136. Survival at any Cost

<A Queen and her fleet have been detected within our periphery by a Leviathan scout. What is your order, Tirea'eykte?> A middle-aged male Na'vi spoke respectfully to a far younger female Avatar, meditating at the base of a strange weeping willow, its bark white and leaves glowing pink tendril.

There was a long moment of silence with only the sound of the natural melody of the soft winds shifting between entrancing plants and the running water from the stream passing through the root of the magnificent Tree of Souls.

<That is most peculiar.> the one spoken to said, slowly standing up from her cross-legged position, the tip of her queue disconnecting as she left behind the print of her presence on the fuzzy blue moss as she turned to face her interlocutor.

Her eyes opened slightly to reveal a faint glow with the Psionic energy dwindling away into the atmosphere; the gaze was warm yet strict and harsh. A pair of eyes that had seen many things, of which far too much was abnormal.

This was Kiri, the Tirea'eykte, spiritual leader of the Coventus and authority only inferior to the All-Mother. Long gone was the naive little girl enjoying freely the expensive nature of Pandora, the threat upon her existence and that of everyone too heavy to be ignored.

And so she volunteered to fight. She was far too aware of her gift, her connection to the All-Mother above that of any Tsahìk alive, to waste it playing around. A decision that caused both discord and pride in her parents' life, Grace being the one far more vocal about it all, but in a way that was critical and constructive.

Her place was not to remain as an observer while the war raged on and millions, no billions, died. It was unacceptable, be they of the Coalition or the Everlasting Garden; the threat was real, and death shall not come to Pandora. It couldn't be authorized, and she had to make it an absolute truth.

<Should I proceed and follow the regular protocol send squads to dispose of her existence?> the male Na'vi asked, but the answer he got was a calm shake of a head, surprising him greatly.

<No, Ukato. This is an anomaly, and the Harvester has shown how it ends when we react hastily. We shall be patient observe before acting. prepare. Her survival will not change fate of this war.> She said memories of death happening from these exact scenarios were crystal clear in her mind.

Every change in the behavior of the Harvester was a threat to be studied and deflected. Death was not final with the All-Father, but they were not of the Invictus. It was damaging and traumatizing to the highest degree of how violent they were. Dying changed someone on a conceptual level.

<Understood Tirea'eykte.> The Na'vi bowed slightly before disappearing in a flash of light, teleporting away to only the All-Father knew where, leaving Kiri alone to ponder what was said.

'Is this another suicidal attack?' Kiri wondered as she exited the expensive room she was in to end up in an ever bigger corridor of flat metal and silvery roots pulsing blue with vegetation growing in many places.

The place was rich in activity and used to its full three-dimensional potential as hundreds of people, human, Na'vi, and even the occasional Tulkun in adapted high-tech suits, moved, be it either horizontally or vertically, while some teleported around using small Tek Teleporters. In parallel was an endless flow of Tek Creatures from Drones, Enforcers, and Tek Stryders.

And this hive of activity was a fraction of this space fortress activity, the flagship of the Coventus, the Cradle of the Mother. A gargantuan contraption comparable in size to the smaller end of Harvester Mothership taking the shape of an elongated silvery lozenge adorned in crystals with three crystalline rings rich in vegetation orbiting around.

Its lack of apparent mobility system, defense, or weapons deceives to the highest degree.

It possessed a warp drive that used Element and Neutronium to bend gravity and dark energy, granting the ability to move in any way necessary and travel by using wormholes to virtually anywhere. It was also connected to the Tek Gates, letting the spaceship warp nearly instantly to the point where gates large enough existed.

Protecting from outside harm was a World Barrier that created an atmosphere and habitable space, stopping from entering the void and all the hazardous particles within.

As for offense, the warp drive was multi-purpose, with enough precision to crush matter in a given radius and much more. The World Barrier and the flagship bulk turned it into more than a simple shield.

But those were the unconventional methods, and where the Cradle of the Mother potential lay was in the uses of Psionic through a complex network of Tree of Souls and the Rose of Jericho from such the All-Mother or any accredited member proficient enough like Kiri could use to do many things to the minds of the living.

But it was more of a space station than a warship, and it could simply play both roles to a very proficient level and some more. And it was far from the strongest asset under the All-Mother and All-Father control.

Kiri ignored the intention she got as she moved, and everyone bowed before going back to their task, hoping on a Tek Teleporter. She reappeared deeper in the ship, and her Specimen Implant blinked as her subordinates sent more information about the ongoing event her way.

'Yes, it is beyond abnormal behavior. Suicide attack had proven ineffective,' she concluded, 'So it's not this scenario. She is not hiding. No, it's the opposite. She has become a phare within a storm. I can even feel her presence now.'

Detecting the Psionic presence of Harvester Queens was one of the most efficient ways of locating them or knowing if they were active and communicating with others of their kind. The first step of training in the Coventus was focused on these most vital skills.

But it was a skill that had become harder to obtain to any extent it mattered as the Harvester adapted and improved, turning this task more arduous as time went on, creating a cycle of progress where one adapted to the others, the royal alien blaring her presence to the world was a source of questioning and worry.

This was breaking all that she was used to; it wasn't normal, and what wasn't normal was, more often than not, a threat to be eliminated with extreme prejudice. That it was a Harvester Queen acting this way pushed this point further.

'What is she doing?' Kiri thought, and in parallel, she studied the waves of Psionic energy that created a bright light between the Cradle of the Mother and the Harvester Mothership.

It was extremely worrying, in fact. Perhaps it was an overreaction, but against such a foe, this word did not have any value; it always was too little in every parameter.

She stopped in front of a wall entirely composed of iridescent hexagons, and with a flick of her tail, it vanished in a rain of illusory particles, revealing a plain of marbles and blood-red grass, an artificial sun softly shining on everything as the cool air wafted over to her.

"Gladius! Wake up, you big silly bird!" Kiri declared as she began to hover using implants and Psionic, for she didn't want to lose large pieces of her flesh by these Element-altered plants. And the teaching of the All-Mother was for many things, and convenience entered them.

At her words, the ground shook; large fissures in the ground formed unto it broke apart in an explosion of white soils and red plants, revealing the creature that had been sleeping under the ground. It was massive, breaking all conventional rules of biology and, to a degree, physics.

From the shoulder, it reached a hundred and twenty meters (~393ft) and beyond with the long neck and two pairs of white crown-shaped bed horns counted in. It possessed five glowing red eyes, two on each side of a beak and the last in the middle, almost like a gem if not for the dark purple pupils locking onto an unimpressed Kiri.

Its six-limbed body, covered in white plates and mycelium-like red outgrowth, stretched as it stood on its two legs and spread its atrophied wings and large arms, ending in long claws a third in length as it was tall. A long segmented tail ending in a stinger weaving in the air, creating powerful winds that slammed effectively

'I'm neither stupid, fat, nor a vulgar feathery horror, Kiri.' in a deep, monstrous voice, it spoke telepathically to her with an emotion close to the anger of an offended child, and the female Avatar snorted in mild amusement.

'And you prove my point. But it is not for this that I awakened you, Gladius.' she said, looking unflinchingly into the depth of the massive eye that was studying her every movement.

'Violence?' Gladius asked, excitement beginning to bubble into the TitaTitan'sy as its tail wagged, sending an entire swath of land into the air. Its claws clashed together at high speed and force, forming shockwaves that if not for the shield of hard light, would have deafened her.

'I don't make promises, but it is very likely. A Queen is approaching, but her actions are unusual, and your assistance may be required for this situation.' Kiri sent with pursed lips showing one canine, and the equivalent of a nod she got made her smile faintly. This Titan could be quite a pain when it didn't want to cooperate, generally involving direct involvement from Liam.

A few hours later, the image of their target became visible, and it did little to diminish Kiri's worry, for it was one of the largest Harvester Motherships she had ever seen. It was ancient beyond words, and its energy shields were down and all cannons absent.

But the most puzzling aspect was the Psionic emitting from the spaceship, indicating it was not one Queen but three, and the nature of the waves for their species was one the sensation m of submissiveness would give.

'What is their goal?' an aged Tulkun asked mentally, her four eyes focused on the video of the alien vessel, and it suddenly stopped at a distance equivalent to that of the Sun and Earth.

'A mystery to unfold that much seems to be the only option. Or one to shatter.' an even older female Na'vi said, the dislike for those insects unmistakable in her thoughts.

Then, from the upper layer of the large vessel, a comparatively microscopic disk-shaped spaceship flew out in the Cradle of the Mother's direction. In the same manner, the absence of a shield and the Psionic passive nature were unmistakable; neither was the absolute terror under it a hint of acceptance of their fate. Whatever it may be.

'My children, let them enter.' they momentarily froze at the soft voice of the All-Mother, 'Stay at ease for my mate see no threat impervious to destruction.'

And that is what they did, waiting for the spaceship carrying the three Queens to arrive; the World Barrier shifted, letting them in. The hull of the larger vessel shifted and delicately grabbed the smaller one before bringing it in. All the while, the Queens' emotional distress was out for everyone, a minimum trained to observe fully.

Without further ado, Kiri walked up to a teleporter and went to the lower deck where the Harvester ship had been docked. Just as she did, purplish veins began to materialize, and solo enough, the massive frame of Gladius took form, his largest eye glaring with murderous intent at the Queens. The mere barriers of the materials are nothing in front of its gaze.

The tension grew as more people came, and with them, weapons followed, weapons made of crystals that had the sole purpose of destroying the minds of their target without a care for what separated them.

White mist escaped the Harvester ship as its lower side opened, and three massive figures around two-thirds of Gladius' size walked out on six limbs, two spindly pair legs ending in one claw and a bulky pair of arms ending in three fingers.

The tension kept rising as the largest of the three Queen walked out slowly, her every step echoing far and wide while her gaze through her biological armor instinctively shifted from the Titan to Kiri, the two biggest threats at this very instant.

Then she bowed, her mask splitting open, creating the illusion of a large ruff while her bare face became known to all, and more than a few were not discreet in showing their disgust. But the Harvester Queen could care less as she spoke, her voice gravelly, rumbling, and inhuman yet understandable enough for her audience to know it was English.

A news that was not surprising, the Harvester has studied them and has learned a portion of their language to trick them.

"wE hAVe cOMe tO aLErt oF tHe MaDNess OuR sISteRs hAVe SuCcuMBed tO! ThIs WAr HaS nOT WeNT bY oUR dEsIRE, oUr DeFeAT hAS bECOMe IneVItAbLe, bUT We dId NOt cOME To BeG! We HaVe cOME tO InFOrM yOUr kInDS tHat mANy oF OuR sISters WiSh tO FlEe Of YOur MaStErs' GrAsP! BArRiErs thAt CloSe ReAliTY fRom oThEr tO bE sHaTTerEd aND fraNGiBle beTWEen ReAlMs To Be BUiLt bY TheIR InSaNITy!" she declared, and as she finished the air in front of her shook.

Walking out was a man of light and white-haired Na'vi, silver and pink eyes locking onto her face as the latter spoke first.

"We found this to be highly suspicious, Queen. You do not act this way, and the words spoken are of no value as they are. Your physical presence presents no reasons for those to be believed," Eywa said coldly, floating closer to the massive alien with no fear. Yet, her tiny Avatar, even for the bare eyes, appeared impossibly more powerful as the larger flinched and shivered.

"But if the words are to be trusted, madness is the height of euphemism for such an action," Liam said and, similarly, approached the Queen before his body split in three, the two others forming in the face of the two others.

"But the risk is too high to ignore it. When and where such an event will happen?" he asked, and the answer he got led to his usual calm demeanor to shift into one of extreme displeasure and even worry.

"We haVe BeEN BaNIsHEd aNd FleD beFORe SuCh KnoWledGe wAs sHAreD!" the Queen on the back left said, and at this, a strange sensation began to spread through everyone before it vanished soon after.

"My excuse, this is grave news. There are no lies, but we will see you interrogated and used." the All-Father said, but before he could speak further, his eyes widened. An ocean of silvery hexagons consumed the Queen that spoke before reforming her trembling on the ground.

'It's too late, do you feel it?' he said through their bond to Eywa.

'The universe is screaming.' she answered, and both focused their senses onto a massive wound created that was both nowhere and everywhere.

'Fuck.'

'Indeed.'