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Tensai's Records - Pandora

Chapter 1: Rescue and Rendezvous

Ite-te-te... (Ouch...) My head... Had to use a bit of effort to open my eyes. Phew, no bright lights this time. In fact, the room I found myself in was quite dark. From the corner of my eye, I saw Itami, with a watchful gaze on me.

"Ohayou, shouoofu (Morning, showoff)" She greeted me, smiling. I chuckled a bit.

"Took me all my strength to do that, you know. But it was worth it" I let my eyes close for a moment, letting my mind drift.

"To be honest, I didn't think you had it in you still, otouto (little brother)"

"To be honest, me neither" We laughed together for a moment "How long was I out, by the way?"

She counted a bit on her fingers "Six hours, I think. It's evening outside by now"

"Thanks, nee-chan" She smiled at me.

"By the way, did you notice Dr. Grace's behavior towards us?" She asked "I had heard that she wasn't the most sociable person in this star system, but, sheesh..."

I couldn't help but chuckle again "I think I know how she feels. Remember what she first said when Selfridge introduced them to us?"

"Uhh... She said 'welcome to hotel Pandora, we hope you enjoy your stay'?"

"Precisely. The keyword is there, on 'hotel'. Although we are one of the select few with enough resources to be able to pull a stunt like this, we are the first Terrans that are neither scientist, military or miner ever to tread his moon's soil. By the way she said that, she thinks our presence here means that Pandora, the place where she has learned so much and thrives to learn more, is starting to become a touristic attraction, where people will come, with their ugly flowery shirts, taking pictures, eating chips, chewing gum, writing on chalk over the trees..."

She shook her head violently "Ok, ok I got it, I got it! Stop acting all Tensai on me"

I laughed with gusto "Suman suman (sorry, sorry), nee-chan. Guess I got carried away"

"Way away" She was rubbing her temples. More laughter.

"I think I'm getting some more sleep now, sis"

"Of course, little brother" She walked to me and kissed my forehead "Oyasuminasai (Good night)"

She smiled before turning to leave.

"Itami?" I called to her, making her stop and turn around.

"Yes, Nagato?"

"One last favor, please" I looked from her to the corner of the room, where I had seen my belongings, doubtlessly unloaded from the ship "Inside my bag, there is a small case with a biometric lock, could you leave it with me?"

"Of course" She rummaged through the contents, until she found what I asked: a pocket version of those silver suitcases that people usually carry money, secret documents or nuke launch codes.

She nestled it under my right hand, against the wall, for some paranoid extra protection we both were fond of, before kissing me again and leaving. Once I was alone, I closed my eyes, letting my consciousness fade into sweet rest.

That night, Nagato dreamed he was running through strangely colorful woods.

The door to his room hissed open, and Yukito entered, waking him up.

"Morning, sunshine" He greeted "We have to go, avatars to be driven"

"Morning" He answered "And yes, absolutely. Race you there!"

The white-haired giant boomed his laughter "Now now, I don't want to humiliate you"

"Yeah, right" They both laughed this time.

Yukito then helped Tensai get into the wheelchair, after which they headed back to the laboratory. Grace and Norm were waiting already.

"Hey Suitman. Think you got what it takes to stay alive outside the fence?" Grace asked jeeringly.

"Mawey, oel lasyatsi ngati (Relax, I can keep up with you)" He said, looking at her, and even though his mouth didn't move, anyone could see the smirk in his eyes. Grace showed little reaction, but his trained eyes saw the corners of her mouth twitch in the whisper of a smirk as well.

"So, ready for this?"

"I've been expecting it for almost six years, Dr. Augustine. I'm having a hard time keeping still"

Everybody within earshot laughed hard. Grace just rolled her eyes.

"I can sedate you if that'd make you more peaceful" She replied, getting more laughter.

"By the way, Tensai-san" Norm cut in "Forgive me, but... how are you going to fit into the link chamber if, as far as I know, you're frozen in that position?"

"Oh, that won't be a problem, Dr. Spellman. Even though Nagato's muscles became solid as bones, we had his joins replaced by mobile junctions" Itami answered the question, walking to her brother and turning a dial on the side of the chair. It hissed and started retracting the tubes and wires, until none other remained binding him. She then explained what she meant by moving his arms, wrists and neck a little "Makes it easier on us"

"I hear that... but what about the wheelchair? Doesn't it carry his LSUs?"

"Not really. Those are actually internal" She touched Nagato's chest "This wheelchair works for his feeding system, along with auxiliary charges for the LSUs, and the neural link to allow him control. He can survive without them for several hours with no discomfort"

"Oh, I see now! Fascinating!" He almost chirped, looking like a child in Christmas Eve.

"Yes, thrilling. Now, be kind enough to get in here. We're on a schedule" Grace reminded them.

Yukito did the lifting job again, carefully placing his friend on the jelly-like surface of the chamber.

"Try to relax, and don't think of any big numbers" She advised, closing the lid "Ok, launch sequence on unit seven, people!"

"Launching" One of the workers of the station confirmed, starting to make the map of Nagato's brain, letting out a whistle after a few seconds "Got the first three congruencies already. Look at this guy's brain!"

Everyone stopped briefly to look at his screen. Indeed: Tensai's brain was abnormally full of activity, even while he kept his mind at ease. It was like the impulses jumped to meet the scanners' signals, making the phase-lock much faster.

"Alright, you two" Grace motioned to Yukito and Itami, then to two vacant units next to Nagato's "In there"

They nodded and got into them, while two technicians closed the lids on them.

"Unit seven, phase-lock 100%, link stable. He's in"

Oooo... look at the tunnel of pretty lights.... OW! That one isn't pretty, and why is it moving like that? How annoying... Oh wait, it's a flashlight. One of two technicians in exopacks was moving it in and out of my field of vision, while calling out to me.

"Mr. Yoruno? Can you hear me?" Sound came in a little fuzzy at first, but soon I was hearing perfectly.

"Kindly stop flashing that thing in my eye?" I said, feeling my jaw muscles flex, my lips move.

My voice... I had forgotten how I sounded. It looked like a stranger speaking now. But I knew it was my own voice. I felt it.

I chuckled a little

"You know, I haven't heard my own voice in years" They smiled warmly at me. I smiled back, and it was like I could count each of the 73 muscles that I moved to do it.

And MAN! That was only the beginning! I could feel myself getting the grip of this new body. I can't know if my long absence from movement played its part, but I managed to feel every tiny muscle, stretching over every bone of my ten-foot frame. Powerful muscular tissue, ready for my command.

"Mr. Yoruno, how do you feel?" How do I feel? HOW DO YOU THINK I FEEL, DAMN!?

I started to laugh, reveling in my lungs contracting, the cool air flowing in my mouth, the flexing of my joints, the pressure in my muscles as I slowly got to a sitting position. My toes... I saw myself wiggling them. I was moving them... I could feel the blood-filled tissues of the avatar's sole when I bended the toes down. Kind of hurt a little, but I could barely process it.

My arms helped sustain my weight, if there was any... Haha, I felt like there wasn't. I was made of air, some sort of air tightly sewn together by something. The panicked warnings of the technicians died out before reaching my brain, though I did notice a rising in frequency as I moved so my legs were hanging from the side of the gurney. My bare feet touched the ground... brrr, cold. My legs managed with ease to lift my body's weight. I felt all that blood being drained with my weight over the soles.

Didn't manage to stay up for long, though. I lost my balance and fell back into the gurney, though I never stopped laughing. Guess all these years sitting in that wheelchair took their toll... Hahaha. I rubbed my head with my hands, feeling the smooth blue skin rubbing against itself. That only made me laugh more. The two managed to get me back into the laying position I woke up in. I stopped laughing for a few moments to look to my right. I saw Itami and Yukito's avatars looking at me with smiles in their faces, obviously getting used to their new selves as well. I laid back and started flaying my arms and legs wildly around, like a little kid being licked in the face by an eager dog, laughing my lungs out in blissful joy.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA ow..." A sting? That finally made me stop. A needle-like pain on my side... I looked down, and one of the technicians had stabbed me with a syringe. I looked at her for a couple seconds with a look mixed of confusion and impatience before the darkness came.

They decided to give me a second chance a couple hours later, when I promised I'd behave. Hehe.

"And that settles it" The male technician said with a relieved smile after finishing all my motion control and sensory receiving tests.

I was growing quite impatient by the time. They insisted it was to prevent any difficulties with my control of the avatar, but, to be frank, I didn't feel like I needed it. It all came so naturally, the movement of my body outside my body. Well, guess they call me Tensai for a reason...

"Now, would you mind if I took myself to a drive around the block?" I asked, smirking, and he chuckled.

"Sure thing, Mr. Yoru..."

"Just call me Tensai"

"Yes, Mr.... eh... Tensai"

"Now that's a boy" I smiled again, getting up. Oooo.... I teetered a little, but managed to stay straight "Can I get some clothes or I'm going to get out there in this apron?"

He laughed a little more, then motioned me to follow him. I was soon given some of the standard AVTR-class gear, which suited me nicely, I have to say.

"Could you do me a favor?" I asked him.

"Sure. What is it?"

"Contact someone in the link room, and ask them to bring me a small silver box that's inside a compartment in my wheelchair's arm, please"

"Right now, sir" He walked off the room.

I went through a different door, reaching the outside of the base. A deep breath and I felt how different was the air in Pandora. I could notice it was heavier, though my Na'vi lungs had no problem drawing it in.

"Nagato!" I heard a familiar voice call.

Itami and Yukito were walking towards me, also already dressed in regular clothes. Nee-chan ran to me and I met her in a tight hug, lifting her off the ground for a few seconds, making her oof.

"I missed so much being able to do this" I smirked, letting her go.

"I haven't" She smirked back, rubbing her sides. I used to do this to her all the time, back when my arms could sustain their own weight.

"OOF!" It was my turn when Yukito did the same to me.

"Wow, you're way heavier, Nagato. Been putting on some weight?" He laughed, and I laughed too.

"Yurusai, bakamon (Shut up, you fool)" I said and playfully hit his head.

"Tensai-san?" The technician I had sent to pick my box returned.

"Got it?"

"Yes, sir" He held out the box Itami had taken off my bag on the previous night.

"Arigato Gozaimasu (Thank you very much)" I smiled, getting the box. He made a curt bow and left.

"So, otouto, going to tell us what the big secret is?" Sis asked, looking at the box with curiosity.

"Sure thing" I pressed my thumb against the lock, letting my fingerprint be scanned. It clicked and opened with a soft hiss.

I could easily feel two curious pair of eyes over my shoulder as I opened the lid. Inside, ta-da-da-dah! Inserted in customized black Styrofoam case, were two metallic disks. About the size of a small cookie, one inch thick, made of a mysterious-looking purplish metal shaped almost like a yo-yo.

"Did you really bring those?" I heard her ask.

"Course I did. You may not realize it, nee-chan, but it is right here, on Pandora, that they can be used to their full extent"

"Ok... You're the genius"

"That's what everyone thinks" I chuckled.

"Quit with the false modesty, Nagato" Yukito said with a bored voice, provoking three sets of laughter.

Ok, time for the true experience. I plucked one of the disks out of the case carefully and held It on my blue hand. Using my index finger, I pressed its surface, until both wide ends touched. Here goes nothing. A small circle began glowing, at the very center of the disk, and then the glow spread to several circuitry lines that were invisible a second ago.

What happened next was something I could describe as a Transformer changing shape, ergo, zillions of pieces moving in zillions of different angles simultaneously. Impossible to describe accurately. When it finished, though, my hand was covered, up to the first joint of my fingers, in a smooth layer of the purple metal, perfectly shaped like a gauntlet. I flexed my fingers, feeling the metal move, still as solid as it should be, and yet flexible as if it was made of cloth.

"Perrrrfect" I made my voice sound almost like a feline purr, smirking.

I fitted the other disk into my other hand and repeated the procedure. The results were the same, now I looked like I was wearing a pair of purple gloves. Ok, for stage two... I closed my eyes, reaching into my subconscious, and touching a small part of it.

It acted like a trigger: my vision was flooded with computer windows, showing a typical startup sequence. After a few seconds, the windows disappeared, leaving only a thin white contour around the edge of my field of vision. On the top left I could see a small window with a few dots where Itami and Yukito were standing, plus some lines detailing the shape of the base behind me. Ok, radar is working. Two gauges also appeared, one on either side, parallel with my y-axis. One of them was blue and the other purple, though only the blue one was full at the moment. Great. Finally a notice flashed at the very center: HUD OPERATIONAL.

"Perfect once again" I said, mostly to myself. My two companions were confused, I could tell. I smirk.

For step three, I sent a mental command to the neural interface: Activate Reactors Primary Startup. I waited a few seconds, and another window appeared, requesting access code:

SEQUENCE 1 STANDING BY. INPUT CODE

????- .................CODE CORRECT, SEQUENCE 1 50% COMPLETE

INPUT CODE

????- .................CODE CORRECT, SEQUENCE 1 100% COMPLETE

SEQUENCE 1 ACTIVATION COMPLETE.

SEQUENCE 2 STANDING BY. INPUT CODE

????????- .................CODE CORRECT, SEQUENCE 2 100% COMPLETE

SEQUENCE 2 ACTIVATION COMPLETE.

PRIMARY FUNCTIONS ONLINE

And once again, only the HUD was left, the purple gauge made a quick ascent until it was also full. The same circuitry lines glowed for a second on the gloves before fading again.

"Alright, I'm ready" I announced to the two behind me "Let's see what those Na'vi can really do!"

Better to take it easy at first. I looked around; we were standing near the basketball court. Nearest to us were horizontal barriers, made for vaulting exercise. Perfect. I walked to them, still reveling in every step. Hehe. I stopped at the first one, with a couple feet as head-start.

Now, legs do your job! I ran to them, placing both hands on the first barrier, while transferring the gravity center to them, letting my legs rise. Woooo! Using both arms was visibly a waste of energy, since I could feel little to no tension on the muscles. My feet made a clean arch over the barrier, and landed firmly on the other side.

Ok, let's do this right this time. I used one step to regain some momentum and vaulted over the second barrier, using just my right arm for support. As I expected, just the right amount of energy applied. I could literally do this all day, he he he. The next barrier was low on the ground. I was supposed to crawl under it instead. No problem. Knees, flex, hands, support, joints, move! I felt like I was flying under it. This felt too good.

A couple obstacle courses later, the three of us were sweaty and panting, though pretty content.

"Tensai-san!" I heard a familiar voice calling, and looked over to see the tall, blue form of Norm Spellman's avatar walking to us.

"Hey Norm! Missed you after our little fiasco this morning" I called out, laughing.

"Sorry about that. Grace took me and another of ours to a field base. I left my avatar here so I could do that sample collection this afternoon"

"Naruhodo (I see). Are you going now?" He nodded "Mind if we come too?"

"Absolutely!" It looked like I just made him win the day "That is, if you and Yukito-san don't mind acting as mere securities" He chuckled.

"Course not. We came here as tourists, but we'll earn our keep, just like anyone else" Yukito announced.

"Marvelous! The armory is that way, grab a couple of AVRs and meet us in the Samson" He motioned to the long line of copters on the nearby landing strip "Seventh one down the road"

"Got it, be right there" I said and we parted ways, Itami going with Norm and Yukito and I heading to the armory he pointed, eager to embark on our first field mission.

The otherwise calm clearing in the jungle, at a not-too-particular point of Pandora, was broken by a strong gust of wind, which shook all smaller plants and sent some animals running for safety. The whirling canopy above parted to let the towering sight of the SA-2 Samson Tiltrotor pass. It landed quite smoothly, giving the cue for two avatars to hop out and start to scan the area for any threats, M30 AVR machineguns ready.

"Clear" The slimmer one, Tensai, said.

"Clear here too" Yukito added from the other side of the helicopter.

Norm and Itami climbed out next. Their pilot, a friendly woman named Trudy, cut the engines at Norm's request.

"Have fun out there, kiddos" She called them on the radio "Play nice, and be home before dusk"

"Sure thing" Tensai answered, chuckling.

They ventured out carefully, Tensai and Yukito at the ends of the line, Itami and Spellman in the middle. It was hard to keep track of the distance, but they probably walked a couple hundred meters from where Trudy parked the ship.

"Ok, this is a good spot" Norm said when they reached the base of a particularly old-looking tree "Itami-san, please help me with the equipments?"

"Of course, Doctor" She knelt next to him and listened to his explanations about the equipment on his bags.

Meanwhile, the two securities kept at their positions, scanning the area again every once in a while or when something sounded too close. Nagato was frowning.

"Nagato?" Yukito called, walking to him "You ok there, bud?"

"Yeah, sure" He answered unconvincingly "I just got a feeling..."

"Feeling?"

"Yeah, like something's wrong..." He looked around, as if looking for something only he could see.

He stopped, marking his gaze at a point that seemed as empty as any other "Yuki, you think you can watch over these two for a second on your own?"

"Don't offend me, Nagato. Of course I can. Where are you going?"

He pointed to the place he was looking "That way over there, I'll call on the radio if anything goes wrong. I just... have to check..."

"Ok..." He looked at his best friend as if doubting his sanity a little. But then again, he'd done this before, frequently just before Nagato pulled some crazy stunt that would bring him something very good.

Nagato kept his AVR at eye-level, treading every step with caution along the path he seemingly chose at random. He had to walk a good distance before he noticed any change on the infinite jungle.

It was another clearing. The gigantic orb that was the planet Polyphemus was visible above the trees, but Tensai wasn't looking at it. He froze his eyes on the other side of the clearing, feeling his brain rushing to process information and his heart racing, pumping adrenaline-full blood to all his tissues.

Standing on the six legs, though with his back turned to him, was the towering, purple figure of a thanator. But that was not what caused the adrenaline discharge in his body. It was what the armored panther was looking at, visibly with covet. Two Na'vi. By their heights, that of a regular human, they were probably kids. A boy and a girl, hugging each other, in visible fear of the apex land predator that dwelled in their planet.

"Shimata! (Damn!)" He thought "Gotta act fast!"

Looking around, he saw some pebbles lying on the ground. He took two quickly and started taking aim. Good thing his avatar's HUD came with an optics enhancer, so his view zoomed in and locked onto the target. Guiding himself by such, he lashed his arm like a whip, flinging one pebble against the thanator.

The projectile whizzed through the air and hit the beast just where Nagato had intended: the sensory quills sprouting from its neck. It worked to draw his attention.

"HEY, Whiskerface!" He shouted "Come and get someone your own size!"

Worked just like magic. He turned around to roar at him, receiving the other pebble right on the face, missing the eye by inches. If he wasn't angry before, now he definitely was. Forgetting about his two smaller preys, he turned around and got ready to strike at the intruder who interrupted his meal.

Though he knew it probably would do nothing in this situation, he raised his hand and beckoned for the panther, in a clear challenge. And it was accepted. The rear legs gave the first impulse, throwing him halfway over the clearing, and in another jump he was already going in for the strike, claws and teeth bared.

"Osoi! (Too slow!)" Nagato shouted, diving under the attacking beast, switching his strength to one leg so he could jump and place his other foot on the thanator's back. With a hard impulse, he flung himself away from the attacker, disrupting his trajectory and making him crash into a nearby tree, while Tensai himself skidded neatly to a halt on the grass, now on the perfect position to protect the cowering kids.

And yet, his position was also the worst one he could pick in this situation. The thanator was too close for him to be able to kill it with the AVR gun; he couldn't risk doing another move like that because the beast could hit the kids.

"Damn, I really didn't expect to have to use this so soon..." He thought, as his foe got up and got ready to strike again.

He waited. Letting his gun slide to the ground, he parted his legs and raised both hands, palms facing the angry panther.

"Come and get me!" He said out loud, in the most challenging tone he could produce.

As if reading his mind, the thanator flung himself against the older Na'vi, once again, wanting to rip, tear and kill. He was inches from being able to sink his teeth on Tensai's neck when... he stopped.

Not like he reconsidered the attack. If he had, it would have done no good due to the proximity, but it was like his whole body just froze. Tensai smiled. His purple, metallic gloves were glowing again, the center spot and the circuit lines. A keen eye could see a faint distortion in the air between him and the thanator.

Nagato took a step forward, looking into the beast's eyes. A growl escaped his mouth and his body wriggled against the invisible prison, to no avail.

"Go pester someone else" He waved his hand, and the thanator literally flew off the clearing, as if launched by a catapult.

Once safe, Tensai took a deep breath, summoning all his skills in linguistics for the task to come. He turned to the kids, which, he noticed, hugged each other closely, the boy trying to get his twin sister behind him.

"Mawey meveng... Set menga... kxuke lu (Be calm, young ones. I will do you no harm)" He said calmly and slowly, both to show peace and to let the phrases in the alien language form up in his brain "Fpom... menga lu... srak? (Are you injured?)"

The girl seemed to relax a little at his words, which inspired a bit of confidence "Sran oeri lu slä ke oeyä tsmukan... (I am not. But my brother...)"

He looked at the boy, who met his gaze with proud defiance. A quick look revealed that the boy had a hurt ankle. Nagato couldn't tell if it was just sprained or outright broken.

"Tuteol zene... vivewng... tsavenut (That will need to be treated)" He pointed at the swollen ankle "Peolo' menga lu? (From which clan do you come?)"

"Omatikaya" She answered.

"Sìltsan. Pengru... pefya kä mengeyä... olo'ne ulte oeri.... mìsyunge mengat... ne tsatseng... nìzawnong (Good. Teach me to reach them, and I will take you there safely)"

"Moe kin ke srung aysawtuteta (We don't need your help, human)" The boy finally said something, doing a brave attempt to stand.

"Mawey, 'ewana tsamsiyu. Nìmun... oel ke... 'ìsyeko mengat (Calm down, young warrior. I said I am no threat to you)" He gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Nagato!" Itami's voice called from the trees, as her, Norm and Yukito appeared into the clearing.

The kids startled again, and the boy whispered something to his sister that Nagato couldn't pick up the meaning. But by his tone, he was not talking of Itami's good looks. He waved and walked in their direction.

"What happened?" His sister hugged him "We were worried"

"Nothing too much, nee-chan. I just stumbled across those two. Seem they need a hand"

She looked over at the two, who were now alert, still whispering between themselves "Poor things. What can we do for them?"

"Based on the region we're in, they must be from the Omatikaya" Norm said "They are not too fond of avatars, though Grace is currently there with them"

"Hmmm" Tensai mumbled a bit, thinking fast "I know then. I will escort those two back to their clan, and ask for an exfil once I'm done"

"Alone? Are you sure?" Yukito entered the conversation.

"I probably shouldn't need to go far, and one avatar reaching their village should be less suspicious than four"

"He's got a point" Norm said, thoughtful "I guess your plan is viable, Tensai-san"

Itami still looked contradicted, but she yielded "Ok, but keep contact with us, and call for extraction STAT if anything goes wrong"

"Will do" He hugged her again and walked back to the two, taking some time to build the next sentence "Menga alaksi lu srak? (Can we go?)"

The boy looked down, visibly contradicted as well and muttered "Srane... (Yes...)"

"Sìltsan. Hìtxoa. (Good. Now, please excuse me)" He said, before taking the boy in his arms. He grunted in protest, but stood still. Whether it was from resignation or the pain in his ankle, no one could know.

"Pefya'o? (Which way?)" He asked the girl.

"Tsafya'o (That)" She pointed to a barely-visible trail on the jungle.

Just before getting on his way, Nagato looked back to his companions, especially to his sister, and smiled, winking "Don't worry, I'll be in touch"

He tapped his headset for emphasis. Itami let out what could be a resignation sigh, and smiled back, nodding. He nodded back, and walked away into the wild.

I take back what I said earlier... The part about "not going far". We were walking for a good two hours; my avatar's virgin feet were aching, and even the air had some difficulty to get in. Ironically, the girl walking beside me was still as willing as if we had just started to walk. Phew, I envy those Na'vi's endurance...

Speaking of which...

"Fyape fko syaw ngar? (How do they call you?)" I asked the girl.

"Oeru syaw fko Ti'a (They call me Ti'a)" She answered.

"Ngaru tut? (And you?)" I asked the boy. He kept silent.

"Oeyä tsmukanru syaw fko Ma'at (My brother is called Ma'at)" He glared at his sister, I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Oel mengati kameie, ma Ti'a si ma Ma'at. Oeru syaw fko Tensai (I See you, Ti'a and Ma'at. I am Tensai)"

"Oel ngati kameie, ma Tensai" She answered my greeting cheerfully. Young Ma'at kept quiet.

A couple minutes later, ten or so, I think, Ti'a stopped all of a sudden and started looking around, her ears moving in tandem.

"Pehem ke... lezo lu? (What's wrong?)" I asked.

"Oeru 'efu Omatikaya asim (I sense Omatikaya nearby)" She answered, still looking.

"Oel fìkemit 'efu kop (I sense too)" Ma'at finally manifested himself.

Impressive. I had detected nothing around us, and the jungle itself showed no signs of change. Those Na'vi do know how to be awesome, even as kids.

"Tsengpe? (Where?)"

She looked around a bit more before answering "Tsateng (There)" She pointed to a cluster of trees.

As if in a cue, a hexapede jumped out of the same cluster, but got only a few jumps away from it before, with an audible "whoosh", an arrow hit it on the flank. Unsurprisingly, moments later, two Na'vi followed its trail. A man and a woman, the latter seeming to move with a natural grace; I suppose every Na'vi can do that. Though her companion lacked a bit of it... his movements seemed a bit unnatural, compared to hers.

She knelt beside the agonizing prey, and with quick efficiency, stabbed it with a dagger, rendering it inert. With my enhanced view, I could see her lips moving, reciting what probably was, from what I could read, the Na'vi "mantra" they applied every time they killed an animal. It was quite a touching concept, really. It was a part of what made me respect their kind so much.

Once the woman finished her prayer, I felt Ti'a move forward, happily prancing towards the two. I thought best to go after her, though in a less childish fashion, hehe.

"Neytiri!" She shouted once they were within earshot. The woman looked in our direction, in visible surprise.

"Ti'a? Pelun oel fìtsengit kop? (Ti'a? What are you doing here?)" Neytiri caught her when she jumped into her arms, and they started talking in fast Na'vi, too much for my untrained brain to process.

I took this interval to finish my approach, and also measuring the two Omatikaya before me. The man caught my eye at once. I looked him up and down, and I realized what made him look different from the woman.

Five fingers and toes; he was an avatar as well.

"Now this is surprising" I spoke in clear English "Out here would be the last place I would expect to find one of my own"

The man smiled "Gotta say the same" We shook hands "What brings another dreamwalker to these parts of the forest?"

His use of the Na'vi word to describe the avatars told me a bit about him already.

"Actually, the reason is talking with your friend right now" I motioned to the chatting ladies "I tripped across these two when I was on a field mission. Had I been a couple minutes late, they'd be thanator nourish by now"

His eyes widened for a moment, when he processed what I meant.

"Then we owe you our gratitude, dreamwalker" The woman called Neytiri said, also in English. Her accent wasn't too strong; apparently she had been practicing our language for a while now.

"Your gratitude is most appreciated, Nawmä Taronyu (Noble Hunter)" I said gently, smiling at her, receiving a smile in return.

"How are you called, dreamwalker?" She asked.

"Nagato Yoruno"

At this point, predictably, the man's eyes widened "Nagato Yoruno?! Tensai?! WOW! It is an honor to meet you sir!" He offered his hand, and I shook it again.

"And you would be?"

"Jake Sully. I can't believe we just tripped across you on a place like this!"

"Jake, do you know him?" Neytiri asked.

"Not personally, but he's almost a legend back on Earth"

"I see..." She turned to me "Nagatoyoruno, if what Jake says is true, it is my honor to meet you as well"

I had to cover my mouth with a hand, pretending to scratch something, to hide a smirk. I heard her tongue curling as she said my name, and it was quite amusing.

"The honor is all mine, Neytiri-san" I bowed courtly to her.

"San?" I looked up and saw the confusion in her eyes, since I was obviously not quoting anything.

"Oh, sorry. In the land I come from, that is a way of showing respect"

"Ah, I see" She smiled again, and waited a few moments to add "I insist you follow us back to Hometree. I am sure my father would like to thank you as well"

"Hmmm. That's an invitation I admit I'm glad to accept" I smiled again.

"Come then" She said, and walked off.

"She's always that... determined?" I whispered to Jake.

"You have no idea. We'd better stay close if we don't want to get lost here" He answered, motioning to take Ma'at from my arms.

"True" I accepted his gesture, letting my arms hang in much-wanted rest, before we followed her.

Once again, we walked for a good while, and yet, Neytiri and Ti'a were unhindered. Jake shared a bit of my tiredness, thought I can't know if it was due to his condition as a newbie Na'vi, like me, or the fact that he was the one carrying the boy this time.

I used the walk to recalibrate my HUD's sensors. After the fiasco of not detecting two hunters in a less than 150-meter radius, this thing needed some tuning. I took Jake and Neytiri's signatures as standards for future Na'vis. Hopefully I wouldn't be caught *this* off guard again.

We were now walking over what looked like huge roots. If those Hometrees were as huge as I read, then we probably were getting close. And speaking of being caught off guard...

PROJECTILE INBOUND 10 O' CLOCK!

RECOMMENDATION: JUMP!

The warning flashed before my eyes out of nowhere. Should my mind have a half a second slower reaction time, it would have been too late. I jumped as soon as I had time to process the warning and, precisely at the time, a bolo whooshed past the point where my legs were just before.

At the same time, several signatures popped up all around me just as the recalibration program closed and the changes took effect. Well, at least that proved they were working... In instinct I reached for my AVR, but I soon dropped the idea as at least a dozen Na'vi with bows had arrows pointed at me. I quickly raised my hands to show peace.

Another half a dozen or so appeared from the woods mounted in direhorses. Those animals were quite beautiful, I have to say... even while having six legs. One of the riders, a male with stern appearance dismounted, directing himself to Neytiri.

"Neytiri, pehem lu? (Neytiri, what is this?)" He asked. Uh-oh, native chat ahead. Activate Translator.

With that command, the warrior's next words, despite as Na'vi as ever, were shortly followed by subtitles in the bottom of the HUD. I chose to focus on them.

" Has our home become some sort of meeting place for those demons?" He gestured to me " First Jakesully, now this one? Has there been another sign?" He added that last phrase in a jeering tone.

" Maybe" Neytiri's tail flicked with annoyance. I smiled to myself, danger in the air... " A stranger being on the exact right place and time to save our young can only have been sent by the Mother, don't you think?"

I noticed the warrior's stance changing. That jeering look wilted away, followed by a raised eyebrow, showing a lack of understanding, then changed to disbelief. His eyes then looked from me, to Ti'a and then to Ma'at, stopping briefly on his ankle, then he blinked for a slightly longer time, which, I took, was what he needed to process the information. He sighed and turned his back on us, walking back to his mount.

" Bring him" He said, simply.

Everything happened quite fast after that. Everyone started to move, some of the bowmen behind me nudged me to walk, which I thought best to comply, keeping close to Jake, who was nearest to me.

"So... welcoming comitee?" I whispered to him.

"Yeah. Had the same greeting when I arrived, two months ago. Except I didn't dodge that bolo" We chuckled together.

"And who's Prince Charming?" I nodded to the stern warrior, who was now ahead of his fellow riders.

"Tsu'tey. Chief-to-be of the clan"

"Lovely"

Wasn't long before the smaller trees faded out, and before our eyes was the freaking largest tree I had ever freaking seen! Seriously people, you can't know how big this thing is until you've stood on your feet at the base. Those trees, the Na'vi Hometrees, were naturally crafted by nature to be a living spot. Its hollow center housed a big crowd of Omatikaya, around a spiral-like column leading up.

Tsu'tey took us right through the middle of the crowd, and I could observe the most varying reactions. Fear, curiosity, rage, all of the above, some of the above, none of the above... We stopped just before the central pillar. Standing under it was an older-looking Na'vi with noticeably colorful garments. The chief, I'd guess.

" Father" Neytiri went ahead and greeted him " I See you"

" Child" He looked, lacking a better word, annoyed " Have you brought another of the Sky People into our home?"

There were isolated focuses of laughter at his tone, which showed an indeed funny mixture of annoyance and embarrassment. Like if Neytiri had just said "It followed me home, can I keep it?"

" Once again, I had a good reason, father" She shot back, gesturing to the young twins.

The Eyktan's gaze scanned their faces with surprised eyes " Explain yourself, my daughter"

" This dreamwalker, as we are told, saved them from a thanator"

His eyes also widened, like Jake's had, and he then took a step forward and knelt to direct himself to the girl beside his daughter " Is this true, Ti'a?"

Hmmmm... His tone treating the girl showed a level of proximity. Could she be his daughter as well? No... I'm sure I didn't catch any "tsmuke"'s in their chat. Maybe a niece? Yeah, that was likely it.

" Yes, Eytukan" She answered readily " Without him, we would be with Eywa now"

He closed his eyes for a second, before taking the young girl in a tight hug. He whispered something in her ear that wasn't loud enough for my translator to pick, though I'd take a guess on something around "I'm glad you're safe"

Yep, niece all right. And uncle's favorite if I ever saw one.

Getting up again and retaking his composure, he spoke again " Neytiri, Jakesully, take them to the Tsahik"

Both nodded and climbed on the spiral column, disappearing from view. I was next, I suppose.

"Dreamwalker" He called to me, in English. His strong accent told me he had far less practice with English than his daughter.

"Olo'eyktan?" I answered politely.

"How are you called by your people?" He took a few steps in my direction.

I remembered Neytiri's discreet struggle to pronounce my name, so I decided to make things simple "I am called Tensai, sir"

"Tensai" He exclaimed loudly so that everyone heard "You have, in this day, performed a service to the Omatikaya people" He halted his speech for a second as approving sounds came from the crowd before us "We know what your people think of us, what they call us. Sah-vage, uncivilized..."

"Not all think that way, I can assure you..."

"No matter" He cut across me "Despite what your people may think, one thing the Na'vi know is gratitude. And today, I show it to you"

He took another step closer and placed both his hands on my shoulders. I noticed a few sounds of surprise from the crowd.

" Let all know that the dreamwalker Tensai, who saved two of our brothers, is, from today forward, a friend of the People!" He announced loudly again, this time in Na'vi " And, as so, he will always be welcome among us, and respected like any of the children of the Omatikaya!"

The crowd whooped and cheered, and I couldn't help but smile, touched. Hehehe, this felt real nice, to be so readily accepted by a Na'vi tribe. There was no way to contain a sneaky tear that flowed down my cheek.

"I have to say, Olo'eyktan" I wiped that tear away, trying to remain pulled together, smiling "This is a great honor, and happiness to me. I nurture a deep respect by your kind, and be respected back is the greatest gift I could have received"

"And it is a gift you have earned with honor, 'eylan (friend)" He answered, lowering his hands, smiling as well.

After my exchange of friendly words with the chief, I decided to go check on the kids, so I followed the path Jake and Neytiri took, climbing up the inside of the tree. Took a bit, but I managed to find them, though I needed only to look in the right direction in order to spot a group of Na'vi, where I recognized the muscular form of Jake, plus another avatar on non-tribal clothes.

I walked to them, drawing attention to myself. Jake and Neytiri smiled and nodded at me, the elder tribeswoman, the Tsahik I presumed, was enthralled in her work, and the other avatar, whom, at a look on her face I saw that was Grace, looked quite surprised to see me.

"I told you I could keep up, didn't I, Doctor?" I said to her as I walked closer, smiling defiantly.

"You did" She answered "But to find me here... I'd say it's Karma if I believed on it"

I chuckled a little, peeking around her to watch the Tsahik working. She had the looks of a wise woman, though not overly aged. In fact, she was quite good-looking as well, though she had a more exotic and alien look than Neytiri, probably because of the lines marking her experienced face. Her keen eyes moved quickly, as she ministered treatments I could not understand to an unconscious Ma'at. Ti'a was sitting on the other side of her brother, watching intently.

One thing I did notice was that his ankle was a lot less swollen, and was wrapped in a tight ivy bandage. Sedatives, immobilization, anti-inflammatory, heck... you can minister any mystic ritual you want.

After a while, she finished, getting up and turning her attention to me.

"Are you the dreamwalker that saved them?" She asked quite directly.

"Yes, Tsahik" I answered "Oeru syaw fko Tensai"

She touched her forehead with her fingers, in a sign of greeting "Oel ngati kameie, Tensai. Oeru syaw fko Mo'at"

"Oel ngati kameie, Tsahik Mo'at" I repeated the gesture, bowing a little.

"What do you plan on doing next, Tensai-san?" Jake asked me.

"Right about now, I think I'll disconnect and report back to the people at Hell's Gate" I answered, noticing that Mo'at whispered to Neytiri the same question her daughter had made a while ago "Don't want my sister tearing this place apart thinking the Omatikaya kidnapped me"

"If half I heard about her is true, she's well capable of doing that" We laughed.

"Now please excuse me, I shall be back among you as soon as possible" I said, sitting on the ground and leaning my back on the tree's outer wall.

I found it was quite easy to unplug myself. All I had to do was close my eyes and let my conscience fade away. A couple seconds later, ta-dah, I was back at my old immobile self with Itami looming over me.

"He's back" I heard someone saying after my hearing unfuzzled itself.

"Nagato! Yokatta! (Thank God!)" She exclaimed, as her arms went around me.

"God had nothing to do with it, sis" I sneered a little, though probably no one noticed.

"What took you so long?

"A miscalculation of my part" I looked apologetically at her "On that statement of mine about not needing to go far"

"Ah"

"And, of course, etiquette"

"Etiquette? Imi wa nanda? (What do you mean?)"

"We ran into two hunters, and after I delivered the kids to them, I was invited to return to their home so that the chief could say thanks to me"

Yukito, who was at the edge of my field of vision, whistled "Ok, you did them a favor, but... the chief himself?"

"My thoughts exactly, but it was best to comply. My theory is that the two are close relatives to the chief, who, by the way, is father of one of the hunters I ran into"

"What? Grandchildren? Nephews?"

"Nephews, would be my guess"

"So... what happened?"

"Well, I didn't quite catch the full meaning of things yet, but I think I'm an honorary member of the clan now"

"Wow...." Itami said, while my friend just whistled again.

"I would like to go back straightaway, but I have been out of charge for too long"

"Wise move, young man" She smiled and tapped my nose, before stepping aside so that Yuki could have room to pick me up.

He settled me in the chair and turned the same knob, and after a while I felt the now familiar slither of the tubes penetrating my body, then the small shock as the batteries started recharging my LSU's.

Well, I had nothing to do for a while, so I decided to just go back to my room. Later I found that reviving the memories of my first day as a Na'vi was something that kept my mind pleasantly busy.