Brotherhood Chapter 29
Yes, I did make it! This was written before midnight last night, hope you enjoy (as much as this chapter can be enjoyed...)
Well, I said I'd get at least to chapter 29, and lo, I have done it! Of course, I'd like to make it to 30 but we'll see. I might just get it up in the next couple of days, since by and far it's ready to go, I just need to polish it and finish up some necessary scenes.
The title of this chapter is actually quite important. With a slight adaptation, it is the title of a song which, to me, reminds me greatly of the "Time of Great Sorrow" which is about to begin. The song is "Morning Dew" by Bonnie Dobson (although it's been covered and re-covered many times since it was first written almost 40 years ago) and even though it was written then, it is still just as relevent today as it ever was. I definitely reccommend googling it and maybe listening to it on Youtube. Any version will do, but to me, the original is still the best one.
Okay, deep breath, people, we're going in...
Brotherhood Chapter 29: Mourning Dew
As Neytiri slowly drifted toward wakefulness the first thing she was aware of was the comforting warmth of Jake's arms around her. Then her ears twitched, and she became aware of a strange sound disrupting the peacefulness of the morning. Her eyes fluttered open and then all of a sudden she realized what was going on... There were sawtute machines, the kind which ate the trees, and they were close! She slipped out of Jake's arms and got to her feet and suddenly realized just how CLOSE they were.
"Ma Jhake," she shook him, glancing over her shoulder where the machines were getting closer. "Jhake! Jhake, wake up!" she took his face in her hands, forgetting in her panic that of course he wouldn't hear her, hoping desperately that somehow the new bond they had created that night would call to him so far away and bring her back to her, "Jhake, please!"
They were getting too close! Trees fell all around them, and she had to do something! With another desperate call to him, she started tugging his inert, lifeless body out of the way, her only hope that he would wake up before they were both crushed beneath the merciless wheels of the tawtute machines.
After a night of tossing and turning with nightmares, Ninat woke only to find that waking wasn't much better. Tom still lay as still as though he had been sick and would never wake again, and there was some sort of fuss going on outside. She carefully rearranged Tom's limbs so that he would stay comfortable, and with a final glance over her shoulder back to him, she headed out to see what was going on.
The sound of people's panicking was almost too loud, but her ears caught the unfamiliar grumbling of tawtute machines. So close...too close!
"What is happening?" she asked the nearest person. It was Tseo'ong, the weaver, and he looked at her wild-eyed.
"The tawtute machines are attacking utral aymokriyä," he told her, "we must do something, but what can we do?"
The tree of voices? How could they do such a horrible thing? Now she knew Tom would not wake soon. If he had suspected something like this would happen and gone into the den of the tawtute to try to prevent it, for sure they must have captured him, but... She frowned, suddenly concerned. The People might not all see this as she did - might not understand that Tom was working for them, not the tawtute destroyers of the forest - and in their anger and fear, they might try to do something foolish. Quickly she returned to the singers' alcove, to resume her vigil over the sleeping body of the one who would (soon, Eywa let him return soon) be her mate. As she laid down between him and the entrance, wrapping him in her arms, with a hand over his heart to sense any changes as soon as he began to wake, she couldn't help remembering her own uniltaron a year previous. The small täftxuk female she had been, and the desperation to protect her injured mate...and now the vision was coming to be in a way she had never thought so literally possible.
As Jake woke into his avatar he was completely ready to face a slightly grumpy Neytiri scolding him for taking so long to wake. What he wasn't ready for was the massive rush of adrenaline as he saw his mate's terror-stricken face.
"Jhake, wake up," she begged, and he wondered how long she had been pleading with his empty avatar before Grace had let him link up, "Jhake, wake up!"
He ran his hands over her shoulders and then slipped past her, a frown deep on his forehead. Did those idiots have any idea what they were doing? What this would cause?
"Hey!" he called out, knowing that even though the dozers were unmanned, they had cameras linked back to the operators in the comms-ops center back at Hell's Gate, "Hey!" he waved his arms, desperately trying to get their attention, "Stop! Stop!"
At first, it seemed to be working - the dozer ground to a halt - but it was only a brief reprieve. It started up again, and his cries of "No, stop!" were useless. He hurried to Neytiri, hauling her to her feet and urging her to go, to get out of the path of destruction, his combat instincts screaming at him to get the civilian clear. Before he even thought about what he was doing he'd picked up a rock and was climbing up the outside of the massive metal beast. He'd take out its eyes; then it would have to stop!
He managed to get all the cameras before the shooting started, and then he quickly ran back down. He didn't want her anywhere near if guns were getting involved!
Tom rolled over with a groan; his mouth feeling like it had been stuffed full of mouldy cotton balls and his head pounding. He couldn't figure out what was going on. It almost felt like coming out of cryo, but he wasn't weightless, and, quite frankly, cryo hadn't been this bad. He raised a shaky hand to rub his eyes, and then it all came back to him. Uniltaron, unlinking to talk to Selfridge, getting his ass handed to him (Mom would've whacked him upside the head for being so careless) and thrown in the brig... Damnit, he had to get out! Ninat was probably panicking! He'd said he would only be gone about half an hour, and now it was...Goddamnit he didn't even know what time it was, or even what day. They could've been keeping him down with tranq gas for days and he'd never know it.
He sat up and looked around; trying to figure out how to know how much time had passed, and rubbed the back of his hand against his cheek. Okay, only a morning's-worth of stubble, so he'd probably only been out overnight, but still... He had to get out of here and back to Ninat! He had to figure out some way to get those dozers to turn...if it wasn't already too late, that was.
Grace had linked up right after Jake, and when she woke she could tell something was wrong. There was a stillness in the forest that didn't bode well. She blessed her avatar's much better shape than her own aging body and tar-filled lungs as she practically ran the whole way from the forest house to Hometree. And when she got there, she knew. She knew!
'Goddamnit Miles, how could you do something like this?' she thought as she looked at the destruction. She knew it had to be him. Parker was too wilfully ignorant about the Na'vi to know that driving dozers in over the grove of the tree of voices would incite them into a fury. Miles, on the other hand...Fucking Quaritch. Stop thinking of him as "Miles", he stopped being that to her after he'd ordered his troops to shoot up her schoolhouse and kill innocent children! Fucking Quaritch was savvy enough to know exactly what this would do. Unless she could somehow calm the situation down before the inevitable escalation that would give the RDA "Just Cause" to take the Omatikaya out.
"Ftang! Rutxe!" she called out to them, "This will only make things worse."
"You do not speak here!" Tsu'tey snarled at her. Tsu'tey, who had once been her adored "problem student", never paying attention in class except when it suited him, his attention always distracted by one thing or another, always wanting to be out of his seat and moving, and yet picking up information and English like a little blue sponge... She'd always had a hidden soft spot for him, and he for her, she'd thought, until Sylwanin's death changed everything between them.
"Tsu'tey, don't do this!" she heard Jake's voice, and hope bloomed in her heart again, briefly. Jake was Omatikaya now, they would listen to his words, although it would be better if Tom would show up and talk to them. Tom was the statesman, after all; Jake was the warrior.
And then she caught the look on Tsu'tey's face as he strode quickly toward Jake. Who had arrived with Neytiri...
Her worst fears were confirmed with Tsu'tey's next words. "You mated with this woman?" No wonder Jake had been so eager to go through with the dream hunt, no wonder she'd almost had to force-feed him this morning! She couldn't quite keep her "Oh shit!" bottled in, but then, if ever there was a situation that deserved it, this was the one.
Jake swore internally. He'd known Tsu'tey was going to be pissed about this, but on top of everything else, the timing of this was...just downright shitty.
"Brother, please," he said, trying to keep his voice calm, "do not attack the sky people. Many Omatikaya will die if you do." He thought frantically of some way to get through to Tsu'tey just how serious the situation was, but his thoughts were interrupted by a rushing wall of furious, knife-wielding warrior.
"You are not my brother!" Tsu'tey accused, and Jake, relying on instincts trained into him since childhood, caught and redirected him, throwing him to the ground as he turned to face where his attacking Omatikaya brother would be getting to his feet momentarily.
"And I am not your enemy," he said firmly, drawing his knife and throwing it to the ground, disarming himself. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Eytukan moving Neytiri out of the way and thought 'Good, keep her out of this,' as he met Tsu'tey's enraged eyes, "Your enemy is out there, and they are very powerful! I can talk to them..."
"No more talk," Tsu'tey growled and attacked again. Damnit, Jake was gonna have to take him out, and that was the last thing he wanted to do here, but...
With a few quick blows, Jake sent him to the ground. 'Just stay down, damnit,' he thought frantically, 'and listen! Please just listen, Brother...' He knew what he needed to say. He needed to remind Tsu'tey about the tactics they had discussed, about how the tawtute warriors would poke a hornet's nest over and over until they were stung, then would cry foul and bring in every weapon they had to eliminate the hornets even though all the trouble was their own fault, all because they wanted the tree the hornets' nest was in.
Yes, he would remind Tsu'tey of that, but first... "I am Omatikaya," he said, looking around at the crowd, "I am one of you, and I have the right to speak." He took a deep breath, "I have something to say, to all of you," he managed in Na'vi, his eyes seeking out his mate's, "the words are like stones in my heart." He tried to think of how Tommy would say this. Tommy had always been the one who did all the talking, but he wasn't here...he'd likely found somewhere last night and was still holed up there with Ninat. God, Eywa, Jake wished he was still curled up around Neytiri...
Jake watched Grace pass out and fall to the ground, and he knew he'd be next...he knew he didn't have much time. His eyes met Tsu'tey's and he spoke quickly. "Remember what I told you about the hornets' nest," he said, "about how the sky people warriors use it to..." but that was as far as he got before he was waking up to a link station and a crowd of Sec-Ops personnel - and Quaritch's ugly, scarred face.
"Are you outta your goddamned mind?" he sat up. If he'd had his working legs right now he would've been out of the bed and ripping the man's head off, superior officer or no.
The only response he got, though, was a smirk, "You crossed the line," and a right hook to the jaw. And then, for a little while, anyway, he knew no more.
Me'lina groaned as she rolled over in her nivi and started to wake. Were these strange dreams every couple of months or so going to be a habit? She really hoped not. The tsahìk had confirmed that the last dream had been an isolated incident, nothing to worry about, and now it had happened again? She shook herself and stretched. Maybe she should visit the grove of the utral aymokriyä and ask for answers there before she troubled the tsahìk again.
After quickly washing herself she headed for the grove, and once she was there she settled under a particularly favourite tree of hers and gathered its fronds to her, lifting her tswin and making the connection just the same as she had many times before. What happened next, though, had never happened. Instead of the happy, laughing echoes of her ancestors, she was hit with a disorienting wave of dizziness and the echoes of screaming, crying...fear. Pure fear. She disconnected herself reflexively and staggered to her feet. Something was very wrong somewhere, and the tsahìk and olo'eyktan needed to know. Now.
By the time she reached the center of Kelutral her panicked run had attracted probably more attention than she should have been attracting, but there was nothing she could do about that now. She continued straight to 'Anansi where she could see the tsahìk standing.
"I must speak to you," she panted, trying to catch her breath. She wasn't a hunter, after all; potters usually didn't have to run quite so much. "It is very important."
"Come with me," 'Anansi placed a gentle hand on her back and led her into a private alcove among the roots. Once they were alone, she sat down and indicated Me'lina should do the same. "Now, tell me what is troubling you so much that you ran as though palulukan was on your tail," she frowned.
"This morning I had another dream," Me'lina started, then shook her head, "that does not matter. I went to the utral aymokriyä to try to sort out what message my dream was telling me, and instead of the normal voices, something was wrong. I was made dizzy, and there was screaming and fear... Tsahìk, I know something must be wrong, I just know it."
"It certainly sounds as though something strange may be going on," 'Anansi's frown deepened, "I will investigate this myself. Come; show me exactly where you were sitting." She got back to her feet and led them out of the alcove, then back to the grove, pausing only to find Pontep and bring him with them. If this was what she feared, then quick action would need to be taken, and both the clan's leaders would need to be involved in the decision.
When they reached the grove again, and Me'lina led them to the spot where she had been sitting, 'Anansi made tsaheylu with that tree, and Pontep had to actually catch her before she fell over.
"Something is wrong with another grove," she said, "I cannot tell what it is, but the echoes of the fear which has come to it are poisoning every tree. We must find out where this poison is coming from. Until then, none are to link to the utral aymokriyä. I do not want to risk the minds and hearts of our people."
Pontep nodded. "I will send out hunters on ikran," he said, "to all the clans within flying distance. Perhaps they might have more answers. This disturbance...worries me. I am reminded of the words of Tom and Ka'tsi when they spoke to us about the sawtute and the cruel things they are capable of."
"I, too, remember their words," 'Anansi agreed. She turned to Me'lina. "You must speak as little about this as you can," she said, "We do not want to worry the People. Do not mention the sky people's connection until we know for sure that it is the cause. There is no sense starting something without the right information."
"We do not start a pot with the clay for a bead," Me'lina nodded, "I will say nothing about the sky people."
"How could you?" Peyral hissed, grabbing Neytiri by the arm and hauling her into a more private area of Kelutral where they wouldn't be interrupted.
"How could I what? I did not take Jhake from you, he chose me," Neytiri shook her head, "and I offered you as his best choice. Besides, I spoke to the only person whose permission I needed."
"Your mother didn't look like she knew you were planning," Peyral frowned, "nor did your father, and Tsu'tey certainly didn't seem to have been expecting this."
"I spoke to Sylwanin," Neytiri said firmly, "and she told me it was the right thing to do."
"The right thing to do? Betraying your destiny as future tsahìk to the clan was the right thing?"
"There is nothing which says that the tsahìk and olo'eyktan must be mated, although it is common practice," Neytiri insisted, "and I have known for a long time that had Tsu'tey and I attempted to mate, Eywa would have rejected the mating. I am not my sister, and even if I may be able to take her place in some ways, I cannot in every respect. Sylwanin said she has found a new mate for him, and that I was free to make my choice where I would, and so I offered others to Jhake - after all, I was not going to assume he wanted me as I wanted him - but he refused each of the very good women I suggested, and then he turned to me and told me that he had already chosen..."
Peyral sighed. She could see the truth of the matter in Neytiri's eyes, and more than that, she could see the incredible love her friend felt for her new mate. It didn't make it any easier for her, though, having to give up the first man she had ever even begun to feel anything for.
"I will not cause you trouble," Peyral said finally, "but if you do not treasure him as the gift from Eywa that he is to you..."
Neytiri smiled, "I will not forget," she assured her friend, "and, Tsmuke, I know there is a man out there for you. The time will come when he finds you, and then you will be glad you did not try to make Jake settle for you. To settle for one not your first choice is not what Eywa wishes for any woman."
"I suppose that is true," Peyral nodded, "but I hope he finds me soon. Or if, indeed, he does not exist, I hope that I can spend my life well. Even if he is not mine, I do love Jake, Tsmuke, and I will stand by his side even if some here speak bad words of him right now."
"Thank you," Neytiri embraced Peyral gratefully, "Thank you so much, my sister. I will not forget this gift you give us."
Louise smiled over at Tsuki where the thanator cub took up a guarding position just outside her tree of voices. The littles had been taking turns walking her out here every morning. Taka said it was so she'd have someone to lean on if she got dizzy again. She was amazed at how the littles were growing - she could almost rest her hand on Tsuki's shoulder as they walked now, although that had only happened in the last week, and their teeth and claws were becoming stronger as well, all three of them could tear meat now, although they still could not crush bone, and Taka had started taking them along to shadow him on hunts, so that they could start to learn how to hunt for themselves, as they would no doubt need to do eventually. The bigger they got the more it was going to take to feed them, after all, and he could only hunt so much on his own!
Louise reached over and stroked Tsuki's tail where the cub had kept it within her reach, then sat up straight and reached for the fronds hanging closest to her. She started her deep-breathing exercises like Pämeya had taught her, and slowly raised her queue to the tree. She loved this part of the mornings, it was so relaxing, and it really did help center her for the rest of the day. She hadn't had nearly so much trouble with her balance the last few days, and the teas and especially the Unexpectedly Really Yummy teylu were helping her feel better as well.
The moment her queue touched the branches this morning, though, she was hit with a roiling sense of disorientation, like she'd been thrown inside a mirrored room that was spinning, and the nausea that accompanied it had her hunched over and bringing up everything she'd eaten this morning...and possibly yesterday and the day before. God, she felt wretched! She tried to get to her feet, and Tsuki had to rush over to catch her before the fell on her face, the cub's forelimbs pressing her back down ever-so-careful of her claws on her foster-mother's skin.
Louise felt another wave of nausea roll over her, and she curled up into a ball, trying to fight it down. Such violent heaves couldn't be good for the baby! She was frightened and wished she'd remembered to put a throat mic on this morning, but Taka wasn't going out hunting, and she usually didn't need to worry about keeping in touch with the rest of Site 12 for any other reason than his hunting trips, so she hadn't bothered. After this she was going to always take one, she thought firmly to herself.
Tsuki's concerned face nuzzled against hers, and she made the sound Louise had come to know meant she wanted to know what was wrong, although she didn't try and make tsaheylu. It was like she knew that the disorientation of the bond would only make Louise feel worse...which she probably did. The littles were smart cookies, after all!
"Go get Daddy for me," she told Tsuki, "hurry! Please!" She figured that was a simple enough request that Tsuki wouldn't need tsaheylu to understand it, and she was proven right when the cub nudged her once more, making her "reassuring" noise, then nodded, turned and dashed away at a flat-out run. Louise stayed lying on her side, curled up, desperately concentrating on her deep breathing exercises and trying to calm her mind and body down again.
Taka was playing "fetch" with the other two cubs when Tsuki came running back, and the sight of her in such a hurry and without Louise caused a cold knot of fear to clench in his chest.
"What's wrong?" he asked as she skidded to a stop in front of him, and he knelt and held his queue out to her quickly.
«Momma sick,» Tsuki said, «made bond with tree then made sick-up! Curled up like sleeping! Momma said get Daddy quick so I ran and ran and ran so quick!»
"You were very good," Taka reassured her, stroking her forehead soothingly, "Get the other two and start back to her, I'll follow with the medicine."
She nodded and ran over to the others, and then all three cubs took off running for the tree, and Taka, once he'd quickly ducked into their sleeping quarters, wasn't far behind them.
When he made it to the tree, Louise was sitting up a little, her back resting against Sano's body and the girls lying on either side of her, nuzzling her supportively.
"What happened?" Taka asked, quickly feeling her forehead and looking into her eyes. She wasn't showing any signs of fever - a thing that the midwife had warned him could happen to women in early pregnancy if they were going to lose the baby - but she did look pale and unwell.
"It was so weird," Louise shuddered, "the tree...it was like being in some kinda nasty feedback loop instead of the usual, peaceful linking." She shook her head slowly, "like being in a gyroscope in freefall...I can't explain it. And there was so much fear... It was just too much."
He frowned, "Tsuki-chan said you threw up?"
"Yeah," she nodded, "but I think it was just because the disorientation made my vertigo worse."
"Well we can't have that happening again," Taka dug around in the pack he'd grabbed, "here, I brought some of those leaves the midwife left for you to chew if you were feeling too dizzy or nauseous."
"Thanks," she smiled weakly at him and took the leaves, biting down a couple of times and then tucking them into her cheek the way she'd been taught. The soft, minty flavour immediately made her feel better, if for no other reason than because it washed away the sick taste from her mouth. "I'll be okay now, but I'm worried about the tree. Why would it do something like that?"
"Obviously something is going on," Taka said, "and we'll investigate it just as soon as I'm sure you're well, which means when you feel well enough to stand up and walk home where you can lie down and rest. No hurry," he put a hand on her shoulder to stop her from trying to sit up further, "take your time. There's absolutely nothing we have to do today that can't wait an hour or three."
She let herself lean back again and Sano nuzzled her shoulder encouragingly, trying to let her know he didn't mind being leaned on a little while longer. Taka kept a slight smile on his face, but inside he was worried, and not just about the immediate trouble this morning. If something bad was going on with the trees, it could only be the RDA behind it (well, of course there was always the remote possibility of some other reason, but he was pretty sure the principle of Occam's Razor applied here - the simple answer is always the best one) and if the RDA was making some kind of major move, there was a chance they might get recalled back to the base, and right now, moving Louise back there where her pregnancy could be discovered...wasn't an option to him. Of course, there was also the chance that because they were off in the boonies, as it were, they would be forgotten in the turmoil. He really hoped that would be what happened, but he wasn't about to just assume the outcome would be so good.
Very quietly, Taka began to formulate a plan to keep his family safe.
Flying in a steep dive on Eampin, his ikran, Tsu'tey couldn't remember the last time he'd been so glad to kill something. Well, perhaps he could remember one instance where killing had been pleasure, but he did not want to remember that time. At least the smoke and the screams of men dying and ikran diving kept him from thinking too much about this morning.
He released his bowstring and the last of the tawtute warriors fell, his body pierced by an arrow that looked amusingly large in comparison. He wasn't sure what upset him more, the thought that Neytiri had betrayed him, or that Jake had. He had thought the two of them were becoming friends, and did not friends respect the claims of their friends upon a woman? It was only made worse because there was no way, now, for him to speak to the one he most wanted to - the only one who could really console him and perhaps explain what had happened.
Tsu'tey had always been a simple man, he'd never seen the need for things to be elaborate and embellished...that had always been Sylwanin's place, to show him the reasons for the complicated things, and make him appreciate them because she loved them...and now she was gone, in a much more total fashion than even her death had brought.
With an angry whoop he rocketed skyward again, Eampin echoing his rider's fury with an ear-shattering scream of his own, and he watched as the first of the flaming torches were thrown toward the massive monsters. Once again, these tree-eating creations of the tawtute had destroyed his love, and he would not stand for it! He would make these ones pay, and then he would find a way to make the rest of them pay, and unless he was given a very good reason, that payment would start with the skxawng.
Once Grace, Jake and Norm had been deposited in the biolab by their military escort and left alone with the news that all scientific endeavours were on hold for the foreseeable future until this "mess with the natives" was sorted out, Max took his chance.
"Can I talk to you?" he asked the fuming Grace quietly. He didn't want to piss her off even further, but she needed to know what their little spy network had found, and, more important, she needed to know that it existed and stood ready to help her, no matter what that meant.
"What could you possibly need, Max?" she frowned at him.
"To talk about something," he said, glancing around the room, "somewhere without so many eyes." Even if most of those eyes belonged to folks who were in on things, he didn't want to chance blowing their cover when it was more important than ever.
"Well it's not like I have anything better to do," Grace shrugged, "why don't we talk in my office?"
"Perfect," Max nodded, stepping back. "Lead the way."
Grace rolled her eyes as she got to her feet, then strode, her irritation clear, into her office. Max followed, and closed the door behind him.
"Okay, now what's up with all the cloak and dagger bullshit?" Grace turned to look at him as the door clicked shut.
"We've been noticing what's been going on with the corporate and military types," Max said, "and for the past month, the science team has been doing what scientists do best...gathering information."
"Who's "we", first of all," Grace asked, "and what kind of information are we talking about?"
"The "we" is the science team and the avatar techs," Max said, "along with all the drivers, and the information, well...that' where things get interesting. Did you know the MacCool boys used to be hackers for the Fianna Nua?"
"I had no idea," Grace admitted, but her raised eyebrow and the way she was leaning forward slightly in her chair spoke louder than words to Max to tell him she was interested.
"Well, considering they got out without being caught, neither does anybody else," Max allowed a small grin, "and they've been doing some incredible work. They now have capture programs running in the background of both Selfridge and Quaritch's computers, funnelling everything they do into a secure hidden file in the biolab."
"Have you got anything useful?" Grace asked, her interest more than clear, now.
"Well, poor Bailey is kicking himself, because he actually had all the information to predict this morning's mess with the dozers, only he didn't put it together," Max sighed, "but we've got various bits of information, including vidfiles Quaritch kept of the attack on the school, all of which could be VERY inflammatory if we can get them sent off to Earth in a secure transmission. Dolan says they still have some guerrilla media connections he could send things to, and if the press gets too bad at home, the RDA may be pressured into making changes, if for no other reason than to keep the UN off their backs. There's no way they'd want to risk sanctions."
Grace nodded thoughtfully. "Max," she said finally, "I have something to ask you, and you don't have to answer right now, but I want you to think about it. If it comes to war between the Na'vi and the RDA...what would you do?"
"Do you think they'll actually..."
Grace cut him off with a sharp shake of her head. "Don't answer now," she said, "think about it, and tell me later."
Antsu and Cathy crouched in the far corner of the singers' alcove, discussing the day's events in quiet voices. Ninat had allowed them in, but she was wildly protective of Tom's sleeping avatar, and would let no one close who wasn't family. Antsu had offered to move him, but she was having none of it, and clung fiercely to him when anyone tried to touch him.
"I'm worried about you," Antsu ran his fingers over Cathy's hair, "although you are my mate and a full member of the clan, in their anger people may forget... I would feel better if you were somewhere safe until this trouble has been dealt with."
"I'm not going to just run off and leave you and everyone else in danger!" Cathy shook her head firmly, "Antsu, I won't be parted from you. We spent three years apart because of the company's stupidity, I won't let them come between us again."
"Then I will go with you," he said, "it's not as though I'm any kind of a fighter in any case."
"There are many who aren't fighters," Cathy agreed, then she gripped his arm, hard. "Antsu, the tawtute warriors will not stop simply because the one who faces them is not a warrior. We have both seen this before, you know it to be true! We must find some way to convince Eytukan to at least evacuate the women and children."
"But where would they go?" he asked, "It isn't as though we can simply send children out into the woods and they will be safe."
"The forest house," Cathy said, "it's on the opposite side of Hometree from the dozers. The children could be kept safe there until the battle is over. They will come in force, Antsu, I know the ways of the people of my birth, and they will see our revenge on their machines as more than reason enough to come at us with all their strength."
"Come," he rubbed her shoulder and then let his hand gently brush over the woven armlet that covered her ragged scar, "we should speak to Eytukan and Mo'at before it is too late."
As she listened to the briefing, Trudy shifted nervously from foot to foot, trying to make it look like she was just antsy to get going. Sure, the pictures of the destruction that had been done to the dozers were compelling, but for her, the loss of human life wasn't the thing that bothered her. Those were dumb grunts who'd gone into things knowing they were going to piss off the natives and hadn't refused their orders. It was war; they deserved what they got. The thing that bothered her in the pictures was the track of destruction the dozers caused. She remembered only too well what it had been like to live in a forest at constant threat of being evicted by giant, yellow machines that ate trees for breakfast and wouldn't even consider a person a light snack. Even as young as she had been, she remembered what it was like, and now a whole bunch of new kids were going through the same thing. She remembered Tamrrlìn the weaver and her little daughter (who was almost as big as Trudy herself, but we're talking comparatively here) who had been so sweetly cute when she met them at Jake's party at Hometree...
"Alright, you flyboys've got your orders!" Quaritch barked out, "Be in the hanger in fifteen minutes. We're rolling this thing, and those little blue monkeys ain't gonna know what hit'em."
There was a chorus of "Hell yeah"s and "Sir, yes sir!"s and then the assembled pilots and gun crews scattered to change and prepare all the last-minute things they needed to do before they headed out to take down a "pesky little problem", as Quaritch had put it.
Trudy headed for her room, at first, but once she was out of the way of the crowd she slowed slightly, taking off a shoe as if she'd gotten a stone in it, and when she put it back on she was running in a different direction entirely. Grace needed to know this, and she needed to know it NOW.
The biolab was filled with techs buzzing around like useless, disaffected bees when she arrived, and her combat boots rang on the metal floor. "Quaritch is rollin' the gunships!" she called out even before she stopped running, "he's gonna hit Hometree!"
She saw Grace get to her feet, and her eyes caught Norm's and a thousand words were spoken between them in an instant, and then she turned and ran in the other direction, back to follow orders. She couldn't let herself be suspected as a traitor, not when there was nothing she could do on her own to stop this mess. She was just glad she'd made a few...special alterations of her own to her Baby after evacuating the bleeding avatars from Grace's school three years ago. At least if things got way out of hand, she had an exit strategy ready.
Tom frowned as he saw the crowd of sec-ops personnel walk into the brig. He wasn't sure exactly what they were planning, but the fact that there were six of them didn't bode particularly well for him. When Quaritch walked in behind them, parting the crowd like his own little version of the Red Sea, Tom knew it was going to be bad.
He moved away from the door until his back was against the far wall, giving himself as much room to manoeuvre as he could while at the same time making sure nobody could get the jump on him, but he was still sluggish from the gas, and his body was atrophied from spending so much time in link, especially in the last month, so it didn't take them long to subdue him and get binding straps on his wrists.
"Come on, Doctor Sully," Quaritch grinned at him, "We're going for a little plane ride. It's about time you had a firm dose of reality, and I'm just the doc to give it to you."
Tom pulled all his rage into the center of himself, the way Mom had taught them when they were little, and forced himself to radiate calm. It wouldn't do him any good to try and fight right now, they'd just knock him on the head again and there wouldn't be any advantage. When he was out somewhere he had a chance of getting away, though? Best to save his strength for when it really mattered. He could tell something bad was going down. If Quaritch looked pleased about it, it couldn't be a good thing, after all, and this wasn't the body he could be most effective in.
He closed his eyes briefly as they forced an exopack over his face and marched him out into the hanger where it seemed like every single aircraft was being prepped for flight. This was worse than bad...this was a disaster. 'God, Eywa, anyone who's listening,' he whispered in the depths of his soul, 'please just keep Ninat safe!'
As Parker shut the lid on his link pod, Jake fumed. He needed to get this sorted out, but more than that, he really needed Tom with them to help. Parker's response when he suggested that, though, was... Well, "If you think I'm letting that crazy, tree-hugging brother of yours take another swing at me, you're nuts," Parker had said, "Besides, he's not here anyway. Quaritch thought he ought to see things from a different perspective, said it might teach him a thing or two."
Jake wasn't quite sure what that meant, but whatever it was, it couldn't be good. He couldn't help but feel a little proud of Tom when he thought of his usually-peaceful brother taking a shot at the corporate dick, though. Mom would've loved to have seen that!
He woke up in a cramped little nook in the trunk of Hometree, and the moment his eyes opened, Neytiri turned around to peer inside.
"You slept for so long we feared you would not wake," she said, "like Tom... Ninat is frantic. Will he wake now as well?"
"No," Jake sighed, shaking his head, "Tom's being held captive by the leader of the tawtute warriors, we couldn't get him free."
"Poor Ninat," Neytiri bit her lip, "she will let none near him. Maybe you could speak to her?"
"I'll try," Jake nodded, "but first I have to talk to your parents. The sky people are coming, Neytiri, and it's going to be BAD."
She took him by the hand and helped him up, then led him down to the center of Hometree, under the looming skull of toruk where the leaders and warriors sat, making their plans. Grace was right behind them, and he was glad of her support, another voice added to his, who understood what the humans were capable of.
"Eytukan, I have something to say," he started, and when Eytukan indicated he should speak the words started pouring out of his mouth. If he'd had a chance to think about it he would've been pretty damned impressed he was able to put together that much coherent Na'vi, but... "A great evil is upon us. The sky people are coming to destroy Hometree..." He glanced around at the crowd. "They are coming," he said, "they are coming!"
He could hear the muttering begin, and he turned to Neytiri. "Tell them they're gonna be here soon," he begged, then he turned back to Eytukan and Mo'at, "You have to leave, or you're gonna die!"
He saw Mo'at glance at Eytukan, and then back to him. "Are you certain of this?" she asked, and before he could nod and continue, Cathy came forward from the crowd, her mate close at her side.
"It is the way of the tawtute," she confirmed, "if nothing else you should evacuate the children as we have spoken about. We can take them to the forest house where they will be safe."
"How is it you seem to know so much of the plans of these sawtute?" Eytukan asked, and Jake took a deep breath, very unsure of how this revelation was going to be taken, but sure that he had to be completely forthright.
"Look," he said, "At first, they sent me here to learn your ways, so that if it came to this I would be here and could bring you this message and you would believe me."
"What are you saying, Jhake?" Neytiri took his arm and looked into his eyes, "you knew this would happen?"
"I knew it could," he admitted, barely able to meet the deep sadness in her eyes, "Look, at first it was just orders, and then everything changed. Okay? I fell in love. With the forest, with the Omatikaya people..." He could see the sadness begin to be eclipsed by anger as he had not seen in her eyes since that first day, and his heart sank. After all they had shared, did she still not understand? "...with you..."
"I trusted you..." she groaned, and he knew he was hooped.
"...with you," he repeated, trying to get through her grief and anger to the bond between them, trying to get her to SEE. He took her arms in his hands, trying to pull her against him, and she pulled away.
"I trusted you!" she screamed, pulling away again as he once again tried to hold her.
"Trust me now, please!" he begged, and even though he could see the conflict in her eyes, the anger was still winning as she continued to scream at him, insisting that he was not one of the people.
"We tried to stop them!" Grace interjected, and Neytiri spun to look at her.
"Not good enough!" she shook her head.
"Ma 'ite," Mo'at stepped in, then, placing a calming hand on Neytiri's shoulder, "now is not the time."
"Bind them," Eytukan ordered, and Jake knew he'd failed. All he could do now was call out to the people to leave, and hope that at least some would listen.
He and Grace were quickly bound and taken to the shore of the lake, in plain view from the air, where a frame was quickly constructed to hold them captive. As they were wrestled into position within it, Jake could feel his heart sinking in his chest, but then...
"Wait!" Mo'at held up her hand, "I wish to know one thing only, before a final decision is made. Jhakesuuly, in your uniltaron, what is the animal which you saw? And I will know if you speak that which is not true."
Jake took a deep breath, not daring to look at the still-fuming Neytiri. His mate, Neytiri, who still didn't entirely trust him despite what they had shared through tsaheylu... "Toruk," he said finally, in a small voice, and then again, louder and with more purpose, "I saw toruk...no, I was toruk," he shook his head, "and I saw the destruction the sky people will cause. Please, you must leave!"
Deep breath. Okay, we made it this far, now how is what Mo'at has said going to affect things? you'll just have to wait and see.
Yes, I know I'm evil. Now, for...
Vocab:
tawtute / sawtute - sky person/people
utral aymokriyä - tree of voices
uniltaron - dream hunt
täftxuk - shadowcat (my creation)
Ftang - stop
Rutxe - please
tsahìk - spiritual leader
tswin - queue
olo'eyktan - clan leader
palulukan - big kitty!
ikran - banshee
Tsmuke - sister
teylu - edible grubs
Eampin - blue (as in, the colour. yes, I had Tsu'tey name his ikran "blue", he's a simple sort of man, I thought it fit him well.)
skxawng - moron. Aaaand we're back to the "Skxawng" again.
toruk - biiig red birdie!
'ite - daughter
Well, I said I'd get at least to chapter 29, and lo, I have done it! Of course, I'd like to make it to 30 but we'll see. I might just get it up in the next couple of days, since by and far it's ready to go, I just need to polish it and finish up some necessary scenes.
The title of this chapter is actually quite important. With a slight adaptation, it is the title of a song which, to me, reminds me greatly of the "Time of Great Sorrow" which is about to begin. The song is "Morning Dew" by Bonnie Dobson (although it's been covered and re-covered many times since it was first written almost 40 years ago) and even though it was written then, it is still just as relevent today as it ever was. I definitely reccommend googling it and maybe listening to it on Youtube. Any version will do, but to me, the original is still the best one.
Okay, deep breath, people, we're going in...
Brotherhood Chapter 29: Mourning Dew
As Neytiri slowly drifted toward wakefulness the first thing she was aware of was the comforting warmth of Jake's arms around her. Then her ears twitched, and she became aware of a strange sound disrupting the peacefulness of the morning. Her eyes fluttered open and then all of a sudden she realized what was going on... There were sawtute machines, the kind which ate the trees, and they were close! She slipped out of Jake's arms and got to her feet and suddenly realized just how CLOSE they were.
"Ma Jhake," she shook him, glancing over her shoulder where the machines were getting closer. "Jhake! Jhake, wake up!" she took his face in her hands, forgetting in her panic that of course he wouldn't hear her, hoping desperately that somehow the new bond they had created that night would call to him so far away and bring her back to her, "Jhake, please!"
They were getting too close! Trees fell all around them, and she had to do something! With another desperate call to him, she started tugging his inert, lifeless body out of the way, her only hope that he would wake up before they were both crushed beneath the merciless wheels of the tawtute machines.
After a night of tossing and turning with nightmares, Ninat woke only to find that waking wasn't much better. Tom still lay as still as though he had been sick and would never wake again, and there was some sort of fuss going on outside. She carefully rearranged Tom's limbs so that he would stay comfortable, and with a final glance over her shoulder back to him, she headed out to see what was going on.
The sound of people's panicking was almost too loud, but her ears caught the unfamiliar grumbling of tawtute machines. So close...too close!
"What is happening?" she asked the nearest person. It was Tseo'ong, the weaver, and he looked at her wild-eyed.
"The tawtute machines are attacking utral aymokriyä," he told her, "we must do something, but what can we do?"
The tree of voices? How could they do such a horrible thing? Now she knew Tom would not wake soon. If he had suspected something like this would happen and gone into the den of the tawtute to try to prevent it, for sure they must have captured him, but... She frowned, suddenly concerned. The People might not all see this as she did - might not understand that Tom was working for them, not the tawtute destroyers of the forest - and in their anger and fear, they might try to do something foolish. Quickly she returned to the singers' alcove, to resume her vigil over the sleeping body of the one who would (soon, Eywa let him return soon) be her mate. As she laid down between him and the entrance, wrapping him in her arms, with a hand over his heart to sense any changes as soon as he began to wake, she couldn't help remembering her own uniltaron a year previous. The small täftxuk female she had been, and the desperation to protect her injured mate...and now the vision was coming to be in a way she had never thought so literally possible.
As Jake woke into his avatar he was completely ready to face a slightly grumpy Neytiri scolding him for taking so long to wake. What he wasn't ready for was the massive rush of adrenaline as he saw his mate's terror-stricken face.
"Jhake, wake up," she begged, and he wondered how long she had been pleading with his empty avatar before Grace had let him link up, "Jhake, wake up!"
He ran his hands over her shoulders and then slipped past her, a frown deep on his forehead. Did those idiots have any idea what they were doing? What this would cause?
"Hey!" he called out, knowing that even though the dozers were unmanned, they had cameras linked back to the operators in the comms-ops center back at Hell's Gate, "Hey!" he waved his arms, desperately trying to get their attention, "Stop! Stop!"
At first, it seemed to be working - the dozer ground to a halt - but it was only a brief reprieve. It started up again, and his cries of "No, stop!" were useless. He hurried to Neytiri, hauling her to her feet and urging her to go, to get out of the path of destruction, his combat instincts screaming at him to get the civilian clear. Before he even thought about what he was doing he'd picked up a rock and was climbing up the outside of the massive metal beast. He'd take out its eyes; then it would have to stop!
He managed to get all the cameras before the shooting started, and then he quickly ran back down. He didn't want her anywhere near if guns were getting involved!
Tom rolled over with a groan; his mouth feeling like it had been stuffed full of mouldy cotton balls and his head pounding. He couldn't figure out what was going on. It almost felt like coming out of cryo, but he wasn't weightless, and, quite frankly, cryo hadn't been this bad. He raised a shaky hand to rub his eyes, and then it all came back to him. Uniltaron, unlinking to talk to Selfridge, getting his ass handed to him (Mom would've whacked him upside the head for being so careless) and thrown in the brig... Damnit, he had to get out! Ninat was probably panicking! He'd said he would only be gone about half an hour, and now it was...Goddamnit he didn't even know what time it was, or even what day. They could've been keeping him down with tranq gas for days and he'd never know it.
He sat up and looked around; trying to figure out how to know how much time had passed, and rubbed the back of his hand against his cheek. Okay, only a morning's-worth of stubble, so he'd probably only been out overnight, but still... He had to get out of here and back to Ninat! He had to figure out some way to get those dozers to turn...if it wasn't already too late, that was.
Grace had linked up right after Jake, and when she woke she could tell something was wrong. There was a stillness in the forest that didn't bode well. She blessed her avatar's much better shape than her own aging body and tar-filled lungs as she practically ran the whole way from the forest house to Hometree. And when she got there, she knew. She knew!
'Goddamnit Miles, how could you do something like this?' she thought as she looked at the destruction. She knew it had to be him. Parker was too wilfully ignorant about the Na'vi to know that driving dozers in over the grove of the tree of voices would incite them into a fury. Miles, on the other hand...Fucking Quaritch. Stop thinking of him as "Miles", he stopped being that to her after he'd ordered his troops to shoot up her schoolhouse and kill innocent children! Fucking Quaritch was savvy enough to know exactly what this would do. Unless she could somehow calm the situation down before the inevitable escalation that would give the RDA "Just Cause" to take the Omatikaya out.
"Ftang! Rutxe!" she called out to them, "This will only make things worse."
"You do not speak here!" Tsu'tey snarled at her. Tsu'tey, who had once been her adored "problem student", never paying attention in class except when it suited him, his attention always distracted by one thing or another, always wanting to be out of his seat and moving, and yet picking up information and English like a little blue sponge... She'd always had a hidden soft spot for him, and he for her, she'd thought, until Sylwanin's death changed everything between them.
"Tsu'tey, don't do this!" she heard Jake's voice, and hope bloomed in her heart again, briefly. Jake was Omatikaya now, they would listen to his words, although it would be better if Tom would show up and talk to them. Tom was the statesman, after all; Jake was the warrior.
And then she caught the look on Tsu'tey's face as he strode quickly toward Jake. Who had arrived with Neytiri...
Her worst fears were confirmed with Tsu'tey's next words. "You mated with this woman?" No wonder Jake had been so eager to go through with the dream hunt, no wonder she'd almost had to force-feed him this morning! She couldn't quite keep her "Oh shit!" bottled in, but then, if ever there was a situation that deserved it, this was the one.
Jake swore internally. He'd known Tsu'tey was going to be pissed about this, but on top of everything else, the timing of this was...just downright shitty.
"Brother, please," he said, trying to keep his voice calm, "do not attack the sky people. Many Omatikaya will die if you do." He thought frantically of some way to get through to Tsu'tey just how serious the situation was, but his thoughts were interrupted by a rushing wall of furious, knife-wielding warrior.
"You are not my brother!" Tsu'tey accused, and Jake, relying on instincts trained into him since childhood, caught and redirected him, throwing him to the ground as he turned to face where his attacking Omatikaya brother would be getting to his feet momentarily.
"And I am not your enemy," he said firmly, drawing his knife and throwing it to the ground, disarming himself. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Eytukan moving Neytiri out of the way and thought 'Good, keep her out of this,' as he met Tsu'tey's enraged eyes, "Your enemy is out there, and they are very powerful! I can talk to them..."
"No more talk," Tsu'tey growled and attacked again. Damnit, Jake was gonna have to take him out, and that was the last thing he wanted to do here, but...
With a few quick blows, Jake sent him to the ground. 'Just stay down, damnit,' he thought frantically, 'and listen! Please just listen, Brother...' He knew what he needed to say. He needed to remind Tsu'tey about the tactics they had discussed, about how the tawtute warriors would poke a hornet's nest over and over until they were stung, then would cry foul and bring in every weapon they had to eliminate the hornets even though all the trouble was their own fault, all because they wanted the tree the hornets' nest was in.
Yes, he would remind Tsu'tey of that, but first... "I am Omatikaya," he said, looking around at the crowd, "I am one of you, and I have the right to speak." He took a deep breath, "I have something to say, to all of you," he managed in Na'vi, his eyes seeking out his mate's, "the words are like stones in my heart." He tried to think of how Tommy would say this. Tommy had always been the one who did all the talking, but he wasn't here...he'd likely found somewhere last night and was still holed up there with Ninat. God, Eywa, Jake wished he was still curled up around Neytiri...
Jake watched Grace pass out and fall to the ground, and he knew he'd be next...he knew he didn't have much time. His eyes met Tsu'tey's and he spoke quickly. "Remember what I told you about the hornets' nest," he said, "about how the sky people warriors use it to..." but that was as far as he got before he was waking up to a link station and a crowd of Sec-Ops personnel - and Quaritch's ugly, scarred face.
"Are you outta your goddamned mind?" he sat up. If he'd had his working legs right now he would've been out of the bed and ripping the man's head off, superior officer or no.
The only response he got, though, was a smirk, "You crossed the line," and a right hook to the jaw. And then, for a little while, anyway, he knew no more.
Me'lina groaned as she rolled over in her nivi and started to wake. Were these strange dreams every couple of months or so going to be a habit? She really hoped not. The tsahìk had confirmed that the last dream had been an isolated incident, nothing to worry about, and now it had happened again? She shook herself and stretched. Maybe she should visit the grove of the utral aymokriyä and ask for answers there before she troubled the tsahìk again.
After quickly washing herself she headed for the grove, and once she was there she settled under a particularly favourite tree of hers and gathered its fronds to her, lifting her tswin and making the connection just the same as she had many times before. What happened next, though, had never happened. Instead of the happy, laughing echoes of her ancestors, she was hit with a disorienting wave of dizziness and the echoes of screaming, crying...fear. Pure fear. She disconnected herself reflexively and staggered to her feet. Something was very wrong somewhere, and the tsahìk and olo'eyktan needed to know. Now.
By the time she reached the center of Kelutral her panicked run had attracted probably more attention than she should have been attracting, but there was nothing she could do about that now. She continued straight to 'Anansi where she could see the tsahìk standing.
"I must speak to you," she panted, trying to catch her breath. She wasn't a hunter, after all; potters usually didn't have to run quite so much. "It is very important."
"Come with me," 'Anansi placed a gentle hand on her back and led her into a private alcove among the roots. Once they were alone, she sat down and indicated Me'lina should do the same. "Now, tell me what is troubling you so much that you ran as though palulukan was on your tail," she frowned.
"This morning I had another dream," Me'lina started, then shook her head, "that does not matter. I went to the utral aymokriyä to try to sort out what message my dream was telling me, and instead of the normal voices, something was wrong. I was made dizzy, and there was screaming and fear... Tsahìk, I know something must be wrong, I just know it."
"It certainly sounds as though something strange may be going on," 'Anansi's frown deepened, "I will investigate this myself. Come; show me exactly where you were sitting." She got back to her feet and led them out of the alcove, then back to the grove, pausing only to find Pontep and bring him with them. If this was what she feared, then quick action would need to be taken, and both the clan's leaders would need to be involved in the decision.
When they reached the grove again, and Me'lina led them to the spot where she had been sitting, 'Anansi made tsaheylu with that tree, and Pontep had to actually catch her before she fell over.
"Something is wrong with another grove," she said, "I cannot tell what it is, but the echoes of the fear which has come to it are poisoning every tree. We must find out where this poison is coming from. Until then, none are to link to the utral aymokriyä. I do not want to risk the minds and hearts of our people."
Pontep nodded. "I will send out hunters on ikran," he said, "to all the clans within flying distance. Perhaps they might have more answers. This disturbance...worries me. I am reminded of the words of Tom and Ka'tsi when they spoke to us about the sawtute and the cruel things they are capable of."
"I, too, remember their words," 'Anansi agreed. She turned to Me'lina. "You must speak as little about this as you can," she said, "We do not want to worry the People. Do not mention the sky people's connection until we know for sure that it is the cause. There is no sense starting something without the right information."
"We do not start a pot with the clay for a bead," Me'lina nodded, "I will say nothing about the sky people."
"How could you?" Peyral hissed, grabbing Neytiri by the arm and hauling her into a more private area of Kelutral where they wouldn't be interrupted.
"How could I what? I did not take Jhake from you, he chose me," Neytiri shook her head, "and I offered you as his best choice. Besides, I spoke to the only person whose permission I needed."
"Your mother didn't look like she knew you were planning," Peyral frowned, "nor did your father, and Tsu'tey certainly didn't seem to have been expecting this."
"I spoke to Sylwanin," Neytiri said firmly, "and she told me it was the right thing to do."
"The right thing to do? Betraying your destiny as future tsahìk to the clan was the right thing?"
"There is nothing which says that the tsahìk and olo'eyktan must be mated, although it is common practice," Neytiri insisted, "and I have known for a long time that had Tsu'tey and I attempted to mate, Eywa would have rejected the mating. I am not my sister, and even if I may be able to take her place in some ways, I cannot in every respect. Sylwanin said she has found a new mate for him, and that I was free to make my choice where I would, and so I offered others to Jhake - after all, I was not going to assume he wanted me as I wanted him - but he refused each of the very good women I suggested, and then he turned to me and told me that he had already chosen..."
Peyral sighed. She could see the truth of the matter in Neytiri's eyes, and more than that, she could see the incredible love her friend felt for her new mate. It didn't make it any easier for her, though, having to give up the first man she had ever even begun to feel anything for.
"I will not cause you trouble," Peyral said finally, "but if you do not treasure him as the gift from Eywa that he is to you..."
Neytiri smiled, "I will not forget," she assured her friend, "and, Tsmuke, I know there is a man out there for you. The time will come when he finds you, and then you will be glad you did not try to make Jake settle for you. To settle for one not your first choice is not what Eywa wishes for any woman."
"I suppose that is true," Peyral nodded, "but I hope he finds me soon. Or if, indeed, he does not exist, I hope that I can spend my life well. Even if he is not mine, I do love Jake, Tsmuke, and I will stand by his side even if some here speak bad words of him right now."
"Thank you," Neytiri embraced Peyral gratefully, "Thank you so much, my sister. I will not forget this gift you give us."
Louise smiled over at Tsuki where the thanator cub took up a guarding position just outside her tree of voices. The littles had been taking turns walking her out here every morning. Taka said it was so she'd have someone to lean on if she got dizzy again. She was amazed at how the littles were growing - she could almost rest her hand on Tsuki's shoulder as they walked now, although that had only happened in the last week, and their teeth and claws were becoming stronger as well, all three of them could tear meat now, although they still could not crush bone, and Taka had started taking them along to shadow him on hunts, so that they could start to learn how to hunt for themselves, as they would no doubt need to do eventually. The bigger they got the more it was going to take to feed them, after all, and he could only hunt so much on his own!
Louise reached over and stroked Tsuki's tail where the cub had kept it within her reach, then sat up straight and reached for the fronds hanging closest to her. She started her deep-breathing exercises like Pämeya had taught her, and slowly raised her queue to the tree. She loved this part of the mornings, it was so relaxing, and it really did help center her for the rest of the day. She hadn't had nearly so much trouble with her balance the last few days, and the teas and especially the Unexpectedly Really Yummy teylu were helping her feel better as well.
The moment her queue touched the branches this morning, though, she was hit with a roiling sense of disorientation, like she'd been thrown inside a mirrored room that was spinning, and the nausea that accompanied it had her hunched over and bringing up everything she'd eaten this morning...and possibly yesterday and the day before. God, she felt wretched! She tried to get to her feet, and Tsuki had to rush over to catch her before the fell on her face, the cub's forelimbs pressing her back down ever-so-careful of her claws on her foster-mother's skin.
Louise felt another wave of nausea roll over her, and she curled up into a ball, trying to fight it down. Such violent heaves couldn't be good for the baby! She was frightened and wished she'd remembered to put a throat mic on this morning, but Taka wasn't going out hunting, and she usually didn't need to worry about keeping in touch with the rest of Site 12 for any other reason than his hunting trips, so she hadn't bothered. After this she was going to always take one, she thought firmly to herself.
Tsuki's concerned face nuzzled against hers, and she made the sound Louise had come to know meant she wanted to know what was wrong, although she didn't try and make tsaheylu. It was like she knew that the disorientation of the bond would only make Louise feel worse...which she probably did. The littles were smart cookies, after all!
"Go get Daddy for me," she told Tsuki, "hurry! Please!" She figured that was a simple enough request that Tsuki wouldn't need tsaheylu to understand it, and she was proven right when the cub nudged her once more, making her "reassuring" noise, then nodded, turned and dashed away at a flat-out run. Louise stayed lying on her side, curled up, desperately concentrating on her deep breathing exercises and trying to calm her mind and body down again.
Taka was playing "fetch" with the other two cubs when Tsuki came running back, and the sight of her in such a hurry and without Louise caused a cold knot of fear to clench in his chest.
"What's wrong?" he asked as she skidded to a stop in front of him, and he knelt and held his queue out to her quickly.
«Momma sick,» Tsuki said, «made bond with tree then made sick-up! Curled up like sleeping! Momma said get Daddy quick so I ran and ran and ran so quick!»
"You were very good," Taka reassured her, stroking her forehead soothingly, "Get the other two and start back to her, I'll follow with the medicine."
She nodded and ran over to the others, and then all three cubs took off running for the tree, and Taka, once he'd quickly ducked into their sleeping quarters, wasn't far behind them.
When he made it to the tree, Louise was sitting up a little, her back resting against Sano's body and the girls lying on either side of her, nuzzling her supportively.
"What happened?" Taka asked, quickly feeling her forehead and looking into her eyes. She wasn't showing any signs of fever - a thing that the midwife had warned him could happen to women in early pregnancy if they were going to lose the baby - but she did look pale and unwell.
"It was so weird," Louise shuddered, "the tree...it was like being in some kinda nasty feedback loop instead of the usual, peaceful linking." She shook her head slowly, "like being in a gyroscope in freefall...I can't explain it. And there was so much fear... It was just too much."
He frowned, "Tsuki-chan said you threw up?"
"Yeah," she nodded, "but I think it was just because the disorientation made my vertigo worse."
"Well we can't have that happening again," Taka dug around in the pack he'd grabbed, "here, I brought some of those leaves the midwife left for you to chew if you were feeling too dizzy or nauseous."
"Thanks," she smiled weakly at him and took the leaves, biting down a couple of times and then tucking them into her cheek the way she'd been taught. The soft, minty flavour immediately made her feel better, if for no other reason than because it washed away the sick taste from her mouth. "I'll be okay now, but I'm worried about the tree. Why would it do something like that?"
"Obviously something is going on," Taka said, "and we'll investigate it just as soon as I'm sure you're well, which means when you feel well enough to stand up and walk home where you can lie down and rest. No hurry," he put a hand on her shoulder to stop her from trying to sit up further, "take your time. There's absolutely nothing we have to do today that can't wait an hour or three."
She let herself lean back again and Sano nuzzled her shoulder encouragingly, trying to let her know he didn't mind being leaned on a little while longer. Taka kept a slight smile on his face, but inside he was worried, and not just about the immediate trouble this morning. If something bad was going on with the trees, it could only be the RDA behind it (well, of course there was always the remote possibility of some other reason, but he was pretty sure the principle of Occam's Razor applied here - the simple answer is always the best one) and if the RDA was making some kind of major move, there was a chance they might get recalled back to the base, and right now, moving Louise back there where her pregnancy could be discovered...wasn't an option to him. Of course, there was also the chance that because they were off in the boonies, as it were, they would be forgotten in the turmoil. He really hoped that would be what happened, but he wasn't about to just assume the outcome would be so good.
Very quietly, Taka began to formulate a plan to keep his family safe.
Flying in a steep dive on Eampin, his ikran, Tsu'tey couldn't remember the last time he'd been so glad to kill something. Well, perhaps he could remember one instance where killing had been pleasure, but he did not want to remember that time. At least the smoke and the screams of men dying and ikran diving kept him from thinking too much about this morning.
He released his bowstring and the last of the tawtute warriors fell, his body pierced by an arrow that looked amusingly large in comparison. He wasn't sure what upset him more, the thought that Neytiri had betrayed him, or that Jake had. He had thought the two of them were becoming friends, and did not friends respect the claims of their friends upon a woman? It was only made worse because there was no way, now, for him to speak to the one he most wanted to - the only one who could really console him and perhaps explain what had happened.
Tsu'tey had always been a simple man, he'd never seen the need for things to be elaborate and embellished...that had always been Sylwanin's place, to show him the reasons for the complicated things, and make him appreciate them because she loved them...and now she was gone, in a much more total fashion than even her death had brought.
With an angry whoop he rocketed skyward again, Eampin echoing his rider's fury with an ear-shattering scream of his own, and he watched as the first of the flaming torches were thrown toward the massive monsters. Once again, these tree-eating creations of the tawtute had destroyed his love, and he would not stand for it! He would make these ones pay, and then he would find a way to make the rest of them pay, and unless he was given a very good reason, that payment would start with the skxawng.
Once Grace, Jake and Norm had been deposited in the biolab by their military escort and left alone with the news that all scientific endeavours were on hold for the foreseeable future until this "mess with the natives" was sorted out, Max took his chance.
"Can I talk to you?" he asked the fuming Grace quietly. He didn't want to piss her off even further, but she needed to know what their little spy network had found, and, more important, she needed to know that it existed and stood ready to help her, no matter what that meant.
"What could you possibly need, Max?" she frowned at him.
"To talk about something," he said, glancing around the room, "somewhere without so many eyes." Even if most of those eyes belonged to folks who were in on things, he didn't want to chance blowing their cover when it was more important than ever.
"Well it's not like I have anything better to do," Grace shrugged, "why don't we talk in my office?"
"Perfect," Max nodded, stepping back. "Lead the way."
Grace rolled her eyes as she got to her feet, then strode, her irritation clear, into her office. Max followed, and closed the door behind him.
"Okay, now what's up with all the cloak and dagger bullshit?" Grace turned to look at him as the door clicked shut.
"We've been noticing what's been going on with the corporate and military types," Max said, "and for the past month, the science team has been doing what scientists do best...gathering information."
"Who's "we", first of all," Grace asked, "and what kind of information are we talking about?"
"The "we" is the science team and the avatar techs," Max said, "along with all the drivers, and the information, well...that' where things get interesting. Did you know the MacCool boys used to be hackers for the Fianna Nua?"
"I had no idea," Grace admitted, but her raised eyebrow and the way she was leaning forward slightly in her chair spoke louder than words to Max to tell him she was interested.
"Well, considering they got out without being caught, neither does anybody else," Max allowed a small grin, "and they've been doing some incredible work. They now have capture programs running in the background of both Selfridge and Quaritch's computers, funnelling everything they do into a secure hidden file in the biolab."
"Have you got anything useful?" Grace asked, her interest more than clear, now.
"Well, poor Bailey is kicking himself, because he actually had all the information to predict this morning's mess with the dozers, only he didn't put it together," Max sighed, "but we've got various bits of information, including vidfiles Quaritch kept of the attack on the school, all of which could be VERY inflammatory if we can get them sent off to Earth in a secure transmission. Dolan says they still have some guerrilla media connections he could send things to, and if the press gets too bad at home, the RDA may be pressured into making changes, if for no other reason than to keep the UN off their backs. There's no way they'd want to risk sanctions."
Grace nodded thoughtfully. "Max," she said finally, "I have something to ask you, and you don't have to answer right now, but I want you to think about it. If it comes to war between the Na'vi and the RDA...what would you do?"
"Do you think they'll actually..."
Grace cut him off with a sharp shake of her head. "Don't answer now," she said, "think about it, and tell me later."
Antsu and Cathy crouched in the far corner of the singers' alcove, discussing the day's events in quiet voices. Ninat had allowed them in, but she was wildly protective of Tom's sleeping avatar, and would let no one close who wasn't family. Antsu had offered to move him, but she was having none of it, and clung fiercely to him when anyone tried to touch him.
"I'm worried about you," Antsu ran his fingers over Cathy's hair, "although you are my mate and a full member of the clan, in their anger people may forget... I would feel better if you were somewhere safe until this trouble has been dealt with."
"I'm not going to just run off and leave you and everyone else in danger!" Cathy shook her head firmly, "Antsu, I won't be parted from you. We spent three years apart because of the company's stupidity, I won't let them come between us again."
"Then I will go with you," he said, "it's not as though I'm any kind of a fighter in any case."
"There are many who aren't fighters," Cathy agreed, then she gripped his arm, hard. "Antsu, the tawtute warriors will not stop simply because the one who faces them is not a warrior. We have both seen this before, you know it to be true! We must find some way to convince Eytukan to at least evacuate the women and children."
"But where would they go?" he asked, "It isn't as though we can simply send children out into the woods and they will be safe."
"The forest house," Cathy said, "it's on the opposite side of Hometree from the dozers. The children could be kept safe there until the battle is over. They will come in force, Antsu, I know the ways of the people of my birth, and they will see our revenge on their machines as more than reason enough to come at us with all their strength."
"Come," he rubbed her shoulder and then let his hand gently brush over the woven armlet that covered her ragged scar, "we should speak to Eytukan and Mo'at before it is too late."
As she listened to the briefing, Trudy shifted nervously from foot to foot, trying to make it look like she was just antsy to get going. Sure, the pictures of the destruction that had been done to the dozers were compelling, but for her, the loss of human life wasn't the thing that bothered her. Those were dumb grunts who'd gone into things knowing they were going to piss off the natives and hadn't refused their orders. It was war; they deserved what they got. The thing that bothered her in the pictures was the track of destruction the dozers caused. She remembered only too well what it had been like to live in a forest at constant threat of being evicted by giant, yellow machines that ate trees for breakfast and wouldn't even consider a person a light snack. Even as young as she had been, she remembered what it was like, and now a whole bunch of new kids were going through the same thing. She remembered Tamrrlìn the weaver and her little daughter (who was almost as big as Trudy herself, but we're talking comparatively here) who had been so sweetly cute when she met them at Jake's party at Hometree...
"Alright, you flyboys've got your orders!" Quaritch barked out, "Be in the hanger in fifteen minutes. We're rolling this thing, and those little blue monkeys ain't gonna know what hit'em."
There was a chorus of "Hell yeah"s and "Sir, yes sir!"s and then the assembled pilots and gun crews scattered to change and prepare all the last-minute things they needed to do before they headed out to take down a "pesky little problem", as Quaritch had put it.
Trudy headed for her room, at first, but once she was out of the way of the crowd she slowed slightly, taking off a shoe as if she'd gotten a stone in it, and when she put it back on she was running in a different direction entirely. Grace needed to know this, and she needed to know it NOW.
The biolab was filled with techs buzzing around like useless, disaffected bees when she arrived, and her combat boots rang on the metal floor. "Quaritch is rollin' the gunships!" she called out even before she stopped running, "he's gonna hit Hometree!"
She saw Grace get to her feet, and her eyes caught Norm's and a thousand words were spoken between them in an instant, and then she turned and ran in the other direction, back to follow orders. She couldn't let herself be suspected as a traitor, not when there was nothing she could do on her own to stop this mess. She was just glad she'd made a few...special alterations of her own to her Baby after evacuating the bleeding avatars from Grace's school three years ago. At least if things got way out of hand, she had an exit strategy ready.
Tom frowned as he saw the crowd of sec-ops personnel walk into the brig. He wasn't sure exactly what they were planning, but the fact that there were six of them didn't bode particularly well for him. When Quaritch walked in behind them, parting the crowd like his own little version of the Red Sea, Tom knew it was going to be bad.
He moved away from the door until his back was against the far wall, giving himself as much room to manoeuvre as he could while at the same time making sure nobody could get the jump on him, but he was still sluggish from the gas, and his body was atrophied from spending so much time in link, especially in the last month, so it didn't take them long to subdue him and get binding straps on his wrists.
"Come on, Doctor Sully," Quaritch grinned at him, "We're going for a little plane ride. It's about time you had a firm dose of reality, and I'm just the doc to give it to you."
Tom pulled all his rage into the center of himself, the way Mom had taught them when they were little, and forced himself to radiate calm. It wouldn't do him any good to try and fight right now, they'd just knock him on the head again and there wouldn't be any advantage. When he was out somewhere he had a chance of getting away, though? Best to save his strength for when it really mattered. He could tell something bad was going down. If Quaritch looked pleased about it, it couldn't be a good thing, after all, and this wasn't the body he could be most effective in.
He closed his eyes briefly as they forced an exopack over his face and marched him out into the hanger where it seemed like every single aircraft was being prepped for flight. This was worse than bad...this was a disaster. 'God, Eywa, anyone who's listening,' he whispered in the depths of his soul, 'please just keep Ninat safe!'
As Parker shut the lid on his link pod, Jake fumed. He needed to get this sorted out, but more than that, he really needed Tom with them to help. Parker's response when he suggested that, though, was... Well, "If you think I'm letting that crazy, tree-hugging brother of yours take another swing at me, you're nuts," Parker had said, "Besides, he's not here anyway. Quaritch thought he ought to see things from a different perspective, said it might teach him a thing or two."
Jake wasn't quite sure what that meant, but whatever it was, it couldn't be good. He couldn't help but feel a little proud of Tom when he thought of his usually-peaceful brother taking a shot at the corporate dick, though. Mom would've loved to have seen that!
He woke up in a cramped little nook in the trunk of Hometree, and the moment his eyes opened, Neytiri turned around to peer inside.
"You slept for so long we feared you would not wake," she said, "like Tom... Ninat is frantic. Will he wake now as well?"
"No," Jake sighed, shaking his head, "Tom's being held captive by the leader of the tawtute warriors, we couldn't get him free."
"Poor Ninat," Neytiri bit her lip, "she will let none near him. Maybe you could speak to her?"
"I'll try," Jake nodded, "but first I have to talk to your parents. The sky people are coming, Neytiri, and it's going to be BAD."
She took him by the hand and helped him up, then led him down to the center of Hometree, under the looming skull of toruk where the leaders and warriors sat, making their plans. Grace was right behind them, and he was glad of her support, another voice added to his, who understood what the humans were capable of.
"Eytukan, I have something to say," he started, and when Eytukan indicated he should speak the words started pouring out of his mouth. If he'd had a chance to think about it he would've been pretty damned impressed he was able to put together that much coherent Na'vi, but... "A great evil is upon us. The sky people are coming to destroy Hometree..." He glanced around at the crowd. "They are coming," he said, "they are coming!"
He could hear the muttering begin, and he turned to Neytiri. "Tell them they're gonna be here soon," he begged, then he turned back to Eytukan and Mo'at, "You have to leave, or you're gonna die!"
He saw Mo'at glance at Eytukan, and then back to him. "Are you certain of this?" she asked, and before he could nod and continue, Cathy came forward from the crowd, her mate close at her side.
"It is the way of the tawtute," she confirmed, "if nothing else you should evacuate the children as we have spoken about. We can take them to the forest house where they will be safe."
"How is it you seem to know so much of the plans of these sawtute?" Eytukan asked, and Jake took a deep breath, very unsure of how this revelation was going to be taken, but sure that he had to be completely forthright.
"Look," he said, "At first, they sent me here to learn your ways, so that if it came to this I would be here and could bring you this message and you would believe me."
"What are you saying, Jhake?" Neytiri took his arm and looked into his eyes, "you knew this would happen?"
"I knew it could," he admitted, barely able to meet the deep sadness in her eyes, "Look, at first it was just orders, and then everything changed. Okay? I fell in love. With the forest, with the Omatikaya people..." He could see the sadness begin to be eclipsed by anger as he had not seen in her eyes since that first day, and his heart sank. After all they had shared, did she still not understand? "...with you..."
"I trusted you..." she groaned, and he knew he was hooped.
"...with you," he repeated, trying to get through her grief and anger to the bond between them, trying to get her to SEE. He took her arms in his hands, trying to pull her against him, and she pulled away.
"I trusted you!" she screamed, pulling away again as he once again tried to hold her.
"Trust me now, please!" he begged, and even though he could see the conflict in her eyes, the anger was still winning as she continued to scream at him, insisting that he was not one of the people.
"We tried to stop them!" Grace interjected, and Neytiri spun to look at her.
"Not good enough!" she shook her head.
"Ma 'ite," Mo'at stepped in, then, placing a calming hand on Neytiri's shoulder, "now is not the time."
"Bind them," Eytukan ordered, and Jake knew he'd failed. All he could do now was call out to the people to leave, and hope that at least some would listen.
He and Grace were quickly bound and taken to the shore of the lake, in plain view from the air, where a frame was quickly constructed to hold them captive. As they were wrestled into position within it, Jake could feel his heart sinking in his chest, but then...
"Wait!" Mo'at held up her hand, "I wish to know one thing only, before a final decision is made. Jhakesuuly, in your uniltaron, what is the animal which you saw? And I will know if you speak that which is not true."
Jake took a deep breath, not daring to look at the still-fuming Neytiri. His mate, Neytiri, who still didn't entirely trust him despite what they had shared through tsaheylu... "Toruk," he said finally, in a small voice, and then again, louder and with more purpose, "I saw toruk...no, I was toruk," he shook his head, "and I saw the destruction the sky people will cause. Please, you must leave!"
Deep breath. Okay, we made it this far, now how is what Mo'at has said going to affect things? you'll just have to wait and see.
Yes, I know I'm evil. Now, for...
Vocab:
tawtute / sawtute - sky person/people
utral aymokriyä - tree of voices
uniltaron - dream hunt
täftxuk - shadowcat (my creation)
Ftang - stop
Rutxe - please
tsahìk - spiritual leader
tswin - queue
olo'eyktan - clan leader
palulukan - big kitty!
ikran - banshee
Tsmuke - sister
teylu - edible grubs
Eampin - blue (as in, the colour. yes, I had Tsu'tey name his ikran "blue", he's a simple sort of man, I thought it fit him well.)
skxawng - moron. Aaaand we're back to the "Skxawng" again.
toruk - biiig red birdie!
'ite - daughter