Fourth Vector Ch. 20

"Something tells me that the Swabians won't pull back completely if we bloody their noses here today, but this is the first step toward ridding the country of their influence. We must get them out of Daban swiftly."

Kat nodded. "I hope the Picard soldiers know we're not here to fight them. Only the Swabians."

"That thought has been on my mind too. I wish we had a way to symbol to them that we're on their side, especially once we get into the city."

"What if we fly their flags with ours? When we take the shore batteries?" Kat suggested. "We erect the Picard flag, the Carinthian flag, and even the Galician flag. Show them the old alliance isn't as dead as they believed."

"You think that would work?"

Kat nodded. "It's worth a shot. Most of the common people don't trust or like the Swabians still, despite Aedan's initial intentions. I think if we gave them a choice between the old alliance and the Swabians, they would fall to our side."

"It can't hurt our cause," said Jack. "Let's get these shore batteries neutralized first, and then we can signal the city."

*****

"Let's go you sons-of-bitches, it's time to dance!"

Dustin yelled out with excitement as he marched around the deck of theDestiny, issuing orders and giving pep talks to the marines as they prepared to land on Picard soil.

"You're looking bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, son," said Dustin to a marine that was waiting to board the boat. "You ready to kick some Fourthie ass today?"

"Yes, sir!" roared the marine, failing to hold back a smile at Dustin's words.

"That's what I like to hear," said Dustin with a grin. He walked over to the other side of the ship, recognizing Greg's old battalion as they waited to board the boats. Only about half of these men were still the original veterans of this mission, having fought with Greg since they first entered the Vector more than half a year ago. It was then that Dustin had quite the idea.

"Gather round men, gather round," he said, gesturing for them all to come closer. They huddled closely around the major, their eyes expectant with what he might say. Dustin grabbed his helmet and pulled it to his side.

"As you men know, we're being asked to take the city right now, starting with that battery right over there." Dustin pointed over to the structure looming in the distance. "The same bastards that are holding this city are the very same that all of you have tangled with already. They are the same poor excuses for soldiers that we destroyed back in Andalucia. Apparently, they haven't learned their lesson yet. But we'll teach 'em today."

One of the marines let out a whooping holler which was soon repeated by all of them. Dustin grinned with excitement.

"I know all of you are ready to go, but I want to leave you with this piece. Because of these assholes, this whole city is gripped with the plague. That includes your commander, Lt. Colonel Greg Vaughn, who at this very moment is fighting for his life down in the infirmary," said Dustin with a regretful look. "There is no one on this ship who'd rather be storming these batteries than Greg Vaughn, and I know it would kill him not to be here with you today."

"That's why I ask you to keep him in your minds as you take those fortifications tonight. Remember what those assholes did to him and repay back their intentions with interest. Can I count on all of you to bring hell to these Swabian bastards tonight?"

The marines let out a loud roar of approval.

"Can we show Greg Vaughn that we will fight to honor him? That he's not forgotten?"

The marines roared loudly again.

Dustin let his voice ring out even higher. "Can we show them what justice really looks like for trying to kill our Lt. Colonel?"

"Huzzah!" yelled the men, now completely energized. Many of them were bouncing against the deck, ready to deal out as much punishment as they could on the waiting enemy.

Dustin smiled wide. "You men make me proud to be your commander here today. Let's do this. For Greg."

"For Greg!"

As Greg's old battalion began to board their launch boats, Dustin didn't stay waiting on the warship. Wanting to be in one of the first waves that landed on Picard soil, he jumped into a boat that was just about to be launched.

"You boys ready to fight?" he asked, looking around the men already aboard. Most of them gave him a simple acknowledgment or a grin, and soon the boat was lowered completely into the water.

As the marine boatswain brought them away from theDestiny and closer to shore, Dustin could see that the marines from the other two cruisers were already starting to land on the beach in front of the battery.

"Can't this thing go any faster?" yelled Dustin to the boatswain before pointing to the marines on the shore. "Those men are going to have both batteries cleared before we even get to shore!"

"We're going as fast as I can make it," said the boatswain, obviously insulted at having his abilities questioned in front of the rest of the men.

"We could get there faster with a bunch of oars," muttered Dustin.

In what felt like a small eternity, and after theDestiny had lobbed several volleys at the battery, they finally felt the nose of the boat dig into the rocky soil of Picardy. Instantly, they were the subject of small arms fire, and the entire group moved as one unit as they rushed out of the boat to take cover wherever they could find it.

As Dustin found a particularly large rock with which to shelter himself, he peeked over the top to see what they were up against.

"I have four enemy soldiers just up on that little clearing over there," yelled Dustin to this group as another boat of marines soon landed ashore. "You two over there, give me covering fire while I get closer!"

The bark of their NT-12s exploded as Dustin soon rushed about from his current position across the beach. He quickly kneeled beside a small set of man-made stairs that led up to the gun emplacement. From this new vantage point, Dustin had a better shot on the four soldiers just at the top of the hill, and with four rapid bursts of fire, he was able to neutralize all of them.

"Let's go men! Off the beach!"

As one body, the marines soon surged forward, many of them rushing up the stairs and coming to the top of the hill. Just as quickly as they pushed forward, all of them soon hit the ground as more fire erupted from the top. Dustin could see the concrete entrance to the shore battery just on the opposite side of a small courtyard, but in the way were about twenty different gray-robed soldiers, operating in teams of five to pepper their position from three sides.

"Sir, we're pinned down!" yelled one of the marines to Dustin's side. He wasn't wrong, but unfortunately for him, some of the heavy lead flying over their heads soon connected with his. The man crumbled to the ground to move no more.

"All right, we can't stay here forever, so let's get some lead flying back at 'em," yelled Dustin. "You, you, and you, I want you to throw grenades at those positions while we cover you. Let's see if we can throw them off balance! Everyone else, covering fire!"

The mass of marines soon popped up to pour their own lead into the waiting Swabian soldiers. Dustin personally felt two bullets whiz by his head as the three designated marines were able to get in a grenade toss.

In the next few seconds, three explosions rocked the small courtyard, throwing up heavy mounds of dirt and grass.

"Move forward! Attack!"

Dustin led the way, moving straight across the courtyard to the farthest position while heavy smoke obscured his vision. He nearly fell on top of two enemy soldiers, their faces wide with astonishment at seeing him close the distance. Dustin was able to get two shots off to take them down, but not before one of them grazed his arm with a wild shot.

"You stupid son of a bitch," roared Dustin, feeling the pain in his arm. It only served to enrage him further, and he steadily pressed forward to mow down the three remaining men in the position. When he found them, he saw that one had already been killed by a stray bullet, but the other two rapidly pounced on him as soon as they locked eyes.

Dustin could only manage to get one shot out, hitting one of the Swabians in the knee and bringing him to the ground before he was tackled by the remaining man. The attacking Swabian was relentless as they fell to the ground, and Dustin struggled to retaliate against the swift blows to his face and head. The Swabian was a big man with dark, cold eyes, and he used his advantage in size to pummel him from above.

Dustin couldn't quite get his rifle out from between them, wanting to use either the butt or the bayonet to throw him off, but he never got the chance. It also didn't help that he was losing feeling in his arm where he was shot, and he couldn't get enough pressure on the rifle to wedge it from between them. Dustin watched as the big man pulled back a fist to strike him in the face, and he just waited for the blow.

It never came. Instead, the man atop of him stiffened instantly and when Dustin finally cracked an eye to look at him, he saw the bullet hole only two inches below his collarbone. The man's mouth filled with blood and soon spilled down his chin. With a heavy shove, Dustin was able to push him off and resume his stance.

Looking around to find out who had taken the shot, he found himself face-to-face with the marine boatswain from earlier. The boatswain flashed him a thumbs-up.

"We're even now," yelled Dustin in jest as he grabbed his rifle and got back to the action.

The rest of the marines didn't have any trouble clearing out the courtyard until all that remained was the entrance to the battery. It was built into the hillside, running underground to the gun emplacement on the cliff. Unfortunately, that entrance made an ideal defensive spot. It was tight and hard to see once inside, not aided in the slightest by the fact that night was quickly approaching.

"Men, fix your flashlights to your rifles," said Dustin as they approached the entrance. He stuck his head around the corner to look into the dark tunnel. A shot rang out, forcing him to pull back. The major reached for a grenade at his waist, pulled the pin, and gave it a healthy toss down the tunnel.

"That should shock 'em a bit," he said to the marines around him as the explosion soon rang out within the tunnel. Once the smoke cleared a little more, he directed two men to start down the darkened path.

The grenade must have taken out two more Swabians near the entrance, as the group soon stepped over their dead bodies on the way toward the gun emplacement. Along the way, they encountered no more resistance until they reached the last room where the controls were. Two more Swabians made their last stand inside that room, popping off shots at anyone who dared try to sneak in.

Once Dustin had enough men with him at the entrance to the room, he directed them on how to sneak in by hand signal alone. Giving the final signal, he had two men immediately rush into the room, not stopping until they reached the opposite wall while two more behind them popped out for covering fire.

Once the men reached the opposite wall, they turned to face the remaining two Swabians and quickly filled them with lead. For the first time since they landed on the beach, the battery was now empty of enemy soldiers.

As Dustin stepped into the main control room and pushed the bodies of the dead Swabians into the corner, he beamed with pride as he looked at his men. "Well done, boys, well done. Let's run the flags up over the top of this battery to let command know she's been neutralized."

As they began to filter back outside of the battery, Dustin grabbed the package of flags that he'd been given before he left theDestiny. Once they were at the flagpole, he let four flags go up in quick succession after they took down the gray and black Swabian rag. First up was the Picard flag, following carefully by what he was told were the Galician and Carinthian flags. Last up was the Javan flag. Due to the winds from the approaching storm, they were soon fluttering high aloft the ruins of the battery, dominating the approach into the city.

"Let's hope the Picards can see that from their walls," said Dustin proudly. "Maybe they'll start to turn on these Swabian bastards."

"Sir, what do you want us to do with the prisoners?" asked a nearby marine. He pointed out to two groups. One group was obviously Swabian by their gray robes. Almost all of them were wounded and in no fighting condition. The other group looked to be prisoners of the Swabians judging by their happiness at seeing the Picard flag.

"I take it you men were the original Picard garrison?" asked Dustin as he approached a man with red hair.

"We are," said the grateful man. "Thank you for all that you've done today."

Dustin smiled politely. "We're not done yet. We still have your city to take."

*****

The waves were choppy as Jack made his way to shore from theDestiny. Looking up to the two batteries on the southern coast, he smiled as he saw the flags of their force fluttering high above the emplacements. Once he saw the flags, he wanted to quickly come ashore to direct the assault on the city, and once his feet were on firm ground, he went looking for Dustin.

He found the major outside the entrance to the main gun, binoculars in hand as he eyed the city.

"Already planning your entrance?" asked Jack as he took his place beside the man.

"That city might be tougher to take than this battery," replied Dustin. "But I'll be damned if I let those flying bastards beat us to the palace."

Jack chuckled at the reference of their Carinthian allies as flying bastards but soon joined Dustin in looking at the city. "That palace is right damn near the center. There's going to be a lot of tough combat between here and there. If they are smart about their defense, the Swabians will make us pay for every block that we take."

"They are determined soldiers, I'll give them that," said Dustin, before gesturing to the wound in his arm. "One of them almost got me up here."

"You need someone to look at that?" asked Jack. He noticed the wound had been tied up with a spare strip of cloth.

Dustin shook his head. "I'll be fine. I'm just glad its not my shootin' arm. By the way, I have a group of Picards over there off the main courtyard. It seems they were the ones that manned this battery before the Swabians took over."

"I'd like to have a talk with them," said Jack. "Feel them out. See how they feel about us."

"I don't think there's much love lost between them and the Swabians," said Dustin. "I bet if you gave 'em rifles, they'd move to fight with us."

"Good to know. Let me talk with them and then let's get into position to take the city."

"You got it, Jack."

Jack pulled back from Dustin's position and moved back to the courtyard. It wasn't hard to find where the Picards were as all he had to do was look for the group with predominantly red hair. He found them easily, many of them under guard by his marines out of an abundance of caution. The lot of them watched his approach with careful appraisal.

"Men, I'm Jack Easterbrook," he started while trying to make eye contact with each of them. "This is my force that's come to free your city from the Swabian influence."

"About damn time," said the nearest Picard to him, one that had a terrible overbite and a little too much acne. Jack surmised the man couldn't have been much older than eighteen or nineteen. "Where've you been for the last week?"

Jack smiled. "Trying to link up with your real allies." He pointed across the bay to where the Carinthian ships were still docked.

The Picard's expression soured. "You're with them! We thought you were Galicians by the flag up there!"

"It's complicated, but yes, we are here as part of your old alliance between Galicia, Picardy, and Carinthia," said Jack. "Your King Aedan is my friend, and we understand him to be hostage here."

"From what we've heard, he hasn't been allowed to leave the palace," said another Picard with wild, dark red hair.

"Yeah, the Swabians have him locked up too. Had all of us locked up," said the original Picard.

"How would you feel about changing that?" asked Jack. "The Swabians have left a lot of rifles on the ground that they aren't using anymore. Would you men like to join our forces as we liberate your capital city? As we liberate your king?"

The Picard with the wild hair was the first to nod. "I sure would. Not only to kick out those Swabians piles of cow manure, but I also know I don't want to fight anybody with those dang flying contraptions."

Before Jack could answer, the original Picard with the overbite nodded his head quickly. "Is it true? Do you have a flying machine?"

Jack chuckled. "We do. And we're going to use them to help us free your country."

"Sign me up then," said the first Picard. "I'll take a rifle so I can kill some Swabians."

"I can't have you just charging into the city though," said Jack. "If you fight with us, you have to coordinate with us, got it? I won't have you throwing your lives away for no reason. Will you fight with my men and follow our orders to rescue your king?"

All the Picards nodded without a single question to be asked.

Jack then gestured to the marine on guard. "I think we got it from here, man. Help these men find a Swabian rifle."

Jack then turned back to the Picards. "Once you have a rifle and some ammunition, come join us over by that hillside. We'll be pressing into the city shortly."

Jack left them on their own as he walked back over to Dustin's spot on the hill. By this time, the majority of the marines were taking cover on the hillside that overlooked the city, ready to press in for an attack as soon as the signal was given. It was getting increasingly harder to see as night fully arrived, and Jack wanted to talk to the men before they made their assault.

"Marines, you've done a great job in this landing so far," said Jack to those that were closest to him. "But we're not done yet. We still have the city to clear out of Swabians. It's not going to be easy as we take back Daban, so make sure you operate in teams. Be on the lookout for the enemy as they will attempt to use the city to their advantage for the defense. You may also encounter groups of Picard soldiers along the way. They are to be welcomed to our side if they are able." Jack pointed to the group of Picards that had been released, now armed with Swabians weaponry.

"Only fight those that wish to fight you back," continued Jack. "Our objective is the palace in the middle of the city. Let's stay together, fight together, and I'll see you there.

"Let's move in, marines!" yelled Dustin. "For Java!"

"For Java!" they yelled as one body, as they rose as one mass and made the headlong charge down the hill.

All along the entire front, heavy firing began to open up as the marines descended into the city. Jack ran along not far from Dustin, stopping to take several shots before rushing forward again for cover. This portion of the city was sparsely populated and many of the buildings were residential in nature, but it didn't prevent the Swabians from picking the best spots, including several of the houses that lined the main thruway into the heart of the city.

"Get those two guys up in that window," yelled Jack as he went head first against a low-lying fountain. Bullets chipped at the stonework around the fountain. Jack crawled around to get a better vantage point, finding himself soon up against another marine offering covering fire. Taking the chance to look above the fountain, he centered his crosshairs right on the chest of one of the gray-robed Swabians in the window and took careful aim.