"Very well, children, organize yourselves, please; the lesson is about to begin." I was once again in my school, a place I had come to love in incredible ways, and where I had created a bond with several children of the Omaticaya clan.
Tsu'tey, one of my best students, immediately raised his hand, asking to speak, just as I had taught them, demonstrating how quickly they learned. Giving him permission to speak, Tsu'tey asked cheerfully, "What will today's class be about? The previous one was about the fauna of Earth, but it wasn't complete." I let a smile bloom on my face. Perhaps in the previous years I had started the school as a means for the Na'vi to learn about us humans, but that simply hadn't continued.
Instead, we humans were the ones who had to learn from the Na'vi. There was so much to see, witness, and live that the perspective of learning from a race living almost on the brink of extinction wasn't appealing. That's why I was surprised when the children absorbed my teachings about Earth's fauna like a sponge soaking up water.
But of course, living in perpetual balance among themselves along with the fauna and flora of their planet would lead to that, and the idea of learning about more creatures different from those they were accustomed to filled them with excitement to learn.
"While I'd like to teach you more about Earth's terrestrial fauna, today I'll teach you about the division between nations, regions, and continents." A wave of groans swept through when I said that, which made me let out a little giggle. "But don't worry; once we get past that topic, we'll talk about the migration of whales and the super-important role that bees play in Earth's ecosystem balance."
"Yippee!" Yes, that was what I loved most about them—that childhood, pure innocence that filled them and kept them away from everything that humanity meant, which made me thoughtful about the moment when humanity lost its humanity.
"Very well, to start, you should know that Earth is divided into seven continents: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and Antarctica. Each of these continents has unique characteristics. For example, Oceania is surrounded by sea on all its borders; the vast majority of Asia and South America is... or well, was infested with forests and jungles; and Africa had the greatest amount of wildlife."
"Why is it no longer like that?" Sylwanin, my oldest student, asked the question that still tormented me. "Earth had overpopulation, as you know—it's when the number of inhabitants in a place exceeds the limit of space, sustenance, and viability for a dignified life. Because of this, they started building and deforesting large forests to construct more cities. This caused oxygen levels to drop, global warming to increase, and many animal species to go extinct."
"But didn't they have a balance? Eywa has always taken care of it, and we Na'vi also protect the sacred balance. Why didn't the humans do the same?" Well, that was a difficult question—so many egos, so many wallets to fill, that they let life on Earth wither.
"You should know that just as there are clans here on Pandora, on Earth there are countries, and each one looks after its own interests. Many weren't interested in caring for the planet but in gaining more power. Some even closed themselves behind their borders, became super territorial, and cut ties with the others."
"Like the Subaiya," Neytiri said, as if she had just discovered a secret. Sylwanin immediately scolded her, which made her frown. "The Subaiya? Who are they?" My question made Sylwanin look at Neytiri with reproach, which led me to turn to her. "Sylwanin, is there something I should know?"
Sylwanin was reluctant but decided to tell me. "The Subaiya are the largest clan that Pandora has, or at least that's what we know. They are very respected and feared by all the clans. Some of them even become Palulukan Makto, though not much is known. Their settlement is very close to the Ayram alusìng, but beyond that, I don't know more about them—only that they closed themselves off to everyone after the time of great pain. Since then, they have rarely been seen. We don't usually talk much about them, and like that country you mentioned, the Subaiya don't allow other Na'vi from the other clans to enter their territory."
That was certainly new. While we had been on Pandora for about twenty-eight years, many secrets and aspects of the place were still unknown to us. We might know how many continents there were, but many areas of those continents remained uninvestigated. As for the Ayram alusìng, that area represented the greatest amount of electromagnetic, energetic, and gravitational activity on Pandora, only slightly surpassed by the areas where the Trees of Souls were located.
So perhaps that's why the Subaiya clan hadn't been discovered yet. It was at that moment that I remembered those two young Na'vi with the Thanator in the Ayram alusìng on the day we moved to sector 26. Could it be possible?
It might be that the coincidence stemmed from the Ayram alusìng being a sacred area for the Na'vi, and even there the initiation rites were carried out, but... what if there was also a Thanator with them? Two coincidences were too many, especially considering that Sylwanin had said several from the Subaiya clan were Palulukan Makto. Now I understood why they were feared and respected.
The Thanator was considered Pandora's most dangerous land animal, and if you didn't believe it, you could always ask Quaritch about that. It had no known predators, which made it the greatest danger for human incursions in Pandora's jungle. And now you were telling me there were Na'vi who could bond with them?
The mere fact of knowing that sent a shiver down my spine. If a trained Na'vi who knew Pandora's jungle was dangerous, add a killing machine to it and you'd have a powerful enemy to face if you ever angered him.
And that wasn't the only issue, but also the fact that it was Pandora's largest clan. Until now, the largest discovered clans were the Omaticaya, the Kukulkay, and the Anurai, with the first two being the largest, totaling seven hundred and one thousand two hundred members respectively, according to satellite images. We also had to consider that there were hundreds of clans spread across all of Pandora's continents, and holding the title of Pandora's largest clan was an important matter.
One that undoubtedly needed investigation. "Well, let's hope the Subaiya change their mindset and open up to the rest as they once did. In the meantime, we'll continue with the lesson."
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The door of the genesis chamber opened, allowing me to get up after having been lying down for more than ten hours. This was what I hated most—the hangover that returning caused. "Where's my cigarette?" I asked the air. They couldn't even do that right; what a disappointment.
It seemed more and more that the researchers they brought in were less qualified. "Here you go, Dr. Grace." Finally, someone quick.
"Contact Dr. Max Patel immediately," I ordered, getting out of the genesis chamber and going to a monitor. "He's already on the line, Dr. Grace!" The man I'd asked to connect me with Max notified me. "Thank you."
Opening the channel, Max's face greeted me. He was in charge of supervising the human minds' synchronization process with their avatar bodies, but he also provided technical advice and support to the team and the Avatar Project, which was why I wanted to talk to him.
"Dr. Grace, a pleasure to see you." With a greeting, we caught up on everything that had happened to both of us, including the project's advances and the Na'vi school.
"Max, the reason I'm calling you is to investigate something." After a few minutes of idle chat, I got to the reason why I'd contacted him. "The vortex area—try to get images of the place, whatever you can. I have a suspicion that we've missed the presence of a large Na'vi clan in that area."
"The vortex?" Max wasn't sure. "Dr. Grace, it's a very large area; it covers more than a thousand square kilometers. Mapping or scanning the entire area will take weeks, not to mention that our systems don't work in that zone—that's why it's called the vortex."
I understood that, but if the largest Na'vi clan on Pandora had been right in front of us all this time, it was reason enough to direct all our teams to try to locate them, and if possible, make contact.
"I know the task isn't easy; use the satellites if necessary. We're on the brink of something big; I can feel it. I think this could be the answers to a deeper understanding between humans and the Na'vi," I explained, urging him to do it. "Alright, Dr. Grace; I'll do everything possible." With that, the communication cut off. As for me, perhaps an expedition near the area where I saw the two Na'vi with the Thanator would be the right move.
Maybe from there I could find clues that would lead me to the Subaiya clan.