When in Rome…
Cursive text is in Na'vi
Neytiri was in her underwear, sitting in a corner, scooping a spoonful of white sludge from a plastic bag. "You know, back when we were prisoner I figured they were feeding us this mush deliberately, as another form of punishment. But no, apparently this is just what they eat, day after day after day."
"What even is this stuff? I don't think I ever asked." She enquired.
"Nutrient paste. It's, uh, a bunch of stuff blended together." A fully clothed Jake explained between spoonfuls of his own food, sitting on a chair.
"And this is really the best food they have?" She asked dryly.
"Out here maybe. The advantage of this stuff is that as long as the bag is sealed the paste will stay fresh for years. And despite the looks it has everything a person might need in their meal. Perfect for a remote place like this. But you could get slightly better options in the cities. And don't even get me started on what kind of foods rich people might have. But yeah, this far away… well it's better than going hungry at least." He explained.
"I suppose…" Neytiri said glumly, eating the next spoonful. "Still, it does kind of make you wistful for our foods at home, doesn't it?"
"Oh, it does. No doubt about it." Jake agreed.
"I could go for… a Talioang steak. You know, the kind spiced with powdered Yalimei seeds and Elna berries." She went on to fantasize.
"Seared just the right way and with a side of Remel roots?" Jake joined in, tongue watering as he imagined the taste.
"Of course. And with a generous helping of the traditional sauce to complete the experience." Neytiri said. For a few moments she smiled, picturing the dish in her head. But then her expression fell.
"Of course, even if we had it here, we probably couldn't eat it as we are. The Sky Peoples can't eat our foods can they?" She asked.
Jake shook his head. "For the most part. It would make them sick to try."
"Well… maybe it's better we don't have that here after all. We won't have to endure the disappointment of not being able to enjoy it." She said quietly, staring down at her meal.
"We'll have food like that again one day. Once we get home and back into our real bodies." Jake reassured.
She sighed. "I know. That day just feels like very far away right now. And I expect there'll be difficulties to overcome along the way."
"But until then… at least I have the memories to dream about it. One of many things from home I dream of." She added, doing her best to put on a brave face.
"Yeah. Of course. And I think I know what, or whom, you miss most." Jake replied.
"The same ones as you I expect." Neytiri replied, to which Jake nodded.
The next few moments passed eating in silence, the two finishing their food.
"You know, once when I was a kid my grandma asked me to clean her attic- that's, uh, a space in Sky People homes we can store stuff we don't need at the time- and I came across this cookbook. A really old one, from her younger days." Jake then said.
"A… book?" She repeated. "You mean those things Grace had in her school?"
"…Sort of. Similar." He confirmed. "But this one detailed a long list of recipes. Foods here on Earth. Out of curiosity I decided to give it a look… and I was just totally captivated. Didn't even remember to finish the cleaning that day. The foods described weren't anything I had seen before. Half the recipes and the ingredients were just gibberish to me. But the stuff I did recognize… I'd bet even you would have found them delicious."
Neytiri smiled. "Really? Maybe we could put that to the test then? Do you think you could recreate those recipes from memory? Or maybe we could find one of these books for you if that would help? Perhaps you could save us from the drudgery of what we have to eat here."
Jake shook his head, his expression turning melancholy. "Sorry. Even if I was a half decent cook, which I'm not, I don't think there is much I could do. Even with a book. Pretty sure most of the ingredients would be straight up extinct. Or out of our reach at least. Too expensive."
Neytiri frowned, opening her mouth to ask a question. But before she could there was a knock at the door. She and Jake exchanged glances, then Jake stood up and went to open.
"Good day, Sully. May I come in?" Christina asked with a friendly smile. After a pause Jake nodded and allowed her to enter. As she walked in she gave a nod to Neytiri. Neytiri gave the other woman a look of distaste and turned her eyes aside.
"Is there something we need to discuss?" Jake asked.
"Yes, but nothing world shattering. I just have a small suggestion for you." Christina replied.
"I have a mission for you to undertake, if you're interested." She explained.
"Nothing too difficult to start with, and I think you'll agree that this is in your own interests." She assured.
"You see, the engineers I have working on your pods have requested a number of things they're going to need. Parts, tools, some chemicals, that sort of stuff. I would be sending you to gather the easy, of the shelf items, which would mean a trip to the nearest city to buy them. With those items we would be one step closer to getting you out of cryo. In the meantime I would be making the plans to acquire the trickier stuff on the list." She detailed.
"So… you'd like us to go out there and buy you some stuff? Don't you have runners or something to handle these sorts of jobs?" Jake asked.
"Of course I do. And I'll send them if you decide to sit on your hands." Christina replied. "But there is an opportunity here for you to stretch your legs, so I'm offering."
"Maybe you could also think of it as a refresher course on how things work on this world?" She added.
"A beginner's tutorial for some of you…" She said more quietly, glancing over at Neytiri.
"So… are you interested?" She finally asked.
"Jake… I actually wouldn't mind if we did this." Neytiri unexpectedly spoke up.
"It sounds like it might help us. And give us something to do. For my part I'm starting to get a little tired of being in confined spaces all the time, staring at walls. I could use some fresh air." She explained to Jake's surprised expression.
"What did she just say?" Christina asked.
"We… might be able to give you a hand with this." Jake replied.
Christina nodded. "That's good to hear. In that case go see my Quartermaster when you're ready. He'll outfit you with everything you need for the mission. And then I'll give you a full briefing."
Christina left the way she had come. Neytiri was about to go out the door before Jake stopped her.
"You'd best get dressed first." He pointed out.
Confused, Neytiri looked down at herself, then back up at Jake. "Am I not?" She asked.
Jake laughed until he realized she was being serious. "Well… not really. Not by local standards. Not for being out in public at least. You may have noticed that the Sky People do some things a little differently."
She gave him and incredulous look, then burst out laughing.
"Yes, Jake. I may have noticed that a few times over the years." She said, still giggling.
Jake grimaced. "Okay, a bad way to phrase that. The point being that if you go out wearing only that it might cause offense. Or… well… leering, in the worst case."
That gave her pause. "Leering? Seriously?" She asked, disgusted by the notion.
"Well I'm of course hoping the people at this base are better than that. But you can never be sure. It's better not to give an excuse. And it's all the more important if we're planning on going on this mission. It could really cause a stir out there." He explained.
It was her turn to grimace. "Their attires are… stifling. Stuffy. I don't know how they can stand to wear so much all the time."
Jake shrugged. "They're… used to it. And when in Rome…"
"What?" Neytiri asked, frowning.
"Oh, it's an old saying here. The full saying goes something like: When in Rome, do as the romans do. Basically means that when you're in a foreign place the best thing to do is to follow the example of the locals and learn their ways." He explained.
"Jake, their *ways* are about destruction, death and misery. We've both spent years striving against them. Why would I ever want to learn any of that?" She protested.
"Because this is their world, their place. And here they make all the rules. The things you know, the skills you have… I'm sorry but they won't do you much good here. This world is simply too different. If we want to survive and blend in here we need to adapt." Jake told her.
He paused, noting that Neytiri still looked hesitant. He took her hands into his. "You remember the time when we first met, when I came to live with the Omatikaya? The total buffoon that I was? I seem to remember you saying I was ignorant like a baby. Amongst other things."
"Jake, where are you going with-?" Neytiri tried to ask.
"And even then I did agree to be trained in the ways of the clan. Thanks to my thick skull it was a painful ordeal for both of us, but I'd say I got the basics down eventually. I agreed to put myself through all that because I knew it was necessary to survive and be useful where I was at." He continued.
"And I'd say there was a lot that I gained from putting in all that effort." He added softly, his hand briefly going to stroke her cheek.
"And later, when we had to move to live with the Metkayina, we had to adapt once again, all of us. Because what skills we had learned in the forest weren't of much use on the reef. We had to lower ourselves to be students again, but we did it because we knew it was needed to live there and be accepted by their clan." He continued.
But in the same breath he recalled that she had been the most resistant of all of them to learning anything new, preferring the ways of her own clan. On that subject he and their children had left her behind. It had constrained her more than a little, mostly forcing her to stay home until the time of battle had come. But all the more important then to drive the point home this time around.
"Where we are now, what we need to do… it's much the same." He concluded.
"In most parts, yes. Except for the most important part of them all." She countered. "You came to the People, eager to learn our ways, so we taught them to you. Showed you how to be one of us. The Sky People… there is nothing they can teach that I want to learn. I don't wish to know their ways, because I've seen enough of them already. And I would NEVER want to be one of them. I'm not even here by choice. I was taken from my world against my will. I was stuffed into this body, which I never would have agreed to. And now the only thing I want to is to go back where I belong, and into the body I was born with."
She sighed heavily. "But do I have any more choice now than I did then?"
Jake shook his head slowly, eyes full of sympathy. "Not really, no. Not that I can see. Not unless your plan is to stay here, in this room the whole time. And it didn't sound like that was what you wanted to do either. I get what you're saying. You don't like this. I don't blame you. I didn't want any of this either. But here we are anyway. And you can't go out there, into the human world and try to act Na'vi. That won't end well."
Neytiri made a sour face. "Let's just get this over with. Hopefully we'll be a little closer to leaving all this behind us afterwards." She said tiredly, then went to dress herself.
Afterwards the two made their way to the Quartermasters storeroom. They stopped before a long table just past the entrance, behind which was a fenced in area with stacks of crates and racks of various supplies. The Quartermaster himself was making an inventory when they entered. But he paused his work when he noticed them, walking to the table.
"Haven't seen you here before. Commander Bergh mentioned that her guests might be going a mission today. You the ones?" He asked of them.
"Yeah. We were told you'd kit us out for it." Jake replied.
The Quartermaster nodded, giving a smile. "That I can do. Just give me a few moments to fetch it all for you…"
With that he disappeared deeper into the warehouse, returning a while later with a cart full of things, which he began to lay on the table in two piles.
"Okay, let's start with the basics. There's outdoor clothes, chemical resistant raincoats included. Two pairs of safety shoes. Backpacks. Inflatable tent for two. Sealable, with an inbuilt automated pump and air filtration. Sleeping bags. Breathing masks, with three sets of replacement filters for each of you. A box of grade 1 face masks for when you get into the safer zones. Gas detector. Field MRE rations for six days, just in case you get lost or take longer than expected. Water canteens. I suggest you get those pre-filled before heading out. Water purification tablets. Locator beacon. Signal flares in case you need to call for a bird to pick you up at some point…" He tallied, Neytiri's eyes slowly widening in astonishment as he continued on and on.
"Come on, is this list ever going to end? It's ridiculous! Can't these people get even the simplest thing done without resorting to a massive pile of their toys? Bloody helpless babies…" She complained, rolling her eyes.
The Quartermaster paused. Most likely he had not understood what had been said, but the tone of her voice had been noted.
"Please, continue." Jake said, trying to return the focus on the matter at hand.
"Okay… then next we have your radios. They're networked with the commander's personal radio, so if you need assistance, it will be prompt. Then there's the compass, and a binder with the maps you'll be needing." The Quartermaster said, putting the items in question on the table."
"Wait up… are those honest to god paper maps in there?" Jake asked.
"They sure are." The Quartermaster replied with a chuckle. "We prefer those, since there's always the off chance someone will hack into a GPS system. It's not a problem for you, is it?"
"Nope, no problem. Just surprised to see one. It's been years since I last saw an actual physical map. But I know how to read it." Jake replied.
"Good. Then we're almost done." The Quartertmaster continued. He then went to the wall on the right, where there was a long row of metal lockers. He opened one up with a key, took several objects from within and returned.
"Pistols for both of you. Concealable holsters. Three clips of ammunition for both guns." He detailed.
While Jake was quick enough to accept the weapon, taking it to his hand to examine it further, Neytiri merely stared at her pistol with apprehension.
"No." She finally said, taking a step back.
"No? What do you mean, no?" The Quartermaster asked with a frown. "Come on, it won't bite."
"Does she have something against guns?" He asked of Jake.
"It's not guns exactly. Its things made from metal. It's a religious thing." Jake explained. He laid his gun back down on the table and went to her.
"Neytiri, please. I know you don't like this, but it's for our own protection." He coaxed.
"I… I can't. It's not allowed. It's against Her laws. It can poison a person's soul." She replied.
"It'll be alright. It's just for the time being. Until we don't need to anymore. You've seen myself and others use them without any ill effects. And you and our children have used their devices to talk over distances." He tried.
"This… this is different. I can't. I just… can't. Please, don't make me." She replied.
Jake paused, then sighed, nodding his understanding.
"Maybe it's enough that I carry a gun? We might be better off that way anyway. She isn't trained to use one. Might do more harm than good in her hands." He told the Quartermaster.
The Quartermaster considered. Then he nodded, retrieving her pistol. "Alright. If that's how you want to do this. You want her ammo with you?"
"Are we expected to need that much?" Jake asked.
"Not really, no. It's really just for an emergency." The Quartermaster conceded after a pause.
"But if she doesn't want to use things with metal, then…" He added, going to rummage amongst the shelves.
"…maybe this will be more to her liking." He said as he returned, placing a knife on the table.
"That's a ceramic self-sharpening blade. We use these when we need to get past metal detectors without setting off alarms. So no metals involved." He explained.
With some hesitation she took the knife, testing it in her hands, surprised to note how light and well balanced it was. With the Sky People's preference for guns and other strange contraptions she had not expected them to have the craftsmanship to produce a knife worth the name.
"It… will do. Thank you." She said.
"You wouldn't happen to have a bow to give?" She asked.
He blinked, surprised. "Uh, no, sorry. Not part of our inventory."
Neytiri sighed, shrugging. "A shame. But I suppose I already knew the answer. Your people don't use them. I just thought I'd ask."
"A bow would be too conspicuous for this anyway." Jake pointed out. "You'll need to hide that. And don't draw it unless we're forced to do so. Among the Sky People settlements it's generally forbidden to carry around any weapons without specific permission."
She raised an eyebrow. "Truly? That surprises me. I've seen plenty of them carrying weapons in their villages."
"Yeah, but those were typically their warriors. In a place where they knew there'd be a lot of outside threats. But here on Earth things are different. If you aren't one of the ones permitted to carry them, then having them would make it look we're planning to cause trouble. And we're not looking to fight them today." Jake explained.
"I see…" She said, hiding the blade amongst her clothes. "You said generally?" She then queried.
"Well it can vary depending where you're at." Jake admitted, remembering his times as a soldier, patrolling through tiny Venezuelan villages outside the reach of any law, where guns were so endemic you had to eye every civilian like they might be a partisan about to blow your head off. He would know. One moment of carelessness in that exact situation was what had cost him his legs.
"Was that everything?" Jake asked the Quartermaster.
"From me, yeah. Commander Bergh will probably have more to give you for the mission." The Quartermaster replied.
Jake and Neytiri gathered their things and began sorting them out, putting most of the items in their backpacks.
"Don't forget your boots." The Quartermaster said to Neytiri after observing for a moment. Jake glanced up and saw that her shoes were indeed still sitting on the table.
"Oh, those won't be needed. I'm used to being without such things. And I'll be able to move more silently too." She replied looking almost smug at her declared self-reliance.
Again the Quartermaster looked perplexed for a few moments. "Um… well while in here you might get by. Weird, choice, but very well. But out there are Red Zones that you'll need to walk through. The ground there is tainted with industrial chemicals. Nasty mix of different stuffs. It'll burn right through your soles. Give it half an hour and you'll be back here begging for a pair of shoes. And I'll probably need to send you to the infirmary instead."
"He's right. The areas he describes are no joke. And even safer places… they aren't like the woods at home. Much of it will be rocks and sharp gravel. Not kind to bare feet." Jake joined in.
"Neytiri, please. We talked about this. When in Rome…" He added when she still hesitated.
She gave an annoyed grumble and grabbed the boots as well, starting to put them on, briefly puzzling over the fastening mechanism before she figured out how they worked.
Once they had their gear in order they went to look for Christina. They were directed to the room where they had had their first conversation with her.
"Ah. There you are. Good." She greeted when she saw them enter. "All supplied I trust? Then let's get on with your briefing. "
"First things first, we've forged some ID cards for you both. You are Charles and Nella Sully, respectively." She said, handing the cards over.
Jake took the offered cards, then handed Neytiri hers.
"What is this? A-and those aren't our names!" She protested, clearly confused by the object she had been given.
"Er, what she is trying to say is that thing has knowledge in it. Fake information they've made up. A name, age, where we're from, that sort of things. We obviously can't let anyone else know who we really are, so we need to pretend to be someone else while we're out there among them. These will help with that." Jake replied.
"So… it's to trick them?" Neytiri guessed. "But even in that case… if someone for some reason wanted to know who we are, couldn't we just… tell them this? Why do we need these?"
"Yeah, we could just tell them, sure. But these objects are used to prove we are who we claim we are. If we are asked for them and we don't have any… it would look very suspicious. Last thing we want." He said.
"Just hang on to that for now, okay? Make sure you don't lose it. And remember the name she gave you just now." He instructed.
Neytiri nodded. "I suppose it's starting to make sense why these attires have been made to have these tiny bags as part of them. So many things…"
"Pockets is what they're called. And yes, they're very practical for when you need to store a lot of small items." Jake said.
He turned back to Christina. "All good. Let's continue."
Christina nodded and pivoted to take the next item. But then she paused and turned back. "If you don't mind… could we do the rest of this briefing in English only? No offense but I'd much rather understand what both of you are saying."
"Oh. Yeah, sure, can do. Sorry about that. Force of habit." Jake said.
"It's alright. But for the sake of us poor natives let's stick to words we know we can all understand." Christina quipped lightheartedly.
"So, next, the money you're going to need for this. In cash." She continued, offering an envelope.
"Yeah, it's better that I hang on to that…" Jake said, accepting the money. In the back of his mind he realized he would need to explain to his wife the importance of currency, how to buy and sell things with it. One of many lessons ahead it seemed…
"There should be enough there to buy everything you need and cover all the expenses to get you where you need to go and back." Christina continued.
"And I left a small amount of extra there as well. Feel free to get yourselves a beer or something at the end of the mission." She added, giving Jake a wink.
"Nice of you. Thanks." Jake said with a nod.
"Finally, there's a notebook that lists the items you're to get and addresses of the stores you're likely to find them in." She continued.
"So… where exactly are we going to go?" Jake asked.
"Kabul city sprawl. Kushan district. We've singled commercial zone number fifteen as prime ground for you to do your job."
"Why there?" Jake asked.
"It's one of the newer districts set up by the corporate interests. Mostly foreign residents and travelers. A grasp of English will suffice for you there. And there are quality tech stores there that sell the stuff we're looking for." Christina explained.
"What's more, it ought to be easy for you to reach. Come with me." She added, heading to the door.
She led them to the side cave entrance Jake had seen earlier. There they stopped to put on their breathing masks, Jake taking a moment to ensure Neytiri had put on hers correctly. She seemed momentarily surprised that they were needed, but followed his lead.
Past the entrance Neytiri stopped in her tracks, eyes focused on the landscape. And Jake realized this arid landscape with its sparse vegetation was unlike any place she had seen before. Seeing her unease he went to her and took her hand. Christina meanwhile had noticed they had stopped and motioned for them to follow her. They made the climb to the lookout position, where Christina briefly greeted the guards on duty before going to stand a bit to the side.
"The map folder if you would." She said to Jake. After Jake had produced it from his backpack and handed over Christina spent a moment flipping through the contents, then motioned him and Neytiri over.
"Right. So that ravine over there is the one here." Christina said, pointing first ahead of them, then at the map. "Your first goal is to reach the nearest town, here. It's about two day's trip on foot. Follow the ravine due east until you hit open ground. Then head north through the red zones until you come to an industrial zone. You can't miss it. The town you're looking for is a couple klicks east from there. It's for the people working in the industrial zone. Very international mix. You ought to pass as two returning workers doing a field job for one corporation or other. From there it's a series of bus stops and train rides until you've reached your objective. The notebook I gave you details the connections you'll need."
She then paused as they were joined by another person.
"Nice timing. I was just giving our guests the briefing. You all set to go?" She greeted.
"Ready when they are, boss." The newcomer answered.
"This is Thomas. He'll be your escort for the mission. He's done runs like this before and knows the way." She explained to Jake and Neytiri.
Jake and Neytiri exchanged glances. "Is that necessary? We aren't totally green. And if this is just a fetch quest we ought to be able to handle it on our own." Jake said.
"Maybe you could. But all the same I want you to have a chaperone. I took six years and a lot of effort to get you. Taking a risk in letting you go out there at all is already generous of me. A good will gesture if you will. I'm not about to let you wander off and disappear on me." She countered.
"You think we might try to run? We'd be stupid to do that. We still want to go home, and you're our best bet at getting there. And you hold our cryo pods besides." He pointed out.
"I'm glad you agree. But its unfamiliar territory and he is about the only support you'll have. And as low risk as this might be, it's not completely without danger. Even if you don't plan to run, something could go wrong. And if you die out there I'll lose two very expensive bodies and the knowledge of the deal we made. I won't have it. And the only reason I'm sending just one guy is because a larger group is more likely to attract attention." She replied.
"My place, my rules. Alright?" She concluded.
Realizing this was not a hill worth dying on, Jake gave a slightly irritated shrug.
"That has certainly been made abundantly clear." Neytiri muttered, giving a disapproving shake of her head.
"Hey, I thought we established what language we are to use for this?" Christina said to her, mildly annoyed.
In response Neytiri gave a short, scornful hiss. On hearing it Christina blinked, looking at her in confusion, unsure how to respond.
"You mentioned there were some dangers along the way? Anything specific ought to know about?" Jake cut in before anything else had time to happen.
"The most dangerous part is at the start of the journey. The RDA doesn't know where our base is, but they do patrol on these mountains at times. There's a chance to run into rotorcraft, troops on foot, and swarm bots. All things we should avoid." Thomas detailed.
"Swarm bots?" Jake asked.
"Networked AI robots. Look like mechanical insects about the size of a big dog." Thomas described.
"I think I've seen such in RDA construction sites." Jake commented.
Thomas nodded. "Yeah. Those are the ones. Only these ones have been kitted out for combat. The RDA use them for patrol and garrison duties. And expendable units in risky assaults. There can be upwards of fifty bots in a swarm, toting MG's and one-shot rocket launchers. Sometimes flamethrowers."
"They're also armored against small arms fire. Your pistols won't do anything except scratch the paintwork so… don't engage." Christina supplied.
"Surprised we haven't seen something like that on Pandora." Jake commented.
"I expect it'll start happening soon enough, when they can spare the resources to build them in quantity. For now they've focused on builder bots." She replied.
"Along the way there is also a chance of running into bandits or local guerillas. We have deals and alliances with some of those. But with others we dont. My advice is to stay away from all of those as well. We wouldn't know which one is which from a distance. And no doubt the hostile ones would love to pick off three poorly armed travelers." Thomas continued.
"In the red zones there's obviously a slew of environmental hazards to take into account. But once we get past that and get to the town we should be pretty secure, assuming we manage to avoid drawing attention to ourselves." He concluded.
"I'd like you to report to me once a day so I know you aren't in trouble. Keep it brief, keep it generic and don't be surprised if I don't respond. If I don't send anything back there is less of a chance that someone will trace it back to our home base. Beyond that keep radio silent unless you need help. And if you do, you were given a locator beacon. Turn that on and we'll be able to find you. We see it, and I'll send a response to assist as soon as I'm able." Christina detailed.
"Right. Thanks, mom." Jake said with sarcasm.
She chuckled. "Just minding my investments, mister."
"Well, seeing as all three of you are here and you're all packed, you can set out immediately. So unless there are other questions… good luck." She said.
Thomas motioned for Jake and Neytiri to follow and for the first time since their arrival to Earth, the two of them left the base of the Green Angels behind them.