Fourth Vector Ch. 49

At least the palace was showing signs of life again. In the last few days, most of the original staff of the palace returned after the calamity of the initial fighting, which in an odd way was like a homecoming for Michael. He was able to see faces he hadn't seen in months again, and was able to connect with those that, quick frankly, he wasn't sure he was going to see again.

There was one face in the kitchen that Michael was happier to see than most of the others though.

"Artemis, there you are," said Michael as he stepped in through the double doors of the kitchen area.

Artemis still struggled with Michael's change in status. The cook nearly fell over his apron in order to perform a deep bow to Michael.

"Your Majesty, I didn't see you there. You scared me!"

Michael gave him a stern look. "Artemis, you and I have been friends longer than I can remember. Cut out that 'majesty' shit right now. It's just me, you know that."

Artemis showed every sign of being nervous to do so, like it was a familiarity that he hadn't earned yet.

"It will still take some getting used to... Michael."

Michael sat down on one of the chairs in front of Artemis' station. "That's better. And I'm glad to see your face back in here. It wasn't right to see this kitchen without you in it."

Artemis began to loosen up. "Well, this is where my place is. I was born to cook and I've worked at this palace for nearly two decades now. So when you put the call out for us to return, I knew where I belonged."

Michael grinned at him. "You haven't changed a bit, Artemis."

"Well, you have changed quite a bit, my young friend."

Hearing Artemis call Michael his young friend was like a blast from the past. Suddenly, Michael was transported back more than a year ago, when he used to spend so much time around the rest of the palace staff. Those were good days, even if they had to come to a drastic end.

Yet, there was something final about the way that Artemis had said that he'd changed. Something that was off about it.

"I'm still the same me though, Artemis. I haven't changed who I am in here," said Michael, touching his chest.

Artemis gave him a pained look. "We've heard a lot about what you've been up to. It got quite hard for the staff here at that palace. We couldn't even mention your name because it was a grave offense. The last emperor went to great pains to make sure you were demonized and that we understood that you wouldn't be a friend to any of us."

Michael swallowed the lump in his throat. "I take it that's why no one was here when we first took over the palace? Everyone was scared?"

Artemis nodded. "Exactly. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful to come back, especially if this means that Bancroft is truly finished but I can't say that I wasn't afraid to come back here. I wasn't sure if... if..."

Artemis stopped right there, not finishing his sentence. He had trouble meeting Michael's eyes, as if he was ashamed about what he was about to say next.

"Go on, Artemis," encouraged Michael. "You can tell me anything. No secrets between old friends, right?"

Artemis found the courage to continue speaking. "I wasn't sure if you would be the same Michael that I remembered. Or if you'd changed."

Michael nodded, not responding directly to that statement. He knew why Artemis had said such a thing, and though it troubled him, he wasn't upset with Artemis.

After so much blood had been shed, it was only natural that his old friend would question his intentions or whether he was still the same young man that he'd remembered.

"Artemis, I don't blame you for that," said Michael quietly. "In fact, I understand exactly where you're coming from. All I can really say is that I'm still the same person that you remember. I may have changed a little. Maybe I've grown harder with time, but the core of me is the same. I'm still that same boy that used to steal from the kitchens long ago."

To Michael's relief, Artemis actually let out a loud laugh that caused his stomach to ripple. "I remember such days very well. I could hardly keep my pantry stocked without you coming in to steal whatever was fresh or sweet."

"I still have my sweet tooth," said Michael, laughing alongside him. "And it's worse than ever, I'm afraid. I might still be doing my own stealing."

"Well, if anything, you'd be stealing from yourself," said Artemis before leaning in closer. "But if you must know, I just put a fresh strawberry pie back there. I know how much you used to enjoy that."

Michael had mixed feelings about that statement. For one, he always enjoyed strawberry pie, going back to when he was much younger but the thing that caused him the most trouble was the memories of the last person he shared strawberry pie with.

Jade.

Like the old friend that Artemis was, he picked up on Michael's changed demeanor almost instantly. He also seemed to recognize the cause of Michael's tension.

"I'm sorry for bringing it up," said Artemis quietly. "I'm sure you miss her. Even though it's been some time since she's been gone, there are many in the palace that remember the effect she had on everyone."

Michael found it hard to choose the right words to respond. "I still think about her," he said quietly. "Time hasn't done much to heal those wounds. If anything, they just get duller with time but they are still there."

To his surprise, Artemis said something next that Michael did not expect.

"Do you want to see where she is buried?"

Michael's eyes locked on his. "You know that? I thought Bancroft had the guards get rid of her?"

Artemis nodded. "They did but they were sloppy. A few of us recovered her body and gave her a proper burial in the woods on the palace grounds. I figured if you ever came back, at least you could be comforted that she received a proper burial. I can tell you where it is if you like."

Michael nodded his head eagerly. "Please show me."

*****

Michael was very familiar with the small grove that Artemis brought him to a short while later. It was deep in the wooded area on the palace grounds, and even though it was still technically in the heart of the city, it didn't feel anything like it.

It was quiet and peaceful and lush. It was exactly the kind of place that Jade would have liked.

The mound where Jade had been buried had already grown over, and it was just marked by a simple stone that someone had carved her initials into.

There was something familiar about looking down at her grave for Michael. He crouched down and ran his fingers over her initials, tracing over them several times. At that moment, there were no words to express how he was feeling.

Artemis seemed to sense the change in him. He put his hand on Michael's shoulder gently.

"I'll give you a moment, Michael. Come back to the kitchens when you want to talk."

Just like that, the older man left him alone with the memories of Jade.

It was hard to find the right words to describe the emotions going through him. On one hand, he couldn't help but run through every memory he had of her.

The first time they talked together. The first time they stole pie from the kitchens. Even their first kiss. Jade was a beautiful spirit and the only real tragedy of her life was the day that she went to work for Bancroft.

On the other hand, Michael was amazed that he didn't feel the guilt that plagued him for the first few months after her death. It was the kind of guilt that gave him the passion to join the rebel group, but it also hardened him, making him less than human in certain respects.

Yet why wasn't hitting him at that moment? Where was the raw emotion and the terror that he felt about letting her down?

Michael knew the real answer to that but he didn't want to say it aloud. In fact, he knew that something in him had moved on from Jade. Though he would always treasure what they had and he would always remember her, he was ready to move forward in a world without her.

And for the first time, he didn't feel guilty about that.

In a strange way, he thought a lot of that was due to Sarah's presence. Sarah had a large role in pulling him back from the brink when he tried to drown himself in darkness. She never gave up on him, even when he wanted her to do so.

It wasn't that he could simply forget Jade now that Sarah was in the picture, but perhaps it was the fact that he could now finally accept Jade's loss because of Sarah? Perhaps knowing her had made him stronger and ready to see what the future could hold with someone else?

Michael took a deep breath and traced her initials one more time.

"I'll never forget you," he whispered to the stone. "I've tried to run from you for so long but now I finally see what I should have known earlier. Even though I couldn't save you, I'm better for having known you. And here in this thicket, you'll always be close to me. But I'm ready to move on now, Jade."

At that moment, he wondered whether Jade would approve of Sarah. If she knew of Sarah's kind soul, no doubt she would have but he wondered whether Jade would be able to truly give him up to another one?

Of course she would. Because you would do the same for her.

There was comfort in that thought. A promise that, for the first time in a whole year, that tomorrow could be better than today.

It was a future that was worth fighting for.

*****

It was the second day after the Battle of Mobust that Jack finally reached theDestiny. It had required him to catch a ride on the nearest destroyer to the coast before he was able to rendezvous with the mighty cruiser the next morning. That evening before, Jack slept on the Galician destroyer,Monssen as it caught up to the rest of the fleet.

Needless to say, his rest on theMonssen had been disturbed by having yet another nightmare. He was once again on the bow of theDestiny looking into a storm but instead of naval artillery raining down on him, it was a lightning bolt from the skies that took him and the ship as well.

Jack awoke from the dream feeling nauseous at the fact that it kept happening. Part of him questioned whether it was just the nerves of finally facing off against Bancroft or whether to look for a deeper meaning in the dream. Was it a portent of what was coming?

Or was he just slowly going crazy?

As Jack made the transfer over to theDestiny, he started to question whether or not he should heed the warning in his gut. If something bad was truly brewing, he wasn't about to hesitate to put himself in harm's way.

But that didn't mean he had to do the same thing for his pregnant wife.

With Abigail with him, any danger to the ship would be danger that was shared with her. It was just the kind of thing he was worried about when he thought about keeping her in the West, at least until the baby was born.

Even now, he could still command Abigail to go to shore if he really thought there was existential danger to her life but he knew that would go over poorly.

There was no way she would separate herself from him, especially knowing what she did about the prophecy.

That affection was on full display as Jack transferred over, only to find Abigail the first one waiting on him. She looked both professional and sexy in her naval uniform, and now that she was several months along into her pregnancy, she had a small bump forming underneath her blouse.

As soon as his feet were on the deck, she rushed into his arms and kissed him with every ounce of passion she could muster. For a moment, any thoughts about the nightmare were temporarily shelved.

"What was that for?" asked Jack with a chuckle once their kiss ended.

Abigail bit her lip before giving him a coy smile. "Am I not allowed to miss my husband?"

"We've only been separated for less than a week," said Jack, which was the wrong answer as Abigail soon swatted his stomach.

"And you've found a battle in the interim!" she protested. "And now you're here with the fleet, which only tells me that things are about to get messy at sea."

The truth was that Abigail knew far too well what they were getting themselves into. All the officers of the fleet had been briefed about the appearance of Javan ships nearby.

Another fight was coming, and that seemed to add to the quiet and morose looks on the faces of the crew.

Even Abigail seemed to feel it once her excitement to see him died down.

"Russ asked that he meet with you once you were aboard the ship," she said, her tone quiet and reserved. "He wanted to talk strategy before anything happens. It sounds like he has a plan."

"I'm glad he does," said Jack. "We're going to need all the strategy we can get if we're going to take on a fleet that outnumbers us."

Abigail nodded. "It just makes me so nervous, Jack. It feels real this time. Even when we were crossing the ocean and we had that battle a few weeks out from Java, it didn't feel like this. I can feel something in the pit of my stomach. Something is going to happen that's going to be major."

"I know all too well what you mean," he replied. "It's even disturbing my sleep."

Abigail knew what he was talking about immediately. "The nightmare? You had it again?"

Jack nodded.

She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. "Anything I can do? Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

Her question couldn't have been better timed. The truth was there was one thing she could do to put him at ease.

Jack searched her eyes for a moment before finding the courage to make the request.

"If I asked you to, would you go to shore today?" he asked. "Would you go be with the army?"

Her eyes looked confused but defiant at the same time. "No, Jack. I won't abandon you."

"You wouldn't be abandoning me. If I asked you to do it seriously, would you do it?"

The defiance remained. "Jack, I'm not going to leave you."

He took a deep breath, knowing there was one more thing he could try.

"Abigail, I'm technically the highest-ranking officer in Galicia," he said. "If I wanted you to go to shore, I could command you to do so, and you'd have to obey."

Some of the defiance finally melted, only to be replaced by something that looked like... pain.

"Jack, why would you even suggest such a thing?" she whispered.

"You know exactly why. The nightmares, this upcoming battle, your gut feeling--all of it." Jack then touched her stomach lightly, his hand resting over the spot where their child grew. "You are too important to risk."

"As if you're not important?" she asked, a tear cascading down her cheek. "What kind of wife would I be to abandon you now? Right before this battle?"

Jack used his finger to wipe away the tear. "Abigail, please. I just want you to be safe."

She shushed him and then put her head against his chest. Her grip on his body became tight. "I'm not leaving, Jack. You might as well stop asking because it's not going to happen. If you're going into this big battle, I'm going with you. How many times have you told me that we're perfectly safe on theDestiny?"

Jack let out a small sigh. "Too many times to count."

"Exactly. I'm staying here with you. The safest place I could possibly be is by your side, and I don't care what anyone says or what's written down as ancient prophecy. I won't be separated from you."

The defiance was back in spades and at that moment, Jack knew he was defeated. It was funny in a way. Despite temporary setbacks, he'd never been truly defeated by any of the enemies that had been arrayed against him. He stood now at the pinnacle of Western society as the overlord of all the nations of the Fourth Vector.

And yet, it only took a one-hundred-and-twenty pound pregnant woman to collapse his defenses and make him wave the white flag.

In a way, it was exactly the thing he loved most about Abigail. When she was determined to get her way, she usually got it. Even Kat, as dogmatic as she was, would yield ground before Abigail would, but it was just another example of the tenacity that she was born with.

It was a tenacity that Jack hoped would be extended to their child as well.

Abigail pulled away from him and wiped her cheeks. She put on a brave face and then searched his eyes.

"I will let Russ know you're onboard. If you want to head to your quarters, I'll have him meet you there."

The meaning of the statement was quite clear. Abigail had moved on from the prior topic with no chance of a rebuttal.

Jack didn't have the heart to keep fighting.

"That's fine," he said, saying nothing else about the idea of her leaving.

She smiled at him, the kind of smile that told him she was happy about getting her way. She leaned in to kiss him softly. "I have to get back to the bridge. I'll see you in a short while."

Just like that, she was gone. Jack watched her feminine form sashay across the deck like she owned it. In a way, she did. TheDestiny was just as much hers as it was his. To this day, Jack could never forget the first time he saw her standing against the railing, when she'd convinced him that she wasn't actually Commander Wainwright.

Even back then, her guile was on point.

With a shake of the head, Jack made his way into the superstructure and down the hall to find his personal quarters. He turned the lights on in the room and had only managed to briefly settle in when the first knock came at the door.

Russ poked his head in a moment later. "Jack, welcome back."

"Good to be back," said Jack, not recognizing the lie before it was already out. "Abigail had mentioned you were waiting to see me."

"Waiting isn't exactly the word I would use," said Russ, taking a seat across from Jack and chuckling softly. "Chomping at the bit is more accurate. When I heard you were coming this morning, I took the first boat over from theVisby."

"Well, I'm here now," said Jack. "And I hear that you have something up your sleeve."

"I certainly do. Take a look at this."

Russ pulled a file from behind him and set it on Jack's desk.

"These are the most recent radar scans we've picked up from theJumper, our scout cruiser that's positioned about thirty miles northwest from here. We're picking up radar signatures of enemy warships but it's not in the direction we expected. By their tracking, they are heading in a southwesterly direction."

Jack examined the radar scans in front of him and Russ appeared to be correct. While not huge in number, this Javan force was moving south, skirting around the edge of his fleet's vision.

"It's too small for the main body of the fleet under Reynolds," said Jack, placing the scan flat on his desk. "And wasn't Reynolds' last position reported to the southwest?"

"Exactly, Jack, which means that this is a smaller force that has branched off from the main one. Now, it could have separated from Reynolds earlier and we had no clue but I'm of the inclination that Reynolds wouldn't split his forces. He doesn't act like a man that would make rash moves."

"I would have to agree with you," replied Jack. "Especially after the last battle we had at sea. I think we shocked Reynolds with the strength of our forces, and I can't see him letting loose any amount of ships in the face of what he perceives is danger."

Russ smirked. "So that means this is probably a reinforcement force. But where would it be coming from?"

Jack overlaid the radar scan with a map he had of the area. The course set by the enemy warships was a near match when traced back in a straight line to the likely point of origin.

"It's a damn near straight shot from Montauban in Occitania," said Jack, using his finger to trace the line. "Not that they couldn't have come through the Slot from Aberdeen, but we know that Bancroft had an occupational fleet in Occitania under Admiral Jasper Strong. More than likely, this is that force."