Fourth Vector Ch. 17

They'd certainly taken enough casualties and lost a good portion of their friends and brothers-in-arms during the time spent in the desert country. Yet with the influx of new blood and their new camaraderie with his veterans, it was beginning to feel like old times again.

It was one thing that certainly put his mind at ease. At a time like this, he didn't want to find himself without thoughts to occupy him since his brain usually went back to someone else. In the deepest recesses of his mind, he still couldn't quite dislodge Brittany from the prominent space she once occupied. Even though it had been over a week since their relationship ended, it still weighed on him.

Although to be honest, it wasn't much of a relationship. It was mostly just sex.

He had to keep reminding himself of that fact. It wasn't meant to downgrade what they had together, but it was also an acknowledgment of the heavy physical nature of their encounters. Sure, he'd let it cloud his judgment, and he couldn't help the feelings that developed, but somewhere along that line, he made that choice.

Apparently, she didn't.

Shaking it out of his head, he entered his office and shut the door behind him. It would do him no good to dwell on it, and he wanted to bury himself in work to take his mind to another place. It worked for largely the next half hour until he heard a soft knocking at his door.

"Come on in," he muttered, hardly looking up.

"Oh, hey, Greg," said the surprising voice of Vera as she stepped into his quarters. "I thought Jack might be down here with you, but I guess he's not."

Greg looked up and smiled. "Nope, just me down here. You might try either Kat or Abigail's quarters though."

Vera nodded. "Tried those first, no luck."

"Do you want me to radio for him? I'm sure he's around here somewhere."

Vera bit her lip. "That's all right. I suppose it wasn't too important."

He smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Important enough to come all the way down here though looking for him, right?"

Surprisingly, Vera giggled. "I guess I just felt like talking to him. With all that's going on, we haven't had much time to just sit down and talk since we left Kat's house."

"Oh, right. With your family connection now," said Greg. It was hard for him to imagine still that Jack and Vera were supposedly related, let alone brother and sister. He couldn't even fathom how they felt about the subject.

"Yeah," said Vera with a subtle nod. "It's just a little weird for me still. Not that I think it's a bad thing, it just takes some getting used to."

"I can understand that. I'd be a little freaked out too if I found out I had a sibling I knew nothing about."

Vera started to laugh. "Exactly!" She then looked down at the report he was in the middle of. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bug you if you're busy."

"No, it's fine," he said, pushing the report to the side. "Just paperwork. That's the one thing about it—it never ends, so what's the sense in trying to catch up?"

"That's a funny way to look at it," she said, taking a seat in the chair in front of his desk.

"Just something I've picked up after all these years in command," he said softly.

Vera rewarded him with another smile but said nothing else. He took the moment to study her features like he'd never had before. Even though he now thought of her as Jack's sister, she really was a beautiful girl. With her long, blonde hair and womanly curves, Vera was a sight that would make any man happy. His face started to redden as he remembered the image of her half-naked body back in Sorella when she was rescued from the harem. Vera certainly had nothing to worry about when it came to the physical.

It made it all the more troublesome when he actually got to know her and figured out that not only was she beautiful but sweet and thoughtful as well. For someone without military or political training, he could see why Jack kept her close, even before he found out about their familial connection. In a way, she was like his moral compass, always pointing him toward the right path, and it wasn't hard to see why Vera was so treasured by him.

"You look like you have a lot on your mind," said Vera finally, snapping him back to the present.

"Sorry," he said with an awkward cough. "Just thinking about some things in the past."

"Care to share with me? I'm guessing by the way you were just looking at me, it involved me in some way?"

Vera had caught him fair and square, and he tried hard to take the image of her exposed breasts out of his head from back in Sorella. "I was just thinking about how far we've come in this journey. Especially since we first met you in Sorella."

She nodded solemnly. "I hate to even think about my time in Sorella. At least before you and Jack showed up. Afterward, it hasn't been that bad, but I think you can understand why I try to block that out of my mind."

"I understand completely," he said before changing the subject. "I know Jack is struggling with all that was revealed back at Kat's house, but you're in the same boat as he is. How do you feel about it?"

"You mean about being some kind of lost Galician princess?" she asked with a giggle in her throat.

"Precisely,that," he answered with a chuckle.

Vera took a heavy sigh. "I don't know what to make of it still. I still have trouble sleeping at night because I just can't get my brain to turn off thinking about it. I'm grateful for Jack, and I fear for him with what he needs to do, but I also worry about how it will change my life. What it might mean for me to be tied to him for the rest of our lives, you know?"

"I'm afraid I don't," said Greg with another laugh. "If I get sick of him, I could just request a reassignment, but I don't think you can do that."

"You wouldn't do that," teased Vera. "You're in too deep with us already. Besides, I know you, and you wouldn't abandon Jack for anything."

He smiled. "You're probably right."

"Oh, I definitely am. I got the measure of you pretty quickly, Greg Vaughn," said Vera, teasing him more.

"Oh, yeah? And what's my measure?"

"That you're a good man and a loyal friend," she answered quietly. Even though she said it with such certainty, it still didn't help the fact that she turned slightly red afterward.

Truthfully, he thought it was adorable. Rarely had he seen this side of Vera, and never directed toward him. He had to wonder if there was something behind it. There was a look in Vera's eyes that he wasn't familiar with. He had to question whether there was something deeper in her words.

"Well, at least someone likes me," he said finally, before looking down.

Vera's gaze softened and the smile left her face. "I didn't mean to make you feel down. I heard about what happened between you and Abigail's deputy."

"Even you heard about it? From who?"

"I overheard Abigail telling Kat about it," she said simply. "Either way, I'm sorry to hear about it. I hope you're doing all right."

"I'm doing okay," he said, chancing a look up at her. "It gets a little better every day."

Vera smiled again. "Well, I hope you know that I think she's nuts for what she did. I don't think she knew what she had."

Greg locked eyes with her without responding at first.Is she flirting with me or just being nice?

"I think I just made it out to be more than it actually was," he said quietly. "I don't think she saw it as that serious."

Vera shrugged. "So what? That doesn't mean you don't have feelings about her. You're human too, Greg. You can allow yourself to be hurt over it. I just think in the long run, she's going to be the one hurting at realizing what she lost."

She reached out to touch his arm softly. At that moment, Greg understood that look in her eyes. She was definitely flirting with him. And the craziest thing about it was that all he wanted to do was flirt back.

He reached his hand over and patted the top of hers. "I really appreciate that, Vera."

"Of course," she answered softly.

For the next half hour, she stayed and talked with him about a variety of subjects, none of them consequential. It was talking just for the sake of talking, but it was like therapy for his soul. Even though he knew Vera to be sweet and thoughtful before, the more time he spent with her, the better he understood her full personality. Yes, she was easy to talk to, but she also had a great sense of humor, and she was observant about things going on around her in a way that never ceased to amaze him. Greg found himself not wanting her to leave even as their conversations drifted to the retelling of old stories and memories.

"So that's when the spice merchant finally figured out what happened, and he chased me and my sister with a broom all the way back to my father's boat," said Vera with tears streaming out of her eyes in laughter. "I'd never seen my father so pissed before."

Greg laughed along heartily at the story. "Oh, I bet you heard about that one later."

Vera nodded quickly. "He was so mad at us, we never went back to Porto after that. Tainted forever, just because of us!"

"I can't say I'd blame him!"

They both laughed along for a few more seconds until Vera looked at the time. "Wow, it's getting late. I didn't realize that much time had passed."

Greg looked over as well, irritated at the time for going so quickly in Vera's company. "I imagine we'll be leaving soon. I know Jack wanted to leave tonight before the deadline."

"Yeah, guess so," said Vera reluctantly. "Thank you for letting me come down here and talk with you. That was really fun."

Greg smiled. "I'm really glad you stopped down here tonight, even if you were just looking for Jack."

Vera grinned. "Me too. Maybe if you don't mind, I might do it again another night? As long as you're not too busy?"

He shook his head quickly. "I'd never be too busy for this."

She smiled and made a motion to stand up. "Maybe I should let you get back to work?"

"If you must, if you must," he said with a chuckle.

Vera giggled and headed for the door. She turned to look back at him, locking eyes with his and giving him that look again. "Bye, Greg."

"Bye, Vera," he replied, watching her eyes. She lingered on him for a moment too long before she slipped past the doorframe. Just like that, she was gone.

Greg relaxed back into his chair, the grin on his face never leaving even after she did. For the first time in nearly a week, he didn't have another woman on his mind.

For the first time in a week, he let himself feel hope once again.

*****

Over a thousand miles away, the Regent of Galicia sat at his dining table eating his dinner. Eric Rosdahl took another bite of the chewy chicken dish in front of him, wondering just how the cooks could have managed to ruin chicken of all things. It was far too rubbery for his tastes, and after several bites, he tossed his fork back down on the plate with a scowl.

"Blasted fools," he muttered under his breath. "I'd give my entire country for a decent cook."

Finished with his plate, he pushed it away and let one of the palace servants take it away. "Fire the man that cooked that," said Eric before the man walked away. "Find me another cook who can't fuck up something easy like chicken."

"Yes, Your Highness," said the servant, quickly scampering back to the kitchens.

Eric barely had a moment to himself when another one of the servants showed up outside the door. "Your Highness, I have Lord William Calland here to see you."

Eric rolled his eyes and groaned. "What does he want?" he spat.

The servant gulped. "He wishes to discuss the Swabians with you."

The Swabians. Always the blasted Swabians, thought Eric. Calland was one of the worst fools of the nobility, always on his own personal crusade against anything or anyone Swabian. Before the man had even entered the room, Eric already knew what it was about.

"Send him in," snapped Eric.

Calland entered a moment later, marching with purpose to Eric's table. The old man always seemed to have a scowl on his face anymore, and Eric enjoyed nothing more than to find ways to keep it there.

"Your Highness," said Calland with a deep bow.

"I hope this is good, Calland," said Eric, already looking at him with suspicious eyes. "If this is about the Swabians again, it's already not off to a good start."

Calland pursed his lips. "Your Highness, I've heard reports of a Swabian ship docked in Kalmar harbor. I had to go see it for myself to confirm the authenticity of it. The very thing I didn't want to see is actually there."

"What's your point? Our harbor is free for anyone who wants to dock here," said Eric.

"Never the Swabians though. They've been prohibited from our country for over two thousand years," argued Calland.

"Times change, Calland. I have a very useful arrangement with them that requires their presence here. That's why that warship is here."

Calland sighed deeply as the scowl on his face worsened. Inwardly, Eric smiled. "Your Highness, you know the Swabians can't be trusted."

"Do I know that? They've done nothing duplicitous during my reign here."

"Yet," added Calland. "Our history books are full of their deceit, lies, and betrayals. You of all people should know that."

"Of all people? What do you mean by that, Calland?" asked the regent with a raised eyebrow. If the man was going to start getting personal, this meeting would be over more quickly than he imagined.

"You are the Galician Regent," said Calland. "You of all people should know of the struggles between our two peoples. They may come to you as friends as they always do, but in the last moment, they will strike you in the back,like they always do!"

"They will do no such thing. I have control of them," argued Eric with a dismissive wave. "I pay them handily for the service they provide me."

"Payment means nothing to them," shot back Calland. "The only thing that does is the expansion of their empire, and certainly not the concerns of their historic enemy."

"Perhaps it's time a new leaf was turned over then? Perhaps it was time that Galicia and Swabia put aside their enmity and unite for better purposes?"

Calland gasped. "How can you even say that with what they've done to us? The Galician kings would never have permitted such a—"

"THERE ARE NO MORE GALICIAN KINGS!" roared Eric, coming to his feet in a flash. "You would be wise to remember that,my lord!"

Calland pulled away from him suddenly, not offering a rebuttal. He was wiser than that. Their conversations always had the same result. Calland would push until Eric finally responded and then he'd retreat. However, this was a new low for the man, invoking the name of the kings. The kings were long since dead.

Eric ruled in Galicia now.

"I will hear no more of this foolishness," said Eric more calmly, once he'd regained his temper. "What I do is for the good of Galicia, and I won't have it questioned by anyone."

Calland raised a doubtful eyebrow at that sentence. It was clear that his definition of good was very different than Eric's, even if the regent considered the other opinion to be based around antiquated notions of historical enemies. There was no reason he couldn't have his own accommodations with the Swabians. It was only wise to keep the growing power of the Swabian Empire on his good side. No one would care for a war to break out with such powerful people.

Everything he did was to keep the peace. One day, his subjects would remember him as Eric the Peacemaker for his efforts.

"Now, do you have anything else to report or did you just come here to badger me about the Swabians?" asked Eric, taking his seat once more.

"I came here to be a good man and warn my leader about a threat that he doesn't see," said Calland with a stiff upper lip. "Since I've already done that, I'll take my leave."

"Excellent," said Eric sourly. "Have alovely evening."

Calland stared daggers at him before leaving, his footsteps heavy against the tile beneath his feet. The lord slammed the door on the way out, causing several of the items in the room to shake.

I'll have his head someday, I promise you that, thought Calland.Upstart, rebellious little shit.

Unfortunately, that list would have to be fairly long indeed. There were too many of the nobility that questioned his actions still, a thought that rankled him to no end. Calland wasn't the first man to invoke the name of the kings, but he would soon be the last. Eric wanted no more mention of the Galician kings when he was around. The line was dead.

Or at least, it soon would be.

For he and he alone knew that somewhere out there, the heir to the throne breathed. His uncle had known and had spent the better part of his reign trying to eradicate them. At one point, he even met with a degree of success, killing the previous heir and his son, even if the grandson had escaped. It was no matter as Eric would track him down soon enough and remove his head from the rest of his body.

He would allow no more competitors to his rule. As long as this heir was alive, he was a threat to his position. His cousin hadn't understood that, and she was deposed for good reason. He was more realistic about their threat, and it was the reason why he spent considerable resources hunting down not only the heir but his foolish cousin as well.

One of those resources happened to be his friend in Swabia. Eric took out the object of Calland's distaste, a letter given to him by the Swabian messenger aboard their warship. The seal on the envelope bore the personal emblem of Lord Regaulfus Avila, and Eric opened it again to reread the original message.

According to the letter, there was trouble brewing on the other side of Swabia. A foreigner from the eastern part of the world was meddling in Avila's interests in some of the smaller countries, and he wanted some aid with taking the man down.

Eric was on the fence about how to respond to the message. For one, he doubted that Avila lacked the resource to deal with such a pest on his own, but he also knew that Avila's money lined his own pockets, proving to be a steady and generous ally. Eric wondered just how much "aid" would be required of him by the Swabian lord, something that was uneasy to contemplate. He pocketed the letter, determined to think more on it before giving his answer back to Avila.

"Your Highness, your minister Olaf is here to see you," said one of the servants, interrupting his daydream. Olaf was the head of the regent's spy network in Galicia, and the very man whom he tasked with the most important missions he had running at any one time. Any time that Olaf had a report to give in person, it was bound to contain something worthwhile.

"Show him in," said Eric.

Not a moment later, the burly, blond minister made his way inside the chambers and bowed to Eric. "Your Highness, it's good to see you."

"And you as well, Olaf, assuming that you have good news for me."

"I do, Your Highness. It concerns your cousin. We've found her."

Eric turned to face him. "For certain you've found her? You're sure this time?"

"As sure as we can. She was spotted by one of our men. Someone posted in Daban in Picardy."

"I knew she'd show up. I had my own guesses that Picardy might just be the place. How were they sure it was her?"

"It matched the pictures we have of her. It wasn't hard to escape notice with that hair of hers, but it's definitely her."

"Good, I'm glad to have found her. Ever since we lost track of her back in Apulia over six months ago, I've been waiting for her to make a wrong move."

"There's more to it, Your Highness. She's onboard a naval vessel. It's not a typical western vessel either. This one looks eastern to our eyes. My contact in Swabia referenced their own missing naval ship from a few months prior, lost in action to some foreigners from the east. We believe it may be the same force."