Chapter 38: Going East

It was snowing again.

For the second time that week, Jack watched as large flakes of white gold fell from the sky and blanketed the deck of the Destiny as she traversed the inner ocean between Apulia and Swabia. The snow was not the only sign of winter. Jack could see his breath every time he exhaled, another bitter reminder of the current time of year.

Of all places to be during the middle of the coldest season, starting a campaign should have been the last of them. On a day like today, Jack would have loved to be in a port sheltered from the elements or even perhaps in the Galician Castle nestled against one of the large windows and watching the snowfall.

Instead, he was starting a new campaign—a liberation of the Swabian-held islands of Naxos and Picardy. The timing of such a campaign was thought to be a strength for their side. No one expected major operations to occur in the dead of winter, and Jack was hoping his surprise attack would find the Swabians off guard. It would be crucial to find any advantage they could for the attack against Picardy but for now, Picardy was the second stop on their agenda.

The first stop was Naxos.

“Jack, we have visibility on Naxos,” came Abigail’s voice from the radio since she was currently located on the bridge of the Destiny. “Visibility is still poor but we’re picking up the island directly to the northwest.”

“Copy, Abigail,” replied Jack as he trained his eyes in that direction. He could barely make out the island in the distance but knowing he was close made his adrenaline rush. He left the bow of the cruiser and headed for the bridge, finding the crew already waiting for signs of ill will. They weren’t the only ones prepared for action.

All around the Destiny, Jack’s fleet had assumed battle-stations and prepared for hostilities. The great armada that consisted of eleven battleships, nineteen cruisers, and thirty-four smaller vessels was currently the largest single force in the world, having bested the Swabian Fleet over a month ago. In fact, there was only one navy that could be said to be a match for Jack’s fleet now and that was across the ocean in Java.

Java didn’t factor much in Jack’s thoughts anymore. Ever since he’d been formally outlawed from the Javan Empire, the cords that bound him to his adoptive homeland had been irrevocably cut. His force was mostly a Galician one now instead of Javan, with Galician ships making up most of his forces and Galician soldiers making up most of his army.

His life had been entirely turned upside down. Jack had taken his place at the head of Galician society as their king, and with his marriage to Kat and Abigail, they’d formally taken their places as queens of the country. Jack looked over at Abigail to see that she was proudly wearing her wedding band, the symbol of their union and a reminder of how much his life had changed.

For now though, he was content to look toward the future, and that meant the coming campaign in Naxos. Naxos had been chosen as the first stop in the campaign because of an old promise that Jack had made to the former king, Gaius, when Jack was still imprisoned by the Swabians. That promise included the eventual liberation of the country from their violent oppressors, and it was one he was determined to see to fruition.

There were no other people that were more deserving. There wasn’t anyone in the West who didn’t know about the suffering of the Nax. They were the first official conquest of the Swabians, coming before Jack had even stepped foot in the hemisphere. Since then, the country and her people had been continually pillaged of their natural resources. Their mines were taken over by the Swabians and when that proved not enough for their greed, the people themselves were taken over as slaves.

If anyone needed an ally, it was the people of Naxos. And Jack was determined to see that yoke removed from their shoulders.

“Jack, we should be coming within range of the Nax city of Millpond within a few minutes,” said Abigail quietly. “So far, no sign of trouble from the Swabians.”

“We may not find much in the way of a garrison here,” said Jack. “At least, that was my hope. There wasn’t much here when I was imprisoned, and my thoughts are that any Swabian ships stationed here might be pulled back to the mainland.”

“We might get lucky then,” replied Abigail. “If we attack Naxos with overwhelming force, we probably won’t suffer much in the way of casualties.”

Jack gave her a hopeful look. “Let’s pray that it turns out that way.”

Luckily for them, it did. The harbor at Millpond turned out to be empty of Swabian warships, confirming Jack’s suspicion. And since the entire city was located within range of the fleet’s guns, any resistance from the capital city wasn’t bound to last for long. He didn’t want to fire on the city though if he didn’t have to. The Nax had already suffered enough, and he didn’t relish the idea of having to demolish Millpond in the process of liberation.

With the situation at sea stabilized, Jack gave the order for the invasion force to load onto the launch boats. Within the next hour, a force that consisted of fifteen hundred Javan marines as well as thirty-five hundred Galician soldiers began to approach the island country while the ships began to fire on the smaller military installations.

That process couldn’t have gone more smoothly. Millpond was protected by two outer forts that occupied the lower slopes of the city, one on each side. They’d been occupied by the Swabian defense and made ample targets for Jack’s fleet. Each one was destroyed in quick succession but they weren’t destroyed with just naval artillery alone.

Jack even sent up his seaplanes to scope out the city, having two main responsibilities in the process. He wanted to know about any troop movements around the city but there were several planes that he loaded with bombs, allowing the pilots to drop them from overhead on the unsuspecting defenders below.

He could only imagine the fear that those enemy soldiers had bearing the brunt of a combined air and sea attack. He wanted to totally awe the Swabian defenders, and in that way, press for their immediate surrender in the face of overwhelming power.

To that degree, Jack’s forces fell a little short. Despite the destruction of the two forts, his invasion army met immediate resistance on the beaches outside of Millpond. Their launch boats brought them in close enough to land in the shallow waters but they were met by waves of fire from Swabian soldiers determined not to let them get a foothold.

Based on the radio chatter, the fighting was thick enough in some places that the beaches became littered with blood and bodies. Some soldiers couldn’t even get out of the water, having to use their boats as shelter when they could. Thankfully, that heavy resistance couldn’t last for long, and slowly but surely, Jack’s forces began to swarm over the positions of the Swabian defenders and press them back toward the city.

They had an uphill battle in front of them. The city was sloped on either side, with the highest point being the main square. For them to liberate Millpond totally, Jack’s army would have to dislodge the Swabians from ideal defensive ground, and they surely had a rough time of it as pressure coalesced around the city.

With the beachhead secure, Jack joined the second wave of troops as they made their way ashore, wanting to command on the ground. Joining him were Greg and Art, and the two generals soon split to take command of each beach on either side of Millpond.

Jack joined Greg on his side, which was the eastern side of the city, and soon their feet were on dry land as reinforcements joined the fray, all putting pressure on the city’s outer defenses.

To the credit of the Swabians, they hadn’t been sitting on their hands during their time in Naxos. The garrison had been busy creating trenches around the slopes and Jack could see four concentric rings around the city for protection.

“We need to drop some mortars on those trenches,” he said while pointing out the lines to Greg. “They don’t have much in the way of defenders but they can still inflict heavy casualties on us if we don’t get them cleared quickly.”

“I’ll bring up everything I can,” promised Greg before he started issuing a steady stream of orders.

The first traces of concentrated mortar fire were underway not long after. Galician and Javan soldiers hugged the dirt on the lower slopes while the mortar teams blasted their way through the first line of trenches. The fighting was methodical yet bloody as the men of the Allied Army cleared that entire first trench.

Now that they had some protection from the defenders, Jack’s men could afford some breathing room while they kept up steady fire on the next protective line. It wasn’t hard to tell that there weren’t many Swabians in Millpond but the ones that were there made the best use of the ground as they saw fit. A mortar that took out an entire squad in the process made good on losses that the Swabians just couldn’t replace.

It was close to midday by the time Jack’s men routed the Swabians from the last trench. The scattered remnants of the city garrison went scrambling back into the city, taking refuge in any building they could find. Many of them never made it, dropping to their knees as steady fire was poured into their backs.

Those that did found that defending an urban environment was much easier than then open field of trenches. Jack’s men suffered the heaviest casualties of the day in clearing the city of Millpond, where it seemed that the Swabian defenders were hiding behind any doorframe or coffee table that they could find.

At one point, the centerpiece of Swabian resistance was the old town hall of Millpond—a large three-story brick building with plenty of windows. Nearly thirty defenders made it the spot of their last stand, men who managed to survive mortars and grenades as every effort was made to clear the building. Soon enough though, teams of Allied soldiers had to push inside the building to clear out what was left.

Many of them never came back out. It was a bloodbath that claimed the lives of many soldiers, Allied and Swabian alike.

Fortunately for the Allies, the town hall was the last place of serious Swabian resistance. Even the headquarters of the Swabian occupation fell relatively easily, and a short while later, just about all of Millpond was under Allied control.

The guns fell silent. Men that had struggled all morning with the fighting sat down in the dirt to catch their breath, exhausted at having survived another fight. Even the native Nax came out once the fighting had stopped, many of them filthy and having seen better days.

Jack saw all of it and more as he stepped through the city, making his way to the old mining headquarters that had once been his prison.

“It seems like we’ve conquered a ghost town,” said Greg as he gestured to the Nax. “I’ve never seen a people who’ve looked more wretched.”

Greg was entirely right. The Nax people wore tattered clothes (when they had clothes at all) and it was evident that many of them hadn’t had a good meal in a long time. They scurried around like rats, their humanity all but forgotten.

“They’ve been nothing but slaves for over three years now,” said Jack. “Most of them have lost what it means to be people. The Swabians weren’t interested in running a country. They wanted the free labor and resources that came with Naxos and they surely got it.”

“Terrible,” replied Greg as he shook his head. “Truly terrible.”

At that moment, they were joined by Art as he made his way from the other side of the city. The older general was out of breath and he frantically gestured to the interior of the country.

“I have a good portion of my men following after a Swabian force that’s pulling back into the country,” said Art. “It’s not a large force but with your permission, Jack, I’d like to crush all remaining Swabian resistance on the island.”

Jack nodded. “Go ahead, Art. Keep me informed of what you find out there and leave a small group to defend Millpond. The navy can keep most threats at bay but make sure that not a single Swabian is left on the island that can bear arms.”

Art nodded and after a quick conference with Greg, they set about designating a force to push into the interior. The small force that Jack was going to leave in the city had one final task, and that was clearing out the remaining non-combatant Swabians from the mining building. That was a task that took considerable time to do as those few Swabian citizens that remained seemed content to hide wherever space could be found. Many of them had to be dragged out of the building while they tried to clutch for anything to hold onto.

It was only once the civilians were rounded up that Jack led a small group of soldiers through the side door that led to the basement, finally coming upon the prison complex where he’d spent time before.

The smell of death was instantly familiar and it was more foul than it had been before, if that was even possible. Jack found himself holding a cloth against his nose just to withstand the putrid air until he eventually came to the one cell he was looking for.

The prison cell was simple in design. One side that was closest to Jack was made up of iron bars that kept the prisoner firmly inside. The two side walls were nothing but solid rock as the building had been dug into the roots of the great mine next to it. The final “wall” was nothing but open air—a ledge with a drop that plummeted nearly a thousand feet below.

Nothing more was needed to deter prisoners from escape. The threat of a long fall to one’s death was enough to keep them in their cell.

As Jack arrived at the largest cell, his eyes sought out one pair in particular. He found them sitting in the corner of the cell, bouncing small pebbles along the ground.

Recognition sparked in those eyes as soon as Jack neared.

“Gaius, I’ve returned,” said Jack as he put his hands through the iron bars.

There was a small amount of movement as the prisoner pushed to his feet and emerged from the shadows. The figure of King Gaius of Naxos stepped into the light, looking just as haggard as the day Jack left him all those months ago.

“Jack? Jack, is it really you?” asked the old king.

Jack couldn’t resist smiling. “It’s really me, Gaius. I told you I’d come back someday.”

Gaius simply blinked at him before his gaze swept over to Jack’s soldiers. “How is this possible? What have you done? Was that you fighting in the city?”

Jack nodded. “I had a promise to uphold, one that I made to a friend nearly a year ago. I told him I’d do everything in my power to free his homeland. Well, here I am. Naxos is free, Gaius.”

Jack expected just about any response from the king than the one he received. He expected Gaius to visibly celebrate the news, perhaps even jumping around in excitement. He even expected confusion at just how this day was possible.

What he didn’t expect were the tears that now descended down the King’s face.

Gaius grasped Jack’s hands with his own as he wept. “My friend, you’ve done all this and I don’t know how.”

“There’s still one last thing to do,” said Jack as he gestured to his soldiers. They grabbed the keys to the iron bars and dislodged the counterweight, allowing the gate to swing open.

Gaius took his first step forward as a free man.

“You’re free now, Gaius. You and your people are free,” said Jack.

With open astonishment, the King of the Nax embraced Jack tightly and wept like a baby.

Gaius took to freedom like a fish took to land.

To say that the Nax King was out of sorts after the liberation was to give off a strong understatement. He simply didn’t seem to know what to do with himself. Like the rest of his people, Gaius had been so conditioned to his imprisonment that he had to adjust to freedom once again, and it was clear to Jack that it wouldn’t happen overnight.

The first thing that had to be done was to find him some suitable clothing—a harder task than it should have been since the former palace in Millpond had been ransacked by the Swabians years ago, leaving nothing behind. Jack was forced to loan the king several of his own things, many of which were too small and had to be tailored to fit Gaius’ large frame.

The next and most important matter of the day was figuring out what to do with the rest of the Nax people, many of whom were on the brink of starvation. They’d quickly figured out that the country was now free, and more than anything, they were hungry and in need of nourishment. Jack had anticipated this would be the case with a good percentage of the population and had brought ample stores with him from Apulia but much more would be needed soon to feed the entire population.

He would also have to make sure that not too much was given out at one time.

“Make sure the men giving out the food stick to the agreed upon allotment,” said Jack to Greg who was overseeing the handouts to the Nax. “They need to resist the temptation to give them more.”

Greg gave him a confused expression. “Why exactly is that, Jack? What harm could it be from giving them a little extra food? Many of them are disappointed with what’s being given out now, saying it’s too little.”

“They’re starving right now, Greg. And they’ve been on the brink of starvation for some time. Their bodies are badly malnourished and likely they won’t be able to process large amounts of food, at least in the short term without it being fatal to them. I know it’s a tough pill to swallow but we need to gradually bring them back from the brink of starvation. The alternative is that we might kill them.”

Of course, that wasn’t a popular order with the Nax people, many of whom just wanted to gorge themselves on food. At one point, Jack had to have Gaius explain it to them as well, but that did little to alleviate their frustration. As nightfall arrived, the Nax people took their daily allotment of food and ate it grudgingly, many not thrilled at seemingly exchanging one master for another.

With the food situation under control, Jack thought about retiring for the evening. The plan was to go back to the Destiny for the evening since there was a lack of suitable accommodations in Millpond at the present time. However, that brought up another issue as well.

“Gaius, I don’t suppose that you have a place to stay tonight, do you?” asked Jack as he and the King walked the streets of the city.

Gaius looked at him like he hadn’t even considered the question. “I guess ... not. No, Jack, I don’t. The palace is ransacked but I guess I can sleep there. I don’t need much in the way of sleeping arrangements as you well know.”

Jack shook his head. “I won’t have you sleeping in there, at least until we can get it suitable for a king again. Why don’t you join me aboard my ship tonight? I can get you a hot meal and a place to sleep. It might not be the best you’ve ever had but I promise it will be leagues above the prison.”

Gaius looked completely touched at having received the offer. “Jack, I’d be in your debt if you would bring me aboard.”

Jack was all too happy to have Gaius join him but he couldn’t help but reflect on how broken the King seemed to be. He’d only seen a brief glimmer of it the last time he was in Naxos, but Jack supposed that it was simply from the imprisonment. Now that Gaius was free, he still didn’t seem to fully comprehend his changed state, and his emotions still felt a bit off.

Resolving to give the man more time, Jack grabbed a launch boat for them and took off for the Destiny. Gaius was mostly quiet during the ride over to the mighty warship but his face soon turned to wonder as he stepped aboard her deck.

“This ship is magnificent, Jack,” said an amazed Gaius as he ran his hand over the steel guardrail. “This is your ship Destiny, is it not? I remember you telling me about it.”

Jack beamed with pride. “This is my flagship. The Destiny has served me faithfully for a couple years now. At one point, it was just the Destiny and two other vessels under my command. As you can see from looking at the harbor, our forces have grown considerably since.”

“I’ll say your fortunes have taken a dramatic upturn since we last spoke,” said Gaius. “I can only hope to be so lucky with my own.”

Jack patted the larger man’s back. “In due time, Gaius. In due time.”

Jack led him deeper into the Destiny until he arrived at his headquarters. Inside, he found Kat and Abigail as per usual. Abigail was working at her desk, dealing with a small mountain of paperwork which was the new normal ever since her promotion to commodore. Kat could be found sitting on their bed reading. Fortunately for them, John was not with the invasion force and the Galician prince was still in Kalmar. Evelyn had volunteered to watch over him while they were gone for the campaign, and she would be primarily in charge of his care alongside a small army of servants.

Jack stuck his head in the door. “Kat, Abigail? Will you join us for dinner? I have King Gaius with me.”

Both women were moving instantly and Jack opened the door wider to make introductions.

Gaius was immediately struck by each woman and shook their hands like they were old friends.

“I know all about you already,” said Gaius with a warm smile as he looked at each woman. “Jack wouldn’t stop talking about both of you when we were imprisoned all those months ago. I feel like we’re just old friends at this point.”

That of course brought large smiles to both of them.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, King Gaius,” said Kat. “I’ve heard all about your leadership from before the war. The plight of the Nax people was terrible to witness, and I’m thankful we were able to get you released.”

“And I’m incredibly thankful as well for your presence,” said Gaius. “You were the one that was the former Galician Regent, weren’t you?”

Jack nodded. “She’s received a bit of a promotion since then. She’s now a Galician queen, alongside Abigail here. We just got married a few weeks ago.”

“Well, a congratulations is in order then,” said Gaius. “And I have to say that it warms my heart to see these new developments with Galicia. It’s like the clock has been turned back a few hundred years.”

“With some luck, it won’t just be a temporary thing either,” said Jack. “Now, come this way, you must be starving, Gaius.”

Jack led them a few doors down to the private mess area that was set aside for the senior officers. At this time of evening, it was empty, allowing the four of them to dine together in privacy. While Jack was sure that the food wasn’t the best that Gaius had ever had, the King showed no signs of not enjoying his meal.

After the meal was over, Gaius leaned back in his chair and patted his stomach.

“I haven’t had a meal like that in some time,” said the older man. “I didn’t have it as bad as my people in terms of food but it was still a far cry to get a proper meal.”

“Hopefully it’s the first of many such meals in the future,” said Jack as he took a sip of wine.

“Tell me something, Jack, would you? How did you make this all happen?” Gaius gestured at the ship’s walls. “I thought you were a goner when you left Naxos this last time. What actually happened? Did they take you to Swabia?”

Jack nodded. “They did indeed. I went right to Dagobern and had an immediate audience with Emperor Avila. I probably would have died in Dagobern had an ironic twist of fate not occurred.”

Gaius’ brow wrinkled in confusion. “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean that there was another visitor in Dagobern at the same time,” replied Jack. “That would have been Eric Rosdahl who was busy working on creating the first ever Galician-Swabian alliance.”

“I didn’t have the pleasure of meeting him,” said Gaius with a raised chin. “Although, I did meet Marcus Rosdahl. I never wanted to see him again so I’m assuming it runs in their blood.” Realizing what he said, Gaius turned to face Kat. “No offense, of course.”

Kat simply shrugged. “None taken. I know what kind of men they both were. Unfortunately, it’s been something I’ve had to live with my entire life.”

“At least it’s over now,” said Jack as he comforted her.

“It is over?” asked Gaius. “What happened to Eric Rosdahl?”

“He’s dead,” answered Jack. “He was killed when we took over Galicia. Needless to say, the Galician-Swabian alliance never really got off the ground.”

Gaius shuddered. “Thank the gods for that one. That’s enough to send a shiver down anyone’s spine.”

“So that’s how we found ourselves here,” said Jack finally. “With the help of Apulia, Samara, Picardy, and Carinthia, we’ve crafted an alliance that can end Swabian aggression once and for all. That includes liberating the peoples that have been conquered in the process, which is why it was important that we stopped in Naxos.”

“And we’re grateful for your stop,” said Gaius. “My people have suffered long enough. The fact that we have a chance to make the Nax free and independent once again is something we can all be thankful for.”

“With any luck, we can repeat the same process in Picardy,” said Jack. “Since the last time I saw you, Picardy had fallen totally to Swabian forces. Eventually our army will continue in that direction and liberate them as well.”

Gaius’ expression darkened. “I expect that Picardy will be a much harder nut to crack than Naxos.”

“We expect that as well,” said Jack. “However, we do know that the Swabian army on Picardy has been weakened since half of those troops were shuffled to Apulia and then crushed by us in battle. Without any reinforcements, our hope is that those remaining soldiers will be sitting ducks for our army.”

The tension left Gaius’ face. “That is a relief then. Frankly, it scares me to have your army headquartered on Naxos for the time being. My people have suffered enough, and I have no desire to make the country another battleground should the Swabians decide to counter you here.”

“I can assure you that we won’t stay long,” promised Jack. “The whole desire behind this campaign was a strike that no one expected in the winter months. I wanted to catch the Swabians flat-footed and that seems to be the case. If we can get through Picardy before the start of spring, we’ll be well-placed for an invasion of the Swabian mainland.”

“You seem to be following in the footsteps of your ancestors,” said Gaius. “Especially if you take the war to Dagobern.”

Jack reclined deeper into his chair. “I’ll take the war wherever I have to go in order to finish it. I won’t allow the Swabians to continue this reckless and aggressive behavior. No way, no how.”

Gaius looked away from the table and his tone deepened. “I’m glad for your presence then, Jack. I only wish that you were here years ago when Naxos was first attacked. Maybe we wouldn’t have had to suffer for so long.”

Jack didn’t answer that question directly. In fact, it was hard to remember that he was still dealing with another king. Gaius’ imprisonment had affected him deeply and the scars of such treatment were still entirely visible. Jack suspected those scars wouldn’t be overcome easily.

Jack reached over to touch the other man’s arm. “We can end that suffering finally. We have the chance to push the Swabians back. And I’m going to do all that’s necessary to see it done.”

Gaius nodded slowly. “My only lament about the whole process is that I don’t have any soldiers to add to your army. Naxos is ruined. Even before the war, our armed forces were never anything to write home about but now they are nonexistent. We are incredibly weak, and I don’t think that will change anytime soon.”

Jack shook his head. “The object of liberating Naxos wasn’t to impress your people into my army. I realize that Naxos has struggled greatly in the last few years. All that we want to see now is the Nax people rebuild.”

A tear descended along Gaius’ cheek. “Jack, I don’t even have a force that can defend Naxos when you leave, let alone join your army. With the Swabians still running amok out there, would we be able to rely on a smaller unit from your army to defend us until the threat passes? I hate even asking you that question—”

Jack held up his hand. “Don’t worry about that, Gaius. Yes, we will leave a unit behind to make sure the Swabians don’t try to come back. I wouldn’t leave you defenseless.”

Gaius wept openly at this point. “I hate every thought of having to ask you for that, especially with what you’ve done for us already. I can’t help the fact that I believe Naxos to be defenseless. It’s like the Swabians have taken everything from us. It’s like we have nothing left. No food, shelter, and we can’t even defend our homes.”

At that moment, Jack realized the heart of Gaius’ emotions. So many years of humiliation had ingrained itself deeply into the Nax psyche. Now that they were being treated like they were human again, many of them had forgotten what such treatment even felt like in the first place.