Predator Mothership, Hunting Command Center.
The holographic projection clearly displayed everything transpiring on the surface of planet Pandora. The footage of that young blood being blasted into fragments by the RDA mech's heavy firepower was replayed repeatedly, and the air was thick with a suppressed, simmering rage.
The Elder stood before the projection like an iron statue, only the cold gleam flashing in his eyes betraying the turmoil within. Below him, the remaining four fully blooded warriors and six young bloods stood in silent, solemn formation.
"Vorgak was too impetuous," the Elder's voice was low, betraying neither joy nor anger, but every word carried immense weight. "He underestimated the defensive strength and combat resolve of those offworlders who utilize energy weapons. He cast aside a hunter's patience, and it led to the end of his honor."
He turned to the young bloods, his piercing gaze sweeping over each of them like a physical force. "Do you see? This is not the glorious hunt we are familiar with, where we wrestle great beasts. This is war—a war rife with traps and ranged fire. To despise your prey is to destroy yourself."
The young bloods lowered their heads, their expressions beneath their masks varied—some filled with rage, some with lingering fear, and others deep in thought over the Elder's admonition. Vorgak's death had taught them a bloody lesson.
"The Na'vi, relying on their sacred tree and the forest, possess a resilient defense, making it difficult to acquire high-quality trophies," a veteran warrior summarized. "The RDA has fortified positions and ferocious firepower; direct confrontation carries an immense cost."
The Elder gave a marginal nod. "Then we adjust our strategy. Abandon direct assaults on fixed bases. Our supremacy lies in mobility, cloaking, and individual execution metrics."
He pointed to the vast jungle on the projection. "Expand the hunting grounds to the entire planet. Targets: their patrol details, isolated units, transport vehicles. Attrit them, terrorize them, make them pay for what they have done, and accumulate experience and trophies for yourselves."
He paused, his gaze growing profound. "At the same time... continue the search. Celtic's death was not so simple. Those 'special targets' who last engaged him must be found. They may be the ones truly worthy of the kill."
New directives were pushed down, and the Predators shifted their tactics. They no longer easily approached the RDA's core defensive perimeter, nor did they launch head-on assaults against the Na'vi Hometree. They broke into smaller cells, moving like true phantoms, ranging across Pandora's jungles and valleys.
The RDA's field operations immediately began to endure severe pressure.
A technical detachment en route to a peripheral mining zone to service equipment was caught in a precisely executed ambush. The two Scorpion gunships escorting them were violently swatted from the sky by sudden plasma fire. The ground detail attempted to resist by using their vehicles as cover, but the cloaked hunters were completely elusive—every time they materialized, it was accompanied by the death of a soldier and the reaping of a skull. Ultimately, only a single transport packed with wounded personnel managed to escape back to base, bringing back tales of absolute terror.
A migrating Na'vi hunting party was also interdicted; several clan members went missing, leaving behind nothing at the scene but traces of a struggle and scorched markings from high-temperature weaponry.
These strikes no longer sought head-on clashes; instead, they were laden with a stalker's patience and cruelty. The Predators began collecting skulls from different factions and differently equipped soldiers to enrich their trophy collections while validating various killing methodologies.
At the Pioneer, Osiris, Maine, and the others closely monitored the shifting tactical landscape.
"The Predators changed their paradigm, pivoting from frontal harassment to guerrilla-style hunting," Maine remarked, reviewing the intelligence synthesis. "The RDA's field casualties are mounting, and the Na'vi and other indigenous clans are being caught in the crossfire."
Tech-Marine Cassius rumbled coldly, "Typical xenos hunting psychology. They are building leverage while probing our threshold."
Elendire, utilizing her psychic perception, provided a distinct vantage point: "Their capital ship... its energy readings exhibit periodic fluctuations. It appears to be transmitting data to the surface units or providing some manner of scanning telemetry. Furthermore, I can perceive several powerful consciousnesses moving across the terrain—far more profound than those young hunters."
Osiris tapped his fingers rhythmically against the table, calculating his choices.
"Let them proceed. The RDA needs to pay for their arrogance, and the Na'vi require a deeper comprehension of the threats descending from the stars. For us, this is an optimal window to harvest operational data." He looked toward Cassius and Margaret. "Have our Astartes reconnaissance squads and Retainer mechs secretly deploy monitoring arrays across the wider peripheral sectors. I want to map their operational patterns, their communication frequencies, and... the precise mechanics of their link to the mothership."
He paused, adding, "Simultaneously, alert the Omaticaya Clan and our three observers to elevate their vigilance profile. The Predators' hunting grounds are expanding; no one is completely safe."
At the Omaticaya's Land of Holy Chants, the Hometree flourished with vibrant life, nurtured by Eywa's neural network. Yet, the atmosphere within the clan was far from relaxed.
The news of the ambushes and the combat reports filtering in from the RDA's sectors made the Na'vi realize that this new threat was far more bizarre and hazardous than the Sky People they had previously fought.
Shinji, Asuka, and Rei felt this high-tension matrix as well. While learning the language and customs alongside the Na'vi, they also began absorbing their tracking techniques and jungle survival methodologies.
Asuka was rather dismissive of it, deeming it overly primitive, but Shinji studied diligently. On a routine foraging detail, he even leveraged his acute observation to spot a latent hazard trap ahead of time (later verified to have been left by the Split-Claw Clan), earning a measure of respect from the accompanying Na'vi.
Rei, meanwhile, spent the majority of her time near the Hometree, attempting to establish a deeper cognitive interface with the colossal tree of life. She could perceive that Eywa's network seemed to possess a vague awareness of the Predators' cloaking capabilities, though it remained unrefined.
With the adjustment of the Predators' strategy, the situation on Pandora rapidly escalated into a brutal, three-way stranglehold.
The Predators, leveraging their cloaking supremacy and predatory instincts, relentlessly harassed the RDA's field detachments and the Na'vi's scouting patrols. The RDA countered with their fortified reconnaissance network and superior firepower, actively deploying armored squads deep into the jungles to purge any anomalous sectors. The Na'vi, relying on their mastery of the terrain and the subtle premonitions from Eywa's network, launched ferocious counter-strikes against any encountered Predator hunters while safeguarding their sanctuary.
The hunt endured, but the roles of hunter and prey could invert in an instant during any given engagement. The jungles, valleys, and peripheral mining zones became a bloody vortex where the three factions collided.
Yet, outside this intensifying vortex of chaos, Osiris's forces watched with cold detachment. He rigorously monitored every clash across the board, harvesting critical data regarding Predator tactics, the RDA's adaptability, and the potential of the Na'vi.
The assets at his disposal remained uncommitted, like a leviathan coiled in the shadows, silently biding its time for the perfect juncture to intervene and secure a absolute victory in a single stroke.