Avatar 2: Colonies: Chapter 24

Ashes

"It's okay friend… its going be okay."
Those were the words Jake said as he pried wood splinters out of his ikran. Luckily enough for the beast, Jake actually meant what he said. There were only a few splinters to pull out, and the wounds already on the beast could heal on their own. The same could not be said for a few of the other surviving ikran. A few had to be put down. Some of them still had hunters who were alive. It wasn't a nice scene.

When he was comfortable with how the beast looked he eventually started to climb back down the tree. He had to pass by the odd scorched patch of tree, where the sun shone openly through leaves were still singeing with embers, or sometimes where a whole branch used to be. As he passed by the na'vi around him on his way down, he saw, and felt their eyes upon him. Few of them said anything, but he could feel what they were saying. Some of them wanted to know on whether everything was going to be alright. Some wanted ask why this was happening. Others were too grief stricken to so anything, their eyes either looking away, or staring vacantly into space.
And other looks… didn't look very friendly.

As Jake passed by one of these looks, The Voice came back.
Did you see the look on that guys face?
Jake didn't say a word. Not here, he didn't want to sound like an idiot.
If looks could kill… boy, he'd be burying you right now….
Jake kept going down.
Makes you think though… who can you rely on?
The question made him pause briefly. The Voice hadn't posed a question like that one before.
I mean, you've got your wife. She'll stand by you to the bitter end. How very romantic. But between the loss of Miri, the attacks, and the dark, she's really being strained like never before. And isn't Mo'at, her dear mother in triage right now? Bleeding out?
Jake kept going.
Then there's Mu'kala, your second in command, you've got his respect. But, he can only do so much to help you out. There's Spellman, and the avatar scientists… but they're not warriors. And they're certainly not real na'vi… just like a certain somebody here….
Jake clenched his fist.

Oh? Did I hit a raw nerve? Oh I'm sorry… Anyways, there are of course, the new generation of hunters. You're like a living hero in their eyes… but they're inexperienced, for most of them, last night was their first baptism of fire. Not all of them survived you know… And this Hometree is the only real bit of home the really have. You're not really thinking trusting everything you've got to them? You're not relying on them are you?
Right that moment, Jake passed by a young blood, resting near the path, at the entrance of one of the chambers hollowed out into the tree. He couldn't have been barely out of his boyhood stage of life, but he looked a lot older now than before. He was fiddling with his bow, trying to get it strung up right, but always slipping up. From his face, Jake could tell that the boys mind was elsewhere. He figured that whatever the boy was thinking, it probably wasn't far away from his own train of thought… minus creepy voice of course. Jake started to move on after the boy looked back at him briefly, before trying harder to get the bow in his hands fixed.

And lastly, there are the older, more experienced members of your people. The voice continued. They were the ones who put you into power, the ones who saw your strength. But now they're having doubts. They're wondering now, was it such a good idea?
Jake was silent.
You know, I'm not going to get bored and go away if you just ignore me.

Jake started to come into a quiet part of the tree. He took a quick look around to check if anyone was around.
"Then what the hell is your point?" he whispered. "Why ARE you talking to me?"
You'll figure it out. If live you live long enough. But what's more important is what you have to do now.
"What? What is the point you're trying to make?!"
My point Jake, is that you need to live up to everyone's expectations. Nobody knows what to do, and everyone is trying to survive. It's up to you to get them out of this alive. So man the hell up and be the leader you're supposed to be.

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As Garnett aptly put it, the situation near the ground was 'better than I feared, worse than I hoped.' The supplies that Wikus had flown in weren't much, but they probably saved the lives of many wounded… or at the very least, prolonged them. The fires were out, the remaining militia and na'vi were keeping watch and the wounded were being tended to.

And it was in one of the platforms that were built into the Hometree that four humans and five na'vi sat in a circle around a map of the region. It was simple map, printed on laminated paper, but after having his instruments screw up every time he went near the flying mountains, Wikus dragged it everywhere he went.

"So Citadel base is right… here." Wikus pointed out on the map. "'Bout, 120 klicks north-north-east of Hell's Gate. That's where Carson and his cronies would have headed off to."
"And you have no idea, whatsoever, why they're doing this?"  Mu'kala questioned.
"Nah. When word spread to us mercs on what was going on, I tried to ask why. They told me I was asking the wrong sorts of questions. I tried digging on Carson's and Selfridge's computers when they weren't there. Still nothing as to why."

Alex's ears pricked up. "Wait a moment." He began. "You actually dug around your superiors stuff? Undetected?"
Wikus paused. "…Yes."
"Before the attacks?"
"True."
"And you simultaneously alerted Halverson to everything?"
"Before I left, of course."
"Huh…" Alex paused. "Sounds like you're pretty good at this."
"I guess." Wikus shrugged.
"…For a supposed mercenary pilot."

Wikus started to lock eyes with Alex. "And what are you getting at?" he said with a tinge of indignation. "I helped you out! I got you supplies, I saved your fokken' asses! You wouldn't be alive if I-"
"Hey, I'm not doubting for one minute that you're helping us out. And I know you're no stooge for Carson."
Alex's eyes began to narrow. "But I can tell for a fact, that you're much, much more than some pilot with a conscience."
Wikus sat silently. The others on the platform watched intently, waiting to see how this pans out.

That's when Wikus gave a very small smile. "You're file did mention you could see through whatever bullshit was thrown at you." He slouched back a little. "Yeah, you're right. I'm not just a good pilot."
"What, are you some kind of spy?" Dwight looked in surprise.
"Yeah, I guess you could say that."
"Who do you work for?"
"That's the big question isn't it? What do you think detective Garnett?"
"RDA Internal Affairs?"
"Not even close." Wikus smiled. "I'm an agent for Echelon. Working with the Department of Extra-Terrestrial Affairs."

The words hung in the air for a brief moment. That single word had different connotations,  depending on who you were. If you were a member of a terrorist group, criminal cartel, or corporate warfare, that name would inspire disgust and rage. If you were a member of law enforcement trying to catch the big fishes, or a journalist looking for the dirt on corporations, the name inspired hope and awe. And if you just an average Joe, Echelon was just another name on the list of United Nations agencies that seemed to suck up donation and tax money like all the other UN Departments. Except no one really seems to know what they actually do.

And finally if you were living on another planet, the name meant squat.
"What's Echelon?" was the first words out of Mu'kala.
"Echelon, Mu'kala, is every humans name for the United Nations Intelligence Echelon Group. The United Nations very own spy group." Jake answered evenly. "That means the man sitting right in front of you is, for all intents and purposes, a spy."
"And one who's helping you." Wikus finished for him.
"Why's the UN interested?" Jake questioned.
"Because Jake, nobodies trusts a corporation that's why." Wikus cocked his eye. "When the RDA announced to everyone that they were building a brand new colony on Pandora, one that would in no way screw around with the natives, do you think we at the UN believed them?" he brushed his arm off. "Getting the corporations to play nice over the past decade or so has been an up and down battle. The only time they ever play nice is when we only have video tape footage of some godawful going on, and even then they try to game us in the courts."

"So they sent you to try and keep tabs on them here on Pandora."
"Exactly." He smiled.  "And believe me, thanks to what happened back at the colony, I've got more than enough dirt to make sure they never start ANYTHING up again."
"Assuming we live to tell it." Noh muttered.
"Yes… and to compound the backstabbers, there's a horde of psychotic na'vi that are trying to scalp us alive." Wikus summarised cheerfully. "Know anything about that Jake?"
Jake frowned. "Why are you asking me? Didn't they tell you that we were attacked by Khalistheya ourselves?"
Wikus paused. "So you don't know anything at all as to why they've gone crazy?"
"Wouldn't a certain mercenary leader know anything about this?"
Wikus pointed his finger in an 'Ah Hah!' sort of way. "You'd THINK that I'd find something about this recent burst of madness on Carson's stuff right? I didn't find squat. Believe me; we were as surprised to see them trying to storm our walls ourselves."
Jake frowned. "It'd still be stupid to think that the two aren't related."
"I agree. And I suppose the only way we'd get real answers, is if we ask the bastard ourselves."

"Good luck with that…" Alex snorted. He looked out. It must have been noon right about now. "So what's the plan now?"
"Well, I for one could try to open up a link with the colony." Wikus said. "It wouldn't hurt to know if those guys were still there."
"You sure they're still alive?"
"Last time I checked the horn, the RDA said the bomb they were to plant had failed. So yeah, I guess they're still there."

Footsteps started to walk into the room. Mu'kala had reappeared, hefting a small human bag with him. "Didn't you guys say that this would help us?"
Alex smacked his head. He recognised it as the radio system he gave the tribe months ago, back at the mines. "For fuck's sake, why didn't I remember that?" He took the pack. "Let's call them now."

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Calling the triage area a mess was an understatement. Pretty much any patch of flat ground had been taken up by some wounded na'vi (or in the case of one corner, wounded humans). Aside from the add gasp of pain, or the odd moan, the place was pretty quiet. The healers, and the odd human medic, had only the time and the resources to deal with those who were about to die, but could be saved. Those who were lightly wounded had to make do with a clean bandage and some water. Those who weren't going to make it… well… a bit of painkiller was about as much as they could do.

Mo'at was one of the latter. Shrapnel fire from the Emperors cannons had torn into her torso. The outright pain and shock subsided, and the wound had been bandaged, but then it kind of became clear that she wasn't going to make the day. She refused any more help.
At least she wasn't going to go alone. Her daughter was there, holding her hand. Jake was also there for a moment, but Mo'at told her that the tribe needed him more. She practically had to order him away.

The woman holding her hand didn't know what to say. She had lost her sister, when mercs shot her in a school in retaliation. She had seen her father lie in the ashes of the old Hometree. But this was different. She had never been able to talk to them. It was different, seeing the life fade away instead.

"They are wrong." Mo'at whispered.
"Mother?"
"A while ago… when I was visiting the plains tribe… we were talking about the sky people." Mo'at began. "They were saying that they couldn't be trusted…  that they would eat all in sight… that they would lie to our faces to the end… and …"
Mo'at coughed herself into a fit. Neytiri did her best to help her relax. When Mo'at's hand came back from her mouth, there was blood all over it.
"Mother, just relax." Neytiri whispered. "I already know things like-"
"No." Mo'at said abruptly. "Listen…. It was during that meeting… I saw who they really were… the chiefs and their families… they started gossip about each other… about the other tribes. One of them said…. That the tribe that lived in the tundra's… were encroaching upon the land of the plains tribes… taking some of the harvest and animals for themselves. The chief of the plains… he called the tundra people invaders… said that they were a group of animals who subsisted in… the cold, because they were forsaken by Eywa. He didn't even refer… to them… as true na'vi."
Neytiri was silent. She had been listening far more intently now.

"And not one of the others… said a word. Not his Tsahik… not his people, not any of the other people… no one."
"Did you speak out?"
"I did…" Mo'at continued. "But that is not… what's important."
"What do you mean?"
"It showed me… that we are capable…. Of being the things… we always thought we wouldn't be…" she wheezed. "The things… we always thought only the sky-people were…."
Mo'at looked into her daughter's eye.
"Neytiri… in the past days and nights… na'vi alike had shed each other's blood… And just now… humans have done the same… to their own. When you look at… the ground now…" she whispered. "We both have red blood."
"Mother…" Neytiri began to say. Her voice trailed off. She fought back tears.
"There is light…. And darkness…. in all of our hearts… in both of our peoples." Mo'at breathed. "We are more alike than we… would like to think."
Neytiri was silent. Her lip quivered a little before she got it under control.

"Neytiri… my child…" Mo'at began. "You are the strongest… bravest… and greatest daughter a mother… could ever have." She gave a small smile. "And there is so much light in you… and you can see the light in others…" She squeezed Neytiri's hand. "I am so proud… to call you... my own."
Her daughter looked to the ground for moment. Then she looked back and blinked away the tears. "I'll be fine mother."
"I know." Mo'at whispered. "But promise me something."
"Mother?"
"Promise me…" Mo'at began, trying to find the words. "Promise me that you see people… for who they are… not for what they are…" she paused. "That you see the light… and dark… in the na'vi and… the humans you find." She added. "Can you promise me this?"
Neytiri was silent. For a minute, she seemed to stare into nothing.
Then she refocused on Mo'at. "I promise."

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"So we're moving?" Emile asked.
It was later in the afternoon. The shock of the attacks had faded, and people were getting ready to do whatever had to be done. It still came as a bit of a shock when the word came out.
Emile and a few other militia were currently guarding some of the human colonists who were still alive. They were holed up at the bottom of a tree, trying to keep the civilians calm and sometimes getting them to help shore up the defences. Aside from the initial shock and horror of the latest betrayal, the colonists were taking this acceptably well.
"That's the plan." Alex answered. "Hell's Gate is sending us some birds that should be here in about five hours. They're gonna to pick us, and the na'vi up, and we'll be flown back to the colony where we can cook up some counter attack plan."
Emile's ears pricked up. "Hold on a sec, we're taking the na'vi with us?"
"That's the plan."

The answer caused some consternation amongst the humans. The halos that encircled them, their auras, they started to shake and go sickly. The news hadn't fared well.
"I know it's a big ask, but don't worry, you are still going to get to be on the first choppers here. There'll be enough room for everyone involved." He said clearly and strongly. "We're all going to get out of this alive, okay?"
The auras started to cool down again. The consternation went down a bit as well.
One of the engineers spoke up. "Okay, first things first, why the hell would the tribals WANT to come with us? I mean, this here is there home, why are they leaving?"
"Look around us." Alex motioned. "This place got hammered and fried in the last attack. If either the crazies, or the mercs come back, they're not going to last long, and they know it."
"So they figure they got a better chance with us?"
"That's the idea." Alex nodded. "They're going to help us with defending our own turf, and they might even give us a hand with taking the fight to those traitors."
"You sure it's a good idea?"
"They helped us out in getting out of that deathtrap in the mines; we'll help them out now."
A hand went up.
"Yes?"
"It'll be night when the birds get here right?"
"That is true."
"Then could the crazies be back then as well?"
Alex paused for a moment.
"We know. We're going to have to be ready for any attack in the night."
A few sounds of despair whispered out.
"Don't worry okay. We're there for you, you'll be fine."

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A little while after the speech, Alex went to a certain hollow to check on two important people.
As he rounded the bend he came into the view of Pvt. Jade, who stood up from the log she was sitting on and faced Alex, who simply nodded at her. He then looked into the hollow and into the faces of a mother and her daughter.

The woman was lying against the root with her child curled up in her arms. She took a look at Alex and went back to stroking her sleeping daughter's hair. The contrast of the mother's exo suit fingerless exo suit gauntlet and her dirty hair of the sleeping child weren't that sharp, although Alex marvelled at how something that could lift a quarter ton crate also could run through a child's hair.

"How is she holding up?" Alex whispered, kneeling down.
Victoria paused for a moment before answering. Then she whispered. "After the bombardment... she didn't say a word. For a moment, I thought she might have been hit by a bit of shrapnel, but it must have been the shock…" she looked into Alex's eyes. "She shouldn't have to go through this. No child should."
"What can we do? We should be grateful that she has not been hurt."
"She hasn't said a word since, Garnett. What do I do?"
"Just keep her comfortable. Make her know that's she is safe."
They both paused for a moment.
"You expect me to lie to her?" she whispered.
"Well, safe for now…"
"I can't do that."
"You'll have to, okay?" he whispered testily. "There's not much else we can do for her. I'd rather not have her play with kids who are twice her size. At least you've got a quiet space here."
"And how long is this quiet going to last for?" Victoria whispered sharply. "When those monsters come for us?"
"When they come for us, I and the rest of the militia, even the na'vi, will be there between you two, and them, okay? We WILL be there for you!"
"Right as if you were always around for the people you care for."

The silence that followed stopped the hearts of the three adults present. Alex's eyes bored holes into the woman.
"I'm sorry." She whispered. "That was uncalled for."
The child in her arms; Lauryl, stirred a little. Suddenly, Alex gave a deep sigh. He felt very tired.
"I better get going…" Alex muttered softly as he stood back up. He turned to Jade. "Keep her safe."
"Yes Boss."

Before he could leave though, Victoria's voice came to him.
"Stop blaming yourself."
Alex stood for a moment, without turning around.
"It wasn't your fault she was killed. You didn't-"
Alex spun around. His eyes would make plants wilt.
"If I don't blame myself, who will take it for me?! You!?" he snapped.
He briefly locked eyes with the woman. Until he realised Lauryl was also looking at him. The fire that had been stoked inside himself had cold water poured upon it.
Lauryl looked away. She buried herself back in her mother's arms. Victoria helped her get comfortable, then went back to looking at Alex.
"I'm trying to make up for it, okay?" Alex sighed, defeated. "What do you think I've been doing for the past few months?"