Fourth Vector Ch. 47

Carpenter nodded after a quick look at the battleship's paper silhouette. "Correct you are, sir. TheCenturion was one of the oldest battleships in the Javan fleet at the time it was given to Easterbrook. After two years without service in any respectable port, it's likely to be in even worse shape. We're not discounting the fact that Easterbrook may have ditched the battleship altogether, but for the intent of this briefing, we're going to assume it's with him, and perhaps it will play a rearguard role. We do not see any scenario where it stays up with the main part of his force."

"So that leaves us with three cruisers and three destroyers," said Reynolds with blatant disdain. "I can send ninety percent of my force home and still manage to destroy him. It's a good thing the Emperor wants us to continue into the Fourth Vector once Easterbrook is dead. Otherwise, I can't make a good argument for needing this many vessels under my command."

"An astute observation, sir," replied Carpenter with a broad grin. "As you know, the Emperor wishes to entirely overwhelm the Fourthies, which is why the fleet is so large. Without any credible threats at home, you've received the bulk of our resources, but as you say, the Javan ships still under Easterbrook's command can pose a threat. Especially the heavy cruisers, which are of very modern designs."

"I'm familiar with theStardust and theValiant already," snapped Reynolds impatiently. "At one time, those two vessels were under my command. 'It's theDestiny that I've never had the privilege of commanding, most likely Easterbrook's most potent weapon."

"Right you are, sir," said Carpenter, kissing ass once more. "But theRevenge outmatches theDestiny in nearly every aspect. She can shoot harder and further, and she has a higher top speed. For your trouble, I did a report with a comparison of their characteristics."

With those words, Carpenter deposited some papers on Reynolds' desk, which he grabbed at once.

"I was under the impression that the two ships weren't that different from each other," muttered Reynolds as he looked over their comparative stats. "I still remember when theDestiny came out a few years ago. She was top of the line in terms of cruisers."

"You are entirely correct, however theRevenge is a battlecruiser, sir. She's meant to go toe-to-toe with battleships and hold her own weight. She's the next evolution of the cruiser, and her heavier armor and more deadly armament makes her the most potent naval innovation in the last quarter century. I can assure you that you'll have nothing to fear from theDestiny or any of the other ships in Easterbrook's command."

They spent the next ten minutes going over the various differences in ships before Reynolds had finally had enough. Not only was the briefing becoming tedious but he was also getting slowly irritated by Carpenter's personality.

Reynolds closed the file and placed it on his desk. "It almost takes the fun out of victory. I imagined most of the prestige I'd get from winning this fight and it hardly seems worth it after this briefing."

"Bringing traitors to heel carries a prestige of its own," said Carpenter. "Your name will be further elevated in Java for taking down Easterbrook. Of that, I have no doubt."

"Very well, Lieutenant. Do you have anything else for me today?"

"That should conclude our briefing, sir. May I take my leave?"

"Of course," said Reynolds as he flicked his wrist. However, as Carpenter turned to leave, Reynolds thought of one thing. He snapped his fingers, causing Carpenter to halt in his tracks.

"Yes, sir?" asked Carpenter before he could leave.

"I'm only going to tell you this once," warned Reynolds, his tone changing completely. "Your too-familiar attitude with me will get you nowhere. I have no need for yet another kiss-ass under my command, and don't think for one moment that it will gain you any patronage from me. Understood?"

Carpenter sputtered, not knowing what to say at all. "S-sir? There's some m-mistake here."

"I know what I said," snapped Reynolds. "Like I said, I'm only telling you this once. Dismissed."

"B-but, sir--"

Reynolds pointed to the door. "Dismissed, I said."

With those words, all of Carpenter's confidence shattered. He left the room with his tail between his legs, never once saying another word.

Reynolds could only shake his head. "Amateurs," he muttered under his breath.

That stern rebuke would sting for quite some time, at least that was what Reynolds hoped. There was a certain way to play the game of power, and Carpenter's lackadaisical efforts were a prime example of what not to do.

Putting the object behind him, Reynolds checked the time. In short order, he was due to meet with one of the aerial engineers that worked on the seaplanes attached to theRevenge and he didn't want to be late.

"Let's hope this engineer doesn't try to kiss my ass too," mumbled Reynolds as he made his way out of his quarters.

Of course, there were no guarantees of anything in his line of work.

*****

The morning after his arrival at Quiller's Cove, Jack met up with Lucas again to begin an inspection of the entire naval base, though perhaps inspection was the wrong word for it. All Jack wanted to do was see how the base could accommodate his needs before they left to pursue the Javan fleet, and to that end, Lucas was obliged to accompany him throughout the entire base.

At the present moment, they were moving through the small town of Quiller's Cove toward the harbor.

"Quiller's probably hasn't changed much since the last time you were here, Jack," said Lucas as they continued to walk along. "In fact, it probably looks rather bare since you last saw it."

"I did think that the forces in the harbor seemed a little light," noted Jack.

Lucas scoffed. "You would think that Bancroft would augment our forces after declaring war but he did the opposite. He stripped what remained of my force here and took it back to Java to fight against the Ruthenians. After the Ruthenians surrendered, those ships remained in Belfort instead of coming back. I suppose some of them are coming back now but we lack much in the way of defense here. If I had intended to offer any opposition to your forces, it would have been an extremely quick fight anyway."

"Either way, I'm grateful that you didn't," replied Jack. "I have enough on my plate with Bancroft as my enemy. I'm not trying to make any new ones."

"Indeed, well, it appears thatI've just made several new ones now," said Lucas. "I'm just grateful I don't have much in the way of family. Surely they would've ended up on proscription lists by now."

"How bad have the lists been?" asked Jack. "You've already alluded to it once, and frankly, I won't have put it past Bancroft anyway, but how much of an issue has it been?"

Lucas shook his head violently. "It's been an absolute nightmare, Jack. I'm talking nearly a thousand of the richest or most capable men in Java. At first, they were purely political enemies that Bancroft disposed of, but then he started going after anyone with a sizeable amount of money. The doubling of the army was expensive enough, as was all this endless war. He needed every coin he could get his hands on, but in the process, he robbed Java of some of her best and brightest. You won't find a soul on the whole continent who doesn't know of someone who's been proscribed."

"It's irony at its finest," replied Jack glumly. "Bancroft never liked Charles or his family. He always thought he was better than the Bainbridges, thought that this gave him some kind of moral authority to take over. And now we see that he's cut from the same cloth, if not worse. He's become the very thing that he hated the most."

"Which is why it was an easy decision for me, Jack. I hated Bancroft when he was just the head of the navy but at least he had some integrity back then. He might have been a bastard but at least he did what was best for Java. Now? He has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. He's nothing more than a tyrant, and all the blood that he's shed will come back on him in short order, no doubt."

The two men arrived at the harbor as Lucas was speaking, and they looked out on the mighty Western armada that was anchored in the sheltered waters of the base.

"I will say this though, Jack. As much as I find Bancroft's actions reprehensible, he still has command of the most formidable forces in the world. That starts and ends with Reynolds and the main fleet out there. Not that I doubt your forces but I'm unsure of what the Fourthies can do in terms of naval engineering. Are their ships really a match for Bancroft's?"

"From what I've seen, they are more than a match," confirmed Jack. "Naval engineering on this side of the world hasn't been remarkably different from what we know. I'd put any Galician ship next to a Javan one and the same can be said for the Swabians as well too. There are a few areas of difference of course. Most of the Western vessels don't burn on polonium like the Javan vessels and because of that, their smokestacks will be visible on the horizon. It's a disadvantage for us but in terms of pure engineering and fighting capability, I think we'll be able to surprise Reynolds with the forces at my disposal."

"The polonium is a disappointment, but it's not something that can't be overcome," noted Lucas. "I think the biggest shock for Reynolds will be seeing your sheer numbers. He won't expect it and it'll give you the strategic initiative."

"We can hope, Stan. With our current numbers, I need any leg up against him that I can get. A little bit of shock and awe can go a long way."

"With the warships, yes, but it brings up another question, Jack. What do you intend to do about your transports? How will you keep them safe from Reynolds when his fleet is larger than yours?"

"By preventing Reynolds from even knowing that they're there," said Jack.

"How are you going to do that?"

"Deception, for one. You see, Reynolds likely has no idea how many men we have with us. I highly doubt that he would anticipate a full army being transported across the ocean. It's just an extremely aggressive plan. More than likely, he and Bancroft have surmised that any cross-ocean journeys by us would only be for small-scale raiding using hit-and-run tactics. But an army? That's audacious enough that they won't expect it. They'll expect us to play defense and that's exactly why I'm taking the army across the ocean, but to answer your question, he's not going to find what he's not looking for. The plan is simple. I'm going to split my forces. The transports will go far north, escorted by enough warships to keep them safe. The rest of the fleet will shadow Reynolds until the time that we can bring him to a decisive engagement."

"Split the force," repeated Lucas. "But won't Reynolds see those ships on radar?"

"Not if we send them out far enough," replied Jack. "If we keep at least fifty miles between the two fleets, they'll escape radar notice from Reynolds. I can use my airplanes to patrol the sea lanes around them and be alerted to any threats long before they happen."

"It seems I underestimated you, Jack," said Lucas with a soft chuckle. "I've been trying to figure out what you're going to do with your transports for nearly a week now, ever since we exchanged those last dispatches. That's quite an innovative way to do it."

"It only works because Reynolds and Bancroft will never see it coming," said Jack. "And the fact that I'm counting on our planes to secure air superiority for us. I'm counting on Reynolds to have some planes but not nearly as many as we have on theCenturion."

"Well, innovative thinking has never been a strong point for Nick Reynolds," replied Lucas. "Hopefully, he'll not see--"

Lucas never got a chance to finish his sentence. At that exact moment, as they rounded the entrance to the harbor and made their way back through the town, Lucas and Jack were suddenly surprised by a haggard-looking man who stopped right in front of them.

"Did you just sayCenturion?" asked the man, his wild eyes on display.

Something about the voice was instantly familiar to Jack. He knew he'd heard it before but he couldn't quite place it. Studying the man's face wasn't much of a help either but like his voice, there was something innately familiar with him.

Jack had a hard time placing the haggard man for several long seconds until it hit him.

"Lewis Barnabas, is that you?" asked Jack. "Captain Lewis Barnabas, formerly of theCenturion?"

"That's him, all right," said Lucas sourly. "What a difference a couple of years makes, right?"

Lucas couldn't have been more accurate. Barnabas looked like he'd aged ten years in the past two. He was only about ten years older than Jack, which would have made him late forties, but he looked like he could pass for sixty. His hair was almost entirely gray now and he'd developed heavy jowls in the course of the past two years. The cleft in his chin seemed even deeper now, and at one time it had earned him the nickname of "Buttface" amongst Jack's people.

If anything, Barnabas was the picture of aging like milk.

"Jack Easterbrook," said Barnabas stiffly as his face soured. "So you're back in Quiller's Cove. Back to Java then, I take it?"

"What business is it of yours?" asked Lucas coolly.

"None, I suppose," replied Barnabas. "Except for the fact that he ruined my life."

"You did that to yourself," said Jack. "Quite frankly, you were the worst naval officer that I'd ever commanded. How you lasted this long in the Javan Navy, I have no idea but don't blame me for exposing the truth."

Barnabas started to laugh. "The truth? The truth is that I'm a better officer than you'll ever be! Ever be, Jack!"

With those words, Barnabas quickly turned heel and stomped away, never once looking back. He kept moving until he reached a small, dilapidated house at the end of the street, opening the door and slamming it once he was safely inside.

"Of all the people I'd expect to run into, Lewis Barnabas was last on the list," muttered Jack once he was gone.

"My apologies for that, Jack. I have to admit that I'd quite forgotten about him and Ferris."

"Paul Ferris? As in would-be Viceroy Paul Ferris?"

Lucas nodded. "The same. They are both here."

Jack whistled lowly. "I don't know how you do it. I'm surprised you haven't detained them."

"I pity them honestly. As you can tell by that little display right there, they are slowly losing their minds. If you thought Barnabas was obstinate before, it's nothing to how he is now. I'm quite certain they are harmless though. In two years, they've never made much of a nuisance of themselves, beyond occasionally getting kicked out of the watering holes for drunken behavior. Other than that, they seemed relegated to a life of obscurity."

"That surprises me, especially with those two," said Jack. "I wouldn't think they'd accept their fate so easily."

"Does that bother you? Would you prefer that I detain them?"

Jack shook his head. "No, that's quite all right. If you believe they're harmless, then your word is good enough for me. I will say one thing though. After this war is over, get them on the first ship back to Java. I don't want those two anywhere near the West again."

"I can do that, Jack. Until this time, I'll have a man posted near their door. With your army here in town, I don't want those two to cause any trouble."

"Speaking of the army, let's head over to the main camp," suggested Jack.

The walk over to the army camp was short indeed. Since Quiller's was relatively small in size, most of Jack's army could never billet there with any sort of comfort, so several open fields outside of town were taken over for the army to camp on while they were at the base. The men certainly seemed to enjoy it, as it gave them a chance to get off the ships. The seamen seemed to enjoy it too, seeing as they didn't have to put up with the soldiers for a semblance of time as well.

Out in the open fields, the grand Western Army was split up into several camps according to the lay of the terrain. The biggest fields were allocated to the Galicians and the Swabians separately, since they had the most soldiers. The smaller fields were used to combine the other forces together, but Jack's rules about integration from back in Zarah were still in effect. As much as possible, he wanted all the nationalities working together in the hopes that they would form one combined ethos and fighting spirit.

As Jack and Lucas walked through the camps, Lucas couldn't help but marvel at the sheer number of soldiers, as well as their similarities to the Javans.

"If you would have told me three years ago that the Fourthies were as advanced as what I see today, I would have called you a madman," said Lucas with a chuckle. "By the looks of it, they are every bit as capable as Javan soldiers."

Jack cracked a grin. "Just like their warships I'm afraid. It's funny in a way. Bancroft and the rest of his ilk think nothing of the Western peoples. They call them savages like they've invented nothing or have made no achievements on their own. The truth couldn't be further from that. At most, the people of the West could be twenty years behind Java, with a few exceptions of course, but they are more than capable of standing their ground."

"I had to wonder though if any of this was your influence, Jack. These men were capable of modern weaponry and tactics before you came along?"

Jack nodded. "Oh, yes. And they were quite good at it. Do you remember King Ambros of Swabia from yesterday? He might be one of the most gifted military minds in a generation. I'd put him up against just about anyone from Java."

"You might have to before all this is over, not that you're facing any master strategists on Bancroft's side. His best man has recently lost his nerve after a devastating defeat by the Tyroleans. His next best man clearly bought the position he now serves in, having no competence of his own."

"Music to my ears," replied Jack. "And hardly surprising knowing the kind of man Bancroft is. He's someone who can't let any of his underlings outshine him. Bancroft always has to be the best man in the room, so it's not a surprise that he's surrounded himself by inferior generals."

"Quite right you are," replied Lucas. "What about your marines? At one point in time you had several regiments under your command. Do you still have them now?"

"I do although their numbers have been somewhat reduced," admitted Jack. "Attrition from our own fighting. At the present time, I have some thousand Javan marines left ready to fight--all that remains of my regiments. Of course, some of them wouldn't fight against Java, which I understand. They've been peacefully removed from the force until the time that I can repatriate them back to their homes. For now though, I've reorganized those thousand into one full-strength regiment."

"Tell me you've put them all into the famous 6th Regiment?" asked Lucas with a grin.

Jack chuckled alongside him. "You know me too well, my old friend. Yes, you are correct. For all intents and purposes, the remaining men have all been put into the 6th."

"I'm sure that will please them to be part of such a famous formation. You've done well for yourself, Jack. Just like I never would have imagined the Fourthies capable of all of this, I never would have imagined that we'd be having this conversation when you first arrived at Quiller's all those years ago. You've come a long way, Jack. You have my admiration."

Jack stopped to face Lucas as a group of soldiers went running by. "And you have mine as well. And someday soon, I'm going to get you back to Java. That's a promise, Stan."