The next morning, Jack woke promptly at six. Getting out of bed and putting his uniform on, he made his way to the bridge of the Valiant where he was greeted by the night officer, Lt. Kim Cross. Usually the commanding officers' deputies took turns managing the bridge during the evening hours, but with the heightening tension due to yesterday's attack, Jack wasn't surprised to find Kim there.

"A little early for you today isn't it, Kim?" Jack grinned as he strode into the bridge.

"I couldn't sleep, sir. Besides, I figured I'd give Aria a break for once," said Kim while giving him a tired smile. Aria, her deputy lieutenant, was a good officer and one he could usually find in command during the night.

"You should get some sleep now while you have the chance. Especially before we set off on our mission," said Jack.

"Oh, those Fourthies don't scare me," said Kim with a smile. "Maybe they're just misunderstood people."

"Somehow I highly doubt killing anyone who comes into their waters qualifies as a simple misunderstanding," joked Jack.

"Maybe once they see a few salvos from the Destiny's twelve inch guns, they'll be pacified."

"Perhaps. I doubt it'll be that easy though," said Jack as he sat down beside her.

"Too bad for Luke though. I bet he'd love to switch places with Wainwright for a chance to pilot that ship."

"I think he only wanted to fire those guns," said Jack with a laugh.

"I can believe that. It will be the first time he really got to fire a proper twelve inch weapon." Kim giggled and nudged Jack in the side.

"Ouch, poor Luke. What would he say if he knew you were up here slandering his character?"

"Oh, not his character, sir. Just his . . . other assets."

"You're terrible." Jack laughed alongside her as the sun began to rise over the bay.

Kim continued to giggle. "He can take it."

"I suppose a little abuse is good for the ego in the long run," said Jack.

"Well, since you're the one to say it, I won't feel so bad about it then."

Jack laughed heartily. "It's just too bad I won't be here to watch this personally. I'm transferring my headquarters over to the Destiny this morning."

Kim pouted. "We'll be sad to see you go over there but I don't think you'll miss your tiny room here."

"You're right, I won't. It felt like sleeping in a broom closet."

"It served its purpose though, right? Maybe I can requisition it and keep it as a place where Luke and I can work on his . . . fire control."

Jack chuckled and held up his hands. "Just wait until I'm fully transferred before you do that."

"Aye, sir," said Kim with a grin.

At that moment, another presence made their way onto the bridge and Jack turned when he heard the footsteps. Jack's brow furrowed in confusion when he saw it was Commodore Lucas's deputy, Lt. Settler, who immediately came up to salute Jack.

"Commander Easterbrook, you are needed at headquarters at once. I'm to escort you there," said Settler without the usual pomposity. It even looked like a certain level of fear was hidden behind his eyes.

Jack sprung to his feet. "Right away, Lieutenant. Has something happened?"

"Yes, sir. Last night there was action with the Occitanians again. The Commodore will fill you in on all the news."

"Let's get moving then," he said before turning to Kim. "Get word to Luke of where I'll be and then send a message to the Tiger and the Destiny as well. Have all three ships put on readiness to sail at once."

"Aye, sir," said Kim with a salute as she hurried to the radio.

Jack followed Settler out of the bridge and across the railing toward the plank. The morning was still calm, especially compared to the previous one, but Jack found himself scanning the horizon for enemy warships as they made their way to the dock. Fortunately, the harbor and its surroundings were empty of any foreign ships but it still didn't shake the bad feeling in the pit of Jack's stomach.

The walk over to headquarters went by quickly and this time they made their way to the second floor instead of the third. Settler threw open the doors to a command center and beckoned Jack inside. The first thing Jack could see was a large map of the entire island in front of him. The map had been marked with two, large X's—one over the town of Quiller's Cove and the other just out past the harbor.

Two sets of eyes locked on him right away. The first was that of Commodore Lucas who waved him forward with a gentle nod of the head. Jack didn't recognize the other man.

"Jack, thank you for coming so quickly," said Lucas before starting a salute. "I'm not sure if you know Lt. Grover Burbank but he's a commander of one of the patrol boats here."

"Lt. Burbank," said Jack with a nod, saluting the patrol boat commander as well. "What's going on, sir? Your deputy told me there was action with the Occitanians last night."

Lucas's eyes looked over to Burbank before settling on Jack. "I'll let Lt. Burbank tell that story if you don't mind, Jack."

"Well, Lt. Commander Easterbrook, last night my boat was on patrol duty of the harbor," started Burbank before removing his service cap. "About two hours into the patrol, we started to pick up a couple blips on the radar. At first I thought the crew was just a little jump after the attack from yesterday so we didn't think much of it. But the blips started happening more frequently, so we turned on the spotlight around midnight and sailed out past the jetty."

"As soon as we got past the jetty, our radar just about went dead. After a circle of the entire bay, our spotlight was able to make out a torpedo launch that was coming directly at the ship—"

"Wait a second," said Jack while holding up his hand. "A torpedo? You're sure it wasn't just a large fish or something?"

Burbank gulped. "I'm positive, sir. There was no doubt. Anyway, we narrowly managed to avoid being hit. After the torpedo missed us, I followed the wake to find a periscope watching us just a short distance away."

"A periscope? You don't mean . . ."

"That's right, sir. An Occitanian submarine right here in the bay."

"And brave enough to launch a torpedo the morning after an attack," said Lucas.

"What happened next?"

"We sunk her, sir. With depth charges. She tried to dive on us but we launched explosives right above her. She didn't have a chance."

"At least we got the sub. Any survivors?"

"There's six right now. Five of them will live, one's still being treated. One died just after we reached the shore. The rest didn't survive the explosion."

"We threw them in brig downstairs," interrupted Lucas.

"I'm sure the Occitanians aren't going to like this. Sooner or later, that submarine is going to fail to report."

"It's already happened, Jack," said Lucas as he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. He gave it to Jack to read.

ATTN: COMMANDING OFFICER JAVAN BASE

WE KNOW THAT YOU SUNK ONE OF OUR SUBMARINES. YOU HAVE SIX HOURS TO RELEASE TO US THE MEN RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ACT AND ANY SURVIVORS OR FACE DIRE CONSEQUENCES.

COMMODORE ALPHONSE BAPTISTE

15TH CRUISER SQUADRON

OCCITANIAN CONFEDERACY

Jack crumbled the note in disgust before turning his attention back to Lucas. "The balls on them. They attack us and then expect us to give up our own men?"

"It looks to me like they've already decided on the dire consequences part," said Lucas.

"When was this sent over to us?"

"It came over right before dawn. We've had it for about an hour now."

Jack looked down at his watch. Their deadline would expire exactly at eleven o'clock this morning.

"What are my orders, Commodore?"

"A lot has changed in the last twenty-four hours, Jack. I have already radioed this back to the Admiralty and received a transmission from Bancroft himself just fifteen minute ago. No declarations of war have been made, but they are allowing us to shoot on sight any hostile Occitanian vessels.

"I don't suppose these new events countermand my orders from yesterday?" Jack asked.

Lucas shook his head. "Negative. You're still going in. But now you'll have to watch your back for the Occitanians as well as the Fourthies."

Jack chuckled. "This mission keeps getting better and better."

"I'll send your regards to Bancroft," said Lucas with a smirk.

At that moment, the door to the command center was opened from the outside and an out of breath Settler came rushing in.

"Settler, what's wrong?"

"Sir, we've picked up enemy ships on the radar! Two of them at a distance of just fifteen miles from the base!"

Both Jack and Lucas sprung from their seats to follow the deputy back to the radar room. Sure enough, Settler pointed out two blips just due west of the harbor.

"Those look like the two cruisers that shelled us yesterday. And the two that followed my squadron out here," said Jack.

"That they are. The only question is are we going to wait here like sitting ducks for them to attack again?"

"Like hell we are," said Jack before turning to fix Lucas with a stare. "Let me take the task force out to meet them."

"Are you sure, Jack? Those are powerful warships waiting out there for you."

"Sir? The blips are gone," said Settler while pointing back to the screen. Jack and Lucas looked again to confirm and sure enough, the radar was clear.

"Where the hell did they go?" Lucas asked out loud.

"They didn't just disappear. Let me go after that position, sir. This is nothing that the Destiny and her twelve inch guns can't handle. Besides, I have several men to avenge from yesterday."

Lucas thought about it for a moment and then finally nodded. "Do it. Pour some lead into those sons of bitches."

Jack saluted his officer and headed to the door without any further words. Right before he crossed the threshold, Lucas called out to him. "Jack, keep your radio on. And for god's sake, don't let them get away."

Jack nodded before practically sprinting out of headquarters, making his way quickly to the dock. Once he arrived, he was pleased to see the hustle of sailors from all three ships readying for action. He was thankful for Kim having gotten the word out to the rest of the ships as he heard the engines roaring on the Valiant and Destiny nearby.

Jack rushed up the plank of the Destiny and headed toward the bridge. As he hurried up the stairs to get to the command station, he nearly bumped right into Abigail as she stood right outside the door.

"Oh, Commander Easterbrook, what a pleasant surprise," she said with a smile before noticing the serious look on his face. "What's wrong, Jack?"

"Occitanians on the horizon. Fifteen miles away. We're going after them."

Abigail's face hardened and she nodded. "Say no more. Let's go into the bridge."

Jack followed her inside the bridge where a flurry of activity was already ongoing. Jack had to take a second to look around, marveling at how big the bridge was compared to the Valiant. It was almost double the size and it sat much higher on the superstructure so that the view out the front window was much better. It was a hell of an upgrade compared to his previous accommodations.

After a low whistle from Abigail, they all stopped to look in her direction.

"Crew, this is Commander Jack Easterbrook, the new commanding officer of Task Force 21. I'll make the necessary introductions later but first, we need to get out the harbor on a course due west as soon as possible," said Abigail.

"We're on it, ma'am," announced a short-haired brunette carrying a radio.

"Thank you, Stephanie," said Abigail with a short nod before turning back to Jack. He didn't wait for her to begin speaking.

"Attention all. Like Lt. Commander Wainwright said, I'll be your new commanding officer. Last night one of our patrol boats encountered and sank an Occitanian submarine trying to sink it. We just received an ultimatum from them to surrender the men responsible or we'll face dire consequences. Now I don't know about all of you, but after yesterday I'm in the mood to strike back at those bastards for what they did to our base. What about you?"

A small round of clapping erupting from the crew before falling silent when Jack began to speak again.

"We know they're out there and rather than wait for them to come to us at the moment of their choosing, we're going to sneak up on them and give them our own form of deliverance."

At that moment, the ship lurched to life as it pushed out from the dock into the harbor. Abigail passed over to Jack a pair of binoculars, and together they walked over to the front window of the bridge.

"Lt. Burns, please radio to the Valiant and the Tiger to follow in our wake," said Abigail, turning attention to a middle-aged man near the rear of the bridge.

"Aye, ma'am!"

Soon enough, the Destiny began to inch forward, picking up speed slowly as she worked to clear the harbor and get out past the jetty. Jack looked over to the dock and was pleased to see the Valiant pushing out while the Tiger was already moving forward to slot in right behind them.

Once clear of the jetty, the Tiger positioned itself on the rear port side of the Destiny while the Valiant took the starboard side.

The first time this task force has sailed together and hopefully not the last, thought Jack. It brought a grim smile to his lips at being in charge of such a unit. If there was any force that could bring the Occitanians to justice, this was the one.

They made good speed getting out of the bay and heading on a course due west. As the whole task force cruised at a speed of twenty-four knots, it took them just over a half hour to reach the point that the radar had identified as being the last spot of the Occitanian cruisers.

Once they were right over target, both Jack and Abigail scanned the horizon for anything that might prove to be the enemy.

"This sector is clear," said Jack before moving to the other side of the ship. "No smoke, no silhouettes. Nothing."

"As is the east side, Jack. It's quiet over here," said Abigail before putting down her binoculars.

"Where could they have gone," Jack whispered to himself.

"You don't think they lost their nerve, do you?

Jack shook his head. "Maybe if they hadn't shelled the base already. But they've already committed acts of war. I don't expect them to pull back now."

"Do you think they might be sucking us into a trap?"

"I don't know."

Abigail chewed on her lip. "Well, we really only have two options. Either we keep heading west in hopes that we'll find them or steam back toward the base in case they've double-backed back that way."

"I don't want to get too far from the base. Without us there, they're practically defenseless."

She turned to look at him. "What are our orders then, sir?"

Jack looked back out to the horizon. If it were him in charge of the Occitanian cruisers, what would he do? What could be the point of drawing them out here from the base just to disappear from sight? It's almost like they wanted him to come away from the—

"Shit, turn the ships around!" Jack yelled. "We have to get back as soon as possible. They lured us out here to get us away from the base! They want to shell it again without the possibility of us hitting back."

Abigail's face paled as she began to issue orders back to her crew as well as to the other ships. The rudder swung and soon the ship went into a hard turn to port. On either side, the Valiant and the Tiger completed the same move as well so the entire task force moved as one unit.

After the turn was completed, they were back on their way but at that moment Jack's radio creaked out a message that seemed to confirm his worst fear.

"Commander Easterbrook, return to base. We're under attack!"

The garbled message was followed by the sound of guns on the horizon in the direction they'd just come from.

"Increase speed to thirty-two knots. We need to get back as soon as possible!"

Jack knew that thirty-two knots was the top speed of the Valiant and one that she wouldn't be able to sustain for very long but they needed to make all possible haste back to Quiller's Cove. Even the boilers on the Destiny started to scream at the high speed, but the ship cut through the water in a breakneck pace.

On the bridge, Jack kept his binoculars perched against his face watching the horizon. He could just barely make out the landmass of the island in front of him and the closer he sailed, the worse it got. Only seven miles away, he could make out smoke coming from the town. Five miles out, he could make out the silhouettes of the two Occitanian cruisers. He would need to get closer before he could even think about firing from Destiny's guns.

Finally close enough, he turned to Abigail. "What is the name of your weapons division officer?"

"Lt. Kyle Abrams," she said, pointing to the younger man with dark hair on the bridge.

"Lt. Abrams, I need the forward turrets loaded and ready to fire."

"Yes, sir, right away. Thirty seconds and they'll be loaded with ordnance."

Jack looked back at the horizon. He could clearly see the base now including the enemy cruisers and worse of all, they could now see him. It wasn't ten seconds later that the closer one fired a salvo directly at them, splashing into the water a good two hundred yards short of the bow.

Jack turned to Abigail. "I want to engage both of them at the same time. I can't leave one to deal with us while the other fires on the town."

Abigail's brow scrunched in confusion. "What are you suggesting?"

"I want us to sail hard to port so we can fire a proper broadside against them. Let the two forward turrets fix on the further cruiser and the rear turret on the closer one. Let's radio over to the Valiant to take the closer cruiser as well. I want the Tiger to zigzag over in that direction and prepare to let slip a few torpedoes."

Abigail nodded and began to radio the commands over to her crew and to the other ships. The ship started pulling hard to the left and Jack watched as the six stunning twelve inch guns in the two forward turrets started to raise and fix on a point just above the horizon.

"Lt. Abrams, are we ready to fire?"

"All three turrets locked and loaded, sir!"

"On my orders then. Three, two, one, FIRE!"

Abrams radioed the order and the cruiser fired a mighty broadside as every one of the guns opened up in an incredible display of fire and brimstone. Jack watched as the ordnance from each of the nine guns sailed up into the sky before coming crashing down on the enemy ships. The salvos from the forward turrets of the Destiny splashed near enough to the further cruiser but not enough to do some damage. The closer ship wasn't as lucky.

"HIT! Hit on the closer cruiser!" Abigail shouted.

Jack looked over at the cruiser to see fire and smoke bellowing from the cruiser's rear turret. The guns looked to have been blown off the entire platform. Meanwhile, the salvo from the Valiant appeared to fall just short of the mark, splashing in the water in front of the cruiser.

"At least one turret is out of action," said Jack before turning back to look at Abrams. "How long until we're reloaded?"

"Forty-five more seconds, sir!"

"Now let's see what they do," said Jack as he waited for them to respond. Through his binoculars he could make out the turrets of the further cruiser swinging into his direction while the closer one seemed to focus more on the Valiant.

Several tense seconds went by before the roaring of the guns beckoned across the bay as both cruisers fired near simultaneously. Jack watched them arc up into the sky as they headed in his direction. Bracing himself against the railing, he watched them sail down where several shots just overshot them and exploded in the water just beyond the ship. It was a miss, but a closer miss than the first shot.

He looked over at the Valiant to see a spark of fire and his stomach dropped. One of those shots had struck the superstructure of the ship but didn't appear to be too damaging.

"How long now, Abrams?"

"Ten seconds, sir!"

Jack turned to look at Abigail. "We have to make this one count."

She nodded and several seconds later, he heard Abrams open up. "Locked and loaded, sir!"

"FIRE!" Jack roared.

The mighty guns opened up once more and sent a fresh volley toward their prey. They seemed to be on a near perfect trajectory and as Jack watched the ordnance dance across the horizon, he held his breath waiting for the hits.

In a flash, the further cruiser exploded in a fireball as the shots hit their mark. Several explosive blasts sent fire and heavy, black smoke bursting from the Occitanian vessel. The size of one of the fireballs rose several hundred feet in the air.

"Holy shit, what did we hit?" Abigail asked, watching the scene.

"We must have hit their weapons room. That whole explosion wasn't due to just our guns alone."

Yet another explosion rocked the enemy ship in the seconds after and soon it was almost completely obstructed from view due to the smoke. Jack switched over to observe the other cruiser and was pleased to see another fire on the vessel's superstructure. He could even barely make out the crew as they worked to put out the fires. Soon enough, the closer cruiser executed a turn to starboard and started to flee the bay.

"Don't let that son of a bitch get away. Prepare to fire another salvo," Jack ordered, turning back to Abrams.

"Twenty-five seconds, sir, and we'll be ready."

Jack hazarded another glance at the cruiser on fire and was pleased to see the ship was already listing hard to port. What sailors hadn't been blown to bits from the blast were soon struggling to stay on the deck as the ship started to roll over.

"She's going to capsize," said Jack as he watched the events unfold.

Before Abigail could respond, he heard Abrams roar again. "Ready to fire, sir!"

"Fire now, Abrams!"

The ferocious volley from the Destiny's guns opened up but largely came crashing down in the waters surrounding the fleeing cruiser. Soon enough, the cruiser escaped out of the bay and disappeared into the horizon. A small trail of smoke followed in the air above it until it eventually fell out of view.

"Jack, should we chase it?"

Jack looked back to the base and then to other enemy cruiser. The Occitanian vessel was nearly capsized by this point and out of action. He could see enemy sailors trying to climb onto her hull to stay out of the water."

"No, not now. There's not enough of us to keep up the chase on her and also attend to the base and the survivors of the sunk cruiser. Besides, they won't try to come back without fixing their ship and without reinforcements."

Abigail nodded. "So back into port then?"

"For us, yes," said Jack. He radioed over to Lt. Vicky Carter on the Tiger. "Vicky, can you pick up the survivors of that Occitanian cruiser?"

A response shot back over immediately. "You sure you don't want them to become shark bait, Jack?"

Jack chuckled. "I'm sure, Vicky."

"Roger that, we'll bring them into port."

*****

A short while later, Jack and the rest of the task force sailed into the harbor of Quiller's Cove. As soon as they were past the jetty, Jack could hear the sounds of revelry inside the town. The horns on the tugboats in the harbor started to go off, giving a steady stream of honks as they went by. Soon enough the bells over the main port building started to ring as well. On shore, several of the dock workers and other sailors could be seen waving their service caps at the returning ships.

Abigail was the first to point out the obvious. "They're saluting you, Jack."

"Saluting me? Saluting us, you mean," he corrected.

She giggled. "No, I don't think so. This base has been all the talk about Commander Jack Easterbrook coming to visit and now he's just saved them from certain death. You're a hero, Jack."

Jack smiled but remained silent. Had he not hit the Occitanians when he did, they might have done the same to his ship with their next volley. A few lucky shots were the difference between life and death. It was something that Bancroft had always told him when he was in the academy, and now he could see the old admiral was right.

As the ships pulled into dock and were pushed into their berths, he watched as several of the new fires from town were put out or brought under control. The damage didn't appear to be as bad as yesterday and since most of the base was already on high alert, they mobilized quickly to contain the damage.

When the mighty propellers of the Destiny stopped moving, Jack, Abigail, and the rest of the crew escaped the bridge and made their way to the plank. Even from up on the ship, he could see a small crowd gathering to greet them as they descended to the dock, and they were all soon consumed by cheers.

"Thank you, men! Thank you!"

"You're all heroes!"

"You saved us from the Occitanians!"

"Three cheers for Commander Easterbrook!"

Several more cheers went up in the air as Jack tried to make his way through the small crowd. What seemed like thousands of hands patted his back or tried to reach his own hand to shake. He found himself shaking back, grateful that they were able to arrive just in time to prevent any further damage to the base.

At the end of the dock Jack was surprised to see Commodore Lucas waiting for him. He saluted the old commander as soon as he was able.

"Great shooting there, Commander!" said Lucas with a grin. "You showed those bastards how to fight!"

Jack grinned. "The Destiny is one fine warship, sir. I'm lucky to have the command of the best task force in the Javan navy."

"That you are, son! All of Quiller's Cove is proud of you, as well as the navy too. Hell, all of Java salutes you for your victory today, Jack."

"Hopefully the one that escaped won't give you any trouble any time soon. We sure bloodied her nose a bit."

"I feel quite safe even with you leaving tomorrow. I've already radioed the report of your action back to the Admiralty. Bancroft sent you back this personal message." Lucas handed over the small telegram.

ATTN: COMMANDER JACK EASTERBROOK

WELL DONE AND CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR VICTORY, JACK. ALL OF US HERE AT HOME ARE PROUD OF YOU. THE EMPEROR SENDS HIS REGARDS. GOOD LUCK ON YOUR NEW MISSION.

ADMIRAL PERCIVAL BANCROFT

COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, IMPERIAL JAVAN NAVY

Jack re-read the message several times before hazarding a look back up at Lucas who wore a knowing smile.

"Hang onto that favor as long as you can, Jack."

Jack smiled and then saluted. "Thank you, sir."

"Go get yourself and your crew cleaned up. Don't forget you sail out at first light tomorrow. We'll take care of resupplying the ammunition you spent today. You shouldn't have anything to worry about until you're out in open waters," said Lucas.

"I appreciate all you've done for us, sir."

Lucas reached out to grip his hand. "Likewise, Jack. Likewise."

*****

That evening, Jack settled down into his new headquarters on the Destiny. It was an extremely large room for a headquarters, probably meant for a commodore or an admiral. Jack not only had a decent-sized bed, but also several dressers, a closet (which contained a safe for the gold that had been given to him for his mission), and even a large, elegant desk. It was all that he could hope for as a commanding officer.

There was still a flurry of activity to keep him busy before they left port, and the worst part was that he couldn't find anything that he needed. He wasn't used to having so much space in his personal quarters, and what had been crammed together on the Valiant was now spread out, even to the point where he was having trouble locating his files.

He knew it wasn't a bad problem to have and it would go away in time, but it still made for some frustration as he typed up his after action report to send to the Admiralty. Surprisingly, they had only one casualty today, a wounded sailor who was hit when the Valiant absorbed the shot from the enemy cruiser. He was burned pretty badly but he would live to fight another day. Currently in the ship's hospital, he'd be treated and back to normal action within a day or so.

Thinking of the wounded man had reminded Jack to put him into his personal casualty log but where had he put it? He went searching for the log and eventually found himself crawling under his desk to find it. It was only a soft knock at the door that made him look up.

"As much as I like to see that cute butt of yours up in the air, I do need you for a moment," said Abigail, leaning against the frame and wearing her trademark sultry grin.

Jack combed his fingers through his hair. "Savor it for now. I can't find a damn thing in these quarters."

"I'm not surprised. Your previous quarters was about the size of your bathroom now," she said with a laugh.

He chuckled. "I'm adjusting to it, believe me."

Abigail flipped her hair to one side. "Anyway, I was hoping to steal some of your time just now. I know we really didn't get to finish introductions today with all that was going on, so I thought I'd finish with the rest of the commanding officers."

"Sounds fine to me. Do we need to go to the bridge?"

Abigail smiled. "No, I brought them to you." She stood away from the door and the three commanding division officers of the Destiny stepped forth into the room.

"I know you remember Lt. Kyle Abrams, head of weapons division," she said, as the young dark-haired officer stepped forward. He removed his cap and then saluted Jack.

"Great shooting today, Lieutenant. You made us all very proud."

"Thank you, sir. It's a pleasure to serve under your command."

Abigail walked to the next one in line, a short-haired brunette with lovely green eyes. "This is Lt. Stephanie Pierce, head of operations division."

"Pleasure to meet you, Lt. Pierce."

Stephanie grinned and then saluted. "I'm looking forward to serving under your command, sir."

Finally, Abigail came to the last person but then turned to Jack instead. "Do you remember when I told you I had two older brothers in the navy?"

"Of course. And they're basic seamen serving back home in Java."

She smiled. "That's right. I left out one tiny detail. I have a younger sister as well. May I introduce you to the head of my engineering division, Lt. Anna Wainwright."

Anna looked up and smiled at Jack. She was a near carbon copy of her sister with the same flowing dark hair and eyes. There was a noticeable difference between the two. Whereas Abigail came off a bit more flirtatious and sexy, Anna seemed to have a quiet innocence about her. Even the way she smiled, she seemed a bit more naive than her older sister.

"Nice to meet you, Commander. I'm sure I'll enjoy serving under you just as much as my sister does," said Anna.

Jack tried to keep a serious face but his eyes darted to Abigail who merely shrugged in amusement. He shook her hand instead. "I'm glad you're on board, Lt. Wainwright."

Taking a step back, Jack looked at all the division officers. "I'm grateful that all of you are here and serving with me on this mission. I know it won't be easy and that things have gotten a lot more complicated after the last two days, but I know I have the best officers in Java with me."

"Thank you all. Dismissed," said Abigail and one by one they filed out of Jack's quarters. Anna hazarded one last smile at Jack before she disappeared around the corner and shut the door, leaving the two of them alone.

"How did you work it out to have your sister onboard?" Jack asked.

"She was actually assigned to the ship before me," said Abigail. "She's rather green, having just graduated from the academy a few months ago. When I found out she was going to be on the ship, I called in a few favors to make sure I got assigned to the Destiny."

"She's lucky to have her sister here to watch over her."

"Don't let the innocent smile fool you though, Jack. She's every bit my sister," said Abigail with a giggle.

"So now I have to watch out for two of you instead of one?"

She shrugged. "Sounds like a good problem to have."

Jack chuckled. "We'll see. Is the crew ready for tomorrow? Ready to sail out?"

"I think so. I did my rounds on the ship before coming here and the crew is quiet. I think a lot of them are scared. You have to remember, this is still a really green crew, Jack. This ship was only commissioned two months ago and most of these people have never been in a battle before."

"They now have their first battle under their belt. I've heard several people calling today's action the Battle of Quiller's Cove."

"Be that as it may, they still have a ways to go. Especially where we're going," said Abigail.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?" Jack asked.

She took several moments to respond while still gazing into Jack's eyes. "As ready as I can be. I think we just need to get it over with so that it gets off our minds." She took a big sigh before a smile pierced her lips. "Besides, I imagine it will be kind of like a homecoming for you, right?"

Jack frowned at her in confusion. "Huh?"

"I'm just saying with that blond hair and light skin, you do kind of look like a Fourthie, Jack," she said with a giggle. "Maybe one of your ancestors got freaky with a lost Fourthie maiden."

Jack rolled his eyes. "I heard enough of that joke in the academy." Back in Java, Jack usually stood out like a sore thumb due to his lighter features compared to the rest of the Javan population.

Abigail giggled harder and then walked toward him slowly, letting her arms slip around his shoulders. "Forgive me, Commander?"

"Maybe. How bad do you want forgiveness, Abigail?"

"Really bad. Let me show you how much," she said before leaning in to kiss him. She pressed her body in tightly to his as her tongue sought entry to his mouth. Caressing her tongue with his own, Jack's mind flashed with memories of two days ago when they shared the same bed. All too soon, she pulled away with one last kiss.

"I'd say you're forgiven," Jack said as her dark eyes fixed on him.

Abigail grinned. "That was too easy." She then slipped out of his arms and headed to the door.

"Seriously? You're going to do that and just walk away?"

She turned to face him but not before leaning up against the door frame. "That was a thank you for today, but a kiss is all that it's going to be, Jack."

"It doesn't need to be. No one would know you're in here," he said.

"They would. You know how fast word travels on a tiny ship like this. Besides, I meant what I told you last night. We won't sleep together again."

"Even if I lose my way one night and just so happen to slip into your bed?" Jack joked.

Abigail laughed. "You can try it but I sleep with my service pistol under my pillow, and I have a quick trigger finger."

"Sounds like a personal problem. It might get you in a lot of trouble if you shoot your commanding officer."

She gave him that sultry grin she was so famous for. "Well then for both of our sakes, you should just try not to get . . . lost." With one more glance, she slipped out of his quarters and closed the door.

Jack found himself chuckling and then shaking his head. Abigail wasn't making it easy on him, nor did he expect her to. Now with the knowledge that her sister was on the ship as well, Jack saw his problems with women doubling.

Finally getting caught up on his work, Jack decided to call it a night. As he crawled into his bed and turned out the light, he enjoyed the last night spent in base before heading into the vector. Surprisingly, he nodded off quickly, the last thing he saw before going to sleep was Abigail's enticing stare.

*****

"Lt. Wainwright, turn the boilers up. Let's set the speed at ten knots as we exit the harbor."

"Aye, sir," said Anna as she gave him that innocent smile and then radioed the command.

Jack settled down into the chair of the commanding officer. To his right, Abigail also sat as the division officers prepared to leave Quiller's Cove. It was now morning and a vast crowd of people had come out to watch the task force sail forth to tackle its mission. Many of them waved hats or shirts or even socks for some of the poorer ones.

Over the radio, one last transmission came over from the base. "Task Force 21 cleared to sail. Good luck, Jack," came the voice of Commodore Lucas.

Setting a look of grim determination on his face, Jack looked out the front window to see the sailors of the ship lining the edges as they left port. Each one of them looked young and green but proud as well. He had no doubt that they'd all do their duty to the utmost. It was a mighty task he was asking of each of them but no one had skipped the ship. All were committed to sailing into the Fourth Vector with him. That's how he knew he had the right crew.

"Jack, are you okay?" Abigail looked at him with caring eyes.

He grinned. "Never better. Let's get this over with, shall we?"

Abigail smiled and then nodded. As soon as they past the jetty, she called over to her sister. "Lt. Wainwright, let's set course at twenty-four knots."

"And the direction, ma'am?"

Jack looked over and said, "Due west, Lieutenant. We're heading to the Fourth Vector."

As the ship picked up speed, Jack looked out to the horizon. Somewhere out there lurked the vector, filled with a race of peoples that he and his countrymen knew nothing about. Behind him stood the forces of the Occitanians and even the Ruthenians. With enemies all around him, he sailed into an uncertain future. But as he looked at each member of the crew, he realized he couldn't ask for better companions.

They were willing to fight together and die together. Jack just hoped they'd get to do a lot more of the former than the later.

Only time would tell.

*****

Admiral Percival Bancroft found himself waiting once again. It seemed it was all he did these days. Ever since he'd taken over as the commander-in-chief of the Javan navy—which was mostly a desk job anyway—he found himself at the beck and call of the emperor constantly.

Most days it didn't bother him but today was quite the unordinary day. The report out of the remote naval base of Quiller's Cove was most disturbing and seemed to confirm to him what he'd long suspected for months: the Occitanians were on the move.

The emperor would be happy at least. He'd been talking about this war for the last three years. He even practically salivated at the thought of one last war before his final send-off. One more chance to see his plaything ships and soldiers destroy his enemies before he croaked. Bancroft resisted the urge to roll this eyes.

After all, this wasn't just some measly board game. It wasn't about exchanging a few casualties and maybe winning a territory or two. War was about power. It was about obtaining the ultimate obedience and crushing your enemies totally. Those were the principles he taught when he used to be the superintendent of the naval academy, and he intended to take those principles to war.

Yet even though the emperor had the war he wanted, Bancroft found it still too early to be the war that he wanted. The Javan navy was a reputable force, but it was still no match for the Occitanians who largely controlled the waves. Their fleet outnumbered them in just about every ship category. And that was even conveniently leaving out the Ruthenians who would no doubt jump into the conflict once they were worn down through attrition.

No, where they would have to find their strength was in their commanders instead of material. For three years, Bancroft molded the young minds of the naval officers in the academy, preparing them for a war that would soon engulf their lives. He had to make sure his officers were prepared and trained to outlast a war that would be to their disadvantage. At least the action of today seemed to confirm that his training was a success.

At that moment, a door to the main chamber finally opened and out popped Mortimus, the emperor's young page. Bancroft had no use for the pimple-faced and greasy, young man but custom dictated that he show his respect.

"His Imperial Majesty will see you now, Admiral Bancroft," announced Mortimus in a clumsy manner. Bancroft noticed that even the young man's robes were hung in an incorrect way, showing him for the amateur that he really was. Still, he put on his best face for appearances.

"Many thank yous, Mortimus. I am honored to see His Imperial Majesty," said Bancroft with a noticeable flourish. The young man led him into the royal chamber and even managed to stumble on his own robes which nearly caused him to fall on his face.

You wouldn't have fallen if you did your robes correctly, you blithering idiot, thought Bancroft.

As they marched down the long, glittering hall, Bancroft did what he always did during these visits. He stared at the pictures of past Javan monarchs that lined the way. The great ancestors of the current emperor stood along the hall, watching down from their golden frames and passing silent judgment on all guests.

Bancroft could only wonder what they would say in this moment. No doubt they would be disgusted by Mortimus, but what would they think of Bancroft? Would they find him a most humble servant or fit to be strangled like a certain page? More importantly, what would they think about the current occupant of the throne?

"Your Imperial Majesty, may I present you the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Javan Navy, Admiral Percival Ban—"

"I know his name, you moron," croaked Emperor Charles IX before launching into a long fit of coughing. The current occupant of the throne was an aged man indeed and long past the point of being merely overweight. The rolls of blubber on the Imperial Majesty casually rolled over his sides and gave the overall appearance of a peach instead of a man. Charles had heavy jowls as well, with patches of facial hair that had long since turned gray. Parts of the man's skin were crusted and gray, giving off the appearance of scales. His long, ragged mane of gray hair that was once golden as a young man had turned most foul. Even the man's breath reeked of the pickled mung beans he ate constantly throughout the day.

His outward appearance could be looked away if he proved to be a mighty leader but Charles IX was not cut from the same cloth as the men back in the hallway. Cruel and ill-tempered, he was not even supposed to be on the throne in the first place. The third son of his father, George XIII, Charles was intended for the military while his oldest brother was trained to inherit the throne. Sadly, George XIV's early death and the cancerous death of the second child, Louis VI, meant that Charles took the throne despite all odds. Never had there been a monarch more ill-suited for the throne. Bancroft wasn't fully convinced that Charles didn't have a role in the early deaths of his brothers just so he could seize power.

"So, Bancroft, what do you have to report today?" asked Charles as he fiddled along with his nails.

"Good morning, your Imperial Majesty. I bear more news from our outpost in Quiller's Cove. It seems the Occitanians have once again attacked our base but they were—"

"Attacked you say? What do you mean?" demanded Charles.

Impatience. Never the sign of an impressive monarch. "I mean, sire, that their warships fired on the base but they were driven off by—"

"Driven off by who?"

If it were anyone else, Bancroft would have strangled them. "They were driven off by Commander Jack Easterbrook, who is now in full command of Task Force 21."

Charles let slip a crooked smile. "Ah, Easterbrook, you say? Your star pupil from the academy?"

"It seems his training has paid off. They've sunk one of the cruisers with no losses of their own," said Bancroft.

"So we've shed some blood. The Occitanians won't forgive this. Curious that they haven't declared war as of yet."

Bancroft nodded. "There's been no news out of the foreign ministry and the Occitanian ambassador has remained locked in his office."

"Curious indeed. Has their been any other reports of attacks on our forces?"

"None, sire. Just the action at Quiller's Cove. I had a captain report some shadowing of Occitanian destroyers over by Lockhaven but there's been no hostile intent."

Charles grabbed another handful of mung beans and shoveled them into his mouth. "I want you to give all the commanding officers orders to shoot any hostile Occitanian ships. Let's see if we can force them into a declaration of war."

Bancroft resisted the urge to shout at the man. Instead he merely raised an eyebrow. "Your Imperial Majesty, that is likely to cause them to continue to escalate. Would it be not wiser to pull back and wait until our armed forces are in better shape to conduct a war?"

Charles snorted. "Why wait? Winning the war is your job, not mine. If you can't win with what you have, then I'll find another admiral who will. I'm getting tired of your blathering about our lack of preparedness, Bancroft."

"A thousand apologies, Your Imperial Majesty. Forget that I even mentioned it," said Bancroft with a deep bow. Thankfully, Charles's mind never concentrated on one topic for longer than five seconds and he went back to fiddling at his nails. Yes, the long line of conquerors, warlords, and mighty kings would be disgusted by the character of Charles IX.

"Also, Bancroft, I want you to raise the readiness level of the fleets. If this war is about to begin, I want everyone on full alert. No sense in being caught unawares if we can help it."

"Excellent idea, Your Imperial Majesty. I will see to it at once. Is there anything else I can do before I take my leave?" Bancroft took two steps back. He'd already put the fleet on high readiness the day before with the first attack on Quiller's Cove, and he'd had just about enough of listening to the doddering emperor.

"Just one last thing, Bancroft. This Commander Easterbrook. The one that we're sending into the Fourth Vector. Can he be trusted?" asked Charles. He stopped fiddling with the nail file to take a sharp look at Bancroft.

"Trusted, sire? I'm not sure I understand what you mean. We can always rely on our officers to do their duty," said Bancroft with a raised eyebrow.

"I mean can we be sure that he'll always do his duty to his country and sovereign? Will Easterbrook always follow his orders, no matter what they are?"

Bancroft nodded. "That's what he's been trained for, sire. There is no finer officer in the entire Javan fleet. I trust him implicitly."

The emperor began to nod before fixing Bancroft with a bone-chilling stare. "We shall see, Admiral. We shall see."