Tabitha Falkayn displays the same kind and level of sensitivity and understanding as Caitlin Mulryan in The Avatar. She avoids an argument with Arinnian while remaining friendly towards him.
Tabitha says:
"'...we birds have gotten pretty good at picking up face and body cues.'" (p. 510)
Planha and other Ythrian languages combine sounds with feathered "body language." Human Avalonians, particularly choth members/"birds" understand and speak Planha even though they cannot reproduce its bodily aspect. But this makes them extra sensitive to bodily cues in their own species.
At the very end of Chapter VI, that happens which has been anticipated from the opening paragraph of Chapter I. A holovid recording declares:
"- war declared. A courier from Ythri has delivered the news in Gray, that Terra has served notice of war.'" (p. 511)
There will be battles in space and on Avalon. We will be there.
5 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
And Tabitha Falkayn was far less irritating and implausible a character than was Caitlin!
IIRC, Governor Saracoglu petitioned the Throne for a rescript declaring war on the Domain, once he became convinced the Ythrian envoys at the conference attempting to resolve the disputes between Empire and Domain were not going to end with the latter making any significant concessions.
The Ythrians made a bad mistake, their death-pride hauteur was not going to do them much good when considering how much stronger the Empire was from the Domain. Again, IIRC, no attempts at all were at offering even minimal concessions to Terra.
Ad astra! Sean
As the saying goes, never get into a fight without calculating the odds honesty.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Exactly, and our Lord would agree! In one of His parables Christ mentioned how two kings were going to war. One king had an army of 10,000 while the other king had a force twice that. The king with the smaller army concluded he could not defeat his enemy--and sent a delegation asking for terms of peace.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean: yeah, unless you're backed into a corner. Never, never think you're going to win because your "cause is just". Every side in every war in human history has been convinced that their cause was just!
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Exactly! Unless driven into a corner by an implacable enemy, the weaker side in conflicts like this would be wiser trying to bargain for the best terms possible.
Ad astra! Sean
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