Fourth Vector Ch. 28

"For that reason, we'll be setting sail to go around Picardy," finished Abigail after explaining for the better portion of ten minutes. "The country is large enough that once we get to a certain spot along the way, Lindsay will be able to 'feel' which direction Jack has been taken. We can coordinate a larger action from that point. I'm almost afraid to ask this but do you have any questions?"

About every hand in the room shot up.

"So what you're saying is that Jack is Galician and not Javan?" asked Mike Cutter from theStardust. "That's pretty major news."

"Pretty major news that Jack only found out recently," said Abigail, stretching the truth on the recently part. "And it doesn't change facts. He's still the admiral in charge of this task force."

"An admiral with a foreign allegiance," added Barnabas with a gruff laugh. "To savages of all people. How can this be allowed to stand? Does the Admiralty know about this?"

"I can assure you that they do and yet he is still our commander," said Abigail coldly.

"For now," quipped Barnabas. "But how are we supposed to fight for someone who isn't even Javan? I mean, it makes a lot of sense now. His decision-making has been questionable at best. No wonder when he's part savage."

That earned him a few looks of disgust from the rest of the room, causing Barnabas to shut up temporarily. Even with the Galician bombshell, just about everyone in the room still liked and respected Jack so Barnabas' words were distasteful to just about all of them.

"Needless to say, our commander is missing," said Abigail finally, keeping the cold attitude trained on Barnabas. "And we're going to find him."

"It is just a lot to take in right now," said Alex from the destroyerWickes. "We haven't really had a chance to digest the news."

"I know that this is dropping a lot on you right now," said Abigail. "But time is of the essence. We need to get moving before Jack gets too far away. The sooner we leave Daban, the better. I'm more than willing to answer questions on the matter but we need to leave by tomorrow at the earliest."

Alex nodded his acknowledgment but the lack of discussion immediately afterward gave Barnabas the will to make a stand again.

"I'm sorry, but on whose authority is this mission being given?" asked the fussy captain. "With the admiral being incapable of asserting his duties, who put you in charge, Abigail?"

That earned him another round of indignity but it was something she couldn't let stand.

"I've been Jack's second-in-command for the force since its inception," she replied coolly. "For that reason, I'll assume command in his stead."

"You've been second-in-commandbefore I joined the force," corrected Barnabas. "But you're just a commander. I'm a captain and the next highest ranking officer in this task force. If anyone is to be put in command, it's me."

Abigail gritted her teeth. "That's not how we do things in this force."

"Perhaps I should send a dispatch back to the Admiralty then to see what they want to do," said Barnabas, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"That won't be necessary," chimed in Luke before he turned to look at Abigail. "I'll go with you, Abigail. TheValiant will go on the search for Jack."

Abigail gave him a small smile. "Thank you, Luke."

"TheStardust will answer the call too," said Mike.

"As will theWickes," said Alex.

"You're going to need screens for this mission," added Laura Pollard from theMaddox. "So we're in too."

One by one, all of the commanders voiced their support. It wasn't even so much for being part of the mission, but more demonstrating that they would follow Abigail's leadership over that of Barnabas. As every successive commander gave their support, Barnabas' confidence eroded.

Once everyone but him had spoken up, most eyes naturally drifted toward him. Everyone knew he'd want to get the last word in.

"Well, I consider all of this a flagrant violation of the chain of command," replied Barnabas as he shot accusatory looks at the rest of the officers. "By rights, only the admiral can command what I do with my battleship. By those same rights, I'm the senior officer here. And I command all of you to stay here until Jack reports back to duty."

"And you can take those same rights and shove them up your ass," said Luke, earning several firm head nods and a clap of appreciation from another officer. "We're going to find Jack."

"Then I'll have no choice but to report all of this to the Admiralty," quipped Barnabas while shooting a murderous glare at Luke.

"You can do what you please," said Abigail, regaining control of the meeting. "I'm sure the Picards will be happy to have theCenturion guard the bay. But the rest of us will be departing in the morning."

Barnabas pursed his lips. "You'll regret this. All of you will."

He said nothing further. He pushed up from his chair and stormed toward the door, letting it slam shut behind him. There was a moment of tension until Luke put everything into perspective for all of them.

"We were better off before we had a battleship," he remarked glumly, causing a few snickers in the room. "But he's gone now. Let's go find Jack!"

*****

The next morning, Abigail stood on the docks next to theDestiny waiting for Lindsay to arrive. It was a beautiful day to set sail, and the entire task force was ready to be on the high seas once again.

Well, almost the entire task force. Abigail looked over to where theCenturion was moored. Captain Buttface hadn't been seen by anyone since the war council yesterday. Abigail had no doubt he was sending dispatch after dispatch back to the Admiralty of everything that had been said in the meeting. She only hoped that Commodore Lucas would be able to intercept all those messages before they made it back to the mainland.

Technically what they were doing could get all of them relieved of command at best or considered mutineers at worst. It would seem that Jack's penchant for flouting the rules had drifted to the rest of them.

Abigail tried hard to put that out of her mind when she spotted Lindsay walking toward the dock, this time accompanied by Will. She carried a small bag with her, and both of them looked a bit unhappy that morning. Based upon what Abigail had seen, they appeared to genuinely care for each other so she was sure the thought of separation wasn't the best one.

"Morning, Abigail," called out Lindsay once she reached the gangplank. "I hope I'm not running late!"

"You're just on time," replied Abigail as she looked over to Will. "Are you coming with us too, Will?"

He shook his head. "I'm going to take part in the battle while Lindsay is with you. I figure if someone is going to fight some Swabians, there might as well be some Galicians involved."

Abigail smiled. "Very prudent of you."

The Galician couple bid their goodbyes to each other, mostly while Abigail averted her eyes. Those goodbyes included several long, tender kisses before they separated. With their hearts on their sleeves, both waved goodbye to each other as Lindsay climbed aboard theDestiny.

"It'll be all right," said Abigail consolingly, knowing exactly how the other woman felt. "We won't be gone for very long."

Lindsay nodded. "I know. The last time one of us tried to board a ship without the other, it didn't go so well. I practically made him take me here to Picardy. I don't like the separation."

"Believe me, I know how you feel," said Abigail. "Well, let's get you settled into your quarters. We'll depart the city in an hour."

The two women soon dipped into the nearest hatch and got Lindsay situated in her room. Over an hour later, they were on the bridge as the boilers of theDestiny roared to life and propelled the ship through Daban's harbor.

"This is a lot different than sailing on a yacht," said Lindsay as the mighty cruiser pressed on to the open seas.

"Wait until we get out of the bay," said Abigail with a smile. "Then you'll see what these engines can really do once we don't have to worry about our wake."

Sure enough, once theDestiny hit open waters, the increase in nautical speed seemed to suit Lindsay just fine. She even went to the window of the bridge and watched as the cruiser cut through the gentle waves.

"Reminds me of my first time on a warship too," said Stephanie with a grin, gesturing to Lindsay. "I couldn't wait to jump my boyfriend right after."

Abigail smiled. "She's Galician too. Sailing is in her blood from what I've heard."

"Glad to have her onboard then," remarked Stephanie.

Abigail nodded. "Let's hope this bond thing really works."

She then joined Lindsay at the window as theDestiny began the turn. "We're going to find him, Lindsay."

The Galician woman smiled. "I know we will."

*****

On the second day after the majority of Task Force 21 had departed Daban, the next major battle for control of the city began. By this point, the city had been so contested in the previous year that many of the citizens had forgotten if this was even the fourth or maybe fifth battle for control. All that mattered was that these battles would continue until one side proved victorious.

While Greg didn't doubt that all the men were ready for what the day might bring, he was looking forward to seeing how their prototype tanks would fare today. All of them would be stationed behind Javan lines, ready to fulfill the plan that was created almost two weeks ago.

That plan was simple. The Javans would put overwhelming pressure on the northwest sector of the city lines. The idea was to break through Swabian lines and exploit the gap that formed by pouring more men through it. Once the gap had formed, two things would happen. The first is that the spearhead units that went through would march for the ocean on the other side, only a short distance away. This would separate the Swabian army into two halves and make them easier to defeat.

The other task would be the immediate pressure that would come on the flanks of the pierced Swabian line. Greg hoped the marines would be able to roll up the Swabian army and deal it a tragic defeat today that it wouldn't be able to recover from.

Getting the gap to form was crucial to both goals. And to make that gap, Greg was looking forward to watching their tanks attack the Swabians for a change.

There were a few things that unsettled him about the attack. Dustin had reported through aerial reconnaissance that the Swabians were getting reinforcements from the south. That was one of the reasons why they had to make this attack now. If the Swabians line was strengthened, they might never achieve the breakthrough that was necessary.

The other unsettling item was that the Swabians had managed to position their tanks along the southeastern part of the city. This was one of the spots that Greg considered their weakest since it was manned by Picard units that were well below half-strength. If the Swabians pressed forward with their full tank force, they might easily overrun the Picards and get into the city.

As for now, he couldn't think about that scenario. He had to make sure his marines created the gap that was needed, and as the tanks got into place that morning, Greg issued a steady stream of orders to the two battalions that would be leading the charge.

The opening phase of the battle would take place at what used to be a market square. These days, it was fairly deserted, being the center of no-man's-land thanks to it being right in the middle of the opposing forces. The main reason it was chosen as the spot to open battle was because it gave the tanks plenty of room to maneuver. They would have enough space to attack a wide portion of the line without getting bogged down in the streets. The other benefit to the market was its location. It was close enough to the outskirts of the city that once it was cleared, the forces exploiting the gap could immediately get out of the city and into the countryside.

Greg had arranged for the tanks to be brought forward toward the market but he kept them a distance from the start of the empty square so as to not give the Swabians any more warning than was needed. He had fifteen tanks to work with—the fourteen machine gun prototypes and one with a larger caliber gun for taking on other tanks. Alongside the tanks were three squads that were supplied with all the material to make the sticky bombs in case they ran into Swabian tanks. The force was well-supplied and ready for contact.

At the given hour, Greg was the one to give the word. "Let's move. Get those tanks to the market now!"

As the orders started to be issued from his officers down to each battalion, company, platoon, and squad, the sounds of gunfire soon filled the air. The battle was on.

As the marines began to pour fire on the Swabian lines, Greg watched as the tanks moved forward to the market square down the broad avenue. They were only able to fit two abreast down the avenue, but once they arrived at the actual square, they were able to separate and put some distance between themselves.

The effect would have been beautiful if it wasn't so deadly. Nearly ten tanks were able to start the push across the square, crushing the remains of market carts and stalls that had been left behind. Their machine guns blazed as they moved steadily toward the Swabian line, and even from this distance, Greg could see the Swabians were already starting to panic and fall back.

"That's it, boys! Keep pushing ahead! Give them a taste of their own medicine!"

The tanks just kept pushing. Once they were more than halfway across the square, they overran what used to be the original defenses of the Swabians without even slowing down. Greg was waiting for some counterattack to appear at any time but it never materialized. Either the Swabians never created their own anti-tank weapons or they never anticipated their weapon could be used against them.

Of particular concern to Greg was whether there were any tanks on this side of the line or whether they were all concentrated on the south. Even though he didn't want to see any enemy tanks, he wanted to know how their new prototype would fare against one. As it stood, they never got a chance to use the prototype against another enemy tank, although its main gun was fired a few times at the retreating Swabians, creating a few small craters in the city's streets every time it was fired.

The breakthrough that they wanted was created almost too easily. Once the tanks cleared the market square, they split up, moving down two broad avenues that led to the outskirts of the city. Along the way, Greg directed the marines to keep pouring through the gap. He also made sure that he directed some of them to roll back and attack the flanks of the Swabians still in the city.

An hour after the attack started, Greg got word that the advance units of marines had made it outside the city.

Thirty minutes after that, Greg heard that an entire Swabian regiment had surrendered on the north side of the city, probably after realizing they were about to be cut off from their comrades. Greg forced the captain to repeat his statement, knowing how unusual it was for Swabians to surrender.

"I'm telling you, Colonel, they've all thrown down their weapons," repeated the captain over the radio. "I'm keeping a few squads to guard them but the rest of the battalion is pressing forward."

Two hours and twenty minutes after the attack began, and after all the marines had been pushed through, the Picards arrived to take up positions in the new perimeter. With the advanced units of marines now pushing toward the sea, the Swabians army was definitively cut in two.

By nightfall, Greg heard the first reports that the Swabians in the southern part of the city were now withdrawing. They left the positions that they'd occupied all winter and began to pull out of the city. Most of them did so in an orderly fashion, minimizing any potential casualties. Almost all Swabian forces that were on that side of the city reoccupied their former trenches while preparing for the next phase of the battle.

That next phase would have to wait. The marines were currently stretched a little too thin as they sought to pinch off the trapped Swabian regiments. But the noose around them was beginning to tighten.

One day and five hours after the start of the battle, the first units reached the coast. It was the allies' first major victory against the Swabians since the Battle of Burwick back in the fall. It was also notable for being the first time in over five hundred years that major units of Swabians had surrendered. Two other regiments came forward once they realized they were trapped, making for three in total by the end of the battle.

At one point the next day, the Swabians tried to mount a counterattack on the southern edge of the city with what remained of their tank force. About thirty of them pressed toward the city, supported by infantry. That was when all the training that the Picards received over the winter came into effect. Not only did they stop the infantry, but they mauled twelve of the tanks and forced a retreat due to their effective use of the sticky bombs. Of notable mention was the first testing of the large caliber prototype tank, which managed to disable one of the Swabian tanks in its track. It left a hole about four inches in diameter just from the blast alone.

The Swabians were forced to run back to their original lines. With them went their last chance of pressing their only advantage against the allied army.

"It would seem they're not so formidable without a monopoly on the tanks, wouldn't it?" said Neil, watching the retreat of the Swabians alongside Greg.

Greg could only laugh. "I'd say they don't have much of an advantage anymore. Maybe now we can finally get them kicked out of Picardy!"

For the first time in months, there was hope in Picardy again.

*****

The only sound in the forest at half past midnight was the subtle hooting of an owl. Trevor actually managed to spot the creature as he waited for his company to show up. He couldn't tell if the majestic owl was looking in his direction but it loomed ahead of him as if to warn him of the path to come. He found the warning ironic since the sound they used to commence battle against the Javans was that of an owl's hooting.

There's no doubt there's danger ahead, he thought.But it's the only choice.

Life had changed quite rapidly since their attack on the Javan marine platoon that was stationed in Amboy two weeks ago. Their total decimation of the platoon, alongside other attacks in the area by other groups within the Movement, spurred the Javans to answer force with force. Within days, the announcement was made of several large bodies of Javan forces that were on their way to Tyrol. Knowing that Amboy would be one of the targets, the mayor of the city forced Trevor and his men to get away while they still could.

Staying in the town was akin to certain death.

For that reason, Trevor and his band of two hundred men packed up what supplies they could and journeyed on foot through the woods and mountains until they came to what used to be a fort centuries ago near the summit of one of the mountain peaks. Today, it was nothing more than the stone remains of such a fort, but Trevor and his men did their best to make it an operating base from which they could prepare to strike against the Javans.

So far, it served its purpose. Two days ago, they raided an army company that came to Amboy for retribution for the marine platoon. They harassed it so badly that the company ran out of the town with only a handful of men still alive.

More was going to come. Trevor knew the Javans were going to keep sending larger formations until it became an all-out conflict. That was the reason he and a handful of his men were in the forest after midnight tonight.