Ulong Dagger

Misty Mat

Three days later in Klambir Lima.

In the morning around ten, Suma came to the command room which was finished in the wake to meet Heidrich.

At that time Heidrich was sitting with his confidant, sergeant Jhon in the room.

Suma came to deliver a letter that was folded neatly and sealed with brown wax official branded plantation airline.

Heidrich received the letter with question marks, opened the seal and read the letter carefully.

His expression was shocked after reading the contents of the letter asking him to arrest Ki Bayu alive or dead.

He stood up from his seat.

Although he was aware that Ki Bayu was already properly in the law, but he felt this was very suspicious with the appearance of Suma who just came with a warrant for Ki Bayu's arrest.

At least Suma should first discuss with him as the military ruler of the region before meeting the airline.

In addition, he also doubted how he could beat Ki Bayu. His soldiers would be killed in vain against that man, and both wolves were left. (Both Heidrich and Suma did not know that Ki Bayu was alone at this time, after his two remaining pet were defeated by Ulong and his friends).

"So in addition to hunting Ulong and his gang, our troops must also pursue Ki Bayu?", Heidrich asked Suma after reading the letter that Suma brought.

"I do not know the contents of the letter commander, as you see for yourself the letter is still sealed, if it is so I fear we must respond immediately", replied Suma timidly.

"How do they know about the situation here and about Ki Bayu's problem?" heidrich asked again.

"If the matter, I had visited an informant in the port of Belawan, after returning from there I met Mr. Pieter who became an airline official" Suma said.

"I know who Pieter is, there's no need for you to explain about him" Heidrich said, cutting impatiently.

Suma was silent, Heidrich looked at Suma then danced his chin gesturing to continue.

"I'm sorry for the commander's indecision, after we had a chat I told him about Ki Bayu, also about your quarrel with him" Suma said with an innocent expression.

"You told him all that stuff? Do you understand that there are things you can and there are things you can't tell everyone? This business is a military affair, not their business!!!" heidrich's tone went up.

"Sorry commander, it is not their business, but if they are not reminded about Ki Bayu I am worried that it will cause problems" Suma said in self-defense.

Heidrich looked at Suma with annoyance, "well already, it seems inevitably I have to fulfill the request of the airline. But as your boss I cannot accept your actions, I'm suspending you from duty for two weeks starting today" Heidrich said.

"Each commander" Suma said saluting. Then Heidrich waved his hand telling him to leave.

Suma went out of the room while grinning complacently, all according to plan. He deliberately provoked Heidrich's anger by playing plain and stupid pretend. Now with his suspension, he does not need to bear the consequences if the company's army is defeated by Ki Bayu.

⚜️⚜️⚜️

Now Heidrich was standing beside his horse outside the courtyard of one of the kebon workers' houses.

From behind the waist-high bonsai hedges he stood still, then smiled to himself. At that time he was watching Nilam play alone in the yard.

Since the first time here the little girl was put in this house. House of a contract labor family from the island of Java, Lik Pardi and Mbok Marni. They lived only three with their daughters, and they did not mind Nilam staying with them, especially at the request of Heidrich and Heidrich also bear all the needs of Nilam.

Heidrich himself deliberately left the boy here because he wanted the boy to stay away from the harshness of his life as a soldier.

Heidrich is happy this boy is finally back carefree and willing to play. Some of the things he remembered when the boy first arrived here was that Nilam was severely traumatized by Ki Bayu's attack on Awang's hideout.

The boy almost always had to be accompanied especially at night. The boy also often cried when he remembered the soldiers who nurtured him, and repeatedly called the names of the laskar, Rustam, Awang and others.

So did Heidrich know that Awang, Ulong and Laksmi, had not been killed, yet, because he himself came to their hiding place which was destroyed by Ki Bayu a few days after Suma reported his troops also died in the slaughter of the old man there. Obviously Heidrich saw the mass grave where the soldiers were buried and there were no names Awang, Ulong, or Laksmi on the tombstone above the grave.

Now he enjoys watching the little girl he thinks is like his own niece playing.

Heidrich wanted to approach, but it did not feel good to disturb Nilam's preoccupation.

But Nilam who was playing just felt that someone was watching, he turned his head and laughed cheerfully as soon as Heidrich stood outside the fence.

Waving his tiny hand to call Heidrich, "Big brother here", he said. Nilam was very familiar with Heidrich, because Heidrich routinely met and entertained him.

Heidrich was shocked to see Nilam aware of his presence and called out to him, he immediately tethered the horse on the hedges and rushed into the courtyard of the house approaching. Then he crouched down next to Nilam.

It appears that Nilam was playing with some toys in the form of household appliances from tin that Heidrich gave before, put the toy lined up on a rock in the yard.

"Nilam what's playing, son?", asked Heidrich.

"This is Pakcik", said Nilam answered briefly, he pretended to pour water from a mini kettle into a mini glass and then handed it to Heidrich.

Heidrich grinned, to please Nilam he received the mini glass and pretended to drink from it.

Actually, Heidrich currently just stopped by to see Nilam before going to carry out the request he received from the plantation airline, which is to hunt down Ki Bayu.

Before long there was a few footsteps of horses approaching. Heidrich turned his head, apparently Sergeant Jhon who came with two other Dutch soldiers.

One strange thing according to Heidrich was why they had followed him here, had he not ordered them to wait for him at the headquarters.

He stroked Nilam's head "awhile, son, Uncle meet Uncle Jhon first", said Heidrich.

He walked out of the courtyard and approached the subordinate, "what's the matter?", he asked.

"We got new info about Ki Bayu" said Jhon.

When he looked at Nilam who was looking at him, he raised his hand to greet him with a smile, Nilam said back and smiled.

"There is information you have to listen to the commander, I think is very important" said Jhon.

"Try to say it" Heidrich said in waiting.

"It seems you have to see it for yourself to make sure the commander, there is a merchant who came to the headquarters, he said he asked for help because his sword was forced to leave on the road due to the fight Ki Bayu and the Ulong entourage", jhon explained.

Heidrich looked at Jhon in shock, it was unexpected that they would get information about Ki Bayu and Ulong that quickly.

Heidrich said farewell to Nilam, the little boy scowled angrily, because he had to be left again.

At that time, Marni stood beside Nilam and bowed respectfully to Heidrich, "tabik ndoro", he said.

"The uncle wants to go to work first, then we play again" he smiled. Nilam was still pouting but slowly wanted to smile as well.

Heidrich bailed to Marni's mbok after giving some silver pieces for the cost of them caring for Nilam.

They rode to their base to meet a man called Jhon.

They entered the area of the headquarters in Klambir Lima which has been restored even though it has not been fully completed.

There are still many construction workers passing by and working here.

Entering Heidrich's study, there was an old man in his sixties, with black hair interspersed with gray hair, sitting in the room, the old man was wearing a typical yellow Malay dress and head covering. At the table in front of him, at Heidrich's desk, there was a glass of coffee that was only a quarter of its contents. There are also fried bananas and fried yams on a small plate located there.

Heidrich sat in his chair behind the table facing the old man. Heidrich looked at the old man and smiled kindly and felt sorry for him. "Include uncle, I am Lieutenant Heidrich here".

The man smiled back in a friendly smile, he did not expect the powerful officer here to be so friendly. He introduced himself as Mat Blur.

Heidrich looked at a subordinate who had been in the room. "Please add this Pakcik coffee", he ordered. The soldier saluted and rushed out of the room.

"Please tell us what Pakcik told us earlier to the commander" said Jhon who stood beside Heidrich.

The old man also told me that he was a merchant from Binjai, he told me that yesterday afternoon when he crossed the road between Klambir Lima and Binjai, the sword-pulling bull was attacked by wolves. Then he ran to hide leaving his sword, before long a group of warriors also arrived there, they attacked the wolf so-called events and a giant wolf that turned out to belong to a creepy old man.

"Which "group of lascars? is there anything you can recognize?", asked Heidrich.

"I heard them call themselves Ulong and Awang, but I did not know the old man who brought the terrible wolves" said Mat Kabur and then described about Ki Bayu and the two wolves.

"If I hide in the bushes, but I peek and see the whole fight" he continued.

Before long a woman entered the room carrying a small kettle containing coffee and a few extra glasses, after respecting the woman put her luggage on the table and rushed out of the room.

"Please drink Pakcik, to make it better to tell stories" said Heidrich.

Heidrich felt his pants pocket because it felt something stuck there, a tin cup. Nilam's toy was accidentally carried away by him.

Put the toy on the table. Mat Blurred noticed what Heidrich was doing.

Heidrich laughed in response to Mat Kabur's gaze, "Ooh this has my niece Nilam" Heidrich said.

"Silahkan dilanjutkan ceritanya Pakcik", ujar Heidrich.

Mat Kabur also returned to the story.

"So I saw Ulong and his friends, I can't remember the exact number, beat the giant wolves and the wolves so-so events" said Mat Kabur, who was not involved in the incident, while sitting he is in style moving his hands and feet practicing their fighting moves.

"Ki Bayu lost, how could it?", asked Heidrich.

"Ooh that guy's name is Ki Bayu?", asked Mat Kabur.

Heidrich nodded in confirming.

The parents who claimed that Mat Kabur was none other than Rustam who asked Ulong to provide misleading information to the company.

Here Rustam actually wonders in his heart why they companies do not know about the state of Ki Bayu. Then Heidrich just mentioned the name Nilam, so he remembered that Awang, Arman, and Mat Kecik had told him about a girl named Nilam.

"I don't know for sure how the magic of Ki Bayu, but they laskar I see is not too difficult to defeat him" said Mat Kabur.

"It was daytime, right?" ask Heidrich.

"True sir, ooh I remember them saying about shadows during the day" said Rustam.

"Ulong managed to find Ki Bayu's weakness about the shadow so that I did not hear wrong, so that two of his pet wolves were killed by them. Ki Bayu himself was forced to flee alone in this direction, but I don't know if he has arrived here or not".

Heidrich was silent, there was a lot of interesting info that he found, first that Ki Bayu was defeated during the day, both the entire pet Ki Bayu two wolves so-so-jenisan and a giant wolf has been killed. At first he was doubtful about the last number of Ki Bayu's pets, although when he last met him Ki Bayu only brought two wolves.

Then one more wolf was killed before the old man fought against the entourage of Ulong and Awang.

And if Ki Bayu managed to run here then it will not be difficult to catch him.

"When Ulong and my entourage saw them heading to Binjai sir" Rustam explained.

Really valuable info Heidrich thought.

"Uncle there is one thing I ask, I hope Uncle will promise" Heidrich said.

Rustam listened seriously.

"What promise sir?", he asked.

"I want you to promise not to tell anyone this story" Heidrich said.

Rustam looked seriously at Heidrich.

"Look, my sword-pulling ox was killed by a wolf, and I was forced to ride someone else's pedicab to get here, so give me the horse to ride back to Binjai, and I'll promise you", he said.

Heidrich looked at Rustam then fell silent. He soon got up from his seat.

"For a moment" Heidrich said, he stood up and walked out of the room. "Jhon", call him, sergeant Jhon followed his superior out of the room.

Before long Heidrich went into the room alone, "all right Uncle I will give you a horse, but promise not to tell anyone about this incident" Heidrich said.

Rustam nodded happily, finally he was able to return to meet Ulong and the entourage in Belawan as they planned without having to walk. Previously he walked for almost two days with some of his village people to arrive here.

After Rustam left on his new horse, Heidrich immediately gathered one hundred and fifty of his men, his goal was to pursue Ki Bayu.

Soon Heidrich and his army rode out of the base along the public road. The weather was so hot back then, they left dust-headed behind them.

On the T-junction they veered to the North to pursue Ki Bayu.

Rustam who after getting the horse did not go straight away but hid in a pile at the edge of the intersection waiting. Fetching the cup-shaped tin toy he had taken from Heidrich's desk, he noticed the troops led directly by Heidrich and Sergeant Jhon moving northward into the silver expanse, not to the West to Binjai.