Fourth Vector Ch. 49

Two others were wounded.

Only two other men besides Arnold were left fighting in good order, but their effort was largely in vain. They knew they couldn't continue to hold this position in the face of mounting opposition but it was all they could do just to survive.

Turning around to flee to the next line was a death sentence. There would never be enough time for them to make it without getting shot, especially without any covering fire to pin down the enemy.

Things were beginning to look bleak.

The worst part came with a shooting pain that hit Arnold in his left arm, causing him to almost drop his rifle. He winced in pain as he saw the blood, finding the bullet dug into his forearm and causing an extreme amount of pain. Knowing that if he stopped firing, he was dead, he did the only thing he could do.

He gritted his teeth through the pain and pulled his arm back up, firing while he could.

The problem was that now his particular position was cut off. The Javans had not only made it around him (as evidenced by the heavy amount of firing a short distance behind him) but they were now moving forward to eliminate those remaining pockets of Western soldiers left behind.

His time was definitely numbered. There was no telling what had happened on Brian's side of the line, which was a short distance away but all he hoped was that his friend had managed to survive the onslaught.

At least one of them might survive this fight.

*****

Brian was alive and better off than most of the men in his immediate vicinity. Unlike a good portion of his platoon, he'd managed to make it back to the final defensive line in one piece which was saying quite a lot in this kind of fight.

Many others never had such a chance with the ferocity of the Javan attack.

The problem he faced right now was keeping the final line from being overwhelmed, which was no easy feat despite the level of defenders here. Several groups of Javans would assault the line and then pull back, assaulting again moments later, only to pull back and repeat the process.

The longer they kept this up, the greater the chance that the Western line would break, and it became a battle of wills to see who would break first.

The last Javan assault was particularly bloody. Both men on either side of Brian were killed in that wave, leaving him feeling temporarily isolated. It was only beaten back by a well-timed barrage of mortars, pushing back the Javans once more for longer than a few minutes.

It was long enough to make an attempt to retrieve the wounded that were still out on the field, getting them critical medical care while they were still alive.

It was as Brian was searching for more wounded that he became aware of more gunshots a short distance ahead of him. He'd been aware that several pockets of men had been overwhelmed by the Javans, and no doubt there was some group that was still stuck.

As he got closer, he could tell that whomever was stuck was indeed desperate. It sounded like there were only one or two men that were fighting off the Javans based on the rate of fire, and once Brian stumbled on the position, he saw why.

There was only one man left and he was defending against at least three or four Javans in two different positions. He was wounded in the arm, and most likely he didn't have much time left in the world.

It only made it worse by the fact that the surviving man was Arnold.

Brian had never seen such a look of desperation on his face as there was right now. He could clearly see that he was in pain, and the blood dripping from his arm seemed to point to the reason why.

At that moment, Brian made a choice without so much as thinking about it. Faced with the situation in front of him, he grabbed his bayonet from his side and fixed it to the end of his rifle. He took one shot to enter the fray, and he single-handedly charged the position of the closest group of enemy soldiers.

The Javans never saw him coming.

*****

"Keep pushing! If I have to throw every Javan man, woman, and child into that gap, I fucking will!"

Bancroft had taken over the radio commands from Menard, bellowing orders to his senior commanders in the heat of battle. Next to him, Menard was largely useless and still muttering about pulling back before it was too late.

What a fool. Perhaps it was too early to promote him after all.

That was one mistake that he could rectify once the battle was over, but for now, he had to break the Fourthie line as soon as possible. While Bancroft was concerned by how much ground the Fourthies had ceded without breaking, he knew they had to be tired and close to their breaking point.

"Sir, I've ordered my brigade to launch one more assault," came the report from one of the lesser generals. "The center is expected to break any moment now."

Bancroft grinned and put the radio back to his mouth. "Let me know the moment it does. And I meant what I said earlier. Find me Jack Easterbrook."

This was all going perfectly to plan. By nightfall, he would have Easterbrook attached to a cross and dying like the wretched creature he was. The only regret that Bancroft had was that it couldn't have been done sooner, but such a fate was only right for someone who turned his back on his mentor and father figure.

Once he'd mopped up the remaining resistance here, he would move south to combine with Zander, destroy what was left of the puny Tyrolean Army and then turn west to give Michael Bainbridge the same treatment.

Once those three beasts were slain, then Java would know peace.

"Just a little bit longer now," muttered Bancroft. "So very close to achieving everything I need."

*****

Back at sea, Jasper Strong's ship theMarymount was taking an exorbitant amount of damage in the course of the fight. The lead cruiser in what had been the "bait" force had taken heavy but non-lethal damage so far in the course of the fight, but things could always have been worse. Of Jasper's original command at the start of the morning, he was now down to two other cruisers and one single destroyer.

The rest of the force was now below the waves, the consequences of being the closest target to the entire Western fleet.

Jasper's only goal at this point was getting theMarymount through the rest of the fighting, as well as protecting as much of his crew as he could, one of whom was his own son.

The mental problem that he faced was his disillusion with so casually being used as a throwaway force--an insult to all of his crew that had fought so long and so hard for Java. The fact that they were just supposed to willingly accept death because Reynolds commanded it sat particularly unwell with Jasper (especially since it came from a third-rate commander like Reynolds).

The only thing that outweighed his dislike of Reynolds was his loyalty to his country, and it was the reason why he kept fighting despite being under constant fire by a Fourthie battleship who was only one good shot away from ending theMarymount's career.

Even his son seemed to grasp that snatching victory from the jaws of defeat was becoming increasingly unlikely.

"Dad, we're running low on ordnance!" said Alan Strong, now the main divisional weaponry officer after the former head was killed an hour earlier in the battle. "We have enough for the guns to fire twice more but that's it."

"Better make those shots count then," replied Jasper to his son. In ordinary times, he might have corrected Alan to make sure he was always using his professional title, but with this battle as perilous as it was, Jasper didn't have the heart to do it.

"So we fire off two more salvos and then what next?" asked Alan. "Do we just wait around to be sunk or what do we do?"

"Still working on it, Lieutenant," said Jasper, switching from his fatherly voice to his admiral's voice. "I need you to focus on doing your job so I can do mine."

Alan nodded, understanding the nature of the situation and went back to directing the gunners where to fire. While he did so, Jasper looked out to the southwest, which was the current course theMarymount was on.

There were almost no other Javan ships around in this sector of the battlefield. Most of those that had launched the attack from the east had now moved northeast. Those that had launched from the south had moved east, closer to shore. Only Jasper and his bait force kept moving to the southwest, putting more distance between them and the rest of the ships, friendly and enemy.

At that point, Jasper reached the most critical decision of his career. An idea began to form in his head, one that would be pivotal for every crew member of theMarymount.

If he went through with it, there would be no going back.

Was the result worth the cost?

*****

The first salvo by the Javan battlecruiser hammered into theDestiny with more force than anything else they'd yet experienced. Heavy smoke filled the bridge as all the officers hit the ground--the direct result of fires that had sparked on the main deck.

"Get those windows out right now!" yelled Jack as he gestured to the other officers closest to the forward part of the bridge.

Kyle and Cory were the first two to respond. One grabbed his service pistol while the other grabbed a small steel bar that was located nearby. They had soon smashed out all the windows in the bridge, allowing the smoke to exit and letting everyone regain some measure of sight.

No sooner had they accomplished that than the remaining turret fired off a salvo, catching the Javan battlecruiser directly amidship and throwing up a plume of smoke.

"We have a hit, Jack!" roared Kyle, his voice still hoarse from all the smoke. "Reloading now and will be sending another one shortly."

Jack gave his acknowledgment to Kyle before turning to look at Cory. "Keep the ship moving around as much as possible. We need to make it as hard as possible for them to dial in our position."

"Aye, Jack, we'll do what we can!"

Unfortunately, that order came a little too late. The next ordnance from the battlecruiser severed the wiring to the rudder just as she was completing another turn.

TheDestiny was now stuck going in the same direction, without the ability to turn.

From that moment onward, the cruiser was just completely devastated by the guns of the larger vessel. Two more explosions landed not far from the bow, putting gaping holes in the deck and killing about fifty sailors in the blast. Another salvo caught the rear superstructure and collapsed a good portion of it over the deck, crushing the men below it. Fires raged across the deck but it was the next call that turned bad to worse.

"Jack, we're taking on water!" yelled Stephanie. "We have multiple hull breaches on the port-side stern of the ship."

"Can we contain the breach?" asked Jack. "Seal off the leaks?"

"We're trying, Jack. I have a lot of dead men down there from the last blast. Even if we manage to close the water-tight doors, it might still be too late."

"Fuck!" roared Jack. "Just do what you can!"

All around him, theDestiny seemed to be crumbling. The once mighty and proud ship had been reduced to a smoking wreck with one barely-functioning turret. A veteran of so many naval battles, it appeared that theDestiny's luck had finally run out.

At one time the pride of the Javan fleet, theDestiny was now so damaged that Jack doubted whether she was truly reparable at this point.

The greatest damage came with the next salvo from the battlecruiser. This one landed just above the bridge, striking the smoke tower near the forward part of the superstructure. The strike not only rocked the entire ship, but it caused the tower to collapse forward, landing directly on the bridge.

In the space of mere seconds, the bridge nearly broke in two separate parts. The part on the port side remained remarkably intact but it was the starboard side that took the full weight, collapsing into its support structures below and falling about five to seven feet below the deck of the old bridge and crushing anything between it.

While most of the officers had been standing clear of that section of the bridge, one unfortunate officer was caught in the collapse.

Even from his vantage point eight feet above the collapsed portion, Jack could already tell that Stephanie was dead.

"Stephanie!" screamed Abigail as she tried to get down to the collapsed portion and rescue her.

"Leave her, she's already dead!" yelled Jack. "And we are too if we continue to stay here!"

Abigail pivoted around and looked at him with fearful eyes. "What are you saying, Jack? We can't just leave her!"

"She's already dead, Abigail! We have to get off this ship. It's over. TheDestiny isn't going to make it!"

She flew against his chest and pounded her fists against him. "How can you even say that! The ship is still afloat!"

As if on cue, the radio for Stephanie's operation station went off, not knowing that she was already dead.

"Flooding unable to be contained, Stephanie. Estimated time until the lower decks are completely flooded is thirty minutes tops. What do you want us to do?"

Jack looked around at the tired and fearful faces of all those left on the bridge. There was no sense in continuing to remain on the ship. One more good shot from this battlecruiser would signal the true death knell for the ship, and it was time that they thought about saving as many of the crew as humanly possible.

"We need to abandon ship," said Jack finally, bringing the radio to his lips. "All officers and crew must immediately abandon the ship. TheDestiny is lost."

*****

Jasper Strong had the radio up to his mouth but he couldn't quite say the words. Doing so would be crossing a line that couldn't be uncrossed.

The situation before them was of paramount importance, one that would not only define his career but his moral choices as well.

By continuing with the fight, he consigned himself, his son, and the rest of his crew to early deaths just because Reynolds thought they could only be used as bait to lure in Jack Easterbrook. It was an insult to so many officers and sailors who'd given their career, blood, sweat, and tears to the empire, and it was one insult too many.

There was no way Jasper was going to sacrifice theMarymount in this increasingly-pointless war.

His spin stiffened, Jasper finally managed to speak the words.

"All officers cease firing at once," he said clearly through the radio. "My new orders are to make all possible haste on our current course."

Confusion reigned in the bridge as all eyes fell on him, silently demanding an explanation. Feeling like he could lie to them no more, Jasper shook his head.

"Not our fight anymore. I won't sacrifice your lives for the life of that madman emperor. Your lives are too precious for that." For a brief moment, Jasper made eye contact with his son. "All of your lives are worth more than this."

Alan nodded as he understood the larger meaning. This movement now was effectively treason. If they were caught, they could expect no mercy at Bancroft's hands but Jasper would rather take that chance than to continue to fight for someone who didn't value what they brought to the table.

In effect, he'd signed his own death warrant the moment he first thought about disobeying Reynolds' plan.

It took another hour or so as the battle progressed eastward while theMarymount made her way westward. By nightfall, the ship had managed to turn due north, making a clear course for Montauban. Jasper turned off all the Javan naval comm channels and sailed with a silent radio but a peaceful heart.

If this was the price of treason, he would pay it a hundred times over.

*****

Jack felt theDestiny shudder one more time as the last turret fired off the last round of ordnance before the crew began to evacuate. Compared to the rocking that usually happened when all three turrets fired, this one was noticeably more muted--a weak swaying that was the death knell of the ship.

Those officers that had survived the bridge collapse, including Jack, Abigail, Cory, and Kyle, then began rescue efforts to ensure that all the crew that were able to abandon ship got out. Cory and Kyle were the ones to go below deck to coordinate evacuation efforts while Jack and Abigail helped with those still in the superstructure.

All around them, theDestiny burned. The smell of burning fuel and rotten flesh filled the air, reminding Jack of just about every battlefield he'd ever been on.

The biggest problem that he faced was trying to get Abigail off the ship. Recognizing how vulnerable she was, his most primal instinct was to ensure her survival today, lest enough blast her the ship and take her from him as easily as Stephanie had been taken.

The issue was that Abigail wouldn't even think to leave theDestiny until most of the crew had evacuated.

If she couldn't save her ship, the best thing she could do was make sure to save as many of its crew as possible.

For the most part, the evacuation went surprisingly smoothly as the veteran sailors left the bowels of the ship and jumped overboard into the chilly waters off the coast of the Javan continent. At first, Jack thought they just might be able to clear the ship before the ship was hit by another blast from the battlecruiser.

Alas, that turned out to be wishful thinking. Jack and Abigail were directing another large group of the crew to dive off the ship when a salvo from the battlecruiser landed not much more than fifteen yards away. The force of the explosion and the fireball that it unleashed blew away everyone in the immediate vicinity.

Jack's last memory was feeling the intense heat as his legs flew over his head and he was pushed out to sea. Nowhere in that memory was any recognition of what happened to Abigail.

He was unconscious before he even hit the water.

*****

It was with a profound sense of triumph that Nick Reynolds watched Easterbrook's flagship,Destiny, burn uncontrollably. TheRevenge had completely wrecked the smaller cruiser, raking her with multiple salvos to the point of near total destruction.

TheRevenge had taken her share of damage though. Reynolds would need to put her in dry dock after the battle to handle her repairs but he was totally satisfied with the level of devastation that she'd caused today.

The only thing he wondered was whether they would find Easterbrook's body. With theDestiny already sinking, it would only be a matter of time before what was left of her crew were floating in nearby waters. Perhaps there would be an opportunity for theRevenge to pick up those survivors and find Easterbrook that way?

Reynolds tried to picture the moment when he presented a maimed and haggard Easterbrook to the Emperor, thereby sealing his name as Bancroft's number two man for the rest of his life.

It was a sweet picture indeed.

The only thing that Reynolds hadn't counted on was the fact that theDestiny still had one more shot to give. The only working turret in the rear fired off one more time, sending a crippling salvo that struck theRevenge directly at her bridge. One moment, Reynolds was enjoying the thoughts of total victory.

In the next, he'd been blown to absolutely smithereens alongside the rest of his officers.

It was perhaps fitting that he died before he could think about his changed circumstances.

At least Nick Reynolds died with a triumphant smile on his face.

*****

"Holy shit! Did you see that explosion?"

"Look at those ships go! Do you think that was a Fourthie vessel?"

"No, stupid, because Fourthie vessels are made out of wood. Everyone knows that. That ship was all steel."