//------------------------------//
// Chapter 5: Burning 
// Story: Dan Vs. Avatar 
// by Barrobroadcaster 
//------------------------------//

Pandora
Dr. Grace Augustine's school
Some time ago

Neytiri didn't like going to this thing called "school." It seemed more like a cage. The Na'vi taught each other by leading them out into the forests, communing with nature, listening to Eywa. Here, inside this strange box, it was nearly impossible to hear Eywa.

Dr. Augustine's school was built to help integrate Na'vi and humans. The modular unit was developed to accommodate both species, but it had been designed by RDA's scientists and Grace was the only one close to being an expert on the Na'vi. Still, the Avatar program looked a bit successful, and the avatars they had could play games like basketball with the Na'vi. They had to work every angle at the same time to try to build a bridge with the Na'vi, to keep peace and find a way their cultures could live in harmony.

But Neytiri hated it. The material under her feet was cold and white, like ice but dry. Still, her father said it was important for them to learn all they could about the Sky People, so she was there.

Surprisingly, Tsu'tey was there as well. He was in one of the front rows of these strange chairs the Na'vi were sitting in.

"Very good, Tsu'tey. I wonder what the weather will be like next week as well." Dr. Augustine smiled. As part of her teaching, she was not in her avatar body, but her assistance, Norm, was. One of them was always in an avatar, or "dreamwalker" as the Na'vi called them and the other wore a breathing mask. Neytiri learned very early on that the humans could not breath the air of Pandora, and had to bring air with them.

None of it made any sense to her. Why did they come, what did they want? Why would they be here if the air did not want them? Eywa was not welcoming to these Sky People.

What was even stranger, however, was that Tsu'Tey was smiling. He spoke to them in Sky People language, a little. He was learning about them.

Grace spoke to each of them individually, got to know them. She walked down the rows of the chairs, so Neytiri could tell when she would reach her, next to Rusu. Class was mostly girls, which was one possible explanation for Tsu'tey to be there, even though he was betrothed to her. As Dr. Augustine got closer down her row, Neytiri turned away in dread. She did not want to be there at all.

"Neytiri," Grace said, smiling. "How are you today?"

"I be... good." She hoped that would be enough.

"I AM good," Grace gently corrected. "How is your family?"

"They are... be... good," Neytiri forced out.

"How are you feeling on the inside?" Grace asked. She was speaking the language of the Na'vi now. She could tell Neytiri was uncomfortable. "You can be honest."

Neytiri turned to her. "I... I do not like it here."

"Is it too cold? I knew it was too cold. We could do something about that if you like," Norm offered quickly. He was a bit jumpy, awkward even, but nice. Good dodgeball player from what she'd seen.

"I..." She didn't know what to say, where to begin. How could she just tell them the whole place felt wrong and that they shouldn't be here? They were here, this was happening but it was hard to accept.

Grace nodded. "You can leave if you want."

"No," Neytiri said. She swallowed physically, also swallowing her discomfort. "I wish... stay." She spoke in Sky People language, what they called ing-lish.

"Alright then. What do you think the weather will be tomorrow? Do you think it will rain, or will it be sunny?"

"I... think tomorrow... will am sunny."

"It's actually "be" that time. You think it will BE sunny tomorrow, you mean."

"I thh... thhhink it will be sunny... tomorrow."

"Good, good! Very good job, Neytiri."

She bowed her head. "Thank you." She felt no pride, she was only doing what was necessary.

The ing-lish lessons continued. Many of the Na'vi were curious, but just as many, if not more, were not fond of the Sky People. Their words and language lacked the flow and rhythm that the Na'vi language had. They had boxes, some of them had seen, that could play music. It was usually very loud and hard to understand; how did one sing without a throat? Make music without instruments?

During the class, Neytiri's attention was more on Tsu'tey than anything else. They began with the language lessons, then brief history lessons and talked about how Earth and Pandora were so similar. But, in the pictures, Earth and Pandora looked nothing alike. They played basketball after that and again, Neytiri was surprised to see Tsu'tey trying to learn as much as he could. The Na'vi had games as well and basketball was at least fun.

Tsu'tey noticed Neytiri watching him eventually. He smiled at her, a toothy grin that reminded her of a predator like the cooran-cooran. It was a large cat-like predator, so its name in Na'vi emphasized its speed and danger if you saw one, like saying "go run, go run." That made sense to her, ing-lish did not. It was too blocky and rigid, hard to sing with.

Grace, in her avatar body, approached after the basketball game. She was sweaty and out of breath, but clearly made the effort to talk to her specifically.

"Good game, good game," Grace said. "You learn quickly." She was speaking in Na'vi tongue again. She made it clear they would try to make them comfortable, only speak Sky People language in the classroom.

"Thank you." Still, not comfortable enough for Neytiri to want to be around them, even the dreamwalkers.

"You don't seem to like it in the classroom," Grace said. "Was Norm right? Is it too cold in there?"

"I..." she started, then started thinking, trying to prevent too many words from spilling out of her mouth at once. "Yes."

"Okay, we can fix that. I noticed you looking at the plants."

Surrounding the chairs in the classroom were plants. They were isolated, some kept in jars. Some were apparently plants from Earth while others had been taken from Pandora. Why would someone do that? Why would they take a flower from its home and keep it prisoner? She understood farming, but to put a planet in some kind of isolated cage where its roots were confined... it seemed like a punishment.

"Why do you keep the plants in jars?"

"Oh," Grace seemed surprised. "Well, they're to study. And they also look nice, they make room a little less... well, sterile." 

She turned to Grace. "The plants cannot sing, they cannot breath, they cannot hear Eywa if you take them from the ground. If not to eat them, why do you take them? It is cruel. Eywa does not forgive cruelty."

Grace looked away. She was a scientist, and was trying to find a bridge between faith and science. She still struggled with it, though.

"We'll, uh... we'll put the plants back," Grace said. "Would that make you more comfortable?"

Neytiri nodded. "Yes. Let them hear the Mother again."

Grace nodded again, thanked her for her time and then walked away. In truth, the plants had been brought in to help the Na'vi feel more comfortable. It shouldn't have been surprising that it had the opposite effect. They were also learning tools, but there were other tools they could use. They could've had a school outside, but with the constant machines and gunships coming and going, the trucks driving in and out, it would be nearly impossible to hear anyone. And trying to make a school outside of the compound was too risky. No, they needed to bring the Na'vi to them as much as they needed to go to the Na'vi. Integration only worked when it was a two-way street at least.

If it worked at all.





Eventually, school ended and they went home. Tsu'tey wasted no time to sneak up on her as she was walking and tickled her hips.

"Skaung!" she shouted at him for startling her.

"Hahaha, you are still too easily distracted."

She pushed his shoulder in retaliation. "Maybe I save my focus for hunting. You would not find me so distracted with my bow."

"Ahahaha," he chuckled. "It is good that my wife will be a fierce hunter, then."

Neytiri turned away from him, doing her best to hold her tongue. But Tsu'tey knew this and noticed this. He approached her and gently put his hands on her shoulders. He could sense her discomfort.

"We both must be strong and fierce... and wise. For the people. Our people, one day."

She pulled out of his embrace. She had had enough discomfort for that day.

Still, Tsu'tey persisted. "You will be my wife, Neytiri. I will be clan leader and you will be by my side."

Finally, she had enough. She turned to him. "Your wife? You want me to be your wife?" He nodded, she continued. "This is why you spend all your time with Oruva and Rusu?!"

Tsu'tey, one of the clan's strongest warriors, recoiled just a bit. His sly grin wavered.

"I am no fool, Tsu'tey. I know what you are doing when you say you are hunting trips with Vey'ala, Rusu and Te'Anin."

His smile completely faded. He wasn't exactly being subtle. Subconsciously, sure, Tsu'tey knew that anyone with half a brain knew he was hunting more than just boars, river-runners and bao-bao birds when he went out hunting with the females and his friends. He just didn't think that it would trouble his future wife as much as it did.

Tsu'tey approached her again but did not touch her. "I am still to be clan leader, Neytiri. And you are to be my wife. You know this. Our families have ordained this. Do you wish to go against the will of Eywa?"

She huffed a mixture of displeasure and discontent, turning away from him. There was no way out of this situation, even if she didn't like it. Neytiri's father was clan leader, her mother was tsahik, they had chosen Tsu'tey as the next clan leader. By the will of Eywa, this is the way things would be. At least, they believed that at that moment.

Arranged marriages among the Na'vi were like those between humans. The leaders of the clans, their families, groomed their children and trained them all their lives, from birth for the positions their parents held. If Neytiri had been born male, she would have been groomed to be the clan leader and not Tsahik, and a female of their tribe would have been chosen to be her mate.

Tsu'tey and Neytiri were no exception. They were both still young, not long out of their adolescence and still acclimating to adulthood. They still felt like kids, both of them, and kids did not like restrictions. Neytiri found it difficult, but the pressures on Tsu'tey's shoulders were mounting and expectations of him were high. So, he did as many do and screwed around, took long excursions with his friends and exercised what little freedom he had. Soon, the responsibilities of clan leader would fall to him alone, the burden of leading Omaticaya.

Right now, Tsu'tey could afford a little leisure. The elders, his parents, even Neytiri's parents understood that, even if they did not approve of it. But, for one supposed to be his wife, it was... insulting, even if it was not meant as an insult. Tsu'tey worried, as many would in his position.

"What can I do for you, Neytiri? How can I... make you happy?" Tsu'tey asked, getting straight to the point.

"Stop acting like a child. And stop treating me like one. One day, I am to be tsahik and I can barely hear Eywa near the Sky People!" She stomped off.

"And I am to be clan leader, Neytiri," he raised his voice after her, but did not yell. "That is why I am here, to learn about the Sky People."

She turned to him, skeptical. "You? What could you possibly want to learn from the Sky People? What have they taught you?"

Tsu'tey smiled, his sly grin returning. "The construction of their box houses."

Puzzled, slowly realizing, she pressed him further. "What do you mean?"

He looked around, walked closer to her and pulled her further from the Sky People camp. "Their houses, the school... their machines, even the flying ones, they are more fragile than they appear."

"We know of this already, Tsu'tey. The ikran toss their... noisy, metal bird-things about like leaves on the wind. Even when they spit fire, their wings are broken too easily. You speak of nonsense."

Tsu'tey shook his head. "I know more, Neytiri. They make their lights from things called "gen-orate-oars". They have many in the caves they dug beneath their metal houses. Some are smaller- the human, Al-Ex, he shows me one. They have special people they call "engine-ears" to work on them."

She pulled away from him. "What are you talking about, Tsu'tey?"

He straightened up. "We can force the Sky People to leave. Without their gen-orate-oars, they will have no lights. They need fuel, like fire. The humans, even here, they do not respect the balance of life. They steal fire and trap it in a loud, spinning machine. It spins, always spinning and the spinning spreads the fire into the lights through why-oars across their houses. But, if we are to stop the machines, the fire will go out and they will leave."

Neytiri shook her head. "No... no, Tsu'tey, no. You cannot make war with the Sky People! What will happen if you anger them? They will come for you, they would come for all of us! You'll anger them, enough for them to come take Home Tree!"

"They will already come."

"But they are not there yet, Tsu'tey, skaung! Skaung, it is clear they want peace, not war! While they try to teach us their language, they seek peace! We must seek peace- only together do two make something so fragile."

But then, Tsu'tey shook his head. "My wife... my Tsahik..." he approached her again. "There is much you don't understand. I admire your commitment to Eywa. You will be a good Tsahik indeed. But I am to be clan leader, Neytiri. I must make decisions, difficult ones. For Omaticaya and all Na'vi. I must see long into the future and I know that we must act or Sky People will act first."

"No, Tsu'tey, no. They still seek peace. If you strike them, it will be the reason they need to abandon friendship in favor of force."

He grinned again. "Ahahaha... you will see, Neytiri. I am no skaung. I will show you what your husband and clan leader can do. You will see," he said. And then, he left her, alone, feeling worse than she did when she was in the school.





That night, Tsu'tey left for another long hunting trip with his friends. Half their party, the females, took their ikran south into the valley. Tsu'tey and his closest male friends, however, warriors like him, they went further west. Tsu'tey made them all agree that if anyone were to ask, they all went to the valley together. He even told Vey'ala to catch the biggest boar she could find for him, so that he could say it was his.

Tsu'tey had indeed learned about the Sky People. He and his friends infiltrated one of the buildings after the Sky People had gone to sleep. They killed two of the guards patrolling and took the bodies so they would not be found. Tsu'tey's ikran ate well that night. Then, they took the first generator and slashed it, broke it and ripped it from its housing.

Tsu'tey himself did not know much about the generators outside Grace Augustine's school. He wanted to get closer, into one of the larger buildings, even the main one but it was more complicated. Also dark. He saw fairly well at night, but not enough to navigate a strange place like the Sky People compound, all while avoiding their strange lights and secure-it-tea cam-rahs. He was also angry, as were his friends. The Sky People did not belong here, he would prove it.

So he yanked the sparking generator, part of it, out of its housing and threw it into the window of Grace Augustine's school. This would be the first part of their message to the Sky People.

Dr. Augustine's school building was a bit of a feat of engineering on its own. It had two separate climate control systems, one to simulate Earth's atmosphere and another to simulate Pandora's for the Na'vi. The oxygen was filtered out and kept in storage tanks which had to be refilled. Unfortunately, it had been a bit hastily constructed and the oxygen's filtration system and storage tanks were located right next to the primary power coupling which Tsu'tey and his friend Nev'aren had just ripped out.

The atmosphere was not complete oxygen inside the school, so it didn't completely burst into flames. But it was still oxygen-rich enough that it ignited pretty fast and expanded outward. Tsu'tey backed away as the fire quickly burst from the building's windows.

"Look! The fire spirits, they awaken!"

"Lower your voice!"

"Hahaha, it is like I told you, brother. The Sky People-"

*BOOOOM!!*

Nev'aren was not lucky. He remained too close to the oxygen tank when the fire reached it through the vent system and it exploded. Tsu'tey and their other friends panicked and fled, running to the edge of the forest and calling their ikran. Nev'aren's body was half-incinerated and the rest of it flung into the fields nearby.

Dr. Grace Augustine's school was destroyed, burned completely to the ground in barely a minute's time. A good portion of their crops, a water shed and part of the irrigation system were also damaged in the process. Dr. Augustine would request support from RDA and her scientific advisors at the university for another building, but she would be denied.

Instead of another school, RDA would receive additional security personnel and equipment. The spot where the school was remained a burned crater serving as a reminder to the humans' efforts at diplomacy. Nearby, an AMP suit armory would be built. AMP suits were self-contained and the armory did not require an atmosphere system.