Fourth Vector Ch. 22

"Oops," said Dustin as he flew the plane back in the proper direction. He'd gotten sidetracked just enjoying the feeling of flight but it was time to get back to the mission at hand. At this stage of their siege of Burwick, they were making twice daily flights over the city, analyzing it for weak points as well as keeping an eye on the road south, in case the Swabians were thinking of bringing up reinforcements.

Dustin pulled back on the stick, gaining some altitude as they made their way closer to Burwick. The city was the third largest in all of Picardy, and not nearly as sprawling as Daban. Even at a close distance, it still appeared no bigger than a dot on the horizon, and it wasn't until they were nearly on top of the city that Dustin was able to make out the specific situation below.

They'd had the city under siege for about two weeks now, and it wasn't hard for him to see the start of their own lines that ringed the city. In that time, the Swabians had attempted three breakouts, all of them coming in the last week as food began to run low. All of those attacks were beaten back, the last being the most desperate and coming the closest to breaking their lines.

It was only the timely arrival of Picard reinforcements that prevented the Carinthian lines from being pierced, and the Swabian invaders were driven back behind the old city walls.

At this stage in the battle, with mounting casualties and hungry stomachs, the only thing the Swabians could hope for was to be reinforced. But as Dustin swung south to follow over the road to Zarah, no large bodies of forces could be spotted.

"Looks all clear again," said Dustin as they flew a good distance outside the city. "I'd say the enemy is going to buckle down in Zarah with no attempt to relieve this siege."

"It appears that way," said Dante. "Good for us at least. The city is about ready to fall anyway."

"They've got to be starving by now, all of them," said Dustin. "I know King Aedan didn't want to besiege the city for too long to make the people suffer, but this was a happy medium. The Swabians will be hungry enough to offer weakened resistance, but the people should be able to get back on their feet soon enough."

"Looks like it," said Dante before tapping Dustin's right shoulder. "Come on, let's turn back to the airfield. We're running low on fuel."

Dustin dipped his wings back to the western horizon and soon they were safely back into their own lines. The Javan marine eyed the ground below, looking for the ground flags that marked the location of the allied airfield, an open clearing near the army headquarters that proved to be the best spot for their planes to regularly land and take off.

"There it is! The field!" said Dustin, pointing off the telltale flags.

"Bring it in nice and easy now, Dustin. No need to get us killed seconds before we cut power to the engine," cautioned Dante.

Dustin felt himself grinning, but he decided he'd tortured the man enough today. He lined up with the field at the proper altitude and cut power just like he'd been taught, bring the airplane low enough to attempt a landing. The wheels bounced lightly off the ground once, twice, three times until she stayed, rolling to a stop several hundred feet later.

As the propeller came to a stop, both men hopped out of the cockpit to land on firm ground once again.

Dante appeared to be the most happy about it. He leaned down and whispered his thanks to be on something solid once more.

"Oh, it wasn't that bad," said Dustin while blowing air through his lips.

"There were several close calls," said Dante while giving him an uncompromising stare. "I find it most peculiar that you don't seem to be making actual beginner mistakes, but rather, you seem to delight in finding ways that could possibly kill us."

"Well, what is life after all without a little adrenaline rush?" asked Dustin innocently.

Dante scowled. "Are all Javans as crazy as you?"

"Just those from Tyrol," said Dustin with a hint of a smile.

"In any event, the next time we fly—if there's a next time—try to leave the theatrics on the ground, all right?" Dante crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"You know, the only reason I'm comfortable with trying these 'theatrics' is because I had such a good teacher," offered Dustin, hoping it sounded more genuine than it came out.

Dante didn't seem to buy it. "Right. How did I get so lucky then?"

Dustin smacked the man on the back playfully. "All right, all right, I hear you. I'll start behaving a little more."

Dante finally cracked a smile. "I'm just asking that you behave in the sky, Dustin. When we're back on the ground, you can do as you wish, and if you haven't noticed by now, being able to conquer the air leads to a lot of attention from the womenfolk."

"Now you're talking my language," said Dustin. "It's been too long since I've been with one. And I keep seeing girls here and there that look like they'd be willing to have some fun with me."

"I remembered when I first learned to fly back in Polana," said Dante with a grin. "We had a big public demonstration of it in the capital city. Thousands of people came out to see the event, all of them cheering as we flew overhead. I don't think I slept in my own bed for two weeks afterwards. There's a certain mystique to us few that can soar through the air."

"And I've seen the type of women you have back over there in Carinthia." Dustin let out a low whistle. "Some real beauties. Especially that queen of yours."

Dante started to laugh. "Don't even get me started on Queen Reina. Her appetite for men is legendary. She's on her third husband or fourth, I can't remember, and I think the others were probably so worn out that they just wasted away from it."

"A woman after my own heart," said Dustin with a grin. "I'd love to meet her more personally one day."

"M-e-e-t or m-e-a-t?" asked Dante, holding back a stronger laugh.

Dustin roared with laughter. "I like this version of you, Dante. You're too uptight up there, but down here, you're a damn blast to hang with."

"You mean when my life isn't on the line? Compliment taken," answered Dante.

"But we're in the middle of a war zone," argued Dustin. "We could die just as easily down here as we can up there."

"Yeah, but at least down here, I know I'd be responsible for my own death," said Dante sarcastically. "Up there, you'd be responsible for mine!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," said Dustin with a wave of the hand. "At least this siege should be over soon. In a short while, I'll be heading to meet with the generals about launching the final assault. Hopefully in a day or so, we should be able to sit comfortably inside the city instead of outside of it."

"We can hope," said Dante. "This has already gone on longer than I'd expected. I thought we were just coming here to kick the Swabians out of Daban, not to take back the entire country. Even once we do take Burwick, we still have to go to Zarah anyway."

"And all reports are that there are more Swabians in Zarah too," added Dustin.

"Exactly. I'm looking forward to getting back to Carinthia," said Dante. "I want to keep tinkering with my designs." The engineer approached the airplane again and gestured to the space between both wings on one side. "It was me that made the first prototype of an airplane with a single wing instead of two. I'm anxious to try it out."

"What could be the advantage of having one instead of two?" asked Dustin. "Does it affect how it flies at all?"

"Based on my calculations, it should make it more stable," said Dante. "You notice how quickly she buckles to one side when you only softly pull the stick? My theory is that it'll be more stable and turn a bit more smoothly with just one wing. I'm anxious to try it out but all my testing gear, my prototypes, my work is all back in Polana."

"I'd be interested to see what the result was." Dustin approached the plane and put his hand on the propeller. "I really think these airplanes are the wave of the future. Perhaps that's why I like them so much, and I wanted to be trained for flight. I can't wait to see what you engineers come up with."

"Hopefully, we won't leave you disappointed there," said Dante with a small grin.

"I doubt that," said Dustin before taking a look at his watch. "Damn, I need to get over to headquarters for that council. If we're not taking the city tomorrow, we'll do another flight in the morning?"

Dante nodded reluctantly. "As long as you promise to keep it under control!"

Dustin grinned as he started rushing toward headquarters. He turned his head over his shoulder as he ran. "I'll try but no promises!"

The short jaunt to headquarters found Dustin arriving around the same time as Greg. The older officer seemed surprised to see him so quickly.

"There you are. I thought you might still be up there flying somewhere," said Greg with a smirk.

"Just landed so I could take part in this shindig," said Dustin. "I wouldn't miss it for the world!"

Greg chuckled and pulled open the flap to their headquarters. Inside were three men, all of whom turned to look at them upon their arrival.

"Ah, Greg and Dustin, welcome," said King Aedan of Picardy, the figure in the center of the room.

"Are you men ready to take the city?" asked the Carinthian General Luis Barca, the oldest man in the room.

"As ready as we can be. Is it time to launch the final assault?" asked Greg before looking to the last man, who had been looking over a map between them.

That last man rose from the map and looked at them with a determined look. "It's time for us to regain Burwick," said Neil Fagan with his wild red hair and freckles. "The situation favors us. The Swabians couldn't be more demoralized or hungry with the lack of food and no hope for reinforcement."

"That last bit is especially important," added Dustin. "We just flew over the road up from Zarah, and we didn't spot any enemy reinforcements. I'd say the rest of the Swabians are going to leave their men to die in the city."

"A pity for them, but a boon for us," said Aedan. "They've already worn out their welcome. The artillery is in place, and we have it centered on the weakest section of the wall. I'd say it's time to blast our way through."

"The Picard army is ready to assault the city," confirmed Neil.

"As is the Carinthian army," added Luis.

"And hell, don't forget us either," growled Dustin. "The marines are ready to lead the assault."

Greg put his hand on Dustin's arm. "Easy now, we can't steal all the glory for ourselves. The plan into the city will have us exploiting the initial gap in the defenses and making our way through the marketplace before we get to the city center."

"The Picard army will be going through the business district and we'll link up with you in the center," said Neil.

"And we'll move through the residential area until we can link up on the other side of the city," said Luis.

"I can't think of a better plan," said Aedan with a big grin. "With any luck, we'll be the masters of the city by nightfall. Let's move out."

*****

About forty-five minutes later, Dustin crept behind the lower dirt embankment that marked the very edge of their lines. Just a short distance away was the old city wall of Burwick, a gap that could be covered in a quick sprint. On the high walls, Dustin could just barely spot a few Swabians on the defense, all of them crouched low and preparing for the defense.

Dustin had to imagine they were worried. There was no doubt they could see the siege artillery or the muster of troops that were now crowding this very position. He knew they were likely hungry and cut off from any reinforcements, and Dustin hoped this would make this into a quick conquest.

After a few more minutes of waiting, a huge boom shot off from behind him and smashed into the city walls in front. In the space of a heartbeat, a large column of smoke, dust, and debris shot into the air, pulverizing the ancient stone and mortar palisade.

That single shot was soon joined by a crescendo of artillery, all of it culminating on that same spot on the wall that quickly removed any stone larger than a pebble from existence. In the end, the only thing that remained was dust, bone, and blood.

Seeing his chance, Dustin rose to his feet. "Attack! Attack! Attack!" he yelled, throwing his arm toward the gap in the wall.

The trained group of Javan marines and Picard soldiers led the first wave of the attack, eagerly rushing the open gap into the city. Dustin let his rifle lead the way, becoming the first man in the entire army to cross the threshold of the walls and step foot into Burwick.

The gunfire started immediately. The extraordinary noise of the artillery barrage attracted all attention to their sector. Dustin caught a brief glimpse of ranks of gray-robed warriors before he crouched behind some rubble from the destroyed wall.

"All right, boys, this is the moment we've been waiting for. Let's show these sons-of-bitches how to fight," yelled Dustin, as he popped out from the wall to give off some covering fire for the attackers.

A spray of bullets took down two Swabians and wounded another before attention was given to his position. Dustin ducked behind the wall as several bullets crashed into the brick above his head. From behind him, he could see Javan marines steadily creeping through the gap, and soon their numbers were enough to give steady pressure to the Swabian position.

"You, you, and you," said Dustin, selecting three men. "Cover the rest of us. We're rushing forward. For god's sake, keep your heads down!"

With that, Dustin soon moved around his position as his three gunners opened up on the enemy. He followed the street forward, soon moving past a dead pair of Swabians and flanking a position of about five others. They never got a chance to respond, realizing when it was far too late to save their lives.

As the smoke from his barrel cleared, Dustin surveilled the carnage. Dead Swabians were everywhere. Already, the enemy was pulling back into a large open square, which could only have been the marketplace that was their next objective.

"Let's go, men! We have a marketplace to take!" yelled Dustin.

As the Javans surged forward to the main marketplace, the Picards and Carinthians spread out on the flanks, forcing a full envelopment of the city. Dustin turned back around briefly, seeing the face of Greg hustling along to the rear, finally catching up to him before they made it to the open air market.

The marketplace itself was on a raised pavilion that dominated the entire square. From the looks of things, it hadn't seen much action lately, with the majority of stalls in various states of decay. Dustin had to wonder whether material goods had taken a backseat during the two weeks of the siege, when food became the all-encompassing need for everyone left alive.

"What do you think?" asked Dustin as he checked out the market. There was a makeshift defensive structure at the end of the market where various stalls, boxes, crates, and any kind of debris that could be scavenged from the market was piled up waist high, presenting quite the impediment.

Greg looked around at the higher buildings that ringed the market. "I think we'd be sitting ducks in case they decided to put sniper fire in any of these buildings. This is an attacker's nightmare. One channel to funnel our forces while they take fire at every angle."

Dustin nodded. "Looks like the bastards have made that line their home too. This might be a little tricky."

"There's no way I'm going to send the whole force down the middle here to get butchered," said Greg before he turned to him. "Take a battalion and find a side street to flank them."

"You got it," said Dustin with a grin. He shuffled back quickly to where the main body of the marines had gathered. "1st Battalion, 57th Marines, on me!" he boomed.

It took about ten minutes before the majority of the battalion had formed around him. Dustin took a knee in front of them as the main force offered covering fire on the marketplace position.

"All right listen up," said Dustin loudly. "We need to find a side street so that we can flank the market. Check out the streets on either side and break up into platoons until you find one we can use. Don't get bogged down in a fight! We need to move quickly so that the main force can get through to the other side before they take too many casualties. Understood?"

Each platoon started to move moments later, eager to find an open street that could be used to flank the market. From Dustin's position, it seemed like there were only three possible options that might leadaround the market. Two were on the left side and one was on the right. The other streets, remnants of a more ancient settlement where streets didn't follow straight lines, seemed to lead away from the main center of the city.

"Sir! We've got a path that could work," said one of the marines, Sawyer, as he rushed back to Dustin. "There's some resistance at the end, but it's light, sir. If we send the entire battalion down it, we can pop out on the other side of the market."

"All right, you all heard the man. Let's get moving," said Dustin.

The entire battalion moved to the street, which happened to be the furthest one on the left side of the marketplace. Sawyer nailed the layout of the street, and it wasn't until they'd moved more than three quarters down the paved avenue that they encountered the first resistance. No more than a platoon of men guarded the exit of the street, no doubt surprised that the enemy had figured out the maze of streets to flank their defensive position. They started shooting quickly, but after heavy fire from the entire Javan battalion, they wilted away quickly.

As the marines found themselves on the opposite street, they soon started to make their way back toward the direction of the market. In doing so, they ran into the other side of the Swabian defensive line, seeing a whole company worth of gray-robed warriors battling Greg's group of marines as they tried to make their way up the center.

The result was a bloodbath.

Dustin and his men opened fire on the backs of the Swabians and cut them down where they stood. They couldn't react quickly enough to being encircled, and the only lucky ones were those that realized it early, throwing down their weapons and offering to surrender.

Those that kneeled were the only ones to survive. As Dustin let out another rapid burst that took down two more Swabians, all resistance melted away.

"About time you guys flanked them," said Greg with a subtle head shake as he caught up to Dustin. "They didn't make it easy on us!"

"We just had to find the right street," replied Dustin. "Once we did, they crumbled like a cookie."

"Come on, let's get moving. The city square should be just up that way. Once we take the center, we can start—"

Greg never finished the sentence. All of them hit the ground as another wave of Swabian soldiers came barreling down from the opposite direction, opening heavy fire on the marines. The Swabian attackers moved methodically down the street, using every bit of coverage they could manage as a means to an end. They were so well concealed that the Javans had a hard time distinguishing how many of them there were left.

"Keep your heads down and cover each other," yelled back Greg. "Hold your positions!"

A furious firefight erupted as the two main forces battled each other within a matter of yards. The noise level alone was frightening, and nothing else could be heard over the roar of the rifles. The Swabians kept pressing forward, putting unbelievable pressure on the Javan lines.

Dustin rarely had to aim when he shot. Simply pointing his rifle in their direction managed to hit one of them since they were so close and so numerous. At such a short distance, the superiority of the NT-12 made all the difference. The rapid firing of the assault rifle compared to the older technology of the bolt-action Swabian rifles proved to be the turning point, and soon the Swabians were falling in droves.