Ulong Dagger

The enemy comes from darkness

"That thing's funny".

"A lot of khilafnya, very human.

He is also polite, kind, his behavior is often like a clumsy person" Siti told Laksmi. His lips were smiling and his eyes were twinkling as he told a story.

At that time Siti and Laksmi were washing cloth on the river bank.

What Siti meant was Paijo.

Just now they saw Paijo splashed while taking a fish-filled bubu in the river.

The fish can indeed, there are several tails, the size is large. Then the fish in the bubu revolted so hard, Paijo lost balance, slipped and soaked.

Paijo was embarrassed to know that Siti and Laksmi were washing nearby and saw her fall, soaking wet. Siti giggles while Laksmi just smiles at the incident.

Laksmi looked with a probing gaze at Siti who was excited about telling a story.

Siti looked at Laksmi, she knew the meaning of her best friend's view.

"Don't think strangely yes" he said while clenching fists.

Laksmi laughed amusedly at Siti's expression.

Silent for a moment, they returned with their respective busyness, rubbed the cloth and washed it.

But in his heart Laksmi can suspect his best friend has an interest in Paijo.

Laksmi looked around, it was probably eight in the morning. The air is no longer as cold as it was.

The gurgling water around them sounded so soothing, as if the hands of war had not come here, so peaceful. He took a deep breath, as if wanting to breathe in that peace and put it into the heart.

A few other women had just arrived, they nodded and smiled reprimanding Laksmi and Siti.

Some of the women were about to wash, and some were about to take a bath wearing a glove cloth tied to the chest as a body cover.

They walked a bit away from Laksmi and Siti. Some of the little children who came with them immediately played water with his excitement.

The peace and simplicity that he felt at that time, it was as simple as the life that Siti hoped for. And that's what Siti said about Paijo. Laksmi glanced at Siti, her sweet-faced friend and involuntarily smiled to herself.

"What's your own smile?" said Siti pretended to be angry.It turns her head towards Laksmi who was smiling herself.

Laksmi was shocked and pretended not to listen and continued washing.

"This gate is different, other than all the men I know, the knights and fighters, that's what I mean" said Siti.

Laksmi just quietly listened, she was afraid that later the wrong answer and made her best friend from this small age angry. People in love are often easily offended.

Siti sighed, "the men I've known all along, like father, Son, Grandpa, Uncle, cousins are all fighters.

Every time they leave I always look forward to worrying, wondering if they will come back, and if maybe we can meet again" he said sadly.

Laksmi nodded in understanding.

He knew and was friendly with Siti when they were nine years old at female lascar training.

At that time Siti was orphaned, caring for her only sister, Putra.

He knows what his best friend's life is like.

Siti rubbing fabric.

His memory drifted into the past.

In the days when his father fought against the company, just as they are today.

As a child, whenever his father was going to war, he wanted to keep him from leaving them. He wants there to be a little relief, safe from bad thoughts of losing loved ones.

At that time he could only cry every father went and pray that nothing would happen to him.

And as the firstborn, when the father leaves usually he who comforts the Son (his brother), mark him, so that the Son also forget that their father was away betting his life.

Until finally what they feared happened, one day after the battle, he, along with his Son and mother, searched among the soldiers who returned from the battle and saw his father on a stretcher severely wounded.

A bullet penetrated right in the mouth of his heart. The wound was small but no matter how hard people tried to treat it, the blood would not stop pouring from the wound.

She could not forget her facial expressions, and her hysterical mother's voice called out to anyone there to help her husband, panicking over not knowing what to do. At that time Siti could only hold the Son who was crying incessantly.

Dad died that day in my mother's lap.

Shortly after my father died, my mother became very ill and her condition worsened as they were often forced to flee to and fro following the guerrillas.

She left them both in the same year as her father died.

Since then, they have no place to complain.

Grandfather, Uncle, has already gone home, also because of the war.

They were forced to spend their childhood following the guerrillas wherever they went.

Laksmi glanced at Siti, her best friend looking at her contemplation.

If only the Dutch plantation airlines had not attempted to seize their lands. Then their fathers need not go to war, inwardly.

Like Siti's father, her father was also a follower of Teuku Nyak Tomb.

The last news a few months ago he heard his father and other fighters were still guerrilla in the Lam Nga (Aceh) area, while his mother was in Tamiang with her younger sister.

Not a single day had he gone through without anxiously thinking about them.

The worry and anxiety of losing someone we know may be more frightening than the sense of loss itself.

Laksmi started putting the washed clothes into the basket.

"What does the fear of loss have to do with your Paijo mas?" laksmi said trying to break the silence, teasing Siti.

Siti punches Laksmi's shoulder

"Ih.. Who is Paijo, talk to us rarely. I mean Brother Paijo is a mediocre man not a fighter, his face is mediocre, his taste, the way he lives life is also ordinary, so people do not have to worry about him, so people do not have to worry about him, not that there should be anything" Siti murmured.

Laksmi lifting basket.

"People? Which people?, what is this person who doesn't need to worry?" asked Laksmi while holding back a laugh and pointed at Siti.

Siti, silently pretending not to hear, her face reddened, even though I was flabbergasted, he thought.

Upset water was taken by hand and splashed on Laksmi's face.

⚜️⚜️⚜️

Tonight after the Maghrib prayer, Ulong gathers warriors.

The meeting was held in a large house that was provided as a meeting place and a place to set the strategy.

The son, Lukman, was also a recovering Nature and the others had been present in the Hall of the mansion.

Parman also sat with those present, while Paijo sat beside the door preparing to provide whatever was necessary.

Siti, Laksmi and some female irregulars were also present.

There were about fifteen people in the room. While some more people waited outside because they were not accommodated in the hall.

"Why is this brother sitting in front of me, so that every time I want to listen to the talk of people so unintentionally look at him" said Siti.

It just so happened to sit him and Paijo opposite.

At first he was unaware, but Laksmi who was sitting next to him repeatedly teased by elbowing her shoulders.

Ulong opened the conversation by saying a greeting that was greeted by everyone in the room.

"This is Wan Salman, he's a royal envoy, and he brings news of the movement of the company's forces" Ulong said, introducing the man with him.

The man was short and stocky, wide eel. He was wearing a yellow robe, white underwear and black pants. With him sat three men dressed in all black stout stature, in their forties.

These three people were not ordinary people, they were warriors, royal martial arts experts who were sent for difficult tasks.

Ulong had known these emissaries long enough. The presence of these people as a companion signifies that Wan Salman brings important business.

After Ashar they arrived with a villager outside the forest, the villagers were followers of Ulong.

The horses of these guests were hidden in the village, and they continued on foot here.

Wan Salman said hello and began to speak.

"First I represent the Sunggal king Datuk Badiuzzaman to thank you to the masters and ladies who have worked hard to fight".

The audience returned their greetings.

Wan Salman continued, "because of the increasing attacks on plantations and military forces, the Dutch finally sent troops from the island of Java to secure tobacco plantations in Deli Serdang and Langkat.

Our spies sent a message that at dawn the ships had docked and thousands of company soldiers had been deployed in Belawan, our spies also made sure that these troops were fully armed and carried many cannons with them".

Ulong and everyone present were shocked to hear this news. Some people outside started whispering.

Wan Salman was silent for a moment after a somewhat silent return to talk, "so we ask the irregulars to be able to convey this to other guerrilla groups, to be more careful".

"We also hope that the group leaders can get together soon to discuss how to deal with this".

"This was delegated to the leaders of the group because as we both know, currently Sri Raja Datuk Badiuzzaman is still in the status of city custody with very close supervision, he said, so it would not be possible for him to arrange a meeting".

Wan Salman said a few other things before starting to open discussions to discuss how they would respond to the situation.

⚜️⚜️⚜️

Meanwhile in the port of Belawan, a Dutch Navy officer escorted by dozens of soldiers walked hastily on the dock.

"Remember, our job is just to drop them off, the passengers on the ship tonight, the destination is just a little bit away from the dock to avoid things that are not desirable.

Do not try to get into the deck of the ship no matter what.

And whatever you see is a secret, okay?" said the officer.

"Ready sir", replied the soldiers simultaneously.

This officer was the substitute captain, because the previous captain rested after traveling so long and far from Batavia to the land of Deli.

They walked past a row of dozens of ships leaning towards the dock. These ships had arrived at dawn and brought down one thousand and five hundred fully armed soldiers.

Waves of sea water were heard breaking down below them hitting the wall of the pier, wave after wave it swung the ship that was leaning to make a creaking sound.

They walked towards a ship that was at the very end enveloped in darkness.

Suddenly the cold hit them, getting closer to the ship at the end of it the more uncomfortable the air, making them, the soldiers who came to be goosebumps.

From afar a body was seen standing on the deck near the bridge of the ship.

After getting closer, in the torch lighting they saw a man, his posture was thin height but looked sturdy, he was wearing a coat of white tiger skin.

The wind hit her long hair.

The old man was wearing a black headband.

The clothes behind the tiger skin coat were also black in color.

The codet looks adorned his face, in the form of three wounds extending from the right eyebrow through the nose to the left cheek, the wound was like a tiger scratch.

"Are you going to drive me?" tanyakanya.

The officer replied, "Yes Ki, we will take you to your destination.

"How long ago, my pets were starving, what do I need you to give them to eat?".

The silent officer did not reply, he immediately ordered some of his troops aboard the ship. Then some others boarded two rafts to paddle and pull with a rope to keep the ship away from the dock.

The soldiers on board moved back and forth, some setting up sails, some lifting anchors, and some loosening rope to the dock.

The officer was standing behind the wheel. He waited for the rafts to pull the stern of the ship.

Suddenly there was a wolf-like howl. Everyone who was there was shocked to hear it. All those who were doing work stopped because they heard the voice.

It was strange to hear the howling of wolves in the ocean.

The officer stared at the tiger-coated old man calmly reacting to nothing, still as if standing by the bridge.

He signaled to his people to continue the work that had stalled.

And he refocused his attention on the steering wheel in hand.

The ship started to slowly move back.

He faintly heard movement from inside the ship, and then a low growling sound was heard.