Fourth Vector Ch. 20

For now though, it looked like the weather would hold, at least for a little while longer. Jack hoped that any foul weather wouldn't prevent them from trying out the new invention. He turned around to look out to aft of the ship where the main launcher was bolted to the deck. One of the airplanes was already mounted to the launcher, ready to go in short notice while the other was secured to the deck, ready to be mounted and launched after the other.

They'd made two test runs on the way over from Carinthia in order to make sure the launcher worked as expected. It was set up on a spring system since its very short runway would usually not allow the airplane enough time to get airborne. The spring helped to give the plane the extra jolt that it needed to stay in the air, and the first two launches had gone well.

Nearly the entire crew of theDestiny had gathered to watch the first launch, and Jack watched their shocked faces with an amused smile as the airplane took flight and circled around their task force. It was much the same face that he wore the first time back in the Grove, only made more resplendent when the plane touched down in the water without any further fanfare.

To say that the plane gave a certain optimism to the crew was an understatement. Based upon the words of many of the common sailors, and even a good portion of the officers, there were many in the task force that now believed them to be invincible.

That conquering and overawing feeling would soon be put to the test in another hour.

"Jack, it's Vicky again. I have the sea fortress in my sight."

Jack grabbed his radio. "What's your position, Vicky?" He then put his binoculars up to look against the southern coast.

After Vicky radioed her position, Jack checked out the coordinates. Even from this distance, he could see the southern cliffs where the fortress was located. The heavy stone walls were built just atop the cliffs, making excellent use of the terrain and giving convenient security to the batteries held within. It was a daunting structure to take, even from what Jack remembered of it on their first voyage into the bay.

"Any sign of hostility?"

"I can see men on the ramparts, Jack. They are doing something up there, but I can't tell what," said Vicky.

"Pull back, I don't want you to risk theTiger. We're going to get them with our own longer range guns," said Jack.

"Aye, Jack, we're pulling back."

In the next few minutes, Jack watched as each destroyer began to maneuver back to the rear. There was enough space between all the cruisers to allow each destroyer to pass between them, and soon they were safely behind them.

"Kyle, I want you to get our guns trained on that fort just in case they decide to open fire," said Jack.

"Aye, Jack. We're loading ordnance now," replied Kyle.

Jack then turned to Abigail. "Get word to Luke, Mike and Pete. I want all of our firepower trained on that fortress. I don't want any casualties on our side should they decide to get aggressive."

Abigail gave him a simple nod before she started to radio over to theStardust. Just as Jack watched their two large forward turrets swing into position on the fort, he saw the first blasts of naval artillery.

"All right, all right, the fortress is going to be hostile," said Jack over the command radio. "All the cruisers, open up when ready. Let's reduce this thing."

"Copy, Jack, firing when ready," came the reply from Pete Dawson on theHorton.

"Are you ready for our first volley, Kyle?" asked Jack.

"I sure am, Jack. We're locked on their position. Just give me the word," said Kyle.

"Go on and fire, Kyle."

About ten seconds later, theDestiny shook as its guns roared to life. Jack watched as the salvo traced an arc across the sky only to come down squarely against the fortress' reinforced cliffs. Around him, he heard the similar sounds of the other cruisers opening up with their initial volleys, most of them having the same bad luck as they did with their first shots.

Even though all of them had landed on target, the reinforced stone and concrete of the fortress showed little to no effect after having received such a volley.

"Well, damn, that's going to be one tough nut to crack," swore Jack as he looked back at the fortress. He could now see the gunners operating two of the main batteries and shortly after, the second battery opened up on them.

This volley fell well short of the mark, crashing harmlessly into the water about five hundred yards away from the nearest ship.

"I'd say they're a little out of practice," said Stephanie.

"Well, I don't want them to get in practice," said Jack before he turned to Kyle. "How soon will we have another salvo ready?"

"About twenty seconds, Jack."

"Good, let it loose when ready."

For the next half hour, the four cruisers pounded the fortress with everything they had. It was only after the Picard structure absorbed every salvo launched at it while still managing to shoot from its own artillery that Jack realized just how tough the fortress was.

"Damn, is there anything that will take this thing out?" asked Jack out loud.

"Do you want me to load the Sorellan fire, Jack?" asked Kyle as another enemy shot fell harmlessly between theDestiny and theHorton.

Jack shook his head. "I really don't want it to come to that. There might still be Picards in that fort, and I want them to fight back against the Swabians, not us. I don't want to kill any of the Picards with something as merciless as Sorellan fire."

Kyle pursed his lips. "What do you want to do then?"

Jack thought about his answer for a moment before he turned to look at Abigail. She was already watching him and seemed to read his mind.

"Now's a good time to see if this airplane is worth its salt," she said with a half grin. "What do you think, Jack?"

Jack smiled. "Radio the engineer, Leo, and have him meet me up here."

Leo arrived a short while later, after another heavy salvo had the ship rocking from its intensity. The Carinthian engineer presented himself in front of Jack as another explosion rocked the sea fortress.

"Leo, I think it's time we tried something different," said Jack while pointing to the Picard position. "I'm thinking we try out that design we were talking about?"

Leo's face went from neutral to excited in the space of about two seconds. "You mean the bomb? That ordnance that you were able to give me from your ship?"

Jack nodded. "I think it would be more potent than grenades, and if we're able to drop it from the air, we might be able to neutralize this fortress. Our guns are just pounding away at it but they still keep firing. We need a new tactic."

"You think if we can drop bombs from the air, we can finally rid ourselves of those pesky gunners?" asked Leo with a wily grin.

"Right you are, Leo, right you are. Now, this is going to require some precision dropping on the part of your pilot. Who's your best man for the job?"

Leo's eyes rolled up in thought for a moment before looking back on Jack. "I know just the guy. He's got a good eye and even better aim. If anyone can take out those guns, he surely can."

"Sounds good enough for me. Let's get rolling."

In the next twenty minutes, Leo not only had the pilot selected and outfitted, but he also had the ordnance strapped to the plane. It was attached using an ingenious design where the pilot would only have to pull a small lever in order for the bomb to be released from the bottom, a vast improvement over the grenade tossing idea from back in Carinthia. As the ordnance was strapped to the bottom of the plane, Jack watched as the pilot slipped into the cockpit and put his goggles on.

"We're about to watch history right now," said Jack to Abigail as they waited for the launcher to swing out to sea. "This will be the first time in naval warfare that there's going to be an attack from the air."

Abigail reached out and squeezed his arm. "I hope his aim is as good as Leo says."

As the launcher stopped right at a perpendicular angle from theDestiny, the pilot cranked the engine so that the propeller in the front was soon spinning rapidly. The launcher spring snapped free, shooting the plane out into the air. Jack held his breath while Abigail gasped in surprise as the plane sunk low for just a split second before finding its wings and becoming truly airborne.

There was an excited yell from the entire crew that witnessed the event as the first naval bomber in Javan history began to circle around the task force, building up height for its approach to the Picard fortress.

Jack could only imagine the reaction of the Swabian defenders, no doubt seeing the plane for the first time as it soared through the gloomy clouds around them. He wondered if they had a momentary feeling of awe at seeing such a majestic invention conquering the sky. Jack could only imagine what that feeling would turn into when it soon lined up to drop the bomb from overhead.

"Jack, we have ordnance ready to fire," said Kyle. "Do you want to wait until the plane goes in for the bombing or do you want to continue firing?"

"Continue firing for now," said Jack grimly. "I want them overawed by the plane and the heavy fire." Jack then turned to Abigail. "Make sure the other commanders keep up the same."

He felt the ship rumble once more as Kyle sent off another volley, this one collapsing part of the cliff where the gun emplacement was. For the first time that day, Jack could actually see the battery that had been hidden behind so much rock and concrete, a lucky break for them if they could concentrate fire on it.

"See that gap right there?" said Jack to Kyle. "Concentrate fire right there. Maybe we can finally neutralize that gun while the plane takes out the other."

"Aye, Jack, we'll get it done," said Kyle as he radioed in the coordinates to the gunners.

As Jack picked up his binoculars, he found himself just in time to watch the plane as it began to dive toward the fortress.

"There he goes," said Jack as his adrenaline pulsed. He felt like time had slowed down, almost to the point where the plane had lost all its speed. He watched as it remained suspended in the air, bearing down on the enemy position delicately while it lined up the shot.

Suddenly, Jack watched as it neared the hidden gun emplacement before swooping down in a low arc to drop the bomb. The small package of ordnance raced toward the target, soon dipping below sight.

The fortress was rocked by an explosion as the plane dipped its wings and swung back around. Jack watched as dark, black smoke filled the air, and he found his smile building.

"I think he got it," whispered Jack as he focused once more on the plane.

Sure enough, the pilot circled around the fortress to inspect his work. After two flybys of the position, he turned back toward the fleet, rocking his wings from left to right in a prearranged signal of success.

The entire bridge erupted in celebration.

"Goddamnit, he did it!" yelled Jack with excitement. "He took out that gun all by himself!"

"That's the craziest damn thing I've ever seen, Jack," said a grinning Kyle.

"I can't believe it. I really can't believe he did it," said a speechless Abigail.

"Kyle, we only have one more gun to go. Can your men take it out so we can finish the job?"

The weapons division head nodded confidently. "We'll be ready with our next ordnance in ten seconds, Jack."

Once he received the order to fire, theDestiny sent a powerful salvo right at the exposed gun emplacement. It was soon joined not only by one from theStardust, but also one from the Carinthian battleship that was closest to the Javan force.

"I thought you could use some extra firepower," radioed Admiral Romero, causing Jack to chuckle.

"With those guns, I'll take all the help we can get," said Jack before inspecting the Picard gun. Like the first gun, there was now heavy, black smoke pouring from the fortress. "But I think we got it, Admiral."

He wasn't wrong. The fortress, which had been sending regular volleys from its two guns, now fell silent. Both guns had been completely destroyed, and Jack looked at the tattered remains of the reinforced cliffs. It had been rocked by enough fire to be a complete wreck. Even taking the guns out of the equation, a good portion of the cliffs that supported the fortress had been blasted out, no doubt leaving it unstable.

Jack couldn't even see any soldiers still manning the ramparts. All that was left was smoke and rock.

"What do you think?" asked Abigail finally, watching the fortress from her own binoculars. "Think we're in the clear now?"

"I think so," said Jack. "I don't think there's anyone left alive in the fortress. Let's see what happens when we send the destroyers in closer." Jack then grabbed his radio. "Hey Vicky, Alex, and Laura, can you send your destroyers forward?"

"Aye, Jack," came the response from Vicky. While he waited for the destroyers to get into position, he watched as the airplane came in low near theDestiny, landing in the water effortlessly thanks to the pontoons on the bottom of the vessel.

"What did you think, Jack?" asked Leo, wearing an ear-piercing grin as soon as the plane drifted closer to the ship's crane.

Jack clapped the man on the back soundly. "I think you picked the right pilot for the job. That was outstanding, Leo. I was half-worried that we might miss the target like we did with those grenades back at the Grove, but he was dead-on."

"The nice thing about that bomb you gave us was that it was a lot more potent than those grenades," said Leo with a chuckle. "We didn't need to be so accurate with our target when the blast range is that much bigger."

"Your man did well today, Leo. I'm so damn proud of this force right now," said Jack with a grin. "Let's get him back aboard so I can congratulate him personally."

Leo laughed. "I think he'd really like that, Jack. I bet he'd like it even more with a stiff drink in his hand afterward!"

Sure enough, Jack got his chance to meet the pilot once the plane was back on the deck. He met him with a small glass of alcohol, thanking him for his accuracy and congratulating him on his accomplishment. The pilot was red in the face the entire time, no doubt still feeling the exhilaration of the moment.

Jack felt it too. With the now successful implementation of the airplane, it felt like nothing could stand in his way.

For a brief moment, he almost felt sorry for the Swabians.

Almost.

*****

After the main sea fortress near the entrance to the Bay of Daban had been neutralized, the task force didn't find any further resistance as it moved closer to the city. Even the majority of the Picard navy failed to materialize, with only several frigates, two destroyers, and one cruiser blocking their path as they came within ten miles of the capital.

The frigates made for short work by the task force's own destroyers, and it was the Carinthian battleship that put the Picard cruiser out of commission, but surprisingly enough, they faced no other naval obstacles along the way.

"I'm almost surprised it's been this easy to get to the city," said Abigail as the sky grew steadily darker. "I'd thought we'd be more contested."

"As did I," said Jack. "Maybe our stroke of good fortune is holding. I really didn't want to have to go through much of their navy anyway. Once we rid the country of the Swabians, we're going to need those ships on our side."

"Maybe Aedan was able to give that gift to us," she suggested. "Maybe he put them out of our path?"

Jack could only hope that was the case, but he had to wonder about the king's current state. It was obvious that he was hostage in his own city, and Jack had to think there was very little in Aedan's control right now.

"We can only hope," he said finally.

As the task force drifted closer to the city, Jack began to see signs of life along each of the shorelines on either side. Just like the first time he sailed into the city, the rural grassland and forests soon gave away to small towns. Small towns then gave away to neighborhoods and industrial areas, complete with their own factories and docks. As the evening wore on, the lights of the city became more apparent.

"There she is," said Jack finally, as they received the first sight of the capital of Picardy. "Daban."

Despite the lights, it was like looking at a broken city. As a whole, Daban just seemed to cry out for help with its lifeless streets and gloomy, overcast skies. Jack was sure the enemy was waiting for him behind the depressed buildings of the city, and somewhere within those walls, Aedan and his family were too.

"Hey Jack, it looks like we have the main battery on the northern shore coming into view now," said Admiral Romero from the radio. "Those guns look pretty deadly."

Jack looked over to check out the battery, it's threatening guns already pointed out to their task force. Likewise, he swung his gaze over to the south, where two other smaller batteries remained. One of those had sunk the Carinthian cruiser more than a week ago, and Jack didn't want a repeat of that scenario.

"Those guns are heavy enough to do some serious damage to our ships," replied Jack through the radio. "Seeing as the emplacements are right in the middle of the city, I'd like to keep the fire on them to a minimum. We're here to liberate the city, not to destroy it."

"What are you suggesting, Jack?" asked Romero.

"I think it's time we let our ground forces have a little fun," said Jack with a small grin.

"Aye, I'm all for it. You take the south and we'll take the north?"

"Aye, Admiral," replied Jack. "From there, we'll take the southern approach to the city while you do the same from the north. We'll meet near the middle at the palace."

"Happy hunting, Jack," said Romero. "I'll tell my men that the first force to get to the palace gets extra rations for the next month."

Jack started to laugh. "You're on, Admiral. Since national pride is at stake, we'll see who gets there first."

Jack then turned to Dustin, waiting patiently in the bridge. His eyes were now wide with excitement as he listened in on Jack's conversation.

"Well, Dustin, are you ready to hold up Javan pride? Think you can take out those two shore batteries with your men?"

Dustin scoffed. "I bet I can take them out both of them before the Carinthians even get one. Consider it done, Jack."

Jack grinned. "Get the men in their landing craft and get it done. We'll provide fire support until you get close but don't expect a cakewalk. I don't want to destroy any more of the city than I have to."

"Good, that'll make sure we have all the fun," said Dustin with a grin.

"Go on, get going," replied Jack, watching as the major quickly left the bridge to get his men ready for action.

Jack watched from the bridge as the marines began to line up on deck. It was determined that all the marines aboard theDestiny would head toward the shore battery closest to the city while the two battalions on theStardust and theHorton would link up to do the furthest one.

As the marines began to pack into their launch boats, Jack turned to find Kat watching them with a troubled expression on her face.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked, slipping his arm around her.

"Just watching them load up," she said quietly. "I didn't think we'd be here invading Picardy of all places."

"Just to throw the Swabians out and give Aedan is country back," said Jack tenderly.

Kat turned to look at him. "What if they don't go away after that? What if this is just the first battle and this escalates to an all-out war?"

"Then we'll help our Picard friends as best we can," promised Jack.