Chapter 28: Chapter 28
Harry stared at the ragged group in shock. They were asking to join his clan. The sudden reversal of roles stunned him, having gone from only recently begging the Metkayina tribe for sanctuary to being one to provide for others.
"If that is your wish, I'm sure we can accommodate you." Before their eyes went too wide with hope, Harry continued. "Still, there are aspects of my clan you need to understand and accept while I also need to understand your situation."
Not hearing the refusal they had heard at several other clans on their travels, they quickly invited the pair into the camp to share their food and shelter.
They introduced themselves, the elderly Navi being Naawu, who was the father of Saeyla and grandfather to the two eldest children. The mated pair with their infant daughter was Mutil, a hunter, and Mireya.
Harry could see past their front of strength, the smiles did little to hide the ragged loincloths or the fatigue on their faces. Each of them was thin, too thin, with their rib cages starting to protrude from their chest.
They were desperate.
They uncovered a basket of nuts and offered it to him and Ra'sar. Taking one and breaking it open he popped it into his mouth, trying not to grimace at the bitter taste. Harry knew that to refuse an offer of food would be a great disrespect to them. Harry reached back to his dire-horse and removed his own pack. Taking out what would have been his and Ra'sar lunch, he offered it freely to the hungry Navi.
With his insistence, they soon divided in a devoured the lot, the opportunity for meat, not something they could pass up.
"Tell me how you came to be wanders." Harry commanded. While he felt a deep sadness at their plight, he would sooner send them off with food parcels than accept them into his clan if they posed a risk to those he considered family.
"Olo'eyktan, a disease had spread through my tribe on the great plains. Every day more died, my husband and eldest daughter among them. Within a moon, the deaths stopped but all that still held breath could no longer hold onto our ancestral home. A rival clan killed those brave enough to fight while the rest fled." As Saeyla described the loss of her tribe, Harry could see tears only just held back. The tragedy of seeing loved ones die combined with having to flee their home was an indescribable pain. "We were lucky, my father and two of my children survived. In the forest we found Mutil and Mireya, without them I fear we would have starved long ago."
"My wife's home was destroyed by a great storm. I was only a member of their tribe for a short time, but the pain of losing it still scars my heart." Harry tried to cheer her up. "Carry your head high Saeyla. Where others would have failed, you have protected your family. There can be no greater purpose than that. Take pride in what you achieved and let the dead rest with Eywa."
The other Navi, Mutil and Mireya started their own story. "Our tribe was far away. Many moons we travelled to reach this land. We have sought sanctuary from many tribes, but all refused us. We heard rumours that a new tribe formed, so we gathered what we could and started to search for you, Olo'eyktan. It is truly Eywa's blessing to bring our paths together."
Harry nodded, the words were well-spoken however they had missed out on an important detail.
"Why were you separated from your tribe?"
He noticed the mated pair share a nervous look, their tails fidgeting. Finally, Mireya, who still nursed the infant, mustered the courage to answer.
"Banishment Olo'eyktan." He could feel Ra'sar tense beside him. Banishments were rare in Navi culture, with only some of the worst crimes deserving of cutting off a clan member from their fellow tribe members but also Eywa and their ancestral wisdom.
"Your crime?"
"No, not us. My father." Mutil spoke at last, his face contorted into a long-held rage. "My father tried to take control of the tribe by challenging the Olo'eyktan to First Blood." Harry had heard of such traditions before, Doeung was frequently reminding him of it as one of the most common ways a Navi could dispose of Harry through a contest to draw first blood. The winner became the Olo'eyktan.
"The challenge, win or lose isn't grounds for banishment." Ra'sar pipped up.
"My father cheated. He used a poisoned blade to try and ensure his win." The hunter's eyes searched the ground, not wanting to meet the judgement of those he was seeking sanctuary from.
"I see." Ra'sar could now understand, such a crime as to attempt to kill the Olo'eyktan in a fair fight was more than enough reason to banish the kin of the criminal as well.
"What happened to your father?" Harry couldn't help but ask. He had no desire to harbour such a criminal in his clan.
"Dead. They executed him and carved his heart out of his chest. A warning to all other challengers. I and my chosen were banished, never to return." Mutil's eyes closed in sorrow. He had been forced to relive this at every tribe they had begged, every time to be refused a home for his family because of the stigma his father's crime attached to them.
Harry could imagine the conflicting emotions inside Mutil, he would hate his father for casting their blissful life into chaos while also mourning his death. A father no matter their crimes, was still a father.
Harry sat there silently for a few minutes, watching the group. He could tell that his silence unnerved them but this was a significant decision.
Most tribes were very picky about those they accepted, if any, from outside their clan. When they did embrace their wandering kin, they would be those that were similar to their own people. Before him was Navi from the great open plains and distant forests. The question was, should that impact who he accepts into the clan?
"You must understand, I am not like other Olo'eyktan. I was born of the skypeople. A human." Harry held up his hand with all four fingers to show them he was different. "My clan is called Tawsemka for it is our purpose to bridge the gap between Navi and those beyond the stars. This means we do things differently and use technology. All of that will be new for you. Can you accept that?"
"We can." They all nodded and agreed in rapid succession. Despite the quirks of his clan, it would be a stable home for them. A place to belong once more.
"Then I, Harry of the Tawsemka clan welcome you as brothers and sisters. May we all walk in Eywa's light."
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Harry saw a flash of uncertainty when he summoned his rotorcraft to transport the families to the island. That was quickly washed away when they could see the island from the air, able to fully take in its beauty.
The new group was welcomed by the clan with open arms as they shared a mutual experience of losing a clan. Despite the combination of different groups of Navi that traditionally didn't mix, Harry felt confident that they would all become valued members of the tribe.
Mutil, despite his father's criminal background, was a hunter that would help ease the pressure on the few sources of meat the clan had. He would need to be trained to hunt in the water, rather than the forest but Harry also saw the potential to expand the hunting teams along the mainland's shore. Mutil would need an Ikran, or use the rotorcraft, but it would be the first step to bridging the gap between different Navi groups. Something that should be far easier than his ultimate goal of uniting human and Navi cultures.
Turo and the other children guided the newcomers through the different buildings in the village and introduced them to all on the island with such enthusiasm that Harry thought they might have been tour guides in a past life. Soon the shouts of childish games could be heard throughout the village as the group of orphans accepted the new additions into their fold.
Harry, as the clan's architect, started to plan where to place the new homes. He decided to place them near his own home, so that he and Sukal could assist them if they needed anything to fit in. Sending the order to his production machines for the materials, Harry also thought about the future.
It was clear that rumours of a new tribe had spread and would continue to. That meant Harry could expect more wanders wanting to join his clan and therefore he needed to be prepared. More people meant more houses. More resources. More food. More Medicine. More… everything.
Using an aerial scan of the island, he decided to write a machine learning tool to design a model for expanding the village. Rather than just place building randomly, it was far more efficient to have a long-term plan to build towards that meets all their needs. He needed to make sure that the programme included all the other variables, if there were more houses, a greater number of facilities to support the population was needed. That meant scaling up many of the manufacturing and farming tools he used.
Despite using code from previous products and including a whole library of data of architectural information, the programme wouldn't be perfect. It would spit out many different options and only through selecting and narrowing down the options, would Harry be able to design his clan to sustainably grow. The algorithm would have some ability to learn or adapt to his desires, however Harry still couldn't help but wish for the AI systems that were still popular in Earth's entertainment industry to solve all his problems.
As this project would have a significant impact on the tribe and its future direction, Harry knew he would need to consult the rest of the tribe. They had many fantastic ideas before that Harry knew taking their input would only be beneficial. Where he would need to be more firm, was incorporating technology. Harry had no desire or wish to imitate Earth, it was dying for a reason, but he could slowly remove the stigma Navi associated with technology. To show them the wonders it can do by protecting the environment, saving lives, in understanding the mechanisms of the natural world.
All journeys begin with a single step.
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Harry rode Eylan (Transaltes to Friend), the original ilu that made the island its home, to the island above the spirit tree. He could see the whole clan swimming out, even the new arrivals, although they were helped by others as they had yet to master the way of water.
Diving down to the now familiar tunnel, green lights from an incandescent moss that they had transplanted there, bathed the passage with an otherworldly glow. Swimming through the passage, he came to a stone spiral staircase that his drones had carved into the Unobtanium wall leading to the island above.
Disconnecting the Tsaheylu with his ilu, Harry walked up the stairs fully dressed in his ceremonial garb. He wore a ring of colourful features around his neck and each of his four limbs that danced on every breeze of the evening air. The tribe was waiting patiently for him in the woven temple he had constructed for ceremonies such as this. It was an open structure, and while not present in every tribe, it gave the clan members shelter for when they wished to pray or make an offering to Eywa.
"Brother and sisters of the clan, we join together this day in the worship of Eywa." Harry's voice carried clear to the crowd and even to the waves beyond.
"We are a clan without the chosen of Eywa, a Tsahik, to help guide our way. No more."
At his final word, Sukal emerged from the water looking every bit the Tsahik. Her hair was long and thick, falling in cascading waves down her back. Sukal was always impeccably dressed, with flowing robes and intricate jewellery adorning her body. Some were the traditional shells and bones however Harry had also gifted her a necklace of Pandora's glittering gems that he'd liberated from Hells Gate. She wore a crown of braided vines on her head, symbolizing her status as the spiritual leader of her clan.
Despite her formidable appearance, there was kindness and warmth in his wife's gaze. She had a gentle smile and a soothing presence that stemmed from her deep connection to the natural world.
Sukal could feel her heart beating with nervous anticipation. The honour of being the Tsahik, the direct line to Eywa was not something she ever envisioned herself doing. There were always others in line for the position, but since she had made a home on this island with her husband, it gave her a sense of purpose. The countless hours studying on Harry's computer to understand many applications of plants and medicines had ignited her passion for healing.
Sukal knew she would need to prove herself worthy of the revered title, to prove that she had the strength and wisdom to take a leadership position in the tribe. She was young, but content in the knowledge that she wasn't alone.
She had her husband to help train her.
She had her clan to protect.
And most importantly, she had Eywa's eternal guidance and love.
Taking a deep breath, Sukal began to speak, her voice strong and confident. She spoke of her love for the natural world, of her deep connection to the spirits of Pandora. She spoke of her passion for justice and her commitment to protecting her people.
The clan members watched with growing interest, they could see the fire in her eyes, the determination to protect Eywa and the people clear. As her speech finished, and none objected, the ceremony moved to the final stage.
"We embrace you sister and accept you as Tsahik of the Tawsemka clan. However, there is one above us all. One who you must prove your worth to."
Sukal nodded and descending the stairs, she could hear her husband and the rest of the clan chanting. The power of their voice echoed through the cave. Resonating all the way down to the spirit tree growing below.
"Hear her Great Mother!"
"Grant us a sign!"
"Tsahik of Tawsemka!"
Diving down, the sacred tree had grown even larger. This time there were three tendrils through which the Navi could connect to their Goddess and ancestors. Taking her queue, she formed Tsaheylu with the tree, opening up her soul to the great being beyond.
From above, Harry could see down to the tree below through the crystal-clear water. Seeing Sukal connect to the spirit tree, he held his hands up and the tribe fell silent. Being a Tsahik was a spiritual position, if Sukal was not accepted by Eywa, they would be forced to find another to fill the role. They waited quietly, tension building with every second.
"What's that?" Turo, Sukals younger brother broke the silence pointing towards the spirit tree. There was a slight golden glow emerging from one side of the cave. As the brother of the proposed Tsahik, he had been given a place of honour at the front of the tribe.
"I'm not …" Before Harry could finish, he stopped himself.
A swarm of golden fish flooded into the cave with regal brilliance. Their golden light shone so brightly that those Navi looking down had to shield their eyes as they swam around in great loops.
"Eywa has spoken!" Harry wasn't sure who started it, but the cry was soon taken up by all, including himself.
Sukal would be the Tsahik.
Weekly Power Status
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