Storm over Pandora

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

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Lehrrap Uniltìranyu

Kelutral
1500 HRS (Tawtute estimatent)


Mo'at looked around at her people as Eytukan called for a meeting. "<<These Tawtute have come to us under a banner of peace! This is a grand opportunity for us, my siblings, as we can use them to strike back at the place they call>> Hellus Gatt."

Eytukan waved his hand over towards where the Na'vi Medics were working on a strecher for Jax and the young Na'vi body that would be the new Jax. "<<This Tawtute warrior fell honorably in battle, fighting back against his own Kin for us. By request of his family, he is going to receve the honor of being reborn as one of The People.>>"

There was mutterings amongst the croud as Mo'at scanned across the gathered Na'vi. "<<This is Eywa's will, as well as a plee for help. We will not ignore this, for this... Dr. Chiluds, is a great threat to both the Tawtute and the Na'vi. We will need the dreamwalkers and the tawtute's help in order to remove him.>>" Eytukan said.

The Na'vi mutterings ceased, followed by nods of approval, though many faces stayed fallen and frowns remained.

"<<Sek'mut and Tsu'tey shall lead a party of warriors to accopany Jax's family, the Na'vi who wish to join them, and Mo'at to the Tree of Spirits for the ceremony. IN the meantime, we must begin prepearations for war! We will strike for the Heart and not fail!">>" Eytukan said, roaring out the last part to great approval of the Na'vi.

Mo'at looked over at Tireamokri and nodded. "<<Your assitance would be welcome, I think you.>>"

Neytiri walked over to Mo'at and spoke out, "<<Mother, I wish to come as well.>>"

Mo'at shook her head, "<<No. This is your place to learn, to wait, daughter. You are needed here, to learn and to help prepare for the battle ahead.>>"

Neytiri frowned but nodded. "<<Yes, mother.>>" She muttered, and walked off.

Mo'at sighed. It was going to be a long journy indeed.
-----------------------
Hell's Gate
Dr Childs' office
1600 HRS


"... I don't like it." Dr. Childs muttered ot his chief security officer, AMP pilot Lyle Wainfleet.

"A AMP suit is missing, along with quite the list of emergancy supplies, a few trauma kits, food, Exopacks... I don't like it."

Lyle frowned, "Sir, if you want me too, I can get a crew set up immeditly to go in search of the missing supplies and AMP."

Childs' shook his head. "No, no... that's not needed. However... I want you to get three squads togeather, and two other AMPs. Go out and bring me back the body of James Logain, the man they called 'Jax'. I want to make sure he is dead. If he's dead, then the rest of the crew probobly is as well. Find the crash site and clean it up." Dr. Childs orderd.

Lyle saluted. "You're the Man Doc. We're on it."

Was it parionia? No, Dr. Childs' shook his head. This was just rational follow up. If the Avatar pilots had survived, then his plan had some loose ends that needed cleaning up. Thats all... nothing else to it.



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"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-

Nume fpi sänume

Visitors' Camp Platform
Kelutral, 1400


Alex stepped up onto the platform, expecting to see people up here, only to find it empty.

"Strange" Alex said to no one in particular "I figured at least Esme would be here." With that, he walked back down. If nothing else, he could finally go and do something constructive. That AMP suit had taken a beating over this terrain; the only problem was finding the tools to work on it with. He walked down the tree, passing Na'vi that looked at him. He didn't feel so out of place here, but he wasn't nearly as comfortable as he was in the Bay. It had been a few days now since he was back there, and the question of what was going on constantly nagged at him. Jax's watch let off a small beep, and looking down at it, he saw a small local map display with a red circle. It wasn't his data pad, but it sure as hell was better than nothing, and it showed a large amount of information on something so small. It would be something treasured, but it was still a tool, and to not use it would only be a disservice to Jax.

Continuing down the tree, he waved and tried to act cheerful and nice, and occasionally got a small wave or a smile in return, but the local population just wasn't ready to run up and high-five him yet. The watch beeped again, and Alex looked out, seeing the AMP suit. It took him a moment, but he finally put the two pieces together. He took off running toward the suit, and coming up on the fire pit, he saw his Na'vi friend he was talking with earlier. Alex ran up to him, panic obvious on his face

"You, knife, I need it now!" Alex said, pointing to the dagger on the Na'vi males chest. "Today, please, this is important!"

When the Na'vi man seemed unsure of what to do, Alex decided he didn't have time to try and explain it, reached up and yanked the blade from its sheath, to many startled gasps and wide yes watching him.

"Thanks!" He shouted over his shoulder as he took off running, leaving the shocked and almost angry looking Na'vi man standing there.

Alex knew he didn't have much time, if any at all. Running up to the AMP suit with a knife drawn got him a few quizzical looks to start with, but as he ran towards the group of Na'vi standing around it, they didn't take as passive a stance. The two in front drew their own knives and stood their ground as Alex rushed towards the suit, and he caught a few flickers of bows drawn. "Not good, but I have to make sure.." Alex said to himself, seeing the opportunity. He dove between the legs of one of the Na'vi in front of the suit, and got back to his feet just in time to catch a fist to the chest, knocking him back down.

"Why do you come at us with knife!" said the one that hit him. He almost looked familiar, but they all still looked basically the same.

"I have to make sure the AMP suit is safe, if it's not, the people who tried to kill us will come here! Let me up!"

With that, Alex brushed aside the Na'vi arm as he stood, and picked the knife up off the ground. He went around the back of the suit, to the rear control panel. It was still warm from the exhaust ports, but the knife would work for prying it open. With some effort he opened the rear hatch. He noticed that the Na'vi still had weapons out and drawn, watching him.

He reached inside the heat shielded area, grabbing hold of a group of wires. Raising the knife to cut it, he realized the "knife" was more the size of an ancient short sword, and rather clumsy to wield for such a delicate operation. Alex took a breath to calm himself down, and carefully severed a few of the wires from one cluster, and another set of wires from one on the other side. He looked at the watch, and to his relief the dot indicating the AMP suit went away. The GPS tracking beacon had been disabled.
"Let's hope I wasn't too late" He said to the group. The knifes owner approached, and the facial expression said he wasn't amused.

"You take weapon of mine and run! Give back now!" he demanded

"Here," Alex said, handing him the blade "I'm sorry I didn't explain, but I didn't have time, we were all in danger."

The Na'vi male grunted, sheathed the weapon, and walked away. The one who had punched him walked up behind him.

"Hanu a proud warrior, you make him seem skxawng, taking his weapon. He very angry."

"Yeah, I can tell." Alex said with a bit of a sigh. So much for inter racial relations.

With that Alex turned back to the AMP suit. There was work to be done, and Alex was going crazy not doing anything. He didn't get to do much before he realized he needed at least some kind of tools. He did what he could, checking systems and making sure he hadn't cut power to anything need, and when he was satisfied, he went to find some member of his group. There should have been a repair kit on the downed Scorpion, as well as one on Brokensword. Either one would work, but he wasn't about to go tromping through the jungle alone.

Kiyoshi Tenshi

Mil'Ano frowned his hand tightening over his brother's. A war...against the tawtute? Many Na'Vi lives would be lost, of that he was certain.

"Ano, are you all right?" asked Mil'Ani worriedly. "You look sad."

Mil'Ano smiled down at his brother. "No, everything is going to be okay," he answered. "I need to find Alex. Do you know which way he went?"

Looking mildly confused, Mil'Ani answered, "he went to go work on the AMP suit, or whatever the humans call it."

Mil'Ano nodded. "Thank you, little brother." He walked a few feet away, and then whistled.

His ikran, an impressive-looking creature with dark blue skin and yellow spots, landed in front of him. Mil'Ano patted it on the neck, and then climbed on top of the ikran.

"Come, Awaiei. We must find Alex," he commanded. With a screech, the ikran spread its wings and flew away.

Mil'Ani watched his older brother go, and then turned away. "Eywa be with Mil'Ano..." he whispered.

Mil'Ano and Awaiei, meanwhile were now hovering over the place where Alex was supposedly working on the AMP suit. "Let's go lower, Awaiei," Mil'Ano said quietly.

The ikran obeyed, and Mil'Ano caught a glimpse of Alex and a few other Na'Vi. Fortuanately, they were close enough to the ground that Mil'Ano could jump without being injured. So that's what he did.

The other Na'Vi seemed slightly surprised at one of their own dropping from the sky, but Mil'Ano paid no attention and walked over to Alex.

"I need to speak with you," he said softly to Alex. Then he thought a moment, and added, "Privately."
[move]

Mako

#163
Near Hometree
Around 1400 Hours


"Chreeshun!"

Chris turned and spotted Eanataw near the fringe of the clearing, all smile. He walked over and embraced her, his feelings of anxiety and worry falling away for that brief moment.

"It's been too long since I've spoken with you, and I regret that. Oeyä sap'alute ma Eanataw."

"It all is well ma Chris. You have been busy and worried for your tsmukán, with good reason."

The fact that she understood set Chris at ease once again. He noticed her eyes examining him closely.

"What..."

He chuckeled slightly. He figured he knew what she was studying, considering that he was still in Na'vi wear.

"You. You are..how you say it..."

"Handsome?"

"Well..srane."

She dropped her eyes, appearing sheepish and shy as if she didn't know whether this was the place to speak this or not. Chris couldn't stand seeing her so uncomfortable. He reached out his hand and lifted her chin, gently.

"As are you."

Her gaze met his, and their eyes locked. Memories of their first, less-than-friendly encounter flooded back to him. Their eyes had locked like this before, and Chris knew deep inside that this was right. He knew that there was more to Pandora and to life than he had ever expected, but he was just now beginning to discover it for himself. He tried to think of something to say to fit the moment, but words to describe his feelings escaped him. The silence continued, but it wasn't awkward like Chris had expected it to be. There was so much meaning and unsaid feelings in it that it almost hummed with energy. Chris finally broke the silence.

"Oeyä txe'lan...lu ngayä."

"Ulte ngayä txe'lan, ngayä ma Chris, slä ngayä nìtxan tsakrr eo nìvume."

"Ngal oeri nayume srak?"

"Srane."

"Krrpe?"

"Ye'rìn. Munge txe'lan ma Chris, yol ke layu."

They embraced again, and Chris let all time and worry fall away.

--------

Coyote

#164
Kelutral, Common Area
1520 hrs (Tawtute Reckoning)











Aniuket had not said a word as they returned to camp. Overall, they had only been gone briefly, and they were observed to be riding Pa'li together, as Arik learned. Only a few children had seen their moment of intimacy, from which they quickly recovered and got Arik back to learning to ride.

"I went too far, srane?" he asked, his voice low.
"Oe..." Aniuket started to say. She frowned, and then looked at him, and brightened a bit. "We can't... be together," she said. Arik's face went stony. "I mean..." she stumbled for words. "You are not one of the People. You are not Omatikaya. No one of you can be... with us."

"We... ayoeng?... we have to climb Iknimaya," he said.
"Be chosen by Ikran, make first flight, be accepted." She went silent for awhile. "Choose mate only then."

Arik nodded. "What can I do, to si, to start?"
"You try with language," she said, smiling. "Learn bow, provide for People. Teach what you know to us."

"Teaching!" Arik said, smacking his forhead. "I'm supposed to teach Ariel to fight! I promised!"
"Ah-ree-el not know to fight?" Aniuket asked.
"Not the way we're thinking of," he admitted. I bet she'd be a pit bull in the courtroom, though.
"She can hunt?" Aniuket asked.
"Umm..." Arik stammered. "She is probably very good at hunting an easier way of life, but..." he stopped himself.

"She will have to learn taronsi," she said. They sat in silence for a moment. "Ahrik, Fìri tsap'alute si oe... I don't want to give untrue picture to you. I like you. But we need to wait."
"It's okay," Arik said, smiling at her.

"But I need to know," she said, "You become one with Omatikaya for you? Or for me?"

Arik rocked back, his tail flicking to the side. He looked at the trees, the Na'vi people, the ground, feeling the sweet scent of flowers, firewood, wild vegetation; hearing the animals, the sounds of nature, the chatter of the People, the laughter of children...
"I have my own, real reasons to be here," he said. "If you told me we could never be together, not ever, I... I would still be in love with Eywa'evenga for my own reasons." His eyes unfocused, and for awhile he mourned a world that once was, and was now lost, forever. How many pieces of silver did the people get in exchange for the fresh air? he wondered. Was it worth it?

"Let's go," he said. "I need to find Ariel and apologize to her." He got up and looked at her, offering his hand. She smiled, took it, and stood as well. They walked past the fire pit, where Arik inhaled the rich scents, and hoped dinner would come before going to the Tree of Voices.

"There is your friend, Ariel," Aniuket said. Her eyes widened. "What she do, talk to my brother!?" She darted forward. Ariel and Sek'Mut turned to face them, Sek'Mut with a faint wisp of a smile on his face as they approached.
"Ariel," Arik said, "Hi. I'm sorry... I..." he looked at her, in her Na'vi clothes. "Um... whoah."
"Yes?" she asked, batting her eyes innocently.
"Great core," he said.

"Thanks," she said, "Someone noticed."
"Well, you're flashing your amicus briefs all over, so... yeah," Arik said, feeling embarrassed.
"My friends of the court?" she asked, smiling coquettishly.
"They certainly seem... friendly," he said.

Aniuket and Sek'Mut stopped arguing for a moment, and Aniuket leveled a critical stare at Arik. Flustered, Arik pointed to the camfire.
"I'll be over here," he said casually, and walked off.

He couldn't help himself, and took some pieces of the barbecued Ikran and chowed on it idly. Aniuket and Sek'Mut argued, and Arik wondered where the third member of 'team mischievous' had disappeared to. He spotted Alex talking to Mil'Ano; he saw Chris and Eanataw... whoah, there, Speed Racer, at least get behind a log like we did.

"Ahrik," a voice said. It was Nef'Tys.
"There you are," Arik said, "I am getting in the habit of being nervous when I don't have you in direct sight."
Nef'Tys grinned. "Your tsmuke Ahree'el, she make my tsmukan nervous," she said. "Like you make Aniuket."
Oh, that's going to be an interesting dynamic, Arik thought.
"Great!" Arik said, "If things go their present course, then, I could have a lawyer for a sister-in-law. I'll have to change my name."

Nef'Tys was confused. "Why change name? Ahrik, it very nice."
"Where I come from, lawyers are scary, like palulukan," he said. "They gobble up all your money."
"Ha!" Nef'Tys laughed. "Make joke on them. No money in Na'vi!"
Arik had to laugh. "Indeed, that."

"So, you will make learning to be like the People?" Nef'Tys asked.
"That's the plan," Arik said.
"Please stay with us," Nef'Tys said, suddenly serious.

Arik looked at her. "For Aniuket?" he asked.
Nef'Tys shrugged. "You sad. Your txe'lan, it is sad when you think of your Earth. Where your home?"
"Ummm..." he pondered it for a second.
"You do not say 'Earth' first thing?" She looked at him and smiled. "Oel ngati kameie, ma Tsmukan." She took some meat as well, and bit into it, letting the juices run down the back of her hand.

Indeed, you do. "So what do you plan to be after climbing Iknimaya?" Arik asked.
"I am good hunter; tsamsiyu," she replied. "But I also like to watch water, watch leaves, and think."

"Maybe you can be Tsahik," Arik said.
"That is for Neytiri," Nef'Tys said. "Neytiri will be Tsahik; Tsu'Tey will be Olo'eyktan."
"Ahhh..." Arik said. "And Sek'Mut will be chief tsamsiyu."
"Srane," she said. She finished her meat and licked her hand. "Who si sänume to you?"

"Make...?" Arik asked.
"Teach," Nef'Tys said, resuming her Cheshire grin.

"Aniuket, I hope," Arik said, but wondering now if that was such a good idea. Should I put her... us.. in a potentially awkward position like that? Should someone else instruct me? he wondered.
"Maybe," Nef'Tys said.  "You know secret? Aniuket not so good with..." --she made a bow-and-arrow pantomime-- "...tsko. You know? She bring food, but... some are better."
"You have ideas?" Arik asked.

"Tireamokri good with tsko," Nef'Tys said. "She is good friend. Friend with me, with Aniuket."
"Is she best with tsko?" he asked.
"I am best," Nef'Tys said, then grinned, "I will be. But not climb Iknimaya yet; cannot teach."
"I can teach you to fight," Arik said, "Tawtute style. We know lots of tricks."
"Make deal!" Nef'Tys said, holding out her hand.
Arik shook it.

"I'll see you when we get back," he promised. He turned back to Aniuket, Ariel, and Sek'Mut. "Should we get ready? I'm ready to go..."








Results:
Arik & Aniuket see interesting developments with Ariel and Sek'Mut.
Nef'Tys openly works on Arik to get him to abandon his people and join the Na'vi.
Nef'Tys will ask Tireamokri to help train Arik in ways of the People; Arik will train Nef'Tys to "fight like Tawtute".

***
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.

Coyote

#165
Kelutral Common Area
1600 (Tawtute Reckoning)










Mo'at stood before the People, Eytukan the Olo'eytkan beside her. The princess Neytiri stood behind them, apparantly unhappy about something. As the People gathered, Mo'at raised an ornate staff she had and called their attention.

<<PEOPLE! Now is the time! Tsu'tey, Sek'mut, gather your warriors, we leave at nightfall, after the evening feast!>> Mo'at called out, to the cheers of the gathered people.

She quickly made her way though the crowd and stood before the prone figure of Jax, and the body of the comatose Na'vi whom he would inhabit. They young Na'vi's family stood nearby, overwhelmed with emotion but stoic. A strong young Na'vi warrior stood with them, with an obvious family resemblance.

<<Your gift to Eywa, and these people, is appreciated. You give the blessing of renewed life, and in so doing, help Eywa.>>

She then approached the strangers, both the Avatars and the Na'vi who had bonded to them, and the small knot of humans that stood among them, dwarfed by the towering blue bodies. She spoke in Na'vi, but Grace Translated for them:

<<And to you, the gift of new life will be given. You must stay and help your brother adapt to his new life, and come to understand the bounty of Eywa. You, like your brother, will become one with the People.>> She then turned to the humans, those who had no Avatars but stood in their breather masks. Again, Grace Augustine translated:

<<Your kind came here to take, but now maybe you will learn what we have to give. If you will be friends to the People, the People will let you live in peace. See Eywa's kindness, and take it back to your people, and show them that peace can be had-- if both sides are willing to try.>>

"But for now," she said, switching to English, "We eat!" she said with a smile.  

The fires were roaring, and the barbecued Ikrans that Txonunilyu had brought in the day before were being carved up. Broad, leafy vegetables like lettuce were passed around, stuffed with some sort of paste that Tireamokri told them was full of something called the 'Harvest Fruit'. It was sweet and juicy, and reminded Arik of mango.

Log and gourd drums were played, and types of horns made of hollowed logs were played. Gourds of kava were passed around, which was found to be mildly intoxicating.

"Do not drink too much of the kava," Sek'Mut told Arik. "You need clear head for ride."
"I can just sit on the back and...oh," he said, suddenly realizing what Sek'Mut said. With Tsaheylu, a drunk rider meant a drunk beast. "Gotcha," he said.

The dinner feast was also a food-preparation party of sorts. Na'vi not only ate, but wrapped food into tight bundles. Meats, vegetables, seeds, spices, and fruits were mixed in a variety of ways in edible leaves and vines from various plants and trees.

"I wrap extra fruit for you, Ahrik," Aniuket said. She gave him a bundle of wraps. "Nikt'chey, they are called," she told him.
"Thank you," he said, "Irayo."
She gave him a smile, but there was a guarded tone to her body language. "Soon, you will begin to be part of the People."
"Yes, I will," he said, hoping to put her at ease.
"Then, you can choose mate," she said, "But before then... we can be only friend."
Arik nodded. "I understand," he said.

Still, they stood close... perhaps closer than friends would, but Arik did not question her about it, and simply enjoyed having her near.

---

Sek'Mut strode over to the place where Ariel sat, and gave her a bowl with meat and fruit on it. Some of the warriors followed his movements, and laughed lowly as he sat next to her.

"Ah-ree'el," he said, "You can have some, and enjoy. You do not like Na'vi foods?"
"I love a good barbecue," she replied.
"Barbee-kee-yoo?" he asked.
"Cooking over an open fire," she said. There are usually charcoal briquettes and mai-tais involved, though.

"You will like this," he said.
She tried a few scraps-- it was what they'd had earlier, but this time a sauce had been added. "This is good," she said, "Better than this afternoon. The sauce is good." She ate eagerly.
"The fruit, it is very good," he said, and offered her some. She bit into that too, and was rewarded with a sort of coconut-banana flavor with a mango texture.

Her belly rumbled for more meat, though. "Damn, this is good," she said. "What's the sauce?"
"Fruit make into mash, and slug paste."
"Fuggin'hell--" she said, choking. Across the fire, some of the younger kids and warriors broke up laughing.

Sek'Mut, for his part, looked astonished.
"Yes, fruit from harvest, and slug... it is delicacy," he said. He was serious.

"Oh, gods," she said, and washed her mouth out with kava.


---


"I do not like Sek'Mut playing so with Ah-ree'el," Aniuket said to Arik.
"What do you mean?" Arik asked. "I'm surprised he talks to her, being uniltìranyu."
"He make close to her to tease us," she said. "You and me."
"Did you tell him we're just friends?"

She looked up at him. "You know better," she said, "And he know it too."


---


Also feasting was Chris and Eanataw, next to the knot of humans. Oscar picked through the food carefully, trying to identify each wrap, when a shadow approached them. He looked up, and it was attached to a beaming face with sly eyes and a mischievous grin.

"Nef'Tys," he said by way of greeting.
"Oel ngati kameie, ma Tsmukan," she said. She pointed to several choice cuts of Ikran. "You want these ones," she said. "They are most good."
"Thank you," Oscar said. "Are you coming with us?" he asked.

"No," she said, holding up her hand, fingers spread, "I cannot. Not much to do, before make climb Iknimaya. I wait here. Help make defend Kelutral, with Neytiri."

"Neytiri?" he asked.
"She not happy, wants make go to Vitraya Ramunong; Mo'at tell her no, stay here, help defend Kelutral in case Sawtute come."

"Who is coming with us?" Oscar asked.
"Tsu'Tey, Sek'Mut, warriors to help guide, make safety. Mo'at go, to make guide ceremony. There are others."
"You wish you could go?" he asked. Nearby, some of the humans were interested in the exchange. Alex, Damien, and Esme leaned closer.

Nef'Tys grinned more broadly. "Always want go on adventure," she said. She looked over at Jax, and the Na'vi boy who was to become Jax's vessel. Her features sobered somewhat. "Say goodbye, but already did. Now learn to say hello."
"You knew him?" Alex asked. They were joined by Mil'Ani, Tireamokri, Txonunilyu and Hanu.
"I did," Nef'Tys said. She looked back at them and gave a smile and a wink. "Small village! He was name Hun'nar. Good boy, quiet. In ìnglìsì class with me. We played Su'shiri t'acto sa together."

"Suu-siri..?" Oscar asked.
"The toy Ikrans," Grace said.
Nef'Tys nodded eagerly. She looked over at the humans, who were all staring at her. "What you see?" she asked playfully.

"Your forehead glows in the dark," Damien said.
"And yours do not!" she said. "I know to find paint, glow paint, make it to glow. You want?"
"Ahh..." Damien said, "No, thanks," he said, straightening.

Nef'Tys looked around at the humans, in their breather masks. Some of the Na'vi food they could eat, and they would carefully break the seal on their masks, bite into something, and then lower and reseal their masks to chew and swallow. She was fascinated by them, and her eyes darted from face to face before settling on Alex.

"Ah-leeks!" she said. "Come on! Let's fight!"
"What!?" he asked, shocked. The warrior Hanu hooted his approval.
"We fight!" she said, "Make fpeio! You know what it is, fpeio?"
"Uhhh... no," he said, bewildered.
"Grace, you tell!" she said, eagerly.
Grace grinned. "Ceremonial challenge," she said. "It's not a real fight."

"Fpeio, fpeio!" Hanu hollered, and several Na'vi clustered around.
"Does the name Judas mean anything to you?" Alex asked Hanu, who only laughed. "I thought not. My tsmukan."

"Arm wrestle," Grace said with a smile as the Na'vi gathered.
"You're kidding?" Alex asked.
"Like at school," Nef'Tys said, and put up her arm.
"One of my assistants taught them," Grace said, rolling her eyes.
"Lucky me," Alex said, and matched her.

"Okay," Grace said, enjoying herself, "'Aw, mune, pxey, go!"
Alex strained against Nef'Tys, and he had the satisfaction of making some headway before she stiffened. Their hands sat, tensed, between them, and Alex braced as best he could, trying to ignore the fact that Nef'Tys sat casually. Alex's hand began to back up, and he felt some sweat trickle past his ear. He put his full effort into stopping her, and the retreat of his hand slowed, but he was tiring-- and he could feel the inexorable strain on his forearm. Finally, his hand was pushed over and he gave up.

"Oh, my god," he said, gasping as he rubbed his hand.
"I win!" Nef'Tys said, jumping up, "Pesu sempu aynga!?"
"Did she just say 'who's your daddy'?" Chris asked, shocked, and stifling hysterical laughter.
Grace sighed. "My assistant, whose name by the way is Blake, had a lot of fun with the Na'vi," she said.


---


"We go!" Tsu'Tey announced as the fire died down. The leather bags for their Pa'Li were packed, stuffed with food wraps, water skins, and othe rneeded supplies. It was several hours to Vitraya Ramunong --the Tree of Souls-- under forced-march conditions; with a small caravan and two bodies slung in travois, it would be over a day there, a day for the ceremony, and a day back.

<<Outriders, go,>> Sek'Mut said, and four Pa'li riders went out first, lightly encumbered.
"Why do they go first?" Ariel asked, whispering to Arik.
"They ride far in front of, and on the edges of, our group," he explained, "To warn us of any danger."
"Oh," she said. She looked up at him. "You have a horsey?"

"I have a Pa'li," he said. "Aniuket let me use hers."
"She's not coming?" Ariel asked. They looked back at Aniuket, illuinated by the fire.
"She cannot," he replied, "Her arm is healing fast, but she needs to wait." He looked at Ariel. "You have a ride?" he asked.
"I do," she said sweetly. Just then, Sek'Mut rode up next to them, and offered her his hand. She took it, and got pulled up --ungracefully-- onto the back of the Pa'li. Arik raised an eyebrow as she struggled to get on the creature, and ignored her butt sticking out as she righted herself.

"Graceful as a sack of potatoes," he said. She wrinkled her nose and stuck out her tongue at him. Sek'Mut looked back at him and give him a mischevious smile as the Pa'li took it's position towards the front. At the very front was Txonunilyu, on her palulukan, giving a wide berth to the nervous Pa'li in the presence of the predator.

The Na'vi also gave a wide berth to Damien Cole striding by in his AMP suit. Unencumbered with the supply box, he carried the 30mm cannon in a patrol-ready grip. The rest of the humans rode on the backs of other Pa'li, each sitting behind some of the warriors that were going along. Arik adjusted the M60 machinegun slung across his back as Aniuket approached him.

"Be careful," she said.
"We'll be okay," Arik assured.
Aniuket was clearly upset. "Night is dangerous. You only go at night to hide from Sawtute," she said. "Mo'at trusts Eywa to make safe for you... maybe a bit too much."

Arik nodded. Tireamokri was going along, talking to Nef'Tys, who was pointing towards Arik. The adult Na'vi woman looked at him and nodded her understanding, talking to Nef'Tys, who seemed to be upset.

"I think I'm going to get some instruction," he said.
"Tireamokri is good person," Aniuket said. "She make safe for you. Stay close, do as she say." She had the look of someone holding back her emotions. "Come back to me, safe."
"I promise," Arik said.
Aniuket put her arms around him and kissed him, quickly, then let go.

Arik noticed a lot of Na'vi staring at them, including a stony glare from Sek'Mut.

"See ya," he said, waving, and he mounted up.
"You owe me," Aniuket said as he started to ride off.
"I will come back and pay," he said, smiling. She smiled too, but as he rode away, he saw her tear up.


---


They rode for an hour in near silence, the sky growing darker --or such as it did, with Polyphemus dominating the evening sky. For several minutes, Arik saw a presence in the trees, following them, darting from branch to branch before stopping, crouching, and watching until they were out of sight. Finally, Tireamokri turned, looking right at the figure, and waved good-bye. Nef'Tys waved in reply, before disappearing back the way she'd come.

"We lost our air support," Arik said.
On the Pa'li ahead, Ariel turned and looked at him.
"Who?" she asked.
"Nef'Tys was following in the branches," Arik said. "She'll be a terror when she gets an Ikran."

"She's a headstrong girl," Ariel said. "You afraid of strong girls?"
"Strong?" Arik asked. "Strong. No, not at all; I like them. But I dunno if strong is what I'd use for Nef'Tys. Mischevius, yes. Impish, mm-hmm. Buttinski? Definitely."

"You said 'instigator' yesterday," Oscar reminded him.
"Yes, yes I did," Arik said.

Ahead of Ariel, Sek'Mut turned around to look at them. He got a mischevious grin of his own, and began humming. Around them, many of the Na'vi warriors picked up the tune, and Hanu smiled, bringing in the words.

"Hanu is our best... singing hunter," Sek'Mut said. "Ninat is the best singer in the tribe, but Hanu does well, no?"
"Very good!" Arik said as Hanu sang a hunting song in Na'vi, which the other hunters picked up on during the chorus. Arik couldn't understand the words, but it rhymed and had a jaunty tune to it. Arik followed along, humming where he could, trying to pick out the clues and patterns of the ninavi he knew and recognised.

"Ahrik!" Hanu said, approaching his Pa'li closer. "How about you? You are tsamsiyu, srane? You have tsam'tìrol where you come from?"
"War songs?" Arik asked. "We have a lot of 'em. We have peace songs, too, but no one seems to learn those."

"Give some song of tsam where you come from!" Hanu said. Another of the warriors yipped his approval, and a female warrior said, "Srane, srane," Ahead, Sek'Mut turned around and glared at Arik, who was suddenly popular among the warriors.

"Okay," Arik said, "I know a song. It is a song about a soldier --a warrior, tsamsiyu, who goes away to fight, and he is sad about his woman back at home." He brought his Pa'li up, riding close to Sek'Mut and Ariel. "I even mentioned it to Sek'Mut yesterday!" he said, and sang-- his singing voice was passable, but no one seemed to mind:


There's a yellow rose in Texas that I am going to see,
No other soldier knows her, no soldier only me;
She cried so when I left her, it like to broke my heart,
And if I ever find her we never more will part.

She's the sweetest rose of color this soldier ever knew,
Her eyes are bright as diamonds, they sparkle like the dew,
You may talk about your Dearest Mae, and sing of Rosa Lee,
But the yellow rose of Texas is the only rose for me.

Where the Rio Grande is flowing, and the starry skies are bright,
She walks along the river, in the quiet summer night;
She thinks if I remember, when we parted long ago,
I promis'd to come back again, and not to leave her so.

Oh, now I'm going to find her, for my heart is full of woe,
And we'll sing the songs together, like we sung so long ago;
We'll play the banjo gaily, and we'll sing the songs of yore,
And the yellow rose of Texas shall be mine for evermore.

He flashed a grin at Sek'Mut, who set his jaw and pretended not to see the Uniltaron, and not to hear the whoops of laughter and cheers from the hunters at the alien song.

Ariel looked back at him, and mouthed the words, "you are a bad boy."
Arik winked and said nothing more.









Results:
Characters are on the trail to the Tree of Souls/Vitraya Ramunong.
Personal connections grow among humans. Na'vi, and Uniltarontokx.
Ariel riding with Sek'Mut; Arik borrowing Aniuket's Pa'li.
Othe rhumans riding with Na'vi warriors.
Damien Cole in AMP suit.

***
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.

Ka'il

Damien backed away from the armwrestle, and found a quiet, dark spot nestled in-between two massive bushes. He pushed away some of the leaves, and flattened others out. Finally, he had a respectable pillow. Fluffing up the "pillow", Damien settled in for a quick nap.

"Damien, right?"

Damien huffed, annoyed, and turned over. There, standing over him, was one of the blue-skins. But this one was different. Dressed differently. And not nearly half as curious.

"Yeah. Who's asking?"

"I'm sorry, I'm Chris. And despite my appearance, I'm an Avatar driver."

Damien huffed again and closed his eyes, rolling onto his back.

"Uh huh. So you're one of the hamsters they're experimenting on? How's that working out?"

Damien smirked. Just a little.

"What's wrong with you?"

The Marine yawned and opened his eyes groggily.

"I'm tired."

"You ought to try kiva. It's basically wine, but much more potent. It'll put a kick in your step, no doubt about that."

Damien grunted.

"No."

The blueskin, Chris, looked at him. Curiously.

"Why not? It'll keep you awake and-"

"I don't drink."

"It's not alcohol, Damien. Trust me, I'm not a drinker either but I liked it."

Damien rolled over on his side, away from Chris.

"I. Don't. Drink."

Chris glared.

"Well you're going to need something. You're accompanying us to Vitraya Ramunon. Alex did some repairs to your AMP suit earlier, and it's good to go."

Damien yawned.

"Wonderful."

Rolling back over, he looked up at the blueskin.

"Fine, you want to get me something? Get me water."

"Suit yourself."

Damien rolled back over and tried to sleep. But his relaxation was interrupted by a massive wall of water suddenly drenching his body.

Chris giggled softly to himself, smirking wide.

Grunting as the cold water hit his body, Damien was suddenly up and awake. He could already feel the adrenaline making his heart race and his mind more alert. Standing, he grunted again and glared at the lab-rat.

"I could tear you in half, blue-skin."

"Well what are you waiting for?"

Damien charged. He wasn't good on speed and agility, but when he hit you, it was like a freight train just hit you. He threw a shoulder into the blueskin's chest, knocking him back several steps.

Chris backpedaled a few more steps, then dived back into the fight, landing two vicious blows to the man's chest.

Grunting, Damien stepped back, throing his fist into Chris's solarplex. Or where it should be.

With somewhat near a growl, Chris bulled into Damien, knocking them both into the ground. He struggled with the Marine to get the upperhand.

Damien landed on his back with a grunt, but quickly regain his senses and headbutted the Na'vi. It hurt. A lot. But he ignored the pain and rolled over, trying to pin the blueskin.

After a bit of a standoff with neither man gaining ground, both of them rolled away from each other. Damien was the first up, panting heavily, sweat mixing with the water.

"You're good, blueskin. Maybe I won't kill you...today."

"Yeah, you're not too bad yourself." Chris said with an exhausted grin.

"Remember that. Now let me sleep."

-----------------------------

Damien yawned in the AMP, his lion-esque roar filtering out of the external speakers.

Several Na'vi turned and glanced at him, but he ignored them. After his encounter with Chris, he didn't want to deal with any more blueskins until he had had some decent sleep.
If the colors that bind,
Were to unwind,
Would I still be safe,
Within my mind?

Mako

Kelutral Common Area
1600 Hours


"But for now," she said, switching to English, "We eat!" she said with a smile. 

The spread that the Na'vi had put out was incredible. Chris and Eanataw had sat down near the throng of humans and Avatar drivers, enjoying the company. He picked out the new arrival Damien from the crowd and decided to go over and speak with him. He was a brute of a man, and he didn't seem to feel comfortable surrounded by the natives and Avatar drivers.

"Damien, right?"

((OOC: Leaving the rest of the dialogue here to Apxa.))

As Chris sat down, he tried to hide the fact that he was immensely impressed that Damien could match him in an Avatar body. He noticed Eanataw chuckling quietly beside him.

"Pehem?"

"Ke'u ma Chris." She gave him a wry smile. He couldn't help but give a laugh.

------

As the night wore on, some of the younger Na'vi started sporting, engaging in wrestling and other forms of competition. Nef'tys came up to Alex, eyes shining. Chris knew he was up to something.

"Ah-leeks!" she said. "Come on! Let's fight!"

"What!?" he asked, shocked. The warrior Hanu hooted his approval.

"We fight!" she said, "Make fpeio! You know what it is, fpeio?"

"Uhhh... no," he said, bewildered.

"Grace, you tell!" she said, eagerly.

Grace grinned. "Ceremonial challenge," she said. "It's not a real fight."

"Fpeio, fpeio!" Hanu hollered, and several Na'vi clustered around.

"Does the name Judas mean anything to you?" Alex asked Hanu, who only laughed. "I thought not. My tsmukan."

"Arm wrestle," Grace said with a smile as the Na'vi gathered.

"You're kidding?" Alex asked.

"Like at school," Nef'Tys said, and put up her arm.

"One of my assistants taught them," Grace said, rolling her eyes.

"Lucky me," Alex said, and matched her.

"Okay," Grace said, enjoying herself, "'Aw, mune, pxey, go!"

Alex strained against Nef'Tys, and he had the satisfaction of making some headway before she stiffened. Their hands sat, tensed, between them, and Alex braced as best he could, trying to ignore the fact that Nef'Tys sat casually. Alex's hand began to back up, and he felt some sweat trickle past his ear. He put his full effort into stopping her, and the retreat of his hand slowed, but he was tiring-- and he could feel the inexorable strain on his forearm. Finally, his hand was pushed over and he gave up.

"Oh, my god," he said, gasping as he rubbed his hand.

"I win!" Nef'Tys said, jumping up, "Pesu sempu ngayä!?"

"Did she just say 'who's your daddy'?" Chris asked, shocked, and stifling hysterical laughter.

Grace sighed. "My assistant, whose name by the way is Blake, had a lot of fun with the Na'vi," she said.

------

En Route to Vitraya Ramunong
Approx. 1900 Hours


Mounting a Pa'li for the first time had been interesting for Chris. It had taken him a few minutes to get the hang of riding the creature, but tsaheylu was an incredible, breathtaking experience. Up to this point, the ride to Vitraya Ramunong had been pretty eventless. Some minor conversation with Eanataw and some of the other Avatar drivers, but that was it.

Lehrrap Uniltìranyu

Patrol Squad L-33-7
Border of 'the Flux'
2000 HRS

"All squad units, report in." Lyle said. He wasn't taking any chances, not at night. The squad had already run into two packs of Viperwolves, easy enough to kill but he almost lost a man, and he wasn't looking for any fights right now."

"This is 'Worldcrusher'. All clear, nothing on radar." the second AMP suit reported. "Longshot reporting, sir. Nothing. It's quiet." the third AMP reported.

All three AMP's were loaded to the gills with everything they needed for heavy combat, just incase they ran into one of those crazy giant-mountan lion like things that liked to take out AMP suits and chewed up infantry like little gummy peices of candy.

One by one, the three squad leaders reported in, and gave a head count. Thirty men, Three AMP suits. There shouldn't be any problems.

Lyle forged ahead, taking point as he scanned around, his GAU-19 at the ready as he scanned, the 30mm barrel slowly sweeping the forest. "Hold up, we got movement!" He said, bringing his hand up.

The men stopped, and Lyle brought his GAU to the fore, sweeping carefully to make sure he didn't miss anything.

Suddenly, a Na'vi riding a Direhorse leaped into his field of vision. "TARGET!" He said, and opened fire, two quick three round bursts.

The Na'vi cried out in alarm and fled. "s***, missed. All units, set up a defensive perimitered and prepare for counter attack!"
----------------
En Route to The Tree of Souls
2020 HRS


The sudden repetuar of a GAU-9 being fired startled Esme into action. "s***! We got company!" She said, hurringly getting off the Dire Horse she was riding shotgun on and rolling before snapping the Assault Rifle that she had taken and locking the bolt, her grip steady as she tensed up for more shots.

Tsu'tey yelled out a few commands and the Na'vi all drew weapons, several dismounting from their Pa'li in order to use their melee weapons.

A rustling in the bushes caused Esme to bring her weapon up, but was stood down by Set'mut. "It is one of the outriders."

The Pa'li riding outrider came up to Tsu'tey and started speaking quickly in Na'vi, so fast that none of the Humans or newer Avatar pilots could catch it, but Grace gasped. "Oh s***."

"What the hell's going on doc?" Esme said, looking over at her.

"They said there is a large squad of soldiers and three AMP suits up ahead. That's the only way to The Tree of Souls in this area, and we have to get though there if we want to get Jax there before he dies." Grace said, sinking back onto her Pa'li in shock.



-----------
"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-

Nume fpi sänume

#169
Kelutral
1500 Hrs


Alex was finishing up his few repairs when there was a thud on the ground near him. Alex looked up to see an approaching Na'vi, though one he almost recognized. Mil'Ani? Mil'Kio? Mil...something? Alex was still pondering his name when he began to talk to him.

"I need to speak with you," he said softly to Alex. Stopping for a moment, he added, "Privately."
"Yeah, sure. Let's go over here." The two of them walked for a bit, away from the others who watched them. "What can I do for you...uh... whats your name again?"

"Mil'Ano. It is about my tsmukan, Mil'Ani. He is young, do not have more family but me. If I die, you watch over him, srak."

Alex wasn't sure what to say. He was rather stunned at the proposal its self, but he knew that srak was for a yes or no question.

"Yeah, sure. I'll do what I can... but you're going to be fine! Don't worry about it big guy." Alex said with a playful punch in the arm. Mil'Ano didn't seem as convinced.

"Irayo, you now tsmukan, my brother, as well." He turned to leave, but Alex stopped him.
"I need to return to the crash site, can you take me there?"

"Srane" Mil'Ano replied, stopping for a moment to look at him.

"Ok, I think that means yes. There are tools there that I need to fix this." Pointing to the AMP suit.
"Yes, I take you. We leave now." He let out a short, sharp whistle, and a flurry of wings descended, landing in front of them.

"I've...never ridden one of these before." Alex stammered, not sure what to do at this point.
"It easy. You ride now." As Mil'Ano climbed up and bonded with his Ikran. Moments later, he yanked Alex up, and set him on the Ikran's back. Alex didn't have much time to get used to the feeling, because a moment later they were airborne.

"s***!" Alex screamed, latching onto the Mil'Ano for dear life, who was laughing at him as they gained altitude quickly, covering huge amounts of ground. Before long they were at the crash site, small black streams of smoke still pouring from holes in the structure of the once proud Brokensword. They set down, and Alex jumped off, landing hard on his legs. The jump was further than he thought, and a dull pain worked its way up to his skull.

"I watch from above." Mil'Ano said. "You call for me, I come get you." And with that, he was airborne again.

"Guess that solves that," Said Alex, who approached Brokensword, looking for a way to access the internal compartment he needed. It was a wreck for sure, and he wasn't entirely sure how Jax survived at all. Hell, Alex wasn't sure how he survived such an event. He maneuvered around, and moving a few pieces of the right rotor assembly, he found the compartment hatch he was looking for. He pried it open, happy to see the repair kit still intact. He pulled the satchel out, checking its contents. Hose sealant, metal alloy patches, a small welding torch, along with other useful items. He set the pack aside on the ground, and worked his way further in the wreckage, trying to get to the other side.

"There should still be one more...*umph*...bag" Alex said to himself, stretching for the latch on the other side, feeling metal press against his chest as he reached. His fingers made contact, but slipped. He reached again, feeling the metal dig into his chest with the sharp pain of an open wound, but his fingers got around the latch. Pulling it and reaching inside, he grabbed the personal survival pack within. It had MRE's and water purifiers for two people, enough to last a couple of days. It also had a trauma kit, and a spare exopack. Pulling himself off the metal, pack in hand, he took a look at the damage he did to himself. There was a growing dark spot against his shirt, but nothing too bad. He took a moment to patch himself up with the spray bandage and a gauze pad from the kit. His watch beeped, and vibrated, as a pair of red dots became visible. They were slow approaching, but they were working their way in his direction.

"Oh. That's not good. That's really really bad." Alex muttered, and with that he got up, letting out his best whistle, hoping it would be enough. In the distance he heard the usual crashing of the pair of AMP's. He knew that if he was found out here, he was dead. Alex didn't have time to think, pulling his exopack up and letting out the best whistle he could, pulling his mask back on. He saw the signatures of the APM's  stop, and the lead one moved forward again, the other taking up rear guard. If it was loud enough for them to hear, it was loud enough for Mil'Ano to hear. At least, that's what Alex hoped.

Alex didn't have to worry for too long, as the Ikran and rider soon made themselves known, coming down nearly on top of Alex.

"Good timing, let's go" Alex said, extending his hand to Mil'Ano.

"Tim-eng?" Mil'Ano asked, hoisting Alex onto the ikrans back as the first AMP broke through the tree line. Alex stopped everything. He knew that driver, it was unmistakable, but what was he doing in an AMP suit?
"Thad!? What are you doing out here?" Alex called out to the older man.

"Alex..." It was genuine shock as Thad recognized Alex. They didn't have time for a reunion though, as the Ikran bolted upwards, taking to the skies in a flash, leaving ground, wreckage, and Thaddeus behind.

--------

It was a short flight back to Kelutral, and Alex wondered what was going on the whole time. Why was Thad in a suit? Why was he out there? He seemed generally shocked to see Alex, which should be a surprise really, given the wreckage. Alex thought on the events while he worked on Damien's suit.  The repairs went quick now that he had at least almost proper tools. He fixed a hose that was leaking fluid, and a few gummed up servos. The jungle was not nice to these machines. Alex couldn't help but to think back on the events of the day. He wondered what would become of them in their current situation. For the first time, Alex seriously considered going back to the Gate. Finishing his work, he cleaned up his tools. The Na'vi had decided he wasnt a threat, though a few stayed around to watch him work, seeming fascinated by what he was doing. None of them seemed to speak English, which was fine as far as Alex was concerned, it made the work go faster to not have to stop and talk.

--------

It was time for dinner, almost more a celebratory feast, though Alex wasn't sure what for. Alex took his time eating, he had gotten used to eating slowly here, bit by bit, his mask constantly in the way. In just a few short days he had changed so much, mostly out of necessity for survival. Lift mask, take bite, reseal mask. Rinse, repeat. It was almost automatic now, a stark contrast to the way Alex used to be about his mask. For the first time in days, Alex realized he didnt have a spare mask on him, even though they were available. Not the best of ideas, considering the mask he was currently wearing was his spare at one point, and it had saved his life. Given current circumstances, he should probably be carrying two spares, but re made a note to get another spare one for his cargo pocket when he could. His thoughts were interrupted though, by Nef'Tys calling to him.

"Ah-leeks!" Called Nef'Tys. "Come on! Let's fight!"

"What!?" he asked, shocked. This couldn't end well.

--------

"Oh, my god," Alex said, gasping for air, his muscles strained from the event. Arm wrestling a Na'vi, even a child, was something only the bravest of humans should ever attempt, at least in Alex's mind.

"I win!" Nef'Tys said, jumping up. Alex stopped listening at that point. It wasn't long after that when they packed up, gathering food and other supplies they would need for their trip. Alex walked over to Jax, resting his hand on his brothers shoulder. It was strange how quickly he had come to call Jax his brother, but it didn't bother him one bit. Now all he cared about was trying to save him. They were mounted and on their way to this Tree of Souls before long. Alex pondered the day's events as they went along, the chat he had with Mil'Ano, seeing Thad again, the campfire and feast. He knew he would never be as comfortable here as he had been back in the Gate, but given time, Alex thought he could find this an acceptable area as well. His thoughts stuck with him, even through Hanu's singing, which was follow up by Chris sharing a human song. These were close friends of his now, even brothers and sisters. Alex wondered if it would be enough at the end of the day.

Sngä'i Tìrey-yä

Traveling
2000 HRS


Riding on the Pa'li behind Sek'mut had been fun. Had been. Now after riding for what seemed like forever (but was probably closer to an hour) Ariel was getting irritable.

"How much longer" she whined to the na'vi in front of her, but she didn't get any response. She huffed in annoyance. "I know you can hear me Toto, speak boy!" Still, silence. With a mischievous grin, Ariel decided to find out whether na'vi were ticklish.

Turns out, they are.

Pleased as punch to finally get a response out of Sek'mut (even if the response had been an indignant shout and dark glare, causing the other na'vi nearby to hoot in laughter), Ariel started chattering again about nothing in particular, hoping the threat of soft fingers would convince him to keep up conversation. Obviously embarrassed to have been bested by the little alien, Sek'mut put on his pissy face and tried his best to tune her out. Ariel wasn't going to take that though.

"My GOD my ass hurts from this thing, its a wonder why your tails don't fall off. Seriously, I thought sitting on a tailbone was bad but this thing is a thousand times worse. No wonder you warriors are all so pissy, bouncing up and down all day. Its a wonder you can still have children..." she was complaining to no one in particular, but the best part of riding behind someone is knowing they have to listen to you. "After all this riding, have to wonder if your swimmers still go upstream?"

That caught some attention. "Swimmers?" he asked, mildly curious.

"Nevermind, its not important."

Sek'mut grunted, and kept moving forward.

"I'm tired of staring at your back," Ariel complained again after another minute, "Can't I ride in front?"

"No"

"Why not?"

"No room"

"Well that's hardly a good reason," Ariel huffed in annoyance. "Besides, I'm tiny, remember? I could fit easily between your arms there, on the front of that saddle thing too. It'd probably be way more comfortable on my bum. Please?"

"No"

"Please?"

"NO"

"PLEASE"

Silence

"...I promise I'll stop talking for awhile." Ariel finally tried reasoning. There was more silence, and then a resigned, "Ok"

Squealing in excitement, she somehow clambered between his arm and leg on the left-hand side, grabbing at the base of his hair for a handhold.

"Congratulations, Sek'mut!" Ariel could hear Arik call from his perch, "You are now a jungle gym. Knew it was only a matter of time before she was walking all over you!" Sek'mut only growled in response and groaned as a misplaced heel made life a little uncomfortable for the boy. As soon as Ariel got settled, she looked behind and smiled, saying "Sorry" in a sweet singsong voice. Sek'mut only narrowed his eyes, and sighed deeply.

"This is so much better," Ariel said after a moment's silence, "I can actually see up here. I was going crazy behind you, started counting your stripes. Did you know you have one more stripe on your right side than your left?"

Sek'mut growled and huffed, Ariel could feel the warm air on the back of her neck.

"You have an odd number of dots too. I couldn't count them all because of all these straps and stuff covering them up, but still-"

Sek'mut interrupted, "You said no talking. Why you talk now?"

"I said stop talking for awhile, I didn't say how long it would be. I was quiet for about a minute when I first moved up here!"

"Not enough." She could feel his head shaking above her, "Be quiet, or I will make you."

Ariel scoffed, "You and what army?"

"Me and a rope."

After flipping off Arik, who was laughing so hard he was about to fall off his Pa'li, she took a deep sigh and settled back against the tall na'vi warrior behind her. She hadn't realized she would essentially be spooning Sek'mut, but to be honest, she didn't really care. It was way more comfortable sitting on his lap than sitting on the horse creature.

The view up here was much better, propriety be damned.
Avatar is a movie about a guy with blue balls running through the forest chasing tail.

Coyote

En Route to The Tree of Souls
2020 HRS







"...What the hell's going on doc?" Esme said, looking over at Grace.

"They said there is a large squad of soldiers and three AMP suits up ahead. That's the only way to The Tree of Souls in this area, and we have to get though there if we want to get Jax there before he dies." Grace said, sinking back onto her Pa'li in shock.

The line of travelers froze, and Sek'Mut had already dismounted warriors.
"Crap," Arik muttered. He looked over at Ariel.
"I'm sorry," he said, "Stay with Jax and Hun'nar. And say down!" he said, sliding from the back of his Pa'li.

Ariel nodded, and Arik got up in a crouch, unlimbering his M60 machinegun and checking the sights. He glanced around; most of the warriors were already moving towards the danger. He saw Mo'at going to stand near Ariel and the unconscious bodies, and felt better-- but of his support, only Tireamokri, Eanataw, and Chris were there. The Na'vi women had bows ready; Chris had the assault rifle. In his massive Avatar frame, it looked more like a large, cumbersome pistol.

The Na'vi women were holding back with the Avatars, but clearly were unsure if that was a good thing. The other warriors had already charged forward. Arik, Chris, Eanataw and Tireamokri looked at one another.
"Esme," Arik called out, "Alex, guard Jax and the others!" he said. He nodded to Chris and the Na'vi women with them, and they moved towards the source of action as well.

Gunfire erupted up ahead, and war whoops followed, punctuated by more gunfire. Arik had no idea what was happening, but clearly contact had been made. "Let's go!" he said, feeling his old instincts settle over him once again. You never truly forget how to do this crap, he knew. His M60 was at the ready and he took point, the others falling into a wedge behind him.

Thump*thump*thump-- --the report of the GAU-19 was unmistakable, and gave the Na'vi pause. Dismounted human infantry was one thing; the shield walkers were another thing entirely. Where's Damien? We could sure use him now... But for all Arik knew, some of the GAU-19 fire might already be their new ally already firing into Dr. Childs's loyalists. He approached cautiously, keeping low behind some vegetation on a rise.

"Crap," he muttered. Scattered RDA security was backed up by no less than three AMP suits. "This is going to hurt." His heart skipped as a Na'vi warrior stood to loose an arrow and got promptly stitched by a bloody, ragged line across his chest. "Goddamn," he muttered, and shouldered his weapon. From the corner of his eye, he was satisfied to see the Security goon go down, a massive arrow embedded in his torso.

"Cover the flanks!" he yelled out at the Na'vi, "I'll lay suppressive fire!" he lined up the front and rear sights on the cockpit of the lead AMP suit and squeezed off a burst.
Powpowpow--! his machinegun chattered, and starburst patterns of hits splattered across the AMP suit canopy, but he couldn't tell if any of them penetrated.

"Machinegunner on the east rise! the AMP driver called out. Some of the Security troopers moved toward shis position, but slowly-- they were pinned down by arrow fire from the Na'vi.
"Coordinate your fire!" Arik yelled. "Sek'Mut, Tsu'Tey; make two groups, one fires, one loads...!" He gave up. The Na'vi weren't listening. They fight well, Arik realized, But they fight as individual heroes, not as a coordinated unit. We have no cohesion. He knew if it went on long enough, the AMP suits would tilt the balance in the SecOps favor-- their band of infantry was small, but fought as a coordinated group.

"Chris! We need to take the AMP suits out!"
"How the hell do you recommend that?" Chris asked back.
"Make those windows useless!" Arik called back, "Tireamokri, Eanataw, make sure no one gets close to us...!" He lined up on the AMP suit's canopy again and put three controlled bursts onto the canopy glass.

The glass was bullet-resistant, but it could be chipped, and the heavy bullets of the machinegun carved into the glass, making visibility harder with each successive hit. This is going to take forever, Arik thought. He looked at his ammo box. Forever ain't the only thing I'll run out of quick. Bullets, too. Tracer fire crisscrossed the air with arrows, which thudded into the ground --or people-- all over. He looked at the AMP suit, never really thinking of one as an 'enemy' until now. To think, I had been happy to see these things show up before... A sudden idea struck him.

"Cover me!" he called to Chris as he backed away from the rise, and took off running. He didn't watch to see what Chris, Tireamokri, or Eanataw did; he went at a dead sprint along the outermost edge of the battle area.

This is stupid, this is crazy, he thought. The only reason she got away with it was because she didn't know it couldn't be done... He approached the rearmost flank of the RDA Security forces, wondering how long it would be before he was seen.

It wasn't long.

"From the re--!" a man yelled, charging towards him, leveling his assault rifle at Arik's midsection. Arik reflexively squeezed of a burst from the machinegun at extreme close range and dropped the man with ease, and took off running again-- towards the rearmost AMP suit.

Dropping the M60, he ran up on a fallen tree and leapt, amazed at the very notion he was even trying to do this damnfool stunt at all. He landed squarely on the back of the AMP suit as thre emore SecOps guys came after him, spraying bullets at him and at the AMP suit-- not that the driver cared. The driver tried to reach up and back with one hand to slap at him, but the arm holding the GAU-19 was held steady, and that was the one that Arik wanted.

Arik crawled over the twisting AMP suit and latched onto the ammo belt, giving it a good hard tug as he allowed himself to fall from the back of the suit. The belt came apart, and Arik plummeted to the ground, satisfied to see that only about a half-dozen rounds remained in the gun-- the rest he had successfully pulled out. The AMP suit driver didn't notice, and popped off his remaining rounds, only to look at his gun in bewildered confusion as it coughed out it's last bullet and fell silent, useless.

"Hey, guys... reload! Quick! the loudspeakers called.

Two SecOps goons sprayed their weapons towards Arik as the third tried to climb on the AMP suit to reload his partner, but was impaled by an arrow and slid to the ground a bloody rag. Arik picked up his discarded M60 and ran away, exchanging fire with the infantry goons as he made good his escape. He didn't know if he got any.

One down, he noted, and hoped the others were having luck.









Results:
Arik manages to disable one AMP suit by breaking its ammo belt.

***
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.

Txontaw

#172
EN ROUTE TO THE TREE OF SOULS
2020 HRS


The war-walkers were causing the most damage with their piercing bullets reaching the other warriors even as they stayed in cover.

Txonunilyu cursed under her breath, wishing that she could still fire a bow. She looked out from behind her cover again and saw one of the AMP suits stop firing, it's ammo disconnected by Arik. Emboldened by her comrade's success, she swiftly climbed up the tree, and moved over one of the two remaining AMP suits.

With a cry, she launched herself out of the tree, and, with knife downward, thrust it down through the glass canopy. The driver panicked as Pandoran air flooded into the compartment. He disabled the movement, and scrambled for an exopack.

Txonunilyu thrust the knife through the glass again, this time spearing the driver in the chest. He looked shocked at the knife the size of a sword sticking out of his chest, coughed up some blood, and died.

The ground troops caught sight of her, and open fired. Txonunilyu jumped backward off the AMP suit, using it as a shield between her and the guns. There was a knife on this AMP suit, used for close combat. For a Na'vi, it was the perfect size. In a stroke of inspiration, she took it, and jumped out from behind the AMP suit, dual wielding knives. She threw the knife, catching one of the soldiers in the face. By the time the other soldiers had recovered from seeing an AMP suit knife sticking out of their comrade's face, she was already upon them. She slashed out at them, slitting the throats of two in one stroke. The third shot wildly, a bullet striking her shoulder.

Howling like a wounded dog, she lunged at him, stabbing him through the heart.

She saw more of the soldiers coming from too far away. She dove behind a nearby tree for cover, catching her breath.




In summary:

There is only one AMP suit left active.

Txonunilyu has been hurt, but not morbidly.
"You're not in Kansas anymore. You're on Pandora, Ladies and Gentlemen." - Colonel Quaritch


Nume fpi sänume

En Route to The Tree of Souls
2000 HRS


Alex had been put on a horse thing, a Palu? No, it was a poly. Or at least something that sounded something very much like the cliché bird name. The ride had been rather boring, though Alex wasn't enjoying the stretching of his legs that came with riding the beast. It was fine for the Na'vi, but for a human rider, the animal was a bit....wide. The day's events still played out for him over and over, as he tried to figure out what was going on. Sure, things back at the Gate seemed messed up, but maybe it was just a huge misunderstanding. Alex knew that was just wishful thinking. He hated how people weren't like machines, easy to identify what was "broken" and just replace the faulty piece. That had never sat well with Alex, but there wasn't much he could do. In his time here on Pandora, he had more social interaction with these few people than he had in a year back on Earth. Alex's mind wandered down various roads of thoughts, only to be brought back by Arik's voice shouting, and a mass of movement. Alex hadn't even noticed he was on the ground till just now.

"Esme," Arik shouted, "Alex, guard Jax and the others!"

"Alex, here." Esme tossed him a sidearm and a spare clip. "You might need that." She herself unslung her rifle, loading a round into the chamber and taking up cover behind a downed log. "I'll watch the rear; you keep your eyes open on the sides and front. If you see anything, just holler."

"Uh. Ok, I can do that." Alex wasn't exactly filled with confidence, and it was clearly heard by Esme.
"Let me put it this way. Either you watch and shoot at things that aren't Na'vi, or Jax dies, no questions asked."

She seemed to understand how to get through to Alex. Too bad she played for the other team when it came to personal relations. "Ok, got it." Alex would die for Jax. Well, for almost any of them actually, but mostly for Jax. His watch showed the AMP's in a triangle formation, but Alex knew there was more than just that in the jungle. It didn't take long for Esme to pop off a few rounds, drawing Alex's attention behind them. He didn't see anything, or anyone there, but he didn't doubt her. Moments later the return fire came, the log she was hiding behind exploded in wood chips and splinters as she dug herself as far into the ground as she could, wood and foliage raining down between them.

"Alex! Suppressive fire!" She shouted over the sounds of exploding wood.

"What?!" Alex had no idea what to do. He wasn't trained for this!

"Shoot your f*** gun in the direction of the people shooting at us! Give me a window to take some real shots!" Even with her shouting, she was almost drowned out by the sounds of rifle fire and exploding wood.

Alex raised his pistol, and fired off a few quick shots. He was filled with adrenaline almost instantly, and realigned himself with where he should be shooting. All of Quaritch's tips and tricks came back into memory, and he found himself poping off shots exactly where he wanted them. The opposing fire died down for a moment, and Esme didn't miss the opportunity. Raising herself and taking aim, she sprayed the leaves with gunfire, a few audible screams came from behind them.

"Let's go!" Esme screamed.

She got to her feet, hoping over the log; obviously battle driven. She was bleeding from various cuts where the wood that had been showering her and pierced her skin. Alex couldn't stop himself; he jumped up, joining Esme in an insane two person charge against an unknown number of RDA SpecOp's forces. She fired as she ran, Alex tried to put rounds anywhere he saw something move, trying to cover his comrade. Bullets whizzed by him. He saw the gleam of an exopack, and saw the figure raising a rifle towards him, but before he could level the weapon, an arrow impaled into Alex's would be reapers side, pulling him off his feet sideways. Alex looked back, and saw a gleeful Hanu who was already drawing back another arrow. Alex didn't have time to think about it as another bullet whizzed past him, close enough to feel the air disturbances from. Alex spun, seeing Esme in hand to hand combat with an RDA soldier. The one who had shot at Alex was facing him, half hidden by a tree, but very visible. Alex leveled his weapon, the recounted everything Quaritch ever told him as he fired off a series of round, the first two striking the tree, and the third finding home in the soldiers exopack. The screen on the front of it spider webbed, and an explosion of red followed from inside. The soldier went down holding the side of his face, an exit wound visible from his left cheek, pressurized air spraying out of it and the hole from his visor.

Alex turned to Esme, who was now fighting the remaining RDA soldier. Alex raised his pistol, trying to get a good sight on the soldier when a large blue arm pushed it down.

"Let your warrior fight her battle. She strong, no honor for her if you take kill" Hanu told him.

"What do you mean, she's gonna get killed!" Alex stated.

"Then that Eywas will. They fight to death, both of them battle mad." Was his sober reply.

Alex stopped for a moment, and watched the scene play out. There really was nothing he could do at this point. Esme had he knife drawn, as did the other soldier. The circled each other like cats, the occasional lunge the only true movement to be seen. The RDA soldier acted first, coming at Esme from the front. She dropped down and launched herself forward as he approached, wrapping an arm around his knees, and lifting him, easily using his momentum against him to throw him over her. His blade found her bicep as he passed though, and a crimson streak appeared and flowed freely, Esme dropping her knife and grasping her arm. She turned, and in a swift action applied her boot to the soldiers knife holding hand, shattering the finger bones, and in another kick, sent him sprawling to the ground. He stayed on the ground, and Esme released her arm, her hand coated in blood. She raised her injured arm, gripped her mask and pulled it off. She locked eyes with the RDA soldier, and licked a line of blood from her coated hand, replacing her mask and resealing it. He rose to his feet, visibly shaken, and shook his head a few times, resuming a fighting stance. Esme took one a stance as well, and the two were quickly back to circling. This time, Esme struck first, trying at land a seemingly wild swing to his temple, he dodged her feint, which she quickly followed by spinning around and landing the back of her hand on his left ear, disorienting him. She realigned herself as he regained footing. He took a wild swing at her, her right arm deflecting the blow, turning his back to her. She brought her right arm back over his hand, locking his nick in the joint of her elbow. Her left fist pounded into his spine, and her foot kicked his feet from under him, while her right arm pulled him back. He fell backwards, and she followed him, dropping her left knee into his throat, her right knee just under his ribcage. She drew her boot knife, and with a quick release of her knee and a clean movement, slit his throat; tearing off his mask and throwing it as she came back across. She stood, victorious against her opponent. Hanu whooped for her, and Alex stepped up to high five her. She walked up to Alex, and punched him in the stomach, knocking the wind from him.

"What the f*** were you doing just standing there? I ALMOST DIED!" She shouted as Alex fell to his knees.

"Hanu...*wheeze* Told me not to.... Not to interfere." Gasping for breath, he continued "Said I would take your... Honor if I killed him for" Alex didn't get the chance to finish before Esme kneed him in the exopack. Alexs vision went fuzzy and little white lines darted around the outsides of his eyes.

"Screw you, next time, you take the god damned shot or come help me. I'd rather live than die in glorious combat. Up until then, you were doing great. Good job covering me." With that, she turned to Hanu. "And you! How dare you try and stop Alex from helping me, do you see this?!" Holding up her sliced open bicep, "This could have been avoided. As it is I'm going to have to sling mount my weapon, there's no way I can hold one the entire way now. Idiots, both of you." She put a steel toed boot in Hanu's shin as she turned to walk, causing the warrior to reach down and protect himself from further attack, and pushed Alex over with her boot heel as she walked past.

"Men." Was all she said as she walked back towards Jax.

"Your people very strange." Hanu said to Alex, "You do right today, if she was Na'vi." Rubbing his swelling shin.

"Yeah, but shes not Na'vi," Alex said with a cough, "Shes human, and a bit on the bi-polar side at that. Maybe even psychotic."

"Bye-pool-ar?" Hanu asked, confused.

"It means she's not all there in the head, or maybe there's too much there. Hard to say."

"Human female's very strange"

"Yeah,  I know." Alex had finally recovered his breath. The sounds of battle were dying down, but Alex wasn't sure who the victor was. His watch still showed all three AMP's, but that just meant their locator beacons were still on. Alex looked over at Jax, who was still safe and unharmed, and back at Esme, who was applying spray bandage and medicated gauze to her arm.

"Too bad she plays for the other team..." Alex muttered.

Tanhìyärina'

#174
Kelutral, 1600 hours

Tireamokri listened to Mo'at's words, calling for the beginning of the feast.  She had seen such a feast, back when she first arrived, but she had not climbed down from the trees to approach the Omatikaya.  And she had seen another, and had partaken of the food, but never at the center of the gathering.  That was the day she met Nef'tys, and Nef'tys had introduced her to Aniuket, and the two Na'vi tutee had drawn her ever more inward into the clan.  They had showed her their face painting styles, the decorations they carved into their bows, and the whole range of their tropical fruits.  She had shown them her spears, and demonstrated how her clan spears fish, and they had helped her block out the tree-filtered light to aim her arrows more precisely.

They had marveled over her double bracers, a knife tucked along the inside edge of each forearm, and their swirling snow designs.  She had touched their delicate weaving, amazed at the drape of the fabric.

But today, she was no longer on the outside, looking in.  No longer on the outskirts of the clan.  Her two Omatikaya smuke had drawn her into the heart of the feast.

One of the Na'vi began singing, spontaneously.  Tireamokri had not heard the song before, but Nef'tys began to sing along.  As the chorus repeated, Tireamokri picked up the rhythm and began to softly clap her hands and stomp her feet in an intricate pattern.  The meter and accent of one of her clan's chants matched this song very well, and though the lyrics were different-- hers talked about the fine line one walks when spearing fish, and this one spoke of flowers blooming in the trees-- she found herself greatly enjoying the song.

"Sing us one of yours, tsmuke!" Aniuket asked, smiling, when the song had finished.

Tsmuke, Tireamokri thought.  They accept me.  Look how the others are nodding, agreeing.  Indeed, this is where I was meant to be, here with the Omatikaya, who have stood up to protect the right-thinking Sawtute from their very wrong smuktu.  Are they even siblings, anymore?

Tireamokri took a long drink of kava, wiping her lips off with three long fingers, before handing the bowl to Nef'tys and clearing her throat.

Then she began to sing, and as she sang, she kept time by clapping and stomping, succumbing to the dance.


Oe lu Na'vi, Eywayä 'evi,
Tìng mikyun, eltu si!
Oe taronyu, oe tsamsiyu,
Ma smuktu, tìng nari!

Tukru lu tìhawnu, tukru lu pamtseo,
Kawkrr meyp, kawkrr txìng.
Tukru lu aungia, tukru lu kato,
Tsantslusama tskxekeng.

Oe lu Na'vi, Eywayä 'evi,
Tìng mikyun, eltu si!
Oe lu täftxuyu, oe lu fyawìntxu,
Ma smuktu, tìng nari!

Täftxu lu sìlronsem, täftxu lu tìkenong,
King lu tìngay, lu mokri.
Renu lu 'ìheyu, renu lu tirea,
Ayfya'o ke mun'i!

Oe lu Na'vi, Eywayä 'evi,
Tìng mikyun, eltu si!
Taronyu, tsamsiyu, täftxuyu, fyawìntxu,
Ma smuktu, tìng nari!



I am a Na'vi, Eywa's child [affectionate],
Listen to me, pay attention!
I am a hunter, I am a warrior,
Siblings, look at me!

The spear is protection, the spear is music,
Never weak, never abandons [us].
The spear is an omen, the spear is rhythm,
Wise training.

I am a Na'vi, Eywa's child,
Listen to me, pay attention!
I am a weaver, I am a guide,
Siblings, look at me!

To weave is clever, to weave is an example,
Thread is truth, is a voice.
The pattern is a spiral, the pattern is spirit,
Do not cut the path!

I am a Na'vi, Eywa's child,
Listen to me, pay attention!
Hunter, warrior, weaver, guide,
Siblings, look at me!



By the end of the song, she was stomping and clapping and whirling, singing with all her heart.  She finished with a little flourish, panting slightly from the exertion.  No wonder we do this, she thought.  It keeps us warm.  It is much too hot here to dance like that.  She looked around, half proud and half sheepishly, having made such a spectacle of herself.  But running through her soul was the current of acceptance that she had felt that whole day, and she smiled brightly.
Fitseng lu oe, tìftia kìfkeyä seri.

Ka'il

As the gunfire started way off in the distance, Damien instinctively brought his gun to bear. He couldn't see enemies, but he could see stray shots fired upwards trailing off. He looked around, watching the Na'vi mobilize.

"Let's do this." Damien said confidently.

Hoisting his gun, he headed off with the rest of the combat party, staying to the left. He could again feel adrenaline over-clocking his heart and brain. He loved that feeling.

--------------------

He came to the edge of the combat zone on a ledge, watching from above. Two AMPs had already been disabled, and the third was quickly being surrounded. And it was almost right under him.

"Damn, this is crazy."

He loved it.

Taking a breathe, Damien backed away from the ledge, closing his eyes for a moment. Then, suddenly, his eyes flew open, his breathing quickened, and his AMP suit burst into action. He ran up and off of the ledge, putting both feet out, holding his gun above his head. The soldiers on the ground had little time to react before two of them were crushed by the massive AMP "feet". Three others in the circle were killed by the AMP's arms as they swung wide. Firing off two shots, Damien killed one more, then concentrated on the AMP suit in front of him. The other soldiers were on the others side of the AMP. They could wait.

He was not two feet from the AMP, far too little space to use the massive gun he had in his hands. Dropping the cannon to the ground, Damien lunged at the other AMP. The other driver had recovered from the shock of having an AMP suit suddenly land next to you, and lunged as well. Damien could already see the driver trying to reach for the knife. Throwing an arm out just before the two glass canopies collided, Damien grabbed the arm heading for the melee weapon and brought it up, away from the knife.

As the canopies hit each other, small cracks appeared in the glass. It didn't worry Damien, he knew better. But apparently the other AMP driver was new, and didn't know that the fractures were, for now, harmless. Damien could see the fear flash across the driver's face, and there was a split second of hesitation in the struggling. Taking advantage of that, Damien pushed off with his feet, sinking slightly into the ground, and made the other AMP fall backwards.

Now on his back, the other AMP drive tried again to grab his knife, but he was too slow. Damien's own massive AMP knife rocketed through the glass, but not to kill the driver. Not yet. He cut on either side of the driver, reaching a hand through and pulling off the glass piece. Using his other hand, he gripped the driver, who was out of his restraints now and trying to escape, and hoisted him up. The look of fear on the man's face was all Damien needed to finish the job. Soon, the man's head was sputtering blood a few feet away, removed from the man's body the an AMP knife. Damien dropped the body, and turned, expecting to see the soldiers leveling guns at him. Instead, they were backing away in fear.

Perfect.

Damien lunged, swinging his knife, catching two of the guards in the chest, and one in the face. All three were dead instantly. Bullets pinged off of the canopy, and Damien turned to find another group of soldiers firing at him. He lunged.

SUMMARY:
Third AMP suit disabled
If the colors that bind,
Were to unwind,
Would I still be safe,
Within my mind?

Lehrrap Uniltìranyu

En Route to the Tree of Souls.
Search Party
2045 HRS.

"s***." Lyle was out of ammo, his squads where being ripped to shreads by the crazy-heroic fighting of the Na'vi, as uncordinated as they were. When the missing AMP suit joined the party and started killing his men, Lyle knew it was time to punch out.

"All units, retreat! Fall back! Fall back!" Lyle yelled out. The remaining men disangaged and took off, full speed, along with Lyle and his AMP suit.

Tsu'Tey and Set'mut let out victory cries as the AMP suit crashed away. "Victory is ours!"
-----------

Mo'at inspected Esme as she started to bandage herself, and then looked over at Alex. The man was indeed quite the warrior, though he did not look the part, but the female... she was indeed a true warrior, born and bred.

She continued to stand on guard next to Jax. She wasn't a warrior, that what Hanu and the other Na'vi warriors were there for, but she could fight in a pinch.

She was impressed by the amount of deication that the tawtute had to their fallen sibling. Usually the Na'vi didn't see this. Grace walked up to Mo'at with a smile. "<<You can see it, can't you? Their want to protect him. Humans call this a 'emotional bond'. Like the bond, but only on a emotional level, not a true connection.>>"

"<<Why do they fight so to protect him?>>"

"<<Because he helped save them, he sacrificed himself for them. We sky people always repay our debts when it is due.>>"

--------Results--------
Lyle and his ammo-less AMP suit, plus about thirteen soldiers, retreat from battle.
Mo'at and Grace talk about humans and their 'emotional bonds'.



-----------
"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-

Ka'il

#177
En Route to the Tree of Souls.
2050 HRS

Damien fired a few warning shots at the retreating soldiers, having recovered his gun and gotten on solid ground. The last BDU disappeared behind the treeline, leaving only a bloody battlefield and two destroyed AMP suits. Blood from the execution he performed had splattered on his canopy, obscuring his vision somewhat. Taking hold of a large leaf, Damien proceeded to wipe the red liquid from his AMP. Then, something struck him.

Walking heavily up to the Avatar he recognized as the Head Researcher's from pictures and reports, he quietly cleared his throat and began, talking through the speakers in his AMP.

"Ma'am, we can't let them escape."

He pointed to the direction the soldiers had retreated.

"They know about me. They know about this..."

He motioned to his AMP.

"That would be bad if we want me to go back to Hell's Gate to keep running supplies."

He hoisted his gun, testing to make sure everything still worked.

"I need to go after them."

SUMMARY:
Damien realizes the jeopardy the Search Party poses to possible future plans, requests to go after them.
If the colors that bind,
Were to unwind,
Would I still be safe,
Within my mind?

Coyote

On the Trail:
The Jungles of Eywa'evenga
Battleground to the Tree of Souls










Arik picked his way back among the victorious Na'vi, carefully announcing himself before approaching in case people were still worked up and firing at noises. No one took a shot at him, though, and he trudged grimly through the mud and blood field that had, not too long ago, been a meadow with only the buzzing of insects to disturb the day.

Instinctively he checked everyone visually; even the Na'vi warriors. He came to Chris. "ACE report?" he asked.
"Ammo, down one mag; Casualties, about four of our warriors dead and another six with minor wounds; Equipment... seems we have an opportunity to resupply, a bit at least."

"Hm," Arik grunted. He saw Damien approaching Grace and advocate for chasing down the survivors. Arik sighed, and approached.
"I hate to say it, ma'am," he said, "But he's right. They saw our course, and they'll know we're headed for the Tree of Souls. They can set an ambush, and even threaten the Tree."

Grace Augustine was horrified at the bloodbath that had already taken place-- Would Pandora ever know peace? she wondered-- but she looked to Mo'at, who was stoic in the face of the carnage.

<<Our allies speak truth,>> the Tsahik said. <<We must protect Vitraya Ramunong as well as ourselves.>>

Arik nodded, and glanced at Damien. In his splattered and chipped cockpit, he could see the man clearly enjoyed the brutal aspects of the job. Arik frowned a bit, but he knew that Cole was with them for his own reasons; that their causes helped one another for now was but a convenience. Cole wanted to go home to Earth and wasn't so concerned about Pandora; whereas the rest of them...

Well, actually, I guess most of them want to go home as well, Arik reasoned. Maybe I'm the only one wavering in my commitment to Earth...

"Arik," Grace said, clearly upset, but with a stony determination set in her face, and a private, deep pain in her eyes. "Yes. Stop them."

Arik turned to see Tsu'Tey and Sek'Mut already there, with Hanu and a few of the other warriors nodding agreement.

"Ne Pa'li!" Tsu'Tey ordered. Hanu, Mil'Ani, Sek'Mut and several others went to their mounts, and Arik jumpe don his, making Tsaheylu with the creature quickly. Instantly, he felt the creature's energy coursing through him, and his mind organized it's thoughts and priorities. He looked for Chris, Eanataw and Tireamokri and didn't see them immediately, but figured they'd be among the group somewhere. Damien and several warriors took off already, and Arik would catch up.

"Try to get the supplies, weapons, ammo, radios..." he said to Alex and Esme. "See if you can salvage some of those AMP suit parts for Cole's suit," he added. Alex nodded.

Arik spun his Pa'li and wondered if anyone else was going to come along as well before he sped off....










Results:
Warriors will have to hunt down survivors so they don't rat to Quaritch where they were headed.

***
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.

Mako

Near Vitraya Ramunong
Unknown Exactly


Chris spotted Arik and Damien leaving the group, chasing Wainfleet and the remaining grunts. He resaddled and took off after them. There was no way he was going to let them have all the fun.

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