Everybody has one defining moment in their life. One precious moment in time, that will set the mark for who they are for he rest of their lives. My father used to tell me that all the time, and it always stuck. I can remember it very well, and I can even hear his voice in my head, telling me those very words.

I specifically remember one particular time when we were driving to my aunts house, one day before her fiftieth birthday. I was fourteen at the time. My father and me were having a very pleasant talk, and, in ways I couldn't remember; the subject came up. He started to go on and on about people's defining moments, and how they set the course for how the rest of their life would go, and would be the base of their very being. Now, my dad had talked to me about this many times. But this time was different.

You see, unlike the previous times my dad brought up the subject, a question came into her head.

"How do you know when it's your defining moment?"

I'll never forget that smile he gave me, when I asked that, or the look that came in his eyes.

"Trudy..." he started, and paused, thinking of the right words. It was silence for the next five minutes. One of the longest silences I've ever had to endure. It was a simple question, I thought. It shouldn't take that long to answer, should it?

"You'll know. Don't ask me how, but when that time comes in your life, you'll just know." Was the answer he finally gave me. Of course, I wasn't satisfied with it, but I didn't complain. If it took him that long to think of that simple statement, there was really no point in digging further.

However, there were moments when I though I knew exactly what he meant by that. By you know your defining moment. The first time was when my little sister, Ana, had been diagnosed with cancer. However, even though that moment effected me more then you could possibly imagine, I realize that it was nowhere near my defining moment. The next time I though I had that defining moment was when I was seventeen and I got into a car crash, when visiting Ana in the hospital. But that wasn't it either.

Now, from what I've seen, many of my fellow marine's moment, was the day they joined the marines. Hell, I thought that was mine for a while too. I mean, it's a big decision, especially when you're fighting one of the biggest wars we've seen in the last century. But that wasn't it either. No, the possibility of that being the moment is so far from it, I could laugh.

Up until now, I was positive that it when my best friend in the world, Jimmy Harper, my best friend since before we were born. My best friend who always had my back, the bubbly boy next door who had been there through all the crap in my life...who was the first visitor at the hospital when a crashed, who was my first kiss, who was right next to me when we joined the marines, died in the line of duty, saving my ass. Yes, I thought for sure that was my defining moment. But even though the world seemed to stop when he died, and as much as I wouldn't want to admit it, I now see that his death wasn't my defining moment either.

This moment right now, right now, is it. This is my defining moment.

--

Time seemed to freeze for her, almost as if the universe was giving her time to think on what her choice of action would be. She now knew exactly her father meant, when he said she'd know.

She looked out of her window, seeing the missiles blast out of the planes around her. She scowled. They were just blindly following orders, now caring about who or what they hurt! Couldn't they see what they were causing? Weren't they feeling just the slightest amount of guilt?

That being said, her thumb was less then a inch away from the button that would end it all. It was an order to fire at them. She was a marine, after all. When you're given a order, you follow it through to the end, no questions asked.

Besides, it wasn't as if she had never fire missiles onto people before! In fact, that was her main job! But why did this feel any different?

Because before, you fired missiles onto people who were killing innocent civilians, the voice in her head said, press the button, and that's exactly what you'll be doing.

That was right. She didn't sign up on this mission to kill, she did so she could help her planet. Now kill the natives. Besides, out here, she wasn't a marine. She was hired help. The colonol's word didn't mean anything.

However, she knew that walking away wouldn't do anything. And she hated her options. Fire, and be a murderer, or just fly away, turning her back on Natives. Her options sucked. So far, she was leaning towards flying away. It would be the right, humane thing to do, but she knew that Colonel Quaritch wouldn't stop until all the natives were dead. And she could only imagine what would happen to Doctor Grace, Max, Norm, and Jake. And that killed her inside.

She wished she could do something. Something that would help the natives. Something that would help everybody, the natives, and her friends.

That's when the thought hit her. The colonel's ship was right there, and she had enough missiles. A plan started to form in her mind. A plan that might kill her, but it was the only option that appealed to her at the moment. It was the only choice of action, that she would be able to live with when all was done and said.

"I didn't sign up for this shit," she said, bringing the plane up. She needed a good range. If she was gonna do this, she needed to do it right. She was not going to screw this up.

"What are you doing?!?" Yelled Lyle Wainfleet, in the back of the plane. She rolled her eyes. She had completely forgotten about him. She never liked him, but she smiled anyways. This was good. Now she had a witness, so everybody would know who did the deed she was about to commit. She smiled.

"Lyle, I sure hope your eyes are good," she said, "Cause you're about to watch history be made."

She pressed the button that allowed her to fire. However, unlike all the other guns down there, the missiles weren't being launched at the natives. Oh no.

This went straight for colonel Quaritch's ship, and the poor bastard didn't even see them coming.

Before anybody had time to think, the ship went into flames, and soon plummeted down to the planet below them.

"What did you just do?" Yelled Lyle, in a voice unusually high for him. Letting him know of the shock he was feeling. She grinned.

"I believe I just committed mutiny," she replied, turning the ship around to head back to the base. Most of these gung-ho morons would have no idea what to do, but she knew that with the colonel gone, many would side with the one who killed him, not wanting to share the fate he just suffered. Of course, a lot of them would try and get back at her no matter what the cost, but that didn't bother her. Not one of them was as strong a leader as Quaritch was, and wouldn't last a chance against the natives. Still, there was still Parker to deal with. But that would be easy. Without his colonel to protect him, he was a fish out of water.

She was now the top dog around here, this was her operation now. She would make them leave the natives alone, maybe see if they two could now be allies after all that's happened. If not, they would leave peacefully. This was the native's planet, after all. She only just helped the get it back.

In her mind, her defining moment couldn't have gone any better. Not if she tried.

And no matter what was going to happened after this, she would be happy.

Because in her mind, she was a hero.

I loved Trudy in Avatar, and I'm honored to have the first story about her on this site!

I remember when I watched that movie, I thought that she should have shot him down during that whole ordeal, and I'm willing to bet that I'm not the only one. And as honorable as it was that she did what she did, I just liked the scenario of her killing her at that moment.

Hopefully, this was worthy as her first fanfiction.

I'm hoping that there will be more Trudy fanfiction on here soon. If any of you readers write one, let me know! I'll be the first to read it!

Happy Holidays!

Jeanne