Finally, as the darkest hour before dawn approached, a slender, agile blue figure slipped silently into the stone crevice like a ghost.
It was Sutai. Her eyes were filled with vigilance, exhaustion, and a hint of... resolve.
"You really came," Sutai said, her voice kept extremely low, her breathing shallow and hurried. "There are eyes everywhere in the clan now. Eytukan and Tsu'tey have tightened security; any unusual movement will be reported."
"We understand," Rei Ayanami said, looking at her calmly. "We are sorry for the casualties in the Eastern Valley."
Sutai's body shuddered slightly. She bit her lower lip, pain flashing through her golden eyes. "Sorry? Seventy-three warriors... and over a dozen underage children... their lives cannot be brushed aside with a simple 'we are sorry'!" Her voice shook with suppressed emotion. "You... you clearly knew how terrifying those weapons were! Why... why couldn't you stop them?!"
Standing to the side, Asuka couldn't help but speak up, her tone tinged with impatience. "Hey! We warned you! You were the ones who chose to set an ambush! Are you blaming us now?"
"Asuka," Rei softly chided her, then turned her gaze back to Sutai. "We cannot stop the RDA's decisions. We are not one with them. What we can do is provide information to help you... make choices that are better for your survival."
Sutai took a few deep breaths, struggling to calm her emotions. She knew that as harsh as Asuka's words were, they were, in some ways, the truth. She looked at Rei and said in a low voice, "The clan... is different now. Many are still angry and want revenge. But there are others... like Tanuu and myself, who do not want to see our people die in vain."
She paused, her eyes growing firm. "We need more information. The Sky People... the RDA, what do they plan to do next? Where are their weaknesses? We... we want to know anything that can help us protect our people."
Rei gave her response as instructed by Osiris: "We can share some of the information we have. But the exchange of information must be mutual. We also need to understand you, understand Eywa, and understand the clan's true strength... and its divisions."
A fragile secret alliance in the shadows was thus tentatively established. It was built on a shared need for survival (though driven by entirely different motives) and the reliance of Sutai's small faction on the "unusual Sky People's" intelligence capabilities.
Rei's group secured a window to peer into the inner workings of Na'vi society, while Sutai found a highly uncertain and dangerous path forward for her small group seeking change.
Since that perilous pre-dawn meeting, an extremely fragile and unstable information channel had been quietly established between the exploration team and the internal Na'vi faction led by Sutai.
The method of communication had to be absolutely hidden. Usually, Sutai or her most trusted hunter, Tanuu, would carve information onto the inner side of specific, inconspicuous tree bark or hide it beneath a rock with a distinctive mark. Rei's group would then risk retrieving it during pre-arranged time windows.
The shared information was carefully filtered and processed by both sides. Through this channel, Rei's group progressively acquired details about the Omaticaya clan's internal structure: Eytukan's authority as chief remained firm, but it relied heavily on the support of the older generation of hunters and core warriors. Tsu'tey represented the radical younger generation, and his influence was steadily expanding among the young braves.
Meanwhile, the faction surrounding Sutai and Tanuu mostly comprised hunters who had survived the Eastern Valley tragedy and their families, as well as weavers and gatherers who were exhausted by the continuous conflict and cared more about the clan's daily survival. Their numbers were growing slowly, but their voices remained faint in public settings.
Additionally, Sutai provided information on key resource areas vital to the clan's survival—several stable hunting grounds, specific harvesting sites for medicinal plants, and a pure water source. While not core secrets, this data helped the exploration team fully understand the Na'vi's social operation and ecological dependencies.
In return, under Osiris's authorization, Rei's group would "leak" processed "intelligence" regarding RDA movements to Sutai. For instance, the routine patrol routes and times of certain squads (to help them avoid direct encounters), or "whispers" of RDA exploration interest in specific sectors (warning them to evacuate early).
This information was meticulously selected; it demonstrated tangible "intelligence value" that helped Sutai's faction avoid risks and solidify her credibility, yet it posed no actual threat to the RDA's core operations or the exploration team's true objectives.
However, Sutai remained tight-lipped regarding core information about "Eywa." That was the cornerstone of Na'vi belief, and no matter how desperate she was for intelligence, she dared not cross that line. She only vaguely mentioned that Eywa's will was transmitted through the Tree of Souls and the neural network sprawling across the planet, comforting the people and regulating the ecosystem.
"We need more specific information," Osiris pointed out after hearing Rei's progress report. "Especially regarding how Eywa's consciousness field operates and whether there are physical core nodes or vulnerabilities. This is crucial for us to truly understand and potentially 'influence' the planetary ecological will."
He looked at the imaging of Pandora on the main display, his gaze deep and calculating.
"At the same time, Maine's infiltration of the RDA must be stepped up. Quaritch and Parker Selfridge are not unified. Parker is focused on cost and profit, while Quaritch seeks a total military solution. We can exploit this."
He instructed Maine to occasionally "complain" about Parker's "stinginess" in resource allocation and his "obstruction" of military operations during his conversations with Quaritch. This subtle wedge would drive a rift between the two and lay the groundwork for deeper, direct cooperation with Quaritch that bypassed Parker in the future.
On the other hand, Osiris also demanded that the technical team accelerate their analysis of the Na'vi's neural connection signals and begin reverse engineering and adaptation research based on the principles of Avatar technology provided by Dr. Grace. A bionic link body "belonging" to the exploration team itself—perhaps without requiring a Na'vi genetic template—or a device capable of mimicking or disrupting the neural connection signals would hold self-evident strategic value.
Beneath the placid surface, the undercurrents surged with increasing violence. The exploration team acted as master manipulators, simultaneously infiltrating and fracturing both opposing sides. For the Na'vi, they exploited internal rifts and used information control to guide them in a direction favorable to the team's goals. For the RDA, they leveraged internal contradictions and strengthened military cooperation, steering their force into direct conflict with the Na'vi to carve out space for their own strategic gain.
Osiris stood before the master console of the Pathfinder, the star map before him resembling a colossal chessboard. The Na'vi, the RDA, Grace—all had become pieces on this board. He was methodically laying out his moves, waiting for the final moment to pull the net closed and bring Pandora's resources and mysteries fully under his control. The ripples originating from the disastrous defeat in the Eastern Valley were steadily spreading under his guidance, altering the entire course of the game.