Fourth Vector Ch. 32

"What happened? How did they leave their mark?"

"On the final day, the wall around the city of Dagobern was breached by our artillery, opening up a large enough gap to send the army through. Inside the city, the Swabians stationed their best men at the gap to prevent our entry. The 10th was delegated to the vanguard of the attack and was where the fighting was the heaviest. It was still a damn near run thing, Jack. Before they were able to get into the city, the regiment suffered sixty percent casualties that day."

Jack's eyes widened. "That's a high price to pay for one day of battle."

"And they still pressed forward too, which just goes to show you how strong they are. They were the first ones inside the city and the first ones to press onward to the hill that contained the Swabian palace."

"I've seen that hill firsthand," said Jack. "It's windy and steep--ground that heavily favors a defender."

"Indeed," replied Chapman. "Although I'd much like to hear about your time in Dagobern. Not many Galicians can say they've been to the enemy's capital and survived to tell about it. But back to the story, the 10th managed to climb the hill and battle with the last surviving remnants of the Swabian Army, defeating them in detail. They then personally entered the palace and dragged out the emperor to present at the feet of King Stephen the Great."

"And that was it, wasn't it?" asked Jack. "The war was over at that moment."

"It sure was, and that was the moment that the 10th earned their nickname--Vanguard. They would always be in the front or where the fighting was thickest. They'd earned that right forever."

"How is it that we've managed to combine the three most famous regiments in Galician history with us today?" asked Jack, still a little dumbfounded at having such quality at his disposal.

Chapman grinned. "I've wondered the same thing myself before. Of all the units to have at your disposal, you have three of the best that anyone could ask for. I'm sure that point just kills Eric Rosdahl, especially since he was known to favor the 10th above the rest of their peers."

"It would be fitting indeed to let the 10th take their usual position in the front of all our forces on the day we return to Kalmar," said Jack with a determined look. "I'm sure Rosdahl would hate it to see his favorite regiment coming back to depose him."

Chapman chuckled. "He would probably shit himself at the very sight." The general continued to laugh while he slapped his knee. "In fact, I'd give a whole lot just to see his face when he realized it."

"Something to look forward to though, no doubt," said Jack. "Although I hope we can give them reason to add to each regiment's history by our actions in this war."

"I'm sure they will. You know, I've already heard others calling this war the Fifth Swabian War," said Chapman. "Let's hope that it goes like the last one."

"What happened in the first three?" asked Jack. "Did Galicia win all of them?"

Chapman shook his head. "No, no, she didn't. Usually these wars go back and forth. It just so happened that we won the last one, which was fortunate for all of us but I don't think this war will be as easily won. That old alliance that won that war isn't the same as it is today. Apulia is weak. Picardy and Carinthia have already been fighting alone. And apart from our forces, most of Galicia would otherwise be content to sit it out. No, it's a different war this time around."

"That may be true, but we still have all the seeds of victory here," said Jack. "As long as we keep everyone fighting, we can keep the pressure on the Swabians. We won't be beaten so easily."

Chapman didn't look so sure. "We need help. We need more forces, not just for Arezzo but for the rest of the war. We either need a new ally or for the rest of Galicia to join us in this war. While we do have good regiments with us, they won't be able to hold back the tide of this war themselves without allies."

Jack gave him a shrewd look. "What would you do, General? If you were in my position, where would you look for reinforcements? Would you focus on getting more Galicians for our cause or would you look elsewhere?"

The general started to laugh. "I'm not sure I can answer that question properly. I'm just a general, nothing more. I'm not you, Jack."

"But if you were, where would you look?" pressed Jack. "I'm not trying to catch you on anything and I'm truly asking for your opinion. I agree that we can't stay here forever so what's our next move?"

Chapman spoke more quickly than Jack would have guessed. "One place I would go to first--Samara."

"Why Samara?"

"Why not Samara? They are close enough to us, just being on the other side of the Slot. They have as much to lose from Swabian ascendancy as the rest of us do. And most importantly, the Samara Army may be on the small side but it's well-trained. They'd be able to help us turn the tide and do so quickly. It would be an easier task for us than going back to Galician to fight an outnumbered battle."

"I'm afraid I don't know much about the Samarans," admitted Jack. "They typically don't get involved in these wars though, do they?"

The general shook his head. "Everyone has heard of Samaran neutrality. They are more content to stick their heads in the sand than to answer any of the changes in the world. They are good fighters--I'll give them that--but their army is entirely for defensive purposes."

"I have to wonder if we can convince them that their army could be used defensively in Apulia," said Jack. "It's no secret that the Swabians will go after the Samarans after the Apulians fall. An understanding of simple geography is all that's needed to see that."

Chapman snorted. "Good luck with that. Many have tried to sway the Samarans to their position over the years. None of them have worked. The typical Samaran mind is undecided. They are not a decisive people. It's why instead of having one ruler they have three. They just can't commit to any one cause long enough to see it through. If not for their army, I'd almost say to avoid them totally. They are a strange people."

"They might be but we don't exactly have a long list of potential allies," said Jack. "I wonder if I can persuade Santino to help me make a play for the Samarans. Surely both of our pleas might help."

Chapman shrugged. "It's a possibility but I would not put much hope in it. Like I said, the Samarans don't get involved in things that go on outside their borders. It's beyond them."

"If only they'd be allowed to stick their heads in the sand this time," said Jack with a shake of the head. "But the Swabians won't let them do that. They won't let them get away with their neutrality. And if it's the best course to get us the men we need, then it's worth exploring."

The general agreed to that, and they spent the next ten minutes discussing what Samaran help would look like if they could manage to bring their army over to Apulia. From there, the discussion changed to tactics for a while until it became obvious that the sun was starting to go down on the horizon.

It had been a long evening, and Jack could feel the first vestiges of sleepiness start to hit him. Thankfully, his conversation with Chapman had winded down to a more personal discussion.

"I've heard from the men that you have a woman that's still in Picardy," said Chapman as he started his last glass of wine.

"Actually, I have two of them," admitted Jack, still finding his cheeks turning red with potential embarrassment. Despite being with Kat and Abigail for over a year, he felt the tinge of nerves at admitting his attachment to two women instead of one.

Chapman raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Two women? I'm sure that gets... exhausting."

"You have no idea," said Jack with a subtle laugh. "I miss them though. It's been too long since I've looked at their faces. It gets harder still because one of them is pregnant, and her term is growing very late at this time. Sometimes I wonder if I'll see her before she has our child."

"I hope for your sake that you do," said the general. "Children are a blessing, and a good woman, or women in your case, will make a life worth living. Not everyone understands what a treasure it can be to have such a family, and more than a few take it for granted."

Chapman stopped speaking at that moment and his eyes assumed a faraway expression. Jack looked back at the man to gauge his feelings, knowing there was an untold story there somewhere if he could pry it out of him.

"Did something happen to her?" he asked suddenly, forcing Chapman's eyes to lock on him.

"Her?" he asked.

"Your woman," repeated Jack. "It wasn't hard to see how your tone changed when you spoke about family. You sound like a man who had everything and lost it."

Chapman nodded slowly. "Am I that easy to read?"

"When you're paying attention, I suppose it is easy to see," said Jack.

"You're not wrong at all," admitted the general. "I had a family at one time. A wife--beautiful, young, with the bluest eyes you've ever seen. And for all of ten minutes, we had a daughter together that was quite frankly the most beautiful person I've ever held."

Chapman fell silent in that moment, a silence that Jack didn't try to interrupt. He figured he knew where the story was going and let the general arrive there on his own terms.

That decision proved to be the wise course as he took several minutes to find the courage to speak again.

"I say it was only ten minutes because that's all the longer our daughter was alive, Jack. She was born with some kind of defect, something that the doctor couldn't understand. In any event, her birth was so hard on my wife that when our baby died, the spark of life went out of her too. That morning I had a family. By the evening, it was just me."

Chapman's head lowered against the table. Jack watched as two tears descended down each cheek. The general didn't sob though. He calmly wiped his eyes and looked back at Jack.

"I never did find anyone else to marry over the years so I just gave up. I dedicated my life to the army. I married the service as they say and it's nurtured me after all this time. I have enough savings to retire many times over but that kind of life for me would be boring. The army is my family and the soldiers are my children. It's the only kind of family that I have."

"You've sacrificed a lot just to get to this point," said Jack finally, breaking his silence. "Family is the worst kind of sacrifice."

"That's because it's an incredible gift, Jack," said the general with watery eyes. "Many people don't understand that, but I'm sure that you will. Someday, you will get to hold your child in your hands if you're lucky. I just hope that you get a better chance at it than I did. The memory of my real family is what keeps me going. It's the reason why I fight. It's also the reason why I joined you."

"Why is that?" asked Jack with a confused look.

"My wife, she was always saying the same things," said Chapman. "She always wanted to sign her name to a day and know she did her best, know she was doing things because they were the right thing to do. She used to say that even when days were bad, as long as we did the right thing, you'd never have to regret a thing about them. That's why I'm here, Jack. I'm here because fighting for Eric Rosdahl was not the right thing to do. Fighting for you is. My wife may have been dead for twenty-five years but I still feel her presence and her words just as strongly with me today as I did back then. That's why I'm here. That's why I fight."

"Sounds like she was a wise woman," said Jack. "And that she left this world all too soon."

"That's the truth," said Chapman. "Much wiser than me. She had a lot of spunk though. I would have liked to have you meet her if she was still alive. She's still buried outside of Kalmar. Just a small family plot on a quiet meadow. It's where my family stays and someday, I'll go to join them."

"Someday soon, when we recover Galicia, I'd be honored if you could show me your family's plot," said Jack. "I'd like to see the resting grounds of such great people."

Those words seemed to touch Chapman the most. Tears went down his cheeks again, but his smile was unmistakable.

"I'd like that very much, Jack."

*****

The morning after Jack's dinner with Chapman saw him getting an early breakfast with Bill. The elderly Lord of Hemswell took no offense at Jack skipping their usual dinner, and quite true to Bill's character, he eagerly listened to the recount of Jack's meeting with the general.

"I rather enjoyed getting to know the man and seeing what makes him tick," said Jack as they sat out on a balcony while the sun rose in the eastern sky. "Of all the commanders here in Arezzo, I felt like I knew him the least, but I can honestly say that's not the case anymore."

Bill shook his finger in acknowledgment. "I told you that you'd like him. Art Chapman is a soldier's general. He's no bullshit, he's knowledgeable, and he's every bit the fighter. I don't know many who don't like his company."

"He also gave me some very interesting histories on the regiments we have with us," said Jack. "Including details about your regiment, the 7th. I had no idea how well they served your ancestor, Bogdan."

Bill smiled fondly as if remembering an old tale. "You can see why I hated when they were removed from my house by Eric Rosdahl. That regiment has been entwined with my family for generations. I didn't just like them just because they were amongst the best but because of that personal history they had with the Calland family. There was always a special bond there that shouldn't have been broken."

Jack wanted to respond to that statement, but there was a series of rapid knocks on the front door of the building that drew their attention. Jack nodded to one of the guards to let the new arrival inside, and they soon found themselves face-to-face with one of Lindy's men.

"Your Majesty, Colonel Wilson requests your presence as soon as possible," said the soldier quickly. "We've captured some Swabian raiders."

That simple statement brought both men to their feet rather quickly. They followed the soldier outside and through the city, not stopping until they came upon the house that served as army headquarters, which was already buzzing with a suspicious vibe, no doubt from these Swabian raiders. It didn't take them long to find Lindy, who stepped out of an empty room to address them.

"What happened in there, Lindy?" asked Jack. "Your man told us that you captured raiders?"

Lindy nodded. "Indeed. It looks like the Swabians were trying to set up some reconnaissance of their own during the night. These two men were unlucky enough to have been spotted by one of the soldiers on watch. A small fight erupted but we were able to take them alive thanks to some quick thinking."

"Have they said anything? Admitted to anything?" asked Jack. "Or are they staying quiet?"

"The one man hasn't said a word," said Lindy. "He appears to be the quiet one. The other one is babbling about how we're all about to get killed by the rest of his countrymen. He hasn't been much use."

"How aggressive have you been with them?" asked Jack.

Lindy actually smiled. "Not very but we have a specialist on the way. Someone who we're sure can make them start talking."

It took the specialist about thirty minutes before he showed up. To Jack, he just looked like an ordinary soldier, but that was before he unraveled a pack or tools and instruments that looked all too gruesome.

It only took him forty-five minutes of work until he had enough information to leave the room. The Swabians were still alive but barely so. They would be imprisoned for the duration of their time in Arezzo, but the soldier produced enough information to make their capture valuable indeed.

"The story they told you is true, at least the part about the raid," said the interrogator. "They were trying to find weaknesses in the defenses of the neck, and it would appear they hadn't identified any by the time they were captured."

"What about their plans?" asked Jack. "Are they planning anything big? Another attack on the city any time soon?"

"At this time, no," said the interrogator. "It seems they are content to wait for more reinforcements before trying to attack the city again. They seemed confident enough that they would take the city if they just received a little more men. Until that time, they aren't going to try another attack."

Bill turned to look at Jack. "Some good news at least. Hopefully they can't get those reinforcements any time soon."

"Hopefully," said Jack before turning to look at the interrogator again. "Did they give you any other useful information? How many men face us out there on the plain?"

"After all the casualties they took during the battle? Around fifteen thousand. They are hoping to get another five to ten thousand before they try to attack again."

Bill paled somewhat. "We can't hold this city against twenty-five thousand men. That's a suicide mission."

"What's more, they referred to some kind of armored vehicle being brought in from Marmora," said the interrogator with a confused expression. "Something they referred to as a tank. Apparently fifty of them will arrive in the next few days."

"What the hell is a tank?" asked Bill.

"Think of a big, armored car with guns that doesn't have a way for the average infantryman to destroy it," said Jack. "That's a tank. I saw them in use at Picardy and while they are extremely deadly, they can be defeated. We need to get with Chapman and get the men up to speed on how to counter them. Fifty tanks isn't the kiss of death on its own as long as we know how to counter them."

"There is something else you should see though," interrupted the interrogator as he pulled out a small dispatch from his pocket in a place that wasn't easily recognizable. "I found this on one of the Swabians. It's a series of orders."

Lindy squinted as he looked at it. "How did he still have that on him? They were searched and all items were removed from their pockets before they were put in that room."

"He hid it in the stitching of his coat," said the interrogator. "I've seen it before so I thought to check there. I'm glad I did, because you're going to want to read this."

He passed it over to Jack who read it quickly before handing it over to Bill. Bill scanned it and handed it over to Lindy.

"Well, we have it straight from the beasts then," said Bill quietly. "Orders to attack Samara as soon as they finish off Arezzo. Conveniently signed by General Ambros Ferberg, the commander-in-chief of the Swabian Army."

"No wonder they didn't want us to see this," said Lindy. "I imagine the Samarans would be up in arms if they got wind of this message."

"They certainly would be," said Jack, remembering a conversation he had with Chapman the night before. "And with the Samarans' famous neutrality, this might be something that could tip them over the edge." He turned to look at Bill. "Let's get something set up with Santino this afternoon. I want his input on this."

*****

The council with the Apulian Director kicked off in the afternoon after all of them had a chance to get something to eat. It was another sweltering Apulian summer day, and the temperature had them all sweating and fanning to keep themselves cool.

For his part, Jack was eager to hear what Santino had to say about the captured Swabians. Their relationship had only softened recently after the battle but it was by no means the friendly relations that Jack had with Bill or any of the other Galicians.

Santino still required that he work at it, which made him all the more anxious to get him the news of what was happening.

"Well, it looks like we're all here, so let's get this kicked off," said Jack once the last arrival had seated himself. "This morning, two Swabians were captured while trying to scout our position on the neck. The most important discovery from that meeting was a dispatch that one of them carried hidden in their sleeve pocket. A dispatch that dictated their plans after Apulia fell."