But he couldn't stay. Not yet.
Every seven days, he had to link back to his human body and report to Commander Thorne. The link chamber was in a hidden cave, equipped with equipment the Omaticaya didn't know about. It was his secret, his betrayal, his shame.
The seventh day came.
He made an excuse to Seri—sickness, fatigue, the need to be alone—and slipped away from the village. The cave was an hour's walk, hidden behind a waterfall. Inside, the equipment hummed with artificial life.
He lay down on the link bed. Closed his eyes.
And woke in the cold, sterile body of Corporal Kaelen.
The pain was back. The paralysis. The weight of ten years of sitting still. He gasped, choked, nearly vomited from the shock of it. Dr. Vance was there, her face concerned.
"Easy, easy. The first transition is always hard. Your body needs time to adjust."
"Adjust?" Kaelen's voice was a croak. "It feels like dying."
"That's because your Avatar body is healthier. Stronger. Your human body feels like a prison by comparison." She helped him sit up. "The Commander is waiting."
Thorne was in the next room, studying holographic maps of the forest. He looked up as Kaelen entered.
"Report."
Kaelen hesitated. What could he say? I've learned to feel the planet's heartbeat. I've touched the memories of the dead. I've started to see the world through her eyes.
He said none of that.
"The clan is called the Omaticaya," he began. "They live in a massive tree they call Hometree. Their population is several thousand, maybe more. They're hunter-gatherers, no technology beyond bows and spears. Their social structure is tribal, led by a matriarch named Anya."
Thorne nodded, making notes. "Weaknesses?"
"What?"
"Military weaknesses. How do we defeat them?"
Kaelen's stomach turned. "They're not an enemy, sir. They're just... people. Living their lives."
Thorne's eyes narrowed. "They killed six of my people, Corporal. They destroyed a survey team worth millions of credits. They are standing on top of the largest deposit of unobtanium on this planet. They are absolutely the enemy." He leaned forward. "Tell me their weaknesses."
Kaelen thought of Hometree. Of the hundreds of families living in its branches. Of the children playing on its platforms. Of the old ones sitting in its shade.
"Fire," he said quietly. "Their homes are made of wood and vine. Fire would destroy them."
Thorne smiled. It was not a pleasant smile.
"Good. Keep learning. Keep reporting. In three months, we move."
Kaelen nodded. But as he lay back on the link bed, as his consciousness flowed back into his Avatar body, he made a silent promise to the forest, to the people, to her.
I'll find a way to stop them. I swear it.