Vendetta.

[Bigoldfrog]

You mentioned early on that the protagonist has some strong similarities to you and I think the love resulting from this relationship really comes through in your writing.
Excellent work so far.

If you haven't already (and I really am as tired as I feel), try posting your story on Fanfiction (dot) net. For a story this well composed you should get at the very least a few responses/ critiques.

[tm20]

thank you very much 1 response is probably nothing to most authors but it's alot to me. i have posted this on fanfic.net and so far no replies but that doesn't discourage me, i'm going to finish this story. i also tried to make the main character not too much like me. some things i threw in of myself were love to draw, plays guitar, does judo (i wish i did karate as well) and not talkative to some people in real life. i read somewhere that basing characters on yourself is not good but i have no originality when it comes to writing so i thought.... why not myself but thankyou for your feedback, it's well appreciated

[tm20]

Chapter 26

Dr. Eileen woke up in her bed with a massive headache. The foul aftertaste of alcohol and vomit polluted her mouth and it felt yuck. She rubbed her eyes and her vision slowly cleared to see Tak walking through the doorway. He walked over and sat down on her bed next to her.
“....What happened last night?”
“You tried to finish that bottle of whiskey and then threw up in the toilet while crying so I held you up to the sink so you could wash your mouth out and then threw you into bed.”
“....I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t worry, you’ve been nice to me for the past two months so this was the least I could do.”
“What about the others? What are they up to?”
“Working, or at least pretending to work, bunch of lazy ****ers.”
Dr. Eileen smiled and patted his hand.
“Thanks for taking care of me.”
“Like I said, it’s nothing, but now it’s time you take care of them. They won’t get anything done unless you’re there so get up and have a shower, you look and smell like ****.”
Letting out a small laugh she slowly got up and walked to the shower. Tak went back to his desk to see the others still doing nothing but talking to each other. Some days it felt like he did absolutely everything and he was sick of it. Alan pulled up next to him in a chair.
“Well, now that everyone knows the FEBA base is gone and we haven’t been questioned over it I guess we can take time to relax.” said Tak as he stained a few samples with iodine.
“Yeah....I guess we can.”
“What’s wrong with you?”
“....I can’t stop thinking of yesterday. I was disabling the turrets when one of them saw me, he tried to stop me and the others soon noticed. It just felt like something inside me took control and I killed them, all.”
“You did what you had to do.”
“You know I barely slept last night?”
“You can cry all you want about it but what’s been done has been done, so don’t be such a *****.”
“Easy for you to say, you don’t feel anything.....and I never knew you had so many friends, got yourself a little army.”
“You met them before, you forget?”
“I don’t remember there being that many of them, you’ve never actually properly introduced me to them.”
“Well now you know.”

Dr. Eileen was feeling better physically but she still had emotions trapped inside her and she needed to let them out. Her memories of the horror were still fresh and she wanted them gone but didn’t know what to do, she just wanted to cry. Being trapped in a shack didn’t help so she decided to escape for a while in her other body. As she walked through the peaceful forest which surrounded her she anticipated stumbling upon a dead animal or even a dead Na’vi and it was hell. She continuously looked around in paranoia, thinking the RDA was watching her. Extremely unsettled she stopped and sat down with her back against a tree, she had walked so far that she didn’t even know where she was. With her head in her hands she closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind but it only made it worse. She could still see the blood covered bodies and hear the cry of the lone survivor. Tears began running down her face as she sat helpless, her emotions eating her away. All she could hear was her weeping. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. She stopped weeping and looked up to see Tsuwokan kneeling in front of her with a concerned look on his face. She felt calm for a little while and got up on her knees to slowly hug him and when he reached out to hug her she broke into tears again. She hugged him tightly, frightened and in complete disarray like a child who had lost their parent.
“I know what happened.” said Tsuwokan softly as he tried to calm her down.
“It was horrible, I can’t stop thinking about it.” Her voice was unsteady as her emotions took over.
“You are safe now.”
“But what about those who died? It’s too late for them, and what about their families? What if they get blamed for what happened yesterday?......There’s nothing I can do to bring them back.”
“It is not your fault.”
He was right, it wasn’t her fault, but it would be partly his if the wrong people ended up paying the price for his actions. He stood up and pulled Dr. Eileen up with him after she had settled down and wiped her tears.
“I must return, there are things to do.”
“.....Yeah, ok.”
With a smile and a gentle pat on her shoulder he picked up his bow and returned. Dr. Eileen had been his shoulder to cry on in the past and now he was returning the favour. She felt better and so she decided to return.
Back at the shack Tak was reading a message he had received from Yuki.

“Hi Tak, how are you? OMG did you hear about what happened at the FEBA? The military base was completely destroyed and everyone there was killed! They think explosives were used and suspect it wasn’t the Na’vi who planned it, everyone’s saying it’s that traitor. You’re not too far from there so you probably heard the explosion or saw the smoke. I just hope things between us and them don’t get out of control.

Anyway, you also probably know that RDA setup a new biochemical weapons department. They assigned a team of scientists to work at a new lab in the middle of nowhere and I was one of them, so lame. So here I am in this **** hole, trying to find new ways for people back on earth to kill each other. At least it’ll reduce the world population LOL. But this place is just dead. The vehicles have ripped out all the grass and now it’s just rocks and mud, no plants, just heavy machinery. The grass returns and there’s actually beautiful forest and water in the area but we can’t go there, we have to stay here. Oh yeah, next to our lab are a few barracks and we have to live with these dumbass military douches! I hate it, we all do. This isn’t what I came here to do! Well, at least you’re having an awesome time.

By the way I’ve got a Samson just for the science team and I can use it anytime so if you ever need anything airlifted or need to go somewhere just ask me, I’d love to get away from here sometime. Well, talk to you later. Kiyevame (as the Na’vi say hahaha)
Yuki”

Yesterday had been a bad day for the Colonel and he hoped today wouldn’t be worse. After finding out the RDA had lost control of a crucial area it was nothing but yelling and insults from Parker while under the pressure of trying to figure out what the hell he should do about the situation. It was humiliating to face his colleagues after this defeat but it was a wakeup call. The Colonel was no pacifist, sometimes he saw that war was the only way to end things and although he didn’t believe in unnecessary violence he did whatever had to be done to finish the job. But this time was different, the enemy had managed to seriously wound him and there was no way he could be found, nor was it clear when his next attack would be. Siding with the Na’vi was pretty much a home field advantage and knowing the RDA’s activities just made it easier. He sat at his desk and decided to have a drink, something he rarely did. With a drink in his hand he leaned back in his chair and thought about what to next. It took him a while but he eventually came to realize that in this case, violence solved nothing. Over the years he had learned that the Na’vi are a tough and stubborn race, willing to do anything to avenge the death of their brothers and sisters. Since day one of his time on Pandora it had been nonstop back and forth battles but ultimately he would be the one to make this decision. He called Dr. Augustine to his office.

[tm20]

“I’m busy so make this quick.” she said in an aggressive tone.
“.....You know, I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to make this decision.”
“Stop wasting my time.”
“About yesterday’s events, I just don’t know what else to do. All these years of constant wars and it finally took that to make me realize this isn’t doing anything.”
“What are you getting at?”
“....The Na’vi want a war, well I’m not going to give them one. I’ve lost too many people over the past years, way too many. It’s just not worth it. They expect me to strike back, well it’s not going to happen. My job is to keep people alive and I haven’t been doing that.”
“So what does this have to do with me?”
“....I never thought I would say this but, I need your help.”
“My help?”
“Yes, your help. I need you to make sure it stays this way.”
“And exactly how am I supposed to do that?”
“You and your team of Avatars is all we have to keep what little peace exists between us and them, I want that peace to grow and only you can make that happen.”
“Really? Then how about you stop mining this place, I’m sure they’d greatly appreciate that.”
“Doc, please be realistic with me. And besides, without the money coming in from the mining your Avatar program wouldn’t exist, ok? Now what I’m proposing is for you and your team to explain to the natives what I’m offering. Talk to their leaders, talk to everyone if possible, go anywhere you can. I want this to go as smoothly as possible so my men will be put under more strict orders, and I would like to put you in command. You see any of them step out of line, you report them. Take the gun out of their hands if necessary, I just want this to succeed.”
“......Alright, I’ll do it. But it’s not going to do much, and if any of your goons try anything funny, don’t come crying to me when they end up dead.”
“Thankyou Dr. Augustine, you may now leave.”
Letting out a sigh of relief, he poured himself another drink.

The next few days were busy as Dr. Eileen had recovered physically and mentally from her horrific experience and so she made sure everyone was doing their jobs. They had received the message from Dr. Augustine in regards to the major operation which was to be conducted by the Avatar program in efforts to try and restore peace and planned on carrying it out soon. With the major occupancy of the RDA gone in the area, getting out for work or leisure was a lot more enjoyable as they didn’t have to worry about running into unnecessary trouble. However when one problem ended, another one always seemed to arise. Over the months that Tak had been working with his group, he had come to learn not only of the poor productivity of his colleagues but their lack of respect for others’ property and workspace. He had been disregarding it but couldn’t take it anymore when one morning he returned to his desk to see all his cover slips gone and iodine spilt on his papers. He looked around to see Dr. Isaac examining a specimen through her microscope while chatting with Alan. He went to her and turned off the light to her microscope.
“Hey what are you doing?!”
“What the **** is this? And where the **** are all my cover slips?”
“Why don’t you just calm down?!”
“Why don’t you just not ****ing touch my stuff? And how about not spilling **** on my papers?”
Alan decided to step in and try to calm them both down.
“Hey hey let’s just settle d-“
“No Alan just shut the **** up because this doesn’t concern you. I’m ****ing sick of you stealing my **** and not cleaning up after the ****ing mess you make, it’s ****en bull****.”
“When have I ever stolen anything from you?! Tell me, tell me!”
“You always take my stuff and never return it, I always have to find it and clean it myself. My scalpel is always dirty, my probe is always dirty, my tweezers are always dirty, everything’s always ****en dirty because of you.”
“Yeah I borrowed it, I never stole it! And if you weren’t so ****ing impatient I would’ve cleaned it and returned it you *******!”
“Bitch just shut up before I kill you.”
“You wanna kill me? Do it! I dare you!”
Dr. Eileen had returned from exercising outside to hear arguing in the lab. As she walked through the doorway Tak grabbed a scalpel from Dr. Isaac’s desk and pressed her face against the wall, holding the scalpel to her face. Everyone lunged at him, trying to pull him away but Tak held the weapon tightly and refused to budge. Dr. Isaac wasn’t acting so tough now, Tak could see the fear in her eye as she breathed heavily.
“You’re really starting to ****en piss me off, I was really patient with you all but my patience has run out.”
Dr. Eileen gently put her hand on Tak’s weapon wielding arm and looked at him.
“Put it down Tak, no one needs to get hurt, ok?....We all get angry sometimes, it happens. But no one needs to get hurt, so just let her go, please?”
Her soft gentle voice managed to calm him down and he lowered the scalpel, dropping it on the table and letting Dr. Isaac go. She had pushed him over the edge because he had never used such force against a woman. He went to his bed while Dr. Eileen staid standing against the wall, still in shock. Tears of fear trickled down her face as Alan tried to comfort her. Dr. Eileen couldn’t believe this had happened and she wasn’t sure if Tak should continue working with her group. He was the best researcher she had but if things continued the way they were then someone would die. After an hour of thinking she contacted the new weapons development lab and had a chat with the person in charge.

Tak had his bag packed and was sitting on his bed, waiting for his ride to arrive.
“I’m sorry but I don’t know what else to do, I just think you need to leave here for a while. Don’t think I’m singling you out, I know your reasons for being mad and I’ll talk to them about that. But for now I just think it’s best for you to be separate from the others. You’ll still be able to use your Avatar since they have some mobile links there.”
When the Samson finally arrived Tak put on his exopack and headed out. As Dr. Eileen watched the Samson take off and fly out of the forest she hoped that he didn’t get into anymore trouble. Sitting next to Yuki in the cockpit he took off his mask and looked out the window as they flew over the landscape.
“So how come you’re moving in with us?”
“Because I threatened the stupid bitch I have to work with, my supervisor says I need to leave for a while.”
“Oh, why’d you do that?”
“She takes my instruments and never cleans them, she takes all my cover slips, she spills **** on my papers, she talks **** and she does nothing just like the others. Just a bunch of useless ****s.”
“Sounds like you don’t have the greatest bunch of people to work with.”
“No.... So where are we going anyway?”
“Just a place not too far from here. It’s on the edge of a huge lake but don’t get your hopes up, it’s a dump. It literally looks like a pile of ****.”
“Isn’t that’s nice.”
Eventually they could see the forest slowly disappearing across the land as they approached the site. Trees became grass and grass became dirt as they began their descent into the camp.
“Well this is it, welcome to sludge city.”

[tm20]

He looked below at the manmade site which seemed so out of place. The ground was brown and looked wet with not a single bit of green in sight. Heavy machinery lied around the place reminding him of the junkyards back on earth. Pipes supplying water looked like parasitic organisms feeding off lake, slowly sucking up the life from the area. The multiple parked vehicles along with the portable fuel cells and barracks reminded him of the FEBA base. The whole place just looked dead and was now inhabited by humans like maggots living off a rotting corpse. They landed on what was meant to be the helipad and got out. As Tak stepped off his feet landed in partly dry mud and with every footstep he could feel the squishy ground below him as he made his way to the lab. When he got to the top of the yellow staircase he looked at the view which really had nothing to offer, just a patch of land with water and a blue sky. He went inside and Yuki showed him his bed which he threw his bag on, then they went to the lab where Tak would be working for a while. Yuki introduced Tak to her colleagues but they weren’t very welcoming, just the way Tak preferred it. Tak was already getting a feeling that his time here was going to be long and boring, good thing there was a link for him. He decided to go and recalibrate it for his Avatar and showed Yuki some things in case her help was needed, she wasn’t a qualified supervisor but the basics weren’t too hard to learn.

“So...yeah, not much to do around here.”
“Good thing I can get into my Avatar and escape this place.”
“But don’t you want to help me with my work?”
“No, not really.”

And with those last words Tak finished setting up the link and got in. Yuki sighed and sat down at her desk, wondering why she never got to have any fun. Waking up in the tent, Tak stretched his body and headed out. He tried to walk aimlessly as usual when he just wanted to be completely alone and not think about anything but found himself following the rivers which were spread throughout the FEBA. He would randomly choose where to turn and which new stream to follow, hoping that eventually he would be completely lost and find a secluded place just for himself. After minutes of walking he heard the sound of falling water and came to a place which he instantly recognized, a waterfall ending in a deep pool surrounded by an abundance of plants. “Oh, this place” he said to himself as he had returned to the place where he had his first swim. He pushed his way through some plants to uncover someone already occupying his place and again, he recognized this person by their braids tied together in a bunch.
“You found my spot.” he said as he sat down beside her. Zetey turned around seeming a bit surprised. She eventually forced a bit of a smile.
“You come here too?” he asked.
“Yes, I find this place when I was child. I come here when I want to be alone.”
“This is only my second time here, I came here for the same reason....Something wrong?”
Zetey dropped her head towards the ground seeming disappointed.
“Sometimes people make me mad.... My friends say I change, they say before I hate tawtute and uniltiranyu but now no more, because I meet you. Mother say I have become someone else, she say my father would not be happy if he was still alive. ”
“....You mad at me?”
“Kehe, you do nothing bad. But I want....I do not know the words.”
“Well I get what you’re saying. Sometimes people make me mad too. Selfish, lazy, useless people who think they’re never wrong. You try to be patient with them but even that’s not enough. Every second you put up with them builds up inside you until it just all comes out...”
It was a relief for both of them to talk to someone who felt the same way. The frustration was slowly being let go through their conversation.
“...You wanna go for a walk?”
“Srane.”

They made their way through the giant space filled with plants and creatures of all shapes, sizes and colours. Walking through the never ending network of calmly flowing rivers encapsulated in a massive hall of exotic life was something that would relax anyone no matter how stressed or angry they were. The sights and sounds of the forest gave the place an immense sense of purity and perfection, everything was in balance with each other. Whether it was flowing water or animals calling to each other or rustling plants, everything pushed Tak deeper into ecstasy as he was fixed in a trance by what surrounded him. He looked down to see his feet in water with ripples moving away from them. Tiny fish swam away with every step as he marvelled at the delicate life which thrived even within the shallow waters below him. Zetey looked at him as he fascinated over the small creatures and smiled, seeing him get excited over something simple as fishes was like seeing a child’s mind operating a man’s body at its best. She kicked some water onto his leg to get his attention. The water was cool and refreshing. Tak decided to take off his shoes and socks and feel the water with his bare feet. His feet instantly cooled and as he stood there taking in the great feeling, the fishes returned around his ankle as if they were observing something. For the first time Tak actually felt at peace. Everything that had happened within his time on this world he forgot about and just continued to enjoy the great feeling he felt. They continued walking and would come across giant tree roots covered in moss and small plants which would grow in and out of the ground in a bizarre fashion, forming bridges and arches for them to walk over and under like children on a playground. As they hopped from tree roots to the ground and then into the water, Zetey began to slow down, then eventually stopped. Tak noticed and looked behind to see her standing with her smile gone. He then looked in the direction he was going to notice the trees were disappearing, they were near the FEBA base. He walked back to her.
“What’s wrong?”
“.....I said I will never return here.”
“It’s ok, it’s over. This place is free now. You don’t have to worry anymore.”
“Yes, but...”
Tak took her hand and slowly pulled.
“Trust me.”
He waited patiently for her to move and although she knew the skypeople had been defeated, she was still living in fear. She looked at Tak with an uncertain look and he smiled, assuring her there was nothing to be afraid of. With that, she took a slow step and gradually built up the courage to enter the place she had doomed for a long time. As they walked through the side gate, the turrets greeted them as if they were still alive, looking down upon them with their barrels. The grass turned into a hard, lifeless surface. Zetey had never stepped on such a thing and it sent chills down her back. Scattered across the place were dead bodies in dried puddles of blood. Debris was blown across the ground and the buildings that once were now laid as large piles of rubble, still smoking from their destruction. The smell of blood, urine, faeces, fuel and smoke filled the place and was near unbearable. It was scary to stand in the place which had been feared for years. Zetey walked to a nearby body and looked at it. A dead woman still with her exopack stared right back at Zetey. Looking into the lifeless eyes, she felt no pity for this innocent victim, just a build up of anger as she remembered all the people of her clan who died because of this place. Tears slowly crept as she kneeled down closer to this woman. She took off the exopack and looked down in despise, a human in its true form. No exopack, no gun, nothing to protect it, just a weak and pathetic excuse of life. But then she came to realize that, like her friends who did nothing to deserve their deaths, this woman may have done nothing either. She was just a woman, no weapons, no military gear. From what little Zetey knew this woman could have been a mother just trying to provide for her children, just like the mothers in her clan. She was then reminded that not all the skypeople are bad, and for this one she was in no position to make judgements. She closed the woman’s eye lids with her fingers, giving closure to her death, then stood up and began heading for the gate they came through. Tak watched the whole thing and it amazed him how one could feel so much hatred and anger towards their enemy yet in the end manage to find a bit of empathy for them, something he could never do. He took one last look at the dead woman and turned to leave.

[tm20]

The two spent hours exploring the area and managed to make their way up a rocky hill. When they reached the top they got an amazing view of the forest which stretched into the horizon along with rivers which made their way randomly through all the green. Hometrees could be seen sticking out of the forest canopy along with valleys, cliffs and some waterfalls. In the sky were colonies of floating mountains which sat majestically in a sea of clouds. They were like giant floating islands connected by bridges of vines and roots. It was too much for Tak, there was so much he wanted to say about this place but couldn’t even manage to squeeze out a single word. Zetey could clearly see he had completely fallen in love with everything. As the sun began to set, Zetey decided to ask Tak more about his home.
“Tell me more about your home.”
“This is my home.”
They both shared a bit of a laugh but Tak knew what she meant.
“Well, it’s nothing special. I lived with my parents in a small apartment just enough for three people. The only things you could hear were the noisy ****ing people around you, the train or my parents arguing. I had all my stuff crammed into a tiny room with no windows, just a box with a door. You go outside and the building was always surrounded by rubbish. There was always a crack head passed out on the stairs, or some guy beating the **** out of a woman, or people yelling and fighting, it was a bad place.... That’s why I love this world, because it’s beyond everything I’ve always dreamed of.”
They sat on the hill as Tak told Zetey more about the world he came from while they watched the sun set. The orange glow slowly retreated across the forest back to the horizon and before they realized it was night, but a new light took over as Polyphemus shined its many shades many of blue onto Pandora. Bioluminescent colours lit up the forest and the rivers were dotted with light by the organisms in the water. As much as he wanted to stay longer, he was concerned for Zetey’s curfew.

“It’s getting late, shouldn’t you go back?”
“No, I do not want to return.”
They sat there for a moment until Zetey got up, pulling Tak with her.
“Come, come.” she said as she rushed to get him on his feet. She then began running down the hill and Tak tried to keep up. “This way!”
As they made their way down, running and jumping to lower ground, the colours of the night lit the way. They reached the river and ran along it. The crystal clear water allowed light from the fishes and anemonoids to completely shine their colours through, it was beautiful. He wanted to stop and take it all in but had to keep up so he decided to save this for another day. As he tried to keep up, every step he took made the grass glow patches of light which temporarily showed the path he had taken. Where ever he looked there was bioluminescent blue, green, pink and purple along with other colours, representing some form of life whether it was a plant or creature. They made it into the forest and Zetey led him into the centre of a huge open area where rivers converged and plants flourished. They stopped and marvelled at all that surrounded them. The place shined with every colour on Pandora through the many plants and creatures, putting on a display of unimaginable beauty. Glowing insects hovered around flowers while fishes and anemonoids put on magnificent light shows in the water. All the trees had trails of glowing moss along their trunks and branches which formed intricate patterns. Panopyras hung from branches high above, radiating their bright pink light like natural chandeliers. Overwhelmed with emotions, Tak was completely lost in this world. He had never felt this way in his life and he didn’t know what was happening to him, but he didn’t want it to end. He turned to face Zetey as if he wanted to say something but said nothing, the look on his face clearly showed what he was feeling. As he saw the bioluminescent dot patterns all over her body, he looked at his arms to find he had them as well. Closely inspecting the patterns on himself, a smile grew across his face. She had never seen him this happy and it made her happy as well. To see someone from another world completely fall in love with everything the Great Mother had created was nice. The two continued to lose themselves in this wonderland, feeling better by the moment.

Back at the lab Yuki was sitting by the link reading, wondering when Tak was going to return. She would occasionally look at the screen to see if he was ready to come out. When it seemed like he wasn’t coming back, the screen alerted her that he was coming out of the connection and she got out of her seat. She struggled to remember which buttons to press but managed to get him out. Tak was stiff as a log and needed help sitting up. He stretched his muscles and moved his neck in a circle.
“You know how late it is?” asked Yuki. “What were you doing?”
“Having the greatest day of my life.”

[Human No More]

hmm, I kind of got distracted with this story... If I get some time today, I'll try to catch up on it

[tm20]

that's the 3rd time you've said that. don't force yourself to read it, if you've lost interest then fine. i'd rather have comments on the chapters rather than people continously saying they will get back to reading it.

[Human No More]

Sorry, it isn't a comment on the story itself, more the length. Length isn't a bad thing

[tm20]

Chapter 27

Dr. Eileen and two of her colleagues were at the Takahayo hometree, standing in front of the gathered clan who were listening as she explained the recent “treaty” to them. Members of the clan didn’t seem glad as they knew they were just being sold another lie. The Na’vi aren’t retarded and Dr. Eileen knew this very well, nor was she the type to lie right to someone’s face, but with the recent bloodshed from both sides there was nothing left to do. The stares she got pierced her as she explained what the Colonel had proposed, occasionally stuttering as the pressure got to her. When she finished, the Olo’eyktan questioned her.
“Your people have said this many times in the past, but we all know it is not true. You know it is not true. My people and I have known you for a long time. We have welcomed you and your friends into our home, we have learnt many things from each other, we have become very close....so why do you lie to us?”
Tsuwokan felt the comment rather harsh and felt he needed to step in.
“Olo’eyktan it is not a lie. She is just tr-“
“Silence, now is not your time to speak.”
Dr. Eileen didn’t know what to say. She looked to her colleagues as if she was asking for help but they gave her no reply. She then looked to the ground in shame and closed her eyes. Letting out a sigh, she gave her pathetic response.
“....I am sorry, I do not know.”
The Olo’eyktan was firm in his decision and he made sure everyone knew it.
“We will continue to defend our home even if we have to kill. Give your leader my words.”
And with those last words he ended the meeting. Tsuwokan could see the disappointment and humiliation in Dr. Eileen’s eyes as she looked at the ground, unable to face her colleagues. As the clan returned to their daily activities Tsuwokan went over to comfort her. Olo’eykatn’s harsh words were unnecessary and he didn’t want her thinking they were no longer welcome onto their land.
“I am sorry, my people do not understand you want to help.”
“No, no it’s ok.”
“What will you do now?”
“Well, the next closest clan is the Tipikaya so I-“
“Kehe! You cannot go there!”
“But we have to make things right.”
Tsuwokan grabbed her by the arms with both hands in a serious manner.
“They will kill you.”
“.....maybe, but we have to do this. So please, just let me go.”
He wasn’t going to let her go but something inside him told him to do so. He slowly loosened his hands and Dr. Eileen began walking away. As he watched the group leave, a fear built up inside which unsettled him. He wasn’t going to lose any more friends to unnecessary deaths. “Pey!” he yelled and walked over to them. “I will come with you.” Dr. Eileen didn’t refuse his offer to help, she knew that if she was to even make it into the Tipikaya territory then Tsuwokan was the one who would ensure that. “Thanks” she said softly with a smile. She thought about what she was about to get herself into and decided it was too risky for the others.
“I want you all to go back.” she said. The others exclaimed.
“Are you ****ing nuts? The two of you aren’t going to make it.”
“So you would rather have us all die than just the two of us?”
“Well four’s better than two!”
“Sorry Elliot, but you’ll only get in our way. And besides, the two of you wouldn’t equal one of him. I think we can manage with just the two of us.”
“Very funny but I’m not about to let you get killed and then have to explain to you know ****ing who about why my boss got a ****en arrow through her neck and then h-“
“Will you just please do as I say for once? Just once?”
“.....Alright, alright. Just don’t ****en die ok?”
“You don’t need to tell me.”
Before leaving, Tsuwokan told Dr. Eileen to wait and he ran up hometree and returned with what looked like an animal horn. It had a hole in the sharp end and was lightly covered in tribal decorations. “Oh yeah, we’ll definitely need that.” said Dr. Eileen, and the two head off.

Back at Sludge City the day was passing by very slowly as Tak watched Yuki carry on with her work. She tried to convince him numerous times to help her but he just wasn’t interested. They began discussing the future of humanity, throwing around ideas for government policies and how countries should be run. Tak, not knowing **** about how the political world operates, would constantly introduce bizarre or immature ideas only to have Yuki explain why it wouldn’t work. Tak would just counter her reasons with the argument that in a world which has stripped the natural world of its rights, the selfish, greedy maggots infesting that world should be stripped of their rights too.
“Wow, you never liked the world you came from did you?”
“I never had a problem with the world, it’s just the people that I hate.”
“Fair enough, I know what you mean. I think we all feel like that sometimes.”
“......Why do you even bother doing your work if you don’t enjoy it?”
“I’ll lose my job if I don’t.”
“I work with people that never do **** and they never get into trouble.”
“Well that’s probably because your boss doesn’t say anything.”
“But look at your boss, the ****er looks bored as much as you are. No one’s going to care if you don’t do anything. Well maybe that douche who’s running the whole thing but as if he’s going to know.”
“You mean the guy back at Hell’s Gate? What’s his name?”
“I don’t know, corporate douche?.....****, this place is ****. I’m going outside.”
“Me too, this is so boring.”

Dr. Eileen and Tsuwokan made their way towards Tipikaya territory. It was a warm and sunny day, the sky was clear and it was rather quiet. Only the slight breeze could be heard along with the plants that rustled in the wind. They followed the river and eventually reached the remains of what was once the FEBA base. The bodies had been collected but the rubble and dried blood on the ground remained. Dr. Eileen felt a chill throughout her body as she looked at what remained, imagining what had happened here. She entered through one of the gates and looked around. Approaching the rubble which used to be the main building, she stood at where the main door would’ve been. The smell of rotting flesh seeped through the rubble from the bodies that weren’t recovered. It was unbearable and so she backed off. Tsuwokan stood beside her and looked around at the destruction which he was partly responsible for. He felt no remorse. He placed his hand on her shoulder and gently pulled her away. They continued but Dr. Eileen felt uneasy. Knowing that this was their reaction to the loss of a few of their clan members only made her think about their reaction to her once she showed up in their home. Walking along the river, she tried to calm herself down by concentrating on the water flowing. She spotted a small creature that was making its way up stream at the same pace that she was walking. It was something to take her mind of the thought of possibly being killed, but out of nowhere a large predator lunged out and ate the small creature in an instant. Dr. Eileen flinched as she witnessed the end of a life in a matter of seconds and her heart began to beat fast with the thought that hers could end in an instant like that very soon. Every day on Pandora is a struggle for survival and she knew this well but she had never been so afraid of death like today.

[tm20]

When they approached Tipikaya grounds, Tsuwokan pulled out his horn and blew the call to notify that visitors were coming, only thing is he wasn’t sure if visitors were welcome anymore in this part of the forest. The low sound sent chills down her back and she grew even more nervous. After Tsuwokan put away his horn, Dr. Eileen tightly grabbed his hand and took a deep and slow breath. He could tell she was scared from how tight she was gripping his hand, it was starting to hurt a bit. They made their way closer to the Tipikaya, anticipating death with every step they took. Dr. Eileen was constantly scanning her surroundings but Tsuwokan just kept his eyes on the path ahead. Extreme paranoia sent Dr. Eileen into a state of turmoil as the slightest sounds of animals moving through the vegetation or leaves falling from above were amplified into those of stalkers watching from cover, ready to kill. She held Tsuwokan's arm with both her hands as the tension was becoming unbearable. Tsuwokan thought they would make it to the Tipikaya unharmed but from somewhere nearby an arrow pierced Dr. Eileen in the leg and she let out a cry of pain as she fell to the ground. Tsuwokan was quick to react, first kneeling down to protect her and then loading his bow and scanning the area ready to fire but he could see nothing. As he turned left, a Na’vi jumped down from the branches above with his bow pulled back, the arrow pointing at Tsuwokan’s chest, then another Na’vi jumped down. A third came out from cover also with her bow loaded. A fourth Na’vi surfaced from a pond covered in leaves with his arrow loaded. It was as if they were expecting one hell of a fight. Tsuwokan released the tension on his bow and placed it on the ground along with his knife. The Na’vi then pulled the two of them onto their feet, tied their hands together and with knives to their queues, took them to their clan. Along the way Dr. Eileen fell to the ground numerous times as the pain from the arrow was too much to walk with but her capturers would pull her up and force her to continue on her own feet. They reached the Tipikaya hometree, a large one just like any other, covered in moss and small plants growing out from the crevices all the way up. The forest canopy let through only some light so the entrance was heavily shadowed. All sorts of plants randomly grew along the path to the entrance and even all the way into the main hall. There were numerous sticks lodged into the ground and covered in decorations where on the top of some were ornamented human skulls. The two of them were dumped in the middle of the gathered clan who looked on with piercing stares. Tsuwokan rushed over to Dr. Eileen who’s right leg was covered in blood on the right side. A mean looking member of the Tipikaya stepped forward and looked down towards Dr. Eileen.

“Stand up.” he said. Too tired and hurt to do so, she laid on the ground.
“Stand up!” he yelled, but she refused to. Tsuwokan decided to sit her up and then try and get her on her feet but the Na’vi who stood over them stopped him.
“She can do it herself!”
Dr. Eileen pushed herself off the ground with her arms and slowly, in agony, stood up on her feet. With a crooked stance, she straightened herself.
“Why have you come to us?” he asked her.
“.....I am here to give you the words of my leader.”
“Your leader?...The same leader who is responsible for the deaths of our brothers and sisters?”
“.....You are wrong, he is not the one who-“
“I know what happened! Do not tell me what happened! I know what happened!”
“No, you do not.”

Anger built up and he felt the need to teach this Uniltiranyu that she was in no position to argue with him. He grabbed her by her throat with one hand while slowly driving the arrow deeper into her leg with the other. Dr. Eileen yelled as she tried to stop it. Before the Na’vi could say what he wanted to, Tsuwokan tackled him to the ground and the tried to punch him but this other warrior was quite strong. He kicked Tsuwokan off and quickly got on his feet and pulled out his blade. He took swings at Tsuwokan who barely managed to dodge them and was helpless without a weapon. The clan was now cheering on their fellow member to kill the outsider. Tsuwokan’s opponent charged at him for the kill and tried to slash him across his face but he grabbed the knife wielding arm countered with a knee to the gut and punches to the face. He knocked his opponent to the ground and refused to continue fighting as if he had enough, but his opponent wasn’t going to stop until this outsider was lying on the ground dead. Tsuwokan went to help Dr. Eileen but behind him his opponent was approaching fast with the blade in his hand. “Look out!” yelled Dr. Eileen. Tsuwokan turned around and took a deep cut to the face. The blade sliced across the right side of his face, just passing over his eye, and temporarily blinded his rights side as he kept his eye shut tight while holding the cut with his hand. Tsuwokan quickly got up ready to fight as Dr. Eileen bought him some time by grabbing onto his opponents ankles. He kicked Dr. Eileen who let go and went straight for the kill. As he was about to take a swing with his blade, he was stopped by a commanding voice. “Stop!!! This is not how we treat our guests!!!” A Na’vi woman with elaborate attire was standing just above the base of the central spiral in the hometree with a displeased look on her face. As she approached, the crowd that gathered moved to make way for her and she stood over Dr. Eileen, looking down at her. She then turned to Tsuwokan to see his blood covered face, then finally turned to the one responsible for it. She walked right up to him. “Leave now.” She ordered in a quiet but serious voice. The man snarled at Tsuwokan before leaving. Dr. Eileen assumed this woman was the Tsahik by her appearance and the power she held which she just demonstrated. Likewise, the Tsahik assumed these visitors had come to discuss something of importance. “Come with me” she said, and Tsuwokan helped Dr. Eileen up and he took her and himself up to the central spiral.

Tak and Yuki arrived at Hell’s Gate and unloaded Dr. Augustine’s requested specimens along with the sergeant that escorted them. They loaded the plants onto a cart and pushed it to the lab where they were greeted by a scientist.
“Thanks guys, Grace will be really glad now that she’s got stuff to work on rather than people to talk to.” said the scientist.
“Don’t you guys always have stuff to work on?” asked Yuki.
“Well yeah but, you know, Grace is the boss so she gets to work with the new fun stuff first always. Anyway thanks for bringing this stuff over.”
And with their job done they headed back to the Samson. On the trip back the two of them talked about what it was like living life in a shack. They both agreed on a number of things, waking up early was a bitch, having to put up with other peoples’ incompetence was frustrating, boredom would make the day go extremely slowly, food was ****ty and at times it would feel like life was no different to that of the average wage slave back on earth. But they both told each other that despite all the negatives, it was nothing compared to what Pandora had to offer. Since Tak was the one with the Avatar, it was a lot easier for him to experience it all. Unfortunately for Yuki it was all still just stories.
“It’s beyond incredible. Everything is just so full of life and colour and it’s just so different from where we’re from that it seems unreal. That probably won’t make sense to you but my point is you have to see it for yourself. Words can’t describe how amazing this world is, and that’s just the forest that I’m at. You’ve heard of the floating mountains right?”
What Tak described to her seemed like stuff out of a novel. The possibility of being able to get some free time and see this stuff lifted her mood and put a smile on her face. The chat definitely helped time pass by and before they knew it they were back at the shacks. Yuki powered down the rotors and hopped off. A few mercs stared at her and talked **** while having a few laughs as she walked to the stairs. Tak followed her and the mercs broke out of their snickering after catching a glimpse of him.

[tm20]

“Well, look who it is. What the **** you doin on my turf boy?!” said Sergeant Terry, trying to be as intimidating as possible. He got right in Tak’s face but Tak just looked at the ground, keeping calm.
“Didn’t forget about me did you? You think you’re ****en tough huh? After that **** you pulled off at the cafeteria back at Hell’s gate huh? I’ll kill you, I don’t give a **** if you’ve got one of them Avatars, you still ain’t tough. I’ve killed heaps of them dirty blue dogs an-”
“And look what happened, everyone you knew at the FEBA base got ****ed up. You’re a dumb ****.”
Terry had no comeback, he just stared at Tak with a desire to beat the **** out of him. Tak knew nothing more had to be said, he just let the idiot be and hoped that Terry would one day learn that he should think before he does or says things. As he walked away Terry had some last words to say.
“Well, I got to say, it was fun murdering those ****en blue monkeys.”

Dr. Eileen was having the arrow removed from her leg. The Na’vi woman who was treating her slowly pulled the arrow out, trying to be as gentle as possible. Taking it out was definitely worse than having it shot in. Dr. Eileen tried not to make too much noise but the pain was too much and she couldn’t resist constantly exclaiming softly in pain. It took minutes but finally it was out and now it was time to seal it up. The woman applied some sticky and strong scented plant extract onto the wound and instantly it stung. “Ooooooowwww fffffff****!” yelled Dr. Eileen as the medicine made its way deep into the wound. Tsuwokan was also treated but the medicine didn’t do much to seal the cut as blood continued to poor out. After Dr. Eileen got her wound wrapped up, Tsuwokan helped her over to the Tsahik for their talk. They both sat in front of her while elite warriors kept watch with their intimidating stares making them feel weak.

“Why have you come here?” asked the Tsahik. Dr. Eileen was a bit slow to reply but she kept calm and decided to put it as straight forward as possible.
“I have a message from my leader that I wish to pass on to you.....he asks for an end to the fighting between his people and yours.”
The Tsahik gave her a look which told Dr. Eileen it was going to take more than that to get her point across.
“With the recent deaths both sides have suffered, he asks for all clans to stop the killing, and he will do the same.”
“......And what will that lead to?”
Dr. Eileen didn’t know what to say. She was beginning to feel the pressure.
“Your leader asks us for peace now but not long ago he killed some of our people, how dare he think of us as morons. We will never forget what he has done.”
“No, that was not him. He never gave orders to kill.”
The Tsahik was surprised and stayed silent as she was trying to comprehend what seemed like an absurd statement.
“It was a group of men who were not under orders from our leader. They are a dangerous group. They do whatever they want to, but no one does a thing to stop them. I have tried in the past but, I am too weak.” She felt the anguish burn inside her as she remembered all the times she could have done something, no matter how small it would’ve been, but never did. It made her feel pathetic. The Tsahik felt a sense of honesty coming from this dreamwalker.
“How do you know this?”
“....Because I saw it. I saw these men return from what they did, and I saw what they did. I got there too late but believe me, if I could have done something to stop them, I would have.”
Tears were rolling down her face as it all came back to her, the sight of all the dead bodies, the bullet shells scattered across the ground, the smell of blood filling the air and the crying of the lone survivor. The Tsahik felt Dr. Eileen’s pain.
“....Go where ever you wish, nothing will change. The war ends when skypeople are no longer on this world. Until then we will keep fighting. Now leave.....”
Tsuwokan slowly got up with his stuff then helped Dr. Eileen up. They made their way back down and as they made their way towards the exit, what was left of the gathered crowd slowly made way for them. The two of them were beginning to leave the boundaries of the hometree when they heard someone calling for them. “Pey!” yelled the voice. They turned around and waited for the person to catch up. It was the Na’vi woman who had treated Dr. Eileen’s injury. She took a few breaths before speaking.

“No dreamwalker has ever come to us, you are brave... I heard what you and the Tsahik talked about, the others would ridicule me for saying this but I believe you. I have heard good things about the uniltiranyu, that they see, unlike the rest of the tawtute. The Tsahik will not tell you this but you have earned her trust. You have earned all our trust. I hope for our great mother to protect you on your journey.”
“Thank you for taking care of me, that was very nice of you.” said Dr. Eileen who received a smile from her caretaker. The woman then turned to address Tsuwokan.
“I see you my brother, what clan are you from?”
“I see you my sister, I am from the Takahayo clan.”
“Takahayo, I have heard good things about your clan... Fighting the skypeople near you all this time must have made you a tough warrior, you are brave to have come here.... I must go now. Please, take care.”
“My sister, thank you for all you have done for us. If you need help, my people will always welcome you. Kiyevame.”

They went their separate ways, knowing they had gained a new ally. It was a long walk back but Dr. Eileen tried so hard to make it back on her own feet. Every step was excruciating and it wasn’t long before she fell to her hands and knees. They could see the river but they still had long way to go. Dr. Eileen rolled onto her back and looked up at the sky. It was a really beautiful day. She wiped the sweat off her forehead and onto her singlet. “I can’t do this.” she mumbled. Blood was seeping from her wound and it didn’t look like she was going to get up for a while. Not wanting to waste time, Tsuwokan picked her up and carried her in both arms. Dr. Eileen was feeling bad, not just because for the fact that she had dragged him into all this trouble, but for also making him carry her. He was tired and angry but he didn’t show it. Dr. Eileen wrapped her arms around him and they kept on going. By the time they entered the forest Tsuwokan really needed to rest for a while. With Dr. Eileen still in his arms, he dropped to the ground and sat up against a tree. “I’m so sorry I got you into this ****.” said Dr. Eileen. The blood on Tsuwokan’s face had mixed with the sticky medicine and sweat along with some dirt and had dripped down the right side of his face. Dr. Eileen wiped it, then just held her hand on his face. Feeling bad for all the trouble she had caused him, she began to cry softly.

“I’m so sorry, it’s all my fault. I should’ve just gone myself, saved you from all this trouble. I’m such a **** up.”
“No more crying.” said Tsuwokan softly. “No more.” His voice calmed her down and she wiped her tears. “You are strong woman. Strong woman do not cry.”

His words made her toughen up and she stopped crying. She took some deep breaths and looked into his eyes. She kept staring into his eyes until Tsuwokan looked away as it was beginning to get awkward for him. He broke the silence by standing up with her in his arms. “You must return with me, the people take care of you.” He carried her back and as they walked into the base of hometree, people came rushing towards them. Seeing the blood on them they wondered what had happened as they voiced their concern. Tsuwokan didn’t stop to talk, he just went straight up the hometree and took her to where she could be treated. He laid her gently on the floor and walked away. Dr. Eileen was extremely tired and was ready to come out of her Avatar. She slowly dazed off and woke up in her human body with then pain still remaining in her right leg.

[tm20]

The remaining twelve days went by very slowly for Tak. He eventually decided to help Yuki with her work, although he didn’t do much, but doing something was better than nothing. He avoided visiting the Takahayo as he didn’t want to run into his co-workers and he would check if the others were leaving or returning before he got out of his tent. Whenever something happened between him and another person, Tak preferred to distance himself from them for a period of time and in this case two weeks seemed appropriate. Hours would be spent every day walking around in circles through the forest until he got tired and returned. For the whole two weeks he managed to avoid his co-workers but it was finally time to return. He woke up and packed his stuff, ready to finally leave this **** hole. He hopped in the Samson and rode shotgun with Yuki. Outside they could see one of Terry’s dogs being given some sort of orders. Tak watched him approach and then get onboard. “Open the ****en door!” he yelled. “Don’t tell me we have to ride with this *******.” said Yuki as she put on her exopack and opened the door. They took off and flew away from the base. Tak turned around to look at who Terry had sent.

“I gotta make sure you don’t try nothin stupid, you got a problem with that mother****er?” he said. It would’ve been better if Tak didn’t respond but he decided to see how far he could push this guy before he lost it.
“Yeah I do actually, you just said don’t try nothing. That actually means try something, you used a double negative you dumb ****. Looks like someone needs to go back to primary school, dumb mother****er.”
The man got out of his seat and right in Tak’s face. “You wanna ****en do this?! You wanna start me mother****er?! Huh?!”
“Guys just stop it! Just stop this ****!” said Yuki as she tried to balance between flying the Samson and stopping a fight.
“Yeah, listen to her. Just stop this ****. You don’t want me to have to kill you do you?” said Tak. He had no intentions of starting a fight but it was too late to back down now. The man threw punches at Tak but he just backed off and just dodged the first few. He kicked his opponent hard to create some space, sending him back into his seat. Tak quickly got up and grabbed his legs, pulled him forward and laid in a few punches but he was quick to guard. Tak let go and stepped on him. The man got out of his seat and tackled Tak, sending them both to the floor. He was now on top and didn’t waste the chance to send down as many punches as possible. Tak managed to grab his right arm and pushed off with his lower back to throw his opponent off. Tak quickly punched him hard in the face and then pinned him to the floor with his knee, trying hard to stop him from moving around. He held down the man’s right arm with his other knee and pummelled the **** out of him. The man grabbed Tak’s right hand so Tak just elbowed him above the eye with his left arm and sent his head back into the floor. He broke free from the man’s grip and continued to lay waste to his opponent who wasn’t responding. Yuki came to her senses and stopped Tak. “Tak stop! That’s enough! Stop! Tak stop it!” she yelled as she tried to pull him away. She lost control for a sec and jerked the Samson to the right causing Tak to hit the window. He finally stopped and sat up, taking in breaths. “Is he dead?” asked Yuki as she looked at the man who was lying very still on the floor. There were patches of blood on the floor and some drops on the seat.

“Oh ****, I think he’s dead. You ****en killed him!”.
“....Put your exopack on.”
“What?”
“Just do it.”

Tak put on his exopack and also put one on the dead man. He then opened the door and dragged the body to the back of the Samson. “Keep it still!” he told Yuki. They were now flying over dense forest so it was a perfect place to dump the body. Tak held on to what he could and pushed the body with his feet, causing it to roll off the edge. He watched it fall into the trees and open a hole in the forest canopy, then returned to his seat. Yuki turned to him looking extremely worried.
“Why did you have to do that?! Now I’m going to get into **** for this!”
“No you won’t, you’ll just say he was being a ******** leaning out the side and you told him to get back in but he wouldn’t listen. You got distracted and lost focus, nearly flew into one of those huge trees and jerked it to the side. He fell off and died. If no one believes you then I’ll be your witness. And don’t worry about the blood, I’ll clean it up once we land.”