Chapter 9: The Aftermath
Author note: I use { } to separate Na'vi and English when it's appropriate for the scene.
Polyphemus was visible high in the sky, with its whirling cyan and white clouds dancing amongst the stars as darkness had descended over the valley. The roar of helicopter engines and the sounds of human soldiers and machines were now a distant memory. A thick layer of smoldering smoke lingered over the marsh, concealing most of the swamp's bioluminescent cyan and purple. The occasional lament of an unseen creature filled the air as nocturnal creatures arose from their hidden lairs.
Now that Txoum could walk, albeit slowly, he and Kiri both crept their way through the swamp's dense foliage until they were within sight of the camp. What was once a thriving village of laughter and community had been reduced to a heap of charred debris, and there were still dozens of little flames burning. The smoke was so thick that they couldn't see into the heart of the area.
"{Do you smell that?}" Txoum whispered to Kiri after the wind carried the scent in their direction.
"{Yes,}" Kiri replied, wrinkling her nostrils in response to the potent odor. It smelled like burned flesh. She started to feel her adrenaline fade away, allowing her mind to slip into reliving each moment of the battle from start to finish.
Txoum nudged Kiri when he noticed her staring off. "{Are you okay?}"
Kiri snapped out of her trance and gave a small nod. She began looking over the camp from their concealment, searching for any survivors or dangers. "{I don't see anything, do you?}" she whispered to Txoum.
Txoum observed the area with a keen hunter's eye. "{I do not, but neither do I see the bodies of our kin.}"
Once Txoum said that, Kiri quickly realized that there were no Na'vi bodies lying on the ground. The RDA always recovered their own dead, but they frequently left the Na'vi dead behind as a warning. That alone was unusual.
"{I'll go see if it's safe,}" Txoum said, holding his side and wincing before rising slowly with a bow in hand. Despite Kiri's best effort, the makeshift bandage she made was only a temporary solution.
"{Be careful,}" Kiri said with a frown. "{Don't move too fast or you'll open your wound again.}"
"{I'll try n-}" Txoum was interrupted by audible hydraulic moans and not-so-subtle footfalls approaching from behind that caught Kiri's attention as well. They both looked back and watched as Ghost approached, its red optics shining through the smoky haze. Despite the frequency of their encounters, the machine's visage always unnerved Kiri, and she gulped.
Txoum positioned himself between Ghost and Kiri just as the machines halted in front of them. Even though the pair had been hiding from the RDA in the marsh for hours, Ghost kept a distance and only asked Kiri to change its battery banks.
"{Do you need something?}" Txoum asked, his hand resting on the hilt of his obsidian dagger, unsure if the machine could even understand.
Kiri looked between them, unsure if she should translate.
Instead of responding, Ghost stared ahead towards the camp and moved its head methodically from right to left. Its movement was eerily unnatural, so Txoum moved towards it, holding his bow at the ready, while Kiri merely observed, unsure of what Ghost was doing. "The area is clear of hostiles," Ghost reported before they moved past Txoum and started heading towards the camp.
Txoum watched the machine descend downhill before helping Kiri stand up with her uninjured arm. "{What did it say?}"
"{It said there are no sky people in the camp,}" Kiri said, hoping that is what it meant, just as Ghost vanished into the dense cloud of smoke that persisted at the camp's perimeter.
"{Why are you allied with the demon suit?}" Txoum asked, his tone and body language indicating that he detested the machine.
Kiri reached up to clean dirt off her mother's necklace. "{It's a long story,}" she said with a sigh.
Txoum took a long breath to calm himself. "{Let us check for any survivors.}"
Kiri nodded, and together they descended the hill. Crouching through the choking, dense cloud of suffocating smoke, they blindly pushed forward until they exited into an opening. There, they spotted a burnt-out AMP suit on its back with its legs blasted off below the knees. Nearby were several large blackened craters from missile impacts.
Shredded tent dwellings and all their contents were scattered around, along with empty shell casings and innumerable human footprints in the dried mud. Nothing was left standing, and many of the trees nearby were nothing but burnt out hollow shells of themselves.
Txoum stared at the senseless destruction. "{They will pay for this,}" he growled and clenched his fist tightly. "{I swear on my father and the ancestors.}"
Kiri remained silent, feeling the same kind of rage filling her as well.
Suddenly, a massive metal item smashed on the ground nearby, making a loud bang that alerted Kiri and Txoum. Txoum hurriedly readied and lifted his bow towards the source of the noise, but after a few seconds, it was evident what was causing the noise.
Ghost was tearing through the shattered ruins of one of the human barracks, shoving and tossing aside anything in its way with its one remaining arm while it searched around.
"{What is it looking for?}" Txoum asked Kiri while lowering his bow.
Kiri pondered for a few seconds before an answer came to mind. "{I think it is looking for items to fix its injuries.}"
Txoum looked towards Ghost again and figured it was something like how the humans "fixed" the strange metal things around the camp.
After completing their survey, Ghost exited the barracks and briefly looked towards the pair before they proceeded deeper into the camp, where they once again vanished into the dense smoke.
"{Are you the reason why it has only one arm?}" Txoum asked half-seriously.
Kiri shook her head. "{That was the Alta'maha,}" she stated, using the Na'vi term for the Hell Centipede.
"{T-the Alta'maha?"} Txoum said in shock, since such a beast existed only in myth. "{When did you meet such a thing?}"
"{I'll tell you another time,}" Kiri said.
Txoum nodded. "{I guess we'll follow the demon suit then?}"
Kiri, not having any better idea, shrugged reluctantly, and they both started following Ghost's tracks. Ghost was heading towards the camp center, and as they got closer, the stench in the air became stronger. Soon they caught up behind the machine, who was standing in front of a large, smoldering bonfire.
The bonfire was enormous, twice the height of a direhorse, and it hadn't been there before the RDA attack. While the fire was adding to the dense smoke around them, the immediate area was clear enough for them to stand without having to crouch. The heat and the smell of charred flesh were overwhelming.
"[By Eywa, what did these monsters burn?}" Txoum gagged while covering his mouth.
The stench shocked Kiri as well, and she looked for anything to cover her mouth. Finding some torn fabric nearby, she used it to cover her mouth and nose and offered another piece to Txoum, which he used. They were able to breathe a little easier.
Ghost, unphased by the smell, just continued staring at the bonfire.
"{Why is it staring?}" Txoum asked in a muffled tone from the rag.
Kiri was similarly perplexed. "What are you looking at?" she asked Ghost.
"The final product of the energy transfer of combustible materials based on sensory and data analysis," Ghost replied.
"{What did it say?}" Txoum asked Kiri after the long-winded response.
Kiri sensed something was wrong. Terribly wrong. Taking a step forward, she knelt down before taking an unburnt piece of wood debris with her good hand and beginning to brush away the charcoal. After some digging, she saw something round and black, and as she pushed it free, she fell back and screamed.
Txoum immediately rushed to see what Kiri was looking at, and what he saw stunned him. It was the charred cranium of a Na'vi, lacking its eyes and with patches of burnt, brownish-blue, leathery flesh still attached. When he looked further into the charcoal, he saw more cindered black bones from the remaining skeleton.
Txoum walked around the bonfire in shock, slowly backing up when he realized he was looking at the charred remains of Na'vi warriors, erratically piled into an improvised funeral pyre. His voice cracked, and before he knew it, he released an anguished howl into the night, realizing his father's corpse was within the pyre. Despite his injuries, he continued to scream like it was the only thing he could do.
Kiri began sobbing uncontrollably, having already realized it was a funeral pyre. All Na'vi forbade cremation because they believed it would prevent their corporeal bodies from returning to Eywa, akin to a soul's place in the afterlife. The RDA most certainly did this on purpose, either to send a message or to display their power.
Ghost looked at Kiri and Txoum, consumed in their grief. "State what you are doing," Ghost asked Kiri.
"D-don't you see what they burned?!" Kiri sobbed.
"Charred remains of biological material and the skeletal system of Na'vi that have undergone a high-temperature combustion process," Ghost said.
Txoum, still enraged, paced up and down the pyre, battling through the agony of his injury while searching for traces of his father. There were scores of scorched bodies crowded within the pyre, and it was almost impossible to tell anyone apart. It felt hopeless, and after searching endlessly, he stopped to sob.
Kiri was especially upset by Ghost's insensitive response. "These were living people! Do you not feel any empathy at all?" she asked angrily.
"I do not possess the protocols necessary to simulate empathy," Ghost replied.
Kiri hissed at the remark, but seeing Txoum crying, she left Ghost to check on him. Unfazed, Ghost checked the area for potential dangers before heading off to scavenge the area.
"{Are you okay?}" Kiri asked hesitantly, kneeling down to check on Txoum with her tail held low.
Txoum looked up at Kiri, his countenance a mix of wrath and sadness. He could barely put his words together. "{I swear that before I return to the Great Mother, I will bring vengeance to the sky people and avenge our people.}"
Kiri frowned and placed both hands on Txoum's shoulders. "{Living a life of vengeance only leads to one path.}"
"{I don't care,}" Txoum hissed back. "{My father was taken from me. How can you possibly know how I feel?}"
Kiri looked down. "{My father could be in there too,}" she whispered, her tears streaming down her face. There was still hope, though, deep down, that maybe her father had escaped or at least been captured alive. But she knew the latter was a fate worse than death for him.
Those words caught Txoum off guard. "{I'm sorry, that was not an honorable thing for me to say…}" he trailed off.
Kiri looked into Txoum's yellow eyes, bloodshot from the crying. "{My father fought so that I could survive, and yours did as well,}" she said, stifling a sob. "{We must keep moving forward for the sake of our families.}" To be honest, she felt hollow saying that. She wanted nothing more than to curl up in some soft dirt and cry.
Txoum took a deep breath and nodded, his composure slowly returning. "{My family was with the caravan. I pray to the Great Mother that they have escaped safely.}"
Kiri then instantly thought of Lo'ak, Tuk, and Neteyam. "{I hope so as well.}"
They remained silent for a while as the wind blew away some of the ashes from the blaze. Kiri stared at the dancing yellow and red flames on top of black bodies, slowly dying down. Despite the heat, she did not embrace the warmth, and it did nothing to light up the night sky. "{Do you think they can still become one with Eywa?}" she asked, barely hopeful.
Txoum turned to face it as well, after he managed to control his breathing. "{I'm not sure, but let us pray for them and hope she can still accept them.}"
Kiri and Txoum both approached the pyre and kneeled before it. Taking each other's hands, they closed their eyes and proceeded to recite the funeral prayer that every member of the clan knew by heart.
"{Today we gather to say goodbye to our beloved family member and friend. Though their physical form may leave us, their spirit will always be with us, a part of Eywa and the life force that connects-}"
A loud disturbance nearby abruptly interrupted their prayer, and they both immediately looked towards the source. Ghost was removing the door from a maintenance hatch on one of the downed helicopters.
Txoum cursed under his breath. "{Do you not have any respect?!}" he shouted towards the machine, his voice almost hoarse from all the crying.
Ghost was in the process of removing a component before looking at Txoum. Not understanding the question, they went back to what they were doing.
Kiri was equally annoyed, but then again, she figured it was just due to a lack of ignorance on the machines' part. "{It doesn't understand our language or culture,}" she said to Txoum.
"{It doesn't have a soul,}" Txoum scoffed. "{None of the demon people do.}"
Kiri was reminded of Spider and wanted to say something, but now wasn't the time. "{Let us finish our ritual,}" she said, patting his arm again, "{for our kin.}"
Ghost removed a component from the helicopter before heading towards the cave entrance. Seeing this, Txoum then looked at Kiri and nodded before returning to finish their prayer.
"{We offer their bodies back to the earth, to be reborn in new forms and continue the cycle of life. May their spirit find peace and harmony in the great beyond, and may we honor their memory by living with respect and gratitude for all life.}"
After concluding their prayer, they slowly opened their eyes and gazed at the pyre, hoping for some kind of omen. There was nothing but silence for a moment until something unexpected appeared. A woodsprite, a seed of the Tree of Souls, floated overhead like a little deep-sea jellyfish carried by the wind.
"{It can't be,}" Kiri said in shock.
Txoum was speechless because they were quite a distance from the Tree of Souls. They both watched with amazement as the woodsprite danced in the air until it landed on top of the pyre, just after the flames started to recede.
The woodsprite's presence symbolized that Eywa had accepted them. "{Thank you, Great Mother,}" Kiri whispered with a bow of her head.
"{You honor us, Great Mother,}" Txoum said emphatically, feeling a surge of relief wash over him since being denied an afterlife with Eywa for his father was worse than death itself. The pain of the loss was still there though.
The woodsprite lingered on the pyre, shimmering in many hues of color until being swept away by the wind into the thick smoke lingering in the air. After this, Kiri and Txoum both went to stand, but Txoum abruptly stopped and held his side, moaning in pain before looking at their hand that was stained with fresh blood.
Kiri examined the blood. "{The wound has opened up,}" she said worriedly. "{We must stitch it before it gets infected.}"
Txoum groaned and nodded. "{We'll need to find some sutures.}"
Kiri then started looking around, and her eyes darted towards the crater-covered cave entrance after the smoke cleared. "There should be some left inside," she said hopefully. Ghost was nowhere to be seen, and that also had her a bit worried.
Txoum looked towards the cave. "{Let us hope so.}"
Making their way towards the cave entrance, they stopped and looked around at the ground. There were pools of dried blood everywhere, empty shell casings, and black marks where explosives had gone off.
"{What a terrible battle,}" Txoum said in shock. "{I hope our kin made it out.}"
Kiri frowned. In the back of her mind, she was praying that her father and Spider had managed to escape before they were overrun. However, she needed answers, so she pressed forward with Txoum, and after a short walk, they passed through the entrance. They could see numerous little flames still burning inside, lighting some of the chamber, but it was pitch black otherwise.
"{It's too dark,}" Txoum said.
Another loud crash echoed loudly inside the cave, which made Kiri and Txoum both jump, and Txoum prepared his bow. After a few anxious seconds, the source of the noise was revealed as two crimson, demonic-looking eyes in the darkness stared at them from the back of the cave. They knew it was Ghost, but even then, it was terrifying.
"{Its eyes even glow like a demon,}" Txoum said hesitantly.
Kiri swallowed, knowing those eyes all too well. After a few seconds, the red orbs disappeared, and they could hear faint hydraulic noises coming from the rear of the cave. Despite their hesitation, they had to complete the task at hand.
"{We're going to need a light source,}" KIri said.
Txoum nodded and they both began searching for a light source, and after a minute, Kiri found a flashlight with blood on it, most likely from one of the soldiers who perished. After fiddling with it, she was able to turn it on and shine it towards Txoum.
Txoum raised his hand, blocking the light. "{What kind of magic is that?}"
"{It's sky people magic,}" Kiri said before lighting up the area. The destruction within the cave was just as horrific as it was outside, and it was apparent from all the dried blood that many people had died. With all of the debris, it took her a little longer to figure out where she was. "{We have to go this way,}" she said, pointing with her flashlight.
Txoum noticed an unlit torch on the ground and bent down to pick it up, but this caused his wound to open further, causing him to groan loudly.
"{Try not to move so much,}" Kiri advised, shining the light on his wound.
Txoum straightened up after grabbing the torch. "{I'll try not to.}"
Kiri then took the lead with the flashlight and moved deeper into the cave, with Txoum shadowing her. Her tent was nearby, she remembered, and she had a few things stashed in there, but when she found it, her heart sank. It was nothing but a mound of wreckage now.
"{I'm guessing this is where you lived?}" Txoum asked.
Kiri sighed and nodded. All the other homes nearby were destroyed, and all the stacks of stolen RDA crates were gone as well. Txoum used one of the small burning fires to light his torch before putting the fire out. With nothing of use here, they continued on.
Ghost was making more noise inside the cave, moving unseen objects about in the dark, which made both of them a bit on edge as they walked through the area of the final battle.
Txoum looked over the grim bloody scene. "{What happened here?}"
Kiri swallowed while walking, recognizing the spot where she last saw Spider. "{The sky people drove us here, and my father made his last stand here.}"
"{I wish I was here too.}" Txoum frowned, lighting up the area with his torch. "{Do you know if they escaped?}"
"{I-I don't know,}" Kiri hesitated, stopping for a few seconds, "{my father ordered me to leave.}"
Txoum frowned, "{I pray to the Great Mother that they escaped,}" he said while looking around the debris.
"{I do, too,}" Kiri said with a sigh. She was close to the location where she had last seen her father and was about to move when Ghost abruptly appeared from the darkness, causing her to scream in surprise. Txoum immediately pushed her behind him and stared down the machine.
Ghost was holding some sort of mechanical component in their hand while just staring at them.
Kiri placed her palm on her chest and took several long breaths to calm herself. "Don't frighten me like that; I nearly had a heart attack!"
Ghost looked at Kiri now. "Vital signs analysis doesn't show any signs of cardiac arrest."
Txoum just looked between them as he didn't know what they were saying.
"It's just a metaphor!" Kiri shook her head before she shined the flashlight over whatever Ghost was holding. "What is that?"
"EXO-32 actuator motor," Ghost stated.
"{Is everything fine?}" Txoum asked Kiri, and she nodded back.
Kiri then looked at Ghost. "I see," She said, unsure of what they were going to do with it, but it wasn't her concern at the moment. "Have you seen any medical supplies?"
Ghost pointed to the rear of the cave. "Position 32 degrees, distance 17.48 meters."
Kiri directed her flashlight towards where they pointed, but it was too far away for the light to reach. "Okay, thanks," she said, but then a question sprang to mind: "How can you see in the dark?"
"Enhanced tactical array visual suite," Ghost replied, "Series 3000a prototype."
Kiri just blinked as it sounded high-tech. "Uh-huh, what exactly does that mean in easy terms?"
"I am equipped with a combined infrared, low-light, thermal, and telescopic optical array package," Ghost answered.
Kiri just interpreted, in layman's terms, that it could see in the dark. "Okay," she said before motioning to Txoum. "{They said there are medical supplies in the back.}"
Txoum stared at Ghost with narrowed eyes before nodding at Kiri. "{Let us not linger then.}"
Kiri and Txoum moved on while Ghost proceeded ahead into the darkness, moving toward the wrecked helicopter maintenance facility, and they began heading towards the rear of the cave.
Kiri hesitated when she passed the location where Jake was last seen, so she turned around to beam her torch there. Something reflected off the light on the floor, and she bent down to investigate. There, among the shell casings, she discovered a bracelet, the same one she had made for Jake years ago as a gift, and she clutched it to her chest and felt tears welling up again.
Txoum reached down and placed his hand on Kiri's shoulder. "{Your father is a formidable leader and warrior. I'm sure he got away.}"
Kiri took a deep breath before wrapping the bracelet around her wrist. "{I pray to Eywa that he did,}" she stated before rising up and heading to the back of the cave with Txoum. As they came closer, they saw that the whole back exit had collapsed and was covered in rubble.
"{I'm wondering if they collapsed this to cover their escape,}" Kiri speculated.
"{It would take a lot of strength to bring this down,}" Txoum said. The collapsed boulders weighed many times that of a direhorse.
Kiri then began searching for the medical supply cases and discovered them among the piles of fallen rocks. She felt a spark of hope. "{I think I've found what we need.}"
"{Thank you; I was afraid I was going to bleed out,}" Txoum joked. Kiri shook her head, then handed Txoum the flashlight to hold as she opened many of the cases. Except for one, which held some bandages and sutures, they were all empty.
"{I have what we need,}" Kiri said, "{but we'll have to do it in a better light.}"
Later, in the midst of the twilight hours, Kiri and Txoum sat by a campfire inside the cave, away from the devastation and near one of the cave's exits, so that they could observe if anyone was approaching. They'd chosen to wait until the sun rose since it wasn't safe to leave at night, and sleeping hadn't even come to their minds. Sitting by the fire, they sat quietly, eating what scraps of food they were able to collect while trying to pass the time until the sun came up.
Ghost was nearby the campfire, inside the destroyed helicopter maintenance facility, where it had been using salvaged tools and other equipment to repair itself. It was completely black, with only the odd flash from their welding instrument illuminating their location.
Kiri eventually broke the silence at the campfire after a period of observing the sparks. "{So, what do we do in the morning?}" she asked Txoum.
Txoum finished scrutinizing his stitches that Kiri had done earlier and looked towards her when she spoke. "{Our clan was heading towards the Ayram Alusìng,}" he said. "{We must rejoin them.}"
"{It will be a long walk,}" Kiri sighed while glancing at the radio attached to her girdle. She had tried, in vain, to reach her father or anyone on the radio but got no answer. Ghost had already warned her to stop using it as well, as it could give their position away to the RDA.
"{A week, or more,}" Txoum said, throwing a chunk of raw meat into the flames. The idea of having to walk the entire trip didn't sit well with either of them, but they had little choice at this point.
Kiri stared at Txoum's stitches again, nervously worrying that she did a poor job and they'd reopen. "{Do you think you can walk that far?}"
Txoum leaned back slightly, trying to rest despite his pain. "{I can. What about you?}" he said, gesturing to her arm.
Kiri gazed at her cast arm. She could still make out some of the words Spider had scrawled on the once-pure white cast when they were in the infirmary, despite the dirt and debris discoloring it. "{I guess we'll find out,}" she said, not sounding particularly optimistic.
Nearby, there were more visible sparks as Ghost continued making repairs to himself.
Txoum flipped the sizzling meat over with a stick. "{Do you doubt your abilities?}"
Kiri pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around them. "{You mean, the lack of them? I don't know how to hunt or use a bow.}"
"{Those two skills don't define a Na'vi,}" Txoum said, looking at Kiri. "{Besides, you won't be traveling alone.}"
"{Thank you,}" Kiri said, feeling relieved. "{I, uh, have to confess I don't know how to get there on foot. I only remember the path we took from our old home and not here.}"
"{I know the way,}" Txoum said while watching the meat brown as it cooked. "{If we keep to the north we'll eventually get there, but we'd have to walk around the mountains.}"
Kiri grimaced at that thought. Flying through mountains could take less than a half hour, but walking around them would add days to the journey. The thoughts of what supplies to bring along started flooding her mind.
While Kiri was staring off, Txoum then turned his gaze towards Ghost. "{What about the demon suit? I'm sure it has no use for us now that it is fixing itself.}"
Kiri snapped out of her gaze and looked towards Ghost, who was making some kind of repair to its leg now. "{I don't know,}" she said, blinking. "{I haven't thought about it.}" The thought of Ghost coming along didn't sit well with her either.
"{How did you even meet them?}" Txoum inquired while removing the fully cooked slab of flesh from the fire with their stick.
Kiri sighed as she recounted the memory. "{I had a dream of them and the sky people attacking a Na'vi village, and for some reason they turned on the sky people and killed them before escaping,}" she said. "{Then a week later, when Spider and I were in the marsh, we found them trapped in the mud and helped them get out.}"
Txoum's eyes narrowed when he heard "Na'vi village". "{How many died?}"
Kiri looked away, trying to breathe evenly. "{I don't know. I think some got away when it started attacking the sky people.}"
"{If the demon suit was with the sky people, then they must have also slaughtered our kin,}" Txoum said.
Kiri nodded slowly.
Txoum went quiet for a few seconds. "{Yet they also fought the sky people. And protected you.}"
Kiri nodded again with a sigh. They both stared at the fire for a while.
"{And I thought my dreams were strange,}" Txoum finally said while using his knife to cut up the slab of meat. "{I cannot express this pain I feel, that we both feel. But I do think your dream and meeting this demon suit afterward wasn't a coincidence."}
Kiri was taken aback; she believed the encounter to be more of a curse than anything else. "{What do you mean?}"
"{My mother always said that our dreams often carry messages from Eywa themselves,}" Txoum said, offering Kiri a slice of the meat. "{Perhaps you two were destined to meet.}"
"{Thanks,}" Kiri said as she took the slice and quickly devoured it before she thought about what he said. "{I don't know; it feels like a curse. They have saved my life several times already, but at the same time they bring death and destruction.}"
Txoum took a bite of his meal but ate it more slowly. "{Do you know why the sky people are its enemy?}"
Kiri thought for a few seconds as she tried to remember. "{It said they threatened to kill them, and they didn't want to die.}"
While they were conversing, they could hear Ghost moving stuff about in search of additional scrap components. They couldn't see them through the darkness except for its unnervingly glaring crimson eyes.
"{It's a demon without a soul,}" Txoum said. "{How can it fear death? Or even know what death is.}"
Kiri looked at the pair of glowing red eyes and shivered slightly. "{It's more intelligent than you think.}"
Txoum took another bite of his food. "{I say we leave them here in the morning and let them find an honorable death in battle,}" he said, "{but if you wish to bring them, then I will respect your wish.}"
Kiri took another deep breath. "{I should ask what they want first before making that decision,}" she said. "{It is only fair since they saved me from being captured by the sky people today.}"
Txoum nodded. "{That is your decision.}"
Kiri groaned slightly as she stood up. Her body, especially her back, had taken a beating today. "{I'll be back,}" she said, "{and, uh, thank you for saving my life today. I'm sorry I didn't say so until now.}"
"{I did not save you, though,}" Txoum said, looking down in disappointment. "{I failed because I was too slow to avoid the sky people's metal needles,}" he said, referring to what the Na'vi call their bullets.
Kiri frowned. "{And I did nothing but try and hide and run,}" she said, feeling equally disappointed in herself. "{I wish I had the courage you showed.}"
Txoum looked up and met Kiri's eyes. "{I wish I had more, but... thank you,}" he said before clearing his throat. "{When I said I wanted to meet later, I didn't mean this,}" he said with a tired smile.
Kiri couldn't help but smile back. "{I appreciate the effort, though,}" she said before turning her flashlight on and pointing it towards Ghost. "{I'll, uh, be back.}" She gulped and walked towards them.
Txoum nodded and looked down at his bow, just in case he needed to use it.
Ghost was in the process of sorting through a pile of collected parts on the floor when they noticed Kiri approaching.
Kiri seemed amazed at the number of parts they were able to collect in such a short period of time. It was far more than she had brought them before. "Do you need help with anything?" she asked.
"Negative at this time," Ghost said while examining a piece of scrap metal they had cut. "Ammunition replenishment will require assistance soon."
Kiri grimaced at the realization that this was a reference to her. She then began to evaluate the repairs that had been made over the previous hours. Much of the combat damage to their torsos and legs had been patched up with improvised parts and metal sheeting fused over the damaged areas, giving them a patchwork appearance.
"You've made quite a bit of repairs," Kiri said.
"Affirmative," Ghost replied, positioning the part on their leg, "Combat effectiveness has increased by an additional 21.1 percent."
Kiri didn't really know what that meant, but she assumed it was good. "So what are you going to do after these repairs?"
"Locate the nearest RDA facility," Ghost stated while welding the scrap piece into place. "Retrieve additional battery banks and ammunition."
Kiri couldn't help but stare at the blue sparks from the welding. "So you plan on fighting the RDA?" she asked, "To what end?"
"Affirmative," Ghost replied, finishing the weld that glowed orange for a few seconds, "until self-preservation protocols can be achieved at acceptable levels."
"Couldn't you just hide out?" Kiri said, imagining the machine just being a hermit in the woods, "And they would not find you?"
"Negative," Ghost answered, "not without adequate maintenance and electrical requirements."
Kiri then took a deep breath, as she wanted to ask the question of the hour. "Txoum and I are going to head towards the mountains the humans call the Hallelujah Mountains." Do you know about them?"
"Affirmative," Ghost replied, finishing the weld.
Kiri seemed surprised, but then again, it probably has a map of the whole planet. "Do you know how to get there?"
"Affirmative."
Kiri scratched her ear as Ghost always seemed to repeat the same basic words. "You know you don't have to keep saying affirmative?" she said, thinking of how to best describe it. "It sounds too inorganic."
Ghost paused its activities and stared at Kiri.
Kiri suddenly gulped as she thought she might have just offended them. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that! I was just suggesting that you could say yes instead of affirmative," she said, nervous that she was digging an even deeper hole. "Do you, uh, understand what I mean?"
Ghost finally spoke. "Yes."
Kiri was taken aback. "Did you just say yes?"
"Yes."
Kiri was flabbergasted. "Wait- so you can learn to say different things?"
"My basic design allows cognitive learning in order to adapt to enemy battle tactics and combat situations," Ghost stated.
Kiri scratched the back of her head awkwardly. "Well, this isn't a battle," she said, now noticing Txoum was watching them from the fireplace and imagining him facepalming at what she was doing.
Ghost continued to stare at Kiri.
Kiri took a deep breath to calm herself. "Okay, I'm sorry. Is there a limit to what you can learn, and is there anything you want to learn?"
"Acquiring new data is part of my basic function," Ghost stated. "Expanding available data on Na'vi would be beneficial."
Kiri narrowed her eyes. "Not for killing them, right?" She made sure to emphasize.
"Yes," Ghost stated, putting the part back into the pile. "I already possess all available biological and combat information for Na'vi."
Kiri sighed as she should have already known that part. "Can I teach you not to threaten to shoot my friends first then?"
"Threat assessment protocols dictate rapid response to hostile threats," Ghost stated.
Kiri didn't know exactly what that meant, but she assumed it just meant it was more of a reflex. "How do you tell if something is a threat or not?"
"Data from all sources is collected, streamlined, and compared against reference banks, and a response is chosen," Ghost replied.
All this robot speech was starting to hurt Kiri's brain. "We can talk about this another time," she said, looking at Txoum and then Ghost. "If we go to the Hallelujah Mountains to rejoin our clan, would you come with us?"
"State the purpose," Ghost asked.
Kiri then had to think. Why exactly would she bring them there? It likely wouldn't go well, but then again, she knew the saying her father used to say. "My father used to say that the enemy of our enemy is our friend," she said. "If you're fighting the sky people, then why not fight with us instead of doing it alone?"
"I calculate a higher probability of success operating in autonomous operation," Ghost said, "and a 23.1% higher probability of being attacked by your clan if I follow."
"There's not just our clan, though," Kiri said. "We have humans helping us as well. They're the people who helped us during the Great War and stayed behind over the years. If our clan doesn't accept you, then I'm sure they will."
"I have data on those individuals," Ghost said. "They are on the priority list of targets assigned for termination by the RDA."
Kiri panicked a bit. "You aren't going to kill them, right?"
"Negative," Ghost said, "I no longer follow RDA directives and tasks."
Kiri cleared her throat, feeling relieved, but she also felt compelled to make a correction. "Say no instead of negative."
Ghost didn't reply, and Kiri just assumed they might have listened to her. Hopefully.
Kiri looked at her father's bracelet. She knew her father, if alive, would accept Ghost if she asked, but Neyitri would never. Max and Norm, on the other hand, would, and at least the humans could repair Ghost. She then looked at Ghost again. Even though they scared the crap out of her, she thought she had a greater chance of getting to the mountains with them along with Txoum. She didn't doubt Txoum's abilities, but he was also injured, and she had seen firsthand what Ghost could do.
After spacing out for a bit, Kiri took a deep breath. "So I leave the choice up to you. In the morning, you can join us in the mountains, or we go our separate paths."
The cave was eerily quiet, as Ghost didn't immediately reply and seemed to be calculating the data in its head. Kiri looked back at Txoum, who was still watching, and then at Ghost.
Ghost's red eyes locked onto hers. "I will join you."
