Sunday June 3, 2007
Book 9: The Body Politic — Part I: King for a Day

Transcript

Narrator: The Urasenke Office in the Prandial Palace,on Yoming.
Deputy Elephant: Hello, Hugo. Congratulations on this fascinating new job of yours.
Xinchub: Tantor, it's so good to hear from you again! It's been quite a long time since last we spoke.
Deputy Elephant: Not so long, however, that you can have forgotten that my name is Tantara.
Xinchub: You'll always be Tantor to me, Deputy.
Deputy Elephant: And you'll always be "General Xinchub" to the U.N.S.
Xinchub: Ah, I thought there might be more to this call than polite political expediency.
Xinchub: Surely you realize, Deputy, that one need not be as aurally endowed as yourself to participate in communiques on this channel?
Deputy Elephant: And if there are listening ears, Hugo, you likely insult their intelligence by trying to code that little datum within an insult to me.
Deputy Elephant: Yoming may have no laws against expat xenos holding office, but the U.N.S. has very strict laws regarding officers deserting their posts and becoming kings. What are you playing at here, King Xinchub?
Xinchub: The same game I've always been playing at, Deputy Elephant Tantara. This round however, I've been forced to bet large with a rather awkward hand.
Deputy Elephant: You'd better have an ace on the hole, then.
Xinchub: You know me, Tantor, I'm the biggest ace-hole in the game.