Fourth Vector Ch. 03

The marketplace lined both sides of the main thoroughfare through town. At one point, the narrow street opened up into a giant plaza as merchants and small market booths crammed into the space. Everywhere Jack looked, he could see the hustle of the marketplace with various goods being sold as well as foods to eat.

Once inside the marketplace, Jack and Greg noticed the ordinary people of the race once more. Most of them weren't dressed like the warriors they had seen and many of them just wore a simple loincloth without the distinctive coloring pattern. Even the common women went bare-chested just like their warrior counterparts.

"You think they're always so modest?" Jack whispered to the marine.

"From what I can see, that dead native woman we have on the ship wasn't unique. They're all stacked!"

Greg was right. Every single woman that crossed their paths had the distinctly sexual shape of the dead woman from the day before. All of them overflowed with gigantic breasts taking up a huge portion of their torsos, along with wide childbearing hips. Jack felt like he should be averting his eyes at seeing all the exposed flesh but the women seemed to go out of their way to approach the captives and divert attention to their luscious mammaries.

"I think they like the attention," grumbled Greg as several of them lined the path to the palace, pushing one another to get a better look at the humans.

"I guess this is their first time seeing humans too," said Jack, nodding as several of the women tried to make eye contact. Several of the braver ones even reached to grab the front of the men's trousers, brazenly making contact with their cocks.

"Somehow, I kind of doubt that," said Greg. "This is getting stranger by the minute."

The party finally approached the palace in the middle, marked by a grand entryway that included a set of stairs that led into a massive reception hall. Yet, instead of entering the hall, the group was led to a side door that started them down a long, dark passageway. At the end, a small holding cell marked by iron bars awaited them.

Both of them were pushed into the cell and the large iron gate was slammed shut, locking them in place. All of the warriors began to exit apart from two which served as the outside guard. The elder was the last to leave, watching both of them with apprehensive eyes. Finally, he turned heel and began to depart as well.

"Wait a second," started Jack, holding up his hands. "We didn't come here intending any harm. We only fired upon your people once we were attacked!"

The elder shook his head slightly. "That doesn't matter. We've had enough experiences with your kind and we know what you're like. We know how you think and what you value. We all know what happens when humans visit Lishkerra."

Jack looked over to Greg in confusion and finally it was the marine that spoke up next. "We're not from this part of the world and we know nothing about Lishkerra. What happens exactly?"

The elder sighed and pursed his lips. He seemed to be debating whether to take the bait or leave the chamber. Finally, he opened up again. "That may be so, Javan. We haven't seen your kind here in quite a while. But even so, you humans are all the same. You come to our island and try to steal our women to use as your sexual slaves. You kill our menfolk—husbands, fathers, and brothers—and decimate our society. You try to steal the land, establishing your own settlements and pushing our own people to the very edges of our own homeland. It's a tale older than time, older than this very island. What once used to be a vibrant island filled with over twenty different cities of Lishkerrans is now down to one single, solitary settlement."

"We didn't come here to hunt you or steal your women," said Jack. "We aren't from this part of the world. We're officers of the Javan Navy and we've come here to ask for your help. To ask for an alliance."

The elder sneered at them. "That's some story, Galician, but Lishkerrans don't make alliances, especially with humans."

"Why do you keep calling me that? What's a Galician?" asked Jack.

The elder stared at him before finally ignoring the question and continuing on. "I am going to report your capture to the rest of the Elder Council of Lishkerra and they will decide your fate. If we believe that you are here for nefarious purposes like the disruption of our way of life, you won't live to see many more days."

"You don't need to kill us," began Greg, approaching the iron bars. "Perhaps we can learn from each other. Our species are still very similar to each other, despite the small differences. Perhaps we can learn to be friends instead of enemies?"

"As I said already, Lishkerra has no need for friendships with double-crossing humans. No, we have but one use for humans but alliances will not be it. There will be no peace between our peoples."

"What use is that if you don't mind me asking?" asked Jack.

The elder opened his mouth to speak but fell silent. His eyes darted back and forth between the two humans for several moments before he spoke again. "It makes little difference to you now."

"Will you let the others with us go? The other humans? Can our deaths secure their free passage?" Jack asked.

The elder turned to depart. About ten feet away, he finally turned to face them. "No. They too will be destroyed just as you will be. Our way of life is too important to risk on the word of humans. We can't risk that they won't return with more of them and complete the job you started yesterday. Enough Lishkerrans have died already."

With that, the elder turned once more and left the cell. All that remained was the iron and the two warriors on guard. Near total darkness enveloped the small cell, ensuring that the two men could barely see each other.

"Well, this is a right good mess we're in," said Greg with a heavy sigh. "Never thought I'd be the one to end up in a prison cell."

"There's so many questions unanswered though," started Jack. "How'd they make their city disappear? Who is hunting them? How can we warn the rest of the ships about their intentions?"

"I don't know we're going to get any answers in here. It sounds like they've made up their mind about what to do with us."

Jack sighed. "There's got to be a way out of here." He rattled the bars in front of him, earning a sneer from one of the guards.

"Maybe we have relief coming. Maybe they're putting together a relief force of marines to come after us," said Greg. "They'll figure out quickly that we're gone and that our bodies aren't amongst the dead."

Jack thought about it for a few moments before nodding. "We can hope. But how will they find us? We didn't even notice the city when we passed by. Even if they did get all the way out here, who's to say they would see anything more than just rocks and dirt? We might be on our own with this one, Greg."

"They won't stop looking for us. This island isn't that big that they'll just give up without finding bodies," said Greg. "Perhaps if they find Ulysses, it will lead them on the path here. They dropped him about midway back to the city."

"Something he said about being hunted really bothered me though," started Jack. "They seem to be very familiar with humans but I highly doubt they've had any dealings with the Eastern nations of Java, Ruthenia, and Occitania."

"He did call me Javan though. Sounds like he knew enough about us. And what was with him calling you Galician? What the hell is that?"

Jack shrugged. "I have no idea. But I have a feeling that we aren't the only humans in the Vector. I have a feeling there are more nations located within."

"Well, duh, of course," said Greg with a chuckle. "Where do you think the Ancestors came from?"

Jack found himself chuckling along with his friend. The Ancestors were the legendary founders of Java over two thousand years ago. There were stories told to young children that the Ancestors originated in the Fourth Vector and sailed across the great ocean to settle the three continents. Yet, just like other tales about the Vector, it remained a story to either entertain or frighten young children—not taken seriously by adults.

"This may end up being the highlight of this whole mission, provided we get out alive. Stumbling upon a nation of humanoid creatures. The emperor would sure love that," said Jack.

"Provided he doesn't make us kill them first," grunted Greg.

"If he's desperate enough for allies, he'll think twice before ordering any violence. Especially with this war that's brewing."

"My hope now is just to be alive when the war starts. At the rate we're going, even that's doubtful at this point, Jack."

"There's got to be a way, Greg. We've got to find a way out of here. We didn't come all this way to die in some Fourthie execution ceremony."

The marine grunted and fell silent once more. Jack tried to rack his brain, thinking back to all his lessons at the academy, all those war scenarios and trainings. He mentally dissected each lecture from Admiral Bancroft that he could and still kept coming up short. There just wasn't much he could do unarmed and locked away. Perhaps a situation would present itself eventually, but for now, he had to hope and pray for an opening that would allow them to escape.

There had to be a way out of here. Or else their mission was truly at an end.

*****

Abigail found herself pacing around the bridge of theDestiny, eagerly clutching the radio in her hand and waiting for news. Every time the radio crackled with someone's voice, she prayed for word that they'd found the missing marines and most importantly, Jack. Yet as the night went on, no sightings or discoveries were recorded of note, and she felt her despair growing at the fate of the handsome commander.

She hated when her mind went to that place, but she was in no state to deny her attraction to the unorthodox leader. After all, that sort of attraction had been instantaneous and had led to an intense night of passion between them that had haunted her dreams ever since. Too many nights she had woken with a start, aroused from memories of her night with Jack and not able to do anything about it.

It was easy to ignore when she knew she'd be able to see his face first thing in the morning, but now it was exceptionally difficult knowing that she might never see his face again.

Even the rest of the bridge was quiet. She had expected it from her sister the most, knowing she had also spent her own intimate moments with Jack. Anna's face was a maelstrom of confusion and sadness, huddled over her command station and watching the radio with eagerness. Even Kyle and Stephanie were notably silent, both having bonded with their commander in their own way. It would be a disastrous start to their mission to lose Jack at the very beginning of it.

"When is the next patrol due back?" Abigail asked, finally getting tired of waiting for a radio transmission that was never coming.

Stephanie looked down at her watch. "Just another five minutes, ma'am."

Those five minutes took an eternity to lapse. Abigail found herself staring at the trees in a trance-like state before the door to the bridge rattled open and Captain John Reynolds, the second-in-command of the Marines, stepped inside.

"Any news, Captain? What's the word right now?" she asked, quickly approaching his side.

John removed his helmet and began to shake his head in an ominous manner. "I'm afraid we still haven't found anything. I have the men out searching but we are stretched very thin. After the attack, I had to beef up the security perimeter as well as send out search parties. Just about every marine we have is out on shore right now."

"And you still haven't found them?" she pressed.

John shook his head once more. "There's no sign of either of them. We are also missing one marine who's body we haven't found yet. I have the men out searching as wide as they can, but I can't send them any further out of fear of being ambushed in the dark."

"We have to keep looking. We can't give up until we find them," interrupted Anna, coming to stand right next to her sister.

"We might have better luck in the morning. I doubt we'll find anything in the darkness right now."

"Keep up the search, Captain. Please keep me informed and up to speed. I want to know any news the moment that you do," said Abigail.

"Will do, ma'am," said John with a salute before leaving the bridge.

Abigail returned to the window and looked back out into the darkness. She hated to leave Jack out there, not knowing if he was okay, wounded, or even being tortured by the natives for the attack on them. She didn't even want to think about what he might be seeing, or thinking, or feeling at this very moment.

Just hold on, Jack. We'll find you, I promise.

*****

Jack wasn't sure how much time had passed since they'd been imprisoned. To him, it either could have been a matter of hours or a matter of minutes. Time all felt the same in the darkened cell. As best as he could tell, the guards seemed to rotate every few hours and so far they were on their fourth set of guards.

"You still awake?" Jack asked, elbowing the major in the side.

"I am now," muttered Greg with a start. "How long have I been out?"

"No idea. I can't see your eyes in this darkness," said Jack with a simple shrug.

"Any idea how long we've been in here?"

"Too long," quipped Jack. "But I'm going to guess about half a day. I think it's probably around early morning."

"I could be in my comfortable bed right now," said Greg with a big sigh. "Or at very least be around people not covered in their own shit."

Jack let out a laugh. "I think that's war paint. Not shit."

"Does it matter? Either way, I doubt we're going to make it out of here alive."

"We're still alive—that's what matters. As long as we're alive, we've got a chance," said Jack.

Greg muttered something inaudibly and then fell silent. Jack resumed his previous activity of watching the guards until sleep took him once more.

He didn't know how long he was out but it couldn't have been very long. Jack could now hear the sounds of footsteps coming down the long walkway, each sound echoing off the walls around the passage. He sat up to watch the entranceway through the bars and found his adrenaline starting to run at seeing the elder from the day before appear at the prison gate.

The elder muttered something to the guard and suddenly that same guard produced a key, moving to unlock the iron bars.

"Let's go you two. You're done in here," said the elder, beckoning them from the cell.

Greg hopped up and promptly stretched his arms. "I figured it would be a little longer until we got executed. I didn't think it would happen this soon."

Strangely, the elder simply smiled. "No executions today. You both get to live a little longer."

Jack's brow furrowed. "What do you mean? What need can you have for us then?"

"All will be explained soon enough. I need you both to come with me for the time being."

Jack looked over to Greg to find the man already watching him. The marine shrugged at him and approached the prison door.

"Before you go any further, you should know who I am," said the elder. "My name is Vigo. I am a member of the senior council here in Lishkerra. It was I who led the attack yesterday on your positions although it was the council's decision collectively to attack you in the first place."

"Why are you telling us this?" asked Jack.

"Lishkerrans are honest people. You won't find many liars amongst our people as it's just not in our disposition. It is important that we start on the same footing especially with what we're going to ask of you in the coming day."

"What does that mean? What are you going to ask us?" asked Greg.

"That will be revealed in time. For now, I need you two to follow me. As long as you do as I tell you, you won't be in any harm."

Jack shrugged. "I guess it beats rotting away in this prison cell."

Vigo smiled. "I had a feeling you'd see it that way. Now follow me."

Vigo led them down the passageway that exited on the side of the massive palace in the middle of the city. This time, he led them up the giant staircase that dominated the front of the palace itself. Jack found himself staring up at the massive stone columns that held the entire structure aloft. Compared to the simple wooden hovels, the palace seemed to be the only thing built to last.

Once they reached the top of the staircase, both men inhaled deeply at seeing the grand hall in front of them. There had to have been close to thirty columns holding up the entire ceiling, each of them broader than ten men standing together. A long, wooden table lined the opposite end of the grand hall, and Jack could already see four other Lishkerrans sitting behind the table, apparently waiting for their approach. Vigo gestured them to follow him and for the first time, Jack could make out the features of those behind the table.

They all appeared to be quite aged like Vigo. Three elder women sat prominently at the middle of the table and one older man was sitting on the flank. Once they arrived, Vigo moved behind the table as well to sit on the other flank, leaving the three women in the middle. Each of the women carried long, dark hair spaced with enough silver to hint at their advanced age. They were short like the rest of the race and even from their seated position, Jack could tell they were similarly endowed like the other Lishkerran women.

The other man on the end appeared similar to Vigo except that he was much less in shape than the elder warrior. Time had rounded out his stomach to a significant degree and he chose to remain beardless as well. In all, their faces were mostly unreadable, and even though Vigo had promised them no further harm, Jack couldn't be sure of their intentions just based on body language alone.

Surprisingly, it was Greg who asked the first question. "Why are we here?"

The woman in the middle squinted at Greg and tilted her head. "I could ask the very same question of you. Whyare you here, Javan? It's been a very long time since we've seen a Javan in Lishkerra."

Greg looked over at Jack, unsure of his answer. Sensing his apprehension, Jack took a step forward.

"We are here because we are on a mission. My name is Commander Jack Easterbrook. This man is Major Greg Vaughn, under my command. I am the commanding officer of Task Force 21 of the Imperial Javan Navy. Our emperor sent us into the Vector to find allies."

The woman's head craned over to Jack, confusion written into every contour. "You were sent directly to Lishkerra to form an alliance?"

"Well, into the Fourth Vector to be quite literal, ma'am," said Jack. "Lishkerra just happened to be our first destination."

The elder woman to the left of center leaned over to whisper something to the one questioning them. The woman in the center nodded and then resumed her line of interrogation.

"How do we know you're telling the truth? We have a history of bad relations with humans in general."

Jack's hands went to his pockets, looking for any type of identification he might have on him to confirm his identity. Unfortunately, most items had been left in his quarters aboard theDestiny and he mostly pulled out lint from his pockets. He pursed his lips trying to think of what to show them when a glance at his uniform gave him an idea.

"Do you see this emblem on my breast pocket? The dragon riding the waves? That's the symbol of the Javan Navy," said Jack, stepping closer to let them observe him. All five of them leaned closer to get a good look, finally sitting back down once they were satisfied with his response.

"Very well, that is acceptable," said the older woman. "Forgive us for being a doubtful bunch. With how little of us that are left, we have to be precautious."