Fourth Vector Ch. 21

He couldn't very well abandon his Javan allies, as their sailors, marines, and warships were the very root of his force projection in the West.

But he also couldn't abandon a birthright and a prophecy that had predicted his birth over two thousand years earlier.

The end result was that Jack was torn between the two parts of his soul. Even as he parted from Aedan and Reina while feeling their disappointment, there was little he could do to once more unify those parts of his identity.

Once again, he was truly stuck.

*****

That evening, Greg found himself looking over a map that had been brought to him by Jack after a meeting at the palace. The map was of the entire country of Picardy, showing the areas that had been occupied by the Swabians as well as the battle plan to take them back.

Greg had questioned the need to receive this map, wondering why Jack had brought it to him if they were leaving for Java in a few days. That's when Jack surprised him by saying that he was thinking about leaving some of the marines behind to aid the effort of taking back the country.

"In no way am I asking you to stay, and that's not why I'm giving you this map," prefaced Jack. "But if we are to brief someone who stays behind, I want you to be the one to do it."

For Greg, it opened up a serious question. He felt like he missed out on all the recent fighting, being bedridden with the plague and in no position to even sit upright let alone hold a rifle. While he was fighting for his life, Dustin was leading the men, helping them eject the Swabians from the capital and once again prove the strength of Javan arms.

All of this though weighed heavily on his mind. If there was still more fighting to do in Picardy, why shouldn't Greg do it himself? Should he stay behind to coordinate his men with their allies and end the Swabian threat to Picardy once and for all?

Was it not the right thing to do?

The question was still bouncing around his brain when Vera showed up at his door. She shut it quickly and quietly and soon drifted into his arms, kissing him tenderly as she sat on his lap.

"I hope you don't mind, but I felt like it's been too long since I kissed you," she said after their lips parted.

Greg chuckled. "You kissed me just before you went to dinner. Or did you forget?"

Vera shrugged and then giggled. "Oops, silly me. I didn't think you'd mind either way."

He answered by kissing her again. "Never. Not with you. I could kiss you all night."

She gave him a demure look. "Now there's an interesting thought." She traced her finger along his jaw. "Hopefully you won't just stop at my lips."

"And where exactly would you all like to be kissed, huh?"

Vera shrugged again. "Maybe my . . . arms?"

"Your arms, huh?" he said with a chuckle. "What else?"

"Maybe my thigh too?" she suggested.

"Thighs are good. Keep going?"

She cupped her breasts under her top. "Right here too? You'd be a gentlemen here, right? You wouldn't try to take advantage of me by kissing me too roughly while I was topless."

He shook his head. "I wouldn't dream about it. I'd be as gentle as you needed me to be when it came to these perfect breasts of yours." To emphasize his point, Greg let his gaze drift lower, taking in the sight of Vera's large bust. At one point, he even could see her nipples poking against the fabric of her top, and he ached to take them into his mouth.

Vera seemed to enjoy teasing him, and soon she was leaning forward so that his face was pressing all the more forcibly into her tits. It only made the need to remove the top between them all the more frantic.

Their playfulness was interrupted by the appearance of another officer, who was bringing in a disciplinary report for Greg. Once the door was shut and they were alone once more, Vera started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"I was just thinking what might happen if that was Jack at your door and he saw me sitting on your lap like we just were."

Greg chuckled. "You think he'd be mad?"

"I don't know to be honest. We haven't had long enough time together for him to develop the tough big brother act, but that doesn't mean I believe he wouldn't give you a hard time."

Greg smiled. "We should be relatively safe from him. I just saw him not too long ago."

"Oh really? For what?"

Greg tapped the map in front of him on the table. "This. He dropped off the battle plan for the next phase of the war in Picardy. It looks like they'll be moving south shortly."

Vera turned to look at it, scanning it quickly while she took in the major positions and movements. "I take it this arrow means they are going after Burwick next?"

Greg nodded. "Yeah, that's right," he said quietly, once more studying the positions. He then let out a long sigh.

Vera turned back to him. "What's on your mind, Greg? Is something bothering you?"

"No. And yes," he said quickly, while taking several deep breaths. "I'm just not sure what to do."

"In regards to what?"

Greg gestured to the front line on the map. "Whether I should stay here. Stay and conduct the war with a small force of marines."

Vera looked at him with questioning eyes. "Why would you want to do that, Greg? Don't you want to go home? See your family?"

"I do want to go home, but I guess I just feel a little . . . "

"What?"

"Guilty," he said finally. "We were in the infirmary for so long. An entire fight went by while I was laying on my back."

"For good reason though," she said, putting her hand against his cheek. "You were fighting for your very life. You can't lead when you can't even stand up."

"I know that, but that's what makes this so hard," he said, turning away from her. "The men expect me to lead them and to be at the front with them. When they had to fight without me, I think some of them might . . . think less of me as their leader."

"I really doubt that, Greg," she replied softly. "Those men respect you more than anyone else in this task force."

"I still feel like I owe them," he answered quietly. "So I was thinking about volunteering myself. To stay and fight the Swabians."

Vera watched his eyes without responding. She seemed to be searching his gaze, as if trying to find the answer to the question on his mind.

"Are you sure that's what you want to do? You never know when you might see home again," she said finally.

"I'm sure I'll see it eventually," he said before wrapping his arms around her. "I've gone a long time without seeing my family, so it's not like I need to rush home to see them. The only thing I question is what you might do."

She gave him a confused look. "What I might do?"

Greg swallowed. "Yeah. Are you planning on going to Java with Jack?"

"I was planning on it. That is, until about five minutes ago," she admitted.

"So would you stay with me? Stay in Picardy? If I decide to stay, that is."

Vera regarded the question for a moment before answering. Her lips then rolled up into a smile. "I almost lost you recently. Do you think I'd let you out of my sight any time soon?"

His response was to kiss her, long and slow. He soon felt Vera's arms encircle around his neck and her very large bust press into his chest. They stayed glued together for several minutes before their lips finally parted.

"I was hoping you might say that," he said against her soft lips.

"I just might need your help with telling my brother that," she said with a faint giggle. "I bet he'd be surprised when he found out I wanted to stay behind, but I bet he'd put it together quickly."

"Don't worry, I can take him if he gets angry about it," he teased.

Vera giggled. "I don't think he will. He'll understand what it means."

"What does it mean?"

She searched his eyes before answering. "That we care about each other?"

Greg nodded. "We do."

"That we've been through something together that not many people get to experience," she continued. "The plague."

"And we survived."

"That we did," she said. "And we did it together. And I'm not likely to want to be parted from you for a while."

"That's good, because I don't want that either," he added.

"Just tell me that you're sure this is what you want to do," she said finally. "You never know when you might be able to go home again. It might be a long time, Greg."

Greg held out his hands and looked around his tiny quarters. "In a way, theDestiny is my home. I've lived on her long enough now that I regard all this steel and tight spacing as a natural home. The men are my family. And you, you are . . ."

"Your woman?" she finished with a mischievous look in her eye.

Greg laughed. "Exactly. As long as you're here, I really don't need much of anything. I can be happy and content."

Vera kissed him and then leaned in closer to his ear. "But you do realize that theDestiny is going back with Jack. So you might lose your house for a while."

"That's okay," he replied quickly. "I have you and the men. That's all I need."

She licked a spot on his neck before she moaned softly. "Great answer."

They continued to enjoy each other in subtle and loving ways for the next few minutes before Greg pulled away and cradled her face in his hands.

Vera smiled at him softly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing at all. I just wanted to look at your face," he said.

"You see my face all the time," she said with a soft giggle.

"And I still can't get enough of it."

"Well, you better get used to it. You're going to be seeing it every day for quite a long time."

"I'm good with that," he said. "You know, it's funny in a way."

She raised an eyebrow. "What's funny?"

"That I'm choosing not to go home. That I'm choosing to stay away. Sound familiar at all?"

Vera opened her mouth and then shut it promptly. "You're talking about Galicia, aren't you?"

He nodded without saying anything further.

"You're right, of course," she said. "I guess we both have our reasons for staying away from our homelands."

"Not forever though," he added. "Just for now."

"Just for now," she confirmed. "But one day, we'll go back. To both Java and Galicia."

"How far away in the future do you think that'll be?" he asked.

Vera considered the answer for several moments before she replied. In the interim, Greg gently stroked her side, his fingers sliding along her soft and supple skin. "As long as it needs to be," she answered finally. "But not a second too soon. Does that work for you?"

He answered by kissing her, and for a long time, no further words were necessary.

*****

Two days later, Jack was in the middle of preparations to leave Picardy for the first phase of their journey home. It would take them a good four weeks to get to Quiller's Cove from Daban, and from there, another three weeks to get to Lockhaven. Quiller's would be the only point they could stop for resupply, but thankfully Aedan was willing to supply him with enough food for the better part of the journey since his supplies were starting to run low.

All that food had to stay somewhere, and soon enough the stores for theDestiny were bulging with cured meats, canned goods, and barrels of fresh water. Across the way, Jack could see the same process happening with theStardust andValiant, and he knew they would soon be fully stocked.

It was on the other side of theDestiny that Jack could see the Carinthian vessel that would be making the journey with them to Java. TheSea Serpent was a Carinthian frigate, only manned by about one hundred sailors, and according to Admiral Romero, not the most recent class in their arsenal. The vessel was still a proud one though, boasting three turrets with a single three-inch gun as well as smaller machine guns around the perimeter. The Carinthian flag hung high on her main mast, and Jack had only been introduced to her commander, Lt. Commander Horatio Rivas, this morning.

Rivas was a short man, hardly coming up to Jack's shoulder. He was as thin as he was short, but he had an intimidating and fierce gaze that could terrify even the most experienced sailors.

"I'm looking forward to seeing your homeland, Commodore," said Rivas after their brief introduction.

"I'm glad to have you with me," said Jack. "But please, the officers under my command are not so formal. Feel free to call me Jack."

Rivas gave him a sly look. "You aren't like other Carinthian commanders at all, are you? For Carinthians, the honor of the title is everything."

"If that's the case, I can still call you by your appropriate title," said Jack with a grin. "But when you're in my task force, you can shed that formality."

"Fair enough, and call me Horatio away from my men," said the Carinthian commander, returning his own grin.

Not long after Horatio had gone back to his ship, Jack met with the airplane engineer that had made the leveling of the sea fortress possible. Leo entered the bridge on theDestiny looking refreshed and optimistic.

"There you are, Jack," said Leo with a grin. "I'm pleased to let you know that those airplanes have been fitted to the decks of theStardust and theHorton."

Jack breathed a little easier. "That's a relief. No trouble with the launchers?"

"None whatsoever. There was more than enough space on each ship to fit them, as well as two planes apiece. Your task force now has six planes, the most formidable force anywhere in the world save for Carinthia."

"Where we're going, we'll have a need for some surprises," said Jack. "I can't wait to see what the Occies have to say when they see the airplanes flying toward them for the first time."

"If I had to take a guess, Jack," said Leo while struggling to hold in a laugh. "They are going to say, 'oh shit!'"

Both men let out a hearty laugh for a moment but Leo was the first to recover. "I've put four trained pilots per ship, as well as plenty of fuel and spare parts. Three of my colleagues are on theStardust andHorton too. We'll be an entirely self-sufficient force, able to repair all but the most cataclysmic damage. I daresay the enemy will come to fear the skies!"

Jack patted his back. "I sure hope so, Leo. I sure hope so. As long as all holds well, we'll be leaving tomorrow. If you need to say goodbye to anyone, now is the time to do it."

"I've already gotten a message out to my family in Carinthia," said Leo. "But I'm looking forward to this little adventure. I've never been further away from Carinthia than the other side of Picardy before. I wouldn't mind the chance to see the world."

Jack chuckled. "See the world is what you're going to get. The opposite side of the world. Java is very different from Carinthia in many ways and very similar in others. You'll have to tell me what you think about it."

"I sure will, Jack," said Leo. "Now if you excuse me, I need to finish the loading. I'll talk to you soon."

Not long after Leo left, Jack stayed at the command post in theDestiny's bridge until he heard the door crash open suddenly. He turned quickly, seeing Abigail with a pale face and an open mouth from heavy breathing.

Something wasn't right.

"What's wrong?" he asked as his brow furrowed in confusion. "What happened?"

"Jack, we were just handed this message from Sorella," said Abigail as she waved the object in her hand.

Jack stiffened as he took the message in his hand. "Did something happen? Did the Swabians attack Sorella?" He then turned his attention toward reading the dispatch.

ATTN: JACK EASTERBROOK

JAVAN EMPIRE

JACK, WE NEED IMMEDIATE WORD BACK FROM YOU. ONE OF YOUR COUNTRYMEN HAS SHOWN UP HERE CLAIMING TO BE THE VICEROY OF THE COLONY OF SORELLA. HE IS DEMANDING THAT WE SUPPORT THE JAVAN WAR EFFORT IN ANY POSSIBLE WAY, TREATING US LIKE A CONQUERED PEOPLE. I SIGNED ON TO BE ALLIES, JACK, NOT A COLONY. PLEASE INTERVENE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

HERON

KING OF SORELLA

"What in the world is this?" whispered Jack as he scanned the message again. "Viceroy? Colony? What is going on?"

"It appears our leadership has a different purpose in mind for our allies," said Abigail in a soft tone. "This isn't good, Jack. Not one bit."

"This is the exact opposite of what we've been fighting for," said Jack as his anger started to build. "We set out to find allies! Heron is entirely right. Never once was it mentioned that these lands would become colonies of Java!"

Abigail locked eyes on him. "Jack, that message doesn't mince words. Are you sure nothing like this was brought up to you when this mission started? I know it came directly from Bancroft but are you sure they wanted allies and not colonies?"

"I'm positive," said Jack with a firm nod of the head. "This is a complete turnaround from what was told to me. More importantly, how is it that we are just finding out about this now? They've sent a viceroy without telling us? What else have they done to undermine our efforts?"

"Jack, this could sabotage our entire mission," said Abigail while grabbing his elbow. "No one is going to sign on to become a colony of a foreign country willingly. How are we to continue with this?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. I sure hope this is some mistake."

But how could it be?

It proved to not be a mistake at all when Twitch found them a minute later. "Jack, a new dispatch just arrived from Andalucia."

The bottom fell out of Jack's stomach as he opened his hand to receive it. "Don't tell me this one too." He read it more quickly than the first, especially since it contained the same message from his regent in the country, Masud.

"So now we have our leadership going behind our backs and treating our allies like colonies," said Jack in an angered tone. "What the hell are we supposed to do now?"

"What can we do, Jack?" asked Abigail. "It's not like we can countermand any orders coming from higher up. We can't just tell them to ignore it either. What can we do in this situation?"

Jack thought about the issue for several moments without replying. He could only imagine the confusion, or rage, that Heron and Masud must have felt to receive such an audience. The tone of their messages was perfectly clear—these viceroys had caused considerable consternation with their arrival. Jack had to suspect there was a lack of diplomacy or tact to cause such an alarmed message to be sent to him right away, and he had to wonder if all of their hard work in those two countries would all be for naught if these Javan viceroys pushed the envelope.

He needed to be on the ground with them to scope out the situation, but what he really needed was time to think. It didn't help matters that he was about to embark on a seven week journey.

I need Bancroft to explain what's going on. Perhaps there's been some mistake? If not, then I need to convince him to change course.

"We need to get a few messages out right away," he said finally, turning to look at Abigail. "For one, we need to get one back to the Admiralty."

"On it," said Twitch, writing down the notes immediately.

"We need to figure out the true nature of these viceroys and their missions," said Jack. "And I want to know where this whole 'colonies' term came from? Press for reaffirmation that these countries are our allies, not colonies."

"Got it, Jack," said Twitch after he finished writing. "How's this sound?" He handed over a brief sketch of the message.

"Perfect, get that sent over. Now for the second and third one, I want similar messages sent to Heron and Masud," said Jack as he started to pace around the room. "Let them know we are getting further instruction from our leadership and prevent any rash actions toward the viceroys. I want you to also reaffirm our commitment to them as allies, and make sure that is stressed in the dispatches."

"Being told just to hang in there isn't likely to last them very long, Jack," interrupted Abigail. "I can see their patience running thin on us quickly, especially if they are being mistreated."