After another hour on the their course along the Sorellan coast, the crew of the Destiny were greeted with their first sight of the capital city of the East Sorellan people. Jack approached the front of the bridge to get a better look, taking in all that Daimanos’ city had to offer. The city itself was set against a low hill, crushed in between on a small plain that hugged along the coast in the shape of a curved rectangle. Above the city dominated an impressive, gigantic palace, almost double the size of the one located in Lishkerra.

This palace shone brightly on its western side, it’s marbled columns reflecting the rays of the afternoon sun in a dizzying array of brightness. A large, intricate façade covered the western portion, and Jack could see what appeared to be carved engravings of legendary scenes and heroic peoples. In front of that stunning portico was a large fountain, throwing up a steady stream of water before coming splashing down into a large pool. Above the palace itself flew a giant red and black war flag, partitioned into equal parts with an emblem in the middle that Jack couldn’t quite make out at this distance. Simply put, It was quite a fitting residence for a king.

Unfortunately, the rest of the city left a lot more to be desired.

“It’s kind of like they spent all their time and resources building Daimanos’ palace, eh?” said Greg, standing at his side.

He wasn’t wrong. What remained of the city below was nothing short of chaotic. Small, stone-built houses were clustered together and stacked almost on top of each other for the lack of space. Their tiled roofs slanted down on each side and colored in dull reds and blacks. There were no stunning porticoes or majestic fountains in the lower part of town. What was left to that portion remained a bleak affair, uninspired in its normality, and even a bit depressing when set against the palace.

Jack even got the feeling that those buildings that remained standing in the lower city were the lucky ones. On the western portion of the city, just outside the town gate, stood the charred remains of a tiny village. All that stood standing were several foundations of crumbled stone and tile, a chilling reminder of the civil war on Sorella. It seemed that the houses behind the wall were the lucky ones despite their condition, an opinion that Jack voiced to Greg.

“I can understand a little opulence but his palace is nearly as big as the emperor’s. When compared with those little houses below, the difference in income is stunningly apparent,” said Greg.

“Perhaps this is just the way their society is,” said Jack. "Or perhaps there ongoing war has made repairs impossible."

Greg nodded and said nothing further.

In front of them, the four-ship squadron of East Sorellan vessels began to slow down as they drifted closer to the docks along the city’s coastline. The ships slipped past a long jetty made of stone into a protected harbor and prepared to dock just along one of many wooden plankways in the port.

Inside the harbor, a small flurry of activity took place due to their arrival and Jack could already see a small crowd forming along the water’s edge. All along the entire dock, mostly commercial vessels were lying in wait, many of them already back to port after a long day. From the opposite side of the harbor, Jack could see many ships that were grounded on an opposing beach. Many of them he could tell were disabled in some way, either missing sails, rudders, or damaged in some form. From what he could see, Daimanos’ only capable warships were the four ships that met them today. Almost triple their number were beached in some state of disrepair, evidence of the conflict that seemed to consume the entire island.

While the four Sorellan ships docked, Jack gave orders to steam their task force to deeper waters some distance from the harbor. They picked a spot far enough from shore and anchored while Jack gathered a few officers and marines to go ashore with him in the launch boats.

“So, who’s going to be the lucky ones to go to shore?” asked Stephanie out loud, looking around at her colleagues.

Jack pursed his lips in thought. “This banquet that they have planned should be a formal affair so it’ll mean commanders. However, just because we are about to sign an alliance doesn’t mean we need to be lax about security. For that reason, I’m going to take Abigail and Greg with me to the banquet. I’d like to have Luke and Vicky stay with their ships. I want the other officers to stay put for now.”

“Aye, sir,” said Stephanie. “I’ll radio the other ships and let Vicky and Luke know.”

It didn't take long for Jack, Abigail, and Greg to get ready to go and they soon assembled on the deck of the Destiny with their escort of marines.

“Okay, let’s get going. Keep your radios with you just in case anything fishy happens during our meeting,” said Jack.

After all three of them had loaded into the small boat with the marines, Jack lowered the motor into the water and began the short journey over to the main docks. At just over half the distance there, he could see King Daimanos waiting for them as well as a small posse of people surrounding him. Many of them were cheering and waving during their approach.

“Looks like they're happy to see us,” said Greg, motioning to the group.

"Perhaps this war has been worse than we thought," said Jack.

Finally the small boat pulled alongside the main dock and Abigail was the first to jump off and tie up the boat. As the three of them made their way down the dock, they were greeted on the other side by Daimanos and his group.

"Welcome, friends! Welcome to East Sorella," boomed the King, waving his hand at the city behind him.

"It's an honor to be here," said Jack with a slight bow. "You already know Lt. Commander Wainwright and Major Vaughn."

"Good to see you again," said Daimanos before turning to look back at the harbor. "Your vessels cut an impressive figure out there. Hopefully, we can join each other in alliance soon and right the wrongs that have happened on our island."

Daimanos then turned back to face his assembled group. "I have gathered with me the government of East Sorella. You are already familiar with my First Minister Barak." The large man showed more friendliness than the last time around and nodded his head.

"My Minister of War is Alcydes," said Daimanos, pointing out a very tall man standing beside Barak. Alcydes let slip a small smile and nodded his head.

"Lastly, is my Minister of Economy. This is Nikias."

The man introduced as Nikias happened to be very standoffish, and he reluctantly stepped forward to shake hands with all the members of Jack's group.

"Welcome to East Sorella," said Nikias shortly as he reached Jack. Jack got the impression that if anyone was going to be a problem, it would be him.

"Come, Jack," said Daimanos with a heavy clap to the back. "Let's get you set up in your quarters for the evening."

"Oh, you don't have to do that—"

"Nonsense! I won't hear any more on it, Jack. You have to stay with us in the palace. Hospitality calls for it," said Daimanos, leading them from the docks into the city. "Besides, my people are already hard at work setting up the banquet for tonight! The last thing you'll want to do is try to navigate the city and the docks when you're all liquored up."

The group moved swiftly through the city on their way to the palace. On either side, ministers and warriors seemed to flank their small group of five, cutting off much of the city from Jack's view. At rare glimpses, he was able to see close up the common people of East Sorella and it was a near heartbreaking sight every time.

Most of the people here were near starvation. They were paper thin, with narrow, bony faces and dark set eyes. The majority of them wore tattered tunics, caked with mud or filled with holes. What was left of the people were mostly women and children. Adult men were few and far between. It reminded him greatly of the dead bodies they'd recovered earlier.

The entire time they moved, Daimanos rattled on about some topic or the other. At first, Jack tried to stay focused on his words to be a courteous guest but as each topic descended down some rabbit hole or the other, he found himself tuning out the King in order to watch the suffering people of East Sorella.

Finally, they reached the foot of the great hill itself, and Jack was awed to see a gigantic stone staircase in front of them leading all the way up the hill. At the base of the staircase was its own guard station, filled with two warriors each shouldering their own type of long-barreled rifle.

"Up this way, my friends," called out the King as he began the ascent. "Just at the top will be my palace."

The entire group trudged their way up the hill, and despite being in reasonable shape, Jack was nearly out of breath by the time they reached the top. The view was worth the climb and getting a chance to see Daimanos' home up close led him to the certain belief that it was bigger than the palace of Charles IX. In front of them, the fountain sprayed water up to nearly fifty feet in the air, coming down into a pool that was large enough to fit just about the entire crew of the Destiny.

The giant marbled columns that supported the roof were larger than the casemates that held the guns on his heavy cruiser. There must have been at least ten of those columns along the western side, and many more along the longer northern and southern ends. Jack looked up in awe at the giant portico above the columns, each decorated with a scene involving heroic men and beasts.

Daimanos must have seen the look on Jack's face because he stopped to address him personally. "What do you think, Jack? That portico tells the stories of our gods. Countless oral traditions passed down from father to son over thousands of years. It is the pride of all Sorella."

"Your palace is incredible, Your Majesty," said Jack.

Daimanos beamed with pride as he led them inside the palace. More guards moved out of the way as they entered the main great hall and the sounds of their footsteps echoed across the entire auditorium.

Finally, they reached a large hallway with many rooms appearing off the sides. Daimanos pulled Nikias over to him and stopped the Javans. "Now, my minister Nikias will show you to your rooms. Our banquet will start in the next hour. Please make yourselves comfortable, and we shall see you in the eastern courtyard at sunset."

As the King marched away, Nikias gathered them closer together with his unfriendly gaze. "Now then, please stay with me and I'll show you to your quarters."

"Thank you, Nikias," said Jack as they moved along the hall. "Tell me, how long have you worked for Daimanos?"

"I've had the pleasure of working with him for two months now," said Nikias without much interest. "I'm the newest of the ministers in East Sorella."

"Such a new career," said Jack while trying to be friendly. "You must have had some luck with your previous endeavors."

Nikias winced. "You can say I've done well. Enough to be put in charge of our entire economy. Which, sadly, is fully dedicated to fighting West Sorella."

"We sure would like to know more about your conflict. Perhaps at the banquet tonight?"

Nikias fixed him with a glare. "Is it true that you're open to an alliance with us?"

Jack nodded tentatively. "It is. I think we'll be able to come to some kind of accommodation with your people."

"That it is. I hope with your help, this conflict can soon be ended and the real aggressors can be put down," said the minister firmly.

"Nikias, will we be fine to attend the banquet in our uniforms?" asked Abigail, pointing down to her plain naval jacket.

"Of course," snapped Nikias. "What else would you wear?"

Abigail made a shocked face and they arrived at their rooms shortly after.

"Here you are. Each of you will have your own room. Men on the left and women on the right. You'll find facilities capable of drawing a hot bath as well as some of the most comfortable mattresses in this part of the world. If you need anything, there will be a servant monitoring the halls at all times," said Nikias, opening the door. "I must say though, that if you have a desire to leave your room, you must be attended to at all times. No one roams the palace, the grounds, or the city alone."

"Why is that, Nikias?" asked Greg.

Nikias looked like he wanted to say more but promptly shut his mouth. A moment later, he opened it again. "Why because there's a war going on. We can't have anything happening to our guests, can we? Anyway, call if you need anything."

With one last sullen look, the minister hurried down the hall and turned out of sight.

"Odd fellow, that one," said Greg, watching him leave.

"Bit of an asshole if you ask me," muttered Abigail.

"He seems to have a stick stuck up as his ass," said Jack. "Hopefully, it seems like he's the only one."

"Well, what now? Go relax in our rooms?" asked Greg.

"Let's just relax ourselves for this banquet. Meet back out in an hour and we'll go down together," said Jack. The other two nodded and soon separated to enter their respective rooms.

Jack's own room was simple yet elegant. The walls were made of the same smooth marble as the rest of the giant palace. A large bed dominated the entire room as well as a simple dresser and nightstand near the bed. Inside the bathroom was a fine porcelain tub for washing as well as a simple toilet too.

Seeing as he hadn't had a proper washing since they left Java, Jack took a long, luxurious bath before the banquet. With the facilities so much better than those on the cramped ships, he was determined to make the best use of it as he could. Finally managing to scrub off all the grit from weeks of sailing, a much cleaner version of himself popped out of the tub and set about getting dressed once more.

Feeling like a new man, and noticing it was about time, Jack strolled out into the main hall, nearly bumping into Greg as soon as he was out the door.

"Ah, there you are, Jack. That was the quickest hour ever," said Greg, managing a brief smile.

"A much needed break was what it was," said Jack as he closed his door.

"Yeah, I'll say so. Say, what is that smell? You smell a little different," said Greg.

Jack turned a little red in the cheeks. "I tried out the bath."

"We're all thankful that you did," came a voice from behind him. Both men turned around to see Abigail's smirking face. "You smell a lot better."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "You've never objected to my scent before."

She pursed her lips. "That you've heard me complain of."

It was enough to make him chuckle.

"You smell so nice and fresh and feminine now, Jack," said Greg with a cheeky grin. "You'll be the prettiest girl at the banquet now."

Jack raised his eyebrows at the man. "Did you forget I can still kick your ass when I need to?"

Greg raised up both hands in a mocking fight style, which was enough to make Abigail roll her eyes. "Boys, boys, boys. Can you behave? We're supposed to be diplomats tonight."

"Is that why we're here? I thought we were just here to eat!" mouthed Greg.

It took them several minutes to walk past all the stately opulence of the palace but they finally emerged into the courtyard just as the sun was a mere orb on the horizon. The eastern courtyard was just as resplendent as the rest of the grounds, and it was packed with people. In the middle of the area, a large statue of what could only be Daimanos dominated the space. The status was very active, showing the King engaged in solo combat with two enemies as a sword plunged into the heart of a third. The King's triumphant expression was the height of pride and arrogance, a rapid departure from the friendly figure Jack saw earlier that day.

"Like it?" asked a voice from behind Jack. He turned to find himself face to face with the King himself. "I had it commissioned recently from a battle with the West Sorellans. It's a perfect capture of myself in battle."

"Very impressive, Your Majesty," said Jack. "But I couldn't help but notice you have a sword in the sculpture. I thought you used guns in your fights?"

Daimanos chuckled. "We do, Jack, we do, but any man can kill with a rifle. Swordsmanship takes skill to learn. It was something that I learned as a young man and carried with me through the years. If I had it my way, we'd all carry swords with us."

Jack pondered that thought for a moment before the King spoke again.

"Come with us," said Daimanos, putting his hand on Jack's back. "Let's get you all seated at the table as our guests of honor."

Daimanos led them past rows of people on their way to the front of the courtyard. These people, no doubt various governmental officers and bureaucrats, didn't seem to suffer the same malnutrition problems as those from down in the city. All of them wore fine clothing and appeared to be a normal, healthy weight.

Once past all the bureaucrats, Daimanos presented the main table to them which happened to overlook all of the city, having an excellent view of the harbor and the Javan ships floating out at sea.

"Come Jack, you have to sit next to me," said Daimanos while patting the seat next to him. "Nikias will sit on your other side. The rest of you, please find a seat here at the table. You, my dear, are sitting right next to me," said Daimanos as he gestured to Abigail. "The most beautiful woman at the table always sits near the King."

Abigail gave him a polite smile and a nod and sat down by his side.

Once seated, the banquet got started in full force. Off to their right, not far from the statue, a small military band began to play a soft tune as a steady stream of servants erupted from the palace carrying all kinds of delicacies and foods to sample. The King's table was served first and suddenly all the open space on the table in front of Jack was filled with a wide range of dishes.

"You must try this one, Jack," said Daimanos as he grabbed a plate of a white-fleshed meat. "This fish is native to Sorellan waters and it's really quite superb."

"That's enough of an endorsement for me," said Jack with a smile. "I'll take that tray when you are finished."

Daimanos handed it his way as he grabbed yet another. "You'll eat well tonight, my friend. Sorellan food is one of the best in this part of the world."

"You have quite the operation going on here, Daimanos," said Jack while gesturing to the rest of the banquet. "All of these people, the food, the music—all of it is top notch."

Daimanos gave a solemn nod. "These people have earned a celebration. This war has been going on for so long that I owe it to them. You have here the very best people in East Sorellan society. The cream of the crop."

"And what do they say about an alliance?"

"I think most of them would be in favor of an alliance with a greater power," answered Daimanos. "Anything to give us a chance to end this terrible war."

"I think we can agree to that," said Jack while taking a bite of food. "I'm amazed by the palace by the way. Getting a chance to see the inside was wonderful. It must have taken a long time to complete."

The King chuckled as he took a lamb shank and plopped it on his plate. "That it did. It came at a great cost too because of some of the scenes we wished to display around the palace. For example, I'm sure you noticed the great mural on the portico on the way into the palace, yes?"

Jack nodded slowly.

"That mural tells the stories of the Sorellan pantheon on gods. It's our very creation story. It goes all the way back to the first King of Sorella, Decon. He was nothing but a fisherman who had fallen overboard his own ship and ended up washed ashore here in Sorella. After several days and nights, he was on the verge of starvation when our chief god, Malicoe, appeared to him in a vision. It was Malicoe that taught Decon how to hunt on dry land instead of at sea. Once Decon could begin to hunt, he became strong and healthy."

"It was then that he had another vision from Malicoe who told him that he needed a wife so that he could have many sons and father his own nation. Malicoe arranged for a virgin maiden to be captured by Decon on one of his many hunts. Eventually, Decon and this maiden, Veratay, married and she bore him seven sons."

"Well, Jack, those seven sons grew older and became the original seven warriors of Sorella. Those seven brothers were taught by their father how to be excellent hunters and soldiers as well. They became the fiercest warriors in all of Sorella, and together, they conquered the entire island, setting themselves up as the unparalleled rulers of all the land."

"That is quite impressive for just seven men," interjected Jack. "What happened next?"

Daimanos began to nod. "The same thing that always happens when you must share power. They started to squabble about it. Each of them tried to be a king in their own right and it caused a dreadful civil war on the island between each king and his followers. Eventually, one brother named Policips emerged victorious amongst all the others, capturing his siblings in one great battle. Do you know what he did next?"

Jack shook his head.

"He killed his remaining six brothers in cold blood by his own hand," said Daimanos, emphasizing the point by brushing his finger across his throat. "It was at that point that he took over as the King of the entire island, and it hasn't changed in over two thousand years. The King is the definitive center of Sorellan civic life and that isn't bound to change anytime soon."

"That's an interesting history, Daimanos. Perhaps with time, I'd like to learn more about the history of your island."

At that moment, Daimanos finished a good portion of his shank. "Anytime, Jack. Now, let's get to discussing some of the finer points of our potential alliance. Do you have any terms you wish to propose?"

Jack sat up straighter. "I'm glad you asked. There are a few things we would require of an alliance, but I'm sure it's the usual fare that you've heard before. Of course, binding our peoples together would require us to fight in each other's defense. Therefore if East Sorella is attacked, then the forces of the Javan Empire would come to her aid and vice versa. We have our enemies in our part of the world as well. Have you ever heard of the Occitanian Confederacy?"

Daimanos shook his head in response.

"We are close to war with them. If we do go to war, East Sorella would have to come to our aid as well," said Jack. "Be part of our forces and help to attack them wherever you see their ships."

"So far so good, I accept that," said Daimanos rather easily. Jack had expected more of a fight to that provision but he continued on as soon as the King had accepted it.

"Also, we would require a safe port of call at your city for the purpose of resupply and/or repair," said Jack.

"Would I have access to Javan facilities if my ships are on your side of the world?" asked Daimanos.

"Of course," answered Jack. "Each ally would be in agreement to aid the other's forces when asked."

"That's acceptable to us as well," said the King.

"Last, but not least, we would like to set up a favorable nation style of trading between our peoples. Perhaps our own special interest sector within your city to advocate for trade between our nations. Of course, we would welcome the East Sorellans as privileged traders in Java as well."

"Trade is very important to us, but I'm primarily a war king, Jack. I'll leave the details on those arrangements to Nikias, but I agree with the basic premises. Anything else?"

Jack shook his head. "That covers the finer points. How about on your side? Anything else you'd like to add?"

"I have only one requirement," said the King. "I need you to enter this war immediately, and I need your forces to help me with the final battle against the western usurpers."

Jack scrunched his eyebrow. "What do you mean by final battle?"

"We are so close, Jack. So very close to squashing this rebellion against my rule," said Daimanos with an angered tone. "At this very moment, my army is so close to the West Sorellan city, and we are poised to make the final strike. But as you can see, this war hasn't been without casualties on our part. With your forces, we can finally top the scales and emerge victorious."

"I didn't realize you were so close to final victory. You've come this far already, why do you need our help to finish it?" asked Jack.

Daimanos assumed a faraway look. "My people have been suffering greatly, Jack. Our land is tarnished, food is scarce, and every family has lost loved ones. I wouldn't be doing my duty as their King if I didn't look for a way to end this war as quickly as I could. Yes, we could probably finish it on our own but with your help and your mighty ships, we can finish the job and send our brave soldiers home."

Jack started to open his mouth to respond but above the noise of the crowd, a loud trumpet could be heard blasting from the bottle of the hill. The entire Sorellan leadership all straightened in alarm as the trumpets began to blast louder and within a few moments, the noise appeared right at the very front of the palace.

"Our soldiers!" said the King loudly. "They are back. We must see to them!"

Daimanos rose from the table and nodded quickly to his ministers. The entire group began to make their way through the courtyard to the other side of the palace. Jack waved to the other commanders and gestured to them to follow him as he hurried behind the King. Staying just fifty paces behind Daimanos, the Javans were among the first to see the group of soldiers who made their way back to the palace.

Or rather, what could still be called soldiers. The men appeared entirely broken and their uniforms were in tatters. Many didn't even carry their muskets, having long since dropped them. Their formation was practically non-existent and the men struggled up the hill at their own pace. Several of them carried their wounded comrades on makeshift stretchers.

Daimanos face went pale while watching the procession. "By the gods, have we lost? Did we lose the battle?"

The two soldiers closest to him appeared to nod easily. "They were too strong for us, Your Majesty. They fought like demons in the night, abandoning formations in order to attack us from the rear. We couldn't even rest in peace without those West Sorellan devils attacking us by surprise. A group of us even tried to surrender but they wouldn't even let us do that. They hacked all the men to bits. There wasn't a single survivor in the entire group."

Daimanos began to shake with rage. "Those bastards," he yelled. "Those bloodthirsty savages have spilled enough blood of my people. It's time to end this war!"

"Sire, that's not the worst of it," said another soldier, this one heavily splattered in blood. "They set themselves on another peaceful village. They rounded up all the children, women, and old men and cast them inside one building. Then they set fire to the town, burning them all alive. The only ones that made it out were the young women. I can only imagine what their fate will be."

Daimanos grit his teeth and roared in agony.

"We can't let them continue to do this, Jack. We have to do something," said Abigail, pleading at his side.

"I agree. This is too much. The barbarity has to stop," said Greg firmly.

"Are we all in then? Do we choose to help Daimanos? Do we accept their alliance and fight alongside them?" asked Jack.

All of them nodded firmly in agreement. They had made their decision.

It was enough for Jack that he couldn't take it any more. Fighting his way to the front of the crowd next to the mighty King, he clapped the large man on the back. "I'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your peoples, Your Majesty. But I have an answer for you. We accept your alliance."

Daimanos' face looked relieved. "You won't regret this, Jack. An alliance between East Sorella and the Javan Empire will be celebrated for many years to come. With your help, we can finally end this rebellion and return to long lives of peace."

"I have at my disposal three mighty ships to help in your war, Your Majesty," said Jack. "But also, I have two companies of Javan Marines led by our Major Vaughn here. We can supplement your forces and give you some real firepower."

"That would be fantastic, Jack. Thankfully, I know my men would not have died in vain now. Your arrival has been most fortuitous. Your appearance here in East Sorella will be a difference maker for countless lives."

"We are with you, Daimanos," said Jack more quietly. "We need to bring these people to justice."

Daimanos began to rub at his chin. "I would like for us to meet together to create a new battle plan for our alliance. But not tonight, Jack. Not within the sight of so many of my dead children. We'll honor them tonight and discuss war in the morning."

Jack nodded solemnly. "It is understandable, Your Majesty. If your soldiers are so near to final victory, we should get moving as quickly as possible."

"Excellent idea, Jack. Let's cover it in the morning. I'm sorry, but I'll be cutting the rest of the banquet short. We have nothing to celebrate at this moment with this terrible news from the front lines. Tomorrow we will meet again to talk more, and tonight I will grieve for my people."

"As will I, Daimanos. As will I."

Jack kept his hand on the King's back in a show of solidarity until the large man begun to move away, retiring to the palace. As the line of ministers and other government figures began to fade away, Jack found himself left with his fellow officers and the servants assigned to them.

"We should get a good night's sleep and then prepare to meet with him in the morning," said Jack to the others. "Abigail, I want you to head back to the Destiny at first light. Start preparing the task force for war."

Abigail nodded. "You got it, Jack."

Jack then turned to the marine commander. "Greg, I want you to stay with me tomorrow while we discuss the land campaign with West Sorella. Radio your captains and let them know to start preparing for action."

"We'll get it done, Jack," said Greg with a nod.

"There's not much more we can do tonight. Let's get back to our rooms and I'll meet you all in the morning."

The three of them were escorted back into the palace after that, and as Jack retired to his own room to sleep, he could only wonder what tomorrow might bring about for their new alliance.

*****

The next morning, Jack, Greg, and Daimanos peered over a map of the entire island of Sorella. A line separated both halves of the country, the divider between east and west and their respective zones of influence. Daimanos pointed just beyond the line to give them the current situation.

"I have a large fort built right here, not far from Heron's city and right on the coast," said Daimanos, pointing to a spot not far from the enemy city. "Most of my forces are here, a few thousand of my best soldiers. They are ready for the final push to eradicate this evil from our homeland, Jack."

"Are they armed for action?" Jack asked. "The soldiers we saw yesterday didn't look to be in the best shape."

Daimanos waved dismissively. "Those men had been fighting for many months and were due to come back to the capital. My forces in the center of the island are in better shape. Now, let's talk about how you can help us win."

Jack shared a look with Greg. "Before we do, tell us what your plan is. How do you plan to win this war?"

Daimanos sketched an imaginary line just right in front of the West Sorellan city. "See this line? This is their defensive perimeter. It's strong, Jack, very strong. Their remaining forces have pulled back behind this line that makes good use of the natural terrain and makes it a tough nut to crack. For this reason, we've been taking a lot of casualties trying to assault it head on."

"Why assault it head on at all? Why not go around it? Mount a seaborne operation?" asked Jack.

Daimanos shrugged. "All of my best ships have been lost in the war. I only have what is out in the harbor, and I'm sure you noticed most of those ships are beached and therefore of no use to me right now."

"We could do this, Daimanos," said Greg. "My marines can mount an amphibious operation around the wall and attack the city from the sea."

The King burst into a wide grin. "That's exactly the kind of ingenuity I need!"

"How many men would we need to do this?" asked Jack.

"As many as you can spare but you'll need to be careful. Their artillery is spotted on the seaside approaches to the town. I would advise not taking your entire fleet. It's too dangerous."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't seem quite right. If we only take a limited force, it will make the fight longer and harder than it needs to be. We should strike with everything we have to bring this to a quicker conclusion."

Daimanos closed his eyes and shook his head. "It's not safe, Jack. How do you think I lost half my fleet? You should send a fast ship to launch the marines but then to pull back afterward. We'll combine it with a land offensive at the same time, and we'll squeeze them together in a giant pincer movement. Besides, we should keep some of your ships here."

"Are they needed here? Are we in danger of an attack at your capital city?" asked Greg.

"You never know, Greg. But you've seen our hinterland not far from the city. This war has carried its woes even to our very doorstep. If all my forces are in the interior to make a final push, we'll need forces here in the city to protect it in case Heron and his minions try to pull anything funny."

"So you're suggesting we leave a ship here to protect the city?"

Daimanos nodded. "Precisely, Jack. It's just a precaution but I'd feel terrible if you ended up losing your ships for no gain this late in the conflict."

Jack slowly nodded and began to mull the idea over in his head.

"That plan works just fine for us, Daimanos," said Jack with a quick nod. "We'll take the Destiny with us on our attack along with Tiger but the Valiant will remain in the harbor to protect the city."

"That should work, Jack. I think this plan will really bring us the final victory we're seeking. I think this is the one!"

Jack smiled. "I'll need the coordinates to the city as well as a safe path along the coast. The last thing we'll want is to get beached in unknown waters."

"Of course, I'll have Alcydes get you the maps of the coast. Alcydes, see to it at once," said the King, snapping his fingers at his minister of war.

"Of course, Your Majesty," answered Alcydes.

Greg then turned to look at Jack. "Perhaps we should take one of the Sorellans with us. Someone to guide us to the right spot? Especially if we are to attack from sea, we'll want to make sure we have someone who knows the terrain with us."

"An excellent idea," said Daimanos brightly before gesturing to Nikias. "I want you to take Nikias and Alcydes with you. They'll be your guides in enemy territory."

Nikias opened his mouth to protest immediately. "Is that really necessary, Your Majesty? Surely you'd want to send another military man instead of myself?"

Daimanos gave the minister an intimidating look. "No, I'd rather it be you, Nikias. You both are members of my government, and I need to be represented by your presence."

The King and the minister shared a long look filled with tension. Enough to make both Jack and Greg notice the unspoken conversation that seemed to take place between their gazes. As usual, the King received his way and the minister's shoulders slumped shortly after.

"Very well, I will come along," said Nikias with characteristic morbidity. "I shall grab some of my things to accompany you on your mission."

"As will I," chirped Alcydes.

"'Atta boy, Nikias," roared Daimanos with a heavy chuckle. He slapped the minister on the back hard enough to shake the man before returning back to Jack. Nikias then slipped out of the room with the other minister leaving Jack and Greg alone with the King.

"The last thing we need to decide is timing. If we are to attack simultaneously, when should we press the attack to take advantage of your numbers?" asked Jack.

Daimanos rubbed the side of his face. "How quickly can your ship get to the other side of the island?"

"That depends. How large is the island?"

"Our island is just shy of a hundred leagues across the widest part and the West Sorellan city is at the far western peninsula. How long would it take your ship to cover that distance?"

Jack did the math in his head with the standard cruising speed of the Destiny. "It will take us a little over twelve hours to get there at our standard speed."

"Very well," said Daimanos. "If we attack at daybreak tomorrow, we'll have plenty of time to get our forces in place. Would that leave you enough time?"

"If we leave shortly. Twelve hours of sailing plus time to take off won't leave much time left in the day," said Jack.

"Why don't we get moving then? If we attack at first light tomorrow, we can have them mopped up before breakfast. And then who knows, Jack? Maybe we can have our victory celebration here the day after!"

Jack smiled. "That is my hope as well. I'd like to see the perpetrators of these heinous actions put to justice."

Daimanos touched his arm lightly. "You shall get your wish soon, I assure you. And when you're back, I want to look at your ships more closely. We need that kind of firepower in our fleet!"

"That should be just fine. We'll get to that when we get back," said Jack.

At that moment, Nikias reentered the room carrying with him a small bag of clothing. He stopped short and looked at the King with a solemn expression. "I'm ready to go, Your Majesty."

Daimanos took one look at his bag and started to chuckle. "Nikias, you're just going on a short mission, not a vacation! What's the large bag for?"

Nikias gave a small smile. "You never know what you might need to prepare for, Your Majesty."

Daimanos shook his head. "If you wish. Why don't you all get going then? I'll want you to have enough time to get into place. I'll send word to my troops to be in place for the attack at daybreak."

Jack reached out and shook the King's hand. "We shall see them there and return soon with victory."

"Please feel free to stop at the fort on your way there, if you have time. If you need any supplies or arms, my men will have all that you need," said the King.

"We're very grateful for your aid, Daimanos," said Jack with a head nod. "Come with us, gentlemen. We'll be off shortly."

Together, Jack, Greg, Nikias, and Alcydes began to exit the King's war room. As they reached the door, Daimanos spoke one last time. "Wishing you good shooting, Jack! Save some blood for my boys and don't kill them all!"

The four of them emerged into the hallway, and Nikias led them on the way out of the palace. As soon as they stepped outside the western entrance near the great fountain, Greg turned to look at the Sorellan minister. "Your King is especially bloodthirsty today."

"Today?" said Nikias with a snort. "It's every day. Who else would have commissioned a statue to themselves killing their enemies personally?"

"Someone who loves their people, that's who," said Alcydes coldly. The tall man shot a look of disgust to the other minister who didn't say another word.

"Let me ask you something, Alcydes," asked Jack as they began to descend the giant, stone staircase. The two of them had pulled slightly ahead of Greg and Nikias. "Daimanos tells us of all the horrors of the West Sorellans. Is it true? Are they all really that bad?"

Nikias remained silent for a moment before answering. "Let's just say it will all become apparent soon when we get to the war zone."

Jack's brow furrowed in confusion at the cryptic response.

The men made their way into the lower city and finally down to the docks. After squeezing into the launch boat, the four of them made their way to the Destiny. Even from this distance, Jack could see the marines on the ship's deck already preparing for battle. It was a sight that always made him proud of the men he served with.

Almost as soon as they reached the heavy cruiser, a quick look back up to the palace could see the preparation for battle beginning. In spots along the ridge, East Sorellan soldiers could be seen putting up cannons and sandbags along the entire length.

"Are you expecting an attack in the harbor, Nikias?" asked Greg pointing to the shiny, bronze cannons perched on the ledge below the palace. "Those weren't there when we landed."

"Just a precaution," answered Alcydes for the other minister. "With your ship staying here, we want to make sure we are offering as much protection as we can."

Nikias didn't add anything further to Alcydes' statement but simply nodded his head.

Reaching the ship, Jack tied up the small launch craft and let the two ministers be the first up the ladder. As soon as the last one was up, Greg came to his side before climbing up himself. "Something doesn't feel right with these two."

Jack nodded. "I can feel it too. I feel like there's something that they aren't telling us. I'm going to send a note to Luke to keep an eye on those cannons just in case," said Jack. "This whole thing is giving me a funny feeling."

"Let's just focus on winning. The sooner we do, the sooner we can leave," said Greg.

"Agreed," said Jack as the two of them scampered up to the main deck.

It didn't take long for them to get underway. After a quick war conference on the Destiny, the large heavy cruiser raised anchor and began to slip out of the harbor at just after nine in the morning with the Tiger blazing the trail in front of her. With any luck, they would reach their position just as night fell.

*****

"Jack, I think we're almost here. What looks to be a fort along the coast has been spotted off to our starboard side," said Twitch, sticking his head into Jack's personal quarters. "Do you want to stop?"

Jack stood up at once. "It's about time. We should have reached their fort an hour ago. I don't think we have time to stop now to get into place in time before nightfall but I want to see this fort anyway."

The two of them left Jack's headquarters and proceeded to the bridge. As soon as they arrived, Jack grabbed his binoculars and looked out from the bridge window at the large fortifications off to his right.

Sure enough, Daimanos wasn't kidding about having a large fort near the coast. The redoubt itself was massive and surrounded by a large ditch and palisade that went all the way to the beach. Inside, Jack could see ranks of soldiers going through maneuvers, all preparing for tomorrow's assault.

"They look ready to go," said Abigail from his side. She then turned to look at him. "Are we?"

Jack began to nod slowly. "I think so. Greg has been preparing the marines all day and they're in good shape to lead the attack. I think we'll have the element of surprise as well. Hopefully, this goes our way."

Her eyes flashed with a worried look. "And if it doesn't?"

Jack shrugged. "It will. I believe it will."

She returned her gaze to shore while Jack walked back over to his command station. It wasn't a moment later that she called for him once more. "Jack, come here. You have to see this."

Jack rose at once and returned to the window, peering out with his binoculars. "Look over just past the fort. Just beyond that small ridge near the beach. What do you see?"

Jack followed her instructions and settled on what appeared to be an enclosed area just next to the fort. From what he could see, a metal fence enclosed the perimeter making it impossible for anyone to get in or out. However, it was what was inside that immediately caused him to feel rage.

"Alcydes! Nikias! I need you both at once," Jack yelled into his command radio, feeling his anger spike. The two had been set up with rooms not far from the bridge, and he wasn't surprised to see them appear only a few minutes later.

Handing his binoculars off to Alcydes, he told him where to look. "What is the meaning of this? Why are those people fenced in like animals?" Jack pointed aggressively to shore, where the enclosed area contained a large amount of women and children, all looking sickly and emaciated. Yet, they appeared to be the lucky ones to still be alive. Several of them had been strung up on crosses, crucified as a visual representation of their punishment. Others had been lynched and swung freely from trees from within the camp. It reminded him instantly of the first bodies they had come across when they landed in Sorella.

Alcydes looked calmly at the fenced area and then back at Jack. "Why that looks like a war prisoner camp to me, Jack."

"Prisoners? Those are women and children! How could they be war prisoners?" yelled Jack.

Alcydes remained calm. "Most likely they did something to prolong the war. The West Sorellans are a nasty people, Jack. My guess is that they supported the guerrilla war against our soldiers or offered aid to the enemy soldiers. Either way, they are detained until the conflict is ended."

"This is the type of treatment we came here to fight, not support," said Jack while gritting his teeth. "Daimanos told us that it was the West Sorellans who embarked on this kind of cruelty yet here we find your own people doing it too!"

Alcydes blinked at him. "This is a war, Jack. Distasteful things happen in every war. Unfortunately these people were caught prolonging the war by a variety of means and they must be punished. Those orders came directly from King Daimanos."

"Wait until I talk with your King," said Jack angrily. "This practice ends as soon as we get back. I will not be party to a war that treats their own people in such a fashion."

At this point, Nikias intervened and separated the two men. "We understand perfectly, Jack. It's savagery and we know that. We beg of you—just help us end this and we can return peace to the island."

"Fine," said Jack before turning his back. "The two of you may return to your quarters until tomorrow. I don't want to look upon your faces after what I've just seen."

Nikias shrugged nonchalantly and turned to leave the bridge without another word. Even Alcydes, who usually had the right thing to say, struggled with a response. At one point, he opened his mouth to say something but he closed it just as quickly. Without a further response, he too left the bridge.

As soon as they were gone, Jack barked an order over to Anna. "Fire up the boilers and let's get out of here. I don't want to be in this area any longer than we have to."

Anna nodded her agreement and radioed in the command. The ship lurched forward as Jack returned to his command station next to Abigail. Tenderly, she touched his arm and looked at him. "Do you think we made a mistake coming to Sorella, Jack?"

"I sure hope not," said Jack, refusing to look toward shore. He'd never be able to confront his own conscience or that of the scores of dead if they had sided with the enemy.

*****

The next morning just before dawn, the Destiny maneuvered into position just off shore and readied for the final assault. In front of them, still shrouded in an early morning fog, was the capital city of West Sorella.

Jack studied the enemy city for as long as he could for it appeared to be a stark contrast to the East Sorellan capitol. Compared with the great disparity in wealth and poverty on the eastern side of the island, the western city seemed to be much more equal. Most of the city was made up of similar sized housing, evenly spaced and showing only little signs of war damage. There was a larger building in the center of the city, but there was nothing of the size of Daimanos' palace anywhere in the western city.

What was even more apparent was the lack of defensive measures, at least along the beaches. Jack could see a great defensive wall along the land approach but the beaches were mostly empty, showing no barriers to assault or any artillery. Something wasn't quite right.

At that moment, Greg entered the bridge in full uniform. "We're all ready to go, Jack. Are the East Sorellans in place?"

Jack gave a quick glance to the hinterland beyond the city and then shook his head. "Not yet. It's still quiet out there."

A worried look appeared on Greg's face. "Where are they? The sun is almost poking through and they should be in place already!"

"I don't know. They may be behind in their preparations. We shouldn't let it affect our timing though."

"How does the beach look?" asked Greg.

"Too quiet," said Jack. "Way too quiet. It's like they aren't prepared for us at all. Something just feels wrong, Greg. This looks too easy."

"Perhaps they just aren't expecting us. Daimanos did say he didn't have much of a navy. Maybe they didn't think he had enough forces to mount a seaborne assault."

"If that's the case, then we really will be back by tomorrow," said Jack. "I don't see this taking very long to mop up."

"We should get moving then. Just because the East Sorellans are late doesn't mean we won't hold up our end of the bargain," said Greg before turning to exit the bridge.

"Hold up, Greg," said Jack with a grim smile. He raised his rifle to show to the marine. "Time to see if that target practice has paid off."

"For all of our sakes, I hope it has," joked Greg.

The two men left the bridge and proceeded to the staging area at the rear of the ship. Long lines of fully geared marines prepared to lower into the launch boats and form their assault teams. Jack watched the sailors prepare the launches when he heard voices from behind him.

"Jack, wait up!"

Turning around to look, he wasn't surprised to see Anna bounding along the deck to reach him. She collided into his arms and hugged him tightly. Pulling away, she looked at him with misty eyes. "Please be careful. Don't do anything stupid, okay?"

Jack gave her a confident smile. "I think we'll be okay. Keep an eye on the ship, all right? Watch out for your sister?"

"You have my word, Commander," the innocent-looking brunette said with a playful salute. As she scampered back to the bridge, another voice called out for Jack.

He turned around to see the two East Sorellan ministers making their way to the deck. Both of them carried their own makeshift helmets and muskets. While Alcydes had a grim determination on his face, Nikias looked slightly worried at the events to follow.

Jack gave them one look up and down. "You're not serious, are you? You both want to assault the beach with us?"

Alcydes nodded with what looked like an evil smile. "We wouldn't miss a chance to be part of the last battle. Isn't that right, Nikias?"

Nikias gulped visibly and nodded his head.

Jack shrugged. "Okay, well both of you just stay out of the first wave. I don't want to have to explain to Daimanos how his own ministers wound up getting killed during our assault."

Alcydes nodded his agreement but the two of them didn't do much to separate themselves from Jack. They ended up in the boat right behind the Javan commander, close enough that they would land in the first general assault group on the beach. At this point, Jack didn't have time to watch them further. All of his attention was being focused on getting to the beach and finishing this assault in one piece.

Soon, all the launch boats were lined up from the Destiny and began to push toward the beach. Even just a short thirty yards from shore, Jack was astounded to hear no sounds of firing—no artillery, no small arms, nothing. It was like there wasn't even a war going on.

"I don't like this at all, Jack. Not one bit," said Greg, peering over the side of the boat at the shore. Most of the city was still shrouded in fog and not a soul could be seen. It was too quiet and the closer they got to the beach, the more Jack felt like something was deadly wrong.

"Hit the beach!" yelled Greg as soon as the boats hit the sand. Rows of marines dropped over the sides of the launch boats and hustled their way into the seemingly deserted city. Jack moved with the first wave, his rifle checking every possible point that a waiting force could use to decimate attackers and he came up empty each time.

It was like there was truly no one in the city.

Jack followed Greg as they pushed up against a wall of houses not far from the beach to take a breath. Almost twenty heavily armed marines followed their lead, all wearing the same confused expressions on the location of the enemy.

"Where the hell is everyone?" panted Greg. "The West Sorellans? The East Sorellans? Are we the only ones in this whole fucking city?"

"I don't know. This doesn't make any sense," answered Jack as the two East Sorellan ministers came up to their position on the beach. Nikias was holding his helmet and looking around nervously while Alcydes wore an obvious scowl.

"What are you waiting for? Let's push forward," said Alcydes, annoyed at the fact that they'd already stopped.

"Don't you find this odd? Why isn't anyone shooting at us?" asked Jack, getting in the minister's face.

"Perhaps our troops have drawn out the enemy already? Maybe you are already in their rear," offered the sour-faced minister.

"You and I both know that's not the case," said Nikias quietly.

"Shut up, you fool," hissed Alcydes while reaching over to smack the butt of his musket against the other minister.

Jack had no more time for nonsense. He got right into the face of the war minister. "What are you talking about? Where are your troops, Alcydes?"

Alcydes snuck out around Jack and began to stride deeper into the city. "This way, Commander! The war is this way. Let's take the city!"

Jack looked over at the rest of the marines as well as Greg and felt helpless to explain the odd situation that they found themselves in.

Surprisingly, Nikias was the second one to follow Alcydes deeper into the city. Looking back at Jack, he called out. "Come this way, Jack. Your questions will soon be answered!" He then disappeared behind a corner as he rushed into the city.

"Why do I feel like something very bad is about to happen?" asked Greg. "Like we're about to become sitting ducks?"

"What do you want to do? Go back to the ships? Abandon this mission?" asked Jack.

Greg pointed his rifle toward the city. "And leave those two here. I think we could kiss our alliance goodbye if we do that."

"As well as consign all those suffering to a very painful death," added Jack. "I'm not willing to do that. Let's be smart about this though. Let's cover each other's backs and move slowly. Are we all good with that?" Jack asked the assembled marines.

"Yes, sir!" they roared in unison.

They filtered out shortly after, following in the footsteps of the two East Sorellan ministers. The marines worked as one unit and checked around every corner, busting down doors looking for hidden enemy soldiers, and covering their comrade's backs.

At one point, Jack caught sight of the two ministers just on ahead as they emerged into a small plaza that was surrounded on all sides by larger buildings. Even from his vantage point twenty yards away, Jack could see the plaza would have been the perfect spot for an ambush.

"Nikias! Alcydes! Wait, don't go over there!" called out Jack as he frantically tried to get their attention. The two of them strolled right into the central part of the plaza, each of their muskets pointing up to the balconies surrounding the place.

It took forever for Jack and the marines to catch up. At one point, Jack lost sight of the two men as they rounded a jagged corner and while they cleared the area, a single solitary gunshot pierced the quiet morning air. The gunshot came from the plaza.

"Let's go! Move forward," roared Greg as the marines rushed in one by one. They covered each corner before sneaking along the sides and bringing coverage over the balconies surrounding the plaza. However, the shot didn't come from the balconies.

It came from the central part of the plaza. As soon as Jack reached the middle, he was astounded to see Nikias standing with his musket pointed at the body of Alcydes. The war minister was sputtering up blood, rapidly choking on what remained of life while Nikias watched on unflinchingly.

"What did you do?" asked Jack, breaking the minister out of his haze as the men finally stopped moving.

"What needed to be done," answered Nikias cryptically. He then put his hand to his lips and gave out a low whistle.

Above them, the sounds of movement filled the air and before Jack or the rest of the team noticed, a full company of enemy soldiers appeared on the various balconies and completely surrounded them with muskets ready to fire. Jack could count no fewer than ten muskets fixed on his person as the ambush that he feared launched with impeccable timing.

"I'm sorry to have deceived you this way, Jack, but it was completely necessary," said Nikias while turning to face the Javan commander.

"You? You have betrayed us?" said Jack accusingly, shooting a glare at the minister.

"Yes, unfortunately. I am working for the West Sorellans. I've been a mole in Daimanos' government for the last year all waiting for the right time to strike."

"You've made a great mistake, Nikias," hissed Greg. "You won't live long enough to regret this."

Nikias blinked at them and finally began to shake his head. "I think you both misunderstand me. The Javan Empire is not my enemy, nor is it the enemy of the rightful King of Sorella, Heron!" Nikias pointed up to a middle-aged man on the balcony, standing behind two guards. Much less opulent than Daimanos, the King looked on with quiet determination.

Nikias started to speak once again. "I killed Alcydes because his job was to get you deep into the city for when the real East Sorellan attack happened, set for an hour after daybreak. Daimanos has betrayed you, Jack. He wanted you to mop up the leftover resistance of the West Sorellans and then he was going to attack your forces right after. He is looking to kill all of you!"

Jack looked up once more into the barrels of so many muskets and felt truly helpless. The fate of their entire mission now rested in the hands of people who held them completely in their mercy.

What was infinitely worse was how would they determine who was really friend or foe on this island?