Fourth Vector Ch. 46

"Well, it appears that this isn't going to die after today," said Arnold after another moment of silence. "We're going to be stuck with each other for quite some time."

"I didn't really need to be reminded of that."

"Neither did I, but what I'm saying is that it might be in our best interest to work together when we can. If we keep going for each other's throats, it's going to make this next week a lot harder than it needs to be."

Brian held back a laugh only barely. "I thought we worked together today?"

To his surprise, Arnold slapped his arm. "You know what I mean. How many times did we almost come to blows today? This could go a lot easier if we weren't trying to kill each other all the time."

"So what are you suggesting? Because I hate to break it to you but I have plenty of friends. I don't need anymore."

"Not friends," said Arnold while shaking his head. "But we can be comrades, no? That's what this is all about."

"Comrades is kind of stretching it a little."

Arnold gave him a look that said he ought to shut up before he got hit.

"Fine," conceded Brian. "But keep it easy on the questions. You don't know when to shut up half the time. Just keep your mouth shut and this won't be unbearable."

Arnold pursed his lips and then mumbled, "fine, but you're no picnic either."

"Finally, something we can agree on."

*****

The next morning, Abigail was both the first and the last one to get out of bed. The reason for this was because she felt absolutely terrible, her stomach completely in knots.

She was the first one out of bed because the rumbling in her stomach made her dash to the bathroom lest she spill out the contents of it on the floor. Thankfully, it had been a false alarm, but the queasiness continued after she got back into bed. She was still laying there long after both Jack and Kat had already gotten out of bed, with one hand draped across her forehead and the other holding her stomach.

"What did I eat yesterday?" she groaned out loud as her stomach did another somersault.

As she went through her memory of yesterday's entire menu, she found nothing that stuck out as the likely culprit. In fact, her meals yesterday had been rather tame and few in number, as most of the Allied force had been out helping to clean up after the storm.

So why did she feel this way?

Abigail took a deep breath and tried to switch positions. She rolled over on her side and pulled the blanket over her head but this proved to be unsatisfactory right from the beginning. For a brief moment, she rolled on her stomach, which turned out to be the worst move of all.

For one, it put too much pressure on her already volatile midsection but for two, there was asecond pain that she soon felt, which happened after her breasts were crushed against the bed. Abigail let out a slight moan of pain as she rolled to her back and then used her hands to cup her breasts, surprised at the level of tenderness.

What was wrong with her? Why did her stomach hurt and now why were her breasts so ten--"

Abigail bolted upright as her eyes went wide and all vestiges of sleep evaporated. It was at that very moment that Abigail figured out what was going on with her body. With confident hands, she squeezed her breasts methodically, feeling the soreness that engulfed them. After feeling the pain, one hand traveled south, resting over her taut stomach.

"Please god, oh please," whispered Abigail. "Let this be it. Let this really happen."

There was no time for further wondering. Abigail bolted out of bed and quickly got dressed, choosing her regalia as Galician Queen over her commodore's uniform today, if only because she wanted to feel like a woman rather than wear the unflattering naval uniform.

She raced out of her room in a mission to find Kat, hoping that she hadn't already left their shared quarters as of yet. As Abigail moved down the stairs, she breathed a sigh of relief when she found Kat eating breakfast in their small, galley kitchen.

"There you are," said Kat as she popped a grape into her mouth. "I was beginning to wonder if I should wake you. You usually don't sleep this long."

"Never mind all that," said Abigail as she stepped right up to Kat and forced the other woman to face her. "Put your hands on my boobs."

Kat gave her a weird look. "What now?"

"Don't ask questions, just do it!"

"Did Jack put you up to this? Because this is the strangest way to start having sex."

Ever impatient, Abigail grabbed Kat's hands and put them on her breasts. Out of instinct, Kat gently squeezed them which made Abigail wince in pain.

However, that momentary window of pain was quickly replaced by the broadest smile on Abigail's face.

"My boobs hurt! They're so incredibly tender and they weren't like that before," she said proudly.

Kat's hand went to Abigail's forehead. "Are you feeling all right? You don't seem like yourself today."

Abigail shook her head violently. "No, you're not getting what I'm saying! I woke up this morning and my stomach was all queasy. I felt like I had to throw up! And then I rolled over and my boobs were sore too. Don't you get what this means?"

The realization for Kat happened in the next moment. Her mouth dropped wide open.

"Abigail, do you think you're pregnant?"

"I have to be, right? These are two of the telltale signs! Maybe it's finally happened, Kat! Maybe I'm pregnant!"

"We should really find out for sure," said Kat nervously. "How long have you felt nauseous in the morning?"

Abigail pursed her lips. "Well, just this morning really."

"And the same with your boobs? Just this morning they started to hurt?"

Abigail's expression darkened. "What are you getting at?"

"Nothing! But just to be sure, we should probably get you tested. It might be too early to say if you just have indigestion or if you're really pregnant."

Abigail rested her hand on her stomach. "Do you really think it could be something else?"

Kat bit her lip. "I don't want to say. I just know how badly you've been wanting this, and I don't want to give you any false hope."

"Then how do I get tested? I remember you doing something during your pregnancy. Something with frogs that kind of creeped me out."

Kat started to giggle. "That's because it was a little strange. Basically, you take your pee and have it injected into a frog. If the frog lays eggs, then it means you're pregnant."

"Yeah, that sounds about right," said Abigail, shaking her head. "Let's go out and do that. Where can we find frogs around here?"

"Just about any pharmacy should have them," said Kat as she looked at Abigail's dress. "But you might want to dress down until we're sure."

Abigail frowned. "But I wanted to wear my queen's dress today."

"I know, and you look gorgeous in it but you don't really want to let word get back to Jack that you went out to take a pregnancy test, especially if it turns out to be negative, right? You're going to stick out like a sore thumb in that dress."

Abigail let out a deep sigh. "I guess you're right. Let me get changed."

It was about a half hour later that both women left the house wearing clothing that didn't identify them as members of Galician royalty. Though Abigail knew it was still likely that someone might recognize them, at least it would be much harder for them to do so with their plain clothes.

Sure enough, the process for the test was relatively simple once they arrived at the pharmacy. Abigail went to the bathroom and peed into a small cup, and she gave this cup to the girl behind the desk once she was done. From there, it was injected into a frog, and then that frog was marked with a piece of pink string around its leg, which was how they would tie it back to Abigail.

"Just come back tomorrow morning," said the doe-eyed girl at the front counter. "We should know then what the result will be."

Abigail could barely contain her excitement as they walked back to the house they were staying in. She was practically skipping, which couldn't help but be noticed by Kat along the way.

"You're really sure about this, aren't you?" asked Kat with a laugh. "You really believe this?"

Abigail nodded. "I really do. Something is just right about it. I can't explain it." She then turned to look at Kat. "Did you just have a feeling about it too when you were pregnant? Even without seeing the test, did you just know that it was going to be positive?"

Kat's eyes rolled up as she remembered it. "Yeah, I just had this intuition that I was. I'm not sure I can even describe if someone asked me to but I just knew. I knew I was pregnant and the test was only the confirmation."

Abigail couldn't contain her grin. "I feel the same way. I just know it. I'm pregnant with Jack's baby and I couldn't be happier."

Abigail wrapped her arm around Kat's side and squeezed. "It's taken so long for this to happen and it finally has. I thought I was going to go crazy before it did. So many sleepless nights wondering if I was the problem."

"Abigail, please don't get your hopes up too soon," warned Kat. "I don't want to see you crushed if this doesn't work out."

Abigail shook her head. "I'm fine, I'm telling you. I'm not going off the deep end but I know my body and I know when something's different. This is it, I'm telling you."

"Have you decided yet what you're going to tell Jack?" asked Kat cautiously. "Or when? I mean only if it's positive."

"I don't know about that," said Abigail quietly, her enthusiasm dampening. "Part of me wants to scream it from the rooftops and let everyone know but the other half of me is worried about what he might think."

Kat gave her a knowing look. "He'll be happy, trust me on that. You don't need to worry."

"Even with the awful timing? That's what I'm afraid about. What if he's not as happy as we might think?"

"Abigail, you very well could be pregnant," said Kat as they arrived at their building. "Jack is going to be ecstatic no matter what. Yes, the timing wouldn't be ideal but trust me, he's going to be thrilled."

Abigail let out a deep sigh. "Let's just hope those stupid frogs lay eggs."

"I guess we'll know tomorrow morning."

For the rest of the day, Abigail couldn't concentrate. She couldn't focus on anything else but the chance that there might be life inside her. Even once she made it to theDestiny, she sat in her chair looking out the porthole window and sighed, desperately wanting to know the answer sooner rather than later.

She was more worried about Jack than she let on with Kat. While she didn't have any doubt that Jack would welcome the pregnancy, having a child during a war was something she didn't want to do, especially after Kat's experience.

Her biggest fear was that Jack might order her to stay behind, either in Picardy or back in Galicia, while the rest of the force went back to Java. That to her was an unthinkable act, not only because she wanted to fight and be near her husband but also because this upcoming fight could be Jack's last.

How could she stay behind with the knowledge that Jack might die? There was no question of doing so but the question still remained about what Jack would think when the time came.

For the rest of the day, the minutes ticked by slowly.

If there was a way to make time any slower, she'd surely found it.

Why can't it just be tomorrow already?

*****

"Jack, do you have a minute?"

Jack looked up from his desk to see Twitch at the door. Just behind him was Ben Torben, occupying his usual role as head bodyguard. Between the two of them, they had the most control of access to Jack's working space and just about any news usually started with them.

Today was no different.

"What's going on, Twitch?" he asked, noticing a file in the other man's hand. "What's in your hand?"

"The report from the engineering team you dispatched to the airfield a couple days ago," replied Twitch. "They examined the wreckage of the hangar so they could figure out what truly happened to it. I think you're going to be pleased when you see this."

"Can you give me the highlights?" asked Jack as he turned his attention away from the file in front of him. "Sorry, but I'm still mentally stuck on this report in front of me from Lindy. Tell me what the engineering team had to say."

Twitch opened the file and leafed through it. "Basically, the hangar was never of sound construction to begin with. The engineers noted that the original constructors of it did a shoddy job and didn't use the best materials in the process. Frankly, this one here gives the opinion that he's surprised it's lasted as long as it did. To that effect, it's their opinion that there was no way it could have lasted in the storm and the fall was inevitable."

Jack was actually relieved. "So what you're saying is that there's no signs of sabotage? No signs of Swabian activity?"

Twitch closed the file. "Not unless the Swabians know the future. That's the only way they could have known that the hangar they built would one day be used by their enemies. I'd say this file absolves them of any guilt."

Jack tapped his knuckle against the desk. "Well, that's great news, Twitch. Will you do me a favor and have copies of that file distributed to every head of state in Zarah as well as the commanding generals? Start with Aedan and Reina and work your way from there. I'm due to meet with them in two hours' time and I want that report in front of them when I do."

Twitch grinned and saluted. "You got it, Jack."

At least the day was off to a good start, which was surely needed by Jack. It was only this morning that he got the final tally of the damage incurred by the storm, and to say that it would be costly was an understatement. Already, the Galician treasury was feeling the strain of the war, and this wouldn't give it the reprieve that Jack needed.

Alongside the money situation, there was also the situation with the other leaders in the alliance. Though Aedan had softened his stance about immediately ejecting the Swabians from Picardy, he still seemed no closer to fighting with them in the upcoming war. Jack predicted the file would help soothe a good portion of his frustrations but he also hoped that he could demonstrate that the Swabians could be trusted to fight in his army.

According to Greg, that little experiment wasn't off to the greatest start. After two days of working to clean up Zarah, Greg and his officers had broken up more fights between the Galicians and Swabians than anyone cared to admit. So far, making the two nationalities work together had gone as smoothly as combining oil and water.

Needless to say, Jack still had a point to prove before he could hope to get Aedan and the others to continue the course.

After going through the rest of Lindy's report as well as several others, Jack made his way to a meeting with Aedan and Reina a couple hours later. By this time, he was hoping that the pair had the time to digest the investigative report and that his argument would be made easier, and when Jack saw Aedan's curious face that afternoon, he had hopes that the argument had stuck.

Unfortunately, Reina's face was still marred with the same obstinacy that he saw days ago.

After starting with the usual pleasantries, Jack got right down to business.

"I trust that both of you had the opportunity to review the file I had sent over to you earlier?" asked Jack, making himself comfortable in the chair opposite the other two monarchs. "The report about the hangars?"

Aedan grabbed the hairs of his beard with his fingers. "Yes, I've reviewed it, Jack."

Jack gave him an amused look. "And did the information digest? The engineers that reviewed the site found no evidence of sabotage. There was no Swabian plot to destroy the hangar."

Aedan and Reina shared a look that Jack couldn't quite decipher. While Aedan was usually the one that was the backbone for the other monarchs, the shoe appeared to be on the other foot today. He appeared to look to Reina for direction, and her stern expression left little doubt as to where she was going to go.

"Jack, I get everything that's been said in this report," she said while closing the folder and pushing it across the desk toward him. "Sabotage or not, we all have real concerns about whether we can fight alongside the Swabians."

"Concerns that were brought up in Kalmar and not addressed," added Aedan quietly.

Jack looked confused. "What wasn't addressed? We all voted to go to war together six months ago. Or did I miss something?"

"Jack, we voted to go to war together once more," said Reina. "We were inspired by the level of passion elicited by Vera as well as the memory of all that you've done for us."

"But fighting alongside the Swabians is something that we didn't agree to," said Aedan before he tapped the file with his hand. "This report may prove that they did nothing wrong but how long will it be before they do something that will put us at risk? It might not be here in Picardy but what happens if it takes place in Java? What if it puts the whole army at risk?"

"The Swabians are quite capable fighters," said Jack coolly. "And I don't doubt their martial spirit. They almost conquered most of the West."

"It's not their martial spirit that we take fault with, Jack," explained Reina. "It's their aggressiveness. They don't know how to act as part of our civilized world. It's also the fact that they've been on the opposing side for centuries that no one has any idea of how to work with them or fight with them. Simply, I doubt whether they can successfully integrate into our force without posing any security liabilities."

And there it was. There were few times when Jack was agitated about being completely right but this was one of them. He knew that this was going to boil down to the other Allies not wanting to work beside the Swabians, and the accusations of sabotage were just the way the conversation was started.

It was never meant to be the hill the other allies died on, but instead, it was meant to kick off the storm of doubt that would ultimately see the Swabians removed from the alliance.

This was something Jack couldn't allow.

"What you're saying is incompatible with the way I want to lead this war," said Jack finally, using a firm tone of voice. "And it's incompatible with what we voted back in Kalmar."

Aedan and Reina shared a look together before turning their focus back to Jack.

"Jack, we're not saying we won't go to war with you. We'd fight with you against any enemy that tried to interfere in our collective safety but we're not sure why the Swabians have to fight alongside us," said Reina. "Why can't they fight on their own, separate from the rest of us?"

It was at this point that Jack had a hard time controlling his annoyance. He strummed his fingers along the desk impatiently as he answered the question.

"It's incredibly foolish to consider splitting your forces in the face of the enemy," said Jack. "In fact, it's one of the most critical rules of war that you just don't break. If we allow Bancroft the chance to deal with two smaller forces as opposed to one larger one, he can defeat us in detail before we can make the most use of our combined strength. Reina, I'm not trying to be rude, but that's the kind of stuff that officers learn within their first week at the academies. There's no point in discussing it even further."

Reina actually managed to look embarrassed. She sat back in her chair and clamped her mouth shut, which allowed Aedan to take over.

"Jack, what evidence do we have that the Swabians can work with our army? None? I'm not blind to the reports. I know fights keep breaking out between the Swabians and the other nationalities. I also know there's virtually no trust on our side when it comes to Swabian soldiers."