Fourth Vector Ch. 09

Anna wiped a tear from her cheek. "I just thought that would be a good way to start. I'm not naive, Jack. I see the way other women look at you. I figured if I just got into your bed first, we could develop the rest of it later."

Jack gave her a small smile. "It wasn't a bad idea. I just didn't feel like we created anything beyond the sexual. That's why it's a mistake to continue this."

Anna sniffed and reached out for something to blow her nose. Jack wanted to comfort her and provide some measure of friendly affection to show her suffering wasn't just contained to her, but he worried about touching her lest she get the wrong idea. He settled for a subtle caress on the back.

"So what will you do now?" asked Anna with another sniff. "Just be single or something?"

Jack shrugged as images of two women drifted into his mind. "I have no idea to be honest with you. I'm just taking this one day at a time."

She nodded and let her head fall. When she was silent for a few minutes, Jack opened up again. "I'm sorry, Anna. I didn't want to hurt you."

"I guess I should have realized it earlier," said Anna. "I thought maybe if I could force you to choose, you might still pick me."

"Forcing me was never going to end well," said Jack. "Besides, a girl like you shouldn't have to force anyone to be with you. You have a lot to offer, Anna. You're beautiful, intelligent, kind, and you make one hell of a good naval officer. You're enough of a catch on your own that there will be someone after me ready to snatch you up right away."

"I feel so embarrassed," said Anna. "I don't know how things will ever be the same around us again."

Jack shook his head. "They will be. It'll go back to normal. This is just a temporary feeling. We'll get past this."

Anna shook her head more firmly. "No, I don't believe that. I don't know how you and I can have any kind of relationship moving forward, even if just professional. I don't know if I can ever look at you the same way again, Jack."

"I'm sorry, Anna," he repeated. "I don't know what else I can do."

"I'm sorry too, Jack," she said before hopping off his bed. She approached the door quickly. "You've given me a lot to think about," she said as her face assumed a neutral and emotionless expression. "I'm sorry for disturbing you so early in the morning."

"Anna, wait—" he tried but she was already gone. Jack thought about chasing after her but ultimately decided to remain put. She was hurt, truly, but it looked like she needed some space from him to process more than anything. The best thing he could do right now was let her come around on her own terms. He sighed with reluctance that it was finally over. While it hadn't been on his mind as much during the trip to recover the treasury, it still loomed like a dark cloud. He just hoped that Anna could find a way to move on from it.

He continued to work for the next hour uninterrupted until Heron came to see him around eight-thirty. The king looked to be in good spirits as he stepped into Jack's office, carrying with him a small bowl of grapes.

"Ah, morning, Jack," said Heron before pushing the bowl out to him. "Care to try a grape? We just received this fresh produce this morning!"

"I wouldn't say no to that," said Jack before popping one of them in his mouth. It was extremely tasty, and it exploded inside his mouth most pleasingly. "Those are fantastic," he said after swallowing it down.

Heron beamed. "It really makes my morning to enjoy fresh produce. Anyway, I just received some truly great news. One of our trading vessels is coming into port today. They were just recently in Apulia but once they got word that Daimanos was killed, they decided to come back."

"That is great news," said Jack, remembering where Apulia was from the map that Kat gave him. "I imagine they must have a lot of news from the outside world with them."

Heron nodded. "And hopefully some goods for our markets! Wait until you see the size of this ship, Jack. Sorellan trading vessels are legendary for their size!"

The king stayed to chat for several more minutes, at least until he finished his bowl of grapes, and told Jack to meet him down by the docks just after noon. After a meager lunch and writing enough orders to make his hand permanently sore, Jack got a breath of fresh air for the first time today once he stepped out of the barracks and headed down to the dock. It was there that he received his first sight of a Sorellan trading vessel.

To say they were huge was an understatement. Heron hadn't been exaggerating their size. Jack estimated the ship itself must have been just as long as theDestiny if not longer. It had strong, wooden sides, and judging by the colorful array of cargo on the deck, it had brought back much to be excited about on its return home.

Jack was greeted by the king as well as other members of the Sorellan base as the large vessel carefully docked on the opposite side of theTiger. After a short amount of time, a colorful looking individual descended down to the main dock and made his way toward them, along with his own entourage. The colorful man in front walked with a quick stride and a beaming grin as he approached the king.

"By the gods, Aristides, is that you?" asked Heron with a barking laugh.

"Your Majesty!" said the colorful man, Aristides. "It's been way too long!"

The two men closed the distance between them and wrapped themselves into a long hug. "It's been so long! How have you been?" asked Heron. "That's a mightier vessel than I remember you having last time I saw you!"

Aristides grinned. "Do you like her? I won her in a trading game with a fat merchant from Kish with a bad attitude. Lucky for me, his card-playing was worse than his attitude, and here I am the proud new owner of theSwordfish!"

Heron's gaze went out to the trading ship. "She's a fine vessel! And I'm glad to have you back in Sorella. It's been a long time since we've had any commerce with the war."

"About that," said Aristides. "We received the news about your brother. My sympathies are with you, despite his obvious faults. It can't be easy to lose one of your kin, no matter how troubled he was."

Heron nodded. "Thank you, my old friend. It is better for our people that he is dead now."

"Truly," said the trader. "We have much to discuss! It's been over two years since I last saw you. Do you have the time to talk?"

"Of course! Come, let's go inside," said Heron. "Let your merchants unload their wares while you and I catch up. Are you hungry?"

"Hungrier than a Zarandan hill-runner," said Aristides with a beaming grin.

Less than fifteen minutes later, Heron and Aristides were sitting in the main barracks room while Aristides scarfed down an impromptu lunch. Most of the crowd had dissipated by the time they reached the barracks however Jack had come along with the king in hopes of an introduction.

"By the way, Aristides, I have to introduce you to someone," said Heron while putting his hand on Jack's shoulder. "This is Jack Easterbrook. He is from Java on the other side of the world. His country and ours are now allied."

"Well met, Jack Easterbrook," said Aristides with a firm grip and a welcoming smile. "Welcome to our country."

"And a welcome home to you as well," said Jack.

"Are you liking Sorella so far?"

Jack nodded. "There is much about your homeland that I like. I think the people are the first on that list."

Aristides beamed. "Aye, Sorellans are an interesting bunch. Good people, hardy folk, and most of all, good sailors."

"And you came back at a most fortunate time," said Heron. "We're eager for news from the outside world. We've been starved of it during the war."

"About that, I feel I owe you an apology, Your Majesty," said Aristides. "For staying away so long. All the news about the war and the turmoil stayed a lot of traders' hands. It's hard to set sail when you aren't sure what's waiting for you on the other side."

"No apology is necessary, Aristides," said Heron with his hands up. "But you can make it up to me by letting me know what's going on in the wider world."

Aristides puffed his cheeks. "That's a loaded answer. Sorella isn't the only land to see its share of turmoil lately. Of course, the Swabians are still on the march and it's got the Apulians up in arms. So much so that they are willing to forgo their typical isolated outlook for something a bit more . . . pragmatic."

"Are they preparing for war?" asked Heron.

"It hasn't come to that yet," said Aristides. "But they are rebuilding their army. Which for the Apulians is a big move. They've been content to stick their heads in the sand for the last five hundred years so to break that is rather unprecedented. Otherwise, the Swabians remain undeterred. I've heard rumors of what's happened on Naxos." Aristides shivered. "I wouldn't wish that fate on my worst enemy."

"Naxos," repeated Jack before turning to Heron. "Didn't you tell me they were recently conquered by the Swabians?"

Heron nodded. "Almost a year ago. What have you been hearing, Aristides?"

"Nothing good," said the trader. "The Nax are being used as slave labor by the Swabians. They are being extracted from their island and brought back to work for one of the handful of Swabian lords. I'm told it's rather nasty, second only to the Andalucian slave pogroms. By the way they keep bringing shiploads of Nax back to Swabia, they must be getting killed off in droves."

Heron shook his head. "And here I thought only the Andalucians were unsavory enough to do that kind of degenerate slavery. I knew the Swabians were bad but notthat bad."

"There's no one to keep them in check," said Aristides. "The Picards aren't strong enough on their own, and even if the Apulians managed to rebuild their army, the Swabians would dominate both of them. And the Galician regent seems not to care for anything beyond his own lands. I fear what may happen or where they may strike next."

"As do we," said Heron while casting a worried glance to Jack. "Have you heard of a Swabian Lord Avila in your travels?"

Aristides paled quickly. "There's not many who haven't heard that name, especially in Apulia. He's one of the worst slavers of the Nax. I hear he's a bloodthirsty man with an eye on the emperor's throne."

"That's what we've heard as well," said Heron before telling the trader all about their expedition to recover the treasury as well as Avila's financing of the theft.

"So he's bold enough to thrust himself into Sorella affairs too?" asked Aristides after hearing the story. "The man must have a ton of resources at his disposal to be striking out in multiple directions at once."

"We'll need to keep an eye on him," said Heron. "What else have you heard?"

Aristides pursed his lips. "Not too much. The Samarans seem to be oblivious to anything beyond trading so nothing new there. Kish was involved in a small war against Angarsk but that's largely over. Of course, the Kishians won but it disturbed the trade routes further north for a time being."

"What can you tell us about the Picards?" asked Jack. "We're thinking about heading there next."

"Yes, what have you heard?" added Heron. "I haven't heard from King Aedan much lately at all. I wondered if his letters were getting intercepted because of the war."

Aristides leaned closer and lowered his voice. "That's one of the most curious parts of my travels lately. You see, I tried to go to Picardy before I came back to Sorella. My path was barred, and I wasn't allowed to enter the port in Daban."

Heron's brow furrowed in confusion. "That doesn't make a lot of sense. They wouldn't even allow you to go into the capital city?"

The trader shook his head. "Not at all. Something is going on in Picardy and it's not good. I'm not sure what it is but they are closed off to any outsiders right now, at least traders."

"Have you heard from anyone else?" asked Jack. "Has any other trader been there recently enough to give a hint about what might be going on there?"

"Not anyone that I talk to regularly," said Aristides. "It's almost like the Picards have decided on complete isolation. What's worse is their military is blocking all the ports to reinforce those orders. I've never had so many guns trained on my ship at one time. They were deadly serious about not unloading there."

Heron got up from his seat and started to pace. "That doesn't sound like Aedan. Not the man that I know. I wonder what could be going on up there that could have caused this?"

"I'm not sure," said Aristides. "But I would suggest anyone think twice before trying to get into Picardy right now."

*****

Jack stayed to talk with Aristides and the king for another hour while the recently returned trader went on about the local geopolitics as well as letting them know a breakdown of the goods he had on his ship. Once the man was willing to retire to help unload the ship, Jack took a break as well and headed back to his quarters to get some more work in. He was able to work for most of the afternoon, only taking one or two breaks until dinner, when he heard a knock on his door right as the sun was setting.

"Come in," he grunted as the door began to swing open. He looked up and found himself once again looking into Anna's brown eyes. "Anna, you're back."

"I am," she said proudly before coming to stand right in front of his desk. Something was off about her, and her normally relaxed posture was rigidly stiff. Her face betrayed no emotions, and Jack had to wonder just what she was up to. She didn't keep him waiting very long.

"I wanted to let you know right away that I've received approval," said Anna while looking down at him.

"Approval for what?" asked Jack.

"Approval for the transfer. Effective tomorrow morning, I'll be transferring to the head of engineering division on theValiant."

Jack's jaw dropped. "What? Who gave approval for that?"

"My sister did," said Anna. "It's only the commanding officer of the ship that needs to ratify such a request. It also helped that the person I'm going to replace, Lt. Cory Renner, was willing to come to theDestiny in my place. It's an even exchange."

Jack was floored. He knew she was upset with him but never had he thought she'd go to such a length as to get transferred to another ship, especially on the same day. It was so mind-boggling that he found himself at a loss for words. Finally, he settled on the simplest words he could find.

"Why, Anna? Why would you do this?"

She shrugged while averting her gaze. "It's the easiest thing to do, Jack. We're not going to be together and that's fine. But I don't think you realize how hard it would be to serve under you knowing our history. I don't know about you but I think we would eventually start to resent each other and it would sour even the most professional of relationships."

"I don't think it would come to that, Anna," said Jack. "Personal feelings aside, our mission is the most important thing to me. I wouldn't jeopardize that just because we don't sleep together anymore."

"I didn't mean you, Jack," said Anna quietly. "I was talking more about me."

Jack watched as she finally met his eyes and he suddenly understood. It wasn't him that she was worried about—it was herself. In this situation, she thought it best that she be separated from him rather than to risk the loss of every facet of their relationship. And in a way, he completely understood.

"I can't say I'm happy about this, Anna," said Jack in a sullen tone. "We could have found another work around. We could have tried something different than having you transfer."

"It was the only thing that made sense," she said with a shrug. "Besides, it's not just you. This is my chance to break away from Abigail as well."

"Why Abigail?"

"Why not? Because she still thinks of me as just her little sister," said Anna with an eye roll. "Because I'll never be able to become the officer that I want to be as long as my sister thinks she needs to fight my battles for me, especially as long as she thinks she needs to keep me close to her. I know that's why I was assigned to theDestiny in the first place. I didn't like it at the time and I still don't. This is my chance to correct that as well."

"How did she take it?" asked Jack.

Anna smiled. "Not as well as you. She may need to clean up a few things in her quarters after we were through."

"It couldn't have been too bad," said Jack. "She still approved the transfer."

"I think she knows that I'm ultimately right. That my argument made sense. And it's better for everyone if I was separated from you and her."

Jack gulped audibly. "Have you told Luke yet?"

She nodded. "We had a discussion after he approved Cory's transfer. Cory is very eager to take my spot. I think you won't notice any difference once he's in my place."

"Except when I look at your station and don't see you," said Jack with a warm smile. "I'm going to miss you, Anna."

Her eyes finally locked on his and she offered him the briefest of smiles. "I'll miss you too, Jack. I think this is for the best. I signed up to fight Occitanians, and if theValiant is leaving to go confront them, I want to be aboard."

"They'll have no finer engineering division officer than you," said Jack fondly. "You're a great officer, Anna. And I know you're one of the best."

Anna moved quickly and crossed to the other side of the table and threw herself into Jack's arms. He comforted her quietly as she began to break down, sobbing against his jacket while his fingers ran over her dark tresses.

"I'll miss you, Jack," she repeated quietly.

"I'll miss you too, Anna. Stay safe and take care of yourself."

She pulled back to look at him. "Watch over Abigail for me, okay? No matter what happens between you two now that I'm gone. Keep her safe?"

Jack nodded without knowing exactly what to say to that. "I will. I promise you that."

He held onto her for the next several minutes silently as both of them poured out their frustrations and their anxiety about their relationship. Now that it was all over, it was time to move on. And now that Anna was leaving theDestiny, and with her being one of the best engineering officers he'd seen, what would the future hold for their mission?

*****

Anna didn't stay for very long. Like her earlier visit this morning, she soon wiped her eyes and pulled away from him. She would be busy for the next couple days as she said her goodbyes to the crew on theDestiny and had her things transferred over to theValiant, but Jack had to concede that it was for the best. Especially if she didn't think she could handle being that close to him.

In a strange way, it was cathartic to know that she was leaving. That's not to say that he wasn't fond of her presence as he clearly was. But the issues with Anna lately had been a distraction and he'd seen that clearly during the weeks in the Sorellan interior. Perhaps now all of that drama could be well and truly in the past.

It was late when Jack decided to turn out the light and get some sleep. News had gotten out of the arrival of the Sorellan trading vessel, especially as the numerous individual traders on the ship made their way out of port and toward the capital. Based on Heron's prediction, tomorrow they would soon be swamped by people from the city as they looked to purchase all the faraway wares that had so long been missing from Sorellan markets. It was for that reason that Jack decided to get to sleep early before the chaos of tomorrow descended on them.

He was nearly asleep when he heard a persistent, soft knock on his door. Jack growled and lit the bedside lamp before calling out to the new arrival.

The door opened and Abigail stuck her head in. "Can I come in?"