Fourth Vector Ch. 41

His eyes looked above the jewels. Hanging on the wall was an ancient sword. Forged in the smelters outside of Sweisburg over a thousand years ago, it was the sword of the Swabian emperor. More than a hundred years had passed since it was last used, relegated to a powerless spot on the wall after the advent of gunpowder.

No more.

No longer would Avila let it gather more dust. He had an excellent idea for how to bring the sword back to its former glory.

A one-on-one contest. A single fight to decide the fate of the war.

He would challenge the Galician King to a high stakes sword fight to determine the victor.

If the Galicians won, they could have Dagobern and the war.

But if Avila could win the day, the Galicians would have to return to their forsaken islands and renounce the war.

It was the way of the ancients. So many wars throughout ancient Swabian history had been decided by a one-on-one fight.

Why not now? Why not end this war in the same way?

"Otto, send a message to the enemy," said Avila as he pulled the great sword from the wall. "I want a single fight with Jack Kincardine. I want to challenge him to a duel. The winner can have the war. Make the offer to my enemy. Tomorrow morning, I will await his challenge, and then we will decide the fate of this conflict."

Avila didn't wait for Otto to respond. He raised the great sword above his head and brought it down in a crushing blow, all the while imagining it was Kincardine's head he was splitting open.

The fates had better have mercy on Kincardine tomorrow.

Avila would have none.

*****

Avila wasn't the only one with anxiety about the length of the siege.

Jack was nervous as the operation rolled into what was essentially the sixth week. No other frontal assaults had been tried on Dagobern as his soldiers were under strict orders just to maintain the siege, even against attempts to draw them into a fight.

On the Allied side, many of the soldiers were grumbling about not being able to finish the job. There were some that talked about starving the Swabians out.

Truthfully, Jack wasn't waiting for that outcome.

No, he was waiting for his navy instead. And as he looked out on the horizon beyond Dagobern, he awaited word of their arrival.

"Jack, you sure look tense today," noted Bill as the two men sat together that morning. "What's going on with you?"

"Just waiting to see when my fleet will get here," replied Jack. "Russ told me they should get here later today."

Bill's eyes widened. "It's about time! We could surely use their firepower."

That was an incredible understatement. Jack wouldn't allow a final assault on Dagobern until he could put the city under naval bombardment but it hadn't been as easy as simply commanding the navy to get to Dagobern.

There was also the question about what to do about the Swabian fleet. Not long after they arrived in the city, the Swabian fleet was bottled up in a sheltered harbor in Cormfeld, refusing to fight. Russ had determined they were simply waiting for the definitive outcome of the war, likely knowing there was no sense in losing any more ships if the war was already lost.

However, just because they weren't looking for a fight didn't mean Jack could afford to turn his back on them. The Swabians would still strike if they thought the odds were on their side so a decision had to be made.

In order to get some Galician ships to Dagobern, they would have to leave a large enough force in Cormfeld to watch over the Swabians. It would have to be just large enough to deter any action against them while allowing some of Jack's best ships to come to the city.

And so the Galician fleet was split in half. Roughly, it was about a sixty-forty split in that sixty percent of the fleet stayed in Cormfeld while the fastest vessels were delegated to the Dagobern operation. With that forty came the newest ships with some of the best firepower available.

And they were due to arrive that morning.

They weren't the only new arrivals in Dagobern.

"I just got word from Will," said Bill. "More tanks are on the way. Another batch has just been completed and will help to augment our forces for the final assault."

"More tanks are always welcome here," replied Jack. "You know, I haven't told you this much but your son has really done a fine job with keeping our force well stocked with tanks and airplanes. I knew he would do well but I didn't expect that he would dothis well. You have a lot to be proud of, Bill."

The older man grinned. "Yes, I do. I'm immensely proud of my boy. Knowing that he's helped to make this all possible is the best part of being his father."

"And with the tanks and the navy, we should be able to wrap this one up finally," said Jack. "I know the men will be excited. They are getting almost mutinous at the fact that we're still sitting outside the city."

"It's all been for good reason," said Bill. "The city is weak with hunger. We add in more tanks and more firepower, and it won't resist us a second time. I just feel it, Jack. The end is near."

Jack nodded, but didn't say a word in response. He focused on the last words to leave Bill's mouth. Whose end was truly near?

Dagobern's end?

Avila's end?

Or Jack's end?

He was still dwelling on the thought when a runner came to find him not long after. He carried with him a message and seemed out of breath by the time he finally came to a rest near Jack.

"What's the word?" asked Jack to the man. "What's going on?"

"Sir, this just arrived from the Swabian side," said the runner. "They sent it over the lines to make sure we received it. It bears the imperial seal of Swabia on it!"

"Let me see that," said Bill as he grabbed the dispatch. He read it carefully as his eyes widened suddenly. "Jack, you're going to want to see this."

Bill passed over the note, allowing Jack to read it. It was a short note but the author of it wasn't surprising to Jack.

"From Avila to me," replied Jack. "This is certainly a first."

"I can't believe he's made the offer," said Bill, shaking his head. "He's challenged you to one-on-one combat. He wants to duel with you for the fate of this war. Has he gone mad?"

Jack stared at the paper long enough to cause Bill to notice it. Bill raised an eyebrow.

"You're not seriously considering this, are you, Jack?" asked Bill.

Jack started to chuckle. "Absolutely not. The last time I had a king offering a one-on-one duel, it didn't turn out so great for anyone. But needless to say, Avila has everything to gain from this and I have everything to lose. He won't escape his fate so easily."

Bill nodded in agreement. "It's interesting though that he makes such an offer. I wouldn't expect to see it come to this. Especially from someone like Avila."

"It's because he's desperate," replied Jack. "He's in an impossible situation. This tells me a lot about the man that we wouldn't otherwise know. If I had to guess, he's losing his grasp of reality."

"You really think so, Jack?"

"Of course. Who else makes an offer of such a duel? He had to know that we would say no. The war has turned completely against him. His people are starving. His army is practically nonexistent. No, Avila is in a terrible spot. This is actually a good sign for us. The city is ready to fall, and with it, so is Emperor Avila."

Bill pursed his lips. "Perhaps it won't be too much longer then."

Bill's words couldn't have been more fortuitous. At precisely that moment, Jack saw Russ hustling toward their position. The admiral was wearing a beaming grin while holding his radio in one hand.

"Jack, I just got word!" said Russ as he reached the other two men. "The fleet will be here by midday!"

Russ' words kicked off a small flurry of activity. Since the entire army had been waiting on the fleet, Jack sent word out to all his commanders to prepare for action. Since Russ had guaranteed that the fleet would be ready to fight when they arrived, it was determined to kick off the final action that afternoon.

In fact, Jack didn't have to wait for midday. The fleet showed up nearly an hour before lunch. Their hulls glistened in the sunlight as they slipped into Dagobern's harbor and angled their guns toward the city.

"The fleet has arrived," said Jack with a grin as the first salvo erupted from the battleshipVisby. "Prepare the men. I want to take Dagobern tonight. The war ends today."