Una Laing
Una Laing is a character played by Niki in Bones of the Naga
Background
Una grew up on the tropical Island of Lanka in the Salton Sea, where her father was a fisherman. Una, her mother, and two smaller brothers sold the fish at market in Lanka Town, a dangerous merchant city with a reputation for danger and less-than-legal dealings. Una's father, Michael, worked long hours but was fortunate to own the boat on which he worked. They were not rich by any means, but the belongings they had were nice in comparison to the plight that had stricken those in the inner city of Lanka Town.
Una's mother Lea was a beautiful woman who was rescued by Michael when she was young. Her family had been taken capture during a raid of drug merchants, and she had hidden in a muddy bay for 6 days before Michael found her while out fishing. Despite the age difference between the two (nearly 20 years), the two fell in love and began a family.
As the oldest, Una was expected to help out with the family business. She spent many hours stoking fires under smoked fish and tying knots for her father's nets. Once she went out with her father for a weeklong sail, where she learned how her father casts out nets, preserves fish on the boat, and how he sets bait for the fish. And oh, how many fish they caught! She could hardly believe the ease in which her father seemed to pull fish out of the water. The other fisherman gathered around the fish and taught her to choose the best fish and to throw back the small ones. The trip had a longlasting impact on her, and throughout her youth she learned how to cook and use the fish her father caught, as well as how to catch her own fish from the shore.
In Una's early twenties, her father died in a fishing accident, leaving Una and her mother Lea to care for the two younger brothers. Unable to make ends meet, Lea was forced to find work in Lanka Town as a prostitute. She was gone almost every night, and Una was left to take care of the home, the laundry, and to prepare whatever meals she could summon with such meager provisions for her and her brothers. As the months progressed, Lea became ill and could no longer work enough to make ends meet. Una and her brothers became desperate, as the Syndicate, the local government, was sure to come claim the debts the family had accrued.
One night, when Lea was working, a large storm set in. The wind and rain were so fierce that Una feared the home would collapse. Without the advice of her mother, Una gathered her brothers and ran towards the inland jungle, to seek shelter from the giant trees. As they neared the edge of the jungle, a troop of Syndicate thugs paroling the jungle outskirts bore down on their shivvering group and siezed them all, tying them one to another by hemp rope.
"Ah, Bandulu, nah. Come wit' a nah an' we dan bun ya!" (You thiefs! You're coming with us, and we're going to [burn]kill you!) said the largest of the thugs.
Una struggled, but to no avail. Her brothers wailed in fear and panic sunk in. She found the rough flesh of a finger or perhaps an ear and bit as hard as she could. Suddenly a blow to the head silenced the commotion and all struggling stopped.
Una woke up the next morning bound in ropes by her hands. As she looked around, she found herself in an outdoor jail cell with others in a similar plight. She kicked and screamed while onlookers cowered in fear. Not realizing the consequence for causing a scene, she was swiftly kicked by a Syndicate jailkeeper. He kicked her repeatedly until she thought her ribs had been broken. Finally it stopped, and she doubled over, sobbing silently.
For days she was continually beaten, raped, and starved under the watch of the Syndicate. With no news of her brothers, her demeanor grew dark, and she began to feel despair. One sunny day, the jail door opened, and all of its inhabitants were bound together and marched out into the muddy street. Local merchants and citizens gathered near as a drunken member of the Syndicate shouted with slurred speech, "Hey nah, see it, sistren an' bredren a Lanka! 'Ere be day Bandulu fer ya all pleasure. Skettle mon, dat. An' now who go with who?" (Here they are, ladies and gentlemen of Lanka, this group of criminals is here for your pleasure, and cheaply to. Now who will buy?)
Within an instant, Una was thrown down on the ground as the drunken man slobbered over her. His words were incomprehensible, but she could feel the bottoms of his bare foot standing on her butt, rolling her on the ground. An excited crowd threw out shouts and curses as each of the prisoners were bought by rich merchants. A heavy, drunk pirate staggered over to her, still face down in the mud. He pulled her up by her hair and inspected her teeth.
"This whore will serve me well! She's mine."
Just then, an old man came out of the crowd. With a foreign gentleness, he asked the jailer to name a price for the girl. The pirate grunted indignantly, but the foreigner begged his forgiveness, that he had already made arrangements for the girl. Una slowly stood up as the jailer called out a price that was beyond the budget of anyone in the crowd. The foreigner nodded, and brought out his pouch. Una wiped her face as tears rolled down her cheeks.