Fourth Vector Ch. 47

"And I'd hoped that Bancroft might put McKenzie in charge," Jack grumbled. "At least McKenzie might have mixed feelings about engaging with me."

Lucas shook his head. "Funny you should mention McKenzie. He's the one that sent the message to me about you. He's also under house arrest."

"House arrest? For what?"

Lucas patted Jack's back. "Come. We have much to discuss. Let's go to my office."

*****

"Sacked? How in the world can anyone sack Walt McKenzie? He's the top admiral in Java."

Lucas leaned back in his chair and shook his head. "There's no room for any disobedience in Bancroft's Java anymore. Bancroft wanted McKenzie to become the Viceroy of Occitania, and Walt said no. That was all it took. He was removed from his position and put under house arrest within the fortnight."

Jack couldn't help but shake his head as he looked out the window of Lucas' third floor headquarters in Quiller's Cove. Lucas' office was extremely cramped, as not only were Greg, Vera, Abigail, Kat, and Bill inside with him, but also Lucas' deputy, Lt. Settler. Lt. Settler certainly remembered Jack from his previous visits, as the two men certainly didn't get started off on the right foot. Even now, Settler would barely look in his direction.

"But surely McKenzie wasn't the only admiral that Bancroft could have chosen," said Jack. "What about Admiral Jasper Strong? He was a fine naval officer as well. He'd have been better suited than Nick Reynolds."

Lucas shook his head. "Admiral Strong doesn't inspire much confidence in Bancroft. He's currently posted with the occupational fleet in Montauban but there's not much of a future there. For now though, it's Reynolds."

Jack shook his head and swore under his breath.

"Forgive me, Jack, but I'm surprised you're this upset that it's Reynolds," said Lucas a moment later. "You and I both know him to be a second-rate officer. Isn't it better that Reynolds is in charge and not a competent admiral like McKenzie or Strong?"

"No, and I'll tell you why," said Jack. "McKenzie or Strong could be counted on to fight with honor. They don't need any dirty tricks in order to win because they are tactically brilliant. There's also the question of my friendship with both of them that might make them unwilling to fight me, or give a full effort to any fight with me. Reynolds is different. Reynolds doesn't fight with honor and he doesn't have much in the way of ethics. He also hates me for some perceived slight from years ago, a hate that's no doubt been nurtured by Bancroft. He'll fight that much harder because of it. Reynolds is the last opponent I'd want to face."

Lucas pursed his lips and started to nod. "I suppose you have a point there. Either way, it doesn't look good for the developing situation, and that's not even touching what's going on in Java right now."

"What is the situation in the country? We haven't had much in the way of news in the past two years," said Jack.

"Truthfully? It's chaotic, Jack. The whole damn country is in turmoil. No matter what he does, Bancroft can't help but piss off the people, with nearly all of them resentful and brimming with discontent."

Jack's eyes widened. "I figured it was bad but you make it sound like he's about to be overthrown."

"He could be," said Lucas. "Though you won't hear of it through the official news media, there's a resistance group now in the heart of Belfort said to be led by an heir to the Bainbridge family himself. Troubling times, no doubt. Bancroft is sitting on a powder keg, and all it will take is one spark to blast the whole thing wide open."

"Very interesting," replied Jack. "This could be the opening we need."

"And he'll be in no position to contest our landing if he's too busy fighting his own people," added Bill, the first time he'd spoken up all meeting.

His words drew Lucas' attention, who grinned after hearing it. "You must be another Galician by the looks of you."

Jack chuckled. "Stan Lucas, meet Bill Calland. Bill is one of the leading lords in Galicia and my personal advisor in just about every matter."

"A pleasure," said Lucas before he turned his attention back to Jack. "I have to agree with your man there. Bancroft's position is more tenuous than it looks."

"Is that why you've thrown your fate in with the rest of us?" asked Jack quietly.

He almost expected Lucas not to answer the question head-on, but to his surprise, Lucas merely smiled. "Jack, I've been waiting nearly twenty-two years to put the screws to Percy Bancroft. You've given me the excuse I needed to do it, but if I blink, I might miss my chance. Java cannot carry on at this pace for long. Its armed forces are formidable, and that's the reason why I think Bancroft is still able to hold it all together. If you can strike a blow that defeats them on land and on sea, I think you'll find that his throne will be incredibly easy to topple."

"Well, that's comforting at least. Perhaps we only need to work on winning one or two fights," said Bill.

"We shouldn't count on it though," added Jack. "We never want to underestimate Bancroft. The man will take it and use it against us. In any event, we should prepare for a drawn out war and not a quick victory. He'll be expecting us for sure."

"Oh, that he definitely is," said Lucas. "But he knows nothing about when you'll arrive. It's for that reason that he dispatched Reynolds out here after so many months of no word."

"So many months?" asked Jack. "We needed time to build up. We couldn't just go to war as soon as he chopped my sister and her family to bits and dropped them on my doorstep."

"I understand that, Jack, but what I'm referring to is that I think he hoped to bring the war to your doorstep sooner than now. Part of the reason why he hasn't been able to is because of the situation in Tyrol."

"Speaking of which, let's talk about Tyrol for a second," said Jack. "The last I heard, Tyrol was still nothing much more than a small-scale rebellion. The Javans haven't had any problems in the past with putting down the generational Tyrolean rebellions but that appears to be different this time around."

"Yes, because in the last few wars, the Tyroleans never had one central figure to unite around," said Lucas. "That's different in this war because they have a powerful leader at the forefront of their movement who is actually rather competent."

Jack knew the name of the leader immediately.

"Trevor Downing."

Lucas pointed his finger at Jack. "Correct. Not much is known about this Trevor Downing but he's proven to be an incredible foe. The rumors that we hear is that he was a shopkeeper from before the war. Isn't that ironic? The forces of the Javan Empire grinded to a halt by a mere shopkeeper?"

"Definitely something that no one would've been able to predict."

"Right you are, Jack. In any event, The Tyroleans under Downing scored a devastating victory in the Wilds right next to Thessaly. What makes it more astounding is that from what I've gathered, they had their backs pressed against the wall and were ready for defeat."

Jack gave him a strange look, which forced Lucas to back up.

"Forgive me, Jack, I forget that you haven't lived under Bancroft's regime for very long. Real news out of Java is hard to come by. Most of the headlines that we see are propaganda in some form or another. While it has always been like that to some degree in Java, it's been greatly elevated under Bancroft's watch. It used to be that military communications contained accurate information even if what was told to the common people was nothing short of bullshit. Now, even that's not the case anymore. It's incredibly difficult to make out what's really happening during the war, and most of what I've figured out comes piecemeal from other sources. In this case, it comes from McKenzie."

"How does McKenzie tie into all of this? What's his role?"

"McKenzie is another one that reached out to me," said Lucas. "And while he wouldn't tell me his sources, it appears that he's an agent of the Tyrolean resistance judging by what he has to offer. But what they are putting out to you is an offer of an alliance."

"An alliance?" asked Jack with a raised eyebrow. "My forces aligned with Tyrol?"

"Correct. Though the Tyroleans are in a current position of strength, that could surely change if the Javans find a way to wrap up a number of the commitments they are currently in. The Tyroleans are only staying alive because Javan power is stretched so far. If the Javans could concentrate their forces, I don't believe that Tyrol would last for a month. And of course, there is the logic in working with the enemy of their enemy."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," quoted Jack. "I could say that my forces could use an ally on the Javan mainland, if only to split Bancroft's attention between two forces."

"That's precisely what the Tyroleans have in mind, Jack. McKenzie sees your two forces converging on Belfort like a vice grip, one from either direction with Bancroft caught in the middle. There's no way a victory can't be had in circumstances like that, even if Bancroft has greater forces."

"Speaking of forces, I was hoping we could discuss that as well," said Jack. "I know the strength of my army and the forces under my command but it's been years since I've heard of the Javan order of battle. It used to be that the Javan Army had a traditional strength of about sixty regiments, or sixty thousand men ready for battle. Does that still hold true?"

Lucas winced. "More like double that these days."

"Double?" asked Jack incredulously. "How?"

"Many commitments, Jack. Not to mention that Bancroft has greatly expanded the army since taking over. There are nearly twenty regiments total occupying Occitania and Ruthenia, about ten in each country. There are nearly forty regiments aligned against the Tyroleans in the center of Java, and another forty near Belfort that are growing by the day."

"Good god," mumbled Jack. "That's an incredible force."

"There is a silver lining to that, Jack. Most of the veterans of the old force are in Ruthenia or Occitania, left over there after the war. The other armies are relatively green men. The army that got destroyed in the Wilds had a nearly ninety percent casualty rate if the rumors are true. That means the bulk of the forces on the Javan continent are composed of young, green men. And that's not even adding in the overall lack of manpower which will make their losses harder to replace."

"That comes to no surprise seeing as the army has been doubled after all these years of war," said Jack. "Bancroft is having a hard time finding men to conscript?"

"You can't find any beggars on the street or nearly a man between the ages of sixteen and forty-nine who isn't currently serving. As you can imagine, it's wreaked havoc on the Javan industries, so much so that Bancroft has had to resort to industrial conscription to keep his factories running. This small facet alone has caused considerable unrest amongst the people. They're weary of war, Jack. They've been at war for so long with no end in sight. I believe it's what's contributing to the mutinous atmosphere that's developing in the country."

"Mutinous or not, even green soldiers can still point a rifle," said Jack. "Bancroft will have the means to keep a lid on dissent unless we can land our soldiers on the mainland and work with the Tyroleans before Bancroft can manage to knock out one of his enemies."

"Well put, Jack, well put," said Lucas, taking a break to drink from his glass of water. "And we still need to discuss the Javan Navy."

"What do you know of it?" asked Jack. "This fleet that's heading for Quiller's is led by Reynolds but what is its composition? How many ships are we talking about?"

"It's quite the armada, Jack," said Lucas soberly. "Made all the more deadly by several new additions to the fleet. Before you left, did you hear about the new ships that were currently being built? What is being called a battlecruiser these days?"

Jack shook his head. "I haven't heard much of what was in development before I left. If you read the reports from naval headquarters, most of the time any good information is redacted in order to prevent any leaks from getting out. That makes those reports all but useless unless you're there to see it with your own eyes."

Lucas gave him a serious look. "You are quite right, but ever since they finished this class of battlecruisers, Bancroft won't stop talking about them. It's a class of four of them and they're being billed as the deadliest warships afloat. They have more firepower than anything that can catch them and they can outrun anything with heavier firepower. They are mammoth ships, Jack."

"That's how they billed theDestiny when she came out," said Jack. "How are they any different?"

"Think of aDestiny that is faster and with 16-inch guns instead of the 12-inch you currently have now. Now you see the kind of power I'm talking about."

"16-inch guns?" interrupted Abigail. "And faster than theDestiny?"

Lucas nodded. "There's four of them in total. They are the Revenge-class of ships, named after the lead ship. Reynolds has taken one of them as his flagship, and he hopes to destroy your fleet with the help of those ships."

"Revenge-class?" asked Jack as he shook his head. "No doubt Bancroft had a hand in naming that one."

"Indeed, Jack. In any event, the fleet that sails to Quiller's Cove is quite massive in size. By the figures I've heard, you have thirty-nine battleships coming your way, along with four of these battlecruisers."

Jack turned to look at Abigail. "Thirty-nine battleships. It appears our estimate was just about spot-on."

Jack then resumed looking at Lucas. "What about smaller vessels?"

"At least forty cruisers and nearly a hundred destroyers," replied Lucas. "Forgive me, it's hard to get an accurate total. I fear the reports that are sent to Quiller's are doctored by Bancroft because he doesn't trust me. These are only the counts I could get by adding up everything that Reynolds doesn't have."

"So what are the other fleet compositions?" asked Jack. "You mentioned a fleet in Occitania under Jasper Strong. What about Ruthenia?"

"Modest forces in both countries, Jack. Just enough to keep the peace and keep the Occitanians from getting any ideas. Some ships from both countries have been commandeered for use in the Javan Navy at least for the duration of the conflict. In any case, the threat in front of you is considerable."

"True, but it does have one weakness," said Jack as he touched his chin. "If the vast majority of Bancroft's ships are out here in the ocean, that means there's not a force guarding Java proper. The continent would be defenseless if we could get around Reynolds or defeat him."

"That is mostly accurate, Jack, but there is a force defending Belfort. Ever since that raid by the Occitanians, harbor security has been greatly beefed up. Not only is there a garrison fleet but two of the fortresses guarding the harbor have been made quite formidable. It would be an extremely daunting proposal to attack Belfort by way of sea. No doubt, this is Bancroft's influence. With how many years he's been in the navy, he no doubt wanted to make his capital city impregnable to sea attack."

"We do need to find some place to land though," said Jack. "And the surest route to victory is getting our army as close to Belfort as possible to engage Bancroft."

"That is where our friend, McKenzie, comes in," said Lucas. "And he is located in the perfect city for you to land your forces--Lockhaven."

"I had a feeling you were going to say that," replied Jack. "Lockhaven has the facilities needed to berth and unload that many ships. If it is empty of enemy warships, it would make a good landing point. However, there is one problem with that."

Lucas gave him a strange look. "What is that?"

"The distance from Belfort," said Jack. "Lockhaven is nearly three hundred miles north of Belfort. It's a considerable distance to move an army."

"That might be true, Jack," interrupted Bill. "But we moved our army a nearly equal distance during the Swabian campaign. We can do it again."

"Not saying we can't do it but it's still something we need to work through logistically," replied Jack. "But if Lockhaven is the best place to land the army, we can make it happen. It's almost ironic that we land in Lockhaven."

"Why ironic, Jack?" asked Kat.

Jack smirked. "I grew up in Lockhaven. I know that city like the back of my hand. If anyone is well-suited to land there in familiar territory, it's me."

"I do think landing in Lockhaven will catch Bancroft off guard," said Lucas. "He won't expect you to go that far north, especially if you can get past Reynolds. No doubt, he's hoping your men will be in bad shape after encounters with Reynolds, and he'll think that you won't know about all the upgrades he's done to the Belfort harbor. He'll want you to shatter your army trying to assault the city from the sea."

"Well, then, let's hope we can manage to surprise Bancroft then," said Jack with a grin. "I'd sure like to make that old man shit himself before I kill him."

"Talking about killing already? I must be late to the party."

Everyone in the room turned to look at the new voice that just appeared from the door. Jack stood up when he saw that Lt. Settler had let several more people into the room, no doubt guided by his men to the meeting at Jack's request. The newcomers were many of the heads of state of the alliance, most notably Aedan, Santino, Reina, Ambros, and Hendrick. Just behind them were Russ, Lindy, and Dustin, having finally disembarked from theCenturion.

"Who are all these people, Jack?" asked Lucas warily as he eyed Ambros in particular. "Are these Fourthies?"

Aedan raised his chin. "We're men of the West if you must know, Javan. I take great offense to being called a Fourthie."

Lucas gave Jack an embarrassed look as he put his head down. No doubt the Javan commodore had questions after seeing all those differently-dressed people arriving in his office at one time.

"Peace, Aedan," said Jack to the Picard King. "Commodore Lucas is an old friend of mine who is helping our cause greatly. He meant no offense by calling you a Fourthie."

"Jack is indeed correct," added Lucas quickly.

"Don't worry about Aedan," said Santino with a short laugh as he made his way over to Lucas and shook his hand. "Any friend of Jack's is a friend of mine. I'm Director Santino Altieri of the country of Apulia. Good to meet you, friend."

Lucas took his hand and shook it nervously. "I'm afraid I have no idea where Apulia is."

"It's no matter," said Santino with a grin. "I'm sure you've had my wine before though, eh? Apulian wine is famous everywhere."

"Apulian wine? I'm afraid I haven't."

The grin slowly died on Santino's face before he looked at Jack. "Hmm, this might be more difficult than I thought."

Jack couldn't help but laugh at the cultural exchange. "Surely, you men have much to talk about but for now, let me finish briefing with Lucas, all right? Afterwards, you can introduce him to the famous Apulian wine and he can tell you all about being a Javan. Sound fair?"

Several chuckles erupted from the room as Santino nodded. "Sounds fair to me. Carry on, Jack."

All the newcomers took a position next to the back wall of the room, and they were eyed with some suspicion by Lt. Settler, who surely didn't know what to make of such a situation.

"Now, getting back to the topic at hand," said Jack as he turned back to Lucas. "As you can see, we've brought quite the force here to Quiller's. I have an alliance with the majority of the peoples of the Fourth Vector, called the West as Aedan so elegantly put it. We have a formidable army and navy but our first means of business is what to do about Reynolds and the second is what to do about Quiller's."