Fourth Vector Ch. 33

To Jack's surprise, the Director moved in closer and embraced him tightly. Jack found himself chuckling at the rapid movement but soon gave Santino several hearty pats on the back.

Santino pulled back and looked in Jack's eyes. "I owe everything to you now, Jack. I'm your man now, through and through. You have my allegiance against any threat that would face us. You are not just the Galician King but you are now our Overlord as well."

With that statement, Santino bowed his head. "I swear it to our gods and yours. I won't rest until we see the Swabians defeated and you restored to your throne."

Jack couldn't help but smile at the man. Santino had come a long way from the wary and obtuse politician he found back in Arezzo.

Now, he could see the man as a true ally and worthy friend.

"I'd like nothing more than to fight that battle by your side," replied Jack.

Santino didn't have to say anything more.

The look in his eyes said it all.

*****

Exactly four days later, Jack found himself once again sailing the waters in the Slot, on his way back to Arezzo with his cohorts. TheCanaria was making good time and they would be arriving in the Apulian city in another two hours. The sun was now shining and whatever storm that had passed through earlier in the week was now decidedly gone.

The deck of theCanaria was also full with soldiers as well.

Samaran soldiers.

The camouflaged ranks filled the decks, distinguishable by their orange and blue patches that decorated their shoulders. There were over five hundred of them on theCanaria, a tight fit for the cruiser to accommodate. The rest of the force was still on the Samaran coast, awaiting transports and protection vessels from the Samaran Navy to make the crossing. In all, there would be eight thousand new additions to Jack's army, giving them enough numbers to contest the Swabian control of the island country.

With the Samarans added to his army, Jack figured now was a better time than any to start creating a new battle plan for leaving Arezzo. He wanted to push back against their forces and give them a reason to turn over to the defensive. Though still nominally outnumbered, there was no reason to stay bottled up there forever.

Now they had hope of striking back.

As they neared the city of Arezzo, Jack couldn't help but grin at the sight of his Galician ships hovering just offshore. TheVisby and theVoyager were amongst the first that he saw, proud battleships that seemed to sparkle in the midday light. The rest of the fleet was just as inviting a sight but it turned out that its senior officer was already ashore, awaiting Jack's return with the rest of his people.

For that reason, Jack, Bill, Ben, and Santino with his wife and daughters were amongst the first to take a launch boat into the beachhead, soon seeing several familiar faces gathered on sand to greet them.

It was incredibly apt that it was Santino's daughter, Emilia, that voiced words that they could all agree with as they neared the coast.

"It's good to be back home again, isn't it, father?" she asked.

Santino could only grin in return. "Yes, it's great to be back in Apulia again."

They heard the greetings from their friends as soon as the boat nudged into the sand.

"It's about time you've returned!" yelled out Lindy from a short distance away. "We've been holding the Swabians just fine without you!" The colonel was standing next to Art Chapman, Russell Taylor and Lisa Calland, who eagerly rushed forward to embrace her husband.

"Well, we figured you could use some reinforcements," called out Jack with an easy grin. He gestured back to theCanaria. "We've brought some Samarans with us."

Art gawked at theCanaria. "Just how many have you brought?"

"Five hundred in the first wave, but ultimately we'll have a total of eight thousand," answered Jack proudly.

Art mimed the word thousand as his hand went to his forehead. He could barely contain his excitement. "I suppose we won't have to stay in Arezzo for much longer now!"

Russell soon greeted Jack with a hearty embrace. "Did you bring any more ships with you by any chance? We could always use more ships!"

Jack gave him a curious look. "I was hoping you'd tell me that we had more Galician ships defect to us while I was gone. Not the case?"

Russell shrugged. "Not a single one. It's all right though. We can be happy with what we have. It's still a formidable force."

"Don't worry," said Jack. "With the men that are coming, we won't have to rely so much on the ships to keep us safe. We can now begin to push back with equal force."

That explanation satisfied Russell and for the next twenty minutes, they enjoyed the time catching up on what happened while Jack was away. He told them all about Samara, from Hendrick to Anton as well as the ordeal with Santino's family. After that was finished, Russell and Art let him know that Arezzo had been quiet while he was gone and apart from the squall earlier in the week, it had been calm in the Apulian city.

Jack was just about to suggest that they retire to his headquarters inside the city when Russell's radio went off on his waist.

"Admiral Taylor, sir, we're picking up potentially unfriendly vessels to the east."

At once, the easy camaraderie and good feelings ended as Russell grabbed the radio. "What's their position? Any attempts to make contact?"

"They are heading right for us but they are still some twenty miles out, sir. We're attempting to find out their identity," came the voice through the radio.

"Let me know immediately and go on battle-stations right now," urged Russell as he clipped the radio back to his belt. "I need to get back to theVisby."

"I'll go with you," said Jack. "We'll take the same boat I just rode in. The rest of you should attend to our land defenses. If this is a Swabian force, it could be a coordinated land and sea attack!"

The others sprung into motion once Jack was finished speaking, and he and Russell grabbed the launch boat to depart quickly. However, it was the next radio transmission to Russell that stopped them both in their tracks.

"Admiral Taylor, sir! We've established radio contact with the foreign force. They aren't Swabian."

Russell made a confused expression as he grabbed his radio. "Who are they then?"

"They claim to be from the Javan Empire, sir. They said they are looking for Jack Easterbrook!"

At once, Jack's spirits lifted. He gestured for Russell's radio. "What frequency are they on, sailor?"

Once he heard the response, Jack turned his radio and lifted it to his mouth. "This is Jack Easterbrook speaking. Javan force, please identify who you are and why you're in Apulian waters."

There was a moment of silence before Jack heard one of the sweetest voices he'd ever heard.

"Jack, is that really you?"

It was Abigail.

He couldn't help but smile. "You have no idea how glad I am to hear your voice."

Jack then looked at Russell. "These are friendly forces. Have the men stand down and let's guide them in."

*****

It was just a little over an hour later when Jack caught sight of theDestiny for the first time in months. The proud Javan flagship anchored into the shallow waters outside Arezzo alongside the rest of his task force. Jack could see theValiant,Stardust, and even theCenturion floating not far behind it. Soon, another launch boat was making its way toward shore, and this time it was Jack who was standing in the sand eagerly awaiting the arrival of the occupants. Behind him stood Art, Bill, Lindy, and Lisa, no doubt thankful that they wouldn't face any military action today.

Jack's patience didn't last for long once he could see the faces of the newcomers. He sprinted across the sand as the small boat finally came ashore.

In that moment, he could see all of them. Abigail darted out of the boat and embraced him first, kissing him with every ounce of passion she could muster. He took the lovely brunette commander in his arms and held her tight, not wanting to let go.

The others came on quickly after that. Jack felt Vera crash into his side and he soon enveloped her in a hug as tears streamed down her face. Will and Lindsay were next, only offering the briefest of greetings before Will was once more reunited with his parents. Bill and Lisa embraced their only son and his girlfriend, no doubt thankful that their separation was finally at an end.

Next up was Greg who somehow looked more mature than the last time Jack had seen him. The formerly carefree marine colonel now seemed to have aged a few years over the course of the past six months.

"It's so good to see you again, my friend," said Greg as he embraced Jack. "We have so much to catch up on."

"That we do, that we do," echoed Jack.

The final occupant of the launch boat had the hardest time getting out of the boat but it was for good reason. Jack stepped into the water to help get her on dry land.

"You know, you have some nerve ditching your pregnant girlfriend to go play king!" said a playful Kat as she clutched at her very round stomach.

She couldn't even wait for Jack to respond back before she was crushed against him and kissing him for all she was worth.

After all that had happened to him since his capture in Picardy, Jack had worried about how he would feel seeing his two women once more. Would the spark with them still be as strong? Or would time dim his longing for them? Another fair question was would they still feel the same about him?

But after kissing both Kat and Abigail and seeing their excitement, it felt just like it always had. He was still just as in love with them as the day he was captured, if not more so.

The piece that had been missing from him all these past months was finally back.

Kat smiled at him once their kiss broke. "What's wrong, Jack? Cat got your tongue?"

He chuckled while eyeing her lips. "In a manner of speaking, yes!"

Abigail soon joined them and he enfolded both of them in his arms. "We have so much lost time to make up for," whispered Abigail into his ear.

"I've missed you both dreadfully," said Jack before something occurred to him. "What are you all doing here? I thought you were still in Picardy?"

Their smiles disappeared. "Unfortunately, Jack, we had to leave Picardy. The Swabians were too strong and pushed us out," replied Kat.

"Aedan wouldn't allow the task force to fire on the city so instead of contesting their control, we left to link up with you," finished Abigail.

The words were like a dagger to his stomach. "Picardy has fallen," he said hoarsely. "What about the army? Tell me the army still exists?"

Kat nodded eagerly. "The task force is full of men from the army. We managed to evacuate everyone that was left. We're bringing you just over nine thousand men, all that remains of the Allied Army in Picardy."

The news about Picardy was truly unfortunate, but Jack could use the men more than anything. With the addition of the Samarans, Picards, and Carinthians, Jack's force would now soon outnumber the Swabians on Apulia.

The odds for victory were even greater.

"What about the Swabian Navy?" he asked. "Have you seen any trace of them?"

Abigail shook her head. "Not a sight or sound. The only thing that we ran into on the way here was a nasty storm. It was so strong that it almost swamped theHutchins in it. Fortunately, it didn't and we didn't lose any men but there was no sight of the enemy along the way."

"Glad to hear that then," said Jack. "Is Aedan with you? Ciara? What about Captain Barnabas? I'm sure he's not thrilled as usual."

Abigail and Kat shared a guilty look. "We should really have a talk about Buttface," said Abigail. "He's no longer in command of theCenturion."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Really? How did that happen? Did he perish in the fighting around Picardy?"

"Not exactly," said Abigail too quickly. "We think he's still alive but we're not quite sure."

Jack blinked. "I really don't understand."

Kat took Jack's arm and started walking. "We have a lot to catch up on, love. But perhaps you ought to be seated for this news."

With the whole group starting to make their way back into the city, Jack had them led to his headquarters where he could catch up with all the events that happened while he was gone. He was most disturbed to hear about the events surrounding the arrival of a Picard viceroy as well as the role that Barnabas played in it. Abigail told him about the action that removed Barnabas and imprisoned him with Ferris, however the two men were unaccounted for after the Swabians took the city.

"We can deal with that some other time," said Jack. "If the Swabians didn't kill them, they'll find it hard to get out of Picardy on their own."

Jack was also told about the status of the war in the East, with Javan forces moving closer to the Occitanian capital city while securing victory after victory against the Ruthenians. He was told about the escalation of the war in Tyrol as well as the most important news coming from the country.

"Bancroft overthrew the emperor?" he asked incredulously. "When the hell did this happen?"

"It just came through barely a week ago," said Abigail. "News is coming more slowly out of Java right now but I suppose that's not surprising. Bancroft was supposed to be imprisoned for the murder of Crown Prince George but he was somehow freed from Blackgate. The next piece of news I heard was that Belfort was under attack by his forces and now? He's the new emperor."

Jack put his hand against his face. "This won't bode well for anyone. How could Bancroft have been this mad?"

He didn't need an answer to that question. He knew it was Bancroft's plan since his visit to Java last year.

He just didn't expect that Bancroft would actually follow through with his deranged plan.

"I imagine this is going to make things difficult on all of us moving forward," said Jack finally.

"To say the least," said Abigail. "They already believe you're dead and they think that Greg and I arrested a lawful viceroy and naval captain. I wouldn't be surprised if they believe we're in full mutiny."

Jack nodded. "That conversation is for another day. Bancroft can wait a little longer. For now, let's just enjoy each other's company."

He wasn't surprised when both women came closer and embraced him once more. For Jack, there was no better feeling than having them in his arms again. It truly did make every other problem just melt away.

That evening, the meager stores of Arezzo were opened up slightly more than usual to welcome all the new arrivals back to the city. Jack ate his small helping of food while engaging in conversation with Vera and Greg and also Aedan and Ciara, who took the next launch boat into the city after the first group. After dinner was over, Jack excused himself for a brief moment to use the bathroom, but when he came back, he was stricken by a panicked scene in front of him.

Abigail was standing directly behind Kat, whose chair was pulled out with her legs slightly spread. Kat had an alarmed look on her face and directly under her chair was a small puddle.

"Jack, her water broke!" yelled Abigail. "She's going into labor!"