Chapter 133
End-July – 3,390 BC
Earth: Village of Assur
Colonel Mikhail Mannuki’ili
MIKHAIL
It was a sorry looking, hang-dog dead group of men who gathered for today's lesson. Even though it was after supper, the lengthening shadows did little to alleviate the mid-summer heat. Mikhail stood, wings flared, each feather fluffed out in the vain hope of catching a non-existent breeze. How was he supposed to motivate these men to give more than they'd already given to their fields, their trades, and their families, when all that he wanted was to crawl under the nearest shade canopy?
"I'm glad to see you all came back for more," he said.
The warriors grumbled a half-hearted response. By the way most leaned on their practice-staffs for support, they wanted to dump a quick bucket of water
