Fourth Vector Ch. 27

"Kolbecks, yes, I remember the Kolbecks," said Kat while appraising her for a moment. "Are the Kolbecks in league with the Callands?"

Lindsay looked over at Will and grabbed his hand. She squeezed it gently as a small smile appeared on her face. "We are betrothed, Your Highness. One way or another, our houses will be united once we are finally married."

"You can stop with all this highness crap," said Kat with a terse tone. "I'm no longer the regent, thanks in large part to Bill Calland. So I'd appreciate it if you stopped addressing me as such."

Both Will and Lindsay winced. Even Jack was shocked, not used to seeing this side of Kat. It took the Galician nobles a moment to recover, and Will seemed to be the one that wanted to try again first.

"Katherine, I didn't come here to live in the past, but to look forward to the future," said Will, trying a new course. "I can't look to the future without having some regard for the present. And Galicia's present is not good. It's terrible in fact. Eric Rosdahl is a tyrant in everything but name. He's the worst kind of tyrant, one who constantly sells out his own country to enrich himself and Galicia's enemies. He's brutish, arrogant, imbecilic, and he's brought nothing but shame to our country. My father, as well as many of the lords, regret their initial support of Eric, especially with what it meant in regards to you."

Kat raised an eyebrow. "While I can appreciate your sentiment, what's done is done. Eric is regent and I'm not. It would appear that you're stuck with him for the time being."

Jack shot a look over at Kat but her expression was unreadable. He had to wonder what her endgame was here in regards to the nobles because she didn't seem to want to stop twisting the knife on them.

Will looked back at Lindsay before finally looking at Kat. "My father denounces his support of Eric Rosdahl and wants to invite you to come back and reclaim the regency. Reclaim your rightful rule, and the Callands will do everything possible to make sure you are returned to your position as the ruler of Galicia."

It seemed that Will expected his words to have more of an effect on her. His dramatic flourishes at the end of his statement had the opposite effect, however, and Kat was soon shaking her head.

"My time as the ruler of Galicia is over, Will," she said softly but firmly. "I will not accept the regency of Galicia any longer, even if it was offered to me by my cousin himself." She then reached out and took Jack's hand. "We have a new calling and a new mission that is larger than the regency anyway. Jack and I have another future in mind for Galicia. One that is much more . . . traditional."

Will's attention finally turned to Jack as his eyes once more assumed that look of wonderment, even if there was something that still looked skeptical on his face. "You are Jack Easterbrook then? You are the one everyone talks about?"

"He is," said Kat while looking over at Jack. "And if anyone should have a title, it's him. He's the rightful King of Galicia. I've spent all this time trying to find him and his family and now I finally have." She then turned her attention back to Will. "My only mission now is to make sure that Jack takes his throne."

The room was deathly silent for the next few moments. Neither Lindsay nor Will seemed to know how to react to Kat's statement. Lindsay seemed to be the one that was most accepting of all of it though, and that was demonstrated when she sank to her knees a moment later, repeating the same bow that Will did earlier to Kat. "Your Majesty, I'm in your service," she said to Jack.

Will still retained his earlier skepticism. "This is now the third time I've heard this rumor about the Galician king. Once from King Aedan and the second time from Vera herself." He then looked at Jack's sister. "He is your brother then, am I right?"

Vera nodded. "He is. And he's the rightful king. He even has the birthmark to prove it."

Before Will could answer, Lindsay moved to her feet and whispered something in his ear. She held her hand over her heart as she whispered something frantically to him. He then repeated the same movement of his heart, almost as if he was trying something on for size.

Kat beat them to the punch. "You're wondering what that feeling is inside you right now. That subtle pulse that seemingly originates from your heart? That's the bond. The link that is held between the Galician king and his people. What you feel is Jack's life force inside you."

"What I feel is anxiety, "said Will, before looking back at Jack.

"She's right," muttered Lindsay as she rubbed the spot where her heart was. "It's been getting stronger all week. I noticed it a few days ago but this morning when I woke up, it was at its strongest yet." She looked at Jack incredulously. "It really is the bond."

Jack wasn't too sure what they meant by the bond but he knew better than to ask it in front of Will since it would only serve to enhance the man's doubts. He did, however, make a mental note to ask about it later when he was with Vera or Kat.

"This is too hard for me to believe," said Will softly as he looked at Jack. "That line is dead. There are no more Galician kings."

Jack found himself speaking up. "Will, I had a hard time believing it myself. I wasn't born knowing the truth. I only found out in the last nine months. For the majority of my life, I believed I was just a simple Javan naval officer, nothing more or less. The evidence is overwhelming though. It took me a long time to believe it but now I do. If you're looking for someone who can help rid Galicia of Eric Rosdahl, you couldn't have found a better ally than Kat and myself."

Will turned away from them, walking to the other side of the room without saying another word. Jack let him go, not bothering to interfere in that moment. He knew that Will would have to reach that path of acceptance on his own terms, not have them forced upon him by outsiders.

It was an experience he was intimately familiar with.

"I'm sorry about him, Your Majesty," said Lindsay finally, chancing a look at Jack. "I think he's just a bit taken aback by all of this. We came here to find Katherine but finding out that you're alive and united together is a bit too much to swallow." Lindsay bit her lip. "You both are united, right? You're doing this together?"

Kat nodded. "We are as united as we possibly could be." She then rested her hand on her stomach. "And in another six months, our union will give birth to a child."

Lindsay's eyes went wide. "A child? You're pregnant?"

Kat nodded. "I am." She looked at Jack with loving eyes. "And I've given myself to him fully. I love him. I will do everything that is necessary to make sure he takes his throne." She looked back at Lindsay. "So you've found us. I imagine that it makes things a little easier by getting two for the price of one?"

Lindsay chuckled. "Just a little. But this is a . . . good thing. If you return to Galicia now, the country would rally behind you. The rightful king and regent, united together. That would carry even more weight, especially compared to Eric's despotism."

Kat smiled. "That was the plan. Unfortunately, it's been delayed a little because of Swabian aggression but the ultimate goal is Galicia." Kat then tilted her head. "All of this does beg a question on my part though. How did you know I was in Picardy?"

"That came courtesy of Will's father," said Lindsay. "He intercepted a dispatch from the Galician ambassador who told Eric that you were here."

"Intercepted?" asked Kat with a raised eyebrow. "That kind of thing could be punished by death."

Lindsay nodded. "We know. Just about any action we take could be so punished by Eric Rosdahl. But it was essential that we found you. The Callands also figured out that if there was fighting going on in Picardy against the Swabians, they were sure you would be a part of it. They'd figured you would take a stand against their aggression."

Kat smiled. "That was a good assumption in any event. Either way, I'd never thought I'd see a rescue mission organized by old Bill Calland of all people. I could tell that he never liked or respected me."

"He's come a long way over the years," said Lindsay. "I think he's very remorseful for the way he treated you. Especially with how it turned out for them."

"That's understandable," said Jack. "If Eric is as bad as people say, I'm sure most of the older lords have to remember better days long since passed."

"This is true, Your Majesty," said Lindsay.

"Please, Lindsay, do me the same favor as you did for Kat. Ignore this majesty business for now," said Jack. "I'm not officially the king yet so let's just dispose of the title for now."

Lindsay started to laugh nervously. "I don't even know if I can do that, Your Majesty."

Kat leaned into Jack. "That's a mighty ask for any Galician. We're raised to regard our royal family with the utmost respect and reverence."

"Just humor me for now, okay?" asked Jack while letting out a chuckle. "Try my name out for size. It's just Jack. Simple and easy to pronounce. Please try it, okay?"

"All right, Jack," said Lindsay with a nervous smile.

"Thank you," he replied before looking back to where Will was. He was looking outside the window in the other room, resting his arms against the sill. "So what's your plan now? What were you going to do once you found Kat and how is that more complicated now?"

"Will was actually torn on that," answered Lindsay. "We know of the fighting going on here in Daban. In fact, our guard that came with us is now fighting with the Picards to protect the city. Will's father wanted us to bring Katherine back with us so he could aid her eventual return to the regency, but it's not like we could very well leave right now with the city being under siege. If Picardy falls, how can we look ourselves in the mirror knowing we didn't fight that final battle with her?"

"A good point," said Kat. "And a sentiment that I share as well."

"As do I," said Jack. "Even if our goals are all the same, I won't be leaving for Galicia while Picardy is still under threat from the Swabians. We have to end the threat that they pose before anything else can happen here."

"I can agree to that as well."

Will Calland came back over to the rest of the group, stopping just short of Jack. He crossed his arms in front of his broad chest and started to study Jack once more. "I'm not entirely convinced of your heritage yet, Jack. The good thing for me is that I don't have to make a decision on that anytime soon. We will do our part to save the city, and then my main task is to get Katherine back to Galicia."

"I won't be going anywhere without Jack," interrupted Kat. "I won't go back to Galicia without the king."

Lindsay pressed into Will's side. "Will, be reasonable," she whispered. "The evidence is a little overwhelming."

Will pursed his lips. "I need time to think about this. Until then, I won't recognize any Galician king. I'm sorry, Jack, but I don't buy your story just yet."

*****

The meeting with Will and Lindsay didn't last much longer after that. Will seemed to return to his stubbornness even against all the evidence and Lindsay's eventual acceptance. When Jack left the room, he didn't know what to make of the bullheaded young noble.

He'd half-expected that his journey to Galicia might be relatively easy. Once the Galicians knew their king was alive, they would flock to his banners and help to remove Eric Rosdahl from the regency so they could focus on the war against the Swabians.

But Will's persistence in thinking showed to Jack that this course might not be as easy as he thought. If the Galicians weren't ready to accept their king could be alive, it could turn into the hardest battle he might ever fight.

And he still might not win at the end of the day.

Jack was melancholy as he was set up in personal quarters in the palace later on that day. Of course, he would be sharing the room with Kat and Abigail but after eating dinner with Aedan that night, he made it a point to stop at the room shared by Greg and Vera.

"I'm going to get spoiled by all this," said Vera with a heavy giggle once she'd embraced Jack by the door. "Seeing you so many times today has been wonderful!"

"Don't worry, you'll get sick of me soon," joked Jack as he looked around the room. "It looks like Aedan put you both in some nice quarters."

"He offered to put us in something larger," said Greg as he gave Jack a handshake. "But for us, this is more than adequate."

"After all, we've been used to living in a tent for most of the campaign," added Vera. "Compared to that, this room is like a palace."

"I guess that's fair," said Jack.

"Come over and sit," said Vera, gesturing to a few chairs that had been set up close to their chimney, where a small fire was going. Jack took his place next to them, feeling the heat instantly begin to warm his body. Despite the warming temperatures outside, it could still be quite drafty in the palace due to the rebuilding of the destroyed wing. The fire was welcomed right from the start.

"I still can't believe you're back," said Vera as she leaned into Jack. "With everything that's happened on Picardy, it's felt like a small lifetime since you last sailed away."

"It feels like that for me too," said Jack. "Going across the ocean twice, sailing around Java and fighting a huge battle only to come back has made the events of last year seem so long ago."

"Well, the whole time you were gone, we kept the fires lit back here," teased Greg.

Jack started to chuckle. "I appreciate that. What I really wanted to know was how bad things are here in Picardy? I think I'm getting a somewhat rosier picture from Aedan and Neil than how it really is. I mean we only control half of the city. What happened and can we realistically turn it around?"

Greg thought about his response for a moment before he replied. "The truth of all of it is that we're going to have a short window of opportunity now that it's spring time. The snow prevented either side from doing much during the winter. While we have a way to disable these tanks, new Swabian designs could give us a potential problem, not to mention their steady rate of replacement."

"From the sounds of things, they're able to replace their men a lot quicker than anyone anticipated," said Jack.

"That's pretty accurate," said Greg. "We've gotten some timely reinforcements from Carinthia and no doubt having a full regiment of marines here will only aid us, but I think we need to strike quickly. We need to do something big to get the Swabians out of the city and out of Picardy forever. Frankly, we need to do it while Picard discipline is still relatively good. You wouldn't believe the bad habits I've had to train away during the winter."

"That bad, huh?"

Greg's eyes went wide. "You should have seen the shape it was in after the retreat. Neil made it sound like it was relatively orderly but there were parts of that retreat that were a damn rout. That's where I thanked god we had Javans to cover the rear or the army might have disintegrated."

"So let me ask you this then," said Jack. "Is there an actual plan for the next engagement?"

Greg shook his head. "Nothing that goes beyond the simple principle of not giving any further ground to them. I honestly think that survival has been the primary goal at this point. We haven't been able to think much about striking back because we were too busy trying not to get pushed out. When combined with the weather, it was the entire reason behind our inactivity."

"That's something we'll have to get to work on right away," said Jack. "We know that we don't have the edge in technology like we did the last time we arrived in Picardy so we'll have to go all-in on strategy this time around to make up the difference."

Greg cracked a grin. "You're always welcome to blast a path for the army with the guns of theDestiny."

Jack chuckled. "As tempting as that sounds, I don't think Aedan would care for that option too much."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. As odd as it sounds, I've grown to like this city despite being trapped inside of it all winter," said Greg. "I'd hate to damage any more of it even if it would lead to a lot more dead Swabians."

"Guess you're just going to have to do it the old-fashioned way," said Jack.

Greg shrugged and then grinned. When he didn't immediately respond, Jack changed the subject to something a little lighter.

"So how are you both doing? Together, I mean. Well, let me back up," said Jack, stumbling on his words. "Are you still together?"

Greg and Vera looked at each other before a smile filled both of their faces. They looked to the floor awkwardly but Vera was the one to speak up. "Still going strong. Very strong, I might add."

"Very strong indeed," replied Greg, while avoiding Jack's eyes in embarrassment.

Jack started to laugh. "Glad to hear it. And you don't need to be embarrassed by it, Greg. From the looks of things, I'd guessed there wasn't any trouble in paradise but I wanted to make sure. You two are good for each other."

Vera's grin grew larger. "That's what I think too. I can honestly say I haven't felt like this before. Ever."

Greg's head whipped over to look at her. "Really?"

She nodded. "Really, Greg."

What was once a shy smile on Greg's face became a goofy grin.

"So are we going to have to plan a wedding here soon?" teased Jack. "I just missed one in Sorella so hopefully I can attend this next one if that's your plan."

"Elektra and Nikias, I'm guessing?" asked Vera.

Jack nodded. "They finally tied the knot."

"Good for them," she said. "Elektra wanted that relationship more than anything else. I'm glad she finally got her man."

Jack chuckled but before he could respond, Greg chimed in. "We could ask you the same question now, Jack. Especially with fatherhood on the horizon for you."

Jack opened his hands. "I don't have a good answer for that just yet. It took me a long time to process the pregnancy at first. I'm just glad that Kat is a patient woman. Any other woman might have thrown me to the curb a long time ago."

"Still, becoming a father is a big deal," said Vera. "How are you feeling about the whole thing? I mean really feeling, don't give me platitudes or anything like that."

"Honesty?" asked Jack. "I'm a little terrified. I think I'd rather face an attack by a combined Occitanian-Swabian fleet than think about what I'll be like as a father."

"That's unfair on yourself, Jack," said Vera with a disappointed look. "You're not a monster or anything. Why do you think you'll be a bad father?"

"It's probably just the nerves," said Jack, putting aside all the thoughts that were swirling around his brain concerning fatherhood. He thought about the endless war and turmoil in the world—the same world he'd be bringing a child into. None of it helped the anxiety of the moment.

"Nerves are understandable," said Greg before casting a tentative glance at Vera. "But at least you have some time to prepare, right? Kat is only a few months along?"

Jack smiled tepidly. "You're saying I have six months to learn how to be a father?"

Greg started to chuckle. "I'm saying that with all we have to accomplish in the next six months, you might have more time than you think."

Jack joined him in laughing. "We can only hope!"

*****

In the immediate aftermath of Trevor Downing's raid on the Javan supply convoy, there was a sudden lack of any Javan personnel in the countryside around the town of Amboy. Soldiers started to avoid the town, often going to great distances around it after word began to spread about the fate of their colleagues. Other Javan workers, mostly there because they were hired by the imperial government, started to leave town quietly, hoping not to attract notice when they left in broad daylight.