Inside the core briefing room of the Pioneer mobile base, Dr. Osiris looked at the request for cooperation transmitted by Seze through Rei Ayanami. Not a single trace of surprise showed on his face, as if everything were unfolding precisely as anticipated.
He closed the communication interface and turned toward Maine, Margaret Nearl, Tech-Sergeant Cassius, and Elendil, who were all gathered in the room.
"The Na'vi have finally lowered their proud heads," Osiris's tone was flat, revealing neither anger nor joy. "They have issued a request for cooperation to jointly confront the Predators."
Crossing his arms, Maine asked in a steady voice, "How do we respond?"
"Respond? Of course we respond." Osiris's fingertips glided lightly across the holographic map of Pandora projected in the air. "This is an absolute golden opportunity. The Predators, to us, are not merely enemies—they are an incredibly precious resource. The Yautja Prime lineage elements contained within them are the keys unlocking longevity. Every living Predator is a mobile treasure trove."
His gaze swept across everyone present, ultimately anchoring onto Maine. "Maine, it is time your squad was committed to the fight. But your mission objective is not elimination; it is live capture. Priority targets: Predator young bloods, followed by isolated blooded warriors. I require as many intact, living biological specimens as possible."
Margaret frowned marginally. "Executing a live capture is exponentially more difficult than scoring a kill. This will drastically elevate the risk profile faced by the squad."
"The risks are controllable," Osiris explained. "While the Predators are exceptionally well-equipped, your squad is equally seasoned, and we hold technological advantages they do not factor in. Lady Elendil's psionic perception can counteract their cloaking supremacy to a certain extent. Sergeant Cassius, outfit Maine's squad with non-lethal capture gear: high-tensile electromagnetic net guns, potent sedative dart launchers, and energy-suppression binders. Valerie and Jack's Ironclad mechs will provide heavy fire cover and suppression. But take note—unless absolutely necessary, lethal protocols are to be avoided."
Tech-Sergeant Cassius nodded. "I can modify a selection of servo-skulls to deploy acoustic disruption or flash-bang concussion modules to assist in the capture operations."
Elendil offered an elegant nod. "I can grant the squad short-term psionic tracking tags, rendering cloaked units fully visible on their sensor suites. However, the vector range is limited and cannot be sustained indefinitely."
"That is sufficient." Osiris looked toward Maine. "Remember, your deployment is to assist the Na'vi in their defense, not to resolve their problems for them. The pressure exerted by the Predators onto both the RDA and the Na'vi must be sustained. We need both factions to remain depleted and constrained. Consequently, operations must be precise and selective. Demonstrate our value, but do not display our total capacity. Let the Predator threat remain like a sword of Damocles hanging over their heads, perpetually present."
Grasping Osiris' deeper intent, Maine stated in a deep voice, "Understood. We will operate as a precise scalpel, excising the tissue we require without removing the entire lesion."
"Excellent." Osiris nodded with satisfaction. "Initiate preparations immediately. Contact Seze and define the parameters of our limited support. For the initial deployment, the target is set as a known Predator patrol cell composed of two young bloods and one blooded warrior. The coordinates are within the Spore Forest sector southeast of the Land of Holy Chants. Have the Na'vi hunters coordinate with you, but they are strictly responsible for tracking guidance and perimeter pickets; the core capture execution will be handled entirely by you."
"Sir!" Maine accepted the mandate and turned to depart immediately, rallying his crew to begin pre-combat configurations.
Watching his departing back, a calculated glint flashed through Osiris' eyes. The raw components for the elixir of longevity were beckoning to them, and the chessboard of Pandora was unfolding step by step into the exact configuration he required.
Southeast of the Land of Holy Chants, the Spore Forest.
This sector was blanketed by countless colossal mushrooms towering dozens of meters into the air, alongside fungi emitting faint blue and pale violet luminescence. The air was dense with drifting spores, yielding low visibility within a complex, tranquil environment.
The squad spearheaded by Maine slipped silently into the sector. The complement included Dorio, Rebecca, Pilar, and Valerie piloting her Ironclad mech. According to the architecture of the plan, a vanguard of elite Omaticaya hunters led in person by Seze served as support along the outer perimeter, responsible for locking down the sector and providing early warnings.
Pilar operated a sensor suite briefly enhanced by Elendil's psionic attunement. On his screen, a set of blurred energy signatures was slowly changing position.
"Targets locked. Three signal vectors—two low-tier energy readings, one moderate. Signatures match Predator young bloods and a blooded warrior. Distance: 1.5 kilometers, tracking along a projected hunting vector."
"Maintain separation coordinates; wait for them to enter the kill zone," Maine directed over the encrypted channel.
The ambush site was selected at a relatively open woodland clearing ringed by massive bioluminescent mushrooms, tailored for the Ironclad mech to unleash optimal suppression fire while constricting the Predators' mobility parameters. Exploiting the spore mist and the fungal structures for cover, the squad members established advantageous positions in total silence. Valerie's Ironclad mech crouched low behind the largest mushroom cluster, its massive frame near-seamlessly integrated into the environment, save for the marginal scanning hum emitting from its sensors.
Following a tense wait of nearly half an hour, the targets materialized.
The silhouettes of three Predators phase-shifted into view through the spore mist, seemingly tracking the spoor of some large beast. The two young bloods led the formation, appearing relatively relaxed, while the blooded warrior tracked slightly behind, scanning the surroundings with absolute vigilance.
The moment the three Predators fully stepped into the center of the containment envelope, Maine decisively signaled: "Go!"
Pilar initiated the opening salvo. He activated a powerful electronic warfare disruption pulse, instantly scrambling the energy grids and communication frequencies across the local sector. The Predators' cloaking fields flared with volatile instability; though the camouflage was not entirely stripped away, it caused their silhouettes to warp into visible contours.
Almost simultaneously, Valerie's Ironclad mech snapped upright. The modified multi-tube launcher on its shoulder cluster discharged several specialized, high-tensile alloy capture nets. Tearing through the air with a piercing shriek, they blanketed down toward the two young bloods!
The sudden assault caught the two young bloods entirely off guard. One of them reacted with greater speed, snapping out his wrist blades to slash at the netting lines, but the alloy weave was exceptionally resilient; it merely threw off a few sparks as it bound him tightly, bringing him crashing to the ground. The alternative young blood was snared squarely by the net, thrashing violently but failing to break free.
The blooded warrior reacted with terrifying velocity. The exact instant the disruption registered and the Ironclad revealed itself, he had already snapped his shoulder cannon around, discharging a superheated plasma beam straight at the mech's cockpit!
However, Valerie was fully prepared. The Ironclad's heavy armored buckler shifted into position just in time, and the beam detonated against the shield in a blinding sphere of plasma fire, failing to punch through.
"Suppress the blooded unit! Secure the young bloods!" Maine bellowed.
He opened fire alongside Dorio, their dense barrages of smart-ammunition forming a continuous wall of lead over the blooded warrior's position, forcing him to continuously alter coordinates and evade, neutralizing his ability to offer effective support to the snared young bloods.
Meanwhile, Rebecca lunged forward like a cheetah, her specialized dart rifle tracking the young blood who was attempting to cut his net lines, discharging several high-yield sedative darts in rapid succession. The darts struck the seals of the young blood's neck armor, injecting a highly concentrated tranquilizer payload. The young blood's movements slowed and stiffened to the naked eye; within seconds, his thrashing ceased entirely, and he slumped unconscious onto the dirt.
The alternative snared young blood was systematically neutralized moments later by Dorio's precise sedative dart placement.