Fourth Vector Ch. 21

Greg managed to look around his feet finally, seeing nothing but the bodies of fallen and wounded men around him. It wasn't limited to light blue cloaks either, and there were more than enough gray robes littered amongst the fallen.

He turned to Dustin quickly. "Take your men and go secure the hillside. Give us a breather in case they plan to attack us again."

Dustin nodded and soon yelled back to the mass of Javans. They surged forward as one body, quickly filling the former positions of the Swabian, and then taking a commanding position at the top of the hill.

Greg was relieved to see them occupying the hill without any further engagements with the enemy. Once they were in position, he began to move along the lines as the wounded were pulled from the field of battle. As he moved through the woods to the Carinthian lines, he soon came to the command position of General Barca.

"Luis, how are things on this flank? Any casualties?"

Luis shook his head. "Minimal at best. It looks like the center took the bulk of the fighting. The men in front of my position aren't reporting any activity."

"Good, keep it steady. I'm going to find Neil and see how he wants to respond," said Greg.

"Let him know my men can be spared for a counterattack," said Luis before Greg had a chance to walk away. "I'm sure there's probably another larger body of Swabians directly in front of us, and if so, I want my Carinthians ready to lead the charge."

Greg grinned. "I'll let him know, but you might have to fight my Javans for the honor."

"I'll save the fighting for the enemy," said Luis with a chuckle.

After separating from the Carinthian general, Greg ran back through the main Picard lines, finding Neil already at the spot of the attack where he was coordinating the response of his own troops as well as care for the wounded. In that moment, Greg caught the first glimpse of Neil as a commander in battle.

And what he saw impressed him. Gone was the nervous and timid colonel that he met in the previous days. General Fagan appeared to have fully inherited his confidence as he directed and commanded his men in that crucial hour. For the first time, Greg allowed himself to take a sigh of relief at the prospect of the Picard commander being fully in charge.

"Greg, there you are," said Neil as soon as he saw him. "Your men were crucial at getting this attack turned around!"

"It's just what we do, Neil," said Greg with a small smirk. "I just spoke with Luis and he's ready to lead a counterattack. What do you want to do?"

"We're so close to the city, I'd be hesitant to send one force right up the middle," said Neil after some thought. "I'm sure they'll slip back into the suburbs to coordinate the defense. This must have just been their attempt to let us know they're still there."

"If you don't want to send them up the middle, then what are you suggesting?"

"A trap," said Neil with a subtle grin. "I want to send the Carinthians around the left flank and your Javans around the extreme right flank until you link up on the other side. My men will fill the breach between your two forces and together, we can surround the city and completely destroy the enemy."

"It couldn't hurt to be sure of their movements though," said Greg. "Can you send an airplane up to confirm? If we see them pulling into the city, then we can put the plan in motion. But if they notice anything in our path, we'll be in a better position to formulate to a new plan."

Neil nodded excitedly. "I'll request one up shortly. We should know by nightfall where they intend to make their stand. Outside the city or inside. We'll move from there."

*****

The airplane revealed only a single body of enemy soldiers that were pulling back toward the city, but they weren't in any kind of hurry. The pilot estimated it to be around the size of an entire regiment, or at least the remains of a regiment that had tried to bloody their nose in the morning. Since it was the only force still remaining outside the city, Neil gave the orders to follow through with their plans with just a slight modification.

The Carinthian and Javan contingents went around the flanks of the city like discussed, except for a single Javan battalion that was peeled off to be the spearhead of the Picard forces. In the next two days, this advanced force skirmished several times with the Swabians, contesting the encirclement of the city.

Ultimately, the Swabian forces were too few to prevent a complete siege of Burwick, and the remains of the last regiment slipped back inside the city wall by nightfall on that second day. By the third day, each nationality within the allied army had constructed their own camp with which to maintain the siege of the city, and with the command of their leaders, they began to dig a long trench around the city to stop any relief forces from getting in or any escapees from getting out.

By dusk on the fourth day, the trench was complete. Neil looked on from the Picard camp with grim satisfaction at seeing a complete ring of steel around the third city of Picardy. The only thing they would need now is their artillery to batter down the door and their men to finish the job.

For that reason, Neil met with Greg, Dustin, and Luis as they sought out an audience with Aedan. The king's tent was busier than usual that evening, and they were only given entrance after a few minutes of waiting outside.

"There you are, gentlemen," said Aedan with a satisfied grin. "Come into my tent! What brings you here?"

"Your Majesty, I'm pleased to tell you that our trench around the city is now complete. Men are in place at all points around the city to prevent anyone from coming to their relief. All we need now is to break the door down," said Neil while tracing out the trench on the king's map.

"Excellent work! I'm told that our artillery will be here in three more days," said Aedan. "Of course, they've been delayed by the poor roads on the way here, but they're finally due in. All that needs to be decided is where we are going to position them."

"Do we even need to position them, Your Majesty?" asked Luis while rubbing his chin. "We could achieve the same result by just maintaining the siege until their food runs out. They'll be too weak to resist or they may just even surrender on their own at that point."

Aedan shook his head firmly. "If the Swabians run out of food, then that means the city will already have been starving for weeks. I can't allow that to happen to my people. They've already had to suffer the indignity of a foreign occupation. I'd like to end this quickly so they can all get back to their lives."

"I have to agree with the king on this one," said Greg. "Our best tactic right now has been our speed. Even if we settle in for a long siege, there's nothing to prevent the other Swabian regiments further south from riding to their rescue. We may wake up as the besiegers one day and go to bed as the besieged. Speed is of the essence with bringing this to a quick conclusion."

"Are we all in agreement then?" asked Neil, looking back at Luis. "Attack as soon as it's prudent?"

Luis nodded his head slowly. "We are in agreement with our allies. You make a good point."

"Excellent," said Neil while putting his hands together. The Picard general then looked back at the map of the city. "As you can see from this map of the city, a good portion of it is still encased behind the old city walls, even though most of the suburbs have spilled over it."

"Just like in Daban," said Dustin. "We must have fought through half the actual city before we came upon the old walls."

Neil nodded. "Exactly like Daban. But Daban was a larger city, and it was only defended by two Swabian regiments. We have a city half the size with double the force. They won't make taking it very easy on us."

"Do we know of any weak points in the wall? Places that we could easily batter down to get into the city?" asked Luis.

"The wall isn't in the best shape in most places," said Aedan while looking at the map. "It hasn't seen warfare in nearly three hundred years, so most of it is in a rundown shape already. At the time it was built, only the best quality of stone was used and the design is excellent. Even with our modern artillery, it won't break down easily."

"If that's the case, then where would be the best spot for us to enter the city?" asked Greg. "What's the shortest distance to the city center?"

Aedan studied the map before picking a spot that was directly between the Carinthian and Picard lines. "Right here. Only because this avenue is the broadest one in the city and it leads directly into the heart of it. Much of the older part of the city is ancient, with long, narrow, and winding streets. A determined enemy could make any attacker suffer grievously there. But right here, we'll have the best chance to pour our men inside and spread out quickly."

"I'm all for getting in quickly," said Dustin. "The faster I can get into that city, the more of those dumb bastards I can kill."

Aedan started to laugh before he looked back to Greg. "Are all of your marines like him?"

Greg grinned. "Damn near all of them. It's only a certain breed that they let be part of the force."

Just about everyone in the tent laughed at that one.

"Well, I'm glad he's on our side," said Aedan finally. "Let's discuss a few more details of the siege, and then we can set a time for the final assault once the artillery gets here. Deal?"

"Deal," the rest of them answered in unison.

"Then it's onward to Zarah," said Neil with a slight edge to his voice.

Aedan clapped his back. "We'll have them out of Picardy before we know it."

*****

From the bridge of theDestiny, Jack watched the eastern skies for the slightest hint of land. It had been almost four weeks since they left Picardy, and despite a series of storms, his task force was due to arrive back in Quiller's Cove at any time.

It was a profound feeling for Jack. Despite it being less than a year since he last laid eyes on the rocky Javan outpost, so much had changed. He remembered back when they left the first time, all of them nervous at the prospect of entering the Vector and whether they would live to tell about it. Where most of them expected to find savages and mythical beasts of legend, instead they found real people, countries engaged in their own conflicts, and a prophecy that wouldn't stop following him.

His life was infinitely more complicated now, dominated by a people who had spent so many years without their king.

And now their king was headed to his adoptive home, away from the very place he was needed most.

It still didn't make much sense to him, and it still tortured his split soul but no matter which way he cut it, Jack owed a degree of loyalty to the home where he'd been raised. He just hoped it would be a quick fight before he could return to his work in the West.

Around midday, they heard the radio report all of them had been anxious to hear. Land had been spotted.

"Just a few miles out from Quiller's," said Abigail with a smile as she touched his arm lightly.

"Back where it all began," said Jack with a chuckle before setting his gaze back to the eastern horizon. If he tried hard enough, he swore he could see the darkness of the island just a short distance ahead.

She gave him a curious look. "You look like you have a lot on your mind right now."

"I do. It's good to be back, but it does feel like we're going in the wrong direction."

She rubbed his back lightly. "It'll be all right, Jack. Besides, it'll be good to see Commodore Lucas again, right?"

He nodded. "It will. How different it'll be from the last time we were here."

She leaned in closer. "And what we did the last time here. Do you remember?"

Jack smiled as he looked at her. "How could I forget our first time together?"

She nibbled against his ear. "Good answer, my love. I was hoping you would remember."

"I more remember being scared that Lt. Commander Wainwright was going to find us fucking in his room," he said with a chuckle.

"And here it was that you were the one fucking Lt. Commander Wainwright," she added with a saucy laugh.

"Some things never change."

"Be grateful that they don't!"

Jack heard the sound of the bridge door opening and found Kat slipping inside. "I heard we're almost there," she said as she slipped to his other side.

Abigail nodded. "We were just reminiscing about the first time we were there together. Right, Jack?"

Her tone caused Kat to let out a curious smile. "You mean the first time you two . . ."

Jack chuckled. "Yeah, exactly."

"How nice," said Kat as she put her hands together. "How long ago was that?"

"Ten months now, right Jack?"

He nodded. "Has it been that long already? Time does seem to fly by."

Abigail smiled wickedly. "Maybe Kat would like to join us for a little reenactment later?"

Kat made an excited grin. "Oh, that does sound just lovely. How about it, Jack?"

Never thinking he'd be one to have to be convinced to have a threesome with two gorgeous women, he pretended to think over the matter. "We'll see if there's time."

The smiles on both women's faces evaporated quickly, only to be replaced by near identical pouts.

"I'm kidding," he said finally, wrapping the both of them up in his arms. "You know I could never turn that down."

After his interaction with both women, he watched as the island of Quiller's Cove continued to get larger on the horizon. Soon enough, he could spot the distinct bay and the harbor facilities as well as the town just a short distance away. Up until ten months ago, it had been the furthest base of Javan operations from the mainland, a territory right on the edge of civilization.

Now it was the crucial link between the Vector and home, ruled by an outcast officer who'd been away from Java for way too long.

As all the ships of the task force were guided into their berths, including the Picard destroyer and Carinthian frigate, Jack waited patiently to descend down to the main docks.

When he did, he found a familiar face on the other side.

"Good day, Commodore Easterbrook," said Lt. Andre Settler, the moody deputy of Commodore Lucas. Jack remembered the first time they met and how he'd been less than impressed by the lieutenant's sullen attitude.

"Good day, Lieutenant," replied Jack. "I take it Commodore Lucas knows of my arrival?"

"That he does, sir. He requested that you visit him whenever you're settled in," said Settler.

"I have the time now, so will you let him know I'll be along shortly?"

Settler saluted before returning back to the town while Jack looked back to Abigail right behind him. "Come with me?" he asked her. "I wouldn't mind another face with me when I see old commodore."

She smiled demurely. "Of course. What about the rest of the officers?"

"Tell them the rest of the day is theirs to spend as they see fit. I'll brief them before we're ready to leave," he replied.

After Abigail had passed the message on, the two of them made their exit from the docks and entered the small town attached to the naval base. The last time he'd seen it, it was still in bad shape from the attack by the Occitanians not long after he arrived. Those stationed at the base had made quick work of the damage, putting the base back together. Jack could scarcely see any of the scars from the attack as they made their way to naval headquarters.

When they entered the building, they were directed to Lucas' third floor quarters, and they quickly made their way up the stairs to his main door. Jack knocked firmly, only to find Settler on the other side.

As soon as he opened the door, Jack saw the familiar yet weathered face of Commodore Lucas on the other side.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the talk of Java!" said Lucas with a friendly smile as he emerged out from behind his desk and shook Jack's hand vigorously. "Sometimes I wondered if I'd ever get to see you again!"

Jack grinned. "It's good to see you again, Commodore Lucas. It's been way too long."

Lucas scoffed. "So long that now we're the same rank. The next time I see you, you'll outrank me!"

"The Vector has been dangerous, but not without its reward," said Jack as he looked at his commodore's patch.

"So I've heard! Any matter, it's great to see you again, Jack," said Lucas as he then looked at Abigail. "Commander Wainwright, a pleasure as always. It's been too long."

"Yes, it has, Commodore," she replied in a friendly tone before the three of them sat down together.

Lucas smiled and then turned back to Jack. "There's much going on in the world presently, and here I get to meet with the only commodore who's been to the Fourth Vector and lived to tell about it!"

"It's been quite the adventure," said Jack cryptically. "Unlike anything I've ever been through before."

"Tell me about it," pressed Lucas. "What was it really like?"

"In one word—unreal," said Jack. "I don't think any of us knew what to expect once we went inside the Vector, but it definitely overwhelmed any of my existing notions. There's real people there. Real countries, real lives. Everyone thinks it's just this uncivilized place where nothing happens and they couldn't be further from the truth. Their civilizations are advanced, and in some cases, as advanced as ours."

"What do you mean? How could they be like ours?"

"I mean the last country I was at figured out the secret behind controlled flight," said Jack with a serious look.

Lucas' jaw nearly hit the table. "Flight? You're sure about this?"

Jack nodded. "Sure as can be. Seen it several times too. And what's more, I have six of the machines with me. They're called airplanes."

"Good god, Jack. What else did you encounter in the Vector? Tell me everything."

Jack spent the better part of the next half hour going through the whole tale. He spared a good portion of the details, including just about every mention of the Galicians, as he didn't want to open that can of worms just yet. Lucas was a lively audience, and Jack really enjoyed shocking the man with some of his exploits.

"Just so I have this straight," said Lucas as he rubbed both eyes. "You launched this airplane thing from theDestiny and managed to drop bombs—from the air—to take out a major naval gun at this fortress?"

Abigail let out a small giggle. "Unreal, isn't it?"

Jack grinned as well. "That's the long and short of it. These airplanes have huge potential."

Lucas sat back in his chair with a dumbfounded look on his face. "Wait until Bancroft gets a load of this. If we thought he liked you before, he'll be ready to start humping your leg by the time this is done."

Jack couldn't help but laugh at the imagery. "I take it things are no better between you and him?"

"As peachy as ever," said Lucas sarcastically. "Almost every officer of importance has been called back to Java save for me. At this rate, the only way I'll leave this island is in a coffin. Even Reynolds got to leave, which reminds me." Lucas leaned in closer. "You've made a real enemy in Rear Admiral Nick Reynolds."

"Luke did mention something about that," said Jack. "I've only met the man in passing before. But this has something to do with theStardust andHorton coming to my task force?"

Lucas nodded. "He thinks you conspired behind his back to decimate his task force for reinforcements."

"What an idea!" said Jack loudly. "How can he think that?"

Lucas smiled. "Because it's partly true. It's just you weren't the one to do it. Luke and I did it."

Jack blinked. "You two did what?"

"We were able to get those ships reassigned to you after the Occitanian task force slipped by Quiller's on its way to you. Luke figured out it was going into the Vector and that you would need the reinforcements. For that reason, we went around Reynolds to Bancroft to get it done."