Fourth Vector Ch. 36

After all they'd done for him, Jack wasn't about to argue. He slipped into the other room to find the sword and carefully removed it from the box. The blade was light and nimble to his fingers but he still remembered the last time he let anyone try to pick it up. Greg nearly broke himself in the attempt, a reminder of the ancient magic that surrounded the sword.

As he returned to the room with it securely fastened around his belt, Jack felt the eyes of Kat and Bill on him instantly. Judging by their expressions, both of them were the happiest they'd been in some time.

"You look perfect, Jack," said Kat with fire in her eyes. "You're so handsome."

"I think dashing is the correct word," added Bill with a half laugh.

Jack shook his head at both of them. "Let's get this over with."

The trio left the room only to find Abigail waiting just outside the door. She took one look at Jack and couldn't help but run her fingers along his chest.

"I think we could have a lot of fun with these robes, Jack," she said coyly. "Think you could wear them to bed tonight?"

"And I think now's my cue to leave," said Bill awkwardly, the older man still managing to look red in the face at the comment. "Jack, I'll see you out there."

With those words, the Lord of Hemswell walked away, moving toward the grand hallway that would be the site of the coronation. The hallway hadn't seen much damage during the fire and all the work in the last few weeks had meant it was suitable for housing the crowd that gathered for the coronation.

Before it was due to start, Jack, Kat, and Abigail gathered in the front vestibule while Jack took a tentative look out at the crowd.

There had never been a greater congregation of important people. Jack felt the same nerves as when he met the old Javan emperor the year before except this time he knew that as soon as he walked out there, all eyes would be on him.

He was still digesting the sight of the crowd when he heard Kat scowl beside him.

"What's wrong?"

Kat used her finger to point out a portly lord who was busy chattering with a woman who looked not the slightest bit interested. "See that man right there? That's Lord Nicholas Garmin. There's never been a bigger sycophant in the entire Galician court. I'm surprised he's still around."

"He's not exactly an old man so why wouldn't he?" asked Jack.

"I just would have thought my cousin might have killed him for being so annoying all the time," said Kat before adding a careless shrug. "Then again, he might have enjoyed having someone around to kiss his ass all the time."

"From what I knew of your cousin, I think the latter scenario is more likely," said Jack with a small smile.

"Either way, he's one to watch out for," warned Kat.

"There's a good many people out there," said Abigail from his other side. "All of these people are Galician lords?"

Kat nodded. "And most of them are ones that I've met before. Don't let any of them intimidate you though. Most of them are good people but they will test you, Jack. They are going to try to get your measure now and see what kind of leader you're going to be. In that regard, just know that many of them are used to Eric's leadership. Let that knowledge give you some background on what they might do."

Jack started to nod but said nothing else. He soon felt Kat's hand on his arm.

"I'm going to go out there now. Abigail will come with me. Come out once I give the sign, all right?"

"You got it," replied Jack.

At that moment, both women entered the large hallway, quickly forcing a silence of the lords and their families as they watched them walk from the rear all the way to the front dais. Abigail took her seat in the front row, alongside Vera and Greg who were already present, while Kat continued to the dais and turned around.

The silence was deafening. Jack could tell that many of the lords had never expected to see her again and were now wondering what was going to happen.

To that end, Kat set them at ease.

"Many of you know who I am," said Kat as she looked around the room. "As I know many of you. For those that don't know me, my name is Katherine Rosdahl, and at one point, I was Regent of Galicia. My family has served Galicia as their regents for nearly two hundred years, chosen in the aftermath of tragedy to take the helm of the country."

Kat paused and looked around the room. "But I speak not to you today as a former regent. In fact, today I speak to you more as a grateful citizen. For today, a miracle has happened. A line that was thought ended has reemerged, casting aside centuries of national malaise that's affected our beloved Galicia. Our people have been lost but now they have once again found their shepherd."

She took a deep breath and then smiled. "I'm talking of course about our king. I'm talking about the Kincardine family. The heir to our throne is alive. But I don't need to tell you that now." Kat placed her hand on her chest. "You know it as well as I do. You feel it in here, beating to the tune of your heart. Our king has been restored to us and it's time that he takes his proper place amongst us. It's time that he's restored to his throne. With that being said, I present to you the King of Galicia, Jack Kincardine!"

With those powerful words, Jack took his first definitive steps into the grand hallway. Instantly, the eyes of well over a hundred lords and ladies fell upon him, their blue eyes all appraising him. Many of them looked at him as if he was some mythical legend made flesh, come to rescue Galicia from all her ills. A smaller margin looked at him as if they hadn't yet made up their minds whether he would be a good or a bad thing for Galicia.

An even smaller minority looked at him like they expected more, perhaps someone more impressive.

Jack continued to walk, his footsteps echoing across the stone floors of the hallway as he passed each lord. Many of them closer to the front made eye contact with him along the way, bowing their heads in reverence as he moved but not a sound was to be heard from the crowd the entire journey.

When Jack reached the front, he found his throne waiting for him. Just above it was the special rack for his sword. It was oriented in such a way that the sword would hang vertically by the guard, the blade pointing down to his throne.

Jack reached for the blade along his waist and his fingers wrapped around the cool metal of the grip, pulling it free with a metallic ringing sound. Many in the crowd now gasped at seeing the blade, knowing the sword by the symbol of Galicia on the pommel. Jack raised it high for all of them to see, holding the sword by the blade until he turned toward the rack and carefully slid the blade into place.

The effect on the crowd was thunderous. At that moment, the entire hall clapped and cheered with a reverence that surprised him. By placing his sword on the wall above his throne, he'd just shown the entire country that their sovereign had been restored.

Galicia had her king again. What was once lost had been found.

Before he could take his seat, one more thing had to be done. Jack gestured to Vera in the front row who was once again holding little John. She walked toward the dais with the small infant, carefully placing him into Jack's arms. With his son now in tow, Jack returned to his throne and held the boy for all of them to see.

"The heir to the throne, John Kincardine!" called out Kat, her smile beaming in wonder.

The cheering and clapping from the crowd continued for nearly ten minutes. Jack looked out on the crowd as he took his throne only to see tears in the eyes of many of them, clearly never expecting to see such a day in their lifetimes.

In a way, it was entirely satisfying. From first finding out about his destiny, Jack had never thought this day would come. Galicia had always been the place that was just out of reach--the pipe dream that seemed like it would never come to fruition. But now as he looked out on the leadership of the country, that dream had finally been realized.

There was hope in Galicia once more.

With that hope came the promise of a new beginning.

Once the clapping had died down, Jack made a motion to stand. He took over Kat's spot and looked out on the crowd, studying their faces. He knew all of them would now look to his leadership, and now was the best time of any to tell them what kind of king he was going to be.

"I didn't expect that my life would turn out this way," started Jack as he made an effort to meet the eyes of the gathered lords. "For a good portion of it, I didn't even know about my link to Galicia. I knew I was different because of my appearance but it was only recently that I learned the truth about myself and who my family really was."

"I haven't had the luxury of preparing to be your king. Ever since that day that I found out the truth, I've been embroiled in this war against Swabia, trying to ensure that free peoples all across the West were kept out of the clutches of our ancient enemy."

Jack let out a deep breath. "But kingship? That was always the last thing on my mind. This was a day that was long in the making but one that I thought might never truly come. I don't stand here in front of you now with a wealth of knowledge about how to be a good king. That will have to come with time. I can promise you this though--I will surround myself with the best of the best in an effort to be the king that you deserve. I can't promise you that I'll always make the decision you want me to make but I can promise you that I will always keep Galicia first in my mind for those decisions. I will be a fair king if nothing else, and I will do all that I can to help us weather this storm."

"This war that we're entrenched in now is happening because the Swabians decided that their islands are not big enough for them. They've decided that they want to conquer the lands of the West and enslave the peoples already living there. We've seen this kind of conflict before in our history, and Galicia has always risen to the challenge, standing with the free peoples of the West every time."

Jack let out another deep breath. "It's one challenge that I will continue to answer. I won't allow the Swabians to march unchecked across the lands of allies. I will do all that I can to take this war back to Swabia and make them feel the very devastation that they wish to inflict upon others. Galicia will assume her rightful place as the leader of this alliance and we will no longer shirk our duties from the rest of the West."

A small smile parted Jack's lips. "Lords and ladies, Galicia has returned."

The effect of that last statement was deafening. There wasn't a single soul in the entire grand hallway that wasn't clapping with all their might. Tears streamed down the cheeks of lords and ladies alike, and in that ancient castle, hope blossomed again.

Galicia was truly back and her will was about to be forced on her ancient nemesis.

*****

As the people of Galicia thundered for their new king, a similar kind of reception was playing out for the new Javan emperor across the sea.

Bancroft was awaiting good news that had been expected for quite some time now. So far, it had been a week of only good news, which was a welcome change from last week when it seemed only bad news was making his desk. The Tyrol rebellion had reached new heights and was now trying his reserve of patience, but recent changes in leadership there would have the desired effect in the long run.

This week though had started with the news of the successful invasion of Ruthenia. Admiral Nick Reynolds had overseen the operation, guiding the transport force from the eastern Thessalian city of Worchester. Before the invasion fleet sailed, he'd removed any threat of Ruthenian ships from the target area, ensuring the fleet came to Ruthenia unmolested and completely intact.

A new Javan force was now operating on the shores of Ruthenia just north of their capital city of Merv. With a good portion of their army removed from Ruthenia (having been sent to the aid of their northern ally), Bancroft wasn't expecting a long campaign before the Ruthenians were subjugated.

Of crucial importance to their subjugation was the fact that their northern ally of Occitania was on the brink of surrender. Bancroft's campaign of terror against their capital city of Montauban was finally having the desired effect, and the general in command of the campaign had dispatched a message of how they'd reached out for a temporary ceasefire in order to talk surrender terms. That general was meeting with the Occitanian Emperor this morning, and Bancroft was awaiting the surrender document with bated breath.

With the Occitanians out of the picture entirely, the Ruthenians would know they couldn't stand a chance on their own. With the Ruthenian surrender would come the final end to this war that had drained so much of the resources and manpower of Java.

It would also mean the total ascendancy of Java as the greatest power in the entire world, no longer shackled by its neighbors. Their attempt to destroy Java in a two-front war had failed utterly, and now Bancroft looked forward to a long reign with Java as the preeminent world power.

Just as expected, Mortimus arrived in Bancroft's study a short while later carrying a short dispatch from the field. Mortimus managed to cross the distance to Bancroft's desk without stumbling, a pleasant surprise for the otherwise dense and clumsy servant.

"Your Imperial Majesty, I've just received this dispatch moments ago," said Mortimus as he handed over the paper. "The Occitanian surrender is complete. The war in the north is over."

Bancroft could barely contain his excitement. He clapped his hands together gleefully and leaned back in his chair. Nothing could spoil his mood to end a war that, at one time, looked like it was going to go against Java.

There were many that remembered the blockade of Aberdeen, which was the critical turning point of the war that would eventually lead to Java's total victory. An array of experienced commanders (Bancroft included) were the reason for victory that day, setting the table forthis day to eventually arrive.

The smile dropped from Bancroft's face as he remembered another commander who was largely to credit for the victory that day. At Aberdeen, Jack Easterbrook was the quintessential Javan hero, a commander that combined equal measures of skill and courage to achieve his results.

And now, he was a mutineer, a rebel against his own country. The lack of response from his task force had truly meant that he'd turned his back on Java.

Bancroft could only shake his head. He had a feeling all that foolishness in the Fourth Vector would go to his head. It would have been impossible for Jack to turn down that beautiful blonde woman that he brought back with him to Java, thereby implanting that story about his fictional kingship into his brain and putting him on this current path.

Still, Jack should've known better. He should have been able to remember his true calling as a Javan officer.

Now, he was quite beyond the help of Bancroft. In fact, he was beyond anyone's help now.

"Mortimus, I want you to put out a bulletin to every officer in the armed forces," said Bancroft as his decision formed. "I want you to announce that from this day forward, Admiral Jack Easterbrook is to be considered in rebellion against the Javan Empire. His entire task force is now considered an enemy force as well as the men and women that sail with him, Abigail Wainwright and Greg Vaughn included. It will be my order that any Javan force that encounters them will engage with them and seek to kill them as well as sink their vessels. There will be no quarter or mercy for anyone who rebels against the Javan Empire. Can you put that out for tomorrow morning's bulletin?"

Mortimus nodded. "Of course, Sire. I will see it done."

"Very good, you're dismissed."

Bancroft turned his chair to look outside to the city of Belfort. There was no going back now. His one-time protege was now his declared enemy and he would hunt Jack and his forces to the edges of the world, even if that meant he had to send the entire Javan Navy into the Fourth Vector.

"One way or another, Jack, I'm going to hunt you down like a rabid dog," muttered Bancroft in a low voice.

No one was allowed to turn their back on their emperor.