Fourth Vector Ch. 40

Cash chuckled. "This is why they promoted you. You were always the smart one, despite the fact that you're a year younger than me."

"I'd just have to say that our parents finally figured out what they were doing when I came around," shot Thomas. "You were the test baby and it shows."

"Hey now," retorted Cash as he launched another playful punch at his brother's shoulder. "The first child is always the best child."

"Careful now, brother. I could have you thrown in the brig if you keep assaulting a senior officer," warned Thomas.

"You do that and I'll never let you live it down," said Cash. "And I'll also tell our parents so they can give you the ass-whooping you need when we eventually get back home!"

Both brothers were content to laugh about that imagery for a moment without anything more being said. Surprisingly though, it was Cash that spoke up after the minute of silence.

"All right, I'll stop busting your balls in front of the others," said Cash. "Let's just focus on getting this mission over with. If we can't just defect for real and go back home then the least we can do is get away with this family and get back across the ocean."

Thomas patted his brother on the shoulder. "That's the kind of attitude that I need to hear from you. And yes, I can completely agree."

"Just, don't let everything you hear go to your head, all right?" said Cash once Thomas made a move to stand up. "We're risking a lot here just to bring back some guy's family. It does make me question just why this is so important."

"That some guy is the king you're fighting for--"

"I know, I know," interrupted Cash. "But just keep it in mind. There's not a whole lot of good left in the world right now, Thomas. I just don't want to get caught in a private war between two powers is all. So let's get in and get out."

Thomas didn't have anything else to say to that notion. He didn't want to get into it again with his brother so he simply extended his hand and helped Cash to his feet.

"In and out. I like that idea," said Thomas. "Let's finish the job."

*****

"Suck in that gut, you fat fool."

Emperor Regaulfus Avila used the baton in his hand to whack the overextended stomach of the recruit in front of him. The blow was hard enough to knock a normal man to his knees, but to the soldier's credit, he let out a quiet grunt and remained standing.

Avila muttered something under his breath and kept walking, inspecting the entire line of soldiers on the parade ground. Each man was a relatively newer recruit to his army, one that had known great losses and defeat in recent months. For that reason, the army had to be continually refreshed with new blood and these new additions had to be trained to be fighting fit.

Upon the completion of their training, Avila always enjoyed inspecting the new units that would be fighting to spread his power, even if he wondered how some of the soldiers made it into his army.

"Stop slouching, have some damn pride," said Avila to another soldier as he whacked his baton across the knees of another man.

The man in question flinched and struggled to contain a curse at the blow but his head promptly rose another inch as he straightened up.

In all honesty, these men had been trained well, and Avila found very few flaws to comment on. He was certain this new regiment of men would accord themselves well on the battlefield but even with that notion, he couldn't let an entire inspection pass without finding some flaws (real or imaginary) to complain about to keep the men on their toes.

As he continued down the line, he made eye contact with the new colonel standing proudly at the very end with his chest pushed out and his chin held high. Avila took an instant disliking to the man for his excessive pride but he had good reason to be so proud.

These men were extremely well-trained.

"I'd say this regiment is fit for battle," said Avila as he reached the colonel. "Their training is complete and they can make themselves available to General Ferberg for immediate instruction."

A smile grew on the colonel's face upon being released for battle. At this point in the greater war, everyone knew that action was imminent. At any time, the Galicians were expected to strike another blow, and Avila mostly expected that blow to come against Swabia in some form or another.

After all, most of his overseas holdings had been conquered by the Allied Army of Jack Kincardine. It was only natural that he strike a blow against Swabia proper next.

The very idea made Avila seethe with anger. Six months ago, he stood at the apex of his power. Apulia and Picardy were at his very feet and the Galicians were weak and divided.

How much had changed in a mere six months. Now both Apulia and Picardy were freed of Swabian soldiers and stood aligned to the Galicians, who had put an end to their petty squabbles. Avila had learned of the death of Eric Rosdahl through the last Galician ambassador, as well as the swift change in leadership that followed it.

With that change in leadership came the recall of Rosdahl's ambassador and the formal acknowledgment that Galician and Swabia were now in a state of open war.

Quite suddenly, Avila found himself facing a united Western alliance--the same kind of alliance that had been the death of Swabian ambitions in the past. And he was determined that no such alliance would crush his homeland, letting history repeat itself.

For that reason, Avila had been mustering an army that was greater than anything assembled previously in Western history. From Selz to Cormfeld, regiments were being created and conscripted out of seemingly thin air. It was a massive undertaking that saw the ranks of the Swabian Army swell with every able-bodied man he could get his hands on.

The result of such a campaign was a newly-reconstituted and trained Swabian Army--this one making up nearly one hundred thousand men. It was the largest force that had ever assembled on Swabian territory and it was camped not far from Avila's current location, just outside the city of Dagobern.

No matter where the Galicians and their allies would land, Avila would be ready for them. He would send that army crashing down on any invasion force, pushing them back into the sea and putting an end to any ambitions of occupying Swabian territory.

The best thing about his plan was that he had the best military mind at his disposal. General Ferberg had been pulled back from Picardy, and his ten thousand veterans had formed the nucleus around which the new army assembled. With General Ferberg in command of the largest army in Swabian history, there was no doubt in Avila's mind that they would finish the job.

And after the Galician invasion force had been snuffed out, it would be time to reoccupy their captured territories. Apulia and Picardy would be too weak to resist them without their Galician friends. Samara and Carinthia would be next after those first two giants fell, followed by a handful of other small lands like Naxos, Andalucia, and Sorella.

The black and white flag of Swabia would fly over half the West once more, and then it would be a time for vengeance.

The only thing that Avila was waiting for was word of the Galicians' arrival. Once that happened, he would send the enlarged Swabian Army crashing down on their heads and put the entire plan back into motion.

It was something he wouldn't have to wait long for. Just an hour after the inspection, as Avila made his way back to the imperial palace, he found none other than General Ferberg waiting for him outside his office.

"Your Imperial Majesty, I bring news to you," said Ferberg after a deep bow. "The invasion that we've long expected has finally commenced. The Galicians are here."

Avila's eyes widened at the implication of the message. "Show me. Where did they land? And when?"

"They are landing now it looks like," said Ferberg. "The navy has been monitoring the radar along the coasts of the country and they started watching a large force gathering off the eastern shore of this island, Swabia. Starting just an hour ago, they've begun to land troops on the shore, opposite of the island of Cormfeld."

Avila made a beeline to the map of the country in his study and began to trace his fingers along the intended landing site. "Right here, in the Strait of Murgullah?"

"That is correct, Sire," answered Ferberg.

Avila studied the map for a moment before offering a response. It was a strategic location to land for the Galicians, a direction that he hadn't expected. Mostly, Avila had expected them to pick off one of the outer islands or, if they were going to invade Swabia proper, to invade in the north of the island where Dagobern was.

He hardly expected this incursion on the eastern coast. Defenses here weren't as strong as in the north and there were few cities in the way of the Allies if they intended to march toward Dagobern. The only city of any consequence was the city that gave the name to the strait--Murgullah.

"Do we have any idea how big the force is?" asked Avila. "Or how many ships?"

"Well over fifty ships just from the radar alone," answered Ferberg. "Transports with them as well as capital ships to guard them. No estimate on the size of the force just yet but based on the reports of our spies, we estimate his entire army is not much more than fifty to sixty thousand men."

"A force that large will be difficult to land in one single wave," noted Avila. "He'll have to split his men up and most likely ferry over a second or third wave. This gives us a unique opportunity, General."

"I'm thinking we send the entire bulk of the army south right now, minus a force to guard Dagobern," said Ferberg. "If his army is indeed in two pieces, then we'll have a tremendous advantage in numbers. If we move quickly, we might be able to catch him off guard and destroy his army before the second wave has arrived."

Avila nodded. "I like how you think, Ferberg. That's the reason you're the one in charge of my army. Do what needs to be done. Take the entire Swabian Army south and crush him before he receives any reinforcements. When the dust settles, I want to see the forces of Jack Kincardine utterly destroyed."

Ferberg saluted. "As you wish, Your Imperial Majesty. I will see it done."

Ferberg turned to walk away, but Avila stopped him before he could get too far. "General, I must remind you of the reward. Remember what we discussed. Any man that brings me the head of Jack Kincardine will be rewarded greatly. That includes you. Make sure he is killed."

"Understood, Sire. I will carry out your will."

*****

For much of the first week after Jack's army landed in Swabia, the war was quiet. There was little sign of Swabian resistance, and the weather was remarkably warm for still being early spring. Jack's army moved north along the coastal route, making good progress each day for an army that size, and it usually bedded down each evening in a location of relative strength.

On just about every day so far, Jack's men had stopped for the evening in relatively unpopulated areas. The only exception to this was a brief stop in the Swabian city of Murgullah, which Jack found gave the name to the strait of water next to it. Other than Murgullah, they mostly passed through small Swabian fishing villages, many of which had already been emptied out of men of military age.

"Where did all the men go?" asked Greg as they passed through one such town. "All I see are young women and old men."

"Let's hope they aren't waiting up here in front of us," said Jack, nodding his head. "It's strange though to see a lack of men. Has the war really hit them so hard?"

"If it has, then they aren't the only ones," noted Greg. "Picardy is in a similar position and so is Apulia to a certain extent. This war has been a drain on much of the manpower of the West."

"All the more reason for us to end it then, Greg. We can only start to rebuild once the killing stops."

Greg didn't look too happy about that. "I think there's still a lot of killing left in front of us."

His words would prove to be right on target. That evening, they reached another midsized town--a larger settlement known to the local people as the town of Sepolz.

Sepolz was one ugly place. The Swabian mind wasn't known for being particularly creative and that was easily demonstrated once Jack focused on the sights in front of him. Nearly every dwelling or house managed to look the same--cut from timber with short and squat roofs. The houses were packed together with little sense given to privacy or respect for their surroundings.

There were a few main buildings near the center of the town, where the land finally opened up to the sea but they were unimpressive and jammed together much like the houses.

In short, it didn't seem like much of a place worth fighting for.

"You've seen Dagobern before," asked Greg as they moved closer to Sepolz. "Was it just like this on a larger scale? If so, I imagine it must have been pretty depressing."

Jack shrugged. "I didn't see much of the city from the dungeon. What I did see was a bit more grand but the Swabians seem to have a penchant for ugliness. There's not much creativity in them."

"To say the least," grunted Greg. "No wonder they keep trying to expand out of their borders. I'd go crazy if I lived here too."

That earned a chuckle from Jack and the entire army moved in toward the town, settling in for an overnight occupation before they would continue in the morning. There wasn't much in the way of a harbor, and the rocks outside of Sepolz made it a poor place to land troops. With the reinforcements from Zarah due to arrive in several days, Jack hoped to find a beach further north for them to achieve a more welcome landing.

Unfortunately, that evening was when the first elements of the army ran into Swabian forces.

Jack had already been asleep for nearly half an hour when Ben arrived and promptly shook him awake. He had to disengage his limbs from Abigail and Kat but he stepped out of the occupied dwelling to speak with his head of security, who by now had grabbed Art with him as well.

"We have Swabian contact," said Art as he gestured to Jack to follow him.

The two men moved to a war room not far away where a large map of the coast awaited them. Art stood directly in front of it where he traced a path that started north along the coast and came south to their current position near Sepolz.

"My scouts are reporting Swabian Army activity on the coastal road. It looks like advance units, and the first encounters with our men devolved into skirmishes where the Swabians quickly pulled back. We alerted the rest of the scouts in the area, and now we just have a fresh report of Swabian activity in the interior highland above us."

"Can they hit us from the highland?" asked Jack. "Do they have that range?"

Art shook his head. "It's too great for an actual attack although they could rain some artillery down on our heads if they really wanted to. My guess though is that they might try to cut us off to the south."

"Do we have any idea what numbers we're looking at now?" asked Jack. "If they have enough men to block our way north as well as cut us off to the south, we might be staring at a significant force."

"At this point in time, we don't have anything beyond a rough estimate," replied Art. "Tomorrow, we'll send some planes up to see what the surrounding territory looks like. But if we find more Swabians than we counted on, we may have to fight before the reinforcements can get here."

"I don't want to tangle with a large Swabian Army with only half my army, especially if I don't have to," said Jack. "Keep me updated on their movements. There's a chance this may be a smaller force than we think. With our distance from Dagobern, I wouldn't think they could move this fast."

Art looked anxious. "I don't think anyone counted on them moving this quickly."

*****

By the next morning, the strategic situation seemed to have tilted against Jack and his army.

"I'd reckon that force is at least twenty thousand men or greater," said Dustin, the flyer that had gone up to spy on the surroundings. "It's split into two different bodies. You have one that's parked itself right on the coastal road while the other is moving in the interior and seems to be heading south."

"No doubt to cut us off," said Art, confirming his suspicion from earlier.

"More than likely," answered Dustin. "But that's not the worst of it. You've got even more Swabians coming down from the north."

Jack's eyes went wide. "Just how many are we looking at?"

"They ran for cover when they saw me flying over but at rough estimate, at least another fifteen to twenty thousand," answered Dustin. "Enough for us to worry about it."

"Is that all or was there any more?" asked Greg.

"I don't know. I was running low on fuel by that time so I had to return," said Dustin.

"Get back up in the air and fly further north," said Jack. "That's a lot of men that are moving awfully quick. We need to find out what we're looking at. I need to know if this is just an advance force in full strength or if this is half the damn Swabian Army about to fall on our heads."

"I'll get back up right away," promised Dustin.

Not more than three hours later, the situation continued to deteriorate.

"More men several hours north," said Dustin. "At least twenty thousand or so. All converging on this spot but they are some ways behind. I'd estimate they can be here in two days' time."

"Shit," swore Jack. "This has to be the entire force. They are moving with rapid speed down here and we're about to lose our rough parity of numbers."

"We only have thirty thousand soldiers right now," said Greg. "By all accounts, what's closest to us and in the hills is around thirty-five to forty thousand. In two days, there will be as many as sixty."

"And our reinforcements from Picardy are still about five days out," added Art glumly.

"It looks like we don't have much time then," said Jack before he turned to Dustin. "Did you see any Swabian armor? Any tanks?"

Dustin nodded. "A whole shitload of them just to the north of you. At least a hundred units give or take. That's why I think this has to be the main force. They aren't going to waste that many units on a small scouting army."

"And they are looking like they want a fight, Jack," said Art. "I'm getting increased reports of Swabian units testing our outer perimeter. There's not full-scale fighting just yet but it won't take long before it gets there. They are wanting to test our strength."

"They are looking for the same fight that we are," noted Jack. "Are we ready to give it to them?"

"If we're not ready, we better start retreating south then," said Greg. "Especially while we still have time. If those units in the interior get around to the south of us, we're going to be trapped in this city and then heavily outnumbered."

"I'd say we could very well kick off the battle right now," said Art, causing the other men to look at him. "Hear me out, okay? We could easily turn this into an advantage."

"Go on, Art," said Jack. "What's on your mind?"

"The way I see it, we have an advantage right now," said Art as he gestured to the two separate units of Swabians that were closest to their lines. "We outnumber these two forces right now. In a few days, they will outnumber us. Why don't we strike right now while we still have the advantage? We can deal a blow against the Swabians before the rest of their army gets here and possibly buy us some time to allow not only them to lick their wounds but the rest of our army to arrive."

"Strike now while we have the advantage," repeated Jack. "I like that. I like that a lot."

"We just might show them the reason why we're winning this war," added Art with a sly smile. "I think they need a reminder, especially if they think they can just throw numbers at us until we crumble."