Fourth Vector Ch. 26

What he couldn't dismiss was the feeling of belonging. Not so much in Sorella but in the entire Vector, or the West, as he came to call this part of the world when he spoke of it to its people. That missing feeling that he searched so hard to find in Java came roaring back that morning, tender notions of forgotten happiness at being around those that he felt he understood on a deeper level. The feeling was strong enough to almost bring him to his knees in its intensity and the acknowledgment of such only confirmed for him that this part of the world was now his home.

In his mind, he'd chosen his path before him and now his heart truly confirmed it.

"Jack, there are you," came a call from behind him.

Jack turned to look at Twitch as he came rushing into the balcony. "I've been looking all over the palace for you. Kat answered the door to your room but it looked like she was still half-asleep."

Jack started to chuckle. "That's because it's only a little after seven in the morning."

Twitch didn't seem to share his amusement. "This just came in for you this morning. Kyle on theDestiny insisted that I take this in to you." He placed the dispatch into Jack's hand.

Jack opened it and began to read immediately.

ATTN: REAR ADMIRAL JACK EASTERBROOK

COMMANDING OFFICER, TASK FORCE 21

WORD OF YOUR LITTLE STUNT IN SORELLA HAS REACHED MY EARS. YOUR FAILURE TO DEAL WITH THE REBELS IN THE COUNTRY IS A STAIN ON THE GRANDEUR OF THE EMPIRE. YOU HAVE MADE A MOCKERY OF OUR IMPERIAL POLICY AND THIS WON'T BE FORGOTTEN.

IF YOU FAIL TO CARRY OUT MY ORDERS TO THE LETTER IN THE FUTURE, YOU WILL BE DISMISSED FROM COMMAND AND COURT-MARTIALED.

DON'T DISAPPOINT ME AGAIN.

ADMIRAL PERCIVAL BANCROFT

COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, IMPERIAL JAVAN NAVY

Jack's heart was beating rapidly when he folded the dispatch and stuck it into his pocket. "This just came in this morning?"

Twitch nodded without saying anything further.

"How did he know?" muttered Jack out loud. "We've only been here since yesterday. How in the hell did he find out what we discussed with the Sorellans?"

Twitch gave him a solemn look. "Jack, I hate to say it but I think we have a mole in the task force."

Jack turned and looked back out at the ocean. Could they really have a mole? How many people knew the details of their orders here at Sorella? All the officers knew for sure, and he was certain many of the enlisted sailors had figured out by now that they weren't going to fight the Sorellans. But who would send a message back to the Admiralty about that and why?

"I need to talk about this with Abigail," said Jack as he moved away from the balcony. "Go back to theDestiny and let them know I'll be coming aboard later this morning and that I want to talk about this dispatch."

Twitch saluted. "Right away, Jack."

Jack hurried back to his room and found Kat already sitting on the bed and brushing her hair while Abigail continued to sleep.

"There you are," said Kat with a small smile. "Did Twitch find you?"

"He did, and he brought me this," said Jack while waving the dispatch. He handed it to Kat while he gently rubbed Abigail's shoulder.

"Time to get up?" she muttered while keeping her eyes closed.

"You need to see this message I just got from the Admiralty," he said.

Her eyes popped open immediately and she sat up in bed, but not before rubbing the sleep from her eyes and tossing her hair behind her shoulder. She moved next to Kat and quickly read the dispatch.

Both of them gasped at roughly the same time.

"How does he know, Jack?" asked a shocked Abigail.

"I have no idea," he answered. "I certainly didn't send anything back to the Admiralty."

"Then who would have?" asked Kat.

Abigail shook her head rapidly. "It certainly wasn't me! Or anyone on theDestiny! I can't imagine who would do this."

"Someone who's not happy with our current assignment is my guess," said Jack while rubbing his chin. "And it's a break in protocol either way. All communication back to the Admiralty is my prerogative as the commander of this task force. Someone went over my head to send something back to Bancroft."

"But who in this force would be so disgruntled to do something like that?" asked Kat. "All the senior officers like you, Jack. Even the new destroyer commanders are good people. Who does that leave?"

The idea formed in all three of their minds at the same time. They stared at each other and muttered the same name instantly.

"Barnabas," said Jack and Kat.

"Buttface," said Abigail at the same time.

"It makes sense," said Jack. "He's not exactly the most enthusiastic officer in the task force. We know he's not happy to be here and he seems bound and determined to be a thorn in my side. I wouldn't put it past him to send a direct message to Bancroft."

"It's quite an escalation from being just a disgruntled asshole though," said Abigail. "In any effect, how do we prove it was him?"

"And how do we stop him from doing it again?" asked Kat.

"We're going to have to pay a little closer attention to our friend on theCenturion," said Jack ominously. "I won't allow a spy in our own task force."

"Especially not one like Buttface," noted Abigail with a hint of a smile.

*****

As Jack prepared to depart Sorella for the second time, the sendoff was much reminiscent of the first time. Peace was in the air and good feelings abounded between the once adversarial Javans and Sorellans.

"Are you sure you can't stay any longer?" asked Heron as Jack, Kat, Abigail, and their troop of marines prepared to reboard their launch boats to rejoin the rest of the ships.

"I'm quite certain on that one," said Jack with regret. "All the reports out of Picardy aren't good, and if the Swabians are on the march again, I have a feeling Aedan is going to need our firepower."

"I can certainly understand a quick getaway then especially concerning family," said Heron whose late wife was the sister of King Aedan. "Give my respects to the king and queen, as well as their young child."

"I certainly will," said Jack before breaking out into a wily grin. "And we'll kill a bunch of Swabians while we're at it. I'm sure our now restocked levels of Sorellan fire will help tremendously in that regard, so thank you for that!"

Heron chuckled and clapped Jack on the back. "I knew I liked you for a reason."

Jack turned the gesture into an embrace. "Send word to us when you can, especially if you get any news about any grandchildren on the horizon." He shot a playful look over to Nikias and Elektra. Not surprisingly, Nikias was the only one to turn red.

"And remember what I said last night," said Heron with a knowing look. "Family is everything, Jack."

"You've put a lot of things into perspective for me," said Jack. "I won't forget it."

Heron grinned. "And please don't send any more viceroys."

"Consider them gone, Heron. As long as I'm in charge over here, Sorella won't see any more viceroys. Your independence has been fully restored."

Heron took a deep breath and looked around. "I know this meeting could have gone a lot different. I'm thankful that you of all people were the one to land here. You're a remarkable person, Jack Easterbrook." Heron took a step closer. "And you have my allegiance as well. Sorella will recognize Galician leadership whenever the time comes, my king."

"That time might be coming sooner than we think," warned Jack. "The hour is getting late and the enemy is on the march."

Heron put his hand against his chest. "Sorella will do her part. I can promise you that."

The two men gripped hands one last time before separating, allowing Jack to repeat a similar goodbye to Nikias and Elektra. Heron, for his part, embraced and kissed both Abigail and Kat on the cheeks with a dose of fatherly affection. For a brief instance, he placed his hand on Kat's stomach, undoubtedly already knowing what was growing underneath.

"Be well, Katherine," said Heron with a knowing smile. "A lot rests on your shoulders, you know?"

Kat nodded. "Yes, I know." She then shot a look at Jack. "But at least I have him. We all do."

As the last of the goodbyes was shared, Heron and his family accompanied Jack down to the docks. Captain Morse had the engine started on the furthest one while Jack, Kat and Abigail followed behind him. Both boats were soon untied and ready to drift away from the city.

"Hey, Jack," called out Heron with his hands around his mouth. "Don't let another year go by before you come back to visit."

Jack grinned in return. "You can count on it!"

All of them exchanged friendly waves before Morse lowered the engine and the two launch boats sped off back to theDestiny.

"It was so nice to be back in Sorella again," said Kat as she pressed her body against Jack's.

"Agreed, it was great to see some old friends," said Jack. "As well as save them from what Java had in store."

"Bancroft may not like you much right now," said Kat with soft, vulnerable eyes. "But I think you're incredible for what you've done here. I love you so much, Jack."

She leaned up to kiss him as the boat moved through the gentle waves of the harbor. It was only when the kiss broke that Jack locked his eyes on hers.

"When we get back to the ship, I want to talk with you, all right? Just me and you?"

Kat nodded easily. "Sounds good to me."

*****

The alone time with Kat only happened when Abigail went up for her watch on the bridge. It had only been a couple hours since they departed the Sorellan capital city, and there was still a good portion of the coastline within view as they traveled along the western edge of the country.

Kat waited until Abigail closed the door before she looked at him with expectant eyes. "You wanted to talk, Jack?"

He nodded and pushed away from his desk. "I did. And I just wanted it to be the two of us. Not that this doesn't affect Abigail but you and I needed to be on the same page before we get her involved."

"Same page" she repeated, shooting up an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Jack reached out and put his hand on her stomach. "I mean about this."

"Oh," said Kat, slightly pulling away from him. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Kat," he called, forcing her to look back into his eyes. "I owe you an apology. A big one actually."

She swallowed heavily. "For what?"

"For the way I've handled this. For the way I've handled everything since finding out about . . . our baby."

She made an awkward smile. "It's not a big deal, Jack."

His hand moved from her stomach to her hand, squeezing it gently. "It is a big deal, trust me. And I didn't handle it properly. I'm pretty sure I was a royal ass about it."

Kat looked at him. "Well, your butt is pretty royal but somehow I'm guessing that's not what you meant."

Jack chuckled before turning serious once more. "When you told me that you were pregnant, I guess I was just shocked more than anything. I never really expected that you could be. It never came up with Abigail but that's because she's on birth control as part of being in the navy."

"Sorry to spoil your plans," said Kat with a cheeky grin.

"After you told me in Quiller's Cove, we were interrupted, remember?" he asked. "When Luke and Kim arrived? We all went to meet them and then I had that meeting with Lucas. By the time I saw you again, it just felt . . . awkward. Too much time had gone by, and I felt no surer in the way I felt. That didn't help things at all. Then we just didn't talk about it at all."

"I tried a few times," said Kat softly. "But it was clear you didn't want to talk about it."

Jack scooted closer to her. "You want to know something? Something that's probably going to make you laugh?"

She nodded her head slowly.

"I'm scared. There, I said it. I'm scared, Kat," he said with vulnerable eyes.

"How can that be, Jack? With all the things you've done, how can this scare you into inaction?"

He looked at the floor. "I thought it was the timing that messed with my head so much. That's true but it's not the root cause. I don't like the idea of you being pregnant on the ship with us getting closer to Swabia, but I know there's no safer place for you to be than on theDestiny. I was fooling myself about the timing which forced me to look deeper."

Jack took a deep breath. "What scares me about it the most is the fact that I feel I'm not ready to be a father."

Kat put her hand around his back. "Jack, you're going to be an amazing father. And I don't think anyone is really ready for a child, no matter how prepared."

"I never thought much about children if I'm being honest," he continued. "Before I came to the West, I just assumed it would have to wait until I settled down back in Java. Even when things got serious with you and Abigail, I never gave it much thought beyond the occasional notion that I'd enjoy having children someday, whenever that might be. I just never realized that someday might end up beingtoday. It put me in a spot where I had to face the fact that this child is coming whether I like it or not. And I just panicked, Kat." He hung his head in shame.

"It's not like you just disappeared," said Kat, rubbing his back. "You're still here with me. You still sleep in the same bed as me. You're involved, Jack. It just took you a longer time to process, that's all."

He scoffed. "Like a month."

"Better a month than never," she shot back.

"Do you know what really did it in for me?" he asked.

Kat shook her head.

"Talking to Heron yesterday," he explained. "Heron told me what he thought whenever Nikias and Elektra got married. About the importance of family. I said something vague to him about my family situation changing and the man had it pegged for what it was. It's almost like he knew."

"Is that why he touched my stomach this morning?" asked Kat. "I thought that someone told him."

"I sure didn't. At least not explicitly," said Jack. "But he guessed what it was and maybe that's why he felt the need to help me there. He helped me see the importance of family and legacy."

"It only seems fair," she said softly. "You did him a big service by what you did. In a way, he was trying to repay you with a little bit of foreknowledge."

Jack turned to face her and grabbed her hand again. "In that case, I can't thank him enough for what he did. He's entirely right. Family is everything. Not just the one you're born with or the one that you're related to by blood." Jack moved his hand back to her stomach. "But the one you create with someone you love."

A tear escaped from Kat's eye. "I love you, Jack."

"And I love you. And this child that's inside you, I love him already. Or her, I don't care. But I'm sorry, Kat. I'm sorry for the way I've handled this so far. I'll do better and I'll be better. I'll be the father to this child that he or she deserves."

Kat beamed with a wide-set smile. "You already are. I meant it when I said you're going to be an amazing father, Jack. In a way, I knew that from the moment I met you. When you saved my life here a year ago. That's when I knew that you were the one."

He leaned in to kiss her tenderly. "There's no going back now, okay? You're stuck with me now. We're always going to share this child together."

"I can think of no better future," said Kat happily. "No matter what happens in this world, we'll always be in this together. Me and you and Abigail. And all the children that this union produces."

"It feels so real now," said Jack with a deep breath. "Now that it's actually happening, it's hard to believe. I promise you that I'm going to do my best though. I'll try my damnedest to be a good father. I know I'm going to stumble a bit, but just have faith in me, okay?"

"You don't think I'm going to make mistakes too?" she asked with a giggle. "But that's part of life, Jack. We'll learn together."

"We'll learn together," he confirmed.

"Jack, we're going to be parents," she said after another long, tender kiss.

He started to chuckle. "And they said it would never last."

She pulled him down to their bed and wedged herself between his body and the rest of his arm. Like usual, her leg draped possessively around his own while her arm went around his stomach. Her blonde hair tickled his nose and they both let out heavy sighs of content.

Jack wasn't sure how long they laid there before he started to chuckle to himself.

"What is it, Jack?"

"We're going to have to start thinking of names now," he said with a smile. "Boys and girls names."

Kat craned her head to look at him, beaming with a smile. "That I think we can do, love."