Chapter 641: Secret Alliance
Finally, at the darkest hour just before dawn, a slender, athletic blue silhouette slipped into the rock fissure as silently as a wraith.
It was Tsu'tey. Her eyes were a storm of vigilance, exhaustion, and a sliver of resolute determination.
"You truly came," Tsu'tey's voice was barely a whisper, ragged with rapid breaths. "The clan is crawling with watchful eyes now. Eytukan and Tsu'tey have tightened the guard; every unusual movement is reported immediately."
"We understand the gravity of the situation," Rei Ayanami-kun looked at her evenly. "Regarding the losses in the Eastern Valley... we express our regret."
Tsu'tey's body trembled slightly. Biting her lower lip, a spasm of raw anguish flashed through her golden eyes: "Regret? Seventy-three warriors... and more than a dozen young ones who had not even reached adulthood... Their lives cannot be dismissed with a mere word of regret!" Her voice rose with suppressed agitation. "You... you clearly knew the terror of that weapon! Why... why couldn't you stop them?!"
Standing to the side, Asuka could not hold back, her tone carrying an impatient edge: "Hey! We warned you beforehand! You were the ones who chose to set up an ambush! Are you blaming us for that?"
"Asuka," Rei Ayanami-kun checked her softly. She then turned her gaze back to Tsu'tey. "We cannot alter the decisions of the RDA. We do not stand as one with them. What we can do is provide intelligence to help you... make choices more conducive to survival."
Tsu'tey drew several deep breaths, forcing her emotions under control.
She recognized that although Asuka's words were abrasive, they held a measure of truth.
Looking at Rei Ayanami-kun, she spoke in a grave tone: "The clan... is different now. Many remain consumed by fury, demanding vengeance. But others... like myself and Tanuu, we do not wish to see our kin throw their lives away pointlessly."
She paused, her gaze hardening with resolve. "We need more intelligence. The Sky People... the RDA—what are they planning next? Where are their weaknesses? We... we want to know everything that can help us protect our people."
In accordance with Ryo's instructions, Rei Ayanami-kun responded: "We can share certain intelligence within our knowledge. However, the exchange of information must run in both directions. We also need to understand you, understand Eywa, and comprehend the true power and... internal divisions of the clan."
At that moment, a fragile, clandestine alliance was tentatively forged in the shadows.
It rested upon a mutual necessity for survival—though driven by radically different motives—and the growing reliance of Tsu'tey's splinter faction upon the unique intelligence capabilities of these "distinct Sky People."
Rei Ayanami-kun's detachment secured an observational window into the internal workings of Na'vi society, while Tsu'tey found a perilous, uncertain avenue of recourse for her reform-minded circle.
Covert Dead Drops and Intelligence Flow
Following that hazardous dawn rendezvous, an exceedingly fragile and unstable intelligence pipeline was quietly established between the expedition team and the Na'vi splinter group led by Tsu'tey.
The method of communication demanded absolute secrecy.
Typically, Tsu'tey or her most trusted confidant, Tanuu, would carve brief marks into the inner bark of specific, inconspicuous trees, or cache messages beneath designated stones bearing subtle etchings.
Rei Ayanami-kun's squad would then risk exposure to retrieve these drops during agreed-upon time windows.
The contents of these exchanges were meticulously curated and processed by both sides.
Through this channel, Rei-kun's squad progressively acquired granular details regarding the internal hierarchy of the Omaticaya clan: Chief Eytukan's leadership remained secure, anchored primarily by the veteran hunters and core warrior caste. The fierce young warrior Tsu'tey spearheaded the militant youth faction, his influence expanding rapidly among the younger generation.
Meanwhile, the faction coalescing around the mother Tsu'tey and Tanuu consisted largely of hunters who had witnessed the carnage in the Eastern Valley, along with their kin, and artisans or gatherers exhausted by endless conflict who prioritized everyday tribal survival. Their numbers were growing slowly, though their voices remained muffled during public councils.
Additionally, Tsu'tey supplied coordinates for non-critical resource nodes the tribe relied upon—several stable hunting zones, gathering grounds for specific medicinal flora, and an uncontaminated freshwater spring.
While these did not constitute core secrets, they enabled the expedition team to construct a comprehensive map of the Na'vi's societal framework and ecological dependencies.
In exchange, under Ryo's explicit authorization, Rei-kun's squad "leaked" sanitized, actionable intelligence regarding RDA movements to Tsu'tey.
This included routine patrol vectors and timetables (to prevent direct skirmishes) or advance rumors concerning areas of upcoming RDA survey interest (allowing them to evacuate early).
These disclosures were calibrated with extreme care: they demonstrated clear operational value to validate Tsu'tey's faction while never compromising RDA core assets or hindering the expedition team's primary objectives.
Probing the Core
However, when it came to the core mysteries of Eywa, Tsu'tey remained resolutely tight-lipped.
It was the sacred cornerstone of Na'vi existence; no matter how desperately she sought intelligence, she dared not cross that line.
She offered only vague mentions that Eywa's will rippled through the Tree of Souls and the planetary neural network, soothing her children and maintaining the ecological balance.
"We require far more concrete data," Ryo observed after reviewing Rei Ayanami-kun's milestone report. "Specifically regarding the exact mechanics of the Eywa consciousness field, and whether physical core nodes or vulnerabilities exist. This dictates whether we can truly comprehend—and potentially influence—the planetary ecological will."
He gazed at the holographic projection of Pandora on the main display, his eyes deep and calculating.
"Concurrently, Maine's infiltration of the RDA must intensify. Quaritch and Parker Selfridge are not unified. Parker fixates on operating costs and profit margins, while Quaritch pursues total military solutions. We can exploit this friction."
He instructed Maine that during operational discussions with Quaritch, he should casually vent about Parker's "penny-pinching" in logistical distribution and his "bureaucratic interference" in military operations—subtly driving a wedge between the two and laying the groundwork for future deep-level cooperation that bypassed Parker entirely.
On another front, Ryo commanded the technical division to accelerate decoding of the Na'vi neural interface frequencies. Drawing upon the baseline principles of Avatar technology secured from Dr. Grace, they were to initiate reverse-engineering and adaptability research.
The strategic value of a synthetic link chassis belonging exclusively to the expedition team—potentially operating without requiring native Na'vi genetic templates—or an array capable of spoofing and disrupting neural transmission signals was self-evident.
Beneath the calm exterior, the undercurrents grew increasingly turbulent.
Like seasoned puppeteers, the expedition team carried out simultaneous infiltration and subversion within both opposing factions:
Against the Na'vi, they exploited internal fractures through information control, guiding the natives along vectors favorable to their own agenda.
Against the RDA, they capitalized on corporate infighting and deepened military ties, steering RDA firepower into direct confrontations with the natives to carve out operational room for their own gains.
Standing before the primary console of the Trailblazer, Ryo looked upon the star chart as if it were a vast chessboard.
The Na'vi, the RDA, Dr. Grace... all were pieces positioned across the board.
Methodically laying his traps, he waited for the precise moment to pull the net tight, bringing every resource and ancient secret of Pandora entirely under his dominion.
The ripples stirred by the crushing defeat in the Eastern Valley were steadily spreading under his orchestration, reshaping the momentum of the entire game.