Fourth Vector Ch. 26

On this day though, his soldiers moved rapidly up the thoroughfare, seeing the palace sitting on the hill in the distance. By this point in time, most of the common citizens of Dagobern had figured out that something was up and many of them were pulling off the main routes and sheltering in place wherever they could. Avila was glad to see them go. It was just one less obstacle before he could take his prize.

They moved past the main central square of Swabia which was the true hub of all commercial activity in the city, it's open streets now a ghost town as they moved toward the hill. There was no opposition in sight and in a matter of about a half hour, they'd managed to make their way almost entirely along the main boulevard until they hit the base of the hill.

That was when the first sign of trouble started.

At the base of the hill was the first true Guard outpost. It was merely a checkpoint—a place for the Guard to monitor all the business that made its way up to the palace. Normally staffed with about three or four men at any one time, they got off the first bits of opening fire against Avila's forces, taking down two men before his own had a chance to take cover.

"Let's clear that outpost, boys," roared General Ferberg. He grabbed the nearest soldier by the arm. "Take your squad and move east to the next viable street. As soon as you can, turn back to the west and come in on the outpost's flank!" He dictated the same orders for another squad to do so from the other direction while the main force poured occupying fire on the outpost.

The occupying fire was all that was needed to pin down the defenders while the flankers did their job. There was little way that a group of four men could hold up thousands and they were quickly riddled with bullets while the shooting came to an end.

"Get moving up that fucking hill," yelled Ferberg to his men. "Don't stop until you reach the top!"

The road up to the hill was winding because of the grade, filled with natural choke-points capable of reducing just about any force. For that reason, there was a distinct lack of coverage on the way up, and many of Avila's men had to move forward completely exposed to the enemy.

This became a severe issue the further their forces got up the hill. It would appear that the men at the outpost were able to raise an alarm before they were killed as more and more groups of Guard members began to stream down the hill, occupying those natural choke-points and pouring lead into Avila's forces.

With the lack of coverage, many of them became bogged down at the first great bend in the road where a small force of no more than twenty or thirty Guardsmen were able to hold up their thousand. Avila huddled near the ground far from the front lines and watched as his men were used for target practice by the more concealed Guard.

"I need covering fire on that position!" yelled Ferberg. "Keep it up until we can get our men closer to make the attack!"

Even with steady fire, the casualties began to mount as they moved closer. It became so bad that those men closest to the enemy outpost were using the bodies of their fallen brothers to protect them from the hail of bullets. Every once in a while, they would get lucky, managing to get a potshot off at a Guardsmen who raised his head just a little too high. But it was a marked contrast to how easily things had gone to that point in the day.

It was only after one platoon managed to toss a few grenades into the structure that they were able to silence the small outpost. Of course, that platoon had been reduced to about a squad by that point, but it was blood that was well spent. The army was able to clear the first major bend in the road and continue its way up the hill.

Avila hoped that this would be the only resistance on the way but as soon as he was around the bend, things looked a lot worse. From the top of the hill, an alarm began to blare out, an obvious signal to the defenders of the city being in danger. On top of that, the second and last major bend in the road was not only heavily fortified at the choke-point but by now a steady stream of Guardsmen could be seen rushing down the hill and laying flat on the ground to get off sustained fire.

Their position was even better than the one that Avila's men had just cleared. Not only could they see entirely down the hill but they could see a view all the way back to the sea. In effect, they could monitor the progress of all of Avila's men the moment they came ashore. What was also bad about it was that there was no way to flank this position currently. Katla's men were still on the other side of the city and would reach the palace before they could take this particular position from the rear.

The fighting became desperate quickly as the old cobblestone streets began to run red with blood. About the only positive thing that Avila's side had going for it currently was the steady rush of men coming ashore from the ships. They stretched as one long unbroken chain all the way back to the coast. The only problem with this was once they reached midway up the hill, many of them were falling due to a lack of coverage.

"I need more men goddamnit," roared Ferberg into his radio. "I need you to land everything you've got right now!"

"What's the plan, Ambros?" asked Avila once he made his way to the general's side. Ferberg was using two dead soldiers as shelter while another one fired his weapon not far from the general's head. "How are we going to clear this road?"

"There's simply no way around them," explained Ferberg. "Not unless we wait for Lord Katla's force to take them from the rear but they aren't even close yet. And as you know, we can't rely on our own tanks just yet. They haven't even been offloaded yet."

Avila pursed his lips and nodded. The tanks would be a surefire way to end this stalemate right now but his ships needed to dock before they could be unloaded. And while his men were taking control of the harbor to allow that to happen, it still meant the first tanks wouldn't be available until tonight at the earliest. If anything, he wanted to secure the palace before it got to that point. If the entire Guard mobilized to hold the two passes of the hill, they'd be severely delayed in trying to get to the top.

"What's the plan then? What are you going to do to get around it?" Avila demanded.

Ferberg thought about it for a moment before a moment of clarity appeared in his eyes. "I have an idea!"

The general looked around the men nearest to him and began to issue a stream of orders. "I need some brave souls who can keep the enemy occupied while we take them out. You, you, and you, grab your platoons and start rushing forward."

There was some confusion as the mass of soldiers tried to get some semblance of organization, leaving them victims to the enemy's fire before three whole platoons began to rush forward. While they kept Aurelius' men occupied, Ferberg gestured the rest of them to gather the bodies of the dead into two distinct piles, forming barriers on either side of the road. It was a grizzly sight when they were finally created but it allowed them the coverage they'd been sorely lacking to that point.

Once they were able to get coverage, Ferberg brought in a unit of sharpshooters and positioned them behind those two human barriers where they could work on the defense. They arrived just in time.

"Ferberg!" yelled Avila. "They're pushing down the hill!"

The general looked ahead just in the nick of time. What looked like two whole companies' worth of Guardsmen was now running full tilt down the hill, having dispatched the three platoons like they were untrained recruits. It became clear to Avila that the Guardsmen were not simply trying to hold their position now. They were actively trying to push his force out of the city.

"Keep your heads down and hold on!" yelled Ferberg. "Don't take one step back!"

*****

Of all places to be during an armed invasion, Emperor Aurelius of Swabia was in the worst possible one. He was nursing a serious bout of indigestion on the less prestigious porcelain throne when word came in from the Guard that several ships had been spotted out in the harbor.

"Must be the lords coming in for exercises," said Aurelius absentmindedly, not giving it much thought until another more alarmed Guardsmen came in a short while later to report hostile troop landings in the lower part of the city.

"Hostile soldiers?" asked Aurelius with a confused tone. "Show me immediately!"

The Guardsman led him out to one of the balconies of the palace that overlooked the city. From a pair of binoculars, he was able to spy on the movements in the lower city, seeing the steady rush of troops coming toward the hill.

"Avila," growled Aurelius before even looking at the standard of the hostile soldiers. It was confirmed a short while later when he saw the black and gray striped banner of Cormfeld amongst the attackers.

"We need to send out the Guard at once!" he demanded. "We need to bring the full weight of their numbers on the usurper's head!"

"But sire, half the numbers of the guard are over an hour away at the exercise site," sputtered the Guardsman. "We only have less than three thousand men in the city!"

"Well someone better radio them and get them to haul their asses here as quickly as possible," snapped Aurelius.

The uninspiring look on the Guardsman's face led Aurelius to take personal action. Leaving the man in his wake, he quickly rushed across the room to the grand staircase to find the Guard commander himself.

Along the way, he thought of all the things he was going to do to Avila's body once he captured the man. He was certainly a crafty opponent, of that Aurelius had no doubt. A surprise attack on the city at this time was absolute madness. Surely Avila had to know that all the lords of Swabia had forces coming to the main island for exercises? So why launch his attack now?

In a strange way, he was almost content that Avila had attacked. He'd been such a royal pain in the ass the last few years and his ambition had been overshadowing his actual competence. Better to squash him now than to deal with his insolence a moment longer. It was a rare opportunity to ensure that justice was done in the lands of Swabia, and Aurelius looked forward to having Avila's lifeless body thrown at his feet.

Even with half the Guard out of the city currently, he was certain he could hold his position until reinforcements arrived. The palatial hill was heavily fortified and the men of Guard were some of the best soldiers anywhere in the world. If he could get the defensive positions on the hill manned, Aurelius could hold out forever.

Once he was outside, he grabbed one of the servant's vehicles and drove it as fast he could manage until he reached the great fortress of the Emperor's Guard. From the stillness outside, it was almost impossible to tell that the city was under attack, and Aurelius made a mental note to sack the colonel in charge of the guard when this was all over.

He stormed his way through the front gate, not once being stopped by the terrified Guardsmen who knew better. Aurelius only stopped walking when he reached the administrative building, quickly finding the office of the head of the Guard, Colonel Lothar Blums.

"Blums, the city is under attack," yelled Aurelius once he barged in, finding the colonel in the middle of a snooze. Knowing that he was definitely going to fire the man once this was all over, Aurelius saved no words in the tongue-lashing that followed.

"You degenerate, lazy, good-for-nothing shithead, defend my city. NOW!" roared Aurelius, smacking his hand on Blums' desk.

"Yes, sire, right away, sire," sputtered Blums as he sprang into action, his lethargy all but forgotten as he ran out of his office and began to alert the other senior officers in the building. Soon enough, radio messages were going out all over the fort and the attack alarm started to blare loud enough to be heard throughout the city.

When Aurelius stepped back outside, he could see masses of Guardsmen rushing toward the main roads that led into the city, many of them not fully dressed in their uniforms but all carrying their most important tool—their rifle.

As the rush of Guardsmen descended the hill, Aurelius heard the sound of gunfire for the first time that day. It was muted due to the distance but it still shocked him at just how close Avila was to his current position. Aurelius was going to make him pay dearly for all the Guardsmen that he lost today in defending this attack, and the thoughts of revenge against the errant lord occupied his highest level of thought.

It wasn't until he made his way back to the fortification to await news of the battle that he ran into Blums again.

"Sire, I've put in word to the exercise site to have all the soldiers there make for Dagobern at once," said Blums. "They'll be here as quickly as they can march!"

"Good, make sure that anyone that can bare a rifle gets their ass down the road to hold this hill," replied Avila. "And make sure to capture Regaulfus Avila alive. I want him alive damnit! Make sure all your officers know that!"

"Yes, sire," said Blums before he rushed away to carry out the order.

Today will be the end of you, Avila, thought Aurelius.I can finally rid myself of the troublemaker.

*****

Back in Sorella, Jack's launch boat towed along Heron's as they made their way to shore. As he got closer to the coast, Jack could see the eyes of nearly every Sorellan soldier upon him, no doubt wondering just what was going on. He even had to ask that question himself, pondering how he was going to talk his way out of this issue with Heron.

Before he reached shore, he gave a quick radio back to theDestiny.

"Abigail, can you hear me?" he asked.

"Loud and clear," she replied back instantly. "What's the situation?"

"I'm going ashore right now to talk things over with Heron. We're going to try to work through this," he said. "Stay offshore but make sure no one gets jumpy."

"Aye, Jack, we'll take care of it," she replied. "Good luck out there."

He clipped his radio back to his belt as the launch boat slid ashore in the rocky sand. The marine on the engine cut the power and used their towing cable to pull Heron and his men to the sand as all of them got out at once.

"Welcome back to Sorella, Jack," said Heron with a neutral expression.

"Good to be back," said Jack honestly. "I have good memories of my previous time here."

Heron chuckled. "Was that before or after you got stabbed by my brother?"

Jack grinned. "A little bit of both."

The two men moved off the beach while they were followed by their reluctant entourages. As they moved further away from the docks, Jack wasn't surprised to see two more familiar faces.

Nikias and Elektra looked just like he remembered. Of course, Jack now easily spotted Elektra's Picard features with all the time he'd spent in the country. Her red hair was loose, wavy, and flowing and she looked just as feisty as he remembered. Nikias was a sight for sore eyes too, the crafty minister being the architect behind the conclusion of the country's civil war.

The one thing that disturbed Jack the most was that they didn't appear to be as happy to see him as he was to see them.

"Father," asked Elektra with a tense voice. She eyed Jack warily. "What are you doing?"

"We're talking," said Heron after a quick glance back at Jack. "We're going to see if we can come to an understanding."

"Even after what we discussed?" asked Nikias. "You still want to hear him out?"

Heron nodded. "I think I can give him that courtesy. I want you two to be there as well. I want the current Sorella and the future Sorella to weigh in on this issue before anything is decided."

Jack watched the younger couple look at each other before seeming to agree to Heron's suggestion. As tenuous as it was, it wasn't a bad start to a situation that started so volatile. Heron led the three of them not far from the docks where a decent sized warehouse could be found. It was all but abandoned for that time of day, no doubt from the common citizens having fled rather than get caught up in the fighting. Inside the building, Jack spotted several hundred crates of food and other supplies but not a single other soul in sight.

It was Heron who found an office where they could grab a table together, and he pulled several chairs together to allow the four of them to sit down. The seating arrangements made Jack uncomfortable from the start as Nikias and Elektra chose to sit right next to Heron, and all three of them faced Jack.

He felt like he was on trial.

Nikias was the first one to speak. "It's been a long time, Jack," he said simply.

"It's been a long year," said Jack as he looked back at the man. His eyes naturally drifted lower to Nikias' hand where he saw the wedding band. He gestured between him and Elektra. "Were you two able to tie the knot?"

A hint of a smile appeared on his lips. "Just recently. Yesterday actually."

"Congratulations then," said Jack with a friendly grin. "I'm happy for the two of you. I know it's been a long time coming." Jack looked back at Elektra hoping to find some of the hostility melted away, but she still wore the suspicious and neutral expression she had on when she first saw him.

"That it has," confirmed Heron as he clapped his son-in-law's back before turning to Jack. "Shall we get started then? I know we have a lot to discuss."

Elektra whipped around to look at her father. "Do we have a lot to discuss? I was under the impression that we had already decided our course."

The father looked back at his daughter. "There is still time to find a compromise."

Elektra snorted. "Why do we need to compromise? We are not going to be treated like a colony again so what is there to discuss? Why are we even doing this?" She pointed her finger at Jack. "He hasn't kept his word to us so what good could it be to let him talk further."

"I don't think things are always so black and white, Elektra," replied Heron. "In any event, those ships offshore could've already fired upon us and they haven't. They could've launched an invasion of the city but they are still sitting there. Jack here has risked a great deal to come meet with us directly, quite literally crossing the front lines. I think we can spare time to hear him out."

"Just don't expect my answer to change. We gave him a chance already." She turned to give a disdainful look at Jack. "He blew it."

No one responded directly to that statement. Heron sighed heavily as Nikias watched Jack's expression. For his part, Jack didn't react to Elektra's words. She had a right to be angry but if he was going to have any success here, he had to find a way to soothe her anger.

The first thing he did was agree with her.

"You're right, Elektra," he said quietly. "You're not wrong. I realize that this could've been entirely avoidable in the first place. Look at us now. When I last left here, we had the markings of a firm alliance. There's no reason for all of us to be at each other's throats right now."

"I'd beg to differ on that one, Jack," said Nikias. "There's a considerable amount of reasons."

Jack nodded his head. "Forgive me, it was just a manner of speaking. What I meant was that the reason I'm here needn't have transpired at all. It was pointless imperial posturing and it had the effect that I thought it would have."

"What do you mean by imperial posturing?" asked Nikias with a confused expression.

"The powers in Java seem to not have a lot of respect for this part of the world," said Jack. "They like to think that you're all savages—their word, not mine—and they don't think you're worthy of being in a full alliance with them. They see more benefit to keep you as colonies to exploit even if their original intention was to maintain a genuine alliance."