Master Raven: Origins

The Lone Princess

Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria

The city of Calabar was in turmoil due to the escalating civil war between the Nigerian government and the Nigerian Delta Vigilantes (including other civilian groups). Becoming totally dependent on petroleum, the government was making tons of money off its exports. However, tensions were brewing amongst the populace. Unemployment was rising and so were prices on goods such as food and rubber. Many people along the Delta began to protest the government, but the military stepped in to hush any critics.

One of these groups called themselves the Nigerian Delta Vigilantes. Many of the fighters were workers at the coastal oil rigs just outside Calabar. The president at one of the major companies at Calabar is the father of the girl in this story. He was also a king of his local tribe with a wife, a teenage son (Ugo), and of course the young daughter (Urenna). One night the president attended a secret meeting with one of the generals of the Vigilantes. They were going over ways to protest the government and the police who were in bed with them. If violence were to erupt, they wanted the blessing of the president to help them bring in foreign aid by fighting back. However, things went south.

The government had a plug inside that meeting. They knew exactly what the Vigilantes were planning to do the next day. The government military not only shut down the president's oil company, but they targeted every man involved inside that meeting the previous night. The president was about to leave home for work. The two children were already heading for school up the street. Suddenly, several armored trucks surrounded the man's home. Their general, who went by the nickname Cain, ordered the hit on the president and his entire family.

There were riots all over Calabar. Many buildings were either ransacked or burned from the inside due to the fighting and bombing. All schools closed early, but even they weren't spared. The military started capturing any children involved with the Vigilantes. The boy, Ugo, knew this was bad news. At the playground outside he found his sister and together they managed to get out of the school grounds before the military could find them.

Everything went to chaos on that day. Ugo and Urenna ran home to see if their family was home. By the time they arrived, it was too late. Their parents were both killed within the patio area. Urenna cried but the boy Ugo was enraged. He vowed revenge. Ugo went to find his father's machine gun and proceeded to go help the Vigilantes. Urenna tried stop him.

Urenna: "Brother! Don't go and die too! Please!"

Ugo: "I'm sorry sister, but I can't let the General and those demons get away with this! I will help my people!"

Urenna: "No! Brother!" (Crying)

Ugo (Looks at her again.): "Ok! Ok! I will stay and protect you Urenna! I know father and mother would want that from me! We need to leave. It's not safe here!"

Little did the siblings know, a lone foreigner was watching their movements from above the roof. He was a spy agent for the United Nations. The president summoned this man even before the secret meeting got started. A lone mercenary ninja who went by the code name "Crow". Crow arrived at the city too late. His contact was lying in his own pool of blood along with his wife. However, the children were still alive. Coming down from the balcony, Crow briefly apologized to the dead president.

Crow: "I'm sorry Udoka. I did not make it in time to save you. May you rest in peace. Now to find Cain!"

Crow did not know if Udoka's son knew where Cain was. Instead of exposing himself to the children, Crow continued to follow Ugo and Urenna while fighting off any soldiers who might try to shoot them. While protecting the children, Crow lost sight of them. Ugo eventually found the military base near the city harbor where Cain was said to be residing. It was here where Ugo told Urenna to hide.

Ugo: "Urenna stay here by these crates. Cain is all mine!"

Urenna: "I wanna come with you!"

Ugo: "I know you do, but you will just get in my way. Now stay here! I will come back I promise!" (Runs offs.)

Urenna: "Ugo!"

Ugo ran closer to the base, but it was surrounded by barbed wire. He was exposed and now there was nowhere else to hide. A truck was coming back into the gate and they spotted the teenager. The truck stopped and a soldier with a speaker spoke to the boy with a clear warning.

Soldier: "Boy! Get out of here! Or we will kill you!"

Ugo (Panics): "Damn."

Soldier: "This is your last chance!"

Urenna tried to do what her brother said by hiding, but the constant bombing and shelling of property throughout the city made her feel way too uneasy. Then more gunfire could be heard closer to the base where Ugo ran off for. She could no longer stay where she was. Where those bullets from Ugo or the government soldiers? Urenna finally ran to the base.

When Urenna made it closer to the base area, she could see her brother was shot, however the truck that was near him engulfed into flames. The little girl ran over to her brother. Ugo was shot down 6 times before he used the rifle in his possession to hit the engine of the truck. Urenna cried and cried to wake him up, but he never did.

Suddenly more soldiers came out of the base. At least 15 of them. They heard the explosion too. Then the soldiers found the young girl hugging the body of her teenage brother. This was no place for a kid, so one of the soldiers tried to take her away. Then Crow appeared at last as he slashed the soldier standing over Urenna with his short blade. In a flash, Crow used shuriken to hit all of the remaining soldiers. Urenna had never seen anything like that ever! Crow finally turned around to see the girl.

Crow: "Damn! I was keeping up with you guys until there were more of those soldiers trying to shoot you. And now I let the boy die too!"

Urenna (Grabs the gun from her brother's hands): "Don't take me!"

Crow: "Hey put it down!"

Bang…

Urenna fires the last round in the machine gun, but Crow teleported just in time. He reappeared behind Urenna and hits her neck with a chop. Crow could not keep investigating while protecting Udoka's children even though it was not his objective. He would have to take the girl back to his helicopter hidden within the Nigerian jungle.

Within the rainforest outside Calabar, Nigeria

Crow took Urenna back to his helicopter. The last thing the ninja wanted to see was the execution of a young girl. He was briefed by his commanding officer that Cain had left Calabar and was returning to Lagos. By the time Crow was finished talking with his CO, Urenna woke up from getting knocked out. Crow turns around only to see Urenna obviously frightened. Urenna panics and the first thing she grabs is a screw driver that Crow forgot about while landing his helicopter.

Crow: "Easy there girl. I'm not going to hurt you."

The girl was too angry and scared so she starts attacking Crow again. Crow easily grabbed Urenna's wrist and twisted it around tight enough to make her drop the screw driver. Then Crow shoves the girl back on the ground and has to raise his voice at her.

Crow: "Calm down! I just saved you from becoming food for the worms!"

Urenna (In tears again): "My family is gone! I'm all alone!"

Crow: "You are not alone! I am sorry for not coming in time to save your parents or your brother! This situation with your family and the people in this region is horrible! However, I will not let you suffer because of the greedy men taking advantage of innocence such as you! You cannot stay in this area anymore! I will need take you back to New York first for safety."

Urenna (Drying her face and standing up): "Who…are you sir?"

Crow: "Me? I have no name, but if you must call me something, call me "Crow"."

Urenna: "Crow?"

Crow: "Yes. Come! As long as you stay here, those men will hunt you down. I'm getting you far away from this place."
Urenna: "Okay."

Though still scared, Urenna left with the stranger who saved her from potential death. The city of Calabar was left in a state of ruin after the riots. Most of Urenna's family and relatives were either dead already or taken prisoner only to be executed later in time. The chopper flight over the Atlantic Ocean was long one for little Urenna. She drifted to sleep out of fatigue. It didn't matter where the chopper went for this was no dream that Urenna could ever wake up from.