368)~ Steam rose from the tarmac as the sun began to dissolve the puddles. Bare, blue feet splashed through them quickly, as Tai and Taifa' doubled timed it. The ayeyktan had all opted to ride inside a lefngapa ikran to span the distance from the the perimeter to the control room of Blue Heart Gate. Tai and Taifa' caught up with Eyktan Ikeru and Jake, walking at the front of the pack.
"Glad you could make it Major." said Jake. "You too Sargent."
Tai responded with, "It takes a bit more time to shut down a flex-wing than to hop off an ikran, But we made it anyway!"
Eyktan Ikxeru leaned forward to talk past Jake, "Oeri 'efu lenomum ne nume ni'ul ngeyä tìhawliteri." I feel curious to learn more about your plan, Ma Tai."
"Not much has changed. Oe tìkangkem sami tìhawl ahìno. I worked on the details of the plan. We will know more when we get to the atkxerel atan. Light map."
They had all reached the doorway by then. Patricia Fenwick and Colonel Schroeder were there to greet them, along with her assistant, Deborah Webb, all three in Blue Skin.
"Kaltxì ma oeyä eylan! Hello my friends! Awnga fpolìl kxawm lu fkivan awew, We thought you might feel cold, tafral awnga sleyku hawnven sì ayare, peng, ayngaru. Therefore, we have provided foot protection and ponchos, for all of you. " Her Na'vi was awkward, but she demonstrated by displaying her shower clogs and Avatar-sized bath towel. Deborah Webb had trundled out a trolley filled with bath sheets and shower clogs, and proceeded to distribute these items.
"Rubba' Slippa'," Taifa' joyfuly exclaimed. Rubber slipppers, a phrase he had picked up from Ka'alani's Hawaiian pigeon-English.
When all the ayeyktan were suitably attired, Patricia apologized for the coldness. "Awnga zene sleyku awew fpì lefngapa ayeltu ne tìkangkem anìltsan. Txoä livu." We must keep it this cold for the metal brains to work well. Forgiveness."
"Kea tìkin!" It's no matter.
"Awngaru tslam." We understand.
"For your think-good for-the sake-of-we. We give thanks to you." Eyktan Ikxeru was extremely proud of the sentence he had put together. But he followed it with the phrase that touched her heart; "Oel ngati Kameie."
The ayektan crowded around the map. Kirby and Narate exchanged pleasantries, having had worked together in the past. The hologram was already fired up and poised with a view over the RDA Outpost. Tai looked around with concern because she had not seen the "Hinge Pin" for the operation. She had hoped that the aysahik hadn't insisted she stay with them. But out in the corrider was sound of running feet slapping the cold tiles. Breathlessly, Ateyo came abruptly through the door, which Deborah held open.
"Oeru txoa livu!" To me is forgiveness! I telling aysayhik SAN oe zene , I must being here now! set! Atanvi is wait outside!"
Tai reached out her arm and drew her small warrior into the fold of her outstretched towel.
"Tam, Tam, ma oeyä tsamsiyu alor!"
"I would like to know who are the warriors who will be attacking the lefngapa aytiranyu, metal walkers, with my Ateyo." They each stepped forward and gathered near Ateyo. But this was accompanied by murmuring among the others. From the words she could overhear, Tai guessed at the subject matter.
"Pfor'atsu te Olo'Vawma Ora, has volunteered to take four of his warriors and bring down the communications antennae. lefngapa utral aplltxe, the metal tree which talks. I will show those four men how to do this quickly. Fìfya'o, kawnga eyktan kea plltxe hu lefngapa aytutan, in this way the evil leader cannot talk to the metal men. "But we will know where the metal men are exactly. Narate? Kirby?"
Kirby was pleased to allow someone with seniority to do the talking. Narate was confident of her electronic communication skills, but not her Na'vi communications. None the less, she pressed on. "This image feed is forty minutes old. As you can see, there are four AMP suits, tsìng lefngapa aytutan, in these emplacements;" Narate pointed out the four positions, aykllsteng, indicated by a floating red circle. There was a short coversation among Jake, Norm and the ayeyktan regarding the nature of the red circle. They wondered if they would encounter a red circular atanvi, light beam. When the translation got back to Narate, she conferred briefly with Major Tai. Suddenly, the circle changed from red to black. The ayeyktan gasped in surprise.
"Ma Ateyo and her attackers are gold colored cheverons, here, here, here and here." Tai was able to move each golden wing across the "contours"of the map.
"I will place my four lefngapa ayikran here in these four canyons, to make an attack on their front door." Narate provided four red chevrons, which Tai moved into place.
"Tewti, Cuz! Red like air artillery!" blurted Taifa'.
Suddenly Jake remembered the military symbolism. "The Yellow is cavalry, then. Ma Eyktan Rolkxu, where will you place your fa'liyä aymaktoyu?"
The rest of the day was spent moving markers upon the holgraphic map. Yellow circles for Cavalry units, yellow chevons for flying units, blue circles for foot soldiers and Na'vi commando units. The ayeyktan were amazed at the clarity and detail of the terrain. By the end of the day, the Avatars became familiar with words such as kllsteng- position, and tìtsunslu- possibility, as they mapped out strategies, and anticipated reaction and outcomes.
"Ma Major Tai?" said Narate. "Where will you place me?"
Tai and Narate explored the terrain on a slope 150 yards from the mouth of the cave complex, and found a number of large boulders that were strewn before it. Tai used a red hourglass symbol to denote the sniper position.
"I used to be in the 7th Infantry Division. If I wasn't impressed by some of the units you served with , I wouldn't consider using this symbol. Can you make a shot from this distance?"
"No problem, Major! Gloria and I used to practice in a gully near the southern perimeter fence at 500 yard shots all the time."
"Gloria?"
"Long story. Some other time." Narate gave Tai a knowing glance, before returning to the task at hand. The red hour glass became a blue hourglass, an an assertion of her identity. "Na'vi Blue," she exclaimed, smiling at her play on the phrase, Navy Blue.