Post by Neytiri on Aug 27, 2011 21:15:51 GMT -5
Once Norm got the radio up, Katja raised Jake again. "Jake, we're about ten or fifteen minutes out from the landmarks I can recognize. We are heavily damaged and have injured. I need you to get a tarmac cleared and medical on site and radio me as soon as that's happened.
"Please confirm," she finished. Her sweat mixed with the rain that was coming in the window, and she wiped her wet cheek with a soaked cloth. "Spinning!" she announced and put the ship into another tight turn.
"I read you, Katya." The clan was rounding the last bend on the mine road now and the fortified gate and fences were now in sight. "I will get a spot cleared for you," Jake's voice held a hint of relief.
He was extremely worried but had to push that back to concentrate on what he would tell the General. Neytiri on the other hand was much more open about her worry. She placed her feminine hand on Jake's bicep, "Ma Jake, we have sisters on that kunsìp. They are both with child." He could read her concern in her eyes and her voice.
Their stride did not slow as Jake, Neytiri and several other ayeyktanyu passed through the open fence and onto the base blacktop ground without challenge from the RDA ground troops.
The General was in the office he had chosen for himself. It was Parker Selfridge's old office, name still stenciled on the glass door. Greg had chosen the office so he could overlook all the repairs needed in Sec-Ops.
With so much of the electronic machinery damaged or destroyed, it would take a lot of effort to get Sec-Ops back to one-hundred percent. The estimate, even with all the tech personnel they had, was in the thousands of hours. Jake's warriors had taken him seriously when he'd told them to disable and destroy any equipment they came across when the RDA had temporarily abandoned Hell's Gate after the War.
The main front wall was being replaced to once again seal out the Pandoran atmosphere to make this area of the compound breathable by humans. Working with the re-breathers was a hindrance to the techs' progress, in some cases doubling the time needed to repair the damage.
Greg's attention was grabbed when out of the corner of his eye he saw a tech through the office glass wall throw down his headset and run to the office door, "Sir!"
"Yeah, what is it? " Greg asked.
"Two things actually. One, we just picked up a very broken transmission from a Samson, along with its transponder number. SA- 6. None of our birds is in the air.
"The other thing, the thermals are up and there is a very hot, localized and inbound signature coming. I think it's your friend returning." The tech stood in stiff attention for the General to say something.
Instead, Greg nodded and dismissed the tech with a hand gesture. Greg opened and activated a comm screen and patched into the thermal recon monitor and saw the tell-tale coloring of red and yellow indicating the Na'vi who were coming up the mine road. Rather quickly at that, he observed.
He put on his uniform bomber jacket and left the office. His standard issue weapon remained in his desk. His two RDA assigned guards were flanking him on either side as he started down the stairs to the main floor. He didn't bother to remove the re-breather mask as in just a minute or two he would be back outside again anyway.
Sean had been in his quarters in the officers' apartment section of the complex, just off Sec-Ops. He had been unpacking his belongings and was hanging up a million dollar silk suit still in its protective plastic bag, when his monitor came to life and beeped.
He hooked the bar with the hanger and the suit was hung in place as he wheeled around and went to the monitor. It indicated that another station in Sec-Ops had come online.
The words THERMAL RECON flashed three times, then a floor layout of Sec-Ops appeared on the transparent screen and zoomed in on the station's location, indicating which tech had been assigned to work the station and who had repaired it.
Sean was surprised to see the same name twice. Technician Charles Darling. Not one of Sean's paid personnel, but with the right amount of zeros following a dollar sign that could be changed.
He input a few commands on the keyboard below the monitor and he could actually see the display on the thermal station.
His jaw dropped as he saw the reds and yellows form a straight line along the mine road heading directly to their base. "There must be hundreds of them."
Sean grabbed his brand new class E re-breather and headed towards the complex main entrance. Rounding the corner at the end of the second hallway, he encountered the General.
Jake, Neytiri and several of the Omatikaya ayeyktan pressed forward into the compound as the majority of their entourage remained at the mine road entrance.
A tower wall jutted about one hundred feet into the compound that is Hell's Gate on the right side of the entrance. The Na'vi reached the wall's end and rounded the corner just in time to meet the General coming from the other direction.
Both parties stopped cold in their tracks, having surprised one another. Sean stood there, mouth open and arms frozen in mid gesture, his argument with the General over RDA protocol forgotten.
Greg stepped forward, his hands down at his hips motioning to his guards to stand at ease and not be a threat.
Jake mirrored the General's gestures with his own, reassuring his samsiyu and prohibiting any display of hostility. "Mawey, ma Na'viyä. Frawzo."
He never took his eyes from the General, though Neytiri turned to scan their People, before taking her place at Jake's side.
Greg stepped forward about twenty feet feet away from the Na'vi and his guards were now about twenty feet behind him. Jake stepped forward closing most of that distance in a few strides. "Greg, we have a very damaged airship coming in. I need your men to clear an area for her to land. Several of my friends are on that ship." Jake spoke matter-of-factly, as though he expected cooperation from his old friend.
The General already knew of the Samson, but not the condition. After only a second to process this, he turned and ordered his guards to go inform the men and women necessary to conduct the wounded Samson to a cleared area for landing.
Sean rushed to the General's side and hissed loud enough for sensitive Na'vi ears to hear, "No! These savages do not land here, they do not dictate!"
All it took, this time, was a stern look from the General to silence this human whom Jake did not know, but already despised.
Neytiri stepped forward and slipped her hand into her mate's. In a low voice she said in Na'vi, "This sky person is bad like the other one. We should remove him from this."
The General turned to walk towards the Sec-Ops knowing Jake would fall into step beside him. Flanking Jake on the other side, Neytiri matched their pace. She was tsahìk, and she belonged at Jake's side. She would not allow him to enter enemy territory without her.
Turning to the General, Jake asked, "Is there anything my warriors can do to help your people get ready for the airship? " The General knew it wasn't really a question. Any commanding officer would want his own troops to control a situation like this, especially in potentially hostile territory. Besides, their prior relationship almost obligated the General to favorably consider Jake's polite offer.
While asking, Jake motioned to George and Tsa'krrtep to follow closely.
"Yes, your 'friends' can definitely help clean an area. I assume that your pilot is an avatar, and the passengers are Na'vi, so we'll clear a place near the AVTR compound. It's also really close to Dr. Patel's offices. He should be able to provide medical help." Once the General was through speaking Jake instructed George and Tsa'krrtep to take a large group of Omatikaya to the AVTR complex.
Before George turned, Jake gave him one last command in English. "Tell the couples that are expecting to go see Max." Then in Na'vi to Tsa'krrtep, "Protect your student and the others." She nodded and gave the 'kame ngat' gesture to Jake and Neytiri. She and George had no trouble keeping up with the humans who were heading toward a hub of new activity on the tarmac.
As Jake and Neytiri flanked Greg, followed by a sullen Sean, Neytiri watched George and Tsa'krrtep round the tower corner and move out of sight.
"Jake," she said in a worried tone."He is in no way ready to lead."
"That is why Tsa'krrtep is with him. She is a sound leader and strong warrior. She is a great teacher as well and will make sure he and the Omatikaya that go with them are safe as all times." He rubbed his mate's hand with both of his as the two walked side by side, her free hand went to her belly bump for a brief moment and the frown of worry turned into a confident grin, her golden eyes smiling into his.
A communications man joined the General and as the group walked, the General spoke on the handset placing orders to place incoming Valkyries in standby orbit status and getting crash vehicles over to the AVTR complex.
The Hell's Gate warning klaxons began to blow in an ordered sound indicating to the base personnel that there was an incoming aircraft in distress.
Men and women sprinted to their duty stations. Vehicles mustered at the AVTR complex and medical personnel were on site and standing by, waiting for the incoming ship to touch down.
"Please confirm," she finished. Her sweat mixed with the rain that was coming in the window, and she wiped her wet cheek with a soaked cloth. "Spinning!" she announced and put the ship into another tight turn.
"I read you, Katya." The clan was rounding the last bend on the mine road now and the fortified gate and fences were now in sight. "I will get a spot cleared for you," Jake's voice held a hint of relief.
He was extremely worried but had to push that back to concentrate on what he would tell the General. Neytiri on the other hand was much more open about her worry. She placed her feminine hand on Jake's bicep, "Ma Jake, we have sisters on that kunsìp. They are both with child." He could read her concern in her eyes and her voice.
Their stride did not slow as Jake, Neytiri and several other ayeyktanyu passed through the open fence and onto the base blacktop ground without challenge from the RDA ground troops.
* * * * * * *
The General was in the office he had chosen for himself. It was Parker Selfridge's old office, name still stenciled on the glass door. Greg had chosen the office so he could overlook all the repairs needed in Sec-Ops.
With so much of the electronic machinery damaged or destroyed, it would take a lot of effort to get Sec-Ops back to one-hundred percent. The estimate, even with all the tech personnel they had, was in the thousands of hours. Jake's warriors had taken him seriously when he'd told them to disable and destroy any equipment they came across when the RDA had temporarily abandoned Hell's Gate after the War.
The main front wall was being replaced to once again seal out the Pandoran atmosphere to make this area of the compound breathable by humans. Working with the re-breathers was a hindrance to the techs' progress, in some cases doubling the time needed to repair the damage.
Greg's attention was grabbed when out of the corner of his eye he saw a tech through the office glass wall throw down his headset and run to the office door, "Sir!"
"Yeah, what is it? " Greg asked.
"Two things actually. One, we just picked up a very broken transmission from a Samson, along with its transponder number. SA- 6. None of our birds is in the air.
"The other thing, the thermals are up and there is a very hot, localized and inbound signature coming. I think it's your friend returning." The tech stood in stiff attention for the General to say something.
Instead, Greg nodded and dismissed the tech with a hand gesture. Greg opened and activated a comm screen and patched into the thermal recon monitor and saw the tell-tale coloring of red and yellow indicating the Na'vi who were coming up the mine road. Rather quickly at that, he observed.
He put on his uniform bomber jacket and left the office. His standard issue weapon remained in his desk. His two RDA assigned guards were flanking him on either side as he started down the stairs to the main floor. He didn't bother to remove the re-breather mask as in just a minute or two he would be back outside again anyway.
* * * * * * *
Sean had been in his quarters in the officers' apartment section of the complex, just off Sec-Ops. He had been unpacking his belongings and was hanging up a million dollar silk suit still in its protective plastic bag, when his monitor came to life and beeped.
He hooked the bar with the hanger and the suit was hung in place as he wheeled around and went to the monitor. It indicated that another station in Sec-Ops had come online.
The words THERMAL RECON flashed three times, then a floor layout of Sec-Ops appeared on the transparent screen and zoomed in on the station's location, indicating which tech had been assigned to work the station and who had repaired it.
Sean was surprised to see the same name twice. Technician Charles Darling. Not one of Sean's paid personnel, but with the right amount of zeros following a dollar sign that could be changed.
He input a few commands on the keyboard below the monitor and he could actually see the display on the thermal station.
His jaw dropped as he saw the reds and yellows form a straight line along the mine road heading directly to their base. "There must be hundreds of them."
Sean grabbed his brand new class E re-breather and headed towards the complex main entrance. Rounding the corner at the end of the second hallway, he encountered the General.
* * * * * * *
Jake, Neytiri and several of the Omatikaya ayeyktan pressed forward into the compound as the majority of their entourage remained at the mine road entrance.
A tower wall jutted about one hundred feet into the compound that is Hell's Gate on the right side of the entrance. The Na'vi reached the wall's end and rounded the corner just in time to meet the General coming from the other direction.
Both parties stopped cold in their tracks, having surprised one another. Sean stood there, mouth open and arms frozen in mid gesture, his argument with the General over RDA protocol forgotten.
Greg stepped forward, his hands down at his hips motioning to his guards to stand at ease and not be a threat.
Jake mirrored the General's gestures with his own, reassuring his samsiyu and prohibiting any display of hostility. "Mawey, ma Na'viyä. Frawzo."
He never took his eyes from the General, though Neytiri turned to scan their People, before taking her place at Jake's side.
Greg stepped forward about twenty feet feet away from the Na'vi and his guards were now about twenty feet behind him. Jake stepped forward closing most of that distance in a few strides. "Greg, we have a very damaged airship coming in. I need your men to clear an area for her to land. Several of my friends are on that ship." Jake spoke matter-of-factly, as though he expected cooperation from his old friend.
The General already knew of the Samson, but not the condition. After only a second to process this, he turned and ordered his guards to go inform the men and women necessary to conduct the wounded Samson to a cleared area for landing.
Sean rushed to the General's side and hissed loud enough for sensitive Na'vi ears to hear, "No! These savages do not land here, they do not dictate!"
All it took, this time, was a stern look from the General to silence this human whom Jake did not know, but already despised.
Neytiri stepped forward and slipped her hand into her mate's. In a low voice she said in Na'vi, "This sky person is bad like the other one. We should remove him from this."
The General turned to walk towards the Sec-Ops knowing Jake would fall into step beside him. Flanking Jake on the other side, Neytiri matched their pace. She was tsahìk, and she belonged at Jake's side. She would not allow him to enter enemy territory without her.
Turning to the General, Jake asked, "Is there anything my warriors can do to help your people get ready for the airship? " The General knew it wasn't really a question. Any commanding officer would want his own troops to control a situation like this, especially in potentially hostile territory. Besides, their prior relationship almost obligated the General to favorably consider Jake's polite offer.
While asking, Jake motioned to George and Tsa'krrtep to follow closely.
"Yes, your 'friends' can definitely help clean an area. I assume that your pilot is an avatar, and the passengers are Na'vi, so we'll clear a place near the AVTR compound. It's also really close to Dr. Patel's offices. He should be able to provide medical help." Once the General was through speaking Jake instructed George and Tsa'krrtep to take a large group of Omatikaya to the AVTR complex.
Before George turned, Jake gave him one last command in English. "Tell the couples that are expecting to go see Max." Then in Na'vi to Tsa'krrtep, "Protect your student and the others." She nodded and gave the 'kame ngat' gesture to Jake and Neytiri. She and George had no trouble keeping up with the humans who were heading toward a hub of new activity on the tarmac.
* * * * * * *
As Jake and Neytiri flanked Greg, followed by a sullen Sean, Neytiri watched George and Tsa'krrtep round the tower corner and move out of sight.
"Jake," she said in a worried tone."He is in no way ready to lead."
"That is why Tsa'krrtep is with him. She is a sound leader and strong warrior. She is a great teacher as well and will make sure he and the Omatikaya that go with them are safe as all times." He rubbed his mate's hand with both of his as the two walked side by side, her free hand went to her belly bump for a brief moment and the frown of worry turned into a confident grin, her golden eyes smiling into his.
A communications man joined the General and as the group walked, the General spoke on the handset placing orders to place incoming Valkyries in standby orbit status and getting crash vehicles over to the AVTR complex.
The Hell's Gate warning klaxons began to blow in an ordered sound indicating to the base personnel that there was an incoming aircraft in distress.
Men and women sprinted to their duty stations. Vehicles mustered at the AVTR complex and medical personnel were on site and standing by, waiting for the incoming ship to touch down.