A New Mission: Ash to Fire

Approval

Back at Bridgehead—General Ardmore, Charles Stringer, Parker Selfridge, and Major Laurent were sitting at the large desk in Ardmore's office which overlooked the Command Center. They were discussing Bridgehead defense affairs, how to get their supply routes back online, and how Sully's daughter could be used despite their non-received transmissions into the Hallelujah Mountains. Lieutenant Korman then knocked on the clear glass door of the large office, all turning to face him. Ardmore gestured for him to enter.

"General," Lieutenant Korman said, holding his holo-tablet.

"Yes, Lieutenant?"

"The Colonel is on his way back from Dragon's Tail, he left us a transmission."

"Do you have it?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Alright, play it."

Lieutenant Korman pressed a few buttons on his tablet and Miles' message played.

After it finished, Major Laurent frustratingly huffed, softly slamming his hand on the desk, and remarked, "Oh great, he's bringing the in-laws now. What's next? We gonna have to accommodate a litter of blue alien pups as well?"

Parker looked uncomfortable at the derogatory words and shot the Major a soft glare at this unnecessary statement which he didn't notice. Parker had done a lot of self-reflecting since returning to Pandora and interacting with Miles in his recombinant form. His old friend, in the body of a being that both of them used to deride back in Hell's Gate, Parker even taking to calling them "blue monkeys".

But he 'knew' they were a people, sure.

Parker even had some Omatikaya-crafted items in his office that were actually presented as gifts to the RDA in the earliest days of Hell's Gate, before shit started to really hit the fan and tensions rose. He even vividly recalls giving Jake Sully an additional chance to evacuate his "girlfriend" and the Omatikaya people from their Home Tree, accommodating Jake's and Grace Augustine's pleas that there were children and families inside.

Parker had a genuine degree of acknowledgment of Na'vi as human-like beings, but he had a corporate bottom line to care about first and foremost. But with knowing the new Miles, the other recombinants, and meeting Zu... in hindsight, he felt that things could have and should have been done differently. Better. Maybe. However, Parker also realized it was, ironically, his old friend Miles Quaritch, who truly despised Na'vi, yet whose very new Na'vi form caused all of this self-reflection for Parker, who would have made doing things different or better very difficult. And he died for it.

Parker pulled away from his musings when he heard the General speak.

"Calm down, Major," the General responded firmly. "These are the leaders of the people who are trained on our weapons, embrace technology, including our own, and are not friendly with Sully's brand of Na'vi. Not to mention their daughter was stabbed in their latest... interaction with Sully."

Stringer then chimed in, "There's also the economic value of mining the island chain they live on which can additionally finance our affairs considering we're a little stalled in the Amrita and unobtanium department at the moment."

The Major just let out an irritated, "Hm," his mouth downturned in a displeased expression.

The General continued. "They are valuable people for us to make acquaintance with directly." She looked at Korman. "Lieutenant, oblige the Colonel's escort request. As far as accommodations go... I infer he doesn't think their converted drone hangar is good enough for these leaders... I am inclined to agree."

Ardmore thought for a moment, her hands clasped together on the desk. She then asked the group, "Any ideas?"

Major Laurent, Stringer, and Lieutenant Korman were quiet.