Dawn of a New Era (1)

“Daniel! Wake up Daniel! Wake up! ”

Slowly Daniel lifts up his heavy darken eye lids.  In his immobile state, he could vaguely see some shadowy figures looking down on him.  He could not sustain the sudden sensation; the specialized cells in his retina need to adjust to light stimuli gradually.  Instantaneously he closes his eyes and then opens them again to try to get used to his state of consciousness and the return of his eyesight.  He tries laboriously to focus on the unclear objects surrounding him; trying to comprehend the situation.  Gradually the figures become clearer and more visible.  “Oh Ring! Ring.  Is that you?  Where am I?  Who are these people?” Daniel finally came round and realized that it is his friend Prince Ringano standing beside his bed, looking at him with a happy smile on his face.  Ringano is surrounded by some people whom he cannot recognize, except one little girl among them.  Daniel remembers meeting this little girl in the palace.  She is Ringano’s half-sister, Risuana.  Beside Ringano is another girl.  She has a matured look in her mid-20s.  She is tall, has a brown complexion, with flowing long hair and high cheek bones and looking very beautiful in her curvaceous firm figure; the type of girl who will turn heads whenever she walks into a crowded room.  Her captivating exotic beauty is the dream of any fashion photographer to grace the cover of a magazine or a movie director to land her a role in a blockbuster. But, this beautiful girl is not dressed in some ‘killer’ clothes showing her well-endowed exquisite attributes as one might have expected.  She has dressed up conservatively.  Her long dress is sporadically adorned with the Zelian traditional emblem of arrow and spear, as if to express that her self-worth cannot be measured by someone else’s definition of beauty. “Who is she?”, Daniel asks, admiring her beauty.  “She is my girlfriend, Salinie”, replies Ringano proudly. “Oh.  Hello, Salinie”, Daniel immediately extends his greetings.  “Hi. Daniel.  I have heard a lot about you from Ring”, she replies with a warm smile.  Ringano has told him about his girlfriend when they were chilling up on top of the tree house the night before Ringano’s ill-fated Coronation.  She is the daughter a Chieftain from a neighbouring village and has studied in England and went on to study biology in the USA.   “Who are these people?”, Daniel continues, giving a survey of the other people around him.  “We found you at the edge of the jungle Dan.  You had fainted.  We brought you here.  I am so glad that I have found you alive Dan.  Don’t talk any more alright?  You were in a coma the past few days.  We have a medical doctor here and I have ordered him to take care of you and be at your bedside 24 hours a day.  Just rest my friend.  You are in good hands now ok?”, Ringano comforted.   Daniel then turned his head to look at a man wearing a white overall with a stethoscope hanging from his neck and then points his feeble finger at the man. The man is standing next to an old wooden table.  On top of the table laid a big jar, surrounded with some medical items such as a sphygmomanometer, a thin beam electric torch, thermometer, syringes, bandages, cottons, and gloves etc.   At another corner of the table are some herbs, balks, leaves and smaller strange looking jars of various sizes.  “Is this the good doctor?”, Daniel cannot resist despite being told to rest.  “Yes, Dan.  He is the doctor who has been taking care of you,” Ringano replies.  “What is his name?”, Daniel asks.  “His name is Muchancha.  My father used to summon for Dr. Muchancha to the palace when he was ill, especially when Western medicines could not cure him. ”, Ringano explained.  “Thank you Doctor Muchancha”, Daniel immediately showed his gratitude to the good doctor.  They are all stationed in a big hut.  The hut is surrounded by many smaller huts.  These huts are made of available materials from the jungle such as woods, palm leaves, hides and branches, using local craftsmanship and techniques passed down from generations.  It is community living out here, nothing like the comfortable life in the extravagant grand palace they have left behind. “How did you escape?  You were sitting next to the King”, Daniel asked Ringano.  “Yes.  It was utter chaos and confusion when the bombs exploded.  I just instinctively ran for dear life towards the royal chamber.  This is what I have been drilled for such event.  I managed to escape through an underground tunnel built by my father.  He has anticipated attacks from his enemies, especially from his half-brother, General Kinkino.” “But, I escaped through the tunnel too and how come I did not encounter you there?”  “Well, you see, my father is very clever.  He has built two entrances leading the tunnel.  One is located at side of the grand hall of the palace and he built the other in his royal chamber.  I escaped through this entrance”.    

Few weeks passed.   

Daniel is now fully recovered.  He has told Ringano that he had found the body of the dead King in the dark cave and that his family members were all murdered.  Ringano was overcome by immense grief on hearing how Daniel has found the body of his father, the King, the gruesome dismemberments of other members of his enlarged family along with his father’s trusted men.  He bursts into tears as reality hits him.  Suddenly, he realized that he is no longer the beloved handsome Prince of his people; he is now an orphan, from a future King to a pauper, and that he has lost everything to the evil General Kinkino.  Ringano cried uncontrollably. Daniel put his arms around his friend, giving the sobbing Prince the much needed comfort and support.  This did not stop his crying.  He cried even louder.  When Ringano is still wallowing in his emotional state of despair, Daniel took his arms away from him and snaps, “Stop crying Ring!  Get out of it.  You are a Prince.  A Prince has to be strong!  You must not cry in public alright? Your people still need you!“, Daniel hit the right note and Ringano stopped his crying.  

“So, what’s your future plan Ring?”. Daniel asks.  “What do you expect me to do?  Living this wretched existence and fade away quietly?”   I am going to fight back of course!  I have to fight back.  It’s written in the stars.  This is the destiny of the Sunni people, as recorded in our bloody history from one generation to another.  I have to take back what belongs to me”, Ringano answers defiantly with stern determination.  “I will avenge my father’s death!  I will make the bastard General Kinkino pay!”, Ringano shouts revengefully, unable to control his sudden surge of emotions from within.  “But, how are you going to do this Ring?  You don’t have trained men here to mount an attack against the mighty army of General Kinkino.  Don’t get yourself killed Ring!”, Daniel tries to reason with his friend.  “Yes I know.  Don’t worry.  I will think of a way”, Ringano replies.  “I will speak to my father”, Salinie interrupts.

A few months passed. 

 “My father has agreed to help!”, Salinie suddenly bursts into the wooden hut to announce the news.  Her father is the Chieftain of the Zeli tribe in a neighboring village. The Zeli tribe is the second largest tribe in the Central South American rainforest, next to the Sunni tribe.  They live in the jungle’s hostile environment.  The jungle is a densely forested area of swamps and grasslands; surrounded by ancient tall trees, is blanketed amid sweaty humid air, not to mention living in fear of being attacked by dangerous animals and poisonous reptiles.  Surviving in this hostile environment demands both survival skills and an intimate understanding of the jungle ecology.. .  Salinie has spent considerable time in her research on poisonous plants.  She wanted to help her people to be more efficient hunters of food.  She had successfully discovered a species of tree which bark contained extremely poisonous excretions.  Her discovery led to the development of the most poisonous darts on the arrows, creating a missile with extraordinary killing power.  They are a closed society, which shuns outside influence; jealously guarding their unique customs and traditions.  The only visibly evident exceptions are the Chieftain’s favorite daughter, Salinie and their religious belief.  Chief Vandago wanted his daughter to have a Western education.  He is particularly fascinated by the tools, equipment and digital gadgets brought by the white explorers into their land; especially the efficient way in which the white explorers used these tools and electronic gadgets to carry out their tasks and to solve problems.  Chief Vandago tells his people that his daughter has strange ideas and strong views on various issues affecting their tribe that only a Western education can understand her.  He would engage in endless conversations about his beautiful and intelligent daughter whenever an opportunity presents itself.  This open affection for a daughter is rather unusual in the Zeli’s male dominated society and tradition.   The Zelis are tall, well-built and proud people.  Their men are well known as very skillful sharp shooters of the arrows.  They could even shoot their arrows accurately at running preys such as wild boars on the ground and hopping monkeys on tree tops.  All young men of 13 years of age must have killed either a running wild boar or a tree swinging monkey in the jungle with a single shot of an arrow.   Only then they can be inducted into their traditional rite of passage to adulthood.  

However, 400 hundred years ago the Zeli people had practiced some of the strangest and weird customs.   They were superstitious, believed in witchcraft and witches and worshipped the Sun.   When the adults fell ill, they believed that evil spirits from the dark outside world had entered into their bodies.  And the way to rid themselves of these evil spirits was to spray blood of primates over their bodies or sought the services of witches to perform witchcraft in driving away the spirits.  They mutilated their bodies and faces as a way to exhibit beauty, sucked fresh blood straight from the necks of animal kills and even engaged in cannibalism on their enemies.  But, the arrival of the Spanish missionaries changed their old ways and belief system forever.  Aboriginal cultures were viewed as manifestations of the evil.  The missionaries, particularly the Jesuits and Franciscans introduced a different moral code, baptism, the Mass, new concepts of good and evil, the idea of heaven and hell, the Immaculate Conception and saints, a new constitution of the family and the concept of the crucified Christ. Such teachings led to the termination of human sacrifice and cannibalism, replaced by respect for the dignity of man and fear of God.  The missionaries built roads, schools, hospitals, dockyards, and workshops where the natives were trained to spin, tan and make pottery.  They denounced all forms of enslavement and oppression against the indigenous people; they established just laws, magistrates and agriculture techniques.  The indigenous natives began to embrace Christianity.  And have become deeply religious.  You can hear them reciting the ‘Hail Mary’ and the ‘Lord’s Prayer’ in their homes in their native tongues.  But their form of Christianity is incorporated with traditional customs.  Instead of drinking wine and breaking bread for holy communions, they drink local herbal tea and chew jungle shoots when partaking holy communions.  Before, they used to pray to the Sun for everything and believed in the Sun as Creator of the universe.  The Spanish Jesuits told them that this Creator of the universe is a loving and forgiving Christian God.   There was much misunderstanding, rejection and hatred among the indigenous in the beginning.  These had resulted in conflicts and then boiled up to various forms of physical attacks on the Christian clergy.  Some missionaries paid the ultimate price of being ambushed and massacred.  But, the patience, perseverance and benevolent methods used by these early Christian missionaries finally won them over.   They preached love and forgiveness.  But, this is strange to the indigenous natives.  For them to avenge the death of a loved one is an honor and indeed a mandatory act to maintain respect from their communities.  Under the leadership and influence of the Jesuit priests, Christianity spread to other indigenous communities.   Impressive churches with elaborate carved wood interiors were built, often constructed by trained indigenous craftsmen.  They are no longer nomads.  They have evolved into a settled existence.  Their homes are hung with framed pictures of the Madonna holding her infant Jesus, colorful crucifixes and palm leaves in bottles placed on alters.  But, among some customs they have not discarded is their belief in ancestor spirits and ancestral worshipping.  They believe that their ancestors have the power to intervene in their lives.  They often pray to their ancestors to intervene when they suffered prolonged illnesses or when they are faced with both difficult situations as well as good fortunes.  The history of Latin America and the history of the Catholic Church are inextricable.

“I heard from Salinie that you need my help your Highness”, Chief Vandago still acknowledged Ringano as the rightful heir to the Sulupian Throne.  “I am so sorry to hear about the King’s demise.  We share your grief.  We are also mourning his Majesty’s untimely death.  Our people are extremely indebted to your father”, the Chief recites without waiting for Ringano’s reply.  Chief Vandago has an enormous respect for King Ringana.  They knew each other personally. But, it is a different story with General Kinkino.  In fact, he looks upon General Kinkino with much disdain and hatred.  Some years ago, the Zeli village experienced the worst famine in their quiet history, brought about by a two-year draught.  There was crop failure everywhere, acute malnutrition, livestock had disappeared; food and water were scarce.  The scale of the disaster was so enormous that 20 percent of the village population was wiped out by starvation and widespread diseases.  The event was reported in the newspapers all over the world.  King Ringana immediately reacted.  He dispatched his army troops to help the Zeli people.  In addition, he ordered the distribution of food, clothes and medicines to the Zelis.   The King’s humanitarian generosity as well as donations coming from the international communities has helped saved thousands of Zelis from undignified miserable deaths.  Chief Vandago has not forgotten this.  General Kinkino was also involved in the humanitarian efforts.  He was put by the King to be in charge of the relief operations.  But instead of carrying out the noble wishes of the King, he and his gang of bandits conspired to benefit themselves from the Zeli’s misery.  A substantial amount of donations and supplies could not be accounted for.  General Kinkino and his dreadful men had hijacked them.   They kept the cash and siphoned off the supplies to sell them on the underground black market.  But General Kinkino did not stop here.  His cronies had whispered to him that there was a parcel of land at the bottom of the village valley owned by Chief Vandago’s brother.  They told him that the land was found to be rich in gold deposits.  The greedy General Kinkino forcefully took over the land from the Chieftain’s brother and evicted his whole family.  In return, General Kinkino offered the family another piece of land which was much smaller and far away from the fertile soil they were living on.  The Chieftain’s brother refused to move and he put up a fight.  But, he was no match against the resourceful General and his wicked men.  They succeeded in killing the Chieftain’s brother.  But, General Kinkino never got the opportunity to excavate his ill-gotten possession.  For soon after, there was a massive land slide from the mountain which had the parcel of land fully covered in muds and stones.  At about the same time, the famine rescue operation has ended and King Ringana decided to summon them back to the Sului Kingdom.  

“Yes, Chief Vandago.  Salinie told me she has spoken to you of my intentions.  But, I am helpless.  I have neither the men nor the arms to mount an attack against the son of bitch half-uncle of mine.  I have news that he is now rebuilding the palace on a grander scale.  And he is constructing a formidable fortress around the palace to guard against his enemies.  Rumor has it that he has been buying sophisticated weapons, and military arms and equipment from some communist countries.  I need all the help I can get!”, Ringano pleads.  “Well, my men are prepared to fight alongside you.  I have also gone to hold discussions with Chief Boganna and Chief Mingu of the Sulanin and Dogunin villages to enlist their support.  They understand your situation.  They are willing to supply some good strong men from their villages to fight your cause.  His Majesty has given us tremendous help during our hours of need and despair.  He was always the first in this land to give us his generous help and support.  We are forever grateful to your late father”, the Chieftain sums up.  “This is very good news indeed!  Please convey my heart felt gratitude to Chief Boganna and Chief Mingu.  Words cannot express my gratefulness enough. Tell them that after this this battle with General Kinkino is over, I will reward them handsomely,” Ringano responds presumptuously.  “No.  Your Highness, you don’t have to.  They did not ask for any reward”, the Chief clarifies. “How many men do we have, including yours?”, Ringano wants to focus on the objective at hand.  “About 25,000 strong Sir”, the Chief replies confidently.  “This is very good.  This figure almost doubles the men General Kinkino has!”, Ringano answers with a glow on his face.  “Yes. But, our men are not trained for battlefield combat.  They are not soldiers; they are farmers of agriculture and hunters for food in the jungle.  They may be good at shooting the arrows and throwing spears.  But, they don’t know how to anything about modern warfare.  They need to be trained,” Chief Vandago explains.  “I know.  Salinie has told me about this.  Of course they need to be trained.  Well, I have already recruited some highly skilled guerillas from our neighboring countries.  They are very knowledgeable and experienced jungle warfare veterans. They are political ideologists and activists.  They fight to overthrow corrupt regimes”, Ringano reveals.   “That’s good Sir.  But our men can’t be fighters overnight.  They need to be properly trained over time”, the Chief points out.  How long do our men need to be trained?”, Chief Vandago enquires.  “Yes.  Killing men is not like killing animals!  They have never been to war.  They have no military combat experience.   They need at least a couple of years of programmed training.  During this period, the guerilla fighters would, in addition to training them, also bring them to experience real life military engagements in neighboring territories”, Ringago assures.  “Alright then, let’s start the training soon your Highness”, Chief Vandago trusts the Prince’s judgment.  

“Dan.  I have to speak to you now!”, Ringano pulls Daniel aside when they are alone in the big hut.  “What is it Ring?”, Daniel asks with a perturbed look.  “My dear friend, please listen to me.  This is not your war.  You should not be here!  Not a single day goes by without me feeling guilty about bringing you to our Kingdom.  You don’t have to be with us.  You might get killed!  Please go home, Dan!”, Ringano persuades earnestly.  “You seemed to have forgotten Ring. I will be put on trial and will certainly be put to rot in jail if I get home!  Moreover, I have lost my passport.  Nobody knew I came here!  All those ideals that we had debated championed and believed; liberty, freedom from oppression, human rights etc., during our university days, should we walk away when we are put to test?”, Daniel argues.  Ringano lowers his head and keeping very quiet, looking remorseful, not knowing what to say; realizing that it is an impossible situation.   “Here.  Here is the envelope.  The letter I told you I am going to write to my fiancée is in it.  Please ask someone to deliver it to my fiancée.  I have explained everything in the letter.  You must not post it, please.  I am afraid it may be intercepted.  It must be delivered by hand to my fiancée personally”, Daniel suddenly reached into his pocket and abruptly took out an envelope and handed it over to Ringano.  “Sure Dan.  I can arrange.  This is the least I can do for you.  I will get my man to go to London and hand over your letter to Shashi.  Shashi is our good friend.  I am sure he would do us this favour.  He shall travel to your country and deliver this letter to your fiancée”, Ringano snatched the letter from Daniel.   “Thanks Ring”, Daniel replies. 

Two years passed.

“Good men of our beloved land!……”.   Ringano is standing in the middle of a raised platform in full military fatigue. He is addressing a vast group of very visibly transformed army of soldiers.  They have received two solid years of rigid, harsh and gruesome structured training under the strict, no-nonsense command of the unforgiving guerillas and commandoes. They are now fully trained, looking extremely fit and fearsome.  These poor farmers and hunters have been systematically transformed into battle cry soldiers.  They are ready for combat.  Ringano is flanked by Chief Vandago, Chief Boganna, Chief Mingu, guerillas heads, commandoes and Daniel.  “Comrades!.  The hour has finally come!  We attack tonight!”, Ringano declares with total authority, hitting his chest with one hand and pointing the finger of the other towards the direction of his fallen Kingdom.  “YOOHI! YOOHI! YOOHI!”, the men yell loudly, beating their chests at the same time.  The huge wide open field is rocked and deafened by the soldiers’ loud yelling, feet thumping and beating of their chests.  

“My dear, you better go pack your belongs and head back to the US.  You can continue to teach biology at the private college that you used to work there.  It is dangerous for you to remain here.  War is looming and it would be bloody and ugly.  There will be many casualties.  I don’t want you to witness this.  I don’t want you to be here.  This is no place for a girl. I have never included you in this plan.  Please go!”’Ringano tries to persuade Salinie to leave the eminent battle, after delivering his pulsating speech to his men on the eve of the battle.   “No, I want to be here!  I want to be with my father and brothers.  I want to be with you!  If we going to get ourselves killed, let’s die together!”, Salinie screams, clutching Ringano’s arm tightly.  There is a long pause between them. “Go. You have to go in the morning, please!  I can’t operate this dangerous  mission with you around.  I don’t want to lead my men in the battlefield and think of your safety. You are going to be a distraction.  Please understand dear!  When this is over, I will send for you.  We will be married.  You will be my Queen!”, Ringano pleads.  “No. Ring.  This is not just for you. It is for me too, darling.  General Kinkio is an evil and wicked man. He has inflicted much sufferings and misery against my people.  We have to finish him now and I want to see him justly punished!”, Salinie is stubborn in her views.  “No, No, Please go.  It is an order!  If you love me as much as I love you, please go!”Ringano continues with an authoritative stare.  “You are more useful when I take back the Kingdom.  You can help me rebuild my Kingdom.  You can help bring the much needed education to my people.  We shall have beautiful children”, Ringano reasons with his strong willed girlfriend.  “Here!  Take this diamond ring. Keep it with you wherever you.  This ring is the legacy of the Sulupian dynasty.  It now seals our fate together”, Ringano places his index finger on the diamond ring and thumb underneath and proceeds to take off the diamond from his finger.    Salinie finally accepted Ringano’s advice and flew back to the US.

Meantime, General Kinkino has unceremoniously pronounced himself the new King of Sulupi.  It has been his clandestine obsession to overthrow King Ringana.  On the surface, he portrays loyalty and obedience towards the King.  But deep within, he hated his half-brother.   He wanted power and the fame and fortune that go with it.  But, he knew it too well that he could never achieve his dream under ordinary circumstances.  For he is the illegitimate son of their common father.   He then began to build up a secret army of his own and manipulated some palace officials to further his objective.  His regime very much reflects the exploitative, cruel and ruthless nature of the man.  He rules over what may have been a most totalitarian, arbitrary and brutal regime in central South America. He introduced his own system of government, personally appointed his men to the judiciary, controlled the entire energy and natural reserves of the Kingdom, and supported radical armed units.  Key decisions and state wealth remained tightly under his control.  He also developed a strong personality cult, worshipped shamelessly by his circle of cronies. Freedom of speech is squashed and acts of violent repression are frequent.  The little Kingdom however is rich in mineral resources.   It produces gold, iron ore, lithium, manganese ore, lead and zinc.  General Kinkino knows that he needs advanced technologies and a skilled workforce if he were to increase the mineral productions and improve the quality of the commodities.  So, he invited a large multinational foreign company to help him exploit the natural resources.  He used his sons to set up a joint venture with the multinational and share the profits among them.   Wages are extremely low and the wealth of the state and profits only benefit a narrow elite.  Living conditions are a far cry from the days of the benevolent rule of King Ringana.  But the people are helpless against him.  There is no one to lead them.  King Ringana and his devoted generals have all been murdered by General Kinkino and his men.  The new King controls the entire army and the police force.  There have been sporadic uprisings but they were all miserably defeated by General Kinkino’s men.  They are no match against the well- armed and highly organised army and police forces of General Kinkino.  Dissidents are either killed or imprisoned.  General Kinkino is not a foolish man.  He has anticipated revenge from Ringano.   He knows that the people still remained loyal to the Prince, and the Prince can still exert command over his subjects.  He has kept a watchful eye on his half nephew from young.  He is jealous of the Prince’s advancements and achievements.  From a tender age, the General already knew that Ringano is the favourite to take over the monarchy from his half-brother.  

General Kinkino has rebuilt the palace.  The new palace is much bigger and grandeur.  The General has employed top security firms from European countries to install the most modern security systems which are applied extensively with tight security features in and around the palace building and compounds.  Police personnel are deployed at the palace grounds 24 hours a day, scrutinising every nook and corner of the palace venue.  Watch towers at the strategic corners of the palace building have been constructed for efficient vigilance.  The palace’s interior is sumptuously decorated and is hailed as one of the most modern, sophisticated and magnificent building in South America.  And General Kinkino uses it to entertain and impress.  He has also built a fortress around the palace to defend against invaders and to reinforce his status as a powerful, wealthy and privileged ruler. Stones were quarried close to the site, but decorative rocks were transported from special locations at some distance, thus increasing expenses considerably.  The General knew that he could not afford the palace and fortress projects, his financial coffers were limited.  So, he sought assistance from the foreign multinational to fund the projects.  In return, the company will be paid from the minerals excavated.  On top of the fortress, cannons are positioned at strategic locations with foot soldiers patrolling 24 hours.  The fortress stands high, overlooking the horizon, stretching far towards the jungle and the misty mountains beyond.  Any invader has to come out from the jungle and will be in full view of the foot soldiers stationed on top of the fortress. 

It is night fall. Ringano and his men in full combat outfits are now positioned themselves in the dense jungle at the fringe of the fortress.  It’s a moonlit night, dotted with bright stars silhouetting above the night sky. Twenty thousand men spread across the wide rainforest, on full alert, waiting for command from their undisputed leader, Prince Ringano.  Everyone is standing still, concentrating intensely on the mission about to unfold and despite the large number of men, the atmosphere is remarkably silent, punctuated every now and then by the sounds from some nocturnal insects and small creatures.  In the distance, they could see rotating lights, flashing out from the formidable fortress.  They are aware that General Kinkino has very highly trained, battle invigorated men and in his possession are various modern warfare weapons capable of inflicting vast destruction.   The only advantage they have in this battle lies in their numbers.  Prince Ringano’s plan is to engage his men in a protracted battle, cutting off their enemies’ food and water supplies and hope to tire out the General’s men.  And when this happens, Ringano’s men will overrun their enemies.   Ringano is sitting on top of a white horse, holding his sword close to his chest.  He has never looked so intense, resolute and penetrating.  Blinkers are put on the horse so as to keep it looking into the direction it is being asked to go, straight ahead; otherwise it will be distracted by its surroundings.  The horse stands still too, looking ahead without making any sound.  Even the horse is sensing a big event is about to take place.  Daniel is saddled on top of a black horse, standing beside Ringano.    

“Fire!”, Ringno lets out his command at the top of his voice, pointing his sword at the direction of the fortress.  The first salvo are the gunners firing round after round of shots from the cannons.   Boom Bang! Boom Bang! Boom Bang!................., a series of continuous bombardments are being launched.  Ringano wanted a surprise attack with immense intensity to jolt his enemies and not to give his enemies time to react.  The first rounds of cannon balls are fired at the fortress, which hit against and damaging the stone walls, with parts breaking apart.  This was followed by a second wave of missiles which flew over the fortress and landed onto the palace compound.   The whole palace is rocked by the impact.  Ringano didn’t let up, he commands his men to keep up the momentum and continue to pound at their enemies’ targets. Soon, they could hear loud sirens sound and then followed by brash desperate yelling and shouting from the fortress.  The sounds of the cannon round shots thundered through the night air and soon the night sky is brightly lit with the fires of cannon balls.   

“Oh! No! My God!  They are here!”, General Kinkino is rudely awaken from his slumber, with his wife lying beside him, covering her terrified face with the pillows in their royal chamber. He immediately reached his hand to press the panic button which has been inserted on the wall next to his bed.  The button is connected to the bedrooms of all his generals.  They knew where it came from and they knew what they must do.  They instantly dressed up in their army uniforms and marched hurriedly across toward the fortress.  General Kinkino is already standing at the centre which is the highest point of the fortress overlooking his advancing attackers.  On the floor of the fortress lay many bodies of dead soldiers.  They suffered heavy casualties.  But, the expression on General Kinkino’s face looks like he is not at all worried.  He grunts and gives a wry smile, numbering “come on, come on, come”, to himself.  His men have now all got themselves into positions, ready to face Ringano’s men.

“Charge!”, Ringano gives a kick at the side of his horse, pointing his sword at the direction of his enemies and proceeds to charge out from the hidden jungle with Daniel following behind.  All the men hidden in the jungle started to run out following their leader.  They screamed “Kill!, Kill! Kill! Kill them all!” as they gained momentum.   Suddenly, as they come into full view of the midnight sky, they could see rounds of cannon balls firing at their direction.  It is General Kinkino’s turn now.  But, Ringano and his men are unperturbed.  They have expected this; they have been accordingly and fully briefed.  They can’t stop now, they keep pressing forward, although sacrificing large casualties.  As they approached nearer, General Kinkino ordered his men to stop the cannon bombardments and change to using machine guns to shoot at Ringano’s surging men.  Again, many of Ringano’s men were shot dead.   He then signaled his men to temporarily stop their advance and waved at his second line of defense to come forward to take over the charge.  The men run forward on foot, clutching their bows loaded with arrows.  They are now some 20 feet away from the fortress.  They then start to shoot their arrows which are draped with poisonous tips at the soldiers on top of the fortress.  Thousands and thousands of arrows rained on the soldiers, killing vast number of them.  Ringano and his men kept pushing forward, despite having inferior weapons and suffered tremendous casualties.  They rely on their numbers.  They hope to overrun General Kinkino’s men.  They keep running, pushing, shoving forward; with machine guns firing, wave and wave of arrows raining down on their enemies on top of the fortress.  They are ready for General Kinkino’s men to come out of the fortress gate to engage them on ground fighting.  If not, they will hack down the gate.  Either way, Ringano and his men will overrun their enemies.  Sensing victory in sight, they are more determined now and increase their speed.  Very soon, they are at their enemy’s gate.  Then it happened.  The grass ground they are standing suddenly sunk, revealing a deep bunker encircling the fortress!  Ringano’s front army who are still charging forward at great speed, are dropping like pins into the open sunken ground.  They are totally stunned and shocked by this sudden unexpected development.      

The crafty General Kinkino has built a secret bunker surrounding his fortress.  He has been very thorough in his strategies; he knew that his small army of men could be easily overrun by the sheer number of Ringano’s army of indigenous tribes from surrounding villages, most of whom  are his sworn enemies.  He had to do something unconventional if he were to defeat Ringano’s army of natives.  The bunker was constructed at the same time he was rebuilding the palace.  The bunker was constructed in absolute secrecy and work was carried under the cover of night and underneath close surveillance of his trusted generals.  The bunker measures 10 feet tall and 15 feet wide. Any foe dropping into the bunker would find it extremely difficult to climb out of it.

General Kinkino’s men atop the fortress then started hurling grenades into the underground bunker.  At the same time, the artillery rained down wave after wave of arrows into the bunker.  Ringano’s men are trapped, lying on top of each other inside the bunker like sitting ducks.  It’s too high for them to climb out of the bunker and wide enough to fill in thousands of men.  The atmosphere inside the bunker is filled with fallen men screaming, yelling and moaning in agonizing pain. “Stop! Stop!”, Ringano turned his head backward and shrieked at his remaining  men advancing behind him.  The men abruptly stopped with confused, surprised looks on their faces.  “Retreat!  Turn back! Danger in front!”, Ringano urged his men.  Again his men obeyed and started running back toward the jungle.  But, just as they are about to reach the jungle fringe, General  Kinkino and his men on horsebacks suddenly come out from the dark jungle, charging at their direction.  They now realized that they are being surrounded.  There is no escape. Running forward, they will end up falling into the bunker trap to be bombed to pieces by the exploding grenades or pierced by sharp arrows.  Retreating backward, they will either be shot to pieces or having their throats slit by General Kinkino and his savaged men.  Ringano stopped to survey the plain.  He decided that the only way out is to turn sideway and run toward the rocky mountains at the far end.  And this is what Ringano and his men did.  Ringano, Daniel, Chief Vandago, Chief Boganna and Chief Mingu are on horsebacks racing toward the mountain valley with their men on foot running behind them and with General Kinkino and his men in hot pursuit.   Soon General Kinkino and his men caught up with the Ringano’s foot soldiers.  Ringano’s men are being brutally massacred.  The General and his men continue to slaughter Ringano’s men with gunshots and swords.  The battle has gone on for hours.  The morning sun begins to rise from the horizon.     

Those on horsebacks have reached the foot of the mountain.  Suddenly, Ringano’s horse neighs painfully and falls to the ground, pulling Ringano down with it.  A gun shot has hit the horse’s left thigh.  Ringano’s torso is now trapped underneath the horse.  He then tries to wriggle himself free from the heavy body of the horse.  But, it’s too late.  General Kinkino has already caught up, looking down at him from atop of his war horse.  He smiles and then laughs loudly at Ringano.  “You think it’s that easy to finish off your uncle me, huh?  Well, see who is looking down at you now!  Your family has always treated me like dirt, worse than a pariah dog!  My mother has no position, no recognition, and no life in the palace.  She was scorned, treated like a common whore and condemned to live in the backyard as if she did not exist!  God is great!”,  Ringano’s half-uncle mocks and unleashed his years of well-kept frustrations.  “That’s not true!  My father has made you one of his most senior Generals.  He gave you a very comfortable living, a lavish lifestyle.  He has never excluded you in all important matters.  He treated you fairly, even rescued you from bankruptcy for your gambling debts that you had incurred during your overseas trips on official duties, remember?”, Ringano shouts back at him, defending his family honour.   “Shut up!  Enough of your bullshit! The Sulupian dynasty is finished and it ends with you here and now!”.  General Kinkino abruptly climbs down from his horse, pulls out his sword and starts to swing his sharp long sword at Ringano’s throat.  Out of nowhere, Chief Vandago comes out yelling, charging at General Kinkino.  He leaps and falls onto the body of Ringano, covering him.  It’s too late to hold back, the sword found the back of Chief Vandago, slicing open his flesh.  The Chief has made the ultimate sacrifice.  Instantly, General Kinkino kicks at the Chief’s torso, shoving him away from Ringano.  He came to kill Ringano, not Chief Vandago.  He lifts up his sword again, aiming at Ringano’s heart this time and is about to strike.    Suddenly, he hears sounds of hoofs galloping loudly in front of him.  He looked up and saw Daniel, Chief Boganna and Chief Mingu tuning round and charging at his direction, aiming their guns and arrows at him.  Realising that he is outnumbered, General Kinkino quickly turns and jumps on top of his horse.  He looks at Ringano below, gives him a cynical smile and barks, “You are all going to be dead!  I will hunt you down like animals!” and then gallops speedily away towards his palace.     

Daniel quickly ran forward and helped to lift up the moaning Chief Vandago with blood oozing out from his back.  He is still breathing and conscious.  Meantime, Ringano managed to free himself from underneath the fallen horse.  Together, they tried to lift Chief Vandago and put him up on Ringano’s horseback.  They want to take him back to his village.  “No.  It’s no use.  I am dying.  I can’t last the distance”, Chief Vandago mumbles weakly and in extreme pain.  “Don’t worry.  Don’t say anything ok? You are safe now.  We will take care of you”, Ringano tries to comfort him.  “No, your Highness.  Listen to me, please, please”, the Chief pleads.   “Promise me, you will take care of Salinie.  She loves you very much.  Tell her I love her very much.  Promise me, please”, he begs Ringano.  “Yes, of course I will.  I promise”, Ringano reassures, tightened his grip on the Chief.  Chief Vandago then dropped his head and breathed his last breath.  

Ringano, Daniel, Chief Boganna, Chief Mingu and the remaining surviving men have retreated into the rainforest.  They continued to ride and walk for miles and miles, deeper and deeper into the rainforest, for days.   They wanted to get away from the vile General Kinkino as far as possible.  Their destination is the valley across the other end of the rocky mountain where a friendly tribe, the Talogans, resides who are also loyal to King Ringana.   Eventually, their labour is rewarded; they reached their chosen destination finally.  As expected, the Talogans welcomed them with warm friendship. They gave them food and water and tended to the sick and wounded.  But many had also died from wounds and diseases.  After a few weeks, most of the  surviving men have regained their health and living in a settled environment.

The afternoon sky is grey today.  Ringano and Daniel are lying side by side on the lush green of the open plain in valley, looking at the colourless, lifeless sky above.  They had suffered a great deal of pain, both physical and emotional.  The sky above seems like sharing their pain too.   They lie there in this position for some time, without uttering a word, just staring at the grey sky above, grieving the same loss but having different thoughts in their heads.  “Say something.  You can scold me or even punch me!  I don’t mind.  But, just don’t give me the silence treatment!”, Ringano is the first to speak.  “What do you want me to say?  What can I say?  We have lost it all.  Is it the end?”, Daniel answers him with questions.  “Yes, Dan.  Everything is lost now”, Ringano sighs in agreement.  “Am I fated to be the last Prince of the Sulupian Kingdom?   I have brought shame to my ancestors!  They won’t rest in peace.  Oh, my God, what shall I do now? ”.  Daniel could see tears rolling silently down his cheeks and the tears are being absorbed by the grassy land beneath.  “Yes.  We have underestimated General Kinkino.  He and his damned bunker!”, Daniel replies in anger.  “If only we knew,”Ringano sighs again but the tears had stopped.  “What shall we do now?”, Ringano asked, but not really looking for an answer.  “I don’t know Ring.  I really don’t know anything, anymore ”, Daniel replies dejectedly. “By the way, did you have any news from Shashi?” “No, Dan. There is no news from him”.  
 

Gradually, the grey sky above is giving way to a mid-day Sun.  Soon, the Sun begins to spray its array of vibrant rays of bright sunlight, penetrating the entire atmosphere, beating down on their faces, partially blinding their vision.   “I hope it rains”, Daniel utters strangely.   “Are you crazy?  Who needs the rain now? ”, Ringano asks in confusion.    “There will be rainbow after the rain”.