The Micras Chessboard
The Micras Chessboard is a story series by Gustaaf Vermeylen (who plays characters such as Arkadius Frederik Gustavus des Vinandy and Clara Sundara). The story series starts with a follow-up story to "Arkadius and Clara: A Royal Love Story". The intention is to describe the geostrategic game on Micras.
Chapter 1: Sunrise, sunset
V.1672
A clock strikes ten times, while a fire crackles unabated. A newlywed couple sits opposite each other at a table. On the table is a chessboard, on which the pieces are already in various places on the board. The woman at the table plays with a curled lock of hair, while she visibly thinks and looks at the chessboard. The man is sitting back, waiting for the next move.
‘It wasn't as quiet as it is now,‘ the man thinks. ‘Although his own country has risen from the dust. The country had disappeared from the map for almost half a century and almost a century before another Vinandy was on the throne. The first decade of the new Batavia was already turbulent. The uncertainty to regain the old territory, the stability of a new state and what position does the country have among the other countries?’
‘The new state was soon at a crossroads, what form of state would it be, a republic or a monarchy? At the last minute it became a monarchy. And it became a restoration of the Vinandy monarchy.’
Then the woman moves the bishop on the chessboard. A strategic move, without getting in the way of another piece. The woman did not seem happy with her move, but she accepted it. The man began to itch his beard. And put a knight that threatened the earlier resisted bishop. The man looks at the woman, who started to think again about her next move.
‘How is it possible that a pretty woman like her has fallen for him? Since their first eye contact, their first meeting and their first correspondence. She had left her country, her family, to be with him. To be his wife. She was not welcomed equally by everyone. But that didn't stop her from loving him.’
‘Her brother had to cope with great sorrow when his husband was murdered. Fortunately she was with her brother when the news came that her brother-in-law had been killed. She could support him. Shortly thereafter, she married, an empty chair in the cathedral. A tribute to the generous giver of territory. The country he left fell apart.’
The woman looked at her husband and asked, "What are you thinking of?" The man replied: "On the Batavia rose from its ruins and how Shireroth collapsed." The woman nodded and said, "The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, but Batavia rose in the west and Shireroth set in the east."
An hour later the man was staring at the ceiling. Beside him was the regular breath of his wife, while her words echoed with him. When he finally fell asleep, he saw her face. His wife's face. She said to him, "It is time," her face caught when he apparently looked at her questioningly. Trumpets sounded and she said, "Come, my husband." They walked toward the upright doors, while hundreds of people looked at them along the aisle. At the end of the aisle was a throne on an elevation. He recognized that throne, that is the Golden Mango Throne. He suddenly realized what was happening, he carefully looked at his wife next to him, who smiled proudly at the people along the aisle.
Music filled the room [1] while he stood in front of the Golden Mango Throne and turned to the people in the Great Hall. His wife stood beside him, while the regent handed him the imperial crown. He took the crown, held it up, and placed it on his head. That is why all those present bowed to him as he sat down on the throne.
The music turned into a rhythmic buzz, and he woke up. The alarm clock continued to buzz undisturbed and his wife said to him, "Turn that thing off." He was still reeling from the dream abruptly ended. His wife grumbled about his slow response and reached over him to silence the alarm.
"What is it?" She asked when she saw that her husband was still looking confused. "It seemed so real," he stammered. As she rested her head on his chest, he told what he had dreamed. She rose, put her hand on his cheek, and said, "Maybe that dream is a vision of the future." "I don't believe that," he responded fiercely like being stung by a wasp. "I know that," she responded and kissed him.
Later that morning she came to his office. She saw him standing in front of the large map on the wall. The map included Benacia and the Madison Isles. He looked deeply at Shirekeep. In order not to frighten him, she pretended to cough. Her husband turned and said, "What is it, my love?" She smiled and said, "Aren't you coming for lunch?" "Oh, of course," he responded, and they walked arm in arm through the corridors of the palace. "What were you staring at," she asks, to which he replies: "It is strange that the generous donor of territory to our country has been murdered, but that the murderer has not yet been arrested." "Indeed, it seems that the remaining Shireroth is unable to catch the perpetrator, but can't the intelligence service help?" She replies. "That is politically sensitive," he responds.
That afternoon the Prime Minister came for his weekly visit to the king. Current affairs in the government are discussed, after which the king asks, "What can we do to find the murderer of the Emperor of Shireroth?" The Prime Minister, surprised by the question, answered: "Little, Your Majesty." "Is the primary suspect not of Batavian descent?", The king asks, "Could that be an argument to investigate him." The Prime Minister, unhappy with these questions, answers: "Your Majesty, I can see what I can do, but we must prevent us from sticking our hand in a wasp's nest."
While thinking, the king's eyes wander and saw the chessboard with which he played the day before, and behind it the map of Micras. "It's like a chessboard, the Micras chessboard".
Chapter 2: Coronation of a king
VI.1672
The king of Batavia crossed the border by train. Arriving at the new city under construction, the train stopped at Hauptbahnhof Peterplatz. The king and his queen consort were driven to the cathedral in a convertible. Along the route the Amokolians stood in large numbers, cheering and happy that they are independent again.
Arriving at the cathedral, the notables and the generals were waiting for the royal couple. Even the generals looked happy when the king and his queen consort climbed the stairs of the cathedral. Finally, Amokolia was independent again, another king on the throne. The king and queen consort greeted all notables and generals on the landing. Most importantly, the king saluted in front of the flag of Amokolia.
Once more the royal couple turned around, waving at the crowd. In the cathedral the notables and generals advanced, after which the royal couple followed. The royal couple walked over the red carpet to the center of the cathedral. The bishop was already there. The Feldmarschall, Erik Thorne, took a step forward and read the "Declaration of Brandenburg".
"May I ask His Majesty, are you willing to be crowned King of Amokolia?" The Feldmarschall asks. "Yes, I am prepared," replies Arkadius. Then the bishop comes forward and says, "By divine power and with the will of the people, I crown you with this crown." He puts the crown on Arkadius's head. "The sword of justice and justice," the bishop places the sword in Arkadius' hand. "With this globus cruciger you are the connection between the secular Amokolia and the church".
Then the bishop also places a crown on Clara's head, saying: "That a king cannot perform his duties without support, you have been crowned Queen of Amokolia with this crown."
The general salutes his king and queen, turns around and proclaims: “Long live the King! Long live the Queen! ”Those present in the cathedral respond with“ Hooray! Hooray!".
Chapter 3: Spy on the Orient Express
VI.1674
As a newlywed couple, James and Emma Tazelaar were on their Honeymoon on the Orient Express. The train journey from 's Koningenwaarde to Shirekeep would take a few days and that is why it is common for the passengers to get to know each other. One of the fellow passengers on the train was Jaap van Pijpervale. During the first stages of the journey, it clicked between James and Jaap. Their shared preference for cigars and whiskey was the basis for this.
Emma realized that there were a number of people with unclear background among fellow passengers. Their background story was sometimes too good to be true or too vague. Indications that it is not correct.
One evening, when the train had left Benacia, James and Jaap had drunk so much that Jaap got loose. Jaap said that he was a catamite of the murdered Kaiser Ayreon IV. James pretended he did not know and asked about palace life. Jaap started making advances towards James. Emma had already gone to the cabin, but had not yet gone to sleep.
Suddenly it became dark on the train. The train drove through a tunnel, but the light had also fallen out. The sound of two gunshots reflected in the tunnel. A scream sounded and Emma grabbed her purse for her gun. The light turned on again and a noise was heard. Emma quickly went to the Salon carriage, where James and Jaap were. There she saw the two men in blood. No gun to be seen.
After a few days, James regained consciousness at the Koningsbergen hospital. Emma sat next to the bed and was happy to see that James was consciously. She quickly asked what had happened before the police started questioning him. James said a man entered the carriage, pulled a gun, and the lights went out. “Jaap screamed in pain while becoming unconscious. But I knew that Jaap ... ", James stopped abruptly, because of the detective's arrival.
After the detective asked about the events, he asked about the man with the gun. All passengers on the train were accommodated in the Oriental Hotel in Koningsbergen. They were interrogated there. But none of the passengers complied with the description that James had said. And a few passengers had disappeared.
“James”, Emma asked, “What are we going to report?” James responded: “The double of Jaap van Pijpervale is no longer. He stated that the real Jaap van Pijpervale is not the murderer of Kaiser Ayreon IV, because they were together when the murder took place. That alibi is confirmed by a photo of the two of them at the time of the murder in a hotel just outside Shirekeep. The murder of the double was probably committed by a hit man. The weapon used is an M1525 9 mm Pistol."
Chapter 4: Meeting on the bridge
X.1674
Since its arrival in ‘s Koningenwaarde, Arkadius has been moved by the history of all residents in what is now Amokolia and Batavia. Shocked and upset, he learned the history of the Froyalaners. He continued to study this and was deeply saddened by what happened.
Amokolians, Batavians, Froyalaners, Jing and Shirerians together in two countries under one monarch.
His distant ancestor and great example is King Arkadius II of Batavia. He was also king over Gascony, which since the fall of Batavia has been under the Storish flag. The title "Duke of Gascony" is a reminder of that time when western Gascony was part of the Kingdom of Batavia.
One day the king went for a drive in a car from his collection. Normally a stretch of road was closed, so that the king can drive on that road unhindered. But this time his plan to drive was sudden and unprepared. Because there is no speed limit on ReichsStraße 1 towards Frankfurt-am-Oder, the king was able to have his car perform. The bodyguards had to improvise due to the sudden plan and lost the king on the highway.
The highway ended at the bridge over the Oder, the Noah Bridge. There the king got out, there he looked west. To Gascony. He saw a woman walking across the street, dressed in a long white robe. Her appearance stood out in the twilight. The king walked curiously up the bridge to the other side. The woman he had seen came to him on the other side.
They stood opposite each other in the middle of the bridge. The woman said to him: "Recognize your origins, acknowledge our sorrow, acknowledge our freedom, son of Freya." The king hesitated, but asked: "How do you know who I am?" The woman replied: "You are Arkadius Frederik Gustavus, son of Karel Leopold, son of Frederik Hendrik, son of Æsileif Haraldsdóttir" The king nodded. “You have the divine task of uniting the countries that connect this bridge. That is what Freya told me," the woman replied. The king did not know how it could, but with divine intervention it would be possible.
Arkadius later told all this to his wife. She asked the woman to describe and after Arkadius did that, she said: "That woman, that was Yfirstormarksgythia and High Priestess of the Thingeyri Temple."
Chapter 5: Khalibali
I.1676
Under the cover of darkness, the team landed on the island of Naudia'Diva. For months there was a cat and mouse game going on with the pirates around the Florencia Isles. The political spider web was not helpful in resolving the problem. The Black Legions occupied the southern part of the island of Naudia'Diva, while the Tassity Mansabdar occupied the northern part. The pirates conveniently manoeuvre between the different occupation zones, because the occupation forces do not cooperate with each other to combat piracy. In fact, the Black Legions seem to be doing nothing against piracy.
In addition to the frustration of the commanders of the Tassity Mansabdar, the pirates always knew the escape. When one of the commanders suggested bombing the area where the pirates are most likely to be, this commander had to be held accountable to the king.
A joint operation with the Batavian Intelligence Service started with a different approach. James Tazelaar was part of the team that landed on the island. Within a few minutes the team was off the beach and made their way through the dense vegetation of the island.
The Batavian Intelligence Service had assisted the Tassity Mansabdar to find the pirate camp. The advanced satellite images had located the camp. Now that the team was approaching the camp, some guards were eliminated. A few buildings were visible between the trees.
Music sounded in what turns out to be the main building. The team went from building to building, sometimes hiding behind trees, crates and other objects. The team managed to reach the main building without a major alarm being sounded. From hidden positions the team members could look at the central courtyard. James saw the pirate leader there and signaled to his teammates the sign of confirmation, that is the target.
To his surprise, a dance was started, singing was heard from the courtyard. The spectacle was exuberant and actually even entertaining to see. The pirate leader had escaped so many times, but now he was in shot. Right at the end, James gave the signal. The pirate leader was shot at from various sides.
When the dance was over and it was realized that the pirate leader was dead, several pirates tried to flee. But James had activated the signal, so the Tassity Mansabdar helicopters knew where to go. The pirates knew it was over. They surrendered without a big fight.
When the courtyard was empty, the body of the pirate leader was still there. James was standing next to it. The previously heated commander arrived. "This is him," he said. James nodded but was silent. The commander snapped his fingers, two soldiers approached. One with an axe and the other with a chest. With one blow, the commander cut off the head of the pirate leader, who was subsequently put in the coffin. "Send it to the Imperial Regency".
Chapter 6: A real dream
< 1676
Cheering rose from the field, around lay corpses, wounded, and others cheering. Nearby was a cheering soldier with an eagle flag fluttering. The soldiers all look at him, cheering over the apparent victory. "Your Majesty," said an officer, "congratulations on your victory! The city is within your reach.” He looked south-east, where that city lay. That city is the crown jewel, the main prize.
People were already partying in the large tent of the army camp, while the wounded were still being looked after. Upon his arrival, the cups were raised in salute to the king and the victory. He washed his hands and saw his bloody face in the reflection of the water. He sighed.
While he was sitting at his seat, a general stepped forward and began his speech: “Your Majesty! Tomorrow we are going to the city, to Shirekeep. After years of fighting, opposition and struggle, the last battle was delivered today. Therefore, raise the cup and drink, for tomorrow the wines of the emperor. Tomorrow we will bow to the new emperor on the Golden Mango Throne!” There was toasting and cheering.
The procession to the city began, there the entrance was glorious. “Arkadius! Arkadius!" The cheering went slowly into a whisper: "Arkadius, Arkadius". A hand on his cheek while his other cheek was kissed. The kisses were interrupted by whispers in his ear. He surrendered to his wife's love-making. The dream that was only a dream. The love of his wife, that was real.
