Fourth Vector Ch. 05

Just when Jack thought they may still have a chance, a deafening roar appeared from the East Sorellan ranks as each cannon let loose at the same time. All along the entire wall, a mass of ordnance slammed into it and created the loudest noise Jack had ever heard. The sheer cloud of dust thrown up by the single bombardment brought back the hazy cloud over the battlefield, and the Javans struggled to pick off the attacking third wave alongside the West Sorellans.

For his own part, Jack felt like a machine by the time of the third wave. Calmly identifying each target and shooting at a vital area, he moved from man to man, never quite stopping to see if they were dead or wounded—as long as they were down, they couldn't try to kill him any longer.

"I'm about out, Jack!" yelled Greg over the roar of battle. "We need those other marines to get here right now!"

"I'm close too, sir! I can't hold them much longer," said Brandon while surrounded by spent casings. Firing his last bullet, his gun jammed. "That's the last one!"

"Sergeant, get your ass down to the beach and find those marines. Guide them to our position! Hurry on the double, now!" yelled Jack while picking off another soldier who had his musket raised to his own position.

Brandon quickly scampered down what remained of the rampart and disappeared into the city. "I sure hope he comes back," muttered Jack to Greg as they kept up a steady fire.

It seemed to do them no good. The wave just kept coming no matter how much lead was poured into their front ranks. Whereas at the start of the battle, Jack had been picking men off at the tree line, he was now just struggling to keep them away from the wall itself. There was no respite and his clip was about empty.

Another heavy cannonade smashed into the walls, the sheer force pushing Jack and Greg back from the main rampart and causing them to cough heavily as their lungs filled with debris.

"We may need . . . to pull back!" sputtered Greg, his lungs hacking their way empty as he struggled to return to their position.

"If they take this wall, it's all over! We have to hold," yelled Jack as he took a moment to shoot down another enemy who had started to crawl over the rubble at the foot of the rampart. They were on top of them now.

"Hold them with what?" asked Greg, taking the moment to look back to Jack.

"Use your service pistol and keep your knife in your other hand. Do whatever it takes," yelled Jack.

Greg unsheathed his pistol shortly after, making a series of close shots as the East Sorellans began to assault the rampart directly. At such a close range, even the fire from the pistol was deadly, and one too many men got a swift helping of lead to the face and upper torso. It just didn't seem like enough though, and Jack knew their position would be overwhelmed at any minute.

"You look like you could use some help!" yelled a voice from behind them, and Jack was deliriously happy to see Brandon once again as he tossed full clips of ammunition to them both. He wasn't alone and five more marines hit the rubble around them and began to open fire on the enemy.

"Brandon, you have no idea how happy I am to see you," said a very relieved Greg as he was once again able to open fire with his NT-12. The coordinated actions of all eight men began to take their effect and the enemy was steadily beaten back from the defensive wall. About twenty dead East Sorellans marked the furthest advance of their army as their bodies laid crumpled and broken against the rubble. Either way, Jack was just glad to have a moment's respite to catch up.

The reinforcements quickly turned the tide of battle, at least for that particular wave of attackers. Soon, they started to fall further from the wall, never again getting as close as they'd managed before. In due time, it seemed that their so far inexhaustible numbers were finally starting to run dry.

"Jack, come in. Jack, can you hear me?" came Abigail's voice from his command radio.

Jack stopped firing for a brief moment to answer her summons. "I hear you loud and clear. You can't believe how good it is to hear your voice, Abigail."

"Jack, we're in position just off the coast. I have the guns centered on the low rising forest just out beyond the wall. Are we clear to fire?"

"Let loose with everything you've got," said Jack with a relieved grin. "Remember that these bastards just tried to sink theValiant. Show no mercy."

"Aye, Jack. Better hang on tight. You've got incoming."

It wasn't much more than thirty seconds later that a roaring boom occurred once more, but this time it wasn't from the ranks of the attacking East Sorellans. This deafening noise came from just off the coast. Jack watched with grim satisfaction as the entire surface area of the forest was lit up in one giant fireball.

"Holy shit, look at that!" exclaimed Brandon from Jack's side as the earsplitting roar of the gunfire was slowly replaced by screens of agony. Those closest to the blast were incinerated almost instantly, a quick and merciful death. Those who had it the worst were the ones just far enough from the blast to catch some of the fire. Those men suffered the excruciating agony of burning to death where they stood.

Another salvo opened up and another and soon the ground trembled and wept at the carnage. What remained of the East Sorellan attack finally shattered at that point, those survivors who could still run did so quickly, melting away from the city and blending back into the countryside to begin their retreat.

"That's enough, Abigail," said Jack into the command radio. "I'd say you devastated them."

"All of them?" came the reply back. "Did we make them pay, Jack?"

Jack chuckled. "You got them all. Their attack is faltering. Some excellent shooting over there on theDestiny. I want you to tell the whole crew how proud of them I am."

"You got it, Jack," came the grateful reply from Abigail.

Once it was safe, Jack stood up on the rampart and surveyed the damage. There was withering destruction along the entire line, almost to the point of making the remaining defensive wall practically useless. It would have been more apt to call it rubble at this point because that's all that remained.

They had paid dearly to remain in control of their city. Jack estimated that every third defender had been wounded or killed, leaving only a few hundred Sorellan men left as an active force. His own casualties were heavy as well—seventeen marines were dead and eight were wounded. After the battles on Lishkerra and Sorella so far, almost a full quarter of the Marines he had started with were either dead or wounded. Jack prayed he wouldn't have to lose too many more of the experienced men, their proficiency too hard to replace.

Their feelings of loss were shared equally across the allies, if not more so. It was a sobbing howl from behind the front lines that caught Jack's attention next as he and Greg hurried to find the source. Far behind the line, an ordinary house had taken a stray cannon shot through the upper floor and it had collapsed the entire structure. Those that were inside had been crushed with little warning.

It was who had been caught inside that softened the hearts of even the most grizzled warriors.

Heron knelt at the floor of the ruined building and sobbed hysterically as he held a body tightly against his chest. He rocked the body repeatedly while his face contorted into a wailing sob as he let loose all his frustrations and emotions. It was Nikias who appeared at Jack's side, watching the Javan take in the king's sorrowful weeping.

"That's his daughter," said Nikias quietly. "That's Hera."

Just like that, Heron's actions made much more sense. As the lamenting king held his dead daughter to his chest, Jack realized it was now the second time he had lost a child. All for this war that needn't have happened save for the reckless ambition of one man.

"Daimanos will pay dearly for this," Jack said grimly. "I'll make sure of it."

*****

There was no more fighting between East and West for the rest of the day. Instead, both sides took their opportunity to redress their own losses. On the East Sorellan side, many of their soldiers scoured the battlefield for the remains of their comrades, doing so under the peace of a white flag. Toward the evening hours, they disappeared completely, melting into the forests as they began their retreat into the interior of the island.

For the West Sorellans, it was time to rebuild. Their city had been completely ravaged by effects of war, and there was no clearer illustration of this than what remained of their city wall. Soldiers and civilians alike began the great cleanup work needed to restore some semblance of formidability to the wall, all hastened on by the threat of renewed violence.

Jack didn't think the East Sorellans were in any shape to begin a new attack. Their losses had been too grievous and the majority of their heavy artillery had gone up in flames under theDestiny's heavy guns. It would take them time to regroup to be in any condition for an offensive fight, and it was for that reason that Jack was dining with the king that very evening.

For Jack, the strategy was simple. Now was the time to push back and hit Daimanos with everything that he had. After his defeat, the East Sorellan king was in a tenuous position and could be toppled from his throne of deceit by one, concentrated push. Now was the time to strike and make him pay for all those who had paid the cost in blood so dearly.

Yet, part of Jack didn't want to press the matter with the king, so clearly in agony over the loss of his daughter. Jack hadn't heard Heron speak since learning of his eldest daughter's death—too stricken with grief to be a ruler in that moment. Despite the king's feelings, now was the time to offer retribution and create the opportunity to end this war.

An hour before sunset, Jack and Greg, joined by Abigail, awaited the start of this dinner with the king. They had been given the location of the palace by Nikias earlier although palace was hardly the word for the gloomy and dark dwelling that Heron called home.

For one, Jack suspected it had seen much better days. The building was only about a third larger than those surrounding it, hardly an indication of royalty among the masses, and it had been some time since it was properly maintained. Many of the ceramic tiles that had adorned the roof had fallen out of place, leaving a pockmarked display of the current austerity visited upon the city. Several bits of stonework had long since collapsed, and Jack estimated that at least one wing of the building was entirely unusable for that reason.

Together, the three Javans awaited the presence of Nikias who was to lead their joint war council for the evening.

"Quite the difference from Daimanos' palace," muttered Abigail as they stood around a simple vestibule during their wait.

"Heron isn't the same kind of king as Daimanos," said Jack as his hands ran over the dated stonework. "Not to mention, the war has affected this side of the island much more than on the eastern side."

"Don't you worry," said Greg to Abigail. "But the time we're done with Daimanos, he'll be lucky to have anything standing at all."

"I still can't believe he betrayed us. The morning after signing our alliance. It just doesn't make sense," said Abigail.

"When you hear the same story about him that Greg and I heard, you'll understand why," said Jack, taking several moments to fill her in on the finer points of the upbringing of Heron and Daimanos. He finished the story with how the war began and the despicable actions of Alcydes toward the innocent people of the interior of the island.

"The poor man," said Abigail with a shiver as she referenced the West Sorellan king. "He's suffered so much. Can you imagine what might have happened if we did press forward the attack on this city like we'd planned?"

"We'd have killed off the remaining West Sorellans easily, and then been overwhelmed by the East Sorellans in their final attack. While I do think Daimanos is a bloodthirsty tyrant, I can't fault him for that plan. All he had to do was mop up the survivors," said Greg.

"We didn't come all the way out here to be used as pawns in another man's war," said Jack firmly. "Daimanos played his hand and lost. I'm determined he won't get another hand to play. He needs to pay for all those Javans he killed today, especially Luke."

"Aye, Jack, I like that idea," said Abigail with a soft smile.

"What do you think will happen once we attack East Sorella and win? Do you think we can really put an end to all this war?" asked Greg.

"I sure hope so. These people deserve it," said Jack. "It's painful to look at them. Their vacant expressions and lean, hollow features show they've been suffering for too long."

"We might want to talk Heron into leaving the palace in East Sorella for himself. It's kind of better than this dump," said Greg while leaning over to fix a portion of stonework that clearly fallen over due to time.

Another voice echoed throughout the vestibule. "It never used to be this bad. But Heron stopped having the house maintained after his wife died."

Jack turned to face the newcomer, seeing a solemn-looking Nikias waiting near the main entrance. The minister kept his head bowed, not oblivious to the loss suffered by the house today. "Perhaps he wanted to leave the exterior as a reflection of how he felt inside."

Jack was the first one to nod and approach the man. "With our help, we can avenge that memory."

Nikias stopped to study the Javan's features and scrunched his brow. It was a completely different look than he was used to from the normally easygoing minister. When he finally spoke, it was enough to chill him to the core. "Vengeance never brings anyone back. It only hardens the heart."

With that, he opened the door and bid them entrance into the main dwelling. The trio of Javans followed him inside cautiously and walked the short and narrow hallways until coming upon what was clearly defined as the great receiving hall of the king. Nothing to match the great hall of East Sorella, nor even Lishkerra for that point, the West Sorellan king's hall was a much bleaker affair of dim lights and morbid, gray stonework. For Jack, the palace seemed to feel every ounce of sorrow suffered by their people.

As Nikias brought them to a round table off the hall, Jack's eyes fell first on the king himself, occupying the spot of honor at the table. While Heron had changed tunics and appeared to have been cleaned up from the battle, his eyes had lost the spark of hope that had been so prevalent in their earlier meeting before battle. This evening, he appeared little more than a broken shell of a man—understandable given his loss.

There were five remaining seats at the table and only one other was occupied as Nikias and the Javans arrived. A younger woman, not much older than twenty by Jack's reckoning sat beside the king. Easily distinguishable by her fiery red hair and fair features, she wore the look of someone not to be trifled with. Behind her look of anger was the feeling of loss and it permeated the entire room.

"Your Majesty, may I present our Javan allies," said Nikias as he motioned for the trio to sit at the table.

Heron's eyes raised to meet Jack's and he offered a sorrowful smile. "Welcome back, Jack."

"Thank you for your hospitality, Heron," said Jack with a friendly nod. "Of course, you know Major Greg Vaughn already of the Javan marines, but let me introduce you to the real savior of the day, Lt. Commander Abigail Wainwright of our ship theDestiny. It was Abigail who decimated the East Sorellan positions today with gunfire and finally ended the battle.

"A pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty," said Abigail with a formal bow.

"A real pleasure to meet you, Abigail," said Heron. "Your excellent shooting saved our city. You have no idea how thankful we are for your excellent seamanship."

Jack watched out of the corner of his eye as the woman went slightly pink at the king's showering of compliments before taking a seat at the table. He did so as well, followed by Greg and Nikias shortly after.

"Forgive me, my friends, but I'm not much in the mood to discuss war plans," started Heron as soon as they were all seated. "Today's events . . . have had a profound effect on all of us."

"We understand, Heron," said Jack. "Our deepest condolences on the loss of your daughter."

At the moment, the young woman at the table reached over to give a reassuring touch to Heron. "Your condolences are much appreciated. The more this war goes on, the more that we lose the people that we love. It becomes much harder to keep going on."

Jack nodded. "I can understand that sentiment as well. However, I think we have a real opportunity now, Heron. The East Sorellans are pulling back from the city. We sent a patrol out two hours ago, and we spotted their forces in a headlong retreat along the coast. They're in disarray and prime for a strike."

"No doubt they will be back," said Heron with a sigh. "They won't stop until they put me on the cross like they've done to so many of my people."

"It doesn't need to be that way. We have the momentum right now with our victory," argued Jack.

"Victory?" asked Nikias. "We barely snatched victory from the jaws of total defeat."

"A victory nonetheless. And with our help, we can now push forward on the offensive and take the war to Daimanos."

"My people are in just as bad a shape as those of Daimanos," said Heron. "Maybe even a worse shape. They're in no condition to move to the offensive."

"No, but they will fight to end this war," said the woman to the left of Heron. Her steely voice was a marked contrast to that of the two West Sorellan men.

Heron looked to her and then back to Jack. "Forgive me, Jack. This is my youngest daughter, Elektra. She is now all the family I have left."

Jack nodded to Elektra and started once more. "Your daughter is right, Heron. With our help, you can take the war to Daimanos. We can be the spearhead that you need to take control," said Jack.

Heron closed his eyes. "So many have died already. What you're asking is only going to kill off more of the precious few that are left."

Jack shook his head from side to side. "This is a war, Heron. People will die. Daimanos won't stop until you're dead. You said it yourself he wants you on the cross so he can take ultimate power."

"Perhaps, I should let him," said the morose king. "End all the suffering."

"Father, do you really think he would be a better king than you?" asked Elektra. "You've heard the reports from Nikias about their capitol as have I. You know how they are treated. Like slaves in service to a cruel tyrant."

"I want to end this war just like the next man," said Nikias with considerably more steel. "But at present count, we have just over four hundred soldiers left that are capable of bearing a musket. How are we to assault Daimanos' city with such few numbers?"

"With our technology and ships, we can augment your numbers greatly," said Greg. "Our current numbers are 158 effective Marines ready to take action with the most advanced assault rifle anywhere in the world. Backed up by the firing power of the heaviest cruiser in the world, theDestiny."

"What we lack in numbers, we make up in pure firepower," added Jack. "We can win this, but we just need a decent strategy to do so."

Heron looked up at Jack. "What do you suggest for a strategy?"

Jack pounded the table. "We attack now! We strike while we can. We know those men retreating from battle are going back to their fort on the coast. We sailed past it yesterday on our way here. I'm talking we bring all of our ships and pound the fort into nothingness and then assault what's left with our land forces. Whatever will be left of Daimanos' army will be crushed in doing so."