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The Tribe of Tanoa
Deep in the Jungles, Kaetetoa
The Central Council of Tanoa roosted in the Long Nesting House. Hetman Peteros sat at the head of the circle of 12, with the Shaman Krepesk in the center, stoking the flames at the central fire pit. Outside the 12 elders, the rest of the Tribe roosted.
The Tetatae of Tanoa would convene for a decision to be made.
Krepesk nodded to Peteros, and he began.
“For 600 years, the Human Enclaves have persecuted our people. The Tetatae have been as peaceful as we can, helping them, trading with them, and they have responded to each kindness with aggression. For 600 years, the way of the Tetatae has been to move, and avoid them. Now, our numbers are so low, and our land so divided we must ask again. What are we to do about the humans?”
Their language was high and crowing. The clucks and caws of chickens mixed with the range of vocalizations exhibited by corvids. The 12 council members surrounding the Hetman nodded, before Porak, the youngest council member, stood. She had an ovoid body as was standard for the Tetatae, with large legs extending above her body, and down in an avian towards her legs. Her arms hung low in front of her light brown, almost blonde feathered body. Her four pupils looked around the room, before the skin slid forward towards her beak, before sliding back in a blink.
“Our people have existed on Kaetetoa long before the humans. We were once Natives of the Plains, and we knew no division. We traveled in the Great Flock as one, and would forage as one at the edge of the forests.
Life was Good.
“Then came the first Decision, as the First Two tribes split, one staying on the Plains, and the Second journeying deeper into the Jungles of Kaetetoa. And so the plains Flock would keep to their nomadic ways, and we of the Jungle flock would learn how to sharpen stone, and cut wood. We built the nesting house, and learned how to plant the seeds. This was the way of the Tetatae.
“The day the Stars Fell, the first humans arrived in the plains. Weakened, frightened, and injured, the humans came to our plains brothers seeking help, and the Tetatae gave it willingly. When they had established themselves, they returned our brethren’s kindness with enslavement, and hunting. It was only when we had learned their language and converse with them, that they stopped hunting us for sustenance, and trade began once more. For 500 years, the humans grew, and more of the Tetatae learned their tongue, and even we of the Jungle Tribes would trade with the more peaceful humans. But whenever hardship fell on the humans, they gave cruelty to the Tetatae.
“Over a hundred years ago, the second star fell. These humans came with guns, more powers, and the Locust. Great Birds of Steel, that Resembled the Great Elder.”
“The Great Elder, The Great Elder, The Great Elder…” The Tribe chanted 12 times, to signify the importance of their god.
“They would take these Great Birds of Steel and fly over the enclaves, and as is human nature, they did war upon each other. The fighting was violent, and cost many tetatae, humans, and Steel Birds. The bloodshed ended with the departure of one of the stars, and the humans settled into their enclaves on the plains. Though the fighting slowed, this didn’t stop the humans from encroaching into the jungle, and taken our lands from us. Each time, we ran from them. Each time, we did not fight them.
“Then came the time of great destruction. The Humans used the remains of the stars to build machines, and burrowed into Kaetetoa. From within her, they would take great heaps of stone, and forge new tools, and this was how they sustained themselves. They pressed the Tetatae from the plains entirely. They pushed into the jungles and slashed and burned our homes and territories away. They have pushed the tribes to join together, under one Nesting House. We the Tetatae are now the Tribe of Tanoa, the Tribe of Unity, for we are the only tribe left. The humans have taken this Gift to us from the Great Elder for themselves, they have committed every crime imaginable against us. And now…”
Porak looked to the younger hunters that stood at her side, and nodded them on. The two left the nesting house, before returning a moment later, carrying a corpse. It was a human, male judging from the face and build, and wearing the green and yellow of the Enclaves’s military force. The two hunters flopped the corpse into the center of the circle, as the elders of the council gasped.
“Since the time of the humans, Tetatae were not strong of will enough, nor organized enough to strike back. We are no longer handicapped in this way.”
Porak picked up something that sat at her side. It was a dark gray metallic object, a rifle. The implements of the humans, the tool used to hunt and kill many tetatae, and the tool used to threaten many more into slavery.
“We have the means to better ourselves. To fight back against the humans. As we needed to leave the plains, and enter the jungle in order to master Fire, The Axe-Spear, and the Nesting House. Now, we must change our pacifist ways, and fight against the humans. To gain their guns, their burrowing tools, their Steel Birds, take them for the Tetatae, as the humans took the Tetatae and Kaetetoa from us!!”
There were cheers from the assemblage of Tetatae. Squawks and crows could be heard through out the tribe’s meager territory, and the Hetman had to bring the flock back into order.
As was the Tetatae tradition, the other Elders of the council would tell the same story of the Tetatae, each from a different perspective, each one adding some new detail to a story previously mentioned, or a new one entirely. Each detail revealing the intentions and feelings of each elder, as they were older.
Filling her role as the youngest Elder, Porak spoke most plainly, and wore her plans on her feathers. The others, kept their hands carefully guarded, their opinions veiled in the stories they told, and the lessons those stories taught.
Much to Porak’s surprise, the elders one by one, backed her. Each one relayed stories of humans hunted them, enslaved them, burned their homes, stolen their lands, and delighted in it all. They told of the damages humans do to Kaetetoa, and the slaughter and poisoning of its plants and animals.
When the 12th and eldest Elder had spoken, it became clear, the Tribe was united behind Porak.
The Hetman nodded to the Shaman.
“The Elders have spoken,”
The sun had risen on a new Day, a new Era for the Tetatae.
“The Tribe of Tanoa shall take up arms against the Humans, and one day, reclaim Kaetetoa.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sanada Nobukazu sat at the console, trying to remain awake.
The Moon above Kaetetoa was just as habitable as the planet below, and it was only about a hundred years ago, when Yubari Takuda departed Kaetetoa with his DEST team due to conflicts with the Mercenary Enclaves. The Leopard Class DropShip became a pivotal piece of infrastructure for the colony, who named themselves Harukanaru Kuni, the Far Country.
The People had spread across the moon, plunging deep into recesses and have gotten to a level of tech reminiscent of the early days of Space Flight on Terra. However, Takuda knew that this place would not remain infinitely bountiful, and that the Merc Enclaves, or even more distantly, the bird-like aliens native to Kaetetoa, may grow to be of deadly consequence to the Far Country. With the last of the fuel and thrusters of the DropShip, a loose HPG node was built, as a last ditch effort to regain contact with the rest of The Draconis Combine.
However, with no direction for where the rest of the galaxy was, the probe sat dormant for decades. It was actually Sanada’s father Amano Nobukazu who was sitting at that same very console 32 years ago where a massive HPG energy pulse gave the Far Country enough data to finally launch the probe, now in the direction of ‘Real Space’.
And now, 32 years later, the newly hired Sanada fills his dad’s spot, and sits in front of the console that monitors the probe. Constantly watch the silent network pulses. With every pulse, new navigational data was transmitted and saved to the console in a massive series of daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly reports. So that should a path ever be found back, they’ll know it inch by inch.
A green light above the console illuminated, it had been an hour, and now Sanada’s main job would take place.
“This is DropShip Teledine II, DEST team Roku, Calling out to any and all Combine Worlds with an S.O.S signal.”
The message was buzzed out and received by the probe. The light turned red, and Sanada leaned back in his chair with a sigh. He rubbed his face before stepping away from the console, wanting to stretch his legs. He walked over to a coffee maker, and grabbed his mug. He poured himself a cup, but no steam rose up as it had gone cold.
“Ugh, gotta make a new pot.” He said, dumping the old coffee into the sink.
Static erupted from the console, and for a brief moment it seemed to be only a strong patch of interference.
“This is Tai-Sa Jinzaburo Yasukawa with the 5th Sun Zhang Academy Cadre. It was my understanding that no other human settlement existed past Farstar. Your ship designation was lost 96 years ago, confirm again that you’re the Teledine?”
The coffee mug shattered on the floor.
Sanada stared at the console for a moment before leaping to the chair.
“Y-yes!! Uhm…” He started speaking excitedly before remembering he was speaking with another member of the Draconis Combine. He cleared his throat. “Yes. That is the designation we have access to, a hundred years ago the Jumpship Teledine departed from the Salford System, however a catastrophic misjump left our people stranded on a habitable planet called Kaetetoa. We’ve established a colony on it’s moon, and we’re in dire need of support and reunification with the Draconis Combine.”
The line was silent for a few moments.
“We are a periphery world, only recently secured as part of the combine. We will collect your probe, and will be your point of contact. I shall inform the right people in the combine, and see what we can do. To know that a world, even in the most dire of circumstances, remained loyal to the Dragon shall serve as inspiration for years.”
Sanada couldn’t hear a swell of emotions catch his throat and wet his eyes.
“Welcome back to the Universe, Teledine 2.”