274)~ "Kaltxì Ma Eylan! Za'u fìtsenge mìfa, rutxe!" Hello my friends! Come here inside, please! "Pxati and Hans met the entourage of ayeyktan at the back door of the facilitee, which had become the primary access for both ayhumon ulte ayuniltìrantokx. The ayikran hesitated for a few minutes before returning to their roosts of the Utral. The members of the pongu, were ushered to the former RDA control room. Reinforced assault blinds had been drawn over the panes of glass, and the smaller holographic display sat glowing in the middle, as did Shy Kirby. He was in his element.
All the pilots, shuttle crews and Starship crew were present. The ayeyktan were present. Mesahik (The two sahiks)Neytiri sì Lamu'ite requested to be included as a means of balancing the outcome.
"Ma Oeyä Mesahik! It is good that you will be part of this pongu. You will play an important role in allowing us to perform this raid without unneccessary bloodshed."said Colonel Schroeder.
"Ma Pxati, it will be important for you to be aware of our srategy. You will be monitiring the high powered radios that will keep communications alive between the ISV and our ground forces, as well as our air arm." Pxati nodded, but the pride in her face was evident. "You can deped on me! I won't let you guys down!"
Tai waited and got the nod of approval from Colonel Hans Schroeder. He and Tai had already pounded out a rough outline of the strategy, and had agreed that Tai would be better suited at including the advice of the mesahik. Tai got to her feet and regarded the two tsahiks gravely. "Ma meuianga mesahik! You will serve a very important purpose in this battle." Neytiri translated for Lamu'ite's benefit. "We will rely upon you and your insight with Nawma Sa'nok, to help us keep the bloodshed down to a minimum. We will be laying out several battle plans, and as we present them, we need your input, to determine which plans would be most effective and selective. At the Tree of Voices, I heard Trudy Chacon assure me that she would "Paint the Targets" to determine who the BAD GUYS are. Who are the ones who are ruled by greed and hatred, and who has Blue Hearts. I invite Ma Mesahik, to join us at the map, so that menga, you two, may also have a clear picture of our intentions. We will NOT take the easy way out and destroy the entire cave while they are sleeping. An avalanche or a bomb could end all of our worries immediately, but we seek balance. Ted Demaria tells us that many people do not wish to serve the RDA vrrtep. We need to identify these few and allow them to surrender, but I am not clear on that plan." Tai had almost expressed this last sentence to herself.
"You could simply ask them to surrender." said Tsahik Lamu'ite matter of factly.
"Kxawm, (perhaps) if the leaders surrender or are killed, the rest will surrender also." supposed Neytiri. Jake took her hand. "If their leaders command from the rear, that would not be likely. Conscripts are usually sacrificed as pawns or bait, to draw an attack."
Taifa' spoke up: "Ted showed us where the command bunker is. It's centrally located only one level down. Radio waves don't flow through a cave too well!"
Tai nodded her thanks to her Cuz and continued. "Once we have come up with several plans, it will be your turn to speak and our turn to listen. What ever our plan, we will most likely have an ikran maktoyu pongu. The eyktan of that group would be of course, Meuianga Toruk Makto. I would be honored if Eyktan Rolkxu would lead the cavalry, ayoengä ayfa'li pongu. (our Pa'li party) I would be honored if Norm Spellman could lead the foot soldiers. Our air wing will be the hammer and the ground forces will be the anvil. " Ateyo and Norm worked out an analogy in terms of stone work, because the concept of anvils implied the use of metalurgy.
Major TaiTaeAo then addressed Captain S'ralta Tamas'. "Ma Shari? Can the ISV be positioned so that your telescopes can be trained on this cave complex?"
"Most certainly! Just give us the grid coodinates and I can lay a beam on them that would allow us to know what they are having for breakfast!" Shari's captivating green eyes sparkled. Tai was smiling in spite of herself but stated, "We are more interested in the movement of these three amp suits and that one chopper than their breakfast. They could mobilize their heavy artiliery against us, and it would be critical for us to know. What ever battle plan we use, it is imperative to eliminate these AMP suits at the beginning of the battle. I don't need to remind you of the damage those cannons can do to a pa'li." Tai met the eyes of Neytiri. The memory of pa'li running with it's mane ablaze, screamed in slow motion through Neytiri's brain. Rolkxu, Neytiri, Ikxeru and Norm had seen the effects of those weapons. "Please, allow me to repeat this: the first things that need to be destroyed are those AMP suits and their cannons."
Eyktan Rolkxu thanked Tai. "It is good that you plan for the welfare of oeyä samsiyu sì poeyä ayfa'li. But I must ask, how will we achieve this?"
"Ma Meuianga Eyktan, Honorable Leader. The most dangerous part of any of the battle plans will be upon the crews of the Lefngapa Ayikran. We have the weapons that can destroy the lefngapa aytute, the metal people. We cannot spend time searching for them, because they will be able to see us coming by the heat of our very skins." Ateyo and Norm translated this and tried to explain the capabilities. "And this is where the efforts of the ISV and Shuttle Crews are critical for the safety of my lefngapa ayikran. Plus our newest electronic tsamsiyu, Patricia Fenwick, who will give us up to the moment information upon the locationa and status of those ayvrrtep lefngapa aytute. With that information we can fly in at maximum speed, giving our targets the least amount of time to fire upon us."
"Ma Tai?" said JakeSully. "Is there anything that we ikran warriors can do to buy you more time and allow the chopppers to get in closer?"
"Ma Jake! Your ayikran are not bullet proof!"
"Kehe, Oe mllte. No I agree. But they have less of a heat signature or radar signature than the choppers have." Jake waited expectanly as Norm tried to explain the planning concerns in Na'vi concepts.
"My very brave, Toruk Makto. If this were World War II, I would have you fly overhead at high altitude, dropping small strips of aluminum over the AMP suits, jamming their radar. But this is NOT World War II, and right off the cuff, what are we supposed to do? Have an army of munchkins with small hammers breaking up the left over Unobtanium into PIXIE DUST for you guys to drop on the AMP suits, totally blinding all their sensors?"
Norm didn't have a chance to translate because both Colonel Schroeder and JakeSully, raised their finger to point out the ideas that simultaneously popped into their brains.
"WAIT!" cried out Colonel Schroeder. "Major, can you repeat that?"
"About the munchkins and the Pixie Dust? I was just being a sarcastic smart sss!"
"Yeah! But an intelligent Smart Sss! Repeat that for us," blurted Jake.
"I said SAN: we should break up some Unobtanium into gravel and pour it on the AMP suits from up above: SIK. That woud totally blind ALL of their sensors!" Ateyo had an easier time explaining this. Norm helped explain "Jamming" the sensors as kakrel si lefngapa aynari, blinding the metal eyes.
"Ma Tai." said Eyktan Atumopin. "We could encourage all our non-warriors to help pound some of the Floating Rocks into dust."
"Oe mllte, I agree," said the Eyktan of Dark Lake clan. "In this way, all Na'vi can help with the attack."
"Ma Kìrvi?" called Tai. "Do you think that you could rig up nine navigation packs for nine ayikran, so the maktoyu can fly to the three predetermined GPS co-ordinates? We need to assign pxeikran to each AMP suit, attacking from different directions." Kirby was excited.
"Srane! Nìlun!" Yes!Of course! I can even rig switchable radar so that they can acquire their targets with little bursts of radar. This would be especially useful if it is raining."
"Great Job!" exclaimed Major TaiTaeAo. "We will need these nine packs ready within a month. The rainy season will start in earnest and I intend to use the cover of a storm to make our attack." she turned to the Toruk Makto. "Ma oeyä Jake," said Tai, "I need to know if a normal sized ikran can carry two Na'vi, the electronics pack, which will weigh about 1o pounds and about 200 pounds of weapons?"
"Kehe. Only the largest of the ayikrans." Jake consulted with the assembled eyktans. Each of the eyktans had been chosen by the largest of ayikran and they were willing to fly the jamming raid.
Jake counted himself on his ikran with Neytiri as his tail gunner. Ikxeru counted himself and Kxetsaw who each had large ikrans. That was three.
Komaktu, of the RedBird Clan, and his son, Täpxukea each had large ikrans. The count was up to five.
Eyktan Atumopin, the Red Painted Na'vi Leader of the Eastern Sea Clan, eagerly volunteered for the mission. "That's six" counted Tai.
Eyktan Tsu'akxu of the 'Olo'Vawma 'Ora, the Dark Lake clan, offered to ride. Tai and Taifa' each had big ikrans, that made their nine.
Once the nine ayikran and aysamsiyu had been identified, along with their gunners, Ateyo stood up said, "Ma oeyä meuianga Tai, it is very important that these lefngapa aytutan, metal people, be destroyed right away, srak?"
"The success of the mission DEPENDS on it, Ma oeyä muntxate."
"All hims try for shoot ayikrans. Atanvi being very small, very fast. I shooting swizaw from behind hims. They not shooting in front too good."
"Woah! Our Little Ateyo is coming up with diversionary tactics." blurted Jake.
Colonel Schroeder watched Tai's reaction at hearing of her mate's intent to join the fray. As Tai was weighing the options of this, Jake spoke up: "Ma Tai. I know you are concerned about letting your Ateyo join the battle. I was concerned about Neytiri joining the Battle for the Well of Souls. I couldn't have stopped Neytiri if I tried. You will need to accept the fact that your Ateyo is a fine hunter and maktoyu. But you can't deny Ateyo the opportunity to join the fight."
"I never thought of denying her the honor of the battle, Ma Tsmukan. But Atanvi is small and I have seen him grow tired after flying as fast as he can. So I am thinking, that rather than have her try to engage all three AMP suits, we have another eight ayikran tossing incendiaries, fire bombs. Three attacking each AMP suit from behind, while another three are targeting with Pixie Dust from high and above. But I insist upon fire bombs instead of swizaw. Arrows won't cause any distraction to an AMP suit." Turning to the ayektan, Tai said, "Ma oeyä meuianga Ayeyktan, we will need eight more of your swiftest, bravest aysamsiyu, who can fly well in the rain."
"Ma Tai!" laughed Eyktan Ikxeru. "We all have experiencing flying in the rain. It will be difficult for us to find only eight! Many more will wish to fly!"
"Txantsan! Ma Eyktan! We will need many warriors,from all clans, to attack the mouth of the cave, after the lefngapa aytutan have been destroyed. Our light brigrade will immediately retreat to the vent on this side of the ridge." Tai pointed out the vent on the atkxerel atan, the holographic map, and indicated Ateyo when she said Light Brigade. "If we can amass a frontal attack, we can use the downwash of the rotors at the front of the cave to blow the smoke from the fire bombs, into the cave itself. Perhaps we can smoke out the unwilling fighters. As they leave through the back door, we can have one or two choppers there with a loud speaker telling them to lay down their weapons."
"Can we assume that the Ones with Blue Hearts be in that crowd at the ~ pak tor?" asked Tsahik Lamu'ite. She was tring to remember the meaning of door and was having difficulty with the literal meaning within a cave.
"Srane, Ma Tsahik." answered JakeSully. "We can assume that those who are unwilling to fight will try to escape through the smoke and confusion. So yes, it is a better chance for those who do not wish to destroy the Na'vi, to escape the fighting here. If it is blocked we should make certain it is open, but without explosives."
"What if cowards try to mingle with the Blue Hearted Ones?" asked Pxati.
"Those people might be hard to identify but those who wish to fight will be easy enough to identify," said Eyktan Komakxtu of the Red Bird Clan. He had an unmistakable glint in his eye of raw determination. "Those who Eywa wishes for us to spare, will find their way to the back with their arms raised above heir heads." Neytiri and Lamu'ite exchanged glances but had thoughtful looks on their faces.
"We have made a good deal of progress here. It would probably be a good chance to take a break and refresh ourselves. When we are finished, I would like to hear what mesahik will say to us." concluded Tai. Shortly afterwards, Pxati and her assistant Deborah Webb, brought out platters of fruit, some meat wraps, and aysnegal of the rich tea that was so stimlating.
