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Disclaimer: Blah, Blah, Blah. I don't own Avatar; James Cameron does. All the Avatar stuff belongs to him. However, my Na'vi character, myself, the Dragon Weyr and its technologies, and the Pandoran animals of my menagerie are all mine. The Protoss - apart from my characters - all belong to Blizzard Entertainment.

Pandora's Templar

A Work-In-Progress Story by Coranth Dehanae

Chapter 42

(Continued from Chapter 41...)

When I spoke those words, the silence of the tent was briefly replaced by the softest of contented rumbles as Ieesha replied ~Yep. Heh... I wonder how many of the Omatikaya Clan are going to be pissed off because we'll be digging at the old Hometree?~ At her question, although she couldn't see me do so - the darkness of the tent rendered us as little more than shadow - I smirked before replying, "Quite a few I reckon but we have permission from Jake to do this, so... too bad. Let's sleep now; I'd like us to get an early start tomorrow." Understanding filled my thoughts, then, as Ieesha nodded; she knew that the earlier we began, the more time we would have to properly and carefully extract the Na'vi from beneath Old Kelutral. ~I understand, sweet David; if you're not awake at dawn, I'll wake you~ she replied.

Nestling a little further back against her, I closed my eyes, a contented sigh escaping me as I felt her warm, musty comfort of her body surrounding and enclosing me. "Thk you, Iesa. Lve you. G'Night..." I mumbled. Ieesha blinked and then - after giving a final soft lick to my hair - she gazed down at me fondly for a moment, before she replied, ~Goodnight sweet David.~ Then, lowering her head to rest close to me, my beloved closed her eyes and drifted with me into the wondrous, imaginary worlds of her dreams. When we awakened the next morning, we saw that the Dragon Weyr had again been very busy; upon stands in a corner of the Field Tent our armors rested, scrubbed of radiation and sparkling clean and beside them - set upon a Gravitic Sled - were the archaeological supplies we needed as well as the sheet of Psi-Steel I had requested, all packed into a very rugged-looking crate.

"Wow" I murmured, popping the crate open such that I could look everything over, "the Dragon Weyr's given us everything we might need there: various sizes of spades and cathole trowels; brushes from coarse to very fine; sample trays, and even the solutions we'll need for not only cleaning the bones of the Na'vi when we get him out, but also for getting the dirt off any artifacts we might find!" Satisfaction from the Dragon Weyr filled my thoughts, then, and as I felt the emotion from the great construct I passed back to it my pride and love. Ieesha, meanwhile, looked over the supplies with a critical eye and then - nodding to herself in satisfaction - she said, ~This is excellent, but...~ Turning from the crate of supplies to look at her, I gently asked, "Yes, love?"

For a moment, Ieesha did not speak - she merely sighed nervously, shuffling her feet - but then, raising her head to look at me once more, she continued, ~... don't you think the Dragon Weyr is helping us too much? This is supposed to be your Penance, after all...~ With a sigh of my own I responded, "The Weyr is giving us the help we need to get my Penance finished so that - perhaps afterwards - we might be granted access to Vitrautral so that Eywa can help Txe'lan and then we can all go back to the Homestead and get on with our lives!" Gazing at our Encounter Suits for a moment, and then at the supply crate, I continued, "All it's done so far is help us with moving supplies about, and the raising of the old missile, something that - had we attempted it ourselves - might have brought the entirety of Old Kelutral crashing down on us all!

Look... it's not helping me cheat at this, if that's what you're implying..." When Ieesha shook her head, I continued, "Maybe the Weyr's doing its best to make up for what it did to me; trying to apologize to us in the only way it knows: helping us with the mission we've got here." When affirmation from the Weyr filled our thoughts - this was indeed what the Weyr was attempting to do - I looked at Ieesha and softly intoned, "The Dragon Weyr is trying to help us, for a truly honest reason, Ieesha! Will you please let up on it?" For a moment, a surge of her anger filled my thoughts; however, almost immediately the feeling was washed away by one of resignation as Ieesha huffed softly through her nose, grumbling, ~Oh, alright, then! Let's just get this done...~

With that said - upon the completion of a hearty breakfast and the usual morning activities - we donned our respective Encounter Suits, snagged the GravSled holding our supplies, and then, after saying goodbye to Falkor, Miracle and our Clansmen, we began the long trek back to Old Kelutral. Upon arrival there Ieesha and I wasted no time and got straight down to business; cracking open the supply crate, we sorted out the contents and then - after measuring the length and width of the skeleton and determining whereabouts we were going to dig - grabbing a pair of large shovels, we began to dig a trench around it; once the trench was complete, we would work our way inwards towards the skeleton with smaller cathole trowels.

When my beloved questioned me as to why we were digging this way - around the skeleton instead of just digging it up directly - I answered, "I know it might seem a bit strange, Ieesha I said to her as we dug, being careful of course, to avoid cutting into any large tree roots buried within the earth, "but there is a reason for doing this: we know where the visible parts of the skeleton are, but not the parts that are buried below the ground; I don't want to risk damaging anything if I can help it. Therefore, we dig a good-sized trench around the skeleton first - think of that like the initial backhoe digging on 'Time Team' - and after that we use the smaller cathole trowels to slowly scrape our way inward toward the skeleton until we hit buried bone."

Digging the initial trench with the large shovels proved relatively easy as the ground here was mostly loose, sandy soil; we left about half a meter of said ground between the trench and the skeleton and only gnarled old tree roots impeded our progress. The dig inward towards the buried skeleton would prove to be far more difficult. Not only did we have to be aware of tree roots buried in the earth beneath us but also of the tiny remnants of the Nuclear Missile that the Probes had missed: radioactive element fragments and sharpened slivers of rusty metal. Additionally, we had to be careful not to dislodge the missile's tip, which 'pinned' the skeleton to the ground and acted as the stop-gap for the wound in the Earth.

As we carefully scratched and scraped away at the sodden ground with our cathole trowels, our progress was slow indeed for the green 'blood' welling up from the wound had turned the ground into a sodden, mucky, claylike mess. And yet... as the day rolled on, we persevered, until at last - with a final scrape of my cathole trowel, I exposed the pale white of bone. "There you are..." I whispered softly. At my whisper - as she, too, gently exposed bone with her own trowel through Telekinesis - Ieesha raised her head to affix me with an intense, focused gaze. ~What have you got?~ she asked. For a moment I didn't reply, choosing instead to use a brush to further expose what I had found such that I could examine it in greater detail, but soon I answered, "Part of the left hip and lower spinal column, but it's bent at a really strange angle, though. You?"

After a closer examination of her section of the skeleton, she softly answered ~Lower part of his rib cage.~ She shook her head before continuing, ~Poor bastard. The missile slammed into him so hard that it effectively folded him in half; bent his body into a 'U'-shape. I want to expose more of what I've found so far, but that damn missile tip is in the way and who knows what'll happen if we bump the thing?~ Wearily eyeing the green blood-like substance welling up from beneath the ground, she continued, ~Whatever this world has for blood might gush everywhere...~ At her words I nodded and then, as I continued to work, I replied, "I hear you. We'll make this guy completely visible first - expose what we can of him - and then see if we can get beneath him so we can see where the nose spike of the missile is situated.

I reckon this green shit's coming out of here because when the spike pinned the Na'vi it also punctured into something - perhaps a tree root - below ground somewhere. We find the spike; we find where this green shit originates from!" With those words we kept working throughout the day, pausing only for the time it took to eat the hearty lunches that the Dragon Weyr had also packed within the crate of supplies; it knew we sometimes both forgot to eat when we were busy with a project! After hours and hours of careful digging - as the golden glow of afternoon sunlight gradually shifted into the purple hues of evening twilight - we eventually managed to reveal the entirety of the buried Na'vi skeleton, although it was buried in the earth still, for we had yet to attempt digging down beneath it.

Additionally, she and I had been able to procure some small fragments of leather - which might have been from the taparrabo the man had once worn - along with what appeared to be jewelry of some kind; delicate beadwork threaded onto a frayed plant fiber cord, all of which needed a thorough cleaning. We wanted to keep working, dear readers - we really did - but our efforts for the day soon caught up with us; as we kept digging, though I tried valiantly to hold it in, a huge yawn escaped me, one which Ieesha soon reciprocated! "Guh..." I said after a moment, "I think that's enough for the day!" Opposite me, my beloved nodded her head, blinking wearily as she responded, ~I agree. Let's call it a day; we'll cover this~ she gestured with a paw to the skeleton ~with a tarpaulin then Stasis the sample trays.

After that we'll seal the site so nothing can disturb it and then head back to new Kelutral for evening meal.~ And so we did; after activating the stasis field generators built into the sample trays that contained what we'd managed to find near the skeleton, we covered them and the exposed skeleton with a tarpaulin that Ieesha swiftly pinned to the ground with her Telekinesis. Then after cleaning and packing the tools we'd used back into the Supply Crate, we locked said crate and made our way out of the Kelutral catacomb. Shortly thereafter - as Ieesha moved to stretch her wings - I commanded the Dragon Weyr to construct and warp in a Sentry.

A powerful aerospace combat drone that was normally used to support Protoss Zealots in the field, this deadly automaton possessed the ability to deploy massive Guardian Shields, which protected friendly Protoss, and reduced the damage they took from ranged attacks. In addition, a Sentry could also project powerful force field barriers to stall or split up opposing forces. Lastly, the Sentry was armed with a powerful Disruption Beam, and possessed the ability to create hallucinatory images - similar to those produced by High Templar - which could be used to draw enemy fire as a real Protoss strike force maneuvered into position to deliver a killing blow.

* * *

At the outskirts of new Kelutral several Clan members paused in their daily activities to watch in startled surprise as the entrance to the Tawfya'o - which had previously been sealed - opened to allow some kind of small Tawsìp to exit from it. Upon sight of the rather diminutive vessel, children whom had previously been playing in the atan produced by the Pxaylonxs that powered the fya'o ran to their mothers, whilst several men drew their bows as they wondered whether the Tawsìp was a threat. When the little Tawsìp made no move to attack anyone, however - as it hung there in the sky, turning left and then right to get its bearings - weapons were soon sheathed and instead of cowering in fear the people stared at the little Tawsìp in wonder.

It was no Sawtute Tawsìp - of this the Omatikaya were certain; the lines and curves of its tokx were far too elegant and graceful; it made no pam as it hung there in the air, and didn't fill said air with the kxener or other aytxum that Sawtute Aytawsip ejected in flight. In addition, the fngap ta'leng covering its tokx was the same as that which the Tawfya'o was made from! "Txa'vit uses that fngap," murmured Ora, son of Opin, "so the sìp is his! But why is it here?" Breaking away from his thoughts, Ora swiftly sent a scout to inform the Olo'eyktan about the ship; as he did so, however the sìp - having gotten its bearings - swiftly turned and zoomed away in the direction of Old Kelutral.

* * *

As the Protoss Sentry came within sight of Ieesha and I we moved to meet it and - when it stopped before us, I greeted the machine kindly. "Hello, friend" I said to it. With a soft binaric tone of greeting, the little automaton looped joyfully in the air, then came to hover before us once more, its apial sensors scanning me expectantly. Swiftly, I explained the situation to the Sentry along with what it was that we were doing here and then, I asked, "Friend, could you guard this place for us to ensure that nothing here is disturbed. We don't want any animals interfering with the site." With a sound of acknowledgement, the Sentry dipped then righted itself in the air - it would guard the site as best as it was able - and as the automaton made the affirmative gesture, I softly petted its side as I responded, "Thank you.

Ieesha and I are going to head back to new Kelutral now, to get some food and sleep. We will see you in the morning." When the machine sounded a cheerful goodbye - as it began to orbit the site and perform its duty - Ieesha and I headed back to new Kelutral in hope of joining the Omatikaya, along with my own Tawkami Clansmen, for evening meal. When we arrived back at new Kelutral, however - instead of finding the Na'vi enjoying food and drink - we espied the Omatikaya waiting at the outskirts of new Kelutral for us. As we stopped to take in the scene - wondering what was happening - Jake appeared from amongst the gathered Pandoran natives and then made his way over to us, his face carved into a thunderous scowl!

'Oh, shit, what now...?' I wondered. Her nervousness filling my thoughts, in a soft sing-song voice, Ieesha said, ~Uh-oh. We should have warned them about the sentry...~ I wanted to reply to her - I really did - but as I made to do so, Jake Sully strode up to me, leaned such that his mouth was really close to my ear, and growled. "Txa'vit... You want to tell me why one of my scouts reported that he saw some kind of golden-coloured Tawsìp fly out of the Gateway and then zoom away to Old Kelutral?" there was no help but to tell the truth and so - heaving a weary sigh - I turned back to face Jake, girded up my loins, and told it. "The ship that you and your people saw fly from the Gateway and then head out to old Kelutral is called a Sentry in English; the closest Na'vi name would be m'resh'tuyu sip, literally 'Shield Ship,'" I said quietly.

When he nodded and bade for me to continue - as he translated my words for his Clan - I explained to him about the Protoss Sentry and its abilities, then told him of the progress Ieesha and I had made at the site and finally explained my reasons for warping the Sentry in. "The Protoss Sentry seems like quite the impressive little ship" Jake responded as I finished my explanation, "and I can see why you'd want to bring one in. With the skeleton in the condition that it is," he winced visibly, "along with the fact that the Kelutral ruin could collapse, you certainly don't want animals and such wandering all over the site. Fine; the Sentry can remain, so long as it only scares animals away and doesn't kill them. As for the skeleton... Rutxe, do what you can to bring it out as soon as possible!"

With that, as we all headed to Kelutral and to a hearty evening meal, Ieesha and I nodded to him in acknowledgement as I said, "Tomorrow; we'll get on it right away." And true to our word, we did; no sooner had we reached old Kelutral the next day we were greeted by the Sentry. "Good morning, friend!" I said to it as it sounded a happy binaric tone. "Anything to report?" As I asked the question, the sentry dipped briefly in the air and then showed me its activity logs; a couple of wild Nantang had crept about the place - perhaps attempting to find some food - but the little ship had been vigilant and diligent in its duty and had frightened the beasts away by implanting in their minds the hallucination of a Palulukan!

"Excellent work friend!" I said, giving the machine a friendly pet on its steel body. "You've done a great job!" With that I turned to Ieesha and said, "Well, love, we'd best get to work..." Ieesha nodded, and then - as the Sentry resumed its watch to ensure we weren't disturbed - we made our way into the Kelutral Catacomb whereupon we resumed our work, carefully digging beneath the buried Na'vi skeleton so as not to damage it until at last, the back of it was revealed. Upon seeing the skeleton's back, however, a curse escaped me for there, Ieesha and I espied the revealed missile-tip, the spike upon said tip having penetrated right through the skeleton's lower spinal column and then through what seemed to be an enormous root, but one that led to no tree. "Crap!" I grumbled, gazing at the damage.

Immediately, concern filled my thoughts as Ieesha - after staring in wide-eyed horror at the skeleton for a moment - hastened to the crate and started to look for some kind of cutting tool. "Hang on," I called to her, "there should be a Psionic Plasma Cutter in my suit's maintenance toolkit; let me get it..." Ieesha nodded and then - as she carefully worked to exhume yet more of the man we had found - I detached the small battlefield maintenance kit from its place within my suit's left thigh, then opened it and began to sift through it, searching for what I needed. "Plasma Cutter; Plasma Cutter; Plasma Cutter" I murmured softly as I looked. "Oh, come on, it has to be here somewhere... Ah-ha!"

With an air of triumph about me, swiftly I excised the cutting tool from the kit, activated it and then began the slow, careful job of cutting through the nose spike. "So what are you going to do when we're done here, love?" I asked as I worked. As she continued to exhume the skeleton my love replied, ~I'm going to get back to the Dragon Weyr, grab you, strip you naked and then we are both going to have the longest and most luxurious bath ever! Then...~ Lapsing into silence, Ieesha affixed me with an intense, smoldering, desire filled gaze which made me shiver within. As that shiver coursed through me, the little Protoss Commander inside me - the part of my mind that kept me 'on track' so to speak - screamed out, "She doesn't give you that look every day, Zealot; put some effort into it!"

Thus, I did, dear readers and in no time at all the spike was detached from the nose-cone then whisked away by a Probe to be rendered down into powder. With the majority of the nose spike gone, all that remained was to carefully lift the nose cone to which the spike base was attached, which Ieesha would do with her telekinesis. As she made to begin, however, I yelled, "Wait! Wait! Wait!" When she looked at me curiously, I gestured to the wounded root-vein as I continued, "If you just lift the nose-cone it'll unblock the severed root... or vein... or whatever this thing is... and the blood of Eywa will - as you said - probably 'gush everywhere.' Let's finish exhuming the skeleton first and then we'll lift it and the cone together onto the gurney."

So we did - together we worked to exhume the skeleton and prepare it for lifting onto a nanocyte-built gurney that the Dragon Weyr had prepared this morning especially for this task - but as we raised the skeleton, dear readers all hell broke loose. Without the tip of the missile - or rather, the base of the spike attached to the tip - acting as a plug to stem the flow - chlorophyll-blood began to gush everywhere and splash all over my armor! Quick thinking served me well, however; grabbing both sections of the severed vein-root I jammed them together and used the Plasma Cutter from my suit's maintenance kit to cauterize and join the two halves together again with a section of the psi-steel sheet I'd requested, rolled into a tube.

The task wasn't easy however, for as I melted steel unto wood the ground shook with a terrible furor and as it did so I could've sworn I heard what sounded like a feminine voice screaming in agony... When at last the severed root was dealt with - when at last the earth stilled, as our team of Probes began cleaning up the mess left behind by our work, I heaved a sigh of relief. "Whew!" I said, wishing I could doff my armor's helmet to wipe the sweat from my brow, "that was crazy! Methinks every damn Tsa'hik on the planet felt and heard that; they're all going to get the shits with me..." Upon hearing this, disbelief filled my thoughts as Ieesha threw her head back and howled with laughter! ~I... I... - he-h-he - I don't think so, David!~ Ieesha managed to reply once she'd gotten herself under control.

~By doing this, you may well have saved the Great Mother's life!~ As I made to reply, suddenly, I inhaled sharply as I became aware of an ominous creaking-cracking-groaning noise... Immediately, Ieesha and I raised our heads to the catacomb ceiling to espy our worst fears confirmed: the roof - despite having the psi-steel beams to support it - was simply far too weakened and the earthquake we'd just experienced had been the final straw... " _All fall out!" _ I barked in Khalani and then, with those words - though I damned myself by doing so - I broke the rules of Penance and made heavy use of my Psionic abilities as together we jammed our supplies back into the Supply Crate and then grabbed it, the Skeleton and our Sample Trays.

We made it out of the Kelutral Catacomb just in the nick of time, for no sooner had we raced away from there with our inventory, our finds, the Sentry and our team of Probes behind us then with an almighty thunderous *BOOM* the Old Kelutral ruin collapsed in upon itself, throwing up an immense cloud of dust and ashes, somewhat reminiscent of a pyroclastic surge! As we stood there, staring up at the immense cloud with awe filled gazes, suddenly an immense wash of concern filled my thoughts, and then through the intense feeling I heard a frantic voice. "Txa'vit? Iee'zha? Zealot Txa'vit, and Templar Iee'zha do you copy? Zealot Txa'vit, and Templar Iee'zha can you hear me? Rutxe, respond! This is Olo'eyktan Jhake Zholy of the Omatikaya Clan speaking to you via Txra'kon We'er!"

As we heard his voice, Ieesha and I suddenly did a double-take as for the first time we both experienced a 'what-the-hell?!' moment. 'How the hell is that possible?' Was the first thought that ran through my mind, but even as the thought occurred Jake answered, "I... I am not sure, Txa'vit. We heard the great kxangangang all the way from here; when it happened, your Tsa'hik - San'eya - pulled something from a pouch at her waist... well, I don't know what it was... but she begged me to attach it to the end of my tswin; told me that it would let me make temporary Tsaheylu with Txra'kon We'er from even this great distance and that through Txra'kon We'er I could reach you! What the hell happened out there, Zealot?"

At this, Ieesha and I looked at each other in puzzlement. 'A Tswin Extender, like the one our Clan Sister Txe'lan uses' I thought to her. 'But... why would San'eya possess one?' My beloved shrugged her shoulders at this - she had no idea - and so I returned attention to Jake as I fully explained the situation. He was pleased and impressed with what we had achieved, but when I spoke of healing the wound in the earth beneath the old Kelutral - and the resulting earthquake that had followed, causing the Kelutral ruin to collapse - Jake cursed softly in Na'vi, "Pxasìk!" Hastening to reassure him, I responded, "Hey, it's okay; we got out just in time; got all our inventory and finds out, too, including the skeleton, which you'll definitely want to see. It's all in Stasis and our Suits have full life support capabilities so everything's okay here."

A mixture of worry and concern filled my thoughts, then - whether it was from Jake or the Dragon Weyr, I didn't know - as the former marine asked, "Are you sure you don't need any help?" Engaging the visual enhancements built into our respective helmets - with Sentry, Probes, and supplies as well as finds in tow - Ieesha and I headed back to new Kelutral with all haste. "I realize you want to help, ma Olo'eyktan" I said as we travelled. "You're probably assembling a group to come and get us as we speak - but please, don't! Whatever you do, do not come to old Kelutral! I repeat, do not come here to old Kelutral! The place is thick with dust and ash; it'll get in your lungs and you'll all choke to death! We'll be back at new Kelutral soon. David and Ieesha out!"

As I made to cease communications, suddenly I was stopped by Jake's frantic "Wait a second, Zealot!" When I did so, he continued, "You should know that the other Tawsìp - your Shuttle - is here; it's arrived ahead of schedule. Some other machines are here as well - they arrived through the Gateway - those little machines you call 'Probes.' One of my Scouts says they've picked up the Gravity Sled with the missile on it and are taking the thing aboard even as we speak! That aside... what are we to do about this ash you speak of? Is it a danger to Hometree?" At his question, we stopped and I turned to analyze the cloud with my Encounter Suit's sensor package.

With relief my suit's onboard computer determined that - since there was no continuous source from which the ash was coming; Old Kelutral was thankfully no volcano - the great cloud of dust and ash kicked up by its final collapse would dissipate within a day. Even better was that - before the cloud dissipated - the wind would blow said cloud far out to sea where it could do no harm. "Thank Eywa for small mercies..." Jake murmured when I told him this. Then, a moment later he continued, "You two be safe out there, all right? We will see you soon; when you get back I'll have the Clan gathered so we can hopefully identify our lost Brother. Eywa ngahu." With those words Jake halted communication and severed his temporary bond with the Dragon Weyr, leaving us to continue our journey.

'I sure hope the wind doesn't change Ieesha' I thought to her, 'because all that ash is probably thick with radiation! The last thing we need is for any of that shit to be breathed in by the Na'vi...' For a moment, my beloved did not reply; she merely kept walking - pausing only to make adjustments to her ocular enhancements in order to see through particularly dense layers of the ash cloud. When at last we moved out of the cloud, however - after switching off said ocular enhancements - she replied, ~I don't think the wind will change sweet David; Eywa and Trag'Oul will make certain that does not happen. Now, let's get back to Hometree and make sure that the Nuclear Missile is properly transported to the Dragon Weyr!~

When we arrived back at new Hometree sometime just after midday - to my surprise and delight - Ieesha and I saw that what Jake had said was true; the custom-built shuttle was parked at the Hometree Outskirts near the Gateway and some Probes, whom obviously weren't part of our small team were finishing the loading of the Nuclear Missile into the ship's cargo bay. As my beloved and I looked on with satisfaction, along with more than a few curious Omatikayans, Jake strode up to me; behind him followed a group of hunters with a freshly killed and gutted yerik trussed up between them. "Ah, sìltsan, Txa'vit, Iee'zha; you made it back safely!" the former marine said, placing a hand gently upon my shoulder. "That we did sir," I replied.

With a mental command to my suits systems, I doffed my helmet and - once it had folded away - as Ieesha did the same, I inhaled a deep breath of the fresh, Pandoran air. Shortly thereafter I turned to face Jake only to find that he wasn't looking at me; he was instead eyeing the missile as the last of it was loaded aboard the Shuttle. "It's quite a sight to see, isn't it?" Gently, my beloved Ikran cocked her head, her puzzlement filling my thoughts as she softly asked, ~To what are you referring, Olo'eyktan?~ Gesturing to the shuttle with a cyan-coloured, four fingered hand, Jake replied, "This. It's good to know that the missile will soon be gone. But also... all... this," he gestured to the Gateway around which some of the Omatikaya freely conducted their lives, and to the great Pylon, in the light of which several children and elders basked.

"I think... I think the light from the Pylons is actually helping them, somehow..." At his mystified words I nodded. "The 'light' is Psionic Energy - the energy of the mind, of thought - and it is used by my former people, the Protoss, as a source of food and energy to power the machines and technology that they employ. Psionic Energy has a rejuvenating effect on other life forms. It won't retract your age, or anything like that, but it will stimulate the body's natural healing processes over time. Now, didn't you say you were going to gather the Clan so you could try and identify the man we've got here?" I gestured to the skeleton laying upon its stasis field-covered gurney and, wordlessly, Jake nodded.

At the end of all things, dear readers, the skeleton that Ieesha and I had returned with us to Hometree was made clean and then identified - by Mo'at, of all people - and upon discerning who the man was, the Elderly Tsa'hik of the Omatikaya Clan sank to her knees, her eyes wide and round and filling with tears. "This... this is ma yawne. It is... Eytukan..." she managed to choke out, before her heart shattered in grief. What should have been a happy time, dear readers - the departure and disposal of the missile - instead became a time of terrible sadness. As the Clan carefully prepared the remains of their former Olo'eyktan for the embrace of Eywa, no one noticed or even cared to watch as the shuttle swiftly departed for the Dragon Weyr.

That night, by the light of the Fire Pit, Eytukan was finally laid to rest at the base of new Hometree as he should have been, over 142 years ago. When at last the simple funeral rites for him were completed - when at last one dozen Atokirina alighted upon his body as the vines of Eywa gently embraced and took him to her - it was Jake Sully whom led the Clan in song and dance to honor him. When a Judicator couldn't be present to do so, High Templar often presided over funerals for Protoss whom had fallen in battle or had died of old age, and so out of respect for this man - the Olo'eyktan whom had sacrificed everything to protect his Clan from the evils of my own race - I had stayed for the funeral rites but now, as the wake for him continued on into the night I felt like an intruder.

Soon, I couldn't take it anymore and swiftly turned to walk away. ~David? David?~ Ieesha called after me. ~Where are you going?~ I didn't answer her, however; instead I strode onwards into the forest where - after continuing to walk for some time - I collapsed against the base of an enormous tree and rested my head in my hands as I did my best not to cry. 'Damn it all to hell!' I thought vehemently. 'Why do I feel like his death is my fault? Stupid humans and their stupid wars...' As these dark thoughts ravaged my mind, however, suddenly I was pulled from them when a four-fingered Na'vi hand came to rest upon my shoulder. "Leave me alone, Jake; I don't want to talk right now..." I murmured, a world-weary sigh escaping me.

The hand gripping me did not recede from my shoulder, however - instead, it gave a gentle reassuring squeeze - as a rough Na'vi voice replied, "It is not Jhake, Txa'vit..." Startled, I raised my head to look up... and up... and up at the powerful Na'vi Olo'eyktan whom stood before me, bedecked in all his finery with a great Eyaye atop his head, as he gazed down at me, his expression stern. When I saw his face, however, my eyes became wide with fright as my heart started to hammer within my chest; I had seen his image within the Dragon Weyr's Archives... "You!" I cried, leaping to my feet to point at him with a shaking hand. "You... I know you! But... this is... this is impossible! You are dead; I watched your people lay you to honorable rest moments ago! How...?"

Eytukan, former Olo'eyktan of the Omatikaya Clan, blinked owlishly as his stern expression became one of gentle amusement - he looked upon me as a teacher might look upon a student whom had failed to learn something important - as he gestured to the forest around us. "All life comes from Eywa" he said, roughly. "When we die, we return to her. We live on through her. Rutxe, do not blame yourself for the actions of your former people, for they are not you. You instead should rejoice, for you have helped my people greatly and returned me home to them." With those words - before I could reply - Eytukan reached behind himself to withdrew from his back and give to me an incredible Ceremonial Bow; the largest I had ever laid eyes on!

A powerful symbol of survival, continuity, and tradition usually handed down from generation to generation, the exquisite bow was constructed from a shaped branch of Old Hometree, decorated with countless beads and feathers, and strung with animal gut. Roughly three meters long and massing 3.7 kilograms, it was primarily designed for ceremony by Clan Elders, but was crafted to the peak of Na'vi design and thus could function perfectly in hunting or battle. With the bow handed unto me, as I stared at him dumbfounded, Eytukan gave me a respectful nod and then - as he turned to walk away into the depths of the forest - he called out "Oel ngati kamiei, Txa'vit. Tell Jhake Zholy that your Penance is done!"

As he disappeared, I could do nothing but stare after him in shock, clutching the enormous bow I had been given in my hands. Then, a moment later I raced after him, calling out, "Eytukan! Eytukan, wait, I--" but it was no use dear readers, for the great Olo'eyktan was gone - he had vanished - as if he'd never been there at all. Shortly thereafter Ieesha emerged from the forest, having tracked me down via our bond, and - upon seeing me - she raced over to sniff and nuzzle me all over, checking whether I'd been hurt in her own way. ~There you are sweet David; I was worried about you!~ she said as she continued to nuzzle and sniff at me, her voice laced with worry.

When at last she stopped, she took a step back and then, her curiosity filled my mind as she asked, ~What happened to you, sweet David? You... you look like you've seen a ghost!~ Still in a state of shock, at first, I didn't answer her - I just looked down at the mighty Ceremonial Bow I still held - but then, when she repeated her question I tore my eyes away from the weapon to look at her as I answered, "I... I think I might have, Ieesha..." Then, I proceeded to tell her what had happened - of Eytukan and the Passing of the Bow - and when I finished my explanation, my beloved gazed wide-eyed at the bow, her awe rushing unchecked through my thoughts. A moment later, however, that awe became disbelief as she said, ~Sweet David, what you are saying is impossible.

We saw Eytukan's remains laid to rest only moments ago; even the Dragon Weyr - via its Probes - and Falkor and Miracle were there to witness it happen! Whoever spoke to you and gave you that bow could not have been Eytukan...~ At her words, vehemently I shook my head before replying, "I'm telling you, Ieesha, it was Eytukan - it had to be him - I know what he looks like from the Dragon Weyr's Archives. He spoke to me and gave me this bow! But why...?" Blowing out a gusty sigh of frustration through her nose, my beloved gave a shake of her head, her disbelief still filling my thoughts as she said, ~Well, regardless of whom that man was, we should tell Jake, Neytiri and Mo'at about this. Come on, let's go back to new Hometree...~

When Ieesha and I returned to Hometree we beheld the sight of Jake and Neytiri holding and consoling a still-grieving Mo'at as she picked gloomily at her evening meal. Upon joining them for said meal, Neytiri attempted to muster her best glare - she believed that /I/ was to blame for the state of her Mother, and in a way she was right - but in the end, she turned her head away. As Ieesha and I partook of the food given to us, in wonder I told the three of the supernatural encounter I had experienced. Needless to say, their reactions were... mixed... to say the least. Neytiri, upon seeing the very /real/ Ceremonial Bow I had been given gave me a murderous glare, whilst Jake was flabbergasted, his eyes almost popping from his head!

Only Mo'at took the news of my experience well as she gradually ceased her grieving, a smile appearing on her face as her expression became one of content. "To be honest" I said to them once my explanation was concluded, "I feel bad that Eytukan gave this weapon to me. It's not mine; it belongs to the Omatikaya. It should go to someone in your Clan. Here..." With that, I gently handed the Ceremonial Bow to Neytiri whom, I noted, was eyeing the weapon almost greedily. As she made to take the weapon from me, however, suddenly Mo'at cried out, "Kehe!" and slapped her daughter's hands away! As Neytiri looked on, her expression one of shock, Mo'at frowned mightily at her before she said, "Kehe, ma 'ite! That tsko is not yours to take!"

As the Omatikayan Tsa'hik placed the bow back into my hands once again, she continued, "This Ceremonial Tsko has always been handed down from father to Son; it belonged to Eytukan, his father, his father's father, and his father's father before him. It was Eytukan's to give and if he gave it to Txa'vit then he must have done it for a reason! We will honor ma yawne's choice!" At her words, Neytiri nodded before she hung her head in sorrow, murmuring, "Srane, ma Sa'nok... Ngaytxoa..." With those words said - as Neytiri moved away for a time to think of the consequences of her actions - I turned to face Mo'at, a frown creasing my features as I looked at the bow I held and said, "Ma Tsa'hik... I do not understand. This tsko is brand new, as if it was made just yesterday!

It cannot have belonged to Eytukan, surely. But if this tsko was Eytukan's... then whose tsko did we bury with him?" At my question Mo'at gave me a solemn, grave look and then, a chill ran down my spine as she said, "Ma Txa'vit, you do not speak tìngay. When we gave Eytukan to Nawm Sa'nok Eywa, with him there was no tsko..." Mo'at walked away from us then, the sound of her footsteps seemingly softer than those of a Palulukan and - once she was gone - I turned to Ieesha, afraid of... of what? "This is impossible!" I said to her. "I swear we found a bow with Eytukan when we extracted him from the Earth, Ieesha, and it was cracked and broken, the animal-gut string long since rotted away!"

At my words, as her fear rushed through my thoughts my beloved swallowed to moisten her suddenly dry throat, before she said, ~I remember, and I saw it, too, sweet David! If this bow~ she indicated the weapon that I held, ~is indeed the same weapon, then how did it change from its previous rotted state into this? The weapon was buried with him - I know it was - and yet... it's here now. I don't... I don't understand...~ Neither did I, dear readers but - as I hefted the great weapon in my hands it made me feel uneasy, for the weapon felt much too comfortable there, even though I had never used a bow in my life. It was indeed the bow once used by Eytukan, of that I was certain - and only good would come from my use of the weapon; of this I would make sure - but still...

'There are some mysteries' I thought, 'that are perhaps best left unexplained.' When at last the wake for Eytukan ended, Jake Sully told the story of my extraordinary encounter with Eytukan's Spirit to his Clan and then - as they looked at me with expressions of awe, jealousy at the weapon I possessed, and more than a little fear - Jake softly concluded, "There is one more thing I must do tonight, ma Olo'..." With those words, the former marine made his way up new Hometree to the private alcove he shared with Neytiri to retrieve something, before he returned and resumed speaking. "Zealot Txa'vit," he called authoritatively, "step forward!" When I did so, Jake said, "Kneel!"

I did so, dear readers - looking up at him in confusion - only to feel happiness swell within my heart a moment later, when from behind his back, Jake brought forth my folded Templar attire, atop which rested my Utility Belt, Khaydarin Amulet, and Forearm Computer! I made no move to retrieve them, of course - it was not my place to do so, yet - and when Jake saw this, he nodded before addressing the Clan and I. "The spirit of our former Olo'eyktan, Eytukan, spoke with this warrior and declared that his punishment for striking me in combat was ended" he declared, "and with this I agree completely. A Tawtute from a world far, far away, Txa'vit has done much to atone for the evils that his people committed against not only the Omatikaya, but also all Na'vi.

At his kelku, Txra'kon We'er he leads the People of Tawkami as their Olo'eyktan, and there he has also done much to shelter and protect the hurt and lost ioang ay'eveng of our Nawm Sa'nok Eywa. More so, even though we initially treated him with suspicion and hostility - something for which I admit I am responsible - without asking for thanks or reward he and his yawne Iee'zha have removed the fngap kxitx that was left behind at Old Kelutral from the Great War, the fngap kxitx which filled the air with txum that cursed our people with sickness and death! Finally, the Tawtute Txa'vit and his yawne have returned to us, and to Eywa, one whom we thought lost: our Nawm Olo'Sempul, Eytukan!"

At this, the entirety of the Omatikaya Clan whooped and cheered, their hearts soaring with the joy they felt at their beloved leaders words. When the Clan quieted, Jake Sully turned his head such that he could affix all with a solemn gaze, as he softly uttered, "And so I ask of you this ma Olo': who among you does not believe that Txa'vit has done his Penance? Who believes that there is more for Txa'vit to do?" With bated breath, Jake and I waited for someone amongst the gathered Omatikaya to speak... and soon, it was with heavy heart that I heard a tall, willowy man named Okku, son of Elur shout, "The tsko! The tsko Txa'vit bears upon his back! It belonged to our Nawm Sempul Eytukan and Txa'vit should return it to the People!"

As the man spoke, however, Mo'at stepped forward to stand beside Jake and calmly said, "Kehe. Eytukan gave the tsko to Txa'vit, therefore it is ma yawne's gift to him now. Txa'vit has only one last task to do and that is to bring us all to his kelku, Txra'kon We'er; there he will free us of the final remnants of the curse upon us all. When this is done... I say that he may visit Vitrautral to heal his Olo' 'Ite, Txe'lan! This gathering is ended; his Penance is done!" At her words dear readers, although many of the Omatikaya cheered, some protested furiously, disagreeing profusely with what she had said. The elderly Tsa'hik of the Omatikaya would have none of it, however; instead she looked to Jake, whom carefully handed her my possessions.