Chapter 25: Javan Sunset

Author’s Note: There’s some anal sex in this chapter. Please skip over if that’s not your thing.

Marmora was an interesting city to see in the middle of the night.

At least, that’s what Will Calland thought as he stood on the deck of the Treasure and watched the reflection of lights and shadows that made up the ancient Apulian city. From just off in the distance, he could still hear the faint murmur of activity coming off the market nearest the docks. That market square was lined with taverns, and at this time of night, they were still in full operation.

Usually, he would be fully asleep right now but something was bothering him. It wasn’t the snoring of Captain Axel, the leader of their company of soldiers, even though Axel had enough nose power to wake an army. Something about sleep that night refused to come to him, and he reluctantly slipped out of the bed he shared with Lindsay and made his way above deck.

He wasn’t the only one awake at that hour, and Will could see a group of soldiers on one of the lower decks sitting by the edge and playing a game of dice. They weren’t being loud but their subtle voices still carried up to his position where he stood leaning against the railing. For the most part, the soldiers had been well-disciplined during the first part of their voyage to Apulia, scarcely causing any incidents. Will had half-expected that with a woman on board, they might be a little more apt to let their personalities show but so far, no one had shown Lindsay a hint of disrespect or impropriety.

They really were some of the best Galician soldiers around, and his father did an excellent job in maintaining their training. Even with their protection on the ship, something still gnawed at him, making sleep impossible.

It could have been that they were due to leave tomorrow, setting sail from Marmora to make their way down the Slot between Apulia and Samara until it opened up into the wider sea avenue that led to Picardy. The act of sailing didn’t bother him in the slightest but the fact that he had his first real news about what awaited him in Picardy did.

“War follows pestilence in Picardy!” yelled the street caller yesterday as Will made his way through the streets of the city. “King Aedan’s capital is about to fall! Again!”

Will had promptly stopped what he was doing to find out just what was about to fall, finding a mix of hearsay and intentionally vague statements that led him no closer to finding out the real situation in Picardy. Even still, if the Swabian activity in Picardy now seemed centered around the capital city of Daban, it meant he would be sailing into a literal war zone when he arrived.

The only positive to that kind of realization was that it probably meant he wouldn’t have to look hard to find Katherine Rosdahl, knowing she would likely be near the center of the action. That is, as long as she was still alive.

Will tapped his fingers against the railing of the yacht as his thoughts went rampant in his head. He wished he knew exactly what he would find when he landed, but it seemed that it would be a crapshoot from the moment the ship docked in the city.

“Will?”

He turned suddenly to see a very sleepy Lindsay opening the sliding door and making her way out to the balcony. She had a robe thrown on that covered most of her body (at least it would have if she had cinched it in the front). Without it, Will could see a flimsy white tank top and a small pair of shorts that hugged her lower half.

“Why are you up?” she asked, stifling a yawn as she wrapped her arms around his torso. He put his arm around her and looked back out to the city.

“Couldn’t sleep,” he replied.

“Why not?”

Will smiled. “You snore terribly.”

If she was sleepy before, she wasn’t now. Her eyes blazed instantly. “I do not!”

He imitated a loud snore and Lindsay jabbed a finger in his chest. “You know that I don’t snore, Will!”

“I know, I’m teasing,” he said. “I was just imitating Captain Axel.”

“Now that’s a man with a serious problem,” she added, her temper deflating. “But you still really haven’t answered my question.”

“I wish I knew,” he said honestly. “Perhaps it’s the thought that we have to leave here tomorrow. Our next planned stop is Picardy. You know the news that’s being told about the island right now. It doesn’t exactly sound very promising.”

“True,” she replied before looking up at him. “But we knew that going into this, right? We knew Picardy would be no picnic. What does it matter what news that we hear anyway? As long as the country hasn’t completely fallen, nothing changes.”

He nodded. “You’re right. Nothing changes.”

“One way or another, we still have to locate Katherine Rosdahl, right?” she asked.

“That we do,” he confirmed. Ever since he broke the news to her about the true objective of this operation, Lindsay had gotten over her initial apprehension relatively well. Sure, she was thrown off guard for the rest of the evening, but by the morning, she’d adjusted herself to the new reality with the resilience of someone much older.

“So we just go about our task the way we need to,” she said with a simple shrug, like there was no other obvious answer.

“It just bugs me a little not knowing what we’re going to see when we get there,” he said finally.

“I know,” she admitted. “It does for me too. And I know Axel feels the same way even if he would never admit it.”

Will took a few more deep breaths as he looked out to the night. In the distance, he could hear some rowdy yelling further ashore, the result of someone’s falling out near the taverns, no doubt.

Lindsay tugged at his shoulder. “Come on back to bed please? I can’t sleep in that tiny bed alone.”

He started to laugh. “I thought it would make it easier for you to sleep if I wasn’t there. At least then you’d have space to stretch out.”

She pouted her lips and shook her head. “Not even close. I need you pressed against me to sleep anymore. Without your warmth behind me, there’s no way I’ll make it through the night.” She began tugging his arm again.

Will chuckled as he allowed himself to be dragged back inside. Along the way, they had to be careful not to bump into any of the already sleeping soldiers while they made it back to their bed. There just wasn’t enough room for one hundred people to sleep comfortably on the yacht, even with its size, and so sleeping arrangements were always tight.

That was no more apparent than when they reached their room. It was shared by three other officers in addition to Axel, all of them dozing soundly when they arrived (except for Axel, snoring loudly as usual). Lindsay shrugged off her robe and quickly climbed under the covers, holding her arms out for him. He didn’t keep her waiting and slipped back into their small but warm bed a moment later.

“Much better,” she said with approval as her eyes locked on him. She kissed him several times before Will closed his eyes, trying to get back to that elusive sleep he’d been missing.

Of course, without his problem being solved, sleep still seemed to be hard to come by. The next time he opened his eyes minutes later, he was surprised to see that Lindsay was still looking at him in the darkness.

“What’s wrong?” he asked with a soft whisper.

Lindsay bit her lip. “I’m horny. Do you think we could...”

“Again?” he asked with another chuckle. She was one of the most insatiable women he ever met. Despite having sex nearly every single day, she wouldn’t be satisfied unless they did it every morning, afternoon, and evening. Not that he minded, of course. Lindsay’s body was spectacular and sex with her was always a welcome invitation. He just remained surprised that she was willing to do it when surrounded by others in these tight quarters.

She nodded and turned around, pressing her backside against his chest and her butt firmly against his crotch. She reached down and hurriedly kicked off those skin tight shorts, and Will’s hand grasped her bare ass. “Hurry please, Will. I need you inside me, baby.”

It took him no time at all to get hard—it never did with Lindsay—and he yanked down his own sleeping shorts and felt his manhood slip into the space between her thighs. He knew she was ready for him by the feeling of wetness that coated the tip once he was close enough. As he grabbed the shaft and lined up the opening, both of them let out a small groan once he’d fully penetrated her.

That groan was silenced immediately by the sound of one of the officers coughing. Both of them froze in their spot, not even bothering to thrust. Lindsay looked behind them, focusing in on one of the lieutenants who made the noise. They waited for about a minute, daring the lieutenant to make another sound while remaining joined at the hips.

“He’s sleeping,” whispered Lindsay as she began to push her crotch back to him.

It was all the signal he needed. Will started to thrust his hips to meet her response, carefully driving his cock deep into her body. He quickly forgot about his worries from up on the balcony and instead concentrated on enjoying the feeling of intimacy with the woman he loved.

Their small bed started to creak noticeably as the tempo increased but by this point, neither of them cared. Lindsay’s hands were firmly planted against his ass, wanting him to move even faster as they both approached the edge. Will knew he wouldn’t last long, but he was thankful that as quick as he was to the trigger, she was always faster.

Lindsay pushed her face in the pillow to stifle the moan as her body stiffened, and Will could already feel the way her pussy was clamping down on his cock. The pressure of that feeling, combined with the fear of being caught and the nerves of their entire mission meant he buried himself a moment later, spurting off several heavy ropes of cum inside her body. He latched his mouth against her bare shoulder to keep from making any noises while she breathed heavily right beside him.

All too soon, it was over. Lindsay purred in a content manner while grabbing his arm to wrap possessively around her waist, using his hand to cup her breast. Even though they never pulled apart, his softening member soon exited her body, leaving a trail of spent juices along her thigh.

“Just what I needed,” she whispered to him, placing a tender kiss against his shoulder.

“Glad I could help you with that,” he replied softly.

“Sleep now,” she said, snuggling in even closer.

True to her words, she was out a moment later, her soft breathing the only clue that she was no longer conscious. Despite the pleasure he’d had from being with her, he didn’t join her right away. Will was still wide awake and still plagued with the thoughts that he’d had all day. Sex was only a temporary block of it, most of those thoughts coming roaring back the minute his big brain took over for the little one once again.

He thought about what might happen if they landed in Picardy and found out the war was already over. That Swabia now controlled the entire country. That the leaders of the opposition were all dead, Katherine Rosdahl amongst them. He pictured this entire mission being for nothing, a futile effort that wasted time and gained no reprieve for Galicia.

As he listened to Axel’s snores on the other side of the room, he wondered what situation would bother him more—to find out there was no more fighting to be had in Picardy or just the very start of it?

It was a blisteringly hot winter day in Merv, the capital city of the Ruthenian Empire. Foreign Minister Alexander Krupin walked quickly through the streets that morning, already disgusted at how hot it was for the time of day. Despite it being officially winter by most normal calendars, the Ruthenian Empire rarely had cold temperatures. Snow hadn’t been seen by the majority of Ruthenians alive today, and despite the date on the calendar, it was already nearly eighty-five degrees as he walked to the ministry, causing his undershirt to stick to his back.

What I wouldn’t give to enjoy some northern climates right about now, thought Krupin. Most of all, he remembered the time when he served as an ambassador to the Occitanians, seeing their climate first hand. He was sure that the temperature in Montauban was probably below freezing right about now, and there would certainly be snow on the ground.

It had certainly been a wake-up call for Krupin to see life outside the borders of his home country, and it was times like these that made him miss a more normal climate.

Thankfully, he felt immediate relief as soon as he reached the ministry. It was about ten degrees cooler inside with the use of several cooling techniques picked up over the centuries of living in this country, and he was immediately thankful to enter his personal office without sweating through his shirt.

After all, he did his best work in the mornings, long before Emperor Pavel was awake. In fact, Krupin guessed that the emperor would have just gone to sleep judging by the time, his reputation as a night owl known to all of those that worked in the inner circle. In any event, he knew there was a lot to do right now and plenty of time to do it.

Unfortunately for him, he was at work no more than five minutes when he heard the first knock at the door. Knowing it was part of the job, he signaled for the person to enter.

The guest happened to be none other than Rear Admiral Kiryll Akulov, who just happened to be the naval attaché to the ministry. Akulov had been a friend of Krupin’s for a number of years now, a rare combination of someone with enough intelligence to use it and the ability to keep his mouth shut when it mattered. For someone like Akulov, his usefulness in government was worth his weight in gold, and it didn’t hurt matters that he had a quick wit and distinguished sense of humor.

“Kiryll, I didn’t expect to see you this early,” said Krupin with a grin as he looked back at his work. “In fact, I would have pegged your first visit closer to lunch!”

Akulov smirked as he sat down in the chair next to Krupin’s desk. “If only, my brother, if only. Unfortunately, your department had to go and declare war on the Javans, and it’s created a whole host of work for all of us now. I never get to go home on time anymore, and I have to get here at such awful early hours in the morning.”

“I’m sure Polina is pretty upset about all of that,” said Krupin with a chuckle, referencing Akulov’s wife.

“Upset? She’s completely distraught about it,” shot back Akulov before bringing his fingers together. “She’s this close to divorcing my ass, and I wouldn’t blame her if she did!”

“What a terrible life you live,” teased Krupin.

“Ah, yes, woe is me. At least you can finish up this war before she does leave.”

Krupin nodded. “We’re certainly trying. Which sparks a question for me. Why are you here?”

Akulov leaned back in his chair as a satisfied smile appeared on his face. “Funny you should ask. We in the navy are doing our part to win the war.”

Krupin perked up. “Oh? Spill the details!”

“It would appear that one of our task forces has already spilled first blood,” said Akulov as his hands came together. “Does the name Commodore Melikov mean anything to you?”

“Melikov?” said Krupin with a frown. “Never heard of him.”

“I didn’t expect that you would, but I know of him. Decent officer,” said Akulov. “Anyway, his force of two battleships and two cruisers pounced on a Javan force of two cruisers about halfway to Java. The Javans never really had a chance, and one of the cruisers went down almost immediately. The other one was heavily damaged.”

“Why wasn’t it sunk?” pressed Krupin. “With all that firepower, how come she was able to get away?”

“Melikov claims that poor weather enabled the Javan cruiser to escape,” said Akulov with a shrug. “In any event, she was damaged badly enough that there’s a chance she may not even make it back to Java. It would be a nice opening blow against those fuckers.”

“Indeed,” replied Krupin as he reached up to rub his chin. “Two cruisers, even if one is just damaged, isn’t a bad way to start off a war. Have there been any reports from the rest of the fleet? Any other Javan forces on their way south?”

“That’s the only action anyone’s had so far, which is a shame,” said Akulov with a shake of the head. “The whole damn navy is out there scouring the seas looking for the Javans, but so far, they’ve got nothing to show for it. A damn shame we can’t create a few more Javan widows.”

“I’m sure they’ll get their chance,” remarked Krupin. “The war’s only starting after all.”

“Thank fuck for that,” said Akulov with a grin. “It’s exactly what this country needed. A little chance for revenge.”

Krupin didn’t need him to expand on that line of thinking any further. Every Ruthenian thought the same way—Java needed to be punished for the nasty Desert War from years ago where they humiliated the Ruthenians. They’d had to wait nearly a decade to strike back at them, and now, just about every patriotic Ruthenian was chomping at the bit to do their part.

“What else is happening at the Admiralty right now?” asked Krupin, changing the subject. “Any other plans you’ve heard? What are your people saying about the war?”

“Besides the fact that it was overdue? There’s a lot of talk about finding the Javan fleet and offering a decisive battle but personally, I think that strategy is flawed.”

Krupin gave him a confused look. “Why flawed?”

Akulov shrugged. “The Javans outnumber us substantially in naval ships. Any battle with them is liable to be a long struggle that we can’t win. What needs to happen is that we need to keep picking off small forces like we just did. Whittle them away while we can. We’re lucky in that regard that the Occitanians are still a threat with their navy. As long as the Javans have to split their forces, we have the ability to divide and conquer them. Personally, I’m looking forward to the inevitable invasion and getting a chance to conquer their women. Javan pussy is rather good.”

Krupin started to laugh. “I wouldn’t know.”

“I would,” replied Akulov with a lecherous grin. “Back before Polina, of course, but yes, they have some lovely women up there. They must teach them how to suck cock in secondary school because all of them had considerable skill.”

“I’m sure you sampled them well to arrive at that educated opinion?” teased Krupin.

Akulov grinned. “As best I could. For my country, but of course.”

“But of course,” repeated Krupin.

“Anyway, there’s also some talk about sending an army of reinforcements up to Occitania. Something to help them withstand the inevitable Javan invasion. Nothing has been talked about more than a basic plan but I think it would be a smart idea. If the Occies fall, this war is going to get a whole lot more difficult for us.”

“That it will,” confirmed Krupin. “So we’ll just have to make sure the Occitanians stay in the war.”

Akulov raised an eyebrow. “And how do you propose we do that?”

Krupin started to chuckle. “By making the effort to conquer Occitania not worth the cost in blood of course.”

A short distance away from Ruthenia, Jack was skimming the local newspaper stand as he, Kat, and Abigail made their way to Jocelyn’s new house in Belfort. Jack was looking at the headlines, scanning for information that had just hit the papers this morning.

“The Ruthenians jumped a small task force off the coast,” he muttered, reading the details.

“Another one?” asked Abigail to his side.

“This one is light on the details and it won’t say what the casualties are. No surprises there, I bet the Admiralty won’t release them.” Information of that sort was tightly regulated by both the government and the navy, especially when it concerned losses. Even from the Battle of Aberdeen weeks ago, the official rendition from the government was that they suffered no major losses.

According to them, it was bad for morale to report how many ships had been sunk. While Jack didn’t technically disagree with them, it wasn’t respectful of the dead to pretend like their sacrifice didn’t exist. He shook his head and kept walking, knowing he’d ask for more details of the skirmish the next time he went to headquarters.

The streets were crowded since it was nearly quitting time for most of the workers, and despite having to weave their way along the busy streets, Jack was noticed about every ten feet.

“Oh my word, that’s Jack Easterbrook!” yelled one lady with short dark hair and a slightly pudgy face. She rushed over to where he was, bringing with her two other younger men who heard her exclamation.

“Can I shake your hand, Mr. Easterbrook?” asked one of the men, taking Jack’s hand without waiting for permission. “We’ve heard all about your adventures!”

“Er, glad to hear it,” said Jack, still unaccustomed to the fame he now had in Java.

“Is it true that you have a harem of Fourthies at your beck and call?” asked the other man, this one with a large forehead and plenty of acne on his face.

“I wouldn’t use the term harem, no,” said Jack awkwardly as he cast an eye toward Kat and Abigail. Kat looked more than amused at the attention, no doubt because her light features earned her a share of the attention as well. Abigail looked annoyed, mostly because this was a problem any time they went out in public with him.

“No harem,” said Abigail curtly to the man. “Just the two of us.” She grabbed Jack’s arm and pulled him away. “Come on or we’ll be late for dinner.”

“He’s my hero,” said forehead man as they were left behind.

“Seriously,” echoed his friend. “Can you imagine doing two chicks at the same time?”

His statement caused the original short-haired woman to bark at them, something Jack only caught the beginning of as they were whisked away by Abigail.

“Some of these people have a lot of nerve,” she said, more bluster than bite at the moment.

Jack started to chuckle. “The perks that come from being a celebrity, you know?”

Abigail waved her hand. “I don’t mind when they stop to talk to you but when they ask stupid questions about our personal lives—that I do mind. Our sex life is no one’s business but ours.”

“I agree to that, but you know how some people can be. Especially the press,” said Jack with a roll of the eyes.

Since they arrived at Belfort the day before yesterday, he’d been asked to sit down for an exposé with the local newspaper and something printed in yesterday’s paper. It was thick with his own exploits in the Vector, but it also featured a little extra attention on his unconventional relationship. Ever since it was printed, Jack seemed to face even more attention than usual, most of it from younger men who thought his sleeping arrangement was the height of coolness.

“It wouldn’t even be a story in Galicia,” chimed in Kat. “Not with the tradition for the royals to have two wives.”

They had to sidestep their way through another couple who stopped them to greet Jack before arriving at his sister’s house a moment later. It was a well-built but unassuming house within walking distance of the docks. Jocelyn had given him the address before they left Aberdeen, and he was looking forward to spending time with the whole family again.

“Jack!” yelled Jocelyn as she opened the door. She rushed into his arms and gave him a big hug. “I’m so glad you’re here!”

“Great to see you too, Joce,” he replied. “You remember Kat and Abigail, right?”

“Of course, of course!” She gave another large embrace to Kat as they chattered away like old friends. It was a more muted response to Abigail though.

“It’s so nice to see you too, Abigail,” said Jocelyn with a more awkward hug. The last time they had met, Abigail was still suffering heavily from the loss of her sister, Anna. For that reason, Jocelyn just didn’t know her as well as she did Kat.

“And you too, Jocelyn,” replied Abigail with a polite grin. “I really hope I’m better company this time around than I was in Aberdeen.”

Jocelyn patted her shoulder. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I’m so glad you’re here, and I’m really looking forward to getting to know you more.”

Jocelyn brought them inside where Jack suffered three successive blows in the form of three young boys crashing into him.

“Uncle Jack, you’re really here!” yelled the oldest, Henry, a carbon copy of his mother as he slammed into Jack.

“I told you he was coming,” said Blake, grabbing Jack’s leg and looking up at him. “How was the trip over to Belfort, Uncle Jack?”

“Not nearly as fun as yours, I bet,” said Jack with a chuckle. He bent down to pick up the middle child of the family, six-year-old Nathan. “What are they feeding you, young man? You’re almost as big as me!”

Nathan grinned. “I love noodles, Uncle Jack!”

“Yes, he does,” said Roger Hutton, Jocelyn’s husband and Jack’s brother-in-law. Roger was a tall man, nearly as tall as Jack and missing him by only an inch or two. Roger had dark Javan features and a balding head, the hair in the back not as thick as it used to be. He reached out to shake Jack’s hand. “I see our hero has returned home!”

“I’m not sure about that hero business,” said Jack with a smile. “But it’s good to see you, Roger.”

“And you, my old friend.” Roger then turned to look at Abigail and Kat before he looked back to Jack. He raised an eyebrow. “I see Jocelyn wasn’t kidding.”

“Not exactly,” said Jack, picking up the innuendo. “Roger, meet Abigail and Kat.”

Jack went through and introduced everyone one by one, although Kat scarcely needed a reintroduction to Blake, that relationship already firmly established back in Aberdeen.

“Come on, Kat, let me show you my construction toy trucks!” said Blake with excitement as he yanked on her dress.

“Okay, lead away,” she said with a laugh.

The boys ended up dragging all of them to Blake’s room first and then to Nathan’s. Each of them took a healthy amount of pride in showing off their toys to the two women, even as the initial apprehension melted away at being around a Fourthie.

“So you really came from across the ocean?” asked Nathan hesitantly once he was close enough to Kat.

“I really did. I traveled all this way just to meet you and your family,” said Kat with a warm smile. “What do you think about that?”

“It’s so cool,” he replied, in awe of her presence.

He warmed to her within a matter of minutes, forgetting the initial awkwardness and letting each of the boys parade their toys in front of her.

“Boys! Kat and Abigail didn’t come all this way just to see your toy collection,” said Jocelyn sternly with her hands on her hips. “Give them a break!”

All of their faces became crestfallen instantly. It was to the point that Kat put up her hand. “It’s quite all right. I don’t mind in the slightest.”

“Let them be young,” counseled Roger to his wife. “And if Kat and Abigail get tired of them, they can sneak away just like we do.”

“Oh, all right,” said Jocelyn.

They left the two women upstairs with the boys while Jack followed his sister and brother-in-law downstairs to the kitchen. He could already smell something cooking, a delicious smell that reminded him how empty his stomach was.

Jocelyn poured him a glass of wine while Jack sat at the table, soon joined by Roger.

“So Jack, we read that article that came out about you yesterday,” said Roger, tapping the offending newspaper where it rested on the table.

“I think they did their best to offhandedly suggest I was some kind of sexual deviant,” said Jack, rolling his eyes.

“Well, deviant or not, the impressive part was the story about the Fourth Vector,” said Roger. “Jocelyn told me all about it when she got back. Truth be told, I’m almost surprised you made it back. I remember how nervous we both were to hear that you were going there in the first place.”

“There were a lot of nerves in the crew when that mission came up,” said Jack, remembering back to the day and the small mutiny that it inspired. “But things turned out pretty well.”

“I’ll say so,” said Roger. “You’re the talk of the whole country. Earlier this morning, a woman stopped Jocelyn at the grocery store and wouldn’t leave her alone until she passed along her thanks to you for saving Java.”

“It’s gotten a little out of hand lately,” said Jack with an embarrassed look. “Of course, that news article didn’t help matters at all.”

Roger grinned. “No, I imagine that it didn’t. Still though, it doesn’t hurt to have a hero in the family. By the way, what do you think of this?” Roger slid the newspaper closer and pointed out the headline that Jack read on the street earlier concerning the Ruthenian attack.

“Only a matter of time that was,” said Jack as he leaned back in his chair. “I don’t think anyone expected them to not get involved in this war. The only thing that does surprise me is how long it took them.”

“Opportunists, the lot of them,” said Roger with a disgusted expression. “You know, my brother still walks with a limp from the Desert War. I’m surprised that we are going to have to teach them a lesson a second time this decade.”