Fourth Vector Ch. 39

Thankfully, Colin was the latter type of admiral. He wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty, and the thought of engaging with the Swabians had the man foaming at the mouth and ready for action.

Where they were going, it was highly likely they would run into Swabian warships, and that's why Colin volunteered to lead the ships in the task force while Greg led the contingent of Javan marines with them.

"I just got a fresh dispatch from the King," said Colin as he sat down next to Greg's desk. "It appears that our mission just got more important."

Greg raised an eyebrow. "More important? How do you figure?"

"It looks like his suspicions were confirmed," said Colin as he read from the dispatch. "There weren't any Swabians in Daban. Not one."

Greg's mouth almost dropped. "Where's the Swabian Army then? Zarah? Where else could they be?"

"According to this, the Swabians have started to evacuate Picardy. I guess they knew we were coming and we were going to outnumber them pretty severely," said Colin. "They pulled out of Daban three weeks ago, heading for Zarah first."

"Three weeks ago," muttered Greg as his mind raced. "How long does it take to get from Daban to Zarah?"

"For an army that size? A couple weeks no doubt," said Colin.

"So we could still have a chance here," said Greg. "Except we might run into the whole Swabian Army in Zarah, not an empty city."

"And if there are warships and transports there, it would surely make for good shooting," said Colin with a wide grin.

"Then good, we'll have to make for Zarah with all possible speed," said Greg. "How far away are we now?"

"We can be there in two days," said Colin. "That's going at max speed. With this new information, I'm going to put the men on high alert. There's a good chance we're going to run into a fight."

Greg started to chuckle. "Don't look so happy about that. There will be plenty of Swabians to go around from the sounds of it."

Colin grinned again. "We can only hope."

*****

The next two days passed by slowly for just about everyone in Greg's task force. Anxiety was high amongst the entire force, and most of them expected to see Swabian ships on the horizon at any time. Some were even looking forward to a potential battle.

All of them would be disappointed by the time they arrived in Zarah.

"Greg, I'm showing no signs of enemy warships in the harbor," said Colin as they neared the southern Picard city. "In fact, the harbor looks nearly empty. Nothing on the radar either."

Greg stood on the bridge of the ship and peered over at the city. Even from this distance, it appeared to be nothing more than a typical Picard city. Zarah was nowhere near as large as Daban but it could still boast of being the second city of Picardy.

And right now, it showed no signs of Swabians either.

"Let's bring the ships in closer," said Greg. "I'm not convinced the Swabians have entirely escaped yet."

The ships of the Allied task force moved into the harbor where not one sign of resistance was given. At the given command, Greg led the Javan marines from the ships to shore, landing in the soft sand just outside the city. They were met not with a hail of bullets but instead with a chorus of welcoming chants from a grateful populace.

The citizens of Zarah looked too thin for Greg's liking but they were most excited to see the faces of the new arrivals, especially once they figured out they weren't Swabian.

However, their excitement led to Greg's disappointment, especially when they let slip that the Swabians had already left four days ago.

"Four days? Tell me you're joking," said Greg to one odd-looking Picard man with a handlebar mustache.

The man didn't understand Greg's frustration and nodded his head joyously. "Can you believe it? We're free! No more Swabians in Picardy!"

That was exactly what Greg didn't want to hear. At least, not yet. He wanted to destroy the army they had in Picardy, not let it get away.

By nightfall, almost all of Zarah had been secured, and just like Jack in Daban, Greg saw no signs of Swabian resistance in Zarah.

He almost hated to send a dispatch back to Jack to let him know the Swabians got away. It had been crucial to their plan to trap another group of Swabians in Picardy, preventing Emperor Avila from using them to defend Swabia. And now, it would seem that General Ferberg's battle-hardened army would be back in Swabia now, waiting for their next move.

Despite Picardy being now free, it put a damper on Greg's mission.

Knowing he couldn't avoid it forever, Greg finally composed the dispatch to Jack to let him know about the change in situation. He spared none of the details and even asked if they could chase after the Swabian force that left, now only four days in front of them.

Greg thought it likely that Jack would let him go after the Swabians. After all, if he could catch their transports at sea, there was a good chance they could still destroy what was left of Ferberg's army. All he needed was a lucky break to be able to catch them before they arrived in Swabia.

To his surprise though, Jack didn't want him to chase the Swabians. The reply dispatch came not much more than an hour after he sent the first one, and Jack seemed to have made his mind up quickly on Greg's next task.

There was only one line on the dispatch, one that Greg understood completely. Jack asked him to carry out Plan B.

"Well, I guess I might see some action yet," mumbled Greg as he digested the plan. He didn't wait very long until he found Colin to let him know the news.

"Get the force ready to move out," he told the admiral. "We have another mission to execute."

*****

The people of Daban weren't the only ones excited to see the return of the Allied Army.

Someone else was just as pleased, and he watched the morning procession as Allied soldiers made their way to and from the palace.

Alvin the assassin stood carefully planted against the wall of a small market. His arms were crossed as he studied his prey but he was careful not to give off too much of an image of someone on the job. To counter such thoughts, he had his left foot firmly planted against the wall, and he occasionally looked over at the market as the smell of breakfast drifted across his nose.

By now, Alvin had been in Picardy a scant two weeks but he'd already figured out the lay of the land. While there were many that called the inhabitants of the Fourth Vector "savage", Alvin found no evidence of such a description. Most of the Fourthies were eerily similar in technology and outlook to his people back in Java. Picard cities looked a whole lot like Javan cities, and he found himself instantly at home amongst the urban populace.

He even liked the women. Picardy seemed to be famous for producing pale-skinned redheads and by now they were quite good at it. On a typical day, Alvin saw no less than ten of them that he would like to bed, and that was usually just in the first half of the day. Most of them were a little skinny--the result of not having enough food. Quite a few were clearly deranged from the Swabian occupation as well, no doubt being victims of rape and cruel treatment but on the whole, Alvin greatly preferred Picard pussy to the barren desert that was Quiller's Cove.

It hadn't been that hard to get to Picardy despite the wider war going on. Alvin left Quiller's aboard a trading ship that was bound for Carinthia. He found the ship wasn't going to be making a stop in Picardy because of the occupation so he hired a private captain to take him across the sea at great personal expense. However, once he landed in Daban, he found that the occupying power--Swabia--had only recently left, leaving the city open for any new invader.

It couldn't have been a more perfect situation. When news arrived in Daban only two days prior that the Allied fleet had entered Daban bay, Alvin knew it was only a matter of time until he found Jack Easterbrook.

Sure enough, he wasn't disappointed. Alvin hired a few different boys around the city to keep watch on places where Jack was supposed to be. One boy was stationed at the docks while another was put near the palace. They were young and in need of money, and Alvin found that they would be satisfied with mere pocket change in payment for being his watchful eyes.

He was even thrilled yesterday once both boys came to report that they'd seen someone matching Jack's description. The funny thing about all of it was that Jack wasn't even wearing the uniform of a naval admiral. Instead, he looked to be wearing a kingly uniform, one made up of a royal blue doublet and white silk sash.

So Bancroft's intelligence was accurate. Easterbrook reallydid think he was a king.

Alvin shrugged. It didn't matter to him. Kings died just as easily as admirals, sometimes even more so.

After he paid one of the boys to stay home for the day, Alvin took up his personal reconnaissance on the palace, finding this post next to the small market to give him the best vantage point.

The only issue with it was the annoying behavior of the proprietor.

"Come over now, my friend!" said the older man who ran the joint. He was manning an outdoor grill, and the smell of sausages was thick in the air. "Best breakfast sausage you've ever had! Good price too! Come and eat!"

Alvin held up his hand in annoyance. If there was another vantage point that gave him an equal view of the palace, he would have moved. The old man kept trying to get his attention so he could purchase something from his store, but Alvin wasn't about to let himself get distracted.

Especially at a time like now, when there was a flurry of activity in the front of the palace. Alvin tuned out the old man and focused his full attention, recognizing the Picard soldiers at the front by their color of uniform. Another man soon came out, and this one was recognizable by the great red beard and a similar kingly uniform. Alvin knew it to be King Aedan of Picardy, newly returned to the country as part of Jack's force.

Behind the king came Alvin's first sight of his quarry. Jack Easterbrook followed him out of the palace, matching every description he had of the man. He was the only Javan that Alvin had ever seen with blond hair, making him easy to recognize. It was that blond hair that led to his acceptance of a Fourthie throne, at least according to Bancroft.

Easterbrook didn't last long in front of the palace. He parted ways with Aedan and soon left on his own, heading in the direction of the harbor. The man would be most vulnerable in the city except there was one small problem.

He had a heavy security detail around him at all times.

Alvin counted as many as eight men around Easterbrook at all times, and judging by their movements, they were well-trained in the art of protection. Two men were always in front of him, behind him, and on either side of Easterbrook at all times.

Alvin let out a deep sigh. It would make any close-quarters killing extremely complicated. There was no way he'd be able to get close enough to sink a knife in Easterbrook's back, at least if he wanted to make it out alive. He'd have to do something longer range.

As he was still contemplating what to use, Easterbrook left his line of sight and disappeared for good. Alvin wasn't tempted to follow along. His boy was still posted at the harbor and would let him know if that was where he ended up going. For now, Alvin wanted to understand Easterbrook's daily routine and look for ways that he could ambush him without getting into a larger entanglement with his security force.

"My friend, you must try these sausages! Succulent and delicious, the best in all of Picardy!"

Alvin scowled as the piece of meat was lifted to his nose and waved about his face. He was tempted to strike the owner, perhaps reserving his knife for use on the annoying man, but seeing as his job for the morning was already done, Alvin left the corner and headed in a different direction.

Satisfied with his current level of intelligence, Alvin walked back to the small hovel that he currently called his home. Hovel was putting it nicely. It was in the poor section of town and the door to the front barely closed when he left. The bed inside was lumpy and the entire dwelling smelt like spoiled fish. Alvin would have been more concerned if he spent more time in the hovel than he did. Usually, he spent the nights at some woman's place, depending on who he'd managed to pick up in the process.

After taking a siesta through the late morning and early afternoon hours, Alvin found himself in the mood for a drink. He made his way to his favorite watering hole not far from the hovel, one that boasted a lively crowd and usually beautiful Picard women that emerged in the nighttime hours.

Sure enough, the place didn't disappoint. By evening, it was full of redheaded Picard girls ready to have a good time and make bad decisions. Alvin had his sights trained on one in particular--a busty girl with too much of two things--freckles and cleavage. He was just about to make his move when he felt someone slap his shoulder.

He whizzed around his stool and came face-to-face with someone he recognized instantly.

It was a girl he'd bedded three nights ago. Her name escaped him but that was not surprising. He usually never bothered to learn their names.

Her expression was one of mock indignity.

"You have some nerve showing up back here again, Alvin!" she said while firmly planting her hands on her hips. "How dare you come back here!"

Alvin could tell that she wasn't really angry and this was more of a show than anything else. That helped him form his next response.

"There you are, I was hoping to run into you again," said Alvin as he put on his best seductive smile.

She wasn't buying it yet. "Like hell you were! You have a lot of nerve for what you did. How dare you..." She leaned in closer and lowered her voice. "How dare you fuck me so good and slip out before I woke up? Who does that?"

"Someone with a severe lack of people skills," quipped Alvin, which actually caused her to giggle.

"I'll certainly say," she said, lowering her voice as her eyes showed fiery passion. "So what caused you to leave so quickly, huh? Have a wife and kids to get home to?"

It was the fact that I'd already came and I was done with you, thought Alvin. The words that left his lips were actually a little different than that.

"What's a guy supposed to do when he wakes up in a strange girl's bed? I was scared and vulnerable and I had to leave," said Alvin, although his tone of voice gave every indication that it was nothing short of a joke.

She actually snorted. "You really expect me to believe that level of bullshit?"

"Why not? You believed every other line of bullshit I gave you that night," replied Alvin quickly.

She giggled again and playfully nudged his shoulder. By this time, her mock indignity faded away and it was on once again. Rather, it would have been on if Alvin wanted it to be on. He wasn't one to go back to the same girl he'd already had. This one in front of him wasn't the best lay despite having a fantastic ass and an extremely snug pussy.

Across the room, he still had his eyes on the other cleavage girl, and at this very moment, she was making eyes back at him.

Alvin tried to politely excuse himself from Snug Pussy but every time he tried to get away, she followed in his shadow. At one point, he even managed to talk to Cleavage but then Snug Pussy wormed her way into the conversation, and even worse, she somehow let slip that she was sleeping with Alvin.

Alvin watched the interest go out of Cleavage's eyes once he appeared to be spoken for. Highly annoyed now, he resumed his place at the bar and started to actually be mean to Snug Pussy instead of just being playfully insulting.

Unfortunately, Snug Pussy couldn't discern playful from serious and thought he was still being his usual combative self. That led to her inviting him back over for another round as the bar closed.

"And don't you leave this time," she pestered him as she looped her arm in his. "I want to have morning sex with you and then maybe a good breakfast. I know a perfect place for us. Do you like breakfast sausage?"

Alvin resisted the urge to groan but he already had plans for the girl. Upon arrival at her apartment that was only blocks away from his crummy shack, she wasted no time in getting undressed. The sex was decent this time around, but Alvin couldn't resist the terrible feelings of deja vu.

By the time it was over, he rolled out of bed to get some water.

She was looking at him when he got back. Her lips were parted into a smug smile. "Bet you regret not staying that first morning now, don't you? Wasn't that sex great?"

Alvin had enough. He shook his head and grabbed one of the pillows on the bed. "No, you actually fucked up my night entirely."

Without any fanfare, he jumped on the bed, positioned his body over hers, and stuffed the pillow against her face.

She struggled for more than a minute until the lack of oxygen caused her to go limp. He kept the pillow against her face tightly until he was sure she was dead. When he removed it, her face was purple in pallor and she had the most ghastly expression on her face.

"That will teach you not to cockblock again, you stupid twat," spat Alvin as he gathered his things and left.

*****

"You have no idea how happy I am to be standing here, Jack! History has been made again!"

Jack couldn't help but grin as the excitable Picard King looked around his throne room. It was the first time since the invasion that the two men had the chance to take stock of their fortunes. And what a fortune it was.

The capital city of Daban was firmly in their hands. Not only that, but since receiving Greg's transmission, it was clear that all the Swabians had left Picardy, rendering the entire country under their sovereignty.

"How long has it been since there haven't been any Swabians in the country?" asked Jack. "At least since we met, right?"

"At least," replied Aedan. "I foolishly let them in under their guise as traders and it's been downhill ever since. Well, not anymore."

Aedan gazed with some pride around his throne room as if it were the first time he'd laid eyes upon it. It was a moment that was long in the making, and it had even sparked several verbal confrontations between the two of them on how long it would take before Picardy could be liberated.

Now that they were back, Jack could look forward to finally closing the page on this chapter and moving forward.

"I've just gotten word that our ships are approaching Naxos now," said Jack, relaying the information of the last dispatch he'd received. "I've given orders to go light on the soldiers in the second wave and bring over as much food as they can. I have a feeling that Daban will need it in the coming days."

Aedan's face brightened. "A wise move, I thank you for that, Jack. Yes, we don't have as much need for soldiers right now, do we? I don't think anyone expected to see Picardy open up this easily."

"Maybe just the Swabians," said Jack, causing the Picard King to chuckle.

"They will get their comeuppance soon enough," Aedan promised. "It won't be an easy road but it'll hardly be the first time this alliance has taken the war to their home islands."

"I hope it'll be the last time," said Jack. "And soon enough we'll get there. We've come all this way already. It's too soon to stop now."

Aedan nodded. "Soon," he mumbled while staring off into the distance. When he caught himself, he looked back over at Jack. "What is on your schedule today? Can you stay to eat breakfast?"

Jack shook his head. "Unfortunately, I can't. I have some personal matters to attend to before anything else."

Jack left it at that without adding any more detail. The personal matters involved Kat, Abigail, and their little spat. He'd called them both together so that he could finally get them to bury the hatchet. He was tired of sleeping in bed with only one or the other and he'd resolved to put an end to it.