Chapter 5: Good morning Pandora

Date: June 5th 2385 14:37

Location: In orbit above Mars

The ship was filled with energy as ensigns and technicians moved from station to station like honey bees to flowers, the dull rumble of the engines flowing up his legs, massaging his aging body. In the center of the command bridge he watched as his subordinates moved at a furious pace, each making sure everything was ready with every box checked and every t crossed. As they moved he could see their emotions began to shine through though they did their best to hide it behind their professionalism. A slight smile between soldiers here a nervous hand there, it spoke of a child like excitement to be the first to go where no one had gone before.

And as the words Wynne had spoken echoed in his mind, he almost envied them as an all too familiar chill ran up his spine.

Shaking off his nerves he adjusted his collar and took stock of his appearance. While vanity to an honest Necro was laughable some habits never died no matter how many decades passed. It also had the benefit of serving as a symbol of authority and stability to his men, and they were going to need it. He was wearing his standard olive green overcoat though this time the upper part of his body was covered in advanced combat armor with segmented plating over the abdomen like the exoskeleton of a insect and large shoulder pauldrons. Coloured a deep blood red and with a golden night stalker emblazoned on the chest it made for an imposing sight. On his head he wore his officer's cap that hugged snugly against his skin and at his hip was his personal sword; gifted to him two centuries ago when he had first become a captain and it had served him well ever since. Pulling the blade from its scabbard and feeling the carved wooden handle conform to his hand, imprinted by years of use. The blade itself was razor sharp and spotless, easily reflecting the light of the room and with a golden cross-guard and pommel it was a thing of beauty.

Sliding his sword back into its scabbard he placed his hands behind his back as he looked down at the large holographic projector that displaced the real time locations of his five ship fleet. They had arrayed themselves into an arrow formation with his ship acting as the tip. Sparing no expense his flagship was a top of the line Hades class dreadnought, its massive prow in the shape of an axe head. He had thought it was over kill before but now was happy to have it and armed with laser point-defense batteries and a massive gauss cannon it gave him some peace of mind. But it was the ship behind him that drew his attention the most as shuttles passed to and from it like a line of giant ants. Making up the center of their formation and measuring nearly one-thousand meters long the Jupiter class heavy transport the venture star had been getting this treatment for several hours. Each shuttle filled to the brim with the equipment and troops that would soon be deployed onto Pandora. And hopefully it would be enough.

Almost half of the Republics FTL capable ships would be accompanying him and as he turned on the radio of his pip-boy he heard it all.

"We are here at the New Lowell docking bay#8 where we are about to witness history" the reporter said her filled with excitement, whether it was real or put on he could not tell.

"Soon the first manned extra-solar mission in the history of the Republic will begin and under the command of Famed Admiral Zao, who before he joined had spent decades in the former people's republic of china, helping rebuild and protecting wastelanders. He also…" he turned the radio off as he could not bear to hear it anymore.

"ELMA; patch me through to all fleet vessels" he commanded as he rubbed the bridge of what was left of his nose. With a flash of light the image of a woman appeared in front of him; replacing the image of the fleet. ELMA which stood for Enhanced Logistics Military Analyst would his fleet's resident artificial intelligence and had been tasked with assisting in the defense of his operation.

She had chosen to take the form of a young woman with her hair tied into a bun. She wore the standard female officer's uniform with matching coat and skirt that went down to her knees along with reading glasses and held a clipboard in her arm.

"Right away Sir" she said with a flourish of her pen as four more figures appeared forming a half circle in front of him.

Firstly he looked to the person standing straight in front of him who happened to scribe Anthony.

"How are we doing for final diagnostic checks" he questioned.

"All systems have been checked we're as ready as we're ever going to be, and thanks to my men we were able to finish half the power armor retrofits" Anthony said with pride, his tone suggesting he had recovered from his experience with the spirit world.

Nodding in acknowledgement he turned his attention to the hologram of Administrator Selfridge, who looked out of place in his plain button down shirt and black and yellow tie.

"Some of the workers are annoyed at the sudden change of plans but they know how much their being paid so they were quick to quiet down. And the Venture star is practically done loading all our equipment, only thing left to do is make sure we didn't miss anything" He said, a strange form of confidence coming from his tone. Every man had his arena he supposed.

"I've already told you Mr. Selfridge, everything has been accounted for" ELMA advised.

"It never hurts to be certain" he assured.

"Give me a review of everything we're bringing with us" he wanted to make certain that everything was accounted for and as she adjusted her glasses and looked at her clipboard which was more theatrical than anything necessary she began to speak.

"Let's see we have…

Five hundred-standard marines

Twenty-attack Vertibirds

Twenty five-transport Vertibirds

Five-chimera tanks

Fifty-brotherhood knights, she said pointing the tip of her pen towards Anthony

Two hundred fifty- Meta human shock troops

Fifteen-deathclaw troops

Twelve-Republic Rangers

Thirty-sentry bots

Twenty-assaultrons

Fifteen-mister gutsy

Fifty-eye-bots

Seven hundred fifty-miners, of which two hundred are tunnelers

as well as several hundred tonnes of mining equipment, provisions and other necessities."

"So many Meta-humans?" Zao questioned as last he checked he was only supposed to have one hundred.

"Last minute addition by High Admiral Marcus" she quickly answered. Though why Marcus had decided to bolster the number of Meta's he was not going to complain.

Thanking ELMA he moved on to father Sullivan who he noticed seemed to have a fire behind his eyes; but whether it was the opportunity to convert the natives or finding the truth about Wynne's vision he was not certain, though the idea of having such a powerful individual under his care unnerved him.

"My Congregation is also ready" Father Sullivan answered.

Lastly he came to a woman whose eyes like Sullivan held a fire but had seemed intent in trying to burn him alive with them as her pitch black eyes stared daggers at him.

Her name was Grace Augustine if he remembered correctly. A Necro-human like him she had been sent by the followers of the apocalypse to act as the head researcher of the expedition's science wing.

"My people are ready as well Zao" She said, the last word more of a sneer and never letting her attempt at a piercing stare leave her face.

"Good we leave in five" He ordered not acknowledging her attitude, something to be dealt with at a later time.

"Sir, while we're patched through perhaps it would be good to give some words of encouragement to the men" ELMA advised in a helpful tone.

Zao agreed with the sentiment as he drew upon the bittersweet memories of the Yangtze.

"This is Admiral Zao speaking; I will not lie to you, we are heading into unknown territory on a time scale that isn't to our liking. But our history shows that this will not stop us. Look to the men and women beside you; if any of you had been born a century previous and spoke of a day where we could fly amongst the stars, where humanity and all her sibling races worked together in harmony they would have laughed in your face."

he said as he gave a short pause he watched as the men and women around looked at him and for a moment he was reminded of his former crew, the same look of dogged determination and pride on full display and as his heart grew tight in his chest he pushed through.

"But who is laughing now!"

"Know this; as of this moment you are more than a soldier or a miner or a pilot, you represent the greatest the Republic has to offer. And as we march into that great unknown, the eyes of not only the people at home but every man and woman who died to make this moment happen will be watching us with pride. Let us not disappoint them."

The room erupted with cheers as he prepared himself for what was to come as from the view of the docking bay to their tv screens at home all of the Republic were watched as these massive vessels began to turn away, slowly becoming no more than faint pinpricks of light as their engines pushed them further and further away. Soon they were at the edge of the solar system and Zao could not help himself but to utter a silent prayer both for himself and his men as their eezo cores activated. The ships becoming nothing more than streaks of blue light that dissipated back into the cold void, flying towards their destiny.

After his speech Zao had retreated to his quarters, fingers interlocked and elbows pressed against the cold metal of his desk as he stared off into space, his mind having spent the past several hours doing its best to go over every possible scenario he could think of. But no plan survives first contact; that was what his instructors had drilled into his head centuries ago and it had held up remarkably well since.

Because first contact had already happened and now Zao was on the back foot and the universe seemed hell bent on keeping him there. How he was planning to deal with the natives had been contingent on him arriving without their knowledge, building up his defenses and mining infrastructure and negotiate from a position of strength. But if the natives turned hostile from the onset before they could even speak would jeopardize everything.

And to add onto complexity was that 'thing' Wynne had spoken of. How are you supposed to fight something when you don't even know what it is?

Frustration filled his mind at the task set before him as Zao silently cursed to himself. But in the end it made no difference; if not him then someone else, if not right now then later. Either way this was going to happen. And it was this feeling of powerlessness that drove his anger, and its impotence enraged him further till he could no longer contain it, slamming his fists in the table with a loud bang. Sitting there completely still, feeling the stinging in his hands he let the anger seep out of him like boiling water till all he could do is sigh in resignation at the truth of the situation.

Just like it was before, so it is now even more so; everything would be determined by how the natives react. If they could set up a dialogue and get in their good graces not only would it make mining operations run smoother it would gain the good will of the republics citizens and hopefully gain information about that thing.

"Arrival to Alpha centari in fifteen minutes, prepare for deceleration" Came the voice of ELMA pulling Zao from his thoughts as he stood up, hearing the popping of his knees in the silent room. Looking at his quarters the best word he could use to describe it would be Spartan with nothing more than his bed and desk.

While most officers made a habit of cluttering their quarters with war trophies and mementos Zao had always seen them as little more than distractions, distraction that he could not afford to suffer.

Breathing deeply he stepped out, letting the light of the hallway shine through as his eyes struggled to adjust to the change. The walls of the ship were a stark grey colour with highlights of white indicating directions and other information and as he made his way out he pressed a button activating his personal elevator. Stepping in he let the sound of gears and cables relax him but did not have much time before it once again opened, the light of this hallway now obstructed by a man that brought back a wave of nostalgia.

"Good to see you Zao" Strong said with a smile that Zao while confused at his eloquence returned.

He like most of his kind was large, but not so large as to be mistaken for the mariposa strain of Meta-human. His already large frame enhanced by his modified set of x-01 power armor, the hump like structure on his back reflecting the light acting like a glowing halo. Covered in the scars of countless fights the battle armor matched its bald and scarred operator.

"It's good to see you too Strong" he said as he shook the mutant's hand, the size difference not seeming to enter either of their minds.

As the two walked together down the halls, strong having to shorten his stride as to not overtake him they spoke of many things as Zao asked what had become of him after he had left for china. The question brought smile to Strong's face as he explained that he with the help of the sole survivor had been able to unite the tribes of Meta humans in the commonwealth where they eventually founded trinity city at the base of the tower he and the survivor had first met and defeated a Meta-human named fist. The memory seemed to please him as he gave a low chuckle as he recounted throwing him off the building; hearing his screams as he plummeted to the ground and taking his helmet as a trophy, pointing to a rusty piece of metal strapped to his arm that looked like a football helmet with an axe blade sticking out.

"That's quite impressive, but what have you been doing recently?" he said as the ground shook under the weight of Strong's steps alerting everyone to their presence long before they would see them.

"Training with my men; soon as I heard about this place I knew we had to come. Got in contact with Marcus and got me and my boys the fast track here." Strong answered, the mystery of the large number of Meta's answered though a new question took its place.

"I didn't know you knew Marcus that well" he said hopefully leading strong to go into further detail.

"I don't; but the Survivor did, he was the one who made the call." He said with another soft chuckle lacking the malice of the first as he looked at him with a knowing smile.

"Not much you can't get, when you know a founder".

As they continued to talk the nagging question in the back of his mind became too much.

"I'm sorry to ask but, you seem far more well-spoken than last time we met" he said remembering him questioning how metal could float under water and the sole survivor having to help him get unstuck from the entrance hatch.

"Logic co-processor, it lets me think better" he said with a loud boisterous laugh tapping his forehead as he slapped Zao on the back, nearly making him fall over.

Righting himself Zao could only agree; it was good to have control over your own mind and the loss of it would be unbearable, the memories of his former crew becoming feral darting into his mind.

"But how have you been Zao; I've heard this place will be dangerous"

Quickly pulling himself from his memories once more the idea of telling his old acquaintance the truth flashed in his mind but he could not be certain that he would not go on to tell others, whether intentionally or not.

"Indeed but we have prepared as best we can. But tell me why did you want to come?" he questioned, noticing the Meta's eyes turn downcast, his lips pulling down into a frown. He was about to ask about his sudden mood change when a solider walked up to them, slightly to the side as not to completely obstruct them but enough to get their attention.

Colonel Miles Quaritch; he had been recommended by Admiral Felix and was to serve as the commander for the infantry battalion and air detachment. He was an older man perhaps in his late fifties and his physique surprised him for a man untreated with FEV.

"We will speak later Zao; I need to make sure my men haven't gotten into trouble" strong said in a distant tone, patting him on the shoulder far lighter than he had before as he excused himself and leaving him with the colonel. In his younger days he would have berated the colonel for that, but at his age you were willing to let some mistakes slide.

"Admiral Zao, Colonel Quaritch it's a pleasure to meet you" he said with a quick salute.

"I hope I didn't interrupt you two" he apologized placing his arm back down, a worried look flashing in his eyes as he tried to hide it; Zao responded with a light raspy chuckle and extending his hand which the Quaritch took without hesitation.

"No it's alright; pleasure to meet you too. I've heard a lot of good things about you from Admiral Felix, I hope you don't disappoint" he said in a tone that was as much praise as it was a threat.

"No need to worry sir, me and my men know the mission. Keep the workers safe from both animals and aliens." He said assuredly as he walked with Zao down the halls.

"Remember that our mission is twofold, I don't want anyone giving the natives any reason to attack us, only fire to defend yourselves and if they retreat do not pursue." He specified, making certain that no trigger happy marine disturbed their already tenuous position. As well as the fact that if they did try to follow after them into their home turf it would almost certainly end in disaster.

"Yes sir" was all he said, though from his tone he would guess he did not enjoy the orders.

"Though I must ask, what exactly did you do to get Admiral Felix's recommendation?" he asked as Quaritch looked at him in a moment of confusion before answering.

"Years back, before I joined the republic military I was an NCR first recon sniper. I and my squad had been assigned by Admiral Felix to take care of some rebels in the Pan African Republic that had disrupting several trade routes. The terrain was awful, the rebels had been using the dense jungle terrain to hide and ambush convoys, not to mention the jungle was filled with insects the size of your head so it was far from ideal" He said with a fond smile.

"But we pulled through; killed quite a few of them, even saved a Politician's daughter from an assassination attempt. That was what had gotten his attention, my promotion and recommendation" he beamed with pride as Zao commended him.

"Quite the accomplishment; hopefully your experience will serve us well" He said as his destination came into sight.

"Forgive for asking but didn't you read my file, I'm sure it's all in there?" Quaritch asked as the door to the command bridge slid open.

"I did; but wanted to hear it from you" he said as the door slid shut separating the two. He had gained a good understanding of the man from his conversation, how one portrays himself is often how one feels about himself and he could tell that Quaritch while arrogant was skilled and dutiful. And as long as he followed instructions, that was all he cared about.

Once again he was on the command bridge and through the large glass canopy at the other end of the room he saw as the black void slowly pulled away as streaks of star light streaked across the glass like raindrops. His body feeling the inertia of deceleration he saw as the steaks slowed until they were nothing but pinpricks of light again, the largest one being alpha centari's sun as they entered the solar system.

The command bridge cheered once more at the first successful manned use of FTL, the celebration bringing a slight smile to Zao's face. the cheering only lasted for a minute or so and after that they returned to their work at a heightened pace re-checking and re-adjusting as the other ships in the fleet exited FTL as well with plumes of blue energy wafting of the vessels.

It took nearly half an hour to get within visual range of Pandora and when they did the differences stuck him immediately.

The Moon contrasted against the baby blue clouds of the gas giant Polyphemus reminded him of pictures of the pre-war world. With crystal blue oceans and deep green land that gave his heart a sense of calm. Even now with the efforts being made to terraform earth back into its former state it did not hold a candle to it.

"Beautiful"

The word escaped his lips as he stared longingly at the blue marble as he felt a pang of guilt fill his being for what he was about to do. But he pushed the feeling aside, deep down to be dealt with at a later time.

"It hides beneath the colour"

The words echoing in his mind as he watched shuttles slowly fly towards the green and blue marble and remembered something he had learned over his long life. More often than not the more colourful something is, the more dangerous it is.

Date: June 5th 2385 21:35 PM

Location: unknown

Sylwanin stalked gently between the great trees of Pandora. Feeling the moss and dirt, the rough bark beneath her feet she breathed deeply of the early aroma as a wide, contented smile spread across her face. All around her the colours of the world splashed across every surface as the buzzing of insects and the nightly calls of animals' filled ears.

That was until she heard a snap; like a crack of lightning it brought her back to the present as she leaned her head around a tree to see the cause of the noise. Releasing a held breath she saw that it was simply one of the Na'vi as she called out to them, wanting to know who they were.

The Na'vi did not answer; they did not even look like they noticed she was there as she called out again, louder this time only to be met with the same reaction as the Na'vi walked away, disappearing behind a tree.

Running after them, questions formed in her mind, why had they not answered them, where were they going. And as she reached the tree the Na'vi went behind she found she was no longer in a colorful forest, she was in a graveyard.

Where once it was filled with trees so old that she could not remember a time without them' now were only stumps, headstones to once great giants. But above the graveyard was something that made her eyes widen so much it was a miracle they stayed in their sockets. The other Na'vi was there, completely unfazed by the horror around him when she saw it; a massive floating thing, belching blue fire as it hung in the air, reminding her of the floating mountains by just its size alone. But whereas the mountains were rough with sharp edges, this thing was smooth and shined in the night sky.

That was when it opened its mouth, like a mother bird feeding its young a piercing light appeared from it as she shielded her eyes. When she removed them she could see forms watching and jumping from it, so black they seemed to absorb all the light around them leaving nothing but shifting voids. The only thing that marked them were their eyes, cold yellow eyes and yellow lines that danced across their bodies, each different then the last. Some where the size of children, while others had large bulbous heads and the largest of all, so large they looked like Thanators but with massive curling horns that set every hair she had on edge.

But above them all there was one, as small as child, it would barely reach her waist but the icy dread she felt as it walked. Wreathed in green fire, each step feeling like an earthquake as it moved towards the Na'vi, the utter wrongness making her want to curl into a ball so small she would never be seen again. And its face; a mangled scarred thing, a corpse that did not realize it was dead.

She wanted to scream, to tell the Na'vi to run as fast as they could but her voice caught in her throat becoming nothing more than a frightened squeak. As the corpse extended its burning hand towards the Na'vi her heart caught in her throat as the Na'vi took it; his skin becoming like the void, like water spreading across as stone as their eyes began to glow and the lines formed. She stood there frozen in silence for what felt like an eternity as the Na'vi turned to her, their eyes filled with the same cold, hatred as they lifted a finger, pointing straight at her.

That was when the world burned, when EYWA burned. Struggling to open her eyes she felt the raging heat of the fires that surrounded her. The screams of animals and Na'vi filling her ears as she tried to drown out the noise, eyes shut hard as she struggled to breathe through the smoke until something sent her flying. For a few seconds she felt this feeling of weightlessness, time slowing to a crawl as the ground rose up to meet her once more. Striking hard against the ground as ash billowed around her tumbling form.

As she stared up into the sky; the heat from the fire and the screams of the dying became little more than background noise drowned out by a high pitch ringing that filled her ears as more of the massive things flew through the sky, blotting out the stars.

The "Na'vi" or whatever it was now was standing above her, eyes watching unblinkingly, staring deep into her soul as it bore down on her like a banshee to its prey. She could do nothing; she did not have the strength, not to beg, not to scream, nothing at all. It had something in its hands now, long and grey with a hole at the end and as she closed her eyes all she heard was the sound of thunder once more as she woke up screaming.

AUTHORS NOTES

so the republic has finally made it to Pandora and in spite of Zao's hope it seems they won't be getting a warm welcome