Fourth Vector Ch. 14

She gave him a confused look for a moment before her eyes settled back on him with a relaxed stare. Jack got the impression they might have been talking about two different things. "Either way, I'm thankful for you, Jack."

"That makes two of us."

She laid her head against his chest. "I really looking forward to seeing the others once they get to Septhada. Especially Vera."

Jack grinned. "I bet she's just as excited to see you. Only a few more days, and they should be here."

"It's been too long. I really miss her company."

"You're not the only one," said Jack with a nod.

"It's funny," said Kat as she traced her finger around his nipple. "Beyond Greg and Vera, I don't know much about your own people. The ones that you came here with."

"There's not many of us here right now," said Jack. "I only have two ships at the present. One of them had to be turned back around shortly after you left Sorella."

"But you do have friends on the two ships you have now?"

Jack nodded as he felt a knot begin to form in his stomach. "I do. Mostly with the officers and the commanders of the ships."

"Who are the commanders?" asked Kat. "I would like to meet them."

He shifted toward her. "For our destroyerTiger, I have the commander, Vicky Carter. You would like her. She's a great person to have around in a bind, and very intelligent overall."

"What about your larger ship? TheDestiny?"

Jack gulped. He wasn't sure how much detail he wanted to give to Kat about Abigail, especially considering that he'd just so recently been intimate with the Galician woman. Would she take offense to his relationship with Abigail?

In the end, he decided to be honest with her. "TheDestiny is commanded by Abigail Wainwright. Abigail is . . . a damn good officer. A great friend as well. And truthfully, her and I have been lovers."

Kat leaned up on her elbow to look at him. "Have been lovers? As in no more?"

Jack swallowed heavily and then shook his head. "We still are. I care for her greatly."

Kat nodded slowly. "Do you care for her as much as you care for me?"

"I do," he said quietly. "And I know that may not make sense to you, but it's how I feel. I care for you both beyond words, so much so that my heart feels like it's split into two parts. I don't know if that means I'm broken or deranged, but I can't help what I feel for the both of you."

Kat studied him for several minutes behind appraising eyes. He prepared himself for the anger that should have come after that last statement. In his mind, he pictured Kat slapping him and leaving his bed in a hurry, never to come back to his side again. It was the only sensible reaction at hearing that he had feelings for two women.

Instead, she surprised him. She nodded for a few moments before a small grin appeared on her face. "So that's what it meant."

"What does what mean?" he asked, confused.

"What does Abigail look like? Does she look like me?"

Jack shook his head. "No, she's typically Javan in appearance. Long, dark hair and brown eyes. You two are rather the opposite in appearance although I can't fight my intense attraction for you both."

Kat's grin only grew wider. "Uniting dark and fair," she muttered.

Jack gave her another confused look. "What?"

"Nothing," she said while shaking her head. "Jack, I don't fault for you having feelings for another woman."

His mouth fell open. "You don't?"

"It's a bit unnatural, yes," she said with an easy smile. "But it's not without precedent, at least in Galicia."

"Men regularly have two lovers in Galicia?"

"Not just any men," she said with a simple shake of her head. "The kings of old used to have two wives regularly. Since Galicians are as much at home on the water as they are on land, it was called having a land wife and a sea wife. As Galicia grew weaker, the custom all but died out, but it's not a foreign concept to our land."

"Those are for kings though. Galician kings at that," said Jack. "What about me?"

She leaned in to nibble his ear. "Do you already forget you're a king?"

"Yeah, but of Andalucia—"

"You expend too much energy trying to outrun your own feelings," she teased. "Most men's reactions to finding out they can have two women would be much different, don't you think?"

"I worried about telling you, especially as this deepened," he said while gesturing between them. "Abigail already thinks that she can manage to share."

"A wise woman," said Kat with a giggle. "I very much look forward to meeting her."

"And I'm sure she does the same."

"We'll speak more about it another time, Jack. For now, don't get too caught up with worry. Everything has a way of working out. Trust me in this, okay?"

He nodded slowly. "I do trust you, Kat."

She caressed his cheek. "As I trust in you." She then placed a small kiss against his shoulder. "What plans do you have for tomorrow?"

"Probably another half day of listening to Bazu give reports," he said with a slight chuckle. "And figuring out what to do while I'm here."

"I'm sure you'll figure out what you need to do before we leave here," she said cryptically.

"I get the impression you know more than you're letting on."

Kat simply smiled. "I can't tell you just yet. But it will all make sense in time."

"More prophecy?" he groaned.

Kat giggled. "You trust me, remember? You just said so!"

"I do, gods help me. I'll feel better the sooner we are back on our way to Picardy again. This time, hopefully with no distractions."

She nodded and nuzzled closer to him, crushing her breasts against his body and providing quite a distraction of her own. "That would be much preferred. Although some distractions aren't so bad."

Jack grinned and looked down at her crushed tits. "You're a distraction that I don't mind whatsoever."

"I was hoping you'd say that." After a moment, her eyes rolled up in thought, while her lips pushed to one side.

"You have something on your mind, I can tell," he said with a chuckle.

"I was hoping that on our way to Picardy, we might still be able to stop at my house along the way. It wouldn't be long, possibly even a day before we got moving again. Ever since our ship was sunk, I've had to shelve that plan."

"I don't see why not," said Jack. "Is there anything in particular you're looking to get from your house? Or just wanting the time to relax?"

Kat nodded quickly. "There are a couple items I wish to grab before we can be off again. I promise I won't take up too much time."

"I trust you, Kat. I don't think a day of distraction will hurt us at all."

Her eyes rolled up to his. "Thank you. I hope you will come to see my home as well?"

"Of course. If that's what you want, then I'm there."

She reached out to softly caress his face. "Thank you."

"I'd do just about anything for you, you know that," he whispered. "I fought a war in this country that I had no intention of being in just to rescue you."

Her eyes turned misty. "You'll never know how thankful that I am that you're in my life, Jack. Throughout all of this. I meant what I said earlier. I didn't think you existed for so long. To finally be here and to be in your arms means the world to me. You mean the world to me. That's why I want to be with you."

"And why I want you to be with you. You never stop surprising me sometimes, my mysterious Galician woman," he teased.

Kat started to giggle. "Would I be nearly as much fun if I was any other way?"

"Probably not," he said with a chuckle, while earning a swat to the ribs. He pulled her in closer. "I like you just the way you are."

"I'm glad!" She slid her fingers against his bare skin, gently caressing his arms. He looked down to find her focused on something, her fingers rubbing against a spot on his shoulder.

"I see you've found my birthmark," he said with a chuckle.

Kat's eyes flickered up to him. "Is that what that is?"

He reached over to run his fingers over the spot. It was a mark in his skin that he'd had forever, not remembering a time when it didn't blemish his flesh. Looked at from the side, it almost appeared to be a cross. Jack had always liked the uniqueness of it, even if it was a simple imperfection.

Kat seemed to be very into it however. She kept poking at it with her finger, and at one point, she tried to scratch at it.

"It doesn't come off," he said while laughing. "Believe me, I've tried."

Kat gave an embarrassed smile. "I'm sorry. It's just very odd-looking. I've never seen anything like it."

"Oh, well surely you've seen birthmarks before?"

Kat shook her head. "Not like this!"

"Well, now you have," he said with a grin. "And if you keep making me smile, you might just get to see the rest of me."

"I hope that's a promise."

"You better believe it is."

Kat gave a sigh of happiness before she snuggled back into his arms and closed her eyes. In a matter of moments, her steady breathing seemed to confirm that she'd fallen asleep. He held her tightly as she slept. He wasn't lying when he said he fought the war to save her. Something deep inside his conscience told him that Kat is and always would be important to him. For that reason, and many others, he didn't want to let go of her again.

*****

Commodore Stanhope Lucas let out a low sigh as soon as he reclined in the chair in his office. He'd been slightly winded climbing the three floors of his headquarters to get to his personal office, a fact that he no doubt blamed on his erratic diet of late. Ever since the war had started and the Occitanian fleet had appeared, his stress levels had gone through the roof, causing him to eat. The first sign of a problem was when his trousers seemed a bit too snug one morning, causing him to have to put in for the next size up.

Even after the threat to Quiller's Cove largely dissipated, Lucas still found it hard to go back to his old, frugal eating patterns. As a result, he was larger than he'd ever been before, and simple tasks like climbing the stairs made him winded more easily than it had in the past.

Resolving to start fixing that particular problem in the morning, he settled in to await his morning tea. Lt. Settler was already preparing it from the moment he saw him arrive this morning, and there was just something calming about starting your day with a warm beverage.

Sure enough, Settler arrived a few moments later carrying the steaming cup. "Here you are, sir."

Lucas grinned as soon as it was put down on his desk. "Thank you, Settler."

"You may want to enjoy that while you can. Our stores of that cinnamon tea are getting quite low."

The smile quickly left his face. "That will do me no good. When is our next supply ship due in?"

Settler's eyes rolled up in thought. "Two weeks?"

Lucas cursed under his breath. "I'll just have to make due with what we have. Anyway, do I have any messages this morning?"

"You don't, sir, but surprisingly, Admiral Reynolds does. And it's from Admiral Bancroft," said Settler before placing a dispatch on his desk.

Lucas arched an eyebrow. "What is it concerning?"

"I don't think you'll be disappointed with this one, sir. It seems that Commander Ravencross' plan seems to have borne fruit."

"Let me see that." Lucas grabbed the dispatch and read it quickly.

ATTN: REAR ADMIRAL NICK REYNOLDS

COMMANDING OFFICER, TASK FORCE 49

YOU ARE TO REMOVE THE CRUISERS STARDUST, HORTON, AND VALIANT FROM YOUR COMMAND, AS WELL AS THREE DESTROYERS OF YOUR CHOOSING. PLEASE SEND THEM WESTWARDS TO THE COORDINATES LISTED BELOW TO JOIN TASK FORCE 21.

FLEET ADMIRAL PERCIVAL BANCROFT

COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, IMPERIAL JAVAN NAVY

"Well, would you look at that. The crazy son-of-a-bitch did it," muttered Lucas before waving the dispatch around. "Ravencross got those ships reallocated to Jack."

"From the sounds of it, sir, it was more likely that Easterbrook did it on his own," said Settler. "Knowing his pull with Admiral Bancroft."

"No matter how it was done, I'm shocked how easy it was. Easterbrook truly is favored," said Lucas. "Has Admiral Reynolds seen this yet?"

Settler's face contorted into a twisted smile. "No, sir."

"I daresay he's going to be in quite the rage when he reads this. Especially relinquishing command to a mere commander. He won't be happy."

"I imagine he'll be fuming, sir. And we'll be soon to find out. Reynolds should be here at any moment."

Lucas nodded quickly. "That's no matter. He should find out sooner rather than later. It's of importance that he doesn't find out my role in this, however. Let him believe it's Easterbrook and Bancroft. I don't need yet another admiral up my ass at all times. Are we clear?"

Settler nodded easily. "Completely, sir. Besides, I almost wouldn't mind seeing the fireworks from this one. The admiral has been throwing his weight around a little too much since the battle. It's about time he was brought down a peg."

Lucas managed a grin. "I also wouldn't mind seeing the effects of that. He's been harder to work with as of late, and this may bring him back down with the rest of us mortals."

Lucas' words proved to be prophetic as the next sounds that the two men heard were the sounds of stomping along the stairs and finally, a slamming door. Lucas looked at Settler with a raised eyebrow, wondering if the admiral might already know about his new set of orders.

Predictably, Reynolds opened the door to his personal office and quickly slammed it behind him. The man's nostrils flared with anger, and the expression on his face was enough to melt steel.

"Have you seen this?" demanded Reynolds, clutching a dispatch in his hand.

"I'm sure you're talking about this one from Admiral Bancroft?" asked Lucas. "A copy was sent here as well just a little bit ago."

"This reached my headquarters on theStardust just thirty minutes ago," seethed Reynolds. "What in the fuck is this about?"

Lucas tried to maintain a straight face. "It seems these ships are needed elsewhere."

"Bullshit they are," said the admiral. "This is the result of scheming. Someone out there is trying to pull a fast one on me and steal the ships undermy command!"

"Now, Admiral, we all play for the same team. I highly doubt that anyone schemed their way to this outcome."

Reynolds flared his nostrils again. "Tell me, Lucas. Look me in the eyes and tell me that you didn't have anything to do with this."

Lucas stared right back at the man. "Admiral, do you really think I would go behind your back?"

"I don't know anything right now. All I know is that this sudden change of heart came out of nowhere. Nothing else makes sense. But I want you to swear to me that this didn't come from you."

Lucas struggled to keep his composure. The tiniest of movements could give away his feelings or his actions, and Reynolds wasn't a man that would forgive or forget easily.

"I had nothing to do with it," lied Lucas, keeping a straight face.

"This has to be the work of Jack Easterbrook," spat Reynolds as he reclined in his chair. "Only that man would know of the force we had here. He's the only one with the pull necessary to get from Bancroft what he wants. Thishad to have come from him!"

"Regardless of where it came from, what's done is done," said Lucas simply, hoping to lead the admiral away from threats or accusations. "All we can do is follow orders."

Reynolds grunted. "I will always follow my orders," he said quietly. "But I won't forget this. Easterbrook would be wise to watch his back after this. I may not have proof but my gut feeling is never wrong."

"What are you to do now?"

Reynolds seethed for several moments before giving a calm response. "I'll need to move my headquarters, I suppose. From theStardust to thePaucis. And then choose which of my destroyers to give him. I don't know how I'll be able to defend Quiller's with one heavy cruiser and a few destroyers, but you better believe that I'll be keeping the most modern of them with us here. Easterbrook can have the old ships."

"What about the leaving ships? Was there any timetable for when they should leave?"

"At all possible speed," mumbled Reynolds. "I suppose we'll have to get that organized. Will you send for the commanders of the three cruisers? We'll have to give them a briefing on this."

"I'll have them summoned at once," said Lucas.

About forty-five minutes later, three men entered Lucas' personal office and offered a swift salute to the two commanding officers already seated. Lucas appraised each of them, only knowing two of them for a short time since their arrival in Quiller's Cove.

The first was Commander Pete Dawson, the commanding officer of the cruiser,Horton. Dawson was a tall man, one of the tallest that Lucas had seen, coming in at almost six and a half feet high. He was around forty in age and most of his hair was still dark despite his occupation. He had small, dark eyes, and he'd been in command of theHorton for almost a whole year now.

The man standing next to him was more of a veteran. Commander Mike Cutter was in his upper forties, and his hair was heavily tinged with gray, leading to a salt-and-pepper look that silently spoke of his experience. He had dark eyes as well, and as far as Lucas had seen, the man never smiled. He always had the same look of purpose on his face, filled with unrelenting drive and with no time for games or the simpler affairs of life. Cutter had been in command of theStardust for almost two years now.

The last man was of course the newly-promoted Commander Luke Ravencross of theValiant. He was the youngest man in the room, only around mid-thirties if Lucas had to guess. Yet it was Ravencross' tenacity that won the last battle with the Occitanians for them.

It was also Ravencross who helped him with the purpose for this meeting—to get the ships back out to Easterbrook.

"At ease," barked Reynolds as soon as the men had saluted. "I'm sure all of you are wondering why you're here right now. It wasn't my idea to have a meeting such as this however my hand has been forced by orders from the Admiralty. For that reason, all of you are leaving Quiller's Cove just as soon as you can manage."

"Where are we headed, sir?" asked Cutter, his face still neutral and unreadable.

Reynolds grimaced. "You will be detached from our task force, and you'll be heading due west to join Commander Jack Easterbrook as part of Task Force 21."

Cutter and Dawson looked to themselves, confusion written on their faces. Only Ravencross managed to look somewhat pleased at the matter, however Lucas had to give him credit—he did make a try at feigning reluctance.

"What about the threat to Quiller's, sir? Aren't we needed here?" asked Dawson.

"The Admiralty, in their wisdom, has decided that you're needed elsewhere," said Reynolds, picking his words carefully no doubt. "That somewhere else is in the Fourth Vector."

Dawson was the first one to look over at Luke, appraising his reaction. Of all of them in the room, he was the only man to go to the Vector and return to tell about it. In doing so, he'd created a certain mystique about him.

"Being that you're all the same rank, I'm going to request that Cutter be put in charge until you join Commander Easterbrook. He's the oldest and has the most experience," said Reynolds.

Cutter began to nod. "I can do that, sir. Is it just the three of our ships or is any other part of our task force going?"

"You'll be joined by three destroyers as well. Once you join with Easterbrook, you'll have the biggest task force outside of Java," said Reynolds with only a faint hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Sir, with all due respect, is this wise?" asked Dawson before looking back and forth at Ravencross and Cutter. "I don't mean to question orders, but from what I've heard about the Vector, it almost seems like a suicide mission."