Integritus Prime

Recently, my family and I watched a TV series where the theme was about being tainted or blemished. What intrigued me was how the story developed around human emotions; scarcity; vulnerability; politically initiated riots and ethnic cleansing. However, the actual relevance of the title did not come through until the very last episode. The outcomes addressed the power of love over hate, goodness over evil and the ability to change in a violent environment to support a loved one excel in life. More will be revealed as we unfold the story from different perspectives.

The female lead (we’ll call her Ann) was a high-ranking police officer. She lived with her loving Dad (Rick) and was told that her mum had passed away. At work, Ann was given the task of investigating politically instigated riots that had occurred in a small town more than 30 years ago. While investigating, she uncovered some photos of riot leaders in old reports. Soon after this, she saw similar photos in her father’s old suitcase. When she questioned him, he became very sad; he asked her not to investigate the riots, and then clamped up completely.

This puzzled Ann. However, she traveled to the small town in question and interviewed many elders who remembered the riots, which involved burning, looting, rape and killing a particular ethnic group. The riots were politically motivated by a mastermind, but framed as ethnic cleansing in retaliation against the assassination of a leader by someone from the targeted ethnic group.

The homes of this ethnic group were marked by a sign during the day (as in the Nazi era) and were targeted for destruction at night when everyone was home. The leaders of the riot were supplied by petrol (to make fire bombs), knives and other weapons for murder, and paid in cash after the deed was done. Families including women and children were raped and killed inside their homes, their belongings were stolen, their homes and businesses were burned. Even their cars parked on the road were torched.

People of the targeted ethnic group were migrants who were escaping unrest from another nation. What kept turning up, during Ann’s investigations, was the photo of one of the riot leaders, who had a different name from her father’s current name, but was the same person.

Ann couldn’t believe her loving father could be this ruthless riot leader. After a lot of confusion and soul searching, she told her father that she had nothing to say to him.

The perpetrator (Carl), who had incited and paid these young people (Rick and his friends) to conduct the riots thirty years ago, was a politician now. Carl visited Rick while Ann was away and advised him to take the blame for the riots if he wanted to protect his secret. Being very sad, depressed, and wanting to protect someone else, Rick did just that, and was arrested for leading the riots thirty years ago. Because Ann was judged to be misleading the investigation and protecting her father, she was suspended from duty.

When the trial started, Rick did not try to defend himself in any way. At the very last moment, there was a twist in the proceedings and someone from overseas appeared to give testimony. It was revealed that this person was Rick’s true love (Mary), who for various reasons (to be explored later) had left town right after the riots.

During Mary’s testimony, Ann found out that Mary was her mother, who was raped during the riots and that Ann was born as a result of that rape. Ann was shocked beyond words. Her reaction of shock and love towards her mother was heart-wrenching to observe; and her feelings for her loving father (Rick) were also confusing her deeply. He had taken her as his own and brought her up with so much love.

If you were surrounded by the most unimaginable atrocities and anarchy, what would motivate you to act in the most altruistic and loving way possible?

Join us next week when we discuss this question from different perspectives in Part 2.