105. Return of the RDA

Twenty ISV Venture Star could be seen in the process of decelerating, the antimatter engines making this change in speed from 70% of the speed of light were working at full power leading to a spectacle a fraction of humanity had seen in person.

A spectacle that was of beauty beyond words as the engines shined for light years away forming a trail of kaleidoscopic light of organized color in the form of a trailing shining nebula.

Within the confine of the ISV Venture Star at the head of this fleet, the Interstellar Vehicle Manifest Destiny, a dozen doctors, and technicians specialized in Cryo Hibernation could be seen accompanied by small white drones as they effortlessly moved in the Cryogenic Compartment of the spaceship.

"Johnny look at her face, this would go wild on the Net with her prestige.", one of the technicians said pointing a finger at the small middle-aged woman at the head of the Joint Expeditionary Task Force still in hibernation.

"Shut the fuck up Maeli, you know we are constantly monitored by the main AI. General Ardmore won't punish you, but don't hope for pleasant missions in the future when we land on this moon because she won't forget and tell it to our superior, little twat like you need to be educated.", Bob said with exasperation to his younger colleague of the fairer sex.

"Arh! You're freaking boring… It's just a selfie, I don't see the harm in that. At worst it's viewed by billions, it's not like someone of her status would be affected by a funny picture.", she mumbled in disappointment with faux anger, her focus half on him and half on the task at hand as she fiddled with the command.

Many graphs passed before her eyes, from glycemia to average neuronal activity after an anti-freezing solution injection that stopped ice crystals from forming in cells, they didn't want frozen meat after all.

"Being 'freaking boring' is better than being sent to work as an engineer on a mine, or a field medic. Trust me. I very much prefer staying warm in a building than anywhere else in the wild of this hellhole of a moon.", Johnny said, emphasizing his words by clicking the metallic finger of his left arm prosthesis and showing various scars from his past as a young adventurous man who thought being a mercenary was a good idea.

"I don't see any problem here, that's just cool as hell man. I would gladly lose an arm for this kind of high-end augment. Don't lie to me, this arm isn't just to replace your lost limb.", she said, her blue eyes feasting on the metal arm.

"Then be a good girl and don't try to fuck with your superior, specifically not a four-star general. If you heed my words, then, maybe, maybe back on Earth you can have the connection to get one or anything of the like.", he grumbled out with an exhausted sight at the youngest over-excitement and stupidity, smart enough to get here but not much else it seemed.

"Ay ay Captain!", she responded in a cheerful tone that made him want to punch her in the nose. At least she was good company, if a rather annoying one but that was better than most.

They continued their banter back and forth as more of their colleagues joined and together they continued the tedious awakening protocol for a good two hours until the one hundred and seventy-six members that were in hibernation had been awakened and checked up for any injuries that might have been caused by the machine.

One of the last that had awakened from hibernation was Parker Selfrdige, the seven years that had passed from Earth to here but the blink of an eye, like a dream less sleep and so all that had been said before embarking was clear in his mind.

'Do not fail the company, again.', the implications were clear and promised a very unpleasant future, if a future at all.

His connection and resources were less than a speck of dust compared to a company worth more than a quadrillion dollars and powerful enough to destroy countries by the sheer scale of their ranges in all types of productions.

Though he didn't have the time to idle on this, he was showered, cleaned, and put in good clothes before being accompanied to the Control Room by the duo of ever-chatting doctor and technician closing the door behind as the duo walked away.

"The sleeping beauty is awake, we can begin this impromptu meeting. A blunder will not be acceptable this time.", a man taller than him in a navy blue three-piece suit said with jest.

This was Charles Stringer the new Head Administrator of the Resource Development Administrator for Pandora and Selfridge's new boss for as of now he could be considered his secretary.

A large downgrade from what he once was but a second chance was a second chance, he wasn't going to spit on it, he was pissed off on the inside nonetheless. Which showed ever so slightly his expression, something that amused Charles.

"Boys, this isn't the time for this. If you want to fight, do it later.", Frances Ardmor said to them both in a measured but strict tone, the fact one was technically her superior mattered little, she had her fair share of these people her entire life, and that never stopped her.

"My apology for this unpleasant sight.", Charles was the first to respond as he fixed his tie and began speaking about the subject at hand, "I don't think explaining the goals why we are here in detail is a necessity, take back Hell's Gate, colonize the moon and restart exploitation. What must be mentioned, however… An image would better illustrate than my word."

At this, a holographic 3D image of Pandora manifested in front of them, on it several points of interest were marked, notably Hell's Gate, the supposed location of the native clans, and exploitable area.

The atmosphere turned incredibly heavy as there was more, and it wasn't the good kind, marked above three of the largest, purest, and most concentrated deposit of unobtanium that they had previously located was three dot, one green for the forest were Quaritch died, one blue far in the sea and one red in an active volcanic plain.

"What are those?", Frances asked more to herself than others as she took control of the hologram and zoomed in to the green dot and a satellite image taken from one of the ISV Venture Star telescopes greeted them.

Charles did not react because he was awake before them and had the time to calm down, not that he would have had a panic attack.

None here would act this way, it would be uncouth, at least for him and the General, for the notion of a third party involved was a very likely hypothesis that just become a reality. That is unless the Na'vi played the weak cavemen for giggles and were in fact a hyper-advanced civilization with never-seen technology, which didn't make sense. Supposed Tree Goddess or not.

Several images appeared from the green dot, from various angles and all showed a floating tower of metal emitting a green beam toward the sky. Its design was alien, pulsing blue veins resting within its strange shape while a green lozenge stood at the head like an eye.

"Alien…", Selfridge mumbled rather calmly, surprising Charles, "You aren't the only one Mister LeRoy spoke to about this… And it changes how we should proceed, we can't go and hope everyone will fold because the Solar Unity laws said so."

"Diplomacy will be of order and politics too.", Frances almost spat the last words, a facet of reality she despised for many reasons but the one at the top was the amount of good men and women that were killed for stupid and selfish order beyond her control when she was younger, and that was only the tip of the iceberg.

"This is very bad news. Whatever build this has technology at the very least equal to ours and must know we are here.", Charles muttered the obvious which prompted others to speak.

"It's the silver-eyed thing Grace had entered in contact with and why I lost control of everything.", Sefridge with certainty and obvious anger all over his features, it was this individual the reason behind it all. Well partly but that mattered little at the end

"Or one of its kind. We don't know anything about its species, their number, range, culture, way of thinking, or technology level. It might be a lone one or it might be one in a billion. But first those three towers… What is their purpose, Motherboard, any inklinging with the data available?", the General analyzed all points and asked a question to the ship AI, something she wasn't new to, AIs were omnipresent in the military and everyday life, some even more advanced than this one.

*LEVEL CLEARANCE HIGH ENOUGH: QUERY ACCEPTED GENERAL FRANCES ARDMORE*

A smooth robotic androgynous voice responded then various data sheets came to be from the few reading glimpses from those alien towers. Technology being far more advanced than the 21st century gave ways to learn a lot from seemingly minuscule samples, a powerful computer behind only aiding in the matter.

*ANSWER TO QUERY: READING OF THESE ALIEN STRUCTURE REVEALED CONTRADICTORY DATA NEVER RECORDED UNPRECEDENTED LEVEL OF UNKNOWN ENERGY FLOWING THROUGH AN UNKNOWN MATERIAL OF METALLIC CHARACTERISTICS DEFYING ALL KNOWN MATERIAL AND ALLOY*

There was a three-second pause for all to the Motherboard continued in this same emotionless even voice.

*THEIR PURPOSE REMAINS A MYSTERY BUT IT HAS BEEN CALCULATED THAT THEIR GOAL WAS AT HiGH PERCENTAGE CHANCE RELATED TO DEFENSE AND ATTACK*

"That doesn't advance us much, that's the obvious. Those things aren't made to be only pretty.", she sighed massaging her brows, her mind going onto several simple scenarios on how that could come to be.

All required a large degree of pacifism, as much a fight with an alien was an exciting prospect she knew the saying 'fuck around and find out' and was far less excited to know what it could lead to.

Three several-kilometer-high towers heavier than entire skyscrapers held floating with enough energy to destroy countries if not more flowed through. Those things were hundreds of the most powerful nukes ever created, individually making it worse and more terrifying to just imagine.

'Huh… I'm scared. How intriguing.', Frances thought with amusement, she was the only one who realized how dangerous this unknown was and was damn sure going to do her best against the worst possible outcome.

Jake's little rebellion and the loss of Pandora were insignificant compared to the possibility of a more advanced civilization of unknown motives existing beyond their sight and understanding.

At least there was only the RDA and no other enterprise or country since it would likely start a war in scale she barely could fathom for X and Y reasons that would be pretty much born of self-interest and foolishness. History doesn't repeat, it rhymes and with aliens, it would simply be a different tune.

The Na'vi, while interesting, were pretty unimportant for the RDA aside from being used in the forms of virtue signaling to appear good to the masses. They even had a kid show and the like on their streaming platform.

But a fellow space-faring species… This was an entirely different story, there was no middle ground, either a bright future for humanity, a horrible long war, or extinction of the human race with a pinch of torture and slavery and the like.

Understandably she very much wanted the first option. They weren't even safe in space and she was beyond her knowledge correct, their little conversation was currently in the middle of being listened to in real-time like an unfiltered reality show.

What could the Motherboard even hope to fend off, nevertheless notice a cybernetic attack from technology beyond its creators' understanding? The Na'vi were closer to making AI like Motherboard than the RDA to the thing that was hacking their entire fleet the moment they entered the binary star system.

It was unfair, truly but it wasn't a game with rules and fairness held no importance.

"I feel conflicted, I don't know if I should cry or laugh. This is both funny, sad, and infuriating. To think I had many sleepless nights and nightmares for when they will come back.", Grace said with pursed lips before continuing to drink her pumpkin milkshake from the titanium straw.

The much smaller figure of Norm to her left said, sounding rather hopeful, "They seem to understand the problem and will go the reasonable route. It's surprising but good..."

"They don't have raving lunatics as leaders so it does help, but I wouldn't go saying they are reasonable. They are scared of what I probably have and don't want to fuck around and find out. They are just smart enough to realize this much.", Liam corrected, his voice now echoey and distinctively metallic yet also human-like.

He then flicked a finger that changed the live video from the flagship's Command Room showing information on who was who in the greatest of detail right from the main AI pandorium hard drive.

"It sure does. This woman in particular, I have worked under her, she is a legend in her own right. It's good she is here, she is a woman of logic and iron will, and here it's in our favor. However, if technology were equal or lower…", Jake decided to chime in, he was quite relaxed overall.

The fact none of his loved ones were in danger thanks to Liam was the main factor and that monstrous acts were made for this was well worth it. It was them and them first, cold but that was life. Something that put his family in danger needed to be terminated.

"That's why there is nothing equal, I don't like being on an even playing field. They lost the moment they passed the outer asteroid belt. Right now it's like stealing the candy of a tetraplegic, blind and deaf, mentally retarded child with cancer. Their life support system can be turned off at my will for example.", Liam said coolly, a smile from little remains of his organic feature formed behind his Tek Helmet.

"But I don't want to do that and I won't. An understanding should be able to be made. Is this correct, my love?", he added, killing innocents was something he preferred not to do, particularly when 60% of the passengers were those innocent.

"Yes, but if it pleases them or not that is a different story. We are the superior force in this scenario and we will act as such.", Eywa with her head on his armored shoulder said dreamily, fully trusting her mate's decision.

*

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