A Cauliflower & few Rats were waiting eagerly for the Oracle to arrive. A minor briefing was the agenda. The Oracle was 39th by order & self proclaimed to be the last one - the most powerful. He wouldn't eat, he wouldn't sleep nor would he stop until his enemies were destroyed.

"All Hail the most wisest Oracle!"
The room was filled with the cries as the Jester of the Oracle entered the room & checked it for anything suspicious.

Off late, the Oracle was getting too suspicious about the Rats & his jester confirmed that it was the enemy's tactics.

Cauliflower was an old friend of the Oracle who joined hands for a mission & later became partners - who was sworn to loyalty.
Rumour is that Cauliflower was earlier charged with Mutiny & the Oracle sent the Rats to charge at him like scarab beetles, after which he turned loyal.

The militia chanted more vigorously as the Oracle entered and took his seat, towards the centre of the table. The Oracle gestured with his hands and all of them sat down, solemnly.
He gestured to the cauliflower to come closer & said "It's important". Soon they would all know.

The Oracle was beyond upset with the contemporary issues & wanted his militia to prepare for a retaliation against the enemy's dark forces.

Soon, the Jester began - "We're here to discuss our next line of action. Here are the handouts".

Cauliflower distributed it to everyone.

The Rats began reading it. The handouts were professionally made by the jester, grammar-spell checked by Cauliflower & approved by the Lord - the 39th Oracle himself. The Militia's logo was clearly embedded as the watermark & the points were very clear & concise.

"This is what you are supposed to do", the Jester was unusually calm saying this to the Rats who looked up.
"Use ad hominem very liberally", the Cauliflower interjected with a glee which was shared by the Oracle & the Jester too.

"Blady Porukki" one of the rats was angry.

"What's happening there?", Jester was curt.
"Nothing, an enemy's threat call. He said he'd dismiss His Majesty from the Organisation for his conduct".

"Hmmm", Oracle sighed as the Cauliflower and Jester turned towards him.
"We will bring them down & teach them a lesson".

"It's not easy, your Majesty. The New Emperor is more shrewd than the previous one", a wise Rat sitting far away wasn't happy.

He raised the handout and went on, "all our attempts to mobilise public opinion against him have been failing miserably. This will never suffice!".

"LOTA GOTA SOTA, VOTE NOTA!", one of the Rats, howled aloud.

There was pandemonium.

"Show your face, coward!", the Cauliflower yelled, as the rat stood up, still silent & calm.
"How many pegs you had till now? Don't talk when you're drunk. You're doing all hidden frauds!".

"This lGNORAMUS is speaking on behalf of his Idol!", Jester was trying to convince Oracle who was showing signs of extreme wrath.

"Some of his connections suggest that he is close to the enemy's henchmen!", a small Rat lunged at the wise Rat, beside him trying to choke him hard.

"Feku!", another rat yelled & mumbled something incomprehensible. He hit his fist violently on the desk & pointed at the wise Rat, threatening him.

He was Oraclelion - the Vice Commissar General of the Milita. His 2nd name was appended after his initiation - done by the Jester.

"Throw this Porukki out of the Militia. He is 1 Egent (Agent of the Enemy)", another Rat stood up.

He called himself the Rat-E-Oracle, after adopting Oracle's first name which made him dearer to the Oracle. The latter in return, entrusted the whole PR work of the Militia to him.

"Make your own Militia if you want to do as you wish", the Cauliflower responded.

The wise Rat was alarmed, "Your Majesty, I have always thought about your welfare & future, which...".

Now the Oracle spoke up, condescendingly, "Yes Grandpa, on a rocking chair. Just woke up?".

After this, everything moved fast.

The wise rat heard the Cauliflower and Jester call the armed guards & they were inside, in a blink of an eyelid.

"The Oracle has been insulted. Throw this E-gent outside.
All hail the Oracle!!".

The Armed guards dragged the wise rat outside.

The situation was soon under control.
The rats started murmuring amongst each other.

"Where were we?", Jester pondered & looked up to Oracle.
"Brief everyone", Oracle commanded after some silence.

He walked to the centre & clapped loudly "I need your attention, Rats" and began,

"Who are we?" Oracle shouted, with all his energy.

"Rats!", they were enthusiastic about showing their identity.

"What do we do?" Jester was equally enthusiastic.

"We fight #Egents & Lungis". Cauliflower had also joined the chorus by now.

"How's the Josh?", Oracle was fiery.

"High, Sir. All hail the Merciful & Wise Oracle!".
The the rats raised their hands, making a Nazi salute.

"This is regarding the changes in the SOPs which you've to follow while dealing with #Egents & Lungi chelas. There have been some important changes with the environment...

...in which we have been working all along.
There have been inputs of a new raising made by the Enemy, which is specifically designed to neutralise our militia & make His Majesty politically irrelevant.

We also should be prepared to take them on.

All hail the Oracle!".

The Rats were eagerly listening. Jester spoke with a sparkle in his eyes.

Cauliflower was clearing his throat. He wanted to speak.

"Oye Rats, there are some who speak ill of His Majesty. Ask them to show their face if they are anonymous.
If not, ask them how many pegs down...

...and use any ad hominem attack on them", Cauliflower was grinning wickedly.

A rat from the middle row interrupted, "Can I also say - LOTA GOTA SOTA?".

Oracle felt proud to see 1 of his rats had taken the 'vote NOTA' slogans so seriously that all his abuses rhymed with NOTA.

"Use it only when you've no other arguments".

The Rat nodded & smiled. He took his seat after hailing Oracle & bowing.

"Hahaha", everyone was grinning from behind.

Jester's chest swelled with pride seeing that his brother rat was also a fast learner like him.

"Listen..."

Cauliflower didn't like interruptions.

"You forgot when I speak, I only speak. Crooks habit to interrupt. My advise to you : avoid it.

Many hidden attacks from fraud Enemy have to be expected. Don't give chance to them to disrepute our Oracle or anyone in Militia".

Jester, Oraclelion & Rat-E-Oracle went into a huddle. Cauliflower also ran back to them after he almost went back to his seat.

Then, the 4 of them went to Oracle and spoke for a while.

Oracle declared, "meeting dispersed".

"All hail the Oracle!" & the rats gave a Nazi Salute.

The meeting ended. But, not the doubts in the small rat's mind. He was illogical but irrelevant & ignored by most of the Militia's top brass.

Though he was Jester's brother, he never wielded any significant influence in the rat circles.

He asked Jester, "Who are Ellis?"

"Ahh", Jester contemplated.

He knew that 'Ellis' in Oracle's lexicon was meant for Oracle's old enemies who were ELIminated by his friend - the King of Reylon. 'Ellis' in Oracle's mother tongue meant 'Rats'. But, Oracle's Militia also consisted of Rats, though of another kind.

"Baby bro, go to sleep. I'll refer to the Militia's Commissar General, our old handouts & even ask the Great Oracle himself !", Jester convinced his brother Rat & gave him a rattler.
It would sound - LOTA GOTA SOTA when it was rattled, rhythmically.

The small rat - was Ratty.

It was early morning when Cauliflower left his home. He drove an old rickety Maruti 800 with his spectacles hanging. He had to reach the Headquarters of the Militia in an hour to discuss certain strategic issues with the Reylon emperor who flew down to meet Oracle.

Rat sentries stopped his car and asked for the secret passcode. He put on his goggles & said - "Vote NOTA, Save the Militia". The rats lowered their guns, nodded & saluted him. He sped past the check post, waving to the sentries, as he disappeared in the horizon, slowly.

He was again stopped at the entry gates of the Militia's Headquarters by the Secret Service guards - an elite Rat squad entrusted with the Infrastructure Security.

Cauliflower repeated the Passcode & they let him go after scanning the car with metal detectors, squeaking.

The atmosphere was very serious inside. Oracle and the Reylon emperor sat face to face holding iPads.

"How dare she?" Oracle furiously stared at the Reylon Emperor. His name was Ratpakse.

They were talking about how a former emperor had mocked Oracle by calling him Santa Claus.

"She did all frauds in hidden ID" Cauliflower adjusted his goggles & went on "Cat got her tongue later".

"What can we do?" Oracle asked himself.

"Give her a nickname & attack her morally with no mercy", Ratpakse was clear in his thought. He twirled his moustache after that.

Oracle subconsciously reached out to twirl his moustache & realised he had none.

Then he twirled the moustache of Cauliflower who sat beside him, as a sign of appreciation & pride.

Cauliflower was moved to tears & he fell at the feet of Oracle seeking blessings.

"You've my blessings, my boy. Follow my steps & you will be blessed abundantly" Oracle said as he stood firmly, enjoying the ego massage Cauliflower had given him.

"I have my compulsions to follow you, Your Majesty", Cauliflower got back to his feet & fiddled with his glasses.

The Reylon King left soon. He went back, a happy man after meeting his old friend.

Cauliflower wasn't in a good mood after this. He seemed to be engrossed in some deep thought.

"Cauli", Oracle called him to take notes of their latest handouts which had to be dispatched soon.

"Your Majesty, bugs everywhere. Our talks get leaked to fraud enemy in hidden identity", he candidly spoke to Oracle.

"Hmm, though you aren't supposed to think beyond handouts, your suggestion is not that of an lgnoramus chela like Jester", Oracle looked down, nodding.

Cauliflower whose comprehension was weak wondered "Ignoramus chela means the chela of an Ignoramus or it is a bad chela ?".

By then there was a knock on the door.
It was Jester & his brother - Ratty. They entered the room and made a Nazi salute shouting, "All Hail the Oracle".

Oracle had a brilliant idea. He was a student of a foreign language - Rantarin. He learnt it in 1 week & was soon fluent in it after he spent 2 years touring Rhina.

"We shall use Rantarin for our official communications", Oracle declared.

Cauliflower adjusted his glasses again.

"But we don't know Rantarin", Jester protested. "Do we?", he asked his brother.

"LOTA GOTA SOTA", was Ratty's spontaneous reply.

"Ugh!" Oracle looked at him condescendingly. "What fools have I recruited to work for me!", he mumbled to himself.

Cauliflower toed Oracle's line.

"Now we use Rantarin in talks. Enemy in hidden id not understand. Cat got his tongue after this excellent idea of Your Majesty". Cauliflower then fell at the feet of Oracle crying copiously and seeking blessings.

He was happy that his suggestion was accepted by Oracle.

A Rantarin tutor was hired by Jester on the orders of Oracle. Cauliflower was eager to learn it & impress Oracle.

However Ratty, Oraclelion & Rat E Oracle had a fight with the instructor on the first day as they demanded him to 1st teach them all the cuss words of Rantarin.

They never allowed the instructor to take classes properly.

"Shi means yes", he said making a strange inscription on the gutter walls where the rats had assembled to learn Rantarin.

"Shi means shit!", Oraclelion started calling the other rats as Shis.

"That's not right...

"... the word for rats is Shu. Not Shi!".

After that everyone booed at Oraclelion "Shoo.. Shoo...". He got enraged & banged his fists on the desk & pointed out at the instructor calling him "feku".

The rats were fighting in the gutter & some had already started bleeding.

Oracle witnessed all this via his 3rd eye & summoned the instructor to reach the Militia's HQ.

He sacked the instructor for not teaching cuss words 1st.
"That's what I need them to use against the Egents first. Not your lame language grammar basics which #metoo never learnt."

Jester was reprimanded and suspended for 1 month for hiring the wrong instructor.

However he continued to sing praises of Oracle & the Militia along with a small group of rats led by his brother - Ratty.

They would walk left and right on the streets shouting "all hail Oracle!".

Time flew fast. The Rats continued to work feverishly, preparing to catapult their leader as the Supreme Emperor.

Though the attrition rate was high, the Militia never stopped. Oracle was busy giving interviews & he would take the help of his Jester & the Cauliflower for that.

One fine day the world woke up to the shocking news of the brutal bomb explosions in Reylon.

Oracle's friend Ratapakse was deeply saddened. Oracle avoided calling him that day, because his secret allies in his Empire were associates of the TERR0RlSTS who attacked Reylon.

Next day, the Reylon Emperor's brother's lieutenant was caught spying for the Rhina Empire. There was a lot of hue & cry over it & Oracle thought that it was his responsibility to clear the air.

He called Ratapaksa, the Reylon emperor. They discussed the matter, in Rantarin.

Days passed by. The situation of the 39th Oracle was getting worse & it would be beyond redemption soon. He was frustrated to see his lifetime opportunity pass by. His network within the empire was destroyed after 2 of his men were thrown out of the empire's payrolls.

Jester, Ratty & other officials of the Militia spent their days fighting a losing battle. Cauliflower would bully a few people & go to sleep every night. They all knew they would have to shut shop soon. There was despair everywhere. New propaganda handouts weren't prepared.

The Oracle once called the rats for a briefing citing something important. All the rats assembled in the Militia's HQ which was in a sewer that ran dry due to a pipe clogging nearby. The Jester stood with Oracle while Cauliflower, Rat-E-Lion & Rate-E-Oracle sat in the front row.

"All hail the Oracle!" they screamed their lungs out. "The 39th Oracle & the last one, our saviour leader. Praise the Oracle!" Jester added.

The Oracle smiled. A sign that his ego was massaged.
"The EJents are conspiring against us again & they are plotting to close this HQ....

...by clearing the clogging in the pipeline which will inundate the HQ with sewer water. The #Ejents are doing this to defeat us. We must fight back with all our might". He looked around for the Rats' response.

"We'll fight, Your Majesty. All hail the Oracle!" the rats squeaked.

The next day, they charged at the sanitation workers who came to clear the block. A big fight ensued and the workers used sticks and rods to beat the rats. Many were injured & killed.

Oracle saw all this from his 3rd eye as he sat in the Rhinese Emperor's lair in Reijing,Rhina.

The few rats who managed to escape, assembled at a closed down shop, where the new HQ was. Cauliflower had been summoned and he was on the way.

There were only 2 armed rat sentries at the gates. Jester was sitting before a big monitor with a blank screen.

Soon, Cauliflower joined them. He adjusted his glasses & walked upto one of the rats - "Badly defeated we are. Those Ejents are worse than a Pros".

The screen turned on & the Oracle was on a Video Conference. "Thanks you for the Support. Now I can settle down in Rhina" he began.