Chapter Three
The Una
The room was large, its ceiling high and its three walls lined with the mellow warmth of wood. In place of a fourth wall there were six wooden columns that allowed the light breeze entrance. Steps led up to the structure and a low wooden table followed the line of the walls. It was before the table that the Una Headmen were seated.
There was complete silence, a tension in the air that fully communicated itself to the three men kneeling, their palms one on top of the other, elbows pointed outward and heads bowed. The news that they had just laid before the Headmen was not good and they were fully cognisant of the danger that their people were now in.
“There is no mistake, you’re sure?” asked the man seated at the middle of the table. He was old, his hair white but still retaining some of the thickness of youth. His skin was pale, finely lined like the pages of a well-used book.
“There can be no mistake Elder Headmen Amajit, if you permit it I will show the news broadcast.”
“The permission is yours, Official Mathu.”
Official Mathu turned slightly to one of the men seated behind him and nodded. The subordinate stood and walked to the far wall where there was a control panel. A matter of a few pushed buttons later and shutters were closing off the light entering the room between the columns. A 3D image wavered to life in the middle of the room showing a gleaming silver ship docked at the side of a canal. As they watched a group of people made their way down the gangway to the podium where the Tula High Council were sitting. The audio accompanying the video stated that it was the diplomatic envoy from the Free Nation.
The focus changed, zooming in on the face of a grey haired man in a smart, dark grey suit whose features were set into a pleasant smile. The audio explained that the man was Senator Burton and the Una Headmen watched in silence as Senator Burton extended a hand toward Corbani Va Dic Ladron.
Councillor Ladron turned, bemused, and spoke to someone standing behind him, hitherto unseen. For a second her face was projected with startling clarity: smooth skin, downcast eyes and hair coiled intricately on the top of her head. A murmur of unease rippled around the room and the young man at the control panel abruptly shut the recording off.
The shutters lifted filling the room with light and showing the particularly rigid countenances of three of the men present.
One was Hyun Jae Uel Ne Sen, Headman to the people of New Paris, a man in his early sixties. His grey hair gave him an air of distinction and his oriental features still retained the handsomeness of his youth. The second was his son, Apprentice Headman Kai Uel Ne Sen. His mouth had thinned, lips turning bloodless and white. He reached out a hand to rest on the shoulder of the man sitting to the side and in front of him. The young man was hardly more than a boy but his robe proclaimed him Headman to the people of New Athens, Headman Rem Uel Ne Singh. At the touch of Kai's hand the shocked look ebbed from the boy’s face and some of his colour returned.
The silence became embarrassing.
“If the Tula forge an alliance with the Free Nation then their ability to win this war increases exponentially,” stated Elder Headman Amajit smoothly. “Therefore such an alliance must never come to pass.”
“What course should we take?” asked Headman Chopra. “An attack? Should we attempt to kill the Senator but place all suspicion on the Tula?”
A murmur of agreement rippled around the room.
The quiet voice of Headman Sen made itself heard over the sounds of discontent.
“Elder Headman Amajit, if I might be heard?”
“You may speak.”
“We must be careful how we oppose this alliance. The Tula will expect a response from us and will no doubt have prepared the diplomats from the Free Nation for any violent offensive that we might launch against them. It is of the utmost importance then that we do not strengthen the impression that we are a nation of extremists that they will have adopted already.”
“I concur that we must tread warily,” agreed Headman Daksha, stroking the length of his red beard. “As you say, the Tula will not have presented us as a reasonable nation and foolish, ill thought out actions will only aid the Tula in poisoning the Free Nation’s mind against us.”
There was a small disturbance as the Apprentice Headman seated behind Headman Sen rose to his feet and bowed to the assembled company.
“If I might speak before the Headmen?”
Elder Headman Amajit looked to Headman Sen and received a nod of assent.
“Very well, Kai Uel Ne Sen, you may speak.”
“Thank you, Elder Headman Amajit.” Kai bowed deeply again. “The Senator from the Free Nation was very pointed in his address that the Free Nation was only interested in an alliance of peace with the Tula. It seemed to me that his words were meant as a warning that the Tula High Council should not expect any assistance in their ongoing war with us.”
Elder Headman Amajit considered his words in silence for a moment.
“Your observation is correct, Kai Uel Ne Sen, but it is possible that the Free Nation’s greed for Tula, and indeed Una, technology could alter that stand.”
“I defer before your greater wisdom, Elder Headman Amajit,” bowed Kai, returning to his seat.
“That having been said,” Elder Headman Amajit continued, “as Kai Uel Ne Sen has pointed out it does seem that the Free Nation has no wish to embroil themselves in more fighting. It is, therefore, even more important that we take no action that will force them to reconsider that stance.”
“But we must do something!” interjected Headman Bose.
Elder Headman Amajit fixed him with a repressive stare.
“Indeed we must: we should consider this situation carefully knowing that the lives of the Una people rest in our hands.”
Headman Bose flushed and lowered his eyes.
“Sometimes to wait is to lose the advantage.”
In the uncomfortable pause that followed, Elder Headman Amajit regarded Headman Bose with undisguised irritation.
“There is an old saying that goes: ‘Never rush your fences’. It means that you should take time to consider a situation, not blindly throw yourself at it. Another says that ‘patience is a virtue’. You will find, Headman Bose, that patience is something that must be exerted frequently if you do not wish to find the threads of your life so tangled as to make it not worth the living.”
Headman Bose bowed his head and said no more.
“Then what do you suggest, Elder Headman?” enquired Headman Kapur.
“That there is nothing to be done until we have more information. Any attempt made in the meantime would be highly unwise.” Elder Headman Amajit turned to survey the room. “Are we all in agreement?”
Headman Sen stood and bowed.
“Headman Hyun Jae Uel Ne Sen agrees on behalf of the people of New Paris.”
There was the rustle of clothing as another man rose and bowed.
“Headman Park Uel Ne Nadu abstains on behalf of the people of New Madrid.”
“Headman Domijou Uel Ne Sengupta agrees on behalf of the people of New Moscow.”
“Headman Arata Uel Ne Rui agrees on behalf of the people of New Amsterdam.”
“Headman Namkyu Uel Ne Khan abstains on behalf of the people of New Berlin.”
“Headman P’ter Uel Ne Ramgan agrees on behalf of the people of New Brussels.”
“Headman Matu Uel Ne Tambe agrees on behalf of the people of Tallinn and Riga.”
“Headman Dan’l Uel Ne Yadav abstains on behalf of the people of New London.”
“Headman Daiki Uel Ne Kadam agrees on behalf of the people of New Roma.”
“Headman Hiro Uel Ne Nair agrees on behalf of the people of New Vienna.”
“Headman Kang Uel Ne Sarin abstains on behalf of the people of New Africa.”
“Headman Hyo Uel Ne Malik abstains on behalf of the people of New Beijing.”
“Headman Rem Uel Ne Singh agrees on behalf of the people of New Athens.”
r /> “Headman Akira Uel Ne Dutta agrees on behalf of the people of New Seoul.”
“Headman Juon Uel Ne Verma abstains on behalf of the people of New Tokyo.”
“Headman Tang Uel Ne Satish agrees on behalf of the people of New Lisbon.”
“Headman Kim Uel Ne Chopra abstains on behalf of the people of New Baghdad.”
“Headman Choi Uel Ne Bose abstains on behalf of the people of New Budapest.”
“Headman Ling Uel Ne Kapur agrees on behalf of the people of New Delhi.”
“Headman Yul Uel Ne Daksha agrees on behalf of the people of New Tehran.”
“Headman Jon Uel Ne Shama agrees on behalf of the people of New Jerusalem.”
“And I, Elder Headman Di Ye Uel Ne Amajit agree on behalf of the people of Una City and New Copenhagen.”
The scribe that had been writing down the name of each Headman as he rose and made his bow, folded his documents and sealed them before handing them to Elder Headman Amajit.
“Eight choose to abstain in dissent, fourteen are in agreement, the motion has been passed,” intoned the scribe.
“Then this gathering has come to its end.”
Quietly the Headmen rose, the Apprentice Headman behind them, and approached the centre of the table where Elder Headman Amajit was seated. First they placed their hand upon the sealed document and then bow deeply in respect. As Headman Sen bowed along with his son, Elder Headman Amajit raised a hand.
“I would speak with you, Kai Uel Ne Sen, Apprentice Headman to the people of New Paris.”
Kai bowed deeply and knelt before the table to wait as everyone took their leave. It was only when the last person had left that Elder Headman Amajit turned his attention back to Kai. He eyed Kai thoughtfully as he removed the headpiece proclaiming to all his status as Elder Headman.
“How long has it been, Kai?”
The ambiguity of the statement did not embolden Apprentice Headman Sen to pretend to have misunderstood it.
“It is almost sixteen years, Elderman Di Ye.”
“Rem does not take the reminder well.”
“Such a stain is difficult to bear.”
Elder Headman Amajit gazed pensively at the dark head bent before him.
“My Grandmother was particularly fond of two sayings: ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ and ‘looks can be deceiving’.”
“A woman of great wisdom, Elderman Di Ye,” returned Kai.
“Yes she was, quite incredible in fact,” responded Elder Headman Amajit. “But we digress; do you know what these phrases mean?”
Kai was momentarily thoughtful.
“That there is ‘more than meets the eye’?” bowed Kai with a slight smile.
Elder Headman Amajit laughed.
“You learn too fast for this old man to keep up with.”
Kai looked up to meet the faded blue eyes of the man who had been, from his youngest years, a beacon of truth and right. They were eyes that had seen much, perhaps too much.
“No, Elderman Di Ye; I seek to absorb your wisdom as parched ground absorbs the rain.”
Elder Headman Amajit smiled at the sincerity he could hear in the young man’s voice. He had known Kai Uel Ne Sen since the latter had made his first appearance in the world. As the only child and son to Hyun Jae Uel Ne Sen, it was his destiny to become Headman to one of the most powerful of the Una Head Families.
And that was the problem that threatened to destroy the Una long before the Tula would ever manage to breach their defences.
When the Head Families had first been given power over the Una people they had been equal but over time there had been a shift in power and several had emerged as more influential than their neighbours. They were the Houses of Sen, Khan, Tambe, Verma, Kapur, Dutta, Chopra and Satish.
Ever since then the ‘Sequence of Marriage’, marriage alliances that connected all the families together, had been the only thing holding off unrest.
Elder Headman Amajit knew if the sons of these powerful families were not trained well, even the ‘Sequence of Marriage’ would breakdown and the Una people would cease to exist. Hence he had a profound interest in the new generation. He had made it his life’s work to see that those who would guide the Una Nation in the future would lead their people in truth and right, without selfishness.
Yet of all his students Kai had interested him the most, not only because of his circumstances but also for himself, the person that he was. He had great strength of character and respect for those who had lived longer than he. Yet there was also an unbending courage to stand up for what he believed to be right that Elder Headman Amajit valued more than all else.
“You must tell Rem that he bears no shame.”
Kai's dark eyes met the old man’s briefly before he bowed.
“I will do as you say, Elderman Di Ye, though the words will stick in my throat.”
“Why; do you not believe them?” asked Elder Headman Amajit as he observed Kai’s hands clench in to fists.
Kai lifted his face and Elder Headman Amajit saw the rage that simmered just below the cool façade that he was always shrouded with.
“I do not,” he replied shortly. “It is a shameful thing that will blight us eternally.”
Elder Headman Amajit was silent for some time, wondering over the ill fortune that had ruined so much.
He faltered as he attempted to rise and felt Kai’s steadying hand at his elbow. As he stood he turned to the young man thoughtfully.
“If that is how you feel then you still have much to learn from me, Kai Uel Ne Sen.”