Alien in the Family

We’ll show you that there is no planet more frightening to deal with when angry than Earth.”
    “They’re all in position, Reynolds,” Gower said.
    Chuckie nodded and walked through them. “Where are the suns, exactly?”
    “Greg, put three of the Poofies into sun positions.”
    He glared at me. “Why?”
    “Because if you don’t, I’ll break your neck.” Chuckie was right behind him. “And I can. I may be human, but I’m trained to take out aliens.”
    Gregory started to try something, but Chuckie had known it was coming, apparently. Gregory was on the floor in a heap.
    “What did you do to him?” Alexander shouted.
    “What I’ll do to you, all of you, if we don’t get some immediate cooperation.” Chuckie turned as he was talking so he could make eye contact with them all in turn. “Understand—until proven otherwise, you are all considered enemies of Earth in general and the United States in particular. I have orders to exterminate with extreme prejudice any alien threats I feel pose a short- or long-term problem. You pose both. Cooperate or I kill you. It’s that’s simple.”
    Alexander looked over to Martini and Christopher. “How can you let him threaten us this way?”
    Martini let a slow smile creep across his face. “I don’t have a choice. He’s the boss. I report to him.” I saw the realization that Martini wasn’t lying cross all the delegates’ faces. It was kind of nice to see that Chuckie had been right. Again. “Now, show three of the Poofs where to stand to be suns.”
    One of the Major Doggies nodded and went to three points in the room. A Poof went to each location. Harlie stayed by me, and the one I’d called Poofikins stayed near Chuckie.
    Chuckie came back beside me and took a long look. “Gower, the other planets, how many of them are inhabited?”
    “Alphas Seven and Eight, Beta Sixteen. Ten inhabited planets in total.”
    “Why aren’t the others represented?” Chuckie’s eyes were narrowed.
    Alexander answered. “They are not advanced enough. Beta Sixteen and Alpha Seven seem to have grasped that there is life on other planets in the system, but we won’t interact with them until they have made some realistic attempts to contact us. Alpha Eight is at Earth Bronze Age level.”
    Something Gower had told me months ago waved to me. “Who are the ones with long-range space flight? Besides Alpha Four, I mean.”
    Animal types all nodded their heads, and Giant Lizard Number One spoke. “We and the Feliniads have had such abilities for decades. The Canus Majorians have joined us in that skill in the past decade.”
    The Major Doggie who’d positioned the suns spoke up. “We originally had no desire to explore past our own solar system. Events have shown it to be necessary.”
    Uma chimed in. “Alpha Six still has no interest in traveling beyond our system.”
    “We have no desire to leave our planet,” the last woman, who hadn’t identified herself, offered.
    “What’s your name?”
    “Lenore. But,” she added, “some of us from Alpha Five do understand that we must, from time to time.”
    “And Beta Twelve is hot and heavy to get back out there, right?” Queen Renata nodded to me. “So, what will your people do to the three planets that aren’t as advanced as the rest of you?”
    Queen Renata shook her head. “My loyal subjects? They will not harm them. The dissidents? They will slaughter if they can.”
    “So why are you all here, not there?”
    Silence and a lot of shifty looks.
    Chuckie sighed. “They like drawing it out, don’t they?”
    “Yeah. I’m sure it relates to the real plan, and you know how much they don’t want to tell us that.”
    Gregory was coming to. Alexander helped him up. He looked a lot worse for wear. “Why are you fighting us?” he asked blearily.
    “Because we don’t trust you. At all.”
    He managed to shoot a glare at me. “We’ve come in peace.”
    “Right. And I’m actually Angelina Jolie, I’m just playing this role shorter, fairer, and with a lot less sex appeal.”
    “Oh, don’t sell yourself short,” Martini said. “I think you’re a lot sexier than she is. You have better curves.”
    “Yes, she does,” Chuckie and Christopher added in unison. Martini muttered a bit, but at least he wasn’t growling.
    “Thanks, I’m feeling all tingly. So, Greg or Alex, since you represent the reigning superpower in your solar system, lay it on us. We’re big kids, we can take it. And, if not,