Chapter 3: The Festival

Jack felt like his binoculars had become part of his own face.

Staring out at the distant shore of land, Jack took in every feature as Task Force 21 hovered just off the coast. Tropical foliage occupied most of his view as did the few waves lapping gently at the shoreline. From their position, he couldn’t see any signs of habitation.

“Jack, do you want to go any closer?” asked the lovely brunette at his side. Lt. Commander Abigail Wainwright rested her hand on his wrist as she waited for his response.

“Yes, just a little bit closer. I can’t see anything but trees at this distance,” said Jack. “Not too close though. We know nothing about these waters or the depth of the ocean floor. I don’t want these ships getting beached accidentally.”

“Aye, Jack,” said Abigail with a smile as she issued the orders. The ship began to lurch forward and the waves right in front of the bow gently parted for the steel behemoth to pass through. They were nearly a mile from shore but despite the lower visibility, Jack could see each member of the bridge watching intently. Their first sighting of the lands that made up the Fourth Vector carried a certain mystery for all of them. It also made them the only people alive who had seen the Vector and could still talk about it.

Just behind the Destiny lurked the other ships of the task force—the light cruiser Valiant and the destroyer Tiger. They followed cautiously behind the Destiny, using the wake of the ship to cut the same course. Ultimately, the commanding officers of both ships were missing from their respective posts, with Luke Ravencross and Vicky Carter standing not far from Abigail. Jack wanted them present for the initial reconnaissance of land.

Jack reached over to nudge Luke. “What do you think? Doesn’t look like the fire-sprouting hell from childhood stories, eh?”

Luke shrugged. “Not yet. But then again, we just got here.”

As the Destiny drifted closer to land, Jack began to make out some of the features of the land in front of him. The small beach that seemed to go on for miles didn’t look very wide, only containing a narrow strip of land no more than a few hundred feet across before the thick layer of trees took over. When they were close enough, some more features of the land in front of him became more visible. For one, Jack saw what looked like a stunning waterfall that opened right into the sea. Beyond the waterfall, the land pulled inward to contain a sheltered bay about a mile across.

“Put us a little closer to that inlet there,” ordered Jack and the Destiny began to slip inside the marvelous, U-shaped bay. On the narrow side of the bay, the forest pulled back quite a ways from the shore showing open fields of grass.

“Looks like a perfect spot for a city,” said Abigail, noticing the same spot.

“That it does. Too bad there doesn’t seem to be anyone here,” said Jack.

“We really haven’t seen much beyond this stretch yet. Maybe we should see how big this land really is. Follow the coast for as long as we can?” she suggested.

“I like that. Let’s steam just off the coast and see what we can find. I want everyone to keep their eyes on the shore. Let me know if you see anything or anyone.”

“Aye, sir,” came the response from the assembled officers.

For the next couple hours, the Destiny continued along the east coast of the land. Around midafternoon, the coast began to pull back and the task force turned southwest to follow the land. At one point, the crew spotted a broad channel heading further inland. Unsure of whether it was a river or something more, Jack made note of its position in order to come back another time. Eventually, the coast doubled back around, and soon the ships were headed north along the west side of the land.

“It appears to be an island. Unless this is a very odd-shaped peninsula,” said Abigail.

“She’s a lot longer than she is around,” said Jack. “We steamed down the coast for two and a half hours but only along the south side for no longer than twenty-five minutes.”

“The island appears to be shaped like a sausage,” said Abigail with a giggle.

“You would know your way around a sausage,” whispered Jack, causing her to blush.

“I never heard you complaining,” she shot back.

“Nor will you!”

The journey north along the coast lasted around the same as the journey south on the other side. By the time they figured out it was indeed an island and not a peninsula, the sun was beginning to set on the other side. Along the entire way, there appeared to be no signs of habitation. Even the few natural spots where a settlement might develop remained empty. Jack considered the island to most likely be void of intelligent life, and once the sun had finally set, he gave the order for them to anchor in place just off the eastern coast.

That evening, Jack had all the division officers meet in his headquarters to decide the plan for the morning. All of them shuffled into the cabin while Jack displayed a map of the island sketched from their earlier reconnaissance.

“We’ll stop here for the night. Have the sentries on their guard for most of the evening hours, and I want to know about any disturbances,” said Jack. “From what we’ve seen, I’m not expecting much but I don’t want to put our guard down just yet.”

“If this is the Fourth Vector, I don’t know what everyone was grumbling about,” muttered Luke under his breath, earning a giggle from Vicky.

“We’ll see tomorrow if there’s anything more to this island. And remember, we’ve only explored a small portion of the Vector. There’s still a whole mass of ocean we haven’t touched yet,” said Jack.

“What are we going to do? Do you want to explore inland?” asked Abigail.

Jack nodded. “We have to be sure even if there’s nothing here. I plan on taking a platoon of Marines ashore, and we’ll see if we find anything interesting.”

“Maybe we can stop at that waterfall on the way back. I’m sure the crew won’t object to some beach time,” said Abigail with a grin.

Jack chuckled. “Only if the island is safe. Last thing you want is to be attacked when you’re putting on your sunscreen.”

“That depends on what kind of ‘attack’ it is,” said Anna with a mischievous smile.

Both sisters shared a knowing look. Jack wisely ignored the comment instead of indulging them. He knew that road would lead to trouble.

“Jack, will you let me come ashore with the marines? I’d like a chance to stretch my legs on dry land,” asked Luke.

Jack shook his head. “No way, not with your arm like that.” Luke grunted and held his arm sling aloft. It had just been over two weeks since their recapture of the Tiger during the attempted mutiny. Luke had taken a bullet straight through the muscle on his forearm. Despite still being able to hold a rifle, Jack didn’t want to take any chance until the man was healed.

“This damn arm,” muttered Luke. “You guys get to have all the fun, and I’m here stuck on the ship.”

“You’re the one who had to go and get shot,” said Jack with a laugh, clapping his friend on the back.

“It was a lucky shot for that bastard.”

“I believe they call those million-dollar wounds,” said Vicky, giggling along with the rest of the group.

“I’d give every single cent of that million dollars just to be able to see some action again,” said Luke.

“Be careful what you wish for,” said Jack with a chuckle. “We have this giant stretch of ocean to explore, and we have the Occitanians on shoot-to-kill status. We’ll all have plenty of action before this mission is over.”

“Oh, all right fine. You all have fun without me and I’ll just watch over the ship,” he said with a pout, sitting down in his chair.

“It can’t be all that bad, Luke. Besides, I may just make it worth your while,” said Kim Cross, throwing a subtle wink to the commander, which was enough to make him sit up and clear his throat.

“Well, now that we know what you two will be doing, I’d say we can get on with this mission,” said Abigail with a laugh as the two of them went red in the face. Luke took a few more playful slaps to the back before attention resumed to the map in front of them.

The rest of the meeting went by without any further distractions. It had been decided at first light to explore the broad channel closer to the shore and then to launch the marine expedition around midmorning. Once all the orders were given, the officers began to leave to return to their respective ships or their own quarters.

“Sounds like we have a solid plan. I’ll talk to you all tomorrow,” announced Vicky as she left the room with a quick wave. Following in her footsteps were Luke and Kim to begin their return to the Valiant.

“Jack, how many men do you want on this expedition tomorrow?” asked Greg.

“So far, let’s go with a couple platoons. That should be enough for now,” said Jack.

“Roger that! See you in the morning.”

“Night, Jack,” said Abigail with a sultry smile as the other division heads filed out as well.

By that point, just about all the officers had left his quarters. All except one. Anna remained sitting in her seat, watching as everyone left. When the last person filed out, her eyes locked on Jack.

“I like the plan for tomorrow,” she said with a purr. “Although I’d like to know what my role is going to be during all of this?”

Jack let slip a grin and walked over to stand right in front of her. “I was thinking we’d get your role out of the way tonight, instead of tomorrow.”

Anna bit her lip and glanced down to his body before returning to his eyes. “And what might that particular role be, sir?”

“I envisioned a very active role for you, Anna. Something that would be exceptionally ... vigorous,” said Jack.

Anna let slip a small giggle. “Vigorous is good. I absolutely adore vigorous.” Her hands reached out and grabbed his trousers, giving them a subtle tug. They yielded easily, making a small noise as the buckle hit the floor. “I’m glad to see that you’re already well-stimulated, sir,” she said while licking her lips.

“Catching glimpses of you during this entire meeting had me ready for action,” said Jack with a smile. It was true. Every time his eyes caught hers, Anna would do a subtle gesture to catch his attention. Usually a small move like a wink or a lip bite, she made it very obvious what kind of activity she had in mind. She was so distracting that Jack found himself having to struggle to remember what he wanted to tell the other officers.

Anna’s hands began to move to the buttons on her jacket. In a slow, deliberate manner, she slipped one button loose at a time. “I was just hoping I wouldn’t be too distracting.”

When her fingers reached midway down her chest, Jack could see a flash of red underneath. “It looks like you came prepared for our little meeting, Anna.”

Anna let slip the last button and gently pulled her jacket open. Her tits were beautifully encased in a red, lace bra. Just beyond the lace, Jack could see the pair of tiny moles on her flesh. It was a tiny imperfection that made her all the more genuine and enticing.

She gave him an innocent smirk as his cock brushed against the cup of the red lace. “I know how much you love this bra, sir. I see how you throb at the very sight of it.”

She wasn’t kidding. Jack was so achingly stiff that his cock had assumed a purplish color as the veins popped out the sides.

Before he could respond, Anna’s hands slipped behind her back. “Don’t worry, sir. I have the perfect place you can put that monster.” She unclasped her bra and let it fall to the floor. It seemed he wasn’t the only one that was hard. Her nipples were completely erect, showing a clear excitement at the impending events. Jack reached forward and gently tweaked one of them, feeling the soft flesh between his fingers.

Anna gasped as soon as he made the touch. “I love how you manhandle me. There’s no better feeling than your hands on my body.”

“Just my hands?” Jack asked as he then leaned forward and took her nipple into his mouth. He sucked on it gently as Anna’s hand went to the back of his neck and held him in place. Letting it slip out of his mouth, he teased it with his tongue several times, flicking it and enjoying the feel of her in his mouth.

Finally, she pulled away from him. “Let me show you what I had in mind.” Anna wet her fingers with her mouth and then used it to coat his cock. She went even further, slipping the entire tip in her mouth and being very generous with her saliva. Once she felt like he was slickly coated, she reached her hands around to grab his ass and pull him closer.

Jack’s cock naturally slipped right into the valley between her tits. The warmth of her body quickly provided a pleasurable sensation as her hands then grabbed each tit and encased his cock fully between them. Finally, she looked up at him and fluttered her eyelashes.

“I want you to fuck my tits now, Jack. And I don’t want you to stop until you cover my face in your cum.”

It was even sexier to hear the words coming from her mouth while she watched him with large, innocent eyes. The contrast between them made the experience so much more erotic to Jack. Anna was the young and innocent officer who turned into a sexual goddess behind closed doors. He didn’t know how he’d gotten so lucky but he was determined to enjoy it to the fullest.

Jack began to thrust his hips, watching his cock sink between her lovely flesh and then pop out near her chin with every thrust. All of the generous saliva that she’d used to coat him added to the lack of friction, making it feel similar to her mouth or her pussy. Anna gripped her tits tight against him and kept dripping more spit down her valley to further lube his strokes.

The most arousing part of the whole experience for Jack—beyond the feel—was how Anna kept her eyes focused on him. Her sexy, dark eyes seemed to capture his own gaze so deeply that he never wanted to look away. Even the way her small mouth fell open as his cock repeatedly slipped between the wet valley was enticing. She had totally enraptured him and made sure all he could think about was release.

And he was going to release soon. The incredible sensation and wet heat from her body was slowly driving him crazy. All he wanted to do was unload on her pretty face and coat it with his cum. The lusty stare of desire that she wore told him that she wanted it just as much as he did.

“Are you going to cum for me, Jack? Are you going to squirt all over my face? I want you to do it for me please. It’s all I could think about during our entire debriefing just now. How badly I wanted to be a bad girl for you and be covered with your cum.”

“I’m getting so close,” Jack hissed as his thrusting became much more vigorous.

Anna responded by lowering her head and letting the tip of his cock penetrate her mouth. She would flicker her tongue over the slit every time he got close, providing the most pleasurable feeling. Combined with the rest of her activity, he knew he wouldn’t last much longer.

“Please, Jack, I need it so bad! Please cum for me. Please cum for your little, officer slut. I’ve been so bad and I’ve had such dirty thoughts about you. I need your cum, Jack!”

Jack grunted as her enticing words sent him spiraling through orgasm. His hips pumped in a jerking fashion as cum erupting from the slit and began to splash all over her chest, chin, and mouth. Anna opened wide, catching a spurt in her mouth as several others decorated the rest of her face. When Jack finally stopped cumming, she was completely covered.

“Mmm, that’s what I love,” cooed Anna as she sought to scoop up any remaining cum. Using her fingers, she managed to drizzle what was left into her mouth until she had greedily devoured all that was left. “Yummy,” she said once finished.

Jack collapsed back into his chair, a spent force. “I haven’t cum that hard in a long time.”

Anna grinned. “You mean since we last had sex last night?”

“Precisely,” he said while laughing.

She giggled with him and grabbed her bra from the floor. “I’d offer to stay longer but I have part of the watch on the bridge tonight.”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to shower before you go back out there?”

She shook her head. “Now why would I do something silly like that? I think it’s deliciously naughty of me to go back to my post smelling like my commander’s cum.”

“You’re crazy,” said Jack while shaking his head.

“I do believe you like me like this,” said Anna, giving him a subtle wink. It was the same wink he was so used to seeing from her sister. He would never tell her, and she would certainly hate to hear it, but they acted so alike that it wasn’t hard to see they were related.

“If that’s all that you require of me tonight, sir, I’ll leave you to your work now,” said Anna, curtsying right before the door.

Jack grinned. “Thank you, Anna. Have a nice night.”

“You too, Jack,” she said with a giggle as she left the room.

Jack reached down to the floor to pull his trousers back up but he folded them and put them next to his dresser instead of putting them back on. Grabbing his sleeping shorts, he slipped into those quickly and then began the same process with his jacket. Even though it was only eight-thirty, he had a feeling tomorrow would be an eventful day and he needed to rest. Tomorrow would be the first day that his task force set foot in the Fourth Vector. As he laid down in bed, he just prayed they were ready for whatever waited for them on the island.

The next morning, Jack was surprised to find that he was the last one to make it to the bridge at the usual time. Abigail already sat in one of the commander’s seats and she was going over the morning report with Kyle. Stephanie was already perched at her station and eating what was left of her breakfast. Jack made eye contact with Anna who blew him a kiss before resuming her attention back to the radio traffic between the ships.

“I was about to have Lt. Buckner come find you,” said Abigail with a smile as he sat down. “I thought you might have overslept.”

“I didn’t oversleep,” said Jack with a smile. “I was a bit wiped last night but I got up at the usual time.”

“Wiped, huh? I wonder what could have zapped your energy so much,” said Abigail while looking toward the ceiling with wondering eyes. Jack did everything he could not to look back at Anna. He wondered if Abigail knew what happened in his quarters last night with her sister.

Jack chose not to take the obvious bait and instead grabbed his own copy of the morning report. “Any news from overnight?”

“Not a peep,” she replied. “I think the whole crew is ready to get their first taste of land today.”

“Aren’t we all? Let’s set a course for that channel we found yesterday. It looked deep enough for us to travel up. Once we see what’s inside, we can let the marine expedition get started,” said Jack.

“Aye, sir,” said Abigail with a grin.

The task force began to steam a short while later with the Destiny in the lead. They made their way back down the coast once more on the same route as they had the previous day. The channel was on the very southern end of the island, and the sun was about midway up the sky by the time they reached the inlet.

Jack studied the channel more intensely than he had the day before. The channel itself was a few thousand feet wide at the point where it emptied into the ocean although he wasn’t sure if it opened up into an internal bay or proved to be just a river. There was a certain peril at exploring these channels. The first risk they took was the topography under the waves. While the ships of the task force didn’t have nearly as heavy a draft as the battleships in the Javan fleet, they still had to be watchful for submerged reefs or sandbars so as not to get stuck in shallow waters.

Another factor to consider was how to turn around and exit the channel if it proved to be just a river. It would be hard enough as is just to reverse course but if they ran into any unexpected trouble, it could make for a harrowing situation.

Seeing as the Tiger had the shallowest draft of all the ships, only twelve feet at its deepest, it was decided that the destroyer would be the one to navigate the channel for the time being while the two cruisers waited just off the coast. Jack transferred over to Tiger alongside Greg and a couple platoons of marines as the task force floated harmlessly out at sea.

“Bring the ship in closer to the channel. Try to stay away from the shore as much as possible. Radio over to Luke and Abigail and have them wait for us at the entrance,” instructed Jack as the Tiger slipped inside the channel.

Once they were inside the inlet, Jack kept his eyes perched on both sides of the shore. Only the occasional flock of birds would catch his attention. It seemed just a little too calm, even to the point of being unnatural.

“Do you notice anything about the island? Anything off-putting to you?” Jack asked Vicky.

Vicky gave him a worried glance. “I think it’s strange I haven’t seen any animals. You’d think we’d have seen something at the very least but there’s nothing here.”

“Something doesn’t feel right about this island,” said Jack.

The Tiger crept deeper into the channel. About two hundred yards from the mouth, the passage began to narrow. Vicky guided the ship through the middle of the channel but as the shore raced closer on either side, it started to become a tight fit.

“Maybe we should go back. I’m starting to get nervous with how close that coast is,” said Jack while gesturing to the dry land only a hundred feet from the hull.

“I’m okay with that,” said Vicky before she pointed upriver just beyond the horizon. “What’s that, Jack?”

The source of the channel seemed to be within sight. There was something glittering just ahead. Jack checked it out further with his binoculars.

“Is that what I think it is?” Vicky asked.

It looked to be a set of buildings to Jack. They looked eerily similar to those back in Java, made with a thick, red brick for the siding and peaked roofing. Rows of windows lined the shore of the small city and Jack could make out the various heights of those buildings closest to the channel.

“It’s a city,” Jack whispered. “It looks just like home.”

Vicky bit her lip excitedly. “Can we get closer?”

Jack looked at the sides of the ship and then shrugged. He couldn’t see any deeper into the water to know how deep the floor was so it was nearly impossible to judge. If only they could reach a little further, they could make contact with the city but it was foolish to keep going.

They would have to send the launch boats to explore any further.

“Let’s get word back to the Destiny,” said Jack. “We’ve already gone too far. Let’s get back to the mouth of the chan—”

It came about suddenly. A devastatingly loud grinding noise erupted from the bottom of the ship and nearly everyone reached out to steady their balance as the vessel shook with a terrible racket. The ship lurched ahead with a boom and then stopped completely as the warning lights from the engine room began to flash.

“Jack, we’ve hit something!” said Vicky with a frightened look. “The propellers are still going but the ship is stuck!”

“Radio down to the engine room and have them reverse course. Let’s see if we can dislodge ourselves,” ordered Jack.

The ship rumbled to a full stop for several moments as the propellers prepared to change course. Soon enough they were working full steam to try to pull the ship back from whatever it had beached itself on. More severe grinding occurred as the hull scrapped the narrow bed of the channel. A few moments of shaking and no moving showed that the ship was thoroughly stuck.

“Cut power to the engines. We’ve been grounded,” said Jack with frustration. He nearly threw his binoculars, knowing that they shouldn’t have come so far up the channel.

“It’s okay, Jack,” said Vicky as her hand reached out to touch his arm. “We’ll call back to Luke and have him pull us back.”

“I need a status report on the hull. Please let me know of any breaches or leaks from the bottom. I won’t see this ship flooded because of this,” said Jack.

As she issued a series of orders, Jack put his hands around his head. If there was serious damage to the ship, it could throw the whole mission in jeopardy. He kept his thoughts contained while Vicky picked up her binoculars again. After a moment, she spoke up with a worried tone.

“Jack, I don’t mean to alarm you, but where did the city go?” she asked while pointing out the window.

“What? What do you mean?” He grabbed his binoculars and looked back out the window. Looking back to where he’d spotted the city, Jack nearly dropped his jaw. The city was gone. What had appeared to be rows of windows and brick siding was now nothing but empty fields, devoid of trees or life. There was nothing left to capture their attention and Jack found himself looking back at Vicky with disbelief.

“How could this happen?” he whispered.

“I don’t know. Was it a mirage?”

“Is it still considered a mirage if we both saw it?”

Vicky shrugged. “This is really bizarre, Jack.”

The door to the bridge swung open suddenly and in popped Major Vaughn.

“What the hell was that noise, Jack? I’m hearing the men say we have flooding down on the lower deck!”

“Shit!” Jack swore. “How bad is it?”

“It’s minimal and didn’t look like a bad fix, but not something you’ll want to let go.”

“Vicky, get the pumps down there and begin to suck the water out,” ordered Jack.

“Hot damn, Jack! We’re far enough away from shore. How did we get grounded here?” asked Greg.

“It must be getting pretty shallow in this part of the channel,” said Jack.

“Now what, Jack?” asked Vicky quietly.

“Well, it looks like we’re not going anywhere quickly. I’m hesitant to send for the Valiant but it’s the only way we could possibly get off this sandbar. They need to take a little more precautions and I don’t want them getting too close to us,” said Jack.

It took around thirty minutes for the Valiant to make its way up the channel. Jack had urged Luke to go slow and to follow what remained of the Tiger‘s wake to prevent another accident from happening. Soon enough, the light cruiser came to rest not far from the Tiger‘s stern as the crew began to unroll the chains from their stowed positions.

Jack and the rest of the officers from the Tiger went to the stern of the ship to prepare to attach the towing chains.

“Bring those chains over and we’ll attach to both sides of the ship. I want one on the back of the ship too so that we pull evenly,” instructed Jack. “I’m going to need a group of volunteers to go down into the water here and help attach the chains.”

“I’ll grab some of the men to help with that, Jack,” said Vicky before sending her lieutenant off to fetch the required manpower.

It was an incredible operation to watch the crews of both ships coordinate the towing action. It was even more awesome to see the size of the massive chains that would soon connect both ships. Jack had seen towing actions before, but the chains always amazed him—one single link was larger than the size of a cement block and just as heavy.

Because of the massive size, they had to be lowered into place and then guided by hand. For that, Vicky had assembled three crews of about ten men each. Each of them piled into a small boat since the water was still too deep to stand in and helped to guide them to points where they could be attached to the Tiger.

At one point, Jack even joined one of the crews as an excuse to see some action. He climbed down into a small boat on the port side of the ship.

“Nice and easy now, men. Let’s guide her right into place,” he advised as all of them took a portion of the chain to link to the cruiser’s hull.

“Hold on! The crane’s stuck! Give us a moment,” yelled one of the sailors from the Valiant as the large chain came to a halt right next to the ship.

“That would figure,” grumbled one of the enlisted men next to Jack.

“Lazy bastards,” said another one. “You’d think they’d know how to operate a simple crane.”

“This sure doesn’t look like much out here. I was expecting the Fourth Vector to look a little more ... evil?”

“It kind of looks like the southern half of Java,” said the other man with a laugh.

“I don’t know. Something about those trees over there gives me a funny feeling,” said the first man as he pointed over to shore.

Jack followed the man’s hand with his eyes. He was right—the trees on the opposing shore did look awfully ominous right now. Jack wasn’t sure what bothered him more—the way the sun seemed to shine only to the top of the trees (creating nothing but shadows underneath the foliage) or the eerie sound of silence from the shore. Either way, the slight breeze that shook the leaves on the trees seemed to raise the hairs on his neck.