Fourth Vector Ch. 43

"Yet I see no bloodshed in your streets," said Trevor. "My army's takeover of your city has been entirely peaceful and without fighting. It will stay that way as long as you don't work against us. There will be no battles in Worchester. The Javan Army is too mangled right now to consider a fight to reclaim it."

Surprisingly, Morris started to nod. "You are precisely right, my lord, precisely right. And I appreciate the lack of bloodshed. I would like to remind you now more than ever that Thessaly, while owing its sovereignty to the Javan Empire, is not your enemy. Thessalians prefer to live in peace on our side of the continent, and we leave the machinations of politics and war to the Javan emperors."

Trevor raised an eyebrow. "Is Worchester not the supply depot for the Javan force operation in Ruthenia? For someone claiming non-involvement in Javan affairs, that's a pretty large area of cooperation."

Morris couldn't shake his head fast enough. "Forced on us, I tell you. By the emperor, it was. And I didn't have a say in the matter. It was an order that came through that mandated our participation in supplying that army. I had to follow the order lest I lose my governorship. But that is beside the point. I do believe that you and I want the same thing, my lord."

"What would that be?" asked Trevor.

"We both want peace," replied Morris, saying the first sensible thing that Trevor had heard from him. "We want a peace between Java and Tyrol that has favorable terms for everyone. Java gets to save face from the loss of the war and Tyrol gets . . ."

"Independence," answered Trevor. "Tyrol will get her independence if we win. We will no longer be answerable to an emperor in Belfort. We will be free once more just like our ancestors used to be."

"An admirable goal," said a smug Morris. "I think there's a way we can both get what we want."

"And how would that work exactly?"

Morris put his hands together and clicked each finger against the other. "I think that the winds are changing, my lord. At the beginning of your little rebellion, no one gave the Tyroleans much hope that they would survive before the season changed. It would be like every Tyrolean rebellion in the past and defeated by the time the Javans assembled an army. What they didn't count on was you."

Trevor pursed his lips together and nodded. "Go on."

"You see, my lord, they didn't count on someone who could bring men together and strategize like you can," said Morris. "You've defeated how many Javan forces now? Have you kept count? Your last victory was the crowning achievement of your rebellion, and now it looks likely that Belfort could lose this struggle."

"I'm missing the point here," said Trevor. "Get on with it."

"You see, my lord, just because Thessaly is a part of the Javan Empire, it doesn't mean that we need to be enemies," explained Morris. "Sure, I supplied the Javans with resources for their armies because I had to, because a proverbial sword was at my neck. Now, I find myself in much the same situation. At this moment, your men are raiding my granaries for food and another sword is at my neck. Why would I not choose to help you now?"

At that moment, Trevor understood exactly what Morris was getting at. Ever the politician, Morris was looking at this conflict as one where the Javan star was starting to fade, while the Tyrolean one was on the ascendance. Not wanting to back the losing horse, Morris was offering his support in exchange for not devastating Thessaly and treating it like it was Java proper.

It was a shrewd move and an incredible gamble, especially if the Javans managed to turn around the war.

"How can I trust a man who so willingly betrays the Javans?" asked Trevor. "You haven't declared a rebellion in Thessaly nor have you supported our cause up until now. This move of yours reeks of self-serving behavior designed to keep you at the pinnacle of Thessalian politics. How can I trust you?"

Morris actually grinned. "Trust? What is trust? This is politics, my lord. We all do what benefits us the most. Today, that means supporting Tyrol against those imperial lechers in Belfort. Now, tomorrow, if your army just so happened to be destroyed by the Javans, then I will condemn your rebellion and offer my resources back to the Javans. I will do what benefits Thessaly the most. It's how the game is played. Now you're the one on top right now so I offer you this bargain—the support of Thessaly is at your fingertips. As long as you continue to fight and win, I will continue to support your army. That's the only caveat though, my lord—you must continue to win."

Trevor didn't respond to Morris' offer right away. He started to mull around his options, wondering if Thessalian support, even if given on a more covert level, would be beneficial to him. For now, there appeared to be no Javan threat, and it would be great to have the army fully supplied once more.

On the other hand, he didn't trust Morris as far as he could throw him. There was something too slimy about him, and he knew that any agreement between them would be null and void the second Tyrolean fortunes took a nosedive.

"Think about it, my lord," said Morris as he quickly turned around, sending his ponytail flying. "You don't have to give me an answer today. Judging by your last victory, we have all the time in the world to make a decision. I think you should heed my offer though. Thessaly can be a great partner to you as long as you continue to win."

With those final words, Morris made his exit, which was just as flamboyant as his entrance. Trevor tapped his finger against his chin as he thought about it, and he was still sitting there thinking a half hour later when Nina arrived in his office.

"You're still here?" she asked. "What happened with your meeting with the governor? Did anything interesting come up?"

Trevor nodded and gestured for her to sit. "Come closer. I need to tell you about his offer."

*****

The next morning didn't exactly find Jack in the best of moods. For one, he slept terribly, and at one point in the night, he left the bed so that he would stop keeping his wives awake. From about three o'clock onward, he was awake, sitting in his study and catching up on the mountain of work that always finds its way to a king's desk.

In retrospect, getting up at that hour was a good idea. Try as he might, the brief periods of sleep he did get were interrupted by nightmarish memories of his sister, Jocelyn, and her requests to avenge her death.

Today, he would find out if that was even possible, and all the signs seemed to point to the fact that he was probably going to come away unsuccessful at that.

By the time the sun was finally coming up on the horizon, Jack was irritable, tired, and ready for just about anything but confronting the other heads of state for a vote.

"You look awful," said Vera, perfectly capturing his state when she stopped by that morning. "Goodness, Jack, did you sleep at all last night?"

Jack rubbed his chin where several stubbly hairs pricked his fingers. "Not much sleep to be honest. I'm running on coffee alone right now."

"You can't keep doing this to yourself," she advised, rubbing his back in the process. "Jack, last night is not the only night that you haven't been sleeping. I know things are tough right now but we need you. And if you're not taking care of yourself, it's not going to turn out well, for anyone."

"I know, I know," said Jack, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "I'm just stressed about this vote. It's not like the other votes I've had in the past. When Bill and I were in Samara, it came down to a final vote but I had the trump card in my back pocket. This time? I feel like I have nothing. They've already heard my arguments on the matter and they still don't want to go to war. What else can I do?"

"We always have hope, Jack. Don't forget that no matter how bleak it looks, we always have the hope that the right thing will happen."

Jack let out a sigh and nodded his head. He was glad that Vera was optimistic, even if he wasn't. There was nothing to fear if Vera turned out to be right, but what would happen if she was wrong?

The vote was scheduled to begin at ten o'clock sharp. About ten minutes before, Jack entered the room with the other Galician delegates—Abigail, Kat, Bill, Greg, Russ, and Vera—and took their seats.

Kat leaned in closer to him. "I spoke with Ciara last night. She's putting a lot of pressure on Aedan but she says he's been adamant about his opposition. I don't know if she'll be able to overcome it but I did put in the work to try."

Jack smiled weakly. "Thank you. We need all the help we can get. I know Aedan is stubborn and hardheaded but I can only hope his wife can get through to him of all people."

That hope turned out to be a little misplaced. When ten o'clock came and the other heads of state walked into the room and resumed their places, Aedan looked just as combative as he did before. By his side, Ciara looked exhausted, almost as if she'd spent most of the night trying to argue with her husband.

Jack got the impression that nothing had truly changed. When he looked over to Santino, Reina, and Hendrick, none of them seemed eager to meet his gaze.

"Good morning," said Jack, opening the council (although the morning felt anything but good). "Thank you all for returning today. I know we didn't have the easiest round of discussions yesterday. I think tensions were high around the room, and I can definitely speak for myself when I say I would have liked for the discussion to go differently. However, here we are. We're back this morning to vote on this matter in front of us."

"And hopefully, this final vote will settle the matter," said Aedan. "Andeveryone will abide by the wishes of the majority." The way that Aedan added emphasis to his statement showed that he was mostly referring to Jack.

Jack nodded his head. "I will respect the wishes of the majority. This wouldn't be much of an alliance if we didn't honor the decision that was jointly made. In the spirit of that, I will leave things down to the vote."

Aedan appeared satisfied as he crossed his arms. "Excellent."

"I will say this though," added Jack as an afterthought. "The threat in front of all of us is too great to ignore. Just because the wolf isn't growling at your doorstep today doesn't mean it won't be in your backyard tomorrow. Bancroft will come for all of us. It's as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow morning. Our only hope is banding together to make our stand against them as one united force. One last stand against tyranny, as we did against Avila."

The words came out more as a warning than they did any invitation for serious discussion. It caused a few noticeable reactions amongst the rest of the heads of state. Reina muttered something into the ear of Hendrick while Aedan started strumming his fingers along the desk. After a few moments, most of the heads of state seemed to look at Aedan, who was no doubt elected to give their collective rebuttal.

"It falls to me to give our response," said Aedan after clearing his throat, which only served to confirm Jack's suspicions. "Our original alliance against Swabia was meant as a preservation of our independence and way of life against an aggressive power that threatened both. Swabia invaded many of our lands and took away our independence but in every such case, Swabia was the aggressor. This conflict that you're envisioning, Jack, has no basis for Picard involvement, let alone any of the other states next to me. This is a civil argument between you and your former people across the ocean, and it's not my opinion that this will come down to an actual war. Even so, Picardy cherishes her independence and she will exercise the right not to enlist in a conflict not of her choosing. For that reason, we vote no to any upcoming conflict with the Javan Empire."

With those hollow words, Aedan took his seat. A smug smile appeared on his face, almost as if he thought he was getting one over on Jack. With a quick glance around the room, it wasn't hard to see that many of the other heads, including Reina, Hendrick, and Santino, were nodding in approval.

With no changes from yesterday, the vote was shattered. There would be no grand alliance to confront the Javans.

Jack would have to face Bancroft alone.

Knowing when he was defeated, Jack bowed his head. The words wouldn't come out easily, but just before he was about to start speaking, an excitable outburst shocked the room.

"What is wrong with you people?"

Jack's head pivoted to his right only to find that Vera had stood up from the table and planted her palms on the surface. For the first time ever, he saw a glowering expression on her face as she stared down every individual head of state.

"Vera, it's okay," whispered Jack but she shook him off instantly as she straightened her back into a proud stance.

"No, it's not okay, Jack. This is truly not okay," said a passionate Vera as she pointed her finger at Aedan. "Aedan, how many times has Jack led forces to Picardy to keep your country from ruin? Was it three times? Four? I've lost count! One time led to his capture and imprisonment while the last time, he was nearly killed!"

She then whipped her finger around to Santino. "And you! When there was only one city left standing in Apulia and all appeared to be lost, who stepped in to make sure that Apulia didn't fall? Who led the countercharge that pushed the Swabians out of Apulia?"

Santino turned red in the face. "Jack did," he muttered.

"You're right, my brother did," said Vera proudly. "Everyone in this room owes something to him, myself included. If it weren't for my brother, I'd still be within the bonds of slavery to some Sorellan despot. Everyone, including you, Reina, and you, Gaius, owe my brother for what he's done to keep you free. He's been wounded more times than I can count. He's lost his ships, his men, his time, and now he's even lost his family in this conflict that has been thrust on our doorstep. And what do you do in his time of greatest need? You're going to abandon him!"

"Is that truly the spirit of our alliance?" she continued. "Aedan, you said it best yourself. We all banded together to preserve our independence and our way of life in the face of a great threat. Today, when an even greater threat arises, does that mean we throw it all away? Are our ideals and shared values so hollow that they can be discarded at the first signs of trouble?"

Reina looked rightfully uncomfortable. "Vera, it's not like that—"

"Itis like that," interrupted Vera. "When a larger threat emerges, is it not natural to work together again? Have you ever doubted Jack's leadership when he was in all of your individual countries working to preserve your freedom? So why do you do it now when it's Jack that needs your help? Is that the limits of your bonds of brotherhood?"

No one wanted to answer that question head-on. Santino bowed his head, looking truly ashamed, as did several others.

An impassioned tear fell down Vera's cheek. "My brother has sacrificed everything for you. In the past two and a half years, he's sacrificed his body, his men, his ships, and now even his home country. What more does he have to give to make you understand that this isn't about some petty argument between two men? That this is a conflict that is about the total destruction of our way of life. Those leaders here who saw the Javan viceroys know that they are only interested in consuming what resources we have to offer. They won't stop until we have nothing left to give, or we are all slaves. Is that our way of life? Is that the freedom and the independence that we so value?"

"No, no, it's not," muttered Nikias, shaking his head.

"Is this the kind of leaders you are?" asked Vera, making several others shake their heads. "Jack is right. The wolf may not be at your doorstep but it will be here soon. We will have time to prepare but the threat will find all of us eventually. Our ideals are what separates us from our enemies across the ocean. I only ask you that in this time of our greatest need that you act on those ideals that you so value and so strongly cherish before it's too late."

When Vera resumed her seat, you could have heard a pin drop in the room.

The effect on the heads of state was electrifying. Aedan actually had tears in his eyes. Santino looked rightfully embarrassed, and even Hendrick looked to be reconsidering.

Eventually, it was Gaius that was the first to speak. He looked at Vera first and then to Jack. "Your sister certainly has a way with words, Jack."

"She's full of surprises," said Jack as he glanced at Vera. "But I couldn't be happier to call her family."

"In that case, are we not all a family in this room?" asked Gaius. "Hasn't our alliance established the bonds of family between us? When one member of our family is threatened, shouldn't we all respond?" Gaius looked at Jack directly. "Jack, you have my apologies. You have given much to ensure that Naxos is free today. You have my support. Though I do not like having to go to war again, you will have the support of the Nax people."

Gaius' words were the breakthrough that he needed. Though technically speaking, Gaius' vote was the change that Jack needed to have a majority, it would have been a hollow win without the rest of the countries signing on.

To that end, Aedan actually leapt out of his chair. His movements were theatrical but the tears on his cheeks were real.

"Forgive me, my brother," said Aedan as he looked at Jack. "Forgive my stubbornness. Gaius said it best in that no one is eager to go to war, but if a war is thrust upon us, you can count on Picardy to stand beside you. We will face down this tyrant across the ocean if it's the last thing we do."

"You have my support as well, Jack," added Reina. "We are all indebted to you. It's only natural that we support you in your time of need."

The tension in the room was dissipating. Everywhere that Jack looked, feelings of goodwill were prominently displayed on everyone's face.

"Well, you'll have to make do without Apulia," said Santino abruptly. "I'm not convinced!"

Everyone gave a shocked look at Santino, who eventually let out a toothy grin. "Did you really think I'd be able to get away with that here? If I didn't change my vote, I feel like Vera would have strangled me before I left the room!"

That earned a round of laughter and even Vera turned red at the mention. As all the objections melted away, Jack addressed all of them together.

"I truly thank you for your assistance today," he said, looking each of them in the eyes. "I am humbled by your response, and there's no one that desires peace more than I. We will fight together one more time and vanquish this threat in front of us. And then, we can return to the peace that we so rightfully deserve."

That earned a round of cheers, and thankfully for all, the entire alliance was together for one more fight. It was determined that a period of six months would be given to all countries to prepare for action against the Javans. In that time, supplies would be set aside, troops would be trained, and a mustering point for all forces would be established for the war against Java.

As the council was adjourned, it truly seemed like a crisis had been averted. Jack had entered the room prepared for the worst, and it was all thanks to his sister that they got the outcome they wanted.

It wasn't surprising that she didn't leave the room until it was only the two of them left.

"You saved my butt," said Jack with a smile. "I owe you so much, Vera."

Without words, Vera pushed up from her seat and embraced her brother. "I love you, Jack. I'd do anything for you. There was nothing that I said that wasn't true. They just needed a little help seeing it."