Fourth Vector Ch. 32

"I'm surprised they are traveling with such small numbers," said Trevor to Gavin, who told him of the sighting. "Usually they don't travel in anything less than a platoon anymore."

Gavin shrugged. "Perhaps they got lost or separated from their main group. There's been a lot of firefights through the area with other Movement groups. Perhaps they came out the worse of one of those fights?"

Trevor pursed his lips and then nodded. "Perhaps. But they are close enough that we can take them out before they get back to friendly lines. Why don't you take one of the newer groups and let them get some combat experience in? That way, we know they'll hold up when we actually attack a larger group of Javans."

"Consider it done," said Gavin as he soon walked away.

It took them no more than five hours to catch up to the Javans and then to return. It was late in the afternoon when Trevor spotted Gavin on his way back to camp, although curiously enough, he brought back around fifteen Javan prisoners. It wasn't hard to tell from the uniforms and the bound hands that they'd surrendered.

"All of them surrendered as soon as they saw they were surrounded," informed Gavin upon his return. "Threw their rifles down and everything. They must have shit themselves when they looked up to see seventy-five Tyroleans looking back at them."

"None of them tried to fight?" asked Trevor, rubbing his chin. "That's unusual. They don't usually surrender without a shot being fired."

"Perhaps they wanted to live to see another day instead of dying," said Gavin. "We've seen that more and more lately. The average Javan soldier doesn't seem to relish the prospect of fighting us. We've killed too many of them to make facing us a willing task. Maybe they're getting cold feet? Maybe the end of this war is actually in sight?"

Trevor smiled. "We can only hope. In the meantime, let's question these prisoners. Let's see if they have any information they can share with us."

As it turned out, the Javan prisoners were only too eager to talk after the promise of a hot meal and water. Upon receipt of those, they started to talk about the Javan formations in the area, surprising Trevor at just how many Javan regiments were in Tyrol.

"Twenty regiments?" asked Trevor incredulously, not sure if he heard that number correctly. "There are twenty Javan regiments in Tyrol?"

The Javan soldier nodded. He was easily the biggest of all of them, and he'd been the one that was most talkative once food was shoved in his face. It was almost incredible what an old can of beans could do.

"About ten regular army regiments and ten marine regiments," replied the soldier.

"And how many of them are directly in this vicinity?" asked Trevor.

"Within a few days' march, I'd say about five," said the soldier. "The biggest concentration is here because of you, of course. The other regiments are grouped in smaller bunches throughout Tyrol."

"Interesting," muttered Zach to Trevor, listening to the prisoners talk. "I had no idea they'd throw twenty regiments at us."

"That's a good portion of the Javan army," said Trevor. "Marines and common soldiers alike, that's a little more than a third of it!"

"And all right here about to stomp out the fire we've lit in Tyrol," said Zach. "And here I thought they might be more concerned with the Occitanians than us."

"It seems we've taken center stage," replied Trevor as he turned back to the men only to witness an interesting sight. The big Javan soldier had his mouth open like he wanted to say something more while the man next to him seemed to be trying to kick him for doing so. It became quickly apparent that the smaller man didn't want the bigger soldier to talk about something.

"Continue on then," said Trevor while watching the bigger soldier. "More rations will come with more information. What else can you tell us?"

The big man started to say something but was quickly kicked by the smaller one. "Shut up, Loopis!" he muttered under his breath.

"What's going on here?" demanded Trevor.

The soldier known as Loopis shot a glare to the smaller man. "They're going to find out anyway. Might as well get some food out of it!"

His explanation didn't satisfy his fellow soldier but Loopis began to talk again.

"Our high command is holding hostages from each of the towns that we visit in Tyrol," said Loopis.

"By visit, I'm assuming you mean destroy," said Zach bluntly. "You didn't just visit those towns that I saw."

Loopis nodded. "We aren't killing everyone. We take hostages from every town. There's a camp that's been set up not far away. I have the coordinates. It's the holding place for all the Tyrolean prisoners. Family members, friends, etc. I could give you the location of it."

"How many people are there?" asked Trevor.

"Several hundred," replied Loopis. "Mostly from a handful of towns."

"Can you name any of them?"

"Bushing is one," said Loopis. "Blytherun is another. Vonnom as well and Amboy too."

Trevor raised an eyebrow. "Amboy you said?"

Loopis nodded. "Yes, sir. At least a hundred from Amboy there."

Trevor shot an interested look at Zach before he looked back at the prisoners. "Wait here. I'll see to it that you get extra rations tonight."

The prisoners looked ecstatic (all except the smaller man who continued to sulk in the corner) but Trevor pulled Zach aside. "We need to grab Nina as well and talk about this. If they are holding our people in this camp, perhaps it's time we go to liberate it?"

Nina arrived a short while later, allowing the three of them to discuss the merits of the raid. With Vonnom being one of the towns mentioned, Zach seemed to be all for it.

"My men would be thoroughly interested in getting a crack at this camp," said Zach with a degree of excitement. "Imagine how many of their friends and family members they might recover? This could really be a boon to morale for all of them."

"I'm not sure," said Nina, a bit more guarded with her reservation. "The Javans taking hostages? That seems a little off to me. They haven't done that in the past. Why would they start now?"

"Perhaps for the use as a bargaining chip," suggested Trevor. "Perhaps they realize that offering back some leverage could bring us to the table or quell the rebellion. Or perhaps they think they might destroy us if we knew they were torturing our loved ones in this camp. I've seen what these Javans do to prisoners before. There was a camp in Amboy before it was destroyed. You wouldn't believe what happened in the basement of that house."

"Even more reason for us to launch a raid on it," said Zach. "The prisoners just let out that it's being guarded by three battalions, which would be a formidable nut to crack. In any event, that's about five to six hundred men tops. We have about two thousand--great odds for attacking, especially if we do it around dusk when we might be able to scare these men."

"Something about all of this just doesn't sit right with me," said Nina. "Why would a camp be located so deep in enemy territory and guarded by just a few battalions? It's like they're asking to be attacked. Why not remove it from Tyrol?"

"Perhaps that's their next destination," said Zach. "Listen, we understand why the Javans do a lot of the things they do. They're bloodthirsty predators when it all comes down to it. If they have men from our destroyed hometowns in these camps, let's go attempt their rescue! We can't leave them to whatever cruel fate the Javans have in mind."

That last statement really resonated with Trevor. He shared Nina's suspicions but then again, he knew what the Javans were capable of. They'd demonstrated great cruelty in Amboy, and he found the story skeptical that they'd pulled out hostages. Even still, could he afford to ignore the lead? What if they really were holding hostages in this camp?

They'd be consigned to death if he did nothing.

"I have my reservations about the whole thing so I'm going to leave it to Trevor," said Nina finally. "He didn't name my town so it might be that I just don't have any skin in the game. But I'll let him have the final say."

Trevor stopped for a moment to really consider what was being asked of him. On one hand, he felt the same reservations as Nina, as the Javans' behavior was unusual from how they normally operated. It very well could be a trap designed to lure in his army and destroy it. On the other hand, he didn't know if he could look some of these men in the eye anymore knowing that he'd consigned their friends and relatives to death by doing nothing.

It was a tightrope to walk but by his consideration, his compassion for his countrymen won out.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do," said Trevor. "We're going to attempt a raid on this camp. I want the exact coordinates of where it's located and I want us to scout out the entire area beforehand. No surprises. We bring the full force as we're going to need all of us in attacking six hundred soldiers and defeating them. But I want this battle to be fought on our terms. If we sense a trap, we pull out immediately and set up camp somewhere else. I don't want to take the risk of leading them back to our fortification and then all of our secrecy is lost."

Zach looked the most excited about the news. "When do you want to attack? How soon?"

"Let's give it a couple days," said Trevor. "In case it's a trap, I want them to sit on it and not know when we're coming. I don't want to wait too long though in case they are torturing the hostages."

"What do you want to do with our new prisoners in the meantime?" asked Nina. "They can't stay here forever."

Trevor shrugged. "Let's see if this tip of theirs works out for us. They were blindfolded on the way here and if we can release these hostages, we can blindfold them and lead them to the other side of Tyrol where they won't know any better. I'll exchange their lives for the prisoners but we have to get what we want out of this. Without there being any trap."

Zach nodded excitedly. "I'll let the men know to prepare for action."

*****

The capital city of Belfort never looked more appealing. Or more vulnerable.

Those were the thoughts that Bancroft had in his mind as he, General Zander, and Clark looked out on the city from afar. It was nearly a mile until they'd hit the old city walls, but it was the best mile in the entire world.

A mile completely without any other military unit. No one stood in the way of Bancroft and his final goal--the throne of Java.

"Here's what I want you to do," said Bancroft as he gestured toward the city. "I want you to split off the regiments. Take one of them and occupy army headquarters down by the water, the glass front building. Take another and do the same to the naval headquarters. Try to capture as many generals and other officers as you can. They'll be crucial to our conduct of the war after we take over. We need leaders to ensure that we win this last war, got it? The rest of the force is to converge on the palace in that quiet neighborhood that it sits in."

"You don't want the force to stick together?" asked Zander with a raised eyebrow. "What if trouble shows up?"

Bancroft shook his head. "The city is small enough that the regiments can support each other should trouble arrive. Besides, this is the best result we could possibly ask for." Bancroft once again gestured to all the open ground in front of them. "There is nothing to stand between us and taking what we want."

"And if we do meet resistance, what are your orders?" asked Zander.

Bancroft gave him a firm look. "Simple. Shoot to kill. We'll have time for pardons after the war but anyone who gets in your way is considered our enemy. Are we clear?"

"Almost," replied Zander. "What about something for the men? Are they allowed certain liberties with the population?"

Bancroft scoffed. "Certain liberties like what?"

Zander shrugged. "The little things--alcohol, possessions, women. The usual that comes with the taking of a city."

Bancroft gritted his teeth. "It's our country's capital city, you idiot. This isn't Montauban! There will be no rapine or pillaging allowed. Any man found doing so will forfeit his life. Make sure this is well understood with your men."

Zander appeared to actually shudder before giving an easy nod. "Will do, sir. Will do."

"Dismissed," said Bancroft. "Go get me my capital."

With one final salute, Zander walked away to attend to the marines that would make the attack, leaving Bancroft alone with Clark for the moment.

"It was too early to put him in this type of position," muttered Bancroft under his throat. "Zander is lucky he's leading this attack and not stuck on permanent latrine duty."

If Clark was amused, he didn't show it. When Bancroft met his eyes, all he found were a pair of dull ones looking back at him. Ever since the breakout from Blackgate, Clark had seemed to lose the luster from his personality.

It wasn't hard to tell why.

Bancroft had betrayed him. He'd promised to retire to the Thessalian countryside if only Clark would release him from being killed by the Emperor. Instead, Bancroft used his freedom to immediately seek the power he'd been so desperately craving and launched the attack on the city.

He quite imagined that if anyone hated him, it would probably be Clark.

"Please don't do this," pleaded Clark quietly. "I'm begging you. You're starting a civil war against your own people, Percy."

Bancroft held up his hand at the mention of his name. "You know better than that, Clark. I'm disappointed in you. You will address me by my proper title."

Clark blanched at the rebuke. "There's still time for us to escape. This needn't end with any more death. I implore you not to start your second chance like this!"

"Clark, you think too small," said Bancroft dismissively. "You're a good deputy and that's why I like keeping you around, but I'm not going to let this opportunity slip out of my hands. I will not live the rest of my life as a beggar or a castaway."

"Sir, if you would only see reason--"

"It's done, Clark," said Bancroft finally as he crossed his arms. Clark's face went lifeless again, the passion of his plea escaping from every possible exit. He was a defeated man, one who feared he would pay for his transgressions with his soul.

"We've already crossed the line," said Bancroft. "You've broken me out of Blackgate and together, we've stolen the regiments under Charles' command. Even if we stopped now, we've committed a terrible treason and we will die if he gets his hands on us. There is no going back now, Clark. Embrace the change. I'll make you some kind of governor when this is all over, with a palace to call your own and as many sluts to suck your cock as you want, but this is happening whether you like it or not. I will have my vengeance against Charles and his line."

As if to demonstrate that he'd had the final word, Bancroft quickly turned heel and followed in the path of General Zander, leaving Clark in his wake. Someday, Clark would learn to accept his fate. Until then, he would feel the disgrace of his perceived moral failings.

Perhaps a few fine things will make him forget about it in time, mused Bancroft.

The battle for the city kicked off in a remarkably easy way. In his nightmares, Bancroft imagined finding Belfort chocked full of regiments but the city was completely empty of any other forces. Zander's knowledge showed there was one regiment just to the north of the city but Bancroft hoped to have the entire capital under his control before that regiment even knew what was happening.

That meant the only resistance that was met was the palace guard, or rather what was left of them. Nearly three hundred in numbers, it was they that met Bancroft's force of marines as they approached the Emperor's home.

"Throw down your weapons!" yelled one of the assaulting marines. "Surrender now or we'll shoot!"

"The palace guard doesn't surrender!" yelled back one of the members.

An escalation was bound to happen as the two forces attempted to outmaneuver the other without bloodshed. However, it was Bancroft's instructions to resort to force in the face of opposition, and it was the marines who first started to fire.

The guardsmen began to fall in droves as they rushed for cover, opening up the first stages of a firefight in front of the imperial palace. Bullets ricocheted throughout the air. The screams of the wounded soon followed. Those that were already dead just bled where they fell. Bancroft marveled at how quickly the scene devolved into carnage but such was the price of power.

It was a price that he would always pay.

The first shots attracted the attention of the rest of the guard and they rushed out of the palace to join their comrades in the defense. They weren't dressed for action though. Many of them weren't even armed with a suitable rifle or dressed for modern combat. They fired at Bancroft's men with pistols while barely wearing any boots. It was a poor showing for those entrusted with the guardianship of the Emperor, and Bancroft was determined to see them go under.

Even still, their passion was to be admired. Despite fighting an uneven battle, they never once retreated or stepped back to regroup. There wasn't a group of braver men anywhere but that bravery wouldn't keep them alive. With odds that were greater than five-to-one, they would be overwhelmed in short order.

"Keep fighting, men!" yelled Bancroft. "I'll be giving a steep reward to the marine that kills the most guardsmen today! Riches beyond your wildest dreams!"

The marines kept pushing forward, no doubt spurred on by his tantalizing offer. Over the years, Bancroft had learned there wasn't much that couldn't be had without the promise of a better future, whether that be in gold, property, or women. Eager to show their worth, the marines began to swarm over the property, soon taking the positions of the former guard.

They were defiant to the very end. While the majority fought and bled in front of the grounds, a small cadre retreated into the palace in order to make its takeover all the more costly. Bancroft directed his forces to begin to surround the property, not only to cut off any chance of their escape but also to ensure that Charles fell within his grasp as well.

With the marines surging into the palace, Bancroft strode into it as well. He walked the halls where he'd been stationed temporarily when naval headquarters was being rebuilt. He stumbled across the theater where George usually entertained his perversions. Bancroft smiled at the thought, thankful that these walls would no longer allow such degeneracy. With the Emperor and his family being removed, it was time to put Java back at her proper place.

He would do everything necessary to see it done.

After walking the entire breadth of the palace though, it became apparent that it was deserted. Beyond the guard, none of the servants could be seen nor could anyone find the Emperor. Every room was searched, including every closet and crawlspace but the Javan Emperor could not be found.

"He didn't just disappear into thin air!" snapped Bancroft with a considerable amount of anger. "He has to be here! Find him! A hundred gold coins will go to the man that brings him to me alive!"

The search for the missing emperor was redoubled however it had the same outcome. He couldn't be found anywhere. That was when they received more troubling news.

"Sir, the northern regiment that was around the city is coming back," said Zander through his radio. "Already, my men are reporting that they are moving closer to the palace, bound to fight our forces. If you're still in the palace, you're in danger!"

"Come on then, let's dispatch this measly regiment," said Bancroft to his men. Most of the palace was emptied for the time being as the rest of the marines formed up outside and put themselves into defensive positions.