The Life of Koru, Chapter 35
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First, it was a small glimpse in the distance. Then the vision enlarged, giving the sailors no doubt that they were approaching land. The city port of Lagos appeared, surrounded by fog and mystery, in all the splendor befitting an African metropolis.
"Africa!" Mulo thought with his heart pounding in his chest. "Africa!"
Lagos was a city of contrasts. In the city center you could see futuristic Neo-African skyscrapers and flying vehicles as proof of the very advanced technology of the Black Empire. However the port was full of primitive koru sailors working their hardest to load and unload the ships.
The sailors of "Fanantenana" were ordered to jump into the shallow water in order to pull their ship to the shore, using ropes. They did this, coordinating their efforts and yelling "Heave ho! Heave ho!" along the way.
And when they reached the shore, they dropped to their knees and said:
"Oh, land of Africa, praise ye, land of the Black Lords!"
Mulo was just as emotional as the rest of the team. He felt even more emotional when Captain Xaxa spoke to them:
"It is here that our paths split, soldiers! Officer Toure will take you to your new destination, while I will head to the slave markets to find another crew. Glory to the Empire and may you fight well!"
"GLORY TO THE EMPIRE, SUH CAPTAIN SUH!" the slaves responded.
Mulo was sad to say goodbye to Captain Xaxa and his companions, Carto and Salt-Eye, and of course Sir Jacko.
"Fuckin' koru! Fuckin' koru!" was the last message that the parrot imparted to the slaves.
Officer Toure had to take the slaves from Lagos to Base 23, which was a remote military base in the desert. It was a long road of about 1,600 km that had to be traversed on foot by the slaves and on horse by Officer Toure.
"Alright, boys!" Officer Toure said. "You are real soldiers now! I want you to march accordingly: measured steps, lift your knees high, swing your arms to the rhythm, puff up your chests and sing the slave anthem. Also, from now on, you will call me Captain!"
"SUH, YESSUH, SUH CAPTAIN SUH!" the koru said.
The disembarking of a large group of slaves on the shore of Lagos didn't remain unnoticed by the Black onlookers, especially the street urchins and edgy teenagers that roamed the port in search of koru to humiliate.
"Koru from Brazil! Koru from Brazil!" they yelled.
"Wow, savages!"
"Look at them, they are real apes!"
"Smile to the camera, ape!"
"What do they have on their asses?"
"They are pirates! Cool!"
"No, that's from the Hukunta!"
"They have been branded on their asses!"
"Fucking sick!"
And it didn't take long before they started to throw stones and garbage at the slaves.
Officer Toure addressed the troublemakers:
"Hey! Stop that, you rascals! These slaves are soldiers of the Empire!"
"They can suck my cock, Officer!"
Indeed, koru soldiers rarely received any recognition for their service. The war in Sahara was too far away for anyone to care. Nevertheless, the soldiers under Officer Toure's command started moving in an ordered column at military cadence, while singing the hymn "Glory to the Empire":
"Glory to the Empire, suhs!
We'se are koru soldiers, suhs!
We'se go fight and go defend!
Black Empire has no end!"
As they moved through the outskirts of Lagos, Mulo and the rest of the gang understood that the city didn't want them. At the entrance of many streets, they could see a sign with a koru face inside a red circle, barred by a slash. It meant that the street was a "no koru" zone and slaves were not allowed to go there. The center of Lagos had almost entirely replaced the need for slave labor with robots and sophisticated technology like many other African metropolises. But even seeing Lagos from afar was a spectacle for a primitive koru slave from Brazil. First of all, the city appeared like a shimmering mirage, a marvel of steel and glass rising into the sky. The scintillating spires of the skyscrapers reached towards the heavens, gleaming in the sunlight, as greenhouses and suspended gardens adorned them at every level, a testament to the city's commitment to sustainability and environmental harmony. Beneath the towering structures, a network of cascading waterfalls and aqueducts crisscrosses the cityscape, their crystalline streams weaving through verdant parks and public spaces. Far into the sky, flying machines ventured, their sleek forms gliding effortlessly amidst the clouds. These futuristic airships, equipped with advanced propulsion systems and cutting-edge technology, soared through the air with the grace of birds, leaving trails of shimmering light in their wake.
"Lagos! Lagos!"
In Mulo's mind, this name was synonymous with Heaven.
History books were vague and full of omissions when discussing the world before the formation of the Black Empire. They spoke of a time when the koru controlled Europe and North America and were able to raid the coasts of Africa, severely damaging the Superior Black Cultures with their violence. These were the Deeply Dark Ages, before the Black Empire emerged. With their advanced understanding of technology and their superior intelligence, the Black People had managed to overthrow the koru and transform them into their slaves. With time, the koru had become less bellicose and more subservient to their Black Masters, to the point of turning into BBC addicts...
This was the history and Lyra knew it very well. She knew that the koru had sinned in the past, but did the grandsons have to be punished for the sins of their grandfathers?
She thought about this as she strolled through the grandiose corridors of the National Art and History Museum in Nairobi.
Some people were surprised to see a gorilla walking there, but a lot of them weren't. They have read in the news that gorillas had started to evolve and successfully integrate into human society.
So Lyra looked around at the numerous works of art around her.
In many paintings, the koru of the Deeply Dark Ages were represented as Viking-styled barbarians pillaging the coasts of Africa. They looked rugged, merciless and brutal. The artists gave no shadow of doubt that these were wild animals hunting prey. And their prey was none other than flourishing African cities with beautiful architecture and civilized people.
Then, Lyra found out what the koru did to animals and to nature in general. They hunted and destroyed forests indiscriminately. They brought the planet close to collapse through their careless actions. It was something Lyra found hard to forgive, and for a moment, she wondered if the plight of the koru was well deserved.
"Do you think all the information presented in this museum is true?" she asked Zaryn.
"How could I know? You insisted to come here! From my knowledge of the koru, they would rather pillage each other's asses instead of an African city!"
"Why do you think that superhero guy saved us from the Professor? And why did he bring us to Nairobi? Are we the pawns of a new kind of scheme?"
"We might be, Lyra, but don't forget we are gorillas, so we don't let ourselves fooled by the humans!"
They left the museum with this firm belief.
That evening, Sir Ishmael announced them with a bright smile:
"Zaryn, Lyra, I would like you to join me for the Animal Rights Convention!"