Storm over Pandora

Started by Lehrrap Uniltìranyu, December 31, 2009, 08:10:08 PM

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Tanhìyärina'

Tireamokri was enjoying Ariel's music when suddenly there was a loud 'ìngrìsì shout.  The Uniltìranyu dropped the small music player and ran for the helicopter, shouting back, "Eywa ngahu!"  Tireamokri pulled the earpiece from her ear and watched, utterly confused.  Something had happened, but she wasn't sure what.  The Sawtute looked very strange, scattering around and yelling to each other.

They all piled in the aircraft and it took to the skies.  <<What was that about?>> she thought.  A tingle ran up the back of her spine.  She quietly picked up the small music player and hid in the trees, climbing halfway up to watch the helicopter leave.  <<Perhaps I will never understand these Sawtute.>>

There were more shouts, and suddenly-- what were they thinking?-- the Sawtute and Uniltìranyu began jumping out of the helicopter.  Tireamokri watched with wide eyes as, one by one, giant wings billowed out from above them, carrying them slowly towards the ground.  <<Are those their ikran?>> she wondered.  <<I did not even see them fly in.>>

All of them fell softly, riding beneath their ikran-- another strange thing, the Na'vi thought, but with all she had seen, if anyone would try to ride an ikran upside-down it would be the Sawtute-- all except Ariel.  Even far away, Tireamokri recognized her-- the smaller Dreamwalker.  Tireamokri could only watch in horror as she plummeted towards the ground.  Finally, her ikran came to her rescue, as if out of the air itself, and she drifted quietly down.  At least, until she got tangled in the trees, crashing through the branches like a herd of angtsìk.  Tireamokri winced at the noise.  "Snumìna Sawtute," she muttered to herself.

Tireamokri deftly crossed the trees and vines to make her way over to where her new friend had crashed.  She found her, hanging from her ikran in midair, the poor creature stuck on branch after branch, injured-- but not bleeding.  In fact, it did not look as if it had ever been alive.  <<What are these Sawtute, with their strange creatures and clumsy bodies?>>  Climbing down to a branch near where Ariel hung, she reached out and took hold of the woman.  Thankfully, she was very near the ground, and being so small, she wasn't heavy at all.  Tireamokri fumbled with the strings and wires and lines, unfastening a few of them, but the others were so tangled, and she was running out of patience.  She drew her knife and cut the lines, catching Ariel and using one large leaf to land them both on the ground.

"Ariel," she said softly, then louder.  "Ariel!  Txen lu!"  Ariel! Wake up [be awake]!  But the Uniltìranyu did not wake up.  Could she have left the body?  Tireamokri had heard stories of Uniltìrantokx going limp and unconscious when the Dreamwalkers woke up.  Could Ariel have woken up?  There was something about the body that led Tireamokri to think that she hadn't, that she was just injured badly in the fall.

Tireamokri wracked her brain.  <<Think, Tireamokri!  What will help her?>>  Suddenly, she realized that despite all the action, Ariel's music player had gotten tangled around her bow, and was hanging from her chest.  Her eyes lit up.  Softly laying the Uniltìranyu on the soft forest floor, she held one earpiece to her ear, and pressed random buttons until music started playing.  Then she held both earpieces up to Ariel's ears.  It was past time to wonder how these things worked.  It was time for action.

"Tsaheylu si!" she begged.  Make the bond!
Fitseng lu oe, tìftia kìfkeyä seri.

Lehrrap Uniltìranyu

Hell's Gate Main Link Room 1 - Locked Down
Blake
2010 HRS


Blake rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He could feel it, the urge to just go to sleep for a while and not get back up, to let someone else try to deal with the Link Pods, but then he remembered everyone who was in there, and what would happen if he gave up.

He slapped himself across the face as hard as he could, blinking out the pain and the sting as he tried to focus back in. He had been sad for a little while. He had heard the death of BROKEN-1 and Jax, the proud Marine Pilot who had done so much in such a small amount of time, all with a grin and a joke.

But he knew that all the Avatar Pilots had survived. He and the other Link Crew members were doing all they could to keep the pods up and running, and to keep the Security force from breaking in.

The Link Chamber was specially built to withstand just about anything. It would take one hell of a blast to even shake the chamber, and the doors were so thick that it would require about a week of cutting before the Security team could make it in. There were food and supplies, so they wouldn't starve and they wouldn't run out of water...

But he couldn't help but worry.

Suddenly, his com unit blared in the silence, startling one of the younger lab techs. "Blake."

Blake looked down at the unit and pulled it off his belt. "Blake Goodson, are you there?"

He took a deep breath. It was Arik's sister, another Avatar pilot, Na'ama.

"Na'ama! Oh, Praise Eywa!" Blake said into the com. "Na'ama, where are you? What's going on outside? Are you safe?"

"I was hoping to ask you that Blake! what the hell is going on in there? There's been security at the doors for hours now! What's happened?"

Blake looked around at the lab techs and they nodded. "Dr. Childs has done a Coup De Eate, and is taking over the RDA. He planned to kill Dr. Augustine and all of theAvatar Pilots that we're with her after shooting down and killing Jax... which I think he has done... BROKEN-1 went down about 1620 HRS. We haven't heard anything from anyone since then. All the Avatar pilots are fine, but Jax... we don't know."

Blake heard silence over the com until Na'ama spoke up again. "And Arik's fine... right?"

"Yeah, you're brother is fine Na'ama. Listen, you need to find a place to hide, or take cover, or blend in, or something. Ten-to-one Dr. Childs will go after you too, and Liz, Julia, and... everyone. I don't know what he's planning, but whatever it is... it can't be good.
------------------------------
Pandora Airspace Wyvren
Flores
1620 HRS


Flores barked the order to fire as he watched the BRK-R missle that Jax had fired take out Songbird, his drinking buddy screaming as he caught the explosion with his face, the Scorpion falling out of the sky.

"BLAS' DA BOY!" He yelled out, fireing off three missles. Two missed, but the second missle hit home, blasting the right rotor of the SA-2.

Flores grinned as he watched the SA-2 pitch and roll. He didn't hear any last words from the dumbass goody-two-shoes Jax, but that didn't matter. The SA-2 fell to the ground, slamming into a tree before hitting the jungle floor, it's fuel tank breaking open and exploading.

"HAHAHAH! Goo' Work Boyz! Datz da end o' dis job! Back ta base! We don' need to worry 'bout dem Avatar boyz and girls, they'll be dead by sundown."

With a whoop and a holler, the two remaining scorpions and Wyvren turned to head home.

One of them wouldn't make it back, it's fuel cell exploading in the air, but that didn't matter. It could be blamed on the Na'vi. All that mattered was that The man known as Jax, callsign BROKEN-1 was dead, and his bird was nowhere to be found.

Pandora was theirs. Dr. Childs had won, in Flores mind. He would be rich beyond belief, and he would be able to rule over anyone that got in his way.



-----------
"Ta'em 'eko!!!"
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"Better to have fought and died then never to have fought at all"
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Bionic Arms and Pandora, The most read FanFic on Learnnavi.org! Read it here! -Shameless self promotion-

Mako

Pandoran Wilderness
1630 Hours


Chris was very close to a state of shock. He gazed at the column of smoke billowing up from the forest. Behind him, he felt Eanataw tighten her hand on his shoulder. She was trying to comfort him, he knew it. He felt a sense of calm come over him. Eanataw made a curious noise in her throat. Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, an Ikran dropped through the canopy and alighted on the branch. Though it startled him, he remained calm. Ikran were known to be very protective of their riders.

"Ma Chris, za'u. Moe tswayon."

He grabbed her hand, their eyes locking, and climbed onto her Ikran. He was unsure on his feet, being careful where he tread. The next thing he knew, the ground dropped away.

--------

There's nothing like being free in the air. It holds a certain majesty about it. An ecstasy, if you will. Eanataw was very loose, not tense like Chris would have expected her to be. She seemed to be enjoying the moment. Chris could understand why.

She turned to him and asked in hesitant English, "What to do?"

Chris wanted to make his way to the wreckage and confirm for himself that Jax was dead. There was no way that someone could survive that blast. It wouldn't be rational.

"Head toward the gunship. Kä ne kunsìp."

She called to her Ikran, which banked toward the nearest pillar of smoke.

He dreaded what they would find, but he would have to learn sooner or later.


Thorinbur

#103
Ralph jumped of the Brokensword with others. Pulled blue handle and looked back at the chopper. Everything happened so quickly. Seconds ago he was sitting on the ground and worries-less talking to some Na'vi kids. Now he was slowly descending looking terrified at Samson's last flight. Jax was awesome pilot and was doing amazing job dodging all missiles, but Samson was just transport unit, not a war machine.

The crossfire from the four Scorpions lanced across Brokensword, and a fire broke out on the right rotor. Jax seemed to roar as he fired off a missle, taking down one of the scorpions. The Wyvren let out one of it's own, and it blasted into the right rotor of the Brokensword.

A crackle came from Ralphs com units when he was getting close to the trees"... This is BROKEN-1... I'm going in hot, and I'm not sure I'm comeing back out. It's been a honor."

Then Ralph entered the forest and lost visual with Brokensword, but it wasn't hard to tell what happened when huge explosion shaked the land.

Brokensword was no more.

Ralph was alone in the fores and didn't knew what to do, but he was sure the Grace landed somewhere nearby and also Ariel is somewhere close...
"Good job Jax, you saved our asses, but who will save yours now? If there is still something to be saved..." he muttered wondering what to do now. After few seconds he notices smoke in between some treetops and rushed there, for two reasons. First, if anything left from Jax, he couldn't be left alone, and second others will probably head same way...
oel kame futa oel kekame ke'u

Sngä'i Tìrey-yä

#104
Ground - Pandoran Jungle
Early evening

Ariel felt herself returning from a state of unconsciousness, lured back by something. Lured back by... was that her favorite song? I must be dead, she silently rationalized, maybe the afterlife is nothing but blackness and your favorite song on repeat. And a deep throbbing pain... wait, am I in hell? Maybe they play your favorite song over and over until you hate it. Hmm, she wondered as she set about getting comfortable for all eternity. But over the sound of the music, somebody was shouting. Goddamnit, she thought, why is everybody screaming at me as I'm trying getting comfortable? Just like before when I was falling... the realization made her gasp.

Suddenly she remembered everything, sitting in a Pandoran jungle dancing with an alien, jumping into a helicopter, jumping back out of that same helicopter, and falling, falling fast.

With a pained groan, she managed to crack open her two big golden eyes, and tried instinctively to shield herself from the piercing light. Her arms were dead weight though, screaming in agony at the very movement. It was like being in her avatar body for the first time all over again, although this time the poor movement was a result of the fall rather than some stupid sciencey thing. Ariel heard someone babbling at her, but the sound didn't register quite yet. She was still dazed, unconsciously doing a body check, feeling through every limb, every muscle to feel exactly where the pain was coming from. Finally, the voice came into focus.

...And it wasn't English. Great. Just what I need, she thought sarcastically, a language lesson on top of a concussion.

"Ok, ok, I'm ok." She said, eyes still winced shut from the massive headache. Ariel tried sitting up slowly, and nearly doubled over in pain when she realized that some of her ribs were probably busted from hitting the trees so hard. "And here I thought these things were supposed to be hard to break." She muttered between clenched teeth. Of course she then realized that falling from such a height in her human body would have killed her immediately, managing to survive with just a few cracked ribs was rather amazing in comparison.

Ariel finally managed to sit up, but not without some major cursing and crying. Panting with exhaustion, she noticed Tireamokri sitting off to the side, watching her with worried eyes. She wanted to assure the Na'vi woman that she was ok, but sifting through her terrible knowledge of the language didn't seem plausible at the time.

"Thank you" She said through gritted teeth, sitting helplessly on the ground. Now that she was free of the trees and awake, Ariel honestly didn't know what to do. Where did the other Avatars go? What happened to the helicopter? Now that Ariel was awake, would Tireamokri assume she was fine and just leave? She looked in what she hoped seemed a pleading way at the Na'vi woman, and wondered what would happen next.
Avatar is a movie about a guy with blue balls running through the forest chasing tail.

Thorinbur

Ralph was running trough the forest. first for the rescue, but after a while it was rushing to meat others, because siting inside the jungle alone scared the s*** out of him. Jungle here was nothing like the one near Grace's School. It was much more dense here thou more dark, and scary. He was so terrified he didn't pay attention to sounds and views surrounding him. It was just him and that great column of smoke rising above trees. After jumping over some fallen tree he pop's out of the fores straight in the middle of crash site...
oel kame futa oel kekame ke'u

Hawnu UnilTxep

Above the Jungle

Eanataw's eyes flashed.  Despite her feeling of dread for Chris's tsmukan, she loves flying.  She had to admit that Chris holding on to her shoulder's and pulling so close to her... that wasn't a bad feeling either.  But she knew his mind wasn't where hers were, so she refocused on the situation at hand.  Her job was recon and consoling, and nothing more.

She took Txep down closer to the wreckage of the closest pillar of smoke.  She circled it once, looking closely to see if it was the right kunsìp.  It seemed to be, but she had no idea.  She squinted her eyes, but it revealed nothing more to her.  Taking her chances, she landed Txep in the canopy, thanking him softly, and dismounting, pulling Chris by his hand off of the mount.  She didn't think that Txep would harm him, but she would take no chances.  He was wearing those weird things on his feet.  It might have hurt the ikran's back... but again she pushed it from her mind.  She took her tsko swizaw from Txep's saddle, pulling it over her head and across her torso.  She would take no chances here.  Not after what just happened.

She pulled Chris's hand again, not speaking, and put another finger to her lips softly.  As much as she wished that this was his tsmukan's kunsìp and that he was alive and well, she did not truly believe it was.  She dropped quietly down the ayvul, watching him carefully, constantly checking the ground and around them.  She dropped finally to the ground, and he followed.  He found her hand again, but she knew it was more for consolation than for feeling.  She squeezed it firmly, tossing him an understanding look, before letting go and pulling out her tsko swizaw.  She led the way quietly through the brush, head low, trying to see the wreckage.

Yes, there it was.  And there were people, though from this distance she could not decipher if they were the ones that she and Chris wished them to be.  She bit her lip softly before moving forward, notching a swizaw and keeping it at the ready.  She clicked her tongue, because Chris was staring at the pillar of smoke.  He hadn't noticed that she was a good ten feet away.  She clicked her tongue again, and this time he noticed, smiling apologetically, and pulls out a knife, holding it at the ready, following close behind her.


Please PM me if you are still interested in the real Na'vi tribe.

Tanhìyärina'

Finally, after what seemed like ages of making sure the little ear pieces stayed near enough to Ariel's ears to form the bond, Tireamokri saw the Uniltìranyu open her eyes.  She winced and muttered in 'ìnglìsì, and though Tireamokri could not understand it, she knew that Ariel was hurt.  And she seemed to be trying to put on a brave face.

Still, she had made Tsaheylu with her little box, and it had brought her back.  Tireamokri smiled gently at Ariel.  "Okay," she parroted.  <<It must be some sort of reassuring statement,>> Tireamokri thought. 

But now Ariel was looking at her with sad eyes.  She looked lost.  It was the most aware she had ever seen an Uniltìranyu about their defenselessness.  Usually they pretended to be fine, and fleet of foot, and swift, and quiet, while in actuality they were none of the above.  But Ariel, at least now, seemed to know she needed help.

"Okay," she said again.  Then she pointed up to where the parachute still hung, gored and gashed, in the branches of the tree above.  "Ngayä ikran lu?" she asked.  Is that your ikran?  Then she spoke a steady stream of Na'vi, making hand motions along with her words.  She lifted one hand off the ground, and zoomed it through the air.  Then she brought in her other hand and smashed her hands together.  With fluttering fingers, she slowly let her hands drift to the ground.  But then she pointed at Ariel, her eyes more insistent now, and smashed her hands together again and dropped one hand quickly to a few inches above the ground, when she made the slower fluttering motions again.  She pointed up and made crashing sounds, and then lifted her shoulders and arms as if she were being held up by a parachute harness, dropping her head to her chest as if she had blacked out.

"Okay," she repeated.  "Tsaheylu sìmi," she pronounced with a smile, pointing at the small music player.  You made the bond.

Then she stood, looking down at the Dreamwalker woman.  "Tsun kllkxem?" she asked.  Can you stand?  She reached out a hand towards Ariel and waited.
Fitseng lu oe, tìftia kìfkeyä seri.

Sngä'i Tìrey-yä

#108
Pandoran Jungle
Early evening


After allowing her to rest for a few minutes, Tireamokri stood and started making gestures that they should be moving. Ariel managed to twist, painfully, and see a column smoke rising from deeper into the forest. She supposed that's where the helicopter went down, and where the group would be trying to meet together.

"Of course, we have to get up and walk. Fantastic." She grumbled, "Its not as if I hate walking through the woods normally, and now I have to do it when I just survived a mile high fall."

Luckily it seemed as though the Na'vi woman understood that she didn't want to practice her Na'vi, and helped Ariel to her feet with minimum spoken words. "Thank you" Ariel whispered through clenched teeth, Tireamokri nodded to show she understood and started walking slowly with the injured Avatar. After a few steps, Ariel cried out in pain and crumpled to the ground. In her relatively pampered life, she had never had to experience this kind of pain, and she wasn't enjoying the experience. Tireamokri gestured that Ariel should jump on her back, but Ariel shook her head. No way was bouncing on the back of another person would be any more comfortable than having to walk.

Ariel slowly got to her feet, and the two women made eye contact and sighed. It was going to be a long and tedious walk.

~~~

The two women made their way through the forest, and after an excruciating amount of time neared the helicopter crash site. Smoke billowed through the undergrowth, causing Ariel to cough - an extremely painful activity. When they could finally see the helicopter wreckage through the trees, Tireamokri halted and looked around in suspicion. Ariel trusted the tall Na'vi's keener senses and tried to keep as still as possible, ignoring the radiating pain along her back and chest. Ariel waited... and waited, and started to doubt Tireamokri's senses.

"Why are we standing here? I really want to go lay down." Ariel started to complain, and the Na'vi woman covered her mouth quick as lightening. It was then that Ariel finally heard something that sounded like an elephant tramping through the forest. The two women exchanged panicked glances, both knowing that Ariel would be completely unable to run and hide if some massive Pandoran predator was approaching them, and there was no way Tireamokri would be able to defend both herself and the small injured avatar.

The two of them melted into the jungle as the sound got closer, and held their breath just in time to see Ralph burst through the foliage like a thanator was on his tail.

Trying desperately not to laugh at the sight, the two women re-emerged from the foliage and Tireamokri helped Ariel stumble over the logs. Ariel gasped in pain, but managed to make the last few stumbling steps towards the crash site and her teammates.

As soon as she got close enough to hear what was going on, Ariel crumbled to the ground and sat haphazardly, gasping for breath. Nobody was going to make her move another inch. Not unless she got some goddamned painkillers first.
Avatar is a movie about a guy with blue balls running through the forest chasing tail.

Nume fpi sänume

#109
Pandoran Jungle Floor
Moments later

Dirt. Soft, mushy, wet dirt. Alex's back hurt, so did his entire left side, from fingers to shoulder, shoulder to toes. It felt like he had been thrown into a wall a couple of times. His world was black, and there was a hissing noise that reached his ear, but right now, that didn't matter. What mattered was that the dirt was wet, warm, soft and welcoming. It felt like a pillow under him, just with a hard center where his back was. All he wanted to do was just doze off, but that damned throbbing pain kept him away from sleep, and that annoying hiss wasn't helping. He raised his arm up to bat away whatever was making the sound, only to feel outward pressure from above his face. It was like something was forcing its way out of his face, but none of it made any sense. He tried to open his eyes, the right one opened with a little effort, but he couldn't open the left. His world was out of focus, quadruple visioned may have been missing a few multipliers, but he saw an intricate spider's web in front of his face, laced with red that slowly crept along. Alex didn't like spiders, and hated their webs even more. He went to brush them away, but they wouldn't move. Annoyed he slapped at them, causing his entire face to radiate pain while he further cracked the screen on his exopack. Recovering and coming to his senses, he realized what was going on. He was laying on his backpack, his new pad undoubtedly broken, or at least badly damaged. He had bounced off the nearby plant that looked somewhat like a giant mushroom on the left side of his body, smashing his face against it as he hit, breaking open the skin on the left side of his face from the impact and splattering blood everywhere. At this point, he now understood that his eye was probably caked over with mostly dried blood. His mind moved on to the next problem at hand, the spider webs and the hissing; it clicked into place before he finished the thought.

"s***." He said as he understood what was going on. His mask was shattered, and the blood from his face had seeped into those cracks. It was probably only holding together by luck and the plastic film between the two layers. The hissing came from the fracture where the seals had broken, and he was leaking oxygen, and quickly, out the left side. Alex felt the panic in him rising as his brain took full assessment of the situation.

"Holy s***!" He said, now out of the daze and into the panic, he tore his mask off, taking the coagulated scab of blood off the wound lining his face with it, and exposing himself to unfiltered Pandoran atmosphere. His survival instincts took over, and he reached for his spare mask, but the pocket was flat. His wounds burned under the exposure to direct alien atmosphere, and it felt like it was trying to force its way into his skull. His lungs tried to process it unsuccessfully, and somewhere in the back of his head, he was reminded of Mars all over again, the suffocating, the fear of death. Alex and his own mortality had become good friends in the past few days, and they weren't on the best of terms. He began searching around for his mask, his only hope of survival, and picked up his broken while he searched. The front had now completely broken out of it.

"Find it or die." His mind screamed. His lungs were burning now, the need for oxygen to his brain becoming overwhelming. He slipped on something slick, losing his balance as one leg went to the right while the other went forward, and Alex fell backwards, losing his backpack in the process. He hit the ground hard for the second time that day, but looking at where he had slipped, he saw the reflection of light. He crawled to it, the edges of vision in his one good eye starting to blur. In a final desperate lunge, his hands grasped the gleaming object, his spare mask. He fit it to his face, the seals quickly taking and fresh air filled the mask. Alex was woozy, and collapsed in a pile of bloody, beaten man. He lay there, just breathing for a good five minutes. He had never been so happy to have a mask on. He giggled, and then laughed, and finally burst into hysterics to the point of almost crying. He was alive. He had survived a low altitude jump from an under fire SA-2, a decent drop to the top of a plant which had cracked his mask and badly bruised his side, then again survived another fall that left him unconscious on a hostile alien planet. Alone on an alien planet. His best friend had just died in a fiery crash trying to save him and the others from being killed. Killed by the RDA no less, the very people who had brought him out here were now trying to kill him! Alex took a look around, he knew the day would be over soon, but the jungle here was thick, he could hardly even see the sky, and not a lot of light filtered down. The bushes behind him rustled as something ran past. The forest no longer seemed as welcoming; it was more like the evil entity that he had seen earlier that was trying to eat him alive. The panic in him rose again, and he reached for his sidearm. This time he had it, and he felt a little better. A flutter of wings above him startled him, and he spun around and shot wildly at it. The jungle seemed to come alive with that sound, as all kinds of sounds and noises from animals moving around and calling to each other erupted all around him, and another flurry of wings exploded from a nearby tree. Alex swung his arm around and pulled the trigger another three times, hitting nothing but trees and plants. He was tense, on edge, and on the verge of breaking all together. He screamed in frustration. He screamed at his best friend dying, shooting at a leaf moving in the breeze, screamed at the situation, and fired another round into the bushes where he thought something moved. He screamed for the betrayal he left in his soul, and with that he pulled the trigger and fired randomly until the sound of the hammer hitting nothing was all he heard. The gun fell from his hands, clattering to the ground as Alex fell with it, wrapped in emotion and grief, in a heap of sobs and a shattered mind. He was alone here, and he would die alone here. Something was sure to have heard him, and Alex awaited the end.

A small beeping noise penetrated his fractured mind...the sound a pad makes when it's running out of battery power. Alex dismissed it at first, too wrapped up in fear and hopelessness to care. His logical mind told him to go look, and eventually it won out. He half crawled, half dragged himself to where his backpack lay. Undoing the buckle, he pulled out his pad. It the screen was cracked down the middle, leaking a gel like fluid. Half of the screen worked though, but it was fuzzy. He took a moment to let his vision clear up, swallowing hard to regain composure as he let his logical mind take over to understand what he was looking at. He saw the green beacon the represented Brokensword, or at least the wreckage of what was left. The fact that the emergency beacon was still active gave him some hope. Not much, but enough to make his legs work. He oriented himself with the direction it showed the wreckage being in, and saw the distance. A mile and a half, not too bad, but he would have to hurry to make it before it was too dark. The screen faded white as the battery finally gave out. Alex turned over the pad and saw the solar cells were shattered.

"Great. Oh well, at least I have a direction." He said as he poped out the memory stick and tossed away the useless piece of equipment. The jungle still seemed forbidding, and full of hatred for him, but the idea that Jax and the others could still be alive was enough for him. He picked up his gun from the ground, dropping out the old clip and sliding in his only spare. He would have to be more careful with this one, he only had twelve shots. He took one last look around. A broken exopack, a shattered data pad, an empty clip and shell casings littered the area. The ground was broken and disturbed by his thrashing about. He pressed forward in the direction of the distress beacon, leaving behind him a graveyard of emotions that had nearly consumed him.

"I'm coming Jax, either to save you or pay my last respects." With that he poped a round out of his sidearm and put it in his jacket pocket. He wasn't going to let some creature kill him out here; he refused to go out like that. That bullet was for him.

Brainiac

Oscar was drifting in darkness. He figured he was dead. At least unconscious. But why didn't his human body wake up?
Unless...
He had no eyes, but he cried anyway. The link between his human body and his avatar had finally snapped. He was stuck, in a dying body. With nothing to go back to. He hoped someone would find him. The darkness was everywhere.

Hell's Gate
Science Lab


Something woke up. It was young. Newly born. No idea of who or what it was. It felt like it was trapped inside something small. It tried to remember where it was. Memories came flowing back. It... no... he, was named Oscar. All his memories came flooding in. He felt great. He threw open the metal casket he was in...

((OOC: dun dun duuuuun!))
Speed is a ppoor sbubstitue fo accurancy

Check out my blogif my presence on this board isn't weird enough for you.

Coyote

#111
Crash Site
Approximately 1650 hrs.












Jax moaned, drifting in and out of consciousness. A figure stood nearby, and each time he flashed in and out of lucidity it was someone different-- a Na'vi, his mother, one of the Avatars, his Drill Instructor... a figure of an American Indian next to a coyote with a dreamcatcher on it's neck, and a piercing stare...

The Marine drifted back into blackness, but the figure stood nearby.

Nef'tys stared at the struggling figure before her, not knowing what to do, what to say, who to call to. She licked her lips in apprehension, watching the atokirina' drift away from the mangled Tawtute form.

What does it mean? she wondered.

She was interrupted by a sudden motion, her ears flicking as she realized she was not alone. She'd heard the Tawtute weapons and their awful crashing sounds many, many paces away, but knew that the clumsy Dreamwalker bodies could not be here so soon, nor so quietly...

<<What are you doing here?>> a familiar voice said.
<<Looking for sister,>> Nef'tys said, <<She fell from the Tawtute Ikran-flyer.>>  

Sek'mut glided quietly through the stalks of jungle plants, four of his choice warriors with him, arrows nocked but bows not drawn as the Tawtute on the forest floor before them lay limp. Sek'mut approached, setting his bow aside, and reached out to touch the Sky Person. Jax didn't stir, and Sek'mut pulled out his knife.

<<Go away, little sister,>> Sek'mut said, <<You should not see this.>>
<<No!>> Nef'tys said, <<Don't do it! Eywa says he is good!>>

The warriors looked at each other, condescending smiles on their faces. Sek'mut frowned at his headstrong littlest sibling.

<<Eywa said he was good?>>
<<The atokirina' landed on him!>> Nef'tys said, <<We should take him to Mo'at.>>
<<You are a priestess now?>> Sek'mut asked, <<You still have four seasons before you climb iknimaya, sprout. Now go back to Kelutrel and wait for us to find Aniuket-- and take care of these demons.>>

<<I have three seasons before I climb iknimaya,>> Nef'tys said curtly. <<And you must not-->> She was interrupted by the hand gesture of one of the warriors. Instantly they all fell silent, ears flicking.
<<Demon approaches,>> the warrior said.

<<How did it get so close?>> Sek'mut demanded.
<<This one moves quieter than the rest,>> the warrior said. They all formed a defensive stand on the far side of the crash site, bows ready. They could hear shouts and crashing from the other Tawtute and demons, but they were still a ways off. This demon was nearly upon them.

<<I smell their kunsip blood,>> one warrior grumbled.
<<Oy-yil,>> Sek'mut said, <<Oy-yil, they call it, and yes, I smell it too. Let it approach, and we will gather more than one.>>

Within moments, the blunt, grey ugly snout of one of the Tawtute masheenkuns poked through the brush, followed by the form of a clothed Dreamwalker body. Sek'mut's face twisted into a mask of rage as he recognized the creature that had taken his sister in the kunsip.

<<You!>> Sek'mut said, <<I will kill you for what you have done! Call your friends and will let you die together; but first tell me what you did with Aniuket!>>

All Arik understood was "Aniuket".

"Um, look, dude," Arik said, "We got seperated, but she's okay. She did that leaf-bouncing thing, um... look, you nolo comprende, eh? I mean, um, ke tslam?"

Arik and the warriors glared at each other over Jax's body, and the crashing got louder.

<<Sek'mut,>> the first warrior said, <<The other approach.>>
<<Let them come,>> Sek'mut said, <<It makes it easier for us to eliminate them.>>

Soon Ariel, Ralph, and Tireamokri entered the clearing, immediately seeing the standoff. Alex was pulled in by Oscar, Esme, and Grace, who immediately sized up the situation.

<<No, put your weapons down!>. Grace said, <<The Sky People attacked us; we are not your enemies!>>
<<You are Tawtute; you are enemies!>> a warrior shouted back.
<<Do not be fools,>> Tireamokri said, <<The Sawtute betrayed them! They need help!>>

Eanataw and Chris stumbled into the clearing, Eanataw with her bow nocked and ready as well, Chris with a knife in his hand. The warriors' bows tracked each new arrival, becoming increasingly nervous with each new arrival-- especially with so many of their fellow Na'vi coming down on the same side as the Dreamwalkers and their vicious little Sawtute minions.

<<And where is Aniuket in all this!?>> Sek'mut demanded, <<What have you done with her!>>
<<Put your weapons down and we'll get it sorted out!>> Grace demanded.
<<You have no voice here, demon!>> A warrior yelled back.
<<These people need help!>> Eanataw said.

<<TING MIKYUN!>> a voice shrieked, cutting through the din. The argument fell silent as everyone's eyes fell on Nef'tys, tears of rage and frustration in her eyes.
"Listen... to what?" Grace blurted out.
"Look!" Nef'tys said, in English, pointing.

The sky over the clearing was full of atokirina', drifting lazily overhead. The Na'vi watched as the seedlings settled into the silence, as if filling the sudden vacuum, and drifted across to land on each of the Avatars and Tawtute at once. The numbers were small, just a handful of atokirina' apiece, maybe three or four, but the selective nature of the blessing was unmistakable.

The warriors exchanged nervous glances. One lowered his bow, but a growl from Sek'mut reversed the action.
<<What does it mean?>> Sek'mut wondered aloud.
<<We take them to Mo'at,>> Tireamokri said. <<She will decide. But we all saw it. Eywa wants them for something.>>

Sek'mut grit his teeth, his fists clenched, and he let out a shout of frustration. <<Very well!>> he said. <<We will take them to Mo'at.>> He made a motion to his warriors, who lowered their bows.
"Arik," Grace said, nodding towards his M-60 machinegun. Arik nodded and lowered the weapon.
"We need to make a stretcher for Jax," he said. Eanataw translated, and Sek'mut and his warriors collected branches, as Arik went into the wreckage to pull out the trauma pack from Brokensword. He pulled out the emergency shelter blanket, a paper-thin shelter that was bright orange on one side, and dull green on the other. In grudging silence, Arik and the warriors worked together to make a stretcher, placing Jax on it carefully. Arik checked his rebreather pack, noting it was undamaged, miraculously.

"I have an extra rebreather pack if anyone needs one," he informed the humans.
"No talk, go," Sek'mut said.
Arik looked at him. "I knew you spoke English," he said with a smile.
Sek'mut spat on the ground as if getting a bad taste out of his mouth.

Together, in tense quiet, they walked back to Kelutral, Nef'tys taking Grace by the hand and guiding her along. The warriors knew exactly where they were and moved steadily towards Kelutral.

"Where my tsmuke?" Sek'mut growled, glaring at Arik.
"We got separated," he said, "She jumped on the leaves," he said, pointing up towards a similar set of large leaves as they passed under them.
Sek'mut grunted, but did not challenge Arik further.

Soon, the foliage parted, and they reached a large cluster of Na'vi standing together. Challenging whoops and cries went up as the not-quite-prisoners; not-quite guests were herded before the village elders.

Eytukan and Mo'at approached, dubious, with another grim and scowling warrior following behind them. A pair of lovely young Na'vi women followed in their wake, staring curiously. Sek'mut nodded to the senior warrior, who nodded back, and he made his report to the chief.

<<I found these demons and their compatriots in the wreckage,>> Sek'mut said, <<I wish to turn them over to Tsu'tey's custody so I may continue searching for my tsmuke.>>

Eanataw, Tireamokri, and Nef'tys protested.
<<Eywa sent a sign to preserve them,>> Tireamokri insisted. <<Am I not right?>> she demanded, leveling a stare at the other four warriors that captured them. The warriors suddenly seemed to shrink back, exchanging guilty looks before Sek'mut's withering glare.

<<It is true,>> one of the warriors said, bravado suddenly gone from his voice. He told them of the atokirina'. Reluctantly, the warriors confirmed what the female Na'vi said.

<<Then we will see what Eywa wants with these outlanders,>> Mo'at said, looking them up and down, her face a tangled mess of emotion ranging from curiosity, to fascination, to dislike. She looked at Jax. <<All those with wounds... we will do what we can.>>

<<Go and look for your tsmuke,>> Eytukan said to Sek'mut. <<And come back with success-- and some calm. This is the time for careful planning, not rage.>>

"Tsmuke is 'sister', right? Are you going to look for Aniuket?" Arik asked. "I want to help."
"I do not want your alien stink in my nose," Sek'mut growled.
"Arik," Grace said, "If you go, it will just distract them. You are a source of argument right now."

"Damn," Arik said, slumping down. Nef'tys came up to him and gave him a brief hug.
<<Tsmuke will be alright; she is of the People. Not as clumsy as you are,>> she said with a smile. Some of the Na'vi laughed, which diffused the situation a bit.

Tsu'tey nodded towards Sek'mut, and Sek'mut turned to his warriors. <<Come along,>> he said gruffly, and they stalked back into the forest.

The Avatars and the humans sat in a collapsed, tired heap in the middle of the Tribe, surrounded by Na'vi, and waited to learn their fate.










Results:
Crew is 'rescued', fate uncertain.
Left in Kelutral with tribal leaders to determine fate as warriors search for Aniuket.

***
In Libertarianism, there is no Government, so the Bosses are free to exploit the Workers.
In Communism, there is no Government, so the Workers are free to exploit the Bosses.
So in Libertarianism, man exploits man, but in Communism, its the other way around!


VIDEO LOG DAY 8:
Attempted to pee on Viperwolf to test reaction. Please see attached medical file.
WARNING: Attached medical file exceeds gigabyte limit. System failure.

Lehrrap Uniltìranyu

Hell's Gate Link Room
Blake
2020 HRS

The sounds of a Link Pod shutting down and opening up startled Blake and the rest of the lab techs as they looked over and saw Oscar trying to sit up.
Blake sighed in relife. "Guys! Oscar has woken up!"

Oscar shook his head slightly as he tried to refocus.
Blake rushed over to Oscar's linkpod. "Oscar, can you hear me? Is your Avatar safe? What's up?"

Oscar blinked. Once. Twice. He knew this man."I...am all right." He thought this was what the man wanted to hear. Meanwhile, he searched his memory for something relevant. "My avatar is okay... I think"

Blake frowned. "What happened out there? Where is everyone else? Is the rest of the crew ok? Do you know what happened to Jax?"

He had to think fast. He knew, somehow, that if they found out he hadn't been Oscar for too long, they might make him into... not-Oscar. "I don't know what happened. It all happened so fast. I don't know anything about the others." That seemed safe enough.

Blake frowned. "Damn." He muttered, looking around at the other labtechs as they rushed over to help Oscar.

Meanwhile, Oscar looked at his body. Stretching and bending his fingers, trying to focus in and remember what was going on.

Blake looked back over at Oscar. "Hey, you ok?"

"I... guess. Say, can I get something to drink? Like a glass of cold?" He knew he'd made a mistake when he said it. "Water, I mean."

Blake looked at Oscar, and then over at the diagostic computer and blinked in suprise.

"Is there a problem?" Oscar asked.

"Oscar... did you get knocked out when you leaped from Brokensword?" Blake asked softly.

Oscar blinked. Brokensword rang a bell. "I... could have been. It's all a bit hazy."

One of the labtecs gasped as he looked at the readouts from the computer. "My god..." Blake shook his head. "Oscar... what do you remember right now? How are you feeling? And... where are you?"

"I remember everything that happened before I got..." what was the right word? Logged? Linked? Linked! That was it! "linked up today perfectly. But everything now is hazy.". He recalled the other questions. "I told you: I'm fine, and I'm right here!'

"Oscar... please. Where are you?" Blake said softly.

'Oscar' started panicking. This was wrong! He didn't know what to say. "I'm right here! What do you mean. I don't understand you!"

Blake took the portable comscreen and brought it over to Oscar and showed it too him. "Oscar... your biometrics are off the chart. I think... I think you've been split."

Oscar looked at the chart. It didn't make any sense to him. He recognized numbers, but that was all. He jumped up, and tried to find an exit. He had. To. Get. Out!

Blake was startled but one of the Labtech's was ready for this move and tackled Oscar, which was impressive considering the size of the man. Blake dashed over. "GET THE SEDATIVE! We need to calm him down! Oscar! Calm down we just want to talk! Something went wrong with the link, you need help!"

Oscar heard Blake talk, but the words didn't form sentences in his head. Panic had taken over. He scratched, punched and bit, but they got the needle in him anyway. He felt himself become drowsy, and sank into a puddle on the floor.

Blake took a deep breath and frowned. "Get Oscar to one of beds, and strap him down. We don't need him to freak out."

-------------
Results: Oscar seems to have been split between two minds and two bodys somehow and has been strapped down to keep from freaking out.



-----------
"Ta'em 'eko!!!"
-----------
"Better to have fought and died then never to have fought at all"
-----------
Bionic Arms and Pandora, The most read FanFic on Learnnavi.org! Read it here! -Shameless self promotion-

Lehrrap Uniltìranyu

#113
Hell's Gate Landing platform 1
Dr Childs
0600 HRS


-THE NEXT DAY-

It was starting to brighten up to what was looking to be another beautiful day on Pandora. But that didn't matter to Peter Selfrige.

What mattered to him was the fact that he was being marched to his death by his own security guards. "YOU CAN'T DO THIS CHILDS! The RDA will find out about this, and when they do, you're dead!"

Dr. Childs just smiled at Selfrige, tut-tutting as if he was silencing a annoying child. "Peter Peter Peter, you don't quite get it, do you?" Child's said softly. "I stand as the one to replace you if you die, in any case of events. It just so happens that this is one of those events and you're going to die. That makes me director of operations on Pandora."

Selfrige was panicking, his heartrate jumping wildly as he tried to figure out to escape. They had shoved a Exopack onto his face when they marched him out the Airlock, and it looked like they had brought the bow and arrows from his office with them.

"What the hell are you planning, Childs?!? Why are you doing this?" Selfrige asked, his eyes wild as he looked at the man who was operating a AMP suit with a soft, meniacle smile.

"Why? ... Well, if you really must know, It's MONEY, my dear boy, MONEY. Not just money eather. True, absolute power." Childs said with a flick of his wrist.

"But you have money! You've been payed well by the RDA!" Selfrige said.

Childs smiled and shook his head. "You just don't get it do you? Let me ask you a question, Peter... what's the most valuable commonity in the UNIVERSE right now?"

Selfrige scoffed, "Unobtainum, everyone knows that. The little gray rock sells for twenty million a kilo. Your point?"

Childs sighed. "Still thinking like a director and not as a man who wishes for true power, but that's a acceptable reply... for now. Yes, Unobtainum. twenty million a kilo, as you so quaintly put it. What you don't know... is that its only worth so much because earth is dependant on it."

Selfrige looked at Childs, suddenly afraid. Childs' voice had changed. No longer was it condencending, it was... maniacle, a mad man standing on top of the burning world.

"Pandora is MINE Selfrige. The security force works for me. When we show them your body, and they see the arrow wound before we burn your body, they'll belive the Na'vi were the cause. The reason the Na'vi attacked with be pinned on that man... the pilot you hired. Jax, was it? Dr. Augustine picked well, a cocky, upstanding little prick of a pilot with lots of skill, but arrogence leads to mistakes. A missle fired from his Gunship killed him and everyone in Dr. Augustine's school, where she had been prepping the Na'vi for war." Childs said, his face twisting into a grin of true evil.

Selfrige was afraid, his eyes wide as he listened to Childs, who chuckled. "Dr. Augustine and her people are spies. They will be exicuted, and the AVTR project will be scrapped. Then I'll kill every one of those blasted Na'vi, and rise to my true place in the world. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the most powerful man alive! Earth's fate rests in my hands! Pandora is a impenitrable fortress. I have true control over it. I'll just keep adding to my forces, adding to my supplies untill I have total control."

Selfige could only watch in horror as Doctor Childs started to laugh. It started as a low chuckle and soon became a howling laugh that could only be taken as the laugh of true evil. "You're a monster!" Selfrige said, trying to escape his captors.

Childs chuckled again, his eyes blacked out and evil. "Monster? Of course not. I'm a Business Man."

The guards suddenly let go of Selfrige and leaped away into a roll. Selfrige looked and saw Child's AMP Suit grab the Bow and nock the arrow. "Mr. Selfrige... did I ever tell you that I was a national champion in archery back on Earth?" Childs said, a dark smile on his face.

Selfrige didn't know what to do, but survival instinct kicked in.

He ran. Turned and sprinted away, his feet pouning against the ground.

Ne never stood a chance.

He heard it and felt it, just for a split second. The wistling sound that a Na'vi arrow made when it flew though the air. He felt it, the tip of the arrow touching the back of his head.

And blacked out, the world dead to him, and himself dead to the world.

Childs' AMP suit walked over to inspect the kill. All the security cameras had been turned off, so no one would know of what had truely happened. He knelt down besides the remains of once was a Peter Selfrige, his head ripped open by the massive arrow. The arrow itself had imbedded itself in the remainds of Peters face.

He switched on the com. "Get the Cleanup crew in here, I've got trash to burn. Get pictures from all direction of the arrow and the back of his head, not the front. Whats the status of breaking into the Link Rooms?"

A voice came in over Childs' com unit, a Security Cheif. "Sir, Link Room 1 has sucessfuly been disabled and it's occupants..." There was a ringing CRACK of a WASP being fired. "Eliminated."

Childs nodded. "And the others?"

The Cheif's voice went hard. "They went into Triple Lockdown before we got to them. They have supplies enough to last them for a few months, but We'll do what we can to break in sir."

Childs growled. That wasn't part of the plan. "Deal with it, Jameson, or I'll deal with YOU personally."

The Cheif, Jameson, gulped. "Sir, right away."
-----------------
Kelutral - Dreamscape
Jax
?? ?? HRS


It was cold. Suffocatingly cold.

Jax never liked the cold. It bothered him, dulled his reactions and slowled his thought process.

He knew that he was dead. He just knew it. He was on the verge of tears. He was finally going to be able to give up.

He had felt like he had been moving, but there was no possible way.

But still... it was Cold.

Freezing.

Then the world lit up with fire and brimstone, a large hand, human and red, dripping in blood, came out of the sky and down upon him like a jackhammer. He cried out in pain as he tried to stand up, to get out from under the crushing force.

"James Legain! You would give up, already?!? But the fun has just begun! What about all those people you try so hard to save?" A voice said. The hand's pressure increased as he was pushed down to his knees, his arms struggling to keep the hand from crushing him, the molten-like blood pooling around him.

And that's when the voices begain. It was Nigeria, again and again and again. The cries of pain, the terrified yells for help, the voices asking for him to save them, to help them. "JAX! WHY COULDN'T YOU SAVE US JAX?!? WHY CAN YOU ONLY SAVE YOURSELF!"

Tears came to Jax's face as he continued to try to hold on, his spirit falling as the hand continued to put pressure on him.

The owner of the hand leanded over to grin at him malicuously. He found himself looking at a twisted, demonic version of himself. "Face it, Mr. James Legain, the one they call... Jax. You're useless, pathetic. You killed so many... all this bood... and yet, you never saved anyone. Not on Earth, and not here. Your 'friends' are hurt, scattered to the four winds because you tried to save them, and you failed, AGAIN! Face it Jax, the devil himself has placed his mark on you. You shall live and live and live again, and each time you try to help, they will die and you will survive, the Devils Luck upon you!"

Jax sunk down more, tears streaming from his face as he tried to compose himself. He was broken, crushed, unable to fight anymore. He screamed out for death, to let it finish him, finally, when a voice broke though the fire and brimstone.

It was a million voices... of those departed, those still living, of the animals and the trees, all in a perfect union. "<<LEAVE THIS PLACE, DEMON. THIS CHILD'S TIME HAS YET TO COME, AND HE HAS DONE MORE THEN HE THINKS.>>"

The demonic Jax hissed and vanished, the pressure releasing from Jax, who fell to the ground, sobbing and in pain.

Soft hands slowly picked Jax up, pulling him close into a loving embrace. He suddenly didn't feel his pain anymore, he felt loved, protected, safe and warm. The cold had vanished.

He tried to look to see who was holding him, but the face was not visible to him, it kept changing.

It was a proud Female Warrior, his mother, a mother wolf, a mother viperwolf, but none of the faces seemed to fit. All he could tell is that her eyes were soft, and full of nothing but love and balance, and there was a smile upon her lips.

The voices spoke again and he felt clamed. "<<Rest, warrior. Though you may return to me soon, do not fear your path. Your friends are there for you, to guide and protect you even when I can not. Peace to you, son of another world, your spirit may return here should your body not live.>>"

And she vanished. The world fell away as he blacked out again, the voices and visions gone, along with all the pain.



-----------
"Ta'em 'eko!!!"
-----------
"Better to have fought and died then never to have fought at all"
-----------
Bionic Arms and Pandora, The most read FanFic on Learnnavi.org! Read it here! -Shameless self promotion-

Coyote

#114
Kelutral, Omatikaya Clan
Uniltìrantokx Campsite
That Night











The Avatars and humans were sectioned off onto a wooden platform that had grown out of the great tree. Tsu'tey argued they should be made to sleep in the school building, but Mo'at had vetoed the idea, fearing that the school building itself was a likely target. They hid in Kelutral itself, but away from the rest of the tribe and under the watch of a rotating shift of warriors.

Arik hesitated to hand out the weapons, not wanting to insult their hosts. But he did let Esme and Alex know that they were in his pack, along with the canteens, throat mikes, trauma kits the extra breather mask components.

"You should get some sleep," Alex said to him.
"I can't," Arik said. "It's my fault Aniuket is out there."
"If you don't sleep," Esme said, "You're body back at Hell's Gate will be exhausted, and you won't do anyone any good."

"Aniuket?" asked Tireamokri, "Hunters find, put safe. Rest." She noted the concern this Uniltìrantokx had for a Na'vi and found it reassuring about their nature.
"Arik," Grace said, "They're right. If you really want to help, the best thing you can do is let both bodies be rested up for... whatever tomorrow brings."

<<Tell him we will wake him if she comes back,>> Eanataw said, and Grace passed it on. Arik nodded, and fell into a fitful sleep, until his awareness left the Avatar.






Drive Pod Room







"Oh, hell," Arik said, rubbing his eyes as he sat up. "In there, you're physically resting but mentally active... why am I exhausted?"
"The sensation of stress still taxes your body," Blake Goodson said as he approached Arik with a steaming cup of hot cocoa. "Here, get some blood sugar flowing in you, and some of the lab assistants are making some chow on burner plates. It's the best we have."

"What the hell is going on?" Arik asked. "Is my sister alright?"
"She's okay," Blake said, "And hiding. Look, everything's gone crazy here. It's Dr. Childs."
"Warren? What happened with him?"

"A number of things," Blake said. "Things that, individually, may seem small, but taken together... He's become increasingly jealous of the high profile Grace has back on Earth. The RDA owns a huge stake in the popular cable channels, stuff like the Pandora Channel, Animal Planet... and of course the RDA owns the rights to anything filmed here. They make a killing on selling these programs, almost all of which feature Grace's work in some way."

Nearby, the other pods were open, and the other Avatar drivers were clustered around. Grace Augustine joined them, smoking her cigarette. "The problem is," she said, joining in, "Some politicians feel that my broadcasts offer encouragement to the eco-terrorists back home. They'd like someone more... pliable in charge. Selfridge won't shut me down because, even though he thinks the science section is a steaming pile of bull, it brings in a lot of good publicity and pays for itself. The Pandora Channel alone provides a lot of revenue."

"So Warren thinks he can cut a deal," Arik said. "Nice. So do we know what's going on out there?"
"We're barricaded in," Blake said. "I had a feeling something like this might happen someday, but I never knew it would be so quick and so... so crazy."
"And Na'ama?" Arik asked.
"Outside, no one's harmed her yet. She has a radio," Blake said.

"So, Dr. Childs did this because he thought he could be put in charge of Pandora?" Grace asked.
"I think it is much, much more complicated than that," Blake said. "Even I am not entirely certain of his full motivations. At minimum, though, he wants control of Hell's Gate and figures that he has political backing at home to support him."

"But what about RDA Corporate HQ?' Arik asked, "Will they appreciate Childs taking over? And what about Director Selfridge?"
"We don't know," Blake said. "I don't know if Selfridge is part of this, or if he's been imprisoned, or what. I'm hoping Na'ama can be our eyes and ears on the outside and give us some up-to-date information."

A huge plate of steaming hot eggs and toast were brought to Arik, which he consumed greedily. Water was available, but he declined coffee so he could rest later. "So why would he attack us?" Arik asked between mouthfuls. "We're brand new, mostly harmless..."

"You guys showed up in a hurry, relatively speaking," Blake said. "You didn't go through the regular vetting process, you bypassed years of company brainwashing... I have a sneaky feeling that someone back on Earth, either in RDA or somewhere, helped you guys. You all got assigned to the same sections, and everything that was needed to help thwart Dr. Childs was delivered to us-- you guys. Avatar drivers, military veterans, a pilot..."

"So, someone back home is looking out for us," Grace said. "But who?"
"Could be anyone," Blake said. "It could be RDA, looking out for it's investment. Could be one of the ecological-action groups back home, or it could be a politician with competing interests. To be honest, it could all be a crazy coincidence. There's too much we don't know yet."

"Meanwhile, we're stuck in these rooms," Grace said as food was brought to her as well. "How long can we hold out?"
"Days, weeks," Blake said. "The most important thing is to keep you guys fed, safe, and active. You're our resistance. Think of what you may need outside and we can have Na'ama try to drop supplies over the edge of the wall or something. We need to find out if there are any other people out there that stand against Dr. Childs and if they can help, too."

"What can we do now?" Arik asked, looking at Grace and Blake.
"Rest up, keep fed and healthy," Blake said. "I'll have Na'ama check in tomorrow morning and you can talk to her," he said, holding up a radio. "But for now, finish eating and try to sleep."

"Get some sleep while waiting for girls," Arik said. "Seems to be a recurring theme with me."

Grace looked over and noticed Oscar. "Oscar is OK then? Why do you have him strapped to the table? Did his Avatar die or something?"
Blake looked over with a worried frown. "Frankly, we're not sure. We think his Link Pod had a malfunction of some kind, which snapped the Mental Link between him and His Avatar. From what we can tell, the Avatar body is still alive... and has half of his consciousness."

Arik and Grace looked at Blake in confusion. "That can't be possible," Grace said, frowning, "We tested for that sort of thing!"

Blake shook his head. "We're not totally sure what happened. All we know is that this Oscar doesn't remember anything before the creation of the mental link a few days ago. We think this is the 'consciousness' from the Avatar body, part of the mental link. As you know, Oscar kinda pushed the clock a bit to get into his Avatar body before the brain fully developed. It's fully developed now, but... the link was created when it was still developing."

Blake paced a bit, "We think that it created a fluctuation in the link, a secondary space that allowed for another consciousness to form. Oscar must have experienced some sort of great shock and it rendered him unconscious, severing the link. This 'split' his consciousness, which means he's technically two completely different people now. 'Old' Oscar is still in the Avatar body, probably pretty badly injured, and 'New' Oscar, the one we have right here, is the consciousness that returned to the body."

Grace shook her head, a slight look of shock on her face. "Oh s***. And you're positive about this?!?"
Blake shook his head. "No. Well, maybe about 92%, but all we can tell from the mental readings and scans is that 'New' Oscar is alive and well and that 'Old' Oscar is hurt but alive. I mean... we'd need a real neurological physician to know, I'm just going off of what I know from my years of experience here, and stories form the earliest Avatar experiments."

Ariel sat up. "Can't we do something? Anything?"

Blake sighed and shook his head again, which he was starting to tire of. "Not right now. Like I said, you need to finish eating and get some sleep. We can inform the Na'vi about it when you get back to Hometree."








Results:
Avatar drivers wake, eat, and get caught up on some scattered details.
By now everyone knows Dr. Childs is involved in a plot of some sort, but don't know the full extent.
A serious problem has developed with Oscar's body and his Avatar "splitting consciousness".
Right now all they know is that he wants to be awarded control of Hell's Gate backed by powerful political interests, and no more.


***   ***   ***   ***   ***   ***



Hell's Gate, Pandora
Science Section Quarters
0550












Na'ama walked into her room, wondering what she'd say to anyone if she saw them. Fortunately, the room was empty. She took a quick shower, in which she cried, overwhelmed with the events Blake had told her about over the radio. She toweled off and dressed, leaving her beer-smelling clothes in the laundry basket. She put on normal work clothes but made sure what she wore was dull and dark, and would fit in with the Pandoran wilderness. She had a bad feeling that at some point she may have to go outside with an exopack.

She grabbed her gym bag and put in an extra set of clothes and her iPod, her Avatar survival book, some toothpaste and a toothbrush, and left. She was hungry, but returned to the science section storage room where she'd spent the night. There, she retrieved her stolen radio, which she'd left recharging from the wall socket, and picked through the storage room for any field rations that might be left.

There were none.

Crap, she thought. She stowed her bag behind a pile of innocuous-looking boxes of unopened sample bags and walked out into the hallway, grabbing a clipboard at the last minute. It was a list fo everything in the store room, which she took to the cafeteria.

"Eggs, hell yeah," she said as her tray was heaped with food. She hadn't eaten all night and her last meal had been barfed up with the beer. "No, no bacon, thanks," she said, "Mmm, cereal...." She sat at a far table and looked at the inventory list while also gazing around the room.

There were a lot more Security guys in the cafeteria than was normal, and they seemed to all be collecting in small groups and whispering among themselves. They all carried exopacks, and they all had their weapons loaded. They glared and quieted as any scientists, Ops, or Admin people walked by, then resumed their whispering as people left. What the hell is going on here? she wondered.

"Yo, Na'ama, what's up?" Liz asked as she sat down. "What are you doing?"
"Oh," she said, "I, um, have an inventory of the store room I got grabbed for. That's what I get for not looking busy enough I guess."
"Who told you to do that?" Liz asked.
"Dr. Childs's assistant."

"Oh," Liz said, her tone suddenly guarded.
"What's the matter?" Na'ama asked. "You all right?"
"Oh, fine," Liz said, brightening. "It's just... I dunno. Do you like Dr. Childs?"

Na'ama swallowed hard. Suddenly, the tone of the conversation took on a different demeanor. "Okay, I guess. I don't know much about him; we're in different sections. Seems... I dunno, kinda moody but basically okay."
"I dunno," Liz said. "In every neighborhood, there was the kid that seemed to enjoy using his slingshot on cats, know what I mean? He strikes me as... that guy."

"Huh," Na'ama chuckled, "Yeah, I can see that."

Before they could say anything else, a bunch of Security guys charged in. "Alright everyone!" the sergeant yelled, "We have word there may be a native attack on the compound. For everyone's safety, you need to get into the interior safety areas and lock yourselves in. Security will handle the situation, and when it's all clear, we'll come give the signal. But you have to move, now!"

Na'ama gulped down the last of her breakfast and got up, Liz looking at her.
"Do you have the feeling that something is just weird today?" Lix asked.
"Yeah," Na'ama said. "I'm going to the storeroom. It's in the safety belt of the building, and I may as well get this crap done. Otherwise I'll be sitting in the room with nothing to do for hours, and I'll still have to do this. Tell Julia not to worry."

"No problem," Liz said, "Later."


Na'ama returned to the store room, rattled by what had gone on. She got on the radio and Blake woke up her brother, who'd spent the night on the floor of the drive pod room. After assuring them she was all right, she told them about the security lockdown.

"Something suspicious is going on," she said, "They're up to something, and they wanted to make sure everyone was locked away so no one will see what they're up to. I hope Director Selfridge is all right; he's the only one who can authorize a message to Earth to send someone out here to take control of the situation..."









Results:
Na'ama still undetected, briefly talks to Liz who also feels something is deeply wrong.
A Security lockdown is called because of a "possible Na'vi attack" and all non-Security people are told to remain in sheltered sections of the base until further notice.

***
In Libertarianism, there is no Government, so the Bosses are free to exploit the Workers.
In Communism, there is no Government, so the Workers are free to exploit the Bosses.
So in Libertarianism, man exploits man, but in Communism, its the other way around!


VIDEO LOG DAY 8:
Attempted to pee on Viperwolf to test reaction. Please see attached medical file.
WARNING: Attached medical file exceeds gigabyte limit. System failure.

Thorinbur

Last events were crazy. After arriving at the clearing where smoking wreckage of heli was lying. Ralph was mostly observating the situation. It was already tense and he really had nothing more to add. So most of the time he was blindly following the group thinking hard about their actual position. "Why RDA atacked our Samson? What the hell is going on in Hell's Gate?".

They were going fast trought dense forest, going deeper and deeper heading to Kelutrel... hometree.

Ralph was looking at the ground in front of him, trying not to fall and keep up with the group, rapt in his thoughts. He almost bumped person in front of him when everyone stopped as they left the forest and entered clearing in the middle of witch was growing a huge tree used as home by the Omatikaya clan. "This is one big tree..." He thought, standing with open mouth, staring at Kelutrel. "Rikx!" He got rushed by one of the warriors.
"Wow! Looks like all Na'vi females are so beautiful..." Quick thought crossed his mind, but he pushed it away quickly. "What the hell are you doing. We got serious problem here...". Ralph always had problems focusing on important things, easily distracted he was often dropping present activity and was moving on to something more interesting at the moment. That's why he had problems with finishing studies. But this is not really important right now. When he finally focused they were already standing in front of Tsahik, waiting for upcoming events.

Ralph had problems understanding most of the conversations. He was only catching two or three words from every sentence. But you don't need to be genius to find out that they were considering what to do with them.

Finally they decided to put them to sleep inside Kelutrel. But away from others. "Are they afraid of us? There is like hundred of them. Or we are... unpure for them?" Ralphs head was filled with all different thoughts, but one was coming back all of the time. "What the hell happens in the Hell's Gate.". There was only one way to find out. Ralph closed his eyes and fall asleep.

"Wait a second.Another one is wakin'." Someone said as Ralphs pod opened. Another random thought crossed his mind. "Damn it stinks here compared to the forest.". Ralph rised and joined group that was listening to Blakes explanations about what happened here when they were linked...

"The most important thing is to keep you guys fed, safe, and active. You're our resistance. Think of what you may need outside and we can have Na'ama try to drop supplies over the edge of the wall or something. We need to find out if there are any other people out there that stand against Dr. Childs and if they can help, too." Blake finished.

...

"Damn it's like crazy video game. I don't want to save the world! Come on... What if we screw up? There won't be "Game Over, would you like to try again?" screen. s***! If we screw up, everything will be screwed up. Sometimes i regret I don't drink..." Ralph said quietly when lying in improvised bedding. He was trying to fall asleep but damn, he was sleeping last 20 hours... A really crazy dream. After such dose of emotion they expect him to sleep again? "At least i can try..." He thought closing his eyes.
oel kame futa oel kekame ke'u

Mako

Crash Site
1650 Hours


It was chaos. Chris knew by the sound of the angry Na'vi being thrown in every which direction that things had gone down the pipes. He had a knife, but he had to contain himself, though, despite the fact that he had noticed Jax lying on the ground. He was alive, amazingly, but his breathing was ragged and shallow. There was a young Na'vi standing over him, as if guarding him from something. Chris turned his attention to the Na'vi being spoken.

<<And where is Aniuket in all this!?>> the large male warrior exclaimed, <<What have you done with her!>>
<<Put your weapons down and we'll get it sorted out!>> Grace demanded.
<<You have no voice here, demon!>> A warrior yelled back.
<<These people need help!>> Eanataw said.

<<TING MIKYUN!>> a voice shrieked, cutting through the din. The argument fell silent as everyone's eyes fell on the Na'vi girl with Jax, tears of rage and frustration in her eyes.
"Listen... to what?" Grace blurted out.
"Look!" she said, in English, pointing.

The sky over the clearing was full of atokirina', drifting lazily overhead. The Na'vi watched as the seedlings settled into the silence, as if filling the sudden vacuum, and drifted across to land on each of the Avatars and Tawtute at once. Chris stared, at a loss for words as several alighted on his arms and head. The numbers were small, just a handful of atokirina' apiece, maybe three or four, but the selective nature of the blessing was unmistakable.

The warriors exchanged nervous glances. One lowered his bow, but a growl from the leader reversed the action.
<<What does it mean?>> He wondered aloud.
<<We take them to Mo'at,>> Tireamokri said. <<She will decide. But we all saw it. Eywa wants them for something.>>

He grit his teeth, his fists clenched, and he let out a shout of frustration. <<Very well!>> he said. <<We will take them to Mo'at.>> He made a motion to his warriors, who lowered their bows.
"Arik," Grace said, nodding towards his M-60 machinegun. Arik nodded and lowered the weapon.
"We need to make a stretcher for Jax," he said. Eanataw translated, and Sek'mut and his warriors collected branches, as Arik went into the wreckage to pull out the trauma pack from Brokensword. He pulled out the emergency shelter blanket, a paper-thin shelter that was bright orange on one side, and dull green on the other. In grudging silence, Arik and the warriors worked together to make a stretcher, placing Jax on it carefully.

"I have an extra rebreather pack if anyone needs one,"Arik said.
"No talk, go," the warrior said.
Arik looked at him. "I knew you spoke English," he said with a smile.
He spat on the ground as if getting a bad taste out of his mouth.

Together, in tense quiet, they walked back to Kelutral, the young Na'vi girl taking Grace by the hand and guiding her along. The warriors knew exactly where they were and moved steadily towards Kelutral.

Soon, the foliage parted, and they reached a large cluster of Na'vi standing together. Challenging whoops and cries went up as the not-quite-prisoners; not-quite guests were herded before the village elders.

Eytukan and Mo'at approached, dubious, with another grim and scowling warrior following behind them. A pair of lovely young Na'vi women followed in their wake, staring curiously. The warrior nodded to the elder warrior, who nodded back, and he made his report to the chief.

<<I found these demons and their compatriots in the wreckage,>> He said, <<I wish to turn them over to Tsu'tey's custody so I may continue searching for my sister.>>

Eanataw, Tireamokri, and the young Na'vi protested.
<<Eywa sent a sign to preserve them,>> Tireamokri insisted. <<Am I not right?>> she demanded, leveling a stare at the other four warriors that captured them. The warriors suddenly seemed to shrink back, exchanging guilty looks before Sek'mut's withering glare.

<<It is true,>> one of the warriors said, bravado suddenly gone from his voice. He told them of the atokirina'. Reluctantly, the warriors confirmed what the female Na'vi said.

<<Then we will see what Eywa wants with these outlanders,>> Mo'at said, looking them up and down, her face a tangled mess of emotion ranging from curiosity, to fascination, to dislike. She looked at Jax. <<All those with wounds... we will do what we can.>>

<<Go and look for your sister,>> Eytukan said to the warrior. <<And come back with success-- and some calm. This is the time for careful planning, not rage.>>

Chris sunk down with the rest of the Avatar drivers, surrounded by Na'vi, and drifted off into sleep.

--------

Hell's Gate Link Room
2020 HRS


Chris awoke in a dark coffin. He quickly got his bearings, and pushed up on the lid of the link pod. He groaned softly as his eyes adjusted to the light in the link room.

"God...oh God."

"Chris is coming out," a male voice said somewhere. He looked up to see the worried, yet relieved face of Blake standing over him. "How you feeling Chris?"

"Like crap. I'm really hungry."

"That's not a suprise." Chris sat up, looking around the room. Arik and Ralph were talking across the room, and Oscar was unconsious on a link bed.

"Right. So what the heck is going on here?"

"We're in a bit of a bind. Dr. Childs has been trying to take over Hell's Gate for reasons unknown. The most important thing is to keep you guys fed, safe, and active. You're our resistance. Think of what you may need outside and we can have Na'ama try to drop supplies over the edge of the wall or something. We need to find out if there are any other people out there that stand against Dr. Childs and if they can help, too."

"Right. Well we're wasting time."

--------

Sngä'i Tìrey-yä

Hometree
2020 HRS


Ariel groaned as she was finally able to lay her weary Avatar body to rest. Some of the healers had promised to look at her later, but it was taking enough their efforts just to heal Jax. Ariel and her busted ribs would have to wait.

She positioned herself as comfortably as possible in the guarded area, making noises to illustrate to their 'hosts' how uncomfortable the ground is after falling from a gazillion feet. Ariel watched enviously as some of the others feel asleep, wishing more than anything for a good dose of painkillers. She didn't even know if the Na'vi used painkillers. They honestly seemed like the type to just tough it out, as annoying as that was. Frankly Ariel wanted to sit and bawl like a baby. The only thing keeping her from throwing a temper tantrum was the knowledge that as soon as she fell asleep, she would be out of this pain-wracked body and into her nice healthy human one. Trying to lay in a position that wouldn't put any pressure on her ribs was nearly impossible, but after a few minutes of very uncomfortable fidgeting, she finally succeeded and fell asleep.

Hell's Gate - Pod Room
2030 HRS


"Oh my god," Ariel complained as she lifted open the pod and swung her legs around to the floor. "I feel like I just got hit by a train," she muttered, trying to stand on shaking legs. "Hey, science guys? Ya, want to explain to me why it still hurts to move? This body's all in one piece and I still can't take a deep breath."

"Hold on, we need to check and make sure you haven't split." A scientists came over and started flashing a light into Ariel's eyes. "You feeling ok? Headache, nasuea, do you know where we are? Here, what's my name?"

After a few seconds of severe annoyance, Ariel shoved the scientist away from her, "What do you mean, split? I have a freaking headache, feel like I'm starving to death, and I have no goddamned clue what your name is, and I never have. Would you get off me, where's Grace?"

"I'm over here," Grace called from across the room, waving a lit cigarette in the air. Since when can you smoke in science labs, Ariel briefly wondered before starting off across the room. She could barely make it without being completely winded, legs shaking like she had some kind of bad flu.

"Grace, what's going on? Why am I still feeling pain from my avatar's injury?" Ariel asked, managing for once to keep the sarcasm out of her tone, expressing that she was actually genuinely worried.

Grace sighed and took a long puff, "You and your avatar are connected on a neurological level, so even though you aren't connected any longer your brain still remembers the pain and the injuries that the avatar is suffering. It should wear off pretty quickly once your neurons figure out there's no actual damage, but its one of the reasons that we closely monitor the status of avatars. In some cases, the mind can be split between the two bodies, or simply become unresponsive to the human body if the damage is too great." She took another long drag and looked across the room, "Like what happened to Oscar."

Ariel tried to say something sympathetic to the doctor, but words just weren't forming. Seriously, how could one respond to that? She knew that Grace was feeling a lot of guilt in this situation, especially after listening to some of the other avatars and scientists talking about Dr. Child's plot. For once in her life, Ariel genuinely didn't know what to say. What do you say, when your employer is planning on slaughtering you?

Instead, Ariel coughed a bit (the pain was starting to lighten up) and gave a long sigh.

"So then, what's the plan?"
Avatar is a movie about a guy with blue balls running through the forest chasing tail.

Nume fpi sänume

Hometree
Later that evening

Alex sat down, wondering what he was going to do. All of the avatars had gone to sleep, and their human bodies woke back up in shelter, with heat and familiar faces around them. Alex sat here. Esme had gone to sleep sooner than most of the others, and they took Jax away to be tended by the healers, which left him alone. It was like sitting next to corpses. Corpses on an alien planet that still seemed to want to kill him at that. He looked around him, trying to take note of what was going on. The village was going about its usual night life, and every so often the guards would look over, make eye contact and then turn away. Alex turned to talk to who should have been Chris, and when he didn't respond, Alex remembered that Chris wasn't in there anymore. He felt very alone again, but more than that hungry. There was a fire down below, the smell of something roasting on it crept its way along the breeze as if to remind Alex that the others would be able to eat, and sleep indoors. One of the guards turned to Alex, his face a stony, expressionless slab. He studied him for a moment, and turned to the other and said something in rapid fire Na'vi that sent them both laughing. Alex knew it was about him just from the hand gestures they made. He wasn't exactly in the joking mood, but he tried to ignore it the best he could.

"Well, if im going to be stuck here in the morgue," Alex said looking around "I might as well make the most of it." With that he pushed the body that Chris inhabited over onto its stomach. Moving the avatars arm to its side, he then laid back, using Chris' avatar as a pillow for the evening. It was still warm, which was...disturbing. Even more disturbing was that it had a heartbeat, and even extremely shallow breathing. The guards looked back over at him, and seemed shocked at what he had done. Alex winked at them, gave them the single finger salute, and went to sleep as best he could on an empty stomach.

Coyote

Hell's Gate, Pandora
Next Morning, Approx 0800 hrs.











Na'ama didn't know how long the Security Lockdown would take place. She had to move fast, but she also had to locate and secure a lot of things. Blake and Arik had informed her of their needs, and of Jax's medical condition. For Oscar she had no idea what, if anything, could be done, but radios, solar chargers, trauma kits, and food --as much as she could get-- were of vital importance.

"We'll also need some water purifiers," Blake was saying, as Na'ama poked through boxes in the store room. A sudden noise startled her.
"Blake, hold on," she said, "I'll call back later!" She switched her radio off and listened.

Outside, boots were moving down the hall-- towards her.
Crap! she thought, looking around nervously. A sudden pounding was heard on the door.

"Open up in there!" a voce shouted.
"Oh, dear..." Na'ama said, and hid.

The door was kicked open, and six Security men burst through into the room. "Take over," one said, "Check the place out." They stopped as they heard tapping coming from a broom  closet. The Security men looked at each other, and took up positions around the door before the leader,a corporal, reached out and opened it.

"Oh, thank God!" Na'ama said, nearly falling out of the closet, tears running down her face. "They're madmen! They said they were headed for the Operations level! If you hurry, you might catch them!"

"Let's go!" the corporal said, and turned to another one, "You stay here." The rest of them took off.

Na'ama breathed a sigh of relief, and went to leave, but saw a big, burly Security guard standing there, an assault rifle across his chest. "Um, hi," she said, "Umm... all this excitement has me feeling a little overwhelmed. I, um... I really need to go pee."

"Go ahead," the man said, "Hey, what were you doing here in the first place?" he asked.
"Oh, I had to do an inventory of the supply room stocks," she said, waving the clipboard she'd taken earlier.
"Hm," the man grunted. "Do you have any idea what's going on around here?"

"I was... I was going to ask you the same thing," she replied. "I heard there was a Na'vi attack."
"That's what they said..." the man replied.
"Did you... see any Na'vi?" she asked.

The man paused for a moment, sizing her up. "No," he said plainly. He looked around, glancing down the hall out the open door. "I heard some of the guys talking. They said Director Selfridge has been killed."

Na'am blinked in shock. "Th-the Director? Killed?" she asked, almost blurting out by Dr. Childs but catching herself in time. "Killed by Na'vi?"

"Well..." the Security man said, "No. There weren't any Na'vi. Justa bunch of civilians taken outside, in exo-packs, with some Security guys. The civvies were carried back inside, many with arrows in 'em. But I never saw me no Na'vi."

"oh, my God..." Na'ama breathed, her mouth an O of surprise and shock.
"Look..." the Security man said, "I think Doctor Childs has taken over. He was sitting in Selfridge's office a bit ago. And I gotta say, if him or someone like him is kickin' up trouble, that probably means none of us will be going home any time soon, you know what I mean?"

"But... but we have to get off Pandora," Na'ama said, "Get to the shuttle or something..."
"I dunno how to fly, do you?" the Security man asked.
"No," Na'ama said.
"Well, then, there ya go," he replied, frowning. "This really screws up a lot of things I had planned."

Na'ama said nothing for several seconds. She bit her lower lip, worried, scared... finally, she took a gamble.

"Maybe we can do something after all."
"Eh?" the Security man asked, "What are you talking about?"
"Well..." she said, "You know there's some folks hiding outside, right? The pilot Jax, Grace Augustine. Some of the Avatar drivers, including that new gal in Legal Admin."

"Hiding?" the man said, "I heard they were killed."
"Ummm..." Na'ama said, hoping she wasn't making a big mistake. But if this Security guy wasn't a follower of Dr. Childs, maybe he could help? "Actually, I've heard over the radio that they're hiding. Out next to the big Na'vi tree."

"On the radio?" the man asked.
"Yeah," Na'ama said, holding up her radio.
"Hey, I lost one like this at the bar yesterday," he muttered, "Good rigs. Musta' fallen off, got kicked under a table, maybe. They gave me another one. So they're still out there, huh?"

"Yeah," she said, "I was... thinking if they're against Dr. Childs, maybe we can help them."
They looked at each other for a long time, the big Security man and the petite Xeno-anthropologist.
"Yeah," he said. "I think I can be for that. What were ya thinking?"

"Well, they probably need exopacks, trauma kits, radios, solar chargers, and food. Lots of food."
The Security man rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger. "That's a lot of stuff, but it could be carried in an AMP suit," he said.
"Bullets," she added.

"Yeah, I can get those," he said, waving it off.
"You'll help?" she asked.
"If it means going home on time, count me in," he said, a big smile crossing his face as he reached out a hand. "Name's Damien. Damien Cole."
"Na'ama. Na'ama Shaham," she said, shaking his hand.

"Funny name," he said.
"Israeli," she replied.
"Israeli, eh? So you was in the Israeli Army? I heard everyone, men and women, are drafted."
"Yeah," she said, laughing sheepishly. "Worst 18 months of my life. I hate guns," she said.

"But you could use one if you had to, eh?" he asked. "I mean, you know, to survive?"
"If I had to," she admitted. "But I'd rather not."

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," he said. "Let's get you out of here, and load up some supplies. I can get me an AMP suit and get out of here. You should come, too," he said.
"I'll stay here," she said, "In case people need my help on the inside again."
"See?" Damien said, "Now that's brave."

"Heh," she said, smiling sheepishly. "Lemmee grab my bag." She grabbed her gym bag and they left, Damien using his Security access card to get them past several locked doors. She was soon deep in the Security section, which was nearly deserted-- most of the Security guys were busy, in and out of the base. They made it to the hangar area next to Armor Bay, where Damien opened an arms locker.

"Radios, exopacks, trauma kits, solar chargers...." he read off as he grabbed handfuls of each, "...bullets. Here," he said, and handed Na'ama a WASP pistol.
"No," she said, "No way."
"Put it in your bag," he said, "Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it, right?"
Reluctantly, as if touching a dangerous snake, she put the gun in her bag.

"Ahh, food," he said, grabbing a couple boxes of MRE's. "Meals, Rejected by the Enemy," he said, laughing. Everything went into a large box that was normally used as a shipping crate for spare parts. "An AMP suit can carry this, but I need your help," he said. "C'mon." They pulled the box on a wheeled cart towards a nearby AMP suit. Damien climbed up, easing himself expertly into the cockpit and strapping himself in. Na'ama watched as he put on the control gloves and flexed his fingers, the AMP suit mimicking his movements.

"Alright, dollface," he said, "I'm going to bring the gun around, I need you to help load it. Just guide the ammo belt into this slot, here," he said. Na'ama did as she was told. "Good. Now kick loose the safety catches on the feet. The yellow blocks," he said. She jumped down and kicked the yellow blocks away as Damien re-shouldered the big 30mm GAU cannon on its travel holster. The engines roared to life, and he reached over to grab the box of supplies.

"Alright, doll," he said with a wink, "The big tree, right? I got a ways to go, then. You'll be safe here?"
"I will," she said, "Thank you."

"I'm thankin' myself," he said, "With that nut Childs running the show, I'll never see home again. Call me on that radio if you need help. I may be able to sneak out and sneak back and tell 'em I was just checking out a sighting of some Na'vi."

"Good luck!" she said as the giant suit stamped off, towards the airlock doors leading outside. Damien's raised thumb flashed in the cockpit glass as he walked by.










Results:
New ally recruited by Na'ama.
Supplies are smuggled out towards the survivors, carried by Damien Cole in an AMP suit.

***   ***   ***   ***   ***   ***

Kelutral Campsite, Same time










Arik and the others were awake, and the Avatars were eating. Oscar was sometimes okay and somtimes disoriented, but able to function. Alex and the other humans, however, were going hungry.

"Blake says Na'ama will find a way to get supplies to us," Arik assured them. "I trust my sister."
"I'm sure she is dependable," Alex said, "But there'll be people working against her, too."

"Yeah, it'll be hard, but she'll..." Arik was interrupted by a familiar face. "Aniuket!" he said, and leapt up to embrace her. Nearby, Sek'mut scowled, but said nothing, despite leveling a murderous glare at Arik. Aniuket had a bandage on her arm made of leaves, and covered in a fouls-smelling sap. "What happened?" Arik asked.

"My arm, it break," she said, "From..." she put her other hand in the air, and brought it down, fast, making a crashing noise at the bottom.
"Oh, Aniuket, I am so sorry," he said, "Umm, tsapalute...." he stammered.
Aniuket laughed. "You speak with... funny... music? To your voice."
"Music..?" Arik asked. "An accent?"

"Nice music," Aniuket said, smiling. "I will be... oohh-kayee."
"Okay," Arik smiled, and hugged her again, relieved.

Alex and Esme exchanged glances as Sek'mut quickly walked away.

"I come back last night," Aniuket said, "Hunters find me. You alseep, I do not want to wake."
"It's okay," Arik said. "Thank Eywa you are safe."

"We have others to worry about," Alex said. "Oscar. He is dizzy, disoriented. Ariel told us what happened," he said with a nod toward Ariel and Grace, sitting next to each other, grave looks on their faces. Oscar's Avatar was somewhat out of it.
"Blake can only guess what happened," Arik said. "How's Jax?"
"No change," Alex said. "It seems like he's coming out of it sometimes, but... it's only dreams."

Arik nodded his head. They looked up as Nef'tys approached.
"Kaltxi," Arik said.
"Kaltxi," Nef'tys said, giving a worried look towards Jax. She spoke to Grace. <,Mo'at says there may be a way to help your friend,>> she said, <<But it is dangerous. It is the kind of thing we can only ask family. You are his family, here.>>

Eanataw and Tireamokri exchanged worried glances as Grace translated for the others. They had an idea what might be coming.

"What is it?" Esme asked.

<<We can try to mend his body with what the People know,>> Nef'tys said, <<Or... there is a way to transfer his being to another body, through Eywa. If we try to heal the body, chances are low, and it will take time, and if he lives, he may be... permanantly hurt,>> she said. <<The transfer could put him in a new Na'vi body, but... he will have to live here forever. And if the process fails, he will die.>>

Grace Augustine translated. "We are his only 'family' here," she said. "We have to make the decision."

The survivors of the crash exchanged worried glances.

"We can wait for the medicine to come," Arik said, "And see if that has any effect."
"It's not medicine," Grace said, "But a doctor. With equipment. That's what he needs."
"Still," Arik said, "This is... these are both big decisions. One decision will either kill him or make him a permanant resident. Another may leave him utterly helpless. Let's at least wait and see what the medecine can do, and if it can't do anything at all, we can still face these choices."

"Delay the decision?" Esme said.
"Let us think on it," Arik said, "Rather than make a hasty choice."

"How would there be a Na'vi body to transfer into?" Ariel asked. "Doesn't that mean a Na'vi has to... die? Or something?"
"If they have a Na'vi tribesman who has been injured," Grace said, "In a coma, maybe... it would have to take place at the Tree of Souls. God... I'd die to get a sample from that place."

The survivors looked at each other, and their fallen comrade, and pondered the choices before them.









Results:
Aniuket found safe previous night after Arik went to sleep.
Word of supplies coming to reach them has been relayed, they just don't know when, how, or by who.
Mo'at has Nef'tys deliver the news about Jax-- he faces two choices:
1- Na'vi healers will do their best with human and Na'vi cures; outcome uncertain, it will take time and probably be partially successful.
2- Dangerous mind-transfer ceremony can take place that will transfer Jax's consciousness into a Na'vi body; could lead to death or permanant residency.
Survivors are the only 'family' Jax has to make the decision!

***
In Libertarianism, there is no Government, so the Bosses are free to exploit the Workers.
In Communism, there is no Government, so the Workers are free to exploit the Bosses.
So in Libertarianism, man exploits man, but in Communism, its the other way around!


VIDEO LOG DAY 8:
Attempted to pee on Viperwolf to test reaction. Please see attached medical file.
WARNING: Attached medical file exceeds gigabyte limit. System failure.