The bumpy entry to the dense Pandoran atmosphere shakes the vestiges of cryogrogginess from your bones. You sit huddled in the Valkyrie hanger, nursing a headache while sucking down vitamin water and pills. The safety induction, delivered by a marine to the uneducated military meat around you, makes for unpleasantly loud background noise. Wear your mask at all times blah blah blah.
Spears lightly pepper the underside as the craft makes the low approach to Hell's Gate. Barbarians must be a good shot.
The Valkyrie makes a soft landing in the churned red mud that fills Hell's Gate. Thick alien air floods the compartment as the hanger doors swing down. Even through your mask you can smell the exotic aromas of plant life. This is going to play hell with your hayfever. The safety induction marine yells in your face to disembark while you lug bags of scientific equipment down the gangway. Nobody helps you drag it through the mud to the barracks.
Another safety lecture, this time given by what you guess is the King of the hired muscle here, judging by the scras and the self-aggrandising. When its finally over, you face a long trek across the compound to the science station, where you'll be living and working for the next few years.
It's a frosty reception. Doctor Grace Augustine ignores your outstretched hand and pretends to tinker with the equipment that fills the labs.
"You must be the Xenobiologist RDA sent," she says venomously. "I read your paper on the Na'vi; arguing for their reclassification as non-sentient organisms. It's garbage."
You force a smile. "Well that's why I'm here. The RDA wanted a thourough, scientific study performed by an impartial scientist to judge if their status as sapient creatures was fully founded."
She glares daggers, but her next words are sweet as treacle. "Well then, we've got no time to waste. Let's get you in your avatar body."
She leads you across the laboratory to where a large glass chamber filled with liquid.
"Say hello to your avatar."
"But this is... I was supposed to-"
"Oh, I'm sorry," she smiles as though only just remembering something. "Your first AVATAR body failed a few months after your shuttle launched from Earth. This is your replacement."
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