."

"They're not bugs, they're microbes. Except for feeding my cultures, I have put my research on hold while I try to find local microbes that will help seeds from Earth grow in local soil, without killing the seeds or causing the release of harmful Earth microbes into the biome."

"That sounds really useful. See if you can grow some real coffee, that would make you a goddess to everyone here."

"Speaking of goddesses, how did you end up as my ancestor in Eywa?"

"Long story. Remember when Trudy busted Jake, Norm, and myself out of Quaritch's jail?"

"I heard the rumors. Quaritch took a gun from one of his guards in the command center, kicked open the fire escape without wearing an exomask, and held his breathe while he emptied that gun and his own sidearm at the helicopter. No one knew if he did any damage."

"Well, he did. I was shot, bad. Trudy flew us to site 23 and picked up the link module, and took it to the Well of Souls."

"Yeah, I'm using one of those links in that module now."

"They flew it there so that Jake could ask for Mo'at's help to keep me alive, but I guess I was too far gone."

"So, how did you end up in Eywa?"

"I don't know how Jake knew about riding a great leonopteryx, I never told him, but he captured one first, and flew it into the well while the clan was there doing some sort of ceremony. That made him Toruk Makto, so no one could refuse him or chase him off. Mo'at knew I wasn't going to make it on my own, so she tried to transfer my spirit to my avatar. Instead of working with the program, because I didn't understand it, I went back to Jake to report that Eywa was real. I was supposed to 'pass through the eye of Eywa, and return' and I screwed that up by trying to talk to him. My body died, but most of my spirit was in Eywa, so here I am. Shocked the hell out of Jake, he bonded thinking he'd tell Eywa something, and got me instead."

"Guess I'm shocked, too. Neytiri said I don't have any ancestors in Eywa, and I wasn't expecting to talk to anyone except Eywa."

"Do me a big favor. I tried to explain to Selfridge and Quaritch that everything living on this world was connected together, and that caused Quaritch to target this sacred tree. Whenever you tell someone about me being in Eywa, tell them to make no written or electronic record, no text, no voice call, no video, no email, no nothing, because RDA will steal it, and they will come back here and dig up this tree or maybe all sacred trees looking for me."

"You know, they could just drop a bomb from orbit and turn this whole beautiful area into a crater."

"Yes, I know. I'm hoping that Eywa has a lot of built in redundancy, so losing this tree will not lose me or anyone else in Eywa. But I don't want them digging it up and trying to plug into the network to take control of this moon."

"That makes sense. I'll say that to the avatar drivers, so they know you are here, and to never document your existence. I'm sure RDA would love to figure this out, they could make a fortune on Earth selling immortality to the filthy rich."

"It's not all that's cracked up to be. Like this cigarette. It's fake, and never can be lit." Just then, the tip turns red, and a wisp of smoke rises from it. "Did I do that? That was a neat trick. Still, I can't taste it or get any benefit from it, I have no body for it to act on. Guess you are so used to seeing me smoke, your mental picture of me made this cigarette appear and light itself."

"Yeah, Grace, you always chain smoked outside a link. That's why I didn't want you in my lab, the smoke affects my microbes in unwanted ways."

"So that's why you always came to my office. I never thought about it before."

"Sorry, Grace. I didn't want to argue it with you."

"No problem. So tell me about your new hubby."

"Izzy was a special ops guy in the Israeli Defense Forces, the only person in his extended family to survive the nuking of Israel. He was in a helicopter accident, blew out his knee in one leg, and his Achille's tendon in the other. The surgical scars are still bad looking. He became a technical specialist, and it seems he can fix anything electrical or electronic. He was in SecOps, and Jake let him come back with me."

"Come back?"

"Yeah, Jake kicked everyone off of Pandora, except the avatar drivers. I decided to leave anyway, to be with Izzy and to keep my uncle from getting into trouble."

"Your uncle?"

"He is number two in RDA's space operations. He sent me a video while I was on the Venture Star, saying he talked to the CEO about me, and the CEO said I could stay without any repercussions on him. Captain Gustav brought us down when he talked to Jake, so we talked Jake into letting us stay. Jake said if we caused any trouble, he would feed us to the wildlife in the jungle. It's become a running joke between Izzy and Jake, about going to dinner with the viperwolves. We got married with Norm and Trudy, and both couples asked Jake to be our Best Man. They asked Neytiri to be their Matron of Honor, and we asked Cari to be ours."

"I knew about Norm and Trudy, but never heard a word about you with a SecOps guy."

"Izzy was very afraid of Quaritch finding out, and we both decided early on to hide our relationship. Since Izzy knows every maintenance tunnel and security system in Hell's Gate, he was able to arrange things to keep us off the surveillance systems. You would be amazed at the number of empty executive level apartments in each building, with unlimited hot water in the showers."

"That's too much information. So how did you meet him?"

"After spending the whole day in the lab by myself, I wanted to be around people, so I went to the nightly movie in the cafeteria. I never cared for the bar scene around Hell's Gate, as you know. That movie was one of those awful 2D classics from over a century ago, an action movie that was all loud car chases, shoot outs, and explosions. The SecOps people ate it up, but I thought is was predictably boring. I went to the back and got my usual ice cream, and sat by the door eating it. This guy walks in, gets an ice cream, and sits down across from me. We notice at the same time that we had the same orders, two scoops vanilla, chocolate chips, and butterscotch syrup. We introduced ourselves, and had a fun talk, just what I needed. He was off-duty, but got a call about a problem in the Valkyrie prepping for flight. He went out and helped fix it, so it could leave on time. He wanted to get something sweet before bedtime, but ended up talking with me for hours, long after the movie ended. I thought that was it, but the next morning he came into my lab, checked the power, and left me a note. It said to meet him Saturday night, bottom floor of the Science building, by the safety barrier around a maintenance door, at 5PM. I was to wear comfortable clothes and shoes for hiking and climbing. It also said burn this note after reading. So, I lit a Bunsen burner, reduced the note to ashes in a beaker, put water and acid in it, stirred it thoroughly, and poured it down the lab drain. That Saturday, I went to the appointed spot, and when the hallway cleared, the door opened. There he was, waving me into the maintenance tunnel. I joined him, and he locked the door behind me. He gave me googles, a breathing mask, and a coverall to put on. We walked through the underground maintenance tunnels to the admin building, to an air shaft where he opened a hatch and told me to climb inside. There was a ladder in there, and we climbed to the top. He opened another hatch, and we crawled through a ventilation shaft, over several grates, until we got to the grate in an empty executive suite. He opened the grate, and there was a ladder waiting for us. We climbed down, and took off our protective gear. That suite had the most wonderful aroma in it. We went to the kitchen, and there was a round table set for two, with a bottle of wine and some nice Pandoran flowers around a lit candle. On the stove was a covered pot. He opened and poured the wine, and then served up the contents of the pot, a nice fish soup called ukha. After that came a carrot salad. The main course was next, something that amazed me, a chicken pie with rice and mushrooms in a pastry shell, called a kurnik. That first night, over ice cream, I told him I occasionally ate at a small restaurant on the edge of campus, and usually had ukha and carrot salad. The place wasn't fancy, but their food was excellent and cheap. My friends always went out at the end of each term, and I saved my money to buy a share of kurnik. I never thought I'd ever see one again, let alone share one. It takes all day to prepare, and we always had to order it ahead of time. It was very expensive, and very good. I couldn't believe Izzy went through the trouble."

"Sounds like a real catch."

"He is. Most men here just want to romp with no attachments. Izzy was the first guy ever to make me feel really wanted. So, we kept meeting in empty suites around Hell's Gate, always keeping out sight going in and going out."

"Why so secretive?"

"He didn't want Quaritch to find out and cause him grief, maybe getting kicked back to Earth. I couldn't tell anyone about us either, for fear of it getting back to Quaritch. A SecOps guy with an avatar driver gal. That would burn up the rumor mill around Hell's Gate."

"You're right, keeping quiet was best. How did he get that meal?"

"The chief chef here was in the Russian army. Guess only military cooks or cruise line chefs get experience serving really large groups, every meal, every day. Izzy got called in to fix a new protein synthesizer, and the chief chef was screaming in Russian at the technicians who couldn't get it working. Izzy fixed it in about ten minutes, something about crossed wires in a connector, and the Russian chef was very grateful. Izzy went to him the morning after we first talked and asked him about the foods I mentioned. The chef just nodded as Izzy mentioned them, and said he'd make them, but needed at least a day to fit it in. Guess Izzy decided right there on that first date, and spent the rest of the week getting it lined up. That chef made a huge kurnik for our wedding feast that we shared with the wedding party."

"I'm happy for you. Not many people find happiness here, I'm glad you did."

"Thanks, Grace. Neytiri told me about this calm from Eywa. What do I have to do to see that?"

"Simple, I have to go away and you have to stay connected. I don't think I ever experienced it, so I can't tell you more. Well, Vanna, it's been fun. Good luck with your married life and your research. Grow some coffee trees."

"Can I talk with you again?"

"Yes, just bond with a sacred tree and think about me, and I'll appear, Eywa willing."

"Good to talk to you again, Grace. Bye."

"Bye, kiddo." With those parting words, Grace dissolves into the white nothingness. After a very brief time, Ivanna feels the calm of Eywa seep into her spirit, and her tswin detaches, breaking the bond.

Neytiri is sitting beside her, and says as she rises, "Come. Let's join the discussion."