Year 8 of the SuaChie Calendar, 4th month of the year.
The King of the Shooters, Sogeking's great Tequendama-class vessel, sailed the waters of the Eastern Ocean with a grace and speed that only the ships of the Suaza Kingdom possessed. Sogeking, in the peace of his captain's cabin, was writing in his navigation log.
His ship was heading toward the new continent, a territory that scholars of the Simte Academy called Guanza Quyca for its arid lands and the dark-skinned people who inhabited them.
This was his second voyage to Guanza Quyca. The first journey, the discovery one, had been long and full of uncertainty. But this trip would be much faster and safer.
Thanks to the navigation charts from the previous expedition, which had taken the northern route, and the 'projections' of the currents made by the kingdom's researchers, the round trip would take only a month and a half, taking advantage of a shorter and more efficient route.
Sogeking's mission on this voyage was simple yet crucial. He was to bring supplies, tools, and volunteer residents for the first settlements that the kingdom was building on this new continent. But his mission did not end there.
He came with orders to explore the coasts of this new continent, but with the limitation of only exploring a few kilometers to the north and south. Furthermore, his expedition was to wait for the next one, which would set sail a month later with more resources and volunteers.
As he wrote, the King of the Shooters lurched. It was not a storm, just the natural sway of the sea. Sogeking, with a smile, closed his log. His last entry spoke of the tranquility of the voyage, the beauty of the sea, and the excitement of exploration.
He left his cabin, the afternoon sun hitting his face, and the salty air filling his lungs. He approached the ship's bow and looked out at the horizon.
Just as he was about to mark a new direction on the navigation charts with the guidance of his first mate, he noticed a distant smudge on the ocean. Unlike the smudges of clouds or currents, this one seemed to have an unusual shape.
Without a word, he raised his spyglass, an instrument that allowed him to see distant objects, and focused it in the direction of the smudge. His heart raced.
What he saw was not a smudge, but a ship. It was nearly as large as their own, but with flags and sails very different from those used in the Suaza Kingdom. Its sails were an unusual color, and its flags bore an emblem he had never seen before.
He lowered the spyglass, his face a mixture of surprise and awe. The words that came from his mouth were not of fear, but of a profound realization.
"The Young Chuta was right," he murmured.
He had spoken to him of the people who would come from the sea, of the ships and the 'invaders.' Sogeking had always thought that Chuta's words were just a figure of speech, a way of expressing his concerns about the future.
But now, seeing the vessel in the distance, he understood that Chuta was not just a leader with a vision, but someone who truly had the knowledge of the gods. The peace of the sea had been broken, and a new era in history had begun.
1 month later.
The afternoon sun loomed over the Oasis City of the Desert, the largest settlement the Suaza Kingdom had built in Guanza Quyca. Sogeking was with Soca, the city's manager, a middle-aged man who had been sent by the Young Chuta himself.
The city was a marvel. More than 1,500 permanent residents lived there, and more than 3,000 people, including permanent residents, royal envoys, merchants, and local workers, walked its streets.
Soca's face was filled with a mixture of pride and exhaustion. He began to narrate his first three months in the territory to Sogeking.
"Captain Sogeking," Soca said, his voice a whisper amid the bustle of the market. "The beginning was difficult, but the locals are a very curious people. We have had to deal with strange animals, but the resources that the monthly expeditions have sent us are enough for the city to prosper."
Sogeking, still absorbed in the ships he had seen, barely listened. He gestured for Soca to give the report to his first mate.
"The orders remain, Soca," Sogeking said, his voice grave. "The monthly reports must be sent without fail. The Young Chuta has placed his trust in you."
Soca nodded, his face filled with a solemnity that reminded him of his people's old leaders.
"I also have a report on our first approach with the Songhai Kingdom, Captain," Soca said, his eyes shining with enthusiasm. "They are a very religious people, and our priests are already studying their culture and religion in great detail for a friendly approach. I have been surprised by their level of knowledge and what their people have achieved in this territory."
Sogeking, his mind still on the ship he had seen, turned to him with an urgency that Soca had never seen before.
"Soca," Sogeking said, his voice low, almost a whisper. "I need you to arrange a meeting with them. I want to know if they have seen ships like mine."
Sogeking's question confused Soca.
Why would the Captain of the Kingdom's Fleet be interested in another kingdom's ships?
Soca, with a look of perplexity, replied. "Captain, you are in luck. A merchant from the Songhai Kingdom is staying in the city. He has come to do business with our city."
Sogeking's heart raced. A mix of anxiety and anticipation grew within him. The Young Chuta had spoken of the 'invaders,' but he had never imagined they would arrive so soon.
The ship he had seen was real, and if the people of the Songhai Kingdom had seen a similar ship, it meant that the presence of these 'invaders' on the continent was not just a rumor. The peace of the kingdom had been broken, and a new era, full of uncertainty, had begun.
Sogeking, his mind filled with thoughts, felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. Exploration had turned into a mission of reconnaissance, of gathering information about the threat looming over the kingdom. The sea was now a place of danger, and he, the King of the Shooters, would be the first line of defense in the future.
The next day.
The morning sun filtered through the tent flaps, illuminating the faces of Sogeking and Toure, the Songhai merchant. The meeting was taking place in the center of the Oasis City of the Desert, in one of the largest houses, belonging to the leader Soca.
Toure was a dark-skinned man, approximately 1.6 meters tall with a broad build. Despite his robust figure, he moved with a grace that only an experienced businessman possessed.
His clothes were made of a fine fabric, with vibrant colors and designs that Sogeking had never seen before. His ornaments, made of gold and ivory, shone in the light. His demeanor with people he did not know and who did not speak his language was astonishing.
Sogeking, with the help of the translator, a young and diligent graduate of the Simte Academy, greeted Toure in his language, Muisca.
"Welcome to the Oasis City of the Desert, Mr. Toure," Sogeking said.
The translator, a young man no more than eighteen years old with a focused expression, translated his words into Songhai. Toure smiled, a gesture that lit up his face. He bowed slightly, a greeting that was common in his land, but which was a little strange for Sogeking. The cultural awkwardness was palpable, but both quickly adapted.
"Thank you, Captain Sogeking," Toure replied in his language. "It is an honor for me to be here and do business with your people."
The first topic of conversation was trade. Sogeking wanted to know everything about his kingdom's sea routes. But Toure's answers surprised him.
They had no open-sea trade. Their ships were not large like those of the Suaza Kingdom. Their commercial network extended through the rivers, especially the great Niger River. Their ships were small, made for transporting goods along the riverbanks, not for the vast ocean.
Sogeking, upon hearing this, felt a mixture of relief and disappointment. The vessel he had seen did not belong to the Songhai Kingdom. The mystery remained, and the threat was still an unknown. He set aside the conversation about maritime trade and changed the subject.
"Do you have maps of your kingdom and the rivers?" Sogeking asked. "If we are to trade with you, it will be much easier if we know where your cities are."
Toure nodded and pulled a map from his bag. It was on a rustic parchment, made from an animal skin that Sogeking did not recognize. Unlike the maps of the Suaza Kingdom, which were works of art, this map was rudimentary. However, the details of the rivers, roads, and cities were astonishing.
The cities of the Songhai Kingdom were marked with small circles, the roads with thin lines, and the rivers with wide red lines.
"This is the best map we have in the entire Songhai Kingdom," Toure said, with a pride that was noticeable in his voice. "It is very valuable and very expensive."
Sogeking, without hesitation, took a small pouch from his belt. Inside, there were deep green emeralds, which he had brought from the expedition. Emeralds were valuable in the Songhai kingdom, but not as much as in the Suaza Kingdom. After a haggling that lasted only a few minutes, Sogeking was left with the map and Toure with the emeralds.
The conversation continued, and Sogeking, with an urgency he could not hide, asked the question that truly mattered to him.
"Mr. Toure," Sogeking said, his voice low, almost a whisper. "Do you know of other kingdoms that possess ships? Their locations and names? And perhaps a map of their territory?"
Toure was silent for a moment, his eyes looking into Sogeking's. Then, his face filled with a solemnity that Sogeking had not seen before.
"Yes, Captain. There are other kingdoms," Toure said, his voice grave. "They come from the north, by the seashore, and also by land. They are a fair-skinned people; their ships are almost as large as yours, but with different sails and flags."
Toure began to detail the things he had heard from merchants and travelers who came from the north. He commented of the 'European kingdoms', of the kingdoms of Spain and Portugal. He commented of the 'Catholic Church', which constantly fought against their faith. And about the wars they had with a great kingdom in the northeast, the 'Ottoman Empire'.
Toure also handed him a map of 'Europe,' dated with the Hijri date 884, for a few more emeralds and promises of more resources like those that were arriving in the city. Then Toure continued talking about the Ottoman Empire that shared a similar faith to theirs.
Sogeking listened to his every word, his heart pounding in his chest. The mystery of the ships had been solved, but the resolution only brought more questions.
Sogeking felt a mixture of concern and excitement. Until that moment, exploring distant territories had not caused him any emotion. The great summer storms and the areas with no currents were the most exciting things.
However, the presence of other kingdoms with ships made it more fun. His excitement came from the thrilling scene of cannon fire he imagined, from the strategy he would have to use. Now it would not be simply about discovering the ends of the world by sea, but also about facing these enemies.
At the end of the meeting, Sogeking looked at Toure, who was holding out his hand to say goodbye.
"It has been an honor, Captain," Toure said.
Sogeking shook his hand, and then, in a whisper that only the translator and he could hear, he said:
"I hope they are not cowards."
.
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[A/N: CHAPTER COMPLETED
Hello everyone.
Here's the perspective of an icon, and this is someone we've known for a while, but we know that from now on (Year 10), he will be an important player in the history that will shape the Suaza Kingdom.
Unnecessary Fact of the Day: Before the construction of the Panama Canal, there were many routes used to move goods from one ocean to the other in Central America. One of the most important was the Transit Route, which crossed present-day Nicaragua. And it is this route that Chuta will promote as a trade route.
By the way, the date on the Ottoman calendar on the map Toure gave to Sogeking is real, and faithful to how the Ottomans recorded it in documents. Converted to the Georgian calendar, it would be 1480 AD.
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Read my other novels.
#The Walking Dead: Vision of the Future (Chapter 76)
#The Walking Dead: Emily's Metamorphosis (Chapter 23)
#The Walking Dead: Patient 0 - Lyra File (Chapter 9)
You can find them on my profile.]