“You sure he can carry us both?” he asked.
“Hehehe, he is strong. Maktoko!”
The two Ikrans took off with full power, flapping their wings as they gained altitude. Once they were high in the sky it was a calm ride. It was a beautiful sunny day with no clouds blocking the light. They flew over the never ending forest, making their way over hills, rivers, waterfalls and through a network of floating mountains that were tied together with vines. It was a magnificent view but this was no time for sightseeing, maybe another time. They reached the beginning of valley and followed it. In the distance they could see Hell’s Gate, a small grey pentagon which stood out from the surrounding green, and even further one of the mines which was just a massive brown hole in the ground. They descended into the valley and flew over the river.
“How much longer?” asked Tak.
“We are here” replied Tsuwokan.
“Don’t land, take us up into the hills. Over there”
“Why?”
“Just do it, I’ll explain once we land.”

Tsuwokan signalled Aketuan to follow him and they changed course. They slowly came into the forest and landed. Tak and Alan got off. “They’re going to bring gunships so he’s going to try and shoot them down before they reach us. You just get your guys into position and be ready.” He explained to Tsuwokan. He then went to Alan and briefly went over the plan.
“You shoot them down and you get back to us, the village isn’t too far, just follow the valley or go to the fight. You’ll find us there. Good luck”
“Yeah you too.”

Tak then got back on the Ikran and they went to the village. When they got there Tsuwokan’s allies were already waiting. They greeted each other and the nameless Na’vi leader began to get everyone fired up for war. They held their weapons high and let out their war cry before moving out. Meanwhile Alan had found a small rocky ledge which was perfectly covered with plants. He lied down with his rifle ready, making sure the barrel didn’t poke out from cover. The war party also got into position, lining themselves along the valley in small groups. Some decided to wait high in the tree while others blended in with the plants on the ground. Tak was kneeling behind a huge tree root, holding his huge 50 cal Hydra with the chains of bullets wrapped around his chest. They all waited for over an hour until they heard a faint sound. It sounded like rotors but it was impossible to see through the canopy. Alan had been sitting on the ledge, extremely bored and was beginning to doubt if they would show up but he heard the sound as well and quickly looked through his scope. There they were, two Scorpions as predicted approaching him. He loaded the rifle and took aim, waiting for the pilot to be right in his crosshair. He took a deep breath, slowly exhaled and pulled the trigger. The bullet shot out of the barrel, went straight through the windshield and into the chest of the pilot. The inside splattered with red and the Scorpion dived into the forest below, crashing and exploding. Alan aimed for the other Scorpion in a hurry and fired but missed the pilot. He continued to open up holes on the outside and smoke soon puffed out of the engine. The Scorpion struggled to maintain control as it tilted to one side. Alan reloaded and kept shooting, trying to aim for the engine. The rounds were tearing through the fuselage and eventually one round made it into the cockpit, covering the inside with the pilot’s head which was now in a million pieces. It spun out of control and crashed into the hills. By now the ground units were on full alert as they approached the Na’vi who were waiting for them. A dozer roared its way through, clearing anything in front of it while men scanned the area with their weapons aimed and ready to fire. Tak crawled over to Tsuwokan.

“They getting closer, you ready?”
“Yes.”
“Tell the others.”
Tsuwokan signalled other Na’vi who then signalled others and everyone was now ready. They had their bows loaded and would face the enemy any minute now. As the dozers roar got louder the footsteps of the AMPS stomping the ground could be heard as well. The dozer had passed the Na’vi at the very front and the men followed behind. Trees fell down like dominos, being ripped out from the ground. Tsuwokan gave the signal and the Na’vi shot their arrows. The humans suffered casualties and opened fire. The Na’vi not knowing guerrilla tactics decided to face the enemy out in the open and the intensity quickly escalated. “No that’s not how it’s meant to be done!” he yelled at Tsuwokan but it was too late. He hopped out from cover and opened fire. The dozer had come to a halt and now was the time to disable it. “Let’s go!” he yelled to his group. They made their way to the dozer but were cut off by an AMP which fired upon them. Unable to proceed further they laid on the ground.
“What now?!” asked Tak. Tsuwokan was thinking.
“You can destroy the machine?!”
“Yes!”
“Go! We will destroy shield that walks! Go go!”

Tsuwokan lead the small group out to draw the AMP’s attention while Tak ran to the dozer. He climbed up the side and got on the top and went to the camera at the front. With his fist he punched the glass many times and cracked it then shot it just to make sure. He jumped down and rejoined the fight. By now the Na’vi had suffered casualties as well. With bullets and arrows flying in all directions it was chaos, but the Na’vi had pretty much surrounded the humans. Tak fired recklessly, his gun spitting Uranium needle rounds at 6000rpm. It wasn’t easy to aim with such a big and heavy gun. Tsuwokan was trying to get back into the fight but he had no more arrows and his group was injured, now useless. As he tried to reach for an arrow a bullet hit his forearm and he yelled in pain, retreating back to cover. An AMP could be heard approaching. Tsuwokan prepared himself for death but before the AMP reached him the sound of a bullet flying past pierced his ears. He flinched, staying still in his spot. The AMP collapsed to the ground with a loud thud. He looked around to see it lying on the ground and not moving. A troop then suddenly flew back after being hit in the chest. He looked around to see where it was coming from but saw nothing. Tak then came running to him and crashed next to him. “Take this!” he said as he handed Tsuwokan a handful of arrows. They both ran back out and finished off the enemy, making sure there were no survivors. One by one the Na’vi eliminated the remaining RDA forces. The second AMP was still active and it just wouldn’t go down. Tak went to the AMP from behind and fired at the glass that was exposed. The rounds penetrated the glass and the toxic hydrogen sulphide filled the cockpit. The driver gasped and quickly put on the exopack inside but it was too late. Tak had climbed onto the back and had his gun pointed down at the top of the drivers head. The driver looked up to see the Hydra’s three 50 cal barrels greeting him. Tak filled his face with needle rounds and they ripped through the skin and flesh, turning his face into minced meat and quickly jumped off as the AMP collapsed to the ground. He met up with Tsuwokan and looked around to see the area littered with dead humans along with some dead Na’vi. It was a victory that came with some losses. This time the Na’vi did not celebrate, the victory could not bring back the fallen brothers and sisters. Alan saw Tak and went to him.
“You’re alive, that’s good.”
“Yeah, you too.”
“Looks like we did it.”
“We won, but this isn’t the end. They’ll be back.”

Chapter 22

The tension was building up in the control tower back at Hell’ Gate after their operation in securing a new mining site had terribly gone wrong. Selfridge was venting out on Colonel Hilton.
“What the hell happened out there?!”
“I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?!”
“They obviously knew we were coming, I don’t know how they found out but they did.”
“That’s not good enough! You know how much in damaged equipment they’ve cost us this year so far?! Way too much, and unless you’re willing to sacrifice your pay check I suggest you do something about it! I don’t have time for this, demands need to be met and you’re partly responsible for that! If you can’t do your job then I’ll find someone who can, I don’t care how long it takes them to get here!”
Colonel Hilton remained calm but inside he was furious. He knew the human traitor was involved but he had no leads to follow up on. Catching the person seemed impossible but he was determined to do so. The next day a message was cast to all of Hell’s Gate.
“This is Colonel Hilton, all military personal are to report to the mess hall immediately.”
The hall filled with troops and pilots. Guards at the entrance made sure no one else entered. Once everyone was there the doors closed. Back at the shacks while everyone was going about their daily business, a Samson touched down and men got out to make their way to the door. When they got in they looked around for Alan.
“You, get up. We need to go now.”
Alan look confused. “What’s going on?” he asked.
“Now sergeant, don’t make me wait.”
Alan turned to his peers. “I’ll be back.”
The Samson took off for the FEBA base, leaving the gang puzzled. This was going to turn into a discussion which Tak had no interest being part of. His relationship with Dr. Isaac was also turning sour so he didn’t want to stay inside. Alan was like the barrier which kept things at ease between the two. Tak headed out to the weights and worked out. As he lied on the bench press he thought about what he had been getting out of this war that he started against the corporation. Besides the slight satisfaction of killing, there really wasn’t much else. Shutting down RDA also meant shutting down the Avatar program and so hopes for saving Earth in the future would be no more. Everything he had been working on would all be for nothing. The more he thought about it the more his plan seemed meaningless. He concentrated on lifting the weights with all his power while looking up at the canopy above him.

It was a very hot day and staying out of the sun wasn’t much help. Too bad there wasn’t somewhere nearby to go for a swim, at least for the humans. Tak was sweating and needed to cool down. He opened the fridge and let the cold air blow onto his face.
“Don’t leave it open for too long.” said Dr. Eileen.
“If you’re that hot then why don’t you go for a swim in your Avatar? The rivers around here are safe, nothing’s going to try and eat you.”
What a great idea! He had never thought of this, and although it wasn’t really him going for a swim it was better than roasting inside an oven with nothing fun to do. “Sounds good.” he replied before closing the fridge and getting in his Avatar. He woke up inside his Avatar sized tent and got changed into some comfortable clothes. A singlet and a pair of long shorts with underwear was just fine. He put on his shoes and headed out to find a nice quiet spot. The FEBA was a never ending forest with river networks which went on forever so there were many great places for a swim. He walked for a while until he found the perfect spot. In front of him was a waterfall as tall as a five floor building which dumped water into a large pool surrounded by plants of many different shapes, sizes and colours. The pool narrowed into a river which flowed calmly. The water was crystal clear and he could see well into the pool, but it was deeper than it looked. Above him the forest canopy provided a roof which shielded the place from heavy sunlight. He took off his shoes and singlet and jumped in. As he hit the water and sunk he could feel the heat of his body dropping. It was very refreshing and it felt amazing. Without moving a muscle he let his body float up and as he surfaced he breathed in deeply and opened his eyes. Having never been to such a place back on earth, he was overwhelmed at the utopia that surrounded him. A pristine place untouched by anyone. He had finally found a place that he could call “mine”. And he hadn’t even scratched the surface when it came to finding beautiful places on Pandora.
After cooling off for a while he decided to see where the river went to. He got his singlet and shoes and carried them as he followed the river to where it lead him to. Everywhere he looked exotic plants bloomed with colours while insects buzzed and crawled around. The sound of flowing water provided the bass for the melody of the animals as they cried out to each other high in the trees. Soon he realized that he had been walking for a while and the river was quiet large now. It had gotten wider and the current was stronger. He was getting the urge to go in for another dip so he dropped his stuff and dived in. He opened his eyes in the water to see small fish swimming around him. Not caring about how far he went, he let the current carry him. He would surface for a breath of air and dive back down. Up ahead he could see a dark mass which got bigger as he approached it but before he could get near it a spear shot into the water, missing the fish and scaring it away. He slowed down and surfaced to see a Na’vi woman diving in to retrieve her spear. When she surfaced they met. She greeted him with a delayed smile and Tak did the same.

“Hey Zetey.”
“Tak. Why are you here?”
“Just going for a swim. You?”
“Hunting.”
She swam back to land and dropped her spear on the ground, then sat down to take a rest. Tak did the same and sat next to her. They didn’t say a word for a minute or so but eventually Zetey broke the silence.
“You have changed.” she said in a soft voice. Tak nodded slightly.
“You are not interested, and you do not listen to me..... what is wrong?”
“....You didn’t do anything bad so don’t worry about it.”
“You look .....sad. Why sad?”
Tak didn’t feel like talking about it but it hit him. She was showing concern for him and he had learned about pushing people away who tried to be his friend. He wasn’t going to be an ******* and **** it up again so he decided to open up. It took him a bit of time to gather his thoughts as he sighed, not proud of what he had done.
“You probably already know this but this isn’t who I really am. This is just a body, it can’t live on its own. The real me is lying in a link somewhere, controlling this thing, and so when I-“
“I know, but what is wrong with YOU.” she said as she placed her hand on his chest, above his heart. She slowly dropped her hand as Tak followed it and looked down at the ground. He sighed as he prepared to let it out.
“....I did something to myself. I thought it would make me feel good, and it did for a while, but it slowly ate me away.... and now I’ve fallen into this ****ty, depressive state. Doesn’t happen all the time, but regularly and especially if I think about it.” Tak shook his head. “Not good.”
There was a moment of silence. Zetey wasn’t clear on what Tak was upset about but she decided not to push any further. At least now she understood why he was so inattentive, and now she would try to get him back to the way he was.
“Do not be upset with things you do in past. Gillian told us, you learn from past to make future better. Like my father told me, worry no more because tomorrow is a new day.”
She stood up and grabbed his arm. He stood up as well.
“Do you know how to use this?” she asked as she handed him a spear.
“Uhhh no.”

She took him into the river with the water just below his knees.
“Look for a fish, once you do hold tukru like this. Do not move your feet or they will go away. Breath strong, concentrate and throw.”
She left him with her bow and arrows to go fishing in another spot. Tak stood there looking in the water for fish. There weren’t too many, just a few small ones. He went deeper and after a while found a decent sized fish. As told, he kept his eye on the prey, not moving his feet and drawing the spear back. He took a breath and while slowly exhaling he threw it. It missed and the fish got away. This was allotting harder than it seemed. He grabbed his spear and went looking for another. Attempt after attempt failed as he continued to misjudge the distance, the water played tricks on him as it bent the light that entered. Just when he was about to ditch the spear and use his hands, a fish appeared so he gave it one last go. He readied himself and threw it. The spear pierced the water and sunk. Tak picked it up and pulled it out of the water to reveal a fish speared on the end. He smiled as he bathed in the glory of his first catch. Feeling good about himself he went looking for Zetey, but that died when he saw her backing up from the river, dragging a huge fish onto the bank which dwarfed his catch. She pulled the arrow out of the gill and lifted it up onto her shoulder. When she turned around to see Tak holding the spear with a poor excuse of a catch on the end she let out a small laugh.
“I got this, but it’s nothing compared to what you got there....”
“Well done. We can go back.”
They returned to hometree and Tak picked up his shoes and singlet on the way. They went up the spiral and dropped off their catches.
“You did good today, irayo.”
“It’s ok, it was a good experience..... guess I better go. Kiyevame”
“Kiyevame.”
He began to make his way back down but Zetey called for him.
“Tak. Do not be sad, tomorrow is a new day.”

That night the Takahayo sat around the fire as their dinner cooked. The clan members chatted amongst each other as usual. The animals that had been caught and cooked were being shared but Zetey who was with her friends decided not to.
“Why is that one so small? And where did you get it? Hahahahaha!” said one of her friends. Others joined in on the joke.
“You can’t even share it because it’s so small!”
“Maybe next time Eywa will bless you with more luck hahahaha!”
Zetey decided to snap back.
“See that big fish over there? I caught that, and that’s what you’re eating right now..... morons”
It shut them up for a few seconds.
“...So who caught that?”
“Why does it matter?!”
Back at the shacks Tak was having his usual alone time. He thought about his day outside. It was refreshing and fun. It also took his mind of other things. He wanted to go back but he still felt some kind of guilt, like he wasn’t worthy enough to be taught by such a wise and pure species. While in bed he thought about it. Those last few words before he left still remained in his mind. “Tomorrow is a new day.”

Tak got stuck into some solid work the next day and it was afternoon before he knew it. He made his way with Dr. Eileen and Dr. Dale. Before hometree the two split from Tak as they decided to go count the local Yeriks as part of the FEBA conservation program, a side project she decided to start up. Dr. Eileen liked this, it was a sign that he was taking the initiative to visit the Na’vi more. Tak searched around for Zetey but she was nowhere to be found so he sat down on his favourite log. When she appeared he got up and walked over to her.
“Hey.”
“Tak, Kaltxi eylan.”
“Is it ok if we go somewhere else to talk?”
They went to the back of hometree and sat down by the water.
“Last night I thought about the past month or so of my life and I just completely forgot about how much of a bumpy ride it’s been. Seemed like I got off to a good start, then ****ed it up, and just when it was getting better I ****ed it up again. Didn’t really know what was next, but I remembered what you told me. Today is a new day, I’ve put all the bull**** from my past behind me and..... I’m ready to learn again... So teach me, please. Whatever it is, whatever you throw at me, I’m ready.”
Zetey looked at him. He was serious, and she could see it. Her serous face turned into a small smile.
“Yes, I know.”
They went out to the forest and Zetey took off, running as fast as she could to see if Tak could keep up. As she zoomed threw the natural obstacle course, Tak was keeping up but it wasn’t easy. She ran up a tree and jumped onto another and began running along the network of branches that were suspended above ground like a complex highway. Tak was getting tired but he went for the jump with full speed and just landed it. He was falling behind but kept going. Zetey continued until she noticed Tak wasn’t following behind her. She stopped and waited for him. Tak was soon in sight. He was jogging, obviously out of breath, and didn’t see the small bump in the way which he tripped over and crashed to the floor then rolled off the tree and fell to the ground below. He tried to grab onto vines on the way down but he only got tangled in them and they spun him out of control. Tucking his head into his chest, he hoped for the best. He hit the ground, landing flat on his back and gasping for air from being winded. Zetey hopped down, breaking her fall by utilizing her surroundings and landed next to him. She looked at him and giggled. Tak got back onto his feet.
“Try not to do that.” she said.

The next few days Tak would be taken on long runs through the forest, really pushing his Avatar’s athleticism to the limits. They would run along the ground and eventually make their way onto the trees above. Wherever there was a path they would follow it. Tak would trip over or run into things but he would get back and keep going. It was tough but it was also very fun. Getting lost in the forest made him forgot why he was really sent to Pandora and for that period of time in the day his mind would be taken off from all the work and fighting. Tough on the body but rejuvenating for the mind. When he returned his muscles would ache. Lying back down on his bed had never felt so damn good but he knew it was worth it, no pain no gain. Not only was it a great way to get fit, but it was also a great way to get to know the area and familiarise himself with it. The FEBA was a very disorganised place with all the river systems, changes in elevation and abundance of plants but there were things that he would recognise which began to give him a sense of direction.

One morning Dr. Eileen noticed Tak quietly doing his work. The others had gone off in their Avatars and it was just her, Tak and Alan. By now it was obvious that these were the two people that Tak had got to know the most. She sat down next to him and turned on the camera that was on his desk.
“You’ve been going out these past few days so I assume you’ve got some interesting stuff to share. Tell us all about it.”
“Well it’s nothing to do with my work, so I don’t think people are going to care.”
“Video logs aren’t just about the work you do, it does help if you keep a record of it but it’s not the only thing. It’s like..... a way to express yourself. You don’t even have to think, you just speak what’s on your mind. So, just give it a go.” she said as she got the camera ready to record then got up and left him. Tak sat infront of his monitor, looking at himself from an angle on the screen. For minutes he sat in silence with his face resting on his hand, not feeling like saying anything. How were you supposed to “express yourself” when you didn’t feel like saying anything? Dr. Eileen watched from her desk and decided to give him a bit of a push.
“We’re all waiting for you to say something.”
“This is stupid.”
“Maybe, but it is a good idea...... Any time today Tak.”
And that’s when it struck him.

“This is lame.” he said to himself as he got up and went to his bed. Dr. Eileen watched as he walked off and disappeared for a while and came back with his guitar and amp. Tak got set up and did a quick sound check, making sure he was in tune. “No I don’t think that’s what you’re supposed to be doing now.” said Dr. Eileen but Tak ignored her and pressed the record button on the camera. He then played a song from his folder and began playing along. It started off soft with an acoustic intro to which he played with a clean sound, then came the distorted line. He stopped, holding the note and letting it ring and when the heavy riff dropped he continued playing along. The others watched the master at work, filling the shacks with the awesomeness of metal. Alan couldn’t help sing along as he knew the words but Dr. Eileen sighed and shook her head. This wasn’t what she meant, but atleast he was recording something. She hoped she didn’t have to explain to any of her colleagues why the weird guy of her group decided to record himself playing guitar. Tak finished and stopped recording.
“How’s that for expressing myself?” he asked as he walked to the link. She looked at Alan.
“It’s an awesome song.” He said but she just rolled her eyes.
“You’re into that lame pop **** huh? Too bad no one likes metal in the 22nd century.”

At the end of his afternoon with Zetey he was feeling tired as usual. They had just finished climbing up trees and jumping from branches. He fell to the ground and sat up against a tree.
“Are you alright?” she asked.
“Yeah, just really, really, really tired.”
“...Before Gillian teach us many things of your people. She take us to the school sometimes and we learn English, I meet the woman called Grace, kind person. The school was far so we stay there and get to know children of other clans. But after my people know what happened there we stop going, I was angry and did not want to learn any more. But that was a long time ago, now I do. So I want you to teach me.”
“What do you want to know?”
“...Anything.”
“Hmm, alright then.”
The next day Tak turned up to hometree with his backpack filled with books and magazines. Whatever he could find in the shacks he took and stuffed them in. Zetey and him found a nice quiet spot and sat down. Tak opened his backpack and took out the science textbooks, National geographic magazines and his guitar magazines, spreading them across the ground. Zetey picked up a Nat Geo and looked at the cover with a photo of an Amazonian tribal man with his face paint and ornaments. She then turned the cover and looked through, examining the photos on each page with great interest. Soon she was asking questions about the images she was seeing and Tak explained. One answer only lead to another question and it seemed like it would be an eternity just to get through one magazine. After they finally got through the Nat Geo Zetey picked up a guitar magazine. It was a special edition dedicated to the greatest guitarists and people who influenced rock and metal.
“This one’s one of my favourites” said Tak.
“Who is this person?”
“That’s Jimi Hendrix, one of the greatest persons to ever exist.”
“What did he do?”
“Something very amazing, words can’t describe it.”
Zetey looked back at the cover in amazement, her pupils enlarging as she looked at this person they called Jimi. He was holding some sort of skyperson object with both hands.
“What is this?”
“That’s what made him great, it’s the Fender Stratocaster.” Zetey looked at him confused.
“It’s a guitar. It’s an instrument that my people play to make music.”
“You can become great doing this?”
“Well yeah, if you’re good enough. Not everyone makes it to such a level of skill and greatness, but the ones who do leave behind a legacy.”
“So he makes music, like my people sing songs?”
“No it’s a bit different, well, very different. You people sing to celebrate or worship someone or something or to teach. My people sing and make music to not only do those things but also because it’s fun. Music is a big part of my people, it makes us feel different things so we enjoy it. We have an industry for music only, and even schools that teach you about music. It’s too much to just describe in words but, yeah, it’s big.”
It was quite a lot to take in but Zetey got the idea, music was a big part of their way of life. She turned the cover and like before, looked at all the photos of the people who each played a role in the evolution of music.
“This one is different. This one is also different!”
“Yep there’s alot of different guitars.”
“What is different?”
“A number of things, how they sound, how they feel, how they look.”
Tak picked up another guitar magazine, another special edition which featured 500 guitars from the past. He turned the pages and showed it to her.”
“See, there’s heaps of them.....Oh here, I got one of these.” Tak pointed to the photo and Zetey tried to read the name of it.
“I-ba-nez.”
“That’s right, the Ibanez TM20. It’s a ****ing beast. EMGs, Floyd Rose tremolo and killer looks. I love this thing so much.”
Zetey continued to look at the photo of the guitar, it’s horns pointy as the devil’s, the matt black pickups looking very serious, the technical parts of the tremolo giving it a very mechanical skyperson feel and the black tuning pegs on the aggressive headstock resembling the upper jaw of a Pandoran creature with its sharp teeth. She wanted to see one of these guitars for herself.
“You have one?” she asked excitedly.
“Yeah, I got two back at the shacks.”
“Can I see it?”
“Maybe another time.”
The two continued to look through the magazines while enjoying the peace and quiet of the lush forest.

Chapter 23

It was a beautiful warm and sunny day and Dr. Eileen’s special delivery had arrived in the morning. The Samson landed outside the shacks and the rotors shut down as it would take a while to unload the goods. Tak was woken up by the sound of a loud thud. “Be careful! These things are expensive and there aren’t many left!” said Dr. Eileen who actually wasn’t carrying anything but just standing around and watching the guys do all the work. Tak looked at what was going on to see parts for a new link being carried in.
“Oh hey, you’re awake. Look what we got!”
Tak rubbed his eyes, looked at the parts being laid out on the floor then looked back at his boss.
“They decided to get rid of one at another research site so we took it from them. I thought another one would be nice, but I don’t know where to put it so we may have to leave it here for a while.”
He got up and headed to the shower. When Tak was brushing his teeth after breakfast, Dr. Eileen went to the links with Dr. Dale and Isaac. They were going to go to a new place to have a look at the plants and creatures. It was half work and half play but it would be fun either way, just like any place that was undisturbed by the skypeople.
“We’re going to be gone for a while so if you find a place to put it then you can go ahead and start putting it together. The manual is over there, shouldn’t be too hard. Alright, I’ll see you later.”
With them gone, Tak sat down at his desk and looked around the shack. Where could it go? He slowly spun around in his chair and observed the space around him. Most of the shack was filled with desks, chairs and shelves but there was a nice amount of space to the left of his desk. He measured the length of the machine with his arms then returned to the space. It just fit. Dr. Brent came in.
“So, where should we put that thing?” he asked.
“Fits nicely over here.”
“It does, nice. Well it really is the only place available.... Alright, let’s start moving it into here.”
The guys moved the parts over next to Tak’s desk and began to put it together. Even with the help of the manual, putting it together was a bitch. The many screws and wires made the assembly a long and messy process. The guys soon got frustrated but carried on. Meanwhile Dr. Eileen was flying over the forest, free of worries. She was excited and couldn’t wait to arrive at this special place.

They approached the site and as they descended, Dr. Eileen got a surprise which she wished she hadn’t got. The area was being occupied by RDA and heavy equipment was being offloaded and it looked like a new base was being setup. She didn’t understand what was going on. “What are they doing here? How do they know about this place?...... Oh no.” she said to herself. She told the pilot to land where all the activity was happening and told him to wait. She walked around, trying to find someone to talk to but they all ignored her and went about their business. In a situation like this she had to raise her voice, something she didn’t like doing.
“Hey! What the hell’s going here?!” she asked a man.
“New place for you nerds to work at.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Orders from higher up, now **** off you’re bothering me.”
“Tell me what’s going on!”
“Hey, listen. As far as I know you’re not meant to be here, so you can either **** off or I can have you taken away. What’s it gonna be?”
She wanted to pick him up and choke the **** out of him, and she easily could, but she resisted. The others asked her what was going on as she approached the Samson but she couldn’t give them an answer. They returned to the shacks and Dr. Eileen wasted no time getting back to herself. She woke up and roughly opened the link, got out and went straight back to the Samson. This time she would go on her own. “Hell’s Gate now!” she told the pilot and they took off. The other two were still confused, but it obviously had something to do with the takeover of the area they were just at.

Dr. Eileen jumped off the Samson before it touched down and marched to the Hell’s Gate control tower. The lift doors opened and there she saw Parker having fun with his putter. She confronted him.
“What the HELL do you think you’re doing?!”
“Ah you, what can I do for you?”
“You selfish *******, god if I could knock you out I would.”
“....Right, you’re obviously upset about something and you’re taking it out on me.”
“You’re goddamn right I’m taking it out on you! I was at a previously untouched site today and when I got there I saw your guys off loading all that **** like they were turning it into another military base, now you tell me what’s going on!”
“Oh riiiight, yeah well, the thing is if I see an opportunity that’s going to benefit the company then I’m going to capitalize on it.”
“And exactly what would that opportunity be?”
“...Really? You’re asking me? You’re the one who found it for me, yeah you.”
Parker went to get something from his desk and returned.
“It’s all in here, everything. Hahahaha. I bet you were trying to keep it a secret from us huh? Too bad you lost it and it managed to make its way into our hands. Yeah I got to say, this is really going make a lot of money, and it’s all thanks to you... Oh here, you probably want it back. We’ve got everything we need.” Parker handed her the portable device she had lost.
“You’re just blinded by your greed. You think you’re doing something so great, you’re not.”
“Uh, no I’m actually doing something brilliant. Obviously you don’t see the brilliance in maximising profits, and besides it doesn’t make a difference. We’ve been securing bits of land for what you proposed in the first place remember? That little deal we discussed a while back?”
“Look at our planet, it’s already in a bad enough state and all you’re going to do is make it worse! Selling weapons isn’t going to help anything, it’s just going to encourage war which is only going to further destroy our world and once there’s nothing left then what are you going to spend your money on? ...Exactly.”
“Well that maybe true but until that day comes I think I’m going to look forward to a bigger paycheque.”
“You know nothing Parker, nothing. Colonel, please you’ve got to help me here.”
Dr. Eileen pleaded with a look into Colonel Hilton’s eyes. He felt the same way but he couldn’t let his personal opinions interfere. He just returned a disappointed look to her.
“My job is to make sure everyone stays alive. I have no say in the matter.”
“What?.... So you’re just going to let this ******* get away with this? I tho-“
“There’s nothing I can do, I’m sorry.”
“That’s a shame, I used to know someone who could’ve.”
Colonel Hilton closed his eyes and breathed in, her comment pierced his heart and angered him but he said nothing. Dr. Eileen saw that Parker had gone back to enjoying his game of mini golf. Before the ball reached his mug she kicked the ball towards Parker who flinched, then she kicked the mug which smashed into pieces. She returned to the Samson which awaited her and she was flown back to the shacks.

By the time Dr. Eileen had returned it was late afternoon and the last link had been complete. It sat next to Tak’s desk and he was using it for the afternoon. When he got out he saw people gathered at Dr. Eileen’s desk listening to her. She had her head in her hand with a beer opened. When Tak got onto his feet she spotted him.
“Tak, so...how’s the new link?”
“Good.... what’s wrong?”
“They found it, it’s over. It’s all my fault, I should’ve been more careful...****.”
Tak didn’t show it but his thoughts were “great, now what?” Seeing her beat herself up over it, the others tried to cheer her up and make it seem not as bad as she was making it out to be.
“At least they didn’t shut us down.”

“Yeah and besides, the science department doesn’t have to go along with it. We’re not getting paid to develop weapons, if they want this then they can get someone else to do it.” Dr. Eileen sighed at the failed attempts.
“It doesn’t work like that.... they’re the ones with all the money, they pay for everything we have. The equipment, the research projects, the Avatar program, everything. We do as they say or lose all that we’ve ever worked for. It’s so unfair....”
That night Dr. Eileen tried to sleep but the guilt was too much. She felt like she had opened up a gateway for governments of the world to add more fuel to the fire of ongoing wars back on earth. It was only a matter of time before armies would be bombing each other with toxic gases or injecting their soldiers with drugs. How would she explain her **** up to Dr. Augustine? She didn’t want to think about it. Hopefully a new day would come and take away her worries.

Days past and by now it had been a while since Tak and Alan had gained useful information, now it was time to gain more. They both went outside for a workout and also for a confidential chat. As Tak spotted Alan on the bench press they discussed what the next step would be.
“All we know is how to control the defence systems. Well not really, we still don’t know how to access them. And it’s not like we can just stroll into the room and go about our business, only authorised people can go in there.”
“I don’t think it’s as easy as just getting the password and entering it. They probably have some kind of system which changes the password constantly. I don’t know **** about computers, do you?”
“Nope.”
“...What if we got someone’s ID, then we could easily enter the room.”
“Yeah but it still doesn’t teach us how to do all that stuff on the computer.”
“We just get them to tell us.”
“Do things the usual way huh? Put a gun to their head and make them spit it out.”
“Then kill them, it’s the only way.”
“So, why are we even doing this? The FEBA base isn’t that big, we can just put explosives around the place and light the place up.”
“I could be wrong, but assuming the security systems are similar, if not same for all other places on Pandora, if we find out how to access them then we can pretty much shut down any place we want and take it over. Bases, mines, outposts, we could reclaim this world.”
“Right... and once we do take over the whole world then what?”
“The humans learn their lesson and return and the people who deserve to stay maybe stay. You live happily ever after with your girlfriend, the end.”
“...She’s not my girlfr-”
“Bull ****, I heard you two ****ing the other day. Shut the door next time.”
“Oh... you did?” mumbled Alan. The cat was now out of the bag but Tak didn’t care.

That afternoon when Tak was spending his afternoon with Zetey, he got his usual fitness session. Although his stamina still needed improvement, he was getting used to jumping and dodging obstacles in his way. As they were running Zetey suddenly stopped. She looked at an insect which was crawling up a tree and she carefully picked it up and showed Tak. It was a very beautiful looking creature with intricate patterns and a colour combination of black, yellow and orange which said “stay away from me”. Its legs were long and sharp like a spiders minus the hair. The mandibles around the mouth were like small multi jointed spines making it fierce looking. The spikes along its back stuck out like a Bloated Stem spore and got smaller as it reached the back. Zetey took Tak’s hand and showed him how to hold it. Tak examined the creature in great fascination. He had never seen this one, and it was only one of many others that lived in the area.
“It’s beautiful.” he said as the creature moved around in his palm and up and down his arm.
“It is dangerous. If it does not like you, it will bite you.”
“Can it kill you?”
“No, but be careful. It is poison, you will not be able to move.”
“A neurotoxin, that’s cool... Can I take it with me?”
“.....Whatever you take, you must return it.”
“I know, I will.”
“...Yes, you may.”
“Thanks, this is awesome.”
They shared a small smile before returning to their homes. When Tak got back he banged on the shack window and showed Dr. Eileen what he had in his hand. She quickly got a clear container and took it out to him. He threw in some dirt and plants then placed the creature in the container and put on the lid. Placing it by his bed in his Avatar’s tent he awoke from the link and went back out to get it and bring it in. They then connected the container to some pipes which allowed a flow of Pandoran air. These special containers were for keeping specimens alive so they could be studied.
“Where did you find this guy?” asked Dr. Eileen. She hadn’t seen one of these in a while.
“Just around here. Well, actually I didn’t find it, Zetey did. She let me hold it.”
“She let you hold it? That’s, pretty dangerous but something you don’t get to do every day. I guess it’s a special treat. You do know these things can paralyse you?”
“Yeah I heard. Must be a strong neurotoxin.”
“Very strong. One bite is more than enough for six humans. I’ll show you.”
She got a stirring rod and tied a bunch of cotton with a rubber band and inserted it into the container via a special hole. She prodded the creature and it pounced onto the cotton, biting down and injecting its neurotoxin. She tried to shake the creature off but it held on, then finally gave up and dropped to the container floor. When she took the rod out the cotton was drenched in a light yellow liquid.
“See that? Imagine all that being pumped into you, not very nice.”
Tak put on some gloves and took the cotton off. He then drained the toxin into a small sample tube.
“What are you doing?”
“Just collecting this stuff.”
“Why?”
“Why not? It could be useful one day. Maybe study it.”
“Ok, just be careful.”
Dr. Eileen was really naive which was good since she had no clue as to what Tak was really going to use it for.

The time had finally come to get more answers and Tak was determined to get out as much as possible from today. He took the small tube of toxin and gave it to Alan. He then joined Alan outside in his Avatar and on the way they discussed what they were going to do.
“This is a neurotoxin, it’s very strong. Go to the medical centre and put this into a syringe then find someone appropriate and get them to follow you outside. Once you do stick that thing into their neck.”
“Oh right, just let me do all the hard work.”
“Well I need to go get some stuff, I’ll meet you near the base.”
“Ok but remember this isn’t a stroll in the park, I may take a while so just wait.”
“Alright, whatever you say..... and the other day, when you got randomly called to the base, what the **** was that all about?”
“Oh that, well after we pulled that little stunt Hilton decided to tighten security even more. From now on all scientists are to be accompanied wherever they go, it’s compulsory. Anything suspicious we see or hear we have to report it. I’m not supposed to be telling you this but it doesn’t matter obviously.”
“We pissed him off did we?”
“Yeah, we did.”
Tak headed to hometree while Alan continued to the FEBA base. This was going to be difficult but they needed to know how to shut down the security system. Stepping through the entrance, Alan felt a bit nervous. Being alone made him feel under the pressure but he went to the medical centre and was greeted by a medic.

“What can I do for you?”
“Ever since yesterday afternoon I haven’t felt too good. Bit of a headache, dizziness and feeling tired.”
“Have you been drinking enough water? Sounds like you’re dehydrated.”
“I don’t think it’s that.”
He was looking around the room for an empty syringe but didn’t see one anywhere.
“Were you stung by anything? Plants, bugs?”
“No...but I am living with some scientists, maybe I was exposed to some chemicals?”
“I’ll have to test your blood.”
“Ahh, ok.”
The medic opened a drawer and took out a clean needle, drew some blood from his arm and took it away for testing. This gave Alan time to get a syringe. He looked for a cap to put on the needle then quickly put it in his pocket and sat back down.
“Hey how long is this going to take?”
“A while, why? You need to be somewhere?”
“Yeah I have to get back.”
“You wouldn’t have been exposed to a lethal dose of anything because if you were you would be dead by now. Just drink lots of water and you’ll piss it all out.”
“Will do, thanks!”
He then made his way outside the control room hoping someone would come out to fall as his victim. As he made a turn into the corridor he saw someone exiting the room. By the chat the person had with his colleague he was going out to get some fresh air, perfect. Keeping his distance, he followed the man with his head down. They got outside and the man began walking around the place. He then stopped and took in the warmth.
“Nice isn’t it?” said Alan.
“What?”
“The sun, it’s nice. Good to get out after been stuck inside a ****en room for so long.”
“Oh right, yeah sure is. I don’t know about you but I have to sit in front of a screen all day making sure this place doesn’t get attacked. Signing up with security department was a bad decision.”
“Yeah well at least you don’t have to deal with them in person. I have to make sure the people I escort don’t get hurt. It’s not as easy as it seems.”
“Oh you got to look after them scientist jack offs? That’s bull****. I don’t get the deal with those people, trying to make friends with the enemy isn’t going to make getting the jewels any easier. They need to go back home, stop interfering with our business you know? ****en dumbasses.”
“Yeah, I agree....”
The conversation wasn’t helping the plan and it was taking quite a while. But then the perfect opportunity arose.
“Hey bro, can you watch my back while I take a piss? I’m just going to go somewhere in these bushes. You got a gun with you right?”
“Yeah sure go for it.... Ahh wait, maybe you want to do it away from the fence, one of the scientists told me the little traces of Unobtanum in the soil can conduct your piss and you’ll get shocked by the fence.”
“...You serious?! ****, I’ll keep that in mind.”
The man walked away from the fence and headed deeper into the forest. No one would now know if he disappeared. There wasn’t anyone outside and they hadn’t been followed so nobody probably knew they were out here. Before the man finished his business Alan took out the tube of toxin and drew some of it into the syringe. He then approached the man from behind. “Sorry about this.” He said and he stabbed the needle into the man’s neck who yelled in pain. The toxin was injected into his bloodstream, quickly taking effect and within a minute he collapsed to the ground.
“Why are you doing this to me?” asked the man with slight difficulty as his mouth wasn’t fully moving. Alan ignored him and began dragging him by the arms deeper into the forest. Tak then appeared and looked at their victim.
“How much did you give him?”
“Not much, most of it’s still here.”
“He’s gonna be out soon, his heart will slow down but he’ll still be alive.”
“How long till he wakes up?
“A few hours, he won’t be able to move though.”
“So we’ll have to wait a while huh?”
Tak carried the body on his shoulder and they met up with Tsuwokan at a location which was appropriate for the situation. The rope was tied around their victim’s ankle and he was taken care of by Tsuwokan. Tak took Alan for a walk around the forest while they waited for their victim to wake up so they could ask him a few questions. They walked until Alan was extremely tired and returned. Alan sat down seeming annoyed.
“What the **** are we doing here? It’s been two hours.” he complained.
“Two hours?... Tsuwokan, throw him in.”


It was over an hour later but the man finally woke up. He couldn’t feel his body and still wasn’t sure where he was but he awoke looking at a beautiful ceiling of green leaves, vines and branches. He continued to look around above him unable to identify where he was. His hearing also began to return and he could hear the sound of animals feasting. He looked down at himself to see viperwolves eating him alive. His shirt had been removed and his trousers torn apart. The horror cam quickly but the pain was absent. As he watched himself being devoured the shock prevented him screaming at first but he eventually let out a cry. As he yelled the viperwolves were alerted that their meal was in fact alive so they became more aggressive and bit harder, trying to silence it but the man only yelled more. He was suddenly pulled out of the pit and the viperwolves who tried to hold on fell to the ground. Tak was face to face with him.
“Wow, looks like you were eaten back to life. Anyway it’s really simple, answer my questions or I’ll throw you back in.”
“What the **** have you done to me! You mother****er! You ****ing mother****er! Ahhhhh!!!!”
“Calm down or I’ll throw you back in.”
“**** you you ****ing piece of ****!”
Tak let go of the rope and the man dropped towards the ground but he stopped before reaching the viperwolves.
“Alright!!!! Alright!!! I’ll talk, I’ll talk! Just don’t feed me to those ****en things!”
The man was missing most of his left arm and his right bicep, a large chunk of his right leg and bites taken out of his left leg. The viperwolves had also dug into his torso but there wasn’t much to bite into. Blood dripped from his whole body. Before the poor bastard bled to death Tak began with the questions.
“How do we access the security systems at the FEBA base?”
“You, you need to gain access through someone’s account. You’ll need their password.”
“Then what?”
“Then you, bring up the system management program and, just do what the **** you want.”
“That easy?”
“Yes! It’s not hard anyone can pretty much do it. Now please let me ****ing go!”
“You have an account?”
“....yes”
“Password?”
“....JDMC213....hey, you’ll need my ID as well to enter the control room. Now please just ****en let me go.”
“Already got it *******, but thanks anyway.”
Tak pulled off the dying man’s exopack and Alan put a bullet in his forehead. The dead body was dropped back into the viperwolf pit for them to finish off. They were eager to get back to finishing their meal and wasted no time tearing apart what flesh was left clinging onto the skeleton. The body was dragged around as the viperwolves fought over control, looking like a dog’s toy being tossed around violently. Blood spilled onto the ground and it looked like a brutal crime scene. They three of them left as they heard the savage beasts tear apart what was left of their victim.

Chapter 24

A little over two months of being on Pandora and Tak had gone through a lot, but so far so good. It occurred to Dr. Eileen that ever since he joined the team the pace in the work getting done seemed to had picked up. Running tests on the subjects that had been growing in the shacks, she smiled at the results. One day these things would be cleaning up the planet she once called home. She had requested a Samson from Hell’s Gate to come and pick up some of the plants so they could be taken to the lab there. She went and told Tak before she forgot.
“A chopper from Hell’s Gate is going to come down here so would it be ok if you could take these to the lab? I want Dr. Augustine to be updated on our progress.”
“Uhhh, ok.”
“Sorry, I know you don’t like going there. No one does but I just want to be sure they reach the lab. You can’t trust any of the army jack offs with this sort of stuff.”
“Yeah yeah I know. I’ll go.”

Before noon Dr. Eileen decided to take three of her scientists along to the Takahayo for a fun day out. She had previously discussed with some of the people if they could go out together and help out with the daily tasks. Tak was busy working out so he was left behind with Alan who was playing games on Tak’s laptop. While he was practicing his karate he heard rustling from the plants behind him. He stopped and checked if anything was there but there was nothing so he ignored it and resumed punching and kicking but a while later it happened again. The sound was faint but he could hear it. He sat down on the bench, patiently waiting and hoping the thing would come out. He had his head down but was looking up to see if the thing would show itself. It wasn’t long before he could hear more faint rustling, and catch a glimpse of what looked like a golden eye. He remained still, pretending to not see or hear anything and soon a few blue fingers were poking out from the growth. This Na’vi was a curious one and wanted to have a closer look. It finally built up enough courage to show itself partly and when Tak looked up their eyes locked. They instantly recognized each other but the neither showed any emotions. It felt a bit tense but it was an amazing moment for the both of them. Tak had finally come face to face with his blue friend for the first time in his true form. The boy hesitantly approached and eventually got within a metre of Tak. They stared at each other, speechless. In his Avatar the boy seemed small but in reality the boy was huge, taller than Tak by about half a foot. Tak felt so much more at ease around him than he did around any other person, human or Na’vi. He definitely wasn’t the type to talk to people out of his own will but this was different. A friendship had been built simply over doing small things together, who knows what would happen if they began talking. Tak put his hand on his chest and looked at him.
“Tak.” he said. The boy didn’t understand so he repeated it.
“Tak...”
He then pointed his hand to the boy and waited to a response.
“.....Tsanten.”
To make sure the boy knew he was being asked his name, Tak repeated the process. He said his name with his hand on his chest then pointed to the boy and said what he assumed was his name. The boy gave a small smile and repeated the process but in reverse. Tak returned a small smile, now they knew each others’ names. Since both were the quiet type there was no interaction between the two but Tak decided to break the silence and show Tsanten something which may interest him. He gestured to Tsanten to wait and he went inside the shacks and came back out with his Les Paul. Tsanten examined the weird looking tawtute object. He had never seen such a thing and had absolutely no idea what it did, but he was fascinated just by the looks of it. Tak slowly picked the strings one by one. Tsanten watched in amazement, he couldn’t figure out how the straight horizontal bits were making this strange noise at the touch of Tak’s hand. Tak then played a short blues lick and Tsanten’s eyes widened in amazement, what was that?! He just moved his fingers really fast and it magically created this amazing sound! For Tsanten this was really cool. Tak waited for Tsanten’s excitement to die down but that wasn’t going to happen so he kept playing and his curious blue friend’s excitement only grew bigger and bigger. For minutes they sat together, enjoying the beautiful sound which came from this magical tool until Tak stopped and put the guitar on his lap. He played the low E string and pressed down on the first fret. As he moved it slowly up he continued to pick that string and the sound got higher and higher in pitch. He let Tsanten have a go so Tsanten put his finger on the string and flicked it, it made that weird sound. He then brushed his finger across the strings and listened in awe as the thing magically made an even more vibrant sound. He smiled excitedly and then tried it with one of the frets pressed down, it made a higher sound. Tsanten could’ve done this all day but their fun was cut short when the sound of air being sucked out interrupted them. Alan was coming outside and Tsanten panicked. He quickly ran away. Alan came down the yellow metal stairs to see Tak sitting alone with his guitar.
“What are you doing out here playing by yourself? It’s so much better inside.”
“....Yeah, I guess it is.”
Tak went back inside and sat down on his bed. He continued to play while thinking of what he had just experienced. It was exciting, amazing and unbelievable at the same time. The feeling was mutual with Tsanten as he ran back home. This was the most exciting day of his life yet, too bad he couldn’t tell anyone about it.

The Samson arrived and Tak got all the stuff to take. Alan came as well since it was protocol. When they touched down at Hell’s Gate they went straight to the lab and looked around for someone to give the stuff to. A scientist approached them.
“You guys with Dr. Eileen?”
“Yeah.”
“Alright, just put it over there. We’ll have a look at it. Nice work, we’ve been going over the stuff you’ve been sending us. I’m sure this’ll make Dr. Augustine’s day, provided someone hasn’t pissed her off already. ”
When they left the lab it was a good time to get some lunch so they went to the dining hall to see what was available. It was quiet with only a few people sitting down at the tables. They got some food and sat down at a table with another man not too far from them. It took Alan a while to notice it was Colonel Hilton. Their eyes met.
“Ah you, I recognize you. You’re with Dr. Eileen correct?”
“Yes sir, sergeant Alan Major.”
“Ah that’s right, sergeant Major. And that would be one of her scientists, Dr. Ling.”
“Yes sir.”
“You gentlemen care to join me?”
“Uh..sure.”

Alan moved over to sit in front of Colonel Hilton and Tak followed even though he didn’t want to. He still saw Colonel Hilton as a hostile one and avoided eye contact with him. He just kept his head down and didn’t speak, leaving Alan to do all the talking.
“So how are you boys enjoying Pandora?”
“Well, it’s nice. It’s definitely a bit unsettling at times but we’re managing to stay alive.”
“You get used to it after a while. Just remember to be alert all the time. I’ve seen what’s happened to a lot of men who underestimated this place, it’s not pretty. I remember the first time I went on a proper tour of the jungle and I’ll tell you, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I’ll admit, I was amazed and I couldn’t stop thinking about it but that ended when I saw what some of the living things can do to you.”
“Must be pretty bad.”
“Very bad, I’ve seen everything from acid burns to dismembered limbs to severed heads. You know, Dr. Augustine once said there are many dangers on Pandora, and one of the subtlest is that you may come to love it too much.”
“I’ll keep that in my mind.”
Their attention was drawn to a lady who laughed out loud while having a conversation with the man she was sitting with. They seemed like more than just friends.
“So did you have any one special back home sergeant?”
“No sir, I didn’t. I was deployed in South America so I never had time for that.”
“South America, tough place. I heard some stories about the jungle warfare going on there. You’re lucky to be alive.”
“Yeah, definitely.”
“I was sent to a few places in my time on earth. The middle east, Rwanda, North Korea, Bosnia, but that’s another story. Well anyway, people still manage to find someone special on this hell hole. I guess it’s not a bad thing since it helps people to stay mentally healthy. Some have committed suicide from depression within my time here. I guess the loneliness is just too much for some people.”
“Geez….”
“I mean there are other things which cause depression, but my point is just stay healthy sergeant.”
“Will do sir.”
Colonel Hilton could see Tak had been avoiding the conversation so he decided to test him. He directed his attention to him.
“And what about you Dr. Ling, did you have anyone special back home?”
Tak didn’t bother looking up at him. “Oh, uh…no” he said softly. He obviously didn’t want to talk to the Colonel.
“I see….”
It went quiet for a few seconds before Alan spoke.
“So what about you Colonel?”
“No, no one. I was married but my wife died before I came here.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that….from an illness?”
“No, she was killed in a bombing. Supposedly it was planned be eco terrorists but they never caught the people responsible. Well, I’ve moved on since.”
“Only thing left to do after you lose someone special.”
“That’s right, life’s tough but just keep going…. Well you two have a nice day.”
The Colonel got up and left.

Meanwhile somewhere deep in the FEBA Dr. Eileen and her group were helping out the Takahayo with their daily tasks. They were picking fruits and seeds from trees while enjoying the peace and quiet. The warmth was just enough to keep them active but not make them uncomfortable hot. It had been a while since Dr. Eileen had spent this much time with Tsuwokan. During the period of mourning after losing his mate, Dr. Eileen had visited him every day for support and comfort, she was his shoulder to lean and cry on. Over the years they had slowly become friends. Although they would never have long conversations they had managed to learn a lot from each other. As they went about their jobs a Yerik appeared from some plants. Tsuwokan told everyone to be quiet then loaded an arrow onto his bow. He slowly pulled back as he kept aim on his prey and slowly exhaling, he released the arrow. It pierced the animal’s skin and caused it to tumble to the ground. Dr. Eileen flinched at the point of impact, she still hadn’t got used to seeing things being killed. Tsuwokan went to retrieve his kill and Dr. Eileen followed him. She stood beside him as she watched him say a prayer and remove the arrow before silencing the Yerik with his knife. She had seen this many times before but it never ceased to impress her how much respect the Na’vi had for everything around them. With a Yerik and enough fruits and seeds they decided to return to hometree. On the way back Tsuwokan and Dr. Eileen walked at the back of the group while chatting to each other.
“I think you’ve forgotten some English, you were better before.” she said jokingly.
“Yes, I do not speak your language anymore. I… do not have reason.”
“Yeah I guess you don’t…. Tsuwokan I just hope you don’t see us coming here all the time as a nuisance.”
“Uh, sorry I do not understand, ahhh, noo-suns?”
“Oh, I mean I just hope you don’t mind us being here. I know it might seem like we just come here whenever we feel like it but honestly I just can’t live without being around you all so often. You’ve become my family over the years, and I couldn’t live without my family.”
“You help us for a long time, my people thankyou and the others. You are always welcome eylan.”
“Thank you…..You know I always thought you were a fast learner, you seemed to pick up English better than the others in your clan. I could teach you if you want, I know you don’t have a reason for learning our language anymore but it’ll be fun.”
Tsuwokan gave her a look which made her tingle, she didn’t know what she had said to annoy him. But the look on his face slowly turned into a small smile. He just wasn’t expecting such an offer.
“That will be good.”
They exchanged smiles and she held his arm and rested her head on his shoulder for a moment as a friendly gesture.

Tak and Alan were thinking of returning to the FEBA but before leaving Tak decided to have a look around the place. He still needed explosives if he was going to destroy the FEBA base and a few grenades weren’t going to get the job done. He needed something more powerful.
“I think we should make a trip to the armour bay.” he said to Alan.
“For what? We’ve already got a ****load of weapons, we don’t need anymore.”
“Explosives retard, we’re going to need a lot more bang than what a few grenades can give us if we plan to destroy the base. I’m sure this place has a lot more stuff to choose from. Let’s go.”
They walked to the armour bay and as usual it was busy. Vehicles were being serviced and it was full of activity, even walking through the building they went unnoticed. They came to a hell truck, as they were nicknamed, that was parked, the giant yellow beast with its huge six wheels was quite a machine. Mining explosives were being loaded onto the back and were being secured. Tak had a look at the explosives and knew that’s exactly what he needed, but as to how he would get them was the problem. They walked around the truck examining it, studying its armour and mechanics and any possible weak points. It had cameras all around which enabled the driver a view of their surroundings. The armour seemed to be thick, as well as the tires. The glass looked like standard stuff but it could be bulletproof. They had gained enough information and decided to head back to the Samson which awaited them. When they arrived back at the shacks Dr. Eileen and the others were still linked. They sat down at Tak’s desk and tried to come up with a plan.

“Well this is going to be ****en hard.” said Tak as he had no ideas how this was going to get done.
“Alright, let’s first try and think of how we get the stuff from the truck. We know one guy drives it, we know he has a view of all around him so he’ll see us coming.”
“And I’m sure security’s pretty tight, they’ll most likely have men and AMPs escorting them to and from the mines.”
“Ok but let’s just focus on how we offload the stuff. We saw they’re strapped down, and you saw how big that thing is, the tray’s gotta be at least 14 feet from the ground. I don’t think throwing it off the back’s going to be a possibility. But let’s say we manage to get hold of the stuff, how do we carry it back to wherever we’re going to keep it?”
“We’ll use the direhorses, strap it onto them and carry it back to near hometree. We’ll bury them and keep it for later use.”
“Sounds possible, now how do we find out which trucks carry the explosives?”
The both of them went silent as they tried to think of an idea and for a while nothing came to mind, but Tak soon realized something.
“….You’re probably authorised to go down to the mines, you’re military personal right?”
“Yeah go on.”
“Can’t you get yourself a shift down at the mines for a day or so? They take you there by air so you’ll get a good look at how the ****’s transported along with all the security. Maybe you can even find out how to work the explosives.”
“That could work, but there’s no guarantee that I’ll get on the list. And someone has to come here, so it’ll pretty much be an exchange. I don’t think anyone wants to sit here for a day.”
“Come on Alan, you know and I know how casual those ****ers are. They won’t care, just explain it to them in a convincing way. Say you’re sick of baby sitting and you want out for a day.”
“You think they’ll buy it?”
“Sure, and if you mention there’s a hot piece of *** named Lynda Isaac waiting for them they’ll be here in no time.”
“**** you *******…… alright I’ll give it a shot tomorrow.”

The next morning Alan went to the FEBA base with Tak to see if he could get himself on the role to go to the mines. Tak went off to the shooting range to get more minutes for his weapons training. He was getting pretty good with rifles but still needed practice with pistols. If he ever wanted to put those 50 cal pistols to good use he would need more training. Once he was done we walked out and Alan was waiting for him.
“You get it done?”
“Yeah, just. I wasn’t sounding too convincing at the start but, I took your suggestion of mentioning Lynda and it actually worked.”
“Oh wow, it did? Well that’s too bad, she’s gonna get raped.”
“Hey **** you that ****’s not funny.”
“Relax I’m joking. So when are you going?”
“Tomorrow actually, I have to be back here tonight because we leave early in the morning.”
The two returned to the shacks feeling good that things were going as planned. That afternoon Tak went out for his run in the forest with Zetey while Dr. Eileen took Dr. Brent and Dale for a long hike in their Avatars. Tak had been getting more than enough exercise in his Avatar but the others weren’t. The amount of walking they did for their research was nothing compared to what Tak would do in a day. Dr. Eileen decided to take the two to a valley she knew of which had a beautiful view of one of the rivers meandering its way through the forest covered landscape. With everyone “gone” Alan and Dr. Isaac wasted no time making the most of this rare occasion of alone time. While taking off their clothes they kissed and made their way onto Alan’s bed and quickly got themselves in the sheets. It was quite warm inside the shack and soon they were getting sweaty. After an hour of hot and sweaty but passionate sex they laid in bed, Dr. Isaac resting her head on her man’s chest.
“I have to leave later.”
“Why?”
“I’m on the role for a shift down at the mines tomorrow, chopper leaves early in the morning so I have to stay the night at the base.”
“But I don’t want you to go.”
“I don’t want to go either, but it’s only going to be for one day.”
“So is someone going to replace you for tomorrow?”
“Yeah, someone will be here.”
“Uh, I hate those *******s. You know how many times I’ve been stared at and hit on? I’m so sick of it.”
“Well, you didn’t seem to mind me.”
“That’s because you constantly weren’t trying to get into my pants. You’re different.”
“Hmm, that’s nice to know. Just don’t pay him any attention and he’ll leave you alone.”
“Of course I won’t, I’ve got everything I want right here.”

It was an early wake up for Alan but he managed to get himself ready for a long day down at the mine. With his gear on and his rifle in his hand he got onto the Samson with the other security guards and took off. On the way he could see a never ending landscape of green with some very large trees sticking out the canopy. As they flew a group of Tetrapterons flew beside them. They were magnificent looking creatures with their beautiful shades of blue and purple, their sleek body and ferocious looking head. Alan was watching them gracefully from his seat until he heard gunfire and watched as some of the Tetrapterons were opened up with bullet holes and fell to their death. Some of the men decided it would be fun to shoot them down, a moving target is always fun, especially if it doesn’t fight back. He looked over to the men who were laughing and cheering, impressed with themselves at their pathetic attempt of trying to prove themselves as tough guys, then looked back into the open. Soon they were flying over the track which went from the mine to Hell’s Gate. Below Alan could see a few hell trucks making their way to the mine but none of them appeared to have a load in the back. The Samson touched down and the men hopped off, making their way straight to the command centre. Inside was where all the logistics took place, people making sure Unobtanium was being mined and delivered on schedule. The main room had a large glass screen with a timetable showing what would be arriving or leaving at what time. Alan only got a glimpse as he had to be elsewhere but he knew this was the place to come and have a look. Since it was his first day he had to be briefed on what went on at the mine and what his responsibilities were. A very quick explanation by the commander and he was ready to get out there although it was all quite a bit to take in at once but to sum it up, just keep yourself and others around you alive. Alan stepped out into the open. There was no grass, just dirt. He made his way along the perimeter of the mine to where he had been told to go. As he walked along the fence he looked down into the giant hole that was been carved into the earth. A massive excavator was scraping the walls of the hole and with every rotation of the giant rotor, thousands of tons of soil were been taken out. There was no one near his area so it was a pointless job. Looking into the forest which stopped just before the fence he could see a few stingbats hanging upside down from the tree branches, observing as these skypeople destroyed their world. If it was any other person they would’ve killed them all in an instant but Alan just watched them. It was turning out to be the most boring day on Pandora yet and seemed like an eternity for his break to arrive. He knew what he had to do so he made his way into the logistics room. Pretending to just look around, he did his best to mind his own business. No one seemed to care for his presence, the people just sat at their desks continuing with their boring work or did something else to kill time. He had a look at the timetable and scanned across, one row after another to see if there would be any explosives coming in. Truck 6 was due to arrive in two days at 10:45am, perfect. He found out what he needed and left the room.

The sun was setting and after a long day Alan’s shift was finally over, never did he want to do that again. He entered the shack and went straight to his bed. Dropping his rifle and exopack on the floor, he fell onto the mattress. It felt so good to finally lie down after a whole day of walking around for hours. Dr. Isaac came in and sat down next to him.
“So how was it?”
“It was ****, the most boring thing I’ve done here. I’m never doing that again.”
“Hahaha, well I’m glad you’re back.”
“How’s my replacement been treating you?”
“Uh, he’s ****ing retarded. I’ve made it so clear to him that I’m not interested but he just doesn’t get it.”
“Well it’s time for him to go, I’ll go tell him.”
Alan got up and told the man it was time for him to leave. When it was time for dinner they all gathered and asked Alan what his day at the mine was like. Tak was at his desk finishing off some final data inputting. Dr. Eileen called him to the table as they had made dinner using the lab equipment they had, nothing like a home cooked meal with Bunsen burners, beakers and gauze mats.
“Tak aren’t you hungry? It’s really nice.”
“Yeah…I’ll be there…..just need to finish this first…..done.”
Tak saved his work, turned the computer off and took a seat.
“What’s this?”
“It’s some Yerik meat, some vegies and gravy. We got given from the other day.”
Tak was starving and he dug into his meal. It tasted unbelievably delicious. It was just like a steak back on earth but with no fat around the edges and it was perfectly medium rare, just how he liked it. The topic changed from Alan’s day to how they should cook more instead of eating the fake **** that sat in the fridge. After dinner Alan shared everything he found out with Tak. Dr. Eileen never knew what they were discussing together in private but she thought it was either guns or girls, typical guy stuff.
“We might be able to pull this off pretty easily, the track’s just a clearing through the forest so we could easily ambush the truck. There’s no security escorting the trucks to and from the mines and the trucks are very far apart.”
“In that case, I say we jack those mother****ers.”
“Yeah, I wish it was that easy too, but if there’s any disturbance HQ will know instantly and they’ll send support. We need to keep the truck moving so they think nothing’s going on. What we can do is get onto the back and offload the stuff. You can get one of your friends to fly you in from above and once you’re on just throw it down to us, the explosives are just packs of plastique strapped to a detonator so they won't explode if you throw them. There’s also a guy who watches the payload so you’ll have to take him out cos there’s no way he won’t notice you. Just get as many as possible and we get out of there.”
“Sounds good, so when’s this happening?”
“Two more days, a truck’s meant to arrive at the mine at 10:45 so we should be at the waiting point by 10.”
“10am it is….. I think for this one you should just stay here.”
“Why? You still don’t think I’m cut out for this stuff?”
“No no, I just need you to stay here. I don’t want anyone getting suspicious as to why we’re both gone all the time. Don’t worry I know what to do, get on truck, offload stuff, get the **** out of there.”
“….Alright, I’ll stay. But you can’t **** this up.”

The day came and everyone was ready. Tak had informed Tsuwokan of the operation who then decided to ask the help of his ally. No tawtute blood would be spilled for this job but if it was going to help in defeating the skypeople then he was up for it. The nameless Na’vi leader called some of his brothers and sisters and they waited in position. Tsuwokan and Tak were looking for the truck from above. As Alan said there was one approaching the waiting point a little after 10am. They began their descent and Tak got ready to jump off. With his mask on and dirt covering parts of his face and arms he was ready to get the job done. Tsuwokan flew his banshee to the rear of the truck and as he approached it he slowed down. Tak jumped off and landed on the back. Tsuwokan quickly took off and kept watch from high above. The second operator saw one of the blue savages had landed on the back. He notified the driver and got out of the cabin to check it out. With his pistol loaded he cautiously looked around the corners of the blocks of explosives. Tak wasn’t aware that he had been spotted so he started cutting the straps off. As he was about to pull out a plastique he was interrupted. “Hey! What the **** are you doing?!” he yelled with his pistol aimed at Tak. It was a risky move but Tak decided act quick and disarm him. He grabbed the pistol and tried to point it away but the man quickly reacted and pulled the trigger. The bullet went into Tak’s torso, just below his chest, but it was only after he took the gun away that the pain kicked in. He ignored the sting of the bullet and threw the gun away, then picked the man up by the back of his shirt and threw him off the back. The man hit the ground and rolled, then moved slightly as if he’d just got the **** kicked out of him. He looked to his left to see the Na’vi following with their horses. He signalled them to come out and he began dropping off the packs of plastique. Two horse riders hopped off and threw the explosives into sacs as they hit the ground while the others kept an eye out for enemies with their loaded bows. When the sacs were full they returned into the forest and the Na’vi leader nodded to Tak to tell him he did a good job. Tak looked up and waved to Tsuwokan to come and pick him up. Tsuwokan manoeuvred his Ikran carefully onto the back of the truck and Tak got on. Just as they were about to take off the truck driver looked behind him, wondering why his assistant hadn’t returned, to see a huge banshee taking off with two of the blue savages riding on it. He knew something was wrong but it was too late. As they headed back to meet up with their accomplices Tsuwokan noticed Tak’s injury.
“You are hurt!”
“It’s nothing, don’t worry.”
“We can help you when we return.”
“It’s nothing, I’ll just have to wash my singlet, explain the bullet hole and hide my wound.”

Chapter 25

It was extremely quiet and the smell of smoke filled the air. The usual blue sky was a dull and lifeless dark grey and the forest was dead. There were no animals to be seen, not even the small creatures which dwelled on the forest floor or the trees. Tak had a feeling that something was very wrong. It was hot and he was sweating alot. He continued to walk through the deserted forest, only able to hear his footsteps. His vision was limited by the smoke and every step he took slowly revealed what was around him. An extremely foul smell suddenly hit him but he couldn’t see anything. He continued and saw what looked like a blue figure on the ground. He stopped and stared at it, then around him in suspicion. Something definitely wasn’t right. Walking closer to the blue figure revealed more of them. He was finally close enough to identify what were dead Na’vi covering the ground. Their bodies had been disfigured in some way and were covered in blood and dirt. As he walked through this tomb of the mutilated he filled with anger, hatred and rage. There were adults and children, even babies, with gunshots, cuts, dismembered limbs, severed heads, bodies burnt to the crisp and some exposing internal organs. Tak spotted a child who was facing down and for some reason decided to kneel down, turn him over and look at his face. When he saw the boy he felt a pulse of anger run through his body. He was holding the dead body of Tsanten in his arms. He was going to find who was responsible for this massacre and make them suffer. Unable to do anything else, he slowly lowered his dead friend to lay on the ground. He got back up and walked around. As he asked to himself what the **** had happened here, he found another body but this time he feared he knew who it was. An adult with their braids tied in a bunch. He went to the body, kneeled down again and turned it to face him. It was Zetey looking right at him with lifeless eyes open, blood from her mouth and multiple gunshots. Tak closed his eyes and turned away. He gripped tight of her body with his hands and arms drenched in blood as he tried to keep his composure but it was too much. He looked up at the grey sky and yelled at the top of his lungs, letting out the immense anger that filled him. It began to rain heavily with thunder roaring down. Tak looked at his friend one more time, her eyes were gold and beautiful but it only fed his hunger for revenge. Holding her, he looked at the sky again. A jolt of lightning crackled powerfully and blinded him. That’s when he woke up in his bed, his heart racing and his face and back covered in sweat. He took deep breaths to try and calm down. Maybe his drug habit had transferred his hallucinations into nightmares. Wiping his face, he tried to go back to sleep.

Tak was about to go fishing with Zetey one afternoon when Tsuwokan unexpectedly interrupted and told he had to come with him. Tak didn’t want to go, nor did he know what this was about but Tsuwokan never took him away so it must’ve been important. He went to Zetey to explain this unfortunate incident.
“Sorry but I can’t hang out with you today, something came up and I have to go.... like, now... so yeah...”
“Is something wrong?”
“No no, nothing really, I just need to, uh... just go help out with something.... I think. I’ll try to finish as soon as possible and I’ll come right back, I promise.”
Zetey was disappointed but she let it go, it’s not like this was going to happen all the time. With a smile she nodded a goodbye and went on her own. Tak knew where to find her if he was to return. Tsuwokan began walking out of the village and Tak followed. They made their way through the forest which looked the same from any direction if you didn’t know your way around and in this case Tak didn’t know where they were going.
“So what the **** is it that’s so important that you had to drag me away from my awesome fishing trip.”
“Uhh, you still speak words I do not understand.”
Tak closed his eyes and sighed. It was like a face palm without putting face to palm. “What are we doing?”
“He wants to speak to you.”
“Who?”
“He...”
It took a while for Tak to figure out who this was but eventually he got it “Oh him, right.”
They eventually arrived at the place which Tak recognized, the many huts which were setup around a central open space deep in the forest. There was smoke coming from the fire place with some of the clan members gathered around. As the two entered the village they were looked upon and the leaser approached them. With a nod to greet them, he walked with them to the fire.
“My brothers, would you like to join us?”
Tsuwokan wasn’t interested so he declined the offer but Tak was starving, his stomach had been grumbling since he had woken up in the tent. He nodded and went to sit down with the others. Roasting over the fire were human limbs, the skin slowly melting away as the flesh underneath cooked. The leader handed him a forearm with the hand still intact. The fingers were charred and the skin was moist with blood and juices which oozed out. Tak took his meal by the stick which was stabbed through the bottom and spun it around while looking at it. It was just like the giant slabs of meat which roasted in the kebab stores back on earth, but not as appetising. Still, it was better than nothing so without hesitation he bit into the arm and ate away. He was so hungry that he disregarded the taste and ate like a savage beast that had just killed its prey and was feasting like there was no tomorrow, and in doing so the savage beast within him was slowly coming out. He devoured the arm of its meat and dropped the bone on the ground. He saw that no one else was helping themselves to what remained so he took half a leg and began eating. The Na’vi leader was impressed and smiled.
“What do you want to talk to me about?” asked Tak as he ate.
“I thought I was a good leader, but it seems that there is someone better than me. You know the skypeople better than any of us, after all you are one of them. I want you to lead the attack on them. We have the stuff and we have prepared ourselves, now we are waiting for your word.”
“It does not work like that.”
“Why?”
“If you attack now then you will be starting a war you cannot finish, you will also be putting others in danger, others who are not part of your clan. Attacking first is more than enough of an excuse for them to kill you all so you must be patient. Wait for them to strike first, then your revenge will seem understandable. It is a risk we must take.”
“What if that does not work?”
“It will work.”

Days past and nothing happened. Tak would wake up every morning hoping the team would receive a report of Na’vi murders but the mercs didn’t step out of line. He was also still regularly having horrid dreams which he would always wake up from early in the morning which was just before he would get enough sleep but just after there was enough time for him to get enough rest. When this happened he would feel tired during the day, unable to fully concentrate on what he had to do. Daily life was becoming a drag and he wanted it to end but everyday he would grind his way through. Getting into his Avatar was now the easy part of the day since he would feel refreshed and was ready to get out and do stuff. All those days running through the forest with Zetey were showing through as he could now keep up with her a lot easier. He was also getting to know the place very well and at the same time getting up and close with a lot of the plants and animals. Every day was like a field trip with the greatest teacher any student could ask for who would let them go anywhere and see, even touch, anything they wanted to. Dr. Eileen had also been spending time with Tsuwokan, picking up where they had last stopped with the English lessons. She couldn’t tell if he was enjoying their time together but one thing was for sure, he was a good student, patient and always willing to learn. Even though he never smiled or showed signs of having fun, he was determined and never gave up and that’s why he was her favourite student ever since day one. Tak was practicing his scales and sweep picking one night when Dr. Eileen had some exciting news for him.

“Watcha doin there guitar master?”
“Uuh... not much.”
“So, I just talked with Dr. Augustine, and since we’re the only ones out here she wants me to do some field work for her and I was wondering if you would like to come along.” she said sounding very cheerful.
“What is it?”
“We’re going to follow the river past the FEBA base which will take us to a direhorse grazing site. Grace wants me to do a population count and record some stuff, I guess she’s concerned because the wildlife in that area hasn’t been checked on in a while. It’s a hot spot for those ass holes to go hunting in.”
“Nice.”
“Yeah and you know what, it’s actually near where the Tipikaya are so if we’re lucky we might meet a few of them. Well I’ve never actually got to know them so they may not be so friendly, I mean we don’t want a repeat of what...happened to you and...”
It went silent for a bit until Dr. Eileen thought of something to say.
“Well anyway it would be great if you came along, it’s always safer to go with someone rather than yourself.”
“....when?”
“Oh, could be anytime, even tomorrow.”
“.....alright.”
“Great! Then we’ll go tomorrow.”

Morning finally came and Dr. Eileen got up to get ready. Even before her breakfast which included a coffee she was fully awake and couldn’t wait to get out there. She went over to Tak and woke him up as well although it was a bit early. He ignored her the first few times until she ripped off his bed blanket and got right in his ear to tell him “WAKE UP”. By the time he was ready to go everyone had also woken up and the links were running. Tak went to his which was next to his desk and lied down. When he woke up he could still taste yesterday’s meal in his mouth. The meaty taste and some of the muscle fibres still stuck in between his teeth. He removed them with his fingers and spat it out. After packing their backpacks the two of them headed off and on the way Dr. Eileen talked about the direhorses of the area they were going to. They decided to stick to the side which was opposite the base as they didn’t want to attract any attention from the mercs as they walked past. Although they couldn’t be harmed as members of the AVTR program, there was always the possibility that they would be “mistaken for one of them”. They reached the FEBA base and luckily their side still retained the rich forest. As they walked past it Tak examined it. He had never seen it from this side of the river and couldn’t help but to think how misplaced it looked, it was as if it was just dropped from above. They continued their way when they could hear the sound of engines roaring towards them. They hid behind some plants and watched from cover as the sound got louder. Three Gators came roaring down the river loaded with armed men. Dr. Eileen didn’t like the looks of this. She began to lose her composure.
“What the **** are they doing here?” she said in an aggressive tone.
“Hopefully not what I’m thinking.”
“****ing heartless bastards..... I don’t feel like going anymore.”
“What, so you just want to go back?”
“What’s the point?! They’re probably all dead!”
“You don’t know that, let’s just go see for ourselves.”
They both agreed to continue ahead. Dr. Eileen dreaded that her direhorses had been massacred and were now lying dead in a field of blood. For the rest of the walk she was silent. When they reached the field there were no direhorses in sight. Dr. Eileen’s heart sank but she decided to search the area just to be sure. Tak went into the growth of trees to find a few licking nectar out of pitcher plants. He observed them as they enjoyed the sweet golden syrup, seeming fine with his presence. One looked at him for a while resuming its business. Dr. Eileen found Tak with the direhorses and was relieved that they were unharmed.
“Oh, thank god they’re ok. I was really worried they’d been killed.”
“I guess they were just staying out of the sun, it’s pretty hot today.”
“Yeah, well then more of them are probably doing the same. We should look around here. I’ll just add these guys to the count.”
She took out her clipboard and put them on the count and proceeded to write down some points. They looked healthy and showed no signs of tawtute inflicted injuries. After recording enough information the two moved on in search for more direhorses. They moved deeper into the forest and found a large group of them resting within a field of beautiful plants. They were surrounded by flowers and larger plants with all their lush and vibrant colours, standing out in a background composed of many shades of green and brown. Beams of light would shoot through pockets in the canopy and light up patches on the ground. Tak was overwhelmed by how beautiful and peaceful this place was. One plant which got Tak’s attention was the Chalice, a very large pitcher plant which has a pink opening and lid with a purple tube. The sweet smell of its nectar was strong and irresistible to some creatures which would be drawn to it and fall into the opening, unable to get out and slowly be digested by the enzymes in the nectar. Dr. Eileen counted the direhorses while Tak went around checking their outside for injuries, then both went around measuring them and distinguishing whether they were males or females. By looking for certain characteristics they could also tell which were foals and which were adults. After their job was done they sat down amongst the direhorses and relaxed, looking at the natural beauty that surrounded them. They began discussing the habitat and eventually got to talking about the Pa’li’s love for the nectar.
“It’s really sweet, trust me you’ll love it” she said, and so Tak dipped his finger in a pitcher plants and licked the nectar. It was beautiful and he couldn’t resist but to try more. Soon his mouth and fingers were covered in the stuff and a nearby horse smelt the scent off his face and began licking him.
“Hey stop! Bad horse! Get away, stop licking me!”
“Ahahahahaha! He likes you.”
It was always nice to get out of the lab and immerse themselves into Pandora but after all they were here to do a job, not to mention for head scientist Dr. Augustine, so they didn’t spend too much time sitting down. They decided to travel across the grass field and follow the river which would lead them into the Tipikaya’s hunting grounds. It was amazing how much the landscape changed during their journey. From the FEBA to here, the ground would steadily elevate into small hills with some rocks and eventually become tall cliffs covered in moss and vines. In the distance Tak could see a green valley with rocky cliffs sticking out and looking up in the sky were colonies of floating mountains. The blue sky with some clouds added the finishing touch for what was the perfect shot. Too bad he didn’t bring the camera because this was priceless. As he took in the amazing view a small smile was forming on his face. Dr. Eileen caught him in one of his rare moments where he was actually happy.
“You like this place?”
“I love it.”
“It’s amazing isn’t it? Some people just don’t know what they’re missing out on.... My love for this world will never end.”
“Yeah, and I guess mine’s just getting started.”
“Sure is, there’s so much more.”
“Like the floating mountains up there?”
“Yep, those truly are magnificent. Maybe one day you’ll get to go up there and see for yourself just how amazing they are, not to mention the view you get.”

They entered the forest again and searched for more Pa’li but none were in sight. The growth of plants was quite thick and they were doubting whether the horses would come this far but still they searched the area. With the numbers they had counted Dr. Augustine would be disappointed so they continued their search.
“So far we’ve got 28, I really was hoping to find more because this place is so perfect for the Pa’li. Some of them must’ve migrated to somewhere else.”
“Yeah, or maybe those dick heads scared them away.”
“It’s such a shame. God I hate those dicks, I want to punch them in their ****ing faces. Especially that guy that wanted to fight you in the cafeteria, remember?”
“Ofcourse, what’s his name?”
“Terry, Rolfe Terry. I know because he once accompanied me and some other Avatars. We were doing some field work when some Tetrapterons woke up from the branches above. He and his gang killed them all because he said they became hostile. I’ll never forget that son of a bitch.”
They were aimlessly walking around and came to a wall of vines and roots. Thinking it was another dead end they decided to turn back when Dr. Eileen heard a faint sound.

“You hear that?”
“.....Yeah, sounds like someone’s crying.”
They broke their way through only to find a horrific site, a group of Na’vi had been killed. This was no accident or natural death, this was a massacre and the bullet holes in the bodies said so. Dr. Eileen looked in horror and shock as tears slowly built up but she was unable to say anything. Her heart was pounding and she was trembling. In the middle of it all was a young Na’vi girl crying as she held in her arms another dead girl. Her tears fell onto her dead friend and mixed with the blood. Dr. Eileen felt immense agony but Tak only felt anger, the type of anger which drives you over the edge and makes you want to kill, and with that he knew who to kill. All he had to do to be exact was to find out who was on the three boats that passed him along the river. Unable to do anything he decided to return with Dr. Eileen. He held her by the shoulders and gently pulled her away.
“There’s nothing we can do now, let’s just go back.”
When they woke up in the shacks Dr. Eileen’s emotionless face soon turned into one of anger and sadness. Her crying was unexplainable to the others but it wasn’t a good sign. Dr. Brent comforted her while asking what happened but once she had calmed down she ignored his question and went straight to her desk to try and establish a video conversation with Colonel Hilton. He appeared on her screen and despite how she felt, her anger was too much and she didn’t know what to say.
“Dr. are you alright? Is something wrong?”
“You’re goddamn ****ing right something’s wrong. What did they do this time? Tell me! Tell right ****ing now!”
“If you don’t calm down then I’m just going to end this, it’s your call.”
She took a few deep breaths and regained her composure before continuing.
“....I just got back from doing some field work and what I saw was definitely no accident. A whole group of Na’vi shot dead and you’re telling me to calm down, I’ll calm down after you tell me what your reasons for that were!”
“I never gave any orders for such actions! Do not be so quick to start pointing fingers!”
“Bull**** Hilton! Your pets won’t make a move unless you order them to, I know because I saw three boats loaded with men returning to the FEBA base as I was heading there so don’t bull**** me!”
Colonel Hilton put his face in his hands as his day had just got a lot ****tier. When it seemed like it was going to be just another average day someone accuses him of ordering a massacre on the natives which he knows absolutely nothing about. He wasn’t going to deal with this over a video conversation because that always resulted in a never ending argument.
“.......I’m sending a pilot to pick you up. You and anyone else who was with you comes.”
And with that he ended the conversation.

The sun was setting and the sky filled with orange. As Dr. Eileen watched Alpha Centuri A sink into the horizon the sickening feeling she felt when she saw the horror earlier in the day returned as she couldn’t get it off her mind. For the whole trip the both of them were silent. When they landed at Hell’s Gate they went to the Colonel’s office in the control tower to see the Colonel sitting at his desk with Sergeant Terry standing in front of the desk, they wondered why he was here.
“Finally, you’re here. Now we can begin discussing this matter. So Dr. why don’t you begin with what happened?”
“Why is he here?”
“Well Sergeant Terry here was one of the few who went up the river. I’ve brought him here as I would like to hear both sides of the story.”
Dr. Eileen frowned then slowly snarled at him as her breathing got heavier.
“You....you mother****er, you mother****er! You mother****er! I’ll ****ing kill you, I’ll ****ing kill you you son of a bitch!” she yelled as she had lost all control of her emotions and lunged at him, throwing a punch and striking him in the face. She grabbed onto him and hit him as hard as she could while he tried to defend himself. Tak just stood and watched, he wasn’t going to do **** to stop this, so Colonel Hilton had to jump from behind his desk and restrain her. He held on to her tight and she eventually calmed down and dropped to the floor crying. Security came rushing in and she was taken to the holding cell. Hilton sat back down while Terry wiped the blood from his nose.
“Next time don’t hesitate to restrain your colleagues, now where were we..... tell me exactly what happened.”
“Well, me and doc were on our way to do some field work s asked by Dr. Augustine, and as we were walking along the river we heard boats approaching so we hid behind some plants and-“
“Why did you do that?”
“...because these retards are too ****ing stupid to tell as apart from the natives, we probably would’ve been shot at.”
“Go on.”
“...We see three boats loaded with armed men heading back to base, and knowing you people have a history of killing the wildlife for fun, we thought the direhorses we were meant to observe might have been killed.”
“And you’re certain that they were armed?”
“Yeah, I’m certain.”
“Ok, continue.”
“So we get to the site and we find the direhorses unharmed, and after we finish there we decide to go to another place. We enter the forest and hear a faint sound of someone crying. We get closer to the sound, and we see a group of Na’vi all shot dead.”
“....Is that all?......Alright, sergeant, care to explain what happened? There’s no doubt that you were there, I have confirmed reports that three boats were taken and you were on one of them.”
“Yeah, we took three gators up there.”
“What were you doing there?”
“The motors had just been fixed so we decided to take em’ for a run.”
“And why were there so many of you?”
“They got to be able to function with a full load.”
“.....Go on.”
“So we continue up and see a group of them, a uh, hunting party perhaps. They were armed so we got ready to bring the pain.”
“....Did you shoot first?”
“No sir, we were engaged. We were sitting ducks out there so we had to return fire.”
“Why didn’t you just retreat?”
“Well sir, you can’t turn those boats around in an instance.”
Hilton did his best to take everything into consideration to make it fair as possible. He was having difficulty believing Terry’s story but the lack of evidence wasn’t enough to punish him. He sighed and rubbed his face as he was getting tired.
“....Alright sergeant, I’ve heard enough. I’ll be further discussing this another time but for now you’re dismissed.”
Terry gave Tak a smirk before leaving. Tak could’ve killed him with his bare hands on the spot but he didn’t react. He remained where he was stood.
“I understand how you must feel about this, but I’ve done my best to listen to both sides and there’s nothing more I can do. I’m sorry, but in the end my job is to keep people safe, and if that means dismissing the death of a few natives for the sake of not starting a war then so be it. If I could discuss some sort of deal or treaty with them I would, I really would.”
Now Tak gave Hilton a smirk.
“It’s too late, the 11th hour’s passed.”

Tak and Dr. Eileen returned early the next morning after a night at Hell’s Gate and as soon as they got there Tak sat down on his bed. Alan came, wanting to know what had happened but Tak wasn’t going to talk with the others gathered so Alan asked the others to leave.
“Hey what happened? Did they find who did it?”
“.....We do this now, and you’re coming with me.”
“.....Ok, ok.”
“Get some casual clothes, a hat and the security pass. Meet me outside.”
He went to his link and into his Avatar. The others thought it was just his introvert way of dealing with the situation, escaping for a few hours of alone time, but he had other plans. Alan explained to them that it was protocol for all non military personal to be escorted at all times. Tak found Tsuwokan at hometree and without explaining told him that it was going to happen. Without gathering his two best warriors he followed Tak out and they got weapons from the secret stash. With the 50 cal. Hydra in his hands, the grenade launcher around his shoulder, his pockets filled with grenades and his war mask on they moved out. On their way Tak explained things to tsuwokan and once they reached their secret allies and explained to them that now was time for war, a small army was quickly formed. The explosives were loaded onto direhorses and they moved out. This was alot for Alan to take in as he hadn’t been introduced to Tak’s new friends. They all stopped before entering the open. Alan got changed into his casual clothes.

“Go in and do your best to disable the turrets and open the gate if possible. Just try to figure it out and once you do, stay there. Keep your head down and don’t attract attention. No eye contact, and keep your hat down.”
“What if I can’t?”
“I’ll open it myself.”
Alan understood what to do. He made his way to the control room. With every step inside the building his heart pounded as he did his best to not crumble under the intense pressure. Although there was hardly anyone walking the corridors it felt like everywhere eyes watched him. Meanwhile Tak was preparing the explosives, opening the packs of explosives and stuffing a grenade into the packs then setting the timer to eight seconds. As he explained the plan the warriors gathered.
“When I give the sign you will place these around the place, I will tell you where. Once you do you pull this out. After you pull it out you do not have much time before it explodes, so run as far away as you can. We will kill all the skypeople first then place these around the place. You saw my friend, do not attack him.”
And so they waited for Alan to do his part who was now entering the control room. There weren’t many people and a few looked at him they weren’t concerned. He sat down at an unused computer and looked at the security pass, entered the name and the password. It took a while but the account was still active. He proceeded to figuring out how to disable the defence system. He had actually done a little bit of this sort of stuff back on earth when he was part of a number of missions which required infiltrating bases and shutting down the defences but this was trickier. The war party waited patiently, watching the turrets scan the open, then suddenly they stopped and the gate opened. They charged in and killed anyone they saw. Soon the base was on alert and all military personnel were outside, outnumbered and unable to put up a good fight. Tak blew open the entrance to the main building with the grenade launcher and the Pandoran air poured in. The people inside panicked and were running around so Alan took this opportunity to blend in and make his escape. Tak saw him run out the other gate but no one else followed so he had decided to bring the place down with the people inside, it would save time and ammo. There wasn’t much to take cover behind and some of the Na’vi had suffered wounds but kept fighting. Tak went to another exit and waited for it to open. As soon as it did, mercs came out and he wasted them with the uranium tipped rounds which shredded them to pieces. The rounds went through a whole squad and they fell like dominos in the doorway. Once the fighting stopped he signalled for the explosives and they were soon brought out. As he waited he looked around to see slain bodies around the base with arrows sticking out and severed limbs and heads. Some had been gutted with entrails left hanging out. Whether they were armed or not, they were to all die. Tak was handed an explosive which he detonated and threw into the main entrance. He ran to the middle of the base and watched as it exploded and from inside, the whole building collapsed. Glass from the control tower exploded and smoke and dust blew out. Tak then told others to take out the hanger and the medical centre. The explosives were placed on the fuel tanks and the explosion was the largest and loudest any Na’vi had witnessed. The medical centre was last to go, but there was still work to do. Tak got a group to help him push the boats onto land. They pushed them into the base and once they were lined up, Tak dumped an explosive on them. The same was done with the SWANs and with a final explosion it was finally over. After years of bloodshed the FEBA had finally been taken back, and justice for all who had suffered. Tak held his gun high and his war party yelled in victory. The atmosphere was one like never before, it felt like they’re voices moved the skies above them and echoed throughout Pandora, letting the skypeople know their time was coming to an end. Alan got chills down his spine. He got changed and they all left and returned to their separate homes. When Tak awoke he laid in the link and took in what he had just accomplished. A major victory indeed, but what this would lead to he didn’t know. As Alan came through the door Dr. Isaac rushed to him.
“Oh thank god you’re ok. I was so worried.”
“I’m ok, I’m fine.”
“It was getting late and then we heard explosions in the distance. What happened?”
“I don’t know but we heard them to.”
“I’m just glad you’re safe.”
With no one watching they shared a kiss and held each other for a while.

That night it was Dr. Eileen who had been quiet. She had barely talked for the whole day and had been drinking heavily to try and get rid of the horrific images in her head. With a bottle of whiskey she stumbled to the bath room and fell next to the toilet. She leaned over the seat and closed her eyes. The images of the dead Na’vi shot dead and covered in blood made her sick to her stomach and she threw up. It was late and it had been a long day. Dr. Dale and Brent decided to go to sleep. Dr. Isaac then sat down on Alan’s lap and they hugged. Seeing Dr. Eileen look like absolute **** was unsettling and she didn’t like it. She was used to seeing a happy, bright and enthusiastic woman with a never ending smile, not a depressed drunk who tried to drink her problems away. With all this going on, Tak just sat at his desk thinking of the victory he shared with his brothers and sisters.