Fourth Vector Ch. 25

Jack smiled. "A good thing that she didn't want to be around me any longer? I suppose I can learn to see it your way."

"Anyway, sir, once we started to date and I realized how serious it was, I knew that I wanted to be with her forever. The sudden realization of that hit me hard. It was like my love for the navy started to evaporate overnight, replaced by my love for her."

"I can imagine that was hard to deal with internally," said Jack. "The sudden change of priorities."

"Was it ever," said Ray. "But then something happened with my own family, and I stood to inherit a portion of the family farm. All of a sudden, I saw the life I wanted right in front of me—the farm, Anna, children, all of it." His face dropped to the ground. "Even if it didn't turn out the way I envisioned it."

Ray looked back at him after a few moments with tears in his eyes. "I just don't think I can go back to being an officer, sir. That dream is dead. There's no enjoyment left for me anymore in this life. I don't know if I could keep doing it without constantly thinking about what might have been."

"I had a feeling you might say that, Ray," said Jack. "The way you were talking back there made it sound like your mind was already made up."

"It is, sir," said Ray firmly. "Which is why I wanted to talk to you about it. I know that Commander Ravencross needs to approve my discharge but since he's still in the hospital, I don't know if he'll get to it before the task force leaves again."

"So you want my approval then?" asked Jack. "You want me to discharge you from the navy?"

Ray nodded. "I think it's the right thing to do. I've given it a lot of thought, and this just isn't the path for me anymore."

"Are you sure about this, Ray? There's no going back once I grant the discharge. You're out for life once I put my signature on the paper."

Ray let out a deep sigh. "I know it, sir. I hate to say this but my dream died with Anna. Any spark or hope that I could keep going it went with her. How could I continue to serve on the ship without thinking about her? Her memory would haunt me. I just can't do it, sir. I want to remember all that was good about her. Not have it thrown at me every time I walk around theValiant."

Jack mulled the idea over a minute or two while Ray waited. He understood the man's predicament quite well, and he tried to place himself in his shoes. If it were Abigail or Kat, would he not feel the same way?

Would the ship haunt his memories as long as he served on it?

In the end, Jack could only grant the choice that Ray had already made.

"I'll approve it, Ray. Just have your commanding officer send something over to theDestiny today. By this time tomorrow, you'll be a private citizen once again."

Ray reached out to shake his hand. "Thank you, sir. I appreciate all that you've done."

"Just one more question, Ray," said Jack. "What will you do now?"

Ray shook his head. "I'm still trying to figure that out. Where I go though, I'll keep her with me." Ray patted his breast pocket, which contained a picture of Anna that he soon pulled out of it. "I don't know where it'll take me, but I'll cherish my memory of her forever."

Jack talked with the man for another five minutes before they parted ways. Jack promised to see to his discharge papers as soon as he could, and he returned to Kat and Abigail who were now ready to bid Anna goodbye.

Abigail was quiet on the ride back to theDestiny, staring out the window as a soft rain began to fall against the windshield. He knew the day had been a trying one for her, and he worried about her, knowing the depression she could easily resume.

Jack put his arm around her, causing Abigail to relax against him. "Are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded slowly. "I think so. I'm not sure what to do or to feel right now but I think I'm okay."

"You don't have to do anything that you don't want to do," he said. "You know that we're here for you though. Anytime you need to talk or do anything, we're here for you."

Abigail managed a small smile. "I love you so much, Jack. I do know that one thing I noticed was how much Ray loved my sister. I saw the way his face still came alive when he mentioned her name. You know what I realized once I saw that?"

Jack shook his head gently.

"That I feel the same way when I think about you," she said. "I love you, Jack. Just as much as Anna was Ray's person, you're mine. I don't think I could've done this without you."

"You'll never have to," he promised. "I'll always be there for you."

"And so will I," added Kat.

Abigail reached over and squeezed Kat's hand. "Thank you both for being with me today. Just your presence alone helps me through it. I just hope that Anna is in a better place now so I don't have to worry about her any longer."

Jack pulled her closer. "I'm sure of that."

*****

The morning of the victory parade, Jack took the extra time to make sure his uniform was crisp and presentable, knowing that thousands of people would see him in it. He took care to pin the medals he'd won against the front breast, making sure that not so much as a single button was out of place and that the space between each medal was uniform. He sighed heavily as he put on his cap.

Today would be a hard day but not because of the parade. In all likelihood, he expected that to be the easy part, only having to ride down an open top car along the prearranged route through the streets of Belfort.

It was the pre-parade meeting that had him slightly on edge only because it was with Bancroft.

Jack had scarcely seen the head of the Javan fleet since he'd arrived in the capital days ago. Their last meeting had been rife with threats and accusations, a decisive departure from the working relationship they used to share. In fact, Jack had stopped seeing the man as the mentor he used to be, mentally moving him into that column of prospective enemies after his time in Java. It wasn't an easy decision to come to, but Bancroft's behavior had left him little choice.

Jack had been instructed to meet Bancroft at the temporary headquarters at the royal palace, where the parade would begin its route before winding its way through town. The end destination would be the newly renovated naval headquarters, a new building that replaced the one that was destroyed in the Occitanian raid at the beginning of the war. Therefore, the parade would serve two purposes—to celebrate the heroes of the battle and to rededicate the building as a sign that the Occitanian beast could be destroyed.

When Jack left theDestiny that morning, he caught a ride to the palace to attend his meeting. He passed the guards without incident, and he was shown to Bancroft's temporarily workspace in the grand meeting hall. It wasn't an office, and it only had the vaguest of definitions to separate the individual working spaces from the others, but it had only been meant as a stopgap solution for the time being.

Upon entry, Jack found the man cleaning out his things, undoubtedly preparing to move into the new headquarters at the end of the day.

Jack saluted once he stopped at Bancroft's desk. "Good morning, Admiral."

"Good morning to you, Jack. I trust you had a full night of sleep in preparation for today?" asked Bancroft, his eyes already narrowing on Jack's.

"As well as I could, although I will be happy when the parade is over," replied Jack.

Bancroft chuckled. "As we all will. These dreadful parades are boring. You get to be paraded through the entire city while people stare at you like some circus animal. They last too long, and they are too expensive for what they are—an exercise to keep the common people happy enough that they don't think of revolting."

"That's one way to put it," said Jack, finding his view a little on the morose side. "As awkward and draining as they'll be for us, at least it will do the people some good to celebrate a hard fought battle."

Bancroft waved his hand dismissively. "The people can celebrate without us. We do this because it's expected of us, Jack. If you don't give them their entertainment, any goodwill you generate from winning a battle will be lost to the threat of being seen as too tight with the purse strings."

"So this is just a way to appease the people?" asked Jack. "There's no other purpose for this beyond making sure they don't revolt against us?"

Bancroft started to laugh. "Oh, Jack, you have a lot to learn about power. Even if that was apparently obvious at our last meeting. No matter how bad things get, if you can continue to give the common people their bread and circuses, they'll never revolt against you. Remember that maxim. It might save your life one day."

"I'll keep that one noted," said Jack sourly.

Bancroft didn't respond to his change in tone. "This time, we'll have something truly spectacular to look at. The aircraft that you brought home will take the center stage, flying over the crowds like an opening from the heavens. Can you imagine their faces, Jack? I think it will be the same shocked expressions that appeared on the Occitanians' faces the day of battle."

"Lucky for us to have such a weapon when our enemies do not," said Jack.

Bancroft snapped his fingers. "Precisely, Jack. We have the weapon and they do not. Imagine what can be done when our engineers replicate the design and we can begin to produce our own. I can already see whole fleets of those airplanes descending down on Montauban and Merv simultaneously, winning the war in drastic fashion while they look on helplessly."

"We will need all the advantages we can get as long as our list of enemies keeps growing," said Jack.

"About that, Jack, let's talk about Ruthenia for a few brief moments before we must depart. The reason I wanted to see you is in regards to the new conflict against our southern neighbors."

"And what of it?" asked Jack. "I imagine there's a force that will be put together to confront them?"

"Of course," replied Bancroft. "But as of now, there's no commander to lead them."

"No, no, no," said Jack with a shake of his hands. "I've made my decision. I'm going back to the Fourth Vector."

Bancroft gave him a sharp look. "You would do well to reconsider it. The emperor plans to offer the assignment to you after the parade."

"Did he already forget that I turned down the Occitanian one?" asked Jack. "What will have changed besides the enemy?"

Bancroft raised his chin. "Your inexperience is unbecoming of you, Jack. You did your reputation grievous harm when you declined the Occitanian assignment. When the Ruthenians declared war, the emperor came to me and told me that he wanted to give it to you, despite your faults."

"I imagine that you didn't exactly endorse the idea?"

Bancroft shook his head. "I told him it was a poor idea. That you had made your decision, and there would be no changing your mind."

"That's accurate at least," said Jack.

"But he insisted," interrupted Bancroft. "Apparently, he still has some faith in you and wants to see if you've realized the mistake you made in Aberdeen."

"Are we that short of qualified admirals to lead the operation?" asked Jack while crossing his arms. "Why is it that I have the pick of every major assignment in the country?"

"Are you that blind or deaf not to hear your support in Java?" asked Bancroft incredulously. "It's the same reason why we are doing this parade in the first place, Jack. Give the people what they want. They want to see you conquering Occitania or destroying the Ruthenian fleet. Not fighting against some backward people on the other side of the war. There's no prestige in that."

"I'm not in this for prestige," said Jack. "I'm going back to the Vector because it's the right thing to do. It's where I'm needed the most."

Bancroft sneered. "This was the same thing that I told Charles too. That you would let your pride get in the way of what needs to be done. Even still, he thinks he can change your mind. I thought I'd do you the courtesy of letting you know early."

"Why would you do that?" asked Jack. "Our last few meetings have been anything but friendly. Why not blindside me?"

Bancroft took a step closer to him, moving his face mere inches from Jack's. "Because I'm still holding out hope that you might realize the damage that you've done to your career. That you will see that it's better to be on my side than my enemy."

Jack searched the older man's face, trying to find the courage to say the words on his tongue. His steadily building rage had already caused him to speak out of turn to his commanding officer, and he was losing the ability to hold back. Finally, the words that he wanted to say came out.

"Like Henrik did? Or did he realize too late that he had become your enemy?" asked Jack.

Bancroft stared at him for a few moments before he sneered again. "Henrik was a fool that happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. He paid for it with his life."

"At no fault of his own," added Jack. "Only because he was a convenient way to move against your own country and shoulder none of the blame."

Bancroft shrugged. "Look at it your way. I did what was necessary."

"Then you admit it then? That you were behind his death?"

"If you think you'll get me to admit that publicly, you're out of your mind, Jack." Bancroft looked around the palace, as if trying to determine if there were any hidden microphones or spies. "But if you search your heart, you'll know the right answer."

"An innocent officer died due to your treason," growled Jack.

"There are no innocents, Jack. Henrik was sacrificed for the greater good. The emperor's invasion was a foolhardy expression in incompetence. He needed to be showed that."

Jack shook his head. "You're unbelievable, do you know that? The Bancroft that I used to know would never have betrayed his own country."

Bancroft gave him a thin smile. "People change, Jack. You'll come to find that out someday, if you don't know it already. And since people can change, perhaps you'll have a change of heart? Perhaps you'll be willing to turn down the Vector operation and take your place by my side."

"Do you think I'll join you now? After what you just admitted to me?"

"I think if you were a smart man, you'd jump at the chance. Think of this way, Jack—if I was willing to sacrifice Henrik to prove a point, don't you think I would do the same thing to you one day?"

The hair on the back of Jack's neck stood up. Adrenaline raced throughout his body. He continued to stare down Bancroft as several tense seconds passed without either of them speaking.

"I wouldn't do it to someone who would resume their place as my loyal deputy, Jack," said Bancroft softly. "Resume your place by my side, take your choice of either operation, forget about the Vector, and we can put this nastiness behind us. We can remake Java the way we want."

"I won't take part in your madness," said Jack behind clenched teeth.

"Then you will have nothing," snarled Bancroft. "No pull with me and no pull with the emperor. When you turn him down this afternoon, he will ask to see me afterward. He'll suggest that you aren't in a right state mentally and that appointing you even to the Vector will be the wrong move. And do you know what I'll do?"

Jack shook his head.

Bancroft grinned. "I'll disagree with him. I'll tell him that you belong in the Vector and that you're firm in your choices, a sign of strength. He'll relent to me as he always does. You'll go your own way back to the Vector and guess what? You'll never come home again. You'll be banished to that side of the world with whatever forces I let you take with you. I hope you enjoyed your visit home, Jack. It'll be the last time you see it for a long time."

"If you think you can intimidate me with your threats, you have another thing coming," said Jack. "I won't be swayed by a few negative words spoken by you or anyone else. I've made my choice. Why continue to push me into something I don't want to do, especially when there are many others who could take on the task?"

Bancroft shook his head while he let out a deep sigh. "I don't understand you, Jack. Why do you do this? What loyalty do you owe to those Fourthies to sacrifice your career and very possibly your life to them? Surely it can't all be about sex with that woman or can it? Will you throw away everything for her pussy, Jack?"

Jack shook his head. "It has nothing to do with that. It's true that I love her, but that factors very little into my overall decision."

Bancroft raised his hands in frustration. "Then what is it then?"

"She already told you," said Jack. "Back in Aberdeen."

"I sincerely hope you're not talking about that fantasy story about this missing king," scoffed Bancroft.

"Call it what you want, but I owe them my time and talent. Not to mention, sending another officer would just waste time as they would have to relearn everything that I already know. It's not worth the effort when I can do the very same thing."

Bancroft appeared to be losing his patience. "I should send you over there with nothing. No cruisers, no battleships. Maybe a frigate just because of our past history. It would suit you well for what you're turning your back on."

Jack raised his chin. "You and I both know you'll do no such thing. What you and the emperor refer to as your empire across the sea needs more than just a frigate. If that's all you'll send, you can kiss those lands goodbye."

Bancroft's cheek flinched. "Perhaps. Luckily for you, we have an excess of ships at the moment that I can spare for your mission. If you hadn't freed the blockade, it would be a different story."

"If I hadn't freed the blockade, I wouldn't even be in Java now, remember?"

Bancroft gave a half smile, a disgusting look while his eyes glared into Jack's. "All too true, Jack. A pity then that our problems weren't rectified in some other way, no?"

"Are we done here?" asked Jack finally, his temper still rising. "I think we've said enough to each other. Enough to last a lifetime."

"Go then," said Bancroft. "But remember something, Jack. The same reason you're leaving is the same reason why Commodore Lucas will die on Quiller's Cove without ever seeing the sunrise on Java again. Banishment may not be the most popular punishment, but he's a living testament to its effectiveness. I hope you've said goodbye to all of those remaining in Java. You're not likely to see them again."

"We'll see about that," said Jack, turning his back on him.

"Remember, Jack. The emperor will see you after the parade. Remember what's at stake. Lose his trust this time and you'll have lost it for good. Even I won't be able to save your reputation."

Jack turned around to face him. "As if you would willingly help my reputation at all."

Bancroft stared at him from across the room. The distance between them was an apt metaphor for the growing gulf between their stances. What was once inseparable had now split forever more. It was only with a heavy heart that Jack squared his shoulders and marched out of the room, feeling the heat of Bancroft's stare against his back.

It was a feeling he wasn't used to in any form. With such animosity coming from the admiral, there was no way they could find a middle ground nor break the impasse that had developed. Even though Jack felt the very real feeling of his life in Java slipping through his fingers, he knew that something awaited him on the other side of the ocean.

It was his true purpose. The cause of his life would need to take center stage if he hoped to get through the coming turmoil in one piece.

He took a deep breath as he emerged from the palace, finding the staging area for the start of the parade route. The grounds were now swarming with people, many of them detachments from the various ships that had fought in the battle. They would march first, lining the way through the city before anyone else. Behind them would be the various commanders, starting with the lieutenants all the way up to the captains, and all of them walking behind their men.