Chapter 613: The Whispers of Pandora
"They... seem to be able to sense us?" Rebecca whispered in surprise to Dorio.
Dorio nodded, gesturing for her to step back: "The report mentioned a global consciousness network. These individuals are clearly part of it. Our presence, to this network, is like a stone dropped into a calm lake."
Shinji Ikari, Asuka, and Rei Ayanami were also assigned tasks—assisting in recording the surrounding environment and biological forms.
Shinji held a data pad, earnestly photographing various bizarre plants and insects. His movements were gentle, as if afraid to startle them.
Asuka was far more interested in the flying organisms. Adjusting the telescopic feature on her data pad, she tracked several spiritual jellyfish playful among the forest canopy, attempting to analyze their flight trajectories and group behavioral patterns.
Rei Ayanami sat quietly on a rock covered in bioluminescent moss. Her gaze wasn't focused on any specific object; instead, she seemed to be sensing the ubiquitous, delicate fluctuations of bio-electric signals around her. Rarely taking the initiative, she turned on her data pad's recording function, attempting to translate this vague perception into a stream of data.
"It feels... very strange," Shinji murmured to Asuka beside him after recording a cluster of crystal-clear mushrooms. "Everything here... seems to be alive, and... breathing."
Asuka set down her data pad and let out a light hmph: "It's just a few more plants and animals. Though... it really is way more interesting than that dreary metal back at the base." She stretched, taking a deep breath of the flower-scented air. "At least I don't have to smell machine oil and disinfectant."
Rei Ayanami suddenly spoke up, her voice so soft it was nearly swallowed by the forest's background noise: "They are... whispering."
Both Asuka and Shinji froze, turning to look at her.
"Whispering? Who's whispering?" Asuka asked.
Rei raised her finger, pointing lightly to the interconnected glowing neural tendrils around them, then to the ground, and finally to the sky.
"Them. All of them." A flicker of unreadable emotion crossed her red eyes. "So many... voices. Blended together. I can't understand them."
Shinji subconsciously tried to sense it as well, but he could only feel the moisture in the air and the pulsating aura of the plants; he couldn't capture such abstract information like Rei could. Asuka frowned, trying to concentrate her mind, but came up empty-handed as well.
Ryo (the second avatar) noticed the conversation. As the pilot with the earliest high-level synchronization with an EVA, Rei's mental perception was naturally distinct from ordinary humans; it wasn't surprising that her sensitivity to this biological consciousness field was higher than the others.
He issued an order to Rei via the encrypted channel: "Attempt to log the characteristics of the 'whispers' you perceive—frequency, intensity, pattern shifts. No need to decipher the content, record the telemetry only."
"Understood," Rei replied calmly, refocusing her perception as the data pad began recording her subjectively described, non-standard sensor metrics.
Just then, the motion sensors along the camp perimeter emitted a faint alarm.
Everyone instantly entered a state of high alert.
Maine signaled with his hand, moving forward soundlessly alongside Dorio while utilizing the dense vegetation for cover.
Ryo (the second avatar) engaged the cloaking field of his Terminator armor, his massive frame blurring into invisibility. The EVA trio, Rebecca, and the others swiftly retreated behind the cover in the center of the camp.
Through their sensors and Maine's shared field of view, they watched the nearby thicket rustle as several figures carefully poked their heads out.
They were not human.
Standing nearly three meters tall, they possessed slender blue bodies, golden eyes, and long tails. Their ears were pointed, their facial features distinct, and their bodies were painted with intricate patterns made from natural pigments. In their hands, they held spears and bows fashioned from bone, wood, and stone.
Most striking of all were the long, neural-bundle-like queues hanging behind their heads, currently swaying gently as if endowed with a life of their own.
They were the Na'vi.
These Na'vi moved with agile, watchful grace. They had clearly discovered the exploration team's camp, yet they showed no immediate intent to attack. Touching the neural queues behind their heads together in rapid succession, they seemed to communicate silently with one another.
Their gazes swept over the camp's defensive structures and strange instruments, finally coming to rest on the crashed aircraft wreckage on the opposite bank of the stream. Complex emotions welled in their eyes—grief, anger, and a deep, guarded mistrust.
The Na'vi leader, an exceptionally tall male adorned with more bone ornaments, took a step forward. He raised the spear in his hand, though the tip was pointed not at the expedition, but toward the sky. He slowly traced a peculiar arc through the air, uttering a melodious, rhythmic sequence of syllables.
He was attempting to communicate.
Ryo (the second avatar) rapidly analyzed the creature's body language and vocal frequencies. There was no explicit hostility—it was more akin to a tentative greeting or warning.
"Hold your positions and exercise restraint. Do not make any threatening gestures," Ryo's voice echoed through the comms of every team member. "Maine, attempt non-verbal communication. Convey that we mean no harm."
Following instructions, Maine slowly stood up from behind the cover. Slinging his weapon onto his back, he spread his hands wide to show he was unarmed. Dorio replicated the gesture.
Seeing their actions, a flicker of surprise flashed across the Na'vi leader's golden eyes. He uttered a few more syllables in a slower tone, as if posing a question.
In a delicate, tense atmosphere, first contact had begun. The true masters of this planet had taken notice of these uninvited guests.
In the open space before the temporary camp, Maine and Dorio maintained their open-handed posture, expressing non-hostile intentions through slow, clear movements.
The Na'vi hunting party, numbering about six or seven individuals, remained wary, but their leader lowered his spear slightly. His sharp golden eyes swept over Maine, assessing his intent.
Hidden beneath his cloaking field, Ryo (the second avatar) observed everything dispassionately. His sensors logged every subtle movement, vocal frequency, and minute fluctuation within the signature neural queues behind the Na'vi's heads. During their exchanges, these queues touched their companions' queues briefly—evidently a primary mode of communication for them.
"They are conducting high-speed information exchange via a biological neural network," Ryo (the second avatar) reported to his main body via their mind-link. "The efficiency far surpasses spoken language. Preliminary analysis indicates this connection may share sensory input, emotions, and even memory fragments."