The Cold War between the Kiiote and the Yown’Hoo has
become a shooting war. On Earth, there
are three Triads one each in Minneapolis, Estados United; Pune, India; and
Harbin, China. Protected by the Triad Corporation, they intend to integrate not
only the three peoples and stop the war that threatens to break loose and
slaughter Humans and devastate their world.; but to stop the war that consumes
Kiiote economy and Yown’Hoo moral fiber. The Yown’Hoo know about the
extra-Universe Braider, aliens whose own “civil war” mirrors the Cold War. The
Braiders accidentally created a resonance wave that will destroy the Milky Way
and the only way to stop it is to physically construct a sort of membrane that
will produce a canceling wave – generated from the rim of the Galaxy inward.
The Braiders don’t DO physical stuff on that scale – the Yown’Hoo-Kiiote-Human
Triads may be their only chance of creating a solution. The merger of
Human-Kiiote-Yown’Hoo into a van der Walls Society may produce a stability
capable of launching incredible expansion, creativity, longevity and wealth –
and building the Membrane to stop the wave.
The young experimental Triads are made up of the
smallest primate tribe of Humans –two; the smallest canine pack of Kiiote –
six; and the smallest camelid herd of Yown’Hoo – a prime eleven. On nursery
farms and ranches away from the TC cities, Humans have tended young Yown’Hoo
and Kiiote in secret for decades, allowing the two warring people to reproduce
and grow far from their home worlds. Grendl, Manitoba is one such place. No one
but the Triad Company has ever heard of it and the physical plant goes by the
unobtrusive name of Organic Prairie Dairy.
The Triads never hear of anything they aren’t spoon fed
in their luxury worlds and have heard only rumors of the farms and ranches. Surrounded
by a Humanity that has degenerated into a “duck-and-cover” society as the Big
Boys fight their war, they don’t care about anything but their own lives.
Oblivious, cocooned, manipulated, they have no idea that their privileges are
about to be violently curtailed and all of their biology ransacked for the
correct Membrane pattern. (update: 2/13/2014)
Lieutenant Commander Patrick Bakhsh, retired bowed, sweeping
his arm in an arc that let his fingertips just brush the floor. “But be my
guest. I hear you all are genius teenagers and the best of the breeds.”
“Who has told you such tales?” the lead pack female, Qap
asked.
Bakhsh scowled at her until Shayla said, “We’re a team,
interlocked and linked…”
“That sounds like advertising,” he said, then smirking.
“Call it what you will,” I cut in, “Our job has always been
to forge bonds with each other.”
He grunted then said, “So – this map you saw as a kid?”
“Huh?”
“You told me that one of your old query marker gurus showed
you a map and told you to memorize it in case you didn’t have access to a tablet
computer connected to the internet.”
“That’ll never happen!” I said. I pulled out the flextablet –
not that it would display an old-fashioned screen or anything 20th like
that! It was just a slice of circuitry that could project a virtual screen in
front of me – or that anyone else could see. He snatched it from me, curled it
in on itself then shoved it in his pocket. “Hey!”
His nasty look – I haven’t seen anybody look so nasty…well…I’ve
never seen anyone look as cranky as this guy looked. He made me freeze with my
mouth hanging open like I was missing a brain gene. He said, “You want the
people who blew up the RetroMetroDome to find you? That was your home, your
food source – and not just for you Humans! What about the alien bunnies the
Kiiote eat or the meatgrass the Yown’Hoo eat? Not like you’re gonna be able to
a buy a brace or a bale.” He fixed a long look at me that shifted to Shayla a
second later as he said, “And it’s not like you two could survive anywhere
outside of your little world.” He lifted his chin at the Herd Mother and added,
“I think even you and your Kiiote counterpart might find life a challenge on
Earth.”
A nearby doorway swung open and the lead male Kiiote, Xurf
crawled into the room, warily looking up at Lieutenant Commander Patrick
Bakhsh, retired. The Human bared his teeth. I knew it was a smile, but like any
other canine on Earth, the Kiiote interpreted it as a threat gesture. Which was
fine. Xurf and Qap as well as Dao-hi and me and Shayla were in lots of danger.
I could feel it.
“I’ll give you your tablet back when you tell me what you
saw on the old-fashioned map.”
I sighed. Shayla looked at me. I’d told her about the whole
weird session with the guru – his name was Kan Yuen – right after it happened.
We were ten and she didn’t care then. Now she flashed me a finger twitch. It
was our personal language. We could talk when we needed to even with the rest
of the Triad was around us. She told me to “Watch it!” I said to Bakhsh, “Why
should I tell you? You might be part of the terrorist group that blew up the
Dome.”
His eyebrows lifted and he nodded slowly, “Glad to see you’re
not a total virgin.”
“I’m not a virgin!” I snapped. Then I felt myself blush like
only gingers can blush – from my toes to the top of my head. I finished the
sentence, “...at keeping secrets!”
Bakhsh was smirking as he continued, “If I was one of them,
I’d have tied all of you up, thrown you in the basement and called in the
choppers.” He went to the wall, tapped it and it blanked, showing a moment
later, a complete virtual communication center. “I’d call up Terrorist Command
and order them to come and pick you up.”
Shayla crossed her arms over her chest, making sure to lift
her breasts a bit to keep his attention – he snorted, but didn’t comment –
original question: why should we trust you?”
Lieutenant Commander Patrick Bakhsh, retired, pursed his
lips, then grabbed them between thumb and forefinger after settling his left
elbow in his right hand. He sighed, shook his head then said, “Because, my
Human compatriots and their alien allies – I honestly think that except for me,
you don’t have a single friend in this entire City.”
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