Chapter 49: Destiny, Part I

Jack was having the dream again.

It always started the same way which was why his subconscious was able to recognize it as the same recurring nightmare. In the dream, Jack was standing near the bow of the Destiny, looking out to a turbulent storm that was getting progressively closer to his fleet. The storm always started off as purely natural, manifesting itself in displays of lightning and heavy seas.

For some reason, that storm always turned into something deadlier. Out of seemingly nowhere, naval artillery started to rain down on the mighty cruiser, destroying the deck and taking out the two forward turrets.

That wasn’t the worst of it. Jack could almost see time stopping as an arcing shot crested just above his position before it came crashing down and turning his world into a painful fireball that consumed all of him.

That last thing he felt was the intense heat of his body being ripped to shreds before he woke up, gasping for air and clutching at his limbs to make sure they weren’t really on fire.

It was all terribly troubling until he realized it was the same nightmare again.

“Jack? Jack, are you okay?”

Kat was already sitting upright, grabbing at his shoulder as his chest heaved. His nightmare had caused such a disturbance that both of his wives were soon sandwiching him between them, their concern etched into their faces.

Abigail was the first to guess correctly.

“It was the dream again, wasn’t it?” she asked, caressing his forehead.

“Third time this week,” said Jack, nodding. “It’s gotten more frequent ever since we got to Lockhaven.”

Kat looked especially troubled. Out of all of them, she was the most inclined to look for a deeper or hidden meaning to the dreams.

“You don’t think that it’s ... a sign of something, do you?” she asked.

“A sign of what? That I’m finally losing my mind after all this fighting?”

Kat shook her head. “I’ve heard before of those that have disturbing visions of events before they can happen. There’s a whole group of Cervanans far to the north of the West that can claim to see the future before it happens. Most people say that they’re just out of their minds but maybe it’s true?”

Jack didn’t want to answer that question. If his nightmare was true, well, an unfortunate end was coming his way.

Thankfully, Abigail was a bit more worldly and didn’t hold as much stock in the meaning of nightmares.

“I think it’s just the nerves of what’s ahead of us,” she said confidently, stroking Jack’s back in the process. “We’re finally here. We’re in Java and we have a job to do. This can’t be anything other than the nerves of what we need to do before we can go home.”

Kat raised her hands to brush her hair out of her face, nodding briefly to what Abigail said. In the process, Jack caught sight of the bandages that were still wrapped around her delicate fingers—a reminder of how she was hurt in the last battle against Reynolds when her hands were cut with glass.

He could only hope that would be the extent of her injuries in the upcoming days, especially now that they were on Javan soil.

It had been three days since the fleet first entered the harbor of the second largest city in Java, formally taking the city and its surroundings from Bancroft’s grasp. During those three days, the transports were able to unload at the main city docks, unleashing seventy thousand fighting men ready to start the final campaign of the war.

Or so Jack hoped it would be the final campaign. Despite growing up in Lockhaven, it had a decidedly foreign feel to it now that he was back. Jack found himself missing the sights and sounds of Kalmar, his new home, rather than the gritty industrial city of Lockhaven.

At least there was the promise of not being in Lockhaven for very long. Now that the army was unloaded and in complete control of the city, there were plans for its eventual move south, following the coastal road down to Belfort, some three hundred miles away.

Somewhere on that road was Bancroft and his army, moving north with all possible speed. At the current time, Jack and his forces hadn’t yet identified the location of the main Javan Army however the rumor in the city was that Bancroft was now closer to Lockhaven than he was to Belfort.

If that was the case, a showdown of epic proportions was in the making, one that would see a final end to this clash between East and West.

Today though, Jack had a series of meetings with his commanders on how best to end that war. The first meeting was with Greg, Lindy, and Ambros to decide the army’s plan of engagement. Ambros was the latest addition to the list of invitees, and Jack decided that his military skill would be best used for them instead of occupying a noncombatant role like the other heads of state.

After the meeting with the generals, Jack was due to see his old friend, Walt McKenzie, to discuss the terms of a Tyrolean alliance now that Jack’s forces were on the continent. Walt had been one of the first friendly faces to be found in the city of Lockhaven, and Jack directed his men to release him from his house arrest upon their arrival.

With Walt would come a Tyrolean envoy to discuss the nature of their partnership, and Jack looked forward to crushing Bancroft between their two armies.

For now though, he had to get out of bed and get dressed. Shaking his head firmly of the thoughts of the nightmare, Jack stood up and gave a big stretch. Abigail followed directly behind him, her body gloriously nude and as stunning as ever. His Javan wife was now a little more than four months pregnant and she had the most adorable bump just over her previously taut stomach—the first visible evidence of the child that grew underneath.

Notice of that bump was instant and immediate for both Jack and Kat.

Kat was the first to put her hands on her stomach. “By the gods, Abigail, you look so stunning today. I love seeing your pregnant tummy like this. It gives me very good memories of the time before John was born.”

Surprisingly, Abigail snorted. “I’m glad you like the look. I feel like a beach ball that’s been left out too long in the sun!”

With those words, she approached a full-length mirror and held her stomach from both the top and the bottom, pursing her lips in disappointment.

Jack shook his head as a grin took hold. He approached his wife from behind and slipped his arms around her stomach, resting on it. “Kat isn’t wrong, love. You look incredible like this. Seeing you like this now makes me want to breed you all over again.”

Saying the magic word was enough for Abigail to purr and turn around, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Breed, is it? I’m afraid you might have to wait about another year before you get a shot at that.”

In the meantime, Kat leaned back on the bed and spread her legs, giving Jack an amazing view of the treasure between. “If you’re thinking about breeding, my husband, I wouldn’t turn you down.”

Jack laughed and kissed the back of Abigail’s neck. In the process, he crossed over to Kat, falling in between her legs and using his elbows to support his weight against the bed. He kissed her hungrily.

“If you make an offer like that, we’ll never get out of bed!”

Kat’s eyes glowed with pleasure. “What’s the harm in that?”

From across the room, Abigail slipped on a tiny pair of black underwear. “The harm is that he needs to get moving to his meetings this morning. He can’t spend all morning fucking us like yesterday.”

Kat’s coy smile turned upside down. “Spoilsport,” she teased Abigail.

Abigail grinned. “I didn’t say anything about tonight though. Maybe we can all retire early and enjoy the pleasure of each other?”

Jack started to chuckle. “You women will be the death of me, I swear.”

“We’re just happy that after all this time of being with us, we still turn you on like the very first time we kissed,” said Kat before nodding over to Abigail. “Isn’t that right?”

Abigail agreed wholeheartedly. “If the day ever came that I couldn’t make my husband hard, I might just find the tallest object to throw myself from.”

Jack snorted. “I can promise you both that day will never, ever come.”

Kat reached up to caress his face. “That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day so far.”

With one more tender kiss, Jack finally pushed himself off his blonde wife and joined his other wife in getting dressed. By the time the three of them stepped out of the city hall headquarters that Jack had taken as his command center, the sun was now directly over the mountains to the east.

Jack said goodbye to his wives at that moment, with both of them heading in different directions. Kat was meeting with the Callands this morning while Abigail had a briefing with Russ and the rest of the officers near the harbor.

For Jack, the first stop was finding his generals. He found them a few doors down, where he’d set them up after landing in the city. Rather, he found two of the three. Greg and Ambros were sitting around a table talking like old friends. That involved a high amount of laughter and knee slaps, and at one point, Ambros almost spit out his morning coffee from laughing so hard.

“I’m glad to see you two getting along so famously,” said Jack as he watched Ambros wipe his mouth with the nearest napkin.

“There you are, Jack, good morning,” said Ambros, recovering quickly. “Greg and I were just talking about our time together in Dagobern after the end of the war.”

Jack gave him a curious look. “What about in particular?”

Greg shook his head as a grin planted on his face. “There was this one lord back in Swabia that was quite uppity with the change in his circumstances. I guess he was a military commander under Avila but it was more the case of acknowledging a family connection rather than any military skill. He didn’t take too well to Ambros’ rule.” Greg turned to look at the Swabian King. “What was the man’s name again?”

“Clovis Helmut,” said Ambros. “Formerly of Lindau. And you are correct, Greg, he was elevated quite high because he was on Avila’s side before he took over as emperor. In any event, Clovis was quite young and he adapted almost too well to his change in station with Avila’s ascension. I had to remind him that times had changed and his reaction was a little amusing.”

Jack cracked a smile. “Let me guess. He threw a tantrum?”

Ambros’ eyes rolled back. “Like you wouldn’t believe, Jack. The man’s immaturity came out in full force and he was flailing on the ground like a child. Can you believe it? A Swabian lord acting in such a manner? No wonder he needed Avila to get anything done. No one else would have taken him seriously.”

“So what happened to Lord Clovis Helmut? What did he do after figuring out that he wasn’t a royal pawn anymore?”

Ambros looked amused as he brought his finger to his cheek. “Well, since Lindau is now once again Galician territory, let’s just say that Clovis found himself without even a lordship to maintain himself. The last I heard, he fell in with some distant relatives back in Sweisburg. Supposedly, he spends all his time now trying to be a trader, which is comical at best. The last letter I received from him was about trying to get compensation on the lost revenues of his lordship. You can guess where that letter ended up.”

Greg started laughing. “I can still hear his wails of distress. You’d be tempted to feel bad for the man had he not been a pawn of Avila’s.”

“Oh, there’s nothing to feel bad about,” said Ambros. “He never should have been a lord anyway, and his vices took a turn for the sadistic once he gained the smallest amount of nominal power. It’s better off that he ends his days as a forgotten trader.”

“Well, the world is better for it then,” said Jack as he turned his attention to the map of the western seaboard of Java in front of them. “By the way, where is Lindy? I thought he would be here for this?”

“He’s late,” said Greg after checking his watch. “But that’s not exactly surprising. He was working late into the night, even after I told him to get some rest. The man is a workaholic, Jack. It wouldn’t surprise me if he slept in because he needs the rest.”

True to form, the front doors of the building opened next and Lindy scurried into the room looking all kinds of embarrassed. Greg was right about one thing—Lindy had deep bags under his eyes and his face had a sunken appearance of a man who hadn’t been getting much sleep.

Jack was hardly surprised at Lindy’s bedraggled form. The man was inclined to push himself too hard.

“A thousand apologies all,” said Lindy as he moved quickly to the table.

“Lindy, we’ve talked about this,” said Jack, a paternal tone in his voice. “If you keep pushing yourself this hard, you’ll end up in an early grave from the stress alone. How late were you up last night?”

Lindy’s face winced in a way that told everyone that he didn’t really want to answer the question. “It might have been midnight?”

“It was midnight when I told you I was going to bed,” said Greg, shaking his head. “And you were still buried in your notes. Midnight is too early.”

Lindy’s eyes flitted from side to side. “Maybe one then? Or possibly two?”

Jack gave him a long stare. “Lindy, get some more rest for the love of god. You have so much to offer this army but we won’t be able to get your best if you keep operating on half a night’s sleep.”

“Understood, Jack, my apologies,” said a heavily-embarrassed Lindy before rubbing his hands together. “Now, where were we? What did I miss?”

“Not much of anything,” said Ambros as he shifted his body to hunch over the map in front of them. “But now that the army is in full control of Lockhaven, it’s time for us to decide how we want to go south. We won’t have the luxury of avoiding Bancroft for very long so my recommendation is that we move quickly so that we can find ground of our choosing.”

“Very well said, Ambros,” agreed Jack, nodding his head. He gestured to the map in front of them, where a main road ran all the way south from Lockhaven to Belfort, following the coast. “This is the road that will be most important for all of us, Bancroft included. At one time, it was constructed as a military highway to help move troops north or south when Java was still fighting individual wars against Thessaly and Tyrol. As more time went on, its military usage went down and it became a true commercial highway but I believe it’s this artery that Bancroft will straddle as he moves north.”

“How’s the ground around the highway?” asked Lindy. “I’m guessing it’s relatively flat since it’s near the coast?”

“For the most part,” answered Greg. “As you move closer into the interior, the ground slopes up to low-lying hills as far as the eye can see. There’s farmland further inland but the roads are simple, country lanes for the most part. Not saying that an army couldn’t move that way but if he were truly moving toward Lockhaven with any speed, the highway would be the best road to take.”

“And it looks like a relatively straight shot,” noted Ambros. “It doesn’t look windy or anything like that.”

“That only main turn that it takes is about a third of the way to Belfort, about a hundred miles from here,” said Jack. “The road will turn to the east and wrap around a large inlet called Terminal Bay before once more going south. Once you’re around the bay, it’s directly due south all the way to Belfort.”

“Could we make a stand near the bay?” asked Lindy. “We could use the navy’s guns to our advantage and set up a choke point for Bancroft’s army that he can’t cross?”

Jack winced and shook his head. “I don’t think that would be a great idea. For one, Bancroft’s navy is just as formidable, and if they drive off our fleet, then we could find ourselves in a vise position. The other unknown factor right now is the position of Bancroft’s army. Until we locate it, there’s the possibility he could be there right now. I’m not a fan of finding a fixed position to fight until we’ve located his army.”

“Well, I saw the planes go up this morning,” said Lindy. “They were all flying south so I’m assuming we’ll find Bancroft before he finds us. Once we can figure out where our armies are likely to meet, we can find a defensive position of our choosing.”

“Why defensive?” asked Ambros, looking at Lindy.

Lindy shrugged. “His army outnumbers ours, does it not?”

“Numerically, we can assume that from the numbers that I’ve gained from Walt McKenzie,” said Jack. “Apparently, Bancroft’s army in the north has nearly eighty thousand men, outnumbering us by a healthy margin. However, I’m unconvinced of the fighting quality of these men. I’m willing to bet many of them are either too young or too old, and their usefulness on the battlefield might be nil. Regardless, we should take them as a serious threat until we can properly gauge their strength.”

Ambros grunted. “Numbers or not, I’m not a fan of going on the defensive once we find their army. We should always be attacking, even if we’re outnumbered. We are the aggressor here, why not act like it?”

“Personally, I have to agree with Ambros,” replied Jack. “It’s my intention to push that army back and not wait for them to attack us. We came here with a distinct goal in mind—the destruction of Bancroft. The only way we accomplish that is by seeking out his army and destroying it.”

Both Lindy and Greg shared a look before Greg spoke up. “Jack, we know that even if some of these men on the Javan side aren’t in their fighting prime, their training is likely to be good. You and I know the training regimen that they undertake. It doesn’t spit out half-assed soldiers. Even if they are young, they will fight like banshees when pressed. We shouldn’t take them too lightly or assume they’ll fold under the slightest amount of pressure.”

Jack nodded. “You bring up a good point. I’m not taking any position for granted right now. I’m going to see what this army is made of. If it gives us a weakness to exploit, we’ll take it. We just need to know what we’re up against. We’ll be playing the what-if game for a long time until we locate that army. That is our first priority. Where is the Javan Army? The second priority? What’s the best way for us to destroy it?”

“Aye, Jack, that sounds like a plan to me,” agreed Ambros. “The sooner we do that, the sooner we can get home.”

Lindy let out a loud groan. “Why do you have to say something like that? We just spent six weeks crossing the ocean. Are you really in a hurry to get back on the ships and do it again?”

The other three men started to laugh. It was common knowledge at that point that Lindy wasn’t the best sailor despite his Galician roots. In fact, the storm that swept into Picardy right before the crossing had caused him a considerable amount of vomiting due to his irritable stomach.

“Think on the bright side for once, Lindy,” jibbed Jack. “At least we’re not likely to run into any storms on the way home. Not at this time of year.”

Lindy grumbled and looked away. “You say that now until we run into a whopper of a storm two days out of port.”

The Galician general continued to serve as the butt of jokes until the meeting was adjourned a short while later. Jack had another place to be, and the four men said their goodbyes as he made his way to another building in Lockhaven.

Along the way, the common people of the city mostly stared at him. It was hard to tell what they were thinking as for many, the spark of recognition in their eyes told Jack that they knew exactly who he was.

That was troubling to some degree. In one respect, he was a hometown hero. The victor of the Battle of Aberdeen. The man who’d been off attaining glory in the Fourth Vector for years and the Emperor’s one-time protege. For that reason alone, many of them wished him no ill will.

On the other hand, he was a traitor to Java and all that it stood for. A man that had forgotten everything about his upbringing in order to throw his lot in with an uncivilized group of people on the other side of the ocean.

Both reactions were present as the people of Lockhaven looked at Jack. Most of them looked at him with a degree of curiosity, no doubt wondering what his next move would be or where he would go. A paltry few still looked on him with proud eyes, no doubt thinking he was there to finally liberate them from Bancroft and resume his rightful place as the city’s best hero.

Alas, the vast majority regarded him with disdainful suspicion. Like he was someone who’d lost his way and must now pay the ultimate price.

Jack truly wondered which of them would be right in the end. If the nightmares were any indication, perhaps the majority would get their wish after all.

Shaking the thought from his head, Jack made his way to the three-story hotel that housed Walt McKenzie. It was a considerable improvement on his previous housing, but Jack had insisted that Walt take better accommodations, especially now that they were working so closely together.

The truth was that it wasn’t an entirely altruistic request on Jack’s part. This hotel was very near a camp of his most loyal soldiers, and the entrance was manned at all times of day. Should anyone get word of what Walt was doing for Jack, his life might be in jeopardy. The hotel accommodations were meant to keep him alive as much as it was to keep him comfortable.

With his security force flanked behind, Jack found the right room and gave three firm knocks to the door. He heard movement inside before the door swung open, and he found himself looking into the warm brown eyes of an old friend.

“I was wondering what time you might stop by,” said Walt, shaking Jack’s hand heartily. It was a decidedly muted greeting, especially compared with the bear hug that Walt gave him the first time they linked up two days ago.

“I hope I’m not catching you at a bad time,” said Jack, mostly because his gaze had swept into the room and found another occupant alongside Walt. This man had rustic features and dress, and Jack suspected right from the start that he was Tyrolean.

“Nonsense, this is the best time,” said the older admiral as he beckoned Jack inside. “Besides, your arrival is fortuitous. I have someone here I’d like you to meet.”

At those words, the Tyrolean sprung forward to give Jack a crisp handshake.

“I must say, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Jack Kincardine. I’ve heard quite a lot about you.”

“I wish I could extend you the same courtesy, my friend,” replied Jack. “But I’m afraid I don’t even know your name.”

“Jack, this is Evan with the Tyrolean Army,” said Walt. “He’s been my main liaison with the forces of Trevor Downing to the south. It was Evan here who first visited me in my home when I was still under house arrest, and it was his suggestion that I establish a communication channel to you through Commodore Lucas.”

“Well in that case, it is a pleasure to meet you too, Evan,” said Jack. “I can’t tell you how grateful I am for your initial reconnaissance about the situation here in Java.”

Evan grinned, a lippy smile that took over the entire lower half of his face. “We’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. Ever since Bancroft declared war on you, General Downing has been wanting to ally with your forces. We were hoping to find someone as committed to the destruction of the Emperor as we are.”

“Destruction of the Emperor, yes, well put,” said Jack. “I don’t see this as a war against Java per se. To me and my forces, Bancroft and his men are the ones that need to go. Otherwise, for men like us, it would be tantamount to asking a good portion of our armies to fight their own.”

Evan nodded to that statement but did not respond directly. Jack knew the reason why. Though they shared the Javan continent and shared leadership for many hundreds of years, most Tyroleans didn’t think of themselves as Javan. Their loyalty to Tyrol came first, even when they were fighting in Javan units.

To them, they looked upon Java as a Picard would look upon a Swabian—a cautious neighbor to be watched from afar, never quite worthy of total trust.

“I’m glad you two were finally able to meet,” said Walt, patting each man’s back like the true diplomat he was. “Have a seat, we have much to talk about.”

Walt’s hotel room was at least furnished enough to include a small kitchen dinette that could be used as a makeshift conference table. Due to the circumstances, Jack took one end while Evan took the other, with Walt occupying the middle seat between them as per his role.

Evan was the first to start speaking once they were down, starting off on a lighter subject.

“I’m told there are many Tyroleans still fighting with your force, Jack. Many even from before the rebellion kicked off in earnest.”

Jack nodded. “Some of my best fighters are Tyrolean. At one time, I had several regiments of Javan marines but you can imagine that attrition and time has whittled that down to one at present time. About forty percent of that regiment is Tyrolean, but that’s not exactly surprising to me. Tyroleans have always been overrepresented in the Javan armed forces up until the rebellion due to their impressive marital spirit.”

Evan let out an oversized grin. “Not much has changed in that regard except all my fighters now fill the ranks of the Tyrolean Army instead of the Javan. It’s one facet we’ve come to rely on these days. Bancroft has to resort to conscripting gray-haired cripples but there’s a steady stream of young men hitting their eighteenth birthday on one day and joining the Tyrolean Army the next. It has helped to sustain us in this war.”

“I have heard though that Tyrol was running short on manpower overall,” said Jack, his eyes narrowing in the process. “You’re still making good on your losses though?”

Evan’s head tilted from side to side. “Listen, Jack, the official answer is that the well of Tyrolean blood will never run dry. As long as one able-bodied person in Tyrol remains ready to fight, we’ll fight against the Javans. However, I have no wish to start off being dishonest with you, especially if we have the same goal. The truth is that we are reliant on the young reaching manhood in order to join our ranks. The war has been devastating on us as well, and the sooner we bring this to an end, the better for everyone. I just happen to believe that Bancroft is in worse shape than we are but that doesn’t mean that we’re not one battle away from sharing the same fate. Make sense?”

“Perfectly,” answered Jack. “It makes sense and I share the same belief that this war will be best ended as quickly as possible. So let’s talk for a moment about Trevor Downing.”

Evan blinked. “What about him?”

“What kind of man is he?” asked Jack.

Evan’s eyes bounced from side to side as he tried to digest the question. Finally, he admitted defeat. “I’m sorry, but I’m not sure I understand what you mean. Can you elaborate?”

“I don’t have the luxury of knowing him,” explained Jack. “All I’ve heard about him is what I’ve learned from second-hand Javan reports as well as what I can get out of my air general, who just so happens to be Trevor’s cousin. He’s told me a bit about his life from before the war but here’s what I’m most interested in, Evan—what kind of man is he? Is he the type that desires a fair peace for Tyrol so that he can return to his country when this is all over? Or is he seeking to attain power in the same mold as Bancroft? I’m trying to figure out if I’ll be allying with another tyrant in the making.”

Recognition sparked on Evan’s face. “That’s a fair question. I’ve known Trevor for almost two years now, from back when the war was nothing more than a peasant insurgency. Back in those days, we were happy if we were able to ambush a Javan fireteam after dark, let alone defeat armies. I joined Trevor’s group after my village negotiated the first alliance with him, the first true unification of the rural Tyrolean villages into a single purpose. Back then, we had three leaders—those that spoke up for each village in turn. I was loyal to my leader and my village before ever transferring any loyalty to Trevor.”

“So what changed for you?” asked Jack.

Evan smiled. “Trevor proved himself worthy of commanding our entire force. He planned our attacks, he concentrated our movements, and he was the one with the most previous combat experience. Not only that, he shared the fate of his men. He ate with them, drank with them, and shared the same accommodations. That man was born to be a leader and after enough time, recognition of his sole leadership was nearly universal.”

“It’s lucky then that you have a man like Trevor Downing this time around,” said Jack.

“If we can, I’d rather not rely on luck,” said Evan. “We’ve been fortunate to find ourselves in the position of strength that we are now but luck doesn’t hold forever. We need resolution more than anything else.”

“Something that we can agree on,” said Jack. “How can I help that? What kind of ally are you looking for, Evan?”