Storm over Pandora- In Eywa's Shadow

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

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Ikranä mokri

#20
The Tree of Souls
1200


This tawtute makes so much noise it is a wonder he doesnt ruin the hunt with his laughter Twonyu thought to himself as he followed above Jax and Txonunilyu althought the way he moves through the forest is almost as if he were born here. Deep down he thought that the tawtute may make a good Na'Vi but he buried this feeling under all the others. The dislike for Jaxs' kind was almost a consuming one, the way they had brought the deamon body so close to the tree of souls was more than just disconcerting for Twonyu, he was afraid that if the twtute attacked then he would lose the only way he could still hear his mother voice.

He stopped when they stopped and watched as Txonunilyu dispatched he quarry without a bow. She was by far one of the greatest hunters in the whole tribe and Twonyu hoped that one day, when he became a hunter that he could choose a mate like Txonunilyu.

Txonunilyu stopped for her last kill and after it had been dispatched she started back towards the tree of souls. Twonyu decided to head back, If the tawtute got lost, good riddance.

1205
Tree of souls

Twonyu sat at a fire close to Jax and Txonunilyu, watching as the one called chris chose his knife bone, Jax was taking his time over chosing his bone. The one he chose was a large slightly curved bone, almost perfect for a knife. Twonyu drew his knife looking at it as he cut off another stip of meat.

It was a very curved blade made from a rib bone of an Ikran. The Ikran he had found in a clearing what had killed it he was not sure but there were stange holes all up its side. He told his father and when he awoke the next day his father had 4 of 5 bones from which Twonyu could have made his knife. The handle had the shape of an Ikran carved into it, the blade itself was about 15 inches and tapered to a sharp point. The balde was almost pure white, whilst the handle was browner.

Sliding the balde back into its sheath on his chest Twonyu watched as Txonunilyu taught Jax how to craft his knife. when he handed it to her she looked at it closely before handing it back nodding in approval.

Twonyu picked up soem meat and walked over to where they were sitting
"oel ngati kameie" he said << I brought you meat, you must be hungry after teaching this tawtute skxawng>> he had his back turned on Jax whilst he spoke to Txonunilyu. He stepped back and sideways know that she was the elder and deserved respect. he stood waiting for a reply from either of the pair





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

Ka'il

Damien let out a great sigh of relief, his worries being calmed by a fully-functioning AMP. Stretching the arms and legs, Damien made sure they were working properly. And he checked the HUD, the targeting systems, the life support, everything.

And it was all working.

Damien had almost picked up his gun, but he figured that'd be a bad idea in a camp full of blueskins. So, he settled to be content with his AMP the way it was.

Maybe this mechanic...Alex. Maybe he wasn't half bad. Damien would have to remember to thank him later.

But for now, he needed sleep.

Shutting his AMP down, Damien fell asleep right then and there, arms and legs still attached to his AMP, dozing comfortably in his home away from home. He snuggled up against the hot seat, and let the darkness take him.
If the colors that bind,
Were to unwind,
Would I still be safe,
Within my mind?

Lehrrap Uniltìranyu

The Tree of Souls
1210 HRS


Now, Jax didn't know too much about manners.

He didn't know proper ediquit for deferring to a older Na'vi or anything like that, but there was one thing he did know, that he had seen in one of the documentarys that Dr. Augustine had made and sent to Earth, years back.

The word 'Skxawng' was the one word he knew how to pronouce almost perfectly. And he had already been called 'moron' by children not three days ago... or was it four? He was starting to forget just how long he had been on Pandora.

But that was unimportent. He muttered a curse in Na'vi that he didn't even know he knew and glared at Twonyu and spoke slowly and carefully, "<<And you who are calling Skxawng? What give you right?>>"

It was very broken Na'vi, and Jax defently could tell it, but something must have clicked when he had connected to Eywa, because he could kind of 'see' some of the words, and they made sense... to a point. There was still plenty he had to learn, but perhaps he wouldn't be left out of the circle when people were talking in Na'vi anymore.

"Maybe it's not a big thing on Pandora, but as a general rule..." Jax said, standing up and bringing his whole hight, maybe not super tall, but he knew how to flaunt power from years as a pilot and as a Gunnery Sargent, "You don't call someone who knows that you're saying a Skxawng without having a good reason, so start talking or I'm going to get to let out a bit of pent up energy that I've had for a while now."

Jax could feel it. The Na'vi body was almost exactly like his body, already tuned for fight instead of flight, his heart starting to beat faster to get more energy to his muscles as he glared at the new Na'vi. As he thought on that point, he realised that this Na'vi didn't even come with them, though right now his only problem was if this new guy was going to cause him problems or not.

Jax didn't like admitting it, but getting to pound on someone would defently make him feel better, and perhaps even give him a confidence boost, but at the moment, fighting wasn't the right option. Not infront of his Teacher, not unless she told him to.

He learned that lesson the hard way in Boot, but Jax continued to let his body jump gears into combat mode as he stood there, almost totally 'relaxed' in pose, his eyes glaring at Twonyu.



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

Brainiac

Oscar looked on from a nearby rock. He'd woken up just a minute ago. From what he could see, Jax was going to get into a fight. Seeing his position of acceptance in the group, it seemed, to Oscar, to be a bad idea for him to get into a fight with a young buck. Jax probably had a good reason to do this, but he could see too much joy in his eyes.
He got into a crouching position and pushed himself upright, and walked towards Jax.

"Oi! Jax."

Jax looked sideways, without letting the young guy out of his sight completely. Oscar, arms swinging loosely by his side, was coming his way.

"Not now, Oscar."

Oscar came standing next to Jax.

"Are you going to fight this little guy? What'd he do to you? Call you a name? What are you, eight? The guy has probably never been in a fight before, so I don't think he has any military training. Or is that half the fun? Beating up someone who can't defend himself properly? That's not it, is it? Oh, is it the age?"

Oscar kept ranting, and Jax found it impossible to ignore him. The voice broke his concentration, he was building up even more tension.

"Maybe you just don't like his face? Or are there other problems you're facing? Is the new body proving too much f.."

Oscar couldn't finish his sentence. Jax socked him square in the jaw, and a second punch sent him flying.
Oscar, lying there with what was probably a broken nose, started laughing. He got up slowly, trying not to fall over.

"Feeling better now?"

Jax looked at his fists, which were relaxing, and then at Oscar.

"Yes, yes I am."

"Then don't worry about it. We can't have you beating up the Na'vi. Not until you're one of the people completely. Now come over here and give me a pat on the back before they think they should report a betrayer in their midst. Let them think this is a silly tawtute game we're playing."

Jax helped Oscar get up, and looked at him. There was something really weird about him, but he did have a point.

"err... Thanks, I guess?"

"Like I said, don't worry about it. But you owe me a b... something liquid."
Oscar grinned, his split lip not bothering him in the least.

Jax threw one more glare at the young buck that he had been getting ready to let loose on and shook his head. "Deal." He said with side nod of his head.
Speed is a ppoor sbubstitue fo accurancy

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

Ikranä mokri

#24
The Tree of Souls
1210 HRS
Twonyu squared up to Jax looking him straight in the eyes, he opened his mouth to say something when Oscar came over and started to speak in English, Twonyu could understand some of the words but not all.

Suddenly Jax threw a punch and sent Oscar flying. This confused Twonyu, did all tawtute do this? He got even more confused when Jax went and helped Oscar up and that there was no retaliating punch. Jax looked back at Twonyu, nodded to Oscar and sat back down.
in very broken english Twonyu said to the now seated Jax "You never be Na'Vi to me and you are skxawng because you are tawtute you will not learn, the people wont accept you, I wont accept you"

Twonyu spat << I hate speaking their words, they are like bad taste in my mouth>> He threw a last glance at Jax and bowed very slightly to Txonunilyu. As he walked back to his fire he stopped, turned and said "Tawtute, next time we alone we fight, if you win then maybe I call you tsmukan" He laughed when he said this and carried on to his fire.

He sat down with his tail flicking from side to side. He kept his gaze on Jax and Txonunilyu as he cut off another bit of meat and ate it.





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

Coyote

#25
Vitraya Ramunong
Shortly Afternoon










Arik watched the byplay between Jax and his teacher, and Oscar. He frowned, thinking of all the things that hung over them as a group. Is the RDA still waiting to ambush us when we leave the vortex? he wondered. He'd already spoken to Mo'at about it, and the hurried pace of packing had slowed as she conferred with Tsu'Tey and Sek'Mut about an alternate route out of the vortex.

Arik sat in but didn't intervene. They knew the territory; he didn't, and he didn't need to school them about the RDA's weapons and tactics. They were well-acquainted with that enough already. He focused on what Grace had talked about: being mentally prepared for what was happening.

We've begun taking casualties, Arik knew. Almost nobody knows about it, but Chris, Blake and I saw Oscar's human body go down. There's now two of us stuck here for good-- Jax and Oscar. Only thing is, Oscar doesn't realize it yet.

He warred with telling Oscar what had happened. While Oscar had a right to know --and needed to start mentally adjusting himself to life on Eywa'evenga-- he also knew that Oscar had been going through a great deal of difficulty simply adjusting to his Na'vi body. And everyone knew how that turned out, Arik thought.

He sighed, and made his decision.

"Hey, Oscar," he said, calling the man over once he was done clowning with Jax. "I got some... news for you..."








Results:
Arik will tell Oscar about the death of his human body.

***   ***   ***   ***   ***   ***

Hell's Gate
Avatar Barracks
1200 hrs.










Blake Goodson woke up --or rather, his Avatar did, feeling weak and disoriented from hunger and dehydration. His eyes opened and he scanned the room, and he listened carefully to any sign that Julia's Avatar might be present. He heard none.

Blake struggled to his feet, the large cot creaking under the weight of the Avatar body. He rubbed his eyes, his muscles sore and stiff, and stretched --a painful experience-- and struggled ot his feet. He reached out to the roof supports to keep from toppling over, and staggered to the food storage containers.

The Avatar barracks were stocked with high-protein snacks and nutrient drinks for the Avatar bodies. Blake noted that someone, most likely Na'ama, had left a pile of crumpled protein bar wrappers in the wastebin. He opened the boxes and pulled out several for himself and gorged on protein bars and energy shakes from the refrigerator.

For a long time, he sat, letting his body wake up from so long without nutrients. He guzzled down a 2-liter bottle of water and got up, walking around, stretching and working his circulation for several minutes before he felt good enough to do some work.

"First aid," he said, and went to the small medical section that was there. Liike with food storage, there was sufficient first aid supplies available to care for an injured Avatar. Company's poured a lot of money into these things, he thought, Wouldn't do for minor cuts or scrapes to get infected... aha. He found what he was looking for.

Avatar drivers that had gone through all the proper training were given first-aid training so that the expensive creations could be maintained by anyone on the spot. Avatars were exposed to hostile plant and animal life, insect bites, exposure, and --at times-- hostile attacks by the Na'vi. Or hostile attacks by the RDA, even, Blake pondered as he recalled Grace's experiences.

Blake set up an IV injection and initiated a saline lock on Liz's Avatar, lying unconscious on her cot. He started a drip to keep her hydrated. It was an imperfect solution and would only be a stopgap measure, good for a few days at best, while he tried to figure out what to do next.

"Okay," he muttered, looking around. "Let's see what's up." He took stock of what remained in the Barracks.

Julia's Avatar was gone, and her cot was cold. Blake couldn't figure out why Childs's niece had left the Blake and Liz Avatars alive-- perhaps as some potential bargaining chip? he wondered. Another thought occurred to him; that despite Julia's tough talk that he'd heard over the open radio frequency, she didn't have it in her to kill the sleeping Avatars. As an Avatar driver herself, maybe even she's just... attached to them, he wondered.

There were no weapons in the Barracks, and while there were radios they weren't much use with no one to talk to. No one had thought to get the frequency that the Environmental Freedom Front activists used, or even find out if they had a frequency. He took a radio and turned it on, figuring it wouldn't hurt to at least try to listen in while he thought of something to do.

He sat down next to Liz's Avatar and stared at the body. I should do something, he thought, and reached over to rub the leg muscles. "Hooo, boy, if you find a drive pod and wake up all of a sudden, I'll have some explaining to do." He'd read a story once about someone with a paralyzed relative who had to rub their leg and arm muscles to try to keep circulation going. He had no idea if it was true or not, or just a story, but it allowed him to feel like he was doing something useful as he listened to the radio, flipping channels every so often, listening for he knew not what.








Results:
Blake awakens his Avatar, tried to find EFF operatives' radio frequency.
Also takes stock of Barracks and tries to care for Liz's Avatar, figure out where Julia's is --and why she left them alive.

***   ***   ***   ***   ***   ***

Kelutral
Midday










<<Where have you been?>> Aniuket asked, angry.
Nef'Tys looked up at her older sister, her face uncharacteristially sad. <<I went to the kunsip crash place>>, she admitted, without filling in any details.

<<Fpi Eywa, lumpe? Stay away from there!>> Aniuket said. <<We are preparing food for when they return. Help would be good.>>

Nef'Tys nodded. "Okay," she said in Inglisi, using the sawtute term she'd found so useful.
Aniuket started walking towards the fire pit, and got all of five steps, Nef'Tys training behind her, when she stopped and turned around.

<<'upe is going on, 'evi?>> she demanded. She knew something was up when Nef'Tys didn't get riled about being called a 'evi.
<<Ke'u,>> Nef'Tys said with a dismissive wave.

"Bool-sheet," Aniuket said with one of her favorite human bad words. She looked down at Nef'Tys, who wouldn't look her in the eye. She saw her younger sister fidgeting absently with her bracelet, her tsmuke-bond bracelet that she got from Tireamokri. <<Aynga never give up so easily. Something to do with your tsmuke?>> she asked.

Nef'Tys put her arm at her side. <<Oe 'okay',>> she said. <<Oe have to talk to Tirea when she returns. It is between us.>>

Aniuket looked down at her little sister, just a few years younger than her but so much in her own world. For years, Nef'Tys had bounced back and forth between her brother Sek'Mut --a fine warrior, but gruff, dismissive, and arrogant; and her sister Aniuket --loving, supportive, and helpful but not particularly adventurous. Nef'Tys had felt caught between two worlds of role-models, until the day Tireamokri had showed up.

Tireamokri was a stranger who'd watched the Omatikaya from the outskirts for days before Nef'Tys had approached her, and offered her to come join them. Tirea was quiet and reserved, spoke and looked slightly different --not enough for Sawtute to recognize but enough for the Omatikaya to notice. While Tirea had come to be friends with both Aniuket and Nef'Tys, it was Nef'Tys who had taken to Tireamokri the most.

Aniuket liked Tirea, but found her somewhat reserved, if not a little cold at times. Nef'Tys couldn't get enough of the stranger, and began calling her "tsmuke" within a single mooncycle. She'd offered an Omatikayan bracelet symbolizing a sisterly bond between them, which Tirea had hesitantly accepted. It had taken more than five mooncycles for Tireamokri to reciprocate the gesture with a bracelet of her own for Nef'Tys.

Nef'Tys had, ever since then, been the eager and hyper adventuress that people knew her as since. Always daring to be like Tireamokri --a "great taronyu, who slew many palulukan on her journeys; a great scout who never got lost even on the darkest nights; and a great tsamsiyu with a secret necklace of teeth from Sawtute she'd slain" --and following her around, Nef'Tys had found a hero to look up to.

So now what is the problem? Aniuket wondered. It wasn't like Nef'Tys to be quiet and withdrawn, and it had something to do with Tireamokri. Something that happened while Tirea was gone.

<<I am certain that Tirea is fine, little one,>> Aniuket said, figuring she'd stumbled across the answer: Nef'Tys was worried and sad that Tirea was gone with the Sawtute and the Uniltirantokx.

Nef'Tys looked up at her, her face grateful with relief.

<<Now go make Teylu paste,>> Aniuket said.

Nef'Tys sighed, and lumbered to the fire pit to help.









Results:
Aniuket finds Nef'Tys depressed; ponders her younger sister's emotional connection to Tireamokri.

***
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

Hell's Gate
Director's Office









"I assure you, Senator, I have the situation under control," Director Childs said.
"Do you?" Senator William Powers Hardy asked from the other end of the FTL communications connection. "I'm sure you understand when I reveal I have certain doubts about that."

"Some resistance was expected, and planned for," Warren Childs said. "We knew Grace Augustine and her crew were compromised; it would have been surprising if we had not met resistance."
"Resistance is one thing," Senator Hardy said, "I want to know how in the hell the EFF got operatives plopped down in the middle of your operation there, Doctor. This is a major security breach."

"That failure," Childs said testily, "--would be at the RDA headquarters back on Earth."

"Your people on the Board of Directors, as well as myself, cashed in a lot of favors to get the Lightning Star launch  prioritized," Senator Hardy said. "Appropriations Committee Chair or not, there is still some oversight left and there are questions being asked. We pushed the Lightning Star out on an emergency funding measure so you could hold up your end of the bargain. Now you tell me there are problems with resistance."

Director Childs shifted in his large, comfortable leather chair. He hated pandering to the egotistical, blustering Senator, but there were still things he needed from Earth before he was ready to move into the final phase of his plan and dictate terms.

"Senator, all we need are the parts for the second Dragon gunship," he said.
"They are scheduled to come up on the Venture Star," the Senator said, "You know, the regularly scheduled ship that will be there in two years? I'm sure you can hold off a half-dozen pencil-neck geeks for twenty-four months, yes?"

Childs sighed. The Venture Star was already on it's way, in fact, it would be over two-thirds of the way to Pandora already. They were hardly going to call and tell them to turn around and come back, of course, but Warren Childs was going to err on the side of caution.

"Colonel Quaritch assures me that they can keep the traitors boxed in the vortex region until reinforcemetns arrive, yes," Childs said. But those reinforcements-- they aren't my people. I can't vouch for them. They're Company through and through, and I will have to set back my plans while I find out who I can trust... or manipulate...

"Then there you go," Hardy said with a big, false smile. "See? That's why we have professionals like him on the job. To play janitor to your screw-up. You got impatient, Childs. The media here knows about the 'Na'vi attack' and the death of the Director, there's candlelight vigils and all kinds of pretty words being spoken here," he said with a wave. "Just keep those bastards contained and let them starve, and things will be fine when reinforcements arrive on the Venture Star. Until then... try not to screw anything else up, okay?"

The comm winked out.

"Goddammit," Childs muttered. He'd taken care to turn most of the Security forces --and vital Operations and Admin staff-- to his side, but the crew on the Venture Star were beyond his control. He'd hoped to have everything under control by now, but the resistance formed by Grace Augustine, Blake Goodson and the naive fools that had come on the Lightning Star had thrown a serious wrench in his plans.

Childs had cultivated his contacts well. Some of the RDA Board of Directors wanted Augustine's sciences division shut down so they could rape Pandora easily without publicity; Senator Hardy was going to make a run for the Presidency on a "tough on terrorism" ticket and was going to shut down Augustine's broadcasts about Pandora, calling them "pro-terrorist propaganda". They had formed an alliance with Warren Childs, who was going to go there to become the Director and get his own piece of the pie in profits.

Of course, they don't realize I have plans well beyond that, he thought. Once he was the man that controlled the Unobtanium, the balance of power would shift decisively his way. But before he could take over completely, and start raising prices and threatening embargoes, he had to make sure that he had everything he needed from Earth. Once I burn the bridge, it won't be easily --or peacefully-- re-built.

He'd hoped everything he needed would come on the Lightning Star. He, Senator Hardy, and his allies on the Board had arranged for the emergency funding of the Lightning Star as soon as their plan had been hatched. It had been a good idea at the time, or so Childs had thought, because it allowed him to stock the ship with people he'd already turned to his side, including his niece. The ship had been funded, crewed, and passengers picked hastily, without the usual background checks-- and in Childs's rush to get his coup underway, the Environmental Freedom Front had used the same vulnerabilities against him and stocked it with people sympathetic to Grace Augustine and the Na'vi.

And now, somehow, the band of labcoats and a handful of knuckle-draggers had managed to steal their working Dragon gunship, destroy their main drivepod room, get his neice's Avatar wounded and herself in shock, and make him and Quaritch look like fools. Their second Dragon gunship sat on the tarmac, waiting for engines to be delivered that were on the Venture Star, and would not show up for two years.

Until the second Dragon got up and running, Quaritch had warned him against moving to take on the first Dragon. It was sound advice-- after all, it wasn't like Trudy, Grace, and their band would actually attack Hell's Gate-- but Quaritch didn't yet see the Big Picture: that Childs had plans beyond just being the RDA's resident lapdog, and the Venture Star was full of people he wasn't sure would go along with him.

"I'm going to have to move fast, and yet careful," he muttered to himself. He contemplated his options. There was that thing in the north, he thought.

"Hmmm...." he thought, Yes. Maybe it's time to step up contacts there. If the Na'vi are busy fighting each other, that removes them from the picture... and maybe Grace Augustine and her little band will get caught in the middle... and removed for me...









Results:
Dr. Childs in the hot seat for letting the resistance get the better of him.
Col. Quaritch and Sen. Hardy say to wait for reinforcements (and 2nd Dragon parts) on Venture Star.
Dr. Childs, however, hasn't bought the loyalty of the Venture Star personnel; hoped to have coup done by now.
Decides to activate a deal with some Na'vi in the northlands to help get the ball moving in his direction again...

***
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.

Tanhìyärina'

Now that the rites were over, and Jax was fully in the Na'vi boy's body, Tireamokri had time to explore the area.  Uniltìranyu and Na'vi were pairing off, starting training.  She had seen a couple begin to carve knives from bones.  She had looked at the pile, too, and when no one else was rifling through them, picked a couple up.  They were different, somehow, from the bones her tribe used.  Without carving one, however, she could not tell quite what the difference was.  And she already had two knives.  She didn't want to waste any bone for her curiosity, when that bone may be needed by another.

Txonunilyu had gone hunting, and Jax had tagged along.  They brought back-- well, she brought back-- some meat for their meal.  And Chris and Eanataw were as close as ever.  Tireamokri once caught a glimpse of them looking at each other, starry-eyed.  It seemed like everyone around her was falling for some sky person or another.  Perhaps because they were new, perhaps because their clumsiness was endearing, like that of children.  Perhaps because they were different and intriguing.  She was beginning to feel more and more alone, despite the Omatikaya acceptance she had gained.

She cast her mind back to her people.  They were more serious, but of course they had fun.  Just not in the Omatikaya way.  Perhaps all this abundance made life easier-- in fact, she knew it did-- but perhaps it was at the root of their laughing, playful ways.  There were those, of course, who were stern.  Sek'mut was a good warrior, but he was cold.  And he wasn't just cold to her, an outsider.  He was cold to everyone.  Respectful, but cold.  And she had seen Ariel, her friend, treat him so strangely.  She gave him a nickname and teased him mercilessly.  Tireamokri could tell from her tone of voice and her expressions, even if she couldn't understand the words.

Her people were warm, once you had gained their trust.  Still, they were generous to other Na'vi who happened to find themselves in her unforgiving lands.  It would be unimaginable if they were not.  Anyone there, stranded, alone, unless one of her tribe, would certainly not survive the night, unless Eywa herself chose to spare them.  Which was not unheard of, actually, she thought.  There were a lucky few who lived to tell the tale of their night alone on the cold, windy plains.  Scouts from her tribe had found a few of the unlucky ones, though, frozen to the ice-covered ground.  A group always went to the bodies, to bid their spirits safe passage to Eywa, and to tell them that their bodies, too, would be part of Eywa.  Then they would cover the body with snow, and walk back in silence to their Kelutral.

Tireamokri shook her head slightly to clear it.  Eywa had had other plans for her, too.  She was here, now, among the Omatikaya.  She had participated in one of their sacred ceremonies, a new one even for them: the transfer of a Tawtute soul into a Na'vi body.  She sighed softly.  Never, back before she had started out on her spirit quest, never had she imagined that she would be so far from home, in such a foreign environment, with not just other Na'vi but with aliens from the sky, living among them.

Tireamokri found herself back at the heart of the camp.  She took a seat on a branch not far from the fire, but not too close, and stared into the flickering orange flames.
Fitseng lu oe, tìftia kìfkeyä seri.

Lehrrap Uniltìranyu

The Tree of Souls
1305 HRS Jax's Internal Clocks guesstimate


Jax had wanted to get back at that annoying Na'vi who what trying to get under his skin so badly, but he knew he had to save it, to wait paitently, keep his rage under control.

After making a very rude tawtute gesture towards Twonyu while neather he or Txonunilyu were looking, Jax quickly finished up eating. Txonunilyu had told him to leave working on his knife for a while, so instead he decided to try to get to know the Na'vi better. It was as well he should, he supposed, now that they were kin, not just 'the natives'.

But instead of going to talk to one of the Omatikaya who were gathered around, he was instead drawn to speak with the Na'vi woman from the other trible. Tira... Tireka...

Jax frowned and took a few moments to work out her name. "Tireamokri." He muttered and nodded when he got it to the point that it felt satisfactory in saying, and went over to where she was looking at the flames of the cooking fire.

"Uh... oel naati kameie. At least, I think that's how you say it properly." Jax said with a bit of smile at Tireamokri.

He hoped that she would talk to him. He also hoped he would get used to the discomfort of the freaking leather thong that he had to wear, but who knew.



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

#29
The Tree of Souls
1308 HRS


A farmilliar cry split the air and Twonyus' head shot skyward. Out of the sun flew an Ikran Twonyu knew well. It was a bright blue with turquoise patches which had a white outline. On its back sat Twonyus father.

The Ikran landed 50 meters away from where Twonyu was sitting. By the time his father had dismounted Twonyu was alrady up and running to greet him. Twonyu wrapped his father in a tight hug before rembering his manners, letting go and greeting his father in the proper way.
"Oel ngati kameie" he said
"Oel ngati kameie" replied his father before returning his sons hug and laughing. << I am you father you do not need to be so formal>> he said
<< I know, but it was the way you brought me up>> said Twonyu
<< It was a nice greeting either way, I have only been away for 2 days what has been happening>> asked his father
<< Allot has happened but I am not happy with most of it>> said Twonyu his mood dropping instantly
<< Is it to do with the tawtute?>> his father asked
<< Yes it is, Mo'at has performed a ritual taking a tawtutes' soul and putting him in a Na'Vi body, I cannot go against her word and I would not have minded if the tawtute had been a uniltìranyu, but he was a kunsip pilot he knows nothing of us and he should have been left to die>> ranted Twonyu
<< you cannot hold this grude forever Twonyu, your mother would have hated the way you hate them, give him a chance you may be suprised about him>> said his father
<< I will call him tsmukan if he can prove that he is a true Na'Vi and beat me in a fight but until then he will never be a Na'Vi, now let us not talk of this again what have you been doing in your time away>> he said changing the subject to something that his father would enjoy.

They spoke together as they walked back to the fire where Twonyu had been sitting. They both sat, ate, talked and joked about the 2 days they had been apart and Twonyu felt much better than he had just a few minutes before.





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

Coyote

#30
Vitraya Ramunong









"Hey, what's up?" Oscar asked, approaching Arik.
Arik was putting away his things on the leather bag carried by the Pa'li he rode in on, and stuffed everything away as Oscar walked up.

God, how am I going to do this? he asked himself. Enjoy your last twenty seconds or so of blissful ignorance, dude.
"How ya feeling?" Arik asked. Great, Arik, that was lame. "Arms, that sort of thing?"

"Better," Oscar said, "They still kinda flop around a bit, but I'm getting feeling back."
"Good," Arik said. He inhaled, about to say something, but frowned.
"What's going on?" Oscar asked, his voice suspicious.

"Alright, look," Arik said, "You know how something got screwed up with your body and your Avatar, your awareness is split... something like that."
"Yeah," Oscar said, "Something like that. Why? What?"

"Aw, hell," Arik said, "I don't know how to..." He sighed. "Just out with it, I guess. Look, back at Hell's Gate, when we blew the lab and evacuated everyone... the RDA guys crashed the drivepod lab. They came in shooting. You... your human body... it got hit."

There was an uncomfortable silence between them for a moment. Arik could tell by the look on Oscar's face that he was trying to determine whether this was one of those conversations, where someone tries to break the ultimate bad news to someone.

"Okay," Oscar said, "Okay... so... what happened? Did he... did I get evacuated?"

Arik frowned. "Oscar, dude..."
Oscar's breath started coming in rapid gasps. "Arik... am I... am I... alright?"
"Oscar, your body... you're dead," Arik said plainly, unable to evade the issue any more. "Your body, back home... it was shot. By the RDA. There was nothing to save. I'm sorry."

Oscar stared at Arik, but Arik could tell that he was looking at nothing. The color drained from his face and his pupils dilated, his jaw working but no sounds coming out.

Suddenly, Oscar's hands went to his face, burying his features in them as he wailed. "GYYAAAAAHHH--! My God, nononono!" he screamed, as every eye in the camp turned to look at him.

"What the hell!? What the hell!?" he screamed, as he stomped in a circle, clenching his fists and shaking them in impotent rage. He looked over at Jax and Tireamokri, who were both staring at him now. "You mean I'm stuck here, too!? I'm stuck here just like him? I can never go home? What the fuuuck-!!" He let out a shriek of anguish; as Arik stood there, feeling helpless.

And to think, I'd probably trade places with him, Arik thought soberly. I don't think I'd bring that up right now, though, he decided. He had no ideas, so he did the only thing he could think of, and walked over to Oscar, and held him. Oscar collapsed to the ground, and Arik sat down with him, keeping him upright, as he wailed in anguished frustration and rage.

Arik stopped himself from saying things like "It'll be okay" because he knew that from Oscar's point of view, it wouldn't be 'okay', and might never be 'okay'. "I'm sorry," he said, but for what he didn't specify-- for Oscar's body being dead? For being stuck on Eywa'evenga? For never seeing Earth or family again? Or for me not being the one? Arik wondered briefly before chasing the thought from his mind. "I'm sorry," he whispered, until Oscar calmed down.

For several long minutes, Oscar sobbed in his arms, until finally his breathing calmed and he began to move on his own. He started to pick himself up, and Arik let go of him, but as the emotions waned from his sob-wracked body his arms started to go limp again.

"G-g-goddamn," Oscar said, still stuffed up and red-eyed from tears, "Now they give out again. What, every time I need to get something done with my arms, I need someone to kick me in the nuts or something? Jesus, it's not fair." He gave a wan smile. Arik smiled too.

"Oscar, I swear to God I'm sorry."
"No..." Oscar said, regaining his composure, "No, it's okay... I... I needed to know. Thanks. I need to..." He sniffed, "God, I need to blow my nose but I can't..." he flopped his arms.
"Here," Arik said, picking up a large leaf and holding it to Oscar's face Oscar sank his nose into it and let go a mighty honk. Arik threw the leaf away.

"These noses hold a lot," Oscar said. He looked up at Arik and gave a smile. "Hey, buddy, my butt itches, just right of the tail..."
"My friendship only goes so far, dude," Arik said, smiling. "You gonna be okay?"
"Yeah, I... I think so," Oscar replied. He looked around. "I guess this is my home now, too," he said. "I gotta get used to that."

"Not bad, as homes go, really," Arik said wistfully.
"I suppose," Oscar said. "Heh-- always wanted a treehouse as a kid. Watch what you wish for, eh?"
"I think you're the first kid from Earth to actually have a treehouse in ninety years," Arik said. "Lucky bastard."

"Yeah," Oscar said, "Lucky." He choked back a sob, and shook his head, and stood tall. "I'll be okay."
"Alright," Arik said. "We'll get you back to Kelutral, find you a nice blue chick, settle down."
"Your sister's Avatar is hot," Oscar said with a grin.
"Don't push it, man," Arik said with a smile.

"We go now!" Tsu'Tey called out, "Everyone!"

"Mount up," Arik said.








Results:
Arik breaks news to Oscar about his human body's death.
Break camp and move to Kelutral now.

***
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.

Tanhìyärina'

#31
Tireamokri noticed someone walking in her direction.  She didn't turn from the fire, assuming that whoever it was would simply walk on to go somewhere else.

But he didn't.

"Oel ngaati kameie," she heard him say, followed by a bunch of Tawtute words.  She looked up at him.  Why was Hun'nar speaking 'ìnglìsì, and why was he putting on that ridiculous Tawtute accent?  No, she realized.  Not Hun'nar.  Jax the Tawtute.

She stood up, silently, and looked him over.  It was so strange to see another soul in Hun'nar's body.  She hadn't been close with the Na'vi, but she had spoken with him a few times.  And now it was not him.  Something about the eyes was different.  And even if that's all it was, she thought, it stuck out to her like a white ikran in the tropical forest.

He had four fingers, not five.  He wore Omatikaya clothes.  His hands were scratched in a few places-- that's right, she thought.  He was working on carving a knife.

She finished studying him, and finally met his eyes with the full force of her own.  So strange, those eyes in Hun'nar's body!  "Oel ngati kameie," she replied, making the corresponding gesture with her right hand, and smiled a little.  She did See him.  She could tell it was Jax in that body.

Hmm, simple phrases he may know, she mused.  "Ngaru lu fpom srak?"  She settled on the question.  She had heard some Sawtute using it before.  She sat again, and motioned to the branch beside her.

An idle thought crossed her mind-- that of the Sawtute in their orange tree Kelutral which grew without any ground.  Perhaps she could find out how that worked.
Fitseng lu oe, tìftia kìfkeyä seri.

El Jacko

Hell's Gate main tower
1330hrs


Shep stared out over the forest. From the Hells Gate main tower, the view was something else. Being paid to guard definitely worked out here, although the mood was slightly frosty since the Dragon was stolen...

He'd watched the whole event unfold below him. Every move, every twist and turn, the haphazard perfection of the escape, magnified through the diamond-cut scope of his favourite rifle. Intervening didn't occur to him – after all, he was paid to guard the base, not shoot the contents. It all seemed so lucky, the Dragon being prepped for bear, every scorpion out by the vortex waiting for a fight that wasn't there. Now though, the scorpions were crawling back to the nest. The look of despair on some of the pilots faces...it gave Shep a kind of grim satisfaction. To see an ordered, milit'ry system fall into disarray just seemed ironic.

The death of Selfridge had changed a lot of things around the base. People were on edge, preparing for war. To start with, a Na'Vi attack hadn't occurred for months, and a native inside the base was unheard of...well, a live native anyways. Shep's M26 EBR saw to that.

But after the hijacking of the Dragon gunship, this 'Native attack' started to seem more and more unlikely. He'd seen scientists running from the Avatar room, so the chemical spill can't have been that toxic, and he hadn't seen a native on the edge of the deadzone for the best part of 3 days. Something was going on, and he had a rough idea of what 'it' was.

His mind was starting to piece this together. Childs was in charge with the director dead, and the Geology doctor had never been properly at ease with being bossed around...
...and that avatar boss, Augustus or whatever, she was forever at odds with him; but she died, in the school accident? No, can't have, Childs wouldn't be this worried if there wasn't competition...

That was it. Augustus must be alive! Considering the military operation, the flux vortex was a safe bet.

Shep had to get out. Being stuck under Childs didn't sound good anyway, but a psychotic Childs would drive him insane...

Quaritch could help. He'd be able to authorise a mission for him, and anyways, he owed Shep a favour. With that, he flicked the safety back on, shouldered the M26 and left the guard tower, making a beeline for the hangar. The colonel always liked to rant at the returning gunships.

- - - - - - - - - - -
Hell's Gate Hangar
1345hrs (ish)


He hit the hangar door at a full sprint. Picking himself up, he made a mental note to not get too preoccupied while running, and proceeded to open the door and step into the hangar.
After about 4 paces, another thought struck him and he dived for the airlock. "A mask might be useful" muttered his conscience, ever on the lookout for his small mistakes.

As predicted, Quaritch was in the middle of the hangar, 'debriefing' a scorpion squad who'd managed to 'lose' 1400 chaingun rounds. Shep hang back near a stack of crates. It was never a good idea to interrupt the top brass during a 'debriefing'. A few minutes later, Quaritch wheeled around, strode clean past Shep and straight towards another gunship.

Great...hes on a roll again...

He summed up all the courage available, and called out to the colonel.

'Colonel! A word please'

'What is it, Marine?'
Shep shuddered slightly at this word. 8 years of SAS service made one very proud of their particular discipline.

'I need to talk to you about the various...unfortunate events of the last few days'

'Go on'

'Well, it seems to me from the military operation and the rather unexpected loss of the Dragon that the rebels are still at large.'

'Where did you get this information?'
Hmm...this didn't seem promising.

'I...(he paused for a second, his mind scrambling around for an excuse. It couldn't find one.)...figured it out, sir. I have a habit of observing, sir.'

'Is that so? I hope this is everything, marine, I have work to do'
He shuddered again. Quaritch seemed to notice this time.

'Not everything, sir. I would like to offer my skills in an attempt to assassinate their leaders. All I ask is your approval and a lift to the edge of the vortex'

'What's your name, marine?'
There was some satisfaction behind 'marine' this time. Shep shuddered. Again.

'Alan Sheppard, sir'

'Sheppard? I'll see what I can do. I still owe you for that incident with the Banshee. Come to my office at 1700hrs, I'll sort out the details then.'

'Yes, sir'
Shep left the hangar, heading back to the tower. Things were going to plan...for now.

This didn't add up for Quaritch. Sheppard wasn't one to be running around outside the base, he literally lived in that tower. But then, he wasn't one to be scheming either. He was thinking so intently about this, he almost forgot to accost the next scorpion crew. It just didn't feel quite right.
'Look at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us...on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam' - Carl Sagan

Lehrrap Uniltìranyu

The Tree of Souls
Just before heading out


Jax knew that she was asking how he was, though he wasn't quite positive on each one of the words, and quickly ran though the list of words that he knew from the manual he had read what felt like so many ages ago, when it was really more like a few days prior. "I feel... many things. Uh. Meyp, Txopu of a new life, hiyík in this unknown world... but at the same time, I feel... meuia? Meuia... for being given a second chance. So in the end... I guess I am Mawey." Jax said. "And you?"

Tireamokri listened.  Jax spoke a lot of 'ìnglìsì, but there were some Na'vi words scattered throughout.  He hadn't answered her question at all, but he said something about honor.  He felt honor?  She studied him for a moment more, a little smile playing across her lips.  She knew the word "you."  He must be asking how she was, she thought. She tried out one of the few English words she knew.  "Okey," she pronounced.  Then she tilted her head slightly.  "Meuia.  Mì 'ìnglìsì?"

"Okay?" Jax repeated back. Tireamokri must have a hard time with english. He spoke slowly and carefully in english, "Do you speak inglisi, Tireamokri?"

Speak, she thought.  She knew that word. Somehow.  She had heard some Uniltìranyu using it at the school.  And she knew "okay" didn't mean meuia.  Jax was speaking more slowly now, like one might talk to a baby.  Did he see her that way?  She bristled slightly, before looking back towards the fire.  He was the baby, not she.  A Tawtute in a Na'vi body.

Tireamokri suddenly looked pissed off. Jax suddenly got the feeling that he said something wrong. He decided to take another hack at Na'vi and said, a bit butcherd, "<<Na'vi my isn't good very. I speak English better, do you speak it?>>"

As Jax spoke, a log popped and cracked, sending sparks into the air.  To the Sawtute, Tireamokri thought, she probably was a baby.  Preposterous, but true.  Perhaps that is how they saw her, because she could not speak their language.  And look at them, trying so hard to learn hers.  And learning so quickly!  She dropped her eyes a moment, and then looked back at Jax. "Kehe," she said sadly.  <<I only know a few words.>> "Orange.  Yes.  No.  Okey.  Speak.  Go away."  She smiled a bit sheepishly.  "Kun.  Ground.  Tree.  Rrts."  She looked at him studiously.  "Rrts, srane?  Mì Rrts, orange lu srak?"

Jax thought about it for a moment. "Rrts?" He said with a bit of a confused frown. "<< What is 'Rrts'? I know 'Oranges' and 'Orange Tree' but...>>" he shrugged. This was going to take some trial and error.

Tireamokri pursed her lips.  "Rrts," she finally said.  "Ayngayä Eywa'evengä," she said slowly, pointing first to Jax and then to the ground beneath them.  She looked at him expectantly, hoping he understood.

"Ohhhh!" Jax said. "<<Pronounced 'Earth', Tawtute homeland. You want to know about Orange trees from Earth?>>"

"Srane, srane!" Tireamokri cried, bouncing a little bit in excitement.  "Rrts, orange tree!"  She took a breath.  Mawey, Tireamokri, she thought.  You won't understand him if he starts speaking quickly.  Nor he you, if you do the same.  Little words.  Simple sentences.  "Rutxe, peng?  Speak Rrts?"

Jax nodded. "<<Flux in and out of 'inglisi and Na'vi, but I try.>>" Jax smiled. Good! They were getting somewhere and he was able to talk to her, for the most part. He was pleased that he knew more Na'vi then he thought he did, though he was suprised that he knew as much as he did because he could have sworn he knew only five or so words only two days ago.

"<<Earth was... once like Pandora? It was... beautiful. Or so told I was.>>" Jax started, thinking about it as he looked out at the flames. "<<Earth like is Hell's Gate. No Green. But there is place on Earth that Orange Tree comes from.>>"

Tireamokri gasped, lifting a hand to her open mouth.  "Ayngayä Kelutrel, kerusey? Ulte ayngayä Eywa?  <<If our Eywa were dead, we would be too.  All of us, gone.  How did you survive?>>"  Then she paused, and when she spoke again, it was as if she was starting over.  "Nì'awve, you, Tawtute," she said, pointing up.  "Taw, tslam srak?"
--------------
((Continued next post))



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

Lehrrap Uniltìranyu

#34
"<<Our mother, our Eywa... died. Years and years ago.>>" Jax said, looking away for a moment before looking back to Tireamokri.

"Ayngayä Eywa tamerkup?  Pefya ayngal ke tamerkup?" Tireamokri boggled.  She couldn't even imagine living without Eywa.  It just couldn't happen.  Eywa was them, when you thought about it.  Everything on their world was Eywa.  If Eywa died, so would all the pa'li, all the palulukan, all the ikran, all the seze, all the Na'vi. She shivered instinctively, and wrapped her arms around herself for protection.

Jax shook his head, speaking slowly in both English and Na'vi. "<<Earth was once full of live, protected by our Eywa, our mother, Gaia. But tawtute before my time were greedy, evil, bad. They killed Gaia for their own gain, setting themselves up to become more powerful. It was... terrible.>>" Jax had never really realised just how terrible Earth sounded. But it was still home, at least, it used to be. "<<Gaia is not entirely dead. Many places good Tawtute, like Dr. Augustine, protect, nuture in attempt to heal Gaia. But these places are few and Evil Tawtute are many.>>"

Tireamokri sat back, her mouth gaping open.  The Sawtute themselves had killed their Eywa?  What was she called, Gaia?  "You Eywa, Gaia? Gaia ke tamerkup?  <<But she is dying?  Why are you here then?  You must save her, or you will die too.>>"  She leaned forward, her eyes boring into his.  "Lumpe, ayngal Gaia tspamang?"  She could not wrap her mind around this concept, and it showed in her eyes, which were turbulent with confusion. There was so much about these Sawtute that was foreign, not just their little clumsy bodies, but their whole way of thinking. She wondered if she would ever be able to understand it.

Jax shook his head sadly. "<<That is why we are here. In order to save the Tawtute, good or bad, and Gaia, we need... um...>>" he switched to english, "Unobtainum. <<The rock that we mine here.>>"

He thought upon it for a moment and said, "<< I came to Eywa and here,>> Pandora <<to help get unobtainum. But a Bad Tawtute is here, and he just wants to continue to kill Gaia for his own gain, and is trying to do to Eywa what happened to Gaia so long ago.>>" Jax brought his legs up and hugged them as he looked to the fire. "<<I never even got to see Gaia before I came to Pandora. There was no green where I grew up.>>"

Tireamokri began to make a noise after Jax talked about the rock, but she quieted again as he continued.  Finally, softly, in the barest whisper, she asked him, "Ulte ngati?  <<You do not want to kill Eywa, do you?  Even if it is to save your Gaia?  But why did you not just ask us for the rock?  You are like children.  You just come here and hurt Eywa and take the rock.  You should ask!>>"

Jax nodded. "<<No, I do not want to Kill Eywa. I came here to help Dr. Augustine and to help the Tawtute get around with my kunsip, which was killed when I was hurt. Dr. Augustine and other scientists, other Dreamwalkers, have tried to ask and communicate with the clan leaders, which is why the school existed.>>" Jax was getting better at Na'vi, though it was still a bit weird, the way some of the words rolled in his mouth.

"<<But there is very, very evil bad man who's name is Dr. Childs. He only cares for the rock. He only want the rock, does not care for Eywa, or the Na'vi. So he try to do same thing that other evil people did to Gaia to Eywa.>>"

<<You Sawtute have a very strange way of asking,>> Tireamokri replied.  <<You just came here and expected us to speak your language, to eat your food, to be like children to you.  You did not ask us like we were the People.  Like equals.  You did not get to know us.  You did not try very hard.  And you did not say that it was to save your Gaia.>> She looked at him again.  <<And you did not ask Eywa.>>  She paused, then asked, "Fì'u tskxe, peu' mì 'ìnglìsì?" she asked.

Jax felt like he had said this before, "<<Yes, the Bad Tawtute didn't want to wait for promission, didn't ask. Dr. Augustine and we who are with here are trying to stop them and trying to ask for promission to continue. But as you can tell...>>" Jax laughed bitterly, "<<It didn't quite work out for us. And the rock is called 'Unobtainum'. A... Tawtute joke name.>>"

<<It is so hard to understand,>> Tireamokri replied.  <<Sawtute do not make any sense.>>  She furrowed her brow, and took a stab at the new word.  "Anabteyniam?"  Her tongue felt tied in knots just trying the ridiculous sounds.  But somewhere in her heart, she knew that if the good Sawtute were going to save Gaia, they would have to be able to speak the same language. Though this one, she thought, was now in a Na'vi body, and needed to learn the language of the People.  He was doing rather well, she thought.  Especially for never having been in a Na'vi body before, even an Uniltìrantokx.

"<<Yeah, pretty much that.>>" Jax said with a nod. His face fell as he sat back a bit with a sigh. "<<All this talk of Gaia and Eywa... it makes me long for home. I do not belong.>>" He said, looking out at the forest.

Tireamokri's face fell into an expression of sympathy.  He was right, she supposed.  He did not fit in anywhere.  He could not go home.  And he was not Na'vi.  Not yet.  <<You do not belong yet,>> she said, emphasizing the yet.  <<Give it time.>>  She reached out with her eyes, seeking to meet his eyes.  "Oe tslam," she said very softly.  Somewhat, anyway, she thought. She reached out a hand and grasped his forearm lightly, saying no more.

Jax smiled at her, though it was a bit half-hearted. "Irayo." He said. "<<Your words are comforting, friend, but still... I don't know if I am ment to be Na'vi.>>" Jax looked back out at the forest. "<<When I came here as I was before, as James Logain, a man called Jax, not Jax as I am now, I thought I would make a diffrence, I would be of help, but I was alone. Now... I'm dead, or rather, he's dead, replaced by me.>>"

Jax frowned. That came out weird, and he knew it.

Tireamokri shook her head.  <<He is with Eywa.  He is not gone to us.  And he gave you that body.  Eywa gave you that body.  And your body, now, is with Eywa too.  And what says you cannot be of help in that body?  I did not see any trouble for the Omatikaya helping you Sawtute in their Na'vi bodies.>>

<<The first lesson,>> she continued, <<is that we are all Eywayä 'eveng.  And you are too now.  You should make tsahaylu with Eywa.  She will show you.  You will not feel so alone.>>  She paused and looked at him curiously again.  <<How do Sawtute make tsahaylu?  Ariel had these ear pieces.  Is that how?>>

Jax chuckled. "<<Tawtute tsahaylu works diffrently from Na'vi. We bond in many diffrent ways, complicated and hard to explain.>>"

He blinked as he heard Tsu'tey calling for everyone to mount up. It was time to go. "<<We will talk more later, yes? Tsu'tey say time leave now.>>"

Tireamokri blinked.  "Srane, <<later,>>" she said, with a touch of regret in her voice.  She stood up and offered Jax a hand.  "Nga Eywayä 'eveng lu.  Ngal tslìmam."

Jax took Tireamokri's hand and let her help him up. "Irayo." he said again. It was time to move out, and time for him to experience 'The Bond' for the first time. Maybe it would help him understand.



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

Mako

Vitraya Ramunong
Shortly Before Departure


Tsu'Tey's loud shout pulled Chris out of his doze. He had needed to be careful not to fall completely asleep, as he would have returned to his human body with no way to know when the Na'vi were departing. He had used an old military trick, keeping himself right on the brink of the void, practically spitting into it in scorn, but not falling. Chris stowed his knife-to-be in the saddlebags and retrieved his doorgun. He wanted to be ready for any trouble they may encounter along the way. Chris mounted up on his Pa'li much easier than the first time, he noticed. Shooting a glance at Jax who was encountering tsaheylu for the first time, he rode out. They were on the road again.

--------

Ikranä mokri

Vitraya Ramunong
Shortly Before Departure


When they parted there was no informal hugs, Twonyu and and his father gripped eachothers arm in a warriors hand shake.
<< see you at kelutral father>>said Twonyu
<< I will see you there son>> Replied his father.

They both went their seperate ways, Twonyu walking into the midts of the other Na'Vi, Avtars and humans who were all preparing for departure to Kelutral, his father headed over to his Ikran, Made tsheylu as he mounted and with one beat of the ikrans' wings he was airbourne.

Twonyu picked up his bow off the ground and slung it over his shoulder. He saw allot of Na'Vi mount Pa'li but more seemed to be going by foot or ikran, seeming as Twonyu wanted to get back to kelutral as quickly as possible he decided that he would take a Pa'li and ride back. He monted the closest Pa'li which was next to an Uniltìranyu, the one they called Chris. `

Twonyu closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he made tsheylu. The feeling itslef was not strange, in fact to him it was almost freeing, to have a second mind with feelings connected to his was something he like about tsheylu. In his mind he could feel the Pa'li, it was a strong one, a young male no more than 3 summers old, it was calm as anything with so many other Na'Vi and Pa'li around it, Twonyu could feel how it sensed that there was a small pack of nantang nearby, they were no threat though. The Pa'li had a pain in its left haunch, it wasn't bad but Twonyu would have to rember to tell someone about it.

Twonyu opened his eyes and saw that the other riders were moving off at a slow pace. Twonyu sent a message to the Pa'li to move forward, it did as he asked it almost to the letter. He was still riding alongside Chris and with the uniltìranyu he had no quarrels as one had saved his life. He turned to look at Chris and said "Oel ngati kameie" with the accompanying hand gesture "Oe lu Twonyu Ikranä, nga lu Chris srak?"
he stopped talking and waited for the reply





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

Mako

#37
Vitraya Ramunong
Departure


"Oel ngati kameie. Oe lu Twonyu Ikranä, nga lu Chris srak?"

Chris was surprised by the greeting from the random Na'vi boy that was riding beside him. As he studied the boy, Chris realized that he was the same Na'vi that Jax almost got into a fight with earlier. He was going to have to tread lightly, as from what it sounded like, Twonyu despised the uniltiranyu presence. Without taking his eyes off of the path ahead, he returned the greeting and the answer.

"Oel ngati kameie ma tsmúkan. Srane, oel lu Chris."

The look that Twonyu shot him was something between hate and curiosity. The Pa'li beneath Twonyu must have felt this feeling because it gave a slight jump, which made Twonyu grasp for balance. Chris burst out laughing as the young Na'vi struggled to regain his balance. After righting himself, Twonyu took one look at Chris and joined in the laughter.

<<Chris you must be very confused about the way I treat you compared to your friend.>>

<<Yeah, just a bit. You hate Jax but seem to be sociable with me, whats up with that?>>

<<It's a long story which I will not tell, unless you want to pass some of the time.>>

<<I'm not sure that I want your life story, but give me the low down of what happened and I'm sure I'll understand>>

<<Low down, what do you mean by low down?>>

Chris could tell that Twonyu didn't understand the English slang, even though it was in Na'vi.

"Tsa'u lu tawtutea san, tsa'u lu ke yol fya'o plltxame fmawn."

Chris knew that the probability of what he said being right was slim to none. Still, the Na'vi seemed to understand.

<<An interesting phrase, how would you say that in ìnglìsì>>

"Low down."

Chris knew that his accent would make it tougher on the Na'vi to pronounce than Grace's or Arik's would.

"Looo doun."

"Lok, slä ngati plltxame tsakem ngati kerä pìveng oel fmawn, srak?"

<<Yes, your words are very difficult by the way, I was going to tell you why I dislike the tawtute you call Jax.>>

"Slä Jax ke lu tawtute. Poan lu mìNa'vi na ngati."

"Poan ke lu mìNa'vi. Poanyä tìrea lu tawtute, na ngayä. Slä ngati ke pawm sìvi tskxekeng and lìvu tslamam ìlä Na'viyä. Ngati tslam Ewya, poan ke tslam."

The young Na'vi began to become firey.

"Slä Mo'ati plltxame tsa'u poanil zivong..."

<<And that is the only reason I took part in the ritual, not because I think that this tawtute kunsip pilot should live.>>

<<So do you not like the Kunsip Pilot, or do you not like tawtute in general?>>

<<No, some tawtute, like your Grace are good and kind she understands the Na'vi. But most of the others do not care about us or Eywa. And a Kunsip killed my mother so I made an oath swearing to kill every last one I see, including the tawtute inside.>>

<<Well it seems as if you have very set views on the matter.>>

<<Although Jax has been given a chance, I have told him that I will call him tsmukan if he can best me. Whether he will accept is a different matter.>>

The conversation stopped there, and Chris didn't press.

--------

El Jacko

#38
Hell's Gate – Operations complex
1702hrs


'OI! Watch it!' shouted a disturbed scientist. Shep ignored him and broke from running to a flat sprint.

In order to get Quaritch to approve a mission for him, Shep needed to stay on his good side. Therein lay a problem. Quaritch was military, through and through, and liked his men to be punctual; not late and out of breath. He still had some hope, though – every brain cell in his head was now wishing that the Colonel had been delayed by the same spectacle that beheld Shep and his guard tower.

- - - - - - -

Most of the scorpions had limped back by 1600 and refuelled, but about 10 minutes ago the last one made a particular entrance. He'd seen the smoke first, followed shortly by a bedraggled-looking Scorpion. Which in turn was followed by a VERY angry looking Leonopteryx. Swinging his rifle around, he focused the scope on the great orange deathtrap.

Yup, very pissed.

It looked like the Scorpion had given the predator a bit of a fight, though. Its left wing had a line of bullet holes along it, and a few teeth were missing. It still had more teeth than most of Hell's Gate. Within seconds of it breaking the proximity, the Gatekeeper guns spun into action, each sending innumerable 8" long steel slugs towards it. The beast narrowly avoided the first gout of fire, before grabbing and uprooting the chain gun that sent it. By now, the other 3 Gatekeepers on that side of the base had locked on, and the mightiest predator on Pandora met its match.

Then Shep glanced at his watch, and disregarding the ladder entirely, rappelled down the tower shaft before making tracks towards Operations. He hoped he wasn't late.

- - - - - - - - - -

Hell's Gate Command – Quaritch's Office
1704 hrs


The still-armed sniper skidded to a halt outside the blank metal door that heralded the most dangerous place in Hell's Gate – the Head of Security's quarters. He went to knock, but as he raised his hand the door swung open, and he stood to attention.

'Come in, Sheppard'

Hmm. No mention of 'Marine'. This was either good, or incredibly bad. He heard the faint click of the door being locked behind him. Probably bad, then.

'We have every available gunship guarding the Flux Vortex at this moment. If Augustine or the natives leave the perimeter, we'll be waiting. But I suppose you have other ideas?'

Gulp

'Yes, sir. It'll be nightfall soon, and I know for a fact that the gunships aren't allowed out in the dark.'

'Rules can change'

'But still, the rebels must have some idea what is happening inside this base. They managed to steal the largest ship in the shop, after all'
This seemed to have some impact. The expression on Quaritch's scarred face spoke volumes more than his lack of speech.
'And if they have any knowledge of our forces, they will move just before dusk. The combination of glare from the sunset and deep shadows would give them excellent cover. Not to mention the Scorpions inability to track individual bio-signs when half the forest is heading off to roost'

'I suppose you're right, Sheppard. However, I don't see how 1 man can achieve what an entire army cannot.'

'The Avatar drivers need to use link pods to operate their Avatars. As far as I know, the only ones on this planet are in this base and a few mobile sites.'

'True. There are, unfortunately, more mobile sites than you realise, Sheppard. We have 3 within the Flux Vortex, and a further 23 spread over this entire Sector. The rebels and the Dragon could be at any 1 of these sites, one of their men disabled the GPS beacons on both the stolen AMP suit and the Dragon.'

An AMP suit aswell? Blimey, these rebels were doing well...better than Childs, anyway.

'Then perhaps, sir, you should send someone to scout the mobile sites. Someone with stealth experience, and a decent understanding of the local wildlife. Someone...'

'Like you'

'Yes, sir.'

'Very well, Sheppard. You get your mission. The mobile sites are in clusters, roughly 10miles apart. We'll airdrop you to each cluster, then radio in when you need to get back out. Start at Mobile Site no. 24'-Quaritch pulls up a map on the screen-'and head north to 25, then east to 26. These would be the easiest to get you to; the scorpions fly past 24 en route to the flux vortex'

'Excellent. I should be able to camp out in 24 for tonight, then onto 25 in the morning.' Being stuck out in this forest at night was not Shep's idea of fun.

'You got yourself a deal. Take out Augustine, and I'll make it worth your while. Next wave of Scorpions leaves at 1830hrs, head to the Armory and get outfitted with everything you need. This'-Quaritch hands him a security card, with Level 5 stamped across in red-'will convince the supplier to get you whatever is necessary. Good luck.'

After rounding the corner from Quaritch's office, Shep allowed himself a smile. His plan was slowly coming together, and Childs's regime was starting to look thinner by the minute. He made a mental note to keep his mouth shut, and rely on the card. A distracted mind never did you any favours.
'Look at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us...on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam' - Carl Sagan

Coyote

#39
Office of the Director
Dr. Warren Childs
Hell's Gate; 1730 hrs.










"Colonel," Director Childs said as the grizzled Marine veteran came into his office.
"Director," Col. Quaritch managed to say without a hint of irony. He sat in the indicated seat and the Director nodded and smiled at him. It was purely a formality.

"So, Colonel, we've had a bit of a fly in the ointment, but I think we can come up with some solutions. I take it you've been working on a short-term plan to deal with our short-term troublemakers?"

"I have," Colonel Quaritch said, sitting back in the visitor's chair. "Something quiet; something that will restore calm here at Hell's Gate. Something that will also be cheap and low-impact." He quickly detailed the mission with Sheppard, the sniper.

"So," Childs said, "A lone hunter. I like that," he said, rubbing his beard with his finger. "Good thinking, Colonel. We can recall most of the Security forces and leave a dedicated perimeter guard. Then they can call someone if they spot movement."
"Yes, sir," Quaritch said, "I have a quick reaction force on standby." It was basic military tactics 101, which made Quaritch slightly annoyed. One of his Captains could have handled the whole thing at this stage, but Childs felt more at ease if Quaritch himself handled it. Probably something to do with that call he got from the Senator, Quaritch theorized.

"How have you assigned priority of target?" Childs asked.
"Grace Augustine first and foremost, as the ringleader," Quaritch said. "Plus, she's the one with the strongest ties to the Na'vi. If there is any underlying tension or mistrust the Na'vi have towards the humans and Avatars, she's the one that smooths things over. Taking her out will disrupt that. The Na'vi may even turn on the rebels themselves."

"Good thinking," Childs said, "Although we can't count on that. Who is the second target?"
"Trudy Chacon," Quaritch said. "She has the Dragon gunship and knows the area in the vortex. Because of her, we can't be confident in mounting an assault in the area. If all she has was a Samson or a Scorpion, no problem, we'd just swarm in there and take our chances-- but she can hold off quite a force with the Dragon and her knowledge of the area."

"So after that," Childs said, "I assume the pilot, James 'Jax' Legain?" he asked, looking at a personnel records file on his desk. "He'd be the back-up pilot. Less experienced with the vortex."
"Correct, sir," Quaritch said. "Augustine provides leadership and connections to the Na'vi; Chacon and Legain provide mobility and firepower. Without them, the rest of them are a bunch of charity cases for the Na'vi."

"A couple of these Avatar drivers have military experience, though," Childs said. "They could provide training and intel for the Na'vi. Christian 'Chris' James and Ariel 'Arik' Shaham. And of course there's the rat, Cole."
"They are the primary targets-of-opportunity," Quaritch said.

Director Childs nodded. "Very well, Colonel. A good plan. This will allow us to bring back the majority of the Security teams, which will hopefully calm people down. I understand people are nervous, but the quicker we get things back to normal... or at least appearing normal, then the quicker we can get back into full production. Show them that I have the situation well in hand."

"Yes, sir," Quaritch said. He got ready to leave, since it looked like the evening's informal discussion was drawing to a close.
"Wait, Colonel," the Director said, putting his hand up. Quaritch sat back down.

"Colonel, have you explored much of Pandora?" the Director asked.
"Quite a bit in the area immediately around Hell's Gate," the Colonel replied, "Although I've gone over detailed reports and recon briefings from the rest of the planet."

"Ever heard of the Sengtsil?" Childs asked, pulling out a different folder.
"Can't say as I have," Quaritch replied.

"Hm," Childs grunted, and handed Quaritch the file. "The Sengtsil are a Na'vi tribe to the north, on the edge of the habital regions. Where the tree line thins out and starts turning into permafrost."
"Okay," Quaritch said, thumbing through the file and looking at some of the pictures. "Eskimo Na'vi. What's--" he stopped short at a photo of a Na'vi male, a warrior of some sort, with tribal face paint on. He was flanked by two Na'vi warriors acting as an honor guard. Both were carrying RDA-issue M60 machineguns.

"I don't recall any reports of casulaties in the north," Quaritch said, his concern piqued.
"That's because there haven't been any, Colonel," Childs said. "I've been setting up diplomatic contacts with the Sengtsil. They sit near a rich Unobtanium deposit in the north, one that rivals the local field. The leader there is named Kai'iu, and he has proven to be remarkably agreeable to negotiation."

"Negotiation?" Quaritch asked, still looking at the rifles.

"He wanted power. I gave it to him," Childs said. "A handful of rifles and a couple of portable heaters. In exchange we get to take a... limited amount of Unobtanium from his tribe's territory and he'll leave us alone. Colonel, there are some back on Earth who don't like what's happened here. Ever since the... attack, the Pandora Channel's been showing reruns. Animal Planet has suspended all Pandoran programming. It was what some in the RDA wanted, and it was something that Senator Hardy can campaign on. But there are also people who have vested interests in putting things back they way they were. Even the Environmental Freedom Front has some sympathy in the public, and in the Congress.

"So there's a chance that someone could come here to try to arrange a... hostile takeover of our company, Colonel. If that happens, if our political enemies try to move against us, it will be to our advantage to have some Na'vi on our side."

"Okay," Colonel Quaritch said, his expression neutral. Inside, he wondered what Childs's game truly was. Obviously, this guy has some big, long-term strategy cooking up. He expects some opposition of some sort, and even he is not sure when or where it will come from.

"So you see, Colonel..." Childs said, "We want to have good relations with the Sengtsil. We have to be prepared to back up Kai'iu. And Kai'iu may also be agreeable to helping us with some of our other problems."
"Augustine's group?" the Colonel asked.
"Send a Na'vi to kill a Na'vi, or in this case, an Avatar," Childs said. "The local tribe, the Omatikaya... they have ties to Augustine; they were participating in the attack on that Corporal's patrol. Clearly they are not to be trusted. We need to be prepared to deal with them, Colonel, but without the Dragon we have to be careful. Let's see if your sniper, and my pet Na'vi, can deal with them, or at least give us an idea about their strength and determination to fight for Augustine. They may abandon her and her crew if things get too rough. I can't imagine that everyone in the Omatikaya camp is eager to get into a fight with the all-powerful Sky People."

"If they're smart, sir," Quaritch said.
"Indeed," Childs replied. "If they're smart. Anyhow, thank you, Colonel. I wanted to bring you in on the Sengtsil thing. They may need some support. Ideally, they won't, but either way we'll be expanding operations there at some point and you needed to know."

"Thank you, sir," Quaritch said.
"You're a good man, Colonel-- I knew I could count on you. Now make it happen."
"Yes, sir," Quaritch said and left.

Outside, Quaritch was all business and professionalism. Inside, he had his doubts. Why would Warren Childs be worried about someone from Earth coming to sieze control? he wondered. That doesn't make sense. The Enviro-nuts didn't even have a ship, much less the money to launch an attack on Pandora, regardless of how much support they had. And the government wouldn't go along with them on such a thing.

Still, Colonel Quaritch was a professional, hired to do a job, and so he started drawing up the plans to do what was needed to secure Hell's Gate to the best of his ability.








Results:
Col. Quaritch and Dr. Childs discuss security plans.
Sniper (Sheppard) given targets of priority for the rebels (Augustine; Chacon; Jax; military-trained Avatars, all others)
Childs reveals alliance to Sengtsil chieftan; including guns for Unobtanium access.
Childs will pull SecOps personnel back and let sniper and Sengtsil deal with situation: cheaper, quieter.

***
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.