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)
Kiiote and Yown’Hoo brought their war to us because they
couldn’t breed in space. They needed Earth to do that and now we’re the poor
dorks who inherited their endless war,” he paused, adding, “That’s how the
Earth First faction feels. The Yown’Hoo and Kiiote want us for one thing – as
babysitters. The Masters, Pan and Zir, Mother of All, Ji-hi, and the Martyr,
St. Admiral had a greater vision. They wanted to form an interstellar
civilization. They held minority views, but convinced at least some on each
world to invest their time and resources into the Triad Project…”
Great Uncle Rion broke in, “The faction I have supported has
worked to create a new belief system that all would follow. The main tenet is
to weave personal lives into a complex whole, flexible, peaceful interstellar
union.”
I stared at my great uncle. “You want to start a religion?”
He shrugged, gesturing to the conjure’s place, “We need all
the help we can get here.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Religion had been one
of the first things the world before ours had attempted to abolish. It was
after the Horrible Teens, when terrorism wrought by religious factions of
Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism Judaism, Bahaism, Confucianism,
Jainism, and Shintoism had torn the world apart. The declaration of the United
Faith in Humanity hadn’t really taken hold – no idea why. It always seemed
sensible to me. Anyway, they tried and the UFIH hadn’t really replaced it. “So
you want to create something like the UFIH, but with a metaphysical aspect”
GURion pointed at me and said, “Exactly.” He also waved
toward where the conjure had been. “Things like that make our mission both more
plausible and a matter of even greater urgency. The Yown’Hoo that created the
beings can’t exactly explain what they are. They aren’t technically alive – yet
they are. So they’re not just machines, even in a biological sense.” He made a
rude noise, “It’s even clear to me – and I’ve been fabricated from materials,
the ultimate materialist you might say, and I can see plainly that there are aspects
of Humanity that are more than merely chemical reactions! A Human author your
biological great uncle was fond of was named CS Lewis…”
Xio exclaimed, “I loved the CHRONICLES OF NARNIA!”
“Me, too. But he also wrote a deadly serious novel in which
Humans tried to cast off their nature by furiously believing and trying to
create an entirely UNnatural man. A ‘new’ Man so to speak who had no truck with nature and would
be entirely scientific.” He paused. “That didn’t work out any better than the
UFIH, which became just one more religion among many. It even spawned its own
terrorists who self-righteously terrorized the Old Believers.” He sighed,
though he didn’t need to, and said, “Humanity is perverse on so many levels…you
have no idea.”
Retired looked at us, seated at his feet, sighed, and said, “This
is exactly what I hoped to avoid.”
“What?” I said.
“You’re looking to me for leadership! I’m an old man! I want
to retire – hence the name! You nineteen…” GURion sighed and corrected him.
Retired nodded. “Eighteen of you – you need to start to make decisions. Running
away at this moment is prudent. But it cannot be the way you live the rest of
your lives. The time has come when you give me orders.”
“But what if we give you a stupid order?” Qap whined then
said.
He said a truly foul word, adding, “I didn’t say I was
abandoning you! I will act as your guide, but I have to stop making decisions!
And I will stop. Right now.” I opened my mouth and he pointed at me, smiled,
and said, “And I will tell you when you are about to blunder. But then we will
discuss what our next steps should be. On the shoulders of this Triad more than
either of the others…”
I was sure he was going to say something like, “Rests the
future of Humanity.” Or something inspiring like that.
But he concluded, “...rests the burden of learning your roles in this
hideous world we’ve left for you.” Shaking his head, he said, “Get some sleep.
We’ll leave when everyone wakes refreshed and we’ve eaten.” He left us in the
room, still sitting. One-by-one; two-by-two; or as a herd, we went to our rooms
to await the morning.
No comments:
Post a Comment