Fourth Vector Ch. 26

"It sounds like they have a communication problem," scoffed Elektra, addressing Jack for the first time.

Jack chuckled and nodded. "I said the same thing myself to the emperor. I went all the way back to Java which took up a considerable amount of time in order to dissuade them away from this senseless policy. I told them exactly what I thought about it. That it would whittle away any support that I've managed to gain since I've been here. That it would mean our word as a country meant nothing to those allies whom we already promised our support. I predicted revolts would happen and here we are, all because of a leadership who thinks only in terms of power and absolutes. For that reason, I don't blame you for what you did to the viceroy. I would've done the same thing myself."

"That's all well and good, Jack, but why are you telling us this?" asked Nikias. "I can understand that you have personal feelings on the matter but you're in command here. You're part of Javan leadership yourself even if you don't realize it. You execute their orders, and that's the entire reason you're here, right?"

Jack nodded. "Indeed, you're correct."

Nikias shrugged. "So what does this all have to do with us? Being in charge means sometimes having to follow orders that we don't agree with. Just because you have a link to us doesn't mean we're going to escape Javan wrath. I have to agree with my wife. I think this meeting is ultimately pointless."

"I wanted to tell you what I thought as a preface before we get any deeper. You're right—my link to Sorella brings up a lot of personal feelings. The nature of these orders bring up even more. To someone that was raised to do the right thing, this certainly isn't it."

Heron raised a hand. "And what would that be, Jack? What is in store for Sorella if you don't mind me asking? I can very well guess what's going on but I want to hear it from you directly. What is Javan leadership asking you to do?"

Jack cleared his throat and took a long breath. "They want me to bring you back into the fold. They want you back in the Javan Empire as a willing and able subject land. The unfortunate thing about that is the original orders specified that if Viceroy Grant was still alive and well, this wouldn't be violent. But seeing as he is quite dead, violence is the only option."

"So you will attack us then?" asked Elektra with a hateful expression. "You will let your soldiers loose on this city and kill the innocents? All because we wouldn't consent to being slaves? What kind of order is that?"

"It's the order of someone who knows nothing about Sorella or this part of the world," said Jack. "Someone who cares not for her people."

"We can agree on something then," she replied angrily. "But let me tell you something, Jack. We're not going to go easily. We may not be such a match for you in technology but you'll find a determined people here, all united in one single purpose—to live a life of freedom without the hint of tyranny, especially foreign tyranny from across the ocean. We won't be your slaves."

"I won't ask you that," said Jack quietly once she'd finished. "I won't ask you to be a colony again."

"We would never accept that anyway, Jack," said Heron. "It's a moot point."

"Then according to the logic of my orders, there is only one other way. Especially if you won't come willing," said Jack. "But I want to ask you all now if you would consent to looking at a third way? A new possibility that might allow all of us to get what we want. Would you consider such a thing?"

"What did you have in mind?" asked Heron.

"A way for all of us to get what we want. We become allies again like we used to. Sorella remains a free and independent land without foreign influence. And the leadership back in Java will be none the wiser for it. Just like the deal we struck before I last left your shores."

Heron shrugged. "Almost sounds too good to be true. What's the catch?"

"No catch," said Jack. "There are no strings to that deal or hidden clauses. If we could go back to such an arrangement, would you do it?"

Elektra sighed audibly. "Again why should we listen to you? Why should we give you a second chance?"

"And how can you make us such an offer? Wouldn't you be going back on your orders?" added Nikias.

"I would be going back on them," confirmed Jack. "This is quite outside my orders, and I'd be taking a considerable risk in order to offer you these terms. But I do believe it would be the only way we can compromise and all leave here with something we want. No more viceroys, no more colonies. Just friends and allies."

"Why would you take such a chance then?" asked Elektra. "What's in it for you?"

"In one word—Swabia," said Jack. "I'm sure you've heard about what's going on in Picardy."

"We've had a dispatch or two," said Heron. "Either way, it doesn't sound good."

"I have to agree with that," said Jack. "If Picardy falls, who will be next? Sorella? Carinthia? Our list of allies will be very thin at that point indeed. How will we combat Swabian aggression then?"

"What concern is Swabia to Java?" asked Nikias. "What's preventing you from sailing away once the war with the Swabians turns hot? We don't have any assurances that you have skin in the game over here."

"Because my duty is here in the Vector," answered Jack. "Not only my professional duty but a very real and personal one too. Do you remember our companion from when we hunted down Barak last year? The blonde Galician woman named Kat?"

Heron nodded. "I do. She was a nice girl and she got along great with Vera if I remember right."

"And Jack too," added Nikias dryly. "If I recall correctly."

"That she did," said Jack with a chuckle. "I'd like to bring Kat ashore at some point to confirm a few things with you. But the situation here has changed since the last time we talked. You'll just have to take my word for it for now but I'm fully invested in keeping the balance in this portion of the world at the status quo."

Nikias hardly looked satisfied with that statement but the initiative soon passed back to Heron.

"So how do you do it then, Jack?" asked the king. "How do you keep the viceroys away when it's a matter of your word against that of the rest of Javan leadership?"

"There is an outpost that is about halfway between Sorella and Java. It's stationed on a rocky island called Quiller's Cove. I know I've mentioned that to Heron before as being our starting point but for a long time, it was just an outpost on the edge of the world for us. Now it's the center of my supply line going back to Java. All of our communications go back through Quiller's Cove to Java and vice versa."

"How does that help us?" asked Elektra impatiently.

"The officer in charge of Quiller's Cove is a good friend of mine," explained Jack. "He's reliable and he also knows what it's like to get shafted by bad decisions on the part of leadership. He also knows that using viceroys and treating the countries of the West like colonies is a terrible strategy. He'll help me run interference on detaining any future viceroys before they can get here. If he can't detain them, then he'll do anything in his power to slow them down."

"Slowing them down would be great but what happens when they do get here?" asked Heron.

"Then I'll take matters into my own hands," said Jack firmly. "I can't promise that a viceroy will never show up, but I'll remove them before they can do any damage. My forces will take them with us."

The three Sorellans shared a look between themselves. It was Nikias that spoke up first. "It's not a bad plan but we would prefer the viceroys didn't show up at all. That they would be gone forever."

Jack opened his hands. "I can't guarantee that. What I'm doing is agreeing to run this interference against Javan imperial policy, something that I would catch a lot of heat for in order to do the right thing. I can't stop them from sending the viceroys in the first place but I can make it so that they don't stay long if they do arrive."

"How long will you be able to keep this from Java?" asked Heron. "Sooner or later, they are going to wonder why their viceroys aren't reporting in?"

"A little bit of craftiness on the messages will help us here," said Jack. "As well as my friend in Quiller's Cove, where those messages will be intercepted and ultimately modified to suit our needs. They'll only get messages about how good things are out here and how much goods they are getting from their 'colonies.' They won't know any better."

Heron pursed his lips. "It's not a bad plan."

"Sure it sounds fine now," said Elektra. "But why now? Why didn't you do this when Grant first showed up, Jack? Why has it taken us getting to the brink of war to make a change?"

"I had to try to make the change legally the first time," said Jack quietly. "I went all the way back to Java and interceded with the head of the navy, my immediate superior. When he didn't hear me out, I turned instead to the emperor. There were some . . . complications there. The short story of all of it is that they won't change the policy. If we're going to get what we want, then I have to change my strategy a little. My only regret is that it took this look and we had to break our personal ties in the process. But a desperate situation calls for some desperate action. We're going to do things my way from now on—the right way."

That seemed to give the three Sorellans something to think about. They continued to have an almost silent conversation amongst themselves, filled more with looks than with words. It wasn't hard to follow what was happening between them. Just by reading their faces alone, Jack could see that Heron and Nikias were leaning in his direction while Elektra seemed to be slowly caving. He was almost certain he would be able to get through to them when Nikias asked a pointed question next.

"Jack this plan of yours sounds like it would work in the short term. But eventually your government is going to notice what's going on. I have to believe in that case they would ultimately replace you with someone else who would be more willing to do their bidding. What happens then? What happens when you get recalled and replaced with someone much worse? We're looking for a long-term solution to this, not a short-term bandage."

"Nikias, you bring up a good point," said Jack. "The truth of the matter is that Java is engaged in a two-front war at the current moment on that side of the world. We've been fighting the Occitanians for a year now and the Ruthenians, who are Java's southern neighbor, have recently gotten involved. I believe they are going to be too occupied with those wars to worry too much about what's going on over here. They won't be able to spare any additional forces besides what I have as long as that war is ongoing."

"And if we go back to the old alliance, your forces won't be used against us?" asked Elektra.

Jack nodded. "Correct. All I want is a return to the same normalcy we had when I last sailed away from Sorella. I want to be allies with you again. I want to treat you with the same respect an ally deserves. I believe it's crucial we have an alliance of all of the western states to combat Swabian aggression. I'd like Sorella to be part of that alliance."

"You know we can't offer much to the actual war effort against Swabia, right Jack?" asked Heron. "We don't have men to spare and the only viable ships in the Sorellan navy are low freeboard ironclads, scarcely a match for anything the Swabians might throw at us."

"I'm not so much worried about what you can contribute as long as you can stand firm with us against the Swabians," said Jack firmly. "I want to show them that our alliance will take in any member—big or small—to resist their aggression and live in freedom and ultimate peace."

"I want to believe you, Jack, I really do," said Elektra as her tone softened considerably. "But what I'm having the hardest time with is trusting the Javans to keep their word. That doesn't go so much for you but the rest of your countrymen. They haven't been the easiest to work with and so far, you have stood head and shoulders above the rest of the Javans that we've met."

Jack smiled. "It might have a lot to do with the fact that I'm not actually Javan."

Nikias raised an eyebrow. "What are you then?"

Jack looked at the king. "Heron knows what I am. You mentioned it to me one of the first times we met. Do you remember?"

Heron took a long look at Jack before he started to nod. "Aye, Jack. You're Galician, aren't you? The hair always gives it away."

"I've learned a lot about myself since I've been away. You're entirely right of course," said Jack before grabbing a lock of his hair. "I am Galician. The rest of the story is a lot more complicated, and that's why I'd like to set that discussion aside for when Kat can join us but finding out about my Galician heritage has changed my perspective on many things. I now look at things from two sides—the Javan side and the Galician side. It's worked quite a number on my conscience these last few months, but I attribute that heritage on my ability to recognize the Swabian threat for what it is and stop it in its tracks."

"That is a story I would very much like to hear," said Heron.

"Kat is aboard theDestiny out in the harbor," said Jack. "If you'll allow us to come in for the night, I'm sure we can tell it." Jack then looked back at Elektra. "To answer your earlier question about keeping our word, I wouldn't have come back here like this if I didn't intend to honor my earlier promises to Sorella. I will not let my countrymen fight a war against a country I had a part in rebuilding. I know I can't offer much more in reassurances right now, but it's the best I can do. The only other alternative is war. I know that none of us want that either."

Elektra nodded as if the answer satisfied her. She gave a pointed look to her father and Heron soon stood from the table. "Jack, if you would permit us a minute in private, we'd just like to discuss this amongst ourselves."

"By all means," he replied before standing up from the table as well. "You three stay. I'll step outside and just call me back when ready."

The three Sorellans were still deliberating when Jack closed the door behind him, smelling the sweet salty air of the sea almost immediately. It was nearly midday at this point and the hot Sorellan sun was already making the temperature nearly unbearable. Jack looked out to the harbor to see his ships, glad to see them all floating a safe distance away.

As he leaned against the building, he wondered if he did the right thing with offering the revised terms to Heron. They were far beyond his station or his command, and he knew that if Bancroft found out about that little conversation, it could very well mean his command. Still, he thought it was the best chance they had at maintaining the alliance. Sorella would never submit to being a colony. What he did now was the only way to keep them in the fold.

But what kind of fold was it? Was it as a member in the Javan Empire, as they would no doubt see this across the ocean? Or was it a member of Jack's personal anti-Swabian alliance. Again the two parts of his soul collided, the Javan side fighting the Galician one.

This seemed to be the first time the Galician side actually won.

"Jack?" called out Heron about twenty minutes later. "Can you step back inside?"

"Of course," he replied before following the king back into the warehouse. Jack saw that Nikias and Elektra were standing instead of sitting but their faces were unreadable. They gave no intention on which way they were leaning in their standing.

Heron was the first to speak. "I'm glad you're back, Jack." The old king cracked a smile and offered his hand. "If your personal guarantee is on those terms, then it's a much better option than fighting a war we can't win. Having you here again reminds me of how things were the first time you visited. We would like to renew our alliance with you."

Jack grinned and grasped Heron's hand, giving it a firm shake and squeeze. "It might not be easy and you might still have a war on your horizon."

Heron nodded slowly. "True but I'd rather fight a war with you on my side then against me. Especially if the Swabians are up to their old tricks. So what do you say? Allies again?"

Jack started to chuckle. "Allies again."

*****

"Where is this bloody idiot?" swore Magda as she once again looked at time. "He was supposed to be here twenty minutes ago!"

She watched as Colonel Meyer flinched in response. "I was assured he would be here at ten o'clock sharp."

"Some assurance that was," she scoffed. She pushed up from her chair in the rickety two-story house that made up her headquarters on the outskirts of Daban and approached the only window left intact on the floor, searching the ground for a sighting of the missing officer.

"I don't see any sight of him," said Magda while huffing. She turned back to Meyer. "If you don't want to end up on a stake with the next batch of prisoners, I'd suggest you get your ass down to the street and find him quickly."

She didn't even need to snap her fingers. Meyer moved so quickly that he would have taken flight if he had wings. He was on the ground in no time in order to find this lost naval officer, the likes of which Magda had little patience with to start. After all, what was so important that Lord Avila wanted her to meet with this man? She had no control over the Swabian navy around Picardy so what was the point? All of it seemed designed to be a time-waster, and she had little patience for that as is.

What she really wanted before taking nonsensical meetings with naval officers was a couple more regiments of men. She thought three would do the job but she could probably make two work if it only came down to that. The fact was that she was still holed up on the outskirts of Daban, not having the strength to push in but being strong enough to not be pushed out. With spring approaching and most of the snow melting, she hoped she would be able to land one final punch against the city and then all of Picardy would be hers.

She needed those reinforcements first though. That was the single most important topic of discussion, taking precedence over anything else. Even meetings with the navy.

Someone cleared their throat from the staircase, causing Magda to turn. She watched as Meyer reentered the room, bringing along someone in his wake dressed in naval attire. Magda had the initial urge to give him a tongue-lashing for wasting her time but she stopped short of that after she got a look at him.

He was a handsome looking officer around thirty-five years of age. He had short-cropped, dark hair and a smooth, chiseled jawline. His skin was tanned to just the right color, and the five o'clock stubble on his face really enhanced his features. Magda found that her anger melted upon sight of him. She smiled as she walked back to the table.

"May I present Captain Wolf Harmen?" said Meyer as the captain held out his hand. Magda took it and enjoyed how smooth and strong his grip was.

"You're late, Captain," she said, but only with a hint of annoyance. She smiled coyly afterward to let him know not to take it too seriously.

"My apologies, ma'am, it wasn't the easiest to find where you were located," said Harmen as he took a seat at the table.

"Quite all right," said Magda with a dismissive wave. "It can be hard to navigate around the ruins of the city." She hazarded a glance over at Meyer who looked to be shocked at what he was hearing. No doubt he expected her to rip into him and was stunned at her calm demeanor. She shot him a scowl which forced his eyes off of her before returning back to Harmen.

"In any event, thank you for seeing me," said Harmen. "I'm not sure if you know but my position is under Admiral Al Sevolz. I'm a member of his operational planning staff where we plan the operations around Picardy."