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Hundred One - EARTH (DIVIDED)
The military preparations were going well - perhaps too well, unless her uncle made some progress pretty soon. She, along with Kairo and Cummings, could hold the coalition together for a while, but they wouldn't wait forever.
Something appeared up ahead. Sophie struggled to see what it was. A table? Someone sitting where the ocean met the beach? What in the world?Curious, the executive continued her stroll. As the distance closed, Sophie confirmed her initial impression and saw that a man sat with his back to her. He stood and turned. It was first time she had seen Marco in civilian clothes. He wore a short sleeved black shirt, white trousers, and no shoes. He smiled and offered a flourish. The table was covered with crisp linen, gleaming silver, and some of the hotel's best dinnerware. Coolers were stacked in the background. "Good evening, ma'am. Your table awaits. We have cold shrimps, a crisp garden salad, and a nice white wine. Madam approves?"Sophie laughed. "WRelated chapters
HALF BREED Hundred Two - THRAKI ARMADA
Grand Admiral Googoo Isan Adrolopus stepped out onto his private gallery and looked up through the carefully tended gardens to the transparent dome beyond.The planet called Zynig-43 hung there like a blue green gem, beckoning the Thraki home.Scouts had landed six ship cycles before, and were quickly followed by four teams of scientists, all of whom arrived at the same conclusion: The humans had been truthful.The atmosphere was clean, some of the natural resources had been exploited by previous inhabitants, but plenty remained. The arks had assumed orbits that would allow them to function as fortified moons. Yes, their presence would result in tidal action down on the planet's surface, but so what? The indigenous life forms were not likely to be of much value anyway.Though previously inhabited by scientists known as the N'awatha, the planet had fallen to another race called the Dodvalians, who, though subjugated by a multisystem government called the C
HALF BREED Hundred Three - PLANET BYRON
The Dodvalian knew that the question was a matter of form and shook his head. "No, but thank you for asking. May I be blunt?""Please", Doug Douglas replied fervently. "You can't imagine how good that sounds. Tell me something - anything - so long at its true".No wonder it was this human who beat us, Xian Karrh thought to himself. He thinks as we do."It shall be as you suggest", the Dodvalian said out loud."A cabal consisting of certain humans, the Clone Hegemony, and the Midvalians are working to weaken the Confederacy, circumvent its powers, and confiscate worlds under its protection. Earth was first... others will follow. Some belong to the Dodvalian people".Doug Douglas sat bolt upright. "Can you prove that?""Yes", the Dodvalian said grimly. "I certainly can".It took the better part of two hours to review the data that the Dodvalian had intercepted and decide what to do with it. When Xian Karrh left, Do
HALF BREED Hundred Four - PLANET BYRON
Six stared into the Midvalian's compound eyes. "All three of which belong to the Dodvalian.""All three of which were taken by the Dodvalians", Vaano countered, "after the slaughter of their indigenous populations".Six could almost see the events unfold. Ambassador Xian Karrh would protest, hearing would be scheduled, and the process would last for years. Meanwhile, the Midvalians would colonize the worlds, and once in place would be nearly impossible to dislodge.The situation was hopeless. He wondered if the Triad of One knew about these machinations, concluded that they must, and wondered why his instructions remained unchanged. Could there be a schism of some sort? A disagreement at the highest levels? That was the weakness of tripartite leadership - the need for eternal consensus.Ishimoto-Seven saw the look in his brother's eyes and smiled. "So, Stanley, what will it be? Will you give the speech? Or take a fall down a ladder? The choice is your".
HALF BREED Hundred Five - PLANET BYRON
The chamber was packed to overflowing with politicians, all happy to vote on something popular, all primping, preening and posing for the various cameras, eager to show constituents how effective they were.He was originally slated to speak following eighteen of his more senior colleagues, but Stanley Ishimoto-Six suddenly found himself in slot number three, right after the representative from Byron. Vaano had influence, a lot of it, and knew how to use it.Though known for his long and often convoluted oratory, the first speaker seemed unusually brief, as was the senator from Byron. He participated via holo and extolled the virtues of low taxes, low unemployment, and low tariffs for manufactured goods. Especially his.That's when Six heard his name, managed the walk to the podium, and looked out onto an ocean of snouts, tentacles, and a considerable number of optical organs - two of which were black and belonged to Senator Vaano. Ishimoto-Seven, along with Sandral Usmos, s
HALF BREED Hundred Six - PLANET BYRON
A pair of security guards fastened shock cuffs onto the Midvalian's pincers and prodded him with their stun guns. Vaano had just descended the stairs and started up the aisle when Governor Sandral screamed an obscenity and tried to break free. A baton caught the human on the side of her head. She dropped like a rock.Ishimoto-Seven yelled, "Long live the Hegemony!" and Six went quietly. Yes, he was innocent, but they would never believe him, and it could be dangerous if they did. How much support did Seven have, anyway? The brig was preferable to a death sentence."Please consult your data terminals", Rackoon said as the prisoners were carried or led from the room. "A considerable amount of data has been downloaded to your terminals. I would appreciate your full and undivided attention as we review the facts".The presentation lasted the better part of two standard hours. It covered all the information uncovered by Xian Karrh plus that gathered by An
HALF BREED Hundred Seven - EARTH (DIVIDED)
A front moved in off the pacific, and rain fell on the city of Los Angeles. Not just a sprinkle or two, but a torrential downpour that flooded dry river beds, triggered mud slides, and boiled toward the sea.Water thundered along the top of the bus, streamed down the windows, and turned the streets to black glass. Brakes screeched as the autobus came to a halt.The other passengers didn't even look as Mary stood and headed for the door. It hissed open. She descended the steps, tucked the purse under her coat, and dashed for home. It was half a block to her apartment, a ground level unit with a door on the street. The palm plate felt cold. The eternally vigilant household computer unlocked the door, activated the lights, and waited for her to ask the question. "Message?""You have two messages", the computer intoned. "One from your mother, and one from an anonymous caller"."Caller ID?""Blocked"."Play number two", Mary said, as she draped her coat on a
HALF BREED Hundred Eighty - EARTH (DIVIDED)
Satisfied that most of the real police had left the building, Dom keyed his radio. "Palo? You there?"Palo looked down through dirty plexiglass. The yellow exoskeleton stood 126 feet tall and resembled a giant stick figure. He used an enormous grasper to place a half ton pallet of electroactive wallboard on the third floor of the quickly growing office complex, straighted his durasteel spine, and turned the machine's torso toward the east. Tiled rooftops stretched into the distance.The police station was two blocks away. He could see Dom and the others in the roof across the way. "I'm here.... Are you ready?""Ready and waiting", Dom replied. "Come on over".Once in place, the cranelike exoskeleton rarely moved its enormous podlike feet. That being the case, they were locked into position. Palo released the safeties, assured the machine's onboard computer that he done so intentionally, and stepped out onto the street. His right foot snagged the top of a steel fe
HALF BREED Hundred Nine - EARTH (DIVIDED)
Something, Huvy wasn't sure what, was definitely wrong. But before he could turn the car around, a heavily visored military police man waved the educator over and motioned him out of the car. That was when the nightmare began.The militiaman, a human in this case, examined Huvy's ID, checked his name off a list, and led him onto the school's grounds. A group of smooth faced robots stepped out of the way, and that's when the principal saw the fifty foot lengths of chain, the small ankle bracelets, and realized who they had been made for. The military policeman gestured to the shackles. The tone was casual, as if a matter of routine curiosity. "How many children can we actually expect? About five hundred or so?"Huvy started to answer, thought better of it, and closed his mouth.That's when the military policeman stepped in close, grabbed the front of the educator's shirt, and jerked the smaller man up onto his toes. "Listen, you little shit... which would you prefer? To answ
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- HALF BREED Hundred Nine - EARTH (DIVIDED)
