Chapter 632: Second Contact
There were no loud bursts of standard gunfire, only the distinct, low hiss of plasma beams tearing through the air.
Several searing white energy bolts discharged with pinpoint accuracy from multiple vectors.
One Na'vi hunter had just raised an explosive charge when a plasma beam took him dead in the chest. The terrifying thermal energy instantly burned clean through his leather armor and muscle; with a brief, strangled cry, he tumbled out of the canopy.
Another hunter attempted to dive for cover, only for an angled pulse to shatter his arm, sending his bone and stone weapons flying from his grip.
The Na'vi had clearly not anticipated such an accurate and ferocious ambush. Their formation dissolved into immediate chaos.
The surviving hunters let out enraged howls, rapidly ducking behind cover while returning fire with bone-tipped arrows and hunting spears.
Their arrows struck with tremendous kinetic force, embedding deeply into the trunks, yet posed minimal threat to the dispersed, entrenched operators of Hellfire Squad who held superior tactical positions.
"Two on the left attempting to flank!" Dorio's voice called over the squad link. Shifting positions like a phantom, she laid down suppressive fire with her specialized rifle, pinning the two flanking Na'vi behind cover.
Maine kept his focus on an individual who appeared to be the lead hunter. Crouched behind a massive boulder, the leader shouted commands in the Na'vi tongue, attempting to rally his companions.
Maine did not rush to neutralize him. Instead, he observed the leader's gestures and vocal cadence, methodically analyzing how the Na'vi handled emergency command and control under surprise fire.
The skirmish lasted less than five minutes.
Having lost three warriors with all remaining fighters injured, the surviving Na'vi hunters responded to a sharp whistle from their leader. Exploiting the fractured terrain, they executed a rapid fighting retreat, melting into the deep forest. Rather than throwing their lives away in a suicidal stand, they demonstrated remarkable tactical flexibility.
"Hold fire, do not pursue. Sweep the engagement zone, recover enemy ordnance and gear, confirm casualties," Sergeant Reynolds ordered, his voice carrying the relief of a completed objective.
In this maiden engagement, Hellfire Squad suffered zero fatalities, with only two operators sustaining minor grazing wounds from stray arrows.
Three Na'vi were killed and several more wounded. The pipeline remained intact, and the team successfully captured native weaponry along with unspent organic explosives.
Upon returning to base, Colonel Quaritch personally greeted the strike element.
"Outstanding work! That is the exact efficiency I want to see!" He clapped Reynolds hard on the shoulder before turning his gaze to Maine. "Your training and gear are worth every single credit."
Maine gave a slight nod: "They learn fast. However, the Na'vi possess strong tactical adaptability; they will likely alter their approach next time. We cannot afford to grow complacent."
The triumph of their first joint deployment substantially elevated RDA trust and reliance on the expedition team.
Reviewing Maine's tactical debrief, Ryo clearly saw the operational value of an upgraded RDA force: they could effectively draw Na'vi focus and suppress harassment around core mining infrastructure.
Yet back aboard the Trailblazer, as Ryo reviewed the combat footage—noting the fierce hatred burning in the eyes of the native leader and the discipline the hunters maintained even while retreating—he felt no complacency.
He understood this was merely the opening salvo.
Escalating operational pressure could drive the Na'vi toward more radical measures or accelerate inter-tribal unification.
Consequently, Rei Ayanami-kun's infiltration and diplomatic track on the second front became all the more crucial and urgent.
While this corporate blade was undeniably sharp, one had to exercise caution not to strike so brutally as to trigger an uncontrollable backlash.
Just as Maine and his unit helped hone the RDA's combat edge, Rei Ayanami-kun's detachment commenced their second infiltration into Omaticaya clan territory.
This time, their logistical preparation was far more comprehensive.
Lucy optimized their portable comms gear, ensuring intermittent telemetry links with the outpost even through extreme biological interference.
David refined their topographic grid using baseline data and waypoints logged during the prior run, marking several viable, low-risk contact points.
Their operational objective was explicit: re-establish direct contact with Tsu'tey.
Retracing their prior ingress route while carefully sidestepping routine Na'vi patrol vectors, the squad arrived once more at the shaded hollow outside Hometree, near the site where Tsu'tey mourned her fallen child.
Rather than approaching openly, they set up a temporary concealed observation post inside a natural cavern formed by massive fungi and buttress roots roughly a hundred meters away.
The vigil was long.
An entire day passed without a single sighting.
On the afternoon of the second day, just as they weighed the option of broadcasting a gentle consciousness ping, Lucy's scanner picked up a lone bio-signature approaching their position.
Through high-magnification optics, they confirmed the traveler was indeed Tsu'tey.
She arrived alone, carrying freshly gathered flowers in her hands, an indelible shadow of grief still lingering across her features.
"Here is our window," Asuka whispered, a focused glint sharpening her gaze.
Rei Ayanami-kun nodded. Closing her eyes, she regulated her breathing and began broadcasting a serene, welcoming pulse of consciousness. The intensity was slightly elevated compared to before, yet remained soft and undulating, like a tiny pebble dropped into a still pond.
Advancing toward the familiar clearing, Tsu'tey halted abruptly in her tracks.
She swept a guarded gaze across her surroundings, the neural queue behind her head swaying subtly.
Once again, she felt that peculiar, gentle ripple of consciousness distinct from the forest's baseline background noise.
This time, rather than defaulting to hostility, she hesitated for a moment before taking several tentative steps toward the source of the resonance—the very cavern where Rei-kun's squad lay concealed.
Rei Ayanami-kun emerged slowly from the cavern's shadows, her palms turned upward in an open display of harmless intent.
Shinji-kun, Asuka, and the others remained inside the cave mouth, staying out of sight while standing ready to intervene.
Spotting Rei, Tsu'tey's expression grew deeply conflicted.
Stopping about ten meters away, she spoke in halting, fractured English: "Why... you... come back? Here... very dangerous."
"We... wish to understand more," Rei Ayanami-kun assembled her words with care, keeping her tone soft so as not to startle her. "About... your loss. About... how to... prevent more... sorrow."
Tsu'tey fell silent, her gaze dropping to a small bundle Rei had placed on the earth nearby. Inside were small, synthetic stone keepsakes crafted by David using non-luminescent, smooth composite materials, alongside high-energy, non-irritating nutrient pastes shaped to resemble native Pandora fruits.
These were tokens of goodwill prepared under Ryo's instructions.
"More sorrow..." Tsu'tey echoed the phrase, a spasm of raw pain crossing her face. "Sky People's machines... every day... make sorrow. Forest is shrinking, animals flee, the children... cannot sleep."
Her voice resonated with suppressed fury and deep helplessness.