June 27, 2019

LOVE IN A TIME OF ALIEN INVASION: CHAPTER 107 The Trials of Team Three – 7


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 Xiaomara; 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 at great profit to Humanity. Then the war spilled over on to the Human homeworld and all three are threatened with extinction…

Choral Reading
STAGE DIRECTION: (Spotlight falls on each as they speak then shuts off, illuminating the next; then all three spotlights fall on them as they chorus together.)

Yown’Hoo: “The literal decay of the fiber of Yown’Hoo morality accelerated when we refused peace with Kiiote.”
Kiiote: “Interbreeding, internecine war, and ritual cannibalism devoured us in resisting harmony with Yown’Hoo.”
Human: “Material gain from both Yown’Hoo and Kiiote fed our greed, so concord held no profit.”
All: “We might do something none of us alone can do, we might braid an unbreakable cord of unity.” (4/6/2019)

Mother Kan Yuen said, “The reason we created the Triads was so that the three hidden Triads will eventually bond, and then from them, form the initial van der Walls Society. From there, we expect that the effect would allow the spontaneous formation of others.”

Scowling, Xiao said, “Why not just educate everyone and have them start?” She paused, thinking furiously, “Creating a new religion out of the concept might have been effective. Humans, Yown’Hoo, and Kiiote all have the capacity for accepting religion. That would have taken less…”

“We tried.” She shook her head, “The result was worse than we could have anticipated. That experiment had to be sterilized with a pogrom of the ones we created.”

“A…what?”

Mother Kan Yuen reached a store front that had opened onto the main thoroughfare of the ancient mall. As she appeared to walk into the darkness, the air around her sparkled orange and green. Xiao stopped then stepped back. “Where are you taking me?”

“Follow child and you will see.”

Once they passed through the portal, they came into a brilliantly lit laboratory. Along one side were parts of robots – not only Human forms, but Yown’Hoo and Kiiote as well. The other side was marked by large view screens, most of them unlit. Xiao stopped, arms folded over her chest and said, “I don’t want to ask again, ‘Where are you taking me?’”

Mother Kan Yuen looked over her shoulder and smiled as she kept walking. “Ever the strong, stubborn hero, eh, Xiomara?”

“How do you know me?” Then she made a disgusted sound, shaking her head. “Stupid question.” She looked directly at Mother, not moving, waiting. The other woman turned around, “All right. Transparency. You’ve separated me from the rest of my team. You have me alone. What do I need to do?”

Mother Kan Yuen turned away, back rigid. Then she sagged and when she turned to face Xiao, she looked old. Worn out. She said slowly, “We lost contact with the other two Triads years ago. They may still be active and healthy, but there are forces at work among all three Peoples that are fighting our concept.” She sighed, “There have always been Humans and Yown’Hoo, and Kiiote who have fought the idea of creating a new civilization.”

“But why? I don’t understand!” She stomped her foot before she could stop herself. Some leader she’d turned out to be. Seg-go, Alli-go, and Nah-hi-el stepped through the portal behind her and came to stand with her.

Mother Kan Yuen, “You may be the only Triad to survive and so we needed to get you out of Minneapolis and to go into hiding.”

“But that’s retreat! We can fight this!”

“You can. But you’d all be killed. We – the Leadership – and I have a different plan. Maybe it’s what we should have done initially. We want you to integrate into the community in Winnipeg – all of you. We hope then that your tolerance of each other,” she held up a hand, “Let me change that, the celebration you do as a Triad, your success, your integration among yourselves, will be a sort of…‘plague’ that will pull together the Humans who live in the city and the Fosters who raise Kiiote pups and Yown’Hoo younglings. It should happen naturally. Now, daughter, will you join me?”


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