24 That evening Thundering Boar sent an order to
The Guardian of each city. In the morning nine-thousand-five-hundred
worshipers of The Oneness were picked up and taken to nearby hospitals.
They were all young men and women, either unmarried or married but
having no children.
25 At the hospitals they were taken into the operating rooms and
sterilized. The whole Land was stunned, not only the people of The
Oneness, but Thundering Boar's own people. When he came on the radio
and spoke that evening, everybody listened.
26 "I was forced today," he began," to commit a terrible act by those
who kill without pity or concern. I cannot kill, but I can punish in
other ways. From now on, every time the terrorists of The Oneness kill
ONE of our people, a hundred of theirs will be sterilized. And they
will not be replaced. Their people will forever lack their numbers.
27 They will be subtracted from the ten-percent of the population they
are allowed, and beginning in ten days, until those responsible for
the bombing
of the plane at Northern surrender, five men and five women will be
sterilized a day.
28 I know this sounds harsh and cruel, but the people demand
retaliation and it is the only thing we can do, short of killing the
innocent."
29 The next day several bombs went off but understandably in places
where no one would be harmed. They destroyed property, not people.
Twelve days later, those responsible for the bombing of the plane
surrendered. The Oneness had learned a bitter lesson. The Children of
Spirit, when pushed too far, could also be bitter and cruel, in their
own, terrible way.
30 The terrorists tried another tactic....kidnappings. Gray Boar's
response was to sterilize ten men and ten women a day until the
captives were released.