The final chess pieces have been placed. Tension peaks as the steamship HMS Spitfire begins to cut through the Malacca Strait toward the borders of Batavia's waters. Onboard, Julian and Kartika must face the reality that their return is the start of an irrevocable revolution.
The sky over the Malacca Strait was iron-gray, reflecting the anxiety churning in the hearts of the passengers on the HMS Spitfire. Julian stood on the clean wooden deck, watching the black smoke billowing from the British steamship's funnel. Beside him, Admiral Sterling handed him a brass telescope.
"Look to the horizon, Julian," Sterling said heavily. "Past that line, I can no longer protect you with British law. You will be entering Friedrich's hunting grounds."
Julian aimed the telescope. In the distance, he saw the sleek silhouette of a Dutch patrol ship—the KNM De Ruyter—already waiting at the international water limit. Friedrich had apparently anticipated that Julian would return with foreign aid.
"Kartika," Julian called out without looking away. "Are you ready if we never reach the shore?"
Kartika stepped forward, her hands gripping the ship's iron railing. She no longer wore her disguise veil. Her firm, beautiful face was now fully exposed to the sea breeze. "I have been dead since the day they took my father, Julian. My life now is to ensure Batavia sees a new dawn."
Meanwhile, in a fishing village on the Kendal coast, Adrian was inspecting lines of youths holding bamboo spears and several Snider-Enfield rifles he had successfully smuggled. News of the "Exiled Prince's" return had spread like fire over dry grass.
"Listen!" Adrian shouted, his voice overcoming the roar of the waves. "Tonight, when you see red fireworks in the northern sky, that is the sign that Julian's ship has arrived. We will not attack soldiers who surrender, but we will break every chain that shackles this land!"
Anne Marie, who was inside the ship with Ibu Siti, clutched Kartika's evidence box tightly. She knew the letter she sent to the Netherlands would take weeks to arrive, but their presence here today was living proof that no bullet could refute.
"Prepare the cannons!" the captain of the HMS Spitfire shouted as the Dutch patrol ship began signaling warnings for them to stop.
The battle for the future of Batavia has just begun.
Here is the translation of the Culture & Language Notes from Chapter 36:
Culture & Language Notes
KNM De Ruyter: A typical name for a Dutch warship (Koninklijke Marine), representing the colonial naval power striving to maintain the status quo.
Malacca Strait: One of the world's busiest sea lanes, serving as a silent witness to the shifts in power and political intrigue in Southeast Asia.
Kendal: A coastal region in Central Java that was strategically ideal for secret landings, far from the tight surveillance center in Batavia.