The Guardian: By Jabari Brown
This is the story of a young man with a rich history and incredible abilities.
This young man is Qaletaqa in English this is translated to Guardian of the people.
This is his story of defiance, expansion, and hardship while trying to protect the people he loves and help the American's expunge the Mexican threat from the United States so that his people may live in peace.
January 26th, 1846
This is my year the year that I finally become a full-fledged man in my tribe. My tribe is the Comanche a strong, proud, and dangerous people. But I am somewhat different from my kinsman I am half black. My father was a runaway slave he apparently escaped from a far off place called Mississippi he escaped from his white slave masters and was chased all the way to Texas. Apparently how my parents met was when he was about to be caught my mother found and hid him she also took care of him and helped him cross into Texas. After that she helped nursed him back to health and they ended up having me no more than a year later. Somehow he was allowed to stay by native customs he should have been kicked out and never been able to see me again but since he can shoot straighter, ride faster and better than most of the men in the village they saw his potential and let him stay. Well today is my birthday my seventeenth birthday the day I come of age as a man in my village. Since my uncle chief Elsu or soaring falcon has all daughters I am the legitimate heir to be chief. But since I am half Comanche a few village elders have said that I need to know what it's like to lead before they start preparing me for cheifhood. As the sun begins to rise on my birthday I wake up ready for whatever challenge they will have me do. I walk through our village to the biggest hut which is the meeting hut for the chiefs, future chiefs, and the elders. I get stairs and I hear whispers as people watch me pass I make my way into the hut where the elders sit in a big U shape around a small fire. As I take my seat in front of them I am anxious to what they are going to tell me my test shall be. My uncle is the first to speak "Qaletaqa my heir it is you who shall be our next chief but since you are only half Comanche the council feels that you should undergo tests before you are to be prepared for chief hood. The men murmur in agreement even though I can clearly see that my uncle does not agree I say yes and they tell me their plan they want me to expand the reach of the village. They tell me that I will take some of our people and we will travel southwest towards what the Americans' call the Rio Grande River we are to set up a temporary village. If we all survive I'm going to be trained by the village elders to become chief. They say that I will leave by high noon by then I will have time to pack by then they will have picked who shall go with me to the Rio Grande. They also say that I need a wife the truth is I haven't met a girl I in the village that I am interested in. After I have all the things I need the elders have assembled a sizable group of villagers to follow me. I say good bye to my mother, my father, and my uncle as I lead my group of villagers out towards the Rio Grande I hope that I have the ability to lead these people.
May 7th-8th, 1846
It has been four months since I have left the village and started my own and it has done extremely well. Thanks to the help of the villagers who the elders chose I have been able to learn many of the skills of a leader. I have led the hunting parties to go find a good source of buffalo about 2 miles from here we have found a substantial supply enough to last us until the elders feel I am ready. Life in my village is excellent we have an abundance of food mainly of buffalo, rabbit, and fish but the women of our village have been able to find a substantial amount of berries and nuts as well as wild potatoes. We haven't really had contact with the "white man" so everything has been peaceful. Even though I am too young to be a chief the people of my village always refer to me as a chief. And I have noticed in the past few months since I have left there have been stares, not stares of deception or betrayal but of intrigue. These stares come from the young women in the village I feel that they are interested in me but I have no need for a wife as of now I am too young to be thinking of such things when I am trying to become chief. We have also found out that a couple of miles from our village I have heard of this fort it is called fort Texas. We see soldiers from the brush when we go hunting for rabbits or go fishing but if they have seen or heard us they have given us no trouble. They seem to be pre-occupied by something most of the soldiers I see going on patrol are looking very un-easy. Anyways today is one of our days to hunt I strap on my bow, knives and tomahawk I have decided to leave my spear as I am trying to get better with my bow. As we ride out we know that in order to gather enough buffalo meat we will need to hunt for the rest of today and half of tomorrow. Most of the men and are going to accompany us leaving only the women and children to eat whatever food we have on hand. As we are heading out on our horses to find the buffalo the men talk and laugh and then the talking comes to me. They ask me why I haven't taken a wife yet; I am the only male in the tribe who has not yet taken a wife. I say that I will find one soon and this is good for them because they know me and know not to press any further until the hunt is over for the day. We have found the buffalo and have started the hunt we drive them towards the Rio Grande as a trap and pick off big healthy ones after today's hunt we all think about tomorrow and the rest of the hunt and how long we will have to travel in order to catch up to the buffalo that we have driven off tomorrow. We figure that it will take us longer to get back than it usually does but for this hunt it seems good and beneficial for we will have enough buffalo meat to last us months so it will be worth the trip back. We get some sleep and pick up in the morning, we all begin to wake up and get prepared for the hunt, check our arrows and bows. We hunt for at least a couple of hours before we decide to let the buffalo be we admire our kills and how big the creatures are and how much meat bones an skin we have to take back. It will last us a long time very well enough to last until the elders come for us. As I admire my kills for the days I can't help think of what the men said and how much it bothers me, maybe I should look into getting a wife and as we ride home it is the only thing I can think about. As we are riding I am thinking of the women in the village my age and who would make a good wife I believe that I have thought of one when I see the large pillar of smoke coming from the direction of the village.
May 8th, 1846
As we come upon the village the large pillar of smoke is getting larger and darker then we hear the sound the horrible awful sounds of gunshots, screaming and crying and fighting. As we ride into the village we see soldiers moving around and about setting fires to teepee's shooting around in any direction. We ride in and start enough confusion and disorder and kill enough of the men that they begin to start a retreat but there are still many remaining and there are fires to put out and people to save. I get off my horse and am completely taken by surprise by a large soldier. I think I am about to die but as I lay on the ground I look up and see a large figure standing behind the soldier. As quickly as he appears I feel the shower of blood on me as the soldier is quickly dealt with by the mysterious figure he helps me up and helps us drive the soldiers out of the village. As we are dealing with the damage and the clean up the mysterious figure comes up to me he is tall about my height wearing a long old colonial looking coat, black pants, and what looks like white robes underneath. I look at the man's face and get the biggest surprise of my life it is my own father, my father was that skilled warrior that helped us drive the soldiers from the village the man that saved my life was my father I knew he was good but I had no idea this good. He tells me what has happened that the elders are trying to get another my uncle to marry off one of his daughters so that a full Comanche may become chief. I ask him why he is dressed like this and he says that he will reveal everything to me during training. He says we are leaving the village today to start on it and by next time I will be ready. As we tell the men that I am leaving for what my father calls special training the men all agree that whatever my father is going to teach me might be worthwhile to learn. Before I leave we make sure of who is and isn't here at the time surprisingly only one person was kidnapped but it was the women I was thinking of before this all happened and before I was angry now I am downright filled with rage for they have taken my childhood friend Genesee. Before I was just angry but now I am filled with unbridled rage at whoever has done this to my people and taken a woman of great importance to me. My father and I leave immediately following that news and it has just set in how bad this situation is my spot as chief is being threatened, my own village has been attacked, and the woman that I wanted as my wife has been taken from me. It is late and my father has taken me to the edge of the Rio Grande river bank inside a small forest. He say's to get some rest for tomorrow is the beginning of my training and it will be the most difficult thing I have ever done in my life. I fear that what he is going to teach me is going to be too punishing but I am somehow able to fall asleep. The next morning I wake up inside my teepee somehow my father pitched it while I was asleep I call out no answer then I realize that something is up in the trees and I look up to find my father perched up on a branch. He calls down words I will never forget "let the training begin".
September 24th, 1846
It has been months since I have had contact with my people at all my father's training was rigorous and exhausting but now I am able to defend my people as well as help the American's push back the Mexican threat. Shortly after the attack on my village my father told me the Mexican army was responsible but not on purpose an infantry unit got separated and found the village by mistake an attacked. But even though it was not their first order they still chose to attack innocent women and children and that is unforgivable. And even though it is five months later I feel the same as I did back then filled with revenge on my mind but my father has taught me to mask this an to have it as my ulterior motive. The training he put me through was physically and mentally tough. He had me fight for my life I had to catch my food from different places all across Texas just to make sure I could fend for myself in any situation, he taught me how to fire a pistol and rifle, how to run, jump, and climb across any environment I'm in, how to fight with my bare hands, how to fight with weapons I only ever used for hunting such as my knives, tomahawk, and bow. He also gave me language lessons so I can speak English and Spanish so I can communicate with both sides. He taught me how to be an effective leader in the face of adversity; he gave me military strategy lessons, political lessons on how to communicate and get people to listen to you whether they be the common man or a general or the leader of a nation, and he also taught me how to think on my feet so I would never be caught off guard. After five months my father finally tells me what he has made me, we are called the assassins he said that he retired but came out of retirement just to help me. Apparently we fight evil men called the Templars who put themselves in positions of power through military, social, and monetary status he says it is my job to kill these men and then and only then my people will be safe. He says that in order to become the true guardian of my people that I must pass one last test. He says that I have to fight him and win. We fight as we always have for these past five months it's been a solid month since I have challenged him because last time he beat me easily but now there is a difference. It's not that he has gotten worse it is that I have gotten better I can tell by the first punch he throws I am easily able to deflect it, trip him and pin him to the ground with my tomahawk at his throat. He has a big smile on his face as I let him up he says to close my eyes and hold out my hands. When I open them I find a brand new black tomahawk in the shape of the assassin's symbol the same one my father has on his belt buckle along with white and blue robes they look like the one's he wore but they seem a little older. He tells me these belonged to his master, the assassin Conner. My father then tells me to gather my things and to head out across the Rio Grande and find General Martin GutiƩrrez a general to the Mexican forces and a very powerful Templar who wishes to gain the command of the Mexican army so that he may one day assume the role of president and establish the Templars firmly in Mexico. I do as I am told I ride for hours on end not stopping until I find a gigantic battle going on. The Americans have started to siege the city I run into the fray fighting on the side of the Americans I see them going through houses and walls just so that they can avoid an open fight that would cost to many lives. As I run through the streets hearing gunshots and seeing soldiers from both sides I am surprised no one has noticed me but my luck soon runs out as I am surrounded by Mexican troops I move quickly and efficiently with no wasted movements I quickly defeat the men and harmlessly knock them out they are lucky. I then go searching for the general I quickly find him giving orders on the field and then just seeing him a man who is responsible for attacking my people I charge at him full steam ahead I take out my tomahawk and knife and quickly in a hail of blood and fury I cut down the ranks of his soldiers. It is no time before I reach the general and he is in complete shock of what I have just done he takes out his sword and charges me on his horse I sweep the legs from underneath the creature with my tomahawk and quickly pounce on the general. He is begging for his life telling me that he will give me whatever I desire if I let him live money, women, and power. But the only thing that will satisfy me is vengeance I strike downward on his chest with my tomahawk as hard as I can. It seems no one has noticed what has happened as they are preoccupied with their own lives. As I go back the way I came I am surrounded by the Americans and taken to their leader general Zachary Taylor. Taylor takes me to his command tent and asks me what I am doing in a place of war. I tell him that I share his ideals for a free Texas and westward expansion I can see that he doesn't buy it and he sends his staff away. He asks me again and this time I actually tell him what happened and that I really do share his enthusiasm for manifest destiny, for the expansion and independence for Texas for it is the only way that my people will be left in peace. He believes me and says I will be an American spy along the course of the war. I tell him I am not in it to spy on the Mexican's I am here to kill the Templars in the ranks of the Mexican army to prevent them from having a permanent stronghold in North and South America. He doesn't like this but knows there is nothing he can say but if I don't give him something he won't tell me who is causing the most trouble and where so without him to help me I can't get to the Templars so I tell him that I will do whatever spying I can to help them. The next day word had come that General Taylor was to be stripped most of his army and it was to be sent to General Scott for the invasion into central Mexico. Since General Taylor had been good to me I decided to help him by being his spy for as long as it afforded me information to the next Templar on the list.
February 23rd, 1847
It has been almost a full year since the war and my quest for vengeance has started but that is not what is the problem here is the problem is General Taylor has made me his personal spy and top member of his staff and even though I have collected substantial information from the prisoners I have no idea who my next target is. I have enough information that I know that General Santa Anna will attack us tomorrow and of how far he has advanced, and that there is a spy/ courier in his staff that could expose our battle plans for tomorrow. Since the General has only 4,500 men left in his command he has to find a good position to utilize those numbers against Santa Anna's 20,000 troops. He picks a plateau accessed by several small ravines it is a good position but he has to spread his numbers thin in order to cover it all. Later on in the night a courier from the enemy camp comes up and brings a note from Santa Anna demanding our surrender. As the man hands General Taylor the note I look at his right hand and see the silver ring the mark of the Templars. General Taylor immediately refuses and tells him to leave. I would have killed him there but I did not want to start the fighting early while the men were unprepared. I know that once he leaves he will go back to General Santa Anna and tell him he will then go back and spy on us trying to find out where we are weakest which could result in a loss for Taylor. It will also mean that the invasion of Texas may be postponed or completely stopped. So I know that before tomorrow comes I will have to kill that man and stop him from telling Santa Anna were to strike to break through. As the sun starts to rise I have been searching for him all night but to no avail. Just as I am about to go look somewhere else I see movement and I realize it's him trying to get away he sprints as fast as he can to get to the Mexican front lines. He makes for the brush and is trying to lose me but he doesn't realize that wherever he steps he pushes the grass down a little and it allows me to see where he is going. He is turning to the right I see him and decide to head him off as I break free of the brush I stand there waiting for him for a couple of seconds with my colt walker out and pointed to where I believe he is going to come out. And even though I am seconds away from killing a man I can't help but let my mind wander about her, about Genesee how has she been fairing this last year, is she ok, and is she even alive I quickly push these thoughts out of my head as the courier bursts through the brush with an astonished look on his face. The revolver has been cocked fresh powder has been put in it and it is the first time I've used it since my father trained me. I aim for his heart and fire, the silence is shattered on the battlefield. It is a quick death a near painless one if you ask me something he does not deserve for what he has done to my people. And just then I recognize him he is the man who commanded the infantry unit that attacked my village, as he lay there dying I think to ask him to tell me where he took Genesee. He says he has nothing to say to me, I say if he wishes to redeem himself he will tell me where she is. He tells me and I am completely astonished he says that she was just recently sent to central Mexico to be a worker in the capitol. I thank him as he crosses over into the next life with a smile over his face what a smug man thinking one good act can save him from judgment. I am glad at the news and am also glad that the information this man had dies with him. Without his spies information the Mexican army begins to retreat I then intend to pursue and try to catch Santa Anna himself but am stopped by St. Patrick's Battalion as they fire artillery to cover the retreat. Later on I tell Taylor about what happened he thanks me saying that I could have just helped them win the war. But I know it is much bigger than just one victory. He sends me off to find General Scott and to gather information as I make my way to him so I will be of use to him during the coming invasion.
April 17th-18th, 1847
It has been two months since I have seen any action but in substitute I have gathered a plethora of information for General Scott to use against the enemy. But what I'm really interested in is head Templar or Templars involved in the plot to take over North and South America. As I finally reach his command tent I am met with an unwelcome response. I say that I have a message for General Scott from General Taylor. They let me through at the sound of that name knowing a lot of these men were once Taylor's they still hold respect for him. I talk with the General and tell him all I have gathered in my two months of travel. He is surprised to find out that the General Santa Anna is to be his opponent and that they outnumber him significantly it is 8,500 to 12,000. They also have St. Patrick's Battalion which is going to be a problem for us. He tells me to go ride with Captain Robert. E Lee to hopefully find a weak point in the Mexican defenses. We ride for a while and find a way through the brush and the ravines to the left of the Mexican Army. As the battle starts the battle plan is to distract the Mexican's with General Pillow's forces but he ends up botching it and gets attacked on all sides but ends up doing his job. General Twiggs fires his cannons and mortars onto Cerro Gordo. Then after a three hour infantry attack, we finally break through and I have gone with them to help. We route the Mexicans and they turn and run throwing down their weapons I see Santa Anna's command tent and I rush for it I get there in time to make him leave his papers and 6,000 pesos I was so close I could taste it but I was too late. We have pushed the Mexican's far back and we all know there is only one more place that they can go and that is Mexico City. Genesee is there and so is the final man I am supposed to kill General Antonio Lopez Santa Anna. He is apparently the head Templar in Mexico and even if he loses the war he will reestablish himself in power. And try to spread the Templars throughout the continent. General Scott says that we will march on the capitol soon. He says for my help he would like to reward me I tell him that all I would like is to help them push out the Mexican threat and expand the country but he knows this is not all I want and I tell him I would like money, a horse, and Genesee back after the war is over.
August 20th, 1847
Well apparently General Scott says that the only thing left to do is take Mexico City and my people shall have the Peace they so desire. I have gone ahead of the army a couple of days before and have found out a couple of things that will open a window for a decisive victory. I had told General Scott, Valencia has moved his forces to the Padierna Ranch. So the General decides to pave through a lava field. What we didn't know was that it would take us close to Valencia's forces. We moved the army up to close to Valencia's forces and were caught between his and Santa Anna's forces but luckily I went in and attacked Santa Anna's forces by attacking their supplies of gun powder and forcing him to retreat so he couldn't crush the American forces. I was able to shoot the gun powder so that it would explode near him which could cause permanent blindness if it was severe enough. I decided to go back to General Smith and help plan his attack at dawn the battle lasted twenty minutes in all. I was able to get into the city and to my wonder and happiness I found Genesee as I saw her I just realized how much I had missed out on from our younger years just as friends. She truly looked beautiful he long black hair, her sun kissed skin, her eyes , her smile and I realize this is one of the main reasons I did all this not to just expand America and contribute to manifest destiny , or to defeat the Mexicans for what they did to my people. I did this to get her back to see her again it wasn't to stop the Templars it was to get her back and I finally have. Now that Santa Anna's true power as a Templar is gone and he has no more Templar backers or support so he must return to Mexico as just a disgraced General. Nothing more than what he has been for some time. As I introduce General Scott to my soon to be bride he has made ready with my reward enough money to get back to our tribe and two horses that will be able to carry us there. As we ride off into the Mexican sunset towards Texas I have a though that I share with her. I tell her maybe I'll become chief.
References: Latin American , www. Texas / Comanche
