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For the full cinematic experience, play Peter Gabriel’s ”The Rhythm of the Heat” as you read. Let the music set the scene. Thank you for reading.
Earth. 1985. A star falls over Africa.
It is no shooting star but a ship–wreathed in flames, blazing a trail across the blackness above Mount Kilimanjaro. When the ship crashes, earth and sky erupt–the wreckage gouges the land and skids to a halt on the muddy banks of the Karanga River. Water hisses against hot metal and ripples with light as if the river itself is waking from a dream.
Armored trucks barrel in from Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya–rivals united by the impossible. Soldiers leap out, weapons raised, faces lit by the wreck’s unnatural glow. They form a tense ring but freeze as a figure stumbles from the wreckage. Some soldiers cross themselves; others stare, uncertain if this is a miracle or a curse.
She is not one of them. Her skin is golden pink, her pupils wide, her wounds fresh and shining, and blood streaking her brow. Generals from Uganda and Kenya begin yelling orders at her, but she cannot understand them. She can see that they are uneasy, so she peers into their minds, seizes their thoughts, and gasps out in flawless Swahili, “Help me!”
Her perfect diction shocks everyone into silence. Behind them, a whistle cuts through, and the Tanzanian General steps forward–a towering man, thick with muscle, a scar slashing his throat, circular sunglasses shading his eyes, tussling his thick mustache. Once the soldiers of the other nations see him, whispers spread. He is a man of legend.
His voice is low and commanding. “I am General Tunbo Zafazi, of Tanzania. Welcome to Tanzania. Who are you?”
She meets his eyes, trembling with exhaustion. “Para,” she whispers, “I bring a gift–power, enough to raise kings from the dust. Stand with me, and you shall know strength beyond comprehension.” She stumbles forward and tries to touch their minds again–but collapses before she can.
By Tunbo’s command, soldiers carry her to safety while the other generals set up camp near the wreckage. Amid the burning metal, a machine is left behind, forgotten in the chaos. Underground, energy leaks into soil and water, transforming the minerals and crystallizing into a glowing heart–soon to be called Mwanga Roho.
Here, in the shadow of Kilimanjaro, the legend begins: the birth of Uthando and a new era. No one here yet knows that legends will be written on this very soil.
Far off, another presence follows after Para, drawn to the power left behind–
Ready to see what happens next in Birth of the Warriors? Jump into Chapter 1: The Day Begins.