Fourth Vector Ch. 23

"I have already ordered Jasper Strong to take command," replied Bancroft.

"Excellent, Bancroft," said Charles before softening his tone. "I didn't think this could turn out so well, you know. After the debacle of the invasion, I certainly hoped I wouldn't be disappointed by my navy once more." Charles looked over to his son, who wore a look of disgust on his face.

"Thank you, sire," answered Bancroft, whose confidence was all too apparent even over the radio. "The navy will always answer the call when needed most."

Charles' cheek flinched at the words, but he chose to ignore it instead of challenging the statement. It was clear from George's reaction that he was thinking the same thing.

Even still, he would permit Bancroft this moment in the sun.

As long as he remembered his place.

"Once this operation is finished with the fleets, I want plans to resume for a second invasion," said Charles. "Have your men start drafting a plan for execution. I'll give you two divisions' worth of men like you had the last time, but I want full protection on them this time. Now that you've taken a chunk out of the Occitanian navy, it's time to drive the boot home. Understood, Bancroft?"

"Understood perfectly, sire. When do you want to see a preliminary plan?"

"As soon as possible. I'll alert the generals to move the divisions to a new staging point. We will capitalize on this battle, Bancroft. It's time to end the war."

As soon as Charles put down the radio, he looked back to his son with a wide-set grin. "This is the moment we've been waiting for. The chance to slay the Occitanian beast once and for all."

"It would appear to be Bancroft's moment as well," said George with a disgusted face.

"For now, my son. For now. Let Bancroft enjoy the moment. In the meantime, I'm going to get word out to the people. I want word sent out to the press at once celebrating this great victory. Give the people their first truly great news from this war and hopefully not the last!"

George nodded as he made for the exit of the room. He stopped when his father called for him one last time.

"One more thing, son," said Charles. "Get orders to have my personal train prepared."

*****

As George left his father's study, he already found himself in a foul mood. Like the others, he should be happy about the victory they'd just secured, by all accounts one that would be remembered for ages. Yet, the fact that it wasBancroft's victory and not his own was what rankled him so much.

If things had gone his way, it would be George at the head of a victorious army knocking on the gates of Montauban weeks ago. If the invasion had gone to plan, none of this would have been necessary. He still thought it was awfully suspicious the happenings with the official story of Henrik's betrayal, and he didn't doubt for one moment that there was more to the story. Somehow Bancroft was connected to it.

What made it even worse was that now his star was ever higher, a victorious admiral who'd just secured the most important naval victory of all time. He would be practically untouchable now.

George knocked over a decorative table on the way back to his quarters, the contents of which shattered against the marble floor. Once he was safely back inside his block of rooms, he snapped at two of his servants.

"You two!" he gestured to the man and the woman cleaning the main study. "Fuck immediately!"

True to their training, they only shared a brief look of displeasure before shedding their clothing, and George watched with lust as their hips were soon joined in unison. It took about ten minutes for the man to cum and as he pulled his shriveled cock from the woman and started to grab his clothes, George snapped his fingers at them.

"No, again! Keep going!"

"Again?" croaked the servant.

"Did I stutter? You, girl, pleasure him with your mouth until he's ready to go!"

George watched reluctantly as they did as they were ordered, and soon they were once more fucking on the couch in front of his desk. Even though the male servant lasted much longer this time, he made them do this three more times before he was finally satisfied. The weary servants dressed quickly when they were allowed to leave, scampering out of sight in hopes it would end their humiliation.

George was just getting started however.

"Call in all my servants at once," he ordered before they could leave. "I want all of them here immediately without their clothes."

As they struggled to fulfill the order and as over thirty men and women of all ages soon appeared before him, he ordered a sexual display to commence for his pleasure. It was an orgy of epic proportions, the likes of which went on for the entire night. Even George got in on the festivities, taking the behind of two female servants and one male. As he finished, he went out to his balcony for a breath of fresh air, and that was when the first true alarm went off in his head.

Out in the city, chanting and yelling could be heard. The entire Javan capital city was alight with screams of fervor. Throughout the ordeal, he could hear one name being chanted above all others, and it filled him with great rage.

"Bancroft! Bancroft! Bancroft!"

*****

As soon as Jack was back on Javan soil, the real work of the night began. There were wounded men everywhere, and even the large naval hospital close to the docks that was meant for this kind of situation was overwhelmed. The dead and wounded were starting to pile up on the streets, a lack of facilities and docks the chief cause for their lack of care.

The hospital simply wasn't prepared for a battle of this magnitude, an engagement where the entire Javan fleet was involved was never envisioned when it was constructed. Outside the hospital, makeshift triage centers had been created, with little more than nurses with crash carts being the only aid many of the men received before they died.

It was one of these triage units where Jack left Pete from theHorton to receive his care. The aide took one look at him and administered some morphine, putting him in line to get stitches for his wound and attention to his broken arm. He would be one of the lucky ones today, those that would live to see tomorrow.

So many of them never had that chance.

After so many trips of transporting the wounded from theDestiny to the hospital, Jack only managed to receive a temporary break. It wouldn't last for long.

"Jack, theValiant is almost here," said Abigail fearfully, pointing from beside him to the battered light cruiser as it moved slowly into the dock. Jack winced at seeing her destroyed bridge, his heart sinking at the implications. Getting the chance to see it up close was almost the worst part.

There's no way anyone could have survived that, he thought while looking at the devastation.

Once theValiant was docked, Jack, Abigail, Kat, and many of theDestiny's sailors rushed over to help the wounded. The first priority was finding Luke and the rest of the senior officers.

However, as Jack approached the bridge, he later found out they'd already been found.

He and Abigail happened upon a crew of sailors as they tried to lower the bodies of those from the bridge. The first one that Jack saw was Kim.

"Kim," he said with a relieved tone as soon as she was on the main deck. "Thank god you're still alive."

Kim winced in pain as she was set against the deck. She grabbed her legs—bloody, battered, and limp, it was obvious what had happened when the bridge came crashing down.

"Don't worry, Kim. We'll get you to the hospital," promised Jack as he reached down to squeeze her hand. She answered back weakly before her eyes trained on him.

"I'm sorry, Jack."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. You and theValiant did everything anyone could have asked of you," said Jack, finding tears stinging his eyes. "We're proud of you. I'm proud of you."

Abigail looked up at the rest of the wreckage before she hurried to other side. "What of the others? Anna? Luke?"

Kim shut her eyes as a single tear descended down her cheek. She turned her head toward Abigail. "Anna didn't make it."

Those four words took a long time to resonate with Abigail. "What?" she whispered weakly.

"I'm so sorry, Abigail," cried Kim, before gesturing her head.

All three of them looked at the crew of sailors working now. In the middle of being lowered to the main deck was the unmistakable body of a woman with long, dark hair. Jack didn't need to look any further to know who it was.

"No!" screamed Abigail as she rushed over to the sailors. "That's my sister! Give me her! That's my sister!"

Jack squeezed Kim's hand one more time before letting go to slip to Abigail's side. She pulled Anna's body away from the rescue crew and laid it down gently against the deck. Abigail screamed in agony as she cradled her little sister's lifeless body in her arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Anna, no! Oh, Anna-bear, oh god, I'm so sorry," she cried while rocking her back and forth.

Jack had no idea what to say to her in that moment.

There just weren't enough words.

*****

Anna wasn't the only one to perish that day on theValiant. She was joined by Bill Norman, weapons division head. Both of them had been crushed by falling debris when the bridge collapsed around them. Abigail was soon joined by various other officers, including one serious young man who looked like he was taking it as badly as she was. The two of them hovered around Anna's lifeless body together, and Jack had to speculate that he'd been intimate with her in some fashion.

Remarkably, Luke was the last one pulled down from the bridge, and the one that seemed to be in the best shape in comparison to the others. Apart from the usual cuts and bruises, Luke's main injury seemed to be a gaping wound in his upper thigh. It had been bandaged on the fly to stem the bleeding, mostly with bits of his uniform as the wrapping, but Luke seemed to be the one that was most coherent when he was brought down from the bridge, even if the look in his eyes was entirely hollow.

"Jack," Luke croaked when he saw him, his body being placed on a makeshift stretcher next to Kim's. "We did everything we could."

Jack stopped next to him and placed his hand on the other man's wrist. "You did more than enough. We're all proud of you, my old friend."

Luke shook his head slowly. "Anna. Bill."

"I know," answered Jack quietly. "I know, Luke."

Jack went with the two wounded officers as they made their way toward the hospital. By that time, a secondary building had been opened up for use to get the wounded off the streets, and now Jack was directed by a nurse to deposit the two into what had clearly been someone's office before. Two cots were put down for Luke and Kim while the nurse sought to get them proper aid. In the next few moments, Kim was out—either from sleep or from the medication and the two men were left alone.

"I take it we're safe now?" asked Luke finally, once he'd been put on an IV drip. "We gave those Occies a licking, didn't we?"

Jack nodded. "We sure did, Luke. Everyone performed well. I've never been happier with everyone in this task force."

"What happened to theHorton?" asked Luke. Jack lowered his head. The last time they'd been in contact, theHorton was still afloat.

"At the bottom of the harbor, along with theTiger, as you know," said Jack. "A majority of Pete's men have been recovered, including Pete."

"And Vicky?"

Jack shook his head. "So far, nothing."

Luke reached up and grabbed his chest. "So much death. I really hope this battle was worth it."

"From what I'm hearing from the Admiralty, the Occitanians have lost a good deal of ships, and not just the ones that we took. They are in a full retreat."

"There's that at least," said Luke before looking over at the sleeping Kim. "Kim may never walk again, but at least the Occitanians have been sent home."

Jack didn't say a word. The two men stared at Kim's sleeping body for some time, until Luke himself soon joined her. Jack watched as the two of them slept, moving out of the way of the various nurses as they came to attend to them.

At least he could rest somewhat easily knowing they would be all right. He only hoped that wherever Anna, Vicky, and the rest of the dead were, they were able to know a more restful peace.

Shortly before midnight, a high-ranking officer entered Luke's room searching for Jack. Based on his uniform, Jack could tell he was a commander, and he saluted Jack upon finding him.

"Commodore Easterbrook, your presence is requested."

"By who?" Jack asked.

"By Admiral Kuntz," answered the commander. "He's over in the main hospital building and I'm required to bring you over there at once." The commander softened his gaze as he looked to Jack. "He's not in good shape, sir. We don't expect him to live much longer."

Jack nodded quickly and gathered his cap. He gave one last look to the sleeping forms of Kim and Luke before following the commander outside and back into the main hospital. At this point in the night, the wounded had been mostly cleared from the street, even as some were still drifting in from the harbor.

The commander led him to the second highest floor in the hospital to a section that had been reserved for the care of the highest-ranking officers. There Jack found several of the admiral's aides standing around, while the man himself appeared to be a sickly and broken sight in bed.

Jack approached him cautiously. Apart from the meeting back in Lockhaven with the man, they'd rarely crossed paths before.

"Who's there?" asked Kuntz wearily, his eyes closed and his breathing labored.

"Commodore Jack Easterbrook, sir," replied Jack as he settled in at the man's side. He could already see the bandaged and bloody wrapping around the man's torso. His pulse was weak, and Jack knew he wasn't long for this world.

"Thank you for coming, Jack," said Kuntz weakly as he gripped the bandage on his chest. "I d-didn't know if you would come."

"Of course, sir," said Jack. There was an awkward silence between them after that, with Jack not knowing exactly what to say to the admiral. He questioned why Kuntz wanted to see him of all people. Didn't he know how close to death he was?

"Jack, I'm not going to mince words. I don't have m-much time left," wheezed the admiral. He stopped to take several labored breaths, coughing up blood as soon as they were over.

Jack leaned closer out of instinct, waiting for Kuntz to look at him. When he finally did, there was a firmness to his gaze. "Henrik was innocent."

No other three words could have shocked Jack more. He pulled back slightly, causing Kuntz to raise his hand. "Listen to me, Jack. I knew the man better than anyone. He wouldn't have betrayed his country."

"What you're suggesting is . . . dangerous," said Jack. "It's treason."

"That's why this is so important," wheezed Kuntz. "He can't get away with it."

"Who can't get away with it?"

Kuntz pushed himself up in bed slightly. He locked eyes with Jack. "Bancroft."

Warning bells went off in Jack's mind. The same feeling of disbelief that he had at Bancroft's estate back in Lockhaven came rushing back. This damning accusation, hot on the heels of Jack's earlier encounter, only seemed to add weight to what he already perceived.

The quest for power was changing his old mentor in something completely unrecognizable.

"Are you certain about that?" whispered Jack. "That's not an accusation you can make lightly."

"If it's proof you're after, I have none," said Kuntz as he slumped back in bed. "But I feel it in my bones. You know as well as I do. He's not the same man he used to be."

Jack stared back at the admiral, only nodding his confirmation after a single moment.

Kuntz took a long, labored breath. "Bancroft will t-throw this country into turmoil if he is allowed to keep gaining power."

"What can I do about that?" asked Jack helplessly. "He's the head of the entire navy. His prestige is going to be the highest it's ever been after today. What can we do about it?"

"Talk to McKenzie," said Kuntz tensely. "He can be trusted."

"McKenzie, Admiral McKenzie?" asked Jack. "What else? Should we go to the emperor?"

"The emperor won't believe you," cautioned Kuntz. "You need to find another way." Kuntz made a pained face as his hands grabbed his chest.

"Which way? Tell me, Admiral," said Jack quickly, watching as the man started to fade. Jack had seen enough people die in front of him to know the man had only minutes left at that.

A single tear erupted from Kuntz's eye. "There's no time, Jack. You're g-going to have to figure it out—cough—on your own. Find McKenzie. He can be trusted." Kuntz closed his eyes for the last time. "Don't let him destroy Java."

"Admiral, don't go yet," pleaded Jack, putting his hand on top of the other man's. Kuntz shifted slightly in bed as his breathing became much more shallow. No more words escaped his mouth. Jack watched as his chest rose, fell, and never rose again. The nurse attending him finally signaled the loss of his pulse, and just like that, Admiral Kuntz left the world.

Jack felt like he sat there for the next half hour with the deceased admiral just trying to wrap his mind around his message. Part of him had known the changes in Bancroft since he arrived home. He'd sensed it just as much as Bancroft had admitted to him the very objects of his desire. Yet the actual suggestion that Bancroft was the one behind Henrik's death, the betrayal of another officer, was disgustingly heinous.

Could Bancroft sink so low?

If he had, what could Jack do about it?

Who could confront the rising star of the Javan navy?

As Jack walked slowly back to theDestiny, an easy answer to those questions never appeared. At this stage of the game, he doubted there ever would be.

*****

The next two days were ones of renewed focus on the shattered ships and sailors of both task forces. There remained too much to do.

For one, the harbor and the bay needed to be cleaned up. The ships that had sunk were still leaking polonium into the bay, and massive task forces were needed to clean it up before it contaminated more of the waters.

Even as the salvaging of the ships took place, there were still many dead and wounded out in the bay that needed to be recovered. A good portion of them were Occitanian, many of them treading water throughout the night only to be rescued in the morning. They would be heading straight for a prisoner-of-war camp for the rest of the conflict.

Most of the remaining Javan bodies were already dead. Of particular note for Jack and his force was the fate of theTiger. Vicky's body and the majority of her crew were never found. Three days after the battle, someone brought back to shore part of the hull of the ship, still emblazoned with the name, as well as a few bodies that could be saved. The rest of the site was left as a sunken tomb in memory of those that gave their lives for Java.

After all the dead had been gathered into caskets, the order was given from the Admiralty to load them on trains for burial in the national cemetery in Belfort. It was the only fitting resting place for the cadre of heroes that fought so valiantly at Aberdeen.

Despite the solemnness of the situation, you could hardly tell there'd been anything lost by the response of the city. Aberdeen was lit up with celebration with the results of the battle, and for a full week after, there were parades and festivities every night by a joyful population. As hard as it was to be jubilant for those that had lost comrades and friends, Jack could understand their elation. The city had been under blockade for the entire war, and the Occitanian activity out in the bay had choked off the livelihoods of so many people.