Chapter 36

"I'm probably just talking to a tree right now." Jake mumbled to the great deity Eywa. He kneeled down before the Tree of Souls, searching for aid beyond spears and arrows. He had heard the war drums and the Navi force was already dispatching. Soon it would be time for him to join them. To lead the combined tribes of Pandora to resist the human assault.

"But if you're there, I need to give you a heads up." Taking his braid and connecting his neural queue to the tress tendrils, he joined with Eywa. "Look into my memories. See the world we come from. There is no green there."

Jake could see flashing images. Memories of a time before he travelled light years away. The great cities sprawled over the land, where people were forced to live in concrete boxes. Always above, below and right next to someone else.

"They killed their mother. And they're going to do the same here. More sky people will come. They will come like a rain that never ends." Images of his time in the military flashed through his mind. The devastation they were willing to cause to their own planet and people. Entire cities were levelled with devastating attacks from orbit. Fleets of ships capable of moving between stars. The great network of humans that spread and multiplied through the galaxy like a virus.

"Look… you chose me for something. I will stand and fight. You know I will." In Jake's heart, he knew what he said was true. His entire human life he had never felt he belonged as he does amongst the Navi. Never felt love like his bond with Neytiri. He let out a long sigh. Better than any of the Navi, better than Harry, Jake knew what they were up against. Logic said they didn't stand a chance.

"I need a little help here." As he spoke the words, he felt smooth hands run over his shoulder. He glanced around to see Neytiri smiling sadly at him.

"Our great mother does not take sides, Jake. She protects only the balance of life." The couple watched the glowing Atokirina gliding through the branches. Their beauty and majesty were just one of the reasons they need to fight.

Taking a slow kiss with his wife, Jake looked out at the remains of their war camp. It had become almost eerily quiet. The absence of several thousand Navi and their mounts made the whole situation seem unreal. As if they might blink and the threat of the sky people would be just a nightmare they could all wake from.

Taking a finally pleading glance at the Tree of Souls, Jake marched over to his mount.

There is no such thing as an ex-marine.

You may not wear the uniform, but you never lose the attitude.

He may fight for a different side now, but Semper Fidelis (Always Faithful) remained his guiding principle. Only now he wasn't fighting on the behalf of a corporation whose main concern was share price.

Jake fought for Pandora.

For the Navi.

For Eywa.

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Harry sat in his personal rotorcraft, hidden amongst the trees that topped one of the floating mountains. He had loaded and prepared every weapon he could. He knew that while his prowess with a spear or bow had made great strides, making him a capable warrior even amongst the high standards of the Navi, he was most valuable here. Surrounded by the tech and weapons that most Navi wanted nothing the do with. In the cockpit, he could cause far more havoc amongst the human ranks than stripped of his tech. It was one of the reasons why he made his clan embrace aspects of technology. Why limit themselves?

The exterior looked different as well. Both Harry and Tudy both had their ships pained with blue stripes, making a clear distinction between allies and enemies for the Navi. The automated turrets whirled gently, tracking moving objects, ready to unload a rain of bullets at the touch of a button. He had also equipped some larger missiles that he had far more destructive powers. Unfortunately, the chosen battlefield was the floating mountains, where the flux vortex made most targeting systems useless. He had spent several days to create a workaround for his turrets to function semi-automatically but the missiles would have to be shot using a line of sight.

Around Harry's neck was a fabric collar with a bone conduction mic. It was a nifty piece of equipment that Jake had liberated from Hell's Gate during their escape that allowed remote communication. It wasn't overly complicated and in hindsight would have been incredibly useful for his tribe. Harry had already scanned it and sent the plans back to the base to produce some copies for himself.

He had been assigned the aerial unit perched among the mountain waiting to descend on the human fleet of aircraft. Sukal had remained behind with many of the non-combatants and was preparing the infirmary for the inevitable waves of casualties and injuries. The rest of his clan, lacking Ikran mounts, had joined the land troops where they had borrowed Pa'li (Dire horses) from the Omatikaya

He sat waiting. In the flux, his scanners were useless and therefore he, like the rest of the Navi, was reliant on scouts to spot the incoming enemy.

Every second of inaction seemed to stretch on, making his heart pound so hard in his chest that he was worried it would give away his position. Harry tried to take deep breaths, going over the controls for the weapons in his head to try and slow his racing thoughts.

"Enemy sighted." The voice of Jake came through the speaker in one of his ears. Harry peered out of the cockpit window attempting to see them but the fog concealed all. He would need to trust Jake's instructions on when to attack.

Feeling his hands start to sweat, he quickly wiped them on the chair. In both of his lives, he had never been a warrior. As a human scientist, he frequently worked with the military, designing weapons, armour and tools but never thought he would be the one to wield such weapons. To be the one to pull the trigger.

He had seen footage of war. The carnage that technologically advanced weapons can cause. Now he would be one of those killers. One who will take life, in order to protect it. Some might call that foolish. Harry called it duty.

Today he would become a true warrior.

Steeling his heart, Harry prepared, waiting for that final command. The command to take to the skies and rain death down on those who thought themselves above the Navi. To bring Eywa's justice to the Sky people.

Whatever the result of the battle was, Harry knew it would change this world. For better or worse, he didn't know.

Then, over his thumping heart, he heard it. The word that made his skin tingle with fear and excitement.

"Fly!"

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The sun was just starting to rise, casting an orange glow over the landscape below as a swarm of aircraft descended in the Helleluja mountains, the hum of their engines filling the air. Their missiles and guns gleaned in the afternoon light as they protected the giant space shuttle. The shuttle, being designed for transport between planets and orbits, was not armed like the rest however had six gun turrets placed on its hull. A team of masked mercenaries in the turrets swivelled their guns, keeping a keen eye on any signs of the Navi.

The swarm of small rotorcraft were the most common mode of transport on Pandora, offering great mobility combined with enough firepower to threaten all but the most dangerous predators. There was a smaller selection of Scorpion gunships The real firepower of the invading army was the two Dragon Assault Ships. They used similar rotor technology however dwarfed the smaller ships. Four giant engines whirled while the hull was bristled with rail guns, missiles and hatches to quickly deploy the AMP units. It had been designed for war and had originally been meant for the military, however the RDA had secured the design and built two to secure their assets on Pandora. Even then, as each had to be built on world using many valuable materials, each one was a large cut into the company's profits.

The RDA force flew deep into the mountains, as they weaved between the great floating rocks. The soldiers sat at their stations, their faces determined and focused. They were well-equipped, with advanced weapons and technology at their disposal. For many of those conscripted from the bases staff, they had not have trained for this sort of mission, but they would carry it out. Their survival depended on it.

The RDA's target was clear.

The Tree of Souls.

The tree stood as a gateway to Eywa, to the Navi's ancestral wisdom. If the RDA destroyed it, it would leave a crater in the hearts of all Navi. A deterrent to any future rebellions.

As they flew over the forest, the trees loomed below them, their branches stretching out like the fingers of an enormous hand. The air was thick with the sounds of the creatures of Pandora, their calls echoing through the forest.

The lead aircraft began to descend, the Tree of Souls coming into view. The tree was massive, its trunk as wide as a building, and its branches reaching up to the sky. The soldiers felt a sense of awe as they saw it, knowing that they were about to destroy something that was sacred to the Navi people.

Harry looked out of his cockpit and could finally see them. His enemy. He knew that Quaritch would be down there, driving the humans forward on their path of destruction. Harry was not the sort of person to wish others dead, however he had made a special exception for Quaritch. There would be no peace as long he still had breath in his body.

Seeing the tide of greens and blues of the flock of Ikran peeling off the mountains to dive down on the humans, Harry moved the tiller to join them. Even his cockpit, he could feel the war cry of the Navi vibrate through the air. He lent his voice to the chorus and charged with all weapons ready to unleash death.

Bow's flexed and a wave of arrows soared down from the hunters. Each arrow hardened and made sharp from Harry's tools letting them pierce the protective glass of the planes. Before the humans could react, they lost several rotorcraft, their dead piolets dragging them down to collide with the sounding mountains in fiery explosions.

The Navi warriors, riding on the backs of their fierce Ikran creatures, swooped down upon the RDA invasion force like a storm. The air was filled with the sounds of their war cries and the beat of the Ikran's wings, as they descended upon the enemy soldiers.

The RDA forces, caught off guard by the sudden attack, scrambled to defend themselves. They fired their weapons into the sky, trying to take down the incoming Navi and their mounts.

But the Navi warriors were well-trained and skilled, expertly manoeuvring their Ikran to avoid the hail of bullets. They swooped down, their weapons at the ready, and descended upon the enemy forces.

The Navi warriors were a blur of motion, their weapons slicing through the air as they attacked the enemy soldiers. The Ikran screeched, their talons raking across armour and flesh, as they tore into the RDA forces.

Selecting his target, a Scorpion class ship whose guns had forever silenced several of the attacking Navi, Harry pulled the trigger. Bullets erupted with a fury from his turrets, their armour-coated rounds easily piercing the small amount of metal protecting the human piolets. Before his eyes, the plane glided out of control, rapidly descending to explode in a ball of flames on the canopy below.

Harry looked at his hands in shock. It had been so… He searched for the word to best describe his feelings. Easy. He had aimed and pulled a trigger. That was all it took to end a life. A life that would have parents, loved ones, friends and perhaps even children. Taken by a pull of a trigger.

Shree!

An Ikran scream pulled him from his spiralling thoughts and back to the battle. Now was no time to morn. Now was the time to continue the fight. The Navi far outnumbered the humans however now their surprise attack had been sprung, they lacked the advantage.

The rotorcraft descended again, its weapons firing upon the RDA forces. The enemy soldiers, already engaged in battle with the Navi, were taken aback by the sudden appearance of a new attacker in a familiar form. They scrambled to defend themselves, their weapons blazing as they tried to take down the incoming rotorcraft.

Harry quickly dodged a missile attack letting it explode harmlessly on the mountains behind him. It seemed his takedown didn't go unnoticed. Three ships peeled off the main fleet to engage him with vengeance in their eyes.

Harry quickly tapped on his screen, designating all three as targets before pulling the trigger. A hail of bullets quickly took down one of the ships however the others seemed to think better of waiting to be hit.

One launched salvos of missiles, forcing Harry to weave between the explosions. The air filled with explosions, and even the avoidance systems built into his plane couldn't avoid them completely.

Boom!

The rotorcraft shook as a missile detonated a little too close for comfort. Before he could recover, the second RDA ship swung around to allow the masked mercenary to pepper his plane with projectiles of death.

Bang!

The round hit the armoured hull, fortunately doing little more than surface damage. Pulling up the targeting interface while guiding the plane into position, Harry opened fire. Guns roared from both ships as they danced around each other, hoping to be the one who could outlast the other.

Bang!

Harry felt a round pierce of the cockpit and slice into his arm. Flesh wound. Gritting his teeth and trying to ignore the pain, Harry focused his fire, the moving target making it difficult to get a lock on.

Beep!

Pressing a red button, a missile shot out. It was smaller and far faster than the RDA's, being of his personal design. The ship exploded in a shower of metal and fleshy fragments. Swinging around, he spotted the last plane attempting to slip away to the safety of the safety of the fleet.

Pulling the trigger yet again, Harry quickly took down his last opponent.

Taking a pause to bandage his wound, Harry watched the battle with horror-stricken fascination. Navi, humans, and Avatars were all engaged in a spiralling battle of epic proportions. The forest under them was littered with burning wrecks of planes and the corpses of many brave Navi. Harry saw several Navi salute his victory with battle chants before redoubling their efforts in the battle.

Harry watched in horror as despite the fierce offensive and the large number of casualties on the human side, the two Dragon Assault Ships and the shuttle moved forward, almost unmolested.

If he wanted to stop the RDA's exploitation of Pandora and its inhabitants, they had to be stopped.

He had to stop them.

Setting his face into a determined grimace, he divided down into the main arena of war, ready to do or die.