Fourth Vector Ch. 20

Edwin started to pale, the color rapidly leaving his face. "I know nothing about assassins."

Reina gave him a disgusted look. "I'm sure you don't. Now, if you'll excuse me, we have places to be."

As the two men soon found themselves pushed to the opposite sides of the hallway, the rest of the group started to march by. Jack was lucky in that Edwin was the closest to his side, letting his height and pissed-off expression intimidate the ambassador as he moved by him. As he'd predicted, Edwin rapidly shrank away from his presence.

It wasn't until they'd passed by that Edwin called out again. "What am I to tell the regent, Your Majesty?"

Reina stopped and turned back to face him. "Tell him whatever you want, and then I want you on the first ship back to Galicia."

"Your Majesty?" he questioned.

"You heard me. You're fired, Edwin," said Reina with a smug expression. "I want you and your staff gone. Go back to your master and tell him not to send any more envoys to my court again."

"But why?" squeaked Edwin, losing all of his confidence. "What could be the purpose of this?"

Reina smiled and pointed at Jack and Kat. "I've picked my side."

Nothing more needed to be said. The former Galician ambassador to Carinthia stood there sputtering without being able to form coherent sentences as the rest of the group marched out the main entrance to the palace. It wasn't until they were firmly outside in the city that Reina let out a little giggle and turned to Jack and Kat.

"I've wanted to do that to that weasel for some time now," she admitted with a broad smile. "He's always rubbed me the wrong way, and it felt so good to send him packing."

"It was amusing to watch," added Jack with a small smile.

"I have to say that Eric is going to be furious when he hears that though," said Kat with some caution. "Are you sure you want to hitch your train to us?"

Reina nodded easily. "I'm sure. Carinthia stands for what is right, not for what is might. It's about time we start living up to that ardor. I know the road before us isn't easy, but the surest way to getting on the right path is to take the first step in the right direction. Consider this our first step together."

"I just hope we can live up to that high standard," said Jack. "As far as Kat and I are concerned, we're little more than exiles from our native country."

Reina shook her head. "You might be exiles, but you're exiles with a military force and allies. Carinthia stands with you. Our first task may be to help the Picards throw the Swabians out, but we'll be your friends for as long as you'll have us. That I can promise you. Besides, I have a feeling Edwin was the one behind the attempt. My men are going to be watching him very closely until he leaves the country. I can assure you he won't even be able to shit without us knowing about it. Hopefully he does something stupid so we can catch him, but otherwise, we'll make sure he's not long for Carinthia. I can't very well kill an ambassador, but I can make his life hell while he's here."

"It means so much to us, Reina," said Kat as she pressed in for a long hug. "Thank you for letting us stay with you."

"I'm not going to get all mushy now," said the queen with misty eyes. "I'll save that for the port later on. I'll be right behind you, and I'll see you before you're off."

"Sounds great to us," said Jack with a hug from the queen. "We'll see you in a few hours."

*****

After an uneventful ride back to the main Carinthian port, Jack once more gazed upon the sight of theDestiny resting in its berth. Even though the sky was filled with heavy, dark clouds, the sight and grandeur of his ship never failed to disappoint.

Especially with the operation that he was now watching. As he got closer to the warship, Jack could make out one of the launchers being secured to the deck. Just below on the dock was one of the airplanes that Reina had given them, fitted out with pontoons on the bottom so it could be safely retrieved from the water. Jack took a deep breath and grinned. He was most eager to try out his new weapon of war in battle.

"Your face looks like mine when I find a new woman at the local watering hole," said Dustin from his side while watching Jack carefully.

Jack couldn't help but chuckle in response. "I missed my ship. It's only been a few days, but being on the water is in my blood. Too much time on land isn't good for me."

Dustin held up both hands. "No need to explain it to me. I feel the same way when there aren't any battles going on."

"It sounds like you're about to get your fill then," said Jack. "I imagine we aren't going to be walking into any picnics when we get back to Picardy."

It was Dustin's turn to grin. "Oh, we can only hope, Jack. All this peace isn't good for a marine. If I'm not shooting, I'm not living."

Jack laughed. "Are all of your marine officers cut from the same cloth?"

Dustin grinned. "Only the good ones."

Jack turned serious for a moment. "Speaking of, I hope Greg is still all right. The last I heard, he was still out."

Dustin nodded. "I'm going to go see him once we're on the ship. I hope like hell he's able to lick this thing."

Jack turned his attention back to theDestiny as they got closer. As Dustin and the rest of the party began to board, he took a moment to stop near the Carinthian workers that were loading the two airplanes. Immediately, he recognized one of the engineers from the demonstration out in the Grove.

"Are you going to be coming with us then?" asked Jack with a friendly smile as he walked up to the engineer.

Recognizing who he was, the engineer soon nodded with a cordial grin. "I definitely am. The queen thought it right to send me with your forces since we'd already met. Hope that's all right with you?"

"That couldn't have worked out better," replied Jack. "Although, I'm kind of embarrassed to admit that I never caught your name."

The engineer chuckled. "No worries about that, my name is Leonardo, but please call me Leo. Only my mother still bothers to call me Leonardo."

Jack started to laugh. "Well met, Leo. Jack Easterbrook." The two men shook hands before Jack gestured back to his cargo. "So this is it, right? Two airplanes, one launcher?"

"It can only be one launcher for now," said Leo. "We just don't have the time to have another one created, so your main ship here will have to work. But you have full access to me and my crew of five men, as well as four other pilots. Our force will have six total airplanes, four with my countrymen based upon two of the battleships."

Jack grinned. "I can't wait to see how they fare in battle."

"Neither can I," admitted Leo. "I'd especially like to talk to you more about your bombing proposal. You know, where you suggested dropping the grenades? I think that has some serious merit if we can get some better firepower in it."

"I'm open to any suggestions," said Jack. "I'm sure we can come up with something."

"I'll run a few sketches by you. We might need to send it in to be manufactured, but I think the end result would be quite potent if we're able to bomb from the air."

Jack clapped the man on the back. "I have to agree. I'd like to meet your pilots as well, if they're nearby."

After Leo had introduced him to all the pilots coming aboard, as well as showed him the fuel reserves for their expedition, Jack finally left the man while he reboarded theDestiny and started to make his way toward the bridge. At this time of day, he was likely to find Abigail in her usual spot, and he was eager to see her after so many days away.

Thankfully, his intuition didn't disappoint, and he found the dark-haired beauty sitting at her normal command station. His luck held even further, because it was just her on the bridge.

"There you are, finally," said the gorgeous brunette as she launched herself into his arms. "I missed you."

Jack started to chuckle and he felt the urge to tease her. "It was just a few days."

Abigail pulled back to give him a knowing look. "Don't even pretend like you aren't thrilled to see me."

He grinned. "I can't even lie to you about that. You know I am."

"Better," she purred, before leaning in to kiss him seriously. Almost too seriously, as the heat in her lips soon made him respond below the waist. She obviously knew the effect she was having on him as her hand was soon rubbing the outside of his trousers directly over his erection.

"Are you trying to make me fuck you here in the bridge?" he whispered.

Abigail's eyes lit up with excitement. "I was just trying to get you back to your quarters, but I'll take it up here if you're willing."

He couldn't help but laugh. "We're definitely overdue. But maybe not up here where the whole ship can see us."

Abigail pouted. "Tease," she muttered although she didn't let the pout linger for very long. "How is Kat? Is she okay?"

"A little better this morning, thankfully," he replied. "It shouldn't take too long to heal, and it could've been much worse."

"I'll say," said Abigail. "It's a damn good thing you were there."

"I knew that Kat had to watch out for this kind of thing in the past, but actually experiencing one firsthand changes some things. We'll have to be a little more careful."

Abigail nodded in agreement before her smile turned more wicked. "Perhaps I can be there the next time you attend to her wound with your own form of tender, loving care?"

Jack shook his head at her playfully. "You're really not going to stop until you get some, are you?"

Abigail made a delightful noise as she shook her head. "No, and it's been way too long. I'm really going to need it hard from you, Commodore."

"That I can do," said Jack with a knowing smile.

Abigail wasn't done yet. "Maybe even in my ass if you're feeling up to it." She traced her finger down his chest in a seductive manner.

He never got a chance to reply.

The door to the bridge opened and Abigail's deputy, Brittany, soon stuck her head in. "Abigail, I'm told the Queen of Carinthia is down at the docks."

Jack looked back at her. "I'll take that one!"

Abigail nudged him. "Are you sure you don't want me to come with you so you can introduce me as your other lover?"

Jack chuckled. "Knowing Reina, she'd probably approve of that." He kissed her soundly before heading for the door. "Talk to you in a little bit!"

On the way to the gangplank, he found Kat heading in the same direction. She gave him a wink before they both descended down to see the Carinthian queen, who was at this very moment admiring his ship.

"Beautiful vessel," said Reina as she took it all in. "I'd heard rumors you easterners could put out some fine warships, and I suppose they were true!"

"TheDestiny has been an excellent ship for us," said Jack with a fatherly grin. "And now with these airplanes, I'm anxious to see it taken to a new level."

"As am I," said Reina. "It appears that events in Picardy are happening rather quickly now. I just got word that Carinthian nationals are being picked up all over Daban."

Kat frowned. "Seriously? They don't know when to stop, do they?"

Reina shook her head. "Not at all. My ambassadors started to send word this morning when they were first alerted. The dispatches came very quickly, one after another. Then they stopped. They even missed their daily morning report back to the ministry. I can only assume they've been detained as well."

"Or they've been coerced into not talking," said Jack. "Either way, it's urgent that we get moving. The quicker we can get to Daban, the sooner we can set them free."

Reina smiled. "I'll be most curious to find out how you like the new airplanes. The next time I see you, I'll want a full battle report."

Jack chuckled. "I'll be able to give you one. By the sounds of it, your engineer, Leo, is just as eager to see it himself."

"As are half the pilots," said Reina with a heavy giggle. "I can't say I'd blame them. They're all young men themselves, all just happy to be heading into combat for the first time with their new toys. I sure hope they take care of themselves and remember that they're only human first."

"I think that's a hard lesson to teach, especially if they are going to be around that one up there," said Jack, pointing to Dustin who was now waving from the railing with a wide grin.

Reina burst into laughter. "I rather like that one although I do wish I'd spent more time in his company."

"We could arrange that if you like," said Kat. "I'm sure Dustin wouldn't say no."

"Oh, how much I'd like to take you up on that offer, but I should behave," said Reina with a grin. "In any event, I might give you my answer when I arrive in Picardy."

"We'll send word to you about our progress," promised Jack. "When it's safe for you to come, please join us. Hopefully, we'll have Aedan and Ciara with us as well."

"I sure hope so," said Reina. She then leaned in to give the both of them a hug. True to her earlier words, her eyes were soon misty once again. "I hate parting from friends, especially when you're going to such uncertainty. Take care of yourselves, will you?"

"We will, Reina, don't you worry," said Kat before leaning into Jack. "Besides, I have this one here to look out for me."

"And you need to look out for him. We can't have anything happening to the Galician King on our watch. Not after we just got him back after all this time," said Reina with a fond smile.

After more tender words of parting, the queen finally let them go long enough to reboard theDestiny. As the last of the supplies was lifted to the deck, she waved to them from the docks for a long while until she finally turned for home.

"She's quite the woman, that one," said Jack to Kat finally as the queen disappeared from sight.

"Don't get any ideas, mister," growled Kat. "I'm not going to share you with a third woman."

Jack chuckled. "That's not what I meant and you know it. She's quite a personable queen. Dignified, regal, but very personable. I rather like her."

Kat nodded more seriously. "So do I. She's always been one of my favorites. I'm just glad to have her on our side again."

Jack turned to look at her. "We came here to get Picardy and we ended up with Carinthia."

Kat smiled and grabbed his hand. "We'll get Picardy too. It might be a little harder to do, but we'll get them. I just know it."

Jack nodded, truly believing her words. This mission had been entirely fateful so far, and there was no reason to believe it wouldn't continue to be so. Even as things slowly became more complicated, his lucky streak held.

He just hoped it would continue to hold in the challenging days ahead.

About a half hour later, theDestiny left its berth from the Carinthian port and made its way out of the harbor, soon joining the other ships of Jack's task force. They were then joined by the Carinthian task force of Admiral Romero, and the two groups soon became one. Under a strong easterly breeze, both forces soon sailed toward the western sun.

And their rendezvous with fate.

*****

Jack had no longer been back on the ship for more than an hour when there was a knock on the door of his quarters. The newcomer was Dustin and he soon joined him at his desk.

"Didn't I just see you?" joked Jack as the man sat down in front of him.

"You sound like some of my ex-girlfriends," said Dustin with a grin. "Thank god you don't look like them."

Jack grinned. "What's on your mind?"

"I just got back from seeing Greg," said Dustin more seriously.

The tone in the room turned immediately. Jack found himself matching Dustin's somber mood as he awaited the major's next words.

"Still out, unfortunately," continued Dustin. "Vera too."

"I'd heard about Vera earlier," said Jack. "They've been asleep for longer than anyone expected."

"That's what the doctor said," replied Dustin. "He said the plague usually knocked them out for a day or so at the very end before they died. But the two of them have been out for a couple days now. It's odd to say the least."

"It could be a good thing, as odd as that sounds," said Jack. "They're both fighters. Maybe they just need the extra few days before they can recover."

"Maybe," said Dustin before he looked away. "I just hope that if they've made it this long, it wasn't all for nothing. We're not out of the woods yet."

"No, we're not. But we can't let it get in the way of hope."

Dustin nodded finally. "I can get behind that."

"It does raise an interesting question though," said Jack before he locked eyes with the man. "Greg has traditionally been in charge of my ground forces. Him and I have fought together in Lishkerra, Sorella, and Andalucia. I trust that man with my life as well the lives of his men. But with the upcoming expedition to Picardy, it leaves me without a commander for the marines. At least, one that I've worked with in the past."

"And I doubt even if he awoke in the next hour he'd be ready to lead this invasion in a couple days," added Dustin. "Even best case scenario, he's going to need time to recover."

Jack nodded. "Right you are. So with that in mind, you're the second-in-command. You're the next highest ranked officer in my entire marine force."

"Which means I get to lead this shindig when we land in Picardy?" asked Dustin with a cocky smile.

Jack grinned with him. "If you think you're able enough. Are you?"

"I was born for it, Jack. There's something about battle that calls to me. Remember our conversation earlier? I wasn't kidding. It's been too long since I was in a good fight, and I think this invasion in front of us is going to be a hell of a good fight."

"I think you're right on that one. The worst thing about it is that I think they're preparing to resist us," said Jack. "I think they'll have taken over the major installations guarding the city, including the harbor defenses. We don't know how many Swabians are there, but I'm going to guess they've landed enough men to hold the city. I know you kicked their asses in Andalucia at the Battle of the Dunes, but urban combat is a lot different. Think you can come up with a plan to get us in the city? Do you think you can handle it?"

"I know I can. It would help though if I had a map to start out with," said Dustin.

Jack pushed away from his desk so that he could rummage through one of the drawers. When he found what he was looking for, he unfolded it and laid it out in front of him.

"I secured this from Aedan when we were still at the palace," said Jack as he smoothed out the corners. "The only problem is that it's about twenty years old. Some of these installations don't exist anymore. Others have been strengthened. He had one of his men update the map after a recent trip to Daban but it's the best we've got right now."

Dustin took the map and studied it. "This should do pretty well, Jack. The only question I have is how close do you intend to take us to the city? Are you going to go all the way into the bay? Or are you going to stop us a ways outside the city and follow the coast all the way in?"

"With any luck, I'm going to get you as close as possible. We might need to neutralize a few batteries on the way in, but I don't want to unless it's absolutely necessary. I also want to make sure we get you there with all possible speed. That doesn't include dropping you miles from the city where you'd have to trek in and exhaust yourselves before the fight even begins."

"What do you think about this spot then?" Dustin pointed out a landing point just below the city, a clearing where the battery coverage wasn't too bad, and where they would have enough room to assemble an entire regiment.

"Doesn't look bad to me. Ideally, that would be about perfect," said Jack.

"Leave it to me then," said Dustin as he grabbed the map and folded it up. "I'll come up with a plan and bring it to you tomorrow. I'll have the men start preparing as well."