The enemy of my enemy is…?
Cursive text is in Na'vi
Jake and Neytiri spent hours huddled in the lab, just trying to come to terms with the change they had been put through. Eventually Jake had called in at the door, and they had been provided with a room.
Their hosts seemed to understand they needed some space. A few had shown at their door now and then, mostly to bring them food or other supplies. But beyond that they had not bothered them. A few days had now passed that way.
In some ways Jake was glad they were being left alone, given time to adjust. But all the while the lingering question of why continued to gnaw at him. He had to know. If they didn't come to him soon, he would ask to see their leader himself.
Neytiri was sitting on a chair, her left hand on her lap, clenching and unclenching it repeatedly. Her little finger was moving noticeably slower than her other fingers.
"Having trouble?" Jake asked.
"It's these damn extra fingers. They start aching if I put any strain on them for more than a short while. And sometimes I just lose all feeling to them for a bit." She explained.
"They did say there might be some issues. Something about the nerves not developing properly." He said.
"If you're having a hard time with them we could ask them to take a look? There might be something they can do." He suggested.
Neytiri looked sour. "I don't wish to have them touch me. Not after everything they've already done. I'll endure."
Jake opened his mouth to continue, but just then there was a knock at the door.
"Uh, if you are ready the commander would be willing to see you now." Came a voice from the other side.
Jake and Neytiri waited for a moment longer, then nodded at each other and went to the door. Opening the door Jake found a soldier standing behind. The soldier was about to motion them to follow when he took note of their bare feet.
"If you like we can go get you some shoes first?" The soldier offered. "There is no need for you to be-"
"Which way to your commander?" Jake cut in.
The soldier raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. "Right this way."
They were led along a stone corridor, past several other doors and an overlook that opened to a bigger cavern, where several rotorcraft had been landed. There were many humans about, attending to their errands, paying them little mind as they passed them by.
"So the one we are going to see is their leader?" Neytiri asked in Na'vi as they walked.
Jake nodded. "Christina Bergh is her name. And the group she leads is called the Green Angels."
"Angels…" Neytiri repeated, testing the word in her mouth. "I don't think I know that word. Does it mean something?"
"I can explain it later if you like." Jake replied.
They were led to another door. The soldier escorting them knocked on the door, then entered on hearing the call to enter.
Inside Christina had just stood up from behind a table.
"Commander, our guests are willing to speak with you." The soldier told her.
Christina smiled. "Excellent. I can take it from here."
The soldier nodded and left. And Christina turned her attention to Jake and Neytiri.
"I hope that you have had time to… adjust to your circumstances?" She asked.
Neytiri merely scoffed.
"It's not that simple. And I think both us would have wanted to not have it happen at all." Jake replied.
Christina nodded. "I hear you. And I wouldn't have done this if I thought I had the luxury of waiting further. But after six years I did not think I had that option. For now all I can say is that this is a temporary thing."
"But please, do sit. There is much to discuss." She added.
Jake and Neytiri seated themselves, while Christina went to a side table.
"It's funny. I rather imagined we would be having this conversation on Pandora." Christina said while pouring black liquid into a trio of cups.
"You were going to our world?" Neytiri asked.
"Sure enough. I've been working on that for some time now, smuggling a few of my people on every ship that departs. I planned to seek you out once I made the big jump myself. Only then I heard that Ardmore had pulled a Napoleon level power flex and just squashed you. For a little while I thought that might be that. But then I heard a very interesting rumor from my contacts. That you had been stuck in cryo and were on your way here. So I decided to be patient and continue with preparations while waiting for you to come to me. And now you have." The commander said.
Christina returned to the table, handing each of them a cup. Jake accepted the cup quickly enough, but Neytiri eyed the liquid warily.
"What is it?" She asked.
"It's coffee. Well, it's not real coffee. The actual thing is way too expensive. Rich people stuff. I think there are like six farming complexes in the world that still produce real coffee. That's algae juice with added caffeine, plus synthetic taste and color. Makes for a very convincing substitute." Christina explained.
Neytiri looked at Jake.
"It's okay. It's safe" Jake told her.
It was enough for Neytiri to accept the cup and take a sip. Then she grimaced.
"If it's bitter there is milk and sweeteners. Just speak up." Christina said. But Neytiri merely laid the cup down.
"Why did you help us? What do you want? It was not out of kindness." She demanded.
"Because that Sky People are incapable of." Jake completed her unvoiced assertion in his mind. Aloud he said nothing.
Christina nodded. "Not that I don't care… but you are right. There is more to this."
She sat down at the table as well. "My group has been fighting the RDA for a long time. One of several such groups. I myself joined this group when I was just sixteen. I figure that gives me about twenty years of battlefield experience. And my organization is much older than I am. And since they first went to your world we have been following RDA activities on Pandora closely. In particular I have been keeping a keen eye on the exploits of you two."
"You clearly have a lot of info on us. But if you already have people on Pandora, then how come this is the first time we've ever heard of you?" Jake asked.
"Because until I have everything in place I don't want to tip the RDA off by showing my hand early. And because I was not sure of you." Christina said.
"There is an old saying here on Earth. That the enemy of my enemy is my friend. I am wondering if that is true. I expect I'll find that out today." She said.
"Just what are you saying?" Jake asked.
"That the reason I wanted to talk with you, why I rescued you, did all this… is because I'm wondering if it might be possible for us to join forces. If we could not work together to topple the RDA."
"You'd betray your own… to help us?" Neytiri asked, frowning in suspicion.
With a sigh Christina stood up, laying her cup on the table and began to pace back and forth in the room.
"It's not a betrayal. I believe this is what my people need right now. The RDA and those who support them have devastated our home. Now they're heading to yours to do the same." She said.
"Do you know why they've gone there?" She asked.
"Resources. Valuables they can bring back to sell here." Jake replied.
Christina shook her head. "That is no longer the whole deal. They're working towards a plan for a full colonization. Full tilt, all the way. They're going to take your home away from you. And this time they won't back down. And they won't give up."
Jake and Neytiri exchanged worried glances. It had been clear the Sky People had come to their home in greater force to avoid being driven off a second time. But if what they were being told now was true… things could be a lot worse than they had thought.
"Because Earth is dying. There are groups like the Green Angels who would change this… but we aren't sure that is possible. We may be past the point of no return already. Or we may hit it before there is a realistic chance to effect a meaningful change on a global level. The experts here aren't at all agreed on how much time there might be. And even if things aren't quite that bad and there is time, it would still mean potentially centuries of backbreaking labor for zero profits, for an outcome that is uncertain at best." Christina continued.
"Someone like me would try anyway on the off chance it might work. But it's hard to convince everyone else to commit to that when there is a verdant world within our range ripe for plundering, even as that new beginning isn't for everyone. So I'll need leverage to force them to listen. And I admit, it would be a big risk to take our chances here without certain assurances." She explained.
"Which brings me to what I'm hoping you will give me in exchange for my aid." She said, then paused for a moment.
"I want that colony base. I want Bridgehead." She declared.
A shocked silence from Jake and Neytiri at the bombshell just dropped.
Jake shook his head. "No. Absolutely not."
"Wait. Just listen..." Christina tried.
"You just admitted to ruining your own world! And now you would come to ours. And after everything your people have done do you seriously think we would allow you to come anywhere near our home?" Neytiri snarled.
"Jake, we shouldn't listen to this. We should go now." She told her mate.
Jake motioned for her to be calm. "Why did you even think we would agree? And if this is what you're after… why aren't you on Pandora with the RDA? They are already there, setting all this up. What the hell do you want to talk to us for?"
"Because at the moment humanity only has bad options before us. If we fail on Pandora, that's our best shot at survival dashed. And if we win with the RDA at the helm… then we are going to end up repeating all our old mistakes. And in a few centuries we will be in the exact same situation as now. And then we either have nowhere else to go… or we will, in which case we will sacrifice whatever is left of our souls and become a plague of locusts, going from world to world, eating each to the bone. And the next species we run across will have even less of a fighting chance than you did." Christina replied.
"What I am proposing is limited colonization. Say… Bridgehead and enough lands to keep the city running to the foreseeable future, as well as the right to conduct research that might save our own world. We can agree on the finer points once victory is ours. The rest shall be yours. I'll do everything in my power to ensure your sovereignty over it is recognized." She detailed.
"Sovereignty?" Neytiri asked, not recognizing the word.
"It means that your lands will be seen as belonging to you and only you. And that no one will have the right to take it from you or go there without your permission." Christina explained.
She raised her hands defensively, cutting off Neytiri's angry retort. "I know in your hearts and minds you already have this. But in the parliaments and executive meetings of Earth that means nothing. To them Pandora is unclaimed land. And your people are just squatters, to be brushed aside whenever you become an inconvenience. In exchange for a portion of your world I will work to change those judgements for you."
"Arrogant. You have no claim to our world. At all. That is not your home. This is. So stay here and leave us alone." Neytiri said sharply.
"If we had a healthy world we knew could sustain us, I would agree with that. But we don't. Without a new home there is a chance humanity will die." Christina argued.
"That has nothing to do with the People! Your problems are your own. We didn't cause them, so we owe you nothing. We should not be made to pay for your mistakes. If your world is dying… then I'd say you brought that on yourself. With your own stupidity. If anything that is more reason to not allow you to come to our world to ruin it too."
Christina went quiet, bowing her head. "There are many who think as you do. Even amongst the people I lead. That we had our shot and we blew it. That now we should pay for our sins and die with the world we killed. But I reject that. I joined the Green Angels because I saw what so many of us have come to see. That we need a living, breathing world to survive. And that in destroying it the RDA was destroying our chance for a future. So yes, I've fought to save this world. But I've been saving it for us. For humans. For our future. And that is the cause I'll keep fighting for, so long as there is any hope for us left."
"But I'd rather not build that future over the broken bones of your people." She added. "So you can accept that and take what's on offer. Or…"
"Or you'll leave us in our pods and forget you ever found us? That about right? Do as you say or you'll maroon us here?" Jake interjected.
There was a long, tense pause, Christina's eyes narrowing. "Let me be very, very clear on one thing: I did not go through this trouble to save you just to blackmail you into helping me. I did this in the hopes of gaining a willing ally. And this was not how I planned to do the asking. As I said, I believed we would have this conversation on Pandora. That said, I'm starting to see that perhaps I'm better off in having it turn out this way after all. Perhaps this way I can make you listen."
"Understand this: That there is going to be a human colony on Pandora is not negotiable to me. I fight for my people, as much as you do for yours. I will not gamble with their future. And I will not beg for the right to be alive."
"You can turn me down, that is you right. But in that case I and my crew will still go to Pandora and try to make a go of this. Maybe I'll find another who will see reason even if you didn't. If not… then I've done everything I can to find a reasonable compromise that would meet everyone's needs. I can't be blamed for what will come after."
"So if you indeed flatly refuse my offer, then yes, there goes my reason for helping you. Then these six years waiting for your arrival have been a waste of my time. And I won't be very happy to take the loss. I won't harm either of you, because I don't think I need to. But neither will I do anything further to help you. So for your sake I hope that no wasn't your final answer."
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "I would urge you to consider what you are being offered here. For the first time ever a human stands before you and offers to find a compromise. You didn't take the deals offered by the RDA, and you were right not to. They never wanted a deal. They wanted subjugation. They wanted obedience. But I'm offering to make an honest bargain with you. Without that kind of a bargain the only way this will end is with one species or another conquered or wiped out. I know you would not want to be on the receiving end of such. And I'm hoping you don't want to be the one's inflicting it either."
"I'm looking for a way out. So please, give me one. And then we can stand together. My troops will fight and die to save your people, if you will but do so for ours." She concluded.
"Well, you know the price of your ticket home. Why don't you think it over and we'll come back to this later?" She said, then took her leave.
Once Christina was gone Neytiri stood up, crossed her arms and shook her head. "She's a fool. Or insane. That she thinks we would ever help her in letting the Sky People get a foothold in our world…"
Jake hummed to himself in response. Neytiri looked at him, then frowned:
"Oh no… Jake, I know that expression. You're actually considering what she said!?"
He shrugged. "I mean… she made some good points. Do we really want to be killing each other forever?"
She gave an exasperated sigh. "Jake… you're my mate and I love you. But sometimes you can be such a skxawng. This is a trick. A trap! It has to be."
"I'm not so certain. If she had just popped up on Pandora and told us this I might agree. But she has now done quite a bit more than that. Make no mistake, this was all over for the two of us. But she decided to give us a second chance. Why would she do that when it would have been so much easier to leave us as we are?" He pointed out.
"That I don't know yet. Perhaps she is greedier than most and doesn't want to share the plunder from our world. Perhaps the RDA really are her enemy. Perhaps her clan is just weaker. So she'll make us bleed for her war, and then she'll turn on us when she is strong. She is Sky People. That tells me all I need to know. She will betray. It's in her blood." She said.
It was Jake's turn to sigh. "I'm not saying we should trust her blindly. But if there is even a chance she's telling the truth, think of what it could mean. It could mean that the killing will stop. That we will have the peace we've been trying to win. That we will no longer need to be afraid for those we love."
"That is not what it will mean. It will mean we will stupidly lower our guard and let them stab us in the back. We both want peace, it's true. But trusting them is not the way. The way is when they are gone and won't ever return. Until that day we won't ever be safe. We need less Sky People in our world, not more. The fire must be extinguished, not fed." She said.
"But we've had Sky People who've helped us in the Resistance. We've had friends among them. This could be more of the same." He pointed out.
"Your friends. And they were… an exception. I stomached them, because I trust you, and you trusted them. But they never asked for a home. They aided us because they were ashamed of their people, and rightly so. But this… this is too much." She replied.
"Is our home truly so crowded we can't show a little mercy? If it is true that her people will die if they stay…"
"Then let them die! After everything they've done they deserve nothing less!" She snapped.
Jake looked at her in disbelief. And Neytiri winced, seeming to realize what she had said. She stepped closer, taking his hands into hers.
"Ma Jake… you are kind, but you must be cautious. You must see clearly. She seeks to invoke your sympathy. But that is the lure she uses to draw you into her trap. You must not fall for it. If you give them this, they'll soon be back, wanting for more. Then more and more and more, until nothing remains. In this… your heart must be as stone. Yield them nothing. We defeated them once. We can do it again. And we don't need her clan's help to do it."
Jake frowned. "You seem to forget where we are. She bars our way home. If we tell her no, all it will do is that she will leave us behind to rot here. And then how will we protect our people?"
She went quiet for a time, thinking. "Then trick her." She finally said.
"What?" Jake asked in surprise.
"She believes she holds all the power. Let her believe that. Play along for now, tell her we will give her what she wants, so she will bring us home. But once we are back with our kin we renounce this so-called alliance and defeat her too." She explained.
"Seriously? Take a moment to listen to yourself. After all the talk about them being dishonest this is what you would have me do? You'd have us stoop to that level?" He pointed out incredulously.
Neytiri seemed taken aback. She let go of his hands, crossing her arms, walking to the other side of the room.
"As things are… I have nothing. Just memories of things that are gone or far, far away. Even my true body has been stripped from me. But all is not yet lost. I can still have some of it back. And I will give ANYTHING to make it so. I will lie, and cheat, and betray, if it means we get to go home and back to our children. I'll even endure this false skin for a time. I'll play the game of these demons and beat them at it." She said over her shoulder.
Jake looked down at the ground, shaking his head to himself. Then he stood. "Alright then. I'll seek her out, speak with her again."
Neytiri turned around, an almost hopeful smile on her face. "So you agree? Then we should go together, as always."
Jake shook his head. "Not this time."
Her smile disappeared, replaced by confusion.
"You may be willing to lie, but I don't think you're going to be very good at it. Your eyes will scream the truth. And she'll remember how hard you argued just now. Most likely she'd see right through you, and then we might be in real trouble. This time let me do the talking." He explained.
"I should still be there…" She tried.
"It's better this way. Trust me." He told her.
She paused, then nodded reluctantly. "Alright then, go. I'll wait here. But don't be gone too long. These walls… make me nervous. And remember what I told you. Do not trust her."
Jake left the room, stopping the first passerby he came and asking after the commander. After some walking and several instances of asking more directions he arrived to what looked like a small cave entrance, guarded by a pair of troopers.
"Where's your commander?" Jake asked.
"She went outside. Once past the entrance take a left turn and climb between the rocks, you'll come to an observation post. She'll be here, or close by." The trooper explained.
"Yo. Before you go, better take this." The trooper said as Jake walked past, tossing him a breathing mask. "Pretty nasty smog blowing in from the factory zones today. Wouldn't want to damage those brand new lungs of yours."
"Guess some things don't change even if you switch planets." He thought as he slipped the mask on.
He climbed as he had been directed, and found Christina sitting on a circle of sandbags, her eyes wandering around the expanse of rocky mountains around them.
"Found you finally. Took a while." He greeted, sitting down on the sandbags as well.
"Needed to clear my head, get some fresh air." She replied, not turning her eyes from the landscape. Then she laughed, a finger tapping her breathing mask. "Figuratively speaking of course."
"Where is here by the way? You haven't told us." Jake asked.
"Afghanistan mountains. Far from our only hideout here on Earth of course, but it's a good place to make a stand. These mountains and caves have stumped technologically advanced intruders more than once."
"I gather it you're not a local though?" Jake asked.
"Do I look like one to you?" She snickered. "No, I'm Norwegian by ancestry, and Antarctican by birth. And that sort of thing matters less and less every year. Especially amongst the Green Angels. Name a country and we probably have people in our ranks from there. Even got folks originally from the Solar Colonies. Moon, Mars, the moons of the gas giants…"
"I hope you didn't come just make small talk. Kind of not in the mood for it now. Got some brooding to do, wondering if I've wasted a huge amount of time, effort and patience for nothing." She said.
"I'd say the jury is still out on that one." Jake replied. She finally turned to look at him, her interest piqued.
"There is still one thing I don't understand in all this. Why us? Why six years? This whole time you could have been making preparations on Pandora. Or been on your way there at least." He asked.
"I haven't just been sitting on my hands you know. My people have been hard at work over there. And the fight has continued on this end too." She pointed out.
"And yet you still chose to wait before going there yourself. Because of us. Why?" He insisted.
A pause before Christina answered: "She speaks very good English, your wife. Better than most Na'vi I wager. And maybe one day I will learn Na'vi. Even so… I'm not exactly sure if we have a common language. Her people and mine… we're very different. To the point we're almost unintelligible to one another. With that in mind you are something unusual. You started out as one of us, but you managed to bridge the chasm between us into their side. You understand them better than just about anyone else. You could relay what I want to tell them in words they can understand."
"And if you two are any indication, I'll face mistrust. Hostility. Outright hatred. I doubt very much that they would listen to me. Even if some would… I'd be talking to a hundred different clan leaders. The odds of me convincing all of them are pretty damn low. But you're a hero to them. A unifier. If you speak to them on my behalf, they'll trust you."
"If I choose to sign your songs." Jake said. "And Neytiri?" He asked.
"…Is welcome to contribute whatever she is willing to. And she represents the pure Na'vi perspective in this." She said.
She sighed heavily. "But… to be frank… at this point I don't expect much from her. I mean, I expected I might need to do some convincing. But to be so uncooperative she refuses to even consider…"
"She has good reason to feel that way. She has lost a whole lot to RDA guns. Our eldest son was the latest… that we know of. And I can't say I don't have any worries about this at all." He replied.
"Once you have what you want what guarantee do I have that you won't decide to go back on your word? Once you've built up your strength how do I know you won't move try to take the rest of our home?" Jake demanded.
"And what guarantee do I have that you won't turn on us the moment we have taken Bridgehead? I've no doubt such a battle would be bloody. My people would be at our weakest at that point, certainly. Can I be certain you won't try to use that opportunity to eject us from Pandora altogether?" Christina countered.
"I think this situation calls for a little bit of trust from both of us. Which I know is difficult given the bloodshed already. But still, it's way past time to ask." She declared.
"And bear in mind while we stand here bickering about trust our common enemy is already on Pandora. They will make their move even if I don't. You may not trust my intentions, but you know theirs exactly. They want the whole cake. At least I'm willing to settle for a slice."
"That *slice* might be deal breaker to a lot of the People. They might prefer there were no humans on Pandora at all. But I think you're right in that it's a problem we're already dealing with." Jake contemplated.
"You said you'd need Bridgehead as leverage. What did you mean?" He asked.
She nodded. "Once we have the colony base the powers that be here on Earth will face a choice. They can risk a third invasion, this time against an entrenched, determined enemy at least on par with them technologically. It would cost them massive time and resources when they may be short on both. Or they can take the deal I worked out with you. The RDA are good at kicking those weaker than they are, but the corporates aren't keen on risk. I have faith they'll take an easy way out that gives them something rather than make an all or nothing gamble. If not, the Earth governments may overrule them."
"As the one in charge I'll be deciding which humans are allowed to settle here, and on what conditions. And I've no intentions of just letting rich people and their minions here. And with that bargaining chip in my pocket, maybe I can leverage that in my efforts for Earth. Once the elites realize they can't just choose run away, maybe I can make them consider options they otherwise would not have. Then I can commit to one last effort to restoring our homeworld, knowing I've secured us against the worst case scenario." She detailed.
"You seriously think you can pull a caper like that off? Sounds more than a little ambitious." He inquired.
Christina gave a short laugh. "It is that, no question. But we're coming to a point where there is no more room for dithering or half-measures. If it works, great. Better than great. If we screw it up… at least we tried. I'll take my chances."
She chuckled again. "I mean, I'm a leader of an eco-terrorist group. You've lived on this world. Should give you and impression how well we've generally managed. Let's just say banging my head against a wall is something I'm infinitely familiar with."
She turned serious again. "But I honestly do believe neither of us can do this alone. I cannot beat them here on Earth. The best my Angels can do, and it's just mosquito bites to them. And if I had to face them and your people on Pandora at once? I'd be at a severe disadvantage."
"And as for you? They've had six years. And they'll get at least another six before we can intervene. They'll have used that time to bring reinforcements and fortify. You know what they were able to do after just one year, better than I do even. What do you suppose they will have done after twelve more? You may not want my species there, but I am skeptical that you could banish us at this point. Never mind the fact you are on the wrong planet to begin with." She continued.
"And you will really only let us go back if we agree?" Jake asked.
Christina nodded. "I don't dare do it otherwise, sorry. I'll give a lift to an ally. I won't bring back a butcher who will only turn on me."
"So, did I make a mistake in rescuing you? Are you in? Or out?" She asked.
Jake took some time longer to consider, then sighed heavily, shrugging. "Alright. You win. You have a deal, for now at least."
"Since you kept offering, I assume you have a ride ready for us already?" He asked.
"Would that I had. Not that easy I'm afraid. What I have in mind will need careful preparations. So I hope you are willing to be patient with me. And in the meantime, consider joining us in the battles here? Plenty of RDA targets to shoot up. You could help Pandora indirectly. Up to you of course." She replied.
She smiled, extending her hand. "And don't worry. Not that we have a deal I will get both of you back to your homeworld. I promise that. What are allies for?"
As they shook hands Jake had to wonder just what he had done. Had he successfully fooled her? Or had he actually agreed to her terms honestly? And was Christina in turn truthful, or a deceiver as Neytiri suspected?
Just who was deceiving whom now? Trying to sort it all out made his head spin.