Fourth Vector Ch. 46

"I know why," said Nina after a moment. "He's lost his nerve."

"What do you mean, Nina?"

"It's obvious, isn't it? He's in no hurry to face Trevor again. He remembers what happened the last time he faced Trevor on a battlefield. He had all the numbers and all the advantages and he still lost ninety percent of his army. My guess is that we shattered Ryan's confidence. He's dragging his feet because he doesn't want another battle with us. He's afraid he's going to lose."

The explanation made sense, at least from the standpoint of their prior experience. Even if Trevor was putting himself in Ryan's shoes, he wouldn't be in a hurry to face an adversary that he'd already lost handily against. But it still begged one question.

"If that's the case, why didn't Bancroft sack him?" asked Gavin, echoing Trevor's thoughts. "Why is he still in charge of the army if he lost his nerve?"

They all knew the likely answer to that question.

"He doesn't have anyone else to throw at us," said Trevor. "All their other commanders are tied up in Ruthenia, Occitania, or set aside for Easterbrook. My guess is that Ryan is the best one left and Bancroft must not realize that his confidence is gone."

"That's good for us then," replied Nina. "A general without any nerve isn't going to be much of an enemy. Even if his army is larger than ours, he won't be much of a threat."

"Better to face an army of wolves led by a sheep than an army of sheep led by a wolf," quoted Gavin, quickly earning stares from the other two. "It's an old Thessalian proverb I'm told. At least, that's what they kept telling me during our Thessalian sojourn."

"In any event, it's an apt saying," replied Trevor. "But even if Ryan has lost his nerve, we can't discount the fact that he'll still try to contest our approach through Java. He still has a job to do, and we can't underestimate him no matter what we think. Remember, this is still the general that pushed us back against the wall in the Wilds. He's still dangerous."

"What do you want to do about this then, Trevor?" asked Gavin. "Keep up our course? Press him hard or divert our course to continue toward Belfort by another road?"

Trevor thought over the question for several moments before giving his answer. "I want to put our theory to the test. I want to see what happens to Ryan when he finally encounters our men. If our theory is correct, he'll become even more cautious and he might try to pull back to Belfort. Let's keep him from getting a firm footing."

"How do you want to do that?"

"I want you to keep most of the army intact, however, I want you to detach small groups. Possibly several companies at most but less than a regiment. And I want you to hammer the flanks of his army when he least expects it. I don't want pitched battles. I want lightning raids against him at points where he'll never see us coming. We hit them hard and then turn around and run away. I don't want any pattern to it. We hit them from the front at night and then from the side at midday when they stop to eat. If we can become unpredictable and strike at him at will, my thoughts are that we might just scare him enough to keep him off center. Make sense?"

Gavin nodded. "The men have been spoiling for a fight. All this marching through Thessaly the last few months has made them restless for fighting."

"We'll give them their chance now then," replied Trevor. "Get the word out. I want the first groups to go out now. Keep a steady rotation in and we'll continue our course until we're sure of their position. Let's see if General Ryan has any nerve left."

*****

Not long after speaking with Greg, Jack made his way across the city to the Swabian camp. Like the rest of Zarah, the Swabian camp was still in shambles from the storm. Right now, a good portion of their soldiers were trying to put things back together to how it was, and Jack had to admit they were making better progress than their counterparts in the other Allied camp.

That wasn't due to the fact that the Swabians were better at picking themselves back up after calamity but more so to the fact that most of the citizens of Zarah didn't want the Swabians helping them, which left them quarantined in their camp.

It was a whole lot easier to clean up a small camp than it was to clean up an entire city.

In any event, Jack was looking for Ambros and he made his way toward his headquarters near the center of the camp. For the most part, Jack was lightly guarded, only keeping with him Ben Torben and the other members of his bodyguard. It spoke volumes of the confidence he had in the Swabian King that he felt safe enough to travel through their camp without any altercations breaking out.

True to form, many of the Swabians stopped to watch him, recognizing him for who he really was. None of them tried to interfere or provoke any hostilities though, even with Jack's small number of men.

Jack thought of it as a sign of the begrudging respect that had developed between the two sides. The Galicians were starting to respect the Swabians as joint partners and the Swabians had started to respect the Galicians for the fair treatment they received after the war.

That wasn't to say there were still ill feelings on either side but it was a starting point if nothing else.

Jack arrived at Ambros' headquarters, which was just an old farmhouse on the outside of the city. He was sitting in a rough-looking chair that had clearly seen better days, and he was staring off into space. Once he saw Jack, Ambros snapped back to reality.

"Jack, I wasn't expecting to see you so soon," said Ambros, stumbling over his words.

"I figured I might as well stop by," said Jack, taking a seat across from the Swabian King. "Am I interrupting anything?"

Ambros shook his head. "No, not really. I was just wondering if it might not be better off for everyone if I just took my forces home."

"You and I both know that no good can come of that," said Jack. "Why even suggest it?"

"I'm only half-serious, Jack. I'm greatly troubled by the events of this morning, as is everyone else. Mostly troubled because the blame seems to have fallen on my men, and I believe it to be not right."

Jack nodded with him. "I agree with you."

Ambros' mouth fell open. "You do?"

"Of course. I don't believe that your men sabotaged our own force. Out of this entire army, I believe you and your men are one of the last ones who would ever resort to such an act."

"We would never, Jack," said Ambros with a fierce glint in his eyes. "I can assure you that my men had no part in the collapse of those hangars."

"I believe you, Ambros. And I'm sure once my investigation gets to the bottom of this, we'll find out the truth. I'm putting the blame on the storm, and I'm sure it will be vindicated when this is all said and done."

Ambros let out a relieved sigh. "I'm grateful to have your support. I know that our participation in your alliance hasn't always come with much enthusiasm from the other Allies. I was afraid they might force your hand on this subject."

Jack chuckled. "Not that Aedan isn't trying. However, we have had some luck there. Greg has already spoken with him and he's agreed that we can have more than twenty-four hours to figure out what happened. It's a small victory but a victory nonetheless."

"So what are you going to do, Jack?"

"I'm having an investigation into the building as we speak. They are going to go through the wreckage and inspect the structure for any damages. My guess is that the structure wasn't that sturdy to begin with and when coupled with the power of the storm, we'll find all the reasons we need as to why it didn't survive."

"I remember when those hangars went up," said Ambros. "They were hastily thrown up by Avila's cousin, Adalbert, during our last occupation."

"Adalbert?" said Jack with a laugh. "Now there's a name I haven't heard in some time."

"Well, he met a grizzly end at the hand of a scorned woman," replied Ambros. "In any event, it was well-deserved. Adalbert had all the vices of the Avila genes with none of the talents. I'm surprised he lasted as long as he did. Anyway, I know he threw those up quickly during the last occupation and from what I saw recently, they'd been taken over unmodified by the Picards. Jack, you know as well as I do that the Swabians aren't known for our skills with architecture. I'm of half the belief that Adalbert's men did a piss-poor job of putting them up, and I'm surprised it took them this long to collapse."

That explanation made a lot of sense to Jack, especially from what he remembered of Adalbert Avila.

"That gives us a good starting theory that my men can work off of," replied Jack. "There doesn't appear to be much rhyme or reason in what buildings survived the storm. Those hangars might have been made with steel but the way they're designed, it wouldn't be hard for a severe wind to shatter their thin outer layer and bring them down. There are many structures in Zarah that were much better made that didn't survive either, so my gut feeling is that we can lay the blame on the construction. If that truly is the case, I'll look forward to clearing your name and getting the other Allies to step back from their hard stance."

"Do you really think that's possible? Aedan seemed quite set in his proclamation earlier this morning."

Jack waved his hand dismissively. "Let me handle Aedan. I might ask you to sit with the man later this week once he's cooled down but until then, I'll get him back in line. For now, I just want your men to get your camp back in good order now that the storm has passed. There's still much to do and not much time to do it."

Ambros gulped heavily. "About that, Jack, I was hoping to speak with you about this further. Are we still on the same timetable as before? We were supposed to leave Zarah this time next week, but this storm is most likely going to hold us back. I still have units that barely have any training."

"As do I," replied Jack. "The good news is that seems to be the worst of our problems, alongside the loss in airplanes. The fleet is in remarkably good shape and they are on their way back to Zarah as we speak. We've lost some men and materials due to the storm but we're still in good shape to get across the ocean."

"Would we not be in better shape if we waited a little while?" asked Ambros. "I don't want to rush into an engagement when we're not on sure footing, especially with the combative stances of the others."

Jack winced. "I'm afraid to have us wait any longer than we absolutely need to. I don't want this war to be fought on home territory, and we've been given a long reprieve of having to do any fighting at all. After this much time, I'd expected the Javans to have a fleet operating in the West and there's been nothing so far. Sooner or later, this window is going to close, and I don't want our army to start off on the defensive. The sooner we get them to Java, the better."

"I'm in agreement with you, but I'm just cautious over our poor fortune as of late. I don't like the feeling of rushing to war, especially if I can't control the variables making me feel that way."

"Well, we have another week here in Zarah," said Jack. "The way I see it, there's a few things we need to accomplish." He put up his hand and started checking off his fingers. "I need to get Aedan, Reina, and the others back in the game. I need to get some replacements for the airplanes that were destroyed by the storm. Lastly, we also need to get more training for the men, not only yours but mine as well. Many of my Galicians are greener than the grass outside. They know how to dig a foxhole and clean their rifles but what they are missing is small-unit tactics. How to work together in a larger group. For that matter, I'm going to ask for your help."

"My help? In what regard, Jack?"

"I was thinking about something this morning," replied Jack. "It's linked back to the reason why all your men are still in your own camp cleaning up while none of them are in the city with the others."

"You know the real reason for that," said Ambros. "I offered Aedan the help and he refused it."

"Exactly my point, and I believe that's a large reason why Aedan drew the line in the sand that he did. He doesn't trust you. Not only him but the rest of the Western nations in general don't trust Swabia."

Ambros pursed his lips. "And how do we fix that? You're talking about centuries of national hatred. We can't smooth that over in a mere week."

"No, but we can do our best to try," replied Jack. "I need everyone to accept you and your men as an integral part of this army. I need them to see your human side, and right now, they just see you as the defeated boogeymen that are sharing the same space as they are for some reason. We can't have that. That's why I'm going to ask you to lend me several of your regiments for combined small-unit tactics."

Ambros squinted his eyes. "What are you envisioning?"

"I want to see mixed units of Galicians and Swabians working together. I want to see them training together, eating together, and running together. Hell, I'd chain them together if I thought it would help. They won't like it at first--"

"Like is an understatement," interrupted Ambros. "They'll positively hate it. Both sides."

"They'll need to get over it," said Jack. "Now, there's no surer way to bond two men or two groups of men like shared hardship. Would you agree to that?"

"No question about that. I agree wholeheartedly."

Jack shrugged. "Then why not try it with those two groups? You know my Galicians and your Swabians are going to be the hardest groups to get along by default. So if we start with them and show the rest of the army that we can work with the Swabians, that you can be trusted to hold up your commitments to the army, I think it'll go a long way towards earning the trust of the rest of the allies."

Ambros thought the idea over for a minute before he responded. "It's a bold plan, Jack. So what do we do whenever scuffles break out? You know that's going to happen right from the beginning."

Jack chuckled. "Then we treat the cuts and bruises and put ice on the black eyes. But one way or another, they'll have to get through it. If I can take evidence of the Galicians and the Swabians working together to Aedan and the others, as well as a clean inspection report to absolve your men of any wrongdoing in the collapse of the hangar, I can cut the legs out of his argument for good. I can guarantee that."

Ambros started to rub his chin. "Nothing can truly come easy, can it? It seems like a hard path in front of us."

Jack continued to chuckle. "That's funny, you're the second person that I've heard say that today."

"Who was the first?"

"Greg."

"Smart man, that one," replied Ambros. "I have a lot of respect for him."

"And so proves my point," said Jack. "You two men come from different backgrounds and are supposed to be mortal enemies, yet you learned to work together back in Swabia after the war and look what happened? You both respect each other now."

"Well, Jack, technically Greg is a Javan."

"That Javan happens to be the head of the entire Galician Army," replied Jack. "If you two can do it, why not the rest of our citizens? Why can't we truly come together as one army?"

"It's an admirable goal, Jack. But I'll be a believer when I see it. It might be my existing prejudices but I have a hard time believing that your average Swabians can get along with average Galicians. There's just too much hatred there."

"Then we're just going to have to show them the way," said Jack, reclining back in his chair.

"How soon do you want these regiments for combined training? Can it wait until this evening? We should have our camp mostly cleaned up by that time."

Jack nodded. "That should be just fine. I've already asked Greg to pick a few units for us to intermingle. I'm going to have several of your regiments take the place of mine within the larger Allied camp as well as sending several of mine over here to take the places of the leaving Swabians. That way, we'll have a true immersion on both sides."

"Swabians in the main Allied camp?" asked Ambros with a sly grin. "I can almost hear Aedan bitching about that now."

"He's definitely not going to like that part," said Jack. "But just leave that to me. I've brought Aedan back from the brink before. I know I can do it again."

"I hate to even be the one to ask this, Jack, but what if you can't?" asked Ambros. "What do we do if we can't budge the rest of the Allies? Do we truly delay at that point?"

Jack let out a deep breath. "In that case, I'm not sure. But I'd lean toward the path of you and I leaving together with our own forces. I would fight the Javans with just the Swabians as my allies."

Ambros flinched. "I thought you said we wouldn't stand a chance on our own? That we would need everyone participating in order to win?"

Jack nodded. "I truly believe that but I can't afford to sit back and do nothing. We would go together against the Javans and we would probably lose. It's imperative that the entire West answer in one voice. Anything short of that will lead to defeat."

"I guess we really only have one option then," said Ambros. "We get Aedan and the rest of them back on our side while proving that we can truly be one army."

Jack smiled. "I never thought I'd see the day when a Swabian talks more sense than the Picards."

Ambros started to laugh. "You just haven't spent as much time around my men. At the end of the day, we'll run laps around the Picards before they even figure out the nature of the game."

"Let's just hope that we can keep Aedan in the game long enough for us to survive this next fight."

"Aye, Jack, I think we have our work cut out for us."

*****

Indeed, they did. That was aptly demonstrated that evening when Jack and Ambros were joined by Greg as they made their way to one of the mess halls for the Swabian soldiers.

Actually, it was a mess hallformerly just for Swabian soldiers. As of now, there were three regiments of newly-recruited Galician soldiers that had just joined the Swabian camp. Their former places were taken by three other Swabian regiments, who made their quarters with the rest of the Allied Army.

To say that there was a considerable degree of tension amongst the men was an understatement.

The mess hall was now clearly divided into two sides. All the Galician soldiers sat on one side, huddled together and looking at the Swabians as if they wouldn't dare consider turning their backs on them.

On the other side of the mess hall, the Swabians were in much the same position. Between both troops, several open tables appeared, marking a sort of no-man's-land between the two forces.

Not one single Galician nor Swabian bothered to intermingle in the opposing group. It was quite clear that the battle lines had been drawn, and woe to anyone who dared to cross over into enemy territory.

"They don't appear to like each other very much, do they?" said Greg quietly into Jack's ear.

"You'd think one side just said something extremely personal about the other side's mothers," remarked Jack loudly.

"Yeah, and then they went off and did it," said Ambros sourly. "I expected a degree of animosity but this is ridiculous."

"Even still, we can't force them to sit together," said Jack. "Doing so would cause the opposite effect of what we're looking for. They would only get more resentful of being pushed together and then the fights would break out swiftly after that. What we need to do is get them working together. Make them work on drilling together. It's only through that shared experience that we'll thaw the standoff developing here."

"There's still plenty of work that needs to be done cleaning up Zarah," said Greg. "I'm sure we can start there."