Fourth Vector Ch. 04

"That must be hard for you to see as the king," said Jack sullenly. "I can't imagine what it must be like to watch a people fall apart like that."

Daimanos looked up at him with strained eyes. "You have no idea. It pains me every night to see my children at war with each other. All I want is to have the two halves reunited and to become a strong kingdom once more. Is that so much to ask?"

Jack shook his head gently.

Daimanos ran his hand along the steel command station. "Perhaps with your technology as part of an alliance, we could find a way to finally put an end to this conflict. Perhaps together we could bring this Heron to justice?"

"We can certainly discuss it as part of our terms," said Jack with a nod. "Especially if they are out killing women and children on nothing but whims."

"There's hardly anyone left on Sorella who hasn't seen the cruelty of King Heron," said Daimanos.

"We will see what we can do about it," confirmed Jack once again. "I would like a chance to discuss it with my crew first, but as of right now, I don't see any reason why we can't join you in an alliance."

A relieved look appeared on the king's face. "That would be so wonderful! Well, let me return to my ship and lead you to our city. We are not far from it, and I'll send word ahead about starting the banquet for tonight. If you would be so kind as to follow us, we'll show you where you can dock as well," said Daimanos with a dramatic flourish of the hand.

"We would be grateful for that," said Jack. "But we'll have to anchor out at sea for now. At least until we sign our alliance. It can't hurt to be too precautious. We'll escort you back to your ship, and we'll follow in your wake though."

Daimanos smiled gratefully, and the small crew made their way back to the main deck and to the small boat they had used to come over.

"Until I see you this evening, it was a delight to meet you, Commander Easterbrook," said the king as he gave a regal wave and disappeared over the side.

"The same for us, Your Majesty," answered Jack. Barak was the last to go over the railing without another word, leaving the Javans alone on their ships. After returning to the bridge, Jack watched as the Sorellan ships changed course and led their small squadron along the southeasterly course to Daimanos' capitol city.

As soon as they were underway, Abigail returned to her command post next to Jack.

"Well, he seemed friendly," she said with a heavy smile.

"Yes, he did," agreed Jack. "It might be easier to find an alliance here than I thought."

"You think?" she asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Maybe. We'll just have to see what happens."

"Their plight with the West Sorellans just sounds terrible though," said Abigail.

Jack nodded. "I agree. If it's something we can help with, we'll do all that we can. I don't want to see that kind of treatment given to anyone, let alone women and children."

"I wonder how it all started," mused Abigail. "Where did this Heron come from? How did he get these people to follow him? How did he turn them into such bloodthirsty brutes?"

"Perhaps we'll find out later on tonight. I'm sure Daimanos has a lot more to tell about Heron and his minions."

"Perhaps," said Abigail with a nod. "One thing is bothering me though. He said he heard of your arrival from drifters. What drifters have we run into that would know who you are?"

"That part bothered me as well. The only ones who have seen us have been the Lishkerrans. From what they had to say, they don't leave their own island very much. So who could have told them?"

Abigail furrowed her brow. "Maybe it's something that Daimanos can explain to you tonight. It seems we have a lot of questions that need answers."

"I do have to wonder what will happen if we do sign an alliance with them," said Jack out loud. "Our goal was to find allies for our war, not to entangle ourselves with other peoples already at war."

She slowly nodded. "I don't think that's what the emperor had in mind either."

Jack turned to look at her. "Do you think we should avoid an alliance with them then? For that reason?"

Abigail shrugged and then shot him a smirk. "That's above my pay grade. I will say this though—if the West Sorellans have the same technology as the East then I don't think this should be much of a fight for us. Not with steel ships and automatic rifles to counter their sailing vessels and muskets. We could make quick work of them and not really break a sweat."

"That's true," said Jack with a subtle nod. "It wouldn't be a second too soon. Not for the monsters who did all of that back there."

"I do think we need to tread carefully with Daimanos though," said Abigail apprehensively.

Jack furrowed his brow. "Why do you say that?"

"I can't quite put my finger on it. It just seems a little too easy to me. I feel like getting an alliance should be harder."

A grin slowly filled Jack's face. "Speaking of making things harder . . ."

She swatted his arm. "Don't you ever learn?"

"No, I need to keep relearning the same lessons," said Jack with a gentle nudge to her side.

She shot him a coy grin. "Is that your way of trying to compliment me?"

"Yes and no," said Jack with a chuckle. "Why, would it get me anywhere?"

Abigail's smile grew wider as she shook her head from side to side.

"Then I guess I'm not trying to compliment then." He gave a playful sigh to emphasize his point.

"Too late, Jack. It's already out there."

"Oh, I can always wind it back in."

She nudged his side. "You're going to get yourself in trouble again."

"With you, I feel like I'm always in trouble."

Abigail laughed. "Now, there's a true statement."

"What am I going to do with you?"

She turned to look at him. "Nothing that we haven't done already."

Jack fixed his gaze on her, taking in her soft, brown eyes and the flirtatious look hidden behind them. He knew by now all it was just a tease, and he knew better to pursue it. Besides, he also knew Anna would be devastated if she discovered what had already transpired between them. He was determined to hold that in as long as possible.

"This is a dangerous line of talking," said Jack finally. "Perhaps we should reel it in a bit."

Abigail's mouth dropped open. "You're the one reeling it in for once? Are you feeling okay, Jack? Is this still really you?" She put her hand to his head playfully to test his temperature.

He gave her a weak smile. "I know, I know. It's just . . . it's not fair. To your sister," he said in a whisper.

Abigail nodded eagerly. "I know what you mean. Sometimes I get lost in the playfulness too, but you're right. We should be more conscious of her feelings."

"I'll behave myself if you do," said Jack with a smile.

"Bargain struck," said Abigail while holding out her hand. He took it gratefully and they sealed their pact with a light chuckle.

As the two of them bantered back and forth and followed behind the squadron of East Sorellan ships, the one thing they didn't notice was the gaze of a careful observer. From her command station, Anna watched closely as her sister and Jack engaged in their lively repartee with silent cognizance. As both of their faces filled with a range of emotions from joy, content, and humor, Anna's filled with quiet despair.

*****

After another hour on the their course along the Sorellan coast, the crew of theDestiny were greeted with their first sight of the capital city of the East Sorellan people. Jack approached the front of the bridge to get a better look, taking in all that Daimanos' city had to offer. The city itself was set against a low hill, crushed in between on a small plain that hugged along the coast in the shape of a curved rectangle. Above the city dominated an impressive, gigantic palace, almost double the size of the one located in Lishkerra.

This palace shone brightly on its western side, it's marbled columns reflecting the rays of the afternoon sun in a dizzying array of brightness. A large, intricate facade covered the western portion, and Jack could see what appeared to be carved engravings of legendary scenes and heroic peoples. In front of that stunning portico was a large fountain, throwing up a steady stream of water before coming splashing down into a large pool. Above the palace itself flew a giant red and black war flag, partitioned into equal parts with an emblem in the middle that Jack couldn't quite make out at this distance. Simply put, It was quite a fitting residence for a king.

Unfortunately, the rest of the city left a lot more to be desired.

"It's kind of like they spent all their time and resources building Daimanos' palace, eh?" said Greg, standing at his side.

He wasn't wrong. What remained of the city below was nothing short of chaotic. Small, stone-built houses were clustered together and stacked almost on top of each other for the lack of space. Their tiled roofs slanted down on each side and colored in dull reds and blacks. There were no stunning porticoes or majestic fountains in the lower part of town. What was left to that portion remained a bleak affair, uninspired in its normality, and even a bit depressing when set against the palace.

Jack even got the feeling that those buildings that remained standing in the lower city were the lucky ones. On the western portion of the city, just outside the town gate, stood the charred remains of a tiny village. All that stood standing were several foundations of crumbled stone and tile, a chilling reminder of the civil war on Sorella. It seemed that the houses behind the wall were the lucky ones despite their condition, an opinion that Jack voiced to Greg.

"I can understand a little opulence but his palace is nearly as big as the emperor's. When compared with those little houses below, the difference in income is stunningly apparent," said Greg.

"Perhaps this is just the way their society is," said Jack. "Or perhaps there ongoing war has made repairs impossible."

Greg nodded and said nothing further.

In front of them, the four-ship squadron of East Sorellan vessels began to slow down as they drifted closer to the docks along the city's coastline. The ships slipped past a long jetty made of stone into a protected harbor and prepared to dock just along one of many wooden plankways in the port.

Inside the harbor, a small flurry of activity took place due to their arrival and Jack could already see a small crowd forming along the water's edge. All along the entire dock, mostly commercial vessels were lying in wait, many of them already back to port after a long day. From the opposite side of the harbor, Jack could see many ships that were grounded on an opposing beach. Many of them he could tell were disabled in some way, either missing sails, rudders, or damaged in some form. From what he could see, Daimanos' only capable warships were the four ships that met them today. Almost triple their number were beached in some state of disrepair, evidence of the conflict that seemed to consume the entire island.

While the four Sorellan ships docked, Jack gave orders to steam their task force to deeper waters some distance from the harbor. They picked a spot far enough from shore and anchored while Jack gathered a few officers and marines to go ashore with him in the launch boats.

"So, who's going to be the lucky ones to go to shore?" asked Stephanie out loud, looking around at her colleagues.

Jack pursed his lips in thought. "This banquet that they have planned should be a formal affair so it'll mean commanders. However, just because we are about to sign an alliance doesn't mean we need to be lax about security. For that reason, I'm going to take Abigail and Greg with me to the banquet. I'd like to have Luke and Vicky stay with their ships. I want the other officers to stay put for now."

"Aye, sir," said Stephanie. "I'll radio the other ships and let Vicky and Luke know."

It didn't take long for Jack, Abigail, and Greg to get ready to go and they soon assembled on the deck of theDestiny with their escort of marines.

"Okay, let's get going. Keep your radios with you just in case anything fishy happens during our meeting," said Jack.

After all three of them had loaded into the small boat with the marines, Jack lowered the motor into the water and began the short journey over to the main docks. At just over half the distance there, he could see King Daimanos waiting for them as well as a small posse of people surrounding him. Many of them were cheering and waving during their approach.

"Looks like they're happy to see us," said Greg, motioning to the group.

"Perhaps this war has been worse than we thought," said Jack.

Finally the small boat pulled alongside the main dock and Abigail was the first to jump off and tie up the boat. As the three of them made their way down the dock, they were greeted on the other side by Daimanos and his group.

"Welcome, friends! Welcome to East Sorella," boomed the king, waving his hand at the city behind him.

"It's an honor to be here," said Jack with a slight bow. "You already know Lt. Commander Wainwright and Major Vaughn."

"Good to see you again," said Daimanos before turning to look back at the harbor. "Your vessels cut an impressive figure out there. Hopefully, we can join each other in alliance soon and right the wrongs that have happened on our island."

Daimanos then turned back to face his assembled group. "I have gathered with me the government of East Sorella. You are already familiar with my First Minister Barak." The large man showed more friendliness than the last time around and nodded his head.

"My Minister of War is Alcydes," said Daimanos, pointing out a very tall man standing beside Barak. Alcydes let slip a small smile and nodded his head.

"Lastly, is my Minister of Economy. This is Nikias."

The man introduced as Nikias happened to be very standoffish, and he reluctantly stepped forward to shake hands with all the members of Jack's group.

"Welcome to East Sorella," said Nikias shortly as he reached Jack. Jack got the impression that if anyone was going to be a problem, it would be him.

"Come, Jack," said Daimanos with a heavy clap to the back. "Let's get you set up in your quarters for the evening."

"Oh, you don't have to do that—"

"Nonsense! I won't hear any more on it, Jack. You have to stay with us in the palace. Hospitality calls for it," said Daimanos, leading them from the docks into the city. "Besides, my people are already hard at work setting up the banquet for tonight! The last thing you'll want to do is try to navigate the city and the docks when you're all liquored up."

The group moved swiftly through the city on their way to the palace. On either side, ministers and warriors seemed to flank their small group of five, cutting off much of the city from Jack's view. At rare glimpses, he was able to see close up the common people of East Sorella and it was a near heartbreaking sight every time.

Most of the people here were near starvation. They were paper thin, with narrow, bony faces and dark set eyes. The majority of them wore tattered tunics, caked with mud or filled with holes. What was left of the people were mostly women and children. Adult men were few and far between. It reminded him greatly of the dead bodies they'd recovered earlier.

The entire time they moved, Daimanos rattled on about some topic or the other. At first, Jack tried to stay focused on his words to be a courteous guest but as each topic descended down some rabbit hole or the other, he found himself tuning out the king in order to watch the suffering people of East Sorella.

Finally, they reached the foot of the great hill itself, and Jack was awed to see a gigantic stone staircase in front of them leading all the way up the hill. At the base of the staircase was its own guard station, filled with two warriors each shouldering their own type of long-barreled rifle.

"Up this way, my friends," called out the king as he began the ascent. "Just at the top will be my palace."

The entire group trudged their way up the hill, and despite being in reasonable shape, Jack was nearly out of breath by the time they reached the top. The view was worth the climb and getting a chance to see Daimanos' home up close led him to the certain belief that it was bigger than the palace of Charles IX. In front of them, the fountain sprayed water up to nearly fifty feet in the air, coming down into a pool that was large enough to fit just about the entire crew of theDestiny.

The giant marbled columns that supported the roof were larger than the casemates that held the guns on his heavy cruiser. There must have been at least ten of those columns along the western side, and many more along the longer northern and southern ends. Jack looked up in awe at the giant portico above the columns, each decorated with a scene involving heroic men and beasts.

Daimanos must have seen the look on Jack's face because he stopped to address him personally. "What do you think, Jack? That portico tells the stories of our gods. Countless oral traditions passed down from father to son over thousands of years. It is the pride of all Sorella."

"Your palace is incredible, Your Majesty," said Jack.

Daimanos beamed with pride as he led them inside the palace. More guards moved out of the way as they entered the main great hall and the sounds of their footsteps echoed across the entire auditorium.

Finally, they reached a large hallway with many rooms appearing off the sides. Daimanos pulled Nikias over to him and stopped the Javans. "Now, my minister Nikias will show you to your rooms. Our banquet will start in the next hour. Please make yourselves comfortable, and we shall see you in the eastern courtyard at sunset."

As the king marched away, Nikias gathered them closer together with his unfriendly gaze. "Now then, please stay with me and I'll show you to your quarters."

"Thank you, Nikias," said Jack as they moved along the hall. "Tell me, how long have you worked for Daimanos?"

"I've had the pleasure of working with him for two months now," said Nikias without much interest. "I'm the newest of the ministers in East Sorella."

"Such a new career," said Jack while trying to be friendly. "You must have had some luck with your previous endeavors."

Nikias winced. "You can say I've done well. Enough to be put in charge of our entire economy. Which, sadly, is fully dedicated to fighting West Sorella."

"We sure would like to know more about your conflict. Perhaps at the banquet tonight?"

Nikias fixed him with a glare. "Is it true that you're open to an alliance with us?"

Jack nodded tentatively. "It is. I think we'll be able to come to some kind of accommodation with your people."

"That it is. I hope with your help, this conflict can soon be ended and the real aggressors can be put down," said the minister firmly.

"Nikias, will we be fine to attend the banquet in our uniforms?" asked Abigail, pointing down to her plain naval jacket.

"Of course," snapped Nikias. "What else would you wear?"

Abigail made a shocked face and they arrived at their rooms shortly after.

"Here you are. Each of you will have your own room. Men on the left and women on the right. You'll find facilities capable of drawing a hot bath as well as some of the most comfortable mattresses in this part of the world. If you need anything, there will be a servant monitoring the halls at all times," said Nikias, opening the door. "I must say though, that if you have a desire to leave your room, you must be attended to at all times. No one roams the palace, the grounds, or the city alone."

"Why is that, Nikias?" asked Greg.

Nikias looked like he wanted to say more but promptly shut his mouth. A moment later, he opened it again. "Why because there's a war going on. We can't have anything happening to our guests, can we? Anyway, call if you need anything."