#yefti | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

pandorafallz · 3 months

Text

Lest We Rest Upon Our Graves | C2

The rest of the evening was not an improvement.

The words of So’lek lingered at the back of her mind beyond the migraine that had set up shop inside her skull. Nalin gave her something stronger than aspirin to take the edge off but it left her feeling…a little out of it as she returned to their sleeping area for…downtime away from everyone. It would be soon time for people to go to bed. Lest not risk running into Ri’nela and getting that promised ‘discussion’ from So’lek.

Alma took her place on the uncomfortable mattress of her bunk bed (the top half) only taking her boots and turquoise scarf off really for now before she’d chance into nightwear for the night; she just…needed her mind to wind down. Heal from the migraine and…let her rest. The pillow was lumpy and the springs dug into her spine but it didn’t…really bother her as she stared up at the ceiling. There were worse things in life than an uncomfortable mattress and pillow; the pin-prickling sensation ticked at her ribs almost like a reminder of that.

She didn’t know….what to do now. What could she do for the Sarentu kids if they didn’t want her involvement? She had nothing here she could give…or do. Not without her avatar; at least with that she had more freedom to go out and do something. She couldn’t do much as a human in the vast world of Pandora.

Alma sighed deeply, rubbing her eyes with her fingers.

Things were so much easier before… but she couldn’t take it back. She couldn’t help Nor… or Teylan with them gone. With Ri’nela, she would be the easiest to try to talk to and Kìoetey was busy helping the resistance to stick around much; exploring the world and sharing that with Ri’nela. They were close now, unsurprisingly so any conversation with one would certainly be heard by the other. Privacy with them was not a luxury any more, even if So’lek’s threat wasn’t keeping her away.

God only knew where Teylan ended up. He had liked it inside more than out; being out in such a vast world must be overwhelming and… she had heard Nor try and get him out to explore a bit before the bombing. Perhaps Teylan was at an abandoned RDA facility? Familiar enough for him to find comfort, she was sure. But which one, she had no idea. Kìoetey had destroyed a lot in the past few months.

She couldn’t bring Nor back and…she didn’t want to be the one to do that; he would surely bury his blade into her again if she tried. What would happen if he did come back? Would he kill her? Would the Resistance want him around still? Or was the murder of her avatar enough for the Resistance to keep him at arm’s length; in fear of him doing that to a human being? It…was a loss for the Sarentu, now that it was pointed out; so few of them left now.

There had been nine children taken back then. Not all of them survived TAP which…was her biggest failure. Useless to preserve the children she had had a part in taking.

Aha’ri had died at Mercer’s hands. Okni had died of sickness a year after Aha’ri’s death. Yuayt had lost the trust of his Sarentu friends; he had sold their escape plan out to the guards. According to the Security feeds, he had killed himself by running and attacking his guards till they shot him. The guilt of Aha’ri’s death had weighed the eleven-year-old down more than expected. More than what she expected from him.

Telisi and Yefti had been the last to die. Her fault, really. Faulty cryopods. She knew their remains had been recovered from the broken pods and buried outside of Resistance HQ in the Kinglor Forest.

Four of the nine Sarentu lived, but not enough for a full clan. Perhaps time would see people would leave their native clan and join the Sarentu; take the mark and live through new traditions for the growth and development of a new Sarentu clan to walk Pandora’s surface. People came and left their clans for another cause. She had learned from Jake that the Olangi clan had been absorbed into the Omatikaya with the reduced numbers following the battle. It wasn’t unheard of for it to happen the other way around.

What could she do?

Alma mulled, not getting out of bed as people came to bed; her bunk bed shifting as someone clambered into it with a heavy sign. Anqa.

A small idea came to mind. Anqa. A pilot. Someone who could take her to places. That…was a start. TAP Con-1 had become a dump site after they had left; used to hide the mess in the toxic smog they left to cover their tracks in that area of the world. Alma had left…many things there to hide them from Mercer…or maybe herself as well. Kept away but…maybe she needed to bring them back. The Sarentu deserved that at the least.

It was the only thing she could do, she supposed.

Anqa wasn’t there when she first woke up, her head pounding and her neck feeling stiff but Alma pulled herself together despite almost falling out of the top bunk; her balance wavering for a moment until her head cleared enough to walk straight. Hopefully, her head would clear up once she had eaten.

Her eyes searched as she walked through the Resistance Hideout, her eyes lingering on Ri’nela as they passed but the girl either didn’t see her or simply ignored her which ached at her heart more; solidifying that she had to make that trip. It could be the starting block to rebuild some trust.

“…s Cortez still in charge now? It just…still so sad and confusing” Priya’s concerned voice echoed from the kitchen but somewhat hushed still.

Her heart sunk into her stomach, her morning appetite vanishing instantly and replaced with unease and a low level of nausea. If Priya was questionable her place here and her leadership… then that was telling a lot about the minds of everyone else. Lovely.

“I know but Jake left her in charge for a reason, She’s been here far longer than anyone else, even me” Anqa’s voice echoed in soft reply. “We can’t forget that.”

“It’s just…hard. Knowing and…hearing all the bad things about what Mercer did in that school...and that she could have had a part in it…I can’t… I don’t know this other Alma. She’s…small. I miss her big and blue, you know.”

Anqa said nothing but there was another exhale that echoed before a soft slurp of a drink.

Alma waited for a few moments, taking the second to compose herself—pretend even that she hadn’t heard—before she strolled into the kitchen casually, not sparing them much of a glance but Priya stiffened right up in the corner of her eye as she opened the fridge, going simply for a protein bottle before she glanced to them, well, Anqa mostly.

“Anqa, will you be flying anyone out today?” Alma was glad for the strength in her voice, as she found that bottle of pills from the previous evening and swallowed two down quickly to get rid of the headache that was still pounding.

Anqa blinked, sparing a look to Priya then shook her head. “Er, no. We’re sitting low for now still. Priya’s still monitoring a few places that look suspicious. There’s an area in the Zeswa’s land that’ got a lot more…activity than usual.”

Alma nodded thoughtfully. “Priya, can you excuse us?”

Priya nodded swiftly, patting Anqa’s shoulder with a quiet goodbye and left like she had a viperwolf following her. Anqa stared at her for a moment with a slight indent between her eyebrows but didn’t break the quiet as Alma took a seat at the table, slowly uncapping her drink for a long draft despite her internal complaints.

“I need a ride to a place that’s… more off the books than usual.” Alma started after a moment, letting her drink settle for a moment. “I need you.”

“No.”

“No?”

“Look, I respect you as a leader but…I’m not helping you do more secret shit. We’ve had enough of that lately and I can’t have that heat when it all hits the fan. I am the only pilot here.” Anqa said tightly. “I can’t have people question my place by helping you do more shitty things.”

Alma flinched a little at her words. “I need to go to TAP Con-1, Anqa. It’s not for a selfish or shitty reason.”

“Why?!” Anqa scoffed a little, setting her hot tea down and sat up straight, “that’s worse than having a secret trip out. There? It’s a toxic cesspit.”

“It’s where….” Alma paused, her voice quieted so it didn’t travel, “It’s where I put Aha’ri’s ashes after her death. TAP Con-1 became a dump site for TAP because it’s generally inaccessible.”

Anqa’s face turned into an annoyed scowl which was unfamiliar to witness. “Oh…come on…” she groaned. “You want…Damn.” She swore lightly, but she looked less defensive. “Why did you put her there?”

“Mercer was going to toss her ashes into the industrial bin. I…I found out about Aha’ri’s death in the morning after the fact. I...couldn’t stop them from burning her but I stole and swapped out her ashes with cigarette ashes. I couldn’t keep them, so I paid off a few people to make the trips and I hid them until I could find a good time to bury her. I never got around to it..” The selfish part of her again hadn’t wanted to make that trip; it involved taking the resistance there; exposing the truth she hadn’t wanted to share.

Anqa looked at her shrewdly, her eyes looking passed her for a moment then she begrudgingly nodded after a moment of mental debate. “Fine. I can take you there but I’m not lying to anyone who asks.”

“Alright.” Alma agreed, that was fair. “You’ll need to cover your skin in sunscreen to block dermal absorption and put a new filter into your exo-mask to breathe past the toxic elements. When we get back, hot showers and wash your clothes.”

“Stranded Decom procedures, got it,” Anqa said, a tad more dismissively.

Alma felt relief blossom in her gut which was enough to ignore the woman’s unusual attitude towards her. She had a chance to…get some closure for the kids. Kìoetey at the very least would get her final goodbye with her sister. She…didn’t want to go back there but she had to make this effort.

That had to count for something. She could do that: force herself to do this and show them she what she was willing to do for them. Ri’nela may not accept her promises but… she had to start somewhere.

“Thank you.”

Alma was sure So’lek had noticed her change of demeanour and was suspicious about it however she had barely paid him any heed beyond letting him know of her and Anqa’s absence and that either he or Priya was in charge until her return. She could see the questions in his eyes as she left but he didn’t question it as Ri’nela had appeared so Alma had taken her chance to bail.

She had packed an empty duffle, a few snacks and a tablet and met Anqa in the Samson. Alma gave the pilot the coordinates and they departed the Resistance Hide out relatively quickly. Smoother sailing as any.

“We have to make two detour routes to avid RDA air patrol around the balloons,” Anqa remarked, her eyes ahead to the cloudy, open skies. “We’ll be there in two hours and seventeen minutes with those routes in place.”

“Alright.” Alma agreed.

Silence relapsed between and Alma kept her gaze turned out the cockpit to the beautiful serene view of the Clouded forest with quiet reverence and…sadness that she’d never get to breathe such smells of the world in again. Only the lingering scents in the airlock or…what was brought back as samples.

Silence lingered between them for a while and Alma felt Anqa look at her a few times in that first hour but didn’t question it for the sake of not opening a conversation that neither of them wanted to have.

“Why’d you do it?”

Alma jumped, her knee cracking against the Samson dash. “Sh—“ She stopped herself from anything more, almost hitting a switch or two, the ebbs of pain vanishing quickly from her knee aside from a low throbbing.

“Careful!” Anqa hissed, making careful adjustments. “Sorry, didn’t mean to make you jump.” Though it didn’t sound too measured. “But, still. My question stands, Cortez. We knew each other from Hell’s Gate. Why did it take you 16 years to wait until Priya heard about TAP from intercepted chatter? Why didn’t you make an effort to see that those kids had survived than just your… assumption.”

“Mercer—“

“No. Don’t use him as an excuse.” Anqa shot down, “I want you to be real with me otherwise I don’t see why I should return you back! The Na’vi lost a whole Clan. The Sarentu lost their families because of what you and Mercer did. Why did you do it?”

Alma blinked at the woman in surprise at how… upfront Anqa was. She usually was more casual but this? This was cold and blunt. More so than earlier. She must have been stewing on these questions for a while. But, Alma knew she had to be careful with her answer, or lest be left behind. She knew Anqa made some passive threats before and often in jest but…she felt the difference in the woman’s attitude to feel the woman had an 80% of following through…for a little while. The woman might turn back for her if she did but… Alma wasn’t gonna brave those waters.

“I…didn’t believe the Na’vi were a…complicated and complex being when I first joined the RDA based on…a few of the Na’vi’s cultural differences. It was all I was exposed to. Mercer encouraged that belief many times so… We—or I—thought that we could…elevate and educate the Na’vi to the same level as humans that would… benefit each other.” Alma started carefully, very aware of how dry her mouth was with how tense Anqa’s grip on the stick was.

“You mean humanise them, using methods from a colonial mindset that had effectively washed away so many indigenous cultures in human history,” Anqa stated. “You must have known what Mercer was going to do when they refused? No clan just hands over their young by the demands from outsiders.”

Alma remained quiet for a moment, “I didn’t think it would end in a massacre.” She admitted, “I…I wondered why Mercer brought so many soldiers. I thought…at worst, they’d simply kidnap them and leave the adults alive—I know that’s not any better in hindsight but…I didn’t think it’d end so bloody.”

“I think that’s the problem, Alma. You didn’t think. You were ambitious enough to excuse a lot of shit for the sake of that damn school. Kids still got hurt, one way or another.”

“I know I failed them. I couldn’t protect them as much as I should have. I stayed in the TAP program to make sure all of them weren’t at the total mercy of Mercer or Harding. I couldn’t stop everything that they did, but I tried to minimise the damage afterwards. It was one of the few ways I could protect them. If I…showed them too much favour, Mercer would have had my ass out of the Program very quickly for being too sympathetic and emotionally compromised.”

Anqa stared ahead of her for a moment, mulling on her words.

Alma took a steadying breath, her nails digging into her palms.

“Why did you leave them behind?” Anqa’s voice was softer this time. “Sixteen years is… a long time, Cortez. Assuming them dead is not enough of an excuse.”

“I couldn’t get them out when the facility fell and the RDA evacuated. The RDA almost shot me in my Avatar because they thought I was a Na’vi. I couldn’t sneak the kids past the soldiers and there were too many eyes and ears. The cryo pods there an already evacuated area so that was the safest area to put them. I thought I had a few days for the dust to settle before I woke them up without having to sneak them out but… Mercer had the facility bombed. You know the rest.”

“You never once wondered?”

“I did.” Alma winced as she said this, “but… I was too scared to check…or to hope.”

“Because you’d wind up straight in this exact situation.” Anqa gestured to Alma as she said this, her tone incredibly dry. “I…hate everything you said but… it’s the most honest you’ve actually been.”

“The worst you’ll do is leave me behind.” Alma shrugged, trying not to sound self-deprecating or anything. “You won’t flat-out stab me.”

Anqa hummed in agreement. “I’m not a killer.” There was a pause, “Just…to clear something up, you’d survive long-term exposure to the toxic mess if abandonment was…necessary?”

“I am not gonna answer that question.” Alma gave her a stern look.

Anqa sighed with a disappointed nod “Fine, fine….” A beat passed, “I’m sure we’d find out sooner or later.”

“Anqa!”

The…tension between them was better marginally by the time they descended into the green smog and on top of the TAP-Con 1 facility and Alma soon realised the pilot was not going to leave her side as she masked up and pulled her bag on.

“Kìoetey said the RDA appeared after she had turned the power on but as long as we’re not powering anything on again, then we’re all good. It’ll be slow going. I hope you know where you’re going ”

“There’s vents and glass doors. We can use the fire extinguishers as our weapons of choice.” Alma said, leading the way out although through the filter were was a slight…eggy undertone as she breathed. Enough was being filtered out so she didn’t feel concerned about it.

There was enough debris to clamber into the building. The signs of AMP suits and…destroyed ones were a haunting sight and more so on the corpse that hadn’t been retrieved inside of one; the man’s remains inside the suit looked to be… well into decomposition but further along than normal and… she was certain the smog’s effects were the cause.

Her stomach turned a little more but she swallowed her unease and pressed on.

It was like a maze without the convenience of power. Alma welded a rather strong extinguisher and it took both their efforts to get through a door or two until Alma found the vent system she was familiar with.

“This way.” She felt her heart beat faster as she got passed the last vent and out to her old office though she didn’t look too hard as she went to the back wall behind all the desks that were opposite the glass wall that showed-cased their lab. She had a few co-workers stationed here back in the day but, they were long gone now. Her table was still cluttered. Never sought to clean it up.

“This is your office?”

“Yes. I hated it, the vents are massive given the Air Conditioning was in higher demand. I was always cold.” Alma said, kneeling down and pulled a small screwdriver out and began to take out one of the panels' screws. It was fiddly work but she had less to deal with this time around it took a thump with the extinguisher to lodge the panel out of place and she let it drop to the carpeted, mossy floor.

Inside, it wasn’t as nice but inside lay the case she had stashed away. It was a simple pelican case, like most of their supplies boxes and was heavily secured.

Anqa helped her pull it out but Alma had them stop before she opened it up with a thumb scanner.

“Fancy.”

“SID could hack this easily. Everyone had shit to hide back in the day. Most of them had porn to stash so no one cared enough to question.” Alma shrugged.

“Good Porn?” Anqa asked, curiously. “I bet some people could do with some…films to enjoy.”

“There’s a….storage cabinet for the technicians down, second left. They have…hard drives of data.” Alma directed, not willing to really go further into that. She wasn’t here for that, but having lived in Tap Con-1 for seven years prior to the school with thin walls…. She knew uncomfortably enough of her colleagues. Unfortunately, it was mutual.

Anqa nodded, debating for a moment then dashed off. “I bet I could get a few favours with those…” she heard the pilot muttered.

The box latches were undone quickly and Alma took a solid second before she braced herself and opened it up.

Inside, it was…as she had left it.

The urns were… not even urns. She had stolen the ashes and hidden them in the Tea, Coffee and Sugar containers from the more personal kitchen; they got replaced quickly so no one gave a fuck. It was the best she had in the circumstances she was in. Aha’ri was in the Coffee pot, Onki was in the sugar pot and Yuayt was in the tea pot. Her hands shook as she retrieved them from the case, making sure none were at risk of opening up and slipped them straight into the duffle along with her other Data drives she had stashed away.

Alma couldn’t help but slip out of the office and into the lab. Her eyes lingered on the old…grow tank that was stationed inside still. Her avatar’s grow-tank. The sight of it made her heart clench but… there was a relief; the sight of it was… opened up a sight of possibilities. A future choice if…she could convince the right people for it. Now wasn’t the time but… did the little ones survive? Were they still here?

Alma spared a look to the office, her hands gripping the screwdriver more tightly but she followed the route to the other side where there was the secondary storage—or more adeptly, cryostorage.

Without power, it took some brute force and pushing to get the door to open.

It wasn’t cold but…nor was it warm. The cool air tickled free against her exposed neck which almost sent a shiver down her spine. She was sure it smelt bad, most of the inside was…overgrown with plant samples, and biosamples. But Alma sought easily the heavy case inside. It was the only one that had this security.

Cortez. A

Alma was gentle as she pulled it from the shelf but she felt…a butterfly sensation as she unsecured it and opened it up. The case was cold, still functional—good to know the case’s own power supply was still going. These battery cells were the good kind for a goddamn reason. Inside the cases were four slots, but only three were filled with the small canisters. She pulled one out carefully, swallowing thickly but the little… signs of life were still there through translucent skin and…tiny, underdeveloped little arms with tiny, little fingers.

Her spare avatars. Still alive after thirty-eight years of cryo.

It wasn’t well known to most of the Avatar program, but the creation process was the most complex part of the Avatar’s existence. Hundreds of avatar embryos were created at a time for each driver but…about 97% of the embryos didn’t survive past fifty cells which was why so many were made. On average, four embryos survived to development to a three-month gestational age and one was carried on to full development. The rest were cryo-tanked. Cheaper to do it that way and, if the avatar died in transit or there was a fault, they had backup avatars to restart without the hassle of the conception again. Hers had never moved from storage, it seemed. How inconvenient to leave fifteen billion dollars behind in a rush. Alma couldn’t…help herself but feel a shred of hope. She…could have an avatar again.

One day.

Just not yet. She could wait.

Not to mention, they’d have to come back for the grow tank for that and necessary supplements for growth.

Once nerves had cooled, and she was on the road to forgiveness, she could broach the topic with the science team, maybe try and talk to Patel or Spellman if her scientists weren’t able or...willing to help. They had Dr Augustine’s avatar floating about still.

Alma set the tube back in and secured it, carrying it out to get her other bag, just in time for Anqa to return with a stolen bag of goodies that…looked more than just simple porn.

“I found some computer parts and wires we can use with the rest of all these things. A few radios and some avatar sizes tech for the resistance. Also, a few masks as well. Figured since I was there, looting is an option.” Aqua said, quite happy with her horde. “Got everything?” Her eyes flickered down to the new case she had but didn’t look too concerned or question it just yet. Thankfully.

“Yes,” Alma said, patting the duffle mostly. “Let’s get back.”

You know, i hadn't expected the amount of people to like it! so I'll progress it as a story. if you want, you can still view the first chap as a one-shot or stand-alone :)

#avatar #avatar au #avatar james cameron #alma cortez #frontiers of pandora #avatar frontiers of pandora #anqa #priya chen #so'lek #teylan #nor #ri'nela #sarentu

17 notes · View notes