Fourth Vector Ch. 17

"I've never heard of the Picards doing this before," added Kat. "This doesn't look like a good sign."

"See that ship there?" asked Jack, pointing to another near the mouth. "It looks to be guarding the entrance. Although, I don't know what there is to guard. No one is stupid enough to try to force their way past those chains."

"Maybe they might be able to give us more information," said Kat. "At least let us know what's going."

"If so, then I have a lot of questions for them. If the harbor is blocked off, it would explain all the stranded shipping here. If they can't get in to refuel or sell their wares, they might not have any other options."

"I'm sure we can get to the bottom of this though, Jack," said Kat.

Jack stood up and made for the exit of the bridge. "Come on, let's get in a launch boat and see what we can find out."

A short time later, Jack, Kat, Greg, and a small fireteam of marines got into one of theDestiny's launch boats and started their course toward the entrance to the harbor. It didn't look like they were the only ones inquiring about the blocked-off port, and Jack watched as the main patrolling ship stopped to direct other small ships who were also inquiring about the harbor. Jack didn't think it was a good sign that no one was getting past the entrance, not even those that were flying the Picard flag.

Almost as soon as the launch boat was close enough, they were flagged down by a Picard official standing near the stern. It was little more than a patrol boat, and Jack could see one basic machine gun near the aft of the ship, but that was it. Besides the official, there looked to be only one other Picard steering the boat.

"Hold there please," said the Picard man with a raised hand. "What's your business in Daban?"

Jack carefully appraised the man before responding. He had very light features, almost pale skin that was heavily-dotted with freckles across the face. His hair was auburn in color, and the uniform he wore was dark blue from neck to boot. He was built up across the chest and arms, only tapering down to a more narrow waist and legs. Most curious about him was the covering on his face. He had a piece of cloth covering his mouth and nose, almost similar to those worn by doctors back in Java. Jack could only wonder what that might be about. The look on the rest of his face was one of someone not to be crossed, and Jack got a feeling for the severity of the situation just from his initial tone.

"We're here to see the king," said Jack calmly. "King Aedan. We've traveled from Sorella on our way to see him."

"And yet, you don't look like you're Sorellan," said the official. "None of you do. It rather looks like a handful of Galicians and you," he said pointing to Greg, "you almost look Carinthian. Those especially don't look like Sorellan ships." The official pointed out to the task force further out in the bay.

"He's Javan," said Jack. "As am I. We're friends of Heron of Sorella, and we're here to seek Aedan's aid."

The official scoffed. "No one is getting in to see the king right now. Or the city for that matter. You can try again in seven days time, but no sooner."

Jack shared a look at Kat. "That would explain the ships stranded outside in the bay," he muttered quietly for only her ears. Kat only nodded before turning her attention back to the official.

"May we ask, why is the harbor closed off? Is Picardy at war?"

The official shook his head. "No war, at least not yet. There's been an outbreak of plague though. We've closed the city for everyone's safety. We've asked all people in Picardy to remain indoors as a way of preventing the spread of the plague."

Jack gave him an alarmed look. That certainly explained the mask around his face. "How long has the plague been active here?"

The official locked eyes with him. "Long enough. Enough to take a good percentage of the city with it so far. The last thing we want is for it to spread, so for that reason, Daban is inaccessible by road or by sea. Foryour safety," he emphasized at the end.

"I can assure you that my people and I don't have the plague," said Jack. "But it is critical that we speak with your king as soon as possible. I can't delay this another week."

The official scoffed again. "I highly doubt he has any business with a Jaban or whatever the hell you are."

Kat pulled Jack closer and whispered into his ear. "Perhaps you might gain more respect from this man with your official title."

Jack pursed his lips, thinking the request over. He then turned back to the Picard. "This may seem hard to believe, but I'm the King of Andalucia. As another king, it's important that I discuss affairs of state with Aedan."

Jack knew how badly that sounded coming out of his mouth. It sounded better in his head, but one look at Kat and he noticed how she wanted him to use hisother title. Yet, he didn't want to drop the Galician title just yet, remembering his earlier conversation with Greg.

Unfortunately, the Picard started to laugh. "Next you'll tell me you're the Galician King reborn, won't you?"

"Funny you say that," said Jack under his breath.

"It's no matter. No one gets in the city or out. Not even kings," added the official. "You can try again in seven days. If you need to dock your ships, you can use those wharves over there." The official pointed to what looked like a smaller set of commercial docks just on the other side of the enclosed harbor.

Jack found himself getting angry. Not just at the official, but at the situation in general. It had taken them this long to get to Picardy and now they were being denied entrance? He could understand the outbreak of plague and their wanting to be careful but it just seemed like bad timing, not helped by the haughty attitude of the official.

Part of him wondered if they waited too long to get here. The other part questioned what might happen if they didn't get in at all?

"You have no idea how important it is that I see him," said Jack through clenched teeth. "This delay is going to put lives in danger."

The official placed his hand on his hip, where a holstered pistol lay attached. The message was clear. "I said move along," said the Picard.

Jack opened his mouth to continue fighting, but Kat placed her hand on his arm. "It's fine," she whispered quietly. "He's clearly under orders not to allow anyone in, so there's no sense in picking a fight just now."

Jack met her eyes and nodded, albeit reluctantly. It was clear this was one battle they wouldn't win, especially not without starting a war with a people they hoped to ally with. Jack turned his attention back to the wharves that the official had just pointed out.

"Fine, I'll take my flagship to dock over there," he said, pointing back to theDestiny. "The rest of my task force will stay in the bay for now."

The official collected some more details from him before the boat soon pushed away to attend to someone else. As soon as he left, Jack took in the multiple chains that blocked off the entrance to the harbor from all ships. It was now clear he'd have to find another way into the city.

Perhaps even by subterfuge.

As the launch boat started on the return trip back to theDestiny, Jack found himself looking back out at the now forbidden city. An outbreak of plague made sense. It explained why he could barely see any people on the journey toward the city and why all those ships seemed to be stranded on the approach to the bay.

It also didn't make things any easier. Time was of the essence for him now. He had the feeling the Swabians wouldn't sit back and permit one of their regiments being destroyed and another country being ripped from their grasp. All too soon, they would look to retaliate, and make him suffer for all that he'd done to them. That's why it was all the more important that he kept creating alliances in the Vector. The more people that could stand up to the Swabians, the better.

But how was he supposed to do that when one of their most populous potential allies was completely stricken by the plague?

It was the sole question on his mind as they got back to theDestiny. Once they were back, Jack left the rest of the task force out in the bay while theDestiny was guided into a spot at the nearby wharves that was pointed out to them by the Picard official. This set of wharves had all the trappings of an old commercial sector of the city, and judging by their age, Jack suspected it was one of the main docks before the grand harbor was constructed to take over the job.

It also seemed to have a variety of foreign ships to look at as well. Jack took careful note of it from the bridge of theDestiny, alongside Abigail and Kat. They were only recognized as foreign by the aid of Kat, who helped to point out their flags.

"That one belongs to the Samaran Confederacy," she said, pointing out one with blue and orange stripes. "That little fishing boat belongs to Cervanos," she said, gesturing to a smaller trawler. "Which is odd, because they normally don't get too far out."

"Any Galician ships here?" asked Jack. "I figured I'd ask because I have no idea what their flags look like."

Kat scanned the rest of the docks and then shook her head. "Nothing, but that's not altogether surprising anymore. Galician ships don't travel as much as they used to."

Jack took careful note of that as he looked around at the rest of the ships. Most of the ships there were trading vessels of some type. However, one particular ship caught his eye more so than the other ones, and it was largely due to its size.

The ship was impressively large, even larger than the traditional Sorellan trading ships. It was also made of metal, unlike the Sorellan counterparts, and Jack could see that it was carrying a wide variety of goods just from the number of containers on its deck. What those goods were, he couldn't tell, but the ship was loaded down with merchandise and in the middle of being offloaded.

The most curious thing about it was that it was actually allowed to go off the docks and into the city.

"Kat, look at that one," said Jack, pointing out the mysterious trade ship. "How the hell are those guys able to unload but we aren't?"

Abigail looked at it as well, squinting at the ship. "Do they have some kind of special permit to unload or something?"

Kat looked at the ship, and all too soon, her breath caught in her throat. "Jack! That's a Swabian vessel!"

"What?" Jack looked more closely at it. He could see no signs of anything that might have triggered Swabian in his mind until he was able to see the flag that flew off their stern. The gray eagle on a black field flapped steadily in the breeze.

"That's the Swabian flag," said Kat with a disbelieving tone. "How in the world could they possibly be here?"

Jack squinted at the flag again. "It doesn't look like the same one we saw back in Andalucia at the Battle of the Dunes. That one is definitely different."

"That's because this one is the official flag of Swabia," said Kat. "What we saw back in Andalucia was Lord Avila's personal standard. The flags are similar in that they are both gray and black, but that right there is the official flag, Jack."

Jack nodded and watched as a crew of men lowered another container down to the docks. "It does look like a trade ship after all. Perhaps it's not something nefarious like we might have expected."

Kat shook her head firmly. "When it's the Swabians, it's always something suspicious. They don't make good traders, Jack. Too hotheaded and prone to aggression. They don't make good farmers either for that matter. No, Swabians are soldiers for the most part. This is highly unusual."

Kat followed the line of sight of the container all the way back to the small port office. Her breath caught in her throat again. "Look right there, Jack. Swabian soldiers."

Jack followed her pointing to see the same gray-robed soldiers he'd defeated back in Andalucia. It was only a small detachment of men, not more than a squad, but Jack couldn't help the feeling ofdeja vu.

"Is it common for them to send soldiers on their trading ships?" he asked.

"It's more common for their traders to be soldiers," answered Kat. "Just because those guys are unloading the ship doesn't mean their uniforms and rifles aren't stacked somewhere inside. This isn't a good sign, Jack."

"Why would they have soldiers in Picardy of all places? I thought Picardy usually stood against the Swabians?"

Kat nodded. "They usually do. Or at least, they have in the past. In the four great wars fought between Swabia and Galicia, they've been on the Galician side for all of them. This makes no sense. Picards hate Swabians just as much as Galicians do. Even though they aren't in the official city harbor, just the fact that they are the only ones allowed to unload is very suspicious, Jack. It makes me uneasy."

"We should keep an eye on them," said Abigail. "That way if they get up to something, we'll be in a better spot to intercept them."

Kat nodded. "I agree but we need to be careful here. We can't exactly start a war in another country's capitol city. If anything, I thought the Picards would be the most sympathetic to our plight, but with this development and the plague, we should assume nothing right now until we get more of a feel for the situation."

"That sounds like a good plan," said Jack. "Let's keep a watch on those Swabian ships. Abigail, can you set a few sailors on them round the clock? Make sure they let us know what they're doing at all times?"

Abigail smirked. "Consider it done."

"Good. That will let us focus on getting in front of King Aedan," said Jack before turning to Kat. "Do you know anything about the man? Is there anything that we can use to better aid our attempt of reaching him?"

Kat pursed her lips as she thought about the question. She looked like she wasn't sure exactly what to say. "I do know him. He's a younger man, probably not much older than you, Jack. He hasn't been on the throne long. His father passed away about four years ago, and his rule was long, over forty years. Aedan's older sister, Niamh, was the wife of Heron."

Jack nodded. "I remember Heron mentioning that. Do you know if he has any weaknesses? Something that we could use as bait to get into the palace?"

Kat only thought about it for a few moments before giving him a defeated look. "I'm sorry, Jack. Let me think on it."

He wrapped an arm around her waist. "Don't be. We'll just need to figure this out one way or another. I have to get in front of that man."

*****

The next day, Jack was no further along in solving his problem of entering Picardy. No matter what he tried, he couldn't get off the wharf where theDestiny was currently berthed. Last evening, he'd even tried to leave the ship, going to the end of the docks where the small, commercial office was situated, but he found himself barred off by members of the Picard navy.

"I'm sorry, sir, but you may enter no further," said the masked sailor. "It's for your own safety."

"What about them?" asked Jack angrily, pointing to the Swabians moving another container from a nearby dock into the city. "What gives them the right to do so when I can't?"

The sailor looked over at the Swabians and shrugged. "They have the right permits."

"And how do I get one of these permits?" he inquired.

"They can only be given by the palace right now, due to the pestilence."

Jack gritted his teeth. "Can you not see the irony in that statement, sailor? How am I to get a permit without getting into the city?"

The sailor seemed to have lost his patience with Jack. He folded his arms in front of his torso. "Please return to your ship."

By the next morning, it had become clear to Jack that there would be no official way of gaining entry into Daban. He wondered if he might have better luck sailing around to another Picard city and taking the land route into the city, however Kat quickly shot that idea down.

"The closest city with a port big enough for us to land is Zarah on the southern coast," she said, pointing it out on his map. "We'd lose a lot of time just to retrace our steps, and then we'd have to cross the entire country just to get back to Daban. Not to mention, the city gates are probably closed as well, so how would we get in?"

"What if we don't do that but instead we just sail some distance away from the city and take the launch boats in?" he asked. "That way, we don't have to retrace our steps or waste any further time."

Kat shrugged. "That still doesn't solve our question of how to get into the city, Jack. There's three main gates, but I'd be willing to bet if the main harbor is blocked off, the gates will be as well."

Jack had left that meeting feeling more frustrated than before. He was thankful for Kat's knowledge of the country, but so far they'd discerned no way to get in front of the king. He had thoughts about writing a letter just for Aedan but then the question occurred to him of who would carry it? How would they get past the docks?

In all, it just led to endless rounds of frustration.

It was for that reason that he found himself in Abigail's quarters that morning, silently stirring about his predicament. He was laying in her bed while she worked quietly at her desk. It had been like that for the last twenty minutes, mostly as Jack pondered the situation. However, Abigail soon put her pen down and moved to join him on the bed.

"You've been so quiet that I almost forgot you were here," she said softly, worming her way into his arms.

Jack let out a low sigh. "Just thinking is all. I was hoping that some time to think would help me figure this out."

"Did it?"

Jack shook his head. "Nothing yet. I have no idea how to get past these defenses to see King Aedan."

Abigail smirked and teased his sides. "You kings can be so hard to work with."

He raised an eyebrow when he looked at her. "Don't you start that now."

She giggled, giving him an innocent expression. "It's true, you know. It must be something about getting a crown. Makes you all so self-important."

"So you think I'm all self-important now?" Jack laughed and turned his body, trapping her against him. The air was turning playful between them, and he realized she was just trying to help take away some of the stress.

Abigail stuck her tongue out at him and nodded.

"Careful, or I'll find a good use for that tongue," he warned.

She let out a low moan. "Oh, you promise?"

He chuckled and kissed her. She melted against him, only fixing her gaze on him once the kiss was over.

"There you kings go again, taking what you want."

"I think you might like it if I took you right now."

Abigail purred. "I just might. I sure do enjoy being the king's woman." She was really getting off on this, especially with the number of times she kept referring to him as the king.

She pressed in to kiss him again, this one more sweeter and less urgent than the first. "I still can't believe who you are," she said finally, once the kiss ended.

"It doesn't change me," he whispered. "I'm still the same person."

Abigail shook her head slightly. "No, you're not. This is different. You'll never just be Commodore Jack Easterbrook again to me. You're the Galician King, Jack."

"You almost make it sound like a bad thing."

She shook her head again. "It's not." She traced her finger along his jawline. "But I always had a suspicion about you. That something was different, something that wasn't quite right. Not in a bad sense, but that you were someone important. I felt it the first night we met."

"You never told me then," he said.

"Nor would I have," she said with a soft giggle. "You would've thought I was crazy."