Fourth Vector Ch. 33

Gavin nodded. He knew loss just as well as the next man.

This conflict was one that spared no one.

"What's new for today? I assume there was a reason you came to see me?"

Gavin nodded once more, digging into his pocket to pull out a faded paper. "I thought this was something you ought to see. One of the new recruits brought it with him from his town outside of Tyrite. Some interesting news."

Trevor took the paper and started to read. Instantly, he was struck by the news.

"By the order of His Imperial Majesty, Percival I Bancroft--" Trevor stopped reading and looked at Gavin. "I guess the old bastard finally croaked then?"

"By the looks of it, Bancroft had a role in his death," said Gavin. "What's most interesting was that Bancroft was supposed to still be in prison for the murder of the crown prince."

Trevor made a disgusted face. "I've seen enough of that crown prince before to know that he's better off six feet under. An utterly repugnant human being. Good riddance, Bancroft did everyone a favor."

"Apparently, Charles didn't think that way. But in any event, Bancroft escaped from Blackgate prison and made his march on the capital with a small band of loyal troops."

Trevor's eyes went wide at that. "Escaped from Blackgate? How the hell did he do that?"

"No one knows," said Gavin. "The recruit seems to think he had an inside man but no one knows for sure. In any event, he took over the capital and quickly snuffed out the old emperor."

Trevor wasn't quite sure what to make of the news. The family of the old emperors had been no friends of Tyrol. It was that same family who prosecuted the last wars against Tyrol after all. Yet, he wasn't about to get his hopes up that Bancroft would be a better leader.

After all, Bancroft was the one in charge of prosecuting the war against Tyrol. And it was under his watch that the war turned savage.

"This doesn't change anything," said Trevor as he waved around the message. "I don't care who occupies Belfort. Until the last Javan is out of Tyrol, the war continues."

"An interesting development though, you have to admit," said Gavin. "Read the rest of the message."

Trevor took the opportunity to do so, only crumpling it when he was finished. "So he's giving out rewards of money for every dead Tyrolean that's brought to him. Proof is to consist of ears, eyes, or noses, but they would like to dissuade against bringing entire heads back to them." Trevor shook his head and looked at Gavin. "These people have gone entirely mad."

"I wouldn't even say that we fight people anymore. These Javans are nothing short of demons."

"And they're determined to bring about a rapid conclusion of this war by this type of barbarity. Two can match that game. We won't be giving any quarter to Javan prisoners moving forward."

Gavin nodded his head. "It's about time. We have so little in food as is and I know the men were getting tired of feeding Javan prisoners."

"If this Bancroft wants to make a statement with how he runs the war, I think he'll find that Tyrol won't be vanquished so easily."

"That sounds like you have something in mind, Trevor?"

Trevor nodded as a determination took root in his gaze. "It's time we put together a welcome gift of our own for the new emperor."

*****

After parting with Santino that morning, Jack updated Bill about the Director's troubles as they walked toward the Samaran People's Palace for an unscheduled meeting with Hendrick.

"Well, I can rightly understand his frustration and lack of sociability lately then," said Bill after Jack told him the full story. "If something had happened to Lisa and Will, I'd be in a foul mood as well."

"Something doesn't seem right about the whole thing," replied Jack. "Not that I doubt Santino's story in the slightest but why did his wife and daughters go missing now? They were living here for over a month and it's only when he arrives that they disappear? Something doesn't add up to that."

Bill gave him a hollow look. "It's possible someone did it on purpose. Someone who didn't want Santino to be comfortable on his visit. Or someone who finally saw the chance to strike back at him. An old enemy."

Jack shrugged. "He didn't seem to think that anyone he'd wronged was in Samara. Santino seems like the kind of man that keeps good tabs on his enemies so that rings true to my logic. There's a bigger picture here that we're not seeing."

"So when are you planning to help him look?"

"After we're done at the palace," answered Jack. Just now he could see the three distinctive domes just a few blocks away. The sky was cloudy and dark today, casting an almost fearful shadow from the domes as they got closer. Jack had to wonder if it was any omen to what they would face inside.

"Good on you for offering to help then," said Bill. "If I can be of any help as well, let me know. I don't get around like I used to but I'm more than willing to help our friend."

"I might just take you up on that," said Jack with a wry grin.

They arrived at the palace a moment later and were shown inside to Hendrick's private office without much fanfare. Jack suspected that their reception yesterday was an embarrassment to Hendrick and that was the reason he was so amenable to meeting once more.

"Jack Easterbrook, good morning," said Hendrick as he then repeated the same greeting to Bill. "I trust the lodging was to your satisfaction last night?"

"Quite so, it was very nice," said Jack.

Both men then sat down in front of Hendrick's desk. His office was large but it was quite barren in appearance. The walls were a pale white color which didn't help the feeling of emptiness. It rather looked like he just moved in.

"You're probably wondering why my office looks so bare," said Hendrick and he waved his hand around the room. "Recent renovations to the palace had prevented us from moving into these until about a week ago. You should have seen the place I called home before this one. Little bigger than a broom closet in actuality. This feels much nicer but I have yet to decorate it to make it feel more homey."

Jack smiled. "I'm just getting used to all the space. I'm not used to having so much elbow room on my shipDestiny where things are often quite tight."

"Soon I shall be able to decorate it," said Hendrick before his lips parted into a grin. "At least it looks better than Bram's office. He barely has a desk in there yet."

Before Jack had a chance to counter that, Hendrick opened his arms and placed them flat on his desk. "So tell me, gentlemen, what can I do for you today? Hopefully we can put yesterday's ill-favored meeting behind us, right?"

Jack shook his head gently. "Not exactly. In fact, I was hoping to discuss that more today."

Hendrick shifted in his seat. It was clear from the start that he was uncomfortable discussing that topic. "What about it, Jack?"

"I have to ask if you believe there was anything that could have been done to sway the vote yesterday?" asked Jack. "Was it always a foregone conclusion or could it have gone differently?"

"You want my honesty, Jack? It was a foregone conclusion from the moment you walked in. That's not to say I don't sympathize with your position, I do." Hendrick took a deep breath before continuing. "But our system doesn't allow one man to make all the decisions. There needs to be agreement and harmony between the Tribunes, and my feeling on the matter is that no matter the strength of your argument, Anton was never going to let you get what you wanted."

"So Anton is the sticking point? What about you? Or Bram for that matter?" asked Jack.

Hendrick pursed his lips as he collected his thoughts. "Samarans are neutral. No matter my feelings on the subject, the history and weight of precedence is hard thing to overcome."

"So what would you have done if the decision was in your hands?" asked Jack.

Hendrick gave him a narrow look. "We shouldn't go down that road, Jack."

Jack opened his hands. "Hypothetically, of course. Humor me though. What would you do?"

Hendrick sighed loudly before he began to strum his fingers against his desk. "I think your argument was on point. I do believe that the order was genuine, and given the Swabians' history of aggression, they could very likely come to Samara next. Which is why I believe we should mobilize the army."

"But not have them come to Apulia to fight?" countered Jack.

"That's right. We can be ready for them here should they choose to invade."

Jack put his hand on the Tribune's desk. "But then you'd have to face them on your own, without the help of an alliance. It would also put the damage and the cost of the war solely on Samara, being fought on Samaran soil. Would it not be better off to fight a war that you can't escape on someone else's soil to have your own people avoid the cost?"

"Again, you make a good argument, Jack. But we are getting ahead of ourselves here. It's not me you need to convince. It's Anton. Anton will carry Bram with him in the process."

"But would you say that you could see a possibility of coming over to our side?"

Hendrick let out a deep breath. "It's possible, I suppose. But the likelihood of convincing Anton is all but nil. Anton represents the oldest tribe in Samara. With his position comes certain privileges that make the rest of us unable to override him. Even with Bram and I on the same side of the position, we could still not override Anton if we desired."

"It doesn't sound like much of a republic then," noted Bill. "It sounds like a monarchy in practice."

"You're not the first to draw the same conclusion from Samaran politics," said Hendrick. "Nor the last, I suppose but that's the way things have always been. Anton represents the tribe that settled the city of Dobele and it was their ancient capital. Their importance to the Samaran world was the reason it was even selected as the capital. With that comes certain rights that are hard to ignore."

"Is there any way to make Anton see the danger that faces Samara?" asked Jack. "Surely as a politician, he knows his history of the Swabian wars."

"He does, no doubt, but to ask the question if anyone truly knows what goes on in the mind of Anton Roosa is the biggest question," said Hendrick. "The man is a mystery. He was a behind-the-scenes power broker for his tribe long before he became Tribune. Even back then, he had a reputation of being tough, but I'll say that he was also known as quite fair at one time too. His career was guided by the tribe ever since its infancy, knowing he would be one for future leadership."

"Sounds promising, but what happened to the Anton from back then?" asked Jack. "Was the death of his wife what finally changed him?"

"I find that explanation to be unlikely," said Hendrick, shaking his head. "For one, I knew his wife. Let's just say their match wasn't for love. They tolerated each other because they were both from important families and their match made sense from a political point of view. It was hoped that any children born from their match would be well-suited for politics but they never made it that far. She died in childbirth before that could happen."

"I could see that being something that could have changed him," said Bill. "To lose a child and a wife at the same time. That could be anyone's undoing."

"Perhaps," conceded Hendrick. "But I do not think that level of emotion is possible for Anton. It's not how he's wired. Power has always come first. It wasn't until very recently that fairness went out the window completely. Anymore, he doesn't seek to do what's right. He seeks to do what will make him more powerful."

"It sounds like he's a threat to all of you then," said Jack. "Not just yourself but Bram too. A man like that might find that he's tired of sharing the seat of power and make a bid to cast you two to the side."

Hendrick shook his head. "His own tribe would prevent that from happening, I'm quite sure. We as a people are too indecisive to think about a change to our political system. No, this system was selected because it was the only one that brought harmony to the three warring tribes. If not for the republic, we'd still be living in huts and fighting each other with bows and clubs like the Andalucians do."

"When you say power, what has he done to make you think that?" asked Bill. "I know that might be a strange question, but I'm curious what you mean by that when it comes to a sitting Tribune."

"Do you remember how annoyed he was that Bram and I had our meeting with you alone, without a meeting of the Elders?" asked Hendrick. "What he was really pissed about was that we did it without him. However, he's the biggest culprit of that type of move. Quite frequently he has meetings and brokers deals behind the backs of Bram and I. Not to mention, he's taken to approving his own deals with just his own authority, many of which need to be agreed upon by all three of us. With each passing day, he seems to grow more power hungry but he wasn't always like this."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "And you still don't think he would seek to change the system?'

Hendrick shook his head. "Why would he change what's working for him? He's getting everything he needs from this system. He doesn't need to be a king when he already has this much power. My fear though is that he'll eventually do something stupid that will reflect badly on all of us. The government can't long tolerate the ambitions of just any one man, or his foolishness for that matter."

"That puts an interesting perspective on it then," said Jack as he leaned forward in his chair. "Is there no way to go around Anton then? No way for us to get a second review of our request?"

Hendrick's mouth fell open but no sound came out. He closed it promptly and shifted in his seat. His body language was clear to Jack at that moment--this just might be a way.

Thankfully, he didn't have to pry it out of the Tribune. Hendrick volunteered the information.

"I shouldn't even be telling you this," started Hendrick as he put three fingers against his forehead. "And to say this out loud could get me in a world of trouble."

"I think you can find that Bill and I are trustworthy men," said Jack. "We won't tell a soul any information that is said in this room."

"Aye, Jack speaks for both of us," confirmed Bill.

Hendrick pursed his lips as he mulled the idea around in his head. "If you can get the Elders to give a favorable opinion on your case, you can override Anton. You just need to get in front of them to do so."

"Can you make that happen?" pressed Jack.

"I can," answered Hendrick. "Anton will throw a fit but I can make it happen. I might be able to swing Bram to your cause as well. He owes me a favor over some business that I gave my assistance on months ago. He won't like it but he'll do it."

Jack shot a surprised look at Bill before returning his gaze to the Tribune. "That actually sounds promising. How soon could we make that happen?"

"The day after tomorrow," said Hendrick before he stuck his finger in the air. "But you need to do something for me before then."

"Name your price and we'll see it done," said Jack.

"You need better evidence, Jack. The note as a talking point is dead. Your original copy is probably still in shreds on the floor of the meeting room but it won't hold much weight with that audience. You need more proof to sway the Elders."

"More proof like what exactly?" asked Bill.

"Whatever you can get your hands on," said Hendrick. "Anything definitive that points to Swabian aggression against Samara. I can't tell you how important it is that you bring something tangible to this audience. Otherwise, they'll eat you alive."

Jack looked back over at Bill and let out a long sigh. The older man matched his look. That was going to be the most challenging part of the entire plan. The note was their only evidence.

How were they going to get something else in less than two days?

"So are we agreed?" pressed Hendrick. "I'll take care of the audience and I'll take care of Bram as well. You provide the evidence. We'll see where we can take this."

"On one condition," said Jack. "That if we can see this through, we allow part of the Samaran Army to leave Samara and come fight with our forces in Apulia. It's the only way this deal works for us."

Hendrick's eyes went wide. "You're still stuck on this?"

"I am. And I think you'll find that I'm unlikely to compromise on this."

The Tribune strummed his fingers along his desk. "Fine then. Your biggest task will be getting the Elders to give you a favorable opinion. But if they do, I will make sure you leave Samara with a good portion of our army to carry on the battle in Apulia. Agreed?"

"Agreed," said Jack as he stuck out his hand. "I appreciate your flexibility on this, Hendrick. I really do believe this is for the best."

Hendrick nodded. "I'll let you both get to work then. I'll check in with you in the morning to let you know the timing for the audience."

"That's fair for us," said Jack as both he and Bill stood up. "One more thing before we leave. It appears that Director Altieri's family has gone missing while in Dobele. One day he was getting communication from them and the next they'd vanished. Will you help to find out where they could be? I don't want to suggest that foul play may be on in order but the Director is frantically trying to find out what happened to them. Can you assist?"

Hendrick nodded quickly. "Absolutely. I'll put out inquiries and let you know what I find out. Is it just his wife and two daughters?"

"Correct," answered Jack. He dug around in his pocket where he'd written down the address of the dwelling they were staying at. "Here's where they were last living. If you can help us track them down, we'd be eternally grateful."

Hendrick took the address and scanned it briefly. "I'll see that it's done. Tomorrow when we check in, I'll give you an update on the search."

Jack bowed his head slightly. "Much appreciated, Hendrick."

"Do one thing for me though, will you?" asked Hendrick. "Let Director Altieri know that we'll find his family. That's a feeling that no man should ever have to go through."

"We will," promised Jack. "Thank you again for your help on this, Hendrick."

*****

After the meeting with Hendrick, Jack and Bill made their way back to the shared lodging quarters for a bite to eat. It was now pushing lunch and despite it being mid autumn, the temperatures in the daytime were still hot enough to seek shelter inside.

Later on that evening, Jack joined Santino on the search for his family, leaving their lodging and descending the hills into the lower parts of Dobele. While the two of them searched on the ground, Bill was going to do his part to check in with the city authorities who may have spotted the comings and goings of a woman and her two daughters.

For his part, Santino seemed a bit more lively and talkative today but Jack wondered if it had something to do with his nerves. He would take it either way--a talkative Santino was much preferable to a sullen and morose Santino.

By the time they were heading deeper into the city, it was early evening. Shadows covered every structure and person as the last rays of the sun illuminated what was left of the day. It would be nightfall soon, but Jack didn't want to miss the chance of the trail going cold.

For that reason, they were headed directly to the last place Santino knew his family to be--their apartment in the city.

At least seeing the apartment didn't raise any alarms for Jack. It was a pleasant-looking city dwelling that was four stories high. The upper three stories were allocated toward residential living while the bottom floor was split into three different businesses with narrow walls between them.

Jack and Santino questioned each of the three businesses--a grocer, a butcher, and a shoemaker--and got nowhere with them.