Nearly all of Pandora's land was covered in dense alien tropical rainforests, a vast sea of green made of irregular cliffs and towering, multicolored trees.
Above the vibrant forest canopy stretched layers of swirling clouds that seemed endless.
Suspended within the sea of clouds were countless floating islands of rock containing the rare room-temperature superconducting mineral, Unobtanium. Under Pandora's magnetic field, these massive floating rock islands created a breathtaking spectacle.
Their tops were relatively flat, but their sides were sheer cliffs, with rivers spilling over to form waterfalls hanging in midair. Bound together over thousands of years by massive vines and tree roots, they drifted in the magnetic field like icebergs in an ocean, sometimes colliding with one another.
Though danger lurked everywhere, the broad and vividly colorful primal scenery was still one of the greatest sights for humanity on this world.
After all, on Earth's worn-out environment, you could hardly find a trace of green even if you wanted to.
(P.S.: According to the setting of Avatar, this time when the RDA returned to Pandora (Avatar 2: The Way of Water), they carried an extremely important mission—the search for a new home for humanity. Earth in this world was on the brink of death. Scientists predicted that in at most another century, Earth's environment would become completely unsuitable for human life.)
Amid the endless green, a lifeless volcanic crater suddenly appeared, as if a pair of giant hands had cruelly gouged a piece out of the land.
The carpet-like virgin forest gave way to an open-pit mining area.
In the terraced mine below stood excavators and trucks several stories tall. At the bottom of the pit, giant bucket-wheel excavators hundreds of meters high loomed.
Clearly, this was one of the RDA's outdoor mining sites. Beside the mine was an RDA outpost camp, connected to the network of all human bases by a maglev railway.
In the train service depot, several maglev trains were parked. Air transport could only solve a small portion of logistics; the bulk of ore transport and supply had to rely on rail.
If all went as planned, these mines and outposts would gradually be expanded into new forward bases.
The RDA's development strategy was easy to guess: bases as pillars, maglev railways as chains, mines and outposts as locks. By upgrading temporary mines and camps into permanent bases, then building new ones, filling them with personnel, and advancing step by step, humanity steadily expanded its activity range.
Like the Allies after the Normandy landings—familiar tactics.
Only now, this mining site was deathly silent. The giant excavators and trucks stood still, the booming blasts of mining explosives had ceased, and the machines had been pulled back, some parked haphazardly at the edge of the camp.
Rumble!
Thunder.
The black sky was like a vast dark curtain, making the silent mine below seem even more lifeless.
In the foul weather, roaring thunder, flashing lightning, and torrents of heavy rain mingled with the chaotic footsteps and shouts of RDA garrisons and employees.
"Sir, this retreat is so urgent… does it mean we're abandoning this mine? Has there been a large-scale counterattack from the Na'vi?"
Someone shouted, his voice carrying through the storm, full of unwillingness.
"The Na'vi actually went on the offensive? Shouldn't we be rising to the challenge? Retreating like this—those blue-skinned monkeys will laugh at us!"
"Sir, wouldn't it be safer to plant time bombs in the armory? Even if we can't take it with us, we can't just leave it for those blue monkeys! If they think they've struck it rich, we ought to give them something harsh to remember us by!"
Another voice cut in, offering a bewildered suggestion:
"No need! Because we don't have the time to waste any longer! Orders from Bridgehead Base: all forces stationed at the outdoor mines are to withdraw immediately to the nearest outpost bases! Headquarters has lost its patience—orbital bombardment of those blue-skinned monkeys will begin shortly!"
"If you want to stay behind and be buried alongside the Na'vi, then I'll allow you to go set your bombs. But if you value your own life more than those savages, then carry out the order immediately!"
"Everyone! If you want to live, move faster! This mining site is the farthest from the outpost base among the newly developed ones—we don't have much time left!"
According to the stable development policy, every mining site was generally placed no farther than two hours of armed gunship support from the nearest outpost. Mutual aid was the principle.
"Hurry! Move quickly!"
"Faster, faster—! Park all engineering vehicles in one place!"
"Seal the permanent buildings, dormitories, watchtowers, and armory!"
"Abandon everything that can't be taken!"
With the camp leader and overseers shouting, the RDA grunts had no mind to admire the torrential rain and rainforest scenery—it was run or die!
Though no exact timetable had been given, tension was contagious. In an instant, the heavy atmosphere took hold, and the joking and banter disappeared completely.
"Fuck you! Are the higher-ups all pig-brained? With such little time, are they trying to get us killed?!"
"Shut it! This mine was already the highest-paying deep-mining site. Tightest schedule, heaviest workload—wasn't that obvious? Otherwise, why would they pay us several times more just to feed us for nothing?"
"Heh… I actually think this sudden, unannounced withdrawal has its upside. Maybe those Na'vi tribes won't be prepared at all and will all get blown to pieces… though we might just be bait."
One worker muttered self-deprecatingly as he scrambled onto the train.
"Damn it! If they're using us as bait, then they better pay extra! Once we get back alive, we all need to raise hell about this…"
"Bad omen talk! Why the hell are you raising flags? Get to the last car and stay away from me before you drag me down with you!"
...
"Humans… seem to be retreating?"
Through the heavy rain, faint sounds drifted from the steep jungle not far from the outpost camp, mixed with other indistinct noises. A non-human blue hand quietly parted the leaves, and golden cat-like eyes peered at the busy shuttles rising from the camp.
A Na'vi scout.
He pressed the human communication device captured at his throat.
...
"What? The RDA abandoned the mine? They didn't even take a single large excavator, just left them sealed in place?"
Whoosh!
Riding a direhorse, Jake Sully landed on a massive jungle branch, jumping down fully armed. Pressing his comms earpiece, he demanded grimly, "Are you certain? Did the RDA destroy the outpost? Any personnel left behind?"
When he received confirmation from multiple scouts, Jake's eyes widened, and he lifted his head. "This is bad."
The RDA was a private corporate trust—driven by profit, not life. Forcing these greedy vampires to spit out meat already in their mouths was no simple matter.
Besides, the Na'vi resistance he led had never applied enough pressure to force RDA into abandoning entire mines and contracting their forces.
Which meant there was only one explanation: an irresistible order had forced RDA's higher-ups to abandon the mines. Though the exact scheme was unknown, it could only mean a force stronger than the RDA had intervened on Pandora.
And stronger than the RDA—the largest single non-governmental organization in the human universe—Jake Sully could think of only one possibility: the government's regular military!
The Na'vi's DNA gave Avatars five senses far sharper than humans'. With eyesight several times stronger, Jake Sully peered through the gaps in the jungle and spotted dozens of SA-2 Samson transport helicopters roaring off into the distance.
He knew that direction—it was where the RDA's largest outpost on Pandora stood: Bridgehead Base.
"We need to find out what the RDA is planning."
He turned to his wife Neytiri, their two sons, and the Na'vi warriors at his side. "Remember—don't get bogged down in a fight. This could be an RDA trap. We must stay cautious. Shoot down one and retreat. Capture prisoners or seize intact RDA comms equipment and mission data if possible."
After nods of acknowledgment, Jake leapt onto his direhorse, calling out before launching skyward. "Move out!"
SCREEEECH—!
...
Not long after, above the rainforest, shrill cries of banshees echoed, followed by the thunderous blast of gunfire and explosions tearing through the downpour.
BOOM—!
A black SA-2 Samson transport helicopter erupted into a ball of fire midair. Its cockpit had been pierced through by several arrows over two meters long, killing the pilot. The helicopter wavered and plunged toward the dense jungle.
"James! Damn Na'vi—!"
An RDA soldier screamed in fury as he watched the falling helicopter. He manned the onboard weapon—a triple-barreled MBS-9M Hydra heavy machine gun—and opened fire wildly at the triumphant, screeching Na'vi.
RATATATATAT!
"Enough! James is gone! We must escort the train back to base. There's no time! His revenge can wait—if those blue monkeys survive the orbital bombardment."
The officer glared at the Na'vi, who halted their pursuit after the helicopter went down. Then he turned sharply to the maglev trains speeding below. "Move out!"
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Dull booms resounded through the rainforest.
The chopper's tail snapped apart, black fragments scattering. Its flaming nose smashed into the ground, carving a long trench across the earth.
Because of Jake Sully's earlier warning, the Na'vi had avoided hitting the fuel tank. The downed SA-2 remained mostly intact before impact, its structure still usable.
CRASH! SPLAT!
The cockpit glass had shattered, bodies lay twisted around the wreckage. A blood-soaked man, barely alive, dragged himself painfully out of the wreck.
"Cough… cough…" Blood spurted from his mouth as he glared up at the surrounding blue-skinned Na'vi, spitting curses: "Damn blue monkeys… to die on the eve of victory!"
"Bastard!" A young Na'vi, understanding English, raised his weapon furiously, about to shoot.
"Lo'ak!"
"Father…" Hearing Jake's voice, the young Na'vi froze, fear flashing across his face.
Jake crouched, ignoring his son's slip. "Such a complete withdrawal from the mines… what is the RDA planning?"
"Traitor!"
The dying man spat blood, his face twisted in scorn. Every RDA employee who had returned to Pandora knew that face. With a final shudder, he collapsed lifelessly.
How does betrayal of one's own species feel?
Only Jake Sully himself knew. A flicker of struggle flashed in his eyes before he covered it up. Reaching down, he snatched the RDA mercenary's comm earpiece and pressed it to his ear.
BZZZT… CRACKLE…
"Damn blue monkeys! Their joy won't last long—we'll slaughter them all sooner or later!"
"How far to Bridgehead Base?"
"When does the orbital bombardment begin? I'm not dying alongside these blue monkeys…"
...
Jake Sully filtered out all the insults, latching only onto the words orbital bombardment. Instantly, his entire body shuddered, as though drenched in ice water from head to toe.
No wonder the retreat had been so absolute—
"Jake…" Neytiri, with their two sons beside her, saw her husband's pale, distracted face and spoke with deep concern.
"Quickly!"
Jake shot upright, gripping Neytiri's arms tightly. "Warn the people—no, warn every tribe! Orbital bombardment, it's coming! The forest is no longer safe—we must flee into the mountains!"
Images of nuclear firestorms flooded Jake's mind, refusing to fade.
"Everyone! Retreat! Contact the Hallelujah Mountain encampment, evacuate at once—deeper into the mountains! The deeper the rock layers, the better!"
Seeing Neytiri's confused look, he uttered two words: "Nuclear bomb…"
She understood. As one of the earliest Na'vi to study with humans, she had attended their schools before the fallout, learning much of their knowledge—including the nature of humanity's ultimate weapon.
"Neytiriam, Lo'ak." Neytiri called their eldest and youngest sons as she vaulted onto her direhorse, urgency on her face. "We must return!"
WHOOOSH—!
The Na'vi vaulted onto their mounts, taking to the skies in a rush, abandoning any thought of gathering supplies as they raced back toward the camp.
Faster!
Faster!!
We must make it in time!!!
Jake's brow was knotted with dread, his fear unshakable.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed the lush, bioluminescent rainforest beneath the clouds—the glowing plants clinging to trees and sprouting from the undergrowth, painting the world in beauty. He knew, perhaps this might be the last time he ever saw it.
In his mind's eye, nuclear fire consumed mountains and rivers alike.
In the grip of sheer terror, time lost all meaning. For the Na'vi, too, perception blurred.
Jake only knew he had driven his direhorse mercilessly on a grueling trek. The beast foamed at the mouth, tongue lolling, body at its limits.
He stroked it gently. Through their neural link, he felt its exhaustion. Yet it pressed forward, having seen the images in his mind, accepting his desperation.
"We're here!"
The tribe's cries brought Jake back to himself. Ahead loomed the cloud-wreathed Hallelujah Mountains, vast floating rock formations suspended in the magnetic field.
Na'vi knights flew out from the floating peaks to meet them, riding their winged mounts.
But then—
The sky blazed.
Floods of blinding white searchlights pierced the atmosphere, burning through the thick cloud cover, flooding the world in radiance.
BOOOOOM—!!
Thunderous detonations split the sky. Pandora itself seemed torn apart, the stars drowned by a new brilliance.
At the same moment, Na'vi tribes and human outposts alike—all eyes lifted skyward. What they thought were shining stars resolved into something else.
Not stars—but the blazing plasma of colossal engines.
Countless plasma thrusters trailed fiery tails. The shimmering particles converged into an immense galactic river of light, as dozens—hundreds—of warships descended in unison.
Majestic warships with ornate hulls pressed down through the atmosphere, their prows adorned with the double-headed eagle. Massive, cold, luxurious, and overwhelming.
Several Punisher-class battleships roared like beasts, their deep engines rumbling. The endless fleet shattered Pandora's silence.
"Go! Move! Don't look—close your eyes! Orbital bombardment is about to begin! We don't have time—into the mountains, go—!"
No one had time to wonder how such immense warships were even built in Earth's shipyards. At Jake's furious command, the Na'vi plunged into the Hallelujah Mountains' depths.
The next moment—FWOOOSH—!
A crimson lance of light speared down from the heavens. Heat fierce enough to melt steel, explosions powerful enough to vaporize oceans, fire bright enough to incinerate the air itself—an entire swath of land was engulfed. The sky ignited into a burning sea of flame.
Even miles from the blast zone, Na'vi knights who dared glance back were blinded by the radiance. Their optic nerves faltered, stunned as though deafened by sound.
A tidal wave of pressure and flame tore across the world.
Then came the second strike.
The third.
...
In that instant, it seemed as though the entire world was engulfed by spears of light from the heavens. Countless alien lives were annihilated in a heartbeat—burned, shattered, obliterated…
Perhaps only a few breaths later, when eyes opened again, the world was nothing but red fire.
—
—
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