Fourth Vector Ch. 21

"Not at all helped by our army though," said Jack. "But if there was ever a place to fight the Swabians, Picardy wasn't a bad choice."

Kat smiled. "Of all the places in the world, and outside of Galicia, Picardy has always been one that warmed my heart. I've always liked their people—friendly, loyal, and industrious to a fault. When you combine that with the honorable and intelligent Carinthians, you've made quite the allies."

"We've made quite the allies," said Jack as they presented themselves to the guards of the palace. "I couldn't have done this without you."

Kat kissed him briefly. "Nor I without you, my king."

Together, the couple was shown into a palace that also still bore the scars of conflict. One whole wing was still in the prospect of cleanup after being demolished by the setting off of a Swabian ammunition dump. Workers could be seen trying to remove every destroyed piece of the residential wing, with some pieces needing ten men to lift while others were no larger than dust. It would take some weeks until they could even think about rebuilding, and it was that reason why Aedan and his family had been moved to some older staterooms in an unused portion of the palace.

It was there that Kat and Jack found Aedan and Ciara, sitting together in their study. Noticeably, the newborn crown prince could not be seen right away, but it was his feint hiccup that finally drew their attention. The baby was already in the lap of Reina, who was enjoying herself greatly by rocking him in her arms.

"There they are," said Aedan finally as he moved to stand. "We were beginning to think you might ditch us for dinner." He moved to greet them as they all embraced in welcome.

"Not at all," said Kat as she pulled away from his hug. "It's just this one here wanted to take a detour through the city."

"Just monitoring the rebuilding process is all," said Jack. "I have to hand it to your people, Aedan. They've wasted no time in putting things back together."

Aedan chuckled. "I think you'll find that Picards don't like chaos or disorder. We're a very organized people. It's just not in the soul of your common Picard to not put himself back together after calamity."

"I can definitely see that," said Jack with a laugh, as he then greeted Reina. "Reina, that baby looks very natural in your arms."

The Carinthian Queen laughed. "He should be. I've had my share of babies over the years. Husbands too. Sometimes the best way to treat both is by rocking them against my bosom. Isn't that right, little Davin?"

The crown prince blinked several times, and Jack could only imagine it was in affirmation of her words.

The five of them were served dinner a short while later as conversation stayed on lighter topics. It was only well after the last plate was taken away that a natural silence developed, allowing Jack the window he needed.

"As always the food was excellent. Many thanks to the both of you," he said, gesturing to Aedan and Ciara. "But there is one thing we must discuss tonight. Something of rather large importance that we cannot avoid."

Aedan's face turned more serious. "What is it, Jack?"

Jack took a deep breath. "As you know, I'm not just the heir to the Galician throne. My entire reason for coming to the West was on behalf of my adoptive country of Java. The place where I grew up, and the place that entrusted me with my naval command. In that way, I'm still answerable to my superiors in the navy, as well as our emperor."

"It seems a bit odd to still look upon that as a duty now, Jack," said Reina quietly. "Especially with what you've found out about your heritage."

He nodded. "I know what you mean. Part of me is torn in half between two loyalties. One to a bloodline that holds so much promise, but also one that I know next to nothing about. The other is my adoptive home, where I've always been taught to be a loyal son of Java. I haven't been able to remedy the two although I know that someday I will have to choose."

Jack cleared his throat. "Either way, that is neither here nor there. I've been commanded by my superiors to bring my force home to lift a naval blockade of our homeland."

Aedan's mouth fell open. "You're leaving?"

"Right now, Jack?" added Reina. "Is that really wise?"

Jack held up his hands. "I know, I know. It's not great timing, but I can't disobey a direct order."

"I didn't realize anybody was in the position to give the Galician King orders," said Reina with a disappointed look.

Before Jack could speak, Kat came to his defense. "I understand a lot of the conflict Jack has right now. Everything that we know about Galicia, and the Galician King in general, tends to supersede everything else. We know of the awesome power and command that the king is supposed to wield and what his power represents, but Jack only found out about this a little more than a month ago. This strikes at the very root of his identity." She slipped her hand in his, a comforting touch for the turn in conversation.

"I would think you'd have to figure out which way you're going to lean and soon, Jack," said Aedan firmly. "I can't ally with someone who doesn't even know who he's loyal to, no offense. And that leaves open the bigger question of the war in Picardy. We still need your forces to help us win this conflict."

"No offense taken," replied Jack quickly. "And that's a larger portion of what I wish to talk about tonight. It's not my intent to take all of my forces home and leave Picardy without her allies. We would like to leave a good portion of our army here, to be attached to yours, Aedan."

"That would surely help us," replied the Picard King. "But I'd much rather have you here at the command of it, Jack. Are you sure you have to leave?"

Jack nodded reluctantly. "My hope is that we can get going quickly, smash the Occitanian threat to Java, and then be back to finish off the Swabians. I will need to take all my ships with me, but if I leave a portion of my men, their experience will only help us."

"That's not to mention that I have two more regiments coming from Carinthia as we speak," added Reina as she turned her attention to Aedan. "Enough to bolster our forces for the intended push south."

Aedan nodded. "I have also commanded what's left of my forces to concentrate outside of Daban. In the south of the country, it's a mess as far as the army is concerned. With the Swabians occupying the cities, I have entire regiments far behind enemy lines. I'm moving to coordinate them all together up here near Daban so we can make one large push south, but it will take weeks for them to make that journey."

"Why have the furthest ones come all the way up at all, Aedan?" asked Jack. "Why not leave them in the south as a guerrilla force? One that can raid the Swabians from behind their lines and make quick but devastating strikes on their supply lines."

Aedan mulled the idea over in his mind for a moment before nodding his head enthusiastically. "That's not a bad idea, Jack. It would surely buy us some time, especially if the enemy has to worry about what's behind them and not just in front. I like that idea!"

"Do we have any idea of the strength of the Swabian position in the south?" asked Kat. "What are we even facing down there?"

Aedan was the first to stand. "Come with me. I'll take you to the war room where I'll let you know the current situation. We might even find some visitors there at this hour."

They all followed him out of the room, going several hundred feet down the wing before moving into another long corridor. Finally, Aedan opened a set of large wooden doors to find a smaller study dominated by one large round table and a map of Picardy on the opposite walls. They weren't alone in entering the room, and three men stood observing the map on the wall.

"Jack and Kat, I believe you already know Admiral Carlos Romero of Carinthia," said Aedan, gesturing to the hefty admiral on the right hand side of the map. Carlos turned and nodded quickly to the newcomers, before bowing deeply to his queen.

"And these other men are the commanders of all my forces in Daban," said Aedan, gesturing to the one man, who had wild red hair and freckles to match. "This one has also been newly-promoted. Please meet General Neil Fagan of the army."

Neil reached out his hand to all of them, and Jack recognized the man from the day of the battle. "Congratulations on your promotion, General," said Jack. "How's the wound?"

Neil placed a hand over his torso, where he'd been shot in the battle. "Healing nicely, thank the gods. I thought I was a goner for a moment."

"As did I," said Jack with a chuckle. "Glad to see you're on your feet again."

The last man in the room Jack also recognized.

"Jack, I believe you have also met my naval commander, Rear Admiral Sean McNally," said Aedan, offering his hand to the last man in the room. Jack recognized him instantly as the one that ordered him to leave Daban the first time around.

"Under better circumstances than the last time, that's for sure," said Jack as he greeted the admiral. "Good to see you again, Admiral."

"And you as well, Your Majesty," said Sean. "Our king has briefed us on your pedigree. My apologies about our first interaction."

"None needed," said Jack, putting up his hands. "We are thankfully long past that initial sour meeting."

"Now that all of us are here, let's talk about the situation in the south of Picardy," said Aedan, taking a seat in front of the map. "Neil, will you detail the latest intelligence?"

General Fagan grabbed a pointer and began to hover around the map of the country. "As you all know, the Swabians have been steadily infiltrating the south of the country, starting with our major cities. Zarah was occupied not long after Daban, and they've even gotten troops to Burwick, which is further inland from the coast. From there, they've been spreading. This is the approximate line of contest around the country." Fagan drew a diagonal line from the western coast of Picardy through the country to the other side on the eastern coast.

"Now, we say an approximate line because of the amount of our own regiments trapped behind these lines. These regiments were first told to cooperate with the Swabians, but after we retook the capital, hostilities between the two groups commenced. In most cases, the regiments closest to the border have already crossed over."

"What about the others, General?" asked Ciara. "Any word on those still trapped deep behind enemy lines?"

"Sporadic at best, Your Majesty," answered Neil. "We've had a few radio messages, but they are becoming fewer. We suspect the Swabians might be jamming the frequencies, but in either case, they've been instructed to make their way north to rejoin the rest of the forces."

"Yeah, about that, Neil," interrupted Aedan. "Those that are deep behind enemy lines, we want to try a new strategy. I want them to harass the occupiers, destroy their supply lines, and focus on hit-and-run tactics." Aedan continued on, detailing all that he and Jack had discussed earlier.

Neil nodded after the Picard King was finished. "Very well, sire, we'll get word to them immediately. This new information may still not get disseminated in time though, just because of the break in communications."

"What do you have to fight with today?" asked Reina, noticing the marking on the map for the main Picard army, which had been gathering outside of Daban.

"We have about fourteen regiments that are gathered under the king's standard about a day's march from Daban, but I must preface that statement first," said Neil with apprehension. "Many of those regiments are at a quarter to half strength because of the plague. There hasn't been time to train replacements so in effect, we're looking at around eight to nine actual regiments if we take into account actual fighting men."

"So about nine thousand men then?" confirmed Jack.

"Yes, Your Majesty," replied Neil. "Against us, we estimate around seven enemy regiments in total around Zarah and the immediate environs. Burwick is smaller, and so far we've only identified about three different regiments."

"By chance, did anyone identify the standards of the enemy soldiers?" asked Kat. "Were they the emperor's troops or do they belong to Lord Avila?"

Neil nodded. "I'm told the standard is that of Lord Avila."

"Well, that's a plus at least," said Kat as she looked around. "We're only dealing with the forces of one Swabian lord and not the full empire."

"Yet we still have over ten regiments controlling the better portion of my country," said Aedan as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "How many of ours are behind enemy lines?"

"About another twelve," answered Neil. "Of course, I'm not counting the two in permanent garrison in Daban. Those twelve aren't as affected by the plague, so their numbers are more stable."

"So we have more than half of our army trapped and in no position to help us?" asked Aedan, slumping into his chair. "Not the best predicament."

"Don't forget your allies though, Aedan," added Reina politely. "We have one regiment here in the capital today, and two more on the way. Another three thousand troops to add to your numbers."

"And I'd like to leave a contingent of my marines as well," said Jack. "With the additional numbers, you'll outnumber the Swabians."

Neil began to shake his head. "We outnumber them slightly but my intelligence is reporting that they've had a much longer time to coordinate defensive works around the two southern cities. They'll be tougher nuts to crack than Daban was. We'll need all the numbers we can get."

Aedan turned to look at Reina. "Is there any chance that you can send more regiments?"

Reina thought about it for a moment. "I'll have to think about it. I need time to outfit the men to be able to ship out."

"Whatever you can do would be greatly appreciated," said Aedan before turning back to the map. "So what's our strategy then? Neil, what do you suggest?"

Neil took his pointer and placed it around Burwick, the closest city to the front line. "I'd recommend striking first at Burwick, sire. It's the least defended, and we'll be able to get there quicker than any other city. With it being the third city of the country, it's industries and population will be needed to support the war effort. If we take the bulk of the army in a lighting strike across Picardy, we can take them by surprise while we still outnumber them by a hefty amount."

"I like it," said Aedan before looking around. "Thoughts anyone?"

"It'll be good to isolate them in Zarah before we do a final push," said Kat. "If we can attack them from two directions, they'll have no choice but to pull back to the coast, where we can crush them."

"It does appear to be the best option," said Reina.

"Good, let's prepare for an assault once Reina's two additional regiments arrive," said Aedan firmly. "Neil, I'm putting you in charge of the army."

For once, Neil looked shocked. "Me, sire?"

Aedan nodded quickly. "Yes, you've handled yourself very well during the battle for the capital. It's time you have a big command to go with your big promotion. I'll appoint another commander for the city garrison, but I want you to be the one leading the strike."

Neil bowed his head immediately. "I'll do everything in my power to make sure this is a success, Your Majesty. Thank you."

After some more positive words by Aedan, the Picard King turned to Admirals Romero and McNally. "Gentlemen, tell me about the naval situation. What's in the south?"

McNally was the first to open up. "As you know, a good portion of our ships are headed north and will be here in a few days. There's been reports of a Swabian fleet gathering near their east coast, but no official sightings yet by the navy. Our forces will coordinate with the Carinthians and the Javan navy once they've made it to Daban."

"Just the Carinthians," said Aedan quickly. "We'll have to plan our short term operations without the Javan fleet."

Romero started to pale. "Your Majesty?" he questioned before looking over to Jack. "Where are you going?"

Jack and Aedan took a few moments to update the men on his necessary return to Java. It included nearly twenty minutes of fielding questions from the two men about their strength without the Javan firepower.

"About the only thing we have going for us now is that we haven't sighted the Swabian fleet," said McNally with some exasperation. "If they show up in force, we'll sorely miss the Javan component to the fleet."

Jack nodded quickly. "I understand, Admiral, but this is something that we need to do. This isn't an ideal circumstance by any means, but I can't change facts." His answer didn't seem to placate McNally one bit.

"We can bring over more ships if necessary as well, right, Carlos?" added Reina before looking at Romero. "We have another task force we can use to bolster the strength."

Carlos nodded. "That we do. I will get orders to them at once to join us in Daban."

The meeting continued on for a little while longer before the commanders were dismissed, and once more, Jack and Kat were left with just Aedan, Ciara, and Reina.

"Well, it does seem we have a force capable of taking back Burwick at least," said Reina while inspecting the map in front of her. "Then once we kick them out of there, we can focus on Zarah."

"That's all presuming that the Swabians don't land more soldiers," said Aedan before turning to look at Jack. "I really hope your journey to Java is short indeed."

Jack took a deep breath, knowing there was one more request he needed to ask of them. "There is one more thing I need to bring up about going back to Java. My leadership has requested a show of force from our new allies. Hopefully in the form of naval vessels."

Aedan and Reina looked at each other before looking back at Jack. "Is now the best time to be requesting that with a Swabian fleet out there somewhere?"

"I understand what I'm asking of you," said Jack quietly as he averted his eyes. "I know it's not a very practical request but perhaps we can work something out?"

"Maybe not in a time of war though? What about some kind of delay until we end the major hostilities with the Swabians?" asked Aedan.

Jack shook his head slowly. "They've requested I bring them with me for our return journey home now."

Predictably, Reina and Aedan had several choice words to say about that request. After about twenty minutes of back and forth arguing between the three of them, both monarchs finally agreed somewhat reluctantly to send a pair of outdated and small warships with him on the journey to Java.

"I appreciate anything you can send with me," said Jack finally, once he secured their commitment. "I'll take the ships. I want the bigger warships to stay here to defend Picardy."

"Jack, I really hope you have no more of these requests of us," said Reina coolly. "Allies are supposed to help the war effort, not make it more difficult."

Jack felt himself turning red from embarrassment. "I fully agree. There are times though when we must do what is commanded of ourselves. This is one of them for me."

"It doesn't have to be like that though, Jack," said Aedan. "I know you were born there, but your higher purpose is here."

In a stunning break, Kat actually spoke up in favor of Aedan's statement. "Aedan has a good point, Jack," she said quietly. "No matter how you cut it, king is more important than commodore. Your leadership is essential on this side of the world."

Jack nodded to both of them. It was something that was happening all too frequently lately—the split between his two identities. The gulf between them seemed to be getting wider. He had hoped that he could serve both purposes jointly for a lot longer, but this order meant having to pick one side over the other.