ꎇ꒒ꌩꀤꈤꁅ ꅏꀤ꓄ꃅ ꓄ꃅꍟ ꂦꂵꍏ꓄ꀤꀘꍏꌩꍏ (ꍏꃴꍏ꓄ꍏꋪ ꊼ ꂦꉓꌗ)

\\ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟛𝟙//

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As the night continues, Jake, Nate, Norm, and Trudy are gathered around the comms monitor in their shack, talking to Max.

"I don't know how secure this channel is~" Max stuttered.

"Then talk fast," Nateshifted forward on his seat.

"It's crazy here, guys. It's full mobilization. They're rigging the shuttles as bombers. They've made up these huge pallets of mine explosives. It's for some kind of shock and awe campaign." Max explained.

"Frickin' daisy cutters." Trudy sighed.

"Holy shit." Nate rubbed a hand over his forehead, bringing it to rest under his chin.

"Can you talk to Selfridge? Maybe we can cut some kinda deal before this thing goes all the way." Jake asked Max, hopefully.

"No, Quaritch has taken over. He's rolling and there's no stopping him." Max answered.

"When?" Jake questioned.

"0 600 tomorrow," Max replied.

But just then a new voice sounded, calling Max, a woman, and Max quickly shut off his comm, killing the call.

The group of friends sits there for a moment as they all take the new information in.

"We're screwed." Norm sighs exasperated, shutting their laptop.

"Haha, and here I was hoping for some tactical plan that didn't involve martyrdom..." Trudy chuckled to herself, dropping her gun on her lap.

"You know he's gonna commit those bombers straight to the Tree of Souls." Norm turned his attention to Jake and Nate.

"That's right. Because I gave it to him on a plate." Jake clenched his fists and sneered at himself.

"We both did." Trudy smiled sadly.

"If he takes out the Tree of Souls it's over... It's their main line to Eywa, to their ancestors... it'll destroy them." Norm commented, his fear starting to show on his face.

"Then I guess we better stop him." Nate grinned up at his college, turning to Jake to slap a hand on his shoulder.

Jake looks like he's about to collapse. He's gaunt, eyes deeply shadowed, hands shaking.

"Hey man, maybe you should look at getting some real rack before this whole thing goes down," Nate turned to Jake, a worried expression painted on his face.

Jake grabs a packet of freeze-dried crystals and pours them directly into his mouth, chewing them up. Nate grimaced, staring at Jake as he swallowed the dry coffee grounds.

"Gonna have to settle for coffee." He chuckles before rolling back to his link.

Back in the camp, the cookfires of the battle camp flicker like a constellation around the edge of the Well of Souls as Jake slips down into the darkened, empty amphitheater. He moves to the Mother Tree, which stands gnarled, ancient, and majestic. The roots spread in all directions, like the center of the world. Jake steps forward. The willow-like tendrils swayed toward him, moving in a breeze that wasn't there.

"I've never done this in my life, so here goes nothing," He squats at the base of the tree.

"I'm probably just talking to a tree right now... But if you're there," Jake pulls up his queue and watches as his thin tendrils wrap around the hanging vine closest to him.