Kankri cleared his throat as he closed an eye afterwards, a little sermon from the signless himself;
"Y9ur Imperial Highness, N9 tr9ll thinks m9re highly than I d9 9f the hierarchy, as well as a6ilities, 9f this selfish gentletr9ll wh9 has just addressed the hive. 6ut different tr9lls 9ften see the same su6ject in different lights; and, theref9re, I h9pe it will n9t 6e th9ught rude t9 th9se gentletr9lls if, entertaining as I d9, 9pini9ns 9f a character very 9pp9site t9 y9urs, I shall speak f9rth my sentiments freely, and with9ut reserve. This is n9 time f9r cerem9ny. The questi9n 6ef9re the Hive is 9ne 9f awful m9ment t9 this system. F9r my 9wn part, I c9nsider it as n9thing less than a questi9n 9f freed9m 9r slavery; and in pr9p9rti9n t9 the magnitude 9f the su6ject 9ught t9 6e the freed9m and luxury 9f the de6ate. It is 9nly in this way that we can h9pe t9 arrive at truth, and fulfil the great resp9nsi6ility which we h9ld t9 every 9ther tr9ll and t9 9ur safety. Sh9uld I keep 6ack my 9pini9ns at such a time, thr9ugh 'fear' 9f giving such an 9ffence, I sh9uld c9nsider myself as guilty 9f treas9n and disl9yalty, despite standing 6ef9re the highest queen. Y9ur Highness, it is natural f9r tr9lls t9 indulge in the illusi9ns 9f h9pe. We are apt t9 shut 9ur eyes against a painful truth, and listen t9 the s9ng 9f that siren till she transf9rms us int9 6easts. Is this the part 9f wise tr9lls, engaged in a great and ardu9us struggle f9r freed9m? Are we disp9sed t9 6e 9f the num6er 9f th9se wh9, having eyes, see n9t, and, having ears, hear n9t, the things which s9 nearly c9ncern their temp9ral salvati9n? F9r my part, whatever anguish 9f spirit it may c9st, I am willing t9 kn9w the wh9le truth; t9 kn9w the w9rst, and t9 pr9vide f9r it. I have 6ut 9ne lamp 6y which my feet are guided; and that is the lamp 9f experience. I kn9w 9f n9 way 9f judging 9f the future 6ut 6y the past. And judging 6y the past, I wish t9 kn9w what there has 6een in the c9nduct 9f the high6l99ds f9r the last ten sweeps, t9 justify th9se h9pes with which gentletr9lls have 6een pleased t9 s9lace themselves, and the Hive? Is it that insidi9us smile with which 9ur v9ices has 6een lately received? Trust it n9t, madam; it will pr9ve a snare t9 y9ur feet. Suffer n9t y9urselves t9 6e 6etrayed with a kiss. Ask y9urselves h9w this graci9us recepti9n 9f 9ur v9ice c9mp9rts with these war-like dr9nes watching 9ur every step. Are cl9wns and 6l99d necessary t9 a w9rk 9f l9ve and rec9nciliati9n? Have we sh9wn 9urselves s9 unwilling t9 6e rec9nciled, that f9rce must 6e called in t9 win 6ack 9ur l9ve? Let us n9t deceive 9urselves, sir. These are the implements 9f war and su6juggulati9n; the last arguments t9 which n96les res9rt. I ask, gentletr9lls, madam, what means this martial array, if its purp9se 6e n9t t9 f9rce us t9 su6missi9n? Can gentletr9lls assign any 9ther p9ssi6le m9tive f9r it? Has the highest 6l99d any enemy, in this quarter 9f the w9rld, t9 call f9r all this accumulati9n 9f 6rute f9rce and tyranny? N9, madam, they have n9ne. They are meant f9r us; they can 6e meant f9r n9 9ther. They are sent 9ver t9 6ind and rivet up9n us th9se chains which the high6l99ds have 6een s9 l9ng f9rging. And what have we t9 9pp9se t9 them? Shall we try argument? Madam, we have 6een trying that f9r the last ten sweeps. Have we anything new t9 9ffer up9n the su6ject? N9thing. We have held the su6ject up in every light 9f which it is capa6le; 6ut it has 6een all in vain. Shall we res9rt t9 entreaty and hum6le supplicati9n? What terms shall we find which have n9t 6een already exhausted? Let us n9t, I 6eseech y9u, madam, deceive 9urselves. We have d9ne everything that c9uld 6e d9ne, t9 avert the st9rm which is n9w c9ming 9n. We have petiti9ned; we have rem9nstrated; we have supplicated; we have pr9strated 9urselves 6ef9re the thr9ne, and have impl9red its interp9siti9n t9 arrest the tyrannical hands 9f the High6l99ds and 9f th9se wh9 terr9rize th9se wh9 are weaker than them. 9ur petiti9ns have 6een slighted; 9ur rem9nstrances have pr9duced additi9nal vi9lence and insult; 9ur supplicati9ns have 6een disregarded; and we have 6een spurned, with c9ntempt, fr9m the f99t 9f the thr9ne. In vain, after these things, may we indulge the f9nd h9pe 9f peace and rec9nciliati9n. There is n9 l9nger any r99m f9r h9pe. If we wish t9 6e free if we mean t9 preserve invi9late th9se inestima6le privileges f9r which we have 6een s9 l9ng c9ntending if we mean n9t 6asely t9 a6and9n the n96le struggle in which we have 6een s9 l9ng engaged, and which we have pledged 9urselves never t9 a6and9n until the gl9ri9us 96ject 9f 9ur c9ntest shall 6e 96tained, we must fight! I repeat it, madam, we must fight! An appeal t9 peace and t9 the queti9na6le G9d 9f H9sts is all that is left us! They tell us, madam, that we are weak; una6le t9 c9pe with s9 f9rmida6le an adversary. 6ut when shall we 6e str9nger? Will it 6e the next perigee, 9r the next sweep? Will it 6e when we are t9tally disarmed, and when a dr9ne shall 6e stati9ned in every hive? Shall we gather strength 6y irres9luti9n and inacti9n? Shall we acquire the means 9f effectual resistance, 6y lying supinely 9n 9ur 6acks, and hugging the delusive phant9m 9f h9pe, until the su6juggulat9rs shall have 69und us hand and f99t? Madam, we are n9t weak if we make a pr9per use 9f th9se means which the Guardian 9f nature hath placed in 9ur p9wer. Three milli9ns 9f tr9lls, armed in the h9ly cause 9f freed9m, and in such a w9rld as that which we p9ssess, are invinci6le 6y any f9rce which 9ur enemy can send against us. 6esides, madam, we shall n9t fight 9ur 6attles al9ne. There is a just 6eing wh9 presides 9ver the destinies 9f us all; and wh9 will raise up friends t9 fight 9ur 6attles with us. The 6attle, madam, is n9t t9 the str9ng al9ne; it is t9 the vigilant, the active, the 6rave. 6esides, madam, we have n9 place 9r v9ice that can 6e heard 6y th9se s9 far a69ve us 9n the hem9spectrum that they can n9t fath9m giving a reas9n f9r the l9wer caste t9 raise their 9wn v9ice. If we were 6ase en9ugh t9 desire t9 it, it is n9w t99 late t9 retire fr9m the c9ntest. There is n9 retreat 6ut in su6missi9n and slavery! 9ur chains are f9rged! Their clanking may 6e heard 9n the plains 9f 6ef9rus! The war is inevita6le and let it c9me! I repeat it, y9ur highness, let it c9me. It is in vain, madam, t9 extenuate the matter. Gentletr9lls may cry, Peace, Peace 6ut there is n9 peace. The war is actually 6egun! The next 6east that sweeps fr9m the n9rth will 6ring t9 9ur ears the clash 9f res9unding arms! 9ur 6rethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentletr9lls wish? What w9uld they have? Is life s9 dear, 9r peace s9 sweet, as t9 6e purchased at the price 9f chains and slavery? F9r6id it, I kn9w n9t what c9urse 9thers may take; 6ut as f9r me, give me freed9m 9r give me death."
