Jake and Neytiri spent a lot of time arguing with various Eden Union representatives. The main purpose of their visit, of course, was for the Maakanar Federation to be recognized as an independent nation.

Not everyone, of course, agreed on this. However, Jocelyne under Sobek's advice decided to push for her not only to be recognized, but that she could also join the Eden Union.

This last proposal caused quite a stir: for many, the Federation of Maakanar, so primitive, could only be considered a weight in a possible total war with the NMWA. But Jocelyne, Pauline, Trey and many other heads of state reminded them that the Eden Union was not born for military purposes, but to ensure the fairness of the peoples in the international community. The negotiations lasted at least a month, but eventually Jake and Neytiri won their victory, and the Maakanar Federation officially joined the Eden Union.

This would have had enormous benefits for the Neanderthal people, but above all it guaranteed the absence of the possibility of invasion by the more civilized Homo sapiens, who could always have tried to colonize the lands controlled by them.

However, this was only part of Neytiri and Jake's goal. Now they had a second task: to secure peace with the dinosaurs and to ensure safe passage for humans who wanted to leave the Maakanar Federation.

The first part had already been completed: being part of the Eden Union automatically meant being at peace with the dinosaurs, but it was still best to get clarification from the dinosaur leader himself. The second part would have been a bit more difficult...

And so, one day, Neytiri and Jake found themselves in the presence of Sobek. "Welcome friends. I'm happy to be able to meet you in person, after all this time"

Neytiri made a half bow. "The pleasure of being in your presence again is mine, Great King of the Forest" he said. Apparently, the Neanderthals hadn't forgotten this.

Jake's reaction was colder. "Lord Sobek. It's an honor to meet you" he said.

Sobek could understand it. After all, he had destroyed the old army of Homo sapiens. Of course, Jake's friends were among them as well. "I know what you want" he said. "I have been watching you for a while, and in a certain sense I had foreseen this implication"

"We knew it. The flyers helped us unite our nation"Neytiri said. "We thank you for the support you have provided us"

Jake seemed to bite his lip. "Will you allow a question, Lord Sobek?"

"Of course. What do you want to know?"

"You expected all this, right? This is why you spared us years ago. You wanted us to go and help the Neanderthals to become a united people"

Sobek smiled at Jake's statement. "I will not deny that I had a half idea about it. However, don't get it wrong: I've never manipulated you. All the progress that you have achieved, you have achieved with your own strength. I just gave you a little nudge every now and then" he replied. "But I admit that the birth of the Maakanar Federation was also in my interest. I needed the Neanderthals to create a homeland of their own, so that their future could improve"

Jake and Neytiri looked at each other confused. "What do you mean?" the woman asked.

"Very simple. In the previous state, the Neanderthals would have had no future other than to remain a primitive population that would surely have been crushed by any whim of Homo sapiens. Furthermore, as you well know, Neanderthals are often exploited and oppressed in the rest of the world. I am against all this, so I thought it was necessary to give everyone hope. Create a united nation recognized by the new international organization, where you can live in peace and other Neanderthals around the world can escape if they wish. Previously, Neanderthals had nowhere to go, and were at the mercy of the will of Homo sapiens. Now this is no longer the case. In the future, you can develop as you wish, without risking being crushed by foreign powers" Sobek let out a deep snort. "Precisely for this reason, I want to offer you an agreement"

Jake raised an eyebrow. "What kind of agreement?"

"Very simple. You will not only have peace with me and with every other creature in heaven, on land and at sea, but also my protection. From now on, threatening you will mean offending me. I think there is no need for me to explain to you what my protection is worth. I will also grant my forgiveness to all soldiers currently in the forest, allowing those who wish to return to their home nations" Sobek replied. "In return, I only ask you for a small favor: I would like your doors to always be open for any person who will ever seek refuge. Whether they are Neanderthals or other hominids fleeing other oppressive nations, you must welcome them and treat them as if they were your brothers. It shouldn't be difficult, as thanks to me you don't have to worry about feeding them and by joining your minds you have achieved very quick building techniques. So, what do you think?"

Neytiri blinked slightly. From his point of view, Sobek's proposal was not only fair, it was more than generous. His protection, his forgiveness, the Homo sapiens' permission to leave what had become a kind of prison, all at the price of being kind to refugees and guests, as the Neanderthal tradition itself dictated. If it had been for her, he would have accepted right away.

Unfortunately, though, Jake was of another opinion. "What is your goal?" he asked suspiciously. "Weren't you just fighting for the survival of your people?"

"I fight for world peace. And by world peace I don't just mean peace between nations. I speak of total peace. Although my desire is to see all creatures of this world get along well, racism and division still rage among your species, and will surely rage for many decades to come. Neanderthals and other hominid species are historically discriminated against. That's why I need a place like the nation you built" Sobek replied. "A place where, in the event of an emergency or unjust laws, Neanderthals can find refuge while waiting for other nations to intervene on their behalf. In short, a homeland"

Coming from Earth, Sobek had much more knowledge of the evils that the human species could unleash. The humanity of the world of his had been much more warlike and cruel than that of Eden, even if only for a short time.

After the Second World War, the terrible conflict that had forever changed the face of Europe, the monstrosities that the Nazis had perpetuated against the Jews and other minorities had convinced the great nations that it was necessary to give them a country, or rather, a homeland where they could take refuge and escape further discrimination. What had come to be created was the State of Israel. Unfortunately, despite the initial good intentions, the project didn't end well, given that Palestine was a land already occupied by another people, and this had started the Arab-Israeli conflict which was still far from over. Two thousand years after the death of Jesus Christ, peace still hadn't been able to bless Jerusalem with his presence.

Sobek therefore did not make the same mistake. Fortunately for him, Eden was much larger than Earth and therefore there was room to move large numbers of people. He had planned to create a 'promised land' for Neanderthals and other hominid species so that he could steal the NMWA's workforce: after all, in countries currently not part of the Eden Union, most Neanderthals were oppressed, forced to do the humblest jobs; they did not have the right to vote and were even treated as pets in some. Creating a nation made for them, complete with the promise of freedom and the possibility of a new life, would have meant that many Neanderthals would abandon their position as inferiors and choose to flee to the new 'promised land'. After all, illegal immigration wasn't an unknown thing either on Eden or on Earth: it was full of traffickers of human lives who would make false papers to take people away if paid well, even at the cost of breaking the law of their country. The Neanderthals, moreover, would have had the support of the fauna of the planet, which would have taken care to favor the fugitives in secret. Once the 'promised land' myth spread enough, tens of thousands of Neanderthals would start a mass escape.

Sobek obviously didn't act exclusively out of love for his neighbor: the real reason was that Neanderthal immigration would bring him great benefits. The countries currently belonging to the Eden Union were all democracies that provided equal rights for all: even if in some of them there was still a lot of racism rooted in the inhabitants, the Neanderthals there were doing quite well. Many of them were born in those nations and had friends among the Homo sapiens, and would hardly have left their birth nation right now that the economy was restarting. Therefore, the announcement of the 'promised land' would not have created major imbalances in the Eden Union.

But in the NMWA countries the situation was different. Since most of them were dictatorships, and even the so-called 'democracies' did not allow equal rights, there the Neanderthals were treated as the waste of society and lived a hellish life. They couldn't interact with Homo sapiens, use their vehicles, do their own jobs, even talk to them. Once the 'promised land' became known, many of them would choose to flee to give their children a better life. And this would have been very problematic for the NMWA. Even if the people did not notice it, it was not the big rich people or the politicians who ran the society: they were the people who carried out the humblest jobs who every day prevented the infrastructures from collapsing on themselves and who guaranteed the citizens food, houses. , clean water, heating and electricity. If the people working in these sectors suddenly disappeared, the NMWA's already dire economic situation would worsen even further, further accelerating its total collapse.

Sobek's plan was perfect. In one fell swoop, he would have given Neanderthals and other hominids a place to escape persecution, while at the same time damaging the NMWA even more and fostering the rise of the Eden Union. All he needed was a home to send Neanderthals to. He was spoiled for choice: Eden was huge and there were still three almost completely empty continents. At the same time, however, Sobek would have preferred to give refugees a sense of belonging, a sort of 'hey, I feel at home!', That typical feeling you get when you return to your homeland. Therefore, he had focused on creating a new nation starting from primitive Neanderthals: they not only belonged to the same species, but also had a strong connection with nature, thus favoring the construction of a nation perfectly balanced with natural elements. It would not be a matter of colonization, but of a slight increase of the existing cities, while all the rest would be left to the forest as it should be.

He had planned to use Neytiri and his supposed 'divinity' for this, but fate had made it easier for him. Jake Sully's group, whom he had let live on a whim, had started a chain of events that had led a primitive city to become a great nation in just three years. When Sobek realized that the Neanderthals were pretty much doing everything themselves, he had decided to let them do the job, intervening only minimally from time to time. And in the end, he had achieved exactly what he wanted: a civilization halfway between modern and primitive, perfectly balanced in natural balance, built by Neanderthals for Neanderthals. The promised land, ready to be revealed to the world.

Jake narrowed his eyes slightly: "From what I understand, the Eden Union doesn't allow discrimination"

"No, in fact. But that doesn't mean the rest of the world doesn't. And this is where our agreement comes into play" Sobek replied. "I guess you don't need to tell you how Neanderthals and other hominids are treated in NMWA nations. Aren't they entitled to a chance?"

"He's not wrong, Jake" Neytiri said. "What would be wrong with accepting such a request?"

The man shook his head. "We can accept, but spare me the show of the generous altruist. This agreement is for your own benefit only. You want to weaken the NMWA"

Jake obviously wasn't stupid, but Sobek had learned to lie a long time ago. "The NMWA will collapse anyway, Jake. I don't need to weaken her any further" he lied. "Try to reflect. I have exterminated six million of your soldiers effortlessly. How long do you think it takes me to wipe out the NMWA? I could start the invasion today if I wanted to. I don't do it because I know there is no need. A classist and oppressive political system isn't destined to last… especially in moments of tension like this one". The spinosaurus smiled slightly. "I have no reason to help your people get out of their chains... except the will to build a more just and equitable world"

Of course it was false, at least in part. Sobek didn't need to further weaken the NMWA... he just needed to weaken the three superpowers who owned the atom. Once they were out of the way, the rest of the world would fall like a house of cards.

However, since the existence of nuclear bombs wasn't known to Jake, he couldn't expose Sobek's lie. All the war strategies that the former colonel could consider were all based on the movement of armies and conventional weapons, which had proved useless against the dinosaurs despite all the efforts of humanity; he could hardly have imagined that death could fall from the sky in the form of a mushroom cloud.

Therefore, Jake could only agree with Sobek's words: the dinosaurs, at the moment, didn't need to weaken their enemies, as they were too strong for them. This was the advantage of knowledge: the more you knew, the more likely you were to cheat others.

Sobek had no qualms about lying and using people to their advantage. He was not an idealist and he knew that a new world was not built with hugs and caresses. Any weapon capable of hurting the Commission had to be used, especially now that the world was on a razor's edge, and apparent altruism was a weapon in its turn.

Besides, he couldn't say he was hurting anyone. Everyone would come out victorious with that deal: Jake and Neytiri would see the Maakanar Federation become a recognized and accepted nation in the Eden Union, Neanderthals around the world would get a homeland, the Eden Union could benefit from further weakening. of the NMWA and the dinosaurs in addition to hurting the common enemy would gain more popularity. It was a win-win situation. The only ones who would lose would be the ones that everyone hated: the countries of the NMWA.

Jake seemed intent on saying something else, but Sobek decided that he had had enough and preceded him: "Listen, I know that you are afraid of me and that you don't trust, and I don't blame you. After all, I'm the one who killed your entire army. I am willing to bet that there were friends of yours on those ships, and I can assure you that I would have had no qualms about killing you if you had been there. But that's not what's important at the moment" he said. "Don't allow your fear to cloud your judgment and don't let it affect the future of your new people. Yesterday we were enemies, today we have the opportunity not to be enemies anymore. What we do today affects tomorrow, not the other way around. Therefore, I ask you to accept this agreement thinking of all the lives you will save, not all the ones you have lost"

Jake had opened his mouth, but no sound came out of it. This is because Sobek had hit the mark.

One thing that all humans had in common was that none of them wanted the others to know what was in their heads. As soon as someone guessed what they were thinking, even if it was ephemeral, they immediately panicked, because they feared that their opponent understood too much about them.

And Sobek had lived long enough and seen enough conflict to realize that Jake didn't trust him because he feared him. Because he knew how easily Sobek could wipe him out of existence and because he knew that this terrible fate had already been entrusted to many others. Jake couldn't trust Sobek because fear clouded his eyes.

However, those simple sentences had been enough to bring Jake's confidence down. Sobek's tone and words had brought the truth to the surface, a rather stupid truth when viewed from an outside perspective. To be guided by one's personal feelings was foolish, especially when the fate of an entire people lay on one's shoulders. And he also made Jake look bad.

"Jake" Neytiri put a hand on his shoulder. "I think we should trust him"

The former colonel looked at her with an indecisive look that betrayed the conflict that raged inside him; despite this, however, he finally closed his eyelids and nodded.

Having received his consent, Neytiri turned to Sobek: "We accept the agreement. I hope this will be the beginning of a bright future for all of us"

"I hope so too" Sobek replied. "But if we all commit ourselves, I'm sure we will make it." It wasn't quite true, but he had to at least try to pretend to be optimistic.

That pact would have sanctioned major changes over the next few months and years. As soon as the new Neanderthal homeland became common domain, much of the workforce of the NMWA nations would begin mass immigration. Many nations would have closed their borders and even shot refugees to prevent them from escaping, but this would only have created riots among the lower sections of the population. A few decades into the future, the Maakanar Federation would be known as the homeland of the Neanderthals, and even those who remained in the Homo sapiens nations would recognize it as such.

When their meeting ended and Neytiri and Jake were walking back, the woman turned to the former colonel: "Stop being so angry. We got exactly what we came for, much more indeed. Don't be angry just for your pride"

"It's not pride" Jake grumbled.

"Yes it is"

"Mph"

Neytiri wrapped her arms around his neck. "The Great King of the Forest is wise. He has seen further than we ever imagined. Don't be mad at him if he killed your teammates. After all, that's normal in wars, and we all know he never wanted that war"

Jake snorted. "You know he's not a god, right? I've already explained it to you"

Neytiri burst out laughing. "You just explained to me that his current body was born from the work of one of your 'scientists'. The Lords of the World can take many forms to physically access the material world, and they can weave time and events as they please. You can say what you want, you will never convince me that he is not the Great King of the Forest"

"Why?"

"Because in our culture, the Great King of the Forest is the one who protects the balance of life, which he has always done. All of his actions, at least from what you have told me and from what he has always declared, have served to heal the world after your people had ruined it. He never acted for himself, but always for others. If he's not the Great King of the Forest, I don't know who else could be"

Jake let out a sigh and a half smile. He was not a person of faith; he had stopped praying years ago, when his brother Tommy died, when he realized that gods didn't exist or, if they did, he didn't care much for men. But ever since he joined the Neanderthal people, he had begun to appreciate every aspect of their culture, including their religion. He was still an atheist, but he didn't mind trying to imagine that this singular situation they had all been living in for years was the result of something divine. Besides, Neytiri had shown him many times that he could see further than him, despite possessing almost no scientific knowledge. "I don't know what I'd do without you" he admitted.

"Without me, you would have died. That's what we women are for, to keep you men from doing very stupid things that you could get hurt with" Neytiri replied.

"Then I'm lucky to have you as a woman" Jake said wrapping her torso with his arms.

"I am the High Priestess. You know I can't be anyone's woman" Neytiri said, but he didn't stop him from touching her.

"You didn't think so that night" Jake whispered in her ear with a mischievous tone. "We want to repeat the experience tonight?"

"Tsk. Continue to hope" Neytiri replied, breaking away from him, but from his gaze Jake could see the understanding. "Come on, let's go back. We have a lot to do now that we are part of an international organization"

Jake didn't answer; he just got back on his way, humming a song that Neytiri didn't know, but that he had heard him sing several times when he was happy.