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Stories from the Verse
A Dozen Verses
Chapter 16: Kondor 261
Table of Contents
Previous chapter: Cooper 77
After talking to Big Boy, the southern spy, and Zeke, the two Humans reluctantly let Big Boy do the speaking, or chirping, over the shortwave radio.
“To the coup plotters who overthrew the legitimate government, your plans already unravel. To the rightful rulers, soon you will be restored. Keep faith with your people, and sign nothing. To the people of this land, the University has already freed itself. You too can rise up, catch the enemy by surprise and with overwhelming numbers. Gather your tools if you have no weapons, and go and imprison those who want to keep you down. The rulers and the University and the railroad and radio birds want to lift you up. But these petty clerks, they want to keep you down. They see you rising, and it scares them.
“I stand to tell you that the southern state stands with its northern sister. No one wants war, except for these clerks, who have only shed blood by accidentally pricking themselves with a penknife. I, I have shed blood, both mine and the enemy, and I tell you war is a terrible thing. The people of the south, whom I represent, want peace. I think your neighbors east and west, and even far to the coast, all want peace. The only people who want war are the Clerks, and they do not intend to be the ones who bleed for their war. You are to bleed for their amusement.
“As I speak to you, I stand beside two of those who some have called ‘gods’--”
Kondor cleared his throat loudly, and eyeballed Big Boy. They had made it clear that ‘no they were not going to claim to be gods even if it would be helpful. Big Boy nodded his beak.
“They are not gods--but they have done great deeds. And I stand beside two, right now, who fought the alien invaders, who rescued poor birds from the tsunami, who gave us so many of these new technologies. They stand against the Clerks. Indeed, Cho, the dark faced one from ancient history who is reborn in this day of wonders, is furious with a cold hatred against the Clerks. Listen and hear their strange tones.”
Big Boy handed over the microphone, and a surprised Zeke spoke in English, “I am Ezekiel.”
“I am Joseph Kondor,” Kondor said to the speaker next. They both spoke in English, which no one on the planet but them knew. The very strangeness of their language and the sounds of their voices would serve as identifiers. Clearly, these were the Humans who spoke as no Parakeet would speak precisely that way, even though the Parakeets were very good mimics.
Big Boy completed the broadcast, saying in Parakeet, “The University stands free and proud. Join us.” Then he put up the microphone and turned off the radio.
Kondor nodded in approval. Resentment, greed, fear, pride, all the emotions to motivate a crowd had been unleashed. Now they had to wait to see what happened next.
The message was printed up, put on flyers throughout town and the university adjacent. A happy warlike spirit filled the air, and messages came back. Some were of support. Others, at least two, were of claims to have retaken their area. Kondor thought those were probably accurate as the Parakeets were unsophisticated in psyops. Lying to raise the profile of a secret traitor by attributing to him false victories was probably beyond them.
One happy message came in as well.
“We were waiting when the Guard left the train at the train station. We had a Gatling gun pointed at them, and they surrendered with no shots fired.” This was a message from the farthest reach of the nation. The radio had outraced the spinning wheels of the iron engines.
Meanwhile, Kondor had been prepping the defenses of the University. This involved some substantial changes as the likelihood of a serious flying saucer attack was almost nil. They might have a flying saucer or two, but good pilots and good numbers of craft were out of the question. If they flew one of the few saucers in, Kondor would face the difficult question of whether he should shoot it down, or try to capture it for use after the revolution was put down.
That night, a message came to ‘stand by for a message in half an hour’. Kondor and Zeke and many others were waiting in the radio room or in the hallway outside or in the yard nearest the open window as the ham radio began to speak.
“To the evil insurrectionists of the University, you lie. We retain control of all the land. You are servants of the southern state, in a conspiracy to deny the legitimate government to our Birdkind. Now to prove this, we have our ruler here to speak--”
A different voice came on, and looks of horror appeared on feathered faces. Taking a chance, Kondor read a mind as well to find out why. Did it mean that this thing was over? But no, what he heard was disgust and sympathy and horror because the ruler sounded as if he were in pain.
“My dear nest, my Parakeets, I--I want to tell you something very important about this supposed coup, I need to say--” Some pause occurred, and Kondor imagined that someone with a whip was threatening the ruler. “I, yes--.Fight my nest brothers, Figh—aaaggh!”
No sound was heard across the land for a space of many seconds, and then roaring, squeaking, chirping, shrills sounded into the air and throughout the land. The radio came back on.
“The ruler has suffered a collapse. He may die.” The lie followed by a naked threat was obvious. Joe reached out a hand to the radio and clicked engaged the mic. He hoped others were listening. Grabbing a language link from Big Boy, he sang in his baritone version of Parakeet.
“Anyone who tortures, or assists to torture, kills or assists to kill, the ruler or his associates, or loyal supporters of them, will be executed after the war.” He drew in a deep breath. “Come and get me if you dare.” He heard a gasp and indrawn breath in the room a second later.
Zeke took the mic and engaged it.
“So I say too.”
A hand brushed his, and he to his surprise handed the mic to the reaching hand of the warfare professor.
“I am the warfare professor of the university. I swear never to surrender.” After that, the mic was handed about the room, and bird after bird identified themselves and took a vow of never surrendering, and promises of violent retribution for any harm done to prisoners.
After this was done, others in other parts of the land joined in, although not nearly as many. The University had succeeded in painting a big fat target on its face. Like the Spartans had said to the Persians under Xerxes, long ago, if that made sense with them being different universes, it was Molon Labe. You want our swords? Come and take them.
Meanwhile as Kondor walked out with Zeke, he was wondering if this new thing he had introduced to the Parakeets was a good thing.
“I’m surprised you as a Christian go with this,” Kondor said, searching for some reassurance.
“Must not have read much of the Old Testament then, Captain,” Zeke smiled back.
There is a behind-the-writings look at the thoughts, influences, and ideas of this chapter, along with eleven other sequential chapters of this novel, in mark Joseph "young" web log entry #525: Character Battles. Given a moment, this link should take you directly to the section relevant to this chapter. It may contain spoilers of upcoming chapters.
As to the old stories that have long been here:
