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The sun was beating down and the humid heat was stifling in Batavia at the end of the 17th century. This city, now known as Jakarta, was once the capital of the almighty Dutch East India Company, the VOC, one of the most powerful capitalist enterprises in human history, able to sit at the same table as JP Morgan, Standard Oil, Toyota, Microsoft and Google.
The city housed the VOC warehouses, essential for storing spices, coffee and other goods destined for the Netherlands, attached to the port of Sunda Kelapa, the company's entry and exit point. All this was protected by the Kasteel van Batavia, a fortress built in 1619 to defend the city against native and foreign attacks. It also housed the headquarters of the Governor-General, the VOC's supreme representative in Asia.
A young woman crossed the Kasteelplein, the city's political and military heart. Don't be fooled by her frail appearance and small stature, for she was one of the most feared soldiers in the VOC army : Captain Myriam Schoppenboer.
Despite her young age, she had already risen through the ranks of the army. A woman of unfailing courage, she had sworn loyalty to the VOC. Legend had it that she left her native Japan at the age of sixteen to serve the company, drawn by the company's tales of glory and power.
Never mention her age, her Japanese origins, her supposed fragility, the unnatural color of her orange hair or the fact that she's a woman, on pain of being challenged to a duel and subjected to terrible humiliation.
Myriam had proved her worth against the Portuguese, the armies of the local sultans, but above all against pirates. On her first mission, she successfully defeated a former VOC soldier who had become the leader of a buccaneering army and the worst enemy of her former superiors.
When the VOC needed to accomplish a crucial task, the Governor-General called on her. This was precisely why Captain Schoppenboer had been summoned : a mission of the utmost importance.
In his office, the Governor explained the situation to her: a young slave had escaped from the rice plantation where she was working, having sabotaged the reserves and equipment belonging to the company. According to the information received, she was heading north towards the Aceh region, infamous as a pirate haven.
The objective was clear : capture the fugitive alive, bring her back to Batavia for interrogation to determine whether she had acted alone or on behalf of a group, and then ensure that she “served as an example” to deter other saboteurs.
A ship and crew were already waiting in port for immediate departure. We had to act fast before we lost track of her. The captain set off for Sunda Kelapa, motivated by this new adventure and determined to clear the VOC's name.
Once on board, she gave the order to weigh anchor. Direction Aceh, where danger awaited.
Meanwhile, a carrier pigeon flew northwest from Batavia, a message attached to its leg.
A few days later, in a village at the mouth of a river in the Sultanate of Aceh. Behind the apparent tranquility of this peaceful fishing village lay the lair of one of the region's most powerful pirate clans.
This was an ideal place for these brigands to escape the VOC soldiers. Moreover, a deal had been struck with the Sultanate authorities : in exchange for a percentage of the loot, local officials turned a blind eye to their activities.
Among the village buildings, a tea room stood out. It served tea and coffee, of course, but also arrack, a local beverage fermented from rice, sugar cane or palm sap. No rum or taverns here: this is neither Nassau nor Port-au-Prince, but a region governed by Islamic law, where alcohol is forbidden.
This tea room was the headquarters of the pirate clan. The thugs would meet here to relax between two expeditions at sea.
The day was taking its usual course in this den when, suddenly, a young man burst into the lounge, out of breath. He made his way to the back of the building, where two guards stood guard at a door. Some very important people must have been behind it.
“Is our captain in ? I have a message from our spy in Batavia.” declared the pirate, trying to catch his breath.
One of the guards nodded and asked him to wait. He knocked on the door and waited for permission to enter. Once permission was granted, he entered the room alone and emerged some fifteen seconds later.
“Yes, she's available to see you.” he announced.
The messenger entered the dimly lit room, far more ornate and luxurious than the rest of the hideaway. Several of the clan's lieutenants were present, but above all, the captain.
The latter rose from her armchair, hidden in the shadows, and advanced towards the messenger. The subdued light from a small window gradually revealed her silhouette : she was a young European woman, recognizable by her headband and the necklace she wore around her neck.
“So... you have a message for us, according to my guards.” said the captain in a voice surprisingly gentle for this environment.
“Yes... Captain Kiki, our spy in Batavia has sent us a carrier pigeon. It contains information that should interest you.”
The messenger handed her a piece of paper. The captain read it carefully.
“The VOC has sent Captain Schoppenboer on a mission to the Aceh region. She is looking for a young saboteur who has damaged the company's interests in a rice field. Her ship should soon be crossing the Strait of Malacca.”
Once the message had been read, the young pirate ordered everyone present to leave the room.
Now alone, she settled back in her seat and pondered :
“The VOC is sending Captain Schoppenboer to the Straits of Malacca... That means this mission is of the utmost importance.
Who is this person she's after ? I'll soon find out.
But one thing's for sure, Myriam... You'll cross my path again soon, and I'll avenge my father !”
Kiki had been born on the open sea. Her destiny could only lie on the water. Her father, formerly with the VOC, had betrayed the company shortly before she was born. Seduced by the prospect of a colossal fortune, he had chosen to attack his former employer.
For years, he was the VOC's bête noire. Knowing their trade routes and strategies, he was able to set formidable traps from which few ships escaped. His exploits attracted the attention of the Sultanate of Aceh, who offered him refuge in exchange for a share of his booty.
All was well for Kiki and her father, until the day the VOC launched an assault on their hideout. What seemed impossible happened : a young soldier from the company defeated the pirate leader in a duel.
Captured, he was taken back to Batavia. Kiki, a teenager at the time, managed to escape the soldiers and made her way to the city, determined to find a way to free him. But she arrived too late. The day she arrived was the day of the execution. Powerless, she watched her father being put to death in the Kasteelplein.
On the platform where her father had just died, she saw her executioner : a young woman of her own age, with bright orange hair and an Asian face. At that moment, Kiki etched that face in her memory and swore to avenge her father.
Thus began the rivalry between Kiki and the captain Myriam Schoppenboer.
Twice they had crossed paths.
Twice they had clashed.
Twice, they had ended in a draw.
But this time, Kiki was determined not to let her chance slip through her fingers.
Leaving the room with determination, she announced in a loud voice:
“Everyone get ready to board ! We're off to hunt the orange creature !”
A few days later, Captain Schoppenboer arrived off the coast of Aceh. She investigated in her own way, looking for a lead that would lead her to the saboteur. But she was always on her guard : a pirate ship could appear at any moment. And especially if this crew belonged to Kiki, her sworn enemy.
An interesting piece of information was passed on to her by a VOC spy based in Banda Aceh: a few days ago, a small boat had been stolen by an exhausted young woman, covered in filth. He assumed she had headed for the island of Pulau Nasi to hide out. Without wasting any time, Myriam set course for the island.
The next day, Kiki's crew docked at Banda Aceh.
Without waiting, the pirate went to meet a local administrator. A few gold coins were enough to loosen her tongue. He confirmed that a fisherman had complained about a young woman stealing his boat a few days earlier. However, the man had not pursued the matter any further after the victim had told him that the boat had been found east of Pulau Nasi.
As Kiki prepared to leave, the civil servant hinted that he had another vital piece of information... but that it would only be revealed in exchange for a second “contribution”.
Slamming another handful of gold coins on the table, Kiki waited.
The corrupt man smiled and said that Captain Myriam Schoppenboer was probably already on the island.
At these words, Kiki's eyes lit up with a ferocious gleam. A wide, toothy grin spread across her face.
The ultimate battle was imminent.
The VOC ship had been moored for over a day on the shore of Pulau Nasi. Soldiers searched the island from top to bottom for the saboteur, but their efforts were in vain.
Captain Myriam Schoppenboer, convinced that the criminal was still hiding in the dense jungle, had a hunch. Raising her eyes to the canopy, she ordered her men to do the same. She had a hunch that she might be able to hide at the top of a tree, as the forest was dense.
Her instincts were never wrong. Less than an hour later, two soldiers shouted through the forest to report that the fugitive had been found on the top of a tree.
Immediately, other men converged on them, followed by the captain.
The fugitive, exhausted by days on the run, clung desperately to her hiding place. With the energy of despair, she fought off the soldiers who tried to climb up and grab her.
But Myriam was not one to stand by and watch. With lightning agility, she pulled herself up the tree at astonishing speed. The saboteur, surprised by this lightning ascent, had no time to react : the captain grabbed her violently by the arm and, with a powerful gesture, tore her away from her refuge.
The young woman fell to the ground, surrounded in an instant by a horde of armed soldiers. She was trapped.
“Bravo, Captain ! The fugitive is in our hands !” shouted a soldier, proud to serve under such a formidable warrior.
Captain Schoppenboer ordered her troops to return to the ship with the prisoner.
Once on board, Myriam faced her prisoner.
“Let's see... A young woman of mixed race, black hair, green eyes, dirty and exhausted... I think your journey ends here, Maya”.
“Uh... I-I don't s-s-see wh-who y-you're s-s-talking about...”
“Really? Your memory seems to be failing you. Let me refresh your memory: you escaped from the rice field where you were working... and sabotaged VOC property. Such an act deserves exemplary punishment. But a specimen like you deserves different treatment.”
“Ahah... yes... uh... like becoming your personal slave ?” joked Maya with a shy but charming smile.
A silence fell over the boat. Then Myriam burst out: “NO ! You'll serve as an example to the other slaves... by being executed on the Kasteelplein !”
The young captain moved even closer to Maya.
“But I doubt you could have accomplished this alone... Give me the names of your accomplices, and I'll assure you a painless death.”
“I have no accomplices ! I did it all alone !”
“LIAR ! If you don't talk, the trip back to Batavia may be long... and very painful.”
But suddenly, a cry pierced the tumult of the ship.
“BOARDING !”
Myriam turned sharply in the direction of the shout.
“What do you mean, 'boarding' ?!”
“Captain ! Pirates attacking from the beach !”
Myriam saw a horde of pirates charging towards the ship. Her gaze fixed on a figure at the head of the group.
Kiki.
The young pirate had circled the island from the south, crossed the forest, and was launching a surprise attack from land instead of sea. A brilliant ruse.
The pirates stormed the boat, crossing swords with the VOC soldiers. Blades clashed, gunfire rang out
As for Kiki, she had a single target in mind.
She slashed her way through the soldiers, cutting down those who had the audacity to try and stop her.
Finally, she came face to face with Myriam.
They had already faced each other.
They'd left each other without a winner.
But this time, it was different: one of them was going to die.
“It's my lucky day ! First the saboteur, and now you ! I'm going to capture you both and return in triumph to Batavia. My glory will be ETERNAL !”
“You're wrong, Schoppenboer. The only thing going back to Batavia... is your corpse. But rest assured, your employer will give you a lovely funeral.”
Their eyes locked. A duel was inevitable.
Then Myriam drew her sword and threw herself at Kiki.
In one swift movement, the pirate brandished her sword to defend herself.
Their swords clashed with a metallic ring, as two distinct fighting styles collided. : on the one hand, Myriam's military rigor and martial discipline gave her a clear technical advantage. On the other, Kiki compensated with cunning and unpredictability, dodging and attacking with lightning agility.
Both fighters were locked in their duel, oblivious to the battle raging around them. The confrontation between soldiers and pirates seemed distant, almost illusory. As for Maya, she didn't know where to stand, a powerless witness to a battle where the stakes escaped her.
At the last moment, Myriam dodged a vicious attack from Kiki, but not quickly enough: the pirate's blade slashed her left cheek.
The VOC captain smiled wryly.
“Is that all you can do ? I'm disappointed.”
She retaliated with a series of swift blows, forcing Kiki to back away. But the pirate didn't let herself be overpowered. With a fluid movement, she deflected Myriam's sword and, taking advantage of a loophole in her guard, brutally disarmed her. The captain's weapon fluttered to the other side of the ship, while Myriam fell heavily to the deck.
Kiki approached, sword raised.
“What did you say, Captain ? You talk a lot for a little girl who has just lost.”
She was convinced she'd won. But Myriam rolled to the side at the last moment, dodging the fatal blow. The pirate, taken by surprise, lost her concentration for a brief moment. With a violent kick, Myriam struck her enemy's saber, throwing it overboard.
A stony silence descended. The two rivals stared at each other. All over the ship, the battle had left its mark: wounded, debris, broken swords... The confrontation had cost both sides dearly. Myriam knew her sword was out of reach. Kiki was in the same predicament. There was only one solution : hand-to-hand combat.
They stood on guard, ready to pounce on each other.
But a small voice suddenly broke the intensity of the moment.
“Uh... Mymy, Kiki... I think the fight's over.”
“How dare you call me that, you barbarian ? You deserve further punishment for your rudeness !”
“Mymy... I just got a text from Mom. She's asking for us to come home, the sun's about to set... and the kids are starting to leave.”
“WHAT ?!”
Mymy and Kiki's world suddenly collapsed.
We weren't in Aceh, at the end of the 17th century, but in a playground in the Netherlands, in October 2019.
The “ship” was just a miniature replica that Kiki loved to play on. Maya's tree ? A slide from which Mymy had caught her sister at the top before sliding down. Swords ? Plastic or foam toys. The rare pistols? NERF.
As for the soldiers and pirates, they were just kids enjoying the afternoon with the teenage girls. All greeted Mymy, Kiki and Maya before heading home, accompanied by their parents.
“Well... I guess it's another draw.” commented Kiki.
“Unfortunately... You're right,” sighed Mymy. “We'll have to organize another duel.”
“We'll determine a winner one day.”
“As soon as possible, I hope.”
Kiki walked away.
“In any case, it's been a fun afternoon. I'm going home now. Thanks Mymy and thanks Maya for coming to play with us.”
Mymy and Maya waved back to Kiki, then got on their bikes to head home.
On the way back, Mymy turned to her sister.
“I was scared... I thought you were going to ask me to colonize your « Virgin Islands » again.”
“Uh... Haha... No... There were children, though.”
“In any case, I'll remember your offer to become my personal slave.”
“Hey, what's said in the game stays in the game ! Don't you dare bring it home again !”
A little further on, Mymy added:
“Thanks for coming, it was my pleasure.”
“I said 'yes' because you insisted.”
“But you said 'yes' !”
“Well, you've got a point...”
“Besides, you hadn't put up your 'Do Not Disturb' sign, so I deduced that you were available.”
“Okay, two points...”
“And I think you didn't have such a bad time.”
After a silence, Maya admitted :
“I'm bowing out...you won 3-0.... Your games are pretty fun, even if I didn't like my part.”
Mymy's warm smile sent a comforting warmth through Maya's heart. Her afternoon had been a success; they'd had fun together.
As they pulled up in front of the house, Mymy's cell phone vibrated.
Kiki had just sent her a text message.
She read it: “Thanks again for this afternoon. We had a lot of fun with the kids again. Thank your sister too, it was great having her come with you. I hope she comes more often ! Kisses !”
Mymy mentioned her best friend's gratitude to her sister.
Maya shyly asked for Kiki's number, wanting to thank her in person.
Mymy's eyes lit up. She had promised herself to be nicer to her sister and to support her after her suicide attempt. She thought introducing her to Kiki would help her rebuild and have a little fun. And her efforts were rewarded when she saw Maya take the first step towards her friend.
Later that evening, Maya was glued to her cell phone. She was anxious because she didn't know what to send Kiki as her first message. She had a chance to make a friend and didn't want to make a bad impression.
Maya put aside her smartphone and lay back in bed to relax.
Then an idea crossed her mind. What if...she had a way of getting back at Mymy ? Kiki wanted Maya to take part in their games more often. Now she knew what she was going to write. So she picked up her mobile and sent Kiki her first text message, a satisfied look on her face.
The pirate Kiki had returned to her lair. She landed in her private room. As she sat down, she found a message posted on the table. She immediately took note of its contents.
“We don't know each other very well yet. But we have a common enemy. How about an alliance to defeat her together ?”
Kiki smiled.
Captain Myriam Schoppenboer's defeat was only a matter of time.