Chapter 637: Ryo's Stance
Within Ryo's cognitive framework, the RDA's short-sighted, rapacious, and inefficient operational doctrine was genuinely repulsive.
They lacked long-term strategic foresight and actively destroyed the foundations for viable cooperation, reducing what should have been straightforward resource extraction into a grueling counter-insurgency quagmire. It was an exercise in blundering incompetence that any capable commander would look upon with contempt.
Yet that distaste did nothing to soften the deep-seated vigilance and cold detachment he harbored toward non-human species.
The Na'vi, regardless of how unique their culture and ecology were, remained first and foremost "xenos" in his calculations.
If these blue-skinned natives could accurately assess the board, demonstrating utility and a willingness to cooperate, he would not object to assigning them a place within his overarching framework as a "sanctioned abhuman" or "protectorate species"—provided their existence and planetary resources served the grander strategic interests of humanity.
However, should they prove intransigent, obstinately using the planetary biosphere and the collective consciousness known as "Eywa" as a shield to block resource exploitation—
Then purging such obsolete obstacles, while identifying or engineering more compliant collaborators (whether by fracturing the Na'vi internally or cultivating proxy factions), remained an entirely natural operational alternative.
In his strategic calculus, efficiency and results always superseded process and methodology.
This principle applied just as rigidly to the RDA.
For now, the corporation retained utility: acting as a frontline shield to absorb combat friction, providing local intelligence, and supplying labor for initial strip-mining.
The moment their utility expired—or their presence became a liability to securing core assets—Ryo would not hesitate for a second to replace or absorb them entirely.
His mind operated with the cold precision of interlocking gears.
Subjective emotion could never sway deductions grounded in pure logic and strategic leverage. The current dual-track strategy was the direct manifestation of this philosophy: exploit the RDA, probe the Na'vi, while locating or engineering the exact "critical node" to achieve maximum yield at minimum cost.
Cooperation and extermination were merely two different operational paths to the exact same objective.
Refining the Directives
"The intelligence provided by Dr. Grace is of high value," Ryo spoke in a steady, measured cadence. "It clearly defines the scale of the obstacles ahead, while illuminating potential vectors of exploitation: the Na'vi are not entirely monolithic, and action carries far more weight than words."
His gaze sharpened with intent.
"Our two operational tracks must achieve tighter synchronization. Maine, continue joint military maneuvers with the RDA, but begin systematically harvesting data regarding any destructive plans they are preparing—specifically operations that could drastically escalate native hostilities or cause irreversible trauma to Pandora's ecology. We require early warning to stage covert, limited counter-measures if necessary."
He turned his focus toward Rei Ayanami-kun's detachment:
"Maintain your operational link with Dr. Grace. She serves as a vital intelligence hub and may evolve into an internal liaison when the board shifts. Furthermore, recalibrate your contact protocols with Tsu'tey using the sociological data Grace provided. During your next approach, introduce actionable, concrete intelligence—such as signaling our awareness of pending RDA offensives and establishing our distinct stance on the matter."
Ryo's strategic design was growing more proactive and granular.
No longer content with passive observation, he was positioning his assets to exploit information asymmetries and impending escalations, actively shaping the battlefield. He would leverage the pressure exerted by the RDA while engineering a controlled, visible divergence from them—demonstrating to individual Na'vi like Tsu'tey that a distinct faction of Sky People existed.
The Looming Strike
Inside the Trailblazer mobile base, Ryo's directives were swiftly translated into operational mandates.
During subsequent tactical sessions with Colonel Quaritch, Maine paid close attention to military deployment plans casually mentioned in conversation.
Relying on growing rapport and shared professional military jargon, Maine uncovered that RDA Security was actively organizing a "clearance operation" targeting a critical hunting territory belonging to the Omaticaya clan.
The pretext was suppressing frequent native ambushes on RDA survey teams, backed by subsurface telemetry indicating exceptionally rich veins of Unobtanium.
The strike package would deploy the newly formed Hellfire Squad alongside multiple AMP suits, intending to use concentrated kinetic shock to force the Na'vi to abandon the sector entirely.
"The scale of this operation far exceeds prior patrol sweeps and localized skirmishes," Maine briefed Ryo. "Quaritch intends to permanently neutralize native combat capability in that sector to secure the strip-mining corridor. If executed, it will thoroughly enrage the Omaticaya clan, likely triggering an all-out war across the theater."
Almost simultaneously, Rei-kun's detachment corroborated this intelligence through indirect inquiries via Dr. Grace, cross-referenced against Lucy's signal intercepts of unencrypted RDA logistics comms.
"The operational window has arrived," Ryo concluded within the command module.
This impending RDA offensive was simultaneously a localized crisis and a prime vector to demonstrate that tangible divergence to the Na'vi.
The key lay in delivering the warning to Tsu'tey, ensuring that she—or those she could influence—understood the alert originated from an alternative faction of Sky People. Mitigating native losses in the coming strike would lay the groundwork for a fragile, calculated trust.
The task fell once again to Rei-kun's detachment.
They were tasked with executing a third—and significantly more perilous—infiltration into the Hometree perimeter to intercept Tsu'tey and relay the intelligence concerning the RDA's impending assault on the hunting grounds.
This time, Ryo provided explicit operational boundaries: "Do not disclose specific intelligence vectors. It is sufficient that she understands an independent faction of Sky People possesses this knowledge and wishes for them to prepare, avoiding pointless slaughter. Emphasize that this warning is entirely divorced from official RDA command."
Bearing this high-risk mandate, Rei Ayanami-kun, Asuka, and Shinji-kun deployed once more.
The atmosphere was considerably heavier than during prior runs.
Every operative understood that compromised cover or a failed transmission would trigger catastrophic consequences.
Relying on Rei-kun's perception of the bio-consciousness field and mapped navigation routes, they slipped past several reinforced Na'vi patrol sweeps, arriving at the familiar shaded hollow near the outskirts of Hometree.
Yet this time, they waited for hours without any sign of Tsu'tey.
"Could something have happened to her? Or is she too afraid to return?" Shinji-kun murmured in a hushed, anxious tone.
"Hold position," Rei Ayanami-kun closed her eyes, attuning her senses to the ambient bio-electric frequencies. "Her emotional signature... remains in the vicinity, but is exceedingly faint. She appears to be deliberately avoiding this area."
Asuka surveyed the glowing foliage with growing restlessness: "We cannot sit here indefinitely; the exposure risk is climbing. Should we create a localized disruption to draw her out?"
"Negative," Rei Ayanami-kun rejected the idea immediately. "Uncontrolled operational variables are far too high."