Tope and the Ason officials sat inside the old hut made from bamboo sticks. The officials had their mats arranged in a horizontal manner with their legs crossed, facing each other while Tope sat on his mat, his back to them. Eyebrows scrunched together and a mouth set in a thin uncompromising line were the only things that gave viewers an insight into the rage and frustration he was feeling within. His thoughts were currently weighed down by the recent developments of the Han Lords against the Akpachapụ anya and his lips moved as he unconsciously mumbled his feelings to himself. Standing up from his mat, with his hands towards his back, he turned to greet the officials cheerfully – his voice echoing through the interior of his personal hut, far too modest for a man of his status.
"We all are here today, as members of the star men society, because the determinant of the society made us one." he started.
"We need to always remember that the stars shine at night, both on the Iko people and on the Akpachapụ anya clan. The ability we have is a gift given by the "Irawọ didan", the goddess of stars. She broke herself into fragments at the beginning of time, breathing life into the sons of men, and made us share in her power and wisdom. However, the greed in the hearts of men has corrupted the balance, making the circles incomplete in an imperfect state."
The officials of the Ason clan remained calm, paying attention to his words. Lifting his eyes and counting the stars, Tope arranged them in a planetary order so that future possibilities would be seen by all the officials, the trap that had been set in place, unknown to him. No sooner had he placed the sliver star which was special to the diviners, in its orbit, before the solar train star released its spell of death, causing him to go blind. Sheer terror enveloped Tope as he screamed out in fright.
"My eyes! I can't see!" He exclaimed, staggering and falling to the ground in a pained, confused heap.
The officials sprang up, rushing to help him, and right at their feet the solar train appeared before them, arranging themselves in the alphabetical order of the star men language known as "Tauraron Tauraro". The stars arranged themselves at their tips bending back and forth untill they were all glued together. All being well versed in their native alphabets, the diviners translated the meaning:
"We, the Han Lords, order you all to revoke your support for Tope as the leader of the Ason clan, or face the consequences."
It took a while for the gravity of the message to sink in. But when it did, the faces of the officials grew livid with rage as they shouted at the top of their voices to each other. Ejiro a middle-aged man among them, with skin as black as charcoal, and pearly white teeth set in a hard, coarse face, addressed the men angrily, his slender body rigid with rage.
"The Han Lords have taken it upon themselves to disgrace our tradition due to our leader's outspoken support towards the misery of the Akpachapụ anya. We will be cowards if we bow to their oppression, making them the mighty ones. It is better to stand for justice, than to stand for the many gains of evil. If we let them have their way without showing resistance, tomorrow they will do more terrible things to us. Our unborn children will never forgive us if we support tyranny today."
His voice shook in anger as he finished his small speech, sinking back to his mat and taking his seat while the other officials nodded their heads in agreement to his words. Tope smiled upon hearing the words of Ejiro as they all deliberated on what line of action was to be taken.
They agreed to release the ancient star symbol of resistance, the 'leopard star', formed by merging stars together into one. The star merging was a sacred art performed only by the officials of the Ason clan whenever the clan was in danger, but it only lasted for some hours because stars could not co-exist in each other. This was because the stars belonged to different star men and so were not only capable of existing on their own but depended on it. If forced to co-exist together, it lead to death among the star men.
Joining their hands together, they all gazed at the stars causing them to merge and become one, due to the bonded hands of each man. With every official focused on their target, the stars appeared to the Han Lords.
