Fourth Vector Ch. 01

Especially bodies belonging to Jack's crew.

"Jack, you got to see this." Luke waved over a man with a stretcher, covered by a blood-stained blanket. Upon reaching Jack, Luke then gently lifted part of the blanket. Underneath was his engineering division head, Victor Star. Half his body was charred from the flames.

"Fuck, not Victor," said Jack. Feeling the tears sting his eyes at the quiet engineer who had so faithfully served, Jack didn't have long to grieve. The victims were just too many. Those that could be helped made their way to the hospital. Those who were already gone were piled wherever there was space.

By midafternoon the fires that were left were under control, and the cleanup process had largely begun. Both of the commanding officers under Jack's squadron reported their casualties. Luke reported that theValiant lost Lt. Star as well as three additional sailors. Vicky Carter reported the loss of two sailors and slight damage to the bow of theTiger due to an exploding shell. All in all, they came out relatively unscathed compared to the rest of the town.

After making their reports, Jack tasked both commanding officers with finding replacement sailors. That part wouldn't be too hard, but finding a replacement for Victor would be the difficult part. Jack felt his eyes sting at just the thought. How do you replace such a loyal and brave man like Victor?

By the time the sun was starting to go down, it finally dawned on Jack that he never made that ten o'clock meeting with the commodore that had been scheduled for today. Part of what made him realize was the fact that his deputy, Lt. Settler, suddenly appeared outside his quarters.

Twitch was the one who alerted Jack to the visitor. "Sir, Lt. Settler is here to see you."

Remembering the meeting, Jack wasted no time. "Send him in, please."

Lt. Settler walked in and saluted in a crisp fashion. Jack noticed the smug look on the man's face was noticeably absent today. "Commander Easterbrook, given the events of this morning, Commodore Lucas regrets he hasn't been able to meet with you. If you are ready and willing, I am to escort you to his presence to have that meeting."

"Of course, Lieutenant. I'm ready for the Commodore and will follow your lead."

It was a quick walk over to the Javan headquarters of Quiller's Cove. As they walked, Jack took stock of the destruction caused by the Occitanians and noticed how very different the base looked today as opposed to yesterday. Now there were men on each of the base's machine guns nests as well as men manning the spotlights around the town. They were all dressed in their formal battle attire. It looked very much like war as opposed to yesterday's peace.

Settler led him to a short and squat building that looked nothing like a formal headquarters, being tucked away from the main buildings and completely unmarked. Jack had to wonder if its obscurity was the reason why it was picked to avoid making it a target. He noted that the building was one of the few in town that had escaped any damage from the attack.

Once they were inside, Settler brought them up three flights of stairs to the very top floor where a door marked the headquarters of the commanding officer for the entire base. Rapping on the door twice produced a barely audible voice from within.

"Come in."

As soon as Settler cracked the door, Jack's eyes caught sight of the man within seated at his desk. In his hand was a handheld radio, and he was responding to the various chatter that filled the airwaves. Most of it had to do with this morning's attack.

Jack took a seat while Settler stepped out and closed the door firmly behind him. While the commodore responded to the last series of messages, Jack took time to study the man whom he'd only seen once before, and that was in passing. He was an older man with grizzled, gray hair and a tough-looking demeanor. That tough exterior was further enhanced by a scar that ran the length of his jaw, barely noticeable unless the light hit it in just the right way. With dark eyes and a broad chest, the commodore didn't look like the kind of man anyone would want to tangle with.

Finally, the man's eyes settled on Jack. "So you must be Commander Jack Easterbrook then, I take it? I'm Commodore Stanhope Lucas."

Jack nodded. "Yes, sir. You and I met once before but it was several years ago."

Lucas raised his brow. "We did?"

"Yes, sir. You gave a speech at the academy one year when I was a sophomore. I believe you were still a captain at that point."

Lucas slowly began to nod. "That must have been some time ago. Very rarely do I get such invitations anymore."

Jack nodded but before he could ask why, Lucas stood up and pulled out a certificate from the cabinet. "See this, Jack? This is from the day I graduated from the academy over twenty-five years ago. Do you see that rank?"

Jack grabbed the paper from his hand and looked back up. "You graduated top of your class, sir?"

"Damn straight. In any other country, I'd be close to the commanding officer right now instead of just a lowly commodore in some remote island posting."

"If you don't mind me asking, sir—why is that?"

"In one word: Bancroft."

Jack furrowed his brow in confusion. "Admiral Bancroft?"

"That's the only Bancroft I know. I don't think even that bastard has much of a family."

Jack didn't say anything further and remained silent until Lucas began to speak again.

"Anyway, did you know that Bancroft and I graduated from the academy in the same year? Bancroft was always a good student as well as a good sailor and he graduated in the number two spot. Just behind me."

"I'm sure that didn't make you very good friends," said Jack.

"Not at all. One of my only demerits at the academy came the night I socked Bancroft in the jaw for daring to hit on my girlfriend at the time. Right in front of me too, the son of a bitch." Lucas grimaced and rubbed at his chin.

"Anyway after that, he and I never stayed in the same room together if we could help it. My career showed a lot of promise from the start. I was promoted into command before Bancroft and at one point, we even served on the same ship for a few months. I could've squashed him then but I thought I'd let the bygones of the academy go by. Let sleeping dogs lie as they say. I commanded several battleships and even a squadron of them for a time until Bancroft got promoted over my head. From then on, I was the head of Quiller's Cove. No more prestigious commands and no more recognition from the emperor or the navy. And about as far away from Java as you can get."

"So Bancroft used his power to banish you. He put you just far enough away that you could still be useful but stay entirely out his way."

"Bingo, Jack. You're probably wondering why I'm telling you all of this? I've heard the rumors. I know that Bancroft is the reason for your rapid rise within the navy."

"About that, I—"

"Save it, Jack. It would just fall on deaf ears. After all, Admiral Percival Bancroft is the hero of the Javan navy. And you are his star disciple. What could I possible say to derail any of that?"

"I just want you to know that there is a malevolent side to the Admiral. For now you're on his good side and enjoy it while you can. Follow the promotions and make a name for yourself. But there will come a day when Bancroft sees you more as a threat than an asset. And he will look to neutralize you that day. Learn from my mistakes, Jack."

Lucas sat back in his chair and watched Jack for several moments as he processed his last statements. When Jack next hesitated a glance at the old commodore, a surprising smile appeared on his lips.

"But you and I both know that's not why you're here. You didn't come here to listen to an old fool talk about past mistakes. You came here for an important mission. Probably the most important mission in the whole damn navy. No doubt, it was made much more complicated as of this morning."

"About that, sir, do you have any more information of what happened? Why were we attacked?"

Lucas looked at him directly. "Because war is about to start, Jack. I know it as well as you do. Bancroft knows it. Even the emperor has been preparing for it for months now. What I want to figure out is what would make the Occitanians so crazy as to shell the only Javan naval base for thousands of miles."

"Has war been declared? Could we have just not gotten the news yet?"

Lucas shook his head. "The latest radio transmissions directly from the capitol in Belfort haven't mentioned any news of war yet. We are still technically at peace."

Jack frowned. "These two Occitanian cruisers had to be the same ones that were shadowing my squadron on the way out here."

"Most likely, Jack. I haven't had any other reports of enemy ships in the area, but I wouldn't be surprised if they are keeping tabs on this place. I just don't know why they are willing to behave so recklessly when a war could be sparked at any moment."

"Unless they've finally decided they're ready for war," said Jack.

"That very well could be. If that's the case, are we ready?"

"My squadron will do its duty, sir. We'll fight down to the last breath and bullet."

Lucas smiled but then began to shake his head. "I'm afraid not, Jack. You were destined for a different mission. As much the navy would love to have you back east for the fight against the Occitanians, you've been hand selected for this mission."

Jack gulped and watched as Lucas began to fish around his desk. After a few moments, he found what he was looking for and pulled out a very crude map, spreading it across his desk. Most of the map itself looked to be open ocean, except for a giant black-filled hole in the middle. There was some coast line before it turned into the hole, but for the most part, the map showed an uncharted territory. All the way in the southeastern corner stood the naval base of Quiller's Cove. Jack wiped away the sweat on his brow at seeing the map, one he'd seen so long ago at the academy.

"Do you know what this is a map of, Jack?"

He nodded. "That's the Fourth Vector, sir."

"Right you are. Do you know why I'm offering you this map today?"

Jack looked up and met the commodore's gaze. He whispered, "you're sending me in?"

"Yes, we are, Jack. You are to go where no Javan has ever explored before. We need you on this mission to explore the Fourth Vector."

Jack took a deep breath as his last meal threatened to come up. In that instant, all the crazy stories he'd ever heard about the vector came rushing back. From the childhood stories about Fourthies stealing kids who didn't go to sleep on time, or to that one time when another Javan ship claimed to have captured a Fourthie and brought it back to Java. Jack could still remember the sight of the blonde-haired and light-skinned woman as she caught his gaze in the final moments before her death.

In that moment, he could only ask the one question that filled his mind. "Why, sir? What possible reason could they have for sending me there?"

"I'll be frank with you, Jack, since I know you're not one that has time for bullshit. We need allies. This conflict with the Occitanians is about the begin and you know the Ruthenians will pounce as soon as our back is turned to deal with them. We'll be fighting a war on two fronts. You and I both know that the Javan navy is not what it used to be. Most of our ships have seen better days and there's not much money floating around to bring on new ones. We are going to need all the help we can get."

"But this is the Fourth Vector we're talking about, sir! There's nothing but savages in there. Even if we could get them to fight, and that's a big if, how would they help us? They have no ships that we're aware of. They don't even appear to have much in the way of technology. They'd be a hindrance more than anything."

Lucas listened to him and began to nod. "Aye, Jack. You and I think much the same way about them. I ain't never heard of a Fourthie being worth a damn but this order comes all the way from the top. The emperor himself is the one who sanctioned this mission, and it was the emperor who called for you to lead it."

Jack's jaw dropped. "The emperor asked for me personally?"

"That's right. No doubt that Bancroft is behind this and you know how I feel about that."

Jack shook his head. "This entire mission is predicated on the fact that the Fourthies would even want to join us. From what I've heard about them, they'd sooner eat us instead of fight with us."

Lucas nodded. "Jack, I don't blame you for being upset. I sympathize with, I do. I think the coming war is going to require all of our best men and that means you. I can't say I see the point of sending you this deep into uncharted territory but that is the order that's been given to you. You know what happens to those who disobey the emperor."

Jack took a big sigh. "I do, sir. I'm not sure how I'm going to do this mission, but I will accept it and do it to the best of my ability."

Lucas pounded the table. "That's what I needed to hear, Jack. And besides, you haven't heard the best part about your mission yet. Follow me."

Lucas stood up from his desk and headed for the door. Jack followed him out into the hallway of the third floor, staying just a few steps behind the commodore. At the end of the hallway, Lucas produced a key and placed it inside a heavily armored door, which gave a creaking sound as the lock turned.

Inside were two clerks, both hard at work at the stations in front of them. Lucas led him around the side until he came upon a large, locked chest. Producing another key, Lucas turned the lock and opened the chest, earning an astonished gasp from Jack.

Inside laid more gold than Jack had ever seen in his entire life. Stunning, sparkling golden coins in the likeliness of Emperor Charles IX filled the entire chest.

"Go on. Pick one up and touch it," said Lucas, urging Jack forward.

Jack grabbed a small handful and rolled the soft metal between his fingers. He examined both sides of the coin—one side had the profile of the emperor while the reverse carried the great seal of the Javan Empire.

"Now that you know it's real, this is all yours, Jack."

"Mine?" Jack whispered.

"That's right. The emperor knew that this task would be a hard one to accomplish so he wanted to make sure you were well-supplied with funds to do whatever you may need in this mission. You shouldn't want for much with all that. But I urge you to use this gold wisely. That chest could have funded several cruisers from the keel up. Instead it's being given to you to complete your mission. You will have total authority within the vector to govern and fight as you so choose. In effect, you'll essentially be a warlord unto yourself."

Jack had never contemplated having access to so much gold before. Anything was possible with this amount. It might even get the Fourthies to give him a chance. Right before they ate him and stole it from him anyway.

"I'll make sure this gets sent to your quarters on your ship, Jack," said Lucas before grabbing hold of his shoulders and marching the stunned commander back to the door and away from the room. "But we need to address the last matter of business."

Lucas took him to yet another room, this one opening up to a balcony at the top of headquarters. The balcony itself opened up right above the harbor and afforded a perfect view of the ships. Jack could make out the silhouette of theValiant as well as theTiger, and he could see men at this very moment working on fixing the hole in theTiger's bow. On the other side of the dock stood the proud shipDestiny.

"The Admiralty doesn't expect you to go into the unknown with just your light cruiser and destroyer, Jack. Fine vessels they are—don't get me wrong—but they are a bit underpowered for the mission we have in mind. You're going to need something with a bit more speed and firepower. Something with twelve inch guns even."

"You don't mean . . ."

"That's right, commander. TheDestiny is coming under your command. From this moment forward, you carry the designation of Task Force 21. TheDestiny,Valiant, andTiger are yours to command for your upcoming mission. I'm even assigning you two companies of Javan marines as well. We want you to be as prepared as you can be to accomplish this task. Before you leave, I'd like to introduce you to Lt. Commander Wainwright of theDestiny. Being that you'll have your headquarters on the ship, I think you should be intimately familiar with your officers."

Lucas then spoke into the radio. "Send in Wainwright at once, Lt. Settler."

"Aye, sir," came the response.

In that next few seconds, Jack heard the audible sounds of footsteps approaching the commodore's office. A quick turn of the handle and an opening door produced a gasp from Jack's lips.

He'd expected to see a big, manly naval officer walk through the door.

Instead, he was greeted to the view of Abigail stunningly dark eyes and quiet, confident smile.

"Ah, Lt. Commander Wainwright, please come in. I'd like to introduce you to Commander Jack Easterbrook."

"No introduction is necessary, Commodore. I've already had the pleasure." Abigail grinned at the double entendre, and Jack almost breathed a sigh of relief that it went over Lucas's head. They shook hands as smoothly as two people could who didn't just spend the night tangled together.

"Good to see you again, Abigail," said Jack, while trying to keep a serious face.

"And you too, sir," she answered with that sultry look that she was famous for.

"Abigail, thank you for joining us," said Lucas as she sat down in the second chair in front of his desk. "We have news to share with you."

"What news would that be, Commodore?"

"You and theDestiny are being assigned to Jack's task force. Jack will be your commanding officer for his upcoming mission. I will allow him to fill you in on the details but I need you to prepare your ship for sailing out immediately."

Abigail dropped the smile on her face and paled visibly. "Sail out? Right now? After all that's happened this morning?"

"That's right, Abigail. You look like you've seen a ghost. Are you all right?"

She took a moment to recover her composure. She chanced a quick glance at Jack before turning to face Lucas again. "Quite all right, sir. I take it we're going to chase after the Occitanian raiders from this morning? There's nothing I'd love more than to get them within the sights of my guns."

Lucas's eyes flickered to Jack for a moment before a call came in from the radio that was addressed to him. Lucas grabbed the radio and prepared to respond before turning to them one last time. "As I said, Jack will fill you in. I need to take this one. You're both dismissed for now."

As the commodore's attention turned to the radio, Jack leaned in and nudged her elbow. "Come on—let's go outside. I'll explain everything out there."

She looked at him with apprehensive eyes but a nod of her head shortly followed, and they left the third floor office. It wasn't until they were back on the street and away from any listeners that Abigail opened up to him.

"Jack, what the hell is going on? Why was Lucas being so cryptic just now?"

Jack took a deep breath before spilling the news. "We're going into the Fourth Vector. That's our new mission." He took a few minutes to explain everything that Lucas had just told him.

The color never quite returned to her face as he explained the details. In fact, she almost looked a little scared to be heading so deep into the unknown. "The Fourth Vector? Are they crazy?" she whispered. "Do they want us to get speared by a bunch of savages?"