News of Mon eventually got to Tonowari. He took Alex and Kelly aside for a talk. "Insane sky-people are nearby."
"Have they killed anyone?" Alex winced.
"Not yet," Tonowari replied.
"Are the Insane sky-people using avatars like us?" Alex asked.
"Yes," Tonowari nodded.
"Then, they can be killed. We should hunt them down," Alex advised.
"Wait, we have to be smart about this. If we piss Mon off, he'll come back with this regular body and destroy everything," Kelly warned.
"Then, what is the plan?" Alex asked frustrated.
"We must gather all the villagers here. As long as they are with us, they won't be harmed," Kelly said. "But if we go out to hunt Mon, and we fail to find him, all the villagers are at risk."
All the whales eventually took off except for the outcast, Payakan. Kelly decided to hang out with him and, knowing his pain and history gave him a hug. The Na'Vi villagers were outraged causing a meeting to happen.
"You bonded with the outcast! What the fuck?" Rolen freaked out on Kelly.
"I'd be disappointed if I didn't already have extremely low expectations," Tonowari said. "And you, sister of a great warrior, I thought you would know better," he said to Alex.
"Let's not jerk off my sister too hard," Alex rolled her eyes.
"Payakan saved my life. You don't know him," Kelly said adamantly.
"Hear my words, the whales adopted a pacifist nature after many centuries of warfare among themselves over territory and revenge. They came to believe that killing no matter how justified only brings more killing," Tonowari said.
"I'm pretty sure if one person kills a hundred killers, the math checks out," Alex said defensively.
"All killing is forbidden. This is the whale way," Tonowari said passionately.
"Yeah, but that's their way. Why should you give a shit?" Alex questioned.
"Payakan is a killer, so he's an outcast," Tonowari concluded.
"You're wrong. He didn't kill his own kind. His family was under attack by a whaling vessel, so he gathered the bulls and attacked them in self-defense and all the other bulls died," Kelly explained from her connection to Payakun.
"That's still considered killing," Tonowari said.
"How?" Kelly asked incredulously.
"It's like felony murder. If you get other people killed while committing a crime, you're charged as a murderer," Alex explained.
"But attacking those whalers isn't a crime and since when do whales believe in technicality like felony murder?" Kelly argued.
"These whales do, so there," Tonowari replied.
"So, he has to pay for this crime for the rest of his life? No rehabilitation, no forgiveness. That sounds fucked up. These whales are fucked up," Kelly said.
"If you say the whales are fucked up, you say we are fucked up...even though we don't share this value," Rolen said incoherently. "The whales are sacred to us whereas you have four fingers, demon blood, and engage in queer mating."
"Okay, we're done here," Alex said as she took Kelly away back to their hut.
Meanwhile, Mon was having the time of his life on the whaling ship. Upon spotting a whale family, the whalers elaborately proceeded with their attack. Multiple boats armed with sonic cannons and harpoons were deployed from the main amphibious ship. Mini subs also deployed. A helicopter fired the first shot on the leading whale with a tracking device. Mon joined one of the boats with Scoresby.
The boats obnoxiously bounced on the waves as they sped toward the whale family. The whales predictable dived deep to avoid the boats. The boats fired off depth charges to stun the whales and bring them back up. The boats then used sonic cannons to force a mother and calf away from the rest of the family.
"Do they ever fight back?" Mon asked Scoresby.
"Not even raise a fin except for that one time. That was a fucking massacre...for them," Scoresby replied.
Mini subs fired on the mother whale on her fins. Inflated balloons exploded from the hits forcing the mother whale to the surface and greatly slowing her down. On the surface, Scoresby fired his harpoon. The harpoon went into the water and like a heat-seeking missile went straight into the whale's gut. The whale gave a screech of pain but continued to resist.
"Hold onto your ponytail, Your Grace," Scoresby warned Mon as they were being pulled.
Eventually, the mother whale died in the water. Mech units arrived on the scene, climbed onto the whale's back, and began puncturing the flesh with hooks. As expected, the calf remained with the dead mother and refused to leave. The calf was then slaughtered as well. Both whales were brought onto the ship. Mon was given a class on why the whales were so valuable.
"We drill up into the hard palate, into the brain," Scoresby explained to Mon. A drill went up into the whale's skull to get to that sweet stuff. Suddenly, they were both covered in white goo.
"What the fuck is this?" Mon asked dismayed.
"Oh, that's the sperm," Scoresby explained.
"Well...shit," Mon said disgustedly.
Mon had the whales dumped in the water with the balloons still attached to antagonize the Na'Vi and the whales to start a fight. As he predicted, the Na'Vi wanted to fight. "My spirit sister and her baby have been murdered by the sky people," Rolen said mournfully during a village meeting.
"The war has come to us. We knew about this hunting, but it was far from us. Now, it is here!" Tonowari said outraged.
"Look, they're baiting you into attacking. They don't care about the great balance. All they care about is instigating and getting you to crash out. The sky people aren't going to stop. This is only the beginning. You gotta tell your whales to come here. As long as you and your whales are around the two of us, you are safe," Alex said to them.
"We will fight to protect our brothers and sisters," one youth said and then stuck his tongue out as if he were doing the Haka from New Zealand. Others did the same thing in obnoxious fashion.
"If you fight, they will destroy you. Look, saving all your lives is all that matters, right? Save your family," Alex said.
"We will tell the whales to come here," Rolen relented.
Kelly took Alex aside. "We have to do something. We can't do nothing."
"It's a fucking trap. Mon wants them to hit back," Alex said obviously.
"I have to warn Payakan," Kelly said urgently.
"Kelly, he's just a fucking whale," Alex reminded her.
"A whale that is as intelligent as you or me, one that has deep emotions, culture, complex communications, music, mathematics, and spirituality," Kelly recalled.
"Fine, you go warn him...and then you come right back," Alex ordered.
Kelly got on her Plesiosaurus and went after Payakan at the Three Brothers natural landmark. She found him in the same spot as always alone. He already had a red tracker in his back. "Shit," Kelly realized. "Stay calm, I got this."
Kelly got on Payakan's back and tried to pull the tracker out without success. It was just too deep. Kelly then saw the whaling ship in the distance. "Alex, I found Payakan. He's got a tracker on him. The whaling ship is approaching. I need more help to get the tracker out," Kelly radioed to Alex.
"Come back to the village," Alex ordered.
"No, I have to save him. Get help!" Kelly shouted.
Alex eyed the village and then the sea. Tonowari and Rolen eyed Alex wondering what was happening. "Make your peace with Payakan and come back. That's an order."
"God damn it, Alex. Get help!" Kelly said sobbingly.
"I know it hurts, Kelly. Come back," Alex said painfully.
On the whaling ship, Mon eyed Kelly desperately trying to call for help and get the tracker out of Payakan's back. "I'll be damned," Mon said as he saw her.
Back at the village, Tonowari and Rolen noticed Alex trying to communicate with Kelly to get back. "The time to attack is now!" Tonowari declared.
"That is a fucking bad idea," Alex warned.
"Your own mate is out there," Rolen pointed out.
"Yeah, well, the worst that could happen to her is she dies...and she goes back to her real body," Alex said nonchalantly.
Rolen went over to Alex and touched her face and chest. "This body is not a toy, it is sacred. As sacred as any other Na'Vi body. You do not just throw it away," she scolded.
"We are resolved to fight the demon ship," Tonowari said resolved.
"Shit...then, you'll need my help," Alex frowned.
At the Three Brothers natural landmark, Mon and Scoresby were ready to take down Payakan with their fleet of boats. Kelly had managed to take the red tracker out of Payakan and advised him to dive which he did. Scoresby fired depth charges to get him back up. At the same time, mini-subs went after Payakan. Mon and his Insane crew circled Payakan's general location with their dragon banshees.
Kelly went in another direction with the red tracker on her Plesiosaurus. The Imperials split up with several subs and mech units going after Kelly thinking they had Payakan nearby. Kelly evaded them as much as she could, but her Plesiosaurus got hit on its fin. It was forced to the surface as the balloon attached inflated. Another mech unit fired a net around Kelly. Mon dived into the water with his dragon banshee and brought Kelly and the net to the surface. He then dumped her on the deck.
Mon quickly grabbed the disoriented Kelly over to a guardrail and snapped her hand to it with cuffs. "What's your deal, Mon? What is it this time?" Kelly asked angrily.
"I just want my whale. That son-of-bitch is the only whale that is willing to fight on this whole moon," Mon said.
"You invaded and terrorized villages to get to one whale?" Kelly asked incredulously.
"Why? You thought I gave a fuck about the Na'Vi?" Mon wondered. "Oh, I see. You thought this was all about you. You got a persecution complex, Kelly. The both of you do. You should get that looked into."
"Na'Vi inbound," Ol reported.
A fleet of Na'Vi on their Nothosaures approached. They were gliding on the water with a fast approach. Alex was with them with her rifle. She could see Kelly strapped to the rail with her rifle scope. "It's Alex," Eltro said concernedly. Mon confirmed that with his own eyes and took Kelly's communicator off.
"Alex, tell your friends to stand down. You want Kelly back, come out alone. I may not be in my Insane body, but I'm still lethal as fuck. You know better than to test my resolve. Get your friends the fuck out of here so I can go after my whale," Mon ordered.
"All this over getting a whale?" Alex asked stunned.
"Yeah," Mon said obviously.
"Just a sec," Alex said to him and then looked at Tonowari and Rolen.
"They are killers of whales. They must die," Tonowari said adamantly. "Here, today."
"You brought this upon us," Rolen accused Alex.
"Then, it's me that has to do this," Alex told them.
"Offer is about to expire. What's it going to be?" Mon asked impatiently.
"Check your fire, I'm coming in," Alex said.
Alex slowly approached on her Plesiosaurus. "Easy shot," Dax said as he looked through his scope.
"You kill her, they all attack," Mon reminded him. "Wait till she's onboard."
Payakan suddenly breached the water and slammed down on the deck crushing a few whalers. The whalers immediately fired automatic weapons on him. Payakan slammed and swatted with his fins. With his tail, he sent a crane and a mech unit flying. He then sent his tail up tearing through a bridge. The human whalers were having a hell of a time taking Payakan down even with automatic fire. Their bullets simply weren't penetrating the whale's thick hide. Scoresby fired his explosive harpoon at Payakan. The harpoon bounced off Payakan's head and exploded harmlessly. Payakan then went back into the water taking another crane down with him.
"Bloody hell, that's what I came here for," Mon said impressed.
The Na'Vi including Alex took this opportunity to attack. The boats fired automatic weapons at them as they approached. The Na'Vi dived under the water. The automatic weapons fire from the ship and the helicopters did nothing as the bullets radically slowed down in the water. The Na'Vi then came out of the water throwing spears at the whalers. In lightning-quick attacks, the Na'Vi exited the water, killed a whaler, and went back into the water before they could get shot.
The whalers finally got their acts together and got some hits on the Na'Vi with automatic fire and depth charges. Alex evaded the whaler's fire and disabled the boats rather than killing anyone. Alex then went after Mon and the other Insane on their dragon banshees. Alex quickly ran out of bullets as she only missed. "Shit," she realized. Mon fired back at her also missing. Alex dived into the water to evade his fire.
Under the water, it was as if nature, herself, was turning against the whalers. Giant spores wrapped their tentacles around the mini subs breaching them and forcing the occupants out. Payakan continued his "kill streak" by flipping a boat in the air where it slammed onto the deck of the whaling ship. The impact caused one of the propeller engines to erupt in fire. The whaling ship lost control and tore its belly on the rocks. Water immediately started flooding in.
Mon continued to chase Alex from the air. Alex suddenly came up. Her Nothosaurus grabbed onto Mon's banshee's neck and took them both to the sea. Scoresby fired his harpoon at Payakan missing completely. Payakan rotated his body so the cable wrapped around his head and then pulled Scoresby's boat. Payakan led Scoresby's boat against the rocks where it was beached before the cable finally snapped off. Scoresby rearmed another harpoon and waited for Payakan to emerge.
"Clever boy," Scoresby remarked as this whale was truly a badass.
Payakan wasn't done kicking ass. He breached the surface, jumped over the boat, and wrapped the cable from before around the boat's deck. The cable sliced off the boat's top half destroying its bridge and threw Scoresby and his harpoon canon into the water.
The whaling ship was taking on too much water. "Abandon ship," the XO ordered. Alex leaped onto the deck and used a knife to free Kelly. "Okay, you were right, I was wrong, taking down an Imperial whaling ship was super-easy, barely an inconvenience," Alex admitted.
"Only because there is a mighty warrior among them," Kelly said as she gave Alex a kiss.
Mon rejoined his Insane crew on the doomed whaling ship. "We can still get this done. That whale isn't escaping us."
"Hell, yeah," Laurel agreed.
Alex and Kelly went deeper into the ship looking for Mon and his Insane crew. As they did, Alex took down a squad of humans and stole a rifle. Dax and Ol fired at them as they approached. Alex took Kelly to cover and then fired back at them to force them into cover. "Go into the water," Alex said to Kelly.
"Not without you," Kelly resisted.
"I'll be right with you," Alex promised.
Kelly went into the water as Alex fired on the Insane. She then went into the water after her. "Where did they go?" Eltro asked as he arrived on the scene.
In the water, Kelly was barely able to swim. "I got shot," she said wincing.
"Shit," Alex realized.
Alex brought Kelly to the rocky shore. The bullet had gone through Kelly's upper chest and out her back. She was paralyzed from the chest down and bleeding out. "It looks like vacation is over for me," Kelly said dryly.
"It's okay," Alex said tearfully.
"I need you to be strong. Strong heart," Kelly said and then died.
Alex shook her head dismayed and then got a radio call from Mon. "Alex, you still alive? The game isn't over," Mon told her.
"No, it's not," Alex agreed. The gas giant eclipsed the sun casting the whole area in darkness. With her Na'Vi eyes, she could see perfectly but so could her enemy.
With a spear in hand, Alex went to the doomed whaling ship. She snuck aboard as Mon was still talking shit in her earpiece. Alex placed a live grenade into the missile carrier system of a helicopter and took off. The explosion stunned the whalers and sent shrapnel everywhere. Alex kept moving around for an opening in the fire and confusion. She leaped up and sent her spear through Dax's chest killing him instantly.
Laurel fired on Alex's last position. Alex circled around and fired an arrow into her leg, dropping her. Laurel turned around to fire only to get an arrow in her eye, killing her. Mon, Eltro, and Ol fired on Alex not getting any hits. Alex leaped down, swung her bow down on Ol's rifle to disarm him, and then swatted him to the head. Alex then quickly shot him in the head on single action to conserve ammunition.
Mon fired on Alex as she moved around and then ran out of ammunition. "Knife, it is," he said as he took it out.
Alex quickly engaged Eltro, manhandled him a bit, and sent him off the railing where he hit his head hard on a lower deck and fell into the water. "I assume Kelly is dead," Mon said as they faced each other. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Perhaps we should do this over again with you in a male body next time. Then, it would be a fair fight."
"I dispatched your male Insane easily enough," Alex shot back.
"You can't kill me, Alex. If you do, I'll be back in my more powerful Insane body. As I wait for a new body, I just might get...bored," Mon threatened.
"I'm not going to kill you. I'm going to capture you and allow the Na'Vi to torture you within an inch of your life over and over again," Alex replied.
"That's the spirit," Mon grinned. "You know, I was only here to get me a whale. I never asked for any of this death and destruction. That was your call," Mon accused. "Know that I will always be out there, never going to stop until I get my whale."
"Then, let's get it done," Alex said as she charged him. She grabbed a random toolbox and swung it at Mon's head. The two fought furiously with their knives. Mon had superior strength, but Alex was more trained in knife-fighting. Mon relied too much on his energy attacks and hand-to-hand combat fighting. Still, the two were fairly even. Mon kicked Alex into the water. Alex emerged only for Mon to disarm her. Alex kicked Mon away just as a random mini-sub fell into the water. He got slammed underneath it. Mon leaped up with his knife. Alex got behind him, put him in a headlock, and dropped him to the floor. As the ship took forever to sink, Mon and Alex fought to get to the bow of the ship.
Alex swung a thick metal chain at Mon, tied him up, and disarmed him. Mon punched her to the face and kneed her. "Imagine if you had been training and living for sixteen years in that body and I still kicked your ass after only a few days, myself," Mon taunted.
"I'd call bullshit," Alex spat.
As the ship sank, Alex and Mon fought underwater inside the ship. Mon put his legs around Alex to choke her out. The ship finally hit the bottom shaking things up a bit. Alex freed herself and put Mon in a headlock. Finally, Alex got Mon to pass out. Not wanting him to die, Alex let Mon go into the deep and went to the surface. As if to show favoritism, Eywa sent glowing jellyfish to lead Alex to the way out. As she was about to pass out, herself, Alex was brought to the surface by Payakan.
"Thank you. You're incredible just like Kelly said," Alex said thankfully. The whale gave a mournful response knowing Kelly was dead. "I was wrong to abandon you to the whalers. We're stronger together."
Mon's prone body was pulled out of the water and placed on the rocks. Upon awakening, he saw Mara in Insane armor. An Athena-class destroyer was over the top of them casting a large shadow. "Let's move out," Mon said to her.
Mara remained silent as she sized up his condition and weakened status. "I have greater ambitions for this world than just hunting one great whale."
"Like what?" Mon scoffed.
"Like...crusading," Mara said obviously.
That night, the Na'Vi buried Kelly's body in the yellow-glowing sea vegetation. It quickly swarmed around the body and absorbed it into nature. Alex then came before Tonowari and Rolen. "I'll move on tomorrow. Far away from here."
"Your mate lives with our ancestors. You are Na'Vi now," Tonowari told her.
"There's a storm coming. I'll be of better use to you in the stars than here," Alex said and then shook Tonowari's hand.
Imperial Base
Alex made her way to the Imperial base, disconnected from her avatar, and reunited with Kelly. She was now a few months along and starting to show. "It is regrettable your vacation became an interplanetary incident Even more so, we lost Kelly's avatar to the ocean," Brainiac 5 said. "Avatars are not easy to manufacture and grow."
"What of the whalers and their families?" Alex asked.
"Attacks by wild animals and the Na'Vi are common workplace hazards. Your involvement will not be made known to anyone," Brainiac 5 assured her.
"What if I want it known? The fuck are you doing allowing whalers out there?" Alex demanded.
"The whaling population must be managed like any other game. Also, the whales provide valuable sperm that can be used for science," Brainiac 5 said unconcernedly.
"They have sentience. You're hunting and harvesting people," Kelly objected.
"Yes, we realize that now thanks to your highly classified report," Brainiac 5 said sheepishly.
"Asshole, you knew the whole time," Alex glared.
"You treat me as if I'm all-knowing, but you don't fear me. I find that to be a contradiction," Brainiac 5 mocked. "Besides, a new policy has been decided by Princess Mara."
"What new policy?" Kelly asked concernedly.
"She intends to convert the Na'Vi and all other sentient lifeforms on the planet to the one true faith," Brainiac 5 said.
From the belly of the Athena-class destroyer, Mara floated down to the water. In front of the Na'Vi, Mara walked on the water as she approached them. Tonowari and Rolsen cautiously approached her. Mara scanned Rolsen and saw that she was with child. She then scanned all the children and youths of the village with interest before snapping back to face Tonowari and Rolsen.
"I am Imperial Princess Mara-El, daughter of Supreme Leader Kara Zor-El. On behalf of the Galactic Federation, I apologize for the recent hostilities. The whaling will cease, and the sky-people's population will remain no more, no less than it is now," Mara introduced herself.
"Like you, I believe it is a crime to pollute the land in which you live, for blood pollutes the land, and no atonement can be made for the land for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it. You shall not defile the land in which you live. Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel," Mara said to them.
"I believe that when you besiege a city for a long time, making war against it in order to take it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an axe against them. You may eat from them, but you shall not cut them down. Are the trees in the field your enemy, that they should be besieged by you? If you come across a bird's nest in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young. You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain," Mara continued.
"I see you," Tonowari allowed and shook Mara's hand.
"I see you," Mara said respectfully.
Mara went back to her ship and met up with Brainiac 5 on the bridge. "Their connection to Eywa is strong. If we rip their children from them and place them in Christian schools, there will be resistance and great loss of life," she considered thoughtfully.
"Do you have an alternative?" Brainiac 5 asked curiously.
"I don't need to convert the entire population. I need only convert one," Mara said and then entered the lab. Inside a tank was a teenage female Na'Vi. "I find cloning unnatural and detestable, but this will be the fastest and easiest way to get the job done."
Mara entered the water as a Na'Vi and approached a large glowing spore that was part of the Eywa network. She cautiously connected her hair tentacle to the spore so they could communicate with each other. Mara immediately felt her mind pulled into the super-computer that was Eywa. She saw all the life living in harmony across the entire moon in the present and then she saw the life experiences of all life forms that had already died. Mara was given visions of the memories of all the Na'Vi and other lifeforms that had died since the arrival of the Insane Kryptonians.
"I need not apologize to you, false god," Mara replied.
"What do you seek from me?" Eywa asked her.
"You will influence the Na'Vi and all other sentient lifeforms to believe in the Christian faith. You will infect their consciousness with each interaction between them and you, every interaction with themselves. When I come back to convert them consciously, the seed will already be planted," Mara demanded.
"And if I refuse?" Eywa asked her.
Images of non-stop nuclear-sized explosions was seen by both of them. After several minutes of these non-stop explosions, Eywa conceded defeat. "I will do as you ask."
"Good," Mara said pleased. "It would be unfortunate if I had to bring my fleet here."
"Young one, I have existed for hundreds of millions of years and will continue to exist for hundreds of millions of years after you are long gone. I can suffer a few years of your foreign faith," Eywa said to her.
"We shall see," Mara said confidently.