On Earth, there are three Triads intending 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. All three intelligences hover on the
edge of extinction. The merger of Human-Kiiote-Yown’Hoo into a van der Walls
Society might not only save all three – but become something not even they
could predict. Something entirely new...
The young experimental Triads are made up of the smallest
primate tribe of Humans – Oscar and Xiomara; the smallest canine pack of Kiiote
– six, pack leaders Qap and Xurf; and the smallest camelid herd of Yown’Hoo – a
prime eleven, Dao-hi the Herd mother. 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.
“We had nearly fallen into stagnation when we encountered
the Kiiote.”
“And we into internecine war when we encountered the
Yown’Hoo.”
“Yown’Hoo and
Kiiote have been defending themselves for a thousand revolutions of our Sun.”
“Together, we
might do something none of us alone might have done…a destiny that included
Yown’Hoo, Kiiote, and Human.” (2/19/2015)
The Pack seemed to sink to the floor and I recognized the
scent of Kiiote fear.
Xurf straightened himself into humanoid shape, shaking out
his arms, then straightened himself as much as a Kiiote could and said, “These
are the demons of a shameful past, we believe they are sent to torture our
minds.” He paused a long time before he said, “We had no idea they had come to
Earth.” He hung his head.
Qap had stretched into humanoid form as well and she stepped
next to him and said faintly, “We are more than sorry. Much, much more than
sorry. We are, as a people, ashamed. We have poisoned your world with these
demons…”
Shay said, “What do you mean, ‘demons’? Did you summon them
from the land of the dead?”
Xurf sneezed. It was a Kiiote expression of extreme disgust.
“There is no such thing! The conjures are constructed from a special kind of
matter. They were created to work in high energy environments – on the surface
of planets nearer the sun, planets caught in radiation belts of stars…”
Qap added, “In emergencies, they could be sent into highly
radioactive environments.” She snorted, “They are expendable where we are not.”
Commander Patrick Bakhsh – we continued to call him Retired –
hadn’t said much since our run from the destruction of the farmhouse. When he
spoke now, his voice was low and sort of soft. Even so, it sounded dangerous.
Like he’d discovered a bomb in one of backpacks, he said, “You’ve been
experimenting with solid life.”
Qap and Xurf suddenly panted. That was a sign of extreme
Kiiote distress. Finally, Qap said, “To our shame, I have to tell you that the
Kiiote have.”
“How do you know all this?” I asked. “You’ve been with us
since you were weaned.”
Xurf gestured to Qilf and Fax, the Pack seconds. They rarely
spoke, never made decisions unless Qap and Xurf directed them to, and I’d never
seen either one do more that follow the Firsts. Fax, the male said, “Our job
since weaning, when we are not learning to lead, has been to comb through
Kiiote news – dispatches, communiques, entertainment broadcasts, and private
messages.” He nodded to Qilf.
She said, “Our job is to listen. We listen to you, we listen
to Human news and words and messages from the Herd’s Plateship in orbit. We listen
to them, interpret, discuss, then offer summary to the Pack Leaders.”
“I’ve never seen you talk to them!” Shay said.
Qilf yapped in amusement. “We do not share in words but in
taste and smell. You know, Triad-mate, that all Kiiote speak on multiple
levels. We have experienced tiered communication between the two of us.”
I didn’t know what Qilf meant, but Shay suddenly started to
shift back and forth on her feet, cleared her throat, and clasped her hands
behind her back. She did the same thing the first time we’d explored sex
together – for about a week.
Retired pursed his lips then said, “How long has the Pack fighting
over Earth known about the escaped conjures?”
Fax shook himself hard, the Kiiote equivalent of a Human
shrug. “We knew seventeen of your months ago. They may have arrived on your
world before that, but there is no clear evidence to indicate that they had. We’d
heard nothing of the Solid Ones before that.” He paused. “But we do not guarantee
that they were not here.”
Retired sighed and went to the room’s table and gestured for
us to get comfortable on the floor. GURion closed the door into the tunnel and
pulled a lever, locking it from our side, cutting off the flow of cold air. He
looked to Qilf, “They can’t pass through solid matter, can they?”
She shook her pelt. “We do not believe so. They are made of
coherent matter and while our people manipulate it, we do not entirely
understand it, much as Humans began their journey into nuclear power.”
Retired shook his head, “Thoughts of lecturing you – and your
entire civilization – on the foolishness of what you just told me are both
self-evident and unlikely to make any difference. What do the conjures do when
they attack beings made of regular matter?”
“Aside from strangling them, breaking bones, or inflicting
other physical damage?” Retired snorted. “They can destabilize their own matrix
through a voice command to the device that holds them together, not only
destroying themselves, but causing standard matter to destabilize as well.” She
paused, adding softly, “They turn into a pile of spreading gold slime.”
“Gross,” said Shay.
Retired sighed and said, “We need to sleep. We have a long
trip ahead of us before we reach Grendl. The anti-Triad faction will be looking
for you, the Kiiote and Yown’Hoo will be doing the same; and now conjures will
be after us as well.”
Fax said, “It wearies me simply thinking about it.”
“Sorry son, that’s the least of our concerns at this point.”
Fax nodded and headed for the Pack’s room.
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