Chapter 9

Beep!

Harry groaned. He was starting to regret setting up his communication hub. The mining base wouldn't leave him alone. That annoying fool Selfridge was constantly asking him for his data, scouting reports and such. It was like he expected Harry to show him a map with a big 'x' marked where the super-secret stash of Unobtanium was.

He had responded. To at least let his friends know he was still alive. It was along the lines of "I'm alive. Stop bugging me!"

He had been living on the island for nearly a month now. His accommodation and lab were all set up. The drones still had plenty of work ahead of them. While one project was completed, Harry was gifted in finding two more for them to complete. His latest ambition was to create a system of farming certain seafood in his local bay, the Pandora version of mussels and clams. His diet of meal packets was starting to drive him slowly insane and any chance to supplement his diet was now a high priority.

From the samples he had been taking from the local plants, he had found a variety that were edible. Sadly, only a handful passed his taste requirement. He hoped to try his hand at underwater cultivation of those that he did enjoy ensuring a long-lasting supply.

He had already taken the first steps on land to start a farm. He had a cleared area on the surface where had painstakingly transported fertile soil from the mainland to be his base. The different seeds he had acquired at the base now were used to sow his fields. He had also cleared a large area underground that he had converted into a hydroponic bay. He was able to grow many of the more delicate plants in perfectly controlled conditions to maximise his crop yield. Unfortunately, as with many crops, he couldn't expect any fast results. Some of the fruit trees he planted wouldn't bear fruit for several years.

What he could eat more immediately though, was the fish.

A high-carbon steel fishing rod, probably far too over-engineered, flicked out in his hand to cast the bait in a deeper part of the bay.

Tug.

Yank!

Harry pulled the rod back hard and started to reel in. The fish fought him, trying to escape back into open water. The wire pulled him closer and closer until Harry could scope him up in a net safely from the shore.

It was a large catch today. Easily over 10kg and would probably break several records for fishing back on Earth. Harry hauled the fish up and kissed its slimy skin. It had taken a while, and several days of not catching anything before he got the knack for it. Now he normally went fishing at least once every other day, with the meat being a welcome supplement to what would have been a very bland meal.

With now practised ease, he placed the fish on the makeshift table he had constructed at the shoreside, drew his knife and began to cut and clean the fish. It was a process he hadn't been familiar with, but a large digital library of tutorials came in handy. Now he could gut and fillet a fish like a pro chef.

He picked up the guts and threw them into the water. Several large crab-type creatures quickly scurried across and devoured them as had become their habit. If he hadn't already confirmed they weren't a threat and also weren't edible, he would have taken offence at their complete disregard of his presence.

Chirp!

The ilu stuck its head out calling out to him. Again.

"No. Go away. I told you last time, no more!"

Chirp! The ilu called out again.

Its little face looking hopefully into his eyes. Harry grumbled something and used his knife to cut a fillet of the fish, making sure to reserve the juiciest cut for himself.

Walking to the shore, he tossed the fish to the ilu who leapt into the air and caught it. With a single gulp, it swallowed and returned looking at him expectantly.

"Chirp!" It asked again.

Harry looked incredulously at the sheer greed of this creature. It had bothered him every time he had fished. At first, he ignored it, only for it to retaliate by pulling the fish off his hook before it could be reeled in. It all seemed a big game to ilu who only backed off if given a tribute of his catch.

He looked at the large fish and sighed. He wouldn't be able to finish it and he preferred not to waste anything. He went back and cut another flank before sending it the ilu's way.

"And that's the last bit! You hear me!" He called out after it had ducked away. At this point, he wasn't sure that either of them believed it any longer.

Taking his meal, he discarded the bones and leftover trimming in the ocean for the animals to pick through. His house circled the central tree on the island with great glass windows circling the outside. He walked inside, grabbing a nearby hanging towel to wipe his feet before proceeding to the kitchen. It was a simple setup but he had taken a certain pleasure in forging an Avatar size frying man and utensils. He placed this fish on the side, ready to be eaten later in the day.

Looking around his house, the structure was complete, but it wasn't quite finished yet. It lacked the fittings and clutter of a normal house. For many of the items, such as a table and chairs, he would need to make a trip to the mainland to source some wood. For the rest, it was a low priority on his limited manufacturing capability where many more vital components were taking up the available resources.

He opened a security door using his fingerprints and proceed down a step of stairs to reach his lab. He deposited the samples he had collected on the side, and started to set up his equipment. Even with his skills in automation, some things just needed to be done by hand. He put each of the new samples in separate testing tubes before placing them into his large scanner. It would be able to perform most of the tests independently of him and automatically record the results in his database. It was starting to become a challenge though, the data grew at a far faster rate than he could examine it, causing a serious backlog in his research.

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After several hours of working in the lab, a delicious meal of fresh fish and a relaxing nap in the sun, Harry was restless. He hadn't left the island for several weeks, being so busy with the construction however now had some free time to explore the surrounding area.

He moved to his plane where he set off towards the coastline. It was a short flight of only 15 minutes however the wind made keeping the ride steady a challenge.

After finding a landing site not too far away from the beach, Harry advanced into the jungle again. Yet this time, he was alone.

In one hand, he held a rifle that had enough force to penetrate a tank. Strapped to his leg were two razor-sharp knives. On his other, a scanning device was strapped to his wrist providing a thermal image of the wildlife around him. Any signs of large creatures, such as Thanators, would trigger an alarm and Harry would be able to retreat, hopefully without conflict.

Climbing a tree, to navigate the jungle from high up, copying what he assumed the Navi would do, his bare feet found a perch easily. The no shoes had taken him time to adapt to, but Jake was right, his feet were far more useful out of his boots than they were in. He could feel the tree beneath his toes and knew how stable or slippery it was. There would be no more accidental tree nosedives today, or at least he hoped so.

Walking along the barked branches of various trees, Harry was able to avoid two separate encounters with packs of viper wolves by being out of their range. The Navi were truly knowledgeable and experts in their field regarding how to survive on Pandora.

He stopped every now and then to add a sample to his bag or pick some fruit to munch on as he went. There was a certain self-assurance that Harry had never felt before egging him on. Like the jungle was finally welcoming him home.

A flutter of red petals flew past him in a gentle gust of wind that he watched float into the distance with fascination. From this perspective, the jungle seemed almost peaceful. Almost. Looking closer he could see the circle of life. Skulls of fallen animals buried beneath the roots of trees and the constant competition between species for resources.

He travelled further than he thought. It was only when the sun started to go down that realised how long he had been travelling. Harry prepared to turn back and race back to the plane when he caught sight of it out the corner of his eye.

A Tra'vre.

Similar to the miraculous fruit that had been snatched by the Navi during his encounter with the Thanator.

Looking around and triple-checking his scanner for threats, he approached with the utmost caution.

He knew taking it could attract other animals but there was an irresistible quality to the Tra'vre. It shone with a mysterious quality that made Harry's mouth involuntarily start to salivate.

He lacked the proper tools but emptied his largest sample container, having to leave a particularly beautiful flower behind, cut and placed the fruit inside.

Without waiting for some sign, he started back at a jog. He needed to get back before dark.

The journey was long and by the time he reached the clearing where he left the plane, his blue form was panting heavily and dripping with sweat. A few animals had come around and tried to take the fruit from him, but thankfully nothing that wasn't scared off by a shot from his rifle.

Climbing into the cabin and starting the take-off procedure, he finally had time to think about what he could use it for.

He was sure that Selfridge and his cronies would pay dearly for it. But what use was money to him? Far more interesting to keep and study it myself Harry mentally decided. The biological mechanism of a universal panacea was beyond fascinating to a scientist such as himself.

Besides, who didn't like having a super medicine as a fallback option?

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