LOG-015.This was insane. She was insane for doing this."Kids? Come on, you need to get up. Let's go, up up up!"No. No she wasn't. She'd be insane if she did anything but this."Alma?"Those were the primary thoughts running through one Alma Cortez's mind as she hastily encouraged a gaggle of Na'vi children to get properly dressed."Yes, it's me! Come on Nor, you need to get up!"The instructions had been abundantly clear, get to the sleeping area, lock herself inside, arm herself and the kids (something Mercer's damned training sessions ensured they could handle, at least), and then keep anyone outside until the appropriate pass phrase was given."What's going on!?"So as bleary eyed youngsters slowly awoke and stared in shock at the cart of stolen guns she'd just wheeled inside, Alma did nothing but continue spouting vague words of encouragement, even as the distant sound of gunfire drew flinches from everyone present."It's fine! Now grab some guns! Everything is going to be just fine!"…Good lord if she didn't sound insane though..—I sipped at the coffee, features twisting in a way that was presumably amusing enough to pull a chuckle out of Parker as I examined the taste.Not everything was a one to one when it came to food, now that I was trying stuff out with inherently alien tastebuds. Some items I couldn't even eat anymore, not without extremely careful preparation. And while some things tasted similar, others…"Eugh, it's so bitter."The man sitting across from me shrugged, even as the hustle and bustle of the cafeteria around us kept the air from getting too quiet. Of course we had our own little separated table, perks of being higher up in the command chain, but that didn't stop me from leaning to the side slightly as a pair of excited girls sprinted by, tails whipping through the air and giggling all the way as a marine chased after them, shouting apologies as he went."Well I mean, that's coffee! Figured your whole inherited memories schtick would have let you pick up on that."Idly watching the trio and realising the girls had apparently stolen the man's hat, I observed them until they sprinted out through one of the cafeteria's entrances, before shrugging."I have memories of drinking it as a human. This is different. And something tells me no amount of milk or sugar will fix it."Parker seemed to digest that for a moment, before shrugging, even as he chewed on some vague, chicken-esque substance that may or may not have once belonged to the local wildlife."Yeah well, least you can eat other stuff, right?"Shooting the man an amused glance, I gestured towards him with the almost comically small fork held in my free hand."True, true."The implement then stabbed down into my own meal, namely a solid slice of hexapede that some Kyra'metahunters had brought in (K'seeli was a hypocrite, and had begun growling at anyone who so much as looked at the compound bow a few RDA engineers had decided to gift her), before lifting it to hover just beyond my lips.Perhaps it was the flash of my fangs, or something else that prompted Parker's eyes to widen slightly, whatever it was, I put it out of my mind for the moment, taking on a contemplative tone."Though I've only explored taste so far. I do wonder how other human experiences stack up, when done by a Na'vi."The executive remained silent in the face of that, and so with an amused huff, I took a bite.—"Now gentlemen, let me make things quite clear. You, have betrayed my trust."The scarred figure made for a rather compelling sight, particularly considering he was currently walking back and forth inside of an AMP suit, surrounded by several dozen other armed figures, who in turn were all surrounding a long line of soldiers, their arms held above their heads."Enhanced military hardware. Secret operations. Subverting the chain of command. Mister…Mercer, was it?"The scarred man turned to glance at a particularly bloodied individual, bruised face scarcely recognisable, not made any better by the fact that he was currently only standing due to being held up by a pair of Secops marines."Right, him. You don't report to him. You report to me. Except you didn't, now did ya? That's why I've had to go and kill the two thirds of you idiots that decided you'd rather go down fighting than own up to your fuckup. That's why I had to stomp your direct superior officer flat. And that's why you're in this mess now."Anything further was interrupted as a new group emerged from a nearby building, consisting of a pair of marines, a scientist, and several adolescent Na'vi.Quaritch's eyebrows rose at the sight, before he locked in on one of the soldiers."Wainfleet. Get me a sitrep?"The masked man exchanged glances with the scientist practically hiding behind him, and who most of the kids were in turn hiding behind despite taller than, before looking up at his commanding officer."Internal collaborators and charges are secure, sir. Even if Doctor Cortez here nearly blew Michael's head off before I gave the all clear code."The explanation actually managed to earn an embarrassed blush from beneath the researcher's own mask, even as the gaggle of natives behind her stared at anything and everything around them with equal parts wariness and wonder.Quaritch considered that for a long moment, before slowly nodding."Well alright then. Now I want this all wrapped up and dealt with. I want our assets secured. I want this place ripped apart for intel and resources, and I want it all done in time for dinner. So!"Before anyone could react, the frankly obscenely large knife strapped to the AMP suit's side was unsheathed and thrown, the massive shard of metal quite literally spearing through most of Mercer's chest before embedding itself into the ground, leaving the man to barely let loose an exhalation of air before the two men holding him finally reacted and let go.The rogue element slid further down the blade from there, staining it red before finally coming to a stop in a less than graceful pose, pinned in place as he was by the knife."Everyone who participated in this, save for Doctor Cortez there, will be receiving a major dock to their pay. Hell, you'll probably owe the RDA your lives after this, both literally and monetarily. But you'll get to live to make up for this absolute fuckup, and frankly…"More than a few of the prisoners shivered at the amused grin being shot at them from the AMP's cockpit, its operator seeming all too pleased at having gotten the chance to take a few human lives for once."I think I'm being quite generous in that regard. Lyle! Get those civvies in the transports and get em outta here! We have some salvaging to do!""Sir yes sir!"—"So yeah, that's your bank account set up. Was a bitch and a half to do considering the literal interstellar distances, but I managed to get my dad to-oop, one sec."We were back in the main command center now, though things were mostly quiet at the moment, even as Selfridge swivelled around in the spinny chair he'd chosen to appropriate for himself, what I could only describe as some bastardised hybrid of a phone and radio in his hand currently held up to his ear."Yeah. Yeah. Alright, well send 'em over! Let me know when you've landed? Good, good. Alright."Negotiations with the Omatikaya were ongoing (mostly consisting of the clan figuring themselves out and what they wanted me to say on their behalf), and half the damn base (not really, but there were enough people missing to notice the difference) was gone for Quaritch's operation, though judging by my counterpart's pleased smirk, there was soon to be good news on that front."Good news on the whole Mercer front! Quaritch handled it! Anyway yeah, back to the accounts."Smiling at the man, I listened as he described the intricate web of bullshit that had gone into getting a Na'vi an actually usable bank account, one associated with the RDA, even if I technically had my own citizenship now."Regardless, you've gotten paid! You have money! And a decent chunk all things considered."Selfridge paused, blinking."...What are you even gonna spend money on?"Adopting a contemplative expression, I shrugged my shoulders, nodding at one of the sensor technicians who passed us by before turning back to Parker."Food. Clothes. Maybe I'll get a fancy Na'vi sized cocktail dress or something. What about you, mister rich? Any plans?"Whatever his response to my (not quite entirely) joking statement might have been (he'd seemed ready to make a comment about the dress part, which...yeah, predictable), it was immediately replaced by his desire to explain something else, light in his eyes as he leaned back in his seat and began gesticulating with his hands."Oh, well I pushed through a little bit of the redtape and got myself my very own avatar lined up! It's en route with the next shipment now!"My eyebrows rose slightly, even as I nodded."That sounds like a good idea. Gives you a safe chance to explore the environment, try the local cuisine, experience Pandora on a more personal level. Plus…"Parker's own nods slowly halted as I stalked over, taking up a position directly behind his chair before leaning over slightly, one hand coming to rest atop his head and giving it a brief pat as I loomed directly above him."From what I've heard of the other avatar pilots, once you go blue, nothing else will do…"I maintained the pose for a long moment, staring at my counterpart's almost impossibly wide eyes with my own slightly lidded ones, before someone on the other side of the room, a woman, let out a notably loud scoff."Oh would you just fuck him already?! I could write a whole ass romcom about this shit!"It was with a smug smirk of my own that I finally let go of a now visibly stunned Parker and stepped back, seamlessly adopting an innocent expression with my tail swaying behind me as the entire command center erupted into boisterous laughter.