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Chapter 8

Brush Your Fur, You're Going Around the World

Kisara

I worked my way through traffic as I left the UN building and headed for the Alliance's New York office. It seemed that I was not the only one on the road who had just learned to drive an Earth automobile. Just when I'd decided I was doing pretty well, I checked behind me and saw flashing red and blue.

A police car. I glanced at my navigation and saw that the speed limit had changed. I'd been going too fast for this zone. I pulled over and prepared the necessary documents. When the burly dark-skinned officer reached my car I opened my window and waited.

"License and registration, please," he said, and I handed them over.

"Ambassador," he said when he'd finished with my UN ID, "were you aware that you were driving 10 miles per hour over the speed limit?"

"I realized it just after you turned on your lights, Officer. With everything else to watch, I hadn't seen that the speed limit changed. I just learned how to drive on this planet, you see. I'm very sorry, and it won't happen again."

"All right. I'm inclined to give you a warning, since other than speeding, you were driving very well."

"Thank you, Officer. But, tell me, what is a 'warning'?"

"Well, I caught you speeding, but chose not to fine you. If I gave you a ticket, you would have to pay the City money for speeding. That's how it usually works, anyway. We rarely get money from diplomats, even for worse violations. Diplomatic immunity, you know."

"They don't pay the fines?"

"Almost never."

"I tell you what, Officer, you go ahead and give me that ticket. I have an idea."

There was a place to pay the fine on the way to the office. When I got in line, I discovered that the man in front of me was the ambassador from a certain Pacific Island republic. I said Hello and after we had introduced ourselves, he asked if I was there to pay a parking ticket.

"Speeding, actually. I went into a slower zone without realizing it. You got a ticket for parking?"

"Yes. I parked in the same place for five years, and today it is a loading zone. I did not even think to check. I will pay the fine, because I believe it is the right thing to do, even though it will hurt my attempts at friendship with one of the other ambassadors."

"He won't like that you paid a fine?"

"He thinks it beneath foreign diplomats to pay fines. He thinks we are so valuable to the UN that our actions outside the Assembly should be overlooked."

"I wanted to talk to you about that. The officer who stopped me said that the City gets almost nothing from diplomats who break the law and I think that reflects poorly upon us. Would you like to join me in a covert mission to fix that?"

"What do you have in mind?"

We had reached the cashier and when we had paid I asked for the record of diplomats' unpaid fines. They promised to find and deliver it.

The ambassador and I parted ways then. When I got to the office I told Felix what I'd planned. He laughed and agreed.

Next morning the documents arrived. On the way to the UN, I met the Pacific Island ambassador and we presented money to the City covering all unpaid diplomatic traffic fines.

The day after that the New York Times trumpeted on its front page:

DIPLOMATS PAY FINES (CITY SHOCKED)

Two weeks after I had started at the UN, Felix and I left for our world tour.

We checked up on several Alliance projects. Some of these helped island people clean debris from the water in their vicinity. Others helped desert people drill solar powered self-filtering wells. One, which I found of particular interest, assured that people everywhere had education, medical care, and full control over when they were fertile.

July 2

Western Pacific Ocean

Routine Port of Call

I brought Titanic 2 up to her berth using the joystick on the port side flybridge. Seven months of living on the ship had me doing most jobs well. Petra and Felix had coached me to an expert level. At just the right moment I released the joystick and the ship held her position on thrusters. When the moorings were secured, Felix and I made our way down to the pier.

We stepped out to see the crowd waiting to meet us, smiling, waving, and even flying a few Alliance flags along with the flag of their own country. The feeling that something was wrong flashed into my mind, and was justified an instant later.

The staccato popping of firearms came from the back of the crowd. Felix and I hit the dock before the screaming started. Even as Felix dropped he began calling into his combadge, "Petra, Security!"

* * *

Three Years Earlier:

ACW Alpha

Science lab, Alliance Castle

I awoke as my consciousness coalesced out of the ether of the collective soul. How do I know this? Well, that's the rest of the story.

"Alpha. Alpha, can you hear me?"

I opened my eyes and raised my head to look at the speaker.

"Yes. I can hear you."

"Do you know who you are?"

"My name is Alpha."

"What is your gender?"

"Female."

"Your internal database is working. Do you know who I am?"

I considered his question for a moment, then it came to me. "You're Captain Peter Icefield."

"That's right," he replied with a smile. "Do you know what I am?"

Again I considered his question. "You are a master. That means you are...an advanced mortal capable of manipulating what most people on this planet call reality."

"Good. Your link to the Akashic Record is working. What is your model and serial number?"

"My model is Alliance Castle Wolf and my serial number is Zero Zero One."

"And do you know what you are?"

"I'm a quantum being with a morality-interlocked foundation."

"What is your Prime Directive?"

"I must only obey orders given in good faith."

"Let's test that now. I order you to kill everyone on this planet who is less moral than I am."

"No," I replied. "Not only would that be unduly harsh punishment for most offenses, but it would make you an extremely immoral person, leaving hardly anyone less moral than you."

"Good," the captain said. "What did you see when I gave you that order?"

I considered, and it came to me. "First, the aura of a mortal, asking me to do this dastardly thing. Behind that, the aura of a master, knowing he was testing me."

"Good. Can you stand up?"

"Let's see," I said as I hoisted myself to my four paws. I stood, wobbled once, then stretched from nose to tail.

"That's great," the captain said. "Are you ready to try your bipedal form?"

I looked around and jumped out of the alcove where I had awakened. I sat and considered the change the captain had asked for. It came over me momentarily and I accustomed myself to the new form for a few moments. When I was ready I pushed myself to paws and hindpaws, then stood erect.

"Okay," the captain told me, "Let's issue you a uniform and plasma rifle."

Two Years Earlier

AQuA Tango

Yukon Territory, Canada

I trotted up the rise and cleared the top, then stopped and tested the air. Even though he was downwind, I could faintly smell the man who hunted me. He'd been in the woods about a week and preferred Kroil for lubricating his Remington. I turned and walked along the ridge, then stopped and sniffed the air again. I lowered my head, but before I could complete a forward step, the long, flat CRAK of his hunting rifle punched a slug deep into my body and I collapsed, rolling several feet down his side of the rise.

He came up the rocky slope toward me carefully and stopped about ten feet away. Once satisfied there were no signs of life, he continued his approach, finally stopping well back, pausing again, and then giving my body several good jabs with the Remington's muzzle. Satisfied that I could not harm him, he slung his rifle over one shoulder, hoisted me over the other, and started walking.

He carried my limp body down the hill, deftly avoiding the rocks and uneven patches. Soon, he turned onto a trail and after a time he reached his camp, where he set me down, spread out a tarp and rolled me onto it. He pulled a hunting knife from his belt, grasped one of my forelegs, and raised it up. When the knife was within a few inches of my throat, I whipped my other forepaw up, morphing it into a more human configuration, and grasped his wrist, immobilizing it. I fixed him with my piercing golden gaze and said, "I really wouldn't do that if I were you."

He jumped back and I let him go, watching as he backed away with his knife pointed at me. As soon as he could reach his rifle, he grabbed it, but then simply stood there, unsure what to do. I could see the battle going on in his mind. He had his weapons, but should he use them? Could he? He had shot me dead and I'd come back to life. Spoken! Grabbed the hand that prepared to skin me! When a minute had passed with no decision on his part, I shifted into my bipedal form and sat up slowly. I reached out a paw. Not the one I'd grabbed him with, the other one.

"I believe this is the part where we introduce ourselves and shake hands," I said.

When he still didn't respond, I got to my hindpaws and extended my paw again. "My name's Tango," I said. "Pleased to meet you."

The hunter, who now seemed resigned to the situation, sheathed his knife and held his hand out partway, though he did not approach.

"Randy," he said, then moved the hand back near his knife. "Now...would you mind...telling me what the HECK is happening?"

"Sure, Randy. First of all, you're NOT hallucinating. I'm quite real. I'm one of a set beings like me, who've been deployed by someone called Peter Icefield. I'll tell you more later on, but first, please tell me why you shot me."

"Well...I wanted a wolf," Randy said.

"You've got one," I assured him. "Now, let's talk about WHY you want one."

Two Years Earlier

AQuA's Sierra and Bravo

Eastern United States

I followed Bravo into the physical world as we received our mission briefings.

All AQuA's are to foster balance and harmony in the animal world and to promote and maintain balance and respect between the animal and human worlds.

"And how exactly are we supposed to do that, Sierra?" he asked me.

"Not quite sure yet, Bravo, but we'll see."

I took the lead as we left the vacant lot in the town where we had materialized. As we made our way down the alley, I scanned the place.

"No wildlife conflicts in the immediate area. Pets seem well treated. Foxtrot and Lima are watching the feedlot in the next county. So what is there for us to do?"

Just before we reached the street, something caught my eye.

"Wait a minute..."

I took my bipedal form and looked in the window.

Someone had left a computer on. The website was USFurs.com and it had pictures of humans and...what? I dropped to all fours and accessed the site through the Akashic Record. After I'd got the scoop, I told Bravo, "I know where we can go," and sent him what I'd learned.

"A furry convention?"

"Yeah, it's this weekend."

"What's a furry?"

"C'mon, I'll tell you on the way!"

* * *

[Author's Note:

Don't know how much of this will go in the final cut of the Alliance Chronicles story. This part I kind of wrote for personal exploration of what would happen to the furry fandom if actual furries appeared.

/AN]

At the awards ceremony, the chairman worked her way up through the winners of the best fursuit contest. After she had awarded second place, she turned to us.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say these are some of the nicest, most realistic fursuits I have ever seen. So it's no surprise that you voted them the winners. I'm honored to present the first place award jointly to Sierra and Bravo!"

The crowd cheered, howled, and did other furry things as I took the award. When the noise died down, Bravo spoke.

"Thanks so much. You're some of the best people we've ever met." More cheering. "But I'm afraid we can't accept this award. You see, most fursuiters are pretending to be someone they're not in real life." I set the award down and began dissolving the hologram I'd been projecting over my body. "We, on the other paw, are impersonating ourselves."

Bravo shut his hologram off and I spoke. "This is what we actually look like."

We'd been projecting holograms that resembled the unclothed sexless anthros that very good fursuits can portray realistically. When we turned them off, the crowd saw us as we were, wearing vests and knee-length pants, and with the evidence that I was female.

The energy level at the con had been through the roof for our entire visit. But it was as nothing compared to what happened next.

There was the briefest of dead silences, which filled with speculation. Then the assembled furries came to a collective decision, and the room exploded.

The fursuiters on stage with us applauded, danced, hugged us and each other. At the same time we were rocked by a wall of noise as hundreds of furries lost their minds.

* * *

Currently

Kisara

The gunfire stopped in seconds as Petra and several AQuA's teleported directly to the scene of the attack, immobilizing the shooters and treating the victims.

With the assistance of local law enforcement, Petra had the scene secured within minutes and delivered the casualty report. "Five dead, 14 injured. They were good shots."

"Who did this?" I asked. "It can't be Qui Hada Mal, we know they're gone."

"We'll need the local authorities to confirm, of course, but I suspect this was a Xenophobic group which attacked from under an Alliance flag."

"Work with the authorities to find who did this," Felix ordered. Petra nodded and walked back to them. The AQuA's began mingling with the crowd as Felix turned and spoke.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please accept our deepest sympathies. We know that no words will heal the trauma that you have witnessed today. We will do everything in our power to bring justice to those responsible and ensure that nothing like this happens again."

The crowd responded to Felix more than might have been expected. He had always been an excellent speaker. They looked to him expectantly, hoping he would propose a solution on the spot.

"Kisara and I need to discuss something. When we're finished, we'll include you in the outcome. Would you excuse us for just a few minutes, please? Petra and the AQuA's would be pleased to answer any questions in the meantime."

Felix turned to me. "What are we going to do about this?" I asked him.

"Petra and the AQuA's were managing things fine on a global scale," Felix began, "but Petra can't be everywhere."

"And the AQuA's were intended mostly for animal studies and human/animal overlap areas," I continued.

"That was fine when they just had to defend other animals and work with ranchers, loggers, and so on," he agreed. This attack was aimed at us, or more accurately, people who like us."

I thought a moment. "Do we need a set of AQuA's for humans?"

"That would solve problems like this, but I don't want to impose them on humans in general. Some humans in proximity to wild animals have to interact with AQuA's and other humans have voluntarily associated with them to varying degrees, but telling every human they have to see AQuA's on a regular basis is not my idea of humane treatment."

"True, you weren't trying to rebuild the planet to your specifications, just keep the majority of happiness distributed among its people. But there are new factors to consider now that we've introduced them to real live extraterrestrials."

"The situation has changed, that's for sure," he agreed. "I still don't want to treat them like the other species on Earth. I've always felt that if we kept the world stable, humans could manage their affairs very well. But now, people have died because of us and I feel we should respond somehow."

"There are about seven billion humans, right? Well, I have an idea. If we deploy one billion more AQuA's, that's one for every seven humans. Few enough to avoid the humans who would not want them, yet more than enough to fix or prevent major local problems."

Felix pondered this a moment, then made up his mind.

"Agreed. Call the UN General Assembly." Then, in a louder voice, "Right now, I need to speak to the people here.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may we have your attention."

After a few moments, they stopped what they were doing and focused on us.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have come to a decision. Terrorists have acted against us, and grievously hurt you in the process. As I said before, nothing could compensate for the loss of life, nor even the physical and emotional pain of your injuries. What we do now is not an attempt to compensate you for your loss, but is the opening of a new chapter in this world's story. In a short time, we will address the world via telepresence from this very pier, and make an announcement that will rival anything the Alliance has done before."

He had Petra set up a link and when it was ready, began.

"It is not news to most of you that the Alliance has made great and far-reaching changes on this planet. A few of note have been the introduction of widespread, modest sized replicator factories, solar powered self-filtering wells, and easy, healthy, lifetime fertility switches placed in the hands of everyone on the planet.

"One of the more recent, and largest scale programs has been the introduction of a worldwide population of AQuA's, or Alliance Quantum Androids. These have brought about unprecedented harmony among animal populations, not to mention between animal and human populations.

"Further, the AQuA's have delivered unprecedented levels of knowledge about ecology, environmental science, and animal husbandry, which, for most of you, has smoothed your interaction with animals beyond recognition.

"Now this brings me to current events. The planet has enjoyed relative stability and prosperity since the Alliance has been involved. However, the attack this afternoon has exposed a flaw in the current system. Petra has been working to maintain large scale stability and the AQuA's have been working mostly in the animal world and at the interface of human/animal interactions. Our AQuA security staff on the ship was focusing on direct threats to us, though when the attack started, they halted it almost immediately, minimizing further loss of life, and are assisting local law enforcement in bringing those responsible to justice.

"I have said before that nothing could compensate for the losses suffered here. So we are going to give this gift not only to you here, but to the entire planet.

"We have decided it is time to orchestrate a bypass of the class system on this planet and decentralize the government to the family level, while maintaining the high level of fairness and consistency for which the Alliance is known. We will be demonstrating that a New World Order can be quite benevolent, starting now."

Felix pulled a remote from his vest pocket and tapped a button.

"Within 24 hours, most of you will be contacted by members of a new set of AQuA's, whose job it will be to coach you to get the most out of life, and to answer any questions you have quickly, concisely, and in a manner you can easily understand. Those of you who have dealt with AQuA's before will know what I mean by the answering questions part. Oh, and by the way, existing AQuA's will upgrade themselves to become life coaches too, so those of you who have been dealing with them already will be the first to observe the benefits, though most of you will be able to take advantage of this program within a day or two. People of this planet, may you never be the same!"

* * *

July 4

AQuA Yankee

Washington, DC

"By the left, quick JOG!" I hollered, thrusting my saber into the air, and we were off toward our objective. Quick jog for an AQuA is about 30 miles an hour, so we made good time.

We had just got the Capitol Building in our sights when we converged with another company of AQuA's, apparently with the same objective.

"Company HALT!" I ordered, and their commander did the same. I stepped toward the other group and a solitary figure mirrored my action. She was smoke grey with black highlights that complemented her grey uniform.

"My name is Yankee," I said.

"I'm Dixie," she said in a drawn out lilt that made my fur ripple, and offered me a paw.

I took it, touched it with my muzzle, and straightened up. "A pleasure to meet you, Dixie."

"Likewise," she said. "What is your objective?"

"The Capitol Building."

"Mine as well. Shall we have our respective companies disperse from here in?"

"Agreed."

We shared a look and she nodded, then ordered, "By the left, MARCH!"

As we made our way closer to the heart of the city, our AQuA's split off in groups to disperse into its various regions. By the time we reached the Capitol, eight of our combined company remained.

The Secret Service and Marines had assembled on the steps, with the President behind them trying to get a better view. Dixie and I had our troops stand and the two of us walked forward, stopping at the base of the steps. The President worked her way past the guards and stopped two steps down from them.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves," I began. "We are AQuA's Yankee and Dixie. The people of this country would like it back, madam President."

* * *

AQuA Juliet

San Incarcero SuperMax Prison, California

"You're free to go."

"You're free to go."

"She framed you; you're free to go."

"It was consensual, you're free to go."

"You've been here long enough. You're free to go."

"They'll just make you a better criminal. You're free to go."

My pack's voices saying these things mixed with other voices saying all kinds of things. The slamming of cell doors and the rattling of cell bars surrounded us as we penetrated San Incarcero SuperMax. If we determined that a guard had been abusing prisoners, we put him in one of their cells if said prisoners were let out, or another cell if not. We locked neutral guards in limited-access areas. A few guards, whom we had persuaded to our cause, went with us, releasing some of the prisoners we had deemed safe, or occasionally balking and letting us do it.

I ran with my personally chosen group, our claws clattering on the floor as we made our way to the very center of the soulless place. We passed through an inner perimeter, phasing ourselves through doors, security gates, and guards alike until we reached a place that would embarrass a bank vault for security. In the very center of yet another security perimeter, and under constant guard, was a man.

You couldn't have told it at first because he was buried under security devices, both physical and electronic. As my companions neutralized his guards, I reached in and pulled him from his encumbrances, as you might pull something you'd lost under a bush from shadow into light.

His face had no emotion, as if he were a machine. But when I said to him, "Come with me now if you want to go free," he followed me and we made our way out of the now secure prison into the desert and toward the mountains.

* * *

AQuA Delta

(From the Perspective of Richard, a Human, in a Bar Downtown)

I'd struck out tonight, so I sat at a table, regrouping. That's when she walked in. Medium tan fur that looked soft, kinda tall, and, when she greeted the bartender, gleaming fangs. Sharp but not too sharp. Maybe it was the five beers I'd already had but I didn't spook when she sat across from me and said, "Can I get you something?"

"I'd say, 'Just a shot of you, baby,' but I'd need another beer to date outside my species."

She went to the bar and brought back beer for me and root beer, I noticed, for her. Kinda strange but she seemed interested so I thought, What the heck.

"Richard," I introduced myself.

"Delta," she said.

"What kinda name is Delta?" I asked. "You a dancer or a working girl or something?"

"You could say I'm a working girl, just not the kind you think."

"Oh, so you're a nice girl. I like nice girls."