Fourth Vector Ch. 39

"No glory was stolen," replied Nikias. "But it is nice to see that our alliances are still intact. We hoped that Jack hadn't forgotten us."

"I can assure that he hasn't," said Greg. "We've had our hands full. In the last six months, we've freed Apulia, Naxos, and Picardy, and we've also had a short jaunt over to Galicia so that Jack could depose the hated regent and take his crown. We've certainly been busy."

Nikias' mouth dropped open. "So it would seem! It looks like the tide of the war has not only changed here in Sorella, but has changed all over. The Swabians must be close to defeat."

"Most of their army is still intact," said Greg. "And they've pulled back to their home islands. Even now, Jack is contemplating how to move our army to Swabia to finish the job but as long as their army is still mostly intact, the war is far from over."

Nikias looked over at Elektra and then back to Greg. "Is there anything we can do to aid the war effort?"

It was a volatile question, and Greg could tell that Elektra didn't like her husband asking it. Greg understood why instinctively. A nation that had already suffered as much as Sorella shouldn't have been asked to sacrifice anymore blood for this conflict.

Fortunately for them, that was Jack's idea as well.

Greg shook his head. "We want Sorella to heal. You've been through two major conflicts in the last few years. More than anything, Sorella needs to rebuild. We'll handle the Swabians on our own, as long as you make us the promise to rebuild Sorella better than it was before. Is that something we can make happen?"

Not surprisingly, the tension went out of Elektra's face. She reached forward her hand.

"Yes, Greg, we can do that. Sorella needs time to rebuild."

Greg took her hand and squeezed it firmly. "We appreciate your partnership in this alliance. The West owes you a great deal in destroying an entire Swabian force. We're all proud of you."

Nikias let out a small smile. "We are certainly ready for peace. I think after today, we've all earned a bit of a vacation."

Greg started to chuckle. "Yes, I think that's an excellent idea."

*****

Back in Daban, Jack was in the middle of making preparations for war. It was near midmorning, and the cup of coffee next to Jack's side had already been empty for about an hour.

No one would have noticed it though with one look at Jack, who appeared to be extremely focused and methodical in working on the plan in front of him.

After all, he had to be. Too many lives were at stake if he got this wrong.

In just a short amount of time, he would present his plan to the top leaders on Picardy--not only King Aedan and General Neil Fagan, but also his own right-hand general, Art Chapman.

That was why this needed to be perfect. A move this bold was certain to cause some consternation in the ranks.

But a coordinated and audacious strike against the heart of Swabia was the best way to end the war quickly.

And Jack was going to take it.

Not long after he finished, there was a knock at the door. His deputy from theDestiny, Twitch, arrived bearing fresh dispatches. Jack put on a hopeful expression. After all, it had seemed to him that Twitch had gotten a bit of a raw deal lately. He used to be every bit of Jack's right hand, someone who Jack could constantly rely on when he was just a simple naval commander.

But ever since Jack took his throne and became the true Galician King, Twitch had been relegated to less important roles, something that Jack knew secretly rankled the man. Most upsetting to Twitch was the fact that he now had to navigate through Jack's security team lead by Ben Torben, putting up another barrier to Jack.

It was something that Jack tried hard to rectify. Seeing Twitch get down on himself, Jack made more of an effort to rely on his old deputy. In doing so, he noticed that Twitch's mood seemed to come back around, and they were getting closer once again.

"New dispatches just arrived at theDestiny, Jack," said Twitch as he set them down on Jack's desk. "It looks like the first is from Will Calland."

"And what does Will have to say?" asked Jack.

"He reports that he has two working prototypes for a land-based airplane as well as a working tank, per your instructions before you left Galicia. He's sending a fresh batch of the first models to you now for use against the Swabians."

Jack couldn't contain his grin. "That is certainly good news. Does he give a count of numbers for how many are coming?"

"He does," replied Twitch. "He reports ten aircraft and fifty tanks are on the way, with more in development."

"I see Will has been busy," said Jack after he let out a low whistle. "Remind me to thank Bill the next time I see him. He was right to put his son on this. I'm looking forward to seeing these new prototypes!"

"There's more good news," said Twitch as he flipped to a new dispatch. "It looks like General Vaughn has made a successful landing in Sorella. He reports that not only have all his soldiers landed on the island, but they have completely removed the Swabians from any position of contention."

Jack's jaw dropped. "Already? Greg moves fast!"

"He reports that the native Sorellans were already pushing back on the Swabians and it was just with our help that he was able to complete the job," said Twitch.

"That's great news," said Jack. "With Sorella recaptured, that means only Andalucia is left of the conquered lands. We can rid the Swabians of Andalucia when it's time but this all bears out well for my next strategy."

It was also news he was going to lead with when the time came to meet with the other leaders. In fact, it was amongst the first words to leave his mouth when he sat down with Aedan, Neil, and Art about an hour later.

"Fifty tanks you said?" asked Art before giving a subtle nod. "Not bad. Young Calland has been a busy man."

"And there should be more to follow," added Jack. "This is just what's coming to us in the first wave."

"We'll certainly need them," said Aedan. "No doubt, the Swabians will have made good on their losses as well. I'm sure we'll face a great host of them the next place we decide to go."

"Not to mention airplanes too," added Neil. "I know the Carinthians have been bugging us to make good on their losses and we're only just beginning to get our industry back on line. They'll be sorely needed when they get here."

"With the good news about the equipment coming our way as well as the positive developments in Sorella, I figured it was time for us to discuss our next invasion," said Jack as he unrolled a map of the West. "And it should come as no surprise that our next landing will be in Swabia."

The other three men rapped their knuckles on the table in approval.

"It's about time, I'd say," said Art with a grin. "I know our army will be dying to get their hands on those Swabian punks."

"The Picard Army too," added Neil. "Not one of my soldiers hasn't had a relative or a close friend die at the hands of the Swabians. They'll be looking for revenge."

"Revenge they shall have," said Jack. "But I've been questioning where we can best have our revenge? Where in the great mass of islands that is Swabia can we land with the best chance for success at bringing this war to a close? It should surprise none of you that our best option is the original Swabian island itself. The island contains the capital city, Dagobern."

Coincidentally, the island was also called Swabia as well. It was the first island that was united around a Swabian monarch, with the ancient city of Dagobern their capital. From there, the Swabians expanded out into many of the islands that made up the country today, with the first invasion being of the neighboring island of Cormfeld, which was Avila's original lordship.

"The main island offers us many advantages that we can't have by going to any other Swabian islands," said Jack as he pointed to it on the map. "But why the main island? Why not start smaller or with one of the peripheral islands like Cormfeld? The answer to that question is audacity."

Aedan looked at Jack and blinked. "I'm not following, Jack. What do you mean by audacity?"

"It's simple, I want a move that the Swabians are never going to see coming," said Jack. "So far, all we've done is invade their outlying possessions in the form of Apulia, Naxos, Picardy, and Sorella. We've chipped away at the growing Swabian Empire and have mostly reduced it to their original borders. Now, if I was Emperor Avila, I'd be wondering where the next strike is going to come from. And I have to say, we've been nothing if not predictable where we land."

"Predictable?" asked Neil. "How have we been predictable?"

Jack used a pencil to trace a line that started in Apulia and moved east through Naxos, Picardy, and then south to Sorella.

"All of our movements have been attacking the periphery of their empire. If I were Avila, I'd expect us to hit Andalucia next. Or perhaps even Cormfeld seeing as it is one of the outermost islands. Maybe even Selz for the same reasons we discussed a few months ago. We're attacking from the outside in, and our movements are entirely predictable to anyone that's paying attention."

"What else would you have us do, Jack?" asked Aedan. "The Swabian fleet is still a threat. It's not like we can just go straight to Dagobern and put it under siege."

Jack shook his head. "Maybe not Dagobern, but why not the main island? Why couldn't we go around their defenses and hit them where they aren't expecting us? I'm talking about the soft underbelly of Swabia, right there."

Jack circled a portion of the country where the main island--Swabia--was separated by a small channel from the island of Dagobern. The channel itself was no bigger than that of the Slot between Apulia and Samara and it was a considerable backwater of the Swabian Empire.

It was also very near their center of power.

"Jack, that's the Swabian heartland right there. Those aren't even international waters in that channel," said Neil. "It's Swabian territorial waters. You may not be in Dagobern but you'd be close enough to smell it. It seems like a considerable risk."

"The invasion wouldn't come without risk but the reward has the potential to be high. I'm sure the Swabian defenses in this part of the country are weak. Why wouldn't they be? They wouldn't expect us to land here because we'd have to go all the way around Cormfeld. If anything, I'm sure they'd expect us to hit them from the north and their defenses will reflect that," said Jack.

"But right here," he continued, pointing at a spot in the channel. "It's the backdoor to Dagobern. If we can land our force on this strip of land, we can march along the coast until we hit their capital."

"The Swabians won't take that very lightly," said Art. "They'll bring their full army to bear against us. And Jack, it'll be considerable. At least a match against our forces."

"If not greater," added Jack. "Which is also why I think this plan makes sense. They are waiting for us, gentlemen. And they'll have the largest army we have yet to face. They are expecting us to pound in the front door and get bloodied up from it. I'm rejecting that option. I want to hit them where they least expect it, and I want a bold and audacious move that's going to catch them flat-footed and start hitting them before they can expect to recover."

Jack leaned back in his chair. "Thoughts? Have I finally lost it? Tell me what you men think."

No one seemed to want to answer that question head-on. Jack couldn't say he blamed them for that. It was a risky move and the risk was equally as high as the reward for it.

The first to move was Neil. He pushed out of his chair and looked at the map a little closer, using his finger to trace the route to the southern part of the main island. "Where would we keep our main supply depot if we went through with this plan?"

"Zarah," answered Jack. "It's the next closest city and it has an excellent port. We'd only be six days away by sail by my math."

"Zarah has the port facilities to accommodate an army of our size," said Aedan. "Although we might have to make some requisitions to make sure we're entirely covered. I'm sure the people of Zarah wouldn't hold it against us as a means to end the war."

"As the town that's been occupied by the Swabians the longest, I'm betting they wouldn't mind one bit," said Jack with a grin.

"What about the Swabian fleet?" asked Neil. "What do we do if we run into trouble with them?"

Jack shook his head. "By our reports, the Swabian fleet is still in port in Dagobern attending to repairs suffered from their last encounter with my fleet. Even if they were in any condition to sail, I'd expect them to be positioned for activity in the north, not the south."

"The channel between Swabia and Cormfeld is also narrow enough that we can hold it against a Swabian Navy attack," said Art. "I'm sure Russ could make that a deathtrap for the Swabians if they were inclined to attack us."

"I don't think landing the army is going to be the hard part," said Jack. "I think the hard part will be the time until we can get thefull army to Swabia. Depending on how quickly we can get the transports back and loaded, there's going to be a degree of time here where they outnumber us substantially."

"And that doesn't bother you?" asked Aedan.

"I'd be a fool and a liar to tell you it didn't," answered Jack honestly. "But I do believe the boldness of this move will catch them off guard. I think by the time they move to respond to us, we'll have already been reinforced once. Then it'll just be a matter of holding them at bay until we can force a battle on our terms."

"You're right about one thing, Jack," said Aedan as he scoped out the map again. "It is bold. This isn't the kind of move for the weak of heart."

"No, it damned well isn't," agreed Jack. "But if we do this, we can shave off time from this war. We won't have to go through the front door or take their outlying islands like we've been doing. We go straight to their heart and we crush it. In doing so, we end the Swabian threat and put an end to this war. How does that sound?"

Aedan let out a small grin. "It might be the craziest plan I've ever heard of." He paused for a moment. "But I like it. I'm in."

*****

The acceptance of Jack's plan with the Picards was one thing but in any multination alliance, Jack would have to make sure that everyone was onboard with the plan. After his war council was over, he immediately sent word to Santino Altieri of Apulia, Hendrick Tysen of Samara, as well as Queen Reina of Carinthia.

Jack wasn't sure whether or not to expect resistance from any of the other heads of state. While the move was bold, it was always going to come down to an invasion of Swabia. The war would never end if the war wasn't brought to their own territory, and Jack made sure his message to each head of state was framed in certain terms to make sure they understood.

With his dispatches complete, Jack left the Picard palace and once more made his way back to theDestiny, where he could expect to find Abigail. Ben provided the necessary security once more until Jack arrived at the berthing for the mighty cruiser and soon entered.

Like usual, he found Abigail in their shared quarters, already working hard on the day.

There had been no movement on the squabble between his two wives. Several days had gone by since the last time that Jack attempted to mediate, and neither woman seemed to be in any hurry to change. It was disheartening to Jack to see their relationship fracture at a time like this but more than anything, he just wanted a return to some normalcy.

He wanted them to talk to each other like they used to.

He wanted all of them to sleep in the same bed.

Jack just wanted anything but the current status quo, and that was why he was determined to make another attempt at Abigail today.

His selection of Abigail was entirely calculated. He'd spent the night with Kat the evening before, and Abigail was usually happier when it was her chance to spend time with him.

That calculation paid off when he saw her and the beaming smile that occupied her face.

Abigail pushed up from her desk and rushed into his arms. "There you are. I positively hate sleeping alone!"

Jack embraced her warmly and kissed the top of her head. "Almost as much as I hate sleeping with just one of you," he quipped back. He thought it might help him start that conversation about Kat but Abigail didn't take the bait.

"How was your morning? How did the war council go?"

"Not bad. It looks like we have some agreement about where we're going," said Jack. "And it's right into the belly of the beast."

She raised her eyebrow. "They accepted your plan? Just the one we discussed yesterday?"

Of course, Abigail was amongst the first he told. He wanted her thoughts on the plan as well as any potential hurdles that she could think of. She was almost as aware of the plan as he was.

"It looks like it. I think the real test will be seeing whether the other governments accept it but I don't see why not. We've been successful so far that I doubt they'll think twice about our judgment," said Jack. "I also think they knew this move was going to come eventually."

"Well, that's promising," replied Abigail. "And I agree, it was going to come sooner or later. Let's just hope we can still maintain the element of surprise when we do land."

"That's the truth," said Jack as he leaned in to kiss her. "Are you busy right now?"

Abigail fluttered her eyelashes at him. "I can be very not busy right now. Did you have something in mind, husband?"

It was now or never.

"I did, actually," said Jack as he led her by the hands to the bed. He sat down and pulled her with him. "I was hoping to talk about Kat."

The excited expression on Abigail's face melted away as quickly as it appeared.

"Why her?" she asked sullenly.

"Come on, don't be like that," said Jack. "You know I can't just let this continue to go on."

Abigail crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Well, I think it's going to continue to go on no matter what you do. This is between us, Jack, and it won't be over until she apologizes."

"You said some hurtful things to her too," said Jack.

"So I did," she admitted. "But only because of what she said first. I was upset with her and things came out that might not have come out otherwise. I'm not happy about it per se but here we are."

"Here we are with more days that have gone by and you two still aren't speaking to each other," added Jack. "And the person who suffers most because of it is me."

For a brief moment, a sympathetic look took hold on her face. "I know, Jack. Let me make it up to you? Can I suck your cock right now?"

Jack shook his head. "Only if you promise me that you'll make up with Kat after we're done."

Again, her face registered disappointment. "It's not that easy, Jack. You seem to think it is."

"That's because it is that easy. You're just making it needlessly complicated. You two are supposed to be sisters now. It was part of our nuptials, Abigail."

"I know," she mumbled. "I just have doubts about whether she thinks she's better than me. Or her relationship with you is stronger than the one I have with you."

"Well, put those doubts out of your mind," said Jack firmly. "I don't love one of you more than the other. I love you both equally, and I can say with all certainty that John doesn't affect my love for you or her. He's just an added bonus."

Abigail looked slightly convinced but not totally. "I just wish she wouldn't be so stubborn. I wish she would recognize she was being selfish and apologize."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "It sounds like she's not the only one being stubborn. Your refusal is pretty stubborn too."