Nkosi's tale

[Zardof]

The sound of cannon fire rumbled like thunder in the distance. The capital city of the Zulu nation now lay in ruins. Thekwini, which means “the place where the earth and ocean meet”, was once the most beautiful coastal city on the western continent. Ten thousand people had called this paradise by the sea home. The attacking Persians had reduced the city’s population by a third in less than a week with their deadly bombardments. Thekwini was the last remaining stronghold of the proud Zulu people. When the city fell the following week, the Zulu nation was no more.

Nkosi, a wealthy merchant who called Thekwini his home, witnessed the destruction of the last defenders of his homeland. Hundreds upon hundreds of the feared Persian “Immortals” swarmed over the city walls and began slaughtering the inhabitants in the mist of their blood lust. Persian riflemen, with their deadly repeating rifles, shot citizens indiscriminately. The killings finally ceased and the surviving populace was rounded up in the city square. Nkosi was among these unfortunate souls that now numbered less than 2000. The amount of death and destruction Nkosi had witnessed was numbing to the senses. As they stood and watched the city governor’s execution, he could only hope that his death was as quickly administered.

“Inhabitants of Thekwini; You have been liberated from the tyrannical rule of the criminal Shaka” general Darius announce to the conquered survivors that stood in silence in the town square. “Our supreme ruler Xerxes welcomes you to his eternal kingdom. All of you are to journey to the eastern part of the Persia Empire where your final destination will be determined in the righteous service of Ruler Xerxes.” Nkosi immediately felt a sinking sensation. His fate was now clear; he was to be a slave.

Nkosi had lived in Thekwini since childhood. His father had made the family fortune exporting ivory to Russia in the north and Babylon to the south. When saltpeter was discovered just outside of town, he was the first merchant to trade with their Persian neighbors to the east. It was ironic that Nkosi’s current situation was largely the result of the saltpeter his father had traded to Persia years ago. The life of luxury he had enjoyed seemed a distant memory as he and all that remained of the Zulus began their 1500-mile trek to coastal cities of the Persia Empire situated on the great sea of the east.

What had once been Thekwini had been far removed from the other cities of Zululand. In the months that followed, Nkosi traveled through places he had only read about in his youth. The devastation that he witnessed of once sleepy towns and hamlets was appalling. In the rare cases that a Zulu city was not burned to the ground, occupying Persian forces now patrolled the streets. It was apparent by the mass graves that ringed the countryside that the citizens of these cities had initially resisted. It was only later that he had learned that the cruel conquers had starved the resistors into submission. Any Zulu that survived the takeover of their city was now a broken individual existing only to serve his master from the east. It was about midway through his journey east coast that he witnessed a massive movement of Persian troops heading toward the north. The entourage he was in was forced to wait 2 weeks in order to allow the juggernaut to pass as it made its way to the plains of the north. It was apparent to Nkosi that Russia would soon feel the heavy hand of Persia.
Nkosi arrived in Persepolis the second year of his captivity. Persepolis was a thriving port town nestled in a cove off the snaking Persia coastline. The great eastern ocean stretched out from the town as far as the eye could see. There were literally hundreds of galleys anchored in the bay. Nkosi witnessed ship after ship leaving for the new Persian colonies located on the other side of the eastern sea. The galleys destination was the malaria-infested plantations of the Americas. Each Galley had in its cargo hundreds of enslaved Zulus destined to live out the rest of their lives working in the fields of their Persian masters.

The life expectancy of slaves condemned to work in the Americas was less than 2 years. Slave gangs would spend months at a time clearing the jungles that surrounded the new Persian cities. The laborers working in these jungles were exclusively Zulu slave labor. The American Nation to the north had chose not to inhabit this hostile region due to the heavy death toll incurred by its workers. The Americans initially had welcomed the Persians that had settled in the south. Word of their treatment of the Zulus soon reached Washington, and Mr. Lincoln was not pleased. Lincoln decided to allow the Persians to occupy the inhospitable jungles to the south, but he would keep an eye on his militaristic neighbor on the other continent.

The slave galley that Nkosi was on had been away from port only two days when the powder keg on the Persian / Russian border exploded. Persia, after years of preparation, had invaded Mother Russia. Nkosi was unaware of this fact until a Russian Frigate attacked the ship that was transporting him to certain death. Nkosi was among the survivors that were pulled from the icy ocean by the Russian crew. All the Persian sailors were put to the sword and dumped overboard. The Zulu women and children were offered passage back to Russia and the men a place in the Russian army to fight the Persian menace. At the age of 21, Nkosi joined the Russians in their desperate fight for survival.

[ike0481]

I'm eager to find out what happens next. It's shaping up to be a great story. Keep up the good work!

[Zardof]

TROUBLED TIMES

The Russian port city of Sevastopol was where Nkosi and the other freed Zulu slaves landed following their harrowing brush with death. Nkosi and twenty other Zulu men enlisted in the Russian army in order to fight the advancing Persian hoards. Sevastopol lay roughly 200 miles north of the Russia / Persian boarders. The news of how the war was progressing slowly reached the city while the Zulus were in their basic training. Nkosi learned that the war was not going well for the Russians. Kharkov and Rostov were both under siege and destined to fall soon. The large metropolis Dnepropetrovsk, was rumored to have been razed. The only good news was that Novgorod appeared to have fought off a small band of Persian regulars, a small victory for Russia at best.

Nkosi was assigned to the 6th infantry whose specialty was close combat with spears. He was surprised that there were so many other Zulus in the Russian army. It appeared that a multitude of his countrymen had fled the rule of Persia and sought refuge in the arms of the Bear of the north. Another Zulu assigned to the 6th division was Ayize. Ayize was an old veteran who had served in the elite Impi legion who were responsible for Shaka’s protection. The Impi were famous for their hand-to-hand combat tactics. Nkosi and Ayize soon became close friends. Nkosi, who had never handled a weapon before, soon became an expert fighter while under the guidance of Ayize. In addition to carrying the standard war spear, both of the Zulus equipped themselves with the traditional Impi long-bladed assegai spears, which Ayize had fashioned for them. The Russian commander of the 6th infantry allowed both men to carry the extra weapon, but considered the Impi weapon to be more of a ceremonial talisman than a practical killing tool.

In the early spring, the 6th Spear division of the Russian infantry began a forced march towards Rostov in the south. The besieged city was certain to fall unless reinforcements arrived soon.


HISTORY REMEMBERED

To understand the current drama that Nkosi now found himself a player in, one must look at the history of the world long past.

Millennia ago, four tribes settled on a large landmass that was later known as the Western continent. The Babylonians lived in the tropical south surrounded by vast jungles. The Russians settled in the frigid north and the Zulus in the arid west. The Persians were fortunate to have begun their civilization in the lush plains located between the other three nations. These plains, later to be known as the “breadbasket of the world, was fertile and allowed the Persians to prosper at an accelerated pace. Over the years, Persia grew steadily while her neighbors struggled. It was not until Persian settlers appeared on each of their boarders that they realized they were not alone. In the early years all four peoples lived in peace. It was not until Shaka’s reign of the Zulus that the trouble began.

Shortly after his rise to power, Shaka became concerned about how overcrowded his cities had become. The Persian Empire now stretched for thousands of miles, and was the size of the Zulus and Russians combined. Shaka was determined to send settlers to the jungles in the far south to start new colonies and towns. In order to reach this area, he had to trespass through Persian land. Xerxes was only slightly annoyed at first when a band of Zulus was caught marching south. Hs formally requested that Shaka remove his people. Shaka respected Xerxes request, but soon attempted to send another caravan down south. After several more failed attempts by the Zulus, Xerxes became furious at Shaka. War was threatened, but neither leader was ready to commit to an armed conflict. The Russians, a close ally of the Zulus, also coveted the open lands to the south. When they observed that lack of reprisal by the Persians on the Zulus for each boarder infraction, Catherine the Great decided to also trek across Persia to the south. The Persian people became alarmed at the blatant disregard of Persia’s sovereignty and demanded action by their government. Soon Persian cities were thrown into chaos as angry mobs marched in protest. Production across the vast Persian Empire eventually ground to a halt. Xerxes pleaded with his neighbors to cease their intrusions onto Persian soil. In response, Shaka and Catherine marched their troops back and forth on their boarders and continued to send more and more settlers accompanied with troops into Persia.

Fate smiled on Xerxes and his people about the time all seemed lost. A Persian gunsmith had invented a new and terrible weapon, the repeating rifle. Xerxes and his generals were amazed when the gunsmith demonstrated the repeater. All production across Persia was immediately committed to producing this new weapon. Soon soldiers in every Persian city were trained in its operation. When it was confirmed by spies that the Zulus had vast coal resources, war was declared on the Zulus.

Shaka was unconcerned by the news of approaching Persian troops. His Impi warriors numbered the thousands and had never lost a skirmish against Barbarians that had once roamed the countryside. The first battle was a decisive victory for the Persian riflemen supported by Immortals and cannon. The Zulu dead carpeted the battlefield and many Impi warriors fled in disarray The Persians, fueled by this victory, marched west into the heart of Zulu land. In a matter of years, the entire Zulu civilization was destroyed and Russia, who refused to aide their allies, trembled.


THE WINDS OF WAR

The leader of the Americas, Mr. Lincoln, was sitting on the front lawn of the Whitehouse sipping his favorite bourbon when news of the Persian / Russian war reached him. Lincoln was well aware of Russia’s failure to help the Zulus, but the Persians were becoming a threat to world peace. “I believe” Lincoln thought as he stretched his long legs “ it’s about time me and this here Xerxes fellow have a little chat.” As Lincoln stood and prepared to go inside out of the brisk spring air, he began to plan what his next course of action would be.

[Zardof]

Mr. Lincoln’s hands and feet were numb from the relentless stiff artic wind that was blowing out of the north. He had been traveling by open carriage through the bleak Russian countryside for days since his arrival at Sevastopol. He finally arrived at Moscow the following day and was immediately taken to Queen Catherine’s office.
“My dear Mr. Lincoln!” she exclaimed as he entered, “the people of Russia salute you.”
“Catherine, the Americas are committed to helping their allies.”
“I’m relieved to hear that, the Persians are a menace to the entire civilized world.”
Lincoln informed the Queen of his failed attempts to speak with Xerxes. “I sent envoys, but they were turned away.” he explained, “That scoundrel claimed he was too busy with affairs of the state or some other hog wallop.”
“I’m not surprised.” Catherine commented, “he showed no mercy as he exterminated the Zulus, and I expect no less treatment for the Russian people.”
“I’ve spoken with Hammurabi and he’s agreed to our plans.” Lincoln said. “Babylon will sign a mutual protection pact with Russia and the Americas. I‘ve sent an ultimatum to that Persian scallywag demanding a ceasefire and immediate halt of military activities. I‘ve warned him that the Americas will enter this war unless these terms are met. Hammurabi has also sent him the same message.”
“So now we wait and see.” Catherine sighed.
Lincoln nodded in agreement, “So it appears. Now we wait.”


President Xerxes received both ultimatums the same day and flew into a terrible rage. The war with Russia was not going as well as he had planned. The Persians had recently adopted a new form government, democracy, and Xerxes elected as president. The insolent wise men that worked in the Persian universities had assured him democracy was a superior type of government and Persia would prosper. What the fools had not told Xerxes was that people in a democracy would not support a sustained war. They would demand luxuries and entertainment not riflemen and Calvary. There were rumors of impeachment if the war in the north was not resolved soon. And now this! There was no way Persia could fight a three front war especially when peace demonstrations were further inciting anti-war sentiment. “Damn this democracy!” he cursed aloud. After he had calmed down a while he thought, “Russia is a broken country and of no consequences to Persia and of no use to my plans. They will have their cease-fire and rot in their ice encrusted homes for all I care.” Xerxes had word sent to Catherine that there would be peace. He then called an emergency meeting with his most trusted generals. It was time to plan an overthrow of this cursed democracy. When the dust clouds of anarchy settled, Comrade Xerxes would be there to lead communist Persia to world domination.

The 6th Spear division had just finished a minor skirmish with a small band of Persian Immortals when they learned of the cease-fire between Persia and Russia. Nkosi was relieved the war was over, but still uncertain of his future. Russia was not his home; he had no living family to return to. When he learned that a group of Zulus from some of the other spear divisions were going to the Americas and offer their services as mercenaries, he decided to go. The man he was today was forged out of death and destruction. It was his destiny to follow death, and so he departed away from the land of his youth forever.

Mr. Lincoln was glad to be back in Washington. Xerxes had backed down, this time. Lincoln knew it was only a matter of time before Persia threatened the world. Already there was word that Persia had fallen into anarchy. “I’m not sure what that fruit-fly is up to” Lincoln muttered to himself, “but if he thinks I’m fooled by his shenanigans, well that old dog just won’t hunt!” As Lincoln eased himself into his favorite chair overlooking the Whitehouse lawn, he called out to Bessie his attendant. Bessie smiled. Without being told, she places a flask of Mr. Lincoln’s favorite bourbon on a serving tray along with two glasses. After all, everyone knew how Mr. Lincoln hated to drink alone.

[lqw]

Great storytelling, I especially like the idea that you don't tell it from your nations perspective. I really feel for the poor zulus, the fate of nkosi is really stirring. You have my vote and keep up the good work!

[Gamer at heart]

A very excellent story indeed! Congratulations! This is a very original and enjoyable way of telling it, more from an individual perspective than from a World Leader's. Poor Nkosi... It quite refreshes the story bank with at least one story that's not about "how I conquered that city" and "how I beat these guys up". Great style (and very fine english as well I might add), keep it up! I'm looking forward to your next story

GaH

[Zardof]

I really appreciate the kind words
I'm still playing this game and the recent events are quite surprising and should make another interesting (I hope) tale. I've grown attached to Nkosi and am interested myslef to see what happens.

[Grundel]

A stunning tale. I look forward to reading more from you

[The Eliminator]

Zardof, rock 'n roll story!! You got my vote; can't wait to hear the rest!

[Chronus]

Hey, great story!

But where the blazes are you? It's been a week since you've posted anything!