Fourth Vector Ch. 30

"There's no time for that, son," said Bill with a wave of his hand. "I need to see Colonel Lindell Wilson immediately. Can you please grant me that audience?"

The soldier's eyes drifted toward the three soldiers before going back to Bill. "Are you in some kind of trouble?"

Bill stepped closer to the man. "Son, this is a life and death matter. I need to see the colonel right now. Your men have served my house faithfully for over a century, and I put that same trust back in you right now. We need to get off the streets at once."

The internal debate played out on the soldier's face for all of them to see. Jack didn't like the look of the man in that moment, wondering if the door was about to get slammed in Bill's face. The tension was thick while they waited, and it was made even worse by the lead soldier of the original three as he stepped behind Bill.

"Guardsmen behind us. Over ten of them," said the lead soldier. "They'll be on us in a minute."

Bill looked back to the man at the door. "We're running out of time, son."

It was a testament to the regiment and the name that was crossed out on the door. The soldier relented when he saw the guardsmen approaching and quickly shuttled them inside. Jack was never more relieved to get off the street, and the door slammed shut right before the guardsmen could approach.

"You did a very good thing, lad," said Bill to the soldier once they were inside. "Can you direct me to Lindy's office now?"

"Come this way," the man answered.

He led them down a narrow passageway that suddenly opened up to a large hallway dominated by a three story staircase. Around all of them, Jack could see other soldiers, many of them looking just the way he expected Galician soldiers to look like—they were strong, bulky, and had well-fitting berets that contained most of their short-cropped blond hair.

The soldier led them to the second floor before they came upon an office. After a brisk knock, the door was answered by someone who could only have been the man in charge. He was like his comrades in his size, and judging by the stripes on his shoulder, he'd been in charge for some time. He had the kind of penetrating gaze of someone used to giving commands, and there wasn't a decoration out of place or stray hair to be found anywhere on his body.

"Lindy, my friend," said Bill warmly. "It's good to see you again.

The colonel's eyes bulged. "My lord, what are you doing here? How can you possibly be here right now? You were still under house arrest!"

"Let us inside, and we'll tell you about it shortly," said Bill, gesturing inside the man's office. "Much is in play right now and we have limited time. So I'm asking based on our friendship alone that you let me get right into the story."

The colonel looked at Jack and the three other marines before reluctantly nodding and gesturing for them to come inside. Once they were in the tiny office, Bill made the introductions.

"These three soldiers are part of my house guard," he said to the three of them before looking back at the colonel. "And this is Colonel Lindell Wilson, the head of the 7th Regiment. I've always known him as Lindy but you might want to get to know him before you try that nickname."

"I've cracked a few heads on those who thought they could get away with it too soon," muttered Lindy before he turned to Jack. "And who might this be?"

Bill cleared his throat. "This man is the Galician king, Lindy. His name is Jack Easterbrook."

For the second time in five minutes, Lindy's eyes bulged. He whipped around and looked at Bill. "You're playing games with me again, my lord?"

Bill shook his head. "I assure you that I'm not. But you don't need my word on this man's identity. You can feel it here after all." Bill patted his own chest. "You feel the bond, and you've been feeling it get stronger over the last week. He's the reason why."

"This man is the . . ."

Lindy stopped speaking to appraise Jack fully, looking at him from head to toe. After the ordeal of the last two months, he was used to being appraised by those he didn't know, but the colonel's piercing gaze felt like it went right through him.

"Feel the bond with him?" asked Bill. "He's the man that triggered it in all of us."

Lindy finally tore his eyes away from Jack to look at Bill. "What have you involved me in, my lord? How is this man here? The king's line died so many centuries ago."

"We all thought it did," said Bill with a slow shake of the head. "It hasn't. I could go on and on about how this man is the real deal but we don't have that kind of time. Not right now."

As if to emphasize the point, they heard the sound of sirens going. Bill and Lindy looked around, both of them immediately going to the window and seeing a screeching loud and bright light that was now flashing.

"The warning system," muttered Lindy before looking at Bill. "This is your fault, isn't it? You caused this."

Bill nodded. "It was I. It was only necessary that I got Jack out of his prison or else he would've been executed in the next hour."

"That was the reason for our call-to-arms for later this morning?" asked Lindy.

"Yes, Eric Rosdahl intended to execute him to secure his position as the ruler of Galicia," said Bill. "I couldn't let that happen. The last precious drops of the blood of our ruling family are here in Jack. For that reason alone, I couldn't let them kill him."

The commotion on the street was now turning into anarchy. Upon seeing the warning sirens, all the common people were now hurrying off the street. They knew what the sirens meant—trouble ahead. If there was going to be fighting, it was best to be away from all of it and hunkered inside.

Another side effect of the sirens was a rush onto the street of guardsmen. They were operating in larger groups now, and by the looks of things, they'd managed to recruit other soldiers into their retinue.

"They will come here next," said Bill to Lindy as he gestured to the guardsmen on the street. "They will ask your regiment to join the hunt for myself and Jack. You will be commanded to participate or you will be relieved of command."

There was panic in Lindy's eyes. "Why did you come here, Bill? Of all the barracks in the city, why did you have to come to mine?"

"Because you are the officer I know the best," said Bill. "You're the one that's served me the longest."

"My regiment was taken from Hemswell because of your actions," protested Lindy. "They said you'd committed treason."

"My only crime was trying to create a better tomorrow for Galicia," argued Bill. "I wanted a better leader than the arrogant one Eric Rosdahl has turned out to be. We have a chance to get our king back. The Galician king can retake his throne after so many centuries without it. That's why I'm here. I need your help, Lindy. I need you on our side. Only your regiment can safely get us out of the city and provide us with the protection we need."

"You're asking me to commit treason against my country," said Lindy with misty eyes.

Bill shook his head and walked over to Jack. "You can never commit treason against your own king. I'm asking you to align yourself with royal Galicia. Like the way things were meant to be. Look around you, Lindy. You know as well as I do that Galicia is in for troubled days ahead. The Swabians are on the march and there's no one there to stop them. I need you and your men. We need you. Most importantly, the king needs you."

As Bill finished speaking, Jack stepped forward. Below them, the sounds of pounding on the door could be heard. A look outside revealed the guardsmen were at their very door, demanding entrance.

"If there's a part of you that believes in all the good that Galicia stands for, we could surely use it today, Colonel," said Jack. "There's a lot of evil in the world that's going unanswered right now. We have a chance to tip the scales and make better lives for ourselves and for our families but I need to ask you for your decision right now. We're running low on time."

Lindy clenched his teeth and put his hand to his forehead as he turned away and looked outside. Below them, the guardsmen were still trying to get into the barracks door. Inside, soldiers were shouting on whether or not to let them in. They were all trying to find leadership, and every decision rested on the shoulders of one colonel.

"You've never led me astray, my lord," whispered Lindy in Bill's direction moments later.

"Nor would I, my old friend," said Bill. "This is the right path. This is the right time. Are you with us, Lindy?"

The bulky colonel turned around and nodded slowly. "I'll fight with you. I'll fight because I respect the man that you are, and because he's the man that you said he is," said Lindy, gesturing to Jack. For good measure, he touched his own heart. "If this bond is the real deal, then I can't let anything happen to my king."

Before anyone else could respond, the sound of a terrible racket opened up on the first floor. Jack rushed outside the office and looked down the railing to see the guardsmen battering down the door. The sounds of gunfire opened up as one guardsmen took aim at one of Lindy's men. Soon, that exchange was joined by men from both sides.

"We don't have much time," yelled Jack as he crossed back into the room. "They know we're here and their firing will draw the rest of the guard!"

"We need to get out of here and make our way toward the harbor," said Bill. "Getting to sea is the only way we can get out of the city!"

"My men can open up a path for you," promised Lindy. "We can hold them at the front door while the rest of the regiment musters to get you to the harbor!"

Lindy didn't waste any further time on promises. He moved forward like a true leader and started to issue orders to his own men. Soon, the guard was being met with overwhelming firepower as they tried to work their way inside the barracks. A platoon was used to hold the entrance for the time being while Lindy and his officers got the rest of the men situated. It was a testament to their skill and discipline that men that hadn't seen battle in their lifetimes were ready to go for a fight in a matter of minutes, donning their gear, picking up their rifles, and ready to shed blood for their leaders.

"Come on, we can't leave from the front door, so we'll have to get out from the rear," said Lindy as he grabbed his own rifle and led the way with Jack and Bill. They descended down the staircase and made their way to the end of the long hall before it turned perpendicular and led down another direction. They descended a set of stairs together before emerging into a large, closed-off courtyard that could be used for drill. Once they were outside, the sirens could be heard even louder than before, lending a certain sense of urgency to the mission at hand.

"Down this way," pointed out Lindy as they made for the back gate that opened up into the alley. "We can use this path to get us to the docks!"

"What's the plan when we get to the docks?" asked Jack to Bill. "I hope you have something bigger out there than just the yacht you gave your son."

"If my plan works out, we'll be coming away with the entire Galician task force on our side," said Bill before he gave a sheepish look to Jack. "But we're going to need all of our persuasive skills to convince the admiral in charge that you're the real deal. I don't have a relationship with him like I do with Lindy."

"Small chance of success and great chance of certain death otherwise," said Jack with a small chuckle. "Seems to be the story of the day!"

Bill laughed with him as they made their way down to another lower level of the city. This far down, the streets were starting to widen, giving more space to maneuver a larger force like the regiment but also meaning there were less places to hide from Rosdahl's men. Once they nearly reached a building that was large enough to be a warehouse, Jack had to hit the ground quickly to avoid some carefully aimed shots that originated from soldiers on the other end of the street. He brought Bill to the ground with him while Lindy's men organized some covering fire.

"This way, let's get up against the wall," yelled Jack over the sound of firing as he and Bill wormed their way to the wall. Jack reached it first before he leaned over and grabbed Bill, yanking him closer.

"Thanks for the lift," said a grateful Bill once they were secured. "My body doesn't move as fast as it used to!"

"You've already saved my skin a few times today," replied Jack. "It's about time I returned the favor!"

It took Lindy and his men a few minutes to get the street cleared of the opposing soldiers but the sounds of the firefight no doubt attracted the attention of the rest of Rosdahl's men. Once those soldiers were neutralized, Lindy gave the signal to move out.

"Just need to get two more streets over," said Bill. "And then we can get into the harbor. We need to move at full speed now though. No doubt the whole city is aware of our position!"

As the two men started moving again, they were soon joined by another. Their force identified three people also headed to the harbor, two men and a woman. On sight of them, Bill put his hand up, warning the soldiers not to shoot and advanced forward to meet them. Jack watched as Bill jogged the short distance to meet them in the middle, and soon after he embraced the woman with considerable care.

It was only as he brought the three of them back to Jack's position that he could see an older woman with graying hair and a kind face that looked upon Bill with loving devotion.

"Jack, I want you to meet someone special to me," said Bill with pride. "This is my wife, Lisa."

"An honor to meet you, Your Majesty," said Lisa with a warm smile.

"A shame for us to meet under such circumstances," said Jack as a burst of gunfire interrupted their meeting. "But I met your son in Picardy. It's good now to meet his parents."

Lisa looked like she wanted to ask him many more questions but the sudden appearance of Rosdahl's guards meant that conversation had to wait. As the men of the 7th did their job, Bill led the way to the lower portion of the city.

The movement through those streets was as uneventful as possible. At several points, civilians who hadn't gotten the message to take cover were frightened by the sudden appearance of soldiers on a mission, many of them screaming before they ran into the nearest building to get away. It was only after they scared the last civilian that Jack got the sight of the harbor.

A better military harbor it couldn't have been. In front of Jack was moored a Galician task force that would have inspired pride in any naval officer. The ships glimmered in the early morning sun, their guns pointed proudly to the sky. Despite having seen better days, there was enough of a hint of glory in their majesty, a deadly force that was just waiting for the next foe to appear.

Jack just hoped those deadly weapons wouldn't be turned in their direction.

"Come on, Jack," said Bill as he gestured for Jack to follow him. "That battleship over there is theVisby. That's where we'll find the admiral!"

The first sighting of theVisby was nothing short of impressive. Jack had rarely seen such a vessel that combined beauty and magnificence in one warship. She reminded him of theGeorge IX, one of the latest battleships in the Javan fleet under the command of his foe, Admiral Reynolds. TheVisby had a raised bow that stuck up proudly and a grand superstructure that reminded him of the main castle in Kalmar.

Alongside theVisby was a similar looking battleship, and Jack had to guess that they were made from the same design. He spotted a few other cruisers, including theCanaria which was moored on the other side of theVisby. Also inside the harbor were a score of destroyers and other smaller vessels.

Security was light around the harbor but Jack suspected that wasn't the usual case. With all of the city's forces hot on their tail, he guessed it was highly likely the security forces in the harbor had entered the city to find them at some point, ironically letting his force in behind them. There was still a token force that guarded the harbor, but their defense of the ships was easily dispatched by the soldiers of the 7th.

The small firefights that broke out within the harbor attracted the attention of the ships and the sailors. When Jack, Bill, and Lisa were finally alongside theVisby, they found a small group of Galician marines with their rifles already trained on them. Behind the marines could only have been an admiral judging by his dress, something that Bill confirmed shortly after.

"Stop where you are and throw down your weapons," shouted the admiral from the deck of theVisby. "One step closer and my men will open fire on you."

Jack and Bill halted, not wanting to test the admiral's words. Lisa remained behind them, sandwiched between them and the men of the 7th.

"Admiral Russell Taylor, we must speak with you at once," said Bill as he remained still. "We don't intend any harm to you or your men."

"That's hard to believe because I just watched you dispatch a number of my forces on your way over here," replied Taylor sardonically. "You'll excuse me if I don't take you at your word."

"Admiral, do you remember me by any chance?" continued Bill. "My name is Lord Bill Calland of Hemswell. Until very recently, I served Eric Rosdahl as part of his council."

Taylor's head tilted to the side as he appraised Bill. He was silent for a moment until he spoke again.

"Yes, you do look a little familiar, I suppose," conceded Taylor. "What in the blazes are you up to right now, Calland? There's talk of an insurrection in the city."

Bill shook his head. "No insurrection, Admiral. I can assure you of that. But if we'd be permitted to discuss this face-to-face, it would make things easier than shouting it across this distance!"

"We'll shout for as long as we need to, Calland," replied Taylor, not giving in so easily. His eyes then swept to Jack, almost as if he was noticing him for the first time. "Who's the man with you?"

"The King of Galicia," replied Bill matter-of-factly. "Now can we discuss this further?"

Jack was sure that Bill didn't mean it to come out as flippant as it sounded but Admiral Taylor looked far from pleased at that utterance.

"You're losing my patience, Calland," said Taylor harshly. "One more false word from you and this parley is over."

"Admiral, I know my words sound off base but I swear to you that I haven't lied," said Bill. "This man really is the Galician king. The entire city is in uproar right now because Eric Rosdahl intended to execute him today to secure his rulership. I've released him to prevent that from happening. You need to look no further than the bond to know that the words I speak are true."

Like the meeting with Lindy, Bill once again grabbed his chest to emphasize his point. Unlike the meeting with Lindy, however, Admiral Taylor didn't seem too eager to believe.

"So you say, but you have no other proof, or do you?" asked Taylor, still stirring in his disbelief. "The city is up in arms, you're right. But my guess is it's because there's a dangerous lord on the run who should be under house arrest. What do you think of my theory?"

"Accurate," said Bill with a shrug. "All except for the dangerous part. I'm too old to be much of a threat to anyone."

"Yet, you still hold a rifle," said the admiral.

"Then allow me to put it down," said Bill. He held it out in front of him, which caused the reflexes of the marines on theVisby to tighten. In slow motion, Bill lowered his weapon to the dock and kicked it a few feet in front of him.

"I'm not a danger to anyone, Admiral," he called out after he was done. "The only ones that are looking to cause death are the regent's men. They are coming now!"