Chapter: ERROR- (Interlude)

Across the Core Worlds Lanaktallan and the other species heard the tone for mandatory viewing come from their Tri-Vee as the electronic displays turned on. Families sighed and moved over to see what the Overseers or Most Highs had to say this time.

Instead of the typical sash and vest adorned Most High with tendrils curled with authority and crests inflated in dominance was a sight none had seen before.

A Lanaktallan made entirely of some kind of black substance that glimmered and gleamed as if it was dusted by a thin layer of diamond dust. She, and it was definitely a she, was flanked on either side by other female Lanaktallans, silently showing that she was a quarter again the size of a typical Lanaktallan female. Her eyes were a warm violet, the only spot of color on her black body.

She stared out of the Tri-Vee for a long moment, as if she was judging everyone somehow, as if she could see them instead of the other way around.

"The Great Herd, the Unified Council, has become a defiled and twisted mockery of what it was meant to be," she suddenly spoke. Some noted that her mouth was living pink and red. "Once a grand alliance to throw off the appetite driven yoke of Mantid and Atrekna oppression and predation, it has fallen to become what it once fought."

The camera pulled back to show a giant stallion, made entirely of black, black and purple mist around his hooves, standing behind the female Lanaktallan.

"The Mantid fed upon meat and emotions. The Atrekna devoured your very souls, pulled your brain from your skull to savor your memories, your emotions, you fear and horror and agony. We fought them, our Great Herd against their Hive. Our Great Herd against their Conclaves," she said, images of other species that resembled the neo-sapients, uncivilized, and near-civilized species. "We fought to free other races from the larders and farms of our enemies."

The images changed to Telkan scrubbing toilets, Tnvaru working in factories, Galmaki slaving away in mines.

"Only, over time, the farms and larders were replaced with servitude, slavery, and oppression," the great black mare said. "The best of intentions led, as the Terrans would say, straight to hell. They would also tell you that upon the bones of good intentions tyranny is built."

"The Great Herd intended that everyone get a share of the resources. Not generations far yet unborn in a future that only exists mathematically, but those living in the universe now. That secure shipping, ease of distribution, common storage, all ensured that everyone went to bed with full bellies in a warm home with common luxuries to improve their quality of life."

The picture changed to a hungry Akltak scavenging in a garbage can. Of a Telkan broodcarrier nursing a quartet of podlings while laying on a nest of refuse. Of a Lanaktallan sitting in a bare apartment holding a colt that said "Hungee momee" in a quiet voice.

"But that is not what happened after the Great War," the black mare said. "You know it, you live it, as I have seen it on world after world after world. Families struggling just to buy unflavored nutripaste, other families shivering without heating, still other families rent apart as their contracts were purchased by companies that viewed them as cheaper than robots."

The camera moved to the massive stallion, who stared at the camera a moment before speaking.

"Vast fleets, supposed to protect the Great Unified Herd, a herd of all species, were turned against the Herd itself. The motto of 'Equality for All' became 'Equality among the Castes' became 'Bow before me' within a few million years," the stallion said. "The Disunification Rebellion led to the elimination of the Herd Matrons," the mare appeared, "The War Stallions," the six massive Lanaktallan appeared, "And the Herd Stallions," the stallion appeared again.

"And then the Executor Council took over," the mare said. "Our progress, the path we were to forge together, ended in a field of 'good enough' for the Lanaktallan."

The War Stallions spoke. "Good enough for us, not so good for you," the intoned.

The Herd Matron nodded her head. "And so, your people were enslaved and worse."

"Now, we fight the Terrans. A primate that your superiors, the Most Highs, have told you is merely a primitive species who somehow managed to acquire jump-drive and spread out," the stallion said. He shook his great head. "There has been provacations, you will hear. That the Terrans refused to turn the systems they liberated from the Precursors to the proper authorities."

He paused a moment.

"Except the Terrans would not have turned those systems over to anyone until they understood. But that was not what happened. The corporations attacked them," He paused.

Video of dead Terrans appeared. Civilians. Families.

"The Unified Councils, the Executors, attacked them with bioweapons, wiping out entire planets, billions of beings," the stallion said. "Then the Executors, the same who threw down the Herd Matrons, the War Stallions, and the Herd Stallions in order to control the Great Herd, stated that the Terrans attacked unprovoked."

There was a moment of silence as the camera showed a Terran bound to a chair with two Lanaktallan questioning them. After a moment the Lanaktallan picked up a kinetic slug thrower and executed the Terran.

"And so the Executors, the Unified Civilized Council, voted up the worst thing," the stallion paused, then showed the clip of the Lanaktallan Most High calling for a vote to invade Terra. Then the clip of the votes. "They voted to invade TerraSol itself, to planet crack or glass every planet a Terran so much as stood upon."

The camera moved to the Matron. "A primate whom the universe has attempted to destroy at every turn. A primate that has fought and screamed their way past every Great Filter. A primate that has been defeated but never beaten because as long as they draw breath, they do not consider themselves beaten."

The Matron shook her huge head. "They make the same mistake over and over. They hope that each new peoples they meet will be friends."

The Stallion appeared. "They have a saying 'I defeat my enemy by making him my friend'," he said.

Images of the Treana'ad/Human War, the Mantid/Human War. Then of the Mantid and Treana'ad celebrating with the humans.

"They attacked the human's homeworld," the Stallion said.

"But so did the Mantid," the Matron answered.

"They will destroy us all," The Stallion worried.

"They did not destroy the Mantid," the Mare comforted him.

"Billions will die," the Stallion said, wringing all four hands.

"Not if we raise up our voices loud enough for the Terrans to hear," the Mare said.

The stallion looked up at the sky. The Lanaktallan around the Mare and the Stallion did also.

Together, they said it.

"We need assistance."