Maine paid no heed to Asuka's complaining. His gaze locked with Rei's.
Both were seasoned combatants who, despite coming from entirely different operational backgrounds, possessed a razor-sharp intuition for danger.
"Advancing further carries an unacceptable risk profile," Maine stated in a low, heavy voice. "We don't know the exact identity, numbers, or true motives of the attackers. There may be an internal schism within the Omaticaya, or a hostile clan we have yet to map out. We cannot recklessly plunge into more complex terrain until the intelligence is verified."
Rei gave a small nod, concurring with Maine's assessment: "Trust must be established upon a foundation of security. For this ambush, the Omaticaya bear the responsibility of providing safe passage. They need to be informed and render a response."
"Notify them," Maine decided. "Falco, attempt to contact the Omaticaya using the low-frequency signal channel we agreed upon with Seze. Report our coordinates and the encounter. Demand they dispatch a reliable detail to link up with us and provide an explanation for this incident."
"Understood, Boss," Falco replied, immediately returning to the transport's comms console to begin transmission.
Pilar, meanwhile, started tuning his diagnostic gear: "I'll try to extract some actionable data from these captives. Maybe we can pin down exactly who they are and why they targeted us."
Rebecca and Dorio took charge of watching the prisoners and maintaining watch, while Valerie shifted the Sentinel mech to a dominant high point to expand their surveillance envelope.
The wait was protracted.
The Pandoran jungle lapsed back into silence after the brief, violent commotion, but it was a stillness thick with unease. Bioluminescent flora swayed in the deepening dusk like a myriad of prying eyes.
Approximately one hour later, Falco received a reply.
"We have contact. It's Seze. She sounds completely shocked and furious," Falco relayed. "On behalf of Olo'eyktan Eytukan and Tsahìk Mo'at, she extends their most sincere apologies. They were entirely unaware of this and vehemently condemn this violation of the peace protocol. She is personally leading a vanguard of their most trusted warriors to intercept and escort us. Estimated time of arrival is three hours."
The scent of gunsmoke had not entirely dissipated from the valley, lingering alongside the characteristically cloying sweetness of Pandoran soil and a thin trace of blood. Relying on their temporary breastworks and the silent Sentinel mech, Maine's squad maintained a tight perimeter defense. Their sharp gazes pierced the gathering night, scanning every shadow rippling with bioluminescent flora.
Rei had already safely stowed the tesseract. She stood beside Maine, not resting her eyes but slightly knitting her brow. Her crimson irises, appearing exceptionally profound in the dim light, seemed to be straining to capture invisible data drifting through the air.
Maine looked over at her: "What do you think?"
"I sense a potent residue of malice," her cool voice cut through the silence, addressing Maine. "Chaotic, fanatical—but entirely distinct from the consciousness fluctuations of the Omaticaya warriors we interfaced with previously. Source—cannot be precisely identified."
This confirmed she perceived a variance, but could not immediately verify the specific identity of the ambushers.
"Their style is different too," Maine muttered, kneeling down to nudge a crude bone arrow deeply embedded in the transport's armor plating with the tip of his combat knife. "The weaponry is primitive, but the assault was suicidal. They act like brainwashed zealots." He stood up, slapping his hands clean. "They knew our vector. This wasn't a chance encounter."
Dorio returned from a flanking sweep, murmuring: "The ambush node was chosen hastily, and their track discipline was sloppy, but their commitment was absolute."
Asuka, thoroughly bored, kicked a loose stone at her feet. She strolled over to the visibly restless Shinji Ikari, nudging him with her shoulder: "Hey, Third Child. Do you think those big blue giants coming to 'escort' us are actually in league with the ones who just jumped us? What if they're staging a whole show to lure us into a deathtrap?"
Shinji instinctively shrank back, his voice tentative: "I... I don't think so? Miss Seze helped us before, didn't she? And... Miss Rei said the feeling was completely different..."
"A feeling? Can a feeling put food on the table or deflect an arrow?" Asuka scoffed, though she still reflexively checked the flash-grenades and flare signals secured at her waist. "Either way, I don't trust them."
Rei did not participate in their discourse. Her focus was concentrated heavily on the jungle's consciousness network extending into the distance. She could sense a few benevolent, relatively familiar fluctuations closing fast, but the "imprint" of distorted hatred left behind by the attackers still clung to the periphery of her senses like a stain, serving as a persistent reminder of latent danger.
Every minute of the three-hour wait felt exceptionally drawn out.
When the distant, resonant cry of an Ikran finally echoed, followed by the rustle of foliage as Na'vi warriors moved rapidly through the canopy, everyone tensed. Re-entering a combat-ready state, their fingers quietly drifted back to their triggers.
Seze's silhouette was the first to burst through the jungle line, her features painted with anxiety and rage. Her gaze rapidly swept across the engagement site; the moment her eyes locked onto the restrained captives smeared with sinister war paint, her face turned absolutely livid.
"Rei! Maine!" She practically lunged forward, her voice raspy with emotion. "By the breath of Eywa, this was absolutely not the work of the Omaticaya!"
She spun violently toward a captive, closely scrutinizing his bone ornaments and distinct tribal markings, the fury in her eyes burning hotter. "It is the Split-Claw! Those madmen who have abandoned the Way of Balance! They entrench themselves within the putrid bogs of the east, hostile to any kin who interface with the world beyond!"
Taking a deep breath to forcefully suppress her anger, she turned back to Rei and Maine. She placed her right hand over her chest, executing a formal Na'vi salute, her tone somber and resolute: "To allow honored guests to be assaulted upon our land due to our internal strife is an undeniable disgrace to the Omaticaya. I, Seze, alongside Olo'eyktan Eytukan and Tsahìk Mo'at, extend our deepest apologies. We shall hunt this to the end and severely punish these transgressors who break the peace!"
Her gaze swept over every member of the Seekers present, finally anchoring onto Rei's face: "Now, please permit us to escort you to the Land of Holy Chants. The Olo'eyktan and Tsahìk have prepared pure water and sustenance, eagerly awaiting the return of the Sacred Tree. I pledge my life and honor that for the remainder of this journey, no hazard shall be permitted within half a step of you!"
Maine and Rei exchanged another look. Seze's emotion was genuine, her identification of the attackers provided critical intelligence, and the escort detail she had brought was composed entirely of elites, demonstrating sufficient sincerity.
"We accept your explanation and escort detail, Seze," Maine stated calmly.
Rei gave a marginal nod, adding: "We hope the threat of the Split-Claw will not compromise our mutual protocol." She had not entirely discarded her vigilance, but chose a conclusion based on the immediate facts.
"Never!" Seze responded categorically.
Under the rigid guard of more than twenty of the Omaticaya's finest warriors, the convoy set out once more, proceeding deep into the river valley leading toward the Land of Holy Chants. However, the shadow of the ambush had not entirely dispersed. The hostility of the Split-Claw Clan remained like a venomous serpent lurking in the dark, and the journey to return the Hometree was now officially swept into a deeper vortex of internal Na'vi conflict.