Storm over Pandora- In Eywa's Shadow

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

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Lehrrap Uniltìranyu

#40
The Tree of Souls/ The Flux
1622 HRS Jax's Estimate


The Direhorse he was rideing was a strong fellow, with powerful legs and a strong heart.

It almost knocked Jax over when he had made the bond with it. It was like nothing he had ever felt before. It was as if he wasn't in one body anymore, but two. He could feel the Direhorse... or "Pa'li" As the Na'vi called them... breathing. He could feel each breath it took, his breathing falling in time with it.

He understood now, what they ment when they talked about the Bond. It was the same, in his mind, or at least akin, to how he felt when he was flying the skies above anywhere in his SA-2. It was a pure feeling of... openess, freedom.

He liked it. A lot. It felt like he was free to go off again.

Then he remembered that he was on the ground and his spirits fell a little. His Pa'li snorted and shook its head, and he remembered that it could feel everything he could and patted it's side. "Sorry about that friend." He said with a slight chuckle.

Jax noticed how quickly they were moving. Thinking over it, moving quickly to escape from the Flux before those Scorpions came back was probobly a good idea. Esme and Ralph had headed off towards the 'rebel HQ' mobile site that Trudy and the Dragon had set up deep in the Flux. Easy to hide at, but it needed people there, especially guards, so Esme and Ralph had gone.

It saddened Jax a bit. It felt like everyone was running in diffrent directions. He forced himself to buck up and took a sharp breath and let it out, feeling a bit more confident. His Pa'li reacted and it's step became a bit lighter, and a bit faster, and suddenly Jax found himself riding towards the front of the group.

Part of him felt like striking out into song, but he decided to wait untill someone else did first.

Maybe after they got out of the Flux and into the Jungle close to Hometree.



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

El Jacko

Hell's Gate Command
1735hrs


The comms operator started slightly as Nobody came into the room, armed with a very large rifle, but calmed when Nobody showed him Level 5 clearance. Nobody then proceeded to request details concerning the Na'Vi school and any significant history of the building. The comms operator reluctantly brought up files as to the shooting of several Na'Vi children after the torching of a bulldozer, and a more recent file so far untitled. This untitled file was of interest to Nobody, as it detailed the tasking of a squad of Scorpions with an undesignated sortie in the area. Then, without a word, Nobody expressed thanks before Nobody left the room.


Ahh, he loved being unrecognisable. He had the sort of face one would notice, but then file as 'not of note' and disregard entirely. It served a purpose, on occasions. The comms operator would surely inform someone that a person had come requesting information, but come that time he would be unable to describe said persons face. Almost an art form, really...

- - - - - - - - - -
Hell's Gate Outfitters
1745hrs


'Sheppard! Good to see you again. 'Lost' your ammo again, have we?'
The outfitter never forgot a face, even Shep's. Shep, however, never failed to forget a name, so carried on as per usual.

'Not this time, mate. Need some special kit tonight, Colonel's orders.' He said, fidgeting with the level 5 card in such a way that the outfitter would notice. That he did, and Shep saw a slight gleam in his eye as this happened.

'So, what sort of 'Special'?' he asked, clearly interested.

'Well, I'll be needing a silencer for this' – he dumps the modified M26 unceremoniously onto the counter – 'and one for this' – he reaches into his jacket, pulling out an outdated and heaviliy modified Glock 21. 'And I'll also be needing a bandolier, 6 Flashbangs, 4 smoke grenades, infrared goggles and a heavy-duty Exopack.' He stopped, and waited as the Outfitter ran through all of these on his fingers before disappearing into the maze of shelves behind him. Some time later, he came back with almost everything.

- - - - - -

'...and the Exopack. Can't find a silencer for the Glock though, we don't stock anything that old. I can get you a silenced WASP pistol though, uses the same ammo.'

'Hm...it'll have to do.' He said, slightly downhearted. WASPs weren't his preffered weapon, but beggars can't be choosers. He'd be keeping the Glock though. That old girl had saved his skin more times than he'd care to mention.
'And I need your help with this Exopack. I can't use it like this, makes too much noise. Pass us a screwdriver, I have an idea...'
He carefully opened the filter on the exopack, then pulled out a knife and started to cut away parts of the plastic grilles holding the filter membranes in place. Strapping it on, he opened the valve. There was a faint hiss as the pressure equalised, but then the mask fell almost totally silent.
'There, that should do it'

'Hey, you're gonna have to pay for that! That's RDA property you just vandalised!' he shouted, aghast at someone messing with HIS goods.

'I'll pay for a replacement when I bring it back. If it leaks and I cop it, I'll have it for free, ok?'

'Sounds fair. Let's hope your faith in your handiwork is justified.'

'I'm gonna have bigger problems than that soon...' he muttered under his breath. The outfitter didn't hear it. 'Anyway, thanks for the goods'

'No problem. Good hunting!'

- - - - - - - - - -

Hell's Gate Crew Quarters
1800hrs


Before he could get out hunting, there was one more thing Shep would need. The hoops he had to jump through to get this brought out here...still, you never know what you might need.

He pulls open the locker. Inside, a tailored Ghillie suit hangs in pristine condition, having never seen combat before.

- - - - - - - - - -

Hell's Gate – en route to Hangar
1820hrs


As he walked towards the Hangar area, Shep started to feel selfconscious. Marching along, armed to the teeth, was something the soldiers round here did all the time. What they didn't do often was march around, armed to the teeth, wearing a small shrubbery. Almost every scientist, soldier and civilian in the base turned to stare when the shrubbery walked past. Any opportunity for a good gawk was a good enough excuse in this base. Not enough interesting crap happened indoors, so the standard of entertainment dropped slightly.

After some time, and slightly red-faced (although it was hard to tell, under the camouflage), Shep arrived in front of his designated ride. It wasn't much to look at, but it was fast, open-sided and had lots of guns. This was an opportunity he'd been looking forward to for some time; it wasn't every day you got to fly over the largest forest known to man.

The pilot, however, was a different story altogether. Some great oaf called Flores (seemed strange, but that was what it sounded like), who took on a great feeling of superiority when a shrubbery appeared. This was so great that he failed to notice the shrubbery picking up several tacks from the engineers toolbox, and hacked through the pre-flight checks unawares.

By the time they took off, Shep had taken much enjoyment from crushing Flores's sense of superiority with a well-placed thumbtack, and sat back to enjoy the ride.
'Look at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us...on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam' - Carl Sagan

Ikranä mokri

#42
The Tree of Souls/ The Flux
1630 HRS

Twonyu smiled as he saw the look of trepidation on Chris' face. The pa'li beneath Twonyu must have felt this feeling because it gave a slight jump, which made Twonyu grasp for balance. This in turn made Chris laugh as the young Na'Vi looked embarressed that he had very nearly fallen off. Laughing is infectious and soon both of them were laughing at what had occured.

<< chris you must be very confused about the way I treat you and your friend>> said Twonyu
Chris answered in pretty good Na'Vi, which supprised Twonyu who was dreading having to speak English again << Yeah, just a lot, you hate Jax but seem to be soiciable 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.>>

They both fell into a silence, Twonyu felt as if Chris might be one of the tawtute that could be trusted he would just have to wait and see, he was impressed with chris' understand of Na'Vi and being impressed of a tawtute was somethign he never thought that he could feel twice.





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

Txontaw

#43
Journey Back to Kelutrel
1630 HRS


The paluluken was the perfect animal for riding, when you thought about it. Fast, fierce, it was the king of the jungle. And with Txonunilyu riding it, there seemed like there was nothing they couldn't do. She had named it Eanswizaw, blue arrow, and with good reason. When running full speed, the most you could see was a dark blue blur, followed by a gust of wind.

Txonunilyu took to a wide circle around the travelers, both to look out for more attackers, and to keep the Pa'li from panicking. Even if their rider was the strongest rider, the most powerful calming thoughts couldn't keep a Pa'li from its instincts. Txonunilyu had some bad experiences with the riders of frantic Pa'li.

Riding the perimeter was calming. It allowed her to think. And now she was thinking of Jax. She hadn't known the warrior that he had taken over, due to her solitary nature. It was the eyes that mystified her the most. Even though it was a completely Na'vi body, there was a surprising tawtute quality about his eyes. And he seemed sympathetic to her. It was strange, a tawtute being sympathetic toward a Na'vi more than her own smukan.

Txonunilyu started feeling more sociable, so she dismounted her paluluken, and walked toward the rest of the travelers.
"You're not in Kansas anymore. You're on Pandora, Ladies and Gentlemen." - Colonel Quaritch


Lehrrap Uniltìranyu

#44
The Flux
1634 HRS Jax's Estimate


Jax was lost in thought when the sound of a Pa'li picking up speed and slowing down next to him pulled him out of the thoughts and back into reality when Chris spoke up. "Uhh, Jax mate. You got a minute?"

Jax blinked as he looked over and saw Chris riding up beside him. "Oh, hey Chris. What's up?"

Chris rubbed the back of his neck. Jax was surprised, he seemed very uncomfortable for some reason. Was it girl trouble? He shook his head of the thought when Chris spoke up, "Well...I wanted to apologise. To set things straight between us."

Jax blinked at Chris. "Apologise? For what? You haven't done anything wrong. I mean, sure, you've been a ass a few times, but you haven't really done anything wrong. I mean, You haven't almost gotten me killed yet, as I did you and just about everyone else, so really, I should be the one apologising."

Chris shook his head back at Jax "Yeah, but I came off as a bloke who doesn't give a flyin' s*** about his own crew. That's not me. Not at all."

Jax didn't get that vive from Chris, but he decided to just boost Chris's spirits a bit and make a joke. Jax thought about it for a moment before he begain, "Well..." he chuckled, a very impish grin coming to his face, "Seeing as you were off in the forest chasing a particularly fine peice of Blue Tail, I'm sure I can find it in my heart to forgive you."

Chris looked at Jax funny, and Jax wondered just what the Avatar pilot was thinking as he spoke up. Chris laughed at the statement. "I can't argue with that fact mate." He looked over his shoulder to where Eanataw was riding with Toyo. "I can't argue that at all."

"I know, neh?" Jax said with a laugh. "Besides, at least you had someone who knew how to survive Pandora with you! I almost got everyone else killed with my attept to save them all." The laugh turned bitter and quiet. "It's pathetic almost... I can't save anyone."

"Jax. Don't go there mate." Chris said, and Jax sighed. What was it about the statement that people just had to try to boost him from where he stood? He was fine with the fact that he couldn't save people, it wouldn't stop him from trying, but his burdon was still his, no matter how many times he was told to let go of it.

Jax shook his head. "Sorry bro, I've been there for a loooong time." He said with a shrug. "I know, I know, it's a bit... pathetic, to a point, but that just seems my luck. Have you noticed..." He turned to Chris, looking him dead on in the eyes, "That I have a uncanny ability to escape death or serious injury? In my tales of my time in Nigera, saved by my watch, saved by my own quick thinking and piloting, saved by a nameless recon marine who haulled my ass out of my burning SA-2... I keep getting away from death with little injury or several scraches, but never once have I been able to save some one else."

"So what? You've got the luck of the bloody Devil himself and a quick-thinking head on your shoulders. Focus on the stuff that's going to keep you going, not hold you back. You did say that it was by 'your own quick thinking and piloting,' after all. So perhaps that's not such a bad thing." Chris said with a shrug.

Jax shook his head and looked back over at Chris. "Yeah? So? What's the point of living if I can't do a bloody F***ing thing to save anyone else?!? You already heard my spheal, but all i seem to do is put others in danger."

"Jax. Somehow I think that the RDA would have targeted us whether you were here or not. And to be honest, I think that if you hadn't, we would have gotten our bloody a**es kicked." Chris said with a nod, "So I'm grateful, and I know I speak for the rest of the crew when I say this."

Jax smiled slightly. "Thanks Chris. That... means a lot."

"I'm your tsmúkan for a reason."

Jax sat back on his Pa'li and sighed. "One things been bothering me tho... what the hell am I supposed to do now?"

"What the F*** are any of us supposed to do? We've got a massive corporation against us equipped with everything they need to hold us off, and we've got...bows and arrows." Chris chuckled at the thought.

Jax sighed. Chris compleatly missed the point on that one, but he figured he would roll with it. "..." Jax was quite for a moment. "Yeah... bows and arrows. But They're bows and arrows that are as tall as I used to be. I'm pretty damn sure that if you shot one right it could take down a scorpion pilot though the cockpit."

"You have a point there."

Jax nodded and Chris kind of plodded away, and he returned to his thoughts.

Jax double checked his bag when he was sure no one was looking. The small leather pack was big enough for his WASP, a extra 'clip' of rounds, his K-Bar, and his yet-unfinished knife. He was glad to have the WASP and the K-bar, even if they were too small for him now. He wasn't quite sure why he was still hanging onto them, but he felt like he needed something to keep a hold of, to remind himself of his old self.

"Goodbye James Logain. Hello Jax the Na'vi." Jax muttered as he closed up the leather pack and went back to riding, though he caught a glimps of his teacher and her giant-panther-thing dashing though the foliage on close scouting.

The word for the giant-panther-thing popped into his head. "Paluluken." He said.

Perhaps now would be a good time to practice words, he thought to himself as they continued to ride on, though suddenly he caught sight of his teacher dashing towards the group, Paluluken-less. "Oel ngati kameie, ma karyu. <<Why are you without your Paluluken?>>"



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

Txontaw

The Flux
1634 HRS


"Oel ngati kameie, ma karyu. <<Why are you without your Paluluken?>>" Jax asked her as she came toward him.

"Oel ngati kame, ma <<student.>> <<It would frighten the Pa'li.>>" she replied. Jax noticed that she was indifferent about seeing him, and was slightly hurt.

"We will be reaching Kelutrel in two days time. The way is slower because we are going uphill." she said.

Than her face brightened. "You can't keep up with me in the trees, I would guess!"

She laughed, and ran off to the nearest trunk, climbing up nimbly.



***

In summary:

Jax has a challenge!
"You're not in Kansas anymore. You're on Pandora, Ladies and Gentlemen." - Colonel Quaritch


Lehrrap Uniltìranyu

The Flux
1635 HRS Jax's Est.


"<<Oh, you're ON!>>" Jax said with a grin, leaping from the Pa'li, which fell in behind Chris' Pa'li, and dashed after his karyu, taking three steps up the side of one tree before leaping off into the closest tree and swinging himself upwards into the the tree.

On a afterthought, he popped back out of the trees and called out to Chris and the others, "Hey! Txonunilyu is taking me out for more training, catch up with you guys later!"

With that, Jax sped into the trees with a laugh. He was plesently suprised by Txonunilyu, it was if she suddenly got a want to be mischivious and decided to take him along for the ride, which was cool with him. He had never heard her laugh before, and he had to admit, she was a little less 'cold' seeming now that he knew she could. "<<If it's a race you want, race you get!>> Jax called out in Na'vi.

His krayu leaped out next to him. "<<Then we go.>>" She said with a grin. "<<If you can pass me once then you 'win' and we'll continue working on your knife today, if not, then it will have to wait untill tomorrow.>>"

Jax grinned. "<<Let us fly!>>"

With a fick of Txonunilyu's tail, they sped into the trees, leaping, swinging, running, and sliding though the trees at a breakneck speed.

It was, short of a better word in Jax's mind, awesome. He let out another laugh as he followed his krayu's tail, keeping on her like moss on a log, but still he was always one step behind, which didn't really suprise him, though he felt pretty awesome about the fact that he was even able to keep up to a minimal standpoint.

Suddenly, it didn't feel like a 'race' but a goofy game of tag. The old childrens game had been discarded on Earth, used only in a very 'extream' verson that freerunners created as a way to work out in the urben enviroments. Jax had played it once, and it was a lot of fun, though he hadn't been very good at the freerunning, and he had almost broken his ankle.

This was a bit more then that, and they were racing across the trees, and yet, suddenly Jax was goofing around, flipping over in the air from tree to tree, using his arms to jump to the next tree instead of his Legs, that sort of thing, just having a good time.

Perhaps that wasn't the whole point, but Jax didn't care. He didn't have to anymore. He wasn't a adult, he could screw around.

Eventually, he tried to the arm lift but missed getting to the next tree with his feet, so he had to swing himself around and throw himself up onto the next branch, which took a bit of the enthusasm out of him.

Suddenly, Txonunilyu was a ways infront of him, and the moment of enjoyment and screwing around vanished as he charged after her, determined to a point ot catch up.



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

Coyote

Kelutral
Mid-Day









The Ikran came to a graceful landing on the edge of the tribal common area, and a tasmsiyu dismounted. It was one of those who had gone along to Vitraya Ramunong as a scout flyer.

<<Oel ngati kameie,>> the tsamsiyu said as he approached the olo'eyktan and gave a small bow.
<<Oel ngati kameie, tsamsiyu Hal'ir,>> Eytukan replied. <<nga ting fmawm?>>

<<Srane,>> Hal'ir replied, <<pongo Mo'at will take an alternate fya'o back to Kelutral,>> he reported. <<ayoe were attacked by Sawtute on the fya'o to Vitraya Ramunong, and there is concern that they may be waiting to attack us when we come out of the area their kunsips cannot go.>>

<<Oe tslam,>> Eytukan replied. <<How did the ceremony go?>>

<<It was a success, or it was a failure, depending on who you pawm,>> Hal'ir said. <<The ceremony did what it was supposed to do. If that is siltsan or kawng is in the menari of who is looking.>>

Rytukan nodded, thinking about what it meant. So, a Tawtute mind in a Na'vi body. Let us hope it is easier to put Na'vi thoughts into Sawtute minds.

<<Irayo,>> Eytukan said. <<Return to your pongo, and continue to do well.>>

Hal'ir bowed again and left, stopping long enough to grab a bite of meat from the fire pit before taking to flight again. As his Ikran angled into the noonday sun and headed towards Vitraya Ramunong again, Eytukan called over his daughter, Neytiri.

<<Neytiri,>> he said, <<Inform the People that pongo Mo'at will be delayed by two trr,>> he said, <<And that the Sawtute are active. We must be on alert, and of high caution.>>
<<Srane, sempul,>> she replied, being formal with her father since they were discussing tribal business. She went to start distributing the message and sought help. She approached the first young Na'vi she could find, near the firepit, and put a hand on the girl's shoulder.

<<Go, little one, and spread the word; the Sawtute attacked pongo Mo'at on the fya'o Vitraya Ramunong; we must be vigilant.>>

Nef'Tys fought down her concern and put away her teylu-grinding stone, almost regretting having to do so. Oh, to be ignorant of such news... I'd rather grind Teylu... She took off at a dead run to alert the perimter scouts that attacks had been carried out and to be extra careful.

All my life I wanted a mission, to be taken seriously, and now I have one and it is heavy with worry, Nef'Tys thought. Is Tireamokri alright? Is Arik? Hun'nar? Will I ever see any of them again? She knew the Sawtute were a dangerous adversary-- powerful and violent, and with no sense of finesse about their kills at all. They will level six hands of trees to kill one tsamsiyu and think nothing of it, she knew.

She charged into the forest, on the patrol routes, and spread the word, worry eating at her.







Results:
Omatikaya alerted to increased Sawtute hostility.
Mo'at's group will take an alternate route out of vortex, adds at least an extra day (maybe 2) to their journey.

***
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

Hell's Gate Airspace
1835hrs


   This pilot was staring to get on Shep's nerves. They had been airborne for  the best part of 5 minutes, and already the great ork was pushing the poor Wyvern to breaking point. Apparently, Scorpions could only manage 140mph in Pandoran air, but by the rate of the trees flashing past this one had to be pulling 160, if not more. Speeds like this played merry hell with airframes, he had past experience. Bad experience. He hadn't set foot outside of Hell's Gate since, and was starting to regret it. Obviously inaudible to Flores, Shep had noticed a worrying rattle from the right rotor, and the airframe was starting to creak ominously. Hoping it would hold together, he wrenched his attention away from this blatant mistreatment of innocent machinery and turned it to the forest.

   Breath was taken away. The canopy was mottled with the light from ACA, glistening a deep green-orange. A few forest banshees had been startled by the Wyvern, and tried to give chase, before failing and dipping back into the sea of golden foliage.

   Turning his gaze upwards, his jaw dropped as he watched the massive outline of Prometheus force its way into view, filling the pastel-orange sky with a rich azure depth. Every day, he fell in love with this planet. Sure, it tried to kill him, and gave Hell's Gate a regular run for its money, but the earthy charm of Pandora still managed to eek out a spot in his heart. Glancing over, he noticed the Wyvern's engineer was sat open-mouthed before the controls, and even the Ork had eased off on the controls slightly
   Perhaps, deep down, all humans still shared the same love of nature the Na'Vi exhibited. Either that or we're all suckers for a glorious vista.

- - - - - - - - - -

Pandoran Forest, southwest of Flux Vortex
1925hrs


   The Scorpion gunship drifted to a halt, 200 feet above a small clearing in the forest. Below, large deer-like creatures bolted for the trees, while a group of Prolemuris hurtled away through the canopy, loosing piercing alarm calls. The ground was clear of animals by the time a Ghillie-clad sniper rappelled out of the gunship, landing lightly on the forest floor. The gunship then pulled in the rope and set off northeast at full pelt, not wanting to miss the fun.

   Shep went prone as soon as his feet touched something solid. Some time later, the drone of the Wyvern's punished engines faded, and his ears were filled with the sounds of the forest sunset. Whooping prolemuris were the most prominent, but moving away fast. He lay still for some time, invisible against the deep scrub of the clearing, ears desperately trying to pick out anything hostile against the cacophony of insects calling into the sunset. Satisfied, he rose to a crouch and shot towards the relative safety of the massive buttress roots of a particularly big tree.

   Confident in his well-being for now, he pulled out a small datapad. On it blinked 3 red beacons, marking the locations of the nearby Mobile Sites. The one marked 24 was less than 2 miles to the north. He noted the direction, stowed the pad inside his suit and pulled out the silenced WASP pistol, flicking the safety off. He wasn't going to take any chances in this beastiary they called a Forest.

  The going was surprisingly difficult. The Rules of Stealth dictate that one should never follow paths and always keep low, but when your planned route is blocked by fallen trees the size of warships, maintaining a low profile is difficult. He spotted a large ridge running parallel, about 300yds west, and figured that would be a safer bet.

- - - - - - -

1940hrs


  He could see much further into the forest from here. By basic reckoning he had about an hour or so of sufficient light left, so lay down on an outcrop and pulled out his M26. He focused the scope indiscriminately towards the northeast, plumbing the murky half-light of the forest for movement. Nothing...nothing...prolemuris...more nothing...THERE! A flicker of blue, shooting through the canopy. Too big to be a prolemuris, too fast to track. About 20 feet behind was another flash of blue, moving more erratically. It swung enthusiastically from a tree, pulling a spectaculary double-somersault in the air – and Shep got a full view of the shape. Clearly a native, chasing the other one slightly ahead.

   He couldn't believe his luck. Fifteen minutes in an alien forest and he'd found the locals. Turning his scope back north, he could just about make out the silhouettes of more natives, and various beasts of burden. This must be the band of Natives Quaritch was out to find, he thought. They seemed to be heading in his direction. Adrenaline firing up, he scrolled the diamond-cut refractor scope back and scanned the near forest. A worn path weaved its way towards him, before looping back south-east. This presented the perfect opportunity.

   Far above, deep in the treetops, a very large banshee calls out at an alien scent. Its rider notes its alarm, and leaps off onto a passing branch.

   Shep failed to notice this. After all, human hearing is only so good.

   Smiling, he zoomed in on the alien convoy, searching for one Dr. Augustine among the mass of blue shapes. This was too easy...
'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

#49
The Path
2000 HRS


There was a single retort, the one sound that would cause any trained soldier to dive to cover in fear. The sharp crack of a high-powered sniper rifle, followed by a cry of pain and the shreek of a Ikran.

"SNIPER!!!" Arik yelled out, leaping off of his Pa'li, the Na'vi warriors reacting just as quickly.

Everyone moved to cover as quickly as they could, trying to get themselves out of sight of the sniper.

Arik scanned quickly, his head whipping around as he looked for remainder of muzzle flash, the flash of a sniper lense, anything he could see that would point out where the sniper was. His M60 snapped to his hands as he scanned, yelling out, "NE KLLTE MA TSUMKAN, TSUMKE!"

Many of the Na'vi took cover, the Avatars swinging around to positions to hide. Arik took a quick headcount, trying to see everyone he could. Ariel was with Sek'mut, and they were in cover behind a tree. Jax and Txonunilyu were out of the zone, so they would probobly be ok, Chris had also ducked behind a tree and was carefully scanning for targets, Oscar had been helped to cover and was being protect, Mo'at and Tsu'tey were in cover, and Alex had been hidden by Hanu.

But... where was Grace?
-------------------

The sniper shot was loud and immedtly, any pretense of 'fun' was gone from Jax. He instinctivly took cover, his hand whipping out and swinging him around the tree trunk, taking cover from the sniper fire.

He cursed his lack of a mirror, or even his K-Bar. He knew that he kept it polished just for instances like this. Marines 101: Never directly look for a sniper, use a reflective surface, it's the easyest way to look without pulling yourself out of cover.

And yet, here he was, no mirror and no knife. Weaponless. 'Defenseless'.

Useless.
--------------------

"He's using a M26 sniper rifle! It's the only thing that's allowed on base!" Arik called out. Chris nodded, though Arik was offically a bit freaked out.

A lone sniper with a M26 was deadly. The M26 was clip fed, semi-auto. If they moved out into the open, he could plug shots at them all day long, especially if he had enough ammo. Judging by the sound, it was silenced. A good silencer didn't really 'remove' the sound of the gun being fired, just covered it by making the bullet drop speed to under super-sonic, but it still made that infamous -CRACK- that every gun made when the gunpowder went off.

To make matters worse, the only ones with true military training there were Chris, Oscar, and himself, and Oscar's arms were Kaput, which put them at a major disadvantage.

Arik still looked around wildly for Dr. Augustine, when he saw a blue figure eagle-spred on the ground, a soft moan coming from the lips of the injured.

"DR. AUGUSTINE!" He cried out, resisting every urge he had to dash for the wounded Dr. Augustine.

"Ooooooohhh s***... well this is just going to ruin my whole day." She muttered, not moving.

"Hang on Grace!" Arik said, doing a quick-peek around the tree to spot a Ikran, one of the outriders who had taken to the sky, attacking what looked to be a shrub.

Suddenly, it made sense. The shrub was the sniper in a gillie suit! "CHRIS! Get ready to give covering fire! The target is right below that Ikran Rider!" Arik yelled, pointing up at the Ikran Rider.

Chris brought his M60 to bare and cursed. "Damn it, I don't have a shot! The rider is to close!"

Arik cursed. He just had to pray that the sniper would be occupied long enough for him to get Dr. Augustine and to get out quickly.

After taking a few breaths, he dashed from cover, sprinting for Dr. Augustine, quickly scooping the injured scientist up, much to her protest. "BY EYWA! Careful!" Grace swore as he dashed for the closest tree and got behind cover.

"Come on Grace! Stay with me!" Arik said, quickly inspecting her for the wound. After a moment of futile searching, he found it, a large bullet-hole in her shoulder.

"S***, SOMEONE GET A F***ING MEDIC OVER HERE!" He yelled out.

Mil'Ani was immeditly on the move, ducking from tree to tree to move to Grace's and Arik's position.

"Ow." Grace said again.

Arik shook his head. "Come on Doc, you're tougher then that."
-----------------

Chris kept eyes on the sniper and the Ikran Rider, watching every move they made, when suddenly they split apart. The rider collasped, but the sniper was still on the move, dashing across the ridge, making for the tree line.

"Hold still you BASTARD!" He barked, opening fire on the sprinting figure before it vanished into the treeline.

"Damn... Missed." He said with a silent curse.

The sniper had escaped.

---RESULTS---
Sniper opens fire
Everyone takes cover
Grace got shot
Mil'Ani moves to medical aid
The sniper got away



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

Nume fpi sänume

The Path
2000 HRS


The ride had been uneventful for the most part, and Alex had tried to talk with Hanu as they rode. There was constant motion around them; the group as a whole moving, the perimeter scouts constantly moving. Hanu was softly humming a rather catchy Na'vi tune, which Alex picked up at about the third verse, with a look back and a smile from Hanu. Seconds blurred together as a rush of commotion overtook the entire group. Hanu had dismounted before Alex had time to think, and had picked him up with one strong arm, running behind a very large nearby tree, covering Alex with his body. Alex had heard the crack, but it didn't register as gunfire to him. People were yelling at each other, something about the weapon type. Someone else yelled out that Augustine had been hit, which caused more shouting. All of it was lost on Alex, because somewhere in the deep recesses of his mind, something finally snapped.

Ikranä mokri

#51
The Path
2000 HRS


The loud -crack- that rent the air was unfarmiliar to Twonyu, but all he same he threw himself sideways off his pa'li landing with an almight thump on the ground. tsheylu was broken and the final thought of panic that Twonyu had had caused the pa'li to turn and bolt back down the path.

Scrambling to his feet Twonyu heard Jax yell "NE KLLTE MA TSUMKAN, TSUMKE!" Twonyu didnt, but pressed himself up by the trunk of a tree his bow in hand ready for action. Everyone was animated now, everyone was running around, or crowding around in a small clump.

A burst of fire chris made Twonyu duck his head, but he on walking towards the group. When he got there he was shocked by what he saw, Grace had been hurt, the wound was a large gaping hole which was already covered and filled by blood. His Mouth was agape as he saw the damge that tawtute coud afflict against eachother but when he turned a bigger shock awaited him.

On the ground he could see a fallen blue shape but it was what was next to that shape that worried him, the turquoise, blue outlined by white were something Twonyu would never forget. He broke cover at a full sprint bow still in hand with an arrow alread on the string.

He dropped his bow and fell to his knees. He lifted his head up and screamed to the sky, it was a scream filled with anger, hatered, sorrow and blind lust for revenge. when he stopped screaming he softly lifted his fathers head and cradled him. he was crying and muttering to himself. It was in that moment of blind fury that he made his decision.

Softly lowering his fathers head so that he was lying down he stood up with a fire in his eyes. He stooped to pick up his bow. As he walked towards the vines that he would climb to get up onto the ridgeline he stopped and ran his hand down the head of his fathers Ikran.

When he reached the top of the ridgeline he looked back at the group some were running over, most probably to try and stop him. He turned and ran, the last thign that the people running saw was his tail dissapearing into the undergrowth.

<<he may be able to make himself like the plants, but he leaves a trail even a baby could follow>> he said to himelf as he chased after the sniper who had just killed his father





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

El Jacko

#52
Pandoran Rainforest
1945hrs


  Scanning backwards and forwards in the approaching mass of aliens, Shep noticed one out of the ordinary. She was wearing 'human' clothes, unlike all the other natives. He pulled out the picture of Grace Augustine, comparing the faces. This alien bore an uncanny resemblance – it had to be her Avatar. Without that, she'd be largely useless...it was worth a shot.

  The Na'Vi warrior dropped to the ground, about 100 feet away from a cliff edge. The alien scent hung in the air, just as his Ikran had noticed. He drew his knife, and called out to the invisible Sawtute.

  Shep heard a voice shout something in a strange language behind him, and tensed up in fear. If he didn't get the upper hand before the native found him, he'd cop it for certain. Switching back to SAS mode, he relaxed, and shifted his rifle to the right, using the reflection in the lens to scan behind him. A native warrior crept, knife drawn, along the treeline behind him. Evidently, the warrior couldn't see or hear Shep, but he knew he existed. He was looking in completely the wrong direction...this was still going to be close.
  He reached into his bandolier, and pulled out a Flashbang grenade, silently removing the pin and gripping the Dead Man's Handle in his left hand. Once he released that, he had 4 seconds before it went pop. Plenty of time. Focusing the rifle back onto Augustines Avatar, he breathed in, and the world seemed to slow. All sounds faded, leaving the steady pounding of his own heart ringing in his ears.

Thump

  He steadied the rifle, focusing the diamond-cut scope.

Thump

  Head shot...no, too risky at this distance. Scrolling down, he levelled his sights at her upper torso. Even if it was off, he would still cause serious damage and she could easily bleed to death.

Thump

  He released the handle on the flashbang, and pulled the trigger.

*CRACK*

  His hands felt every movement in the rifle; the slight twitch of the firing hammer, the kick of detonation, the slight twisting as the bullet was spun up by the rifling, and the puff of gas from the silencer ('Suppressor' would be a better term, its main purpose was to remove muzzle flash and increase midrange accuracy by slowing the muzzle velocity). He watched with grim satisfaction as the bullet drifted through the air, turning to disappointment as Augustine started to turn away. The bullet thudded into her shoulder, and she began to fall.

  Snapping back to reality, he remembered the flashbang in his hand. The native behind him had heard the gunshot, and was sprinting towards Shep, screaming a war cry. Quick as a flash, he tossed the grenade back over his shoulder, planted his face in the scrub and clamped his hands over his ears.

*BANG*

  He felt the grenade more than he heard it. Removing his hands, he heard the native scream in pain, before he shouldered the rifle and drew his Glock, springing up to face the livid blue alien. This one looked older than the rest, more weathered. Probably more experienced, too, he thought.

  The alien was clearly temporarily blind and deaf. Shep had been questioning the effectiveness of human flashbangs on the Na'Vi, but their acute senses obviously weren't designed to cope with this sort of onslaught. One 4-fingered hand was covering its eyes, while the other brandished a knife the size of a cutlass, swinging wildly at the air. He swung up the Glock, flicked the safety to full auto, and emptied the clip into the native's torso. It didn't die as he'd hoped – rather just became angrier and more disoriented. His toe catching a large branch, another idea caught him, just as panicked shouts and gunshots started to drift up from the forest below.

Wait, what? GUNSHOTS!

  Shep kicked up the 7ft length of wood, swinging it like a quarterstaff. Closing the distance with the alien, he took a flying leap and swung the branch with as much force as he could muster at the side of the natives head. Finally, the desired effect occurred, and 10 feet of blue muscle collapsed like an old sock. Drawing his knife, he finished it with a strike to the throat.

  This was getting hairy now. One of the natives below had opened up on full auto, the bullets fizzing past by a hair's breadth. Sensing the need to make oneself scarce, Shep ducked low and bolted for the relative safety of the trees. He'd escaped unharmed; but only just. Now, with an alien army on the alert for him, he needed to put some distance between them and him.

  Switching to Rule no.2 of Stealth (when compromised, get the f*** out of there) he set of in the direction of Site 24 at a flat sprint, leaping branches and scattering small animals on the way.
'Look at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us...on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam' - Carl Sagan

Brainiac

Oscar was running along with the others, taking the scenic route. He like running now more than he did in his human body. He wasn't able to use his arms, but that made the fast paced running through the forest all the more exciting. Every once in a while, when he made a particularly dangerous jump, he felt his arms twitch, and smiled. He was about to take another one of those jumps, when he heard an echo. A particularly loud echo. His ears, which were more advanced than his human ones as well, picked it up. He turned the jump into a diving roll into the underbrush. Every single fiber of his being yelled "Sniper!". He got up, his heart pounding in his ears. His pupils dilated, and he felt the surge, the rush. He sprinted to where he thought the shot had come from. It had sounded like a large caliber, and it had sounded familiar.

He walked into an open patch in the forest, and he saw a panicking animal running his way. It was a... brush? He looked at in confusion. He heard the whisper of a silenced pistol, and a bullet whizzed past his ear.
Sh*t! F***! Gillie suits! How do you forget something like that?
He yelled at himself, and made for the trees. A second shot almost took his leg off, missed him by an inch. He'd felt the bullet pass. He made it to the treeline. He looked at his leg. Well, he was a lucky bugger. His knee had been hit ever so slightly, bleeding just a little bit. He started climbing the tree he was behind. He had to disappear. He hung there, trying to think clearly.
Alright. What did he fire with? Glock? Did those have silencers? NO! No no no! Calm down. Think!

He felt his arms losing feeling, and he was keeling over backwards.
Nononono! Panic! Panic! "PANIC!"

The adrenalin came back just a fraction of a second too late, and he thudded out of the tree.

That's it. I'm dead, He thought.

He saw the human coming towards him, and saw his face. It looked familiar somehow. That didn't take long though. The flashbang cut him off from the world in a daze of white. His ears whistled.
Speed is a ppoor sbubstitue fo accurancy

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

El Jacko

Pandoran Rainforest
1948hrs


  The forest was flashing past in a blur of murky green. Shep hadn't had an adrenaline rush like this in months - it made him feel so much more alive. The sound of his heartbeat pounded in the back of his head, mingling with the sounds of the forest. He figured he must have travelled about half a mile by now, easily. The shouts and cries of the band of natives had only just died away; every now and then he would catch the distant crackle of gunfire.

  He pulled out the datapad. 1.3 miles to site 24. No problem, providing the natives keep out of the way.

  Up ahead, a native strolls through the trees, and looks directly at the Shrubbery.

's***! More resistance', his mind screamed. Stowing the datapad, he draws his Glock and squeezes the trigger, hoping to send the Na'Vi running for cover.

*click*

 'Damnit! Still empty! THINK!!...WASP!'

 In one smooth movement, he slots the Glock back into its holster and pulls out the silenced WASP pistol the outfitter had given him. Still sprinting, he looses a shot at the native, missing it by a whisker.
   'That was foolish...aim before you fire', uttered the voice of his former captain. Heeding this advice, he dropped to one knee, braced the pistol against his left arm and fired again. He couldn't tell if it had hit its mark or not. Clearly panicked, the native ran for cover, ducking behind a tree. Shep dropped to a crouch and made his approach, pulling the pin from another Flashbang grenade.

  As he approached the tree, hoping to get the edge on the native, 10 feet of blue meat dropped from the heavens and landed just inches away from him. This one was already injured...its arms were bound in leaves, and hung useless at his sides. Images of the war in Nigeria started to eke their way into his mind, and try as he might, Shep couldn't bring himself to finish the native off. Besides, he recognised the face...

  Unable to fire the pistol, he dropped the flashbang near the dazed Na'Vi, and sprinted off; running from his problems once again.

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

Hawnu UnilTxep

"Grace," Eanataw said softly, her tsmukan huffing slightly as she dropped from the Pa'li that she had been riding with him on.  She couldn't believe that anger that she felt at that moment, her txe'lan whooshing and beating in her ears.  "Kehe," she said, a little louder.  Her eyes searched for her Chris, and she spots him, a kun in his hands and filling the air with those noises.  She hissed softly, making her way over to Grace.  All that time, watching the tawtute interact with the ay'eveng... the Omatikaya people... she had made an unknown bond with the tawtute.  "Grace," she said, looking up at Mi'lano, who was working on stemming the flow of blood.

"Ke siltsan..." he told her in a soft voice, his ears laid back on his head.  She closed her eyes softly, saying a silent prayer to Eywa, then went to get water and some more leaves and such for Mi'lano.  Then, she was off to Chris, whom she had to search for.  She found him, and took the kun from his hands carefully. 

"Kehe, ma Chris.  Kun si ke'u siltsan. Oeng taron."  She tugs at his hand, eyes sparkling, her breath coming deeper, taking in the scents.  "Za'u! Za'u! We will take revenge for tsmuke!"  Even as she pulls him, she can see the trail that needs to be followed, and heads for it, up into the utral beside them.  She smiled at him, evilly, glad to have something so clear for him to follow, glad to have something worthwhile for them to do... together. 


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

Coyote

#56
The Borderlands Trail
2005 hrs.










"God damn it!" Arik muttered. He looked over at Chris and Eanataw-- they were not the only ones to go charging after the sniper, but they were the latest ones. Chris looked over at Arik, and Eanataw glanced towards where he looked.

"Go, go, go!" Arik hollered. If everyone went after the sniper, then Grace and the others would be left without sufficient cover in case there was a follow-up attack. "Stay together," he yelled at Chris, "Don't get spread out! It could be a trap!" Chris's hand waved but Arik wasn't sure if he was acknowledging his words or just keeping his balance as he ran over rough terrain.  Arik didn't worry about it; he didn't need to teach Chris about fighting, and in truth the Na'vi were better suited for the pursuit anyway, knowing the terrain and being physically adapted for exactly what was happening.

Arik broke out his radio, however, and called on their group channel.

"Trudy," he said, "Fire it up! We have casevac! Line one, location... crap, where are we... north-west of Tree of Souls, approximately twenty klicks, break. Two, stay on this frequency, break..." he rushed to Grace's side. "Three: one alpha, break; four: alpha, break; five: alpha, break; six: echo, break; seven: echo, this frequency, break; eight: bravo, break; how copy, over?"

Trudy Chacon's voice crackled back, and in the background Arik could already hear the Dragon engines starting up.
"This is Rogue One, good copy, in the air in two mikes. Over."
"Good copy, Rogue One, Alpha Sierra out." He looked at Grace and the attempts by Mil'Ani to staunch the bleeding. Usually, the Na'vi faced body perforations of either arrows, fangs, claws or branches from sharp falls-- but the sniper bullet had drilled a hole through Grace's Avatar. An arrow, while penetrating the skin, would have at least served the purpose of providing some seal for the wound. The Na'vi weren't as used to dealing with a "clean" hole, and the blood loss was surprising for them.

"Hang in there, Grace," Arik said, "Trudy's on the way." Grace was gasping, and making incoherent noises of pain and fear, and tears ran freely down her face. Arik thought about the conversation they'd had back in the drivepod remote site, before plugging into their Avatars. She'd been shot before, and this would doubtlessly bring up a lot of old traumas.

"Stay in, Grace," Arik said, "I know it hurts, but stay in, keep your breathing under control until we get the hole plugged. Don't jack out until you have everything under control!" He glanced around-- Mo'at had arranged the rest of the Na'vi into a protective circle in case this was a diversion. Arik seemed fairly certain that the sniper was acting alone --a follow-up attack would have happened by now-- but it was better safe than not. The people chasing the sniper were already specks in the distance, and it was a few minutes before another speck appeared in the sky.

"Dragon," he said, and ran out to the nearest clear spot. He gauged the size of the landing area and it was sufficient to land something the size of the Dragon. He picked up a large branch and waved it frantically, calling on his radio.

"Do you see me?" he asked, "Waving a branch!"
"I have visual," Trudy answered. "Coming down. Status of hostiles?"
"Fleeing," Arik said with no satisfaction in his voice. His mind was racing with what they faced without Grace's help. They could not have chosen a better target, he knew. We were intitially accepted into the Omatikaya because of her. She's our bridge, the one who smoothes over misunderstandings and translates concepts as well as words. We are so boned.

The Na'vi became restless at the approach of the Dragon, but Arik reassured them. "Sìltsan, sìltsan!" he insisted. By this time, under Mil'Ani's direction, a bind had been placed on the wound that sealed the blood. The ramp of the Dragon lowered, and Na'ama's Avatar came out, rushing to the scene, wearing an Avatar-sized backpack.
"What happened?" she yelled over the roar of the engines. Arik filled her in on the events that led up to that moment.
"Can we do anything for the Na'vi he shot?" Na'ama asked. Arik looked over at Hanu, who had gone to check the body. The tsamsiyu shook his head.
"Too late for the old man," Arik said.

"Helicopter," Grace said, her eyes widening as Ralph picked her up gently, using her unwounded arm and shoulder to brace her against him. Esme supported her gently at the waist and ribs, keeping her from stumbling.

"Easy, Grace," Esme said.
"Can you--?" Arik asked.
Esme nodded her head. "I patched up plenty of guys in the helo under fire," she said. "Combat lifesaver qualified. She'll be okay."
"I'll go with her," Ralph said.

"Alright," Arik said, "Keep me updated."
Ralph nodded but didn't reply as they gently steered the staggering Avatar towards the helicopter. They disappeared inside and the ramp began to lift, but Trudy gave the thumbs up and started liftoff before it closed.
"Back door's unpressurized," she assured them over the radio. "Want me to see if I can get a track on the guy that took the shot?"
"No," Arik replied, "Get Grace home and get her Avatar patched up. She'll survive that with care, but she'll be traumatized."
"We'll take care of her back at the ranch. Rogue One out."

The helo disappeared into the sky.

"Hi," Na'ama's Avatar said. "Kaltxi. I'm here to help."
"How much ninavi do you speak?" Arik asked his sister, not happy about her being in a dangerous area but glad to see her-- and welcome for the help.
"I won't be replacing Grace by a long shot," she said, "But I know some. I'm comfortable learning more."

Arik sighed. He had a bad feeling that this was going to become more and more common as time wore on. "Well, then," he said, "Welcome to the crew. You're just in time to learn how to become a real Na'vi, and... yeah."

Na'ama looked at the tribesmen staring at her. She was, now, the only Avatar that was still wearing Tawtute-style clothes.
"You stick out," Arik said. "I'm afraid we're going to have to blend you in a bit better. I suspect that's how Grace was targeted."

"You've got to be kidding me," she said, looking at the Na'vi females and their minimalist dress.
"Welcome to the tribe, little sister."










Results:
Grace Augustine shot and wounded.
Patched up and evacuated to remote site by Trudy Chacon in Dragon; Arik's sister Na'ama shows up in her Avatar.
Takes two NPCs with her (Ralph and Esme) and remaining Avatars & humans have to really learn the Na'vi language on their own 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'

Tireamokri was riding with the others on a pa'li, enjoying the feel of the warm breeze in her hair.  There is something to be said for this warm land, she thought.  The wind at home stole one's breath sometimes, and the only warm breezes she had ever felt before were those around their Utral Aymokriä, where the hot springs in the little valley basin created an otherworldly mist that swirled and danced among the glowing fronds of the sacred tree.  She sighed softly, remembering her first time visiting that place.

It was the third and final rite of passage for her.  She had made her Uniltaron, she had fought and won against the ikran who chose her, and she made her pilgrimage to Utral Aymokriä.  The mist had surprised her.  Of course she knew it was there.  She had heard all about the sacred place.  But to actually see it, to see the swirls and eddys, the patterns forming and disappearing, was a completely different thing altogether.  She had had a fleeting moment of trepidation, a little pause in her step, barely noticeable had anyone been watching.  But of course she was alone.  One's first visit to the Tree of Voices was always a solo event.  What was done there, what Eywa told you, what you told Eywa, was between you and Her alone, only to be known by others upon their deaths, when their spirits became part of Eywa also.  But that wasn't quite right anymore, Tireamokri thought.  For years, it seemed, there had been--

"NE KLLTE MA TSMUKAN, TSMUKE!" she heard suddenly, startling her from her reverie.  She looked around, and her pa'li skittered sideways. feeling its rider's adrenaline.  She broke Tsahaylu and dove for the nearest tree.  Crouching in the shadows, she looked around.  A tiny part of her brain wondered why anyone would say it like that, as if they are speaking to one brother and one sister.  Why not just use tsmuktu?  Or, for that matter, smuktu?  Then she placed the voice as one of the Uniltìranyu-- in fact, it was Arik, and then it made sense.

There were soft calls from the other Na'vi, and Tireamokri noticed an ikran makto attacking a shrubbery.  She saw a tiny glint of light from the bush, and her eyes widened as she realized that it was a Tawtute, hiding there.  In fact, as she studied it more intently, she could tell that the plant was not alive.  It didn't have that particular aura about it.  And the leaves-- well, it could be a strange tropical plant, she supposed, but they were rather small.

There was a flash and a bang, and then Mo'at was calling her over, calling others over, to where she stood, to form a circle around-- by Eywa!  Was that Grace, the Uniltìranyu?  With a gaping wound in her arm?  She was kind, Tireamokri had learned from Nef'Tys and Aniuket.  And she had seen some of that kindness herself.  Not a tsamsiyu by any means, but a good mind.  Tireamokri felt that she definitely wanted to help the Na'vi-- and be helped by them.

She drew her bow, pointing a knocked arrow out into the brush, scanning for any movement.  A flying machine landed, and took Grace away, with some of the Sawtute.  The Uniltìranyu stayed behind, and there was another now too.  Arik was speaking with her, as if he knew her well.  They seemed close-- was there some resemblance in the eyes?  She never could really tell with Sawtute.  They all looked the same, on a basic level.  She scanned the forest once more.  The other Na'vi were beginning to relax, and the Ayuniltìranyu were speaking in their strange nasal language.  It all happened so fast.  These Sawtute weapons were not natural.  Did they carve them from the wood of their Kelutral? she idly wondered.  I would have thought their orange tree was made of wood, but perhaps it is made of this hard, cold stuff.  Maybe that is why they live in hard, cold boxes.  It must remind them of home. 
Fitseng lu oe, tìftia kìfkeyä seri.

El Jacko

Pandoran Rainforest – ¾ mile southwest of Site 24
2008hrs

   Shep paused, out of breath. This forest was harder to run through than he'd expected. Some of the trees blocking his route were 20 feet thick, and fallen ones were worth a 200yd detour. Checking the datapad, the blinking beacon showed him just how much further he had to go. 1248yds. This was going to take some time, and time was in short supply. The shouts of the natives pursuing him were growing steadily louder, and to add to that, the daylight was fading fast. He needed to buy some time.

   Drawing his M26, he scrolled in the scope and scanned the forest behind him, looking for signs of movement. In the distance, barely visible, was a Na'Vi warrior. There must be more of them, just out of range, he thought. Taking rough aim at the lone frontrunner, he lanced 3 shots through the gloom in quick succession. In the distance, the native dropped. Much better...

   As he scrolled back out, he noticed why the native had caught up so fast. Charging through the forest like a riled bull had left a clear trail, snaking right up to his present location.

Think, Shep, think...

   The sound of a river about a hundred yards to the west was starting to bore into his head...

I wonder...

   Without a moments hesitation, he set off towards the river, causing as much disturbance as possible. Once there, he turned and surveyed his handiwork, before charging back to his previous location.

Yes, that should do it...

   He then set off northeast at a much slower pace, picking his way through the undergrowth carefully, causing minimal disturbance.

- - - - - - - - - -

Twonyu Ikranä
Sheppard's Trail
Dusk


   This sawtute was as bad as the rest of them...charging along, making noise, disturbing things...his trail was as clear as a well trodden path, even if he could make himself invisible. He stooped to examine a patch of disturbed mud. It had those strange prints in it, from the sawtute foot-wrappings...when suddenly, he dropped prone as 2 more bullets fizzed overhead, with a third blasting splinters from a nearby tree. It was evident that this bush-sawtute was not going to go without a fight.

- - - - - - - - - -

Alan Sheppard
Pandoran Rainforest - 1/2 mile south of Site 24


   After about 5 minutes of picking a more delicate path through the scrub, Shep stopped again. He'd need to know whether or not the Na'Vi had fallen for his diversion, and his mind turned to the smoke grenades. Pulling a vine from the undergrowth, he flicked out his knife and split it until he had a relatively thin strand. He then tied this around the pin on the smoke grenade and half-submerged it in the ground, tying the other end to a sapling to create a rudimentary tripline. If the natives follow his quieter trail, they'll trip this and hopefully send out a plume of smoke, alerting Shep to the imminent danger. Happy with his handiwork, he set off again. The mobile site was only half a mile away, and would allow him to put in place the next part of his plan.

- - - - - - -

Site 24
2027hrs


   By the time he arrived at the mobile site, it should have been dark. Yet it wasn't. Looking around, Shep noticed why. Just about every tree, bush and shrub on the forest floor had started to...glow? This was getting too weird...although it did have its advantages. The glow from the forest should uplight the column of smoke from his 'trap', retaining its effectiveness. Reminding himself he could admire the view when the locals give up trying to find him, he turned and went inside the shipping container of a laboratory to abide by Rule of Stealth no.3.

Rule no. 3: When resultant s*** hampers your ability to escape, hide in close proximity and await calm.

   This particular site hadn't been lived in for some time. It was, however, still serviceable, and contained a few supplies. The link 'pod' was filled with workstations, dusty instruments, and dominated by two link machines. In the sleeping 'pod', he found several pairs of standard-issue grey overalls and a lab coat. He quickly changed into these, stowing the ghillie suit and all weapons bar the WASP underneath one of the bunks (the WASP pistol was standard issue for scientists, they all carried one). That done, he booted up one of the workstations and loaded the files he'd downloaded from the command centre just 3 hours previously. That'll fool em, he thought. To complete the illusion, he slumped in a chair facing his smoke-trap and pretended to doze. If anyone came looking, they'd find an exile of Childs's regime bored at a desk.

- - - - - - - - - -

Twonyu Ikranä
Sheppard's Trail
Dusk

   
   Twonyu lay low in the scrub for a short while, waiting to see if the sawtute would shoot again. Confident it was clear, he slowly got back up. He wasn't going to take any chances with this sawtute; it had already killed his father in cold blood. Revenge could take its time, it made it all the more satisfying.

   Some distance further, the track veered left, heading to the river. This struck Twonyu as odd – why would the sawtute make his journey longer than he needed to? Looking closely, he saw a pair of footprints leading to the river. Adjacent, and less prominent, was a second pair leading back to this spot. <he's smarter than most of them>, he muttered.

   He kept looking around, examining the area in minute detail. After some time, he found it. Another very faint trail lead away from the sudden turn. <He IS clever...this will be difficult to follow...>, he thought. And with that, he carefully picked his way along on the scraps of evidence the bush-sawtute had left behind.
'Look at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us...on a mote of dust, suspended in a sunbeam' - Carl Sagan

Ikranä mokri

#59
Sheppard's Trail
Dusk


Twonyu kept low to the ground looking at the second trail the shrub tawtute had left. He was moving much slower now, obvioulsy thinking about every step he took. The signs of his trail were very subtle, a broken twig or stem  and a slight indentation made by his shoes on softer ground. Twonyu followed these signs.

He stopped confused. The tawtute had stopped here, obviously for a good ammount of time because there were deep impresions, he had been moving so well why had this tawtute stopped. Going on all fours Twonyu edged himself forward. There was a faint *clink* sound and Twonyu spun. How could he have been so blind as not to see the simple trap set up by the tawtute "Oe skxawng lu" he said in annoyance. a plume of smoke rose up into the sky and Twonyu hissed but carried on  along the trail.
----
Site 24
2034hrs


Twonyu could see a tawtute dozing in a chair. He very slowly drew back the knocked arrow until the fletchings were resting by his cheek. with a free finger he knocked the arrow very slightly onto a more comfortable part of his finger. before untensing and repulling the bow string to a fully drawn position. The thing this tawtute was in was very obvious becuase unlike all the plants around it it wasnt glowing. This wasnt the tawtute he had been following by the way he was dressed but perhaps killing him would send a message to the tawtute about how dangerous the Omatikya really were.

he steadied his breathing and looked down the arrow shaft. why did the tawtute leave such big holes in their things, this was going to be to easy.

He let fly the arrow and it was on a perfect line for the chest of the sleeping tawtute. until. The arrow stopped in mid air and turned slightly before dropping to the ground making a loud bump noise. he fired his second arrow quickly but the same thing happened.

Twonyus' senses left him and he broke cover. He ran up to the side of the thing and beat his hands on the barrier that protected the tawtute.

The tawtute rose. His face a mask of bewilderment as a Na'Vi beat his hands fruitelessly on the glass of the pod. Twonyu used both hands and hit the glass on last time before hissing at the tawtute on the other side of the glass and turing his back to pick up his arrows. 1 had a snapped shaft but the other was in good condition. Twonyu tied the good arrow onto his his bow before turning to look at the tawtute again





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