In the captain's quarters of the Ishimura, Marcus meticulously examined a series of documents concerning the Na'vi. He was contemplating how to fulfill the second mission assigned by the system: [Subdue the entire Na'vi race]. The term 'race' here did not refer to a small tribe of a few hundred people, but rather all Na'vi on Pandora. It was important to note that even the Na'vi themselves were still in a state of tribal division and had not yet achieved full unification. Furthermore, since the system specifically called for 'subduing' the Na'vi, it naturally implied that the entire race could not be directly exterminated. The mission's difficulty wasn't particularly high; it was primarily tedious.
"However, it doesn't seem to specify that I must become the leader of the Na'vi," Marcus mused, stroking his chin as he re-read the system panel's description. If that were truly the case, it would leave a lot of room for strategic maneuvering. Soon, a plan, still rough but theoretically feasible, began to form in his mind. It involved, much like in the movie, having certain individuals directly become Avatars through linking devices and integrating into the Na'vi tribes.
By various overt or covert means, these individuals could then rise to become leaders, allowing Marcus to indirectly subdue the entire Na'vi population. This method held a certain degree of feasibility. As long as Marcus actively ensured his PDF Soldiers cooperated in the deception, there would be no need to worry about failing to integrate into the Na'vi communities.
"Hmm, I need to carefully consider who to assign this mission to." Although he wasn't in a rush to complete the objective, Marcus began to review potential candidates for the task. He immediately ruled himself out; he was now in a high position of power and would not waste time on such a time-consuming and labor-intensive infiltration mission.
"But first, I need to confirm that the Psychic Contract still works after becoming an Avatar." While pondering the mission candidates, Marcus suddenly recalled this critical detail. If the Psychic Contract stopped functioning after an individual became an Avatar, it would present a significant security hazard. Shaking his head, Marcus manipulated the screen in front of him, contacting Isaac, Jill, and others who were currently on a mission aboard the Star of Entrepreneurship.
At this time, the Star of Entrepreneurship, having been boarded by the Tyrants, had completely fallen under their control, and its nearly thousand crew members had all been suppressed. Isaac's team had been tasked with inspecting the Entrepreneurship Star and making initial contact with its crew.
"How's the contact going?" Marcus asked directly once the communication connected.
"Everything's going smoothly so far; the crew members' emotions have stabilized," Isaac replied from the bridge of the Star of Entrepreneurship, glancing at the well-behaved crew members. "We are confiscating all lethal weapons on the ship and transporting them to the Ishimura."
"Okay, you all come back first. Transfer the Star of Entrepreneurship mission to another team. I have a new mission for you."
"Alright, we'll take the Sanctuary back." Hanging up the communication, Isaac called the remaining three members of his team: Jill, Carlos, and Tyrell.
An hour later, on the bridge of the Ishimura, Marcus met with Isaac and the others upon their arrival. After spending some time introducing the current situation on Pandora, Marcus began to elaborate on his ideas and plans. Listening to Marcus's description, Isaac and the others quietly began to process the information. This was only their second encounter with an intelligent alien race; their first had been facing the rampaging Gene Stealers.
"If the plan doesn't proceed, or if it fails, what will be the fate of the Na'vi?" Isaac looked up at Marcus, his voice serious.
"These natives are very stubborn and will not easily submit," Marcus replied, not sugarcoating anything. "I will have Wesker reduce their numbers by more than ninety percent and re-educate them ideologically." Marcus was transparent. After all, these Na'vi were the mission's objective. If the Na'vi chose to submit, everyone would be satisfied. Marcus stated he would not interfere with the internal culture and customs of the Na'vi, and he wouldn't mind helping these natives, still in a primitive tribal stage, develop and grow to the spacefaring stage. But if the Na'vi remained obstinate, he would absolutely not show mercy.
After receiving Marcus's answer, Isaac did not hesitate long and accepted the mission. Jill and the others also voiced no objections.
"You all go to Pandora first and make contact with Wesker. I'll send the mission details to your RIGs," Marcus said casually. "Oh, and try to practice your acting skills during this time. I'll have Wesker and the PDF cooperate with your acting as much as possible to help you integrate into the Na'vi community." Isaac and the others exchanged strange glances, not expecting that they would one day need to practice acting.
After leaving the bridge, they boarded the Sanctuary and flew towards Hell's Gate Base on Pandora. Soon, Isaac and the others arrived at Hell's Gate Base and met the base's current Commander, Wesker. The few of them had been teammates before, but now, Wesker had ascended to overall Commander of this operation. However, none of them, including Wesker, seemed to mind, and they quickly began discussing the details of the infiltration plan.
Under the guidance of the PDF Soldiers, Isaac and the others soon saw the Avatar bodies immersed in the cultivation pods. "The Avatars have all undergone specialized genetic conditioning; these bodies are not suitable for you," Wesker transmitted information about the Avatars to their RIGs. "I will have RDA cultivate new Avatar bodies based on your genes, so you can connect more conveniently." Each Avatar body was worth tens of millions of dollars, but clearly, none of them cared about the cost.
"During this time, familiarize yourselves with the base environment. After connecting with the Avatar bodies, you will also need to undergo initial adaptation here." After explaining some precautions, Wesker left. Isaac and the others, after curiously observing the Avatar bodies in the cultivation pods, also left and began to familiarize themselves with the base's environment.
At this time, Hell's Gate Base was extremely lively. Landing crafts were constantly taking off and landing, shuttling between Pandora and the ships in orbit, transporting personnel and supplies. Marcus and Wesker both intended to expand their occupied territory, with Hell's Gate Base as the core. A significant reason for this was the superconducting ore mining area not far from Hell's Gate Base. RDA was mining room-temperature superconducting ore on Pandora there, then transporting it to Earth for sale to make huge profits.
Thanks to the Star of Entrepreneurship having just arrived at Pandora and not yet having recovered the superconducting ore stockpiled in Hell's Gate Base, Marcus easily gathered the one thousand tons of superconducting ore required for the first mission. And obtained a new title.
[Detected that the host has completed Mission Objective 1]
[Mission judgment in progress... Judgment passed, mission reward being issued... Obtained random lottery draw chance × 1]
[Obtained title "Miner Baron"]
[Title Effect: Your subordinate forces can more easily extract high-quality ore, while slightly increasing mining efficiency]
It was a standard faction-type title, with no bonus to Marcus's own combat power. However, Marcus didn't really care; he rarely had the opportunity to act personally anymore. Such a title, which could cover all his subordinate forces, was more useful instead.