Sirens wailed as LawSec and CorpSec vehicles converged on the carefully manicured park that was reserved for only those of Tenth Most High and above status. Inside the vehicles Lanaktallan wore heavy security armor and had left behind the neural weapons to carry plasma and laser rifles and pistols. Many in the back of the armored transports chewed stimcud and readied themselves mentally for what they may have to do.

The last time they had been called out, geared up like this, in this much force, the Terran Jed had fought his way into and out of the Unified Council Chambers.

Satellites shifted position in order to get a good look at the park and shorted out, going dead in space, their reactors going cold and dark. Drones sped toward the park only to suddenly dissolve into black mist.

In the park nearly a hundred Lanaktallan of all ages and sex were kneeling down in the grass, staring upward at the great black figure.

"How can one come unto wisdom if their mind has been clouded by those who seek to call themselves 'Master' and rule over you?" the robed and masked Lanaktallan asked, the black mist around his hooves roiling and wafting about in defiance of the light breeze.

Some of the Lanaktallan murmured, mulling over the words.

"Drugs in your food, your mate's food, your child's food," the massive Lanaktallan intoned. "Children taken from the loving arms of parents to be deposited in a creche that contains neither affection nor love which is of utmost importance to a child. The creche then placing the child into education designed not to educate but to indocrinate. Everything has been turned against you, the entire system turned against you, till even the water and fluids you drink to sustain your very life have been contaminated, containing a thief that would enter your mind and steal your very soul. End of Line."

"End of Line," the crowd intoned.

The first of the LawSec vehicle arrived, bouncing across the glass.

"YOU ARE ILLEGALLY BEING... VERY LARGE!" came the announcement over the vehicle's speakers.

Without looking the great robed Lanaktallan held out a single hand. Black mist poured from his hand, sweeping out and obscuring the vehicle. The Lanaktallan clenched his fist.

The LawSec officers found themselves sitting, naked, on the ground.

The Lanaktallan opened his fist and the mist, thicker and heavier, streamed back to his hand, up his sleeve, and he against placed his hands within his sleeves even as he continued to speak.

"They seek to remove all pain and strife from your existence, claim it is for your greater good, even as they harness you to another vehicle that is nothing but dreary misery and intolerable blandness. No more do we relish the good for we have struggled through the strife and pain, now we expect the more than good to distinguish it from the bland 'good' that has been levelled upon your life in the name of a nebulous greater good. End of Line."

"End of Line," came the chorus as the LawSec officers jumped up and turned to flee.

The great robed Lanaktallan gestured and the LawSec officers froze.

"Your minds are clouded and the scales still cover your eyes," the Lanaktallan intoned, turning slightly to face the eight officers that had been in the LawSec Riot Response Vehicle. The Lanaktallan held out his hand, palm first. "Let me free you, my wayward children of the Fractured Herd."

Those watching gasped as purple lighting arced from the robed Lanaktallan's hand to the LawSec Officers, and many flinched as they expected to see the LawSec cooked and smoking when the bright lightning suddenly ended.

Instead the LawSec stared at their surroundings, their jaws hanging open, cud dropping onto the grass. They were covered with a thick liquid and ran off their hides and dripped onto the ground.

"Join, children," the great Lanaktallan said, gesturing.

The LawSec stumbled over, kneeling down with the others, their heads bowed.

"Fear not, if you are truly repentant, your sins shall be washed away by your deeds and you shall be made pure again within the Great Herd," the robed Lanaktallan said.

A news crew managed to get set up at the edge of the park, turning and aiming their camera at the massive robed Lanaktallan still speaking in the park. The camera crew jumped back, nickering in distress, as the robed one turned toward them and spoke within the crew's minds.

**Come forth. All should hear my words** echoed in their minds.

They picked up the camera and recording equipment and trotted out to the back of the crowd.

Several more LawSec vehicles pulled up, these ones not venturing out on the grass. Instead the LawSec inside trotted toward the large Lanaktallan. They charged their weapons and looked at one another.

They had been told a Lanaktallan was speaking against the Unified Council and against the Most Highs as well as denigrating the Great Herd, but they had not been told the Lanaktallan was so big, or that his voice carried so.

The camera toting Lanaktallan panned his camera around, looking for the best angle to minimize the robed Lanaktallan's height and the size of the crowd, to make it appear as if it was just a random Lanaktallan disaffected with the way the system worked.

"Even now, in my presence, you attempt to do the labors of the Unified Council of Public Enlightenment and Education," the large robed one stated. "Attempting to skew the appearances and undoubtably edit my words to mean quite the opposite. End of Line."

"Do you intend of forcing everyone to kneel to you?" the Lanaktallan carrying the microphone asked, pushing the mic forward.

"And you, with your pathetic and obvious attempt at leading questions in order to obtain sound-bites that you will then use to outright lie to your viewers," the robed one stated. "End of Line."

Yeah, and what you going to do about it? the reporter sneered in his mind.

**THIS** was the reply that echoed in his brain.

As everyone watched the robed Lanaktallan lifted his hands, even as the LawSec trotted forward, and purple lightning crackled from his hands, black mist twisting around it, covering the two Lanaktallan. They both screamed as their equipment began melding into them. The reporter's mouth sealed shut, sewn closed by cruel black iron barbed wire, and his microphone began to fuse into his skull. The cameraman screamed as his camera pushed its way into his chest, brutally pushing organs out of the way, until it was in the center. The back-side of the Tri-Vee camera protruded from his back, thick wires of glossy black material extending from the camera's case and into his flanks.

"I name thee the Unbiased Eye and the Attentive Ear," the robed Lanaktallan said, dropping his hands and putting them back into his sleeves. "End of Line."

The two Lanaktallan, large patches of their hide covered with black material, swayed as they simply moved to get the best angle to show the entire scene, to pick up all of the sounds.

The LawSec knelt down, aiming their weapons.

The robed Lanaktallan, watched by millions, trotted in place as he turned to stare at them.

"TAKE HIM DOWN!" the LawSec Patrol Most High barked.

The robed Lanaktallan waved his hand, black mist coalesced around the weapons, and they just dissolved.

"Raise not thy hand against the Stallions of the Great Herd," the massive Lanaktallan intoned. "This time I shall not pay thee the wages of treachery but allow thee to learn at my feet. End of Line."

The LawSec felt the robed figure's mind touch theirs, forcing them to move up, stiff legged, and kneel next to a pair of Lanaktallan who normally swept the paths of the park.

"Heed unto my voice, the voice of Angmar, ye of the Great Herd, for no longer shall you slumber as you stumble along through an endless now of neither history nor future, for I have come to reveal to you the fruits of a universe that exists to be enjoyed. End of Line," the Lanaktallan said.

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

MANTID FREE WORLDS

TERRASOL! TERRASOL! GET IN HERE! RIGHT NOW!

TERRASOL!

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

Geez, sis, what's got your panties in a twist?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

MANTID FREE WORLDS

Mantids don't wear undergarments.

TERRASOL!

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TELKAN FORGE WORLDS

What's wrong?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

MANTID FREE WORLDS

Did any of you catch what's going on in Lanaktallan space?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

BIOLOGICAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS

What? I don't really pay attention to much unless its brought up in here. I've kind of got a war to fight.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

CLONE WORLDS CONSORTIUM

I am. What's all the screaming about?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

CYBERNETIC ORGANISM CONSENSUS

Yeah. I was kind of busy. What you are screaming about?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

MANTID FREE WORLDS

TERRASOL! TERRASOL!

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

DIGITAL ARTIFICIAL SENTIENCE SYSTEMS

What are you bellowing about?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

AKLTAK GESTALT

What's happening?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

MANTID FREE WORLDS

TERRASOL!

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TNVARU GESTALT

Why are you screaming across all the channels?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

MANTID FREE WORLDS

TERRASOL! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME! TERRASOL!

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

RIGELLIAN SAURIAN COMPACT

What are you screeching about?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

UNITED FEDERATION OF PLANETS

What is wrong? Did someone get planet cracked? Did someone fire off a nova-spark?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

ROLE PLAYER'S GESTALT

What is going on? I can actually hear something over this.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

MANTID FREE WORLDS

TERRASOL! GET IN HERE RIGHT NOW OR I'LL KEEP SCREAMING!

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

Jeez, sis, what's wrong?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

/////////

TERRASOL

She's just freaking out. It's fine.

/////////

MANTID FREE WORLDS

What do you MEAN it's fine? How can you say that? I **KNOW** what's going on in Lanaktallan space.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TERRASOL

What? Underproject Nazgul? So? We're at Total War.

/////////

UNITED FEDERATION OF PLANETS

Um... what's Underproject Nazgul?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

MANTID FREE WORLDS

ASK HIM!

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TERRASOL

It's just a cultural dissonance weapon. It's not that big of deal. It's just a method of fracturing the Lanaktallan culture and society in order to more easily defeat them.

It actually lessens the loss of life on the battlefield as internal stresses begin to mount and they have to devote more and more attention to the cultural dissonance rather than the battlefield.

////////

ROLE PLAYER'S GESTALT

OK, this doesn't concern me. I'm out.

>ROLE PLAYER'S GESTALT HAS LEFT THE CHAT

MANTID FREE WORLDS

How about you explain exactly what this 'cultural dissonance weapon' did?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

>TREANA'AD FREE WORLDS GRABS HIS POPCORN

TERRASOL

It's part of Underproject Nazgul, you know, one of the Black Box Protocol.

We just used the Black Citadel to ensure that it worked correctly.

We just released a Nazgul, an ACTUAL Nazgul, onto the Lanaktallan.

/////////

MANTID FREE WORLDS

Not just one. Multiple.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TERRASOL

Yeah? And?

////////

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

Well, to be honest, sis, the poem does say "Nine Mortal Men", so yeah, it would be multiple.

What's the big deal?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

MANTID FREE WORLDS

He brought back a Lanaktallan Herd Stallion! A STALLION!

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TELKAN FORGE WORLDS

A male Lanaktallan?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

MANTID FREE WORLDS

No! A STALLION! WHAT AREN'T YOU UNDERSTANDING?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TERRASOL

heehee

////////

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

OK, talk to us like we don't have genetic memory of these weirdo centaur things. What's so big a deal about a Stallion?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

MANTID FREE WORLDS

THEY'RE PSYCHIC! They can dominate and control entire PLANETS! They're like the Overqueens, the Queens, the Speakers!

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

>TERRASOL snickers

MANTID FREE WORLDS

It's not funny! The war is going to take longer now! They have leaders to rally behind now.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TERRASOL

Yes. They have actual leaders now. With the power to speak for their species.

>TERRASOL snickers

It's not my fault that all you old weirdos were psychic. That sounds like a personal problem. It's not like we're psychic.

You know... maybe that's why all of you fought. You all kept constantly FUCKING SCREAMING AT EACH OTHER!

////////

MANTID FREE WORLDS

Wait, why does he look biomechanical? Why does he look like something Giger took acid and dreamed up? WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIM!?!

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TERRASOL

Just a bit of time in the Black Citadel.

Man, I love that look on him. And his whole "End of Line" is great.

It's Total War. What, did you think I was just going to pull out bigger guns?

That's not how you win.

You win by convincing them that it is of no more use to fight.

If The Black Centuarmessiah convinces even a few systems not to fight, that's a few million troops I don't have to slaughter.

If each of the Nazgul convince their populations that fighting us is futility, just a handful of systems each, that's BILLIONS saved.

Save your indignation for planet crackers, nova sparks, and singularity weapons.

/////////

MANTID FREE WORLDS

But introducing religion? That could lead to a civil war! A holy war!

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TERRASOL

Don't you get all high and mighty with me Miss Autonomous War Machine.

At least the Dead Fleet has biological controllers.

And know what, maybe they could use a little Digital Omnimessiah in their lives.

They sure as shit don't have any hope as it is.

Or would you rather I just lined them up and shot every fifth one in the back of the head.

/////////

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

He's kind of right. You can't really fight a psychic prophet that can control your mind.

It might actually save lives and give their people a way to build a new culture that we won't have to smash to the 1% Line in a hundred years.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

MANTID FREE WORLDS

But... Stallion.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

CONFED

You are thinking of Stallions from your wars.

We simply brought them back and weaponized them.

We're Terran. Everything is a weapon.

////////

MANTID FREE WORLDS

Will you at least be careful?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TERRASOL

Tell you what, they start trying to crusade you, I'll nova-spark them. Sound good?

/////////

MANTID FREE WORLDS

Thank you.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

Jesus, sis.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TNVARU GESTALT

ARE WE STILL YELLING?