2 Chapter 2

It was a strange feeling, going to his demise voluntarily.

He was wheeled to the upload chamber where doctors and white lab-cloaked scientists buzzed around.

This was his final journey – at least in this body. A body that is moving closer to death with every breath.

His consciousness would be digitally uploaded and stored on the ship until his avatar was developed enough to house his mind. What happened to his soul, well that was up for debate.

He was lifted and placed into the upload chamber, lying on the green foam encased in wires was strangely comforting. He looked at Katy, his one personal visitor.

"Is everything ready? Are the preparations complete?" He asked.

She nodded. Tears spiked her eyes, not trusting herself to form the words.

"And the drones, you need to…"

"It's all ready. We have orders coming in every day. For all the damage your sale did to the economy, the amount your purchases just may cause an economic boon."

He tried to laugh but could quite make it.

He waved to one of the doctors. "Bring it over."

Katy looked at him. "What's this?" She had made all the arrangements for her boss, and this wasn't part of the plan. The doctor handed him a holo-tablet. With the last of his strength, he scrawled his signature on it before his arm fell limp at his side.

He looked at Katy and smiled. "A final gift. For all you've done, for all you'll do."

"What have you done?" Katy asked. She snatched the tablet from the doctor with a single agile swipe and examined it. She read the title of the document…

Last will and testament of Harry More.

I, of sound body and mind, herby transfer all assets upon my death to Katy Sole.

"How…" She started but couldn't finish. "Why… No… You can't…"

"Money is influence, power. It can shape destinies or destroy them. But at the end of the day, you need to remember, its only money. People are what matter."

Harry More gave a final look, indicated to the doctor, and said his final words as the lid came down and the upload machine started whirling.

"See you on the other side."

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Tired eyes opened to reveal glowing green irises. Blue hands raised in front of his new face. The strange sensations flowed through his body as he took in all of his new senses. Slowly, he raised himself up. His arms were weak but there was an underlying strength that was entirely new to him.

The room was a grey capsule, a wall was mirrored and he could see himself, or rather his new self, for the first time.

His eyes scanned his blue form with curiosity. He didn't feel large but knew that he now towered over even the tallest humans. The markings on his face on body formed intricate patterns that he traced with his hands. He could see some semblance to his human form in the facial features, but he felt new.

He felt alive.

"Harry… Harry can you hear me." A voice came through the speakers.

"Yeh. We arrived in Pandora?" He asked. His voice was deeper than he expected, a slightly gravelly tone that he enjoyed.

"Yes sir. We are currently in orbit. We are making preparations for your descent to the surface. We woke your avatar form from cryo as requested. Your room is sealed so we can simulate the planet's atmosphere to allow you to breathe without a mask."

"Good." He stood up but had to grab the table to steady himself.

"You've been sleeping for 5 years, sir. We've stimulated your muscles as far as we can artificially, however you'll still be weak until you can build your strength up."

"My preparations. Katy was going to…"

"All complete as ordered sir."

Harry finally noticed a holo-tablet and a mask on a side table. He picked up the tablet and look at the details and smiled. Despite years of travel, Katy had gone beyond his wildest wishes, he could see her meticulous touch in all the preparations.

His life on Pandora was only starting.

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Harry stood on the bridge of the shuttle, his shuttle, as it plummeted to the mining colony. He was crouched low, his head still banging on the roof that was designed for humans, not Navi. His face was covered by a mask, allowing him to occupy the same space as the human crew his fortune had hired.

"On approach. Home base do you copy."

"Home base copy." The radio blared.

"This is dragon ship on the descent."

"The landing zone is clear. Welcome to Pandora."

The shuttle approached the planet and Harry could for the first time appreciate the beauty of Pandora first-hand. The oceans and land seemed to thrum with life, something that Harry could only now appreciate was lacking on Earth.

The luminous gas giant loomed behind Pandora like a protective parent.

"It's beautiful" Harry couldn't help exclaiming.

"That it is sir." The pilot responded. "I suppose I should be wishing you a happy retirement. I heard you were a big shot back on Earth."

Harry laughed and it felt good that he didn't feel racking pains. "Perhaps. Now I'm just another blue monkey."

"Well sir, I don't know any other natives that are going to keep us busy haling your cargo down from the ship for the next couple of months."

"Brace for the atmosphere" His partner called out as the ship entered Harry's new home.

Pandora.

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"This ain't no tourist location. I don't care if you were as rich as the almighty himself, Pandora will spit you out if you go beyond this base."

Harry listened to the lecture from the base head of security, Miles Quaritch, with little interest. He has seen his type before, military thinking of do or die – nothing in between. He had travelled light years away from all he knew, everyone he knew and it wasn't to spend his second chance trapped in a mining colony.

"I think…" Before he could continue, the colonel cut him off.

"Everything that eats, shits or squats in the mud wants to gnaw your bones and eat your eyes for jujubes, and unless you brought an army with you, you're shit out of luck!"

"My preparations have been…"

"Preparations you say! I was the first recon myself, best of the best, first tour out here and a giant beast near enough took my head off. Left me a permanent reminder that Pandora doesn't give a banshee's shit about your preparations! Listen here son, I keep this base safe through order, and if you think you can come here and screw that up, you'll soon find yourself on the wrong side of the fence." He poked Harry's chest hard. "Comprende comrade?"

Harry smiled back at him. The sort of cheeky smile that he had given to every authoritative figure that ever held him back. His foster parents, the school, and that particularly annoying government agent who watched too many sci-fi horror films that was convinced he was dooming humanity.

"We understand each other perfectly." And with that, he walked away. He had a meeting with the company representative, Parker Selfridge, who ran the logistics and management of the mining operation.

It was a long walk through the metal building. He witnessed the great mining equipment moving in and out, emptying their loads into the refineries and returning to sites far away. The coloured arrows of the Navi were a common enough sight protruding from the tires and walkways that suggested the conflict has escalated since his briefing, in what was from data over five years old. Soldiers, Harry corrected himself, mercenaries were everywhere. Their camo clothes and great mechanised infantry patrolled not only the permitter of the base, but the interior as well.

He passed through one building into a great courtyard of native flowers and fauna in magnificent colours of purple and red, where scientists cultivated and experimented on different species.

Definitely worth a visit. Harry thought to himself, as he too was excited by just a few bits of biological data that he had been able to access back on earth. Soon he would have the opportunity to explore this world's wonders. "Soon" He whispered the word to himself as if a prayer.

Selfridge's office was located at the centre of the base that Harry concluded was also the control centre of the base from all the towers and satellite dishes on the roof.

As he approached, many gave him second looks. Clearly the members of the avatar programme were not commonly seen around here, or at least not their Navi bodies. Selfridge welcomed with an awkward smile and put his hand out in greeting.

"Welcome! Welcome! We have been expecting you for some time. I've got to say I was fascinated and surprised that someone of your standing would come to our remote station here."

"My Thanks to you and the board for allowing my intrusion. I hope my decision does not prove to be too arduous for you, director." Selfridge waved his hands.

"Nonsense! Anything we can do to, the company board has been very clear that any service you need while here, we will provide." Harry had to smile at the clear flattery. It seemed Katy must have secured herself a position of power to still exert such influence on a mega-corporation such as RDA.

"I won't be a bother director. I have some cargo to bring down through the shuttle that will help me set myself up independently of your base. I just need to select a suitable site and when I am more used this form, I will be out of your …" He paused about the say hair and then noticed Selfridge's rather large bald spot, "umm…Base." He settled with and hoped the pause wasn't too awkward.

Harry was given the tour by a different senior executive and was amazed at the quantity and scale of the operation. For the only mining site on the planet, their reach was surprisingly vast with great pits forming in several nearby areas.

"Once this base has proved successful, RDA will be able to use our base as a blueprint to expand our operations planet-wide" His tour guide boosted.

"What of the natives?" Harry asked.

"I'm sure some hippy-loving foul will make us give them an area of land to live in. Better to just see them all off in my view." He paused then and then looked up at Harry's tall blue form.

"I mean no offence sir." Harry did not smile. He might not be Navi, but he could not deny that he now no longer human, he was far closer to the natives.

"I keep hearing from your colleges, Pandora is dangerous." The executive nodded, hoping he had offended the director's special guest. "Then be careful of ruling out a population who has survived here for thousands of years without technology." He stopped walking and paused letting him fully appreciate his words.

"If you're not, the Navi will outlast even the toughest of humanity."