Storm over Pandora- In Eywa's Shadow

Started by Lehrrap Uniltìranyu, February 06, 2010, 09:01:40 AM

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Txontaw

Kelutrel
0755 HRS


"Srane, ma Karyu. Peu si aynga neu ne plltxe hu oe?"

Txonunilyu paused for a moment before replying.

"<<I must tell someone, or I will go insane. My paluluken, Eanswizaw, has been killed. The knowledge of her death was too great for only me to bear. I feel as if I have lost a part of me.>>"

Jax was surprised and honored that she had chosen him to tell of her loss, instead of any of the others.

((Gonna continue later, too burnt out right now to finish))

"You're not in Kansas anymore. You're on Pandora, Ladies and Gentlemen." - Colonel Quaritch


Coyote

Kelutral
0923 [Sawtute Time Reckoning]










Arik walked in strained silence with Aniuket. She was patient; she knew the tension was not between her and him. Rather, it was with Jax. So she took comfort in the fact that her presence provided comfort to the Uniltaron that she had come to grow very fond of, although she was not entirely sure if she understood the social intricacies at work.

"You are... with fear of Jax now?" Aniuket asked.
Arik seemed jolted by the question.
"What?" he asked. "Afraid of Jax? No," he said, "Why?"

"Some of the People see him as...." she stumbled for words. "Not of nature world."
"Un-natural," Arik said slowly.
"Un-na-toor-eel," Aniuket repeated.

Arik smiled. "No," he said, "I do not fear Jax. He is still Jax, very much, inside. I..." he hesitated for words. He stopped, looking around, looking at the Omatikaya and the fire pit and the vast branches of Kelutral...

"I envy Jax," he said sadly.
"What is it, enn-vee?" Aniuket asked, worry on her face.

"Envy," Arik said, "It means... I wish Jax and I could trade places. He would like to be an Uniltarontokx, and one day go home in his human form. I... I wish I could be here forever."

Aniuket looked at him, her expression guarded. "Why you say this?" she asked.
"We have killed our mother," Arik said. He crouched down and picked up some dirt, and let it run through his fingers. "This stuff, here? On Earth, we have blasted it... we have made everything, every place, look like scar-in-ground." He sighed. "I wish it was not so, but we have been very, very cruel to our home. And now it is dying. That is why Sawtute come here."

"How does coming here make... 'urrth' better?" she asked.
"It is like eating meat from the ikran, Arik admitted. "If the Omatikaya are hungry, you take meat from the ikran, yes? Good for Omatikaya; not so good for theikran."

"Sawtute are eating eywa'evenga?" she asked.
"Yes," Arik said.

They walked together in silence. When Aniuket spoke again, it was on another subject.

"I bring for you k'sey Na'vi," she said, giving him a smile. "I place it in branches next to mine."
"K'sey Na'vi?" he asked, not placing the unfamiliar word. 
"I show you. Come," she said, and pulled him along. Arik followed her up the branches of Kelutral and to a series of branches that reached out over a small platform surrounded by hide and what looked like Na'vi art.

"It is this," she said, and placed herself in a sort of hammock which --to Arik's surprise-- wrapped around her at a touch. She looked snug and safe, and she got out of the hammock and pointed to another one next to it. "This one yours," she said.
"Nice," Arik said. He was about to step into it when he noticed the stony looks of a pair of elder Omatikaya looking up at them from the platform. He put his hand up, palm out. "Hi," he said, smiling, "um, Kaltxi."

"Oel ngati kameie," Aniuket said respectfully. The male said something in rapid-fire ninavi that Arik could not follow in a million years. He sounded impatient. Aniuket answered him, her tone deferential.

"Ah-rik," she said, "It is time you meet my parents."

Hoo, boy, he thought as they lowered themselves to the platform below. Aniuket may have been considered only a "fair" hunter and warrior, but her casual familiarity with the gymnastics involved with everyday Na'vi life was light-years beyond Arik's clumsy moves. He would have been surprised to hear from Tireamokri that, by Sawtute standards as seen by the Na'vi, he was considered quite adept at forest movement... but only in comparison with other Sawtute.

"Kaltxi," he tried again, "Oel ngati kameie." He held out his hand.

Aniuket's father gave him a curious and severe look, and asked Aniuket what was going on. A confusing exchange followed, after which her father carefully extended his own hand and Arik clasped it, shaking it up and down a couple of times before releasing his grip. The old man said something to Aniuket.

"He thinks this is a... funny custom," she said.
"You know, once you think about it, it is, really," Arik said. When this was translated, the hoped-for ice-breaking laugh didn't happen. Instead, the old man regarded Arik as if he was a fool for adhering to a custom that he'd just admitted was silly.

"My father is Jamuk," Aniuket said, "My mother is Relya."
"Pleased to meet you," Arik said, smiling. Both Na'vi regarded him with stony silence. Her mother's eyes darted back and forth between her daughter and Arik, her expression torn between one of obviously wanting to support her daughter, and a barely-concealed horror at what Aniuket was doing.

"Awk-ward," Arik finally said. "Tell them I am tseosiyu, he offered."
"They know," she said quietly, "I have shown them the collection of art-leaves you gave me. The penn-sils."
"Not impressed?" he asked.
"They worry too much," she said.

They were interrupted by stern talk from her father, Jamuk. Aniuket defended herself in the universal tone of besieged daughters, which was, apparantly, a galactic constant. He heard names such as 'Aniuket', 'Sek'Mut', and words such as 'Iknimaya' and 'skxawng'. No need to wonder how that is being applied, Arik thought.

Finally, Aniuket made a *tch!* of exasperation and, seizing Arik's hand, took him away from the platform, firing back what sounded like something defiant to her parents.

"I am sorry," she said, "They make shame on me."
"Aniuket," Arik said gently, "They are worried about you. They love you. I am a stranger and... different. To most Na'vi, I represent a threat. They just don't want you to be hurt."

"My mother is with fear," Aniuket said, "You will do as you say-- stay, make climb Iknimaya, and we will mate. Then you will be gone and I will be sad and maybe have..." she did not continue. "She thinks I am a fool."
Arik couldn't think of anything to say. They walked together, and he resisted the urge to make any motion or gesture that would be seen as too familar or intimate... but he wanted to comfort her, too; put an arm around her, hold her hand. I can't do anything that will undermine her in front of her society, he determined. Many Na'vi were looking at them, as well as looking at Jax, and Chris and Eanataw... Tireamokri and Nef'Tys had disappeared; Oscar was sitting in an odd position and giggling at some private joke, unsure what to do and if it were his place to do anything at all in the first place.

Also gnawing at Arik was the loss of Alex. He tortured himself with the notion that, perhaps, he could have said or done something that might have alienated Alex, or he should have said or done something to bring him 'into the fold', as it were. Damien Cole was quietly servicing his AMP suit, ignoring the gawks and stares of the nearby tribesmen.

Ohhh, what are we in for...? he had to ask himself, and he had no easy answers for any of them.

Suddenly, Oscar jumped and and started screaming, and ran off into the woods, as Arik looked on. His initial instinct was to go find Oscar and find out what was happening, but he thought about Oscar's predicament with his arms, his growing sense of frustration that was no secret, his sense of displacement after hearing his 'real' body had died... To be honest, jumping up and screaming seems to be something we could all indulge in a bit...

He and Aniuket wandered the camp in silence for a bit. There was a tension in the air, an uncertainty, that Arik couldn't place. Something was wrong, out of place... Mo'at and Eytukan spoke among themselves, with Neytiri near them, watching the strangers among them with obvious coldness. Tsu'Tey and Sek'Mut conversed among themselves as well, with a small band of warriors nearby.

There's factionalizing, Arik realized, frowning. Things will get worse before they get better...

Oscar charged back into camp and almost immediately got into a confrontation with Twonyu, which had to be broken up by Chris.

"Taking out Grace..." Arik said, "Was a lot more effective that I thought."
"What do you mean?" Aniuket asked. She thought Grace had been shot-- the whole camp knew it.
"Grace could have helped with a lot of this," Arik said, "She could explain not just the words to both sides, but the meanings. The intent. Sometimes we use words in different ways than you."
"The... sar-kasim you used before?" she asked.
"Sarcasm, yes," Arik said.


"You need to join tribe," she said, "Pass tests. Climb Iknimaya. Show you can do these things, and the People will be more happy to you."
"Tireamokri started," Arik said, looking around, "But she seems to have gone somewhere..."
"There is something between her and Nef'Tys," Aniuket said, "Something Nef'Tys will not tell me. Sometimes..." she looked away, her face hard with emotion for a moment before she looked back. "Sometimes it is as if she is more Tireamokri's sister than my sister," she said.

"Ahh, siblings getting along, or not. I know that one," he said, scanning the crowd looking for Na'ama. He saw her with Beyral, learning to make a knife-- he'd seen Jax doing similar things earlier and recognized what Na'ama was trying to accomplish. "I suppose I need to make a knife or something."

"We will find Tireamokri when she is finish talking to Nef'Tys," Aniuket said. "I wish I could teach you better these things you need."
"How's your arm?" Arik asked.
"Tsamsiyu Atsteu says I am doing very well," she said, "Maybe I can take these off soon."
"In the meantime, how about some art?" Arik asked.

"Art?"
"Tseo," he said. "Show me to do it here, Omatikaya style."
Aniuket smiled at him, and the smile grew into a grin that Arik immediately recognized as full of fire and mischief, much like Nef'Tys's trademark Cheshire grins. It was the first time he truly saw the connection between them. Ah-ha, he realized, You have to find her passion to bring out that daring edge... She guided him to a series of stretched out hides and a rock with some mixing bowls on it. The mixing bowls had variou spowders, leaves, and berries, clays, and other substances that appeared to be, possibly, animal in origin.

"Bring water from pond," Aniuket said, "And I will teach you to mix the..." she waved her good hand at the bowls, "...the colors together..."









Results:
Arik reunites with Aniuket, begins to understand the pressure she is under.
Meets Aniuket's parents, which does not go well.
Sees cooperation between Sawtute, Avatars, and Na'vi breaking down.
Arik begins to learn Na'vi art.

***   ***   ***   ***   ***   ***

Hell's Gate, Pandora:
Avatar Barracks












Blake was already awake when Liz's Avatar woke up. She smiled and greeted him and began her daily stretching routines, followed by some muscle-building crunches and push-ups.

"How are you guys doing?" she asked.
"Well enough," Blake admitted. "Trudy, Grace and I have been talking about moving the Remote site to another location."
"You haven't moved it yet?" she asked. "It's still in the spot the RDA originally posted it?"

"Yeah," Blake said, knowing it had been a foolish omission on their part. "But we can move it, easy. A single Samson can lift one of those mobile sites; the Dragon can easily transport both of them. There's plenty of floating islands with water sources, it'll be a snap. We just need the help of all the drivers and Avatars."

"Well, you better hurry," Liz said. "Childs is up to something no good. He's building something he says might be a decent enough replacement for the Dragon. He's got tech crews tearing apart the one that's already here, the one without the engines, and going over things like avionics and controls and transplanting it all to some new monstrosity."

"Any idea what it is yet?" Blake asked.
"No," she said, "But they want to use it to go north as well as come after you guys. They ran some flights north for something a few days ago. Quaritch disappeared for like three days and came back wearing a parka, of all things."

"Hmmm..." Blake's Avatar rubbed his chin with thumb and forefinger, as if scratching a non-existent beard. "Odd. What else is going on?" he asked.
"One of the drive pods from the ruined lab has been removed," Liz said. "No one knows where it went. It's not one of our operations," she added.

They chowed down on their dwindling supply of protein bars. "This is another problem we have to confront," he said, "We're running out of chow."
"I logged in late a couple of nights ago," Liz said, "I grabbed some fruit. Snuck out. The guard towers don't look in the perimeter much. No need." She went to one of the cupboards and opened it, revealing several native fruits.

"Dangerous," Blake said.
"So's going hungry," she said. She tossed him a fruit, which he gladly ate.
"We need food and weapons," he said. "Can any of your people arrange a drop-off?"

"Food we can do," she said, "Weapons less so. Childs and Quaritch feel that they've pulled off a few victories lately, what with Grace being shot --yeah, that's all over the base, now," she revealed, "--and so they're not so tight with common supplies. But since your big breakout, they've clamped down on weapons security something fierce."
"We can't get nothing, huh?" he asked.
"Nope," she said. "I'll see if any of my guys are willing to give up a couple of pistols, but as far as you and I are concerned, chances are we'll probably be on our own out here."








Results:
Blake discusses situation with Liz.
They can get food but no weapons smuggled to them.
She fills him in on recent goings-on about Hell's Gate-- mysterious trips north; a replacement for the Dragon being built.

***
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.

Ikranä mokri

#122
Kelutral
0800 Hours


Twonyu walked off holding his breath, he didnt want to show those mesawtute that he was in pain. he walked off into the forest outside kelutral and let out a huge breath. for a few seconds his breathing was shallow and fast. when it had returned to normal he carried on walking out into the forest. every single one of his scenes screamed at him not to, especially since he had a broken rib but he ignored them and carried on. He needed to clear his head, start to think straight accept all that had occured in teh past few days however much he hated it.

Pandoran Jungle
1200 Hours

Twonyu didn't feel lost at all this far out from kelutral, in fact he felt more at home and peace, he was away from the aysawtute and any resposibility. His rib hadnt given him much pain as he had been taking it slow. Twonyu had left the jungle a little way behind him and all above him were the floating rocks of Iknimaya. Ikran were flying about, but suddenly a cry came up and they scattered, Twonyu stopped and stared as Toruk dropped from behind a rock, towards the Ikran. The power of the Toruk was unsurpassable, even thought a few Ikran got away one was unlucky and was hit by the full force of the Toruks strike. The Toruk roared and with its kill in its claws started to rise again. Twonyu felt humbled but sad to have seen this mighty beast kill one of his namesake. with many thoughts in his head he changed direction towards the jungle again and the trail to Kelutral.





Tirea Tskoyä has a new look see it[url=http://forum.learnnavi.org/fiction-

Tsamsiyu Atsteu

Kelutral
0925 Hours


Tsamsiyu saw Aniuket and Arik walking, but they seemed to be in deep conversation. Both seemed upset, though Tsamsiyu could not fathom why from merely looking at the two as they passed her by. Whatever it was, it was between them, not her. Oh well, she would check on Aniuket's arm later, if she needed to. She had not seen Twonyu around, either. She worried for him. He needed to rest, to heal, and she knew that such restrictions would cause him to chafe. The young Na'vi shook her head.

Tsamsiyu settled against Hometree, her back to the strong bark, and began to add the finishing touches to her new bow. Later she would test it. Her hands were as nimble as her mind, and Tsamsiyu worked deftly on her weapon. Maybe, with her new bow, her skills would be better showcased and she might draw the attention of some of the eligible males int he clan. Tsamsiyu shrugged her thin shoulders, thinking to herself as she worked.
To live in the past is to die in the present.

Mako

Kelutral
0815 Hours


"My god Oscar! Do you have any idea what you could've just done??"

"D'you honestly think I care at this point, Chris?"

"Maybe that's the bloody problem isn't it?"

"Why? Because I'm the only one that doesn't want to bang one of the chicks here?"

Chris reeled inside his mind. Maybe he had lost focus on what was important here. He wasn't sure if Oscar saw his shift in emotion, but the boy immediately felt sorry.

"Damn. Sorry, Chris, that was uncalled for."

"No, mate, you're absolutely right. I think that us, Arik, Ariel and myself have gotten distracted from what's going to keep us alive. And you're absolutely right."

Oscar stopped, and blinked twice.

"Wait, what?"

"I said you're right. If we want to stay alive, we're going to need to regain focus

Chris mused on how easily the conversation had turned from reprimanding Oscar to this.

"Well, you guys have been having fun, but I'd hardly call that losing focus. You're blending in with the natives."

"And how much progress have we made training wise?"

He raised his eyebrow.

"Zip. Okay, I see your point."

"Exactly, so now that we've established that, back to you. I know you feel useless, but now is not the time to prove yourself. Not when we've got this much at stake."

"Then what the hell am I supposed to do, huh? Sit around all day? Maybe learn a little Na'vi while I'm at it? I hate being so f*** useless!"

Chris thought about that for a minute. The healer Tsamsiyu came to mind.

"You know, mate, I know your situation is a bit odd, but have you gone to see Tsamsiyu, the healer? The Na'vi have been known to cure some pretty unusual situations."

"Yeah, they gave me some salve. The way things are looking? I might have control over my arms back in a few years."

"Well crap. I was trying to give you some hope mate. But even in the light of that, you still could train with us, just differently."

"Still, man. I mean, I can't ride one of their...Pa'li? Or the Banshees. I can't use a bow, I can't use any weapon. I can kick people in the head. I'm as useful to the Na'vi as bloody book."

"Who says you can't ride a Pa'li? Have you even tried?"

"Dude, you kinda need your hands for that..."

"Again, who says? Have you ever watched the Na'vi? Most of their balance comes from their legs because they use their bows."

"I don't know, man. I mean, what would be the point, anyway?"

"You said it yourself, you can fight with your legs, all it takes is some improvisation and I'm sure you could be of use. You just need to think a little."

"But what would be the point of riding a Pa'li? On my own? I can't really kick, or I'd fall off. I have better odds tagging along."

"My god Oscar, listen to yourself. You're all 'I can'ts' and 'I couldn'ts'. Start telling yourself you can!"

"I can't do anything, Chris, because I'm DEAD! I don't have anything to go back to! My family thinks I don't exist anymore! I don't have a body! I have a broken shell that's not even mine!"

Chris felt a twinge of regret for Oscar. He was right.

"But you can, and look there you go again with your bloody 'I can't's."

"I'll give it a try, mate, but if fall of that bloody horse one too many times, I'm calling it quits."

"That's a good bloke."

--------

Tsamsiyu Atsteu

Kelutral
0817 Hours

Tsamsiyu finished her new bow, and slung it on her back, smiling to herself. She'd go hunting later. Right now she wanted to stretch her legs. As she walked, she caught the sound of sawtute talking, and heard her name. Curious, she moved towards the sound. She caught sight of the two that were presumably talking. Chris and Oscar, if she recalled them correctly. She had seen to Oscar, but the tawtute was guarded, and it was difficult to help him. She had given him a salve, but not seen him since. Well, until now, that was.

"That's a good bloke." she heard Chris say, and frowned. "What is blo-ke?" she asked. Chris smiled slightly. "Er.. it means, it's a slang term for man. Tutean," she said, feeling slightly awkward. Tsamsiyu merely nodded. "Slang is like nickname yes?" she asked, frowning slightly. Sometimes she despaired at ever understanding these people. "Yeah, that's it." Chris said. "You want to ride Pa'il?" Tsamsiyu looked from Chris to Oscar, then back, cocking her head at them. She nooded to Oscar. "Oskar? How is salve working? You need to come see me more," she said, looking unhappily at him. "No help if you don't come see."

(whew... brain fried from seminar. Best I could do :) )
To live in the past is to die in the present.

Coyote

Sengtsil Territory
Evening











Captain Jean-Cameron Danjou wandered the Sengtsil camp, the snow crunching beneath his booted feet as he watched the local tribals haul in the carcass of a mighty Pandoran whale. Tonight would be a night of celebration, for three hunters had now passed their rites of passage within the tribe. Not too long ago the two men and one woman had tamed their ikrans; now they used them in a coordinated hunt to bring in their kill.

The Sengtsil hauled the Leviathan up onto the beach, using logs as rollers, and began hacking at it with methodical precision with their knives. As children growing up they had seen it done dozens of times, and had practiced and known what to do for some time, but this was their first time the kill was theirs and theirs alone. The rest of the tribe watched to see how skillful they were as they split the skin and took meat and blubber from the whale, which resembled, to Danjou, a massive Coelacanth fish-- if one pictured a Coelecanth with an extra set of eyes, two catfish-like tendrils with tsaheylu connections from it's brainstem, and double-set fins as well as teeth.

As the whale was stripped, he noted that another carcass lay in the water-- the bone remains of an earlier kill from a month ago, he'd been told. And beyond that were the bare bones of another kill that, after cleaning by the village, had been submerged in the shallow waters of the Sengtsil's cove so that the local carrion fish could complete the process of cleaning the skeleton. When the newly-graduated hunters finished cleaning the latest carcass, it too would be submerged for months of getting picked clean by local fish, and then the gleaming white ivory castle would be pulled from the water and dried, covered in a resin made from local saps, and finally a large tarp of stitched hides would be draped over the ribcage-- and the Sengtsil would have another housing unit for the hunters to start claiming once they took mates.

The largest, central skeleton-tenthouse was where the Sengtsil chief, Kai'iu, lived. His tent was well heated with a small reactor that Warren Childs had given him as a gift some time ago, when Kai'iu was simply Chief Warrior and Warren Childs was just a geologist doing some field work.

Childs did a good job cultivating Kai'iu, Danjour recognized, But he did not go far enough to bring the whole tribe in. He found a lynchpin to exploit. I need them all to think this alliance is in their best interests, and that it was their idea.

Danjou's Master's Degree was in Anthropology, with a focus on Tribal Psychology. There were few tribal societies left on Earth now, and most of them were tribal societies in name only-- they were settled and largely urbanized. The last true bush tribes died decades ago, those few that remained now living on reservations that were usually just large slums or squatter villages. It was fascinating to actually work in his assigned field for a change, but he never lost sight of what the true objective was: turn the Sengtsil into proxy warriors for Warren Childs.

Danjou approached the chieftain's tent. Outside, the jawbone of a nantang hung on a leather tie, with the nantang's leg bone hung on another rope nearby. He put the legbone into the arc of the jawbone and rattled it back and forth.

<<Come in,>> a voice called out. Danjou entered and the chieftain's mate, a thoroughly subservient female whose name Danjou never could remember, welcomed him and took his parka.

<<Olo'eytkan Kai'iu[/i],>> Danjou said, bowing respectfully, "Oel ngati kameie," he greeted.
<<Oel ngati kameie,>> the chief responded, then, "Pliz kom inn, have seet," Kai'iu said in thickly accented English.   
"Very good," Danjou complimented him. He sat down, and the chief's mate served him a hot drink. Danjou took a breath, lifted his mask, and sipped at the drink-- slightly bitter, to his taste, but also somewhat fruity. He replaced his mask and nodded his satisfaction at her.

<<I thank you for the kuns,>> Kai'iu said, <<We are putting them on sleds now. They will help in our domination of the Kreyat to the south.>>
<<Kreyat?>> Danjou asked.
<<Small tribe, they come into our hunting lands too often. I wish to show them how great their mistake is.>>

<<It will be a tremendous demonstration of power,>> Danjou said, knowing that letting tribes test their new weapons by settling scores on neighbors was a fairly common practice. It also allowed Danjou the opportunity to see how they employed their new weapons in the field, and what he'd be up against, as far as cultural inertias, when it came time for more in-depth training.

<<What of your chief, Warren Shildz?>> Kai'iu asked. <<He is going to bring back the iron cloud?>>
<<A new one is being built,>> Danjou confided.
<<Truly, you Sawtute have access to marvels,>> Kai'iu said. <<This tribe to the south, the ones who helped steal the first iron cloud... the Sawtute will detroy them, yes?>>

<<That's the idea,>> Danjou said.
<<You will expect the Sengtsil to help?>>

Danjou took another sip of his hot drink and resealed his mask.
<<It is very kind of you to offer,>> he said.
<<Your chief has done much to help me,>> Kai'iu said, <<I will show my gratitude properly.>>

<<Thank you, Kai'iu,>> Danjou said, smiling warmly.









Results:
Sengtsil preparing to use AMP suit guns on neighboring tribe.
Tribal leader Kai'iu offers to help Childs fight the Omatikaya.

***
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.

El Jacko

#127
Site 24
0549hrs


  After the fracas with Jax, Shep set the site to re-pressurise and sat at the table, staring at this pistol. Thinking.

Planning.

  His life lacked meaning, higher purpose, a goal, something to move towards. These last 8 years had lacked any true meaning, but at least he had something to work towards. Or rather, work from. But now, the object of his motivation had reconciled the deeds which had passed, and there was nothing more to run from. All that remained of his former 'life' were bloodied hands, an order he couldn't bring himself to follow and an offer.

  He sat there for hours, sleeplessly, just staring at the gun. Tracing his eyes over every nick, chip and dent in the green metal, reading and re-reading the name on the side, just...looking.

  Then something, deep inside the recesses of his tortured mind, snapped. He picked up the pistol, removing five of the six rounds from the magazine. Then, he spun the magazine, flicked it back into the pistol and cocked it.

  Calmly, he raised the pistol in one steady movement, and placed the end of the barrel next to his temple, pausing for a brief second before he pulled the trigger.

- - - - - - -

*Click*

- - - - - - -

   Silently, he lowered the pistol and replaced it atop the table. He had no idea why he did that, and would probably never know. He still had a job to do.

   With silent haste he rose, vaulted the table and strode to the mattress containing his various armaments. With practiced precision he suited up, checking the magazines of all 4 firearms and loading extra clips into his bandolier, stowing both WASPs and his Glock within the suit, leaving just 1 item aside. Ignoring this for the time being, he tossed the mattress aside and wrenched the side beam free, drawing on his training to improvise.

   The beam was a 7 foot long, hollow, duralumin tube. Light, strong, but not too hard, with crimped ends. With the heel of his boot, he flattened the ends to about a foot in, creating a rudimentary Samoan quarterstaff. Hopefully, it would provide a worthwhile advantage against the taller and more powerful Na'Vi. That and it would carve through foliage pretty well

   Armed to the teeth, he drew himself up to his full height at the window, taking one last casual look at the forest. Just as 2 days previously, ACA was beginning to rise, dyeing the treeline a deep orange. He reached down for the final item. Delicately, he placed the fragmentation grenade in a special pocket in his suit, ensuring the Dead Man's Handle wasn't going to come loose, and removed the pin, securely buttoning the pocket shut. In a pinch, he just had to tear the top off the pocket to blow himself halfway back to Earth.

- - - - - - - - - -

   The airlock seals hissed briefly, before silently swinging open. A 6'5" plant, armed with 3 pistols, a large rifle and a very large quarterstaff, stepped out into the morning cacophony. He glanced quickly at a small datapad, and then set off at a run to the north-east, focused entirely on his final objective.

'Look at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us...on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam' - Carl Sagan

Tsamsiyu Atsteu

(continuing from my previous post)

Oscar gave the Na'vi woman a sheepish look. "I ah, I know. Been busy," he said, allowing Tsamsiyu to give him look over. The Na'vi shook her head and made a few comments in her native tonuge as she inspected his arms. "Better than last?" Tsamsiyu inquired. Oscar gave a shrug. "A little. Not much." Tsamsiyu frowned slightly, but nodded. "Oscar here needs to get his butt into training, starting with pa'li," Chris interupted, remembering Tsamsiyu's earlier inquiry. Tsamsyiu nodded. "I will help. Come, follow," she said, beckoning to them.

It didn't take long for them to walk to the Pa'li enclosure. Tsamsiyu quickly moved among the animals and selected Tanhi, her favorite from the herd. Tanhi was calm and forgiving. An ideal beginner's mount.

She walked back to where Chris and Oscar were standing, waiting. "Tanhi," she said, patting the pa'li's long, narrow face gently.

Oscar nodded, but he was busy surveying the surroundings, devising a way to get on the infernal thing. One thing at a time. The area was largely clear, but there were some sparse clumps of trees and a few larger rocks. A mounting block? No, that wouldn't work. He needed to be able to hoist himself up from there. That required hands. A running start it was, he decided.

"So what's up? You're thinking of something," Chris interjected, seeing Oscar's expression change to one of determination. "One minute... think I found a way to get on the damned horse," Oscar said quietly. "Tsamsiyu, can you move Tanhi over, a little closer to the tree there?" he asked the Na'vi, jerking his head in the direction he wanted. "Srane." She led the pliable Tanhi over, repositioning the pa'li with direction from Oscar.

Oscar took off, and picked up the pace. He jumped up on a log to the left, pushed himself off another, faced the tree, and braced himself. He hit it with one foot, turned, and saw the Pa'li was closer than he'd expected. He'd planned to end up standing on it, but as it was, his foot shifted too far, reaching over.

He slid right in the saddle, so to speak. With a loud, eye-watering thud.
To live in the past is to die in the present.

Txontaw

#129
((Okay, sorry for the long wait))

Quote from: Txontaw on March 17, 2010, 07:06:45 PM
Kelutrel
0755 HRS


"Srane, ma Karyu. Peu si aynga neu ne plltxe hu oe?"

Txonunilyu paused for a moment before replying.

"<<I must tell someone, or I will go insane. My paluluken, Eanswizaw, has been killed. The knowledge of her death was too great for only me to bear. I feel as if I have lost a part of me.>>"

Jax was surprised and honored that she had chosen him to tell of her loss, instead of any of the others.

((Gonna continue later, too burnt out right now to finish))



"Do you know who did it?" Jax asked tentatively, not really knowing what to say.

"I have a feeling. I think it was the tawtute who shot at us."

"Can you take me to her body?"

"I cannot. I do not know where it is."

Puzzled, Jax asked, "Then how do you know she's dead?"

Txonunilyu looked slightly scornfully at Jax. "When you are truly bonded, you can sense beyond the physical bond. But thank you for letting me relief myself of these feelings."

"No problem."

Txonunilyu turned away from Jax, and started walking toward the inner spiral.

"Today, we will continue our training. Meet me here at dark. You will start learning the way of the knife."



---

Hell's Gate Crew Quarters
0549 HRS


Joy couldn't sleep. All she could think about was the big blue body in the warehouse that seemed to call to her, to beckon to her. She had done the calculations, and had estimated that it would be ready to drive tomorrow. Oh, it was like she was a little kid again waiting on Christmas Eve.

"Oh, it's no use," she said to no one, and climbed out of her cot. She slipped a lab coat over her clothes and strapped on a pair of shoes. "Might as well get some work done if I can't sleep."

It was no good, having Nick snoop around so much. He needed to be disposed of, before he learned too much.

Joy wore a plastic smile on her face as she walked into the lab, and got to work sorting samples. Doing something mindless would help her plan.
"You're not in Kansas anymore. You're on Pandora, Ladies and Gentlemen." - Colonel Quaritch


Tanhìyärina'

The crash site, immediately after we last saw them

<<Too late?>> Nef'Tys asked, scouring at the tears on her face with the back of her hand.  <<Too late for what?>>

"Ke omum," the Sengtsil woman replied.

<<Then why are you talking like that?>> demanded Nef'Tys, her eyebrows furrowing and her hands clenching into fists.  <<I thought I knew you.  I thought you were strong.  I thought you were honest.  But you're just-- just-->>  The younger woman floundered for words, and, finding none, opened her hands and dropped her face into them, her body shaking with sobs again.

Tireamokri hesitated a moment.  Did she dare?  Yes, she decided.  If she did not have the support of Nef'Tys, the first Omatikaya who welcomed her with opened arms, who befriended her, who gave a tsmuke bracelet so eagerly...

"Ma tsmuke," Tireamokri replied softly, edging closer and placing a soft hand on Nef'Tys' shoulder.  The bracelet slipped down her arm to rest at the base of her hand.  "Oeru txoa livu.  Fra'u nìwin lamen.  Oel kenew tìsraw keseyki ngati, tafral txoa livu.  Slä zene tätxivaw.  Kawnga fi'u len, oel omum.  Eywal oeti fìtseng ameyk, ulte set Ray'iunt fpame' fte munge oeti nekelku."  She fell silent, not knowing what else to say.

"Ma tsmuke," Nef'Tys echoed, reaching up her arm, the one with her bracelet, the gift that had taken Tireamokri so long to give, and then given with a formality that she rarely saw in the older woman's eyes.  She grasped Tireamokri's wrist.  "Oeru txoa livu," she mumbled, not raising her head, and tears spilled from her eyes onto the ground between them.  "Oeru txoa livu... ma Tseylian."

Wordlessly, Tireamokri gathered Nef'Tys in her arms and held her while she wept.
Fitseng lu oe, tìftia kìfkeyä seri.

Coyote

#131
Kelutral










Ahhh, tension, Arik thought to himself as Aniuket guided him through the process of paint mixing.

The Omatikayan artist had a variety of gourd-like bowls, skins, and similar basins for mixing paint, and by the looks of them they were all well-used and well-loved. Aniuket's work table was a large rock, with small davits chipped out of it's solid surface to be used for experimental mixing of small quantities of dyes.

Aniuket was trying to teach him all the names of colors, the dyes, and where they came from and how they were made but it was just too much of a wall of words for Arik to mentally categorize.

"I hope this isn't on the test," he said to her at one point, earning a stern look. "Okay, okay... ummm.. this one is, um, ean, blue, and it comes from... is this the one that comes from squeezing bugs? No, that's chartreuse... Berries. Ean comes from berries and... that root powder thing I don't remember."

"You do not pay attention, do you?" Aniuket asked.
"I try, I really do, but... remember, you know all this, it is very easy for you. I am seeing it for the first time ever."

Aniuket took a deep breath and relaxed, becoming more patient. "You do your tseo with the pen-sil and paper, right?" she asked.
"That's what I know well," Arik said. "Please understand, if you were on Earth I could show you stuff like tech pens, Photoshop-3000. We have as much as you do, but different."

"For Omatikaya, tseo is very important," Aniuket said, "It tells the story of our life, our people. And to put paint on for tsam--" she said, lightly putting her fists together and butting them against one another, in a gesture indicating conflict "--we make paint for tsamsiyu on face and tokxn. And make paint for uniltiron."

"Uniltaron?" Arik asked, pointing at himself.
"You are Uniltìranyu," Aniuket said, "But everyone goes on uniltaron; dream-hunt, after make climb Iknimaya."

"Ohh, the bug poison and hallucinations," Arik said, remembering what he'd been told. It was still a lot of words. "I'm looking forward to that, really. No matter what, um, Jax says."

"Your talk, it is more of the sar-cas'm you told me of earlier?"
"Yes," he said, "Sorry."
"Why you always so like that?" Aniuket asked. "You make people angry."

Arik looked at her, his expression softening. "Defense mechanism," he admitted.
Aniuket's eyes narrowed and her brow furrowed as she mulled the new words.

"It means," Arik said, "That I use words to fight people without actually fighting them."
"You fight me?" Aniuket asked, giving him a look of wariness tinged with disappointment.
"No," Arik said, "I don't mean to. It is a habit. I do it all the time because I am used to it. Now it happens without thinking."

Aniuket gave him another stern look. She's getting really good at those, Arik thought.
"You cannot be like so all the time," she said to him, "Especially to my parents. They do not like you already."
Arik was thinking of a reply when they both saw Nef'Tys and Tireamokri walking by, slowly, talking to one another. It was evident even to Arik that Nef'Tys had recently been upset-- her eyes were still red-rimmed and the area around them still slightly puffy.

"I wonder what that is all about," Arik said.
Aniuket put her hand on his arm and indicated for him to wait as she went over to talk to them. Whatever was happening, it was intense, because Aniuket's eyes flashed with anger at Tireamokri, but Nef'Tys leapt to the older woman's defense, which led to an argument... probably about Nef'Tys's decision-making judgment, Arik thought unhappily. She is frustrated enough about not being taken seriously...

Soon, Tireamkori stepped away, and walked off, lips tight and jaw set in the universal look of someone who refuses to argue anymore... especially when they realize they are on weak ground to fight from. Aniuket grabbed Nef'Tys's arm but the younger girl shook loose, and with an angry look, went to catch up to Tireamokri.

"Dare I ask?" Arik asked carefully as Aniuket stalked back to where he stood.
"That woman," she said.
"Tireamokri?" Arik asked.
"Tireamokri is her uniltaron name," Aniuket said stiffly.

Arik contemplated where that bit of information fit in his new-found knowledge. "She is on a dream-hunt?" he said carefully.
"Apparently so," Aniuket said.
"And...?"

"I know what happened, now; I know when it happened," Aniuket said, "While you were gone, Nef'Tys became... quiet. Apparantly, she met some strangers. People from Tirea... from Tseylian's tribe. They were looking for her."

"Tireamokri... is Tseylian?" Arik asked.
"She is the tsahik of a tribe far to the north, the Sengtsil. Or she will be tsahik when she returns."

"Why?" Arik asked, stammering the question.
Aniuket looked at him, examining him for sincere interest or if he was being mischevious. Satisfied with what she saw, she began absently mixing paint ingredients.
"Her mother is tsahik, so will she be when she returns."

"Sounds good," Arik said, "Why doesn't she return? Why are the strangers looking for her?"
"They are going to talk to the olo'eytkan now. A... big talk will be made."
"Announcement?" Arik asked, "An announcement. What will it mean?"

"I don't know," Aniuket said, "I think Tseylian fears to go home because there is Sawtute influence at home. She wants... protection."

Arik looked at where... Tseylian and Nef'Tys had gone. This... could get really interesting, he figured.
"What do you think?" Aniuket asked.
"I am wondering, is Tseylian our friend? Or not?"

Aniuket said nothing, but mixed paint.

"Has she really done anything wrong?" Arik asked.
"No," Aniuket said.
"Then does she need our help?" Arik asked.

"If the olo'eytkan decides her words are true and her people our friends, perhaps some Omatikaya will go to help her," Aniuket conceded. "Why?"
"It will be a long journey," Arik said.
"Srane," Aniuket said. "Her home is where the cold is all day."

Arik looked north, letting his mind wander for a moment. Eskimo Na'vi? Of course... why wouldn't there be...?
"You are thinking of going?" Aniuket asked.
"I still need to train," Arik said.
Aniuket said nothing.

"If some of us go, you could come with us," Arik said.
"Why go at all?" Aniuket asked.
"If Tseylian is our friend, we should help her," Arik said.
"Nef'Tys will want to go," Aniuket said.
"The olo'eytkan may want us to go," Arik said. "Here, we cause... tension," he said, looking over at Jax, and thinking of Aniuket's parents, Jamuk and Relya. "And Sek'Mut would love for me to go on a far-away mission. Preferably one that went past a lot of nantang and palulukan."

Aniuket laughed. "True, he would," she said. She relaxed a bit, but there was still tension evident in her face as she forced a smile that was, nevertheless, genuine. "Now, you help me make tseo? We will hear th eolo'eytkan's words soon enough... and the paint is drying."








Results:
Aniuket and Arik learn of Tireamokri's real identity as Tseylian.
Tseylian heads to the chief to talk of possible danger and need for help regarding the Sengtsil.

***   ***   ***   ***   ***   ***

Remote Site 26








"Okay, looks good," Blake said as he tested the connection between the lift hooks and the securing bolt. "It'll hold."
"It's not so much whether it will hold or not that I am worried about," Trudy Chacon said from the ground, looking up at him on the roof of the mobile base, "But how much it's going to swing around once it is sling-loaded."

"Well, we weren't going to move far, were we?" Blake asked. "Just a couple islands away."
"We have to be far enough that a casual inspection near here won't turn us up," Trudy said, "Otherwise this whole party will be for nothing."

"Would it be better to load the work stations into the Dragon itself?" Grace Augustine asked. They were all outside in their breather masks.
"Better? Yes," Trudy said, "But we have no way to lift them up and move them in. We need some way to winch it in or something," she explained. "No, we'll just carefully sling-load it to a new site, but we need to find one that will be well-hidden but not too far away, so they can still get here on foot if need be."

"When were you thinking of doing the move?" Grace asked.
"If we can do it either tonight or tomorrow," Blake said. "That'd be perfect."

"What's the latest from Liz?" Trudy asked.
"Her people managed to slip some food bars to us," Blake revealed, "But she hasn't been able to log in. The RDA is moving the drivepods to another location, deeper inside, and presumably more safe. There's a chance she won't be able to log in anymore, unless we bring her here."

"I dunno if I want an EFF operative with us," Grace said. "Their stated goals sound good, but they're ruthless in how they go about it. I mean, how can you claim to be fighting for the environment when setting off nuclear terrorism?"
"We may need folks like her, though," Trudy said. "They'd be good in a fight, if the RDA found us up here."
"And we can't let her Avatar just die," Blake said.

Grace frowned. "I don't see how we can pull off another breakout like that," she said.
"Well, we'll have to think of something," Blake said. "But if we do bring her up here, and maybe a couple others as well, we'll need another drivepod room. We're maxed out as it is, and even among the non-Avatar drivers, we're pretty cramped."

"We can lift and shift a number of other sites," Trudy put in, "We'll just have to be careful when we do it. We'll have the Dragon, which the RDA will pounce on as soon as we leave the Hallelujah Mountains."

"There are sites nearby," Grace said by way of agreement, "Close ones. We can be in and out before they have a chance to mobilize. Maybe that scientist guy they found knows of a good one..."








Results:
Grace, Trudy and Blake discuss moving Site 26.
Also discuss possibility of grabbing another site to add room & drive pods.
Need grows to remove Blake's and Liz's Avatars from their confinement in the RDA Compound at Hell's Gate.

***
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

Kelutral
1200 HRS

Jax knew that this probobly wasn't the best time to interfere with Aniuket and Arik's strawberry talks, but he had finished feeling sorry for himself and for his situation and it was time for him to start acting like the Gunnery Sargent he was.

"Arik. We need to talk. Now." He said, giving a nodding bow to Aniuket in greeting. "I know this isn't the best time, but it's importent."



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

Ikranä mokri

Pandoran Jungle
1210 Hours


The chorus of calls above him made Twonyu look up. The sounded like Ikran and when it came to their calls Twonyu was not often wrong. He wondered to himself what they were doing away from Iknimaya. He knew that they didnt spent all of their time their but to be so low within teh canopy was strange, Maybe its part of the group that was attacked by the Toruk he though to himself. A sudden thought struck him and he ran over to the nearest tree.

Its trunk was covered in vines which made it easy to get a handhold. Pain shot up his side throuout his climb, but the salve and herbs given to him by Tsamsiyu seemed to be blocking the worst of the pain. Twonyu reached a branch and squatted on it looking up and around for the ikran. he waited for about 5 minutes, not moving before the sound of wing beats started to be heard. Past him flew about 4 ikran in a close formation, all were wild with no riders on their backs. They wheeled about and then up through the canopy in an explosion of leaves. Twonyu watched and listened until their cries could no longer be heard.

Hells Gate Quaters
0600 hours


Nick looked at the bulky thing in his hands, it was a lot lighter than he had expected it to be considering its size. His hand shook as he raised it to look down the sights. feeling the weight Nick cocked it and pulled the trigger. The click of an empty chamber resonated around his room. Dropping the WASP on his bed he looked at his data recorder. He correlated some data and started to think about what had occurred. His scientific brain worked out that the hacking block had occurred outside a certain warehouse, so this was the likely place for the hacker to be living or at least working.

He turned on his bed and looked at his screen. All of the data he had accessed in the mainframe was on there although only one file was taking up his thoughts. The experimental tests that had taken place before the Na'Vi were chosen as Avatar hosts. As he flicked through the files he mouth grew wider and wider in amazement.





Tirea Tskoyä has a new look see it[url=http://forum.learnnavi.org/fiction-

El Jacko

#134
Pandoran Rainforest, en route to Site 26
1200hrs

  Shep's previous regard for silence and stealth had, by now, evaporated. Every thought that ran through his tortured mind focused on one thing only: arriving at Site 26. The forest offered little resistance to such determination, a point proven by a considerable wake of destruction. His following band of Prolemuris maintained a wide enough berth, but a stray viperwolf and several deer-like creatures were not so lucky. A few banshees, however, had had him diving to the ground.

  Seeing a very large root system, Shep bolted for the cover and pulled out his datapad, glancing back along his path for anyone (or anything) that may have followed him. For now, it was clear. Turning his gaze down, he searched for the GPS beacon marking site 26. It blinked merrily, about 7 miles away. He chuckled to himself; he hadn't realised he'd been moving quite so fast. At this rate, he would be knocking on the door for afternoon tea. He stowed the pad away, checked his armament quickly and set off at a walk, head low.

  With all of his preparation, he never realised to check the trees.

- - - - - - - - - -

  Some 20 feet above the forest floor, Twonyu lounged against the tree trunk, staring after the Ikran that just tore past. He felt much calmer out here, with no sawtute around to annoy him. Something felt slightly odd, though...the background noise of the forest had died down, and a peculiar sounding animal was moving below his tree. Glancing down, he saw the glint of light on metal, the shine of a exopack mask, all partially concealed inside a small shrub. Immediately, he knew who it was, and his anger and rage flooded back in full force. Ignoring the stabbing protest from his broken rib, he dropped silently to the ground behind the sawtute and seized the thunder-gun off its back, tossing it aside.

- - - - - - - - - -

  As Shep felt his rifle ripped away, he spun on the spot and drew a pistol, levelling it at the native's face. Twonyu fell back into the same stance that Jax had used against him previously, hoping it would give him an edge, and drew his knife.

  "Ahh...I remember you...", Shep smiled, "the one that tracked me all the way to 24-"

  "You kill my father," said Twonyu, in heavily accented English, "Now I kill you."

  Shep straightened up to his full height, and holstered the pistol. "Very well, lets make this a fair fight," he said, then drew his staff and twirled it a few times, dropping back to a stable stance. "Let's dance."

  Twonyu screamed, and rushed into the fray, knife held high. Shep held his ground, watching the native carefully, picking out a weak spot. None made itself available, and Twonyu leapt spectacularly to stab down on the human, only to find his arm parried to the side. He wrenched the knife free of the ground, and set about attacking with both hands.

  The sheer ferocity of the attacks almost caught Shep off guard. He parried all the strikes he could, but was force to block several punches with his bracer. The force behind them jarred all the way up his arm; some even lifted him from the ground. But crucially, he wasn't taking injuries and the native was tiring quickly. It occurred to him that the blue assailant might be injured, hiding it behind severe determination.

"Come on, you can do better than that!" Shep shouted, as he parried another knife strike. Twonyu shouted something incomprehensible back, and swung a ferocious uppercut at the camouflaged human. Shep dodged it by a hairs breadth, and Twonyu swung around a little oddly, sending a spear of pain shooting through his chest. Instinctively, he cluched at the source of the pain, unwittingly revealing a weak point.

  Shep noticed as Twonyu winced in pain, and set on the offensive. He knocked several more feeble punches aside with the staff, and slammed the native in the chest. Twonyu made a sound like air rushing out a cushion and staggered backwards, breathing heavily. He grasped hold of a tree branch for a few seconds to steady himself, just as several screeching cries split the air.

  Instantly, he recognised them as the Ikran that flew through a few minutes ago, and knew they would be no threat. Shep panicked, swivelling round to scan every inch of the canopy, dropping his guard for a second. A second was all Twonyu needed, and the young Na'Vi closed the gap and drove his knife down into Shep's chest with all the force he could muster. A grim smile flashed across his lips as he felt the knife jam in the human's chest, and the twisting crunch of something important rent the air. The wide-eyed body before him fell limp, and collapsed to the floor as he released the knife.

  Finally, the deed was done. He turned to the forest, roaring a victory cry. A tear came to his eye as the Ikran cried back, seemingly in recognition of his vengeance.

- - - - - - - - - -

  On the forest floor, Shep was broken. His left knee had been dislocated by the force of the strike, and odds on he had snapped something else aswell. The native had dropped to his knees, a short distance away, with his back to Shep. Silently, grimacing through a fog of pain and adrenaline, he hooked his lifeless left foot under a tree root and pulled it straight, feeling the two edges line up, then dropped his thigh back into place. The pain was almost unbearable, but fading quickly. Even so, he would be limping for some months. He lay still for a few moments, catching his breath and gathering his thoughts.

  Gingerly, he got stood up and tested his bad knee. It shook beneath his weight and threatened to collapse, but held. Bless this low gravity, he thought. Slowly, he limped towards Twonyu. Pain shot through his leg with every step, but he blocked it out as best he could, supporting his weight upon the staff.

- - - - - - - - - -

  Hearing movement again, Twonyu turned to see the sawtute limping towards him, wild-eyed. Dumbstruck, he staggered backwards in horror.

"Bu...But...I...I kill you! Yo...You DEAD!!" he stuttered. The sawtute didn't react to this, and kept limping on. Twonyu felt himself bump into something solid, and found himself with nowhere to run.

"You're gonna have to do better than that, lanky," grunted Shep, still in pain, "You're bigger, faster and stronger than me, and yet you still can't kill me". He wrenched the knife free of his Kevlar armour. A few drops of blood glistened on the tip, causing Shep a moment of curiosity. Ignoring this, he flicked the knife aside, hearing it thud into a tree.

"So let that be a lesson to the lot of ye," he said, raising the staff, "Who dares, wins."

  He swung the staff in a short arc, bringing it into contact with the side of the native's shocked head. The athletic blue body slumped unconscious against the tree, well aware of everything Shep just said. The news would spread, eventually, and keep both the Na'Vi and the rebels on edge.

  He picked up his rifle, checked it for damage and slung it over his shoulder, then limped off towards Site 26. He grinned as he remembered what he thought about earlier; he was going to be late for tea.
'Look at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us...on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam' - Carl Sagan

Tanhìyärina'

Kelutral


Aniuket approached Tireamokri and Nef'Tys as they slowly walked to the heart of Kelutral.  "Oel ngati kameie," Tireamokri said in greeting.

"Meoel kerä neolo'eyktan," interjected Nef'Tys after she had made the kameie gesture.  "Tseylianìl tìkin srungit."

Aniuket looked puzzled.  "Tseylian?  Pesu, tsatu?"

There was silence for a moment.  Finally, Tireamokri met Aniuket's eyes and replied, "Oe lu.  Oeyä sute syaw Tseylian."

Aniuket blinked, peering closely at the outsider Na'vi.  When she was only met with a steady, simple gaze, a flash of anger exploded from her eyes and she recoiled from the woman.  "Oel ngati kekamänge, ma ketìngayu!  Pelun ngal peng tìngayti hu oeyä tsmuke?"

It was Nef'Tys' turn to explode.  "Poel kepeng tìngayti!" she spat back, brandishing her bracelet.  "Poe lu oeyä tsmuke!"

Aniuket's eyes narrowed as she peered down at Nef'Tys.  "Nga lu oeyä tsmuke fareypay, ke fanì'aw kìng." she answered, her voice as soft and cold as death.

Tireamokri pressed her lips together and stalked off, not looking back.

Nef'Tys' eyes followed her mentor.  Aniuket noticed, and reached out to grab Nef'Tys' arm, but the younger woman tore herself away, hissed at her blood-sister, and ran after Tireamokri.
Fitseng lu oe, tìftia kìfkeyä seri.

Ikranä mokri

#136
Hells Gate tarmac
1400 Hours


James flicked the switches above his head. The red fuel lights turned amber as the Sampson (nicknamed Greyhound) began to get a refuel. Looking around his cockpit he went through the first few pre flight checks, He checked electronics, the navigation system, the pedals and finally the stick he was looking behind him at the rotor on the right side as it pivoted.

James looked back at the fuel lights. they had both gone green, flicking the switches back down he put his arm out of the open door and signalled to the men fuelling the Sampson that it was full. Bringing his arm back inside he flicked the ignition. The rotors whined as they started to get to speed. He listened with a carefully trained ear to the sound of the rotors as well as the air intake. Everything sounded fine, apart from the left rotor seemed to have an uneven spin, it'll be fine he thought to himself no point in asking the ground crew to fix that now. It'll take too long and to them is a waste of time

A woman's voice in his made James jump in his seat "Greyhound, this is Hells Gate tower, you are not cleared for take off, power down your engines or you will be fired upon" this demand was followed by white noise.
James replied "Hells Gate tower this is Greyhound, Just checking the engines, will be powering down shortly"
the woman's voice came again "Roger that Greyhound, were all a little jumpy here after the theft of the Dragon, your next scheduled flight is later today"
"Copy tower, thanks for the reminder, greyhound powering down and out" As he said this James flicked the ignition off and the engines started to power down. Carefully swinging his legs round James dropped to the ground. Walking around his door he pushed it closed behind him.

Hells Gate Briefing room
1400 Hours

"...And thats what you lot are gonna be doing this afternoon" Said the Sergeant finishing off his afternoon briefing. Alex sighed, stood and saluted with the rest of the soldiers as did the sergeant, It was a reflex action because everyone else did it, he didn't know why until up the middle of the rows came striding Colonel Quaritch. He stood  at the front and eyed up every soldier in the room.
"At ease boys" He said. "Now, most of you know about this small coup that has occurred recently, by now the perpetrators would have been caught or killed, but the theft of the Dragon has made our job that little bit harder. I suppose everyone of you has been on the new patrol duty, and I know a few of you have even got confirmed kills. I want 8 of you and 2 pilots for a team that will be on the ground 24/7 until these traitors have been found... Dead or alive. I will be hand picking the lucky few. If you want to be part of it, I suggest that you head to the ranges at 1800."

"Sir, yes sir" came back the chorus of voices, Quaritch saluted and everyone snapped to attention. Chatter broke out as Quaritch left talking to the sergeant. A few others left as well heading off to their duties.

Alex walked out of the briefing room chatting to a soldier who seemed to be confident that he would be chosen for Quaritchs' special team. Alex laughed at some of teh stuff the man was saying in a goodhearted way.

Alex felt someone walk into him "Hey, watch it" He said to the scientist that was walking quickly in the opposite direction. He turned back to the soldier and said "Damn techs, think they own the place, so you on patrol at 1500, in which Sampson? cause if it GR-H120 Your with me..."

Hells gate Corridor
1410 Hours

Nick stumbled as a grunt walked into him. Ignoring the mans' remark he carried on, avoiding the other grunts who were now streaming out of the briefing room Damn grunts think they own the place Nick thought to himself. The information he had just seen was still reeling in his mind and he had to find out if it was true.

Taking a breath he turned and walked into the biolab.

Pandoran Rainforest
1420 Hours

Twonyus' head hurt like hell when he woke up. Sitting up slowly with pain from the large bump on his head and his rib he looked around. There was no sign of the tawtute who came back from the dead, save for a few drops of blood. Twonyu spotted his knife suck in a tree. The tawtute had thrown it with some force to make it stick in, maybe they were stronger than he had thought, a few definately were, his fight with the one called jax had proved that.

Standing slowly and swaying a little before regaining his balance Twonyu took a few steps to where his knife was planted in the tree. With a tug he pulled out the knife, but pain shot up his side causing him to clutch at it and drop to one knee, as well as drop his knife. Standing again Twonyu slid his knife back into his sheath. After looking around for a few minutes he worked out which way it was back to kelutral.

Kelutral
1500

Twonyu walked back into kelutral. Other Omatikya turned to look at him, a few of them looked away when they recognised him and others gave looks of sympathy before going back to there original conversations. Twonyu kept his head down as he walked up the spiral centre of kelutral avoiding the gaze of others.

When he reached where he wanted to be Twonyu looked up. In front of him stood Hanu, he was holding 2 bows and had a 3rd strung across his back, one was plain and looked as if it had been recently made, the other was almost regal in its design, it looked old and well used. The third Twonyu could not see.

<<come Twonyu, we shall practice before we eat>> with that he stode past Twonyu back down the spiral. Twonyu turned and followed reluctantly. Hanu moved much faster than Twonyu and by the time Twonyu had reached the bottom he could see Hanu striding out towards the forest. Twonyu picked up his pace to a light jog, his rib gave protests of pain but Twonyu ignored them. Twonyu caught up with his karyu just inside the forest.

Hanu had turned to face him, holding in his hands the plain bow <<this was my first bow, I now hand it to you so that you can shoot>>
<<ma karyu, Ngati omum oel tsun shoot>>
<<Kehe, your father knew, I do not, I have heard that you can but have never seen it, now I want you to prove these words true>>

Twonyu took up the bow. feeling its weight, its centre of balance. He turned it to firing position his arm outstretched, body sideways on to the target (which was a knot on the side of a tree), He brought his arm up slightly so that there was a straight line from his shoulder to his wrist along his arm. With his free arm he knocked an arrow. He rested the shaft on a finger whilst he rested another finger on top of the arrow to apply some weight and keep it in place. The arrow rested neatly in the groove on the bow stave. He took hold of the string and started to draw.At its full draw it brought the string about an inch away from Twonyus eye. Letting out the breath that he had been drawing in he released the arrow.With his free hand he clutched at his side, his breathing was now fast and shallow. Looking up he saw the arrow. It was to the right of the knot by about 4 inches.

<<I see that you cannot shoot as well as they say twonyu>> said Hanu, non maliciously
<< It was not me, the bow was too small for me,there was no way that i could have done any better>> Twonyu was cross and he thrust his teachers bow back at him << It is your bow from when you were an 'eveng>>

Hanu laughed << you are right Twonyu, it is my old bow>> he suddenly turned more serious << you let your emotions go again by getting angry at me just then>>
<<so all this was to see whether I could keep my temper>> said Twonyu even angrier
<<Kehe, It was to see if you could shoot, and you can, using a strangers bow is a difficult thing to do, the grip may be different, or the way they knock there arrows, but you can take a bow you have never used and shoot it well>>
<<Irayo ma karyu>> said Twonyu respectfully << I was more angry with myself than with you or the bow, I apologise>>
<< i accept your apology ma student, now let us see if you can get any better, shoot again and learn from you last shot>>

Again Twonyu drew the bow and released his breath.





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Tsamsiyu Atsteu

Oscar sat on the Pa'li's back for a moment, legs tightening around the beast's wide barrel as he wobbled, attempting to keep his balance. Tsamsiyu soothed the horse, and looked up at him. "Gimmie a minute... just gimmie a minute," he huffed, moving his torso to adjust his balance. It looked for a moment as if he'd slide off, but finally, Oscar stopped wobbling, and sat on the horse's wide back. "Told you that you could do it," Chris commented wryly. Tsamsiyu stepped to the side of the horse. "Now, the bond," she said, taking hold of the Pa'li's near side queue and bending it towards Oscar. He twitched his back and shook his head, obligingly letting his queue slide off his left shoulder. It didn't quite take hold, so Tsamsiyu gently guided it to the Pa'li's. "Mawey," she murmured, as much to Oscar as the horse. "Steady."
To live in the past is to die in the present.

Mako

#138
Midmorning

Chris was milling with some of the other Avatar pilots when Eanataw approached him unexpectedly.

"Ma Chris, za'u. You come and hunt. It will ease your mind."

Chris nodded and followed despite the perplexed looks of the team. Chris was himself a bit surprised. He didn't expect to go hunting this soon, despite the fact that he had finished his knife and been practicing archery. But he wasn't going to complain. It was progress.

--------

He lay low, forcing himself to keep his mind clear and attentive. If there's one thing about hunting on Pandora that he'd heard hundreds of times, it was to make sure you were in fact the hunter...not the hunted. Beside him, Eanataw checked the for the smallest signs; an upturned leaf, a bruised stem, cracked twigs in the loam. It escaped him as to how efficient and avid she was as a huntress. Suddenly she clicked her tongue twice. He looked up and followed her gaze. Not 40 yards out to his left stood a Yerik. It was completely unaware of their presence, grazing peacefully. Eanataw made a sight gesture toward the Yerik and nodded. Chris un-slung his bow from his back and nocked an arrow on the string. He drew back, letting all his practice flow back to him, and sighted down the shaft. When he was confident in his aim, he loosed the arrow, it's fletching giving it a hiss as it flew. But his aim was off. The arrow thudded into a tree near the edge of the clearing, startling the Yerik. He hissed and swore in distaste.

"So much for practice."

"Do not worry. It is but one missed shot. Next time, inhale stronger. Feel the strength down here, it improves shot."

He nodded. She was the expert.

"Come. We try again."

--------

Txontaw

Hell's Gate Biolab
1410 HRS


Joy jumped slightly involuntarily when Nick entered the room. She hadn't been expecting to see her prey so soon. She quickly recomposed herself and walked over to him, picking up a tray of random samples as she walked.

"Hey, Nick, would you mind running these samples down to the warehouse for me? They need to go into storage."

She gave him a false sweet smile and handed him the tray. Nick groaned silently. The warehouse was all the way across Hell's Gate.

"Thanks so much. I knew I could count on you." Joy gave another quick smile, and went back to her station. It was fun to play with your food before you ate it.

((Gonna continue in a bit))
"You're not in Kansas anymore. You're on Pandora, Ladies and Gentlemen." - Colonel Quaritch