Avatar: A lost survivor on Pandora

Liam pushed the trigger. Nobody had the time to move as the scene unfolded, many stricken with horror on their face as a forest green been of plasma shot out of the Tek Phase Pistol muzzle in Liam's hand and hit Tsu'tey square in the scarred part of his chest as he closed his eyes, ears folding and tail curling between his legs. 

"NOOOO!", Grace screamed, her features stricken with terror that soon turned to confusion as nothing was happening, it was a similar reaction to various degrees all around. Confusion, utter confusion on everyone but Eywa and Liam.

Grace was the one who felt the most shame, she wanted to facepalm then go dig herself underground not only out of embarrassment but at her reaction and that it implied many things. 

But it wasn't a source of problems, she didn't lie to herself or him. Her friend, Liam was someone who would murder in cold blood if necessary, her mate and herself if required, it was in his eyes and actions. 

Though they weren't like the one of Quaritch, Liam wasn't a maniac who would snap and act rashly no matter if it ended in bloodshed and the end enjoyed it, he was a calculative, manipulative, and ruthless man but one who was empathetic, and wanted the good of everyone in reasonable measure, his coming first evidently. 

And something couldn't be mistaken, as much as he tried to see them as equal and more than tools he failed because it wasn't possible, they weren't equal in all aspects. He wasn't like them, and it became even clearer as time went on, Only Miles, his tames and Eywa seemed to make him more 'human' for lack of better terms and that was a statement to be taken with a pinch of salt.

His mind was a jigsaw puzzle as well with no start or end. Many of his actions seemed random but that couldn't be farther from the truth, searching for a mine of some seemingly useless material and ten years later he had made a machine that could generate a pocket universe on command. 

His unpredictability was proven yet again, but her reaction made sense for what it was at face value yet the emotions she was feeling a mix of shame and relief that intensified the first didn't help her feel any better. 

It was a visceral reaction she couldn't have stopped after seeing this weapon halt, then disintegrate an object from the face of Pandora what other things could it do? Compress matter? Freeze it? She didn't know so she envisioned the worst even if for what she knew Liam going for such an action didn't make sense.

"What did you expect? That I will blast a hole through your husband's chest, I don't need a fancy tool for this. But your reaction is normal. I should have warned you, my excuse. But I did this for a reason.", Liam said earnestly with clear bemusement, he realized what he had done and that in retrospect pointing the pistol at Tsu'tey wasn't the best option.

"But if I did, however, there would have been no surprise.", he added mysteriously with a smirk, the beam of plasma from his pistol spreading over the scarred skin, "Look closer and marvel at what is unfolding. One of the many gates opened by Tek."

And so Grace followed his instructions walking over and observing the point where the plasma beam touched her mate. Her breath hitched as her almond-shaped eyes widened at the sight of the ugly, misshaped, and discolored skin upon contact peeled shifting under the effect of the green plasma.

The skin was melting away to the naked eye as it was slowly but surely replaced by a new layer of healthy tissues be it muscle, nerves, and skin that was in stark contrast to the more tanned one on the other side, but the changes were not only aesthetic, they affected all damaged tissue, from muscles to nerves.

"Ho-How…? How is that even remotely possible?", she appealed to Liam in astonishment while her mate even more astonished than her couldn't help himself but stare and try to process the feeling of his flesh being mended by the weapon he thought could have maimed him if not outright killed him and that he could start feeling something else on this part of his body aside from a phantom burning sensation, flaring random burst of pain and mind-numbing itchiness.

"Good question Grace. It's akin to nanomachines of pure energy and data working on healing the damaged tissues of his body if you will.", Liam put in the general idea of what was happening but he wasn't finished, "To put it simply for others to understand this beam start a widespread phenomenon akin to autophagy upon the tissue to be healed and the one surrounding them, they recycle themselves, then those tissues will turn to stem cell or it's equivalent then by following a schematic they will multiply themselves into the correct shape and function. I will send you a more in-depth written explanation later so you don't have to worry, Grace."

The last part nearly led the woman well over at the beginning of her sixties, mentally, to jump for joy at such a technology and the biological aspect behind it.

The Healing Mode of the Tek Phase Pistol was not magical, without extensive data on the target and its biology it would only do the first two, autophagy of tissue aimed at and their shift into stem cells doing mitosis at an accelerated pace, creating a nasty feedback loop. 

This would put it arguably at the same lethality level as the Killing Mode, the crimson beam, due to the fact it would lead to unstoppable and uncontrollable cell growth from outside and inside of the target.

It worked so well on Tsu'tey thanks to all of the extensive medical files at disposition about the Na'vi in question and Eywa's input in this branch of biology she gave birth to. As said, it wasn't magical and the pistol wouldn't know what to do without precise instruction and extensive data on the target, for safe use of course. 

If the goal was to transform the target into a pile of dying tumorous flesh then that would work just fine. Similarly, the two other mods could be used in various situations. It was an incredibly versatile and powerful tool that brought lethality, function, and utility at all levels, a sort of Swiss knife in the form of a high-tech pistol.

In an order of minutes, Tsu'tey's entire body was back in full health, at least the parts aimed as it was only the target. The Na'vi and everyone else present aside from the same two stared at what just happened.

Tsu'tey was not the most affected of them surprisingly enough for Liam, even if the Na'vi came second as he flexed his healed hand a smile etching itself on his face before he was jumped on and hugged by his mate.

The most affected of all was Akwey whose steps were slow as he approached, his eyes had seen untold events looking at the man, no, divine being standing being a creation that no mortal could have made, he realized since long ago he hadn't deserved to be the Blood Brother of such a being yet it was how it was even if they aren't equal. The Olo'eyktan felt undeserving of such privilege, he was not adequate and couldn't hope to be so.

To think this being that saved his son and his daughter-in-law' only a dozen migrations ago had become and done, not only for himself but for others. Accomplishments no mortal should be able to do… The title of All-Father for he was the All-Mother's mate was all the more impactful to him now, for Liam was unlike him, unlike them, it was a difference on a fundamental level. 

It was such an honor, one beyond name for Akwey to be present here. It showed within his body language; he advanced with reverence, and respect yet with pride as that would be unlike him to act weak for he knew there was no reason to. He did not want pity from the All-Father yet he had to ask for one thing, what he saw gave rise to something in him he had buried for as long as he got his son back.

He understood most of what was spoken as well. He learned English to a relatively fluent degree during those years, not doing so would have been beyond foolish. 

Speaking it was still hard as he did so only during a certain period of the years when his clan was close to Hell's Gate. So he preferred to speak in the language of the People, the one he would be the clearest in, {Could this help my son regain his hand and other members of my clan, would it be possible to be graced with such a blessing?}

Liam, flicking the pistol in his inventory, looked at the Olo'eyktan of the Olangi clan and hummed pensively. This question was going to help precise one thing about the Healing Mode that as obvious as it might be for the pistol feat would most likely not be looked upon.

Though the reverence if not straight-up worship he received from the middle-aged Na'vi was something not new in and of itself, human, and Na'vi did it too but this time it was particularly intense, second only to when Eywa met Na'vi with her Avatar. 

Another thing he would have to get used to is not that he hadn't been aware of this factoid for a long time, still, it weirded him out. There were reasons Eywa avoided her children who were gifted with enough awareness to realize who she was, if she were more egocentric and narcissistic might have loved this intention but she wasn't and neither was he. At least this way for that context.

Here it was even more a glaring point since Akwey was someone Liam considered quite a close friend, one he couldn't see often but still, both knew they could trust the other with their lives, and seeing this truly put into perspective what the future would potentially look like.

"Of course Akwey, if they so desire then this can be organized, the offer is available as well for you Jake, and everyone present, but within reason. But I have to say something, it is even more important for amputees, Tsu'tey don't you feel some difficulty moving your fingers, be truthful.", Liam nodded and asked the freshly healed Na'vi.

"Yes… It's as if my mind refuses to move them as I will. It is not hard but exhausting.", Tsu'tey declared yet there was elation in his voice, he couldn't care less about this not being perfect, it was a massive improvement from before, and he could feel this side of his body again.

He had accepted his fate to be forced to wear this black prosthetic over his skin for the rest of his life, he was in the middle of processing what had just happened. It felt too good to be true yet try to wake as he might. He was very much awake and this was very much not a dream.

"That is only temporary, however, and I suppose Grace has already figured out why and can explain it. It is a major point after all, I don't do magic and miracles.", Liam said with certainty in the xenobiologist's understanding of what was the problem and he was proved correct in his judgment.

"It only regenerates the tissues to their healthy state, not reconstructs habits or the mind, the brain will need to relearn the movements for a total recovery, similar for the newly grown muscles… Hardly a drawback for such a revolutionary technology!", she exclaimed and without much of a warning began feeling the healed part of her mate without his express consent, to the point she began to drag him away.

Chuckling at the sight Liam's mind refocused on the Tek Replicator, the fabrication of something that consumed more than 70% of the resource stored within mostly out of the sheer size and mass of the unassembled Tek creature that had just finished being created and was in the middle of being transferred to his inventory.

The sheer weight this creature represented, around a third of that of a blue whale, was not a problem here as its unassembled state made it so via a one-time use failsafe that its weight was lessened by 99%, which was still around half of his inventory in weight at the end.

"As all might realize this event of today will change our lives, even if you do not interact with technology more than strictly necessary. One such technology I will show, is a bonafide form of life, my creation, of my blood, and one that would further our survival with its utility. I recommend that you walk away for your safety.", Liam announced to the small crowd his smirk etched on his face growing, anticipation rising back to its full height for all and they as he said except for one.

And this one was his mate, Eywa, on the contrary to the other she walked next to him, excitement building in her heart as this was something he had held in surprise for her. His left palm perpendicular to the ground was held steady in the air then a massive shadow appeared and it was in a microsecond followed by a quadrupled body just as massive.

{By Eywa!}, Jake swore loudly, he was the first to react, his words in Na'vi due to him living with them, had become akin to his mother tongue so naturally his experience switched to that appropriate to the language.

His use of swearing was not unique to his person at the sight of the group's sudden and violent appearance, and what a sight it was.

{Your child is beautiful.}, were the soft words carried by the mesmerizing voice of the All-Mother as she gazed beyond physicality into the first creation of life of her mate, its nascent soul blinking into life for the first time while programs of an unknown language and encoded into its very essence. 

A language that she found to be nothing less than the most complex and beautiful of art forms. One that seemed to draw inspiration from life itself yet was fundamentally different in nature.

This child was a massive robotic creature of the purest form of metal, shining blue from all joints where black muscle fiber-like structure could be seen. It was similar in shape to a giraffe and a doe, two animals only seen in videos of extinct animals and storybooks. 

As such it had a long and bulky neck ending in a proportionally small head reminiscent of the one typically seen in grazing herbivores, and a small seemingly obsolete tail was at its rump, waving around aimlessly. 

Its shoulder stood at seventeen meters (~55ft7) tal while a platform was on the back of its barrel-shaped body of living metal and unknown synthetic material that was supported by four long spindly yet sturdy legs that each ended in sharp bifurcated hooves.

"This is a Tek Stryder, its name or more accurately that of its Artificial Engramic Matrix that will be the Mind and Souls of this model, Arx. You can consider this the ultimate form of a workhorse and this type of creature is going to help us in all kinds of endeavors, from mining to building to transport.", Liam's deep rumbling voice full of life reached everyone, resonating into their very being.

And it was only the tip of the iceberg, many more aspects of Tek were yet to be revealed, each as mind-boggling as the last. Today wasn't going to be a short one.

It was the day that would change and shape the future of every individual present, that of humanity and even the Milky Way if not the universe, and only the same two fully understood this.

*

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