Fourth Vector Ch. 37

He could very well spare a daydream about the girl without putting it in action, right? After all, that was the difference between him and the likes of Charles and George. He could keep his urges in check.

Bancroft was still debating the subject internally when his next visitor arrived. He was crestfallen to see that it wasn't Jade returning and the actual new arrival did little to raise his mood.

Severus Jacobs was a well-known man to Bancroft and that was the reason he wasn't happy to see him. Severus was the owner of the largest supplier of military equipment to the Javan Army, his conglomerate owning the companies that made the rifles, uniforms, and helmets. He also had a large stake in the company that provided the meal kits to the armed forces. In short, Severus Jacobs kept the army running as it was supposed to, but his appearance today could only spell trouble.

In fact, it was Bancroft who'd summoned Severus after a devastating run of shortages left his forces in Occitania without the proper winter clothing. From the reports from his generals, the situation seemed to be getting worse instead of better, prompting the audience.

"What's going on out there, Severus?" asked Bancroft from the start, skipping the pleasantries. "The cases of frostbite and other winter-related injuries in my army are at an all-time high. I have entire units that don't have good winter clothing and now my generals tell me many of the new recruits are showing up without rifles. Why can't you keep my soldiers supplied?"

Severus sat down in front of Bancroft's desk, his hefty frame spilling over the arm rests. He looked back with beady eyes. "Your Imperial Majesty, we are facing shortages like never before. It's a situation that's becoming more critical by the day and something we don't have an answer for right now."

"What shortages?" snapped Bancroft. "How can you possibly have any shortages? You need raw materials?"

Severus shook his head. "We needed raw materials at the beginning of the war but my main issue now is one of manpower. We don't have enough people in my factories. Output is down across the board because we don't have enough people to do the jobs needed to keep up with demand."

"That sounds like a simple problem to fix," replied Bancroft. "Raise your wages. You'll find workers soon enough."

Severus flinched and shook his head. "We've done that already, Sire. In fact, we've done it twice. We have no margin left over to support another price increase and we're still short on bodies. With so many men conscripted in Java's armies right now, there aren't enough left over to fill our factories."

"Then start hiring women," replied Bancroft with a careless shrug. "Women can do the jobs just as well and there are very few of them in my armed forces. Put more women in the factories."

"It's not that simple, Sire," replied Severus. "We can get women right now but they don't stay very long. Most of them still need to care for their families to some degree and can't work the long hours of the shifts."

Bancroft raised his hands. "I'm already tired of listening to your excuses, Severus. I can't have shortages in my armed forces, especially not now when the wars are getting close to being won. A shortage could reverse the entire course of the war. You need to get your house in order and keep my soldiers supplied."

Severus bowed his head nervously. "Sire, any help that you can provide for workers would go a long way. That's why I'm here today. I need you to help find me workers. I've done everything in my power to do so but I need the help of the Javan state."

Bancroft looked at him with his mouth wide open. "What would you have me do, Severus? I've already started to conscript my armies. You want me to conscript workers too?"

Severus nodded rapidly. "Anything, Sire. We need the help. If you want your armies to be supplied adequately, decisive action is needed today!"

Bancroft strummed his fingers against his desk while he considered the proposal. He could quite easily put together an order to get Severus the labor he needed but he was now trying to weigh the costs of doing so. What downside would there be to such an order?

The people would be upset at the increased rate of conscription. But bugger the people. This is wartime and the needs of the country come first.

If Severus got his way, other leading industrialists might get the same idea and come begging to him for similar orders. Bugger the other industrialists. Bancroft was the emperor and he would determine who really needed help and who didn't.

By the sounds of things, Severus really needed the help. And the army was the most important institution in Java right now.

"Very well," said Bancroft after a deep sigh. "You'll get your order. How many bodies do you need?"

"Between my factories in Belfort, Lockhaven, and Aberdeen, approximately eight thousand people," answered Severus quickly, as if he was keeping the figures in his head.

"Fine, I want you to send me a breakdown of how many are needed in each individual city," replied Bancroft. "Only then will I instigate the order. I'll make sure you get all the people you need."

Severus looked like someone whose wildest dream had just come true. "Thank you, Your Imperial Majesty! You won't regret this at all! Your armies will soon have all the supplies they need!"

Bancroft stared back at the man. "They'd better. I'm going to give you all the tools you need to finish the job, Severus. If I find that we're still having problems when you have the labor you need, you and I are going to have words."

The pleased look on Severus' face disappeared. He nodded quickly and thanked Bancroft one more time before exiting the room.

With a shake of the head, Bancroft jotted down the note for the conscripted labor and would leave the details for later. It didn't seem to bother him that this would be the first such order in Javan history and could set a dangerous precedent. As far as he was concerned, Java needed her people to do their duty. The state was more important than any one individual, and he would return to them their freedoms after the war was over.

There was one last visitor to Bancroft's study that morning and it was the familiar face of Clark that entered the room. As sullen as usual, Clark at last seemed to accept his place as second-in-command and stopped his more petulant attitude once Bancroft let him know that he wouldn't tolerate it any longer. Ever since then, Clark had resumed his more usual reserved behavior, and their relationship continued on like it had before (although never as good as it was before the war).

"What news do you bring to me this morning, Clark?" asked Bancroft as he looked up briefly. "I'm putting a current moratorium on any bad news. Only bring me good news for now."

Clark either didn't find the humor in his statement or didn't care. He dropped a dispatch on Bancroft's desk. "This just in from Admiral Reynolds, sir. He has volunteered to lead his fleet into the Fourth Vector to hunt down the rebel Easterbrook."

"Did he now?" asked Bancroft as he read the dispatch. "And does he forget that he's currently prosecuting the war in Ruthenia?"

"He does not, sir, but his enthusiasm for hunting rebels seems to have amplified once Easterbrook became the prize to be caught. I believe the enmity between the two men is driving it."

Bancroft nodded his head. "You're right about that one. Reynolds couldn't stand the man even before Jack got on my bad side. As much as I would love to give Reynolds the permission to wield the knife, he's needed elsewhere. He needs to bring the Ruthenian conflict to a satisfying conclusion. Besides, I have other plans for Easterbrook."

Clark raised his eyebrow. "Such as?"

Bancroft shrugged. "Why send an entire fleet to do the job when only a handful need to die? I've already dispatched an agent to Quiller's Cove with a mission in hand. I have every confidence that he can finish the job."

"What agent?" asked Clark. "What is his task?"

Bancroft smiled. "He has the same mission as I gave the man who took care of the Crown Prince. Let's see if we can bag us another kill."

*****

The day after Evelyn's arrival, Jack held his long-awaited council about the next stage of the Swabian War. It was a cold winter afternoon, and Jack could see icicles hanging off the top of the window from his study in the Castle.

Today's decision would be crucial for all of them. The question of whether to attack south to Swabia or attack east to Picardy had dominated most discussion as of late and there seemed to not be a clear consensus from the group. Today, they would have to figure out the next plan. The Swabians wouldn't wait forever for them to make up their minds.

With that in mind, Jack convened all the members of the Royal Council to debate the topic at hand. This was only the second time the Royal Council had met. The first time was in the immediate aftermath of Jack's coronation when he recreated the council and assigned which members would sit in it. For now, it was made up of the most trusted people that Jack had.

The first two members of the council were the future queens of Galicia, Kat and Abigail. Not just because they would be sovereigns of the country in short order due to their impending nuptials but also from the value they brought to the council. Kat knew the Galician people inside and out, and having ruled the country for a period of time, her experience was invaluable. Abigail was one of the most experienced naval officers he had, and her opinion on which direction to strike would hold a lot of weight.

The next member of the council was going to be Bill Calland. The older lord had a lifetime of experience on the inner workings of the Galician government. He was also Jack's unofficial historian of Galicia, and his input was critical to making sure Jack's decisions were rooted in reality.

The last three members of the council were Jack's leading commanders. Greg and Art were preeminent on land while Russell was the leading figure on sea. Their collective advice on military matters would be priceless.

With all the members of the council now in the room, Jack gave a short nod to Ben Torben, who promptly closed the door and stood guard outside. Ben was now the head of Jack's security, a role that he took very seriously going all the way back to their time in Samara. So far, he'd proven his worth as an excellent security deputy, and Jack quite enjoyed the younger man's personality as well.

"Thank you all for coming," started Jack as he looked around the room. Every member of the council was seated at a circular table where Jack enjoyed the senior position as the king. "You all know why we're here today. It's a topic of discussion that we've all talked about lately in some form or another. The way I see it, we have two options available to us right now, two ways that we can continue the war with aggressive action on our part. To that end, we can either attack south directly at Swabia and land an army on her soil. Or we can attack east and liberate the island of Picardy from her grasp. Both options have merit and this isn't an easy decision, which is why I'm leaning on the council to debate our options."

Jack paused for a moment to look around the room. "With that being said, let's begin. Does anyone feel strongly about one path in particular?"

No one answered that question immediately but after a few moments of silence, Art was the first to speak. "I think the southern option is the better one. Especially now that their navy has been temporarily removed from the seas. We have an open path to land an army just about anywhere in the Swabian islands. Lindau and Selz are the closest to Galician soil. Why shouldn't we take the war to Swabia?"

"Selz is definitely an option," said Jack. "Most of their army was destroyed in Apulia so it would be quite defenseless."

"Would we gain anything by landing there though?" asked Greg quietly.

"What do you mean by that, Greg?" asked Bill.

"I mean, we know their army is practically nonexistent," said Greg. "Selz might be defenseless but what purpose could we derive from landing there? Do they have massive supplies of food that we can use? Arms? Munitions? Besides taking over a portion of Swabian soil, what advantage does Selz offer to us?"

There was a moment of silence after that as everyone considered Greg's question. Jack was the first to break it.

"Greg brings up a good point. We should use the next landing as a place where we could get some kind of advantage out of it. If Selz doesn't offer it, then why should we land there?"

"It's the closest island to Galicia," said Russell. "It would be incredibly symbolic to our army to have it taken. That kind of symbolism would be great for morale so there's some kind of advantage there even if it's not material."

"True but any kind of victory we seek will also add to morale," replied Greg. "We can have a morale booster and get some kind of material advantage if we pick our next move correctly."

"Then what about the island of Lindau?" asked Kat. "It used to be Galician at one point and it's supposedly the richest island in the entire Swabian Empire. It's also very close to Galicia and its fall would be both symbolic and give us the material advantage we're looking for."

"Lindau is an option," said Jack as he looked around the room. "What is the feeling on invading the island?"

"In a word? Distance," replied Russ.

"Can you explain your reasoning, Russ?"

The admiral nodded. "Lindau is far to the south of here and it's a relatively isolated island in terms of geography. If we move the bulk of our forces that far south to take Lindau, we will open up Apulia or even a good portion of Galicia to another Swabian incursion. Lindau would be a nice conquest but I see it as more of a secondary theater. It shouldn't be our main focus."

"Aye, I'd have to agree with Russell on that one," added Bill. "If our goal is to get to Dagobern eventually by the shortest possible path, Lindau would take us far out of our way. It would almost add time to the war just to conquer it. Perhaps that's something better off for the men that are already in the south in the city of Liera. It's so close to Lindau that they can attempt a conquest while we pick another target."

Jack took a look at the map of Swabia in front of him and found himself nodding. "There's a lot of sense in what you both just said. It sounds like as a group we're swinging against Lindau and Selz, which puts a significant dent in the southern option."

"We could also just make straight for Dagobern," said Abigail quietly.

The entire council looked directly at her, which caused some red to appear in her cheeks. "I'm serious," she said after a moment. "I was there when we bloodied the nose of the Swabian fleet. If this has truly bought us some time, why not just make for Dagobern directly? It's the most direct path we have and this window will afford us the opportunity."

Before she'd even finished speaking, Bill was shaking his head. "Dagobern is also their chief port. Just because the fleet is there in port doesn't mean they can't fire their guns at any landing force. I wouldn't assault Dagobern directly at this time. Their capital would be a tough nut to crack in that kind of situation and our casualties would be too high."

"So much for a shorter time frame on ending the war," said Jack. "By the way I see it, Dagobern, Selz, and Lindau are all off the table. One option is too risky, and the others are more sideshows than anything else. I'd have to say that from this data, the southern option is completely off the table. Does anyone disagree?"

Several of them shook their heads. Kat was the only one to offer a verbal no to answer his question.

"Okay then, let's talk about going east," said Jack. "Picardy is the obvious target. We can rest assured that King Aedan will be all for getting back to his homeland, and Hendrick Tysen of Samara has already authorized taking the Samaran force to Picardy. So what roadblocks do we have?"

"A potential advantage was that we've already destroyed half of that force," said Greg. "Half of that Swabian force in Picardy landed in Marmora to reinforce Godric Katla and was destroyed. Whatever is left on Picardy can't be very strong."

"And no doubt we'll dwarf whatever is left," added Bill.

"We'd also benefit from shorter supply lines than the Swabians," added Russ. "Now that Apulia is free, they can be the breadbasket for the army. The Swabians would have to bring in food and supplies from further away, especially since Picardy is probably in poor shape after so much war."

"So far I'm hearing only advantages," said Jack. "What about disadvantages? What are potential threats to our forces?"

"They do have the most potent military mind in Swabia on Picardy," said Art. "General Ambros Ferberg is their top general. Even if he only has half an army, he can still make us bleed with his knowledge of tactics and strategy."

"That's not to mention they probably have all of our captured airplanes and tanks from the last conflict," said Abigail. "We had to leave a good portion behind when we left. I'm sure they've made good on their use by now."

"Greg brings up a good point," said Kat. "How do we know that Ferberg hasn't been reinforced in Picardy? For all we know, the numbers that he gave up to go to Apulia have already been put back into the country. He could still have a bigger army than we realize."

"True, but I doubt he has an army that can compete with our force now," said Jack. "Even if he doubled his force, he'd still be at twenty thousand at most. At fifty-five thousand, we'd be at a considerable advantage."

"We still shouldn't take Ferberg lightly," warned Art. "He does have a reputation, Jack. Ferberg was Avila's leading general. He was the one that put together Avila's surprise attack on Dagobern that won him the imperial throne. He's not someone that we can underestimate at all."

Jack nodded. "Even with Ferberg and potential reinforcements, the eastern option is seeming more likely. We have too much to gain from taking Picardy back from our enemy."

"Not to mention, the other half of our army is already in Monticello in Apulia," said Greg. "All we have to do is make a short jaunt past Naxos and we'll be there in no time."

It was Greg's words that made Jack start to think. The mention of the country of Naxos gave him an idea that hadn't been mentioned up until this point.

An idea that was worth exploring.

"What a second," said Jack as he put his hand on the desk. "We'll be going past Naxos. Do we know how many men the Swabians keep there?"

Bill took a moment to think it over before he replied. "It can't be that many, Jack. The island has been pacified and it's not that big to start with. There can't be more than a couple thousand at most, I'd imagine."

"I agree with Bill," said Art. "Naxos wouldn't consume that many men for the Swabian war machine."

Jack snapped his fingers. "I have an idea then. A way that we can still strike east and liberate Picardy while I also uphold a promise I made to someone many months ago."

Kat gave him a confused look. "What are you talking about, Jack?"

It only took him about five minutes to explain but by the time he was finished, everyone was on the same page.

They were still going to invade Picardy but their first stop would be in Naxos first. Jack would take a small portion of his fleet and army and rid the country of Swabians, just as he promised old King Gaius of Naxos that he would. That would give the army and the navy enough time to assemble on Apulia and make the crossing over to Picardy.

"We should get moving on this operation as soon as we can though," said Jack. "But first, there's one more item we need to discuss. We need to talk about tanks and airplanes."