"The Lessons of the Lemurs can be difficult to learn. "And more difficult to understand." - Former Grand Most High Sma'akamo'o, from I Have Ridden the Hasslehoff

Planetary Director For Life Namtotun stared at the blade in Nakteti's hands, watching the red electrical arcs play over the engraved alloy blade, dancing along the twisted runes filled with precious gems, skittering on the rounded edge of the blade. He swallowed thickly and looked up at the smiling young Tnvaru matron.

"Such... sights... to see," Nakteti whispered. She lifted the blade up, turned, and pointed it at the holotank. The holotank flickered to life, flames roaring up.

Nakteti had learned one thing from Lady Keena, and that was the fact that there had to be a sense of theatrics in speeches at times.

The holotanks showed world after world, all of the population downtrodden, oppressed, subjugated. Lines of faceless, drably clothed, head down drones moving from place to place. Factories where those drones worked doing labor that would be easier, cheaper, and faster to use basic robotics in the manufacturing process. Eating cheap gruel, looking at propaganda.

The Terran lawyer smiled, a terrible thing.

"Our people were much like these," Nakteti said softly, moving around the desk. She stood behind Namtotun and rested the backside of the blade on his shoulder. The older Tnvaru almost gagged when he swallowed, the fear so thick.

The flycams had taken position and were recording everything, showing it to the population, all of whom were seeing "Mandatory Viewing" on their monitors. Some, most the children, had fallen asleep or gotten bored.

But tens of millions watched.

The holotank showed life under the Lanaktallan. How there was wealth, prosperity, but only at the Lanaktallan's sufferance. Only when it was allowed.

"For a thousand generations our people have been under the hooves of the Lanaktallan," Nakteti said softly, reaching up with her left gripping hand and putting it on the Planetary Director For Life's shoulder, then caressed his cheek with her left catching hand.

"Our people have known little else. Our lives were regulated by the Councils, by the Lanaktallan," she rolled the sword on his shoulder against his neck. "By Tnvaru like you."

She suddenly stepped back, bringing the sword up to rest across her upper shoulders. For a moment the viewers thought she was going to behind the Planetary Director For Life, but instead she slowly walked around to the front of the desk.

"I had thought, in my naive innocence, that the Tnvaru people were crying out for freedom, that they would enjoy the garden, the paradise I was laying out before them," Nakteti said. She leaned against the desk and shook her head. "But one being's paradise is another being's Purgatory."

She reached up with one fingertip and tapped her vestigal claw against her teeth, looking thoughtful for a moment. Then she shook her head. "I had thought that Tnvaru people were adults, would eagerly grasp at any chance to reach out with their catching hands and grab the Wheel of Destiny in order to master their own fate."

She turned slowly, letting the cameras catch her face.

"I had forgotten, after dwelling among the Terrans for several years, that the Lanaktallan had kept us as children, too frightened, too complacent, too coddled, to jump from a branch with a veneer of luxury and safety, and reach out to grasp the thorn covered branch of liberty," she said softly.

She rested the fist of her left gripping hand on the desk, ignoring Namtotun, who's fur had gone slick with sweat, as if he wasn't there. The lawyer and his two assistants watched with flat, unreadable, eyes of cold fire.

"I had thought I could lead our people to liberty, freedom, the right of consent, the right of self-determination," she said softly. "When I had seen what you allowed to be done to you in the name of safety and familiarity, I had thought that perhaps I could be like a Terran prophet of old and drive you into the wilderness," she said.

Arcs of red electricity ran up and down all four of her arms.

"But you, my people, are not ready. In the wilderness you would starve, wither, and be eaten by the wolves of fear, ignorance, and apathy," Nakteti said.

"I had not wanted to be a dictator, a monster," she said softly, her eyes wide and full of emotion. "I wanted to gift all of you with the freedom to just be that I discovered in my travels of the Terran Confederacy. That fearful, frightening, terrifying joy of being free to carve out your own place in the universe."

She turned and pointed with the sword at the Planetary Director For Life.

"Even in Paradise there must be a Hell for the Devil to rule," she said. She leaned forward. "Thank you for teaching me, for reminding me, that while you can lead a Tnvaru to money you can't make him profit."

She waved her hand.

"There will always be people who need what you provide, Namtotun," Nakteti said. She turned and rested the sword on the desk. "Just as there will always people who feel the need to rebel."

Namtotun swallowed, nodding. Anything to get the crazy matron out of the office so he could make a run for it.

"You attempted to steal an entire planet from me. You have taken over my automated farms, worked by agricultural robots, and attempted to sell the produce on the galactic market using my ships," Nakteti said. "While, if you had been successful, you would have been lauded for your ingenuity and cleverness in your hostile takeover," she paused, then leaned forward. "But you failed."

She let silence reign as Namtotun stared at her.

"But in your failure, you have won a prize," Nakteti smiled.

Those watching from home felt themselves shiver at the smile.

"You may rule over all of the cities but Tnvaru Landing," Nakteti said. "You may keep your sociopolice, keep your oppression, keep your subjagation, keep all of the cities and your power over the citizens," she said grandly, motioning at the window with the sword.

She turned and touched Namtotun's nose with the tip of the blade. "You are the Planetary Director For Life," she said softly, a smile appearing on her face.

An ugly smile.

A Terran smile.

"If you try to run, I will have my agents hunt you down, and I will press all four of your hands onto this desk's surface and have spikes driven through your hands," Nakteti said. "If you try to hold back even the lowest ranking and poorest Tnvaru from leaving your cities, I will come here and saw your ear off. If you try to invade my lands I will personally crucify you for three days before nursing you back to health."

Namtotun wet himself, staring at that smile.

"The lands beyond the city belong to me. There will dwell the Tnvaru capable of living without you and your government telling them how to live every waking moment. It will be terrible, frightening, at times chaotic, but their lives will be there and they will enjoy the fruit I offer," Nakteti said.

"Freedom. Terrible terrible freedom," Nakteti said. Her smile grew wider, showing even more teeth. The cameras zoomed in on her face, compared her expression to that of the Terrans and the lawyers.

She slowly walked around the desk, placing it on her back where it adhered to the magnet in the harness with a loud click. She picked up the letter opener from the desk that had the date that Namtotun had been 'elected' Planetary Director For Life.

"We will go over the Twelve Immutable Rights of Sentient Beings according to the Confederate Code of Justice at a later date," Nakteti said softly. She could feel anxiety, fear, and horror squeezing her belly, but she shoved it all down, shoved it all away.

She knew Lady Keena would never have shown any doubt.

She walked around behind Namtotun, leaning down. "If you leave this post, I will kill you," she said softly. "Your hostile takeover has failed."

He nodded.

"Do you accept to rule this land of the blind?" She asked softly.

Namtotun nodded again, swallowing. He had never been so terrified in his life.

He screamed when Nakteti grabbed his ear with her catching hand, grabbed his whiskers with her gripping hand, and yanked his head to the side and down. He stared up at her with his right eye as her right gripping hand held his head still.

Nakteti used the letter opener to tear free his eye, on camera, staring at the camera the entire time.

She tossed the eye into the disposal as she let Namtotun go and walked around the desk, setting the letter opener back on its decorative stand.

"Now you are the king of the blind," she said softly.

She wanted to throw up.

"When the scales fall from their eyes and they seek our terrible terrible freedom, they can leave your lands and make their pilgrimage into the wilderness," Nakteti said. "The Twelve Basic Rights will be applied to them fully."

Namtotun held his right hands over his eye socket, sobbing.

"You may rule in Hell, but you shall serve Heaven in doing so. Do not attempt to run, do not attempt to falter in your duties, do not fail in your service to me," Nakteti warned, running one bloody finger along the top of the desk. "My wrath will crash down upon you like a storm upon the shore."

Namtotun sobbed and nodded as best he could with the entire side of his face on fire, with his ears and whiskers hurting from where he tried to pull free.

"Control yourself, Planetary Director For Life, you have much to do," Nakteti said. She looked at the lawyers. "You and I have much to do, also."

The lawyers nodded, the head barrister smiling.

She looked at the cameras. "As do you."

The Mandatory Broadcast cut off.

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

In the elevator, away from other's eyes, Magnus knelt down and hugged Nakteti tight as she started to weep. Lady Serscee reached out and stopped the elevator, still keeping her 'arcane' senses out to give her warning of any attempted reprisals.

It took almost five minutes for Nakteti to regain her composure.

"Are you all right, Milady?" Magnus asked as he stood up.

Nakteti nodded, wiping away the tears with a handkerchief. "I will be. I didn't want it to come to this."

"The Old Gods were wrathful and cruel to those who displeased them," Lady Serscee said. "You showed more mercy than I would have. I would have beheaded him and all who supported him and stacked their skulls around my throne as a warning to all who harbored thoughts of rebellion."

Nakteti nodded. "It is a poor craftsman who blames his tools," she said softly. She reached out and pressed the button for the elevator to continue. "Once he recovers his fear will harden into hate, but it will still taste of fear. Then the sweetness and the pleasures of his rulership will overtake that hate and he will do nothing to risk it."

"If he does, then you'll simply kill him," Magnus nodded.

Nakteti shook her head. "No. That would simply invite a new plotter to take his place, one I cannot control, one that is not afraid of me or the power I wield. No, I was not lying. I wasn't using hyperbole. If he goes against me, I will punish him in ways he cannot imagine, and once he is fully healed, he will again sit at that desk."

She sighed.

"It is both his kingdom and his prison."

All of the Terrans nodded.

"Let us see to Heaven and those who wish to dwell there," Nakteti said. "This will be a long road we must travel."

The elevator pinged and the doors opened to reveal and empty lobby.

"But one that must be travelled."

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

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

Good job, kid.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

MANTID HIVE WORLDS

Enough bloodshed to make the point, but nowhere is blood filling the gutters.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

PUBVIAN DOMINION

Establish dominance, then establish the ranking system.

Domination for the sake of domination is wasteful and stupid.

You did good.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TNVARU GRIPPING HANDS

That was nervous. I was sure she was just going to shoot her way through the sociopolicemen and go full on guerilla warfare.

I was afraid millions would die.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

RIGELLIAN SAURIAN COMPACT

She's not Daxin.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TNVARU GRIPPING HANDS

Daxin's not that bad.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

PUBVIAN DOMINION

If you say so, kid.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

TREANA'AD HIVE WORLDS

Hey, has anyone heard from Telkan or Leebaw?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

THE DEFIANT HERD

No. Is that unusual?

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

MANTID FREE WORLDS

Just... nervous. They've been gone a while. They haven't respawned, so I guess they're OK.

---NOTHING FOLLOWS---

The froglike creature was kneeling next to the foxlike being, making a final knot in the pressure dressing on the code soaked thigh.

"You able to walk on that?" the frog asked. It looked around at the dimly lit dataline, the pulses around them dim, slow, almost asleep.

"Yeah," the fox said. He held out a hand. "Help me up."

The frog grunted as he pulled the fox to his feet.

They both looked at the sparking and buzzing code of the creature that had attacked them. It looked like a monster made of black ice, swirling with burning red code.

"Which way?" the frog asked, staring at the different branches that extended off into eternity. The branches had been revealed when the golem had been destroyed.

"Lemme check," the fox said. He lifted up a crystal and tapped it.

warm podling soft podling safe podling one and one is two blue is pretty yellow triangle is funny sprouts taste good and will make you big and strong brave podling clever podling nappy time with broodmommy lets sing this song

The notes wafted out, glimmering crystalline in the darkness of the dataline. It flowed down one of the data lines, one almost dark, with buildup of discarded and errored code on the edges where the floor met the wall, staining the floor here in there in puddles, and dripping from the cracked ceiling.

"We better get moving before more roving ICE catches us," the fox said. He started limping forward.

The frog just nodded, gripping his spear tightly, and followed the fox and the soft alluring song.