11y, 8m AV
Outside the Alien Quarter, Folctha, Cimbrean, The Far Reaches
Champion Meereo of Clan Longear
Play was a universal concept. The forms that play might take varied greatly, and the purpose was sometimes inscrutable, but all intelligent sophonts the galaxy over had their own methods and preferences.
Predators had similar tastes in games, it seemed. Meereo learned that as he sat on a bench outside the Alien Quarter, watching a Human and Gaoian cub wrestle and chase under the wary eyes of two adult females, also Human and Gaoian. A small drama erupted; Humans could make fists even at such a young age! The Gaoian didn’t appreciate being hit, and swiped back, drawing a thin bleeding line on the little Human’s flat and strangely expressive face. Meereo wasn’t sure what the expression meant, exactly, but judging by everyone’s reaction it was probably some mixture of anger and pain.
The two Mothers intervened immediately, followed by the unmistakable posture of two younglings being forced to apologize and not at all caring for it. Meereo flicked his right ear in amusement. And then, not a minute later they were playing again, all slights forgotten.
Their play now centered around a chase-game with a smallish ball. It was a little large in the Human cub’s hand but she could throw it with remarkable power and accuracy, which delighted the Gaoian to no end; the smaller Gaoian cub would billow and rage after it and pounce, then return with the ball, pleased and happy and quite tired. They threw and chased many times until a truly enormous creature arrived, ears up and eyes laser-focused on the two cubs. Meereo perked up, suddenly anxious at its arrival.
Meereo boggled at it; it was larger than the fully-grown adult Human Mother by a vast distance. It had a long and rough coat with black, brown, grey and silver colorings, but that did nothing to disguise its sheer, bulging fitness or its blatantly obvious Deathworld origins. With paws and claws as large as meal plates, and teeth and jaws so big it could bite either of the cubs’ heads clean off in one chomp? It was fearsome. Even the way it moved was grotesquely and intimidatingly predatory. The beast brought to mind a vision of an alien Stoneback: huge, strong, dangerous. It huffed, focused on the Cubs exactly like a Gaoian pouncing on prey, and ran towards them! Meereo stood up, alarmed, and charged towards the scene on fourpaw—
It gently tackled the cub to the ground and licked it everywhere while the Humans laughed their throaty not-bark and the Gaoians chittered happily. After a long snuffling moment, the massive creature stood in a play-bow and allowed the Cubs to inflict all manner of happy abuse. Apparently it was like a Stoneback in personality, too. Meereo relaxed, the threat past, but suddenly felt a bit self-conscious in such an Uncivilized state and stood up, straightening his fur and flicking his ears in embarrassment. The adults noticed his sudden approach and abrupt stop and waved for him to join. He ambled over, ears set at an asymmetric and apologetic kilter.
The Human cub stood up and approached suddenly. “You look like Anubis!”
“…I do?”
He bent down and gently sniffed at the air. The little Human was pungent like all her kind but he detected nothing untoward. She smelled like a child should: dirty with hints of recent exertion. The tang of blood was about her as well but her shallow wound clotted with surprising speed, so that smell was faint. There was no sharp and coppery scent of anger, nor the acrid bite of fear. Only curiosity.
“Yeah! He’s the ‘Gyptian god of death, I think!”
Meereo found he did not enjoy the comparison.
“I am not sure how I feel about that.”
His translator, when rendering Human language, gave him a tenor pitch and very precise diction, which Meereo found irrationally annoying. His natural voice was deeper!
“Anubis was a god of the afterlife, specifically.” The Human Mother spoke up. “He dealt with resurrection and was the guide of souls to and after Judgment. He was also patron of embalming. As death deities go, he wasn’t so bad.” She also gave him a curious look, which Meereo could not identify.
Meereo found himself humorously nonplussed by the sudden and strange encounter, and swiveled his ears in bemusement. “Yes. Well. Is everyone fine?”
“Just a little Cub drama, but otherwise fine.” The Gaoian Mother gave him a look-over. Then she looked him over again. “Visiting?” Meereo was suddenly paying rapt attention to her and swiveled his ears forward to listen.
“Yes, on official business for my Clan. I do not know how long I will stay…” He set his ears wide and slightly back, inviting her to comment.
“Oh! Well, when you’re done, maybe we can give you a tour? Folctha isn’t big but the people are very friendly!”
The massive creature which precipitated the encounter finished licking the tiny cub, who had practically chittered herself exhausted. He ambled over with utter confidence and sniffed boldly at Meereo, forcefully placing himself in front of the Cubs and Mothers. He did so in a way which suggested Meereo was not yet a trusted individual, though it wasn’t exactly an unfriendly advance. Merely…extremely assertive. Dominant, even, to the point of near aggression.
Meereo wasn’t about to challenge him.
“Oh, don’t mind Bozo. He’s a little protective.”
“Bozo? He has a name?”
WURF!!
Meereo’s ears flattened of their own accord. That…sound…was boisterous and obviously cheerful, but it was so loud it was slightly painful.
“Yup, that’s him.”
“…this must be a ‘dog’ I presume?”
“Yup! Say hi, Bozo!”
Woof! That was a much gentler vocalization and originated in the creature’s mouth instead of deep in its cavernous chest. The ‘dog’ pressed forward and snuggled against Meereo’s paw. He chittered and scratched at the creature’s head, which earned a wagging tail and other obvious signs of deep pleasure.
He looked the massive creature over. While one could never possibly mistake this Bozo for a Gaoian—his body plan was all wrong, the face was dopey and far too beastly—there were certain similarities. The eyes and eyebrows were expressive and the ears seemed to be as well. There was something brutally simple and primitive about this creature, and yet, somehow, Meereo understood its expressions and scents, as if filtered through an almost perfect translator. And the creature seemed to understand him, too.
Bozo seemed content that Meereo wasn’t a threat to the others. He stretched out luxuriantly, showing off a physique far too robust and obscenely over-muscled to be anything from Meereo’s homeworld, except maybe a Naxas bull in its absolute prime, or maybe a Stoneback or extremely large Straightshield. Bozo then stretched his mouth open very wide, showing off an impressive set of gleaming and very large teeth. Even its jaws were flanked and layered with a huge mass of dense, fibrous muscle. Presumably this was a threat display, though Meereo felt a strange compulsion, suddenly, to do the same thing.
Both the cubs imitated immediately.
“I think yawns really are contagious!” This from the very fetching Mother.
“Oh God, not this again.” The translator paused at that second sound but decided it was only a mild exclamation and continued. Human idiom was tricky to process and he’d not had time to upgrade his translator before arriving.
Meereo very much wanted to continue this conversation; the Mother was delightfully alluring and there was a certain inexplicable attraction with the Human female as well. Most likely it was the simple novelty of actual conversation than anything else. He’d met a number of Humans on the visit so far but he’d not had any chance to simply…talk. Share. Tell a story, even. Longears loved to communicate. What was the purpose of a network, after all?
Of course, right at that moment his watch’s calendar went off, reminding him of his appointment with Champion Genshi.
“Alas, I must depart.” He looked down at the Cubs, “Will you listen to your Mothers?”
“YES!” in two different languages.
“Excellent!” He duck-nodded at the females. “Good day.” He turned around gracefully then walked to his meeting.
“He’s cute!” Melissa gave Niral a mischievous grin.
Niral looked properly scandalized! “Melissa! You are now the second Human female I’ve known that has an eye for our males. How do you know he’s cute?”
Melissa gave her a single raised eyebrow. “Girl, look at him. He’s wearing nothing but his watch and showin’ it all off. He’s got swagger and he’s toned as hell, too. I can see his abs and pecs through that fur! And it’s inky-black and looks so soft and silky…you can’t tell me that ain’t high on your list.”
“Well, yes, but—” Niral suddenly exploded with indignation, “But Humans don’t have fur! How could you even find it attractive in the first place!?”
“Who said I did? I said he was cute, not that I wanted to screw him.”
“Melissa—!”
“Hey, what can I say? Some signals transcend species. Pretty man seems to work both ways between our kinds. Weren’t you teasing me about Brian the other week? Didn’t you think he was attractive?”
“That’s different,” Niral sniffed. “He’s a teacher! He cares about Cubs.”
“He was shirtless and playing basketball when you made that comment.”
“…admittedly, his muscles were really impressive. But he’s Human, you’re all built like you’re from warrior stock!”
“No we’re not, not like that! But anyway, you were right. He is attractive. So I asked him out, and we’re going on a date this weekend. What’s your excuse?”
“Wh—!” Niral sputtered, “I just met him!”
“So?”
Niral wanted to reply but she was interrupted by her charge, who broke from a tussle with the Human cub and came over to talk. “Melissa?” The little Gaoian tugged at her pant-leg. “Who was he? He was pretty.”
Melissa chuckled, bent down and picked up the tiny cub. “…Y’know, we didn’t even get his name. A shame. And he was pretty, wasn’t he?” She shot an absolutely evil look at Niral as she said this.
“Yeah! His ears were really big!” She gestured to her own and made exaggerated motions to indicate a preposterous size.
“Mhmm.”
“Do you think Niral should talk to him?”
“Yeah!”
“…”
“I’ll watch the kids, Niral. Go. Talk to the pretty boy. And get his name! I wanna stalk him on Gaoian Facebook.”
Niral rolled her eyes. The Humans had enormous difficulty pronouncing the correct name of that most popular node on the Gaoian Infosphere, but it served a shockingly similar social function, so they called it the “Gaoian Facebook.”
The translation was pretty close, too.
Niral cast a glance at the male off in the distance. He wasn’t big—by Gaoian standards he was of average size, definitely towards the shorter and lighter side of the equation—but Melissa was right. He was very sleek and fit and well “put together.” And his fur was short, glossy and all black, a rare combination.
And he seemed friendly enough. “…I think you’re right. I’m gonna go talk to him.”
She trotted off, heart suddenly aflutter. Meanwhile, Melissa sat on the grass with the kids and the dog while the three happily played.
All in all, it was a good day.
The Alien Quarter, Folctha, Cimbrean, the Far Reaches
En route to meeting with Champion Genshi
Champion Meereo of Clan Longear
Niral had caught up to him just before he’d approached the security checkpoint at the gate, and what ensued was a wonderful confidence boost. She was slightly flustered in the most adorable way and he found himself very interested to hear about Cimbrean! He arranged a date for later that night.
“You set it up,” he offered. “I don’t know the area and I’m up for whatever!”
He was, too. Meereo very much liked to explore and that was one of the reasons he was so fit in the first place, though Gaoians in general were naturally and easily healthy and did not suffer from the “out of shape” problems to which Humans could be strangely prone. An odd adaption, that. Hoarding food resources so greedily it could damage their bodies? Earth must be horrifyingly dangerous. He shuddered slightly at the thought.
As they parted she gave him one last full body glance-over with an almost…hungry expression. Really, what male could ask for more? Buoyed, he happily strode through the security gate and the brief air-jet decontamination system, came up clean, and meandered over to the Whitecrest enclave.
Why were Gaoians naturally fit? Well, it was largely due to their millennias-old breeding programs and well-planned food availability, a benefit of Gao’s extremely predictable weather patterns; they were so predictable, in fact, meteorology was a very late science to the Gaoian people. With their world’s finalized ranking as a very high-end class nine, that near-perfect predictability likely saved it from Deathworld status. Not that the Corti would ever tell. Their classification algorithm was proprietary and they found geo-survey far too profitable an endeavor to give it up easily.
In either case, Meereo’s fitness was notably above average by the reckoning of either his Clan or the vast majority of the Clanless, though he wasn’t anything like the more physically imposing Clans; he didn’t have the long-working strength of the labor-focused Greentooth or Ironclaws, nor the intense, whip-cord muscularity of the defense-oriented Whitecrest or One-Fangs, nor the brute power of the Emberpelts or Straightshields. Nor was he like a Stoneback, who were generally all of those things at once and vastly beyond any other males.
Meereo didn’t descend from stock that physically impressive. Instead, Meereo’s Clan bred for focus, intelligence, and perception, while also giving a healthy sniff towards a lean, rangy, and functional body. For someone who needed to wiggle through tubes, hang from poles, crawl under desks, or walk surveys? And occasionally use a little muscle to wrestle an un-cooperating piece of equipment into submission? It was enough. And his preference to amble and hike and climb gave him that extra little edge; he’d found more than one use for being fit over the years. Also? It got him laid, and that got him cubs, which was definitely a motivating bit of positive feedback and kept him active and mobile.
All off those were entertaining thoughts and distractions. But now, he needed to consider his meeting and it was one potentially fraught with peril. He tried not to let any of that intimidate him. Keep confident, he told himself. He did not let the Whitecrest Champion’s more…intense physicality bother him, or Genshi’s vast training in matters of death and stealth, or that he, as a relative combat novice, was walking blind into an encounter to verify if the Ghost had taken residence in Genshi’s head.
If so, Meereo would probably miss that date.
The Alien Quarter, Folctha, Cimbrean, the Far Reaches
Meeting with Champion Meereo
Champion Genshi of Clan Whitecrest
Genshi was inwardly nervous, for this encounter was incredibly risky. He had to be absolutely certain that Meereo was safe, and that was going to require…force. In their private messages to arrange the meeting it was painfully clear neither Champion trusted each other. And sadly, that could mean anything.
In his own way, Meereo was far more dangerous than any other Champion. Compared to, say, Daar? Well, physically there was quite simply no male now or very probably ever in the whole of the Gaoian race who was even remotely his match—and if Genshi’s research was correct, very few Humans, either—so any actual head-on confrontation would likely result in a dead and mutilated Genshi no matter what else might happen. Not that he feared such a conflict from the friendly hulk, but a good Whitecrest knew the Angle in any situation.
And besides, Daar was in some ways a primitivist and eschewed certain trappings of modern life. Implants were a very notable item on his “not ever” list and that happily kept him free and clear of this particular threat. The obstinate brute could barely be persuaded to keep a communicator on his person!
But Meereo? Well. He was the Champion of the Major Clan whose portfolio included virtually every communications system amongst the Gao. While Whitecrest did basic maintenance and deployment of their own equipment, it was Longear who designed, maintained, implemented, upgraded, and innovated with any networks and associated infrastructure. Already they’d stolen a few ideas from the Humans—and they vice-versa—and as a result there were simultaneous worldwide “upgrades” underway to “dual stack” everything for seamless (eventual) access to the each other’s networks.
Genshi was reasonably sure he understood what that meant.
And that made Meereo effectively the most dangerous Gaoian alive. He had access to everything and if he wasn’t compromised, it would be a true and genuine shock. This made Genshi extraordinarily nervous. To that end, he picked his two best available Brothers, took them to the Surgeon to remove their implants, and briefed them with the absolute minimum necessary to accomplish his immediate mission. Whitecrests were discreet; if the Champion were to bring a Brother in on a mission, with no questions asked and none answered, they would know enough to keep their mouths shut. Forever.
Especially since Genshi was amongst the deadliest males alive.
“He’s arrived, Champion.”
Show time. “Very well, run the scenario. Everyone take up positions.”
Meereo
“Greetings, Cousin.” Genshi held his paws low and wide with his ears in a friendly set. The meeting was public with plenty of on-lookers, so appearances mattered a great deal. Meereo returned the gesture with a carefully-controlled set of his ears, betraying no hint of wariness or concern.
“And you as well. You’re looking healthy!” It was true. Genshi was, after all, the embodiment of Whitecrest, and theirs was a Clan of stealth and strength and speed, of intelligence and cunning. They had a certain hard and slender intensity to them that the other Clans didn’t quite possess. At first glance a Whitecrest might seem fairly average; Fathers knew the more ignorant of the Clanless could make that mistake. But their long, silky fur could be deceptive and many a foe had been lured into a false sense of superiority, to their cost.
Meereo knew better. Deep down, Genshi intimidated him.
“The Humans have built something unique here. I wonder, has your Clan benefited as much as mine?” They ambled along in a friendly sort of motion. Meereo kept a close eye on his surroundings. So far, so good.
“Hard to say,” said Genshi. “Certainly we’ve learned much from each other. One of those things I think is of great concern to both of us.”
“I had wondered how we might broach that topic,” mused Meereo. “The problem, as I see it, is we both have deep concerns, we both think the other may be on the same page—that’s a Gaoian and Human expression, did you know?—but neither of us have any way of discussing the problem without potentially alerting an enemy.” He tilted his head, “Does that about cover it?”
Genshi nodded gracefully. “Astute as always. We have a standoff, and not an easily resolvable one in game theory. Are you familiar?” They had by this point meandered near a small café and the rich smells of many foods taunted them.
“Of course. The Humans have a rich study in game theory as well. As it turns out, both our cultures refer to this as the Prisoner’s dilemma. Well,” elaborated Meereo, “This isn’t precisely the same game, but the problem remains.”
Meereo glanced at his watch. So far, no communications were originating from Genshi besides his pocket communicator. A good sign, but not certain enough…
“Indeed. Which of course means there is only one way to escape the dilemma.”
“Oh?” They turned a corner and Meereo suddenly realized he was trapped.
“Yes. And I am sorry.”
He attempted to back out but it was too late. Two large and rather evil-looking thugs of Genshi’s pounced and attempted to immobilize him. But Meereo wasn’t a Champion for nothing. He had training and some experience as befits his role, and as the embodiment of one of the most modern Clans, it fell to him to defend the Clan’s honor against all aggressors, both external and within.
So he was pleased he didn’t go down without a fight. He even managed to get some really nasty cuts on both of the goons, who forced him to his knees and muscled his arms behind him at an extremely painful angle. But he stood little chance against two trained Whitecrest thugs in fighting trim. He lost. Quickly.
Genshi approached rapidly with a device in his hand. Meereo had no idea what horrors he was about to experience, so his ears were back, his teeth exposed and snarling, and he struggled with all his might, claws flashing, body wiggling as much as he could. A strong paw grabbed his skull from behind and pinned it steady, but still Meereo resisted. He would not submit, he would not—
Genshi pressed the device against Meereo’s head. It pinged, and a great wave of relief spread across the Whitecrest Champion’s face.
“Oh, thank the Fathers.” He slumped to the ground and sat in front of Meereo, and then more or less collapsed into himself as if a great burden had lifted. “Leave us, and remember your Oaths.”
The goons released Meereo and shoved him forward slightly, throwing him off balance. They were gone before he could regain his footing and retaliate.
“They are bound under our strictest Oaths of Secrecy and will tell no one.” Meereo returned his attention to Genshi. He sat, paws spread and ears sideways in a position of abject apology. But his claws were fully extended. Whether defensively or as a prelude to violence, Meereo didn’t know.
His claws remained extended. He wasn’t in a forgiving mood.
“That matters little to me, Oathbreaker.”
Genshi growled dangerously. “I promised safety and a public venue, and I have delivered. My officers are superbly trained and did you no harm whatsoever. This little encounter? That you were so easily led into a prepared corner is not my fault.” He gestured towards the market. Somehow, all the civilians present paid them absolutely no attention. “They can’t hear or see us thanks to some very advanced privacy and concealment fields. As for your ego? Well, to be perfectly blunt, your pride is the least of my concerns.”
“This isn’t about pride,” Meereo snarled, “It’s about trust, you Uncivilized savage. You violated the spirit of our agreement and that makes me question all our dealings. How would the other Clans react if they were to know?”
Genshi’s ears shot forward aggressively. “Are you threatening me?”
Meereo fired back with an undaunted growl. “No, I am stating a truth. Whatever victory you think you’ve won with your…device, had better come with an incredible explanation, because you are either very stupid or your concern is exceptionally grave, and I cannot tolerate either condition to survive. So speak, or I will leave this place and destroy your Clan with every tool I have.”
“That is a bold threat, Meereo. Are you sure you want to make it?”
“I already did, and I’ve already ensured I can carry it out.”
To his credit, Genshi realized what that meant immediately. “And you accuse me of Oathbreaking? This was to be a private meeting. Is this recording device of yours transmitting?”
“Perhaps. It would never have self-activated in the first place had I not been physically assaulted by an ostensible ally. Now speak.”
Genshi sat and considered his opponent for a long moment. “We have become aware of a security weakness in the implants. A deeply concerning weakness.”
So far, so good, thought Meereo. “How concerning?”
Genshi slumped further into himself and said with a sad little sniff, “Serious enough that I was willing to risk our alliance and our friendship, Meereo.”
Meereo was certain Genshi was manipulating him, somehow. Nobody played the game as well as he, and yet there was something…compelling about his sorrow. And his claws were retracted, too.
He decided a softer tone would be appropriate. “I need a little more than that, Genshi. I risked much coming here in the first place.”
“As did I, which rather suggests we have much the same concern, doesn’t it?”
“Perhaps, but I will not be distracted. I need specifics.”
Genshi affected a Human sigh. “Meereo, I am not an Oathbreaker and that is the problem I face right now. I have sworn and contracted a grave Oath with the source and it is an Oath I will not break under any circumstance. I maybe could convince the source of your need to know…but I need a little more, too.”
Meereo considered. If he was honest with himself, he was still plenty angry about the ambush and the laughable ease with which he was subdued.
“Why not have your goons simply beat it out of me? It’s not as if I would be able to do anything about it.”
“Oh, don’t be like that, you did remarkably well. We pride ourselves on our lack of scars and you gave them both a rather impressive set. And what’s more, they’ll never be able to brag about how they earned them, either.”
“Gosh, what a pity.”
“I’m serious! I wouldn’t have faired much better in your position.”
“Now is not the time to patronize me, Genshi.”
“I’m not. We are Whitecrest, Meereo. This is what we do. Did you think either of them would have allowed your skill to be any factor whatsoever? With the right tactic, your opponent’s training can be almost completely nullified. But one thing you really can’t cancel out is an opponent’s raw ability, and your reflexes were a worthy match for both of them. Which speaks volumes about you, really; I chose those two for a reason.”
“Your flattery will not help you here.”
“It is not flattery, it is a genuine observation. Which, admittedly,” he said with a sly nod, “Happens to be worth mentioning just now.”
“…I’m still not happy with you.”
“And you shouldn’t be. I have wounded your trust and I must earn it back. But I still need that reason, Meereo, if I am to convince the source. It is…skittish.”
Meereo pondered very carefully. At length, he too sighed a Human sigh. “Very well. We’ve noticed some very large objects moving across the Infosphere into and out of nodes which should never be processing those volumes of data.”
“So you’ve seen it move,” said Genshi with a suddenly alert posture. “How many have you seen?”
“…how many what?”
“Not disclosable at this time. How many?”
“…a few.”
“How big are they?”
Meereo wasn’t happy with the one-way nature of the exchange. “Hard to tell. Maybe if I had some idea of what you think we’re talking about…”
“Fine, I understand. How many of your Clan have implants?”
“Very few. We know computing technology very well and that makes most of us…leery of such devices in our brains.”
“In retrospect, that may prove very wise.”
“I fear you are right. So…what now?”
Genshi stroked his chin thoughtfully. “I go to the source and plead your case. Frankly, I’m not sure how to proceed without you, so…wish me luck, I guess.”
“l don’t like you enough right now for that. Instead I think I’ll hope for whatever benefits me the most.”
“…fair enough.” Genshi was hurt by that but hid it very well. Good.
“Yes. Well, if you will excuse me, I have a date tonight and many things to consider. Unless you intend violence again?”
There was maybe a bit too much acid in that closer, but Meereo didn’t care.
“Don’t be an ass, Meereo. Go, enjoy your date. I’ll be, y’know, busy working for our mutual interests.”
Meereo stood up and walked away with a contemptuous little turn. “I will believe that when I see it, Champion.” He ended the conversation and walked away, a blunt closing to an altogether ridiculous meeting. And he was fuming. After all, he had been assaulted and quite probably lied to, with only vague, uncertain promises of further details to come and an entirely useless insinuation of genuine peril with zero evidence to back the claim.
Meereo’s concern was that the Gaoian Infosphere had been infected with a new malware the likes of which they had no defenses against. While that was not a new concept, nor were their networks helplessly unprotected, the Humans took the concept of malicious code to an entirely new plane of capability and something as vast and well-developed as the Infosphere would be fertile ground for fun and profit. He and his Brothers had been scrambling to strengthen the Infosphere’s defenses against such a danger. But was this new danger so perilous it was worth risking an alliance?
Genshi thought so. And that alone was what stayed Meereo’s hand.