Road To Hegemony

BOOK 1: AWAKENING, CH9: BALOGUN CLAN AND THE COLONIAL WAR II

Twenty-Two years ago

Balogun Residence

"During the Colonization War, a lot of monarchs of the Yoruba Tribe asked the Balogun Clan for help. The clan mobilized all of its warriors and high-ranking personnel. Unfortunately, while the clan warriors were individually stronger than the British soldiers, they suffered a horrendous defeat because the British were better armed and had more discipline than the warriors on the Yoruba tribe's side. The clan warriors were forced to retreat in defeat. The British soldiers found the Clan village and burnt it to the ground. Some clan members were caught and sold as slaves, some were killed as their resistance led to the death of more soldiers, while other Clan members were able to escape. With the Balogun Clan defeated, the various Monarchs surrendered and the colony started to take shape." Colonel Balogun said in a neutral tone. No anger was detectable from his voice even as he mentioned clan members being killed. He continued,

"The surviving clan members later regrouped at one of the Clan's secret bases. When they took inventory of what they had, they realised something alarming. Out of the three thousand Clan Warriors, only 204 survived. Out of this, 56 warriors were mortally injured and would die if they were not treated, 87 warriors were disabled with missing limbs while the rest had light injuries. Each of them suffered varying degrees of injuries. The large Clan was reduced to just about a thousand people. The final nail in the coffin for the survivors was that the main herb in making the concoction used by members undergoing the 'Oro Akogun' was all burnt with the village. It is this concoction or this herb in particular, that reduces the risk of mortality of the training ritual. The Clan had discovered centuries ago that the herb only grew efficiently on the land where the village was built under specific conditions. Anywhere else or if the right conditions were not met, the herb grew very slowly. It might take up to twenty years for it to grow and with little yield. This is why information about the herb was kept a secret, known only to a few people. As luck would have it, all those people had died."

Colonel Balogun paused and looked at Shade as he said, "The loss of the herb is the reason why the Family can't return to his heyday. Even with the advancement in science and agriculture, we have still not been able to figure out how to grow it effectively, merely able to achieve a negligible increase in yield."

Shade came to a realisation but didn’t say anything and waited for the Colonel to continue which he did.

"Eventually, the Clan members got over their sorrows and looked for a way forward. Since the Oro Akogun was no longer viable for most of the Clan members, the Clan sort of new way to improve their strength. Someone amongst the group made mention of the British soldier's weapons and their military discipline. She suggested that the Clan should learn about these to strengthen the family. After arguing back and forth, a plan of action was conceived.

Members whose bodies were still strong enough to continue withstanding the Oro Akogun were asked to continue their training. Out of those who couldn't, some of them were chosen to infiltrate the British as slaves and meet up with other members of the Clan there. They would then find out the secret of the British weapons and military tactics.

The goals of this meeting were finally met decades later but not without a lot of sacrifices. A lot of people who continued the training ritual without the concoction died while those who became slaves also lost their lives in droves due to various reasons. The lucky break the clan, now family, caught was during world war 2 when the British trained people in their colony to become soldiers in the African War zone. The Balogun members that survived the war returned to the Family and shared what they had learnt. Finally, after so many years of dormancy, the Balogun Family rose anew from the ashes of the Balogun Clan.

They joined the army during the 'call for arms' initiative started to set up a standing military which was a condition for independence. The family members in the army were also the ones who successfully opposed those that wanted to carry out a coup d'etat a few years after the independence[1]. They were also instrumental in calming the military after said failed coup attempt. If not for those Balogun members, the country would have had a military regime which might not be a good thing for the country. This was when the Balogun Family's influence started to spread in the military and across the higher levels of government.

Although the coup was unsuccessful, it did achieve something. The government sat up to their responsibilities and the country quickly developed. Even when oil was discovered in the country, government dared not relax and spent everything on infrastructural development and military funding while making sure to support the Balogun Family."

Colonel Balogun released a breath after finishing his narration. A chuckle escaped his mouth and he said, "it seems I have digressed. We were talking about what to do about Korede." He looked straight at Shade and continued, "I am suggesting that Korede undergoes the Oro Akogun."

Seeing that Shade was about to disagree, he quickly cut her off and continued, “I know you are going to say it’s dangerous but hear me out first. The Oro Akogun (warrior’s ritual) was designed to achieve two things. One, to break the limits imposed on our bodies. Two, to allow better control of the body. The danger of the program is in the first goal. The body can’t stand continuous breaking of the limits without external aid or medicine. Korede already has no limits imposed on him, so this danger should be non-existent for him. On the other hand, what he needs is the second goal of the program, control over his body. To be on the safe side, I can convince the elders to allow the release of a portion of the herbs in making the special concoction for Korede’s use hence removing any risk.”

"Not even uncle, the Family Head, can guarantee that he can convince the elders. This is also not what he can arbitrarily decide. There are a lot of people, including some elders, who hope the concoction would be used for their children." Special Agent Balogun retorted though tempted by his older cousin's suggestion.

"I'm sure I can convince them. Don't forget, no matter what, the Family supports the strong and makes maximum use of resources, no sentiments are allowed in making decisions that affect the whole family. Who do you think would gain the most support? Someone who 'might' become strong by consuming precious resources or someone who WILL become stronger by consuming the same amount of resources?" Colonel Balogun said with confidence. "it's just that there'll be a price to pay on your part and some conditions would have to be agreed. So the question is, what price are you willing to pay?"

The couple looked at each other and nodded, “ANYTHING” They said together.

"Okay then. Let's start immediately. No time for delay." Colonel Balogun said. He stood up and was ready to leave. Special Agent Balogun wanted to follow but the colonel gestured to him not to worry and left. The next morning, an elders council meeting was called by Colonel Balogun using his authority as an elder-in-waiting designate. After a long deliberation that lasted more than four hours, the motion to allow Korede to undergo the Oro Akogun and that the special concoction be provided to him was passed but, as expected, with some conditions attached.

First, Babatunde Balogun was to rise as high as possible in the DSS as fast as possible. Second, Shade Balogun was to do all she can to become a judge with the final aim being a Supreme court Justice. Third, Korede Balogun is to start the training regimen as soon as he could walk. He is to be monitored closely to ensure there are no complications. Forth, the concoction to be provided to him is to be produced from the herbs harvested in the next harvest season nine years from now. This is to confirm that the training regimen works as reported by Bolaji Balogun. Finally, if the program is successful, Korede MUST enlist in the military full time. Also, the more the above conditions are met, the more the resources to be provided to Korede Balogun.

From these conditions given to Babatunde and Shade, anyone observant would realise that the Family wants to increase its influence in the security arm of the executive and the Judiciary. If all goes as planned, the Balogun Family will have a strong influence and significant political capital in both the judiciary and executive arm of Government leaving only the Legislature which the Family deigns to be associated with.

Seeing a ray of hope at the end of a dark tunnel, Babatunde and Shade Balogun agreed to the conditions. They worked as hard as they could to meet the condition. With the amount of effort they put in and the Balogun Family’s passive influence, the couple eventually completed the part of the agreement.

On Korede's part, as agreed he started the program as soon as he could walk, and positive results were seen quickly. Along with the training, the family provided a lot of food, hence, Korede started sleeping less and his walking improved so fast within a short time that even his trainer couldn't believe he was a child that just started walking. The program is divided into two parts, physical training and combat training. Korede continued his physical training until he was ten years old. At this point, he was visibly stronger than his peers and his control over his body had improved to the extent that he could, though only consciously, control the amount of power he uses for any action. It was finally time to begin combat training.

Before he started his combat training though, the herbs were finally ready for harvest and the concoction produced. Korede took the concoction and two things happened. First, Korede was able the subconsciously or passively set a limit on his body which caused him to have the same strength as his peer unless he actively removed said limits. Two, while his large appetite didn’t lessen, after taking the concoction, Korede was able to store large amounts of energy in his body from the food he ate. This means that he no longer becomes completely drained after using his full capability.

The training continued till the present day where Korede has become a warrior even in the eyes of the then Balogun clan. As agreed, he is reporting for duty.

Present Day

Dodan Military Base 

A taxi arrived at the gates of the military base and a youth alighted. The name tag on the youth’s left breast pocket identified him. The youth is Korede Balogun. He examined the Army base in front of him and took a deep breath. Then, he said while carrying his bag and walking into the base after identifying himself, “The Army, the Eagle squad, here I come.”

AUTHOR’ S NOTE

1 since this is a fantasy novel, I decided to change history a little.

2 Finally I'm done with the background story for the main members of the Balogun family.it was really tedious. I don't think I will go as in-depth as this for the other characters. I hope you enjoyed it and weren't put off by the long stories.