The Micras Chessboard

The Micras Chessboard

The Micras Chessboard is a story series by Gustaaf Vermeylen. The story series starts with a follow-up story to "Arkadius and Clara: A Royal Love Story". The first series runs until 1687 AN, when the Emir of Arbor had awakened from his coma. In 1690 AN the second series began, which was republished on Micraswiki. The first series was removed between 1685 and 1690 AN and can only be read on the forum of Arbor.

First series

The stories surrounding the first series are considered over and over. Those stories can be read here.

Second series

In search of Jorvik

Now that Amir's mission is mainly focused inland, the share of the Arboric fleet has been reduced. The admiral, Edward Krüger, went on audience with the Sultan to discuss his role. He was impressed that a brand-new nation such as Çakaristan was working so energetically on nation building. His men were giving training to the navy of Çakaristan, which was partly made up of the former navy of Krasnocoria. But the threats from abroad had not increased to justify the stay of the entire fleet. Before asking the Emir of Arbor to call the fleet home, he wanted to consult the Sultan.

In the Red Fortress the admiral was received and the men embraced each other as good friends. Rank and etiquette were out of the question. Edward made his ideas known to Abu. "With all love, I will stay with my fleet in Hisn Mahmud, but this weighs on the budget. If you know a useful contribution for the fleet, the fleet is still useful," said Edward. Abu replied: "It is true that the usefulness and necessity has diminished, but to send you home, I would rather not have that yet. But had you not expressed a desire recently?” Edward looked strangely for a moment, but soon remembered what Abu meant. "You mean, that I would like to visit the former city of Jorvik? Or what's left of it," said Edward. "Yes," Abu replied, "that's what I mean, maybe I should send you on a mission". Edward began to smile and said: “I would like to do that mission”. "Then I'm going to tell you, my friend", Abu concluded.

A few days later, the convoy of some double-flagged ships, the flag of Arbor and the flag of Çakaristan, left. Along the east coast of Kendall Isle was the first part of the journey. The convoy then turned north-east. When the 30th parallel was passed, the convoy headed north, the Strait of Pearls, Edward noticed that environment was changing. No other ships could be seen on the radar. If they had a view of land, there was no activity. Once this strait was busier, because Edward had sailed to Jorvik as a sailor. Although the west coast of Keltia was largely unclaimed, the east coast of Apollonia was under Storish flag. The city of Jorvik was under the Frankish flag, and in the latter days of Stormark the surrounding area of Jorvik also came under the flag of Stormark. The intention was that the surrounding area would be donated to Francia. His Emir, the then Frankish Kaiser, was Lord in Jorvik. That time is over, both Francia and Stormark have become history.

Cakari and Nordia diplomats during the first bilateral negotiations

Yet Edward wanted to know what remains of the city of Jorvik. He was glad that the Sultan had ordered him to carry out this mission in order to satisfy that curiosity. It took some time before the fleet reached its destination. But also here it was quiet, only Edward received reports that the country was not empty. There was human activity, on which Edward sent scouts. Edward himself went ashore by landing craft near the former city of Jorvik. He found a city in great decay. One of his soldiers wanted to plant a Çakari flag on a high spot. "No", ordered Edward, "we are not going to colonise this country. We are not going to claim it, unless it is done with the consent of the local people and in agreement with the local leaders". The soldier did what the admiral said and did not plant the flag. A scout came back and reported to the admiral that there was habitation to the north. A nation in formation. Edward thought this was good news, he said: “Let's go and meet them, then perhaps we can initiate diplomatic relations with them”.

In this way Edward set course in a northerly direction. He flanked his vehicles with white flags to express his peaceful intentions. Not much later there was the first encounter with soldiers. One of Edward's scouts had already made contact, so the arrival of the admiral was no surprise. The soldiers were in contact with their headquarters, so the admiral was asked about his intentions. Edward told that he came to offer friendship with the Sultan of Çakaristan. Not much later Edward was escorted to a city, which turned out to be the capital of a nation in the making, the Holy Kingdom of Nordia. He no longer had to fly white flags, but was allowed to fly the flag of Çakaristan.

In Küfara Edward was received with all esteem. Edward conveyed the warm greetings of the Sultan and expressed his hope for friendly relations between the two nations. He was invited to appear before Her Royal Majesty and His Holiness. There he told about the Sultan of Çakaristan and the Emir of Arbor. He told about the developments of the young nations that had arisen after the disastrous year of 1685 AN. He told about Çakaristan's membership of the Union of States around the Sovereign Oceans. He expressed the hope for friendship and a prosperous future. The listeners were impressed and the diplomats were immediately put to work to draw up a treaty, so that the basis for that friendship was laid between Nordia and Çakaristan.

Edward thought he had found a ruin, but found a building site. A new nation was being built, laying the foundations for a new friendship.

Blossoms of culture

The Emir was not ungrateful for the efforts made after the fall of the Franco-Batavian Empire and the foundation of the Emirate of Arbor. He did not really feel like a global leader anymore. He began to long to leave the Al-Hamra Palace and explore his new country. Although he was not that old yet, his body had suffered a huge blow from the coma. He seemed at least twenty years older. He knew not to complain, he was lucky. A chance to see his children grow up. He missed his three eldest children, but there was secret contact.

His wife saw that he was struggling with the situation. She acknowledged that the liveliness had gone out of her husband, but was glad he was still there. When she found him, sitting on a balcony in deep thought, she suggested he go to Madinat al-Fath. There a new orchestra is going to give a concert, it would be an honour for them that the Emir is there. The Emir was delighted with the idea. So he had everything prepared to leave the Al-Hamra Palace for the first time after his coma. The bodyguards were not happy with the idea, but obeyed. Accompanied by jet fighters, the Emir flew to Madinat al-Fath. There the arrival of the Emir was received enthusiastically. For the first time since the foundation of the emirate, the Emir visited this city, the largest in the country. A palace had also been built here. A lot more modest than the Al-Hamra Palace, but certainly fitting for an emir.

People were cheering all the way to the palace. The Emir did a good job. These people still believed in him. That evening the Emir went to the concert hall, where he met the orchestra and choir. The composition of the orchestra and choir reflected the composition of the population of the Emirate. Arcadian Batavians, Arbors, Franks, etc. After a drink in the foyer, the Emir was escorted to the balcony. Those present stood up when he entered. He gestured that everyone could sit down, but instead the crowd applauded. The Emir was moved. After the audience finally sat down, the orchestra and choir began:

Arboric	Transliteration	Translated in Common Tongue
لما بدا يتثنى لما بدا يتثنى حبي جماله فتنا أمر ما بلحظة أسرنا غصن ثنى حين مال لما بدا يتثنى لما بدا يتثنى حبي جماله فتنا أمر ما بلحظة أسرنا غصن ثنى حين مال وعدي ويا حيرتي وعدي ويا حيرتي من لي رحيم شكوتي في الحب من لوعتي إلا مليك الجمال إلا مليك الجمال إلا مليك الجمال إلا مليك الجمال لما بدا يتثنى لما بدا يتثنى حبي جماله فتنا أمر ما بلحظة أسرنا آمان آمان آمان آمان	lamaa bada yatathanaa lamaa bada yatathanaa habia jamaluh fatanaa 'amr ma bilahzat 'asarana ghasin thanaa hin mal lamaa bada yatathanaa lamaa bada yatathanaa habia jamaluh fatanaa 'amr ma bilahzat 'asarana ghasin thanaa hin mal waeadiy waya hirati waeadiy waya hirati min li rahim shakuti fi alhabi min laweati 'iilaa malik aljamal 'iilaa malik aljamal 'iilaa malik aljamal 'iilaa malik aljamal lamaa bada yatathanaa lamaa bada yatathanaa habia jamaluh fatanaa 'amr ma bilahzat 'asarana aman aman aman aman	She walked with a swaying gait her beauty amazed me Her eyes have taken me prisoner Her stem folded as she bent over Oh, my promise, oh, my perplexity Who can answer my lament of love and distress but the graceful one, the queen of beauty?

Exotic unknown

Ana al-Zamard

Satisfied, Ana al-Zamard walked out of a government building in Tiegang. She had just had a successful meeting, in which she had spoken to the government in Tiegang on behalf of the Sultan of Çakaristan to build a railway line between Tiren and Tiegang. There goods trains could continue on the old Krasnocorian railway network. In this way Tiegang could become a port of access for the sultanate. She walked to her favourite coffee house, ordered her favourite coffee and wrote something in her personal booklet. A man at another table saw her sitting and came walking towards her. "Excuse me, are you Mrs al-Zamard?", the man asked. She nodded and gestured to the empty chair on the other side of her table. "My name is Pete Knight, I'm from Ralgon". "What brings you here?", asked Ana. Pete replied: "As you may know, my country has a share in this town. But what I wanted to speak to you for is: I have heard that the sultanate needs all kinds of goods. I know there are trade opportunities in The Hexarchy'. Ana thought for a moment and said: 'Why don't you take this opportunity yourself? Pete replied: 'My country and I do not currently have the opportunities to seize this opportunity. Our aspirations lie in Cibola. But I don't want to leave our friends from The Hexarchy alone". Ana nodded and invited Pete to join us for a cup of coffee.

A few days later, Ana was on the deck of the ship, the Blue Emerald. The salty sea breeze was blowing through her hair. She enjoyed being at sea again. She thought of the happy moments with her deceased husband. Their time on their luxury yacht, like newlyweds. She missed him. The captain coughed to awaken her from her thoughts. She smiled nervously and made it clear that she was listening. "We are approaching Kobol, my lady," said the captain. She looked ahead and saw the city. This city is only a stop and after a day they carry on. Now they are going up the river in the direction of Marduk. The depth sonar was switched on to control the draught. There were no depth maps of this river available. Because of this they arrived successfully in Marduk.

The gangway was plotted, after which Ana set foot ashore. To the southwest of the city lies brave the giant forests, and to the north and after that west for a more traditional hunting expedition. Through the market Ana walked on to the trading house. In this way Ana was able to make contact with suppliers of exotic fruit. There was a need for this in the sultanate. She cost a few tons of it, which was to be loaded onto her ship. With a government official she discussed the trade possibilities between The Hexarchy and Çakaristan. She was told about the USSO common market, the opportunities for Çakaristan. She promised to present that to the sultan.

The next day, when the ship was fully loaded, the ship left without her. Ana was on her way to the airport. There was a silver-coloured propeller plane ready with destination Alpazkigz.

Ana, the dealmaker

The plane landed in Alpazkigz, Ana got out and took a taxi to the city. The mystical atmosphere seemed to distract her from her goal. The unrest surrounding the decline of Bassirid areas is noticeable in the city. Yet she managed to make a deal with a timber merchant. Keltian hardwood is purchased and shipped to Arbor. There is a great need for timber for the construction industry. The desert-like Arbor has insufficient production of wood, which spares the Arbor Isles. That is to preserve the sacred islands.

In order to escape the unrest and move on to her next deal, Ana flew to South City. The Passian city is the oil capital of Keltia. There, the president of Carol Stream Oil sat at the other side of the table, while next to Ana sat a delegation from the remaining Arcadian Oil Company. Can you explain what the Arcadian Oil Company can do for us?", asked the president of Carol Stream Oil. Ana gestured that the man on her right could answer that question. The man scraped his throat and said: "Arcadian Oil Company has already distinguished itself in the technique of producing synthetic oil. There was a factory in Cruoninga, but a new factory is under construction in Fatehpur. But what he came here for is that we read about contaminated oil in your annual reports. We have developed a technique to clean that polluted oil and distil marketable oil from it. We would like to work together to help you with that contaminated oil". The President raised his eyebrows when he heard that his annual reports had been studied, he was somewhat sceptical because the production of synthetic oil affects the decline in oil. But he was interested in the technique presented for cleaning oil and making it saleable. It did not take long before a deal was made.

While the Arcadian Oil Company delegation was preparing to execute the deal, such as setting up a local office and purchasing a plot of land for a factory, Ana flew to Gondolin. There Pieter-Jan Terlinck, CEO of the Batavian Trading Company, had arrived. Together with Ana they made an agreement with local gold mining companies. The Batavian Trading Company has years of experience in safely transporting gold. The directors of the gold mine companies wanted to know how the Batavian Trading Company works. Pieter-Jan Terlinck replied: "I cannot tell you the exact details, because the fewer people know about it, the better. But it is no secret that we have our own militia, this is not allowed here. We need safe transport'. This did not curb the curiosity of the directors, but there was no more substantive information. Despite this, the deal was closed and the Batavian Trading Company opened an office in Gondolin. An office in Nova Victoria was due to open a month later.

Again Ana got on the plane, but this time she flew to Shanbao. There she had a meeting with the director of Jingdao National Petroleum. The recent discoveries of natural gas in the Jingdaoese waters of the Antican Sea led the Sultan to the idea that natural gas might also be found in the Çakari waters. In the absence of know-how in Çakaristan, a deal with the Jingdao National Petroleum is the quickest way to carry out exploratory drilling. And if natural gas is found, this is also the quickest way to extract it. In fact, the allies of the USSO had an agreement fairly quickly. The agreement in principle was signed, which would later be in the 'Antican Sea Treaty'. "So", said Ana, "it is time for a holiday". She flew to Agra, to travel there by train from the Çakar Riviera.

Storish armada

He had followed his brother's coronation on television. He had mixed feelings, as he would have liked to remain King of Batavia. But that was no longer feasible. He regretted that his daughter was not crowned. But if it were true that she was not his daughter, then crowning her would be a historical mistake. He resigned himself to the situation. He sent congratulations to his brother to let him know that he was resigned to the situation.

One day, he looked out over the harbour from the palace balcony. There was a bustle of activity. In the harbour of Madinat al-Fath it was a hive of activity. Ships moored or sailed away. An unending stream of traffic, accompanied by the sound of horns. It suddenly struck him that there was a large shed in the harbour, where he had not seen any activity. But now he will see a van standing next to the shed, quickly he grabbed a pair of binoculars and looked to see what was about to happen. Soldiers walked in and out, carrying tools, but did not take or bring anything. He asked a footman what the shed was for. The footman replied that the shed was one of the storerooms of the Storish armada's equipment. Suddenly the Emir remembered that with the arrival of a large group of Stormarkians, a large armada arrived with military equipment. The Emir ordered to show him the hangar and hurriedly that visit was organised. When the Emir visited the shed, he asked why this equipment was here. "It's a good thing we are not at war, one bomb on this shed and this city will be wiped off the map", judged the Emir. The army commander had to agree with the Emir, but that there is just not enough space to store all the equipment. The Emir thought and asked, "Is there a list of all the equipment?" The army commander nodded and took out a thick file. He gave it to the Emir, who leafed through the file with great amazement.

A few days later, the Emir attended a meeting of the government. The Emir heard about the civil war in Elwynn. Some members of the government felt like interfering or taking the side of the Republic of Elwynn and Amokolia. While others fervently pleaded not to interfere in the conflict. "Nobody is waiting for us", said one of the government members. The Grand Vizier turned to the Emir and looked at him questioningly. The Emir said, "We have enough material. For the first time I saw the list and some of the equipment from Stormark. All that equipment is maintained, but not used. So it's lying around aging, waiting to be thrown away." The Emir paused for a moment, while the pacifist government members sat restlessly on their chairs. "But, we do not have the manpower to use and deploy the equipment in a military action on Benacia. In short, we will not go to war." The government members who did want to fight were disappointed, but respected the Emir's decision.

"We can't use the equipment, it's outdated and we don't need it. So what do we do with it?", the Grand Vizier asked. The Emir replied, "There is a nation with enough manpower to use the equipment: Çakaristan." "All of it?", asked the Grand Vizier. "Everything," replied the Emir. The Emir dictated a letter to the Sultan, outlining the considerations for giving the equipment to him. A summary list was attached:

Name	Origin	Type	Quantity	Photo	Notes
Guns
Stormark 18C	Stormark	handgun	435,920,704
Stormark 11-87	Stormark	shotgun	445,667,994
Hand grenades
Stormark HG85	Stormark	fragmentation grenade	8,353,991,676
Machine guns
Stormark MG90	Stormark	machine gun	428,186,941
Stormark MG78	Stormark	medium machine gun	7,992,623
Stormark MG88	Stormark	heavy machine gun	13,231,870
Stormark APC9	Stormark	submachine gun	493,874,114
Rifles
Stormark HK416	Stormark	carbine	418,311,042
Stormark HS50	Stormark	long-range sniper rifle	894,865
Stormark 110 BA	Stormark	sniper rifle	2,559,908
Stormark Tikka T3	Stormark	rifle	431,842,505
Stormark M84	Stormark	recoilless rifle	10,016,976
Rockets and grenade launchers
Stormark HK	Stormark	grenade Launcher	13,518,728
Stormark GMG	Stormark	automatic grenade launcher	10,712,021
Stormark RB-57	Stormark	light anti-tank weapon	15,770,683
Stormark AT4	Stormark	rocket projectors	3,166
Vehicles
Stormark S122	Stormark	main battle tank	7,716
Stormark 9040	Stormark	light armoured vehicle	279,548
Stormark P360	Stormark	armoured vehicle	39,253
Stormark RG-32	Stormark	mine-protected vehicle	27,717
Stormark Hilux	Stormark	light utility vehicle	251,184
Stormark S90	Stormark	armoured combat support vehicles	1,340
Stormark T-15	Stormark	infantry fighting vehicles	24,828
Stormark AAV	Stormark	amphibious assault vehicles	20,015
Stormark AAS	Stormark	self-propelled artillery	4,150
Stormark TRF1	Stormark	towed artillery	2,703
Stormark OTO	Stormark	anti-aircraft vehicles	5,161
Stormark RMMV HX	Stormark	truck	236,305
Stormark UCV	Stormark	unmanned combat vehicles	17,268
Fighter jets
SAC J39 „Fljúgandi Griffin“	Stormark	multirole fighter	2,050
SAC J39a „Fljúgandi Griffin“	Stormark	multirole fighter	1,250		Assigned to the navy, adapted for aircraft carrier
Helicopters
Stormark NH90	Stormark	multi-role helicopter	180
Stormark 109E	Stormark	multi-purpose helicopter	200
Transport aircrafts
Stormark C295	Stormark	propeller plane	30
Amphibious transport docks
Stormark L800	Stormark	landing platform dock	6
Aircraft Carriers
Stormark C550	Stormark	aircraft carrier	15		Nuclear powered, with in total 1,275 fighter jets
Stormark LPH6111	Stormark	landing helicopter docks	3
Arsenal ships
Stormark ZZ1000	Stormark	arsenal ship	45
Littoral combat ships
Stormark LCS2	Stormark	littoral combat ship	76
Stormark LCS17	Stormark	littoral combat ship	194
Cruisers and destroyers
Stormark T101	Stormark	guided-missile cruiser	66
Stormark T172	Stormark	guided-missile destroyer	99
Fast combat support ships
Stormark T901	Stormark	fast combat support ship	21
Submarines
Stormark T1048	Stormark	submarine	81		nuclear powered