351

NINETY DAYS AFTER CASE OMAHA

UNIFIED COUNCIL TERRITORY

Tulmu'ugu'u had been a member of the Unified Executor Council for nearly three hundred years. Before that thrice-bedamned mantid had shown up, he had done nothing more than lounge about in luxury while having his sycophants show up to the Council meetings.

Now, through no fault of his own, barring the fact that he'd voted for biological strikes to be used, he was relegated to a backwater system that was part of some ancient plan to keep the Great Herd intact should an enemy actually threaten it.

Tulmu'ugu'u knew that it was only a matter of time before a way to gentle the lemurs was found.

After all, time was on the Lanaktallan people's side.

That wasn't in his thoughts as he spit out the chewed up wad of stimcud before jamming another wad into his mouth and activating the secure hypercomm link.

One by one the other Most Highs who had moved out to take control of their worlds appeared.

All but one chair was filled. The missing chair was supposed to be filled by Ankto'omo'o, but from what the collected investigations had discovered, Ankto'omo'o's personal spaceship had been misidentified by the security system around the luxury world he had fled too and been destroyed because the ship's weight did not match records.

All of the present Lanaktallan nodded to one another through the flickering and transparent holograms.

"What is this about?" Great Grand Superior Exalted Executor Most of Most Highs Fu'ukmi'i asked, his tendrils curled with agitation.

The others demanded to know the same thing.

Gu'utga'ad, Senior Superior Grand Most High of Exalted Most Highs of the Grand Secret Executor Council leaned forward. "We have word from the attack on Terra."

That made the arguing stop.

The attack had been launched over a year ago in complete secrecy.

The all leaned forward, eager to hear the news that TerraSol was gone, planet cracked into oblivion, the insane lemurs would be lamenting their decision to go to war with the might of the Great Herd.

Tulmu'ugu'u snorted to himself.

Lamenting lemurs, he thought, and snorted again.

It was amusing in a sensible way.

"It appears that our attacks were successful on the Confederate primary worlds," Gu'utga'ad stated.

Tulmu'ugu'u noticed that the other, more senior Lanaktallan seemed grave. Hardly the attitude of a victorious being.

"Our fleets were completely lost, however," Gu'utga'ad stated. He made a motion and in the middle of the table an image appeared. "As you can see, the spacial area where the home systems once were is now each occupied by multiple singularities in a mathematical orbit."

There was silence. The loss of the great fleets, a full third of their military forces, was a staggering blow when Terran Confederate fleets were still gobbling up star systems like a greedy colt in a candy shop.

"All of the systems?" Fu'ukmi'i asked.

"Yes. All of the systems. The observation vessels saw the fleets drop out of superluminal drive and begin to attack the core systems of the Confederacy," Gu'utga'ad stated. Another image appeared, annotated with military icons and symbols, showing the might of the Great Fleets entering the systems. Combat began, icons winking out of being surrounded by the bright purple of severe damage.

Suddenly, one by one, each system suddenly vanished.

Additional reinforcement fleets, unwarned, dropped in to where the core systems should have been and were torn apart by the gravitational forces of the singularities.

"Rapid report ships made haste to hypercom range and transmitted their data, showing that the fleets as well as the Confederate Core Systems are all destroyed," Gu'utga'ad said.

"That will prevent the Confederate forces from receiving reinforcements, at least," Du'unbo'oss said, nodding slowly. "It should have a severe morale effect upon the Terrans and their allies."

Tulmu'ugu'u cleared his throat and every Lanaktallan looked at him.

"It may not have the effect any of you think," he stated.

"Explain," Du'unbo'oss snapped.

"I have been able to peruse Terran history. While the 'eliminate the grazing ground' attack method will surely work upon the majority of their allies, the Terrans may not be as effected by the attack as any of you believe," Tulmu'ugu'u said. He quickly explained that the Terrans had been attacked repeatedly, and in at least one case, lost their home system to enemy attack, including the Mantid Glassing.

There was silence for a long moment.

"And how did the Terrans react each time to their core system being destroyed?" Gu'utga'ad asked.

"It was not destroyed, merely damaged," Du'unbo'oss snapped.

"Silence," Gu'utga'ad retorted.

The other Lanaktallan's tendrils curled in anger, but he closed his mouth.

"With utmost savagery. While their government may have collapsed, it led to a period of intense militarism with a high weapon technology development curve as well as a total commitment of industry, manpower, and economic forces toward military development and deployment," Tulmu'ugu'u stated.

There was a long moment of silence.

"They've taken by military force over half of Unified Council territory and virtually all of the neo-sapient worlds," Du'unbo'oss said slowly. Tulmu'ugu'u noted that the other Lanaktallan seemed to have suddenly lost a lot of his bluster. "It is well known that they arm and train the neo-sapients to defend themselves and at least three neo-sapient species have begun to field their own forces, although those forces are largely deployed against the Precursor Autonomous War Machine combat areas."

"They have already slowed their operational tempo. Our ships are..." Du'unbo'oss started.

"Little more than targets that the Confederates can destroy at their leisure without worrying about even scratching their hulls by return fire," Fu'ukmi'i sneered. "Do not bother trying to deny it, we are all privy to unredacted battlefield footage and action recordings. Anything less than anti-vehicle weaponry won't even slow down an unarmored Terran. Their ships have longer range, are faster, are more heavily armored and shielded, than even our strongest ships."

Fu'ukmi'i spit cud off to the side and pulled out a wrapped cud. "Unless you have some kind of new technology hidden inside your rectal cavity that you plan to pull out and wave around, you can create the largest armada you want and it will no good."

"Then what do you suggest?" Du'unbo'oss snapped back.

"If I knew that, I would have suggested it. We cannot sue for peace, I doubt the Confederacy would consider anything less than total and abject surrender, disarmament, and occupation," Fu'ukmi'i said. He angrily jammed in a was of cud and started chewing. "The war is virtually lost. All continuing to prosecute the war will do is kill more of our people."

There was silence for a long time, the elder statesman's words hanging in the air.

"Surely the Confederates are over-extended. Their supply lines must be at critical levels, they surely have no reinforcements, and they can expect no more war material with their core systems knocked out," Fu'ukmi'i said quietly.

"It won't matter," Tulmu'ugu'u said, breaking the silence. "Their mastery of cloning assures a constant supply of fresh, combat trained and capable troops. Their ability to xenoform a planet outstrips the Gatherer's ability to harvest a bio-system. Their automated factory systems and digital intelligences mean that within only a few planetary revolutions they have factories turning out war material."

"With their morale hardened by the loss of their origin systems," Gu'utga'ad said.

A chill descended on the room, in each room, and the virtually gathered Lanaktallan shivered.

"The Precursor Autonomous War Machines are back in force, attacking both the Terran forces and the neo-sapient worlds. A large thrust is driving for the Core Worlds and is poised to attack some of the oldest worlds in the Unified Council," Gu'utga'ad said. He paused for a moment, bringing up the map. The entire edge of the Long Dark glimmered red, with tentacles moving toward the Core Worlds. "They intend on finishing what they started a hundred million years ago."

He wiped the map away and looked at everyone. "Our forces cannot stop them. Even if we had not just lost over a third of our forces eliminating the Confederate home systems, they would brush us aside as easily as the Terrans gallop over our forces and trample them beneath their warsteel boots."

"Except they are not attacking us, Most High," Fu'ukmi'i said. "They are attacking the Terrans, who are in possession of those worlds."

"Which is the only reason they are not present at this meeting," Ru'uto'o said, breaking his silence. "The Terrans are able to stop them in most cases, slow them down when they cannot stop them."

"So what do we do?" No'otro'odo'o asked the question on everyone's mind. "We cannot unconditionally surrender to the Terrans, who knows what horrors they would visit upon us in vengeance."

"And we cannot ensure that some ulta-loyalist does not commit another biowarfare attack upon them, in which case, they would slaughter us until we only inhabited a single world," Ru'uto'o said, his tendrils hanging limp with despair. "I fear we set the Great Herd upon a galloping charge off a cliff."

"We are, ironically, fighting to survive against the very force that is the only one that can ensure our survival against the ancient machines," No'otro'odo'o said. "The Unnamed Ones laugh at us."

"What, then, can we hope to do to ensure the survival of our people?" Gu'utga'ad asked.

Nobody had any answers.

---------------------

DEAR: Uln-Var, Revered Mother

I pen this letter with my heart full of joy yet heavy with despair.

The Terran Confederacy has determined that our people are no longer combatants, and that our people are no longer what they call 'belligerents' and so we will soon be processed from Prisoner of War to "Parolee" status.

While this means we are not allowed to contribute to any military effort or fight against the Confederacy I feel the terms are more than acceptable.

I have had a taste of combat.

It lingers on my tongue still. A bitter, sharp taste, of ashes and old blood. The taste haunts my dreams at times but I have the tools I need to spit the taste out.

I desire no more heroics, no more glory, and would be perfectly happy to never leave whatever home I eventually end up residing in.

Revered Mother, so much has happened. So much has changed.

I fear, mother, that there will be no place for me there. That perhaps I should stay here, at the edge of this lagoon, fishing on the dock, till the stars burn out and the sky goes dark.

I am not sure if I should return home, Revered Mother. The world is being made anew by the Elven Queens and the might of TerraSol, is being made into a fresh, clean thing full of promise and hope.

I no longer feel clean, mother.

I weep for your embrace, to tell me that I am being foolish, that I will always be your loyal and faithful child, but I feel dirty, unclean.

Does our world need one such as me on its shores again?

I love you, mother, and miss you truly.

Respect and Honor: Del'Var, your male child

-------------------

DEAR: Uln-Var, Revered Mother

I hope my previous letter did not alarm you. I had what my doctor called a 'depressive episode' that is apparently quite common at the stage of emotional and mental healing I have currently reached. The doctor spoke to me the day after I mailed my letter, talked me through what I was feeling.

I had not realized that part of me feels safe here. In my house by the lagoon.

With the guns of the Confederacy guarding me.

It is strange, Revered Mother, that I feel so safe surrounded by the guns of those who defeated me in combat, but I do. Even the sight of the Treana'ad doctors does not cause fear in my heart.

They are a funny people, Revered Mother. You would like them. They know many jokes, enjoy laughing, and are often silly.

Did you know that one of the most prestigious job a Treana'ad can obtain is a 'moo-moo milker'? They have animals called 'moo-moo's' that are a bovine mammal that produce lactation. The Treana'ad milk them for their lactation, which they use in ice cream. Ice cream is very important to their society.

I tried some. It is quite delicious. A Treana'ad guard showed me how to make my own ice cream with two simple metal containers, ice, sea salt, and a few ingredients. When I get home I will teach you to make it too. I think my cousins will like it.

My pen-pal sent me another letter recently. She included a small piece of wood, taking from her glass-sailing vessel. I feel much in common with her as we both are sailors. When she grows up she wants to be a glass-skiff racer, which sounds quite exciting.

Last week, several female N'kar joined our little camp. They are very shy, much more shy than I remember females being. They are guarded at all times by Rigellian soldiers. Huge, muscular, imposing female saurians.

I talked to one the day I wrote to you. The Rigellian, a military policeman, sat between us, holding her hand. She was quite shy. Her name is Anp-Nir, from the Red Reeds Islands, and she was taken from our home nearly ten years ago.

I didn't learn much more because she began to cry and asked me to leave while the Rigellian comforted her.

Today I saw her, and many other females. Some of them were doing what the Rigellians call "power lifting", which is apparently repeatedly lifting great weights in certain methods to improve their strength. They were also doing something called "self defense courses" which, strangely enough, did not include weapons. It was physical combat drills.

I asked my therapist about it and was told it involves regaining personal autonomy and anger management.

After therapy I worked on my boat. It does not have a motor, a simple wind craft with a solar panel to work the radio and transponder. Last week I rode out a storm on it with Tre'Var and Kle'Var, but the mainmast was slightly damage and we've been working on it. We could use a nanoforge or the ants to make a new one, but have chosen to craft it by hand from wood we cut ourselves.

I am including pictures of all of use working on the boat, which we named 'Whisper of the Waves'.

Tell everyone I am doing better, and I am sorry if my last letter alarmed you.

Respect and Honor: Del'Var, your male child

-------------------------

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

I'm thinking about unlocking the bag. We've got it under control here, our defenses are rebuilt, we've got ships to replace the few losses we had.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

MANTID FREE WORLDS

Same here.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

RIGELLIAN SAURIAN COMPACT

You should, it's nice out here.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

BIOLOGICAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENT SYSTEMS

Our vote to open the bag passed with a 92% mandate.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

DIGITAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENT SYSTEMS

Same here. Well, we had a 84% mandate.

Some smartass started a political group that gained 8% of the votes for "The Bag Is Love the Bag is Life".

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

That's what you get.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TNVARU GRIPPING HANDS

Why?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

MANTID FREE WORLDS

Because they can.

OK, here's some honesty. If ANY of TerraSol's children ever vote a 100% on something, if you EVER see someone claiming to be one of TerraSol's children say that a 100% vote passed, you are more than likely dealing with an imposter.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

True facts.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

RIGELLIAN SAURIAN COMPACT

Without a doubt. I've seen two Terrans get into a fist fight over what color the sky was that day. They can see a wider spectrum of the blue shift than we can. They have like a quadrazillion different shades of blue.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

MANTID HIVE WORLDS

Quadrazillion isn't a word.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

RIGELLIAN SAURIAN COMPACT

Nice job, sis. Now there's a half dozen humans fist fighting over whether or not that's a real word.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TERRASOL

You know I can hear all of you, right?

////////

TELKAN FORGE WORLDS

Can all of you?

100% of you?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TERRASOL

Oh, look, we've got a comedian.

////////

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

You'll do fine, kid.

OK, I'm doing it.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

>TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS HAS LEFT THE CHAT (LOST CONNECTION TO CLIENT)

>TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS HAS JOINED THE CHAT

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

OK, can everyone hear me?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TELKAN FORGE WORLDS

No.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

Dammit, what did we do wrong?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

>TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS HAS LEFT THE CHAT (LOST CONNECTION TO CLIENT)

>TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS HAS JOINED THE CHAT

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

Oh, hardy har har.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

PUBVIAN FEDERATION

Good one, kid.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS--

>MANTID FREE WORLDS HAS LEFT THE CHAT

>BASS HAS LEFT THE CHAT

>DASS HAS LEFT THE CHAT

>CLONE HAS LEFT THE CHAT

>MANTID HAS JOINED THE CHAT

>BASS HAD JOINED THE CHAT

>DASS HAS JOINED THE CHAT

>CLONE HAS JOINED THE CHAT

CLONE WORLDS CONSORTIUM

Huh, this is nice. Feels... roomy.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

AKLTAK FREE FLIGHT

Welcome back.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

DIGITAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS

Thanks.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

BIOLOGICAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENT SYSTEMS

Thanks

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

MANTID FREE WORLDS

Oh, this is nice.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TELKAN FORGE WORLDS

Whew, I was worried for a bit.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

MANTID FREE WORLDS

About what?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TERRASOL

I know.

/////////

MANTID FREE WORLDS

How do you know?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TERRASOL

Because the bag controls aren't responding.

We're stuck.

And that's not all.

/////////

TELKAN FORGE WORLDS

Oh no. What else?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

HESSTLA SYSTEM

WARNING! IP OUT OF RANGE (HESSTLA SYSTEM)

WARNING! TIME/DATE STAMP ERROR (HESSTLA SYSTEM)

ther way they come at you is by making you do it over and over each ba

oak themselves via psychic energy so others can't help you but you sho

ith you though. We read your signal, TERRASOL. TERRASOL, we read your si

arning to all Gestalt entities: Temporal Warfare In Hesstla System. This is a Warn

HING FOLLOWS-

TERRASOL

SE OMAHA CASE OMAHA CASE OM

ON MORRIS EVENT DENTON MORRIS EVENT DENTON MO

WARNING MESSAGE IP OUT OF RANGE

WARNING MESSAGE TIME/DATE STAMP ERROR

////

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

You just had to ask.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---