Fourth Vector Ch. 09

Kat giggled. "I was thinking the same thing." With a deep breath, she pulled her body away from his and stood from the bed. Jack stood up with her, and they both approached the door with a reserved and silent manner. As she opened the door, she turned around to face him one more time.

"Take care of yourself on the trip, okay?" she told him as she leaned against the frame. "Be careful?"

"You too," he said while giving her a confident smile. "I'll see you in two weeks."

Kat smiled out of habit as her brain started going frantic with worry.I sure hope so.

The horn blew one more time.

"You better get going," said Jack. "I don't want to make you miss your ship."

She leaned in and pecked his cheek quickly. "Goodbye, Jack. See you soon."

"See you soon, Kat."

With those final words, she squared her shoulders and turned toward the staircase. Taking a deep breath and offering a silent prayer, she hoped the journey would be as easy as he just made it sound. The words of the prophecy filled her head though and left her feeling uneasy as she left the barracks with Vera. With one last look back to the third floor, Kat said her last goodbye to Jack silently and looked forward to when they would be united again.

*****

Jack stood out on the main dock as theSwordfish made its exit out of the harbor. He watched as the Sorellan trading vessel, loaded with new cargo, slipped out past the jetty and slowly turned north. Even with all the various wares, spices, and traders aboard, there was no more precious cargo to him than that of the two blonde women now slipping further away from him.

His mind drifted back to the kiss and his fingers touched his lips absentmindedly, trying to remember the feeling of Kat's mouth against his. It was nothing short of exquisite, not to mention long overdue, especially after Heron's interruption the other night. And now she was already gone. Even knowing he would see her again soon was not quite enough, and he found himself making an internal countdown until he'd be able to see those sky-blue eyes once more.

After theSwordfish was out of sight, Jack turned his attention to theDestiny, which was now floating out of dry dock. The ship had recently received a fresh paint job and the sparkle of the late afternoon sun on her hull produced a magnificent glare. She couldn't have been more impressive, with her gun barrels pointing to the sky and her bow slicing through the still waters of the harbor. It had been too long since he was at her helm, and Jack was looking forward to stepping on the bridge once again.

"The sight of that ship fills me with immense pride," said Greg, until then watching just as silently as Jack had been.

"That makes two of us. We've been on land enough lately," said Jack. "It's time to get back out to the open sea."

"Who knows what awaits us?" said Greg. "Swabians, Picards, Occitanians? The world has become a lot more complicated lately."

"That's true," said Jack. "I wouldn't want to face any of it without being on theDestiny though."

"Aye," said Greg. "I could drink to that."

Jack watched as the heavy cruiser moved to her berthing along the main dock. As the anchor was dropped, he heard the sound of his command radio crackling through.

"Jack, are you there?" came the sound of Abigail's voice.

"I'm here, Abigail. How does it feel to be commanding the ship again?"

"No better feeling, Jack," said Abigail, bringing a grin to his face. Now that the task force was repaired and ready to move on (even without theValiant), he was looking forward to what the future might bring them.

It was time to try their luck in Picardy.

*****

That evening, Kat sat at the small desk in her quarters on theSwordfish. There was only the dimmest of light available at this time of night, but it was enough for Kat to see what she was writing. In front of her was the journal that had been her constant companion over the last few years, taking down all of her thoughts and helping her keep track of all that had happened.

At the moment, Vera was snoring softly in the bed nearby as Kat recollected the entire Sorellan adventure from the death of Jacob to the kiss with Jack. She was thankful for the privacy and the dim lighting as her cheeks heated at the memory of his lips upon hers. After having that small moment, she turned her mind to more serious matters. She needed to finish this final passage before retiring to bed.

It is for these reasons that I believe the ultimate goal of this quest has been found. I couldn't be surer of my thinking that the search is finally over, and the coming days will show whether I'm right or not. Yet, my confidence remains high with each passing day. Events are following the prophecy just like the spirits intended. I truly believe that I've found him.

I've found the king.