Fourth Vector Ch. 24

He could expect no help from Jack when that day came.

*****

As Bancroft trudged in the opposite direction from Jack, he couldn't help but shake his head. He'd given that man everything he had. When Jack was nothing but a bright-eyed cadet at the Academy, with no experience but plenty of promise, Bancroft had taken him under his wing. He'd guided his work at the Academy and taught him the best forms of the two most important ships—leadership and seamanship. There was no officer that graduated in his year that was more prepared for greatness than Jack—he'd seen to that.

Neither did it stop once Jack walked across the stage. When other new officers were lucky to be a deputy lieutenant at some backwards naval station, Jack had received some of the best assignments Bancroft had to offer. That extended to promotions as well, and he was now the youngest admiral in the entire navy by about ten years.

All that guiding and string-pulling had come up empty though. All the years investing in Jack's success had returned nothing for him, especially now when the stakes were higher than they've ever been. It was appropriate that both men moved in opposite directions now. It was the perfect metaphor for their feelings on the other.

Bancroft tried hard to push it out of his thoughts, thinking that at least Jack would get the exile treatment. He was familiar with it enough, having seen what it had done to Commodore Lucas' career. At least Jack got the promotion to admiral out of it, something he should be thankful for. It had not come at the emperor's insistence, even though he'd acted like it was his role that caused it.

It had actually been Bancroft's idea.

It was the final roll of the dice. A tempting offer to Jack's ego that might still pull him to Bancroft's side. He had to be certain that Jack was firm on his path before the bridge was burned, even if it was out of a misplaced sense of loyalty. Bancroft still wanted his one-time protégé by his side, but if Jack's heart was against him, then he would cut him adrift as the necessary price. At least now he could assuage his conscience that he'd done everything possible.

It was Jack's hands that forced his. Not the other way around.

More importantly though, if Jack wanted to go play conqueror in the Fourth Vector, Bancroft would let him. At least then, he'd be out of his way. What was almost disturbing about the whole thing was that Bancroft sensed Jack was letting some of this Vector business go to his head. He'd been watching carefully the interaction yesterday between Jack and that blonde woman. Her mad ravings aside, Jack didn't seem to recoil from them like the rest of them did.

If anything, he seemed to give her fantasy a wide berth, almost like he really believed it. How any sensible Javan could be drawn into talks about lost kingship and prophecies, Bancroft didn't know, but it almost seemed to confirm what he'd long suspected.

Jack was changing. He was no longer the same man he used to be. While he had a tendency toward remorse for the loss of such a promising student, he couldn't let Jack's change of heart or mental failings derail him from his ultimate plan.

In fact, he would just need a new number two. Someone who could be trusted. Someone who could follow him and realize that the ends would justify any means needed to get there.

If that wasn't going to be Jack, and if he'd never be able to exert control over his path like he used to, then Bancroft would have no choice but to seek out someone new.

And he knew exactly where to look.

It was for that reason that Bancroft didn't linger long in the palace. His work was done there, and after the customary goodbyes to the emperor and his excuse of a son, Bancroft left the palace and made his way to the docks, following the same trail that Jack had legged twenty minutes earlier. It was not quite midday yet, but the sun was alone in the otherwise cloudless sky. The extra heat of the day served to melt a good portion of the snow that remained, soaking the streets and ensuring that everywhere Bancroft went, he could hear the telltale signs of melted snow flowing into the city's drains.

When he got to the harbor, he sidestepped away from the direction of naval headquarters, heading instead toward the dock where theCharles IX was berthed. Right now she was being worked on by repair crews, fixing the damage she'd sustained in the battle. The damage was minimal to the amount of pain she'd dished out, and as one of the newest battleships in the Javan fleet, she'd accorded herself well amongst the rest of her peers.

It wasn't the ship he was there to see, but the man who commanded her. After slipping past the guard and going below deck, Bancroft quickly found the door he was looking for and delivered a firm rap to the metal trim.

Inside, he could hear shuffling as the sound of footsteps moved closer to the door. It finally opened with a steady creak, and a pair of dark eyes soon centered on his.

"Admiral Reynolds, it's good to see you," said Bancroft with a thin smile. "We have much to talk about."

*****

After Jack left the palace, he made his first stop on the way back to the naval hospital where Luke and Kim were still located. Even though his mind was still spinning from his back-to-back meetings with Bancroft and the emperor, he wanted to see some friendly faces as well as get a check on their progress.

"Rear Admiral? You've got to be kidding me?" said Luke with much frustration as he sat upright in his hospital bed. In one hand he held a cup of water while the other was attached to Kim's hand who was laying in the bed next to his. "I'll never catch up to you now!"

"You don't need to worry about catching up to me," said Jack with a chuckle. "What you need to worry about is getting better so you can get back to theValiant and go back to the Vector with me. Right, Kim?"

Kim smiled. "I don't think he'll have any problems, but it's me that you might have to leave behind."

"Over my dead body," growled Luke. "She's coming with me or I'm staying here. I'll not be parted from her again."

Kim's smile grew wider, and they both listened with rapt attention while Jack told them about his meetings. It went on for so long that he was there for the next visit by the doctor, a very young man who Jack suspected was still having regular bouts of acne. Thankfully for all of them, both Luke and Kim were progressing nicely, and an x-ray examination of her legs seemed to prove that matter without question.

After he left their room a short while later, Jack left the naval hospital and made his way to the docks. He detoured past theCharles IX, where unbeknownst to him Bancroft was having his private meeting with Reynolds, and instead he walked to another nearby battleship calledThessaly.

It was named after the region in Java that occupied the furthest easterly regions of the continent. Like Tyrol, Thessaly had once been an independent kingdom in its heyday, challenging Javan domination of the land when the original Javan kingdom had been confined to just the western and northern coasts. Fortunately for the Javans, they'd defeated and subjugated the Thessalians centuries ago, and now several of their ships bore names important to them as a member kingdom in the Javan Empire.

As for now though, Jack was seeking out the commander of theThessaly, none other than Admiral Walter McKenzie, commanding officer of the Second Fleet. He was shown into the battleship by the guard and led to McKenzie's quarters, finding the man hard at work at his desk. Once he saw it was Jack at his door, he put his pen down and sprung to his feet.

"Ah, Jack, come in, come in. This is quite a surprise," said McKenzie as he reached out to shake his hand. "You should have sent word that you were coming, and I would've had a few drinks prepared."

Jack smiled. "I appreciate that but I would rather this visit be unannounced." He looked at the admiral's desk and gestured to the small mountain of paperwork. "Is it a bad time or can you spare a few minutes?"

McKenzie waved at the paperwork. "That will still be here tomorrow, I assure you. One thing you'll learn about being an admiral is the paperwork never stops. If you thought it was bad as a lower level officer, you've seen nothing yet." McKenzie chuckled at his own joke. "Congratulations by the way. It's not many an officer that makes it to the admiralty. You're in a pretty exclusive group now."

"Thank you, sir, I appreciate that," said Jack.

The admiral was already shaking his head. "Dispense with the 'sir' shit now, Jack. We're admirals. Call me Walt like the others do."

"All right, Walt," said Jack, smiling as he tried it on for size. "Thank you for that."

"Of course, and I'm glad to have you here. Your reputation speaks for itself," said Walt as he returned to his seat. He gestured for Jack to sit down and soon a small smirk appeared on his face. "I have to say though that Reynolds will really have it out for you now. Especially now that you're the same rank."

Jack waved his hand. "Let him think what he wants. He's had it out for me since some ships under his command were reassigned to me. He thinks I did it on purpose."

"Oh, Nick, Nick, Nick," said Walt as he shook his head. "He takes everything too personally. It's his biggest downfall if you ask me. The man has to learn that we're professionals, and we just do what our orders specify we do for the most part. Especially at this level."

"Truthfully, Reynolds is the least of my worries right now," said Jack as he leaned forward in his chair. "I was hoping to talk to you about something else."

"And what's that, Jack?"

"Admiral Kuntz," replied Jack briefly.

Walt started to nod. "Shame about him, isn't it? I'd known Harvey for a long time, a very long time. He was a damned good officer. That man could put any ordnance right on target the first time. I've always marveled at his particular talents for gunnery. I already miss him."

"I didn't know him that well, at least until the battle," admitted Jack. "Although I think I would've liked to know him better. He seemed like he had a level head on his shoulders."

"Oh, he did, Jack. Too level perhaps. And he wasn't afraid to call out bullshit. Too many plans passed under the scrutiny of Harvey only to be sent back to the drawing board. He wasn't one to suffer a mediocre plan." Walt started to laugh. "As you can imagine, that put him at odds with Admiral Bancroft a few times."

"Like at our pre-mission brief," said Jack.

"Exactly," said Walt while still chucking. "He'd been on the receiving eye of Bancroft's stink eye one too many times. It was a position he was used to."

"That's partly why I'm here to be honest," said Jack as he cleared his throat. "But first, I need to know something from you before we begin." Jack fixed the other man with a firm look. "I need to know if I can trust you. If what I tell you next will stay in this room. Admiral Kuntz told me you could be trusted but I need to hear you say it."

Walt blinked a few times before he responded. "Jack, I'm not one to go repeating everything I hear. I was very close with Harvey. If he told you that I could be trusted, then I assume you have something really important to tell me, right?"

Jack nodded wordlessly.

"If Harvey trusted you with that information, then I can assure you that what you say in this room will stay between us." Walt offered his hand, a physical seal to the words he'd spoken. Jack took it tenuously, not breaking the eye contact between them.

"I was with the admiral when he died. Right after the battle," started Jack. "I heard his last words."

Walt nodded. "I'm told it was a painful way to go. A shame at that. At least he didn't have to suffer long."

"When he died, he told me something rather shocking," said Jack before taking a deep breath. "He told me that Admiral Henrik was an innocent man the day he lost his head."

Walt didn't look surprised. If anything, he looked intrigued and he lowered his voice. "How did he know that?"

"He had no proof other than a lifetime spent in close quarters with the man," said Jack. "Kuntz could not believe that the man would be a traitor to Java."

"Those two were extremely close," said Walt. "But it sparks a new question. Someone leaked the positions of our fleet to the Occitanians. If it wasn't Henrik, then who was it?"

"Kuntz believed that Bancroft was the one behind it."

That caught his attention. Walt lowered his voice even further and leaned forward. "He really believed that, did he?"

"Was he off base?" countered Jack.

Walt shrugged. "I don't know. But if you're asking me if I trust Bancroft, then the answer is a resounding no. I've seen too much of his shit throughout the years. The man can be a slippery fish, easily passing from one position to the other depending on how it benefits him."

"He never used to be like that," said Jack, remembering his time in the Academy. "Bancroft used to not be so consumed with power or appearances, but that has changed recently."

"Changed enough to consider betraying his own country?" asked McKenzie.

"I wouldn't have believed it myself until the man admitted so much to me in private," said Jack before putting his hands up. "Not about Henrik, but another matter."

Walt raised his eyebrows. "Another matter? How many cookie jars does this man have his hands in?"

"I'm not sure, but it definitely seems plausible to me now," said Jack. "After all, if he's said as much about something else, then why wouldn't he pass intel over to the Occitanians? Why wouldn't he use Henrik as a scapegoat to do it? His lack of moral qualms don't seem to be an issue with his latest actions."

"What you're saying could have drastic effects, Jack. Have you thought about what to do with it? Go to the emperor about it?"

"With what? There's no proof," said Jack, remembering Kuntz's own reply to the same question. "What we need is someone who can keep an eye on him. Bancroft's star is rising because of the battle."

"As is ours by the sounds coming off the street," added Walt.

"True, but to them, Bancroft can do no wrong either. I firmly believe if his star rises high enough, he might attempt something drastic."

"Such as?"

Jack swallowed. "Such as the overthrow of the government."

Walt gave him another shocked look. "Do you really think he would attempt such a thing?"

Jack gave him a brief rundown on their dinner conversation from back in Lockhaven. At the end of the speech, the admiral's mouth was wide open in surprise.

"That is troubling, Jack. Very troubling."

"I know, and that's why it's important that we keep a watch on him. We can be the fail-safe just in case he tries something in the coming months. We can stop him if we're observant about it. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to ask you to take the lead on this though."

Walt frowned. "Why is that? It's your theory. Don't you want to lead point on this one?"

"I'm going to be dispatched back to the Fourth Vector after our time in Belfort," said Jack. "I won't be able to watch him from so far away."

"Wait a minute, you're going back?" asked Walt. "Does that mean you're not leading the invasion of Occitania?"

Jack smirked. "It does. Congratulations. You and Reynolds get to have the honors. You in particular with Reynolds as your subordinate."

The admiral digested that news for several moments before responding. "Well, that is some news," said Walt finally. "I fully expected that operation to go to you. So I guess a thank you is in order."

"Don't mention it," said Jack. "My place is in the Vector. But it also means I'll be too far away to monitor what's happening here. That's why I need your help."

"So you want me to keep an eye on him? Monitor him and make sure he stays on a straight and narrow path?"

Jack nodded. "As much as you can. A little extra vigilance could be the difference between Bancroft being denied the opportunity to do what he wants. That seems like a small cost in comparison."

"I agree," said Walt. "I'll do it, Jack. In the meantime, we should keep in correspondence. We should use codes though. Bancroft's team monitors all the dispatches, so we'll need a code phrase to discuss any matters over that medium."

"We'll use weather patterns," said Jack. "Bancroft will be known as thunderstorm. By telling me that a thunderstorm is moving in, I'll know that Bancroft is making moves. If you say the thunderstorm moved on, then I'll know he's been foiled, at least temporarily." They spent about another five minutes coming up with various codes to represent any other possible moves by the man, only stopping once they were satisfied they'd covered the reasonable bases.

"I think we'll all set then," said Walt finally. "I'll keep an eye on him and let you know what I find. I think we should watch each other's backs though. I don't trust Reynolds farther than I can throw him, and there's a dearth of senior officers now that I consider trustworthy with the deaths of Henrik and Kuntz."

"Agreed on that," said Jack with a growing smile. "At least we can keep an eye out for each other."

"And you especially," said Walt. "Keep your head down before you go back to the Vector. There's no reason to give Bancroft any further reasons to antagonize you, agreed?'

"Agreed," said Jack as the two men shook hands to seal their new arrangement.

*****

The next day, Jack had something he'd long been waiting for—a day off. Late in the morning, he got the call about having two visitors show up to the docks looking for him, just the signal he'd been waiting on. He grabbed Kat and Abigail to go with him as they'd planned. Abigail was looking a little better now, but it was clear she was still mourning in her own way about Anna's death.

"I'm fine, Jack. Let's get moving, all right?" she said in a tone that suggested she was still far from fine.

Jack nodded without words and made their way to the gangplank. That's when he heard the yell of excitement.

"Uncle Jack, holy crap! Is this your ship?" asked Blake excitedly as he jumped up and down and pointed at theDestiny.

Jack started to laugh. "This one is mine all right. And you know the coolest part about her? She's been all the way to the Fourth Vector and back."

Blake's eyes glazed over. "No way," he muttered quietly, still in awe of the sight.

It made his mother burst into a fit of giggles as the two groups merged. "He's been jumping up and down ever since we caught the first sight of it," said Jocelyn. "It's all he talked about yesterday."

"Well in that case, I'm sorry that he had to wait so long to see it," said Jack as he embraced his sister warmly. He gave a high five to Blake but his nephew's attention was still plastered to the ship. In the interim, Jack spied Jocelyn looking awkwardly at Kat and Abigail.

"Let me make some introductions here," said Jack as he gestured for the women to come together. "This is my sister, Jocelyn, whom I've told you both about. Jocelyn, this is Kat, short for Katherine, and this is Abigail, who is actually the commander of this fine ship. They are my uh . . . my . . ."

"Girlfriends?" suggested Kat with a smile as she moved to embrace his sister.

"Right, girlfriends," replied Jack more nervously than he intended.

"It's wonderful to meet you, Jocelyn," said Kat as she hugged the other woman tightly.

"And you as well," said Jocelyn with a smile. "Jack didn't mention how beautiful you both were, but I can see now why he likes you so much!"

Jocelyn then moved to embrace Abigail lightly, stopping for a moment to whisper something more serious. "I'm so sorry to hear about your sister. I can't imagine how hard that must be for you."