Fourth Vector Ch. 28

He was meeting with two other Movement members from nearby towns. It was only in their coordination could he create a force that was strong enough to repel the Javans for good.

"Where are these people at?" asked Gavin, his second-in-command, shortly after throwing down his cigarette. "They're late!"

"Patience, Gavin," said Trevor. "I'm sure they'll be here soon."

It was about five minutes later when Trevor heard the steady sound of rustling in the darkness. The men he had with him raised their weapons out of precaution, but all of them knew it was unlikely that any Javans would be found in the forests after dark.

Trevor saw about ten figures approaching. He stood up and bid his people to lower their weapons. In doing so, he raised his hand and asked them to approach.

He knew by sight those that were coming to meet him today. He'd met them before, back when the Movement was still in its infancy. It was at a similar meeting when they were introduced to the Ruthenian agent and began to coordinate their movements but Trevor hadn't seen them since. He had heard of their actions though.

The first one he saw was Nina Powers. Nina came from the nearby town of Bushing which was just on the other side of the mountain from Amboy, set deep within the valley. Nina could quite possibly take the title of deadliest Tyrolean, or possibly the sexiest. Afemme fatale in every meaning of the word, Nina's men had all but run the Javans out of the valley. She had a reputation for ruthlessness, which extended to not taking prisoners when it came to the Javans.

Instead, she simply had them shot and disposed of where they would cause the least notice.

For such a gruesome killer, one might have expected anyone else but the simple fact of the matter was that Nina was gorgeous. She was only about thirty years old, but her face was nothing short of angelic. She had pouty lips that were tinged a deep red in color. Her hair was long and luxuriously dark brown, and it reached nearly down to her back when she let it free. For now though, she kept it tied behind her in a simple ponytail for less hassle.

Even her voice was soft and sensational, without a hint for the type of killer she could be.

"Long time, no see, Trevor," said Nina as she came to a rest with her men about ten feet from where Trevor stood. "I've heard that you've been busy."

Trevor smirked. "As busy as you've been. I heard that the Javans won't even come into your valley anymore. I guess they're all too scared."

"That's a pity because I sure love when someone comes into my valley," quipped Nina. She put on a devilish smile that made Trevor's pants feel just a bit too tight for the moment.

"I'm sure you'll get your fill of that soon," said the other newcomer, a man who hadn't said a word up until that point. He was like Trevor, similar in age and build. However, the most noticeable thing about Zach Aster was the eye patch. The result of an accident in his youth, the eye patch defined his face. It also meant that he couldn't follow the typical Tyrolean path of service in the Javan army. Without an outlet for such aggression, and with a hatred that still burned for all things Javan, Zach was a natural leader for his town of Vonnom.

There was an exchange of the usual pleasantries before Nina was the one to suggest they get down to business.

"It's quite the hike back to our valley," she said finally. "So what do you think about spilling the real reason you called us all together?"

"Nina's got a point," added Zach. "What have you got to say Trevor?"

All attention focused on Trevor in that moment, even from the protection that all the leaders brought along. Trevor began his carefully rehearsed speech to both of them.

"All of us fight for the same goal, the same purpose," started Trevor. "To free our homeland from the grip of the Javans. In that same vein, all of us have been selected by our respective towns to lead their forces and to strike back at the Javans where we can. We've been successful in that regard. The Javans are scrambling to get more men into the area to keep this region from boiling into a full-scale war."

"And they'll keep scrambling as long as I have something to say about it," added Nina with a coy grin.

"Right," agreed Trevor. "But as successful as we are right now, we are still just a militia force. Our men aren't used to full-scale warfare. They're guerrilla raiders. Even though a good portion of them have military training, our forces aren't an army."

"But they aren't trying to be, Trevor," said Zach. "As long as we can raid the Javans and their supply lines, we can keep them permanently off-kilter and unable to get a foothold in Tyrol."

Trevor shook his head. "The more we keep raiding, the larger the forces they'll send. Until one day we go to raid a Javan convoy and it's guarded by an entire regiment."

Nina pursed her lips. "What are you proposing then?"

Trevor took a deep breath. "This conflict is escalating whether we like it or not. Today we're dealing with platoons and companies. Tomorrow will be regiments and brigades. Our tactics have to change with it. We can't be just a militia any longer. We have to coordinate together. We have to work together. We need to unite and become an army. Only then can we present a face capable enough of handling the escalating amount of men that the Javans will throw at us."

There was a moment of silence as both Zach and Nina digested those words.

That moment ended too soon when both raised objections.

"How do you propose that we fight the Javans on equal footing?" asked Zach. "You're right. These men aren't an army. If we go toe-to-toe with the Javans, we're likely to lose the numbers we do have. Our strength lies in our mobility and our ability to blend into our surroundings. We will sacrifice that by becoming a regular army."

"I have to agree with Zach on that," added Nina, although she looked regrettable to disagree with Trevor. "It compromises our core strength to be able to move around quickly. Plus we would need to worry about supplies, training, and food. What is wrong with our current strategy?"

Trevor shook his head. "We can't be a militia forever. If the Javans change their tactics, we'll have to change too to stay ahead of them. Sooner or later, they are going to come down hard on Tyrol for all the damage we've done. How is our militia going to take on individual divisions in that case? We're better off uniting, training our own men into soldiers, and inviting other Tyroleans to fight under our banner. All of Tyrol is united in their feelings toward the Javans. We won't have a problem attracting fighters. But our job will be molding them into soldiers."

"You really think the Javans will send divisions into our towns?" asked Zach.

"It will happen one way or another," promised Trevor. "They won't keep taking casualties indefinitely. And they won't just be stationed in our towns. You saw what they tried to do in Amboy. I freed so many of my people that were being held by the Javans. Imagine that on a national scale. The Javans would rather burn Tyrol to the ground than to let her continue to shed Javan blood. They'll stop food supplies or any aid from getting to our people. War is coming to Tyrol. We need to be as prepared as we can be in order to stop them."

"So what are you proposing then, Trevor?" asked Nina after another moment of silence. "You want to start this army? Are you going to be the general?"

"We don't need to think of that right now," Trevor answered. "But we do need the cooperation of the three of us. And even some of the other leaders nearby. We have the manpower to make a force, but we need to cooperate between us. That's why I'm here and why I've asked you both to be here. I want us to become one army. For now, all three of us have a say in running this army. As the leaders of our town's Movement forces, we'll all have an equal say."

"And how do you want to start?" asked Zach. "We have a lot of details to iron out if we agree to do this. Where do you want to do it?"

"You both are invited to bring your men to our mountain hideout," said Trevor. "There we can figure out the best ways for all of us to work together. We can figure out how to be the army that Tyrol needs. It's the best chance we have at beating the Javans. What do you say?"

Trevor took a deep breath after he finished talking and looked back and forth between the other two leaders. For their parts, both Nina and Zach looked to each other as if trying to ascertain what the other was thinking. For a moment, Trevor thought they were going to tell him to pound sand but then Nina's soft voice started speaking.

"You have a point, Trevor," she said, surprising him. "And I can't find a flaw with your logic. An army is the best chance we have. You have my support as the leader of Bushing."

She smiled at him, a devastating look that made Trevor weak in the knees. He nodded his support before looking over to Zach.

"Well, I can't let you both work together and my town be caught out in the cold," said Zach with a playful sigh. "Vonnom is in as well. Let's set a time when we can meet to go over those details."

Trevor grinned and thanked them both. At that moment, the first spark of what was to become a renewed Tyrolean army came to life.

*****

Alone in the belly of the ship, Jack watched as a rat scampered across the floor. It was a large rat, all too common for those that could be typically found within ships of this size. Its long tail swayed across the floor as it moved across, always just out of Jack's reach. That was probably a good thing. He was so hungry that there was no telling what he might do with it if he managed to catch and kill it.

He wasn't starving though. He was just not used to the gruel that was fed to him once a day for the past two weeks. He wanted real food, the kind that could be had at Aedan's palace. At this point, he'd even take a typical meal from theDestiny's mess kitchens, knowing that it would be far superior to anything he'd had since he was captured.

Besides the hunger, the only other thing he missed was human contact. He still ached for the soft touch of Abigail or the sweet kiss of Kat, but what he missed most was just basic human interaction. No one had been down to see him since they left Naxos a week ago. Adalbert had missed his usual opportunity to gloat and remained as far away from Jack's cell as could be. It was a lonely existence, but he was about to find out it was almost over.

Just like at Naxos, Jack heard the power cut to the boilers as the first warning sign they were about to dock. When the ship settled in without any further noise, he knew they'd arrived.

It could only mean one thing—they'd arrived in Swabia.

After about twenty minutes of silence, the door opened to Jack's personal cell. Adalbert had returned after his long absence. He looked no worse for wear but he didn't have his usual biting commentary to offer today. Jack thought it was odd that he was so silent. He wondered if it had anything to do with seeing his cousin today.

"Let's go," said Adalbert with a quick snap of his fingers. "We have an appointment at the palace in an hour."

Two soldiers rushed in to unlock Jack and to bring him above deck. That was when Jack had his first view of the city before him.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" asked Adalbert with a smirk. "That right there is Dagobern. Capital of the Swabian Empire."

Beautiful was not the word that Jack would have used to describe it. The whole city was just . . . gray. Similar in a way to how Andalucia was mainly white buildings against the desert backdrop, Dagobern was gray, dull stonework against an even duller lifeless backdrop. The entire city seemed to reflect the unimaginative, single-minded pursuit of the Swabian people.

As bleak as it seemed, it was a large city. It stretched a great distance across the small plain, almost to the edge of the horizon. In that respect, it was larger than Daban, the largest city that Jack had been to in the West so far.

The only break in that plain was a raised plateau that sat right in the middle. That was where Jack could see a palace that dominated the entire city. It wasn't hard to guess where Avila would be found.

As they descended down the gangplank, a small car was waiting for them. Jack was pushed in first alongside one of the guards while Adalbert took the seat in front with the driver. The car was cramped and smelled like rotten food. Thankfully, the windows were kept cracked along the whole journey, and not to Jack's surprise, they began to ascend the road that led up to the plateau.

The road had bends in two spots before they made it to the top. Jack got the first close view of the palace as the small car whipped beside a barracks-like structure and then stopped at the main portico.

There was an entourage awaiting their arrival the moment the car stopped. Jack could see a small legion of servants out front, all huddled around one dominating figure, dressed in royal robes. He was a middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair. His beard was more silver than black, but his eyes were dark and unfriendly. He seemed to be awaiting the arrival of the car with much interest.

Jack watched as Adalbert leapt out of the car and bowed before the figure, kissing his foot in a sign of reverence. To Jack's surprise, the man smiled and bade Adalbert to go inside the palace.

Then it was Jack's turn.

He was forced out of the car and pushed toward the man who regarded him with a satisfied smirk. The butt of the rifle was pushed against the back of Jack's knees until he fell before the man. Undeterred, Jack looked up at him with a hostile glare.

"You must be Avila," said Jack.

The emperor smiled and nodded. "And you must be Jack Easterbrook. Welcome to Swabia."